rain

eternally in need of assistance

[terrarain]

ੈ✩‧₊˚ call me rain!! ✰ 18 ✰ she/her

notes: primarily sfw; maybe the occasional suggestive mention here 'n there too. i don't take requests, but i'm always open to chatting!!

current fixation(s): HAIKYUU, jjk

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ bnha masterlist link here

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ haikyuu!! masterlist link here

notable tags

#rainywriting ✰ writing tag

#raindroplets ✰ rambling, chatting, everything that's not writing

NOTE: this account is no longer active.

[terrarain]

oh my god. i just binged read pawsitively enamored at 2 am and got me giggling and kicking my feet. the way you write emotions and the thoughts of the characters really makes me feel i know them personally and relate to them and its just so so good😭😭

AAAAAA THANK YOU FOR READING i, too, am giggling and kicking my feet as i write lmaoo n PLEASE you don't know how happy this makes me 🥹 please have a stellar day anon ❤️❤️

(ah yes 2am the best time to binge read and write. the hour of peak productivity)

[terrarain]

golden dewdrop

character(s): shinsou hitoshi

summary: shinsou's a bartender and he finds himself unable to keep his eyes off of you.

notes: no pronouns specified for reader! i do describe various little habits that the reader has, though. quirkless au! they're like... in their 20s maybe?? very brief mention of past shinsou & kaminari dating.

word count: 1.8k

Voices meld together, enveloping Hitoshi in a dull buzz. People go in and out, some alone, some in groups, some in pairs. Some are stumbling about, giggling in a drunken stupor.

The sound of the glass in his hand, polished to perfection, gets drowned out by the animated chatter of a group passing by him.

It had taken him a while to get adjusted to how loud the bar could get – he spent most of his life in quiet spaces, after all. He had hated the job at first, but eventually started to enjoy work.

There was less socializing required than he expected. On the occasion that a customer started talking to him, he just had to stand there nodding and humming noncommittally. More often than not, he found that people who came alone just needed someone to listen to their woes.

He could do that. Hitoshi wasn’t particularly great at comforting words, but he was great at standing around quietly.

(Assuming there wasn’t anybody annoying in his immediate vicinity, that is.)

You were like that, sometimes. Quiet, tired murmurs as you ramble about work that day or about how the last date you went on had ended in disaster.

The first time you made your appearance, you were with a rather sizable group of friends. You had hardly spared him a glance – and he barely looked your way, too. One of the girls in your group did try to hit him up. (He had simply raised a brow at the girl, clearly drunk before redirecting her back to her friend group.)

The second time, you stepped into the bar with one other person in tow. Hitoshi hadn’t really been looking for you, but he found his gaze lingering on you nonetheless. He doesn’t really remember what the two of you had been talking about, attention quickly redirecting to a fight that was starting nearby.

It’s during the third visit that he hears your voice clearly. You had plopped down onto the bar stool alone, eye bags rivalling his own. 

“You look like you’ve seen better days,” he had said without thinking when you slid into the seat in front of him. He remembers your startled gaze, something flickering in your eyes before a wry smile played at your lips.

“And you always look like you’re on the verge of falling asleep on the job,” was your reply – an indication that you had seen him before just as he had seen you. He struggled to hide the smile on his face.

On that night, you had a tired look to your eyes. He thought you were a bubbly, sunshine-y person initially — what with how much you laugh and make people laugh.

That night was an uncharacteristic one, with Hitoshi feeling chattier than usual. The next few words he uttered had been driven by curiosity. “Care to share your troubles?”

And share your troubles you did. Not immediately, though – it took a few drinks before your idle attempts at small talk had turned into a ranting session.

You were in college. The job you worked wasn’t your first choice; you were working your way up to your dream job. Apparently, every date you went on ended in disaster.

There’s nobody in tow the next few times you come in for a drink. He quickly picks up on some of your habits. A tendency to lean forward when talking. A preference for your left side if you were going to rest your chin in a hand. Tracing the rim of the glass containing your drink whenever words elude you.

Hitoshi doesn’t always stay with you. He has other customers to tend to — though a part of him wishes he didn’t. The way your voice washes over him is dangerously magnetic.

Eventually, you start showing up to the bar with friends again. Or dates. On those days, there are no words exchanged – there are glances that get exchanged instead.

If it’s a date, Hitoshi usually nods and mouths ‘good luck’. If you’re out with friends, Hitoshi just nods. Sometimes, he waves if his hands are free and you return his wave with a cute friendly smile.

(He’s not interested in you, he tells himself. Hitoshi isn’t sure if he could manage dating at the moment. He’s pretty sure you don’t see him in any romantic sort of way, anyways. Not that… not that it matters if you’re attracted to him or not.)

(Hitoshi just thinks that the faint golden glow of the overhead lights paint your form in a rather picturesque way.)

(...Fuck.)

“Woah, 'Toshi? You mean you’re the cute bartender?”

Hitoshi hears the familiar, cheery voice above the dull roar of idle chatter. His head snaps up, violet eyes meeting gold. Kaminari Denki? Wait– Hitoshi’s brows furrow ever-so-slightly as he belatedly registers the last few words Kaminari said. Cute bartender?

“Wait. Denki, you know him?”

You’re standing next to him. From what he can see, the expression you wear is a little surprised, a little flustered. Hitoshi’s too late in stopping the wry smile from forming on his face as he says in a low voice, echoing what he had heard earlier.

“Cute bartender, hm?”

Fist hiding a cough, you shrug in feigned nonchalance. Your voice, in contrast to your casual posture, is meek. “...yeah.”

Kaminari looks between the two of you and Hitoshi swears he can hear the gears turning in his head. Hitoshi recognizes the look Kaminari dons as one of mischief. A look that he, unfortunately, became well-acquainted with during his time dating the blonde back in highschool.

Oh god, what is he planning this time.

Much to Hitoshi’s surprise, Kaminari just plops down in a seat, pulling you down onto the seat next to him. “Small world.”

Hitoshi raises a brow. He’s pretty sure the wiggling of Kaminari’s eyebrows were supposed to mean something. Hitoshi’s not sure he wants to know.

You lean forward a little, chin propped up in the palm of your left hand. You ask your unanswered question from earlier, curiosity shining in your gaze. “You two know each other?”

“We dated for a bit,” Hitoshi answers dryly. Your lips part in an ‘o’ shape. He’s not sure what exactly makes him say the next bit. “It was… a casual thing. For a year or something.”

"Damn. I can't believe you never told me, Denki."

"Actually," Kaminari drawls, glancing to Shinsou with a gleam in his eyes. "I did. Just didn't namedrop. He's the guy from high school."

“Huh. I guess you’re the e-boy that Denki used to know, then.”

Hitoshi hears a cackle from your side after you finish your sentence – Kaminari. Hitoshi heaves a weary sigh, narrowing his eyes towards the blonde who was currently doing a terrible job at muffling his laughter.

“I’m not an e-boy."

Kaminari recovers enough from his laughter to join the conversation. “I dunno, man… if we look back at your social media from highschool–”

“Oh?”

Hitoshi cringes when you look at him with curiosity. He immediately reaches for the phone that Kaminari takes out. He’s too late, though, because Kaminari pulls his arm back before Hitoshi can grab the device. 

“No.”

“I want to see, though,” you pout up at Hitoshi and he schools his expression into a carefully neutral one. “Denki, send me pictures.”

“Aye, aye, cap’n!”

“Don’t you dare.”

The look you send him is full of mirth and Hitoshi would normally return your bright smile with a small smile of his own. Except, at the moment, he was currently regretting the fact that he hadn’t deleted the photos off the internet yet. He’d been too lazy to, back then and thought it'd be funny to look back on in the future.

That was Hitoshi before he met you, someone he very much wants to impress and not leave a bad impression on.

He's never felt so much regret since that one time he got himself stuck in a tree with a cat during high school and had to get Midoriya's help in getting down.

Oh god.

"If my dignity is going to get torn to shreds, at least do it when I'm not around," Hitoshi says dryly, watching helplessly as Kaminari taps a few things on his screen.

Your phone — currently on the countertop in front of you — lights up with a text message. Hitoshi's unable to see what Kaminari sent you because you're snatching it up at lightning speeds.

Hitoshi watches your reaction with rapt attention, taking note of the way your eyes widen a little as you look between him and your phone.

"What did he send you?"

"Secret," you grin.

He tries the other person. "Kaminari?"

"Wow, look at the time," the blonde whistles a bit too loudly, looking down at his bare wrist. He even has the gall to tap at his watch-less wrist. "Gotta go. Nice seeing you again, bro!"

As flighty as always, Kaminari is out lost into the sea of patrons when Hitoshi blinks.

"Uh," Hitoshi flounders, looking over to you from his peripheral. "Is that okay? Kaminari leaving, I mean. Didn't you come here with him?"

Your lips purse and you lean back instead of forward as you laugh nervously. "Mm. Well. About that. I did come here with him but, uh, it was to... how do I say this.."

Hitoshi raises a brow, waiting patiently. The buzz of multiple conversations bleeding into one another acts as a filler for the silence that temporarily falls upon the two of you.

He starts to feel more and more awkward as the silence stretches on, so he starts: "You don't have to tell me if you don't—"

"He was going to help me get your number!"

Hitoshi stills and he's thankful for the fact that he doesn't have anything in his hands at the moment. He tries to conjure up some sort of wry response, something to tease you with but—

Number. You wanted his number.

Hitoshi's mind blanks out.

How was someone supposed to respond to being asked for their number, again?

You take his silence as a negative sign and you start to fidget a little. "If that's alright with you."

"Yeah," Hitoshi finally breathes, words coming out in a rush. "Yeah, uh. Sure. I can do that. My number."

When you beam at him, hand outstretched with your phone, he clumsily takes your phone and puts in his number.

"Great," you say airily, trying to appear collected. Hitoshi, unfortunately for you, notices the way you wipe your hands on your pants after dropping your phone into your bag. "I actually have to head out, too; I was supposed to... be in and out. I'll talk to you later..?"

"I'll be waiting."

The giddy smile you wear is contagious and he feels like a hopeless high schooler all over again, lips twitching up into a fond smile.

"Then, I'll text you as soon as I can."

Hitoshi gives you one, firm nod and returns the little wave you send his way before you're skipping out of the bar. Even after the door swings shut, he finds his gaze lingering — up until someone calls for him.

Hitoshi has an uncontrollably big smile on his face for the rest of his shift.

a/n: augh i didn't know where to go with this but i wanted this out of my drafts because its almost been a month since this has been here so,,, i almost deleted this a few times but i was like nooo but i've already written like half of it...... man i should be doing my schoolwork what am i doing

[terrarain]

an excerpt from a shinsou x reader fic where you work at a cat cafe and shinsou is a regular

“So you’re a teacher.”

“Mm-hmm.”

After the day he gave you his name, the two of you started having longer conversations. Sometimes, on days where nobody else walked in, the two of you spent the majority of his stay just conversing with one another.

Initially, you wondered if this was even allowed. Quickly, though, you came to the realization that Umi really didn’t care.

If anything, she encouraged it. She’s given you a look one too many times. Each time you shook your head at her vehemently, trying (and failing) to signal to her that your interactions with Shinsou were wholly platonic and you had no ulterior motives.

“Middle school? High school?” you ask, curious.

Shinsou smiles and you’re not sure if it’s supposed to be a grimace or an amused smirk. Was it possible for the smile to be both?

“High school,” he says, taking a sip of his coffee. “Though sometimes I wonder if I’m actually teaching elementary schoolers instead.”

You think back to your high school days. “Oho. The horny teenage energy too much for you to keep up with?”

“Why else do you think I need this much caffeine?”

[terrarain]

come here to see a volleyball game?

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐒

raining cats 'n dogs fandom: haikyuu!! characters: miya atsumu notes: you're stuck at school without an umbrella while it rains. a sucky situation overall but, hey, you have atsumu around so it's not all bad.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐌𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐈-𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓

pending . . .

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑

pending . . .

[terrarain]

seasons of love

characters: todoroki shouto, bakugou katsuki, shinsou hitoshi, takami keigo

summary: four seasons, four guys. different drabbles based on the season.

notes: reader's pronouns unspecified, swearing, it's entirely fluff! mentions of a reader with a pollen allergy in keigo's, some possessiveness in bakugou's for like one line, ticklish reader in shinsou's

word count: 4.5k

ˏˋ°•*⁀☂️ spring; takami keigo

Keigo didn't see much appeal in the rainy showers that May would bring. The rain had an unpleasant tendency to wash away traces of villain activity; it was a criminal's best friend. Activity in the streets were always lower when it was raining. People weren't as alert.

So he doesn't really get it when you're tugging at his sleeve with a cute pout that. As he stares at your jutted out lip, he has the oddest desire to bite it.

"Please. It'll be fun."

"Alright, consider me convinced, birdie."

All you had to do was say please with wide eyes and pouty lips and he was done for. Keigo's sure that Miruko would laugh her ass off at how easily Keigo acquiesced to all of your requests. Good thing for him, then, that the rabbit hero was nowhere to be seen.

And so that's the explanation behind why Keigo, the number two hero Hawks who was currently on a break, is currently walking next to you. In one hand, he's holding a well-loved umbrella and his other hand...

Golden eyes linger on the free hand at your side, swinging forward and back as you practically skip along the rain-washed sidewalk.

The hand that's not holding the umbrella twitches.

"You really like the rain."

"It's the best part about spring."

The beaming smile that you send his way makes Keigo feel all melty inside with affection. A part of him is glad that his wings have been reduced to just a few feathers at the moment. He has a feeling that, if his wings had been full, they'd be puffing up an embarrassing amount right about now.

He cocks his head to the side slightly. "Not the flowers?"

"The flowers are nice, too. But they make my allergies act up and those aren't much fun."

Keigo recalls memories of you in past springs, nose all runny and red, eyes slightly teary.

"But you're cute when you're sniffling," he teases, trying for a flirty smile. You just roll your eyes playfully.

"You won't be saying that when I'm constantly blowing snot into tissues."

You'd still be cute in his eyes. He's seen you a snotty mess before, when you got sick one time, and Keigo couldn't help but think that you looked stunning.

"You look beautiful all the time."

"Yeah, yeah, you flirt," you laugh, unconvinced.

Shit, he thinks distantly. I'm down real bad.

Keigo hadn't been saying that just to flatter you. He really did think that you were the most beautiful person he's ever laid eyes upon. Anybody who said otherwise was just wrong. They'd have to be blind to not recognize your beauty.

"Seriously," he insists. A flush takes over your cheeks, faint but still there. Keigo smiles to himself.

"Anyways," you fluster, walking a bit faster. He quickens his pace as well, careful to make sure that the umbrella that he was sharing with you was still covering you. He could feel his shoulder getting a little wet, but he didn't really care.

"So," Keigo drawls, one bushy brow raised. "Didja drag me out into the rain just so we could walk? I know I'm irresistible," an eyeroll from you, "...and that you want to spend more time with me, but we could just hang out at your apartment like usual."

"You're such a homebody," you muse. "Who knew that the flashy, number two winged hero Hawks is a shut-in."

"Hey," he says, not all that offended. "Your place s'real comfy."

And nobody expects anything of him when he's in the comfort of your well-lived in home. He's just Takami Keigo in private, cracking jokes and play-wrestling with you. Just another average joe who's hanging out with the love of his life a friend.

" 'sides," Keigo continues, looking over to you quickly. "I'm out here with you, aren't I? Even though I have no clue what you're up to."

"Oh, I never told you, huh?" you muse. The look in your eyes is playful, almost childlike.

"What schemes are you cooking up in that pretty little head of yours?" he questions, eyes slightly narrowed. He moves up a bit more to walk next to you when he sees a car approaching from behind. There's no puddles for the car to splash the two of you with, but better safe than sorry.

"You said that you've never played in the rain," is your non-answer.

Keigo does faintly recall telling you this. It had been a while ago, if he's remembering things correctly. You were working your magic in the kitchen while he was sitting at the counter as he watched when he had let this bit of information slip.

Ah, he realizes. "That's what all this fuss is about?"

"You're missing out," you insist when you hear his perplexed tone. "Right now, it's raining. And you're on break. So... now's a great time to take you out."

Keigo almost makes a joke about you taking him out in a different context — for a date.

The joke doesn't come. Instead, he just says: "Chickadee, I've flown through the rain. You're actin' like this is my first rodeo out in the rain."

You let out a little (cute) frustrated huff, eyes narrowing. Your arms cross as you speak. "Put the umbrella aside. We're going puddle jumping."

Keigo cocks a brow in questioning, "Uh, you sure? You'll get—"

"—wet?" you interrupt him as you bring the hood of your raincoat over your head. "That's what the coats are for."

"If you say so," he says, giving up easily enough as he brings the hood of his own raincoat up before closing the umbrella. Keigo really can't say no to you.

The two of you stand there under the rain. It's not particularly harsh, but it's definitely not a light drizzle, either. A scarlet red feather flies up to carry the umbrella that he sets to the side.

"So, what now, professor?" Keigo says, grinning. "Please do teach me about the joys of rainy weather."

"Gladly," you say as you offer him a hand. It only takes a nanosecond before his hand is in yours, his gaze expectant. The raindrops that fall onto the exposed skin are cool.

You tug at his hand, gentle, and he follows behind you like a lost puppy. Keigo finds himself feeling glad that there's nobody out at the moment — that there's nobody to disturb this moment between the two of you.

"Just gotta find..." you trail off, eyes scanning up ahead for something. Eventually, your aimless wandering becomes directed as you let out a small 'aha!'.

You're leading him towards a recently formed, sizeable puddle on the sidewalk.

"Are we going to—"

"Yes."

"Chickadee, we'll be soaked."

"Didn't take you to be such a party pooper," you tease, stopping right at the edge of the puddle as you look over to him.

Keigo gasps, offended. "Me? A party pooper? Why, I oughta—"

You don't wait for him to finish that sentence, jumping into the puddle in front of him with a lot more force than he thinks is necessary. The water comes up and out of reflex, his arms rise in a futile defense against the liquid.

"You were saying?"

"You are so cheeky," Keigo says fondly before he joins you in the puddle, jumping into the rainwater just as a child would.

He hears you let out a little squeal as water flies up towards you and Keigo grins, kicking some water at you as a form of payback.

"That's cold," you giggle, eyes bright.

"I said it'd be cold earlier while you were trying to drag me out," Keigo replies, letting you tug him out of the puddle as you begin searching for another puddle to jump into.

"Worth it," you declare.

He tilts his head curiously. "You're having that much fun?"

Your reply catches him off guard and he almost stumbles.

"It got you smiling again," you say easily, turning around a corner. Your face lights up when you see another untouched puddle. "Not one of those safe smiles. A smile smile."

"A smile smile," he echoes with vague amusement. His heart is fluttering and his cheeks are warming. Keigo, pointedly, does not acknowledge it. "Your descriptions could use some work."

"Oh, please, you get the point," you grin. "Now, come and help me ruin our jackets and boots more, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah," Keigo says, joining you in your adventures into the puddle of water while he thinks,

Maybe the rain isn't all bad after all.

ˏˋ°•*⁀☀️ summer; todoroki shouto

"Thank you! Come back again!"

Shouto one perfectly-shaped brow slightly as he glances over to you. You're waving to the person leaving with a sunny smile. In the sky, the sun had already started lowering.

"Are you doing this again tomorrow?" he questions. The hand that's waving stills momentarily before dropping back down to the table of the stand he sat at with you.

You lick your lips. On the table, you're twisting your fingers - Shouto recognizes it as one of your nervous habits.

"Um... well, you don't have to, if you don't want to."

Shouto shifts, gaze briefly flickering over to the bucket of icecream surrounded in his ice. He repeats his question, slightly reworded this time.

"Do you want to do this again tomorrow?"

Your eyes, Shouto thinks as he returns your stare, are something that he could gaze at for hours upon hours on end.

"I do," you admit, lips upturned in a shy smile. "Are you... free tomorrow?"

Shouto's hums as he leans forward a little towards you, chin in the palm of his hand. The darkening of your cheeks makes the smile on his face grow a touch wider. "I am, indeed, free tomorrow. I presume you will be enlisting my assistance as a personal cooler again?"

The little laugh that slips through your lips is light and breathless as you nod. "Mmhm. Really, thanks again for this, Todoroki."

"It's no problem," he says, and it really isn't. Although the request had been an odd one, he didn't particularly mind.

The request in question had been related to ice cream carts - which, to his understanding, are portable stands that sell ice cream. You had told him that you'd wanted to run one - but didn't have the money to rent one out. Shouto had been on the verge of offering to rent one for you when you had eagerly tugged him over to a makeshift stand.

"So, I decided to make my own!" you had told him a few hours ago. Your previously eager smile had turned sheepish when you made a request. "But I don't really have anything to keep the ice cream cool in the heat, so I.. I was wondering if you would be willing to be a cooler? You'll get half of the money the stand makes!"

Shouto would've provided his assistance regardless of whether or not you were paying him. He had said as much, but you insisted on paying him anyways.

"You're really sure you don't have anything else to do?" you question, frowning in concern. "It can't be that fun for you, sitting around at a table in the heat for most of the day."

"The heat doesn't really affect me," he says smoothly, smiling warmly as he looks at you. "And I think it's quite enjoyable. You're very good company."

"Oh-" you clear your throat, all flushed cheeks and giddy smiles. "You're good company, too, Todoroki."

His lips downturn. "Shouto."

The look you send him can only be described as bewildered.

"Call me Shouto," he clarifies. "We are close enough for you to refer to me as such, no?"

He tilts his head when you stare at him with wide eyes.

"Then - you can call me by my given name, too," you say shyly. When he says your name out loud, you nod slightly. "That's me!"

You then shuffle a little, turning to reach for the bag of ice cream cones. He watches with rapt attention as you scrape out the last remaining bits of ice cream in the bucket and drop it onto the cone. He retracts the ice he had around the bucket, seeing as there was no ice cream left to keep cool.

"You should have it." you say after watching him. When he looks at you, you're holding the cone out for him.

Shouto shakes his head. "It's alright. You can have it."

"Shouto," you huff. "Really, you should have it instead. You've been entertaining my whims 'n whatnot the entire day, so.."

The usage of his name has him hesitating; he wonders if you'll say his name again if he keeps refusing. The small pout on your face discourages him from that, though, and he decides to opt for a compromise.

He leans in to take a bite of the ice cream in front of you. Vanilla melts a little on his tongue before he swallows the bite, the coolness of the treat lingering. When Shouto pulls back, he observes your flustered expression with some amusement.

"There," he says simply. "I've had my fill. You can have the rest."

You open your mouth to protest and he just raises a brow in a silent question. He seems to conveyed his message well, because you bring the cone to your lips and take a small bite as you look away from him. Shouto gently pokes at your flushed cheeks, eliciting a giggle.

The smile on his face is fond. Shouto doesn't really have a favourite season - he didn't see a reason to have a favourite.

But, as the sun sets in the distance, last few rays of sunlight framing you in a picturesque scene as you finish off the ice cream cone in your hand - Shouto thinks that if he had to pick one season as his favourite, it would be summer.

ˏˋ°•*⁀🍁 autumn; bakugou katsuki

Katsuki doesn't indulge people. He doesn't entertain their whims. He gives absolutely zero fucks about the desires of other people.

(A lie, sort of. Katsuki is just a little soft towards his closest friends and he lets himself get dragged into their antics sometimes. But he would never openly admit that.)

That's what he says. That's what he told you, more or less, when you had thrown his coat at him and pushed him out the door of the dormitory. Which he let you do because he's particularly soft towards you.

"Don't be such a stick in the mud," you tease him with a playful grin. His expressions sours even further, which earns him the action of you poking him in the forehead with one finger. "You'll get wrinkles early if you keep frowning so hard."

"Stuff it," he says heatedly as he swats your hand away. It's an action that he immediately regrets, but his body doesn't relax in the slightest.

You don't seem to mind, laughing good-naturedly, which pisses him the fuck off because you should mind. He treats you so roughly and it's unwarranted, he thinks. Katsuki knows that he's an asshole and he knows he's far from being a nice person.

You should be treated kindly. Should be hanging out with someone just as bright and sunny as you.

But at the same time, he doesn't want you to do that. It's an unreasonable possessiveness, he thinks, because you're not even his. You don't belong to anyone.

Katsuki has no idea why you still hang out with him.

You're all soft touches, kind smiles, playful quips — and he's rough around the edges. He's a horrible person and he's done fucked up shit in the past that he regrets so, so deeply and he doesn't get you. Or any of the things he feels for you.

You're more resilient than he would've ever thought — because while you were all soft and shit, you knew when to stand up for yourself and you never let yourself be pushed around. You're firm with him and handle yourself well around him. Something about you, terrifyingly enough, disarms him.

His classmates — friends, they call themselves — are also weirdly eager to be around him, just like you. They actively insert themselves into his life and include him in their playful banter.

But you hang out with him the most. Some people have commented on it, in the past. He had just replied to them with a dark glare.

"Alright, this is a good spot!"

Katsuki cocks his head to the side, brows still furrowed. "Hah? Whaddya mean?"

The two of you are standing in a fairly open space, a few ways away from the dormitories. It's a clear part of campus with several trees hanging overhead.

"Pretty, isn't it?" you say, not answering his question at all. Your gaze is directed upwards, so he follows. Golden yellows, crimson reds, vibrant oranges act as a natural ceiling. Bits of the blue sky are peeking through.

"The fuck we standing here for?" he asks, all gruff as he looks back at you.

In one smooth motion, you pull out two rakes and what the fuck.

"Where the hell were you hiding those?"

"Trade secret," is your playful response as you press a rake to his chest. He grabs it out of reflex more than anything. "Less questioning, more raking."

"Hah? What's this shit even for?"

There's a glint in your eyes as you reply.

"Raking leaves," you state the obvious and he rolls his eyes. "We're making leaf piles to jump in."

"That shit's for kids," he grumbles, unmoving as he watches you fly around the leaf-covered ground, starting up a small pile of multi-coloured leaves.

"You're basically just a big baby," you coo and his glare sharpen. You don't seem to react because you're somehow never affected. "So I don't see the problem."

"That's—" he flounders, eventually deciding on a snarl. "Listen up. I'm not fucking making fucking dumb piles of fucking leaves just so you can fucking jump into them."

"Is fuck the only swear you know?" you question. You're teasing him.

He glowers.

"This is unfortunate," you sigh dramatically. He watches you carefully as you pause, looking down at the pile of leaves at your feet with a forlorn expression. "I didn't think that the Bakugou Katsuki would be so terrified of a few leaves. Guess I need to go get someone stronger to help me out."

Katsuki knows that you're trying to get him to rake leaves. He knows that you're poking at his ego and it's ridiculous because there's absolutely no reason for him to get competitive over a few fuc- shitty leaves. It's dumb, really—

"Fuck you," he spits as he starts raking up a pile of his own at record pace. Katsuki misses the painfully soft smile on your face, more focused on making his pile bigger than yours.

For a few minutes, it's just the sound of two students romping around and the scraping of the steel rakes against the ground that fills the air. Eventually, Katsuki comes to a halt when there's no more leaves in the immediate vicinity. He considers going out further to get more leaves for his pile.

"Damn," you whistle and his chest swells a little in pride at your impressed voice. "That is a big pile of leaves. I surrender."

"Ha. Did you think you could beat me to begin with?"

You snort, hand wrapping around his wrist. He can feel the sweat forming on the palms of his hands and he thinks that, if the lightning dumbass was around, he'd be making so much fun of Katsuki for the sweaty hands.

Katsuki has a few swears lined up, but none of them manage to leave his mouth because you're tugging him along.

Straight towards his pile of leaves.

(He could probably plant his feet firmly in the ground, making all of your attempts at moving him around futile.)

(He doesn't.)

Katsuki is stumbling into the mountain of leaves along with you as you destroy all of his hard work with a jump.

He's a little worried that you'll hit your head against something and before he knows it, one of his hands are resting against the back of your head as the two of you lay down on the ground.

The smile on your face makes him feel all soft and gooey and shit inside.

"Look," you say, and he glances up at the sky briefly as per your request. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Leaves are fluttering down gently around the two of you, warm tones unique only to autumn painting the air. It really is a sight to behold, he thinks, as he looks at your content expression.

The leaves eventually settle and you take it as your cue to stand back up. Katsuki looks at the hand that had been previously cradling the back of your head before he stands up roughly a second after you.

There's a golden leaf in your hair.

Without thinking, he reaches out slowly to pluck the leaf from your hair in one, easy motion.

"..Bakugou?"

"You had a leaf in your hair," he grumbles, flicking it off to the side. "Dumbass."

"That's mean," you say, but the smile resting upon your face with darkened cheeks makes him feel like you aren't so offended. Katsuki thinks he likes the way you look when blushing. "Round two?"

"Your pile is still there," he huffs. "Whaddya mean by round two?"

"But it's small," you lament, gazing upon your small pile of leaves. It definitely pales in comparison to the tower of leaves that Katsuki had cooked up earlier. "It'll be a lot more fun if it's bigger. Let's collect all of the leaves up into one big pile."

"This is dumb," he says, lips turning upwards in a slight smile.

"But it's fun!" you beam.

"...Whatever," he breathes out, turning away brusquely to hide his growing smile.

Katsuki's chest feels warm as he shoves a small bunch of leaves into the growing leaf pile.

ˏˋ°•*⁀❄️ winter; shinsou hitoshi

"Fuck, don't go in there. Are you a dumbass?"

Hitoshi shifts slightly. "Probably."

In all honesty, Hitoshi has no idea what's going on in the horror movie that you had put on.

There's some screaming, probably some ghosts or something - was the movie a ghost movie? He couldn't remember - which was all very cool. Probably. But he's more interested in you.

His best friend. That he's fallen irrevocably in love with.

You take a sip from your mug of hot cocoa, eyes watching the laptop screen with rapt attention. There's some sort of noise that comes from the screen that draws his own attention over. A rather ghastly, pale creature shows up behind the movie's protagonist.

"I told you so," you mutter, like the protagonist could hear you.

"Damn, someone doesn't leave the house," Hitoshi comments off-handedly, referring to the unnaturally pale, spindly creature currently chasing after the main character.

That draws a snort from you. A sound that has him wanting to poke at you so he can hear it again.

"Like you're one to talk, 'Toshi."

Now that has him actually poking at your sides. He takes the hot cocoa out of your hand and sets it down on his desk before he starts jabbing his fingers into your sides.

You break down into a mess of airy giggles as you try to pry his hands off of you and he grins.

"Hey. My complexion is way better than that thing."

"I don't know," comes your drawl once he stops tickling you, gazing up at him with an impish grin. "When was the last time you left the house and touched some grass?"

"There's no grass to touch," Hitoshi says, getting off of you to gesture at his window. Outside, a flurry of white storms on. "There's a fucking snowstorm. Its been snowing like crazy the last few weeks. Any grass out there is long-gone."

"Sounds like excuses to me," you chirp, settling back into your sitting position on his bed. He can't help but note that you're a lot closer this time. If he moves as much as an inch, his legs would bump into yours.

Hitoshi counts to three to calm himself down.

His heart beats thunderously against his chest anyways.

"Oh, she's definitely dead," you say, interrupting his thoughts. He raises a brow and turns his attention to the screen of your laptop.

Sure enough, there's a gory mess of fake blood and organs and a lot of screaming from the girl.

"You don't say," he drawls as the screams die down. You smack his arm playfully.

"Hush."

"Technically, you're the one who keeps initiating conversation," he snarks.

The smile on your face grows and he allows himself to think that you're smiling at him fondly. "Smartass."

"You know it and you love it."

Silence.

Hitoshi panics. What did he say, again? He definitely said the l-word. He hadn't been thinking. What did you think? You had suddenly gone silent and-

"That, I do," is your whispered response.

His body locks up and he just stares at you, but you aren't looking at him. Your gaze is resolutely fixed on the screen, acting all nonchalant - but he catches the darkened hue of your cheeks.

He smiles softly and turns his attention over to the screen, half-watching.

The scene had moved on from the girl's death. There was some arguing amongst people in a dingy little room. The only safe room in the house, if he recalled correctly.

Something to his side shifts and then he feels a warmth pressed up against him. His reaction is immediate, head snapping over to you.

"It's cold," is all you offer for an explanation, drawing the shared blanket closer to you.

The heating system had broken down a while ago, so the two of you had opted to share a blanket. It was a large blanket — big enough for two people to share without ever having to touch the other. He figures it could probably fit three.

Hitoshi continues to stare.

"You're always warm," you clear your throat, pulling your end of the blanket up around you to hide your flushed cheeks.

"What am I, your personal heater?" he manages to joke, trying to ignore the heat creeping up the back of his neck.

"Yes," you declare simply.

He rolls his eyes fondly. Boldly, he slowly snakes an arm around your waist to pull you closer against him.

For the body heat, he clarifies to himself.

There's no protest from your end, so he assumes he's in the clear. If anything, you're snuggling up against him and fuck if it isn't the cutest thing ever. It's getting harder to resist the urge to plant a kiss on your forehead.

"We should do this more."

Your voice comes out quiet, tentative. Hitoshi licks his lips as he hums nervously.

"What, cuddling?" he says, half-joking.

"Yes," you say, completely serious.

Oh, fuck me.

"It's not annoying, is it?" you question, a bit of hesitation flickering about in your gaze.

"No," Hitoshi replies immediately, arm around your waist tightening a little. "Nah, 's fine."

The hum he hears from you is happy as you turn your attention back to the movie. The horror movie you had put on was just background noise to Hitoshi as he relaxes into you.

And if the two of you don't move from your positions long after the movie ends, well — that's only for you and him to know.

a/n: still not super comfy with how i write bakugou gAH i want to do the boy some justice bc he's got a lot going on,,, hopefully i'll get it with time

[terrarain]

raining cats 'n dogs

character(s): miya atsumu

summary: the rain doesn't seem to want to stop anytime soon. kind of unfortunate, because you really want to go home and become one with your bed. but hey, at least you aren't suffering alone!

notes: reader's pronouns unspecified. this takes place sometime during highschool! the reader is implied to be shorter than atsumu. also, there's swearing.

wordcount: 2.1k

The rain is relentless.

It's deafening and you're sort of impressed at how intense the downpour is; who knew rain could be so aggressive?

Still, it was a hindrance.

Would it work if I just stand here and try to will away the clouds through sheer will and determination?

Probably not.

You try anyways.

Your eyes close and you furrow your brows a little, trying to imagine an endless sea of cloudless blues up above. Your hands are clasped together, lips pursed. Pretty quickly, you lose focus and start thinking back to how you were really regretting not going home earlier.

Club activities be damned. You should've just gone home earlier with one of your friends so you could share an umbrella with one of them.

You couldn't text one of them now and drag them back to the school just to save you from your current situation. You'd feel bad; who wants to come back to school on a Friday?

"The fuck are ya doin' standin' around like that for?"

One eye opens slowly to look at the newcomer. You blink a few times, both eyes now open and sparing the fake blonde a brief glance.

Miya Atsumu. Your seatmate.

You decide to explain the little bout of excitement you feel as excitement towards the prospect of potentially being saved from your predicament.

"I'm trying to make the rain go away through my secret weather powers."

"Yer powers suck," he says, eliciting an eye roll from you. "The rain's still pourin' hard 'n steady."

Your clasped hands drop to rest comfortably at your sides. "So where's your brother?"

" 'Samu went an' abandoned me," he pouts. "He left after practice. Didn't want ta do some extra practice with me. Traitor. What're ya still doin' here?"

"Was working on something for my club," You hum in response, rocking back and forth on your feet. You lick your lips as you stare at the unrelenting, torrential downpour. "Would I be expecting too much from you if I were to ask for a spare umbrella?"

Atsumu grins roguishly as you turn back to him. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think that yet tryin' to pull the shared umbrella trope with me in an attempt ta get closer ta me."

"Has anyone told you that your ego is unreasonably big? Should I pop your inflated ego for you? Y'know, humble you a little?"

"Naw, 'm good," he chortles, callused hands shoved into the pockets of his pockets.

Atsumu isn't making any moves to take out an umbrella. You narrow your eyes.

"So, you forgot to bring an umbrella too?"

"Woulda left by now if I had one."

"Damn. You wouldn't have even offered to walk me home?"

With a flirty eyebrow wiggle (that is decidedly not attractive at all; it just makes him look silly), he leans towards you a little. "Wooow. Ya really want ta walk home with me, hmm?"

"I am so sorry for the people who are around you on a daily basis," is your solemn response. Your attention turns back to the rain, still as heavy as ever. The streets are painted in a humid grey with large, murky puddles gathered at the sidewalks. "Including me, of course, as your unfortunate seatmate."

"Hey," Atsumu protests. "I'm a great seatmate."

"I think I'm growing shorter everyday with how many fangirls I get squashed under during free periods. Their dedication to seeing you is scary."

"Ya can't grow shorter."

"That's what you get from that?"

A pause.

"Hey," you drawl, looking at Atsumu from the corner of your eyes. Honey brown meets your gaze, curious. "You think you could summon one of your fangirls or something to give you an umbrella?"

He ugly-snorts in response. "Didja not get enough sleep last night or somethin'? Tryin' to magic away the weather an' now summoning fangirls."

You are kind of tired. And slightly loopy. You're pretty sure you only got around two hours of sleep last night.

But Atsumu didn't need to know that.

"I don't see you offering up any solutions," you shoot back.

Atsumu stays quiet at this, eliciting a mildly concerned look from you. Surprisingly, there's a contemplative look on his face - it's not a look you see on him very often.

The longer he stands around in silence, the more you start to feel restless.

Now, though you had only moved to Hyōgo just this year and thus has only known the Miya for a few months, you liked to think that you knew a fair amount about him. You saw him every school day, after all, and spent a good amount of time in close proximity with him.

The tapping on the desk. The snarky side comments muttered underneath his breath. His finger poking you in the side. The note exchanging that almost never failed to distract you from the lessons. One scribbled sentence turned to two. Then three. Then ten. Then thirty. Then the bell was ringing as you realize belatedly that the entire class had been spent talking to Atsumu on a piece of paper.

Unexpectedly, Atsumu wasn't so bad to talk to. He made boring classes a lot less dull. He had a lot to say, most of which usually ended up drawing a quiet snicker from you.

Miya Atsumu was kind of a dork. It was something you had decided after seeing the horribly drawn, lopsided volleyball he had doodled in the corner of one of his notebooks.

Not that you frequently paid attention to your seatmate or anything.

Anyways. Your seatmate was never silent. Maybe he was in volleyball? You wouldn't know; you'd never attended one of his matches.

Point is. Seeing Miya Atsumu standing around all silent and unmoving was kind of off-putting.

"What's going on in that volleyball-brain of yours?"

"Let's jus' book it," he says, finally, lips curling up into a grin.

"Hah?"

"Let's book it," the setter repeats himself confidently, gesturing towards the rain. "S'not like the rain will let up anytime soon. So let's jus' run. My house isn't too far from here."

You don't have any witty retorts to reply with. Instead, you just stare at Atsumu, who's grinning down at you.

"I mean..." you start, trailing off. "I guess you're right. Y'know what - yeah, why not. Let's go, then."

Atsumu fucking glows at this, his radiant smile making your heart flutter in an odd way-

Oh hell no.

You do not find his boyish smile cute. You do not want to reach up and pinch at his cheeks. You kind of want to press a short, chaste kiss to his cheek.

"Great," he replies, eyes twinkling with a childish excitement as he starts pulling his blazer off. Though it's with much less eagerness, you do the same.

"So, where's your house?"

Of course, his response is cheeky. "Eager now, aren't we?"

"Miya Atsumu."

"Jus' follow my lead, babe," he smirks, blazer now over his head. "Ready?"

"No."

"Sounds good," he says with a shit-eating grin. "On three. One-"

You raise your blazer over your head with a small sigh.

"Two."

For a completely unrelated reason, you think about how Atsumu has some nice muscle going on.

"Three."

Immediately, he bolts and you're left sputtering before you follow suit. Unsurprisingly, he's pretty far ahead despite you running along the rain-soaked sidewalk with all of the speed you can muster.

The rain is heavy against the arms holding your blazer above your head and the blazer does little to keep you dry. Your socks are getting wetter with every puddle you run through.

(It's kind of fun. You never left the house as a kid; instead, you were always bundled up in bed. Usually with a cold.)

(Because you had such a weak constitution as a child - an only child - to say your parents were overprotective would be an understatement.)

(So, even though your lungs are starting to burn and you feel wet and, there's a small thrill coursing through your body and an small smile is threatening its way onto your face.)

"You-"

A pause to catch your breath. At some point, Atsumu had stopped a few blocks ahead of you, standing there and waiting with the rain still pelting him from all sides.

"You're horrible," you wheeze, laughing a little. "This is a terrible idea. We're going to get sick."

"Don'tcha worry yer pretty little head 'bout it. House is just 'round the corner, a few more blocks ahead," he coos encouragingly, though the way one of his hands reach out to pat your head makes you feel like a child. You squint up at him.

"I'm going to eat your kneecaps."

"What?" Atsumu says, caught off-guard. His recovery is quick. "Say that when yer not dyin' after runnin' a few blocks."

"Some people aren't athletes like you."

"Yeah, yeah," he snorts, wrapping an arm around you and shifting his other arm so he's covering you a bit with his own blazer. He's just as soaked as you are and you wrinkle your nose at the unpleasant feeling of wet clothes being pressed together.

(Still, you want to snuggle up against him. The arm around you is heavy but reassuring.)

"Less talkin', more runnin'," Atsumu declares, tugging you along with him as the two of you continue to run again.

He's noticeably slower than before, though still somewhat fast. He's more or less dragging you along as you stumble forward next to him.

You sneak a glance his way. Unexpectedly, warm, dewy brown eyes are looking right at you with adoration, causing you to trip over your feet in surprise.

The arm around you wraps around your waist and effectively stops you from falling and you manage to mutter out a flustered "thank you" once you're back on your feet.

Oh, fuck.

Certain feelings are stirring in your gut and you don't know how you feel about that.

"Yer clumsier than I thought," the blonde teases, looking at you. Your response is to narrow your eyes at him, because you don't know if you can manage words. Quickly, you return your attention to the path in front-

"Atsumu," you hiss, tugging him to the side. He stumbles to the side, off-kilter, though he manages to regain his balance.

He blinks a few times, turning slightly to look at the telephone pole he had almost run into.

"Who's the clumsy one now? Keep your eyes forward," you scold him.

"Sorry, sorry," he laughs breathlessly, shooting you a charming smile. " 's why I have you here, eh?"

You roll your eyes good-naturedly, tugging him along as you mutter. "Keep moving. How much further do we have?"

"Not much. 's that house over there, actually.''

"Oh, finally," you breathe a sigh of relief. You think you've done enough physical activity for the year.

Atsumu eventually slows to a stop, pulling you along with him to the front door. He all but drops the blazer onto your head and you sputter as he fumbles around his pants pocket for something.

It's a bit of a struggle, trying to get both your blazer and his blazer off of your head when his arm remains resolutely around you. It's distracting.

You had just realized that you feel something towards Atsumu a few minutes ago. It's hard to think clearly when your seatmate's arm is wrapped around you tightly.

"A-ha!"

Shortly after Atsumu's cheer, you hear a click and you're following Atsumu into his home.

He lifts both your blazer and his off of your head and you shut the door behind you to stop anymore rain from coming in. When you turn around, the gentle, golden glow of the artificial lighting behind him frames him perfectly as he flashes you a frustratingly charming smile.

"Welcome ta the Miya house. I'll get ya a towel, one sec."

There's some muffled shouting from above - Osamu and Atsumu shouting at each other, you figure. Without much else to do, you're left to observe your surroundings.

The entryway area is actually pretty tidy - save for the shoes Atsumu had haphazardly kicked off upon entry. There's a few pictures framing the walls and your gaze lingers on one with a brunette Atsumu.

There's a pattering of thunderous footsteps coming down from the stairs and you look over to see Atsumu standing there with two towels - one in his hair and one in his arm.

He throws the towel in his arm to you and you catch it. Off-handedly, you think about how much it smells like Atsumu.

"Yer free ta stay for a while," Atsumu clears his throat. He's the first to break the silence that had fallen upon the two of you. "Y'know. To dry off. Ya can take my umbrella with ya on yer way home after."

You swallow thickly and you ignore the way your cheeks are heating up. Outside, the rain is as loud as ever.

Slowly, you nod. "Then, if you'll have me."

Atsumu smiles, eyes crinkling at the edges slightly.

"Of course. 'm glad ta have ya."

a/n: i want to get better at writing dialogue but it's so HARD,,, this was supposed to be a short drabble that was supposed to end at atsumu suggesting they run in the rain but i... i can't keep things short n sweet,,,,,, aha..

[terrarain]

caught off-guard (by you)

character(s): shinsou hitoshi, takami keigo

summary: the thing that throws them off their usual game.

notes: reader's pronouns unspecified, brainrotting kei 'n toshi

word count: 785

ˏˋ°•*⁀☂ shinsou, hitoshi.

Hitoshi is a sarcastic guy who makes it his life-goal to have a dry reply to anything anybody says to him. He's awkward at handling compliments and always thinks that there's some kind of ulterior motive. He always tries to pick out the underlying meaning in the other party's words.

So it throws him for a loop whenever he's approached by people who just take him in stride. As expected in a world where quirks influence a lot of how the world perceives you, Hitoshi grew up under a lot of scrutiny. You throw him for a loop when he realizes that you questioning him about his quirk has nothing to do with you trying to feel him out, to understand how his quirk works so you can avoid him ever using it on you.

It's... nice. Flustering and maybe a bit uncomfortable (how in the world is he supposed to reply to your earnest gaze?), but it's nice.

Even further down the line, as you guys become friends, he's still thrown off when you're genuine to him. It's weird. It's... not unwelcome. Hitoshi's unaccustomed to people trusting in him - something that U.A. makes him accustomed to. (For the most part, anyways; it's hard to get rid of lingering doubts when they're so deeply rooted in him.)

Hitoshi tries to be all slick with his words once the two of you start dating. And, you know what? For the most part, he is. As he grows older, matures, he walks along the path of reconciling with himself. Hitoshi as an adult is more confident than teenage Hitoshi. He's surrounded himself with friends who take him in stride, he has you for a lover, who never lets him forget about how amazing he is.

Still. It's trivially easy for you to get the man stumbling over himself. Praise. Any praise from you has Hitoshi's head spinning. His mind reeling. It's a sure-fire way to get him flustered because, even though he's more confident now that he's older, there's still little thoughts that poke and prod at him unpleasantly every so often. Hitoshi wears a mask of cool indifference well but you know he's a big ol' softy beneath and crumbles to you easily.

Hitoshi is awkward, when he's caught off-guard. His mask of tired indifference slips and his heart flutters whenever you tell him that he did well and you're able to catch sight of the flush painting the tips of his ears red.

ˏˋ°•*⁀☂ takami, keigo.

So. Keigo. Casual and one who can go with the flow as needed - not a lot can fluster him. He's trained to keep his cool in every scenario possible. There's little to no hope of catching Keigo off-guard early on in your guys' relationship, because in the early stages? All of his walls are up. He's not letting anyone poke and prod at him for weaknesses.

For a while, you really do wonder if anything even fazes him. Is there anything that would make him bat an eye?

But, as you grow closer to him, you take notice of how much he actually speaks with his body. Words are one thing. Body language is another.

Touching comes easily to him - maybe a wing around your body to protect you from a particularly harsh wind. Maybe a warm, reassuring hand resting on your waist or shoulder. A little nuzzle of affection.

Even though he touches so casually, he's not as casual when it comes to being on the receiving end. The man is hopelessly weak to physical affection from you. It takes no time at all to get his wings flapping in excited, uncontrollable beats.

He's especially weak whenever you run your hand along his wings, tracing his feathers ever-so-gently. And he's obsessed with cuddling. He's an unexpectedly (or, perhaps, expectedly?) huge cuddle bug. Touch-starved, he gets drunk off of any moments you hold him.

When the two of you are officially together as lovers, it's hard for him to keep his hands off of you. He avoids PDA due to his job, since he doesn't want a target to get painted on your back - but behind doors, he's all over you.

Keigo doesn't really expect any of his actions to really be reciprocated. So when you do return his physical affections, he's not as slick and silver-tongued as he would like to be.

When you manage to get his guard down, Keigo is so, so vulnerable in a way that he really doesn't like to show others. His wings are a lot more active and flutter about aimlessly whenever you're returning one of his touches and he looks at you like you created the stars that are scattered about the night sky.

[terrarain]

BNHA Volleyball AU

ramblings of someone who has been rewatching haikyuu and also a person who has been thinking about the bnha characters a lot.

i don't even play volleyball i'm like the least athletic person out there but the haikyuu and bnha brainrot is too strong lord help me

just me rambling on about what i think everybody's strengths and weaknesses would be.

SETTER – MIDORIYA IZUKU

Struggled a lot with confidence issues to begin with. As a result, he was slow to set and nerves made his sets incredibly shaky. 

After gaining more confidence, Midoriya is a terrifyingly good setter. He memorizes the little quirks of everyone and adjusts accordingly to accommodate them. Midoriya knows who’s a little more sluggish that day, who’s even more fired up on one day – he’s aware of it all. He has a close relationship with all of the team and is the sole individual who has everybody’s unfaltering trust.

His biggest flaw is overanalyzing situations. While Midoriya gets better as a setter, he still has moments especially in high-stress situations where he thinks too long and that can and has cost them a point at crucial times.

Extremely hard on himself when this happens. He probably takes losses the harshest and has a habit of blaming everything on himself. He has to learn that trust is a two-way street and that he needs to trust his teammates just as they trust him.

OUTSIDE (LEFT) HITTER – BAKUGOU KATSUKI

Aggressive. Explosive. Powerful. Bakugou is the team’s ace and he doesn’t let anyone forget it. He’s a force to be reckoned with, having had played volleyball since a very young age and practicing relentlessly.

Even though he looks like he has a temper on the field, he’s sly and doesn’t spike without thinking. Everything he does is intentional. Prefers to brute-force more than anything, though. If there’s a wall, you better bet that he’s going to blow a hole in the wall.

That said, Bakugou suffers greatly once he gets agitated. He has a temper that’s as explosive as his spikes and it makes his performance suffer greatly. Bro is already struggling to cooperate with the team -- it only gets worse when his temper is set off.

The only setter who can match Bakugou while Bakugou is pissed has only ever been Midoriya, who has the ability to adjust to every little quirk of Bakugou’s the same way he adjusts for everybody else (which greatly annoys Bakugou).

However, the team can’t solely rely on Midoriya when Bakugou gets irritated – because Bakugou becomes even more self-centred when pissed off. Bakugou has body-checked his own teammates in the heat of the moment and he has injured teammates in the past when his temper got the better of him.

Also, he has a nasty spike serve.

OUTSIDE (LEFT) HITTER – KIRISHIMA EIJOU

Probably the strongest member on the team. Kirishima’s attacks are simple all things considered, but god damn are they strong. He’s hardly as flashy as the other outside hitter, but Kirishima is still someone to fear on the court.

His spirit is contagious. One of the core members to keeping the team’s morale up, he shouts the most out of everybody (not counting Bakugou’s constant screams of ‘DIE’ everytime he spikes) and probably works the hardest to maintain a sunny smile.

However, Kirishima is lacking in the strategy department. His playstyle is straightforward and, on his own, Kirishima can be predictable. He’s not someone who does deception or overly complex plays; he charges right on forth.

His spirit can also be crushed fairly easily, though it’s not always immediately obvious – that said, Kirishima rebounds fast. He can bounce back without much delay – he decides to dwell on any struggles he has after the match.

OPPOSITE (RIGHT) HITTER – TODOROKI SHOUTO

The complete opposite of their other main spiker, Todoroki is known for his cool-headedness. He doesn’t specialize in one area and is instead a jack-of-all trades. However, one shouldn’t mistake Todoroki being an all-rounder for being weak in any area. Todoroki being an all-rounder is actually terrifying because he’s good in… well, everything. It’s kind of infuriating, actually, how good he is at everything.

It’s difficult to find flaws in the way Todoroki plays, but there is one. Todoroki doesn’t trust. He struggles to trust his teammates and it’s hard for him to get into a team mentality – he’s a solo player, which is an absolute no-go in a team sport. It’s a big hurdle that the team has to overcome because it limits Todoroki’s potential greatly.

He doesn’t properly convey how he feels, which can leave many things unchecked and, in a sport that demands team chemistry – that can be fatal. Todoroki is distant. His hesitance to budge even a little about his emotions is his fatal flaw.

Of course, this fella can do all three types of serves; spike, floater, topspin... everybody's immediately on edge whenever Todoroki's up to serve because it's hard to tell which of the three he'll go for.

MIDDLE BLOCKER – SHINSOU HITOSHI

He's a good at defending; he reads enemy movement well, which means he’s just a pain all around. He’s an analyzer and reads movements... he does a fair amount of guess-blocking and his success rate is pretty damn high.

Too good at taunting the enemy. Bro doesn’t shut up, dear lord. It’s a stark contrast to how he is off the field, since he’s normally a man of few words. He has a nasty tongue and is a pro at baiting the enemy. He’s by far the best on UA’s team when it comes to demoralizing the enemy or riling them up.

However, Shinsou’s attacks are weak. He’s weak when people place weight on him and him alone, because ultimately, he doesn’t trust himself. The guy is plagued with self-doubt and stuck in a mentality where he thinks that he needs to catch up, that he’s still not good enough, that he’s going to start lagging behind. He’s prone to overworking himself and overthinks and it really gets to him.

It’s something that he has to work on, his self-worth issues – it directly impacts his performance on court. The baseline is that Hitoshi is great at blocking. Pretty good at reading his enemies. He’s not bad overall, really, but his attacks can be frantic. Desperate, even – a reflection of his feelings of inferiority.

The type to serve the ball just right over the net - or a floater. His serves are annoying to receive because he always aims to break the other team's formation.

MIDDLE BLOCKER – SERO HANTA

Deceptively unassuming. People don’t usually expect much from him, but he’s solid all around. He’s on the lankier side. Sero is... the refresher? The refresher of UA’s team; he’s sturdy in the sense that he can remain collected even in high-stress situations. He's the one who helps the team reset when their plays are starting to get affected by stress.

He’s the person who fills in the gaps in blocks, which only make their walls even more impenetrable. Sero is able to pick up any stray pieces up that’s left behind by his team while just barely keeping up.

Unfortunately, that’s his struggle on the court. He can just barely keep up. His teammates all excel in an area and improve quickly. Sero struggles with breaking through his own limits and it takes him longer than his peers to find the breakthrough he needs to go above and beyond.

Only jumps to block after seeing where the set goes. Always read-blocking.

LIBERO – IIDA TENYA

Agonized a lot over this, actually. Still agonizing over it. Almost put him as a middle blocker which I think would be the most immediately obvious choice, but, y'know, the man’s quirk is that he can make himself go fast. That’s, like, a core part of his whole thing in the BNHA universe. So I think he’d be similarly quick. Quick enough to be a libero, who’s already there to keep the ball afloat when nobody else is fast enough to catch it.

(That said, I’m still not entirely convinced because I think Shinsou would work as a libero too; lithe and catlike, always ready to chase the ball; and Iida would be a very solid wall against spikers and quite formidable as an unrelenting person. So Iida and Shinsou’s positions are interchangable.)

Iida is quick to move. Another person who tends to analyze and think, he positions himself appropriately and his success rate is pretty high overall. Though he’s not so good at reading people, Iida has a knack for reading the court situation. He may be stiff at times, but he’s reliable and just has that vibe of ‘leave it to me!’, y’know?

That said, Iida can do a lot with making himself more flexible. Iida is a planner and serious to a fault – he can jump the gun in the occasions he makes a misjudgement and it can mess him up. His overcommittance to his plays can end up working against him.

[terrarain]

what it takes to love

character(s): todoroki shouto, izuku midoriya, bakugou katsuki, shinsou hitoshi, takami keigo, kaminari denki

summary: the ways they're loved and the ways they love.

notes: reader's pronouns unspecified, slightly suggestive in hawks's part; overall, just a bunch of fluff bc i'm a sucker for fluff. also, some swearing!!

word count: 3.4k

There's a lot of ways to love and be loved. There's no real right way to love - and that's the beauty of it, isn't it?

The many ways different people can love and be loved.

ˏˋ°•*⁀☂ Todoroki, Shouto.

The process of loving Shouto is a step-by-step one. It’s a learning process when it comes to someone as distant as Todoroki Shouto. It can be a bit of an odd thing, loving someone who doesn’t really… have a solid grasp on something as abstract as love.

It takes transparency. The willingness to bear your soul to him. Sly innuendos and speaking in indirect messages only confuse him. He takes most things at face–value and his social skills are hardly the best with how little he interacted with people his age during his childhood.

So you wait. You wait and you’re there with Shouto for every step of his journey towards reconciliation with himself, with those around him. You’re there with him when he discovers new foods that he likes and you’re there with him when he’s in a less-than-pleasant mood, trying to work his way through complicated emotions.

You’re staring intensely at the golden band, seated on a stool at the kitchen island, when you hear footsteps coming from behind. You don’t startle, though, already having an inkling as to who it might be.

“Is something wrong with the ring, love?” Shouto’s arms wrap around you in a back-hug and you sigh happily. You smile reassuringly up towards your lover – your soon-to-be husband.

“Not at all,” you murmur, reaching up to kiss Shouto in a quick, simple motion. He smiles against you, carefully readjusting his hold on you and turning you around on the stool so you faced him – so he could hold you closer to himself as he returns your affection. “Just unbelievably happy that you’re you.”

He hums against your hair, holding you against his chest. He’s a bit chilly – perhaps from using his ice earlier – but you don’t mind. It’s comforting and it feels blissful in the hot summer weather. 

“I’m happy you’re you, too,” he whispers in return. When you pull back a little to look at him, his eyes are filled to the brim with affection and your heart just melts.

The start of Shouto loving you is clumsy, but he is really, truly, trying his best. Shouto in love is unbelievably gentlemanly – he treats you like a goddamn queen. Despite that, though, there is a hidden side of him that he reveals to you – a side that takes pleasure in teasing you with subtle words he’s picked up over the years.

Shouto wants to see all of your expressions. He wants to be with you throughout your journey the very same way you were there for his – and he provides his support where he can. He’s there with you through your highs and lows, because Todoroki Shouto is a man who returns favours. But, more than that, Shouto is unabashedly, wholeheartedly in love with you.

ˏˋ°•*⁀☂ Kaminari, Denki.

Denki makes it deceptively easy to love him, cheesy grins and quick touches all around. He’s bright and sociable and gets along well with just about everybody. Falling in love with him is an explosive event and loud for sure; Denki is hardly known for being quiet and subdued, after all.

With him, however, it’s surprisingly hard to get anything substantial from him at first. You match his energy and you make sure that he knows that he can talk to you the way he encourages his friends to open up to him when they’re in distress. You make him laugh when his spirits are low; you do what you can to put a smile on his face.

dumbass💛: omg look

you: where?

dumbass💛: across the room

dumbass💛: near the kitchen area

you: uh oh what is that guy doing?

You eye Bakugou and the mystery person – from your angle, you can’t really figure out who it is or if it’s even someone you know – and watch as they flush and fidget. Bakugou, much to your shock, starts to… blush.

dumbass💛: helLO

dumbass💛: are you seeing what i’m seeing??

dumbass💛: kacchan is going pink??

you: i didn’t know bakugou could look like that lmao

you: ain’t no way that’s the same bakugou that’s always cussing up a storm

A shift to your side. You look up from your phone and arch a brow when your eyes meet golden ones. You’re the first to speak up; “Tired of texting?”

“I wanted to hear your voice,” he replies, attempting to wiggle his brows suggestively. You just snort in response, pinching his side – which, to that, he yelps. “Okay, that and also my phone just died.”

“That’s surprising,” you comment. “Your phone very rarely dies.”

“I was too distracted to charge it,” he says, directing a meaningful look at you. You smile. “Distracted by the beauty in front of me.”

“Alright, casanova,” you laugh, pinching at his cheeks. One of your brows shoot up when he reaches for your phone, watching as he starts tapping the screen away from your sight. “What’cha doing?”

“Tragically, not you.”

“You’re the one who wanted to go to this party,” you reply, lips twitching upwards into a lopsided grin when his free hand pinches a little at the skin of your own hand.

Once he returns the phone, you immediately notice the contact name (💛💛my dumbass💛⚡💛⚡ 😍😘🔥🔥😍🔥) and look up to meet his radiant grin. My dumbass, indeed. 

Denki’s mind can be both everywhere and nowhere depending on the day. His thoughts are difficult to focus with how much he flits about everywhere. There are occasions where Denki forgets, regardless of intention, things will slip from his mind from time to time. He will always do whatever he can to make it up, though, because once he loves, his love doesn’t falter.

There isn’t actually a drastic change when the two of you start dating – he’s still a good, dear friend; this time, just with a lot more kisses and playful flirting (of course, he also stops flirting with other people). Denki tries to make you smile every day, always up to some sort of goofy activity or sending you random memes throughout the day. More than anything, he loves your smile. Nothing, to him, is more radiant than you smiling, as cheesy as it sounds.

ˏˋ°•*⁀☂ Shinsou, Hitoshi.

Loving Hitoshi is something that's slow and steady. You develop your relationship with him slowly over the years and it takes a lot of kind waiting for him to come over and knock on the door to your soul. 

It takes unfaltering trust. Skeptic of life, Hitoshi is timid when it comes to letting others in because he can’t trust himself. Can’t trust those around him. People are fickle and he knows this, so he keeps away.

But he does surrender, eventually, with enough tenacity. Slight brushes of your fingers against his, sitting just that one centimetre closer to him on the couch, gently poking at him to wake him up from naps – he starts to accept the touch, eventually, and starts to returns those touches with an intensity that has only built up over the years he’s lived.

You’re watching Hitoshi play with the cat sitting about in your apartment – whose name was currently Cat (something that a lot of people question, but you weren’t about to get into the whole origin of naming the cat… Cat) – when an idle thought pops into your mind.

“You’re kinda like Cat,” you comment. This draws Hitoshi’s attention away from Cat, one brow arched and stray strand of hair falling over his face as he cocks his head to the side in question.

“What, like I’m catlike?”

“No, I mean, sometimes, but that’s not what I meant. You’re, like,” you pause, gesturing to Cat, who was sat down primly and coolly staring at Hitoshi and the cat toy he had been trying to get Cat to play with. “--like… Cat. You kinda behave the same way as her. I swear you gave me that exact same stare the first few times I tried talking to you.”

He snorts, not denying your observation, placing the cat toy and instead holding his arms out for Cat to run into. Which she does without hesitation. You let out an amused laugh, leaning forward against the armrest of the couch you sat on.

“That, too,” you snicker. You pause for a moment before standing up and spreading your arms out with a bright smile. Hitoshi returns the very same smile, padding right on over to you without hesitation.

Hitoshi, once he’s opened up, is a kind lover. For a lack of better terms, he’s whipped for you and completely wrapped around your finger without any complaints. He’s attentive and thoughtful and, after a point, he stops holding back and smothers you in all of the affection he’s bundled up deep within.

There’s a sense of trust that years of friendship has built up and is nigh-impossible to tear down; he has your back and you have his. He reaches out more and lets you into his heart, lets you see the scars and worries he hides away and you let him see yours in return. The two of you lean on each other, hands intertwined the whole way through.

ˏˋ°•*⁀☂ Takami, Keigo.

Loving Keigo is a quiet affair, much unlike how chatty Keigo is, unlike how intense his presence can be. The two of you are oftentimes hidden away from public eye.

A charming, roguish grin is what he wears in public and it’s what he dons in front of you during your first meeting. And while that charming roguish smile and the playful quips he shoots out are still a part of him, it’s the quieter moments where he slips and shows himself in his entirety.

It’s no secret that Keigo – Hawks, the number two hero – is a man who moves far too fast for most people. But you try. You don’t take a look at him and give up on him because he’s too fast; you rise up to his challenge and chase after him. You establish yourself as his equal and you show him that you’re there, right next to him.

Keigo, as you’ve learned during your time as his friend, companion, lover, has a fondness for entering through windows. The first few times, his appearances were unannounced and oftentimes gave you a scare – nowadays, though, he sends a feather your way to let you know that he’s on his way to you.

“What is up with you and windows?” you question as you unlock and open the window so the bird-man could climb in. The red feather in your grasp flicks its way out of your hand and back to his wings, which were fluttering about.

Wryly, you think about how you’ll be finding bright red feathers everywhere in your apartment after his visit. And you wouldn’t be the tiniest bit upset at it – it was a clear reminder of Keigo’s presence in your life despite how often he had to leave for work.

“It’s the quickest way,” is his response – a response you’ve heard before. After a pause, he adds on: “Also, it’s romantic, wouldn’t you say? Don’t your romance novels have something about people sneaking through windows to meet each other in the dead of night?”

“Have you been reading my books?” you question with an arched brow, closing the window and watching as Keigo plops down on your couch. Much to your horror, he reaches for the book you had placed down on the little side table next to the couch – and flipped the book open to where you had it bookmarked.

“Now I am,” he grins, turning his attention to the book. You dive in to grab your book from his hands to no avail; he just catches you with an arm and tugs you into him. You’re partially on his lap and locked in place with one arm wrapped around your waist as he reads the contents out loud. “ ‘He groans, burying his face into Lillia’s neck, hips pistoning in and out of her soft body–’ “

“Stop it,” you cry out in embarrassment and Keigo’s eyes flick over the rest of the page before turning to you with the biggest shit-eating grin ever. He’s teasing you.

Keigo merely hums, kneading your waist. “Should I be taking notes from this? Is this the stuff you’re into nowadays?”

“It’s not mine,” you defend weakly, tilting your head back a bit as he presses gentle kisses to the exposed skin of your neck. “A friend lent it to me.”

“Well, I’ve got to thank this friend of yours, hmm?” he muses, pulling you fully onto his lap so he can kiss you more easily. “For giving me some more ideas to try out with you,” he grins as he waggles his eyebrows in the decidedly most unattractive way ever, and you just roll your eyes before pulling him in for another kiss.

Keigo is a charmer. He’s good with his words and he likes to pride himself on his ability to read people’s faces and body language. He uses this to his advantage and puts up a front so that people will like him, because he’s convinced that nobody would really like the monster inside of him.

But then. But then he meets you and starts seeing you around – he starts taking note of your presence and it’s inevitable that he ends up tripping over himself just for you. He slows down for you in his own way. He pays closer attention to mundane details that he normally wouldn’t have paid any mind to.

He lets down his guard around you because he trusts you, and that’s something huge to him – he’s gentle with you. Frighteningly attentive. It’s like second nature to him, tending to you – he takes care of you in any way he can. Keigo is downright clingy when he’s in love and he can never get enough of you.

ˏˋ°•*⁀☂ Midoriya, Izuku.

It’s not as easy as some may think upon an initial glance at Izuku to love the poor boy. He’s full of love but he struggles to allow himself as much love as he gives. You’ll have to be the one gently reassuring him that he’ll be okay, the one reminding him to take care of himself because people care about him. You care about him.

As you love Midoriya Izuku, you hold onto a boundless sense of determination and you’re as stubborn as a bull. Teaching someone to love themselves whole-heartedly is an endlessly difficult task, but never a burdensome one for you. 

One of many days, you lace your fingers together with the mossy-haired boy as he looks at you wide-eyed, mouth clamping shut mid-ramble. You offer him a smile as you rub a thumb along his hand. “You’re spiralling again,” you murmur and he sags against you; an exhaustion he hesitates to show most others.

He opens his mouth to apologize, but you give him a look that has him saying something else. “Thank you,” he murmurs and your heart clenches. You let him hold onto you tightly, fiercely, like you’d fade away if he let go even a little bit. You press a kiss to a freckled cheek, squeezing him back. Reassurance that you wouldn’t leave him.

“Now, are you going to let me go to make a meal or are you going to just sit here and starve?” you speak up after a few moments of tender silence, tapping at his back gently. With great reluctance, he releases the tight hold he has on you but doesn’t ever let go of you. He sticks close behind you, scarred hand tightly grasping yours as the two of you meander into the kitchen.

“What’s for dinner?” he questions, peering over your shoulder as you rifle through the fridge for ingredients.

“Katsudon,” you laugh as he immediately presses a ticklish kiss to your neck, mumbling something along the lines of, ‘God, I love you,’. 

Izuku is never without a burden; this burden only gets heavier as the years go by, the title of Japan’s number one hero heavy on his back. While he runs around as a reliable hero, as someone all of Japan can depend on, you and his close friends still see parts of the mousey boy you guys had befriended all those years ago back in highschool.

And while Izuku isn’t particularly good at accepting love, he gives out so, so much love. Perhaps more than is healthy for him – self sacrificing to a fault and always working for the sake of those around him.

He never forgets. Izuku remembers everything about you and that is how he loves; he pays close attention, tends to your needs. He doesn’t miss a single date, doesn’t forget anything you tell him no matter how mundane; Izuku gently pries you apart and works hard to take down any walls you have up around yourself.

Izuku can’t always be there for you. It’s the reality of him being a hero; long hours, unpredictable emergencies – the list goes on. But he makes every second count and does his best to make you happy. You have to make sure you take care of him, too, as he quickly forgets about himself when in the process of loving you.

ˏˋ°•*⁀☂ Katsuki, Bakugou.

Loving him, quite frankly, takes a lot. Far more than others. It’s an ugly process and it’s hard to put on any form of rose-tinted glasses for someone as intense as Katsuki. Loving Katsuki can be hard. Nonetheless, you work your way through his highs and lows.

It takes patience. Lots and lots of patience – but you never let yourself be a pushover. There’s a delicate balance that needs to be maintained and, honestly? It won’t always be maintained completely. There’ll be dips favouring one side from time to time – and when that happens, it takes a lot of understanding to mend frayed threads.

But that doesn’t stop you, because as explosive and bitchy as Katsuki can be, there are still parts of him that had charmed you and parts of him that you want to discover.

You’re reminiscing on the days you spent with Katsuki back in highschool when there’s a shuffle and quiet grunt next to you. The arm around you, heavy and warm, tightens when you try to sit up. You simply stare into your husband’s eyes, which were now blearily blinking awake.

“What’re ya’ starin’ for?” he grumbles, voice thick with sleep.

“Just thinking,” you smile warmly, poking at his cheek. He doesn’t fight back against you and just lets you do as you please, much to your satisfaction. You don’t think you’ll ever tire of seeing Katsuki so – so relaxed. Waking up with him next to you, with you in his arms, was a domestic event that you would’ve never expected to happen back in your guys’ youth.

“ ‘bout what?”

“How much of a softie you are now,” you chuckle, pressing your lips to his in a slow kiss. He immediately reciprocates, though not with his usual intensity due to his sleep-addled state. He grumbles when you pull back, the hand around your waist snaking up to your hair so he can run his fingers through your hair.

“I’m only this damn soft because of you, alright?” he huffs and you just laugh, poking at his arm to try and get him off of you. He just scowls in response, tugging you closer to him.”

“We have to get up,” you murmur, the voice of reason, much to his chagrin. “I have work this morning and so do you, darling.”

“Jus’ a little longer,” he whispers. You find it hard to argue against him, especially when you’re basking in his warmth – especially when you know you’ll probably start missing his touch after you step out of the house into the biting cold of the winter winds.

“Just a little longer,” you surrender, burying your face into his chest to listen to his steady heartbeat.

To his credit, Katsuki changes. He grows over the years – he matures and it’s a slow and arduous process. He’s hardly gentle and sunny like Midoriya, and he’s far from a gentleman like Todoroki. But he gets a hold of himself. He does his damnedest not to  hurt you. And when he hurts you, he works tirelessly to correct his wrongs.It’s downright shocking to those around the two of you – how much Katsuki has changed and how mellow he is when he’s in your presence.

He’s careful with you and lavishes you with affection in his own ways; he holds you carefully, he gifts you things you have your eyes on, he has goddamn books on how to be a good lover (which, when you found those on his bookshelf, he pretended that he was just keeping them at Kaminari’s request; they’re Kaminari’s, not his. It’s endlessly endearing how much of a dork he actually is).

a/n: as it turns out, when you only ever write for the same 2 characters, writing for other characters is hard,,,, mannn sorry GAHJAHG

[terrarain]

how about a story about heroes while you wait for the rain to stop?

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐒

tenderly (in your embrace) fandom: boku no hero academia characters: takami keigo notes: you and hawks cuddle.

what it takes to love fandom: boku no hero academia characters: takami keigo || shinsou hitoshi || midoriya izuku || bakugou katsuki || kaminari denki notes: how they're loved and how they love in return.

caught off-guard (by you) fandom: boku no hero academia characters: shinsou hitoshi || takami keigo notes: what lowers their guard and how they act when thrown-off their a-game.

seasons of love fandom: boku no hero academia characters: takami keigo || todoroki shouto || bakugou katsuki || shinsou hitoshi notes: four seasons, four short stories of the boys being in love with you

golden dewdrop fandom: boku no hero academia characters: shinsou hitoshi notes: hitoshi is a bartender. you're a regular. that's it that's the fic

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐌𝐔𝐋𝐓𝐈-𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓

pawsitively enamoured (ao3) fandom: boku no hero academia characters: shinsou hitoshi notes: you work at a cat cafe that shinsou frequents. she/her used for reader. status: ONGOING.

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑

bnha volleyball au

[terrarain]

tenderly (in your embrace)

character(s): takami keigo (hawks)

summary: when it all starts to get to be a little too much, you're there for him, arms waiting.

notes: reader's pronouns unspecified, mostly just a comfort fic!!

word count: 1.6k

Sometimes, the quiet tapping at the glass door of your balcony would interrupt the usual silence of your apartment. You were never annoyed, however; no, how could you be? You couldn't really keep a hold on any feelings of annoyance when you glanced over your shoulder to see the playful glint of the molten gold-brown.

Typically, a few whispers are exchanged as though the two of you were teenagers secretly meeting behind your parents' backs, but nothing more. Your relationship with the hero was an odd one and certainly unconventional.

"What are we?" you ask, delicately tracing the feathers on his back. Hawks breathes out slowly, wings fluttering lightly, his own hand trailing a light path up and down your arm.

"Cuddle buddies?" he suggests with a vaguely amused tone, pressing you closer to him. A motion that causes the bed to creak quietly. Idly, you wonder if you should check for loose bolts or something in your bed frame.

"Cuddle buddies," you echo, lips twitching upwards into a slight smile. "I guess so."

Two touch-starved individuals meeting together to feel the tangible form of someone, of anyone. So that they could keep a grip on reality.

Sometimes, though, there was no glint to his eyes. Perhaps a wry grin playing at his lips to hide his exhaustion, but none of the usual mirth in his eyes.

On these nights, his body language was frighteningly easy to read. Those nights went by in silence for the most part and, rather than Hawks being the big spoon, you would take him into your arms and rub slow circles into his lower back.

You never ask questions on those nights, afraid that the quiet tranquility of your arrangement would all be shattered if you so much as exhaled a little too harshly.

Tonight was one of those nights.

Tap-tap-tap-tap.

The rhythmic tapping of the glass balcony door alerted you to Hawks's presence. It was a familiar pattern; one that you had grown accustomed to after months of sporadic visits from the winged hero.

Placing the book in your hand down onto the coffee table in front of you, your feet automatically bring you over to the door of your apartment's balcony to let him in.

All it took was one instance of eye contact. Eye bags that were deeper than usual, eyes barely lit up with a weakly flickering light, a sagging posture, and wings flapping in agitation. Not even a weak smile to keep up pretences; no, he was just... tired. Weary.

You decidedly don't say anything, instead opening your arms in invitation. The effect is immediate; the man stumbles into your arms and even though you prepared yourself for the weight, you still take a small step back due to his body collapsing into your arms.

Carefully, you nudge the balcony door closed with a foot as you listen to Hawks's slow breathing against your shoulder.

The two of you stand by your balcony door for a little longer, artificial golden warmth of a nightshade the only light during the moonless night. Even as you gently tread your fingers through his hair - knotted in some places, you observe - his body remains tensed.

With all of the gentleness in the world, you tug at Hawks a little to get him moving. He follows as you guide him to your bedroom, never once letting go of your form. Slowly, you sink into your bed with him in your arms and he curls into you. 

So, so small.

Hawks was by no means tall, of course – but his presence gave him a sense of command. The way he carried himself as a hero drew attention to him and put him in control. Yet, as of this very moment, the way his hands formed fists into the fabric of your shirt, the way his usually large and showy wings were currently small nubs with only a few small feathers clinging on, he felt so small.

You tighten your hold on him just a little.

Without thinking too much, you press your lips into his hairline, one hand resting steadily the small of his back and another in his hair and slowly combing through it. The closer the hand on his back got to his wings, the tenser he got, so you kept your hand away from them and instead drew formless shapes into his lower back.

The sigh he lets out is almost inaudible and you’re sure that if the night hadn’t been dead silent, you would’ve missed it entirely. Though you had been rather awake despite the odd hours of three in the morning, you could feel sleep pinching at you and your eyes were starting to feel heavy.

“Keigo,” he whispers. You immediately awake from your sleepy haze.

A name, you realize quickly. His civilian name?

You murmur his name in response, testing it out on your tongue. “Keigo.”

It sounded nice. A part of you wondered what spurred him on – why he decided to tell you his name. A name that was hidden away from the public eye. You would be lying if you had never thought about what the pro hero’s name would be – but you never prodded him for it. 

Hawks – Keigo – buries his face further into your shoulder as you speak his name in a low tone, body relaxing. His eyes are closed, from what you can see, but you have a feeling he’s not really asleep. He always had trouble falling asleep on these nights.

Distantly, you wonder if he has anybody to hold him tenderly like this. A charming rogue in the face of media, working as a hero that was too fast for anyone to follow, background shrouded in complete and utter mystery–

A hand kneads at your waist and you sigh into him.

These vulnerable moments. Something told you that he didn’t get to be vulnerable often. It wasn’t like he could really afford to when he was the number two hero; people looked to him, to the heroes, for comfort. If the heroes were to comfort the civilians, who were to comfort the heroes?

Their friends and family, presumably. Perhaps lovers. You wonder if Keigo had anybody like that in his life.

Probably not, you think, slowly and gently working your way through a knot in his hair. You didn’t keep up with hero news as frequently as you would like, but you’re pretty sure you’ve never seen Keigo interact with anybody as a close friend. You weren’t even sure if he had family that were alive.

And a lover…

“A lover?” Hawks looks at you in amusement, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “Why are you asking? Are you offering, babe?”

“Just checking to make sure I’m not, like, going to wake up one day to an angry spouse shouting at me for stealing you,” you reply, ignoring his last question. “Just checking that you aren’t cheating on some secret significant other.”

His face twists at that and you wonder if it has anything to do with you telling him all about your past exes just the night before.

“I wouldn’t ever,” he murmurs resolutely. A more selfish part of you feels upset – would that mean he’d stop visiting you nightly if he ever fell in love with someone?

“Right,” is all you can say. The coffee machine whirls to a halt and you change the topic. “Want some coffee?”

At some point, Keigo’s breathing had evened out and you realize belatedly that he’s fallen asleep. With all of the fondest tenderness you can muster, you press a light and barely there kiss to his forehead before letting sleep take you as well.

The next morning, Keigo wakes up blearily, wings flapping about idly as he takes in the familiar surroundings. A room that was very much you - a room he had become fond of after a few months of nightly visits.

He sits up carefully, doing his best to not disturb you from your slumber. Lord knows you needed sleep as much as he did, with the many odd hours you spent awake and overthinking.

With a large amount of affection that surprises even him, Keigo gently traces your cheek with a thumb. He freezes when you shift a little, burying yourself further into the pillow your head was resting on, and only relaxes when you continue to snore away.

It takes everything in him to force himself out of the bed, wanting nothing but to stay in bed with you and sleep in. The slow bustle of civilians outside of your bedroom window reminds him, however, that he can't afford to do that.

"Love ya, chickadee," he murmurs, pressing a kiss to your forehead the very same way you had done to him last night before slipping out of the bed.

He reaches for a pen and sticky note nearby. You won't miss a single sticky note, he thinks, as he scribbles down a little message in neat handwriting. Keigo's about to put the note down and leave before hesitating - and quickly scribbling down one last thing. He leaves the pen and note on your bedside table before entering the world once more as the second hero Hawks.

That morning, you wake up to an empty space next to you and a little note on your bedside table. The handwriting unmistakably belongs to Keigo - and, even if you didn't recognize the handwriting, the little red bird doodled into the corner of the note was a clear indicator of who left the note there.

Thanks for the cuddles, chickadee. Wanna go out for coffee sometime? xxx-xxxx-xxxx

The empty feeling you woke up immediately fills up with tender affection as you smile amusedly to yourself, pulling out your phone to text the winged hero.

You: so, when are you free for some coffee?