Disclaimer: I only own the stuff I made up; the rest belongs to the rightful owners.
Warning: This story includes (but is not limited to): Violence, gore, death, suicidal themes, swearing, derogatory terms, depression, and angst.
Extended Summary
Deku and Kaminari finally come clean about a deadly secret that cost them the lives of four of their teammates. A vote is cast and Deku and Kaminari are banished from their group. Alone in the wilderness in the midst of a zombie apocalypse, Deku and Kaminari do whatever it takes to survive while coming to terms with their trauma and finding a way to make things right.
If you had told me one year ago back then that I would be fighting for my life against undead monsters, I would've assumed it was because I bought the latest Biohazard game. Yeah, sadly, we're never going to get the conclusion to the series. Actually fighting for my life against the dead, I never would've predicted it. I mean, I kinda guessed that maybe I would fight somebody with a zombie quirk but I didn't imagine myself fighting for my life against actual zombies.
If there's one thing I learned from zombie movies and shows, it's better to stay with a group because there is strength in numbers. Applying that logic to zombies makes them more dangerous.
I remember this little incident back in the apocalypse; it was almost a year after the outbreak, the time when Deku and I…
... finally told the truth about what happened.
Day 340, 7:05 AM
Suburbs
Kicking the door open, Deku storms through the house and rams into the first walker to cross his path. He shoves him against the wall before pulling his head back. Uravity steps through and stabs the zombie in the skull with her sword.
Chargebolt and Earphone Jack quickly move in after them, tackling a runner to the ground and allowing Uravity to finish it off with her sword again.
Pressing their lips together, Deku and Uravity quickly search the first floor of the house and look around. Ground Zero comes in after them, looking around. Holding his gauntlets up, preparing to fire only as a last resort, he waits patiently for the team to finish up on the first floor.
Chargebolt and Earphone Jack search the second floor without saying a word, finding a walker in a bedroom. Earphone Jack taps her knife against the door jamb to get its attention. The walker heads for the girl, reaching out blindly. Chargebolt rams into him before stabbing him in the back of the head. Dropping the zombie to the ground, Chargebolt and Earphone Jack look at each other, nodding.
They quickly search the bedroom. Rummaging through the dressers and connecting bathroom, they manage to find several articles of clothing, including a not-so-fresh pair of underwear, jeans, and shirts. Carefully folding them like a loving mother, they put the clothing in Chargebolt's backpack before they step into the hallway. Searching through the other rooms, Charegbolt and Earphone Jack carefully push open a door and stop halfway through the jamb.
A corpse lays flat in the center of the master bedroom with a noose around its neck and the ceiling fan resting on its chest.
Chargebolt groans behind his mask before stepping forward, carefully looking through the corpse's pocket. He finds a wallet with a few bills inside before discarding them. He pockets the wallet after removing its contents and looks over to see Earphone Jack searching the connecting bathroom once again.
She comes out holding a bottle of rubbing alcohol as well as several toothbrushes and packs of floss. She gives them sanctuary in Chargebolt's backpack before searching the bedroom. They find several packs of Attack on Titan manga in the closet and quickly pack them away.
Turning away, they leave the bedrooms without wasting another second. As they step down the stairs, the steps creak under their weight, prompting them to cringe involuntarily. Once they find their will to move, they do just that. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, they meet up with the others in the living room to find Deku, Uravity, and Ground Zero sitting on the couch, prying open a can of spaghetti and meatballs. Using dirty spoons from the kitchen, they dig into the meal without thinking, pausing only when they spot the electric boy and sound girl before them.
Chargebolt takes off his backpack to remove the contents from his bag. Showing the others the clothes, rubbing alcohol, and other items, they give the duo a thumbs-up. They invite them to the couch before handing them a spoon and fork to dig into the can of food.
A few seconds later, Battle Fist comes through the backdoor and stops in the middle of the room. She holds a can of dog food in her hand. Phantom Thief joins her before grabbing the can. Growling under his breath, he chucks it at the wall, making a loud crashing sound against the dead TV.
Sitting on the couch with the others, the seven of them keep to themselves in silence before one of them has the galls to destroy said silence with a single word.
"Well?" Deku asks.
"We've searched the backyard and found nothing but a dog house," Battle Fist claims. "And dog food."
"We're not eating dog food," Phantom Thief adds, "we are not that desperate yet."
"We'll figure something out. We found this can of food, right?" Deku argues.
"It's been almost a year, Deku," Ground Zero reminds him, "sooner or later, we're going to have to not be choosy about what we eat. That dog food, I wouldn't eat it right now but sooner or later, we're going to have to resort to eating dog food."
"I found a wallet," Chargebolt says, hopefully, it may diffuse the tension. "And some Attack on Titan manga. I wish they had One Piece or Solo Leveling. Or, Code Geass."
Earphone Jack looks at him. "Code Geass did not start as a manga."
"Eh, I'm sure it doesn't matter."
"We should get back before the others start worrying about us," Uravity advises. "And maybe we should save some food for the others, right?"
"This was supposed to be a food run for the rest of our teammates," Ground Zero growls. "And we listened to our stomach and ate the only food we found."
"We'll figure something out, Ground Zero," Deku persuades him, "we promise."
Chargebolt pats his knees. "Can we leave now?"
"Yeah, let's go." Deku packs the open can of spaghetti away before leading the group out of the house.
Vantablack, Shemage, and Vine wait outside near an SUV and one dirt bike.
"Zombies," Vantablack warns them. He points into the distance of the suburban neighborhood to see a small horde of zombies limping across the street. "Come on, let's move out."
Vantablack quickly hops into the SUV and starts it up. Shemage climbs into the very back of the SUV, and the trunk, and gets comfortable. Vine sits in the passenger seat. The rest of the students climb into the back seats with Chargebolt and Earphone Jack staying outside.
Chargebolt climbs on his dirtbike and he revs it up, waiting patiently for Earphone Jack to climb on. After both vehicles start, they take off, heading back in the direction of their home.
7:50 AM
UA Dorms
Arriving back home, the scavenging survivors remove their masks, reducing themselves to their original civilian identity as they throw the supplies on the table for everyone to see.
"This is all we got?" Kirishima asks.
"No food?" Mina says in a sad voice.
"Only a little bit," Deku says before taking out the can of spaghetti. "But not enough for everyone."
"We've searched a bunch of houses in the last few days and most of them have been picked clean," Bakugou explains. "I kept telling these guys that raiding houses in the suburbs was a bad idea but they didn't listen."
"I agree," Monoma says. "If we want to make progress, we gotta go into the city. It's been a year; I'm sure that most of the zombies have left the city."
Kaminari steps forward. "I've done a recon of the city every time I went out; zombies are still staying there. Probably because they know that with all the supplies left behind, survivors will come."
"Smart thinking," Kendo praises.
"It was Jirou's idea."
Jirou looks over, a blank look on her face. "Sure."
"We'll figure something out." Deku leans down on the table. "We'll find more food soon. We just... gotta keep looking. We have to."
"Like we said," Bakugo goes again, "expand our search to the city. The more zombies, the less likely it's been picked cleaned by survivors. We gotta find something soon or else we'll starve to death."
Now that Bakugou mentions it, when Kaminari looks around, he notices that most of the students there have lost the prime of their look. Those who had muscles when the year started were now becoming skinnier and weaker every passing day. The only exception to this would be Kenta, the new guy from Seijin Academy that they picked up in Hosu City around three, four, five months ago. Even with his large muscle mass, he still finds himself getting weaker but he continues to exercise and do everything he can to maintain his stocky appearance.
Sitting on the couch, Deku makes room for Kaminari to sit beside him. They rest their forearms on their knees as they look at each other.
Several students stand outside the UA droms in the front yard area where the graves of Iida, Aoyama, Sato, Bondo, and Koji Koda reside. The gesture fo the students continuing to pay respects to their deceased comrades makes their stomachs tumble like gymnasts.
"Do you think life like this can get any worse, Deku?"
The green-haired boy shakes his head. "No, it will get better. Things will always get worse before they get better."
"We're hungry, starving, and the food we ate, it could've fed some of our friends here in the dorms."
"I was just so hungry when I opened the can of food."
"I'm hungry too." Kaminari sighs heavily before looking down at his feet. He lowers his tone to a whispering volume. "Are we still going to tell the others about... the truth with... Iida, Aoyama, Bondo, and Koda?"
"Is now the right time?" Deku asks, keeping his eyes forward.
"I just don't want to lie anymore or keep omitting the truth."
"No one has died yet; we're still alive."
"We should make sure that still happens."
Deku closes his eyes, feeling tears threatening to well up. "Now's not the time."
"When will the time be right? We've been asking this question for like three months or so. Please, Deku, let's just tell the truth. What's the saying? Uh, 'take your medicine like a man?'"
"Please, please Kaminari."
"I just want to say it. Please, let's just tell them the truth now. After what we found today, things are only going to get worse so we might as well get the bad stuff out of the way right now."
Closing his eyes again, Deku has a memory of his mother, his sweet, loving, living mother, making him the green jumpsuit he's wearing under his green hoodie right now. The sentiment of his mother is always going to be there. As long as he wears the jumpsuit, she is still with him in a way. The last time he saw his mother, she was a walking corpse that he put down but this jumpsuit, but this jumpsuit helped keep her alive in Deku's mind.
Pressing his lips together, he looks over at Kaminari with a shaky breath, his lips quivering. "Okay, let's... let's tell the truth. Let's tell them the truth about Aoyama and Iida."
8:13 AM
Standing before the crowd of hero students before them, Deku and Kaminari take a moment to catch their breath before gathering their train of thought. All the eyes, the eyes belonging to their friends, dare they say 'family' at this point, staring at them with a mixture of caution and curiosity.
Looking at the graves of the dead students through the windows, they clench their hands and find the will to speak.
"I killed Iida," Deku says.
The students give various reactions. Some gasp, some cock their heads, others stare with wide eyes. However, no one said a single word.
"The night when the League of Villains kidnaped me," Deku continues, his voice shaking with each syllable, "I-it wasn't a random attack." He clenches his jaw. "Tomura Shigara, the leader of the League of Villains... is my older brother. I don't want to acknowledge it but he is my older brother. My father is Hisashi Midoriya, also known as All for One. The Sometime before All Might and All For One fought to the death at Kamino, he came to visit me and my mother; claiming he had a few days off from work. He said that he had some business to take care of and... he wouldn't see us for a while. Before he left, he raised his hand and, without realizing it at the time, he gave me a quirk, a quirk that would allow me to manipulate fire. I got into UA and the rest is history. When the zombie apocalypse happened, Shigaraki kidnapped me, saying that I was his brother. Da-All For One adopted Shigaraki as his own son, making me his younger brother. The attack on UA was to kidnap me, to make it clear that I am the son of a villain and that I'm only alive because I was given a stolen quirk. When we were training at the factory during the early days, Aoyama came to me and told me how he too got his quirk from All For One and how I could only go to him to talk if I needed to. Apparently, he was a spy for the League of Villains, an unwilling spy. His heart was in the right place but the League had more than enough on him to physically threaten his life to be a spy for us."
Kaminari steps forward. "When Sero, Iida, Aoyama, and I went to go rescue Deku here, we split up. Iida and Aoyama stayed behind and Sero and I got separated and that's when things got dark."
Deku continues "Shigaraki captured my mother... my... z-zombie mother and he taunted me with her. H-he made me kill her, made me put her out of her misery, saying he was doing it for All For One's sake because he was our father's lover. He wanted to break me, to destroy every ounce of hope I ever had. So when I was teleported back, Shigaraki saw one of my classmates standing over a dead body. It was... it was Iida. It was very clear that Iida killed Aoyama by snapping his neck. Shigaraki saw this and used this as an opportunity to further break me. He teleported me to Iida and when he was within earshot, made it sound like I was working willingly with the villains before teleporting away. He wanted to drive Iida into a state of paranoia and he succeeded. Iida... Iida tried to kill me." His voice cracks with tears. "He tried to kill me. I pleaded with him not to and he tried to kill me. I didn't want to and... I didn't want to die. I swear, I didn't want to die. I pleaded with him so hard to not kill me but he wouldn't listen. I so desperately wanted him to stop but... I had no choice. I didn't want to do it and I didn't want to die. I didn't want to die! I killed him! I DIDN'T WANT TO DIE!"
He clenches his fist, letting his head go limp as the dam of tears breaks away.
"I saw it go down," Kaminari confesses, "I saw it all happen. I saw him kill Iida and... I couldn't believe what happened. My mind couldn't comprehend what happened. I..." He sighs heavily, folding over to put his hands on his knees. "I... I couldn't believe what happened. Deku... he was crying and sobbing and... I had to comfort him. Iida and Aoyama were dead and I didn't know what to do. He... he told me everything, what the League put him through, Iida, Aoyama, everything. We wanted to tell you guys what happened but... after what happened to Iida and Aoyama, were thought it would be better that no one found out. We thought it would be better if it looked like Iida and Aoyama died in a villain attack. The last thing we wanted was trust breaking down between us. We didn't mean for any of this to happen. And then Koji Koda..."
"When Koji Koda was kidnapped by the Bystanders in Hosu City, they tortured him," Deku chokes, "they tortured him and... they incepted the idea that Kaminari and I were murderers. Of all the classmates we lost, it was in front of an audience with Iida and Aoyama being the sole exception. And Anaemia's quirk was some kind of fear hallucination and... he hallucinated us killing him. And that's when Koda accidentally shot Bondo. And then... he put the gun in his mouth... and..."
PUNCH!
Deku falls to the ground, Bakugou standing over him.
"What have you done, you goddamn idiot!" Bakugou kicks him in the stomach. "You lied to us. You fucking lied to us and it cost us the lives of two of our friends. Why the hell didn't you tell us from the beginning? Did you think we wouldn't understand?!" Another kick. "These secrets, all these secrets that people have been keeping are just leading to more people dying. You could've told us! You could've told us and we could've found a way to save that boy with the rocky head and you didn't! We lost glue boy too! When were you planning on telling us? Why did you wait so long? Why did you wait so long to tell us the truth about the rocky boy and glue boy? If you had kept this secret from us any longer, more of us could've fucking died! We lost too many people already and you... how could you, Deku?"
"P-please," Deku stutters, "please don't hit me, Kacchan, I'm sorry, Kacchan."
"Did All For One cause the apocalypse?" Bakugou demands. "Did he cause the apocalypse as one last 'fuck you' to All Might before he died? Knowing that All Might wouldn't be able to save people when people needed him the most? Did All For One cause the apocalypse?"
"No, I don't think so." Deku crawls back, putting his back to the wall. "I just..."
"We wanted to be honest with you." Kaminari steps forward, blocking Deku from Bakugou. "Please, this was just as hard on us as it was on you."
"You should've fucking died," Sero suddenly says. "You both should've fucking died. Because of you, Iida, Aoyama, Bondo, and Koji Koda are dead and it's all your fault, Deku. Kaminari, you had a chance to say something but you didn't; that makes you just as culpable as Deku."
"As always," Monoma begins, "Class 1-B must always suffer because of Class 1-A. After all, Shigaraki being your brother led him to UA where the villains attacked and killed Tetsutetsu."
"And why did he return you?" Shoda demands. "Your brother tortures you and then just lets you go? Why did you let you go, Deku?"
"Because killing emmewould've been sparing me from a fate worse than death," Deku answers. "He knew that there would be mistrust and he wanted to see the hopeful light dying in my eyes." Deku brings his knees to his chest, hugging them tightly against him. "I understand if you hate. Please, just... don't kill me."
Maybe I deserve to die, Deku thinks, maybe I should die. Right here, right now. Maybe I should've taken a swan dive off the roof of the building like Kacchan said. Maybe I should've killed myself after Koda killed himself. Honestly, killing me right now would be sparing everyone from further pain. If I separate myself from the others, Shigaraki won't come after them.
Deku stands suddenly, his gaze glued to the floor, and takes a step forward, maneuvering around Kaminari.
"Where are you going, man?" Kaminari yells. "Wait."
"Deku, stop!" Uraraka steps in Deku's path and hugs him tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Please, Deku, whatever you're going to do, just stop. Please, what happened to our friends wasn't your fault. Please, please don't do this! Please, we don't want you to do this."
"You don't speak for everyone, Uraraka," Sero snaps, "if Deku wants to off himself or take a hike, that's his choice. Hell, I even encourage it." He looks at Deku. "Go on, to go the roof, take a fucking swan dive off the fucking roof of the building, traitor."
"No," Shiozaki says, "please, no, don't do it, Deku."
"He's responsible for what happened to Bondo," Shoda reminds the religious girl. "He's dead because of them. Because of both of them."
Deku closes his eyes after feeling Uraraka tighten her hold around him, begging him not to leave her side. He reaches over and gently grabs her hands, pushing her back slightly. "This is the best choice for everyone."
"No," Kirishima steps forward. "Come on, man, we gotta do something."
"Hey," Kaminari yells. "Hey, whatever happens to Deku, it's only fair it happens to me, too."
"None of you guys are going anywhere," Kendo says firmly, "neither of you are going anywhere until we figure this out." Though her voice is stern, Bakugou hears the slightest tremble in her voice as her confidence cracks for a split second. Extremely brief but it was there and Bakugou heard it.
"I agree," Bakugou nods. "None of you idiots are going anywhere until we figure this out."
"Yes," Uraraka nods vigorously. "Stay, stay. Please, Deku."
Jirou walks up and grabs Kaminari's hand. Kaminari gasps, his face blushing for a split second. "You're staying, Jamming-Yay, whether you want to or not and that is final."
"We should just kick them out now while we have the chance," Sero goads.
"Shut up," Kirishma snaps, "stop talking, Sero, stop talking. For two seconds, okay?!"
Sero glares at Kirishima but complies with his request. "There, it's been two fucking seconds."
9:25 AM
Bedroom
After tying up Deku and Kaminari in tape courtesy of Sero, they sit on Deku's bed. With no one to comfort themselves but each other, they simply sit down on the lumpy mattress, waiting patiently for whatever is about to happen to them.
"Penny for your thoughts, Deku?" Kaminari begins.
"I want to be gone," Deku answers without hesitation. "I just want to be gone and never see my friends again. I just want to stay away from them so no more harm will come to them."
"Dude!" Kaminari shifts in his sitting position so he's facing the green-haired boy. "That's not how it works, man. Even if you separate yourself from the group, then people will still die. What happened to Sato, and Shishida, their deaths were unavoidable and they had nothing to do with you. The reason Sato and Shishida died was because of those Bystander bastards. And what happened to Hiryu Rin, it had nothing to do with you either. Even if we're going, people are going to die, sooner or later. I don't want to think about our friends dying but sooner or later, somebody is going to bite the dust, even if we had nothing to do with it. Please, bro, please, I don't want you to leave. I don't want to leave either. And I don't want you to hurt yourself, either."
"If I left, at least people would stop dying because of me."
"No, get it out of your head; it doesn't matter. Come on, Deku, you're supposed to be a determined hero, right? Remember the tests we took at the beginning of the school year that Mr. Aizawa had us take? You had no chance of winning but you managed to find a way to hurl that ball like it was nothing. And the USJ incident, you made the villains your bitch, man. You always find a way, you never give up; that's what makes you Deku. And the sports festival, remember? In the obstacle race, the calvary round, and the 1v1 battle, you held your own, even if Todoroki wiped the floor with you. You never give up, no matter what. Please, please, Deku, you can't give up. If you give you, then Shigaraki wins.
Deku stares off into space, still crying from earlier but no longer making sobs. His face was blank -completely devoid of any emotions - but the puffy red eyes told Kaminari everything going through Deku's head.
I tried and I tried to get through to Deku but nothing seemed to work. I was at an all-time low and I had no idea what to do. I wish I could go back in time and change everything but a quirk like that didn't exist, at least not that OP. As we sat on the bed together, everyone downstairs was talking, deciding our fate, and for the first time in a long time, I was scared of what my friends might do to me.
