Hello everyone! It's been a while, hasn't it... maybe a little bit more than a while. Okay, maybe several months-

I'm sorry I'm just not getting any ideas ;-; Plus school's got me so busy. That being said, please please please give me requests or prompts if you have any! It would really help :D

In other news, we've hit 10k whoo! Wait no, it's 11k. wAIT IT'S 12k NOW- HHH WHY ARE YOU GUYS SO SUPPORTIVE- thank you SO MUCH AAA! I never thought we could get this far :D Plus we hit 10k on December 31st of 2021, which is pretty awesome. If you want me to do a special, do tell me in the comments.

Okay, updates and stuff over, onto the oneshot! It's a College AU but make it ~magical~ and also mix a bit of HypnoCrafted in there. Also I tried first person for once, it didn't turn out great but it's good enough.

College kind of sucks. You'd think that it's synonymous with freedom and joy and youth but I still feel as naive and trapped as the hamster in my Life Sciences class. Maybe I need friends. Maybe I should stop being the weirdo hanging out in the library all the time despite the fact he doesn't like to read. Or maybe I should stop judging college in my first week.

I sigh as I flip through the pages of a weathered yellow book, the musty scent slapping me in the face. The words swim across the page, twisting and swirling into a big blob of nothing. The book closes with a loud smack and I move on to the next. Despite the silence, the perfect golden lighting, the feel of crisp pages beneath my fingers, I can't focus on studying. The time reads 6:07 pm when I decide to put my books back on the tall, elegant shelves. I hear a slight creaking of the floor as I pick up the stack of studying material, almost as if someone's approaching, but I ignore it and wobble over to the shelves.

"Hello!" A cheerful British voice materializes behind me and I let out a not so manly scream, nearly dropping the stack of books. Of course.

"So sorry, didn't mean to startle ya." A different person, with a Southern accent. I feel the weight of several books being lifted out of my hands.

I clear my throat, able to finally turn and look at the two strangers. "No no, you're fine." 

My gaze is met with smiles from two friendly looking people. They both have brown hair, but that's about where the similarities end. One has a slight tan and bright, shimmering green eyes that match a green shirt. The other is a bit pale and wears a blue shirt with an @ symbol on it along with glasses that are perched on his nose.

"I'm Xisuma, and this is Joe," the British man with the green eyes says, "It's nice to meet you." 

"Nice to meet you too! I'm xB." I give them my best grin. 

Joe scans me, peering at the books in my arms. "Are ya studying for a test? It's our first week right?"

"Naw, I just want to know what I'm doing, hah." I laugh awkwardly, and to my relief Xisuma chuckles too.

"Ah, I know the feelin'. You're a first year?"

"Yeah. I mean, the fact I'm in the library all alone should tell you that."

"Well if you're looking for company, you could always hang out with us!" Xisuma pipes up, and I feel a burst of warmth in my stomach. 

"That sounds great," I say excitedly, but the two are looking behind me. Xisuma's glittering green eyes are wide and Joe is tapping Xisuma, mouth slightly agape.

"Yes Joe I see it," I hear Xisuma whisper frantically. 

"What? Is there something behind me?" I turn around and see a flash of motion, but it's too quick to process. I hear a distinct thump, though. "Did a book just fall..?"

Xisuma stares at me for a moment, then nods. "Yes, just a book."

"Bu-" Joe starts but Xisuma shakes his head.

"Well alright. I'll meet you guys later then?" I hope I don't sound too hopeful.

"Tomorrow, here, 9 am. Tomorrow's Saturday, so no conflicts, right?" Xisuma says swiftly, and I simply nod.

"Right."

- 

When I'm finally at my dorm, it's 8 pm and I've already eaten my dinner. I wouldn't be able to eat in my dorm anyway because my roommate would just pluck the food out of my hands. I think he's one of the reasons that I don't like college so much. He's egotistical and messy, having already trashed our room four times and insulted me too much to count in the past five days. Plus, his name is Kyle. Luckily, he's not at the dorm room. Unluckily, the room is trashed once again. With a slight groan, I begin picking up fast food covers and clothes and all sorts of random items off the floor. Pick up, sort, repeat. 

While I clean, I let my thoughts drift away. I had two new friends, sort of, but they were acting a little strange. Had I done something, or was it really just the book that Xisuma had claimed it to be. There isn't really any way it could be anything other than a book falling off a shelf, right? 

Bang! 

I jump at the sound of someone crashing into a wall outside the room, startling me out of my thoughts. I'm just overthinking everything. 

-

I'm sitting in the library by 8:45 the next day. It's my normal routine by now, being kept up by Kyle's loud... whatever he does and getting up at the crack of dawn because I can't bear it anymore. At this rate, my bags are gonna have bags. Running a hand through my hair, I try to stop myself from watching clock. It just makes the time go by even slower. 

Bang!

I jump at the sound of the old library door opening, and my heart leaps when I see it's Xisuma. Dang, I'm really desperate for friends, aren't I? 

"You're early!" Xisuma scans my face, and I notice his gaze fixing on the dark bags under my eyes. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah." He doesn't ask for elaboration but I do anyway. "I've got such a crappy roommate." 

"Aw, that sucks." Xisuma slides into the chair next to me. "Y'know, I could arrange for a different room for you. I know we've just met, but I'm sure it'd be way better than what you've got now."

I can feel my heart thumping so, so hard and the warm feeling in my stomach returns. "You'd really do that?" 

"Of course..." Xisuma's voice trails off as he looks next to me. 

"What?"

Xisuma laughs in disbelief. "Do you seriously not know you're doing that?" 

"Doing what?!" I swivel my head around and I finally see it. 

A book. A floating book. A book that is floating, with a sort of tealish aura to it.

"What. The. Hell." I shriek, scrambling out of my chair. "I am not doing that. That is not me. Are you like some sort of prank YouTuber? Are you filming me right now?!"

Xisuma moves quickly to placate me. "No I'm not. Here, calm down-"

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO STAY CALM WHEN THERES A FREAKING FLOATING BOOK RIGHT THERE-" 

Suddenly, it drops with a thump and I feel like I'm about to faint. "I'm hallucinating aren't I? Or I got hit by a car and now I'm dead." 

"xB, don't worry! You're not dead or hallucinating or being pranked. Here, I need to show you something." Xisuma grabs my bag for me and guides me towards the door with an arm around my shoulder. 

"Where are we going?" I swallow thickly, glancing at the book that was floating five seconds ago.

"I've just got to show you something real quick," he repeats, taking me outside. 

There's a large building in the distance that he seems to be walking towards. I vaguely remember someone saying that it's another dorm area, but it seems different somehow. More warm and welcoming than the other gray structures that line the streets. Almost magical, but that sounds dumb.

When we get there, I spot Joe waiting at the doors. 

"Did ya show him?" He asks Xisuma while straightening his glasses. 

"Yeah, but he's a bit shocked. I'll show him everyone else though, hopefully he'll be okay." Xisuma turns to me and smiles. "You'll be alright, right xB?"

I nod numbly. "Sure."

After Xisuma leads me in to the building and we start walking up some stairs, I feel a little more calm.

"What did you mean by everyone?" I ask him. 

"I meant this." He opens a door and there's at least a dozen different students in there. There a sparking guy and a person who keeps disappearing in flashes and reappearing in other spots and there's a guy lifting like 3 people and there's a person controlling floating water and there's a literal dog and there's another person who's on fire and there's way more people here and oh gosh I feel like fainting again.

Xisuma senses my shock and smiles gently. "We've all got powers here, and everybody can do something different. I can see glimpses of the future, Tango over there can control fire, Zedaph can teleport, and Impulse can control electricity." He points to a brunette, a blond guy with red eyes, and another blond with purplish-blue eyes. 

"Beef has super strength, Doc can manipulate metal, Bdubs can make anyone fall asleep, Etho can turn invisible, Ren can turn into any animal." He continues, pointing  to the guy holding three people and the dog that's casually walking around. 

"Wels can change emotions with his singing, Jevin can control water, and Hypno, well, he can hypnotize people-" Xisuma's interrupted by said people running up to us. There's a blond with blue eyes holding a guitar, a guy with blue hair and aqua eyes, and the final guy- oh wow.

He's got golden curls that peak out from under a black bandana and eyes that look like someone took pure gold and sunshine and melded it together to make the most breathtaking color. If angels existed, he'd definitely be one.

The blue haired guy, Jevin, speaks first. "Have we got a new person?"

"Do I get a roommate after all?" Wels pipes up excitedly. "Oh, I thought I'd have to be all alone-!"

Xisuma laughs. "Well, he can be if he wants to come here." He turns back to me. "Like I said, this is Wels, Jevin, and Hypno. They're first years too, but they've known each other since high school. In fact, most people here are first years, save for me, Joe, and a few others, but they already knew each other. People usually only join in groups." 

"Yeah, we're besties." Jevin wraps an arm around Hypno and promptly gets shoved off. 

"Get off me, smelly!" Hypno even has a pretty voice.

"What's your power anyway?"

I laugh nervously. "Well, I only found out about it this morning. I can make stuff float!"

Jevin gasps out, "This morning?!", at the same time that Hypno exclaims, "You have telekinesis?!"

"Ooh, show us!"

"Hold on guys," Xisuma interrupts, "I don't think he can do it on command quite yet."

By this point, there's embarrassment and nerves and excitement swirling all inside me, and I need to vomit or something. I just don't belong here, with all these people who've been developing their abilities for years.

"It's alright, you'll get the hang of it in no time." Hypno's hand is warm on my shoulder and my whole body turns to warm mush.

"Thanks." The feeling in my stomach comes back again.

"My guitar!" Wels's mouth is wide open and he's pointing at his now floating instrument, encased in the same tealish aura.

Jevin claps with childlike wonder. "Oh that's so cool, oh my god!" 

And somehow, despite all the chaos that was going on a minute ago, everyone's eyes are on me and the floating object that's about 7 feet up off the ground now. The warm fuzzy feeling I had is long gone, replaced with nerves and fear and so, so much anxiety. Of course, the guitar plummets immediately.

Wels manages to catch the dropping guitar and grins back at me. "That is the coolest power ever."

I shrug, cheeks heating up. There's practically crickets chirping with how silent the room is. Xisuma clears his throat and turns to the small crowd of shocked people. 

"I introduce to you all our newest member," he gestures to me in a grandiose manner, "xB!"

Maybe college isn't so bad.

Goodness, that took me wayy too long. Hopefully I'll be coming out with a part two soon because I really do like this AU :D Here's all the powers if you are curious. There's a lot of hermits that I haven't figured out yet, so I'm feel free to suggest powers. Also, if you think there could be a different ability for a hermit that I've already listed something for, you can also say that in the comments because I'm fairly unsure about a lot of what I have listed.

List of Hermits and their powers: 

Bdubs: Can put people to sleep

Cub: Can make people float with his Vex dust (hard to make/obtain)

Cleo: Brings things back to life (very limited)

Doc: Can manipulate metals

Etho: Invisibility

False: Her blood crystallizes into sharp, dangerous daggers when she is injured

Gem: Wizard/witch, can perform spells and magic

Grian: Power of flight 

Hypno: Can hypnotize anyone into doing what he wants, but he needs a few moments of eye contact to do it

Impulse: Electricity powers

Iskall: Can make protective shields

Jevin: Water powers 

Joe: Can speak or read any language

Keralis: Can manipulate plants (booshes)

Mumbo: Manipulates/controls technology

Pearl: Can enhance the others' powers depending on how full the moon is (crescent is weaker, full is stronger)

Ren: Ability to turn into any animal

Scar: Can manipulate the actual terrain around him (limited)

Stress: Can see the past, present, and future relationships between people in the form of strings

Tango: Fire powers

TFC: Control or manipulate various items (very limited)

VintageBeef: Super strength

Wels: Can make people feel different emotions with his singing

xB: Telekinesis

Xisuma: Future visions

Zedaph: Teleportation