#au post 9

[scribblestatic]

Unsure if you want your name put out here, so I'll keep you anony. Thankie for the commission, bud （づ￣3￣）づ╭❤️～

Woe, more Amputee SY be upon ye

Prev: Part 8

Read on AO3

---

Qiu Haitang had let out a sound that didn't seem completely human before trying to rush at him. She didn't even get a single step up the stage before guards were grabbing and pulling her away.

And Shen Yuan decided that was quite enough.

"Right. Right. Well. We looked back over everything, yeah? I'm, quote unquote, innocent of everything because I was driven insane, save for the fact I murdered Qiu Haitang's brother because he was a creep and I hated him. My former sect siblings are here to call me guilty and say I'm not adequate for this position, as is their conclusion—"

Yue Qi startled. "Xiao—"

"Say that name again and I swear to the gods, I will crawl down these steps on my nubby little limbs and gnaw your fucking ankles off."

Apparently he said that with enough hatred in his voice that the man finally shut the fuck up. Great. Stay quiet.

The time for you to speak has long passed.

"My apologies to all the guests, this crowning ceremony has been an utter mess. But I'm done for today."

The back of Shen Yuan's head thumped against his throne, his eye closing.

"...This humble one wants to rest."

Even with his eye closed, he could feel Binghe move in front of him. He leaned into his loving disciple as he was picked up, slotting his head against his shoulder. Gods, he could fall asleep right then.

"Then, this lord shall take a brief recess to make him more comfortable. You've done more than enough."

"Mmh."

After that, everything was a bit of a blur. There were voices and yelling and demands for silence, but it didn't matter too much to him. For the first time in a while, he felt as exhausted as he did when he first arrived in this world. As exhausted as he was when he was in his previous body, strung together with candy floss from the many mysterious ailments that plagued him.

He let his consciousness float as Binghe personally undressed him, calmly taking his hair down and removing all the ornaments. His body was placed in a warm bath, soap bubbling up on his body and washing away with the silky water of an oat bath. His hair was cleaned, dried, combed, and oiled. And all the while, the blood mites in his body looked for every little ache and soothed it until he was comfortably numb. He couldn't get rid of the headache he had, but everything else felt better.

Binghe's hand rubbed against his cheek as his eye remained closed. Still, he hummed to let him know he was listening.

"This lord has put a lot of stress on you. Begging A'Yuan's forgiveness."

"Mm... I get it. You did nothing wrong."

It was to silence any protests against him becoming empress, wasn't it? Or perhaps to absolve them both of the weight of their shared past... Yeah. Because, at this point, Shen Yuan's almost certain he was Shen Jiu at some point. Maybe it was some sort of strange spiritual shenanigans. Some sort of discord between body and soul. He wasn't sure.

Regardless, Shen Jiu's reputation as a scum villain was, to some, absolved. Maybe it was a personal thing Binghe was struggling with. Of course, Shen Yuan had some of his own woes with it, but he was going to ignore them as long as Binghe was happy. Though, perhaps it really was the best that this happened.

"...Binghe, this one has a favor to ask."

---

On the afternoon of the next day, Yue Qingyuan and Shen Yuan sat on opposite sides of a table.

A servant both he and Binghe were trusting more with his care, Xiao Jiao ("Little Horn" as was the way of common demon naming conventions), poured tea into his cup quietly. Sha Hualing waited outside the door, her voice slightly audible through the door as she chatted with someone. Probably Mingyan.

"Mmn. Thank you."

Xiao Jiao bowed respectfully, then poured Yue Qingyuan's cup before backing away.

Shen Yuan lifted his teacup with his qi, swishing it around slightly before taking a sip. He hummed as the warmth spread down through his body. Yue Qingyuan had yet to pick up his cup, but he gazed across the table, doe-eyed as ever.

Shen Yuan looked down in his tea again. Ah he got a stem floating at the top. How auspicious.

"Why didn't you come back for me?"

He felt Yue Qingyuan shift, like he was slightly caught off guard, but Shen Yuan kept speaking.

"Before you think to apologize, keep in mind your current position. This one is to be crowned this evening, and after yesterday, he has no lingering connections to a Cang Qiong Sect without Qing Jing. The likelihood of us having the opportunity to speak with each other like this again shall become incredibly rare. So, choose your words wisely."

The man's mouth dropped open slightly, gaze wavering.

"Speak your truth. This is the last chance I'm giving you to do so."

"...I..."

His voice puttered out. But Shen Yuan waited.

Quietly, he sipped his tea, not really looking at Yue Qingyuan, too deep in thought and giving the man the opportunity to gather his words.

"This lord... Please, Xia—"

A glare.

"—Yuan... Yuan-shidi..."

He looked back down, but his brows remained furrowed.

"This humble one believes he hasn't been a member of Cang Qiong Sect for a long time now. Unless, did the relitigation yesterday change everyone's mind? If so, while flattered, he has still accepted his ousting and has no intent on rekindling that connection."

"...Yuan-di. This lord..."

"Refrain from useless apologies as well. Just explain."

"...This lord does not intend to give an excuse."

Patience, Shen Yuan.

He breathed in deeply through his nose.

"...Yue Qingyuan, do you know the difference between an excuse and an explanation?"

He glanced up at the man, catching his still dumbfounded look, like he wasn't sure how they got into this situation. But Shen Yuan had more insight than Shen Jiu did. It helped when one wasn't driven half-insane without anyone to truly care for them, but being psychotic didn't mean he was without reason.

Shen Yuan had come to understand why Shen Jiu could not tolerate being around or speaking with Yue Qingyuan. He knew what he was asking for. He knew what he wanted. However, when the time came to explain it further, he had difficulties clarifying it.

That was no longer something that would hinder them.

"An excuse is a statement made to deflect blame. Excuses attempt to shift any wrongdoing onto someone else, or onto nothing at all, without any acknowledgement of their part in the issue at hand. An explanation, however, helps clarify what happened, why it happened, and to acknowledge a person's part in making that happen."

Shen Yuan looked up at him, actually looking him in the eyes with his remaining one.

"This humble one abused his disciple. The explanation as to why was clarified yesterday. However, my psychosis does not eliminate the harm I did to Binghe. I am still responsible for the pain I caused him."

"But you..."

He trailed off, apparently seeing how much Shen Yuan didn't want him to finish that sentence.

"Yue Qingyuan, I had an acerbic personality from the start. I was easily unlikable because I purposefully made myself out to be. I acted shrewdly and connived to make sure I and those I cared about could survive, and I remained in that survival mindset no matter how high I climbed. I've explained why I behaved that way, but that does not mean no one should feel hurt by how I spoke to them.

"My behavior and reasoning did not make me a good teacher. I lost many disciples, either to my own foolishness or to the rage I helped incite with my abusive demeanor. Even if the punishment does not fit my crimes, I committed some of those crimes, indeed. If anything, it could also be punishment for the crimes I committed under Wu Yanzi. No amount of relitigation will ever eliminate that. What I must do now is live with the results.

"That is an explanation of my life as Shen Jiu and as Shen Qingqiu."

There was barely a noise between them other than breathing.

"Now, this humble one asks, for the final time, for an explanation of why Yue Qi did not return to him as he promised. I don't want apologies. I don't want groveling or silence. All I want, all I've ever wanted...is for you to explain. To give context. That's all.

"Grant me that at least. Please."

The tears welling in Yue Qingyuan's eyes finally fell.

And with them, the explanation Shen Jiu wanted for so, so long...finally arrived.

"I tried to," he said.

"I trained as hard as I could."

"A fault... I messed up in cultivation."

"A qi deviation...a severe one, I..."

"Those scars in the Ling Xi Caves are mine..."

"Locked away for a year..."

"My soul became bound to my sword... That is why I can't unsheathe it."

"I finally stabilized."

"I went to look for you. The first mission given to me for myself, I looked for you."

"All I found were the ashes of the Qiu mansion."

"I thought you were dead."

"I thought you were dead until you came back for me."

"I mourned you, and then, when I saw how much you suffered, I felt guilty. Because if I hadn't interfered, like you said we shouldn't, if I didn't force you to help... If that child hadn't decided to tell on you and not on me..."

"And I had lived my life from then, thinking you dead. I did not mourn you enough. I did not search enough. It was as though I had thrown you away."

By the end, the man's face was a mess, but he hadn't done a thing to wipe it. Instead, he kept his hands down, his face screwed up in agony.

"...And because of that guilt, you decided I could do whatever I wanted?" Shen Yuan asked.

"You... You deserved to be able to. After everything."

"But in deciding I could do whatever I wanted, you decided I could do the worst things you could think of as well, even if I hadn't done it."

He answered with a choked sob...and then more.

"I wasn't sure if you groomed Ning Yingying. I felt your relationship with her was...maybe inappropriate. But I wasn't sure. You didn't...no. I didn't prove myself to you. Didn't explain to you why I hadn't returned, and in return, you didn't let me in. So I...decided I didn't care what the reason was. It's what you... I felt I could repay you by looking away."

"...And you kept looking away."

"Yes..."

"When you thought I was going to the Warm Red Pavilion for services."

"Yes."

"When you thought I was trying to kill Liu Qingge after our mission alongside Shang Qinghua."

"Yes."

"When I stole Luo Binghe from under Liu Qingge's nose."

"Yes."

"When Luo Binghe asked you for help while I abused him."

"...Yes."

Ah. His death really was symbolic. Ten thousand arrows for ten thousand betrayals.

As expected of Bingge.

"And because you no longer knew me, did you feel you could no longer defend me as well?"

"...I...could not definitively say whether or not you did something. I no longer knew you. But I..."

"Because you looked away."

"...Yes. Because I looked away, I couldn't...I felt I couldn't come to your defense, either."

"What about yesterday? When asking if someone could corroborate my story of the Qiu house. You were there when you tried to save me then. Even if you couldn't say he came after me that way, you could have confessed to knowing he broke my legs."

"I..." After a moment, he looked lost. "...Why didn't I? I... I could've. I should've. And I didn't. I..."

"Looked away, I think."

Yue Qingyuan's expression crumpled into horror. Shen Yuan sipped his tea, then continued.

"Old habits die hard. Ah, it's a saying I know. I can't say for sure, but... Maybe you got used to looking away. And couldn't stop doing that. ...Ah, I likely also told you to not out yourself as a slave, hm?"

"...That you did. But I still could've... I... I'm sorry, Xia—... I'm sorry. I don't understand why I did that. I don't want to... I want to explain it. I do. But..."

"...But you can't. Not this time."

"...No."

"Hm." Shen Yuan glanced away. "...Understandable."

Yue Qingyuan looked striken.

"It's very soon after the event. We don't always know immediately why we do things, right? I'm a perfect example of that." He shrugged. "I only learned yesterday I was psychotic. Maybe a part of me still is."

Despite himself, he kept going.

"Maybe the life I lived as Shen Yuan was all a matter of psychosis. Maybe I imagined that this world was a novel to try to understand why Luo Binghe did what he did to this body. Maybe I've always been Shen Jiu, and I never had two older brothers or a little sister. Maybe I've never had a mother and a father, never lived in Shanghai, never had an apartment to myself.

"Maybe it was all a break from reality. Maybe I've always been here, and have always been the scum villain I imagined myself to be. Maybe this was all a way to protect myself somehow. To finally just...stop being the person I didn't want to be. Maybe I was looking away, too, with all of that. I've been wondering all night, even while I slept. I think I slept, anyway. Pretty sure I did."

"...Yuan-di, you're... Are you sure you're sane?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sure I'm not." Shen Yuan shrugged, a wry smile on his face. "I'm not sane. But I'm finally feeling happy."

"...I see."

Xiao Jiao refilled his teacup. He thanked her quietly before sipping it again. He sighed, the warmth flushing through him once more.

"Well. I think that's enough."

Yue Qingyuan blinked. "What is enough?"

"This. This is what I wanted most."

"...I see. Yes. This lord... I'm sorry I hadn't understood."

"Mm."

"I should not have looked away. I should've confronted it straight on. I should have told you why I didn't come back, even if I felt it was only an excuse."

"Mmhm."

"I will continue to repent. And...I shall change. I will change. To be better."

"Mm. Good luck with that."

He froze.

"...'Good luck with that'?"

Shen Yuan nodded. "Yes. Good luck with that."

"I... Won't you... You speak as though you will not...be able to see..."

"I won't. Because, after this, I don't intend to speak with you anymore."

Yue Qingyuan's heart appeared to crack. But, this was always Shen Yuan's intent.

"I told you from the start, didn't I? I want nothing to do with Cang Qiong Sect after yesterday. I mean, you all came to 'save' me, but it turned into a session of 'let's see how many crimes we can say Shen Qingqiu definitely did commit'. Like, wow, what a way to come to my aid, am I right?"

"But Yuan-di—"

"I told you this was your last chance to explain. I meant that. After this meeting, you're no longer Yue Qi to me, and to you, I'm no longer Shen Jiu, Shen Qingqiu, or Yuan-di. I will be Shen Yuan, empress of the three realms...or whatever. And you will be Yue Qingyuan, Cang Qiong Mountain Sect's illustrious leader."

"Yuan—"

"We tried being brothers, Qi-ge."

The other man gaped at him, skin pallid, as he stood partway from his seat. He could almost imagine this was the expression he made as pieces of his body was sent to Yue Qi in boxes impeccably wrapped with ribbons. He could imagine that those packages broke his heart.

Shen Yuan decided it was worth shattering it. Perhaps he could piece it back together with gold.

But there need not be room for Shen Yuan there anymore.

He gave his older brother a withering smile.

"We really sucked at it."

No response, only agony, like he was tearing him apart.

"...So, now that we have a better understanding of each other, I think we can let each other go. Or, well, we should let each other go. The blood between us is pretty rancid, no matter how much I love you."

"...Why? When you can..." Yue Qingyuan's fingers curled. "When you can marry and forgive that demon, that boy who tore you and this whole world apart, why—"

Shen Yuan's smile tightened, and the other man stopped.

"He was my victim, the child I should have raised with love and compassion. I tore him down and threw him into the Abyss. He returned and tore me apart. And now, every day, he looks back on what he did and moves forward with the intent to change. He found it in his heart to not only forgive me, but to find the explanations to my actions not even I could discover on my own, not just to partially excuse me, but to understand. That's the heavenly demon, Emperor of the Three Realms, Luo Binghe."

"You were my brother by everything except blood. We relied on each other, and I did my best to always be there for you, even to scold you when I felt you did wrong. You showed as much kindness as possible, grew your power to protect those you cared about. Even so, you thought the worst of me, then left me to die."

"But I said—"

"How many more qi deviations would I have needed to have before you thought to help me, Yue Qingyuan?"

His words died in his throat.

"How many little girls were you willing to let me rape? How many children were you willing to let me abuse and murder? How many people were you willing to let me offend without putting your foot down? How many more enemies were you going to let me accumulate while saying I couldn't be helped, all the while, the only thing you needed to do was reach out with your own hand?"

Shen Yuan raised what remained of his biceps.

"This? This is the best case scenario for the road we were travelling together. If my psychotic delusions were right, everything could've been so much worse. All because of our brand of love for each other."

He choked out a laugh.

"It's sick. We're sick. And, honestly, I kind of hate you. I hate that you didn't help me. I hate that no one important to me helped me until my own victim came back and decided not to torture me anymore. But Ning Yingying was my student. She was a child. Luo Binghe was also a child. You, Qi Qingqi, Mu Qingfang, everyone...we're all grown-ass adults. And this is how we ended up. Between the two of us, this is how we ended up."

"Then why can't we change now?! We can move forward! We know what was wrong with us now, so let's change that!"

"Time's up."

"It doesn't have to be!"

"...You're right. It doesn't."

"Then!!"

"But I don't want this anymore."

His frustration, his feelings, everything in his heart finally boiled over. Yue Qingyuan slammed his fist on the table as he stood to his feet, and the door swung open, Sha Hualing's daggers already clenched between her fingers and Liu Qingge's sword glowing with spiritual qi.

"Godsdammit, Xiao Jiu, I—ghh??"

A sharp bite of pain, and he collapsed back into his seat a moment later, staggered.

The slow simmering of Yue Qingyuan's qi fizzled out, and in return, he could feel the quiet, rumbling oppression of Shen Yuan's qi. Something green fluttered by his face, and he took a good look at the dimmed room.

Xiao Jiao had thrown herself protectively over the arms of Shen Yuan's chair, eyes wide and trembling, afraid. But Shen Yuan himself gazed back at him, his eye sharp, so much like every infuriated expression he'd ever seen on Shen Jiu's face.

Around them, the tea leaves from the canister on the caddy floated around them, their tips sharpened with qi. The room smelled of wolfberries and petrichor.

When Yue Qingyuan looked down, he saw several leaves sticking out of his ankles, blood leaking from his boots.

"...Not exactly gnawing your ankles off, but close enough for now. Has this been a sufficient warning?"

The two gazed at each other. As such, Yue Qingyuan watched as the steadfast anger slid away just as quickly as it arrived, Shen Yuan's expression become just as tired as it had yesterday. Even so, the tea leaves never stopped floating around them.

He didn't want to fight. But he would.

Yue Qingyuan closed his eyes, all tension leaving his body.

"...This lord apologizes for his outburst."

"...Mmn."

...

"Cang Qiong Sect is not invited to the crowning ceremony this evening. Please be gone before Xu Shi."

"...We can be on our way by then. ...Do you intend to meet with any of the others?"

"This humble one does not."

"...Mmh. Understood."

The others slowly eased up as the tea leaves also did. Sha Hualing stayed firmly glaring at the sect leader as Liu Mingyan called off the guards waiting outside.

"...Then, I think this meeting has gone on long enough. Xiao Jiao?"

"Yes, Master Shen."

The young demon woman steeled her expression and tentatively pulled his chair back. She kept glancing in Yue Qingyuan's direction, but she dutifully picked him up, holding him respectfully.

"If Cang Qiong Sect needs to correspond further, this lord requests that you field those inquiries through the respective avenues."

"Of course."

"This one shall retire now. You should be able to rest here as needed for another ke or two. Your wounds should be healed by then."

"...Yes, Master Shen is correct."

"Then. This one wishes you well."

"...As do I."

From there, with a nod, Shen Yuan allowed himself to be taken from the room, leaving Yue Qingyuan within.

And that evening, after a long nap and some friendly banter between himself and his friends, cleaned up and dressed up even better than the day before, he was crowned empress of the Three Realms by his husband, who kissed him to raucous applause as the sun set.

Off in the distance, small shadows dotting the land, the Cang Qiong members who arrived to rescue him left without the man they intended to bring back, and Yue Qingyuan did not look toward the outcropping of the palace where the man who was once his little brother raised himself up without him at his side.

----

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9: here Part 10

Part 11+: links on Part 10

Read on AO3

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Lan Wangji Goes To Lotus Pier AU: Part 3: Enveloping Feelings.

(Part 1, Part 2, Part 4)

[yeloenk]

Inktobertale Day 4: Frame

ffuckimg artblock has me in a chokehold. i have been so exhausted.

forgive me for the lazy doodle,, hopefully i can pick up the slack for day 5 cause i really wanna do what i have in mind <3

[thefairmaidenoffandom]

so, for all the firefighter!yuuji aus that i adore, i never see any ems!megumi, which feels like a crime

[bambeebirdie]

I saw this one post a while back (the post) that was someone’s au idea where Dick Grayson joins the Justice League instead of Bruce. This makes everyone kind of think Batman is a myth and then one day he reveals Batman is his dad freaking everyone out. Just this idea but also make it a superbat fic so nightwing traumatizes the league by revealing Batman to be his dad and Superman traumatizes nightwing by becoming his step dad.

Essentially it’s just this

[megamindsupremacy]

you know I do keep saying Clark is Very Normal in the clark pines AU but I need yall to know that he's only normal relative to some of the weirdest people on the planet. Stan "I have a mullet, Stanford" Pines is absolutely not a good measure of Being Normal. I have a whole series of dialogue posts I need to make that's just Clark saying batshit insane stuff about his childhood followed by various superheroes going "hey what the fuck"

[starry-bi-sky]

okay a few more danyal al ghul au memes because i think they're funny to make. with bonus yaelokre danyal memes!

yaelokre! danyal 🤝 threes! danyal: being five years older than damian

yaelokre danyal comes from my oneshot right here. however, i would frankly recommend reading the version i put on ao3 because it's been edited and includes more content! shout out to my boy, he's got amnesia </3

Do i think that the LOA has technology in it? Absolutely I do. LED lights but in 3000k warm white instead of the jarring bright sterile white, if they've got glass windows they're those solar panel glass panes my college natural science building uses that detects sunlight position, which in term controls the lights, which in turn saves energy. Amber lights for outside, solar panels. Just. anything environmentally sound and friendly, they've got it, they use it.

Do i think they've got computers and tvs lying around for casual recreational use? ....that i'm not so sure about. For this au? I'm gonna say nooooottt really. That stuff is typically reserved for like, mission planning, debriefing, research, etc. Frankly danny probably does know how to use a computer, however i thought it was funny if he didn't. so the meme is staying in lmao.

If they're not training, they've probably like, got a greenhouse or two somewhere on base they can help with. The LoA's whole thing is balance, harmony, restoring the natural world with extreme environmentalism. All that jazz. Probably plenty of ponds, recreational areas outside, gardens, just, stuff to do that's not technology based. My most basic understanding is that these people are the world's deadliest hippies. They can't be training all the time, that's neither good for morale nor for their bodies, so when they're not training... they're off doing shit. If Ras has kept this thing running for thousands of years then it’s gotta be pretty lit enough that nobody’s revolted lmao.

[kissmypoets-hp]

📚Fanfic Classics: Sports AU Edition

(Muggle) Sports AUs that perfectly capture the inherent homoeroticism of having a decade-long rivalry... the triumphs and defeats and the epic highs and lows of sports...

🏎️ Rush (For A Gap That Exists) by @sleepstxtic

♟️ The Pirc Defence by @sleepstxtic

🏊🏼‍♂️ Freely Given by InnerLilith and @kk1smet

🚣🏻 Our Objective Remains Unchanged by @citrusses (has its own post here)

art credits below!

Images used (in order):

"Abstract fast speed motion blurred light background" by khoroshkov via Getty Images *

"Chess Board" by AndrewX89 via Getty Images *

"A Bigger Splash" by David Hockney (1967).... iykyk

"The Finish" by J.C. Leyendecker (1908) * note: Getty images were accessed via Canva! these covers are intended for personal use ONLY so i figure it should be fine to share, since i'm crediting the source....

this series was inspired by zeziliazink and bubu0h's fic covers since i want to make my kindle library look cute too :)

[fumifooms]

[da-birb-writes-sometimes]

Of Truths and Dreams; Lilia Vanrouge

Dreams can tell a lot about a person. Their wants, their fears. But sometimes they can tell you the truth, and sometimes it isn't pretty.

Supporting Characters; Baul (for a second), Sebek Zigvolt

Content; Soulmate AU (I call them soul matches), gender neutral reader, can be read as familial, platonic, or romantic, Chapter 7 spoilers, hurt/comfort, some General Vanrouge

Content Warning; Chapter 7 spoilers, war, death (talk, I don't describe it), angst? (idk man)

Word Count; 5.5 K

Don't put my works into AI, as AI steals in order to "create".

Sebek's Story | Malleus's Story

The Thorn Fairy had gifted a blessing to the fae, a blessing of soul matches. 

A connection forged between two souls. Such a connection is rare, and different variations do occur; primarily in beastmen and merfolk. Each clan had their unique soul match bonds. And the fae were no different. However, their history was not written down on paper, or carved into the corals. The information and history of fae soul matches was an oral history, passed down from generation to generation through hushed tones. 

To outsiders, they shrugged it off as just another odd behaviour of the clan, but the fae had good reason to be wary. In the past, the knowledge of fae soul matches was shared with an outsider, and because of that blunder of misplaced trust, the royal family was targeted. But that was many a queen’s reign ago. But the fae do not forget such transgressions, no; that story, that history, is used as a warning. Tell no one but whom you would trust your life with any information regarding your soul match, lest it be used against you. No one outside of the fae, save for their soul match, is to know of this most treasured bond.

Despite the secretiveness of fae soul matches, they were celebrated once they manifested themselves, as they were a blessing from the Thorn Fairy herself. There is a catch though; due to their long life spans, it can take years, decades, or even centuries in the very rare and unfortunate cases, for the bond between soul match partners to manifest itself. The only thing more unfortunate than it taking centuries is if their soul match were human… for a human lifespan is only a fraction that of even the more short-lived fae clans. It was seen as a tragedy, a doomed pairing from the beginning, with a heartbroken fae as the only possible answer. Such pairings were pitied, and seen as bad luck.

But what does the bond between soul matches take the form of within the fae? What does the Thorn Fairy’s blessing of soul matches look like?

There are many speculations on that. Many scholars say it is a mark on the body; a mole, or three scratches. But that is not correct. It is not a shared song, a stone messenger, or a coloured thread on their finger. And there is a written record of the bond as well; one just has to dig deep into the records, scrolls, and tomes that exist within the library of the former castle of the Draconia’s.

It is also a melody, a hum on the lips of many fae if by chance you are able to hear it. I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. The soul match bonds between the fae and their match took the form of shared dreams, tinted the colour of their soul. They cannot truly see the other, or speak to each other, but the gleam in their eyes is one that will stay in their mind, as it is so familiar a gleam. 

…

…

…

Rest is a luxury, a luxury that Lilia could not spare. The war would not wait for the general to be well rested, or wait for him to have a nap. No, it would continue until it either ended with one side coming out the victor, or it would end with peace negotiations. Rest can wait. But the fae in his company were sleeping, and he was on the first watch.

But there was something else which made him avoid resting; his dreams. His dreams were black and white, devoid of any colour, and he was always alone in them. Yes, there may be other people, but they didn’t interact. His soul match was nowhere to be seen. Three hundred years and there has been absolutely nothing.

He wasn’t alone on watch duty though, Baul was beside him, staring out into the dark. 

“You need to rest,” he huffed, shooting a look towards Lilia from the corner of his eye. 

Lilia quirked a brow, but his gaze did not waver from the darkness of the forest. There was something out there, waiting. “I can rest when this is over.” His voice was cold, sharp, like that of a blade. “I cannot rest while a war is still being fought on our lands.”

Baul pushed his shoulders back and turned his eyes back to the darkness of the forest. “General, if you do not rest, it will eventually catch up to you. Whether you like it or not.” 

He was right, if Lilia did sleep, it would eventually catch up with him in the worst possible moment. The last thing that he needed was to fall into a microsleep in the middle of battle. Thirty seconds of vulnerability in the heat of conflict could spell the very end for him. He let out a tired sigh, “I suppose you are right. When our shift is over I can rest.”

After an uneventful night watch, save for the crack of a stick in the distance — which turned out to be nothing more than just a deer passing through — Lilia turned in for the night in his tent. He stared up to the ceiling, and tried to fall asleep, but the harder he tried the more difficult it became, but eventually exhaustion won over frustration and Lilia fell asleep.

His dream was black and white, as always. They have been devoid of colour for the past three hundred years, so why would they be any different now?

He was a child again, playing in a flower meadow with Malenoa and Levan. Well, Malenoa was playing whereas Levan had been dragged along against his will. And Lilia? Well, wherever the crown princess went, he followed; part of it being that they were friends, the other being that he was raised alongside her and swore to protect her.

“Lilia! Come on,” Malenoa shouted from across the glen, a big smile on her face. “Last one to the thicket is a rotten egg!” And she took off, dragging Levan behind her, the young boy letting out an undignified squawk.

Lilia gave chase, a peel of laughter escaping his lips. “That’s not fair! You got a head’s start!” He eventually caught up to the two royals at the large rose thicket on the outskirts of the meadow. “I guess I’m the rotten egg,” he huffed before sitting down next to a dishevelled looking Levan.

He didn’t really understand why the Thorn Fairy had bonded them together, Malenoa and Levan couldn’t be more opposite of each other. But soul matches do work in mysterious ways… But Lilia wondered when the Thorn Fairy would place that blessing onto him. He had spent, and would spend, his life serving the royal family after the queen had taken him in, so why didn’t the first of the royal bloodline deem him worthy?

Malenoa was looking at the roses until she found one that she liked. She plucked it from the stem, whispered a quiet thank you to the briar patch, and then placed it behind Lilia’s ear. A baby pink rose, but he could not see the colour of the flower, only that it was pale. A stark contrast against Lilia’s jet black hair.

“What’s that for,” he asked but did not dare remove the flower. He should have been used to Malenoa’s antics by now, but she still caught him off guard despite their time spent together.

Malenoa hummed, “Pink suits you, plus since you were the rotten egg, you stunk so badly that you needed the rose to cover up the smell.” She stuck out her tongue and pinched her nose with her fingers, giggling. “A stinky, stinky egg! Right, Levan?”

Levan looked tired, but he nodded his head. “Unfortunately it seems so.” He coughed, trying to cover up the chortle that nearly escaped his lips.

The easy nature of the dream shifted, the briars from the rose thicket separating Lilia from Malenoa and Levan. The thicket then caught on fire, smoking out the dream (the memory?) in a thick, dark, smoke.

Lilia woke with a start, and placed his hand over his heart. It was beating fast, and he was covered in sweat. He then heard a commotion coming from outside, and it wasn’t the usual squabbling he heard as people tried to barter over the best breakfast options.

He strided out into the camp, and he didn’t make it very far until one of the soldiers came clamouring over to him, tripping over their feet in the process.

“G-general!” They heaved, looking pale. “N-news! From the front lines!” They handed him a scroll before taking back off to their tent.

Lilia opened the scroll and his eyes froze, pupils contracting into harsh slits. The parchment crumpled in his tight fist, but he regained his composure. They had a war to end, but Lilia’s mission had shifted from that of victory for country. It had shifted to justice; to serve justice to the murders of Malenoa. For his friend, his family, for Levan, and for her unhatched egg; the hope, and now only future, for the Draconias.

…

…

…

Another four hundred years had passed, and Lilia’s dreams were still black and white. And where he may have had been bitter in his younger years, he no longer held that resentment. Yes, he still questioned why he had not received a soul match, but he had accepted that it was simply not to be. Besides, he now had more meaning in his life. He had been many things in his life; a friend, a soldier, an advisor, and now, a father. The silver haired baby that he had found years ago, Silver, was everything Lilia could ever really ask for. He loved Malleus, but not to the same degree as Silver; Malleus was the heir to the throne above all else.

Lilia was content with how things currently were, happy even. He had found his purpose.

“Hmm, this school year should prove interesting,” he hummed to himself. The ceremony was today, and it proved to be a most interesting one at that. He did wonder what the newcomer, the one not suitable to any dorm, would do. They didn’t seem like the type to just leave things alone. He shook his head though, and made himself comfortable in his bed, turning in for the night.

He was in the meadow of his youth again, but it was now overgrown. The vines from the rose thicket choking out all of the other flowers and grasses. And all but one rose was withered away. And this single rose was pink. Lilia could see colour, and the pink bled into the rest of the dream, casting everything in a rose-tinted light. 

After seven hundred years, the Thorn Fairy had finally answered his call. And everything was pink. “After all this time, now you have decided they can enter my life,” he whispered, looking directly at the rose. 

If he were younger, he would have been overjoyed, but Lilia knew that he did not have the commodity of time at his side. Despite the fae’s long lifespan, he was old, and his magic reservoir was running low. And the bitterness that he had since forgotten reappeared. “Why would you put them through this?”

He turned on his heel, but stopped. At the edge of the meadow was his soul match, he could not make out their face, appearance, nor their voice, but he knew it was them. “You should leave.” His words were not spoken, but were instead written in the air in glowing pink letters. But instead of turning around and leaving, they took a step forward, and then another, before coming to rest in front of Lilia.

“Who are you,” their words were written in pink letters, just like his. And even though he could not see their face, he could distinctly tell they wore an expression of confusion. “And why is everything pink?”

Lilia woke up to the sounds of his alarm going off, ripping him out of the dream. Why is everything pink? His soul match didn’t know what the colour ment, which could only mean one thing; his match was not fae. His soul match was mortal. And that revelation made a lump form in his throat.

He was worried about his soul match outliving him, that the possibility that he would outlive them never crossed his mind. Why had the Thorn Fairy chosen them? Why did she gift him an ending that would end in heartbreak?

…

…

Ever since finding yourself in Twisted Wonderland you started keeping a dream journal. Alongside the weird, and sometimes downright disturbing, dreams about future overblots, you had rose-tinted ones with a stranger in them. But they kept their distance. And you hadn’t found any answers for them. 

“Human!” The sharp shout from Sebek tore you away from your thoughts, as the first-year student was incredibly… loud. “Do you know how rude it is to ignore somebody when they are talking?! Did you not sleep last night?!” 

In the few months that you’ve been stuck here, you came to call the abrasive Diasomnia student a reluctant friend. He may be prickly, but it was his own way of showing that he cared… in his own roundabout way which usually involved yelling and non-intentional insults. 

Did you not sleep last night?! Yes, but it was anything but restful.

You were in the midst of a battlefield, which was now long over. The only evidence being the hollow armour of warriors long fallen. And, as in all of your dreams, there were roses everywhere. Their thorny vines creating a wall, trapping you and the pink stranger in together.

This wasn’t your dream, it was their’s… or more like a memory? It was all way too centred in reality, in mourning and loss, to be a dream. What did they live through?

“What happened here?” Your words floated gently in the air and only disappeared when the stranger noticed them.

They picked up a broken spear and held it gently in their grasp. “What do you think? War. War is what happened here.” Their words floated in front of you, and you could see the weight of them on their shoulders. “The dreams of many died here, the only thing remaining of them being the armour that was supposed to protect them.”

What the hell have they lived through? “... were you there?” 

The dream shifted, no longer were you standing on a long forgotten battlefield, now reclaimed by nature, but you were now sitting in a dark castle. Not even the pink hue over everything could brighten it.

The stranger went up the stairs. Go away, can you not tell I am not the best person for you? Our story will only end in hurt. But they said none of that, continuing to go up the long winding staircase. “Did you hear me? I asked you if you were there!” You yelled after them, following them up the spiralling staircase until the both of you came to a halt in front of a large wooden door, scorched at the bottom.

“Yes,” the words floated in your face before fading away. “I was there… I led the battle. I led them to death.”

I led them to death. You were sweating buckets, but before you knew what you were doing you wrote down a note in your dream journal

Roses. Thorns. Battle. Magic. War. You had no real idea what it all meant, but it was somewhere to start. A step in the direction of figuring what it all meant

“No,” you said, avoiding Sebek’s concerned gaze, “I didn’t sleep well… not at all.” You hadn’t slept soundly in weeks. You hadn’t had a pleasant dream since you woke up here. “Nightmares,” you whispered, “night after night. And a stranger, the same stranger, who is avoiding me.”

Sebek’s face paled, and he placed his hand on your shoulder. “Human,” his voice was now quiet, guarded. He led you to a classroom and made sure no one was around. “Are these dreams a certain colour? Do words float in the air? Can you not make out their face?” Even though this was the quietest that he has spoken, it was also the most serious Sebek had been with you. 

You nodded your head, “All of that, yes. How did you know?” Your brows pinched, and you let out a deep sigh. “Sebek, if you know something, please, just tell me.”

Sebek was fighting a war in his head; tell the truth to you, or keep the fae soul match a secret. But the dark bags under your eyes told him enough. “You have a soul match, and they are fae. I’m… sorry.”

The bell rang and he was off to his next class, leaving you alone with this world altering information. I have a soul match? They’re fae? … why did he look so sad for me?

…

…

…

Lilia noticed something off about Sebek the moment he walked, or rather stormed, to the confines of his room. So, he followed, gently knocking at the door, waiting for an answer.

“May I come in?”

He heard Sebek scramble up and open the door. “Of course, Lilia-sama!” He was just like his grandfather; loud, a bit too stiff for his own good, but loyal, almost to a fault. 

Lilia walked over to the bed, and patted the spot beside him. “Come, sit. You seem to be carrying quite the burden.” He had noticed Sebek’s odd behaviour all day, and it wasn’t like him to do so. “Come now, out with it.”

Sebek picked at a loose thread on his bedding, and massaged his temple. “It’s about soul matches.”

Lilia felt the lump in his throat form again. “What about them? They are a blessing from the Thorn Fairy herself. Who are we to question her decision-”

“A human disclosed that they have a soul match, a fae soul match. And I told them that. I broke the oath to not tell anyone!” Sebek clenched his fists and looked down at the floor. “They aren’t even my soul match, and I told them!”

Lilia placed his hand on Sebek’s back, and started patting him on the back. A gesture that meant everything was going to be okay. “Well,” a breathy chuckle escaped his lips, a soft smile on his face, “they deserve to know what is ahead of them, do they not?”

Like I have been trying to tell mine, but they still have not left it alone. They keep on showing up, night after night.

Sebek seemed to calm down, but there was still a lot weighing heavy in his mind. “It’s not my place to talk. It is for them, and their match to decide. But,” he took a deep breath, and that familiar intensity in his eyes was back, “I can’t help but worry.”

Lilia recognized the look in his pseudo-adopted son’s eyes, it all too well reflected the look Baul would get before battle. And this was Sebek, concerned for a human, which would only mean one thing; whoever they were, they were a friend of his. And that narrowed everything down. Time to do some sleuthing of my own. “They’re strong, most likely stubborn. They shall be fine,” his voice was light, trying to brighten the atmosphere of the room. “It’s late, you should really get some rest.”

With that, Lilia walked out of the room and softly closed the door. There was something that he needed to do tonight, in his dream.

…

…

This dream was different from all the others. There were no signs of the thorny brambles of roses. There were no signs of war. No, instead Lilia found himself in the courtyard of Night Raven College, the sun high overhead and a slight breeze playing with loose leaves. This wasn’t his dream; it was his soul match’s. And you were sitting under a tree, looking up at the sky, just watching the clouds pass by. 

“This is a nice change of pace,” the pink words drifted slowly in the wind. “Better than nightmares and bad memories.”

Lilia felt a twinge of guilt. Better than nightmares and bad memories. Those were his doing. And instead of him being subjected to your nightmares and memories that you would rather forget, the both of them were here, in a quiet moment in time. There was no war, there was no loss. There was only you and Lilia, and an easy feeling. “You are too kind,” he sighed. Thank you. That is what he meant.

You hummed, “I can’t control my dreams, so it’s really just a fluke.” You sighed and rested your head against the tree, closing your eyes and enjoying the filtered sunlight. “I’m just happy it’s a pleasant one.”

“As am I,” he took a seat next to you and looked up to the sky, watching the clouds aimlessly pass by. I need to tell them. “It is cruel, what the Thorn Fairy has done to you. Gifting you a fae soul match.”

You turned your head towards him. Even though you couldn’t truly see who they were, you could see that they carried a lot on their shoulders. You didn’t say anything though, but instead offered your silence as an indicator for him to continue.

“How much do you know about soul matches?” It is their and their soul match’s decision. He wanted to tell them everything, so that they could decide for themself if they wanted him in their life.

You sighed. So now they decide to tell me? “Pretty much nothin’. Just the basics; soul matches exist, which I can kinda infer what it means, they’re gifted by the Thorn Fairy, and you’re fae. I have found absolutely nothing that even talks about the subject, and nobody but my one friend has mentioned it.”

Nobody but my one friend has mentioned it. Were they friends with Sebek? That would narrow down everything drastically, and would also explain why they were relaxing at Night Raven College in their dream. Lilia knew them. They were already closer than he ever thought. 

“So, please,” you turned to look at the stranger, your soul match, eyes gleaming gently. “Tell me, tell me everything.”

So he did, he and you sat under the tree for the entirety of the dream, discussing what soul matches were, the different forms and bonds they come in, and what you could expect from this. 

I know you, that look in your eye is so familiar a gleam.

…

…

Ever since that dream from a few days ago, you have noticed your soul match get more playful and teasing in your dreams. They no longer held you at a distance, it was a drastic but welcomed change. The cold was gone, and instead there was warmth. But something still felt off. With everything that has happened, with seeing each other's dreams and memories, you still didn’t know who they were. And everytime you tried to tell them your name, the words didn’t form. It was annoying.

“Something on your mind, Prefect,” a familiar teasing voice chuckled from behind you. Lilia shot you a teasing smile, eyes twinkling with mischief. He used to startle you whenever he decided to sneak up on you, but you grew accustomed to his playful nature. 

You shot him a look, but then shook your head and chuckled. “Just thinking is all. What about you?” You had noticed that Lilia had gotten more lively, the dark cloud that seemed to hang around him for the past few weeks had seemed to vanish. “You seem to be in a more chipper mood,” you chuckled.

 He gave you a quiet chortle, the only real evidence of it being the subtle movement of his shoulders and the quiet exhale from his lips. His magenta eyes gleamed softly in the dim lighting of the hallway. They were familiar, but you could have sworn that you had seen them somewhere before, but the answer was avoiding you.

“Just a lot has happened is all, and it brought a surprise with it.” Lilia was cryptic, but it was a part of his odd charm. A mix of something old beyond your years, and a more youthful impishness. It was endearing.

He reminded you of somebody, but you couldn’t quite place your finger on it. “Fine then, old man, keep your secrets. One day I’ll make you spill.”

The two of you exploded with laughter, and Lilia patted you on the shoulder. “Maybe someday. I’ll be looking forward to it, Prefect.” He waved you goodbye as he made his way to his next class. Leaving you alone in the hallway. 

You hummed to yourself as you made your way to your next class, History of Magic, where Trein was preparing on his lecture to tell the first years about the fae-human wars. Something that you had already witnessed the aftermath of, despite not knowing it at the time. After all, that’s what that one dream was about; the one of the meadow, the rose briars, and the rusting armour laying half buried in the earth. But you didn’t know the true horrors of war, and your soul match made sure that you would never have to witness what he had.

…

…

…

You were back in the meadow, in the middle of the fray. No longer were the rusted armours and broken weapons half buried, their wielders were alive again, and you were caught in the middle of it. The sky was an angry shade of pink, and thunder rumbled ominous in the distance… nope that was cannon fire.

Everything was absolute chaos, and you were thankful that nothing could harm you in the dreams, but that didn’t make you flinch any less whenever a ghost arrow flied through the air. Or maybe it would be more accurate to call you the ghost. You weren’t going to dwell on that though, since you didn’t want to push your luck. Something you seemed to be in short supply of.

You saw a flash in front of you, and a bat-masked figure was in front of you, glowing red eyes staring at you, before running back into the battle. Even though this was a dream, you could have sworn that they saw you. And then you were ripped away from the battle ground, being pulled up by your underarms. Looking up you saw the fuzzy and distorted visage of your soul match, pulling you away from danger.

“What were you doing?!” They snapped at you. You couldn’t hear what they were saying, but you could infer their tone and emotion from their body language and you know, hauling your ass away from danger.

You patted their forearm, and looked back down to the flashes of magic and metal gleaming in the waning light of the setting sun. “Were you here? This is more than a dream, isn’t it? This is a memory.” 

Dreams are often a flight of fancy, but for Lilia, and for you, they were more than randomly concocted scenarios played out by the sleeping mind. These dreams held truth, the dreams were memories. And this memory showed the most impactful one.

“How many?”

That statement could mean so many things. It could mean how many battles. How many lives were lost. How many lives had he taken. “Too many to count,” is what he decided on saying. It was true though, Lilia had lost count of how many times he had done all of those things. “You must think of me as cruel,” a sad yet harsh laugh left his mouth, and he looked down at you. “A monster.”

You looked back. There was sadness in your match’s eyes, but also a tiredness. “I don’t think you’re a monster, or cruel though.”

Lilia looked into your eyes. You were being honest, sincere, and your eyes showed that. They were the only part of you that he could clearly make out. They were familiar, they were warm. “I am down there though, leading the assault… against the humans.” Against you.

“The past is the past. What is done, is done. We can’t change that.” Leading the assault… didn’t Professor Trein talk about the wars today? “I won’t judge you based on your past, especially if you’re super old which I know pretty well that your are, gramps. But you can’t change it. It has left its scars, but what matters most is the present and what lies ahead.”

You were right, and Lilia felt foolish to let that small part of himself, the insecurity of not being wanted, fester. “I’m the old one? You sound far more wiser than your years… you whippersnapper.”

The battle faded away, and the two of you floated down to the meadow. It had morphed, morphed back into the meadow of Lilia’s youth; filled with wildflowers, grasses, and the rose thicket was in full bloom. And if you listened close enough, you could hear the laughter of a young girl in the breeze as a raven flew overhead.

��

…

Lilia needed to find you. Your dreams were filled with premonitions, and they sat heavy in his mind at the repercussions they could make. They sent off alarm bells in his mind. Lilia was in a tizzy. I have to find them.

His magic was running out, and he knew that his lifespan had shortened drastically. He would be lucky to live another sixty or seventy years, which was nothing in the eyes of many fae. But that was a human lifetime. A lifetime that could be spent with not just Silver and Sebek, but you. He wanted to find you. He didn’t care what form your soul match bond took; be it like the relationship of family, of friends, or of lovers. He wanted to find you, needed to find you.

I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam. Those eyes, they were the only part of you that he could ever make out. Eyes filled with mischief, responsibility, curiosity, and kindness. He knew those eyes. They were your eyes, the Ramshackle Prefect’s eyes. How could I be so blind?

It made all too much sense. The dreams had only started when you showed up. He felt drawn to you, like a moth to flame. It made sense that you would be the human that had made Sebek drop his guard and tell a human about fae soul matches. It made all of the sense in the world. And it had taken until now for him to realise. Perhaps he really was an ‘old man’ and already going senile like you joked, both in and out of the dreams.

That is how he came to find himself at your front door, in the middle of the night, still wearing his hot pink and neon green pyjamas. All because of the one dream, the most recent dream of overblot, and his own realisation of who you truly were. So he knocked three times, and waited for you to come down.

You groaned awake, the faint memory of the dream still weighing heavy on your mind. I can never catch a break, huh? I swear if it’s Ace I’m going to drop kick him. You begrudgingly made your way to the front door, and opened it right as a yawn escaped your mouth. “Lilia?”

What was Lilia doing at your front door? It was like two in the morning… although his bat print pyjamas were pretty great. Was that ‘Bat-tastic’ written in swirly font? Where in Twisted Wonderland had he found that?

“What are you doing here?” Was what you said instead. 

“Do you recognize me,” he whispered, taking your hands in his, rubbing his thumb over your knuckles.

Recognize you? “Your Lilia, of course I recognize you, old man.”

He looked at you, magenta eyes practically glowing in the dark. Familiar magenta eyes. Eyes that held such familiar a gleam… as if you had seen them countless times in your dreams, tinted a paler shade of the colour. “Prefect, have we met before? I could have sworn that I met you… once upon a dream?”

It all made sense. It all made sense. The coldness at first, the memories of war, the playfulness. Why everything was pink. Your match, the perceived stranger, was no stranger at all. They were Lilia.

“So you’re them,” you said softly. “We’re soul matches?”

He shot you a playful wink, “It would seem so. And I’m happy that you are them, and they, you.”

All of those centuries spent alone, wondering why the Thorn Fairy had not granted him the blessing of having a soul match, and then the confusion of finally receiving one after years of nothing, now had an answer. It was you, and Lilia knew that the seven hundred years may have been lonely, but whatever time he had left, he would be more than happy to spend with you. 

Fin!

Author's Note; Enjoy this word vomit. If you want to read more, do check out my masterlist.

Tags; @xxoomiii @eynnwwyjth @twistwonderlanddevotee @savanaclaw1996 @identity-theft-101

[scribblestatic]

More chubby boy brainrot (tw fat shaming, just in case)

I can't believe I haven't been putting these under the long post separators, I'm so sorry lol

---

Izuku squints his eyes closed as the kiss lands on his nose. A flourish of tingling later, and the burning sensation on his face is gone. He feels a bit of energy drain from him, but otherwise, he feels just fine.

"Well, that should do it. Here, have a little sugar. Looking at your medical records, it's alright in moderation."

"Oh, thank you..." Izuku looks at her computer. "Uhm, I noticed that people tend to get tired after you kiss them...uhm...why is that?"

"Hmm? Ah, it's because my quirk heightens a person's natural regenerative processes. So, to heal you, I'm using the energy you already have. Although, no one should take it too far--getting too excessively injured can override your body's healing energy, so even a kiss won't save you. Be careful, alright dearie?"

She pops a candy into Izuku's waiting hand as he nods quickly in agreement.

"...But...I guess..." He scratches at his cheek. "Why...maybe because the injury was so light..."

"Hmm..." The elderly woman tilts her head slightly as she thinks. "I'm not so sure about that. You have hyperthyroidism...while that causes the weight gain, sweating, and heat intolerance, you also have more DNA-synthesizing connective-tissue cells and shorter cell cycles. I wouldn't call it a benefit in the least, only that it can explain why my kisses don't make you too drowsy."

Izuku blinks, looking down at his hand, still holding the candy. If he looks closer, he can see the slight pale scars from previous wounds he'd gotten due to bullying.

Even back then, he found that bruises would fade with time, and he'd develop scabs pretty quickly if he got cuts. He'd also injured his fingertips during the exam, but Recovery Girl's kiss at that time made it as though such a thing never happened at all. So, part of the thing they were bullying him for also allowed him to recover faster.

"Don't take healing a little faster as an excuse to get hurt, young man," she says sternly, her gaze sent in a frown.

"O-Of course. Thank you."

He then pops the candy into his mouth, letting it dissolve on his tongue. It is quite tasty, like butterscotch, but with a more powdery sensation to it.

After giving his thanks, he leaves and heads back to class, sadly having to leave behind Eraser Head's signature. Though, Izuku understands why, since a particularly crafty student could possibly do bad things with it.

By the end of the day, he's practically glowing with delight.

Sure, there were a few hiccups, like being in class with Kacchan and realizing All Might's teaching at the school (not that these things aren't totally cool! it's just...personal circumstances and all.) But he can't help but feel quite positive over his future potential in the school.

After all, in the physical test, he didn't come last! His hard work has been paying off!

A hand on his shoulder startles him enough to squeak.

"Oh! My apologies, I thought you heard me!"

When he turns, it's Iida Tenya! They haven't exactly gotten off on the wrong foot. But also, knowing how annoying he can be, he can understand why Iida would react to him the way he did at the exam.

Still, the boy's scolding is still quite fresh in his memory, and he can't help but wonder if he's done something wrong again. Seemingly unaware of his conundrum, Iida begins to speak.

"I've been meaning to talk with you, but it wasn't the right time. First and foremost, I wanted to say how astoundingly you acted during the exam! In hindsight, I see you recognized the true purpose of the practical... As much as it pains me to say, you were the better man!"

As he gives this confession, his arms and hands move robotically. It surprisingly lessens his apprehension, feeling as though this guy is perhaps a bit awkward. Izuku could very much relate.

"Uhm...I didn't...realize it either."

"In a real scenario, I would definitely do the same as you did!"

Izuku stands there for a bit, listening as he summarizes what he could've done better. Then, when he turns slightly, Iida perks up.

"Ah, right, you were heading home. Do you ride on the subway back?"

"Oh...uhm...yes."

"I see. I do as well! Let's ride together, then."

Perhaps someone else would find it pushy, but Izuku feels that warmth bursting in his chest again.

Someone! Wants to ride with him! And talk with him! While Izuku doesn't have much he wants to say, he doesn't mind listening at all. And Iida seems quite talkative! Perhaps he's awkward, but, he really didn't mean anything bad at the exam. Izuku immediately puts it all behind him.

As they head off, Iida starting to talk about Aizawa's deception, Izuku hears another familiar voice.

"Hey guys! Wait up!"

They both turn around, and it's the nice girl that kept Izuku from falling on his face! The one he helped, and the one who waved at him today! Infinity Girl!

"If you're going to the station, I want to come, too!"

"We are! You're...the Infinity Girl," Iida replies.

Izuku's mouth opens in a little surprised gape. They even thought the same thought! Only friends do things like that, right? Are they already friends now?! But it's so sudden!!

"I'm Uraraka Ochako! You're...Iida Tenya, right? And you..." She looks at him with kind brown eyes. "Midoriya...Deku!"

Izuku stares blankly for a moment. Then, against his will, his mouth starts twisting in discomfort, despite not wanting to make everyone uncomfortable. Still, she notices it.

"Oh, did I get it wrong?"

"Ah...uhm..." Izuku looks down and away.

He doesn't want her to feel bad for getting his name wrong. She's such a nice girl, so he doesn't want to disappoint her. But being called Deku...

The thought of being called that in his new, fun school makes his stomach twist. So, he could just think of this as politely correcting her misunderstanding. Yeah.

Maybe she didn't mean it. Or...is this a new form of bullying? Well, it wouldn't be new. Sometimes, students would act nice to him before slowly becoming meaner over time. He was hoping he could get some friends here, but maybe...

Just...try it. Just try straightening it out, and see what happens.

"I-It's Izuku, actually," he replies anxiously, trying to hide it behind a wobbling smile.

"Izuku? Then, why did the explode-y guy call you Deku?" she wonders, looking confused.

"Hmm... He seems to have derogatory ideas about quirkless people. He said not to expect much from him despite his heroic acumen. Is it perhaps an insult?"

Izuku can't think of what to say, so he just nods.

"Oh! Goodness, I'm so sorry," Ochako immediately apologizes. "It's just, well, I thought it had a kind of 'can do it' [dekiru] feel to it, you know? So, I said it without thinking. I'm sorry, Midoriya-kun."

Oh... She really hadn't meant to hurt his feelings. She wasn't being mean at all. He almost wants to cry in gratefulness.

"It's okay...uhm...if you want..." And he can't help but start to blush a bit. "Y...You can...call me...Izuku?"

Is that too soon? People often say you only get on a first-name basis once you know someone very well. Maybe he's moving too quickly? But he was often called Deku, which some could consider a form of his first name, though derogatory. People calling him by something close to his first name, if not the name in general, doesn't disturb him. But what about--

"Hehe, sure! Is Izu-kun okay?"

Izuku's rampaging thoughts immediately calm. His face turns completely red at that, sweat coming off of him like a halo. But his smile is genuine as he nods, his curls bouncing.

He's too happy to notice the little pale blushes on Tenya and Ochako's faces as they look at him. He reminds them, immediately, of a small, chubby puppy wagging its tail so fiercely that it falls over.

With that settled, the three of them head off to the subway, talking about this and that. Izuku ends up not saying a whole lot, but his smile stays genuinely pleased the entire time. Basking in the presence of people he has cemented as friends is so fun!

--- --- ---

The next day, Izuku knows his heart isn't prepared. But it's unavoidable.

They'll be doing a regular school day, including every class they would normally have. English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Japanese Language and Literature, Art Studies, the works. Not necessarily in that order, but they all occurred before 3:15pm.

All the while, Izuku's able to geek out over his favorite heroes! Present Mic, Ectoplasm, Cementoss, Midnight... Even his lunch is made by Lunch Rush, who consistently belts out gourmet food at prices he can afford! If he doesn't watch himself, he'll end up gaining more weight again! But...just as long as he doesn't go over his goal threshold, it'll be fine if he adds some healthy snacks to go see Lunch Rush again, right?

Izuku feels enamored by the school during these periods, though, the closer it gets to 3:15, the more dread begins to fill his heart. Perhaps it won't be so bad. Maybe he is overthinking things. He's not sure.

And, if he thinks realistically, there's no way All Might would embarrass him by pointing out how he doesn't belong, right? That's not what All Might does. He's an upstanding and amazing hero who, despite his newfound anxiety around him, is still Izuku's favorite hero!

He just...really doesn't want to disappoint him by showing up in front of his hero when he'd already said he couldn't be one. It's like taking All Might's wisdom and slapping him in the face with it, treating his insight as useless.

Anyone would be upset. So, Izuku really hopes that, maybe, someone else could do the heroics class. But he's already heard from others that All Might's a teacher. Wouldn't teaching heroics be right up his alley? Oh...if only he had more time to ready his heart...

But eventually, 3:15 arrives.

"I aaaaam..."

The door to their classroom slides open, All Might posing as his cape flutters heroically.

"--coming through the door like a normal person!!"

Izuku feels two emotions shoot through him. The first is his normal excitement, the same thing that always appears when he looks at things related to All Might.

The second is fear. Because of that fear, he simply gazes at the hero as he enters, despite knowing his current outfit is from the Silver Age of his career. He would've called out such a fact, along with the excitement from the others. However, he's too busy trying to disappear into the background of the class to try.

All Might introduces their first assignment for his class: a Battle Trial. The hero outfit designs they'd sent to the school after receiving their acceptance letters pop out of the walls in their completed forms. They come in briefcases with set numbers on them, with #20 being Izuku's. It seems the cases also function as a seating chart. Izuku's just happy he can keep his seat at the back of the class.

Though, it also means that he's one of the last ones to get his briefcase since his is at the back. He quietly steps past All Might to get his before scurrying away to the bathroom to put his on...but since he added armor to his outfit, perhaps that'd be hard. Then, he'll change in the shower area instead.

All Might's gaze trails after Midoriya as he flees the room, his smile not wavering despite the stab to his conscience. Of course the boy wouldn't want to be near him at the moment. He'd simply have to be patient and kindle some form of trust between them. That way, Midoriya will feel comfortable talking with him again.

But, the boy isn't the only one who needs his attention. Right now, he's been put in charge of training 20 young heroes to become much better versions of themselves. He's a new teacher, but he's sure his attempts at getting better with educating and gaining experience will help him--and consequently, the kids--succeed.

--- --- ---

Izuku's hero costume is about as he expected.

His first designs were all, honestly, quite trashy to him. Although he liked the rabbit ear-like protrusions he'd drawn on it in reference to All Might, the rest of it was basically useless. Of course, he had no quirk to benefit from, so he hadn't been thinking too deeply about the design. But, once he started working out and cleaning up trash and doing such things on his own, he began reevaluating the design.

Since he's quirkless, he needs to be sturdy. His power output will be weak no matter what he tries, so the best he can hope for is having high defense. A hero with low attack power...he's not the most pleased by that, but it's what he has to work with for now. Maybe he'll get strong enough to pack a punch.

Anyway, sturdiness. The first thing that came to mind was a suit of armor.

Looking at some old war outfits, he decided to steer away from some of the designs, but the materials they used were interesting. Military fits could also work well, so he incorporated a bit of that into his design. Since he wants to be fairly low-key and in the background, he doesn't splurge much on the colors, staying around deep greens and blacks. Something like a stealth suit...

Though, the stealth part kinda went out the window with the large shield and backpack he asked for. The backpack carries medical supplies--after the whole exam ordeal, he realized even more how important having a variety of first-aid tools would be. And his shield attaches to his back or backpack with magnets.

He also had to think about what to do as a design choice. It would create his overall image as a hero...

Izuku enters Ground Beta, following after his other hero classmates.

He wears a grey, hooded outfit with a semi-medieval helmet under it. The mechanized layer behind the metal of the helmet makes his eyes appear as two bright-green ovals while feeding him additional details about his surroundings he wouldn't see just with his usual vision.

He has thicker armor protection on his shoulders, elbows, forearms, chest, and legs, with grip gloves to hold onto objects. The back of the chest plate had a harness with part hiding under the back of the cloak allowing Izuku to magnet-lock the shield in place. Instead of a backpack, the designer gave him a utility belt with the same first-aid contents he wanted.

Also, for reasons unknown, they added small ear-like appendages to the top of the hood. It admittedly looks a bit cute...and, well, it might actually be very helpful. So, he doesn't have any complaints. It fits well with the back cape.

[Essentially, something like the hunter's Pathfinder armor from Destiny 2, but a bit more medieval fantasy. Add some Batman in there, but green and more like a mongoose. I might draw it at some point.]

He has a silver-gray rectangular shield, though it didn't appear to be made entirely of metal. Holding it in front of him, if he crouched, it could conceal his body, so it was quite sizable. It had simple beveled designs on the edges without a symbol or anything in the middle. That part was mostly his fault--he couldn't think of anything to put there.

"Izu-kun? You look so cool!" Ochako cheers, wearing her puffy-legged outfit. "I wish I drew mine a bit more clearly. Isn't this kind of frumpy?"

"A-Ah, I don't think so!" Izuku says earnestly. "I think...it looks cute? Like...Uhm. Bubbly. I think it fits your floaty theme?"

"Oooh...I didn't think of it that way! Hehe, that's a great thought. Thank you!"

Izuku smiles, though it shows as closed-happy eyes and a little green blush.

Tenya is similarly armored up, though his outfit has less of a medieval look and more sci-fi, with clear benefits alluding to his quirk. Izuku wants to gush over its appearance, but he's already focused on asking All Might a question, so he doesn't want to interrupt him.

All Might...

He hasn't said anything specifically to or about him so far, so maybe he doesn't care that he's there after all. Has he been panicking over nothing? He's not sure...maybe the top hero has already decided he's a lost cause and wasn't worth pointing him out as an example of someone who doesn't listen to his advice.

A part of him feels like apologizing...

He shakes his head slightly as Tenya asks how their groups will be picked. Thinking over the assignment, it's a very old-style one. However, such a thing suits the No.1 hero, and the way he presents it makes it seem more exciting than it probably would be otherwise. Besides, it's a somewhat realistic scenario. They could always end up having to stop someone from blowing up a bomb in the future.

The teams get called out one by one after Tenya accepts his explanation as to why it's being done randomly:

A: Midoriya and Hagakure

B: Todoroki and Kouda

C: Yaoyorozu and Ojiro

D: Bakugou and Iida

E: Sero and Aoyama

F: Sato and Kaminari

G: Asui and Kirishima

H: Mezou and Mineta

I: Uraraka and Tokoyami

J: Jirou and Ashido

"Kyaaa~ Your suit looks super cool, Midori-kun!"

Hagakure hops over, her body only visible because of her shoes and gloves. Little buttons appear to clip her gloves on her wrists, though a matching pair are on her shoes as well. They have a slightly opalesque appearance.

"Ah, th-thank you. Uhm...Hagakure-san, right? It's nice to work with you." He glances over her body. "Is your suit made out of a material to--"

"Nah, I'm naked."

Izuku blinks. Then, a moment later, two black Xs appear where the eyes had been, his whole facial screen turning green.

"W-WH-WHA--"

"Haha! I'm just jokin' with you! Yeah, it's made with some fancy mimic cloth that kinda uses my quirk~" Still giggling, she presses one of the opal buttons on her glove, invisibility spreading out from them. "It's only active if I press the button. I can deactivate it, too, just in case I get injured and someone needs to know where it is, y'know?"

"A-Ahhh..."

Relief floods Izuku's body, sweat budding at the base of his neck. Goodness...he really should've known. The government had started a law over how nude heroes could be because of Midnight. Her introductory outfit had been...controversial.

"Alright, let's get started!" All Might calls out, sticking his hands into a light and a dark box. "The first two pairs to do combat will be the following!"

Izuku hums, wondering if he'd have the chance to watch some of his classmates and evaluate their quirks. It would be nice to be able to do that--watching then trying for it.

"The heroes this round will be Pair A!"

Ah. Never mind, then.

"The villains this round will be Pair D!"

Izuku freezes up.

Even though All Might is still speaking, his eyes aren't watching. Instead, he looks over to where Kacchan has been standing stiffly, his shoulders exposed and arms presumably heavy with some sort of thick grenade devices.

It doesn't take a genius to have some sort of idea of what those are for, especially since he knows Kacchan's quirk.

The other boy waits until All Might stops speaking, telling Iida and Kacchan to go into the building and prepare as villains. But once that's done, he's headed inside.

He takes a moment to look back at him, staring at him directly.

And the grin he has on his face is exceptionally unkind.

[marshbarks]

style week, day 4: band au! 💚💙 collab w/ @slobbykitty

a scene from a fic that adrian is writing, stan tried to give kyle his number and it did not go in his favor.

context under cut!

fic snippet, written by adrian ♥

[wizisbored]

fun fact about the nimona centaur au is that i am collecting images of horses fighting in order to draw nimona and gloreth ✨beating the shit out of each other✨

[pigeonstab]

First time drawing outer Sans

[driftsart]

Hi, I recently found your blog, and I'm in love with your AU already. (You may have noticed the liking spam sorry about that.)

Second, the Terminus Redesign sheet, NUMBER 9 MENTIONED!? I LOVE THIS MOVIE. And it's such a mood, I can see the vibe. But m sad he deceased later on 😔 rest in peace Terminus. I'm gonna place flowers on his grave.

Anyways love your art.

Thank you! <3

[kheprriverse]

The boys ✨