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Everyone paused at that. No, it wasn't because what Dazai said was eerily creepy or weird. These were the things that they expected of the ex-Port Mafia member in regards to his prized Atsushi.

7 Hours Behind

read on AO3 (4/?)

tags: humor, crack, big cast, travel abroad, dazai is losing his mind, drunken shenanigans, multi-chapter, mini-chapters (etc.)

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Dazai can't remember the last time he was away from Atsushi for so long, or rather, he can but he likes to not think about it. Unfortunately, he can no longer say it's been less than a handful of times, what with this recent trip being number five. How he longs to hold his little silver-haired kitten! 

"To think you'd be one of those boyfriends," Naomi teased while sitting in one of the lounge chairs closest to her brother.

Kunikida only grunts, "You're lucky this is your first time hearing him whine like a baby." He'd given up on "encouraging" Dazai to do any work. All he'd done today was arrive (late, might he add) and wither away with all the sighing he was doing. And complain about work. And whine about how much he missed Atsushi. But most importantly...

"He hasn't posted anything online! What if he's forgotten me already?"

Naomi picked up her phone and raised a brow, "It hasn't even been that long since his last Instagram upload."

"That was hours ago!" Dazai complained. Kunukida was glad he'd stopped rolling around on the ground but pushing his cellphone into his face wasn't making anything better (this was one of the many disadvantages of sharing a desk with Dazai) . He was trying to finish up some last minute paperwork so they could all disband and let Dazai wallow in his own heartbreak but his partner was making things nearly impossible. He had dreaded this the moment Atsushi had announced his plans nearly a month ago and he had prayed that things would be different this time (to no avail. Dazai had an uncanny ability of defying God Himself)

"You can't actually believe he's still at the Cultural Center. Besides, he also hasn't updated his story since breakfast. It's already nearing lunch in Madrid...!" Everyone paused at that. No, it wasn't because what Dazai said was eerily creepy or weird. These were the things that they expected of the ex-Port Mafia member in regards to his prized Atsushi. Although everyone was surprised he hadn't GPSed the kid (note: He'd tried)

No, what made everyone pause was how right Dazai's statement had been.

Naomi quickly checked Atsushi's stories again, wondering if she had missed something, while her brother nervously looked over to her. They shared looks and then turned to Dazai who was laid out on his desk, his phone still in his hand, nonsense coming from his prone form. Ranpo put down his newspaper to fiddle with his phone, made a few quiet noises, and inconspicuously turned his chair away from Dazai. Naomi could see his hand disappear into his coat pocket. Even Kunikida paused in his work to check his notifications (this was an Emergency. While annoying, his Ideals could wait a few seconds...)

"...maybe the wifi is down?" Tanizaki suggested.

"No, the connection is strong. I just finished submitting some paperwork and contacting some clients, plus, Yoko hasn't let us know anything is off. I'd be the first to know if communications were somehow compromised," Naomi would love to say there were only a few moments when she wished to strangle Kunikida for being so dense but, well, that would be a lie. Luckily she had immense self-control

"I meant...maybe in Madrid? What if he hasn't had a chance to connect?" 

Dazai seemed to revive slightly at this suggestion but then Ranpo smirked over at them, his glasses perched on his nose, "He didn't have any issues these past few days. No, I doubt that's it. Perhaps he's...avoiding someone."

At that moment two things happened. Everyone's phones went off with notifications and Yosano barged into the office, a manic grin on her face as she yelled, "Have you guys seen Atsushi's latest post?! They are so adorable!"

Everyone screamed.

A/N: Here is that old fic that has finally been updated! I started it back in 2019 for the dazatsu ship week. i wrote 2 chapters and then disappeared. now i'm back with 2 new chapters and more to come~ my goal is to make something cute and fluffy but also CHAOTIC as always, comments feed my soul~

Gift for rhapshie: “Poor idiot Yuuji, falling for someone so constipated, he can’t even sort out his F-E-E-L-I-N-G-S. Oops, do you think he can spell?” (SukuIta, JJK)

F-E-E-L-I-N-Gs

Read on Ao3

tags: flower language, sukuna swears a lot, sukuna threatening the safety of poor florists, humor, nobamaki teases sukuna

note: this was written as part of a gotcha 4 gaza. if you like jjk, consider submitting a prompt here by the end of the month. you'd be helping out palestinians and getting some cool/cute fanart/fanfic for just a few bucks

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Sukuna wasn’t mad. No. That would imply that he cared and that was the last thing on his mind. No, he was getting revenge.

Nobara popped the sucker from her mouth and grinned, her single eye looking a little too gleefully in his direction, “Is that what you call it nowadays? Too scared to call it what it is?”

Maki swung an arm around her shoulder and joined in, “Be careful, if you say the F-word, he might run away screaming.”

“Poor idiot Yuuji, falling for someone so constipated, he can’t even sort out his F-E-E-L-I-N-G-S. Oops, do you think he can spell?”

Sukuna puts out the cigarette he’d been smoking and reminds himself that Yuuji wouldn’t like it if his friends up and disappeared one day. Not even if they were the ones provoking him, “Don't you two lesbians have anything better to do? Like go fuck in a car or blow shit up?”

Maki laughed, “Fucked already, currently blowing shit up, is it working? How close to exploding do you think you are on a scale of one shit to five shits?”

“Maybe we should show him the other pictures Yuuji sent us,” Nobara grinned, taking out her phone from her pocket. 

And hell no, Sukuna did not freeze and no, he also didn’t relax slightly when Megumi’s monotone voice announced, “There are no other pictures.”

Sukuna considers his options. At this time of night, he was blessed with no witnesses and both Maki and Nobara were huddled on the ghats so close to the river that he really had the perfect situation to get away with murder. As if sensing his thoughts, Megumi sighed, “You’re proving them right, you know.”

Sukuna had planned to spare Megumi but perhaps a little scare would do wonders on the kid. 

“Besides,” Nobara adds, “We’re Yuuji’s friends. We should be endorsing his slut era, not getting mad. What kind of a boyfriend are you?”

“The kind,” Sukuna grits out, “that gives no shits. I’m out. Get yourselves home you pack of stray delinquents.” 

As he walks away, Nobara yells out, “You’re like two years older than Maki!” 

“Yeah, two years on each of her ass hairs!” he yells back. 

(And no, he did not let the three of them get into his car and he certainly didn’t drop them all off at Maki’s place. He left their asses by the river, went home and silently contemplated his revenge). 

.

.

His revenge comes to him at the ass crack of dawn and if he hightails it to the local flower shop and shoves a few bills onto the counter with a single request ( I need a bouquet that aggressively says fuck you)...well, he thinks he’s perfectly justified. And no, him having slept only 2 hours has nothing to do with anything

Sadly, the first flower shop employee has no clue what kind of bouquet that would be (the fuck! What kind of person works at a flower shop and doesn’t know flower language?! He leaves the shop while calling the guy a useless idiot and that maybe Sukuna should give him a fuck you bouquet), while the second refuses to make it for him, even after (or perhaps especially after) he threatens to burn the place down. Figuratively. He’d never actually do that but apparently the guy didn’t know and he’d hightailed it back to his car before the guy could untangle himself enough to call for help

It’s only after he’s driven around for about 2 hours that he finds some dingy old flower shop willing to give him what he wants. The owner looks like he’s at least 500 years old but he laughs at the request. 

“Youngsters these days, so full of passion. This for your girl?”

“More like a snotty nosed brat,” he grumbles, his fingers tapping against the counter.

The old man just nods, “It’s a nice gift.”

Sukuna grins, “Won’t know what hit him. Bet he’d be too stupid. Hey, add one that means stupid in there.”

The bouquet ends up being a horrifically colorful mess of reds, oranges, yellows, and purples. Sukuna thinks it’s loud, angry, and exactly what he needs. He leaves the old man a tip and pockets the pamphlet with the meaning of the flowers. 

“As long as it means he’s stupid and needs to fuck off, I don’t care what else is written on there.”

The old man just laughs.

When Sukuna comes home he’s not even surprised to see Yuuji in the living room with the three parasites from last night playing on the console they set up a few months ago.

Yuuji doesn’t turn to him, too busy racing but Sukuna can hear his smile when he says, “Sukuna, you’re back! Where’d you go so early?”

Yuuji’s voice sounds tired. He even tries to stifle a yawn and Sukuna frowns, “Why are you awake? And didn’t I leave you three to rot by the river last night?”

“That’s not what you said when you tucked us in last night,” Maki teases. “Even gave Megumi a goodnight kiss.”

Megumi makes a disgusted sound, “Did not.”

“We heard some weirdo tried to rob a flower shop,” Nobara snickers. “Figured that was our cue to come see the show.”

The screen flashes their ranks in the race and Yuuji stretches, leaning back against the couch and smiles, “Kiss.”

But Sukuna doesn’t lean over to grant Yuuji’s request. Instead, he shoves the bouquet onto his waiting lips (and face). He squawks and Sukuna laughs. A few lose their petals and fall into Yuuji’s hair. 

Yuuji grabs the bouquet properly and Sukuna gets a front row seat to Yuuji’s reactions. He goes from confusion to delight, his pallor replaced by a healthy red and the tiredness in his eyes flees for a moment. He smells the flowers and grins, “Someone woke up sweet today. What are these for exactly?”

Sukuna smirks, “Fuck you.”

Nobara stage sings, “F-E-E-L-I-N-Gs.”

(The bouquet ends up in the kitchen and Sukuna slips the pamphlet the old man gave him under the makeshift vase.)

notes for this fic: - the prompt is based on this tumblr post - rhapshie also mentioned: "Yuuji is confused why Sukuna gave him a buncha of flowers but he just ends up blushing furiously <333 can be AU :)" -i went the AU route and only have a vague idea of everyone's circumstances and ages. for example, i know sukuna is older than everyone and that megumi is the youngest but i'm not sure how much younger. he's like the younger brother/cousin that always tags along with his older relative and their friends. i also have a vague idea that yuuji is in his 20s. he went through 3 different occupations as i wrote this, haha -i wanted to focus on Sukuna so i made the fic from his POV. i also really wanted nobara and maki to interact with sukuna and that somehow turned him into a chihuahua and dad/older brother figure?? LOL -i was curious about the flowers and found that they all also?? mean positive things. tbh idk how flower language works but according to a very quick search, while the bouquet means fuck you, it can also 1) be an apology - carnations, 2) encourages someone who is facing a challenge - orange lilies, 3) help reduce stress and bring comfort- meadowsweet & geraniums, and 4) means protection- foxglove. sukuna knows this double meaning (he totally read the pamphlet)

Gift for Anon: “You do remember he growled at you, right? Ignore him!” Nobara pokes him on the forehead. (Ottoge, JJK)

The Incident of October 15th

Read on Ao3

tags: movie night, cuddles, fluff, established relationship, confessions, flashbacks, inspired by a tiktok, humor

note: this was written as part of a gotcha 4 gaza. if you like jjk, consider submitting a prompt here by the end of the month. you'd be helping out palestinians and getting some cool/cute fanart/fanfic for just a few bucks

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They start dating after “The Incident”

What is the incident, you may be wondering…

Maki groans as Yuuta’s eyes light up, ready to tell the tale for what seems the hundredth time in the last year. Yuji looks baffled by her response and Nobara wonders if maybe she should have put a leash on him. No, she hasn’t heard the story yet and she was also curious, but if it made Maki react like that then surely whatever Yuuta was about to let leak from his mouth was nothing good.

Or, she remembers the ring on his finger and shudders, mushy

Panda smiles and says, “He loves to tell that story. I hope you’re prepared to be here all night.”

Megumi sighs because yes, he has heard the story. Multiple times. And seen the videos and edits that had (and sometimes still continue to be) circulated on social media.

Yuuji, optimistic as ever, just grins, “It can’t be that bad. Just look at how cute they’re being. They don’t even care that we’re here.”

He makes a huge gesture as if they hadn’t noticed the pair cuddling on the loveseat. It had been hard to ignore, especially when Yuuta had nearly growled at anyone who so much as tried to claim the seat next to Inumaki. And Yuuji, having first-hand experience fighting with him, had tiptoed away, hands raised in a placating manner.

There had been some shuffling and Yuuji had felt his cheeks go red when he heard Yuuta’s quiet, wait Inumaki-senpai, not there. And, Can you raise your legs for a bit? But when he’d turned to look at what they were doing, all he found was them repositioned and cuddling. Inumaki had settled between Yuuta’s legs, his eyes still concentrated solely on his Switch, but he looked relaxed with his legs outstretched and his head on Yuuta’s chest. Yuuta, meanwhile, had looked too pleased with himself, his arms around Inumaki, one of his legs cushioned under Inumaki’s, and the arm of the loveseat (probably) digging painfully into his back. They may as well have called it the Yuuta-Seat

About 15 minutes later, Maki had thrown Yuuta a pillow and he’d grinned her way in thanks.

And, not long after that, Yuuji paused the movie they were watching and asked when they’d started dating, his curiosity finally spilling into the room.

“You do remember he growled at you, right? Ignore him!” Nobara pokes him on the forehead.

“You know I’m a romantic at heart!" he gestures at the TV, which has the latest Human Earthworm movie paused (Nobara had refused to watch it in theaters but that didn’t stop Yuuji from buying it and adding it to their Movie Night collection, much to her horror). The movie is paused at the scene where Earthworm Man and Maria are holding hands near the cottage where they first met

Maki concedes, “It’s mushy as hell but also funny. We teased him for months because of it.”

Panda chuckles, “First year Yuuta was so fun to tease. He doesn’t blush like he used to.”

Inumaki raises an eyebrow at the comment and says something so softly Yuuji can’t hear but it must be something Big because Yuuta blushes to the tips of his ears. He also whines out Inumaki’s name. Yuuji can’t see it, but he’s sure Inumaki is smirking

“Touché, is he always this petty?” Nobara asks, smirking.

Inumaki says “tsuna” at the same time Maki says, “Very.”

But Panda is right. Yuuta loves to tell the story and he brings the conversation back to Yuuji’s original question

“It happened on October 15th.”

“Bonito Flakes,” Inumaki says, eyes still glued to his game, and Yuuta beams, “That’s right! It was by the station around noon.”

Nobara leans toward Maki and whispers, “That is so freaky.”

Maki whispers back, “That’s only the tip of the iceberg…”

.

.

.

The Incident does indeed happen on October 15th around noon on a slightly cloudy day near the station. Inumaki and Yuuta had finished the mission they’d been assigned and after making a quick stop for some cough candies, they were headed back to Jujutsu High. They’d gotten as far as the entrance to the station when someone called out. Neither of them had noticed it was THEM the stranger was calling out to until they tapped Yuuta’s shoulder

“Are you two together?” they ask again.

Yuuta blushes, “Us? T-together?!” 

But Inumaki had been more composed and just nodded. 

Yuuta’s voice cracked when he yelled out, “WE ARE?!”

The stranger laughs and tells them, “We’re interviewing people around here, asking a few questions, nothing serious. They’ve got a nose for things, that’s why I called out,” he points at the cameraperson who is waving their phone. “It’ll just be a minute or two. But we did want to post it on social media if that’s alright with you.”

Yuuta looks over at Inumaki, not sure what the protocol for this would be, but Inumaki just shrugs. The stranger grins, “Great!”

The camera starts rolling. 

“So, how long have you two been together?” 

Yuuta could feel sweat building on his forehead as a small mic was placed in front of his face, “We’re not-”

But Inumaki holds up two fingers.

“Two?” the stranger asks, bringing the mic back to himself,  “Like two years?”

Inumaki shakes his head, “Sujiko.”

The guy looks at Yuuta for help but even he still hasn’t deciphered the way Inumaki speaks. It was too soon. And seeing the mic move between the three of them so rapidly was doing something to his knees. He weakly replies, “Two…months…?”

Inumaki nods. 

The stranger laughs, “Wow! You two even have your own coded language, that’s so cute!”

Yuuta wasn’t sure what his face was doing anymore, “Y-yeah…”

“Two months, practically newlyweds! You probably don’t have many stories to tell yet, so we’ll keep it simple. Why’d you decide to date? What’s so appealing about this timid guy? And no coded words so we can understand, yeah?” the stranger says while looking at Inumaki.

The way Inumaki makes eye contact with Yuuta is what seals it. Yuuta can tell he’s starting to realize that ‘together’ means together and a part of Yuuta doesn’t want to hear Inumaki take it back. He also thinks Inumaki-senpai’s cursed speech won’t let him answer! and I have to help somehow!

He pulls the mic to his mouth and practically shouts, “I am, I’m really timid! I can’t even feel my legs right now, that’s how nervous I am! But…but Inumaki doesn’t mind! When we first went out he tried to cheer me up! But I got so scared because I’m not used to having such amazing and caring people around me! And he’s always protecting me! And even today, I said I wanted to see the city for a bit longer before heading back and he made sure we could walk around! He’s always considerate of the people around him! And-and you can always see it in his eyes! His r-really pretty eyes…” 

His face feels so hot and that must do something in his brain because suddenly, something clicks and he thinks, I like Inumaki-senpai..!

He moves closer to the camera, his face nearly taking up the whole screen, “That’s why Inumaki-senpai is great and I really like him!”

.

.

.

Nobara gapes as the Yuuta in the video gets pulled away by Inumaki and the mic drops. The video replays from the start, “I am both impressed and annoyed. Look at all the shares and likes!”

Yuuji nods, “And the comments! I bet he didn’t think he’d be confessing today, such a puppy, too bad he’s taken already. ”

But of course, that’s not the end of the story, only the start, and Yuuta lets them know all of the details the camera didn’t capture.

notes: - Even though I was excited for this prompt (domestic fluff, movie night, cuddling on the couch!!), I blanked when I actually had to start writing. But then I remembered that one video where this couple is being interviewed and the interviewer is an ass, asking the girl to explain what she brings to the table and i thought...what if Ottoge! except maybe fluffier bc cuddles <3 - I have a thing for friendships and everyone just hanging out so i made movie night into a hangout :D - October 15th is random, I needed a date after august but before december bc of the canon timeline then i remembered that i didn't remember when the worm man movie came out and was like oh no! so i added a new tag to the fic #timelinewhattimeline lol - of course yuuta is the type to remember dates. and if you ask him how long he's been dating toge, he'll give you exact days. none of this "about" stuff! xD - because of yuuji their movie night ends up waaaayyyy longer than the original (idk) 54 minute movie. bc you know he asked a 'first' question too (nobara too late to stop him)

When Sakura is added to the Furin first year group chat and his cellphone use starts to increase, nobody thinks to tell him about the dangers of being online, meeting up with strangers, or suspicious ads. (KameSaku, TogaSaku)

Dogg on Premise (Clean Up After)

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tags: Sakura and cellphone, stranger meetup, 0721, oral

A/N: I wrote some self-indulgent 0721 day (hj) content, hehe. My first contribution to windbreaker. Since it's NSFW, this post is only an excerpt, check out the full fic on AO3

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When Sakura is added to the Furin first year group chat and his cellphone use starts to increase, nobody thinks to tell him about the dangers of being online, meeting up with strangers, or suspicious ads. 

He grumbles as he walks across a train crossing. He’d seen it a few times during patrol, but had never ventured further since it technically wasn’t Furin territory anymore. He frowns as he goes under, noticing the change in atmosphere immediately. He tries not to let that bother him. He’d lived in sketchier places before but as he walks down the road full of bars and nightlife, he wonders if maybe he took a wrong turn somewhere. He blushes when he sees a couple kissing in front of a shop while the owner smokes, uncaring of how heated they’re becoming

He pulls out his phone and opens up the last conversation he had before heading over

unknown number, 8:47pm <<lets meet tonight <<i have a few minutes to spare <<make sure not to tell anyone, ok ;)

me, 8:55pm >>why the hell not

unknown number, 8:56pm <<a bit unfair to gang up on me like that dont you think <<not that i cant handle a few more bodies

me, 9:02pm >>only cowards fight dirty 1on1 it is

unknown number, 9:03pm <<oh that came faster than the last message <<looks like youre getting better with those fingers of yours <<come here: places.app.wbd/9RDMzps69T?x_t=bnr

me, 9:08pm >>shut up

me, 9:09pm >>!

Unknown number, 9:10pm <<wwwww <<just follow the signs

He feels himself get mad just thinking about the conversation and when he taps the link to open the location, he can’t help but let his finger linger with a little too much force. Instead of opening the link, a menu opens and he curses

He squints at the options and (gently) clicks open . When it does, he realizes he is in the right place and he’s only a few paces away. 

“Aren’t you a cutie? New around here?” a voice calls out from his right and he turns to find a slim man making pawing gestures at him. 

Sakura frowns, “So what if I am?”

The man laughs at his response and Sakura’s frown drops when he doesn’t detect any malice. The people in this town really are weird. They gave him food, tried to treat his wounds, called out greetings whenever they saw him, and now they even laughed like they’d been friends for ages. Even after being here for a few weeks, it was hard to get used to this feeling of community.

The man gestures him over, “I’m surprised nobody’s picked you up yet. Where ya headed?”

When Sakura comes closer, phone still in his hand, the stranger throws an arm around his waist, pulling him in close. Sakura freezes, then blushes to the tips of his ears, “W-Why are you so damn close, huh?! Are you tryna pick a fight?!”

He tries to move away, but the stranger holds him tight, “Wow, that really is your natural hair color, isn’t it?”

Sakura goes rigid for a different reason. He growls, “Let go.”

The stranger tries to soothe him by rubbing his side and without his Furin jacket, Sakura feels the touch a little too closely. His face lights up again. The stranger smiles, “Come on, don’t get mad. I think it suits you. You’re cute, but you have a bit of a temper. Now,” he says, grabbing Sakura’s hand to see his phone’s screen, “where are you…”

He lets go immediately, as if Sakura had burned him somehow, and steps back. Sakura can finally breathe a little easier but the guy seems a little nervous now, “Oh, didn’t realize you were one of his guys. My bad.”

Sakura raises a brow but doesn’t get a chance to say much else to the guy. Before the stranger retreats into the bar behind him, he says, “Just go down that way. It’s hard to miss.”

“Thanks,” Sakura mumbles, “I guess…”

Alone once more, he walks down the small street the stranger had pointed at. It was narrow. Too narrow, he vaguely thinks, noticing that it would only fit two people walking shoulder-to-shoulder. He snickers, Three, if one of them is Sugishita. Except it was more likely he’d take up the whole width for himself, refusing to walk next to anyone but Umemiya…

The path is mostly dark and the only reason Sakura isn’t stumbling over himself is that every few steps, a light will turn on to light his way. They turn off once he’s passed them, leaving the way he came bathed in darkness. It’s a perfect place to get attacked… But this doesn’t bother him. He’s used to fighting in the open and closed quarters. He won’t let anyone get the upper hand, no matter the location

By the time he finally emerges, the liveliness of the main street feels like something he imagined. 

Instead, he finds himself looking at a giant abandoned building. When he takes out his phone again, the app says he’s arrived.

He grins.

The way the building has been claimed by art and stickers reminds him of Furin High. No place on its surface is left unblemished. He feels himself get excited, That guy must be the real deal if people react to this place like that guy! Sakura is glad he answered that message. He knew that he couldn’t get to the top alone and he was glad he had Suou and Nirei on his side to help him, but there was still a lot he needed to do. Just because he had friends now, didn’t mean he could slack off in his training

He needed to get stronger if he wanted to get to the top and stay there. 

Except that now that he’s here, he’s not sure where to go. He tries going through the front, but finds the door locked. He even pounds on it a few times and calls out, but nothing happens. The place truly appears to be abandoned.

<<just follow the signs

He frowns, “What signs?”

It takes a bit of searching, but the only sign he manages to find is a worn out “dog on premise” sign. Like the rest of the building, it’s been graffitied. There’s an extra “g” next to “dog” and stickers cover the edges. There’s also something like spilled paint running down the top and it makes the letters look messy and runny. At the bottom, it reads ‘clean up after’. 

“What does that mean?” he wonders aloud and walks toward the little alcove the sign is affixed to. There are some stairs going down and he frowns again. He’s starting to realize this place is a bit strange. But I’m already here, and he didn’t need anyone thinking he’d ran away!

To his surprise, the door isn’t locked. He opens it and finds himself in a bathroom. The light flickers momentarily

There are three stalls and a two person sink. There’s also another door at the end of the room. He raises a brow. Perhaps it used to be a staff entrance? But when he opens the door, the entrance has been bricked off. 

“The hell…”

That’s when he realizes he’s not alone. There’s a tapping sound, like wood on floor and he turns around quickly, legs apart and arms raised, “Who’s there!”

“Ahhh,” a male voice answers, “You’re here.”

It’s coming from the first stall and he’s not sure how he missed the clogged feet when he’d walked in. They stop tapping against the floor. 

Sakura is beyond confused, “You’re…in the toilet?”

The voice laughs, “That’s right.”

Neither says anything for a moment and Sakura briefly wonders if someone did attack him on the street and managed to knock him out. This feels a little too surreal. 

“Are you,” he begins, “...almost done?”

The man makes a long contemplative sound, “No, not really. Just started actually.”

Sakura hears the sound of clothes being moved around, but the feet stay in place, unbothered, “Why don’t you join me in the next stall?”

Sakura’s brows are furrowed so tightly, he thinks this is what the grandmas mean when they say he shouldn’t frown so much or his face will stay stuck like that, “What? I don’t need to use the toilet! And why aren’t you ready? I’m not here to play games!”

He’s not sure when he lowered his arms, but he raises them again. 

The man laughs and then grunts, like he’s hit himself, except that the only noise Sakura can still hear is the sound of clothes. When he swallows, the sound his throat makes is too loud. He feels a sense of something he can’t name run down his spine and he suddenly wishes Kotoha hadn’t taken his Furin jacket. But she’d insisted it needed some mending, a member of Bofurin can’t go walking around looking like this, have some pride! 

Not like a jacket can do anything in a fight anyway…

The guy knocks on the wall of his stall, “Come on. I promise it’ll be fine.”

Sakura shakes his head, “No, you come out here! Or I’ll go wait outside!”

“Sakura.” So far, the voice had been playful but the way the man says his name is strict. Sakura shivers, “Go into the stall next to mine.”

His face goes red, why the hell am I blushing?!

But he realizes that there’s only so much he can do. He can either walk away, which he doesn’t want to do after coming so far. He can bust down the door, which he doesn’t want to do. He might like to fight, but he wouldn’t attack someone when they’re on the toilet! Or he could listen and just wait…in the stall next to him. He remembers the reaction of the guy from before and grits his teeth, “Fine!”

The voice becomes playful again, “Good boy.”

Continue on AO3

Gift for eroda: “Ok, imagine this,” Toru tells them, her face pink and her nails lime green, “Imagine you’re stranded on an island, what would you bring with you?”. (TogaChako)

00:00

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tags: stranded on an island, friendship, beach fun, summer, manipulation, confusion

A/N: I like the idea of being ambiguous with the tags SO! be careful. It's rated M for stuff that's described towards the end

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00:10

They decide to go to the beach in the summer, the group of them that are able to escape their work responsibilities. Mina is crying into the phone as Momo tells Ochako that they’ll have to pass on this weekend trip, but don’t worry, we’ll make the next one! 

So it ends up being just her, Toru, Tsuyu, and Shouto. He looks slightly scandalized when he arrives and finds out that it wasn’t just Mina and Momo who couldn’t make it but also Iida, Ojiro, and Deku. He does try to escape, but considering it’s 3 against 1…well, the odds weren’t in his favor

Toru is the most excited, “We’ll get to show off the ikemen of our group! Everyone’s going to be so jealous!”

She hangs from his arm and pulls him back whenever he tries to slip away. 

  00:09

They stay in a cabin with two rooms and too many beds. 

“Do you think they’ll care if we move things around?” Tsuyu asks when Toru starts telling Shouto to help move all the beds together. 

Ochako grins as she takes up the opposite end of one of the bed frames, “I’m sure it’ll be fine. We’ll just put everything back to where it was before.”

Shouto does as he’s told but can’t help but ask, “Why exactly do we have to do all this?”

“Because it’s a sleepover!” Toru exclaims, “And you’re our Plus One! It’ll be so fun! We’ll play games and tell stories and paint each other's nails!”

Shouto sighs but doesn’t argue. Tsuyu wonders aloud, “What color do you think will look best on him?”

Ochako wipes her forehead, “Red!”

Toru adds, “A green would look nice too.”

Tsuyu nods, “We should do both colors.”

Shouto looks at his fingers, then at the girls in the room and sighs in resignation.

  00:08

After they finish re-arranging the beds, they change into their bathing suits, grab some of the swimming supplies the cabin has in storage, and head over to the public beach area. 

They manage to find a nice spot and Toru lays down a blanket. She turns to Shouto and grins, handing him a bottle of sunscreen, “Can you put some on my back?”

He takes the bottle and nods.

Toru kneels down on the towel and moves her hair to the side. She’s grinning and gives Ochako and Tsuyu a thumbs up when she notices the nearby beach goers whispering and looking their way. Shouto seems oblivious to the attention, kneeling behind her and lathering up her back. 

Ochako giggles, whispering to Tsuyu, “He could pretend to look a bit more excited.”

Tsuyu laughs, “That’s part of his charm.”

Once Toru is all lathered up, she calls them over, “Ok Shouto, do them next!”

(She excitedly volunteers to do his back, even when he counters that he has a sweater and doesn’t need it)

  00:07

Toru struts around the beach, befriending almost everyone and with the sun glowing on her clear skin and messy curls, she has everyone’s attention. 

Shouto volunteers to stay behind while they all go have fun. 

Ochako and Tsuyu grab the surf boards they found at the cabin and run into the sea. They’ve never actually gone surfing but it’s probably not that hard to do

(They find out quickly that it IS hard)

  00:06

Ochako falls a total of six times and it’s on the last that she feels something… grab her. She’s not the only one to notice. Shouto, who had been content to stay out of the water and text on his phone, runs over to help her. They drag the board with them and Tsuyu comes over after she’s resurfaced from her own fall

Ochako winces when she shows them the side of her stomach. There are three scratch marks and they’ve all drawn blood. Not a lot. It’s just a surface wound and they’re sure that if she cleans it off, it’ll stop

“What happened?” Shouto asks, his eyes scanning the area. There are people swimming and splashing but none close enough to where the two were attempting to surf. 

“I-I think someone grabbed me…”

Toru barrels into them, her cheeks flushed and eyes worried, “Are you ok?!”

Since the wound is minor, they all return to playing. Shouto gets roped in by the three of them and they learn that he’s the only one of their group who can surf

This time, they’re part of the beach goers who gawk

(Toru, prepared as always, snaps a selfie at the perfect moment: it shows the three of them grinning and Shouto in the distance, his demeanor cool and aloof)

  00:05

They make it back to the cabin in the evening with bags full of drinks, snacks, and some ointment. They settle around the beds piled together in the living area and Toru exclaims that she’ll paint one of Shouto’s hands red. 

“You should do the other in green,” she tells Tsuyu. 

Tsuyu cocks her head, “Wouldn’t it look better if we alternate the colors?”

Ochako is cleaning her wounds, wincing slightly, but agrees, “It’ll look more balanced that way.”

Shouto lets them paint his nails and even asks them to take a picture when they’re done. 

He sends the picture to his brother with the manicure emoji. 

His brother sends him a picture of the bird, his nails black. 

But he doesn’t see the message until the next morning because he’s roped into helping the girls paint their nails. 

(When they’re done, they take a selfie with all their hands posed in front of them: Shouto’s are red and mossy green, Tohru’s are lime green, Ochako’s are pink and blue, and Tsuyu’s are 3 different shades of green. Shouto sends that one too.)

  00:04

“Ok, imagine this,” Toru tells them, her face pink and her nails lime green, “Imagine you’re stranded on an island, what would you bring with you?”

“My phone,” Shouto tells them, “So I can call for help.”

Toru laughs, “That’s not a good answer! Take a drink!”

His brows furrow, “Why isn’t it a good answer?”

“What if your phone is dead? Then what? There’s no electricity!”

He’s already holding the shot, “It’ll be charged.”

Tsuyu asks, “What’s your battery at now?”

He grumbles when he shows his phone’s battery at 14%. He takes a drink.

“A motorboat,” Tsuyu tells them, “with a lifejacket inside.”

Ochako and Toru both nod, “That’s a good answer!”

Shouto frowns, “I thought we could only take one thing.”

Ochako giggles, “Well, we didn’t specify …”

Toru, who has taken the most drinks so far, belly laughs, “A guitar!”

Tsuyu smiles, “Why a guitar?”

“So I can listen to music,” she tells them. 

Shouto nods, finding her answer acceptable, but Ochako asks, “Can you even play the guitar?”

Toru pauses and then laughs, “No!” She takes a drink. 

“It’s your turn now, Ochako-chan,” Tsuyu tells her. 

Ochako’s face is red. It has been since before they started drinking, “I think it would get lonely so…” Her face goes even redder, “Perhaps someone to spend time with…”

Toru waggles her brows, “ Someone? Anyone specific?”

Ochako laughs, “No, but, I mean, a cute girl would be nice. We could get to know each other.”

Tsuyu and Toru both nod and Shouto looks offended. 

“We can bring people?! ” 

The three of them laugh.

  00:03

Toru is the first to run to the bathroom after their little drinking game. Shouto looks unfazed but Tsuyu suspects he’s two seconds away from falling asleep. 

And Ochako…

She rubs her side, feeling it burn slightly. 

  00:02

They all end up falling asleep soon after, their bellies full of alcohol. 

They have two fans running. They did little to keep them cool while they played, but somehow (now) they cause Ochako’s skin to prickle. It feels like there’s something running along her body, some type of phantom touch. 

She unconsciously moves her hand across her body, her mind believing it’s some type of bug or web she can easily flick away. It works at first, but soon after the feeling returns. 

Sleep sticks to her eyes, but she opens her eyes a crack to find something shimmering. She groans, closing her eyes again

I can’t believe Toru’s hair is still so bright…

  00:01

Ochako wakes in a panic, her body bracing for an impact that never comes. Her eyes fly open and it’s only when she finds her bearings that she calms. Her panic is quickly replaced by confusion when she finds she’s the only one on the pile of beds. Her friends have disappeared. 

In their place is a giggle that echoes in the cabin. It’s coming from out front and she wonders if she’s woken up too late. 

She tries to check the clock on the wall she’d seen when they’d arrived, but finds it missing. Her phone is also nowhere near her. That same giggle comes again and she stretches on the bed, did someone come by the cabin? She doesn’t recognize the voice

When she finally finds the energy to get out of bed, she shivers at how cold the floor is. She tiptoes to the bathroom to relieve herself and brush her teeth. She calls out to her friends while she’s still drying her face, but nobody answers her

Instead, when she opens the door, she comes face to face with a blonde girl with golden eyes. She’s grinning wide and her pale cheeks have a heavy blush on them.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Ochako-chan!”

  00:00

Ochako…doesn’t know how to react, so she furrows her brows and asks, “Who…are you?”

But the girl doesn’t hesitate. She grabs Ochako’s hand and pulls her out of the bathroom. Ochako shivers at how cold everything feels, but doesn’t pull away…even though she’s never met this girl, she doesn’t feel like she’s in danger. She feels calm, if slightly confused.

The girl pulls her onto the beds again and they bounce slightly. She giggles and when they settle down, the girl looks at her dreamily, “It’s me, Ochako-chan, Himiko! Call me Himiko, okay?”

Ochako smiles back at her, nodding, “Alright…Himiko-chan.”

Himiko’s face somehow gets even redder and it makes Ochako blush as well. 

“H-Himiko-chan, where is everyone?”

Himiko’s smile becomes smaller, more intimate somehow, and when she says, “It’s just me and you today” Ochako shivers. It feels exactly like the night before when she’d felt something crawling against her skin. 

  00:00:02

Ochako changes out of her pajamas. Yes, that must be what happens. 

Himiko is already wearing a black two-piece that makes her pale skin even whiter. She has a sheer cover-top over it. It’s open in the front but trails behind her when she stands to grab the nail polish they’d all left by the kitchen counter. 

Ochako is wearing a yellow swimsuit she doesn’t remember buying. 

She wonders where she got it and then remembers. 

Himiko places the swimsuit against her clothed body and grins, “This color would look good on you!”

Ochako grabs the hanger, contemplating, “Really? I don’t usually wear yellow…”

Himiko nods, dragging her to the changing room.

  00:00:07

“Let’s pretend,” Himiko tells her when she once more jumps onto the beds. She seems to float toward Ochako, “that we’re the only two on this island, ok, Ochako-chan?”

Ochako lays her hands on Himiko’s lap and grins, “Why are we pretending?”

Her nails are the natural shade of pink flesh. 

She blinks at them a few times. Had she…taken off the polish?

Himiko cups her cheeks and Ochako blushes when she notices they’re much closer together. 

“Because, Ochako-chan,” she feels Himiko’s whispered voice embrace her. It echoes off the cabin walls, “you said you wanted a cute girl to spend time with. Aren’t I the cutest? After you that is…”

Their lips are so close that it would take just a second to lean in

  00:00:08

Himiko’s lips are cold but smooth. 

The inside of her mouth is sweet but dry. 

Himiko bites her and there’s blood in their mouths. She whines Ochako’s name between their gasps. 

  00:00:07

“Let’s pretend, ok?” Himiko tells her and Ochako nods. 

  00:00:09

They paint their nails. The pads of Ochako’s fingers become red, the blood bright under Himiko’s hands. Her nails are pink. When Himiko blows on her fingers, Ochako has a sense of deja vu

She’s sure that Toru did this last night. Didn’t we choose two colors?

But when Himiko makes eye contact with her, she forgets. 

“Do you like them, Ochako-chan? I’ve been practicing!”

Ochako smiles at her and nods, “You could be a professional! I’ll paint yours. What color do you want?”

  00:00:06

They choose red. 

“I love the color red,” Himiko tells her against her skin, “It reminds me so much of blood.”

Ochako laughs, shaking the bottle. 

“You’ll look so cute in red, Himiko-chan.”

She paints and paints and paints

  00:00:10

“What else do you like, Ochako-chan?” Himiko asks as they walk along the beach. The sun is already shining brightly in the sky, but the sand is warm, even a bit cool.

Ochako digs her toes into the sand as they go. It helps cool her feverish skin.

They’re holding hands, bright pink intertwined with pale fleshiness. 

There’s a breeze that makes Himiko’s cover-up dance, but Ochako barely feels it. 

She laughs, “Himiko-chan, how can you not know? We’ve been friends for ages!”

Himiko’s grin is wide when she pulls Ochako close. 

“That’s right! We have been. I know everything about you, Ochako-chan!”

  00:00:08

Himiko’s lips are bold and demanding. They devour Ochako.

They slip under her clothes, under her skin, and glide across blood and muscle and tissue and even her soul. 

  00:00:11

They swim in the beach and Ochako carries Himiko on her shoulders, dunking her in the water. There’s nobody else around to play with. 

Ochako has the vague sense that they should be surfing. She’s sure they had surf boards in the cabin’s storage, but when she turns to look for it, it’s gone. 

There’s only sand, palm trees, and a single willow tree. It looks wrong somehow and the roots look dry. They extend out along the beach, as if they’re hoping for a drink, but stop just before reaching their destination. 

They look like hands. So many of them reaching…

Himiko sticks herself to Ochako’s back and Ochako loses her balance. They laugh 

  00:00:05

It’s a cabin. It’s not as warm as Ochako recalls. The wood splinters and she winces when one gets stuck on her palm. 

Himiko stares at her hand intently and offers to help her. 

Ochako winces when they finally get it out and a bit of blood trickles out. 

Himiko licks the droplet and grins, “All better, right?”

  00:00:59

They sit outside in the sun, their bodies lathered in sunscreen. Ochako thinks she’ll get sunburned but Himiko looks as pale as ever, almost like the sun doesn’t reach her. 

Himiko’s hand is placed possessively on her side and it’s the only place that burns. The rest of Ochako’s body is cold. 

They’re talking about her friends…their friends…right? Ochako wonders once again where they’ve gone. Did they go to the store? It hasn’t been very long. She’ll introduce…

No, Himiko has been with them before. She’ll tell them she changed her mind. That her job let her come over and she…she came to meet them…this morning…

“They’re so obvious,” Ochako tells her with a grin, “We all think they should just start dating already!”

But Himiko knows this already, she’d been there after all…

Himiko’s teeth are as white as the rest of her, “Should we date, Ochako-chan?”

No. Not entirely white. There’s a rudyness there. 

She leans in close and Ochako feels herself falling. Himiko has no scent, even after playing in the sand and the sea. Even after running and working up a sweat. Even after Ochako spent so long painting her nails

  00:00:08

Himiko’s body is light and if Ochako hadn’t been clinging to her so tightly, she thinks it would have been just a dream. 

But the way Himiko touches her is real. 

She feels it at her core

  00:00:07

“Let’s pretend,” Himiko whispers into her ear. 

Ochako’s face is red. The hands have reached out further. A gnarly fingertip touches the surface of the water. 

It’s so close.

“Let’s pretend it’s just the two of us, stranded.”

  00:00:01

Himiko’s giggle echoes in the cabin. 

Ochako yawns and smiles when her blonde girlfriend buries her face against her side. 

  00:00:02

  00:00:05

  00:00:11

  00:00:09

Send kudos on AO3

Gift for sam: “You’re obsessed,” Shouto tells her when she asks him to take the lead for today’s tours. Her smile is a bit sheepish, “Isn’t that the natural state of scientists?” (TogaChako)

Predation

Read on AO3

tags: marine biologist ochako, friendship, blood, ochako is reckless, ambiguous/open ending, creature toga, curiosity bordering on obsession

A/N: I will just say that with a title like 'predation' and these tags... don't expect a "good" ending. Just know it's...ambiguous, lol. Also, I talk about the research I did for the fic on AO3 so if that's something you're curious about, head on over~

——————————————————————————

When Ochako takes her mask and snorkeling gear off her face, the first thing she’s presented with is Shouto’s hand and a gruff, “Here.”

“Huh?” 

She blinks at his face and then focuses on his hand, gasping when she finds a glowing pink scale tucked between his fingers. 

Shouto smiles, “I knew you’d like it.”

She grabs it reverently and grins, “It looks amazing! Thanks!” But she can only hold in her laughter for so long. She giggles, “And take off that mask! Or you’ll tan funny!”

The clients are already being herded along by Aizawa and while Ochako would normally go and join in the friendly conversation, Shouto had stolen all her attention with his gift. Now all she wanted to do was get out of her wetsuit and investigate. Or, her eyes briefly go back toward the sea, get back in the water…

Shouto pulls off his mask with a grunted “don’t even think about it” and she laughs when she sees the ridges the mask has left around his face. She suspects she’s in a similar situation. She also takes his advice, for now.

Someone taps her shoulder and stage whispers, “Come on, let’s go before they call us over!”

It’s Yaomomo with a bag slung over her shoulder, video gear already settled inside. Ochako doesn’t have to be told twice and they both drag Shouto with them. She makes sure to hold on tightly to the scale

.

.

.

Ochako thinks she's gotten into the routine of things after working for Aizawa’s boat company (which he ran with two friends from high school and named Plus Ultra ☆ Scuba) for nearly a year. She didn’t struggle as much with getting out of her wetsuit (company-provided) anymore and she’d stopped wearing impractical outfits under it, opting to keep things simple and short.

It was a nice change to her previous job, which often left her stuck in a lab and away from her true passion: the sea. 

She sighs. She’d also accepted that showers at work had to be quick. She scratches her wrist and mentally reminds herself to apply some lotion again. 

When she walks into the office she shares with Shouto and Yaomomo she grins. Both of her friends are already at their desks, which makes the next item on her mental “to-do” list easier to mark off. She sits down and swivels toward Shouto.

She raises the scale so that they can all see it, “Where and when did you find this?”

He only glimpses at her, his eyes trained on his screen. She knows he can’t be looking at anything too important and she’s right when she peeks to find him mindlessly scrolling through emails. She raises a brow at him and he pretends not to notice

“It was at the bottom of the floor.” 

She waits for him to say more and then realizes she’s talking about Shouto Todoroki. Unless she was talking with his sister or eldest brother, it was going to take more prying. 

“How did you find it?” she raises it to the light, “It’s so light now…”

When he’d first given it to her, the color had been a vivid pink, almost magenta, but when she’d left the shower and retrieved it, it had lost most of its pigment. She’d spooked Yaomomo when she’d started yelling. And now it was a nearly transparent rose color. She wondered if it would still hold any pigment by the end of her shift.

He finally leans back into his chair and nods toward Yaomomo, “I noticed it reflected off your gear.”

Yaomomo, who is busy (transferring the data she’d just recorded), nods absentmindedly. 

Ochako pouts, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Shouto just shrugs, “You were busy.”

She slumps into her chair. That was one of the downsides of being the diving leader. She had to always focus on the clients, “Were there others?”

Shouto lifts his hand to his chin, “No…I didn’t notice any others.”

She nods and scoots back to her desk, turning on her desktop. It makes a few whirring sounds, letting her know it’s powering on and she complains, “We have all this cool tech but our computers are so old!”

Yaomomo laughs, “I believe you mean your computer is old.”

And she’s right. Out of the three computers, Yaomomo’s desktop was bulkier, but it was faster and meant for editing and sorting through large amounts of data. Meanwhile, hers and Shouto’s (based on how long it took for them to power up) were just regular computers running on a system that was probably a decade old. 

It probably helped that Yaomomo was the scion of her family (and the sponsor of Plus Ultra ☆ Scuba). The Yaoyorozus were a family with their fingers in nearly all the technology Ochako had ever laid eyes on. That probably didn’t sound very exhaustive since Ochako had never been one for digital accessories, but it was all-encompassing. She’d seen the Yaoyorozu logo on too many things. Even electric toothbrushes! 

That seems to remind her, “Oh, how was the gear today? Let me know if anything was faulty. Mei’s been messaging me all day.”

She checks her phone and smiles, and Ochako sighs forlornly, “It’s tough being single, isn’t it Shouto-kun?”

He smiles, “I wouldn’t know.”

Ochako makes an inhuman noise and kicks her legs, “What do I have to do to get hit on by a pretty girl for a change!”

Yaomomo laughs and even Shouto gives a little amused sigh. 

Ochako pouts and contemplates the device on her desk.

Before they’d gone diving, Yaomomo had given her and Shouto one of their newest diving creations. A collaboration with Izumo Tech, which was probably the only other company on par with the Yaoyorozus. This specific item was originally a vague idea Yaomomo had vocalized in front of Mei and Mei (always up for a challenge), had told her they should try inventing something to fix the problem. The problem being that it was hard to communicate with clients while underwater

Yaomomo had told them about some of the more interesting and failed ideas Mei had suggested. Ochako remembers the idea of creating some sort of gill-like feature for humans and smiles, if only that were possible! 

That little moment had eventually led to them contacting Izumo Tech for parts (and their heir had taken an interest in the project). She wasn’t sure about the specifics after that, but it had led to the first prototype sitting on their desks.

“I think it’s really useful,” Ochako tells her.

“But…”

Ochako laughs, “But…it’s a little hard to use with gloves. The keys are so tiny.”

Yaomomo nods seriously, taking some notes. 

The device looked a bit like one of those old early 2000s phones that would flip open to reveal access to a keyboard. Though she supposes the style is now more reminiscent of compact digital dictionaries, except not as slim. But even for a prototype, the device had been a big help. Ochako had been compiling information regarding the local marine ecology for months now and it was nice to see her labor finally presented in a tangible form, even if the design was a bit basic…

“I’m sure Mei will love the feedback!” Yaomomo grins. "We haven’t named it yet either,” she tells them, “If you have any name suggestions, I’ll gladly pass them along.”

Shouto’s brows furrow and they both laugh at his concentrated look. 

She continues, “I also spoke with Haruichi-san about potentially changing the format so that it’s less text and reading-based and more dictation. He’s developing some designs but it sounds like he’s settled on an earpiece.”

Ochako grins, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the scale she’d slipped back into her coat pocket. It was smooth all around, “It sounds like you’ve all thought of everything already.”

Yaomomo blushes, “It’s all theory and ideas. You two are my best sources for how it actually works in practice. So don’t be afraid to be critical.”

“The hammer,” Shouto announces. 

They both look at him confused. 

Ochako asks, “Why…The Hammer?”

He lifts the device off his desk and says, “It’s heavy. And the shape…” He’s pointing at the square-like antenna poking out from one side, “is like a hammer.”

Yaomomo and Ochako share a look and then burst out laughing. 

Between giggles, Yaomomo says, “I’m sure Mei and Haruichi-san will love it.”

Shouto looks satisfied and Ochako laughs harder.

.

.

.

Ochako makes a folder titled “Unknown Specimen - Pink Scale” and starts to draft up what she’s observed so far. One: the piece is about 3 inches long and 2 in width. Two: The shape is similar to cycloid scales, however, the longer she looked at it under the microscope, the more it was starting to look like just a plastic mold. Three: In less than 24 hours, the scale went from a vibrant shimmering pink to a pale, almost transparent, rose color. She’d also tried (in a lab) submerging it back into seawater, burying it into a seabed, and even dying it. All to see if the color would return somehow. That last one had been something Shouto had suggested and while she’d been hesitant to destroy the only specimen she had, she’d been curious as well. Luckily, it hadn’t worked, but it had produced surprising results. 

Which led to point four: the scale couldn’t be dyed. She’d tried different methods and nothing took hold. 

And now here she was, almost three days later, revisiting the place Shouto had found it at. Alone. Kind of.  

Since today was one of their days off, Ochako had decided to skip the wetsuit, wearing a simple two-piece with gloves and a belt across her chest. The scale was in one of the pockets since she had a different theory: assuming there was a possibility for the scale to regain its pigment, perhaps it needed the Actual sea and not recreations. 

While most days, Ochako would enjoy the view, today she was on a mission. She felt along the seabed with her hands, careful to do so gently, in case anything was hiding under there. 

Nothing. 

It’s only when she starts swimming between the more intricate rock formations that she finds another scale. Except that this one is yellow, almost gold. 

She pulls a camera out of one of the pockets and takes a snapshot of the area. The water feels slightly cooler here and while the fish still swim near the arch, it’s less densely populated. She notes the fish swimming around, realizing the scale can’t belong to any of them. It’s too big.

She swims back up to the surface and Yaomomo helps her back into the boat. 

“Did you see anything?” Ochako asks once she’s taken off her gear. Yaomomo gives her a towel

“Everything seems fine,” she tells her, showing her a sped-up playback of the recording that the video camera strapped to Ochako’s belt had captured, “The animals seem fine. We haven’t been keeping too hard an eye on the area, but nothing looks damaged either.”

Ochako nods, “That’s what I thought too, but it doesn’t make sense.”

They decide to head back to the beach. 

As they do, Ochako pulls out the scale she just found and frowns even deeper. She had thought it had been the same as the pink one, but this one was slightly flatter and actually had ridges and spikes. When she changed the angle, it also shimmered, but only slightly. 

She takes out the other scale to compare (even though she’s practically memorized its shape by this point) and yells. Yaomomo stops steering and runs over to her, “What’s wrong?! Are you okay?!”

Ochako nods but doesn’t look away from her hand, “Look.”

Yaomomo does and her eyes widen. The pink scale is vibrant once more.

.

.

.

“You’re obsessed,” Shouto tells her when she asks him to take the lead for today’s tours. 

Her smile is a bit sheepish, “Isn’t that the natural state of scientists?”

“It’s dangerous,” he tells her but doesn’t stop her from packing her things, “We don’t know how long whatever’s down there has been there.”

That does stop Ochako momentarily, but not for long. It’s true that the day after she’d found the yellow scale, she’d returned with Yaomomo to plant a few cameras. They left them in three different places in hopes of finding whatever was down there, but all they had to show for their efforts were two destroyed cameras and no answers. Yaomomo had been devastated and then worried that something so strong was so near. 

They’d told Aizawa about it and he’d decided to change the location of future tours. We’ll keep an eye out and I don’t want to hear about any of you going back there until I give the ok

She looks at the two scales she’d collected. The gold one had lost all its luster and brilliance in the same way the pink one had, and the pink one had…changed. 

It was almost like an independent organism. There was still nothing under the microscope and the only explanation she had was magic (what were the chances!) or a really thick surface (though even then, she knew there had to be something ) that somehow blocked her every attempt to physically investigate the item. 

Shouto had (once more) reminded her that she could just crack it open, but she hadn’t wanted to, especially after its metamorphosis. The scale had kept accumulating pigment and now was almost a ruby red and three spikes had appeared on its surface. They were all different lengths but didn’t extend past what she assumed was the base of the scale. They were also sharp when touched by hand

She’d learned that the hard way. 

“And,” he stresses, “you’d be going alone. I’m worried.”

She smiled. Shouto wasn’t always vocal about his feelings, assuming they all just knew how he felt, so she treasured the times when he did. 

“I’ll be ok, we’ve all gone diving on our own a few times. I won’t go far.”

.

.

.

Ochako keeps to her promises. She stays in the vicinity of where both scales were found, which also happened to be the only place the camera survived. She’s a little nervous, but it’s a nervous excitement. She’s not sure why, but she has the feeling that something will happen. 

She straps the belt across her chest, once more foregoing the wetsuit, but wearing a more standard one piece swimsuit. It helps keep her gear in place. 

“Time to find some answers!” she pumps herself up and jumps.

.

.

.

She realizes something isn’t right when her head goes under and she looks down at where she feels pain on her chest. There’s a small stream of red coming off the pocket where she’d stored the red scale. One of the spindles has torn through the fabric of the belt and it dances in the water. She grimaces

What…happened?

She thinks her vision starts to go dark. It’s only early noon so the sunlight should help light her way at this depth. She blinks rapidly and realizes that there are also no other fish. 

They’re hidden…

It’s here…

She gasps, the pain becoming stronger but she can’t move her body as well as she’d like.

.

.

.

It feels like she’s suspended in the water for a long time, but it must only be for a moment. She sees it then, in her peripheral vision. It’s…like a dragon. Whatever it is has a long tail and when it shimmers gold, Ochako realizes it’s the creature she’s been looking for. 

Except that now she thinks it was looking for her . 

She closes her eyes and when she opens them, she finds herself staring into the clearest and brightest brown eyes she’s ever seen. They’re so clear they look like they’re gold. They’re framed by blonde hair and a long smile that splits the creature’s pretty features. And right against its cheeks lay two scales, blood red with spindles that look more like whiskers

They seem to have a will of their own too, some of them curling towards Ochako.

This isn’t what I meant…when I said I wanted a cute girl…to hit on me…

Bubbles rise to the surface.

.

.

.

Ochako used to have an imaginary friend when she was a kid. It wasn’t strange. All children had imaginary friends and all children, her included, would insist that their friend wasn’t imaginary. Her parents thought it was cute…until they realized that her imaginary friend would always be in the sea. 

“But she’s lonely,” Ochako cried as her parents settled her into bed, her small fingers pruney. 

“Ochako,” her mother’s stern voice was wobbly, “What you did tonight was dangerous and not okay. We…If we hadn’t found you…”

She also starts crying and her father comforts her. His voice is softer when he talks to her, “Ochako, what did we say about nighttime?”

Ochako sniffles, shame rising to her face, “Night is for sleeping and-and staying inside.”

He nods, “That’s right. I’m glad you remember. Now, do you know why we’re upset?”

She looks at her mother, who is starting to wipe away the tears on her face. 

“Because you’re worried?”

“Yes,” he smiles, covering both her hands in his one giant one, “Now, going out without telling us wasn’t right. We talked about communication, remember?” She nods, “And I know you’re worried about your friend, but I’m sure she’s gone home too.”

“But she doesn’t have a home!”

“Let me tell you something you might not know,” he says, grinning, “Mermaids have homes, too. In the sea. They’re called Nests. Your friend will be fine.”

Her eyes grow wide, “Really? How do you know?”

He nods, “Because I’m a marine biologist. It’s our job to know everything about the sea.”

“I want to be a marine biologist too!” her father laughs and even her mother lets out a few chuckles. 

“That makes me happy to hear,” he tells her, “But marine biologists work in teams and they have to keep their promises. And communicate. Now, it’s time for bed, little mermaid.”

Ochako giggles, “I’m not a mermaid! Himiko is!”

Her parents share a look. When they leave her room, Ochako hears her mother’s mumbled, those marks on her arms… She isn’t able to hear her father’s answer.

She pulls her pajama top’s sleeve up past her wrist and looks at the little pinpricks. The most recent one is pink. Himiko had put it on the inside of her wrist. 

.

.

.

Ochako has always lived by the sea. Many seas in fact. All because her father was a marine biologist. When people hear about her family they nod, making sense of her career decision. 

But they don’t know about the one time her father got a new job, which meant they had to move. And Ochako had cried because they didn’t tell her until it was too late. Too late to say goodbye. She was never the type to throw tantrums, but she had that day.

They don’t know how she ran into a new corner of the sea and yelled out the name of her friend, hoping she had followed her. 

She doesn’t tell them that she’d drawn whiskers on her face and lines against her neck and pretended she could breathe underwater, only to rise to the surface gasping and crying.

Her parents don’t know that she made a promise with a little blonde creature and, in time, she grows up and also forgets. 

.

.

.

She tastes blood on her lips and feels pressure against her body. She thinks the sun has set with how dark it’s become. Vibrations dance along her skin like kisses. 

.

.

.

“Ochako-chan!” the mermaid coos, “I told you I would find you! I knew it was you, the taste of your blood is so unique!”

In a more subdued voice, she says, “I can tell you still love me so much. I do too, Ochako-chan.”

The creature’s smile becomes so wide its jaw unhinges. 

“Let me have more, ok, Ochako-chan?”

.

.

Send kudos on AO3 🩷

Gift for leviyaperman: Katsuki isn’t sure what he did wrong today but surely he fucked up somewhere to end up in a situation like this. This being him and his boss in an elevator. Stuck. (ShinBaku, MHA)

Fuck you, Fuck me, Fuck it, Fuck today!

Read full on Ao3

tags: potty mouth company employee katsuki, composed CEO shinsou, sweat everywhere, stuck in an elevator, explicit (this post is M), undressing slowly

note: this was written as part of a gotcha 4 gaza. if you like mha the mha gotcha 4 gaza ( @myheroacademia-action ) is still taking donations (but may not be for too much longer) so get those donations and requests in soon!

i may or may not be doing more fics for this gotcha but if something keeps me up for days like this request... (hehehe)

p.s: i also used this post ( by @rarepairgremlin ) as inspiration for the title (and katsuki, hehe)

——————————————————————————

Katsuki isn’t sure what he did wrong today but surely he fucked up somewhere to end up in a situation like this. This being him and his boss in an elevator. Stuck. 

His day had started like any other day: wake up, go for a run, shower, and have breakfast. The only difference today had been the time he left his house. His department had gotten a new recruit this month and Katsuki had been saddled with his clumsy ass. While most of his mistakes had been simple things like making extra copies or stapling things incorrectly, the day before he’d really messed up. Deleting files messed up. And with Katsuki as the kid’s team leader, he’d had to clean up (and redo) all their hard work. 

Hard work that had taken them a month to do. 

Hard work that he had to redo in just a few days or risk losing contracts. 

That’s why he’d stayed late at the office the night before and come in early today. Early enough to walk into the elevator, turn around, and see his boss with his raised hand, asking him to hold the elevator. And Katsuki knew his place. He held the elevator doors open with a grunt. 

And now here they were. Stuck somewhere between the seventh and eighth floor. 

He grinds his teeth and his boss raises a brow, amused. Katsuki thinks that if he lets the work pile up on him, he’ll start to look like him. All frazzled and tired and looking like some mad scientist. An attractive mad scientist…

He bangs his fist against the elevator wall and growls out (very disrespectfully), “All this money and you can’t even make sure everything works properly?!”

It’s been at least 30 minutes since they called in the problem, but the mechanical voice of the receptionist had been unhurried, Remember proper protocol. Do not try to open the doors or climb out of the lift. We have already called for help. Please wait for further instructions. 

Which, shit, what’s the point of the help button if the receptionist has to call someone else for help too! 

His boss smiles, “I didn’t think I had to explain the power of nature to you, Bakugou. Or did you forget we’re in the middle of typhoon season?”

Typhoon season. Possibly the worst season of the year. And no, Katsuki didn’t forget. It was hard to forget when the humidity burrowed its way between the space of his skin and clothes, making everything feel two sizes smaller, and activated pores he knew he didn’t have half the year.

And this was his other problem. It would have been fine if they’d been stuck in say, December, but now? He could feel his sweat building up in his pits and back. 

His boss looks down at his phone and speaks absentmindedly. He’d taken off his suit jacket after he’d made the call and it was folded neatly over his briefcase, which was flat on the floor, “The light is still on and we were able to call for help, so it’s not a matter of a power outage…”

Which meant…

Katsuki’s voice was slightly strained when he said, “Something must have malfunctioned with the rain last night. They’ll have to call Elecplant and Izumo Tech.”

He gets a nod as confirmation. 

“Fuck me,” he mumbles, “I’m never going to get anything done today.” 

His boss loosens his tie with an amused smile, “Not exactly the words I’d use but yes, we’ll likely be here for a while.”

Katsuki scowls, “Fuck you. I’m not watching my tongue in this situation.” He pauses, then asks, “I’m getting paid for this, right?” Because it’s not Katsuki’s fault they’re stuck there. 

“Yes, though I’d suggest you decide who is getting fucked.” 

Katsuki blinks. His boss’s voice sounds a bit strained when he says fucked but did he… “Did you just…make a joke?”

It could be the heat or embarrassment, but Katsuki notices the redness in his boss’s face. He wipes his own face with his sleeve and grimaces. They’re both wearing white button-ups. 

His boss shrugs, leaning back against his side of the elevator. Katsuki mimics his posture and smirks, “You know…I could report you for sexual harassment.”

“I believe you started it.”

And Katsuki laughs. He unbuttons his shirt as well, “Are we pointing fingers now?”

“There isn’t much else we can do, is there?” 

He leaves the question hanging and it must be the stress of so many problems piling up, but Katsuki’s mind wanders when he looks at his boss. He licks his lips and watches the way his eyes follow his tongue. 

I can think of a few things, is left unsaid between them.

.

.

By the hour mark Katsuki has already unbuttoned his shirt and his tank top is a mess of sweat. He takes it off but instead of making him feel better, he feels even more uncomfortably sticky. The air is thick. His boss checks his watch and makes an annoyed sound. 

“How are you feeling?” 

Katsuki growls, “How the fuck do you think I feel? Like I’m in a damn sauna! Fuck today! I should have called in sick!”

His boss laughs. He’s unbuttoned his own top as well, but only about halfway down his chest. He’s also pushed up his sleeves because (as the CEO) he needs to keep up appearances. 

“I always thought you were the diligent type,” he says.

Katsuki scoffs, “I am. My whole department would fall apart without me.”

His boss is quiet for a moment and then says, his voice a mumble, “I can see why.”

And Katsuki likes it. The way his boss looks him over with approval.

.

.

Two hours. 

They stay glued to their respective sides for that long. It also takes Katsuki that long to decide that he doesn’t care about the camera in the elevator. He unbuckles his belt and pulls off his pants, “Fuck it!”

His boss chokes, “What are you- Don’t tell me you’re- Why? ”

And it’s only once he’s removed his stupid pants that he feels slightly better. But looking at his boss still in his button-up (now completely unbuttoned) is making him feel bothered. 

He smirks, “Getting shy on me? We’re both guys, you know what this is.”

Read the E on AO3

He tries to keep his tone light, to make it seem like he doesn’t care, but his voice gets softer when he says the word ‘serious’, and then he needs to clear his throat because why does it feel like he’s choking all of a sudden?! (ReiMobRei, MP100)

In Need of a Trim

Read full on Ao3

tags: age angst, canon age gap, insecure 50yo reigen, kisses, haircuts, grey hairs, comfort, dates, rated E but this PV is sfw

note: this is a rewrite of another fic i wrote called "a grey hair a day" so if you read that one already, this one has more scenes, specifically from reigens pov in the hopes of a more balanced dynamic (idk if i succeeded tho ;o;)

p.s: i told myself i would submit an mp100 prompt for this bang i joined and I FORGOT *cries* maybe i'll update the drabbles fic i have, i kind of want to write something for them, lmk if you have any ideas~

——————————————————————————

Reigen is almost 50 years old when Mob realizes that he’s been dying his hair regularly. He’s not sure how he missed it, thinking back on it now. The signs are obvious: Reigen coming home with a different set of clothes (the job got a bit messy, that’s all) and how unnaturally glossy his hair looked sometimes (oh you know, I’ve been trying out this new product, it’s supposed to make you GLOW ). But his biggest clue should have been Reigen’s age

Ritsu is younger than Mob and he’s been showing grey hairs since he turned 30. Ritsu, as usual, never fails to make a pointed remark toward Reigen at Mob’s observation

“Ritsu,” Mob admonishes him. Ritsu had come to visit Seasoning City (he’d moved out years ago) for their parents’ birthdays and had made plans to have dinner with him. They were now at a restaurant near Reigen’s office (yes, they were still doing Spirit Consulting and yes, Ritsu was still slightly bitter about that)

Ritsu rolls his eyes, “Fine. Fine. I’m sorry, but really? Even Mom, who used all those anti-aging products, got grey hairs before she hit 50.”

“But I’ve never seen him with any grey hairs,” he counters. 

Ritsu, who had been about to take another bite of his hamburger, pauses. He shrugs a second later, “He probably dyes it. I can’t think of another explanation.”

He digs in and chews, thinking, and then nods, his mouth still slightly occupied, “Pro’ly w’ried.”

Mob frowns, genuinely confused, “Worried? About what?”

Ritsu smiles at him, “You really are still the same when it comes to some things. Fine! I’ll help. It’s his age, Shigeo. His partner is 14 years younger than him! He’s probably worried about how that looks to others.”

He sends one of those looks at Mob and Mob decides to ignore it. He’s focused on this revelation. Yes, he’s conscious that Reigen and he have a rather hefty age gap and many people have expressed their disapproval throughout their lives, but this had been something the two talked about before. 

He thought that Reigen had understood that age was something Mob didn’t care about, but as he continues to talk with Ritsu, he realizes that perhaps he hadn’t been as reassuring as he could have been. He’d need to try harder, and the first step was to see if Reigen was truly dying his hair

.

.

.

He’s not exactly sure how to bring up the subject. If Ritsu is right and Reigen IS dying his hair (Mob is realizing the possibility of this being true has now shot up to 99%) because he’s worried, should he just march into their home and announce, Reigen, I don’t care if you have grey hairs, I think they’re beautiful?

Reigen would surely call him a liar and he’d partially be one. After all, he’d never actually seen these alleged grey hairs (but Mob knows he’d love them because they were Reigen’s grey hairs, so no, he wouldn’t really be lying)

.

.

.

Reigen realizes something is wrong with Mob immediately. He hasn’t been officially together with Mob for nearly a decade for nothing! His usual modus operandi is to let Mob come to him, to let him sort out his thoughts and feelings, which is why he doesn’t say anything. 

He doesn’t say anything when he feels Mob’s stare all day as he’s trying to convince a pair of teenagers that him being old is actually a good thing, It’s the young swindlers you need to be wary of! I have wisdom beyond my years! Besides, he coughs, we’ve been doing this for longer than you tweens have been alive. We’re experts! Right Mob?

Mob misses his cue and Reigen nearly swats the little twerp who mutters, He doesn’t look like he’s all there either…

Luckily, he does come back to his senses when it’s time to do the job, which somehow ends up with Reigen falling into a ditch and ruining his trademark suit. It’s been a while since that’s happened and Mob apologizes so much that Reigen decides to show him that yes, he’s more than forgiven, and no, it’s not your job to stop my every fall, it’s ok, besides, we finished the job quickly, you did really well

As they lay in bed, Reigen the big spoon this time, he can’t help but wonder if this has something to do with him and that’s why (a week after Reigen noticed) Mob hasn’t said anything

.

.

.

It most definitely is related to Reigen. 

Reigen really hates to bring up his age as an explanation for everything (he’s come to realize that this is an “old-man” trait), but in this case, he’s sure becaus e he’s no spring chicken. But also, Mob is a little too fixated on him, touching his hair and face at random moments with no mind to their setting, petting him , watching him when he thinks Reigen isn’t paying attention, staring him down when Reigen decides to make eye contact, his mind silently screaming tell me what’s wrong! This is your chance! But no.

It’s honestly starting to get a bit unnerving and since he doesn’t want to live the rest of his unmarried married life with a quiet, potentially too contemplative, and getting creepier by the week Mob (he’s not even sure how he survived a month of this already!), he decides to ask for some help

He’s at the station with a disgruntled Ritsu on the line. He’s tight-lipped. 

“You do realize my allegiance is with my brother and that I hate you, right?”

The sound of the train leaving echoes in the space, making Ritsu nearly inaudible but Reigen has heard this line so many times, his brain fills in the words he misses. And, like always, he replies, “Don’t you get tired of lying? I know you don’t actually hate me. Besides,” he counters, “I don’t want you to spill, I just…need a hint. Is it…serious?”

He tries to keep his tone light, to make it seem like he doesn’t care, but his voice gets softer when he says the word ‘serious’, and then he needs to clear his throat because why does it feel like he’s choking all of a sudden?! 

A little voice, the traitorous one that sounds like his parents, whispers in his ear, feeding his fear of losing Mob. He’s probably tired of you and is trying to run you off, what did you expect, at your age

“Aren’t you with my brother now? Just ask him.” Except that they’re not together and that’s the reason he called Ritsu.

“It’s been a busy season so we split up to cover more ground.” Mob hadn’t wanted them to, saying it could be dangerous, but Reigen had a thing for weeding out most of the non-spirits-related cases and had taken on those jobs

Ritsu sighs dramatically, “Fine!”

And Reigen should be happy at the admittance but he knows Ritsu so he’s sure he’s not getting what he wants. Ritsu is only compromising, but that doesn’t stop him from smiling, or his heart from hammering in his chest, worried and anxious. He’s sure he paints an interesting picture. He’s already paid his fair but he’s standing in an alcove in the middle of the station, his suit tattered at the back, mud on his knees and calves, and a few scratches on his hands

He’s probably sweating a lot too. He can feel it

“It’s not what you’re imagining! That’s all I’m giving away!” he yells and then mutters a not-so-quiet, you two are equally hopeless! before the line goes dead

.

.

.

Reigen makes it back home before Mob, which surprises him. He’s moving on autopilot: removing his clothes (ruined), washing off the grime and smell of angry cats from his hair (it’s getting long again), and then soaking his tired bones (why is he so tired?). It’s when he’s sitting in the tub (for how long, he’s not even sure) that he snaps back to reality. He yells out, “How do you even know what I’m imagining?!”

Yelling helps him relax and then he starts laughing at how ridiculous this all is. At how ridiculous he’s being

He shakes his head, “At least he didn’t say not to call back this time.” Not that Reigen ever listens to that demand

Mob comes home right when Reigen is dry, but still only wrapped in a towel, debating whether to try and save his suit pants or just throw them away. 

(They decide to try and save them together)

.

.

.

Mob finally says something three months later. It’s summer, the heat is unbearable even at night, and Reigen is upset about how long his hair is. He’s fresh out of the shower, wearing his loose and comfy pajamas and Mob beckons him over to the couch. 

He uses his powers to turn on the light so that it isn’t just the light from the TV bouncing on the walls. Reigen sits next to him and Mob maneuvers them so that Reigen is between his legs. He uses the towel around Reigen’s neck to start drying his hair

“What’s wrong?” he asks. Reigen bumps his back a few times and groans when Mob applies a bit more pressure with his powers. 

“My hair is getting too long and the place I usually go to just closed!” he complains, “The owner retired and the girl that works there decided to open up her own place elsewhere. I’m happy for her. They pay better in the big city, but now I’ll have to find a new place.”

Mob touches the ends of Reigen’s damp hair and smiles, “It is getting a little long.”

Reigen leans back, further into Mob, which makes drying his hair more difficult, but Mob doesn’t mind. He puts his arms around his waist and breathes in the smell of Reigen’s shampoo. 

“I wonder if Tome can recommend something. She’s always going to salons with her wife.” Reigen’s voice is less directed at Mob and more just him talking to himself. 

“I can cut it for you,” Mob suggests. He’s not even sure why he says it. He’s never cut hair before. 

Reigen turns to him and raises his brow, “Don’t tell me you’re secretly a professional barber?”

Mob kisses Reigen’s crow’s feet and smiles, “No, but I’m sure I can learn. For you.”

Reigen contemplates, “I don’t know…”

Mob has him sit up so he can finish drying his hair. Once it feels dry enough, he sends the towel to the back of one of the kitchen chairs and runs his hands through Reigen’s hair. He smooths it down and as he’s running his fingers through the hairs covering his ears (definitely needs a trim), he sees them. Little grey hairs sticking out, barely visible, and only the roots

Mob leans down to kiss his hair, right behind his ear, and whispers, “Beautiful.”

.

.

.

Mob’s staring stops but the hair touching (somehow) intensifies and Reigen realizes what this is all really about. 

They’ve always had a routine before bed, which consists of Mob helping Reigen dry his hair and Reigen (usually) giving him a massage (he’s only gotten better after all these years of practice). But now Mob wants to comb his hair, especially on days when Reigen wakes up with bedhead. Since it’s easier (and feels nicer) than pulling out mirror after mirror to try and see the back of his head, Reigen agrees to Mob’s insistence

But not always! I can’t have you pampering me every day. Think of it as a treat. And when Mob’s face lights up, Reigen realizes it’ll be a treat for them both

It doesn’t stop there. Mob also makes sure Reigen sees that he’s serious about his hair-cutting proposition. They’re in the office, Mob at the computer, looking up hair-cutting tutorials and they’re all (un)surprisingly for short hairstyles like his. 

Reigen hovers behind Mob’s chair. 

They’d been so busy for the last few months but this week things had finally started to slow down. Today almost seemed like an anomaly. They’d had no scheduled clients (potentially suspicious) but also no walk-ins either. He’d briefly considered closing early but with age also came this need to do something, to be useful . He couldn’t just close up for no reason

“You’re serious about this,” he says after Mob clicks on a new video.

“I’m always serious about you, about us,” Mob replies without a second thought.

Read the E on AO3

Gift for Shippy: Shouto sips from his drink and then says, “I’m sure you would be a great sister-in-law but you can’t marry my brother.” (TogaChako, MHA)

Wait. So you don’t like my brother?

Read on Ao3 (Send Kudos)

tags: friendship, misunderstandings, summer trip, beach volleyball, fireworks, kisses, confessions

note: apparently i've been swept away by the togachako currents because why do i keep wanting to write more fics about them?! a happy fic for a change, lol

——————————————————————————

The day Ochako sees her, she’s at the beach with her friends. 

They’d been planning a trip to the beach to celebrate the end of the semester. It was supposed to be a short trip. They’d go swimming, maybe break a watermelon or two, play in the sand, and then relax overnight at one of the nearby cabins. Their mistake (or perhaps blessing, Ochako is starting to realize) was letting Yaomomo organize everything because, on the day they’d planned to leave, just as Iida had texted he’d soon be picking everyone up, Yaomomo confessed there had been a tiny change in their plans.

The change being that they would now be staying at some high end resort by a beach in the complete opposite direction they’d originally planned. AND they were going to be chauffeured by a LIMO. Nobody had the heart to refuse Yaomomo’s bashful and earnest confession of I really wanted this to be special and stress-free for everyone. And it’s a gift because I’m really glad we became friends!

And really, if Yaomomo hadn’t changed their plans, then Ochako wouldn’t have seen her!

“I think I’m in love,” she says without thinking and that stops the conversation. 

“Ochako-chan?” Tsuyu asks, turning to the girl sitting next to her.

They’re all sitting at one of the most popular beach bars at the resort, close enough to the bar if they need it, but with a nice view of the beach and sea (instead of the other patrons). Courtesy of Yaomomo’s excellent planning. 

They all turn to where Ochako hasn’t stopped staring. 

There’s a group of guys and one girl setting up a volleyball net at the designated “court” area. One of the guys has long white hair that he’s tied up into a ponytail, another looks like he could be the girl’s uncle, and the third one is tall with messy black hair. He has the volleyball and is messing with the girl, holding it high over her pigtailed head. 

He throws the ball and Ochako realizes that they have a fifth person in their group. When the girl runs over to the guy, he gives her the volleyball. He’s probably the shortest of the group and looks very unamused. That doesn’t stop the girl, in her simple black 2-piece, from grinning at him and pulling him over with the others. He stumbles, but doesn’t pull away.

“They are a very interesting bunch,” Iida proclaims while adjusting his glasses, as if that will somehow help see them better, “which one have you fallen for?”

Yaomomo has a blush on her face, “L-Love? So quickly? That’s so romantic!”

Katsuki snorts, “They all look like they’ve been in the sun too long. One even looks like a prune!”

“Kacchan!” Deku chastises, “That’s not very nice.”

Kirishima is grinning, “Look at the muscles on the old man!”

“He’s very cute,” Tsuyu nods, “Reminds me of our swimming coach. Though he does look a bit tired. He should probably go to one of the spas later.”

It’s all background noise to Ochako…until Shouto speaks. He practically slams his drink onto the table before turning back to face everyone. He’s not angry, but his brows are furrowed so deeply anyone else would have already dropped to their knees to ask for forgiveness

“You like my brother ?” That stops the conversation a second time and Ochako finally looks away from the strange group to look at him.

They all yell, “BROTHER?!”

Shouto looks like he’s swallowed a lemon, “Yeah. The tall one who looks like someone set him on fire. He’s…my…He’s got a terrible personality.”

Katsuki laughs into his drink, “Sounds like it runs in the family.”

“Bakugou!” Iida chides, “That’s not a very nice thing to say, or practical, considering…well, your own attitude.”

Katsuki chokes and yells, “My personality is FLAWLESS, four eyes!”

There’s a lot of squabbling, laughing, and a few rattled drinks. Even the table wobbles a bit.

And yes, Ochako has a lot of questions. For example, how is it that nobody knew about this brother? After nearly a year of friendship?! She had thought Shouto was an only child like the rest of them (sans Iida who spoke about his brother at any chance he could)! Also, why was his brother here on the same day they were? But no. She didn’t ask any of those logical questions. Instead, she asked, “Is that his girlfriend?”

This only seemed to prove Shouto’s theory and he frowned, “No. Last time I heard, he was gay.”

Their group is quiet for a beat and then Kirishima nervously chuckles, “Last time you heard?”

Shouto sips from his drink and then says, “I’m sure you would be a great sister-in-law but you can’t marry my brother.”

“Wait,” Yaomomo says, “So is he not gay? And how did this escalate to marriage?” She’s still blushing and Ochako is 100% sure she’s already planning this supposed wedding. With the luck Yaomomo had with this trip, Ochako would, without a doubt, let her plan her wedding to that girl

Ochako reaches over the table and grabs Shouto by the shoulders, “Is. That. His. Girlfriend?”

Shouto looks shocked and then resigned. He shakes his head, “He’s single. I had hoped until the day he’d die…”

The look he sends her is pleading but she’s already grinning.

Shouto weakly adds, “I have another brother…”

And that’s when Finally, everyone starts to ask him questions about his family. 

.

.

.

Ochako is many things but a homewrecker isn’t one of them. And while she does agree with the general populace about the handsomeness of the Todorokis (plural now that she’s seen Dabi), they’re not exactly what she needs. But after some careful observations, she’s noticed that the blonde girl does favor him and thus, he indirectly becomes her target as well

If only as a way to introduce herself. It would surely make her approaching them more natural, saying she’s friends with Shouto rather than saying she’s spent the last hour just watching them (her) from afar…

When she tells everyone she’s going to go say hi, Shouto (once again) tries to stop her, “Natsuo is a better human being. He’s a hundred times better than Dabi.”

Yaomomo giggles, “Didn’t you say he had a fiance?”

Shouto hangs his head, “Maybe we can work something out…”

“Why don’t you offer yourself up if you’re so desperate?” Katsuki says while smirking. 

“Oh no,” Deku groans just as a light goes on in Shouto’s eyes. 

“I…suppose I could…”

But Ochako is already gone, the sound of Katsuki’s unrestrained laughter as her background theme. Still, it does nothing to distract her from how fast her heart is beating. She curls her fingers into fists and straightens her back, I can do this! She’ll just go up to them and watch a bit of their game (just like the rest of the crowd already forming) and then casually make conversation.

She seems to have good timing because not long after she starts watching them play do they take a quick break. She makes her move, walking toward the duo team of the girl and Dabi.

“H-Hey!” Her face goes red at how her voice cracks but she keeps going (and even adds a little wave)

Dabi zeroes in on her a second before the girl does. 

When the girl grins wide, Ochako melts. She’s sweaty and her bangs are a mess but there’s something so utterly beautiful about her. She suspects it’s the way she smiles, as if she had been waiting for Ochako to say something. And, she realizes (never before imagining this is something she NEEDED), the girl’s smile is so wide it reveals a pair of sharp canines. 

She tries not to get too ahead of herself but also can’t stop her mind from imagining her saying welcome home (in a voice that is too suspiciously like her own) and her canines snagging on the skin of Ochako’s lips as she kisses her. 

But she doesn’t say that. Instead, she says, “Do you know her, Dabi?”

And Dabi, who is still wiping down the sweat off his face, looks her up and down. He hums for a moment and then grins. Ochako wonders how much she can make if she steals his towel and bids it to the group of girls calling out to him. Maybe she can ask Shouto where he’s staying and leak the information

His voice is low when he says, “Not really.” Then he nods, “Shouto.”

He’s not looking at her and when she turns around, she finds most of her friends have followed her. And, Shouto, who looks much better but still rather annoyed, comes to stand right next to her, their shoulders almost brushing. She doesn’t think he’s ever stood so close to her. 

Katsuki looks a little too amused. 

Dabi throws his towel and the girl catches it. Her eyes briefly turn to the girls Ochako had spotted before and she’s not sure if she imagines it, but her smile turns a bit feral as she uses the same towel to clean off her forehead and shoulders. There are outraged gasps.

Dabi makes a face, “Ugh, really? You have your own towel.”

The girl laughs and Ochako feels like she’s floating. She knows she can listen to that laugh for the rest of her life. In fact, she’s wondering what she can do to make her laugh again. 

But Shouto brings her back to reality when he nearly yells (whines), “Didn’t I tell you not to come today?”

“Really? I could have sworn you said, and I quote, ‘make sure to be there or I’ll tell Father.’”

Katsuki is the first to snort, then laugh. Iida crosses his arms, “Did you really threaten such a thing, Todoroki-kun?”

Even Kirishima is giggling, “That’s such a youngest thing to say!”

Todoroki’s face turns a bit red, but he doesn’t budge.

But Ochako is only looking at Shouto with gratitude and even wonders if she should hug him as thanks, “You really invited them?” 

It must sound more accusing to Shouto though because he reels, “I didn’t! I told you not to come.” More softly he says, “And I didn’t say I’d tell him.”

Ochako is trying not to laugh but her cheeks go red.

Tsuyu doesn’t even try. She grins, “He’s got a cute side too. This trip has become really interesting.”

Speaking of their trip, Ochako thinks that it’s time to do what she intended. The pair are technically in the middle of a game and she doesn’t want to lose her chance! 

“I’m Uraraka Ochako.” She makes sure to make eye contact with the girl, “You can call me Ochako.”

The girl beams but doesn’t offer up her name. Instead, she nearly KOs Ochako (and many can attest that KOing her is Difficult) when she says, “Ochako-chan!”

Ochako doesn’t even try to blame the sun for how warm her body feels or for her sudden dizziness, “Uh, what are your names?”

Four people talk at the same time:

“I already told you his name. It’s Touya.” “Call me Dabi. ” “I’m Toga Himiko! Ochako-chan, call me Himiko, okay!” “What’s taking you all so long?”

The last voice comes from another person from Dabi’s group. It’s the one with the long white hair and dry skin. He’s not even looking at them. He’s just glaring at Dabi. Dabi doesn’t look phased. He smiles and says, “Shouto came to hang out with us.”

Ochako takes that as her chance. Before Shouto can properly complain, she exclaims, “Yes! We thought we could join you.”

“No, we didn’t. I don’t want to hang out with him. We’re not friends.”

And that almost takes Ochako out too because how many times has Shouto outwardly admitted that they’re all friends? Not many, if the reactions of their friends are any indication:

“Todoroki-kun has grown so much. I also value your friendship!” “How many times do I have to tell ya we’re not friends!” “You can stand to learn a thing or two Kacchan.” “That’s such a manly thing to say!”

All of this only seems to amuse Dabi and Ochako knows something is coming when Dabi and Himiko side-eye each other briefly and then grin. The two move so swiftly behind them that Ochako doesn’t even realize what’s happened until her cheek is squished against (she nearly faints) Himiko’s cheek! She also has two pairs of arms around her and all she can think is Himiko is HUGGING ME!

She’s not sure how they achieved it but this is much better than her original plan. Himiko rubs her face with hers and exclaims, “Yes! Let’s play with Baby Dabi and his friends!”

Shouto, who is also being hugged by Himiko and his brother, looks pale and like his soul has just left his body. His voice is raspy when he croaks, “I’m not a baby and let me go!”

Dabi, who is hovering over them all, places his head over Shouto’s and teases, “Come now, Shouto. Are you really going to say no to these pretty ladies here?”

Shouto looks over to Ochako and Himiko. Ochako’s brows are slightly creased but she mouths rather menacingly, Say. Yes.

Shouto looks up into the sky and relents, “Fiiiiiine.”

.

.

.

Most of the rest of their daylight is spent playing volleyball. When Himiko finally lets Ochako go, Ochako grabs her wrist and asks, “Can we be on the same team?”

Himiko grins again and excitedly tells her, “Yes!”

She also insists Dabi has to play on their team ( He’s really good and I like to win ) and when Shouto comes over, his hand raised and mouth ready to proclaim he’ll join them, Himiko nearly runs him down. Instead, Himiko grabs Tsuyu ( You have to join our team! The three of us are so cute! ) and Shouto is left hanging. Dabi grins at him and shrugs in a what can you do manner

Kirishima whistles and flexes, “I guess it’s us guys together then.”

Bakugou, as usual, argues, “I don’t need all of you! And I don’t want to play with Deku! Get on some other team.”

Iida tries to settle them down. 

With so many extra players, they decide to make teams of four with Dabi’s friend Spinner saying he can be the scorekeeper ( I’m more of a gamer anyway ). To his slight annoyance, he does get roped into a few games, Jin insisting they were at the beach and that it wouldn’t be a true beach experience if all Spinner did was hide in the shade of the sun umbrella ( We can switch between matches!)

When they do eventually start playing, Ochako realizes that Himiko and the others are really good. It fires them all up and before they know it, an even bigger crowd has formed. 

Luckily, it happens in the last game.

It being fatigue. They had quickly realized they had too many people with too much stamina and competitiveness when Shigaraki’s team won their match against Katsuki. Ochako thinks it was only natural. Shigaraki was clearly an excellent player and both Iida and Yaomomo were great at working in teams. With Iida, Yaomomo, and Jin playing support, they’d practically crushed Katsuki’s more chaotic group (which was made up of Kirishima, Deku, and Shouto). 

As a way to keep everything fun but still high stakes, they’d decided to only play a certain number of games. 

Ochako is once more on the court and this time they’re facing off against Shouto's team. It’s when he delivers a spike that she falters. She had been pretty sure she would make it, but she’s slightly off and all she can think is that they’re going to lose if she doesn’t keep the volley going. She tries to reposition her arm, to get a one-touch, but her body is tired. That’s when Himiko calls out, “I’ve got it!”

And she does. She manages to keep the ball in the air using a single arm, but she’d come from too far in the back and ends up stumbling too. They both fall into the sand and start laughing. Himiko goes so far as to lay on her back and kick up her arms and legs. When she settles down, Ochako goes red when one of her arms ends up on her lap. Her skin is soft and warm

A whistle goes off and Ochako realizes she’s missed the final play (though judging from how smug Dabi looks, it seems like they won).

Ochako is breathing hard and fast, and her arms ache, but she’s extremely happy. Himiko grins at her, “That was so fun, right Ochako-chan?”

Ochako grins back at her, “Yeah!”

Before they can both get up, Dabi and Shouto walk over. Dabi pulls Himiko to her feet and Shouto offers his hand to Ochako. She takes it, and it’s only when she’s up on her feet again that she realizes how tired she is. She unconsciously leans some of her weight on him and he puts a hand on her back, suggesting, “We should go rest.”

He’d been wearing the most clothes out of everyone, but he’d taken off his shirt when he’d gone up against Shigaraki’s team for the second time (Katsuki’s complaints of you overheating bastard, that’s slowing you down! Take it off! And the sun finally getting the best of him)

Yaomomo beams, “We have a spot already reserved for us!”

Ochako wonders if this is something only unique to resorts because how does someone reserve a piece of the beach?! But it’s a welcome thought. She turns to Himiko to see she’s already looking at her and she blushes. She offers, “Will you join us? We were going to break a watermelon.”

“It’s gotten a bit late, perhaps it’s a little dangerous to break the watermelon now,” Iida contemplates, looking at the sunset. 

Bakugou smirks over at Shigaraki, “I think it’s the best time.”

Kirishima shakes his head, “It’s not very manly to be a sore loser, you know.”

“I’M NOT A SORE LOSER!” Katsuki yells, “I’LL CRUSH YOU!”

“If your aim is as bad as it was playing volleyball,” Shigaraki smirks back, “Perhaps you should let us take care of it.”

It takes both Deku and Kirishima to hold him back, but his voice is loud on the beach. 

They make quick work of putting the net back to its original state and Jin grabs the duffle bag he’d brought, throwing the volleyball inside. He also tells them to throw their sweat soaked towels into a side pocket.

When they finish, Yaomomo takes the lead. 

Ochako had planned to walk with Himiko but despite having played numerous rounds of volleyball, she’s quick to run after Jin when he teases her. They kick the sand around their bare feet and before they know it, most of their friends are running as well. They zigzag between the water and sand, trying to cool down, and end up with a bigger (sandy) mess

Dabi ends up keeping pace next to her and Ochako takes the opportunity to ask, “Are you and Himiko…together?” She’d believed Shouto but seeing the two interact had left her doubting. They didn’t exactly act like they were dating, but it was clear to anyone that they were very close. 

Dabi snorts, “ Her? No.” He’s eyeing Ochako and then sighs, rolling his eyes, “She’s like an annoying little sister. As if I need any more of those.”

It’s at that moment when Shouto pushes between Dabi and her. Dabi lets himself be pushed aside and when Shouto has pulled her along a few paces, he calls out, “See what I mean!”

Ochako laughs but doesn’t break her contact with Shouto. Instead, she starts pulling him into a run after their friends.

.

.

.

After some splashing, dunking, and cleaning up, they finally settle down and Ochako has to admit that Yaomomo has amazing planning skills. As the sun was setting, more and more people started to arrive and Ochako was glad for their little reservation. When Tsuyu made a comment about it, Yaomomo admitted, “Actually, there will be fireworks tonight, so it’ll get busier from here on out.”

They settle on breaking three watermelons after Shigaraki breaks the second one on his first try. When he takes off his blindfold and sees the nearly perfect split, he turns to Katsuki and smirks.

Shouto goes after him and once they blindfold him and spin him around, Dabi comes over to sit next to her. He whispers, “Watch this.”

He wobbles a bit when Yaomomo lets him go and then he starts walking with the stick over his head. He nearly attacks Katsuki (The hell are you aiming at half-and-half!!) and then Jin (Hey!) . Dabi laughs and then calls out to him, “I’m over here! With your girlfriend!”

When Shouto realizes Dabi has taken his place next to her, his nostrils flare. Dabi just laughs, “If you don’t hurry, I’m going to take her away!”

Everyone is shouting directions and as Shouto finally gets closer to the watermelon, Dabi tells her, “Come with me.”

Ochako turns to look at Himiko, who is also cheering on Shouto. Dabi calls out to her again, “Trust me.”

And she does. She’s not sure why, but she gets up to follow him.

They end up going into one of the bars and Dabi calls out to the bartender, “Kurogiri!”

The man turns at his name and narrows his eyes. Ochako wonders if he doesn’t like Dabi, but it must just be a quirk of his because he’s polite when he greets them, “Dabi.” 

She introduces herself and he nods, “Uraraka.”

Dabi leans against the bar and tells him, “The usual for the five of us. And whip up something evil for my kid brother.” He looks at Ochako, “You?”

She orders a simple watermelon tea, then adds, “Actually, can we get 6 of those.”

The man nods, his quick hands already working on their order. He places a glass cup with nearly transparent liquid and lemon pieces in front of Dabi. Dabi grabs it and nearly downs it in a single go. 

“A rather large group,” Kurogiri comments. 

The bar isn’t as lively as the one they’d been at earlier but it’s cozy in a way Ochako can’t describe. The guests seem more intimate with their arms around each other and their quiet laughter. Even the music playing is quiet and soft

Dabi just shrugs, “Shouto wanted to hang out.”

“I highly doubt that,” the man says while smiling. He turns to Ochako and asks, “What’s the real reason?”

She feels herself blush, “I might have…insisted.”

Kurogiri turns to look at Dabi and raises a brow. “Not me,” Dabi says with his hands in front of him.

That seems answer enough for him. He places the drink he’d been making in front of Ochako and says, “On the house” before heading to the other side of the bar. 

It’s like Dabi’s but with a more floral scent. 

“For the record,” Ochako says, grabbing the drink, “I’m not his girlfriend. I don’t like him like that.”

Dabi, who is already grabbing the lemons in his drink and plopping them into his mouth, laughs, “I know. And no offense, but I’m sure he’s not into you either.”

They’re both quiet for a moment and then he hums, “Himiko, right?”

Ochako blushes slightly, “Was I that obvious?”

Dabi just smiles, “To me. Jin probably figured it out too. Shigaraki doesn’t care about stuff like that so he probably wasn’t paying attention. Your friends don’t look like they know.”

Ochako laughs, “I didn’t get a chance to tell them. I just…” She makes hand movements of when she walked over to them earlier that day, “And now we’re here.”

He nods in approval, “I like a woman who takes charge. But…”

He leaves that hanging for a moment, then downs the rest of his drink. Kurogiri comes back with a cooler decorated with a bunch of stickers, some faded, some new and all in clashing designs, as if different people laid claim to it. Inside are all the drinks they asked for. Dabi takes a pale pink drink out and gives it to Ochako, “She’s a bit airheaded. It’s best to be direct with her.”

He closes the cooler and then hurries her, “Come on, the fireworks will be starting soon.”

Ochako doesn’t follow for a second and then grins. She catches up to him and bumps his arm, careful of both drinks in her hands, “You’re actually a nice guy, aren’t you?”

He makes a face, “Don’t. I have an image to uphold.”

But that makes her wonder too, “Shouto really doesn’t like you. Why is that?”

Dabi smirks, “Let me tell you a little story about pre-teen Shouto.”

.

.

.

Before they make it back to the spot with the rest of their group, they see Himiko running toward them. She’s wearing a simple white cover up that’s transparent enough that Ochako can still see the silhouette of her 2 piece. She has another hanging from her arms, “Ochako-chan!”

She stops in front of them both and her eyes light up, “You got drinks! I have this for you, too!”

Dabi teases, “What about me? I’m cold too.”

Ochako thinks Himiko sounds a little upset when she says, “No, that’s what you get for taking Ochako-chan. Go away.” Ochako isn’t sure if she should blush or worry that she’s upset the girl she likes. But Dabi, as usual, acts unconcerned and continues to walk away. 

Before he walks away too far he looks at Ochako and says, “Take your time.”

And they do. 

They swap items and Ochako pulls the cover up over her head. It’s a simple top and once it settles on her body, Himiko smiles. It’s softer than all the grins Ochako has seen her give everyone today. Her voice is nearly a whisper of what it’s been all day too when she says, “I knew it would be perfect.”

That freezes Ochako, her brain only processing it’s perfect, on you, you’re perfect. YOU’RE perfect

Himiko moves to give back the drinks (as if her words hadn’t shifted Ochako’s World) and she tells her, her voice unconsciously matching Himiko’s volume, “This one is for you.”

Somehow, their conversation reminds her of the bar: quiet, intimate.

“It’s my favorite,” she confesses and then links her arm with hers, “Let’s go sit over there.”

Ochako stumbles after her, her face gone red once more, “Ok…”

With how crowded the place is, Ochako is surprised they manage to find an empty bench. When they settle down, she takes courage and sits close enough that their legs touch. Himiko looks down as she takes a sip from her drink, but doesn’t say anything. 

“Did you have fun today?” Ochako asks, her voice rising a bit. That seems to break the slight awkwardness they were starting to settle into. She breathes in deeply, relieved.

“It was so fun! I don’t have many girl friends, so it was nice to play with you and Tsuyu-chan and Momo-chan.” She grins, “I don’t get to see Dabi’s brother much either. He’s so much more fun than Dabi said! I’m glad you came to say hi.”

“I’m really glad I did too!” Ochako confesses, and suddenly she wishes she had some weird quirk like Deku that makes him hide his face whenever he’s about to say something emotional. Instead, she just sits there, her hands gripping her cup and her toes playing along the edge of the sidewalk and sand. 

“Actually…” She feels her face burn a deep red, “The reason I went over today is because… because…!”

The words end up stuck in her throat and she reminds herself that she’s not a quitter. She has to let Himiko know that she likes her. Dabi told her she had to be direct and she wants there to be more for them. She wants to hang out again. Perhaps go on a few dates. She wants them to be exclusive and -

“Ochako-chan,” Himiko calls her, her face so close it only makes Ochako go redder, “You look so cute in red.” At this distance, Ochako can also tell Himiko’s blushing. That gives her the push she needs.

“I like you!” she yells out, “That’s why I went to say hi! I think it’s love! I know that sounds weird but when I saw you on the beach, I knew I wanted you in my life!”

She feels her eyes and skin prickle with emotion, but with those words out, the rest feels easier. Himiko looks surprised, her earlier smile gone. 

“I- I want to be your friend, but I want to be clear. I want you to be my girlfriend, too. I want us to see each other again after this.”

Himiko looks pensive, “Does that mean you want to kiss me?”

Ochako is speechless for a moment and Himiko sings her name, her earlier smile back, “ O-cha-ko-chan , tell me.”

She feels a soft hand over hers and she lets her eyes drop for a moment before looking back up at Himiko. Her eyes are glowing a deep gold and Ochako swallows. She nods and says, “Yes.”

That makes Himiko grin wide, her canines on full display again, “On the lips?”

Ochako’s eyes trace her lips and she nods, “On the lips. And other places, later.”

They’re getting closer, she’s sure of it, but she also can’t make sense of what’s happening. Himiko asks again, “What about now? Should we kiss right now?”

Ochako meets her eyes again and smiles, “Yes. I think we should.”

And they do. They both lean in to close the distance between them and Ochako thinks, I was right just as Himiko’s teeth snag on her lips. They pull and graze along her skin, and Ochako’s body reacts. She shivers and lets her tongue slide along both their lips, trying to settle her nerves. It does the opposite, especially after Himiko makes a sound of surprise, right before also using her tongue to pull her closer. Ochako puts her hand along Himiko’s jaw and she can feel Himiko’s longer fingers touch her thighs and waist, pulling the cloth of her cover up. This time, when she imagines Himiko telling her to come closer Ochako-chan! she hears her cute saccharine and whiny voice instead of her own terrible mimicry

They’re interrupted by a confused, “Wait. So you don’t like my brother?”

They pull apart laughing and then the fireworks light up the sky. 

.

.

A/N:

about the dabi&shouto "conflict": (1) shouto doesn't actually hate dabi. it's all sibling love (if you have siblings, you know, lol) (2) my idea is that shouto, being the baby that he is, would look up to dabi and think he was super cool. i was vague with his appearance but imagine someone with at least multiple piercings. he was also independent and would (often) argue with their parents, getting away with a lot bc he's smart like that. he also knew shouto looked up to him and since shouto was the baby he treated him as the baby (babied him, shouto loved it). but dabi was also mischievous and would often tell shouto white lies and shouto would believe *everything* he would say. like, if dabi told him that the world was flat and everyone was just too stupid to understand it, shouto would write a thesis on how right dabi was (3) i guess the idea is that one day dabi ends up embarrassing shouto and it just spirals out of control. shouto realizes that no, the world is not flat and the thesis he wrote is useless. and shouto hates it when he's still teased and babied but he also loves dabi. like, he could have NOT said anything about his beach trip but he did and yes, he did tell dabi not to come and even threatened to tell their mom, but he wasn't actually serious haha, idk, i just think they'd be really cute if it was out of canon?? idk, that's what i hope for at least :')

Gift for TachibanasWife: Hajime laughs, “Are you going to ask me if I’d still love you if you were a worm again?” (IwaOi, HQ)

Would you still love me if I were the size of a truck?

Read on Ao3 (Send Kudos)

tags: omegaverse, pregnancy, implied antenatal depression, comfort

note: i've picked up a few more HQ gotcha fics after pinch hits were opened up and here's one of the (surprisingly many?) pregnancy fics i picked up. enjoy~

——————————————————————————

Tooru has mixed feelings when he ends up pregnant. He imagines himself in a few months, all stretched out in the middle with no clothes big enough to fit him. He’ll have giant swollen feet, will probably be lucky if he can see them, and won’t be able to go to the bathroom alone. He’s sure that by the time he’s six months pregnant, Hajime will be tired of him and he’ll be giving birth alone!

Hajime notices he’s spiraling and pinches his cheeks to get him to focus again, “I’m not going to leave you.”

“But I won’t be pretty anymore,” Tooru tells him. He’s only half joking. He knows Hajime isn’t the type of person to care about stuff like that, but…pregnancy was a big change. Not just physically. Their lives would be different from here on out. What if he gave birth and Hajime changed his mind about being a father with him? 

His husband kisses him and then whispers, “You’re always going to be the prettiest. Now stop fishing for compliments!”

Tooru pouts, “You only say that now because I’m not the size of a truck!”

Hajime laughs, “Are you going to ask me if I’d still love you if you were a worm again?”

“No,” he grins, “I’m going to ask if you’d still love me if I were the size of a truck.”

His husband pulls him close and starts to scent him, “I would.”

“I’ll be all hard edges and cold and huge. I won’t fit on normal roads.”

He gets a kiss on his temple, “It’s fine. We’ll take the long way. And listen to that cringey pop music you love.”

Tooru is already feeling sleepy from their scenting but he weakly pounds on Hajime’s chest, “Pop music isn’t cringey. It’s stylish. And catchy. I’ve heard you humming it before. Fake hater.”

He feels the rumble of laughter as he closes his eyes. 

Scenting soothes Tooru. 

It always has but it helps even more after he’s pregnant. He’s not sure why but doubts easily worm their way into his head nowadays and he’s glad he has Hajime at his side to keep him grounded. He’d never known having a child would be so exhausting, not just physically but also mentally (His mother laughs when he tells her, I just thought I’d feel bad for two weeks and that it would hurt 9 months after that! )

It helps when he reads books like The 101s of Childbirth, What the Media Hides About Childbirth, a Guide For Pregnant Parents by Real Birthgivers, How to Raise Independant and Healthy Kids, Simple and Easy Exercises for Omegan Parents, and Will My Body Ever Recover? 10 Easy Steps to Get Back Your Pre-Pregnancy Body by Award Winning Pregnancy Coach Tanaka Jun. Hajime tells him that he doesn’t need books like the last one. That his body will always be perfect. He scowls down at some of the advice and tells him, Your body is changing so that you can nurture our baby properly, during the pregnancy and after. 

Tooru isn’t easily pacified. He whines, “But you’re my husband! You’re supposed to say mushy things like that!”

Hajime sighs but looks determined, “Ok. If you’re really worried, I can take care of researching that aspect of pregnancy. You’re already stressed enough.”

And he does. Tooru has seen more reputable titles on his desk (Building Body Fat for a Healthy Pregnancy, 10 Ways to Help Keep Your Mobility While Pregnant) and in his bookmarks (5 Ways My Wife Helped Decrease My Stress During Pregnancy, What I Wish I Knew Before I Became Pregnant (And How I Improved My Mental Health)). They start doing simple workouts at home, which are mainly stretching and breathing focused. It helps him relax 

The scenting especially helps when the morning symptoms finally kick in and when the bump finally grows from the size of a peach to the size of a volleyball. 

He feels so undesirable in those moments. 

“Let’s go out on a date,” Hajime tells him one day when Tooru is under so many blankets, brooding. 

“Don’t wanna.”

“Didn’t you say you were craving something sweet?” he asks and Tooru feels himself crumble.

“I am…”

Hajime snakes a hand under the blankets to rub at his belly, “Let’s go for a walk. We can get some fresh air.”

He doesn’t need to tell him he’s worried about Tooru staying cooped in for days for him to understand. He gets out of bed and his feet are slightly sore. Hajime takes no pity, telling him it’s his fault for hibernating in their nest while he’s been busy at work. Then apologizes for being so busy that week. He massages his feet before they go out. 

Walks are miracle workers. They must be because it helps improve his mood. 

He loves being bathed by Hajime’s scent but it’s fall now and the smell of the crisp air, of the falling leaves, and the flow of the river…it all makes him feel at peace. It also helps that he’s finally eaten something sweet. It doesn’t satisfy the crave completely, but it’s a start. 

They hold hands as they sit down near the playground. It’s a weekend so it’s full of children laughing and running around, and families walking their dogs. Tooru watches, transfixed, at how many pregnant parents are walking around. 

He’s the first in their group of friends to get pregnant. Some of them don’t want children and others have said they’re not ready yet. He got congratulatory messages and Hinata had been hounding him for details about everything. Even Ushijima had sent him a message. A simple ‘I’m happy for you’. Kageyama had asked if he needed anything about two months ago and Tooru had left him on read (until Hajime told him he was being petty). His reply might have been petty

He grins, “Iwa-chan! Let’s take a picture!”

Hajime smiles, “It’s been a while since you last called me that…”

And Tooru realizes it’s true. He feels his eyes water slightly, “Sorry. I’ve just been…it’s been hard…”

“Don’t,” Hajime tells him, “You don’t have to apologize. Ever.”

They take a few pictures but they’re not exactly what Tooru wants, and it isn’t until another expecting couple walks over and offers to take their picture that he’s satisfied. 

He posts the picture onto his Instagram. He hadn’t updated it in months. He thinks it’s easier like this. In the caption he writes: Iwa-chan and I went on a date! Iwa-chan, tell me how pretty I look #pregnantandbeautiful

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