"And these are white blood cells! They're job is to destroy foreign objects in the body, like germs! And, just like red blood cells, they come from…" Himiko paused for a moment, struggling to remember the word as she flipped through the bright and colorful pages of her picture book. What was that word..? She distinctly remembered looking it up in the dictionary, because she had never seen it before… Oh, that's it! "Hematopoietic stem cells!" She smiled, proud of herself as she showed the book to her teacher.
Mrs. Kondo chuckled, sitting behind her desk and smiling at the little girl in front of her. "That's an impressive word. Who taught it to you?"
Himiko's smile only spread wider, her chest filling with pride. "I learned it all by myself!"
The brown-haired teacher raised an eyebrow, impressed. "So, Toga, what do you want to be when you grow up?"
"A doctor!" Himiko answered immediately, spouting out an energetic answer without needing to think. "I wanna help people get better, just like my Papa!"
"That's a great goal!" The teacher began gathering up her things, and pushed herself up from her desk. "But it's really hard. It takes a lot of studying."
Himiko nodded, but her excited grin didn't waver. "I know! But I love learning! I wanna spend my whole life learning!"
The teacher laughed, a warm and soft sound that could only be described as motherly. "That's a great mindset! Hey, come with me to the library for a moment." She began towards the classroom door, gesturing for Himiko to follow.
"Ok! Coming!" Slapping the book shut, Himiko slung her purple backpack over her shoulder, and rushed to join her teacher walking down the hallway. The two walked in comfortable silence, Mrs. Kondo leafing through her papers and Himiko humming to some silent tune.
Himiko loved Mrs. Kondo. She was so nice and friendly, always so encouraging. Tall, with long dark hair and welcoming chocolate eyes, She was quieter than all of the other teachers. Soft spoken and rarely the first to speak, it amazed Himiko how the woman was somehow always in control of the situation, a firm but gentle hand guiding the chaotic storm that was a class of third graders. And she was the science teacher, too! She seemed to know everything, no matter what Himiko asked! It was amazing!
"Here we are." Pushing open the door to the school library, Mrs. Kondo didn't bother looking towards the bookshelves, instead turning towards the storage rooms and offices at the back. Himiko glanced back at the bookshelves, and then forward at her teacher, confused. But she quickly shrugged off her uncertainty, her curiosity driving her forward.
The storage room was filled with shelves upon shelves of books, textbooks and reference books alike. And, without saying a word, Mrs. Kondo began to traverse the aisles, freely plucking books off of the shelf with little regard for the growing stack already in her arms. And, as the teacher choice dozens of books off the shelf, each one looked over and judged by some unknown metric, Himiko simply stood by the desk beside the door, a small monkey who's curiosity was only just tempered by it's puzzlement.
Finally, after several minutes of silence, Mrs. Kondo returned to her student, setting the stack of books on the desk. Himiko watched her, unsure of what to do, but the woman simply gestured at the pile. "I thought you might like them. They're a bit more advanced than what's in the library."
Glancing between the teacher and the books, Himiko picked one up, and looked it over. It was large and heavy, bound in brown leather and weathered by age. It looked less like the books she had read before, and more like it belonged in a wizard's study. The half dozen other books underneath it looked the same, the tombs of great wizards.
'Basics of the Human Body Systems, By K. Satou'
Flipping the book open, she ran her fingers over the old paper as she began reading, a huge smile spreading across her face. She glanced up at Mrs. Kondo, just to find her smiling, pleased.
"I can't give these to you, but," the woman patted Himiko's shoulder, "just know, you can come to the library and read them whenever you want."
"Really?" Himiko stared at her teacher in disbelief, clutching the book to her chest.
"Mm-hm!" Stepping past Himiko, the woman reached into the office, and drew out a large, white coat. "You can even wear my old lab coat while you read."
It was a lab coat.
Mrs. Kondo's lab coat!
An actual scientist's lab coat!
Himiko beamed, rushing over and snatched the lab coat out of the woman's hands with boundless excitement. Swinging it around her, the coat was too large for her in every way. The sleeves were far too long, and the long coat bunched up around her feet, making a small pile of cloth on the floor. And, casting a glance at her self, Himiko smiled, bright and happy. "I feel just like a scientist! Do I look cute?"
Mrs. Kondo let out a soft chuckle, and ruffled her hair,. "Of course you look cute. And, you don't just look like a scientist; you're on your way to becoming one."
"Yay!" Himiko cheered at the praise, and wrapped her arms around the teacher, snuggling into her belly. "Thank you, Mrs. Kondo!"
The woman hesitated, but then hugged Himiko back, careful not to squeeze too tight. "You're welcome, Toga. Now, you should probably be headed out, shouldn't you? You aunt is probably waiting for you."
Instantly, Himiko's stomach dropped.
Aunt Iku.
And… and it was friday.
There was a very specific reason she didn't want to leave after class, and it wasn't just to talk to Mrs. Kondo.
"... Can I stay with you for just a bit longer?"
The teacher smiled sadly, running her fingers through Himiko's hair. "I'm sorry, but I have work to do. But I can read with you on monday, if you'd like."
… That wasn't why Himiko wanted to stay.
But… But she couldn't avoid Aunt Iku forever.
She couldn't avoid the doctors forever.
She bit her lip, but reluctantly pulled out of the teacher's embrace.
"... O-okay. Bye, Mrs. Kondo. See you on monday."
If the doctors didn't decide to keep her longer.
)ooOoo(
The silence of early morning was broken.
Not by the light twittering of birdsong, nor engines rumbling. It was far too early for either of those, the sun still having at least another hour before it rose.
No, the morning silence was instead broken by a radio clicking on.
"Good morning, everyone, this is Kobayashi Takashi, your morning host for NHK-FM Shizuoka!" The man's voice dripped with confidence and positivity, a tone of voice Izuku would often attempt in the shower when no one could hear him. "Thank you for tuning into today's five-thirty broadcast, where we'll tell you everything you need to know about the news, the weather, and the markets! Today's forecast is nice and cool, with clear skies and a high of twelve degrees."
Izuku groaned, listening to the host's voice but not understanding a word coming out of the radio alarm clock. He was talking about… the stock market, or something. He tried to pluck out individual words, but his brain was slow and sluggish as though every conscious thought had to wade through layers of black, swampy exhaustion. His limbs felt like lead and his eyes might as well have been plastered shut. Every part of him moaned that it was too early, that he hadn't slept enough. But he couldn't accept that.
He had stayed up late, but that was no excuse. School still started at eight, and he still had a workout. Heroes didn't help people by doing what was 'required,' they helped by going beyond. U.A.'s modo was 'Plus Ultra,' for All Might's sake!
So he was going to get up on the count of three.
One…
Two…
Three!
Nothing moved.
… Three!
Once again, nothing moved. He was a stone statue, snuggled into a nest of blankets to hide from the icy cold. Izuku sighed, wrapping the blankets tighter around him. He just wanted to…
… Maybe just for a bit longer…
His breathing began to slow, his entire body thanking him as he slipped back into unconsciousness' warm, dark embrace.
It felt…
… Good…
… Nice...
… And comfortable…
… And…
… And get up!
Izuku grasped, his eyes flicking open as he dragged himself to consciousness.
Remember why!
He wants to help people!
And to help people, he needs to be a hero!
And to be a hero, he needs to get into U.A.!
So get your butt in gear, deku!
He threw the blanket off of him in one fell swoop, and practically rolled off the bed. His bare feet slapped against the frozen wooden floor, and his entire body functioned off of muscle memory, fumbling to find every object he needed without needing any more light than that provided by his alarm clock.
Sweatpants… ankle socks… long sleeved shirt… He slipped them on as quickly as he could, already shivering in the frigid winter air. His teeth chattered, and he grabbed his scarf off of the door hook, wrapping it around his neck. He understood why mom did it, but… would it really be that bad to turn on the heater at night? Yes, electricity was expensive, but if this was how could he felt, he couldn't even imagine what it was like for Himiko. He grabbed his phone and earbuds, stepping out of his room and slipping down the hallway as quietly as he could.
As soon as he reached the kitchen, he flicked the lights on, and set about his breakfast. Plug in the rice cooker, flick on the stove. Put the pan on high, and the soup pot on low. Crack a few eggs and cook them along with the ham. Such a regular routine, Izuku could probably do it with his eyes shut.
… Not that he should try. He chuckled to himself. That would probably only end with a set of burnt eggs and a blaring smoke detector.
A weak sigh tugged at Izuku's lips as he set about his work, just the small, weary sort. They were always having issues like that, with money. And Dad wasn't really helping. Technically, he was, but… well, a hundred thousand yen a month was only so much. It covered maybe half of their rent? Just over, probably. Really, that's even more reason to aim for U.A.; when he starts high school, he'll have tuition to pay, and that will mean tightening the belts even more. But U.A. offered grants to all of the students enrolled in the hero course, and that would mean so much to his mom. More than anything, though, Izuku just wanted to see his dad again.
… 'Again' was a strong word. Izuku couldn't even remember the man's face. If he really tried… No, he had nothing. Izuku scowled, an egg sizzling as he flipped it over. He was in central China, and had been for years. And a lot of his salary had to go to his end, renting his own house and such. At least, that's what Dad had told Mom.
Izuku had never spoken with him.
The green-haired boy shook his head, and scooped the food onto his plate. He set it on the table, along with a bowl of rice and a set of chopsticks. Giving the soup one last lookover, he sat down at the table, and quietly scooted in his chair, careful not to make much noise.
"Thank you for the food." Whispering to no one in particular, he silently clapped his hands together, and began to eat. He set his phone on the table, and switched on one of his podcasts, careful to keep the volume low.
"Heya, heya, everybody! This is Shichiro-"
"And Asako!"
"- And we're happy to welcome you back to our weekly podcast, 'Hero Code,' the show where we discuss and explain hero law, both the basics for aspiring heroes, and new developments for all you veterans out there! Today, we're very lucky to have the rising star, Mount Lady herself, to help us discuss the issue of property damage, and how you can deal with it as a hero!"
Izuku quirked an eyebrow at the irony of their choice of guest, but supposed it made sense. A lot of the content for the show was how to work around the laws, rather than how to follow and work with them. And, in that regard, Mount Lady would probably be quite knowledgeable. Since Izuku had started keeping track a few months ago, the pro hero had managed to dodge… Two? No, three separate property damage cases. Izuku scowled, and shook his head. The entire culture surrounding heroes, it was such a mess. But, if he wanted to fix it, he had to know the system inside and out. So, as he ate, he listened closely, mentally taking notes on the legal loopholes that needed to be sewn shut.
The city woke as the sun rose, a rising symphony that very few got to enjoy from the beginning. And Izuku got to watch through the window as he ate, with dark blues giving way to the cool purples and soft pinks of sunrise. It was such an odd time of day, where he felt so totally alone, but not in a bad way. He wasn't stranded alone on the island that was his mind, but rather, was like a monk alone in his temple, completely in balance as he went about his tasks.
Well, he might've been, if not for one thing.
Only a few paces away, there was a particular blonde. Curled up on the sofa, she was so tightly wrapped in her comforter that she looked like a cloth cocoon with a blond wig. Even in the dark, it was an amusing sight. But that wasn't what was distracting.
No, the distracting part was that she snored like a seventy-year-old man.
Despite himself, Izuku chuckled warmly as he looked at her. Even when she was asleep, she was loud. Not to mention, she looked like a messy ball of knotty blond fluff. He knew it wasn't cute, not in the conventional, 'pretty and pink' way. But it was adorable in the same, unorthodox way the girl always was. In fact, if she had looked any other way while sleeping, it actually would've felt wrong. For just a moment, he just sat there watching, a soft smile on his face.
There was a long, tired groan and the pile of covers shifted. A set arms poked out, stretching as the girl yawned and sat up, pushing the covers off of her chest.
"Good morning!" Izuku tapped his phone, a comfortable smile on his face as he paused the podcast. "Did you sleep well?"
"Mm-hm!" Himiko took in a deep breath, and rolled the stiffness out of her shoulders. Her hair was undone, falling down to her shoulders in a few knotted strands, and she had one of Mom's old T-shirts thrown on her as a set of pajamas. "What about you, Izu-kuuun?"
"Ah, w-well," Izuku's smile became quite forced, his eyes drifting towards the floor. "I stayed up a little late."
Himiko giggled, giving her companion a knowing smile. "Whatcha reading about this time?" Pushing herself up, she slipped on a pair of slippers and cheerfully began folding her covers, a morning ritual she had developed over the past few weeks.
"Oh, the, uh, the American Civil Rights Movement." Izuku fumbled for a moment, trying both to remember what he was reading, and pick up one of the eggs on his plate.
Plopping down across from Izuku, the blonde rested her chin on one hand and cocked her head, a curious smile spreading across her face. "Ooh, that sounds interesting! What was it?"
"Uh, well…" Izuku clicked his chopsticks together, his eyes focused intensely on his rice as the gears in his mind began to spin. There was a lot of content to explain, and almost none of it was common knowledge; after all, this had happened decades before even quirks were discovered. He was more or less confined to the very basics, the most important details. So where did he start? He mulled it over for a moment, too busy organizing the thoughts inside his head to look up. "So, up until about two hundred years ago, the United States used to have a system in some of its states a lot like apartheid, held together by what were called Jim Crow laws. So for example, there were some places only allowed people of one race, like restaurants and schools, while some laws made it illegal for people of different races to get married. It took a lot to change."
"That sounds just…" Himiko's curious smile fell, her gaze laced with concern. "... Awful."
"Huh?" Izuku's green gaze darted up, confused. What did she mean, awful? Of course it changed, it would've been awful if it hadn't- wait, she meant the system was awful! Understanding dawned in his eyes, and he smiled sheepishly. "Oh, um… Y-yeah, it was. But anyways, the really interesting part was how it was changed! It was changed, and lot of it peacefully! There were violent groups, like the Black Panthers, but there were also movements that reformed the system by using methods like civil disobedience and boycotts. For example, there was a man named Martin Luther King Jr., and in 1963, he wrote this fascinating essay, despite being in jail at the time! It talked about the moral duty to disobey unjust laws, which was fascinating! This was in direct contrast to the writings of Malcolm X in his autobiography."
"Malcolm X?" Himiko watched closely, and Izuku could see the sharp edge of her cold, scientific curiosity. "Who was that?"
Izuku caught himself, stilted by the interruption. But then, his smile spread even wider, like he had just remembered a very important and exciting detail. "Oh, he was the spokesman for the Nation of Islam, and a prominent leader of the Civil Rights movement in general! Many people use him as a foil of comparison for Martin Luther King Jr., but really, I find him far more interesting to study as a unique person, completely separate from King. For example…" He continued to explain, discussing smaller and smaller details as he veered off to describe the intricacies of increasingly tangential events and people, from the social programs run by the Black Panthers to the similarities between Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela. The information poured out of him, an endless waterfall of fascinating people and stories, no different than the times he spent hours telling Mom about All Might. And all the while, Himiko listened intently, poking and prodding for details with the boundless curiosity of a child. He would explain something, and she would ask another question, drawing him yet further from his original topic.
Izuku was rambling. He was rambling, and he knew it. And whenever he did that, most people would tune out, or tell him they had to do something, and try and escape. He would always be left halfway through his explanation, dozens of words and ideas he wanted to share left unspoken. He would be left alone, with too many thoughts in his head, and no one interested enough to share them with. He was a dusty old book, full of stories no one wanted to read.
But Himiko had decided to open that book, reading page after page with the same level of curiosity and enthusiasm. And, for Izuku…
Well, it was everything. He smiled as he talked, his chest warm and light as he continued to explain every minute thing that came to mind, organized in such a chaotic way that only him and perhaps the blonde across the table could make any sense of it.
"... But that was completely unrelated to what I was reading about last night; instead, I was reading about the Greyhound Boycott, and the Freedom Riders that I was talking about earlier! So…" He paused for a moment, catching his breath as he tried to find any other thread of ideas to explain. But, much to his satisfaction, he came up empty handed. "... Yeah, that's what I was reading about last night."
Himiko rubbed her chin, an intrigued smile on her face as she thought. He could see the questions in her eyes, the insatiable curiosity that wanted to engorge itself on every detail. She opened her mouth to speak, but then paused, reconsidering. After just a brief moment, she giggled, and Izuku could see the teasing gleam in her sunflower-yellow eyes. "... So, Izu-kun, when did you get to bed?"
Izuku's smile dropped, quickly replaced by a bright red blush. He ducked his head, and fiddled listlessly with his chopsticks, avoiding her prying eyes. Taking a deep breath, his voice was barely more than a whisper, as though he was hoping she wouldn't hear.
"... O-one…"
Please don't make a big deal!
Please let this slip one time!
He knew he needed to get his rest, but sometimes he couldn't resist!
There were a few tense beats of silence, and Izuku tried pointlessly to swallow his embarrassment. But Himiko just laughed, ruffling his hair as she stood up from the table. "Be careful, or else, you're gonna burn out! And we can't let that happen, can we? Is breakfast ready?" She stepped past him, casually wandering into the kitchen.
Oh, thank All Might, she changed the topic! Izuku let out a tense breath, and nodded. "Y-yeah, and you can make yourself eggs, too."
"Okay!" The girl rummaged through the fridge, grabbing everything she needed before starting her breakfast. For a moment, she paused, as though something was very wrong.
"Uh… T-Toga, what is it?" Deep concern leaked into Izuku's voice, and he leaned forward, trying to see what the girl was staring at.
"... Izu-kun…" She chewed on her lip, a heavy aura falling over her like a black veil. "We're out of cheese for my omelet."
"Huh?" Izuku frowned, and pointed to the counter beside the stove. "No, it's right there."
Himiko's head whipped around, searching for her prey, and she caught sight of the bag of shredded cheese. "You!"
Both of them were silent, an odd pressure filling the air, as she stared with malice, as though the dairy had betrayed her.
And then, she cracked, bursting into laughter. Izuku tried to resist, but soon, he joined her, the two of them simply enjoying the sheer ridiculousness of the situation.
Soon, the two settled down, continuing on. Himiko made her omelet, a spring in her step, while Izuku picked at his breakfast, a relaxed smile on his face.
He had been so worried before, it seemed silly now. Whenever he had thought about it, his face would light up pink, and a myriad of embarrassing situations would fill his mind. But now, with their daily routine established, he couldn't help but feel happy. Himiko was part of his life now, no matter what happened.
Now, he just had to get into U.A.
Suddenly, a thought caught his attention, and Izuku glanced over to his companion. "You and Mom are going to the school today, right?"
"Hm?" Carefully, the girl extracted the omelet from the pan, placing it on her plate and rolling it up. She pressed down on it once, just making certain that it wouldn't try and escape. But immediately after it was deemed safe, her head shot up, her smile filled to the brim with excitement. "Oh yeah, just to grab the paperwork to register me! I'll finally get to go back to school! I'm really excited to meet my new classmates!"
She joined him at the table, and Izuku handed her a set of chopsticks. He scratched as his neck, a sheepish laugh escaping his lips. "Right as we're about to go to high school, too. Do you think you're ready for the application test?"
She blew on her omelet, licking her lips in childish anticipation as she cut it open. Popping a chunk into her mouth, she took a moment to chew, curling her bang around one finger as she thought. "... Well, I tried the high school's practice test last night, and I got ninety-eight on the science portion!"
Ninety-eight per-!
Izuku practically spat out his food, choking on a mouthful of rice. He slammed down the bowl, not even catching his breath. "That's amazing! And without studying at all?"
Himiko nodded happily. "Uh-huh!"
"Did you look over my textbook before hand?"
"Nope!"
"Use the internet?"
"Not at all!'
"... Can you help me study?"
Himiko giggled, undoubtedly amused by Izuku's reaction and quite pleased with herself. And she deserved it! A sixty was enough to pass, and Izuku struggled to hit eighty, even as a good student. Admittedly, he wasn't amazing as many others, but he was in the top twenty in his class as of last semester's finals.
Himiko was amazing. There was no other word for it. Or, at least no other word that could say it all at once. She could probably go to one of the better science magnet schools, or get into-!
Izuku's thoughts screeched to a halt.
"... But, are you really wanting to go to Musutafu Senior High?" He frowned, his voice low and timid.
Himiko cocked her head, taking another bite of her breakfast. "Are there other high schools around here?"
Izuku shifted in his seat, trying to formulate his words into a recommendation. "W-what I mean is, you should aim for U.A."
Himiko furrowed her eyebrows, as though he had just asked her to go wash her socks in a nearby river. Harmless, but also pointless. "Why?"
"You could definitely get into the support course, and probably the hero course if you wanted!" The words tumbled out of his mouth, an unorganized mess of sound. How do you explain to a bird they should try and fly? It always came to them so naturally, the idea of them not understanding seemed impossible to even imagine, let alone explain. Some people were practically born to be heroes, and Himiko was one of them! "You could be an amazing hero! Your quirk is powerful, and even without it, you're extremely skilled! I mean, even without a physical quirk, you're super fast and agile! You'd make a far better hero than me, and…"
Himiko's smile had fallen, becoming a soft shadow of her cheerful grin, and Izuku's words petered out. He had rushed in with too much energy, and quickly burned out, left with a sense of awkward regret. She spun her chopsticks in her hand, just like how she did with her knife, and her eyes followed his.
Pale yellow, like the dead leaves of autumn.
Slitted, and thin as a stiletto knife's blade.
Fundamentally different from his.
Finally, Himiko spoke up. "... Izu-kun, I don't want to be a hero."
Izuku silently nodded, his throat tight.
"I've told you, I don't like heroes."
He nodded again, refusing to meet her eyes.
Izuku knew. He had known for months. She had told him that day, as they sat together in his room. But…
But he knew she could be one. She could be one of the best. And, in some small crevice at the back of his mind, he had already constructed a dream.
Toga Himiko and Midoriya Izuku. The shapeshifter, and her dependable partner. Top heroes, changing the very definition of what it meant to save people.
… It was just a dream. A fantasy. But, he had thought… he had thought, maybe it could come true.
He was wrong, though. If she didn't want to be a hero, then that was that. There was nothing else to say.
Izuku fiddled with his fingers, his mind uncomfortably still. Only one question lingered, so he tossed it out, hoping to fill the silence.
"... What do you want to be?"
Himiko rested her hand in her palm, taking a moment to think. Then she smiled, just like she always did. "A health science researcher."
"Really?" Izuku gave her a questioning look, popping the last of his egg in his mouth. Of all the things he had expected to hear, that wasn't it. He had been expecting… Well, now that he thought about it, he honestly had no idea. At the thought, guilt tugged at his heart. He had never even asked, had he?
"Is that weird?" Himiko pouted, far too dramatic to be serious, before giggling.
"N-no, not really!" Izuku sputtered out his denial, but quickly caught himself. "Just… surprising. Why do you want to be a researcher?"
"Hm…" She shifted her head to one side, and then the other, chewing as she came to her conclusion. "Well, probably because of my dad."
"You dad?"
"Uh-huh!" Her smile bloomed even larger at the mention of her dad, not unlike the smile she had when Mom had first broken the news to her. Big, and warm, and happy. "He was a nurse, and had all these books about biology in our apartment. They were too hard for me, since they were mostly his old textbooks, but sometimes, if I asked, he'd read them to me! Oh, and when I was really little, he had gotten me this kids' book on the human body, with cartoony pictures of all the cell types. It wasn't particularly accurate, but I loved reading it!"
"Huh…" Izuku listened closely, careful to archive the information within his mind. Hearing Himiko talk about her family… It was so odd, just because she rarely mentioned them at all, let alone in any detail. In many ways, the girl was still a mystery to him; he was a detective who had only discovered a few sparse pieces of the puzzle, and had yet to even figure out how to fit them together. He had so much to learn about the girl, but the more he learned about her…
Well, the more he came to love her.
Despite the hot blush on his face, he smiled, a soft and warm gesture. "I'm sure you can do it."
"Thank you Izu-kun! Let's both try our best!" Himiko grinned, and gave him a big thumbs up. But then she opened her mouth, as though she had just remembered something. "Oh, can I go with you today?"
"Go with me?" Izuku cocked his head.
Himiko nodded, beaming with energy. "Yeah, on your jog!"
"Really?"
"Yep! I thought it might be fun!"
Her joining him on the jog? He hadn't even considered it, but… he didn't mind the idea one bit. Maybe she'd never be a hero, but to be with her…
Well, in some ways, that was probably enough.
"Sure!"
"Yay! Can I borrow your jogging pants?"
"W-what?! N-no, I'm, uh… I'm pretty sure they won't fit..?"
"Well, I can solve that! Come here!"
"Huh? What do you me- W-woah, Toga, what are you doing?!"
"Don't worry, it won't hurt too much! It's only a little bite!"
A/N: G'afternoon, everyone! This chapter is a bit shorter than usual, sorry about that! Hopefully getting it out a day early makes up for that. Just a bit of domestic life, the quiet before the storm.
With only the worst of intentions,
Imp the Nefarious
AO3:
Thespectaculareight: The wording gives it a dark poetry vibe, eh?
… Well, apparently my normal methods of speech make me sound like I'm reciting dark poetry. I'm not sure how to feel about this.
FFN:
LordGhostStriker: Shoe drop? What? No, I would never do that! Everything is going to turn out 100% ok for every character, and they're definitely going to live happily ever after! *cackles maniacally*
Thor94: Thank you, I'm glad that you're enjoying this. However, I do have some bad news in regards to your other request. I do not plan on having any smut scenes within this fic. Does that mean no sex scenes? No, I'm not going to say that. But any sex scene that I do have is undoubtedly going to be presented in a far more "emotional" than "sexual" manner. This is mostly because 1. I have no faith in my ability to write smut, 2. I don't want that to be the focus of the story. If you're wanting a fic like that, that's perfectly fine, but you're unlikely to find it here. There are already quite a few like that, or, should you want to, write one on you're own. Feel free to even use CATLT as a template, should you desire! I apologize if this comes as a disappointment to you, but I feel that, as an author, I should be upfront about that.