★☆«“First Time”»☆★

His Wife (ProHero Izuku x Wifey Reader)

Day 5 of Breedingtober

<<MASTERLIST>>

Izuku winds up on a podcast where they were talking bad about you, his beautiful wife. However sometimes, you need to calm him down.

Warning: Trying for a baby, unprotected sex, slight sexism and anti-feminism (personally I find it anit-feminist if you have a problem with someone being a house wife), angy Zuzu, teasing, slight brat energy from both Izu and Reader, petty Izuku, SMUT, BREEDING,

Words: 5k

You heard the front door open as you just managed to switch off the stove. It was evening and your husband had finally come back home. You moved to wipe your hands on the towel on your shoulder as you turned to the entrance of the kitchen. Walking in was your husband. You smiled. “Evening, Izuku.”

However, you didn’t receive an immediate reply as the giant prohero moved to pull you into his arms and release a heavy sigh. He closed his emerald eyes as he just wanted to hold you for a second. You raised an eyebrow wondering what had happened for this to occur. You flicked your gaze up to him, but you moved to rub his back supportively. Izuku let out a deep sigh as he rested his head on top of yours.

“Are you okay, my love?” You asked him with a raised eyebrow. Izuku didn’t answer immediately, not knowing entirely what to say to you about all of this. “How did the podcast go?” The large green haired man let out a groan as he let go of you and moved to lean against the counter. You giggled as you watched him move his hands down his face in exasperation. “Not good, I see.”

Izuku sighed. “I’m sorry, darling, for acting so down the moment I come home.” He apologised first and foremost. “You don’t deserve to be greeted like that, but…” He paused before letting out another loud groan as he looked to the ceiling. “I swear to God! Y/N!” He put his hands together as he looked to you straight and serious. “I’m going to murder someone.”

You chuckled as you moved to take off your apron. “Izuku, you can’t murder someone.” You calmly deflected logically. This wasn’t the first time he had made such allegations but you normally didn’t take it seriously unless it had to do with Bakugou Katsuki. Normally then attempted murder was their form of love language.

“Yes, I can.”

“Izuku, you can’t be a hero and murder someone.” You reminded him.

Your green haired husband folded his arms over his chest. “Honey, I am sure, if I can kill villains I can kill people.” You gave him a pointed look making him sigh.

You knew with Izuku’s jobs, there were certain unsavoury things that he had to do for the sake of peace and justice that made you wonder how far Heroes were willing to go to maintain their definition of law and order. You knew how much of a strain it could be, especially with him being the number one hero and him having to know and keep so many secrets from the public that you might not even ever know.

You sighed as you moved over to your grumpy green haired tree of a husband that leaned against your marble countertops. He had a frown on his face, showing how deep in his anger he was. You put your hands on his arms with a gentle smile, rubbings his biceps as you looked up at him. “My love…” Izuku closed his eyes at the sound of your voice. He let out a deep breath and dropped his head in defeat. You saw some tension leave him as you continued to smile up at him. “You just got home. You’re tired. Now, I’ve just made you pork, your favourite, and we can sit down and have a nice warm dinner together. Then you can hit the shower and we can sit down and talk about it with you having calmed down a bit with food in your belly and a nice relaxing shower to wash away the day. Okay?” You asked him.

He opened his eyes, those green deep jade eyes looked down at you lovingly. He nodded his head as he moved to put his hands on your hips. “What would I do without you?” He asked you gently. He bent down to place a kiss to your lips. You reached up and kissed him back. Izuku let out a soft breath, just having your lips against his and feeling you in his arms. You always somehow took all his pent-up energy away.

You separated from him with a happy smile. “You’d probably have killed Katsuki by now.”

“I’m surprised I haven’t already.”

“Izuku.”

He chuckled as he put his large hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay.” He moved to grab his laptop back. “Let me put this in my office and I’ll be down in a bit.”

Dinner was pretty normal, with Izuku wanting to spend the time focusing on you and what you did during the day. As a house wife, there was never really a shortage of things to do around the house, but a lot of your time was also spent working on projects that the Deku Foundation was busy with currently. Being wife to the Number One hero was a lot of work and a lot of energy spent on making sure that the brand that was Deku would stay up on top like it was supposed to.

With you heading a lot of that, you took a lot of nitty gritty work off of Izuku’s shoulders which he was grateful for. Especially with the Little Heroes Boarding School you were both planning on opening soon. Izuku nearly cried when you had told him what you wanted to start. A school dedicated to helping quirkless, less advantaged or abandoned children in finding their feet and cementing their future. It was perfect for what you both wanted to do to give back to the community directly. It was in its final execution phase with already a hundred children selected and it would be open in three months time.

You had been working so hard to ensure that it would be a success and Izuku couldn’t help but be so grateful and in awe for the amount of effort you had put into it. He took some less hours off of work to help you with it, which you were very happy about.

After that, you headed upstairs where Izuku took a much-needed shower to relax his muscles and you got dressed for bed. You were in your short silk nightgown by the time Izuku came out of the shower, drying his hair. You smiled as you sat down on the large bed in the abundance of pillows, Angelica-Nina laying next to you, flopping beside you.

Izuku’s shoulders lowered as he moved to lie down with his head in your lap. With the large hero lying down in front of you, Angelica-Nina moved over to hop to Izuku. She moved to settle on his chest, loafing herself as she settled in for a snooze. Izuku found his hand on top of her, petting her ears down as he sighed.

You looked down at him as you brought your hand to his soft still damp curls. “Still want to talk about it, love?” you asked gently. He nodded his head. “Alright, I’m listening.” You took a comb from the side table and gently started combing his mess of dark curls.

Izuku sighed and you knew by the tone of his sigh that it was something that deeply bothered him, but then again, with a husband as beautifully sensitive as your own, it was to be expected. “So I went on the Everything podcast, as you know. I don’t even know who on my PR team thought this would be a good idea but I went anyways. It was good the first half, I answered some questions, had a good debate and talk just about my life, UA, being Number One, my workout routine, a few controversial questions here and there but overall it was fine. To be expected. However, then we got onto the topic of you…” You hummed as you combed through his hair, but listened to him intently. His hand moved to rest on the black rabbit on top of him. You saw a slight rise in anger as his eyebrows furrowed. “So I talk about how we met, the wedding and all that stuff. Then one of the women on the podcast say, out of nowhere, ‘Oh that’s why you heroes could never handle a real women.’”

You tilted your head in surprise. “Excuse me?”

“RIGHT!?” Izuku nearly sat up, disrupting the rabbit on top of him, but you pushed him back down to lay down. “Now I was confused, I had the benefit of the doubt and I just questioned like whatever did she mean by that. Then she tells me, ‘You heroes always say you support women and that you’re feminists, but you ain’t. All you male heroes want are plain jane submissive women because you’re too intimidated by working women with their own opinions. You just want someone to wife up and keep your bed warm, you don’t want an actual woman. You just want a quiet breeder trophy wife.’” He quoted. “Honey,” Izuku chuckled darkly, immediately notifying you of the mood he was in. “I was going to kill a bitc-”

“Izuku.”

He closed his eyes, holding his tongue. He took a deep breath before letting out again. You always tried to keep his swearing to a minimum. Although Izuku was pretty good with changing the way he spoke depending on the situation, you didn’t need a slip up where the whole of Japan could turn and point at him.

He wasn’t Katsuki.

He sighed as he brought a hand to his eyes. You gently moved his curls back and looked down at his freckled face. “And what then?”

Izuku opened his eyes and looked back up at you. “So then I just told her, ‘The roles in my marriage is between me and my wife’, then proceeded to list every reason why she was factually incorrect, cause she was!” He spoke matter of factly.

Angelica-Nina lifted her head off of Izuku, realising she was not getting any sleep with this man around. She hopped back onto the bed settling in there. That’s when you noticed that your bunny that Izuku had gifted you for your first anniversary together, Valentino-Nino, a rather cuddly buck rabbit, hopped onto your bed. His fuzzy brown nose nudged Anglica-Nina. With the appearance of her comrade and lover, Angelica-Nina lifted her head up. The two of them hopped off your bed and proceeded to head out of your room to the hallway probably heading to their room and space in the house.

“I mean ever since the Endeavour scandal I know when it came to heroes and their partners a lot of the public was still pretty uncomfortable discussing in depth about it, but to go so far and say that all heroes are all like that? It’s absurd. Most heroes marry other heroes and if not, its not like they’re actively looking for some doll…” You watched his voice trail off a bit. You furrowed your eyebrows in concern. Izuku moved to look off to the side, looking almost a bit guilty. “But… it just made me a bit worried that maybe I was-”

“Izuku no.” You nodded your head. “Izuku, you’re feelings are valid and honestly I feel offended too.” You notified him making him nod proudly that he wasn’t overreacting. “I mean when we met, I was working and when we got married, I decided to be a housewife and that’s fine. You didn’t force me or hint that you wanted me to do that. It was a decision I took onto myself. You know why?” Izuku shook his head, not a hundred percent certain. “Izuku, in the unfortunate and unlikely circumstance that we ever got divorced,”

“Over my dead body.”

You chuckled. You placed a kiss to his pouty face and continued. “If that ever were to happen, it’s not like I don’t have any qualifications or money in my savings that I don’t have entirely in my name. And Izu, you make a HELL of a lot of money, half of which we keep in different saving and investment accounts. We don’t need a second income.” You reminded him as you gently massaged his head. “I mean yah, working would fill up my days more, but I’d rather that job be given to someone who might need it than to me who doesn’t. Plus, Izu…” You leaned down closer to him. You cupped his face in your hands. “When I took you as my husband I chose to trust you as a man and as a provider for this family. I’m not worried about income because you don’t make me worried about that. I can relax and do what I want to do and focus on the Deku foundation rather, or flood your phone with TikToks giving you baby fever so that you can finally give me a cute baby in rabbit onesie.” Izuku let out a laugh at that, remembering one of the more recent ones you had sent him. The two of you had recently started to try for a baby (much to Izuku’s relief for the fact that he hated latex, and he hated the possible side effects of hormonal birth control on your body). “Izuku, I want a baby.” You whined playfully.

Your husband chuckled moving to put a hand to your arm. “I know my love.” He moved his hand down your arm, grabbing your hand and  bringing it to his face. You saw a slight blush on his face. “I want it too, my love.” His voice was quieter than before, almost shy to reveal it, as he didn’t look you in the eye. You found it adorable, placing a kiss on his forehead making you chuckle. “But first,” He chuckled. “I just… are you sure you’re happy like this?”

Your face softened as you looked down at him with a smile. “I’m happy, Izuku. Don’t let other people define us. We work just the way we are.”

Izuku stared up at you, pupils big as he smiled gently. His eyes were soft as he reached up and put a calloused large hand to the side of your face. His hands bore the scars of the world and were rough from all the work he had put into them, however they were the most caring hands you had ever felt in your life. You closed your eyes and hummed with a smile. He moved to sit up and turn to you. “I appreciate you… you know that?”

“I know, Izu.”

“No, I’m serious.” He moved to pull you closer to him so that you slid down to lay beside him. He snuggled you close to his chest as he spoke to you. “You make me feel… you make me feel worthy of being a hero, worthy of being your husband, worthy of my quirk and worthy of being a man. Really I… I couldn’t be able to do everything on my own and you do most of it. I’m just the face.” You giggled at that statement making him smile. He placed a kiss to your lip taking you by surprise but you smile. “I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you too.” You chuckled against his lips, but kept against him.

Izuku kissed you with a hum from his chest. A few quick pecs that grew longer as the butterflies in your tummy grew wilder. Until he held you firmly, kissing you deeply. His tongue in your mouth and his hands around you, making you feel like putty in his hands. The thing about kissing Izuku was that it was as if he was searching for something. For something deep inside you that you didn’t know you had. His hand moved to wrap around your neck as the kiss turned messy, almost as if he was trying to swallow you whole. And when you gasped for air, it was almost as if he was disappointed. As if he wanted to drown in you trying to find it.

“Wait, wait.” You breathed out, making him stop completely, as he looked to you making sure you were okay, concern evident in his eyes and furrowed brows. You glanced to the doorway. “The bunnies.”

“The… the bunnies?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

You nodded your head affirmatively. “Yah. I don’t want them to hop in on us.”

Izuku stared at you for a moment before letting out an amused chuckle. “Darling, the bunnies don’t care what we’re doing.”

“It would be indecent, Izuku.”

He motioned to the door with an amused scoff. “We see them humping each other all the time. You don’t see us bothered by it.”

You gave him a pointed look. “Their animals.”

“I’m an animal.”

“Izuku!”

He chuckled but moved to get up. “Okay, alright.” He got up from the bed and moved to close the door. He motioned to the now closed door as you sat up. “There no innocent bunny can hop in on us having sex. Are you satisfied, my love?”

“Very much.”

He laughed as he moved to sweep you up off the bed effortlessly, pulling you up to wrap your legs around you as he turned around and sat down on the bed with you on top of him. He smiled up at you, half hypnotised with you and half deep in lust at the thought of you. You smirked as you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him once more.

He groaned in pleasure as you moved closer to him, your hips moving on impulse. His large hands moved to your hips as he held you in place to grind down against his hardening cock. He loved the feel of you, one hand moving up and down your body, his hands having already memorised every part of you and yet wanting more. He wanted to know more of you for a thousand times over. Till his last breath, he wanted you even if he had had you a thousand times before.

You let out a soft whine as you felt his hard cock through his shorts rub against your clothed clit. You tightened your grasp around him as you chased that feeling again. He chuckled as he moved his lips away from your neck to look up at you, as he kissed your chin. “I want you like this.” He let out lowly.

“You want me to ride you?” You asked breathy and soft.

“All the time.” He smirked as he looked up at you. You chuckled but then a gasp and a moan tumbled out of your lips as you felt his fingers rub against your clit. You didn’t know how he got his fingers in the places that they did when his hand was so big, but you wouldn’t question it. You sunk in deeper, closer to his hand, your hips twitching as his thumb rubbed your clit and his fingers sunk deep inside your slicked up heat. You let out a giggle mixed with a moan.

Izuku couldn’t help but smile at the sight of you in pleasure because of his actions. He loved watching you feel good. He loved watching you feel good because of him. However, being a hero, Izuku noticed everything, and he always noticed when your hand moved down his shorts to free his cock. Your smaller hand wrapped around his shaft, loving the warm feeling of it. You loved watching him twitch and ache for you. You loved watching the way you dragged your hands up the underside of it making his thighs twitch for a second as you rested your hand around the head of his cock. You rubbed your thumb around his slit, spreading the pre that spilled from his head.

Izuku watched as you raised your hand to your mouth. You licked your hand, putting your fingers deep in your mouth, lathering them in saliva before moving your hand back down and moving to stroke his cock. At the sight of you, Izuku let out a groan as he paused temporarily from fingering you. “Honey,” He let out lowly. “I love it when you touch me, but I’m super pent up right now and it won’t take me long if you keep doing that.” He warned as you continued to move your hand up and down his cock, feeling him so firmly in your hands. You giggled, earning a raised eyebrow from him. Unexpectedly, a harsh thrust to that spongey spot inside you made you squeal unexpectedly, making him smirk. “Very funny, hm?”

You chuckled. “You’re so petty, Izuku.” You told him.

“Darling, I thought we already discussed how petty I am.” He effortlessly moved to lift you up with a single hand, a show of strength that made you clench around his fingers making him smirk. You carefully moved to align his cock with your entrance. He slowly lowered you down on his cock making you both hold in a breath.

You moaned at the stretch of his cock. You had loved that over the years you had managed to suit him just perfectly, almost as if you both belonged together like jigsaw pieces. Izuku loved that too. He loved that you were made for him and he was made for you. You were made to fit together like this. It made shiver run up his spine and a moan tumble out of his lips as you were finally seated on top of him. He licked at his fingers eagerly making you giggle.

You interrupted his quick taste test with a kiss to his lips. He wrapped his arms around you, keeping you stuck against him so that you could taste yourself on him. You moved to lift your hips before going back down on his cock. The action brought a groan out of the both of you as you steadily began to ride him, slow but consistent. You used your thighs to move yourself up and down, holding onto his shoulders as you did so.

You flipped your head back, closing your eyes as you enjoyed the feeling of him and you slotted together. Izuku watched with a half lidded gaze of lust with a smirk on his lips. You looked amazing like this, on top of him with his cock inside you. He gripped your ass tightly, holding onto you as he moved to shift your nightgown higher up so that he could easily watch your hips move as you moved up and down his cock. He loved watching you on top of him almost as much as he watched you underneath him. Nothing else mattered other than you and the way your face was scrunched up in pleasure, eyes closed as you held onto him for dear life, increasing your pace as you chased that knotted feeling inside you that ached for release.

He chuckled as he watched you rather recklessly bounce on his cock, your breaths increasing as you tried your best to chase that orgasm you were building up. You whined as you opened your eyes and glared at him. “What’s so funny?”

He shrugged. “Need my help, love?” He asked as he chose to lean back and watch you rather than assist without you begging for it.

You hesitated. You wanted to say no and keep face, bring yourself to your own orgasm while riding him, like you often did when you wished for him whenever he was away on a mission or at work, however you really didn’t have the self control to do that. Your expression changed and Izuku immediately caught onto it. It was one of need. Inherit need and aching, a whine tumbling out of your lips.

“Izu… Izuku please help.” You begged as you moved your hands over to grab at your chest as you looked over at him. “Please. Please, my hero.”

At the nickname you saw his green eyes darken in a way that had your sex tightening around him. Without saying anything he moved to grab onto your hips and slam into you making you jolt at the pain and pleasure. A cry escaped your lips as he started to move your hips up and down, easily falling into the same rhythm you had when you were riding him without his help. He moved to fall back onto the bed, shifting over so that you were a bit more forward, your hands moving down onto his bare chest to balance your weight.

Without warning he thrusted into you making you shoot up. “Oh FUCK! Yes baby! Yes! Just like that~” You moaned as you moved to jump and match his thrust in a perfect balance of him and you. “Fuck, Izuku, you’re so sexy. My big loving husband, always protecting me and standing up for me. You’re so amazing like that Izu.” A low growl left the back of your husband’s throat as he furrowed his eyebrows, focused on fucking you. You knew how much praise got to him, how much you just acknowledging him had him in a chokehold. “Give me your cum, Izu. Put a baby in me.” You pleaded as an orgasm took you by surprise as you moaned, your thighs trembling in pleasure as you sat on top of him, your eyes rolled back in pleasure.

Izuku let out a low groan at the feeling of your sex gripping his sex so tightly. “Good girl. Riding my cock like a champion, huh? You think I forgot how needy you are, keeping me late this morning just so that you could fuck me this morning. My wife’s such a needy little slut for me, aren’t you?” You nodded your head with a hum, your mind too numb off of the pleasure of him inside you to care much about what he said. He smirked. “Yah, you are. All you want is my cum dripping out of you, showing who you belong to. Showing- fuck.” He gritted his teeth at how close he was. A moan tumbled out of his lips at how your ass clapped against his thighs and the way your sex massaged his cock as you rode him like no tomorrow. “Showing who will give you a baby. You want that? Can I fill you up, darling?”

You nodded your head with a teary eyed plea. “Please.”

A low grunt escaped his throat as his thrusts grow harder and more sporadic, his grip on you borderline painful cause at this point he just was using you as a fleshlight and you couldn’t care less. You bit down on your bottom lip as you felt him pound into you until finally, he slammed inside you, making you squeeze around him as he came inside you. A gentle soft moan came out of your mouth as you felt his cum fill you.

Izuku groaned as he held you on top of him, however you rolling your hips as he went through his own orgasm didn’t help either. You giggled as you savoured the wonderful feeling of him inside you. Your hands moved down your body, gripping your breasts over your nightgown with a bite to your bottom lip. “You love this pussy, don’t you?” You asked softly, rolling your hips.

Izuku put an arm over his face as a blush went to his cheek, a groan leaving his throat as he tightened his grip on your hip with one hand almost painful. “Fuck~” You felt him twitch inside you making you giggle. “Don’t say stuff like that, darling.” He breathed out, moving his arm off his face, revealing a blushing freckled face. He relaxed back into the bed sheets, with you still on top of him.

You bent down low closer to him and placed a kiss to his lips and he immediately reciprocated back. “Feeling better?”

He chuckled. “Much. But… why do I have a feeling that you aren’t gonna let me sleep tonight?”

“What makes you say that?” You smirked.

He looked up at you for a moment, pure love in his eyes, adoring and endless and only for you. He leaned up closer to you. “The bunnies aren’t the only ones who lack self-control.”

big bro sukuna because im a sucker for sibling au

Part 2 | Part 3

HASHIRAS REACT TO YOU BEING A BRAT !!

Scenario: You and them were training and you couldn’t find an opening to strike them leaving them multiple chances to strike you and you got so fed up and you threw your wooden sword on the floor and started shouting at them letting your anger issues get the best of you.

(Went over board with my baby obanai 💔)

NOT proof read.

𝐁𝐋𝐀𝐂𝐊 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑 ✧

GYOMEI HIMEJIMA

Gyomei ‘looked’ at you in confusion trying to figure out why you were acting like this. He tried his best to calm you down, saying things like— “Calm down, Im sorry. I didn’t realize how hard I was being on you.” or “This behavior is really unnecessary. Calm down.” Either way you had a snarky remark.

“I don’t fucking care, how about you shut the fuck and let me think for a second.” You said , pacing around. His eyebrows furrowed, his anger slowly rising trying to be patient with you.

Unexpectedly, Gyomei grabbed your upper arm and faced you to him. Your face hitting his chest as he lowered himself to your level. Not being able to look at you in the eyes directly because he’s blind. “Breathe.” Is all he said. You took deep breaths trying to calm down.

Once you finally calm down and lean into his touch you whispered an apology. “Sorry master Gyomei.” All his anger suddenly evaporating as he felt your breathing even out. “Its okay.”

You felt his hands travel down to your waist and grip it. “Although, that type if behavior comes with consequences.” He said, voice deepening. You gulped. Scared of what he had in store for you.

TOMIOKA GIYUU

He just stared at you. He was never good when it came to handling people’s emotions. “It’s never that serious.. Y/N calm down.” You heard him faintly say. His voice low. “Don’t you ever, and I mean ever tell me shits not that serious.” You say, angrily. Walking up to him, dangerously close. “I suggest you back up if you know what good for you.” He said. Locking eyes with yours.

You scoffed, getting closer than you already were if that was even possible. Giyuu felt like you were testing his patience, he felt as if you thought he couldn’t touch you.

He gripped your face, squishing your cheeks together. “Watch who you’re talking to Y/N. You’re acting like a child like every other day I don’t have you laid up in my mansion unable to move.” Giyuu said, his mouth so close to your ear.

“ m’sorry..” You said, closing your eyes out of embarrassment. “gimmie a kiss baby.” He said, pulling away from your ear, giving you the sloppiest kiss ever.

SHINOBU KOUCHO

“Oh my, whats the matter?” She asked, taking a few steps back. “This shit is frustrating! I cant get a hit, im getting fucking mad.” You yelled, kicking the dirt. “Hey its okay really.” She gave you a weak smile. “Its not, I-its not!” You said, tears began to fall. “Y-You’re so mean shinobu! “ You yelled, attempting to slap her arm.

She stopped the slap by grabbing your wrist, applying pressure, making you wince. “Calm down. You should know better than to hit a hashira let alone your trainer.” She said, eyes piercing through you.

“sorry master koucho..”. you said weakly, before she let go of your wrist. “thought so.”

MITSURI KANROJI

She didn’t know what to do, she was confused and panicking. She tried her best to calm you down. “Im sorry! Im sorry!” she said, hugging you.

You calmed down and melted into her touch. her fingers caressing your arms. “you have to try okay my love? You can’t expect to just be able to land a hit on me without training.” she said, her voice soft and smooth. She calmed you down so fast as if this was a everyday occurrence.

MUICHIRO TOKITO

He stared at you blankly. just letting your tantrum run through. He had no idea why you were acting like this and didn’t really want to know.

“Pick your sword back up and stop procrastinating and come on.” He said. Your blood started to boil. He was making you angry. “Im not going to put up with your temper tantrums. So come on” He said once more. He was starting to get mad.

“Im not! Im going to quit for today.” You raised your voice. “No you’re not come on.” His voice starting to rise. You turn back and said something along the lines of, “im not gonna sit here and have you throw me on the floor for fun muichiro. You making me mad.” You started moving your hands when you were talking.

“Does it look like I care? stop acting like a child and grow up!” He yelled, which took you back.

“excuse me?” You said, wanting him to repeat what he said.

welp in the end the two of you bickered until the sun set.

SANEMI SHINAZUGAWA

He got angry before you could even get angry. “You could’ve hit me right there. why are you so slow?!” He yelled in your face. You put your hand on his chest and pushed him away. “Boy back the hell up!” You said.

He was took back by the base in your voice, glaring at you. “Watch who you talking to.” He said, gripping your upper arm. “OW NIGGA!” You yelled, hitting him trying to get the grip to let up.

“quit all that fussin.” He said,pulling you closer. “We are going to try again, and this time you better knock me in my head.” He said , being dead serious “Yes sir.” You rolled your eyes. He snapped his neck towards you and gave you a look immediately shutting you up.

OBANAI IGURO

“Shut the hell up with that whining shit. You know I don’t like that.” He hissed. “b-but master! I can’t do it!”You whined. He always felt sorry for you when you couldn’t get something down and you’d stress about it.

“What did I just tell you?” He said, eyes slanting a little. Earlier today Tengen told him that he was babying you too much and now he can finally see that.

“You’re going to keep trying until you get it right. You’re so damn spoiled, I see what Tengens talking about.” He said from across the field. You got offended wanting to say something back but Obanai knew you better than yourself.

“I dont want to hear you saying anything. Come at me again.” He said. You refused. Not moving a muscle. Why should you have to listen to him? “No.” You said, sweat starting to form. “You’re literally shaking. Im not going to hurt you.” He said once again, but you didnt budge. “Go talk about me to Tengen I can train myself.

“Thats what youre mad about?” Obanai has venom in his voice. In a blink of an eye he was right in front of you. A hand was wrapped around your throat. “Lose the fucking attitude.” He whispered. “I hate when you whine about stupid shit. If I tell you to do something then you do it.” He continued. “Isn’t that right mama?” He looked at you. “Y-yes iguro.” You hate when he had full control over you but you loved it so much.

“Get your shit together and come on ‘for I fuck you outside.”

“yes master iguro.”

RENGOKU KYOJURO

Like Mitsuri, he started panicking. “Okay okay! I realized this is way beyond your level lets start slow!” sweat coming down his face.

“NO! I wanna do it till i get it right. Stop treating me like a baby!” You yelled and picked your wooden sword back up.

“Well you are getting angry so maybe stop!” He said, still keeping his cheerful expression. Your rolled your eyes and got into stance knowing that your attitude was going to get nowhere with him.

TENGEN UZUI

“well that’s really unflashy.” He said, one hand on his hip. “Will you shut up?” You said, voice very low. “What was that? Speak up. I couldn’t quite catch that.” He said, sarcastically. “I said can you shut up?” You said louder, making sure he heard you.

“Hey you know thats kind of rude for someone who keeps falling on their ass.” Tengen said. “Maybe if you stop fighting me like I was a damn demon then maybe i wouldnt be falling on my ass all the time? I dont know just a thought.” You said. “Pick up your sword and stop being a baby.” He said, smile plastered on his face.

You grabbed your sword coming at him with full force, faster than before catching him completely off guard. He grabbed both of your arms and pinned them behind your back. “You need to calm down” He said, voice laced with shock and slight anger.

You rolled your eyes knowing that he won’t be nice with you anymore while training.

HELP — bakugou katsuki x f!reader 

five times Bakugou saves you. 

genre: strangers to lovers au, pro hero! katsuki | fluff, smut 

warnings: aged up characters, Bakugou’s characterization is a little rough around the edges bUT I TRIED MY BEST, Bakugou’s hero name is the hero name he picked in chapter 293 (according to Google) but a manga spoiler warning for that, Bakugou is a little mean but he’s also soft and i can’t tell if that’s out of character but oh well, silent pining, depictions of a villain attack, cell phones that work in underground tunnels idk how accurate that is but please don’t come for me on that one, Bakugou uses a pet name (sweetheart) because I thought sure why not, making out, smut at the end! SMUT: brief nipple play, cunnilingus, unprotected sex 

word count: 10k 

a/n: based on the prompt “I scraped my knee and now you’re fixing it up and I swear if you don’t stop running your hands over my leg I will kick you”

(1) 

It happens on a Thursday evening, where your once hopeful aspirations to finally clean through your apartment are dashed away by a cockroach that seems to have found a home on your kitchen counter. 

The sight of the winged creature with its six legs and antennas perched comfortably on the marble surface next to your sink elicits a scream from you as you drop your collection of cleaning equipment onto the floor. Your hands fly up to your face, shielding you as if that would be an effective method of blocking a bug away. Without checking to see the position of the cockroach, you dash away from the kitchen and down the hallway into your bedroom. 

Once you are a safe distance away, you resort yourself to huffing and puffing—attempting to calm yourself down after the onslaught of fight or flight has flooded your system. Cockroaches aren’t necessarily uncommon in your apartment building, but the absence of your roommate feels like you’ve been deprived of the extra support system needed to face a creature from your nightmares. 

Keep reading

raspberry leaves

pairing: poly!geto suguru x fem!reader x gojo satoru [jjk au]

warnings: jjk au! geto doesn't defect and everything is happy :)) cursing, periods, severe cramps, painkillers and mentions of taking more than you're supposed to (three instead of two), lots of talk of pain, mentions of vomiting, passing out, panic, mentions of death, mentions of burning yourself, probably ooc megumi but he's a kid here (probably gojo too but I can't not write him soft), family au!, megumi tsumiki and the twins are here!, probably taking liberties on how gojo's technique works but oops, this is for the girlies with severe period symptoms :'), major hurt/comfort

word count: 12.5k

a/n: drops this and yells "scatter!" and disappears back into seclusion. I did not proofread this :)

Gojo Satoru has never woken up so terrified in his life. 

It’s a horrifying thing; to wake up lurching from your sheets as the love of your life cries out in panic just a few hours past midnight. For a moment, Satoru thinks he’s dying – or that he should be – because as he rips his sheets away from his legs, racing to his feet with his pulse already roaring in his eardrums, he turns to find Geto Suguru crumbling to his knees. The dark-haired man is the one who shouted, his hands fumbling to grasp another figure, their body limp and hanging useless in Suguru’s arms.

It’s your frame, clutched tight in Suguru’s big hands, that steals the breath from Satoru’s lungs. Ripping any semblance of oxygen right from his chest, the Six Eyes user is left stumbling on his feet to reach his spouses as they crumble to the floor – you limp in Suguru’s grip as you fall unconscious. 

Suguru shouts, a desperate cry of your name as he finally sinks to the bathroom floor, urgently scrambling to cradle your weight against him and support your figure. When he’s settled on the ground, a hand carefully cradling your face, Suguru looks up at Satoru, panic in his features and his heart in his throat. For a tense second, neither man speaks, too terrified to properly ascertain the situation. Then, Satoru chokes out a desperate question as he stumbles into the doorframe, clutching the wood until he swears it could splinter beneath his hands. 

“What happened?” 

But let’s rewind a moment, shall we? 

It starts two hours after midnight – well, it starts long before that, but it’s that moment you finally decide to pull yourself from the sheets and stumble into the bathroom. That moment, the one of shortened breaths and a weak whimper, is the one to incite the inferno that will wake Gojo Satoru in an hour or so. 

You’ve been awake for hours. Sleep was a stubborn thing; an obstinate, pig-headed bastard that wouldn’t allow you the mercy of relief even hours after you’ve been awake clutching your stomach and trying desperately not to cry. 

It’s agony. Beginning in your left side and rippling through the entirety of your stomach and down your legs, the cramping sensation seizes you with another tight fist and squeezes. It’s agony, and it’s been keeping you awake for hours. 

Your period is merciless. 

You’ve always had terrible cramps. That was a notion you had grown used to when you were young. Painkillers could only do so much, and you hated to have to take as many as you did just to function near normally. The first day of shark week was always terrible, but this? This was pure agony, and you were nearing your breaking point. 

It festered for hours in your stomach, sending cramps through your form in catastrophic waves and pushing against your belly until you thought you were truly going to die. The urge to use the restroom is horrible, but each time you drag yourself to the ensuite bathroom, you sit there as another wave of agony nearly pulls you to your knees. You’re sweaty and tired, figure quivering as another rippling cramp seizes your legs, and you’ve never wanted anything more than the sweet relief of slumber. 

Nothing seems to help. 

A hot water bottle is pressed against your stomach, the liquid inside near boiling as you clutch it against your bare skin – a bad idea, you know, but the sensation of the burn is nowhere near as terrible as the cramps. You’ve downed three painkillers a few hours ago, probably another bad idea, but you’re desperate now. 

You don’t want to wake Suguru or Satoru. It’s a Sunday night, and you know they both have work early tomorrow morning. They have to get the kids to school too. The four of your children always pile into one of your husband’s nice cars just a few hours past dawn. The kids get dropped off at primary school on their way to work, since it’s just around the corner from Jujutsu High. 

You can’t tear their few precious hours of sleep away from them. 

Not for this. 

There’s nothing they can do – nothing you can do but sit and try to ride out the waves of crippling agony until they finally stop. 

You’ve done this before. These cramps aren’t new. You can deal with them on your own. 

Can’t you?

But as you repress a broken sob, pulling yourself away from the silk of your sheets and into the bathroom once more, you’re not quite sure. 

When you reach the ensuite bathroom, another cramp surges through you and the tears you’ve been desperately withholding finally burst forth. Pressing your weight into the wall as the door slides shut, you click the lock and finally allow yourself to crumple. Your head pushes into your knees as you sob, trying to keep your cries quiet and muffled against your hand as the other clutches the hot water bottle against the throb of your stomach. 

You’re tired. You’re tired and you’re in so much pain that your fingers tremble and your legs shake. It’s awful, and you just want to sleep. 

But your uterus must hate you, because your stomach lurches and you scramble to lean over the toilet as you dry heave. You’ve never vomited on your period, but it sure does feel like you will. 

Your skin itches. From the sweat or the general grime, you don’t know, but you hate it. Your chest shakes with another sob and your fists squeeze tight as you whine out a horrible sound of agony. It’s too much and you wish it would just stop. Leaning back against the wall, you sigh out a choked sound as you curl into yourself. 

“Stop,” you whine brokenly, too defeated to even understand who you’re pleading to. “Please stop.” 

Geto Suguru wakes up a few moments later. 

He doesn’t know what pulls him from slumber at first. His brow furrows as consciousness returns, a deep breath leaving his nose as he sighs and takes in the feeling of body weight pressed into his chest. It’s a muscular figure, long and tall, so it must be Satoru. He’s pressed into Suguru’s stomach, body curled small in a near comical way as he attempts to tuck himself beneath Suguru’s chin. The long-haired man nearly huffs a chuckle as he pries open his tired eyes to see his partner. 

Suguru runs a loving hand over the mess of pale white strands that fall into Satoru’s eyes, his lips quirking upwards softly as he smiles. Satoru nuzzles closer in his sleep, letting out a happy sigh as Suguru runs his nails through the other’s undercut. Then Suguru shifts, turning over his shoulder slowly to find you as his hand reaches out to pull you closer.

But you’re not there. 

Suguru startles. Jolting silently as his heart skips a frightened beat, the sorcerer’s eyes rip open as they dilate. His hand finds an empty bed, the sheets cold and the imprint of your figure long lost. Suguru carefully untangles himself from his lover’s long limbs, his long, dark hair falling into his eyes as he sits upright. 

“Baby?” his deep, tired voice rumbles in question. Where are you? He nearly asks, heart pounding in his chest. Are the kids okay? 

Suguru knew it was weird you had chosen to sleep on the edge of the bed tonight. You’re usually more than happy to bury yourself in between them, cuddling close and nuzzling into their chests as you try to pull yourself even tighter into their embrace. 

But last night, you gently pushed Suguru into your place, offering him a wave of your hand and a lame excuse as to why you wanted to sleep on the outside. Something about not wanting to sleep yet, he remembers. 

He waits a moment, hoping you’ve just gotten up to use the restroom and you’ll return to them soon. The sound of Satoru’s quiet breaths echo through the space, and has to fill the long seconds by tracing his fingers over his lover’s back. Tracing gentle lines over the defined muscles, Suguru sighs softly and tries to calm his racing pulse. 

A minute passes. Then another. And one more – until Suguru isn’t sure how long he’s been waiting. 

Then Suguru cannot resist the swell of panic that ripples through his stomach. 

His heart lurches in his chest as he swings his legs over the side of the bed, too panicked to offer Satoru more than a hushed sound and a stroke over his back when he tiredly mumbles in protest. 

“‘M just gettin’ up for a sec,’” he mumbles quietly, swallowing back the lump in his throat when he sees the light in the bathroom on. “I’ll be back, love.” 

Satoru grumbles something else, but is soothed when Suguru presses a gentle kiss to his brow. 

“M’kay,” Satoru sighs, easily falling back asleep as he snuggles into the warmth Suguru left behind on the bed. If he wasn’t so worried, Suguru would smile, his heart clenching tight in his chest as he watches Satoru curl into his spot with a soft sound. 

When Suguru stands, adjusting his sweats as he quietly makes his way to the bathroom, he pulls his hair from his eyes. Brushing the strands over his bare shoulder, he sighs as he fiddles for a hair tie in his pocket. He doesn't find one, so he simply pushes the dark strands back from his brow, letting them fall behind him and settle against his bare back. 

You’ve always liked it when his hair is loose anyway. 

Suguru knocks on the bathroom door first. It’s quiet, but you should be able to hear it. When you don’t respond, Suguru frowns and tries again. Knocking gently once more, he swallows as another wave of panic curls in his stomach. 

“Sweetheart?” he tries quietly, voice still rumbling deeply from the slumber he was pulled from. “You’ve been in there a while, honey. Are you alright?” 

Still, you don’t respond. 

You want to. Of course you want to. It’s Suguru, and you don’t want to worry him. 

But the waves of agonizing cramps have stolen your voice. All you can do is sit still and breathe. You feel utterly useless. There’s nothing you can do but control the slow pace of your breaths in a desperate attempt to distract yourself from the crippling sensation radiating from your stomach. 

You want to respond – tell him you’re alright, tell him something, but the agony seals your lips shut. It’s horrible and another wave of tears spill from your tired eyes. You hate it. You wish you would stop crying; it’s not helping and it only makes you feel weak. 

“Baby? I’m gettin’ worried.” 

All you can manage is a sad, weak sound in response. It leaves your lips in more a sob than a hum, and you muffle the tears that shiver through you after. 

“Honey!” Suguru murmurs worriedly, trying to twist the handle of the door, only to curse when he discovers it’s locked. “What’s going on? Are you okay?” 

He shifts on his feet, lifting a hand to pull on the strands on his hair to soothe some of his panic. The sound you manage in response is another broken hum, and it only worsens the thundering pulse of Suguru’s heart. His gut twists as he tries the knob again, as if a few seconds will have changed the status of the lock. 

You whine and Suguru swears his heart cracks. His head presses against the door as his eyes squeeze shut, fist still closed around the handle. 

“Can you open the door f’me, sweetheart?” he murmurs desperately. “‘M really worried about you.” 

Your eyes close, the watery burn rendering them useless as you sniffle. You huff around another breath of pain, pushing your head further into your knees. Trembling softly as your skin flushes, you battle against the waves of agony and the flash of heat that makes you feel sickly. Another wave of nausea ripples in your gut, and you remember how awful you must look. 

Your hair is plastered against your head and your neck and you must look a mess. Wearing a pair of oversized sweats and one of Suguru’s shirts, you feel utterly gross. More than anything you want to open the door and let Suguru take you in his arms. Cuddling into his firm chest and feeling his big arms wrap around you would probably feel nice, but you’re all too aware of how sickly you must look. 

You don’t want him to see you like this: sweaty, messy and sick as you curl in on yourself as you weep through another terrible cramp. You just want to sleep – you want it to stop, everything needs to stop. 

Suguru hums out another question, but you don’t really hear it. It’s not until you hear the lilt of panic in his voice and his voice fiddling with the handle of the door do you manage to find your voice. 

“Sugu…” 

He startles. Head darting up to the door in front of him, Suguru breathes a sigh of relief and chokes out your name. 

“Open the door, darling,” he whispers softly. “Please…” 

You shake your head even though you know he can’t see it. Frowning as you sniffle, you lick your lips to taste salt and the disgusting hint of snot. You’re a mess, and you don’t want him to see you. 

“No, Sugu,” you manage to mutter, head knocking back to rest against the wall as you continue to focus on breathing through your mouth. You visibly shiver through another cramp, this time seizing and whining as it echoes through your legs. 

Suguru bites down on his lip, feeling another sliver of his heart crack at the broken sound of your voice. It pains him, your defeated sigh. He desperately wants to comfort you, to bring you into his chest and kiss your tears away. His hands ache to touch your skin, to feel the warmth he knows by heart. Closing his eyes as he rests his forehead against the wood of the door, Suguru sighs and swallows as he speaks again. 

“Why not?” he murmurs worriedly, voice clipping words from fatigue pulling at his figure. “I need t’know you’re alright, my love.” 

“Don’t wan’ you t’see me.”

Suguru’s head tilts and the lump in his throat swells. Heart clenching sadly, one of his hands lifts to rest on the door, as if he can reach you on the other side if he tries hard enough. He knows he can get through this door if he really wanted. It would be too easy for him to splinter the frame with his strength alone, and he has more than one curse at his disposal that could pick a lock smoothly. 

It’s the sound of your voice that holds him back. 

You’re so… tired. You’re broken whisper echoes through the wooden door with a sad coo, and it makes Suguru’s chest ache. 

“My sweet girl…” Suguru whispers, fingers trailing across the wood like they’re desperate to stroke across your cheek. “Why don’t you want me to see you?” 

You frustratedly sigh, cursing the tears that continue to track down your cheeks. No matter what you do, they keep dripping over your skin in tiny rivulets, staining your face with tracks of dried salt. You wipe them away but they’re quickly replaced by another stream. 

You just want to sleep. 

“I don’t feel good, Sugu,” you sigh tiredly, voice quivering around tears. It’s pathetic – how watery you sound. You wish you were stronger. “I look bad and I don’t want wan’ t’keep you an’ Toru awake.” 

You don’t feel good? He nearly questions. Why didn’t you wake me? 

But all he does is sigh softly, fists clenching against the door. For a moment he contemplates waking Satoru, knowing you probably won’t be able to resist them both. Though, when he turns over his shoulder, Suguru sees the bags beneath his lover’s eyes and the tired slump of his form in their sheets. 

Satoru needs his sleep. It’s difficult enough for him to find slumber when the Six Eyes strains him dry. 

Suguru lets him rest. 

He murmurs your name again, his eyes closing as he continues to rest against the door. 

“I’m in love with you, you know?” Suguru sighs sweetly, his lips lifting slightly to reveal a fond smile. “You could never ‘look bad’ to me, my darling.” 

Shifting on his feet and looking up at the ceiling, his shoulders sag as he worries. What if you don’t open the door? He’s considering settling on the floor with his back against the door when he whispers again. 

“And you don’t need t’worry about keepin’ me awake, alright? I want you t’come to me when you’re not feeling good.” 

He pauses once, dropping his hand from the knob as he breathes. 

“I worry about you, honey,” he finishes. “I just need to know you’re okay.” 

You sniffle, feeling the cramp finally seep away to nothing. They’re not over, you can feel another wave rising from beneath the last, but at least they offer you a single moment to reach up and twist the lock. 

It’s too much for you to handle alone. 

You want to bury yourself in Suguru’s strong arms and weep as the pain shivers through you. If there’s nothing you can do to soothe the agony, then at least you won’t be alone. 

“Okay.”

Suguru hears the lock click. 

Gasping softly, he pulls himself upright and reaches down to grip the handle of the door with a skip of his heart. He was pondering waiting outside the door in the fading light of the moon when you whispered the tired word. His chest aches when he twists the knob, pulling the door open to reveal your figure.

You’re curled on the floor, calves crossed and legs pulled into your chest as you bury your head into your knees. Your arms wrap around yourself, one hand clutching the hot water bottle pressed tightly to your stomach. 

Suguru frowns, his heart thumping sadly as you weep out another broken sound. His entire body aches in a way he cannot describe, physically pained at the choked sounds of agony leaving your lips. He’s already on his knees at your side when you lift your head, looking up at him through your tears and your lip quivering in a way he knows you cannot control. 

He’s never seen you look so hurt. 

“Oh, sweetheart…” he coos quietly, putting the pieces together as you shiver through another wave of crippling cramps, hand squeezing tight around your leg – your period. “You’re not alright.” 

“No,” you weep, shaking your head with watery eyes leaking salty droplets down your cheeks, and you suck in a shaking breath as your fists clench. Your brow furrows as your eyelids squeeze shut, unable to mask the pain as it ripples through you. Suguru’s face softens into an expression of pain, frowning sadly. You have a high pain tolerance for your period cramps – he knows that. You’ve had painful periods your whole life, and he and Satoru have seen you conceal the agony in your features for years. 

This is a knife to his heart. 

You can’t conceal the sweat on your brow, nor the tremble of your fingers and the painful gasp of breath you suck in when the pain returns tenfold. 

“It hurts, Sugu…” 

“I know, I’m sorry,” he whispers sadly, desperately wishing there’s something he can do to stall the agony. “C’mere, honey.”

Suguru’s mouth twists into an expression of pain, and he carefully wraps an arm around your shoulders. Pulling you away from the wall, the dark-haired man maneuvers you into his chest as he sits onto the floor. You twist into his embrace, wrapping your arms around his frame as you weep softly into his bare chest, caring little for the tears that stain his skin. Suguru could care less. He’s far too worried about the expression plastered onto your features and the shiver that trembles through you. 

“How long have you been up?” he whispers as he cradles you in his lap, hand stroking over your hair and strong arm wrapping around you. 

You shake your head and Suguru’s frown deepens – if it’s even possible. 

“Haven’t slept yet.” 

Suguru’s hair falls into his eyes as he leans down to press a gentle kiss between your brows. He stays there, breathing through his noses as he continues to lay tiny kisses to your forehead. His eyes screw shut, hand stroking over your cheek as you bury yourself deeper into his embrace. 

Your skin is warm, flushed with heat and your hair sticks to your forehead in a way Suguru knows must make you feel sickly. He carefully strokes the strands away and kisses the skin beneath with a soft sigh. 

“Have you been awake all night?” he finally whispers, voice deep and quietly sad. “With cramps like this?”

You nod into his chest, wincing again and closing your eyes as you sob through another agonizing cramp. Your legs shake as you tuck them into yourself together, trying desperately to push the hot water bottle deeper into your skin. 

“Oh, baby…” he sighs, leaning back to rest against the wall and pull you back into him. He strokes another hand across your face, thumbing the space between your brows when he sees the way they’re scrunched. “Why didn’t you wake me?” 

You sigh and breathe a few times to steady yourself, slowly loosening your fists when Suguru pries your fingers open to intertwine his own around yours. He pulls your hands into his chest, tucking them by his heart so you can feel the pulse of his heart. He hopes you don’t notice how quick it’s beating. He’s still worried. Suguru cannot help the way his heart lurches when you wince. As if each throb of agony is his own, Suguru buries his face closer to your own, clutching onto your hand and not faltering when you tighten your grip to counter the waves of pain echoing through you. 

“You’ve got work in the morning,” you pant quietly, voice still watery and weak. “And you an’ Toru gotta’ take the kids.” 

“Honey…” he sighs sweetly. “You’re in pain… I want you t’wake me if you’re in pain, sweetheart. No amount of sleep could soothe me if you’re hurt and alone.” 

You manage a hum in response, face still screwed shut and Suguru frowns when you muffle another sob as a cramp seizes you once more. 

“Okay, baby… Okay,” he whispers, rocking you into him a little in an attempt to distract you. Now is not the time for a lecture, he supposes.“You’re alright, darling. You’re gonna be alright.” 

He hates the sound of your tears. 

When you shudder through another agonizing sound, Suguru’s face crumples. He’s never felt so useless. You’re in agony, and he can do nothing to fix it. 

“You took your painkillers?” 

You nod again, weeping into his chest and squeezing his hand tight. 

“Three,” you mumble tiredly, focusing on the feeling of Suguru’s warm, bare chest pressed against your skin. It’s grounding and you don’t want to move. “They aren’t working.”

“How long ago?” 

He doesn't want to pester you with questions, but he’s desperately pulling at strings, hoping one will grant him the solution to your pain. 

“Midnight,” you manage. You wince again, and Suguru peppers kisses along your hairline, gently hushing you. You curl tighter into yourself, desperately huffing as the pain continues to swell higher. It feels like it will break at any moment, but it just… doesn’t. The agony continues to rise, as if there is no limit to its torment. The cramping sensation just comes back again and again, until you’re sure that there’s something wrong. How can a period be so painful? 

“It hurts so bad, Sugu,” you cry, reaching the end of your tether. You’re desperate for the ache to stop, but it feels like there’s no  point of end in sight. “I just want it to stop…” 

Suguru feels his stomach twist, heart crying out in a pattern of your name. He pulls you tighter, a wave of his own tears swelling behind his eyes. Your cries chip at his heart, pieces of his soul falling apart in your agony. He wishes he could do something – use some kind of technique to null the pain, to soothe you, anything. 

“I know, honey,” he soothes, cradling you closer and rubbing his finger over your cheek as he murmurs into your hairline. “I’m sorry I can’t do anything more. I’m sorry I can’t take this from you.” 

You shake your head, clutching him tight as you attempt to focus on your breaths again. Hand wrapped tightly around his own, you try to use his touch as a grounding sensation. Eventually, the lulling motion of his finger over your cheek and his lips at your hairline soothe some of the tension beneath your skin. You relax into his touch despite the continuous waves of cramps still panging through your stomach. 

“Just stay,” you weep, lifting your other hand from your stomach to clutch behind Suguru’s head. You hold onto his neck, burying your fingers in his soft hair and desperately inhale his familiar scent. Suguru is familiar – he’s safe. “Please…”

You don’t have to worry about anything as long as Suguru and Satoru are around. 

“Always, sweetheart,” he whispers against you, dropping the hand at your cheek to press your hot water bottle into your stomach for you. “Always. You don’t have t’ask.” 

 His large hand keeps your bottle in place, spreading across your stomach and rubbing soothing circles into your waist with his thumb. His hand is big enough to settle on your stomach and the fabric of your hot water bottle. 

Suguru hates this. He hates seeing you in pain. He hates that all he can do is sit and press delicate kisses to your hairline as you writhe in agony. It physically pains him to be unable to help – to have to watch as one of the loves of his life suffers. 

Suguru buries his nose into your hair and kisses you once more, whispering sweet words of encouragement and humming in an attempt to distract you. He loves you so much, and he hopes you know that. 

“You’re doing so well, my darling.”  

Eventually, the wave passes, and you limply release your intense grip on his fingers and relax into his hold. It’s a slow process. Finally succumbing to some brief glimpse of exhaustion, you slip loosely into Suguru’s hold and trust him to catch you. There will be another cramp soon, but at least this one is over. You breathe out a sigh and look up at Suguru with tears on your lashes. 

Strands of his dark hair fall into his eyes, and Suguru has never looked more beautiful to you. Sitting on the bathroom floor with you three hours past midnight, no shirt and a loose pair of sweats on his hips (ones he’s not sure are his own), and Suguru has never looked so endearing. The way he looks down at you, bangs dangling in front of his dark eyes and full lips leaning down to kiss your face gently; he’s princely. 

Your heart finally slows to an acceptable pace as Suguru leans down, and you close your eyes as he lays a soft kiss to one of your eyelids. His full lips peck sweetly against one, then he leans away to kiss the other. Your eyes well with tears again, but this time you think they’re for a different reason. 

“Hi,” he whispers sweetly, lips lifting to show you that tiny smile of his that makes your heart do funny things. You’re too tired to offer much more than a sigh and a quirk of your lips, but Suguru is grateful for the expression all the same. 

“Hi, Sugu.” 

“Are you feeling any better?” 

You shake your head, sighing quietly as you shift.

“Not really.”

Suguru frowns again, and you’re tempted to lift your thumbs to pull his lips upwards again. Suguru looks so much prettier when he smiles. 

“I’m sorry, honey,” he whispers. “Do you wanna get off the floor, at least? The bed’s much more comfortable and Toru’s gonna start worrying soon.”

You figure now is the best time to try moving, so you nod. There’s probably only a few minutes between these waves of terrible cramps, so you’ll take the moment you have to get back into bed. 

“M’kay,” you sigh tiredly. Suguru's expression softens for a reason you don’t understand, but the sorcerer fondly smiles as he thinks of the same sound Satoru had made just minutes before. 

“Alright, love. Let’s get you up, alright?”

You nod again, allowing Suguru to unwind his limbs from yours. He softly chuckles when you whine as his fingers unlace from your own, but readjusts his grip to carefully pull you to stand. He holds his other hand out, tenderly helping you stand. 

“Careful…” he whispers. “Go slow, baby.” 

Your head spins as you stand and you lift a hand to press against your temple. The rolling tide of nausea in your stomach had quelled for the time being, but the tremble of your legs is still too apparent. You step forward shakily, reaching out to grasp Suguru’s outstretched hand with a grateful smile. He returns the look with soft eyes and nods sweetly as he allows you to step out of the bathroom first. 

When he’s certain you can stand on your own, Suguru turns over his shoulder to turn off the bathroom light and shut the door. 

But he only gets so far. 

Suddenly, you inhale sharply. Freezing in place, your body curls inwards on itself as a blinding swell of cramps overtakes your form. This one is sharp and crippling, radiating down your legs until even your calves feel weak. Your body is suddenly too hot, and the air is far too cold. Shivers trickle down your spine and you feel that all too familiar bolt of stifling panic strike through your chest. It runs through the entirety of your figure, sizzling beneath your skin and striking each nerve it passes. You feel that terrible curl of your stomach and the waves of oncoming panic filter through you.

You sway on your feet. 

Something’s wrong. And it’s making you panic. 

You open your mouth, lip quivering as you attempt to croak out a plea of Suguru’s name, but nothing comes. Some tired, broken whine leaves your lips instead – a desperate cry for help, for Suguru.

When Suguru turns around, head whipping over his shoulder sharply, he expects to see you headed towards his side of the bed. Instead, he’s met with your body swaying slightly as you pant and shiver. Suguru thinks his heart stops. 

Then your body stills, and you crumple. 

“Baby!” 

Suguru throws himself forward, just managing to grab your figure as it goes limp. He sways, shifting your weight into his arms and panicking as you continue to sink into the floor. Your body is dead weight in his hands, still shivering but cold and unmoving. 

He’s going to be sick. 

His stomach curls as bile spills onto the back of his tongue, and Suguru can hear his heart pound in his ears. The lump is back in his throat, swelling until he can barely suck in a desperate breath to calm his panicked heart. Fuck, he’s never been so scared. 

“Baby, oh fuck!” he cries, voice no longer quiet and delicate. Suguru openly shouts, desperately trying to carefully maneuver you to the floor, but his mind is screaming thousands of things at him at once. All he can hear is the roaring in his eardrums. His eyes scan over your limp figure and Suguru swears his heart cracks. He can feel it; deep within his chest, a splinter finally cleaves open. 

“Oh my god, okay,” Suguru chokes out, carefully cradling you as he sinks to his knees. “You’re alright, okay? I’ve got you, honey.”

He doesn’t know what to do. His heart is pounding and his soul is openly weeping. There are tears welling in his eyes and dragging down the pristine skin of his cheeks. 

Suguru doesn't know what to do. 

“Okay,” he whispers frightfully. “Okay…”

You’re laying on your back, facing the ceiling, and the way your blank expression stares back at him makes him nauseous. 

“Sweetheart?” he calls carefully, brushing a hand over your cheek to push hair away from your face. “Baby, c’mon…” 

You don’t respond. There’s not even a twitch in your brow or a flick of your fingers. You’re unconscious. Suguru’s heart accelerates again, pounding until he thinks it might burst from his bony rib cage. He turns over his shoulder with a broken cry, calling for the one person he so urgently needs. 

“Satoru!” 

His voice is panicked, shouted with a guttural cry and he thinks it might echo through the house, but Suguru vaguely hopes he doesn't wake the kids. 

“Satoru, wake up!”

But Satoru is already awake. 

Lurching forward in the bed, the Six Eyes user is already throwing the sheets away from his legs as he scans the room. His technique is activated, and Suguru can feel the familiar curtain of Infinity wrap around his body. 

“Suguru?” Satoru calls as he stands, his body tense and prepared to fight. “What happened? Are you alright?” 

Suguru doesn’t have the chance to respond, because Satoru steps forward and his crystalline eyes find his lover’s hunched figure crouched in the doorway of the bathroom, bent over the body of their wife. You’re limp on the floor, hair sprawled out beneath you as Suguru cradles your head and glances up at his partner with desperate, fearful eyes. 

Satoru thinks he’s dying. 

It’s the only possible explanation for the lack of oxygen in his lungs and the stuttered pulse of his heart. His legs wane at his knees, nearly propelling him into the floor, but Satoru manages to keep himself upright as he throws his hands forward to brace himself on the bathroom doorway. 

“What…?” Satoru whispers breathily, voice uncharacteristically quiet – uncharacteristically weak. “What happened?” 

His Six Eyes are activated, flickering over every crevice of your form. They’re urgent, desperate to find the source of your pain. When they find nothing, Satoru swallows back a sound of desperation. 

“She passed out,” Suguru whispers plainly, panic evident in the quiver of his voice. “She started her period early, Toru. She’s in so much pain…”

Satoru feels his knees wane again. His heart can’t take much more of this. She’s in pain? His soul cries. 

“She’s been laying on the bathroom floor crying,” his lover mumbles, stroking a hand over your cheekbone as a tear drips into his mouth. “I shouldn’t have asked her t’get up – she was weak and I didn’t think –”

“Suguru.” 

The dark-haired sorcerer stops. Lifting his head to stare up at Satoru, Suguru frowns. 

“This isn’t your fault, Suguru,” Satoru whispers, trying desperately to keep himself calm. His heart is in his throat and his pulse roars, but he cannot allow himself to weaken. Suguru needs him – you need him. 

“She’s not waking up…”

Satoru sucks in a breath, his hands curling into the doorframe and gripping the wood until he thinks it will splinter beneath his grip. And it might. Satoru has to be mindful of the strength he uses. 

‘She’s not waking up.’ The phrase echoes through his head until it’s the only thing he can process. You’re not waking up. His wife isn’t waking up. 

“Is she…” Satoru doesn't even know if he can say what he wants to know – what he needs to know. The words make him ill. “Is she breathing?” 

Suguru chokes out a desperate sound. He hadn’t even considered…

And he doesn't want to. 

His hand seizes one of yours, wrapping tightly around your fingers as he pulls it into his chest as he did before. He pleads for you to wake up and feel his heart pulse against your fingers again, just as you had minutes ago. He delicately thumbs over your pulse point, hand sliding down your neck where he cradles your cheek. 

Suguru openly weeps when the thumping beat of your heart races beneath his fingers in greeting. 

“Yeah…” he sobs out weakly, pushing his forehead into your chest. “Yeah, she’s breathing.” 

Satoru sags in relief.

“Okay,” he covers his mouth with one of his palms, trying to suppress the broken sound that nearly leaves him. “Okay, that’s good.” 

Before either man can ascertain what to do, there's rustling at the doorway. It’s a quiet sound, just a soft coo and the creak of the door as it slides open. Satoru’s head whips around, his fingers twitching to activate his technique when he falters. 

Because seven year old Fushiguro Megumi stands in the doorway: his son. 

Megumi’s clutching a plush dog, one that looks remarkably familiar to his Divine Dogs. The soft, dark fur is cradled in his hands as he hugs the stuffed animal to his chest. The plush nearly conceals him entirely, and his dark, spiky hair pokes out over the red mark on the dog’s forehead. It’s a matching toy – the dark one was a gift from Suguru while the white counterpart came from Satoru. They were presents (custom-made plushies) ordered by his fathers when Megumi successfully summoned his Divine Dogs for the first time. 

Satoru still whines when Megumi prefers the dark stuffed animal to the white one. But Satoru doesn't know that Megumi snuggles the alabaster-coated dog when he’s gone on long missions. The boy barely goes anywhere without it until his father comes home. 

“What’s goin’ on?” Megumi tiredly mumbles, one of his hands lifting to rub at his eyes as he yawns. His too big shirt, one of Satoru’s shirts from their youth, hangs over his frame and covers his knees. You were the one to tuck your son into bed last night, and Satoru doesn’t have the moment to fondly think of his boy asking to wear one of his dad’s shirts to bed. 

Satoru sucks in a quiet breath, quickly glancing over his shoulder at Suguru. His husband is still on the bathroom floor, bent over your unconscious figure, but he looks up at Satoru with a silent nod. He’s alright. You’re alright. 

Satoru sighs and turns back to Megumi, suddenly glad the ensuite bathroom is hidden from the doorway to their bedroom. He doesn't want Megumi to see his mother unconscious, or his fathers’ panic. He doesn’t want Megumi to see him scared. Satoru is his father – he needs to show his son that everything is going to be alright. 

Swallowing down his tempered fear, Satoru tries to conceal the quiver of his voice when he responds to his son. 

“It’s –” Satoru stops. He can’t say ‘it’s nothing.’ Because it’s not nothing; and he won’t lie to his son. “It’s alright, Megumi.”

That’s what he decides to say instead. Satoru breathes through his nose deeply as he tries not to turn back over his shoulder to check on you again. 

“Mama’s just having some cramps, she’ll be okay.” 

Megumi nods. He knows what Satoru means, because Geto Suguru would be damned before he raised a son that thinks menstruation was ‘gross.’ Megumi doesn’t know everything – he’s still a kid, afterall. He does know, however, that his mother is plagued with terrible pain once a month, and that it’s completely natural to talk about it. 

Megumi toddles on his feet, the fatigue of the early morning hour making him uncharacteristically soft. He’s usually quite stoic for a kid, exhibiting the same, blank sort of look impassively. But no matter how quiet, you and the boys are well-adept at deciphering your kid’s feelings by now. 

With sleep tugging at his eyes, Megumi paws at his tired lids and yawns sweetly. Shifting his balance again, the boy looks up at Satoru with a tiny, sweet frown.

“Mama’s hurting?” he pouts, bottom lip sticking out slightly. His fists tighten around his stuffed dog, eyes shifting around Satoru to try to get a glimpse of you. Fortunately, Suguru has already readjusted you in his arms and you’re both hidden in the ensuite bathroom. 

“Yeah…” Satoru coughs to conceal the tremor of his voice. “Yeah, Mama’s hurting a little. But she’s strong, remember? She’ll be alright, her cramps will go away soon.” 

He doesn’t know if his words are an attempt to convince Megumi or himself. 

 From behind Satoru, Suguru strokes another thumb over your cheekbone. He inhales a shaking breath as he feels the frightful warmth of your skin. 

“C’mon…” he whispers in the tiny space that separates you. “Wake up, sweetheart. Let me see those pretty eyes again.” 

Swallowing thickly, Suguru’s throat bobs as a tear begins to leak down his cheek. 

“Please.” 

He’s lost. Suguru doesn’t know what to do other than count the seconds since you’ve gone still in his arms. Each one feels longer than the last, but Suguru continues to count them. He doesn’t know why he does it. Perhaps some part of him thinks there is a certain point at which he’ll need to call for help. Is there a distinct period of time that has to pass before you need medical attention? 

Suguru curses himself for not paying enough attention to Shoko’s basic first-aid lessons. 

Satoru’s head flicks over his shoulder, crystalline-blue eyes finding your face as his heart clenches again. He’s conflicted. More than anything, he wants to drop to his knees at your side, just as Suguru has. He wants to clutch your remaining hand and feel the pulse of your heart as a reminder that you’re still there – still breathing. His heart hurts; torn between lingering at your side and comforting his son.

But then Satoru remembers the way you look at your kids. He recalls the fond crease of your eyes when you beam down at them, smiles shining and hands drawing them into you for an embrace. You love your kids more than anything, even though you’ve only had them for a few years now. Even though they’re not your biological kids, even though they’re not babies, and despite not even wanting children before them; they’re your pride and joy. 

Satoru finds the strength within him to smile fondly. He knows you would be pushing him in Megumi’s direction if you had any semblance of consciousness right now. 

Satoru tries not to frown at the reminder of your state. 

Turning on his feet, Satoru steps away from the door, even as his heart cries out for him to return to your side. The remainder of his heart calls for his son – his boy, who is beginning to worry about his mother. It’s evident in the way Megumi shifts on his feet, fiddling with the soft fur of his stuffed pup. 

When Satoru drops to his knees in front of Megumi, he spreads his arms wide in an invitation. He doesn’t expect Megumi to accept; he rarely does. Satoru is affectionate, it’s a sentiment clear as day, and Megumi usually prefers to avoid physical touch. He’s shy that way. 

So Satoru is fondly surprised when Megumi toddles tiredly on his feet as he leans into his father’s embrace. Wrapping his arms tight around his son, Satoru stands from the floor with his heart beginning to return to a normal pace. Having Megumi in his arms is a comfort that soothes some of his rampaging nerves. The knowledge that the rest of his family is safe is a notion that eases some of the tension in his shoulders. Satoru knows he won’t find sleep for the rest of the night if he doesn’t peek into the girl’s room later to ensure they’re sleeping peacefully. 

“It’s alright, Gumi,” Satoru whispers softly, stroking a hand through the spiky strands of the boy’s hair. Megumi rests his head on Satoru’s shoulder with a sigh. “Why did you wake up so early, bud?” 

Megumi wraps an arm around Satoru’s neck, the other still cradling his pup between them. He closes his eyes and sighs sleepily once more as he mumbles in response. 

“Heard Dad yell,” he tiredly whispers. He fiddles with a strand of Satoru’s white hair before he sheepishly continues. “I was scared…”

Satoru tries his hardest not to tease the boy. He knows it’s in his nature to make light of situations with humor, but Satoru also understands that this, perhaps, is not the time. Despite wanting to make Megumi feel better by laughing off the problem, Satoru also remembers the horrible strike of panic that had bolted through him when he heard Suguru yell. 

Waking up to Suguru crying out for you as you collapsed was horrifying, and Satoru can only imagine how frightening it was for Megumi. 

“Oh Gumi, I’m sorry,” Satoru whispers, rocking on his feet in an attempt to comfort the boy. Even though Megumi isn’t a baby, Satoru cannot help the instinctive sway of his feet as he runs a hand through his hair. “Dad didn’t mean to shout, pup. He was just worried about Mom.” 

Megumi nods softly, snuggling closer to Satoru’s chest in a way that makes the father’s heart ache. 

“Can I… Can I help?” Megumi quietly questions, words spoken only for his father to hear. “Mom always makes me feel better when I’m sick.” 

Megumi mumbles something else; something that sounds like ‘don’t wan’ mom t’feel bad,’ but it’s muffled into Satoru’s neck and he barely catches it. 

Satoru smiles despite the panic still roaring in his chest. The way Megumi calls you ‘mom’ and Suguru ‘dad’ has always made him a little emotional. It took more than a year for Megumi to truly grow comfortable in your makeshift family, but eventually the boy’s cautious exterior melted away into what he really was: a kid looking for a home – a family. He was abandoned for God’s sake, Satoru knows the kid was guarded when he found him. And he had every right to be. 

But in just a few short years, Megumi has begun to call Tsumiki and the twins his sisters and on rare occasions, he’ll call Satoru his father. However, he knows those nights will always end in Satoru smothering him with affections and playful teases so he refrains from doing it often. Satoru does not take offense; he knows Megumi is shy. 

“Yeah, she takes good care of us, huh?” Satoru murmurs fondly as he rubs a hand over his son’s back. 

Before Satoru can reassure Megumi further, he’s interrupted when Suguru lets out a relieved sound over his shoulder. It’s a strange sort of combination of a sob and a gasp, but Satoru hears it all the same. 

“Sweetheart…?” Satoru hears Suguru call, voice brighter but still wavering through the short syllables. 

There’s a muffled sound of shuffling, then a groan and a cough before Suguru is concealing his tears in your neck. 

Satoru exhales with relief, shoulders sagging as his eyes slide shut. He rubs a hand over Megumi’s back in the hopes the boy doesn’t see the fear slowly seeping from his father. 

Inside the bathroom, Suguru clutches your hand tight to his chest, squeezing it thankfully and burying his face in your neck as he bends over you. Blinking slowly, you huff a choked breath and shakily reach upwards to lay your palm over Suguru’s head. Tangling your fingers in the mess of loose, dark hair you sigh deeply through your mouth. It’s a relief to feel Suguru bent over you; his weight presses into your chest and grounds you as you come back to consciousness. Though you’re still dizzy and a bit panicked, the feeling is beginning to leech from your limbs like poison from a wound. 

Waking up was startling, and there’s a lingering sense of fear buzzing beneath your skin. It frightens you, and you clutch tightly onto Suguru with a tremble. The pain still twists in your stomach, but it’s nothing compared to how you felt before you passed out. 

“Suguru…” 

His name comes out in a sort of pleading cry, not unlike a frightened child, but you cannot help the way you long for his comfort. Tears leak from your eyes, another wave of salt that you find you cannot control. 

Suguru responds to your call with a sweet coo, pressing a wet kiss to the skin of your throat and rumbling deep within his chest to reassure you that he’s still there. Brushing your hair from your eyes, Suguru leans away to peck your temple and stare down at you with relief painted across his features. 

“You’re alright, honey. ‘S okay,” he whispers warmly, soothing the tension in your brow and brushing your tears away. When your eyes crack open, staring up at him with waning fear and confusion, Suguru huffs a laugh and smiles widely. “Hey, pretty girl.” 

 Your lips quiver upwards into a sort of sad smile, but Suguru is happy to see it despite the exhaustion in your features. Squeezing his hand, you look up at the dark-haired sorcerer as his hair falls into his eyes. 

“Wha’ happened?” 

Suguru looks over his shoulder, mouthing something you can’t hear, but you know he must be talking to Satoru. The muffled sound of his voice barely reaches your ears as you wade through the stream of your consciousness. You fight to keep Suguru in focus, and fortunately manage to cling to the waking world as sounds finally return to your senses. Something that sounds like “she’s alright, Toru,” rings through the bathroom, and then there’s the sound of Satoru replying but you can’t hear it. Your heart calls out for your other husband, and you squeeze Suguru’s hand in question. 

“You passed out, darling,” Suguru looks back down at you with a sad smile. He hushes you when you wiggle, trying to sit upright. “Careful, love, careful. You scared the shit out of me, you know?” 

Shooting him a sorry glance, you allow Suguru to gently lift you to a seated position every so slowly. He leans you against him, his thick thighs on either side of your hips as he lets you rest against his chest. You nod slowly as he delicately pulls your hair from your face and wraps his arms around you. 

“Sorry.”

Suguru shakes his head with a hum. 

“Don’t apologize, baby,” he whispers. “I’m just glad you’re awake. Are you feeling alright? How’s the pain?”

You slouch into his chest, wrapping your arms around your waist and nodding as your eyes slide shut. 

“‘S not so bad. Where’s Toru?”

Suguru’s heart clenches sweetly, feeling warmed by your desire for Satoru. He adores the two of you with his entire being, and watching both of you always strikes a fond chord within his chest.

“He’s taking care of Gumi,” Suguru murmurs, looking down at you with a lovesick expression you cannot see. When you sit up straighter, Suguru accommodates your position with a scooch of his hips and his arm falling into your lap. 

“Gumi’s awake?”

“Yeah,” your husband responds quietly. “I think he heard me shout when you fell. He came in a few minutes ago, and Satoru’s comforting him.”

Suguru sounds a little guilty when he mentions his outburst. He’s not embarrassed by any means; it was a cry shouted in overwhelming fear, so he feels no bashfulness for the tone of his voice. He does, however, feel guilty that he managed to wake his son in the process. 

“He’s worried about you, I think.”

We all are, he almost finishes. 

You sag into Suguru’s chest, weight sinking into the warmth of his bare skin as you slide your hand over the arm that is wrapped around you. Just as you begin to speak, Satoru peeks his head through the doorway. His body is twisted, obscuring Megumi’s view inside the bathroom. When he finds your gaze, Satoru visibly softens. 

“Hey, sweet girl,” Satoru rumbles, a fond smile spreading across his features. “You feeling alright?”

You nod tiredly, resting your head against Suguru’s clavicle.

“That’s good. We were really worried, honey.” 

Your sigh through your nose, trying to give him an apologetic look, but the fatigue is beginning to pull your eyelids downwards. Satoru’s gaze softens even further, if at all possible, and he continues. 

“Can Megumi come in? He’s worried about you,” Satoru reiterates his partner’s words, clearly holding the boy against his chest as he speaks. 

You’re about to nod, more than happy to cuddle with your son, when Suguru interrupts. Stroking a hand over your hip, the long-haired sorcerer hums. 

“Let us come out, love,” he responds, already beginning to shift you in his lap. “We can talk about this in bed. I think everyone’s a little tired right now.” 

You nod in agreement, feeling the ache of your muscles cry out for rest. Your arm trembles weakly when you lift your hand, and you frown at the lack of strength in your limbs. Suguru hushes you sweetly as he shifts you to sit upright as he stands. 

“You’re exhausted, baby. It’s normal.” 

Satoru murmurs his agreement on the other side of the doorway, already beginning to step away to set Megumi in the middle of your massive bed. He ensures the boy is comfortable as he stands upright, stretching his shoulders and turning to watch as Suguru hoists you up onto his hips slowly. Satoru figured he wasn’t going to let you walk after what happened the first time you tried. 

Suguru’s hand is carefully cradling your head and the other wraps beneath your hips, keeping you stable and pressed against his big frame. The sorcerer is incredibly strong from the years of exorcizing curses and teaching students, so carrying you to the bed, despite your muffled protests, is an easy venture. 

Setting you on the bed gently, you shift quickly to face Megumi as you lay back against the sheets. You nestle quickly into Suguru’s previous place in bed, already reaching out for your son as he nuzzles forward to latch onto your front. 

“Hey, hun,” you whisper kindly, brushing dark strands from Megumi’s eyes. “What’s going on, Gumi?”

The boy looks up at you, still clutching his Divine Dog plush, and frowns. Your head tilts in confusion, and you watch as Megumi makes himself comfortable in your arms, cuddling close to your stomach and closing his eyes. You don’t protest, heart warming sweetly as the boy snuggles close. He doesn’t usually cuddle like this, so you’ll take every opportunity to hug him as you can. 

“Dad said you’re feeling bad,” he mumbles into the stuffed dog now pressed between you. “‘M gonna make you feel better. Like you do when I’m sick.” 

You smile. Heart full, your eyes slide shut as you lean forward to press a gentle kiss to the tired boy’s forehead. He mumbles something else, but he’s fading fast. Soon he’s lost to slumber, and he snoozes peacefully in your embrace. 

“Thank you, Megumi,” you whisper as you press another soft kiss to your son’s forehead. Looking up at Satoru with tears brimming in your eyes, you find the white-haired sorcerer is already looking at you. There’s fondness spilling from his smile and a sweet gentleness in his expression, and he looks utterly lovesick. 

“Hey,” Satoru murmurs. 

“Hi.” 

The Six Eyes user steps away for a moment, nodding at Suguru who whispers that he’s going to step out to get you water and your medicine. Satoru knows he’s also going to check in on the girls, so he gives Suguru a smile and a peck on the cheek as he slides around the bed to your back. 

When Satoru climbs into the silken sheets, he immediately presses his bare chest into your back and wraps his strong arms around you and his son. Pressing his soft lips to the nape of your neck, he pulls you and Megumi into his chest as he relaxes. You feel the familiar tingle of Infinity wrap around you and smile tiredly. Satoru is always protecting you and your family. The technique easily wraps around you and Megumi in addition to Satoru, and you know the sorcerer will easily adapt it to cover Suguru soon too. 

That’s just Satoru; he’s always looking out for his family. 

When you sigh deeply and snuggle back into your husband, Satoru presses another gentle kiss to your neck and you feel him shake. 

“Toru?”

The man shivers again, and when you shift, turning slightly to see his face, your face crumples as you find tears leaking from Satoru’s eyes. He looks utterly relieved, but his mouth still twitches in a sad sort of way and his sky-blue eyes shimmer with salty tears. For all his silly teasing and childlike humor, Satoru rarely looks so… scared. He’s always so strong – the strongest. But there are truly rare circumstances in which Gojo Satoru is confronted with true fear. 

Circumstances in which he remembers how vulnerable his family can be. 

“Oh, Satoru…”

Satoru buries his face in your neck again, concealing his tears as he calms down. 

“I was so worried, baby. Oh my God,” he mutters into your skin. “I woke up and you were on the floor and Sugu was crying…” 

You pull his hands tighter around you, careful not to wake Megumi. Stroking gentle circles into the muscle of his forearms, you coo a soft sound to soothe him. 

“‘M alright now. Just a little bit of pain, it’s mostly gone.”

Satoru nods, clinging to your back as he finally grounds himself through the gentle touch of your fingers on his skin. He pulls you closer, seeming as though he’s trying to fuse his body to yours with how tight he binds himself to you. It’s the soft contact of your skin against his that soothes the beat of his heart and loosens the tension of his muscles. The tingly feeling that lingers on his skin where you press into him leaves trails of prickled nerves in their wake, as if physical contact between your bare skin incites a biological reaction beneath his flesh. 

With you in his arms, tightly wrapped in his embrace where he can feel the pulse of your heart against his chest, Satoru finds serenity. 

You’re here. And you’re safe. 

Satoru chews on his lip as he sighs. 

“I’m sorry, baby,” he whispers, tucking his chin into your neck and dropping a hand to rub his palm over the side of your stomach. It’s uncanny, you think, that he already knows exactly where it hurts without you mentioning it. Satoru pays far more attention than people give him credit for. “I’m sorry I can’t do anything more to take it away.” 

You shake your head, fatigued eyes closing as you focus on the feeling of Satoru’s big hands and the gentle circles he massages into you. 

Satoru continues in a voice uncharacteristically weak for the Strongest. 

“You were… alone and in pain,” he mumbles, guilt seeping into his tone as he frowns. “And I didn’t even know – we didn’t.” 

Satoru carefully pulls your hair away from your neck to press a kiss to your bare shoulder and then one more against the skin of your throat. He inhales a wave of your familiar scent and flutters his eyes closed as he sinks into your back. 

“I don’t want you to suffer alone, my love.” 

You stroke a contemplative finger over his arm, humming quietly as you shift Megumi in your arms. 

“Okay, Toru,” you whisper as you find the mirth in your exhausted figure to tease him. “You want me to wake you up at the ass crack of dawn when I’ve got cramps?” 

Satoru muffles a small chuckle into your neck and you enjoy the feeling of his chest shaking with the feeling. 

“Yeah, baby. Even then. Especially then.” 

You huff a breath of laughter through your nose, only stopping when you swiftly inhale as another cramp seizes your abdomen. It’s strong, but nothing like the ones you were having earlier. You can manage these. Satoru leans up on his elbow when you stiffen, lifting his other hand to check the hot water bottle Suguru had returned to your stomach. 

When Satoru pulls the bottle away, his brow furrows and he hisses when he finds faint hints of inflamed skin where you’ve pressed it too tight to your belly. It’s too hot and too close, he realizes. It’s burning you. 

Satoru nearly sits upright quickly, his frame leaning over yours as he gasps faintly. 

“Honey…” He’s on the verge of scolding you, but he sees the way you wince through another cramp and decides against it. Satoru looks back down at the hot water bottle and the way you clutch it tightly to combat the waves of throbbing in your belly. 

“This is burning you,” he states it obviously. 

“Hmm,” you respond in agreement. “Feels nice.” 

Satory looks down at you with pain in his features, face twisted into a frown and his crystalline eyes a shade duller. 

“Baby, it’s hurting you – How can…?” 

Satoru trails off. He thinks about how terribly you must have been aching to continue pressing something that was burning you into your skin. How agonizing were your cramps that the pain of the burn was comforting? 

Satoru lays back down, a frown on his lips as he wraps his arm back around you and lays his palm over the hot water bottle. If you’re going to keep it pressed into your skin, then he can make sure it doesn’t get too warm by leaving his hand against it.

“My god, baby… I’m so sorry,” he whispers. He can’t even comprehend how agonizing this must be for you. Satoru kisses your nape again. He apologizes again, and you almost miss the silly Satoru who would typically be teasing you right now. “I’m sorry I can’t do anything.” 

You yawn, finally feeling exhaustion begin to drag you beneath the slow, rocking waves of slumber. Pushing yourself deeper into your husband’s embrace and squeezing your son tight once more, you sigh out a few more words before you finally sink into sleep’s warm hands. 

“You are doing something,” you murmur, pulling his hand up to your mouth to kiss it tiredly. “You’re here, Satoru. I don’t think I can do this alone anymore.” 

When Suguru climbs back into bed on Megumi’s other side, he kisses the fond smile on Satoru’s lips and teases his partner about the stars in his eyes. The crystalline-eyed sorcerer refutes Suguru’s quip by reaching out to gently slap his bicep, but it’s all in mirthful adoration. Suguru leans over to press a tender kiss to your sleeping brow and then one to his son’s, before he settles behind Megumi and sighs contentedly. 

“She’s sleeping?” Suguru whispers, voice barely carried through the quiet night. He stares down at your face, the peaceful expression on your lips far more comforting than the limp, placid look of unconsciousness he remembers. Satoru watches his husband watch you, adoration swelling in his heart like an ebbing tide. Unbound by all but the moon, Satoru swears his heart only grows fonder each time he truly takes in his partners. 

“She’s sleeping,” he confirms sleepily, still staring up at Suguru with warmth in his chest. 

“Good.” 

Suguru’s response is sighed out thankfully, his shoulders deflating with the tension easing away from his muscle. He wraps his arms around Megumi and pulls himself closer to the boy, smiling when he easily cuddles into his father. Not often does Suguru have the opportunity to snuggle his son, so he eagerly grins as Megumi’s sleeping form curls near. 

“She’s early,” Satoru mentions plainly from across Suguru. “She wasn’t supposed to start until next week.”

The dark-haired sorcerer nods, recalling the date he marked in his phone. He and Satoru both kept track; it was easier that way. At this point, though, Suguru is certain he doesn't need his calendar to know these things. Your anniversary is ingrained in his memory, as is every one of your important dates. The three of you have spent more than a decade together, this kind of instinct was certain to develop at some point or another. 

“Yeah,” Suguru sighs. He twists slowly to glance tiredly at the clock on his bedside. “She took some painkillers at midnight, can you write that down? If she wakes again she can take some more.” 

Satoru nods, a hand already reaching for his phone on the nightstand behind him. It was second-nature to jot down the time you took medication. You always tried to keep track yourself, but sometimes noting the time slipped your mind, and you were left trying to recall the last time you took them. Satoru easily adds the time to his notes, and marks the date in his calendar to adjust your future schedule later. He checks that there’s still a bottle of your preferred painkiller in his nightstand drawer and a granola bar to eat when you take them. 

When he sets the phone down, he looks back over at Suguru, who sleepily stares down at your sleeping face. Nothing seems out of the ordinary, but Satoru can see where Suguru has slid his around yours, pressing two of his fingers into the pulse point of your wrist. 

He’s counting your heartbeats – making sure you’re still breathing. Because Suguru remembers the way you crumpled all too clearly. 

Sighing a shaking breath as he familiarizes himself with the gentle thump of your lifeline, Satoru slides a hand around you and his son, and he lays it across his lover with a sad smile. Suguru looks up with tired eyes, the dark bags beneath his lashes barely visible in the night hour. They match the ones beneath your eyes and probably Satoru’s too. 

“Hey,” Satoru mumbles. “She’s alright, Sugu.” 

Suguru nods, finally sinking into the mattress and pressing a final kiss to Megumi’s hair as he makes himself comfortable. Satoru does the same, delicately squeezing the hand still wrapped around yours and cradled sweetly at your chest. 

“We’re alright,” Suguru confirms, eyes finally sinking closed as he falls back asleep with part of his family in his embrace. “We’re alright.” 

In the morning, you awake to two Divine Dogs guarding the foot of your bed. The white one sits with its side pressed against the dark one, and both face the bedroom door. You awake alone in bed, but you can hear distant voices quietly chatting in the hall. The little pups’ ears are perked upwards, diligently listening to the conversation outside. 

When you sit up, the white one flips his head over his shoulder, happily sticking his tongue out in a joyful expression. He pants and his tail thumps against the floor as you beckon him closer. 

“Good morning, pup,” you laugh as it wiggles excitedly when you scratch behind his ears. The dark-coated one quickly follows soon after, eagerly joining his brother for scratches. “What are you two doin’ here?” 

The pups tilt their heads with that silly, tongue-out expression, as if communicating their eagerness. You stifle your laughter and carefully stand from the sheets, making your way into the kitchen with the dogs on your heels. 

When you enter the living space, you find Suguru on the couch with the twins on either side of his lap. They’re eagerly leaning over one of Suguru’s books, excitedly murmuring amongst themselves as their father reads aloud. It’s one of his novels, and you chuckle knowing that the girls were probably the ones to pick it out for him to read. 

Tsumiki is at the table, leaning over some kind of puzzle, and her brother is at her side. She looks up as you come in, offering you a gentle smile and a nod before she goes back to her puzzle. Megumi sits on his knees in the chair, spiky hair unkempt as always and a look of concentration on his face. 

Before you can speak, Satoru is pressed against your back, greeting you with a gentle hum.

“G’morning, sweetheart,” he coos, pecking your cheek and sliding a croissant into your hands and holding a glass of water in his other. “Eat up. You can take some medicine when you’re done.” 

He always makes sure you eat before you take your medicine. Your heart thumps happily beneath your ribs, and you smile in return, pressing a sweet kiss to his lips and thanking him. 

“Thanks, love.” 

Satoru hums and slides his free hand over your waist to squeeze your hip. He opens his mouth to say something, but the twins interrupt him. They gasp, standing from Suguru’s lap and eagerly racing over to greet you. 

Suguru chuckles, but still gently chides them as they race into the kitchen. 

“Careful!” 

Nanako and Mimiko crash into your hips with eager sounds, each grabbing you around the waist and crying out.

“Mama!” They cry worriedly, scrambling to hug you as they bury their faces in your legs. They start pushing you towards the couch with little hands, earnestly murmuring things you cannot make out. You look up at Satoru with a confused furrow of your brow, and your husband only chuckles and holds his hands up in a gesture of ‘i’ve got nothing to do with this.’ 

When you reach the couch, the girls scramble to make you sit beside Suguru, who is all too eager to wrap an arm around your shoulders to accommodate your arrival. 

“Good morning,” he hums as he pecks your temple. 

Nanako is already sliding a blanket into your lap as Mimiko climbs onto the couch, depositing herself at your side and snuggling into you. 

“Good morning,” you respond, watching with a fond smile as the girls make themselves comfortable in your lap. “What’s all this?” 

Suguru chuckles, reaching out to gently ruffle Nanako’s hair as she smiles. The girl looks up at her father with a beaming grin and snuggles closer to you when you wrap an arm around her to keep her stable. Your husband leans closer with a smile, murmuring quietly for only you to hear. 

“Megumi told them you were sick last night,” he fondly whispers. “I think it worried them.” 

Your head tilts in an expression of tenderness, and you give Suguru a knowing look before you lean down to kiss both your girls on the forehead. 

“Good morning, girls,” you rumble happily. “I’m alright, sweethearts. Megumi and your dads took very good care of me.”

Mimiko wiggles closer, snuggling into you and her sister with big, worried eyes. 

“Really?” her tiny voice murmurs. “Megumi-nii said you were hurting.” 

You can almost hear the pout in her voice without looking down at her. Giggling happily, you stroke a hand over her head and squeeze her close. 

“He even brought out his puppies!” Nanako quickly adds, squirming as he attempts to find the two Divine Dogs. “He said we couldn’t come in to see you because you needed to rest.” 

The two Shikigami have already returned to their owner, sitting on either side of Megumi’s chair with wagging tails and their tongues still sticking out. The boy is absentmindedly petting one while he focuses on the puzzle, shyly avoiding your gaze as if embarrassed. 

Your heart clenches sweetly again, and you turn to look at Satoru with a knowing smile. The sorcerer returns the look as he steps into the kitchen for your painkillers, ruffling Megumi’s hair as he goes. The boy lets out a muffled sound of discontent, but he doesn’t fix his messy strands. 

“Did he? That’s very sweet of him.” 

You and Suguru do not mention the faint pinkness of Megumi’s round cheeks. 

When you lean into Suguru’s side, the croissant in your hand warm like your lover’s body heat, you sigh happily. The cramps are a faint memory now, even though you know they’ll return soon. For now, you can savor the warmth of your family. 

“You’re taking the day off then, I suppose,” you look up at Suguru with an arched brow. Suguru smiles, leaning his head into yours to rest there. 

“Yeah,” he sighs, cuddling close to you and the twins. “We all are.” 

You suppose you can deal with the consequences of their unscheduled departure from work and school later… You’re far too warm and content now. When Satoru returns, sliding a glass of water into your empty hand and two painkillers into your other, he patiently waits as you take the pills. Then he sets the glass on the side table beside the mug of raspberry leaf tea he brewed for your cramps,  and then he eagerly dives into the limited space left on the couch. 

Scrambling into the twins’ space, Nanako and Mimiko giggle happily as Satoru presses kisses over their faces and squirms onto the couch. He plops Mimiko into his lap so he can sit at your side, laughing when the girls squeal happily. As you settle, you see Megumi look up from the table, shyly glancing away from his sister. Tsumiki gives him a knowing look as she climbs from her chair and eagerly walks over to Suguru. 

Suguru is too happy to allow her the tiny portion of space on his other side, and Tsumiki slides onto the couch, her side pressed tight to Suguru’s. She offers you a good morning and laughs when the twins attempt to squirm away from Satoru’s tickling fingers. 

Eventually Megumi stands from his place at the table, looking over at the couch as he debates something internally. A moment later, he stands in front of Suguru, shyly shifting on his feet as he looks at the only empty space on the couch. 

Megumi doesn’t need to say anything, because Suguru is already lifting the boy into his lap with a smile. Saving his son the embarrassment of shyly asking for the affection he usually avoids, Suguru chuckles as he deposits the last member of his family into his lap. 

“We could all use a day off,” he murmurs into your temple as he kisses you sweetly. 

You sigh happily, soaking in the warmth of the morning sun and the laughter of your family. 

“Yeah, that sounds nice.” 

The moment is only interrupted when Megumi’s Divine Dogs, only pups at this age, launch themselves onto the couch, eager to join the snuggles. The seven of you dissolve into laughter as you try to maneuver the excited puppies, and you can’t ask for anything else. 

“Megumi!” You laugh, trying to brush white dog hair from your face. “Control your summons!” 

The boy only laughs happily as the dark-coated puppy wiggles into his lap. 

No, he doesn’t think he will. 

bonus:

gojo, looking down at reader and geto: you're so cute and pretty

reader, sleepily: I could beat the shit out of you

geto, nodding along: she could

gojo, lovingly: I know

a/n: no I am not back to writing just yet :')) I wrote this in a pain induced haze while having some terrible cramps so if you have terrible periods like me, this one is for you! this is purely based on my experience with cramps, and everyone is different, but I just wanted to write something for me :") I've never passed out but I've felt like it and I know it's super scary so I hope this can provide some comfort for you if you need it <3

ALSO this was written as comfort for jjk 236 :'))) bc everyone in this fic deserved better and I refuse to acknowledge canon

┈﹒ ꒰ 𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗩𝗘𝗥𝗦𝗘!𝗘𝗞𝗞𝗢 𝗪𝗘𝗗𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗛𝗘𝗔𝗗𝗖𝗔𝗡𝗢𝗡𝗦 ꒱

ekko 𝒙 fem!reader

୨୧ English is not my first language, so I regret in advance if something reads weird or is misspelled

୨୧ These are headcanons of the other Ekko, before the canon Ekko from the show "takes" his place… I hope you understand...

୨୧ I'm still writing for the fic, but the last chapters is taking longer than I thought, I hope you understand, in the meantime I have some things in drafts that I will publish so you don't run out of content.

₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚

another universe!ekko who was really nervous about proposing to you knowing how big of a step that is...

Ekko had always been a confident guy. He was innovator, someone who could fix almost anything. But when it came to you, he found himself feeling like a bumbling preteenager all over again. He wanted everything to be perfect—down to the handmade ring he was crafting for the proposal. Using scraps of precious metals and stones he collected over the years, he poured hours of focus into shaping it into something that represented your story together. Benzo would catch him hunched over his workstation at odd hours, muttering about the alignment or polish. "You know, kid, it’s not like she’s gonna turn you down if it’s a millimeter off," Benzo teased, ruffling Ekko’s hair. Ekko would just grin sheepishly but double his efforts anyway.

another universe!ekko who practiced his proposal speech a dozen times, only to get caught mid-rehearsal...

He was standing in the middle of The Last Drop, the roof their unofficial safe haven for years. “So, um, I’ve been thinking…” he started, pacing back and forth. “No, no, that sounds dumb. Okay—‘you’re the light of my life, and I can’t imagine—’ ugh, that’s so cheesy.” Behind him, Powder crept up the stairs, barely containing her giggles. “Keep going,” she whispered, trying not to laugh. Ekko whipped around, his face flaming red. “How long have you been there?!” “Long enough to know you’re terrible at this,” she teased, doubling over with laughter. “You’re lucky she already loves you.”

another universe!ekko who had no idea you were planning your own big announcement...

While Ekko was caught up in his grand proposal plans, you were busy with plans of your own. The test results sat folded in your pocket for days, and your hands hovered over them more times than you could count. You were going to be a mother. It was Powder who figured it out first, being too observant for her own good. “You’ve been glowing,” she said one afternoon while helping you sort supplies at the community center. “Also, you cried over Mylo spilling coffee, so I kinda put two and two together.” You blinked at her, stunned. “Powder, you cannot tell anyone yet!” She held up her hands. “Cross my heart! But seriously, I’m gonna be the best godmother ever!” You couldn’t help but laugh, though your nerves stayed. You wondered how Ekko would react, if he’d be overwhelmed or excited—or both.

another universe!ekko who proposed on the roof of the last drop, the place where your story began...

Ekko had chosen the roof where he had first kissed you as the spot to ask you to be his forever. He had strung up soft, glowing lights and set up a little table with flowers and your favorite dessert. When you stepped onto the roof and saw him standing there, his hands fidgeting nervously as he smiled at you, your heart swelled with affection. He cleared his throat, trying to steady his voice. "So, uh… I’ve been thinking about this moment for a long time." You stepped closer, your smile encouraging him to continue. "Being with you has been the greatest adventure of my life," he said, his voice gaining confidence. "And I can’t imagine spending another day without knowing that you’ll always be by my side. So..." He dropped to one knee and pulled out the handmade ring, holding it up with a hopeful look. "Will you marry me?" Tears filled your eyes as you nodded, unable to find your voice at first. "Yes, Ekko. Of course, I’ll marry you." The joy on his face was priceless as he slipped the ring onto your finger, pulling you into a tight embrace.

another universe!ekko who fainted when you told him you were pregnant moments later...

But before he could say another word, you decided it was time to share your own surprise. “I have something to tell you too,” you said, your hand trembling as you guided his to your stomach. “You’re going to be a dad.” His grin froze, his eyes widening in disbelief. “Wait, what—?” And then he hit the floor. Powder’s shriek of laughter carried from the rooftop stairs. "I knew he’d do that!"

another universe!ekko who woke up to find you fanning him, looking both amused and concerned...

"You okay?" you asked, trying not to laugh. He blinked up at you, groaning. "Wait… did you just say…?" "Yes, Ekko," you said softly. "You’re going to be a dad." For a moment, he was silent, then a wide grin broke across his face. "I’m gonna be a dad," he repeated, awe in his voice.

another universe!everyone who was overjoyed by the double news…

Vander insisted on hosting an engagement party at The Last Drop, which quickly turned into a celebration for the baby too. Silco was the first to congratulate you both, "You’ll be a wonderful mother," he said quietly. Claggor and Mylo, meanwhile, started a heated argument over who would be the better uncle. "I’m obviously the fun uncle," Mylo declared, crossing his arms. Claggor rolled his eyes. "The kid needs someone responsible. That’s me." Powder, sitting nearby, added fuel to the fire. "Don’t worry, guys. The baby’s gonna love me more anyway. I’m the godmother!" Benzo couldn’t resist teasing Ekko. "Didn’t want to wait, huh?" he joked, clapping him on the back. Ekko just laughed, unashamed. "When you know, you know."

another universe!ekko who became the most attentive fiancé and father-to-be anyone had ever seen…

Ekko went into full-on protective mode. He insisted on carrying anything remotely heavy for you, making sure you got enough rest, and preparing meals that he claimed were "good for the baby." "Ekko, it’s just a broom," you said one afternoon, trying to sweep the living room. "Doesn’t matter," he replied, gently taking it from your hands. "You’re not lifting a finger while I’m around."

another universe!ekko who is absolutely excited about his baby

Ekko transformed into the ultimate caretaker. He made sure you were comfortable at all times, fussing over pillows, blankets, and cravings. He’d often disappear for errands and come back with baby clothes, stuffed animals, or tiny shoes. "You know it’s too early to shop, right?" you teased one evening. "Yeah, but look at these little boots!" he said, holding them up proudly.

another universe!ekko who spent hours talking to your belly...

He would lean close, resting his head against you as he spoke softly. “Hey, little one. It’s your dad. I just wanted to say I love you already—whether you’re a boy or a girl, doesn’t matter.” Your laughter filled the room. “You’re gonna spoil them before they’re even born.” “Damn right,” he said, grinning.

another universe!silco who became unexpectedly protective of you during your pregnancy…

"Must I remind you," Silco said one day, his piercing gaze locking onto yours, "that you’re carrying a very important member of this family?" "I was just reaching for a book," you replied, amused. "It starts with books, and ends with unnecessary strain."

another universe!powder who was the maid of honor and made sure your dress was perfect...

Powder was practically vibrating with excitement as she helped you into your gown. “You look like a queen,” she declared, fluffing the skirt. “No, a goddess. Ekko’s gonna cry when he sees you.” “Let’s hope he doesn’t faint again,” you teased, earning a snort of laughter.

another universe!benzo who secretly cried at ekko’s wedding...

As you walked down the aisle, arm in arm with Vander, Benzo dabbed at his eyes. When Ekko teased him later, he grumbled, “Shut it, kid. It’s allergies.”

another universe!ekko whose wedding was the event of the year...

The Last Drop was transformed into a breathtaking venue, with twinkling lights and decorations. Vander had insisted on non-alcoholic cocktails, much to the delight of you and the other guests. Ekko couldn’t take his eyes off you as you exchanged vows, his voice steady despite the overwhelming emotions. “You’re my everything,” he said, slipping the ring onto your finger. "I promise to love you, protect you, and be the best partner and dad I can be—for you and for our family."

another universe!ekko who ended the night on the roof where it all began...

After the reception, Ekko led you back to the roof where it all began. The city lights shimmered below, the quiet hum of Zaun wrapping around you like a warm embrace. Ekko knelt in front of you, resting his head gently against your rounded belly. "I’ll be the best dad," he murmured, his hands cradling your bump. "You already are," you assured him, running your fingers through his hair. He looked up at you, his brown eyes shining with love. "And I’ll spend the rest of my life proving it."

₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚

— CAN'T WE BE SEVENTEEN? ; shoto todoroki ; 焦凍

summary: he's loved you since he was seventeen. pairing: f!reader x pro hero!shoto ; reader was a 1-A student tags: mutual pining, heavy make-out, thinly veiled sugar daddy shoto, reader does not go pro, touya might be a dick but he's a hero now, shoto is bad at feelings wordcount: 5.6k a/n: i do not fucking know what came over me, enjoy your food my little todorokinas. yes the title is what you think it is. no i will not elaborate.

You never did go pro.

Truthfully, you thought there would be more pushback when, in your senior year, you announced your plan to pursue a degree in early childhood education with a focus on non-conforming quirk development. 

The War changed a lot. It changed you, your classmates, and the world. But, through it all one thing stuck with you:

What if someone helped Tenko Shimura?

How different would his life have been? How different would history have spun? 

You graduated at the top of your class and joined the faculty at Chiba Prefectural Preparatory School for Quirk Specialties two years ago. 

Chiba Prep was opened eight years ago in response to a societal cry for more infrastructure around what was dubbed "non-conforming quirks": a nice way to say quirks that can injure, maim, or kill. Maybe even all three on a bad day. Some parents still see their child being labeled as a non-conforming quirk user in the national database as akin to social suicide. 

You see it differently.

Your quirk allows you to manipulate emotions — anger, sadness, betrayal, love, hatred. If you can feel it, you can sink it into another's psyche deep enough to drive them to act. You can even imbue things with feelings. For example, a cup of warm milk can transform into more than just a simple comfort, now it can hold the feeling of home and safety, or even exhaustion strong enough to put even the biggest foe to rest. 

You could easily use your quirk with nefarious intent. 

You could steep hatred in someone's bone so deep it drives them to harm themselves. You could sew fury so solid into someone's mind it drives them to violence. 

Just a touch and you can control others with something so intrinsically personal it only exists within themselves: their feelings.

What makes you any different from little Asuke, a shy little girl with a quirk that allows her to see people's greatest fears, and then manifest and control them? You're convinced she can use this for good, if only with practice. In your mind, her future is bright and glimmering. Perhaps she will become a therapist, focusing on exposure therapy? Or, maybe the most prolific horror novelist in their time? 

Or, bright and sunny Tao — a transplant whose parents sought out Chiba Prep's specialized education — whose heteromorphic quirk makes his bodily fluids, namely saliva, eat through nearly anything but his own biologics. A sneeze is quickly the most dangerous thing in the world for the cheery, lizard-bodied class clown. 

He's just a boy given a quirk that needs more care. 

He isn't a villain-in-training. 

None of them are.

It's important to teach them that young — and as their teacher for Year 3 of their elementary schooling, you aim to hammer that in as much as possible. They deserve to feel normal. To feel loved and supported. They aren't scary, they're children. 

So, you take it upon yourself to insist on pushing for privileges like field trips. There aren't many public spaces that welcome the classes of Chiba Prep with open arms. Over the years, there have been plenty of incidents. But, a day trip into the city to visit Tokyo's Hall of Heroes is green-lit with bubbling excitement from both faculty, the children, and their parents. 

You usually keep your history as a graduated member of Class 1-A quiet. 

After all, you never did go pro.

And even still, Shoto Todoroki never stopped thinking about you.

He remembers that weekend everyone moved back in for their last year before graduation. He remembers you smiling at him, and helping him drag up a duffel of luggage from the common room to his dorm. You made a joke about how you're sure he got taller over the summer, and how his hair is longer now. You said you liked it. 

It was the beginning of the end, then.

His crush was a silent, smothering thing. It made it hard to think. Shoto had enough on his plate thanks to Touya's acceptance into the Villain Rehabilitation Program and his father's insistence on staving off retirement. Not to mention his parent's divorce — no matter how amicable, it was still a separation. Add on training, tests, studying, finals, and j-term classes... And a desperate, writhing, burning crush on the nicest girl in class? 

Touya's elbow digs into Shoto's side.

It drags him back to reality — to the stifled quiet of the historical Hall of Heroes. 

Suddenly, the doors to the wing squeak open, and a tour guide ushers in the elementary school class. The buzzing excitement and wonder are visible on each of their faces as the attendant — one of the HoH's lead tour guides — excitedly explains the newest, in-progress addition to the Hall:

Endeavor's wing. 

There's a whisper of awe that ripples through the children as their teacher and co-teacher follow, and as the class moves through the large, open space. They're staring up eagerly at the gilded statue in the center of the room. It's larger than life and intimidating. Years ago, Shoto might have had to fight the odd tremble in his knees at the reminder it brings: to be small in his father's shadow again. But, things are different now. 

Very different.

Touya scoffs. "I thought this wing wasn't open to the public yet."

"They're just children," Shoto hums, turning his back on the gaggle across the way to inspect the large mural winding along the back end of the installation, "I'm sure it's—"

"Oh, ho, no way!"

Shoto quirks his brow at his brother's outburst. His elbow digs into Shoto's ribs again. 

"Ain't that the pretty girl you never got the balls to ask out your senior year?" comes the rasped drawl of his older brother's voice. Touya is clearly amused, his white hair hanging in his eyes as he leans forward to squint, "She is cute, Sho'—"

"Shut up," Shoto grits, turning his head over his shoulder; he tries to bite back the flurry of nerves that ignite in his gut, "Stop talking."

It is you.

You look... good. 

Happy. 

You're crouched by a small, timid girl in the back of the crowd. Your hand is in hers, and you're pointing upwards at the large paneled screens replaying Endeavor's most historic fights. You're explaining something to her, your knees bent as you squat. You look... the same. As if in the six years since they graduated, you sat still in time. 

For a second, it's like he's seventeen again.

It's his senior year, and he's stuck at the corner of the gym's edge with a half-empty glass of punch in his hand. The lights are low, and there's slow music playing. His tie feels too tight. Bakugo keeps telling him to 'ask her to dance already', and Kirishima is considering bashing his head through the wall. Even Midorya is trying to persuade Shoto. 

"It's prom, man! C'mon, this could be your last chance—"

Touya is about to be a real pain in the ass — his favorite pastime — and make some comment about your ass, but when he turns to lob the one-liner at his baby brother, Shoto's gone.

Shoto is on the move.

The crescendo of gasps draws your attention first.

Then, the cry of "WOAH, IT'S SHOTO!" leaves you dumbfounded. The rippling murmur of excitement bleeds into the children as their eyes — and the eyes of the tour guide — widen at the sight of the approaching Pro Hero. 

Shoto Todoroki.

He looks... good. 

Really good.

He's a bit older, and a bit more filled out than when you were both teenagers. You can see the strength in his arms and shoulders — it's a distant echo of his father's physique, though Shoto is so much more elegant and much... prettier. He's always been.

For a second, you're seventeen again.

It's your senior year, and you're sprawled across Momo Yaoyorozu's bed.

They had finally wrangled out of you who your crush was: something they hadn't been able to do in all their years as classmates.

There's a sticky, Miss Midnight-themed face mask clinging to your expression as you try to flip through the large magazine in your hands as nonchalantly as possible. Mina's voice, as she paints Ochaco's nails a bright pink on the floor, is sweet and saccharine as she looks up at you.

"I think you and Shoto would be, like, the cutest couple ever." 

You're still crouched when the tour guide nervously — like she was caught doing something naughty — introduces The Pro Hero Shoto to the already-aware crowd of elementary school students and their teachers. It's like igniting a match; the uproar of excitement leaves you laughing as three of your boys push forward to bombard him with questions about his quirk. 

Asuke is smiling shyly, now. That's a small win. She's intrigued by the appearance of a real hero, not the "scary statues" — and her big, fat tears stopped rolling the moment you laid a gentle hand on her to quell her anxiety over the new environment with a push of comfort through your quirk. She unhooks her pinkie finger from yours as you guide her towards your co-teacher. 

"Boys," you call with a crisp air of authority as you stand and lead Asuke toward the bulk of the field trip group, "What have we learned about personal space?"

"It's fine, really, Insight," comes Shoto's voice; as warm and placid as you remember. 

"Insight?" mutters your co-teacher at the presumed hero-name; a look of confusion plasters itself on her face, and her big, feline ears perk up. She leans in to whisper in a way that borders on conspiratory, "Do you two know one another?"

"Old classmates," you confirm, not daring to get into the finer details.

Shoto's attention is entirely rooted in the way you manage the kids. There's something beautiful about the ease with which you handle the bouquet of students; you quell the excitement into a manageable decibel like it's as easy as breathing. 

"Shoto," you start as you gesture to him, "Has a very special quirk — Toyamai, he has ice like you. And, fire like Tojiro. He can regulate his temperature. Can anyone tell me what that means?"

There's a wave of hands shooting up, a few me, me, me's rise from the gaggle. 

You're using him as a teaching moment.

Shoto's smile is soft.

You nod at Ogomi, excitedly nodding as the reserved child speaks up. Normally, he hates public speaking. But, recently, he's started working with the speech pathologist during lunch. The boy bounces a little as he answers. "He doesn't g-get too hot, or too c-cold."

"Exactly! Isn't that cool?" you grin at the lazy attempt at a pun, "This is why it's important to learn about our quirks as much as we can!"

Touya thinks this whole thing is just too cute. 

You're different than he remembers — but, granted, things were sorta different last time he saw you. He was a little too busy tryna kill his old man and lil' Shoto. He's different now, too. A changed man! A real licensed hero. Support items and all. 

He hangs back. 

He... I mean, he is a jack-ass but he isn't gonna ruin this for Shoto. 

...It's kinda cute.

Just about as cute as Fuyumi said it was. 

Apparently, Shoto had opened up to her and Natsuo about his feelings after graduation — about how he regretted not doing anything about it. Fuyumi then told their mum, who then off-handedly mentioned it to Touya... and well Touya dug in because, duh, he is a whore for good gossip. He might be the family's black sheep, but Shoto is the glue that binds. 

And he deserves to be happy.

Your co-teacher is ushering the kids to the next installation — a viewing of All Might's Legacy, a new documentary following the retired pro's teaching career. It will be a good wind down for them, in comfy seats and the dark. It's hardly the sort of content an elementary school student would find riveting, but it is All Might. And they love him.

You hang back. 

Shoto's heart is hammering in his chest.

"Hey."

"Hi," you greet back, closing the door to the theater and stepping forward as you weave your arms around you, "Long time no see."

"Yea," Shoto breathes, his hands in his pockets as he meets you halfway across the museum's marble floors, "I... I see you're teaching."

His eyes are as pretty as they were back then. Slate grey and piercing turquoise. "I'm in my second year," you confirm softly, fiddling with the material of your sweater, "Congrats to your old man."

You gesture up at the statue, then wave around to the rest of the installation.

Shoto inhales, then nods; he's staring at your face, blissfully realizing you're just the way you were all those years ago. Kind. "I'll pass it along."

"How's he handling it?" you ask, your eyes raking across his expression and trying not to stick to the sharp slope of his jaw, or the bob of his Adam's apple, "Retirement, I mean."

"He's happy, I think. Touya and I are working together and... things are...  good."

Last month, Endeavor finally retired. He cited his age, and his dedication to passing his legacy to his two sons: Shoto and Touya. Shoto has planted himself firmly within the Top Ten in the last year or so, and shockingly, Touya isn't far behind. People love an underdog's redemption story, you suppose. 

And the underdog in question can read a room. 

This is getting a little too sexually tense for even him.

"Heeeeey, girl," he rasps out, staggering backward with a thumb over his shoulder, "Nice t' see ya. I'll let you two catch up, yea? I'm gonna go pop my head into the theater, see how the kids are handling the snooze fest on screen—"

You jump.

How long has he even been there?

"Hi, D— Touya," you strain, wincing a little; the rehab'd villain doesn't seem to mind.

"Hi, teach'. That cool with you?" he asks, wobbling his thumb and quirking a pierced eyebrow; it's comical, like he's trying to disarm you with humor, "Don't want you thinkin' I'm corrupting your youths—"

"It's fine," you breathe, ignoring the sting of age-old mistrust. You know better. Shoto wouldn't be here, with him, if Touya Todoroki hadn't changed. Endeavor wouldn't be entrusting his legacy to the ex-League of Villain member if he didn't believe in his capacity for good, "Just don't be disruptive."

Casting judgment on someone whose life was nearly destroyed by his own non-conforming quirk would go against everything you taught the kids anyway.

"Touya's whole thing is being disruptive," Shoto grits as his oldest brother slips silently through the doors, "I apologize for him—"

"No," you wave him off, laughing a little, "Don't. It's... nice to see you two together."

Shoto's expression is soft as he wanders a little closer. "It took time — and a lot of therapy — but we've all managed to come out the other side."

"That's great to hear, Shoto," you breathe, your eyes flitting across his face, "I'm really happy for you."

There's a long silence, then — and you can't help but ignore the roil of butterflies in your stomach. The eye contact is heavy with some unspoken thing, and both of your tongues are weighted by secrets-never-turned-confessions. 

It's like finally this dance you've been doing around one another for years breaks — and the two of you throw caution to the wind at the exact same moment. 

"Would you like to—"

"Are you free—"

Hesitant, slow grins bloom on both your faces.

"Dinner?" is all he manages after a sweet moment of soaking up your soft smile, "If you're available...?"

You make yourself available.

Yaoyorozu almost dies when you call her that night — winded from tearing through your entire wardrobe. You explained you had nothing to wear a-and you needed something nice, and you only have an hour to get ready, because Todoroki — yes, stop screaming, Todoroki — is picking you up at 8pm.

Little bro is nervous. Touya can tell. 

From his spot on the sofa, the white-haired ex-degenerate scoffs. Natsuo is digging around for some cufflinks in Shoto's dresser.

"Seriously, Sho'? A suit?" 

"It's a nice restaurant," his brother says tightly, adjusting the collar of the black button-down, "I booked the upstairs dining room for privacy." 

"Who the hell told you t' do that?" Touya quirks a skeptical brow.

"Father was the one who suggested it."

"...That old dog." 

Natsuo rolls his eyes at the exchange before throwing his hands as he emerges from the closet. "Do you have any links that aren't emblazoned with U.A. High School's crest?"

The ones in Natsuo's hands have his graduation year on them.

Shoto winces.

"Want me to ask dear ol' dog of a dad?" Touya snarks from the corner, his posture becoming less and less upright as he scrolls on his phone.

"Already did," comes the soft voice of Fuyumi; she's smiling, padding into Shoto's room with a velvet box, "He offered up his nicest pair. He also says not to screw it up with Insight. He likes her."

Of course, he likes her. You worked under Endeavor for a brief work-study period during your third year. Shoto remembers hearing grumbled praise over dinner one night about your talent for de-escalation.

"You told him who I was seeing?" Shoto asks incredulously, taking the box and working the cufflinks on. He's starting to feel exasperated.

Fuyumi nods, popping down beside Touya. 

"He asked. I'm not gonna lie to him."

"Did y' tell ma?" Touya rasps, peeking up over his phone to inspect Shoto's outfit. Not half bad, honestly. He looks good in all black. A man after his own heart, "M'sure she's gonna be real excited—"

"Yes," Shoto grumbles, "I called her earlier—"

"Chiba Prep is a really good school, y'know," Natsuo buts in as he tries to find a tie that matches Shoto's outfit. Ultimately, though, the middle brother decides against it and tosses the options over his shoulder, "They're, like, on the leading edge for quirk therapies."

"Hey, nerd? Quiet down. The big kids are gossiping," Touya shirks, turning back to Shoto, "What did mum say?" 

"She wants me to call her after—"

"One, you're gonna call mum the morning after," Touya raises a finger, "Because if you don't get laid, I'll be so fuckin' disap—"

Fuyumi slaps Touya's chest. He lets out a pained yelp at the solid smack.

"Uh, ow," he rubs his sternum. "An' two, take a deep breath. You look like you're gonna shit yourself. Those are my pants and they're expensive."

Shoto lets out a long breath. 

Fuyumi's smile is sweet like honey. "Aw, Sho'! It's gonna go great. You two have known each other for such a long time, and catching up is going to be amazing. Just be yourself! Confident and kind—"

"—Hold the door open for her, and pull her chair out," Natsuo adds as he adjusts Shoto's collar for him, "Car door, too—"

It's Touya's turn. He's dead serious. "—And do not chicken out on kissing her at the end of the night. I swear to god."

Easier said than done.

You never did go pro.

Those years of hardened battle instincts have lost their edge. You try to remind yourself this is just Shoto, not The Shoto — but you're a little lost in the whole celebrity of it all when he picks you up in a very nice, sporty little car with ENDVRplates. 

You answer the door and he forgets how to breathe.

He has flowers for you. They're blue and blooming and beautiful. 

Fuyumi's contribution. 

You settled then you were going to kiss him at the end of the night.

The restaurant is... nice. Really nice. The sort of nice you could never aspire to experience on your teacher's salary. Even the valet is a concept that has your head spinning. But, Shoto handles it all with cool ease. The entire time, his hand is settled on your lower back. 

It feels like you've been lit on fire.

You're glad Momo was able to create a dress fitting for the occasion. It's sleek and black. Comfortable, too. Not much can be said for your heels on that front, but it's fine. 

Somehow, Shoto managed to book the entire upper floor of this place in all its glimmering glory — it's just the two of you alone in a sea of tables. 

The waiter is pouring you a glass of the chef's suggested pairing of sake.

You thank him, smile, and take a sip as Shoto unbuttons his suit jacket and watches you. 

For a second, you're seventeen again.

Sero and Kirishima were always in cahoots when it came to parties back then — somehow, between the two of them, they always managed to smuggle enough booze onto campus to obliterate any semblance of promised sobriety from even the most stoic members of 1-A. 

You remember one night, after a lot of hounding, you finally gave in and joined a few of your classmates on the back lawn for a few drinks. 

A few beers turned into a cup or two of wine, and then another big gulp of whatever deranged jungle juice concoction Kaminiari managed to cook up. It tasted terrible, but you were too drunk to really care. Shoto was no better. He was nursing his fourth drink of the night — a rarity he was even drinking at all — and seemed completely fine with the way your arms brushed as the two of you sat close in the grass. 

He was always so nervous around you. Now, he just seemed... happy. 

"I can't believe there is only one week left until graduation."

Graduation day was the last time you saw him. 

Until this morning, that is. 

You smile into your drink. 

"What?" you ask when his eyes never leave your face.

His fingers twitch towards his own glass. Shoto blinks, then rolls his jaw. He was caught staring. He clears his throat, looking a bit shy. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" you press playfully, cocking your head to the side.

"You..." he starts, then bawks. You're stunning, and it's making it hard to even think straight. He thought these feelings might have mellowed out over the years but seeing you again has just reignited everything. He feels like a hormonal teenager again, "You look beautiful."

Your expression falters into something lovesick. You chew your lip. "You're not so bad yourself, Todoroki."

He manages a half-smile. "Touya had me worried the suit was a bit much."

The idea of Touya offering him advice on his outfit strikes a chord in your heart. It makes you smile even bigger than before. "Well, you can tell Touya that I like it. A lot."

You rake your eyes up and down him. On purpose.

He notices.

Shoto's face feels hot. 

He tries to shake the bone-deep want that has swept his entire body up in its grip, but it's difficult when every single word out of your mouth reminds him just how in love he was with you back in school. You explain, excitedly, why you chose to teach at Chiba Prefectural Prep and catch him up on where you've been living since graduating. He's pleased to learn you're still in the area, living in the city, and decidedly in love with the commute to the school. 

Shoto's always been a good listener — but you can see how much he's changed when he begins to speak about his career. He seems so much more sure of himself than he was all those years ago. It wasn't that he was... unsure... but, no. He was shy. Quiet.

Now, less so. 

It's adorable. 

Dinner comes and goes with conversation over sushi that is far too good for you to even process. It's easy talking to him. It was easy talking to Shoto back, then, too but... Things are different. You're both different. Not in a bad way, but in a way that feels like coming home. 

While you both wait outside for the valet, Shoto shrugs his jacket off and puts it over your shoulders without a single word. Suddenly, you're cradled in a warmth that's very Shoto — his cologne clings to the collar and you bury yourself a little deeper into it. 

Shyly, you step closer and steal his hand. It's calloused and warm. He laced his fingers with yours as if practiced. You bite back a grin. You give his hand a little squeeze when you spot the car coming around the corner.

His silence is calming — and he squeezes your hand back. When you look up at him, you realize he's already looking at you. 

His face is close. It's so... intimate. Very. Nearly better than a kiss. 

But, you've wanted to kiss Shoto Todoroki since you were seventeen. 

The valet driver interrupts the moment with a respectful call of Shoto's name and offers the keys with a shake of the hand. With a little bit of hesitancy, Shoto remembers the thing Natsuo said — the car door, too — and moves around the passenger side to open the door for you. 

It's sweet.

Really sweet. 

The car ride back to your apartment is punctuated with easy conversation — you ask him about Bakugo and Midorya, and you're pleased to hear they're both doing well. He asks about Momo, and if you still keep in touch with Mina and Ochaco. He smiles to himself when you admit you did call Momo for help with an outfit. 

"She did a beautiful job," Shoto breathes, a palm moving from the gear shift to brush over the dress' fabric on your thigh.

His hand settles there. 

Your stomach does a flip. 

You chew your lip, swallow down a sudden burst of nerves, and let your hand rest over his. You squeeze it. Shoto tries to focus on the road. His gaze drifts for a moment at a red light, his heterochromatic eyes dancing across your figure. 

Keep it together. 

He isn't seventeen.

He's twenty-five. He's a Professional Hero. One of the Top Ten in all of Japan. He's more than capable of keeping it together in the face of physical touch from the woman he's dreamed about for years. 

...Right?

Green light.

His hand is still on your thigh when he pulls up to your apartment. 

The touch is relinquished in favor of putting the sports car in park. 

It makes your chest ache.

Shoto swallows thickly.

Do not chicken out on kissing her at the end of the night.

He'll never forgive himself. But, admittedly, he's bad at this. He's not good at reading body language, or even knowing himself enough to realize he looks mildly terrified as you blink up at him in the passenger's seat. His heart is hammering a mile a minute.

What if you don't want to kiss him?

When would he even kiss you? Now? Or at the door?

Why does he feel like he's going to die?

"This was really... Shoto, are you okay?" you ask as you unbuckle your seatbelt; you pause, your brows knitting tightly. 

"What?" he asks, blinking back to the present moment. The look of fear disappears, "Sorry. Yes. I'm fine."

You're working his jacket off your shoulders, gently leaning to fold it neatly in your lap. Your voice dips low, into something playful. "You didn't look fine..."

"I—" Shoto clamps his mouth shut as he leans an elbow on the center console, "Sorry. I suppose I'm just nervous."

"Nervous?" you grin, a little giggle punctuating your words as you wriggle in the red, leather seat, "Why?"

Your expression makes his expression crack. He ducks his head as he huffs out a laugh. You continue to egg him on via expression alone. "I... Stop it."

"Stop what?" you push some more, your back pressed to the door as you face him in the car, "You're the one being weird—"

"I'm not being weird—"

"Then what's wrong, Shoto?" you tease in a sing-song voice.

"I'm nervous because I want to kiss you."

His words are punctuated by a slow look that takes in every inch of your face. Butterfly wings kiss your stomach walls. And your knees. You feel a little tremble in your chest. 

It feels like someone has sucker punched you square in the sternum. Shoto's no better. He isn't entirely sure what the expression on your face means. Is that... good? Are you happy?

Your voice is a little quieter now. You duck your head and fiddle with his suit jacket as you lean back against the seat, a little closer now. 

"You don't need to be."

Shoto's breath catches at that.

So, he makes his move.

His hand comes first — his calloused palm settles nicely against your face, his thumb brushing your cheekbone as his pointer finger brushes the underside of your jaw. Shoto is slow. Methodical. It's like he's trying to ground himself in the moment. 

Truth be told, he thinks he might be blacking out.

Your eyes flit up his wrist — a dark leather band around his wrist with an expensive watch face, a dark dress shirt with glimmering cufflinks, strong arms and a broad chest, and you can see the dip of his collarbone where the top two buttons of his shirt remain undone. 

He looks so damn handsome with his sharp jaw, pretty eyes, and his trademark white and crimson hair. Even his scar is beautiful. 

The touch pulls you in like he's got his own personal orbit.  

Your elbows are braced along the center console, your eyes flicking across his face as his fingers continue to brush along the soft expanse of your cheek. You wring your fingers together. 

Then, his eyes stick to your lips.

"Can I kiss you?" he whispers, his breath fanning across your face. 

You never did go pro.

But, Shoto did. 

It shows. 

Because, at this moment, all you can do is nod feebly before you're swept into the sort of kiss people go to war for. It's the sort of kiss that sticks to your ribs, that feels like warm, fresh food. It's the sort of kiss that would drive you to the brink, that would make you nod and agree sure, let's get married and have three kids, let's name one after your father, and paint the house blue like your mother's favorite flower—

His mouth is eager, but not in an overbearing way. It's gentle. Slow. As if he needs to remind himself this is real and not some midnight fiction that leaves him aching and alone. Shoto reminds himself to be tepid, pliable, and easy, which is easier said than done when somewhere deep inside of him there's a seventeen-year-old screaming in victory. 

It's better than anything he could have ever imagined. 

And then you whimper. 

It's a sound tied between bliss and relief and it's muttered against his mouth as you lean in and let your fingers brush the fabric of his dress shirt. The tips of your fingers brush his abdomen and he flexes, the feeling foreign and warm. It warrants his other hand to drift to your face and you break for a breath; he doesn't care that there's lipstick smeared across his mouth. He's kissing you again — this time a little bit more feverish, a little bit more aching. 

You melt against him, this time your hands trembling to grip his wrists.

He needs to slow down.

He is not having sex with you in his father's car.

That's shameless.

He needs to slow down.

He has to, or he'll lose himself in this and he refuses to fuck this up. 

Shoto's breath is ragged when he finally peels himself away, his lip parted and eyes half-lidded. His grip on your face is still so soft, so gentle. It's very him. 

You're glad you didn't do this when you were seventeen.

It would have permanently altered your brain chemistry, you're sure of it. How could you ever kiss someone else again after that? 

He's rubbing your cheek with his thumb. You swallow, and try to level out your breathing. It's hard when he's still so close, when he's so... perfect. 

"I've wanted to do that," he murmurs against your cheek, "Since our last year at Yuei."

A well-kissed smile breaks across your face. You reel back, your nose wrinkling as you shake your head in disbelief. Shoto is smiling. A real smile. The sort that's so rare you can count on one hand the amount of times you've ever seen it in person. 

"Are you serious?"

"Very," he says, chastely pressing another to your other cheek as he leans back.

"Me too," you admit shyly, "Can we... do it again sometime?"

Shoto's eyes widen incrementally. Then, his smile eases back onto his face. 

"Are you free this weekend?"

"I can be," you reply easily with a honeyed look, "And I will be. For you."

"I get off patrol on Saturday around seven," he explains before asking timidly, "We could... do dinner again?"

"Works for me," you breathe as you move for the handle of the car door, "After all, I never went Pro. Weekends are free."

Shoto scoffs. 

Then, as you open the door and swing a leg out:

"Oh, and tell Touya I thought the suit sexy."

Shoto's laugh is dry. You leave his jacket on the seat and scurry into your apartment with a lovesick wave. He swears he sees the silhouette of a familiar ponytail greet you at the door, but he doesn't dwell on it. He waits until you're inside and the lights to the front door are shut off.

Then it hits him. He has another date with you this weekend. 

Not so seventeen anymore, Shoto Todoroki. 

౨ৎ 𝐒𝐏𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆 ┊ just this once, and just tonight. it’s the least he can do for you.

WARNINGS: nsfw, angst, fem reader. takes place 1/2 years after tybw. unrequited feelings, mentions of ichihime. fingering, first time (both ichigo & reader), unprotected p in v sex, alcohol usage (but no dub-con). wc: 8k. AUTHOR’S NOTE: orihime my girl forgive me. . . i wanted to take a little dip into ichigo ever since starting the series and there is nothing i love more than some good angsty smut :> thank you tori for betaing and brainstorming!! @saenora enjoy ♡

One step at a time, Ichigo makes his way up the stairs to your bedroom. He thinks so, at least. It's not like he knows the layout of your house, but the simple direction of "upstairs" given between a yawn and your tipsy humming has to suffice.

Your house is quiet and spacious, dead silent in the night except for the ticking clock hung up on the kitchen wall. Though he's taken notice of the quirky accessories you've put around the living room (he had a chance to when grabbing you water, knowing you'll thank him for it tomorrow morning) and the colorful posters hanging on the walls up the corridor to your room, it barely makes up for the unvacated space. 

A house that’s not yet a home, Ichigo feels, though he wouldn’t dare say it out loud. He's not in the place to do so anyway. 

Perhaps it’s not even an issue - he doesn’t know you that well, after all, only seeing you at school or when dropping by Orihime’s house. Your parents work away from the country most of the time, or so he's heard, so you spend most of the time alone- focusing on school work or the part-time job you picked up at the local flower shop.

You've gotten used to it, Orihime said, yet Ichigo thinks there must be a reason you're staying at her house every other day. Some find peace in solace and quiet, but does it apply to someone like you?

Nudging the door open, he's met with the faint scent of jasmine, a neatly made bed, and various plants sitting atop your drawers and desk. It's very much you. As far as he knows you, that is. It's cozy and warm and you seem to pick up on your surroundings, given the way you relax further into his back and lift your head just slightly.

Ichigo had hoped the crisp night air would be enough to sober you up on the way home, but you're still fairly putty in his grasp when he helps you get off his back and then settled onto your bed. Something akin to a purr rumbles in your throat as he handles you, almost carefully - your senses are sedate but the way he touches you rises goosebumps across your flesh. It's new but welcome nonetheless.

"There you go," Ichigo says, keeping his voice low. He's hoping you'll be fast asleep by the time he goes out the front door. You surely look like it- lashes languidly fluttering atop your cheekbones, the rise and fall of your chest gentle and slow.

It's weird.

He proposed to take you home to ensure your safety, seeing how your lightweight self handled the alcohol consumed back at the izakaya. Orihime was probably the only one looking more worried than amused at your drunken antics (like the angel she is) and asked him so sweetly to bring you home - how could he deny her?

It's common courtesy. You're his friend, too, so it's only natural he took it upon himself to tuck you into bed, hand you electrolytes, and lock your front door with the spare key.

You're Orihime's best friend. And yet, your skin feels feverish but so, so soft against his palm where it fits under your knees as he lowers you onto the mattress.

It's a conscious thought, something more than a fleeting observation. The one he makes of the sliver of pale pink cotton between your thighs doesn’t go unnoticed, either. If anything, his ears suddenly feel like red hot coal and eyes move away so fast he could’ve gotten whiplash.

Clearing his throat, Ichigo fixes your skirt for you, however forward that is. It's the right thing to do - God knows he’d rather have anyone (even a guy) do the same for Karin or Yuzu if they were ever in such a position. It shouldn’t be such a big deal in his head, and he swears he’s not making up excuses, but surely you would've thanked him anyway. (If it wasn't for the cotton in your mouth, of course.)

Most importantly, it makes the blush on his cheeks a little more bearable.

You squirm a little, shifting into a comfortable position that steals a content sigh from your mouth. It's only now that Ichigo notices your eyes have been following him for all this time, glossed over with intoxication. Thick like molasses, your scrutiny sticks to him. Ichigo’s been to hell and back but it’s been a while since anyone peeled back all his layers like you're doing now. You're no demon or evil entity. Your spiritual pressure feels more like a pleasant summer breeze than anything else, but the gentle smile you wear sends a chill down his spine.

He wonders what you're thinking, not expecting such an expression in the first place. You were all giggles and exclaims back at the izakaya and couldn't stay quiet on the way back either, yet now you're so mellow and soft. It's unlike you and what he's used to. What's even stranger is how it renders him still in his seat on the edge of your bed.

"Thanks, Ichigo," You say, breathily. The usage of his first name surprises him a little, but he does not mind, "for, y'know..."

Your words aren't as jumbled as he would've predicted but your voice does trail off as if taken away by the liquor. Ichigo smiles at you, but the bizarre feeling doesn’t go away. Is it something about the proximity? Or the way your hand lays so freely next to his, a nudge away? 

He scratches at his nape and breaks the strange eye contact. Your eyes burn into the side of his face still, he couldn’t miss it if he tried. “Ah, it’s nothing. I’m glad you’re safe.”

You watch his jaw as he speaks, the eyes wandering from the posters on your wall to the photo frames on your desk. ichigo’s observant, but this time, you feel like he’s just curious, perhaps a little sheepish. “Inoue wouldn’t let me live if I didn’t bring you home,” He adds.

It’s partially true but he doesn’t voice the rest out loud. He hasn’t been around in Soul Society for a hot minute now and it’s something to be glad about, but it does make him wonder if it’s his chivalry, manners, or unsatisfied instinct to protect that brought him here, into your room, pinewood and pale pink. 

You snort a little under your breath at the thought of your redhead best friend, fanning you with whatever she could’ve grabbed to possibly sober you up. She’s a sweetheart, cares more than she should about things that don’t need it, but it is a part of her charm. 

Is it why Ichigo’s smiling like this? 

The truth is laid out right in front of you, there is no denying it. A part of you is glad to witness the blossoming of something that would make your favorite person the happiest alive. 

In the unvacated space lives greed. 

Jealousy and desire are primal to an extent that you wouldn’t think could ever apply to you, but here you are. It’s funny Ichigo doesn’t look aware of his input to your silly realizations in the slightest.. But, down to the core of it all, you’re just a girl as well. Young, with a heart aching to be loved. You know it is considered wrong but what they don’t know can’t hurt them. 

You’ve never said a word despite how often you run your tongue. Your choice was always conscious, firm, and made with the best intentions in mind. Tonight, as you lay in your frilly sheets and scent the remnants of Ichigo’s cologne on you with his warmth still so close, your throat tightens with the words that grow heavier, unbearable to swallow down.

“Ichigo,” You say his name again, this time more gentle. The boy glances over and you know now that you did catch him space out, with her in mind. It’s a different look on him, fond with the slightest curl to his lips, handsome on his features when he turns to you.

You enjoy the attention and it’s a shameful realisation. Brown eyes envelop yours with a warmth that you know isn’t directed at you, “Yeah? What is it?”

Adrenaline does it for you - props you up until you face him, stretches your fingers out to wrap around his wrist. It’s unrushed but only because of the alcohol. It puzzles Ichigo all the same, a quirk in his brows and a twitch in his fingers. 

“Can you… stay,” Oh, it’s so, so heavy on your tongue. Doesn’t roll off the way you’d want it to even with the added courage - it’s more of a shaky breath than anything else “Please,”

The silence soughs in your ears, a white noise to blur out Ichigo’s perplexed inhale. His gaze wavers and moves to where your hand guides his, to the soft flesh of your thigh, bare and still so warm as he noticed earlier. Now it almost burns him. 

He says your name in a question and his voice cracks in the sheer realization of your wish, unspoken but shown so forwardly and in a way he wouldn’t have thought of you. He moves to retract his hand, shaking his head, “I– uh, I can’t. Really, trust me, it’s not…”

When Ichigo goes to look at you again, your chest aches with shame. He’s confused but looks mostly worried, if not a little pitiful of your silly, needy wish. Your fingers feel too clammy to keep holding onto his hand, instead grabbing onto the thick denim of your skirt. 

“O-Oh,” You stammer and it feels like a cold bucket over your head, “R-right. Sorry, uhm,”

You worry the plump of your bottom lip between your teeth and stare anywhere else. Your vision is a little distorted, just a tad blurry, the thudding of your heart loud as ever. 

Warmth envelopes your fist and your gaze bounces back. Ichigo’s frowning a little, but again, it’s mostly worry. You don’t particularly dislike it, “Hey, hey. It’s fine. You’re drunk. It’s alright.”

Right, you’re drunk. But not enough to blackout, not enough to lose control over your actions and better judgment. So when the feeling of his hand on yours grows to be too much, your breath catches in your throat and eyes soften. It’s a sliver in time but Ichigo catches onto it.

This time, he’s not as taken aback when your fingers wrap around his. He’s seen it coming by the gleam in your eyes, and though he’s not that much of an empath, he knows what longing looks like. He’s not dumb. Your rings feel cool on his skin as you guide his hand up, from the hem of your top to the swell of your breast- it’s a strange feeling. Entirely new in the way he hasn’t done it before (intentionally, at least), throwing him off because it’s you. You fit in his hand perfectly. Ichigo swears he feels every goosebump against his palm, even through the thin cotton. 

It registers slower than he would’ve liked it to. With a sharp breath, his eyes find yours, asking for something though he knows you wouldn’t answer. You look tongue-tied, shivering against his touch and under his nearly begging gaze.

“Please,” It’s a whisper but bleeds into a whimper. Your fingers around his wrist grow tighter, and his palm presses against your flesh until he feels your thighs part. 

It’s all you say. He shouldn’t have asked for more, but it’s only natural he did - you put him in this place, confused and torn. Ichigo does not want to blame you for it but he wishes he did- it’s easier getting upset than dealing with this pull in his chest. You give him your widest eyes, reminiscent of the look she gives him– it’s just the same. The discernment is unmistakable. It makes him think of all the times he felt eyes on his back, the side of his face as he spoke. Could it be there were always two pairs of them? Could he really not notice it for all this time?

Devotion is a strange thing. It’s unspoken between him and Orihime but it doesn’t make the bond any weaker. It was an unknown feeling - noticing things about her that made his heart race, paying a bit more attention to his appearance whenever they’d see each other. Ichigo didn’t want to spend too much time pondering on it, but deep down, between the crevices of his ribs, he feels it. His heart is full. Stutters whenever she’s around, aches when she is not. It’s a pity it has to come down to this to make him admit it to himself. Neither of you deserve this. The policy of truth is simple: you speak it, you suffer the consequences. As long as Inoue doesn’t hear about this, the pain doesn’t take her under with you. 

What she doesn’t know doesn’t hurt her, but the oblivion has  no power to erase what already happened. It will eat away at you both, rightly or not. 

It’s a sliver in time. A second, two at most - no more than a shaky breath. It’s not nearly enough time to make such a decision but Ichigo operates on instinct more often than not. Right now, you’re here, so pretty and divine in front of him. Your lip shines with saliva, eyes gleam with need, and your legs part, making just enough space for him to fit in between. 

In this moment of time, you’re the prettiest sight he could possibly witness. 

The thought feeds his guilt but makes his heart thump all the same. There’s only so much you can do to fight off desire when it creeps up on you, cunning and ruthless.You couldn’t ignore your own and he’s surrendering, too. (What a strange feeling that is, indeed. After countless fights and not even one desertion, the only time he fully, consciously drops his guard down finally catches up to him. Perhaps it’s the rule of war, one you cannot run from even when once it died down.)

Ichigo’s merciful when he needs to be. When lenient, his hands usually drip with blood, not even one more drop to be shed. Tonight, they’re gentle, slipping under flimsy fabric with a promise of more- an augury of pleasure. 

Your breath dies in your chest, caught in your lungs when Ichigo’s hand squeezes the flesh of your breast. Your nipple stands erect against his rough palm, skin erupting in goosebumps as he groans. It’s a sound you wouldn’t dare wish to hear, but you’re thanking gods when you do. 

Ichigo moves closer, meddles with your space like it’s a magnetic pull. His thumb teases the hardened nub, experimentally pinches it between his fingers. It’s languid but only because he’s unsure. He doesn’t want to give in to greed. Curiosity is a much better teacher. 

“You’re so warm,” He whispers and it feels cathartic to some extent. A weight dissipates from his shoulders now that he admitted it to himself: he wants you. Longs for you, feels it down to his core. “Does it feel good?” 

A hurried nod is enough, for now at least. Your hand slips from Ichigo’s to grab at his bicep instead as his free palm fits under the weight of your chest, then slides down the smooth, soft canvas of your stomach. It ripples under his touch, almost a reflex. Ichigo swears under his breath, heat rushing to his cheeks and below his belt. You’re so pliable, so full of trust. 

He pushes your top up just below your collarbones, though not without a fleeting glance at your face to ensure it’s fine. Cool air nips all over the exposed skin and it’s a small mercy when the warmth of Ichigo’s mouth presses along the shivering flesh. You gasp and writhe, as much as you can in his gentle grip, anyway. His tongue feels heavy where it laps across the skin, suckling where his teeth graze next. When his mouth wraps around one of your nipples, it sends sparks down all the way down to your toes. It’s as pleasurable as it is new. 

“Ichigo,” You moan and it makes his desire run rampant. 

He sucks harder, the other hand wrapping around the side of your ribcage, as if to settle you but bring you closer at the same time. His breathing grows heavier, ragged when he lets go of one nipple to move to the other, repeating his measure of sucking and licking and toying with you until your heart ripples under the flesh. It’s his highest reward when you start to squirm and unceremoniously tangle your fingers in his hair. 

You wish you could feel his lips on yours but it feels like a boundary that cannot be crossed. Not yet, anyway, and you don’t look a gifted horse in its mouth, so the sensation of Ichigo’s shuffling down your mattress and pressing his open-mouthed kisses lower down your torso is where you pin point your focus. It’s the only thing overriding your senses either way - you can’t escape it, the slick and hot feeling of his tongue and the plump of his lips. He bites somewhere around your navel and you keen, toes curling in on themselves. 

Ichigo’s uncertain whether it should bring him this much ecstasy but he’s sure he’s just as euphoric as you are, receiving his caress. His thumbs dig into your sides and along your hipbones as he looks up, hair in your fist and eyes blown with lust. 

A beat passes before he crawls up your body again, a little clumsily but neither of you care. His breath hits your jaw before his head dips to the crook of your neck, mouthing at the thrum of your pulse. Your bodies act as one, strung up with instinct and curiosity strong enough to kill the cat. Whether you get caught in crossfire, neither of you cares. 

Just as your hands move to push up Ichigo’s shirt, he pulls away to take yours off completely, the gathered material getting in his way. You barely wind your arms around his neck before he presses back against you, breathing heavily between feverish kisses to your collarbone and shoulder. 

It’s a lot - the feeling of your chest pressed against his, your hands roaming under his shirt, following the ridges of his hard abdomen. You’re squirming underneath him, inhales quick, exhales resembling more of a whimper than anything else. It’s a lot to take in but Ichigo takes his time nonetheless. He maps out the spots that make your nails dig under his skin, makes sure to give them extra attention before moving to search for more. It’s exhilarating, feeds his ego when you arch into him so beautifully. It’s hard focusing on everything at once but there is no way he misses any of it.

Between bites and wet kisses, Ichigo’s shirt comes off and joins your crumpled top on the floor. He’s not self-conscious in the least, but your gaze sticks to him and it’s making his heart skip a beat. Swallowing thickly, he breathes out a laugh, almost sheepishly, and you return it in a smile. It clears the air, makes it easier to breathe again - lets him see the gleam in your eyes, allows you to take in the reddened sheen of his cheeks. It’s everything you could’ve dreamed of and more, the embodiment of what heaven looks like, you think. 

“Can I make you feel good?” Ichigo speaks, low and ragged. You think it’s endearing that he asks, even when seeing you so restless. His hands are itching to touch, explore places that make you tense up and call for him. The need to possess is strange, but he doesn’t hate it. it must be a part of the intimacy- something about knowing it’s him that grants you this pleasure. It has to be something about the sense of duty, knowing it’s the least he can give you.

“Yes,” It’s more of a breath than proper speech but it’s good enough. “Yes, please, Ichigo, right there…” 

Your hand moves to his, guiding it to the soft cotton of your panties. It’s hot, damp with what the boy can only recognize as arousal, silky when the pad of his finger presses on the soft, plump flesh. The fabric is thin, darkened where it clings to your folds. It’s enough to make his head spin. Your thighs jolt and breath sharpens as his finger dips between your folds and Ichigo feels all blood rush to his cock.

“Fuck,” He grunts, aching against the denim of his jeans. It’s almost embarrassing in a way “You ask me so nicely,” 

You didn’t expect the remark but take it as a praise. Ichigo doesn’t particularly enjoy others prodding at him but will do it himself if given a good chance and you wonder if he enjoys the way you look away, overwhelmed. Not even the alcohol buzzing in your system makes this any more bearable. Instead you focus on him undoing your skirt, first the button and then the zipper, to eventually pull it down your legs. He’s gentle while doing so, fingers lingering on your ankle as his gaze searches for yours. 

“Have you…” Ichigo trails off and it suddenly dawns  on him that it should’ve been asked before he even first got his hands on you. Your boldness could’ve mistaken him, after all, and judging by the way your eyes widen, it did.

You shake your head, gripping the sheets and chewing on your bottom lip. You seem as sheepish as the boy between your legs, suddenly a little embarrassed, hoping it doesn’t drive him away. “N-No, not yet…”

Ichigo knows it shouldn’t, but it goes straight to his cock. The realization that he’s the first to touch you like this, to have his hands roaming your body and spoil you with affection. The mechanism behind the thought is unattainable to him yet, but frankly, he has no time to dwell on it. It flatters him, fills him with something indescribable, knowing you trust him enough to deem him the right one. 

He sucks in a breath, opening his mouth to speak. Are you sure about this? is what he wishes to ask. Please is what your eyes are telling him - dark with lust and sewing right through him. You look like you could cry any second if made to wait any longer. He’s no sadist, really.

Your panties come off next, index finger hooking under the waistband and easing them down the curve of your legs. Ichigo doesn’t mean to stare but it’s his first time around as well, after all, and he’s a little overwhelmed. You’re pretty from head to toe, he realizes, face burning as he exhales shakily, fingers tracing the same path as before, but this time with no fabric in between. 

Wetness collects at his fingertips, coats them from the tip to his first knuckle and makes it so much easier when he presses three fingers against your clit and starts to rub. You’re unaware of his lack of experience and frankly, the way he handles you isn’t giving it away either. Your legs seize up, breath stuck in your throat, and Ichigo figures he’s doing a good job. You’re quick to tell him, too.

“Fuck,” Your voice is small, the small of your back arching off the bed. Ichigo watches every reaction like a hawk, from the parting of your lips to the way your abdomen tightens and hips squirm in place. 

“Right here?” He asks in a breath, almost holding it. It’s unconscious, but his focus is all on you. His hand slides lower and palm presses to the throbbing nub instead, slick finger prodding at your entrance as you nod.

Ichigo’s taking his time with you but it only makes the tension grow tighter, like a string bound to snap any moment. You’re already out of breath before he gets to pleasure you properly. His equally restless, needy expression makes it a little more bearable. One by one, his fingers push inside of you with much more ease than he’d expected. It’s tight and warm, squeezing him down to the last knuckle when the pads of his fingers caress the front of your insides. Each and every movement eases more honeyed sounds from your mouth, makes your grip on him tighten. Your nails dig in his bicep, bare and littered with small scars you wouldn’t ever ask about, voice betraying any inhibitions. You’re moaning in his ear when he goes to press himself against you, mouthing along the curve of your jaw and heavily breathing against your pulse point. 

Every word is washed away with desire, long gone from your head. The feeling of being worked open on Ichigo’s fingers is too much. He’s as gentle as he can be but loses himself in the way your pussy squeezes around him and hips hump against his hand, urging for more. You feel his scent, overriding anything else, hear his ragged breath by your ear. The heat licking at the base of your spine seems familiar but entirely strange at the same time, thinly veiled by intoxication. 

“Ichigo–” You sound almost panicked if he hadn’t known any better. You’re not in pain, not with the way you cling onto him “Think m’gonna..” 

Ichigo feels his stomach flip and suddenly the sound of your slick is the only thing in his ears. The squelch, every little mewl you let out when his fingers press into the spongy spot. It’s obnoxiously loud, though in reality it most likely is not. To him, it’s all that matters. You’re feeling good, you’re barely speaking. 

You almost jolt when he picks up the pace, eyes boring into your face, the euphoric flutter of your lashes. “Do it for me,” He mutters, voice lodged low in his throat, equally as coaxing as it is urgent. “S’alright”

The sensation hits all at once and it’s overwhelming compared to anything you’re used to. It’s different when Ichigo’s easing you through it, groaning when you grab at his wrist and choke out sounds of unadulterated pleasure. Raw and beautiful as you fall apart, Ichigo watches you. A pull in his chest urges him to kiss you, swallow every sound and claim it. Everything else makes him want to watch, shamelessly and greedily, and so he does. 

You slump in his hold around the moment his fingers slow down nearly to a stop. It’s good timing considering you push at his wrist weakly, thighs shaking when you go to close them involuntarily. Ichigo eases his fingers out and it’s only now that the white noise dies down that you hear his breathing, equally as labored as your own.

Your eyes search for Ichigo’s, albeit a bit unsure. Almost shyly. The clarity doesn’t set in just yet as you reach your hand towards him, fingers dipping past the waistband of his jeans. 

He’s slightly flustered but mostly still overwhelmed by making you cum. He wouldn’t have ever guessed it feels this good to give- never would’ve thought you are so beautiful when he brings you over the edge. It makes his heart ache when the thought at the back of his head reappears, poisoned with guilt, but it’s not enough to drive his mind away from the desire coiling in his gut.

“Come here” Ichigo states, a little firmly as he grabs you by the hips and pulls you down to his level more comfortably. “Want to feel you, properly this time,”

His breath is ragged when he speaks, warmth fanning across your face. It’s a lot to take in, but the press of a hard bulge to your bare mound speaks for itself. Your throat feels a little dry when you swallow, clumsily reaching your hands down to work at Ichigo’s belt, then the buttoning of his jeans. He helps you out, fingers brushing against yours until finally, he gets the remaining pieces of clothing off.

Your head is spinning with how quickly it happens. One second you’re coming on his fingers, now you’re trying not to stare at his cock, standing upright, heavy and flushed bright pink with arousal. The sheer size is intimidating but you couldn’t have expected anything less from Ichigo. (Neither did you imagine him any smaller than this.)

He notices your shy little glances but doesn’t comment on it, because soon enough you’re wrapping your small hand around his girth. The touch is electrifying, would’ve made his knees buckle if he wasn’t sat. Ichigo hisses under his breath, the tips of his ears burning. You’re moving languidly, thumb tracing along the throbbing vein running up the shaft and it’s making his stomach tighten.

“Let me,” You suddenly speak meekly. Ichigo blinks down at you, mind foggy with want but he’s quick to shake his head and wrap his hand around yours.

Your expression morphs into something more sheepish, borderline confused. Your fingers almost retract from around his aching cock but he stops you, tightening his hand on yours to keep it in place.

“No, it’s just…” Ichigo’s a little frustrated but only with himself. He breathes out a laugh, shaking his head when you look at him, puzzled and a little hesitant “I’m not gonna last if you do, and I want you,” 

It’s purely symbolic by this point, now that he’s taken the leap and cannot turn back, but voicing his desire out loud makes the loop around his heart tighten. It shouldn’t feel this natural to say it, roll off his tongue so easily, but it does- and Ichigo figures he might as well embrace it. His throat feels tighter with every word but the smile he gives you, a little coy and all the more comforting, makes you relax instantly. 

Your cheeks heat up with the flattery before the meaning behind his words really settles in. It’s one thing to have the boy of your dreams touching you, but another to have him admit his desire. It makes the butterflies caged between your ribs run wild. 

“Then just–” You trail off and hold back a moan, feeling Ichigo’s hand reassume the stroking you’ve been gracing him with a moment before. “C-come here,” You finish between one sigh and another. His palm feels warm on top of yours, tightening whenever you reach the sensitive tip of his cock, his breath growing unsteady. 

It’s tipping along the edge of teasing but Ichigo can’t bring himself to stop, even with a promise of greater pleasures coming. You’re looking up at him like you’re scared to miss any of his reactions- the knot in his brows, parting of his lips. It’s hard to look away when the very thing you’ve longed for is right in front of you, tangible and real. 

Despite his previous words, it’s a struggle to stop you from indulging him. You don’t want to take more than he gives, though, and so you pull away, instead nudging the boy to lay down on his back beside you. He takes the hint but not without a look of surprise and lays back. You enjoy the look behind the amber of his eyes when you climb on top of him, straddling his hips, your heat hovering just above the weeping head of his cock. It’s enough to make Ichigo hiss out a breath, his hands moving to grip the fat of your hips, fingers digging into the flesh. 

“Take your time,” He says, and the tremble at the edges of his words give away his impatience or perhaps excitement. You wonder if it’s his first time as well but the thought is quickly pushed to the back of your mind, too hopeful and bold. As if.

You smile down at him, a little dopily, “M’kay.”

You ignore the shaking of your thighs as you rest your hands on Ichigo’s chest, broad and firm with muscle. The slow rubbing of your pussy along the throb of his length is agonizing, but neither of you complain. You watch breathlessly as Ichigo leans his head back, throat bobbing with a grunt. It’s hot and slippery wet, the way your folds drag against his cock, clit catching on the angry pink tip. You’re moaning so pretty already, he wonders how the hell he’s going to hold back when he’s actually inside you.

He doesn’t regret his statement to take things at your own pace but you are driving him a little crazy. The position you’ve both found yourselves in is hard enough to brace already, and now you’re on top of him, too, about to take a part of him to keep with you forever. The thought makes his head spin. Ichigo wishes he still believed he’s only doing it to show you mercy, but his own enjoyment is too palpable. He tries not to think about it when you lift your hips and wrap your fingers around the base of his cock, lining it up with your entrance, leaking wetness on his tip. 

You drop your hips, inch by inch, and it erases any other thought from his head. It’s so ridiculously warm and tight, feels like you’re suffocating him in the best possible way. There’s not a condom in sight and Ichigo’s not too proud to realize he couldn’t care less. What matters is the feeling of you around him, pulsing with arousal when he bottoms out. Your fingers twitch on his chest and clit presses against the neat trim of his pubes - he feels it all, it’s almost agonizing.

Ichigo has to remind himself to soothe you into it. He rubs his hands up your waist and swallows thickly, watching your chest shudder with a breath and your mouth fall agape. 

“You good?” He asks, but the slow sway your hips pick up is an answer in its own right. You suck in a breath and nod, looking down at him. God, don’t do this. Ichigo twitches inside of you and you feel it all. 

“Mmhm,” Your voice sounds strained. You don’t trust yourself enough to speak proper words, getting used to the feeling of being stuffed full. It’s unlike anything else, the feeling of every ridge and vein of his cock, the tight fit that makes your tummy feel funny. Glancing down to see the boy of your dreams staring right back at you, heavy-lidded and restless, turns your brain into mush. 

There’s not much discomfort. Not to make you stop, at least. You’re greedy and you can only hope Ichigo doesn’t mind, but the groan he lets out when you begin to rock your hips back and forth proves it right. The slide of his cock against the spots that turn your vision spotty around the edges feels perfect. 

It’s quieter than you would’ve suspected. Heavy breathing bounces off the walls and your bed creaks with every firmer movement, your cunt squelches whenever Ichigo’s cock fits back inside of you, stuffing you to the brim. You couldn’t handle any more of it anyway- it’s enough as it is. You’re a little light-headed with the tingly sensation that runs all the way down to your toes, making them curl. You wonder if it feels as good for Ichigo as it does for you, but he’s awfully quiet- trying to swallow down any grunts or sounds of pleasure. 

He’s a little overwhelmed, truly. You feel like heaven, throbbing and swallowing all of his cock. He hopes you won’t be in pain tomorrow- he’s given you enough prep (he hopes so, at least), but you’re starting to ride him harder with every few movements. You drop your hips on him experimentally, rut against him in little circles, then still and whimper when his tip kisses the spongy area all the way up your pussy. Ichigo’s speechless, truly. It almost feels too good to be true- too good for him, like he’s undeserving. He can’t let go of the thought of it being unfair. The way you make it feel so intimate, passionate until it’s hard to take only deems it an ever harder task. 

Ichigo watches with his heart lodged in his throat as you lean back, gracing him with a full view of your breasts, trembling with every quick breath, and the slow path your hand follows to toy with one of them. Your face contorts in bliss, lashes fluttering before your eyes roll back. It’s raw and almost primal, in a way, despite how sweet you sound with every choked out Ichigo, Ichigo, you’re so good. Too good for this world, and frankly, too good for him - that’s what you are. He can’t take it.

You gasp when Ichigo moves to sit up, the new found angle making your stomach stir. You can almost feel him in your throat, swelling inside of you “I-Ichigo,” You swallow back a whimper, taken aback and delirious with pleasure. 

He wraps his arm around you, fitting himself against you like it’s how you’re meant to be. The thought makes your arousal cling to his base, a sheen of slick forming a ring where his girth stuffs you full. He’s so close it feels almost unfair. His nose nudges against yours and breath meddles together. It’s your own heartbeat that’s thrumming in your ears, but if you focus hard enough, you can pretend it’s Ichigo’s.

“Shh- q-quiet,” He utters, almost hurriedly. His fingers splay out on the small of your back, holding you close, but the other hand soon joins on your other side, gripping your rear so tight you could almost squeal. 

It’s an added leverage and control that lets Ichigo grind into you with little effort. Restraints cut off when he feels your chest press against his, skin clammy against his palm as he presses you further into him, until there’s nowhere left for you to run. It’s the least he owes you. It’s what you deserve, so wide-eyed and open for him, so soft and unconditionally dutiful. Indulging you is what he must do, even when it feels like making love though it really isn’t. It’s only fair in such unjust circumstances. 

Ichigo kisses you like he means it and like it’s the most natural thing in the world. It’s not his first but it’s the first that feels like this- makes his gut churn and his hands grab you tighter. You moan in his mouth, wrap your arms around his neck, touch his jaw. You’re all over him in the best sense, in a way he’d never think he’d experience, but it’s a slice of heaven on earth.

Your tongue licks at his teeth and he tastes your desire, tender and unadulterated. It’s slow and takes your breath away, hell, steals every conscious thought with it, too. You could melt in an instant if giving it any thought at all.

You take what Ichigo gives and don’t ask. You know better than this.

Ichigo’s breath catches in his throat when your legs wrap around him, almost clumsily, driving him deeper. The drag of his cock against your walls starts to become unbearable, like gasoline to the fire licking at his spine. He’s close and struggles not to notice it’s the close proximity and the taste of your tongue that pushes him to the edge. 

Your mind is foggy when Ichigo pushes himself home a few more times, almost teasingly slow. He’s pulling away from your kiss, lips swollen and wet with spit when he goes to glance between the two of you, where your cunt rubs against him so sweetly, takes him so well.  Being watched like this proves to be too much, your heart jolting and gut tightening, the coil appearing quickly. 

“H-uh, I- Ichigo, gonna cum,” He thinks it’s endearing how you tell him when he can feel your cunt speak for you- hear it, even, with how it squelches with his every thrust, even the most languid.  Still, he kisses you silent, once, then again and again. Each one feels more treacherous than the other. Each one makes you whine louder and louder, despite his intention.

“I know, I know,” It’s more of a rasp than anything else when he speaks, hoarsely and hushed “Go ahead, m’ right here,” 

It’s instinctual to ease you into it like this, when you’re clinging to him so tight. It fills him with a weird sense of possessiveness, even if it only lasts so long as he’s inside of you. Ichigo finds himself struggling holding his own climax back when you’re squirming in his lap like this, your tight heat squeezing him until it’s hard to move at all. He’s shocked at how slick you are, wetter with every thrust but he’s glad, for it makes all the difference (and stroke his ego more than he’d like to admit).

Little throaty grunts start to slip out his mouth as your body grows stiff. You’re quieter, almost holding your breath, and the way you’re looking at him is almost painful. Ichigo would think you are in pain if he didn’t know any better. His forehead fits against yours, mostly to ground him but mainly because he can’t stand this look from you- like this is all you’ve ever wanted. (He knows it is, but he likes to pretend otherwise.) You wheeze and moan all on the same breath, finally cumming on Ichigo’s cock until you’re trembling. He fucks you through it despite how achingly hard he is, trying to hold off his own orgasm. He’s panting against your lips, dragging your hips against his own and adding another layer of white hot pleasure that renders you limp in his grasp moments after.

You’re stunned by the intensity of euphoria that washed over you all at once, still dizzy when Ichigo swiftly pushes you on your back. He stays nestled inside of you, tip of his cock pressing against your cervix, kissing it harder with each of his thrusts, deep and deliberate. He’s not going fast nor is he rough- it’s passionate in it’s rawest form. Ichigo leans forward and shamefully indulges in the warm embrace of your arms, wrapping around his back, your hand tangled in his hair. 

His kisses feel equally as tender as his strokes, growing firmer with every roll of his hips. You’re drinking every word from his mouth and cup his face, keeping him grounded when he’s losing composure. Gonna cum, fuck, I’m coming, I’m coming. You watch Ichigo’s face twist in pleasure, his silhouette caging you in. You’re unsure whether your intoxication comes from liquor or the sheer euphoria seeing him look so beautiful on top of you, but you feel delirious either way. 

Ichigo groans as the knot unravels, blinding and forceful enough to turn his mind blank. He shudders through it, having just a crumble of sanity left to pull out at the very last moment as to not fuck things up more than he already did. He fists himself to completion, a few rough tugs ending in warmth spilling all across your lower tummy, some even landing on the swell of your breasts. (If it wasn’t for the spots littering his vision, he’d notice the small marks he had left, something to leave you with aside from the aching void.) With a few last grunts, each one breathier than the last, he finally relaxes, dropping his head in the crook of your neck.

The air should be thick and heavy, palpable with the realization of what had just taken place. It should feel spoilt and eat away at you like acid. And yet, as the both of you come down from your highs, the afterglow tastes sweet - even if for a few seconds more.

It makes a part of Ichigo want to scream. The other makes him kiss the thrum of your pulse one last time, his forehead pressed to your jaw, almost in a sign of affection. Your fingers run through his hair, absentmindedly and leisurely. Your heart slows down and Ichigo listens, wondering if you feel any different that he does? Is your head full of conflict too, guilt clawing its way back in despite how good it felt to be so close to him? Are you having a hard time like he is?

By the time Ichigo pulls away, your eyes are fluttering close, breathing mellow and soft. It would’ve made him chuckle, but his heart feels a little too heavy, so he only smiles down at you, pushing himself up on arms that feel weirdly shaky. Fatigue is one thing, but emotion is another. 

He’s lucky enough to find a box of tissues on your nightstand, right next to your alarm clock. Angry red numbers read 2:41AM as he reaches for a couple and then begins to clean you up, wiping away any remnants of his spent. It’s weirdly intimate and this time, it brings a sour taste to his mouth. You’re watching him, tiptoeing over the edge of sleep, as he crumples up the tissues in his hand once it’s over with. 

It’s easier to not look at him at all than see his gaze scurrying away from you, absent and full of thought. You’re tired- exhausted, even, barely able to keep yourself awake. The alcohol catches up to you again and so does the weariness from endorphins wearing off and though it’s a bitter thought, you think it’s a small mercy. He’s never been good at hiding when things are troubling him. In a way, he wears his heart on his sleeve, much like you do. It just took him a little longer to notice what you wanted to tell him. A mistake had to be made to let him see inside your mind for what it truly is: full of longing and misplaced love.

Despite it all, you watch as he pulls on his boxers and let him dress you into your underwear and top from before. He handles you gently, carefully, as if you could break into pieces. You wouldn’t like the pity but thankfully, in your delirious state, you take it as affection. 

“Ichigo,” It makes his skin crawl. Unfair, unfair, unfair. How can you say it like this, so soft and hopeful? He glances back to look at you, takes in the sheen across your cheeks, the afterglow that adorns your features. You’re irresistible, but his restraints broke only because of leniency. “Will you stay?”

He smiles at you. In your eyes, half-lidded and shiny with sleep, it looks genuine. 

“Yeah. Yeah, I will.”

You fall asleep peacefully despite everything, ignoring the drop in your chest. You don’t take Ichigo for a liar, but this one time, you will not mind nor hold it against him. Everything he’s ever done was for everyone’s best interest. If tomorrow you wake up in an empty bed with his scent fading away from your sheets, you’ll be grateful for whatever piece of him he’s left with you. 

Your house is quiet aside from the ticking clock downstairs as Ichigo dresses himself and checks for his phone and wallet in his jeans’ pocket. He walks downstairs and pays no mind to the quirky accessories you put along the living room as he passes by. Pulls on his shoes, shrugs on his jacket, then fishes out the spare key from the glass bowl by the front door. It’s exactly where Orihime told him. He’ll have to text her once he’s home, he thinks. 

Just like he’d hoped, you’re fast asleep by the time he’s out the door. And though his heart feels full like it has for a long while, it only now begins to grow heavy.

© 2024 grinmjows. do not copy any writing or layouts; do not repost/mention my works on other social media.

⁀➷ OATH | BAKUGO & MIDORIYA

texts with your childhood best friends, bakugou and midoriya

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Dealt to a Devil (Dante x Reader)

Needed to write a little something something for this absolute babygirl...In this your Dante's arms dealer. Pretty sure he doesn't have Ebony and Ivory(his staple guns) in the show yet so this is grounds for some fun with an arms dealer he just can't seem to pay on time! Hope ya enjoy~ (This came out to be 8K and I'm already planning a smut scene soo...yay...)

You groan as you hoist the duffle bag you’re struggling with onto your shoulder more, the hefty weight making the strap of the bag dig into you roughly. You had to park further down the street than you would’ve liked and had to hoof it the rest of the way to Dante’s current residence. 

It’s not the nicest part of town but you’re unshaken as you take confident strides down the street. You’ve done business in far worse situations and way shaddier locations than this. And even if you hadn’t you’d fake it… Nobody wants to buy a gun from someone whose shoulders shake and knees weaken at the first sign of shit going down after all. 

 Besides, Dante is a repeat client by this point. Guy goes through guns and ammo like you’d never seen before and he’s usually good for it. Usually…You’ve brought weapons to him for a restock before and he’s been short, or completely broke, and you’ve let it slide…But it’s gotten more frequent the last few months. Him feigning innocence, chirping that you’re overcharging him while giving you a knowing smirk or just plain shrugging his shoulders and waving his hand at you while he examines the pistol you’ve brought him. 

Any attempt at a complaint has fallen on deaf ears, he sloppily scribbles down an IOU on a greasy napkin and shoves it into your hand or he says that you know damn well he’s good for it and that he’ll pay you for it after the fact. 

The last time you dropped off a request for him was the most infuriating though…You’d brought over a fresh supply of his preferred bullets and handgun model only for him to be A.) Flat broke and B.) Completely shirtless when he opened the door. 

He must’ve done that on purpose or saw the opportunity when he got a peek at the bright red flash across your cheeks and how quickly your eyes darted away from him.He got two fucking guns and a months worth of ammo completely free!! His reasoning?! 

“I’d say the sight I gave you makes this a fair trade.” 

You’re not gonna lie to yourself and say you didn’t enjoy what you saw…But still! You’re trying to run a business here! Not a completely legal business but a business none the less! He’s gotta get better about paying you for his guns-your guns! His equipment-your equipment! Fuck…The sight of his shirtless body was still burned into your brain…Plus that little smirk and wink didn’t help either…

Damn him…

You let out a grumbled sigh as you readjust the bag hanging off your arm and use your free hand to grab the handle on the actual bag, trying to alleviate some pressure on your shoulder. With your hands full, you settle on kicking the bottom of Dante’s door instead of knocking, hoping your annoyance might be conveyed in your kicks. Your brows furrow as you hear shuffling from beyond the door but are kept waiting. Foot tapping angrily as the seconds turn to minutes as the noises only grow, the sounds of furniture moving and loud thuds become more rapid and rhythmic. 

“Oh this mother fucker…” Your eye twitches and you swear you can feel a vein in your forehead throb as you glare at the door. Is he really getting it on with someone right now?! You got a rapid barrage of texts and phone calls from him telling you that he needed a restock before the next morning and now he’s keeping you waiting so he can get his dick wet?! Fuck no! Not when he still owes you money from your last few drop offs and had the audacity to fucking wreck your own night! Not that you had plans but it’s the principle ya know?

That’s it! If he’s gonna be this inconsiderate then so are you!

You drop the heavy duffle with a loud thud onto the ground and roll your shoulder a little, rubbing the now sore spot with your free hand before you turn your attention back to the door. You take a slight step back and plant your foot before you lift your right leg towards your chest and slam the heel of your boot firmly into the door, close to the handle but not right on it. The wood cracks and splinters the doorframe, the deadbolt still sticking out from the door and the now broken chain lock on the inside clatters onto the floor. 

You smile proudly to yourself, first time that’s worked on the first try, but you have to hide your grimace as you put your foot back on the ground. Already you can feel a sharp twinge of pain shoot from your heel as you lean back on it so you know it’s going to be an even worse injury in the morning but you bury that for now. With your eyes closed, you pick up the duffle bag and push your way inside the domicile.

You’ve got no intention of prolonging this meeting and you’re not leaving without the money he owes you. 

“Listen asshole, you’ve got three minutes to get dressed and pay me for this shit. I’m not pl-ahck!”

With your declaration interrupted, you’re tackled to the ground and all but pinned to the ground. When you finally open your eyes you see it’s none other than the deadbeat you were just demanding money from that tackled you. Before you can chew him out or even attempt to kick him off of you, your eyes land on a pair of wild eyes, focused and fierce while his mouth flashes a wicked fanged grin down at you.  

“Perfect timing, Doll.” 

In your confusion you’re temporarily stunned as your eyes struggle to focus on the man above you while he throws his attention back towards something else…something far more sinister lurking deeper in the room. Just as you go to prop yourself up on your elbows, you're forced back onto the floor, Dante’s strong frame pressing you down as you as his hand grabs the top of your head, almost like he’s trying to protect you from something. 

“Dante, wha-FUCK!” Your eyes just barely manage to catch sight of a bright blue and black tendril slamming into the wall right next to where the door was, a small crater forming in the wall as clumps of drywall, dust, and grit fall to the floor.Two more tendrils whiz passed the two of you. One going into the opposite side of the door and the other anchoring itself into the floor. In the excitement, you’d closed your eyes to try and protect them from the plume of debris and you barely notice Dante rolling off of you. 

Throwing himself between the tendrils, Dante slides to a stop as he rummages through the duffle bag you’d brought for him. Rolling over onto your stomach, you brace yourself up by your arms before you follow Dante’s unwavering gaze as he aims a gun towards something yet seen by you. 

Eyes trailing, you squint only briefly before a large blue and black swirling mass somehow lets out an anguished roar and launches itself closer towards the now wide open door. You scramble to your feet and throw yourself towards a nearby wall as you watch in horror while Dante looks like he’s having the time of his life. Though that’s short lived.

His aim is true as far as you could tell. One knee to the ground with his other leg kicked out to the side, both arms straight out as he aims towards the creature fast approaching him. A quick huff of air blows from him before he curls his lips into a nearly snarling grin before he squeezes the triggers on the dual pistols you’d brought in your goody bag for him. 

Dumbass…

He knows you don’t keep hot weapons like that in your duffle…Fucking idiot…

His smirk drops when he hears that all too familiar *click* in unison come from the guns in his hands. Just barely managing to dodge out of the way, Dante ducks to the side only for the swirling beast to wrap a barbed appendage around his legs before it slams him into the ground. Normally you’d scold him for dry firing your merchandise but that’s very, very, very low on your totem pole of things to worry about at the moment. 

Throwing the long tail of his red coat out of the way as he swings his arm backwards, Dante pulls out a large serrated knife, throwing it blade first into the still approaching creature. Unseen claws digging into the wooden floor as it screeches to a halt,an unholy guttural shriek leaving a half formed mouth as it recoils in on itself where the blade is dug in. A slimy looking maelstrom appearing on the surface as the weapon slowly sinks into the …flesh? 

Having only a moment to grab his composure as the tendrils weaken, Dante rips his leg from the loosening hold the creature had on him and rushes back towards the duffle bag you barged in with. 

“WHY THE HELL DID YOU HAND ME AN UNLOADED GUN?!” 

His words are laced with disdain as he quickly loads his weapons, not so much as taking a second to even look in your direction as he yells. 

 The reprieve from the fight is short lived as the monster roars back to life, a metallic wail emitting from the intruder, and just as Dante turns to aim towards the beast, he hears a quick succession of gunshots…all coming from your direction. 

“I didn’t hand you shit! You grabbed two unloaded guns from my bag!” 

A flailing tendril flies through the air and trashes wildly. It finds the couch and all but launches it across the room back in Dante’s direction, the attacks seemingly random and without reason. The strong appendages struggle to regain their composure as they slam back into the ground, a newly armed Dante laying into the creature with his own new toys. The casing scattering the floor as he shoots, his boots kicking them out of the way as he closes in on the beast…though the bullets do little to stun it. 

You’ve only got one bullet left when you start to run back to your bag, it’s not far from you but you’d have to run out from behind the small cover you’ve made for yourself behind a tipped over coffee table and run behind Dante to retrieve any extra ammo. 

Throwing yourself from behind the cover, you get half way to Dante before a large tendril slams right infront of your path. Planting your feet, you stop before you hit the arm and trace your eyes to the monster before you. 

The swirling beast slinks back further, its surface still warbling from the bullets entering its body as parts of the flesh slowly split apart…a pair of eyes slowly prying themselves open. First looking in opposite directions, the pure white pupils juxtaposed to the deep crimson scleral, only to then snap into unison as it focused. New sinister eyes landing on your frame as it lets out a deep groan…

Your breath hitches and you can feel your chest tighten. While the creature doesn’t move any closer you can feel the presence growing. A second pair of eyes forming, then a third…then another. Every eye formed has its gaze fixed solely on you. 

 All the while you’re frozen in your stance. Your knees locked as your grip tightens around your gun. For the first time in your adult life your hands are shaking in fear, your heart is racing, and there’s a choking lump in the back of your throat. 

You’re a deer in headlights.

But you’ll be damned if you're anything’s prey…

Steeling your nerves, you raise your gun to aim at your ‘admirer’ but a strong arm forces down your weapon.

Your eyes snap up to Dante who is simply watching the creature, his eyes scanning before he slowly drags a hand up your arm to the back of your shirt. You struggle in his grasp for a second as you glare up at the tall man, your lips curled in a snarl as you practically bark at him. 

“Don’t fucking touch me like that! Let go, Dante!” 

“Shh-”

“Do NOT shush me right now!” 

You’re not yelling, but you are hissing up at him as he tightens the hold he has of you. You can feel his fingers curl into the fabric on the back of your shirt, holding you in place as you struggle against him, having to split your attention between the 6 whatever foot guy holding you and the slimy creature that’s slowly inching forward towards the pair of you. 

“Dante, what the hell are you doing?! That thing clearly doesn’t want to play nice!” 

“Just trust me…Don’t move…” His voice, trailing off with a seriousness you’ve never heard from him. 

Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Dante’s right hand still clutched around one of the pistols you brought over for him, his finger resting lazily on the trigger as he sizes up your attacker.

 A bit of dirt and dust smeared across his cheek, Dante’s eyes are focused on the enemy ahead of him. His finger carefully adjusting then readjusting as he has it wrapped around the trigger, his eyes flicker quickly down to you before he winks at you…Like he doesn’t know you’re on the outside of an inside joke. 

“Want her?” 

“Wait what?!” 

Dante forces your smaller frame towards the creature, his focus trained on the first set of eyes that appeared. Eyes narrowing slightly as another part starts to split apart, this time instead of a horizontal tear, this time it's a tall vertical one that cuts the spaces between the rows of eyes. 

Slowly the flesh splits, the slime spread across the surface pulling apart with stringed bits still clinging to the opposite side before they snap apart. The grotesque display and sickeningly wet audio accompaniments send a shiver up your spine as you turn round to glare at Dante. Your eyes fierce and wide, the little bit of admiration you once held for the man quickly turning to contempt as he offers you on a silver platter to this thing.

The man still has a vice grip hold on the back of your shirt and before you can curse him you feel a cold, mucusuy wetness wrap around your left arm. Your panicked recoil only ends with Dante shoving you closer to the creature, your hair falling infront of your face as you struggle. 

“Go on, take her. She’s right there. Easy meal”

“You fucking traitor!!” 

You practically spit venom at Dante as you reel from the monster. There’s a dull pulsing coming from the tongue as it slowly wraps its way up your arm more, tugging you closer as it opens its new mouth more. Rows of sharp lined teeth just barely visible as the newly formed lips curl outward, a sickeningly sour smell hitting your nostrils and it brings a few tears to your eyes. 

Your feet dragging across the floor, you don’t want to look towards the creature’s mouth as you’re almost certain it’ll be the last thing you see before you die. Instead, you’ve rescinded yourself to taking out the piece of shit who got you into this mess in the first place. 

“DANTE!!” 

With the last bit of strength you can muster, you jerk your head back over your shoulder to look at him, your eye twitching in annoyance before you manage to rip your right arm free of the slimy hold. Your gun is gripped tightly in your hand as you raise it, your eyes glaring at Dante as your sight focuses on him. Your finger curled around the trigger and you would’ve squeezed without hesitation…if you hadn’t been met with Dante aiming his weapon directly back at you. 

Before you can finish him off, Dante flashes you a quick grin before giving you another wink. His aim shifting just a hair to the left, he fires a singular bullet into the mouth of the creature that still has its long tongue wrapped around you, the appendage having made its way clear up to your neckline right before he fires. 

Whizzing right passed you, the bullet strikes right where Dante had been aiming the entire time. Deep in the gullet of the beast was a singular weakpoint, a mound of exposed nerves that typically would never see the light of day, or in this case the light of his dimly lit living room. He wasn’t certain what he was up against until he saw the mouth form on the creature. 

That particular kind of demon is difficult to kill once it grows to that size, the only way to do so is by striking that spot directly. Best way to get a clean shot off? Feed the damn thing, gets it’s guard down and has that weak point exposed. 

Once he saw that the creature had set its eyes on you, well…who was he to pass up an easy win? Man doesn’t usually get those, so he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. And it’s not like he was going to let it actually eat you! He had everything under control…

Or so he’d claim. 

Once the bullet lodges itself deep in the nerves of the foe, another shrill yowl fills the otherwise quiet room. The tendrils strewn about Dante’s living room recoiling and colliding back into the body while the beast quivers and quakes in discomfort and pain. Flesh shaking and shivering around you, you try in vain to rip your body from the deathgrip ensnaring you to no avail. 

“Hold on, Hold on!” 

The sound of a near cackle and heavy bootsteps find their way to your ears, your left arm grabbed by Dante, the man you were aiming a gun at just a mere 30 seconds ago, is now your only life line out of this collapsing heap of slime and unholy flesh. 

 With two strong hands wrapped around your wrist, you flinch at the pure strength behind the hold he has on you. One pull is all he needs to free you from that prison, the slime and mucus from your slowly collapsing enemy still clinging to your shirt and any exposed skin it touched, but it seemed like the worst was over. 

With a shaky and hesitant first step, you pull your foot from the ever growing glob of slime on the floor, kicking your leg to try and get any left over strands of it off of you before doing the same to the other. Wincing as you plant your right leg, you hiss in discomfort as you shift your weight. In the madness of everything, you’d actually forgotten about the heel injury you sustained while kicking in the man’s door earlier. 

You let out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding in, your shoulders shaking and your chest heaving as your mind swirls. In the chaos you hadn’t had time to think or question Dante on everything that was going on, you’d simply had enough time to act and react. No thoughts. Just pure survivalist instinct…But despite your indefatigable efforts to maintain some sliver of independence, here you are still clinging to Dante’s arm as he overlooks your attacker. 

A firm hand on your shoulder gently forces you behind him as he steps forward, your hand — for some reason— instinctively reaches out towards his back, but you parish the thought of grabbing hold of him and recoil your hand. Leaning to the side to look around, you’re met with a ghastly sight to your eyes as Dante leans down and pokes the slowly dissolving carcass with his bare hand.

Clicking his tongue in annoyance and wiping his now slimed finger on an already dirted patch of fabric that was ripped off some random upholstered fixture in his home, Dante stands and rests his hand on his hip as he looks over his shoulder. His seemingly softer eyes landing back on your still very slimed—and rather unappealing in this moment—modèle.  

“You good?” 

Whatever care or worry he might’ve been trying to convey is swiftly undercut by the grin on his face and the snicker threatening to slip from his lips at any moment. Before that instance, you might’ve forgotten that the tall muscular man you’d just been rescued by was the very reason you were in that hellish scenario to begin with. The charming and mischievous glint in his eyes nearly chases away pang of rang deep within you…Nearly.

“You absolute jackass!” Ignoring the pain that radiates from your heel, you lunge forward and punch him square in the chest, your balled fist connecting with toned muscles as you seethe. 

He tanks the hit, only offering up a low grunt in response as he watches your almost pathetic display. You’ve seen him fight before now, you know very well what he’s capable of, and you know you’re only doing this because he’s letting you. 

“I can’t believe you! Of all the shitty, low-down, rotten fucking things!” WIth each line comes another rough smack to his chest. After a few more, he’s decided you’ve had your fun and grabs your wrist in his hand again, stopping your blow before it can connect. 

“Alright, alright…You’ve made your point…”

“Oh, have I now?!” Your incensed tone highlighted by your furrowed brow and your pursed lips. 

“Yeah, you have! I didn’t mean to use you as bait but it just sorta worked out that way! I just needed you to drop off some gear for the morning! I was supposed to go deal with this thing then but it sorta found its way to me instead.” In his exposition, Dante drops your hand from his hold and feigns an annoyed glare your way. 

With your arms crossed over your chest, your shoulders shake as you let out a gruff huff that intentionally puffed out your cheeks, a few stringy remnants of the slime still slicked onto your face, but you’re currently none the wiser. Favoring your right foot, you shift your weight to the front of that foot to try and take some of the pressure off your heel. 

“Atleast you admit that you used me as bait…But you’re fucking paying for all the ammo you used tonight, you ass!” 

His gaze fixed to the odd movement of your foot, your typical stance completely out the window as you shifted where you stood, though that could just be due to the whirlwind that was your entrance. 

Typically he would’ve just opened the door to you, you walk in, complain that it’s messier than the last time you were here, drop off the stuff he asked for, and then leave without making him pay the full price. But that’s not what happened here, not by a longshot. So he tries to brush your more casual body language off. 

Wait-did you say pay?! For all that?! No way! Nuh-uh. 

“Huh? Woah woah woah, slow your roll there! I didn’t even ask you to bring that stuff!”

“Oh you fucking lying cheapskate!” You grumble to yourself as you pull out your phone, ignoring the newly formed cracks in the screen as you tap your way through your messages. Holding the device up to his face, he flinches from the sheer brightness of your screen before he looks at it, a new scowl spreading across his features. 

There in plain letters is him saying that he needs a restock before daybreak the next morning, well now it’s this morning, but you get the point! Clearly, he told you to bring a restock kit over and that’s how all this started! At least, your involvement in it that is.

“Boom! Pay up! I’m sick of you stiffing me all the time, man! I do have bills to pay!”  

He pushes the phone in your hands further away, rubbing his eyes and pinching the bridge of his nose as he thinks. He was hoping you’d just accept another IOU or maybe even let him off the hook like last time…Wait…Last time! 

Rolling his shoulders back, Dante straightens his posture as he looks down at your small frame, your foot tapping in annoyance and your lips formed into a near pout as you glare at him. A soft grin slowly creeps onto his face as he leans down, just enough to remove some of the distance between the two of you. 

“About that…”

Before he can muster another word you’ve got the palm of your hand against his face and force him to look to the side. He got lucky last time! That’s not happening again. No flirting or any other nonsense is gonna keep you from the money he owes you. There’s no way in hell you’re leaving his place and going home empty handed, not after all the BS you put up with tonight. No way. 

“Can it! Look, I’m not leaving here without you paying me at least some of the money you owe me! You’ve got a damn tab, Dante! A TAB! Do you know any other weapons dealer that’s gonna let someone run up a tab!?” 

A low grumble can just barely be heard but that’s not what pulls your attention to him. Nope, it's the fact that when you tried to pull your hand away you couldn’t. A clump of that slime still clinging to your hand and keeps the contact between the two of you. 

“Oh gross!!” You roughly tug your hand back, Dante recoiling and lifting himself back to his full height. 

“Fuck! That hurt!” He all but pouts as he rubs the side of his face, the smallest red mark forming from the abrasion.

“Well it serves you right! This is all your fault! Oh god…this is so disgusting…My whole arm is covered in it!” 

You’d finally noticed the drenched state your left arm is in, the now yellowing slime coating the sleeve of your jacket. It’s so bad that you can even feel the refuse on the side of your neck, and with a cautious hand you reach up to gingerly touch the side of your face…where even more of that gunk is still clinging to your skin. 

“Took ya long enough…”

“You cocksucker! You knew and didn’t tell me?!” 

Another solid punch to his chest leaves him with a splattering of slime on his shirt, he’d managed to avoid such a tragedy up until this point but such is life…

“Oh come on! You had to get it on me?!” 

“Serves you right! Dragging me here in the middle of the night, making me bring more guns and ammo for you that you’ve no intention of paying for, and then to top it all off! You nearly get me eaten by a giant gross slime monster that, by the way, you still have yet to explain to me!” 

With each damning word he’d earned a jab to the chest by your finger, each harder than the last and your voice laced with venom as you speak. Every vowel dripping with hate and every consonant with spite. 

“Ok ok! Point made! Point made!” He has to step back because every time he poke his chest, you step forward, closing the gap between the pair of you. He’s not sure if it’s intentional or otherwise, but you’re doing it anyway and he’s not really in the mood for you to blame him for anything else tonight. 

“Enough with the jabbies, damn…” He rubs his chest softly as you back down, rolling your eyes at his antics because you know for a fact that didn’t hurt him. 

You go to say something else but you’re cut off by the sound of Dante’s stomach growling, your eyes only narrowing when he laughs as sheepishly as he can manage…

“Don’t you dare…” 

“What?! I didn’t even say anything!”

“Oh but you thought something! I am not, NOT, buying you another pizza! You can’t even pay me for the shit you owe me for! I’m not floating you for pizza too!” 

“Well, it wouldn’t really be you floating me if you ate it too, now would it?” 

“Wha-”

“Then it would just be you covering for tonight. And I would get it next time. Maybe…”

“I am not doing this, Dante. I’m not!” You slam your foot on the ground to try and force your point across but that was the worst idea you’ve had all night…yeah, even worse than coming over here in the first place…

The second you slam your foot into the hard surface of his living room floor, a quick yelp leaves your lips and you’re retracting your right foot from the ground. With all your weight balancing on your left leg, you can barely bend down enough to grab at your foot as you force off the boot you were wearing. Clearly you breaking Dante’s door in with that kick did way more of a number on you than you thought…

Hissing in pain, a few small tears prick in your eyes as you carefully rub your hand over the throbbing pain center. Your fingers just barely grazing your heel is enough to force another weak cry from you. You would’ve lost your balance and collided with the floor or that knocked over table, but before you could falter you feel an arm wrap around your waist to support you. 

If the strong arm around your back and the firm hand planted on your hip weren’t enough to turn your cheeks rosie, the way Dante has his head bent down to look towards your ankle will definitely do the trick. He’s wrapped himself around your left side, his hand grabbing onto your right hip like it’s the most casual thing in the world. 

With his head dipped down to try and get a better look, your faces aren’t that far apart anymore. You can see the bags under his blue eyes, the bits of soot and dirt speckling his otherwise pristine white hair, but the most heart throbbing of all is how his lips are just barely parted, a small cut across the corner of his mouth as he look over your wound. 

“Da-Dante?” 

You don’t even realize you're speaking, let alone saying his name in a honestly pathetic voice, until he turns to face you. You must’ve been closer than he thought —or you subconsciously leaned in more—because when he turns to you his nose brushes against yours roughly. 

The blush of your cheeks deepen and you swear you can feel the tips of your ears get hotter, he smells like gunpowder and cheap liquor but somehow that’s the most exhilarating scent combination to you. 

You both pull away as much as you can. You quickly throw your head to the opposite side and he straightens his posture out again, clearing his throat as he brushes off the unintended close contact. 

Dante silently tugs you over to where the couch currently resides and gently, or as gently as he can, drops you down. You thud against the well worn piece of furniture but make no mention of his rough-ish gesture. In his haste to grab you, he’d pressed himself against the worst side of your sill slime soaked fashion ware. 

You peak over your shoulder to look in his direction as he walks away. He’s already resided to removing his coat and his now messied shirt from his body, draping the coat over a chair while tossing the shirt off into the distance, only to be remembered on the rare occasion of Dante doing laundry. 

“You’ll probably have to stay the night. Don’t think you can drive home with your foot all mangled like that.” He isn’t looking at you when he speaks. It would concern you if you’d even noticed…

Leaning into the back of the couch, you stretch out your legs and try to point your toes. No problem with the left foot, but the second you even try with the right another sharp hiss echoes from you and hits Dante’s ears. 

“G-guess Ah-fuck…Guess so…” 

Running a gloved hand through the back of his hair, he sighs as he stares at the nonexistent front door, trying to distract himself. In the excitement, after you’d kicked it open, it had gotten smashed. The split pieces of wood scattering across the floor, his boot kicking a stray piece out of the way as he looked around. 

Seeing as how you’re the one who kicked in his door, you can’t help but feel a little responsible for his new problem...Granted! It wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t been called over in a hurry! But at the same time, it’s not like he knew things would get that out of hand that quickly…

“With your weight now supported on the couch, you slowly peel off the slime caked jacket and simply drop it to the floor. The residual gunk still plastered on your left leg, neck and partially on your hair. You grimace and nearly gag at the memory, still in the dark about what exactly you walked into. There’s a time and a place for that sort of talk, and while it’s definitely the place, it’s not the time…Not with a mass of slime stuck to your neck and clumping in your hair….Yuck. 

“Hey, Dante…” Your voice is low and trails off at the end, almost like you're embarrassed at having to ask what you’re about to. 

From the distance alone, Dante is pretty sure you can’t see the slight blush on his face. And he’s even more confident that it’s hidden within the shadows of his home. Sure, he’s not opposed to having you stay the night at his place, he just thought it’d be a bit different than this… Maybe have a few drinks at a bar, then you come back to his place, and you both make some bad choices together…Not this whole, you show up for a business thing then get attacked by a demon that tries to eat you and you’re hurt and that’s the reason you stay…

Yeah, he envisioned this a bit differently in his head.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Trying to play it cool, he turns back to face you. He’s met with your body leaned against the side of the couch, your right leg hovering above the ground, and your face cast to the side, like you’re too embarrassed to look him dead on. He somehow hadn’t heard you get up and when he sees your struggling form, he’s already making his way back over to you. 

“I-I just wanted to ask to use your shower…I feel straight up disgusting…” Forcing a laugh, you have to remind yourself that Dante is just a client when you feel him shift your weight. He’s so strong and charming…And he’s easy on the eyes too…With that type of smile you can just see yourself getting lost in…

FUCK!

Shaking your head roughly, you struggle to force all those mushy romantic thoughts away as you lean against him. You don’t actually hear his answer but you do find yourself heading towards where you think his bathroom is. 

Wrong. 

You move past what you were almost certain was the bathroom and instead make your way into his bedroom…

Your eyes dart from the path ahead of you back up to Dante in shock, your pupils wide and your mouth suddenly dry as you enter his room. 

“D-Dante, what are you-”

“Shower is in this bathroom. One down the hall just has a toilet.” 

He doesn’t even let you finish the question, like he knew you’d ask it and already had the answer primed. Sure, he wanted you in his bedroom. But again! These were very different circumstances! 

He sits you on the bed and walks into the bathroom. Trying to amuse and distract yourself, you run your hands over the blanket and sheets and look around the room. The bedding having just been thrown back onto the bed, Dante having not bothered to make the bed this morning…or whenever it was the last time he slept in here. Despite his rather eclectic tastes, the bedroom is surprisingly bare by comparison to the rest of the dwelling. 

He’s from reappearing from the bathroom door, Dante pauses in his tracks while looking over you. In either your boredom or your exhaustion, you’ve laid yourself down at the edge of the bed. Your legs dangle over as your back and arms are stretched out onto the bed. 

Your peace is cut short a slightly fluffy towel landing on your face, jolting up in shock, you look over and see a now, mostly, naked Dante. The only clothes he’s wearing are a pair of light green colored briefs that leave little to the imagination, his white hair still slightly wet and clinging to his forehead and the side of his face as he lazily dries it with a towel. 

You would be blushing like a mad man, but there’s just something about the fact that this man infornt of you is wearing bright green briefs like it’s the most casual thing in the world! 

“Jesus fuck, Dante!” You turn your head to the side and choke out a laugh, the towel in your hands being brought up to your mouth to try and stifle any laughter that dare slip from you. 

With the towel draped over his shoulders, Dante smirks over at you as you laugh. He doesn’t care that it’s directed at him. Usually? Yeah, he might care. But not now. Not this time. Tonight was the first time he’d seen you shaken. 

The first time he’s seen you scared. 

The first time he had to be worried about you. 

So it’s nice to see you slip back into your typical you. 

The you that will yell at him over not paying for the bullets and guns you give him, the you that’ll chew him out over his unpaid bills or the piling up chores. Hell, he’s been bitched out by you over him sleeping off a hangover too long.

 Granted, when you came over it was three in the afternoon and you were supposed to be meeting him to hand over some weapons…but still. The theme of the tongue lashing was his drinking and hangover, not the blatant disregard for your time. 

All in all, he was happy to see the inklings of your true self coming back into view. 

Meanwhile, your ass is laughing so hard you start seeing stars. There’s just something about this fairly jacked, muscular dude you know, where bright green briefs while coming out of the shower. It’s just something so ridiculous that if you weren’t seeing it with your own eyes, you’d never believe it. You were expecting black or red, hell, maybe even a dark blue! Not bright green! 

Slowly turning your head to look at him, you try to get your giggles under control as he watches you with a cocked eyebrow, weight just shifted enough so that it looks like he’s trying to pose. 

“What? Like what ya see?” 

Another choked laugh leaves you while you wave your hand in front of your face, trying to shoo him away or at the very least get him to change positions. 

“I-tech-I just didn’t think you’d be wearing, like, a bright green while we were fighting that thing.”

“Well I wasn’t. Jokes on you cause I went commando during that fight!”

Another cackle leaves you while you look to with wide eyes, an expression of pure disbelief splayed across your face. 

“You did fucking not…”

“Yeee-up!” Sauntering across the bedroom, Dante has his eyes closed as he holds the towel ends over his shoulders, making sure to swing his hips just a little, tiny but more, than he would when he normally walks. Trying to see if he can pull any incriminating or guilty noises from you as he passes by. 

“You are unbelievable…” You shake your head, only just now connecting the dots. “Wait a second! Did you take a shower?!” You snap your head in his direction, your eyes landing on his back…Gaze trailing up as he’s rifling through his closet for something to wear. 

A low hmm in response is all you get though the sculpted muscles of Dante’s back is enough to keep your attention but once you realize how wrong it would be if the roles were reversed, you turn your head away before you start talking. 

“What a gentleman…Really, ya know it’s polite to let the lady go first?” You scoff and shake your head playfully, a few loose strands of hair falling in front of your face. Your hand reaches up to push it back into place only for your hand to brush against another. A strong, slightly damp, warm to the touch hand that makes you jump as you look back to your right. 

You hadn’t heard him cross the room, the sudden closeness intoxicating and the palpable tension only growing by the second. 

Dante’s bold frame leaning against the edge of his bed, his outstretched arm reaching towards you as he tucks those loose strands of hair back behind your ear. A finger just barely grazing your cheek, staying perfectly still so he can continue as you watch him wide eyed. Your breath hitching for the second time tonight, you swallow a lump in the back of your throat as you watch him carefully. 

“Dante?” 

His eyes flicker before they refocus on you, it’s like he’d been acting on pure instinct or desire the whole time. Like he’d been in a daze until the moment you broke him from that trance. Pulling his hand back, he clicks his tongue before looking away from you. He shoves two things into your hands before he fully stands back up. 

“What’re these…?” Your gaze jumps between his partially retreating form and the fabric folded, well balled, into your hands. The first is a grey tee shirt that while looks like it’d be huge on you, seems like it would fit him snuggly and the second is a part of shorts, ones you know you’ll have to pull the drawstring on but otherwise might not be too oversized on you. 

“You’d need something…for after your shower.” 

“Oh, thank-thank you, Dante. That’s sweet of you.” 

“Well it…it is sort of the least I could do. Seeing as how I did kinda offer you up as bait for that demon.” His voice nonchalant as he speaks, like he’s hoping that if he doesn’t make a big deal out of it that you won’t either at least not right off the bat. 

“De-Demon huh? That…That’s new…” Shuddering as you speak, your fingers dig into the borrowed clothing as you replay the more sinister moments of your night over in your head. 

“Hey, don’t do that.” An callous tone rips you from what’s sure to be a core memory for years. Thinking he was talking about the grip you had on his clothes, you instantly unclench your fists and drop the clothes into your lap as you look up to meet Dante’s eyes. 

“Not the fucking clothes…That…shit.” Nodding his head towards the living room, back towards where the still decaying remains of the demon lay, softly smoldering into the floor as the two of you share this moment.  

Hardly a second passes before you feel one of Dante’s hands press onto yours as he looks down at you. His body bends down just enough to gaze into your eyes before he speaks. 

“Don’t let that shit get to you like that, alright? Just…just don’t, ok?” 

“Yeah. I won’t, D…I won’t.” 

He says nothing but nods his head in a small silent display. He reaches out to you, offering his arm to help you balance as you stand before he assists you to the bathroom. His upper body still bare, you press yourself into him as you walk with your right arm gingerly wrapped around his arm. 

“So…what’re you gonna do about the door?” 

“The hall closet one might fit, just as a shitty place holder till I get a proper one.” Shrugging his shoulders as he walks you, he doesn’t miss the chance to steal a glance down at you. 

It’s not far to the bathroom, stopping just before the threshold of the door,  Dante holds his arm out further to give you a last little bit of support before he leaves you. You limp into the bathroom and before he turns around you reach out, the tips of your fingers just barely brushing against his arm is enough for him to look back over his shoulder. 

The softest smile you can manage etched onto your face as Dante fully turns to look at you again. Standing on your tiptoes, you lean up and press a small kiss to his cheek before you carefully drop back down. 

Taking a hesitant step back, you give another muted smile up at him before you lean against the door as your body sways slightly with it. 

“What was that-”

“You’re sweet Dante, in your own way. When you wanna be…” 

“I’m guessing that doesn’t include when I’m using you as bait, huh?” A teasing gibe as he smirks to you, the corner of his mouth ticking upward with a fang just barely visible beyond his lips. 

A dissatisfied murmur leaves your throat as you close your eyes, your head tilted with pursed lips as you remember the whole ‘hey, eat this chick I know’ bit he pulled earlier, which truth be told, you’re not too keen to let slide that easily. 

“Yeah, that? Not your best moment. Not by a long shot, man.”

“Can’t we be even? Ya know, for the whole you kicking my door down?” 

“Ohhh. I get it. We’re keeping score now are we?” You nod your head up and down like you’re considering his point but you swiftly counter. “You know, you still technically owe me for the whole bank rolling your arsenal for the last like 3 months…” 

“Can’t we call it even for me saving your life? Call it a hero’s gratitude? A bonus if you will? Free guns and bullets if I’m using them to save a pretty girl?”

You shake your head and scoff, your eyes briefly cast down as you bite your bottom lip.

“You are unbelievable, Dante…”

Fearing he soured the mood, Dante ducks his head in a quick, almost apologetic motion, before he turns tail. He doesn’t even get two full strides away from you before you promptly abate his concerns. 

“Hey Dante” The bubbly tone and that mischievous, borderline flirtatious, uptick in your voice as you say his name makes his heart skip a beat. 

Almost too excitedly, Dante throws his head over his shoulder to look at you. His eyes darting up and down over you before landing on your face and he doesn’t miss the quick scan you give his body either. 

“My wallet’s in the duffle, second pouch to the left. Combination for the lock is 4113. Go ahead and order that pizza. We’ll want the energy for later…”

Emboldened by your words, Dante’s eyes light up and a glint of excitement shines in them. Licking his bottom lip expectantly, Dante nods in your direction before he halfway turns back to face you. 

“So, does this mean I get to…” Dante trails off but his eyes dart behind you towards his bathroom, like he’s asking for permission to join in. You quickly cut him off, your hand being held up as you force a glare at the white haired man. 

“Ah ah. Not chance in hell, Dante. Not in the shower, anyway…I wanna get clean before we-”

“Get dirty again?” 

It’s his turn to cut you off, his sharp gaze looking down at you from above as his arm rests against the door frame. His fingers curled around the upper casing, the tips of his fingers roughly rubbing against the wall as he leans forward. 

He slowly goes in for a kiss, his body bending down towards you only for his lips to be met with your finger gently pressing against them instead. 

“That depends….”

“Depends on what exactly?” 

“On how you behave.”

A soft chuckle leaves his lips as he watches you carefully before he nods, pushing himself off the door and its frame, Dante turns his back to you once again to finally give some privacy. 

“I’ll behave then…for now.” And with that, he steps away from the door and makes his way to his closet in search of clothes for himself this time. 

You curse yourself for the low giggle that escapes but you can’t really help it. Not with those playful eyes and that damn charismatic smile he always has manages to perfectly play you with…

Once the door is closed and there's a minimal degree of separation between the two of you, you lean with your back against the door and let out a shuttered yet enthused sigh. 

“Fuck, he is so hot…” 

The second he hears the door click shut, Dante looks over his shoulder to ensure that he’s properly alone with his thoughts. 

“Tonight might not be such a waste afterall…”