(Newly discovered method of breaking all creativity blocks.

Draw memes > draw sketches > draw art > write another chapter > repeat

And when drawing doesn't work, I hop on Terraria to see if I can beat my own personal challenge to gain all achievements without outside help.

It's fun... I'm so bored.)

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The Dreemur's were warm.

If anyone asked, that's how Izuku would describe it. Warm. The hearth was always aflame with a fire that never burned. The air was forever rich with a sweetness that stained his lungs and imprinted upon his memory. And the feeling radiated throughout the house and well into the Underground. It felt safe. It felt warm.

He stuck his hand inside the fireplace once to see how hot it was but didn't so much as flinch at the heat that reminded him of a fluffy blanket. It enveloped his hand and licked at his fingers but never harmed him. So- magic fire. He was pulled back by a very panicked Toriel who fussed over him for far too long - much too busy lecturing him to notice the lack of burns. She then proceeded to explain the difference between the magic types and how they function ("No, Izuku, just because it's made of magic does not make it safe to touch." "Oh...").

Sometimes, he'd wake to the cinnamon and sugar and see Toriel in the kitchen. Other times it would be the scent of flowers and tea and he'd meet Asgore at the table. But the stubborn aroma of grass and oak stuck to his nose every time he woke up to Asriel's sleepy face, always reminding him that it was going to be another fun day of adventure and learning.

The Dreemurs were bright today.

They teemed with life and glowed with delight. Izuku watched as Toriel bustled about with tea and cookies while Asgore collected papers and a strange book he'd never seen before. It looked important. Asriel sat down next to him and began rambling about a guest who came by every now and again. Asriel didn't have any memories of "the doctor", but Toriel and Asgore seemed to speak of him in high regard, so he surely must be worth all this effort.

An hour passed and the chaos finally moved outside to a small cloth set up on the ground with a low table atop it. The children peeked through the window to see what was going on, Izuku more curious than anything. A man in a long white coat walked into the area, sitting down with the two, and discussed things Izuku couldn't hear from within the house. Asriel didn't make any moves toward the door so he assumed it was normal and wandered back to their room to read.

Toriel's earlier lecture on magic got him curious so he went digging through her bookcase and found a book that looked accurate. Toriel has been praising his reading skills lately, so while he didn't understand most of the odd words in the textbook, he understood the point they were trying to make. And that was enough to get him looking into something other than storybooks (apparently "fairytales" were a bit more literal than he thought) and dictionaries. And with how many dictionaries and encyclopedias he's been breezing through, he's certain he's surpassed Kachan's reading skills. (Hah! Take that baka-chan!)

He had to read a few paragraphs at least three times before he was able to fill in the gaps with context clues. It sure wasn't easy, and Asriel had a fun little habit of interrupting his "nerd time" for games but it was worth it. Now he could read all the complex words surrounding the magic he hadn't encountered yet. Even better, he was able to understand Toriel's speech style. She always felt so cool and wise, and he liked that about her, so he started copying her speech style.

Toriel wouldn't admit it aloud, but she found it cute.

"Seriously? Weren't the dictionaries enough for you?" Asriel joked, poking his head into the room. "Of course not! The is no harm in learning new things, Asriel. That in itself is a journey. I am not to blame for you not wanting to venture that path," Izuku snarked back, adding in as many big words as he could to bother Asriel. It got the desired effect when Izuku heard a loud groan of exasperation from the other, "Ugh, do you seriously have to make yourself sound so smart all the time? Talk like a normal person, Zuku!" Izuku smirked, earning himself a very grumpy glare from Asriel.

Choosing to ignore Asriel's complaints he went back to reading, this time out loud. "Humans have seven recorded SOUL traits, each with their own type of magic. Orange represents Bravery: a soul of strength and power. Bravery is known to be reckless and brash. SOULs of Bravery specialize in enhancement and fire magic." Izuku read out, Asriel slowly leaning closer to see. Izuku shifted to give Asriel space on the bed, allowing the boy to climb up. "Huh, that sounds like Kachan," Asriel commented. Izuku snorted.

As Asriel got comfortable, Izuku flipped to the next page. "Yellow SOULs represent Justice: a soul of independence and rationality. Justice is known to be perceptive and fair. Justice is known to be good at negotiations and judgment. SOULs of Justice specialize in electric and summoning magic." Asriel listened intently, humming at the next passage. Izuku knew he didn't understand half the words coming out of his mouth, but was curious nonetheless.

Izuku flipped the page. "Green represents Kindness: a soul of empathy and positivity. Kindness is known to be generous and compassionate. SOULs of Kindness specialize in stockpile and life magic." Asriel hummed, "Maybe your soul is green too. Then you can be green inside and out!" Izuku giggled at the joke, "I do not believe myself to be a healer of Life, but I'm flattered you think so."

Izuku flipped the page. "Cyan SOULs represent Patience: a soul of tolerance and acceptance. Patience is known to be a good listener with a sense of humor. SOULs of Patience specialize in ice and water magic. Note: Ice magic causes temporary paralysis to the target." Asriel quirked a brow, "Huh? No buffs? Man, that sucks." Izuku rolled his eyes, uncaring of the blatant favoritism.

Izuku flipped the page. "Blue SOULs represent Integrity: a soul of honesty and humility. Integrity is known to be respectful and responsible. They are often well-trusted with secrets and promises. SOULs of Integrity specialize in space and gravity magic." Both boys 'ooh'ed at that one. That one sounded really cool. "Man, I wonder what that would look like," Asriel pondered wistfully. Izuku hummed in agreement, also imagining a fantasy of his own.

Izuku flipped the page. "Purple SOULs represent Perseverance: a soul of resilience and adaptability. Perseverance is known to be hard-working and motivated. They are more likely to hyperfocus on a task with staggering stamina and aim to achieve it at any cost. SOULs of Integrity specialize in karma and taken magic. Note: Taken magic is a selfish magic that steals the stockpiles of another caster and gives it to themselves. It is a selfish magic and those with it are often avoided..." The two went silent at the explanation. "That one sounds kinda scary..." Asriel mumbled, shying away from the entry. Izuku audibly gulped but pushed on.

Izuku flipped the page. "Red SOULs represent Determination: a soul of resilience and tenacity. Determination is known to be stubborn and decisive. They are seen as great leaders with an unshakeable will to win any challenge that comes their way. Determination specializes in reality magic. Note: Determination is an unpredictable trait with unknown potential. No known limits of this SOUL have been recorded." Izuku was silent by the end of the page, while Asriel had stars in his eyes. "REALITY MAGIC?! That is SO COOL!!"

Izuku flipped the page. "White represents Hope: a soul of optimism and faith. Monsters are the only ones capable of holding this trait, as they are made of Magic. Being made of magic gives us the ability to cast all types of magic, though a monster will usually specialize in a certain element depending on the sub-species. IE: A fire elemental will specialize in fire-type magic, a water elemental will stick to water-type magic, and so on. However, all monsters choose to use reality magic to personalize their attacks to fit their preferences." Izuku smiled at this, now understanding how Toriel's fire was capable of both warming and burning depending on her intentions. Magic was truly a fascinating concept.

"Hey, Izuku, do you think you have magic?" Asriel asked, interrupting his thoughts. It was a very intriguing question, and it certainly deserved some investigation. "It would stand to reason that I have it, though the question of whether I'm capable of it is worth looking into. If nothing else, it will make for some good entertainment," Izuku replied. Asriel bounced on the bed, filled with excitement. "We should ask Mom! If anyone can find out what your SOUL trait is, it's gotta be her. And if you can do magic, maybe we can ask her to teach us!" Asriel beamed. Izuku smiled at his enthusiasm. A soul of Hope, indeed.

"A splendid idea, Asriel." Asriel preened, "However, it may be in our best interest to wait until they have finished their meeting with our 'special guest'?" And he flopped back down. "Aw, darn. Why do you have to be right?" Izuku huffed a silent laugh, "Well, someone has to make sure you stay out of trouble. That being said, perhaps you can pass me a paper and pencil so I may write down all the questions you wish to ask her?" he offered, causing Asriel to bounce back up and off the bed.

After a bit of shuffling through his drawer, he rushed back to the bed to let Izuku write down their thoughts. Izuku had to remind Asriel multiple times to slow down so he could get them all. By the time they were through, the meeting was almost done and the page had been filled. Asriel, satisfied with the obnoxiously long list quickly ran off into the house with it. Well, Izuku stalled him as long as he could. It's up to them now.

Returning back to his book, he was reminded that there was quite a bit more information to cover, but he opted to do it later. Asriel wasn't the only one with questions, after all. And by Asgore's great name, they'd both get their answers one way or another. That being said, he took the small window of freedom that Asriel distracting her would give and returned the book to its place on the top shelf. A shelf far above his current height, but nothing he couldn't reach with a bit of effort.

And as he softly shut the door and walked back to the entrance, he wondered about what this all meant for him. Would having magic really change anything? Would it help fulfill his promise? Would it rekindle some forgotten memory? Would he begin to desire a future of his own? He probably shouldn't have let himself spiral like this, but he couldn't help it. He had no aim or direction without Asriel, so he was always quick to do whatever the boy wished, but that still left the question of what it meant to him. Asriel was his Hope, his light, his Angel. But this was about Izuku.

Well, Asriel was right in what he said before. It couldn't hurt to try.

. . .

Thankfully, the meeting was almost done when Asriel interrupted it, though the guest seemed a little too intrigued by Asriel's questions for Izuku's liking. They prodded as to where these questions came from, and Asriel was quick to point to rat him out. He was pretty sure that he'd been caught peeking around the corner but he didn't hear any anger in their voice. If anything, they sounded amused. Curious- even. Not that it mattered anymore now that they were gone, but it was still odd.

Surprisingly, Toriel didn't seem to mind their questions too much (even if Asriel did most of the talking) and waited until all of their curiosity had been quite satiated before getting into another long lecture about magic and monsters, this time more in-depth. Izuku took notes for Asriel to review later; knowing very well how little Asriel truly understood what Toriel explained to them. Asriel wasn't as well versed in "big words" and "nerd talk", so it was up to Izuku to dumb it down for him (opting to never voice that aloud, lest he receives Asriel's scornful wrath for such an insult. Asriel is not dumb - simply inept at advanced information).

When Toriel had finished her most recent lesson, she offered to test Izuku's abilities later on. Izuku accepted with grace and waited for her to leave the room before passing over his notes. Asriel sighed at the small stack of paper knowing he would have to read the entire thing, but it was easier than trying to understand Toriel's complicated word choice, so he resigned himself to his fate. Ah, studying. Truly his worst nemesis.

Izuku decided he would read the book some more tonight while he still had the chance.

. . .

Bedtime came faster than expected for the two children, as Asriel had spent the day drawing various poorly drawn figures of humans with magic powers.

The orange human looked a bit like Kachan and made Izuku laugh at the "fire" in their palms. The flames exploding from the figure's hands looked just like the angry blonde's tiny sparks. It even had spiky "fire hair". The others looked weird to him though. A blonde figure with lightning coming from his hands was named Justice. The green human had curly hair and was named Kindness. He could guess where that idea came from. Patience looked sad and lonely for some reason. Integrity looked stiff and stern (the face drawn reminded him of a certain goat woman). Perseverance wore an impish grin that spoke of great mischief. Determination looked... determined. It looked a lot like what he imagined the humans with the various soul traits would look like. All in all, a well-made piece.

He added it to the Doodle Journal.

As Asriel was settling into the covers, Izuku lit the candle on the bedside table that acted as a nightlight for Asgore to read with. This time, the story was different. He spoke of the different souls he met. Bravery was the adventurous type, always ready to venture into unknown territory. Bravery was a strong soul with no fear of the dangers that lay ahead. Then one day, Bravery ventured too far into the unknown and never returned. Asriel got sad for Asgore's old friend while Izuku wondered how Kachan felt. Kachan had always been adventurous and wild, but was always a bit too brash and tended to go too far with his teasing and pranks. It caused Izuku to run into a world unknown, venturing too far from home, never to return.

Was he missed? Was he mourned? Was there anyone who cared for him up above?

Izuku lay awake with these thoughts as Asriel dreamed of wild terrain and strange new lands. If Kachan was Bravery, then who was he? Izuku thought of the different souls and their different traits. He closed his eyes, letting the images of Asriel's scribbles dance about in his mind, imagining all the stories they could tell. Maybe if he imagined hard enough, he could predict what soul trait he was.

Izuku was brave when it mattered most, ready to stand up to a bully even if he didn't stand a chance. Izuku was rational when he needed to be, always keeping others out of trouble with his logic and reason. Izuku was kind when he was able, wearing his heart on his sleeve as he stretched out his hand to others. Izuku was patient, willing to listen to everyone else's problems and support them however he could. Izuku was respectful of everyone, never pushing any boundaries, and honest (to a fault). Izuku was strong-willed and ready to take on any challenge that came his way. Izuku was determined, determined... determined to... what was he after again? He was determined to be... something. Something strong. Something cool. Something good.

He was determined to be... a Hero.

. . .

Izuku awoke the next day to the sensation of summer. The scent of forest green filled his nose as soft grass shifted between his fingers, warm to the touch from the sun's rays. And when he opened his eyes, he saw pale white fur and sleepy red eyes, like a snow rabbit emerging from its deep winter slumber and into the bright colors of spring. Izuku doubted Kachan had anything on Asriel, and deeply wondered why he ever chased after their broken friendship to begin with. All those sleepovers - meaningless. All those memories - grey and dull. All those promises - empty words. No, Kachan could never hope to be as amazing as Asriel.

Asriel was just too pure and good to ever be compared to that hooligan.

Izuku poked the other's nose, causing him to scrunch his nose in annoyance. "C'mon Azzy, wake up. We are training our magic today," Izuku whispered, and that caused him to snap into wakefulness, suddenly full of energy. "Oh my gosh! I totally forgot we have to get up now, Izuku, c'mon! Get up! Let's go!" he squealed, ripping off the comforter and racing through his morning routine. Izuku smiled, joining him at a much calmer rate, but still faster than usual. By the time he was dressed, Asriel was out the door and in the dining room. Izuku huffed a laugh as he combed his hair into a manageable state.

Making it to the dining room, he found that Toriel was already seated and Asgore was pouring the tea as Asriel practically inhaled his food. Izuku sat with a satisfied smile, "Well, it seems I am late for the first time ever. How terrible~" he joked. Asgore chuckled and Toriel gave a half-hearted smile. Asriel completely ignored his jest in favor of chugging the tea down and carefully placing it back on the table so as to not break the fragile ceramic cup.

Izuku idly listened to Asriel ramble on and on about all the things he wanted to do with his magic. Asgore and Toriel were in the same state of morning zen as he was and simply smiled and nodded at the bouncing baby goat. "- and since monsters can use all the magic, that means I can make rainbows and stars! Izuku, I can make surface stuff! Like from the books! I can make all the colors and magic! Izuku, we need to try it all!" he babbled. "Indeed, it all sounds quite exciting, doesn't it?" Izuku agreed curtly. "EXACTLY!!"

Izuku finished his breakfast and tea just in time to grab Asriel's dishes as the latter ran to brush his teeth. Once all the dishes had been thoroughly washed, dried, and put away, he joined the family whom had already migrated outside. Toriel was showing him her fire magic while Asgore was trying to get him to settle down. Izuku ran back inside to grab a paper and pencil to make notes with along with the book on SOUL magic.

Perhaps it could be of use in the upcoming trial he was to face.

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(Another chapter of hijinks and fluff to soothe the soul. This took way too long, but once I started I couldn't stop. And yes, Izuku and Asriel have separate beds, but Asriel does not care. Asriel wants cuddles from his new bestie and New Bestie clearly doesn't mind so why stop?

Nobody has the heart to stop him, and Izuku is just happy to see Asriel happy. They are innocent, your honor.

That being said, for those who don't know, Izuku is just as clingy and affectionate as Asriel is. This was shown plenty of times in the OG bnha/mha universe and I refuse to change that about him. Izuku loves like a dog and everyone knows it. He devoted his entire life to Katsuki in canon despite how bad of a person he was to him. Katsuki treated Izuku like absolute trash and Izuku still believed in him. He told Bakugou everything, and I personally don't think he deserved that.

So I thought that Izuku deserved a version of his childhood friendship that didn't go wrong. I wanted Asriel to be a character of hope and acceptance, someone who loves unconditionally no matter what. I know that Izuku would do the same for Asriel, which is why I made them so close. They deserve each each other and I want that dynamic for them.

And no, I will not ship them. Izuku loves Asriel as a friend and future brother so don't bug me with weird comments.

That's all and I'll see you all next time. Thanks for reading!)