#so even though todoroki's not part of that conversation he's still tied into that theme that the other two main mirrors have

[greenhappyseed]

BnHA Ch.319 (“The one with the Class 1-A reunion") - Parallels and comparisons

Fun fact: This chapter is called “Friend” because Ch.258 is already called “Friends.” That chapter is mostly about Hawks and Twice, and features Twice’s famous line, “Anyone who helps his friends can’t be all bad.”

SO MANY THINGS I LOVED ABOUT THIS CHAPTER!!!! At the outset, this chapter helps solidify the timeline and clarify that the whole arc takes only 1-2 weeks post-war. The pacing may have been weird to us as readers, but in-universe everything happened VERY fast.

I’m really enjoying Iida being the instigator here, prodding Bakugo, Todoroki, and Tokoyami. Iida’s been sidelined for a while and it’s nice to remember he can be a hothead. It’s weird though that Bakugo has Best Jeanist’s number and not All Might’s?? Maybe Bakugo’s just too angry at All Might to call him? You'd think that if Bakugo was trustworthy with OFA that he'd get access to the secure line.

Yep, Iida won’t back down from Endeavor or Deku either. Deku tries to throw down and Iida’s just, “Same shit, different day, huh?” even though Deku looks absolutely monstrous. (Seriously, Deku is making unprovoked threats against his classmates…) I think Iida is essential here because he has previously knocked sense into a stubborn Izuku: https://greenhappyseed.tumblr.com/post/656261027414048768/threatening-taunting-and-worrying-wont-reach

I LOVE Ochako stepping up and escalating through the UA bureaucracy. Also, it’s cool to see her show some aggression and fighting spirit. Even Shoto is taken aback when she stands up and smacks the sofa.

Now for the big guns… Bakugo is 100% right that he knows Deku and the Deku/All Might relationship better than anyone. And bless Bakugo’s iron will for speaking truth to power before his school’s principal and the #1 hero who is also his former boss/mentor, his friend’s father, and the guy who All Might compares him to. But, as always in MHA, we see a hero’s knowledge is incomplete because heroes don’t freaking talk to each other about stuff that matters.

Crucially, Bakugo doesn’t know about Nighteye’s impact on Deku and All Might. He doesn’t know that All Might wanted Deku to stay at UA or that All Might was trying to get Deku to take care of himself, despite assassins and explosions targeting them both. Bakugo also doesn’t know about the vestige battle with AFO/Shigaraki or the post-war vestige conversations. Bakugo doesn’t know that Deku wants to save Shigaraki, that Deku is likely the last OFA holder due to his quirklessness, or that Second is telling Deku that inaction is not an option. Perhaps, if Endeavor couldn’t take a good look at himself and understand the burden of #1 until “All Might” became a walking skeleton, Bakugo won’t be able to fully understand OFA and Deku’s journey until he sees Deku become a shadow of what he was (maybe acting unheroically?) That said, Bakugo is drawn in 319 with his posture like All Might in 309.

Speaking of not knowing things, Endeavor doesn’t tell the class that Deku ditched All Might. It’s not clear why he starts to say “But…” and then stops, because during this arc he’s very communicative with Hawks, Jeanist, and the Lurkers. Did he realize, like All Might did in Ch.309, that he can’t physically stop Deku? Does he feel the same power gulf with Deku that he felt with All Might, now that he and Hawks are too slow for Deku??? Or is he an elitist prick who doesn’t respect the kids as heroes in their own right (including his own SON!!!). Whatever the reason, Endeavor doesn’t use his words or help connect the class with Deku, Jeanist, Hawks, or All Might. No, he tosses his phone so the class can track Deku on their own. So much for “maturing” and passing the torch with grace.

I feel REALLY bad for Shoto here. Both his parents betrayed him and hurt him, and now at his family’s lowest point, Shoto finds his best friend is not just gone, but that the trust didn’t go both ways. To make matters worse, his dad is breaking his promise to Shoto (the one that's supposed to be a step towards atonement) for the purpose of enabling Deku’s betrayal, with the implication that Shoto isn’t strong enough to handle what’s “out there.” Endeavor will strike his son, but won't let him fight using his own well-honed powers??? Ugh. Shoto is saying “us” in the left hand panel below, but it’s clear that Deku’s actions and Endeavor’s focus on Deku weighs heavily on Shoto. I’m so glad that in this chapter we see Bakugo, Iida, Ochako, and Momo with him. Shoto needs a break and some time with friends as much as Deku.

I love Nezu cutting off Endeavor multiple times, followed by his own endorsement of the kids’ mission. It’s sweet that Nezu wants to protect BOTH All Might and Deku — we know Nezu loves the school but I don’t think we’ve seen him so paternal before. (I’m glad someone is looking out for All Might too, since the pro heroes aren’t.) I also like Nezu echoing the theme of reassurance. Physical safety, in a situation like this, is only one part of “saving.” That said, I’m still not convinced the UA barrier will actually keep out the villains who broke into Tartarus. (Of course, it’s possible Nezu is the traitor and he’s manipulating the kids into bringing Deku & All Might to UA, but I’m gonna enjoy this moment for now….)

MASK SYMBOLISM ALERT. Deku saying, “I’m fine, don’t worry,” while putting his mask on, right after Bakugo completed the rescue maskless. Ochako saying she’s worried with her rose-colored mask/shield off, just like her big war moment (but this time, the light is in her eyes).

Love these kids supporting each other (or, in the case of Bakugo, shoving Shoto before Shoto fights Endeavor, and taking over the direct confrontation of Endeavor). Also, despite Endeavor’s worries, it’s his son and Momo that captured the villain after Bakugo (his intern) immobilized the villain. Endeavor should know that this class can definitely handle Tartarus escapees.

Now, a few loose AFOs ends:

Bakugo’s tie. While this is very un-like him, I agree with others who have said it represents him trying to look and act like part of the team, rather than the punk on the fringes. It also ties him (haha!) to Best Jeanist, who was always trying to fix Bakugo’s image. I don’t think the tie is a sign of any AFO manipulation…

But then again, Bakugo’s clapping and taunting Deku about smiling in Kamino IS reminiscent of AFO’s actions in Kamino. AFO and Bakugo certainly do tend to circle near each other in the narrative.

Also, Iida says 1A won't be able to smile while their friend walks a “thorny path,” but that was the language AFO used in the mansion message. What happens when Deku hears his friends use the same words as AFO?

At a meta level, why are we seeing signs of AFO when we're purely on the hero side of things? I can think of three possibilities: First, it's foreshadowing, plain and simple. We're seeing bits of AFO "invade" the class to set up for his eventual attack. Second, it's some kind of mind control or illusion so Deku isn't seeing what's really there. Third is that it's Horikoshi's way of reminding us, as readers, that the heroes and villains are two sides of the same coin. They think the same way, they speak the same way, and, to AFO's point, are therefore fairly predictable despite having free will.

#bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha 319 #mha 319 #izuku midoriya #Midoriya izuku #deku #katsuki bakugou #bakugou katsuki #kacchan #Iida tenya #tenya iida #ochako uraraka #Uraraka ochako #bnha meta #mha meta #long post

[pandajaye]

Todoroki Family Ties (Part 8)

Characters: Enji Todoroki, Stepmom!OC!Ivy (Ivy is black btw), Child!Shoto Todoroki, Teen!Touya Todoroki, Preteen!Fuyumi, Child!Natsuo

Warnings: mention of abuse, sexual themes

After the short conversation over the phone, Enji came back inside and explained everything to Ivy after sending the boys to bed. “So, I’m taking Shoto and Touya with me to pick them up from their grandparents’ house. If you don’t mind, I’d like for you to stay here. I want Fuyumi and Natsuo to have a little more warm up time with their brothers before they meet you.” In three days, Enji’s other two children, his second and third born, were to be put back into Enji’s custody. He was filled with excitement and missed them so much but he kept his stoic expression while talking about it.

Two years ago, Enji’s ex-wife, and mother to his four children, Rei, was admitted to a mental hospital for assaulting Shoto. Of course this was kept under wraps from the press but those closest to the family knew what happened while the outside world assumed she was murdered. Ivy herself wasn’t made aware of the situation until recently either. It made the number two hero look bad and gave him a terrible rep. Everyone was scared to look his way and lots of people wanted him fired from the position of hero, but their simple opinions weren’t enough to budge the idea.

Rei’s parents were horrified by the real news and saw how people were reacting to the situation. It influenced them to ask Enji to give up custody to them for the time being until they saw Enji fit to be a father again. He loved them dearly and that’s why he didn’t fight on the decision. Touya and Shoto would need training for their abilities but Fuyumi and Natsuo would be better off with the ice side of the family. On the upside, the boys got to see them when they visited every other weekend.

Enji was allowed to see them too but in a more supervised visitation way before he had to leave. Every time he had to go, the little “Bye, dad.” from Fuyumi as she hugged him tight broke his heart. She’d often shed a few tears about it but Natsuo wasn’t as vocal about how he felt. He’d only give half hugs and keep his head down the whole time. But when that car turned and went in the opposite direction of the house, he never stopped watching it. Even after it was out of view. No matter what feelings he showed, on the inside, he wished he was in the car with him. It’s not that his grandparents were bad in any way, they were great! He just hated the way they talked about him behind his back. When they thought Natsuo wasn’t listening. But he always heard it. And it always made his mouth taste bitter and his head hurt. Sure his dad messed up, but he was still just that. His dad. Soon, lost time would be made up for, and he and Fuyumi were over the moon about it.

Three days passed by quicker than expected. Two more children would enter the four person household Ivy was used to and nervous was an understatement for how she was feeling. Enji had already left with Touya and Shoto and for the time being, Ivy was alone. She spent the entire morning preparing for Natsuo and Fuyumi’s arrival. There were treats set out in the living room and in their own rooms, generous gift baskets filled with more treats and some trinkets she hoped they would enjoy. Even a nicely decorated banner up that read ‘Welcome Home!!’ in big letters.

Now she just anxiously sat on the couch. Waiting. Imagining how they would react to this new woman in their lives. Wondering if they’d even like her. To be honest, if they wanted her to leave, she would. Their family already needed to heal, it’s not fair that this random person just showed up and joined in and they’ve never even met her before. What if they hated her? Oh god. She’d fall apart. “Fuck. Now I’m more anxious than I was at first.” Not that it was a spoken rule, but something about your new step kids seeing you having a panic attack for their first impression that didn’t seem right to Ivy. So a few deep breaths, and she was able to stop one before it started. Until the panic was revived when the door started to open. She scrambled to her feet and picked up a plate of snacks from the table. ‘Here we go.’

“Ivy, we’re home!” Enji opened the door and Shoto and Touya entered first. She wondered if the other kids came until she saw two more small beings behind Enji. First, a beautiful young girl with glasses. Hair white and eyes grey like Rei’s with small bits of red for decoration. She held on to Enji’s hand while he closed the door. Another kid appeared next to her. A boy. A bit taller than her. Though he was younger, he inherited Enji’s height genetics. For a ten year old, he was as big as Touya, maybe even an inch taller than his fifteen year old brother. Then again, apparently Touya took a while to have his growth spurt. The tall boy’s hair was white like Touya and his sister’s, three little stripes of red on each side just above his ears.

Ivy immediately wore a smile as warm as the sun. “Welcome home, guys! I’m Ivy, nice to meet you!” The two just looked at each other and then their dad, who nodded towards her. Their gaze went to her but they still didn’t respond. Ivy just stood there, frozen, too scared to move. Touya took the opportunity to take the cookies out of her hand and head to his room, Shoto gorged on all the other snacks and Enji reprimanded him to not spoil his dinner. “I-I’m sorry,” Ivy got down on her knees, “I guess I’m a little obnoxious. So much for a first impression, huh?” Her head rested in her hands. Maybe she could just turn invisible so they wouldn’t see her blazing embarrassment.

During her internal breakdown, a small hand rested on her shoulder. Ivy looked up, the 2nd oldest standing in front of her and giving her a small smile, her brother not far behind. “Hello. I’m Fuyumi. This is my brother, Natsuo. Or just Natsu for short. Nice to meet you.” After Fuyumi’s introduction, Natsuo stepped forward and smiled down at Ivy. “Hiya, stepmom!” He glanced and pointed at the table where his little brother was enjoying himself. “Is all this for us? For reals?” She nodded, a huge grin on her face. “Heck yeah, dude. I ain’t no evil stepmom. I’m fun and spoil my step-babies.” Shoto stuffed another treat into his face before giving a thumbs up. “It’s true! She’s really nice and sweet. You’re gonna love her. I know I do!” Natsuo took a second and hugged Ivy before running to join his baby brother.

Fuyumi stayed, kneeling in front of Ivy. “So.... you love our dad? Is he nice to you?” Obviously, Fuyumi was smart. There was no need to be dishonest. She knew how her father was, what he did, and know she was asking if he was the same as he used to be. “Well.... he’s had to work on his attitude and how he expresses himself. But he’s definitely gotten a lot better from when we were first together. He wants to be a better man for his family and atone for his actions. He’s really winning my forgiveness everyday.”

Ivy turned to look at Enji who had taken a seat on the couch and was watching the boys indulge. There was a content smile on his face. Seeing their happiness gave him some of his own. It was definitely a nice change from the dejected faces of the past. “Fuyumi,” Ivy continued. “You don’t have to forgive your father if you don’t want to. But if you ever find yourself wanting to, and you have questions, or really questions about anything ever, you can talk to me. I want to be here for you and your brothers as much as I can. I know what it’s like to have a conflicting childhood. I wasn’t surrounded by love like you have been, but that doesn’t lessen the significance of anything you guys have been through compared to my situation. I want us to be a family and I hope I can grow on you in good time.” Fuyumi hesitated before hugging her new stepmother. “I already know you will.” Ivy embraced the hug. The rush of oxytocin was so satisfying.

“Please excuse me.” Fuyumi rose and went to sit next to her father who grinned when she joined them. This was his second chance. He already missed a few years with her and Natsuo and he couldn’t bare to miss anymore. Enji honestly felt like he needed them probably as much as they felt like they needed him. The moment he found out he could get them back he had developed a certain glow. That was the look of a man who got his babies back, and eventually, they’d have to really sit down and talk about why they had to go in the first place. As for now, they just needed to enjoy each other’s company.

At dinner, Ivy got to learn even more about her new family members. Like how Fuyumi wants to be a culinary genius one day. And how one of Natsuo’s favorite moments was when a puppy approached him on the street when he was having a bad day and made him feel so much better. Ivy hung to every word they spoke, it was all just so interesting. It got to the point where every time Natsuo thought of something new to tell, he’d interrupt his sister which Enji had to try and prevent a couple times. Though he was excited that they were already intrigued by Ivy, there was still an order of manners that needed to be abided by.

Even at bedtime, they still had so much to say, but Ivy had to ask them to wait and tell her tomorrow. They groaned but listened to her and went to bed. “They are so amazing, Enji.” Ivy smiled up at the big guy next to her, a sparkle in her eyes. “They seem to really like you. I’m glad tonight was such a success.” He pulled her into his lap and kissed her. “I know. I’m so happy, too. They’re really great kids and I wanna be the best stepmama that I can be for them. So much has happened to those sweet babies and I wanna make sure they smile from now on.” While she was talking, Enji spread little kisses on her cheeks and neck.

Ivy was quietly enjoying it, falling into a trance, but shuffled when she felt his heavy paw dragging up her thigh. “Enji-” “You’re such a great stepmother, Ivy.” He whispered into her ear while nuzzling her neck, gently nipping at the skin. “Have you ever thought about becoming just a regular mother?” She could barely hear him over the blood that started to flow around ears from how hot she was getting. “Yes. Why? Are you offering to make me one?” They worked together to move her legs so that she was straddling his waist. “If you think you’re ready for it....” His hands breached the hem of the shorts she was sleeping in, there was an ease of access since she didn’t usually sleep in underwear. The feeling of his strong digits doing nothing other than simply working her most sensitive areas made her head fall back. “I would love.... to put a baby in you, honey.” In the midst of the sudden heat rising in the room, the sounds of sloppy kisses and horny giggles began to transpire.

“Oh, Enji!~”

#todoroki family ties #bnha au #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #endeavor #enji #dabi #touya #shoto #todoroki #endeavor x black!reader #endeavor x reader #enji x black!reader #enji x reader #enji todoroki #touya todoroki #shoto todoroki

[soraegeeks]

Review: Fire in the Mountains

Fire in the Mountains by EllaBesmirched (El_Bell)  AU: Fantasy Main relationships: Bakugou Katsuki x Todoroki Shouto; Katsuki and his multiple spouses Status: Completed Rating: Explicit

Official summary:

“I’ll do it.”

Enji froze, fingers curling into a fist at his side, and didn’t turn around.

Shouto froze too, feeling his own eyes widen in shock at the words that had come out of his mouth, at the fact that he had actually stood up, followed his father out of the room, and dashed after him all just to say… he’d do it? He would do it? Him. Shouto Todoroki. He would--

Enji finally turned around and fixed Shouto with an expression so scathing, Shouto had to fight to keep his chin raised. “You’ll marry the Barbarian King.”

Shouto blinked. “Yes.”

I came across this story earlier in the year and almost didn’t give it a chance because it centered around TodoBaku. I am so glad that I did though. It is so well written and captivating.

The setting is a marriage for diplomatic ties. Shouto is a 20-year-old prince of the Endeavor kingdom and Katsuki is the 28-year-old King of the Outlands’ unified tribes. Shouto volunteers to go in his sister Fuyumi’s place as Katsuki’s spouse. He’s worried about what the “barbarian” would do to her in general and afraid that she couldn’t carry out their father’s spy mission. Because ya know why would Enji ever NOT be a conniving asshole?!

Shouto A recurring theme is that Shouto doesn’t understand why the Outlanders’ customs are so different from his. He was raised to live his life in such a regimented way that it confuses and stresses him out to lose the predictability.

He doesn’t like people in his space and doesn’t like to be touched. A defense mechanism from his childhood that is constantly tested because the Outlanders are a VERY touchy feely people. It’s hard for Shouto and the Outlanders to understand this difference and Shouto snaps a lot early in the story.

Something I love about this story, though, is that it is a story of Shouto’s personal growth. He learns to open up to people, that he’s worth more than his father ever allowed, that he’s worthy of love and friendships and that it’s ok to be FREE.

Shouto & Katsuki When Shouto first meets Kastuki he THINKS that Katsuki is just like his father, evil and cruel. Immediately, the barbarians threw him for a loop when Katsuki flew in on an effing DRAGON and then they all get excited when Shouto loses his shit and lashes out with his magic. Over time he realizes that Katsuki just pretends to be cruel but is a caring man. 

Shouto discovers that he is Katsuki’s FOURTH spouse and the others (Kirishima, Mina and Denki) he married for love and not political gain. Shouto struggles to figure out how to fit in when he feels no love for Katsuki and has to live in a shared room with everyone. Katsuki treats him with kind acts but Shouto is so convinced that he’s being conniving. He’s never known a kind act without a trick at the end and very few pure kind acts.

It’s interesting contrasting Shouto’s “civilized” world and the barbarians’. The way Katsuki twists Shouto’s thoughts on his head: 

The Outlanders celebrate loudly because life is hard and the only thing they have is to be grateful for live;

Their clothing is actually more convenient than the Flatlanders’;

Shouto was taught to not acknowledge servants and not thank them. Katsuki calls him and his people out, “you’ve got pretty formal clothes and your pretty, stupid fucking ceremony and you all use it to cover up how fucking rude and cold and condesending you are.” DAMN! Shouto had never heard it expressed that way.

Shouto and Katsuki spend a lot of time together early in the story antagonizing each other. They both expect the worst and then live up to it. Little by little, though, they start revealing their true selves:

Shouto’s welcoming celebration. Shouto challenges Katsuki to fight him. Shouto gets so enraged because he thinks he hates Katsuki and gets a chance to go all out with his magic like he’s never been able to before. He knows that Katsuki can take it and doesn’t hold back. Katsuki learns that Shouto isn’t some pretty pretty little princess and Katsuki leaves a great quote that describes Shouto, “thought you were spoiled but you were really just caged, huh?” Shouto earns Katsuki’s respect in the end and maybe Katsuki gets a little of Shouto’s;

The fight against Dabi and Tomura. Shouto is badly injured while still recovering from injuries from the previous fight and new injuries. He instinctively protects Kiri with his life. After the fight Katsuki antagonizes Shouto to keep him moving during their hour long trek to Katsuki’s home village for help;

Katsuki repeatedly tells Shouto that he doesn’t have to do anything that he doesn’t want to and never forces himself on Shouto;

The Winter Solstice celebration. Katsuki surprised Shouto with an Outlander version of a stuffed sweet potato treat that Shouto had mentioned in passing. And they danced. Oh did they dance and maybe Shouto became a little aroused. Oh;

The nickname “Princess”. Katsuki starts off calling Shouto “Princess” as an insult but it soon becomes an affectionate nickname.

And the two of them letting down their walls a bit when Katsuki asks Shouto to use his ice magic for fun by making an ice slide. “You want me to. Use my magic. To make you an enormous. Toy.”

Katsuki and Shouto hide their feelings for each other and finally admit everything when faced with Enji coming to take Shouto back home. Enji’s ass with his deceptions and manipulating plans. Shouto doesn’t want to leave and knows that he loves Katsuki. He’s angry with himself for waiting so long, for waiting until they may be separated and never see each other again. But Katsuki finds a way. He keeps Shouto in the kingdom, even conceding some in the new treaty to keep Shouto by his side.

Family & Relationships Running parallel is the fuckshit mess that is the Todoroki family. Touya (in this fic Dabi is the eldest Todoroki son) was executed for trying to kill their mother. He was brought back by a necromancer. Natsuo and Fuyumi were just trying to fulfill their roles as royal children and keep their mother safe. Queen Rei is locked up in a tower due to her mental illness and there are suspicions that it was unnaturally caused. And then we have Enji’s ass throwing his weight around everywhere as is he was the rightful ruler. How could Shouto NOT be emotionally stunted when Enji kept him locked up as a tool?! All he was was something “pretty” for the nobility to look at and try to take advantage of. Sigh.

Touya, as Dabi now, remembers some of his past and keeps hinting at a family secret involving their mother but Shouto can’t figure it out. It torments him to see his brother like this. His brother that he WITNESSED being burned alive 10 years prior. Again, how did Shouto make it to 20 with his sanity intact??!!!

And here’s where we get to the complicated part. Are you with me? Good. Like I mentioned before, Katsuki has four spouses. He fiercely loves and protects them. The first three sleep with Katsuki and sometimes play with each other and the others. Shouto absolutely loses his mind the moment he finds out. Shouto knows nothing about intimacy so he really thinks they’re all faking it and it takes him a while to realize that there’s really love there. And then he starts hearing sounds at night. He’s disgusted and a little turned on and he doesn’t understand why. His puritanical upbringing clouds his mind and makes him feel so guilty for his thoughts. He’s barely touched himself, let alone had fantasies. He’s so uncomfortable even talking about sex. Each of the spouses tries to help Shouto break out of his shell. They gave him thoughtful wedding gifts and tried to engage him in one-on-one conversation.

Kiri is such a loving and generous soul. Oh, did I forget to mention that he’s actually a dragon who can take human form?! Yeah. So anyway, he took Shouto on an outing to an old dragon’s nest where they talked, ate and kissed a little. They had a discussion about love and intimacy and it opened Shouto’s mind to the fact that there are many types/levels of “love.” Mina for her part can’t understand why Shouto isn’t interested in sex and not with Katsuki of all people. And Denki is just a FLIRT! Taking advantage of how “pretty” Shouto looked at the Winter Solstice celebration and giving Shouto his first kiss.

But there is a hole in the family. Everyone dances around it at the beginning of the story. After visiting Katsuki’s home village, though, we learn that the hole was left by Izuku. Katsuki and Izuku used to be together in the early days but something tore them apart. Katsuki has so much animosity towards him it’s scary. There’s so much bad blood but also longing. And Shouto has an interesting reaction. With Katsuki, he was wary and slowly realized that Katsuki’s savageness just did something to him deep in his core that Shouto wanted to pretend wasn't true. But with Izuku, his inherent gentleness made Shouto want to be near him and let him in. It’s a heartbreaking situation because Izuku misses Katsuki and he sees that Katsuki is falling for Shouto. At the same time Izuku feels something for Shouto but doesn’t want to make things worse with Katsuki. It all comes to a head after Shouto and Katsuki’s joining ceremony when they ALL admit to having feelings for each other and it’s off to the races, kids! Cause Izuku’s gentle giant persona QUICKLY fades in bed and Katsuki easily falls back into his submissive role that only Izuku had seen before. Inexperienced Shouto is in for the ride of his life. That second to the last chapter in the story was HOT!! All aboard the TodoBakuDeku train. LOL Shouto “needed them both. Izuku to ground him. Katsuki to make him bold.”

The storyline with the necromancer (hello League of Villains) is interesting. But of course we don’t know WHY and WHAT is the group’s motive. We end the story with a cliffhanger of the fall of the Endeavor kingdom but what’s the end goal??!!! And why did Tomura keep mentioning to Katsuki that it wasn’t time for him, yet? So many questions and so little answers!!!! I’m so glad that the story is continued in “Fire in the Blood” that delves more into the aftermath of the displacement of the Todoroki family and Shouto’s continued personal growth.

#todobaku #tdbk #mha #bnha #So Rae Geeks Reviews #fic: Fire in the Mountains #EllaBesmirched #fanfic review

[hale-of-stiles-heart]

mistletoe woes

I finally managed to rewrite the rough draft I finished last week (which feels like forever ago tbh) so voila! For the sentence starter: “Is that mistletoe?” (Also on ao3!)

With the winter holidays quickly approaching, Principal Nezu had quite magnanimously agreed to grant the students of UA a week-long break so that they could return to their homes and spend Christmas with their families.

The unexpected announcement had come as a shock to many who had simply assumed that their hero training would continue through the holidays. It was UA, after all, and it wasn't like pro heroes could expect to have holidays off.

But all the students were ecstatic despite their surprise, none more so than the students of Class A. With the year they'd had so far, a nice break was exactly what they needed.

But that wasn't all they needed, according to one Ashido Mina. Mere moments after Principal Nezu's announcement, she had made one of her own, insisting that they have a party to celebrate the holidays together.

She had claimed that in addition to just being fun, it would do good for class morale. That had instantly intrigued Iida.

As class representative, he was constantly in search of different ways to engage the class in group bonding activities. At the mere suggestion of a class party, he had started babbling to himself about the logistics and estimated costs of a party for twenty people, more if anyone decided to invite their friends from other classes.

As though some kind of weird domino effect had been initiated, Midoriya had joined in on the absentminded muttering, rubbing his chin and scrunching his face up in thought. He and Iida had awkwardly migrated to one of the common room couches, sitting side by side while talking to themselves.

While they had discussed things with themselves, the rest of the class had erupted into conversations of their own. Without bothering to wait for Iida to approve it ("It's not like he's our dad," Kaminari had helpfully pointed out) they had begun talking about the party like an inevitability rather than a hypothetical scenario.

Jiro, Tokoyami, and Kaminari had immediately started talking about music, already brimming with ideas for playlists. Jiro and Tokoyami wanted to keep it rather varied with songs from multiple genres in order to cater to everyone's unique tastes while Kaminari had insisted that they play mostly Christmas music.

Fortunately, Sero had stepped in and very diplomatically suggested that they make a compromise. Carefully defusing the situation like it was a hostage scenario not a simple argument over music, he had pointed out that they could do both, additionally suggesting that they include Christmas cover songs from a variety of different genres.

Meanwhile, Yaoyorozu, Hagakure, and Aoyama had immediately launched into a lively conversation about decorations. In a matter of minutes, they had sketched out plans for everything decoration-related, from what specific decorations they wanted to where they would go and how much everything would cost.

Though rather down-to-earth and modest to a fault, Yaoyorozu was still a rich girl at heart and had excitedly squealed at just the prospect of a shopping spree. The others had eagerly agreed, already discussing what they should wear for the party.

On the other side of the room, Sato had started talking to Shoji and Koda about cooking for the party, claiming it would be a good opportunity to practice cooking in larger batches. He had then rattled off a handful of desserts that would be a good fit for a Christmas party, listing off cheesecake, chocolate cake, sugar cookies, and Dutch apple pie.

Koda and Shoji had nearly drooled all over themselves just at the mere mention of the promised desserts. Not that they could be held accountable, Sato's baking was ridiculously good. If he ever decided not to become a pro hero, he could have his own cooking show, no problem.

The rest of the class had divided themselves up into small groups to talk about other party-related things from balloons and banners to if and how they should rearrange the furniture for the party. They discussed outfits and party themes and color schemes and anything else they could possibly think of.

Uraraka and Tsu ended up talking about how they would get supplies for the party. Ultimately, they concluded that they would have to go to Mr. Aizawa and the principal for permission to leave campus and go shopping.

Eventually, Yaoyorozu had taken over party planning responsibilities. Mentioning the previous times she had helped to organize parties (typically with her parents for various charity events) she had promptly started delegating different duties to her classmates.

Uraraka, Tsu, Sato, Koda, Shoji, Aoyama, and Hagakure were tasked with going to the mall to collect the necessary supplies for the party. These supplies ranged from everything between Christmas decorations to food supplies to new clothes.

Fortunately, Yaoyorozu had thought to provide them with an extremely detailed list. She had also let them borrow some cash, just the sight of which had nearly given Uraraka a nosebleed.

Jiro, Kaminari, Tokoyami, Ashido, and Sero had been put in charge of the music, left to work out the kinks with their party playlists amongst themselves. Luckily, they all got along exceedingly well so there was no real hardship there.

The rest of the class was charged with assisting the others with cooking, cleaning, and decorating. This so-called 'reserve' team consisted of Ojiro, Midoriya, Iida, Todoroki, Kirishima, and (begrudgingly) Mineta.

Yaoyorozu had quite wisely decided not to assign Bakugo to any group. She was well aware that the hot-headed teen would rather explode his own face than listen to someone else's instructions.

Speaking of the explosive blond, he had left the common room almost immediately after the announcement of the party. Rolling his eyes, he had turned on his heel to stomp up the stairs to return to his room, scoffing about how fucking stupid they all were.

But it was no matter. Barely a week later, the promised Christmas party was in full swing.

All of Class A was in attendance in addition to a handful of students from other classes. Tetsutetsu and Kendo from Class B were there, invited by Kirishima and Yaoyorozu, respectively. They were excitedly telling anyone who would listen about their most recent date.

Shinso Hitoshi from Class C and Hatsume Mei from the Support class had also been invited, both of them mingling with the rest of the students in attendance. Shinso was leaning against a wall, looking as bored as ever while talking to Uraraka and Jiro; meanwhile, Hatsume was pestering Iida.

The entire ground floor of the Class A building had been converted into a veritable winter wonderland thanks to Yaoyorozu's ingenuity and Aoyama's sense of style. Green and red decorations filled the common room and kitchen, complemented by hints of gold, silver, and white.

Faux pine garlands were hung on the walls alongside wreaths and stockings. All of which were dusted with fake snow and decorated with plastic gold bells and red velvet bows.

White fairy lights, shaped like snowflakes and stars, were strung up around the common room. They cast the large room in a dim, intimate, almost dreamy light.

In one corner, by the large television, there was an artificial Christmas tree wrapped in shiny red tinsel and decorated with gold and silver ornaments. An illuminated star rested atop the tree, glowing a bright white.

The coffee table in the center of the common room had transformed into a small buffet table hosting various appetizers, all of which had been carefully made with love by Sato. There were glazed meatballs, cheese plates, beef sliders, cheese tartlets, sashimi, korokke, gyoza, and kushiyaki.

The kitchen counters were loaded with even more food, crockpots and serving trays full of entrees nestled beside plates of desserts that looked pretty enough to be on the covers of baking magazines. Sato had made as much food as he possibly could, from main dishes like gyukatsu and miso salmon to cherry cheesecake and homemade manju.

And between the kitchen and the common room was Kirishima's favorite part of the party.

Hung from the wide wall opening that led into the kitchen, nestled in a bit of gilded garland, was a bough of mistletoe. It was tied up with a strip of pretty red ribbon, its leaves a bright shade of green and its berries as white as snow.

It had been Hagakure's idea. The hopeless romantic that she was, she had insisted that it was a necessary holiday tradition despite Iida's many protests about it being nothing but trouble and Mineta's utterly creepy enthusiasm about it.

Ultimately, she had put it up with the help of Uraraka while Iida was busy lecturing Kaminari about daring to suggest they have Yaoyorozu make them some alcohol for the party. It was another useless argument from Iida considering Yaoyorozu had already revealed a few bottles of wine she had created, claiming that her parents always let her enjoy a glass or two of Cabernet Sauvignon during the holidays.

Anyhow, that single scandalous bunch of mistletoe provided a unique opportunity for Kirishima. An opportunity for him to finally, finally, finally kiss Bakugo.

His ridiculous, thoroughly embarrassing, super mega gay crush on Bakugo the that had probably started way back at the beginning of the semester if he was being totally honest with himself had quickly blossomed into something so deeply rooted within his chest that he wasn't even sure if he could still just call it a crush.

It was more like infatuation. Or captivation. Or enamorment. Or, as Kaminari often liked to call it, self-destructive puppy love.

Either way, Kirishima's whatever-you-want-to-call-it on Bakugo was getting worse each and every day. To the point that he was finding it increasingly difficult to restrain himself from flat out ruining their friendship by confessing his feelings out of the blue one day or stopping one of their study sessions to grab Bakugo and finally kiss his stupidly handsome face.

Somehow, whether it was due to his own self-restraint or his old bad habit of freezing up when he should be launching into action rearing its ugly, inconvenient head, Kirishima hadn't done that. Instead, he had tried his hardest to hide his painfully obvious crush on his best friend.

Clearly, it hadn't worked very well since Kaminari, who could admittedly be rather dense sometimes, had picked up on it almost immediately. Before that, Sero had realized it and sworn his undying loyalty to Kirishima, promising to help him pick up the pieces if Bakugo wound up breaking his heart; whether it was intentional or not.

But now Kirishima was sick and tired of pining. He was going to finally make a move, consequences be damned. If only Bakugo would walk into the damn kitchen.

For the past forty five minutes or so, after shooing Mineta away from the mistletoe with a kick to the back of the head, Kirishima had been lingering on the threshold between the kitchen and the common room. Nursing a red plastic cup of Sato's homemade eggnog, he kept his eyes trained on Bakugo.

The blond had reluctantly made an appearance at the party, essentially dragged out of his room by Sero and Jiro, both of whom had insisted that he only had to stay for two hours and then he could return to his room to brood or do whatever the hell it was he did when he was alone.

For whatever reason, Bakugo had agreed with minimal (for him, anyway) arguing rather than blowing up the entire party like most of the class expected him to. No matter the reason, Kirishima was grateful. Even if Bakugo hadn't moved from his spot on the other side of the common room for the past hour.

In typical Bakugo fashion, he hadn't bothered to dress up for the festive event. At least, not like everybody else had.

Nearly everyone had worn some sort of Christmas or winter-related clothing from ugly holiday sweaters to funny holiday t-shirts to the classic red Santa hats that Yaoyorozu had handed out at the beginning of the party. For example, Shinso was wearing a deep red sweater decorated with cats and the words 'Meowy Christmas’, while Yaoyorozu was wearing a more traditional Fair Isle sweater.

Predictably, Midoriya head donned a green Christmas sweater a few shades darker than his hair, emblazoned with a cross-stitched image of All Might in a Santa hat. Kaminari had managed to find a Pikachu Christmas sweater that, to his intense delight, actually lit up when a button within the sleeve was pressed.

And Kirishima himself had decided to wear the novelty sweater his moms had given the previous year. Bright red to match his hair, it featured a great white shark rising out of the waves, a Santa hat on its head as it flashed its sharp teeth.

In stark contrast, Bakugo was dressed relatively casual. He was wearing a deep red t-shirt under an unbuttoned black dress shirt and what had to be the tightest pair of jeans he owned. They were worlds away from his usual baggy pants, briefly making Kirishima wonder if they were new.

Whether or not they were, they were unbelievably unfair. Hell, his whole entire outfit was unfair. Kirishima was way too gay for this. Especially the way the t-shirt showed off just a hint of Bakugo's collarbone.

Again, getting back to the point, Kirishima was lingering beneath the mistletoe, eyes on Bakugo, just waiting for him to walk into the kitchen for a snack or a refill on his drink. For the past sixty-something minutes, he had been drinking the same cup of eggnog.

Was he even drinking it? There was no way Bakugo was that slow of a drinker, right?

Regardless, Kirishima had been left waiting for what seemed like an eternity, impatiently watching Bakugo out of the corner of his eye. He only left his spot to move aside whenever anyone else strolled into the kitchen.

He would smile politely at them and move out of their way to avoid any embarrassing incidents. The last thing he wanted was to kiss a straight guy or, worse, a girl.

Not that there was anything wrong with a little platonic kissing between friends. But Kirishima was too busy waiting for a certain blond hothead to cross his path to think about kissing his other friends.

Kirishima was too caught up in these thoughts to notice that someone had wandered under the mistletoe with him. It was only when someone let out a loud wolf whistle and someone else joined in with a suggestive hoot that he finally realized it.

Shaking himself, he blinked a few times, belatedly adjusting to the sight of the person standing before him. To his immense disappointment, it wasn't Bakugo.

Instead, it was Class A's resident pretty boy: Todoroki.

Todoroki himself looked extremely confused, looking back over his shoulder at Kaminari who was whistling and Ashido who was cheering a bit too enthusiastically. Frowning to himself, he glanced between Kirishima and the others then back again.

Letting out a small chuckle at the look of pure perplexment on poor Todoroki's face, Kirishima took pity on him and pointed upward. Todoroki followed the path of Kirishima's finger, craning his neck to look up at the instantly recognizable, parasitic plant dangling above them.

"Is that mistletoe?" Todoroki asked no one in particular, his voice devoid of any inflection whatsoever. After a moment, he looked back at Kirishima, raising his brows in a silent question.

Biting down on a smile in an unsuccessful attempt to stop it completely, Kirishima just nodded. Smile widening at Todoroki's suddenly flustered appearance, a violent blush spreading across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose, Kirishima shrugged and, as casually as he could, said, "So, what d'ya say? For tradition's sake?"

He offered Todoroki what he hoped was a reassuring smile. He was just about to assure Todoroki that he was in no way obligated to actually kiss him when the other boy gave one single definitive nod of his head.

Kirishima just shrugged again. It was just a kiss. Just a quick, harmless peck on the lips.

Todoroki definitely wasn't Bakugo but it wasn't like it would be terrible. It could be much worse. He could have gotten stuck under the mistletoe with Mineta.

Puckering his lips a bit, he closed his eyes and leaned in towards Todoroki, blindly aiming for the other boy's lips. He could feel Todoroki's breath on his lips when suddenly there was a dull smacking sound and something hard and solid whacked into the side of his chin.

Kirishima's eyes snapped open in time for him to see Bakugo roughly shouldering Todoroki out of his way, face twisted up in an angry scowl. Shoving Todoroki side, he growled, "Get the fuck outta my way, dumbass fucking candy cane."

In the following ten seconds or so, Kirishima processed quite a lot. One, Bakugo had decided to push Todoroki out of his way instead of just walking around him like a normal person. Two, he had just used a holiday-themed insult in place of his usual jab of 'half and half bastard'.

Third (and perhaps most importantly), Bakugo was now standing under the mistletoe with him. And fourth and finally, he wasn't moving.

Standing off to the side, Todoroki awkwardly lingered, glancing between Kirishima and Bakugo. When Bakugo noticed that Todoroki was still there, he turned to snap at him, practically snarling, "Fuck off, IcyHot."

Shaking his head at Bakugo's rather brusque dismissal, Todoroki turned and continued into the kitchen, refilling his plastic cup with eggnog. Without so much as another glance at Bakugo or Kirishima, he returned to the common room where Kaminari and Ashido were now eagerly gaping at their two friends beneath the mistletoe.

"Fuckin' loser," Bakugo scoffed, downing the last bit of his drink before crushing the plastic cup in his hand and tossing it into the nearby trash can. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he turned back to Kirishima.

Kirishima swallowed heavily, stealing a not-so-subtle peek up at the mistletoe overhead. Meeting Bakugo's eyes, he pointed upward again, barely managing to shakily point out, "Uh, dude, you realize you're under the mistletoe with me now, right?"

Bakugo just snorted. "So fucking what?"

Without any further, he fisted a hand in the front of Kirishima's sweater to tug him into a kiss that he would think about all throughout their holiday break.

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