#‘you’ve mistaken stars reflected in a pond at night for the sky’

[cahirmawrdyffrynaepceallach]

EPISODE 6 ATE SO HARD

[hanzajesthanza]

if vilgefortz is so evil why is he so quotable. or perhaps being evil and being quotable do not contradict one another, but instead correlate

[lovetnaomi]

Secrets of the Dusk Chapter 8

Chapter 8

                 Even if this was only the beginning of the semester, after the semester she had so far Uraraka was sure that there wasn’t much that could surprise her. But this was something that caught her off guard. Her eyes slid down towards the unsteady knife in Tsuyu’s hand.

She was unsure. But she knew what it meant to her. Uraraka’s eyes slid towards Katsuki and Todoroki. The confusion in their eyes, but Katsuki moving his fingers in such a way they were cracking on their own as he was prepping to jump into the fight. It was possible that he considered losing the fight for his life the only lose that he would ever accept in his life again. Todoroki raised his hands, “We aren’t going to hurt you. We just came to take Uraraka home.”

               Tsuyu glanced towards them suspiciously. It wasn’t like her. It wasn’t like her to randomly pull a knife. Especially not on someone that she had seen before, and not on someone that had put her at ease previously or that her friend trusted. Uraraka glanced between the three of them. It was clear who she should be protecting, Todoroki and Katsuki weren’t pointing a knife towards Tsuyu, after all. But the chaos in her soul escalated her heartrate. Uraraka took a breath, Tsuyu wouldn’t have pulled a knife on them without a reason, and it was clear she was hesitant about it. Mostly her eyes were lingering on Katsuki. Someone in her mind that she knew was clearly dead.

               Embarrassment rushed to her, “I’ve been living with them for a little under two months now. They’re both safe I assure you.”

               Tsuyu lowered the knife, a complex feeling on her face. Todoroki ran a hand over the back of his neck, “I’m sorry if I did something to upset you. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

               “I need an explanation.”

               “I know. It’s not exactly that easy to explain.” Uraraka glanced towards Katsuki, sliding his hands into his pockets clearly attempting to not be paying attention but still annoyed.

               Tsuyu slid the knife into her pocket, her hands still shaking.

               “Come back with us, it’s not safe to walk home at this hour, especially alone. Not so close to my territory.”

               Tsuyu frowned, displeasure and embarrassment blending together on her face, “You’ve been taking care of Uraraka in a situation I didn’t know she was in and the first thing I did was point a knife at you two.” Tears watered to her eyes; frustration clearly prominent in the air.

               “Then don’t point knives at me!”  Katsuki snapped, rolling his eyes before turning to go down the sidewalk. Tsuyu glanced towards the street.

               “Katuski means don’t point knives at people who aren’t going to attack you.” Todoroki paused, “But there’s nothing wrong with defending yourself.”  He pushed his hands in his pockets, turning back to Katsuki.

               Tsuyu moved towards Uraraka glancing at the two walking ahead, “Are they arguing because of me?”

               Uraraka shook her head, “Katsuki’s just like that, he comes off as he’s yelling, but that’s just how he is.” She glanced towards Tsuyu, likely struggling to let go of the knife that was in her pocket. Probably feeling betrayed and hurt that she had kept such a secret from her. But how was she supposed to explain it?

               “You know…my family…they had mentioned this world before, but we never fully talked about it in detail…so I always brushed it off as a wives’ tale. But-“ Tsuyu’s eyes lingered on Katsuki, “How? Is it okay to ask…what is he?”

               Uraraka glanced towards Katsuki, kicking a can into the trash accompanied by loud shouts of people’s incapability to pick up their own trash, “Katsuki has never hurt me and I think I can promise that he’ll never harm you, but Katsuki’s a vampire. But he has special circumstances, hence why we’re walking so slow in comparison to how we usually go.”

               Tsuyu’s eyes went wide, but whatever thoughts she had considered remained quietly within her head, “Do you usually walk home on the night of the new moon instead?”

               Uraraka shrugged, “It might be a possibility. I don’t want Katsuki to feel responsible for me too. He only gets one night out a month.”

               “Hey! I may only have one night out a month, but what I choose to do with it is my choice!” Katsuki snapped, before turning back to the path ahead, the sidewalk beginning to disappear into the earth-crusted gravel.

               Tsuyu paused at the edge, “I should go back now.”

               Todoroki shook his head, “Although you likely can fight your way out you’re in my territory. A lot of dangerous creatures come in an attempt to challenge for my territory, I can’t guarantee they all have only above a human’s level of strength. I also have a few things I’d like to settle with you before you go home.”

               Tsuyu nodded, “I wouldn’t mind. Besides I’d like to get to know you two better if Uraraka decided it was okay to live with you.”

               They each nodded, continuing their trail towards Todoroki’s house. The crickets of the night chirped singing their merry tune, the quiet swish of the wind that one would only expect from a woodland based area instead of a city danced around their feet, playing with their hair. It was surreal and gentle. And Uraraka found herself craving that the world stayed like this, for just a little longer. That the world would let her savor each piece of the gentleness that it had to offer. The kind of gentleness that one wouldn’t realize they were missing until they finally paused.

               Tsuyu followed Todoroki into the cottage. Uraraka reached for the door, glancing back towards Katsuki who had his back to her, the cold wind wrestling in his hair and the faint scent of Fall beginning to set in. Uraraka pushed the door open, sliding a blanket off of the couch before reproaching Katsuki, throwing the blanket around his shoulders. He spun grabbing her wrist, “Who’s there?” He snapped, clearly relaxing when he realized who it was but the defensive and likely embarrassed tone in his voice remained, “Don’t sneak up on people like me.”

               “Like you?” She laughed, “The person that’s been taking care of Todoroki and I like a nitpicking nanny? I’m supposed to be afraid?”

               Katsuki’s eyes sparkled as he played with ideas in his head before turning away from her, sliding the blanket off of his shoulders, “Vampires don’t get cold. Here.” Uraraka took the blanket, folding It into her arms. Katsuki turned to her snatching the blanket out of her hands, and wrapping it around her shoulders, “Are you trying to catch pneumonia?” before he turned back looking towards the sky.

               Uraraka glanced towards Katsuki, wondering how their relationship would’ve turned out if they had met before he was a vampire, or if he had never become one. His personality was so strong and adamant she doubted that there would be much of a difference.  Her eyes traced towards where he was looking, attempting to hide his glance towards the sky, “Do you miss the light?”

               Katsuki snorted, “There’s nothing to miss.” Turning away he stuffed his hands into his pockets, trailing away. He glanced over his shoulder, “What are you doing? Let’s go,” before he began walking again. Away from the house, around the cottage and into a trail behind the woods.

               “Are you sure it’s okay for me to be out here?”

               “No one’s stupid enough to come out on the new moon.”

               “Why is that?”

               “I’m a vampire that drinks the blood of exclusively supernatural creatures.”

               Uraraka glanced towards him.

               “It’s similar to how humans are afraid of vampires because they never see them, they’re afraid of me because they know I’m not going to lose to them.” Katsuki moved forward, his next few words being spoken softly, “Not in front of you, at least.”

               Uraraka glanced towards him wondering if she was supposed to hear that. Katsuki was usually so adamant and loud with his personality, she had never seen him become shy with his words before. Her face buzzed, attempting to tell herself she was unsure what that meant. She followed him up the hill, sliding down in her wedges which were clearly not designed for such a terrain. Uraraka glanced up towards Katsuki reaching his hand out unexpectedly.

               “Hurry up already.” He grumbled as she let him bring her up.

               Uraraka felt her mouth drop.

               “I told you, I wasn’t missing anything.”

               She was standing on what could’ve been mistaken for a steep cliff, not quite a mountain, but not quite a hill anyone wanted to fall off of, in front of her laid a stretch of land encompassing a lake, fireflies radiated around it as the lake reflected each of them. Stars decorated the pond as it glowed blew, the colors echoing throughout the air. Uraraka could feel it in her veins, the entire place accumulated magic.  It was gorgeous. It drew her in, beckoning her. She had found home. She was home. She took a step forwards her foot slipping.

               “What are you doing?” Katsuki snapped his hand reaching for her, too late, she was already falling. And yet she felt safe. Katsuki’s arms wrapped around her, his hand placed on her head. It only took moments before the water hit them pulling them deeper. Uraraka took a breath, water pushing in instead of air when they finally resurfaced coughing it up. The air burned returning to her throat.

               “What were you doing?” He snapped as she glanced towards him.

               “I don’t know. I just. I just thought I was home and I took one step.”

               Katsuki glared towards the edge of the embankment, likely trying to decide how hard it would be for the two of them to get back up to where they were. There weren’t any clear routes to return to where they were standing. It wasn’t ideal to have fallen into what was basically an outdoor cave filled with water.  “Tsk. That bracelet is supposed to protect you from any supernatural element that means you harm. Todoroki should just throw it back.”

               “What if whatever element pulled me down here didn’t mean any harm? I felt like I was home. I felt safe.” And right then she meant it. She was sure there was nowhere safer right then that she could be than with Katsuki’s arms wrapped around her hips.

Katsuki let out a rough sound of annoyance, “Whatever it was I don’t trust it. Don’t fall for such a simple lure.”

Uraraka felt her hands move over the muscles on his arms, trying to push down the thought about how since she had gotten there, she had secretly been dying to touch his muscles. Katsuki’s personality was easily misunderstood, it wouldn’t be surprising if the one that had attacked Katsuki was out of spite via a misunderstanding. “Did you know the person that made you a vampire?”

Katsuki rolled his eyes, “Of course not. There’s no way anyone I already knew would’ve been able to take me down. Not even at that point of my human existence.”

“Did you want to go back to being human?”

Red flashed in his eyes as they swerved towards her before immediately swerving away. It likely wasn’t an uncommon question, but most likely had to keep it to themselves. Katsuki glanced towards the sky and for a moment Uraraka was sure that it would remain unanswered. “Who wouldn’t? Spending every single day trapped in that house isn’t ideal. I get by, but when the decision to leave gets taken from you? Anyone would’ve wanted to be free of it.”  

Uraraka glanced towards the water, struggling to reflect the both of them. Katsuki could’ve easily been out looking for the person who killed him-the one who turned him into a vampire, one that was trapped without even the faintest reflection of the moon for comfort-the person who had all the answers. She took a breath, her hands tightening around his shirt, “I’ll find them. I’ll find who did this to you.”

Katsuki scoffed, “Then what? Offer to be their dinner?”

Uraraka splashed the water in his face, Katsuki’s hand slipping as he pushed himself back wiping the water away from his face, a devious smile on his face, “I’m not going to let them get that chance.” He laughed, sending water flying back towards her, “Let’s see how well you swim.” Katsuki growled his voice attempting to come off as dangerous but struggling to hide the mischief in his voice as he reached for her. Uraraka pushed herself back pushing more water onto Katsuki, Uraraka blinked and he was gone. “Where’d you go-“ A hand latched around her ankle as he pulled her down. Uraraka laughed, finding herself dragged down into the lake. Uraraka took a breath letting him drag her down. She would take him by surprise, but she didn’t have any intention of losing.

Uraraka opened her eyes planning to get him back, instead in front of her was a creature steadily blinking at her as in an attempt to examine her. It wasn’t a kind of creature that she had seen before. It almost appeared to be a man, but with the body of an octopus. She attempted to push back, another tentacle wrapping around her as though it were a child struggling to hold onto a pretty rock that it was still examining, “Let go!”  She breathed watching the last bits of her air take physical form and rise to the surface where Katsuki’s shadow was steadily looking for her, clearly startled by the fact that she had disappeared and not come up from the lake yet, likely shouting things by now about how not funny this situation was. Uraraka tapped on the creature’s shoulder only for another tentacle to push her arm back. She glared at it, great, it thought it was okay to touch her but her touching it wasn’t okay. She glanced towards the surface, steadying her thoughts. She could do this. Katsuki wasn’t going to be able to get close to her any time soon. If she could just reach the halter hidden underneath her shorts. Her hand circled behind herself, beginning to struggle to remove the knife. The water beginning to run down her throat, it wouldn’t take much longer for her to blackout if she couldn’t make it to the surface soon. Especially with the creatures attempts to constrict her. It had the body of an octopus and a human likely it was carnivorous. It was likely more than excited to find a meal that would crave its hunger in such a place. Her throat burned, begging her to take a breath. The knife finally slid between her fingers. She didn’t have time to hope that she had enough strength to free herself. She just needed to do it. Her hand tightened on the knife taking the hardest swing she could imagine while underwater. The creature squealed, its tentacles unwrapping just enough that she could free herself. The world spun around her. She needed air. Now. Uraraka kicked her feet as fast as she physically can, surfacing.

“Uraraka, dammit!”

The air burned to rush down to her throat, “Her-“ the tentacle wrapped around her ankle dragging her down once again, the water rushed through her throat. She turned the monster wiping the knife out of her hand, fury burned in its eyes. Likely not used to their prey fighting back.  “I’m not your dinner!” She swung, the water managing to stop her massively as the creature threw her. Uraraka felt herself surface, before crashing down into the water again. “Up, where was up? Come on. Think.” Humans float. She didn’t have time, but she needed to stop struggling it would save her life. Her body flipped over pushing her back towards the surface. Uraraka pushed her way to the surface, watching the creature circle her. It wasn’t angry. It was playing with her. She was the prey, and this was a game.

“What are you doing over there?” Katsuki snapped beginning to move towards her.  

“No! Stay back!” She shouted, her hand wrapping around the other as she flinched glancing down at it. The creature had cut her hand with her knife. It wasn’t a pretty sight and would likely need several stitches to be taken care of. Uraraka blinked, it was too late, he was already next to her.

“What happened?” He snapped, following her gaze towards the creature circling her.  His eyes slowly moving back towards her, shifting down to her hands. Katsuki swallowed, anger likely bellowing in his chest in an attempt to overpower any other emotion. “I’m going to kill it.” An afterglow echoed throughout the surface before he was gone.

“Katsuki, wait!” She shouted, but it was too late, he was gone. The supernatural speed of his species likely being a bad trait bestowed onto someone who was likely already hot-headed before transitioning.  

She glanced down, beginning to attempt to stop the bleeding through wrapping her clothes around her hand, Katsuki clearly fighting with the creature below them. “Katsuki! Katsuki get back up here!” Uraraka shouted as the lake around them began freezing over quickly unraveling towards them. Uraraka took a breath, pushing herself down under the water, grabbing Katsuki by the arm. He glared at her, startled and likely thinking that something else was trying to attack them from behind. She pulled, pulling them back to the surface.

“What was that for? I was winning!” He snapped his fangs clearly protruding from his mouth.

“I was saving your life; the lake is freezing over!” She replied glancing up towards Todoroki offering her a hand.

“I’m going back down there to fight it! How dare it-“

“Katsuki.”

“I don’t need you to rescue me!” Katsuki snapped, glaring towards Todoroki over his shoulder.

Todoroki shook his head as Uraraka grabbed his hand, thanking him before testing the ice they were standing on. “Did you-“

The creature spun rising to the surface, water rushing off of it the way a creature from a sailing-horror movie would present itself, chin thrown high into the air, and a sense of uncontended authority flowing off of it, “Who dares touch my prey?” It boomed, its eyes locking towards Todoroki’s hand still wrapped around her own, “Just a pathetic mutt?”

“Get over here so I can kick your ass!” Katsuki snapped, his hands splashing against the water.

Todoroki glanced towards her, his eyes sliding down towards her hand flipping it over, “Did he do this?”

She shook her head, “My hand slipped on the knife.”

“So, he did.”

“I-“

“You wouldn’t have pulled that knife if you didn’t feel like you were in danger.”

The creature’s tentacles swung through the air with the ferocity of an angered cat’s tail. A soft scoff coming from them, “You do understand that prey is mine, correct?”

Todoroki instinctively pulled her closer, a soft growl to Katsuki, “Get out of the water.”

Katsuki glared towards him one foot already on the ice, “Don’t tell me what to do!” He snapped.

Todoroki’s eyes shifted to the creature, “You clearly don’t understand who you’re talking to. And by common knowledge, this is all my territory and these two are my closest assets. Are you telling me that you’ve openly admitted to attacking these two?”

The creature scoffed, “And what are you going to do? Call those fake supernatural government of this area?”

Todoroki’s grip tightened, clearly thinking about turning her away from what was about to happen as his arm pulled her closer, his muscle-flexing as he resisted the urge to pull her into his shoulder so she wouldn’t see what was coming next another hand beginning to raise, “I am the government in this area.”

Flames lit the sky echoing towards the creature as it let out a loud screeching before returning to its lake.

“Remember who this next time you decide to put your hands on either one of them. You will never get off easy again after that,” Todoroki’s eyes narrowed, “Do you understand?” He hissed.

The creature pushed itself underneath the lake without another word.

Todoroki sighed walking them back up to the top of the cliff where Tsuyu was waiting.

“What was that?”

“There are a lot of things in this world that many don’t know. But whatever it is, it needs to know who’s the ruler of this territory.” Todoroki shook his head, glancing down towards Uraraka attempting to hide her hand. “Katsuki go get dinner.”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Katsuki snapped, already halfway down the other side of the cliff.

Todoroki turned back towards her, holding out his hand for her own, “Let me see.”

“It’s fine. I just dropped my knife.”

“When was the last time you washed it?”

“It was brand new.”

“We’ll disinfect it when we get back then.” He stated, before standing again and beginning to walk back towards the house.

Tsuyu wrapped her jacket around Uraraka’s shoulders, “It’s been a long night hasn’t it?”

Uraraka nodded, pulling the jacket closer, “It wasn’t bad though.” She found herself attempting to hide a soft smile. Not ready to admit it, but fighting back? Feeling like at moments that she was actually winning as the adrenaline pulsed through her? She felt so alive. There was a part of her that she knew wouldn’t be responded to well if she admitted it aloud. But her body was begging her to do it again. Todoroki opened the door leading her to the kitchen after giving Tsuyu rough instructions on how to get to Uraraka’s room to grab a change of clothes.

Todoroki drew a chair beckoning her to sit as he pulled out a first aid kit. He took her hand gently wrapping around it before beginning to blot the spot and disinfecting it.

A smile escaped her, “And here I thought Katsuki said that you were bad at life skills.”

Todoroki glanced towards the first aid kit a hazed overlook in his eyes, “I used to watch my older siblings patch each other up after a rough day in the house.” Todoroki paused, his hand resting on the box, “I’m not very good at doing it for other people though. Only myself.” He moved to pull out the wrapping gingerly wrapping it around her hand, carefully beginning to tighten it.

“You’re not going to hurt me. I don’t think the wrapping will even stay on like that.” Uraraka laughed as he shook his head slowly beginning to add more pressure. As though he were unsure how much pressure to make sure he wouldn’t hurt her. It was barely visible, but his hands shook, as though the smallest touch would shatter the porcelain she was made of. Uraraka brought her other hand to his face, “Don’t be afraid of me. I’m not afraid of you. And I’m not going anywhere.”

Todoroki’s mouth twitched, barely a moment away from dropping open as the clouds in his eyes shifted to the sparkle of a thousand stars, his hand wrapping around her. Uraraka bit her lip attempting not to flinch after she had just told him that he wouldn’t hurt her. He glanced down redlining his face, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. Other people’s hands don’t typically stay intact near me.”

Uraraka let a small laugh out, it had been a rough start, but this was where she wanted to be. There was something that just felt so safe and familiar about the house. Like she had been drawn there, the house telling her that it was exactly what she needed. Todoroki near her, Katsuki back and leaning on the doorway facing away from them grumbling, and Tsuyu running into the room. This was exactly what she had needed. To be surrounded by the ones she absolutely adored. It was going to be a great semester.