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notdeadjack · 3 years

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annual rec list 2020: part 2 electric boogaloo

Part 1, Multi-fandom rec list: 55 fics here

Part 2, Boku no Hero Academia: 223 fics

bc tumblr wouldnt let me link all of it in one post. also, my usual formatting broke when i copy pasted this to a new post and i cannot be arsed to fix it bc there’s just too many aaaaa

again, if the read more breaks and y’all have to scroll through this on your actual dash, i am sincerely sorry orz

Boku no Hero Academia

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12839862 Can't wait to see you by Mizaaistom 4k, Tamaki/Mirio,

“No light though..?”

Tamaki stiffens and Mirio instantly regrets his words.

“No light though! Sounds hot,” he tries. He also tries a quick peck to Tamaki’s forehead, hoping it communicates his apology and that he is very much ok with getting his first blowjob in the dark.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13625934 Blow Your Mind (Mwah) by MissPlacemat 2k, Kaminari/Kirishima, platonic sex, just dudes being bros,

For the kink meme prompt: Kamikiri, giggly sex

Just some thoroughly platonic and very, very goofy sex between two bros.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13115979 a fever you can't sweat out by Chewpid 7k, Kaminari/Kirishima/Bakugou,

Kaminari realizes he likes boys about a lifetime after everyone else does.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11927796 daydream by pvwork 2k, Tamak/Mirio, first kiss,

Third grade was scary for all of the two hours that he didn’t know Mirio.

After that first meeting, every memory Tamaki had of his childhood was filled with the summer sun, the melt-on-your-tongue sweetness of a shared anpan, the pinprick hurt of straining his limbs to manifest his quirk, Mirio’s megawatt smile, and Mirio’s big braying laugh.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13870977 Boy Problems by QuirklessWonder (SouthernSmartAss) 2k, Tamaki/Mirio, pining,

“Are you okay, Kirishima?” Amajiki was asking when Mirio tuned back into the conversation. He picked at his takoyaki, and Mirio could tell he was nervous. Well, Amajiki was always nervous, but right now he seemed to be extra nervous. Was it because of Kirishima being here? He usually didn’t mind the kid.

Speaking of, the kid looked up from where he was picking at his own lunch and he blushed so brilliantly that his face was hard to tell from his hair. It was kind of fascinating.

“I’m fine! Just - thinking,” He said, averting his gaze. Well, it wasn’t difficult for Mirio to tell when someone was being nervous and avoidant at this point. He ate some more of his lunch contemplatively before announcing cheerily -

“Boy problems.” He had been kind of joking - well, more like projecting - since he didn’t even know if Kirishima was attracted to men, but at the sharp, stunned look that the first-year sent him he realized that maybe he had also just started to realize what that looked like now.

“Mirio, what do you mean?” Amajiki asked at the same time that Kirishima asked, ”How did you know?”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12108360 five times mirio snuck into tamaki's room and one time he didn't by silvercistern 2k, Tamaki/Mirio, 5+1,

Tamaki and Mirio's young life together as a series of breaking and entering.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16201307 This Ain't a Fairy Tale by alpha_hydra 12k, Kirishima/Bakugou,sex pollen, kinda,

“No catch,” the doctor assures, but he hesitates a little before continuing. “However, it’s not your physical condition we have to be worried about. The victims of the quirk-”

“Victims?” Kirishima repeats weakly.

“The fucker’s quirk is called matchmaking,” Bakugou spits out before the doctor can continue. “He makes people infatuated with a person he chooses, and makes them fucking psychotic the longer they’re kept apart from them.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12193362 like you're running out of time, like you need it to survive by Slumber 4k, Kirishima/Bakugou,

Kirishima ravenous over omurice looks nothing like the any of the pictures in any of the articles of Red Riot's debut. Kirishima is a fifteen-year-old boy with a growing appetite, Red Riot a sturdy hero with already one apprehended criminal under his belt. And Katsuki--

Katsuki is only a boy playing at being a hero. He doesn't even have a fucking code name yet.

Or, Katsuki has a lot of thoughts about Kirishima that don't always fit together. (Takes place from after Kamino to the internship arc/ch 153.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13490769 living on your knees (you rise up) by Slumber 13k, Kirishima/multiple, friends with benefits, casual sex,

It starts with Kaminari.

It starts with Kaminari after their first mission together, the cops and villains long gone and the remnants of the fight nothing more than burnt fabric and deep cuts on their skin, a purpling bruise where tender flesh collided with concrete and metal and hard fists. There's a trembling in Kaminari's fingers and a desperation in his eyes, his knees giving out were it not for Kirishima's hands on his arms, holding his weight and pressing it to the dirty brick wall.

In which post-mission blowjobs become something of a habit. The feelings, an unexpected side effect.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12363684 arms by silvercistern 5k, Tamaki/Mirio, awkward first time tentacle sex,

Mirio runs his hands over the comforter where Tamaki’s shoulders and back are, gently petting. “Why don’t we just put on a movie and see what happens? I want to watch The Force Awakens again. Maybe we won’t watch all of it, who knows?”

“Aren’t you embarrassed?” Tamaki’s muffled voice filters through the blankets. He’s leaning into Mirio’s touches, and it’s really, really cute.

“Well, I mean, if it was somebody else, I’d probably be embarrassed but it’s real hard to be embarrassed with you.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13892967 breathless by silvercistern 16k, Tamaki/Mirio, soulmates, angst,

Mirio and Tamaki were caught in each other’s gravity. Inseparable friends, they brought out the best in each other, understood each other like no one else could. Together, they inspired each other to go above and beyond.

But they weren’t soulmates.

And Tamaki seemed to be the only person in the world who cared.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22497325 Sun by is_this_a_mistake 2k, Tamaki/Mirio, body insecurities, small penis,

Everyone always laughed when Togata ended up naked, and Tamaki was never sure why. He knew nakedness was embarrassing… though the idea of people seeing Tamaki himself naked was not much more embarrassing than them seeing him at all.

But Togata… Mirio… was beautiful.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8337607 Yesterday Upon The Stair by PitViperOfDoom 424k, gen, canon-AU, BAMF!Midoriya, body horror,

Midoriya Izuku has always been written off as weird. As if it's not bad enough to be the quirkless weakling, he has to be the weird quirkless weakling on top of it.

But truthfully, the "weird" part is the only part that's accurate. He's determined not to be a weakling, and in spite of what it says on paper, he's not actually quirkless. Even before meeting All-Might and taking on the power of One For All, Izuku isn't quirkless.

Not that anyone would believe it if he told them.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11468634 We Are So (Not) Married by MikeWritesThings (orphan_account) 53k, Aizawa/Yamada, fake/pretend relationship, pining, friends to lovers, ace specturm, implied homophobia,

In which everyone thinks Hizashi and Shouta are married due to an incident and while the nation is struggling to decide if this is a good or bad thing, Hizashi's struggling with the urge to say out loud, "Damn, I wish we were actually married, though."

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22650859 i'm having a secret conversation about you with the tiny stars in the pitch-black sky by crossroadswrite 7k, gen, background relationships, kid fic, fluff, 5+1,

“Is there anyone else you want us to call?” Ochako asks gently, and Eri chews on her lip and looks down and away. “Do you want me to call Deku?” Ochako pushes, and it’s worth it for the way Eri’s head snaps back up to her, eyes wide with hope, before she looks away again.

“I’ll send him a text!” Mina pipes up, already having her phone out and typing rapidly on it. “He’s just on the other side of the building, Eri-chan,” she waves the phone at her with a wide smile that squints her eyes shut. “All done, he should be here any min-“

The door to the room slams open, making them all jump and jerk their heads towards it. Ochako brings her fists up instinctively, heart hammering in her throat.

“What’s wrong with Eri?” Deku demands, standing in the doorway, green lightning sparking off his skin, eyes shifting around wildly as if looking for a threat, body braced in a battle stance.

(Or: 5 times Eri falls asleep on Izuku + 1 time Izuku falls asleep on her)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16409552 Kids (Are The Future) by the_crownless_queen 5k, gen, background relationships, fluff, dadzawa,

“Say, Shouta, you wouldn’t happen to have a secret son, would you?”

-- or 5 times somebody thought Shinsou was Shouta's son, and one time Hitoshi called him Dad.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14620713 Running to Stand Still by Kiyoko_Michi 42k, Aizawa/Yamada, de-aging,

Shouta never needed much. He had his dream—getting into the UA Heroes course—and he had Hizashi, who’d carved out his own spot in Shouta’s life. That was enough for him… until he wakes up in a dirty alleyway wearing clothes three sizes too big. Faced with an unreliable memory and a school full of strangers, Shouta struggles to unravel what happened to him.

(a de-aged!Aizawa fic)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12879186 Aizawa Definitely Doesn't Care by teaandtumblr 15k, Aizawa/Yamada, dadzawa, familty issues, fluff,

Aizawa doesn't care about his students. He really, really doesn't.

Except for the part were he very much does.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15046934 journey to the past by aloneintherain 44k, gen, time travel, protective!1A,

Izuku is five years old the first time he's saved by heroes. He's an instant fan of the woman in pink with her cheerful smile and the man with his ice powers and fine-boned features, even if they both refuse to tell him their names.

For most of his life, Izuku has been the centre of villain attacks, but he has never been injured. Every time, he's saved by bright, unknown heroes—heroes who smile at Izuku, and ruffle his hair or ply him with hugs, and seem mesmerised by how small he is.

Heroes that the rest of the world doesn't believe exists.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15189752 Looping Back to the Beginning by Feneris 10k, gen, time loop, crack,

Where Class 1-A finds itself in a time loop centered around their first year at UA. After getting over the usual angst, they decide that the best way to grow as heroes is by antagonizing dangerous villains for fun and amusement.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12558048 could i but teach the hundredth part by terra_incognita 5k, gen, dad!might,

Ito Matsu knows three things about her neighbor, Mr. Yagi: he's very skinny, he's very kind, and he has enough children to overthrow the Japanese government.

Or:

All Might is retired, but his former students keep coming up with reasons to visit.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11400303 little are the things we learn by newamsterdam 10k, Kirishima/Bakugou, 5+1, h/c,

Almost half an hour has passed, and Kirishima and Bakugou still haven’t come back. Bakugou may be fine running on fumes, and could probably blast his way through the second part of the exam on pure willpower and stubbornness. But Kirishima should probably eat, and relax for at least a bit.

Kaminari is such a good friend. He hopes Kirishima appreciates him properly. He gets to his feet and wanders out into the hall, looking for a glimpse of Bakugou or Kirishima.

He sees— well. It’s more than a glimpse. And at first, Kaminari doesn’t quite believe it.

Five people who are let in on Yuuei's worst-kept secret, and one person who always knew it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16226225 How Can You Smile With So Many Scars by Quirkyasfok 4k, Bakugou&Midoriya, scars, angst, power of words,

After taking on a villain who's quirk involves making the words that have hurt someone the most appear on the their skin Katsuki begins to learn the true power of how much effect words can have on someone.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15907110 Pick Me Up by ill go with that then (Linelenagain) 5k, Aizawa/Yamada, 5+1, friends to lovers,

“You’ll never make it. You’ll drop me before we get halfway there.”

“Bet you I won’t,” Yamada says. The look in his eye is bright and dangerous. It makes Shouta want to agree to things he shouldn’t.

“Bet me what?” he answers, against his better judgement.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13361256 cotton candy hands by chonideno 26k, Kirishima/Bakugou, mutual pining, touch-starved,

Studying to become a hero requires knowing how to take care of yourself. Sometimes you might need help on the way so if your crush offers to do your hair for you or to give you a well-deserved back rub, it'd be stupid to say no.

A series of soft vignettes in which a love-struck Kirishima and a touch-starved Bakugou care for each other and it's definitely not making their hearts jump through hoops, they’re never this close to kissing, no, they're totally best friends bro

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13668393 Surprises by MikeWritesThings 21k, gen, dadzawa, 5+1,

Moving into the dorms, the students get to witness a side of their teacher they didn’t even know had existed--a side much softer, and, dare they say, human, than any of them had ever expected to see.

(Or, 5 things class 1-A never expected from Aizawa, and 1 thing he never expected from them.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17905568 On Secret Relationships And The Importance Of Representation Among Pro Heroes by smol_bird 3k, Aizawa/Yamada, dadzawa,

“I guess,” Midoriya sighs. “But then – some of the pro heroes are our teachers, you know? And still, it’s not like any of them are... I mean, it’s certainly not a common occurrence for a hero to be... out.”

Out? Aizawa thinks. He begins to suspect that he knows what this conversation is about.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20405767 says the moon by chonideno 5k, Kirishima/Bakugou, rule 63, pining,

bakugou has read all the books, watched all the movies, heard all the stories, seeked out all possible advice, and none of it has ever made looking at kirishima easier. by the time they reach their third year at UA, bakugou might as well be begging for relief

or how girl loves girl

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17886320 The Best Medicine by chezka 13k, Kirishima/Bakugou,

He couldn't stop thinking about it.

The sound of it, breathy and wild, and the sight that accompanied it, warm and relaxed - Kirishima couldn't get it out of his head. It was stuck at the forefront of his mind, whenever he closed his eyes or let his thoughts wander, capturing him, cutting off his breaths.

He wanted to see it again.

Or, Kirishima sees Bakugou laughing, and his world shakes with it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/6563575 The Beauty of a Beast by starofjems 101k, Kirishima/Bakugou, AU, curses,

Once upon a time a lonely beast lived in a manor deep in the forest. He dreamed of the day his true love appeared to break his curse... When a beauty finally appears in his life, it is not quite as he imagined. For who could have thought a beauty would be more of a beast.

The beauty and the beast AU nobody asked for but here it is.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/7267141 Bright as the Sun by starofjems 7k, Kaminari/Kirishima, AU,

For years Kaminari has kept his crush on one of his best friends hidden. It was never the right time, never the right place. They were all too busy trying to make their dreams come true, too busy becoming one of the best pod racer teams in the universe. But now that their dreams are finally becoming reality, it's hard to ignore Ashido's pestering to confess to Kirishima finally. Is it too much to wish for two dreams to come true?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20729933 Schrödinger's cat by AyzuLK 31k, Midoriya/Todoroki, PTSD, non-con, amnesia,

The cat is in the closed box, with a 50% chance of being alive and a 50% chance of being dead. According to the principle of uncertainty in quantum physics, he is alive and dead until someone opens the box. Izuku doesn't want to open the box. OR Izuku didn’t return home after school. Two months later he was found roaming a deserted road with white hair, psychogenic amnesia and a quirk out of control. Nothing is the same after that.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19245922 Heartbeat Thunder by Shippeh 95k, Kirishima/Bakugou, A/B/O, knotting, heat,

Kirishima tries not to remember his first rut, and he's taking care to ensure it never happens again.

In which: Kirishima is an extremely aggressive Alpha by nature but insists on suppressing everything, and Bakugou is an Omega wildly confident in his secondary gender.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15980336 hold on tight by lunalou 33k, gen, h/c, touch-starved, 5+1,

"What are you doing?" Shouto asks.

"Hugging you." Midoriya returns in a patient voice. His arms tighten around Shouto's waist and he presses his forehead more firmly against his back. "You know it's a hug, Shouto-kun. Don't play dumb."

or, five times somebody from 1-a hugs todoroki and the one time he hugs them first

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13498050 First Time For Everything by kazzarole 4k, Midoriya/Todoroki, pining,

Midoriya is the catalyst of many of the 'firsts' in Shouto's life--it just makes sense that Shouto should share his first kiss with him, too.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11500860 Head vs. Heart by Ms_Chunks 10k, Midoriya/Todoroki,

Todoroki Shouto had never known anyone quite like Midoriya Izuku. The strength of Midoriya’s quirk paled in comparison to the power of his heart. And it, more than any superhuman power, was what defined him.

Midoriya didn’t think before he acted, he felt. Shouto had a lot to learn about that.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17289734 Kiss Me Through The Screen by Ischemia 70k, Shinsou/Kaminari, AU, cam-boy,

Shinsou remembers when he first saw the ad for Ch4rgeb0lt’s services. He was just messing around online when a pop-up appeared with his smiling face, one eye winking and the other brightly flashing with happiness.

“Lonely? Tired of coming home to an empty apartment? Can’t find anyone to listen to your problems? Say no more! For the low cost of $10 per stream, you can have all the company and love you ever wanted. Get a best friend for the best price!”

His first reaction was, “what kind of depressing loser needs to buy a boyfriend?” before he looked around at his empty home and realized he might be that depressing loser.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11227647 nothing has changed me quite like you by akhikosanada 10k, Midoriya/Todoroki, friends to lovers,

"Touching someone for the first time, Shouto found out, did not draw electricity or any other romanticized chemical reaction described in books and movies. It did, however, make his chest tighten harder than it ever had before, and as he drew the shape of lightning over Midoriya’s skin, his lips parted on an almost inaudible sigh. Midoriya’s breath caught in his throat, and Shouto wanted to catch it in his own mouth."

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18925678 Pickup Lines for the Soul by MustardSoup 3k, Shinsou/Kaminari, soulmates,

Denki is twelve when he is flicking through the TV channels and lands on an old RomCom movie about soulmate marks – specifically the same type that he has.

“I can’t believe I’ve had to walk around with a cheap pickup line written on my ankle my entire life because of you!” The leading lady yells at the leading man as he stares at her in awe.

Denki laughs.

“Oh no.” His mother says, watching him.

“Oh no, indeed.” His sister repeats quietly.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17843384 Hand to Heart (Right to Left) by Half_SubmergedinPurgatory 13k, Midoriya/Todoroki,

Shouto indulges Midoriya's curiousity about how his Quirk works. Just like everything he does with Midoriya, Quirk study sessions quickly become life-changing.

In other words: Shouto learns how to spite his dad, scare his friends, and how teenagers are supposed to act when they're in love.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13433601 Conventional Taste by WowBoring 44k, Midoriya/Todoroki, pining,

He didn’t think it would matter if Midoriya were taking him to a sewer convention; it was probably still going to be the highlight of his Golden Week.

In order to avoid a visit from his unpleasant grandparents Todoroki attends a hero convention with Midoriya, and learns a few things along the way.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21649615 no rest for the wicked by crossroadswrite 3k, gen,

“I’ll destroy a man for you,” he says breathlessly.

Todoroki looks vaguely amused. “Good to know.”

Midoriya passes the mug to Momo’s hands and then reaches up to put his hands on Todoroki’s cheeks so he can bring him down to eye-level.

“No, listen. I will destroy a man for you.”

Todoroki blinks at him, looking a little startled.

“I have a seven year plan,” Midoriya elaborates terrifyingly.

“O-kay?” he says throught his smushed cheeks.

“Fuck Endeavor,” Midoriya says empathically.

(Or: Midoriya has absolutely no filter when he's sleep deprived. That's it. That's the fic.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21245684 Rutting For You by FoolishFortuna 12k, Kirishima/Bakugou, A/B/O, rough sex, alpha/alpha,

Kirishima’s scent washed over him as the redhead moved to slide into bed and Katsuki found his mouth watering. For fuck sake, why was his body being such an asshole all of a sudden? He swallowed.

“Uh, Bakugou?” Eijirou's voice was quiet, almost rough, “You're putting out a pretty strong scent.” There was a tone to his best friend's voice that he'd never heard before, and it sent a shiver through Katsuki as he fisted the duvet in his hand tighter and ground his teeth.

His gums ached.

“Its nothing, shut up.” He focused on getting his pheromones under control quickly. Fuck, he really wanted to bite something. Something that smelled like Eijirou. He swallowed another mouthful of saliva.

“Do you-” Kiri swallowed as well, “d’you wanna just sleep up here?”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23176183 Impressionable by Thealmostrhetoricalquestion 5k, gen,

Aizawa spits out a mouthful of hair and says, “Give me coffee, and fuck off.”

There’s a tiny gasp from the doorway. Tensei is fast as a whip when he turns and stares, wide-eyed, at the very small figure of his younger brother outlined by the hallway light. He’s got pyjamas on, fancy silk things, and he’s holding, of all things, a clipboard. Aizawa squints. He’s pretty sure the kid isn’t even ten yet, although he can’t be sure, because the Iida’s seem naturally gangly, and he’s never been very good with kids. How do you measure them? They don't seem to come with a scale.

“You shouldn’t be saying words like that,” Iida says very sternly. “I’m impressionable.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23039944 From Fire and Ashes, Flourishing by Milligramme 21k, Kirishima/Bakugou, AU,

It was starting to be insanely hot, Eijirou tripped so often that he was almost walking on all four at this point, his hands were all scratched from the rocks, his clothes dusty and in disarray, and to make things worse, the volcano was mocking him with an uneven slope that made him think the summit was close only to reveal another one further up.

Kirishima's peaceful life on his volcanic island is put to an end when the dormant Mount Bakugou comes back to life, each eruption getting closer to the village and the crops. As panic starts to spread, people remember the old god of the volcano and the ancient tradition to offer him a sacrifice.

Kirishima doesn't buy any of this, but the older villagers seem serious. So before they kill someone in the name of a god that might not even exist, he decides to climb the volcano himself, hoping to find out what causes the eruptions.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23056354 The Anger Translators by naggeluide 5k, Todoroki/Bakugou, quirk accident,

Todoroki considered, then sighed. "Do you think we'll ever be able to do this on our own?"

"Do what, express anger normally in a healthy-ass manner or some shit that's not either super repressed or extremely violent?" Bakugou glowered at him, arms crossed.

"Yes."

"No."

---

In which Bakugou becomes Todoroki's anger translator and vice versa

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22167295 Tiny Truths by Quirk Archivist (OneHitWondersAnonymous) 4k, Kirishima/Bakugou, de-aging, quirk accident, fluff, pining,

“The wedding,” Bakugou repeats, though it sounds like he’s annoyed. “Everybody knows you get married when you make a hero agency, stupid. Why else would you get married?”

Bakugou gets hit with a de-aging quirk which shrinks him down to a four year old. Class 1A panics, but Kirishima steps up to the plate to help his best friend (and secret crush) feel safe in a scary situation. Rated T only for language; this is pure fluff through and through!

https://archiveofourown.org/series/811476 F is for fire that burns down the whole town series by pepperfield 53k, gen, background relationships, shenanigans, quirk accidents,

“Karaoke, Kacchan.” Deku slams his palms on the table, fire in his eyes. “I need a rematch.”

“Abso-fucking-lutely not.”

With his boyfriend out of town and the crime rate up, Bakugou hasn't been having a great week. Deku does his best to make things worse.

(Friendship sure is beautiful.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20067997 Some Have Greatness Thrust Upon Them by AisforAmy71 230k, canon-divergence, injuries, character death, PTSD,

An AU what-if that explores what would happen if All Might lost his first big confrontation with All for One. When All Might is fatally injured after his battle with All For One, nine year old Midoriya Izuku forcibly receives One For All, unbeknownst to anyone...not even Izuku. It will be up to Inko and Gran Torino and as many favors as they can pull in to keep the boy safe from his new quirk until he can learn to use it, or until a suitable vessel can be found. With the Symbol of Peace out of the picture, the world just became a much more confusing place for everyone.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24192880 A New Starting Line by AisforAmy71 13k, gen, bullying, soul-searching,

This is kind of a What If? piece from Bakugo’s POV, where Izuku apparently takes Kacchan’s advice and jumps off the roof of the school. Things aren’t always what they seem, and Bakugo has some soul searching to do when he learns the truth.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18310007 manly man falls for manliest man by afuzzyowl 109k, Kirishima/Bakugou, AU, celebrities, pining,

Kirishima brings up Bakugou one day as he and Kaminari are eating together in the campus cafeteria. Super casual, like yeah-I-saw-this-guy-on-TV-once, and not I’ve-watched-literally-every-single-interview-he’s-ever-even-been-in-the-background-of-and-wouldn’t-mind-having-his-babies.

“Oh, him,” Kaminari says. “Eh, he’s popular lately, I guess. Don’t see what all the hype's about.”

Kirishima feels lightheaded. “You—you don’t see the hype—” he splutters. “He’s incredible, dude.”

Kaminari just eyes him.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19349770 Not Waving But Drowning by sandelf 38k, Kirishima/Bakugou, child abuse, child neglect, found family,

"This is for the best." "I know." "It is. I promise. It'll all be okay now. Everything will be okay now."

When class 1-a move into the dormitories, Bakugou has a horrifying realisation about his home life, forcing the self-proclaimed Bakusquad to band together to prove that he has everything he needs in that packed, happy, loud building.

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1609612 the bomb squad series by rae_tnub 28k, gen,

Class 1A is their own personal bomb squad, or moments 1A shares with Bakugou.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23766268 president of the krbk club by hiuythn 10k, Kirishima/Bakugou, pining,

Izuku watches, in a disbelieving and horrified sort of fascination, as Kirishima and Bakugou fall in love.

(Seriously? Right in front of his salad?)

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1632100 every sign of love series by dino by might 25k, gen, platonic soulmates,

The first mark Izuku gets is a slight brush of green across his temple. It’s the soft touch of a mother holding her son for the first time. Inko has one to match, the same shade of green staining the tips of her fingers. Hers is more noticeable; Izuku’s tends to blend into his hairline. He loves it anyways. He has to. It’s the only soulmate mark he has. (Or: how Izuku goes from just green to a rainbow, UA-style.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22380874 What Rules Were Made For by Catastra_Fey 10k, Kirishima/Bakugou, pining, masturbation,

Bakugou has a problem. Apparently he's had it forever, and despite being his best friend, Kirishima is only just learning about it. The fact that his friend's quirk prevents him from any kind of self satisfaction has Kiri's brain melting down with sympathy and shock. So he does what any friend would do and offers to help him. Right? That's...what any friend would do...

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22796851 copper on your tongue by lanestreets 3k, gen, epilepsy, h/c,

I’m really sorry, I’m about to have a seizure, it might be bad, Denki thinks.

“So,” is what he actually says, drawing out the vowel, “is bad.”

“What?’” the redhead hovering over him says, and Denki blacks out.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22857316 can i be undone? by lanestreets 7k, angst, h/c,

“Why can’t I do those things? What’s wrong with them?”

Hawks sighs, and pushes his hair back out of his face. “It’s not that they’re wrong, they’re just different, and that’s wrong. The more you’re different, the more reason people have to distrust you, yeah? And if people distrust you, how can you be a hero? I want you to be safe, and not have to deal with all that scrutiny.”

Hawks was really only trying to help Tokoyami. He never meant for it to go so far sideways.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23175157 like light through a window by achievingelysium 1k, gen, whump, dadzawa,

The first time Shouta sees what Hagakure looks like, it’s because she’s covered in blood.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23192434 Putting Infinity into Words by redrobin1989 8k, gen, platonic soulmates,

Soul Mates have evolved with quirks to become Soul Bonds in which one feels the entire emotional spectrum and a fact about their future relationship. Or so Izuku had heard, he'd only ever two Soul Bonds and they both caused him pain. Until All Might and Yuuei and he finally learned what it was like to have a loving, thriving Bond.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21997543 Worth a Thousand Words by awareoftheconcept 43k, Kirishima/Bakugou, pining,

When a rare picture of Bakugou smiling leads Class 3A to believe he is in a relationship with Utsushimi Camie, a contest arises to see who can get the most pictures of the couple together. *** “Umm,” Midoriya said nervously. “I-it’s Kacchan. There is always a spark.”

With another round of boos from Kaminari and Jirou, Ashido took a page out of Mineta’s playbook and started shaking Midoriya violently. “I mean like a romantic spark!”

Midoriya blanched. “You think Kacchan is interested in Utsushimi?”

He seemed doubtful, so Ashido shoved Kirishima’s phone in his face. “Do you see this smile? That is the smile of boy who is head-over-heels smitten, am I right?”

Midoriya actually took the time to look at the picture critically, though he shot an uneasy look towards Kirishima before he answered. “Umm, y-yeah,” he said as he started to back away, hiding behind Uraraka like a shield. “It definitely looks like Kacchan is in love.”

How could Kirishima have been so stupid?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21787960 Bakugou and Todoroki's Foolproof 5-Step Plan to Fuck with Mineta Minoru by Anubis_2701 37k, gen, background relationships, memes,

It was a simple enough idea; screw around with the resident bastard of Class 1-A to let him know that his medieval ways and perverted behaviour weren't going to be tolerated by even the most career-focused of UA's students.

To say that things had snowballed was an understatement.

Todoroki had no idea how he had ended up sitting on Bakugou's floor at 1 am, holding a dossier of incriminating material that would make the FBI slobber, but he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

The long and short of it was, fuck Mineta.

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1540663 BNHA Pro-Hero Au series by surveycorpsjean 69k, Midoriya/Todoroki, Midoriya/Todoroki/Kirishima/Bakugou, pining, thirst, polyamory,

It's been four years since Izuku took an overseas villain case.

Now twenty-six, Izuku is one hundred percent, without a doubt, completely and utterly over his crush on Shouto. No problems, smooth sailing, Izuku is a new man ready to start the next chapter of his life.

Haha...right?

(RN: i had to go lie down after reading this)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20492264 Liquid Nitrogen by surveycorpsjean 23k, Hawks/Endeavor, age difference, size difference, enemies to friends to lovers,

Enji can't figure out why the hell Hawks keeps sleeping in his office.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12025527 quote love unquote by newamsterdam 135k, Kirishima/Bakugou, AU, celebrities, fake relationship, pining, slow burn,

Sero nods. “It’s the chance of a lifetime, really,” he says. “We want you to date Bakugou, for the sake of his reputation with the press. Some public appearances, a few ‘candid’ photos. For at least a couple of months.”

“Bakugou sent you to ask me to date him?” Kirishima asks, baffled.

“Of course not. We, his people, are asking you to date him. He’s going to have to get on board, if he wants his career to survive. And in the bargain, Riot will get all sorts of publicity, because their lyricist will be dating one of the industry’s hottest stars. A win for everyone.”

When Kirishima Eijirou's band hits the big time, he's not prepared for his newfound fame. He's even less prepared to meet the actor he's been crushing on for years, or to start dating him as a publicity stunt. The closer Kirishima gets to Bakugou Katsuki, the more he realizes he's in over his head. But it's hard to stop, once his heart is in it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11382708 Up the Wall by surveycorpsjean 8k, Midoriya/Todoroki, pining,

He was told love makes you weak.

Well, Todoroki would like to disagree.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18052598 Thanks for Saving Me by Esselle 46k, Midoriya/Todoroki, AU, age difference, celebrities,

"You saved my life," Todoroki says.

Izuku freezes. Then he looks up. Todoroki Shouto is staring at him, his eyes calm but wide, dust and soot all over his face. His perfect, handsome face. He's more beautiful in person than Izuku could have imagined.

"You just saved all of us," Todoroki says again. "What's your name?"

"M-Midoriya," Izuku chokes out. "Midoriya Izuku."

Todoroki nods. "Midoriya. Thank you."

Midoriya Izuku is a university sophomore, a fanboy, quirkless. On the list of things he is not: a hero.

That's why he's more surprised than anyone when he rescues Todoroki Shouto, his favorite pro hero, from a deadly villain attack. His actions fling him into the media spotlight, grabbing the attention of the entire country, including Todoroki himself. But Todoroki actually wants to get to know him past the headlines.

Izuku finds himself living a story straight out of a fairy tale, one where the mysterious, handsome prince is played by the real-life superhero he has always admired. But Izuku is convinced he's the ugly duckling, not the swan; could he ever be remarkable enough to get his happily ever after?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15651684 The Hot One by Esselle 1k, pre-Bakugou/Kaminari/Kirishima, fluff, accidental flirting,

"Oy," Katsuki warns. They ignore him.

"He's like," Denki continues, posing with his arms flexed, "grrrr, he's like a beast."

"Well, yeah," Eijirou agrees, "everyone knows he's super manly, but I don't know if that means he can't be pretty, too."

"Oy, idiots."

Even though they're complete opposites, both of Eijirou's best friends are really, really cute.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13902942 Biting the Bullet by orphan_account 4k, Uraraka/Bakugou, sexual tension,

In which a training exercise brings a whole other meaning to fighting dirty.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14831519 I'm Making You Sweat by karmaticinstitution 4k, Uraraka/Bakugou, sparring, femdom,

He wants to touch, touch, touch— but she stops him short of anything else.

“Katsuki, I’m going to fucking tear you apart,” and he changes his mind, this is definitely the hottest thing he’s ever heard. Nothing can beat it, and he’s instantly swelling in his shorts. He runs his eyes over her, and he thinks she could probably do whatever she wanted and he’d go along without any qualms.

Bakugou is weak for thick thighs and Uraraka is a queen.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14761845 There's Something About Bakugou by ohmytheon 19k, Uraraka/Kirishima/Bakugou, ust, quirk accidents,pining, dirty talk,

After Bakugou is hit by a villain's unknown quirk that produces some strange side effects, both Uraraka and Kirishima have a very interesting day trying to help him.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24254872 sparks fly (and not the flammable kind) by laurenshappenstobemyhusband 7k, Jirou/Shinsou/Kaminari, fluff,

He's cute, Jirou realizes with a bit of a start. Sure, he's about to set fire to the TV, but it's cute. When did that happen?

Shinsou elbows her in the side, and she turns to see he's looking at Kaminari too, with the same fond smile.

"I'm gonna date that," he whispers, not looking at her, but his smile curls at the edges. Like a cat.

"Oh yeah?" she says, suddenly on the defensive. "Not if I date that first." No challenge was named, but she'll damn well win it.

OR: Jirou and Shinsou both try to win Kaminari over, and Kaminari painfully likes both of them.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25055935 catch you when you fall by pixiegold 3k, Kirishima/Bakugou, truth spells, pining,

“I accidentally used my quirk on him, he’s gonna be super honest for like three hours now, and I haven’t worked out how to stop it early yet! I’m so useless, I’m sorry!” She blurts out, and Kirishima blinks at her for a second, before looking at Bakugou. The boy stood next to her rolls his eyes and starts walking over to the nearest teacher like he’s done this a hundred times before.

"Three hours?" Kirishima mutters.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25061890 Voices by SquirrelWriter 11k, gen, dadzawa,

Hitoshi has a thing about voices.

Part of it's because of his Quirk, probably. He's always listening for that reply. It's the opening, the chink in a person's armor that lets his own voice slip in and hijack their brain. But part of it is that most people are wary around him, so when someone does talk, particularly to him, it stands out.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17221628 rock'n'roll, buckaroo! by Origamidragons 6k, gen, social media,

Kaminari walks up to Todoroki in the hallway after class and says, “Dude, I need your help.”

Todoroki checks over his shoulder, twice, to verify that Kaminari is indeed talking to him. “Why?”

“Yesterday you asked Shinsou-kun if he was Aizawa-sensei’s son,” Kaminari says, as though that explains anything at all.

“...yes?”

“Make a hero conspiracy YouTube channel with me.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11751861 slow down, start dancing by blessings 4k, Yaoyorozu/Jirou, mutual pining,

“We’re dead” is the first thing Momo says to her when she opens the door, and it’s somehow more beautiful than any lyric from Kyouka’s favorite song.

“Yeah, like, on the inside and stuff,” she replies.

Yaoyorozu Momo and Jirou Kyouka have to define what courage means to them or risk failing All Might’s class. Forgetting about their project until 10 hours before it’s due feels like the right answer.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17204222 Kaminari's Declassified Coming Out Survival Guide by MustardSoup 3k, Kaminari/Shinsou, coming out,

Local disaster bi, Kaminari Denki, is yanked right out of the questioning stage of his life and now has to navigate the process of coming out. He decides to do it step-by-step, with each step taking more courage than the last.

And if coming out equates to slaying the dragon, then perhaps by the end of this he'll get the guy, too.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23349292 the river walked me home by Thealmostrhetoricalquestion 28k, gen, referenced child abuse, dissociating, healing, dadzawa,

Shouto's life is a deck of precariously stacked cards, and one online article about Endeavour's approach to parenting sends the whole thing tumbling down. Not everyone believes it. Half the public denies it. But even if it turns out there's no truth in the article, the staff at U.A. are under enough fire as it is, and sending Shouto home for the upcoming week-long break is inexcuseable in the eyes of the press.

Not to mention, Aizawa wouldn't stand for it anyway.

Or: Shouto spends a week or two hiding from the world in his teacher's house, where he is introduced to Animal Crossing, the sweetest cat in the world, and the bizarre concept of feeling safe in his own home.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18507250 All-Night by ertiniest_hands_in_all_the_land 7k, gen, fluff, domestic, dadzawa,

Tonight doesn’t seem to be any different. Though Aizawa hasn’t moved since hitting the couch, Shinsō knows he’s still very much alive when he hears the muffled inquiry of, “Why are you two still awake…”

Shinsō takes another bite of his crepe before answering. “I couldn’t sleep and she had a nightmare.”

Shinsō Hitoshi comforts a small child, makes crepes at 2 in the morning, sutures a wound, and appears on late-night radio. The perfectly normal experience when he can't sleep.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13853580 Dis(associate) by BeyondTheClouds777 283k, gen, bullying, puns, injury, service dog, ghosts (kinda),

Izuku has a “dissociation” Quirk that lets his ghost leave his body, and it’s both convenient and inconvenient at the same time. Either way, he's going to do whatever it takes to become a hero.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19935958 and i'm nothing like you by aloneintherain 9k, gen, kidnapping, mind control, being forced to hurt your friend, h/c,

Of all the people to have been kidnapped alongside, it had to be this person, this hero, the one person who would never blame him for the things he was forced to do.

“Don’t cry,” Midoriya says.

“Fuck you,” Hitoshi chokes out.

(When Shinsou goes grocery shopping a few weeks after transferring to Class 2A, Midoriya tags along. Because he is, for some reason, determined to be Shinsou’s friend.

Shinsou remains cold and withdrawn in the face of Midoriya’s friendliness—until they’re kidnapped by a woman with a brainwashing quirk who believes Shinsou doesn’t belong in the hero course.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22035913 i was busy thinking 'bout... by crossroadswrite 3k, Midoriya/multi,

He wonders at times if this is divine retribution for something he did. Is it punishment? Is he being punished with pretty boys who can snap him in half? Is that it? Or is this a reward perhaps? Can you call being tormented by handsome boys a reward? Probably.

(or: local bi boy too gay for this, more at eleven.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21821275 a little pick me up by crossroadswrite 2k, Midoriya/Kirishima, fluff, 5+1,

Midoriya and him have been working out together for a while now. He’s a cool gym buddy, and he keeps up with Eijirou better than a lot of other people in class, which is fun.

There aren’t a lot of people who can spot for him when he does weights, just because of how much Eijirou can lift.

And despite all this, nothing prepares Eijirou for Midoriya coming up to him nervously, and bashfully asking, “Kirishima-kun, would you mind sitting on me?”

(Or: 5 Times Midoriya picks Kirishima up + 1 time he picks him up, or 5 times Midoriya picks Kirishima up + 1 time Kirishima picks him up)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24609802 A Letter to Me by kiapet 15k, gen, time travel, bullying, kidnapping,

Fourteen-year-old Bakugou Katsuki knows he’s destined to be a great hero someday. Midoriya Izuku dreams of the same, but struggles to get through each day in a world determined to push him down. But when the pair of middle schoolers are kidnapped by a villain with a time travel quirk, they are forced to confront a future neither of them could predict- and versions of themselves they never expected to become.

-Or-

Pro!Midoriya to Kid!Midoriya: You matter so much, and everything is going to be okay! Pro!Bakugou to Kid!Bakugou: Now listen here you little shit-

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24560458 third couch is the charm by laurenshappenstobemyhusband 6k, gen, friendship,

Shouto trained for years to control his ice. Encasing everything in ice whenever he sneezed, got angry or startled, or just whenever he wasn't paying attention always got him into trouble, and he's glad he finally has complete control over his right side.

Unfortunately, he can't say the same about his flames.

OR: Todoroki sets three couches on fire, which apparently is too many, so now he has to take quirk control classes with Kaminari and they bond over mutual destruction

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23241805 You Matter, Too by Baku_Babe 11k, gen, injury, recovery,

Bakugou was afraid.

He never thought he'd see the day where he would openly admit to himself that he was scared. Because he shouldn't be scared; he was Katsuki Bakugou, one of Class A's finest students, survivor of more horrific events in his young life than most adults had experienced in a lifetime.

But today was different. Today, as he stood on trembling legs with his hands clasped tightly against his stomach, blood gushing past his clenched fingers as his vision blurred...

Today, in his greatest moment of weakness, he was horrified.

And there was no one there to help him.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24425764 Of Supervillains and Paternity Tests by onelittlebirdiesittingonthesill 1k gen, dad for one,

Midoriya Izuku is just getting settled into life in the dorms, as a rising hero, comfortable in his knowledge of Eri-chan's safety.

Then someone collapses the roof of the dorms, and Aizawa-sensei shows them the newly-rewound identity of All For One.

And he has freckles.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22575034 the drip of melting ice by walking_through_autumn 19k, gen, dadzawa, h/c,

Aizawa found out within a day. It was quite likely due to the dish Todoroki had washed and left to dry in the shared kitchen after the kitten had been fed off it. Hitoshi was forced to reflect that it wasn’t any good hiding the litter and cat food in their wardrobes if Todoroki was going to make a fundamental mistake like that.

Aizawa stood in his door frame and raised an eyebrow. “Well? Where is the cat?”

Hitoshi gave his most disarming smile. “What cat?”

Todoroki chose that moment to exit his room, eyes on his phone, other hand holding a cat toy. He bumped into Aizawa and looked up slowly, like in a horror movie.

“...oh,” Todoroki said. Aizawa raised the other eyebrow. Hitoshi rubbed a hand down his face.

Herbal tea, weekly floor gatherings, spoiled surprises, movie marathons, shared custody over a cat, rain and ice and blankets and plushies, and the journey of falling into a friendship. (Or: Hitoshi moves into the 2A dormitory at the beginning of his second year, learns who his neighbour is, and makes the friends he had declared he isn't there to have within the space of a semester.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23019061 Doodling the Daydreams Away by loki_dokey 3k, Kirishima/Bakugou,

Aizawa had never had any qualms with Bakugou's attitude to his learning. In fact, the kid had taught the others a thing or two about diligence and productivity over the two and a half years he'd been in the class. Truth be told, Bakugou was on par with Yaoyarozu and Iida when it came to having a studious nature.

So when Aizawa carefully tilted the boy's paper in the light to discover what had clearly been erased with earnest, he blinked when he realised it was a dick. A firmly-drawn but desperately-erased dick. Unable to help the huff of laughter from escaping him, Aizawa sat back and ran a hand through his hair, eyes scouring the work in his hand. Well, he had not been expecting to find that on his Monday evening.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22223665 Renegade Quirk by threesipsmore 5k, Kirishima/Bakugou, quirk accident,

This is the second time Bakugo's been hit by a wayward quirk in a playground of snotty, wailing children. He's intent on ignoring the colors all around him until it wears off, no matter how violently apparent his classmates' inner emotions become.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23675587 Flying High, Diving Low by EonsofVictory 2k, gen, dadzawa, accidental drug use,

“Are they drugged?!”

During a temporary internship, Bakugou, Midoriya and Shinsou are accidentally exposed to an unknown substance, leaving them dazed with the drug's effects. Its a good thing their homeroom teacher is there to take care of them.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23167126 Eye of the Beholder by Heronfem 6k, Sero/Todoroki,

“I’m just saying,” Mina says, propping her chin in her hand and pouting, “it’s unfair. It’s totally unfair. We were all fools and our punishment is too extreme to be borne. The gods are making us pay.”

Bakugou cracks an eye open from where he’s sprawled out with his head in Kirishima’s lap. It’s a nice day, closing in on the end of summer during their third year of school, and the heat is fully upon them. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“That,” she huffs, and points.

“Oh,” Bakugou says wryly. “That.”

---

Or, Sero gets hot over summer break and Todoroki gets his man (though not without a few bumps along the way).

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23828215 (it's just that it's) Delicate by DarklingMoon 8k, Aizawa/Yamada, mutual pining, awkward sexual situations,

“With both of my arms broken…” Shouta trails off, breaking his glare to look away. “...Oh,” Hizashi says, after just a moment, when he gets it. Now he’s blushing, too. If he wasn’t before. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of that, you can’t...haven’t been able to...”

Hizashi gives his best friend a helping hand.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24429556 Security Blanket by ManaBanana 8k, Kirishima/Bakugou, fluff, h/c, 5+1,

Bakugou sleeps a lot already, but he tends to do it more when Kirishima is around.

(5 times Kirishima found Bakugou sleeping and one time he woke up next to him)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17635304 Wishful Thinking by Kiyoko_Michi 17k, Aizawa/Yamada, mutual pining,

Most professional Heroes keep their personal relationships quiet, for privacy and safety. Everyone who has ever seen Eraserhead and Present Mic together know they’re one such couple. If only someone would tell them so they’d stop pining over each other…

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24604015 stillness and sanctuary by wonhaebunny 3k, Iida/Bakugou, fluff,

“Is that… Hesse?” Tenya ventures slowly. Bakugou pauses, page suspended half-turn. “What the fuck is it to you?” he snarls, looking very defensive suddenly. Tenya is too busy staring at the book cover to reply. He’s not sure how to process the fact that Bakugou Katsuki is reading his favourite book. What does this mean? How does Tenya proceed from here?

or: katsuki can read and tenya loses his absolute shit over it

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24276730 Beyond The Stars (All The Way To You) by Ibelieveinahappilyeverafter 19k, gen,

Shinsou Hitoshi is finally home with his new family and ready for a long break of doing nothing before he starts his second year of U.A. in the heroics course. His break doesn’t quite go to plan, though, when his body starts going through changes. And not changes as in getting older, but changes as in he suddenly has pointed ears, sharp teeth, and wings and a tail growing out of his back.

It’s a scramble to figure out if what’s happening is a rare quirk mutation or if it’s something else much more serious. While the answer might lie with his birth family, it’s the family he has now that’s going to help him through it. One thing is for sure, though, and that’s the fact that Hitoshi is never going to have a normal life again.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24941116 if you see the boy i used to be by aloneintherain 5k, gen, temporary amnesia, past bullying,

“Where are we?” Izuku asks, throat tight.

Aizawa glances at him. “UA.”

Izuku stops. He looks back down at the forest-green suit and the cape fastened around his neck, and swallows, barely daring to believe it. “And I’m...”

“You’re a third-year student here,” Aizawa says without inflection, like he’s not completely shattering Izuku’s world-view. “In the hero course.”

Or: After a training accident, Izuku forgets everything that happened after his second year of middle school.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19887490 for you, anything by unreemarkable 41k, Midoriya/Todoroki, fluff, h/c, angst, 5+1,

“Hey, Shouto, we’re friends, right?” “Best friends." In which Todoroki and Midoriya try their best. (alternatively: five times Midoriya is there for Todoroki, and one time Todoroki is there for him.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18727342 Power Lift Into Your Heart by IceEckos12 30k, Modoriya/Todoroki, AU, personal trainer,

In a world where people cause minor miracles to happen daily, Izuku is unfortunate enough to be stuck with uncontrollable bad luck. Nevertheless, he tries to live his life as quietly as his mysterious (read: annoying) ability will allow.

But then Izuku is hired by UA Fitness, and things kind of snowball from there. The clients are strange, the staff is even stranger, and if his quirk doesn't break every bone in his body then he will be lucky.

At least the guy who threw coffee all over him is kind of cute.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17659223 What One Hides by Pinalinet 94k, Midoriya/Todoroki,

All Might gives class 1-A an unusual assignment that results in Midoriya Izuku and Todoroki Shouto attending a weekly acting class. But with a mysterious villain targeting individuals without Quirks, and a developing issue of Todoroki's own, an after-school assignment is the least of their worries.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20714669 Cry Me A River by carolinaa 7k, gen, quirk accident, dadzawa,

“This is nothing,” Shouta says to the class, trying to sound as flat as possible. “Please go back to studying.” “You’re crying,” Asui says into the heavy quiet.

Shouta gets hit with the worst quirk he could possibly think of. On the bright side, his family loves him. And his eyes haven’t been this hydrated in about fifteen years.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24067537 you live/you learn/you love/you're dead by carolinaa 13k, gen, injury, h/c,

Two minutes pass before Aizawa taps Midoriya’s face and Midoriya doesn’t respond in the slightest. They don’t have time to wait any longer.

Aizawa looks up at Todoroki, and tries to say with the least amount of callousness possible, “He won’t make it until the medical team gets here.”

Todoroki’s breath hitches, but his voice is still hard when he insists, “Yes he will.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21498238 bff (brother friend forever) by carolinaa 3k, gen,

Uraraka's an only child, and Iida's only ever been a younger brother. The two of them have no clue what an older-brother, younger-sister dynamic is supposed to look like.

At this point, they just seem determined to make everyone around them as confused as possible.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17612087 three fishes in a tank by atomicmuffin 30k, Midoriya/Ochako/Todoroki, fluff, polyamory negotiation, sharing a bed,

Due to the tragic and early demise of his flat, Todoroki has no other choice but to temporarily move in with Midoriya and Uraraka. And, one thing leading to another, never manages to leave.

Midoriya/Uraraka/Todoroki domestic fluff.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17571911 awake and (un)afraid, asleep or- by driedupwishes 54k, Midoriya/Todoroki, post-canon,

“You,” Shoto says, picking his head up from where his screen is filled with The Worst Photograph Ever, curtesy of Shinsou, Jiro, Kaminari, his brother, and nearly everyone they know. “You are so dead to me.”

Kirishima blinks, mouth half open while Izuku mutters oh god, it’s too late, isn’t it on the other end of the phone, before Kirishima is leaning into his space to see his screen.

“Oh,” he says, in response to the photo someone in the crowd of civilians watching the fight had taken of them. “Oh, that’s-” he cuts himself off for a minute, leaning back to eye Shoto’s face while on the other side of the phone Izuku smothers what is probably a laugh, and then changes tracks.

“It’s super manly to love and support your friends,” Kirishima tells Shoto haughtily, as if this whole thing isn't his fault in the first place.

or: Kirishima and Shoto accidentally start trending on Twitter and in retaliation Shoto decides to make an Instagram to showcase all his Hero Deku merchandise, so that everyone knows how much he loves his boyfriend Izuku, and no one expects how quickly it will all spiral out from there

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17409002 Romancing For Dummies: A Book Specifically Addressed To Todoroki Shouto by Julietwasanidiot 8k, Midoriya/Todoroki, 5+1,

If this is what Midoriya thinks, that these results come from a genuine effort on Shouto’s part to smooth over the romantic tribulations of his classmates, and not from the awkward fumbling of some hormone-ridden teenage homosexual disaster, Shouto’s going to defend that belief if it kills him.

Or: Five times Shouto intervenes in times of emotional crisis, and one time Class 1-A intervenes because Shouto is the crisis.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15019553 Never Let Me Go by Iamalsohere 7k, Todoroki/Yaoyorozu, light bondage, non-sexual intimacy,

"I like the idea that someone would ever trust me enough to let me tie them up. I know it sounds stupid…"

"No. It doesn't. It sounds nice."

Todoroki is intrigued when he finds a book in Yaoyorozu's room about bondage and shibari (though she insists she just owns it for reference). He finds himself lying awake at night, wondering what it would be like to trust someone enough to give his body to them. To let someone else take control for a change.

If it's Yaoyorozu taking control, he thinks he might enjoy it. In fact, Todoroki quickly realises that that's what he wants more than anything.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12002178 Just Say When by Bounemr 50k, Kaminari/Todoroki,

Denki is shocked to find himself tutored by Todoroki. Will he finally rise from last place, academically, in class? Will love shenanigans happen? Probably. They're not mutually exclusive.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18686197 The World Is Not Enough by mousapelli 25k, Midoriya/Todoroki, post-canon, pining,

In the four years after leaving UA, Midoriya and Todoroki live in lots of different places and try all sorts of different things on their way to becoming full pro heroes, but one of the things that never changes is staying best friends and always being just a phone call away even when they're on opposite sides of the world. Another thing that never changes is Midoriya's Plus Ultra-sized crush on Todoroki.

Slow burn friends to lovers for TodoDeku Big Bang 2019.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17396711 Dé à coudre by atomicmuffin 4k, Sero/Todoroki, fluff, pining,

Sero Hanta slides from the One-Sided Rivalry Zone and dives head first into the Pining Wasteland so fast he doesn’t even notice until he’s already half drowning under the feels.

A Sero/Todoroki One Shot, coming straight from the RarePair Hell.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19721299 Checks and Balances by indirectkissesiniceland 113k, Midoriya/Todoroki, AU, pining,

Izuku Midoriya was a competitive cheerleader up until an injury to his hand made tumbling and stunting an impossibility. It's devastating to think that cheer could be out of his life for good—until a pair of enthusiastic classmates show up at Izuku's dorm room with a signup sheet for a new club: hockey cheerleading. All that's left to do is learn how exactly hockey works...and try not to think too much about the prodigious freshman right wing, who's just about the most wonderful person Izuku's ever met.

Shouto Todoroki has eaten, slept, and breathed hockey his whole life. He's got a legacy to live up to with his pro-hockey old man, and he's no stranger to the scrutiny and expectations of his coaches and teammates. It's different now that he plays for UA, though. He's got a former pro coach who sees potential in him and teammates who might actually like him as a person. Then there's the cheerleading captain, who's kind and compassionate in a way Shouto's never known—and who won't rest until Shouto stops dismissing hockey as nothing more than his old man's game.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25533433 Sunflower by indirectkissesiniceland 10k, Sero/Todoroki, pining,

Sero has a soft spot for Todoroki, who has a soft spot for Sero. Bakusquad passes the popcorn.

Written for Sero Week 2020!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13962834 Late bloomer by NohaIjiachi 9k, Midoriya/Todoroki, porn with feelings, slight angst,

That’s why when they’ve found themselves face to face on the ring of the sport festival once more, for the third time ever since they’ve met each other, and Izuku smiled at him, eager and challenging, self-confident but never full of himself, Shouto blinked, dazed and shocked, in realizing just how blindingly beautiful his best friend was. The way Izuku’s white shirt clung on his muscles, the little peek of his collar bone and the hard lines of his pecs visible under it, the way his thighs curved and filled the school gym uniform.

‘Oh, fuck—‘ Shouto thought, his head spinning, feeling like he just got run over by a freight train. ‘Shit. He’s- hot?’

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15076253 You Need Some Ice for That Burn by theyalwayssay 10k, Midoriya/Todoroki,

After four months of Izuku being the ecstatic, bewildered, disbelieving boyfriend of Todoroki Shouto, their physical intimacy has plateaued. Both of them are burning up, and something’s got to give. Strap in; this is gonna get loud.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20737139 The Cave by TheRedDragon173 55k, Kirishima/Bakugou, child abuse, self-harm, PTSD, trans character,

Bakugou Katsuki is not weak. He's strong. Or at least, that's what he tells others. And himself.

He wears his aggression like armor, hiding the truth of how he feels. But even the strongest armor can start to chip away and warp, if enough pressure is applied. So when the facade begins to crack, how is Katsuki supposed to deal with it?

The answer is; badly.

But maybe he has more friends than he thinks, and they just might care a whole lot more than Katsuki realizes.

(heed the tags)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19888921 Up To Date by Pouler (poulerslashes) 19k, Midoriya/Todoroki, pro-heroes,

"It's just for fun. Heroes do this sort of thing all the time." "Do they?" Uraraka laughed. "Oh yeah," she said. "You should’ve seen some of the pictures I found in my mom's stash when I was a kid." "I see." Todoroki stumbles upon a collection of photographs he wasn't intended to see.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15088175 Always On My Mind by TheMomeRath 10k, Midoriya/Todoroki, no mpreg,

It's been a couple years since they started dating, and Midoriya and Todoroki have plans to lose their virginity to each other. Sometimes, however, sex can have unexpected effects.

Or; a lesson in the importance of wearing a condom.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21824905 Echo by CrzA 22k, Midoriya/Todoroki, AU, soulmates,

Not trusting his voice not to crack miserably, Izuku gives him a little nod that turns into a shake of his head about halfway through. How is he supposed to be okay? The literal man of his dreams is literally standing right in front of him, fussing over him while blushing like a maiden after the absolutely lecherous activities they have engaged in more than once in his head.

Or a fic where soulmates exist and Izuku thinks he doesn't have one... until he almost literally steps out of his dreams.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13345182 lantern by notallballs (notallbees) 3k, Midoriya/Todoroki, first time, h/c,

"Todoroki?"

He turned his head. "Mm?"

Midoriya's voice quivered. "How many did we save?"

Shouto closed his eyes. "The police officer I spoke to said a conservative effort would be seventy-five, perhaps eighty."

After a difficult rescue mission, Midoriya and Todoroki find comfort in each other.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18538114 friday nights by gasmask 6k, Kirishima/Bakugou, mutual masturbation,

“You guys send each other porn? For the muscles?”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18550984 seeing sparks by gasmask 4k, Bakugou/Kaminari, pining, 5+1,

5 times having a crush on Denki really fucking sucks.

1 time having a crush on Denki isn't too bad.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22566070 𝙸 𝙺𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝙸'𝚖 𝙰𝚕𝚙𝚑𝚊 by cutiefemdom 7k, Kirishima/Bakugou, a/b/o, dominant omega,

Bakugou wants to be the class's pack leader but a strangely fearless and tough omega beats him to it. He's less upset about it than he thought he'd be and breaks about three hundred gender norms in the process of falling in love.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22598746 🔥 Comfortably Numb 🔥 by cutiefemdom 32k, Kirishima/Bakugou, a/b/o, dominant omega,

Due to the sheer amount of sweat his quirk produced, Bakugou was an omega heat magnet. In fact, his scent made omegas close to their heats go straight into it. They couldn't keep their hands off of him.

𝘖𝘙: 𝘉𝘢𝘬𝘶𝘨𝘰𝘶 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘥-𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘢 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴. (𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘒𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘢'𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘱𝘩𝘢.)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15435156 nothing lingers passively by iimo 44k, Todoroki/Bakugou, a/b/o,

“Dehydration and dry skin were common side effects of suppressants - they dry up the glands that secrete the potent hormones that Alphas and Omegas experience during their monthly ruts and heats. Normally these reactions can be lessened by drinking more water and bulking up on body lotion and chapstick.

But the hormonal glands aren't the only ones to whither like raisins under the influence of suppressants - both the exocrine and endocrine systems were subject to its dehydrating effects. So as a future Pro Hero with a quirk that activates with sweat, the choice boiled down to a hard nope, fuck that. No suppressants.

The peace of his classmates be damned.”

Alpha Bakugou Katsuki is allergic to suppressants, and Todoroki Shouto is a Beta with a grudge. Together they strike a deal that swiftly exceeds anything they'd bargained for.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16794499 What Came First? by FoolishFortuna 5k, Kirishima/Bakugou,

“Right. So you’ve gotta know what a game of ‘chicken’ is right? Its when two people start at either end of a drag strip or road and drive their cars straight at each other until one of them gets scared and turns the wheel. Well, this is the gay kiss version. You both lean in and the first one to pull back loses. Simple, man.” Kaminari put his hands on his hips and grinned at his classmate.

Wherein Kirishima is the king of gay chicken. Until he's... not?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25189612 I think I wanna marry you by izlaria (mixthealphabet) 5k, Aizawa/Yamada, mutual pining, bed sharing,

At 22, at 25, at 31, the truth stays the same: Hizashi Yamada is in love with his best friend.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25342699 But Our Records Keep Skipping by Robbirdthe8th (FictionalFeather) 13k, Aizawa/Yamada, pining, gentle sex, past sexual abuse,

"It's not like any of my exes ever said 'let's fuck or I'm leaving you' but...yeah. It's a factor."

"You just didn't want to sleep with any of them?"

"I wanted to. Or wanted to want to, I guess."

***

The impact left by Hizashi's ex-boyfriend still looms, too big and too much, so he asks Shouta for a favor.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25339180 Do You Even Lift? by Plantzawa 1k, Kirishima/Bakugou, dumb boys,

Some girls think they're real clever getting Kirishima to bodily lift them, but one blond disagrees.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12733629 show me how to by Slumber 3k, Aizawa/Yamada, voyeurism, exhibitionism, asexual character,

"You have a power, learn to control it. Instead you'd rather ask me to erase it for you while you get off with another student-- have you thought about what you're asking?"

In which Yamada Hizashi just wants to have sex without injuring his classmates and Aizawa is the perfect solution.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12193845 Send Nudes Winky Face by thephilosophah 81k, polyamorous 1A, lots of sex, all the sex,

In which Kaminari is bad at sexting and the Bakusquad makes a bet over it. Then everyone starts betting on them and the stakes rise, and Bakugou's so certain he'll naturally win that he doesn't even notice how much money he's adding to the pool.

RC: incredibly smutty yet wholesome. an absolute delight to read. made me happy just to see the tab scroll past as i procrastinated on updating this list.

https://archiveofourown.org/series/1115469 I Am Here series by lalazee 9k, All Might/Endeavor, pre-canon, UST, angst, teenagers,

“Nothing about this life is like a comic book. One day, you’re going to realize it in the worst way possible. And I’ll be there, the Number One Hero, all along.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16795468 If I Win... by orphan_account 2k, All Might/Endeavor, pre-canon, internalized homophobia,

"If I win, let me kiss you."

Enji punched him in the face.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16266083 warm, sweet, slightly smoked by soltian 2k, Hawks/Endeavor, male lactation,

due to unknown factors, endeavor has a problem. hawks is happy to help.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18234113 Hold Him Down, Goddamit by Elixiers 2k, Bakugou/Kirishima/Kaminari, masturbation,

Denki should have known, he really should have. To his defense, he never really realized it until he paid attention.

Now, though, it’s glaringly obvious: Bakugou is putty in Kirishima’s hands.

Denki’s incredibly curious about how Kirishima does it, about what he tells Bakugou to calm him down… but each time he asks, Kirishima only gives a boisterous laugh and waves the question away.

It becomes Denki’s mission to find out– simply because of the fact that, well, it’s kind of hot, he guesses? He can’t help but hold that thought every time Bakugou shivers just slightly when Kirishima whispers into his ear, and Bakugou’s cheeks turn red, and he’s still scowling spectacularly but, uh… yeah, shit, it’s cute.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19116025 Messy by beebuzz 14k, Kaminari/Bakugou/Kirishima/Tetsutetsu,

Chewing on the inside of his cheek, Kaminari moved his eyes to the side. “I’m trying to talk about this. Because I feel guilty talking to him like that when I should be satisfied with you two- And I am- And I know there’s already a lot to deal with when there’s three of us, but I guess I was just wondering if maybe you two would be open to meeting him.”

“Meeting him.” Kirishima repeated, hands completely stilling on Bakugou’s shoulders. “As in-”

“A date.” Bakugou finished for him, sharp gaze catching bright gold as Kaminari shot up straight.

“No-”

“No?”

“Well- maybe.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24510598 Don't by Trenchcoatkitten 16k, Kirishima/Bakugou, post-canon, roommates,

Kirishima is out of a place to live - and Bakugou gives him a perfect solution

And they were roommates. (Oh my god they were roommates) Basically I just needed these babies being soft and sweet and domestic okay. Light angst cause I'm ~still a piece of garbage~ and I can't help it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25454512 When He Sees Me by Trenchcoatkitten 81k, Midoriya/Todoroki, AU, disability, past child abuse,

“Sorry,” Midoriya says. “I tend to get off in my own little world sometimes. Guess I just talk a lot. Hope that won't bother you.” “It's fine. I don't talk very much.” Midoriya grins again, lighting up the booth brighter than the light hanging over the table. “We're a perfect pair, then!”

Todoroki Shouto moves in with someone he's never met, just while he's in town for his show. He's never really known what home could mean, and, well, Izuku's the perfect ball of sunshine to show him. Basically, this is a Blind!Izuku and Dancer!Shouto AU :)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25647619 bells by arxaris 18k, Sero/Todoroki, A/B/O, pining,

It’s times like these that Hanta wishes he were… like his peers. Where they can rely on biological instincts and subtle changes in scent, he has to rely on his subpar skill at reading people, on the hope that he can tell when a friend – are they friends, though? – would rather not be alone.

Hanta looks down at his arm, curled tight around his offered comforts, and lets out a quiet sigh.

He has to rely on a shared interest in manga, on the sheer luck that he watches Todoroki enough to know which brand of chips he sometimes buys at lunch time, what drink he reaches for from their communal fridge after class.

-Third year brings Sero Hanta new manga, old insecurities, and Todoroki Shouto.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22403767 Overheard by catastrophicGallivant 7k, Sero/Kaminari/Todoroki, accidental voyeurism, masturbation, awkward sexual situations, first time,

Shouto is already in bed when the noises start. He glances at his clock—a quarter to midnight, about the usual time for them. Kaminari is always the louder of the two. Shouto can hear him moaning through the wall, faintly at first, then loud as if he can’t control himself anymore. Quieter but still present, running underneath Kaminari’s keening, Sero sighs, gasps, curses softly.

Shouto should really go back to sleep.

He should get up and knock on the wall; he’s done it before and they quieted right down after, and the next morning he got matching apologies at breakfast. He should text Sero, who would see his phone ping and do—something, and then the noises would stop and Shouto could sleep. He should really, really go back to sleep.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18419600 Kneel by deviance 7k, Kirishima/Bakugou, post-canon, pining, light dom/sub,

“Bakugou?”

Bakugou shuffled on his feet, hovering over Kirishima and looking at the ground with stormy eyes. He glanced up to glare at Kirishima, a silent dare to call him out on his odd behavior no doubt. Kirishima forced himself not to tense. Whatever Bakugou wanted, he was about to show him and Kirishima had to get this right. Bakugou was all about showing and not telling.

Kirishima nearly bit his tongue to keep in a squawk of surprise when Bakugou suddenly dropped to his knees next to him, shuffling forward until he could press his forehead to his thigh and hide his face against Kirishima's leg. Kirishima opened his mouth, questions on the tip of his tongue, and he barely managed to catch them before they could be given voice. Bakugou was trembling minutely, his entire frame so tense his muscles were twitching under Kirishima's gaze.

“Just. Don't say anything,” Bakugou muttered, hands clenching in his lap tightly. “Please,” he whispered, a short choked sound.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23191777 I See Your Face So Vividly by kopycat_101 13k, Kaminari/Midoriya, pining,

"Midoriya looks electric, looks vibrant. His eyes light up, big and glimmering like neon signs. He jumps across Field Gamma, a place that’s all but a twisting maze of steel, a streak of bright green amongst the monotonous gray. Fearless, easy, like he’s flying through the skies.

Denki wishes he could take a picture of this, of Midoriya leaping through the air like a lightning strike personified. But a picture wouldn’t ever be able to live up to the real thing, wouldn’t do justice to how Midoriya looks."

Denki's been falling for a long time without knowing it. But then he's hit by the sudden realization that he has a crush on Izuku the day Izuku uses Full Cowl for the first time in front of class 1-A. What follows includes a sexuality crisis, compliments, smiles, extended eye contact, blushing, heartwarming friendships, and an insane amount of pining for the ages.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22396243 A Different Kind of Limelight by despitetheabundance (Lindra) 6k, Aizawa/All Might,body dysmorphia, scars, emotional porn, camboy,

Yagi Toshinori posts a drunken dick pic on self-deprecating whim and falls down a rabbit hole of tips, compliments, and learning to live in the body of a man he never wanted to be.

AKA Toshinori becomes a camboy and learns to love himself, feat. Aizawa's Thirst

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25812076 you have made me feel so sure by honeijirou 17k, Kirishima/Bakugou, soulmates, disability, pining, h/c,

Kirishima only saw him out of the corner of his eyes at first.

It’s a blur, a flash really – it’s a blossom of explosions whose after-flashes seemed to form a halo around the boy’s head, or perhaps it was how the boy’s blonde hair caught the sunlight: a combination of that specific angle in that specific moment. Either way, when Kirishima catches a hint of a smirk of a smile, even despite Kirishima’s own Quirk, the way it glints feels like it cuts.

alternatively, a soulmate au. first words are written on your body, and kirishima has always had clear skin: but the moment he sees bakugou, he has never been more sure of anything in his life.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24575374 We've got a good thing going by lehnsherry 3k, Hawks/Endeavor,

Enji is watching Shouto, so he notices the way his eyes snap to the kitchen doorway just before he hears the soft footsteps and the rustling of wings, and his heart jumps into his throat. He turns in his seat just in time to see Hawks walk in, eyes still closed and a hand scratching at his messy hair.

“Mornin’, babe, do you know where my -” Hawks breaks into a huge yawn, and then opens his sleepy eyes, and freezes in the doorway like Shouto used his power on him.

Enji’s mouth makes an involuntary sound of embarrassment, and Hawks flushes all the way down to his chest.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25509430 speak it free by aloneintherain 3k, gen, h/c,

“I didn’t have the same middle school experience as you,” Shinsou says. “I didn’t become rivals with my childhood friend.”

Shinsou doesn’t know who Kacchan really is to him. Izuku has spent so much time looking at Shinsou and relating to him, that he forgot that Shinsou wasn’t looking back at him with that same recognition.

Izuku takes a deep breath, and starts, “Kacchan and I aren’t really childhood friends. Not really.”

Or: Shinsou finds out that Bakugou used to bully Midoriya.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24799483 How To Get Adopted Without Letting Your Dad Know He's Adopting You, A Guide By Class 1-A by lesbianclerics 16k, gen, dadzawa, fluff, injury,

Mina waits until Aizawa’s well out of earshot before muttering a teasing, “Okay dad” under her breath. Kirishima’s eyes go wide. Midoriya chokes on air and the soap he’s spraying goes wide, hitting the wall as well as the stove. Kaminari freezes halfway through tiptoeing across the kitchen. They all stare at her, frightened for a moment that Aizawa heard her somehow. Then, when nothing happens after a moment, Kaminari cackles, loudly, and doubles over laughing.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25979236 Lightning Child by AmaranthineDream 3k, gen, BAMF!midoriya,

Izuku manages to consistently use One for All at 100%, without breaking himself, half way through his second year. He graduates with that power tightly regulated, completely under his control; his quirk is his, completely.

The graduated class 3A has a word for it when Izuku - Deku - goes 100%. It's a physical sensation, they learned early; a pressure in the air and on their lungs and down to their bones and blood. Everyone within his vicinity can feel it.

They call it going green.

And then, in a fight against the villain Jupiter, Deku goes green for the first time since UA.

One third of the people at the scene collapse to their knees.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25779088 Eggs With a Side of Crimson Feathers by kittenmittens 7k, Hawks/Endeavor, mpreg, oviposition,

“These your other kids?” All that gets him is a grunt in response. Keigo snorts, then goes on talking like Todoroki didn’t just give him a massive verbal red light. “I don’t think I ever got their names.”

“I never told you,” grumbles Todoroki, and when Keigo turns to look at him, he’s glaring worse than ever.

Keigo smiles. “My bad.”

---

Hawks just happens to lay eggs every once in a while, but it's fine, totally fine, and he's not gonna let it ruin this once-in-a-lifetime chance to nail his idol.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24726799 A Secret Admirer by KiriBakuHappiness 61k, Kirishima/Bakugou, fluff, pining, friends to lovers, the boys are dumb,

Bakugou Katsuki has a secret admirer and the class of 1-A is desperate to figure out who it could possibly be.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25659202 Why Is Everything So Weird With the Lights Off? by KiriBakuHappiness 12k, Kirishima/Bakugou, pining,

Kirishima’s never really considered what Bakugou would be like when he was drunk and he’s kind of curious to find out but also a little apprehensive. This was still Lord Explosion Murder he was dealing with, after all.

Bakugou stops in the middle of the room, taking in all of the posters on the walls and eyeing suspiciously at the punching bag as if he’s never seen one before in his life. He sways a little before he frowns and squints dangerously. Kirishima tenses in preparation for some snarky remark about his inability to decorate, but all that comes out of Bakugou’s slurred mouth is, “This isn’t my fucking room.”

Wow, okay, maybe he’s a lot more drunk than Kirishima first thought.

OR - Kirishima can't imagine who would be trying to talk to him in the middle of the night on a school night, but when he opens the door and finds Bakugou Katsuki drunk, he can't just turn him away, right? What kind of a friend would he be if he did that?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26238265 He's Sexy And He Knows It. by FoolishFortuna 2k, Kirishima/Bakugou, grinidng, lapdance, exhibitionism, premature ejaculation,

"Bakugou couldn't do anything sexy if he tried!” Kaminari called out with a loud laugh that everyone in the common room joined in with.

Katsuki felt a vein in his temple throbbing as he bared his teeth and tried to count to ten in his head before he was tempted to cross the room and blast Dunce Face to hell for the insult.

They were in the common room, eating junk food and drinking light, crappy beers on their day off from hero training. But when the conversation turned to who had the most sex appeal in the class, it became clear that not one of these fucking idiots believed Katsuki was capable of being anything other than loud, angry or sulky. ‘And pulling horrible faces’ was added by Mina with another laugh that everyone echoed.

And okay, the fact that they had no faith in him made him want to shout and blast things and pull faces, but shut the fuck up. He could be goddamn sexy if he wanted to be.

Kirishima slapped a hand to his thigh and guffawed before wheezing in a breath and adding, “HA! Blasty asking someone out, I'd pay to see it! Or asking for a kiss like, ‘kiss me now, you shitty bitch’. I can't, that's too good.”

That's fucking it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20067655 In the Dark of the Night by arxaris 84k, Kirishima/Bakugou, AU,

Bakugou woke to chants sounding through the Colosseum. “Red Riot! Red Riot! Red Riot!”

Red Riot?

“Sero,” he snapped at the Head of his Council, seated a few meters to his right in the Emperor’s box. “What the fuck is a Red Riot?”

Sero nodded his head to the pit and Bakugou followed his gaze, watching as another gladiator walked out of the gate and towards the center. “New gladiator prodigy. He’s only eighteen, but he hasn’t even come close to losing a fight since he started a couple months ago.” Then, Sero smirked. “I think you’re gonna like him.”

Or, all's fair in love and war.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24798505 Complicated Creation by Elemental 112k, gen, canon-AU, dadzawa,

Midoriya Izuku is medically quirkless, not technically homeless, perpetually exhausted and doing his damned best despite it all. He also sees spirits, which might be cool if not for the fact that a) no one else does, b) they really don't like him very much, and c) he's pretty sure the heroes now think he's a villain working for the League.

Aizawa Shota just wants to take down Overhaul, rescue Eri, keep his students alive, get some rest, and find out how this Deku kid knows things he absolutely should not know about his personal life and the Shie Hassaikai case.

Unless Nighteye's right, and the kid really is a villain.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25578874 He's Our Most Important Member by autumnconcept 5k, gen, BAMF!midoriya,

As a member of the quirkless side of society, Izuku has long given up his dream of being a hero.

Remind him how he ended up in charge of an entire agency?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12729852 I Would Understand by deafmic 45k, gen, dadzawa, foster care, child neglect, child abuse, adoption,

Shinsou Hitoshi had a bit of a problem, and that problem was that he’d gotten attached to Aizawa Shouta. And somewhere along the line had started seeing him as a parental figure, a replacement for all the foster home parents who’d passed him along and never quite done their job.

A kid who's been in foster care his entire life spends a normal, average day after training with the teacher who seems to care a little too much.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21216944 You know that thing where an orchestra swaps instruments, and like, some of them get it right away, but others have no clue what they're doing? This is that but with quirks, two unwilling participants, and also Emotions by Sif (Rosae) 13k, gen, quirk swap, PTSD, touch starved, h/c, quirk drawbacks,

Momo wasn't sure why it came as such a shock to her and her classmates that nitroglycerin was not, in fact, easy to control. The chemical was defined by it's instability, it's ability to go off under near any circumstances, it's powerful blows.

And yet, Katsuki had always made it look so simple. He soared through the air like it was nothing, switching between bullet-sized blasts and missile levels of firepower like most people switched channels on TV. Momo had found herself jealous of his quirk at times, unable to help wondering what it would be like to have such power at her fingertips.

Good news, she didn't have to wonder anymore. Bad news, it was absolutely terrible.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26218951 Where the Archangels go by surveycorpsjean 40k, Hawks/Endeavor, injury, chronic pain, angst, h/c, healing,

“I’m all aloooone, with nobody besiiide meee – can you turn that TV off? Thanks.”

“I’m told you refused multiple offers.”

“Rumi would take in a dead squirrel,” Hawks huffs, scratching his nose on the pillow, going wsh wsh wsh. “I’m not doing that to her, no way in hell. And the commission wanted to put me into the hero equivalent of a nursing home, so fuck that too.”

When Hawks is abandoned by everyone else, Enji offers to bring him home.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19153039 That's All You Ever Have to Say by arxaris 10k, Kirishima/Bakugou, light dom/sub, praise kink, sugar daddy,

Maybe a sane person wouldn’t put up with it. They’d probably call the whole thing unhealthy, say that Bakugou should learn to express his feelings. People have suggested to Kirishima in the past that he put his foot down and demand they talk about things. They’ve gritted their teeth as they told him Bakugou was playing games with him, looked at him with pity as if they were cluing him into something everyone knew but him, something truly awful. But of course Kirishima knew. How could he not? Katsuki wasn’t just playing games with him. They were playing games together.

And Kirishima was positively addicted to them.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26934046 disarm me by hiuythn 8k, Kirishima/Bakugou, touch-starved, hand fixation,

Bakugou’s hands are made for winning.

They’re made to reach for victory, to grab what they want and refuse to let go.

Bakugou’s hands are not made for holding. They’re not made to cradle, or to help. His hands are calloused and rough. They are not meant to cherish, to be gentle, to be safe.

When he’s not using them to blast his opponents to dust, he keeps them sheathed in his pockets like the weapons they are. A gesture of goodwill—a handshake, from him, would be deadly. His hands are deadly.

And that’s how he likes it.

That is, until Kirishima.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24912604 a twisted fate never alters destiny by Watsittoyou 138k, Aizazwa/Yamada, canon-AU, adoption, internalized homophobia, canon character death,

Kicked out and homeless as a hero student wasn't somewhere Aizawa Shouta intended to be, and yet those were the cards he was dealt. Kids like him don't just get second chances handed to them on silver platters, but when he spends his last few hundred yen at Midoriya's cafe, it seems like that's precisely what he gets. Along the way, he gains parents who love him, an idiot he might be sort of in love with, and a future promising trouble thanks to a problem child baby brother.

But the world of heroes is much larger than it seems on the surface, and somehow his green-haired nightmare manages to find his way to the centre of it, all while Shouta tries to navigate his own love life and hero work.

Or, the time Inko's determination to adopt a teenage Aizawa not-so-accidentally lays the groundwork for his future as Eraserhead: serial child adopter, all while uncovering the darker secrets of the villain underworld.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18205364 touch too much by h_lovely 9k, Kirishima/Bakugou, pining, friends with benefits,

Kirishima had always been touchy. Bakugou has a hard time believing it's anything more than that.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19945867 i go where you go by favspacetwink 2k, Kirishima/Bakugou, first time, sharing clothes,

God, handjobs are the fucking best.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12753570 Sugar, Spice by Grimmseye 7k, Kirishima/Bakugou, canon-AU, incubus,

Red was the color of passion, of fury, of violence. And for that he offered red candles, red roses, red blood. His veins sang for a fight.

" — what kind of a shitty demon are you?”

It blinked up at him, raising its weight from its haunches. Its head cocked to the side. “Um,” it started. “I'm... an incubus? Master?”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12090270 take your time with me by Shadow_sensei 4k, Kirishima/Bakugou, first time, mutual masturbation,

And then Katsuki steps away, breaking away from Eijirou’s body, as if he’s been shocked, because it’s so much, all at once, and it’s overwhelming and his mind is drifting and it’s almost terrifying, to be so fast to lose his composure, just from a simple touch. Is it a sign of weakness, that he can be pulled into Eijirou’s control so quickly?

No, thinks Katsuki. It’s a sign of trust.

- As the water flows hot and steady over their backs, Katsuki learns that it's okay to let Eijirou take over his heart.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12145455 a long time coming by tusslee 1k, Kirishima/Bakugou, pining,

There’s nothing soft about a boy like Bakugou, but Kirishima can’t help but wonder if his skin isn’t as smooth as it looks. If his hair isn’t a fluffy mess when he first wakes up in the morning. If his tongue is as sharp as he makes his words out to be. Everything about Kirishima is soft except for his Quirk. What a pair they seem to make.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26177596 i love you like the sun came out by unreemarkable 46k, Midoriya/Todoroki,

Todoroki Shouto is untouchable, until he isn't. What comes after goes a little like this.

[In which Todoroki falls, slowly, steadily, with his eyes wide open.]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12706605 Acceptance by WereKoalaPL 46k, Ojiro/Shinsou, self-harm, denial, self acceptance,

There are many things Mashirao fears, some more so than others. He was always somehow able to deal with them though, through lies, denial, clenching his teeth, and biting his words back. But some things can't be changed or fixed, no matter how much of a fight he will put up.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27090436 (Un)Made by Ashynarr 4k, gen,

In the aftermath of a slightly different Yakuza Hideout Raid, Izuku and Eri have to come to term with their new life, while Shouta and Toshinori figure out how to help them start on the path to recovery.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27094156 Mass Divided by Volume by The Feels Whale (miscellea) 37k, Ashido/Kirishima/Bakugou, canon-AU, polyamory, asexual character,

It comes as a surprise to a lot of people, finding out that Bakugo is part of a loving triad and has been for years; including Bakugo.

Especially Bakugo.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27051973 i just want somebody near me by theyaremycrocs 3k, Kirishima/Bakugou, bed sharing, hugging,

Kirishima likes the dorms.

He really does - they’re convenient, they’re safe and he’s in the room right next to his best friend’s. They have movie nights and game nights and there’s never a dull moment when he’s there, but- he misses his moms.

The Kirishimas are a very affectionate family. Kirishima’s no stranger to physical contact. He welcomes it, even; a hug when he leaves for school, a hug when he gets home from school. Before he goes to bed. It’s comforting, and it’s normal, and Kirishima… well, he misses it.

And that’s how Kirishima finds himself stood in front of Bakugo’s door at midnight on a Friday, worn down from the school week, desperate enough to go to his best friend’s room to ask him for a hug.

-------

“You’ve been in front of my door for the past five minutes,” Bakugo tells him flatly, fingers tapping impatiently on his arms. “What.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27097288 hope that soul is changing by Sour_Idealist 3k, Hawks/Endeavor, past domestic violence,

“You’ve been working with Endeavor lately, isn’t that right?” she asks instead.

He laughs, trying for casual and missing it by at least a city block. “That what this is about, huh?” he asks. “The, uh, the missus and the side piece?”

Her own cup of tea is three-quarters full; she takes a sip and sets it down. “Well, is it?” she asks.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27176774 Sunshine & Lightning by splot 4k, Kaminari/Shinsou, scars,

Shinsou’s still staring, mouth agape, eyes wide when Kaminari finally frees himself from his shirt, eyes darting nervously from person to person. “What? Why are you all staring?”

“Dude… what is that?” Kirishima asks, blunt, but not rude – concerned. Kaminari follows everyone’s gaze to his midsection, blinks a moment, and then laughs, flapping his shirt at Kirishima.

“It’s nothing, bro. It’s just like a heat rash kinda thing I get sometimes ‘cause of my quirk. No biggie, it’ll be gone by tomorrow.”

---

There's a side-effect to Kaminari's quirk that he keeps hidden. Shinsou finds out.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26640583 From the Heavens Into Heaven by Epsilon110, Jade_Kitsune 25k, Midoriya/all the girls, BAMF!midoriya, blindfolds, truth or dare,

Izuku Midoriya has always considered himself lucky beyond belief, ever since All Might told him that he could be a hero. Time and time again, his luck paid off, allowing him to survive villain attacks and win competitions and exercises. When the hero students of Class A and B returned to the Wild, Wild Pussycats' forest for another training camp, Izuku had hoped his luck would hold out.

In a way, it did. Still, Izuku isn't sure how long he can last in the hot springs surrounded by every woman in both Hero classes.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13278729 One Step Closer by tusslee 50k, Kirishima/Bakugou, AU, injury, angst, physical theraphy, recovery, disability,

Hope flickers pitifully beside the fire of determination inside of him. Whatever it takes, he decides, he’ll prove them all wrong.

- Injured in a car accident, Bakugou Katsuki has to learn a new way of life as he slowly, but surely recovers with the (unwanted) help from his physical therapist, Kirishima Eijirou.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15090842 Love So Soft by Fanficismything 11k, Kirishima/Bakugou, A/B/O,

Kirishima found out completely on accident.

He would never have guessed who had been taking his clothes to nest with.

He absolutely never would have guessed who but damn if it didn’t give him all sort of warm and fuzzy feelings to keep him warm at night or literally any time he thought about it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17348138 In your face, Endeavor! by caelestisxyz 2k, Yoarashi/Todoroki, semi-public sex,

This is hands down the most disrespectful thing Inasa has ever done in his life. Here he is, tailored suit and brand new tie, sitting amongst the city's elites while he's roughly face fucking the No.1 Hero's son.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19884178 Learn You (Bit by Bit) by deviance 5k, Kirishima/Bakugou, 5+1,

Five things Kirishima learns about Bakugou, and one thing Bakugou teaches Kirishima about himself.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17096087 Polish Me Up by deviance 2k, gen, touch-starved, platonic cuddling,

If Bakugou had known of his own weakness, perhaps things would've ended up differently, his pride dictating that he hide anything that might be a vulnerability. However, he hadn't know about this weakness, in fact the damn squad were the ones to cause him to discover it, so keeping it hidden was not even a possibility.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19244770 Thursday by CitrusVeins 7k, Kirishima/Bakugou, first time, panic attack,

Everything with Bakugou, at least when it came to intimacy, had to be slow and calculated. Once Kirishima barely skimmed a hand under the hem of his shirt and the contact of skin on skin startled Bakugou so much that he jumped back like he was burned. It was one of the few times Kirishima actually got an apology from him, as he admonished himself for ruining 'the moment.' Kirishima was, of course, fine with it. It just meant that they found a limit they could work on together or not at all depending on what Bakugou wanted.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16435358 Broken, but Still Good by deviance 75k, Kirishima/Bakugou, AU, A/B/O, torture, PTSD, non-con, angst, recovery,

“He’s just too combative. I know he was recovered from an illegal Alpha fighting ring and we can’t do much for that, but he’s not receptive to any of our attempts to help. He instantly starts fights with any Alphas that try to reach out to him, even if they aren’t posturing, and if we try to send in an Omega to keep him calm he somehow manages to freak out even more.”

“All we can do it be patient and provide him a safe environment to heal. We don’t know how long he was held captive nor what sort of things he’s had to do to survive.”

“But if no one can get close to him, how are we supposed to help?”

“Have we tried sending in a Beta? If we have one that would be capable of withstanding his quirk, it may be the best middle ground.”

“Red Riot, one of my previous students might be able to. Kirishima’s quirk is hardening and should be strong enough to withstand the Alpha’s explosions. Plus his personality tends to let him make friends with just about everyone. He was on the infiltration team too, so he’s at least minimally aware of the situation. He’d have to be briefed on the specifications, of course.”

“He sounds like the best chance we’ve got."

“Can’t hurt to try, I guess."

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20660567 no door left unopened by sprx77 2k, Midoriya/everyone, kissing, polyamory,

Izuku passes One for All to all of his friends and they pass it back. The successor of peace is not a title worn lightly and they're all old enough to know that some things are more important than hero rankings, some contingencies more than worth it.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19974307 No Secrets to Success by kingdoms 7k, Kirishima/Bakugou,

“Hey!” Kirishima says brightly, stepping sideways to be directly in the guy’s path. “I know you!”

“Fuck off,” the guy snarls, pushing past him and barely slowing down.

Kirishima is forced to start his first semester at UA two months late. Somehow he still meets Bakugou Katsuki, makes the most of those two months, and gains a tutor, a best friend, and an exciting way to scandalize his new peers. Canon AU where Kirishima and Bakugou become friends before Kirishima meets the rest of Class 1-A.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24036481 In the Lap of the Gods by theyalwayssay 10k, Shinsou/Kaminari, AU, top!kaminari,

“Don’t keep me waiting.” Denki swallowed away the saliva that had built up in his throat. Only a minute ago his mouth had been parched as leather; now, he was struggling not to drool. “I want an audience with the Oracle. I’d prefer that over just speaking into this fog.” “You already have it,” the voice said. Denki’s head lolled back on his neck, spine tingling at the feeling of someone murmuring deep into his ears. “God, I-” “Do not call for them. There are no gods here. There is only you and I.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16826065 A Short Sharp Shock by theyalwayssay 17k, Shinsou/Kaminari, first time, quirk kink,

In which Kaminari blows the whole dorm, but not in the way that you're thinking.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15195866 Catch Me Red-Handed by theyalwayssay 10k, Kirishima/Bakugou, first time,

When Bakugou gets hit with a color-change Quirk which reacts to his mood, it’s up to Kirishima to figure out a meaning behind the shifting colors speckled across his boyfriend’s face. The solution is, of course, to cross examine the colors to a mood ring color chart. Let’s see: orange is indignant, blue-green is flirtatious, and red is...oh.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14657547 Pass it On by theyalwayssay 14k, Kirishima/Bakugou, sexual frustration, truth or dare, crossdressing,

RED ALERT: Bakugou can't jerk off because he'll explode his own dick off. Pass it on.

Mina spreads a rumor around Class 1A about a certain Bakugou Katsuki, Kirishima is tasked with taking his own life and dignity in his hands and finding out of it's true. Party hijinks ensue.

(Spoiler alert: dignity and his life aren't the only things Kirishima takes in his hands)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12090492 Stray Italian Greyhound by ArgetCross 5k, Jirou/Taoyorozu, pining,

That was the wretched start of it all.

Momo couldn't stop thinking about sex. At first, she thought it was just because she was mortified by the idea of anyone figuring out that she now could make condoms. She kept expecting someone, Kaminari or Sero, to come up to her and ask her. One night she even had a terrible dream where she was back in a practical exam with Todoroki and, instead of producing matryoshka dolls, she accidentally flung a bunch of condoms at Aizawa-sensei.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15726360 a secret quest for common sense by jurassicqueer (gaybirdkid) 23k, Sero/Todoroki, pining, touch-starved, self harm, clothes sharing,

One way or another, Hanta finds himself being drawn back to Todoroki again and again. The boys learn to lean on each other.

"Hanta gives himself five seconds to fully experience whatever warm emotion is swelling in his chest. It expands like hot air, pressing on his aching ribs and crawling up his throat; it worms between his heart and lungs and curls up like a contented cat. Hanta isn’t sure how he knows, but he’s sure the feeling’s name is Todoroki."

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15147833 Like Seaglass by IvoryCrow 10k, Inko/Yagi, AU, mythology, pirates,

The woman curls her lip, tightening her grip on her seal skin. “You will not steal my pelt, I will not be your bride.”

Toshinori can only promise, raising his hands in surrender. “I will not take it from you.”

His honesty must satisfy her because she moves closer, pressing her pelt against the gash on his side. The selkie blinks at him curiously, watching for his reactions. She’s familiar, like someone from a dream. When she pulls away, the wound is healed, leaving behind a scar shaped like a river of stars.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15124007 Lies in the guise of truth by Jeanemon 44k, Inko/Yagi, fluff,

All Might is the world's #1 hero, the symbol of peace, the pillar that the world knows they can stand on. He dominates every room he's in, from press conferences to his Hero Agency.

It's pretty easy for everyone to overlook Yagi Toshinori, All Might's 'quirkless secretary'. But he's still there.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14574993 call the fire department (i'm burning up with love) by Edgedancer 22k, Todoroki/Midoriya, families of choice,

An (abridged) list of things Todoroki Shouto did not have before U.A.: Loud neighbors. Fire alarms. Friends. Midoriya Izuku.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11808918 Conversations with a Cryptid by AMournfulHowlInTheNight 67k, gen, meta fic,

The man was over a century old. There had to be more to it. In hindsight, it hadn’t been one of Izuku’s better ideas.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16440632 what we deserve by bwyn 5k, gen, reconciliation,

“He said I needed to be faster changing the strength of my quirk output.”

“Like Midoriya?”

“Yeah.”

“That bar is so hiiigh,” Ashido groans, which, true, there’s no higher bar than the kid they’d taken to calling Small Might behind his back.

The scream of Mineta cartwheeling through the air serves as Kirishima’s cue to step up next. Kaminari rests a hand over his heart, mirrored by Ashido and Sero.

“May your soul find peace,” says Kaminari.

***

A few have noticed a change in Bakugou's attitude, and that maybe it's thanks to Midoriya.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25194799 skin by rae_tnub 4k, gen, angst, h/c, scars,

What was it All Might said once? ”A scar is proof you’ve survived!” or some bullshit like that.

Where’s the proof of Katsuki’s survival?

Where are the marks from when he was little and injured himself training to have as much control over his quirk as he does?

Where are the burns that prove Dabi’s fingertips burnt the back of his neck?

Where are the cuts that prove the muzzle forced on him at the Sports Festival was strapped on too tightly?

Katsuki digs his fingernails through the fabric of his pockets and into his thighs.

It doesn’t matter if he bleeds. 

There’s not going to be any proof of it anyway.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22245835 Mild-Mannered School Teacher/Adrenaline-Junkie Vigilante by JajaLala 136k, Fuyumi/Miruko, secret identity,

Fuyumi Todoroki was stressed. She was always the peacekeeper, the ice-quirk user who calms the hot-headed members of her family. What was she supposed to do when she was frustrated, and couldn't calm herself down?

Go onto the streets and become a vigilante, of course.

Follow this mild-mannered school teacher/adrenaline-junkie vigilante as she befriends the mysterious Dabi, tries not to get caught by the persistent Miruko, and through it all struggles to keep her family together.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22440598 White Lies Always Blow Up by Milligramme 93k, Bakugou & Todoroki, Kirishima/Bakugou, fake dating, slow burn, practise kissing, injury,

Ever since Endeavor was forced to retire, his new hobby seems to be nagging his son about his hero career and nonexistent love life. Worse, it seems that Todoroki's entire family is dead set on helping him find a girlfriend and give love a chance.

Desperate to make them stop, Todoroki lets his classmates convince him that the best solution is to fake date someone. And no one's better suited for the job than his dear friend Bakugou, right? If even Midoriya says it's a good idea, there's no way it could possibly go wrong!

Follow Todoroki and Bakugou on their journey to find out in how many ways it could possibly go wrong.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25663108 give me compliments (i said give me compliments) by wonhaebunny 3k, gen,

“It’s just cute,” Ashido is telling them as she walks into the classroom. “Like, when you compliment someone and they get flustered so easily, don’t you think it’s endearing?” Kaminari blinks. “Like Bakugou?” he asks slowly.

1-a realises that katsuki is really, really bad at receiving compliments. exposure therapy ensues.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18803488 Tell Me I'm Yours by arxaris 6k, Kirishima/Bakugou, pining, praise kink, light dom/sub, friends to lovers,

Bakugou was going a little crazy. He could grudgingly admit that it was at least in part his own fault; moving in with his best friend maybe hadn’t been the best idea. At first, it sounded great. The rent would be cheaper, grocery shopping and cooking for two would be way more convenient, and it would be easier for the two of them to hang out. The only thing was, Bakugou forgot to consider how the joys of moving in with his aforementioned best friend might be dampened by the fact that he was madly in love with him.

Alternatively: Kirishima Eijirou is a goddamn tease and there's no way he doesn't know what he's doing.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13635312 Would you be my fucking boyfriend? by Claus_Lucas 3k, Kirishima/Bakugou, pining, bed sharing,

Unsure what to do about his crush on Bakugou, Kirishima finally decides to ask him if he’s ever liked someone – that way. His answer turns out to be a confession in of itself.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24632389 By Dawn, Promise Me by chezka 9k, Kirshima/Bakugou, hanahaki, h/c,

Kirishima looked soft, right then, and warm and beautiful and inviting, open in his clear acceptance of anything Katsuki might have been there to lay on him, and Katsuki was in love with him.

He loved him.

And it was killing him.

The universe could be especially cruel, Katsuki had come to realize.

or, with flowers blooming in his chest and threatening his future, Katsuki decides a last conversation is long overdue

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25430923 Eyes Like Dragon-Fire by Dragonire 108k, Kirishima/Bakugou, au, dragon!irishima, curses, h/c,

The world beneath his palms was sharp and painful and unforgiving.

Kirishima didn’t even try to hold back the yell that broke out from between his lips, if only for some way to release the pain that was building inside; smoke billowing out of his lungs in guttural cries that didn’t sound like him at all.

“I’m sorry,” the mage cried before him, her brow drenched in sweat while her hands were drenched in thick crimson blood, just as Kirishima’s were where he dug his nails into the stone beneath him; blunted fingers giving away to the strength of the earth, over and over, searching for a reprieve from the volcano erupting in his chest.

Pain. Agony. Torture. There was no stopping this.

Or: Kirishima is cursed to become a dragon and is found by one Bakugo Katsuki, who doesn’t realise his dragon wasn’t always a dragon and needs his curse broken.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16146635 Moment of Truth by Fanficismything 104k, Kirishima/Bakugou, AU, fake dating, pining,

Faced with deportation from Japan, high strung Bakugo Katsuki accepts a marriage of convenience with his partner and co-worker, Kirishima Eijirou. A suspicious immigration officer has him playing along on a trip to Kirishima's family home for his birthday, and is suddenly thrust into the middle of many, many eager friends and relatives, all delighted to know Kirishima's fiance. The longer he stays and sees Kirishima in his element, the more Bakugo unpacks his own feelings on the matter, and on Kirishima himself.

A fanfiction based on the 2009 movie The Proposal that turned into its own storyline and lovingly stuffed full of cliches.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12442488 5 + 1 by kazhan 24k, Kirishima/Bakugou, 5+1, first time,

The five times Kirishima made the first move + the one time Bakugou blew his mind.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25051885 Flinch by MermaidMayonnaise 17k Todoroki/Midoriya, touch-starved,

Shouto’s hatred of touching people and being touched could easily be traced back to his childhood. - A high school graduation fic detailing how one step in front of the other is the basis of a journey. Once you’ve taken hundreds and thousands and millions of steps, you can look back and marvel at how far you’ve come.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26313439 a slight omission by ValkyrieGail 4k, Hawks/Enji,

Enji thought he would be another one of Hawks’ achievements; another firm notch on the bedpost of Hawks’ illicit affairs. Little did he know that he was the first and only notch after a terrible assumption gone wrong.

The one where Hawks and Enji hook-up, and Enji didn’t realize Hawks was a virgin until after the fact.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24434113 Simmer Down by ValkyrieGail 9k, Hawks/Enji, bottom!endeavour,

Enji and Hawks have been hooking up for a while, and with a lazy day to themselves, they take time to explore a new facet of their physical relationship.

Hawks finds a fresh meaning to the term ‘hero worship’, while Enji indulges in enjoying his partner in new ways.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20606219 troquer by Shippeh 4k, Kaminari/Bakugou/Kirishima, bodyswap, threesome,

Denki gets to top- unless it doesn't count because it's not his body? He's not really sure, but he's not going to look a gift-horse in the mouth, or whatever.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11881836 Your Hands Protect the Flames by Anonymous 74k, graphic rape, rape recovery, h/c, amputation, minor sellf-harm,

For as long as Bakugou can remember people have been telling him to 'swallow his pride.' But no one's ever told him how he's supposed to sew his throat back up after the fact.

After an assault leaves Bakugou and his classmates reeling, they all have to figure out how to pick up the pieces and move on.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16304276 high and low by rronanllynch 4k, Iida/Zero, drug use, shotgunning,

based off my own tweet because i'm the only one in this damn house that does anything:

"sero smoking w iida for the first time and it turns out iida knows exactly what he’s doing and sero falls in love immediately"

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27067372 Incompatible (But only in Theory) by cutiefemdom 5k, Kirishima/Bakugou, a/b/o, alpha/alpha, rutting, mutual pining,

Kirishima tried to ignore the heat that rose up his neck as he felt the toy stretch beneath his fingers, the material torn far past its limits by Bakugou's growing knot.

"Dang, I guess it's a size too small, huh?"

Kirishima helps Bakugou through his first rut. You know, like any good best friend would.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27789139 this house of cards by justhavesex 23k, Hawks/Enji, AU, family fluff,

In which Hawks, age 22, successfully becomes a home wrecking sugar baby.

Except, not really.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27746485 Northern Lights by quietfaun 11k, Hawks/Enji,

There's someone in his apartment.

With one feather clutched in his hand, Keigo steps into his living room. “Who’s here?” He calls, voice knocked severe and low. “I saw you moving. Come out.”

A beat of silence.

And then a soft, “Hawks,” comes from the direction of his bedroom. Standing in the doorway, lit only by the moon and the ambient glow of the city, is Enji Todoroki.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23866006 Cotyledon by Sholosha 232k, Midoriya/Todoroki/Shinsou, slow burn, pining, UST, poly,

It's his second year at UA, and Shinsou is finally, finally, transferring to the hero course. He's ready, he thinks, or hopes— either way, it doesn't matter, 'cause he's going to show everyone he's got what it takes. And it also doesn't matter that the longer he spends in the program, the more he can't stop thinking about a certain freckled wannabe-friend, and the more he's noticing that a certain stoic classmate is paying him a lot more attention than he'd like.

Whatever. Irrelevant. He's here to be a hero, not make friends. Even if they would be the first ones he's made in...ever. But it's his second year, and he's going to make it count by focusing on what's important.

His name is Shinsou Hitoshi, and he's going to be a goddamn hero.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27239734 keep it coming by bakunonist 35k, Hawks/Enji, friends with benefits, mutual pining,

Hawks referenced what happened between them last night so casually, so offhandedly that Enji is filled with hope that maybe, just maybe, they’re actually on the same page:

They were drunk, and they made a mistake.

But most importantly, no matter how good it was—it’s not happening again.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27415918 after midnight by stereonightss 1k, Kirishima/Bakugou, first time, gentlest falling in love,

“Soap,” Katsuki says, holding out his hand, and just like reading minds Eijirou’s got the bottle ready, half-way reaching out. Katsuki’s hand catches his forearm instead of the bottle, hot and slick and steaming in the gap of the showers’ spray. A simple miscalculation, an innocent touch—but a lingering one, rough pale fingers dragging down the length of Eijirou’s arm, over his now trembling hand to pluck the bottle from his fingers.

Touches like that makes Eijirou wonder, did he know how I felt in high school? Does he know now?

Neither of them fell in love; it’s as though they always felt it deep inside. Or, the night it all came together.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27929647 red oleander by hupsoonheng 18k, Kirishima/Bakugou, hanahaki, pining,

For his crimes of being selfish, mean, and with no love in his heart, Bakugou Katsuki is cursed by a mysterious old woman's hanahaki-like quirk. And because he is selfish, mean, and with more love in his heart than he knows what to do with, he lets it almost kill him.

my first bnha fic and the first writing i've done all year! (thanks, 2020.) it's also my first hanahaki fic, and i wanted to take more of a hans christian anderson take on the trope.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18092318 Wrapped Up by Mavericksy 21k, Sero/Todoroki, bondage, teenage crushes in adulthood,

When Todoroki and Sero reunite as pro heroes for a friendly night of drinking, a confession is made that takes their paths in a direction neither of them were expecting.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27693374 hummingbird boy by gummyconcrete, what_a_loser 8k, Kirishima/Bakugou, pining,

Bakugou has dimples.

They’re not noticeable. Not by much, not with the way he scowls to hide them. But Kirishima still catches them, the first time he makes Bakugou crack a grin after he trips and fails a new stunt on his skateboard.

When Kirishima sees it—it’s a tiny dip in his cheeks, and one under his chin. They’re out in the sun, and small shadows tuck into his dimples charmingly. He’s grinning wide, boyish and rude and unhinged. He’s laughing, too, and the sound is brash.

Or; Kirishima learning what it really means to yearn.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27709468 marry me by shiggay 5k, Kirishima/Bakugou,

“Marry me.”

“We’re fifteen, idiot.”

“C’mon, marry me.”

“Not right now,” Katsuki looks up from his notebook, leaning over to tap his pencil on the papers in front of Eijirou. “You have more equations to solve.”

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25274074 On Letting Go by meeokie 26k, Midoriya/Todoroki/Shinsou, quirk play, light BDSM, forced masturbation,

Deku moved to shake Hitoshi’s waiting hand but paused, a dangerous calculating look flashing before he drew back an inch. “Well, couldn’t you just tell someone to come? Wouldn’t a body respond instantly to that command?”

Hitoshi grinned and shrugged his shoulders, knowing all too well how fast he could reduce someone with something like that. How fast he had already, with specific clients.

(Chapter 1: Deku/Shinsou, Chapter 2: Deku/Shinsou/Shouto)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27142273 Night Vision Binoculars by surveycorpsjean 45k, Hawks/Enji, friends with benefits, feral behaviour, light BDSM, birdy hawks,

Hawks is acting strange, and Enji is going to find out why.

Oh, and something about ghosts, but not really.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14296956 Tender Violence by Leticheecopae 10k, Bakugou/Shinsou, accidental rivals to lovers, consesual mind control,

Bakugo has an annoying habit of training well into the night, and for someone who gets as little sleep as Shinso, it is a pain in the ass; but third years have unlimited access, so what can he do? Fed up one night, he finally decides it's about time he figured out why the bombastic blonde is out destroying the training areas so late into the night; he doesn't expect to help him deal with the reason.

#notdead recs #bnha #rec list #boku no hero academia

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phoenixtakaramono · 3 years

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SUMMARY: Let it not be said that Shen Yuan didn’t know how to be an accomplished—arguably better—writer than Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky! A middle-aged author in his hubris, he’d unknowingly triggered his fate and had his consciousness whisked away into an unfathomable mystical world that he would later learn to be based on Proud Immortal Demon Way and his very own work-in-progress. When given the opportunity to customize his character’s stats and to design his one remaining Customizable Skill Slot, as a veteran reader of transmigration stories and their tropes, Shen Yuan demanded, “Grant me the protagonist’s halo of course!”The SYSTEM was silent all but for a minute.

【Understood. Unique Skill "PROTAGONIST'S HALO" activated. Esteemed Host, you share the Unique Skill "PROTAGONIST'S HALO" with one other.】

“Who?”

【This world’s Luo Binghe. From the original novel series.】

“...Hold on, I need some time to process this.”

(Little did Shen Yuan know that this world’s Luo Binghe is the same sadistic “Bing gē” from the released Extra short story. It was also too bad that Shen Yuan, in his mortal form, resembled Shen Qingqiu by a good thirty-to-forty percent.)

There was an important takeaway to be had from tonight’s interaction: Shen Yuan had asserted his place as the lord of this residence and as Luo Binghe’s future ally.

Several thoughts had, however, been plaguing him ever since Shen Yuan gifted Luo Binghe the handscrolls, leaving like the composed gentleman he was while the half-demon pondered over the newfound revelations for the night. Those thoughts filled Shen Yuan’s brain with a renewed vigor that his exhausted body did not feel, roiling through him as he changed into his night clothes. Even now, lying down with his hands folded over his stomach, they consumed his mind as he stared up at the azure, gauzy canopy that looked eerily similar to the one in the guest bedchamber that Luo Binghe now slept in.

Wisps of hazy white rose from the lotus-shaped censer he’d brought to his bed. The coals within were still fresh in the copper, keeping him warm in the night, with the fragrance of sandalwood circulating within the room.

His unyielding companion, the blue text box, hovered above. Shen Yuan kept his gaze averted from it; he had read and reread the Chinese characters countless times that if he closed his eyes, he could still see the most recent notification engraved in his mind’s eye.

【Prediction! Future Event <<A NIGHT OF PASSION>> has been changed into <<LOADING CHEKHOV'S GUN>>. You have reached the conditions to clear the scenario. Countdown commencing. Reward: B-Points +50.】

The planes of his face were bathed in a soft blue glow as he ruminated. Shen Yuan couldn’t find it within him to feel any guilt or to throw blame at anyone other than himself. He’d unlocked the <<TRUE END>> main scenario and, judging by how the <<SYSTEM>> was not giving him a choice, he had to build that rapport between themselves and see that friendship through.

These are the seeds you’ve sown, he reminded himself. Improvise. Adapt. Overcome. He could only dig his hands into the soil and watch the seeds slowly bear fruit.

Bing gē—or, rather, Luo Binghe—was not a 2D character on paper; he was now a real person who breathed and talked and had a will of his own. Even so, Shen Yuan didn’t know the extent of the ramifications if an extraordinary “prodigy” gained self-awareness that he was the male protagonist of a fictional erotica series.

It’d be interesting. If someone found out one day that they were a precious existence in a world which catered to them because of “narrative convenience,” they’d naturally become audacious. All the attractive people belonged to them, hearts were won over for no real reason, and enemies would be seen as less of a threat and more as an annoyance in the eyes of a protagonist with infinite power levels. Shen Yuan could envision it; Luo Binghe would probably behave more recklessly, bolstered by the certainty that he was protected by plot armor. He’d be a spoilt menace in a male power fantasy world—riding the power trip until the novelty wore off inevitably.

The corners of Shen Yuan’s mouth curved. He didn’t know how likeminded Luo Binghe was, but if he thought like he did, he’d exploit his advantages. A protagonist’s existence was akin to a cockroach, dragged from door’s death each time without fail.

This was not merely a case of schadenfreude—another difficult foreign term he’d learned during his pursuit as a novelist—where he reveled in another person’s misfortunes. It was a well-established trope in all forms of literature that when a person was casually dropped into a life-or-death situation, they would resurface as calamities. Since Luo Binghe was an important main character, he would naturally benefit.

...Sorry, youngster. Shen Yuan raised a white flag in commiseration for him in his heart. I didn’t mean to conscript you, but you must continue to work hard. Nationalistic pride exists among many Chinese writers.

Even pre-enlightened Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky had not been exempt from that.

In most narratives, a protagonist’s role was to rise above the rest and “smash the system.” They were akin to power kegs just waiting to be ignited.

Shen Yuan squinted up at the UI, his eyes beginning to water from its bright glow. He blinked rapidly, but the strain in his eyes refused to ease. This better not be the sort of tale where he and Luo Binghe had to compete to establish who was the one true protagonist, having to assert narrative dominance. Shen Yuan had no intention of pulling aggro to himself.

Raising a forearm up to shadow his vision, he groaned. He declared to no one, “Airplane brother, you’ve done your first son a great disservice.”

(He couldn’t help thinking the author had done a disservice to the original Shen Qingqiu and Yue Qingyuan among many others.)

The events that had played out tonight strengthened Shen Yuan’s conviction. He could now see how people easily fell for Luo Binghe’s act; the charisma of a stallion protagonist was potent. Even so, he had capitalized on his goodwill—and Luo Binghe’s strange fixation—hoping continuous acts of kindness being demonstrated toward him would soften him toward Shen Yuan and prove his intentions were sincere. His goal to leave a favorable impression was already well underway, with the endgame of establishing how it would be in Luo Binghe’s best interests to remember Shen Yuan’s acts of compassion and to return them tenfold in the future.

Should Shen Yuan prove himself to be of use, surely even a cutthroat person like Bing gē would not discard a loyal comrade—no, a valuable asset—during his rise to power?

Under no circumstances must Luo Binghe see the strange celestial fortuneteller as a threat or as a jealous rat. In the stories where the main character was an antihero, the few ways to survive their malice was by entering their harem, becoming the sole lover, being exiled—like Luo Binghe’s rival, the “second male lead” Gongyi Xiao—or becoming an indispensable friend or ally. Even though Shen Yuan was protected by plot armor, he should not assume its protection was absolute. His own transmigration here was proof that life was full of unknown variables.

But with Luo Binghe’s appearance here, his days of treating the other protagonist’s existence like colorless air were over.

To avoid future headaches, the only method Shen Yuan could foresee showing his fellow protagonist that his services were indispensable was by lending him his intelligence—and his predictions of the future. As the ancient proverb went, a friend who brings coal in the snow is most precious. If he availed to continue fostering goodwill and his undying support, those efforts would be rewarded handsomely. As a protagonist of the xianxia genre, Luo Binge followed a code of honor—even more so as a cultivator taught in the martial and mystical arts.

He recalled the last question Luo Binghe had asked of him before Shen Yuan left, regarding the compatibility of his fated person.

What he’d told Luo Binghe during the palm-reading was admittedly due to Shen Yuan’s own internal bias. It’d made Shen Yuan want to laugh at his own past naivety. He had to reevaluate everything he’d erroneously taken to be true and canon.

As a novelist, Peerless Cucumber wasn’t as generous as Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky who’d spoiled his stallion protagonist with far-too-easy conquests as a result of pandering to his audience with fanservice. While Shen Yuan’s unique stamp was focusing less on romance and more on worldbuilding, he developed his romances gradually; like reality, his characters had to learn to work with each other’s strengths and flaws, overcome challenges, mutually pine for each other, and to be able to see a future together.

Only then did the payoff seem all the more impactful in his storylines.

A conflicted expression descended upon Shen Yuan’s face.

While there was entertainment to be had following the adventures of a “blackened” antihero crushing his opponents under his foot, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but count his blessings again that he wasn’t a young woman who had been reincarnated in the body of the villainess or a side character. That archetype always seemed to hope to enjoy her new lavish life in the sidelines watching the romance unfold between the male and female leads, but was swept into the mechanisms of palace intrigue—secret schemes and political power struggles—when the male lead inevitably turned his attention towards her.

Shen Yuan also took solace in his good fortune of not having been transmigrated into the body of an antagonist or a cannon fodder—which meant it wasn’t necessary for him to embrace the plot device of hugging the protagonist’s golden thighs and painstakingly preserving the pretense of being another person.

There were two less flags to be concerned over.

His purpose here was to surpass his rival in the danmei genre. That meant there must be two male leads. But Luo Binghe didn’t come from his own intellectual properties; his creation had been birthed from Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky’s imagination.

In this case, since it was a crossover, didn’t that mean Shen Yuan had essentially adopted Luo Binghe as his male lead? So as his responsibility, wouldn’t that mean he’d have to find the xiǎo láng gǒu—little wolfdog—a love interest? Give him an OTP? Help him tie the knot?

...Would it truly be okay if this tired uncle wrote a predestined romance for once? As much as Shen Yuan favored defying expectations, there was a formulaic structure that made their literature different from those in the Western market whose shocking narratives could not only arouse pity in their audience, but also a sense of awe, excitement, fear, and suffering.

Chinese protagonists were not always someone of high society; they often hailed from humble origins as a device for the writer to underscore the merits of working hard and to criticize the system—a fictional one though, to avoid absolute censorship by the Chinese government. Their heroes began as nothing more than a windblown leaf in the social structure and years of ethical traditions set in place. They started on the bottom rungs of society to draw people’s attention to their lives, to the injustice and unfairness, which made their struggles and triumphs all the more impactful to the reader.

The fates of the leading characters were tied to the juxtaposition of the harmonious ideal of society and the reality of a flawed system. Chinese tales were inherently romantic oftentimes, with tragic conflicts written to emphasize the beauty of a bond and rousing sympathy and pity for their plight. The archetype of a tragic hero was meant to be presented so profoundly that great reverence would well up spontaneously in one’s heart.

In his opinion, Luo Binghe had suffered plenty in his role as the avenging, wronged hero.

Under normal circumstances, as Peerless Cucumber, Shen Yuan was the sort of novelist known for deconstructing unoriginal, formulaic conventions. He’d satirized enough classic and tired tropes in whichever genre he was writing for, it almost became expected of him to subvert expectations in all of his publications. It was just his contrarian nature to write something out of spite. It would therefore not be considered strange for him to challenge the established romantic convention of soulmates by emphasizing different degrees of compatibility, by making his leading characters come together as platonic comrades or as destined adversaries instead of the cliché as predestined lovers.

But this Luo Binghe is now a real person, Shen Yuan had to remind himself yet again, and is no longer an imaginary concept on paper.

Peh, I never knew you were such a romantic, Protagonist A. To think I have to break the discipline I’ve kept for these past few decades of my life…. Who knew a little wolfdog like you would still yearn for a tacky “match made in heaven” even though you’ve been “dual cultivating” with so many beauties….

For the first time in a long while, guilt weighed heavily on Shen Yuan’s mind. He swallowed hard. While he understood the implicit reality of his situation, he still felt like he was, in some way, disappointing his audience by not living up to his reputation. The shame he felt was bizarre.

He cast his plea into the void, my cherished readers, please understand. Forgive this writer if I don’t subvert your expectations in this aspect just this once.

The harem was the closest Luo Binghe had to a family. After the parental kindness of the washerwoman was torn away from him early in his life, after having endured the unhealthy environment that followed, the only love and tenderness he received in his life came in the arms of beautiful women. Tokens of affection were given in the form of intimate acts. It was no wonder Bing gē ’s character had ended up twisted. With his inferiority complex, he collected beauties with a greed not unlike a hedonistic minister who expected tributes and bribes.

The shortcomings of a younger, less experienced Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky made Shen Yuan’s heart ache for all of the original cast of characters. Airplane brother couldn’t have known his own writing would give birth to fully-actualized, breathing persons. As a webnovel writer, there was pressure to meet the self-imposed deadlines set on the online platform of choice to earn virtual coins per chapter, oftentimes leading one to forsake their own creative integrity.

The appeal of an underdog overcoming the odds had been a timeless theme for many reasons. The young, pre-enlightened Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky must have felt obligated to make his protagonist suffer through every cliché in the book for angst points just so that when the love interests took care of him, the juxtaposition seemed “fluffier” and served their function as “healing element” in the story. But the setup was written clumsily, formulaically, like he’d written the angst first and rushed the payoffs.

There were so many women in the harem whose narrative potential stayed underdeveloped. Like cardboard cutouts, most didn’t have much of a personality other than looking beautiful. The heroines were trophies meant to stroke the male protagonist’s ego—who made him feel masculine, manly, and powerful—and to enable him to act in an unrestrained capacity. They were the author’s story device to show his cruel and brutal antihero still had a heart. In the presence of Luo Binghe, each one was gentle, kind, respectful, and submissive. To the other harem members, the once innocent maidens had to learn how to be shameless, who only knew to fight for a man’s favor.

But on a fundamental level, it was because his lovers were blinded by Luo Binghe’s bright, limitless future that nobody truly understood him beyond being a “main capture target.” They saw his worth as a strong, undefeatable husband material. And, in return, beneath the author’s veneer of romance, they were essentially relegated into the role not unlike that of “human cauldrons,” living furnaces that were drained of their vital energies to boost the protagonist’s longevity or cultivation powers through dual cultivation.

When Shen Yuan had read the original series, he came to recognize that the novelist must have wanted to create a dark, tragic antihero who obliterated obstacles to show how far he had come. Writing was supposed to be therapeutic, and Airplane brother must have wanted his story to stand out. The original Luo Binghe was a person motivated by his own grudges, by envy, and by pride—a hungry, ravenous young man fueled by the rage he’d been carrying for far too long. With his “origin story,” as somebody who had undergone the traumas that he had, after all the injustices he had suffered, after all the people and the society he’d been let down by, it was only natural that he carried a lot of emotional baggage.

What this Luo Binghe needed was somebody who was a foil to his temperament, patient, charismatic, and well-educated. Since he would be uniting the Three Realms, they also needed to be proactive keeping him in check from becoming a self-indulgent, fatuous ruler. A sensible head was needed on their shoulders to guide their merciless husband in understanding right from wrong, from succumbing to madness, and from any sycophants looking to lead him astray. It was integral to help Protagonist A maintain a harmonious empire so that, together, they could lead a golden age of reform.

When Cao Zijian first saw the Luò River Goddess, Shen Yuan abruptly recalled, he wrote a verse about her unrivaled beauty and charm.

Whether or not it was Liu Mingyan, a man, or somebody else, it would be poetic if Luo Binghe found his own Luo Shen in the form of somebody who understood him, a person who was well-versed in the language of his cues and subtleties. If Bing gē was truly interested in a man, then Shen Yuan will make sure to find him someone compatible. To draw a protagonist’s eye and maintain it, the candidate must be witty and gutsy, empathetic to a degree and with appropriate ambitions. To stand out from the beauties in the harem, one must not be passive or pretentious.

Their existence would be like a fairytale dream come true. A breath of fresh air. Were Luo Binghe to have intentions on somebody whose standards were significantly much more difficult to meet, he might realize he’d actually have to put in the extra effort to increase his favorability rating with them.

It was a common saying that a man’s personality will undergo change once he falls in love, arousing his desire to protect and provide.

If it was a level of deep love that was truly matchless in this age, a romance that transcended heaven and earth, ordained by fate, even an old man like himself would shed tears of emotion and wish the young newlyweds happy nuptials and an everlasting love in every lifetime.

Shen Yuan wondered if there even existed such an extraordinary person in this setting.

A fated match was bound by string even though a thousand miles. If such a person did not hail from Airplane brother’s imagination, then they must originate from Shen Yuan’s.

And if such a “child” did hail from himself, then Luo Binghe had more to prove to him, demonstrating that an emotionally-stunted half-demon as himself was capable of being sensitive and having a healthy relationship—lest Shen Yuan be forced to skewer him with Yue Ying if this “black-bellied” junior turned out to be overbearing, pursuing and pressuring this novelist’s precious “child” despite being refused. There must exist a chemistry between them, or a mutual romantic interest.

Luo Binghe’s reputation was already in tatters in the Mortal Realm on the account of having a demonic heritage and having razed down the great righteous sects. The current settings of the world defined anyone of demon blood as abominations to be exorcised or slayed without impunity. Whatever goodwill he’d originally cultivated with his deceptive “nice guy” act had to be regained. The elites of the upper class, staunch proponents of maintaining the status quo, would curse anyone of lowly background to be despicable persons who sought connections far above their status. Winning the war against the son of heaven and finding a match of great affinity would be integral in swaying public opinion to his favor.

In public, the lovers must persevere to present a united front, ruthless and fearless against their opposition but dependable and benevolent towards their subjects. They must accumulate enough reverence. It was only over time that the Sacred Rulers would prove themselves worthy of being beloved, idolized by the common people and giving the traditionalists found in high society—who held standards above the ceiling—no choice but to accept their reign lest they risk annihilation from their new rulers.

Until such a person was found, he supposed he could step into the role as his counsel if Luo Binghe ever sought him out.

There’s no medicine for regret, he thought with resolve. Although the <<SYSTEM>> made unsubtle prompts for him to make peace with Luo Binghe, as a direct result of his own decision-making, it had set Shen Yuan down the path of cooperation. He would try his hand at the impossible task of becoming Bing gē’s friend.

It would be an uphill battle, but he must broaden his view early on and engrave these words into his head: the once two-dimensional novel characters were now three-dimensional, multifaceted people.

Their upbringings were nothing alike, but destiny had come as a spring rain and brought them under the same roof.

Luo Binghe came from a destitute background. He’d witnessed firsthand, for himself, the injustices in life being born in abject poverty and with no background. After his stepmother, no one watered the mind of the tender sprout that was a young Luo Binghe, forcing the child to learn how to fend for himself. With his upbringing, it made sense why he had misanthropic tendencies. He’d seen for himself the wretchedness of people’s hearts, that those in high positions—whether it be the sons of noblemen, a Peak lord, or the emperor—had the power to push people around. Now in a similar position, he wouldn’t forget the harsh lessons. Grown up, he was a fearsome existence that very few—if any—could topple. He swore to make his enemies pay in blood.

On the other side of the spectrum, Shen Yuan was a son of entrepreneurs, born with a golden spoon in his mouth. He had the basic business acumen, brought up on Chinese pragmatism and the merit of achieving prosperity. Life might have led him down a different path as a profession, but he was educated in the principles of economics and had graduated from a reputable university focused on self-discipline and social commitment. A writer’s pastime was observing human behavior and implementing real world examples into the imaginary worlds they’ve constructed. From all the books he’d read and the programs he’d watched, he’d accumulated a wealth of random knowledge here and there, with a personal interest in reading up on tactical wartime strategies of the past.

As the older party, he could set the bare minimum standard Luo Binghe could emulate as the type of leader he could be, and to help him grow from his insecurities. The innovations and potential comforts of a technologically-advanced civilization were ingrained into a transmigrator’s brain. His handsome junior could be inspired by some of Shen Yuan’s “wisdom” and put them into practice for any of his policymaking.

Like the spring breeze that thawed the frozen soil, he would be someone who reached into the abyss and grabbed that bloodstained hand. Under his guise as a higher order of being, Shen Yuan would ensure the arrogant, domineering playboy matured into his full potential as a capable and virtuous ruler of the future.

In this world, his modern knowledge and his knowledge of both novel series were his cheats.

He’ll give him pointers so that he wouldn’t continue on the path of self-destruction. He’ll scathingly denounce and safeguard him from conniving shrews and from scheming aristocrats of unscrupulous greed, and from trope pitfalls and foolish mistakes, and to happily hand that duty off when Luo Binghe’s star-crossed lover—a nuanced person of honesty and integrity—inevitably turned up. And maybe, just maybe, even if Bing gē still curated a reputation as a fair but ruthless viper, the new reign might be salvageable and worthy of pride for generations to come.

Let us work together for the unification of the world, okay, Luo Binghe? I know you can do it. This old man will try to advise you during your prime.

It would be like tossing a peach and getting a plum back. It was a smart investment, in hopes of a great return.

“I’d redeemed you once,” Shen Yuan murmured, white lashes fanning against his cheeks. He closed his eyes in reminiscence of his own fanfiction, inhaling the light, woody scent of the censer nearby. “I can do it again.”

In the meantime, preparedness was quintessential. He reflected, I must collect more merits. I cannot be lazy and lag behind in accomplishments.

While Luo Binghe fought his battles, Shen Yuan should avail himself to avoid the fate of the Second Lead Syndrome. A bland comparison metric to be used against the protagonist, that archetype of the second male lead had everything stolen from him—from his time in the spotlight, even to his favorite woman—all to be handed over to the main character. It was a tragic fate. Shen Yuan did not wish to see his own successes being overshadowed by the radiant presence of a hardworking young man.

If his efforts bore fruit, he and Luo Binghe might even be comrades who respected each other, who trusted each other and would never dare to raise a blade at each other’s throat. They would unlock the epilogue together and find their star-crossed lovers. And once everything was set in stone, once the adults ground themselves to dust and were ready to step down to make way for the new generation, they could all live the rest of their lives in peaceful retirement.

And should fate permit them each to father their own child, should harmony blossom between the lovers they doted on and should such a good supportive relationship be maintained, as “uncles” they might even consider arranging an engagement for their descendants—a symbol of uniting the celestial, mortal, and demon bloodlines through marriage.

He could just weep from that beautiful imagery. May their lives be full of warmth and sweetness.

“...System?” he inquired drowsily, his voice barely above a whisper. Turning on his side, he stared at a faraway wall. The glazed white surface of the porcelain pillow felt cold against his cheek, its smoothness reminiscent of jade. “Can you hear me?”

Ping.

【This <<SYSTEM>> provides the Esteemed Host a 24-hour service.】

“I don’t remember Airplane brother going into detail about what the education system is like in this setting. Is it supposed to be historically accurate to the ancient feudal model or…?”

Ping.

As he listened to the long encyclopedic explanation, what he’d heard seemed to reconfirm his worst fears. Education was the privilege of the elites. With a cultivator’s narrow-minded focus on self-enlightenment, it made sense that the basic education curriculum of the twenty-first century could be seen as innovative in the pre-established setting of this strange world.

Wait a moment, wouldn’t this mean even a secondary school student would be seen as a prodigy in this world? ...Then what would a middle-aged uncle of university-level education be considered as?

...A wise sage?

Shen Yuan formed a complicated expression. Immortal cultivators prioritized studying matters of the “spiritual heart” and Qi refinement, in the martial and mystical arts, breaking through the bottleneck of each cultivation stage until their dedication allowed them to reach the pinnacle that was the Ninth Stage.

In the early webnovels, Bing gē had stagnated as a late-stage Core Formation expert. The constant sabotage in his early life had ensured that his education in the esoteric art of cultivation remained incomplete, ensuring that Luo Binghe’s cultivation remained rough around the edges and unpolished, with the end result being the gaps in his knowledge that had to be overcompensated by creativity and sheer determination.

Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky, in his laziness to research the many intricate nuances of the Cultivation World, had waved the illogicalness of the protagonist’s OPness away by attributing it to his ancient, heaven-fallen demonic heritage and to the deus ex machina that was his legendary sword. (Yet, even then, Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky still occasionally confused the Foundation Establishment with the Nascent Soul stages.)

It wouldn’t be until the end of the series—after the outcry of the netizens—that the unsatisfied Luo Binghe made the breakthrough into the proper Nascent Soul stage with the help of his wives and their many gratuitous papapa scenes.

Then in the epilogue, the author had infuriatingly time-skipped all the way to the penultimate Ninth Stage, describing how Luo Binghe somehow became a legend among legends who had finally attained eternal youth and aged back into his late twenties in his new immortal body after having miraculously passed the Heavenly Tribulations—disasters from heaven which were akin to nuclear radiation for those of demon blood. After an unspecified many years of rule, he’d left his legacy behind—with the uncountable size of his harem and a boundless number of his descendants “mourning the loss of a great and oftentimes misunderstood man.”

Just remembering it made Shen Yuan’s blood pressure spike dangerously. Taking deep, calming breaths, he rolled onto his back again as he forced himself to attain catharsis from listening to the mind-numbing exposition the <<SYSTEM>> was extolling to him like a history program. His fingers clenched the bed sheet.

Eventually he found himself feeling adrift, the words beginning to lose their coherency to him as he phased in and out of consciousness, his mind becoming wrapped in a haze of scented smoke. Tense muscles soon relaxed.

The countdown had reached 00:00:00 when sleep finally claimed him.

XXXXXXXXXX

He’d read and heard several accounts of people who have claimed to have had lucid dreams before, but this was the first time Shen Yuan was aware that he was having an “out-of-body” experience.

It’d felt like his “soul” was being lifted into the air. His head was spinning, a ringing in his ears. When he finally “opened his eyes,” he was floating upright in a world devoid of color. Iridescent grids pulsed in and out of existence in the fog below, running like gossamer lines of circuits which resembled the pre-rendered level of a video game.

In the desolate void of white mist, a single incomplete, dark brushstroke circled overhead in an endless rotation of a wheel. He stared up at it. “...Is...it buffering?” Clouds escaped his mouth as he spoke, tasting pure, winter frost with each breath.

Color was beginning to spread, like somebody had dipped a daub of green watercolor beneath his feet.

Ping.

【Answer! Welcome, lăoshī! This <<System>> begs the Esteemed Host’s patience. We have encountered a bug and are thusly limiting the open world configurations. Please be patient while we load the rest of the map assets.】

Alarm bells were blaring inside his head, and he swore he could hear the clanging manifested—but muffled. He began to think that there must have been something suppressive in the air, something that muted all normal sounds. Covering his ears to deafen the noise still, he demanded, “What bug?”

In his muffled hearing, the answering ping pierced through the quiet .

The <<SYSTEM>> spoke clearly and unobstructedly.【This is the world within a dream realm. To adhere to lăoshī’s traditional xianxia expectations, please be aware that celestials are considered the antithesis to every demon in the world. We have thusly isolated your divine presence in a barrier separate from the dream realm influence of Protagonist <<LUO BINGHE>> and Supporting Character <<MENG MO>>, sealing away the demonic Qi bordering lăoshī’s dream realm. You are expected to clear the important plot scenario before you are allowed to return to your waking state.】

That was as official of a “reality check” as he could perform.

Shen Yuan had to sit down.

From faraway, his countenance was of a man with legs dangling over the leafy green rim of a giant water lily. The paleness to his complexion lent him a deceptive image of fragility. His long white hair was down, and the loose white sleeves of his night garment billowed even though there was no wind. A garden pavilion was forming behind him, similar in design to the thirteen bordering the lotus pond he’d rescued Luo Binghe from.

Time stretched on. And on. In the accustomization period, it was as if the fog had stolen his senses, leaving him in a vacuum—with him staring at emptiness. Finally, after an interminable wait, the buffering wheel vanished.

Things were slowly beginning to take shape before his very eyes. He felt like he was watching a time lapse video of a painting master having finally taken their brush to paper.

Dark brushstrokes were painting the rest of the world unknown. He saw something resembling the jagged peaks of a mountainous landscape. The strong black lines, ink wash, and the dotted clusters eventually faded into softer, rubbed brushwork suggesting rolling hills and a river. Thin, delicate flicks took the shape of bamboo leaves. The once-empty world before him bled into a scenic vista not unlike that of the Wuyi Mountains he’d toured once in the Fujian province. Mist passed through the scenery like silkscreen, secreting whatever was beneath from his eyes.

The frigid air bit at his exposed neck. He glanced down and balked immediately at the eyeful of his chest. With a curse, he gripped the thin fabric and wrapped them tightly around himself. He breathed in deeply to reorient himself.

This setting was indeed a place that hid tigers and dragons, each one better than the other. Shen Yuan’s mind was still a half-awake jumbled mess as he tried to process that, whether unconsciously or on purpose, an attempt had been made to drag him into a dream world.

Him, Protagonist B—an uninvolved third-party. An innocent outsider. A stranger.

Ah, but dreams are a narrative convenience, is it not?

Memory was stirred of his halcyon days of youth. His time spent as an undergraduate was a fargone blip in his life, a bubble of time separate from everything that had happened before and after. Long ago, a younger Shen Yuan had the privilege of enrolling in throwaway lectures—one of them memorably being a class where he remembered writing detailed study guides about the phenomenology of dreams and imagination. (He faintly recalled his thought process, at the time, must have been: if he’d needed to fulfill his GE credits anyway, he might as well sign up for a few interesting courses pertaining to his hobbies.)

While he never once experienced a lucid dream, he was surprised by the amount of free thinking he seemed to be able to exercise at this present moment. While the lucid-dreamer could deliberately affect the nature of their hallucinatory experience, Shen Yuan dimly recalled the supposed restrictions on the hyperkinetic dream state—the loss of the capability to doubt, for one. Going with the nonsensical flow and the loss of impulse control, as another.

This was entirely uncharted territory.

He wanted to be angry but reaching for it, he found it slipping through the cracks of his fingers like water. The longer he stared down at the clouds of mist, the more that a sense of serenity seeped into him.

The chaos in his mind calming into a tranquil lake, Shen Yuan gazed up at the pair of moons sharing the same sky. A thin sliver of space existed between the two as though an invisible force was prying the two gravitational forces apart, preventing their collision.

In his daze, he could faintly hear the familiar traditional notes of the two-stringed fiddle of the erhu and the gentle plucking of the seven-stringed guqin ; it was as if there were an invisible troupe of musicians playing the essence of Chinese aestheticism and philosophy in the background for him, setting the mood.

In the context of the imaginary, he wasn’t necessarily at a disadvantage.

It was fortunate that the <<SYSTEM>> had preserved control of his consciousness for him, instead of him having to wrest it back.

Allowing his mind to wander, he studied the composition of the painterly world. While Shen Yuan wasn’t an artist himself, he could discern that the expressionistic brushwork and precise details were what art collectors might consider authentic. Enraptured by the flow of the brushwork, he asked, “System, please correct me if I’m wrong, but is the aesthetic of the Heavenly Realm meant to resemble traditional landscape paintings?”

Ping.

【Answer! Much of the open world has been configured to match the existing prerequisites of being ethereal and otherworldly. Would the Esteemed Host like to expend 1,000 B-Points to change the map skin?】

“No!” A dulled pain dug into his palms. The miser in him thought viciously, 1,000 B-Points! Just to change a skin? What a waste!

This abstract setting of celestials and the Heavenly Realm—and whatever else that followed—must have somehow originated from his own imagination. They couldn't have come from his competitor's unpublished drafts; none of this was Airplane brother's style.

Taking another deep breath, he spoke, “System, you said the scenario was called ‘Loading Chekhov’s Gun.’”

Setting aside his omniscient reader viewpoint and writer’s perspective, he supposed it made sense. Being a fortuneteller, his class skill was to divine the future. He didn’t have the whole picture quite just yet, but the <<SYSTEM>> seemed to have faith that he could begin to collect the threads.

“I’m guessing the criteria is discovering most—if not all—the big foreshadowing elements of my unwritten danmei for me to clear it.” Recalling the contents of both webnovels, he spoke carefully, “I was dragged here without my volition by demonic interference. So if I wish to escape, I will need to destroy the core of the illusion—but in a pacifist way?”

Ping.

【Both are correct. Completing the mission objective with an S-Rank will reward the Esteemed Host with 500 B-Points. Lăoshī, jiāyóu!】

There was no mercy in its vocabulary.

“...Yes. Jiāyóu." He repeated the encouragement wryly, dropping his gaze back at his surroundings. He could only thank lǎo tiān yé—god in heaven—that he’d maxed out his charisma.

Shen Yuan definitely needed all the good luck he could get.

Through the mist, the long, snaking river was a black serpent threading through the ashy grayscale of the valleys as far as the eye could see. And then he remembered. Seeing it, he felt a pang of emotion so strong, it exerted a physical pressure on his chest.

“What about Luo Binghe?” His knuckles were as white as his robe. “What has that little demon been up to now, System?”

...Ping!

【Begging the Esteemed Host’s pardon! This <<SYSTEM>> is keyed to Protagonist <<SHEN YUAN>>. If the Esteemed Host is willing to cross the boundary, there is an option to uncover the story with Protagonist <<LUO BINGHE>>. Providing him assistance will ensure Protagonist A’s Satisfaction points.】

The time has finally come.

The water lily trembled under him as he straightened to his feet. From his high altitude, Shen Yuan can see where the mist hugged along the so-called boundary line that separated his dreamworld from Luo Binghe’s.

Since Luo Binghe evidently desired his company, Shen Yuan might as well take initiative and go to him on his own terms. If the mountain cannot come to him, then he will go to the mountain. Overall unity was important to maintain harmony between the protagonists.

“I will store the past and compile a beautiful dream for you,” he promised. He was going to craft a story that was romantic and tangled, replete with heroes, villains, and a well-deserved conquest.

With one foot off the plant, the world spun and he suddenly found himself enclosed in thick walls. He glanced around. Everything had a rough, unfinished painterly quality resembling dried ink wash on paper. Bathed in the shadows, he marched forward in the fog, looking for the nearest exit. His head passed by a circular window, the ricepaper resembling the glow of the moon.

His gaze traveled past the miniature bonsai tree underneath the window’s wooden lattice. Frown lines formed on his face at how thin and small it was.

The visual of it abruptly reminded him of how Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky had described Bing gē to be as small and skinny as a carrot at fourteen years of age. In the earlier chapters that took place in his dreamscape, his diantian was a gnarled, black tree overlooking a meadow, with the scantest of flower buds blooming in a barren wasteland—very much indicative of the protagonist’s mindset at the time.

Shen Yuan’s hand drifted absently to his abdomen as he gracefully passed by the pedestal. The source of one’s ability to cultivate was located in the lower stomach, a natural center of the body’s spiritual energy. He could only wonder how his own diantian would appear. Would it reflect his inexperience as a sapling—frail and waning? Or would it have the appearance and bearing of an old, ancient tree—befitting an immortal celestial being?

Funny how it means “elixir field,” he mused to himself, but us authors somehow always depict it as a tree… .

Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

As he peered up at the origin of the noise, words suddenly materialized around him. They’d peeled off the building like black strips of paper, suspended midair around him as though they were a sea of constellations surrounding the moon. The small, densely-packed lines of Chinese characters blurred in his vision but he instantly understood.

They were a manifestation of all the predictions he was capable of.

A gust of wind blew. As bountiful as the leaves of a forest canopy, the bamboo scrolls strung overhead swayed with the wind, knocking into each other with crisp clunks.

The long, narrow strips reminded him of the scrolls he had shelved in the Archives room. His servants had shown him how they’d cut and roasted the white bamboo stalks until they became dark, later binding the dried strips with durable thread. All were prepared for their master, to transcribe his manuscripts if not his oracles.

He heard the sloshing of water. Ripples formed beneath his stride as a pale hand reached up. The wide sleeve slipped down his forearm as his fingertips grazed the bottom of a random brown scroll that somehow called to him.

An opulent array of gold flooded his vision.

The imperial palace was a splendor of the Mortal Realm that could not be described, a piece of history that inspired great awe and reverence. In the starry skies, Shen Yuan saw a resplendent celestial being, wearing a monocle of a pearlescent sheen, descend from the full moon. Upon their feet touching the secular world, white faded to black. His hair was tied back and as black as sable, his original facial features—although pale—presented to the world as he approached the solitary figure seated at his rightful place atop the dragon throne.

Like the sun in the skies, Luo Binghe shined with a bright light in one’s eyes. With eyes filled with a thousand words, he was a young emperor in formal black, his austere and distinguished presence instilling a sense of respect into others. An armored cloak decorated his shoulders; the thick white fur sewn into the collar of the embroidered brocade appeared familiar to Shen Yuan for an inexplicable reason.

There was a strange intensity to his expression. With a half-formed smile of indulgence, the newly crowned sovereign was watching how the visiting fortuneteller gazed upon him with immense pride. He genuflected to Luo Binghe in a proper bow.

Time had not left any residue on their faces; they were arguably as handsome as they had been when they’d first met at the beginning. Both held the innate ability to hold one’s eyes on their presence.

Earnest congratulations swelled in the air, stirring the hearts of those in the coronation ceremony when the wise-looking, austere guest gifted the Heavenly Demon official amnesty from the Heavens.

Suddenly Shen Yuan found himself outside.

A fragrance of flowers filled the imperial gardens during the eighth lunar month, a fresh scent that was quiet and distant but able to inspire heartfelt emotions. The courtyard bloomed with lush red and purple chrysanthemums.

He saw himself stopping in place below an osmanthus tree, with the oil-paper umbrella he’d carried shading him. Dancers ahead were moving with dainty steps to a stunning choreography, performing the tale of yearly weather from spring to summer, fall and winter.

Behind his reading monocle, his celestial gaze did not carry evil intent; it was pure and admiring of the beauties capable of overthrowing cities and kingdoms. Respectfully keeping his distance, he maintained a thick atmosphere of an educated appearance, dignified and decently conducted. Next to him were the pots of white blossoms—the sight of them naturally not being a joyous thing for one to gaze at without being reminded of funerals.

From the crowd of spectators appreciating the flowers, the dance, and poems being composed, four sets of eyes flitted over to him—one scarlet and one an overcast sky, and two that were pitch-black.

A Demon Saint, dressed in her infamous gauzy red silks and tiny bells, as coquettish as a temptress. Her complexion was naturally fair, with a type of rare grandeur and dignity in her brows.

A human cultivator who wore a veil over the lower half of her face, hiding the dazzling beauty that was like lilies blooming out of fresh water; a calm and composed beauty that snatched people’s souls.

A young mistress of wealthy bearing, willful and adorable with her childlike-face, wearing her long hair up in a flying fairy style, decorated with pink pearls to match her long, extravagant palace dress. A whip had been strapped to her willow waist.

And another young lady, as fair as a magnolia—and whose lovely mature face had turned ghastly. Became ashen. “It can’t be....” As though she were seeing a ghost from her past, she took an involuntary, compulsive step to him. “Shen Jiu…?”

Various emotions flashed over their fair countenances. Shock. Fear. Disbelief. Confusion. Then a reignited deep hostility formed between their brows, their unsettled eyes as dead as stagnant water—unable to tear like a dry well but filled with bottomless loathing.

A flurry of fabrics blurred in his sight. An arc of red sprayed widely over the flowers of the courtyard, the droplets scattering like crimson petals against the walls. The umbrella clattered to the ground.

A headless body collapsed heavily to its knees. Fell sideways like a log.

A round object soon tumbled over the hot, sticky blood seeping into the cracks of the paved limestone. Red began to stain the long, black roots that were fading back into the color of moonlight.

Through the music and shrill cries, one deep shout shook the Heavens. A howl of rage, there existed the unexpected raw sound of anguish that could chill the blood. There had been too many complicated emotions condensed into that single vocalization, it made everyone who heard this sound feel a stone in their throat.

The swift winds of calamity approached.

A faltering scream, or something like a scream was heard with the sound of numerous lives being extinguished. It was a demented, gut-wrenching retribution that didn’t end, a subjugation forever to be carved into the annals of history.

Shen Yuan broke free from the premonition, gasping like a dying man. His hand scrambled to his neck. Fear tasted like iron in his mouth, the muscles at the base of his throat working convulsively.

Cold sweat beaded down his face as he staggered forward. He felt as though he’d resurfaced from the deep depths of the sea he’d been drowning from. The water sloshed beneath his movements, his inner robe loosening from his abrupt movements.

Ping!

【Prediction! A Death Flag has been discovered. +44 Points. Future Events unlocked. Objectives <<INVITATION TO THE CHRYSANTHEMUM BANQUET>> and <<DEFEATING THE MECHANISMS OF THE PALACE COURT!>> will be available.】

System, why are you giving me so many inauspicious fours! He wanted to tear his hair out! He screamed in his head, The future me was helping your husband for the sake of securing your peace and prosperity! How did you not realize cutting the neck of a celestial immortal from the exalted Heavens would be considered an evil action? Did you think your actions were just and thus exempted from karmic, divine retribution?

Have they lost their minds? How can anyone mistake him for Shen Qingqiu? He was not Shen Jiu!

What a messy affair!

What a disaster!

To say he felt vexed was an understatement. Just now, everything had happened too suddenly. The tangled, chaotic mess of information was too shocking, too absurd. Just what happened to his invincible golden halo? Did inhabiting the mortal coil temporarily dispel it? Was this the stupid【Hidden Penalty】applied to his character creation?

Don’t tell him it was because he was the sort of cutthroat writer who’d kill off his own protagonists for shock value!

He smiled with a trace of bitterness. It was precisely in line with what he’d write. This was just the sort of first-draft content a writer like him might throw in just to be evil but would later put on the chopping block upon revision, when he was no longer fueled by spite.

If he had his laptop, in true keyboard warrior fashion, he’d finger-smash his frustrations in an unintelligible burst of Chinese characters. He’d signed up for a heartwarming, “feel good” pseudo-historical fantasy redemption story with blood-pumping battles and sworn brotherhoods. He did not sign up for angst and heavy subject matters like genocide.

Regaining his equilibrium, he shuddered. Abruptly he recalled a novel passage describing how those who die from a beheading were never to reincarnate. His hand clenched into a fist, his fighting spirit ignited. Shen Yuan resolved himself to trample that death flag. As a transmigrator, he would improve their attitudes toward him and rewrite fate!

He will survive in this world without fail and use whatever means necessary!

However much he didn’t wish to dwell on the vision, he knew he’d seen that monocle somewhere before. The Store inventory?

His heart racing, he threw his memory a little further back until he saw it—vivid and picture-clear in his mind’s eye. It was as if a scene from the distant past had superposed with the present.

<<MONOCLE OF DIVINE CLARITY>>

Wondrous item, legendary

A rare artifact once belonging to Xīwángmǔ, the enchanted crystal lens is rimmed with silver and has a fine chain attached to a jade earclip. Magical properties include Resist Mental Compulsion, True Sight, and enhancement of the wearer’s divination. Effects shall remain active as long as the owner wears it.

Cost: 500,000 B-Points

He’d remembered thinking, Just whose imagination did this goddess’ treasure originate from? So expensive! Monocles were a fashion statement used to highlight certain shrewd men in Chinese novels, but the eyewear was ultimately a Western 18th-century invention overseas and not of ancient China. Such historical inaccuracy! He’d wished to file a complaint! Shen Yuan remembered the grievances he’d lamented to the <<SYSTEM>>, only to be coolly rebuffed with the encouragement to continue to work hard.

But despite its exorbitant price-tag, he’d now received visual confirmation that he would eventually acquire ownership—whether the relic would be purchased by his own merit or it would enter his hands as a byproduct of the halo’s extraordinary luck. Although there was a sense of accomplishment in knowing, it paled in comparison against his newfound conviction.

Only the shallow groove between his brows betrayed his profound distress. There was no point dwelling on an omen that hadn’t happened yet. His counterattack would have to wait.

With a hand still shielding his throat, his breathing slowly, eventually, returning to a semblance of normalcy, Shen Yuan warily glanced around the painterly surroundings.

Somehow he’d found his way to the border. No words could capture the feeling he felt standing in the midst of a bamboo grove painted into existence from ground charcoal and ink wash. A retinue of monumental statues flanked him, weathered with time—and unrecognizable with their faceless features.

Walking by, he craned his neck to stare momentarily up at the features of two of them. A man and a woman. The man was of taller stature, with the suggestion of a goatee. The woman wore a headdress; an ominous hairline crack bisected her torso. Their placement indicated they were husband and wife, the intricate details carved on the white jade making them appear regal and imposing.

A sense of dejavú filled his thoughts. He couldn’t tell who they were meant to represent, but they felt familiar. Like he should know who they all were, but recognition of gods and the divine slipped through his fingers.

The misty ground had given way back to a transient void of white. He could see clearly where his dream realm ended and Luo Binghe’s dream realm started. It was as though a curtain had been drawn, an aurora of northern lights protecting a blank white canvas from being blotted. Across the boundary, he could see something up ahead in the eternal darkness. In the desolation that engulfed the night, an ominous shroud of miasma roiled overhead.

Like a soldier preparing for the battlefield, he steeled his resolve. With one firm slap to his cheeks, he bridged the gap.

The moment he crossed the threshold, a fierce demonic Qi surged toward him like a violent gale of desert wind which threatened to strip the skin from his bones. His knees nearly buckled under him as irony, sorrow, and bitterness besieged him. He had to resist all compulsion to turn back as the darkness caged him at once. He floated aimlessly in the darkened landscape, inexplicable feelings of loneliness arising within.

Shen Yuan narrowed his eyes, calming his inner turmoil.

He had to tell himself dreams did not reflect reality; they were merely a projection of someone’s subconscious. Even so, it painted a bleak picture of his xiōng dì's mental state.

Descending from the night skies, Shen Yuan was an ethereal figure dressed in white, the thin garment fluttering behind him as he took the invisible steps down into the foreign dream realm. In the infinite cosmos, he saw nothing but stars. He cast a cursory look over the bioluminescent glow rippling under him with each tread, like an otherworldly procession, until his feet finally touched the earth.

The sound of wings flapping caught his attention. Shen Yuan twisted his head, seeing a majestic fènghuáng burst free from his own heavenly realm. The immortal phoenix soared high overhead, the five sacred colors—red, blue, yellow, white, and black—of its serrated tail feathers trailing behind it. A beautiful cry escaped its throat like a song.

A mighty roar shattered the night. The air pressure shifted. As though answering the phoenix’s call, a fierce and powerful lóng ascended from the dark depths of the realm, brackish water trembling off its black scales as it shot up to give chase after the fènghuáng ’s vibrant plumage.

He watched their aerial dance in flight. Like yin and yang coming together, seeing their bodies twist and weave with one another in a harmonious sight made an intensity arise from the bottom of his heart.

The relief he felt was all-consuming. Every Chineseman knew of the dragon-and-phoenix metaphor of olden times. And if the mythical phoenix dared to take flight in this dream realm, in a demon’s home turf, surely it was an auspicious sign that Bing gē was not too far gone in darkness and corruption.

Feeling a renewed lightness on his feet, Shen Yuan went to follow.

The moment that the dragon surfaced, he had registered a faraway presence. It was a feeling of awareness, a slight prickling sensation of the scalp, making him feel self-conscious. He was hyper-aware that he was not alone. Even if Luo Binghe had been preoccupied, there was no way Protagonist A would not have sensed Protagonist B’s presence—and vice versa.

If Shen Yuan’s world had been representative of the heavenly air and water, much like the man himself Luo Binghe’s spirit root was aligned with the earth. His hand drifted back to his throat. The air was as arid as a desert. If memory served Shen Yuan correctly, Luo Binghe also had an innate affinity with the fire attribute. It’d been discovered during his time in the Endless Abyss arc once the demon seal had been broken, indicative of his high sensibility to the fire type of Qi.

Hearing noises behind him, he glanced over his shoulder. Leaves had sprung from the blackened branches, rustling in the wind. Moonlight dripped through the gaps in the canopy, reflecting mottled shadows. He had been following along a ravine which’d shimmered gold, curious where the running water led to. Presumably it would take him to wherever Luo Binghe—and Meng Mo?—wanted him to see.

Tucking the long strands of his hair behind an ear, he halted midstride when he heard, “...a...re...f...ul….”

He’d heard that quiet murmur before—that time at the pond, didn’t he? A woman’s cadence. Like the babbling of a brook, as faint as the wind, with accents of a beauty hitherto unknown. He glanced at the waters, keeping his expression impassive.

Ping.

【Do exercise caution, Esteemed Host! One should not turn their back on an opponent.】

Shen Yuan was silent. He cast his gaze sidelong to the trees for a fleeting moment. As though addressing someone in the prevailing shadows, he purposely stated aloud, “I don’t make mistakes in recognizing talent. I have no intention of making Luo Binghe my opponent.”

Without another word, he resumed his stroll. His sight was fixed on the miasma ahead.

On the account of the premonition, it was at no fault of Luo Binghe’s that Shen Yuan would lose his head to the man’s wives. If anything, it’d sounded as though Protagonist A would seek to avenge him—even if the way he reacted was extreme and heartless.

Don’t you know, he wanted to tell his junior, if you do too many bad things, you will get retribution?

Truly, the future Shen Yuan must have maxed out his affection meter. Luo Binghe must have deeply treasured their friendship—or his counsel—to the point where he was capable of callously dismissing his former lovey-dovey attachments to help the dead deliver justice. However much pity Shen Yuan felt for the young women for how easily their husband detestably threw them aside, it was still an immensely heartfelt gesture he showed for the deceased. Even a rock would feel moved.

It made him remember the con-crit he’d left on the online forum, where he detailed how cool he felt the portrayal of a hateful and sinister Bing gē was—a refreshingly blackened hero who repaid debts of kindness and grudges. As expected of the “black-bellied” male lead, once the favorability meter was full, his inner protectiveness to the ones he held in high esteem would appear.

...Shen Yuan, you are putting the cart before the horse, he scolded himself. Stop thinking about something useless. Don’t meddle in his personal affairs too much.

Petals scattered, rolling along with no control whatsoever over their destiny, adrift and aimless. Strands of moonlit hair billowed with the breeze, leading his attention from his feet to across the distance. He focused on the sparse meadow that had wrapped itself in the embrace of the autumn equinox.

In the inky darkness, he saw a field of red spider lilies blooming in the hellish wasteland along a golden stream, leading to the gnarled tree—dark and twisted and silhouetted with demonic Qi.

So this was Luo Binghe’s diantian.... It was as depressing of a sight as Shen Yuan had envisioned. The scent of death lingered in the air, an earthy perfume of graveyard soil and decay intermingling into the overwhelmingly floral fragrance, suffusing into the senses.

Under the swathe of demonic miasma drifting down from the sky like ash, the drooping red petals seemed ready to fall, swaying dreamily, but holding fast to their slim, strong stalks. The movement added something alive to the manjusaka’s fragility, to their ethereal quality, almost human in the way a flower could demonstrate both frailty and endurance at the same time.

He felt a faint sense of dread as he began to wander deeper into the crimson field, feeling a pressure over his head that was overbearing and suffocating. The flowers parted before him, the petals brushing his sleeves and hair like covetous fingers. He’d half-expected to see the heavenly flowers descending from the realm of the Gods, according to Buddhist scriptures. There was an old Chinese legend of two fairies who had been punished by the gods to be seperated for all eternity. As gods’ design, the petals could only blossom when the leaves were all withered away.

A flower of separation, and with its poisonous bulb, the red spider lily held a dark connotation that appealed to writers. They were well-known metaphors in eastern literature.

Memories poured in like the tide. Grown in Diyu—the realm of the dead or “hell” where souls were sent to repent and be purified—they were symbolic of guiding the dead into their next reincarnation. If anyone had asked him about what it meant in the language of flowers, Shen Yuan would say he associated the red spider lily with feelings of abandonment, longing, lost memories, and final parting. He’d referenced the symbolism before in a past work, underscoring its morbid resemblance to splashes of blood.

Shen Yuan stared with narrowed eyes. There was a certainty in him that he could not describe. But with how the dream realm had been described in the webnovels, there was absolutely no way Luo Binghe, or the elder Meng Mo, had a hand in this.

For any onlookers looking in from the outskirts, this scene must have presented a baffling sight. He remembered the pride displayed by both versions of the elder dream demon when it came to showing off their control over illusions to a young and impressionable disciple of mixed-blood. Shen Yuan wouldn’t be surprised if Meng Mo was presently frothing at the mouth, seeing a celestial being mess with his precious host’s control.

There was an indescribable eeriness permeating everywhere ever since he’d walked into the flower field.

System, he accused, this must be your doing. Just what are you trying to prove to this old man?

There was no story without coincidences. When countless coincidences crashed altogether, the truth came to light.

Ping.

【Answering the Esteemed Host, the thousand year white resurrection lily is a gateway to the world of the deceased. It receives the memories of a departing soul before one crosses the Nai Ha bridge to pass into their next life, and can therefore be harvested to bring back the souls of the dead. Should Protagonist <<SHEN YUAN>> accept the quest, there is a resurrection subplot to bring back wronged supporting characters from the Earth Realm.】

Hearing the explanation, Shen Yuan’s mind leapt to the original Shen Qingqiu.

Even Shen Yuan, who’d originally called for the “scumbag’s” castration like many other fans, after having read the rebooted series, felt that the original Shen Qingqiu was deserving of sympathy points. At the mercy of his own duplicitous personality, the emotionally stunted character had adhered to the mensao archetype through and through—flopping between the two states of “hot and cold.” It had been revealed that many of the crimes Shen Qingqiu had been accused of had been the result of various egregious misunderstandings and miscommunications.

An ache wormed its way into his heart. There had been so many casualties, so many people who had their lives cut short. The Qing Jing Peak Lord, Shen Qingqiu; the Sect Master of the Qiong Ding Peak, Yue Qingyuan; the Bai Zhan Peak Lord and Liu Mingyan’s elder brother, Liu Qingge; Luo Binghe’s blood-related parents Su Xiyan and Tianlang jun….

They were good people. They weren’t his creations, but their roles as the small “mobs”—side characters—led to their potential being shorn woefully short.

It was perhaps pretentious and presumptuous of him to decide those to be allowed to come back from the dead—defying the natural order of things—but for someone to be essentially granted a second chance at life, to right regrets and live their rebirth to the fullest, who would refuse? Celestial beings were meant to have magnanimous hearts, moving the sky and earth for once-in-a-lifetime noble souls.

So wasn’t it just and righteous if such extreme action was taken?

Ping.

【Optional objective <<JOURNEY TO THE NETHERWORLD>> is available. Does the Esteemed Host wish to accept? Y/N?】

He glanced at the UI. Within that brief moment, Shen Yuan had already made many deliberations and judgements. Just as he was about to cement his decision, he heard the faintest trickle of music—and with it, murmurs.

“...P...le...ase….”

His body instinctively tensed. A thick stench of blood pervaded the air, suffocating the floral fragrance with a metallic odor of iron.

...Why do I hear <<BOSS>> music?

Shen Yuan swatted the interface away from him, hissing beneath his breath, “Some other time.”

Whispers, male and female, crept through the silence. They drifted into his hearing, mournful and piteous, like wounded animals in close pursuit of their prey. Growing louder and louder.

“May...the Heavens...have mercy....”

“Save us.”

“Anyone….”

Under the night sky, he appeared calm, but his mind was already as turbulent as the storming seas.

At the sound of rustling, an archaic flight instinct had him spinning on his feet. A crack had formed in his expression. Skeletal arms were outstretched toward him from the crimson field.

Infinitely long, they dripped with blood, the droplets scattering onto the lilies like rain.

His hand instinctively reached for his sword as he watched the illusion crawl toward his ankles and the hem of his robe. His brows tightly-knitted, there was a chill to his face that was very different than during the daytime—as if he were a different person.

Some battles had to be fought another day. To avoid damaging his or Luo Binghe’s psyche, he’d have to beat a tactical retreat.

Just as he was about to soar away like a sparrow, he heard a distinct, metallic shnnk. He jerked in surprise when an arm abruptly materialized around his waist, embracing Shen Yuan from behind like an iron snare.

A black demonic blade swung in a wide arc.

The skeletal arms were obliterated in a torrent of midnight wildfire, limbs bursting open in wet splatters of blood.

The heat pressed against his back was as solid and grounding as a tree trunk, the strong and rapid heartbeat incomparably clear in his ears as the roaring flames extinguished themselves. All petals had been scattered from the mighty gust, strands of black and white hair flowing together in the wind.

In the blanket of darkness came the hysterical thought of a wild Bing gē having appeared. The culprit has, at last, deigned to show his guilty face.

“Shizun….”

The mere sound of him strummed the bowstring in his own heart with a loud tremor.

In a tone as soft as peach blossoms, silky and gentle, Luo Binghe whispered to Shen Yuan, “I’ve finally found you.”

The hoarseness of the man’s voice was albeit strange. Thrown off-kilter, Shen Yuan thought that there might have been something wrong, but he didn’t trust himself to say anything yet without it being misconstrued.

Hot puffs of air brushed against his cheek. That, with the scent of rice water and rose petals and something else masculine and unfamiliar, was distracting. Luo Binghe was quietly repeating the phrase, "I found you."

Mustering his courage, Shen Yuan peered over his shoulder. Both brows soared to his hairline when he saw a hallucination of a hundred flowers blooming at once.

A circle of red peeked out from the charcoal of Luo Binghe’s eyes. His attractive features were akin to the warmth of the early spring sunshine on flower petals that, for a moment, Shen Yuan could not differentiate between north and south.

Shen Yuan blinked once—twice, to clear the hallucination. It was only when he realized what he was seeing that Shen Yuan felt dumbstruck. He could feel his own facial muscles beginning to contort.

Unbelievable. The corners of his mouth launched upwards out of his control, but the ludicrous smile was suppressed by him before it could take flight completely. How utterly audacious.

Luo Binghe’s long, dark hair was let loose like a waterfall. And he was shamelessly wearing nothing but a thick, white pelt over his bare torso.

Having been the one to strike down the mythical beast, Shen Yuan instantly recognized the fur draped over broad shoulders. It was the divine báihǔ pelt the servants had laid out over the bed to help their guest conserve heat for the winter. Draped over bare skin, it’d lent the younger man a distinctly wild impression.

Luo Binghe’s breathing was a little unstable. Wrapping his other arm around Shen Yuan, he closed his eyes. Nosing the soft white hair, he remarked, "Shizun has a pleasant scent...."

Shen Yuan’s expression remained a frozen lake. What was with this ambience?

Faced with an unprecedented scenario, Shen Yuan didn’t know how to make it less awkward and help them both save face. The extent of his adult experience with hugging strangers had been starting conversations or meetings with a handshake, and ending it with a brisk hug whenever the whim hit. Even his own father, himself and his two brothers had communicated mostly with manly pats to the shoulder or the back. Perhaps such discomfort could be attributed to a cultural custom which persisted long after the death of Chairman Mao back in 1976. Initiating physical contact still remained somewhat of a learning curve among friends and family members, with some notable exceptions like the comforting touches given to a cute child or the hugs given by an overbearing grandparent.

Despite his current appearance, Shen Yuan was still a man; even though it was not the soft figure of a woman being pressed up against him, it was embarrassing being held by another man so fiercely.

Even knowing everything there was to know about Luo Binghe, he was essentially a stranger to Shen Yuan. The whole experience was surreal, like being hugged by a movie star who could just as easily change his mind and decide to crush his windpipe.

Shen Yuan didn’t dare to look down to confirm the extent of Luo Binghe’s undressed state. What if he accidentally bore witness to a wardrobe mishap and caught a glimpse of that legendary, heavenly sky pillar—or see a blinding tower of light? He wouldn’t be able to recover from such humiliation! To avoid that blow to his ego, he would be better off pretending everything was normal. I am a morally upright citizen with the heart of an angel, he chanted to himself like a sutra. I must remain patient and benevolent with today’s hot-blooded youth.

With the two of them locked in a stalemate, Shen Yuan slowly felt his sanity returning to him. Standing as still as a statue, he ruminated on the best method to address this situation with an appropriateness that wouldn’t trigger a landmine.

He patted Luo Binghe’s forearm in a consoling manner, but it was also an unsubtle cue for him to release him.

The arms only tightened in persistence.

Shen Yuan frowned at his “stickiness.” He felt as though they were unintentionally stealing this particular romantic encounter from a youth’s passionate spring dreams. Since this was ancient China, it was truly lucky that he wasn’t being hugged by a young woman, or else he’d be worried about impacting her reputation—even if nothing had happened.

Traces of resignation formed between unpigmented brows. “...Xiōng dì, I am appreciative to you for having found your way to me.” Now that the arrow had been drawn, it had to be released. As exasperated as he felt, he asked with no small amount of concern, “Are you suffering from any mental backlash? I am aware of what happens when one retaliates at an illusion.”

A shaky exhalation of breath was heard. Instead of answering his question, Luo Binghe replied with much sorrow, “This lord deserves to die. However much this lord hastened to reunite with you the moment I saw your resplendent presence descending from the sky, it is unfortunate we met just as harm was about to befall upon Shizun.”

His voice had been mellow, with a hint of the liveliness to it that only young people had. It made it all the more easy for people to develop goodwill towards a valiant, dazzlingly handsome lord.

...I know of your tricks, little demon. Are you testing the sincerity of my well intentions? Furthermore, how do you manage to sound like a pitiful puppy...while your body...looks so erotic...? Bing gē, you truly have a duplicitous, villainous heart.

Shen Yuan refused to fall into the scheme of this little wolfdog. To avoid a perilous situation, he must go on the counterattack.

Instead, he turned in his arms. Luo Binghe’s eyes snapped open when Shen Yuan framed his face in his gloveless palms.

Shen Yuan inspected his features closely, putting on a stern look. He wiped away the big drops of sweat that flowed down the Heavenly Demon’s forehead, chastising, “You move me to tears, Luo Binghe. Did I not warn you to work on your bad habit of bearing everything silently?” Every word and sentence was leaden with camaraderie. His fingers drifted down to clasp him by the elbows. “You’ve forgotten this one is clairvoyant. Instead of concealing your intentions from me, this master shall willingly lend you his ear if you come bearing any troubling thoughts or concerns.”

What was the use of having a glib tongue if it couldn’t be put to good use? Time to wield his +20 CHARISMA to its full devastating potential!

“Although we are strangers, I hope, with time, you can be the truest version of yourself with me. I will not think any less of you at a sign of weakness.” The nature of heroic warriors emphasised on cultivating relationships and respect. Shen Yuan knew to repay a kind act with gratitude. Concentrating on his channels, he sent a pulse of his spirit energy to his yin -depleted companion through their point of contact.

Luo Binghe’s eyelids fluttered half-mast as gentle and clean spiritual power circulated throughout his meridians. The sensation was reminiscent of a cold spring drizzle watering the arid soil, the strain in his body receding for the time being.

Under a more impertinent tone, Shen Yuan told him, “Even if you willfully choose to disregard my reading, I cannot help but be concerned seeing how gallantly and recklessly you continue down this path of self-destruction. Just look at the state of your own diantian. Even the peerless ‘Luo Demon’ of the battlefield who is said to be able ‘to withstand the skies and earth’ should not be uncompromising regarding one’s own health.”

Shen Yuan knew from personal experience. However much the spirit was willing, the flesh was weak.

A hand slowly left his waist, moving to close over the back of Shen Yuan’s palm. Carefully sizing him up, his scarlet gaze, as he looked at Shen Yuan, held a few degrees more affection.

Ping.

【Protagonist A Satisfaction points +25.】

Twenty-five points instead of five or ten? You must have felt so good, you’d reached the heavens. Shen Yuan granted a lukewarm smile towards the future tyrant, patting the white fur over his shoulder in a friendly manner. “Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes. Many thanks to Shizun.” His line of sight drifted downward, and suddenly his attention was the ravenous gaze of a tiger.

Heat rushed in Shen Yuan’s body like the torrential flood. You’re a married husband who’s bedded countless beauties throughout the years , he’d nearly rebuked. What was so interesting about seeing an old man’s chest anyway? He averted his face. Forcing a calm and unwavering tone, he invited, “Since we’re here, walk with me, Luo Binghe.”

Perhaps it was due to the strange air of two men bonding that grinded down Luo Binghe’s stubborn temperament, but his iron hold had loosened, giving Shen Yuan ample opportunity to break free. Righting the night garment back into its proper place, he turned his feet in the direction toward his own dream realm.

“Luo Binghe…. My son….”

Shen Yuan glanced over his shoulder, his stride slowing. Somehow, even as a figment of his imagination, he instantly knew whom this voice was supposed to belong to—maternal and lonely and sorrowful, full of regrets.

“I beg of you…. Help him….”

“Shizun?”

He gazed at the field of spider lilies with a considering look. With each step they’d taken, the blood-red color had faded into white. “...You do not hear anything?” he asked slowly.

Luo Binghe granted him an unfathomable look, before shaking his head. The fur of the báihǔ rustled with the small movements.

“So it’s like that.... May the elder dream demon who has taken this younger demon under his wing forgive my divine interference.” Sensing he’d captured Luo Binghe’s rapt attention from that frivolous declaration, Shen Yuan scrutinized the person who had been walking shoulder to shoulder with him.

To anyone looking in, they perhaps presented an incompatible image. Visually, as protagonists, they were as different as day and night—indicative of the two different writing styles of the two novelists.

As the celestial representative, there was a kind of romantic, quiet and unrestrained air of a distinguished literary person. Even with such mature looks, like the dark side of the moon, they paled in comparison to the blinding brilliance that was Luo Binghe whose presence was as bright as the sun in the sky. He personified those who walked with a dragon’s gait and firm tiger’s steps, with a vigour and prestige that unknowingly overflowed out; and with a cultivator’s valor, such presentation could make his opponent easily frightened. Shen Yuan could still recall his rough touch and that vise-like strength. Although Luo Binghe appeared innocent, he was actually enigmatic and difficult-to-predict. It made Shen Yuan want to test him.

Affecting an air of indifference, Shen Yuan mentioned as casually as he could, “That aside, I have a question for you. I was hoping you could satisfy my curiosity.”

Luo Binghe’s gaze was a dozen stones piled on the side of his face. He bade, “May Shizun speak candidly.”

“You must have given thought to my predictions. Knowing what xiōng dì knows now, what else does Luo Binghe intend to ask this one?” Seeing Luo Binghe was about to respond, Shen Yuan shook his head. “Don’t give me the answer you think I will want to hear. Be frank. For you to chase me in my dreams, you must be burdened with a thirst for knowledge.”

“...This lord wishes to learn more,” Luo Binghe confessed, looking unapologetic. “The strong prey on the weak; that is how the world works. As one who can get a glimpse of fate, Shizun is an indispensable source of guidance. Before this lord arrived here, I had been in a daze and felt helpless. Then elder Shen Yuan helped clear the fog in my head. The future has never been clearer.”

Shen Yuan hid the cynical smile in his heart.

Now we get to the crux of the matter…. Very well; he will fulfill the desperate wish of the imaginary Su Xiyan. He would help her son.

First, he had to establish a common enemy or obstacle.

“You are fortunate. Although it’s unorthodox, seeing as we are in a dream realm, seeing once is preferable to hearing a hundred times. You can do with the knowledge of your future later however you want.” He glanced forward, seeing the boundary line just across the barren wasteland. “Should you see intervening forces or hindrances to your survival or success, even if both parties once harbored goodwill, what will Luo Binghe do?”

There were countless variables on the chessboard. How he chose to answer him would decide where Shen Yuan will point the spear to.

Sensing the weight of his tone, Luo Binghe mulled over his words for a moment. A dark storm swirled in his eyes. Gazing at him as though he intended to test him, he spoke with severity, unfalteringly, “If one were to offend me, this lord will definitely exterminate the entire family.”

Shen Yuan somehow managed a serene expression despite hearing such a bloodthirsty declaration. A ferocious answer that has exceeded expectations, of course. Bing gē, your inferiority complex is showing.

He knew just the perfect scapegoats.

One was the son of heaven—the current emperor of the Mortal Realm himself. His fate was sealed the moment he’d declared the exceptional demon lord to be a threat and that the middle kingdom would not be content with nothing short of his destruction.

Second was the Old Palace Master—the sect leader of the still-surviving Huan Hua Palace. That pervert was the poisonous snake that was entrenched in the grass, waiting for an opportunity to strike and bite his son-in-law to death.

And lastly, the most crucial, would be the symbol of everything that had gone wrong in Luo Binghe’s life. He was the ideal sacrificial pawn, for that person was an existence Luo Binghe would definitely not be able to touch even if he harbored resentment.

Ping!

【Warning! Allowing Protagonist <<LUO BINGHE>> knowledge of the powers that be is prohibited. A penalty will be imposed on the Esteemed Host should you continue!】

System, Shen Yuan roared in his head, must you undermine everything I do? Even as his fingers curled into fists, he resolutely maintained his mild forbearance as they approached the boundary. He thought viciously, If you’re so worried, then why don’t you activate a filter to edit what I’m saying into something that suits this world?

Ping.

【The Esteemed Host voluntarily wishes for censorship?】

Not censorship! Just filter any forbidden words into something of similar equivalence. I give you permission! Just don’t meddle! This is a critical stage toward jumpstarting Bing gē’s character development!

Now that he thought about it, naturally the main reason why many of the modern characters never admitted to being a transmigrator was out of fear of being seen as crazy. Shen Yuan could count on one hand the number of stories where the protagonist admitted to actually being one.

Wasn’t he in an optimal position where he could be believed? The intimate act of exchanging secrets brought people even closer. Shen Yuan was not above using the same emotional tricks to lure Luo Binghe to his side.

A sudden warmth jostled him out of his thoughts. Just as he heard the notification that the filter had been activated, he noticed Luo Binghe had stepped closer to him. Body heat transferred to Shen Yuan from their proximity. He could smell the scent of fur.

His smile was ferocious, as if he were a vicious wolf. “The ways of the heavens are merciless.” A hand lifted to play with the loose white strands. Luo Binghe seemed to have found his albinism curious. “While this lord is appreciative to elder Shen Yuan, I am aware that immense hatred and bad blood has existed between the moral sects and demonkind for generations. Yet you’ve magnanimously harbored me at your residence and shared with me my bright future. Aren’t you worried your celestial brethren will accuse you of collusion with this lord for your own benefit?”

Brows that were as pale as the snow rose at the provocative words. Although I haven’t met such “celestial brethren,” to think you would see the bigger picture of classism and discrimination.... Sighing in his heart, Shen Yuan realized he must have misjudged him. He hadn’t thought a formidable, blackhearted stallion protagonist like himself could be broad-sighted. Luo Binghe, I never thought you’d grow up overnight.

“...I don’t think you’re rotten.”

“Hm?”

“On account of you being half-demon,” he clarified. “Judging a person by their birth and social status is proof that a person is narrow-minded. I have seen with my own eyes how hard you work and I sincerely admire your potential.”

As the old saying went, one should never look down on youngsters. If they worked hard, the future of young people was boundless, and they will inevitably turn the situation around.

On the surface level, Luo Binghe spoke with a refreshing candor and treated others warmly and sincerely. He was not unreasonable, and he was as filial as they come—showing favoritism and loyalty toward those he held in high esteem. It was only when he faced adversity or found himself on the battlefield that he would be merciless—so no matter how much goodwill others showed him, it was useless if he held secret grievances toward them in his heart.

“Moreover, you’ve surely heard for all your life that an alliance between a human and a demon would truly be a laughingstock of this world.” He held Luo Binghe’s riveted stare. “...But I’m looking at that impossible unity right now.”

A brittle expression melted into existence. “...And what of the celestial gods and fairies of the Heavenly Realm?”

“What of them?”

“Do they hold the same broadmindedness as Shizun?”

Shen Yuan eyed him. When he remained silent, Luo Binghe understood he had gotten his answer.

“...Shizun is a precious existence,” Luo Binghe remarked. “The world has its own rules. And everything within it follows them.”

While it was true that good wordbuilding was kept within its sandbox, Shen Yuan didn’t think upholding such a limitation applied to individuals equipped with the protagonist’s halo. Protagonists were meant to break convention.

Shen Yuan corrected, “Just because a celestial is an immortal body of divinity does not mean I am beholden to share the same outdated values.【My way of thinking is modern and doesn’t suit the current times.】Knowing what I know, naturally there would be some deviation.”

He paused, realizing what had emerged from his mouth.

What he’d meant to say was that he was a transmigrator and that was why his way of thinking deviated from canon NPCs! This was supposed to be the moment he revealed to him his shocking identity!

Shen Yuan tried again, “It would be the height of folly to dismiss your capabilities just because of your birthright.【You are meant to stand at the peak of the dynasty overlooking all living beings.】Regardless, I will support you whether you choose to be the Sacred Ruler or if you decide to live a simpler life.”

His expression immediately sunk. It happened again! He’d meant to say, because Luo Binghe was the stallion protagonist, his meteoric rise was inevitable.

Luo Binghe had been keenly watching the byplay of emotions on Shen Yuan’s face as he spoke. As he saw the neutrality melt into heated frustration, Luo Binghe naturally formed his own assumptions from it. Under a softened tone, he repeated, “A simpler life?”

A stone had lodged itself in his throat. Shen Yuan had wanted to express to the young man that he didn’t want to pressure him into taking on the burden and responsibilities of a duty he wasn’t ready for, but he hadn’t expected to be hit with a burst of memories.

It made him remember his own family life. Before this madness.

“Being alive is actually a wonderful thing.” Nostalgia swept across his features. “...You are a grown man, Luo Binghe. Just because you have the potential to be great doesn’t mean you should be forced into something if it isn’t what you want to do.”

Wracking his brain for how to address the concept of Airplane Shooting Towards the Sky without having Shen Yuan’s original intention changed drastically, he confided, “I’m not like your creator. I don’t want to erase your agency; I wish to see if you can transcend your original settings.”

The mood changed in a flash. “My creator?” Luo Binghe’s tone was sharp. The white hair was released as he impulsively reached for Shen Yuan’s arms. “What does Shizun mean?”

He could see the vibrancy of the demon crest on Luo Binghe’s forehead, being this close to him. As though commenting on the weather, Shen Yuan remarked cavalierly, “Have you not found it strange that, despite not committing any wrongdoings, you’d perhaps suffered more misfortunes than anyone else—as though they’d been preordained? A storm tests the strength of a blade of grass. You were orphaned, twice, as a child. People picked on you when you were defenseless. A reputably famous immortal selected you as a disciple, but upon seeing your potential, swiftly went to undercut it. At just a young age, you’ve seen the duplicity of human hearts, fought countless tough opponents, and endured numerous betrayals and hardships.”

Luo Binghe’s expression had hardened.

“Your destiny has been【manipulated by a higher power】to hasten your growth.” Undergoing tribulations was not a foreign concept. In the Cultivation World, cultivators were expected to undergo tests from the Heavens to determine if they were worthy of ascension. “Most would be crushed under such trials, but your will to live is strong. Thus your rate of progress has been accelerated because of such painstaking efforts.”

You are indeed a far mightier man than I could ever be. With your head-start, even if I challenge you countless times, I will never be able to claim victory currently with how unfairly OP you are.

“You are claiming there has been a higher power who has caused this lord much grief and misery, all in accordance to a predestined plan he has prophesied for me?” Luo Binghe’s voice was deceptively gentle.

Shen Yuan hesitated.

“Shen Yuan.”

Seeing that all pretenses were already thrown to the wind, Shen Yuan had no inhibitions anymore. He could only apologize to Airplane brother in his heart, for turning his creation against him and making him an unfilial son.

Shen Yuan opened his mouth. “You aren’t【my creation.】It is frowned upon for【gods and immortals】to poach【extraordinary heroes】from their【patronage】without permission.”

Maintaining a genial facade, Luo Binghe expressed with a sincerity that rang a little false, “This lord simply wishes to know which deity to pay humble respects to for their gracious sponsorship.”

An enigmatic smile stole across Shen Yuan’s face. “One could say every living thing such as yourself and everything beautiful and evil in this world sprung from his imagination. His【name has been lost with time.】But I know him as elder Xiàng Tiān Dà Fēijī."

Those dark brows drew downward. “Xiàng Tiān Dà...Fēijī?”

Ah, of course you wouldn’t know what an airplane is. Shen Yuan ruminated for a moment before reaching up for Luo Binghe’s wrists. As though he were an older brother admonishing one’s insensible younger brother, he said graciously, “Fēijī gēis a controversial but well-respected figure within our circles. His writings are not without merit.”

His words were mostly self-serving, but had Airplane brother been in his shoes, Shen Yuan would have wanted him to elevate his standing in front of his “children.” Even if it was just by a little.

Under the same earnest tone, Shen Yuan insisted, “He might have lost his integrity in the past but he has always held well intentions and wants to see his【creations】flourish. You, especially, were his original written masterpiece.”

Luo Binghe’s gaze fell on the pale fingers encircled around his wrists. “And where does Shen Yuan fall into all this?”

In life, it was not possible to bloom bright flowers from lies. Try as he might to hide it, his smile became strained from the memories of his painful past—of how much time he’d wasted, how much rénmínbì he’d spent out of his own wallet. Shen Yuan confessed, “I was once an admirer of his before I grew disillusioned. Your life is full of tragic misunderstandings. That’s why I want to see if I can rewrite the travesty of the future you’ve been shoehorned into. Your journey has been of interest to me the moment he【birthed】you and this world.”

Luo Binghe’s hands refused to budge from him no matter how much force was exerted. Shen Yuan frowned.

“Is your remark real?” Seeing Shen Yuan’s confusion, he clarified, “That you would be willing to overstep boundaries and break from celestial tradition to offer your support to this lord?”

“I’m not being facetious.” Shen Yuan scrutinized his handsome features. “We know what you are meant to do. Fēijī gē had set you up for greatness. With your power, you will surely achieve justice and bring the evils of the Three Realms to judgement, and unify the realms as the Sacred Ruler. And once you’ve served your purpose, your story is at its end. I’ve seen your ending. Your great legacy will ultimately be remembered as nothing more than a tragic, bitter wastrel who, even with your accomplishments, had wasted away and perished under suspicious circumstances.”

Dark storm clouds gathered in Luo Binghe’s expression.

“But knowing all that, what does Luo Binghe want to do?” Shen Yuan spoke brusquely. “Don’t care what I think. You have free will, do you not? It’s one thing for me to advise you against the misfortunes you’ll encounter. But do you even want to be a Sacred Ruler? I would like to hear the input of his own creation.”

“...In the eyes of the virtuous, this lord will always be a wicked and unspeakable evil that must be slayed. In the eyes of aristocrats, I will never get ahead. To them, I will always be the son of a penniless washerwoman.” His voice had been calm and waveless, but there was a trace of heavy tension—and a fatalism that’d felt suffocating. With the air of a galvanized, hot-blooded warlord in battle, Luo Binghe declared, “This lord will not find peace until none would dare oppose me, and I attain everything that has been denied to me.”

How selfish, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but think. But he supposed it made sense. In the past, Luo Binghe had always been the one trampled underfoot, but now that the shoe was on the other foot, it was to be expected he’d want to take everything he thought to belong to him.

He asked Luo Binghe again, “Do you still want to honor Fēijī’s wishes for you and become his Sacred Ruler? Or do you want to travel a different path? The present is different from the past or future. I will respect whichever decision you make.”

Luo Binghe repeated the words “the present is different from the past or future” softly. Those charcoal eyes scrutinized him back.

Shen Yuan had a sudden realisation in his heart when Luo Binghe raised his palm reverently to the back of Shen Yuan’s hand. He kept his expression wooden when a beatific smile bloomed across Luo Binghe’s features, chasing away the prior shadows.

“This lord,” Luo Binghe announced with the finality of a man making a solemn vow, “will never accept Fēijī ’s patronage. Such a thoughtless, presumptuous, good-for-nothing creator is unfit to lick my boots.”

...I express my deepest apologies, Airplane brother. Please do not transmigrate into this world like your Self-Insert in the rebooted novels—or you will be made into mincemeat.

Ping.

【Protagonist A Satisfaction points +99.】

Shen Yuan nearly swallowed his tongue upon hearing it. It took everything in he not to reveal his astonishment. Although he had expected to have made a dent in Luo Binghe’s heart, it was staggering by how much impact his words had! In his incredulity, he’d almost missed what was declared next.

“Instead, this lord shall only truly accept Shen Yuan.” His dark lashes fluttered shut as he lifted their entwined fingers just below his jaw, his breath fanning across Shen Yuan’s knuckles. “My Shizun is honorable, honest, and foreseeing. None can compare. In return for guiding this lord with his oracles, I will ensure they come to pass, and swear to protect him from his back. You will achieve the results desired.”

Oh, my mother. A feeling arose in him that he had somehow enmeshed himself in a trap of his own devising.

“This lord understands. Your heart had suffered so long enduring the injustices this one had to suffer while I was weak and oppressed. Shen Yuan must have felt helpless being unable to directly interfere with matters of the secular world, retained at the residence of the Heavenly Realm and not being allowed to see me. It is because this lord has only now managed to find a way to Shizun that you have seized the opportunity.”

He’d just dealt him a fatal blow. You understand nothing , Shen Yuan wanted to bellow! If this were a tabletop game, then he had just rolled a Nat20 with his Charisma check. It was too good of a roll! Aren’t you just projecting your ideal Shizun onto me?

“Thanking Shizun for the lesson. Your insightfulness continues to impress this lord.”

Shen Yuan’s eyes shook when Luo Binghe lifted his head. And then he realized how close they’d gotten again. Close, too close! He could practically see the jut of his collarbones peeking above the soft fur.

His heart wavered for a moment. Pulling his hand away, he feigned a cough into his fist. Taking the time to regain his composure, he said, “You know, we might not be kinsmen, but helping each other should be just enough to be good friends.”

“An offer of friendship?” His tone was deceptively intimate and unpredictable. To Shen Yuan’s wide eyes, Luo Binghe went to cup his hand over a fist in a formal gesture. Bending the steel sword that was his spine, he proclaimed to him, “Then this lord shall avail to raise his reputation and prowess. To be regarded as worthy in Shen Yuan’s eyes and in the eyes of the Heavens, this one will surpass expectations.”

The soft waves of his dark hair fell over the white fur as Shen Yuan exasperatedly tugged at Luo Binghe’s arms, encouraging the demon lord to stand back up from his unnecessary display of supplication. He had the feeling they’d cleared some sort of checkpoint or hurdle.

How dangerous. The allure of Luo Binghe’s every word and smile were like spring waters trickling gently past Shen Yuan’s ironclad defenses. His own charisma made Shen Yuan, who had resolved to remain highly vigilant, want to believe his words just like that.

He noticed that Luo Binghe had stopped directly at the boundary. The demon lord was looking at the fog as though it had wronged him in some way.

Ping.

【Notifying the Esteemed Host! Skinship is required for Protagonist A to gain entry. Would Protagonist <<SHEN YUAN>> like to add Protagonist <<LUO BINGHE>> to his party? Y/N?】

Since it was like that, he could only comply. Secreting the weary sigh in his heart, Shen Yuan took the initiative. With one step into the swirling white mist, he twisted his body sideways and extended his palm. He gazed at him expectantly.

Without hesitation, Luo Binghe took his hand. And Shen Yuan pulled him into his world.

Ping.

【Congratulations! Protagonist <<LUO BINGHE>> has been successfully added to the party!】

Ping.

【Reloading the map! Loading...loading...success! The simulation has been reconfigured! Jiāyóu, lăoshī!】

#svsss #scumbag system #bingyuan #bingqiu #luo binghe #luo bingge #svsss fanfic #the scum villain’s self-saving system #I rec reading it on AO3 #I cannot be arsed to fix the formatting on tumblr #phoenixtakaramono #the untold tale

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