Libertias Aut Mortis Chapter 2: GUB
tw: bigotry, dehumanization
Where their relationships are at and a very confusing game that I would pay money to see how it would actually play out
Notes:
‘text’ JSL
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Chapter Text
On Monday, the class was abuzz with the news of an explosion on Mt. Takatsuma. The Wild Wild Pussycats were called in to help with the rescue efforts, but no bodies were found. News stations reported an old, abandoned terrace farm was the target, although the source of the explosion was yet to be determined. Akira played along while ignoring the confused glances from Fumikage and the knowing look from Aizawa.
At lunch, Fumikage prodded, “So, what’d you have to do with the explosion?”
Aoyama choked on his drink and Koji startled from leaning over to talk with a critter. Shouto looked on curiously as Akira half-heartedly glared at Fumikage. ‘ Seriously? You can’t just ask someone that. Also, Sparkles, you okay? ’ At his thumbs up, they continued, ‘ Things are about to get a lot more dangerous for anyone in my proximity, so if you’re going to ask questions like that, it needs to be in a secure location��after checking for bugs. ’
“So you did have something to do with it?” Koji asked, worry and a spark of hurt in his eyes.
Akira was slightly taken aback at the latter and thought for a moment until they remembered the effect that could’ve had on wildlife . Akira clarified, ‘ I’ll have a conversation with them anyways so this specifically isn’t as big a deal to share. It was a rescue mission, and the explosion was to make sure the facility isn’t used in the future. It had protections in place to avoid forest fires. ’
“How do you know that?” Koji asked, gaze sharpening slightly.
‘ I used to live there and familiarized myself with as much of the Tinker tech they had as I could. ’ Akira forced themself to take a few bites as their appetite waned. ‘ Normally, no one would think of leaving, so most of it was to keep people out and quirks in. ’
“Who were you rescuing?” Aoyama asked, glancing between them and Koji somewhat nervously.
‘ Quirkless kids and a few kids with very weak quirks. No one who would be missed, ’ Akira signed bitterly. After all, the family would be far less likely to go after them over their rejects than the next few steps of the plan. Without even a whisper of League involvement, they couldn’t take accusations very far. Akira slowed eating as they went over the next stage again, mulling over possible hiccups and alternate exit strategies.
“What do you think?” Koji interrupted their thoughts.
Akira looked up, flushing as they realized they hadn’t heard a word of what they’d been saying. ‘ Sorry, got distracted. What do you want my thoughts on? ’
Fumikage started to say something but was interrupted by Dark Shadow nudging the hand Akira was holding chopsticks in. “You’re not eating,” they rumbled. With a tight smile and slight chuckle, Akira resumed eating but nodded expectantly to Fumikage.
“This week is focused on analysis, and most of this term covers strategy and planning. Will you have time for a study group or will you be too wrapped up in your… extracurriculars?”
Akira snorted at the word choice but paused in thought. They’d need to go to Midoriya if I don’t lead the group, and he’s already got Yaoyorozu’s group. But if I commit and drop out when I need to… Akira shook their head and offered, ‘ I can’t commit for the full term, but I can help you get started. ’
Shouto frowned in confusion, looking between the two of them. “I thought we weren’t allowed extracurricular activities as part of the hero course.” Aoyama whispered to Shouto, and a look of understanding crossed his face.
Establishing Akira’s Headspace
‘ Am I being selfish? ’ Akira pulled their blanket a little tighter as they leaned against the wall.
“Pipsqueak, I’m gonna need more context, but I can already tell you the answer is no,” Dabi huffed from his position draped over the couch.
‘ Staying with Mad Banquet until I have to leave, ’ Akira ignored the last part. ‘ I can’t exactly tell them “oh by the way, I’m going to drop out and go on a killing spree if Plan A doesn’t work, which at this point, we don’t think it will.” ’
“I mean you could…” Dabi grinned wolfishly, making Akira snort. His expression dropped into concern, though, as he continued, “Seriously, Pipsqueak, the answer is no. You should be a kid while you can. Enjoy your friends, have a party or two, you’re already technically sneaking out.”
‘ Won’t it just hurt them more the longer I stay, though? ’ Akira chewed on the necklace Sero got them for the Secret Santa.
“Does Stringbean seem happier to you?” Dabi raised an eyebrow. “Pretty sure last time you talked about them, he seemed pretty miserable to me.”
‘ That’s different, ’ Akira groaned. ‘ Blank got a sneak peak of the shit show that’s coming, and he decided to leave before I could leave them. Honestly, that’s what I was expecting if they found out a piece of the plan, but… ’
“But they’re more loyal than the average cat,” Dabi smirked. “Come on, Pipsqueak, you couldn’t ditch them if you tried. Even sounds to me like a couple might follow you out the door.”
‘ They better not, ’ Akira shot back immediately. If they couldn’t keep the people they cared about who were in the least amount of danger safe, how could they expect to keep the rest safe?
Family Meeting
The café door dinged as Umbra strode into the sparsely populated dining area with geometric beams hanging from the ceiling. Aside from Asami and one of the family PR managers, two Legacy Holders sat at separate oak tables. One wore the standard mandatory identifiers while the other only wore the red wren ring, just visible on the hand around a mug. Umbra wove around the neat rows of tables between the two, careful to keep a distance from both despite being set up to run into the latter if avoiding the former. After grabbing chamomile tea in a to-go cup from the pristine white tiled bar, Umbra relaxed into their seat facing the exit. ‘ You wanted to talk? ’
“We all know why we’re here, so let’s cut to the chase. I’m Osamu Inoue, and you know Asami,” Osamu spoke plainly as she sipped a latté. “What’s your goal here, child?”
Without missing a beat, Umbra casually replied, ‘ My goal was to get those kids into safe homes. Clearly you weren’t going to just give them up, so I took them. ’
“And what do you intend to do with them?” Osamu sneered. Asami shifted uncomfortably but stilled as the other’s hand moved to her arm.
Umbra waved her off. ‘ They’re of no use to me. They were of no use to the family. Think of it as less mouths to feed if you’d like. ’ They offered, focusing on the negative stereotypes they grew up with.
Osamu’s eyes narrowed slightly even as Asami nodded along. “So you are aware any further action against the family would be pointless, correct?”
Umbra straightened slightly, eyes growing wide. ‘ Of course! That would be suicidal. I’m not going to pointlessly die. I’m only interested in finding the useless a space to quietly exist as themselves. I’ll happily take any others off your hands, but I’m not expecting as much. ’
After a moment of tense silence, Osamu huffed and stood. “Then we’re done here.”
Umbra nodded and gave a slight bow in acknowledgement before leaving with their tea. Both Legacy Holders followed soon after, spread apart to normally avoid being associated. Umbra kept their pace measured and steady as they picked their way down the street while keeping an ear out for the two pairs of footsteps in sync with them. The suburban streets were a little quiet for a Saturday afternoon, the light bustle reduced to a tense near-silence.
As Aizawa’s black sedan came into sight, Umbra inwardly relaxed slightly and brightly smiled. They gave a little wave and quickened their pace slightly, locking their expression as they heard their tails quicken their own. Umbra easily side-stepped the attempted brush by the incognito one, a civilian on the receiving end instead as the Legacy Holder apologized. By the time Umbra felt his eyes again, they were closing the car door.
“Was that-”
‘ Legacy Holder, yeah, ’ Akira let their breath out in a woosh . They watched through tinted windows as the man continue down the street like nothing happened. ‘ I don’t think they know I’m aware of the markers. Or at least the ones meant for reconnaissance since they had a plain-clothed one. ’
“You alright?” Aizawa asked, concerned eyes flitting to them as he drove off.
Akira nodded, slumping into the passenger seat with a shudder. They carefully set their cup in the drink holder to be tested later and turned slightly to watch the city whiz past. The new mask they’d crafted to deal with their family on… pleasant terms made their skin crawl, but neither Akira nor Mortis would fit into the slightly off model citizen the family had to think they were. Just until they have to see me as a threat .
“Who are you doing the analysis on?” Aizawa asked after a while.
Akira glanced over and smirked slightly. ‘ You’ll just have to wait and see. ’ At Aizawa’s quirked eyebrow, they chuckled, sliding into the now familiar dynamic. Soon, they’d only be able to reliably stay in touch with Aizawa and Nezu, the completion of the first real step gaining the momentum to start a domino effect.
Yamazawa House Dynamic
At the house, Oboro and Bastard sprinted up yowling at the pair, the tuxedo bearing pink ribbons on his tail and looking altogether unamused. Akira snorted and reached over to pet Oboro as they untied their boots. Aizawa huffed in amusement, and Akira looked up in time to see Eri emerge from the living room with a very sparkly Nico, his once black fur shimmering in a rainbow of colors as he lay flopped over in Eri’s arms.
“You’re back!” she cheered with a small grin. “Nico wanted to play with glitter, too.” Eri held up the little black cat as proof, spraying the pair with a light dusting of glitter.
“I can see that,” Aizawa smiled slightly. “Where’s your pop?”
Eri pouted and let Nico down as he started wiggling. “He had a work call. Pop’s been in your room for a while now.”
Aizawa’s smile faded slightly as he glanced toward their bedroom in concern. “Why don’t you show Reaper what you’ve been working on, and I’ll check on him.”
Eri eagerly pulled Akira into the living room where sheets of paper sprawled across the floor along with crayons, bottles of glitter, glue, and markers. Hitoshi sat in the armchair with his laptop open and one earbud in. Akira gave an awkward wave as they looked up.
“Toshi said I could draw for his ena… anal….”
“Analysis,” Hitoshi gently corrected. “I’m doing Amajiki from 3-A.”
‘ Neat, I’m doing Hagakure from 1-C, ’ Akira smiled slightly. ‘ Wanted someone who had less footage. ’
Eri gasped, eyes sparkling on her upturned face. “Can I draw them?”
Akira shrugged, ‘ She’s actually always invisible. Her outfits stay visible, though. I’m considering a couple reasons for the invisibility so will let you know if there’s something more exciting for you to draw. ’
Eri firmly nodded and went back to drawing… looking closer, Akira wasn’t entirely sure what it was other than an amalgamation of several animals. They glanced at Hitoshi with a raised eyebrow, but he was back at work.
“Alright, who’s up for some takeout?” Yamada asked as he and Aizawa emerged a few minutes later.
Glancing over, Akira frowned slightly at the tension behind the adults’ expressions, and Hitoshi seemed to notice it, too. Eri was all too happy to go over options with Yamada while Aizawa signed ‘ later .’
Sleipnir Meeting
Mortis slipped through the window of a dark warehouse, searching for any flicker of movement as they dropped a few inches to the floor. One of the longest running vigilantes in the province agreed to meet them after putting out a call for vigilantes through Giran. While their quirk wasn’t particularly powerful, Sleipnir’s illusions could help mask movements, and if it agreed, other vigilantes would surely follow.
“Good of you to show up,” a smooth voice called out from the darkness. The lithe vigilante stepped out of the shadows from where they should’ve been visible, forest green and amber costume rippling about it.
‘ I’m early, ’ Mortis retorted as they took in Sleipnir. Although, they couldn’t be sure this was their actual appearance. ‘ You come highly recommended by Broker. What’s your interest in our operation? ’
“The hero system as it stands is corrupt,” Sleipnir casually circled Mortis, hands clasped behind its back. “The people who want to become heroes get burnt out or flat out rejected while the ones who shouldn’t become heroes receive praise and accolades.” They paused behind, Mortis resisting the urge to follow their circle. “Giran said you seek to root out and crush the core of the corruption.”
‘ Do you have any alliances or partnerships with heroes? ’ The handful of underground names lined up with what Giran gave Mortis, so they nodded along thoughtfully. Mortis asked a few more questions dancing around the topic of the Wrens, clocking every shift of weight and expression as they talked. Eventually, Mortis felt satisfied enough in Sleipnir’s answers and said, ‘ I think you’ll be a good fit. If Plan A works, you’ll know. Otherwise, I’ll be in touch once things die down. ’
With a sharp nod, the two parted ways, Sleipnir disappearing into the night as Mortis made their way back to the warp point. Even if they got away with the bombing, the Wrens would undoubtedly start surveillance on them. Mortis was a little surprised at their lack of surveillance up to this point, but then again, they hadn’t really given their family a reason to do so. Mortis buried their face into their thick scarf against the biting wind as it whistled through the streets.
At two in the morning, very few people roamed the streets. The occasional houseless person and group stumbling out of a bar were their only company. Wrens and Wren allies now watched Yamada at his station and the commission under the guise of forging closer work friendships. The indirect surveillance would be easy enough to avoid, but it did lock in the danger to the household. Once they got within range, Mortis texted Dabi.
They emerged from the goo in the beige hell of the League’s common room of the PLF base. A few ratty throws and their mismash of thrifted or stolen dishes bled the only color into the large room. Even the damn couch was beige, a rough white rug the only padding against echoing floors.
“How’d it go?” Twice asked, looking up from a game of GUB. Dabi scowled at what Mortis could make out as a stack of Uno cards on top of red playing cards with two +2 on top as they got closer.
‘ Good, ’ Mortis gave a rundown of the encounter. They settled into a stiff beige chair, drawing up to join Toga, Twice, and Compress’ team. Dabi drew four as Toga smugly took the trick, bouncing side to side as Mortis glanced at the bidding sheet and played a two of clubs while they sorted their hand. Game nights had become a way to unwind in the midst of their planning and training, a small reprieve in the whirlwind of activity. Compress tried to sneak a few extra cards before they implemented the mc rule, and Kurogiri used to warp them away with a disappointed glance.
While Shigaraki grew more responsible to fill Kurogiri’s void, a tension hung in the air that only increased when they started working directly with the Doctor. Moments where he would’ve looked to Kurogiri were filled with silence instead before he huffed and moved on. Spinner took to making tea and trying to mix the occasional drink, but most were either too strong or had bizarre flavor combinations. Magne and Compress made sure the members took care of themselves, establishing check-ins and cooking or bringing takeout as the less recognizable members of the League outside of costume.
“Hawks keeps pushing to join,” Dabi grumbled as he set down a reverse. Mortis cocked an eyebrow and reversed. “We still going with after your reveal?”
A small smirk played on their face as the reverse chain kept going. Mortis nodded and briefly set their hand down. ‘ He must be with the commission still. Can’t let them know I’m with you early. ’
“Can you let us play?” Spinner snarked, drawing a chuckle from Magne. Mortis locked eyes for a moment as they set down a +4, making him scowl and draw as Magne and Dabi cackled. “Why are we even entertaining him joining? He has an out and hasn’t taken it.”
Mortis winced as everyone fell silent, only the shift of cards audible in the barren room. Dabi looked to them before responding, “He comes from a similar situation to ours. Once he knows Pipsqueak is on our side, he’ll follow.”
After game night wound down, Akira passed Dabi a box of Chips Ahoy and matcha cookies and another of scar and skin care products. ‘ Happy Birthday, Wildfire. Peppermint wanted to contribute to the cookies, but he’s almost as bad as you are in the kitchen. Winter and Summer got the rest. ’
Dabi snorted and ruffled their hair with a muttered thanks.
Notes:
this opening gave me such ick to write. I wasn’t expecting to add another mask for Akira, but here we are. Umbra is specifically who they need to be in case family members are present with mind-reading quirks.
Almost missed Dabi’s birthday until I saw a few tiktoks celebrating it. I have in-universe dates for each chapter since the last arc of Bello Licentiae was a real headache without writing those down, and this chapter falls on January 13-19.
Gods going back and trying to understand the rules of GUB (go fish-uno-bridge combined) was so confusing XD lmk if y’all want the rules; originally I made the game for chapter 41 but figured I’d introduce it here instead since I had them playing Uno
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