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Chapter Text

Izuku groaned as the blaring of his alarm bounced off the walls within his dorm room. As much as Izuku loved attending class, he held the same hatred everyone else did towards Mondays. Specifically, Monday mornings. 

Izuku’s eyes fluttered open to the blurred yellows, reds and blues of his room. His hand flailed in the air, reaching to turn off his blaring alarm. 

Every day, waking up was a blessing, according to his mum… Yeah right. 

He groaned, sitting up, his blankets falling around his waist as his fingers carded through his hair, attempting to untangle some of the knots. God, how nice it would be to have at least 5 more minutes of rest. 

Both theory and practical exams were coming up, and the study leading up to them was kicking Izuku’s ass. No matter how tired Izuku got, he soldiered on through the gruelling morning hours to study. Usually passed out on top of his notes. (Which, let's be honest, always ended up looking like chicken scratch.)

Izuku looked over at his desk, his book and notebook were still open, but his laptop was closed. ‘I could have sworn that was open the last time I remember…. AND IT'S ON CHARGE!? How tired was I last night-’ 

A note sitting upon his bedside table caught his attention, the writing extremely familiar. GET TO BED ON TIME, SHITTY NERD. Take better care of yourself, Izuku. 

Izuku smiled softly. Of course, Kachan came to check on him. No matter how often or how many times Kachan came to check in on the nerd, mainly to check he was still in the dorms. God forbid Izuku EVER loses his common sense again. Izuku would never get used to it. 

It always caught him by surprise, the gentle gestures, making sure he was okay. And although it was weird, Izuku would never admit out loud, but he relished every second Kachan checked on him. It was surprisingly… really nice. 

“The fuck are you smiling for, shitty nerd?” 

Izuku screamed, falling out of his bed, his legs getting twisted amongst his covers. Izuku heard loud cackles come from the doorway.

“Hey!” He frowned, poking his head out from under the covers. “It’s not funny, Kachan!”

Katsuki looked at Izuku as his laughs quietened down, “Whatever you tell yourself Izuku.” He walked towards the fallen boy, holding his hand out for him. Izuku grabbed it, pulling himself out. 

“Thanks, Kachan.” His hands dusted himself off. 

“Tch, yeah, yeah, whatever nerd.” Katsuki watched Izuku pick up his covers and make his bed. Sitting down on Izuku’s spinning desk chair. Watching every move Izuku made, the way his biceps would flex with every flick of his covers, the way his curls bounced with each step he took, the way his freckles lit up with the sunlight streaming in through the curtains. 

Katsuki shook his head, getting rid of the intrusive thoughts. What the hell had he been thinking? De- Izuku is his rival? Friend? Friendly rival. ‘I still have to surpass the shitty nerd.’ He frowned to himself. 

Green eyes appeared in front of Katsuki, making the blonde jump. “Are… Are you okay, Kachan?”

Angry crimson met concerned green. Why the fuck wouldn’t he be okay? He was Katsuki fucking Bakugo. “Yeah. Why the hell wouldn’t I be?” He said gruffly, crossing his arms across his chest, noticing how Izuku was no longer in his stupid-looking pyjamas and was now in his school uniform. 

Izuku pursed his lips, “I was calling your name for a while, Kachan. Are you sure you're okay?” 

Huh… Katsuki hadn’t heard him. Was his hearing really that bad?

His face hardened as he stood up, “Yeah, yeah, don't get your panties in a twist.” 

“Gah!” Izuku’s face flushed red, his blush making his freckles stand out against his skin. “W-why would you s-say that??” Izuku stuttered, standing up and following Katsuki out of the room, locking his door behind him. 

“Because you’re worrying about something trivial again, Izuku.” Katsuki stopped, flicking Izukus forehead as the shorter between the two faced him. Izuku yelled out, rubbing the red mark now appearing. “Stop overthinking in that stupid head of yours.” He continued towards the stairwell. 

“Uh, K-Kachan?”

Katsuki turned, glaring at Izuku. “What?” He snapped. 

“U-um… Why the stairs? What about the lift?” 

The blonde sighed, rolling his eyes as he descended down the stairs. “You questioning my decisions now, nerd??” A smirk rested on his lips as he heard the younger catch up to him again. 

“I would never Kac-!” 

“Nerd. I’m joking.”

Izuku stared at Katsuki, a shocked expression resting on his face. ‘I don't think I will ever get used to this…’ He thought, shaking his head.

The two of them entered the common room, which was chaotic at this time of morning. With everyone getting breakfast, finishing last-minute homework or assignments, with the news playing in the background.  But even through the chaos, everyone greeted the pair as they made their way to the kitchen.

“Midoriya.”

Izuku turned, stopping as Todoroki walked up to him. Bakugo disappeared into the kitchen as Todoroki placed a hand on Izuku’s shoulder. “How are you feeling this morning?”

Izuku blinked. It seemed that ever since his vigilante, or ‘emo era’ as Denki says, everyone seems to check in with Izuku a bit more. Not that he would ever complain! It’s just going to take some time getting used to. 

He smiled, “Never been better, Todoroki-kun!”

Todoroki nodded. “I’m glad. Let me know if I can do anything for you, Midoriya.” And with that, he turned away, heading towards the couches. Izuku’s eyes trailed after him, landing on the BREAKING NEWS headline on the now-mute television. Something about an experiment? 

“Are you going to just stand there, nerd?” Izuku turned towards the kitchen as Katsuki's voice rang out. “Or are you going to come eat your shitty breakfast?”

“Language!” A yell was heard over the many voices. 

“Suck my dick, class prez!” 

“Kachan!” Izuku’s eyes widened as he rushed towards the kitchen. “You can’t keep saying that to everyone!” He walked forward, watching as Katsuki poured eggs onto some plates. “What are you cooking?”

“The hell does it look like Izuku?” Katsuki turned away as the toast popped up from the toaster. “A nice nutritional breakfast.” He muttered, spreading avocado on the two pieces. The blonde picked up the two plates and walked over to the table, placing them down with a clatter. “Now come eat.” 

Izuku walked forward, pulling his chair out before plopping himself down, his bag hitting the ground with a soft thud. The breakfast was messy, scrambled eggs beside a slice of toast with avocado pasted over it, but oh my god, it looked delicious. 

Placing the eggs on top of the toast, Izuku began shovelling the breakfast into his mouth, chewing away and eating as fast as he could. 

“Oi. Slow down, you’ll choke.”

Izuku flushed crimson. It was so hard to eat normally since the class brought him back... It was something he really needed to work on. He didn’t want to eat or look like a pig. Especially not in front of Katsuki. God, how could Izuku be so stupid?? He probably made a fool out of himself! 

“Izu-kun! Katsuki-kun!” A groan came from beside him, breaking Izuku from his thoughts. Toga came skipping into the kitchen, her messy buns bouncing with each skip. 

“The fuck do you want now, vamps.”

A knife flew through the air, landing next to Katsuki's hand. “I told you to stop calling me that.” She glared at him, a disapproving look resting on her face. 

“HAH?! You asking for an early grave?!” Katsuki said, standing up from his chair, small explosions popping in his palm.

“Like you? Nah, I’m good, thanks.” She rocked back and forth on her heels, picking dirt from under her nails. Katsuki paused, Izuku choked, and a mortified ‘HIMIKO!’ yelled out from the couches.

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“One morning.” 

Aizawa stood at the front of the class, a frown resting on his face. “I just want one morning with no interruptions.” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “While I can’t say I’m surprised it’s between the two most stubborn people I’ve ever met. I do want to say this.”

Everyone was silent, watching as their teacher swigged his coffee back and took it like a shot. While it wasn’t uncommon to see their teacher like this, it was still unnerving to see him not yelling at the two blondes for once. Now that was unusual, having everyone on edge, waiting for how the next events would play out. 

The mug hit the stand with a loud thud. A glare made its way to Toga, who was swinging her legs back and forth without a care in the world. “Toga.” Aizawa’s voice rang out. “You know what you did, don't do it again.” His gaze swept across the room to land on the other angry blonde. “And Bakugo…” A deep sigh made its way out of Aizawa’s mouth. 

“STOP BLOWING UP THE MICROWAVE.” His quirk activated as he stared his student down. 

“HAH?! IT WASN’T MY FAULT SHE WAS STANDING RIGHT BEHIND IT.” 

Aizawa massaged his temple, squeezing his eyes shut before opening them again. “This is the third microwave this semester.”

“So?” 

“....”

“Tch, fine, whatever.”

“Thank you. Now, everyone, get your notebooks out, it’s time for quirk theory.” 

Izuku’s eyes lit up, his notebook already open and his pen ready in his hand. 

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They had only gotten halfway through the lesson when the alarms started going off and the metal window shutters came slamming down one by one. The lights turned into a dark crimson, casting over the class. 

Whispers erupted over the class as they plunged into almost complete darkness.

“Everyone, stay silent and kneel beside your desks, be ready for anything,” Aizawa instructed, creeping towards the door with his capture gear in his hand. 

The class did as they were told, going silent when the comms crackled to life, the garbled voice of Nedzu coming through in tiny bits and pieces. “-ention a– -aff ple– – he-d – dorm-ries, -ore inf-ation co-ing - soo-.” The comms crackled out, leaving them in silence apart from the piercing alarms. 

Aizawa frowned to himself. “Everyone, gather your things and follow me, single file and stay together.”

“Mr Aizawa?” Ochako’s voice was wavering as she called out.

“Yes?” Aizawa looked up, slinging his sleeping bag over his shoulder.

“W-what’s going on?” 

He sighed, grabbing his bag from his desk, stuffing his phone into his pocket. “I don’t know, the staff, im assuming, know just as much as you all. Lets head back to the dormitories.” 

Aizawa wasn’t showing it, but his heart was in his throat, adrenaline was coursing through his veins as his stomach did somersaults. ‘What the fuck is going on?’

Chapter Text

Class 1-A gathered on the couches in the common room, watching as Mr Aizawa paced in front of them, a hand raised to his chin. Clouds had blocked the sun, casting the campus in darkness, and the smell of smoke hung in the air as the emergency sirens screamed through the silence. No one dared ask or comment about it, though. 

To say they were disturbed was an understatement. Kaminari opened his mouth wanting to ask if everything was alright, when Iida placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head. Kaminari frowned, staring up at him, now noticing the worried crinkle in the corner of his eyes. Kaminari nodded, bringing his eyes to stare at his sensei once more. 

Momo got up from the couch, walking to the kitchen with quick but silent steps. The class heard the fridge open and close before she appeared once more. Carefully approaching Mr Aizawa, who was now crouched on the ground with his head in his hands. With tentative and careful movements, like she was approaching a wounded animal, she gently placed her hand on his shoulder. 

Aizawa looked up at her with a questioning glance, his hair falling around his face. 

Momo cleared her throat, placing the cold bottle of water in his hands. “I thought you could use a drink.” She uttered with a quiet but determined voice. “All this pacing will tire and dehydrate you; you should drink and try to clear your head.” 

When Aizawa wrapped his fingers around the bottle but didn’t make a move to speak, she continued. “And we are all here for you,” she nodded her head towards the class, who were still gathered around the couches. “Whatever it is, we can take it.”

Aizawa looked up at Momo, gratitude resting on his face. “Thank you, Yaoyorozu,” he stood up before bowing at the class, “I’m sorry, everyone, to have worried you.” He straightened before continuing, “There has been an issue that has arisen quite drastically this morning.” His eyes roamed across his students before stopping and landing on Momo. 

“I have been told limited information from Principal Nedzu and from anyone else, for that matter… The information I have been given is… graphic and disturbing to say the least…” A grim expression rested on his face as his grip on the water bottle tightened. How the hell could he explain to a bunch of kids that everything they knew was crumbling down around them? How they couldn’t see their families? How there was no way to contact anyone? How the principal had deemed it safe to stay behind the UA borders. 

Like cowards.

Aizawa knew it was reasonable to keep everyone safe, but he was a hero. And heroes were meant to save people, not sit behind a wall and pray for goodness' sake. 

“Well, whatever it is, we can take it, sensei.” Iida’s voice brought Aizawa out of his inner turmoil. Looking up, he saw the engine quirked boy, a determined expression resting on his face. 

“Yeah! We went through a war, I don’t think anything else could top that! Denki stated, a smile resting on his face.

“Yeah! Whatever it is, we can handle it!” Kirishima chimed in, pounding his fists together.

And those statements alone made Aizawa’s heart twinge painfully. These were kids, bringing up a fucking war like it was nothing. Teenagers were meant to live, not survive . They should know how to relax, how to have fun, smiles resting on their faces like nothing could knock them down.

Teenagers weren’t meant to be on edge all the time, wake up screaming from their nightmares, and be separated from their families because their lives were threatened. Aizawa's gaze landed on Izuku and Bakugo, his stomach lurching in his throat, because teenagers weren’t meant to have scars that big, not meant to have fucking battle wounds .

The dormitory doors squealed open, and everyone turned to watch as Present Mic stepped into the building, his hair tied into a ponytail and cascading down his back as he carried Eri on his hip, both carrying backpacks. Relief settled onto his face as he saw everyone in the common rooms. 

“Y’know, I was starting to think you were ignoring me on purpose.” He winked, turning the lights on before locking the door and shutting the blinds, before heading over to the group.

“Mic Sensei, why are you here?” Tokoyami questioned, suspicion shown all over his features as Dark Shadow huddled closely, resting his chin on top of Tokoyami's shoulder. 

Present Mic placed Eri down before he stood up and smiled brightly, “Looks like we’re all going to be bunking together, you dig?” He gave up his signature wink and finger guns.

When he was met with confused stares, his expression dropped. “Do you guys not know?” 

“Know what?” Bakugo snapped, crossing his arms as his patience wore thin. 

Present Mic turned to Aizawa, who looked back. If anyone were to look, Aizawa wore his signature bored look. But to Hizashi, who had been around Shouta for over 15 years, it was evident to see the guilt filling his eyes. 

Hizashi sighed, rubbing a hand over his beard as he thought. How could they bring this up without being too blunt, something like…

“To put it in short, there was an accident regarding a quirk and virus essentially turning people into a deadly zombie-like state,” Aizawa stated, pinching the bridge of his nose, his eyebrows creasing. “Unfortunately, we don't know the full extent of the condition.”

Hizashi's eyes widened as he stared at his husband. Something NOT like that. 

“WHAT!?” Mina and Denki screeched, their eyes wide and frantic. The class went silent, staring at Hizashi and Shouta. It had to be a joke. 

The class erupted in chaos, questioning, accusing, and demanding proof. The two heroes looked at each other, at a loss for what to do. 

Eri wrapped her arms around Hizashi’s leg, her eyes squeezed shut as she tried to shield herself away from the shouts.

Both pros took notice. Hizashi lifted Eri into his arms once more, cradling her as she put her face in the crook of his neck.  

The class quietened down as Aizawa activated his quirk, glaring at them all. Once everyone was silent, he deactivated his quirk and sighed for what had to be the hundredth time that morning. “I know you all have questions.” He started. “As I stated before, we know as much as you guys at the moment. And yelling won't get anyone anywhere. What I can assure you all is that pro heroes, the police force, and the military are coming up with a solution to this mess.” 

The class nodded, and Iida bowed, “I am sorry for our abruptness, Sensei.” He stood up, looking at Eri, her eyes meeting his. “And we are sorry for frightening you, Eri.” He bowed once more before he stood up.  

Guilt flooded through everyone, apologising to the 2 heroes and Eri for their behaviour. 

How could they be so selfish? They were heroes in training, whilst Eri was under the care of Present Mic and Eraserhead. To be residing on a high school campus at such a young age would be daunting enough without the thought of an outbreak happening, especially after being rescued from the hellhole she grew up in.

Hizashi shifted Eri in his arms, trying to find a more comfortable position for both himself and her. “I’m just going to take this little listener to her room; you guys keep talking.” He said, giving Shouta a peck on the cheek before disappearing into the hallway. 

The class was silent before Ochako spoke up. “How can we help?” 

Toga clutched onto her hand, springing up and down on the couch next to her. “Yeah! What can we do? I bet there’s delicious blood to be cleaned up.” 

“I can have some birds look for anyone who is in trouble,” Koda whispered, determination set on his usual timid features. 

Aizawa stared at his class in shock as one by one they spoke about how they could help. As thoughtful and selfless as they were, a sharp pang went through his chest at their words as he lowered his head. 

“No.” 

Everyone stopped, surprise resting on their faces.
“No?” Hagakure asked, “What do you mean by ‘no’, sensei?” 

“No.” He said firmer, his hands balling into fists. “I will not have my students go out and risk their lives . Especially for something that even when pros don't understand the full extent of what’s going on.”

Blue hair, rain and blood flashed in front of his eyes. Why now .

Disagreement rose from the class, but Aizawa wasn’t having any of it. He held up a slightly shaky hand, staring at his class, anger prevalent on his features. The class shut up once again. 

“I said no.” He shoved his hands into his pockets before turning away from the class. “No one is to leave the dorm building until further instruction from Nedzu comes through.” He cast a glance at his two major problem children, red and green eyes stared back at him. He sighed before turning around and walking off in the direction Present Mic went. 

The class was left alone in the lounge room, silence hanging over them. 

Bakugo clicked his tongue before dragging Izuku behind him. 

“And where do you two think you’re going?” Iida’s voice rang out. 

“To the shitty nerds' room. Where else?” He looked back before continuing his walk towards the staircase, Izuku struggling to find his footing as Iida sputtered in embarrassment.

The class started after them, watching as they slowly disappeared out of view. 

“10 bucks they're going to fuck.” Denki grinned. 

A pillow flew through the air, hitting him in the face. “Not the time!”

Bakugo rolled his eyes as he heard the bickering start from downstairs. What would they ever do without him. Probably fall on their pathetic asses and weep for their parents, he thought, grinning. 

“Uhhhh… Kachan?” A voice broke him out of his thoughts. His hand was still gripping Izuku’s.

“What nerd?” He grumbled, his features softening as he began to think.

“We went past my floor, Kachan. I thought we were going to my room?”

Bakugo rolled his eyes as a dangerous grin spread over his features. “You really think I’m going to stay here and play damsel in distress, Izuku?”

Izuku’s face drained of colour, because now they were going up the last set of stairs before they entered onto the roof…

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.