Someone was doing chest compressions on him. Over and over they pushed on his chest, trying to get his blood pumping again. Someone had their arm pressed into his mouth, and sliced into it. The blood dribbled into his mouth, and he started to come to. His open eyes got less foggy. He didn't recognize who was there.
"C'mon, kid! Come back to us!" he heard, and started to breathe again. His teeth clamped down on the arm. "There you go," the voice said, unbothered by him biting him. His burns and cuts didn't heal, but he wasn't dead. "We gotta get him to the hospital, now, I can't give enough to treat him!"
Shoto was picked up easily by someone, the arm that had been feeding him was taken from his mouth. "I'm sorry, boy," someone said as the muzzle was put back on his face. "You'll be better soon." He was rushed to an ambulance, and put inside. It was night time, so he didn't burn from the sun.
The cuffs on his hands were undone, but they were strapped down on the hospital bed in the back. He couldn't feel it, or really make sense of what was happening. But he could hear the sirens, piercing through the fog that encompassed his entire body.
When he was wheeled into the night again, and then into the hospital, he had an oxygen mask on his face. The people around him ran by his side, the bed rattling a bit. When he entered a room, a feeding tube was put down his throat, and his stomach was flooded with O negative. How did they know which type to use?
His cuts were not healing, so they were all given some medical glue to close them up. The burns were treated as well. Cleaned and then bandaged. The oxygen mask was over the feeding tube. "Is he okay?!" he heard a familiar voice shout from the hallway. He couldn't tell who it was, but he sounded angry.
"You need your own treatment!"
"Fuck that! You don't tell anyone else about him!"
"Calm down, you need to get out, you're disturbing the patients and interfering with the doctors' work!" Then he left. Shoto's eyes slowly closed, and he fell asleep. A peaceful one, this time.
When he woke up, he felt better, but could tell his wounds had not healed. He wasn't dead, and he wasn't in the hideout, though. He looked to the sides, and saw he was not cuffed to the bed, his arms were resting beside him, some IV drips in both inner elbows. Around him were his family. His siblings and mother cutting apples in the corner.
"M-Mom," he said, his mouth dry. Everyone woke up immediately.
"I'm sorry, Shoto. I lost you," Touya said the moment he woke up. Rei walked over, and gave him a canteen, it was water mixed with blood. The bed was adjusted up so he could drink it, wetting his dry mouth and scratchy tongue. Shoto didn't blame him, or even consider it being his fault.
"How are you feeling, honey?" Rei asked, pushing his hair from his face.
"Bak-Bakugo, is he okay?" he asked.
"He's fine, no injuries but for a few bruises. But he'd been very upset."
"He saw. And heard everything. About my life, what I am," Shoto said softly. "Does… my class know?"
Fuyumi shook his head. "He refused to say anything about what happened to you." Shoto lifted an arm to his face. He was humiliated. And everything Shigaraki had said felt true. They hurt. Bad. But that didn't make him want to be a villain at all, so his words didn't make the impact he wanted. Shoto was sure he'd died. But here he was. Somebody saved him. He hoped he could thank them and apologize for the bite. He knew he'd bitten hard.
"Do I have to come home?"
"What do you mean, baby?" Rei asked.
"School… did they kick me out?"
"Of course not. It wasn't like they didn't know already. And you didn't hurt Bakugo, or anybody else. You're guilty of nothing," his mother said in a soothing voice. Shoto asked to see Izuku. He wanted to make sure he was okay. After what happened to Bakugo, and hearing about the camp being ruined. He wanted to make sure he was okay.
Natsuo offered to go get him. "My choker?" Shoto asked, feeling so unsafe without it. Touya scowled, but pulled it out of his pocket. He hated clipping it around Shoto's neck, but he did it. "Thanks."
"Yeah," Touya said softly. His family didn't like it, but they all knew it was necessary for others to be safe, and for Shoto to feel safe. Natsuo left and came back with Izuku, who ran to the bed. His family moved away to give them space.
Shoto gave a tired smile. "You're okay," he said in quiet relief.
"Of course I'm okay, you should be worried about you."
"I'm fine. Just tired," Shoto said, and gladly took Izuku's hand. "How are everyone else? The training camp." Izuku assured him that everybody but a few students were just fine. And those few that were poisoned by gas were on the mend and should be fine in just a few days. Shoto was in relief about that. None were hurt. "Do they all know?"
Izuku shook his head. He ran a hand through Shoto's dirty hair. Oily. "Kacchan won't say a thing about both of your time there, but he knows already. Yelled at me to take care of you. Heh, it was kind of strange."
Shoto was humiliated. "He heard everything. The villains narrated everything about my life. About the vampire, thing too. They shoved me into the sun," he whispered. "It was so scary, I knew they were going to kill me when I got blood poisoned." He looked down at his body. "But I'm alive again."
"Yeah. Better not change that." Then he frowned. "A lot happened, Shoto." He slowly explained everything that had gone on after the camp was raided. He confessed to sneaking out to try and save Bakugo. Then the fight with the villain mastermind, and All Might's sacrifice. "You already met All Might like that before. He was the skinny man who you've seen with me a bit."
Tired, Shoto's face only showed mild confusion. His family were listening, but none sounded surprised, so it was common knowledge by then. "Is he okay?" the vampire asked in worry.
"He's alive. But, he can't be a hero anymore. But he'll still be our teacher at UA. I have so much to tell you-"
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Shoto cut him off, voice still soft but words firm. Finally, Izuku started to cry, and put his face down on the bed. Shoto ran his hand through his hair gently, letting him cry. He was ashamed to say later, but he fell back asleep while Izuku was crying.
But when he woke up again, Izuku was still there. "Sorry," Shoto said. "You were crying, and I fell asleep."
"You're still injured and weak. Shoto, you died. They had to bring you back to life."
"It's happened before already," the vampire said, kind of flippantly. "But I'm okay now." Izuku looked unhappy with his comment, but didn't argue further, and just kissed his hand. "How long has it been?"
"You got in here last night. It's around dinner time, now. Kacchan came in and visited. You were asleep, but he told me to tell you he isn't saying anything about when he heard and knows." Shoto was relieved of that, and trusted Bakugo's words. He tried getting out of bed, and found the IVs were gone.
Izuku didn't stop him from getting up, and Shoto was already feeling better, and could walk fine. The burns were still there, but only on his thighs as black stripes. They weren't damaged skin anymore. Well, they were tight a bit, and leathery, but not in pain. His family was out, apparently getting dinner. He wanted to go home. But was home safe?
Izuku helped him to the small bathroom and waited out the door. When Shoto came back out, he went back to the bed, and sat down. "Your arms. Are they okay?" Shoto asked. He was so full of blood that Izuku had no scent to him. It was normal, and didn't hurt. He looked like he was going to lie, but sighed and told the truth instead.
"More damage to them, and I might never be able to use them again. So, I have to find another way of fighting, of using my quirk."
"If you get hurt, I'll nurse you back. Promise," Shoto said in a soothing voice. Izuku gave him a hug, and he returned it, kissing his shoulder. "When can I go home?"
"Rei-san said that you're being discharged in the morning. Your foster mom has been here, too. She's worried as well."
"I hate people being worried over me," Shoto complained. Izuku took his shoes off, and laid on the hospital bed next to Shoto, and scooched over to make room. He fell asleep against Izuku's chest. He gave the best cuddles. And it didn't hurt right now, and also didn't feel wonderful. It was just like hugging his family. It was great but awful at the same time.
-x-
Shoto looked at the new All Might sadly. It wasn't the same, he looked so different. He gave off a completely different demeanor. He didn't feel reassuring or strong anymore. But he was still the same man, even if he looked nothing like it. He and Aizawa were sitting on the couch in Shoto's home. His family and foster mother were in the same room. So it was a bit crowded. The rest of the foster kids were in their own rooms.
"It has been made unfortunately clear the students are not safe from the villains even in their own homes. The underground leader of the villains has been taken out and put into prison, but the rest remain somewhere, on the run. However, they may come again, or maybe others will follow, so we are implementing a dorm situation," Aizawa explained.
Shoto stiffened. "Why? Why invite me?" he asked sharply. "You couldn't even trust me to come to camp." His voice was accusatory. He was sure they wouldn't let him in.
"It was the 1-B's homeroom teacher that demanded you not come, not me. And you would not be staying in 1-B's dorm building, but our own classes. Bakugo may not have told any of your peers, but he did tell us what went on. You didn't attack him, or show any move to him."
"Because he's not O negative. Drinking from him would make me sick," Shoto argued. He didn't want to be heartbroken when he was rejected. "Everyone would be under the same roof as me. Isn't that dangerous?"
"If you're fully sated, you're no danger. You know this. And there's no way we'd ever let you run out, or give you the wrong type. Two deaths is more than enough. We will put you on a floor that does not have any O negatives. I trust you with regards to Midoriya. You also have not come off as threatening to any of the others. Just because you are a vampire does not mean you are a monster or deserve to be treated like one," Aizawa said firmly. "Do you want me to tell you I don't trust you? That the school thinks it isn't worth it? Because those things would not be the truth."
Shoto nodded. "I get it."
"Would we get to see him?" Touya asked. He wouldn't leave Shoto alone for very long, always going in to check on him. Having him ripped away like he was truly scared him. He scowled when the teachers said no.
"You can see each other online, over the phone. But nobody is authorized to come onto campus anytime soon."
"Sensei, how did they know I wouldn't be at the camp? How did they know where it was anyways?" Shoto asked. It was a question that had been bothering him for awhile.
"We think there's a mole, but don't know who and are not suspecting anyone in particular. Which is why a dorm system would be the best course of action." He bowed his head, and said, "Please, allow us to look after your son and keep him safe. That is our goal and what we are going to do if we house him. We'll make any needed accommodations, vampire related or otherwise."
Misa and Rei both agreed, his siblings not too happy, but also wanting him to be safe. It was sadly clear that it might not be safe at home. There was no other option. So they signed his papers, and he got to packing. Movers would be there the next day. There were already beds, dressers and desks at the dorms for each room. Packing was for more personal items.
"You'll be given a private fridge in your room for the blood supply," All Might said. Shoto nodded. The former hero then hugged him. "You can still be a great hero, Young Shoto, I swear it." The ice boy nodded against his shirt, and hugged him back. "You are not Endeavor, and he does not hold any power over you or your future."
"I know," Shoto said. "Take care of Izuku. I know he's your favorite." He wasn't bitter about that. And so he didn't come across that way. All Might ruffled his hair with a smile.
"I could ask the same as you. We'll both do our best." Shoto gave a small smile and nodded. He went upstairs and packed his things into a few boxes, wondering if they'd get him blood powder, he put his supply - small thought it was - into a bag and then the bottom of one of the boxes. He was packed by the end of the day, with help from his brothers.
They weren't happy he'd be gone, but there was nothing to do about it. They stood with him as the movers got his boxes, and the passenger seat door was open for him to climb in. "I love you guys," Shoto said. "Natsuo, good luck with school. Touya, have fun continuing fucking Hawks."
"Hah! You bet I will," Touya said obnoxiously, Natsuo looking at him in slight annoyance. "Be careful."
"Yeah," Shoto promised. Rei and Fuyumi gave him hugs, and he climbed into the car. He had twelve bottles of his super sunscreen in a box, and was covered. Looking up at the bright sky, he forced himself to not shake. Nobody would understand how it felt to have the sun be able to kill you if one thing was off. The marks on his thighs would tell him he was always in danger.
He'd start sleeping in more covering clothes. When they got there, they needed to be approved through multiple gates, and his belongings were brought up to his room without him asking. He met with Izuku, and Iida there, too. None of them knew but for Bakugo. He'd yet to actually see him. It might be awkward, now. For Shoto at least.
Bakugo literally saw him die. Right in front of him, and he also learned about Shoto's secret. And his wretched childhood. It was all so embarrassing. Iida hugged him, and Momo came over, too. He hadn't seen most of them yet. He hugged both of them back. "I'm okay. You don't need to worry," he assured them. "You guys are so reckless, though."
"We wanted to save Bakugo," Momo said. "We didn't even know you were gone, too."
"I wouldn't expect you to. I was at home at the time. It's not like I blame you for not trying to save me, too."
Iida looked bothered, and finally said, "Todoroki-kun, we heard there was a lot of blood. Are you really okay?"
"I was brought back soon enough. But I'm better now. My burns and cuts have been treated and are healed or still healing," he said. "I want to just move on from it, I don't want to talk about it anymore."
Momo and Iida agreed. They all headed to meet the rest of the class at their dorm building. While the others looked at it with excitement, Shoto felt dread. His face was as blank as most times, but his hand squeezed Izuku's a bit tighter, who squeezed it back. What if he hurt someone there?
Izuku leaned against his shoulder in comfort.
"Now then, class 1-A, I'm glad to see you all here." It seemed that only two of the students had trouble convincing their parents, and both were Hagakure and Jiro, who were hurt by the gas. He got some looks, but nobody asked if he was alright. At least, not yet. And he looked just fine. There were no wounds on his face and neck. Everything else was covered.
"We're glad to see you here, too, sensei. After the conference, I wasn't so sure," Tsu said. Uraraka didn't give Shoto or Izuku a glance. His boyfriend said nothing had gone on between them other than awkward avoidance. Shoto didn't care, he didn't think anything would happen anyways.
"I'm surprised, too. Well, a lot's happened. Anyways, I give you a quick overview of your dorm. But before that, the training camp was meant to get you your provisional licenses. And that's still the goal." It felt like forever ago that they wanted to get stronger. "This is important. Listen up. Kirishima, Yaoyorozu, Iida, Midoriya. On that night, you four went out to rescue Bakugo. I think all of you here understand the consequences of those actions. The issue's been swept under the rug until now, but let me say this much.
"If it were not due to All Might's retirement, I would expel every one of you besides Todoroki, Bakugo, Hagakrue and Jiro." The class grew stiff. But Aizawa said they couldn't really do that because it wasn't safe for them to go home with some of the villains still out. All of them would have been expelled since the ones who didn't take part still knew about it. They were guilty in a sense.
"Your reason's aside, you betrayed out trust. If you behave from now on and do what's right, you may get it back. That's all. Look lively and get a move on," the teacher said, and turned around to lead them inside. Bakugo discretely hugged Kirishima in the back.
"I told you, you don't need to pay me back. I'm just glad you're okay," the red head said. Bakugo still looked guilty. Then he saw Shoto looking, and stormed over. He grabbed his arm and pulled him way from the group.
Shoto waited for him to talk. "I ain't gonna be telling anybody about all your shit. But you don't tell them about what happened there, either. Got it? I don't want stupid questions." Shoto nodded, and they both walked back to their boyfriends, who were waiting for them. They headed inside with the rest, and got a tour of the place.
He was glad there was lots of space and good ventilation. Looking at the kitchen, his face fell. He couldn't ever make food with blood again. It was a communal kitchen and all. He was on the fifth floor with Shoji and Sero as neighbors. Both not O negative. Those who were were on other floors. Izuku on the second floor.
Everyone was so excited, and Shoto couldn't even bring himself to pretend. He walked to the kitchen, branching off while Aizawa explained the first floor features. Shoto could hear just them fine here and Aizawa didn't call him back.
There were all sorts of tools and equipment here. Like a real chef's kitchen. Someone would need to be doing the cooking. When they were all released to go unpack their things, Shoto was accompanied by Izuku. He was going to help him unpack. So they worked. Shoto didn't really have many things to make the room personal. Some framed photos to put on the wall, the blanket his mother made him set on his bed.
"Are these the blood powders?" Izuku asked, holding the box. Each packet was pretty small, but they were strong.
"Yeah. They're super expensive, especially my type," Shoto said, and put them behind the desk. He had a bigger fridge than anyone else, and it was tucked in the closet. Someone had already fully equipped it with bottles of blood. He didn't doubt they were the right kind. He found something on top of it, and was surprised to see it was some sort of personal stomach pumping tool.
Shoto had no idea it even existed. "I guess this is for if I get blood poisoning again," he said, and shoved it back behind everything. Izuku was frowning, but Shoto didn't really have anything he could say to make him not be worried.
"You don't have any short sleeves or shorts?"
"Never sleeping in that again. I won't be kidnapped like before again," Shoto replied. Izuku took his hand and brought him into a kiss. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's waist and deepened the kiss, still being cautious of Shoto's body language. When he did tense, the human knew what to do and took a small step back, Shoto's face away from his and his neck.
"We can have sleepovers. It's not like there are cameras in the halls. You're nice and warm. And I smell good, right," Izuku said brightly.
"You might wake up to me smelling you. I won't be able to help it if we're sleeping," Shoto replied, a bit red in the face.
"That's fine. Let's go unpack my room, now," Izuku said with a smile. Shoto followed, and typed in the password to the keypad of his fancy blood freezer. Izuku knew the code in case of emergencies. He locked the door behind him, and heard everyone unpacking their things. The walls were not thick at all. He'd need to sleep with headphones on.
He hated this place already.
After they were all unpacked, they met in the living room. The common area, with a big TV, huge couches and a soft carpet. He sat against the wall, away from the others but still in the area. "I think we should talk about what happened," Sero said. "Are-are you healthy again, Todoroki?"
Shoto sighed. "I'm fine. I'm completely back to normal. Doctors took care of me just fine. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't."
"Aizawa-sensei wouldn't allow us back unless we were better," Tsu agreed. "We shouldn't talk about it, ribbit. All that matters is that we're all okay."
"If anyone asks me, I'm blowin' your fuckin' face off," Bakugo snapped. "Who the hell is making dinner? We don't got any parents to cook our food."
Sato and Hagakure offered to take the first time. "We should cycle through. That means someone doesn't have to cook each night, and then we'll all improve over time!" Ashido said brightly. "But first, I was thinking we should see one another's rooms!" Shoto's was nothing interesting, and Izuku's was covered All Might paraphernalia.
But some of them were really pumped for it. "Fuck this, wake me when you're done," Bakugo said. "Oi! Todoroki, get over here!"
Shoto was surprised, but walked over. They went up to Shoto's floor. He didn't know why Bakugo was leading him to his room. But he unlocked the door. "Where's your blood supply." Shoto didn't know what this was about, but he already knew everything else. So he pushed aside his clothes to show the large fridge. "What's the passlock?"
"53-18," Shoto replied. "Why?"
"In case something happens and that damn Deku isn't around to be helpful," Bakugo said. "And listen here, Kirishima is O negative. I asked him. If you hurt him-"
"You'll kill me, I get it," Shoto said. "Look, I don't need you to reem me about it. There's a reason there's a floor between me and any of the O negatives. I don't exactly want things to be like this either." Bakugo stared at him, and then turned and left without a word. Shoto locked the room behind him, and opened up his freezer.
He pulled out a bottle, and went to the electric kettle he'd packed, a nice one, better than the one used in class, and heated up some blood and downed it. There was a knock on his door, and he let Izuku in.
"I'm really sorry, Shoto," he said suddenly. The vampire looked confused. "I mean, it must be awful being here."
"Not completely awful… I can come see you," Shoto said, intertwining their fingers. "You give good cuddles," he murmured. Izuku hugged him. Shoto had the usual reaction, and his boyfriend said they shouldn't be physical anywhere else.
He kissed his hand. "After all, we can't have you look all drugged out in the common room. Sero and Kaminari would ask you for your stash."
"What would they think if I said you were the one that made me all drugged out?" Shoto asked, amused.
"They'd probably think there was something wrong with you."
"And you. Getting up close and personal with a vampire, and all. Who does that?"
"A brave person," Izuku replied. "A stupid person, maybe."
"So stupid," Shoto agreed.