-x- Shoto -x-
He didn't really feel any different, other than feeling a bit more distant, tired. But not nearly enough to impede him in any way. He didn't get angry today. He felt fine, better. He didn't feel that rage underneath the surface. He just felt all around better. Admin still said he was doing better, despite falling back into looking down on humans.
They weren't just seen as food sources, but he did say they were weak and useless. They couldn't do anything against him, which made them inferior to him in every way. He did not share these thoughts and feelings with anybody but his counselor. He'd been through his worst times with the man, Shoto trusted him to not tell anyone and be sincere with his advice.
So, when he went to school, he looked exhausted, but he wasn't. He was fully rested. When he sat at the table, Izuku was already there, and looked worried. "I'm okay, we ended up increasing the dosage," he said before his friend could ask. Izuku just nodded, and class started.
Throughout the day, whenever he heard a student needing help, he thought they were all dumb shits. But he felt no urge to be violent. Even seeing the bully with the wires in his jaw he'd have the rest of the school year. Seeing the consequences of messing with Shoto, everyone left the two alone. But for Bakugo, who came over to them at recess.
"Heard you beat the irrelevant's ass, huh? Jaw wired shut for two months, hah!" he laughed. Then he grew serious, and quiet. "You're one of them, aren't you? You two met at rehab." Shoto didn't respond. "I ain't gonna tell anyone shit. I've known about Deku for months already and nobody knows."
"Why are you telling me this?" Shoto asked.
"I dunno. Don't think you're special, though."
"Why not?" Shoto wondered.
"You know, sometimes I think you're on drugs," Bakugo replied.
"I am on drugs, how'd you know?" Shoto asked curiously. Bakugo put his hand to his face.
"Does that make you an idiot, too?"
"No, I'm one of the smartest in the class."
"Oh my god, Deku! Where's you find someone like this?!" Bakugo demanded. Izuku was just smiling fondly at his friend and his literal attitude.
"Some place where we actually have things in common. We help each other. I am grateful you helped me in the beginning."
"Oh, so he's not too bad of a guy after all…" Shoto mumbled, hand to his chin, thinking. Bakugo's eye twitched and he clenched his teeth. "Do you have any friends?"
"Of course I do! I have lots!"
"Oh, see, he isn't a bad guy."
"Stop trying to complement me, you idiot!"
"But I'm stating a fact. I'm not trying to complement you," Shoto replied. Bakugo gave up and stormed away, throwing his hands up in the air. Izuku looked at Shoto in shock. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"You… you annoyed him so much that he left… Wow! That's crazy." Then he started to mumble about his childhood and wondering if he would have ever been annoying enough if he tried to get him to leave him alone. Shoto let him mutter to himself, and didn't interrupt. He was taking air notes, and only stopped when the bell rang to go back to class. "Oh, sorry!" he said in embarrassment, realizing what he'd been doing.
Shoto said, "It's okay. I don't mind." His face showed even less emotion now, eyes blank. Izuku wished he didn't need to be this way, but also wondered if the unmedicated Shoto was anything like he was, now. He just had to remind himself that untreated mental illnesses make someone have a different personality.
This was Shoto. It didn't matter if some of it came from his medication. He was still his friend. The rest of the day, Shoto helping Izuku out with classwork, nobody asking him for help as they were still freshly fearful. And every time they saw the bully's broken jaw and wires sticking out of his mouth, it reinforced that they shouldn't mess with the unassuming Todoroki Shoto.
On their way out, Shoto wondered if he wanted to be friends with Bakugo. "Wha- why?" Izuku asked in confusion.
"Well, he's keeping the secret. And he helped you. So maybe we can be friends. Maybe being around a human that had some good qualities will help me out, too. I don't usually see him with friends at recess either," the twelve year old replied. Izuku nodded, really liking when Shoto showed the real compassionate sides.
"Okay, let's try." So they went to Kacchan's class, and waited for him outside. When he left, Shoto walked up to him and asked if he wanted to walk home together.
"Hell, no."
"What… does hell have to do with this?" Shoto asked. Kacchan grinded his teeth, and Izuku finally started laughing. "I'm just trying to be nice because you're helping us, and you helped Midoriya," Shoto explained, his cheeks a bit pink at being laughed at. So Izuku stopped laughing. Kacchan started to walk away, and they followed.
"I said I don't want you walking home with me!"
"We're going to get ice cream, this is just the same direction," Izuku lied.
"I have no money," Shoto commented. Izuku grinned, and had some money himself. He invited Kacchan to go with them. "It will possibly be enjoyable."
"You should tell people 'it'll be fun' you damn literal dumbass," Bakugo grumbled.
"Oh. Okay. But… it might not be fun. So I didn't want to lie." Izuku noticed he was being oddly talkative to a near stranger. Did he see something in Kacchan that Izuku didn't? At least, right now? But he did end up going to ice cream with them, getting three scoops to deplete all of Izuku's money. They walked back the way they came quietly for a bit.
"Why can you do shit and Deku can't?" Kacchan asked.
"Some vampires get it, some don't," Shoto replied. "It might also be because of age, how long it's been since you were turned." Bakugo asked when that was for Shoto, sounding mildly interested. "Almost three years ago." This surprised the explosive boy, and he looked back at him, eyes narrowed.
But Shoto was nearly impossible to read. "How long were you in rehab, then?"
"Nearly nine months," Shoto answered. Kacchan glanced at Izuku, who gave him a blank look, giving nothing away.
"That means you should be much better at everything, right? Stronger, smarter, better to be controlled around other humans?" Shoto shut down, and refused to talk about it anymore. Izuku was thankful and surprised that Kacchan dropped it, and then turned back to not face them, walking a few feet ahead of the two vampires.
"Is this dangerous for me? Two vampires following me to my fuckin' house?"
"I'm on meds. I'm safe. Izuku is in control." Bakugo froze again. Then he turned around, searching Shoto's face, but finding nothing.
But then he said, "You're… super fucked in the head, aren't you?" Shoto's eyes glanced away. "Damn. Why would I want to be 'friends' with someone like you?"
"I mean… you're messed up in the head, too. And I thought that having things in common were what makes people friends…" he mumbled. Izuku gave a small, sad smile.
"You helped me a lot, Kacchan. And I forgive you for baiting me, you were trying to help in your own way. So… I do think you care about me, or at least the friendship we used to have. And you're keeping my secret. Our secret." Kacchan looked at them both with narrowed eyes, maybe searching for a lie. He clearly didn't find one on either of their faces.
"I'm almost home. I can make it the rest of the way back," he said, and left, hands shoved into his pockets.
Shoto turned to Izuku, and asked, "Does that mean we're friends? I can't tell."
"Don't know. I guess we'll see."
CHAPTER 6
-x- Izuku -x-
Bakugo Katsuki was not a liar, or a faker. He was always honest, to a fault many times. But Izuku could honestly not believe his reaction to the two's offer/confession. He was ordering Shoto around, but mostly to have him show how to do a handstand. It had been three days, and he'd ignored them for a bit, but then suddenly he walked Izuku home, but trailed behind them.
Shoto was helping him out, despite getting yelled at. He didn't seem bothered, but it could just be hiding behind the effects of his helpful medication. Izuku was sitting on the edge of the sand box, watching.
It seemed like Kacchan had at least accepted the things they'd said were true. He was still snapping at Izuku, but not in the same way. It was different. The vampire boy wondered if he'd had no friends, really. If he'd been lonely and just hid it. Because he accepted Shoto's words, and had respected Izuku's vampirism.
Maybe he felt something other than pity because he was sick. Maybe finding him bleeding and crying in an alley way changed something, some how. But Izuku couldn't lie: he was happy it seemed he'd partially mended his relationship with his young childhood friend. Bakugo had always been demeaning, but it hadn't been that bad when they were little, both fawning over All Might, wanting to be heroes.
It all changed when Izuku was declared quirkless. Maybe the opposite happened this time. Now that Izuku had another huge problem, maybe the switch had flipped. He didn't plan on asking something he felt would be personal. He was just enjoying this while it lasted. When the bell rang, Shoto removed his hands, and the blond tumbled onto his back with no support.
"You idiot!" he snapped at Shoto.
"Oh, sorry," he said. "The bell rang."
"I heard it, dumbfuck."
"You swear a lot."
"You just now noticed?"
"No. I just commented it right now."
Kacchan got easily frustrated with Shoto's lack of people skills, and how so much just flew right over his head. It was easy for him to get annoyed with him, but he hadn't hit Shoto at all. He hadn't threatened him with his quirk. It made Izuku wonder if he recognized that Shoto wasn't in control of this behavior. Possibly not.
After all, Shoto admitted he was only okay because he was on medication. Izuku didn't really ever think Bakugo was fucked in the head, but maybe he hadn't seen him clear enough to recognize that. Still, it was nice.
After school, they walked back to Bakugo's place. Shoto was drinking some blood powdered water. "Is that seriously just powder?"
"Yeah. Do you want to see?" The other was quiet for a moment before he grumbled and turned around to see, the three of them stopping walking. Shoto took his backpack off and got a packet. They were just double bagged ziplock bags to keep it safe after scooping out the right amount. He opened it, and Kacchan sniffed it.
"Doesn't smell like shit."
"Well… it isn't shit, it's powdered blood." Shoto had gotten even more literal after the dosage being upped. But Izuku didn't comment on it and risk making him insecure about it. He took the lid off his canteen, and Bakugo sniffed that, and made a face.
"That smells like blood. How do they even make that shit?"
"It's a long process, which is why it's so expensive. One pack in bulk is $600." Bakugo's jaw dropped. "I'm only getting it because of how much I need. With six vampires in my house, I can't drink twelve a day."
"Why do you need to drink so much, anyways? He doesn't have to take nearly as much as you."
"It's different for everyone. It varied a lot at the rehab," Izuku stated. "I was the lightest one. Maybe it's cause I don't have the perks," he said, looking at his powerless hands. Kacchan turned back around, and that was when Izuku knew. They weren't enemies anymore, because he hadn't taken the moment to call him worthless and quirkless.
He would have taken that moment to land a blow that might actually hurt, but he didn't. Izuku looked to Shoto, wondering how he could do this. The younger vampire had tried to get along with him so many times but failed. Maybe it was because Shoto had been so honest, and had seen through Kacchan's walls. Saw he was lonely and messed up in some way.
Izuku didn't know if it would last, but if it did, then that could be really great.
When they stopped at the door Kacchan unlocked, he made a curt head gesture, meaning to go inside. Izuku hadn't been to his house in years. It didn't look any different from last time, still big and spacious. Like Shoto's house was. It had a lot of space and rooms. "Katsuki, whose that?" his mom demanded.
"Classmates!" he snapped back.
"Izuku? Katsuki, did you bring him here to beat him up?!"
"No! I didn't, butt out! And this is Todoroki Shoto. Leave us alone!"
"My name is Mitsuki," she introduced to Shoto, who bowed in greeting. Then they went to Kacchan's room. It looked a lot different, no more All Might stuff, no hero things. Well, besides a few. Shoto looked around a bit, and Izuku was watching his reaction to it, curious of what he thought.
When his eyes landed on an Endeavor poster, his lip curled up, but then it faded. It clicked then. Shoto knew Endeavor in some way. His father had fire… he was famous... He saw him on the street. And Shoto hated heroes. Izuku's face fell when he realized that this meant the number two hero beat and starved his own son. He was the reason four people were dead, and why Shoto was so damaged, his mind and heart scarred deepy.
Neither others saw Izuku's expression when he put two and two together. He didn't plan on saying anything. He'd rather never have confirmation than hurt Shoto. Bakugo sat on his desk, and looked at Shoto calculatingly. "You ever drink from people?" Shoto nodded. "Hmm. Do you plan on doing it ever again?"
The older vampire shrugged. "Not anytime soon," he said, and touched his collar. Kacchan's eyes narrowed slightly, but then his face relaxed more. He gestured to the collar, and wondered what it was for.
"I already saw Deku's reaction to blood twice. It's not like I'm not aware that vampires freak the fuck out when smelling blood. Not that he seems to have that problem anymore," Kacchan said, jerking his head towards the quirkless kid.
Izuku said, "It is still a little uncomfortable. I'm not totally better. I just don't attack anymore. We went through training to deal with fresh blood."
"Then what's the choker for?"
Shoto said it, he was honest. "I'm not good at control. I never mastered it. If I start to react how you saw Izuku, it electrocutes me, so I can't move and get out of the haze." Kacchan's eyes widened, not expecting that answer.
"Fuck, man. They pick that for you?"
"No. It was my idea. They didn't want to, but I found out that pain will break through the frenzy state. I first impaled my foot to stop. But stabbing myself isn't realistic in more situations, and I barely had enough control to pull that off. This was my best bet, and it works."
"So, you'd rather hurt yourself than hurt others?"
"I'd rather hurt myself than kill others."
"Just so you know, if you pull that shit with me and that doesn't work, I won't hesitate to blow you up." His voice wasn't harsh, and Shoto nodded, unbothered by what he'd said. "You vampires get violent from playing video games?" he asked, changing the subject, thankfully. They both shook their heads. "Then we're playing video games so I don't gotta talk to you fuckers. And no screen-peeking."
So they played a first person shooter. He got very angry when they beat him. "How the fuck are you better than me at this? No way you could afford a game station." It was pretty rude to say, but was true. After the very expensive (but worth it all) rehab, money was very tight. But Inko wasn't bothered, she knew it was necessary for Izuku to ever live a normal life.
"We played a lot at the rehab," Shoto said. "I was there eight months, I got good at it." Kacchan was annoyed with this, but he continued to do his best, and when he beat both of them, he laughed and insulted them, even though they'd won more times.
Shoto said, "But we won more than you did."
"Shut up, Dumbfuck." That was Kacchan's nickname for Shoto. It didn't seem to upset Shoto, but Izuku still hoped he'd grow out of calling them names.
Shoto looked at all the posters, and asked, "You like heroes?"
"Of course I do, I'm gonna be the number one hero some day!" Bakugo snapped. He was on the opposite of the spectrum of being bad with people. Shoto was quiet and a bit closed off, trying to figure it out while Kacchan just insulted everyone, even people he liked, like his mom. Shoto looked unimpressed. "Why don't you want to, with that fancy ass quirk?"
The red and white head said, "Heroes aren't all good people."
"Well, duh. I heard Endeavor is an absolute prick of a man." Shoto rose his brows.
"He is…"
"You know him? That why you glared at his poster?"
"He shouldn't be a hero."
"Why not?" Bakugo asked.
"He abused his family."
"Shoto, you don't need to talk about it," Izuku said. Shoto looked at him, and nodded. The freckled one leaned to the side, and rested his head on his shoulder in a show of comfort. Shoto was quiet the rest of the time there, and Bakugo didn't push. Even he realized that this was an incredibly sore subject. He had to get it now, too. It wasn't like Shoto wasn't being kind of obvious.
But near the end of their time there, playing video games, with Shoto silently owning both of them, his black slave slipped, and Kacchan asked about it. But his voice was… softer. Izuku had seen Mitsuki hit him before. Maybe he also felt he had something more in common with Shoto. While Mitsuki hitting him was bad, it wasn't as severe as the things Endeavor had done to his family. His wife, and his children. Especially Shoto.
"It covers a burn I got from the sun."
"Let me see." Shoto pulled it down and raised his sleeve to show the leathery, black stripe. "What the fuck… why didn't it heal?"
"I was starved at the time. I couldn't heal from it. If we have blood, or just had some, most wounds will heal, even shallow burns from the sun. If not, there's no energy for our bodies to use up to heal."
"Damn, you guys suck." Izuku understood what he meant, but Shoto was kind of confused. "I mean it sucks to be vampires. You got all these problems and shit. Hell, Deku was bleeding from the face when I found him." Shoto took Izuku's hand, him knowing very well what it was like. Both of them were suddenly quite down and sad.
Kacchan looked awkward about this subject. But then Shoto's phone rang. He answered, and of course Izuku could hear it perfectly with his heightened sense of sound. "Shoto, when are you coming home?" Mikaela asked.
"Do you want me to come home? I'm at Bakugo's house with Midoriya, too."
"Oh, then have fun. I didn't mean to interrupt. Food will be ready by six, try to get here before then." The call ended, and Shoto stood up and gathered his things.
"Something is wrong, so I'm gonna go home."
"Yeah, she sounded frantic. I'll walk you back, if you want," Izuku offered. Shoto declined. He'd be fine.
"It's so stupid you can both hear so well and I've got a fuckin old man's compared to you," Bakugo grumbled. He turned off the game station, and the two vampires went their separate ways.
"Text me, okay?" Izuku said in a hush. Shoto nodded. They might be friends with Bakugo now, but that didn't mean both vampires were as close to him as they were for one another. It would likely never change. There was baggage there between him and Izuku. He was trying to let it go, but really, it would always be there.
Shoto would not open up and share all his feelings with someone like Bakugo. He wasn't delicate with delicate situations. It was more like Shoto and Izuku were best friends, and Kacchan was their other friend. He had to earn that place.
-x- Shoto -x-
"What's wrong?" Shoto asked the moment he entered the door, seeing Mikaela watching TV. He got some blood, a few bottles of water with the right serving of blood powder for how much water was mixed. You couldn't have a gallon jug with one serving of powder, it didn't distribute right.
The foster mother held up a letter. "It's from Endeavor. You can burn it if you want, I'm not going to encourage you to read it." Shoto felt anger, but took the letter. He sat on the recliner, and opened the envelop. There was a letter inside, folded up.
He took a breath before reading. Shoto, I heard you got out of rehab. I hope it went well. I've tried to keep it out of the media for both of our sakes. It will come out sooner or later, so take your mother's name and not mine.
His eyes narrowed. He had no issue taking his mothers maiden name. But he didn't even apologize for making Shoto go crazy. There was a link to a website where he could change his name, and it had his signature as permission. He folded up the letter, and told his foster mother what it said.
She sighed. "If you change your last name, I support you. We all do." Shoto didn't know what it would be like to be called "Himura" and not "Todoroki". Maybe it would feel great. No longer carry the hateful name of his terrible father. If he truly thought he'd made a mistake, then he could have at least apologized. Shoto wouldn't have forgiven him, as he was reminded of what had been done to him every night when he took his pills. A reminder that he was not okay, even now. He had to rely on drugs and a torture device to stay sane.
He rubbed his eyes, forcing the tears away from his good eye. "I'll do it," Shoto sighed. "This way I won't have anything that tethers me to him. Not his quirk, not his name," he said. Mikaela looked happy for him. He wondered if the same was being done for Fuyumi and Natsuo. Well, not like he cared about ether of them.
Sure, he'd wanted them to be family, but they never were, and proved they didn't care when they left Shoto alone down there for so long, screaming and crying. Alone, scared and in pain, they didn't even call anyone for help. They might have been scared of the state Shoto was in, but they could have at least alerted someone. And they didn't.
He filled out the online paperwork just fine. Personally, he did love his mom, and he blamed what happened on Endeavor, but he still held a bit of resentment deep inside. That if she'd only been there, Shoto would not be a mess. He'd be like Izuku, whole again. Touching his heart, he was sure he'd never be normal, would always need meds to keep him from being a psychotic asshole.
It was weird, the three were talking about him today, the same day he made contact. Izuku supported his choice fully. Shoto knew he would, though. He was lucky he had a loving family, and Inko had never and would never abuse him. He liked his foster family, but they were just temporary for Shoto to be taken in permanently by somebody. Maybe, that is.
Vampires had been taken in from this place before, but he felt he was too much trouble than it was worth for someone to spend so much money to adopt him, and then deal with his personal issues. Rubbing his hands down his face, he then rested his forehead on his desk. Well, he shouldn't think to far into the future. That always made him depressed. Same as his past. He was only feeling okay when in the present.
He called Izuku, who answered immediately. "Everything okay?"
"Endeavor mailed me a letter telling me I should change my last name to avoid media attention when the situation goes public. 'Shoto, I heard you got out of rehab. I hope it went well. I've tried to keep it out of the media for both of our sakes. It will come out sooner or later, so take your mother's name and not mine.' I did it."
"What a jerk. I'm so sorry you went through that, and I understand now why you hate heroes. I'm sorry that I ever tried to convince you otherwise. But this means you have no connection to him anymore!"
"He probably didn't want me to have his name. He didn't even apologize. And I know I'm being unreasonable to blame all heroes for it. Not all of them can be corrupt. But he's the number two… if the number two hero could be this way, what stops the lower ranking ones from doing it?"
"If a lower ranking hero did this, they'd be removed form hero society. You said it yourself, he's the number two. Which means he has a higher status, and is more likely to have influence. He might only be getting off because of how high ranking he is. Just like corporations who have abusive CEOs or owners. If they have money, they don't get in trouble."
Shoto was speechless. He'd never thought about it like that, but it was true. Endeavor got away with it because he was influential. Well, or because nobody knew. By likely both. Shoto had been down there a long time, surely someone had found out? Maybe Fuyumi or Natsuo slipped. Who knows? He didn't. He was effectively cast out of the family.
Changing his name felt like a cop out, like he was running away. But he didn't want to have the media all over him. Sure, his criminal record was wiped clean, but still. Yeah, he was going the non-confrontational route. He'd change his name to escape any possible consequences. He was glad he lived nowhere near his original place of birth, so it was unlikely he'd be seen by the same cops or the people who witnessed him.
Though, at the time he'd looked very different from now. His white hair was dirty, looked brown. He was covered in dirt, too. The ice he'd destroyed the house with had dumped mud and dirt down once the basement caved. He was starved and skinny. Not to mention he looked crazed. As he was now, he looked nothing like he had. So, hopefully that kept him safe. The incident had not been on the news, and it happened too fast and too late for people to film. Yeah, he was okay. The past was the past.
His hands shook, trying to convince himself that day - those days - were gone, far behind him. He picked up the big pill bottle on his night stand. They kept him a good person. He wouldn't ever stop taking them. "Do you want to go shopping with me tomorrow?"
"Where?" Shoto wondered, moving to sit on his bed.
"Birthday shopping for my mom. I have a little money, and since my rehab took up so much money and stress, I want to get her something. It would just be you and me. I feel like Kacchan would make it kind of uncomfortable."
"You're still mad at him. I understand why, of course. He's rude to me, too." Izuku was quiet on the other end.
"He still calls me Deku. Until he stops, I think it'll be uncomfortable for me. I don't think I'll ever get an apology, though. So I'm not expecting one."
"I understand. If you don't want to, we could distance again. Or take it slower?"
"Why do you want to be his friend, Shoto? I'm curious."
Shoto got embarrassed. "I… thought you were supposed to make friends with people you have in common with." Izuku chuckled on the other end, and the vampire's cheeks turned red.
"I love how innocent your way of thinking is. At least when it comes to working with others."
"I try my best, but I'm just not good at it. I always say the wrong thing, or don't understand the jokes or insults." Izuku assured him he saw nothing wrong with the way he acted. "I hope I get better. Maybe starting at a new school with new people, I could make sure not to punch anyone."
Izuku agreed. School was ending in only three weeks. "And when we go to a middle school, I'll make sure to protect you until you're ready to protect yourself." The other was silent. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound like you're weak-"
"No, I understand. Thank you, though. But, if I'm gonna be a hero, then I have to be brave enough to face my peers."
"True. But peers might be harder than fighting villains."
"You think I can be a hero?"
"Why not?" Izuku pointed out he didn't have a quirk. "Well… lots of heroes have useless quirks. Maybe you could learn to fight without a quirk. Or maybe by then your vampire skills show up." There was sniffling on the other end. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry!" Shoto shouted in panic.
"No, no. I'm happy. I've never ever had anybody who thought I could be a hero with no quirk. Not even my mom."
Shoto relaxed, glad it wasn't sad tears. "Well, I never had someone to want to be my friend when we weren't near. I never had anybody. There were people at rehab, but they came and went and never contacted me again. I do understand why, but I just never had a real friend before you."
"We're both good firsts for each other. Can I call you my best friend, now?"
"There's rankings?" Izuku laughed. After explaining, Shoto agreed to be best friends.
The next morning, they met up at the local shopping outlet. It was a big parking lot, on all sides surrounded by shops. They went into a few, Shoto given some spending money as well. They went shopping for a new handbag for Inko, as Izuku said hers was frayed. He spent all the money on it, and it was a nice one. Not designer, but not crap either.
Then it was Shoto's turn to shop. They went to a book store, and he bought a beautiful leather journal. "Admin said I should write things down. He suggested it a long time ago, but I was worried someone would find it and use it against me. Now I feel like nobody would take it and read it," he explained as he looked at the book. It was thick, and would last a long time.
He paid for them to get some candy, and then they walked back to Izuku's home, munching on chocolate honeycomb, Shoto drinking some blood from his canteen on their journey back. When they got there, Inko was gone, so he and Izuku made paper decorations and distributed them around the apartment for her birthday.
They never celebrated birthdays at his old home. Not even when his mom was there. There was nothing special about the day you were born. He kind of hoped his foster family would want to celebrate his birth. That he wasn't wasted potential. "What's wrong?" Izuku asked, seeing Shoto's far away expression.
"I really like my new foster family. But that's all they are, to foster me. I'm disposable, I'll leave like others have," Shoto said softly. "I'm only temporary. I've always only been temporary. There's never been a time in my life that I thought I was there for good."
Izuku hugged him. "If you do leave them, it's because you found a new family. It's not like you're a pet at a pet store. You have a say in who adopts you. If you don't like people who want you, then wait for someone else."
"Nobody would adopt me, Midoriya. Not any time soon, at least. And older children are harder to be adopted already," he mumbled. "Don't wanna talk about it anymore." Izuku nodded, and they watched some TV, eating blood candies from the jar Shoto had given to him. When Inko came back, both of them hearing her car door shut, they turned off the lights and waited.
"Ready? Like we practiced." Shoto nodded. When the door opened, Inko was confused but Shoto flipped the switch on. "Surprise!"
"Congratulations."
"It's surprise, Shoto."
"Sorry. I was under pressure." Izuku started to laugh, but Shoto knew by now it wasn't in mean spirit.
"Oh, you boys didn't need to do this all!" Inko said, though she looked happy.
"You went through so much this year, so I wanted to at least do something. So much money was spent over me and all, so I got you a gift." Her eyes watered but she smiled. They went to the couch, Shoto sitting on the carpet while the two Midoriyas opened her present. "Yours is dying already, so I thought a new one would be nice. I didn't have too much, so it's not fancy, but this one is not bad quality."
"Oh, thank you, honey," Inko said. "I'm not the only one who went through stress, though. All three of us did, so lets all three eat some cake. I bought a box to make it!" They baked a cake, then. All working together. Shoto had to admit it was a trainwreck at the end, one of the slices falling apart while being moved and pasted together with frosting. But it was repaired with too much frosting to use as glue.
Though it didn't matter much since it tasted good when eaten. Shoto crumbled some blood candies over his, crushing them in his hand easily. He did the same for Izuku. It added a nice burst of flavor that was other than chocolate. Shoto had a nice time, listening to them talk. It made hm jealous, but also happy for his friend. Best friend. He was glad Izuku had a supportive home.
After the sun started to set, Shoto was driven home for safety reasons, even if he'd be able to protect himself. He hadn't put on enough sunblock that morning, so his face was stating to sting. But he kept his fear hidden. He didn't want to ruin it for them. And he also didn't want to waste any of Izuku's sunblock.
But he made it home just fine, and vowed to put even more sunblock on. The twelve year old got some dinner and brought it up to his room. He'd found out quickly that it was rare for all of them to sit at the table together. He'd done it a few times, but liked the quiet of his room most when eating.
Izuku texted him later, saying Inko really liked him. It made Shoto happy. But he did wonder what everyone he was not close to would think of what he did. Even though he wondered it, his lips were forever sealed, and he knew Izuku's were as well. Nobody would ever know. That's what he sincerely hoped.
-x- Izuku -x-
"Stop calling me Deku, Kacchan," Izuku finally said, surprising Bakugo, but not Shoto. He knew that the younger vampire was getting really fed up being friendly with Kacchan but still being insulted. The explosive kid turned around.
"Or what?"
"Or I'm out." By the way Shoto had reacted, it was pretty obvious he would leave, too. Bakugo's lips pursed. He was stubborn and didn't want to back down. They were being friendly, but the next step needed to be some forgiveness. Not that Bakugo had anything from Izuku to forgive. He'd done nothing for years, trying to get along, trying to talk.
But now, in the place he was in, he felt he could finally air out his grievances. And he had the support of Shoto, who was already on his side. He would leave if Izuku did. "And I want you to apologize for burning me every time you got sour." His voice didn't waver, and he could cry he was so proud of himself.
Shoto watched silently, his face giving nothing away, always perfect at being unreadable. Kacchan took a deep breath. "I will stop calling you Deku. I'll try! It's a habit now, deal with it. I never blew you up bad enough to leave permanent injuries anyways." It was not an apology. To prove his point, that he was being serious, Izuku turned around and walked away.
Unsure of what to do, Shoto eventually followed him. "I'm sorry," Bakugo snapped. "I know there's issues, okay. I know I've been a fucking prick." They could both easily hear him from down the street. Izuku smiled, and the two headed back to him to resume their walk, not speaking of it again.
"Midoriya, why do you call him 'Kacchan'?" Shoto asked, seemingly out of nowhere.
"I was four when I started calling him that. I don't remember why anymore."
"You were a cute little boy. I saw in your pictures." Izuku smiled sheepishly. Then his face fell a bit. "How do you think Kenta's doing? It's been over a month already."
"Whose Kenta?" Kacchan asked. His face was red, probably from the force of apologizing. It only needed to be done once, and it was out of the way. Izuku felt he could move on and try to be friends with him again.
Shoto said, "He was a four or five year old who came to rehab. He'd been turned. Whenever it was blood training, he'd come out screaming and crying. It was sad."
"The hell was blood training? And that's fucked up." Izuku explained the blood training, but Bakugo had already known what it was and just didn't connect the name to the activity. He knew that was when Shoto had to resort to self harm for control. As far as Izuku knew, his collar had never gone off. Though he had also not been exposed to blood.
When he shattered that kid's jaw, the blood was inside his mouth, not out. Making it unable to put them into frenzies. But Inko had cut herself on accident multiple times since he returned, and he'd only just plugged his nose and count to fifteen before he was okay.
"What would happen if I cut myself right now?"
"Then you would put me in a lot of pain. And I wouldn't want to be your friend anymore," Shoto replied bluntly.
Izuku was quiet, but Kacchan already faced the consequences of exposing blood to a vampire. One that didn't have lots of control, that is. Being shunned, and this time, not welcomed back. The blonde nodded and turned away. Both vampires could hear him grinding his teeth. Maybe in anger. Who knows?
When they got to the park, Izuku took the backpack off and laid out the picnic blanket. They were going to learn to do flips like Shoto could. Both of them couldn't have the super strength that Shoto did, but they could work up the flexibility to do some fancy moves. Shoto easily got onto his hands and stood up. "It's near impossible to get both legs to be pointed straight up," he said, his legs slightly apart and uneven. "The handstand is the hardest part of the flip. To complete it, all you gotta do is arch your back and set your feet down. Though you'll probably fall down instead of bend up all the way."
Izuku was taking notes while Shoto explained, and did a few lazy handstand flips. Bakugo jumped right into it, and grunted at the pain in his back. "You didn't even stretch," Shoto said. Kacchan grew irate but did as Izuku did and started to stretch.
"Fuck you and your fancy quirk and fancy body," Bakugo grumbled.
"But you love your quirk, Kacchan!" Izuku said in shock.
"Of course I do! Doesn't mean I don't want to have stupid vampire things, too. He can punch through concrete walls and also has his ice."
"Believe me, I'd rather only have my ice quirk than be this way. Honestly, I'd rather be quirkless than this way," Shoto murmured. It caused the other two to silence. "What?" Shoto asked, not sure what caused the silence. "What's wrong?"
"You'd seriously rather be quirkless?" the blonde asked.
"Well, it's not like I would use it for something grand. I don't want to be a hero. I just want to live a normal life," he finished softly. He rubbed down his bad arm gently. Bakugo just got back to stretching, saying nothing more. Izuku stretched while also reaching for his best friends' hand. Izuku knew it was bad for him, but he'd never worded it like that, which illustrated how anyone other than vampires might see how bad it was.
So many times had people fetishized vampirism online. It was really awful and uncomfortable, that some people only wanted them for their unique bodies. Izuku wasn't sure about the other, but it made him feel violated, even if nothing had been done or said to him personally. If he was with someone, would they want him for him?
That was in the future, he was only twelve. They were stretching when Shoto made a pained noise, and moved his hand to his mouth. His face showed discomfort. "What's wrong?" Izuku asked in worry.
"Nothing…" Shoto said, and clamped his mouth shut. But Izuku understood. Kacchan had no idea.
Instead of asking for specifics or if he hurt, he said, "You can sand them down. With sand paper or nail files." Shoto nodded.
"Oh, you got fangs. I thought that only happened to 'mature' vampires," Bakugo said.
"Shoto's case is… unique," he settled with. "Lots of factors."
"And you're not gonna tell me," the human said bluntly, unimpressed.
"I don't know how you'd react."
"Well, unless you murdered some fuckin' kids, I won't have a problem!" Bakugo snapped. Shoto's eyes flicked down in shame, and Bakugo's eyes widened. "No way, seriously?" he asked in audible shock. His head jerked to Izuku, who looked sad, and took Shoto's hand. "Explain."
Shoto looked up at Izuku to do it, and he did. "Endeavor starved him. So when he finally broke out, he was crazed and starved. They just happened to be there, wrong place, wrong time."
"They?"
"Four people. A father and son, a woman and then a police officer," Shoto said. "Don't tell anyone. They wiped it off of my record and I want that to be over with." Kacchan looked like he was taking it all in.
He was shocked. "What kind of parent starves their newly turned vampire kid?"
"An abusive one," Izuku spat. "This information is not leaving this circle." Bakugo nodded, agreed to not tell anybody.
"Is there anything else? I know about your past now, the issues with control, the powder thing. What are the meds for?"
"The meds keep me mellow. I'm not myself if I'm unmedicated. I become an asshole, and aggressive. The reason I don't really show emotion is partly from the calming meditation. But I've always been quiet," he explained. He pulled his knees to his chest.
Kacchan looked bothered by it all. "You've been through some real shit, then." Shoto nodded. "Wow. And you knew about it all?" he asked Izuku.
"Yeah. Shoto, why don't you start explaining more about the handstands?"
"...Sorry. I'm going home, now," he said, and got his things. Izuku watched him leave putting headphones on. Showing he wanted to be alone, right now. Bakugo was speechless. He got the problem. The source of it all.
He growled, "This all happened because Endeavor was stupid didn't it?" Izuku nodded. "What a terrible fucking person. We should report him!"
"Shoto doesn't want it to go public. He changed his last name to his mother's to avoid media attention," Izuku said, stopping Bakugo's desire to make it public. "Maybe some day he'll say something, but this isn't our fight to win. It should be him if anything does go public." He was upset now, and wished this had been a fun time. Instead, Shoto was forced to explain it all.
"Why are you glaring at me?" the human demanded.
"You ask too many questions, Kacchan."
"Is it that bad to try and get to know the guy who wants to be my friend?!" he shouted. Izuku looked regretful. "I'm going home, too, Deku." And he stormed off. What an awful time. He stood up, no point in staying there either. He went home himself, feeling like shit for many reasons.