874Surprise update! I won't say much, but I think everyone can use a distraction right now. There's still a recap of the escape on Chapter 130, but you might want to just reread the whole fic.
Chapter 133
.:Reunions and Trust:.
The day had been quiet and peaceful for Mashirao, like most days spent in Odawara compared to their usual vigilante activity. Odawara was a "safe zone," an area where they agreed to hang up their costumes to just be regular runaway teens for a bit. They'd been pretty active recently, so some time off had been well-earned.
Mashirao had indulged himself in a rare lazy day, sleeping in and spending the afternoon enjoying the autumn colors in the woods of Odawara in solitude.
The silence had been pleasant up until his phone suddenly rang, the sharp notes of the unique ringtone for Anjou piercing through the woods.
The shrill noise startled him, along with a few birds who took off from the nearby trees. It took him a moment to fish his phone from his pocket, feeling unsettled at getting a call from the runaway network's coordinator. She almost never called anyone but Nakamura or Kabuto.
It was worse because that day was a school day, and she should be in class right now.
"Sun King Chicken," he greeted, using the cover name Neito had set up for his contact info. "Can I take your order?"
"Cut the code," Anjou hissed, her voice coming out strained and edged with panic. "Where's Misao?"
His stomach dropped at the reference to Hitoshi, his world grinding to a halt. "I don't know. We just got back last week, and he said he wanted to do his own thing today—"
"Fuck!" Her curse cut him off, and it only added to his mounting dread and horror.
"Nettmegg, what's going on? Why are you asking—"
"Misao just cut the link," she bit out, and everything shattered.
There are moments where the world seems to stop.
Moments where time freezes and everything vanishes, where the world narrows down to just a handful of individuals. Moments where everything changes, everyone present able to feel that permanent shift in momentum.
For three teenagers, this was one of those moments.
Two months, four days.
It had been two months and four days since Ojiro Mashirao and Monoma Neito's worlds had been shattered and one of their best friends vanished.
Sixty-five days of stomach-churning dread upon realizing he'd been captured, because otherwise he would never break the link.
Sixty-five days of agonizing searching for any hint of their friend's fate, of two boys' minds conjuring the worst case scenarios.
Sixty-five days of being locked away for the third, trapped and powerless and unable to even speak for a majority of it.
Sixty-five days, which had finally come to an end.
Even with Hitoshi right there, crushed under the combined weight of Mashirao and Neito, it barely felt real. They'd counted each day with mounting dread, their minds constantly conjuring the worst case scenarios. They obviously knew that Hitoshi was alive at the time he broke the link, but they didn't know about after that. The possibilities were agonizing.
For Hitoshi, he'd barely permitted himself to even dream of seeing his friends again. To think about what they might be doing as he withered away in a tiny cell, unable to mark the passage of time. He had never given up on escaping, but thinking about his best friends had hurt too much, felt too far away and fantasy-like. Touching them right now still felt like a dream, one he didn't want to wake up from.
Tears stung all three boys' eyes as they lay on the floor in a pile, limbs tangled around each other in a tight embrace. A shuddery gasp slipped out of Hitoshi as he let himself realize and acknowledge this was real, this was happening, the sound making his friends squeeze him even tighter.
Neito was the first to peel away from the tight huddle, lifting his head just enough to glare down at Hitoshi with wet eyes. "You are never going anywhere alone again," he growled, the stern edge to his words dampened by how his voice wobbled. That was enough to force out a choked laugh from the purple-haired boy, the sound bordering on a sob.
"Fuck, yeah, I don't want to go anywhere after this," he said, feeling the first true, genuine smile he'd had in what felt like years pull at his cheeks.
"Good, because you're grounded," Mashirao muttered, his face still half-buried into Hitoshi's chest. "Missed you so much, you asshole."
And that just got a new round of tears welling in Hitoshi's eyes, sniffling loudly as his vision blurred but unwilling to tear his arms from the embrace to wipe them away. "Missed you too," he wheezed, and that had them all pressing together even tighter as they all shook with barely repressed sobs.
While the trio could probably stay like that for hours, they weren't alone. Bakugou and Abyss stood awkwardly to the side, recognizing the significance of the reunion. Abyss knew the full story of course, having watched Tooru talk the two blond vigilantes out of doing anything reckless. Bakugou knew less but could still sense the history and emotional build-up leading to this moment. Anyone with eyes could see that.
He was also not one to linger on sentiment or sappy thoughts though, especially when there were more important things at hand. "Okay, glad you guys are back together or whatever, but we're still in the middle of a villain base!" he snapped.
And just like that, the moment broke, the world expanding once more.
The vigilante trio reluctantly untangled themselves and got up, finally wiping their eyes. "Right, we still have to get out of here," Neito muttered with a nod, turning to him. "I'm assuming you're Bakugou?"
"Yeah. Guessing you're pals with Eyebags?" He turned to Abyss as he asked, "How many people are involved in this shit now, anyway?"
"I don't have a number off the top of my head," he said with a shrug, before turning to the newcomers to add, "But you were supposed to be waiting outside."
"How the hell could we stay outside when there's someone else attacking this place?" Mashirao snapped irritably. "This could be our only chance!"
"Looking Glass agreed," Neito cut in smoothly, the name unfamiliar to Hitoshi and Bakugou. "She said they'd probably move to a new base after tonight. That's why you got them out, right?"
He shot Abyss a pointed look, and the pitch black boy huffed and crossed his arms. "Fine, you're right. But you have to be careful," he added in a hiss, eyes narrowing to slits as he glared at them. "No charging off and recklessly attacking the first villains you see!"
"Hey, they're not that reckless," Hitoshi defended with a frown.
Abyss was unmoved by his protest though. "When they heard you were here they wanted to come to Nabu without any plans. And then when others tried to stop them, apparently went on a rampage where they took down multiple people until they were subdued and tied up."
That had Hitoshi pause and turn to look at his friends in shock. Shock which only grew when neither denied it. "What the hell?" he blurted. That was drastically out of character for his two cool-headed friends.
"Sixty-five days, you idiot!" Mashirao hissed, crossing his arms with a scowl. "We've spent sixty-five days not knowing if you were even alive!"
"We may have gone a bit overboard, but we couldn't just sit around doing nothing after we finally got a lead," Neito added with a lofty shrug, while Hitoshi just stared.
"Look, you morons can hash this out after we're out of this shithole!" Bakugou cut in before the conversation could continue. "Abyss said whatever plans you guys originally had are fucked, and that was before he even knew you two were sneaking around, so what are the plans now? What's the deal with this Looking Glass person you just mentioned?"
That was enough to get everyone back on task. "We split up with Looking Glass and... the other one, to sneak in," Mashirao said after a beat, not really knowing what to call Uraraka. They hadn't exactly discussed codenames yet.
"We decided to break into the more familiar pairs," Neito added. "I refreshed Looking Glass's Quirk right before entering, and I can still use it for another..." He paused to check a watch on his wrist before saying, "six minutes. But I only have two hands."
"Hah?" Bakugou huffed, squinting at him in confusion since he didn't know anything about Neito's Quirk.
Hitoshi obviously did know, but didn't get why he mentioned the part about hands. "Lupin, what kind of Quirk is it?" he asked. Neito glanced at the door before stepping forward, the other boys instinctively leaning closer.
"An invisibility Quirk," he mouthed almost soundlessly, making Hitoshi and Bakugou's eyes widen. He continued a bit louder but still in a whisper, "It can work on other people if I touch them, but as I just mentioned, I only have two hands. So I can only use it on two people."
The explanation had Hitoshi's stomach both fluttering and churning, reflexively counting the group. Abyss had strongly hinted he'd be able to sneak around undetected just fine, but that still left three people. One of them would have to be left visible and exposed.
Logically, Hitoshi and Bakugou should be the priority for obvious reasons, but leaving Mashirao exposed gave the vigilantes a sinking feeling. He wore a bulky winter coat but it didn't really hide his tail, the shape distinct even while wrapped in a black sleeve one of the other runaways had given him. It made him stand out, and if any villains saw him wandering around seemingly alone, they'd likely remember him later and connect him to the attack or escape.
The five boys silently mulled over these facts before Abyss spoke up. "What about the others? Did you see... ugh, Yuki's brother?" He groaned quietly in frustration, really wishing they'd all set up proper codenames earlier.
"Briefly," Neito said. "We snuck in through a side door with Looking Glass and... Floaty Girl, I guess?" He glanced at Mashirao who shrugged, that was good enough. "And split up in opposite directions. We'd discussed how to split before entering, and Whiplash and I chose to head towards the sounds of the fighting since we know how to move fast, keep our heads down, and fight back if anything goes wrong. By the way, most of the fighting seems to be in the bar right now."
"We saw Yuki's brother on the way," Mashirao added. "He was running around the base peeking down hallways, I guess he left the bar to search for everyone. We didn't talk to him and just kept going since we had the time limit. Figured it'd be best to keep going this way in case no one else did yet." And he was so glad they had, allowing them to reunite with Hitoshi that much sooner.
Abyss nodded at the explanation. "I see. I understand your logic, but I wish you'd grabbed him. We suspected Midoriya would be locked far away from the prisoners, and we'll need help to move Eraserhead."
And at that moment, Hitoshi and Bakugou felt twin spikes of dread, the pair flashing each other wide-eyed looks of horror. "Fuck," Bakugou whispered, getting alarmed looks that quickly soured.
"Dammit, what is it now?" Mashirao groaned, sensing another roadblock.
"Eraserhead's.. gone," Hitoshi forced out, and the other three froze, their own eyes going wide.
"What?"
"Some idiot tried to attack him after Deku got locked up, and then Kurogiri warped him somewhere," Bakugou spat, snarling at the memory. "He didn't tell us where or anything, but that Toga chick said he's probably at Aiko's place."
And that had the three rescuers pale, even Abyss looking more gray than black at the information. They had limited knowledge of Aiko and Eraserhead, having only really been read into the situation just that day. Even Abyss had only gotten a brief overview. None of them had been present for the numerous discussions of how she'd invoked something like a flashback or had his goggles.
But even so, they knew Aiko was a threat.
And more importantly, they knew Aiko didn't live with the Alliance.
Abyss sucked in a sharp breath as he processed this, and turned to the door. "I'm going to find the others," he said sharply. "Can you all get out on your own?"
The group exchanged grim looks at the question. They'd still need one person to be left visible, exposed to anyone wandering the base. Even after they escaped, there was a chance of that person being seen and followed. It was far from ideal.
But a distant explosion from the direction of the bar reminded them that they were running against a very short clock. "Go," Mashirao said firmly. "We'll figure something out." Abyss nodded once and opened the door, slipping out and leaving the four alone. They stood in grim silence for a long moment, up until Hitoshi exhaled shakily.
"Alright, so what's the plan?" Hitoshi finally asked.
"Lupin uses his Quirk on you two, and I follow," Mashirao said.
And immediately, Neito and Hitoshi had turned to him with matching glares. "That is a bad idea," Neito growled. "You know your tail makes you stand out!"
"Yeah, but I'm the only one besides you who's not a prisoner!"
"That's even worse!" Hitoshi hissed. "They'll probably think you're with whoever broke in!"
Neito nodded. "He's right. Especially because we have to pass by the bar! You know, where people are fighting right now!"
"We don't have to," Bakugou suddenly cut in, reminding them of his presence. All three turned to see him standing next to the bookshelf, holding an open notebook and squinting at the pages. "It looks like there's some rooms with actual fucking windows between here and the bar, so we can just use those to get out."
"What?" Hitoshi asked blankly, and the blond scoffed.
"Eyebags, did you seriously forget Deku drew a map of this place? He even said he made back-ups just in case." He stepped forward and angled the notebook so they could see a drawing of the facility. It had been marked even more extensively than the floorplan Abyss had, Midoriya having used a blue pen to add notes absent from the one he'd previously shown them in his second journal.
Bakugou pointed to a room with a circled star. "Look, that's this room, right? And that's the bar." He pointed to a large room plainly labeled "bar," one of the few rooms on the map with an actual label. He then pointed to one of several rooms with a thin blue rectangle drawn along the external wall. "I'm betting these boxes are windows. Nerd put stars next to a couple of them, so I'm guessing they're the ones he thought would be big enough to fit through."
Hitoshi looked at it for a moment before slowly pressing a hand to his face. "How did we forget windows are a thing," he grumbled.
"Do you really think those windows can open, though?" Mashirao asked doubtfully. "This place used to be a hospital of some sort, right? Don't think they'd have windows that open big enough for people to escape."
And to that, Bakugou flashed a savage grin. "Who said anything about opening it?"
There was a pause as they processed that, and they slowly nodded.
Why bother with stealth when there was already plenty of fighting going on?
Elsewhere, Ochako and Tooru were racing down the halls with hands tightly clutched together in a death grip. They didn't have a map or anything to guide them, could only run and hope they got lucky. This had to be one of the dumbest moves possible, everyone left with no way of communicating with each other and basically hoping it worked out, but their time was too limited to come up with a better plan.
They'd already gotten lucky that they were able to sneak into that side door, left wide open while the noumu continued to beat up the guards and the few people who'd come to investigate the noise. Sneaking past that beat-down had been nerve-wracking, all too aware of how dangerous the noumu was. Running through the halls aimlessly wasn't much better.
Shouts rang from all over the base, most coming from behind them, and they had to move out of the way of running people more than once. The fighting seemed to be spreading and moving away from the original points based on the noise, some of the sounds now dangerously closer to them. It just added to the sense of urgency and hastened their frantic pace.
On the bright side, the noise meant they didn't need to worry too much about being overheard.
"These are all bedrooms," Ochako hissed as they darted down a hall, several of the doors left open to reveal glimpses of messy rooms. The furniture and decorations varied, but they all looked fairly average. "We all agreed that Shigaraki wouldn't keep Deku near other people, right?"
"Yeah, definitely," Tooru confirmed. "If he's, like, super protective, he'd probably keep him somewhere else until the episode ends. Especially after those guys attacked sensei!"
Ochako groaned quietly at the confirmation, feeling her agitation rise. "You saw that map before giving it to Abyss, didn't you? Where do you think he'd be?"
"I don't know!" Tooru whined. "I don't even know where we are! The halls all look the same! Mental maps are other-Tooru's thing, not mine!" Which felt almost weird to say, since Tooru had so far tapped into her counterpart's skills and knowledge the most of all the jumpers. Hints of her counterpart's influence kept slipping out, to the point the lines between the two seemed blurred.
So for this to be the one aspect she couldn't access was massively inconvenient.
Still, Ochako bit back the urge to whine and complain. It wasn't Tooru's fault after all, and moaning about how difficult this was wouldn't change anything. The sounds of distant fighting and yelling, though not quite as distant anymore, reminded her that they didn't have time to bemoan their luck. "There's a second floor, right?" she whispered. "Maybe he's up there?"
"Oh, maybe!" Tooru audibly perked up. "It's easier to secure other floors because you can block access to stairs, so a bunch of organizations only have important stuff on higher floors. And in a lot of villain organizations the boss and executives like to stay in separate areas from the regular grunts so they feel special, and Shigaraki totally seems like the kind of boss to avoid grunts. I totally bet he'd keep Izuku up there!"
See that? That was definitely some of other-Tooru bleeding through. It was very helpful, and also made her inability to keep track of where to go even more aggravating. Ochako pushed down the complaint to ask, "Okay, any chance you know where the stairs are?"
"Not a clue!" came the cheerful reply, and Ochako... only slightly wanted to scream. Slightly.
In the brief silence after that remark though, she noticed a new noise over the distant din of violence: footsteps.
Loud and quick footsteps moving their way.
The girls froze and instinctively held their breaths and fell quiet as they pressed against the wall. This wasn't the first time someone had passed them, but it came from the general direction of the fighting. It didn't sound like the heavy footfalls they'd expect from a noumu at least, but they still had plenty of reason to be wary about anyone approaching from that way.
So when a figure in a dark coat turned the corner, they both felt the tension bleed out in an instant. "Dabi!" Ochako gasped, and the man jolted and looked around wildly.
"Shit! What the—" He stopped short, his expression souring with annoyance as he called in a half-whisper, "Floaty?"
"Sorry, we're kinda invisible?" she called back sheepishly.
"Yeah, I figured," he said dryly, and grumbled under his breath, "Knew you brats would break in."
"Dabi, what's going on?" Tooru asked hastily, choosing to ignore the quip. "I mean, we saw the noumu, but what else is going on? Do you know who's attacking? Where's Abyss? Did you see Kaitou and Lee? Well, probably not see them," she amended, "but did you hear them? What about sensei or Hijack or Bakugou—"
"Oh my gosh, please stop," Dabi interrupted with a scowl. "I haven't seen or heard any of the other brats. Some guy in a pizza delivery uniform showed up at the bar by bursting a hole in the wall, and then summoned a bunch of monsters—actually, wait," he frowned. "I think he called those things noumu too, so. What the fuck are those?"
If they weren't invisible, that glare would probably be directed right at them. As it stood, it still felt a bit chilling even directed at the wall a good foot to their left. "Long story," Ochako cut in before Tooru could begin rambling. "We'll explain later after we're all out of here. But right now, do you have any clue where Deku or any stairs are?"
He huffed and his glare softened, though he still looked annoyed. "Sorry brat, but I'm just as clueless. I've been running around blind for the past five minutes trying not to get myself killed by any of the mooks. Pretty sure I went the opposite direction from the other brat since I haven't seen any sign of him—"
"Hey, who are you?"
Ochako's blood turned to ice, all three sharply turning towards the new voice. A blonde girl stood at the end of the hallway, and Ochako's breath caught as her mind flashed back to a forest late at night, manic laughter ringing through the air. Toga Himiko looked virtually identical in this world, down to wearing a school uniform with a cardigan and her hair tugged in messy twin buns.
The sole difference was her expression as she regarded Dabi, the manic and demented smile that had been engraved in Ochako's memory replaced by a wary look. "I've never seen anyone like you around here before... And I know everyone here."
"I was in the bar when things went to shit," Dabi replied with a light shrug, his tone casual and nonchalant, but Ochako could see the tension in his frame. Could see the way his fingers subtly flexed at his side, ready to attack at a moment's notice. "Didn't want to stick around and get caught up in whatever was going down, ya know?"
Toga's lips pursed, and Ochako found her mind stuck on the fact her cardigan's long sleeves only exposed her fingertips. Leaving all sorts of room to hide knives and other blades. "So you ran to the back?" she asked, head cocking to the side. "That's weird. And who were you talking to?"
Tooru's hand squeezed Ochako's even tighter, her palm just a little clammy as they watched the standoff. Ochako felt similarly tense and nervous, her gaze riveted on the blonde girl. Her whole attention focused on this girl who had joined the League of Villains and caused so much trouble in their world. Who had been part of the attack at the summer camp, one of the worst nights of her life so far.
The girl who had strangely called her and Tsuyu friends and tried to talk about romance even as they fought, smiling and giggling all the while.
And in that moment, Ochako decided to take a risk.
She squeezed Tooru's hand once before prying her fingers away, and Toga staggered back in surprise as Ochako suddenly became visible. The blonde shifted her stance to face her, silver glinting at the base of her sleeve as her frown grew. In response Dabi also started to shift his feet, hands lifting from his side.
Ochako ignored the spike in tension and rushed out, "You're Toga Himiko, right? Deku—Izuku's friend?"
And that was enough to make Toga and Dabi both freeze, the other girl's eyes widening slightly. "Izuku?" she repeated.
"I'm Uraraka Ochako, his friend," Ochako said firmly. This was a gamble, she had no idea if her name would mean anything to her, but she had to try. Because this was the girl who had given them the bomb anklet, who had kept Deku's "episode" to herself, who had said she'd help them escape. The one who Deku himself had claimed to tentatively trust if Anjou was to be believed.
She was not their Toga, but this Toga was someone who had claimed to want to be an ally. A girl who may not be all that evil, just a bit twisted.
And the gamble paid off, recognition sparking in Toga's eyes. "Wait! The girl he met when he was shopping with Tomu-chan?"
"Yes!" Ochako confirmed, feeling a rush of relief that Toga knew about that. "You said you'd help Bakugou and Hijack escape, right? That's why we're here! We're here to get them all out! Them and Deku!"
Toga's stance lost its hostile edge, the blade disappearing back into her sleeve as she clapped her hands together. Her face now held the same smile Ochako remembered from the forest, slightly manic and almost dreamy. "You're breaking in to save them? Really? I didn't know Mido-chan had any other friends who cared that much!"
"Deku has way more friends than just me," Ochako replied, flashing a smile filled with resolve. "And so do Bakugou and Hijack. We've all been working towards this for a long time now, and tonight's our best shot."
A fire flared inside her as she spoke, her voice carrying a firm confidence and determination. Right now Ochako felt more sure of herself than she had in a long time. This past month had been so hectic and full of one problem after another, and this mess was far from over, but right now she could see a light at the end of the tunnel. All of their efforts so far had led to this moment.
They would find Deku and everyone else, and get them all out of there.
That confidence seemed to resonate with Toga, the other teen's eyes sparkling as her grin widened. "That's so cool! You really do mean it! But wait," and then her smile fell, lips pursing into a puzzled frown as she tilted her head. "Is this all part of the plan?" As if to punctuate her question another rumble sounded in the distance, along with... a roar?
"Uh, no." Ochako grimaced as her shoulders slumped, her resolute smile replaced by a sheepish look. "We were just supposed to be scouting today and try to pull off the rescue, like, tomorrow, but then those guys attacked, and uh... Yeah." She gave a lame shrug.
"Plan didn't even make it to the first step before things went to shit," Dabi supplied with a shrug, a bit more relaxed now that Toga had dropped the hostility. Though her wariness returned slightly as she snapped her gaze towards him, eyes sharp and probing.
"And who're you, anyway?"
"Dabi," he responded. "Never met the Midoriya brat or the others for the record. I'm just here because my brother's part of this mess and I had an in at the bar."
That made Toga's wary look shift to curiosity. "What'd you order?"
The question was weird and random to Ochako, but Dabi replied without missing a beat, "A star cocktail." Toga's brow furrowed in confusion before she gasped with recognition, practically sparkling with glee as she clapped her hands together with a sharp-toothed grin.
"You're friends with Aiko-nee? I didn't know she had friends outside the Alliance besides Crow-tan and Totoro!"
Dabi twitched slightly at the second name, though his tone remained casual. "Unfortunately, yeah, I am. She's in the dark about what we're doing, by the way."
"Well, duh, that's obvious!" Toga giggled. "She'd totally flip out if she knew Mido-chan was up to this!"
Ochako nodded in agreement as she thought back to Aiko's protective tendencies. "Look, we don't have much time, but Deku—Izuku, I mean—he told us you said you'd help," she said, getting Toga's attention again. And the other girl's eyes widened once more and her grin dropped as Ochako continued, "He said he trusted you. So, if that's true, will you please help us right now?"
"He told you that?" Toga said softly, looking stunned. "He... he told you...?" Her smile returned, much smaller this time but so... gentle, soft and happy. "Mido-chan really does trust me... He told me that, but he told you too, so that really means...!" She trailed off as her voice wobbled with emotion, quickly rubbing her face with her sleeve as she sniffled once.
When she pulled her arm away she wore her most brilliant smile yet, no traces of that manic gleam present as she beamed at them. Ochako's breath caught at the sight, her mind grinding to a halt.
In that moment, she could finally see Toga Himiko for the teenage girl she truly was. See the normal high school girl who just wanted friends and to talk about romance rather than slash people with knives, the girl she should have been in both worlds. The girl she probably was, in fact, under the stabby exterior.
"Of course I'll help!" she declared. "Come on, I'll take you to him right now!"
Ochako swallowed down all those rushing thoughts of could-be should-be and smiled, dipping her head in gratitude. "Thank you, Toga-chan!"
"C'mon, call me Himiko, Ochako-chan!" Toga giggled, surging forward to grab her wrist and pull. Her forwardness took Ochako by surprise for only a moment, but she quickly smiled and nodded.
"Right. Thanks, Himiko-chan!" Toga's eyes sparkled even brighter, her smile growing wider as she began dragging Ochako along, Dabi and Tooru trailing behind. They'd have to tell her about Tooru and everyone else involved, but right now her mind was focused on the fact that they were moving towards Deku. The end to this nightmare was drawing closer with each step. Things were finally looking up.
Surprise update! I can't guarantee when the next chapter will be, but I thought this was needed. Today is just... scary, so I won't talk about it.
Instead, I have a request and an offer:
Share your absolute favorite MHA fics in the comments and reviews.
The ones you consider the best of the best, the absolute masterpieces and obscure hidden gems that you think deserve more recognition. Bonus points if they're already complete, or have been updated fairly recently and aren't likely to be abandoned. Nothing sucks more than getting into a fic and realizing the last update was a cliffhanger from 5 years ago.
I also encourage you to share your favorite fics from OTHER fandoms!
What fics would you recommend for someone JUST discovering that fandom? The top-of-the-line fics, the ones that are legendary or are hidden gems. The ones that would be great for someone with barely any knowledge of the fandom, the ones you WISH more of your friends would read.
Because right now, a lot of people NEED the aid of escapism more than ever.
If I've learned anything writing fan fiction and interacting with the community, it's that escapism can be vital for our mental health. We need to be able to take a break from reality, and deep dive into something so we forget the rest of the world exists and stop stressing over everything. This chapter is so small in the greater scheme of things, but this little break from reality is the best I can offer.
So please, share fic recommendations. To readers, please check out the comments or reviews, and find some wonderful rabbit hole to go down and stay away from the news and social media for the next few days.