A Force of Nature [2]
2. WHISPERS
Tags: lore, parties & drinking, implied sex, secondhand embarrassment for Shouto, Chisaki having the absolute worst vibes, banter/flirting
Art piece by @maewoahoah!
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Magic has been at One For All far longer than students have been. In fact, the land was full of power even before the school was built–known far and wide as a place of enchantment.
People were drawn to the area when it was home only to soil and spirit. Some simply wanted to practice and learn, camping out and pulling mystical energy from the earth, but other visitors wanted more.
The idea that one could steal the power imbued in the land seems laughable even to this day–surely, no one could be strong enough to do it.
But, many tried, and many failed.
Until one tried and succeeded. One man, centuries ago, managed to do what the others couldn’t, securing his place as the most powerful practitioner in the world. He harnessed this strength that had once been shared among the common folk and twisted it into something only for himself. Carelessly and wickedly, he flaunted what was supposed to be unattainable magic by playing god, stripping other practitioners of their power one-by-one, village-by-village. Armies were sent after him only to be crushed, completely decimated with nothing to be found in their wake.
Everyone lived in fear for some time until the world–not the people of it but its very nature–began to fight back.
Six mighty creatures were sent from different corners of the globe–the Adlet, the Bennu, the Chimera, the Wyvern, the Indrik, and the Kitsune. All of them were powerful protectors, and all of them fought together to defeat the evil practitioner who came to be known as All For One.
Once he had finally fallen, shriveled and faceless as the story goes, each of the creatures took the magic that still resided inside of him, splitting it between the six of them to carry back to the grounds where it belonged.
One For All University was built on one principle: magic should be shared. Founders took a name that was seen as evil and flipped it to return to the people.
“Reclamation of something once feared is power,” Master Nana had said when the university first opened, “it may not come with smoke or sparkles, but it is stronger than any spell I know.”
The spirits of the six protectors remain on the land. Statues of them surround the courtyard fountain, their images are carved into door knockers and the cobblestone paths that lead to every building, and every April the herbalists plant seeds in the campus gardens in just the right pattern so that they bloom into portraits later in the month of May.
More than that, every student is represented by one of the protectors by way of the OFA axis system: smaller communities within the school. Not only is it a way to organize students into dorm buildings and classes, but it’s also to guarantee a sense of belonging.
In a ceremony that takes place the first evening that everyone is back on campus, year one students sit around the fountain and meditate until they’re chosen by one of the creatures. Sometimes it takes seconds–a student will close their eyes and slip into a relaxed state only to stand up moments later and walk to the statue that depicts their new guardian–but other students may take all night.
You can still remember getting chosen, the bleating of a goat ringing in your subconscious only to be overcome by a deafening roar as the chimera swam into view.
“With me,” the snake head had hissed before pointing its strange body toward the blurry image of the statue.
When you joined the other first years, you all smiled and shared your visions in whispered voices, keeping an eye on the crowd of sitting students that slowly got smaller and smaller. Even if neither of your best friends are in the same axis (Fumi in Indrik and Kyouka in Wyvern), you still consider the others in the Chimera axis to be family. You share the same spaces for late night snacks and studying, pass in the dormitory hallways, relax in the commons and really just coexist together. You don’t have to be everyone’s friend, and they don’t have to be yours, but there is a mutual respect between members of the same axis (one that should but doesn’t always extend to other axes as well).
Lion, snake, goat, bound in blood at the throat.
An old little rhyme that sometimes still gets passed around. It’s written above the entrance of the Chimera dorms and on one of your school cloaks, but it’s a little dramatic for your tastes–metal, as Fumikage would say.
The goal of connecting with one another doesn’t end at the edge of the campus grounds, however. Though this is the main location of One For All, the hub, there are satellite campuses sprinkled about. It isn’t necessary for them to be built upon enchanted soils as their curriculum is aimed at the non-magic population—an idea that when proposed initially had been met with outrage.
“We aren’t trying to teach them how to use magic,” Master Yagi had explained, “We all know that’s impossible. What we’re trying to do is help them understand it, help them understand us.”
The campuses offer classes and even degrees in magical studies, allowing the general population to join the magic workforce in support roles if they so choose (from what you’ve heard, the various positions pay pretty well too).
The education opportunities also help close the gap of misunderstandings. Too often are practitioners expected to perform above their abilities, complete impossible tasks simply because the common folk assume that you can. There are many misconceptions about what can actually be accomplished with magic, and it leads to a sort of animosity between groups. Master Yagi opened the satellite schools to put an end to that animosity.
It all comes back to the school’s fundamental philosophy: magic is to be shared, and that extends to those who cannot harness it.
One power for all.
~
Professor Todoroki seems ill-prepared as he stands at the front of the classroom. He’s staring wide-eyed at the student who just asked a question, mouth opening and closing like he’s trying to get a grasp on the words that obviously are not coming to him.
Honestly, you feel a little bad for the guy. You know he knows every answer anyone could possibly throw at him—he’s basically genius status after all—but it’s clear that he doesn’t do well when put on the spot. Hopefully the further along he gets into the school year the easier it’ll be for him.
But, for now everyone has to watch him flounder, sighing in relief when he’s finally able to rattle off a long explanation about thermodynamics. He isn’t great at putting things into layman’s terms, but your class is far enough along in your studies to understand what he’s talking about. Mostly.
“This is a little painful to watch,” you mutter to Fumikage who’s sitting next to you, observing the same dismal show that you are.
“His father just died. I think we can cut him some slack,” he defends, “for now, anyway. I would hate to cringe my way through his class for the duration of the year.”
“Not good for forehead wrinkles,” you snort, and he agrees.
Todoroki glances at the two of you but doesn’t say anything. Still, it makes you sink a little in your chair and look back at him apologetically.
Now that you’re sitting in a classroom and forced to watch him, you notice a few details that you couldn’t see in passing. A few wisps of red are sprinkled in with the white half of his hair, like it’s fallen out of place over the course of the morning. It’s also gotten long enough to tie into a small bun at the back of his head, something you did notice before but have chosen not to focus on because it suits him a little too nicely if you’re being completely honest.
He also looks to have lost a little bit of weight since you saw him at graduation. He isn’t small, but he’s definitely leaner than before. You suppose stress will do that to a guy.
And, the last thing that sticks out to you is the scar on the left side of his face—the one no one knows the story behind—is a little raised; you’d never gotten a close enough look to study it in any real detail, but now that you’re sitting in the front row, albeit on the far side of the room, you can’t help but stare at it. It raises so many questions. Even if you have no plans to form any type of bond, you’re still dying to know how he got such a large, angry mark.
Overall, he’s nice to look at, and there are more than a few students who have been sighing dreamily throughout the class period. If you weren’t so caught up on someone else, you may have joined them.
After the review lecture, Todoroki instructs everyone to practice some of the more mild elemental spells—creating micro hurricanes inside of water bottles by spinning fingers, making beans sprout within dampened plastic bags. It reminds you of kindergarten, learning about wind and plant growth, and it’s actually kind of adorable.
Todoroki assures everyone that you’ll quickly move on to stronger element summoning, but for now he just wants to observe the basic skills.
It’s not a great indicator in your opinion, mostly because everyone can perform the simple stuff like this. True colors will shine when it comes to creating fire out of oxygen or affecting beach tides with your will alone. That is when he’ll discover that you (and probably a few others) don’t actually belong in fourth year Elemental Magic.
It’ll be embarrassing, but you definitely wouldn’t mind switching to an easier subject so that you can focus more on the Fates and surviving Necromancy.
“Okay, um… remember the homework is due Friday,” Todoroki says at the end of the period as everyone begins gathering their things. Used to being formally dismissed by professors, the whole room waits once belongings are packed, sitting in an awkward silence and leaving Todoroki to stare in confusion until he realizes and clears his throat. “That’s all. You can leave.”
“Well, that’s gonna be interesting,” you say as you leave the room with Fumikage. “But, at least he isn’t as intimidating as his dad. I was always so nervous around that dude.”
“Yes, he was definitely a bit menacing. The constantly burning sconces around the classroom didn’t help.”
“Yeah, gave the room a sort of fire and brimstone vibe.”
Kyouka is waiting for the two of you in the dining hall, and you all talk about how morning classes went between bites of food.
Will-bending is next, which you all have together. It mostly consists of Professor Aizawa going through the class one by one and testing each student’s willpower to see if you practiced disciplining your mind over break. Fumikage obviously had been, as he got into a rather amusing staring contest with the instructor, but you ended up breaking after about thirty seconds, body shaking as you were forced to lean down until your forehead touched the table.
Not the best in the class but surely not the worst considering Aizawa was able to slam Sero’s head down immediately.
“And that, children, is why you don’t smoke too much of the devil’s lettuce.”
The class erupts into laughter, Sero included.
“Damn, just calling me out in front of everyone!”
“Considering how many times you’ve walked into my class smelling like a skunk, I’d say you deserve it, Mr. Sero.”
Though drugs remain illegal among the non-magical community, practitioners are able to get permits for a few of them, the reason being that mind-altering substances can help one better connect with the magical environment.
That doesn’t mean they aren’t a distraction, though. Aizawa allows a few things to slide, you think because he simply doesn’t want to argue, but he’s put his foot down a few times (like when Kaminari came to class while tripping on acid).
You and your friends have to part ways for your last classes, and as you make your way down the trail toward Chisaki’s Necromancy house, you can’t help but miss the aura of protection that Sasaki had placed on you the previous day. You know that it’s unlikely that something will pop out of the trees and attack you, but that unsettling feeling just won’t leave your stomach.
You grimace when you reach the building, at the large door that other students are trickling through. The wooden steps that lead to the porch are slightly warped from the seasons, creaking under your weight.
Just inside the entrance is a table lined with masks, the same beak-like design that Chisaki wears, just a bit smaller than his and all black. You aren’t sure why he insists on the plague doctor aesthetic, but you’re grateful to be provided with the protective gear.
There are a few toxic elements involved with necromancy—certain spell ingredients and even some of the magic itself. There are particles and gases and every once in a while bone dust clouds the room.
So, the masks are necessary, even if they do make all of you look like some kind of goth army.
Most of the seats in the classroom are already taken, and you swear when you see that the only open spots are the ones right next to the windows that peer into the cemetery. As if you weren’t already on edge. Now you’re gonna be glancing outside every thirty seconds to make sure there are no corpses climbing out of their graves.
There are already several pages stacked in front of you, a quiz when you take a closer look, and you groan quietly. This is everyone’s first year in the class after all, different from the other basics because of how dangerous it can be. It isn’t wise to have a bunch of eighteen-year-olds trying to raise the dead, so the school waits until students are just a little older—a little more level headed.
“Don’t fret too much over the quiz,” a voice calls out from the staircase, causing everyone to jump in alarm. Apparently you aren’t the only person nervous to be here.
“It won’t go toward your grade. I’m just using it as a baseline to see what all of you know about necromancy.”
That takes some of the pressure off, but you still hate the idea of turning in a blank quiz.
“Take your time,” Chisaki continues as he strides over to his desk and takes a seat. “I don’t have much planned for this first class period.”
You’re surprised at how understanding he seems to be, a little more human than you’d imagined.
Of course, he could just be trying to set everyone at ease before showing his true, scary self. Hard to say. He looks very normal in his skinny-fit slacks and crisp dress shirt. The only thing that really stands out (aside from the mask) are the suspicious black gloves that cover his hands.
The quiz is mostly common knowledge (for practitioners at least), but there are several questions that you’re completely lost on. On the back of the last page is one more section that requires you to write down as many runes that you can think of, symbols as well as translations. You’re able to list most of the alphabet, but some of the meanings don’t come to you. By the time you walk to the front to turn the papers in, you’re feeling a little better about yourself.
That wasn’t so bad. You won’t look like a total moron.
Chisaki glances up from his desk when you add to the stack in front of him, unnecessarily pretty eyes blinking at you before he nods and mutters a barely audible, “Thank you,” before looking back down.
You spend most of the rest of the class doing a whole lot of nothing, trying to keep yourself from peeking out the window. Once all the quizzes are turned in, Chisaki stands and tells everyone he’ll have them graded by Thursday then begins to outline the course and what you can all expect from it.
“I won’t lie, it’s very study heavy. You’ll have to devote time to it, but there’s just as much hands-on curriculum, so hopefully that will keep you interested.” To drive his point home, he announces that you’ll be working on cadavers as soon as Friday.
“I usually set aside one of the three days every week to practice with the bodies in the morgue downstairs. You won’t be trying to restore them for a long while, but it’s much easier to learn anatomy when you’re able to see it first-hand.”
Most of the class looks a little sickened by the prospect, but a few others are practically vibrating with excitement.
“I use Tuesdays to lecture and Thursdays to walk you through reconstructing small-scale biological life—plants, flies, frogs, et cetera. Any questions?”
Ibara Shiozaki raises her hand in the front row. She’s known around campus for her strict moral code and overall condescending attitude toward anyone who “doesn’t respect the laws of nature.”
With that knowledge, you aren’t even a little surprised by what comes out of her mouth.
“What if we have no interest in violating the sacredness of life and death?” Her usual haughty tone is as pleasant as it always is, and it elicits several scoffs and mumbles from the other students.
Chisaki doesn’t seem fazed, though, just stares at her as if bored and bluntly answers, “If you don’t participate, you fail.”
Ibara lets out an offended noise then turns her chin up at the professor, but still, Chisaki remains calm.
“This is a core class. I know that very few of you will even consider pursuing it as a major, but it’s still a requirement to graduate.” His gaze locks on Ibara where she sits, still turned away, and he elaborates further, “Necromancy isn’t just about raising the dead. You spoke of the sacredness of life and death—this is where you get to study it, to get a better grasp of it, and in that way you will learn to revere those laws even more.”
His voice never sways from the monotone drawl you’ve grown used to over the course of the hour, yet there is conviction in every one of his words. You respect that, thinking that maybe the class won’t be so bad now that you can look at it through a different lens.
He lets everyone leave shortly after that, the late night breeze carrying away every hushed and eager conversation.
Ibara’s head of green hair is noticeably absent in the crowd, and two days later it’s absent in class as well.
~
The Indrik party is in full swing by the time you arrive. You can’t see or hear anything as you approach, but once you pass through the ward you’re met with pumping bass, flashing lights, and the smell of weed.
You already know you won’t find Kyouka anywhere, and it looks like Fumikage is playing the role of the invisible man, probably locked in his room, trying to block out the house music with metal. You consider going up and pulling him out to socialize, but you aren’t quite that cruel.
You’re content with mingling for a while, though. Get a couple drinks in your system, talk with friendly faces you haven’t yet had the chance to. You even run into and talk with Ibara which is annoying as much as it is relieving considering you sort of thought she may have been murdered in cold blood when she didn’t show up to class.
“I spoke with Master Yagi, and he agreed to let me switch to a different course,” she informs you, nose just a little too high in the air for your liking.
“Wow. Must have had a pretty convincing argument up your sleeve.”
“I threatened to sue,” she tells you plainly, “as it’s against my beliefs to engage in the foulness of necromancy.”
“Ah.”
And, that’s when that conversation had ended.
A group of upperclassmen who are very well-known at the school are causing a ruckus in the common area of the dorms, one Katsuki Bakugou squaring up to Hitoshi Shinsou which is nothing out of the ordinary. Bakugou has always been the fighting type, temper getting the best of him at the slightest annoyance. Shinsou is much more laid back from what you’ve seen, but he definitely isn’t the kind of person who’ll just back down when challenged, even if he is a year younger than his foe.
“Come on, bro, calm down,” Eijirou Kirishima, the closest thing Bakugou has to a true friend, tries in vain.
It’s a lost cause. Bakugou is already too fired up, and to the untrained eye you would assume that he would be able to clobber Shinsou since he’s bigger and broader, but in reality, the violet-haired practitioner has the upper hand, and he shows this by saying three words.
“Stand down, Bakugou.”
Bakugou grits his teeth, fists tightening further as he fights the command, but he really doesn’t stand much of a chance. Shinsou is, after all, the strongest will bender in the school (right after Aizawa anyway).
Hissing, Bakugou tries to lock his knees as they begin to shake, but he’s down when Shinsou adds a commanding, “Kneel,” that forces the other man to the ground.
“Good boy,” Shinsou smirks down at him.
Literal steam begins rising from Bakugou’s body as he seethes, but he can’t move until Shinsou either releases control or moves out of range.
Shinsou chooses the latter, chuckling before turning his back and striding away, and only when he slips into another room is Bakugou able to stand.
“I’ll fucking kill him!” he growls, attempting to follow him. Kirishima grabs him by the shoulder, obviously doing his best to talk his friend down. You watch as Bakugou spits and grumbles and acts like a toddler, but in the end he doesn’t go after Shinsou.
Now that your source of entertainment has disappeared, you make your way to the communal kitchen, intent on finding a brew that will leave you relaxed but not completely fucked. Jurota is bartending, as in mixing the brews. He has several cauldrons set up on the counter, each of them with different liquids, all of them stirring themselves. You’re glad to see that he’s the one handling it, one of the most trustworthy members of Indrik. A few parties back they let Monoma mix which had led to a disastrous night that resulted in an expulsion.
“Bee pollen buzz, dandelion destressor, or passion flower party?” Jurota asks when you walk up.
The translations boil down to get tipsy, chill out, or get wild.
A buzz sounds nice, though, and bee pollen always gives you a nice tingly sensation. It won’t leave you with lowered inhibitions, so why not?
“The bee pollen sounds good.”
“Coming right up,” he nods, turning to grab a large vial and dunking it in the cauldron furthest from you. It makes you wonder if having so much contact with the brews has any effect on him, if he’ll end up the most wasted at the end of the night. Maybe that’s why Monoma was such an ass—he was out of his mind at every party.
“Buzz buzz,” Jurota says, drying off the now corked vial with a towel before handing it to you. “Enjoy.”
“Thanks.”
You pivot around to leave but stop when Jurota calls out, “By the way, Sen is looking for you.”
With a knowing grin, you thank him again then set off to find the Kitsune in question. Your night is about to get considerably better.
As you move through the crowd, you take a few swigs of your drink, that pleasant heat washing over you instantaneously. Bee pollen was definitely the right choice, you think.
It takes you a few minutes to find Sen, tucked away in a corner with a few of his friends. He has an almost empty vial of the dill weed destressor, but judging by his hooded eyes and the way he smiles at you, you can assume he’s had at least one of the Passion Flower brews.
“Hey,” you greet, “heard you were lookin’ for me.”
“I was. Happy you came.”
Sen Kaibara is a fifth year that you befriended toward the beginning of your third year when you were seated next to him in Sasaki’s advanced class. Quiet but kind, smart but not ashamed to ask you for help, very handsome but not full of himself.
Hooking up happened naturally, a no strings attached type of arrangement that is apparently still in play. You don’t have much in common—different years, different friends, different interests—but he’s easy to get along with, and he’s really good in bed.
“How was your break?” he asks, laughing when you cringe at the mention of it. “That bad, huh?”
“It could’ve been worse, but I was ready to come back and get away from family. Yours?”
“Same as usual. Family stuff, a couple water parks, being a jungle gym for my cousins.”
“How fun for you.”
“It was alright,” he shrugs. “First week went okay?”
The small talk is really just a nicety. You both know where you’ll end up tonight, but you don’t mind catching it up a bit.
You definitely consider Sen a friend even if you don’t spend much time with him outside of your dorm rooms, but that’s all there is to it. No romance, no butterflies, just convenient, mutual attraction. Others find that hard to believe since he’s hot and personable in his own stoic way—how could any girl not fall in love with him—but it all comes back to you harboring those unrequited feelings for your professor. Hooking up with Sen was actually an attempt to get over that crush, but that obviously didn’t happen.
You aren’t sure if Sen has any secret crushes or other fuck-buddies. It wouldn’t bother you if he did. You know that one day your little agreement will come to an end, but until then you’ll enjoy the temporary distraction. And the orgasms.
Both of you get another round of drinks, still exchanging pleasantries while also exchanging heated, mischievous glances, and after maybe another hour you’re making your way out of the party, passing through the wards then coming face to face with an exhausted Aizawa.
“Leaving so soon?” he asks with a raised brow, eyes traveling down just enough to spot the way your hand is interlocked with Sen’s. “Better things to do, I suppose.”
Your face heats up mildly as Sen tries to cover a chuckle with a cough before replying, “S-sorry, sir.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Aizawa shrugs as he walks closer to the invisible shield, waving his fingers over it. “Just don’t do anything that’ll keep you from coming to class.”
“Of course.”
You and Sen pass him, picking your pace up as if to make up for lost time, but while laughing to yourself and shaking your head, you figure you really do owe Aizawa for not flipping his shit like some other teachers would.
Stopping, you turn back and call out to him, waiting for a sign that he’s listening, and when he looks over his shoulder, you grin and tell him, “Stereo system got moved upstairs this year.” A fact you had learned when an excited Sen had accidentally bumped you into one of the speakers you did not remember being there before.
Aizawa doesn’t say anything, but you think you see the flash of white teeth before he gets back to cracking the wards, leaving you and Sen to finish the walk (jog) back to his dorms.
~
As expected, Aizawa assigns a ridiculous amount of homework Monday and Tuesday, causing everyone to grumble through the rest of the week. There isn’t a lot of time for extracurriculars, cooped up in Fumikage’s room as you both read four chapters from the textbook and scribble out essays on how euphoric brews could affect will-bending. It’s annoying, but you find it hard to be too upset after the night you spent with Sen.
“So, you really think that you guys won’t end up together? Like at any point?” Kyouka asks at dinner on Friday. Everyone is drained and ready to retire, scarfing down food in the thirty minute break between third and fourth period.
You push your plate away, aware that you still have Chisaki’s class, and you really don’t wanna barf all over your cadaver.
“I really don’t think so,” you shake your head. “It’s not like that. It’s really just a convenience thing.”
“How, though? He’s, like, one of the most popular dudes in school.”
“If I cared about popularity, I wouldn’t be hanging out with you guys, now would I?” you shoot back, grinning to show that you’re joking. “Also, you know why I’m not actually super into him. We all know.”
“Yeah, but…” Kyouka sighs, expression turning maddeningly sympathetic, “the likelihood of that happening…”
You know. Of course you know. How could you not know? As if you haven’t gone over every single possible scenario with the hope that even one of them points toward a favorable outcome.
“The heart wants what it wants,” Fumikage says. At least he’ll back you up on this. “Though, in this case it’s wrong.” Nevermind, then.
“Can we just change the subject please?” you pout. “The crush isn’t going anywhere, especially since I have to spend even more time with him this year, so just get over it, yeah?”
“Okay, okay, sorry.”
It’s not like they can talk. Kyouka is in love with Momo but refuses to act on it, and you’re nearly positive Fumikage is harboring some feelings for Tsu despite her and Shoji having an on-again-off-again thing.
To put it simply, all of you are fucked.
The walk to Chisaki’s house is just as unsettling as it was the day before, just like it was unsettling on Thursday. And Tuesday. And on last Friday. And so on and so forth.
What is different tonight is that as you approach you can hear hushed voices coming from behind the building, possibly the graveyard. Even quiet, the whispers are harsh, more like hisses than anything. You can assume that one of them is Chisaki’s, but the other you can’t place.
“I already told you, I’ve tried. His body is too damaged, and I can only do so much.”
“You’re a necromancer, one of the best in the country—”
“The world, actually.”
“That just proves my point. You should be able to figure it out!”
You should leave. You should go into the house and disregard the conversation.
But, judging by the subject matter, you have a feeling you know who the other speaker is and who he’s talking to Chisaki about, so it’s hard to ignore, both because you want to be able to tell Fumi about it and also because you’re nosy.
“You truly do not know how this works, do you? Did you not learn anything in my class?” Oh, Chisaki sounds heated, as if the idea of a student not paying attention during his lectures is even worse than some entitled asshole demanding something like this.
“I was focused on other things,” Todoroki grits out.
“Well, look where that got you: absolutely clueless.”
It’s silent for a moment, but then you hear footsteps in the grass, a quick stride that leads to you dashing up the porch and hiding behind one of the large pillars just in time to see Todoroki storming away.
That conversation obviously had not gone the way he wanted it to.
You peek past the pillar to make sure the coast is clear, and when you see that it is you move toward the door.
“It’s rude to eavesdrop.”
You nearly jump out of your skin, the sickening heat that comes with pure fucking fear filling your veins as you freeze in place.
“I—I—… it wasn’t like that. I was just going in,” you lie as Chisaki walks up the steps.
His eyes are narrowed, and somehow the plain black mask he’s chosen to wear tonight is even more intimidating than his usual plague mask.
“Now why do I doubt that?” he asks, voice that strange, echo-y drawl that makes your skin crawl.
You haven’t been as uncomfortable in his class as you thought you would be, but right now all you want to do is run away.
“Could it be the deer-in-the-headlights look? Maybe the pathetic stutter?” Now, that is just rude.
“Could it be that my freaky necromancy teacher just snuck up behind me?”
Probably not the best way to reply to someone who not only controls your grade but also knows how to kill you and bring you back to life.
Chisaki blinks at you, pauses like he’s winding up to say something that will more than likely bring you to tears. Your heart is pounding hard enough to hear, and your breaths are too fast and too shallow. You wonder if he notices.
You shouldn’t have listened in. You should have ignored your curiosity and just left them to discuss the matter in private, but you didn’t, and now you’re face to face with Kai Chisaki who is looking at you with all the calmness of a storm, like he’s actually willing your stomach to cramp up like it is.
“Go inside, little eavesdropper,” he finally says, and you can’t tell if you want to sigh in relief or vomit.
You’re extremely insulted (even though you are guilty), but more than that, you are terrified.
Nodding, you mumble, “Yes, sir,” then skitter into the house like a scared little bug. You definitely feel like one.
The cadavers down in the morgue aren’t even close to as scary as your near death experience outside. You aren’t a huge fan of cutting them open, a large Y-shaped incision that travels from collarbone to groin, but you’re still running on adrenaline so everything else is easy.
Chisaki points out the most important body parts, internal organs, visible nerve plexuses, muscle groups, but he mostly lets everyone explore—matching textbook pictures up with what’s right in front of you—as he wanders around the room to peer over shoulders and answer any questions.
When he makes his way over to you you’re focused on what you’re doing, but that doesn’t stop you from tensing when you notice his presence.
He asks if you need any help, as if what occurred outside didn’t even happen, and honestly that might be worse than getting another lecture on minding your manners.
“Uhh, no, I’m good,” you tell him, looking up at him once, feeling your stomach flip, then looking back down.
“Okay. If you get confused just wave me over,” he says, tone changing just enough to notice as he tacks on a very ominous, “I'll be watching.”
As he walks away you think about how that sounded more like a warning than a helpful offer, and you have a feeling that after today, this class is going to get much, much harder.
~
You think your theory is proven correct when you’re with Sasaki Sunday afternoon. You’ve had three cups of tea and at the bottom of every one of them is a bad omen.
Sasaki snatches the last cup away from you to look at it himself like he thinks you must be reading it wrong, but you’re not. You’re good at this. He knows you’re good at this, so why wouldn’t he trust you?
After studying the remnants at the bottom, Sasaki frowns and looks up at you.
“What did you do?”
“Excuse me?” you reel back. “What do you mean what did you do?”
“I mean, what did you get yourself into?” he demands, eyebrows still pinched together. He looks legitimately upset, and it makes you feel sick.
“I didn’t—like, it wasn’t—okay, listen,” you begin to give in. Sasaki stares at you expectantly as you fall back into your chair and huff. “I may have overheard a conversation between Chisaki and Todoroki.”
“Overheard,” he repeats, not even a little convinced.
“Yes, overheard. Definitely not eavesdropping.”
Sasaki scoffs, knowing you too well at this point, but goes on to ask, “And what exactly was this conversation about?”
“The dean.” He tilts his head in interest, and you continue, “it sounded like Todoroki wanted Chisaki to bring him back, but Chisaki said he couldn’t. Like, he isn’t capable.”
“Odd.”
“Yeah, I thought so too! Isn’t he supposed to be, like, the strongest around or something?”
“Not that. Everyone knows there are limitations in magic. What’s odd is that Todoroki would want to bring his father back.”
You’re confused, and you tell him as much. “Why? Of course a kid is gonna miss their dead parent, and the unsolved murder is even more motivation.”
“Maybe so, but from what I’ve seen and heard, the two didn’t get along well. I find it hard to believe Shouto misses his father.”
“Oh,” you perk up. “Well, that adds a whole new element to this.”
Sasaki glares at you suspiciously, must be able to see the gears turning in your head.
“Whatever you’re thinking right now, forget it. You don’t need to come anywhere close to this, especially if you’re already on Chisaki’s bad side.”
There’s a certain disdain in his voice, prompting you to ask, “Am I picking up a little bit of animosity there?”
Sasaki rolls his eyes, which means there absolutely are hard feelings between the two men.
“Okay, if you won’t tell me anything about the dean, you at least have to share this story.”
“I absolutely do not.”
“Come on,” you plead, doing your best impersonation of a sad puppy.
It must be a pretty good one because Sasaki sighs and grumbles, “Stop looking at me like you’re begging for scraps.”
“I am, though! Throw me a bone, professor, please.”
Sasaki turns his head to glance out the window, mouth twitching, and you can’t tell if he’s trying to keep from smiling or scolding you.
“It’s just a small misunderstanding,” he tells you, and you grin while leaning forward.
“Go on.”
Clicking his tongue, Sasaki turns back to level his irritated gaze at you.
Unfortunately, for him, he doesn’t know how much you enjoy him looking at you like that, the way it makes you feel feverish in the best way—head a little foggy, body aching for him…
His smile also does things to you, the sound of his deep laugh, but the way his jaw tenses and his eyes go a little darker when he’s annoyed is too tasty to pass up.
“We had a disagreement about who should teach the seance curriculum, and it got… out of hand.”
You lift an eyebrow. “You ended up teaching it, though.”
“Which is ridiculous. Seances and Ouji have nothing to do with The Fates and everything to do with contacting the dead, but I am not a medium.”
“Then how’d you get stuck with it? You have enough subjects to go over as it is.”
Sasaki raises a hand toward you as if to say ‘thank you’ then drops it back down so that it slaps against his thigh, drawing your eyes to his slacks and making you think thoughts for a second before you look back to his face. Focus.
“Chisaki argued that Necromancy was a more intricate class to teach and that he didn’t have the time to devote to seances and whatever else.”
You suck your teeth at that. Sure, Necromancy is very specific and potentially dangerous, but you have to agree with Sasaki. Chisaki is the man to go to when it comes to dealing with dead things.
“He also said something about The Fates becoming obsolete and that it’ll be a useless major sooner rather than later.”
Your temper flares.
“What the fuck?”
“That’s what I said.”
“Obso-fucking-lete my ass! Who does he think he is spewing bullshit like that?”
“I don’t know, probably God or something,” Sasaki waves, handsome face scrunched up like he’s upset about it all over again. “Anyway, Yagi sided with him for whatever reason, promised a pay raise, thanked me for my understanding, then promptly forgot about it.”
How dare they? Treating Sasaki as someone who shouldn’t be taken seriously, delegating this extra work to him because they’re ignorant to The Fates. They don’t even know. They don’t even know.
You scoot to the edge of your seat, eyes wide, hands clasped together tight enough to strain your muscles.
“Want me to take ‘em down? Slip a little poison into their wine one night?”
Sasaki’s expression softens suddenly, and he even chuckles when he asks, “Why do you sound so serious?”
“Because I am! Fuck them both!”
He begins to laugh harder, making you snort and shake your head. You know the threat is ridiculous—like you could actually kill two of the most powerful practitioners in the world—but you’d be willing to try if Sasaki wanted you to.
“For your own safety and also legal reasons, I have to advise against that,” he snickers, “but I appreciate you coming to my defense so readily.”
“Just annoyed that they think The Fates is some kind of throw-away class, that’s all,” you fib. You know it’s much more than that, and by the way Sasaki smiles at you fondly, you can tell he knows that too.
“Yes, it’s been very frustrating. Chisaki and I haven’t exactly gotten along since then. We tend to steer clear of each other.”
“Can’t blame you. Now I have even more reason to not like the guy.”
“You mean aside from him catching you spying?”
You scowl and cross your arms, body sinking into itself as you begin to feel cornered.
“Spying is a strong word for this occasion. I just happened to hear what they were talking about.”
“And, then you stayed to listen because you’re a nosy little brat.”
Your jaw drops in offense, and Sasaki smirks, tempting you to challenge him on it, but he’s right in this case, and also you’re finding it difficult to form a complete thought with him looking at you the way he is.
It is probably time for you to leave. You need to go back to your dorm and take care of this need before you pounce on him and get yourself expelled for assaulting a teacher.
“No witty little comeback?”
“I’m tired. I almost died today, you know.”
Sasaki stands and gathers the teacups in front of you, taking them to the kitchen to wash while calling out, “I highly doubt he threatened your life.”
“No, just gave me a fucking heart attack!” you say, following close behind. “I really saw my life flash before my eyes on that porch.”
“So dramatic,” he teases while keeping a straight face, “but I suppose that’s what happens when you snoop around and get caught.”
“Oh my god.”
He puts the dishes in the sink then turns and leans against the counter. Something about his posture looks so inviting, and there are so many things you’d like to do, but you can’t, and you’re in the middle of defending yourself to him anyway.
“Just try to keep a low profile. You were probably on his shit list before you even got into his class, so don’t make it any worse.”
“Okay, I am not that bad of a student. There’s no way he would have known who I was before the first day.” He probably still doesn’t know your name even now unless he looked up your record to watch you as he implied.
“People know who you are,” Sasaki assures. “For various reasons.”
“Oh? And, what might those reasons be?”
“Other students you spend time with, your little boyfriends, plus your gift—”
“Um, I have not dated a single person since starting here,” you cut him off, feel the need to clear that up real fucking quick even though it won’t matter.
“Uh huh,” he dismisses, “my point is more people know you than you think, and Chisaki is likely one of them, though he probably noticed you because of your affiliation with me.”
“His arch nemesis.”
“It definitely feels like that sometimes.”
You gather your things from the other room, then walk downstairs with Sasaki where he places you under another aura of protection.
“Gotta keep the killers and the necromancers far away,” you joke.
Sasaki hums, looking strangely thoughtful as he reaches forward to fix the collar of your casual summer cloak. His fingers barely brush your neck, but it still makes you bite the inside of your cheek and stare up at him with big doe eyes, your infatuation probably written all over your stupid face.
In an attempt to cover it up, you clear your throat to get rid of the confession that’s lodged in it and take a small step back. Sasaki drops his hand, and you miss it immediately, but instead of saying so, you try to act like your normal self and pry, “Look, I know you said to stay out of it, but—”
Sasaki groans and steps further back. “I knew you weren’t going to drop it.”
“Exactly, so you may as well tell me.”
Rubbing his temples, Sasaki shuts his eyes. “Fine. For my own sake. So that you don’t drive me insane. What do you want to know about the dean?”
You grin in triumph, then ask what everyone has been wondering: “How did he die?”
Letting out a long exhale, Sasaki meets your gaze again, still hesitant.
“I won’t tell anyone. I just wanna know for myself,” you assure him.
He stares at you for a little while longer, leaving you waiting on edge before sighing in what might be defeat.
“He was burned to death.”
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My Hero Academia Pride Headcanons (Student Edition)
AAAAAHHH I'm so excited to talk about these. My Hero is my favorite anime, so it's only fitting I talk about it first!
I'm going to start with just the 1-A kids, but I also plan to do pro heroes and others like a few from LOV and Class 1-B in later posts!
Disclaimer: These are my own thoughts and opinions (hence the term headcanon). This is how I'm choosing to engage with this media in this post. There are other ways to engage with a chosen media and neither way of engagement invalidates the other. Art is subjective. Fandom is ultimately for fun! Don't take me too seriously!
Without further ado:
Midoriya Izuku (he/him): Bisexual
Honestly, Class 1-A is kind of just his harem. /hj
But really, I'm thinking about how flustered he gets around girls, or how he's got such good chemistry with Todoroki, Shinsou, etc. Or how his friendship with Kacchan can be read as a boy with an unrequited crush. I think he's more attracted to women than men. Like, maybe his initial attraction leans towards women, but he ends up forming much more natural chemistry faster with men. This is a ramble. But I think it's almost fitting I'm rambling on the King of Ramble's section.
Todoroki Shouto (he/him): Gay and Demisexual
Head empty, only pretty boy and parental issues. Todoroki Shouto lit up so fast when Midoriya confronted him and then he just never let him go. It's cute. I don't think he even realized he had a crush until much much much later, and only after his mom pointed it out. Bless his heart.
I also support a bisexual reading of Shouto because it fits the idea of his character. Feeling split in two but realizing he is one whole. Just as bisexuality isn't half gay/half straight, but a whole sexuality.
I also support other pairings like Seroroki, TodoBaku, TodoKiri. TodoIida, etc. I didn't mean to make it all TodoDeku, but ahhh, I've shown my cards. It's my favorite pairing in the show.
Bakugou Katsuki (he/him): Gay
Did Bakugou struggle with his sexuality? Probably not. He obviously wasn't worried about it. What is a relationship compared to being Number 1? He just likes guys. Nothing to get weird about.
Side note: after he becomes more open with people, he probably calls out "that's gay" whenever his classmates do literally anything affectionate with each other and Jirou has to exasperatedly point out "your boyfriend is literally in your lap."
I also support a bi/pan reading of Bakugou because why not? Art is subjective.
Kirishima Eijirou (he/him): Gay and Trans
Kirishima is a manly man. He is the manliest man. He is trans. and still very manly.
I like to headcanon that he has two moms who fully supported him when he told them he was a boy and he started socially transitioning pretty early. Not many people know he's trans, but it's not like he's shy about it.
Side note: Artists that draw Kiri with top scars are doing the mostest. Appreciate y'all.
Oh. and he's gay. Kirishima also wouldn't find that to be a big deal. It's just who he is. He never really came out. Just let people figure it out.
I also support a Pan reading of Kirishima.
Yaoyorozu Momo (she/her): Lesbian
This is supposed to be set in the future, but I do think there's still homophobia in smaller ways and/or in specific circles, like the elite. I feel like Yaomomo would have trouble both realizing she's a lesbian and feeling like she's safe enough to express that to her family. She's got no idea what they actually think about it, because it's so hush-hush and that scares her.
Don't worry though. Her gf helps her out and she's eventually able to tell her parents and they eventually accept her. (Is this me projecting my unfinished Pro Hero!Momo MomoJirou fic onto a headcanon post? Yes, yes it is.)
Jirou Kyouka (she/they): Bisexual
She likes the men. She likes the women. She likes in-between and beyond, and she doesn't care what you think about it. Homophobes can fuck off!
Despite how shy they come off, she's not about to take people's shit about herself and especially not her friends. Mean Bisexual.
Her parents are very supportive and would constantly ask if they've got a partner yet. Their parents have a betting pool on whether she'll get with Kaminari or Momo. Their mom won.
Kaminari Denki (he/they): Bisexual and Non-Binary
It was a little bit of a shock (ha!) when Kaminari realized he wasn't attracted to women. He was attracted to the color purple. The Baku-squad is tired of Kaminari staring at Shinsou's abs.
One day, they realized, rather out of the blue, that they didn't feel exactly like a boy. I mean, he felt more boy than girl, but not boy enough. When they found the non-binary label, it just worked.
Iida Tenya (he/him): Bi-romantic Demisexual
Oh Iida, how I love you and all your eccentricities.
Tenya likes both men and women and while that's not something he's always known, it's something he easily took in stride. Tensei was surprised when Tenya first talked about his crush because Tensei didn't think his little brother would ever like anybody. Tenya just needs to have a friendship connection first before he realizes he likes someone.
Ururaka Ochako (she/her): Bisexual
Oh god, she's a bisexual disaster. I don't know who's worse, her, Deku, or Kaminari. They need to hold a contest.
She flusters so easily. The first time a girl held her hand, she was probably as red as a tomato and couldn't do anything to stop the blushing. She's a mess. Can relate.
Asui Tsuyu (she/her): Lesbian and Asexual
Girls.
She likes girls. Girls are very pretty and they have pretty hair and cute hands and lovely laughs and blinding smiles.
She just...
Girls.
But she's also kind of sex-repulsed. She'd be willing to do the thing if her partner wanted it, but only for special occasions. Not very frequently.
Ashido Mina (she/her): Pansexual
Move over, people! It's Alien Queen. She doesn't care about gender. She cares about if you can keep up with her in the game of life!
Life's too short to worry about gender!
Sero Hanta (he/him): Pansexual
Same idea, just toned down a little. It's not about the gender of the person, but the contents of their character. It helps if they're sexy tho, ngl.
Ojiro Mashirao (he/him): Bisexual
Maybe it's because I'm bi, but I think most character's base-line should be bi, hence why many of the characters on here are bi/pan. Same goes for Ojiro who has pretty good chemistry with both Kaminari and Hagakure. Also kinda got an enemies thing with Shinsou, but that's leaning a little into rare-pair territory.
Aoyama Yuuga (he/him): Straight
"But OP," you say, "He's clearly being queer-coded, have you looked at him??" Yes. And that's what makes it funny.
I think it would be funny for the obviously queer-coded person in the class to be the only actual Straight person in Class 1-A. Could you imagine??
"Is he, y'know?" *hand flap thing*
"What, Aoyama? No, no, he's straight. But everyone else here is gay though!"
Tokoyami Fumikage (he/him): Gay and Asexual
He likes guys. Not into sex. It's simple and not very complicated. He just needs a boyfriend to keep all his candles in place for when he does the summoning ritual-
Shouji Mezou (he/him): Gay and Asexual
Same deal. Not very complicated. He's willing to hold all the candles for his boyfriend as he does a summoning ritual-
Sato Rikido (he/him): Aromantic
Frienship is more important than a relationship. Probably has a few queer-platonic relationships.
Koda Koji (he/him): Aro/Ace
When he gets over his shyness, he loves his friends with his whole heart, but that's how it stays. Nothing more than friendships for him!
Hagakure Toru (she/her): Trans
I haven't forgot about youuuuu. Why is she trans? Why not? What are you gonna do about it? Honestly, all these characters could be trans and that would be fine too. Art is subjective. Trans rights! Fuck you!
Min*ta (h*/h*m): homophobic
Cannot stand him. We slander. (He arguably has a crush on Deku, but I'm! Not! Going! There!
Shinsou Hitoshi (he/him): Queer
Am I cheating?? No. I think he deserves to be in 1-A, so he's on the 1-A list.
It's just easier to tell people he's queer when they ask, and it's the best label that suits him. He's not entitled to give them anymore than that.
That's the end of the students from 1-A! This was pretty fun, actually! Hope you enjoyed, whoever's reading this!
Next time, I'm going to tackle Pro Heroes!!!! Because they, too, are gay.
Until Next Time!!!
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