bakerstreet | They may bear their teeth to all the world, but never to you

Entry tags:

[meme] shipping

They may bear their teeth to all the world, but never to you

S T R A Y
shipping meme

Taking in strays is, all in all, an understandable vice. The dips in between their ribs, those large and forlorn eyes, they can help you forget the claws and the teeth and the danger lurking beneath fur. But the habit's a knife edge; your efforts may not be rewarded with kindness (animal instincts aren't discretionary) and you may get bit despite what you've overlooked. A stray doesn't care about pity. All it can know is survival.

These warnings apply to strays of the more human(oid) sort, too.

But what may even more perilous with this type than any drawn blood is what you can get when they grow to trust you. You can earn their undying loyalty...or their love. Either from such a wild thing is a precarious path to go down, if you allow yourself to do it.

Comment with your character, preferences, desired roles, etc.
Reply to others.
Thread!

ＰＲＯＭＰＴＳ

ғɪɴᴅɪɴɢ — Who's that? They're no ordinary passersby! Were they in an accident? Are they foreign? ...should you approach them?

ʀᴀɪɴ, ʀᴀɪɴ, ɢᴏ ᴀᴡᴀʏ — The elements make this night no time to sleep out of doors.

ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛᴏ ʜᴇᴀʟᴛʜ — Cuts, broken bones, injuries all of sorts...you have to stitch them back up, then make sure they don't get any

ɢᴏᴏᴅ ɢᴜᴇsᴛ — It's all you can do to show gratitude to the person who took you in. Fix them a meal, care for their house, whatever you can do once you're able.

ʙᴀᴅ ɢᴜᴇsᴛ — FUCK THIS PERSON AND FUCK THEIR COUCH. You didn't ask to be brought here. Let them clean up after you, you don't even care.

ᴡʜᴏ ᴀᴍ ɪ? — How you got into this situation is a mystery. Even more of a mystery is your identity, and why the person you were would be so displaced.

sᴇʟғʟᴇssɴᴇss —

ʟᴇᴀʀɴɪɴɢ — If you've been injured badly enough or can't remember all too well, you might have to relearn a good deal. Luckily, you have a helping hand.

sᴄᴀʀs — Scars from the encounter that lead you here or scars from prior, you don't want them to see either. You still have your secrets to keep.

sᴛᴜʙʙᴏʀɴ — Ugh, your house guest is so stubborn! They always get up when they should be resting, have the worst habits, and completely disrespect your home! You'll get to them, one way or another. Or you'll throw them out. You don't want to, but you will.

ᴄᴏᴍғᴏʀᴛ — Bad memories or nightmares wreck you; your host and nurse comes to your side unexpectedly.

ᴄᴜʟᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴄʟᴀsʜ — The person who's taken you in is from a different culture or lifestyle than you, and adapting is harder than you thought.

ᴄʀᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ ғᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇ — Think learning about a new culture is hard? Try being a different species. Can you keep your little eccentricities at bay for the good of your station?

ᴊᴇᴀʟᴏᴜsʏ — Now that your emotions towards your caretaker/host/jailer are softening, you're finding yourself unusually jealous of those in their life who were close to them before.

ɴᴇᴡ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴠɪᴛɪᴇs — You never thought you'd have fun after all that's happened, yet such simple gestures as a picnic or a movie make all the difference.

ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ — You love them, this person who's taken you in or this person you've found. It's not a pity or a thankfulness, it's love, and you know that now. What you choose to do with this information is

ʜɪsᴛᴏʀʏ — Suddenly, the person who's been so nice to you finds out that the two of you have a history. You killed their loved ones or caused something terrible. How can they forgive you?

ᴘʀᴏᴛᴇᴄᴛ — So much has been done for you. The least you can do in return for the one who helped you at your lowest is make sure they never have such a low point.

ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀ ᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴋɴᴏᴄᴋɪɴɢ — Anyone in the way of getting to you will be destroyed, and that includes the person you're staying with.

ʟɪᴠᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇᴍ — You've been given a home, maybe which you've never had before. You don't want to leave.

ʀᴏᴍᴀɴᴄᴇ — Not only are you living with them, but you're starting a proper life with them.

ʀᴇᴠᴇᴀʟ — All secrets are laid out on the table. You've decided to tell about your past and what lead you here.

ʀᴇᴠᴜʟsɪᴏɴ — What you've done and who you are is so heinous, they want nothing more to do. You're to leave their home and leave them alone.

ᴀᴄᴄᴇᴘᴛᴀɴᴄᴇ — It doesn't matter what they've done. You've opened your home and your heart to them, and nothing's changed.

ᴘᴀʀᴛɪɴɢ — All things must come to an end. No matter what you feel for each other, it's time to leave. Hopefully, you'll see each other again.

ʜᴀᴘᴘɪʟʏ ᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴀғᴛᴇʀ — Come what may, you've decided to stay at your new home with the person you love. Now, it's safe enough to do so.

ᴡɪʟᴅᴄᴀʀᴅ

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only | Expand All

[There's a moment where that sharpness seems to cut, a moment of surprise. He had never for a second placed any blame on All Might for what had happened. He's left for a moment to process and, as he does, it doesn't make him feel chagrined. His hand, still flat against the table, tenses up.]

I'm a hero. I've accepted that my job puts my life on the line. You don't have to shield me. [He can't even muster any sympathy for what the other was feeling. That guilt hinges on the idea that he was something to be protected. They were all things to be protected. With an identity hinged around that, it was bound to come crashing down at some point, especially under forcible retirement. That fact creeps back into his awareness at the cough.]

[Without really thinking about it, he shifts closer, a hand out to warily check after the other. That hand is pulled back to his side at the question.]

That's how you see it? [The questioning edge to it is very soft. He stops, puts his hand up to his mouth, and only continues after taking a moment.]

I see. From that perspective, I must seem completely irrational.

[He shakes his head -- he does have to shield him, if he can. Every hero, every person around him, that's what he's devoted his life to. But more than that, he can't bare being the reason behind... No. He's taken too many risks lately, joining U.A. He needs to be more careful. He's terrified, more than anything, that someone will attack because of him now -- and he'll be de-powered, weak, unable to lift a finger to protect those he's come to care for. There's nothing worse than being a hero and then -- being a civilian under the guise of one. Not because of what it does to him, but because of all the lives he can no longer keep out of harm's way.

Every day since the fight with All for One has been exhausting. But.

He will be cross with himself, if he ever gave in to that mental weariness.]

Ah.... Well... Yes.

Completely irrational.

Ridiculous, really.

Contrary. Self-torture.

Total nonsense.

[should he go on or]

[no, he gets it, thanks]

Dealing with you is certainly its own form of torture. [He'll agree with that, face pulled back in a bit of a grimace. He can say that with complete seriousness and that's part of why it's so easy to just assume that's it. If the surface level is disdain and dislike, why go any further?]

It stands that if I were a rational person who hated you, I wouldn't ever force myself into your hospitality. I should avoid you at all costs, right? I shouldn't push the limits of tolerance like this. [He sighs loudly, letting his hand drop back down to his side.]

So, All Might-san. Which one is more likely? That I'm acting entirely irrationally... or that I've never hated you?

... I wouldn't say hate...

[He glances away, rubbing his hand on his inner shirt -- they're all still too big for him, because he's always had to worry about ripping them. Even now, he's not sure he can change that little fashion tick.]

... I just... am not sure why you subject yourself to frustration.

[He looks at him, this time more curious than anything.]

Especially if fanmail gets you this wound up.

Then take it a step further. [He meets that curious stare and holds it for a moment. The wheels in his head were clearly turning. He might not have intended for the conversation to turn this way, towards himself, but he was anything if not adaptable.]

I've never even disliked you. [He can't say it directly, of course, so it's more a trail of bread crumbs to his true feelings.] I hold the hero, All Might, in great respect. When I was younger, I might have written such a letter. [That's where he pauses to glance away.]

Yagi-san is much more frustrating. [This last year has been a frustrating mess, a flurry of changes. It would have been so much easier to only know the other on a professional basis; to not feel as if he had some responsibility over a man known as the Symbol of Peace. To not have a strong feeling either way about that symbol disappearing and what remained.] Although, I suppose he's never received a confession through fanmail.

[If poor Aizawa is doing his best to direct this conversation toward a truer path of honesty, neither All Might nor Toshinori Yagi pick it up -- or rather, they find things in it that lead them in a different direction entirely. Some measure of guilt and inward disappointment flashes on his features. He's felt it many times before, and he'll certainly feel it a lot more now -- the sensation that he can't be what people need from him.

Or the people on the street who aren't aware of what he looks like now, or before his disguise had been ousted, who look at him and see a creepy 'living skeleton'. He rubs the back of his neck and tries to figure out how to respond.]

A-Aa... I'm... sorry I can't be that hero.

[He's a small smear of blood on his lip, abandoned and missed.]

I can only be... frustrating me.

But if you and the school give me a chance, I will try to live up to any expectations required of me. And -- earn your respect, Aizawa-kun.

Edited (oopsie doopsie!!!) 2017-10-29 06:06 (UTC)

[His focus snaps back. There, he's misspoken again. He can already hear a chorus of chiding in his mind from anyone who's gotten close enough to call him a friend. "Eraser, you need to be more honest!" Hell if he does, he's made it through 30 years like this, he can survive the rest of the conversation.]

Don't put words in my mouth. [Quickly, flatly, irritated despite the fact he'd pretty much handed Toshinori the words and held his mouth open for them.] Although if you'd like to be more cooperative in keeping a safe distance from the practical lessons, that will spare me a heart attack or two.

[He pauses to pinch to bridge of his nose, again, only showing the signs of a foul mood and not the concern beneath it.]

... frustrating you is fine. I've started to prefer it.

[All Might bows his head, shoulders shaking minutely, suddenly, and it almost looks downright painful, like the aches of something held inside that is struggling to bubble to the surface--]

[--and what follows is a sudden burst of boisterous laughter, head tipped back, and although it must clearly hurt to laugh that hard, he's unable to really stop himself; consider it cough-laughing, a sort of sandpapered sound of pure amusement, and he clasps a hand over his sore abdomen and finds he doesn't quite mind this sort of pain at all.]

Preferred -- !!

We're the worst -- opposites...!! How did we even...!!

[... BLERGHK--

OH, YEAH, OVERDID THE JOVIAL LAUGHTER.]

... cough...

You're a strange one, Aizawa-kun.

[There's that tenseness, for a moment, wondering what he said now to trigger this reaction.]

[He didn't want to backpedal on the practical lesson bit, since the other's safety was far more important than any pride or remnants of hero responsibility. Or was it another issue with his body? Was it just so bad to prefer the person in front of him to some blown-up media image?]

[Oh. It's just laughter.]

[followed by blood, great]

[It's finally enough to seem to overcome whatever boundaries Aizawa was trying to maintain. Instead of hovering just outside the realm of worrying and fretting, at some point in that he rested his hand on the other's shoulder in case he needed to be steadied. Then, once the moment was over, he let it stay there, a bit closer than he was before.]

Was it really so funny?... [It's said more as a admonishment of the excessive laughter. He knows exactly why it's so funny. A part of that probably fueled the whole conversation in the first place. All Might could look fondly at love letters from fans, defend them from any perceived insult, but even him saying "I like you better this way" was the kind of thing to pull almost-literally gut-busting laughter.]

[That's sort of what he expected, though. There's the slightest change in his expression, the corner of his lip quirking up in a wry smile.]

You're right, though. We're the worst, opposites... I can't find myself disagreeing with anything you've said. [Including the fact he's strange. He's known that about himself for a long enough time.]

[He gives the hand on his shoulder a friendly pat, letting his coughs settle into his other fist. But despite the small discomfort, he's appeased, eased from that heavier and more intimate sort of conversation about -- well. Him. Him and his state, or the future, or his hero's past.]

Ah, something we can agree on!

This is truly groundbreaking.

[Let it be known, All Might can be a sassy little shit when given an opening.]

... You know, Aizawa-kun, I could always send you a fan letter and even the scales.

["Sassy little shit" is at least a language Aizawa speaks more fluently than sincerity. It lifted the mood of the room, as well, something he wasn't as accustomed to doing. The touch of All Might's hand to his convinces him to leave it a bit longer.]

A fan letter? [He wasn't expecting that and it shows in the little way his eyes widen and how he just parrots the phrase back for a moment.] That's- [Not that there was anything strange about a fan letter. It wouldn't be like the kind that he'd gotten upset over. Still, it would be wrong to say he was uninterested. The idea, despite feeling stupid, did quickly latch itself to his thoughts.]

What would you say in a letter that you wouldn't say to my face? [It's a question in both literal and rhetorical sense. As much as there was a divide between them, he doesn't see any reason why All Might should be bashful saying anything about his own actions. That does bring up a burning curiosity that there might be a reason, though.]

It would be a waste of time. [he pulls his hand back, now, and brings it up to his neck despite the fact there's no capture cloth hanging there to be messed with.] ... I wouldn't stop you from doing it, though. [There it is, the absolute worst way in the world to say he's interested, he'd like to read that, the Aizawa Special of expressing only mild disdain instead of intense disdain.]

Hey now, you don't know what's a waste of time until time is actually wasted, right?

Besides, there's plenty that's easier to say in a letter.

[He chuckles to himself, picturing the thought of hunkering down and scribbling out a legitimate fan letter. Him, himself! He had never really thought to do such a thing in his life, despite having an interest in heroics at a pretty young age. He puts the fan mail back into his drawers, safe and sound, and looks over at Aizawa with a small and confident smirk.]

Just watch -- any day, you'll suddenly come across one. A bunch of your favorite nonsense from a grateful fan.

[There were definitely preemptive wastes of time, but... if he'd made up his mind, it wasn't Aizawa's place to change it. Not when he was actually interested in reading it.]

Is that so. [There it is again, that slightest quirk upwards of his lip, a barely imperceptible smile. Whatever the content of the letter, he'd probably be a bit happy. He'd have to make sure that, when that letter found its way to him, he read it somewhere out of the way. There were too many people in his life that, if they saw a sincere smile out of him, would worry for his mental and emotional health. When he speaks again it's a bit quicker than his more thoughtful, shorter sentences.]

Well, if you're going to waste your time writing it, please don't make it a waste of my time to read. Specific examples, proper handwriting, sincerity... If it's too generic, I'll just throw it out, you know. [he won't, he wouldn't, but the idea of it certainly matches his image when he was just trying to get rid of All Might's]

[He gives a thumbs up, ready to appease Aizawa's dreaded preferences.]

You can depend on me! Why?

Because I have plenty of sincerity and good marks from writing class!

[Save yourself, Aizawa. But time will indeed pass since this incident with the fanmail -- quite a bit of time, actually! Days, perhaps weeks, and the thought will likely vanish from the man's mind with the distance between. But Aizawa will suddenly find, as All Might leaves for personal business in the morning, an envelope leaning against the unlit candle on the dining table in the apartment.

TO ERASERHEAD, it says on the front, with a few cat stickers on the front and back.]

[The delay does at least influence one change in Aizawa's behavior. He'll stop rummaging through the other's desk. It would just be embarrassing to find some draft of a fan letter, right? Maybe it was egotistical in the first place to assume there would be multiple attempts to write such a thing. His own negative thinking gets to him as time passes, disguising itself as "rational" thought. Maybe All Might set down to write it and realized there wasn't too much to be said about Aizawa that couldn't be said of any hero.]

[That was how he thought about it, himself, though. And besides, there were plenty of other places to clean and pry. He could just end up organizing the ex-Number 1 Hero's closet or something.]

[Then, there is is. The presence near the candle makes him smirk a bit, like, ah good, it was conveniently placed to be burned. Not that the thought seriously crossed his mind. He picks it up and turns the envelope over in his hands, stopping to rub his thumb over one of the cat stickers. It's not like he ever intended to hide his interest in them. He just maybe feels a bit silly having that interest so blatantly indulged.]

[... Well, if it was left for him, he should read it before the other gets back. And it's just most efficient to read it right after he's found it. It's not like he's particularly excited to read it or anything. Why would anyone ever assume that.]

[And thus, upon opening the letter, it reads as follows:]

Edited (mild edits shh) 2017-11-08 07:48 (UTC)

[Aizawa reads over it carefully. The little niceties make him stop, exhale a small breath, something like exasperation but laced with fondness. Did he have to write out his "aaah"? Of course he did. Did he need three exclamation marks at the bottom? Of course he did. All those little details that Aizawa would find completely superfluous if writing something himself were nice when powered by someone with extreme sincerity.]

["In a way, you've made me a little better of a person." He wants to feel more happy about that. He wants to feel that bit of pleased embarrassment that, just maybe, he was somehow noticed even the year of his debut. He never wanted that, of course, and figured it was impossible with people like Kayama, Hizashi, and Tensei all coming out on the scene at the same time. He wants to be pleased that his diligence, in some way, inspired someone so great, someone his senior. Except for the fact that All Might pushing himself Plus Ultra had resulted in the deterioration of his health, forced retirement, and a legacy that inspired a new breed of villain. Couldn't he inspire more than that?]

[... maybe that was key to it. All Might was certainly in another place where he could be uncertain about the future. He still needed to see people keeping the pace, but- maybe it was a chance to do more. While he'd chosen to stay here mainly for his own selfish reasons, maybe he could make even the smallest change in how the other saw him. How to try and change it was a multiheaded hydra of a problem, along with what exactly he wanted... but it was an opportunity.]

[He flips the letter back closed, taking care to not put excessive pressure on the creases. He'd keep it. There will be a small note placed in return that says:]

["Thank you for your support. A proper letter to follow."]

[Returning alone to the apartment after a long day is always both pleasant and depressing all at once -- how that's possible, he's really not sure, but there's always been a sense of "why am I here, when I could be out there?" and worse yet, he's betrayed by the feeling of comfort. He can go lay down or work away the soreness in his joints, or just... not worry as much. As you can imagine, All Might struggles with two halves of the conundrum all the time.

But when he sees the small note where his letter used to be, he feels some strangely worrying anticipation. What if it's a sour note? He can imagine Aizawa placing a written explanation of how he burned the letter into ash or something more morbid, though he likes to think his unlikely roommate is kinder than most people realize.

A sigh of relief, and then a smile, as he reads the message.

Aaah. I'd always support you, my friend.

Heroes need to stick together, right?]

[Heroes need to stick together.]

[So, Aizawa sticks around. He's as busy as ever but whatever free time he has, he spends at the other's apartment. He rarely gets home before the other but he's usually up early. Now, did he sleep and wake up earlier or is he just awake? Who knows. There's at least a presence in the morning. The presence is a way of caring, as is the way that, slowly, over time, Aizawa seems to lose some of his hesitance to use touch. When he needs the other's attention, he'll touch his shoulder or tap in a way that could only be done through layers of awkwardness before. It's still Aizawa, in which the reasons he does it can seem distant, perplexing, or maybe malicious, but it's definitely there.]

[And the letter. Ugh, the letter. It's not a problem of putting words to paper. It's a problem of there being too many words. He never even lets the drafts make it inside the house. Once or twice he even went up to the rooftop to work on it while All Might was sleeping. When he's finally settled on something that sums it up, he knows two things: one, he absolutely has to give it to All Might and get a response and two, he wants to be nowhere nearby when the other reads it.]

[So, there's really only one time to give it. So, he waits. At some point, he realizes he's spent a solid two months leeching off All Might's good will. Which means the topic is brought up, without fanfare, one night, in-between the two of them exchanging commentary on some TV show.]

Ah, right. [he turns his attention from the screen] I'll be moving back tomorrow.

[It's about as sudden and abrupt when he asked to stay. And at an earlier point, he might have just turned back and left it at that. His gaze holds, instead, like looking for any reaction. He'd made up his mind about what he was doing, logically he shouldn't need any incentive or disincentive, and yet...]

[... Oh.

He is surprisingly -- surprised. Caught off guard, looking over with a slight widening of the eyes, a raise of the eyebrows. It's hard to say what it means at first -- pleasant surprise? Disappointment? He stares back until he realizes he's staring and offers a brighter smile instead.]

Finally, huh? That's... good! That's good.

[He looks at the television.]

I'm sure you've missed having your own personal space, aha, ha...

[Just a little laugh, there. Not really an All Might sort of roar of laughter, but Toshinori Yagi isn't really All Might anymore, now is he? Not like he used to be.

He still smiles even when he doesn't feel like it, though.]

no subject

1/2

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/3

no subject

no subject

[1/3]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

this is the cutest thing i've ever seen

he does his best

no subject

no subject