Izuku felt more than a little disoriented upon waking up the next morning.
His surroundings should have felt familiar to him, but he had become accustomed to being at the UA dorms with his classmates. Izuku had felt a big sense of comfort in hearing the sound of movement in other rooms and knowing that he had friends all around him. So it felt strange to wake up in his apartment on a Saturday morning with only himself and his mother present instead of a bunch of other teenagers who were all just excited that it was the weekend.
Today, he woke up with his blanket pulled up over his head, which was weird enough to begin with. Usually, he was so tired after training that he just flopped onto his bed and fell asleep in whatever position his body decided to land in. Sometimes, if he had enough energy left, he would climb under the covers and scroll through the most recent hero news updates on his phone until the text started to look blurry and he could no longer keep his eyes open.
However, he wasn't one to hide his whole head under his duvet. Ever since the incident in middle school that had led up to him meeting All Might, it reminded him too much of the sensation of being submerged in slime and feeling absolutely helpless.
Izuku lifted the sheet curiously, the material smelled familiar to him so he wasn't too concerned about the peculiar state in which he woke up, but he still found it strange. His brow furrowed as he peered out from the depths of his blankets, slowly taking in his surroundings and coming to the realisation that he was at home and not in his room at the dorms. He couldn't remember how he got there.
As Izuku slowly came around, he registered the sound of his mother shuffling about in the kitchen and the hum of a vacuum cleaner in another apartment. Then, his ears picked up the soft conversation of a private phone call somewhere outside that he tried his best not to listen in on and the yells of a mother in a passing car as she scolded her children for making them late for their visit to their grandparent's house.
At first, he thought that his mind was playing tricks on him, that maybe he was hearing the remnants of a dream that he still hadn't fully woken from. Then he yawned, his sharpened teeth caught against his bottom lip as his mouth closed and the memory of what he had become hit him like a bucket of ice cold water to the face.
He sat bolt upright, his eyes opening wide. The brightness of the room instantly stung in his vision and he cried out in pain, bringing his hands up to shield them and shutting them tightly. It took a few moments for him to adjust and slowly open them again, taking his time to get used to it instead of opening them all at once.
When he did, his vision was so clear that it was almost too much to take in. The primary colours of his All Might themed room appeared so much brighter than usual. If he looked closely enough he found that he could read every letter on the various boxes of the rare, untouched action figures that he had kept away from the potential dangers of the UA dorms, right down to the tiniest text that warned parents of choking hazards.
Izuku's memories of the previous night returned to him one by one. He remembered the party, being bitten, dying, Gran Torino's offer to keep his secret and help him out and crying in his mother's arms. He remembered not being able to meet All Might's eyes again after that first time, when he'd caught sight of his teachers over his mother's shoulder.
As they had spoken to him, he had felt heavy with exhaustion and the weight of everything that had happened. He had kept his gaze fixed on the floor the entire time, waiting for them to deliver the dreaded verdict that he'd proved to be more trouble than he was worth and he would not be returning to UA. It never came.
Instead Izuku had only been met with questions that he had no longer been awake enough to answer and fierce concern from the teachers who often acted more like parents than his own biological father did. Izuku could tell that they had caught onto the fact that something was off with him because they kept sharing glances as soon as they thought he wasn't looking, but he had picked up the movements in his newly enhanced peripheral vision.
Eventually, Izuku had been told that he would be staying the weekend at home under his mother's insistence, but the school had made a compromise with her to allow them to put strict security measures in place. He had become tense with anxiety when his mother had accepted Aizawa's offer to drive them home. There was no window of opportunity for him to eliminate the mirror issue and even if there had been, he wouldn't want to risk incurring the wrath of his homeroom teacher.
Luckily his mother had brought a hoodie with her that she had forced on him as soon as they reached the doors, fretting about how he would 'catch a death in this weather'. The irony of that was not lost on Izuku, but he didn't try to fight her on it. The second he had climbed into the back of the car, he had pulled the hood up over his head and made sure to keep his face turned away from the mirror, staring out of the window the entire trip. It wasn't ideal and it would definitely look suspicious to his teachers, but at least it provided cover. Occasionally, he could feel the weight of an apprehensive stare on him, but he didn't dare to turn and look.
At some point during the journey, All Might had told him that there was no need to feel disheartened because he could return to the UA dorms on Monday. Although, Aizawa had added sternly that he was still to take a day off classes and see the school counselor before being allowed to return to his studies.
If he had been more lucid at the time, he probably would have protested, but he hadn't had any fight left in him at that point. He'd just wanted to go home.
Now that he'd had more time to think about it, he had no idea what he would even say to the school counselor, but he supposed that as long as he could convince him that he was feeling ok to go back to class that would be enough.
Would he be ok to go back to class though? Or would he be a danger to everyone around him?
The cooler bag full of blood was sitting on his computer desk, having been refilled with fresh ice the previous night. When he had been asked about it by Aizawa, Izuku had made up some lie about one of the officers giving him some health drinks to boost his energy back up. It was an awful lie, but luckily no one had pressed him to give a real answer. Izuku's mother had asked if he wanted her to put it in the freezer once they'd made it home last night, but he had declined. He didn't want to run the risk of her taking a look inside when he wasn't around.
Izuku's throat felt dry as he stared at it, thinking about how good he felt after drinking the bottle of blood Gran Torino had forced upon him at the police station. Though a shiver went down his spine as those thoughts transformed into memories of horrifying creatures with long, sharp nails and teeth and haunting crimson eyes.
If he gave in to his instincts and continued to drink blood, how long would his remaining humanity last? Would he turn into one of them? What if he became addicted and ended up hurting an innocent civilian - or worse, someone close to him?
He shook his head to dispel the negative thoughts.
As he slowly began to stand up and make the bed, he made the resolute decision that he would fight back against the vampire side of himself with everything he had. His new enhanced senses and any other abilities that developed from it would be put to good use for his hero work in lieu of an actual quirk, but he refused to drink another drop of human blood.
He would just have to make his body get used to eating human food again. His heart, lungs and brain still seemed to be functioning as usual as far as he knew so surely his stomach would still work the same too. This would be just like learning to put less power into One For All, he just had to stay focused on holding back.
He could do this. He would just have to take it one obstacle at a time.
The first obstacle, getting through last night, had already been conquered. The next obstacle came when he turned to cross the room only to notice a bright beam of sunlight streaming across the floor where his curtains weren't quite fully closed. Izuku's thoughts began to work overtime once again. It hadn't even crossed his mind to consider what happens to vampires in the sunlight.
Would he be able to get out of his room with the light blocking his path to the door? How could he go back to school or even just out to the kitchen to get breakfast if he couldn't survive in direct sunlight? What if he couldn't go outside at all during the day anymore? Would he have to quit everything and adapt to a nocturnal lifestyle? Or could he find some way to cover up all of his skin?
From what he knew of popular fictional vampire franchises, vampires burned in sunlight. An exception existed in the infamous Twilight novel and movie series that had come out long before he was born. Along with a number of other series that documented fictional characters with quirks before quirks came into existence, it was considered one of the important prophetic pieces of historical pop culture. However, Izuku somehow doubted that he would be lucky enough to get by with just having skin that shimmered in the light. He wouldn't want to steal Aoyama's thunder in the sparkling department anyway.
Also, the longer he thought about it, the more it seemed like that would not only be a dead giveaway that something had happened to him, but also a huge inconvenience in everyday life. Especially in the summer when the reflection of the light could potentially blind anyone within close proximity. It could potentially be effective when slowing down villains, but not when it was damaging the retinas of innocent bystanders.
Still, the potential alternative of being burnt to a crisp didn't seem all that pleasant either.
Izuku stuck to the same side of the room for as long as he could, rummaging through his wardrobe to pick some clean clothes out. There wasn't a lot to choose from since he'd taken most of his clothes to the UA dorms, but he eventually settled on a plain t-shirt that read 'business casual' and a pair of dark green three quarter length trousers. After changing into them, he neatly folded the police station sweatsuit that he'd ended up falling asleep in the night before and placed it on the end of his bed.
Once he was dressed all the way from his all might patterned socks to his cheesy slogan t-shirt and officially had no more business on that side of the room, he tentatively approached the beam of sunlight, stopping just in front of it. Reaching a hand up towards it, he traced his fingertips through the air, falling just shy of dipping them into the golden rays. He felt like a diver standing at the edge of a cliff, mentally preparing himself to take the leap of faith and accept the outcome, whatever it may be.
Izuku tried to push his fingers a little further forwards, but he couldn't get his hand to move. It was as if he was being held in place by an invisible force, even though he knew there was nothing there. He dropped his arm with a sigh and began pacing, making sure not to stray any closer to the light as he did so.
He could do this. Even if his hand was to burn, it wouldn't be the worst pain he had ever been through. Dying hadn't even been the most painful thing that had ever happened to him, he was pretty sure that a burn would feel like almost nothing to him at this point. So why was it so hard to close those final few centimetres?
At some point, his mum must have heard his feet shuffling around and the quiet drone of his mumbled thoughts. "Izuku? Are you awake?" Her voice called from somewhere outside the door.
Izuku stopped moving. "Yes, mum." He responded.
"I made you breakfast," she announced awkwardly. Izuku got the feeling that she was struggling for something to say after all the raw emotions of their reunion the night before. "You should come and eat before it gets cold."
"I'm trying," he muttered under his breath, eyeing the strip of light on the floor.
"What was that?" His mother questioned.
"I'll be there in a minute!" Izuku lied.
"Ok, sweetie," she responded, "I'll put your food in the microwave."
Izuku heard the soft pad of her footsteps on the wooden floor as she retreated and let out a resigned sigh. It was no use dragging this out any longer, he decided.
"Ok, let's do this," he breathed shakily, his heartbeat thundering in his ears. "One," he counted, lifting his hand until it hovered just short of grazing the beam of sunshine again. "Two," he continued, shutting his eyes tightly, thinking that maybe it would be easier if he couldn't see. "Three!" He squeaked, thrusting his hand into the space in front of him and abruptly turning his face away out of the fear that he would soon smell burning flesh.
Almost immediately, Izuku could feel a dull ache. He likened it to the sensation of pressing his palm against a mug that was still too hot or the faint stinging sensation that lingered for hours after coming close to contact with one of Katsuki's explosions. His skin burned, but it was more like the burn that came after venturing outside in the summer without putting on sunscreen than the burn that would come from being exposed to open flames.
For a moment, he held his breath and waited, concerned that the burning sensation might spread or continue to escalate until his skin eventually blistered and charred. However, to his relief, the pain stayed at a constant, manageable level.
Izuku opened his eyes and peered at his hand hesitantly. His skin didn't appear to have changed at all, the only visible marks were old scars from the first year sports festival and various other incidents. His skin didn't even appear to be irritated or red like he would expect it to be in accompaniment with the sore feeling, instead it looked completely normal.
Feeling a little more secure in his safety, Izuku stepped over the line. A brief stinging sensation hit him as his body passed through the light, but it was nothing he couldn't cope with. He swung his bedroom door open with more force than he intended to, but was quick to grab it before it could hit the wall and do any damage. As his hand caught the door, suddenly stopping its momentum, the All Might name plaque on the outside swung out and came back down against the wood with a noisy clatter. The sound was loud enough to make him wince as it reverberated through his highly sensitive ears.
Although she made no indication of it, Izuku was sure the sound probably startled his mother, who tended to be a lot more jumpy when she was going through a stressful time. Knowing this, he made it a point to be as gentle as he possibly could when shutting the door again and to keep his footsteps light as he crossed the hall to the bathroom.
After going about his morning routine, he stood, hairbrush in hand, frowning at the empty mirror in frustration. Unlike some people his age, Izuku had never been that concerned about looking fashionable or attractive. People often called him plain looking, but that didn't really bother him. He had more important things to think about than style or beauty.
Izuku did like to at least look somewhat presentable though and now he had no way of telling if he even looked decent. He hadn't considered exactly how irritating the lack of reflection would be until he was actively trying to look in a mirror rather than trying to avoid it. His routine hadn't differed from what he usually did and he was dressed pretty casually anyway so he probably looked fine, but he was dreading trying to sort his tie out in the morning when he returned to UA. That was difficult enough for him to accomplish even when he could see what he was doing.
Deciding that he had probably done enough, Izuku set the brush down softly on the counter and quietly made his way into the living room and kitchen area.
Inko was watching the news when Izuku passed by the living room area, she seemed too absorbed in what was happening on the screen to notice him at first, but when she caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye, she startled with a shout and it took her a few seconds to calm down.
"You were so quiet," she said with a nervous laugh. "Don't sneak up on me like that, you almost gave me a heart attack."
Izuku tensed, the phrasing making him feel a little uncomfortable. "Sorry, mum," he replied.
An image of the mansion from the party flashed on the screen and Izuku's eyes were instantly drawn to it, but before he could catch any of what the reporter was saying, the channel changed.
"I was hoping there would be some news about your father," his mother admitted, drawing Izuku's attention back to her. "Maybe some mention of people who made it out or… or a list of names of the people who…" She took a deep breath, fiddling with the remote in her hands to distract herself. "Anyway, let's not think about that right now. It's rare that I get to have you home for the weekend so I don't want to waste that time worrying. How are you feeling today?"
Izuku took a moment to think over the question. Mentally, he was exhausted, everything still felt like too much to take in and if he lingered on it too much he was sure he would start to feel overwhelmed very quickly. Physically, now that he was in a more open area with more light flowing into it, his whole body was aching and he could feel his energy depleting little by little.
He couldn't say anything to his mum though, she already fretted over his well being too much on a good day. If he revealed some of the things that were on his mind or requested that the curtains be closed for the rest of his stay, he knew it would send her spiraling into overprotective mother mode and she would be reluctant to let him leave again on Monday.
"I'm ok," Izuku responded.
"You look exhausted and a little bit pale," she commented, her eyes inspecting his appearance for anything that might be troubling. "Did you get enough sleep after we got home last night?"
"I went to sleep as soon as we got back," Izuku replied. "Do I really look that tired?"
Inko nodded. "You look like you haven't slept in days with those big dark circles under your eyes," she remarked.
"Oh," Izuku answered, touching the skin under his eyes self-consciously, "I didn't notice." He once again found himself inwardly cursing mirrors for forsaking him.
His mother's expression shifted to one of deeper concern. "Are you sure you're alright?" she inquired. "If you want to go back to bed, I don't mind. You can always reheat your breakfast for lunch."
"I'm fine," Izuku insisted. He wasn't sure he'd be able to get any sleep at that moment anyway with everything that was on his mind.
"Ok," his mother nodded, "but I hope you know that if you need anything or want to talk, I'm right here and I won't judge you."
"...Right," Izuku replied.
He quickly turned away from his mother and walked towards the kitchen, trying his best to hide any signs of guilt in his expression because he knew that mothers had built in instincts for noticing things like that.
There was a time when Izuku was younger where he did feel like he could tell his mother anything, before the bullying from his classmates became an everyday occurrence and before he caught glimpses of sadness on her face when she thought he wasn't looking. Izuku didn't want to upset her, so he stopped telling her when the other kids hurt him or said mean things.
That was supposed to be the only secret he kept from her, but then everything with All Might and One For All happened. Telling his mother would not only have caused her a great deal of stress, but could also have put her life in danger. So the secrets and lies escalated. What started with covering up a few scrapes and bruises has become hiding an entire secret life. Now, he wasn't sure where it would end.
Reminding himself to try and focus on one issue at a time for now, Izuku took the breakfast his mother had prepared for him out of the microwave and went to sit at the dining table. It was a simple breakfast of rice and fried salmon, but a small part of Izuku feared what might happen when he tried to eat it. He desperately hoped that it wouldn't make him sick. His mother would probably try to keep him home for another week if that happened.
Izuku picked up a small chunk of salmon, eyeing it warily before shoving it in his mouth, deciding to just get it over with. He chewed for a few seconds, bracing himself for any negative side effects. Nothing bad seemed to be happening though, so he swallowed and moved on to the next mouthful of food.
At first, he was relieved that the food wasn't making him ill, but the more he ate, the more he felt like something wasn't quite right. He tried to pinpoint what was unusual about it, but it was hard to tell. The food wasn't causing him any pain or discomfort. There weren't any unpleasant tastes in his mouth that might cause him to feel sick either. In fact, the food didn't really taste like anything.
Izuku's eyes widened as it dawned on him. The food had no taste.
It was difficult to notice at first because the food that he was eating didn't typically taste that strong anyway. Now that he had, he realised that he couldn't taste anything, not even the saltiness of the salmon. As he continued to think about it, he became aware of the fact that the food wasn't making him feel any fuller either. He didn't feel particularly hungry, but he hadn't felt that hungry when he had woken up anyway.
A sinking feeling settled in Izuku's gut as his mind flashed back to the taste of the blood he'd drank the day before and the boost of energy he'd felt afterwards.
He snapped himself out of it. For now he would just focus on the positive discovery that he could at least stomach the food. There was no solid evidence that he couldn't get by without drinking blood yet. The prospect of having to eat flavourless, unsatisfying food for the rest of his life seemed miserable, but surely he could find something that didn't taste like nothing if he experimented with foods that had stronger flavours.
There was also a slim possibility that his mother had just made a tasteless meal, but Izuku promptly ruled it out. His mother's cooking skills had never been subpar and he wasn't about to insult her by questioning them now.
As Izuku washed his dishes, he eyed the cupboards where he knew that the herbs and spices and sauces were kept, considering the idea of doing a taste test. That kind of thing would probably have to wait until later when his mother wasn't around to wonder what on earth he was doing though. Still, he began to feel a little restless. There were so many things that he didn't know about the way his body worked now and all the unknowns and possibilities kicked the curious, investigative part of his brain into action.
So far, Izuku's second year of high school had been so busy that he hadn't had the time to study quirks in as much depth as he used to, he hadn't sat down to pour his thoughts into the empty pages of a fresh notebook for a few months. He had been starting to miss the thrill of discovery, of deconstructing the way a person's quirk works, theorising about the various things it could do and pinpointing any potential drawbacks or weaknesses. Now, he saw the opportunity to study something new, to experiment, to uncover his every strength and limitation.
Izuku felt like he needed to do something, like he couldn't just leave all of the new information he was learning about his condition sitting in his brain. So the second he had put his dishes away, he dashed back to his room, rummaging through his desk drawers for a new notebook and any pen he could find that still had ink in it.
As he sat at his desk, he cast a brief glance towards the cooler full of blood and gently picked it up, giving it a once over before tucking it under the desk and out of sight. He nudged it with his foot until it was in the far corner against the wall.
One quick look at his computer monitor would be enough for anyone to tell that it had barely been used since he first moved into the dorms at UA. A layer of dust coated the surfaces of it where it sat, untouched. In a weird way, he felt kind of happy that it hadn't been used in so long, that he wasn't sitting at home watching the same All Might video on repeat and wishing that he could be born different anymore.
Izuku wiped over the monitor to remove some of the dust, then booted it up. Researching the characteristics of fictional vampires and testing whether or not they applied to him would be a good starting point, he figured. Due to lack of use, the computer was slow to start, so Izuku filled the first page with things he already knew as he waited.
Known Vampire Characteristics
Retractable fangs
Can infect people through bite
Enhanced strength
Enhanced senses (except for taste?)
No reflection
Sunlight is not lethal, but does cause pain (effects of prolonged exposure still unclear)
Izuku paused to look at the page for a moment, then flipped to the cover to write 'Notes for vampire story' just in case someone else found the notebook. "I'm writing a vampire novel," probably wasn't the most believable lie, especially since he had never shown interest in that genre or writing fiction before, but at least it was something. He would probably have to come up with some kind of rough plot just in case someone read the notebook and started asking questions, but he had time to figure that out later.
On the next page, he jotted down all of the questions that were at the forefront of his mind. Perhaps, if he got in touch with Gran Torino, he could get more accurate answers for them than a google search would provide. It was still pretty early though, plus Izuku wanted to do his own research first. Also, people might become suspicious of Gran Torino if he started asking a lot of questions about the vampire in custody. Izuku didn't want his only ally to get in trouble.
Vampire Research Questions
What happens after prolonged exposure to the sun?
How much sleep do they need?
Can they survive on human food?
Are there any other alternatives to drinking blood?
What abilities do they have?
Do all people lose their quirks when they become vampires?
Is there any way for them to see what they look like with no reflection?
Would they be visible in a photograph or video footage?
Can they all turn into bats or is that just in the old stories?
Are there any factors that affect how quickly their injuries heal?
Can they die?
Izuku stared at the last question on the page, now that he had written it, the words began to weigh heavy on his brain. If he was immortal now, that meant he would have to watch everyone, all of the people he loved, disappear.
Before he could dwell on it, the ringing of a phone somewhere in his apartment pierced through his ears, the sound a little too high pitched for the enhanced hearing he was yet to get used to. He let out a hiss and pressed his hands against his ears to try and block out the sound.
Suddenly, it cut out and Izuku let out a sigh of relief.
"Hello?" he heard his mother say as clearly as if she was in the room with him.
"Is Izuku there?" a gruff voice asked awkwardly, not bothering with any greetings.
Izuku instantly recognised the voice as Katsuki's and spared a fleeting moment to consider how odd it was to hear him use his actual name as he jumped up from his chair. He made it as far as the door, then realised that it would be weird for him to already know who was calling. His mother had no idea he could hear that well after all. With that in mind, he held still and waited for her to call for him before leaving his room.
When he picked the phone up, he did it with as much care as possible, not wanting to break anything. He barely even managed to lift the receiver to his ear before a booming voice called out. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"
Izuku yelped and yanked the phone away as quickly as possible, his ear ringing painfully. His mother shot up out of her seat, observing him with wide, concerned eyes.
"Is everything alright?" she asked carefully.
"It's fine, mum," Izuku reassured her. He lifted the phone back to his face to make sure Katsuki heard the next part. "Kacchan just spoke a little too loud and I wasn't prepared for it, that's all."
His mother looked relieved as she turned to sit back down on the sofa.
"I'm speaking at my regular volume, nerd," Katsuki pointed out, a thoroughly unimpressed tone in his voice.
"Your regular volume is loud, Kacchan," Izuku snarked back at him.
"Whatever, it doesn't fucking matter," Katsuki replied. "Do you wanna explain why we all woke up to your face all over the damn news covered in blood like you took a fucking shower in the stuff and now you're not answering anyone's calls? What the fuck do you think you're doing just ghosting on everyone like that? Your annoying friends have been bugging me all morning talking about how I must know something because our families live near each other."
"Oh," Izuku responded with a frown. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make everyone worry about me. My phone got destroyed last night so I can't answer it," he explained. "Didn't the teachers say anything?"
"They told us you were coming back on Monday and fuck all else," Katsuki growled. "They're treating us like we can't be trusted with any more information than that, like we're a bunch of children or something, it's really pissing me off. I had to watch the class beg All Might to let them use his phone to call you and even then he would only let me into the office because I'm in on your secret. I'm sure I'll have a crowd of losers around me the second I step out of the door."
Izuku was about to speak again when Katsuki continued.
"I can't believe you were out of everyone's sight for less than a day and you walked headfirst into a damn massacre. Are you actually that incapable of looking after yourself for more than five minutes?" he scolded. "How do you expect to surpass me and become number one hero like you keep saying you will if you're dead, idiot?"
Izuku almost laughed at the irony of that last sentence. If only Katsuki knew.
"For some reason, All Might chose you out of all the other options to give his gift to and you need to take better care of it instead of throwing it back in his face."
Izuku's grip on the phone tightened until he heard the plastic creak a little under the pressure and had to force himself to loosen it again. This was it. This was his opportunity to decide whether he would tell Katsuki or keep everyone in the dark except for the one person who already knew about the vampires. He carefully weighed his options.
On the one hand, there was no guarantee that Katsuki would believe him. He might think that Izuku was trying to make fun of him and then the friendly rivalry they'd both put so much work into would turn sour again. Plus, his mother was still in the room, so he couldn't give any explicit details without her overhearing anyway.
On the other hand, he'd never kept anything from Katsuki, even when their relationship was at its worst and Katsuki could read him like a book after all they'd been through. He would know pretty much instantly that something was off. Also, Izuku would need an ally at UA if he wanted to have any hope at quelling everyone's suspicions once they saw him during physical training sessions and his skin wasn't crackling with the familiar green energy that his quirk emitted. It was going to be incredibly difficult to get them off his case with all of the adjustments he would most likely have to make.
In the end the correct decision was obvious.
"Um, listen Kacchan," Izuku mumbled, trying his best to keep his voice low with his mum nearby. "I can't tell you everything right now, but when I get back we need to talk about something that happened last night," he stated. "Just me and you," he clarified, practically whispering by the end of it.
A few beats of silence followed.
"No one else?" Katsuki said slowly, his voice also at a lower volume. Izuku assumed that All Might must have been somewhere within earshot.
"No one else," Izuku confirmed, holding his breath in anticipation for Katsuki's answer.
"Fine," Katsuki relented. "But you better tell me everything, no skimping on any details."
"I will," Izuku promised, relieved.
"I guess I gotta go tell the dork squad that you're still alive," Katuski huffed.
"Ok," Izuku answered. "See you on Monday."
Katsuki made a noise of acknowledgement and then the line went dead.
Izuku sighed, already anxious about how Monday's conversation would go, hopefully he had made the right decision. His mind went to a secret box he kept in one of his drawers in his bedroom at the dorm, a contingency plan he'd created in case anything happened to him. The contents were unknown to everyone but himself. He momentarily wondered if Monday would be the right time to bring it up or if it would even work anymore, but then decided he would see how he felt after seeing Katsuki's reaction to everything else he had to tell him.
Over the next few hours, Izuku poured all of his attention into his research. The pages of his notebook filled up with messy notes as he tried his best to jot down as many opinions, ideas and questions that arose while sifting through countless different websites as he could. No stone was left unturned, he looked at everything from the websites of highly respectable literary organisations to more crude websites with names like ' ', taking in any information he could get. He would go over and sort the information into neater lists and paragraphs later.
Being so immersed in his research, Izuku forgot to eat lunch, but it was worth it. By the time his mother called him for dinner, he was satisfied that he had built a good foundation for his own personal research and experiments. So, he put his notes away for the day and sat with her at the dining table for another unfortunately flavourless meal. He was just glad it wasn't katsudon, he didn't know how he would deal with not being able to taste his favourite food anymore.
Afterwards, Tzuku decided to join his mother in the living room. It was only then that he realised she had been watching the news all day, scouring over numerous different channels for any mention of his father among the survivors.
Inko looked tired, both physically and emotionally and Izuku suddenly felt guilty for leaving her to do this all day by herself.
"Hey, mum," he said softly, catching her attention. "Maybe you should go rest," he suggested. "I can keep an eye out for you."
She let out a deep sigh. "Yeah, you're probably right, I could do with some more sleep," she admitted. "I probably seem pathetic, sitting here staring at the news all day," she mused. "It's just, we only just got him back, Izuku," she sniffled.
"It's not pathetic," Izuku assured her, grabbing a box of tissues off the coffee table and handing them to her before placing a gentle, supportive hand on her arm. "We'll find him," he promised.
Inko smiled tearfully. "You're way too grown up for your age," she said, ruffling his hair fondly. "You remind me so much of him, always going off on your own and trying to take on everyone else's problems. Between the two of you, I'll be getting grey hair a lot earlier than I'm supposed to," she joked.
Izuku offered her a small smile in response.
"Alright, I'm going to sleep," she informed him, standing from the sofa. "Try not to stay up too late, you look like you could use some sleep too," she added.
"Ok, mum," he replied. "I'll try."
"Good," Inko said. She paused, clearly reluctant to leave the room. "And Izuku?"
"Yes, mum?"
"I hope you know that I'm so proud of you and I love you, no matter what," she replied. "You can tell me anything and it won't change that. You know that, right?"
"I know," Izuku responded quietly. "I love you too, mum," he added, his eyes threatening to well up with tears as she smiled at him and exited the room.
Izuku loved his mother and he knew he was really lucky to have such a supportive parent who genuinely cared about his safety and happiness. However, he knew that she reacted badly to situations where he might be in danger and that there were a lot of things about his situation that she wouldn't be able to handle without becoming overprotective and possibly getting herself hurt or making rash decisions in the process.
In all truth, he didn't really feel like he could tell her anything. The guilt he felt at keeping secrets from her and from causing her stress had wedged an emotional barrier between them. If he was being honest, it had probably happened a long time before he started lying to her by omission, back when he was a child and she had first shown doubt in his dreams.
Part of him still felt like she didn't believe he was capable of becoming a hero when she said that things were too dangerous for him or kept reminding him to be careful or voicing that she didn't feel happy about him doing something that was risky. Izuku knew she only did things like that because she loved him and wanted him to come back to her in one piece, but it still sometimes felt like a lack of faith in his abilities. He could almost understand how Katsuki had managed to misconstrue genuine concern for people looking down on him. Almost.
Then again, he had gone and gotten himself killed and turned into a vampire. So maybe his mother would have been right if her worries had originated from a sense of doubt in his abilities.
Either way, their communication wasn't as great as it used to be and knowing that it was partly his fault had Izuku constantly feeling like he had to make it up to her somehow. So flicking through different news channels, reliving his traumatic experience over and over again in hopes of catching some sign that his father was still alive felt like the least he could do.
After a while, it became easier, the analytic part of his brain kicked in and he found himself engrossed in studying any footage he could find.
Izuku became so wrapped up in the images flashing on the screen that he didn't notice anything else. He didn't see the sky getting darker or the hands of the clock turning. He didn't hear the sounds of activity outside dying down as people made their way home for the evening, nor the sounds of his neighbours quieting as they settled down to sleep in the surrounding apartments.
He didn't notice the figure hiding just outside the window, or the observant eyes peering in at him under the cover of darkness.