In Time We'll Kiss The World Goodbye

The artist frowned at the shadow creeping across the canvas.

That shadow was Shouto's and the sole thing to appear on the canvas perched in front of him.

Letting out a sigh of defeat, Shouto set down the unused paint brush."I can't paint like this."

He longed to make something beautiful, something extraordinary to behold on the canvas before him. But inspiration could not be found, it evaded his grasp, leaving him unable to paint anything in weeks.

"Perhaps it's time for another trip?" Shouto reckoned, opting to search for a new source of inspiration.

Thus getting off the stool, Shouto left his studio, heading to his bedroom to get changed for the trip.

The second sun was dipping below the metallic towers of Dream City when Shouto emerged from his bedroom, sweeping the hair off the crystal that lay at the centre on his forehead.

Pulsing, the crystal glowed red, whisking Shouto out of Dream City.

"There's hardly anything here." Shouto looked about the small room that he materialised in, spotting a dresser and a bed where a human lay.

Shouto's Dream Stone had transported Shouto to Japan on Earth Realm, bringing him to a sleeping human on the verge of dreaming.

"Can you show me an interesting dream?" Shouto fixed mismatched eyes on the green-haired man curled up on the bed.

Eating a string of boring dreams left Shouto in a rut, unable to capture in them, anything worthy of painting; after all, humans dreams were the source of Shouto's inspiration.

"Time will tell." Shouto closed his eyes as the human started to dream,sending a stream of moving images to Shouto's mind.

In those flowing images, a freckled boy in a black uniform was climbing up a stairwell, digging into his pocket for something. "I hope I didn't forget my keys again."

A memory? Shouto identified the type of dream he was seeing and watched as the boy found what the boy searched for, fishing out a set of keys.

"Phew, I didn't want to go all the way back to school again." The middle schooler sauntered over to the third door on the floor.

The door clicked open before the boy could insert his key and a portly woman sharing the same green hair as the boy, filled the doorway.

"Welcome home, Izuku." Her voice was kind.

"Thanks mum." Izuku wrapped his arms around her, asking,"how did you know I was here?"

"Oh I just knew it was you." She curled her lips.

Grinning, Izuku entered the small, homely apartment painted yellow and he took off his shoes and book bag at the entrance way.

He had barely stepped into the living room when he froze, jaw dropping open in surprise."No way."

Lifting a brow in inquiry, the curious Dream Eater followed Izuku's line of sight, wondering what caused Izuku's reaction. "Hm."

The answer took the shape of a shiny black piano, sitting near a television and a worn looking sofa suite.

Drifting over to the piano in disbelief, the boy gazed at the polished ebony frame of the instrument. "This is the latest Yamaha upright acoustic piano."

"These are acrylic-resin white keys." Izuku gingerly pressed a key, eyes gleaming with delight. "It feels great!"

Oh? Shouto reckoned the kid had a knack for musical instruments or the piano in particular. Nevertheless, the excitement that Shouto sensed in Izuku a moment ago, was no longer there.

Furrowing a green brow, Izuku slowly turned to regard the woman watching Izuku the whole time. "You need to take this back to the shop, mum."

"Why?" Izuku's mother's eyes widened. "Is there something wrong with it?"

"No, it's not that...we can't afford this." Izuku choked, curling his fingers in remorse.

"There it is," Shouto said, giving the apartment a once over. The piano might be the most expensive thing in the humble home.

Shaking her head, Izuku's mother held her son's gaze. "I knew you've been wanting a piano for the longest time, so I had to buy it for you."

"But, but I have a keyboard, you didn't have to spend all-"

"No buts, honey." Izuku's mother interrupted him with a wave of her hand. "That keyboard was not good enough."

"You need a piano for your dream to come through."

Izuku's lips quivered as he replied."Yes mum...I do."

"Then accept this gift from your mother, I want you to become a piano star too."

Breaking down at last, Izuku charged into her arms, hugging her tightly. "Thank you mum, I...I really wanted a piano."

Tears rolled down Izuku's mother's face as she returned the embrace of her sobbing son. "I know dear."

"Beautiful." Murmured the Dream Eater, moved by that display of human expression. Never could he witness such a sweet and tender scenario in his home world, given the impassive nature of Dream Eaters.

After pulling away, Izuku wiped at his damp face and sauntered over to the piano, sitting down on the bench.

"The first song I'm going to play on my brand new piano, will be for you — the best mother in the whole world," Izuku said, staring adoringly at his mother.

Touched, the woman pressed a hand to her chest in turn."Oh, Izuku."

Bending his head, Izuku slid his fingers over the keys, creating a melody that Shouto likened to the sweet sound of raindrops falling on a summer day.

Nevertheless, the link to Izuku's dream severed soon after, cutting the performance short to Shouto's dismay.

"I wanted to hear more of the song," Shouto said, fixing his eyes on the human lying on his side.

Clasping his hands together next, Shouto consumed the dream. "Thank you for the dream."

Shouto could not remove his toga fast enough, following his return Dream City that night. "Almost there."

Freeing himself of it at last, he put on an old shirt and pants and strode purposely to the studio, ready to paint the image burning vividly in his mind.

Hence the artist got to work, stroking a brush across the canvas, making a sketch of the scene from Izuku's apartment. "That human surprised me."

Shouto feared Izuku would have shown him a dull dream. Instead, Izuku did the contrary, playing a role in the story that Shouto itched to tell on the canvas for the longest time.

Studying the completed sketch, the Dream Eater moved to his work table, mixing the oil paint needed for the portrait.

He returned to the canvas, carrying a palette and continued the dance of brushwork for hours, bringing a story to life.

Sunlight was filtering through the glass panels in Shouto's studio when Shouto completed his painting.

He stared at the portrait featuring Izuku and his mother, locked in a tender embrace.

And those tears cascading down their faces caught Shouto's eye, leading him to consider the source of those tears.

"The piano."

There was no doubt that instrument was beyond Izuku's mother's budget. Yet she acquired it somehow for her son's sake.

"Did he ever become a star then?" Shouto wondered, recalling the boy's melody.

Deciding it did not matter, Shouto swept the thought from mind, rising to his feet. What mattered was painting like this again.

TBC

A/N: I really like trying my hand at writing different Izuku's and Shouto's and couldn't resist making Shouto a supernatural being this time.

Shouto's studio wasn't particularly messy, though they were some portraits propped up on the floor.

Thank you for reading.