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#also me: *starts doubting my entire life the second i start trying to remember /anything/ even if its just as minor as what i had for lunch*
theminecraftbee · 6 months
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Also, shoutout to Impulse for getting stuck in two of those worlds in ONE DAY. Joe revealed that the recording for what we now know as vault hunters was also last monday. Impulse is really going through it.
Impulse sweats. For the past several minutes, Iskall has been staring at him and "hmmm"-ing for some reason. His only solace is that he's also doing it to Etho, but it's still making Impulse feel like he's got something weird on his face. That, or Iskall has suddenly and unexpectedly transformed back into his original villager state. One or the other.
He glances at Etho, who shrugs awkwardly at Impulse. He looks back at Iskall, who is still 'HMMM'-ing, increasingly furiously.
"Do you think he wants us to say something?" Etho asks.
"I mean, I guess?" Impulse says. "He could just ask."
"He's just going to keep humming at us, though," Etho says. "That's scary."
"Scary?" Impulse says, blankly.
"HMMMMM," Iskall says with an irritated expression.
"Scary," Etho confirms. Impulse sighs.
"Okay, I'll handle it. Hey, Iskall," Impulse says.
"Oh, I didn't see you there," Iskall blatantly lies.
"Right. You're, uh, sounding a bit concerned, buddy," Impulse says.
"Right, yes. Very concerned. Did you know you and Etho are already claimed? And, like, super cursed."
"Uh, I got a divorce with Cleo, you know," Etho says, completely straight-faced. "I'm a bachelor now. Not claimed by anyone."
"I'm not sure Bdubs and I ever got a divorce," Impulse says.
"No, no, not claimed like that! Claimed like--I did warn you all, yes? That my patrons would not like it if you came with other gods all over you? They get jealous of each other, let alone whoever you have... doing that to you."
Impulse and Etho glance at each other again. Impulse looks back at Iskall. "Yeah, I think I'd remember if I were claimed by any gods. I don't really... worship any, these days."
"If I worship any gods, Iskall, they're not the kind yours can do anything about," Etho says.
"What?" Impulse says.
"I mean, I'm old! I'm old, Impulse! I've met a lot of gods! Some of them I have opinions on!" Etho says.
"No, I've met yours too, they won't cause problems, yeah?" Iskall says.
"Thank goodness," Etho says.
"Sometimes I forget how old you two are," mutters Impulse. "That doesn't answer the whole... already claimed?"
"Yeah, like, it stinks off of you to me. It's like... you've got... someone's already claimed you to kill players, not mobs. And your health is all wonky. And you're keeping secrets or... kept secret? And don't even get me STARTED on how much time you have. All wrong. Who did you even find to do that to you?"
Impulse freezes.
"...the time was last season," he says, finally.
"Last season? What?" Iskall says.
"Yeah, that was--you know what, tell your gods not to worry about it," Impulse says. "I'm sure it's. Fine? Hey, wait, how can you tell?"
Iskall shakes his head like he's trying to knock something out of his ear. "They're annoying about it. Make whatever curse you're under go away while you're here or they're going to make it my problem. Mine! As though I can do anything about it. Go to the mortal world, they say. Bring your friends back here, they say. We want to meet them, they say. They're so annoying."
Etho, without skipping a beat, says: "Yeah, are those gods or the mother I saw last night?"
There's an ominous roll of thunder.
"Oh, definitely your mom," he says. There is a second, even more ominous roll of thunder happens, somehow entirely focused on Etho's location. Impulse decides to ignore it.
"I'll bother Grian about it," Impulse decides. He somewhat doubts Grian is a god--man, he really, really hopes Grian isn't a god, actually--but maybe he knows that Secret Keeper guy. That feels like the kind of guy who probably did this to them.
"Do that," Iskall says, and he wanders off to bother Stress.
Etho watches him go. "You know, maybe we should worry about the fact we're cursed because of the Life games. That seems, uh, bad," he says.
Impulse thinks about it and shrugs. "Eh, what's the worst that can happen?"
A long silence.
"Don't answer that," he tells the silence, before it can ominously thunder again. He knows the kinds of things that will lead to gods mocking him, after all.
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clatoera · 9 months
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uni application season has made me drop off the face of the earth so i'm extremely late coming to this chapter... but omg glim glam and cato.. TRAUMA BONDING?!?!?
cato with a gun. that's the entire review.
i love how simple this chapter is with the most infinite lore ever!!! clove can cook! what! how did that start, what was her favorite recipe, does she partake in... girl dinner?? so many questions.
glimmer with finnick kind of gives the platonic soulmates vibe. i just love how comfortable they are with each other and how much they have this underlying love & respect towards each other even though the other can fuck them over. ugh my beautiful capitol ruined babies.
"“It is. But you can’t change it now. I want to hate you, Finnick. I want to hate you, but then I remember being seventeen and terrified and in pain and you being the only one who could sit with me while I cried in the shower. I want to hate you but you were the one who carried me home after those terrible procedures, every time I cried because I thought I was bleeding to death, Finnick... I want to hate you but it’s hard to hate you when you look so pathetic.” Glimmer takes the risk, reaching her hand out to place it on top of Finnick’s. “How can I hate you, after we ended up in the same terrible sinking boat again.”"
LIKE WHAT? do you have no shame in just ripping out my heart in broad daylight?!?! 'it's hard to hate you when you look so pathetic' is so funny but so sad when you compare it to katniss saying it's hard to be angry at someone who cries so often back in mockingjay. UGH. justice for finnick, he better not die this time around.
CATO WITH A GUN. cato... with a GUN. there should be a hunger games with pipe bombs in it and i think we should place cato in it just for the giggles. i also love how the second they're back with weapons they just revert back to the academy mindset of Kill The Enemy which used to be other tributes but now has morphed into actual treason. well! sucks to be snow i guess! especially now that glim glam is getting her pink gun (which is also bejeweled in my mind)
love it as always! love u! it's all amazing thank u!
Hi bestie! I understand! I am actively working on residency applications as well so I totally understand. I'm actually waiting for my board scores to be released Wednesday so thats why I haven't posted/written another chapter yet, I am literally in too much distress to think of anything else until wednesday afternoon (think of me bc i'm going through it).
Cato and Glimmer trauma bonding was immediately part of the plan once I decided to take Glim Glam to 13. That was a without a doubt going to happen sort of situation if they were together here.
Thank you! The whole idea if these couple of chapters is to establish their lives in 13 and what will happen in a world without the people they love and without anyone to ground them!
Soooo yes Clove can cook. That comes from her childhood, in which she was a neglected little girl in charge of her own meals and keeping herself alive. She learned how to make her little sandwiches and keep herself afloat another day, at like..6...before she went to training at the academy. It compounded in her adult hood as a way to use her knives and keep up to date on fine knifework skills. I think she really got into it once she won and had the time and means to try new recipes. They seem like steak people. Good roast chicken people. I think Miss Clove would participate in girl dinner if not for the fact she's also responsible for feeding her 6'3 man friend who most definitely could not survive on girl dinner with grapes and rice crackers.
Glimmer and Finnick..have gone through a LOT together. They are TRULY trauma bonded and have been working on that bond about 7 years tbh. They have gone through a LOT and they went through a lot TOGETHER. They love each other and they DO respect each other, after all they've been through, they are life long friends. As they deserve.
I did hope it would rip your heart out, if for no other reason than I think it's fun to hear your reaction. I kid i kid but seriously the heart to heart HAD to happen. They had to make up from the whole "hahah no I didn't tell you about a whole rebellion" thing. And while she isn't happy about it, she can't hate him anymore. Not after what they've experienced together and also...because he DOES look pathetic with his little knots.
Cato with a MF gun. That can't even entirely be credited to me. That was honestly @ohhowwehavefallen sending me a tik tok that sent this into existence. She should get credit tbh.
Being back with weapons like..it's almost a comfort for them. It's how they were raised, it's like your favorite stuffed animal after not seeing it for a long time. This is what they know! Weapons! Kill! Enjoy treason! Glimmer has a bedazzled glock everyone watch out!
thank you thank you thank you my love! I am sorry this took me so long, I have been stressing MASSIVE amounts over these exam scores and it's disoriented me!
love you long time bb @lwveless
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ph4os · 8 months
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So. I was talking to one of my online friend about my shifting journey and she has an Instagram fanpage and she was like "I have a lot of friends who are trying to shift, and your journey is definitely the strangest and most twisted I've ever heard. Can I share it with these friends of mine? I think it could motivate a lot of people." And I was like, “yeah, go ahead… Like… They already know I'm weird and twisted, they already know a part of my journey, they'll believe you and it'll be fine, so yeah.” (These people already know me because I had a page too). So she gave me a kind of interview and shared it in her stories. After this, many people started contacting me saying that I had been helpful and so I thought "Why not talk about it on Tumblr too?". So here I am!!! I hope this post can help someone!
Remember that this has been my personal experience, everyone has their own path which is different from that of the others and it is wonderful like this.
Also, the entire post is written in a sarcastic and joking tone to lighten the topics covered, this is why I demand respect towards myself, thank you
How it all started
One evening, before COVID started, I was in my bed, I was watching a documentary about I don't remember what topic, but in short it was about metaphysics and stuff like that. At one point, the scientist on TV says something like that aliens maybe aren't even from our own universe, he really said "maybe we too one day will be able to make quantum leaps capable of moving objects such as spaceships. Maybe one day we will be able to shift not only our consciousness." And I was like, "What is this guy talking about?" I decided to go to sleep and, I can swear to anything you want, that as I fell asleep I saw the classic flashing lights that you see before shifting. Anyway, a few weeks later, COVID started and shifting started getting famous on Tik tok. You can imagine my reaction when I connected the various information and understood what the scientist was talking about on TV. You can even understand the panic when among the symptoms of shifting I found those flashing lights that I had seen. (Sometimes, seriously I think I have shifted in this reality because there are various things that don't add up with my life before this event etc)
Anyway I decided to let it go, I had just started taking witchcraft seriously and studying it constantly, I didn't feel like committing myself to another topic as well. I had been studying witchcraft since the previous year but I didn't have time to take it seriously, the forced quarantine seriously seemed like the right opportunity to start and I didn't want any more headscratchers. (I think I'll also make a post about my witchcraft journey because through my various posts I think it's all very misunderstood)
Why I decided to start shifting
I deserve a lot, like really a lot, insults for what I'm about to say.
I decided to start shifting because I was like "nah... This can't be true! It's just bullshit!"... You can insult me... Alright! When I realized that it was actually a feasible thing (i.e.: I informed myself; i.e.: I felt the most vivid symptoms on my little silly body; i.e.: my soul left my body) I was like, "ok. It's a real thing. I HAVE TO GET IT!!!". It had become a personal challenge, and I hate losing challenges. Plus I had a problem with a story I was writing: I couldn't keep writing, the whole story was full of plot holes, the story sucked. So, I intelligently decided that I would shift into my own story to see how it was going to end… anyway....
However, I still had the doubt that the symptoms I experienced were just the symptoms of a heart attack so I decided to try to shift first in a second backup reality and then in my book. It worked. In the meantime, however, I had fixed the story, I had shifted to the backup reality (which was an anime), I had hugged my CC, I had won my personal challenge, I was happy, so I decided that I could set it aside. After a week however I decided to try again but I had a failed attempt and I decided to take a break.
How I decided to start shifting again and why
My break from shifting lasted a whole year or so. After this period of pause in which I had completely set aside the shifting topic, a video of a girl who recounted her experience appeared on my YouTube. Honestly I had another story that I could not develop the plot and I decided to try to shift in my new book. Have I ever succeeded? Honestly no, I can't get into that reality, I don't know why and I honestly don't want to know.
How is my shifting journey going currently
It's going well, I don't think I've ever said it publicly but I'm just shifting on a whim. However there have been some events that cannot be defined, I can say that they are simply strange and that there are some things in my life that don't add up, like a huge Mandela effect (I'll talk about it later). The last time I shifted (with the o method), was about 1 or 2 months ago, I had just read about the death of one of my favorite characters in the PJ books and I was like "man, no, you're not dead". I'm currently seriously taking the idea of ​​permashifting though. However, I have some business to finish in this reality and I'm waiting to get everything in order because I'd feel guilty leaving all the mess for my clone and I'd like to make sure everything's ok before I leave.
The strange happenings I mentioned earlier
So. I mention these strange happenings because, about two weeks ago, I was literally tired of everything and everyone and tried to shift permanently. I tried but i had a failed attempt. I couldn't shift and in the end I literally fell asleep while still trying. When I woke up it was unnaturally quiet, my family was (theoretically) still awake, and before I fell asleep it was possible to hear them. Anyway, I take my phone to turn off the subliminals but guys, the phone I swear is not the same shape as before. I swear the screen was thinner and longer but it was the same model from the same brand. Anyway, I put the phone down and I notice that my little brother was sleeping in the bed below me, which was strange because usually when me or my other brother goes out at night, he awaits our return to go to sleep. Anyway I fell asleep again, had a terrifying dream and woke up again, and my brother wasn't in his bed, my phone was in its place but it was his normal size and my family was rowdy again.
I'm telling you about this event because it's not the first time it's happened. Usually when this type of experience happens, it's accompanied by a lucid dream and/or sleep paralysis. So I just wanted to ask if you have any similar experiences that have happened to you or anyone you know, if maybe you have seen posts talking about these experiences, please share it with me because i need to know.
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oscartwofoxtrot · 10 months
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[kicks down the door like the kool-aid man]: hi oscar talk to me about your favorite scene that you’ve written?
Sorry this took so long to answer, I was, apparently, writing an entire thesis. You Have Been Warned.
Oh my god uhhh. My favourite scene…okay, if I had to go with one, it’d probably be the scene from The Valiant Never Taste of Death I unofficially refer to as ‘Everybody’s dying bitch, let’s get you some peanut butter’. This comes about a quarter of the way through the second (proper) chapter, Requiem (NB: if we’re going by AO3 numbers then it’s Chapter 3, since there’s a Prologue chapter as well, but I don’t tend to count that numerically), and it’s the bit where Nate gently bullies Brad into sitting down and having a snack. And then uno reverse-cards him into talking about his childhood trauma. [Slaps scene] This bad boy can fit so many emotions in it!
For those unfamiliar with Halo 4 (which in all likelihood is most if not all of you), you should know that for the most part, I tend to hew fairly closely to the story and plot structure of the game when writing Valiant. But linear first person shooters don’t offer the characters a lot of opportunities to sit down and talk about their feelings, so this scene is an oscartwofoxtrot original! Sure, the action scenes can be fun, but there’s nothing I love more than getting to write Brad and Nate in their quiet moments, and I crowbarred this one in here to really dig into that Deep Halo Lore and hopefully use it to get at some of the complexities of their dynamic in this AU.
Speaking of complexities, you ask me anything at all about Valiant and I am not so much going to unpack the suitcase as start pulling hat stands and potted plants out of it Mary Poppins-style, so…this shit’s gonna need an itemised list.
1. Nate: [Basically refuses to acknowledge his own mortality, but you better believe he makes sure Brad remembers to eat and take a break every once in a while]. Also, Brad displaying just how whipped he really is. They may not have the same relationship dynamic as canon, but Brad pretty much lets Nate tell him what to do most of the time. tbh I think he likes it.
2. We get another hint at the circumstances surrounding Nate’s capture by the Gravemind. I alluded to this event in the prologue but have thus far avoided going into too much detail about it, so you’d better believe it’s a Surprise Tool That Will Help Us Later. One of the biggest challenges of writing an AU based on the fourth game in a series is finding the Goldilocks Zone of exposition – too much and you lose the current plot thread as well as the attention of literally everyone reading; not enough and the whole thing is virtually incomprehensible to normal people who don’t spend all their time on Halopedia. Trying to get that balance right is, shall we say, an ongoing struggle.
That said, I have been having way too much fun throwing out passing references to stuff like this – and this particular occurrence is a Big Deal in the world of Brad and Nate, because I think it may be the only time they’d been apart for more than like 24 hours since they started working together. (The backstory of their first meeting is a whole other essay in its own right, so I’ll just slap a sticker on this that says ‘Ask Me About My Canon Timeline In The Very Unlikely Event That You Are Interested’). Nate had become such a permanent fixture in Brad’s life, I doubt Brad understood what it would even feel like to miss him until he was gone.
And now that Nate’s life is in danger again, Brad has a very clear understanding of the stakes involved. Almost losing him the first time…it wasn’t The Moment of Realisation (more on that later), but it certainly did crystallise some deeper level of awareness on just how important Nate is to him. Of course, last time, the problem was one of distance – Brad was light-years away and couldn’t immediately get back to Nate, but there was a fortress to storm and a dragon to slay so he could save him. This time, Brad is right there, and he can see Nate suffering, and there is absolutely nothing he can do about it.
3. Couldn’t resist throwing in a version of the Peanut Butter MRE Temper Tantrum lol. I am at heart a giant sap and I do love writing them joking around and just being incredibly fond of each other. Because there’s no officer-enlisted divide here, it gives them more room to develop the casual familiarity and vaguely flirtatious banter we see hints of in the show. The spectre of Nate’s Rampancy does cast a pall over the whole thing, but it wouldn’t be Generation Kill without some serious mood whiplash. Speaking of which…
4. Hello and welcome to my impromptu TED Talk on the Insane Fucking Lore behind the SPARTAN-II program! (On all levels except physical I am this Brian David Gilbert Unraveled video). That’s right: the Spartan-IIs were kidnapped from their families at the age of six and, to avoid suspicion, replaced by clones implanted with their memories who would die within months due to congenital health issues caused by the cloning process. And as Nate points out, the UNSC didn’t even have the justification of the Covenant War, because that hadn’t started yet! They did this shit because various colony worlds wanted independence from the United Earth Government – but that would negatively affect the economy, so apparently the only two options available were ‘bloody civil war costing billions of human lives’ or ‘covert military operations to quash nascent insurrectionist uprisings, carried out by fucking child soldiers who we put through brutal training and experimental bio-augmentations that killed or permanently maimed like half of them’.
So, uh. That’s fucked! And what’s wild is that even though this has been a feature of the expanded universe since the beginning, it’s something that’s barely ever touched on in the games. Nate only knows about it because he went snooping for Brad’s unredacted file not long after they met for the first time (based on Cortana doing the same in the Halo prequel novel The Fall of Reach). For what it’s worth, Brad’s stated mindset is pretty typical of how the Spartans themselves feel about the whole thing: it’s been normalised for them because it’s the only life they know.
Nate, meanwhile, is understandably horrified, and it’s clear they both recognise the parallels between their experiences – the UNSC took away Nate’s autonomy too, by the very act of his creation. In between the Gravemind and the Rampancy, it’s something he’s been increasingly struggling with: that he was brought into being as a fully-formed person to serve a specific purpose, with the knowledge that he’d only have an operational lifespan of seven years before his systems started to decay irreparably. I can’t put it better than the Gravemind did (courtesy of the Halo short story Human Weakness by Karen Traviss): “Your creators made you separate. They placed a barrier between you and the beings that you would be encouraged to protect, a wall you could never breach. They even gave you a human to centre your existence upon, a human to care about, yet never considered how you might feel at never being able to simply touch him. Or how he might feel about outliving you.”
Damn are you guys seeing this shit? This is fucking crazy! Anyway I’m Rod Serling
5. Rule number one of Valiant: Brad does not know that he’s in love with Nate. Ya boi is pining without even realising that he’s pining. This isn’t a reflection of how I most commonly interpret canon – I look at show!Brad and I’m like ‘yeah, there’s a guy who’s 100% self-aware that he’s simping for his platoon commander’ – but in this AU, the Spartans’ lack of normal human socialisation has left him without any practical life experience of things like romance, so he’s just not quite able to put a name to those feelings. Yet, anyway.
As for Nate? I’ve been writing under the assumption that he is aware of his own feelings, but isn’t totally sure of Brad’s. I reckon he probably has a good enough read on Brad to at least suspect that Brad might reciprocate if made aware of the situation, but without any way to be certain, Nate’s unlikely to bring it up. Even I’m not fully decided on when Nate’s Moment of Realisation was. I do have a few ideas, but it’s not a detail that’s ever specifically relevant to the fic, so feel free to speculate.
In conclusion: …idk man, it’s been a year since I wrote this and I don’t completely hate it yet so. that’s probably a good sign, right? sorry for rambling it will happen again
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Pentious’s Bio:
((Frankly this is something I should’ve done for a while now, but only now am I finally getting around to it. Putting it under a read more because this is going to be a long one.
Reference for my Sir Pentious here (the smaller Pentious on the left in the blue corset with the more defined snout:)
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(Drawn by @ruddygore )
To start off, with this specific version of Sir Pentious, it is drawing off of the canon of the pilot for the most part, and will probably most definitely be canon-divergent, unless I end up being pleasantly surprised when the show comes out properly. I usually tend to make him around 8 feet tall, and at least 732 pounds (he’s a heavy man.)
With my version of him, I take Pentious seriously and aim to depict him as the utterly despicable and sadistic power hungry megalomaniac that he is at heart, one that will stop at nothing to achieve his goals of conquering the whole of Hell, slaying the Devil and ruling the afterlife, having soaked the pages of history in blood, as he once spent his human life slaughtering millions for the sake of gaining power, his ultimate goal having been to conquer the entire world, destroy all ruling forms of government, and rule over the Earth as an all powerful global dictator. He tends to be extremely prideful, arrogant, and sadistic towards others, if not downright rude and dismissive of their very presence, seeing most other people around him as pathetic lowlifes that can never amount to anything or little more than screaming victims for him to ruthlessly turn to ashes with his weapons of mass destruction, while also being incredibly paranoid and suspicious of anyone who may try and reach out to him, be it to discuss business or in that of genuine interest in trying to get to know him, always believing people to be scheming behind his back, to try and rip power out from under him, or to use him to their own ends. He tends to find people malleable, manipulatable, and if he finds any opportunity to warp someone into an image he finds appealing, or to distort them into something he seeks to see them become, he will do so eagerly and gladly, finding great amounts of sadistic joy in slowly breaking someone into submission, and above all, Pentious is a man who takes a wretched amount of pride in all the suffering he causes, knowing damn well who he is as a fucking awful person, and claiming it as his identity wholeheartedly.
Pentious, being the smug bastard that he is, tends to present himself more or less along the lines of a preening peacock showing off it’s tail feathers: look at me and bow to the king. He knows his accomplishments, he knows he is someone to not be underestimated with and someone to be feared, he is purely 1000% confident in himself as a man of great respect and authority despite what others may say or think, and if they don’t react as expected, 90% of the time he simply dismisses them as nothing more than worthless idiots who can’t see his greatness. In a way he is also desperate to prove himself to the people that see him as a laughing stock, but less out of a need to be liked and more out of a sick and twisted wrath that comes from slandering his ego, seeking to brutally kill them and cackle with laughter while they scream in agony, a sweet vengeance that he feels he deserves for those imbeciles who ever dared to doubt even for a second that he isn’t a danger to be respected and feared.
For him, his “persona” and his “true identity”, a system that he himself used in life to blend into the public background and keep his criminal identity a shadowy secret that terrified the masses, have basically melded into one singular identity, that is, his legacy as Sir Pentious. His real name doesn’t matter to him anymore, the person he used to be before he took on the name that he would burn into the history books doesn’t matter. All that matters is that people remember him as a man that had the entire world in his shadow and shaking with fear at what he might do to gain supremacy, that people know the horrors he committed, the countless people he’d slain, the persona that he claimed for himself as a proper identity that he carried into Hell. In his mind, he was always going to become Sir Pentious, no matter what path history lead him down towards, and that path is always going to be soaked in the blood of the innocent, and he’ll simply laugh the whole time.
He’s very old, at least around 189 years old at this point, and he’s been around in Hell for a very long time, enough that he’s practically a master at survival and staying hidden and out of sight (should he ever need to be), always trying his damndest to stay out of the watchful prying eyes of Vox and his insidious grasp on all electrical technology within Hell, as well as trying to make sure the man never gets ahold of his weapons or his inventions, knowing damn well that Vox, by no means a master of engineering or mechanics, would jump at the chance to find a way to gain control over his own technology and reverse engineer it to use it against him. Hence why Pentious doesn’t like Vox either. Because Pentious just sees him as a super powered idiot who couldn’t know how to build a steam engine, let alone anything comparabale to Pent’s own machines, who just steals power and prestige from anyone else he can snatch up technology from and use them to bolster his own proverbial Silicone Valley of a corporate monopoly. And the one thing he fears most is the idea of being rendered obsolete in any capacity, of reaching a point of no return from where he can never pull himself back, and that includes death most of all. This has left him with a rather unhealthy amount of paranoia towards others, and of distrust towards anyone and everything that he does not assuredly know is not a threat, and he treats anyone in that threshold with disdain and disgust and overall spiteful anger, partly to make it clear that he is not to be toyed with, and partly to take control of the situation.
Despite such loathsome ideals, deep, deep down, Pentious himself actually holds some heavy issues that he has no proper idea how to deal with or how to begin to heal from. The main idea being his social issues: Pentious would consider any social situation where he’s not getting the expected reaction that he intended out of someone to be difficult, as well as just any social situation where he isn’t getting the attention of anyone he wants to get the attention of, especially if the reasoning as to why is something he feels is his fault. In the former situation, if he’s trying to intimidate someone and it fails, he’ll usually get all huffy and pissy and desperately trying to use scare tactics in order to wrench the control of the situation back into his favor, and if it doesn’t work, he tends to try pulling even harder. The man does not take well to not feeling in control of a situation, and if it ever starts to feel like someone is taking control away from him, his immediate reaction is to go onto a defensive rage because he thinks that’s the only proper way to shield himself from any potential harm.
If it’s the latter and he’s genuinely trying to impress someone in any capacity and it fails, or he gets the idea that the person he wants to impress doesn’t like him, he starts to scheme on a million different ways to change that and to shift things more to his tune. Despite appearances, depending on who he’s conversing with, he’s a very socially inept person who tends to lean toward the side of full on social anxiety, not having nearly the kind of experience that should be on his side for him to rationalize his emotions properly in the face of social conflict. This is a man who spent over 20 years of his life doing nothing but either killing or mentally torturing people who wouldn’t bow to his greatness into submission, or brainwashing those who would bow down to him into thinking that he was their great and powerful leader who would free the common man from tyranny, when in reality, his plans were more or less just to force them under a new kind of tyranny with his name slapped all over it. Most people in his life were either pawns for him to use or annoyances that he would slaughter without a second thought, with very little exceptions. As you can imagine, this ended with said exceptions, horrified at how much of a monster he was, walking out on him and even betraying him in order to kill him. Needless to say, this is not the sort of man who knows how to properly interact with most people in general, especially not if he finds himself liking someone, because his mindset has already associated liking someone with “they’ll inevitably find ways to hate you and leave.”
In more simpler terms, because of his stunted social development and overall lack of any positive social relationships toward anyone, he is absolutely desperate for positive attention toward anyone he is genuinely wanting to know, and if he doesn’t get that, he starts to panic like crazy about what he could possibly be doing that prevents him from getting that positive reception. If he doesn’t care about who the person is, he couldn’t give less of a shit about how he sees them. They’re worth nothing to him. But if he sees value in them, if he sees them as someone who is worthy of his time, he’s practically bending over backwards and jumping through hoops to figure out what he can do to make them realize he also is of worth and of value. This obviously can cause massive amounts of problems for him, and if he isn’t careful, it could even lead to him maybe getting hurt, should anyone choose to take advantage of his clear abandonment issues and his vulnerability for affection.
Now, as for his backstory as a human man…
Pentious was actually born as a very poor kid in some small town in Britain around 1839, and grew up with an older sister, who both worked in a sewing factory to help their parents (and also because Industrial Age labor laws were absolute shiiiiiiit), but one day when he was 14, he was told to climb onto a balcony that ended up falling out from under him and he landed on a pile of sheet metal that cut into his spine. When he recovered, he found that his lower half was extremely damaged, meaning that he would be stuck with a limp for the rest of his life and he would be stuck walking either with a cane or in a wheelchair, with the times he can go *stay* walking and *stay* standing entirely depending on the day itself. This only causes a whole bunch of side effects and illnesses that plague him for the rest of his life, including heightened blood pressure, lack of regulation in temperature, lack of reflexes, issues with his lungs that leave him gasping for breath if he so much as laughs for too long, chronic pain in his back and legs that gets worse if he strains himself too much over the most basic of shit Ike walking, basically a real shit show all around. In addition to this, he was now hopelessly addicted to hardcore narcotic medicinal tonics, prescribed to him by doctors to help ease his symptoms and deal with the pain they brought about, which also meant that for the rest of his life, he had a crippling drug addiction on top of that.
Naturally because of this he ends up stuck at home for the rest of his teenage years, alone and isolated and basically having been forgotten about/isolated by his parents, and his only friend really being his sister, who’s the only one looking out for him. This causes a lot of bitter resentment and anger to dwell within him, both at his parents and also at Britain society for basically doing jackshit to help him with the damages that was done to him, resentment that would only grow once he reached 18. Pentious, possessing an absolutely genius mind of unimaginable proportions when it comes to engineering and machinery, tries to go to London to prove himself as an inventing mastermind to the most prestigious scientists the Empire can offer, only to wind up being kicked right out after being rejected thanks to some not so subtle classism about his poor upbringing as well as ableism about his physical condition.
He’s stuck as nothing more than a clocksmith for a couple years, that anger and resentment and bitter, bitter rage growing and growing until he finally snaps, and decides that if British society is ready and willing to abandon him on the dime, then he’ll go and burn it all down, and starts to craft weapons, reaching out to a small group of unionist assassins (people basically willing to take lead pipes to their asshole bosses and any of the thugs trying to beat them on the boss’s behalf) hiding in secret in the town to begin peddling powerful weapons their way, mainly consisting of guns that shoot faster, and have bullets that explode into flames upon impact with their targets. This unionist group begins to respect and idolize Pent more and more as more factory bosses and gangs are successfully killed, at least 30 or so in number, and the final blow comes when Pentious, using an explosive device, sends his new unionist minions to blow up the very same factory he worked in as a child. With his parents inside. This alone killed 20 more people. The unionist leader, seeing reason, found Pentious to be going too far, so Pent’s solution was to usurp the leader, shoot him in the head, and then promptly leave the country with his minions in tow to America.
Pentious then begins to pose as a international tradesman, planning on sneaking his way into business deals with American run factories so he can properly start coaxing the workers onto his side and to convince them to work for him, with the promise that he’ll give them far better treatment than the lousy labor laws were allowing at the time. Meanwhile, he also gets into contact with small criminal groups and gives them tips about train routes to attack for supplies and money by supplying them with his own custom built weapons, in exchange for those same criminal groups working for him and on his behalf. Trains suddenly start being attacked all over, and always marked with a tell-tale calling card of a decapitated snake head being left behind at the scene of the crime. With trains being attacked all over, supplies become more demanding, more demanding supplies means more overworked people being run ragged by bosses not wanting to lose money, which naturally means more and more people persuaded to Pentious’s side.
This goes on for years, with Pentious building more and more massive weapons that begin to grow from simple guns, to shoulder mounted canons, mortar shells, tanks, and even full on giant mechanical robots, all while balancing his public tradesman persona with his criminal one, his armies of criminals and unionist employees taking on attacks by Pinkertons and government agents in stride. Until finally, Pentious unleashes his most prized weapons, in the form of massive armored airships, that begin to take entire cities of America hostage and subjugating them to his will. States begin to slowly come annexed from the American government by force, Pentious makes his demands to all global powers of the world to hand over their power of governance to him and him alone, or face destruction at the hands of his armies, and all the while, millions die as bombs are dropped on city streets and machines and loyal soldiers march through enemy terrain, taking territory by the day.
It ends with Pentious assaulting London and taking the Prime Minister hostage before killing him, leaving the grand city to burn as he flies across the Atlantic with preparations to burn the landscape of Philadelphia next, only to be betrayed by a former right hand man, who grew too guilty of all the horrible things Pentious had done, and teamed up with a group of international assassins meant to take Pentious down. Shot in the gut, beaten, and left behind to die while his ship’s engine was destroyed with a bomb, Pentious was left screaming with rage as his ship plummeted into the cold depths of the Atlantic. He died on impact.
When he fell down into Hell, Pentious’s exploits had long since reached the afterlife in Hell, and it was there that many of the Pride Ring’s Overlords took a deep interest in him, not only for the chaos he had sewn down in Hell, but also for the capacity of his weaponry and how it may serve them later in the future. And so, they all offered him assistance in adjusting to Hell (as well as his new body which left him having to relearn how to walk/slither), allowing him shelter within their own private territories and residences, money from their private coffers, and above all, vying for his favor, in hopes that they one day may use him and his prowess for invention for their own ends. Pentious, who otherwise would’ve been completely on his own, was glad to accept the assistance, despite the obvious trappings they held, hoping that once he was able to properly get back to his prime, he would be able to use their funds and connections against them, and establish himself as a proper Overlord so that he may begin his conquest anew. And for a long while, Pentious was slowly building up to that point, taking his time nice and slow, for he had nothing to fear among his cushy position among the strong Overlords that guarded their investment with great ferocity, and everything was seeming to go well.
Then 1933 happened, and all at once, the power structure within the Pride ring that Pentious had been relying on so heavily fell apart completely, leaving him floundering to try and scrape up any trace amounts of power left in the colossal vacuum Alastor left behind. He was able to slowly begin building his way back up again, reaching a point where most regular sinners offered no threat to him, but Overlords could still beat him back, but ever since Vox’s emergence in the Pentagram, with his eerie skills of invading electronic devices to destroy or corrupt them to his own ends, and his connections through his alliance with Velvet, and later on Valentino, allowing him to collect and hoard firepower on a scale that Pentious can barely manage to get his hands on, it’s caused Pentious to hit a proverbial wall, where he’s been stagnating ever since.
As of now, Pentious has entered a secret romantic partnership and alliance with an alternate version of himself, a Sir Pentious who goes by the nickname of “Ruddy” (pictured in the above ref, the Pentious with the red shirt and the flat nose and the scar on his chest) who he quickly developed a crush on, and a crush that only grew once Ruddy and Pentious struck a deal that they would both help each other with their common goals: take over Hell and conquer Heaven beyond. The crush didn’t take long to make itself known to Ruddy as the two secretly plot away on how to properly usurp Vox within Pentious’s universe (who Ruddy sustained a grievous wound from after briefly fighting and defeating him), and soon after, they agreed to start dating, and it’s been going steady ever since.
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overhorsed · 8 months
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so I never actually wrote about our outing last weekend!
(gonna call my horse T for the purposes of this blog)
it was meant to be a showjumping training day and my most basic goal was to at least ride around in the warmup with other horses which... did not really happen because only one other person was there.
floating - T loaded really well leaving home, was a bit trickier coming back but we got there. with two people it would have been easy but with just me he backs off when I move to shut the bum bar.
arrival - he was a bit prancy when I first unloaded him and walked him around but he was well-mannered and he stood well at the float and ate his hay net. easy to tack up.
riding - by the time I had him tacked up someone else had arrived but parked out of sight, and there was no clear warmup area so I trotted him a couple of circles on the long lead rope make sure he wasn't too spicy and hopped on. he didn't want to walk out of the car park because there was damp ground at the gate 😂
went up the arena and went in because there was no one else around. he jacked up a bit at the gate (because this was his first time in an indoor arena ever in his life) but walked in with no leaps or theatrics eventually. first couple of laps he was twitching at everything from the drag marks to the sound of the footing hitting the boards, but he didn't do anything stupid and after a few laps and trying a trot we did our round of tiny crossrails.
it was a mixture of actual jumps and treating them like trot poles, but I was really pleased with how he focused and didn't spook at anything.
(comment from the venue owner "he's much nicer when he has a job to do!")
walked him around a bit more, then the other person came up and did her round while we practiced waiting patiently (not entirely successful).
she asked if I was happy to go up to 45cm and I was but then immediately started doubting myself because we haven't done much higher than that at home and stupidly I imagined there would still be some crossrails, but it was all either verticals or oxers (nearly half the course was oxers) which again we haven't done very much. also the other girl nominated me to go first, which, thanks.
ANYWAY T whacked the absolute shit out of the first jump but somehow didn't bring it down and that woke him up for the rest of the course. coming in to some jumps (especially the oxers) I could feel him asking "are you sure?" but when I put my leg on he just went "ok then!" and powered over them without ever feeling like he was going to refuse. champion.
(his steering did get a bit wobbly at a couple of points where he went to go the complete opposite way to the course/me so I need to remember to steer more clearly post-jump)
completely missed one distance but it didn't seem to put him off. this was also his first time seeing a combination and he wanted to run out at the second element but we fumbled through and he got better each time.
the other girl went through, then I went back in just to do select fences. I wanted to practice approaching at a canter (which... took a bit to establish with him wanting to be a little wild) so we did a vertical, and oxer, and then the vertical to double line again. no hesitation again and the owner commented that it looked much smoother even though it felt a bit hairy.
hopped off and walked him around for a bit, the other girl went up to 60cm but we called it a day. part of me wanted to try at least one jump at 60cm but he'd been so good the whole day that I didn't want to push too far and ruin it. better to end on a good note.
firsts: time on a float in over a year (oops), time at this venue, time in an indoor arena, full course of jumps, proper jumps with stripes and wings, oxer under saddle (? maybe), combination.
what a trier. I'm so proud of him and how he handled everything.
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galactic-pirates · 9 months
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So I might not have anything else ready to post for prompt month. I have some pieces in progress but it’s looking doubtful that I will finish them. After the “Ezekiel as Ezra” drawing I took a break from the art and shifted gears to revision analysis of this novel draft I wrote a couple of years ago.
Ten days later and I have tossed most of it, have a rewritten outline, and I’m ready to write the second draft.
Except I’m not.
For two days now I have procrastinated and avoided and just not started with the writing. This is something of a pattern with me. If I can do things (and often I can’t do anything) but when I can do things, I can do pre-tasks quite well. I can make lists, I can plan, I can be analytical and do prep work. The rewriting of the outline involved a lot of creative thought too, as once I knew what didn’t work I had to come up with something that I hoped would this time. So it’s not like I can’t totally do creative stuff.
I just can’t word.
It somehow makes it real I think which hits me in the subconscious where I am afraid all the time. I am afraid that it will suck again. I am afraid that I will never be able to fix it to my satisfaction. I am afraid that this will all just be wasted effort. I am also afraid that I will be able to write it ok, that I will make it ‘done’ at some point because I am afraid of what comes next and I’m not sure I’m ready for that. So yeah equally afraid of failure and success. Probably overwhelmed too for good measure with all the things I am trying to remember about how to write it better this time (technique wise, not just the content points).
I’m not just like this with words, I am like this with everything. Prep work is fine but the actual thing? My mind runs a million miles in the other direction. Like I want to get better at art but I have some fairly comfortable bad habits and it’s easier to just roll with that, rather than actually tackle the hard work and practice to really improve. I don’t have to face how crap I am without the crutches I lean on. Plus if I don’t ever seriously knuckle down and try, then I don’t have to find out whether it’s impossible for me to get to the skill level I would like.
My whole life is like this. The second anything gets real, or feels important, or has consequences, I start to run. I was good at school until the actual qualification years came about. Then I stopped doing my homework when it was set, and started scrambling to do it the night before. I stopped putting in extra effort and started doing the bare minimum. My classmates thought it was funny and strange as if they shifted it was the other way, to doing better now it mattered.
So I don’t entirely know what to do with myself. I am trying to be gentle and listen to my feelings rather than push and beat myself up, and send myself into a depression spiral (like normal). As that isn’t a behaviour pattern which serves me. It’s one I have practiced and reinforced for over two decades though so hard habit to break. Plus, intellectually knowing something and actually feeling it are two different things. I am annoyed with myself and I wish I could do better, I wish I could be the person I want and not self-sabotage like this. I hate it.
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captainkurosolaire · 2 years
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Was quite captivated by your words. Pulled this quote to be reminded that our creations live with us and beyond us. —- :O! This is incredible and so sweet I was momentarily wordless. Very talented to see it given creation and amazing art even. But it does still ring true, it’s a unfathomable endless sea to admire and cultivate. I really do think exploring creativity and wherever passion is/may be concerned, is our real power, it’s the closest thing I know that not only we can give others, what we can bring to life or destroy, we’re the most limitless in the grasp of transforming what’s upon our distinct minds.
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=Personal Story Time= If used correctly, it’s a real throne and kingdom that should be proud of that banner we bring. I live for that sight, that moment, to hear and not only bring it to be drawn by it! The more I’ve come to also take that in, I see everything is a story and life channels it into me and I am always compelled to write or do something because of it. Even my most darkest days and creative writing stuff I went through recently, I’ve put that even back on bring out in late night story que’s for the future, all my inexperience, all my flaws. Because all that is apart of me. I can’t ret-con myself either. …And because I treat myself like that and take everything in, I’ve become someone incredibly more whole. There’s a confidence now that stirs in my chest that tells me I absolutely, can achieve anything. That entire explosive energy in me, that’s compelled me to try channeling it outwardly too. Cause if I can feel like that, I know everyone else can cause they’re/you’re my betters. Should that not be what’s felt, well then I’ll make sure while I’m thriving and living to give everything my all until patiently that day comes. Moment’s can push you beyond things never thought possible. I was in a three-day coma, doubted I could even survive after I aspirated into my lungs, a botched surgery gone array. Had my colon removed for a year and then reversed back into me to try attempt to do a procedure that would give my colon its necessary functions again. Happened suddenly and the midst of Christmas even, I remember deliriously all the strong pain-killers that are so powerful they create life-like hallucinations, the aroma, the smell, everything I could hear/see witness, I was on such high stuff, I still even had dreams and with those they were formed from the realities of my memories, my experiences. When you have something like that flash upon your life, there is a message potentially hidden in all that. I would say before that I was more introverted then 99% of the people here. I never spoke barely anyone, I was quite to myself outside the very limited people and even those who were closest never really I expressed myself cause I used to be embarrassed of how nerdy, or everything I was still. I enjoyed many interests and things that I never knew would click, I lacked it all. My answer came, in writing. My canvas, the place where I found my own freedom. Because upon something like this, it’s natural for me, this is like having my feet buried in the soil’s of awaiting beach sands, I’m the most comfort in this element and environment. Nothing beats me here, ADHD to the point I needed special-care and education, mild case of autistic, depression, anything mentally that could attack me, I could defeat here. Lay it all out, become myself. I made my autobiography at 16, barely a life yet to make a story about, but you’d be surprised it had much writing, all the future written on that page! I started writing commissions when I was 18 for people on dating apps and Facebook even. I began making my own RPG elements, character sheets, I went for anything too starry or ahead of myself, when I got my second-chance, I took it!
And it let me even though I wasn’t able to attend my high school at that time, I was able to show people myself in writing and I overcame it, I became more confident and never again did I look back. I only decided to further venture into it. Because when I woke up from that whole health, stuck in a hospital a month in my own weakness and fragility, one of my closest friends passed and that tore my world’s existence apart – because, I didn’t get to show him that side of me, the one who meant everything. Never again.
I became someone who challenge and became his worst critic, every writer has one! I’m the worst, no one can out-perform me in being toxic or against me. No one is against me like myself, no one wants me to fail like some of the noggin voices in my head. But with every voice telling me to quit, give-up, I push myself and look back at the aftermath what I created the people, I spite and made because I fight! I create! I build! I go for more, no matter how big. I am drawn back to write again and again! Until I can’t no longer. For the longest time I felt there was nowhere I belonged because how vastly different I was with this passion so strongly pumping in me. But then I found this place on Tumblr and learned blogs, I found the right RP community, I found entire acceptance and everything a whole civilization, more then a few people. It made everything become even more encouraging. Now I’m even better than that long-time ago, I haven’t forgotten those moments, they carry and make-me, but now I’m even more tenaciously passionate. And many people have struck me down, targeted how deeply I was into writing, my passions, they succeeded, beat me down, made me overthink, they aided against my worst. But their shadows, they didn’t make sure the job was done, it made errors. The darker things become, the more space it consumes. Only takes ONE tiny star and if it glimmers a shine and when it does, it will bring a light that will carries a solar system. Within here; for every voice that used to exist that was spewing against me to damage me down, there’s now with one voice of someone, who’s been inspired, praised, seen or gone to a journey and trip around this tenure. They’ve echoed billions of sounds more impactful and I resonate with it, I create off it, and it’s going to eventually show how far I can take it, grow and nurture off this. I have no limits, I’m a writer, a creator inspired by the eldest of stone.
I can lose many things, but the one thing I will never let myself be taken away from is my moments of symphony, that are my choir of newfound life.
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greatqueenanna · 2 years
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Hi! Nice analysis posts about Frozen, I found them very interesting! I love the franchise and the characters very much and I rewatched the first movie over and over again! ^^ While the 2nd one, while I liked it, I couldn't just bring myself to watch it again. Entirely for personal reasons, but in truth I'd like to see it again, so I hope you could help me with my first impressions considering your very good analysis..!
First problem is Elsa's arc. I identified myself a lot with her in first movie and in Let it go; (while I was much older, the song reminded me of my adolescence time). I also have a problematic family and a very conflicted (if not almost abusive) relationship with my mother. So when I see Elsa's part in the 2nd, that begun with the voice, then reach athollan in her self scrifying path, and discovers that the voice was her mother and Elsa validation of who she is, basically pass only throught her mother, it got me a bit angry. (And also following that voice, it ends up with her death.) I admit I jumped over a bit, but it seemed to me that the only validation Elsa accepted of her own self and worth, was that of her mother, and Anna's words never count a lot at the end. Like, at that point of the movie, Elsa's arc only involved just her and her mother, while for example for Anna has always been her and Elsa (or her, Elsa, and her parents). It's only at the end that Elsa remembers Anna and realize what she's done (and what she'd lost).
Second problems is the ending. While I read what you wrote about it, I still do consider they end up separated. Sure, Elsa with Nokk is just mins away, but it's not like been in the same house, seeing each other for breakfast, meeting casually in the halley, etc. It's kinda like living in the city nearby, where yes, you could go whenever in a mins, but at the end, there are obligations, and things you need to do and you end up going more less than what you liked. Sure, you could tell me that it would be the same once Anna got married, but I don't think so. Also well, there's the thing that Elsa is immortal. She's a spirit, already dead once, and while Anna is the bridge, is the human part of it, and human dies.
I always thought the ending was very mature, realistic even, very adult in the meaning of them going separated way, kinda when you and your bf do it in real life, both for study or other life choices. A bitter ending that is more a "Life goes like this" than a fairytail untruth ending. That's what I always thought about it. Being older probably made me see things in another prospective? Maybe..!
Anyway, I hope these walls don't scary you away xD Also, sorry really, it's just that you seem knowledgeable enough to be able to give me a serious rational imput and I decided to wrote it all..! Thank you in advance for reading everything and for any ev. answer! ^^
P.s. also sorry for any mistakes, since english is not my first language..!
Firstly, thank you for your kind words, and I'm glad you enjoy my posts haha. Now, I'll try to give you my perspective on these topics you pointed out, but know that my opinion isn't like...the golden standard lol. People are allowed to not like something, so if you read my points and are not convinced by my opinions, that's perfectly fine!
Let's break this down a bit. We'll start with the easy one.
Elsa's Supposed Immortality
There isn't actually anything confirming that Elsa is immortal now. This idea was mostly theories from fans that were scared about it because of how Elsa was described as a Mythic Character; leading to some debates on whether Elsa's humanity was removed. I talk about this idea more here.
But going back to Elsa's Immortality - considering that Elsa and Anna's love for each other is the bridge between magic and non-magic, I highly doubt that one side of the bridge is meant to live forever while the other side dies. Wouldn't really fit the message. Also, Myth: A Frozen Tale confirms that the Fifth Spirit is the human spirit - Thus, Elsa would need to still be human, (Anna as well) in order to fill this role as the Fifth Spirit.
Over time, a fifth spirit was born: the human spirit. Together, they created a dazzling harmony, and our world danced.
2. Elsa's Arc
In this section, I'm going to break it down based on the points you made.
Elsa's Validation Through Iduna
Firstly, I'm sorry to hear that about your mom. I know what it's like to have a complicated relationship with your parents and trust me - it's never easy to see cartoon characters so easily get validation from parents. But it is what it is.
I think the reason that Elsa needed to hear validation from Iduna (and indirectly, from Agnarr) is that she feels that they sacrificed a lot to protect her, including their livelihoods. Elsa doesn't really blame her parents for the childhood separation - she blames herself because of her magic. When Anna tells Elsa that she isn't responsible for their choices, Elsa still thinks it's her fault that they died.
Thus, the last thing holding her back is her guilt - that she doesn't deserve to feel happy about herself because her magic caused so much pain that she can't change. That's why she's so reluctant to follow the voice even though she wants to, why she pushes Anna away, why she basically puts the weight of the world on her shoulders - because she feels she caused people pain just by existing, and that she owes them something - like unwanted protection or her life.
However, when Iduna tells her to embrace herself - she's hearing straight from someone that sacrificed a lot for her (according to Elsa), that she is allowed to be herself without guilt. She doesn't owe anyone anything for existing.
Elsa and Anna
You question why Anna's validation wasn't enough - and that is because Anna wasn't the only one Elsa felt she hurt. As said above, Elsa blames herself for her parent's actions, so she feels she hurt them too. Elsa already got validation from Anna in Frozen - Anna showing her that she doesn't care about Elsa's magic being dangerous or whatnot, and is willing to sacrifice herself even after being struck by them.
However, the problem here is that Anna starts to become Elsa's only source of validation. And after a while, one person constantly making you feel better about yourself isn't enough - you need to start giving yourself your own validation. Elsa needed to stop depending on others and love herself - the last thing she needed was the validation from her parents to finally put her guilt to rest.
Now, a lot of people hate it when I bring this up but it's still something important to discuss - Elsa and Anna had a co-dependency. Elsa, as said, was getting emotional validation from Anna - whenever she was self-hating, she needed Anna to pull her out because she couldn't do it herself.
On the other hand, Anna was getting purpose from Elsa - Anna sort of focused her whole life on protecting Elsa because she is the last blood relative she has - the last thing from her childhood that wasn't taken from her. Anna was in this mindset that she needed to protect Elsa and be present at all times in order to keep her from leaving or disappearing again. However, by doing this Anna has become more of an overbearing mother to Elsa than a sister, scolding her and guiding her like a mother does to a child.
This is another reason why Anna's validation was starting to become more...not meaningless, but a bit hollow. Elsa needed to stop depending on Anna for validation, especially since Anna was starting to become dependent on it herself.
However, when Elsa dies, Anna gets a sort of reality check. No matter how hard she tries, she can't stop change from happening. She can't make things stay the same because she can't control outside forces, and she certainly can't control other people's agency, no matter how stupid or reckless their choices are. You can try and guide them the best you can, but in the end, the more you push against them, the more they push back. It hurts - I know from my own life that change sucks when you're used to something for so long or you see people you love making stupid choices. But change is inevitable, and people are not always going to see your side.
Elsa Sacrificing Herself
Elsa sacrificing herself - was her own choice, not so much because she followed the voice. Once Elsa reached Ahtohallan, accepted herself, and found self-validation - that was the end of the following the voice arc. She pretty much had the freedom to leave at that point, and there was nothing really forcing her to follow Runeard's memory.
Elsa going deep into Ahtohallan was hinted at as being a bad choice - the same motif from All is Found keeps playing over and over again as Elsa goes deeper. "Dive down deep into her sound, but not too far or you'll be drowned." As if Ahtohallan (or maybe even Iduna herself) is telling her to stop, but she insists. And as she freezes, the music becomes tragic - followed by Bruni and Gale showing hurt when they hear Anna's cries.
All of this hints that Elsa made a bad choice - that it was nothing but a tragedy that Elsa felt she needed to do this to save the forest. This is why Elsa is often described as a Mythic Character - Mythic characters carry the weight and sins of the world on their shoulders, and their stories often end in tragedy because of this. This is where Anna's fairytale side comes in - her triumph over adversity brings Elsa back.
3. The Ending
Not liking change can also be applied to the ending. For many fans, Anna and Elsa being together and being static is a source of comfort. It's something we can fall back on because that connection they have is reliable and gives us happiness. F2 showing change is going against a lot of established ideas in Disney animation. For example, Disney characters always wearing the same outfits or never aging, or always being together with loved ones. Ralph Breaks the Internet and Toy Story 4 also did this (TS4 being even more extreme).
F2 shows the sisters taking on different roles, living separately, and even changing their iconic hairstyles and costumes. That thing we relied on so much is now different, and that doesn't sit well with many people. Now we are told that even our safe, comfort areas can change and it's uncomfortable, to say the least.
I figure you're coming from my post on my side blog where I mentioned how people tend to put too much emphasis and importance on Elsa and Anna's sisterhood rather than their individual characters - which is also relevant here. Not that you specifically are doing this, but some have become a bit too reliant on that sisterhood connection, and seeing them apart removes that comfort zone from them.
However, at the end of the day, Anna and Elsa are sisters, and many times siblings discover something they like and go to pursue it because they are individuals with different interests and lives outside of each other. It's realistic, but again uncomfortable for those that relied on their connection as a comfort zone, not a meta for how change is inevitable. Many didn't really want or maybe even needed this message - but it's still an important one nonetheless.
----
I hope I answered all your concerns and maybe given you a bit of comfort.
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esprei · 2 years
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Idk if you're sick of our submas origin stories yet but I do kinda wanna share mine lol. I played white when it first came out, but I barely remember anything about it except that I didn't really like it (because my brother didn't like it and he was always right 🙄) but I highly doubt I tried the battle subway. I eventually bought black 2 because I heard the sequels were better but I never really played it much. I was just never in the right mood lol. Then back in 2020 I had a lot of time on my hands and watched the entire anime, so I think that's really my intro to submas, but while I enjoy their mini arc, I didn't really care about them.
Then I started playing pla and after getting sucked in to submas I decided to pick up black 2 to solve the mystery lmao and I loved it! I think black 2 is my favorite pokemon game. It has a lot of things that make it convenient, but not easy like bdsp. And the plot was incredible, but I was missing a lot of context since I didn't remember literally anything about white lmao so I picked white back up again and beat it and it was also incredible! My brother was so wrong about gen 5 and white I think is my second favorite game (there were just some minor changes in gameplay in the sequels that made it more convenient lol)
Anyway I've beaten ingo in the singles line, I only made it to the second car of the super singles, and I can not for the life of me beat Emmet. On the rare occasion I even make it to him he destroys me. Anyway, I haven't figured out why ingo is in pla, but it's thanks to that I got to experience some really amazing games with compelling plots, great pokemon, and most importantly, incredible music lol. Sorry I was gonna try to keep this short 😬
yeah i definitely feel the same about gen 5 even though i don't have a lot of time with it, it still seems like the gen that was one of the best (i guess i kinda feel gen 4 was really good too, i know it's special for a lot of people, but i never finished diamond and i've heard platinum is what you should probably play if playing gen 4 just because of extra things idk. but gen 4 for me sounds like what gen 5 was for you at first. just never in the right mood lol also i think just because gen 4 felt slow with the health bars and things idk i tried and i really REALLY adore the sprites in that gen they're absolutely beautiful)
i can totally relate to the trouble with emmet, i feel like i have more trouble in double battles so he'd probably wipe the floor with me too 💀
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drunkenrevel · 2 years
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i once wrote the everythings, about my beautiful love. the girl who took my life from shades of charcoal and soot and replaced them with hues of jade green and mandarin orange. the girl who i thought would just be another passer-by, but turned out to be my whole life in one human being. the girl who stands 5’8” (which she’ll remind you of), with deep, magnetic brown eyes, a voice as soft as summer rain, and a smile that makes everything else in the vicinity melt away.
the girl, her name is mar. and the first time i ever wrote about her, i wrote about how her name suits her. how she is like the sea. how she’s calming, but powerful. how she’s vast, but familiar. i still think about her like that to this day.
but this is the everythings, part two:
for my sweet love,
it’s been a few months since the everythings. we’ve been through so much together in these months. we’ve learned from one another, laughed uncontrollably, been there for each other through trying times, and cried together (well mostly me crying and you attempting to get me to stop).
but in these months, i’ve found so many more everythings i’d like to share with you baby.
- the way you wrote “my everythings” and how it showed me that you really do always meet me halfway, without me asking.
- the way you write, whether out of love, or trauma, or distress, it’s beautiful. the way you speak so eloquently, it’s mesmerizing.
- your perspective, and how you see life with such a unique view of things. how you have this innate ability to change your perspective in order to understand pretty much anyone you come into contact with.
- how stubborn you are (and you’ll argue this one, but it’s true). you’re hardheaded, set in your ways sometimes, and rightfully so.
-how you pronounce the word “yesterday”
- how even when i’m crying, overwhelmed, and upset, you can say one line to make me laugh and i can’t even remember why i was crying in the first place
- your intelligence, and i know others have made you doubt that sometimes, but you are so intelligent. you’re probably the most emotionally intelligent person i’ve ever met. you’re also smart, like smart smart, smart with words and always learning new things, picking up everything so quickly
- the way you edit, and it seems silly, but i could watch you on Vegas for hours even though i have absolutely no idea what you’re doing (but i know you’re good at it)
- how you don’t use auto-caps
- how you take time each day to have a bath
- how you tuck dino in at night
- the way you read to me at night, how you have to sound out some words sometimes till you get it right. and i know you can be self conscious about it, but i think it’s incredibly endearing
- how you ask me what words mean occasionally (bc i get to feel smart for a few seconds hehe)
- how you eat your hot cheetos over discord, and i don’t say anything half the time because i know you’d mute, and honestly i like hearing you munch :)
- how even if i’m showing you something that has no particular interest to you, you listen and ask questions anyway
- how you push me to be the best version of myself, and how i’m already seeing progress because of you
- the way you tell me “i love you for who you are and who you want to be”
- the way you laugh differently depending on what you’re laughing at (you laugh the loudest if it’s at me btw)
- how you always make sure to see things from my point of view, even if i’m having trouble doing the same
- how you are so incredibly patient
- the way you kiss me through the phone, sometimes i close my eyes and it’s almost as if you’re here, kissing me
- the way you’ve let me love you entirely, how planning our future together and looking at apartments never scared you away
- how you always greet monkas when she walks in the room and starts meowing
- the way your breathing rises and falls at night, i’ve memorized the tempo and pitch by now
- the way when you’re sleepy, you start sounding discombobulated
- how you say “discombobulated” at least once a day since you learned it
- how you care for me, make sure i have everything i need if i’m sick (even though i yell at you for spending so much money on me)
- i love the way you speak to me, so softly, but with everyone else you act all tough
- i love your determination, even though things may not turn out the way you had hoped, you still push through, you make a different path for yourself
- i love the way you greet me on the phone, how no matter if it’s been five minutes or a whole day, you sound just as excited
- how you go through our old texts and tell me about them
- the way you treat your nephews, how i know if we ever do decide to have kids, i would know you would be incredible with them
- the way you mumble “good morning” to me on the phone, and how i’m the luckiest girl in the world to be the first one to hear your voice each day
- the way you do my ocd routine with me at night, and have never judged me or shamed me for it
- how you’ve come so far with your communication, and I’m proud of you baby
- how from head to toe, outside and inside, you are my whole life in one person. i look at you and see my entire life in you, sweetheart. the most beautiful girl i’ve ever seen, talked to, been around, you are unmatched.
these are just some of the everythings. as always, there will be more. i wanna thank you, baby, for the everythings. i’m so proud of you. i’m so grateful for you. i never forget how lucky i am to be yours. thank you so much, my love, for letting me love you and loving me back. look at us, who would have thought?
love,
stephie
p.s u stiiiiiink
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moekawa · 3 months
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i need help . . . o(╥﹏╥)o
ok first of all i’m reallyyyyy sorry for not posting on this blog .ᐟ.ᐟ i sort of forgot about it . . .
second of all, i’m struggling with something - i’ll put it under a cut since not everyone wants to see people ramble about their possible disorders .ᐟ
please note that under the cut , there may be mentions of trauma & all sorts of things related to mental disorders; so please assume that anything associated may be mentioned .ᐟ
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ok , hiiii .ᐟ so , i’ve been thinking of something that’s been happening for a while now .
i don’t really expect anyone to actually be able to help with this, but i’d like to try to find out . . . and this post might be able to help me get it off my chest + have my thoughts in one place for when i can tell a therapist about it .ᐟ.ᐟ i’m extremely worried about telling people this , so that’s also why i’m posting this here - since not many people know this blog even exists .ᐟ
also , please keep in mind i’m not very sure about anything . . . i’m sorry if i make wrong assumptions or misuse any terms .ᐟ
i’ve always been sort of switching constantly between my favorite stuff - like , i’ve always had a main favorite thing (a special interest maybe .ᐣ.ᐣ i’m about to get evaluated for autism, so this may be the term) , but i constantly switch my second favorite stuff . . . (hyperfixations . . .ᐣ but i don’t know if that term could even apply to me)
for example; my special interest(.ᐣ) in 2020/2021 was danganronpa , but my favorite character would switch constantly (like , to the point i changed my entire layout way more than normal . . .) , and i’m not saying this is a mental issue itself but it did develop into something more
i can’t really remember when i started associating the identity of the character i was currently fixated on with my own , but the earliest time i can remember it happening was around summer 2022 . . . i started associating a character’s whole identity with my own - it wasn’t a delusion and i was aware i still exist , but i was mostly convinced i was that character
i would say it’s just some odd thing happening to me , but it’s happened multiple times , and sometimes it’s the exact same character
maybe my wording 2 lines ago was wrong - it’s less associating and more . . . becoming that character , kind of .ᐣ it like . . . controls everything i do.
it feels real , but yet i can’t stop feeling like i’m secretly just making things up in my brain . . . but then again , i feel like i’d know if i was forcing myself to think this .ᐣ the fact i constantly switch these .ᐣ.ᐣ idk what to call them . . . alters is the term for systems and that’s what i feel like i may have but i don’t feel comfortable using that term until i know more . . . well , whatever , the fact i’m constantly switching is true.
i’ve been looking at countless websites and sources for did & osdd; i feel like the absolutely closest one out of those is osdd-1b , i don’t really have amnesia about the things i do.
my doubts (+ notes trying to figure these doubts out) about this are:
does my trauma actually count .ᐣ (i did have something major at 9 + possibly just . . . emotional neglect all throughout my childhood .ᐣ i can’t tell if it counts but i was just for almost all of my childhood on a screen + repeated stuff recently so maybe that’s why i’m splitting maybe .ᐣ.ᐣ still don’t like using those terms since i’m not 100% sure)
almost everyone is a fictional character (1 is like… a group of fictional characters mashed together . . .ᐣ i feel like splitroject would describe that but i’m also not sure) (the other just goes by my online name and’s the host maybe .ᐣ.ᐣ) (from a small search it seems like this is possible but i’ll have to look more into it - also all my life i’ve kinda found comfort in fictional characters more than my own made up ones , idk if that could play a part .ᐣ)
online people are just influencing me (i proved this wrong earlier in this post about how what i’m experiencing is real and i know i’m not coming up with this since it’s been happening for a while)
straight up denial (i have a MASSIVE fear of being wrong and i feel like that’s where this starts happening . . . i know lots of people say it’s okay to be wrong about yourself but it’s too scary . . . + i’ve always relied on other people to help me discover myself but with a disorder like this it’s hard to seek help from anyone that isn’t a professional - especially when i’m too scared to open up about it) (this also comes from me looking at those fakeclaiming subreddits that say things like “13 year olds can’t recognize they’re a system” (i do think it would be hard - i still have a giant chance of being wrong and even then i’m questioning myself like crazy) and i think it’s just fed me misinformation (not to say other social media isn’t feeding me just as much misinformation))
the “funny” thing is just recently i had a switch where i dissociated which kind of proves that what i’m experiencing is real + i’ve seen several times that denial is common
anyways i think one more thing i need to get off my chest since it’s mostly fictional characters - i don’t think i’m an irl or fictionkin of my alters(.ᐣ) since not only does switching describe it more than shifting , but when they switch they take control , something fictionkins don’t do. also , being an irl means you have psychosis or a delusion or something related to that; i don’t have psychosis.
also, for coping-links; i didn’t choose to have these alters(.ᐣ) , so it doesn’t make it a coping-link.
EDIT!!!! so about switching , when it happened my brain felt a little funny , but i thought i was just overthinking. when i woke up though , my brain didn’t feel like that , even when i was thinking a lot about my brain. also , i was thinking about myself and honestly i don’t really feel like one person. i feel like multiple people. i was also thinking about bpd, but wouldn’t that just change my personality constantly , not me as a person .ᐣ i’ve always preferred referring to myself as ‘us’ when i talk to my mom though , which is strange. i’m not too sure yet though , so i’ll keep doing more research .ᐟ
i can’t really think of anything else to add here . . . i’m going to do more research tomorrow , i just needed to get this down. please reply if i said anything wrong/misleading .ᐟ
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babithyn · 6 months
Text
august 27th, 2023
tw~ ed/mental health/rant
Its been a while… im currently 31weeks pregnant. this pregnancy has been extremely difficult.
Ive had a lot of stuff happen within the past four months. I moved in with my boyfriend. I got put on medical leave from work. My cars engine flooded. My mental health plummeted. My ED has reared its ugly head. Its just been a lot.
I feel like a burden to my boyfriend. He pays all the bills while all i do is sit at home. I have no source of income so i cant contribute to anything. I’ve been relying on my mom to pay my phone bill. Relying on my boyfriend to keep a roof over our head. all i can contribute is food stamps which i only got approved for last month.
In my 2nd trimester i started binge eating… im not sure if it was the change in my body or just my binge ED hitting me full force. but now that im in my 3rd trimester im barely eating one meal a day. Again i cant tell if its the pregnancy or my ED.
I fo know that my body dysmorphia is extremely bad at the moment. I cant even look at myself i. the mirror without crying. Logically I know im just pregnant but a voice in the back of my head is screaming at me that im fat and that its not just me being pregnant…
Im so sad all the time. And i honestly just want a hug and some comforting words. but i know i cant get that. My bf gets mad when i cry or even just say im sad. So at night when he’s sleeping i just silently cry next to him. or while he’s at work or the gym i sob uncontrollably.
We have some really bad fights sometimes that just destroys me. He says things like “i dont even really know you” or “you barely know me”… … … weve been together for almost 9months now. I’ve been so open with him from the beginning i even recently opened up to him about my ED when we first started dating. I try to tell him small stuff about me and it feels like he doesnt pay attention. He doesmt open up very much to me but i know a decent amount about him. of course we will never know everything about the people we love. there is always something to learn about the people we love and care about. shit im still learning things about my own mom and she’s my mom.
It sometimes feels like he doesnt want to be with me… like the only thing keeping him with me is our unborn daughter… which hurts because i love him so much… And recently he hasnt wanted to be intimate with me… which if course not only hurts but it makes me doubt myself. and i already feel ugly and fat but now… it just feels so much more real.
I crave affection from him so much that last night i had a dream that we went on a cute date. we got matching shoes and we held hands with each other and he called me pretty. but of course even my dream decided to attack me because right before i woke up a random person in my dream walked up to me telling me i was a horrible girlfriend. so my cute dream turned into a nightmare real quick. as per usual…
i miss my dogs… i know random and stupid to most people. but my dogs are my everything. i love them more than anything. Ive raised them since they were puppies. ive had dogs my entire life. there wasnt one second of my life where i didnt have at least one dog in my house.
And dogs lives are so short that being away from my babies for so long is painful.
October 24th, 2023
I never got to finish this post. I don’t remember why but I opened tumblr and it was the first thing i saw.
To continue what I was saying. I miss my dogs. And thats doubled even more now. Since writing this I’ve lost two of my dogs.
My 16 year old golden retriever passed due to old age. She wouldve been 17 this month. Ive had her since she was a puppy so even though it was expected it doesn’t hurt any less.
I also lost my 7 year old chihuahua. She got attacked by two other large dogs and the only way we wouldve been able to save her was with a $7k experimental surgery. I broke down and begged my followers on instagram, snapchat, and tiktok for help. But was only able to raise $50 between gofundme and cashapp. The next morning she passed and i was distraught.
Not only did i lose another one of my best friends but i still owed $3k in vet bills. I didnt take it well and a month later i still sob thinking about her. Shit i cant even type this without crying.
It’s been hard.
My due date is this saturday and im not okay if I’m being honest. I feel like im going to have really bad postpartum depression.
I feel lost. It’s hard to comprehend that im going to be a mom. That im going to have a little human dependent on me for the rest of my life.
Do that get me wrong, I love her. I love her so much already… but am i going to be a good mom? Am I going to raise her well? Are me and my boyfriend going to be good parents. Are we going to be able seal with the stress together?
There are so many variables that have me scared, stressed, and anxious.
On another note my body dismorphia makes me want to die. I have gained almost 70lbs this pregnancy. at my highest i weighed 248lbs. Ive lost 8lbs which i dont know how to feel about. So my current weight is 240lbs without fasting.
I hate it. And it hurts because I can see it. I physically can see the fat right bellow my gigantic baby bump. I can see the outrageous amount of stretch marks. I can feel the fat and stretch marks and not just when i tough them with my hands. The stretch marks sting, they feel like cuts on my stomach. It almost feels like fresh SH cuts.
This whole year has been traumatizing. This whole pregnancy has been traumatizing. Ive always wanted more than one kid but at this point i dont think my mental health could handle another pregnancy.
I have a feeling Im going to relapse with my ED after I give birth. I already have the urges to do so. Which isn’t good because I recently became hypoglycemic again.
To those who font know what that is. It’s pretty much early onset diabetes. Which was caused by my ED.
Ive struggled with binge eating, an0r3x14, and bul1m14 since the early age of 9. Going back and forth between the three on since.
That’s caused my blood sugar to be unable to regulate like a normal person. If I dont eat for longer than 5hours my blood sugar drops into the 40’s (normal is between 70 and 100) and when I eat the highest its gotten was 150 and thats after eating practically straight sugar.
So in simple terms my body produces to much insulin which can make me insulin resistant in the future.
i know this was long and all over the place. Especially since its months of stress thats piled up. I could type more but im honestly exhausted and will probably just make a separate post at a later date.
As always thank you for coming to my ted talk. Be safe take care of yourselves much love 🖤🖤🖤
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white--moon · 2 years
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“Does that make a difference?” But yeah, he supposes it does. It’s a lot like fraccion. Which is exactly what he told Grimmjow he wouldn’t be. Fucking hell. He screwed up the entire conversation and he didn’t even know it. “Well, fuck.” And he agreed to it so easily… His shoulders drop and he leans harder against the wall. He’s a fucking idiot. He’d been thinking they were already tied together so it couldn’t make much difference. He hadn’t given a moment’s consideration that there might be actual, life-effecting consequences.
He can’t even help but respond with a smirk of his own. “You’d have to be a lot closer for that.” It’s absurdly transparent, and he should knock it off so they can have a serious conversation, but it’s easier said than done. He rolls his eyes. “Either way, you’re to blame. Either you took it all or were a bad example.”
He scoffs and flicks Shiro a look. “Should I put a collar and bell on you, too? You’re the biggest stray out here.” And a legitimate one. Actually, considering the whole ownership equation, that might be reversed, so he’s quick to change the subject. And prepared to actually get thrown off a roof for that one. 
He straightens. “What? Says who?” But he turns his attention outward all the same. “There’s hardly anything around. I know you don’t actually want to follow me to the other side of the city so I can hunt hollows for you. You’ll just get bored.” He goes still at that unexpected question, trying to figure out how he gave it away. He glances at Shiro, just about to snap something about it being none of his business, except there’s a flash of memory and he remembers the argument they had about Shiro letting him believe he was sleeping around. It would be shitty not to be honest after that. “We did, but we’re not now.” He chews his lip. He doesn’t even know if Grimmjow wants a repeat. For all he knows Grimmjow might’ve hated it. “After a fight.”
He huffs out an incredulous sound. “Not doing it for me. If you had wanted to eat him, you would have done it. And could you possibly make that sound like anymore of an innuendo? Don’t talk about eating him anymore. It’s confusing.” He pushes back to his feet and turns toward the closest, reasonably sized hollow he could sense. “Come on, lazy ass. You really do have to wear a collar if you’re going to start begging for food.”
He shrugs. Maybe, maybe not, but he's guessing it didn't help anything since the conversation was already turning south. He rolls his eyes a little. "It's not that bad, your boyfriend's just dramatic. It takes three seconds of usin' your brain to realize that nothin' about you or me is normal and neither is whatever pack dynamic we might have."
A sly expression shifts across his features briefly. Ichigo is just so good at making everything sound vaguely challenging. "Don't tempt me. You like when I'm close." He scoffs again. "I took it all then." Very easy choice, given the options.
He gets called a stray and he blinks. And it's kind of hypocritical since he just called Grimmjow one, but he's not sure how he feels about being told that. It gives him a small moment of doubt, where he wonders if he's 'the biggest stray' because he's not wanted and has been turned out to be on his own. But that's ridiculous, that's exactly what he wanted. He shakes it off. "Nah, I'm not a stray."
Ichigo's reaction to being told he owes him is actually quite interesting. It would seem Ichigo doesn't like owing people. "Says me. What d'you think I was doin' up here when you came scurrying over? Standin' up here lookin' pretty? I was hunting. You scared my dinner away." That's a good point though; he would get bored. Or. Or! He'd also hunt himself a hollow and then he'd get two hollows for the effort of one. Oh, this is a great idea. Maybe he'll try to guilt Ichigo for that stray comment later for another easy meal. He's enough of a jealous, possessive creature that hearing that ruffles both of those aspects in him. It's not like Ichigo didn't flat out tell him he's 'the other guy'. "Oh. After a fight. Figures. That's kinda your guys's thing."
Innuendo? He arches a brow. "S' that a serious question? I bet I could. Now you're picturing me and him, aren't you? It's not my fault you got weird thoughts in your head." Well, if Ichigo wasn't painting that picture himself, Shiro's sure the extra help will do it. His features split into a grin when it becomes clear Ichigo's going to hunt for him for real. He'd mostly been kidding, but hell, he's not about to pass up an easy meal. He blinks though. "Really? A collar's all it takes to get free food outta you?"
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hotwings0203 · 3 years
Text
The Middle Ground
*Deep breath*
Woo. Okay. First of all I would like to thank everyone for 400 freaking followers. That is seriously so insane to me, I mean I’ve only been on Tumblr for like half a year.
This piece is a contribution to @bakugosbratx ‘s collaboration. It has around 40k words in total, so it’s my longest piece yet. Because Tumblr formatting is shit, I have provided an Ao3 link in case you like the chapter setup better there. I hope you all enjoy, and please please heed the warnings ahead!
Pairing: Bully!Fiance!Touya x F reader
Summary: You've been friends with Tenko Shimura for as long as you can remember...but when you're forced into an arranged marriage with Dabi, that friendship is put to a test.
TW: Noncon, bullying, language, Dabi and Hawks are scumbags, gangbang, graphic depictions of violence, gang violence, arranged marriage
Tags: @hi--rubi @bakugosbratx
https://archiveofourown.org/works/31747549
Touya Todoroki kicks out his legs and slumps into the limo seat. A permanent scowl has inhabited his petulant expression, one that doesn’t go unnoticed by his glaring father and uncomfortable family. It isn’t like he wanted to be here anyway, what were they expecting? Especially when they were practically planning out his whole life’s demise right in front of his eyes.
 Think he’s being dramatic?
 Try putting yourself in his shoes for a second: after being hounded by his ape-like father to put some hair gel on and to ‘take out those fiendish piercings, you look like a hooligan,’ he was also forced into a suit that felt more like a straight jacket. Worst of all, he had to keep a straight posture.
 It was complete, utter torture for the young rogue.
 Only after stalking and lurking around his mother for the entire day did Touya have it revealed to him that the place he had to dress up like a prissy for was none other than the house of who he was going to be betrothed to.
 Once the bomb was dropped, all hell broke loose in the Todoroki house not like that was anything new, merely hours away from leaving to greet the parents-in-law.
 “Is this a fucking joke? You people weren’t even gonna tell me where we were going until I had to beg like a dog!” Touya raged with balled-up fists, smoke curling from his elbows and shins as he stood in his parents’ room and interrogated his mother.
 “Language, Touya!” An exasperated Rei Todoroki sighed while ironing her and Fuyumi’s dresses. “You’re of age to get married, and you’re an adult now- you knew this was bound to happen soon.”
 “Come on, Touya, it’s not the end of the world. You’ll like her; her family is really well known in hero society for hosting the annual hero galas.” Fuyumi leaned against the doorframe behind her irate brother with her arms crossed, peering disappointedly at him from over the bridge of her glasses. “I’m pretty sure her parents even work in the Hero Commission headquarters, and as for the girl, I’ve heard so many good things about her from-”
 “I don’t give a damn about some elitist brat who I’m gonna have to coddle. And I’m still in school, I’m not licensed yet.” Touya snapped at both the women, Fuyumi rolling her eyes and shaking her head as she walked away. Rei let out another heavy sigh and finished up her meticulous ironing.
 “I just don’t understand why in the hell you’d tell me on the day of us meeting them, like why couldn’t I have a heads up?”
“Because then we’d have to put up with your little tantrums even more in advance. Plus, it's not like us telling you earlier would’ve changed the decision or your reaction,” Natsuo called out from his room across the hall.
 “You know, she’s not some random gold digger. I’m fairly certain her family is more wealthy than us, and by uniting our families, we’ll both have many advantages in society and for a healthy bloodline-”
 But Shoto’s chiming in was cut off with the sound of choking from Natsuo drinking something at his last words. Touya didn’t appreciate his least favorite sibling’s unwanted opinion, especially when it was about the topic of banging some prissy chick.
 He let Shoto know what he thought of his comment by whipping around with a snarl and towering over the youngest Todoroki.
 Well, not really towering since Shoto was quickly catching up to Touya in terms of height, a fact that Touya loathed admitting.
 “You-” he jabbed a finger into the other’s firm chest, “-are the last person I wanna hear sex advice from, got it? I doubt a social degenerate like you would even get pussy anyways from the way you can barely understand a joke or social cues.” (“What did I say about language, Touya!”)
 Natsuo was positively howling now, and Shoto merely shrugged his brother’s scarred finger off as Touya kept advancing on him and spitting venom. Rei was desperately trying to quell the disaster waiting to happen by raising her voice slightly and telling all her boys to back off and calm down, but she was cut off by Fuyumi calling out to ask for her dress.
 “ENOUGH!” 
 All the other Todorokis simultaneously jumped when they heard his booming voice. Enji Todoroki appeared in front of his family, no doubt growing increasingly irritated by the pandemonium happening. He glared around at them all until his eyes landed on Touya, who grew quiet but still held a scowl on his face. Endeavor’s eyes narrowed as he approached his heir, and Touya subconsciously straightened up taller.
 “You can’t make me do this. We’ve never had one single conversation about the topic of marriage, and you think I’m just gonna give in on the night you planned to make me into some domestic schmuck? Were you even going to tell me yourself before we left?” Touya growled, maintaining eye contact with his brutish father.
 “You’ll do as I say, Touya. Your duty comes to your family before any wish of becoming a hero. You need to stop acting like a delinquent, and a wife would do some good to tether you to reality-”
 “Oh, right, because you’d know all about how to be good to a family, right?” Touya burst out as he sneered and gestured to the scars littering his body.
 Even Natsuo had stopped snickering as the house grew deathly quiet. Fuyumi sucked in a soft inhale, Shoto simply stared while observing the spectacle in front of him, and Rei was stock-still.
 Endeavor didn’t back down from his son’s impertinence, however. Instead, he stepped forward until both men were chest-to-chest and looked at Touya straight into his face, purposely neglecting to ponder on the way his son’s lip trembled and his eyes twitched as if he wanted to rub them. He knew if he saw Touya as the pouty seven year old he once was and loved, he would give in.
 “You will do what I ask. Do not embarrass our family or me.”
 Touya’s jaw clenched as he tried to stare his father down, but after a couple of painstakingly long moments he finally looked away. Everyone let out their breaths and started to get their coats. That was that.
 End of discussion.
 Unbeknownst to him, however, he wasn’t the only one who had been saddled with this news recently.
 Your parents might not have told you on the day of said guests coming over, but you weren’t given an option to argue either.
 In fact, you were told so casually over dinner a few weeks ago that one would think you were the crazy one for “overreacting,” in the exact words of your parents to be more specific.
 “Honey, you’re almost done with your hero licensing school. It's about time you start thinking of your future asides from your job and internships,” your mother had gestured to you as her delicate hands picked up a wine glass.
 “Dad, seriously?” You asked in disbelief, fork suspended in midair. “I haven’t even graduated yet, plus you promised when I was done I could intern with you at the headquarters-!”
 But your father merely hummed disinterestedly as if the topic of your very imminent future could do with less talking and more of shoveling roast beef into his mouth.
 You incredulously turn to your mom, hoping for some reprieve.
 “I don’t even know his name. Who is he, and why did you choose him anyway?” you grouch, pouting and pushing the casserole on your plate around.
 “His name is Touya Todoroki, and he’s merely a year or two older than you. I’m sure you’ve heard of his father, Endeavor. He’s the number two hero, and I believe his other two children are closer to your age...Natsuo and Fuyumi? Their youngest son is Shoto, you must have seen his performance at the sports festival a little while ago.”
 “T-Touya?” You almost choke on your asparagus when you hear his name. “Mom, I’ve seen him like, three times throughout the entirety of me being at that school. And I heard he’s a complete menace too! He’s got a reputation, him and his stupid friends. I know for a fact they’ve been giving Tenko a hard time for the past year for no reason.”
 You’re not lying either. You’ve seen the intimidating black-haired boy skulking around some of your classes with his cronies in tow. It wasn’t like he shirked off his grades or anything; you were fairly certain he was pretty smart...when he tried, that is. When he wasn’t ditching class and giving his teachers a hard time, you usually saw him push your best friend Tenko Shimura around. This included shoving the quiet boy down the stairs, clapping him over the head a little too hard to be passed off as friendly, and childishly throwing spitballs and other trash at the back of his head. Fortunately, you’d never had the pleasure of meeting his highness personally, and so far, you’d been secretly grateful for only picking up his binders and homework off the floor of Tenko’s aftermath attacks rather than bearing the full brunt of Touya’s abuse. You weren’t even sure he knew you existed, and to be frank, you’d like to keep it that way.
 However, it seemed as though your parents didn’t share the same sentiments.
 Your father finally decided to give his piece, which wasn’t in your favor, surprise surprise.
 “A sturdy family, they are. We’ve invited them for dinner two weeks from now, so you better curb that attitude of yours well before they arrive. Our decision is final.”
 You stay quiet, opting not to argue any further and upset your parents. To be honest, you weren’t known to be too rebellious or spoiled for that matter. You were a straightforward child- you got good grades, you didn’t trouble yourself or your parents with any drama or school nonsense, and you put up a good family name when in the presence of outsiders. To say that you and your parents were joined at the hip would be a bit of a stretch, though. You simply did what they asked, and they rewarded you with anything you wanted. Nothing more and nothing less. It’s not like they forced you to do anything unreasonable except getting married to some degenerate, so you usually followed pursuit. 
 So, instead of causing a scene at the dinner table, you finish up your food, clear the table, and stomp upstairs in the sanctuary of your room. You flop on the bed, and just for good measure you pummel a pillow in front of you.
 This can’t be happening, you groan to yourself.
 After a couple of minutes of finishing your tantrum, you decide to call Tenko. He was definitely someone who’d share the same disdain for the name Touya Todoroki.
 You dial his number, and after a couple of rings he finally picked up.
 “Y/N? What’s up?”
 It takes less than 5 minutes for you to explain your ordeal, and he’s quiet for a few moments.
 “Tenko? You there?”
 “Yeah, yeah I’m still here,” he says slowly.
 “Well? What do you think?” You urge, needing him to reassure you you weren’t being unreasonable for not wanting an arranged marriage with some psycho delinquent, family name or not.
 “I mean, obviously it sucks ass, and I wouldn’t wanna get saddled with Tou-yuck as a fiance,” you giggle at the absurd nickname and he shares a low chuckle too. “But...I don’t know, I mean I kinda expected you to sound more upset about it.”
 “Don’t get me wrong, of course I'm pissed, man. But what the hell am I supposed to do? I can’t really argue my way out of this, and even if I did, it would be so awkward between our families since his dad and my parents work so closely at the HC. I don’t think there's any way to properly react to this,” you finish helplessly, biting your lip.
 “Whatever. Just don’t expect me to throw rose petals and rice at him when he shoves me into the lockers after school,” Tenko says dryly, and you can’t help but scoff.
 “As if. Y’know, maybe that actually is a silver lining in all this. If we get engaged or whatever during the school year he might just go easy on you if he knows we’re friends.”
 “Hmm yeah, maybe we’ll hold hands and throw each other picnics too while we’re at it!” You can practically hear his eye roll over the phone. “Speaking of prince charming, what are you gonna wear when they come?”
 Which brings you back to now.
 T-minus 30 minutes until the Todorokis make their appearance through your front door.
 As much as you tried to convince yourself otherwise, there was no mistaking the butterflies in your stomach. You had adorned a warm knee-length dress to match the snow outside yet still look cute, meticulously done your hair in an up-do with some strands framing your face and light makeup. Your goal wasn’t to impress anyone but rather show the best natural side of you so that if any part of you wasn’t satisfactory to what met the Todorokis’ eye, they could still back out.
 You stand in front of the mirror and tilt your head slightly, assessing yourself. You look straight at your reflection and practice your bow. After feeling confident in your preparation, you decide to send a quick picture of yourself to Tenko to get his opinion.
 6:40: Looks okay?
 Not even two minutes later as you’re lacing up your flats does his notification pop up on your screen, and you smile at his punctuality.
 Ten-ten: You look great.👍 Don’t freak out okay? It’s not like anyone’s opinion should matter, especially not Tou-yuck’s
 6:45: Ugh, you’re right. Idk why I feel like I’m gonna throw up
 6:46: Oh fuck I think I hear their car
 Wait oh my god it's a limo wtf??
 When your parents call you down to greet the guests, you toss your phone on the bed and hobble across the room to close your lights and door. You don’t see the three dots coming up and disappearing as Tenko Shimura deletes the message of ‘actually, you look beautiful’ after reading your answer.
 ***************
 You frantically straighten out your dress and wipe your sweaty palms on your knees as you stand behind your parents when they open the door.
 First comes in the big man himself, a towering build of brute force and a stoic aura surrounding his presence. His brows are furrowed, but he doesn’t look angry. Your father and Enji shake hands and clap each other on their backs as your family moves back to make space for the rest of the family to enter. A woman you assume to be Rei shakes off the snow from her shoes before stepping inside the threshold, and when you make eye contact and greet her she smiles demurely at you.
 It warms your heart, much to your chagrin.
 Then, all time seems to stop as you see his shadow step in before he does. Your heart skips a beat or two and the wind swirls around him, causing snowflakes to latch onto his figure and obscure his face for a moment. 
 But when he fully comes into view, it does nothing to calm your heart that seems to be slamming against your ribcage.
 The white snowflakes blend into his porcelain-colored hair, which sticks out in little tufts although you could’ve sworn he had black hair at school…?. Dark purple patches cover underneath his eyes and the lower half of his face, along with small staples that seem to hold the skin up. However, his eyes are what captivate you the most, a bright turquoise that scrutinizes you under the glare of fluorescent lights.
 You freeze like a deer in headlights, hesitating a fraction of a second before bowing hastily to make up for the pause. Touya scoffs slightly before barely tilting his head and averting his eyes to your mother, who is ushering the rest of the family inside to the living room. Natsuo, Fuyumi, and Shoto follow after their eldest brother, all of them bowing more respectfully than the first sibling and giving you small smiles and waves.
 You trail behind to close the door, wanting to stall as long as possible before the inevitable bonding. As you turn from shutting the dark mahogany, you catch your dad’s eyes as he turns as well and you blanch obviously- needless to say, he isn’t amused and sends you a warning glare. 
 Taking a deep breath in a poor attempt to still your nerves, you walk as gracefully as you can to the living room, one foot in front of the other. As expected, when you cross into the area all light conversation stops as you reach a seat in one of the white leather loveseats. You can acutely feel Rei and Enji’s eyes especially trained on you as they observe their future daughter-in-law and her mannerisms. Luckily, your parents have given you years of practice in public events on how to act like the perfect little lady.
 Poised, calm, and collected, you recall the main attributes your parents had always said elders look for.
 “Y/N, was it? I believe you and Touya go to the same school?” Rei speaks up after you settle comfortably, and you can’t help but notice that although their family is known for ice cold or burning hot quirks, her voice reminds you of a good medium between the two; it sounds like springtime, a transition itself.
 You fidget uncomfortably before answering. “Yes ma'am, I think so. I might have seen him around the halls, and we may have had classes once or twice…” but you trail off as Touya coughs loudly, and rudely. He turns his head to look away from you not-so-subtly and the room temperature rises a few degrees as Endeavor’s mustache begins to flame. He glares at his son, but Touya stubbornly stares at the floor with an obvious scowl on his face.
 Well fuck you, too, you think as your smile begins to strain.
 Desperately, Fuyumi tries to fill in the silence by asking a follow up question.
 “Um, Y/N, what are you studying? Touya’s trying to get officially licensed at school so he can skip internships and just head straight to dad’s agency after he graduates.”
 “Well, since I don’t have a quirk I’m not doing any of the training courses, but my parents have some networks in the Hero Commision. Ultimately I decided to go into Department of Management and General Studies-”
 “Wait, you don’t have a quirk?” Touya surprisingly bursts out, eyes bulging out of their sockets. His voice is deep and grating, as if he spent his early days being a chainsmoker.
 “No, I don’t.” You say without missing a beat, increasingly getting a good feel of what type of person your fiance is and his possible superiority complex. “But as I was saying, even though I wasn’t born with a quirk I know I can succeed after my parents in aiding the Hero Commission and the annual galas. If I get licensed after graduation, I can kind of follow the same path as you in terms of skipping all the internships and stuff and get straight to work. Y’know, helping out in the foundations of future heroes is just as important as being an actual hero,” You say proudly as you stare straight at Touya.
 Your parents and a majority of the Todorokis nod in agreement, and the only one who doesn’t seem to share the same values as you rolls his eyes and mumbles under his breath.
 After that nice little ice breaker and a couple of other meaningless conversations between the other siblings and you, your mother finally decides to call in for dinner.
 You breathe out a sigh of relief and stand, your dress riding up your thighs for a moment as you get up. Out of the corner of your eye you see Touya glance momentarily at your slightly exposed legs before sliding up your body and finally meeting your eyes. He catches you staring and gives you a knowing smirk. Your face lights on fire and you look around to make sure no one is watching before you flip him the bird.
 He actually laughs, and you grimace as the butterflies in your stomach come back to life and travel up your throat.
 Natsuo turns around curiously to see the source of his brother’s rare gravely laugh. When he sees you both emerging out of the room at the same time, he flashes you a lopsided grin, very much akin to his brother’s.
 You shake your head, trying to quell the rising smile on your face as you take a seat at the marble table. Everyone finds their own chair, and much to your surprise Touya takes one right across from you. Whether or not it's a coincidence, you don’t want to get your hopes up.
 Chatter resumes as both sets of parents talk about recent hero news and the missions funded by the headquarters. Shoto and Fuyumi ladle takoyaki and ramen into their bowls while Touya picks at the miniscule helping of the other assortments and kaiseki on his glass plate. You decide to wait until everyone has finished taking food until you start digging in just to be polite, a fact that Natsuo pipes up on.
 “You don’t have to wait for us to finish y’know, we’ll just end up keep waiting on each other out of guilt.” he says kindly.
 “Oh, no worries. I just wanted to make sure you guys took enough-” but you’re cut off for the second time that evening by the same person, and it takes every ounce of self restraint you have not to dump the ramen bowl on his white hair.
 “Yeah, I mean we already know you’re so uptight, no need to shove it in our faces,” Touya rumbles and Natsuo swats his arm as he glances at you apologetically.
 “Sorry about him, he’s got a warped sense of humor.”
 “It’s fine, I get it. Some people just think they’re better ‘cuz of unseen reasons,even with lame quirks,” you snipe and you hear Shoto subtly snort into his cup.
 Touya’s nostrils flare and his forearm erupts in light blue flames. Endeavor and your parents are staring at you both, and it's not just his flames that warms your face.
 But Fuyumi, along with her ice quirk, seems to know just how to cool everyone down again.
 “Y/N, have you ever helped your parents out in any of the HC events?” she takes your hand in hers, and even though you expect cold palms, all you feel radiating off of her is warmth. She seemed to be saying I’m sorry about him.
 So for the time being, you decid to grit your teeth and bear it. It’s not like your parents were even pretending to care about his shitty attitude either, so why should you give in any more?
 “Yes, I have actually. A couple of months ago my parents were the sponsors of the annual Hero Gala, and I was the one who sent out the invitations to all the heroes and ensured their attendance. I even got to invite Gran Torino!” You can’t help but say animatedly-no matter how juvenile your excitement is, being in contact with pro-heroes was always exhilarating and nerve-wrecking.
 Hench the massive pools of sweat gathering under your armpits.
 And finally the youngest speaks up.
 “So out of all the heroes you’ve talked to or helped, which one’s your favorite?”
 “Uhhh probably Midnight, she's just so badass...and I won’t lie, she's pretty hot too,” you blush and Natuso whoops at the flush in your cheeks. Fuyumi laughs and agrees wholeheartedly, and even Shoto lets out a small smile Touya continues to pick at his sashimi as if no one had spoken.
  You marveled at how at home the Todoroki siblings make you feel, even in your own house. They went well together, and fill in the gaps where the other lacked.
 Too bad the same couldn’t be said for the one you were destined to marry.
 Nevertheless, the rest of the evening went by without any more mishaps or interruptions, thankfully. You and Rei had a couple of conversations too, about school and winter and what you liked to do in your free time. Even Enji spared a minute, but it wasn’t so much of a conversation as it was just a gruff ‘I hear from your father that you’re doing well in school. I might hire you at my agency if you surpass the other students’, and a meek ‘yessir, I’ll try my hardest’ from you. 
 When it was time to leave, you hugged Fuyumi and shook Natuso and Shoto’s hands along with giving proper bows to Rei and Enji. Only Touya was left, and you’d be damned if you made the first move of civility towards him. You settled for a little bow, peering up at him through your lashes. He mimicked the same motion he did when he first entered, a pathetic little head tilt that you assumed to be the world's worst impersonation of a bow. 
 But his eyes never left yours, and you couldn’t decipher the unreadable emotion swirling in his blue orbs as he watched your figure bend and lift again. Whatever it was, it didn’t exactly scream proper from the way he allowed his gaze to drop to your chest and thighs not-so-subtly. You shot him a glare and he met you with a sneer before whirling around to bid farewell to your parents.
 When the door finally shuts, your parents let out a sigh of relief and turn to you.
 “Well, what did you think? Wasn’t their family darling? Oh and Touya was so easy on the eyes too, I don’t think you’ll have any problems getting along with each other,” Your mother babbles incessantly, completely oblivious to you gawking at her.
 Is she serious? He acted like a total douche to me all night!
 “I agree with your mother. He seems like a solid young man and I know for a fact he’ll make a great husband. Now, Enji gave me Touya’s number and I gave him yours, so you should expect a text from Touya soon. It’s just a formality to overcome, and in addition I want you to let him know we were glad to host him and his family.” Your dad raises his eyebrows expectantly, and you groan, slapping a hand to your face.
 “Okay sure, whatever.” Your dad pulls out his phone and you watch glumly as he texts the number to you.
 “I’ll text him later, ‘gotta talk to Ten first,” you mutter as you begin bounding up the stairs.
 “No Y/N, you’ll do it now. Otherwise, no talking to Tenko. You need to start putting your fiance first instead of any other man.”
 You grit your teeth to prevent screaming and make a show of spinning on your heel to face your dad. Smashing your thumbs against the screen, you tap out a curt ‘Hey, this is Y/N. I got your number from my dad, just wanted to say thanks for coming over tonight.’
 Oh yeah. Tenko better not have any plans tonight, ‘cuz boy is he gonna get an earful of this evening’s events.
 *********
 Ping
 Touya’s phone buzzes in his hand, and the screen lights up the dark interior of the limo. He squints at the notification, and after seeing your name he scoffs disbelievingly.
 “Is it her?” Fuyumi asks excitedly.
 “Jesus, keep your fucking voice down, are you trying to announce it to mom?” Touya hisses, and rolls his eyes at his sister’s pout.
 All his siblings start clamoring over their seatbelts and each other’s shoes as they try to grab his phone to read the message he received, and it's all Touya can do to curse and ward them off by waving an inflamed arm towards their outreached grubby hands (thankfully Fuyumi easily distinguished his flames with a flick of her wrist, with a rather annoyed look on her face).
 By the time the Todorokis reach their house it's late and everyone stumbles inside, eager for warmth and a good shower. 
 But not Touya. 
 As soon as the limo is parked he slips off the driveway and trudges off the stone path to his own destination, quickly shooting his friend a text.
 “Touya?” he hears his brother calling to him from the lit up path of the driveway. “You comin’ or what?”
 “No, I’ll be back in a bit. Just tell them I went to sleep early or something, and don’t let anyone in my room while I’m gone,” Touya mutters.
 Natsuo wrinkles his nose and stuffs his hands in his pockets, countering the defensive look the latter was giving.
 “...bring me back a cig?”
 “Hell no, go the fuck inside, its freezing out here.” Touya snickers, and both boys laugh before heading off in their own ways.
 It takes Touya approximately 15 minutes to slink in and out of the shadows to reach the abandoned bar that resides outside the main city. He kicks a broken beer bottle out of the entrance and checks in the dark for a lack of presence before reaching behind the bar counter and fishing around the platform for-
 Bingo
 He omits a tiny blue spark out of his index finger as he slides into a barstool and lights the cigarette. Taking a long drag of the substance, he tilts his head back and closes his eyes as he exhales the fumes into the empty darkness.
 “Goddamn, just ‘cuz you’re immune to fire doesn’t mean we all are Touya,” a suave voice emerges from behind the counter.
 Not so empty after all, then.
 A dim light switches on and Touya squints to locate the source of the familiar sound. Red fills his vision as his friend’s wings spread, and he zooms in on the roguishly handsome face belonging to Keigo Takami.
 AKA Hawks.
 The blond makes an obnoxious show of coughing and waving the smoke away, and Touya merely takes another long puff just to blow it into Keigo’s face again.
 “So, how’d it go?” He asks, using his wings to wave the offensive fumes away from his pretty face.
 Touya shrugs and folds his arms on the counter, letting his head nestle on the cool granite. He closes his eyes, mentally preparing himself for the onslaught of questions that was bound to come his way any minute.
 “Oh come on, don’t give me that bull, man. She can’t have been that bad right?”
“Her parents work for the HC. Maybe you should marry her instead,” Dabi shoots his friend a dark look and Keigo raises his hands in a guilty gesture. It was no secret that aside from their incognito vandalism and delinquency, the winged boy had plans to become a great hero at the heart of the HC itself.
 “Yeah well, regardless of who seals the deal, either way that’s another good, ah, network for me to know.” He snickers and Touya lazily thrusts a flaming hand at his head, which Keigo easily dodges.
 “This is serious man. I don’t wanna be some fucking homebody and raise a bunch of little shits along with having some bitch up my ass all the time.”
 “Is she hot at least?” Keigo presses, and Touya feels his eye twitch as his patience wears thinner by each word coming out of his mouth.
 “The fuck’s that got to do with any-? I mean, she was alright I guess, not too hard on the eyes…” he thinks for a moment before admitting, “she had sexy thighs, that's for sure. And an okay body overall.”
 Keigo whoops and claps Touya on the back, both of them grinning like madmen now.
 “That’s what I’m talking about, see now you’re getting the idea.”
 “And what’s that?” Touya turns to him fully now, intrigued as to how this could be for his benefit.
 “Look, you said she’s not too bad right? So that basically means you got full ownership of some hot chick, and you get to have full access to any records or information you want if she’s joined to the hip with some HC pawns.” The avian’s gold eyes flash and narrow as he thinks it over more.
 “This is a win win for you either way, and hey, if you make the missus your little bitch then maybe I get to reap some rewards too, huh?” He elbows Touya playfully.
 “Yeah...yeah that’s not a bad way of looking at it now that you mention it,” Keigo can practically see the gears turning in his friend’s head as he whips out his own phone.
 “What was her name again by the way? I just wanna see my dear sister-in-laws’ thighs myself,” He sneers as Touya quirks up the corners of his lip.
 “F/N? F/N L/N I think. God, she even texted me like, 10 minutes after we left. So fucking desperate,” Touya chuckles as he shows Keigo the message you sent.
 The blond’s wings ruffle behind him as he glances at Touya’s phone before thumbing through his own, checking each social media platform for any of your accounts. After a couple of seconds his eyes widen and he positively leers at the screen before shoving the device in the latter’s face.
 “Holy shit, I know this girl! Dude, you do too, we had like three classes with her before. I’m pretty sure she runs around with Rumi too. She’s uber smart, you had me thinking she’s some bimbo bitch, man. Oh, and she’s friends with Tenko by the way, just a lil’ heads up.”
 At the mention of the scrawny boy’s name, Touya snatches the phone from Keigo’s fingers and holds it mere inches away from his eyes so he could scan every part of you.
 “Tenko? Tenko Shimura? No fucking way, that guy’s a total tool. The hell is she doing hanging out with him?”
 “No idea, but I mean I’ve seen her hanging out with some other girls in the general department, so it’s not like she only knows him. Why, you’re not getting all protective and hubby-like on her already, right?” Keigo says slyly, thoroughly drinking in the way Touya’s eyes darken and his jaw clenches at such a blasphemic notion. It was so much fun to rile him up and not have to deal with the aftermath of his brash actions.
 “Fuck no. I just don’t want to be associated with a bitch who hangs around with pussies all day.”
 “Mm, yeah, I don’t think I could fuck with you either if he became some kind of sister-wife to you.”
 ********
Winter started to seep into spring, the transition being made evident by the arrival of cherry blossom trees blooming across the campus. New clothes were bought, markers and highlighters upgraded to reflect the new bright outside weather, and the students themselves were giddy to see each other after their winter break.
 You donned your white school uniform and fixed your tie in the mirror, opting to leave your hair down for the first day back.
 Ping
 Your phone’s screen lit up from the bed, and you grabbed it while slinging your bag over your shoulder.
 Ten-ten: I’m outside, bring me a bagel if you can. Dad was being an asshole so I skipped breakfast
 8:20: Gotcha, I’ll be out in 5
 Thundering downstairs, you absentmindedly noted your parents’ absence as usual, your pre-made breakfast on the table (courtesy of the MIA mother and father).
 Making a quick scan as to what you could quickly scarf down and what you could bring for Tenko, you decided to drink a glass of orange juice and bring a yogurt for yourself, as well as a large cinnamon bagel and a banana for him.
 Opening your front door always brought in the multicolored rays of the horizon that was one of your sole motivations of waking up early. You weren’t disappointed as you stepped onto your porch and breathed in the crisp morning air, the sakura leaves falling softly onto the ground. Pink and purple stripes fanned across the sky, the trees gently swaying with the breeze. At the end of your driveway stood your lanky best friend, his sickly green and grey skin standing out almost offensively against the beautiful morning scene. His long, spindly fingers raised up and wiggled slightly in a poor imitation of a wave as he saw you coming towards him. His school uniform looked a tad bit too big on his thin, frail bones that were scarcely covered by stretched out, scratched-beyond-belief skin. His indicolite hair fell across his face in scraggly waves, effectively covering his vermillion, beady eyes.
 You had never been so comforted by anyone else’s sight before.
 As you reached him, you tossed him the large bagel and he helped your overbearing food load by taking the banana stem from your teeth and holding it in his own large hands, one pinky outstretched.
 “You ready to go back?” You asked as you both began walking towards your school, which was a mere 15 minutes away from your house.
 “Hell no,” he scoffed before tearing a large chunk out of the bagel. “Mmfh, thanks for the bagel-”
 “-don’t talk with your mouth full-”
 “-but nah, I’m not ready for Vlad King’s excessive droning about HC paperwork. ``Stuff's a bore honestly, I wanna take more actual work studies time out.”
 “Oh yeah, you were saying earlier that your dad was gonna let you work with him at his business, right?”
 “Yeah he did. But, to be honest, I don’t really know what's worse- Vlad’s lectures or my dads’.”
 You swat his arm with a disapproving look as he laughs at your disdain.
 “Ten, he loves you okay?” You begin softly as you furrow your brows and look at the ground in contemplation. “He just...doesn’t know how to show you. He’s just scared you’ll end up like your grandm-”
 “Yeah okay, okay, I get it!” He yelps uncomfortably. Hearing any praise or defense for his father always put him in a tough spot since he didn’t want to accept the very hard fact that his dad did in fact love him-even if it was shown in weird ways.
 The two of you eventually reached the grand school, the front blue and golden themes coming into view as you rounded the corner and walked through the gates of the campus. 
 It was a nice sight to see everyone again; kids younger and older than you laughing and shoving friends around, students sitting on the school walls, and teachers lounging around the classes with the occasional “Get to class!”
 Tenko and you walk through the halls, navigating the way to your new classes and assessing each other’s schedules when you hear, “Hey, Y/N!”
 You turn and see some of your other friends, Rumi Mirko, Moe Kamiji, and Yu Takeyama approaching you with grins on their faces.
 Mirko waves her own peach colored schedule in her hand as she says, “Alright L/N, hand it over- I need to see which hunks you got in your classes.”
 You smirk before giving your own witty reply. “Apart from you? I think the bar’s been set too high, hun.”
 You playfully tug one of her ears and she squeals before chasing you in circles around your small group. Your jerky running causes Kamiji to bump into Tenko’s slender frame, and he lets out a little “oof!” before wincing and rubbing his sore arm.
 “Ohmygod, I’m so sorry Tenko!”
 “No worries, it’s cool.”
 “Hey, Tenko, I wanna see your schedule for a sec’,” Takeyama says slyly, fluttering her lashes at him before snatching his paper. “‘Gotta see if I got lucky this semester to finally have such a cutie like you in one of my classes,” She feigns a swoon at the poor boy, his face growing a violent shade of red as he commences his hemming and hawing. 
 “No she’s actually right though! I wanna see which classes I have to put in extra effort in not to fail if I’m ogling at this absolute sex god for the entirety of the period,” Mirko stops chasing you long enough to peer over Takeyama’s shoulder at his paper, and Tenko finally gives in his self restraint in a moment of vigorous neck-scratching relief.
 You shake your head in disbelief before absentmindedly pulling his hand away from his suffering neck, and Tenko doesn’t make a move to stop you.
 “Okay, enough already, leave this poor ‘sex god’ alone, your guys’s cleavage is gonna send him into cardiac arrest alone without the horny dialogue.” You say exasperatedly, and the victim himself flashes you a grateful look out of the corner of his eye.
 All three girls give you both nasty grins before making a fake show of ripping open each other's shirt buttons and feeling their sides up with lewd moans.
 Just to play along and to spare Tenko’s sputtering and massively sweating self the embarrassment, you cover his eyes with a hand and shoot the girls a dirty yet humorous look.
 “Alright then, miss high and mighty, were you lucky enough to have your homeroom with Cupid over here?” Mirko asks, Kamiji and Takeyama nodding eagerly behind her.
 “I was, actually. Did you get anyone worth the look?” You say, beaming at a very sweaty Tenko.
 “No,” She pouted, her large ears dropping visibly. “But I really wish I could’ve gotten…” and she trails off as her focus narrows on something behind her, her nose twitching in excitement as her face morphs into a sultry expression. You, along with everyone else, turn to see what captured Mirko’s attention.
 “Speak of the devil,” she mutters, nudging you and the other entranced girls.
 And there he is in all his glory. One of the school’s most notorious playboys, Hawks himself-he spots your little reunion, and saunters his way past the sea of kids who part their way to make room for his highness. His blond hair glows in the early morning light, reflecting the golden and brown streaks that embed themselves through his locks. His teeth gleam a blinding white as he smiles at Mirko, coming up behind her (to her utter satisfaction).
 But it's not Hawks that makes your heart pound.
 It's his black haired buddy that you became betrothed to not too long ago that makes the butterflies in your stomach come alive again.
 He has a bored, brooding look on his face as him and Hawks approach your group. His hands are in his pockets and his body language is so sluggish and lazy that you’d think he has a million other places to be at 8:45 in the morning. In fact, the only indication you get that he sees you is when his icy eyes flit over to yours or rather, your body, and he raises an unimpressed eyebrow.
 I wonder if his family knows he dyes his hair at school? Or, when does he actually have the time to do that?
You snap your focus away from him, saving yourself the embarrassment of gawking at him before looking at the spectacle Hawks and Mirko were proudly showing off.
 He circled his arms around her shoulders and neck, resting his head against her soft skin. She giggles and swats his other straying hand away from underneath her skirt while the rest of you roll your eyes in disgust as Mirko croons, “I didn’t hear back from you for a while, you had me worried for a moment there hot stuff.”
 Hawks’s velvety words cut through the air like butter, his voice dropping a few octaves when he chuckles into her neck.
 “Sorry about that babe, ‘was training pretty hard for some time, got distracted and all that. But you’re up for next weekend, yeah?”
 It’s enough to placate the eager bunny and make you and Tenko gag internally for the meantime. “Mmm, only if you call me tonight,” she nuzzles into his hair. It was no secret (evidently) that the two were fucking, his smooth voice and sauve personality miraculously calming the eccentric and bold girl down. You didn’t come in contact with Hawks a lot, but you did unfortunately hear about his stamina from your girlfriend and see the way he undressed other girls in the hallways solely with his eyes enough to know that he wasn’t someone you wanted to spend your heart and time on.
 Which is why you did a double take when you realized his honey colored orbs settled on you.
 “L/N, right? How’ve you been?” His lids were lowered, the corners of his lips pulled up.
 You stutter a moment before answering lamely, “Uh, I-I’ve been good, thanks.”
 But it seems like he was more than overjoyed with your response from the way his smile widened and he lifted his head from Rumi’s neck to see you more clearly.
 “Yeah? Make any new friends over the break? Maybe got yourself a little boyfriend?” Hawks turns his gaze ever so slightly to his left, and you follow his eyes as they also land on Touya.
 You swallow thickly as you feel heat crawl up your neck to your face, your palms feeling slick as you register his meaning.
 He knows.
 And Tenko knows it too, from the way he side-eyes you concernedly, but staying silent (probably for his own sake, which was valid). Your “boyfriend” snarls quietly at Hawks, his balled fists turning a bright blue as they begin to heat up, much to the instigator’s amusement.  Touya never makes eye contact with you throughout the whole exchange, though.
 “Whaaatttt?” Kamiiji, Mirko, and Takeyama squeal obnoxiously, evidently intrigued at the notion of you being involved with a mystery man. “No fucking way, who is it?”
 “Well-he- I mean, my parents kinda set us up…” You stammer mortified, caught between telling the truth or not. It was obvious Touya hadn’t told anyone apart from his closest friend, otherwise Rumi would have for sure found out through Hawks with Touya’s permission.
 You wish you didn’t feel your heart drop a little at the thought of Touya so obviously wanting to keep your relationship with him under wraps. Were you really so embarrassing to be associated with?
 But you’re saved from your internal battle when Tenko pipes up at his own expense.
 Thank god.
 “It doesn’t matter, it's not like they’re married or whatever-”
 Yet. At least it's part of the truth.
 “-come on Y/N, we should head to class,” Tenko looks at you meaningfully, and wanting to head out of the limelight before-
 “Ahh, Shimura! Almost didn’t notice you there, buddy. You’re so quiet, it's easy to forget you’re there, y’know?” Hawks says gleefully as he throws an arm around the anxious boy’s boney shoulders and flashes a knowing smile at Touya, who mirrors Hawks’ saccharin expression.
 Tenko refuses to rise to the backhanded comment, opting to nervously scratch his neck and you quickly pinch your fingers to avoid reaching out and pushing the ravaging hand away and nodding his head weakly. 
 Touya comes on his opposite side, also wrapping a patched arm around Tenko’s other side so that the poor victim is trapped between the two bloodthirsty boys. They start steering him away from the group, and you stand there, trying to decide to butt in or join the oblivious girls who start making their way to class, chattering amongst themselves.
 Your dad’s words come back to you.
 You need to start putting your fiance before other men, Y/N.
 Fine.
 This is going to be killing two birds with one stone anyways. You technically were going to be putting Touya first by letting him know what you did or didn’t like. The start of your rocky relationship had to have foundations on some form of do’s and don'ts for either of you, right?
 And so, taking a deep breath, you march a couple meters up to the three boys, hearing sickening phrases of “grease-stain”, and “worthless little piece of shit, since when did you talk to girls?”, gently take an empty space of your friend’s shoulder that isn’t preoccupied by either tan or patched arm, and pull him around so that he’s facing you.
 Unfortunately, you didn’t think to account for the other two who would no doubt keep an iron-grip on Tenko, so you’re left holding onto him while Touya and Hawks are staring disbelievingly and amused at you respectively.
 “Tenko and I have to go to class,” you say quietly yet firmly as you ignore the spindly boy’s gaping at your audacity. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t call him a grease-stain, or anything otherwise offensive.”
 You continue, mustering the last of your bravery as you finally address your fiance, or whatever the hell he was to you at this moment.
 “Look, Touya, it’s obvious Hawks knows, and I told Tenko too. I won’t tell anyone else, though, if you’re not comfortable with it. But I want you to please start respecting my friends, and in return me as well if we’re gonna be engaged.” It’s so hard to maintain eye contact with him while his blown-wide, furious blue oceans are burning holes into your face.
 “You little bitch,” Touya starts on you to your utter dismay, but Hawks hold an arm out to prevent him from advancing on you any further. Even Tenko moves slightly in front of you to shield you from harm, a move that doesn’t go unnoticed, but rather, adds to Touya’s irate state.
 In fact, if he didn’t realize, or didn't want to acknowledge your kinsmanship with Tenko, he certainly had to now.
 Because not only does Tenko move in front of you, but the second Touya falters he takes the opportunity to propel you forward, covering almost 3 feet’s worth of a distance in one stride as he pushes you away from both men and down the hall, blindly following the signs to land the two of you in your designated homeroom. It all happens so suddenly with your surroundings flashing by you from Tenko’s sheer speed that you almost get whiplash as he continues to push you through the entrance of the class, and right into the first empty seat he sees towards the back of the room.
 He pants slightly for a minute, staring down at your seated form intensely before sitting in the empty seat right in front of you. As he pulls in the chair, you finally speak in a mix of frustration and gratitude.
 “Ten, I had it covered! You didn’t have to do that, Hawks had him too, it wasn’t like he was gonna-”
 “No, you don’t understand Y/N. They’re messed up in the head, they would do something fucked up, and the worst part is they wouldn’t even care if it was in the open. Hell, you’re his-”
 He whips his head around before whispering the rest to you.
 “-his fiance, and look how he reacted! He’s dangerous Y/N, you need to be more careful-”
 “Tenko, I’m not gonna be scared of the dude I’m engaged to,” you roll your eyes. “Okay sure, he’s a complete asshole to you and me, but he’s got too much to lose to actually do something real.”
 But the rattled boy wasn’t convinced as he shook his head at your naivety. It wouldn’t do to tell you about all the times they used their quirk on him, having years of training before he did, essentially rendering him useless to fight back or stand up for himself. He didn’t think you’d believe him if he told you that merely a week ago they got in contact with some friends involved with the Yakuza to beat him into a pulp on his way home from school, simply because it made them laugh, it made them happy. And he certainly didn’t want you to have any fights with your beloved fiance because of the way they would push him down onto the gravel behind school after quirk training sessions, use their feathers and fire to burn and rip his clothes apart, and heat up the bigger rocks on the ground until they were burning coals as vermillion feathers aided in throwing the small missiles at him. He would come home in burns, bruises, and cuts that were easy to excuse from the similar treatment he got from his father.
 That’s one of the only good things about his father, in hindsight. He built up Tenko’s immunity to these things, simply teaching him that these were the ways of life. You either eat, or get eaten.
 So no, it wouldn’t do well to tell Y/N any of these things.
 The bell rang, pulling you both from your back-and-forth arguing into a silent state along with the rest of the class. Your teacher, Vlad King, enters the room and almost fills up the doorway as he makes his way to the blackboard.
 “Good morning class. I hope you all had a relaxing winter break-but not too relaxing, as I expect you all should’ve reviewed last semester’s notes.” He looks pointedly around the room, the class filled with a mixture of scoffs, laughter, and groans.
 You and Tenko share an exhausted smile and simultaneously roll your eyes at your teacher’s academic reach.
 “But, there is one announcement I’d like to make before we start today’s lesson. Due to some parents feeling as though their kids aren’t receiving enough variety in terms of quirk training and the business side, along with the logistics of the hero world, me and a few other teachers have agreed to switching out some students after a period of time to experience the other classes, and the materials that go along with them.”
 “So, because of this change, we will be receiving some new students in our class today, as well as taking some out. But fear not! You will still have the same lunches as your friends and be able to see them in between classes.” He walks over to the door while talking, and you raise your eyebrows at Tenko. He shrugs as well, similarly clueless as to what your teacher meant.
 But you needn’t be confused any longer, because when he turns the door handle and opens the door, a slew of students trickled in.
 And much to your utter horror, Hawks and Touya saunter in as well.
 Your eyes widen and instinctively you slouch in your seat trying to make yourself unnoticeable and smaller. You see Tenko stiffen as well, the tips of his ears turning bright red.
 The scratching commences, too, and you quickly kick a leg out to meet the side of his chair to deter him from it.
 From the front of the classroom, all the students that were switching into your room are lined up, ready to introduce themselves.
 They all go, one by one, and as meaningless names float in and out of your attention, you risk a look at the two who had you practically shaking in your seat.
 You wished you hadn’t.
 Thing One and Thing Two were looking straight at you, your slouching proving to be unfruitful. Thing One was smugly looking at you, taking his sweet time for his eyes to note your hair, clothes, demeanor, and lingering in some places that were less than appropriate. Thing Two was glaring at you, gaze narrowed as his hands were stuffed in his pockets and by no doubt did you think he had taken your words from earlier with appreciation.
 It was too early. You didn’t want to hear what they had to say about your little speech so soon, especially when you saw how Touya took your words as an insult rather than an attempt to understand you and improve your relationship with him.
 Finally, it was their turn to introduce themselves to the class.
 “Hey, guys. You can just call me Hawks, no need for formalities,” the blond shrugs casually, seeing Vald King’s unimpressed expression and giving him a charming smile. You hear a couple of girls fake screaming his name as he introduces himself, and Hawks flashes a round of winks and finger guns at his fangirls, much to your disgust.
 “The name’s Dabi,” and your attention is turned to him once again. His voice is gruff, yet clear, and as charming of an aura Hawks gave off with the noises of various swoons, your fiance’s introduction prompts nothing but a deadly silent classroom, the occasional paper-turning and small murmurs echoing throughout the room.
 Tenko turns slightly in his seat to you and gives you another meaningful look. You both knew what each other were thinking.
 That’s right, he goes by the name Dabi here. I shouldn’t risk calling him by his real name around others, he might get upset at the informality.
 The rest of the students chime in with their names, and finally your teacher claps his hands, gathering your attention back to him.
 “Alright everyone, now that you all know the new students, say goodbye to your transitioning classmates and wish them luck in their new classes. Hajime, Setsuna, Tenko, and Kai, please pack your belongings and report to class 3-A.”
 You whip your head around in horror at Tenko who has gone stock still. The boy behind you, Setsuna, starts packing his things and grumbling under his breath. Tenko slowly begins to put his binders and pencils in his bag, not having the courage to look at your helpless expression.
 You feel like you were being thrown to the dogs, a piece of meat ready to be torn apart and ripped to shreds.
 Vlad King notices Tenko’s dawdling, and barks out “Hurry it up Shimura, we don’t have all day and these students need seats!”
 At this, both Hawks and Dabi’s heads turn to the both of you, and if they hadn’t noticed the disposition of you both, they damn well did now. You see Dabi’s eyes trail to something behind you and the corners of his mouth quirk up a bit.
 Setsuna gets up from his seat behind yours, and passes to the front of the class along with the rest of the stragglers.
 Oh, fuck. Please don’t let them sit here, please please ple-
 But it seems that you had previous karma to atone for, because the moment you start praying, both boys start making their way towards you. You shrink even lower in your seat, wishing desperately that you had brought a hoodie to wear to at least cover your face from this torture.
 It was only when Tenko finally packed his things and stood up at the side of his seat in front of you that Dabi and Hawks stopped stalking towards the seats that sandwiched you. He blocks their path and predatory looks, giving you a second’s reprieve of sheer panic. There is a tense moment where Dabi stands directly in front of Tenko, sizing him up and looking him down. You vaguely hear Ten murmur something to him, and Dabi lets out a loud scoff, elbowing the thin boy out of his way.
 You half rise out of your seat, naturally wanting to intervene as Tenko winces and grips his wounded side, but he quickly looks over his shoulder and shakes his head minutely, as if warning you to stay put. In the midst of you standing up however, Dabi moves forward, leaving you face to face with him.
 For the second time that day, you were in very close proximity to him, much to your discomfort. His blue eyes scorch your soul, much like the small blue flames emitting from the sides of his forearms. He narrows his gaze at you and stares at you until you relent and slowly sit back down. You can feel his eyes still on your form as he halfway circles around you and sits in the empty seat behind you. Hawks watches all of this in great amusement, and winks at you as he usurps Tenko’s seat in front of you.
 That’s just fucking great.
 Your fate is sealed as you look at the front of the room and watch Tenko give you a worried look as he’s ushered outside in the wave of kids exiting the room. The door slams shut as Vlad King closes it behind him, and the class is noticeably quieter as the lesson starts, some boring shit about submitting paperwork on time in an office setting and how to deal with setbacks.
 You try to focus as much as you can, but it's hard to ignore the way the back of your desk leg is being repeatedly slammed against any time Vlad King raises his voice, so the sound is muted to everyone but you. You grit your teeth and grip your pencil harder, almost breaking the lead when almost two minutes later you smell singed hair.
 And singed hair it was, all yours in fact as you frantically gather your hair in your hands and see burnt stands breaking off in your trembling fingers. In complete fury now, you whip around and harshly whisper, “Can you please stop-”
 “You got some fuckin’ nerve, you know that? Hangin’ out with that freak, and then defending him-especially in front of me. As if that’s not bad enough, you got the balls to ignore me when you owe me an apology.”
 You gape at him and even let out a little disbelieving laugh at his words. He said you had some nerve when he’s the one asking for an apology? 
 “Apologize for what, exactly? Stopping you from harassing Tenko and calling him offensive names?”
 His eyes widen mockingly, his eyebrows raised as the staples around his mouth tremble in his effort to not burst out laughing at your indignation.
 “I’m not harassing him. He should be glad we’re even approaching him, we’re like the closest things to friends he has. Why do you think he only hangs with you? It’s ‘cause you're the only braindead idiot in this school who doesn’t realize what a creep he is. And as for the ‘offensive names’, it can’t be offensive if it's true. He is a f-”
 Your ears start ringing as you feel like he’s pushing you past your breaking point. You can’t bear to hear any more slander against one of your closest friends, but as you try to whip around to face the front Dabi quickly catches onto one of your wrists, preventing you from turning away from him any more. His staples holding his scarred sin together dig into your flesh, and you quietly whimper in pain as you try to wrench your hand free.
 He simply tightens his grip and jerks you forward, causing you to practically fall out of your seat as he leans in close.
 “Don’t try to move away from me, Y/N. You were practically thrown at me, and that means you’ll do whatever the fuck I want, when I want.”
 You look up at him with glassy eyes, hair messily covering your face from the rough treatment. He looks almost thoughtful, the closest thing to a soft emotion you’ve seen from him yet as he brushes the hair from out of your face and behind your ear. 
 “And right now, your fiance wants you to stop hanging out with Shimura. Permanently.”
 **********
It’s less of a school bell and more like a trumpet from heaven when the indication of the class ending rings throughout the school. You had already packed your bag almost 10 minutes before the bell rang, not wanting to waste a second of the opportunity to make a mad dash away from Dabi.
 But you needn’t worry, because while you were practically sprinting down the halls looking for Tenko’s class, Dabi and Hawks were leisurely taking their sweet time packing up their bags, which were a little too light for anything deemed studious.
 Hawks chuckles after your form stumbled out of the classroom. “What’s gotten into her? Scared her off already?”
 “Something like that,” Dabi scoffs humourlessly. “ I just told her to stop fuckin’ around with Shimura.”
 “Man, and here I thought we were gonna take it easy on her for her first day.” Hawks tuts, shaking his head mockingly so that his blond locks fall handsomely around his face. “You’re breaking her in like a dog, Dabi.”
 But Dabi could care less about the timing of your inevitable breaking. He shoulders his bag and runs a hand through his hair, careful enough not to dislodge the black dye.
 They both walk out of the room to the next class, Hawks sending random girls an appreciative  up-down look that lead to eruptions of teasing giggles along the halls. “Regardless of how or when I break her-which, by the way, is gonna happen hard ‘cause there’s no fuckin’ way I’m putting up with her bitchy attitude-I’m not gonna let that walking mistake hang out with her anymore. He’s dead weight to anyone, and it’s so embarrassing to see how big of a boner he gets when she looks at him.”
 “That's the spirit,” Hawks clapped him on the back, steering him around the corner to their next class.
 “By the way man, you know we have lunch with her too, right?”
 **********
“And then he burned my hair!” You cry indignantly, folding your arms and leaning against the wall next to Tenko who was waiting in line for mediocre cafeteria food.
 “See? I told you, he’s dangerous. Him and Hawks both have a messed up sense of humor, and they have no shame in it either. You need to be more careful around them Y/N, don’t piss Dabi off especially, please.” He murmurs, looking at you through his bluish white bangs. You pick up a banana and plop it onto his green tray, causing him to whine about ‘NPC’s poisoning the crappy facility food’. Whatever that meant.
 “It’s healthy, you need it,” you shoot him a disapproving glare and pointedly lift one of his free spindly arms, gesturing to the lack of meat on his skin.
 “Okay mom,” he sneers as you pluck a Twinkie from his tray and transfer it to yours with an innocent smile as you do so.
 You both reach the end of the line and you wait as Tenko checks out. Looking around, it seems like the cafeteria is filled, so you elect to eat outside on one of the benches.
 “But, anyways,” you continue your conversation from earlier, “is that how they always are? How do you deal with it?”
 “Well, usually if you try to stay out of their way and just do as they do, both of ‘em will leave you alone.” He says uncomfortably, opening the courtyard doors for you with nine fingers as you quickly hold his tray to minimize the effort.
 “I usually try to think of them as the boss battle. If you avoid them, you’ll have a peaceful day. But if you try picking a fight with them, then you’ll take massive damage.” He shudders as flashbacks of burning rocks pelting his skin and ripped clothes enter his vision.
You scan the area looking for a quiet place to sit among the pink ground littered with cherry blossom petals, and find relief when you see Rumi, Takeyama and Kamiji scattered around a bench on the farthest side of the building. You call out for them and all three of them simultaneously turn and wave excitedly at you to come over.
 The grass feels lush and soft under your feet as the sakura petals swirl around you both as you cross the school grounds. You got lucky eating outside with this weather, and you internally want to make it a habit to come outside if the skies stay clear and blue like today’s.
 “Hey you two! Lucky you both are in our lunches too, huh?” Rumi smiles wide as Takeyama tosses you a cherry Ramune. Kamiji scooches over on top of the wooden table to make room for you to sit as Tenko takes a place on the seat itself.
 “Yeah, we didn’t have you all last year so I’m glad your schedules coincide with ours. How was class?” You press down on the little ball at the top of your Ramune lid and watch as it drops and fizzles in the substance. Tenko eyes it with interest, so you pass it his way and watch amusedly as he snaps open the top and practically chugs the whole thing in one go, precariously holding a finger out while he does so.
 “Ugh, don’t get me started. Midnight’s tits were bouncing in my face the whole time, I couldn’t keep my eyes on my paper.” Takeyama swats Rumi’s white ears as Kamiji bursts out laughing.
 “God, you’re so vile. But I can’t lie, she definitely improved her fit from last year.” Yuu says with a snort.
 “She’s such a badass, I’d totally ask her hand in marriage if I wasn’t getting saddled with-” But you freeze mid-sentence, face heating up as you catch your mistake.
 Tenko chokes on the drink, the girls squealing in disgust as Ramune spews out of his nostrils. You stammer, trying to cover up your tracks but there’s no need to as the focal point of the conversation turns to something behind you.
 “Oh my god, what are they doing here?” Kamiji whispers in awe.
 You whip your head around, and for the third time that day, your heart sinks to your ass.
 **********
 “Where is she, anyways? I don’t see her in here,” Dabi tries to ask disinterestedly as he casually sweeps his eyes around the crowded hall.
 “Ahhh, the pining begins, I see. Don’t worry, Rumi has the same lunch with us, so my best guess is she’s with her.” Hawks chomps on a piece of chicken, somehow managing not to spill any teriyaki sauce on his jacket.
 “Shut up birdbrain, I’m not pining. I just wanna make sure she’s not embarrassing me any more than she already has,” Dabi drones, cuffing the blond upside his head.
 “Question: how is she embarrassing you if no one knows you two are engaged?” His red wings flutter with glee as he catches Dabi giving him a dark look, opting not to answer.
 “You’re not answering my ques-tion”, Hawks sings, thoroughly basking in the catching Dabi’s ulterior motives.
 “And I’m not gonna answer either. Just tell me where she sits, idiot.” Dabi snaps, getting antsier by the second. 
 “Alright, alright, cool your head, matchstick. Rumi usually sits outside, so let’s check there. But hurry up ‘cause I’m hungry” Hawks whines as they make their way to the outside doors.
 They too are greeted with the same colors of pink sakura and bright well-kept grass, along with clear blue skies. But all Dabi sees is red when his gaze finally looks around and sees you with your friends...including Tenko Shimura.
 Hawks sees you too, and whistles as he glances back at Dabi’s face. If looks could kill, you’d be a burning pile of ash right now.
 “I swear to fucking god, I’m gonna kill them both.” Dabi growls as he begins to stalk towards your group. And of course, his friend joins in too, if not to just watch the episode that will unfold, but rather to actually prevent Dabi from causing any lasting damage...at least, on school property, that is.
 At the sound of your animated laughter and voice, the inky black mess of hair snaps up.
 He doesn’t like the way his heart clenches when the sight of you registers.
 Your laugh is a mix of soft giggles that crescendos into crazed wheezes that are accompanied by breathless snorts.
 It sounds so fucking ugly and obnoxious.
 He wants to hear more of it.
 Your hands wave around wildly as you animate your story with various gestures, sometimes throwing your arms out in the air and then bringing them close together to emphasize something else.
 Who the hell uses hand gestures?
 What do your hands feel like? Are they soft, or rough? Are they bigger or smaller than his? 
 What would they feel like if they caressed his skin? If they slapped him?
 Dabi is 20 feet away, and you still haven’t noticed him stalking towards you yet.
 Your head is thrown back now, hair shaking as you screech with laughter, your face scrunched up in laughter.
 He should’ve burned the rest of your hair, too.
 What would the material feel like through his fingers if he yanked the strands? If he caressed them slowly, in the dark?
 Why the fuck am I thinking about that?
 Your laughter has stopped now, the air eerily quiet. Dabi makes straight eye contact with you as he sees you've finally noticed him, as he watches Rumi whisper something to the group.
 He sees Tenko look panic-stricken, fumbling around his lunch to pack up and no doubt get the hell out of there.
 But not you, though.
 You just stare at him like he’s a wild animal, like you don’t know why he’s coming towards you so fast and with such purpose.
 He’s glad your eyes are on him. Property should know who it’s attention should be on, and who to cater to.
 He just wishes your eyes weren’t filled with so much fear. It’s making his heart squeeze and it feels weird. He doesn’t like it.
 “Hey Rumi. Yuu, Moe, how are you ladies doing?” He hears Hawk’s smooth voice flow into the air and join in with the falling of the soft tree petals as well.
 “Hey Hawks,” they drawl, no doubt excited to be blessed with his presence.
 Only you and Tenko stay quiet, the latter looking uncomfortably at his feet while you simply stare at Dabi.
 “I see you ladies are all enjoying the weather tod-”
 “-What the fuck are you doing here?” Dabi rudely interrupts the would-be smooth transition into conversation, but at the moment he doesn't care. He wants to know why the hell you so obviously ignored what he said earlier, and where the fuck you found the balls to blatanlty piss him off.
 But you stay silent, and stare at him further, eyes widening marginally like a deer in headlights.
 His heavy presence brings the feeling of death, the onslaught of dread, and it invades the group’s senses like the plague. His flashing arctic eyes scream murder, his balled hands reflect nothing but danger, and his set-mouth indicates that anything that comes out of it will end in vicious tears and a broken body.
 It contrasts so weirdly with his counterpart, who has a kilowatt smile that stretches from one ear to the other, his teeth gleaming so blindingly similar to the sun that it was another reason you couldn’t keep eye contact with him for too long. His hands were stuffed in his jacket pockets, showing no sign of lashing out and causing strife. The yellow sky rays bounced off his back, making him glow with heavenly golden light like an angel, and his eyes....oh lord, his honey colored hues swam with mischief; untold secrets ladeled into his ears in the dead of the night when he would lie side to side with multiple women of all shapes, colors, and sizes.
 But either way, regardless of the mismatched auras of the two, they both brought chaos and hell in their own ways, subtle or not.
 “Uhhh, ladies, why don’t I treat you to some of the school’s finest soba?” Hawks chuckles and scratches the back of his head before offering a hand to Rumi. “It seems like Dabi here needs to have a conversation with Y/N in private.”
 Rumi takes his hand and offers her own to Kamiji and Takeyama, who all pull each other up and look at you curiously. They’re smart enough not to ask openly, though. No sense in making things more awkward than they already are.
 Tenko tries to subtly get up as well, but is stopped when Dabi snarls, “You stay there. You and I are gonna have a conversation as well, fucktard.” He looks directly at you as he hurls the insult at the gangly boy, who flinches as if the words were knives.
You nap out of your horrified reverie.
 “Uhhh, well, we’ll see you around, I guess.” Kamiji calls from over her shoulder at you, her face sympathetic as Hawks’s arm circles around her shoulders and pulls her closer, whispering something in her ear that makes her blush.
 “Tenko, you can leave. Whatever patchwork here has to say has nothing to do with you. It’s between us, as my fiance.” You deadpan and return his ice-cold stare.
 The poor boy looks between his tormentor and saviour, conflicted as to what he should do. While Dabi’s arms and legs are starting to alight, you remain calm as ever perched on the table as if the petals littered on the ground weren’t silently catching fire.
 “If you get off the ground, I promise you won’t leave here with all your limbs intact.” The flame user says lowly, his voice catching on the gravely rasp of his threatening words.
 “Tenko. Please leave.” You say with finality, crossing your arms.
 A tense moment passes between all three of you, Tenko sweating bullets. He slowly starts to build his limbs up to a stand, his height matching Dabi’s yet somehow still cowering over the striking look he was receiving from him. He hesitates for a moment before sticking a cautious leg out towards where the other four departed people went, as if he were testing the waters.
 Dabi copies you and merely stares him down.
 His expression is unreadable as Tenko moves another leg out, and another as his body starts functioning properly and jerkily walks away from the two of you. Miraculously, Dabi is letting him, not seeming too keen on fulfilling his past promise of detaching his anatomy in favor of getting to you now.
 And then there was one. 
 You both look away from Tenko’s disappearing figure and finally at each other. 
 You still don’t say anything.
 He starts slowly circling around the table towards you, keeping his malicious eyes on you and your body the whole time. But regardless of the feeling of dread that courses through your veins as he draws nearer, you refuse to kowtow to this overgrown-spoiled-rotten eldest child. He was just another man, another blob of superior prejudice that was in your way of being happy in your career and in your life in general.
 One more step and he’s finally in your face now, a mere foott away from your sitting form. Your eye level is with his chest as he stands before you, tilting his head as his eyes rake your figure up and down. Your skin crawls and you look away, not wanting to react to his offensive gaze when he suddenly lurches forward. You can’t help as your indifferent demeanor cracks as you flinch when both his hands settle on your knees.
 He leans down, a few inches away from you when he speaks.
 “Are you deaf as well as stupid, you quirkless cunt?” He breathes into your face. His hands warm up ever so slightly on your knees, and you can’t help but think with a flash of paranoia how easily and quietly he burned your precious hair not even two hours ago. 
 You try to placate him by talking calmly, a brutal contrast in the way your heart was pounding in your tightening chest.
 “I don’t know what you mean, Touya. If you’re upset about something, we can talk about it without you trying to intimidate me.” Placing your hands on his atop your knees, you gently attempt to move him off but only succeed in him gripping you tighter. He wrenches your knees apart and you gasp as he slides himself in between your legs.
 “Oh, you know exactly what I mean. Don’t play coy with me, I told you clearly not to hang around with that greasy freak. Or do I need to give you a permanent reminder, huh?”
 He grasps your chin and shakes your head roughly as he presses himself further into you, hips gently rocking back and forth into the confines of your skirt.
 It’s hard to keep up a calm facade when his clothed erection is feeling up the outline of your panties.
 You release a frustrated cry and try to buck him off of you, but that only ends up pushing even further against him, much to your displeasure.
 “Fucking let go! Let go of me you disgusting asshole!” Punching and kicking does absolutely nothing to deter him, he only laughs at your pathetic defense as he grabs a stray hand in its mission to slap him square across the face and slams it down behind you on the table. He fails to stop the other hand though, as it ducks from underneath his chin and gives him a mean uppercut.
 He takes it maddeningly gracefully, though, as he finally catches the offensive hand and also smashes it down on the wood, emitting a pained wail from you.
 Both of you pant for a couple of seconds, tears of pain and anger threatening to spill over your lashes and reflex tears in his amused ones.
 “Do I have your attention now? Or do you want me to bruise your legs too?” He slides closer to your ear and his hot breath tickles your lobe as he whispers darkly, “I got a couple ideas in mind on how I can do that.”
 Your eyes widen and you try to jerk violently out of his hold. The patched hands holding onto your wrists heat up significantly, and you wail as your skin simmers and bubbles.
 “Please stop, Touya. It hurts,” you sob as he moves back to your face again, his body hovering your overs as he leans in further and hips stilling in their perverse movements, only pressing against your clothed mound at a stand-still now.
 “You didn’t answer me. Why the fuck,” his cooled palms flared back to life again and you painstakingly stifle a whimper, “are you hanging out with Shimura again?”
 “I-I was just having lunch with him! It wasn’t like we were meeting up outside of school or anything,” you plead with him, completely abandoning your passive facade. At the end of the day, you were quirkless and he wasn’t. Which meant you weren’t stupid or cowardly, but you were just human- you didn’t want to piss him off further by givng shitty answers and then getting burned.
 You try shifting to evade the not-so-subtle bulge in his pants but he holds you steadfast. He leers at you, and you turn your head to avoid the manic expression on his face. It was just your bad luck that no one else was around, the rest of the students and teachers heading back inside for their next class.
 “Aww what, you’ll take Skin ‘n’ Bones’ dick, but you can’t handle a little teasing from mine? Do I scare you that bad, princess?”
 Your bottom lip quivers as you bear his filthy words, your seared hands shaking in pathetic attempts to quiet any pained noise.
 He moves his head in such a way that his tilted frame comes a few millimeters away from your trembling smooth lips, and you look up at him with scrunched eyebrows in a plea for mercy.
 “Or, has little miss perfect never had a cock before? Never taken a thick, pierced dick up her tight little virgin pussy?” He groans as he rubs his erection up and down your mound, your skirt shifted in the tussle in such a way that it offers him a snatch of open skin that he takes with relish.
 You gasp and bite your lip and he thrusts gently into you, looking at your fearful face for the truth.
 “Stop-stop being gross Touya. I haven’t done anything like that with him, not that you should care who I fuck with. And for the record, like I said before, I was just having lunch with my friends, not having a goddamn date with any of them, including Tenko. And I don’t know who you think you are telling me who I can or can’t hang out with,” you try to sneer as you finally wrench a hand away from his grip and manage to push him back some with a shaky arm against his toned shoulder.
 “We’re not married yet, and Tenko has never done anything perverted or twisted like you that I would have to stay away from him. In fact, if he were my fiance then he’d act like a real one, tenfold than you ever could.”
 You don’t realize how big of a mistake you made when Dabi stills his pressing hips and releases your other wrist, which you snatch in your other hand and cradle the bright red flesh.
 He backs away a step or two, to your utter astonishment. He looks at you blankly and cocks his head at your unsure self. You have no idea what you said that could have caused such a change in demeanor, weren’t you just dishing back at him what he was giving you?
 “You really think he’s that great, huh? Honestly, I shouldn’t even be surprised you do, a quirkless uptight bitch like you goes perfectly with that waste of space.”
 “He’s not-” you begin to argue but are cut off when he spins on the heel of his black combat boot and starts walking away from you, only to call out over his shoulder, “If that’s the case sweetheart, I can’t wait for you to see how great and perfect he looks when his skin is burnt to a crisp and his body’s nothing more than ash and soot.”
 The blood drains from your face as you realize what you’ve done. You’ve made the target on Tenko’s back even bigger by trying to defend him. There’s no doubt now that if he was trying to evade Dabi and Hawks’ brutal treatment, they’d never let him breathe in peace now.
 You’d lose your best friend, and he’d never forgive you.
 Pride be damned.
 “Wait!” you cry out as you stumble off shaking legs and chase after him. His arms are thrown behind his back in an easy stretch, the movement making his stapled and scarred limbs seem even more menacing than ever before. 
 “Touya, please, don’t hurt him, he didn’t do anything to you!”
 But he clicks his tongue and continues to stroll past you in the same direction your group had fled mere minutes before.
 “Too late dollface, I can’t have my little fiance bitch thinking some fuckwad is better than me, can I?” He pouts and gives you an innocent mocking smile, knowing you were breaking slowly at each word that came out of his mouth.
 “You should be glad I’m giving him any sort of attention anyways, like I said before he’s a nobody-he never uses his quirk anyways, he might as well be called a quirkless little fuck just like you! Hah! No wonder you two get along so well!”
 Tripping over your own feet, you try to keep up with his long strides and sway his mission to either kill Tenko or make his life even more hell than it was before.
 “No, no! That’s not true, please, Touya, he’s already so miserable, please leave him alone, I’ll do anything!” You practically shriek as you both finally reach the school doors and his hand grasps the handle.
 But he stops. Miraculously, he holds the door handle without turning it, and looks demeaningly at you.
 You try hard not to shrink back too much when he leans to your eye level, his hands on his knees as he says sickeningly sweetly, “Anything? You’ll do anything to save that sorry excuse of a bastard? Anything to make me not burn his ass down to hell?”
 It's hard to mask the loud gulp you make, and his grin stretches so wide his staples along the corners of his mouth move along as well.
 “Y-yes, anything. Please just stop hurting with him or messing with him at all. He’s not the one who pissed you off, I am.” You admit your defeat and hang your head low, peeking up at him between your lashes to judge his reaction.
 His cerulean eyes scrutinize you, his nose lifted in the air as he mockingly taps his chin in fake thought.
 “Hmm...well, I suppose you could start by not eating lunch with him in the first place. I don’t know how you stomach anything anyways, he reeks of a decaying body.” He smirks, but you dig your nails into your palms so as to not rise to the bait.
 Anything.
 You need to start putting your fiance before other men, Y/N.
 After a moment of silence that ensured you really weren’t going to lash out at him, he continues, this time stepping forward until he has you backed up into the adjacent brick wall in the little hidden alley besides the doors.
 “And,” his saccharine words penetrate your dizzy head as his arm stretches out towards you, and for the third time that day you were essentially pinned verbally and physically as his hand toys with the hem of your collar, “from now on you’ll be eating with me and Hawks too if he’s around. You’re also gonna stop being such a teasing little prude and let me touch any part of you without backing away or saying any bitchy comments. It’s your duty as a good little wife anyways, right Y/N?” 
 You squeeze your eyes shut as you feel one hand make its way to circle around your neck in a snug noose and the other slip up your shirt, fingers punctuated with cold little stitches spreading across the expanse of your stomach, causing goosebumps to erupt across your skin.
 “Come on,” He whispers in his gravelly voice, leaning into the crook of your neck, “where’s that little attitude now, huh?”
 For Tenko. This is all only for Tenko.
 “Okay Touya. I’ll do it. Just...please, please give him a break.” You muster up the last of your courage to face him, and you finally feel a single tear treacherously escape the confines of your eye and slide down your face. You feel humiliated, having put up such false pretenses of being cool, calm and collected when he first approached you and now...now you were an emotional mess. In just a few sentences and unwanted physical contact, he had you right where he wanted.
 And the worst part was, you both knew you couldn’t even tell anyone. If you told Tenko, he’d immediately reprimand you and try to brave it by hanging out with you just so you didn’t have to endure the plight he himself was always in. You couldn’t confide in any of your girlfriends, no doubt Hawks would somehow spin it with his honeyed words to make you seem like the crazy, overreacting one. Your parents were a no-go either, having been telling you from the start that they weren’t to hear any criticism of their perfect, levelheaded future son-in-law.
 You wonder how your parents would feel about their dear son-in-law licking the tears off your flushed cheeks with a condescending chuckle.
 “Oh come on doll, having lunch with me isn’t so bad now, is it?” He cooes at you with faux sympathy. He does nothing to hide the twitching muscle in his jaw that prevents him from bursting out laughing when you furiously brush the tears and his saliva off your face.
 No, I don’t want to have lunch with you, you sick freak. I want to see my friends and not feel my heart pounding up my throat when I’m with you.
 “No, it’s not bad,” you whisper dejectedly, hanging your head and waiting for his next move.
 “Attagirl,” he says lowly, one finger ghosting over the waistband of your pants before retreating out of your shirt and to his side. The other hand wrapped around your neck squeezes once, relishing in your panicked gasp and frantic scrabbling at the back of his hand before also coming down.
 He finally deems your disheveled state a good enough reason to stop tormenting you, and he backs away with a little smile on his face that does nothing to calm your nerves.
 Turning the corner and opening the doors, he doesn’t look at your pathetic shaking body sliding down the wall when he says, “I’d get to class if I were you. Wouldn’t want to get in trouble for hanging out with people you shouldn't be with in the first place.
 Something tells you he’s not referring to himself as the doors bang shut.
 **************
 8 New Messages
 Rumi: Hey girl, you okay? Dabi seemed kinda off, I wanted to ask you what happened but I figured you two needed space and Hawks said not to bother you abt it:/ Did you guys get into a fight?
 Yuu: Ummm since when did you and Dabi talk? And since when did he get mad at you? Text back ASAP!!!
 Moe: If you’re still alive, you def owe us an explanation, hello? What did that absolute hunk want from you? I didn’t even know you two knew each other!
 Ten-ten: Y/N please text me back as soon as possible
 Ten-ten: Are you okay? Did he hurt you?
 Ten-ten: What did he even want from you?
 Ten-ten: If you’re mad that I left, I’m so sorry, I just thought me being there wouldn’t be much help to you
 Ten-ten: Please tell me you’re okay
 2:10: I’m fine, just walk around the back and meet me by the gate when the bell rings. Keep your head down, too.
 **********
 Dabi doesn’t feel any shame jerking off in the bathroom.
 Hawks doesn’t feel embarrassed either, listening through Dabi’s grunts and shaky breaths as he recounts the entirety of what happened between you and him after the group left, babes hanging off Hawks’ arms.
“So, what, you two just boned and you told Shimura to piss off? That’s what got your dick hard as a diamond?” Hawks chuckles, folding his arms and leaning against the white tile wall.
 “Yeah,” Dabi grunts as his hand works vigorously up his shaft, his piercings clinking harmoniously at his ministrations, “But fuck, man, she felt so soft and hot down there. Her stomach was so smooth too, I couldn't keep my hands to mys-ahh-self.” He groans as he climaxes, watching his precious seed erupt and drop into the toilet below him. What a waste.
 He wishes it went into your mouth instead.
 “Her stomach?” Hawks’s avian eyes practically bulge out of his head as he roars with laughter, dodging weak blue flames aimed straight at his hair. “God, you sound like a virgin, man. Who the fuck gets turned on by a stomach?”
 “Shut the hell up you overgrown chicken. I don’t fucking know, okay? She just- argh, I don’t know, when I saw her from a distance I didn’t really think much of her but when I got all close up with her I felt like I was going crazy. I mean, my body started heating up more than normal and I just wanted to touch her.”
 The blond was quiet, continuing to listen to his friend’s rant as Dabi washed his hands and inspected his spiky hair in the dirty mirror.
 “And her attitude? My god, hearing every bitchy word come out of her mouth was worth the look on her face when I held her down. Priceless,” he chuckles, shaking his head as he begins tightening a loose stitch under his eyebag.
 “She smelled pretty fuckin’ good too, maybe thats what got me going in the first place. I just wanted to be closer to her, regardless of how she saw me. It was just so satisfying seeing her break down, and all because of me, yknow?”
 He finally finishes checking his reflection and picks up his bag from the ground, Hawks following pursuit as they make their way outside the bathroom. They were currently skipping their last class, Quirk Training because they could actually afford to. Their teacher knew that both of them surprisingly had the highest grades in the class and continuously kicked every other student into the dust, the rest of their peers not having the right quirks to even hope to make it to the two delinquent’s level of strength and skill. It wouldn’t hurt to skip a few times, they would just pick up right where they left off, pummeling every other kid aside until they made their way to the top again.
 Plus, with all the testosterone raging through Dabi’s blood after lunch, he decided it would be better to take all the energy out in more relieving ways in the bathroom rather than using the adrenaline to accidentally blast some poor chump’s face off in the heat of the moment, pun intended.
 Not that he would mind, don’t get him wrong. It would be pretty funny seeing the look of horror on everyone’s face when the smell of a burning body hit their nostrils. But it wasn’t worth a suspension, or worse, an earful from his dad.
 “Oh, and by the way, she’s gonna have lunch with us from now on. I told her if she didn’t want me beating Shimura into a pulp she was gonna stop eating with him and come join us instead.”
 At this, Hawks gives Dabi a smirk and says dryly, “How romantic of you. If you wanted her to spoon feed and baby you at lunch so you could have a boner the entire period, you should’ve just told her straight up.”
 Dabi opens his mouth to argue with half of his statement before he’s interrupted.
 “Where is Shimura by the way? Did you see him leave the locker room? Training’s done, he should be out any minute now, why don’t we pay him a little visit and relay the same message you gave your little bitch to him as well?”
 Both boys smirk at each other as they make their way down to the locker rooms. Unfortunately for Tenko and fortunately for the devious duo , all three of them shared the same last class of Quirk Training. The frail, quiet boy tried his best to stay out of their way, but he might as well have had a sign up on his head that said MAKE MY LIFE HELL, PLEASE from the way he scratched himself raw, earning occasional disgusted looks from girls and snickers from a majority of the guys. His hair was almost always unkempt and in his face, prompting Dabi to yank his overgrown bangs up and out of his face as he snarled and spat venom into his victim’s wincing expression. When they sparred, Dabi held absolutely nothing back as he relished in the difference in their fighting styles: Tenko with close combat techniques and Dabi excelling in long distance. It was a recipe for disaster on Tenko’s side, and almost a cruel joke to the flame user as he easily sent wave after wave of burning hot hellfire towards the yelping boy. It came to a point where Dabi would openly and very loudly question why Tenko would even try, why he would even attend this class when he was beaten in under a minute-not nearly enough time to utilize his quirk.
 Their teacher would scold Dabi very lightly, but the damage was done and doubt was already planted into everyone’s mind as the seeds of disdain germinated and grew into ponderings of, has he ever beaten anyone before? He’s always out of the ring so fast, I didn’t even understand what his quirk was. Is he failing, how is he even passing this class?
 Only you were the one who knew it was his lifelong dream of working in the Rescue and Search unit, his quirk of decaying proving to be so deadly and harmful that he never had the courage to use it against anyone, no matter how bad they had it out for him. He could never live with himself if he ever caused anyone permanent damage that could end up in paralyzation, or worse.
 But that was the difference between poor Tenko and Dabi. Only one of them acted out in an eat or be eaten way.
 Hawks was more subtle in his torment, having less of a grudge towards the sulking grey mass of limbs. Sure, it was amusing watching him squirm and flinch and hear him plead raspingly to move your feathers, please, they’re covering my nose I can’t bREATHE I CAN’T BREATHE PLEASE I’LL DIE-
 But unlike Dabi, he didn’t get that big of a high from drawing blood and whimpering. That was all for fun and jokes to indulge in Dabi’s selfish and ruthless desires, sure, but the real rush he got was from the overall power imbalance from everyone else he received. It was knowing that he was at the top of the food chain, that no one could surpass him, even his brooding patchwork friend who he considered to be beside him if anything, but not above him in any sense. Tenko was just another cog in the grand machine that reinforced that idea every time he wilted and withered under Hawks’ sickeningly sweet, fake smile.
 You can’t blame him, either. He never originally asked for any of the attention the school practically spoon-fed him with when he was younger. No, he didn’t seek out any of the multitudes of guys that asked him to hang out every other weekend at the beach or park, and he was always indifferent to the girls begging him to spend the night and exchange numbers on the regular. They were all idiots anyways, what did they know? Sex, fame, money, drugs, all that bullshit that every young adult craves. He was better than that, he had a goal, he had ulterior motives, but he soon began to realize that the mind-numbingly brain dead people who circled him like their god could very well improve his chances of achieving said goal.
 And so Hawks began to painstakingly take time out to meet some tools dudes at the beach or catch a movie with them, he started opening up to sluts and bimbos girls via their legs more often and eventually he became a name revered around school, a reputation told and passed around the halls in whispers that traveled through notes and texts exchanged throughout classes.
 It just so happened to be in his luck that he was able to one day put a face to another name that floated through the halls in his passing classes: Dabi.
 They had been paired up to sparr, both sets of ears alert and open when their teacher read aloud each other’s quirks. Fire and feathers, huh? What a joke.
 At least, that's what the both of them thought about each other until they actually started fighting.
 Columns of cobalt flames rained above and around Hawks, and he was surrounded mere seconds after the match started. But nevertheless, his feathers detected a breeze from an open air pocket through the wall of fire, and he used his great wings to propel him through the slim opening to safety.
 That was the first time Dabi had ever been bested by anyone before, having every single one of his limbs pinned down by multiple heavy feathers tearing through his clothes, and similarly, it was the first time Hawks had even been surrounded so quickly by anyone else either.
 Thus was the start of their begrudging comradeship, which quickly evolved into something akin to a friendship when less training commenced and more grunted words and short phrases thrown to each other formed into gruff sentences, and bitter rants about shitty parents, being surrounded by painfully stupid peers, and how everyone else but them two saw the world for what it really was: a playground where they could topple everyone else down and somehow still manage to win those same hearts over as they used them as stepping stones to their own advantages.
 Dabi’s lust for blood and pain went hand in hand with Hawk’s craving for power. It was disgusting how the school worshipped them, taking any instance of abuse from either of them with a grain of salt, having already submitted to their superior auras. They truly were stepping stones, eagerly ready and oblivious to be used.
 And Tenko was just that, another meek, fragile little stepping stone that seemed so easy to crack...but somehow, instead of shattering into hundreds of pieces, he managed to retain his brittle shape and morph into a thorn in Dabi’s side. When he would be shoved into lockers for seemingly hours on end with burning feathers taped over his mouth (courtesy of Hawks to supply some material) that accentuated the scars on the lower half of his face, he wouldn’t tattle to any head authority or teacher. When they would tear and burn his clothes off in the locker room after their training sessions and force him to walk home in sweaty gym clothes, Tenko never lifted a finger to decay a hand or turn a feather into dust. He would simply sulk off and try to remain invisible and out of their way. 
 It drove Dabi crazy; he wanted the translucent skinned boy to scream for his fucking life, he wanted to see him lash out and fight, he wanted him to squeal like the pig he was. He wanted more reasons to beat him down and feel an ounce of joy in himself that he never received elsewhere. Seeing people shake and cower before him gave him the same rush as any heavy drug would do-it was addicting, and left him craving for more. It reinforced the idea that he was better than anyone else, and if his dad wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction or assurance that there was a purpose to his miserable life, then he would have to relish in the emotions he felt within others, even if it meant at the expense of his peers.
 And although he would never admit it, it secretly was hilarious as fuck for Hawks to watch Dabi lose his mind slowly but surely over the most trivial of things, like Tenko’s lack of reaction to their abuse. He knew it only came from the neglect Dabi felt at home, Endeavor’s blatant disappointment embedded its manifestation in the eldest son’s whole being, even if he would always deny that's the case. The lack of direction and emotion Enji showed to his lost cause of a son caused Dabi to lash out in increasingly aggressive ways at school. It just proved that even though Dabi thought he was better than everyone else, he truly was just another sheep like the rest of these idiots milling around. The brooding, aloof face he put up at school wasn’t enough to fool the sharp-witted avian; he was just an average spoiled elitist brat that threw tantrums when he didn’t get what he wanted, how stupid could he be? He thought too much of what others thought, even if he sought validation through his parents, who gives a fuck? It’s just another useless miserable factor of his life to ponder on, in Hawks’ opinion.
 If you asked Dabi what he thought of Hawks, he would give you a similar answer but with different facets. Sure, it was nice to have another god of the school walk around by his side, enforcing their reputations, and yes, both of them connected on negligent parents... but Hawks gave in too much into materialistic things. Sex and popularity were deterrents from the real world, and Dabi would be damned if he were to follow pursuit. Hawks was slowly proving himself to also be another pawn in their life’s game of chess, but for the time being he knew that making friends with him was looking at the bigger picture if he wanted to make a name for himself, no matter how painful that process was at times. Why the fuck would he waste time going to parties just to socialize and bang a bunch of slutty whores when he could be proving himself to the yakuza? While Hawks would be schmoozing with some busty bimbo and playing beer pong on a Saturday, Dabi would be making his own types of friends in hidden alleyways and getting acquainted with shady figures like Kai Chisaki, a boy around their age with connections that ran around the city and underneath the city lines. The scarred boy was dedicated to his eventual goal to rid this rotten society of all the superficial heroes and scum, so naturally he hadn’t the need or want to indulge in his own selfish desires.
 Up until this point, that is.
 Which brings him and his winged partner-in-crime to now, waiting in the shadows outside the entrance to the locker room. Waiting for a certain spindly, greasy-haired freak to make his appearance so he could beat the shit out of him and release some still pent-up energy that was not relinquished in the bathroom.
 So that he could tell him to stay the fuck away from what rightfully belonged to him, for the first time in his life.
 He reached down to pick up some gravel, hand-picking the rocks that seemed the sharpest as he heated up his palm. Without saying a word, Hawks’ feathers floated towards Dabi’s hand, embedding their bristles between the rocks. 
 It took about 5 more minutes of aimlessly lounging against the wall and burning other various thrown-out papers scattered around the ground, until the man of the hour made his appearance.
 It was pathetic, really, the way the door slowly creaked open as his matted pigeon colored head peeked out, swiveling around to take his surroundings. The second his head turned right, his eyes widened as he saw the hellraisers, and Tenko frantically tried to retreat back inside and slam the door shut.
 Unfortunately, he couldn’t beat the too-fast quills that snatched him by the collar and practically threw him forward. He flailed his limbs, trying to regain his balance and flee his inevitable beating. The panic that rose in his throat grew exponentially as he was dragged further towards Hawks and Dabi, who was juggling burning blue rocks in his hand along with familiar red plumage.
 He knew the drill all too well, becoming dreadfully acquainted with the makeshift missiles over the years.
 “Hey, Shit-mura, catch!” Dabi lobbed a pierced feather at his bony abdomen, and Tenko flinched violently as a glowing blue pebble ricocheted off his body, hitting against a barely-fading bruise from a similar routine performed merely weeks ago.
 Albeit for a different reason, one that didn’t have to do with a not-so-lucky girl like you.
 Tenko fell backwards as a volley of feathers jabbed under the soles of his feet, and watched in horror as the perpetrators advanced towards him, Hawks with his wings so leisurely ruffling in the breeze with a laid-back smile on his face, hands tucked in his jacket pockets contrasting with the demonic grin etched on Dabi’s face as they leer down on him.
 “What do you want now?” The fallen boy barely mutters, not bothering to look up at them.
 “Don’t address me like that you little shit,” Dabi hisses, flames flaring up in his palms just to show off how much ammo was still burning and waiting to be used...all for him, of course.
 “Stop hanging out with Y/N. The next time I see you talking with her, or even looking in her direction I’ll burn your sorry ass alive. Though I doubt anyone would care, anyways.” He speaks curtly, and it kills him internally to almost admit how frustrated he is seeing you two cross paths, even after a sole day.
 Tenko raises his eyebrows, looking between Dabi and Hawks, who, for the meantime, doesn't feel a need to waste his breath on such a petty matter.
 “We’re just friends, that's all we are. If you’re so concerned about me getting in the way, I promise I won't-”
 “-You think I’m actually worried about losing you to her?” The inky head draws closer, his voice low and raspy as he laughs. “Let me tell you something, and listen to me very clearly, because the next time I repeat myself is the day I’ll fuck you both up- I don’t give a shit who wants her, or who doesn’t. I’m not concerned about losing her either, you know why?” He grabs the frayed collar of Tenko’s shirt, and the latter chokes as his air is squeezed out of his frail throat, hands frantically grabbling at the purple-scarred constraints.
 He can feel flecks of spit on his face, the hands around his neck heating up suffocatingly as Dabi nails the final lid in his coffin.
 “Because that little tease was practically sold to me, get it? I didn’t even want her in the first place, which essentially makes her nothing short of a playtoy for me to fuck and fuck with whenever the hell I want, without you in the picture. I don’t need some weepy moron like your sorry ass getting her all teary-eyed when her eyes should be on me and me only.”
 He releases the weakling’s throat, wishing it was your smooth one instead. He almost would’ve had a boner if Tenko’s big, gulping breaths were a little bit more feminine sounding, like yours.
 “Okay, okay, whatever man, I’ll do what I can to stay away from her. Just…” and his voice trailed off into a whisper, hoping he could muster any more sincerity in his words, “...please don’t break her heart, or be too rough with her.” The mere thought of you being bruised and banged up like he was made him gag.
 It was sickening how similar his words mirrored your own.
Dabi scoffs as Hawks finally decides to speak up, spreading his hands in a faux show of good gesture.
 “I gotta admit though, Shimura, you got good taste in girls. I’m almost impressed you managed to get a cute little thing like her to even touch you.” Tenko blanches, noting the way Dabi’s jaw clenches as the instigator’s mouth curves into a smirk, all of them knowing full well that the carefully chosen words were meant to rile the situation up even further.
 But after a tense moment of everyone glancing at each other, the patchwork figure relents and exhales through his nostrils, deciding to grant the mess of fallen limbs a rare chance of mercy.
 “Shut the fuck up bird brain. Let’s go, I don’t wanna hear my dad bitchin’ if I come home late again,” He kicks Hawk’s boot with his own and turns around towards the entrance of the school, not sparing Tomura a second glance. Hawks laughs handsomely and gives the rattled boy a mock salute and a fluff of his grand wings before trailing after his counterpart.
 Shimura finally lets out a shaky breath, slowly picking his scattered belongings off the ground, snapping his head back up frequently as if the two were bound to come back and mess with him further.
 While he was picking his remaining binders and gym clothes off the ground, unbeknownst to him, about 50 feet up and out the school Hawks was fishing an object out of his plush wings.
 “What’re you doing?” Dabi asks lazily as they walk the streets of Musutafu, kicking sake bottles out of the way.
 “Hol’ on-” Hawks grunts, yanking the object loose from his tight confines of his feathers before placing it in Dabi’s open palm.
 “Huh? The hell’s this?” He raises an eyebrow, gingerly holding up the beaten screen in front of his face.
 “That right there is extra material to hold against your little wifey. Seems like he had more pressing things on his mind rather than to check for all his belongings,” The quick-witted avian pats his elusive wings proudly, basking in the benefits his stealthy quirk allows him.
 And sure enough, as Dabi gleefully cackles with laughter at his good fortune, Tenko Shimura is desperately patting down his pockets, looking for his phone while you chatter on cluelessly next to him. 
 ****************
 “So? How was your first day?”
 “Did you see Y/N? I heard from some upperclassmen that you got classes with her.”
 “You should walk her home after school!”
 Touya is immediately bombarded with questions from his siblings the second he makes his presence known by slamming the front door shut.
 He growls under his breath at all the clammer around him, and he barks at them to shut the hell up before he burns the house down.
 It doesn’t faze the rest of them who are blessed with their ice quirks, and they continue to pester him until he spills the most meager, unsatisfactory answers to them.
 “Yeah, I had a class and lunch with her. Happy? Now seriously back off.”
 Fuyumi and Natuso cheer as Shoto gives a slight smile.
 He heads off into the dining table, munching on carb-infested snacks as he scrolls through Tenko’s phone.
 The messages between you and him are long, dating back years that he has to swipe for minutes before getting to the first words of your conversations.
 A majority of the speech bubbles hold nothing but dorky back and forth’s of new movies that came out, hanging out here and there, and school help. Sometimes he’d come across you asking for advice for your parents, or ranting about having to keep a frustratingly posh look in public, and he realizes surprisingly you two might have more in common than he thought.
 He hadn’t even bothered to look at most of Tenko’s messages, nothing holding too much leverage on potential blackmail or more fuel against him, but suddenly his thumbs stilled as his eyes rove over a conversation from a couple months ago.
 Y/N: Ugh, it’s just one of those days, y’know? Idk if its PMS but i’ve literally been watching porn for like 2 hours now
 Touya’s eyes widen and he brings the screen mere inches from his eyes, just to ensure he’s not imagining his good luck...as well as disbelief.
 The next messages however, grab his elation by the balls and twist them into a cloud of red-filled rage.
 11:57 pm: I could give you something better than porn if you want:)
 It takes all he has not to throw up his munchies on the table at the pure inexperience Tenko’s words so evidently hold.
 Can this bastard be more cringe?
 Apparently it didn’t matter to you, because not even a full minute later you had responded to past-Tenko.
 Y/N: Oh yeah, like what?
 Touya excuses himself from the table, ignoring Natsuo’s raised eyebrow directed at him from the kitchen.
 He stalks to his room, closing the door behind him and locking it for good measure. Thankfully the questionnaire was over the moment he walked in, and his parents were gone until the evening, so he was set for privacy. It’s not like anyone would willingly want to come into his room unannounced anyways, unless they were looking for a death wish.
 The gloomy black decor around his man-cave suited his mood well, only the dim light of his computer and phone providing him access to witness your whore antics.
 Picture after picture filled the conversation, lacy white lingerie and red silk complimenting your figure well, and his heart speeds up when he sees the slutty expression on your face.
 You were wearing makeup in some pictures, and completely bare-faced in others. Some photos didn’t do justice to your beauty with the naive angles you positioned yourself in, and others quite literally made him gape at your junk in the right places and slender bits along your silhouette.
 In his eyes, it was innocence at its finest. Your honesty at showing all parts of you was mouth watering to Touya, the way you didn’t hide any side of you in such an intimate exchange made him want to sink his teeth into your helpless being and never let go.
 It also made him want to melt Tenko’s skin off his very breakable bones.
 We’re just friends.
 Some friends they were, alright. A slut and a grade-A fuckin’ incel. How the hell did Shimura get a taste of you before he did? He’s your fiance for gods’ sake, that's his right and no one else’s.
 Honestly, he’s disappointed in you right now. For all that talk you gave him earlier today, he didn’t take you as some easy hoe that’d put out for such a creep like Tenko, with just a few sweet words thrown here and there along with some bad pickup lines.
 He crosses his arms behind his head and leans back into the plush mattress, frowning in thought. The sounds of his father banging open the door and his siblings chiming in to greet the old bastard float in and out of his ears as he thinks of what to do with you and Tenko.
 Obviously your guys’ friendship surpassed normal boundaries, regardless of what you both pleaded or believed. Just the fact that Touya fucking Todoroki, son of the Number Two hero, eldest child and heir to a powerful elite family lost first claim of his wife-to-be’s body to some...some withering degenerate is making his heels expel smoke.
 He’s not going to be second place again, not outside his own home too.
 There’s no doubt in his mind that if you truly are all bark and no bite, you’ll find a way to meet up with Tenko behind his back. The pictures he’s seen tonight just proves it's going to take something bigger than a copped feel and a verbal warning to pull you both apart, and Touya is more than ready to take on that challenge.
 A plan begins to form in his mind, one that ensures his fiance and the dirtbag will stay away from each other, even if he needs to push them to interact more initially. Even if he needs to make you desperate to reach out for someone, anyone who’ll come to your aid after he’s through twisting and welding your nerves together.
 Touya falls asleep with one hand in his pants, one hand holding his phone screen up showing your white lingerie.
 Tenko falls asleep for the first time in months without his bony hand down his sweats furiously working his shaft at those pictures you sent months ago. The cum that usually spills out and stains his abdomen is replaced with dread that embeds itself in the pit of his stomach. He knows either Hawks or Dabi has his phone, and he knows what he’s hiding in there isn’t something that would help his claim of being your friend.
 You send a message to Tenko before you sleep, telling him to wait for you in the adjacent empty hallway to the cafeteria after you finish lunch with Touya.
 *************
 “Where the hell were you yesterday? I tried calling and texting you!”
 You indignantly demand, making no effort to move out of Tenko’s way as he tries to gently brush past you to make room for himself on the sidewalk.
 “I, uh, lost my phone and forgot to tell you after school. Sorry.” He says lamely, and you squint your eyes and grip the straps of your backpack even tighter at his half-assed excuse.
 Begrudgingly shifting to accommodate him in the narrow walkway, you both begin to walk to school. The butterflies have risen from the grave of your stomach again, butterflies of dread and gross anticipation at meeting your inky-headed match.
 “Well, did you report it missing?” He scratches his neck softly and grunts in denial. You frown, thinking if it were you then you’d be throwing a racket at your missing phone. Guys are weird.
 “Okay...well, anyways, I texted you about meeting me outside the caf’ when the bell rings for class. I have a feeling Touya’s gonna be stingy about me staying put like the perfect, brainless doll he wants me to be, ugh. So just keep your head down as usual obviously, and I should be out in no time hopefully if I can manage to slip through the crowd. I’m thinking we meet up in the General Studies hall? It’s right there-”
 “-Wait, you texted me all this?” Tenko stops abruptly, red eyes wide with panic.
 You turn to face him, eyebrows raised at his composure. “I mean, yeah? I didn’t know you didn’t have your phone with you, so I’m just telling you now I guess. Why? Do you know if someone took it?”
 He hesitates, unsure of how to cover this up. He already knows either Dumb and/or Dumber has his phone, so no doubt if you truly did text him anything about your plan to meet up with him against Dabi’s specific instructions not to, one of them would already know by now. But he can’t tell you why your plan is now faulty and extremely dangerous.
 Because then he’d have to explain how they got his phone in the first place. One question would lead to another, and then he would have to spill about what they threatened him with, and you would somehow end up getting even more hurt if you found out what went on behind closed curtains.
 “Look,” He finally decides to speak, and rejoins you on your walk to campus, “I don’t want you putting yourself at risk to still hang around me at school if Dabi told you not to. He’s just gonna find out and get even more pissed. I’m used to it, but if you’re gonna be marrying that douche then it’s just gonna screw things up for you even more. We can just meet up after school like always and hang out at your place or something.”
 You pout at his proposition, annoyed that your oh-so-loving finance is weeding his way into your private life...more quickly than you’re comfortable with. Why should you have to sacrifice time away from one of your oldest friends just because of some overgrown, spoiled man-child?
 “Ten, you can’t let them dictate your life forever, okay? Like, I get it, they’re scary as hell and you were right-they’re not afraid to get physical. But it's only the first week of school back, are we really just gonna let them walk all over us? I’m not gonna be some stupid fucking bimbo thats gonna cower every time he flashes his fist at me.” You stamp the ground in frustration, and Tenko keeps quiet, growing more irritated by the second. You might now care about keeping your limbs intact, but he’s already as frail as can be. No sense in begging to get snapped like a twig just because of your suicidal intent.
 “So what exactly do you wanna do? I get how you feel, really I do, but Y/N they’re not talked about around school for no reason. I don’t know how else to explain this to you, no matter how much you want him to know how independent you are, he’s not gonna care.”
 Biting your lip in contemplation, you think on his words. He’s got a point, unfortunately. There’s not much you can actually do apart from run your mouth. Touya’s got the upper hand in every sense.
 But still. You’ll be damned if you wait for him to make the first move like a sitting duck.
 “Whatever,” you bite out. “We’ll just have to be smart about skirting around him. Just try to meet me in an empty hall outside the lunchroom if you can, and we’ll just make sure to stay out of open areas when we walk to class. No biggie. And of course we can still walk together home, right?” 
 “Yeah, sure,” he says, as you two near the school entrance.
 You try not to notice the delay in his answer as you walk through the gates.
 ***********
 Immediately when they spot you in the halls on the way to your homeroom, the trio of girls swarm and bombard you with questions...questions that you already answered with some half-assed, bullshit excuses about how Dabi needed help on homework.
 You guessed they weren’t as airheaded as they all let on.
 “It’s fine, its okay, it was just some stupid misunderstanding we had. We’re okay now, really,” you wave them off while Tenko worries his bottom lip in an attempt to subdue his itching.
 It takes some convincing for your concerned friends to finally leave with a warning of “If you hide anything from us, you’re getting your ass kicked!” and a casual laugh from you before you can head to class.
 “God, I don’t know how I’m supposed to hide the whole arranged marriage thing from them if they’re always gonna be so nosy. Especially when Tou-I mean, Dabi, isn’t exactly hiding his asshole-ness”.
 Tenko mutters in agreement to you, his head low as you both turn the corner into your classroom. He merely takes a step inside before looking up and hissing in panic, tripping backwards over his own feet.
 “Ten, what the hell?” You yelp, narrowly avoiding his skinny frame about to collide into you.
 “Shit, I forgot we changed rooms. And I’m not supposed to be seen with you, they already saw-!” He cowers at the side of the door, eyes wide with panic.
 And you realize too late that he’s right, that his sparse appearance in the doorframe must not have gone unnoticed by the dreaded duo already in class. You can see your seat from the window in the door, and an inky blob of black hair and blond locks not too far from your seat as well.
 “Oh god, fuck, just-just get to class before the bell rings, I’m sure they didn’t see you come in. But go, you’re gonna be late!” You swat him off and he dashes down the hall, throwing you a worried glance as he goes.
You take a deep breath, preparing yourself for whatever might happen if they indeed saw your figure with Tenko’s. Turning the handle with sweaty palms, you gulp and enter the room.
 “You were almost late, L/N! Let’s try to hurry it up next time and not idly stand outside the classroom with friends, shall we?” Vlad King barks from the front of the room, and you cringe as you internally wonder if the entire school was against you today.
 The room has quieted down significantly as your teacher starts to prepare the whiteboard for today’s lesson. You imitate Tenko’s earlier demeanor by keeping your head low and trying to avoid eye contact with everyone as you make your way to your seat.
 Except, that proves to be quite difficult as you pass by Hawks’ seat, a lean leg casually stretching in a mockery to make you trip. You try to step over it, but unbeknownst to you, a lone red feather darts under your feet as you take a step and lifts you up, causing you to lose your balance and fall drastically to the ground, the contents of your bag strewn across the floor.
 You can barely hear the scattered laughter filling the room, can hardly make out your teacher growling at you to take a seat and stop causing distractions, because the ringing in your ears drowns everything else out. The underside of your arms are prickling as you frantically adjust your skewen skirt and try to simultaneously pick up your displaced belongings. Your hands are shaking as they reach for a binder that slid under Dabi’s seat. 
 Bile rises to your throat as a studded black combat boot carefully places itself right on top of the binder. Your violently trembling hands pause midway to reaching for it, and you slowly raise your glassy eyes to meet your tormentor’s.
 You wish you didn’t.
 The way he looks down at your disheveled figure causes your heart to seize and create a giant lump in your throat. His piercing-decorated mouth is pulled back in a jeering grin, thoroughly enjoying the mess his friend created, just for both of their sick amusement.
 Your pleading look does nothing to deter his firm hold on your binder, and you grow increasingly panicked as you hear the lesson start.
 “Let go!” You whisper, eyebrows scrunched together, bottom lip trembling like a baby.
 “Mmmh. Only if you beg like a little bitch.” He doesn’t even look at you straight in the eyes as he murmurs in his gravelly voice, his purple patched hand lazily writing down a few scribbles here and there to take notes.
 It's cruel, almost. The bravado you held up in front of Tenko this morning is completely gone now, a mere facade to show you weren’t going to simply roll over on your back and show your stomach for Dabi. But it seems that’s exactly what he reduces you to, in just a manner of a few simple movements.
 Just like yesterday, when he had you pinned twice at lunch.
 Lunch.
 Oh god.
 You quickly shake your head from its treacherous wanderings, opting to focus on the imminent problem right now instead of combusting from future ones as well.
 “Please, Touya,” you say almost under your breath, leaning in painfully just to make sure your plea fell only on his ears only.
 His lowered lids rove over up and down your body in acknowledgement, letting them settle on your thighs clenched together, hands balled in your lap to prevent from ripping yours and his hair out.
 Leaning back further and lower into his seat, he keeps his lustful gaze trained on your wary, kneeling figure as he subtly starts to palm himself through his jeans. Your jaw drops at his audacity, your mind completely forgetting to try and snatch the binder from his hold as he lightly thrusts up into his open hand. You scuttle backwards in disgust, your face feeling like it's on fire as you do.
 But another trusty red feather slips underneath your skirt as you flail back, and grounds the flat side of its bristles against your clothed clit.
 It's all too much, your hyper awareness and sensitivity to the whole humiliating situation reaching its peak, and you gasp loudly as the scarlet plumage circles itself once around your clit once more and retreats back into its large red home.
 Dabi isn’t the only one palming himself now.
 Once again, the class attention has been brought back to you, pages stopping their movements mid-flip.
 “Y/N L/N, what is going on back there?” Your peeved teacher’s voice booms across the silent room.
 You flinch and try to speak but Dabi beats you to it.
 “She’s distracting me sir, I tried to give her back her binder but she wouldn’t take it for some reason.” He speaks monotony, a hint of feigned confusion so strategically accenting his words.
 “No, no, that’s not what-”
 “-It’s true Mr. King. I saw her get on her knees in front of Dabi while he was trying to take notes.” You’re interrupted again as Hawk’s smooth voice floats above yours, and your face burns with shame at his choice of words as your peers titter around you.
 “If these two men miss today’s notes because of your shenanigans, you will personally be in charge of catching them up and tutoring them on whatever need be.” And with that, he turns around and continues to write nonsense formulas on the board.
 The black binder that caused so much trouble is shoved towards you carelessly, papers slipping out onto the floor as it comes your way. The two demons share a knowing smirk at their fruitful teamwork.
 It’s not even nine in the morning yet, and you want to scream.
*****
It takes less than two minutes to gather everything off the floor and to slink yourself into your seat, cursing the placement of Dumb and Dumber in front and behind you. Brimming with rage, you clench your pen tightly as it skims back and forth across the page, making up for 10 minutes worth of missed notes.
 Not even a full beat of peace is passed before you feel a cool breath against your neck, and you slap a hand against your nape as goosebumps erupt across your skin.
 “So who came into the room with you before class, huh?”
 You honestly should’ve been more scared of his question, but you couldn’t even find the energy to turn around fully and refute his accusation. You merely exhale loudly through your nose, letting him know you were done talking in defense. He chuckles lowly and you can feel the vibrations from the rumble of his throat in such proximity to you.
 “Better keep your pretty little mouth shut, unless you really are into getting degraded by Vlad,” he leans forward, his mouth right next to your ears. You can’t stop the shiver that passes through your body as his tongue slips out to caress the shell of your lobe at the same time his hand reaches down and around your seat, just to pinch the flesh of your ass.
 You jump slightly at the onslaught of sensations and harshly bite your lip to prevent a yelp leaving your mouth. Clenching your pen tighter in your hands is the only thing you can do his touch wanders underneath your skirt, feeling the flesh of your thighs clench together again to ward off his offensive advances, elatedly letting his coarse fingers run in between your cheeks and dip into the crevice of your mound.
 The sound of your quiet whimpers and the sight of your rigid back is enough to send him over the edge.
 He suddenly digs his dull nails into your soft skin, and leans further towards you. You can feel his mouth press against the shell of your ear as he hisses.
 ¨I asked you a question you quirkless whore. Who the fuck came into the classroom before you? Was it that freak again?¨
 ¨L/N, can you answer the question up on the board please?¨ Your teacher´s voice rings out from the front of the room, and you and your bully both jump at the intrusion.
 The board in question has a jumble of words and numbers written on it, and in your frantic stupor none of it makes sense to you. But you know if you’r
e caught slacking off again, you might get written up.
 ¨Uh, l-let me check my notes really quick, sorry,” you mutter as you desperately flip through your notebook pages.
 ¨Actually sir, I think I can help Y/N out.¨ Unexpectedly, Hawkś buttery voice chimes in, much to your relief. He answers the question flawlessly, and even your teacher nods his head impressively.
 You might´ve even said a thank you to him if he hadn't turned his head at the side just for you to see him lick a long stripe up a certain feather, the corners of his lips turning up into a sickly sweet smile.
 You feel queasy.
 Dabiś fingers strategically resume their ministrations again to gain your attention as they trail down into the junction of your mound, lower and lower until the pads of his stitched fingers rest on top of your clothed clit.
 You jerk slightly and shoot a hand down underneath your desk to stop him from moving, but the second your palm wraps around his wrist his fingers press deeper against your nub.
 Fuck.
 You know what he wants, so you answer him just to end this torture.
 ¨I don't know who you saw walking with me, but if you're referring to Tenko, then he went to his class. Try not to make it so obvious that you´re jealous or insecure of him, it's pretty pathetic. I mean damn, you´re even starting to see visions of him around the school? Maybe you like him more than I do!¨ He scoffs under his breath but you can feel the temperature around you both rise up.
 Successfully managing to yank his paused hand away from you, you throw his wrist backwards toward him, savagely relishing in his stunned silence, no doubt.
 Without turning around, you end him on a good note.
 ¨Didn't realize you were into ‘weak nobodies’, Touya. Who's the freak now?¨ You don't personally believe such a vile notion, but you hope know itĺl be enough to shut his fragile ego up for now.
 It does.
 He doesn't touch or talk to you the rest of class, much to your satisfaction.
 You don't smell the burning of a certain someone's foot in youropen bag, all your hard work from notes to projects going up in literal tiny flames.
 ***********************
 The bell dings, and you waste no time shoving your binder into your bag, failing to notice little flecks of ashes billowing in the air when the belongings go into the scorched fabric. You yank both straps onto your shoulders and immediately start to get up, but are promptly stopped when two figures swarm you and force you back into your seat.
 ¨Where you runnin’ off to cutie? Don´t tell me you forgot to have lunch with your fiance?¨ Hawks shakes his head mockingly, tutting in disapproval.
 ¨Yeah, I mean, she obviously thinks I´m into her little boyfriend, so I guess I'll just have to sit with her to demonstrate how I'm into women.¨ Dabi sneers, towering over your seated figure.
 You blanch, regretting your outburst from earlier, knowing that he was going to make you pay for it.
 ***********
 Tenko slinks off into the courtyard to look for any possible signs of his phone around the same time Hawks and Dabi are leading you through the more deserted halls towards the cafeteria, their arms thrown over both sides of your shoulder, vile words and innuendos bordering on threats hissed into your ears.
 He knows it wouldn´t do any good for your safety if he went off trying to spot you amongst the crowds, and frankly, he didn't really want to. Especially not when he knew who you were probably with.
 Sitting with Miruko, Takeyama and Kamiji was a no-go, they would all be uncomfortable with his unsettling appearance there without you as everyone´s middleman. Maybe he could find Atsuhiro? Or even Iguchi? Surely he could find them and they could all converse about the latest game that came out, as they usually did.
 Somehow he manages to make his way into the crowded commons being invisible to most had its benefits sometimes, especially when being shoved forwards as if he's not there gets him forwards faster and looks around the massive room for the other two social outcasts.
 Lo and behold, he spots them towards the back of the mess hall, where most of the trash cans were placed.
 Typical.
 Iguchi unsurprisingly has his reptilian snout pressed into his console, his long talons clacking away at the buttons. It's a miracle he doesn’t rip the thing to shreds with how fast his fingers move. Atsuhiro is fiddling with his precious marbles on the stained table, shooting them at each other just to frantically put them back in their original place before they can fall off the table.
 Tenko clears his throat, moves his hood slightly off his head and makes his way to them.
 ¨Hey guys,¨ he mutters as he reaches their table. They both look up and squint at him, breaking out of their dazes as they try to register him. Feigning a roll of his eyes, Tenko brushes the wiry bangs away from his face so they can get a good look at him.
 ¨Aahh, Tenko Shimura! Our old friend, have a seat, have a seat!¨ Atsuhiro claps his hands loudly, and Tenko cringes as people from other tables turn around to glare at the commotion. He can understand why the brunette was an outcast like him- he talked weird, like he was from olden times, and he thought life was a grand play. Minor criticisms, but it was enough to be deemed offensive in their school, enough for his ass to be kicked all the way to the back of the cafeteria, marinating in the dumpster stenches.
 Quickly trying to avoid a bigger scene, the pale glaucous haired boy slides into a seat across from the two and nods at the lizard boy.
 ¨Iguchi,¨ He acknowledges, and the hybrid lifts his eyes for a second from the screen and curls his lips in his own greeting.
 ¨How´ve you been Shimura? Haven't seen you in a while, usually you´re hanging out with L/N, right?¨
 Tenko scratches his neck and feels skin pile up under his nails.
 ¨Yeah, she um...I think she wanted to sit with some of her own friends today.¨
 ¨I thought you two hung out with the same people-¨ ¨So what game´re you playing? Is that the one that just came out?¨ He interrupts Iguchi, trying to avert the conversation away from you. The less eyebrows raised, the safer you both would be.
 They talk about the latest games and consoles, grades and classes. It feels nice, honestly. Even if he's not as well known and presentable as you, he gets to bask in things he actually is passionate about. Not that you ignore his own hobbies, but it gets tiring after a while to talk about facials and hero work, girl stuff that he just never really understands. You act like a protector to him, and he appreciates it, he really does, but...sometimes it feels like he's more of a show dog, and not the cute kind. A kicked puppy-no, charity work is a more accurate representation of what he feels like when he sees the not-so-subtle sympathetic looks your friends throw at you when they think he's not looking.
 Tenko loves you a lot, and he knows you do too. But sometimes it's hard to see past that aged love when, as Iguchi basically stated, his friends are your friends.
 Funny thing is, he has no real friends apart from you.
Tenko loves you a lot, and he knows you know.
 It's been hard to remember that constant love when Dabi and Hawks have been making his life a living hell, especially now when they know you´re so protective of him.
 It´s hard to remember that love when you insist on putting the two of you in actual danger, just to walk down a stupid hallway together. 
 But he supposes he can't blame you all the way. He guesses maybe it's mommy issues from a younger age around the time he met you. It's the way he could cry into your shoulder after his father would beat him black and blue, it's the way you would rub his back soothingly and shush his cries, never really understanding why he was so upset in the first place but still doing your best to be there for him.
 His father had sent his sister away overseas to some private school to better her education, so he truly was alone with his batshit crazy family situation. You provided him with unrequited love from an early age on, you were his safe haven, his sanctuary of sorts. It was true, you really were the only one who understood why he acted the way he did and you accepted him for it.
 He supposes he should feel more grateful to you, but like how every child is supposed to fly the coop and become independent, you had unknowingly trimmed his already-deteriorating wings and tethered him back to your welcoming, warm embrace.
 You had ruined him
 Almost a half hour went by between the three boys, discussing a wide range of topics, and for the first time in a while, Tenko was actually comforted by another guys’ presence. He wasn't worrying about shielding his body from ammunition, or keeping his greasy bangs in front of his eyes so he wouldn't have to meet anyone´s judgemental gaze.
 ¨Hey man, you should come over one day. I got a couple of GTA discs we can try out, or COD if that's more your thing,¨ Iguchi offers, reaching his clawed hand out. ¨Why don't we all exchange numbers?¨
 ¨Y-yeah, that sounds great! Hold on, lemme get my ph-¨
 But his excitement was cut short, when his hand patted empty pockets.
 Oh.
 He almost forgot.
 ¨Uhm, sorry, I kinda lost my phone yesterday. Maybe you guys could just write your numbers down here or something,¨ And he fished around his bag for an empty paper, pushing it across the dirty table to them. They didn't seem to mind-they promptly wrote down their digits in chicken scratch writing.
 ¨Got any trash?¨ He stands up, plucking a few plastic wrappers off his seat and extending his courtesy to them. They wave him off and he shrugs, making his way behind them towards the giant dumpsters.
 The second he drops the scraps into the bin, some force shoves him face first into the reeking cesspool of school lunches. He grabs the edge of the bin in a split second, ignoring the slimy substances he feels underneath his palms and whips around for the source of the assault.
 All he sees behind him is a retreating figure, with blond locks swaying with every sauntered step he takes away from the frazzled target.
 His phone wasn't as far as he thought it was.
 In fact, if he had the balls to follow the winged boy back to his table, he would've surely discovered his beat up phone case held captive in Hawks´s open bag. He would´ve also seen both boys keeping a miserable girl sandwiched between them.
 Tenko would´ve seen all of that from a distance, but you were there in your own skin, fighting the urge to rip out a certain purple-burned aggravator´s staples, and preventing yourself from diving into your burned backpack, pulling out a nasty pair of scissors and giving a special birdbrain´s wings a well-needed cut.
 ¨Why so quiet sweetheart? Nothing bitchy to say now?¨ Dabi seethes in your ear as he busies a hand in pinching the soft flesh of your thighs, a 2.0 to your torment in the classroom.
 ¨No,¨ you gripe, trying to finish your spring rolls. A feather plucks the roll from midair as you lift it towards your mouth, and redirects it into its owner's mouth.
 ¨Mmm, Dabi, your bitch can cook right. You should've told me my sister-in-law was such a domestic homebody, I would´ve defended her from your evil clutches sooner,¨ Hawks chuckles with a mouth full of food. His arm is draped over your shoulders, fingers dangling oh-so-close to your chest. Shoving them off even in the hallway proved to be futile after they both used their respective quirks into silencing you every time a teacher walked by and you attempted to open your mouth in a plea of help.
 ¨I´m not his fucking bitch, you brainless pigeon,¨ and even though you know you can´t fully move with how close their proximity is, you still try and push them off.
 But Dabi is having none of it, igniting his fingers on your thighs as his counterpart cooes at your irate state. Ignoring your gasps and writhes, he doesn't give a moment to prep you as he fully shoves his hand down your panties, your skirt bunching up further up your legs when he does. 
 You give him a desperate look, and he merely gives you a sneer in retaliation.
 ¨Where did you learn to talk like that? That shit´s not gonna fly with me when I put a ring on it, bitch. If I hear you mouthing off like that again I'll personally make sure there's a better use for that slutty hole,¨ and at that his fingers start moving and heating up again, Hawk´s arm forearm tightening around you to prevent you from making a scene while the ravanette circles calloused digits around your wet nub.
 He leans closer to your ear, and the rings adorning his lips feel cold against your skin. On the other side of you, the blond is smiling knowingly down at you, brushing his thumb against your neck. 
 You jerk as Dabi breathes into your ear, ¨But something tells me you wouldn't mind that too much. I mean if you´re not exactly screaming for help right now then I guess you must want this as much as I do. Fucking whore.¨
 You shake visibly at the strength Hawks is using to counter your escape attempts, Dabi´s fingers tweaking your clit hard every time you jerk your body to the side.
 ¨No, no, what the hell? I don't want this, I don't want anyone to see me like this-!¨
 ¨Oh, is that what it is? Even so, I'm sure you remember our little talk the day before, right? About me laying off your friend, if you just take it like a good slut. Don´t think I haven´t forgotten about him, Y/N.¨
 And then you still. Because of all the emotions running through your frantic head right now, you keep Tenko above all the other bullshit. He doesn't deserve your share of hell, he's already gotten his fill.
 Red silk and lace cloud Touya´s mind.
 ¨We´re just friends¨.
 ¨That's a good girl,” your fiance whispers, kissing your outer ear and laving his tongue across the rim of it. You whine quietly and try to draw further into yourself-which is miraculously allowed by the blond as Dabi tugs you closer into his black shirt, his fingers down your skirt and teasing your slick entrance.
 The Hawks watches you shamelessly, playing with a stray feather between his hands as Dabi descends his mouth to your neck, nipping you lightly and then harder when you squirm.
 Your seating position is most unfortunate, the boys having picked an area that most teachers don't pass through on account of other delinquents settling in as well. No one would bother them here, just passing it off as PDA that the rest of them have no shame in showing either.
 ¨Oh! I haven't asked about your family yet. That's what good fiances do, right Keigo?¨ Dabi exclaims suddenly, lifting his head to give the amused blond a knowing look. Hawks hums in assent, eager to see how much more you could take of their special attention. 
 ¨So did your mom ask how her beloved son-in-law is doing? You told her all about our quality time together?¨ His other hand creeps beneath your shirt, your stomach muscles clenching painfully tight at his unwanted contact.
 ¨Did daddy ask how I’m treating his precious little girl?¨
 You bite your lip hard and squeeze your eyes shut as your bra is moved up, fingers trailing upwards towards your nipple. Hawks´ eyes are glinting as he watches in silence, his pupils dilated at the scene in front of him.
 ¨Or, actually, maybe save that nickname for me. I'd love to be the first to break it to him that his princess has a new daddy, a better one who broke her faster than he ever could.¨
 A sob builds up in your throat. There´s 15 minutes left of lunch.
 ¨Maybe after we get married, we can just crash at your place,¨ he hides his mouth behind your hair, but you and Hawks can hear his low gravelly voice as he murmurs, ¨So they can hear me fuck the living daylights out of their precious baby girl...make sure you´re loud too, ´wanna let them know you´re a woman now. A married woman who´s gonna slave away for her husband, down on her hands and knees like she's supposed to-
 Ding ding ding
 His phone goes off, pausing him from his vile monologue.
 You exhale in relief when he growls under his breath at the interruption, reaching for the offensive device.
 But instead of pressing the decline button after seeing the screen, his face goes slack and pales tremendously.
 His hands retreat from their perverse activities underneath your clothes, and you turn to him fully surprised now. You try to lean over to see the caller ID, but your less-than-pleased fiance actually shoves you off of him, right into Hawks (who thankfully catches you).
 You look up at him who seems equally bewildered, and then at Dabi who holds the phone to his ear.
 He gulps and clears his throat before he speaks.
 ¨Hello?¨ It still holds his raspy tone, but you can't detect his usual snarkiness.
 There´s a pause as he listens, and then he gets up from the table and walks away without so much as a second glance to the both of you.
 Hawks, being a guy who's too fast and too smart for his own good, already has an inkling as to who could emit such a reaction from the arsonist.
 A wandering feather that brushes against your leg jerks you out of your stupor, and you flinch away from the warm body that caught you.
 He laughs a real laugh this time, not one with any malice or with undertones of perverseness in it as you scuttle back to the other side of the short table. You glower at the floor as he rests his elbow on the table, cheek in his hand. He tilts his head at you, very birdlike and for a moment in his open eyes, you can understand why Mirko likes him so much.
 But fuck if he wasn´t a total scumbag on the inside.
 ¨Aw come on sweetheart, you know I don´t bite. We just wanna mess with ya´, it's cute seeing you get all nervous and shy. I gotta admit, it's a nice change from your, ah, colorful language.¨
 Your head whips up to face him, and you let out a short, humorless laugh at his audacity.
 ¨Mess with me? Hawks, you guys are fucking assaulting me. It's not funny or cute, and I know your little innocent act is complete bullshit. I know what you guys do to Tenko, and the fact that you don't even stop Tou- I mean, Dabi from it shows you´re just as bad as him!¨ You bang your fist on the table, acting out now since the worst one out of the duo is out of commission for the time being.
 But instead of narrowing his eyes and shooting feathers at you to shut you up, he merely smiles wider and shrugs in indifference, never taking his eyes off of you.
 It's hard not to gape at him. What kind of world was he living in, where none of this had any effect on him? All this-this bullying and torment was just fun jests for him.
 But you know it's less pure with your betrothed. You know with him, it's some fucked up power-play, a show of dominance that you want no part in.
 You can't help but toss a glance to where he was now, 20 feet away and speaking intensely into the speaker.
 ¨You know, if you stopped fighting him and just gave in it would be a lot easier for you. He likes putting you down and getting a reaction out of you.¨
You don't tear your gaze away from Dabi, so you don't see Hawks lean in and take advantage of your distracted focus.
 ¨He gets off on it.¨
 His velvety voice rumbles right next to you, and you whip around and slap a hand over your ear as a shiver simultaneously passes through your body. He doesn't move, however, but merely leans back and throws an arm over the back of your seat, grinning like a madman.
 ¨See, this is exactly why I´m not giving in yet. What the fuck is wrong with you both? How could you think something so fucked up is funny? No wonder you both give Tenko hell-¨
You clamp a hand over your mouth, forgetting in your rage not to mention the taboo name. Your eyes search gold ones for any sign of similar hate that you find in cerulean orbs, but there is none.
 All he does is raise an eyebrow and strain his smile a little.
 ¨Between you and me, sweet thing, it really is in your best interest not to mention Shimura´s name around Dabi. I don't really know why he's got it out for that dude, but it doesn't really help Dabi calm down when his wife-to-be is prancing hand-in-hand around school with him.¨ Your lip curls in discontentment, and you feign a scowl at Hawks´ words.
 ¨Why does he even care? It shouldn't matter who I hang out with, it's not like I'm cheating on Dabi or anything. Besides, he doesn't even like me, he just wants some girl he can ruin.¨
 A few moments of silence pass, and then he speaks. What he says makes your heart seize up, and the butterflies kick in again, much to your disappointment.
 ¨Is that what you think? Man, you both have a long way to go, then.¨ You want to ask what he means, but you´re unfortunately interrupted when a very unwanted lanky figure plops next to you, jostling you to move over.
 ¨ ´Just had something to take care of,¨ is all Dabi offers as he starts packing up his stuff from the table.
 ¨Who was it? Was that your dad?¨ Hawks presses.
 Dabi´s eye twitches.
 ¨Yeah. ‘Was calling about some stupid assignment I failed, giving me shit about it.¨
 ¨He usually doesn't call you at school,¨ is followed by a raised gold eyebrow.
 ¨I know. I was actually almost excited for once-¨ Dabi laughs bitterly, and you just listen with your head down, utterly confused. What was the deal between him and his dad?
 And just in time, the bell for dismissal rings.
 Thank god.
 You silently pack your belongings as well, hoping that this time you could slip out and actually see Tenko for a couple of minutes if he was waiting for you like you told him to, but as usual, your beloved fiance intervened.
 ¨You´re always rushing off when the bell rings, doll. Where are you going in such a hurry? I hope our company didn´t make you uncomfortable or anything,¨ he snakes a hand around your waist and pulls you in tight, leering at you.
 ¨I just don't want you guys getting me late for class,¨ you mutter, avoiding his lecherous gaze.
 ¨You sure no one's waiting for you out there? Maybe we could both go and say hi to whoever´s taking up all your time-¨
 ¨Uh, no no! That's okay, I really was just making sure I wasn't late. We can go to class together though, no worries.¨ You quickly grab onto his jacket sleeve and look at him with big eyes and a little smile in a shameless, desperate attempt to deter an inevitable bloodbath.
 He raises his eyebrows at your volume and the way you clutch at him while simultaneously quelling the blush that creeps onto his face and the smoke that was comically coming out of his ears. If his fiance was throwing herself at him for the first time, then who was he to reject her?
 ¨Alright, let's go then,¨ he steers you out towards the entrance of the cafeteria, and you force your legs from grounding themselves and running in the opposite direction of where he was taking you. 
 You feel him squeeze you tighter, and you raise your head at him, startled to find him already looking you over with a strangely soft expression. It wasn't anything deemed romantic for sure, but it was a lot different than his usual sneers and scowls. Your stomach does somersaults at this new expression that was privy for your eyes only, his piercing blue eyes rendering you speechless.
 He looks so much better when his mouth is closed, and his eyes do the talking instead.
 However, Dabi does in fact open his mouth, not to spew venom, but to say something that makes your heart beat even faster.
 ¨Yḱnow, all jokes aside, you weren't too annoying at lunch. Maybe it's ´cause you kept your fat mouth shut with a shit ton of food, but you were pretty tolerable.¨ you quietly scoff at his backhanded compliment as you both exit the hall, Hawks trailing a couple feet behind you, both sides of his shoulders clutched by fangirls who seemingly spawned out of nowhere.
 ¨I´d say the same to you if you weren't feeling me up every five seconds and mouthing off like a-¨
¨-But, yeah, thanks for actually sitting with me. I really would like it if we did this more often,¨ he murmurs so quietly that you´d think he was talking to himself. He isn’t looking at you anymore, his gaze squinted as he navigates through the crowded and loud hallway. 
 You want to point out that technically he wasn't really giving you a choice of where to sit when he threatened you like earlier, but something in you tells you to stay quiet as he maneuveres your body around so that no other student would bump into you by accident.
 A sense of whiplash comes over you at that moment. Only a mere couple of minutes before he was calling you his bitch and terrorizing you, but now with that soft gleam in his eyes and the confession he was giving you, it feels like it was only you two at the moment regardless of the massive crowd swarming around.
 If Hawks was a little closer within earshot, you have a feeling that Dabi would be acting very differently, no doubt. But nevertheless, you swallow your apprehension and acknowledge his different aura.
 ¨Sure, Touya. We can sit together more often...as long as you lay off the handsy part, we haven't gotten there yet. We've barely been able to have decent conversations, but I´ll try if you try too.¨ While you say that, you subtly try to look around for Tenko but find it hard as Dabi maintains eye contact with you and pulls you along the school. You glumly give up as you both turn the corner to where the classes were.
 He ignores everything else you say, solely cherry picking where you said his real name, again. Dabi didn't particularly care for all the other bullshit you uttered, but he shuddered when you stroked a thumb against his hand. He was glad that their plus one had opted to not be in their faces at the moment, because it was nice for once to say something relatively normal to you. Because in the end, he might be a menace but he wasn't delusional. He really could see you as his wife, not just on her hands and knees like he had purred about earlier, but actually as someone who could offer him a new, better life than the one he had at his own home.
 He saw it in the way you gazed so softly at Tenko, saw it in the way your voice lilted higher and in the way you softly pull his scratching hand away from his marred skin
 The way your lips puckered as your mouth invited another bite of food made his chest ache with a weird feeling he couldn't quite place a stitched finger on. The scowl you gave him and Hawks both when you sensed they were about to fuck with you more made him want you in a way that he had never wanted anyone so close before. He wanted to be the reason your scowl would eventually turn into a smile, but for the meantime he knew he couldn't refrain from seeing fear and panic in your eyes. You were cute, with a body and a smart mouth to match. Dabi guessed that you were also taken aback by his sudden intimate gestures, and he couldn't help himself to hope that you had a slight inkling of what your presence was slowly starting to do to him.
 But if you thought that you had newfound leverage on him, or thought that he was wrapped around your finger by a small sentence he said, then you were more stupid than he was givng you credit for.
 Because the second you bit your lip and looked away after touching his hand lightly, he turned his head back and made eye contact with Hawks, giving him a knowing look.
 Hawks´ wings flex as he gives a cheshire grin to his counterpart, letting him know he already knew what to do.
 ¨Sorry girls, ´gotta head to class, can´t let my grades fall. I´ll catch you two later, yeah?¨
 He is met with simpering ¨yeah, sure!¨´s and ¨of course, text me though!¨ as they sashay away.
 ¨Definitely,¨ He chuckles, running a hand through his floppy hair.
 As if he would be caught dead texting Tweedledum and Tweedledee.
 But anyways, back to business.
 He cracks his knuckles and stretches above his head, letting out a satisfied groan as he leisurely pulls out a phone. It takes some scrolling before finding the message, and bingo, he finds the right hallway adjacent to the cafeteria after backtracking his steps a bit.
 Lo and behold, who was already there? That's right, none other than Tenko Shit-mura. Hawks´ eyebrow raises as he sends a quick message from Tenko´s phone, and pockets the device.
 ¨You´ve got balls, I´ll give you that.¨ Tenko whips around in horror as he puts the voice together with the person. His thumbs overlap each other and alternate to scratch at his scabbed arms and neck. It's something near a miracle to Hawks as he can't fathom why a girl of your stature would hang around with this degenerate. Sure, he himself had girls sucking his dick in every crevice of the school and outside, but at least he had a name for himself, and a reputation befitting of a god´s.
 This thing?
 ¨Oh, h-hey Hawks,¨ and the unamused blond curls his lip in disgust as Tenko´s wavering words were almost drowned out by the sound of vigorous scratching. ¨I was just waiting for Iguchi-¨
 ¨-And Atsuhiro, right? Funny, they left the caf´ at the same time you did, so why exactly are you here?¨ He smirks and folds his arms, leaning on the lockers.
 It was borderline hysterical how white Tenko´s face went, and Hawks distantly wonders how much whiter could his face go before real blood and veins were visible behind the mess of scarred facial features.
 Poor Tenko stammers and stutters over his words trying to find a good enough reason as to why he was lingering there, but he needn't worry so much, because unfortunately for him, Hawks knows exactly why.
 He holds up Tenko´s phone casually and grins at his ashen face as if they were old buddies.
 ¨Didn't anyone ever tell you not to play with other people´s toys?¨ Tenko makes a quick swipe at the phone suspended in midair, but only succeeds in getting sliced by a few directed feathers.
 He groans and clutches his now bleeding stomach, holding up a hand to see a thin line of red adorning his cracked skin.
 Hawks shrugs as if nothing had happened, and cocks his head at his victim. ¨I decided, if you can't learn to keep your nose out of other people's things then I have every right to keep yours.¨
 ¨Give it back man, I don´t know what your deal is, but if this is about Y/N then I swear I haven't been anywhere near her.¨ Tenko looks at him desperately and Hawks chuckles lightly, making the other´s heart sink.
 ¨Yeah, you have. You might be just as gross and sly as Dabi is, but you´re not smarter than me.¨ He waves the device in his snug hand. ¨She might just see you as her friend, but we both know you want her more than that.¨ Tenko loves you.
 ¨In my opinion, she looked better in red.¨ His steel colored head snaps to see his phone screen showing the messages he was so afraid of them finding out about.
 ¨That's not fair, that was so long ago, way before Y/N even knew Dabi.¨ ¨You think that's gonna matter to him?¨ He pushes himself off the wall and advances with his hands in his pockets towards Tenko, who is now frantically scrabbling back on all fours like a mutt. 
 ¨The fact that it even happened is a given that you´re a dead fucker now, Shimura. And don't think I don't see you two running around in the hallways trying to avoid me and Dabi, he sees all that too, y´know. We've both got eyes around the school.¨ He crouches in front of Tenko, and his grin turns ugly into a sneer when the shit-stain on the floor flinches and raises his hands up as if he were about to be hit.
 ¨Why does Dabi care so much about me and her? She´s gonna be married to him, not me. He gets her officially, not me.¨ Tenko says rather bitterly, in Hawks´ opinion.
 ¨He hates how close you are to her. He's jealous, simply put, at how well you know her, how you make her smile and put her at ease. It drives him crazy that some social reject like you has seen her body and the best and worst parts of her before he has, and that's why he lashes out at her. These pictures just prove to him that you need to be removed from the scene. Permanently.¨
 ¨Okay, I get that, but then why are you so involved with it? What are you even getting out of snitching for him?¨ Hawks´s eyes glint and darken, sending a sinister shiver down Tenko´s back. He licks his lips and leans close, giving a confession of his own.
 ¨´Cause if your guys´ shared whore screws up again, I might get a taste of her too. Personally, I couldn't care less about Dabi´s heart, but I wanna see why this girl is worth all this trouble.¨ The fallen soldier recoils slightly at his implication.
 Tenko forces himself to take deep breaths and to stop his shaking. He needs to get his phone back and go to the nurse before anyone sees this scene.
 ¨Just give me my phone back dude, please,¨ He hisses desperately, outstretching a gnarled hand.
 Hawks studies him for a moment. He was almost disappointed in Dabi that the flame user was so butt-hurt about this pathetic sack of bones being closer to his girl than he was.
 But that's what he gets when he holds onto a shred of hope that someone could be a candle to his everlasting flames.
 ¨Here,¨ and he takes momentary mercy on Tenko, tossing his phone on the ground in front of him.
 He starts walking away, wings ruffling with foreboding anticipation as he pulls out his own phone to send a message to the man of the hour.
 But before he does, he calls out over his shoulder a warning to the boy on the ground.
 ¨If you see her again, you won't be the only one getting buried that day¨.
 Tenko scratches his neck.
 *************
Ashtray: Was he there?
 2:00 pm: Yup, you were right. Guess they never learn, huh?
 Ashtray: Whatever, I have her phone and I just sent him the message. Send me a feather so I can send it back to her class
 2:01 pm: You deleted the message right?
 Ashtray: Obviously. You too?
 2:01 pm: Yeah, did it as soon as I saw him standing there
 Ashtray: Good. Make sure the area is clear after school
     Call Kai over too, I'm gonna need him when I'm preoccupied
 And unbeknownst to you, a velvet feather was indeed carrying a small cellular device on its back, weaving in and out of empty hallways to find your designated classroom.
 The silent plumage floats stealthily through the slightly ajar door and makes sure to stay low to the ground as it approaches your desk. Luckily there's an opening in your bag, so it quietly drops your phone inside while you tediously take notes.
 It can't help itself when your legs cross over themselves; you look so unassuming and innocent that it just has to get a quick taste. The feather travels up the expanse of your leg up to your inner thigh, and gently brushes against you, laying some pressure on it as well.
 From his own classroom, Hawks shivers in sickening pleasure when he senses the vibration of your gasp and the quickening of your heartbeat as you jolt and look underneath your desk.
 But you find nothing, the feather already having been directed to whizz out of the room and back to its owner.
 ¨What the hell,¨ you mutter to yourself as you brush the crawling feeling off your skin. You glance at your bag for a second, and then do a double take when you see the screen of your phone glowing.
 After taking a quick glance at your preoccupied teacher, you reach for the device and squint at the notification that shows on your lockscreen.
 One new message from Ten-ten.
 Ten-ten: Meet me behind the training grounds outside after school, its urgent
 Your brows crease in concern and you tap a message back to him.
 2:05: Are you okay? What happened?
 2:07: Where were you today after lunch? I didn't see you outside the lunchroom
2:06: And when did you get your phone back?
 2:10: Hello?
 And from across the school, Tenko is trudging away from the nurse's office back to his own classroom, frowning at your message as well.
 Y/N: Meet me behind the training grounds outside after school, its urgent
 He sighs and drags a gnarled hand down his weary face, stopping his fingers under his jaw to dig his nails into the thin flesh.
 2:06: We can't meet up again at school, Dabi and Hawks are gonna kill both of us
 2:08: I´m serious
 He's in his classroom now, and his unease has merely grown. You were usually so good at texting him back promptly, what´s wrong now?
 Biting a fingernail, he hesitates before using his other free hand to type some more.
 2:10: You okay?
 Almost 30 minutes pass, and Dabi is counting each second in anticipation.
 *********************
The sounding chime of the school bell causes Shimura to stop his periodic scratching and leg-bouncing, instead opting to shoot up out of his seat and bound out the classroom to where you said you were.
 Anxiety clouds over and erases all rational thought from his disturbed mind when he thinks of your lack of response.
 Were you mad at him? Were you safe?
 A stronger man with more self control would have resisted from going to check up on the girl that caused so much trouble for him, but Tenko was not a strong man. He was weak, and soft-willed, and if he was already getting the life beat out of him any other day because of his weakness, then what would one more catalyst be?
 His bony figure is ricocheted off various bodies as he bolts down the halls towards the back of the school, looks of disgust thrown his way and noses scrunched as he mutters occasionally, ¨Sorry, excuse me¨ and ¨My bad, I´m sorry¨. It doesn't deter him, he's used to the disdain by now and with the thought of you in mind he finally reaches the back of the Quirk Training facility, shoving through the double doors.
 Muted sunlight peeks through the large trees that loom over the area, the sky already turning a russet color in the beginning of its descent. He looks around wildly for you, and then he finally spots you in all your oblivious glory standing at the edge of the fence, your face slightly covered from the large sakura branches winding over the mesh.
 Tenko releases a breath he didn't know he was holding, and starts approaching you.
 You´re playing with the vines growing on the fence, but you turn around when you hear footsteps coming near.
 ¨Hey! What´s up?¨
 ¨I could ask you the same thing,¨ he says warily, looking you up and down to make sure you seemed unscathed. ¨What's going on? Why haven't you been answering any of my texts?¨
 You raise an eyebrow and laugh a little, thinking that he was messing with you.
 ¨Huh? You´re the one who called me here. And you didn't send any messages to me, look.¨ He grabs the phone that you thrust in his face, scratching lighty at his collarbones.
 You gently swat his hand away and watch as he thumbs through your chat log.
 His own brows furrow and he looks at you weirdly as he produces his own device, flipping the screen around and showing you the many messages he sent not too long ago.
 You squint at the blue light and look back up at him, mouth agape.
 ¨Wait, so you didn't call me here? I tried texting you too, but I didn't get an answer. I just thought you were busy or something.¨
¨Look, I don't know what's going on here, but we need to leave,¨ He says anxiously as he grabs your arm and starts to pull you around the corner. ¨This is weird, I don't like it-¨
 ¨Hold it you two.¨
 You both freeze, ice flooding through both your systems as you recognize the lazy voice.
 Slowly, you turn your head to face the last person you wanted to see in this state.
 Hawks is leaning casually against the brick wall, wings flared out to their fullest extent. Next to him is a new guy you´ve never seen before, a brunette with gold eyes like Hawks´ and a black beak mask to match. His hands are clad in white gloves, and he periodically keeps checking the watch on his pale wrist as if he has somewhere to be. 
 He's surrounded by cronies, tattoos covering the expanse of their bulky arms and baseball bats along with guns strapped over their heads or twiddling through their fingers.
 You think you´re going to throw up.
 Dabi is the first to speak, his guttural voice cutting through the thick, tense air like a serrated rusted knife.
 ¨Well, shit doll. I didn't think I'd have to break my future house slut so quickly.¨
 ¨Dabi, wait, there's been a misunderstanding-¨ ¨-And you,¨ he draws on as if you hadn't spoken. You tried to catch his eye but it seemed like he was purposely avoiding you, instead going for drilling invisible holes through Tenko´s head.
 If you had asked him, he was granting you mercy and your last shred of dignity by not letting you continue speaking, before he viciously strips it away from you. He feels as though if he hears your voice right now, the entire pavilion will go up in flames, including the chicken bastard and the Shie Hassaiki members.
 He stuffs his inflamed palms into his fire-deterrent pants to quell his unbridled rage. To anyone else he seemed at sick ease in having the upper hand, but in all honesty, Dabi would be lying if he said he really did wish you would have passed his test and not met with Tenko.
 ¨You´ve got a lot of balls to be talking to my bitch for such a dickless wonder. I thought after beating it into your skull for a couple of years that you'd understand where your place is.¨
 Out of the corner of your eye, a massive wooden bat swings towards Tenko and smashes against his head with a sickening thud.
 They must have surrounded you from the other side of the building too when you both were distracted.
 You scream so loudly you can feel your vocal cords vibrating in your throat. Everything seems to move ten times faster as you´re suddenly yanked back by invisible feathers, and dragged almost 15 feet away from Tenko´s unmoving body right into Dabi´s cruel embrace. 
 He harshly spins you around and shakes you like a ragdoll, staring you straight in your horrified eyes.
 ¨I told you not to hang around him, right? Well, if you don´t wanna listen to me, then at least listen to the beautiful sounds of your precious boy toy getting his skull bashed in.¨
And with that he spins you around again, a vice-like grip on your arms as he traps you against his hard body. You´re faced with front-row seats to watch the nauseating scene of Tenko indeed getting beaten to a pulp.
 ¨I´m going to make you fucking regret it,¨ He hisses in your ear, but you´re so dizzy with blood and teeth littering the ground filling your vision that you can´t even move.
 You vaguely hear Hawks tsk next to you, leaning against the wall and stretching his wings as if he had better places to be. As if watching a kid getting beaten half to death was something he saw every day.
 Grunts and jeering comments come from the large tattooed boys while they rain blow after blow on Tenko´s shuddering body. You can't even comprehend what kind of pain he´s in from the inhumane shrieks that come out of him. It was mesmerizingly terrifying how a human being could make sounds like the ones he was making, ranging from low wails of pleading mercy to high pitched cries of pain when they began kicking him.
 Feet pound on his back, crushing his paper-thin skin against the gravel, causing it to rip and tear,allowing rivers of blood to pool around his form. Now-cracked baseball bats become dented as they explode down on his head, and you distantly wonder how he's still alive with bits of hair and membrane clinging to the wood.
Your best friend flinches every time contact is made with his body; his fingers are curled and raised above his head to protect himself, and you think you can make out his chest puffing in and out a mile a minute. He might be having a panic attack, you´re not sure and you want to run to him, but the loud ringing in your head and the tears that cascade down your face are indications that you know you´re utterly trapped right now. You couldn't move even if you wanted to.
 ¨Stop,¨ you croak from the confines of Dabi´s arms, clawing at his jacket. ¨Please, stop, you're killing him.¨
 Dabi releases an arm to tap on his chin in mocking contemplation. ¨Hmm...tempting, but no thanks doll. This is supposed to be a lesson, not a freebie.¨ ¨Are we done from here?¨ A nasaly bored voice emerges from the background laughs and screams. The brunette with the beak-mask is standing a little away from Hawks, sighing and rolling his eyes.
 Is everyone here excluding you and Tenko a psychopath? How does Dabi even know them?
Not that you could say you were surprised, however. A man cruel enough to execute something like this surely has a heart blacker than coal.
 ¨Dabi, please!¨ you sob hysterically now, the pained noises coming from Tenko are coming out softer and less frequently now, you think he might die soon if one more bat slams into his ribcage. ¨I´ve learned my lesson, please, please don't do this to him.¨ you cry and beat your fists against his arms, which only squeeze painfully around your middle.
 ¨Nah, I don't think you have, actually. You said that last time, and look what's happening because of your lies,¨ he jeers at you, exchanging a smirk with Hawks.
 ¨I´ll do anything,¨ you whisper in desperation, looking at him full in his poker face.
 ¨Anything?¨ His brows raise gleefully, and you nod vigorously, not caring what that means for you, only concerned that the assault on the motionless body mere feet away from you stops.
 Dabi regards you for a moment, taking in your tears and wobbling lip, before he finally turns to the masked man, and gives him a curt nod. ¨Alright, we´re done here Kai. Take your guys and leave.¨
 The man named Kai dusts off his purple jacket and calls out for his boys to stop.
 ¨That's enough. We´re going.¨ He wrinkles his nose in afterthought. ¨And make sure you clean your stuff off, I don't wanna deal with bloody bats...god knows how many diseases that thing is carrying, ´looks like it has mange.¨ 
 That thing is currently groaning in difficulty to lift his face out of a puddle of his own blood, tears, and snot, almost choking on the mixed liquids invading his mouth and nostrils
 He blearily lifts his head ever so slightly, and sees you writhing in Dabi´s embrace, one of his forearms wrapped around the front of her throat and evidently choking you from the way you frantically gulp in air.
 He hoarsley whispers out your name, and you heave out another dry sob when you see his lips form your name in them. He painfully and slowly starts to rise up to his hands and knees, and it's like looking at a baby stand up for the first time from the amount of visible shaking you can see in his broken limbs.
 Dabi, you, Hawks, and Kai as well as the groupies all watch in awe as the stick-thin figure manages to elbow his way up, and Hawks scoffs in disbelief at Tenko´s grit. A man in his state shouldn't even be able to blink.
 Meanwhile, you can feel your fiance's arms tremble in barely concealed rage from watching the blatant act of disrespect.
 You want to tell Tenko to just stay the fuck down, and don´t piss them off further, but part of you takes savage pride in his perserverance.
 Is he just used to this? Is that why it's so easy for him to disregard the volumes of blood that come vomiting out of his mouth? How long has he been accustomed to places other than his heart being broken?
 It's hard not to cringe as he places his bloodied palms against the sharp concrete; you can see tiny pebbles embed themselves in his open wounds, and his fingers bend in unnatural ways as he elevates himself and maintains eye contact with just you.
 You think he's crying, but it's hard to tell when your own vision is blurry.
 It´s quiet for a moment after everyone witnesses Tenko´s own version of a fuck you, until Kai turns on his heels, his boys immediatley scrambling towards their leader as he makes to leave.
 He walks towards Hawks, and you can hear him murmur, ``You owe me.¨ He gives a curt nod to Dabi who merely grunts.
 Hawks, ever the optimist, laughs joyfully and reaches out a hand towards the beaked boy. ¨Of course man! We'll be in touch soon.¨
 Kai merely waves his hand in a resemblance of a farewell, crinkling his nose at Hawks´ outreached one. He rounds the corner, his boys smirking in tow, and then they´re gone. As if nothing has happened.
 The silence grows louder, deafening your ears. The only reprieve you get from feeling mounting terror of being vulnerable without anyone around is when Tenko starts hacking, his arms buckling underneath his weight in an effort to keep upright.
 And then they surround you.
 ****
 ¨What's with the tears baby? You knew this was gonna happen, we warned you-¨
¨-Scared you´re gonna end up like him? Good, but I´ll be honest, I think cum would look better coating your face-¨
 ¨-You didn't actually think I was gonna let you get away with this shit again, did you? God you´re such a spoiled slut, I´m gonna enjoy breaking you down like your parents never did-¨
 Shoving you around and into each other, groping you, leering right in your personal space, advancing towards you so that you stumbled backwards closer to Tenko.
 ¨No, stop, leave me-us alone, stay away from me!¨ You scream, and Dabi wraps an inflamed hand around your upper arm, racking up the volume of your cries.
 ¨Shut the fuck up. You don't get to complain anymore, you're gonna finish your punishment you little brat.¨
You wail as you wrench yourself out of his grip, fueled by pure adrenaline. Ignoring your searing flesh, you try running around them but with a lazy flick of Hawk´s wrist, numerous feathers catch you around your collar and feet, pulling you back. Your thrashing only serves in getting cut up more, and they deposit you less-than-gently right next to Tenko.
 He watches with wide eyes and shakes his head with urgency for you to leave, to run again, but his head is forcefully slammed to the ground by the blond´s boot. You hear a crunch from his nose and bile rises from your throat as you try scrambling towards him out of instinct.
 ¨Do you have a death wish? Stop worrying about him, and worry about yourself for a second doll, you´re gonna want to.¨ A scarred hand grabs your chin and yanks it to face him. His lips are curled back, his lids lowered and his eyebrows are raised.
 You jerk your head back and spit in his face. ¨You´re not gonna get away with this Touya.¨ You don't even care about using his other moniker anymore. ¨How the fuck can I not worry about him? Look at him! You´re the crazy one!¨
 He snickers and crouches to your level, moving forward until your rapid crab-walk backwards results in your back hitting the brick wall.
 ¨You hear that Keigo? I´m gonna pay for this, oh no, however will I recover?¨ He simpers, joining in Keigo´s boisterous cackles. 
 You risk a panicked glance at Tenko. At least there wasn't a boot on the back of his head anymore, but you didn't gain any comfort when he was roughly grabbed by his shirt and lifted up to a sitting position facing you, Hawks smugly holding his head up from rolling around in its socket. 
  His face was a mess. You could barely recognize his thin, narrow features anymore when his whole head was caked with splotches of liquid red, mud, and gravel piercing his cheeks. His mouth was gaping, filled with yet even more blood, and where his teeth used to be was instead gaping holes and vermillion-stained cracked bone
 Now that he's sitting somewhat upright, you can clearly see protrusions where his ribs are, clearly indicating breaks and torn ligaments.
 But your attention is directed to the monster in front of you. He rests a burning hand on your calf, and you whimper as you try to pull back from the unbearable pain. You were certain that if when you got out of here, you´d need to go to an infirmary immediately.
 Touya stops your leg from retreating, holding it down while simultaneously trailing his digits up your leg, crawling forward even closer to you with the most disgusting shit-eating grin on his face while doing so. All your pleas of ¨Stay back¨ and ¨Don't come any closer Touya, I swear-!¨ does nothing to deter him, rather goading him on while your audience of two watches in horror from one man and perverted amusement with the other.
 ¨Yeah? Or what, huh? You gonna hit me with your quirk? Oh wait, you don't have one.¨
 He straddles you, pressing his chest against yours and shamelessly looking down when your breasts swell from the pressure. You bite your lip and turn your head, taking in quick inhales to avoid breathing in too much of the smell of smoke.
 ¨Nuh-uh princess, I want your eyes on me now when I fuck you. I’m gonna show you who daddy is today.¨
 You don’t know what kind of adrenaline rush you experience when the words slip out, “That’s rich from the guy who practically creamed his pants when he talked to his own daddy. Why don’t you solve your own daddy issues before starting mine, huh?”
 He slaps you so hard you see stars within the setting sun.
 It's hard to tell who hates who more at the moment, but regardless, it doesn’t stop Dabi from grabbing your cunt and squeezing hard.
 Your lids fly open and your head snaps forward to face him in sheer panic, the moment of bravado gone as the chemicals pumping through your brain catch up to your heart.
 ¨Wait, no-¨
 In one fluid movement, he clenches his thighs on either side of yours, and uses his legs to flip you over. With the same momentum, he grabs your arms and yanks you to the new switched position; him against the wall and you in between his legs, back to his chest.
 In another time, Touya would have been secretly overjoyed being pressed against you so intimately like this. It almost felt domestic, not that he knew anything about that word, but it was the closest feeling he could pinpoint to it. His heart was pounding, and he wondered if you could feel it against your back.
 He hoped you could.
 The vague sounds of Shit-mura noisily inhaling through his broken nose only bothered him slightly, the feeling of his counterpart´s greedy eyes scanning your body and his hold on you barely registered. He was in a zone of his own at that moment, just the two of you, regardless of the circumstances. 
 Touya didn´t actually think of this as a punishment, no, he thought of this simply as an opportunity to unapologetically make love fuck you and show you how much he wants you who´s boss. Nothing personal, just business. You have to learn how to please your husband eventually right? Might as well let him show you how a woman is supposed to act in front of a man.
 It was just pure bad luck for you that you got saddled with a man who wants you to act like a whore for him.
 ¨Yo, Keigo, help me out here, the bitch won't stop moving.¨ He grunts out, struggling to subdue your flailing limbs. Despite him amping up the temperature in his palms against your stomach and arms, you still continued to try and escape him. 
 He couldn't bear to do any worse, the tears rolling down your face already made his heart feel funny and he didn't want to feel anything anymore.
 Hawks sighed dramatically and unleashed a few of his feathers to aid Dabi. Immediately your wrists were pinned to your sides, your feet weighed down by the sheer force of the plumage. You break down and sob to your heart's content, knowing that you were done for.
 Touya feels your body slacken, and he quickly put out the fire in his fists.
 ¨Watch the show, Tenko. I know you´ve been dying for a piece of this ass for a while, anyways.¨
 Hawks jerks Tenko´s chin forwards, ensuring that his attention was on you as Dabi began feeling you up, relishing in how your rib cage shook with heaves as you shook in his arms. He shoved his hands underneath your shirt and lifted the hem up all the way over you, the feather pulling your arms above you for easier access.
 A sudden breeze rattled you to your core, but it wasn´t just the weather that made your teeth chatter.
 It was the sick desperation and rapt attention in Tenko´s eyes. It was Keigo was looking you over with lowered lids, palming himself and hissing when Dabi took a mismatched finger and pulled your bra cups down ever so slightly, teasing the boys with cleavage and a hint of areola.
 ¨Touya, please,¨ you squint your eyes shut and turn your head away from salacious gazes. ¨If-if you´re gonna do this, please don't let them watch.¨
 ¨Nah sweetheart,¨ he simpers as he burns the straps off your undergarment, allowing the sheer protection to fall to the gravel. ¨You wanted to whore yourself out, right? Well, this is what happens to little whores who don´t wanna keep their legs closed.¨ His voice is right at your ear, nipping and suckling the senstivie flesh while his ruthless hands take handfuls of your tits and squeeze them, rub them together, weigh them appreciatively in his scratchy flesh.
 ¨Fuck, flick her nipples a bit, I wanna see them get hard,¨ Keigo groans out, yanking Tenko´s bleeding head. ¨You like this, you little perv? You like watching your best friend get raped?¨
 ¨N-no, no I don't! Leave her alone!¨ And even if it wasn´t from Keigo shoving him down and wrestling for his zipper to pull his hard dick out, you would've already known he's lying from the way his bloody mouth opens slightly and drools watching Dabi pinch and roll your nipples.
 You keen and whimper as Dabi leans his head down past your neck and lifts a breast up, darting his tongue out and swirling the appendage over your hardening buds. The feathers prove to be useful when they hold your wrists down and prevent you from escaping him.
 ¨Holy shit, he's actually hard from this. You´re even more fucked up than I thought, Shimura, I´m almost impressed.¨ The beaten boy cries out and pathetically tries to remove his member from Keigo´s tight fist, but obviously is no match for the way the blond fucks the skinny dick in his hand, squeezing almost painfully at his tip. With the help of his other feathers, he frees his own length and teases himself, the red turning white at the tips as they collect his precum.
 Dabi says nothing, but keeps his eyes on Tenko as he moves your body up into his lap, settling your ass right on top of his erection. You inhale shakily as he too fumbles to release his aching cock from his jeans, your nose clogged from crying and your voice hoarse from screaming. He lifts your skirt up and hisses in appreciation at the direct contact your panty-clad ass gives, suffocating his dick in your warmth.
 The experimentally thrusts lightly a couple times, jostling you up and down and making your tits bounce. Keigo and Tenko look in awe, the feathers and hands moving rapidly in time with Dabi´s thrusting. You try to avoid eye contact with either of them or their leaking dicks.
 You feel like your heart is a runny mess, you´re a mess, your hair is fucked up, your clothes are being strewn on the ground and burned away, your skin is being molested, you don´t know what the fuck is going on or what to do.
 So instead of pleading, you decide to relent and get this over with quickly. The less resistance you show, the faster you can get Tenko to an E.R.
 And speaking of faster, Dabi has stopped grinding against your ass in favor of snaking a hand around and toying with the hem of your panties, holding your skirt up.
 You bite your lip and your eye twitches, but you stay silent save for shuddering inhales through your nose.
 Taken slightly aback by your lack of complaint, Dabi hesitates for a moment before shaking it off, delving his fingers into your panties, the cloth moving and bulging out from his hand sliding in and out of your folds.
 You whimper and jerk your hips minutely in instinct, and he feels it, much to your horror. He grins and takes it as encouragement, circling his digits through your little-more-than folds until he finds the clit by the way you jump at contact.
 He presses down, flicks it, circles it, gathering lube from your mutinously throbbing cunt to slick yourself up, thoroughly enjoying your sharp inhales and the way you can´t help moving against the invading actions.
 It's only when Keigo calls out that Dabi remembers he's not doing this to please you, he´s doing this to fuck you over just like how you did to him. 
 ¨Pull her panties off, I think our little vouyer here is gonna come soon,¨ he positively purrs as he presses a thumb against Tenko´s jerking hips.
 More blood has covered Shimura´s head and body, but even amongst the mess of flesh that was once his face you can clearly see his eyes wide open, pupils blown black with lust, bones actually audibly rattling in their broken sockets as he breathes heavily at your corruption. 
 He looks insane, more insane than the ones actually raping you. You wonder if you feel more violated by the obvious monsters who told you straight up what they were going to do to you, or the one who swore to be your friend, who swore to never relish in your pain.
 You´re brought out of your empty contemplation when Dabi neglects fingering your clit to yank your skirt off your shaking legs. He doesn't even bother with slowly stripping the panties off, impatience overriding better judgement. You again offer little to no resistance as he does so, which riles up the squeamish feeling in his heart.
 Now fully exposed to him, his cock stretches another couple of millimeters, looking like it's going to burst from the angry red and purple swelling it adorns.
 Keigo whistles and licks his lips, lecherously looking over your tits and exposed pussy all for the taking.
 He pulls your hips back and forces you to hover right above his standing cock, causing your knees to shake in exertion. You feel like you´re going to faint any second.
 ¨You ready doll? Ready to take your husband´s cock for the first time?¨ He cooes, bringing you lower and swiping the weeping slit of his prick against the wetness of your folds. You mewl and try to shift, but it only serves in him pulling you down even more, your labia ever so slightly enveloping the top of his tip.
 Your cunt is pounding with rushing blood, and he almost gasps as the sensation flows into both of your sensitive bits.
 Leaning forward, he conceals his mouth behind your hair as he mutters, ¨Try to relax for me, it´ll hurt less.¨
 You can't care less for his consideration, not when his jerky thrusts feel like they're splitting you in two. All your poor pussy is aware of is the blinding white-hot pain felt on every wall as Touya takes from you what you would not willingly give.
 The sounds of your squelching hole-whether from blood, precum, your own tears, who knows-fill the air obscenely. You mistake a glance upwards in your blurry vision and you nearly vomit when you see Hawk´s hand furiously bobbing up and down Tenko´s flushed red dick, and his own being caressed with lust. They look like fucking dogs drooling over your state.
 You´re brought out of your horrified reverie when Dabi hisses. He fully sheathes himself inside you and you mewl at the sensation of being filled. Liquid trails down where you two connect, and it feels disgusting as he pulls out only to slam back into you, the cooling wetness of said liquids splashing everywhere and onto the concrete below you.
 Your tits bounce up and down as Dabi takes his sweet time pulling out all the way only to give you a moment's reprieve before diving back into the wet cavern. Eyes rolling back into your head at the feeling of his veiny dick thrusting in and out of you, mouth open when he remembers to heat up his hands and play with your nipples, your legs shaking when he alternates to play with your clit, you look like a real slut.
 Tenko cums suddenly, crying out and jerking his hips up into Hawks hand when you let out an especially pornographic moan. Ropes of white shoot up like a fountain from his tip and splatter Keigo´s hand and the pavement.
 Keigo cries out and laughs in disgust, wiping his soiled hand into Tenko´s hair.
 ¨You see that? Look how perfect and sweet your little friend is now, Y/N,¨ Dabi pants into your ear, yanking your hair back and forcing you to look at your ex best friend.
 ¨No, d-don´t wanna look, please let go,¨ you babble as he fucks you stupid.
 ¨Shut up. Whores don't get to beg for mercy,¨ He sneers as he slaps a bouncing tit, hard.
 ¨The same should apply for cucks like him,¨ Keigo speaks up and slaps the back of Tenko´s head, sending blood and hair flying off his face.
 Dabi stops pounding into you, allowing you to take a merciful breath despite what he said.
 ¨Yeah? You think so?¨ Shimura snaps out of his daze when he realizes they´re talking about him. He shakes his head frantically and tries to tuck his softening cock into his pants but a red feather is quick to restrain him.
 ¨Uh-uh, pathetic bastards like you need to get their dues too. We let you off easy with the Shie Hassaiki,¨ He snickers.
 ¨Come one. Lick this mess up. I'm sure you dreamt about it before, closet perv.¨ Dabi sneers as the blond´s boot sends Tenko flying forwards, almost colliding with your stomach.
 You squeeze your eyes shut, inhaling shakily as he gets back up on his hands and knees. You can't bear to look at him right now.
 They all disgust you.
 ¨What did I just say, slut? Eyes open.¨ A patched hand slaps you and your head is snapped forwards mere inches from Tenko´s. 
 Your gazes meet, but you can't recognize the eyes anymore. They used to belong to a man´s but now they reflect that of a monster´ s.
 ¨Clean this mess up. Any time this little pussy drools you´re going to eat it up like the roach you are. And if by the time she's done riding and I see a single patch of slick on her I'll knock the rest of your teeth out, got that?¨ Dabi reaches his arm around and pulls the weak boy´s hair forwards until his nose nestles where your filled pussy is.
 All you can do is watch as he hesitantly darts his tongue out and licks from Dabi´s engorged dick up to your clit.
 ¨Fuck you,¨ you whisper to no one and everyone as you let your head fall back, signaling to your finance that you were in enough pain to start up again.
 ¨You´ve had enough rest. Ride my fucking dick until I say stop.¨ He doesn't need to threaten you this time. You shakily rise up on your knees and twitch when he slaps your ass suddenly. The entire time you lift yourself up, Tenko´s tongue follows up Dabi´s exposed length until it swirls around your clit again.
 You feel numb. 
 Sinking back down onto him is even more excruciating because you can vividly feel every inch of him scraping up against your walls. It doesn't help that a certain tongue is lapping away at you too.
 But nonetheless you don´t waste any time bouncing up and down like your life depended on it, which it probably did.
 You can hear him panting behind you, his mouth letting out ragged breaths against your ear, his mouth desperately trying to suck galaxy colored hickies into your naked torso as you envelope him.
 The feeling of Dabi and Tenko´s breaths puffing onto your clit and nipples would´ve caused the start of a climax if it weren't for Keigo´s unnecessary commentary.
 ¨Holy fucking shit that´s so messed up. Wait no, move down a bit, lick the base of his dick. Yeahhh, just like that.¨ He walks around the scene with his phone out, obviously recording as he leans in toward some anatomy and pulls away to get the bigger picture at other angles.
 And Tenko actually listens. He follows through every salacious order Keigo gives, he even does it a little bit better than someone who's supposed to at least pretend they're not enjoying your ordeal.
 You can tell Dabi is reaching his peak when he suddenly grabs your hips in a bruising grip and slams you down on his length, emitting a broken scream from you. He quickly slaps a hand over your mouth and spews filth in your ear as he uses you like a fleshlight.
 ¨You like bouncing on my dick like a whore? Huh, Y/N? Answer me you little bitch, or are you too cock hungry to say anything else? Not enough dicks here to satisfy you, princess? Keigo, get over here, she looks like she needs more.¨ You wail and scream behind his hand as Keigo eagerly stands over you, his member already being pumped in a hand.
 ¨That's right slut, you already know what to do, don´t you? I bet a slut like you has practice, ´bet you and the degenerate licking the cum from your pussy did it all the time.¨ You look imploringly at his head ducked between your thighs and even clench them around his head to get his attention. But he refuses to refute the accusations hissed at you in favor of eating your own slick off your puffy folds.
 Keigo waits no longer as he seizes your hand and slaps it against his base, silently urging you to stroke him. You wearily look up at him and are faced with a bright camera light trained on your fucked-out face and trembling hand. Knowing that you were stuck, you started stroking, accepting whatever pace he made you take as he lifted his hips up into your cupped palm, his balls smacking against your wrist while you jacked him off.
 Dabi´s pants grew louder and more choked as every part of you became occupied with cocks. He still kept a hand over your mouth, bringing it up to his mouth every couple of seconds to taste the tears that slid down from your eyes down to his digits.
 ¨´Gonna cum, and you´re gonna take it all in that sloppy hole of yours. ´M gonna fill you up with cum and make you fat with my kids, you´re gonna be on your fucking hands and knees for me like a good little housewife aren´t you-¨
 The third time he brings his hand away to taste your tears you frantically gasp out, ¨Don´t do it inside Touya, please don´t, not inside I'm begging you to-¨
 But you´re cut off suddenly when Tenko teeths at your slicked clit, and you mewl, unconsciously rolling your hips into his mouth even more.
 His tongue travels around your stretched labia and around Dabi´ś balls, causing you both to hiss in unison.
 ¨I'll do whatever the fuck I want. You´re lucky I´m not fucking you up the ass, you ungrateful bitch.¨
 His dick starts twitching in your pussy, and you know he's about to burst.
 ¨I´ll never forgive you.¨ You whisper in defeat, for the umpteenth time.
 ¨I don't need you to,¨ he merely grunts as he cums inside you with a loud groan.
 His body shakes and he pulls your naked back against his torso, hugging you tightly and filling you up. At the same time, Keigo also lets out a string of curses as your hand is doused with milky white substance from his own.
 Dabi grabs your jaw and turns you to face him. ¨Who do you love?¨ he purrs, nuzzling your cheek with faux affection.
 You force yourself to make it sound faux, because you hate the way he looks so deeply into your eyes.
 ¨Y-you.¨ ¨That´s a good girl,¨ he whispers and kisses you, hard.
 You´re slumped. There´s mixed cum from all four people coating your body, various fluids and anatomy strewn on the concrete around you, and clothes shuffling in place as they regroup themselves. 
 Tenko slowly crawls back up from his position in front of your cunt, rearing back on his knees and wiping streaming blood from his head. Keigo tucks his dick back in his pants and cruelly wipes the cum that flew on his clothes into your hair, while Dabi dumps you off his lap onto the grating ground.
 ¨Well, I hope you two learned your lesson today,¨ Keigo simpered with scrunched eyebrows, pouting at you both.
 By now the inky haired man has gotten to his feet, brushing his hands off excess grime. 
 ¨That was fun, I should've done this a lot sooner, honestly,¨ he leers at both the figures on the ground, and you refrain from looking anyone in the eyes. ¨I´m gonna take her home. Keigo, deal with this fuckwad while I'm gone. And get him an ice pack, he looks like pure shit.¨ He snorts to himself.
 ¨How considerate of you Touya. And here I was thinking you didn't have a heart.¨
 You and Tenko don´t join in their vicious laughter.
 ¨Aw come on sweetheart, the worst is over. I doubt you´ll go through that again, since you know what'll happen if you continue to act out.¨ Your fiance crouches down and starts shoving your limbs back into their clothes, ignoring the way you weakly try to evade his callous touch.
 Everyone stares in silence as you´re dressed like a child, unable to properly move from the shock and trauma you just endured. It was weird seeing you so quiet. They thought you would´ve still been crying, or at least fighting back now that they no longer had a hold on you.
 But you were so, so accommodating as Touya pulled you up to your feet, keeping a firm grasp around your waist to keep your knees from buckling. You kept your head down as he grabbed your backpack from a helping feather´s elevation and slung it over his own shoulder.
 ¨I´ll catch you later Kei. Keep me updated on our little experiment,¨ he winks before steering you around the corner.
 That was the last time you saw Tenko Shimura, your best friend of years.
 ¨E-experiment?¨ His hoarse voice questions, nasally from the buildup in his broken nose.
 ¨Yeah, you heard right. You´re our little experiment, Shimura. Truth be told, I always saw the potential in you. After Touya showed me those texts between you and Y/N it just confirmed my suspicion.¨ Keigo plucked a feather out and tossed it to Tenko´s gnarled hand. ¨Here, use this to wipe that shit off your face. I´m not in the mood to drag you to a nurse right now so this´ll have to do.¨
 ¨Potential? Suspicion? I don't get it,¨ he brings the feather up painfully down the sides of his cheeks, collecting the grime and gore onto the victimized plumage.
 The blond grimaces at the disgusting sight and looks away. ¨I mean, I see the potential in you to be one of us. I knew you weren't this goody-two shoes, quiet loser that everyone made you out to be. And you really proved it today, too. I didn´t know you had it in you all the way to eat her cunt like that while she was getting raped, shit was pretty erotic if I´m being honest.¨
 Tenko cringes at the brutal choice of words but doesn´t refute them. He stays quiet before Keigo realizes he needs some more coaxing out of his cautious state.
 ¨Hey, look man, none of that stuff earlier was personal, alright? Touya just needed to prove a point to his bitch, that's all.¨ He shrugs so easily, as if everyone was as delusional as him to believe that.
 But maybe Tenko really had snapped, because he turned to Keigo with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, taking in his words.
 ¨Really? I thought you guys hated me,¨ he mutters, looking down at the soiled feather in his hand.
 ¨Nah, it's nothing like that. Just gotta prove to us how you´re different, y´know?¨ Hawks slings an arm and wing around Tenko´s bruised shoulder as if to offer him some security.
 ¨You don´t wanna be a loser anymore, right? Consider this a new chapter in your life, the next big steps.¨ ¨Yeah.¨ ¨Good.¨ They stay like that for a couple moments of silence, drinking in the setting sun.
 And then Tenko can´t hold his curiosity any longer.
 ¨But how do I do that? There´s nothing really about me that´s special...I mean, except for...however the hell I was acting like earlier,¨ he shifts uncomfortably, recalling the thirst he felt when he saw your sopping cunt getting fucked stupid. It was strange, really. The itch in his body had never felt more satiated when he felt like the oppressor once, rather than the oppressed when watching your eyes fill up with tears, knowing that he was the one who caused it. He had never felt that calm and pleased even when the itch was satisfied by your soothing fingers over his scratched-raw skin.
 ¨That's what I'm thinkin´ too,¨ Keigo thoughtfully holds a hand to his chin, his wings flapping lazily with the cool breeze. ¨I´d say the first step to a new chapter with us is to change that dopey schoolboy name. Tenko Shimura? That sounds like a dog´s name. And you don´t wanna be a kicked around puppy anymore, do you?¨
Tenko vigorously shakes his head. 
 A new chapter with us.
 Us.
 He swallows hard, unable to think of a cool name that would be good enough as a new group member. The shock on his body was catching up, so he forfeited his pride and sought help from his recruiter.
 “Did you have anything in mind?”
 Hawks hums thoughtfully. “Yeah...how ‘bout Tomura? Tomura Shigaraki?” He looks over ex-Tenko’s broken body and nods in confirmation.
“Tomura...Shigaraki,” the new Tomura says slowly, letting his tongue run over his missing and broken teeth in the midst of testing out the new name.
 “The kanji for it has to do with change and mourning, something like that I think. It’s pretty fitting, especially since you’re letting go of your past and moving on with your life...right?” Keigo side eyes Tomura mischievously, knowing he was in no place to defy him.
 Shigaraki merely looks to the horizon, silently acknowledging the new chapter of his life. Another cold breeze swirls around the two men, but it's not the sting of the wind that brings newfound tears to Tenko Tomura’s eyes.
 He shakily rises to his feet with a grunt, clutching his ribs and tilting his head back to avoid breathing in anymore drying blood. Keigo gets up with him, outstretching a hand towards him to steady him on his feet, which Tomura takes.
 “I think I need to see a nurse.”
 The blond laughs, his wings fluttering with the waves of his voice.
 “Almost forgot about that. But y’know, you should be more careful next time you train with us. I don’t think your body can take any more damage than it already has.”
 ******************
 You haven’t returned any of Touya’s calls.
 You haven’t received any messages from Tenko.
 You didn’t get out of bed when you saw a red feather zooming past your window in the morning.
 You’ve been home for three days now, huddled under the comforters and only getting up to drink some water like a zombie. Showers are a no-go, it’s unbearable to look at your own naked body anymore. The school kept ringing your parents for your attendance, but the image of you stumbling home and bursting into tears is fresh in their minds; they let the calls go to voicemail.
 Tenko’s broken body. His screams of agony. Dabi’s hands all over you, Hawk’s feather holding you down, your body shifted and positioned like a ragdoll-it’s all too much, you can’t face anyone yet. You’re absolutely terrified.
 A knock at the door jolts you out of your catatonic state.
 “Honey? You want something to eat? We haven’t seen you come out today…” Your father’s voice trails off unsuredly, and after some harsh whispers coming from behind the door and scuffling sounds, your mother speaks.
“You need to move around sweetheart-”
 Your body jolts violently when she says that cursed nickname.
 “Ahh come on sweetheart, the worst is over.”
 “-did something happen with you and Tenko? You two haven’t talked in so long, you usually never argue like this.”
 A burning comes up in your chest as your stomach rumbles, bile rising up your throat. You want them to leave. Now.
 “I’ll-” you cough and clear your raspy voice from disuse. “I’ll be out in a bit, ‘head hurts.”
 “Are you sure? We can come get it for you, we don’t mind-”
 “-No, I’m fine. Please just...just give me some time.” You grit your teeth and squeeze your eyes shut, silently willing them to go away.
 It’s only until the sound of their footsteps padding away from your door that you rigidly rise out of bed, reaching for your phone on your nightstand.
 2 missed calls from Rumi, 3 text messages from Touya, and nothing from Tenko.
 Was he alive?
 With trembling hands, you punch in his contact and pull up your messages.
 3:04 pm: We need to talk.
 You sigh and throw the phone back on the table, running your hands down your face. You just wanted things to go back to normal, when you and him were okay, when you werent engaged to Touya, when they didn’t turn him into a monster who ate you out while you bounced up and down and up and fucking down on your rapist’s-
 No. You can’t think like that. You can’t. That wasn’t him, they made him do that.
 At least, that’s what you tell yourself in order for your sanity to remain on its barest of threads.
 Time moves at a snail’s pace as you find things to do that distract you from checking your messages every five minutes. Soggy leftovers are pushed through your throat, the t.v blares while you watch without actually seeing, your bedsheets are made and remade into perfection...but nothing prevents you in the end from snatching up the device and checking for his text.
Nothing. Absolutely nada.
 Just a “read” sign that makes you see red.
 Who the fuck did he think he was? He wasn’t the fucking vitcim, you were-
 Oh. But he was, just as much as you were.
 Anger curls into anxiety as you nibble your lip in contemplation. Was he mad at you?
 It was your fault in a way.
 You try calling him, no one picks up.
 If he was going to flat out ignore you, then you knew there was only one way to corner him for talking.
 And corner him you did, when on a bright Wednesday morning you decide to go to school, for nothing else if not hounding Tenko down and seeing if he was okay. You didn’t know if he deserved it, but you just had to see him once.
 You wait outside his front gate, idly watching the sky turn from a deep purple to mix in with hues of orange and blue. After a few minutes, the door creaks open and you whip around to face him.
 It’s only been a few days since you two last saw each other, but at that moment when he turns and his eyes go wide from seeing you, you feel as though you’ve never known him before. Not his tangly hair that hangs in front of his face, not the new bruises and bandages on various parts of his body, and not the sneer his mouth curls into, that is oh so reminiscent of-
 “Where have you been? You didn’t answer your phone…” You trail off confusedly as he practically shoves past you through the gate, ignoring the way you stumble from the impact of his bony shoulder.
 “Hey, wait up!”
 You do a light jog after him but your heart is pumping at light speed, uncertainty creeping up your spine at his behavior.
 “Tenko, stop!”
 “It’s Tomura, now, Tomura. Don’t call me by that dopey ass name anymore.” He stops in his tracks and looks down at you as you pant and stare at him.
 “T-Tomura? What’s that? And answer my question, where have you been?”
“Yeah, fucking Tomura Shigaraki to you. And I’ve been doing my own thing now. I’m not wagging my tail behind you like a fucking lapdog anymore, got it?” He shoulders his bag and continues to walk past you.
 “What the hell are you talking about? Why are you so upset at me, I didn’t even do anything!” You walk backwards side by side with him, desperately trying keep up with his curt pace.
 “Oh right, you’re just so innocent aren’t you? I should’ve left you from the start, honestly. Keigo was right.” “Keigo? When did you talk to him? He assaulted you! How could you even face him? “You say that as if he’s the one who made me like this.” He gestures to his barely healing body, and your breath catches in your throat.
 “Wait...you’re blaming me?”
 “Finally got it Einstein?” He sneers at you. “You did this to me, you made Keigo and Touya beat the shit out of me. If you had just listened to them and left me the fuck alone, I wouldn’t have suffered half as much as I already have.”
 You ball your fists and try to swallow the growing bulge in your throat. You thought your sanity would be kept intact for a while longer, but you feel the last threads barely hanging on.
 “Tenk-Tomura, please just wait a second,” You say desperately, not even thinking before grabbing onto his shirt sleeve. You want to hold him here forever, you want to go back, you want things to be the way they were before, he can’t leave you alone with Touya-
 “I’m glad they showed me how selfish you’ve always been. You never thought of my safety when you kept hanging around me knowing full well that they’d beat the shit out of me if they caught us. And they did! You happy now?” He’s laughing, but he can’t hide the rage from his balled shaking fists.
 “No, no please-” you whisper horrified.
 But he turns around, barely glancing back at you before bidding his adieu.
 “I’m saying goodbye to you as Tenko, and saying hello as Tomura now. Forget we were ever friends, it means nothing to me now. I used to feel like a burden to you, but it’s funny, you seem to be weighing me down more than ever now.”
 “But don’t worry. You’ll still see me around. After all, Keigo and Touya seem to be pretty solid guys. And hey, maybe I’ll even be the best man at your wedding coming up.”
 Your head is swimming. The sky is almost a clear blue now, the purple having faded away a long time ago. The sounds of strings stretching are brought to a climax.
 He’s so close, yet so far away from you that you barely catch the words that come tumbling out of his mouth so easily, so effortlessly you'd think he’d either rehearsed saying them all his life or that he’s had a lifetime of saying it.
 “I fucking hate you.”
 And the threads snap.
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omg-imatotalmess · 3 years
Text
Speed Demon
Hey guys! So, our new anon, Peach anon, sent me an absolutely god-tier idea, and I got a little out of control thinking about it. Thank them for this messy little thing. Hope y'all enjoy!
Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Reader
Requested: No but based on an ask
The ask: hi i found ur blog recently and i LOVE your work and wanted to shower u with love and affection <3 <3 <3 and maybe also... a headcanon?? anyways roadtrip with boys are so fun to imagine like i have this hc that draco is such a nervous wreck in cars and it translates into passenger driver ("careful, careful!! that semi is switching lanes!" "draco i am sIX CARS BEhiND IT") nfdjhgjs anyways imagine getting so fed up you just reach over (1/2 peach anon claiming peach right now its MINE :D )
(2/2) and start palming at his cock switching btwn just resting ur hand on him and making him try to fuck up into you fist he'd be grabbing the little handle above the door and finally shut up literally the second after you let him come though it's like four seconds of happy peaceful silence and then its "love, steady, you're speeding a bit" anyways ty for doing all that you do ilysm :)
Warnings: Smut, hand jobs, don't jerk someone off while you drive, mild cum eating, sub!draco, dom!reader, swearing(?)
---
The muted drone of the weatherman on the radio filled the near silence of the car. Draco didn't ever talk much when you drove. For a man that enjoyed taking road trips as much as he claimed to, he certainly didn't like being in the car. You didn't mind much, though. You were just happy to spend the time alone with him. Even if the only time he broke the silence was to yell about your driving, which, to be fair, was often enough.
"Slow down! Why are you so insistent upon getting us killed?" Draco snapped, digging his fingernails into the seat.
"Draco, my love, my sweet, I'm already going under the speed limit. Try to relax a little," you said. The huff from your passenger seat reminded you why everyone had insisted that you and Draco take your own car. No one else could put up with him. Especially not with the kind of amusement you could.
"I'll relax when you stop trying to kill us," he said. But, then again, even you had your limits.
"Do you want some help, love?" you asked.
"Help? What do you mean help?" Without looking at him, you lifted your hand from the wheel, resting it lightly on his thigh. You gave it a firm squeeze. Though he didn't say anything, you found yourself enjoying watching him squirm in your peripheral vision.
"You know, help," you said cheerfully.
"You're driving," he hissed.
"You don't seem to mind much," you teased, laying your hand over his slowly hardening cock.
"Watch the road!" he snapped as a truck switched lanes several cars ahead of you. Despite his command, he bucked his hips up, grinding into your palm with no shame. You smiled. Draco could be so stubborn when he wanted to be. No matter how badly he wanted this, he'd probably just keep complaining about your driving until he couldn't anymore.
"I am," you said.
"What if you-ah-get distracted?" he asked.
"I'm just letting you use my hand. Keep it down and you won't bother me," you laughed.
"But what if--oh," he cut himself off with a groan as you popped the button of his pants and snaked your hand underneath.
"Shhh, just enjoy yourself, baby boy," you soothed, grinding the heel of your hand gently against the head of his cock. The whiny moan that reverberated throughout the car made you strain to keep your eyes on the road. You would have loved to see the face he was making just then, but you told him you wouldn't get distracted. Instead, you settled for rubbing him teasingly just to make him squirm.
"(Y/N)," he groaned.
"Hmm?" you hummed.
"Please."
"Please, what? Tell me what you want," you said, glancing over your shoulder as you switched lanes.
"I want more," he muttered.
"I thought you wanted me to concentrate on the road," you teased. With a groan of frustration, he rolled his hips into your barely moving hand.
"(Y/N), take pity on me. I'm already in this screaming death trap," he whined. You laughed, giving him a rough squeeze through his underwear. A choked groan told you all you needed to know. All he wanted was attention. That was likely why he'd been complaining so much in the first place.
"Alright, alright. Take your cock out for me then, baby," you said.
After a second of shuffling, you felt him push himself into your waiting hand. It never took much to work him up, and you were grateful for it. You loved seeing him hot and leaking for you pretty much as soon as you started playing with him. Swiping your thumb over the slit, you smiled as the wetness there smeared with your touch. He bucked impatiently at the soft attention. It wasn't what he wanted. Pulling your hand away for a second, you spat into it before beginning to jack him at a torturous pace. It wasn't a substitute for lube, but Draco didn't seem to mind any.
A quick glance at your passenger told you that he was just enjoying the sensation. He could have been anywhere for all he seemed to care. It was almost like he'd forgotten about the car entirely. One pale hand gripped the seat under him while the other grabbed the handle over his head to steady him as he thrust into your hand. Like a man unhinged, he drove up into the tight circle of your fist practically unassisted. You doubt he really minded the lack of real lube.
"That's a good boy," you praised, switching back into the other lane. "I bet you feel so much better now that you have something to keep you busy."
"Yes! So much better!" he moaned.
"I know being my good boy always helps you relax," you said. The car in front of you swerved and cut off the guy in the other lane, who blared his horn. You slowed slightly, glaring at them.
"Always! Love being your good boy." Draco's voice was so earnest and sweet, all pitched up like that.
"And you are such a good boy, Draco," you said.
Little punched-out noises rippled through the car, overpowering the drone of the radio station you'd been listening to earlier. Honestly, you preferred them. Any sweet, pathetic little sound Draco made was infinitely more interesting than any news guy on the radio. Hips pounding into your hand, Draco tipped his head back against the headrest with the most desperate wine you'd heard in a while. You shivered, cutting your eyes away from the road to steal a glance at him in all his strung-out, desperate beauty.
And you weren't disappointed. His usually pale skin was flushed a bright pink, eyes lidded and more focused on you than anything else, and his bottom lip caught between his teeth in an unsuccessful attempt to quiet himself. A real thing of beauty. Your sweet, pretty boy Draco. Twisting your hand over the head of his cock, you relished in that fact for a moment.
"If you keep looking at me like that, I'd be half tempted to pull over and fuck you properly in the back seat," you said.
"Please," Draco begged breathily, slamming his hips up erratically.
"Don't tempt me, baby boy. We're on a schedule," you said. Though, it really was a charming idea.
"(Y/N), please. I don't care about being late. Want you to fuck me," he whined.
"You say that now," you laughed.
"Please, I'll be so good," he whined.
"If you can cum from my hand now, Draco, I'll keep you so well fucked on a this trip you won't remember anything but me," you said, an alluring promise coloring your voice.
"Yes, yes! Want that! Wanna cum for you so much," he babbled. Arching his back against the seat, he drove his cock into your hand with renewed desperation.
"Are you close? You wanna a good boy and cum for me?" you purred. The car in front of you stopped short, but Draco didn't even seem to notice that you'd jerked to a stop. He just gripped the handle above him and whined for you.
"Wanna be a good boy. Please, I wanna cum," he cried. Looking over, you noticed the tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. You smiled gently at him.
"Oh, Dray, you've been so good," you said. His mouth dropped open into a soft cry as his hips completely lost rhythm. "Go ahead, baby boy. Cum for me."
Draco's hips stuttered, once, twice, and by the third time, he was cumming all over your hand. His eyes screwed shut, and a pitchy cry of your name left his lips as he shook in your grasp. And you just worked him through it. Pumping him gently while he whimpered through the aftershocks. You didn't stop until his thighs shook so hard you could feel the car move. Then, finally, you pulled your hand away and lifted it to his mouth.
"Clean up your mess, baby boy," you said.
"Yes, (Y/N)," he said tiredly, sticking his tongue out. Pressing your fingers against it, you let him lick your hand clean of his own cum until you were satisfied. You two had started moving again by the time he finally came around enough to really talk to you.
"How do you feel, Dray?" you asked. He gave you a sleepy smile.
"Like you need to slow down. You're speeding," he said.
"I'm not speeding," you said. You were, in fact, speeding a little.
"Don't think that just because I just had the best orgasm of my life that I don't remember you drive like a demon," he said. Shaking your head, you laughed in disbelief.
"Only you could complain after having the best orgasm of your life," you sighed.
"I thought you loved that about me," he said. "You're still speeding."
"Maybe I should have pulled over," you said, rolling your eyes. Well, it had been nice while it lasted. And Draco was right. Kinda. You did love him, even if you wouldn't exactly say you loved his complaining.
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