Thread by @bakuangst

Katsuki hung his head low, gritting his teeth. His hand, bound at his back, form into fists as more and more witches gather in the forest.

He can't allow them to go further.

#dkbk #tdbk #dekubaku #todobaku #tdbkdk

cw: witch! bakugou, witch! todoroki, bunny beastman! deku, just a drabble inspired by grimoire of zero since i binged it today🥹, not angst, but not fluff either, idk tbh. qrts are much appreciated!!

He reels in the anxiety thrumming through his veins, feigning courage as he demands their attention once again.

"Heed me, fellow witches!" he screams, stopping them from departing.

Every pair of eye turns to him, and in his periphery he sees Monoma draw his staff, undoubtedly ready to strike him if he does something funny.

"This war will not end even if we kill Dabi! Humans will once again retaliate, just as we did once when our Mother Mitsuki was slain!"

"As your representative of the Coven for Phosphor and Aegir, I order you thus! - I wish to remove all magic in this kingdom, and spread its knowledge once again properly, just as Mitsuki intended!" he bellows.

Silence permeates the area, and Katsuki bites his lips in anticipation. It drags on, and he tries to convince himself that they're considering it.

"Waka-sama, should we not end this war, just as Mother Mitsuki intended?" Honenuki asks.

"That's right," another witch agrees, one of the elders. "We wish to win, over the humans."

Katsuki blanches. He has not the heart to deny them that.

Monoma sees his expression, sighs and brings down his staff.

"The people here gathered for Mother Mitsuki, not you, his son.." he says coldly, "...Waka-sama," he adds, as if an afterthought.

"Waka-sama," Uraraka calls to him, "where were you, when U.A was pillaged by rogue witches?"

Katsuki balks, curling into himself. "I was travelling...looking for a beastman to sacrifice..." he nearly whispers.

She purses her lips, "So you have left us, in our most crucial time of need?"

"I had to get stronger! If i was... truly to become your representative..." his voice withers.

"You do /not/ need power. You simply need determination to lead us all," she refutes quickly.

Katsuki has no response. She clicks her tounge.

"If only you were to stay quiet, and stay alive. We simply need your name and presence as Mitsuki’s remaining brethren."

"Uravity! You are out of line!" someone berates her.

Not a single one of them disagrees.

"It is the truth! Why must I still serve him and respect him when he has clearly betrayed us?! I accepted him as before us because he was Mitsuki’s son! And even as that, he does not fulfill his duties! To the coven, that raised him after-"

"That is enough of you, witch."

They startle, some drawing theirs staffd and others creating magic circles. A tall man with green fur exits the bushes, glaring at them all.

"You watch your mouth, he may still be a fledgling but Waka-sama is still wiser than you ever will be."

Uraraka grits her teeth, a scowl on her features. She smirks, condescending as she turns to Katsuki.

"Must be great to be loved by your manservant, Waka-sama?

If you truly wished for power to be greater, why did you not use his head as a sacrifice?" she asks, accusing.

"Why have you not followed Mitsuki’s technique? How long were you planning to disobey her final wishes?"

The beastman growls at her, claws showing off from his paws. The atmosphere turns tense, as Katsuki watches.

He...does not know this people.

They were not those that raised him after his mother was burned at the stake. Who taught him magic after his mentor was gone, and those he asked advice from when "He" approached them.

They had the same faces, but their minds were no longer the same.

Their greed to win this war has wavered their true kindness, and Katsuki does not wish for that to truly disappear.

He steels his resolve, licking away the blood that accumulated from how hard he bit his lip.

"You," he rasps, "have no right to question my loyalty to /my/ mother."

He looks up, akin to a wounded but feral animal.

"You have no right, to say this is what my mother wanted."

(// for flashbacks conversations🥹, others are present time)

//Katsuki, witches and humans are not to fight.//

//Why? Aren't we too different?//

//Hmm, that is true. But we have a symbiotic relationship. They provide us a land, food, we offer protection, healing, our magic//

"My mother did not really strive for peace, but she wanted humans and witches to coexist. She is not who you think she is," he says, willing the tears to not fall. He glares at them, who all had different expressions on their faces.

"Do not sully my mother's name for your selfish cause."

They're stunned into silence. Uraraka scoffs.

"Listen to you. Your mother was burned at the stake, but you do not even intend to avenge her. What kind of son-"

"Mitsuki-sama chose to burn at the stake." The beastman cuts her off. Her eyes widen, and the beastman smiles. It doesn't reach his eyes.

"She chose to burn so me and Kacchan could escape."

"Then why," another screams, "why did you leave her? You're a beastman! It wouldn't have been to hard for you to stop the villagers-"

"By killing them?" he cuts him off.

The boy stutters through a reply. The beast shrugs him off. "She simply did not allow me. A cruel thing was, the Mother Witch was. A spell that allows control of any being with a lower intelligence. One word from her and my body moves."

"But, but-"

"Mitsuki chose to burn to her death, but she knew how her death would incite the witches' revolt," another voice of intercepts, coming from the back of the forest.

Footsteps thunder against the ground, a lithe figure approaching. The light shines on his face, showing reddened skin and heterochromatic eyes.

"She was a wise witch, she must have had a plan even after she passed," he said, stoically.

Someone draws their staff toward him, creating a magic circle. Words encircle him, a few characters tainted red.

"Book of Phosphor, Protection, Page 27. Grant me power, for I am Ingenium!"

"Denied," he says, and the circle breaks.

The witch gasps, falling back.

"You witches are not even strong enough to turn man into beast, and you dare use my magic against me?"

kfbdjdjd idk now. i literally just liked this scene way too much. should i expand on it?🥹🥹

tips are appreciated! :ko-fi.com/bakuangst