#dfo secret Santa

[tunafishprincess]

Darkening Seas

A DFO Secret Santa gift for Moon_Lantern

——————————

Izuku feared many things in his short sixteen years of existence.

As a child he feared the wails of ocean storms, huddled in bed with his mother as rain and wind pounded their small home, a common monster for the children of his small village. She would whisper spells of protection as he clung to her form, as if the storm itself were trying to get inside.

It wasn’t until he didn’t receive his mark that he learned that there were greater fears, the kinds that haunted him to this day. Fears of losing friends, for one. For another, fear of the village’s suspicions whenever something bad happened. The Markless weren’t a common bunch and in his childhood home, he was the only one in several generations not to be blessed by a god.

In spite of all the fears he had, however, there was always hope. His mother, even on her deathbed, always promised him a better tomorrow. Even if today was bad, there was always a chance that the next day would bring a better outcome. She was right in a way. It was hope that brought him to All Might, a hero beyond compare that bestowed his own Mark onto the boy, a power that still hummed beneath his skin.

His muddy fingers rose subconsciously, patting at the tattoo on his shoulder. Traveling with All Might had been a dream beyond comparison.

Sadly, all dreams must come to an end.

As a teen, he learned to fear more than village discrimination. At fifteen, he discovered that not all gods bestowed gifts.

All Might taught him to respect the old gods, but not to bow to their whims. When the sea attacked the land, Izuku followed his mentor to the battle, ready to die a hero. Instead, his mentor had been swallowed by the sea and Izuku---

Well, death would have been preferable at this point.

Another itch broke out near his neck. He scratched at the spot but the move did little to soothe the real problem: he needed a bath.

Begrudgingly, he stomped out the rest of his fire, gathering his things to make the small trek to the lagoon he’d been eyeing days before. There wasn’t much to pack, though he wasn’t sure whether he should be thankful or not about that. His food rations had dwindled considerably these past few weeks, his fear of exposure outweighing his need to resupply. He still had aways to go before he got back to the great city of Musutafu. Even if his ailment could not be cured he at least had friends who would care for him there.

His throat bobbed. Well, he hoped he still did.

He arrived at the lagoon within a few hours time, the area as empty as the first time he’d spotted it. It set him on edge.

As beautiful and blue as the seawater seemed, the Kamino sea lay just beyond the exposed shoal.

He licked at his cracked lips nervously. His skin ached to be cleaned and he knew he probably smelled horrendous from so many weeks on the road without washing. Peeling off his dirty clothes, he set them aside from his bag, hiding both in-between the rocks high above the waters.

Goosebumps ran up his arms as he approached the waters. The sun was still high enough in the sky, though a few clouds did beckon across the skyline, the promise of rain both a blessing and a curse with his current predicament.

Hopping onto a large rock, he observed the depths before finally taking the plunge.

Fire traveled through his veins as the curse took hold. He closed his eyes to avoid it, but he felt the changes, bones cracking and reshaping to the curse’s preference. Where once were two average feet now had melted together like butter, soon followed by his calves and thighs until it was all one limb. His nails transformed into claws as he clenched his fists. Tiny pinpricks of pain erupted across what were once two legs, the formation of scales and webbing overwhelming to his enhanced senses. By the end, he was a shaking pitiful mess, his now alien tongue running along the rows and rows of teeth inside his mouth as he took in his first breath of seawater.

He hated how much he had craved this.

His ears flipped back and lowered as far as they could go, a subconscious response to his predicament.

Old Gods be damned, he inwardly cursed, lowering himself down to the sand. He brushed his body with the coarse material, ridding himself of the dead skin and grim he’d accumulated. Moments later he rolled over on his back, repeating the process for several minutes until he was clean.

The first transformation he had cried, mourning the loss of his mentor and fearing the loss of his humanity. Now, on his fifth time, he just wanted to get it over and done with, hating all the strange sensations he had now as one of the very creatures his mentor fought back into the sea only a few months prior.

He blinked, second eyelids a half-second slower than his first, observing the underwater world around him with interest. He didn’t have much time to enjoy his surroundings, however.

The scent of food captured his stomach’s attention. Before he even had time to think his body began to move, less the awkward teen he was and more of the predator he had become.

On a normal day, he would not have been so adventurous, but Izuku had finished his last meager rations two days ago and hadn’t had meat in an even longer time. It would be fine, he reasoned, he was still in the lagoon and the sun would be up for several more hours.

The pristine sand landscape slowly transformed into a dense rocky forest of dead coral. It was a beautiful but haunting reminder of how cruel the sea could be, giving and taking away life like the gods who ruled them.

The water tickled his hair as he swam down the slope of the lagoon, the scent growing stronger as the light began to fade.

He hoped it was something edible, perhaps a glow whale like the one meal All Might introduced him to so many months ago after his first battle. His lips pulled upwards at the memory. Even the tough skin of an Armored Squid or a greasy Floor-Feeder Fish would taste like heaven at this point. His stomach gurgled, instincts driving him further and further away from shore.

Strangely, the slope seems to be reversing the further he swims, ascending until he spots a familiar group of rocks he had come across but only a few days before. The problem was, he thought with a nervous gulp, they had been part of the shoal that protected the lagoon.

He shook his head. No, no that couldn’t be right. That would mean the waters had risen by several meters and Izuku would have felt that.

But what about the high tide, the logical part of him pointed out, sending his mind into a frenzy.

His gaze flickered to the sky, noting the sun’s position with alarm. Had it truly been more than an hour? He returned his attention to the rocks. It could be his mind playing tricks on him. It wouldn’t be the first time. Paranoia had been a constant companion since he lost his mentor. The small fading hope that All Might was still alive had battled with the fear of the old gods wrecking further vengeance upon the teen for stepping into their domain.

His stomach ached. This was no longer a want, but a need. His hand glided over the Mark on his shoulder. The warmth pulsed beneath his palm. He would get the food and get back to shore as soon as possible. His tail swished impatiently as he drew out the energy of One for All. Veins of light traveled down his scales. With one kick he was zooming past the white rocks, deeper and deeper into the watery expanse.

The first change he noted was the life in this part of the waters. Tiny fish (not edible, he thought grimly) danced between colorful seaweed, the warm waters giving way to a refreshing coolness as he followed the scent.

The scent ended as he approached a dense forest of red coral, jutting out like tall trees from the seagrass. At the center of the grove, the corpse of a small glow whale lay between two rocks. His teeth sharpened, the needle structures in his mouth extending as he approached. Still, he held back from digging in.

It was a fresh kill. Strangely, however, there was only one cut on the creature’s body, a thin slice between its thick blubber. He scanned the area. It had been out here for as long as he’d been in the water at least and not one scavenger?

His stomach gurgled, overriding his thoughts. Flexing his claws, he cut off a piece from the broken skin, taking a small bite.

He almost groaned. So delicious. He took another bite, then another.

He ate as if on autopilot, human manners forgotten as the creature’s hunger took hold. He was almost halfway through his meal when he noticed it.

The hairs on his neck prickled. A shadow danced across the sands. He froze. The Mark on his shoulder burned, blisteringly so.

He looked above.

The mers he and his master fought were minuscule in comparison to this one. The creature’s tail is the first thing Izuku noticed, four meters in length and the same color as the coral surrounding them. How...how long had it been here? As it drew closer the teen took in its human features. The mer was male, he thought, judging its large upper body that was covered in scars. Most of them were old, but they all told Izuku everything he needed to know: this creature was dangerous.

He drew away from the meal, hands waving frantically as he apologized for taking its food. He hadn’t known it was his. His Mark sent pulses of pain down his arm, urging him to continue his retreat.

“Once again, my apologies,” he said, hoping his words were understandable underneath the water. “You are welcome to have the rest. I’ll just leave you to it.”

He doesn’t get very far. The creature blocked him with his tail, tilting his head as he asked in an oddly deep voice, “Where are you going?”

The sound echoed through the waters, sending a shiver down the teen’s spine. He never should have swam out this far, food or not.

Izuku lied, “My master is waiting for me.”

A dark, foreboding smile played across the creature’s lips. He caught a glimpse of several sharp teeth as he spoke, “Your master?”

“Yes,” he affirmed, pulling away as fast as he could. The more distance he put between them the better. “I have to be going now.”

“Do you now?” The mer inched closer, never allowing the teen more than a meter of distance. “Why not stay? Come. Eat.”

“I can’t. I’m really sorry. I don’t want to worry him,” Izuku replied hurriedly. His Mark sent a burst of adrenaline through his blood. Hopefully, it would give him enough energy to get back to shore.

“He won’t be worried,” the mer said, drawing uncomfortably close as he continued to circle Izuku.

“No, he really will be,” he insisted.

“He can’t be,” the creature stated into his ear. “The drowned do not feel.”

Ice filled Izuku’s veins. Without a second thought he swished his tail into the sand, drawing it up to blind the now familiar monster.

He didn’t stick around, the roar of anger more than enough to drive the teen back through the way he came.

One for All bleed through his being, the lines of light providing him distance. Unfortunately, in his panic he had lost sight of his original path, now swimming blind as the light above was fading. How long had he been eating? His breathing grew labored.

That was All for One. It had to be. He remembered those eyes, back on the day his master was swallowed by the sea, staring him down from inside the waves. He had been a lot bigger then, an unseen force of nature that belaid a constantly changing shadow of otherworldly horror.

Of course an old god could take the form of one of its creatures. Izuku would have hit himself if he weren’t swimming for dear life.

His mind worked through realization after realization at breakneck speed. So long as he held the Mark of One for All, All for One would come for him. That was why he’d cursed Izuku in this form. It had been to get him back to his domain.

Black tendrils shot up from the sand. He avoided them by twisting into a narrow group of rocks. He eyed the surface. His energy would only last so long. He needed a direction back to land.

Inwardly, he grasped onto the power All Might bestowed upon him, mumbling a prayer to god. Like an arrow he shot up from the rocky formation, too fast for All for One’s tendrils.

He gasped as he broke through the surface. The sun had been overtaken by the earlier clouds. Faintly, he could smell an incoming storm. Turning about, he frantically searched for land.

Desperation gripped his soul. Nothing but dark gray seas surrounded him. No, he couldn’t have gone out that far. The distance he’d covered was short, unless…

Unless someone intentionally made it so.

His heart rate skyrocketed. The lagoon must have been submerged into the Kamino Sea when he was under the waves. The shoal had been the first clue. How long had All for One been planning this?

The water shifted beneath him. Izuku’s eyes widened as a dark shadow spread out beneath him, steadily growing and rising from the depths. In one last ditch effort he poured the rest of his energy into escaping. He doesn’t get very far.

A tendril grasps his arm, jerking him back. Another joins on his opposite arm. Izuku frantically shifted about to shake off the tentacles. Fear gripped his soul as a hand from the depths shot upwards to grab his right fin, tight and unyielding.

Izuku struggled to escape the old god’s grasp, yet the hold on his tail dragged him deeper and deeper into the depths. Another sharp tug brought him into the monster’s arms. Izuku clawed and bit at the offending limbs. To his dismay, the skin was too tough for him to break. A low vibration from All for One’s chest began to slow his movements, muscles no longer working for him but rather against him, falling limp to the soft hum. Was the old god laughing?

“This has been fun. I haven’t had a good chase in quite a while,” the elder god chuckled.

Izuku growled. Despite how terrified he was, he refused to yield. “Let me go.”

“Now, why would I do that?” The arms tightened around the teen.

“You can’t have One for All,” he ground out.

“Oh? But he’s right here, isn’t he?”

Large fingers grasp his shoulder. His body bucked as the burning from the Mark exploded. Flashes of color invaded his vision. One moment the monster had on a younger face, unblemished by scars and cruelty. The next moment the face returned, though it had been tempered with a layer of curiosity.

“Does it hurt?”

Izuku gasped as the aches continued through his body. “Yes.”

A cruel smile danced across the old god’s face. “How interesting. Even now my little brother continues to resist me.”

They sank deeper, much to Izuku’s horror. In the distance, he heard an unnatural roar, followed by more and more, until the sound nearly overwhelmed him. The teen tried to cover his ears but the elder god pulled them down, refusing to give him relief.

The depths took on an uncomfortable chill. He shivered.

“Where are you taking me?” He asked between breaths.

All for One buried his mouth in the teen’s hair. The needle-like fangs were unnervingly close to his scalp. “We’re going home, my little guppy. Where you always belonged.”

Izuku blinked, energy leaving his body as he thought over the monster’s words.

“My home is on land,” he mumbled.

“Yes, it was. Once,” he whispered as the rest of the light faded from view. “But not anymore.”

The low hum returned. Izuku’s body loosened and relaxed, even as his mind and Mark screamed at him to move. All for One seemed to sense this, pressing him closer to his body so as to block any attempt at escape.

Amidst the blackness, he made out a great shape, a mockery of the castle he and his master once visited. The miasma surrounding it made the teen’s stomach roll with disgust.

“Welcome home, Izuku.”

[daddecember]

Hello everyone! Here’s a little announcement now that we’re a few days into the month!

*drumroll*

A week or two from now the time to enter will begin for our DFODecember after event….

A Dad Secret fic exchange!

There will be three available caterogories to enter, Dad for One, Dadzawa, and DadMight. You will be able to enter up to all three categories (one entry per category). Deadline to enter will be in the first of January (exact date/time TBD).

A day or two after that, all assignments will be released and the creation period will go through February 14th!

More details & official announcement coming soon….

A little note on participation:

If you want to do this, please do one of two things (preferably both):

1. Join the Discord server. This is the preferred option and will let us contact you for problems with your entry.

2. Follow this blog and make sure we can DM you

We can’t wait to see what you create!

[kadtie]

Had a fic idea, but I have neither the patience, nor the skill to write that shit so here's the premise.

Biological DFO. Dad is absent like in canon.

Izuku has AFO quirk. Probably discovered it around 4yo by accident and returned the stolen quirk but was left slightly traumatised and so never used AFO again until...

Around 10yo or so Izuku meets an elderly person by chance with physical/mental enhancement quirk of some kind. They complain about how their quirk used to be so useful when they were younger but now it just hurts their bones/joints/gives them headaches/etc.

Izuku has a lightbulb moment and is all "please keep this secret but I could maybe help?" And the elderly friend happily gives him their unwanted quirk.

A few days later Izuku is slowly getting used to the new quirk when he visits or gets a call from the elderly friend who's all like "dont be mad but I told some friends who had a similar problem and they want you to take theirs too"

So he starts a secret underground elderly quirk giveaway business type thing and he gets all sorts of useful (and unuseful) quirks guilt free.

Except for his underground elderly donors his AFO quirk remains secret.

Each new quirk takes practice and work to get the hang of. He may have a few accidents. Cue mumbling and notebooks full of information on all of his quirks. Maybe he starts interviewing potential donors and gets all the first hand information on their quirk before he takes it and that helps him adjust to it faster.

Maybe a few of his donors don't have any reason to give their quirks away other than they know they're on death's door and feel like contributing to the world in some way before they die and so yeah.

By the time he takes the UA entrance exam he has a whole bunch of badass quirks. (And many many volunteer hours clocked in at several retirement homes)

And that's how Deku becomes the greatest hero ever.

BAMF!deku

Dad for One repercussions. Angst, etc.

Izuku could get OFA or not. Coin toss on that one.

Maybe throw in some Dadmight or Dadzawa just to round it out. You know. For fluff. Optional.

Shinsou. Because i love him.

I even have a picture in my head of a lady with a longevity/immortality quirk offering hers up because her 95yo wife is dying and she wants to die with her. </3

And maybe (just maybe) one of his donors has a quirkless grandkid and asks him to give them their quirk and so he starts doing that in secret too?

Thus 100+ years later he is is cryptid hero who sneaks into quirkless children's bedrooms while they're sleeping and suddenly the next day the supposedly quirkless kid has an exact copy of their grandparent's quirk. Like some kind of quirk Santa.

Anyway. There you go. There's my idea. 😗

[ao3feed-izuku-midoriya]

What do I spy?

What do I spy? by MelancholysSunshine

Three stories of holiday cheer. Happy, sad and a surprise...

Words: 1065, Chapters: 1/3, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Midoriya Izuku, Midoriya Izuku's Family, Midoriya Hisashi, Midoriya Inko, Sensei | All For One

Relationships: Midoriya Hisashi/Midoriya Inko, Midoriya Inko/Sensei | All For One

Additional Tags: DFO, dad for one, Secret Santa, Three Christmas Stories, Falalalala-lalalala

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/35823286

[queenangst]

Hey there! This is your BNHA secret Santa and I have a few questions for you :) I saw you want strictly gen/platonic fics which is totally awesome. I was wondering if you had any specific type of angst you were looking for or any general guidelines of what you want. (I see you have a bunch of fics with angst, so I’m wondering if you want me to base it off of one of your previous ones or if you have something else in mind. Also, did you want it to be Christmas themed or nah?

Oh, man, hi! 

I’m going to be completely honest with you, I don’t really remember what I put on my Secret Santa form... so feel free to ask away if you have questions!

I absolutely love genfic (can you tell?) and angst (can... can you tell...?). You can’t go wrong with that. I promise as long as you hit those two boxes, I will love you forever and ever.

I know my way around this rodeo, so don’t worry, here’s an (incomplete) list of dynamics, tropes, and other things I like and would be overjoyed with if this helps gets the gears turning: 

My “holy trinity” is Dadmight, Dadzawa, and platonic Bakudeku

1-A girls are good too!

Found family and friendship

OFA business/shenanigans (up to you what this means; strange OFA happenings, OFA reveals, secret keeping, Quirk developments, whatever!)

Any kind of “reveal” - canon or AU, identity, OFA, late bloomer, Izuku as All Might’s successor (though I have been reading/writing quite a bit recently, so I’d lean away from this one, but I’d still be stoked if you wrote this!)

Future fic (characters as pro heroes, but again, platonic) 

Social media fic/epistolary fic

Time travel (all kinds!) 

Soulmate AUs, especially platonic soulmates

Hisashi-related angst (bad dad, villain Hisashi, DFO, take your pick)

Rooftop trio (Aizawa, Hizashi, Oboro), bonus for Nemuri

Whump/angst/hurt/comfort

If you don’t feel like doing the angst route and you want to go for something lighter/more fun: shenanigans, like Class 1-A being idiot teenagers

Other helpful things: 

my tropes tag (tropes that I like)

my prompts tag (prompts I’ve made, though this is not always updated)

bnha fic rec tag (other people’s fics that i like!)

I do read the manga, so if you do also, spoilers are fine!

And... some things I don’t really like, because I know that can be helpful, too: 

Not the biggest sickfic whump fan :(

Anything with a strong focus on bullying, abuse, suicide

Darkfic, major character death, angst with an unhappy ending—you’re free to write those and I enjoy them sometimes, but I don’t prefer them

Like.... any ships. I know you know this, but just to be upfront. Even background ships. I don’t like Eraserm1c, it’s a personal thing, but since it’s extremely popular in fanon I thought I would mention it.

I’m wondering if you want me to base it off of one of your previous ones or if you have something else in mind. Also, did you want it to be Christmas themed or nah?

To answer this question: if you like one of my fics/AUs and you feel so inspired, I’d be happy for you to write something based off of it. I actually have blanket permissions on (most of) my fics, so really anything goes. Spin-offs, sequels, remixes, secondary fanworks, loose inspiration... if you decide that’s what you want to do, go for it. 

Christmas themed is fine, again, if you want to write it. I don’t have a particular preference if it is holiday related or not. 

As you can see.... there are a lot of options. I hope this isn’t too overwhelming, but I’m trying to give you as much info as possible!! Please feel free to take any of the ideas on these lists, combine them, use my fics as inspo, ask me 1000 questions, do whatever WHATEVER YOUR LITTLE ANGST HEART DESIRES. 

TL; DR: 

(P.S. Besides Secret Santa, feel free to stop by and just say hello/chat. And tell me about yourself, of course without giving anything away. I’d love to make a new friend!)

I’m going to be keeping you tagged under “bnha secret santa” and “ss anon.” Check those tags if you’re looking for my response(s)!