Another late night post, hehe.

Spring break has stated, so that means some chapters should get done behind the scenes. My goal is to have the rest of the story written by the end of summer and then keep pumping chapter out consistently after that. I'm trying to stay committed to this story, because to be honest it's one of the only things keeping me sane, lol.

Anyway, here's another long one. Don't forget to follow and favorite, and leave a review.


Bakugou had woken the moment Midoriya's blood-curdling scream rippled through the dark. All he had seen at first was the flashlight moving around crazily, then he had heard the sound of something being crushed followed by squishing. The white light turned red, then there was silence for a moment. He had rushed to turn his flashlight on, the beam of light illuminating the room. He ran over to Ms. Imada's cot, reaching under the pillow or the gun. The last time he checked, that was where she kept it.

There was silence for a moment, and his inability to find Midoriya startled him. He waited, the silence eating at him…

GRR…

He followed the sound of the growl, his arms crossing to allow him to use the gun and the light at the same time. When the light met Tsubasa, he froze. The boy had milky white eyes and sloppy movement. He turned, while everyone was asleep. His gaze fell, landing on a small tuft of green. Deku. If he didn't act then, she would be gone. Seeming to think the same thing, she buried her head in her arms, giving up completely to the bigger boy. Bakugou didn't hesitate to put a bullet in the middle of the boy's forehead.

After a moment of silence, he walked over to a shaken Midoriya, pulling her towards him as she shook. She tried to pull away from him, but his arms tightened around her shoulders, then she looked at him. She looked scared and confused, her eyes looking at all the blood and the caved in the skull of Ms. Imada before she just broke. She wailed out, tears streaming down her face as she clenched her eyes closed. Her hands covered her ears, and she started to rock, shaking violently as she blocked the outside world from herself. Bakugou put her head in his chest, trying to comfort her the best she could.

She was as bloody as the rest of the room. Her white gym shirt was soaked in blood, and so was part of her shorts. Her hair was partially dyed red, blood clumping pieces together and matting her curly hair. Red was smeared across her face, mainly because of the blood that dripped from her hair and blood on her hands she used to wipe away her tears. She was covered in it, and she stank badly of iron.

He didn't even know where all that blood came from. She wasn't bleeding, not from where he could tell. Ms. Imada was lying limply by his bed. What had happened to her to make Midoriya attack her like that?

"Ms. Imada? Tsubasa?" Aoi said, her hand covering her mouth as she looked at the pudgy boy. She pointed an accusatory finger at MIdoriya, hatred burning in her eyes. Bakugou held her tighter, feeling the need to protect her. "You killed them!"

"I put the bullet in his head," he yelled back, not even questioning for a second her innocence. There was no way she could even think about hurting anybody else, it was completely against her whole character. It shocked him that she had even done what she did to Ms. Imada in the first place.

"Look at Ms. Imada, and look at all the blood on her. She had to have done it," Aoi claimed, walking over to the two of them. Bakugou stood to his feet, daring her to take another step. He didn't care if she was a girl, he'd beat the shit out of her if she so much as glanced at Midoriya.

"Are you fucking blind or did you not see Tsubasa? He was clearly one of those things out there. He must have gotten Ms. Imada, and Ms. Imada tried to get Deku," he argued. Aoi scowled at him, punching him away from her.

"What is wrong with you? Why are you defending that murderer?" she continued on, looking at Midoriya with so much hatred. He wanted to bash her face in.

"She's not a murderer," he argued. "She was attacked dumbass. Why else do you think she's so fucking distraught?" Aoi looked like she wanted to slap him, and she did. She almost started berating him with hurtful things towards Midoriya, ignoring his death glare towards her. He just needed her to take one more step forward and he swore he'd lose his shit.

"Is Midoriya bitten?" the mousy-haired girl asked. "Is she infected?" Bakugou could immediately see everyone's eyes turn on her. This wasn't good. Midoriya had too much blood on her for them not to believe she wasn't bitten. They looked rabid, almost as animalistic as the monsters outside.

"She's not infected," he said. He didn't care if it was true or not, he wasn't going to let them tear her apart for defending herself. If she hadn't killed Ms. Imada she would be dead, and maybe the rest of them would have gone too. None of them had heard the monsters eating away at her or Tsubasa. Who's to say those two wouldn't have gotten them too?

"We don't believe you," the mousy-haired girl declared, scowling at the two of them. "Minori, tell them what you told us."

The black-haired girl, the one who had entered the truck with Midoriya to get the food, lifted her head. "She was bit, back in the truck. I saw it with my own two eyes."

"Bullshit!" Bakugou immediately argued. "If she was bitten she would be sick by now!"

"Explain now then," Aoi said. "She can barely stand and she's covered in blood. If she wasn't bitten then, she's definitely bitten now." That was no good. Everyone seemed to be siding with Aoi. With no adult to defend the two and the way the others seemed easily swayed by her, there was no way they wouldn't kill Midoriya.

He forced her to stand, moving her towards the door of the gym. They had to leave. They couldn't be there anymore with everyone against her. They'd kill her in her sleep thinking that it would bring justice to everyone who had died in that room. Those deaths weren't her fault though, none of them were awake to see what really happened.

Midoriya was like a robot, following Bakugou as he pulled on her wrist. Her eyes were glued to the ground, her face stuck in horror as they ran down the hall. He stopped in front of the school doors, turning to her and putting his hands on both sides of her face, forcing her to look at him.

"We're gonna run and we're not going to stop until we are far from here, okay," he said, trying to be as gentle as he could. She was unresponsive at first, staring in his eyes hazily before giving him a small nod. He let go of her head, looking out at the dead bodies in front of the school. He released the magazine in the gun. Seven bullets. That wasn't a lot. He hadn't shot a handgun since his grandfather passed away a year ago. His aim would be rusty, but he had to work with what they had.

He sprinted outside, ignoring the cold before grabbing one of the officers' batons and running back to Midoriya and forcing one into her hands. She gripped the handle, her hands shaking as she looked at the weapon.

"I need you to focus, Deku," he said. It may be dark, but there were still many infected people out there. They had to be careful, especially since they were in the city. Many people were bound to be turned, and they'd have to fight through many of them before they decided where they needed to go.

"K-Kacchan," she whimpered. "I-I don't want t-to hurt anyone." She was crying again, refusing to move when he pulled on her wrist. He could hear the others coming for them, ready to end Midoriya if they didn't leave.

"Midoriya, please," he said. Two things he never did in one sentence, her name and please. It left her stunned, then she took her first step. She moved towards him, eyes clouding with tears as they stepped outside.

"Okay," she said. He took her hand and held it tight, ignoring the burning sensation that came with it. He didn't have time to think about it, they needed to leave before one of the girls managed to get to them.

"Okay," he whispered back, turning on his heel and sprinting down the street. The door busted open shortly after they were hidden in the darkness. He didn't bother to look behind him. He didn't care how angry they were at the loss of their friends or how Midoriya had blood on her hands, both literally and figuratively. All he cared about was getting Midoriya out of their hands and towards safety. All he cared about was living.

So they ran and they ran until their legs hurt.

They had run into a lot more monsters than they meant to, each one trying to bite into their flesh as they pushed by. Midoriya had let go of his hand, swinging her baton at the heads of the monsters when they got too close. Bakugou aimed the gun at the monsters' heads in front of them. There was a dense pack surrounding them, blocking them from a building that could give them protection. He needed to get past them, so he let off bullets. Each one landed in a monster's skull, making the fall limp the ground in seconds. He used the bullets sparingly because he only had seven with no guarantee of finding any more. He started to run towards a building, and Midoriya followed after him, locking the door behind her when they entered.

They were in an abandoned office building. The lights were on and the AC hummed loudly in the silent room. The monsters were banging on the door, making lots of noise that attracted more of their friends. They let the blinds on the door down, blocking the monsters from seeing them. When they were no longer visible, the banging stopped, and the room became even more silent than it already was.

Midoriya collapsed on the floor, looking exhausted and worn. She curled in on herself, shaking and hiding her face from him. He leaned against the wall, sliding down as his legs gave out on him. He was tired, but not as mentally tired as she was.

They had gotten at least three or four miles away from the school, deeper into the city as they tried to escape from the others. He was hungry and thirsty and sweaty and he just wanted a shower. They left everything they had at the school. They didn't have any food or water on them. Maybe there were some in the vending machines. The power seems to still be running in the city. Were the waters cold? That would be nice. He could look through them and get something for him and Midoriya. What would she even want?

"I'm sorry," she whimpered, falling into herself more. "I'm so so so sorry." she was crying again, her head buried in her hands as she shook. Bakugou didn't know what she was apologizing for. He didn't know what she was thinking, what she was blaming herself for, but he knew it was taking a heavy toll on her.

"Deku," he said. She sprang to her knees, crawling to him and taking his hands in hers. She looked hysterical, tears flooding out of her red, puffy eyes, as she wailed apology after apology. He was too stunned to pull his hands away.

"Please Kacchan," she sobbed. "Please don't be mad at me. I didn't mean to kill her." he took his hands out of hers, pulling her to his chest. He buried her head in his gym uniform, allowing her to soak the material with her endless tears.

"I know," he said as he pet the top of her head. He hadn't been like this to her since he was five and she had broken her leg trying to copy him on the monkey bars. He had been bullying her about how weak she is, and how she couldn't do what he could do on the playground. She had been following him around all day trying to prove herself, and when she finally fell and hurt herself, his bullying immediately stopped and he helped her. He carried her all the way to his house, telling his mom what happened so they could get a doctor. He didn't leave her side the entire day until he knew she was alright, and then he pretended like none of that happened.

He never wanted her to know what he really felt.

It was the same then. Despite everything telling him not to hold her, not to comfort her after everything he did to her, he ignored the urge. He did care, he always did, he just never cared enough until she was already broken. He never wanted to confront that urge to protect her, to just hold her and love her with everything he had. It was his weakness, one he never wanted to admit, but he had to at that moment because he was scared for her.

But he'd never tell her that. He'd just hold her and comfort her until she came back to her senses, and then he'd pretend like he didn't do anything because he'd never let her know how much he cared. Not after everything he put her through. That would be torture, and he didn't need to hurt her anymore.

He was done hurting her.


Midoriya thought it was a fever dream, that she had imagined falling asleep in Bakugou's arm, but when she woke up the next morning and felt warmth encasing her she knew that wasn't the case. She was frozen at first, just staring at his chest in shock. Then he started to shift, and she got nervous, so she pushed herself off him and sat a few feet away. She wouldn't look at him, she didn't want him to see her red cheeks.

"Are you done crying?" he grumbled. She just gave a limp nod, her fist tightening against her thighs. She was confused. He didn't sound agitated. He sounded… indifferent to say the least. He acted as if he practically wasn't cuddling her, or how he hadn't run away from the one form of protection in a five-mile radius just for her.

"I'm sorry," she said again. She felt his eyes on her, but they didn't feel angry. She chanced a look at them, washed with relief when they just looked thoughtful. He wasn't scowling or glaring, if anything he looked like he was pitying her.

"Stop fucking apologizing and go wash up. You look like shit," he said as he rose to his feet. He walked towards one of the vending machines–it suddenly hit her that there was power in the office building. He used his baton to break the glass. She flinched at the sound and watched him grab water and some chips out of the machine.

While he picked out what they would eat, she went to the nearest bathroom to wash away the blood that stained most of her hair and skin. She looked in the mirror, disgusted by the red that painted her pale skin. She looked like she was crazy, eyes red, wide, and terrified as she wiped away the blood on her cheeks with a wet towel. She didn't know how she was going to get the blood out of her stark white shirt, or out of her bandage and hair. It was caked in her curls, dry and lumpy as her hair cascaded down her back. She wanted to cut the chunks out, to dispose of her blood as efficiently as possible, but she knew if she did that Bakugou would definitely think she was crazy. She needed him to stay, to remind her that all hope wasn't lost and that things could get better. She just didn't want to be alone.

So she tried to wash the blood out as efficiently as she could. She scrubbed her face until it was red and tender, but she was sure the blood wouldn't coat her skin when her cheeks weren't flushed anymore. She abandoned the bandage altogether, there was no salvaging it. Her hair was wet, soaking her gym shirt, but there was no more blood left in it. She tried to dry her hair the best she could with a towel but gave up when the towel broke away into her thick hair. She looked a mess, but not as big of a mess as before.

She didn't bother to wash the blood from her shirt or shorts, that would be too much work. She just decided it would be best not to look at it. She walked out of the office, panicking when she couldn't see Bakugou. immediately. He was hidden behind a desk, his blonde, spiky hair barely peeking over the top and he bent over the food he managed to grab. She walked over to him, trying not to look terrified as she felt. He didn't look scared, so why should she show her fear.

"Take whatever you want. I don't fucking care," he murmured when she sat next to him. She grabbed an apple and a water bottle. She wasn't that hungry despite only eating a bowl of soup and a piece of bread the night prior. She should've been a lot hungrier, but her overwhelming anxiety was stopping her from feeling anything else.

They ate in silence, neither of them deciding to start a conversation. Midoriya listened to the moans and groans of the infected outside, ignoring the pit that was growing in her stomach. She didn't feel safe in the office. There were too many places the infected could burst through. Every wall was decorated with thin windows, and any door that connected the outside world to the office was also made out of glass. All it took was them making too much noise inside for the infected to pound through the glass and get them.

"You're quiet," Bakugou noted, eating a bag of spicy chips. She glanced at him, noting how he seemed to try to be reading her. He never really tried to do that. She had always been readable like an open book, but she honestly didn't know how she was feeling and that displayed on her face. She must've looked lost or dazed, probably both.

"I'm–"

"I don't want to hear another fucking apology," he growled, crinkling the bag in his hand. Midoriya had to stop herself from apologizing again. She looked away from him, deciding the floor was more interesting than his scowl. She didn't really know what to say. Her mind was scattered, still trying to piece together what she had done the night before.

"Are we staying here?" she whispered, sounding small and scared. Bakugou shrugged his shoulders, running his hand through his hair. He looked stressed, which bothered Midoriya because he never let anything get to him. If he was bothered and confused by their situation then they would never get anywhere. It wasn't like she could come up with anything to help their survival, because that was what they were doing now.

Surviving.

There was no help coming for them. They were stuck in the city unless they got themselves out, and they would have to put up a fight for that. Midoriya wasn't sure if she had it in her, but her will to live was stronger than her want to not hurt others.

"We could try to go home, see if our parents are there," he said. She hadn't thought of that, because home seemed so far away at that point and it had been a full week since they had last contacted them. She did want to see her mother, she wanted a hug and for her to tell her everything was okay. She didn't know if they were alive, because if they were they would've tried to get them.

"It won't be easy," she said, bringing her knees to her chest. "There have to be hundreds of infected out there." Bakugou's fist tightened as he looked towards the glass doors. He must be thinking the same thing as her. They couldn't stay there forever.

"There'll be food there, and water. The power should still be working, so we could shower and change our clothes," he proposed. Even though it wasn't said, she could hear a tinge of hope in his voice, and she could only assume it was hope that their parents were there.

"Okay," she agreed. It would be better than staying in an office with limited food and water, and easily breakable doors and windows. It would take a while for them to get to the house though. They'd have to be careful and very wary of their surroundings. She knew people were wound up now, some might even be armed, so they'd have to avoid people too. Especially her since she was vaguely stained in blood.

"Then let's go," he said, surprising her. They'd just gotten to safety, and there were still tons of infected left in the area. It was still too dense outside for them to safely run through the town, and Midoriya's legs still hurt. She didn't want him to drag him down.

"There's too many!"

"But there's daylight," he argued. "We can go through the alleyways instead of the main roads." She knew he was right, that it could work, but she was scared. She didn't want to get scratched or bitten, and she didn't want Bakugou to risk his life if she wasn't strong enough, but they needed to leave.

"It's too dangerous," she said, but her voice was so small. She knew they needed to leave now if they wanted even the smallest chance of seeing their parents again.

"Deku, this isn't up for debate," he said, and that was when she realized she really didn't have an opinion on the matter. Bakugou was the stronger thinker, he had always been. His judgment was never wrong, so if he said they were leaving then, then they were leaving then.

"Okay," she said, succumbing to the fact that it wasn't really her choice. He missed his parents too. She had to remind herself that though he often acted like he didn't have emotions, he still did, and this was one of the times when it was winning his judgment.

She didn't allow herself to shake or hold her breath when they went outside. She didn't allow herself to look scared in front of him or the monsters. She couldn't be scared if she wanted to make it. She couldn't be scared if she didn't want Bakugou to leave. She definitely couldn't be scared when someone infected attacked her, and when she had to bash their head in just so she could move ahead a fear inches.

But being scared would be a good definition of how she felt when she heard their skull crack, or when Bakugou let out a huff of exhaustion, or when the sweat started to break along her forehead despite the cold temperature, or how even though her heart was beating out of her chest. Still, she pushed on and on and on until they reached their neighborhood.

And even then, when they stood in front of the Bakugou's door, the sun setting behind them and the cold permeating in her bones, she wouldn't allow herself to be scared.