-x- Shoto -x-
Bakugo had his finger primed on the app all day, with the vampires in the house to stop him if it happened again. It was the tenth day, and hopefully they could time it right. It was around dinner time when it happened. Shoto smelled it first, and Bakugo was about to press the button, but Shoto, instead of attacking, just turned limp on the bed. So, this was the reaction when he turned into a vampire, and the violent one was when he turned into a human.
The devices were not primed, and Izuku walked over to him, his human friend handing him a blood bottle to drink. "You okay?"
"Mmhmm," Shoto nodded. "Just got sleepy, I don't know why."
"Better reaction than last time. But it looks like we might have something consistent for once. Nine days, huh?" Bakugo said. Shoto was glad there was something constant, a pattern so far. All three of them were. Still had no idea how it was possible of course, but something that was dependable was very welcome.
Izuku ran his fingers through shoto's hair. "Now all we have to wait for is turning human, and then we can test the restraints. For me, it was stronger than for Kacchan. The collar still works if he bleeds, it's only me you have a stronger reaction to."
Shoto was glad he didn't call the frenzies a "freak out" or anything that sounded trivial and dismissive. Izuku knew well what it felt like to lose control. Terrifying and humbling. He was so glad his friend knew how he felt, and treated him accordingly. Shoto noticed Bakugo was glaring at the floor.
"What's wrong?" Shoto wondered.
"I'm kind of tired of this," he answered. Shoto looked ashamed. "I hate seeing you guys in all this shit and I can't do anything or understand how it feels. I'm the outsider in this group, I'm kind of tired of it."
Both of the others worried. "I'm always sidelined, and you guys refer to one another as best friends all the time, and then I'm just here," he said, sounding sour. "I don't really have anything in common with either of you."
"But you guys said you don't need to have things in common to be friends…" Shoto said, confused. "Do you… not want to be friends anymore?" Bakugo had a blank face on as he glared at the carpeted floor. Shoto and Izuku both looked upset and worried.
"You guys don't mean to, I get that, but you make me feel like shit." Izuku's eyes were wide, and Shoto's brows furrowed.
"Why didn't you say anything about it?" Izuku asked, upset that Bakugo had been feeling this way but never said so. They could have remedied it awhile ago. Could have changed their dynamics.
He finally looked up. "I wanted to be here in case he attacked again. I was waiting to talk about it. I don't want to bitch and moan like a loser."
"Saying what you think and feel isn't bitching and moaning, Kacchan," Izuku said quietly. "We can change things up. Go more places together-"
"I don't want you faking it just cause you pity me and feel fuckin' guilty," Bakugo said angrily. "I promise I won't tell anyone about anything." Both of the others were panicking. Was he breaking up with them? Shoto really cared about both of them, but now realized how shunned the other must feel. He didn't have the same deep bond that the other two had.
"Kacchan, we can figure it out!" Izuku begged. "We don't want you to go away, and not be our friend anymore!"
"I won't hate you both. It pisses me off, but I don't hate you guys. I just don't want to feel like a third wheel anymore. It's shitty. Maybe I'll get over it some day. For now, I just want to have a break."
"Okay," Shoto said, surprising the others. "I don't want you to be here if you don't want to. Don't want you to force yourself… or pretend to be happy… I'm just sorry I wasn't a good enough friend." Bakugo's face crumpled a bit, and he left in a hurry. The other two heard the front door shut softly, not slammed.
Izuku was crying, and Shoto took his hand, feeling the same, but unable to cry right now. Maybe he was numb. He'd been a bad friend, no wonder he wanted to leave. Maybe he thought they were both freaks for being vampires.
From that day on, Bakugo didn't talk to them in class anymore. It was hard. Shoto hated this, and felt terrible. The same was for Izuku, but they could only be happy they still had one another. Shoto truly hoped Bakugo found new friends that would be better than they were. It was an awful experience, and it left both vampires feeling like inconsiderate assholes.
Maybe they were. Shoto just hoped they could fix it some day, and they both brain stormed often how to fix it, but neither were brave enough to try and rock the boat. Annoy him so he never returned. But Shoto lost a true friend who'd helped him a lot. It was a big loss, and he wouldn't move on from the feeling for awhile.
Izuku lost him again. He probably felt worse.
-x- Izuku -x-
The moment Izuku's body switched to a new species, all the devices from All Might all activated on Shoto, hurting him, making it impossible to use his hands and mouth. He fell down, but the shock didn't work right. It immobilized him, but the frenzy didn't stop. Izuku was unafraid, and sat beside him.
He ran his fingers through his hair, whispering reassurances, completely unafraid. Haru and Asahi were in the room, ready to stop things if Shoto broke out. But he didn't, and relaxed under his best and only friend's hand. It soothed him. Not just when Izuku did it, when anyone else rubbed his scalp, he relaxed.
"Okay, now?" Izuku asked. Shoto nodded, breathing normally. He was still drooling everywhere, but otherwise was calm. The hybrid, as it was easier than calling him human sometimes and a vampire others, moved away a bit, to behind the male vampires, and pressed the button to release the restraints.
Shoto sat up, rubbing his wrists. He took a long gulp of the blood bottle beside him. He was given a towel and he wiped his mouth, neck and chin from the saliva. Izuku smiled, proud. He gave a thumbs up, and Shoto gave a small smile and a nod.
He moved forward and hugged his best friend, who hugged him back, taking in a deep whiff. Asahi and Haru got ready to lunge, but Shoto didn't attack, he relaxed at the scent. He'd said since Bakugo left them, he was more drawn to Izuku's scent, vampire or not. They both knew it was because both had become more clingy, going everywhere together. Neither wanted the other to slip away. To make mistakes.
Both older vampires left the room, thinking things were safe now. Shoto was under control and they could hear his heartbeat was calm again. He wasn't drooling anymore. So they left, but Shoto kept the hug tight. He breathed in deeply again. "You good?" Izuku asked. Shoto just pressed his nose to his shoulder. "Shoto?"
Then he bit, and Izuku shoved him away, but he held on tightly for about three seconds before releasing him. The hybrid was frozen, watching Shoto's reaction warily, quickly opening the app to stop him if he did anything more. He was breathing a bit fast, nervous. But Shoto didn't react much more before his head cleared.
Izuku could see the awareness resurface in his eyes. They didn't seem so distant. It seemed that his blood hadn't put him in any frenzy, he'd released him, too. "Shoto? You back now?"
"I'm sorry," he sighed. "I'm just going to run my only friend off," he said in shame, pulling his knees up to his chest. Izuku moved over to him. He honestly said it was surprising it hadn't happened yet. It had been nearly a year since they met. And he'd only bitten one other time, and had retreated that time, too.
He didn't get too close, not wanting to put him in that state again. "You won't run me off. I know what it feels like, too. I understand you, okay? And you didn't hurt me. Not even close. It just startled me a bit is all." Shoto nodded, and Izuku held his hand. "When I'm not so freshly human, it won't be a big deal if you drink from me."
Shoto looked surprised and confused, brows barely pulling closer together. "It's okay, really. Consent and self control, right?"
"You really don't have to," Shoto insisted.
"Well, I want to." Shoto didn't believe him, and shut down. Izuku felt he'd gone too far, and offered to go downstairs and get a snack for them, and Shoto agreed. When he got back, he was sleeping on the floor. Izuku put the bag of grapes down and hurried over. "Shoto? You okay?" He shook him awake, thinking something was wrong.
He rolled onto his side, making an annoyed sound, wanting to stay asleep. Izuku quirked an eyebrow at this. But he waited for him to wake for a few minutes, sitting up. He looked so young when he was tired, eyes heavier than usual. Izuku remembered when Kacchan said Shoto was a little kid inside. The way he often thought and spoke so simple and clueless. How jokes went over his head.
Well, Izuku wouldn't have him any other way, because then he wouldn't be Shoto.
-x- Shoto -x-
"Do you want to be in our group?" Shoto asked Bakugo. It had been a few weeks from the break up. But it was clear things were different now when Bakugo scowled at him for the offer. He was hurt, but his face didn't show.
"I have another group." Which was true. But it didn't mean he had to look so hateful.
"Okay," Shoto said, and went back to Izuku and their other partner. The class was silent, seeing this, realizing for sure that the friendship was fractured. Bakugo wasn't with them anymore, when they'd always hang out together.
Shoto decided he needed to do something about this. Izuku was down, too. It felt bad, like they were awful friends. They'd done something seriously wrong to hurt their friend into hating them, or at least resenting them both. Shoto wanted to try and do something. Maybe being so passive and not going after him was a mistake.
So, that night, Shoto headed to Bakugo's house, jumped the fence into the backyard, used his vampire skills and leapt up to the roof that was outside his bedroom window. He took a deep breath, and knocked on the window.
Bakugo was asleep and jerked awake. The curtains were closed, but Shoto could hear him inside. He rushed to the window, first getting a bat, he could hear the metal bat touch his hands as he picked it up.
Yanking the curtains open, he saw Shoto there. "I'll break the lock if you don't let me in," Shoto said honestly. It was hard forcing emotion onto his face, but he did his best. "I don't wanna have to do that."
He opened the window. The screen was there, so Shoto couldn't get in, but he could be heard better now. He sat down on the shingles. "I'm done trying to give you space."
"Hah?" Bakugo demanded.
"I don't think it was the right choice to let you go. If it were me, I… I would have been more upset for friends not trying to mend things… It would have felt like I was forgotten, and unwanted. They didn't try hard enough, so they didn't care. That I was never important enough to go out of the way. To talk to, to fix things."
Bakugo was silent, face a blank mask. "Bakugo… I'm sorry," he couldn't help the tears from his good eye. "We really miss you. I know you said you wanted space… but not talking about it isn't gonna ever fix it."
"You're stupid."
"I know," Shoto said. "I don't know how to interact with people much, even my friends and family. After a long time, still. I don't know how you feel… I'm just saying what I would feel, if I was in your position. I don't want you to hate us… we don't hate you.
"You're very important to me, too. You accepted it all. Even the worst parts of me. My horrible past, what I've done… You didn't hate me, or look down on me for real."
Bakugo was silent again. "I think… me and Izuku only seem closer because we both went through a hell that nobody else could truly understand. Both of us had never ever had real friends. Maybe we never believed either of us could ever be cared for, in a way other than parents, who are usually obligated to love you."
Shoto said, "I don't know what else to say…"
"You're a liar." Shoto was confused. "You act like you have no emotions or you don't understand anything, and now you just spill out that whole monologue."
"I didn't practice."
Bakugo yanked the screen out, and Shoto took the hint to come in. "You're right about one thing. I can't understand what you both feel. That doesn't mean I don't fucking try to be there. I'm not good at friends and feelings, either, okay? I said what I felt when I did, and it was all the fucking truth.
"I guess it was stupid to tell you to leave me alone and then be pissy when you did."
"We're only thirteen…"
"That doesn't excuse being stupid," Bakugo said.
"...Will you give us a second try? We'll try our best, even if it might not be the best at first," Shoto mumbled quietly, not making eye contact.
"Fine. I will try to be more… understanding. But you two aren't the only ones who have never had real friends. I guess we all suck with each other."
"Not always."
"Most times." Shoto nodded. "It's late, go away. I'll see you tomorrow at school." Shoto gave a tired smile and nodded, going home. He just started to mend a friendship! He'd try much harder this time to be equal with him. And hopefully he'd be more understanding to them. It wasn't that they liked each other more, not really. It was that it felt safer that way. Bakugo could tell people and have no consequences to him.
If Izuku told anyone, it would be bad for him, too, possibly.
The next morning, Shoto called Izuku before school and gave him the news. He started crying over the phone, and it made Shoto feel he'd succeeded at something big. Mending a friendship, or at least the start of it. They wouldn't call one another best friends in front of Bakugo, and do their best to treat him as an equal.
The three of them acted normal, hanging out. When they were eating lunch on the field, Izuku explained what had happened since he was gone. "Oh, shit. Seriously? You aren't gonna do that shit to me, right?"
"Izuku wasn't bothered… and offered it some other time," Shoto said, scratching his cheek.
"Do you really think that's a good idea? What if you get hooked. Yeah, I did research, don't look that way."
"I already drank directly, remember?" Shoto mumbled.
"That's right, I forgot," Bakugo said. He was referencing the times he killed humans by drinking them dry. After that, normal donated blood or blood powder were fine. It wasn't the taste that was hooking, it was the feeling of drinking straight from a living human. "Would he be safe?"
"If not, he could press the button and I'd be immobilized. I think I could do it safely… which is weird, thinking I could do it fine," Shoto replied. Izuku rested his head on his shoulder. "I mess things up all the time, so I don't know where the confidence is from."
"Maybe you're coming out of your shell a bit," Izuku said brightly.
"Maybe."
"Hah! I thought you were gonna say 'but I don't have a shell'," Bakugo laughed.
"Well, I don't. But I understood what he meant this time," Shoto said. Izuku smiled that the group was back together. He and Shoto vowed to do better. "Izuku, would you be sad if I started working with my quirk?"
"Why would I be sad?"
"If you felt left out, being quirkless," Shoto answered. Izuku waved his hand. He'd actually rather watch and analyze than pout over it. He wasn't going to get a quirk, it was far past that chance. "Okay," Shoto replied in relief. Bakugo looked guilty.
"I forgave you awhile ago, Kacchan," Izuku said, able to tell Bakugo was thinking about all the times he'd been mean to him about it. Bullied him. When they went back to class, all three noticed furtive looks from their classmates. All at Shoto. He had a sinking feeling he slipped up on something.
The teacher wasn't there right now, it was still lunch period. "I heard you guys talking," one of the quiet ones in the class said. "You shouldn't be here," he said to Shoto rudely. His face went pale, but showed no emotion. Bakugo grew furious.
"The fuck you talking about?" he demanded.
"He's a vampire! And you all know!" Bakugo punched him in the face. Shoto heard the crack of his nose breaking. The class went silent, and Shoto looked down.
"Really? Is that true?" Ami asked, the girl who'd asked him on a date at the beginning of the school year. Shoto hunched his shoulders, and gave a curt nod. "Oh…" He looked up a bit, and saw so many looked uneasy. He quietly said he would never hurt them. It seemed the fucker who was listening in, probably with a quirk, since neither vampire noticed him anywhere near, didn't hear about Shoto drinking from Izuku, thank goodness.
"But, you drink blood?" He really didn't want to talk about it. So he stood up, gathered his things, and ditched. He walked straight off campus, hopping the closed gate. His cover was blown. Fuck. Now what? Did he have to move? He heard both Izuku and Bakugo follow after him in a hurry, carrying their own things.
-x- Izuku -x-
"I wanna see! Does he have sharp teeth and red eyes?"
"Why would you do that, what if he gets offended and attacks?"
"He's been harmless so far…"
"But he's a monster, not human!"
Izuku and Shoto heard it all, despite the permanent vampire having headphones on. They would do nothing to help but add more sounds, which might distract him from the voices, but likely wouldn't. Kacchan was snapping at everyone to shut up, giving angry looks and threats. He started to do what he'd done to Izuku so many times, and used his quirk in his hand as a threat.
When they got to the class, those sitting in Shoto's proximity moved their desks as far as possible while still being neat. Shoto's face was a blank mask, looking sleepy and bored. When their homeroom teacher walked in, of course he knew about what happened, what everybody knew. What the drama and whispering was about.
"Everyone, listen to me. If Shoto-kun were a danger to any of you, he would not be in this school, or any school. Your teachers and principal have made the choice to let him get an education here. He is safe, and I don't want discrimination to run rampant in my class. Bullying of any type is not welcome, and I and your other teachers won't hesitate to suspend you."
The class went silent. Shoto still made no expression. Izuku had been convinced not to out himself, too. Because he was more confusing, a new thing, and they didn't want too much attention on him so he'd be studied or something like a movie.
It was nice for Shoto that they sat in the back of class. Izuku noticed he doodled all day, taking no notes. So he was taking them for him. It was really sad, and a worst case scenario. This was only their first year, they had two more after this. Would they move? And would a new school find out? They couldn't just keep moving over and over.
Well, if necessary, they could. Shoto said his foster family had all been through it, too. But proving their misconceptions wrong was the best way to deal with it. And Shoto was quiet, meek and didn't really talk much. He wasn't loud, he didn't glare, and he didn't confront others. Izuku was sure people would move on and not be afraid of him.
He was not scary at all when under control of himself, which was most of the time. It was at lunch that they saw the full scope of the incident. When the three walked outside to their usual sit, everyone moved away. Far away. It hurt a lot, Izuku could see the pain on Shoto's face, even if it wasn't too obvious. It was to them.
Izuku took his hand, and they went to eat lunch. But Shoto wasn't hungry but couldn't share his food with Izuku since he was human right now. It was quiet, awkward. But finally Izuku said, "It'll be okay. We'll get past it." He was sure that was the truth. Just had to follow in his foster siblings' foot steps.
When they went back to class, someone had spilled milk all over Shoto's desk. It was quite petty and ridiculous. Shoto used his ice quirk to freeze the liquid and then toss it out the open window. Then he sat down without a word. Izuku glared at everyone while Bakugo cracked his knuckles threateningly.
The rest of the day went normal enough. Students were all ahead of them, so they couldn't stare at Shoto from all sides. But everyone treated him like the plague after class. He got no cleaning buddies, no help. Nobody wanted to be around him. Izuku was heartbroken for him, knowing this would have a very negative impact on his mental health. Hopefully it would get better soon.
-x- Shoto -x-
"Are you sure? It won't be weird?" the thirteen year old vampire asked. He sat sitting across from Izuku on his bed, Inko not home. Bakugo didn't come over this time, too. But Shoto had gone to the mall with him the other day to get some jackets for him since the cold affected his use of his quirk, as it was harder for him to sweat the substance that could make it possible for him to create explosions.
It had been more awkward because Shoto was always a better listener, even if he'd gotten much better at talking more, and Bakugo didn't really have anything to say. So they shopped in silence except when Shoto did try to make conversation, and it died. It was weird a bit, and even the human friend commented about it.
"Maybe group outings would be better," he'd said. And Shoto agreed. It worked better with the three of them, the group more balanced that way.
So here Izuku was, wearing a tank top with his shoulder exposed, where he'd hide a bite mark. "Yeah, it's fine if you're fine. It won't be weird to me," he said, sounding honest. Shoto nodded, and moved to sit beside him and not across from him. He leaned forward, but then pulled back.
"I can't do it. I-I want to, but I can't. I don't trust myself," Shoto confessed honestly, face red in embarrassment. He'd rather be careful and not do something stupid, impulsive from both of them.
"That's okay," his currently human friend said in a kind voice. "It's not like you need it that way." Shoto nodded, glad he was understanding about it. It was a good thing they didn't do anything because both heard Inko come up the stairs. She didn't know Shoto was there because it wasn't planned, Izuku just asked Shoto if he wanted to come over.
She was happy to see Shoto. He was glad Inko liked him, as did Bakugo's parents. She was surprised that Shoto was one of Bakugo's closest (and only) friends when he was so chill, the complete opposite of their son.
"Hi, Shoto-kun! How are you doing?"
"Okay." But she had to know about the school situation. Her next words touched him.
"If you decide to move schools, I'll drive Izuku wherever I need to to stay together. He adores you and Katsuki-kun." Shoto gave a shy, small smile. It was nice, that he was so liked by people. Only a few, but this amount was just fine. He had no desire for a ton of friends, he didn't have the energy for that. But he also didn't want enemies or haters like most of his classmates. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"
"Sure. I have blood powder with me, so I won't take any of your supply." Inko smiled, and nodded. Shoto wanted to offer help to cook, but it was a small kitchen and he didn't want to be in the way. So he and Izuku went to the couch, and the human asked if he wanted to watch the sports festival.
Shoto agreed, and he put on the UA sports festival on the TV. Both melted into the couch, it being cheap but very comfy. "You really want to go there?"
"Mmhmm!"
"It would be hard to get in quirkless."
"Well, yeah…" Izuku said in a sad tone.
"You'll just have to work a lot harder than others," Shoto mused. Izuku's small frown turned into a content smile.
"I bet you could get in. And Kacchan wants to go there, too."
"If I worked on mastering my quirk, maybe."
"What would you do if Kacchan and I got in?"
"I'd apply, too."
"You don't want to be a hero, though."
"I'd rather be a hero than all alone." Izuku gave a sad smile. "Maybe by then you will unlock your vampire stuff? That could work."
"That would be nice. But I didn't have rehab training, I'd destroy the apartment."
"I would help you," Shoto promised. Izuku smiled, and they watched the event that was being aired live. Shoto thought it looked fun, but also stressful. Glancing at his friend every now and then, he saw just how damn excited he was to watch. Shoto hoped his vampire powers would come and he got fulfil his lifelong dream.
While they were watching, Bakugo showed up. "Wanna watch- oh, you already have it on." And he walked inside and flopped onto the couch. Nobody said a thing, he was a best friend and could visit if he wanted to. He was munching on chips while Shoto was sucking on some blood candies.
"Loser. What a shitty quirk." The explosive teen would make comments like that, but Izuku would then list off their pros, while Shoto stayed silent, and looked bored while listening to their parallel conversation as they watched in real time. It was a fun time, and Shoto wished he could get into it, but just wasn't majorly interested in it.
Neither of his best friends looked down on him for being disinterested. And they also didn't try to convince him to be a hero with them, which he appreciated. Though he was honest when he said he'd rather be a hero than all alone.
-x- Izuku -x-
Izuku helped his friend to the nurses office after the first act of physical bullying done to him. It was a smart one, too. Both of them had been swapping shoes in the lockers when he opened his, and a bag was rigged to rip open once the locker face was pulled out containing bleach and ammonia mixed together. It targeted his senses, and his nose began to bleed from the sharp stench of chemicals.
The other had smelled it, too, but was a few lockers away, and it hadn't dripped onto his own shirt. They hurried and took off his shirt as it carried the stink. Luckily it was only the jacket and he had his undershirt on beneath it.
But Izuku was livid. Whoever had done it was smart and calculating. But they didn't know Izuku had sensitive smell, too. So, after Shoto was cleaned of the blood on his face with his nose healing, Izuku easily tracked the scent to someone that wasn't even in their class or grade. Then he went to the kind principal and reported what happened.
She was very angry. Both he and Shoto listened in on the meeting in her office. He was suspended and if he did something else, he would be expelled from the school. When word of that spread, that the principal was completely on Shoto's side, it went from everyone whispering and walking away to pretending he didn't exist.
Nobody looked at him, spoke to him, acting as if he wasn't there. It was clear that was worse than the rudeness. Shoto had been forgotten once, left all alone in pain by his family. As if he didn't exist, he wasn't there, not worth any attention. Bakugo and Izuku both did their best to help, but they couldn't just reason with him about this.
Izuku knew Admin was still talking to Shoto, but this wouldn't resolve itself easily. He was heartbroken about Shoto crying on their walk back to Bakugo's house. He was upset, too. Shoto had rarely cried in front of him, but he was crying over being ignored. It made him angry. Furious.
He wanted revenge. "You acting up will only make it worse for all of us," Izuku reasoned on the couch.
"Then what are we supposed to do, huh?!"
"We can't force people to pay attention to him," Izuku replied. "You can force people to stop bullying by punishment, but nobody can just order others to stop ignoring him. It probably wouldn't be seen the same as physical or verbal bullying and abuse."
"Then what the fuck should be done?!" Bakugo raged. Izuku didn't know. Shoto was silent, drinking a big glass of milk blood with a plastic straw. His face was blank as he watched them argue. "I mean, we got two more years of this place."
Shoto sighed. "I'll get used to it."
"You shouldn't have to fuckin' get used to it," Bakugo said angrily.
"I shouldn't be upset I'm being ignored."
"Doesn't mean you aren't!" Bakugo snapped. Shoto didn't reply, just finished his cup and went to wash it out in the sink. Bakugo's parents didn't know their glass would be used to hold bloody milk. As long as it was washed and disinfected, it would be fine. And Bakugo wasn't bothered at all.
It was during a reprieve of their argument when Mitsuki came home. "Oh, Shoto and Izuku! I didn't know you were here, if I did I would have gotten some snacks!"
"Shut up, hag, we're busy!" Bakugo shouted.
"Don't you treat your mother that way, you little shit!"
"Fuck off! Don't yell at me when my friends are here!"
"You're the one who started it, you punk!"
This was no surprise to the two, Izuku being a vampire right now. They always fought and argued despite having guests over. All they could do was wait for them to stop their shouting match, usually having Bakugo storm into his room and then they would follow, slam the door, and then resume their conversation. So, it was just a pattern both were used to.
And they did end up in his room. "If the bullying starts back up, Mikaela said one of the previous kids had been assaulted by the sun. Students had set up mirrors, and shone the sunlight on her. She'd been burnt on the neck. Still has a black stripe along her throat. So, it could be a lot worse. I shouldn't whine and cry over this."
Izuku just gave him a hug, feeling sorry for him. It was just nice he wasn't outed to. Having one of them bullied and abused was bad enough, they really didn't need two. "It'll be okay. We'll figure it out." Shoto didn't reply, just looked away. He was unconvinced, no doubt. But they'd deal with it, and move if things didn't get any better. All three of them together. The blonde had vowed to move, too, even if it meant a longer walk or bus ride. Though Izuku knew Mitsuki would take him someplace else so he could stay with his frist group of real friends.
-x- Shoto -x-
Shoto sat across from Bakugo as he sat on the closed toilet lid. Shoto was cleaning and bandaging a cut on his forehead. He was silent, pouting in anger. He and Mitsuki got in a fight, and something was thrown and left a cut on his friend's forehead. Shoto didn't plan on getting involved in their business by calling the police or anything. He just did what he could.
"So stupid. It was just a plastic plate." But it left a cut on his face, a thick paper cut. Mitsuki tried to treat him, but he refused, so Shoto, who had witnessed it, was doing it for him.
"It was unlucky."
"Still. Being hurt by a fuckin' paper plate is really dumb." Shoto shrugged. He tossed the piece of toilet paper into the little bathroom trash bin. "Thanks," he grumbled. "I don't usually have injuries from our arguments."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't pity me," Bakugo snapped.
"It's empathy. I know how it feels, to be hurt by your parent."
"Yours was a hell of a lot worse," Bakugo said, no longer sounding angry. "You didn't even fight back."
"Yeah."
"Though I get why - Endeavor isn't some weak woman." Shoto nodded, and they stopped talking about it. "Wanna play some video games?" Shoto nodded. Izuku wasn't feeling well, being a human right now. He only had a headache. Which had happened to both of them. Shoto had had neck pain from sleeping wrong and it gave him a headache. Internal wounds took the longest to heal, so they sometimes had lingering symptoms. Vampires weren't indestructible, contrary to what Bakugo once thought.
They played some video games on Bakugo's very, very, old GameCube. He had newer systems, but there was a stupid game on the GameCube that was fun, so they played that the most often. After all, the human couldn't handle being beaten on any first person shooters without getting angry. Well, angrier than usual.
They played for a long time before Shoto was told to come home for dinner. Mitsuki offered to drive him back, but Shoto shook his head. He was upset with her and her parenting approach. It was no wonder Bakugo was so angry and volatile. Shoto was the opposite. He wasn't turned bitter and angry, he was meek and sometimes a pushover.
People reacted to abuse differently, clearly.
The next day, all three were back at school, and the students still ignored him. But they ignored Izuku and Bakugo as well. So he wasn't alone in the treatment. They were doing study hall, as the teacher meant to be teaching math was also an engineer and there was something wrong with the boiler downstairs, so he was helping out.
Shoto and Izuku smelled it first. And heard it. Though everyone heard the explosion. "Fire!" Shoto shouted. And the fire alarm started going off. They were on the third story, and the fire was spreading up the stairs, leaving them trapped. There was no jumping out the window. They were all trapped, but Shoto acted.
He used his strength to kicked holes in the wall, and created an ice slide. He iced over the staircase entrance, which hopefully kept the fire a bit slower. He did the same for each classroom, Izuku shouted for them to evacuate.
It was easy to tell the first floor was evacuated, but now there was the second. Shoto went to the hallway, and Bakugo blew open a hole in the floor for him. The floor was full of smoke already, so he kept low as he ran, and created saving slides of ice for everyone. Soon he was the only one left, him and Bakugo. They went to the nearest slide and jumped out. Both were coughing out the smoke. Shoto wasn't worried over Izuku because he could tell he was out, shouting for them.
But the two were too busy coughing. Students hurried over with water bottles to the second floor students that had inhaled smoke. The school had been evacuated to the back lawn, furthest form the main building. It didn't take long for the sirens to arrive, and fire trucks started to put out the flames.
"Are you okay?" Izuku asked them both.
"Fine," Bakugo replied with a scratchy voice.
"You guys were awesome!" Shoto was happy he wasn't upset he couldn't help with a quirk. Everyone who Shoto had helped evacuate were looking at them with conflicted stares. The person they'd seen as some evil freak, and decided to ignore, saved all their useless asses. He was tired, his heart still pumping with adrenaline rushing through his ears.
He drank more of the bottle, and once the fire was out, police came to ask what happened. Plenty of parents had arrived once hearing from the school what had happened. Lots of crying about how scary it had been. Being surrounded by fire wasn't scary. He was unafraid of it, even if he knew it could hurt him.
But the sun and the feeling of being starved were worse pain than any regular burn from fire. His sense of pain was off. He could handle a lot without thinking twice, comparing to the two most painful things he'd ever experienced. Izuku knew the pain of the sun, but had always been well fed. Lucky for him.
Over the next hour, Shoto received more apologies than thank yous. He hoped things could change from now on. That he would not be seen as a monster. He didn't need to be seen as a hero, he'd just liked to be treated with some respect. Not shunned. Looking to Izuku, he couldn't have looked more proud of his best friends.
Shoto was happy that Izuku was happy for them for having quirks. And Shoto didn't really think about Bakugo's quirk being good for rescue, but it was this time. And he seemed pretty proud of himself. It was stressful, but hopefully ended in a good result. The three of them being treated like normal human beings. Shoto the most.