I have been working on this for months and I am so happy to finally share it! It's my take on a fantasy AU slow burn. Either way, I hope you enjoy the wild ride. There will be action, romance, angst, mental health elements, and war themes throughout. Sex scenes will be edited out to AO3. Over 20 chapters I'm thinking and I've already got over half of that written. Depending on the response, it could be an angst ending, but I have ideas down for a sequel!
Thank you to my sweet betas Loki and Bmarvels from AO3for beta-ing this slow burn monster!
Inspired by Vermillion Part 2. by Slipknot, hence the possible angst ending (like I said, I have a sequel in mind though).
This has been a growing project over the last few months and I'm excited to finally share it! Thank you to my sweet betas Loki and BMarvels for beta-ing this slow burn monster!
"Dammit!"
Bakugou's sword sliced through another enemy. His lungs burned with exhaustion, heart thundering in his chest. His sweat-soaked skin glistened underneath the setting sun. He took another shaky step forward, his legs almost giving out, and prepared for another onslaught. Blood poured from various wounds and his peripheral vision darkened, threatening to bring him to his knees. Yet he stood his ground, proud prince of a powerful warrior race. He'd trained night and day since he could walk for this moment and he wouldn't let his countrymen down. Rage fueled him forward and with a mighty roar, another head rolled, then a severed arm joined the plethora of body parts saturating the ground with their blood. A crazed grin crossed his features as the Annihilators, the bullshit self-titled name for Malefactor Mountain's elite soldiers, circled him. Bakugou's crimson eyes darted between his opponents.
Four, five, six.
Six more to kill. His free hand opened and closed rhythmically as he waited for them to make the first move. The leader of this small group stepped forward with his ax prepared for battle. Bakugou stopped himself from rushing forward and severing his head from the nose up. Instead, he dropped his sword and lowered his stance. Small pops of his power emitting from his open hands reached his ears.
"Dabi, you little bitch," he growled.
Dabi also placed his weapon down and shrugged. His sutured grin made Bakugou's anger reach insurmountable levels.
"Don't take it personally, brother," he teased. "I'm sure you knew I was setting dear old dad up. I bet it hurts that you didn't step in and do anything."
"Shut up!" Bakugou roared as explosions radiated from his hands and he lunged forward.
Dabi laughed and dodged. Bakugou's explosion incinerated three of his lackeys. His opponent brushed his dark locks out of his face. His strange features always made Bakugou's skin crawl. The skin underneath his eyes, the lower half of his face, and various spots on his body appeared dried out. Most likely from the heat his flames produced but that along with the ice blue color of his eyes made him look disgusting.
"You seem a little pissed," Dabi mused while sidestepping another deadly blow.
His hair shifted from the gust of wind Bakugou's blasts expelled. The Champion prince was on him in seconds. He grabbed him by the back of his neck and slammed him into the ground. Dabi didn't stay down long and countered Bakugou's next blast with his own extraordinary flames. The rest of those battling stayed clear of their fight, knowing they'd be casualties no matter which side they fought for.
"Your explosions are weak, too."
Bakugou connected a hard punch to his cheek in response and sent him careening across the land.
Bakugou grinned, picked up his sword, and cut down the final three of Dabi's cohorts. "Say that with your teeth knocked out!"
Dabi sat up and brushed the blood from the corner of his mouth. He still grinned as he stood and rolled his shoulders. His flames ignited once more.
"You know, I never liked you."
"The feeling is fucking mutual!" Bakugou yelled while launching himself at his opponent again.
Bakugou realized fast that he'd reached the limit of his quirk. The shredded muscles in his forearms screamed as his final explosion boomed around them. He skidded to a halt. His vision swam, throat raw from breathing so hard, and his heart pounded so fast he wondered if it may stop. That last attack should have done it. As the smoke cleared, Bakugou smiled at Dabi's body blown to hell.
"Fucking asshole."
The remaining Malefactor soldiers retreated after Bakugou killed their elite and their captain, leaving Champion's heroes to collect their dead and tend to their wounded. This battle would turn the war on its head as Champion's Peak reveled in the victory it deserved. Their name wasn't some luck of the draw; they cultivated the strongest soldiers with powerful quirks capable of taking down any rival.
"God, you're still an idiot."
Bakugou's spine stiffened at the familiar voice. How the fuck did he survive?! He whirled to look where Dabi's charred body sat, but it vanished. Bakugou's adrenaline spiked again and just as his eyes searched for Dabi, a blow to the back of his head knocked him to the ground. Pain seared through his skull, but he tried to get to his feet while still disoriented. He couldn't form words, his vision darkened again as he rested on all fours. He screamed when a sword pierced through his back and into the bloodstained dirt below.
"I think you're done," Dabi commented, twisting the sword and relishing the agony lacing Bakugou's screams.
Bakugou racked his brain for a plan. He'd die at this rate. Just like his father and his brothers in arms. They hadn't found his mother. His fists clenched as he willed away tears threatening to spill. He had to move for them, for their people. If they failed here, All For One would soon govern Champion's Peak. His remaining soldiers ran to their prince's aid, and he yelled at them to stay back.
"Prince Bakugou, we refuse!" one argued as he unsheathed his sword and sprinted toward them. "This is no time to be stubborn!"
"I'm telling you to stay back, you assholes!"
Six of his men ignored his command and rushed forward. Dabi didn't even glance their way. He burned them to a crisp with a simple show of power. Bakugou's teeth gnashed together as he watched their scorched bodies collapse to the ground. He coughed, blood pouring from his mouth.
"How the hell did you survive?!"
Dabi reached into his pants pocket and held up a small glass sphere. Inside it swirled sparkling light shifting through colors of sapphire, gold, and copper. It circled in a figure eight, power radiating over them and every emotion imaginable searing through his blood: the warmth of happiness, the bitter ache of sadness, burning anger, and the sting of jealousy rolled into one. He saw a shimmering version of his brother and father in the distance only for them to fade away like a mirage. What kind of magic was this thing?! Bakugou swallowed dryly as Dabi held it up.
"This is the Deianira," Dabi explained. "An ancient magic once the protector of the extinct Faerie race. It's ridiculous how powerful it is. Dear old 'dad' hid it well, too. Took years to find it. What a hassle."
Bakugou tried to lean on his elbows, unable to stand from his injuries. "What the hell are you talking about?!"
Dabi shrugged as he placed it back in his pocket. "The king wouldn't tell a hothead like you. He told very few, and it took intense torturing to weasel it out of them. Toshinori never gave it up though. Want to know what it does?"
He strode over to Bakugou and crushed his head underneath the heel of his boot. The prince ground his teeth and vowed if he made it out of this alive, he'd find this bastard and crucify him.
"It can be your greatest dream realized or your worst nightmare. It's hateful and knows how to drive a person insane by giving them their heart's desire only to snatch it away. It can make you experience vivid dreams and nightmares but when unlocked, it will give the wielder the ability to steal powers and magnify their efficiency along with setting those quirks on whoever the wielder chooses. There's other shit it does that King All For One hasn't revealed yet, but I'm so eager to find out."
He'd want something so powerful. Bakugou couldn't let these bastards have something so dangerous. He racked his brain for a plan to pull it off Dabi but his thoughts ceased after a devastating blow to his stomach. Bakugou coughed hard as stars dotted his vision. Dabi turned him on his back and squatted over him.
"You aren't looking so hot. I think I'll put you out of your misery "
Just then, a loud blast echoed over the field. Dabi's gaze shifted to the commotion and Bakugou took the opening. He moved with lightning speed and reached into Dabi's pocket, snatching out the Deianira, but Dabi was too fast. He grabbed the vial and scrambled away.
"That was close. It's fragile in this state even though it has so much power."
Bakugou's heart sank realizing this was the end of him and his people. He tried to get up, but his body wouldn't move. Dizziness from blood loss doubled his vision, and seconds before he passed out, a hint of rose invaded Bakugou's senses as a calm wave washed over him.
So warm. What is that? Keh, I must be on my way to hell.
Darkness. Nothing existed in this space but an inky abyss. Bakugou's body felt weightless as if he were floating down a gentle river. Was this death? Did time exist here?
Was there something… somewhere after?
He tried lifting his arm, but it felt like he had no limbs. In fact, he felt nothing. No pain from his injuries, no blink of his eyes, or expansion of his chest with each breath.
Bakugou!
Who the hell was that? He didn't recognize the person calling to him. It was a woman, her voice soothing after nothing but screams and death for days.
Bakugou, you need to wake up!
Wake up? He must not be dead then. How was that possible? His wounds were fatal. His surroundings transformed from darkness to familiar underwater sounds. Dark blue replaced black and Bakugou's body returned to him. He saw nothing for miles. The cool silkiness of water roamed over his skin and he relished it until the burning need for oxygen infiltrated his lungs. He glanced, saw the sparkle of sunlight at the surface, and swam as hard as he could toward it.
The burning intensified, and the prince fought with all his strength not to take in a breath, knowing it would spell his doom. Fire erupted through his chest with each stroke of his arms and frantic kick of his legs. Just a little closer, four more strokes and he'd break the surface. His need to breathe won out as his arms lost their strength and his mouth opened. Water rushed in and he awaited a grueling death by drowning, still unaware of what dimension he resided in.
"Bakugou!"
He sat up as coughs wracked his body. Each one making his abdominal muscles contract and caused searing pain to radiate through to his back. Bakugou opened his eyes, surveyed unfamiliar surroundings, and tried to scramble away only to hear the clink of chains. He glanced down at his wrists to see aqua handcuffs buzzing around them. Was this a quirk? Whose was it? Where the fuck was he?!
The blonde's gaze searched every inch of the small room he occupied. He sat on a mattress situated on the floor with blankets strewn about. The Prince then realized he wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing.
"What the fuck is going on here?!" he yelled while yanking at his chains.
His joints and muscles groaned and screamed with every move until Bakugou had to stop. He panted hard and cursed himself for how fast he got winded. The cuffs didn't budge. Natural red eyes surveyed again. He was in a room with wood floors and matching log cabin walls. It was small with no decorations or furniture to make it less bland. A small basin sat a foot away with soapy water sloshing in it. His captor must not be far away.
I'm alive… but how?
Dabi killed him, didn't he? The last thing he remembered was passing out seconds before the scent of flowers surrounded him. He assumed it was just part of his dying process. Someone must have saved him. His gaze roamed over his body to see scars in place of where his many wounds were. An ugly large one to the right of his navel must have been where Dabi gutted him. The burning sensation echoed deep into his pelvis. Judging by the state of his healing wounds, he must have been unconscious for weeks unless the person caring for him had a healing quirk.
"Hey!" he yelled. "Get these chains off me!"
First silence, then the sound of footsteps padding over wood floors. Bakugou turned his eyes toward the threshold, set on demanding they release him lest he blow their head off. A young woman stood at the doorway. Her dark tresses filtered down to her collarbones, framing her neck, stopping just above the swoop of a burgundy and black tunic with lace crisscrossed over her chest. Her slender arms hung at her sides, unarmed with the sleeves of her tunic flaring around her wrists. Unlike a traditional tunic that reached the ankles, it stopped mid-thigh, exposing well-muscled legs and black boots on her feet. Eyes a shade lighter than her hair studied him. She seemed unafraid; her mouth drawn into a tight line. A belt crossed between her breasts holding vials of different colored liquids and strange instruments along with a lasso tied at her hip.
Her attire threw him for a loop first, then her silent staring. "Who the hell are you?! Let me go right fucking now!"
"I can't!" she exclaimed. "You're just going to hurt me if I do!"
"Don't chain me up and I won't think you're a goddamn threat!" he bellowed.
"Stop being so rude! I saved your life, you know!"
Bakugou sat legs crossed and breathing heavy. "Who brought me here and why am I naked?! You better spit it out, bitch!"
She entered the room but stood a safe distance away. Her arms crossed behind her back. Bakugou noticed the paleness of her skin and how the colors she wore complimented it. Amethyst reflecting light caught his attention, and that was when the captured prince noticed butterfly wings behind her. Explains how she got him to safety, but why? Who was she?
"You're awful mean for someone who called out to me," she huffed, keeping her eyes squinted shut while she searched the floor for a nearby blanket to fling at him. "I heard your soul begging for a solution to save your people. It pulled me through dimensions to your timeline. I grabbed you seconds before that guy killed you and returned to my home."
"What the hell does that mean?!" he snapped as the blanket landed across his lap. "I don't call for help!"
"I wouldn't have gotten transported to you otherwise!"
Bakugou let her words mull through his exhausted brain. "I called to you, huh? What are you, Round Face?"
Her cheeks puffed out in annoyance. "Why are you calling me that?!"
"Because you have round cheeks, duh. Still, haven't told me your name either."
She leaned against the wall. "My name is Ochako Uraraka, but you can call me Uraraka. Only friends can call me by my first name. I'm a faerie mage and you're in the Faerie Mainlands!"
Bakugou raised an eyebrow. "Like with glitter and shit?"
"No!" Ochako paused and pushed her pointed fingers together. "Well, yes, some have glitter abilities, but we have other powers!"
"… are you fucking high? Whatever drugs you're on, I want you to hand them over."
Ochako sighed and walked toward the bucket of water nearby. "You're naked because I was going to give you a bed bath. You stink."
Bakugou studied the redness of her cheeks as she turned toward him with the container in her hands. An onion scent hit his nose and his skin felt sticky. Fuck, he reeked.
"Have you bathed me before?!" Bakugou demanded.
Her cheeks brightened again. "Well, you've been unconscious for almost a week! You were covered in blood and injuries so I had to!"
It was Bakugou's turn to blush. "Wait, you had your grubby little hands all over me?!"
"Grubby?!" Ochako echoed. "Your whole body was grubby! Would you rather me leave you in filth?!"
She had a point. He was pouring blood plus the blood of his enemies coated him like war paint. Thinking of her washing him… everywhere… made him cough and change the subject.
"Do you know who I am?! I'm Prince Bakugou of Champion's Peak! Let me out of these fucking shackles or I'll rip your goddamn head off!"
"That's it!"
Ochako stalked toward Bakugou and chucked the water at him. "There's your bath!"
"You bitch!" Bakugou sputtered. "Wait until I get out of these!"
"I'm sorry, but I'm not letting you out yet," she answered while crossing her arms over her chest. "I'll bring you something to eat in a bit."
She left soon after despite the obscenities Bakugou shouted after her. So, she planned to leave him shivering in soaked bedsheets? Some hospitality! He leaned back and mulled over what she'd told him. On his deathbed, his soul called out, and she answered. Why would she come and what the hell did she mean by saying she was a faerie mage? Faeries hadn't existed in well over 500 years. They were hunted to extinction for their blood. It pushed people's lives hundreds of years past a normal lifespan.
"She's a fucking lunatic," he mumbled.
Either way, Bakugou had to escape and return to Champion's Peak. The Deianira must have given Malefactor's king dominion over the East by now. He had to see what remained to build a resistance against him. It sounded futile, but as future king, he had to do something.
"Hey, bitch!" Bakugou bellowed. "At least change these wet sheets dammit!"
"It's disrespectful to call a lady such vulgar names!"
Bakugou saw a young man standing in the doorway with another bucket of water and a washcloth. Glasses reflected the room's light and a stern look crossed his features. This idiot didn't impress the prince despite his full-fledged battle armor.
"My explosions would blow your fucking tinfoil away," Bakugou mused.
"You are as much of a degenerate as Ochako said," he muttered. "I am Iida Tenya. I will assist you in bathing then change your sheets. However, I must warn you, any attempts to injure me will result in your arrest and land you in the cellars."
"Got some big fucking balls huh?" the blonde taunted. "I'd fuck you up in a heartbeat."
"What a vulgar mouth."
"Why can't I bathe myself instead of getting a fucking bed bath by some servant?!"
"I am not a servant! I am an up-and-coming guardsman who's top of his ranks!"
"Ha! You're still a fucking nobody. You wouldn't have to wash my ass otherwise."
Iida didn't move but a muscle in his jaw ticked. "I suppose you could. However, understand that your wrist restraints will block your ability. To my understanding, you have a quirk. This is rare although we have some warriors with quirks."
"So, kicking your ass would be easy, huh Glasses?" Bakugou sneered.
"Not as easy as you think."
Iida placed the bucket down just as Ochako returned with something steaming in a bowl. The intricate spices hit Bakugou's nose like a freight train and his stomach roared to life in response. His body moved of its own accord toward the smell and he growled when his shackles halted him.
"Food first."
"Bath first," Ochako argued.
Iida nodded in agreement. "Your smell is quite pungent."
"Fuck off, Four Eyes!"
Iida scoffed. "Clever with the name-calling, aren't you?"
Irate red eyes flitted to the little mage holding whatever he would kill for to eat. She leveled his gaze without a hint of fear… again; that was a response he wasn't used to. Most women were afraid of him or just wanted to fuck the angry Prince to say they did… and he obliged.
"Fine, but I wash my own ass!"
"Okay," Ochako agreed.
She waved a hand, and a dresser appeared next to Bakugou's bed. He jumped back in surprise. "How the hell did you do that?!"
"I told you I was a mage. Mage as in magic?"
Bakugou watched her pull fresh sheets from it and place his food on top of it. Ochako walked over and touched the chains of his restraints. "Rockaris doriale!"
Bakugou's arms dropped to his sides with bright orange cuffs buzzing around his wrists. He couldn't sense his quirk at all. His hands weren't sweaty enough to create explosions, so he'd work one up. He tried to stand and instantly crumpled to the ground. His legs were stiff and unaccustomed to walking again.
"Dammit," he muttered.
He couldn't hope to fight Four Eyes in this condition, but he had another idea planned and the minute Ochako leaned down to check on him, Bakugou pounced. He put the unsuspecting woman in a headlock and yanked her against his chest.
"Release me and she might live," Bakugou ordered.
Ochako thrashed in his arms but he held firm. She tried elbowing him but the position didn't allow her to connect. Iida sprang into a fighting stance.
"You will release Lady Ochako this instant, you cretin!"
"Make me," Bakugou challenged.
"Okay."
Why is this bitch answering like she can stop me?!
"Soretrium!"
An invisible power yanked Bakugou's arm from Ochako's neck, slammed him into the dresser, and dumped the soup on his head.
"Shit, that's hot!" he yelped.
Ochako got to her feet and glared at him. She held two fingers up facing him, ring and pinky pointed down with the thumb crossed over the latter two fingers.
"Veraleim Constraine."
All of Bakugou's muscles locked at once, causing him to thud onto the ground naked as the day he was born.
"I warned you not to try anything," Iida commented.
"Fuck off!"
"If you would just be nice to us, you would have gotten out of restraints the moment you woke up!" Ochako exclaimed. She refused to look at him. "I don't want to see you naked any more than I have to so stop jumping around!"
"Never seen a dick before, huh?" Bakugou taunted. "You look like you'd be a virgin."
She turned scarlet and ignored his comment; instead, she faced Iida. "Can you please bathe him?"
"Do you want him in the cellars my lady?"
Ochako's eyes met Bakugou's raging ones.
"I think that's best for now until I figure out why his soul called out to me and what to do with him."
"Hey, I'm not some nobody you can throw in a fucking dungeon!" Bakugou roared, fighting with all his might to no avail against her magic.
Ochako again didn't bother acknowledging his outburst. Instead, she changed the sheets and used her magic to pull the water from the mattress so she and Iida could haul his locked body back onto the bed with her eyes squinted shut. They placed towels underneath him to avoid getting the bed soaked again. After that, Ochako grabbed the bowl, said something in that foreign language to make the mess disappear, and exited. She didn't release him from her spell.
"Time for your bath," Iida informed as he raised a washcloth and Bakugou's chest filled with dread.
The inability to move while a stranger bathed him proved to be the most humiliating experience of his twenty-four years. When Ochako returned, Iida skittered out, his face flushed with a comment about returning after scrubbing his hands thrown over his shoulder. At least this time they blessed his naked, goose bump-covered ass with pants. Once again, Bakugou found himself alone with her. She leaned against the doorframe, hesitating before speaking.
"I have a question," she began.
"Let me out of this first!" he barked in annoyance.
First, the smart woman replaced his shackles the said, "Release!"
Bakugou's body relaxed and a dull ache radiated through his shoulders from the awkward position her magic held him in. He muttered to himself about stupid bitches and fucking stupid shackles as Ochako took a weary step toward him.
"What happened in your timeline?" she ventured. Her gaze dropped and she locked her arms around her body, a slight shiver racking her body. "I… there was so much blood, so many people dead."
He studied her change in demeanor. "You're fucking serious? Something transported me to another damn timeline?!"
She nodded and his chest filled with dread. How the fuck did that happen?! A million rampant thoughts rushed through his mind at once. What is the "it" that made this bitch save his ass? He yelled the question and she visibly winced.
"I think it was the Deianira," Ochako began. She placed hands on her hips. "Stop being mean to me!"
"Whatever!" Bakugou dismissed, turning to face her. "Answer my fucking questions! How the hell is the Deianira in your time?! It's in mine!"
The brunette mulled over his words, brows need together and mouth drawn in a taut line. "I don't know. My leader, Momo, might have an idea so I'll ask her." She cut Bakugou off before he could bellow another command. "Now answer my question!"
Bakugou's mouth clamped shut allowing tense seconds to pass. His captor didn't utter a word.
"Exactly what it looked like," he said barely above a whisper. "An asshole started a war between my land, Champion's Kingdom, and our enemy Malefactor Mountain all for this goddamn Deianira you're blabbering about. Now get out and find me someone less useless!"
Ochako closed her eyes, refusing to let his harsh words get to her before exiting. He watched her leave and swallowed thickly. What a pile of shit he'd woken up to.
Expect updates every other weekend on Saturday!