#xreader fanfic

Note: 'Italicized parts with single quotations are your thoughts.'

"Italicized parts with double quotations are the other character's thoughts."

・・・・・ signals a flashback

As day pierced through the sky with vivid pastels, hummingbirds of fantastical metallics zipped across the forestside village you had grown accustomed to. The sun peeked through the canopy of cool-colored foliage, radiant beams of warmth decorating the fertile earth beneath you. After declaring your recruitment to the Legion of Heroes, you’d hardly had any rest, since you were to be off the same day. You felt a bit cranky, but going a day without sleep wasn’t foreign to you.

With your bag of essentials strapped across your body and a worn broom in hand, you set a “closed indefinitely” sign on your shop, Katsuki and Eijirou lingering behind you. After the events of night, they lodged in the village inn. A shaky breath escaped you as you thought of the villagers you’d sworn you had no attachment to. ‘They’d burn me at the stake if they knew I was a witch. Why do I even bother?’ Yet, your emotions betrayed you as your eyes lingered wistfully over your shop, your village, and the enchanted forest.

“You done yet!?” the barbarian barked.

He took in the surroundings of your village. It was all too quaint for him, too calm, too mundane. He felt a silent respect for your ability to stay sane in such a mild place for so long.

Your hands flew to your ears, “Haven’t you ever heard of an indoor voice?”

“We’re outside!”

You rolled your eyes in response as the three of you walked out of the village and towards a clearing in the forest.

“Alright, on my back then,” Eijirou chirped, placing his hands on his hips.

“Huh?” you asked. ‘I must have heard him wrong.’

“I can fly real fast. I’ll take you back to our rendezvous point in no time!” He pumped his fist and morphed back into a towering, red-scaled dragon.

“Oh! Thank you, but… I have my broom.”

You weren’t about to ride a dragon-boy. ‘Not only is that terrifying, it’s also embarrassing for some reason… I should really let loose more.’

“Hah! Let’s see if your shoddy stick can keep up with us.” Katsuki scoffed competitively, jumping onto the dragon with ease.

After such a horrendously long night, you weren’t in the mood for competitions at all. It disturbed you that they still had such a great deal of energy. Still, you steadied yourself onto your floating broom while they wasted no time lifting off, plowing their way above the trees.

Racing upward, you braced yourself as the wind flipped your hair in and out of your vision. Above the ancient trees, you sailed through a thick layer of misty cloud. Your eyes squeezed shut, brisk dew clinging to your lashes. As you reached the open sky beyond the haze, you were met with a boundless, dreamy blue. The intensity of the searing sun soaked your damp skin with an almost forgotten vitality as a small smile fought its way onto your face. The crisp air of the skies filled your lungs with vitalizing breath, and you could feel every inhale rush through your pumping blood as you matched the dragon’s fierce speed. You couldn’t recall the last time you had felt this exhilarated—this awake.

“Not bad catching up. I doubt you can keep the momentum!” Katsuki shouted through the whistling winds, an arrogant smirk plastered across his face as he sat smugly on Eijirou’s back.

As he turned his head, expecting to see your struggling face, he spotted a coy smile instead. His smirk washed away almost immediately. When he first stumbled into your house, you seemed withdrawn and mysterious. Seeing you enjoy a relaxing ride on your broomstick at this speed was a sight he didn’t expect. “What are your limits…?” he wondered as he snuck suspicious glances at you behind his shoulder.

“Katsuki. What is our destination?”

“That’s Chief Bakugou, to you! And the destination is a large city called Musutafu. I’m sure you know of it. All Might should be there waiting, along with a decent portion of the legion.”

“I do know of it, it’s four cities away. That’s quite far. We’d arrive after sunset, even at this speed.”

“Are you already giving up!?”

You let out a harsh “ugh” and rolled your eyes hard enough for him to see, “I was just saying.”

Suddenly, you heard the sound of screaming below you, which then came to an abrupt pause. Katsuki noticed you signaling at him to stop and paused Eijirou as well, rage settling into his veins.

“Did you hear that?” you questioned.

He grit his teeth together and wore a grotesque expression, “There’s nothing you could’ve possibly noticed before me, but go ahead and tell me what you’ve—”

You shushed him.

He inhaled, ready to yell at the top of his lungs, before he noticed the screaming as well. You looked a ways below you and your eyes found a group of goblins attacking a young man. Locking eyes with Katsuki, you both seemed to understand the next move without a word. You dipped down, landing between the goblins and the civilian. Katsuki landed behind him, Eijirou’s great wings kicking up a cloud of dust. The goblins immediately backed away in uniform before preparing to attack you. Katsuki crossed his arms and watched casually as Eijirou transformed back to man.

Eijirou coated his flexed arms in scales, taking a defensive position. “Chief, this is bad, we should-–”

“No! Let her handle it. Just get that civilian over here.”

You looked back at them in confusion as the goblins stood before you hungrily. ‘I’m being assessed? Now? That feels insulting coming from a mere member of the legion. He thinks he’s all that, enough to test me?’ You fashioned a heavy glare as you turned back to the mob.

The first one came prancing towards you recklessly, letting out a shriek. ‘My dark magic may be rusty, but I can’t let him think he’s better than me. Men like that always need a healthy dose of humbling.’ You pointed a finger at it as nonchalantly as possible as an ink-black cloud snaked up your hand. Goblins were known for committing villainous crimes against innocent families; stealing children, harming women, and killing working men. You wouldn’t feel bad causing it pain.

The goblin, still racing towards you, came to a sharp halt. Every creature in the grove went silent in anticipation as the goblin stood frozen. After a few seconds, its eyes clouded black and it dropped to the ground with a loud thud. The other goblins roared and charged towards you. You waved your finger again, felling four more.

Katsuki, despite his experience, had never seen a witch in action. He’d never seen a witch at all, as they were harder to come by these days. The nature of a witch wasn’t typically flashy or flamboyant, a harsh contrast to his manner of fighting. He fought with fire, explosions, battle-cries, and more explosions. He preferred to see a fight that invoked passion, and yours lacked that entirely. That, however, piqued his interest further. “So, she can stand her ground. For someone who flaunts the title of a coward so confidently, she hardly seems like one to me.”

There were more goblins than you anticipated, numbers emerging behind the thick oak trees surrounding you. You closed your eyes and exhaled, your breath full of anxiety. You put your casted finger away and decided to take a different approach. You brought your left hand behind your back and your right in front of you, signaling a “come forth” gesture. ‘I’d rather mix in melee to save my magic energy. Spells are my favorite, but I practice fighting just as often. I hate being a one-trick pony.’

A tall goblin sped towards you first, claws aiming for your drawn hand. You moved to the side with swiftness, coating your hand with a destructive, black-colored haze. You thrust your hand through the goblin’s hard chest, blood splattering onto your cheek as you quickly moved onto the next. You repeated the process with carefully crafted movements as if it was a rehearsed ritual. Within several minutes, you had taken the entire mob down. Thick, green blood dripped down your hand as you tugged it out of the last monster. You shuddered at your hand and used a spell to pull the fluids off of you. Slowly, you turned towards the three men watching you intensely from the sidelines.

“Thanks for the help,” you deadpanned, flinging blood in their direction flippantly.

“Uh… Hey, seems like you didn’t need it! You certainly put up a manly fight, right guys?” Eijirou chuckled, dodging the blood.

“I feel so unmanly for just standing and watching… She’s definitely an experienced fighter though. She’ll be a real asset, that’s for sure!” Eijirou reflected. It was important to assess your strength since you would be comrades going forward. They needed to know how you could fair on your own.

Katsuki held a conflicted glare in your direction, wondering why you lowered yourself despite your strength. You, however, couldn’t pinpoint why he was glaring at you so intensely. ‘Maybe he still thinks I’m weak. Well, what do I care? Maybe he’s jealous that I can fight so effortlessly! He seems like the type to be overly into dramatics.’

This time, the distressed civilian spoke to you. “Thank you, truly! You saved my life! I was collecting lumber, you see, for my sick wife and child in the village. I cannot bear to picture what would’ve transpired had I not returned… I cannot thank you enough. Please, have a recess from your journey at my home. I insist!”

You smiled politely, “That’s quite alright, we really must–”

“No!” Katsuki yelled in your direction. He turned to the man ferociously, “We’re busy, commoner! There’s no time to meander around!”

You stood frozen with shock and anger, which was rare for your otherwise laidback temperament. ‘I was about to refuse!? And he’s yelling at an already distressed man!’

You whipped your head toward the barbarian, “How many years are you?” you spat with barely concealed aggression.

“That’s none of your damn business!”

“So you’re a child?”

“No!?”

“Then act like an adult, for goodness’ sake. Didn’t your mother teach you how to speak to others in a proper manner? Or does she reward you with a kiss on the cheek for every time you yell at her?”

Katsuki lowered his head, knuckles whitening as his fists shook. You could hear his teeth grating together. Eijirou scratched the back of his neck with a weary expression as he watched his chief vibrating with rage, wondering if he should step in. Finally, Katsuki opened his mouth with a sharp inhale.

But the ear-grating yell never came. Instead, a thundering boom erupted from the trees aft of you, causing Katsuki to jolt into silence. Your eyes went wide and you had no time to process what could’ve possibly made that noise. In your shock, Eijirou took an offensive stance at the threat behind you and held his mouth agape, morphing his skin into red scales. From his throat, a scorching heat arose, embers sparking at his tongue. He puffed a fiery blaze aimed just next to you, enough for you to feel the fervor of the blowing flames. You looked behind you and your eyes met an aflame ogre of great stature. It stood at a towering height just behind you, its former blue color now scorching brown. You quickly cast a spell to transport you away from the ogre and behind Eijirou, still breathing a great fire.

From where you stood, you stared into the great fire and saw a long stick blazing in the center of it. You squinted, only to realize he was also roasting your broom.

“Hey, I think the ogre is dead, stop!” you shouted at him, shaking his shoulder.

Eijirou finally ceased the flame and released a stream of smoke from his nose and mouth. He turned back towards you in concern.

“Hey, are you alright!? That was—”

“My broom…”

“Huh?”

He studied the scene covered in remnants of fire, blood, and various felled mobs. As well as your broom, burnt to a crisp. Katsuki let out a boisterous, mocking laugh as Eijirou held his head in shock, running towards what was left of your stick.

“What!? I didn’t see that at all! Oh crap, that’s totally my bad! I’m really sorry! Wait, I think I can fix it!” He tried to pick it up, only for the charred black stick to crumble into dust and carry away with the breeze.

You sighed woefully.

“Oh, oops… um… let me help you buy a new one!” he insisted.

“Alright. I can buy one at the nearby village.”

“I’m really sorry!”

“I’m not upset, don’t worry. You saved me. What you did was heroic. Thank you.”

You were slightly upset, but you didn’t want him to feel any worse. Despite his overbearing chief, Eijirou was starting to grow on you. The longer you knew him, the more you saw his kindness.

He stared in shock for a bit before beaming brightly, displaying his pointed teeth, “Ha, it’s no problem! You’re welcome!”

You smiled forgivingly in return.

The civilian perked up, “Ah, if you’re heading to the village, let me guide you! The sun will be setting soon, you ought to get somewhere safer soon. You very well may face more of those terrifying ogres.”

You and Eijirou looked pointedly towards Katsuki, who stood with an ever-present scowl, arms crossed. His eyes darted between the two of you, offended.

“What!? The sun is setting, ain’t it!? Let’s get a move on to that destitute village. Might as well get lodging. It ought to be free, commoner!”

The man nodded his head rapidly in fear. You and Eijirou both wondered what brought upon Katsuki’s sudden change of heart about going to the village, but you didn’t want to question what was convenient. Thus, the four of you set off, the sun beginning to retreat behind the dark grove as you moved forward.

Your party soon arrived at the decently sized village filled with a variety of characters and colored decor. From musketeer to beastman, it had no shortage of diversity. You preferred this sight over your stale, one-tone town. Though peaceful, it lacked the color brought from a medley of lives. Communities, you believed, should have a mixture of many types of people who can teach each other new perspectives to life.

The buildings were decorated with banners of vivid color and unique patterns, weaving across the town’s aged buildings. Fairy-like lights decorated every corner, gleaming warmly amidst the pink setting sun. Children paced around with an unfamiliar light hearted glee, kites in hand. Paintings fashioned every floor and corner with an artistic glow. It almost seemed like a festival.

“Wow, I wasn’t expecting this! It’s quite nice, I don’t think we’ve ever been here,” Eijirou marveled.

Katsuki scoffed. “It’s alright. Where’s the tavern?”

You rolled your eyes. ‘I was peeved enough by his attitude alone, and now he’s apparently an alcoholic?’ Nonetheless, you carried on to a local magic item shop, courtesy to the civilian’s directions, while Katsuki and Eijirou went towards the tavern. Eijirou paid you generously in compensation for your felled broom, much to your satisfaction.

You arrived at the rickety old shop, much different in comparison to the rest of the town. It had a dark mahogany build with talismans and charms strewn from base to roof, stained glass adorning its sides. It was a proper magical shop from the outside, something to be appreciated in this newcoming age of “convenience,” which really just meant plainness. As you opened the creaky door, a windchime resounded across the shop with a pleasantly soft vibrato.

“Welcome… what might’ya be lookin’ for?” the old shopkeep slurred from behind his desk, eyes glued to his book.

He had 8 long arms with many joints and small, circular spectacles that sat atop his hooked nose. You could tell he’d asked that question a million times before.

“Just a sturdy broom for long travels airborne. Something that can withstand potent magic and spells.”

The shopkeep finally broke from his book and slid his glasses down with another arm to look at you. “Ah. And what brings a witch here? Haven’t seen one of ya in a good few years.”

“Just traveling. My broom was burnt to a crisp today. I’d love to buy a new one before I set off again.”

You could feel his squinted eyes prying into you, and although it agitated you to no end, you had to remain polite to save face for the reputation of all witches.

He put his book down, “I see… I’ve a few brooms that should have the qualities you seek. You’d like one bare of enchantments, correct?”

“Aye.”

Without standing, he rummaged through the various long cabinets behind him with his many hands, occasionally grabbing a fistfull of miscellaneous items and storing them in other cabinets. He finally pulled out a proper broom from a cabinet, revealing intricacies carved into its walnut wood base along with a neat bundle of pale straw.

“How does the witch fancy this one?”

“It’s perfect. Skillfully made, certainly an upgrade.”

He pushed his glasses up with his free hand. “That will be 1,000 tokens.”

You stood speechless.

“Can’t pay?” he mused.

“Er– well, no, I can pay…”

You pulled out the pouch of tokens lended to you by Eijirou and counted 900. You weren’t particularly vexed by paying another 100 out of pocket, but you had really hoped you wouldn’t have to spend all of his tokens in one place. Feeling your daydreams of tasting expensive cuisines shatter, you reluctantly handed him the tokens. The eight-handed man smiled, a glint of mischief in his spectacles as he handed you the broom in exchange for the fat pouch.

“Pleasure doing business, young miss. You’re quite the beauty. You’ve a husband, I’m sure?” he chuckled.

You forced a chuckle, “Oh, no. I prefer not to be tied down.”

“I’ll say. I’m approaching 80, happily single. Never touched a lady.”

“Ah.” ‘This is slightly uncomfortable,’ you thought. “I’ll be off then. You have a fine day sir.”

You offered him an awkward half-grin and a nod as you rushed out of the shop. After placing an enchantment on your broom, you cast a spell to fit it into your pouch and paced away.

You walked back to the tavern to meet with your new party. The sun had already set, only a faint whisper of periwinkle left in the stretching cerulean sky. Speckles of brilliant lights scattered across the blue, twinkling softly. This life, you thought, seemed like a dream. Two days ago, you would’ve never imagined leaving your home in the enchanted forest.

There was a spirited crowd bustling in and around the warmly lit tavern, drinks in hand. You ventured further inside in search of the pair and found them at a table talking to a completely pink girl, clad in fashionable armor. She had curled, short hair and black scleras with piercing amber pupils. Eijirou caught sight of you and waved you over with a grin whilst Katsuki sat next to him mildly irritated, per usual.

“I’m back. Bought a pretty good broom. Who is this?”

The pink girl turned to you with a smile, “Oh hey! I’m Mina Ashido, it’s nice to meet you! I just found these two. You must be the witch Eijirou mentioned? That’s pretty fire.”

That was the first time anyone had ever called you “fire” for being a witch. ‘Does she mean to burn me, or is that a compliment…?’

Choosing to ignore her comment, you introduced yourself instead. “What do you do?”

“Formally, I cut wood, but that’s sorta lame. I’m really an axe maiden by day, protecting any people I can from monsters and creatures and what-nots. By night, I work as a barkeep here at this village.”

Eijirou perked up, “I was just about to ask! Why this village? Oh, by the way, me and Mina grew up in the same village in the East before I went off to the Dragon Kingdom.”

“Yep! You see, my family has a lumber company, hence the whole ‘axe maiden and woodcutter’ thing. Their company has a big branch in this village, so I came here a year ago to assess the operations and fell in love with the ambience! Seriously, the people here get down! Oh, and I’ve been protecting these people from the forest monsters ever since I saved a little girl in danger.”

“So you can fight?” Katsuki interrogated.

“Yup! Not to toot my own horn, but I think I’ve got a natural talent.”

“So join us then!” Eijirou lifted out of his seat with excitement, “We’re in the Legion of Heroes led by the All Might. It’s right up your alley, no?”

Mina gasped, “No…” Eijirou’s face fell before she continued, “Way! You’re in that!? I’ve always wanted to join someday!” she beamed, clapping her hands together.

“Hold on! Do you even know what we’re training for!?” Katsuki barked at her.

“Um, saving people, duh?”

He pinched his nose bridge in annoyance, “We’re training to fight the Demon King’s lingering forces. Join only if you think you can handle it. If you have doubts, just stay home.”

You winced at his rudeness, but you had to admit he was right. From what you could tell, she was a bright young lady with a promising future. You didn’t want to imagine what the worst case scenarios would be for her if she wasn’t strong enough.

“Wait, you said you’re training to fight, right? Well, that’s just perfect then,” Mina smiled, placing her hands on her hips.

“We’re only going to be training for a few months! After that, we’re formally heroes. You better be good enough to hold yourself up in that amount of time,” Katsuki scowled.

You stood confused at this. “Hold on, you never mentioned training to me.”

“You never asked, dullard!”

This time, you pinched your nose bridge and sighed sharply. “You are unbelievable, barbarian.”

“How many times must I tell you, my title is Chief Bakugou!” he shouted with his drink in hand, sloshing it onto the table.

“I don’t recall being a Dragonian. You’re not my chief.”

By now, the tables around you were beginning to murmur, eavesdropping on the argument. Mina and Eijirou stood awkwardly beside you two as you took notice of the unwanted attention.

“You’re tipsy, Chief. Take a walk,” you warned.

“The hell I am.”

The two of you were at a standstill, engaging in an intense staring contest. He hoisted himself out of his seat and stood tall over you, leaving just a few inches of space between you. He had to admit you were gutsy, and he would’ve respected it if he wasn’t the one you were provoking. You, on the other hand, found it insulting how often he tried to intimidate you.

“Heh-hey, you two! Let’s focus on recruiting Mina. The more the merrier, aye?” Eijirou patted both of your backs with an embarrassed smile, earning a scoff from Katsuki.

“Sorry, you’re right…” you hugged your arms, “Mina, I think it would be wonderful if you joined us. You must have a lot of fighting experience. I think you’ll manage well.”

She smiled softly, “Thank you, but I also… well… who’s going to protect the village while I’m gone?”

Before you could answer, a large, rough hand clapped over her shoulder and she jolted in shock. An aged, bearded man stood behind her with a warm smile.

“I overheard some of your chat, ‘pologies for the eaves. I’m the boss of this tavern,” he offered a friendly wave and put both his heavy hands on Mina’s shoulders, shaking her slightly, “Mina, I think you should go.”

“Boss!? Wait, really?” she exclaimed.

“Aye. You’ve what it takes, I know it. Strongest girl I e’er seen.”

Mina still looked conflicted, “But… what if everyone still needs me?”

“You’re always protecting us, working, doin’ good deeds. Don’t let this opportunity pass ya. I'd had my fair share of lost chances, now I’m just a regular ol’ tavern boss. You inspired enough people to take up arms and protect this village. I promise, we’ll be alright.”

Her eyes glistened slightly as she stared at her feet with wide eyes, shoulders tensed. Her hands gathered into fists as she turned towards you, Katsuki, and Eijirou.

“Okay, I’ll join you!”

Eijirou let out a relieved laugh and pumped his drink in the air. “Alright!”

You nodded at her while Katsuki crossed his arms and lifted his chin. Despite his air of conceitedness, he could spot the potential in her. “Bringing back two promising members should prove to All Might that I was overqualified for this silly recruitment job.”

The four of you had a few drinks of celebration and conversations regarding everyone’s various adventures. Surprisingly, you and Katsuki managed to not fight again, but there was a lingering air of pressure beneath your stares. You could feel his eyes lingering over you occasionally as you peered into your cup of tea. It was mostly Mina and Eijirou celebrating, since you and Katsuki weren’t much for socializing. ‘I wonder what his upbringing was like in that kingdom. I thought he’d be more boisterous,’ you wondered.

After your drinks, you headed off to your lodging with the civilian you saved. Katsuki and Eijirou slept on the dusty basement floor while you took the finely bedded guest room.

The next morning, the three of you met with Mina in the village square. The post-dawning sky took on a pastel blue, warm weather chasing away any sign of clouds. The sun still sat low on the horizon as you tried to blink your exhaustion away. Eijirou and Mina seemed to be the only ones raring to go.

“Everyone ready? Mina, did you pack everything?” Eijirou asked.

“Yup! Gosh, I’m excited!”

“Hurry up then. Dragon. Now,” Katsuki slurred.

He was still slightly hungover from having a few extra drinks the previous night. Eijirou heeded his command and grew back into his bulky, red-winged form. Mina gasped and you swore you saw stars in her eyes.

“Smokes! Eijirou, you grew like crazy! Last time I saw your dragon form, you were still the size of a dog!”

Eijirou puffed air from his nostrils at her in return.

You pulled out your miniature broom and took off the spell, bringing it to its full size. It was much more visually appealing and sturdy than your unfortunate old broom. This new one had an air of prestige to its pristine glow that made you feel like a proper witch. You hoisted yourself onto it as it floated, unwavering.

“Eijirou, thank you for destroying my old broom. This one is marvelous. It is worlds better than that old flimsy one.”

Eijirou puffed air again.

As Katsuki sluggishly hoisted himself onto Eijirou’s horned back, Mina’s head went back and forth between the two of you as she held her chin.

“Dragon or broom… dragon or broom…”

“My broom is much easier to hold onto. Fly with me. Also, I’m sure you don’t want to be stuck with that guffawing buffoon for hours,” you whispered to her.

“Yeah, you’re right,” she giggled, hoisting herself onto your broom behind you.

She held your waist securely as you gradually floated upwards, careful not to knock off your extra passenger. Eventually, you caught up to Eijirou and Katsuki high in the air. The wind gusted past you and Mina, blowing your hair into her face. She rested her head on your shoulder to avoid your whipping locks and you caught a faint scent of freshly cut wood and something sweet. It felt oddly comforting, despite the fact you’d only met her last night. She had a sociable friendliness to her that you rarely saw in people. It was an unknown feeling after years of isolation. Your social skills, after having mostly creatures as friends for so long, were a bit stunted. In most cases, you would’ve shrugged her off of you, but you decided to let her linger as you were faced with a familiar rush of breeze. ‘Maybe I’m turning soft from all of the sun I’ve been getting.’

Mina spoke into your ear through the howling wind, “So where did you grow up?”

“A small village a great distance away, in the Southern region. I was only brought to this region when I was around eleven.”

“Oh! A foreigner! It’s no wonder you speak kinda funny! Are there lots of witches down South?”

“Uh… not everywhere. It’s a very diverse place with many kingdoms and villages, just like here. Some places have warriors, elves, dwarves, or even mermen. The population of my village was strictly witches, though small. No men or any other class were allowed. They allowed all races, so long as they were a witch. They even allowed male-borns that permanently turned into female witches.”

“Woah, a place with no men!? Sounds like heaven!”

You chuckled in agreement.

“So are you a witch for work as well?” she asked.

“Oh, of course not, you know the climate around witches since the Demon King. I worked as an apothecary in a village and kept my witchery a secret.”

“Oh, right! Sorry, I forgot about that… I’ve never met a witch before.”

“Most haven’t. Don’t worry, I’m not upset.”

She sighed in relief. “So, we’re friends now, right?”

You sat stiffly, mind blank. Every clever quip you usually had stored suddenly dissipated. ‘Do people usually become friends this fast? Does this mean she’s fond of me? Well, I don’t particularly mind her… I suppose…’