If the ask game is still open, I would love to hear more about this delightful AU of yours where AFO is an emperor I think? I remember that Izuku had a fox automaton called Renard. Please.
Ha yes, the anima au!
After All Might is captured by AFO to get OFA back, All Might kidnaps Izuku to escape the country.
When Izuku meets Mei, they are two walking disasters that complement each other. As Izuku is under the supervision of All Might, he is the one who has to manage the two crazy child.
With Mei's help, Izuku manages to finalize the prototype allowing Renard to speak. However, Izuku never leaves Renard alone with her for fear of finding it with built-in portable cannons, flamethrowers or daggers once he turned his back. Mei tries to persuade him that it would make a great add-on.
Nagant is a member of the tracking team that is supposed to pick up Izuku. She's an elite soldier and an excellent tracker.
Izuku doesn't know how to cook. The one time All Might left him alone to take care of the meal, he almost set fire to their camp and burned the rations. Fortunately, Renard, like any good fox, is an excellent hunter and regularly brings back preys during their journey.
bonus : At first, All Might didn't know Izuku had an automaton fox as a pet. When he stole borrowed one of the flying ships that allowed him to leave the city with Izuku in his arms, he didn't notice Renard sneaking in. Until Izuku woke up, All Might experienced the equivalent of an Alien movie, where Renard was sneaking absolutely everywhere trying to tear his face off while the blond man struggled with whatever he could find to get rid of the automaton while preventing the ship from crashing.
Another one of my AU’s! I never posted it here, but it’s probably my fav x)
It’s Anima!AU, and the story takes place in an alternative and steampunk universe. There are not as many quirks as in canon (around 30%), but Izuku is always passionate by them and loves automatons too. (he created some himself)
It’s a DFO story, where Izuku grow up with his father and Tomura (bodyguard and friend, in some way)
So, here an illustration and some characters design (Izuku and Tomura) :
A new illustration with an extract, this time! There is the english version first, and I added the french one too :)
"Not a sound," Yagi whispered.
The blond held Izuku against the wall with a strong and firm grip despite his sickly appearance. Izuku stared at him with a frown, the incomprehension clearly visible on his face. Yagi didn't give him a look. He wasn't looking at anything specific, in fact. His eyes were just wide open, frozen, pupils dilated and his body was tense.
Attentive.
Clac.
Izuku's eyes widened. If the night had not been so silent and empty of life, the boy would never have heard the clicking of claws scraping the ground. A metallic, steady, quiet sound.
Clac.
It was much heavier than Renard's flowing step. It was also farther away, out of sight at the moment when Yagi had grabbed Izuku by the shirt to hide behind one of the low walls along the street.
Clac.
Izuku had not even noticed the presence. And as the tinkling became closer and closer, clearer and sharper, he could feel the excess energy swarming under his skin, becoming unstable and painful as his anxiety grew. He regretted that Renard had disappeared in the night, because there, right away, he terribly missed the comforting presence of his automaton. Nor did watch Yagi stand as still as a statue help to calm his mind, and he squirmed under its grip. The blond turned silently towards him, a finger on his lips as he stuck himself a little closer to the wall and brought Izuku closer to his chest.
There were still steps, and a grunt resounded behind the low wall decorated with bushes. The thing finally overtook them, revealing the amalgam of flesh and metal that formed its body. It was as tall as a horse, but much more massive, and the dark body glowed in the glow of the street lamps. The paws, made of steel and other materials that Izuku did not recognize, were probably as wide as the boy's silhouette, and he had no doubt that one blow would be enough to shred him.
"It's hunting us," one of the voices said. "This one has no sense of smell, but it has keen hearing. Silence."
Izuku wanted to ask what the hell was that thing, but just the idea of opening his mouth and being noticed twisted his insides in a painful way. He suddenly missed his bed. His bed and the warm, soft blankets. And hot chocolates too, with marshmallows and cream in excess.
He wasn't sure he'd get the chance to drink one again.
The monster raised its head and looked around, probing its surroundings. What must have been its ears stood straight and high on its head, and it stood there, motionless and silent, its iron tail flapping the air.
Deep down, in a visceral way, Izuku knew it. If that thing turned around, it would find them.
But there was little they could do, each sound threatening to reveal their presence. So they stood there, paralyzed like mice at the sight of a cat. Yagi looked straight ahead, breathing calmly despite the clamminess of his hands, and looked for something in one of his pockets. Izuku, on the other hand, had his hands glued to his mouth, reducing the sound of his breathing as much as possible as he closed his eyes.
A new growl - a mixture of low rumblings, clattering, and rales - emanated from the monster before it fatally began to rotate in their direction. Izuku felt tears streaming from the corner of his eyes as the fright lacerated his stomach, making him want to vomit.
They were dead. Izuku had always had bad luck and that wouldn't change tonight. Yagi, too weak to fight, would end up in pieces by something straight from hell, and Izuku would end up just as shredded in the corner. He pitied the poor passers-by who would discover their corpses in the early morning. If there was anything left of them.
There were still footsteps, rattling and scraping, closer and closer still, when suddenly the echo of a crate falling to the ground resounded in the night and startled him. The beast's head turned around, its neck twisted in a position that was anything but natural, and stared into the darkness in search of the source of the noise.
A moment passed without anything happening and then the duo, completely alert and motionless, watched the rest of the creature move to follow the alignment of its head that fixed one of the alleys.
A white lightning bolt leapted out of the shadows, three tails whipping the air as Renard faced the monster. The metal sparkled under the artificial light, and the gold bindings that covered its body captured the light and reflected it back. Izuku would have wanted to scream, panic and anxiety roaring in his veins. Renard was so small in comparison, tiny and frail in front of the creature.
All it would take is one bad move.
Yagi had to restrain the boy and put one hand over his mouth so he wouldn't ruin everything.
The creature was staring at Renard, motionless, one of its legs frozen above the ground. The body creaked and rattled as it bent forward. For a moment, the thing was standing about fifteen meters from the automaton. The next, it was on Renard and trying to push it to the ground with its claws and fangs out.
However, the automaton, although much smaller than the monster, remained agile and fast. It managed to free itself in a fluid movement, rolling on the ground and getting back on its feet. Then, before the dark creature moved again, the automaton hurried off into one of the adjacent alleys, the one opposite where the duo was.
The thing didn't waste a second and followed it, disappearing into the night as rumblings and screams echoed through the city.
Both remained motionless for a while, before Yagi finally decided to get up, looking around for anything abnormal. Izuku was still curled up on the floor, nervously playing with his shirt while his mind wandered about what was waiting for his automaton.
Renard was fast and hard to catch. It was also much smaller and could sneak everywhere, it would find a place inaccessible to the monster, right? It could always run and lose it somewhere, but could it find his way back? Izuku didn't know the city well, and he doubted that his automaton would do better. My God, what if it couldn't find it before leaving ? What if Renard got stuck here ? Yagi could understand and maybe delay the departure, but what if they couldn't find Renard ? They couldn't leave it here! Nor could he ask for information or help from anyone, they were wanted. And in broad daylight, his automaton would not really be the most discreet thing in these neighborhoods. Oh my God, what if the monster catches it anyway? What if it's not fast enough?
"Midoriya, you're rambling."
The boy blinked, suddenly out of his thoughts. Yagi had crouched down in front of him and gently shook his shoulder.
"Your fox is an intelligent beast. I'm sure it will find us," he said.
The blond offered him a smile.
This time, Izuku wasn't sure it was true.
"We shouldn't stay here," Yagi continued, looking again at the alley where the monster had disappeared. "These things never move alone."
"What exactly was that?" asked the greenette, his face still pale as he released a shiver.
The man stared at him with a sorry expression, before tapping his shoulder and helping him up.
"One of your father's experiments."
.
FRENCH VERSION ===============================
.
"Plus un bruit," murmura Yagi.
Le blond maintenait Izuku contre le mur, la poigne forte et ferme malgré son apparence maladive. Izuku le fixa avec un froncement de sourcil, l'incompréhension clairement visible sur son visage. Yagi ne lui accorda pas un regard. Il ne regardait rien de précis, en fait. Les yeux grands ouvert, figés, les pupilles dilatées et le corps tendu.
Attentif.
Clac.
Les yeux d'Izuku s'écarquillèrent. Si la nuit n'avais pas été si silencieuse et vide de vie, le garçon n'aurait jamais entendu le cliquetis des griffes raclant le sol. Un son métallique, régulier et tranquille.
Clac.
Il était bien plus pesant que le pas fluide de Renard. Il était aussi plus lointain, hors de vue au moment où Yagi avait saisit Izuku par la chemise pour se cacher derrière l'un des murets qui longeaient la rue.
Clac.
Izuku n'avait même pas remarqué la présence. Et alors que les tintements se faisaient de plus en plus proches, de plus en plus clairs et nets, il pouvait sentir le surplus d'énergie grouiller sous sa peau, devenant instable et douloureux à mesure que son anxiété grandissait. Il regrettait que Renard ait disparu dans la nuit, car là, tout de suite, la présence réconfortante de son automate lui manquait terriblement. Regarder Yagi se tenir aussi immobile qu'une statue n'aidait pas non plus à apaiser son esprit, et il se tortilla sous sa prise. Le blond se retourna en silence vers lui, un doigt sur ses lèvres alors qu'il se collait un peu plus contre le mur et rapprochait Izuku de sa poitrine.
Il y eu encore des pas, et un grognement résonna derrière le muret orné de buissons. La chose les dépassa enfin, dévoilant l'amalgame de chair et de métal que formait son corps. Le monstre était aussi grand qu'un cheval, mais bien plus massif, et le corps sombre luisait à la lueur des réverbères. Les pattes, faite d'acier et d'autres matériaux qu'Izuku ne reconnut pas, était probablement aussi large que la silhouette du garçon, et il ne douta pas une seconde qu'un coup suffise pour le déchiqueter.
"Il nous traque," lui intima une des voix. "Celui-ci n'a pas d'odorat, mais son ouïe est fine. Silence."
Izuku voulait demander ce que diable était ce truc à l'ouïe fine, mais rien que l'idée d'ouvrir la bouche et de se faire remarquer lui tordait les entrailles d'une manière douloureuse. Son lit lui manquait tout d'un coup. Son lit et les couvertures chaudes et douces. Et les tasses de chocolats chaud, aussi, avec des guimauves et de la crème à outrance.
Il n'était pas sûr d'avoir à nouveau la chance d'en boire un.
Le monstre releva la tête et observa les alentours, sondant son environnement. Les choses qui devait lui servir d'oreilles se tenaient droites et hautes sur sa tête, et il resta là, immobile et silencieux, la queue de fer battant l'air.
Au fond de lui, d'une manière viscérale, Izuku le savait. Si cette chose se retournait, elle les trouverait.
Mais ils ne pouvaient pas faire grand chose, chaque son menaçant de dévoiler leur présence. Alors, ils restèrent là, paralysés comme des souris à la vue d'un chat. Yagi regardait droit devant lui, la respiration calme malgré la moiteur de ses mains, et chercha quelque chose dans une de ses poches. Izuku, lui, avait les mains collées contre sa bouche, atténuant au mieux le bruit de sa respiration alors qu'il fermait les yeux.
Un nouveau grognement - un mélange de grondements graves, de cliquetis et de râles - émana du monstre avant qu'il ne commence fatalement à pivoter dans leur direction. Izuku sentit des larmes perler au coin de ses yeux alors que l'effroi lui lacérait l'estomac, lui donnant envie de vomir.
Ils étaient finis. Izuku avait toujours eu la poisse et ça ne changerait pas cette nuit. Yagi, trop faible pour se battre, allait finir en morceaux par un truc sorti tout droit des enfers, et Izuku finirait tout aussi déchiqueté dans le coin de la rue. Il plaignait les pauvres passants qui découvriraient leurs cadavres au petit matin. S'il en restait quoi que ce soit.
Il y eu encore des pas, des cliquetis et raclements, plus proches et plus proches encore, lorsque soudain, l'écho d'une caisse tombant au sol résonna dans la nuit et le fit sursauter. La tête de la bête fit volte-face, le cou tordu dans une position tout sauf naturelle et fixa les ténèbres à la recherche de l'origine du bruit.
Un moment s’écoula sans que rien ne se passe puis, le duo, complètement alerte et immobile, observa le reste de la créature bouger pour suivre l'alignement de sa tête qui fixait l'une des ruelles.
Un éclair blanc bondit hors des ombres, trois queues fouettant l'air alors que Renard faisait face au monstre. Le métal étincelait sous la lumière artificielle, et les reliures en or qui couvraient son corps captaient la lumière et la renvoyaient. Izuku aurait voulu hurler, la panique et l'inquiétude rugissant dans ses veines. Renard était si petit en comparaison, minuscule et frêle devant la créature.
Il suffirait d'un mauvais coup.
Yagi dut le retenir et lui plaquer une main sur la bouche pour ne pas qu'il ruine tout.
La créature toisait Renard, immobile, une des pattes gelées au-dessus du sol. Le corps grinça et cliqueta alors qu'il se penchait en avant. Un instant, la chose se tenait à une quinzaine de mètres de l'automate. Le suivant, il était sur Renard et tentait de le plaquer au sol, griffes et crocs sortis.
Cependant, l'automate, bien que beaucoup plus petit que le monstre, restait agile et rapide. Il parvint à se dégager dans un mouvement fluide, roulant sur le sol et se remettant sur ses pattes. Puis, avant que la créature sombre ne bouge à nouveau, l'automate détala dans une des ruelles adjacentes, celle à l'opposée d'où se trouvait le duo.
La chose ne perdit pas une seconde et s'élança à sa suite, disparaissant dans la nuit alors que des grondements et des cris se répercutait dans la ville.
Les deux restèrent immobiles pendant un moment, avant que Yagi ne se décide enfin à se relever, observant les alentours à la recherche de quoi que ce soit d'anormal. Izuku était toujours recroquevillé par terre, jouant nerveusement avec sa chemise alors que son esprit divaguait sur ce qui attendait son automate.
Renard était rapide et dur à attraper. Il était aussi bien plus petit et pouvait se faufiler partout, il trouverait bien un endroit inaccessible au monstre, pas vrai ? Il pouvait toujours courir et le semer quelque part, mais est-ce qu'il pourrait retrouver son chemin ? Izuku ne connaissait pas bien la ville, et il doutait que son automate se débrouille mieux. Mon dieu, et s'il ne le trouvait pas avant le départ ? Et si Renard restait coincé ici ? Yagi pourrait comprendre et peut-être retarder le départ, mais s'ils ne trouvaient pas Renard ? Ils ne pouvaient pas le laisser là ! Et il ne pouvait pas non plus demander des infos ou de l'aide à qui que ce soit, ils étaient recherchés. Et en plein jour, son automate ne serait pas vraiment la chose la plus discrète dans ces quartiers. Ho mon dieu, et si le monstre l'attrape quand même ? Et s'il n'est pas assez rapide ?
"Midoriya, tu divagues."
Le garçon cligna des yeux, soudainement tiré de ses pensées. Yagi s'était accroupis devant lui et lui secouait doucement l'épaule.
"Ton renard est une bête intelligente. Je suis sûr qu'il nous retrouvera," il dit.
Le blond lui offrit un sourire.
Cette fois-ci, Izuku n'était pas sûr qu'il soit vrai.
"Nous ne devrions pas rester ici," continua Yagi en observant à nouveau la ruelle où avait disparu le monstre. "Ces choses ne se baladent jamais seules."
"Qu'est-ce que c'était, au juste ?" demanda l'adolescent, le visage encore livide alors qu'il relâchait un frisson.
L'homme le dévisagea avec une expression désolée, avant de lui tapoter l'épaule et de l'aider à se relever.
