Chapter Text
Aizawa could feel it in his gut that something wasn’t right. That something… or someone, was missing. He shook his head, getting rid of the images plaguing his mind. He was just being paranoid.
“Shou?” A weight rested on his shoulder, breaking him out of his thoughts.
He turned, his eyes locking onto his husband's concerned gaze. Eri’s soft voice echoed into the room as she played in the other room.
“You okay?” He said, brushing Shouta's hair over his ear before cupping his cheek.
Shouta sighed, nodding his head slowly. “Yeah, just being paranoid is all.”
“Talk to me.” Hizashi led the two of them to sit on the edge of their bed. “What’s going on?” he asked quietly, his gaze raking over Shouta's tightened features.
Shouta let out a breath, stirring the words over in his mind. How could he explain this without sounding like a worrywart dad? Because god forbid Hizashi gets more evidence to use against him.
“I’m okay… just thinking about everything that’s come out over the past few hours.”
Hizashi’s face softened, “Aw, hun.” He paused, scooting over closer. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
Shouta rolled his eyes, smiling gently. “You already know.”
Hizashi playfully pushed his shoulder, “Yeah, doesn’t hurt to try and get you to admit it though.” He winked, a sly grin resting on his face while Shouta shook his head, chuckling, but his smile didn’t quite reach his eyes. And as Hizashi’s laugh filled the room, he let himself believe, even if it was just for a moment, that everything was fine, that everyone was safe. Even if the unease within his stomach continued to grow.
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Izuku’s lungs burned as he landed on the roof of an apartment with a hard thud. His eyes wandered around the scene around him as Bakugo walked over to the ledge of the building. There was thick grey smoke hanging over the city like a fog as embers danced in the soft breeze. Izuku knew he should be disturbed by the sight, but he wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t fascinated by the beauty of it.
“The fuck are you waiting for, nerd.” Izuku spun around, watching as Bakugo looked over the ledge. “Get your ass over here,” he called out, finally looking up to lock eyes with Izuku.
“Right! Sorry, Kachan!” Izuku whispered, jogging over to where Katsuki was standing.
“The hell are you whispering for?” Bakugo grumbled, peering back at the streets below. Izuku’s eyes followed, widening as he saw a group of pale, grey-skinned people stumble around the corner. Izuku’s heart pounded in his chest as he watched them disappear into a corner store below.
“What the hell?” Izuku whispered. “Kachan, is that the quirk incident Aizawa-sensei was talking about?”
Izuku looked up, locking eyes with Katsukis. There were small creases in the corners of his eyes as he thought. Just what the fuck was this ‘quirk incident’? What made the civilians of Musutafu become a sickly grey colour?
It was as if all their blood had been drained from their bodies, running on nothing but adrenaline.
“Kachan, what’s going on?” Izuku’s voice broke him out of his racing thoughts.
“Izuku.” He paused, slowly turning to look the shorter boy in the eyes. “Do I look like I fucking know what’s going on??” He seethed, whispering close to Izuku’s face.
Izuku shook his head, a blush racing up his neck. “Just follow me, Izuku. Let’s get closer so we can figure out what happened to these people.”
Dread coiled within Izuku’s stomach, twisting uncomfortably. Katsuki saw the uncertainty in his eyes. He sighed before kneeling closer to Izuku, placing a rough hand on his shoulder.
“When have I ever had a stupid idea?” Bakugo’s eyebrows were raised in a playful look resting on his face. Izuku rolled his eyes, “Every idea is a dumb idea, Kachan.”
“Hey!” Bakugo grinned, playfully pushing Izuku’s shoulder back as he laughed. Bakugo stood up, lending a hand to a still chuckling Izuku, who took it gratefully. As the two of them stood up, they walked towards the gap where the two apartments separated.
Bakugo's eyes hardened as he stared down into the dark alley; trash lined the asphalt, but nothing seemed to be hiding out of their view.
With a shared glance and slight nod, the two of them jumped down, black whip wrapped around Bakugo's torso, helping the two of them land with a silenced thud.
Black whip retracted back to Izuku, his eyes darting around the alley, marking every possible escape route and scenario.
Katsuki treaded towards the end of the alley, close to where they had last seen that group of people. Avoiding the trash scattered along the asphalt, he was able to sneak towards where the corner of the alley and pavement met. He positioned his body tightly against the left side of the alley, peaking his head out to get a better view.
The group had stopped walking; some were sprawled on the ground, motionless. The remaining group members swayed gently, threatening to topple over at any given moment.
Izuku came and stood next to Katsuki, observing the group with concern, but the glare from Katsuki wiped the thoughts of jumping out of the alley to render aid.
A blood-curdling scream made the boys whip their heads back to the group. An individual who was lying on the ground was twitching and jerking violently, replicating what looked like a seizure.
But what made the duo’s blood run cold was how his head was snapped backwards, rigid, his mouth was locked open as inhumane screams left it. A thick black liquid dripped out of his mouth not long after, his screams turning into an awful gurgling sound before he stopped altogether. His body went limp as the liquid kept pooling out of his mouth.
“What the actual fuck…” Katsuki whispered, his body was covered in a cold sweat as he felt Izuku clutch his shirt with a trembling hand.
A raven was circling in the sky before it swooped down, landing a few meters away from the man. The clicks of its claws were the only thing to be heard on the street before it stopped next to the man, pecking gently beside him.
A dash of movement was seen before a sickening crack of bones sounded out, the man's hand was extended, the now dead crow lying limply in his grasp. His eyes, now fully black, opened, and his neck snapped down towards his hand. A scream echoed through the street before the… thing started tearing the crow limb by limb before unhinging its jaw and swallowing it whole.
Bakugo’s hand slipped from the wall, the corner scratching his palm. The creature clicked before snapping its head over to the pair, its black eyes staring straight through the boys.
“Run…” Izuku whispered.
The man snapped up, his feet and hands placed on the ground as he started to scurry towards the two.
“RUN!!” Izuku screamed, grabbing Katsuki’s wrist before taking off down the alley.