buttrinthum | TDM#5

Entry tags:

!tdm

TDM#5

Arrival / Enchanted Garden

Whether it be sleep or death, you feel your eyes close, and as your body begins to let go, you see a barn owl that is flying through the darkness, soon sweeping you across the clouded sky. You feel yourself mouth the words, “I wish, I wish..” and utter your deepest and darkest desire.

When you regain consciousness, you’ll find you are in an unfamiliar place with no recognition of how you arrived here. You have the clothes on your back, but nothing else. No weapons and if you had a particular superpower, you’ll notice it is missing. All you have is a satchel with a piece of bread, a vial of water and a potion. The potion could be red, blue or golden. There are no instructions about these potions other than two words: Drink Me.

Will you drink it or not?

There is a parchment, handwritten, and it simply gives you a welcoming:

“Welcome to my Labyrinth. Per our agreement, you have consented to live your life here for an undetermined amount of time. In exchange, I will grant you the wish that you desire the most.”

You’re in a garden, surrounded by flowers and plants– most of which you cannot identify. However, there are a few that you can make out: morning glory and gladiolus. Time spent too close to the morning glory flowers invokes a state of intense obsession. Obsession over an event, a person, or things/objects are all possible, but the victim’s drive to be involved with their obsession is intense and all-consuming. Be careful, not all obsessions are peaceful ones. Pollen from the gladiolus flowers will find their strength increased tenfold. It might make day-to-day interactions a little difficult especially when gripping a pen or a cup winds up in a broken utensil or shattered mug. Of course, no amount of strength can affect the labyrinth walls, however…

Draconic Departure

CW: mood altering substances

It is time. Everyone knows it, and there is no denying it. It is time for the dragons to leave. No effort to keep the dragons from leaving will work, the dragons themselves inexplicably compelled to leave. It’s both a happy and a sad time for the pairs who have helped raise these dragons, but even the parents know somehow that it is time.

Dreamers and their dragons have one last night on Starlight Cliff before the dragon’s departure. It’s a simple gathering, put together by those who cared for the dragons and those who favored them. Picnic fare and simple decorations with glowing lanterns and soft blankets decorate the grassy flat portion of the cliffs. As the dragons leave, they leave a gift— one each for their adoptive parents. Gold dragons leave behind an item that reminds their parents of a loved one, red dragons leave behind an item that reminds their parents of their childhood, and blue dragons leave behind an item that reminds their parents of the wish they made when they found their way here.

It’s important to note that all are welcome to this celebration and departure. Some dragon parents have commissioned the townsfolk to create gift pouches for attendees. Each pouch has several packages of colored dust that when thrown into the air creates shimmering lights and effects similar to fireworks. However, if misused, like when thrown on others it can cause hair color changes, temporary sparks glittering from fingertips that can cause things to smolder, or even dye clothes that will all then affect the mood of the wearer. Red can cause tempers to flare, blue can create a morose mood, green will inflict an amorous feeling, and yellow will induce generosity. Luckily, washing off the dust will remove all of these effects immediately. Maybe throwing a glass of water on someone might help?

[ In the interest of fairness, each character who helped raise a dragon will get only ONE gift from them, even if they have helped raise more than one. In the case of multiple colors, it is up to player choice which gift they receive.

Items received from the dragons must be mundane in nature; magically powered or mystical items are not allowed. Weapons are allowed if they are likewise mundane and could have been received based on the 50 shard reward.

Dragon parents who received a magical tattoo will find that their tattoo persists even after the dragons' departure. ]

Mystic Grotto

CW: spiders, tentacles

It happens in the middle of the night, a rumbling and tearing of earth that ricochets shaking throughout the land. Nothing is damaged, but even the air is awash with a new scent like something old has reappeared. Those who investigate the origin of the disturbance will find a small portion of the island has risen up out of the sea. It's land damp, still dripping with saltwater and half covered in seaweed, at first glance there’s little remarkable about this new piece of land. That is until wandering past craggy rock and slick ground lands the most daring explorers right in front of a large cave entrance.

The environment inside changes almost immediately. Gray crumbling stone gives way to more surfaces giving way to shiny dark obsidian the deeper inside you go. It’s hard to see, the lighting nearly pitch black past the entrance. As the cave twists and turns, something ahead seems to glow. As pools of salt water in the grotto appear, so too does the glow increase. Water that shimmers like a starry night blots a patchy, swampy chamber, crystals of deep watery hues jut from the walls and ground, reflecting glowing light that seems to zigzag across plant life that grows from every corner. Pools of dark tar-like substances are a hazard, creating a mess and potentially trapping explorers who aren’t watching their footing. Webbing that looks crystalized decorates the darkest corners, and those who wander too close might disturb crystalline spiders that will defend their nests with a vengeance.

The deeper the explorers get, the more dangerous the cave seems to become, like it is a trial that must be passed in order to see what is in its deepest reaches. Mist and fog hide deeper pools that house mysterious creatures who will reach out with large suckered tentacles in an attempt to pull in stray creatures no matter their size, almost as if they’re looking to sate a driven hunger. Those who make it past these creatures will find traps laid out that when sprung will loop adventurers into rope and twine cages, netting, and loops. Unfortunately, these traps only seem to be able to be cut by the sharp edges of crystal growing in the cave. Hopefully, travelers have considered picking some up on their way…

But those who are sensitive to magic and will might sense an urge to press forward, guided by an unseen force to see their exploration through until they come across a spiraling staircase to the exit. Just watch out for that slick stone, which could send you all the way back down to the bottom, luckily any falls will be softened by glittering moss surrounding the base of the staircase.

Mystery Revealed

CW: potential death, emetophobia, body horror

Past the Mystic Grotto, beyond the carved exit and dangerously thin path that stretches along a cliffside that drops straight down into the waters below, is a small outcropping suspiciously connected to the Labyrinth itself. Those who look closer will notice that the outcropping is home to an entrance into the labyrinth. Unfortunately, thorough investigation reveals that this older, more run-down section of the labyrinth does not connect to the one that is more familiar, almost as if it was cut off purposefully. Those who want to get to this portion of the labyrinth only have one option, and they will need to tread along the cliff path carefully, Falling from this path will only end in death.

Twists and turns will eventually lead to the main chamber of this section, wildly overgrown with greenery and inhabited by fireflies of different shapes and sizes all with a pleasant, soothing glow. Most important is the tall stone fountain, still somehow functional despite the apparent overgrowth and decay. Perhaps it is because the fountain is encased in something clear and glass-like, preventing anyone from actually touching or entering the pool of water. From each of the 5 spouts different colors of water pour down into the main pool to converge in an almost oil slick like appearance where the colors blend and mix together in places. Next to the fountain, a stone and wood contraption sits, levers still intact. Should a visitor decide to investigate the device, they’ll find that it is magically enchanted. Any attempt to harm the device will result in the character being blown back with force, enough to shove them off their feet or send them airborne into the walls of the room.

Pulling the lever, however, activates a groaning sound, and the exposed gears of the machine clamber into life as the sound of something opening and clattering echoes through what must be an empty stone chamber. Eventually, a small potion bottle filled with one of five colors (Purple, Brown, Teal, Chartreuse, Navy) rolls out of the ground and toward the operator’s feet. The colors seem misty inside, sparkly but dull, almost as if their mixture is incorrect or incomplete somehow. Upon opening the bottles, the scent that wafts out is foul: overly sweet but spoiled. But perhaps this is the way these potions are meant to be? Those brave (or stupid) enough to drink the potions they receive will struggle with stomach cramps moments later, others might feel the need to regurgitate the potion forcefully. Characters’ sight may blur and they may feel dizzy or ill at ease, but should they hold the potion down one of several things may occur.

⚗️ Teal potion drinkers will find themselves crying, unable to stop no matter how hard they try. Their tears will not stop flowing, and the fireflies in the area seem oddly attracted to the tears that drop from their eyes. It makes catching these creatures easy, but also an annoying hindrance to anyone who is subjected to crying their eyes out.

⚗️ Navy potion drinkers will find themselves feeling lighter than air. Though the effect is slow in the beginning, the longer they are in this part of the blocked-off labyrinth, the more they are affected. At first, it’s like walking on the moon, then they slowly find they have a harder time landing… until they wind up floating up slowly, up and up and up. But instead of winding up in the heavens, or seeing anything useful of the main labyrinth, they find themselves mysteriously floating back toward the garden. Once there they find they stop moving but will need to hold hands with others who are affected in order to land safely onto the ground again.

⚗️ Purple potion drinkers will find themselves consumed by hiccups that cause bubbles to float out of their mouths. These bubbles, when popped by anyone other than the owner, will release a secret said in the character’s voice.

⚗️ Brown potion drinkers will grow the sickest initially, but will also feel better the fastest. However, they may find that as they walk, mushrooms and other fungi grow in the wake of their steps, the kinds varied and assorted and not at all safe to eat or touch. It might be best for those who didn't drink this potion to avoid eating, touching, or spreading this fungal growth.

⚗️ Chartreuse potion drinkers will find that much like some species of frog they have become incredibly sticky. Not only do they stick to other characters, but their skin will stick to anything they touch. It’s best to be careful when under this effect unless you want to become a living katamari ball!

Perhaps it might be best to investigate what this fountain actually is and leave it alone for now, instead? By the time afflicted and nonafflicted explorers make their way back to the mouth of the grotto, they will find the effects of the potions drunk by characters have weakened to nothing.

[ Anyone who tries to take a potion with them will find the potions mysteriously absent the moment they leave the fountain chamber, their containers dry and void of any liquid that may have been inside. ]

Suspicious Message #3

On the morning of the 1st, some dreamers will receive a message from an unknown user.

What is it that you are most thankful for?

They will feel compelled to respond with a truthful answer, as if their brains had gone into a trance, and before they know it, their response will be there for everyone to see. It cannot be deleted or changed. The user will not respond personally, but you get the sense they are definitely reading.

[ This is an additional network option for characters to interact with. Feel free to add a network prompt into any of your top levels. If you do not want to interact with this prompt, simply assume your character did not get the message. All threads are public unless actively privated by characters. We generally encourage threadjacking and engagement, so feel free to mention if threadjacking is fine with you so that others are aware. Note that the NPC will not be actively responding. ]

OOC

Welcome to the labyrinthum TDM! All events are game canon. New characters (invited or not) and old characters alike are welcome to play in it. Existing characters can start their own logs or network posts for the event if they wish to.

New and Old characters are welcome to top level on the TDM. Please state in the header if you are a new or old player! Also, new characters may link their top levels under the new character comment so they are easier to find. Thanks for your cooperation!

New characters will arrive depowered and with only their clothing, and will be given a satchel with a crystal pendant, a communication device, some water and bread and a magic potion. If they drink the potion, they will manifest an elemental, healing or animal transformation ability.

With the exception of Castle Vaeros, characters are free to go as they please, so feel free to place them in any of the locations available on the map.

You can find more information about the game here. Any questions regarding the TDM can go under the comment below.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Arrivals and Dragons
"I wish, I wish..."

I wish it was over. I want to go home. I want to go anywhere but here.

Sero is tired, just like all of them. Too much has happened. Too many people have been hurt. He just wants to rest and know that when he wakes up, it won't be yet another disaster. He never voices it to anyone else; after all, they have a job to do, and they volunteered ("volunteered") for it, but man...

One moment, he's asleep after a hard training session without remembering to change out of his costume, sprawled in the hammock in his dorm room and nursing the aches of the day, and the next, he's dreaming of owls.

He doesn't even register waking up here. It's pretty and warm and yeah, he's still dreaming. He's never been somewhere like this before,, and a quick investigation of himself reveals a few things: that satchel, with the water that he sniffs curiously but puts aside and the potion in shimmering gold that he just stares at, then puts away. He's not that stupid. And then, his arms. His arms aren't any different from any normal human being's arms, and that in itself is a problem

"What the fuck..."

He whispers it again, and again as he investigates himself further. Nothing else is amiss, except there's no injury to his person. His helmet is nearby on the ground, and he picks it up to tuck under one arm, and starts to walk. The flowers smell nice but aren't in his purview as things to investigate. As such, he has no real inkling that the spiralling thoughts that dart from the state of his home to that of his parents' home to wherever they might be in the world are anything but the normal worry.

And then he looks up.

There are dragons.

Careful not to touch anything that he doesn't strictly need to, Sero follows the winding paths, quietly marking under his breath where he's turned and committing each branch to memory and continually looking up to make sure that he's going in the direction that the creatures overhead were coming from. And when he emerges near Starlight Cliff, it's a relief to be somewhere open again. He sags. And sags further, until he's leaning heavily on a wall with dark eyes up on the dragons, and the flashes of color from the festivities below.

Wildcard
If you want to take Sero somewhere or introduce him to anyone/anything, throw it at me. Convince him to drink his potion. Give him the grand tour. Whatever your heart desires.

[Today has been...long. Long and draining on Katsuki emotionally and mentally. He's not accustomed to being emotional like this, and especially not anywhere public. The entire affair of sending off their dragons, the ones they raised from eggs into adulthood, would never have appealed to Katsuki otherwise, but his own red dragon - the now begone speck in the sky, aptly named Riot - deserved at least that much grace. Of course the young blond shed tears, it's impossible not to when he was pretty darn close to the dragon that reminded him so much of one of his closest friends, both in name and in personality. One of the few reminders of a happier moment in time back home...fond memories and friends he might...never see again. It's been so long. They better be okay. They have to be. They have to be.

Katsuki leaves the festivities early, as he usually does, and he's wandering down Starlight Cliff to head back to his cottage when he glances up and literally freezes in place. There's no fucking way. Absolutely not. After blinking a few times, still gobsmacked by the fact the image before him has not faded or shot out of view, he has to actually believe that Soy Sauce Faced idiot actually is there.]

Sero?!

[Katsuki's voice is tight, hoarse from how tight it's been through the entire ceremony, and now even more at the sight of one of his friends and classmates - one of the very few that he considers in his own personal circle, no less. The constricting feeling in his chest is back, the moisture still hanging from light blond lashes starting up again. Fuck you, you bastard, how dare you appear now.]

Sero has no context for any of it. He's still half convinced that he's dreaming. Why else would his body have changed without any outside interference? Dragons overhead, a village not far from where his knees are giving out on him a little at a time, the kind of stone-wrought labyrinth that would have been much more at home in a fairytale from a few hundred years ago? Definitely the fodder of imaginary spaces.

And then there's the familiar face turned on him before he even has the time to straighten up and actually make his way toward figuring out what he was supposed to be doing here. What the fuck is this, this Bakugou Katsuki that looks as if he's been crying. Since when does the Great Explosion Murder God allow himself to look emotional around anyone, at all, ever? Layers upon layers of surreality...

He pushes himself back upright and takes a step forward, mouth hanging open and a hand dragging through his hair as he stares back openly.

"Bakugou?"

Oh fuck, there are tears. And he refuses to be awkward about it. Not when it feels like maybe his friend needs help. "What happened? What's wrong? ...I mean besides the obvious, what the fuck is going on?"

Oh, hell no. Absolutely fucking not, this is not happening right now, of all goddamn times. Katsuki is an absolute mess of emotions right now, too many to count and too many more to process - he's not used to this amount of pounding, throbbing feelings assaulting his head and his chest and id the ground opened up to swallow him now...that'd be almost preferable. He hates how elated he is to see Sero, how relieved that makes him. Because Sero shouldn't be here, he shouldn't want them to be here!! Not a single one of his friends or classmates should be stuck here with him when they're needed back home. And yet his traitorous heart, his fucking stupid body, reaches forward before he catches himself and stumbles back.

"How...why--" Katsuki grinds his teeth, eyes blinking back the wetness threatening to start falling anew. He can't deal with this right now, he's so fucking spent that the only thing he has left is the default - anger. Anger at Vaeros, anger at this world, anger at Sero, anger at himself. This flaw, this weakness in himself he still hasn't overcome. "When the fuck did you get here, you bastard piece of shit?!"

He should have been in the garden. That's where all the new arrivals show up, where Katsuki normally patrols at the end and beginning of the month, in hopes of...maybe--ugh! Ugh!! Fucking hell, why now?! Why RIGHT FUCKING NOW?! He doesn't have the mental, and definitely not the emotional, fortitude to deal with all this, or hide how much he wants to scream and just punch something.

That fluffing up in outrage at the situation as a whole is familiar, and it hurts in a way that Sero hasn't figured out how to internalize and feel about it, it's so damned rare. That reach, too, that hits him in a way that finally gets him moving again, pushing off from the wall and reaching to take hold of the shoulders of Katsuki's shirt (half expecting to be blown back away again).

"Me? When did- What the fuck do you mean when did I get here, when did YOU get here?!" He's shaking the other boy a little bit; the last he knew, they were facing hell in the court of public opinion. Deku had gone off the fucking rails and they'd only just gotten him back.

Katsuki would find himself being fussed, shaken, generally harassed as Sero attempts to solidify in his mind that yes, this is his friend. He's maybe not on that same emotional edge, but he can feel himself getting just a little bit chokey being faced with that look turned on him. "What's happening?"

Sero's expectation is correct - Katsuki isn't a massive fan of being touched on a good day, usually squirming out of someone's grip like a boneless cat. The moment the other boy's hands are on him, shaking his shoulders slightly, the blond tenses and his muscles spasm, shoving the other off almost on reflex. He's not ready for direct contact yet, he needs to wrangle the storm of his emotions and that takes way more time than what they've been given. He also needs somewhere less...this. The bittersweet sadness, the celebration, the sight of dragons still flying off into the horizon...he needs way less than that right now. Privacy. His space. Home.

"Don't fucking touch me," a hiss, aggressive and threatening, but...still less than it could be. This is still Sero. His friend. And the poor guy doesn't deserve Katsuki's ire right now - he's just as confused and lost as every other newcomer, and he's expecting Katsuki to have the answers. God...of all the shitty fucking miserable times--

"Fucking...follow me. It's a lot of shit to cover and I need to sit down." He doesn't wait for an answer. Katsuki marches towards his cottage. It's a long way, but the walk might help, it's getting out the stewing, roiling energy in his gut that needs an escape.

Katsuki should be glad that he's not getting full-on shaken like he's done to others in the past. Sero is just too on-edge and exhausted and emotionally wrung out in a completely different way from what his friend is currently experiencing. Getting shoved off earns a split-second hurt expression, but Sero is quick to mask it with a surly frown of his own, arms crossing over his chest. It eases up not long after, brow knitting and eyes widening a touch, but he's quiet as he follows after.

Sero stays a couple of paces back, just staring about and taking in the scenery. Everything here is very...fantastical-looking. Like he's stepped into an old picture book. One hand rubs self-consciously across his re-shaped elbow as he goes.

His helmet is still back at the base of the cliff. He'll have to go back and get that at some point.

"Can you just, I'unno, give me the cliffnotes version?"

He is, because that would probably end in an actual explosion tossed at Sero's face...because the blond is feeling much the same - exhausted and emotionally wrung out in every sense of the word. Katsuki just has so much muddling his thoughts that he's having a hard time wading through it all, and it's killing the happiness he does have at seeing his friend again.

He caught that look, and another crushing weight is added to the already monstrous load on his shoulders, but Katsuki presses on stoically. He just...need space. He needs time to actually breathe and stew and process. This is so suddenly sprung on him in an already vulnerable moment that he just...can't. He just can't. He doesn't know how to address Sero just appearing when he was so sure the last fond memories of home just fluttered away on leathery wings. Katsuki never expected to see anyone, he sort of didn't want to as much as he did want to. It's all so complicated.

"Give me a minute...fucking shit." Taking a deep breath, the young blond's pace slows as he runs a hand through his hair. Where to start? At the beginning, I guess. "We're in a different world, for starters. Not on Earth. This place is called Visium, and the town is Somnius. People from all sorts of different worlds, different versions of Earth, different times and places...they all converge here if they were dragged here by the asshole that governs this space - Vaeros.

"Long and short is the dickhead kidnapped us all to grant a 'wish' we all secretly had before waking up in the garden. Horseshit, you and I can grant our own fucking wishes, but whatever. We're stuck here until he decides to shoot us back home or...whatever. Goodie bag includes food, water, a gemstone that's pretty much a glorified coin purse - don't lose it, cuz it's the only way to get your quirk back - an outdated wooden cell phone that you can use to talk to others, and a magical fucking potion that can give you one of three magical fucking powers. ...Welcome to Fantasyland, where I've been stuck in for close to the past fucking year."

Nine months? Ten?? Longer??? Katsuki doesn't remember right now, nor does he care about exacts. He's waiting for Sero to start bombarding him with questions, but his brain doesn't let him, because he has a question of his own that shoots out his mouth before he can stop it.

"...How are they? Everyone - sensei, Endeavor, a-all of them..." Deku. Are they okay? Are they alive? He hasn't known for almost a full year who is safe and who isn't.

He might have assumed that Katsuki just didn't want to see or talk to him at all, if this weren't something of a familiar pattern. The guy doesn't change. It might be comforting, if not for the fact that right now what Sero needs is distinctly not the way that Katsuki generally handles massive emotional upheavals.

The immediate instinct to reply with a "no shit" is bitten back before it can make it past his throat. This didn't feel like any realm he was familiar with (even if, granted, he had only been in the one they started in). He repeats the names that he's told, Visium, Somnius. Yeah, those sound predictably fantastical too. Something to do with sleep and...visions, he guesses. A soft sound in reply at the idea of other people being grabbed from other realities. Way too weird, but at the same time, why should he question it? He doesn't have enough energy or information to argue one way or the other.

A wish, though... There's a sinking feeling as he traces back through his recent memory to try and figure out what kind of fucking wish would land him in a place like this. He's pretty distracted by that even as he glances down at the few things that he had on him, almost going to question how the fuck a wooden cell was supposed to work. He's about to ask what kind of powers they're supposed to be getting from a friggin' potion when the last part sinks in.

"A year?" That horribly pit in his stomach intensifies. Then that means that this Katsuki is on a different timeline than he is. What is that going to do to the way he behaves around Sero?

Katsuki hardly has to worry about being bombarded with questions as Sero hangs back, staring with hands hanging at his sides even as the blonde braces to be harangued.

"I. They. We...we're alive... What's the last thing you remember?" That would really inform how much he could say, whether he would just be rehashing the things that Katsuki already knows.

That is so far from the truth but not completely devoid of it. It's complicated what katsuki is thinking and feeling in this moment, but there is very real joy at knowing one of his so-called 'inner circle' has shown up, but also frustration and anger at the same time. None of them belong here, they should all be back home fighting against the League, All For One and Shigaraki...not wasting their time in this piss off fantasy land.

The silence that spans between the two boys after Katsuki gives Sero his footnotes is both long and short, but it's tense and thick regardless of the time it takes for words to be spoken again. Katsuki is continuously walking, though his pace is slow and just...exhausted. He really, really just needs to get home and fall into his bed, sleep off the weighted feeling of his limbs and the pressing urge to just scream and cry that's he's been holding back for hours - well before Sero even showed up. He hates that feeling, it's so damn hard to keep it at bay and all Katsuki wants to do is not be conscious right now. He doesn't want to deal with this all right now. But he has to and by god is he going to. To do anything less would be beneathe him. Though when Sero notes the amount of time, Katsuki gets tense. Shit...right, Sero could be from a different point in time than himself. He doesn't know if time is even still flowing back home or not, no one in this damn world knows anything about how it works, just that Vaeros is their glorious Overseer. Tch!! Fucking nitwits.

"...I--" He feels a weight on his chest, throat closing up. We're alive. Those words, those two simple words unburdens the blond so much that he actually feels dizzy, and has to catch himself against the wall of a building to remain upright. Relief. That's what it is. He's relieved - the weight of uncertainly for almost a year was crushing him. "Aa, I...I got shishkabob'd by fucking Shigaraki...All For One, whatever. I must've passed out after taking on those Nomu after, cuz I remember hospital lights and shit - coming in and out - then I passed out again and wound up here."

So basically, he was stabbed by the big bad, fought the high-ends with everyone because of course he did, then eventually passed out from bloodloss and wound up in the hospital to have emergency surgery and that's what he last remembers. Still being under some heavy medication, hence the coming in and out of consciousness during the days it took for him to recover. He didn't even get to fully wake up, either...so he knew nothing about the outcome of Jaku.

"Sero. Tell me what you remember last. All of it." And he'll stop the boy if he does or does not want to hear more.

The exhaustion that he can read in every movement of his friends body is mirrored in his own, his pace slow, almost trudging. His chest hurts. It's tight and wracked with an ugly sort of grief. He stares at the side of Katsuki's head as they go, brow knitted and looking as if he's aging on the spot.

They're not on the same timeline. He doesn't know where to start.

He's falling back, footsteps drifting behind, his hands curling into the front of his costume, as if it might give him some grounding.

"Midoriya went nuts," he starts quietly, tone almost sounding distracted. "Everything was falling apart, Midoriya ditched us, said it was for our own good, but he was hurting himself so much in the process we couldn't just let him..." He lets out a slightly wet-sounding chuckle. "You apologized for being a shithead..."

Katsuki is perceptive, he knows Sero is falling behind with the exhaustion and weight of whatever it is he's going to say, and that trepidation is back - the worry, the gnawing fear, and the buried understanding that comes with it. Before his friend even begins to speak, Katsuki already knows they're not from the same timeline, that Sero is beyond what even he recalls, and that alone is slightly terrifying. The Jaku massacre was just that - a massacre, a catastrophe, and the start of something so much worse...because they got away. Shigaraki, All For One, the League itself...they all got away. They couldn't stop them.

The blond can feel his heart in his throat, but he clings onto the words Sero said before - they're all alive. Aizawa, Todoroki, Endeavor, their senpais...Deku. They're alive and that's good. That's...th-that--

All of a sudden, Katsuki stops dead in his tracks, eyes widening and heart falling to his feet when Sero actually begins to explain. And if Sero's not careful, or watching where he's going, he might very well crash right into the blond, but that won't shake Katsuki regardless. He hears all of two, maybe three, things before his ears start to ring, his jaw clenching and breaths coming out in sharp pants. Anger. Rage. Hot, searing, building in his veins like magma until his palms glow, smoke, and spark. He didn't.

Midoriya went nuts.

He wouldn't.

Midoriya ditched us.

He couldn't have...possibly--

Said it was for our own good.

Nothing else permeates Katsuki's brain (and thank god for that, he wouldn't have wanted to hear about him apologizing before he went and did it himself), and he practically doubles over, like he's going to be sick, but Sero knows that's not the case. He's going to blow.

Edited (FORGOT TO ADD A SPOILER WARNING. ) 2023-10-08 18:21 (UTC)

"HE DID WHAAAT?!"

Deku, he is going to fucking kill you the second you step on this miserable slab of dirt or so help him, you fuckshittening goddamn IDIOT.

Sero Hanta | My Hero Academia

BODYSLAMS THIS TL also lmk if you prefer prose and I'll switch back.

personally prefer prose but it's whatever you're more comfortable with ^^

lol i prefer brackets but i can do prose. uvu

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2 | cw: spoilers for ch. 300+

2/2

imma just wildcard you

ovo b

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject