-x- Izuku -x-
It was cloudy and raining that day. The rain soaked through Izuku's clothes, and he had no umbrella. The atmosphere made him droopy and bored. He was shivering in the cool rain, and just wanted to get home already. It was a Monday, the worst day of the week. Kacchan always was angry on Mondays because he also hated the first day of the week. He took it out on Izuku, though not always physically.
He also attacked him verbally, but Izuku was a bit used to it by now. It annoyed him, and some of the things he said upset him, but there was nothing to do about it. He'd asked countless times for him to stop bullying him, but had given up when they both turned ten. Kacchan was never going to stop. He'd come to terms with that, and that day sure was a sad one.
Thunder was heard overhead, and he covered his ears. But he looked up at the cloudy sky, hoping to see some lightning. And he did. It lit up the alleyway completely, like someone took a photo with the flash on. The rain started to lighten and then stopped once the thunder got quieter and quieter as the storm slowly dissipated.
His backpack and everything inside was probably soggy. He should have brought an umbrella and kept it in his backpack. One of the foldable ones so Kacchan couldn't destroy it without digging into his backpack, which would get him in a lot of trouble. Not that the teachers ever did anything to stop him from using his quirk against those he felt were below him.
Which was pretty much everybody by now. Izuku was just the worse off, being quirkless and bullied his whole life for it.
As he walked forward again, no longer distracted by the rain, he was slammed down from behind, and felt his arm snap, pulled on easily. He screamed, but then was passed out for the rest of the attack. He knew it wasn't Kacchan but couldn't turn around to see who it was before he was passed out, confused and scared.
Even while he was unconscious, he was scared. When he did wake up, he was surprised by who was there. "Oi, Deku!" Kacchan shouted. Izuku was trembling, and Kacchan looked very worried, which was completely out of character. He slurred out a question of what happened. "You're bleeding from the face!"
Izuku lifted his arms and touched his nose to find he was bleeding. Then he pitched and coughed out a ton of blood. He was on his side, Kacchan rolling him over so he could get it all out. He was sure his arm had broken, he'd felt the pain. And what was happening? He didn't know, but wasn't in any pain.
Except for a terrible burn in his arm, on his shoulder. He reached to touch it, and pulled up the sleeve. There was a long scar. Deep and wide. It hadn't been there before, but here it was. Beside it was a nasty scarred bite mark. "Wha…?" Izuku asked, before he heard Kacchan on his phone, calling for an ambulance.
It was on its way, and Kacchan surprised him by throwing Izuku over his shoulder. He coughed more blood, but managed to not get it on his backpack. Kacchan hurried, running and carrying him just fine. Both eleven year olds were soaked, and Izuku had blood stains all over his jacket and shirt.
When the ambulance got there, the EMTs took Izuku and put him on a stretcher. "Get some blood, now," one said, and another got something ready in the inside. Izuku was lifted up on the stretcher, and saw Kacchan one more time, blood all over his own jacket. He looked kind of scared. Something Izuku hadn't seen before. At least, not in a very, very long time.
He was startled when he was strapped to the bed with leather restraints. "Sorry, kid. It's a precaution. Do you know your name?"
"Midoriya… Izuku," he said tiredly. Then his throat started to burn, as did the bite mark on his arm. They ached and burned and stung, like bees had attacked his trachea or esophagus. He couldn't tell which one. A juice box was handed to him, and the straw was put in his mouth. He drank it, but he'd never tasted juice like this.
It was too thick, kind of gooey. It tasted really good, and made him feel better, but he didn't know what it was. Didn't taste like fruit or even artificial fruit. "Midoriya, do you know what happened to you?" He pulled on the restraints a bit, itchy and unable to scratch. But they were tight and strong. He couldn't get out, and it scared him.
"Someone got on my back," he said, able to speak better now. "They… I thought they broke my arm. What happened to me?" he asked, scared of the answer by needing to know.
"Midoriya, you've been attacked by a vampire. It's been transferred to you. I'm sorry, kid," the EMT said. Izuku didn't believe him. That couldn't be right. But the man held up the juice pouch, and bluntly told him he'd just drunk some blood. "Don't worry, it's donated and has been tested and cleared for being safe."
Izuku felt he was going to throw up, but didn't. Tears came down his cheeks, eye scrunched closed. Why was he attacked? It wasn't like he was doing anything! He was minding his own business, and now this happened… why? Why would someone do that? And just leave him there? What was the point, it didn't make sense.
When he got to the hospital, the restraints were removed but for his feet. So he could use his hands to shakily call his mom. She answered, and asked where the eleven year old had been. He started to cry the moment she wondered where he'd gone and when he was coming home. He was inconsolable, and was only able to get out that he was at the hospital.
"For what?!" she asked in worry, and Izuku could hear her getting her things over the phone. Hear the jingle of keys, and then the slamming and locking of their front door. He couldn't bring himself to tell her, and kept crying. "I'll be there soon!" Izuku hung up, and hunched over, trying to stop crying, but being unsuccessful.
He was given some more blood in a fake juice box, and didn't hesitate to drink it. He didn't like it, but he thought he wasn't a stupid person, and knew this was what he had to do now. It tasted nasty but also good. Nasty probably because he knew what it was. But-but it was donated, and not forced from a person.
He touched his teeth, but they were fine. They didn't feel sharp. He used his camera on his phone to look at his eyes. They weren't red, still green. He was supposed to have red eyes, right? He immediately Googled symptoms and side effects of his awful, life-long condition. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. And now his life would forever be more difficult.
He couldn't go out in the sun without any sort of protection or he'd get burnt. He had to drink blood or he'd be in a lot of pain and losing his sense of self. Of course, he needed to drink blood. His senses would be heightened, painful in the beginning. He may or may not develop the strength and speed.
But he didn't care about having powers, he'd rather be quirkless and bullied for life instead of this. It didn't take too long for Inko to get there, and was directed to where he was. Izuku made sure no blood was on his face or visible in his mouth. His ankles were still cuffed, shoes removed but socks still on.
"Izuku?! What happened?" He was out of his bloody shirt and was in a white hospital one. Jeans were still there. Izuku didn't know how to tell her, he was ashamed and embarrassed. He didn't want to see her face when he told her. He didn't say it, just lifted his shirt sleeve, showing the deep scar that wasn't there before, and the scarred over and lumpy bite mark.
She gasped, and his face crumpled. He looked up before he got a hug from her. She didn't smell too strong, and it smelled of home, of their detergent and peaches that she must have been working while being on the call. He hugged her back, and cried out apologies. "It's not your fault. We'll work through it," she sniffled, and pulled away, clearly trying to be strong for him.
His face was splotchy and covered in tears and snot. The blood was wiped away, and he didn't hurt or feel sick anymore. She took his hands and gave him a watery smile. "We'll be okay. I'll do everything I can," she promised, his voice trembling, but also strong and sincere. Izuku nodded, and wiped his eyes. "I don't want you to apologize to me again, okay? This- this isn't your fault at all."
Izuku nodded. "Kacchan was the one to find me and call for help," he said. Inko was surprised with this, and Izuku nodded. "He seemed scared. I hope he doesn't tell everyone. Though they all hate me anyways…"
Inko brushed her hand through Izuku's still slightly damp hair. "If he does, then we'll figure something out. But, you won't be attending school immediately. You know that."
"I know… I don't want to hurt others," he mumbled. "I want to be a hero, not hurt people." But could he be a hero while both quirkless, and now a vampire, too? He was losing hope, and looked at the walls, the only thing keeping the sun out. Protecting him. The doctor came inside their room, and asked how they were.
"Upset, but ready," Inko said in a firm voice. "Tell me what I need to know to take care of him." Izuku gave a soft, relieved smile. Of course she'd still love him. She was his mom, whatever he was, human or vampire. He was still her kid, and that wouldn't ever change. He listened to details on how to live, too.
He didn't have his backpack or notebook anymore, so Inko was recording the conversation with her phone, which translated into text so she didn't need to type or write anything. It sure was helpful. But Izuku wasn't happy with what he was hearing. There was so much they needed to change.
But if it was the only way to live, then he couldn't and wouldn't complain about it. That's what he hoped he could do.
-x-
Izuku looked at the new black out curtains sadly. None of the curtains were allowed to be open during the day. He slumped on the couch, and took another sip of the blood. He hated drinking it around his mom, he felt like a freak. That it was disgusting and all. No matter how many times she assured him that it wasn't disgusting, and was just a new necessity, he still was insecure about it.
He had the TV on. It had been a week so far, and he hadn't been around anyone but Inko, and hadn't gone anywhere, not even during the night. The house had been cleaned, wiped down everywhere to get a consistent scent for him. Too many was making him have a headache. The best thing was that the walls in their apartment complex were thick. So he didn't hear all of their neighbors, which would not be very fun. He could hear those next door, as they were on the end unit. He was getting good at ignoring it.
He flipped through the channels, Inko being gone, picking up the blood supply. Insurance paid for blood, and supplied them to him. There was a new blood freezer beside the washing machine and dryer. He conserved them, having a schedule. He had reminders on his phone, going off on intervals so he drank when necessary. Organizing his new life felt good, he felt productive. When he wasn't doing school work, learning remotely, he tried to train his senses, tried getting into the right mindset.
Attempting to not drink every time his throat started to get sore and itchy. He was near constantly uncomfortable. Every day, almost every hour, his throat hurt, or his head did. He was slowly getting used to it. No, it had only been a week, he was semi-quickly getting used to it. Any injuries faded fairly quickly, which was a perk. The only one.
He was washing out the juice box and then put it in the biohazard bin, where anything with blood in it was thrown into. It was smart, so Inko didn't touch any blood directly. It wasn't sustenance to her, and even though all the blood had been cleared as healthy and fine, Izuku didn't want her to have to touch it.
It was clear that the blood mae her uneasy, but she promised him that she'd get used to it, because she must. "I don't think anything bad of you for it, honey," she'd said when he hid in his room to drink. "It's just our new situation. I will get used to it along with you."
"Y-yeah," he'd replied, calmed by her words and promise. Though he still would rather not be seen doing it. He was just glad the boxes weren't see through, and looked like large juice boxes, straw and everything. Though the outsides were made of thick, laminated paper, while normal juice boxes were thinner paper or thin cardboard.
While she was gone, grocery shopping, there was a knock on the door. More like a pounding. It was sunny outside, but their porch was covered, so he could open the door without being burnt. He looked through the peephole and saw Kacchan. He didn't really want to be teased or anything, but he opened the door regardless.
"So, you're a vampire now?" Kacchan asked bluntly. Izuku sighed and moved aside to let him in. It had been a long time since he came to his home, the reverse true as well. Their friendship was destroyed long ago, even though Izuku wished they could still be friends sometimes. He could forgive and forget if Kacchan apologized for it all. But Izuku wasn't holding out for that to happen.
"Yeah," Izuku confirmed simply. "Thanks for helping me."
"You were screaming bloody murder and bleeding everywhere. Someone would have found you anyways."
"I don't remember screaming," Izuku mumbled. He didn't remember most of what happened. Almost none of it. He didn't know how long the whole ordeal had taken. Didn't know the face of his attacker, nothing about him or her. He moved and sat down on the couch. "Did you need something?" Izuku asked, rubbing his nose.
Kacchan didn't smell bad, which was nice. Though he wouldn't see him much anyways. They weren't friends. He pulled something out of his backpack, and handed it to Izuku. It was a book, a novel. "We're starting a new book in class," the blonde said gruffly, scowling. Izuku took the book, and nodded in thanks. "So, what's changed?"
Izuku didn't really want to talk about it, but Kacchan had done something at least a little nice. He wasn't going to tell him to piss off. He took too long to answer before the human got irate. "Nobody at school knows. I didn't tell anybody." Izuku looked up sharply, shocked. "What?! It's not like an illness is something to make fun of or look down on!" he snapped.
"Right… I'll always be ill, now," Izuku mumbled. "I need to have blood, of course. Things smell too strong, loud noises cause migraines. The sun will kill me if I don't have special sunblock." He lifted an arm and pulled the sleeve up to show a nasty black mark. "They're not normal burns. Sometimes, for some injuries, I can heal afterwards. It doesn't look like it's the same when it comes to the sunlight…"
Kacchan looked angry. "When are you coming back to school?" He probably didn't have anyone to bully anymore. But hopefully he wouldn't bully Izuku anymore if he felt pity over his condition. Izuku would always be grateful for him getting him help, though. No matter what happened in the future, he'd always be thankful for that.
Shrugging, he said, "A month at least."
"School will be near over then," Kacchan pointed out.
"I don't care, I hate school anyways," Izuku mumbled honestly. "Thanks for the book, but can you leave?"
"What? Why?" Kacchan asked. Did he want to stay to talk? Was he fascinated by the freak? It felt bad. He was already abnormal and the minority, then this. Izuku told him the truth: too many scents made him uncomfortable. "Are you saying I stink?!"
"Everyone stinks," Izuku replied. Kacchan huffed, and left without another word. After he was gone, Izuku wiped down anything touched by him, and carefully opened the windows, not touching the sunlight, to air out the smell. He didn't stink badly, but it was still too strong for his liking.
Maybe things could be different when he returned, and Izuku would be left alone.
-x-
Bakugo visited many times over the next month, and Izuku couldn't figure out why. It didn't seem like pity or revenge or anything. He just asked how he was doing, said something petty or rude and then left. It was better than the verbal and physical bullying, but Izuku just couldn't figure it out.
When it was late at night, and Izuku was up, he liked sitting on the roof since he could get up there by climbing, even if he still didn't seem to have any super strength. There was ladder he could jump to. He'd already fallen once, broke an arm, but healed before anyone found him. He hadn't told anyone about that, and his mother didn't know he left late at night, when he was awake and she wasn't.
Sensing Kacchan, who's smell he got used to, he looked down to see him in the parking lot. Izuku didn't want to wake everyone up by shouting, but going to the front door would be useless. So, he dropped down the ladder and then onto the dumpster and then a wooden box, and walked over to him.
"Hi, Kacchan," he said quietly. "What are you doing here so late?"
"I told my mom you were sick. Not with what. She sent me to give you this shit." Izuku took the basket and smelled brownies and cookies. Mitsuki didn't usually bake, but the vampire was grateful for the kind gesture. He took out one of the brownies and ate it. It wasn't perfectly cooked, kind of crunchy, but it was still a brownie and they always tasted good.
So far, his stomach could only hold meat, blood and sugar. Pure carbs, like bread, didn't go well. Neither did fruits or vegetables, though they kept trying, wanting to get him used to it. But he threw it up most of the time anyways. He didn't give up, though. He wanted to live as normal a life as he could.
He dropped the basket when he smelled the scent of fresh blood. Looking around, he was startled by the reaction. His heart started pumping wildly and everything got fuzzy. Next thing he knew, Kacchan was holding him down, head in a choke lock as someone was rushed to an ambulance, where the blood was coming from.
But once it closed, his senses came back, and he stopped thrashing. He just turned limp before pressing his hands to his face. That happened before. Only once, and he'd managed to force himself inside and lock the door. Being out of range of whatever - whoever - was bleeding kept him okay.
Kacchan stood up, releasing the grip. He was panting from the exertion of holding Izuku down like that. He'd have been useless if Izuku had developed any strength. He was still physically weak. Bummer.
"The fuck happened, Deku?!" Kacchan demanded. Izuku put his hands over his face, and sat up. He started to hurry back to the apartment, but Bakugo grabbed his arm tightly. "Tell me what just happened!" Izuku sighed, not wanting to say, but needing to. Again, Kacchan helped him out. There had to be some price he paid for all this.
But he answered. "That happens when I smell fresh blood," he said. "Second time it's happened, first I took care of myself. Sorry to bother you, thanks for the deserts," he mumbled and hurried away, tears down his cheeks in shame and fear of what could have happened if the other hadn't been there. When he got inside, he ate all of the sweets, which was odd since he'd never been a stress eater. Though nothing had been as stressful as this whole ordeal. Nothing, not any bullying. This took the cake as the worst.
-x-
Kacchan came over the next day, too. It was a Saturday, so he had no school. Izuku was doing well with remote learning, actually having better grades now than in person. Maybe because he wasn't stressed and embarrassed all the time, surrounded by bullies and classmates who laughed at him and never helped.
It was nice not being there. Very nice, really. He opened the door and saw Bakugo there, looking grim. "Let me in," he said. Izuku sighed and let him in, opening the door wider for him. The explosive boy went to the dining room table. Inko was sleeping in her room. The vampire asked what was up, what he needed, and then, suddenly and unexpectedly, Kacchan sliced his hand with a knife in his pocket.
Izuku's hands flew to his noe and mouth, trying to control himself. He got on his knees, and started to bang his head into the floor, chanting at himself to get over it, he'd be fine. The smell of blood got closer until it moved passed him and into the freezer. Inko came out from the noise, and saw the state of Izuku. "Don't come near!" he screamed, curling into a ball as the pain in his throat.
Bakugo tossed him a blood juice box, and Izuku slurped it down, not even bothering with the straw, just biting into it and drinking. The pain faded, but his head was still pounding. He had no idea what the point of this was, and was furious. Not only because this put Izuku in pain, but it could have ended up with him murdering or at least attacking Kacchan.
"Get out," he snarled, face full of anger. Kacchan looked at him with a blank expression.
"There's a fix, isn't there?"
"You didn't know that! What if I killed you! That wouldn't have only affected you and your family! Get the fuck out!" Kacchan left, bringing the scent of his blood with him. Izuku gagged a bit, but pressed his hand to his clamped shut lips. Tears went down his face. It had hurt so much. Inko kneeled beside him, and hugged him. Izuku felt personally betrayed, and didn't want to see Kacchan again. Not anytime soon, so mad at him for putting the vampire into that situation.
Inko hugged him and then helped the spent son to his room to sleep. He didn't sleep, very bothered and upset.
-x-
"It appears you haven't been to rehab," the doctor said over the video call. Izuku didn't go outside again, too scared of what happened happening again. The mother and son shared a confused look. "Nobody has prescribed the conditioning therapy for you? I'll need to speak to their supervisor," he said in a cranky voice.
"What's the rehab?"
"Vampires go through the training to become used to being around humans and the sun. Everyone needs it, but especially a child," he said. "I'll be emailing you some paperwork and explanations of what you should do next."
"Will it help me be more normal?"
"It's the only way you could ever get to that point in your life." Izuku nodded firmly. He'd do that! "It's not free, but very expensive, just to warn you."
"It's worth any price," Inko said firmly, giving Izuku a look when he started to apologize. He went through some plain doctor things, and then they got the email and paperwork to take the next, necessary step. Too bad that wasn't covered by insurance, too. Well, Izuku living a more normal life was only possible through this, anyways.
-x-
Izuku had his bag packed, a heavy backpack on and a small duffle bag. He'd be there the allotted six weeks. He'd still do school work, but the main focus was on getting able to function in public. There were already a ton of people there, but he was greeted at the entrance, just having said goodbye to his teary mother. He hadn't cried, knowing this was the only way, and excited for it. To be better. He did wonder what would happen. Everyone online spoke about the events differently. Things were different for every person. The experience was personalized for what everyone needed.
While he followed the man, a nice seeming man who looked conventionally human but for red eyes. "Are you a vampire, sir?" Izuku asked before he could think.
"That I am. I actually went here when I was first attacked," he said honestly. "It's only because of here that I didn't lose control completely. Every new vampire can't handle being around fresh blood. It's nothing that you alone deal with, everyone else does, too. Not that that minimizes what has happened to you, what you've felt and done."
Izuku nodded. He liked this guy. "There are some others around your age that you'll be rooming with." He didn't expect a private bedroom, as the people online spoke about sharing a room, making friends who knew what it felt like to be what they were. "By the time you end your training here, you'll be able to function in society, and keep it a secret if you so wish. The only thing that could hinder you from acting human is, of course, the sun. But being covered or in SPF 200 should keep you safe enough. Besides, you can get away hiding most of your skin, and only needing the sunscreen on your face and hands."
The child was making mental notes, wishing he had his notebook to write in. He should have brought one, what a lapse in judgment! He was shown around, and the place was comfortable and big. It didn't feel like a hospital, which was nice. Izuku hated hospitals. All he ever seemed to get were bad news.
When he made it to his room, there was only one other person there. He was sleeping on the bottom bunk. Izuku quietly tried to put his things where they should. But he knew from experience that people "trying to be quiet" failed at it spectacularly. So, the boy woke up. He had both red and white hair, a red mark over his left eye, and red eyes.
He made eye contact with Izuku, and then rolled over onto his other side so he didn't need to look at him anymore. "Um, I'm Midoriya Izuku," he introduced himself.
"Todoroki Shoto. Call me Shoto. You're my new roommate?"
"Yeah. Have you had more?" Izuku asked curiously.
"You're my seventh." The freckled boy was surprised, wondering how long Todoroki had been there. "I've been here seven months." Izuku's eyes widened. He was supposed to be there six weeks, and Todoroki had been there for seven months? He resisted asking why that was, but asked another, possibly less charged question.
He slowly asked, "When were you changed?"
"Two years ago." So, he'd gone over a year outside of rehab? Why? Why would his family do that? What had his life been like all that time? Izuku felt sad for him. "What about you?" He sounded uninterested, his voice bored and droning. Like he wasn't invested in the conversation at all.
"Almost two months ago."
"You attacked anyone yet?"
"No… Almost, three times. Um, what about you?"
"I killed four people already," Todoroki said. Izuku went cold. Todoroki had killed people? He felt so sad for the other kid.
Izuku said, "I'm so sorry. That must've been awful." His voice was sincere and dripping with sadness and sympathy. Todoroki turned around, rolling onto his side to face Izuku. His red eyes glared at him, but Izuku didn't really feel afraid. He sighed and looked away, going onto his back.
He said, "Most people freak out. All fresh newbys who have no history before coming here." His voice still sounded empty. "They don't know what it feels like to lose control." He ran his hands through his hair and sighed. "Well, hopefully for your sake, you aren't here too long." Izuku nodded, and put his things away, out of his backpack.
When he took out his stuffed All Might doll he always slept with so it rested under his elbow, he kind of expected Todoroki to think it was stupid. But he said nothing of it. Until all of Izuku's things were unpacked. Then he said, "You sleep with a stuffed All Might?" But Izuku could tell he wasn't being rude about it. It was just a question.
Izuku managed not to blush, even if he was a bit embarrassed. "It's the perfect shape to put under my elbow. Pillows don't work right."
"You like All Might?" Todoroki asked. It was nice having somebody to talk to. Even if the other didn't really sound invested in their conversation. But Izuku could understand if he was broken inside based on whatever he went through, how his situation had happened over the past two years had been. But he'd never ask. It wasn't his business and was probably a very personal topic.
The newer vampire nodded. He was sitting on the desk chair in the corner. The room had two for them to continue school work while there. But he wondered if Todoroki was still doing school seven months in. "I want to be a hero. All Might is my idol." The other didn't respond verbally or with an expression. "Uh, what do you want to be? When you get out of here?"
"A human. I want to be a human again." It was so sad. "I know it won't happen, though. I'm trapped like this the rest of my life," he added, looking at his hands above him as he was still laying on his back. Izuku heard when someone was coming from outside the door. Shoto clearly did, too, as he put on his shoes and got out of the bed. He was waiting at the door when it opened.
It was weird but also nice to see someone with the same abilities as him. But he would rather be a human, just as Todoroki wished. He left the room without a word, and Izuku went on his phone and did random things, reading the news about heroes. He would be stuck here for awhile, so he wouldn't get to see heroes in action.
He wondered what Kacchan was doing, how he felt about no longer being welcome around Izuku. Well, when he was better and under control, maybe he'd try to make it. He wasn't going to lie, it was nice to be on slightly better terms with his former friend. It was probably all out of pity, and was also probably temporary. But it was still kind of nice, and he would try to repair it. If it didn't work, well, expecting disappointment meant you'd never be disappointed. Todoroki came back a few hours later, pupils blown wide, and went to sleep the moment he laid on the bed.
-x- Shoto -x-
"What do you see when you look at this?" Admin asked. Shoto leaned back in his chair.
"Food. Same answer, nothing has changed yet," he answered, looking at the card of the human. Admin didn't look disappointed, and asked what he was feeling with seeing him there. After all, he was a human as well. "Nothing. I've been around you long enough to be unaffected. Though you still are a food option for me." He was being honest.
Admin nodded, and held up another card. "What do you think of this?" he asked, holding up a picture of the sun. It was a cartoon drawing, not the ball of evil light shining down every day. Leaving him inside, terrified of being burnt again. He rubbed his arm, where there was a horrific burn scar, black and leathery. It covered most of his bicep.
"Death. Pain," Shoto mumbled, slouching deeper in his chair. "Why do you show me the same cards every day?"
"To test your medication, Shoto-kun. How are the side effects?" he asked. "Is everything going well?"
Shoto nodded honestly. "I'm not angry and acting rabid anymore. The pain is still there, but I can manage it without attacking anybody," he said. Admin smiled brightly, happy about this. "It's dulled my emotions a bit, though. But… it's nice. To not have strong emotions anymore. Not anger."
After he was locked in the basement at home, before he got out and killed four people while loose on the run, he was full of rage and hate. Hate that he was kept down there. Starved, ignored as he wailed for help, to ease the agony he was in. Endeavor would tell him through the thick door that he could get past it. He was strong.
But that just wasn't how it worked. He'd grown more and more aggressive and scared as the pain progressed. Finally, he lost it and let out an ice attack that skewered the entire house. It was in shambles, but nobody had been killed. After that, he'd bolted it and went on a rampage for blood as an eight year old kid.
One of the people he'd killed was a police officer as they tried to cool him down and stop his craziness. After that, it was jail time, then court, then sent to this rehab facility. Endeavor was stripped of custody rights, him taking the full blame for what happened. Abusing and knowing better how to help a newly turned vampire.
All he would have needed to do was at least Google it if he didn't want to take him to a hospital. He'd been locked up for many months. So, he was here, to be able to live around humans again, not having to be cuffed and muzzled around them. It was awful. Though for much of the process, he didn't really know what was going on.
He was so distracted by the scents of all the humans, how good they smelled, that he was pretty out of it. He drooled constantly, staring at the necks of humans. They were food, but he couldn't get to them.
The whole ordeal was traumatizing to say the least.
"Do you think you need anything more for the medication?" Admin asked, writing on his clipboard while still making eye contact. Him doing this felt as if he wasn't just a counselor, but was a person who genuinely cared, had his full attention on Shoto and Shoto alone. It had never happened. Not since his mom was around.
Shoto shrugged. "Don't know yet."
"We don't just want to treat your aggression, but also help you heal from your ordeals. That's why I'm here. Is there anything else you'd like to talk about?" Admin asked lightly.
"My new roommate acted weird when I told him about my kill count," Shoto answered.
"Maybe you could make a friend. It would be good to have one. You haven't gotten along with any of your former roomates." Shoto corrected him, that they didn't get along with him. He did nothing to piss them off, to scare them, only that they knew he wasn't good around humans much. "This one is not frightened of you, that's good, right?"
"I guess," Shoto mumbled. Admin looked at his watch. It was time to feed, meaning the session was over. After drinking his fill of blood, he would start his schooling, and then training for controlling his strength. Even now, he kept breaking doorknobs, bending spoons. He didn't mean to, but it was hard to hone after awhile.
It felt he'd barely improved in the last seven months, but he knew he had, at least from the meds. He could function around the familiar people at the facility. He stood up, and walked down the hall, escorted by his security guard, a nice guy who never put his hands on Shoto unless it was needed for another's safety. That hadn't been needed in awhile.
In the blood bank room, he took his six bottles of blood and drank. Unlike other vampires that could get by on a few bottles a day, Shoto needed much more. Being starved for so long fucked up his feeding schedule. If only he'd been born into a different family, maybe this wouldn't have happened, he wouldn't be there.
After getting his fill, nice and sated, he headed to get his training. It went by fast, him doing better than before, but still not the best. But he tried to do as good as he could, to improve. All of his teachers and instructors were kind to him.
Then, like every week day, he went through his schooling. But this time, Izuku was there, too. They were the same age so had the same curriculum. Midoriya looked briefly at Shoto's muzzle. It was only during this time that he had to wear it. He'd tried to attack his teacher once, so she was unfortunately more comfortable keeping him more harmless.
Shoto wasn't offended by it, and didn't complain. He was good at school work, and always passed the tests, did the essays properly, and just all around was good at it. After the three hours, they took a break to use the bathroom and get some food from the cafeteria, and then came back.
"What kinds of things do you do here? So far for me it's been counseling and a doctor's appointment. Then they tried to make me strong, try to train it, but I never got the super strength," Midoriya admitted. Which surprised Shoto. That he was one of the few with no added abilities other than heightened senses.
"We're the same, just different schedules," Shoto replied, not showing his surprise or light curiosity. They both heard the shrieking from across the compound. The newby looked frightened for a moment. "They don't attack other vampires."
"Who are they?"
"The most damaged ones. They'll be here a few years," Shoto answered. "They're kept in padded rooms surrounded by concrete." Midoriya didn't like this. "We're all monsters. They're just more obvious about it," he added sort of flippantly. He didn't say he was once nearly them. And Midoriya didn't ask, which was appreciated.
After classes, it was later, and they had recreation time. It was a comfortable room where the vampires all hung out. They never had a desire to attack one another, so it was safe to be around them. Shoto went to the fridge and got out some pumpkin pie, and then the whip cream, dumping a packet of blood powder on top.
"What's that?"
"You don't add blood to your food?"
"My mom tried, but it never went well." Shoto grew a bit sour. Jealous. This kid's parent cared about him. He'd never had that. If he did, he could be in Midoriya's shoes, not so damaged. But he didn't show it on his face. He rarely did that anymore, which was nice. He was thankful for the pills.
Midoriya got the same thing as Shoto, and when he ate it, he showed a look of happiness, eyes closed as he tasted the desert. It was really good, especially for people who'd never mixed blood with good food before. "I've never had blood powder."
"It's really expensive," Shoto replied, eating the piece of pie quickly.
"Oi, Shoto. Come play some basketball," a much older teen called, holding up a basketball. Shoto put the plate in the dishwasher and walked over. Midoriya followed, asking if he could play.
"No, you aren't strong enough," Shoto said bluntly. "It gets rough." The other drooped a bit, but it was true. The vampires got pretty intense and violent with sports together. Baseball once severed an arm, but it grew back fine. They went to the large gym, and Shoto took off his jacket, in his comfortable clothes they all got and shoes. But they all took their shoes and socks off so they didn't slip on the flat bottoms.
Midoriya was shocked at the violence that appeared. It was basketball but resembled football more. They slammed into one another, throwing them across the court and into the wall. They were really into it, and they wrecked one of the basketballs and took a new one. By the end of them all using speed and strength, they were sweating and spent.
They sat or laid down in a circle, their injuries from playing healing over. Midoriya walked over, and said, "That was crazy."
"You a newby, dude?" the oldest teen asked. The child nodded. "How long you been a blood sucker?" Tobio called them that, a slur that nobody else used.
"Two months," Midoriya replied.
"You really are a newby," Akio laughed. "We've been vampires about six months now. Were all turned at the same time from some motherfucker." The other three teens nodded. "Though none of the younger guys were in the state Shoto was in, no way."
"Don't talk about it," Shoto grumbled. They backed off. Midoriya looked only a little bit surprised and curious. After the sweat dried, they went to get some food and water. Akio asked the new child how much blood he needed in a day. It varied for everyone. Some needed multiple gallons a day. Shoto needed one gallon a day, 12 bottles of 12 ounces.
"Um, three bottles a day. I used those juice box versions, but they don't have those here."
"I need six bottles a day," Akio said.
"Four," Tobio said.
"Five," Tendo finished. Midoriya looked to Shoto. Out of all the non-adults that had come and gone while he was there, Shoto needed the most blood.
He honestly said, "Twelve bottles. A little over a gallon. Nearly the normal amount of blood in the human body." Midoriya looked shocked, and Shoto looked away. When he did get out of there, he was informed that, since he needed so much blood, he'd be substituting the massive amount with blood powder. It would be easier and less messy, and Shoto looked forward to that.
Since the powder didn't taste like fresh human blood, he couldn't easily or fairly compare it to what it tasted like to feed from somebody else. "So, have you fed from anyone directly?" Akio asked the freckled child. He shook his head. "I have. Once. It's hard to not get addicted to it, but I managed. Someone pulled me away before I took too much."
Tobio and Tendo both hadn't. Midoriya looked to Shoto. Might as well tell him. "I've fed off four. All of them died but one died from the blood loss. The cop I killed only died because I punched his throat." The three teenagers knew this already, and never treated Shoto like a monster or freak. Shoto would be sad to see them go.
The freckled vampire looked shocked, and then very sad again. He looked down at his hands, and wondered why Shoto's family hadn't helped. "It was their fault in the first place. I never expected them to help me out. I'm not saying anything else about it." Midoriya nodded. They watched some TV on the massive couch. Some horror movie was playing.
A large amount of the vampires there were watching, too. The room was quiet, the lights off. All of them could easily see in the dark, though. There was no need for anything other than the TV light to play.
It seemed that Midoriya was not a fan of horror movies. When they were watching a very suspenseful moment, all knowing a murder was about to happen, the other child grabbed onto Shoto's arm beside him. He glanced to the side and saw the scared look on the newcomer's face.
Shoto didn't remove his arm, though he did let go eventually. Didn't seem to notice he'd done it, so the older vampire wasn't planning on telling him, possible embarrassing him. But it was nice, that he wasn't afraid of Shoto. There was no reason to be, because Midorya did not have what Shoto always wanted in the back of his mind:
Fresh human blood.
