Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The truth was dawning upon him with certainty. He would die. He had no expectancy of tricking his way out. Overpowering was simply out of question. His end would come, no matter what action he took. Achingly familiar red eyes were looking at him, anticipation in them. He enjoyed Izuku’s tears.

It was not how he had wanted to die. He was terrified, not of the eventual death, but that it would have to be like this.

But even though it was easy to trace back how he had ended up there, right then, Izuku would not take a single step back.

****

Izuku drove to the railway station. His father had promised to do it for him, but once again, when the time came the man was nowhere to be seen. Izuku did not even feel bad, he was just glad that his father had not taken the car with him. He had left a note for the man, so he would at least know where his car was.

The decision to move into Musutafu had not been a hard one to make, even if Izuku had struggled with it for a while. In the end, he had applied to the university there and had got in. It was a good university, despite not being as prestigious as what his father surely would have hoped of him. The main reason for why Izuku had picked that specific university, however, was due to the location. It was where his mother lived.

It had been financially a smart decision. He could live with her while he did his studies. Izuku had also greatly missed his mother. She was a warm and a kind woman, the biggest supporter Izuku had ever had - a polar opposite of his father. She had been ecstatic when Izuku had told her that he would be returning to Musutafu.

Izuku was not expecting her to provide everything for him. He had been working hard for the last year and had managed to gather a reasonable amount of savings. Truly, all he needed was a roof over his head, and her presence.

The journey went well. He did not face issues getting to the train, nor during the way. Izuku had never minded sitting in trains for long times. It felt like an opportunity to escape life for a moment. A moment to just sit and be. Almost like existing outside any time and place. He was almost disappointed when the train arrived to its destination. That disappeared when he saw his mother looking at the passengers exiting the train, with an exited smile on her face.

"Mom!" he exclaimed, rushing to her as fast as he could.

"Izuku!" She pulled him into a hug. Izuku's luggage was forgotten on the ground by them. "Oh, you've gotten so big! You're so much taller then me these days,” his mother exclaimed.

"Mom, it's been three months since we've last seen," he chuckled. "I haven't grown that much.”

Inko pulled away from him and took in his appearance, tears already gathering into her eyes. "I know, but I've missed you so much.”

Izuku could feel himself get teared up too. That was something he had definitely inherited from her. "I missed you too.”

It wasn't too long of a way from the station to Inko's - and now his - home. His luggage fit well into her cars trunk. Izuku did not have too much stuff with him anyways, just two suitcases. Those were mostly filled with clothes. His father had promised to send any forgotten items, but Izuku was not expecting any miracles.

The drive to the house was quiet. Izuku had tried to instigate conversation, but was met with his mother shushing him. "Don't speak Izuku, otherwise I'll start crying again and get us crashed.”

He did not mind. He was pretty exhausted from all the traveling - which he suspected his mother had immediately sussed out. A feeling of nostalgia overtook him as he rested his head on the cold car window. It reminded him of being a child, when they used to drive in these parts. He had not realized how much he had truly missed that part of his life.

Musutafu was a very different looking city - or a town really. There were not too many people. Compared to other places Izuku had lived in, it was quite shoddy. But looking out the car window, he found himself feeling calmed by the scenery. There was so much green. The people seemed less busy.

Less pleasant factor was the fact that it was also very...wet. He had often spent summers there, and the temperature always seemed to stay low. The sun was a rare treat. Izuku could imagine the moisture of the air just looking outside. Small drops of water were already drizzling on the windshield.

His mother pulled up to their yard, bursting into tears the moment the car was off. She pulled Izuku into a hug, not waiting long enough for either of them to even remove their seat belts.

"I just can't believe you're actually here," she said trough her sniffles. "You make me so happy, Izuku.”

"I'm happy I'm here, too," Izuku promised.

He got his luggage from the trunk. Inko took him into the house, and to his room.

"I haven't changed much anything, so it's the same as you left it," she explained. "I did take out the trash, but other than that. If you do however want to get new furniture, that's okay. There's a quite nice furniture shop close by, they make very good quality-“

"Mom," Izuku interrupted his mother's rambling - another thing they both had in common. "The room is perfect already, you don't have to worry.”

"Are you sure?" Inko asked. "I- I know that you've gotten used to a very different quality with your father…"

"This is way better," Izuku rushed to say. And he was not lying to spare her feelings. While it was true that his father was much better off than Inko financially - which is why Izuku stayed with him even as he continued to move further and further away from Musutafu after the divorce - living with his father was simply very lonely. He rarely saw the man and often times it felt like he was living alone. He had had to take care of the housework or it would not have gotten done at all, and he had had to provide for himself.

When Izuku had turned twenty, his father had clearly taken that as a sign that he no longer needed to bother with Izuku at all. The little he had been doing, stopped then too.

Inko had been worried, when Izuku had told her abut his plan, that he was doing it for her, and would miss an essential experience of moving to his own. But he had already been living alone. He was doing this for himself. But, his mother did not need to know all that. It would make her feel just more guilty about not being able to spend more time with him when he had been young.

Like Inko had promised, the room was exactly as he had left it. It already felt more like home than any other place. He was glad to be back.

"I'll leave you to unpack," Inko said. "And you remember where the shower is?”

Izuku nodded to his mother, who left him alone, promising to have some food ready for them soon. He unpacked his belongings and headed for the shower. There was only one bathroom in the house, so he would have to share with his mother.

The house was a pretty simple and small. Only one floor, enough space for parents and one kid. Which was the purpose it was bought for all those years ago. Not that Izuku could remember much from that.

He made his way to the kitchen where Inko was preparing some food for them. A mouth-watering smell had spread into all of the house, another thing he had grown to miss. The food tasted just as good as it smelled.

"You're still rocking the green hair?" Izuku noted, once he had gotten some food into himself.

His mother beamed at him, twirling few strands of hair on her fingers. "Yes, I really like it! I get so much compliments!”

Inko's hair was a bit less green than Izuku's. Hers was dark enough that it seemed black in low lights, while Izuku's was a brighter green.

Izuku had been the first to dye his hair, but his mother had liked the color so much that - after some reminders that she could just dye it some other color if she disliked it - she gained enough confidence to dye hers too.

“It's time I do something adventurous in my life”, she had exclaimed before making up her mind. She had been worried that Izuku would feel bothered by her copying her son's hairstyle. But just seeing how happy the results had made his mother, he could never imagine taking that away from her.

And anyway, it made Izuku feel even more connected to her. And it allowed him to distance himself from his father - even if geographically it had not been possible at the time.

Just as they were cleaning their dishes off the table, Izuku heard the sound of a car driving to their yard. To his surprise he heard also the sounds of a second car.

"Oh, I nearly forgot," Inko rushed towards the front door, as Izuku casted a questioning glance towards her. "The Bakugo's must be here, they promised to come today.”

She rambled on as she opened the door. Though, Izuku barely caught much else than ‘Bakugo's’. They stepped outside and Izuku noted two cars parked by their house. From the other one, a fierce looking blonde woman got out, dressed smartly.

From the other car, a familiar looking grumpy blonde boy - a spitting image of his mother, just less neat - came out.

"Kacchan!" Izuku yelled, running to his oldest childhood friend and pulling him into a hug.

"Oi! Get off me you nerd," Katsuki yelled, nearly falling from the force at which Izuku had come at him. Izuku ,however, noticed the slight edge of softness in Katsuki's voice, despite how hard he tried to hide it beneath his angry demeanour. He also noted the hand patting him on the back and returning the hug.

"How have you been?" Izuku asked, pulling away. Despite him and Katsuki being close friends, the kilometers dividing them had had their toll on the friendship. It had been a while since they had last got the opportunity to talk properly.

"Fine. You know, school and shit," Katsuki said.

"Do you also go-“

"No," Katsuki cut him off, trampling Izuku's excitement. "It's a bit further. A pity, cuz I'm not gonna be able to be here at all times and keep ya from doin' all the dumb shit you do.”

Izuku chuckled. "Yeah. A pity.”

Katsuki kicked at the gravel, clearly uncomfortable with the level of emotion Izuku was adding to the conversation. Just like Izuku remembered Katsuki to be.

"So you got in, that's great! It's chemistry you're studying, right?” Izuku said, allowing Katsuki an escape.

"Yeah.”

"That's so cool," Izuku praised. "I do wish you would've been in the same school, then I would've known even someone. This is such a tightly knit place.”

"They're all idiots, nerd. You'll fit greatly in. Everyone in that university probably pretty much knows each other, I don't think a lot of people come from elsewhere. So, you'll be a cool new shiny thing. They'll get all exited about you, before you know it you'll got a hoard of friends on your coattails. And if they all hate you, fuck 'em. It's just school anyway.”

Izuku scoffed, but he did feel somewhat reassured by Katsuki. He could be harsh in the way he talked, and often rude. But Izuku appreciated the fact that he would say things straight.

Once the rain started once again, Inko invited both of the Bakugo's inside for a moment. She made tea, and they stayed for a little while longer. Izuku had missed his friend, but by the time they left, he was so tired from the long day that he could only focus on getting to bed as fast as possible.

Yet, as he finally laid down to sleep, a worry etched itself into his mind. He was aware that it was childish, but a part of him was nervous for the next day. What if people would not like him?
He could not handle another high school.

But this was not high school or middle school. This was University. People were more mature. They had their own stuff to focus on.

****

The campus was not too far. But he was glad for the car his mother had gotten him, the one that the Bakugos had brought the previous day. Especially once the rain started to beat on the windshield. He parked the car, and with an encouraging exhale got out. The air felt heavy as he rushed inside, trying to be fast enough to not be completely soaked by the water droplets.

The rain seemed to continue for most of the morning. Izuku could hear the faint echoes on the walls and the roof of his new school.

He felt pretty lost for most of the first half of the day. Fortunately, finding the correct lecture hall had been relatively easy, thanks to the size of the place. It was also comforting to see that he was not the only one. Most first year students seemed just as lost, if not more. But a lot of them did seem to know each other.

Izuku mostly focused on trying to be in the right place at the right time. He was trying to find his way to the student restaurant, nose buried in the map that he had gotten. It was hard to figure out, all the halls looked the same.

Too caught up on looking at the map, he forgot to focus on his feet. He was already cursing his existence, and apologizing to his ancestors for ever being born as he plummeted towards the floor, having successfully tripped on his own feet.

Except, his downfall was caught short, when someone grabbed him by the arm.

"Oh, shi- hi!" Izuku stammered, trying to find his footing.

The girl who had grabbed at him, let go and looked at him curiously. "Are you okay?”

"Yeah, super! I'm fine, I just - yeah," Izuku cut himself off before he could embarrass himself further. Fortunately, the girl did not seem to mind Izuku's nervousness, flashing a happy smile at him. She was a pretty brunette, with a very pink style.

"That's good. I haven't seen you here before, did you just move?”

Izuku nodded.

"That's so cool! Not a lot of people move here for studies." The girl paused for a moment, looking at Izuku almost as thought she was evaluating him. "Wait- are you Midoriya?”

Izuku raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Oh- um, yes. Midoriya Izuku. How'd you know?”

"Your mom has been very exited about you moving here, I think half the town knows by now.”

"Of course," Izuku chuckled. Small towns. He was not sure if the information made him more or less nervous.

"Oh, I didn't even introduce myself! I'm Uraraka Ochako. Were you lost?”

Izuku was brought back to what he was originally doing. "Oh, well kinda. I was trying to find the student restaurant." he glanced at the map again.

"I know where it is!" Uraraka said cheerily. "I can show you.”

"Really? Thank you.”

"Of course," Uraraka smiled again. She seemed like a nice person.

Uraraka led him him to the restaurant. After both of them had gotten food, she asked if Izuku wanted to sit with her and her friends whom she had spotted at one of the tables. Exited to meet more people, Izuku said yes. He was led to a table with three other people in it.

"Hi guys," Uraraka greeted, pulling out seats for herself and Izuku. Izuku thanked her quietly, feeling nervous again as the gazes of the new people set on him. He was wary about opening his mouth because he knew that what was most likely to come out was a complete word vomit.

"Hello Uraraka, who is this young man?" one of the people asked. He was a sturdy looking boy, with dark hair and glasses.

"Oh, I'm Midoriya Izuku, it's really nice to meet you all," Izuku said, greeting the group before sitting down.

"He just moved here, but his mom already lives here," Uraraka filled in.

The first one to introduce himself, the sturdy man, told his name to be Iida Tenya. Next to him was an electric guy, with a brave style and a shock-yellow hair. Kaminari Denki. The third boy seemed to be slightly caught up in his own thoughts as he did not introduce himself until Iida nudged him and nodded towards Izuku.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Todoroki Shouto. Hi.”

He was also an interesting looking person. His otherwise clean look was overshadowed by his fascinating hair. Half of his hair red, the other white. Izuku first reaction was to assume that it was dyed, but after looking at him for more than a glance, it actually seemed like it might be a natural pigment dysfunction.

His fingers itched to open some of the biology books he had in his bag. Izuku had to hold back his tongue to not begun to ask insensitive questions from a person he barely knew.

"What year of study are you?" Izuku asked.

"These two are second year, but Iida and I are on third year," Uraraka responded. "But we're all the same age.”

"So, I guess you've known each other for a while?”

"Yep, since middle school," Kaminari piped in. "Except Todoroki, him we met in high school.”

"That's nice.”

As the group began to converse over things that Izuku did not really know much about, he glanced around the hall. It was a pretty simplistic looking, nothing too special. A lot of people who all seemed to be familiar with each other.

His attention was caught by one man, who was alone. He was curiously sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall with what looked like a handheld video game in his hands. Izuku looked at him for a moment, curiosity peaking. Suddenly, the man raised his gaze from the game, and looked directly at Izuku.

Panic surged in Izuku and he turned quickly back to the table, realizing how rudely he had been staring at the stranger. The feeling of having been caught was more intense than seemed normal. His heart was beating fast and he felt shivers on his back.

"So, where are you from, Midoriya?" someone asked.

It took a moment for Izuku to realize he was being addressed. "Oh, well, originally from here. But I've moved a lot, so a little bit from everywhere," he chuckled.

The group seemed to be actually interested in where everywhere he had lived, and soon he was pulled into a deep conversation over what places he had liked and what he had disliked, which evolved to the others giving their opinions over places they had been in. The conversation flowed naturally, and surprisingly, Izuku felt included.

As Uraraka already knew her way around the school, she helped Izuku to find his way to the lecture hall he had to be next in.

That course was not actually something Izuku had planned on picking. It had been kind of a moments spur that made him choose to attend the introductory course on social and political history. His own focus was mainly on biology, but this had been an area that he had realized that he wanted to know more of.

Izuku took a seat at the back of the room, having a lot of options to pick from since not a lot of students had arrived yet. He dug out a notebook and pencils, and began doodling on the inside of the cover to pass time.

Izuku got so caught up on his thoughts, that he did not notice the person approaching him until they sat on the seat next to him. The sudden appearance of the person startled him.

Izuku glanced at who had sat next to him, and was surprised - and a little frightened - to find out it was the lonely man from the dining hall that he had accidentally stared at so rudely.

Fearing that he might have upset the other, Izuku waited for some sort of accusing words. Instead, he was met with nothing. The guy did not acknowledge Izuku's presence in any way, just set his notebook and pens neatly in front of him, before pulling out the same game from before and giving all his attention to that.

As Izuku subtly glanced at the other one again, he actually took in what made him look so odd. He was wearing a dark kimono, with a white collared shirt underneath it, dark gray hakama and a black long jacket on top of them, though that he had taken off and left on the back of his seat. On both of his hands he wore black gloves that only covered his middle and ring fingers. His nails were surprisingly long, elongating his already slender fingers.

But the strangest thing about the somewhat old-fashioned clothing was, that it was not nearly the strangest thing about him. In fact, Izuku had not even noticed how oddly the other one was dressed, until having purposefully looked at him. It had not caught his attention when he had looked at the other one earlier.

He also had a shaggy light-blue hair that covered a lot of his face. Though Izuku could only see his side profile from where he was trying to subtly peek at him, he could see the scarring and irritation on his skin. It looked healed, but still quite intense.

Still, none of that either was what made the other man seem so strange. It was simply his overall presence. It was as though he had changed the very basis of the air around Izuku, just by sitting next to him. Like the normal rules of the universe just did not exist to him in a way they existed to others. It was a strange, uncertain aura.

Izuku knew, that this man could just as well be fully naked, with no mark on him and he would still have this heavy essence of something beyond Izuku's understanding to him.

Izuku forced his eyes away from the other, ignoring every cell in his body that was screaming at him. He could not begin to understand what they wanted him to do, he just knew that this person next to him was the cause of it.

The lecture began and Izuku took excitedly the opportunity to focus his attention on note-taking, rather than the curios person sitting next to him.

It soon became apparent that it was for nothing. No matter how hard Izuku paid attention to every word falling out from their Professor’s mouth, writing every little detail up, he could not ignore the person sitting next to him.

Izuku was being stared at. He knew it. He did not dare to turn his head, in fear of coming across that look again. But he could feel it deep in him, and he was certain that he was right. Something in him was terrified of those eyes. The way he had looked at Izuku before. In the moment Izuku might have glossed over it, assuming the spike of anxiety to be from being caught looking.

But now, with this feeling of being watched. Izuku remembered how it had felt in that small moment with those eyes on him. He had felt seen.

Those eyes. There had been a deep obscurity to them. It had felt-

Izuku could no longer take it. He turned to look at the other one, fully expecting to fall victim to those eyes again- but they were not on him. Just like at the beginning of the lesson, Izuku was not being acknowledged at all. All of the man's attention now taken by the lecturer.

Every now and then, the man would write something into his notebook, with a handwriting much more elegant that Izuku would have expected from him. The only sign of being affected by anything, was the tightly squeezed fist that he had pulled closer to himself.

Hesitantly, Izuku turned his attention back to the lecture. The feeling of being watched had not disappeared. Quite the opposite.

The entire lecture went like that. Izuku felt like he was being watched, but every time he looked, the other man was only paying attention to the professor, or his notebook.

When the lesson ended, he rushed off so fast, Izuku had not had even time to start packing - or to address him as he had planned on doing. He watched the receding figure, noting absentmindedly the bright red sneakers that seemed to clash with the rest of his dark outfit.

"You're Midoriya, right?”

Izuku was startled by the sudden voice, too focused on watching after the curiois person. He turned to find a student he had not seen before standing by him, with a questioning look.

"Um- yeah. That's me.”

"I'm Shinsou Hitoshi," the person introduced himself to Izuku.

"Nice to meet," Izuku responded the bow, turning then to packing his things. "How'd you recognize me?”

"I came across Uraraka on my way here, she mentioned you. Not hard to guess from her description," Shinsou motioned towards Izuku's green curls.

"Right," Izuku chuckled, taking his bag. Together they headed out of the room, and in the hallway Shinsou asked more about Izuku and told him of himself. Izuku found out that Shinsou, like Uraraka, was a third year student. They had met their first year here. It made Izuku feel even more assured that he would not end up an outsider here.

There was just one thing puzzling his mind, and as they were nearly by the main doors, Izuku decided to see if Shinsou happened to know anything.

"That person who was sitting next to me during the lecture...do you happen to know who he was?”

"Hmm? Oh, yes. That was Shigaraki.”

Izuku nodded. It was not much, but at least he now had a name to go with the face.

"Did you say something to him?" Shinsou asked, surprising Izuku.

"No. Why?”

Shinsou shrugged. "He seemed pissed off. Or, well. More pissed off than usual.”

"Oh.”

So, Izuku had not imagined that. Even Shinsou had noticed something odd in the way Shigaraki had behaved. Had Izuku managed to offend him after all? Should he try to talk to him next time he saw him? But Shigaraki had been the one to sit next to him - even though there had been plenty of other free seats in the lecture hall. Maybe he had been expecting for Izuku to speak, to apologize.

"Hey, don't worry. I'm sure it's nothing," Shinsou rushed to assure, clearly noting the tense nervousness in Izuku. "Shigaraki is a strange one, sticks to himself. He doesn't like anyone. You shouldn't take his attitude personally.”

"Okay. Thank you." Izuku responded with a weak smile. He would like to believe Shinsou but could not quite achieve it.

He said goodbyes to Shinsou, as they headed for their respective directions. But not even the kind words of the third year student could shake off the feeling of unease from him. Dark, black eyes kept haunting him for the rest of the day.

Chapter Text

"So, how was your first day?" Inko asked excitedly as they sat down to eat.

Izuku had been home much earlier than his mother, so he had made dinner. He had had a lot of practice in cooking, though it had been achieved out of necessity. Living with his father, it was either that, or take-out every day. To a child the first option seemed amazing, but by thirteen Izuku had began to appreciate proper meals, and taught himself how to prepare them.

So, overall, Izuku was not a bad cook, and he knew it. Still, a part of him was nervous about making food for his mother, for in his mind he had perhaps deified her cooking skills just a bit. Truthfully the best seasoning Inko's cooking had was nostalgia and the untrustworthiness of the human memory. But still, he wanted to impress his mother.

When Inko tasted the food and complimented it, Izuku found himself, despite his attempts to not, preening at the praise.

"It was nice. The people are super friendly here," Izuku told her truthfully - omitting the mentions of one specific person. He did not even have any evidence that Shigaraki was unfriendly. Izuku still felt as though whatever had been going on, was somehow his own fault. The fact that even Shinsou had noticed Shigaraki's behaviour to be odd from the norm, did not exactly help him ease his mind.

The next days Izuku got to know his new friends better. Slowly, he started to memorize the building, not feeling lost quite as much.

For the entirety of the following day, there had been an edge of anticipation under his skin, cautious for when he would feel that stare on him again. But he had not felt it. In fact, he had not seen Shigaraki at all.

When Uraraka had once again walked with him towards the student restaurant, Izuku had not been able to resist looking around the place with a search in his mind. He had not been sure if he had felt relieved or just a little bit disappointed when there had been no sign of Shigaraki anywhere.

During the rest of the day, Izuku had kept glancing along the halls, looking for a flash of blue hair. He still had not seen Shigaraki.

It really was not that big of a deal. It should not have even been something for Izuku to notice. yet, for some unknown reason, he could not stop thinking about Shigaraki and his absence.

"What are you reading?" Uraraka asked a few days later, sitting down next to him.

"Oh, it's just some medical books," Izuku responded, moving his notebooks so Uraraka could have more space next to him. He had some free time between lectures and he was doing some research on topics that interested him.

Uraraka peaked at the notes. "Wow. You're really into this.”

"I like analyzing things," Izuku flushed. "And taking notes.”

"Don't look so embarrassed," Uraraka chuckled. "It's cute!”

The comment made Izuku flush even harder. He could feel his cheeks heat up. "So- um, what did you say you were majoring in?”

"Physics," Uraraka responded, almost shyly.

"Really? That's so interesting.”

"It is?”

"Yeah, absolutely," Izuku nodded. "I mean- to be honest my understanding on things beyond biology on that aspect are...lacking. But I can see why it would be interesting- I mean physics are so integral to everything in our lives. So, it's a really smart choice to study that on that aspect too - because it is so useful, I mean- but it's also super fascinating!”

Uraraka was looking at him with a soft smile.

"I- sorry. I didn't mean to ramble off like that.”

"No...no, that was really nice. I honestly appreciated it." Uraraka laughed.

They spent the rest of the hour talking. Izuku learned a bit more about Uraraka, why she had chosen the area of study and how she had actually been set on studying finances as a major, but had changed last minute.

He liked talking with Uraraka. It also seemed like she did not mind talking with Izuku. It was possible that he might actually have managed to make a friend. It made him happy, and for a moment he managed to forget his worry over potentially having angered Shigaraki.

****

The morning light hit through the gaps in his curtains, slowly bringing him out of his slumber. He felt warm and comfortable, soft sheets caressing him. A loud blaring noise of his alarm clock destroyed the gentle morning lull Izuku had been enjoying.

He forced himself up from his bed, shutting the nuisance off. He ran his hand over his face. His eyes felt heavy and the soft light did not feel so magical anymore, it just made his head ache.

The floor was cold. Everything felt cold as he left the comfort of his bed. Quickly Izuku tossed on the first hoodie in his proximity. Peeking out the window, he took in the day. It was not raining, but the clouds were already hurrying to cover the little bit of sun that had shone through. They did not look as dark and heavy as usual, and he allowed himself to hope that it might not rain that day.

Izuku did quickly all he had in the bathroom before heading into the kitchen. His mother was already there, wrapped up in a cozy looking sweater with a cup of tea in front of her, reading the morning paper.

"Morning, Izuku," she said cheerily.

Izuku responded in kind, though his words were buried under a yawn. He took a cup for himself, and sat opposite of his mother, trying to will his eyes to stay open.

"Oh, someone's been attacked," Inko frowned looking at the morning paper.

"Hmm?" Izuku pulled into a bit more upward position.

"They think it's some rabid animal," Inko said, still looking a bit distraught. "How sad.”

"Yeah.”

"Well, you be careful too," Inko folded the paper and left it on the table, tuning her attention to Izuku. "Have you made any plans with your new friends?”

"Um...no nothing yet. Oh- there was some talk about a bunch of us going to the beach at sometime, but no date has been decided.”

"Well that sounds nice," Inko smiled.

Izuku nodded, fidgeting with the edge of the morning paper between them.

It did not rain on the way to school, nor the whole morning. Only by the time he was walking with Todoroki to the student restaurant could he see the raindrops through the windows. Even then, it seemed to be just a light drizzle.

It started the be more out of habit rather than anything else, that he glanced around as they walked in. Shigaraki was still not there. Todoroki and Izuku sat down on the table where Shinsou and Uraraka were talking. Or Uraraka was talking, while Shinsou seemed to have discovered how to sleep with his eyes still open.

"Hey guys," Izuku greeted. Uraraka turned towards them with a happy smile. Shinsou flinched, looking shocked to find himself there.

"How long have you been there?" he muttered, looking at Izuku and Todoroki with a tired expression.

"We just sat down," Todoroki said.

"Right...wait what were you saying?" Shinsou turned towards Uraraka, who was giggling behind her hand.

"A lot of things," she patted Shinsou's cheek. "It's okay, you can go back to sleep. I'll wake you up before you're late.”

"Long night?" Izuku asked.

"Mmm...my dad got a new cat. I had to stay up with them.”

"Why?" Izuku frowned. He did not know much about taking care of kittens.

"Cuz...cuz she’s cute- shut up!" Shinsou swatted at Uraraka who had started laughing again.

The rest of the lunch went with them forcing poor Shinsou to stay up and tell them all about the new kitten his father had gotten. Even the usually stoic Todoroki seemed to be getting into the discussion, asking a lot of questions that Izuku could never have come up with.

After lunch Izuku and Shinsou headed for their history lecture, taking seats at the back of the class. Almost immediately after sitting down, Shinsou seemed to fall asleep.

Izuku looked at the sleeping boy. He decided he would let Shinsou catch some rest while they waited for the lecture to start.

He turned to dig out his notebooks from his back, nearly jumping in surprise when he found a familiar figure that had appeared onto his other side in the short time Izuku had been turned away. He had not even heard him walk, let alone sit down.

Shigaraki did not appear to be mad. Then again, he had not seemed mad last time either, at the beginning.

Izuku finished setting his notebooks in front of him, trying to not seem like he had been shaken by Shigaraki’s sudden appearance.

"I didn't introduce myself last time," Shigaraki suddenly spoke up, causing Izuku to nearly jump in his chair, again. If he had not seen Shigaraki's mouth move, he would not have even realized it was him. Shigaraki had a very raspy voice. Not really what Izuku had expected, but pleasant, in an unexpected way.

Shigaraki angled his body a bit more into Izuku's direction. "Shigaraki Tomura," he said, intense eyes turning towards Izuku. "It's nice to meet you…?"

"Midoriya Izuku," he rushed to say, after realizing he had been quiet for far too long. Shigaraki fortunately did not seem bothered. "And yes- it's um, nice to meet.”

Izuku turned back to his notebooks, feeling nervous and resisting the urge to slam his head against the flimsy table. Shigaraki's presence caused his heart beat so loud that he would not be surprised if Shigaraki heard it. He fiddled with the edge of his notebook.

Izuku felt like he was being observed.

"So...you recently moved here?" Shigaraki asked, tapping his fingers against the table. He was barely looking into Izuku's direction, mirroring his position.

"Yes, I did. Though, I have lived here before, when I was little. And I've visited a lot. When I've been able to - um, because my mom lives here. So...that's why," he willed himself to shut up. Shigaraki had not asked for his entire life story.

Yet, Shigaraki seemed almost intrigued when he spoke. "How have you liked it?”

"It's...different," Izuku said. "I think I still view everything in a nostalgic light. Though, the rain is already quite exhausting. And the moist air makes my hair all frizzy. But I like how small everything is, how close people are.”

"You don't like big places?”

"They have their own charm," Izuku responded, toying with his pen. He was not brave enough to look at Shigaraki while he talked. "But they also feel so alienating, yet crowded.”

"Crowds can be the loneliest places.”

Izuku finally turned his face to look at Shigaraki at these words. The other was gazing languidly at the front. The professor had not yet shown up.

"Yeah...yeah they can be," he agreed. "Though, I guess with small places like these its the opposite. It's lonely because there's not a lot of people. Yet it can feel so claustrophobic with everyone knowing everyone.”

Shigaraki's eyes flickered to Izuku. His breath caught in his throat. Shigaraki was holding him a prisoner under his gaze.

His eyes…

Izuku hadn't noticed earlier...but Shigaraki's eyes were red. He had thought them to be dark brown or gray, teetering on the edge of blackness, but no. They were clearly red. Lakes of blood, eerie yet strangely inviting.

He had never seen anything like them.

Shigaraki tilted his head just a bit, clearly noticing what had caught Izuku's attention. The edge of Shigaraki's lip twitched.

Realizing how inconsiderately Izuku had - once again - been staring at Shigaraki, he averted his eyes, trying to make it seem like he had not been looking at all. It likely only served in making him seem more obvious.

Still, Izuku mind immediately started running over the possibilities that could have this effect. Red eyes, truly magnificent looking. Glancing at Shigaraki quickly, Izuku took in other things of his appearance.

His skin was pale. Not in a 'glistening ivory skin' way, but in a bit of a sickly looking way. A porcelain statue. Like he did not really spend that much time in the sun. Izuku could not see any roots of a darker color in his pale blue hair, making him consider that his natural hair might be of a lighter complexion.

Mentally he dotted up albinism in possible causes. Then he realized what he was doing and shook his head, trying to get rid of the thoughts entirely. It had been incredibly insensitive, Shigaraki did not need a person he just met diagnosing him, just because Izuku had a fascination with people and the way bodies worked.

Shigaraki also did not need to tell Izuku anything about himself, or his illnesses. Izuku would not start asking stupid questions.

"That's a good point," Shigaraki said, bringing Izuku back to the conversation they had been having. "You're an interesting person...Midoriya Izuku.”

The way Shigaraki said his name made something hot flare deep within Izuku.

"So- um what about you?" Izuku asked, needing to change the subject somehow. Or maybe just to get that look off Shigaraki's face. He focused instead on Shiaraki's fingers playing on the table. He was wearing the odd gloves again. "Have you always lived here?”

Shigaraki was quiet for a moment. His fingers kept moving, rubbing against each other in slow unfocused manner. He had such long, elegant fingers, Izuku noted.

Izuku turned to look at the front of the room.

"No," Shigaraki spoke up. "In fact, I too have just recently moved back.”

"Oh," Izuku's face lit up and he turned fully towards Shigaraki. "Then we have something in common, that's so cool! How long have you been here?”

For a moment Shigaraki seemed to be taken aback by Izuku's sudden enthusiasm, but before Izuku could belittle himself for it too much, Shigaraki turned towards him too, his body language more open.

"A few years now.”

"And have you liked it here?”

Shigaraki raked his eyes over Izuku in a way that made him feel more exposed than he had ever felt from just a look.

"I'm starting to see the pleasure.”

Izuku swallowed, suddenly feeling hot. Was he getting sick? It did feel unusually hot in the room.

"You moved back for school?" he asked.

Shigaraki did not respond vocally, only with the slightest movement of his head that Izuku could barely interpret as a nod.

"How old are you? If you don't mind me asking?" Izuku added, not wanting to come off as rude.

Shigaraki's lips twitched into a teasing grin. "How old are you?" he retorted.

Izuku was starting to feel nervous again. It felt as though he was being evaluated by Shigaraki for some unknown purpose. "Twenty.”

Shigaraki made a intrigued noise.

"And?”

"And what?" Shigaraki opened his notebook on a clear page.

"Your turn," Izuku responded, with a bit more confidence to his voice.

Shigaraki twirled his pen between his fingers for a moment. "Twenty.”

Izuku was about to call Shigaraki out on what he was quite certain was a lie, but before he could do so, the professor finally arrived.

The chatter in the class died down. Izuku elbowed Shinsou lightly, motioning to the front as the other flinched awake, looking confused.

Shigaraki was looking at them subtly from the side of his eye.

Throughout the class, Izuku kept taking peeks at the man sitting next to him - again. If Shigaraki noticed, he did not comment on it.

He was an interesting person and Izuku could not help himself. This time he had a simple black long-sleeve shirt on, as well as the same jacket he had had last time. Just like Izuku had guessed, the less eye catching clothes did not make him look any less captivating.

During the lesson Izuku had to nudge Shinsou awake more than just a couple of times. He saw Shigaraki's lips quirk up after the third time Shinsou's head lulled down.

After the lecture ended, Shinsou ran off somewhere pretty quickly, mumbling something about needing at least two bath-fulls of coffee. It reminded him of the way Shigaraki had ran off last time. Not today. Shigaraki was still sitting next to Izuku, though he had already packed all his things away.

Realizing that Shigaraki was looking at him expectantly, Izuku began placing away his notebooks a bit more swiftly.

"I like the green," Shigaraki said with a low voice.

"Huh?" Izuku hummed, closing his bag. "The forests? Yeah, I like them too. The nature here feels just so much more present.”

Shigaraki was silent for a moment. "Sure. That's nice too.”

"Oh, you weren't talking about that," Izuku flushed, following Shigaraki who got up and started making his way out of the room. "What did you mean?”

Shigaraki looked at him pointedly. When Izuku still did not realize, his eyes flickered up to Izuku's…hair.

"Oh," he flushed even more, face feeling hot. He touched at his curls. "Th- thank you. I um- I like your hair too. The blue. It's nice.”

Shigaraki's eyes twinkled with amusement at Izuku.

"Did you have contacts?" Izuku blurted out, not even realizing he had said it out loud before it was too late.

Shigaraki's expression faltered, and Izuku realized how it must have sounded. "I- sorry, I didn't mean to imply- I just- I could've sworn your eyes were black the last time I saw you.”

He had only just then realized what had felt so different about Shigaraki's gaze this day. Sometimes his mouth ran faster than his thoughts. But they had definitely been black. There was simply no way for Izuku to have not noticed the red. It was so distinctive.

Fortunately, Shigaraki did not seem to find Izuku's question insensitive, a humorous expression returning to his face. "Calm down, Midoriya. Yeah, I sometimes wear black contacts. The red is kinda...much for people.”

"Why not wear them always?" Izuku asked curiously. "Not that I'm saying you should! I like your eyes, they're pretty-“

Izuku cut off, realizing what he had said. "Not in a weird way! I just meant-“

"I don't like having stuff in my eyes," Shigaraki responded, thankfully putting an end to Izuku's blabbering. "That's all.”

They got out of the room and Shigaraki walked them a bit more into the side so they were not on the way of other people, streaming into every direction. Izuku followed him.

"Right. That makes sense," Izuku nodded.

"And I'm not gonna be insulted if you compliment me," Shigaraki added.

"Sorry.”

Shigaraki rolled his eyes.

"You're not gonna ask about the red?" Shigaraki asked, after a moment of silence.

"I...figured it wasn't my business," Izuku responded, shifting his weight from foot to another.

"Had enough self restraint?”

Izuku rubbed at his face, groaning. "I know...I have an awful filter sometimes, I don't always even notice that I'm talking aloud. People complain about me muttering a lot, and I get it, its kinda creepy and annoying. I just- I- I ramble a lot when I'm nervous. I get it from my mom.”

Suddenly, Shigaraki was much closer than before. It was like he was trying to find an answer from Izuku's face. Heat flared in his chest and his breath got caught in his throat.

"Do I make you nervous, Midoriya Izuku?" Shigaraki asked, tilting his head, his voice barely a whisper.

Izuku felt dizzy. His hand searched for the wall for a bit of stability. "You- um...well," he swallowed. Shigaraki kept patiently his eyes on him, with an expression that Izuku could not dissect. It made him feel bared to the very bone.

"I actually gotta go!" Izuku blurted out. "I'd love to chat- I just have something I need to do. Reading and laundry, you know! But, I can't wait too see you again! Or- or not, have a nice day! Um- see ya!”

His face was on fire, as he rushed away from Shigaraki. Izuku was glad he could not see himself, because his face had to be redder than Shigaraki's eyes. God, those eyes- that stare.

Izuku could not understand how someone could have that kind of an effect on people. Shigaraki was naturally intimidating, yet so, well, alluring. He was unlike anyone Izuku had ever met.

He rushed all the way to his car, not once turning to even glance behind himself. He jumped into the car, the engine roaring to life as he twisted the key. For a moment Izuku had to just lean his forehead on the steering wheel and scream.

What the fuck was wrong with him? Why on earth could he not just behave like a normal person?

With a sigh, he pulled himself together - somewhat - and began driving away from the campus. As Izuku checked the rearview mirror, he saw the still figure of Shigaraki. He was leaning into the building's wall, staring directly at Izuku.

Quickly, he snapped his eyes away from the mirror, his car jerking as he stopped driving. Izuku drew in a deep breath and forced himself to think. Shigaraki could not see all the way from there what Izuku was looking at. And even if he could, it did not matter. Because Izuku was being normal, doing normal things.

He glanced at the mirror again. Shigaraki was still calmly staring into his direction. Izuku swore he could see smugness in his expression, even from afar.

He pressed his foot on the pedal and drove off.

Chapter Text

The mornings were starting to get darker, sun rising later each day. The weather was also starting to get chillier. Not that it was that easy to tell, with the constant curtain of the thick, rain heavy clouds covering the sky. Izuku had grown used to enjoying much more of the sun. It had been one of the few positives of living with his father.

He pulled his hoodie on, before fully even getting out of his bed. He stretched out his arms while walking over to look out of the window. It was raining.

Inko had already left off for work. Izuku grabbed something to eat on the way out and headed outside, pulling his jacket hood over his head as he made his way to the car. Despite how short the way was from the front door to his car, Izuku already felt soaked wet to the bone. It did not take long for the seat cushions to be in a similar state.

He stumbled with the key, the cold and wet making his fingers uncooperative. Finally, he managed to get going. While driving, his thoughts eventually ended up on Shigaraki. That had been happening a lot lately.

Izuku had taken a while to get over the mortification of their last encounter. He still did not feel fully recovered, if he was being honest with himself. He might see Shigaraki again today. If he showed up. There was a possibility that he would not. Izuku was not sure which option he was hoping for.

He curved onto the parking lot, dreading getting out of the car and stepping out into the rain. It still had not subsided. Of course.

A hand knocked on his window glass, startling him. Izuku turned to find Uraraka's beaming face near the glass.

"Hi Midoriya," Uraraka greeted, as Izuku stepped out of the car. She gestured to the pink umbrella over her. "I thought I'd come to save you.”

"Oh, amazing," Izuku grinned, hunching close to Uraraka for cover from the rain. "My hero," he grinned, making Uraraka laugh.

A bit of Izuku's hair had got wet, even with the umbrella, and now water was dripping uncomfortably down from his curls to his skin. Though it was nothing compared to the annoyance of the water soaking through his shoes, making its way closer his poor socks.

They made their way inside as fast as they could. Uraraka talked to him about an assignment she was struggling with, and Izuku tried to give some tips he knew helped him when he felt stuck with his studies.

He looked jealously at her clothes. Uraraka had managed to learn how to look fashionable while protecting herself from the rain. It was easy to tell which one of them had lived there their whole life. Even her hair looked perfect.

"So, anyway. What about you? How have you been settling in?" Uraraka asked. Izuku realised that they had not actually seen each other much after the first days.

"Good. This place is nice, though I could do without that," he motioned outside.

Uraraka laughed. "You'll get used to it.”

"Have you?”

Uraraka grimaced, and nodded in a 'fair point' gesture.

"But yeah, other than that I'm doing well. School doesn't feel too hard...yet, at least," Izuku told her, while she listened with attention. "And I really like the people in here, you're all so nice to me.”

"Of course we are, you're our friend now!" Uraraka squealed happily, making Izuku blush.

"Thanks...that's nice to hear," he rubbed at his neck.

"Have you made other friends outside of our little group?" Uraraka asked curiously.

"Well I've gotten along with pretty much everyone - like I said, people so are nice here -but I don't know..." Izuku mused, when red eyes flashed in his mind. "Actually I- well- do you know Shigaraki?”

"Shigaraki?" Uraraka sounded surprised. "The...looks a bit- um," she tried to find the right words, gesturing vaguely at her face. "With light blue hair?”

"Yes, him. I take it you don't know him that well?”

"Not more than recognizing him and knowing his name," Uraraka responded. "I don't think I've ever heard him talk.”

Izuku nodded, thoughts swirling in his head.

"Are you two friends?" Uraraka asked, sounding almost disbelieving.

"What? No, no I don't think so," Izuku quickly shook his head. "No, we just- we did talk a bit. And I think I made myself a complete fool in front of him! I don't know what happened. He just- I got nervous and-" he motioned with his arms in frustration. "You know, couldn't just keep my mouth shut. I feel so embarrassed.”

Uraraka looked at him consolingly. "It couldn't have been that bad…"

Izuku shook his head. "It was worse. So bad. I just couldn't make myself stop rambling- and then I just ran way.”

Uraraka grimaced. "That...sucks. But I don't blame you. Shigaraki seems a bit...intimidating.”

She was right. Shigaraki was intimidating. Just his presence made Izuku feel tense, scared even. Yet also incredibly exited. Shigaraki was beyond what most people were. He was what people wrote songs about. He was mysterious, but not because of a front he had put up to seem interesting. It was something much more authentic, something Izuku wished to understand.

Yet, Shigaraki had been the one to instigate conversation with Izuku, breaking that illusion, and at the same time making it stronger. Despite offering information about himself, Izuku had realized Shigaraki had not actually told anything substantial about himself.

Shigaraki had twirled Izuku around his fingers, and Izuku had had no option but to submit. Shigaraki had filled Izuku with trepidation. It was comforting to be assured that Izuku was not the only one who had noticed that, if Uraraka agreed, despite never having talked to him.

When Shigaraki had asked Izuku if he made him nervous...Izuku's thoughts had turned into static.

Truth was...Shigaraki had made Izuku feel nervous. But that was not all. Izuku felt like he had gotten the smallest taste of eternity. He had felt...alive. Every cell in Izuku's body had felt more alive than he could remember feeling in a while.

One person being able to inflict such intense feeling over Izuku was terrifying to him. And it made no sense.

"Yeah. I guess he was.”

During lunch Izuku checked the restaurant for Shigaraki, just like every time. He was not there. But like last time, after Shinsou and him had settled next to each other in the lecture hall, Shigaraki appeared out of nowhere and sat next to Izuku.

This time Shinsou was actually awake when this happened, and looked at Izuku with a slightly questioning glance. After all, there was still plenty of free space in the room. But Izuku barely noticed Shinsou, tensing up the moment Shigaraki sat down.

His stomach must have done a somersault. Even his face was feeling odd, heated. A buzzing feeling all over his skin. At the back of his brain.

"Hi," he said, voice barely leaving from his throat.

The nervousness had multiplied by at least a hundred. Izuku tried to pay attention to the small grooves on the table in front of him, running his fingers slowly in the worn paths.

Shigaraki tilted his head slightly to Izuku's direction. "Midoriya," he said in acknowledgment. His voice was so harsh, even when it was quiet.

Izuku could not help but to glance at Shigaraki's lips. He did not open his mouth much when he spoke. His lips looked dry. They would probably feel rough. There was a large vertical scar on the left side. Where ever Shigaraki might have gotten it, it looked like it had to have hurt.

Looking at Shigaraki's face with more attention, Izuku noticed that there was another larger scar on his face, crossing his right eye. It was not bad enough to have damaged the eye itself, but it still looked nasty. It was harder to notice, due to the damaged skin surrounding Shigaraki's eyes, as well as his hair. Messy and long, allowing Shigaraki to hide beneath it.

Izuku wondered if both of the scars were from the same accident.

As Izuku looked at Shigaraki with more attention, Shigaraki was staring at Izuku in turn. Their eyes found each other, and Izuku could not look away. His own lips parted and a wavering breath escaped, his chest tight. He might have intended to say something else, but could not find the words.

Shigaraki's eyes dropped slowly to glance at Izuku's mouth, before returning to look at his eyes. Izuku was breathing heavily, loud silence in his ears. His skin tingled.

"Hi," a voice suddenly cut into the moment - was there a moment?

Shigaraki reluctantly broke the eye contact with Izuku, turning lazily his attention to somewhere behind Izuku. His gaze seemed colder as he glared at the direction of the voice. Around where Shinsou was sitting.

Izuku snapped his attention to his friend, horrified at himself for somehow managing to completely forget he was there.

Shinsou seemed to tense under Shigaraki's attention as well, his fist clenching in his lap. "Shinsou Hitoshi," he managed to introduce himself.

Shigaraki stared at him intensely for a while longer. "Shigaraki," he finally responded with a disinterested tone, before turning his attention to the front of the class. The professor walked in, putting an end to any conversation that might have happened.

Between listening to the professor, and taking notes, Izuku stole a few glances towards Shigaraki. With surprise, Izuku noted that Shigaraki had painted his nails - or at least the ones visible, as he was still wearing the odd gloves - with black nail polish.

After thinking it for more than a few seconds, Izuku realized it was not that odd from Shigaraki. He did not seem the kind of a guy who cared about other's opinions. Some might think it was brave, but Izuku doubted that. Shigaraki did not seem like he was afraid enough for it to be bravery.

The paint was sloppily applied - not that Izuku knew much about any of that kind of things. He could still see the stroke marks, and the whole nail was not even fully covered. It looked like Shigaraki had just noticed the polish on his way out, and thought 'why not’.

The rest of his outfit was very similar to the one Izuku had already seen on him. A collared shirt underneath a kimono, with hakama. The odd clothing choices never came off as a statement. Somehow the way Shigaraki wore them, made it feel like he had just grabbed the closest clothes from his closet.

This time Shigaraki did not stick around after the class. If Izuku had to guess, he did not want to impose with Shinsou there.

"He's a bit odd, isn't he," Shinsou muttered once Shigaraki was out of the range. Izuku looked into his direction. The jacket billowed behind Shigaraki, very cloak-like. Like Snape's, from the new Harry Potter movies, as though they were billowing in the halls of an ancient castle and not a simple campus building.

Izuku suppressed a chuckle at the thought. He wondered if Shigaraki would appreciate the comparison.

"Hmm...yeah, I guess he is. A bit," Izuku responded. "But it's kinda cool.”

Shinsou quirked an eyebrow.

"I mean- I just admire people who are themselves like that.”

"Hmm. Sure."

****

Izuku was making his way to his car, stuffing few books that he had picked up from the campus library into his bag. Lifting his gaze, he noticed Shigaraki at the smoking spot with a jittery looking blond man that Izuku did not recognize. They seemed to be talking about something, both of them with a cigarette in hand.

Izuku noticed that outside, Shigaraki was wearing an actual newsboy cap on his head, adding into his odd fashion choices. He could also see the same bright red sneakers flickering from underneath his hakama.

Quickly Izuku turned to look away from them, not wanting Shigaraki to notice he had been staring. Again. He wondered with worry if he was being intolerant. Shigaraki likely had people being assholes towards him a lot. Did he view Izuku as another one like that?

Izuku had always seen himself as openminded, not judging people even if he did not understand them. Why could he not stop staring at Shigaraki? Was Izuku being judgmental?

It was just...the way Shigaraki looked, the way he moved...it was addicting.

Izuku leaned into his car, too lost in his thoughts to notice what was happening, until it was too late. He distantly noticed sounds of yelling and tires screeching. He raised his gaze, to see a car plummeting directly towards him.

Izuku's heart dropped.

This was it then. He was going to die. The car was coming at him with high speed, and all Izuku could do was duck down and brace himself with his arms covering his face, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

A weight hit his body, making him lose his balance and fall against the ground. He felt a sharp pain on his head and hissed. But it had not been the car that hit him. Yet he could hear the sound of a crash, very close to him.

Izuku felt dizzy, his head pounding, but he forced himself to open his eyes and try to get upright. Arms encircled around his waist, pulling him up. Izuku blinked a few times as the image cleared in front of him.

Shigaraki was right there, holding him. They were between the two cars, shielded from everyone. Shigaraki's back was braced against the car that had plummeted toward Izuku. There was a dent in it, fitting Shigaraki's shoulders perfectly.

Izuku blinked a few more times, trying to make sense of what he has seeing.

Shigaraki looked at him, his brow furrowing a bit. He reached out with his thumb, and wiped something off Izukus’s forehead. Shigaraki's fingers felt cold agains Izuku's skin. When he pulled his hand back, there was something red on his fingers. Blood. The red cast a beautiful contrast with Shigaraki's white fingers.

Shigaraki brought his hand closer to his face, and looked at the blood with curiosity. Red eyes flickered to look at Izuku, more intense than ever before. Then, Shigaraki licked the blood off his thumb.

Izuku brought his shaking hand up to his forehead and felt the wetness there. When he brought his hand down, he could see the blood. He turned to look at Shigaraki, who had a near rapturous expression on his face.

Izuku was opening his mouth to ask Shigaraki to explain himself - to say something - but the hand holding him by the waist set him gently to the ground before pulling away. And then Shigaraki was gone.

It was like time had been on pause, because that moment that likely had lasted only a few insignificant seconds, had felt like a lifetime. And with Shigaraki leaving, time around them started running again. Voices everywhere, people shouting, bled into the static silence.

Someone came over to Izuku, asking him if he was okay. Someone with shock yellow hair was being helped out of the car. Not soon later there were medical staff there, thought Izuku could not say how long it had been.

Everything was suddenly happening so fast. Izuku tried to find a glance of Shigaraki, but saw no sign of him. He tried to tell people asking him all kinds of questions that he was fine, but it seemed that he was not being believed.

Izuku's heart was beating like a hammer. And it was not because of the near crash.

Soon someone helped him into a car. For some reason, Izuku felt like laughing. He tried to hide a smile into his hands. He felt hysteric.

The car stopped and they arrived to a hospital of some sorts and Izuku was helped inside.

The world started to finally slow down. Izuku was treated and something was put on his forehead. Lights were being pointed at his eyes. The nurses left him alone for a moment, and then an older man walked in. He had round glasses and a bushy moustache, which was all the hair in his head and he was holding a clipboard with some papers on it.

"Midoriya Izuku," the man drawled, eyes on the clipboard. "I'm Dr. Garaki. You got quite lucky, let me tell you.”

Izuku nodded, biting his lip, unsure what to say. He was sitting at the edge of an hospital bed, gripping at the sheets as thought they were tethering him to reality. People were moving around them.

"The cut on your head wasn't deep enough to require any stitches, but you still bumped your head quite hard. Do you live alone?”

"Um, no. I live with my mom," Izuku answered.

"Right, right. Midoriya, of course. I think I heard your mother mention you.”

"You know my mom?” Izuku asked absentmindedly.

"Small town," Dr. Garaki responded. Izuku was starting to slowly realize just how true that was. "So, while it does seem you got off lightly, we don't want to take any risks. Take the rest of the day easy, and don't be alone. During the night, your mother should wake you every few hours. Just exchange a few words to make sure you're alright. If you get really nauseous or start throwing up, then you should come back here. But don't worry over a bit of nausea, that's normal. Over the counter pain medication should be enough.”

Izuku nodded along as Dr. Garaki talked. He tried to pay attention, but his mind get slipping. He had gotten lucky...had he? The car shaped around Shigaraki's shoulders...the sound of a crash. It was all playing in his mind like a sped up film.

There was a knock on the door. A nurse peaked in, and behind them was Inko, looking worried as ever.

"It's the mother of the patient. Should I let her in?" the young nurse asked quietly.

Dr. Garaki turned to Izuku. "It's up to you, you're an adult. Though, if you do not mind, I would like to go through few of these things with Midoriya-san, if she'll be the one taking care of you.”

"Yeah, of course," Izuku nodded.

Inko rushed immediately over to Izuku, checking him over despite Izuku assuring her that he was fine, really. All he had gotten was the hit on his head, and some road rash on his palms.

Izuku zoned out while Inko and the doctor talked. Eventually they finished, once Inko had asked about every possible 'what if' scenario.

"Hey, um- what about the others?" Izuku piped up. He was pretty sure it had been Kaminari in the other car. "Do you know if they're okay? The other driver and- and Shigaraki?”

The doctor paused, tuning his attention fully to Izuku. Shivers ran down Izuku's back and the room felt suddenly colder. "Shigaraki, you say?”

"Ye- yes. He um- I think he push- pulled me out of the way," Izuku explained. "Do you...know him?”

The doctor assessed him for a moment. "A family friend," he finally said. "But, no need to worry. No one got badly hurt.”

"Alright, good. Thank you.”

They left the room, Inko keeping her hand on Izuku's shoulder like she was worried that he might fall the moment she let go. They were walking down the hospital halls, when Izuku noticed Shigaraki leaning into a wall with a phone in his hand. He seemed to be frowning at it, his mouth set into a displeased line.

"Hey, mom," Izuku said, motioning at Shigaraki. "I need to go say few things to him quickly, I'll be right back.”

Inko looked to the direction Izuku had pointed, spotting Shigaraki. "Right, of course. I'll wait here.”

"Thanks," Izuku said and made his way to Shigaraki.

Shigaraki raised his gaze from his phone and pocketed it, before Izuku could even announce his presence. He did not seem the least surprised to see Izuku.

"Wh- what the hell?" Izuku exclaimed, despite having planned to say something entirely different and much more polite.

Shigaraki tilted his head slightly, cocking his eyebrow - though, Izuku realized at that moment, he did not seem to actually have any eyebrows. The scarring of his face seemed to be the reason for that, though it was hard to tell with him hiding behind his hair.

"You- how'd- how did you get there so fast?”

Shigaraki looked at him dismissively for a moment. "I don't know what you mean.”

"You were on the other side of the yard. I saw you," Izuku said, all the thoughts that he had been trying to ignore spilling out. "How- no one's that fast.”

Shigaraki grinned. "Do you spend a lot of time looking for where I am?”

Izuku felt himself flush. He could not even say that Shigaraki was wrong. "Don't deflect," he snapped instead.

Shigaraki rolled his eyes. "I was right by your car. I might’ve been a bit faster than normal due to adrenaline, but I was there and I just pulled you out of the way. You are welcome, by the way.”

"Thank you," Izuku sniped. "You didn't pull me though. You were between the cars- you- you pushed me! The car hit you.”

Shigaraki crossed his arms. "Do I look like I've been hit by a car?”

Izuku clenched his jaw. He knew what he had seen, he knew what he had felt. He could still feel the phantom touch of Shigaraki's arm around his waist. There was no way he had imagined that.

"You hit your head," Shigaraki said softly, leaning closer. A cold, white hand came up to wipe a curl from over the bandaid on his head. Shigaraki sighed at the sight of Izuku's covered wound. Izuku swallowed, his mouth feeling dry. It was so similar to what Shigaraki had done earlier, before he had- "It's normal to feel a bit confused after something like that." Shigaraki pulled his hand away. "I just pulled you out of the way.”

Shigaraki pushed off the wall and walked past Izuku, not letting him say another word. Not that Izuku would have known what to say. He watched as Shigaraki strolled away. Izuku scoffed and started to head back towards his mother, giving one last glance to Shigaraki's back.

His breath hitched. The back of Shigaraki's jacket. The fabric on his shoulders looked...grimy and ripped by the seams. Like something heavy and dirty had made an impact with it.

Izuku clenched his fists and hurried to his mother. Shigaraki was right. Izuku had hit his head hard. He must still be feeling off. He rubbed at his eyes and looked at the jacket again. It was still dirty. It must have already been like that, Izuku reasoned.

He noticed that Dr. Garaki walked up to Shigaraki, and began talking rapidly about something to him. It was clear that they were close, or at least knew each other well. Shigaraki's body language made Izuku think that he did not necessarily enjoy Dr. Garaki's company that much.

"That was Shigaraki." Inko stated as Izuku walked over to her.

"Yes.”

"Oh, I should thank him, you said he saved you. What a nice kid. Should we send him a gift or something?”

"I already thanked him," Izuku told her.

"Well that's good, that's good," Inko was still looking at Shigaraki, small frown at her face. "I still feel like I should thank him too. I don't want to bother their conversation though…"

"I'll tell him when I see him. We're on the same course.”

"Oh, be sure to do that," Inko beamed at Izuku. "He needs to know he's being appreciated.”

"Hmm," Izuku nodded.

If Izuku seemed off and quiet on the drive home, Inko did not mention it. The head trauma must have been a good enough reason to not have her question it too much, though she kept giving worried glances at him. Izuku hoped that was also just because of his head.

He stared out of the car window. The sky looked lighter than usual, contrasting with how heavy he felt. He could see so clearly the image of Shigaraki in front of him, with his back against the car. It was the clearest memory of the whole incident.

At home Inko kept fussing over him, not letting him help with anything. Despite trying his hardest to get his mother to calm down, by assuring her of his well being, he could not help but to enjoy being taken care of.

The night was frustrating, being woken up the moment he fell properly asleep. He felt bad for his mother who also had to wake up. Both of them were exhausted the next morning - it was the weekend, thank God - but Inko was so happy that Izuku was well that he did not mind. They both spent the day lazing around. It was actually quite nice, getting some quality bonding time together.

Izuku's head did not bother him too much. The pain was easily manageable with the painkillers. When night came, Izuku fell asleep pretty much the moment his head hit the pillow.

That night was the first night Izuku dreamt of Shigaraki.

Chapter Text

Izuku was in a dark room. He was sitting on something soft and silky. Midst of the dark nothingness were a few candles, being the only sources of light, allowing Izuku to see the faint edges of his own arms. The only sounds were his heavy breathing and his heartbeat.

He twisted on his place, trying to take in his surroundings, when a cold, hard hand slithered over his. It started by his palm and began slowly to drag up his arm, a gentle touch like that of a lover...it was then that Izuku realized that he was completely naked.

Sluggishly he tried to pull at the silky fabric underneath him to cover himself from the other person, whose hand was now by his neck. The cold fingers wrapped lightly around it.

"Are you afraid?" a raspy voice asked by his ear. Izuku could feel the air from their breathing tickle his skin.

"No," he lied, his erratic heartbeat and gasping breaths betraying the truth.

Shigaraki appeared in front of him, hand still on Izuku's neck. His eyes were red and filled with hunger. Shigaraki brought his other hand up to Izuku's face and ran his thumb gently over his lower lip. Izuku could not hold back the soft groan making its way up from his chest.

The hand from his neck finally let go, but stayed close to his skin. With a gentle push, Shigaraki made Izuku lay down on the silky sheets. His heart still beating loud on his ears, Izuku allowed himself to be pushed down. His body was trembling from the soft touches of Shigaraki's fingers.

They ran down from his neck, down his stomach, stopping right at the edge of his waistline. Shigaraki crouched over Izuku, his other knee coming to rest between Izuku's legs. He had no clothes on either.

Izuku knew something about this situation was not right, that he should be questioning something. He just could not figure out what that might be, what else could he do but allow Shigaraki to mold him like he wished. Izuku was a piece of clay and he wanted to see what kind of a masterpiece he could be with the touch of Shigaraki's hands.

Shigaraki leaned closer to Izuku's face, the ends of his hair tickling. Just like before, Shigaraki reached to wipe blood off Izuku's forehead, looking at it on his fingers for a moment, like he was making sure that Izuku could see that beautiful crimson color on his skin, before he licked it off. Izuku's eyes were stuck on Shigaraki's mouth. When he finished cleaning his fingers, there was a smear of blood on his lower lip. Izuku wanted to lick it off.

Shigaraki let out a contented sigh, one that Izuku had heard before...he then leaned to press his mouth on Izuku's neck. Softly, he began kissing his way down Izuku's skin, his hands caressing the skin he was not kissing, leaving goosebumps behind. Izuku gasped as Shigaraki sucked lightly at the skin by his lower ribs.

The kisses continued lower, and lower...instead of continuing where Izuku wished them to, Shigaraki began suckling at the skin by his adonis belt, his inner thighs. The only touch where Izuku wished it to be, was the faint ticklish caresses of the ends of Shigaraki's hair.

Izuku groaned in frustration, his muscles tensing and relaxing under Shigaraki's ministrations. Slowly, Shigaraki began making his way up. From Izuku's navel, Shigaraki licked one straight line up to his collarbones, sending shivers all over his body.

The cold hands kept caressing Izuku's body all over, as the mouth finally separated from Izuku's skin.

"Impatient, huh?" Shigaraki whispered to Izuku's ear, his hand making its way slowly between Izuku's legs, the touch so soft and gentle, it was barely there at all. Izuku was trembling in Shigaraki's arms.

"Please," he moaned, voice desperate and strained. "Please, Shigaraki.”

Shigaraki groaned into Izuku's neck, his breath tingling over the skin there. And finally, Shigaraki took a hold of Izuku's cock, and stroked him. Izuku could no longer hold back the moan-

His eyes snapped open to see his own room. He was panting and sweaty. He could still feel the echoes of a breath on his neck. He sat up on his bed, noting that he had apparently kicked his blanket into the foot of his bed. Izuku felt shivers on his skin as the wind caressed over his body-

He snapped his gaze to the window. Oh. It was slightly ajar. That explained the imaginary breath on his skin, and why the room felt so cold. He must have forgotten to close it, though he could not remember opening it.

Izuku got up from his bed, trying to ignore the way he was straining in his boxers and quickly shut the window fully, double checking that it wouldn't open. He returned to his bed and pulled his covers back over himself, already forgetting what he had dreamt of.

****

"Oh my god, Midoriya!" he heard the yell and before he could even fully comprehend what happened, Kaminari had pulled him into a bone crushing hug. "I am so sorry bro, the dog came out of nowhere and my car is - well, was - absolute crap, I was just trying to dodge it, and with the slippery pavement - I don't know what happened! I just lost control, and then suddenly you were right there, I thought I killed you for a moment!”

"Hey, I'm okay," Izuku separated from his worried friend to take a look at him. Kaminari had a bandage on his head as well, and quite a lot of bruising. His nose was also pretty wrapped up. "Are you okay though? I've been worried.”

"Me? Yeah, it's just a few stitches and a broken nose, nothing worse. But seriously, you promise you're okay? I'm so, so sorry.”

"Calm down, Kaminari. I promise I'm okay, didn't even need stitches." Izuku placed his hand on Kaminari's shoulder. "I'm just glad that you're alright.”

Kaminari looked like he still wanted to disagree, but after Midoriya gave him a pointed glance and squeezed his shoulder, he relented. "Yeah, okay. You're right. It's just- shit. You were right there. I was sure you were gonna end up a splatter between our cars.”

Izuku grimaced at the mental image. "I might've. But...Shigaraki pulled me out of the way.”

"Shigaraki? He was there too? I didn't even notice!" Kaminari exclaimed. "Should I apologize him too...he kinda scares me to be honest. Do you think he's pissed off at me?”

"Huh? Oh, no. He's fine. Not a scratch on him." Izuku responded, having for a moment gotten caught in Kaminari telling he had not even seen Shigaraki. That was not odd, he tried to reason. Kaminari was in the car, and he hit his head pretty hard. It made sense that he would not remember everything clearly from the accident.

Just like Izuku himself had hit his head. His own memories were not trustworthy either. It made sense.

The rest of the day, Kaminari still seemed to feel guilty about the incident, giving Izuku these sad glances. Izuku kept assuring him, that it really was not his fault, and they should just be happy nothing worse happened.

Kaminari was not the only one who had been worried though. The next hug attack came from Uraraka, who looked close to bursting into tears, while hitting Izuku's arm and telling him off for not informing anything to them during the weekend.

It was then that Izuku realized how much his new friends already cared about him. Despite the circumstances, his heart swelled with affection.

Iida held almost a lecture, rambling on like Izuku usually did, until finally relenting and telling Izuku that he too had been worried and was glad that Izuku was alright.

Even Todoroki expressed, in his own odd way, his relief over Izuku being okay. It warmed his heart. He just hoped Kaminari would stop looking at him with such apologetic glances. He was not sure how many more times he could assure to the other one that he was not mad before he snapped.

Overall, things were good. At least until Izuku saw him.

It was the end of the day. Izuku had just left the building, and was starting to walk - since his car was not an option at the moment - to home. While he walked, he was lazily browsing one of his biology books. He raised his glance, only for a moment, to make sure he would not walk into anyone. It was then that he saw Shigaraki.

He stopped on his steps, body flaring hot and cheeks flushing. He knew he must have been painfully red in his face. Izuku had not realized that he was still this angry at Shigaraki. But there it was, swirling at the bottom of his stomach, thrumming just at his fingertips.

But he knew that Shigaraki was lying to him. It was possible that some of the things he had seen had been made by his imagination, but not all of it. He was certain that he had seen Shigaraki smoking with the strange blonde man at the other side of the parking lot. It was not possible for Shigaraki to have made his way to Izuku's car in that time. He had still been there when Izuku had gotten to his car.

So, he was lying. On top of that, he had been taunting Izuku at the hospital, when all he had asked for was the truth. Shigaraki made him angry. It seemed to be a unique skill of his, as Izuku usually did not get this angry at people. But he believed that he had good reasons to be this angry. Though, a part of him...enjoyed the feeling Shigaraki caused. It made him want to go over to Shigaraki, grab him and push him against a wall.

Izuku's breath wavered. His mouth felt dry and his chest tight. It became too much, and he had to look away. Shigaraki was like the sun, worthy of songs and poems written of him, but if one looked at him for too long, they would go blind.

And going too close, would burn them into nothingness.

Yet, like Icarus, Izuku wanted to go closer. To demand answers. To find out what it was about Shigaraki that made him feel like this, to find everything out about him. Had he pulled Izuku out of the way? How did he make his way so fast to Izuku? What was it about him that made him seem like he was above the rest of them, despite clearly being an outcast.

What was he hiding behind those red eyes? Izuku needed to know everything. Scientific fascination, he would say if asked.

Izuku closed the book in his hands, not even bothering to attempt reading it. The words had lost all their meaning the moment he had seen Shigaraki.

He allowed himself to look again. Shigaraki was wearing very similar clothes as last time, except...he was not wearing the jacket. Instead of wearing the black long coat he had had on every single day, Shigaraki was wearing a small black cloak over a light grey kimono.

Izuku let out a huff, frustration starting to build up in him. He could not even look if the tears were still in Shigaraki's jacket, because he had not worn it. It seemed too purposeful. Anger, was a great way to drown one's sense.

Almost as if he had heard Izuku, Shigaraki turned to look at him. Izuku was likely imagining the challenge in his eyes, but he still responded to it, and started to walk towards Shigaraki.

The edge of Shigaraki's lip quirked a bit when Izuku got to him. If Izuku was out of breath, or if his heart was beating faster than was healthy, well it was merely because of the fast paced steps he had taken.

"Midoriya," Shigaraki said as a way of greeting, not bothering to stop. He knew Izuku would follow. And he did.

"Shigaraki," Izuku responded, trying to at least sound normal. No reason to be impolite, just because Shigaraki happened to light a rather fierce fire in his veins.

Shigaraki assessed him with a pervasive look that made Izuku's skin tingle. Suddenly he did not feel as confident as before, words disappearing from his mind.

"How are you?" Shigaraki asked before Izuku could gather his thoughts enough to form a sentence.

"I- fine. You?" Izuku responded.

"Well I'm just fine. May I ask what's got you so...heated? You look like you're heading for a war.”

Izuku did not like the ease in which Shigaraki had noticed how shaken up he was, but he also was not surprised. Izuku had always worn his emotions on his sleeve.

He licked at his lips, trying to make his dry mouth co-operate. He shifted from one foot to the other, feeling shame burn inside him. Then his gaze hit on the small cape Shigaraki was wearing, and all that frustration boiled up.

"It wasn't adrenaline.”

Shigaraki made a confused expression, tilting his head slightly.

"I saw you on the other side of the parking lot, I know I did. And you...you didn't pull me away. I fell on the ground, the car would've still hit me... if something hadn’t stopped it.”

Shigaraki's expression melted into something more amused as Izuku talked. He still did not say anything, even after Izuku had finished talking.

"I thought it could've been an adrenaline rush," Izuku continued. "But that doesn't explain everything. Maybe you could've been fast enough to get there and pull me out of the way. But someone would've noticed you.”

Izuku had been thinking about all the possibilities more than he wanted to admit. He had sworn time and time again in the past few days, that he would not think about any of that. But the moment he let his mind wonder for even a blink…

"People can do crazy things under an adrenaline rush." Izuku's heart was racing under Shigaraki's gaze. "But they still get hurt.”

"End of the story then. I didn't get hurt. You were wrong," Shigaraki said, with a sugary voice.

Izuku drew in a wavering breath. "I know.”

Every possible theory Izuku entertained, led into the same conclusion. He hit his head, and his memories were not trustworthy. He was lucky that Shigaraki had happened to be close by to pull him into safety.

The tension between them was suffocating. Izuku did not want it to end.

"Mom told me to thank you for her.”

Shigaraki's eyes widened, just a bit, revealing his surprise.

"For saving me," Izuku cleared.

"Sure," Shigaraki said blankly.

Izuku kicked at a rock and watched it roll away. Shigaraki waited patiently. He bit at the inside of his cheek, trying to get rid of the trembling in his voice he knew would be there.

"What happened to your jacket?" he asked. His voice sounded weak even to his own ears.

"I wear different clothes sometimes," Shigaraki responded snarkily.

Izuku nodded. "Sure. I just...at the hospital. I noticed it'd gotten torn up from the back. What happened? I don't think it was like that before.”

Shigaraki's eyes widened for a moment, before coming to rest with a intense gleam to them. His other hand came to scratch lightly at his neck. The black fabric of his gloves contrasting the lack of color in his hand.

"I'm not sure...I don't remember," Shigaraki shrugged.

Izuku clenched his jaw. "Don't lie to me.”

Shigaraki chuckled. "What do you think happened? What do you think you're gonna discover? I answered to your questions, it's hardly my fault you don't believe me.”

"You're keeping something hidden.”

"And what makes you think you deserve to know my secrets?" Shigaraki asked, but he did not sound angry. It merely seemed like he was amused by Izuku.

Izuku knew he should let the the topic drop while it still was like that. It would be more than understandable for Shigaraki to get pissed at Izuku's pestering. He should not take risks and continue pushing.

"Why'd you even save me? Seems like an inconvenience if you want to keep your secrets to yourself," Izuku muttered, regretting the words as they left his mouth. He had not meant to be so harsh and accusatory.

"Believe it or not, I don't want your blood spilled in a measly car accident," Shigaraki sighed.

"So you admit? You're hiding something?”

"I didn't say that," Shigaraki rolled his eyes. "You're very persistent.”

They walked in silence. A strong gust of wind wheezed past, throwing leaves and dirt into the air. Izuku winced as the cold air hit his bare skin. Shigaraki's hair flowed beautifully in the wind, almost like it was alive.

Izuku watched at the world around them. People were rushing to every direction. The spot on the parking lot where his life had flashed by in his eyes, looked no more special than the others.

He wiped a dry leaf of his jacket. The green trees around them were starting to show signs of yellow and orange. Red.

The image of red against white flashed in his mind.

"You licked my blood." The words were a whisper, so quiet he could almost hope Shigaraki would not hear them.

He did. Izuku knew he did.

Shigaraki stopped, and spun around, crowding into Izuku's space with one swift step. He placed his hand on Izuku's chest, pushing just lightly. Izuku staggered back, his breath hitching in his throat. Shigaraki smelled surprisingly good.

"You really should be more careful, Midoriya," Shigaraki sighed. "The truth is...I have no idea what you're talking about. You hit your head really hard, but it's okay. You're confused, you got into a really dangerous situation. You could've died. But like I said before, I simply pulled you out of the way.”

The pressure of Shigaraki's hand increased, and he leaned even closer. "And really...some secrets should stay as such.”

Izuku's head was spinning. He could see all the tiny details in Shigaraki's eyes from this close, the glimmering mirth and the dark shadows. He could see the few pale white eyelashes. He could see the scarring on his face, and a part of him wanted to run his thumb over them, just to feel.

Shigaraki's proximity was intoxicating.

Finally, Shigaraki pulled back and air returned to Izuku's lungs as he drew in a shaky breath. But he could not understand, why now all he wished was for Shigaraki to come closer again. Izuku wanted to fight him, to grab him by the wrist-

He tried to calm himself down. Shigaraki was looking at him with a fond look, yet the small smile on his face sent shivers down Izuku's back. It was threatening and he wanted run. To or from Shigaraki, he was not sure.

"You really should stay away from me," Shigaraki said, his raspy voice barely loud enough for Izuku to hear over the wind.

Then he turned and began to walk away, his small cloak and hakama flowing in the wind. He looked like a painting. For a moment Izuku entertained the idea of following him, but he was walking to the opposite direction of where Izuku needed to go.

Izuku felt dizzy over everything Shigaraki had said. He could not get a reading on him. He needed to find out Shigaraki's secrets from the tiniest details to those that would level cities. This need to find out, to analyze, it was familiar to Izuku. But never had it been this strong about just a single person.

Once Izuku got home, he took out all the books he had gotten from the library today, as well as pulling some from his bookcase. Then he began reading. Already in his mind he was forming a profile of Shigaraki, one that he had sworn he would not make.

Everyone had a right to privacy. It was...merely curiosity that got Izuku reading on red eyes and pale skin. If he wrote anything up on the - what had until now been empty - notebook next to him, well it was just general studying. None of it had to have anything to do with a specific someone.

Leaned over his desk, his back was starting to ache and his hands cramp. The sunlight began gradually to disappear. He got momentarily up to put the food warming up, before returning to his books. Once the food was done, he brought the plate up to his room and continued. His mother would not be home until late into the evening, so it was fine.

Only when his eyelids began protesting being open, and the words began dancing around on the pages did he give up. When he fell asleep, he dreamt of red eyes and a cold touch. Breath on his neck and blood everywhere.

Chapter Text

"You're coming to the beach with us, right?”

"Next week?" Uraraka nodded at Izuku. "Isn't it kinda cold?”

The autumn was knocking at their doors, reminding them of its arrival each day, and Izuku was still a bit lost on what to wear. If he put on enough clothes in the morning to not freeze on the walk to the campus, then he would be sweating on his way home.

Yet, no matter how much he disliked the combination of the cold and wet, Izuku had to admit that the trees looked beautiful with their multicolored leaves. In those rare moments when the sun peaked from the heavy curtain of grey clouds, and cast its light on the city, it made the nature look magical.

"Well yeah," she chuckled. "We'll probably just make a fire, hang out. That kinda stuff. Though, Kaminari has apparently already promised that he will go swimming.”

"Of course he has.”

"Some other guys are coming there too," Uraraka told. "Quite a lot actually. Not all of them are from this university, but you'll get along great. And if there's anyone you want to invite, that's also cool.”

"I don't think I know anyone here you don't," Izuku chuckled. "But that sounds great. I'll come. Should I bring something?”

"No need to. But if you want to, no one's gonna complain.”

Uraraka smiled at him happily, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She looked quite pretty. If Izuku had to say who he had gotten the closest to in his time here, it would definitely be Uraraka. He was lucky to have a friend like her.

"Midoriya is coming too," Uraraka announced cheerily to the usual group at lunch, pulling a seat for herself. Izuku pulled out a seat too, taking his usual glance around the dining hall. Heat flushed to his face when he actually saw Shigaraki. He was sitting alone in one of the tables for a change. Quickly Izuku focused back on the rest of the group and their discussion of the beach trip, pretending like he was not surprised at Shigaraki's unusual presence.

Not that Izuku knew what was usual for Shigaraki.

He toyed with the chopsticks in his hand, nodding at what the others were saying. His mind felt blank. There were some plans made on carpooling, on which Izuku wanted in on, now that he did not have his own car.

After agreeing on how the carpooling would go, the discussion turned to what kind of drinks should be brought. Izuku did not know much about that - he had not really gotten any opportunities to go anywhere during high school - and he zoned a little bit out of the conversation, only coming back when he noticed that Todoroki was looking at him oddly.

Todoroki had not contributed much to the conversation either, which was pretty normal, but now he was looking at Izuku like there was something about him he could not quite figure out. Few times his eyes flickered to look at something over Izuku's shoulder. Izuku met his gaze, quirking his brow a bit in question.

Upon realizing that Izuku had noticed him looking, Todoroki straightened up. "Shigaraki is staring at you," he stated blankly.

Shivers ran down his spine. Drawing in a breath and shaking off the tension those words had caused. Izuku's hand gripped at the edge of his chair. He turned to look into the direction Todoroki had been - not the least bit subtly - looking as well.

Shigaraki was still alone in one of the smaller tables, slumped against his chair with a bored expression on his face, which disappeared as soon as Izuku responded to his look. It was replaced by a smug, satisfied smile.

Izuku's hold on his chair tightened. The frustration from before returned, a simmering heat at the bottom of his stomach.

Holding Izuku's attention, Shigaraki motioned at the empty chair in front of him. When Izuku did not move, he crooked his fingers in a clear invitation. Izuku's palms were sweaty. Todoroki was looking at him with a raised brow.

"I'll...I'll go see what he wants. Maybe he'll want to come sit with us," Izuku mumbled, quickly collecting his food and bag. He walked over to Shigaraki, who was looking smug as ever.

"Hey, Shigaraki. You want to join us?" Izuku said, trying to keep his voice cheery.

Shigaraki did not have any food with him, except for one red apple. He was absentmindedly running his fingers over the top of the fruit, looking at Izuku. "No...I don't think I do.”

Shigaraki kicked lightly at the other chair, and motioned at it again. "You should join me.”

"There's enough room for both of us in there," Izuku nodded into the direction where the others were, hesitant to just ditch his friends. Hesitant to sit on the chair in front of Shigaraki.

"I know," Shigaraki said, not making even the slightest indication that he was going to move.

Irritation flared in Izuku. Yet, he sat down, sending an apologetic look to the others. None of them looked too disappointed about Shigaraki not joining.

"Tell me more about yourself," Shigaraki said once Izuku turned back towards him. He was toying with the apple in his hands. Red against white. Izuku shivered and looked away.

"Huh? Not much to tell," he muttered. "I'm pretty basic. I study biology.”

Shigaraki did not let Izuku's lack of topics or enthusiasm halt him. "Alright. Why do you like it?”

"Oh, well..." Izuku moved the noodles in his bowl around, trying to gather his thoughts. This was not the first time this had been asked from him. "I...I find life fascinating. I wan't to know how things work, how they survive. I like analyzing things, you know, figuring out the how's and the why's...how different lifeforms have evolved into the traits they are...and why those traits..." he trailed off, unsure. But when he looked up, Shigaraki was still looking at him, with a genuine expression. Like he actually wanted to know what Izuku had to say.

Izuku took a mouthful of noodles so he would not have to keep talking.

"It suits you," Shigaraki said lowly. Izuku quirked a brow. "Life," Shigaraki clarified. "You're so very...alive.”

If Shigaraki only knew how alive he made Izuku feel. But he could barely make sense of it himself. He just knew that Shigaraki lit something in him. Izuku had of course tried to make sense of that as well. So far his theory was that Shigaraki had a special skill of pissing Izuku off, which caused adrenaline to take over. And now Izuku was addicted to that feeling. Like a drug.

Maybe this was what got men to want to fight each other, to throw their opponent onto the ground, manipulate their body as they wished, prove their own power. Izuku had never understood the wrestling matches his peers would have in middle school, but with Shigaraki...maybe he was just a loner back then. Maybe it was all about the right person.

Izuku wanted to fight Shigaraki, to feel his skin against his own. He wanted to overpower Shigaraki. He wanted Shigaraki to overpower him. He felt heated from the thoughts and took a sip from his water to cool himself down.

"Is that a compliment?" Izuku finally managed to ask, having gotten his thoughts under control.

"Depends," Shigaraki smirked. "Do I need to run away too, if it was?”

Izuku scowled. "You're such an ass.”

Shigaraki looked satisfied of this response. His fingers were tapping against the red skin of the apple, so long and elegant, black nail polish almost fully chipped away.

"Do you have any siblings?" Shigaraki asked next.

"No," Izuku responded. "Why'd you ask me here?”

Shigaraki shrugged. "Maybe I just wan't to know more about you.”

Izuku tried to evaluate whether or not Shigaraki was being genuine, but he could not get a proper read on him. "Didn't you just tell me that I should stay away from you?”

"You should," Shigaraki agreed. "It would be the smart thing to do. But...clearly you're not going to. And I sure as hell am not going to make you.”

Shigaraki was so infuriatingly smug. That smirk on his face made Izuku's blood boil.

"Why do you even think that I should stay away from you?" Izuku asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. "I mean, apart from your obsession of making me look like an idiot," he added.

"You think so highly of me, Midoriya," Shigaraki said. "But you've never needed my help with that.”

Izuku blushed, even though he knew Shigaraki was very much right. "You didn't answer.”

"You get so red, it's ridiculous," Shigaraki said, eyes roaming over Izuku's face, undoubtedly making his blush even worse. "Makes your freckles pop out. Adorable.”

"Shut up, Shigaraki," Izuku muttered trying to hide behind his hand.

It was slightly muffled, but Izuku heard a sound that raised all the hairs in his body. Shigaraki laughed, soft and quiet, like he was trying to hold himself back. A crack in his self control. Izuku did not know much, but he knew he wanted to hear more of it.

"Alright, I'll stop teasing. Don't hide from me," Shigaraki finally managed to stop laughing.

Izuku dropped his hand, and picked up his chopsticks, just to have something else to occupy his attention with.

"What about you?”

"What about me?”

"Do you have any siblings?" Izuku thought it was just fair that he should learn more about Shigaraki as well. And he really was curios about the other man.

Shigaraki was quiet for a moment, contemplating something. "I had," he finally responded. "A sister.”

"Oh- I'm sorry," Izuku said horrified, realizing what Shigaraki's words meant. "I didn’t-

"It's fine," Shigaraki thankfully cut in. "It was a long time ago.”

Shigaraki sounded honest and calm. Not like he was hurt of offended by Izuku’s question in anyway. Nonetheless, a silence fell upon them. It seemed that neither one knew what to say. Though, Shigaraki did not seem to be as bothered by it.

“Shigaraki-”

"Tomura," Shigaraki cut in again.

"What?”

"You should call me Tomura," he responded. "I think we're close enough friends by now.”

Izuku opened his mouth in surprise, his eyebrows shooting up, but he nodded, despite feeling a dazed. "Okay. Tomura." It sounded nice on his mouth. Tomura looked pleased.

"You consider us friends?" Izuku asked softly. Not once had he even thought of the possibility among all the other thoughts of Tomura that kept racing in his mind. All of their interactions seemed so aggressive. They never spend time for the sake of it. The most friendly they had been, was during the history lectures. Since Izuku had confronted Tomura about the incident with the car, most they had done was exchange few words here and there.

"Yes," Tomura responded, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. It felt nice, while also making Izuku want to sprint away.

Tomura was really good at getting under Izuku's skin and making him irritated or a blushing mess. But Izuku liked Tomura. Really liked him. And a part of him feared that he would do something awful to sully this. He already feared losing their friendship - though it had literally just begun.

He wanted to say all of this aloud, to explain to Tomura all the ways in which Izuku feared, and all the ways in which he admired Tomura. It seemed too heavy.

"You're not hungry?" was what he instead settled on.

Tomura's eyes flickered to the apple, still in his hands. He twirled it around a few times before responding. "I am. Just... not in the mood for this.”

Tomura looked at apple more intensely than anyone should look at a simple fruit. It was a deep, rich, red color, so like his own eyes. Izuku wondered if he could ever see anything red without thinking of the eyes right in front of him.

The chair screeched against the floor as Tomura got up. Izuku straightened himself, feeling unsure as Tomura towered over him.

"You can take it," Tomura said softly, holding out the apple at the palm of his hand, offering it to Izuku. It felt significant. A test.

"Thank you," he said and accepted the fruit.

His skin tingled from the spot their fingers had grazed.

"I gotta rush off," Tomura said slowly, resting his hand on the table, so close to Izuku's. "But...we'll see later, alright, Izuku?”

Izuku swallowed. He had never paid attention to how nice his name sounded like when said by different people. But the way Tomura said it, lit him up.

"Yeah... yeah, I'd like that," Izuku nodded, looking up at Tomura. He frowned a bit when Tomura made a move to leave. "You didn't eat anything. You should-“

"I'll eat later," Tomura waved with his hand dismissively. Izuku's expression must have betrayed his worry. A small soft smile appeared on Tomura's face, turning Izuku's stomach upside down. "I promise I will. No need to worry about me.”

"Alright," Izuku said uncertainly. "If you promise.”

He did not want to overstep, but he also could not help but to worry about his...friend. Yes, they were friends. Just the thought warmed him.

"I promise," Tomura said softly and left.

****

Izuku glanced up at the sky, adjusting his raincoat hood. It was black and quite long, not really something he would wear for fashion, but it kept him somewhat dry. His red sneakers did not handle the weather that well.

He placed his earbuds into his ears, and began to reluctantly walk towards home. The rain seemed to be getting heavier, beating against him. His pants were already soaked at the shins. Izuku shivered from the cold, and kept walking.

On hindsight, it took him far too long to notice the car driving slowly next to him. When he did, he startled and tripped on a hole in the pavement.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed, managing to catch himself with his hands. His knee had hit the ground painfully and he knew he would get an ugly bruise there. The skin of his hand - which was just starting to heal - had re-opened, and now there was a similar scratch on his other palm.

As he had fallen, his earbud had fallen out and was now dangling in front of him, allowing him to hear the cackling coming from the car.

"Really funny," he muttered, pushing himself up. Tomura's car window was open, and he was still laughing behind his hand.

"Is this like a common thing for you? Do you ever not have an injury on you?" Tomura teased.

Izuku did not bother to answer. Mostly because the answer was kind of embarrassing. Instead he wiped the dirt off himself and his palms. It mostly just made it move around, but it allowed him to focus on something else than the glint in Tomura's voice.

"Couldn't bother to use your superpowers to save me this time?" Izuku snarked, giving up on trying to clean himself up.

"It's raining out there," Tomura pursed lips in distain.

"Is that your kryptonite? Rain?”

"Yes," Tomura smirked.

"I think you picked the wrong place to live in. You should've thought of something like...Sahara," he said with a false seriousness. With him standing and Tomura sitting, Izuku felt a bit more confident, contrary to how he had felt during lunch. Though, Tomura was not nearly as on edge as Izuku had been. In fact, he looked quite pleased.

"Perhaps," Tomura said, wetting his lips. "But then I wouldn't have you providing me entertainment. How would I survive?”

Izuku rolled his eyes. "Was that why you were tailing me? Waiting for entertainment?”

"I wasn't tailing you...just, following you.”

"Same thing," Izuku snorted. "Are you trying to find out where I live?”

Tomura's mouth widened to a smile, his hand coming to cover it again. Izuku wanted to move it away. "What makes you think I don't already know where you live?”

"Do you?"

"Yes." Izuku squinted at Tomura, who let him wait in the tension for a while before chuckling. "Your mom invited me in.”

"What? Why? When?”

"A while ago. My phone was out of battery and she let me charge it there.”

Izuku nodded. That sounded like a very Inko thing to do. She was such a nice person. It was one of the major reasons he admired his mother so much.

"Well, why were you following me then?”

Tomura nodded at the empty seat next to him. "You want a ride home? Unless, of course you'd like to walk out there. Looks refreshing.”

"Really?" Izuku's eyes widened. "That would be super nice- it's not a too big of a bother is it?”

"I wouldn't have offered if I minded," Tomura said adamantly.

"I- alright then, thank you.”

Tomura reached to open the other door and motioned for Izuku to get in. Izuku hurried quickly to get out of the rain. He felt bad about wetting Tomura's car seat, but Tomura did not seem to care, just telling Izuku to close the door so the rain would not get in.

It was nice car, thought it seemed to be quite an old model. The radio was clearly not a part of the original design, and seemed to have been separately added, as well as the seatbelts. It fit Tomura.

"Show me your hands," Tomura said, once Izuku got settled in.

Izuku brought his hands in front of him, palms up. The skin had gotten torn and there were drops of blood collecting to the surface.

A small quiet sound escaped Tomura when he saw it. Izuku wondered if he did not like seeing blood. He knew some people were squeamish. Not that he had seemed that way in the crash-

He shook the thought off.

Tomura reached for the glove compartment and pulled out a package of wet wipes, dropping them on his lap. He then reached for Izuku's hand, taking it into a surprisingly gentle hold. He was still wearing the odd gloves.

"Your hands are so cold," Izuku breathed out.

"Weak blood circulation," Tomura said, with what almost seemed like amusement. He took a wipe from the package and began carefully to clean Izuku's hand.

Once Tomura was done, he threw the used wipe to the backseat floor, and took Izuku's other hand. When Izuku started to feel a bit dizzy, he realized he had been unintentionally holding his breath while Tomura was touching him. He quickly sucked in some air, trying to be subtle about it.

Judging by the way Tomura's lips twitched, he had not succeeded, but neither of them mentioned it.

"There you go," Tomura released Izuku's hand, and threw away the used wipe. It landed somewhere on the floor with the other.

"Thanks," Izuku said, feeling breathless.

"My pleasure," Tomura said lowly, and reached for the glove compartment to place the wet wipe package back in to it. Izuku could smell him, as he leaned closer. There was something very pleasant about Tomura's odor. It reminded Izuku of old books and houses, but in a pleasant sense. The kinds one could not help but get lost into, too enamored by their mysteries. Really, a fitting description for Tomura as well.

Once the glove compartment was closed, Tomura returned to his seat and reached to twist the key on the ignition. The car roared back into life with a satisfying rumble of the engine. As the car turned on, so did Tomura's radio. Music filled the car. Well, 'music' was a stretch. Izuku would describe the sound more like a migraine made into sound. His brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of what he was hearing, but then Tomura hit the radio and the 'music' dwindled off.

"You have an awful music taste," Izuku blurted out.

"Oh shut up," Tomura shot back. "I have a broad music taste. I get bored easily.”

"So you decided to just listen to... all music at the same time?”

Tomura rolled his eyes. "You think you're hilarious, huh?”

"You love it," Izuku shot back, with confidence he was not used to feeling. Maybe Tomura could have an effect on him that was not just making him a stuttering mess.

"I do," Tomura sighed. Izuku felt like he might melt.

"What about you?" Tomura then asked, glancing from the road at Izuku. "What kind of music do you like?”

"Oh, well. I don't know, what's on the radio mostly, I guess.”

Tomura nodded as if what Izuku had said was something truly important and interesting.

"What's your father like?" Tomura suddenly asked, making Izuku tense up. He did not want to sully the moment by talking about his father.

"I mean, I know your mother but I don't know anything about your dad. You lived - before - with him, right?" Tomura continued.

"Yeah well, can't say much else," Izuku muttered, unable to keep the bitterness out from his voice. "Barely know a thing about him either.”

Tomura tilted his head, a small line forming between his brows.

Izuku sighed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to whine. I did live with him, or at least in his house. It's just- by the time I was thirteen I was lucky if I saw him once a week. He always had something more important to do and I was 'old enough' to be alone. The older I got the longer he spent away. Sometimes it was months at a time, and I had no clue where he was.”

Tomura was silent for a moment. The air in the car felt heavy, but Izuku's chest felt surprisingly lighter. He had not actually voiced his bitterness to anyone before. It felt good.

"You're not whining," Tomura finally said, voice trembling as if he was holding himself back. "Your dad sounds like a rotten piece of shit. You're an amazing person, Izuku. He's missing out on that. And I'll never mind hearing about your troubles. I want to know you, the good and the bad.”

Izuku's eyes felt glossy and he blinked the tears - ones he refused to acknowledge were there - away. Tomura sounded genuine. It made Izuku's chest hurt.

"Th- thank you. But...it's okay, he's not that bad. Just distant.”

"Then he shouldn't have gotten a kid," Tomura said angrily. "He should appreciate every aspect of you, he should prioritize you over his own life. That's what being a parent should be. He doesn't deserve a child as good as you.”

Izuku had to turn away from Tomura to hide the wetness on his face. The passion in which he was talking was so fierce. But it felt good, it felt like a glass of fresh water after years of drought.

"You resent him," Tomura said. It was not a question.

"I..." it was not something he said aloud. It was a thought that lingered at the edge of his consciousness in the early morning hours when his anger kept him awake. But it was not something to be spoken, for if it was, it would be real. "Yes,” he exhaled. “Yes, I...I honestly really fucking hate him.”

"Good," Tomura breathed out with satisfaction. "He doesn't deserve your love. Don't be ashamed of your feelings, Izuku. You're allowed to be angry, you should be.”

Izuku nodded, too choked up for words. Tomura did not rush him. He just focused on driving, the needle showing the speed dwindling just on the edge of the limit.

Izuku finally managed to get a hold of his voice. "So," he cleared his throat. "What about your parents?" he asked, wanting to turn the topic off of himself and to find out more about Tomura as well.

"Dead," Tomura responded blandly and Izuku wanted to punch himself.

"Shit, I'm so sorry- again- I didn't mean-“

"Don't piss your pants," Tomura slapped him gently on the shoulder. "I know you didn't know. Why would you? And really, I don't care. It was a long time ago.”

"What we're they like?" Izuku asked carefully. He found it hard to believe that Tomura did not care at all. "I mean...if you remember.”

"I was five, so it's a little fuzzy," Tomura told. "But...I remember some things. Mom was nice. Kind, caring.”

Tomura did not continue, but Izuku got the feeling he was leaving a lot of things unsaid. Sensing Izuku's expectation, Tomura flashed an apologetic smile at him.

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable. My family isn't a light topic.”

"You don't have to talk about it," Izuku assured. "But...if you want to, I won't mind. No matter how ugly.”

Tomura looked at him and he must have seen something very different than what Izuku saw in the mirror, because the admiration in his eyes was far too much.

"Maybe some other time," Tomura responded quietly. "Let's just say that...I understand how it feels to hate your father.”

Izuku nodded. He feared the pain Tomura must have gone through for him not to want to talk about it. Still, he wanted to know it, so he could understand Tomura and maybe, maybe make that pain a little less awful.

"Can I ask... if you lost them when you were five, who raised you?”

"My Sensei," Tomura responded. There was admiration, teetering on devotion on his voice. "He gave me everything, he taught me everything. He saved me.”

"I'm glad you had someone," Izuku said.

"Me too," Tomura agreed, yet Izuku sensed a shadow in his words. There was still so much he did not understand. The more he found out about Tomura, the more questions he had.

The trees fleeted in the windows, rain still beating on the car. Despite the less than cheery topics, the silence was not uncomfortable. It merely allowed both of them to breathe and to come down. They were getting closer to his home, and a part of Izuku dreaded the drive ending. He wanted to spend more time with Tomura.

"Hey...there's this hang-out at a beach that some of my friends are organizing. They said I could also invite people, and I just wondered... if you wanted to come?" Izuku asked quickly, before he could chicken out. He was not sure why he felt so nervous again.

Tomura's silence made the dread inside him worsen.

"I'll think about it," he eventually said. The car curved to Izuku's home street.

"Yeah, of course. It's cool either way.”

"Alright," Tomura said with the echo of a smirk to his voice. "We're here.”

He parked the car on the driveway. Neither of them moved.

"You gonna get off?" Tomura asked.

"Um- yeah, yes," Izuku scrambled to open his seatbelt. He was burning, and Tomura's eyes on him were like gasoline. "I- thank you. For the hand. I mean- you know. And the ride. Home. Ride home. Thanks.”

"Anytime," Tomura nodded. "In fact," he reached for the glove compartment again, and pulled a pen from there. He then took Izuku's hand to his gentle hold and rolled up his sleeve. Izuku had to make mental note to remind himself to breathe. On his forearm, Tomura wrote a series of numbers. For some reason Izuku's palms were sweating, and he was praying that Tomura would not notice.

"If you ever need a ride," Tomura finished, still holding Izuku's arm. "Or... something else.”

"Okay," Izuku nodded, throat dry. "Thank you.”

Tomura gave him a smile, letting go. His cold touch lingered on Izuku's skin.

"Alright. I'll go. Thank you," he said, finally opening the door. It was still raining outside, but he could not really find it in himself to care as he stood there.

"You already said that.”

"Yeah. Sorry. But thank you. Um- I'll see you.”

"Certainly.”

Izuku rushed inside, his clothes already getting soaked in the short time. He kept glancing back at Tomura, who seemed certain to stay there watching that Izuku made it to the door.

Chapter Text

"So, what did Shigaraki want?" Uraraka asked. "Yesterday, I mean. At lunch.”

Izuku rubbed at the back of his neck. For some reason the fairly innocent question made him feel flustered. "Oh, nothing really, he just-" he paused in thought. It was a question he had found himself asking far too many times recently and he still did not quite know what the answer was. What had Tomura wanted? "Company, I guess," he finished lamely.

"You could've invited him to join us, I'm sure no one would've minded," Uraraka said with perhaps a tad too much confidence.

Izuku knew his friends were not mean or judgmental, but Tomura was not exactly a person who radiate niceness. He was sure no one would have said anything aloud and probably would have made an attempt at including Tomura in the conversation. Still, Tomura had an effect on people. While no one might not have minded, Izuku was pretty sure he knew what they preferred.

Almost like sensing the direction Izuku's thoughts had taken, Uraraka nudged him gently with her elbow. "I mean it. Sure, he looks a little odd and a bit angry and like he would rather murder a person than talk to them, but if you're friends, I don't see why the rest wouldn't like him. Eventually.”

Izuku laughed lightly. "It's alright, I think he prefers being alone anyway. I offered for him to join us, but he didn't want to.”

"You've spent time with him," Ochako said, with something odd in her tone.

"Yeah, I guess so," Izuku nodded, not sure what Ochako's point was. It was still a bit odd though, he knew that. Izuku had not seen Shigaraki interacting with anyone from the school really, but for some reason he wanted to talk to Izuku. It felt wrong. Shigaraki was much too grand, like a main character, while Izuku someone forgettable in the side.

He ran his fingers over the ragged skin on his palms. The wounds Tomura had cleaned. The echo of cold skin against his own sent shivers down his back.

"I invited him to the beach," he said, focusing his gaze on his hands. "I hope that's okay? Though, he's still not sure if he will be able to make it.”

"Of course that’s okay! I'd love to meet him. It's always nice getting to know new people.”

Izuku smiled. Ochako was truly such a warmhearted person. He wished he made people even half as welcome as she made him feel. He was not sure how she and Tomura might get along, but he had high hopes.

His mind kept drifting off topic throughout the day. The lectures seemed more stale than usual, though he kept diligently taking notes. When he finally made it out of his last lecture of the day - it felt like it had lasted an eternity - his mind felt numb and useless.

Izuku shuffled along the halls, looking for a place he could just sit down for a moment. Instead, he found Tomura. He was not even surprised. Tomura appearing on his path out of nowhere continuously seemed like a constant theme of his life recently.

Rather than walking over to him, Izuku stayed further away and just looked. Sometimes Tomura reminded him of a ghost. When he was alone, or deep in his thoughts, there was this cold empty look on his eyes. Like he had already seen everything worth seeing. He moved amongst the people, but never with them. People seemed to only notice him once he had already passed them.

It was such an odd contrast to the way he could manage to demand the attention of every single person in a space without as much as opening his mouth.

Izuku's heart hammered in his chest.

Tomura's trailing came to a halt, and suddenly his entire ambience changed. It was nothing specific, as he did not even move. But whatever it was, it made the nerves in Izuku's body tense, his chest squeezing tight.

Izuku wanted sprint away.

He walked over to Tomura.

"Izuku," the raspy voice welcomed him before Izuku could announce his presence. A feeling so intense it was near nauseating passed within Izuku. He could not identify it, but it was becoming achingly familiar.

"Hey, Tomura," he said joyfully, not letting the thrumming feeling in his body show in his voice.

Tomura lifted his gaze to Izuku. In the harsh fluorescent lights, Izuku realized how much more darker his eyes were. He assumed that Tomura was merely wearing the contacts he had mentioned at the beginning of the semester. But no, he could still see red in them. Like blood from such a deep wound it looked almost black. But it was not. It was still red.

He pushed the thoughts off his mind.

"So, um- can you make it to the beach?" he asked instead.

Tomura's expression schooled into something apologetic, and Izuku felt his stomach drop.

"I'm sorry, Izuku.”

"It's okay," he hurried to assure, trying to not let his disappointment show. It was not even that big of a deal. "Really, no worries. It was on a really short notice anyway.”

"We can still see some other day," Tomura said, reaching out to tidy the collar of Izuku's shirt. His breath hitched when he felt the gentlest of brushes against his neck. By the time it registered to his mind, Tomura had already pulled his hand back.

"I'd like that," Izuku responded. It eased the disappointment he had felt, because at least he could be quite sure that Tomura was not actively trying to avoid him.

Tomura gave him a ride home, again.

****

Izuku tapped the end of his pen against his chin and frowned. The open notebook in front of him had not managed to make his thoughts any clearer despite the multitude of words on it. There were longer notes, as well as short, some barely sentences. Some of them were circled, lines connecting and pointing into other words. Some of the things had been crossed over.

Compared to how his notes usually appeared, it was downright horrendous how messy they looked. The shame of their existence was palpable in the words, trying to hide their true nature in the rushed handwriting. There was no structure, no cleanliness not even a tittle. Just a constellation of rashly written phrases, words and questions. The freshest marking on the page simply read ‘fluctuating eye color’.

He lifted his gaze from the paper as he heard a car veer into their yard, making enough noise to wake Izuku from the haze of his thoughts. Quickly - as though he was in danger of being caught doing something inappropriate - he slammed his notebook closed and rushed out of the room, grabbing his bag from the floor on his way.

Inko was sitting in the living room with a book in her hands. She looked up at him as he hurried to give her a kiss on the cheek with a goodbye.

“Have fun dear, and stay safe,” she said smiling as he left.

“Yes, mom,” Izuku nodded with a smile and headed out of the house.

Uraraka was already right there, on her way to knock when Izuku opened the door.

“Oh, Midoriya! Hi!” she greeted him happily.

“Hi,” he nodded, following her to the car that was waiting them. Kaminari was on the driver seat - after asking multiple times from Izuku if it was okay that he drove - with Iida on the other front seat. Izuku squeezed into the back with Uraraka and Todoroki. It was a tight fit, but none of them minded.

It was a nice ride, the conversation flowing between them naturally, with Todoroki being mostly quiet. But for some reason, Izuku’s mind kept drifting to the times he had been in Tomura’s car, comparing them. He did not know why, but he could not make himself stop. He tried to appear normal and focus on the conversations going on.

A bit into the ride Izuku noticed something else odd, namely, Kaminari. He kept glancing at Izuku, with a slightly puzzled expression. At first he assumed it was because of the accident and that Kaminari was still worried over it, but as it kept happening, he realized Kaminari was actually looking at him and Uraraka, pressed tightly together.

He blushed as he realized what Kaminari must have been wondering about. He had not really thought of it before himself, but he supposed that Uraraka was very pretty. Attractive, even. Just the kind of a girl that he always thought he would like. It was odd that the thought had not crossed his mind before, despite all the time they had spent together. He wondered if he should ask her out. Did she expect him to? But then again, he did not really have any evidence that she thought of him like that and he was not really one for brave shots into the unknown. He would leave it be for now.

The weather was not what one would describe to be a good beach weather, but it was not raining at the moment so it was good enough by their standards. Still, as their car curved to the beach and Izuku saw the waves lazily hitting to the shore, he shivered at the thought of even attempting to get into the cold water.

They got out of the car. Kaminari’s face brightened as he seemed to spot something further away from them. Or rather, some people, Izuku noted as he looked into the same direction.

“Eiji! Bro!” Kaminari yelled loudly and began running towards the other people. Izuku could see one of them - the bright red hair was easy to spot admits the gray sand - wave at Kaminari with excitement.

The rest of them followed at a more reserved pace, chattering as they walked to meet up with the others. Apparently their friends that did not go into the same university. As they got closer, a grin spread onto Izuku’s face. He could recognize then a very familiar face amongst the others. They were gathered around a fire that someone had set up - though not lit yet. As they got there, Kaminari jumped up from where he had been sitting next to the red-head and begun introducing the rest to Izuku with exitment.

“The pink haired is Ashido, that’s Yaoyorozu - she’s really smart, that’s Asui - she likes frogs, the one with the mask is Shoji and next to him is Sero, the goth is Tokoyami, the cute one is Jiro, this dude here is Kirishima and that grumpy one next to him is-”

“Katchan,” Izuku finished for him with a grin. “I didn’t know you’d be here too!”

“Shut up, Deku!” Katsuki groaned pointedly, glaring at Izuku, though still moving to make room next to himself for Izuku to sit down.

“You two know each other?” Uraraka asked eagerly, sitting down as well.

“I’ve known this nerd since we were kids,” Katsuki grumbled, ruffling Izuku’s hair less than gently.

“Right, you used to live here as a kid?” Kaminari cut in, interested as well.

“Yeah,” Izuku nodded. “And we usually spent time together during summers when I was here.”

The rest of the group were clearly interested to hear any embarrassing childhood tales, asking questions with interest.

As the evening progressed, multiple attempts were made to light up the fire. Maybe due to their skills or to the fact that moisture seemed to be covering everything, it was hopeless. Izuku saw Katsuki grow more and more frustrated as he followed the attempts made by his friends to light the thing. Eventually he began to help - by yelling ‘instructions’ at them. They still could not get it to light up.
They did not get a fire going until Todoroki - who had been having a quiet conversation with Sero - suddenly stood up and reset the slightly scorched woods all over again and with one match lit the whole thing in less than a minute.

This inspired loud jeers and applause that just made Todoroki frown. Soon the talking continued while some of the people broke off from the group to watch - or laugh - as Kaminari begun his attempt at swimming in the cold water.

“Hey, Midoriya,” Uraraka said, drawing in Izuku’s attention. “Is Shigaraki coming?”

“Oh. No, he couldn’t make it,” Izuku responded, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

Uraraka smiled at him in a manner that made him think that he had not been too successful at it. “That sucks. Maybe some other time?”

“Yeah,” he nodded.

The topic shifted elsewhere soon, but Izuku noticed that Katsuki seemed to have become strangely tense and kept giving odd looks at Izuku, ones that he could not quite put his finger on. Whatever it was, it was definitely not the same Kaminari had been giving him in the car.

After Kaminari had finished swimming - diving once and running immediately out of the water - the rest of the group returned and someone started passing around a bottle. It started getting more chaotic once Sero pulled out a bag of marshmallows, cookies and chocolate and began to attempt to teach Todoroki how to make s’mores. It seemed to Izuku far more difficult and even dangerous than it probably was supposed to be.

As he followed the mess growing with Todoroki’s confusion, Katsuki tapped him on the shoulder and nodded to the side. Then he stood up and began walking away.

Izuku followed after him, and for a while they just walked, getting further away from the rest. Darkness had began to shroud the beach into its hold and the wind had begun to turn colder. Izuku smelt the water, the sand and the smoke from the fire.

"You asked Shigaraki here?" Katsuki suddenly asked, breaking off the silence. It sounded like he'd been thinking about this for a while.

"Yes, I did. He couldn't make it," Izuku responded. "Why? Do you know him?”

"I know of him," Katsuki muttered. "How do you know him? And why would you ask him here?”

"I was told I could invite people.”

"Yeah, sure. But why him?”

Izuku shrugged. "I...wanted him here. We're friends.”

“Friends?" Katsuki repeated, with a tone that made it clear he did not find it believable.

"Yes, friends. What's so odd about that?”

"Why would you be friends with him?”

"What's your issue?” Izuku finally snapped. Katsuki seemed uncharacteristically cold and mean, even compared to how rude he could at times be, and Izuku was starting to lose his patience.

"Sorry, I just- I don't think you should hang around him," Katsuki said, as though it was a given that he was right and Izuku was being the stupid one.

"What the hell, Katsuki?" Izuku scoffed. "What does it matter to you who I hang out with? You're being more obtuse than usual.”

Katsuki seemed to realize he had crossed a line. He shifted awkwardly on his place. Izuku turned to look at the fire, everything around it getting swallowed deeper into darkness. He watched the way the flames danced, his breathing calming down.

"I didn't mean-" Katsuki began, but paused to groan in frustration. "Shigaraki is...bad company. I just want you to stay safe.”

"You don't even know him!" Izuku yelled, turning away from fire. Few heads turned to glance at them at Izuku's raised voice. He cowered slightly. It was usually Katsuki who struggled with controlling his volume.

The man in question just made a sour face. "He's not good.”

"I don't agree, and I've clearly spent more time with him," Izuku muttered. "So I think I'll just trust my judgement on this.”

"I've lived here longer!" Katsuki shot back. "Can't you just listen to me and stay away from him? I don't trust him! I definitely don't think he's safe to spend time with.”

"Why?" Izuku threw his hands in the air, anger boiling inside him. Katsuki had never been the most gentle person, but this was just mean. Izuku could not understand what his issue was and punching him seemed more and more like a good option.

Katsuki was the one to look into the fire now, jaw clenching. The light made the shadows on his face stronger, flickering and dancing on his skin. "He's dangerous,” he said quietly, but with certainty.

"He's not," Izuku instantly snapped. But his chest twinged uncomfortably. After all, Katsuki was voicing some of the same thoughts Izuku had had many times before. But it was different. Tomura was intimidating for sure, scary even. Not dangerous.

"You don't get it-“

"Well explain it to me!" Izuku cried out, frustrated.

Katsuki sighed and looked up, as if Izuku was greatly inconveniencing him.

"He lives with the older Shigaraki, I guess his adopted father or something. And that man is twisted, he uses people for what he wants and never gets into trouble. The Shigaraki's have lived here...always, and they are incredibly influential. His father lived here, and his grandfather before that and his great grandfather and so on. None of them grew up here, no one's ever seen a child. They just...move here at some point. My mom has warned me off of them, they're not people you want to associate with. If she knew you were hanging out with his son…"

"You don't actually have anything concrete," Izuku cut in. "So what if they've had family here for long, and so what if Tomura's adoptive father is 'twisted'? That doesn't mean anything. And I don't have a habit of judging people based on their parents.”

"I've met Tomura," Katsuki said the name mockingly. The hairs on Izuku's arms raised up. He did not want Katsuki saying Tomura's name. Especially in that tone. It was not Katsuki's to say, it was Izuku’s-

"There's something off about him," Katsuki continued, oblivious to the oddly possessive thought Izuku had just had. "He's creepy, and he's...dangerous.”

"Did he say something?" Izuku asked.

"Well, no. Nothing specific. It was just all the things combined, the way he talks and the way he looks at people like they're somehow beneath him, yet at the same time something to use..." Katsuki trailed off, unusually quiet. It was the only reason why Izuku was still even listening to him. He seemed genuinely worried. Scared. Katsuki's brow furrowed as he thought. "He is dangerous, Izuku.”

The thing was, as much as Izuku defended Tomura, he could understand Katsuki. There was something off about Tomura, he knew that. His presence was so powerful, even when it was clear that he did not care about the people around him or their opinions. He was intimidating, and he felt dangerous. Izuku knew that. He had felt it so many times himself. Like he was a prey and Tomura was considering whether or not he was worth the hunt.

Izuku was almost glad to have confirmation that Tomura had this effect on everyone. Though, not everyone reacted the same to it.

Because as dangerous as Tomura felt, Izuku could not get enough of him. Tomura was like a rollercoaster, something that seemed so terrifying yet exhilarating. The danger made one feel alive.

Not everyone liked rollercoasters. Some people could only see the danger, feel the fear. Izuku would not let Katsuki's fears tarnish this new friendship he had gained. Until Katsuki could give him actual reasons to stay away from Tomura, Izuku would trust his own opinions.

Rather than continue the fight, he huffed and turned around returning to the fire, leaving Katsuki to stand in the dark with a sour expression on his face. Izuku ignored him, instead getting into an easy conversation with Uraraka. The hot, red coals in the fire blinked at him, making him shudder.

Chapter Text

It was dark in the town. Evening making slowly way for the night to take fully over. Their breaths fogged in the air, a soft contrast against the darkening sky. Tomura was walking by his side, and Izuku was intimately aware of everything. His own breathing, his muscles tensing and relaxing as he walked. Tomura’s proximity. He felt as thought something significant was going to happen, something he had been waiting with excitement, counting the nights until. It was an addictive, static electricity right below his skin and he could not identify what was making it appear.

He thought of Katsuki’s warnings. Some days had passed since the trip to the beach, but the conversation - or rather a fight - still plagued his mind. His friend had seemed scared rather than angry, which usually was his favorite emotion. He had seemed to genuinely believe that he was working to keep Izuku safe.

Safe from Tomura.

Even now, as they walked side by side and their arms would sometimes brush against each other, adrenaline was pumping in his veins. He did wonder, when he could not control his thoughts from slipping that way, if it was because of what Katsuki had said. There was a possibility that his words had gotten to Izuku and now he felt as though he was in danger, when he was just with Tomura.

It was not because Tomura was dangerous, though. Well, not entirely. While realistically Izuku knew that Tomura was no more dangerous than any other blood-bleeding man on earth, his own body still had not quite accepted that. A primal instinct was telling him to run the other way and never look back.

But he was not afraid of Tomura because he seemed dangerous. No, he was in awe of him. Izuku could try stringing up sentences and sentences, fill books with them, just trying to describe this odd way he felt of Tomura and it still would not be enough. He could try painting whole churches like the masters did of those they worshipped, and it still would not be enough to translate this want into something concrete and understandable. Not even the greatest composers would be able to make this feeling into notes and sounds. This was a burden only for Izuku to carry. A taste for only him to taste.

He glanced at Tomura. He did not look dangerous or scary. Perhaps if Izuku did not already know him, the messy hair, odd clothes and sickly pale cracked skin would make his heart jump. Now it only jumped for entirely different reasons. Reasons he was not sure of.

"Do you know Bakugo Katsuki?”

The question was out of his mouth before he could overthink it. Tomura did not react at first, but Izuku knew he had been heard.

"Bakugo... Bakugo Mitsuki's son?”

"Yeah, that's him," Izuku nodded.

"I guess I've seen him around a few times, maybe exchanged a word once or twice, but I wouldn't say I know him," Tomura told with a shrug. "Why?”

Izuku wondered how much he should say. It was not so much that Izuku wanted to pretend that Katsuki was some sort of a saint - he knew very well that that was not the case - but a part of him was simply worried that Tomura would be hurt if he knew.

It might have been foolish, Tomura seemed to shrug off insults faster than they could land. Still, Izuku did not want him to know what Katsuki thought of him. Hearing things like that could not be pleasant. Just because one heard insults often did not mean they became nice. Izuku would know.

"He just mentioned some stuff about you, nothing important. Something about your- um, father?”

Tomura made a small humming sound, like Izuku's response had amused him. Izuku had a feeling he knew exactly what kinds of things Katsuki had said. But he did not seem to mind it.

"How do you two know each other?" Tomura asked.

"Childhood friends.”

"Oh. You're still close?”

Izuku rubbed at his neck."Well, he's kinda always been there. He is my best friend - though I've never been sure if it's the same for him. I didn't use to have that many friends, but he stuck with me. It sucked when I lived elsewhere, and I would only see him when I came here to visit mom. We still held in contact, but it was difficult," he trailed off. "And now...I don't know.”

Moving back there he had hoped that him and Katsuki would grow close again, like when they had been kids. But, Katsuki was now the one spending less and less time in Musutafu. They were closer than before, and they saw each other more often. When they did, it was like they had not been apart at all.

But it was not like it had been when they were kids.

Izuku glanced at Tomura and thought about all the other people he had gotten to know, all the friends he had made. Maybe it was okay that things were different.

"I get that. Hard to stay close to people you rarely see," Tomura said.

"Yeah," Izuku nodded. "Do you...I mean you used to live elsewhere too, did you have to leave friends behind?”

"I have friends," Tomura remarked snappily, picking up on Izuku's derailed question.

"Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to insinuate- I just- I was just wondering-“

Tomura rolled his eyes. "I stick to myself. Most people don't get along with me. And I rarely feel like putting in the effort is worth it. I prefer being alone.”

Izuku nodded, digesting the words. His brow furrowed in worry. "Am I-“

"Izuku," Tomura interrupted him before he could voice his worries. He looked at Izuku intensely, demanding all of his attention. "I am very, very selfish. If I want to be alone, I will be. I don't waste my time doing things I don't like.”

Izuku swallowed, shivers running down his body. His stomach was twisting oddly. He must have eaten something off…

The words caught up to him, and the understanding of what Tomura was saying hit him. He flushed hard and had to turn away.

Realistically, he had known that Tomura wanted to spend time with him. But having it put so rawly into words, it was having a strange effect on Izuku.

"R-right. Um, good," he stuttered, face hot. Thankfully, Tomura did not comment on his awkwardness, just continued walking as if he had not just practically slapped Izuku in the face with such affection.

"Anyway, you were about to- I mean- Your friends?" He cursed himself internally.

Tomura just nodded. "They all live in different places and move a lot. I don't particularly keep in contact with any of them, but every now and then we see. We come from...similar backgrounds. I tolerate them." He made a face. "Don't let them know I said that, if you ever meet. I hate them.”

Izuku chuckled. "Of course. Wouldn't want to ruin your edgy look.”

"What's that supposed to mean?”

"Nothing, nothing. You are very dark and scary.”

Tomura narrowed his eyes. Izuku could see a flash of amusement pass on his face.

"Maybe you should've listened to your friend," Tomura eventually said. Even in the dark, the red of his eyes was evident. There was no sign of the blackness that had been there just the previous time Izuku had seen him. He wanted to ask again, to find out every single thing about Tomura, to solve this frustrating puzzle in front of him.

"Maybe," he responded.

They continued walking. This meeting had not been planned. Izuku had just come to look for a book to help with a paper he was writing. It had not been available in the university’s library so he had had to go the public one. He had just stepped out of the library when Tomura had appeared out of nowhere, nearly giving him a heart attack.

Tomura had not been driving, but he had still offered to walk Izuku home, saying that it was not safe to walk around alone so late. Then he had completely ignored Izuku when he had pointed out that Tomura was doing the very same thing. Nonetheless, he agreed to walk with him. Though, with the pace they were going at, Izuku would be lucky if he made it home before morning. He found himself not minding that.

"What do you hate?”

"What?" Izuku was taken aback by the sudden question breaking the silence.

"What do you hate?" Tomura repeated.

It was not a question Izuku had expected, though he was starting to learn that he should never really expect anything with Tomura.

He thought about it. Tried to come up with something easy. A movie he disliked or a food. He could not think of anything, and a part of him felt as though Tomura would be disappointed with such an easy answer. But his head was empty. Like he had forgotten all the things that brought him displeasure. He also did not want Tomura to think ill of him. What if he said something Tomura liked? It was a stupid point, but still. Finally he settled on something.

"Arrogance.”

Tomura cocked his head. "Yet you spend time with me.”

Izuku frowned. "You're not arrogant.”

"A lot of people would disagree," Tomura chuckled.

"Well they're wrong, they-" 'don't understand you like I do,’ Izuku’s mind filled for him. He dispelled the thought. "They assume.”

He understood why someone might see Tomura as arrogant. He was rude, recluse and very direct. He did not like most people, confirmed by what he had just told Izuku.

"You're not arrogant. I mean, a little, sure. But everyone is. It would be stupid to dislike you because of it," he tried to explain. "Katsuki is arrogant too, I'm arrogant. More than you, I'd say. It’s overabundance of arrogance that I hate, when it starts to be the only motivation for anything. You're...self aware. But you don't think of yourself as above others, in more ways than what's true.”

"I hate people. They often frustrate me," Tomura argued back.

"Because you think you're better than them?”

Tomura narrowed his eyes, looking at Izuku appraisingly. "No," he eventually said. Izuku gave him a pointed look, as if to say; 'there you go’.

"Why do you hate arrogance?”

Izuku fidgeted with the zipper of his jacket. "Arrogance makes people push others down to make themselves seem taller. It makes people ignorant and refuse to learn, because that would mean accepting that they don't know. And it makes people assume that everyone thinks like they do.”

"You have strong morals," Tomura stated.

"I...I guess so. I want to be good, but I don't always know what that is," Izuku explained.

"You don't want people to hurt," Tomura said. A shadow that Izuku could not interpret colored his words. Excitement?

"Yeah...that's probably what it boils down to in the end," he agreed.

Tomura picked at the skin of his lips. "Do you think there are people who deserve to get hurt?" he asked, casually, like one would ask about the weather.

Izuku looked away. The moon was peeking from behind the clouds. Night had finally reached them. "I don't know.”

"You seem so desperate to find good in people," Tomura continued talking, like he was trying to solve Izuku. Was Izuku as much of a puzzle to Tomura as he was to Izuku? "You don't think people are inherently bad?”

"No," Izuku said. "I don't think were inherently anything. Especially something as subjective as good or bad.”

Tomura let out something akin to a chuckle. Izuku wished he could know what was going on in his head.

"Why do you hate people?" Izuku asked in turn when Tomura did not continue.

Tomura scratched at bare skin of his neck. It looked so soft and vulnerable, yet his nails strangely did not leave any mark behind, not even slight redness. Izuku wondered what would - if he could-

"They don't question things," Tomura began carefully, a slight frown on his face. "They're so naive and gullible. And so hopeful that someone'll come to fix their problems." He shrugged. "Maybe I'm just jealous.”

"Maybe you don't like the things that remind you of yourself.”

"Excuse me?" Tomura looked actually surprised this time.

"You're human too, you know. You talk like you’re talking about a different species to you." Izuku chuckled. "And I'm just guessing. We all have our blind spots after all. I'm sure you've got some too.”

Izuku's words definitely had an effect on Tomura, and for a moment he worried that he had angered the other man. So many emotions flashed on his face that Izuku worried he might get whiplash, but eventually a curios smirk took their place.

"What's yours?" Tomura asked.

‘You', Izuku thought, before schooling his thoughts. "I don't know. My faith in the goodness in people?”

He wondered how much those two things were tied together. Katsuki's warning echoed in the back of his mind, and just like every other time, he dismissed it, proving his point.

Tomura looked amused, and nodded lightly. "Not gonna disagree with that.”

"Well I just need to keep you around then," he said, feeling drunk on Tomura. It made him too brave and stupid. "And maybe I can make you see the good that does exist.”

Tomura sighed. "Sure.”

Izuku looked at Tomura. His hand was running along the scars on his neck. The scars looked old. Izuku wondered what his skin would feel like. Was it harsh or soft? He wanted to reach out and touch, run his fingers on the grooves of his skin. The scarring was heaviest around Tomura’s eyes. Izuku wanted to brush away those curls and take in every single detail.

Noticing where Izuku was looking at, Tomura lowered his hand.

"Bad habit," he muttered, ducking his head down, hair falling to cover more of his face.

"You've done all of that?" Izuku asked, forgetting all tact.

"Most of it," Tomura said, keeping his hands at his sides. Izuku was not sure if he was aware of the fact that with his index finger he was scratching at the side of his thumb.

"It's gotten better?" Izuku asked. He could not see any fresh marks on Tomura's skin.

"I...don't cause harm to myself anymore," Tomura explained vaguely. He seemed bothered in a way Izuku had not seen before, and disturbingly, that caused a strange rush within Izuku.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of," he said carefully.

"I'm not!" Tomura immediately snapped back, voice raised. The shadows made his face seem twisted and Izuku had to force himself to keep from jumping, like his heart just had.

"It's okay." Izuku tried to sound assuring, but not patronizing or pitying.

Tomura made a frustrated groan, his hand moving to his neck, hidden behind his hair. "I'm usually not. I don't care what people think of me. I don't care if they think I'm disgusting or ugly." His eyes flickered to Izuku. He looked conflicted. The next words were barely above a whisper. “What are you doing to me?”

"You're not," Izuku exhaled. When had they stopped walking? Since when were they this close to each other? "You're not disgusting or- or ugly.”

Tomura was the most beautiful person Izuku had seen. He captivated Izuku's eyes and mind, took over his free time and dreams. He should be immortalized on a canvas for people to enjoy even a fraction of him for centuries to follow.

Izuku decided not to mention any of that. It might be a tad too intense even for Tomura. And possibly not welcome coming from another guy. Not that Izuku meant it like that. He just appreciated beauty. He was confident enough in his own masculinity to be able to recognize when another man looked - Devine? Heartbreaking? Devastating? Sinful? - good.

Tomura stared at Izuku. A raw look on his face. The lights and shadows were having an unsettling effect on the way he looked.

Izuku's skin crawled.

"You're- " he paused, swallowing. "Pretty.”

Izuku was going to jump in front of a car. That was- what was that? He was completely paralyzed. His brain had logged out. Pretty? Out of all the things to say, he had settled on pretty?

Tomura's eyes had widened slightly at the word. He looked hurt. Izuku had definitely offended him. But then-

"Thank you.”

Izuku had expected the teasing that was familiar. Or maybe for Tomura to finally get mad at him and punch him in the face. He might have preferred either of those. He did not know what to do with this honesty. There was no joke to hide behind.

"I- " he wet his lips, Tomura's eyes following the motion. He had to look away. It was his turn to hide behind his curls. It did not work as well with his shorter hair. "Sure." His voice came out way too high pitched.

They continued walking and Izuku tried to resist hitting himself in the head. His entire body was stiff from the nerves. He tried to come up with something, anything to say that would make him feel less like wanting to die. This was what he got from being such a lonely child, someone shows him a tad of kindness and he has no idea how to deal with it. Had he scared Tomura away? Did Tomura think Izuku was an idiot? Izuku would not blame him if he did, as he was very much sympathizing with the sentiment. If it would not have put Tomura in danger, getting robbed or attacked right about then would have been a nice distraction.

"My mom tried to help with it," Tomura said, diffusing the tension. Not that it seemed that he cared of - or necessarily noticed - the tension.

"Oh yeah?" It took a moment for him to catch up, but once he did, he took the topic change gratefully.

"Hmm. She thought there might've been some issue with my skin, that that was what had been making me itchy," Tomura talked on mindlessly. It sounded like he was reminiscing of times from far before. He must have been quite young. "It never went anywhere, the issue was- is in my head. But she tried. Everyone else just told me to stop," Tomura's lip quirked up at something funny that Izuku was not privy to. "I...appreciated it. Even though it was frustrating. At least she tried.”

"She sounds lovely.”

Tomura just hummed something in response, not disagreeing but not really agreeing either.

"What about your...um...father? Shigaraki, I mean," Izuku asked, stumbling over his words. Father was not what Tomura had described the man as.

"My Sensei?”

Izuku nodded.

"Well...he helped the most. It's thanks to him that I have no new scars," Tomura explained. Izuku noted the odd wording. He was guessing that Tomura still struggled with the behavior but managed to hold himself back from causing any damage.

"How old were you when...when he took you in?" Izuku asked. "You were five when your family passed, right?”

Tomura nodded. Izuku was glad to see he had not poked at any sore spots despite the heavy topic. "It was.... relatively soon after. I've spent more time with him than I haven't.”

"Is he nice?" Izuku asked.

Tomura gawked at him. "He saved and raised me. He's like a father to me.”

"So…?"

Tomura chortled uncontrollably. "No, he's not nice," he said through his laughter. "He's nice enough to me."

Izuku laughed as well. Joy looked good on Tomura.

"He's charming," Tomura continued explaining, tone light. "Good with people, much more so than I am. He's the kind of a person to cheat you out of all your belongings, and still have you walk out of the situation thinking you won.”

Was that from whom Tomura had learned all… this? Izuku wondered if that was what was happening, if he was being cheated out of all his belongings. It did not feel like victory walking away from Tomura, though. Victory was the small laughter lines he had just seen. It was being close to Tomura, walking side by side with him. Was that worse? Did Izuku even care if it was?

"So, I do understand why your friend might be hesitant," Tomura smirked. Izuku was glad to not note any accusation in his tone.

"He's just overprotective.”

Tomura scoffed. "Funny. To me he always just seems angry.”

"That too," Izuku chuckled. "What are your friends like?”

"Well, I wouldn't call them - most of them at least - protective," Tomura told. “But I can trust them to be there when I need them. And I know I can trust them to do anything and to come to me when they need it. They also all know I can very much handle myself, so maybe there's just never a need to be protective. But overall they’re just a bunch of freaks.”

Izuku giggled at the sudden turn in Tomura’s voice. “What does that say about you?”

“Are you trying to insinuate something?" Tomura deadpanned.

“No,” Izuku said with mock seriousness. “I already knew you were a freak too.”

Tomura did not bother to respond in other ways but by glaring at Izuku, but there was affection in his eyes that made Izuku feel warm.

“Don’t worry. It suits you," he said teasingly. He liked the casual feeling with Tomura. His nerves were still fired up and he felt a bit like he had drank three cups of coffee, but it did not feel paralyzing like he sometimes felt with Tomura. "But, it sounds like they are important to you.”

“It is admittedly a sort of an 'I'm the only one who's allowed to kill them' situation," Tomura said blankly.

"Right," Izuku laughed. "I guess I get that. You said you all had similar backgrounds. What does that mean? If you don't mind-“

"I don't," Tomura cut in before Izuku could finish his question. He turned to look at Izuku. "Don't worry about asking shit from me, Izuku. If I don't want to answer, I wont. But you can ask anything.”

Izuku's breath wavered under Tomura's eyes. He swallowed, trying to make his mouth work. "Oh- okay. Um- same.”

Tomura smirked at his attempt at talking. "Anyway. Sensei has kinda helped us all. He didn't adopt any of the others, or raise them like me. But he has helped them out of...tricky situations. Sensei makes a lot of deals with a lot of people, helps and shit. That's how I met them. They kinda just...stuck. Now I can't get rid of them.”

Izuku was starting to understand some of the near worship that Tomura had in his voice when he talked about his Sensei. It was clear that he thought high of the man, beyond their familial relationship. He did sound like a powerful person. But one that had also helped a lot of people. There was probably a price, though. Especially with Tomura describing them as 'deals'. Hopefully nothing too unreasonable.

Though, Izuku had a small inkling that Tomura was not the most unbiased source when it came to his Sensei. Not that Izuku blamed him.

"Were they orphaned as well?”

"Orphaned, ran away, abusive parents and shit like that," Tomura said with a casual tone.

"Why does your Sensei help them?" Izuku asked carefully. "I mean it's nice that he does, but like...is he a kid person? Or is charity just his thing?”

This time Tomura did not immediately respond, instead he seemed to consider his words for a while. He was looking up, with a small crease between his brows.

"He's good at getting people to like him," he finally began, careful with his words. "And when people like him, they help him.”

Izuku frowned slightly. "Right. But- um. Helping kids, though. How can they help him?”

"They're not kids anymore.”

"Right.”

"Like I said. Not nice," Tomura said. He seemed to think about saying something else, but in the end he just sighed and moved on. "Anyway. All my friends know what he's like. It's an odd system, but it works. And you don't have to worry. He's not malicious. At least not without a reason.”

Izuku was not sure what to respond to all of that, so he just nodded.

They continued walking. Rain was falling from the sky, but it was so misty Izuku could barely feel it. It was only visible in the hazy lights from the street lamps. The moisture collected on his eyelashes.

The tension between them felt different than before, at least to Izuku. Tomura did not look bothered. Neither by the conversation, or by the cold air that was getting more and more biting each second. Izuku wanted to ask him if he was okay or if Izuku had overstepped. But he did not want to admit that he felt awkward.

He began thinking about Tomura's eyes again. It was a topic that seemed to haunt him, whether he liked it or not. Embarrassingly often those eyes had appeared in his dreams. Izuku was not sure what to make of that, expect that it was a clear sign to stop being so obsessed. A sign that he pointedly ignored.

There was really no goal for him. Izuku just wanted to understand everything. It was a mere curiosity. At least he would continue telling himself that. Tomura was just such an interesting and unique of a person, it was only logical to-

"None of my other friends are like you," Tomura suddenly spoke up, interrupting Izuku's train of thought. Tomura continued on. "I don't usually like people like you.”

"Thanks...?" Izuku responded, his voice rising at the end in question.

"It's not a bad thing. I have a horrible taste," Tomura assured. At least Izuku assumed it was supposed to be assuring. It was sometimes really hard to tell with Tomura and his naturally somewhat sinister sounding voice.

"So, um. Why then- why do you...um- like me?”

Tomura scratched lazily at his neck. "I'm not really sure, actually. There's jus something about you that I can't resist. Not that I particularly tried to.”

Izuku's chest tightened. He squeezed his hand into a fist at his side to make sure it did not shake visibly. Tomura could be so intense. Normal people never talked like the way he did. In a way that made Izuku's face feel hot enough for him to be certain that he was blushing with no hope that Tomura would not notice it.

"Um- I...th-“

"That's also hilarious to look at," Tomura said, his hand coming up to cover - poorly - the fact that he was laughing.

Izuku smacked him on the arm. Which, wow. Was Tomura made out of pure muscle? Warmth pooled in his stomach, because that was just a bit intimidating. Did Tomura work out much? What did he look like under-

"Hey!" Tomura rubbed at the spot that Izuku had hit him on, thought he was clearly not hurt, nor even truly attempting to come off as such.

"You're an ass," Izuku muttered, which only seemed to amuse Tomura further. He was biting his lower lip slightly to hold himself back, but it was all written on his face.

Izuku wished he knew how to make Tomura into a blushing mess. Maybe that could be his goal. He was pretty sure he had never seen Tomura blush, not even once.

"Yeah, I try," Tomura snorted back. "But tell me. What'd I miss not coming to the beach? Other than Bakugo's scary stories?”

Izuku rolled his eyes. "Not much. Mostly we just sat around, ate and drank. Though, Kaminari did go swimming. Or, more like tried to. I don't think anyone would call what he was doing 'swimming’."

Tomura chuckled lightly. "You didn't go?”

"I'm not insane," Izuku responded. "It was cold as ice. You probably wouldn't have even noticed though, with your body temperature already being below that.”

In a move much too brazen for himself, Izuku reached out for Tomura's hand, which was hanging by his side, and squeezed it for just a moment before letting go. The parts that were not covered by his glove - a red one this time - felt nice against his skin. The cold still shocked him, even though he had expected it. The already freezing air seemed to have made his hand feel even more like a block of ice.

"Seriously!" Izuku exclaimed. "Do you have any blood flow?”

This time it was Tomura smacking Izuku on the arm, which; "Ow!”

Izuku was genuinely starting to question if he should start working out more. Why was Tomura so strong? Maybe he was just sharp. Or, Izuku was weak. He did work out fairly regularly, though he had been slacking off because of school.

After that Tomura made the mistake of asking Izuku about the book he had been getting. That evolved into what Izuku could only guess was a lethally boring discussion - about skin of all things - at least to Tomura. To his credit, Tomura seemed to be paying attention and even asked questions.

Izuku tried to turn the conversation into something Tomura enjoyed - after going to a fiftieth tangent off topic himself - but it was difficult to get Tomura similarly exited. Eventually he managed to get Tomura talking about...a video game. Or games. Izuku had not understood much, but he had enjoyed the conversation and seeing Tomura look actually exited over something was amazing. It made his chest flutter. It felt like success.

The conversation dwindled off a bit. They were getting closer to Izuku's home. His feet were aching after all the walking, but a part of him still hoped to be able to somehow prolong the evening. If he could pause the world for just a moment and keep taking in the moment.

Tomura's presence next to him was very comforting. Izuku was glad that he had happened upon him, for walking alone would not have been nearly as nice.

"Tomura?”

Tomura tilted his head towards Izuku, making a small noise in affirmation that he was listening.

"Why'd you save me? Back then...with the car?”

Tomura's gaze grew heavier as he assessed Izuku. "You're still thinking about that?”

"No, no," Izuku shook his head. "I'm not asking how. You were probably right, I know that now. I hit my head pretty hard. You just...pushed me aside. I'm asking why?”

Small sting in the back of his mind wanted to disagree still. Izuku ignored it. That was what had happened. That was all.

Though, Tomura had not objected when Izuku said 'push' instead of 'pull’.

It did not matter. Izuku had let it go.

Tomura was not answering. He was merely looking at Izuku, like he could not quite understand what he was even being asked.

"I mean. It was still...kinda dumb," Izuku continued, with less confidence. "It's just- when a car crash is happening, most people run the other way. We barely knew each other then.”

Tomura looked away. Small droplets of water covered him, and with the streetlamp casting its light on them, it almost looked like his skin was glimmering.

"I thought you believed in the goodness of people," Tomura said. "Isn't that what any person would do?”

"No, I said I didn't believe people were inherently anything," Izuku responded. "And being scared isn't bad. Running away from a car crash is just basic survival instinct.”

Tomura turned his gaze back to Izuku. He licked some of the rainwater off his lips, and Izuku could not help but to glance at the motion.

"Well. Letting you die would be such a waste to the world," Tomura said, voice velvety and distant. Like he was talking to himself. Izuku jumped slightly, when Tomura's hand suddenly appeared into his view. The cold palm rested against his cheek, a thumb wiping off some of the water. It did not do much, as the sky kept making him wetter.

"I was in no danger at any point." Tomura's voice was but a whisper, but it still managed to surprise Izuku. "I promise.”

"If you had been," Izuku exhaled, his voice weak. "Would you have done it?”

Tomura kept looking at him, his thumb caressing Izuku's skin. Izuku tried to avoid eye contact, looking at anything else. Tomura's lips and the harsh scar that separated them. His hair, with hundreds and thousands of little pearls made out of water decorating it. The scars covering his face, getting heavier and heavier the closer they got to his-

Once Izuku had looked into Tomura's eyes, he could not look away. They were so red. It was suffocating. It felt like a new color. In that moment it made perfect sense to him why red was used for passion and pain.

It was one of the few things that made sense when it came to Tomura and his eyes.

"Quite presumptuous," Tomura finally spoke, voice still a raspy whisper. He finally let go of Izuku's face, but stayed where he was.

"Just asking," Izuku defended weakly. His legs felt like they might give up underneath him at any point.

Instead of finally answering, Tomura merely nodded with his head to the side of them. "We’re here.”

Izuku glanced into the direction and- of course. Izuku had somehow managed to forget where they were, which was just a few meters away from the driveway of his home.

"Right."

The rain kept falling. The cars kept driving. Izuku stayed still.

"Are you going to go inside," Tomura asked.

"Yeah.”

He still did not move. He wondered for a moment what would happen if he invited Tomura inside. Almost as soon as the thought came, he dismissed it.

Tomura was still looking at him questioningly.

"So, yeah. Um- thanks. For walking with me.”

"Sure," Tomura nodded, amused.

Izuku shifted in his place. "Yeah. I- um. I should go now.”

"I'll see you. Soon," Tomura responded.

"I'd like that.”

Tomura turned away, and managed to take a few steps before Izuku called for him.

"Wai- are you going to walk home? How far do you live from here? Why would you walk with-“

"I'll call a ride, its fine," Tomura cut in calmly, waving his hand dismissively.

"You sure?”

"Yes," Tomura leveled him with a look. "Go inside, Izuku.”

"Al- alright. Yes. Okay. So, see ya," Izuku waved awkwardly.

Tomura nodded and continued walking down the street, the dim lamps casting their light on him. Izuku watched him walk away for a few more seconds, before turning towards his house and rushing inside.

His mother was sitting on the couch and watching the tv. She perked up when Izuku came in.

"Hi honey. What took you so long?”

"Oh, I just- I ran into a friend," he mumbled, still feeling unstable from being in Tomura's presence.

"That's nice," Inko smiled.

"Yeah. I'm pretty tired, though. So, I'll probably just go straight to sleep." He ran his fingers through his wet hair, motioning with his other hand vaguely into the direction of his bedroom.

"Alright. Good night.”

"Good night.”

Izuku made his way into his room, closed the door and collapsed against it. The exhaustion was starting to catch onto him. But his heart was still thumping in his chest and he could not stop imagining Tomura's hand on his cheek.

With as much willpower as he could gather, Izuku took a deep breath and pushed himself off the door. He walked over to his bed, and pointedly ignored the notebook on his desk, refusing to write up all the questions rolling in his mind.

Chapter Text

Shivers ran down his skin. Hands touched him. His heart was beating fast and loud. His body felt heavy. Moving was difficult, like trying to run through water.

Izuku was standing in the middle of an old forest. The trees seemed to reach all the way up into the sky. The large spruces cast their shadows over the forest floor, leaving Izuku in near darkness.

The hands returned to him, touching his lower back. Izuku spun around, trying to find who had been behind him. There was no one there. Izuku stared into the midsts of the branches, trying to catch a sight of anything.

He tensed. Izuku could feel breathing directly on his neck. They were standing right behind him. Izuku's heartbeat was becoming more and more frantic, throbbing in his ears. The breathing continued, tickling the short hairs on his nape.

Gathering all his bravery, Izuku turned around again. Still, no one there. He was alone. But he could still feel the presence of something dangerous. He was being preyed on.

Izuku took a step towards the direction the breathing had came from, pausing when hot liquid spilled onto his feet. He glanced down and saw red. Blood. It was dripping down onto the ground. In a sharp intake of a breath, he glanced up, trying to see where it was coming from. No matter how hard he squinted, he could not see anything that might be causing it.

He glanced down. There was more blood than before. Some of it had dripped on his shirt. Some of it was still slowly dripping down his…

Izuku grabbed at his neck. It was wet and from the blood covering it. The blood that was all pooling out from the horizontal cut below his jaw.

Izuku could not breathe. He was dying. He tried to hold his neck, to stop all the blood from leaving his body- it was all pointless. He was starting to get dizzy. He looked frantically around, wishing to see someone who could help.

A branch snapped.

Izuku quickly turned his eyes into he direction of the sound. It took only a few seconds to find the figure standing in the midst of the trees. Blood was dripping from his hands and he was staring directly at Izuku, with a content smile on his lips.

Red eyes.

With a gasp Izuku woke up.

The sun was shining directly into his eyes. He groaned and pulled his blanket to cover his face from the harsh light.

It took a moment for him to realize the meaning of that, but once he did, he whipped his blanket off, and rushed to the window. The sun was shining brightly, and there were no clouds anywhere to be seen.

Izuku pressed his forehead against the cold glass and soaked in the sunlight. After all the wet and dark it was like the touch of a lover on his skin. He glanced at the clock. He was in no hurry that morning. He would not have to even be at the campus until afternoon, so he had had a chance for once to just sleep in. Apparently his mind had not agreed as much.

He had stayed up late the previous evening, working on what felt like a never ending pile of assignments. Izuku wondered if that had affected his quality of sleep.

The remnants of his dream were starting to already dim, but his heart was still coming down from it. He could remember the feeling of terror and adrenaline. And the red eyes, of course.

Ever since that wonderful evening - Tomura walking with him from the library as they talked of nothing and everything - his dreams had been different.

Mainly in the way that Izuku seemed to be plagued by dreams where Tomura always appeared in one way or another. It was not that odd, he had seen dreams of all of his friends in multiple occasions. It also made sense that a friendship that was still so new would be a prominent feature.

But the dreams with Tomura tended to feel different. They always left Izuku feeling high strung, his heart hammering. He could not put into words what it was that made the dreams feel that different, but they did.

Izuku decided to jot it up on school stress. No point overthinking something as illogical as dreams.

"Don't you look cheery," Inko commented as he made his way to the kitchen. She was notably more put together than him, as he had merely thrown on the first hoodie he had gotten his hands on - the one on his floor - and sweatpants - also from his floor.

He scrubbed at his eyes, trying to get rid of the bits of drowsiness still lingering. "It's sunny," he smiled.

"That is nice, isn't it," Inko agreed immediately, a wistful look on her face. "I'm leaving for the office soon, so remember to lock the door when you go.”

"Alright," Izuku nodded, staring at their fridge and praying that a breakfast would jump out already prepared. Alas, God did not seem interested in making any miracles for him. Typical.

"Have a nice day," Inko called out as she pulled her jacket on.

"You too," Izuku responded. Soon the door closed.

Izuku enjoyed a nice slow morning. Eventually he even managed to scrap on some sort of a breakfast - all by himself - and ate it while watching some crap series from the tv.

After breakfast he still had plenty of time before he had to get going, so he begun doing some things around the house. He cleaned his room - or tidied up at least - and did some laundry. He pretended to study, gave up pretty soon after and went to clean the kitchen instead.

The sun kept gleaming through the windows, and when he left it was still the only thing visible on the sky. Izuku made sure to lock the door as he went. He put on his earbuds and left.

The remnants of his dream kept popping up in his head and he found himself rubbing at his neck more often than not. Still, he did not let it ruin his mood.

That was perhaps the most peculiar thing about these dreams. No matter how horrifying they might be - and they could be quite disturbing - they never left him feeling bad. The feeling was, in fact, almost pleasant. A steady thrum under his skin. Izuku had decided to just be glad about that, and not look too closely into it. Dreams were odd.

Him and Tomura had spent a lot of time together. Often not on purpose, Tomura just seemed to appear out of nowhere when Izuku was alone. Izuku did not mind it. He was starting to find out more things about Tomura, what he liked and disliked, some things from his past. Izuku had also noted, that sometimes when Tomura talked about things and people from his past, it made him seem much older than he was. Izuku was a bit jealous about the amount of experiences he had had.

Izuku made his way to the campus. His day there was not long, most school stuff for that day was still home, on his desk. Despite all the books and unfinished papers waiting for him, the day did not feel stressful.

Izuku walked out of the campus later, still up in his spirits. It was on the parking lot where he realized that he had not yet seen Tomura all day - which was not that unusual of, even if Izuku could not remember a day he had not seen Tomura since that night. But he still was seeing no signs of him. Now, it was not a planned or even agreed upon of a system, but somewhere along the way it had just become the norm for Izuku to meet him by the parking lot, where Tomura would offer to drive him home. Even after his car had been fixed, Izuku had continued to walk to the campus, because he knew that Tomura would drive him home. This time there was no sign of him. Izuku loitered around, trying to look casual and like he was not waiting, but Tomura did not appear.

"Izuku!”

Despite the voice very clearly not belonging to Tomura - it was too high, too feminine and way too exited - Izuku still felt for a moment an unexplainable wave of relief, like his chest had just sighed an ‘oh, there he is’.

Realizing that the voice belonged to Uraraka, Izuku could not help the small tinge of disappointment at the back of his head, immediately followed by shame for such thoughts.

Uraraka had been such a warm and welcoming of a presence throughout his stay in Musutafu so far. Settling in would not have been nearly as easy without her. Izuku knew he should never feel disappointed about seeing her. She never caused him to spiral into mad thoughts and theories, or cause his emotions go from one extreme to another in the span of minutes. That was good.

Unfortunately, human emotions had never been known for their rationality, for a reason
.
"Hi Uraraka," Izuku greeted her warmly as she reached him, ignoring the disappointment left behind with Tomura's absence. Izuku reminded himself of the fact that there had in no point been any agreement of Tomura giving Izuku rides home. It truly was not that big of a deal.

He had Tomura’s number, a fact that made him oddly giddy whenever he remembered it, but he had not yet dared to use it. It would have felt rude to contact him the first time by demanding to know why he was not there to drive Izuku home. He did not even know where Tomura himself lived, just that it was on the outskirts of the town. The realization was not pleasant.

Uraraka pulled him into a hug. "I feel like I haven't seen you properly for a while now," she commented after letting go.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Izuku smiled apologetically. "School's been kinda kicking my ass lately.”

That and a certain creep who for some ungodly reason had decided to occupy Izuku's mind and notebooks, as well as his free time. But he decided not to mention that to Uraraka, out of respect for her sanity as well as shame for his own.

Was Izuku being a creepy stalker? He did not think so. No, it was just friendly interest. And besides, he did not stalk Tomura. He observed him when he was very much aware of Izuku's presence.

"I get it," Uraraka chuckled. "Shouto's been drowning himself in schoolwork too.”

It was then that Izuku noticed Todoroki, standing behind Uraraka with an expression that Izuku could not read.

"I'm dragging him out with me," Uraraka smiled. "Which is what I wanted to talk to you about. You should come too!”

"Oh, um. Sure. When?”

"Tomorrow evening," Uraraka told. "I thought we could do some shopping, then go eat somewhere.”

Izuku raised his eyebrows and looked at Todoroki. “You’re going shopping?”

"Apparently," Todoroki shrugged.

"It'll be fun," Uraraka assured. "Both of you need to get outside more often.”

Todoroki cocked his head. “We're outside right now.”

"In a parking lot! That doesn't count," Uraraka said to Todoroki, then turned towards Izuku with a questioning look. "I thought you weren't driving much? Did you get your car fixed finally? Or were you waiting for someone?”

"Oh- um. No, no I was just," he waved his hand vaguely. "On my way through. But yeah, the shopping sounds fun. So, tomorrow?”

"Yeah, we'll come pick you up," Uraraka nodded. "I can call beforehand.”

"That sounds great," Izuku agreed. Uraraka lived on the campus and Todoroki still had classes, so soon Izuku began making his way home alone. He could not hold himself back from taking another glance around the parking lot. There was no sign of a one specific familiar face or a vehicle.

Which was fine.

Going home felt incredibly boring. It had not felt this boring to Izuku when he had just earlier gone to the campus, but for some reason the same did not apply now.

He refused to acknowledge the excitement that pooled within him every time he knew that he was going to be seeing Tomura. Or assumed, because clearly he had been wrong.

Izuku listened to music the whole time, but even all the songs that he usually loved, felt mediocre at best. The thing that finally made him feel something else than boredom, was when he finally got to home and on their porch was a figure waiting.

"Katchan?”

Katsuki was leaning to the wall of the house with his hands shoved into his pockets. For the first time the nickname that usually earned Izuku an eye roll at the very least, seemed to make him relax slightly. Izuku remembered how their last meeting had ended. It had not been a fight per se, but the tension had been there. It must have been bothering Katsuki too, Izuku realized.

Maybe it was good that Tomura had not given him a ride home today. Izuku could not imagine Katsuki taking that well, seeing Izuku in Tomura's car.

"Hey, nerd," Katsuki responded as Izuku walked over to him. Izuku recognized it for the peace offering it was.

"Have you been waiting here for long?" Izuku asked.

Katsuki waved with his hand dismissively. "I can handle a little waiting.”

Izuku dug out his keys and turned to the door, opening it. He motioned for Katsuki to go in. "So, why are you here? I mean, I'm glad to see you-“

"Yeah, yeah," Katsuki interrupted him, pushing off the wall and strolling inside. He flicked the lights on as Izuku closed the door. "Came to see how you're doing. You know, making sure you're still alive.”

"That's sweet," Izuku smiled.

"Shut up," Katsuki - unsurprisingly - retorted back.

"Mom's at work," Izuku told as he made his way to the kitchen. He opened the fridge to see if they had anything edible in there. "You hungry?”

"Sure.”

Izuku began to prepare a meal from the mix of substances in the fridge, but Katsuki took over rather soon after. They talked as Katsuki prepared something that looked and smelled delicious.

They talked about school and complained about professors. Izuku learned more about Katsuki's studies, and once again found himself admiring his friend’s intelligence.

Katsuki also told him about his friends and the things they had done. Izuku felt a twinge of sadness and jealousy for not being a part of all the amazing things Katsuki had experienced with other people, but it was fortunately overshadowed by his happiness for his friend.

Katsuki finished the meal and as they ate, the conversation switched into movies and books. Soon Katsuki began writing up a list of 'proper media' Izuku would need to go through, because apparently his tastes were 'still crap as shit’.

"So, you still hang out with that creep?" Katsuki asked, not quite as casually as he surely intended, once they had eaten.

"Katsuki," Izuku warned, sitting down on the couch. Katsuki followed after, throwing himself on it much less carefully.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just curious. Not gonna tell you what to do," Katsuki said, very much not meaning anything of what he said.

"He's my friend, so yes, sometimes we hang out.” ‘Sometimes' being daily, as of late.

Katsuki crinkled his nose at the word 'friend' in a way that would have at one point seemed adorable to Izuku. Now it just seemed infuriating. To his surprise, Katsuki dropped the topic.

The rest of the evening felt normal. Like how they had used to be - except more equal.

When it came time for Katsuki to leave, Izuku felt disappointed. They walked to the front yard, where Izuku said his goodbyes, but just as he was leaving, Katsuki suddenly turned back to Izuku, looking uncharacteristically awkward and flushed.

"Oh yeah, I was supposed to give you this," Katsuki dug something out of his pocked and handed it to Izuku. "Mom wanted you to have it.”

Izuku looked at the thing, which turned out to be a bracelet. It was made from leather stripes and decorated with small ornaments. The craftsmanship was impressive and clearly handmade.

"Oh- thank you, I- why?" Izuku stuttered, inspecting the bracelet.

"She found it somewhere, we've got a lot of old shit like that at our house. She thought you would appreciate it since you're a nerd like that.”

Izuku rolled his eyes, though he did feel a lot of fondness towards Katsuki in that moment. Despite his usual crassness and bravado, Katsuki seemed quite nervous. As if he was worried about Izuku not liking the gift.

"Well, tell her I said thank you. I do appreciate it," he ran his fingers on the leather, his skin catching in the small silvery ornaments attached to it. “It’s so beautifully made…"

"Here, let me," Katsuki said softly. He reached for the bracelet. "It's easy to get it off yourself, but you need someone else to help to tie it on. You should only let a person you trust attach it." Katsuki flushed lightly when Izuku looked at him. "It's just some old humbo-jumbo," he muttered defensively, rubbing at his neck.

"I think it's nice," Izuku said, looking at the bracelet now neatly tied around his left wrist. "I guess I shouldn't take this off unless you're around to tie it back on," he smirked.

"Sentimental shit," Katsuki muttered, but he seemed pleased by Izuku's words so he decided to take that as a 'yes’.

“There’s also...” Katsuki continued after a moment, while Izuku still admired his new bracelet. In a sudden move he took Izuku’s hand and pressed something into it. “Well this. It’s from me. I thought you might...like it.”

He did not wait around for Izuku to even look at the object, and hurried off so quickly that Izuku nearly forgot to do so himself. When he finally did, what he found was a folding knife. The blade gleamed in the disappearing sunlight. A small marking on it told it to be pure silver. It looked old and very expensive, which made Izuku both horrified and flattered.

Later in his room, Izuku kept fidgeting with the bracelet. He took a closer look at the silvery ornaments woven into the leather strips. Few of them he could identify as portraying the sun. Another few looked like small crosses.

It had to be handmade. Even the ornaments had minuscule differences between them, making each a unique piece of art. The bracelet also seemed quite old, carrying some signs of wear and tear. Which made sense if Baguko-san had just found it. Despite the wear, the quality of it was still much better than most things one could currently just buy.

Izuku wondered if the silvery ornaments were also made of actual silver like the knife seemed to be. If that was the case, they both seemed far too valuable to be just forgotten somewhere and be given away to someone like him. Then again, Bakugo's were quite well off, so perhaps it just was not that big of a deal to them. Still, he thought he might prefer not to know.

The knife he had placed into his bedside drawer. It made him feel uneasy.

As he inspected the bracelet, he noticed an odd fragrance. Izuku brought his wrist closer to his nose. It almost seemed like the leather was carrying a faint scent of garlic.

Chapter Text

"What do you think?" Uraraka asked, angling herself on the mirror.

"I think it looks nice," Izuku said.

Todoroki looked at Uraraka with a frown on his face, tilting his head from side to side. Izuku had not been aware that Todoroki understood so much about clothes, but he was treating the situation with as much seriousness as a surgeon might treat an operation.

The agenda for the evening had changed lightly when Uraraka had mentioned that one of her friends - Ashido, maybe - was throwing a party and she wanted to go there, but she wanted to find something new to wear.

Hearing this Todoroki had insisted that he buy Uraraka the outfit as an early birthday gift. Initially Uraraka had refused, but Todoroki had pleaded, insisting that it was really for his own benefit as he was horrible at getting presents and this way Uraraka would for certain like it.

Eventually Uraraka had said yes, and now Todoroki was on the mission to find only the absolute best for her. Every time she looked unsure or tried to back off because of the price, Todoroki only needed to say, 'please, it's my father's money,' before she gave in.

The absolute levelheadedness and determination Todoroki was approaching this mission with - and really, it was practically a mission - was hilarious to see. Izuku was quite sure that if Uraraka decided that this outfit also needed new lingerie, Todoroki would not as much as blink before agreeing and then proceeding to give his unfiltered opinions to each piece Uraraka would try on with the blandest tone known to man.

But really, it was fun to pick out all different kinds of clothes for Uraraka to try on. Seeing her so exited and happy warmed Izuku's heart. He would have felt more bad about Todoroki paying for everything, but hearing him say ‘my father’s' the first time, and hearing the distain in his voice made Izuku understand more than enough. It was no wonder that it worked for Uraraka.

Eventually they had managed to pick out a full outfit for her. The only thing they still needed was some sort of a jewel as a 'center piece' to tie everything together, or at least that was what Todoroki insisted on. He refused to even look at the necklaces and earrings on the racks of the clothing stores, stating that Uraraka deserved real jewellery. He pleaded that it would be a Christmas gift for her, and really she would be 'helping him out, please Ochako-chan’.

She gave in.

They were walking down the street towards a jewel shop that Todoroki knew, when Izuku spotted an ad for a book shop selling new and used books.

"Hey guys?" he paused. Uraraka and Todoroki turned towards him. "Do you mind if I go check that out? There are few books I'm trying to find, maybe they'd have them.”

Uraraka looked at her watch. "Hmm. It's getting a bit late, but maybe if we forget about the jewellery and-“

"No, no," Izuku cut it. "No need. I can go check it out alone, and then we can meet at the restaurant. How does that sound?”

Uraraka seemed to ponder for a moment, but nodded. "Alright, if you're sure.”

"I am," Izuku nodded.

They parted ways, and Izuku headed towards the bookshop. It did not take long to get there, and it was quite easy to spot. Compared to the other stores, it looked quite old. A bell was hanging on top of the door and it rang when he opened it.

The store was pleasantly warm compared to the cold and wet of the outside. A strong scent of old books everywhere. The space itself was quite large and everything was covered in books. It seemed that the shop had divided a section for the new books and a separate one for the used ones.

Izuku began by checking the section for natural sciences on the side of the used books, as they were much cheaper. Unfortunately none of the books he was looking for were there. He moved to the new side instead. He went through each of the spines, glancing at his list but none of the books he needed were there either.

Izuku sighed, feeling annoyed. He would likely just have to order them, which would be undoubtedly much more expensive.

Defeated he began to leave. But as he was walking through the used section again, one book caught his attention. It was quite beautiful. The cover was simple burgundy, with a line art of a clawed hand on it, the authors name at the bottom, both in a regal shade of silver. Each of the corners carried a small sun, reminding him of the ones on his new bracelet. He took the book and checked the spine.

Creatures of Night - Perspective of Realism

Feeling curious, Izuku opened the book. The first thing that he noticed were the illustrations - they were absolutely breathtaking. Time and care had been put into each of them. The book seemed to go through different legends and myths, weighting them against each other as well as the writers own experiences and stories they had collected. Izuku flipped through the pages, enamored by the artistry.

Halfway through the book he paused. On the page he was looking at was an illustration of a woman. She was lithe, with an almost pained expression on her face. She was donning a long white dress, which was slightly hanging from her body. The only color on the illustration was the red of her eyes, gazing at Izuku from within the page. Next to the full body illustration, was a closeup of her face.

She did not look pained in that one. She looked hungry. Gone was the beautiful face. The red of her eyes seemed more intense, as she stared from the page, sharp teeth bared for an attack. Face reminiscent more of an animal's than a human’s. Each stroke of ink had been carefully drawn, full of emotion and passion.

Izuku closed the book.

The clerk seemed to be half-asleep, jumping into awareness as Izuku set the book on the counter.

"Oh, hello there," he grunted, getting up from his chair and walking over to pick up the book.

"Hi," Izuku smiled, waiting for the clerk to check the price.

"Two-hundred yen," the clerk said, setting the book down. "Do you need a bag?”

"Oh, no thank you," Izuku responded holding out the money.

"Thank you. Anything else?”

Izuku shook his head. "Just that.”

"Alright," the clerk placed the receipt between the pages. "There you go, have a good day.”

"Thanks, you too.”

The air outside felt even colder as he exited the shop, shoving the book into his bag. It was getting dark. Izuku began heading towards the restaurant, hoping to get there fast. He had taken longer than he had anticipated he would in the bookshop and he did not want to make Uraraka and Todoroki wait.

A little while later he began realizing that he was not where he should be, as he should have already arrived to the restaurant they had agreed on.

Really, he should have seen it coming. Izuku had not spent enough time in the city to actually get around. He had been so confident that he could navigate, but clearly that had been for naught.

Izuku pulled out his phone, hoping to call Uraraka, but the stupid thing was out of power. The cold weather was definitely not helping.

He took a deep breath in and looked around, trying to spot anything familiar. He groaned in frustration when no such thing appeared.

Izuku decided that returning the same way he had arrived would be his best bet, maybe he could reorient himself at the bookshop.

The evening was getting darker and darker and Izuku began to worry that he might not recognize familiar places because of it. He forced himself to stay calm. Panicking would only make things worse.

He glanced around himself, eyes pausing for a moment on a figure behind him. A large man was slowly walking towards him.

Izuku turned to look ahead, shaking his head. He was being paranoid, just because the man was walking into the same direction did not mean he was walking towards him. Still, Izuku could not help but to speed up his steps just a little bit.

The man stayed steadily behind him. Never getting close, but not getting left behind either. Izuku tightened his hold of his bag.

Noticing an alley, he ducked into there hoping to use it as a shortcut - and maybe to test if the man would still follow him. It was a horrible decision.

Four other men were leaning on the walls of the alley, all of them turning to look at Izuku. He halted his steps lightly, and glanced back at the mouth of the alley. The man that had been walking behind him, appeared right then, finally pausing to lean languidly on the alley wall, closing that exit from Izuku.

Ignoring the men's gazes, Izuku proceeded to just head straight forward. He forced himself to stay calm despite his heart beating faster and faster as he walked towards the group. The stink of alcohol got stronger the closer he got.

Izuku tried to look unbothered as he walked past them, until a hand paused his way.

One of the men was holding his hand in front of Izuku and looking at him with an almost disinterested expression.

"Aren't you in a hurry," the man said, eyes flickering to Izuku's bag. "What'd ya got there?”

Izuku realized he was squeezing at the strap of his back white knuckled.

"Just a book," he muttered, not letting his voice waver.

He tried to walk forward, but one of the men pushed him by the shoulder until his back hit the alley wall. Izuku let out an involuntary gasp.

"Don't be so nervous," the man continued. "We just want to chat.”

"Looks like a faggot," one of the men muttered.

Izuku tried to leave again, but the man pushed him back against the wall. Izuku was trembling.

"Where do you think you're going?”

"My- my friends are waiting for me," Izuku told, voice strained.

"Are they now?" the man tilted his head. He pushed harder at Izuku's shoulder, getting closer. Izuku could smell the alcohol on him. His eyes were stinging. "Are you gonna cry?" the man muttered.

"I gotta get going," Izuku told him.

The man took a half a step away from him, laughing. He put his hands into his pockets and looked at Izuku like he was evaluating something. "Right, of course.”

He glanced at his friends. "You think we oughta let the cocksucker go?”

"Sure," one of the men said. "But maybe he should share something with us first.”

"I'm not-" Izuku began, but the man grabbed him by the shoulder again.

"Shut up.”

It was then that Izuku realized he was going to get punched. He squeezed his eyes shut, turning his head and bringing his hands to cover-

"Riku?”

The hit did not come. Hesitantly Izuku opened his eyes to see the man still holding his hand up, but looking at one of his friends, who looked stunned.

"Riku just disappeared, I swear to god he was just standing by me," the man said, tone confused.

"Pussy," the harasser scoffed, turning back to Izuku. "Now then-“

He was cut off by a yelp from behind him.

"What the fuck?" one of the men exclaimed in panic.

There was only three of them left - and Izuku. The harasser seemed slightly unsure now too, letting go of Izuku and glancing around. Izuku's breathing was getting faster. All of the men seemed nervous.

Then one of them yelled, voice filled with panic and fear. By the time they turned to look at him, he too had disappeared.

Izuku was shaking.

"Fuck no," the other man said, shaking his head in horror and backing away from the alley, and sprinting out of sight. They could hear a cut off yell.

The harasser walked hesitantly to look out of the alley to where the other man had ran. From the tenseness of his shoulders and the panicked breathing, Izuku could guess the man was not there anymore.

The harasser turned to Izuku, fear and anger in his bulging eyes.

"What the fuck did you do? What the fuck?" he yelled, spit flying from his mouth.

"I- I didn't do anything!" Izuku pleaded, tears clouding his eyes. "I swear, I didn't!”

The man raised his hand, the beginnings of a yell coming from his mouth - but he halted when something dark dripped onto his forehead. It looked almost black in the lightless alley. It seemed to have dripped down from somewhere above them.

The man reached to wipe it off his head, eyes wide in confusion. He looked at his shaking hand, spreading the liquid with his thumb.

“Blood,” Izuku exhaled.

The man glanced around, breathing heavily. Izuku felt like he could barely breath at all. He was digging his nails into his palms.

He could hear the presence of something, a rustle in the darkness, shifting and moving.

A loud crash at the other end of the alley made him nearly jump out of his skin, and they both turned to look into the direction of the noise.

Izuku could not see anything. He turned to look at his harasser, only to find that he could not see him either. It did not feel as comforting as it would have just moments ago.

"Fuck," Izuku gasped. "Fuck.”

He needed to leave. He needed to run. His body was shaking so hard and he could not move.

The presence was still there. He could feel it.

Izuku's heart was hammering. He was hyperventilating.

Oh god, he was going to die.

He glanced around himself, trying to see anything. His chest was rising and falling too fast.

Panic was completely taking over. He could not breathe-

"Izuku!”

He span towards the voice eyes wide, panic filling his body. It was-

"Tomura," Izuku exhaled.

Tomura was half out of his car, which was hastily parked by the sidewalk. He was looking at Izuku with worry.

"Are you okay?”

"I- I don't-" Izuku swallowed, glancing around himself, heart still beating loudly.

Tomura's expression turned into determination. "Get in," he motioned towards his car.

It was like the words freed Izuku. Not looking back once, he hurried into to Tomura's car, slamming the door closed the moment he was inside.

Chapter Text

"What happened?" Tomura asked.

Izuku rubbed at his chest. His heart was still beating like hell, and his breathing was fast and shallow. He was trembling.

"I- I'm not sure," he exhaled, leaning his head against the cold car window. Tomura waited patiently while Izuku gazed outside, waiting for his racing heart to slow down. He tried to recall any breathing exercises he had heard of, with little luck.

What had happened? It had been terrifying - it still was. For a moment Izuku had been certain that he was going to die. By the hands of the men or whatever it was that caused them to disappear. He was not even sure which would have been worse.

He squeezed his hands into fists, trying to stop the shaking.

The rumbling of the car underneath him was comforting. As was Tomura's presence. Izuku spared a small glance to his once again savior. He was lucky that Tomura had happened there at that moment.

Compared to Izuku, he seemed quite unfazed, his hand lazily resting on top of the steering wheel. He was barely holding it, just keeping his hand there, with his pinky slightly pointing up, in an amusing manner, like how the 'fancy' people would hold out their pinky when drinking tea in some movies.

It took a moment for Izuku to realize what about Tomura's hand was drawing his attention. It was completely bare. He was not sure if he had ever seen Tomura without some sort of gloves on.
It looked nice. That was if another man's hand could look nice. Or anyone's really. But it did. From an aesthetic perspective. It was not unpleasant to look at.

"Do you want me to take you home?" Tomura asked.

Izuku jumped upwards. "Oh- shit. I was supposed to meet my friends- they've probably been waiting for-“

"Calm down, Izuku. I'll take you there.”

Izuku still could not remember the address of the restaurant, but fortunately, Tomura recognized the name and promised to take him there.

Izuku was starting to feel a bit more settled, and like he was no longer seconds away from crying or having a panic attack. Clearly noting this, Tomura began to carefully question him again.

"So," he drawled slowly. "What got you so shaken up? Something happen?”

"Um- there... there were these men." Izuku fidgeted with his bracelet, wishing for the right words to appear from somewhere. His throat felt swollen. "I'm- I'm not sure what they were going to do. Beat me or rob me, I think. Or both.”

Nothing about Tomura changed outwardly, but Izuku could feel him tensing. The air got just a bit heavier. Izuku's heart beat just a bit louder.

"But…something happened," he continued. "I don't know what. Someo- something attacked, I think." He glanced at Tomura, who was still listening, with a silent, sizzling anger, like electricity bleeding from him, though his expression was bland. "Maybe an animal. They all just...disappeared. I thought it was going to get me too. I was too scared to even move. But then you appeared.”

Tomura nodded slowly. "Makes sense why you seemed so upset. I'm glad you're okay, though.”

"Yeah, me too.”

The drive to the restaurant did not take long after that. The closer they got, the more Izuku started recognizing the places and realizing where he had gone to the wrong direction. He spotted Uraraka and Todoroki before even exiting the car, as they were both standing outside of the restaurant.

He could see they were worried. Uraraka kept glancing around them, and then at her watch. Todoroki seemed tenser than usual, and was keeping his hand awkwardly on Uraraka's shoulder, like he was trying to comfort her but was not quite sure how to.

The moment the car was mostly still, Izuku threw the door open and jumped out, running to his friends.

"Uraraka!”

The girl turned towards him, face melting into a relief filled smile. "There you are!”

Izuku accepted her hug, holding her for a moment before pulling back.

"What took you so long? We were starting to get really worried," she slapped him softly on the arm, not quite able to hide the genuine fear in her voice.

"I got lost," Izuku said apologetically, deciding to opt out the other parts. No point in making Uraraka more worried. Nothing happened after all. "Phone ran out of power.”

"Oh my- how'd- " she paused, looking at something behind Izuku with a frown. He followed her gaze, finding Tomura languidly leaning into his car and looking at them.

"Um, Tomura found me. He gave me a ride here.”

Uraraka nodded, slightly unsure at first, but then more confidently. "Well- good then. I'm glad he was there.”

Izuku was surprised to find out how protective he felt over Tomura, and he had to stem down the urge to explain to her that she could trust Tomura. Even though he was not sure if that was true. He just nodded in agreement. "Me too.”

"I'm really sorry though, I don't think we have enough time for the restaurant after all," she apologized, glancing at Todoroki. "Maybe we can do that another time. Shouto promised he can drive us both home-“

"I think Izuku ought to eat something now," Tomura's voice suddenly cut it, sending shivers down Izuku's spine from how close it was. Uraraka's eyes widened slightly. Izuku did not need to look to know that Tomura was standing right behind him. He guessed not even Uraraka had noticed him move, despite having been looking into that direction.

"I can drive him home afterwards," Tomura added politely.

Uraraka looked unsure, and Izuku could not blame her. Tomura did not exactly radiate warm and safe. That did not stop the urge to defend him from rising its head again.

Uraraka shifted on her place.

"Um- well, Midoriya?" she looked at him, eyes flickering every now and then to past his shoulders.

"Yeah, it's fine with me," he assured, trying to communicate with his eyes that Uraraka did not need to worry.

Her face softened into a smile. She and Todoroki parted their ways, but before they drove off, Uraraka pulled him into a hug and whispered into his ear to be careful and to have fun. Izuku could feel Tomura’s gaze on them throughout the exchange.

Once Uraraka and Todoroki had left, Tomura guided Izuku into the restaurant with a hand on Izuku’s lower back. The gesture was surprisingly charming.

Izuku let Tomura take care of the talking once they got in. A cheery waitress came to guide them to a table for two, though before Izuku could even attempt to sit down, Tomura interrupted the waitress.

“Could we have something...a bit more private,” he said, with a tone that made Izuku shudder. The waitress seemed to be taken aback too, fidgeting nervously under Tomura’s attention.

“Yes, yes of course,” she finally stammered out and led them to a table more in the side. Once Tomura confirmed that it was fit, she hurried off, nearly running and Izuku couldn’t help but to think it was a tad unprofessional.

"How are you feeling?" Tomura asked once they had both sat down, not bothered by the waitress’s behavior. "You don't look so pale anymore.”

"I'm fine," Izuku said and it it was starting to be true. Focusing on Uraraka and Todoroki had allowed his heart a moment to rest and he had moved on from feeling like a he was seconds away from finding out what he would do in a flight or fight situation.

"You sure?" Tomura asked, looking appraisingly at Izuku.

When Izuku looked back, he could not help but get lost in Tomura's eyes once again. They looked more red than they had ever been, the dim restaurant light doing nothing to hide the sheer intensity on them.

They almost seemed...lighter. In fact Tomura himself seemed lighter. More healthy than usual. His skin seemed less sallow. There was more color on his lips than usual.

Izuku was grateful when the waitress arrived to bring them the menus, giving him something else to focus on. Because the only word in his mind to describe Tomura was 'afterglow’.

Thank god Tomura could not read thoughts.

He opened the menu, and forced himself to read it while feeling his face heat. Tomura had not touched the other menu, and he was still looking at Izuku. He could feel it.

"So, um- what we're you doing here?" Izuku asked awkwardly, both out of curiosity and need to break the tension. "I mean- in the city. Before you found me.”

Tomura ran his finger around the rim of his glass of water, leaning on his other hand. At some point he had pulled on a pair of gloves again, covering his middle and ring fingers. The gloves were black and made of leather. Despite looking nice and fitting Tomura, Izuku was slightly disappointed. It had been a nice change from the norm to see him without.

"Nothing much," Tomura shrugged.

Still entranced by Tomura's hand, Izuku noticed a smudge of red on his index finger. Almost like sensing where Izuku's focus had been, Tomura took a napkin and wiped it off casually. Some still stayed stuck at the corners of his nail.

"How..." Izuku began, frowning. He tore his eyes away from Tomura's fingers and looked instead directly at his face. There was still that same somewhat euphoric air to him, and it made looking at him difficult. "How'd you find me?”

"I just happened to end up in the right place at the right time," Tomura said.

"Yeah, but-“

"Pick your order," Tomura interrupted, pointing at the menu. "The waitress is going to come ask soon.”

Izuku swallowed. "Right.”

He turned towards his menu and picked the first dish he saw, checking that it seemed somewhat edible.

Content with his choice, he returned his attention back to Tomura. He had not even opened his own menu.

"What about you?”

"I ate already," Tomura responded.

"Oh." Izuku felt slightly uncomfortable with the thought of being the only one eating, but then again, that was how a lot of his lunches had been lately. Well, his lunches with Tomura.

It still seemed a bit different in actual proper restaurant.

He also could not help but to worry. He could not remember ever having seen Tomura eat. In addition to that, Tomura was undeniably quite lithe and carried an air of, well, sickness. He had never looked like the most healthy person.

Currently though, as Izuku looked at Tomura, he did look quite well. Energetic. Like he was ready to jump to do anything at any moment. Not to mention how insanely strong Tomura always was.
Izuku would not worry. At least yet.

"You boys know what you'll eat yet?" The waitress arrived, asking with a lot of forced cheeriness in her voice.

Tomura motioned to Izuku, who told the dish he had picked, already having forgotten what it included.

"Alright, and to you?" The waitress turned to Tomura after taking Izuku's order. She was avoiding looking at Tomura's face directly.

"Just a coke," Tomura said.

"Okay," the waitress nodded. "And what would you like to eat with that?”

"Just the coke for me," Tomura repeated, barely giving any attention to the confused waitress.

"Oh- okay," the waitress schooled herself quickly. "I'll bring the drinks soon," she told, carrying the menus away with her.

Izuku waited until she was out of the hearing range.

"So...you just happened there?”

"Hmm?" Tomura cocked his head. "Oh, before? Yes. Lucky.”

Izuku nodded, worrying his lip between his teeth. "I was just wondering. What were you doing there?" Izuku tried to keep his voice non-accusatory. After all, there really was no reason to accuse Tomura of anything.

He just could not help the way his arm hairs stood up.

“Some business I needed to take care of,” Tomura stated calmly.

“There?” Izuku could not keep the surprise out of his voice. It had not seemed like the kind of place people went to ‘take care of business’. At least not legal business. “What kind of business did you have there?”

Tomura’s lip twitched. He leaned forward. “Is there something you would like to ask me?”

Izuku halted. He fiddled with the bracelet on his hand, glancing around the restaurant. Everyone was focused on their own lives. Laughter erupted from the table on the other side.

"Were...were you following me?" he whispered it so quietly, that any normal person would not have heard it from the other side of the table. Tomura did.

"Perhaps I saw you walking. You seemed worried. Then you disappeared and I followed to see that you were okay," Tomura said, more alike to proposing a possible scenario, rather than telling what had happened.

The waitress brought the drinks to the table with a small appetizer, quickly hurrying off.

"Okay," Izuku gave in, choosing to believe the lie. "Thank you.”

"Of course," Tomura smirked. "What were you doing there? Why weren't you with your friends?”

"I went to a bookshop. I wanted to see if they had any of the books on my reading list," Izuku told. "Got lost after.”

"Did you find what you were looking for?”

"No." Izuku thought abut the thick book on his bag. "I found something, but nothing important.”

"What did you find?”

"Oh, it was just about some myths or something," Izuku said, feeling slightly embarrassed. "I mostly wanted it because of the illustrations. They were really beautifully done. And the price wasn't bad.”

"Sounds interesting," Tomura said. His attention shifted and he pointed at Izuku's hands. "Where'd you get that?”

Izuku looked at his hands, momentarily at loss before connecting the dots. Tomura had motioned at the bracelet Izuku had been fidgeting with. "It's a gift from Katchan," he told, pulling his fingers away from it. "Bakugo, that is. Or his mom technically. I think it's nice.”

"Very nice of them," Tomura agreed, though his tone made it seem that that might not be the case. He kept looking at the bracelet with an odd interest. Izuku could not say if it was good or bad.

He tried to look for any clues in Tomura's expression to figure out what he was thinking. There were none.

With Tomura looking downwards, Izuku did finally notice something. Tomura was wearing eyeshadow. A thrill of unexplainable heat surged within Izuku at the notion.

He was not judgmental, at least he had always thought so. He liked Tomura's expressiveness - or more accurately his lack of care about people's opinions - when it came to appearances. The eyeshadow looked good. Okay. Nice. It was hardly significant.

Still Izuku's brain refused to let go of the thought. It was like suddenly loud alarms were blaring in his head, yelling; 'Tomura's wearing eyeshadow! Tomura's wearing eyeshadow!’

Izuku was not judgmental. He did not care.

He also could not stop staring.

Izuku's face was hot and shame pooled low in his belly. He shifted in his seat.

Suddenly it hit him that people probably thought they were on a date. Which - what? His brain was fucked- he was fucked. A guy dresses a bit femininely and suddenly Izuku was worrying about people thinking that he was gay? What was wrong with him?

Could it be that Izuku was actually a bigot? He felt horrified at the thought. Which was when another one crossed his mind.

Was Tomura gay?

Izuku wanted to slam his head into the table to stop the onslaught of thoughts. It did not matter. Dressing differently did not suddenly make someone gay.

He had never been one for drinking, but at the moment he really wished he could have a drink. Or ten.

Izuku forced himself to focus on anything else, snapping his eyes away from Tomura and his dark eyelids that highlighted his eyes and the redness in them, making him seem attractive yet sharp. Objectively.

He released his lip - that he had not realized he had been biting - and instead looked around the place. A family over there. A tired looking old man over there. A couple-

Tomura let out of a small scoff, and Izuku's chest tightened in fear - until he realized that Tomura was only now drawing his attention away from the bracelet back to Izuku. It seemed that Izuku had not been the only one lost in thought.

Hopefully Tomura's thoughts were less chaotic. Or maybe not, it would have been hardly fair for Izuku to have to always be the uncool one. Compared to Tomura it was an easy thing to be.

Izuku could rock eyeshadow. Maybe. It would not look as good as it did on Tomura though. So what would even be the point, really.

He ran his hand through his hair, once again trying to steer his thoughts anywhere else.

"Anyway, what have you been up to?" Izuku asked, in lack of anything better to talk about. "I didn't see you yesterday.”

He regretted the words immediately after they came out.

Tomura's eyes widened slightly, then easing into small slits as he cocked his head, close-mouthed grin spreading on his face.

"You keeping tabs on me, Izuku?"

"I- what? No- no, that's not what- you jackass!”

Tomura was chuckling lowly - like a jackass - eyes gleaming as he rejoiced in Izuku's suffering.

"Sadist," Izuku kicked at Tomura's shin. Tomura was not bothered the slightest - by the insult or the kick - but now Izuku's toe was aching.

“I have never claimed otherwise," Tomura grinned. Izuku was certain that he was perfectly aware of how effective the kick had been. Sadist.

"So, anyway. What were you doing yesterday?" Izuku asked, wanting to steer the subject back to Tomura.

"I wasn't feeling so well. So I stayed inside," Tomura told.

"Oh. Well that sucks. But- I mean, you're alright now, right?" Izuku would hate it if Tomura was being held back from resting because of him.

"Better than ever," Tomura assured.

The waitress arrived, setting Izuku's food to the table. After making sure both of them were well, with a bit more glances at Tomura, she left again.

Only then did Izuku really take a proper look at the place. It was much fancier than he would usually go for. Definitely Todoroki's fault. He kind of hoped that he would have spent more thought on looking at the menu - or more specifically the prices.

The food was good, though. Really good.

"You sure you don't want any?" Izuku asked from him, but Tomura just shook his head.

The conversation lulled a bit as Izuku ate, but Tomura kept asking some questions. Izuku told him more about his schoolwork and about the plans he had. From there it evolved into Izuku telling Tomura about the previous school's he had been in, what he had liked about them and what he had hated. Then Tomura asked about generally the places he had lived in, which ones had been his favorites - which; the warmer, the better.

"Have you spent much time abroad?" Izuku asked between mouthfuls.

Tomura shrugged. "A little.”

"Really? Where?”

"Europe. The Americas. Africa. A lot of places, I tended not to stay long in one," Tomura told casually, as if he was not describing a literal dream of Izuku’s.

"That sound's amazing! Seeing so many places...I bet you met a lot of people. What were your favorite places?”

Tomura considered for a moment, biting at his lower lip unconsciously as he thought. "Singapore. It's a fascinating place, I wouldn't want to live there, but it's one of my favorites. Also, Finland during the winter.”

"Sounds cold. And dark.”

Tomura shrugged.

"Any other places?" Izuku asked, desperate for more details from Tomura.

Tomura get telling him of his travels and his experiences in different places. Some of them were absurd and sounded a bit unrealistic, as though from an old travel novel, but Izuku did not mind. He liked listening to Tomura talk.

"You and...Uraraka, that's her name?" Tomura began suddenly, right after Izuku had finished his food. Izuku nodded in confirmation. "Yes, you two. Are you together? Romantically?”

Izuku was glad he had just managed to swallow the last of his drink, because otherwise he very likely would have spat it all over Tomura.

"What? Me and Uraraka- no, no nothing like that," Izuku hurried to explain, feeling flustered. "She's a friend.”

"Do you want it to be...'something like that'?" Tomura asked, not bothered by Izuku's awkwardness.

It was a fair question, and Izuku would be lying if he said he had never considered it. He had, on the way to the beach. Uraraka was beautiful, and he admired her truly. She was kind and passionate. She was kind to him.

But that was where it had ended. Izuku had considered it, but he had not actually felt it. She was an amazing friend and Izuku was certain that changing that would only lessen their relationship.

"No," he answered, feeling as though it was highly important that Tomura understood it. Even though he had not felt that strongly about the subject before. If someone else had asked he might have even answered some type of ‘if it happens it happens’ answer. Not to Tomura. "No, I'm really just glad to have her as a friend. I have no desire to change that.”

Tomura nodded slowly. He seemed to be thinking deeply, like he was not quite sure how to react. Izuku ran his finger on the leather knot of his bracelet, waiting for whatever Tomura might say next.

"Did you leave any lovers behind, moving here?”

Izuku could not help but to laugh at the question.

"Um, no, definitely not. I barely knew anyone," he explained, focusing on his bracelet rather than looking at Tomura and those curious eyes.

"You didn't have any friends? Not even...acquaintances? You moved often, you must've met some people you got along with?”

Izuku bit the inside of his cheek. "Hmm. I was pretty lonely at most places. We didn't stay long enough for me to actually get to know people...or want to get to know them. I knew we'd move soon, so I didn't see the point." He shrugged. "Being just lonely was usually the better scenario anyway.”

Izuku frowned to himself. He had not wanted to sullen the mood. Daring to look up at Tomura, he was surprised to find the man looking at him rather calmly. No distress, uncomfortableness or pity. He seemed more...exhilarated, like he was piecing a puzzle together. The only negative emotion Izuku could sense from him was the faint whists of anger, which did not feel to be directed at Izuku in any way.

"Why so?" Tomura asked.

Izuku considered lying for a moment, or just avoiding the question. But it was Tomura. He wanted Tomura to know him. Even the not so nice parts.

"I was bullied a lot," he said. Tomura's expression did not waver. "In high-school I was mostly lonely, people were too focused on their own lives. The worst I got int those places was some heckling. It was worst in middle school. I don't know why," he sighed. "Something about me just...pissed people off, I guess.”

Tomura tilted his head. "Yeah, I can see that.”

Something akin to a laugh escaped Izuku's chest. Was he supposed be offended? "You're not going to say 'it's not you, it's them’?"

Tomura scoffed. "Of course it's you. You're fucking weird, Izuku. You still are, I can't even imagine how much weirder you were when you were a kid. People still notice it too, they're just way too occupied by their own worries to give a shit. And at this point of life they think bullying is childish, they'd rather just talk shit about you to their friends.”

"Right. Okay, are you like working up to a point?” Izuku asked doubtfully.

Tomura scratched at his neck. "Maybe, I don't remember. Oh, right. So, you're a freak. That's what got people pissed off. Maybe because their parents were close minded and shoved all their beliefs down their kids throats, or maybe their brains were just so un-evolved that they were incapable of handling the existence of anything mildly interesting. Maybe they got freaked out by you when you went into that adorable mumbling mode, and didn't know how to handle that.”

"So- what, are you saying it was their fault?" Izuku asked. "Or was- was I supposed to learn something from it? Wait- what do you mean ador-“

"I think you can throw fault around like fuck and hope it sticks somewhere," Tomura interrupted, waving with his arm. "It was your fault they picked on you, it was their fault they couldn't be normal about you, it was their parents fault for not raising them better, it was the teachers fault for not putting a stop to it, its the fucking society's fault for being shit. You know, it doesn't change the fact that it happened. And it sucked. And no, you probably didn't learn anything from it. Didn't get out stronger on the other side. In fact, it's likely gonna fuck with you for a long time.”

Tomura paused, sighing. In that moment, he seemed much older. "It hurt. You were hurt. For no good reason. And you're going to have to be the one to deal with it. And that sucks. But you know, that's just how some things are, some things just suck.”

Izuku's fidgeting had become more aggressive the longer Tomura talked. "Yeah," he nodded, eyes stinging. He clenched his jaw, trying to find some proper words to say. He could not find any, and in the end, he just said what he thought. "It did suck. And it really fucking hurt. I- I hate that it happened.”

"I bet.”

Izuku had not anticipated how freeing it felt. Accepting - not that it happened, but that it happened and that it had been awful. It felt validating. It felt real. It felt like he finally could draw in a proper breath of air.

He had never realized how much all of it still bothered him. But of course it did.

"Do you hate them?" Tomura asked, voice barely above a whisper. He was breathing heavily, gaze drilling into Izuku. Wired too tight with anticipation.

"Do I...hate the people who bullied me?”

"Yes," Tomura exhaled. "Them and all who looked away, do you hate them?”

Izuku sunk into his chair. Tomura looked like a preying cat, observing him, waiting. Izuku thought. He really thought.

The people who had hurt him, they had been kids then. They would have grown up by now. Izuku would likely never meet them again, never find out if they grew to regret it. They were just kids. Just as Izuku had been. When he had cried himself to sleep. When he had hoped for an accident to close him into a hospital, just for a while.

Izuku had always considered himself to be a kind person. An optimist. Willing to give people the benefit of a doubt. He trusted easily. Believed in second chances. Even third and fourth. He knew that was how most people saw him. And they were right, all those things did apply to Izuku.

"Yeah," he gasped. "Yes, I do. I do hate them, I really fucking hate them.”

Izuku was also really angry. Most people did not know that about him. Most.

"Yes," Tomura breathed, exhilarated. If Tomura was a cat, Izuku had just given him the cream. "That look in your eyes...you have no idea how strong it is. You try to hide this side of you, you want everyone to think you're all nice and soft - but that rage - it's beautiful.”

Izuku could not breathe. He was not sure when it had happened, but Tomura had began to lean closer and was now half over the table, with a crazed-over expression on as he stared at Izuku.

"What…"

Izuku did not know what he wanted to ask. He did not understand anything. Tomura was so close, Izuku could see all the imperfections carved into his skin. His lips looked hard. The corners twitched as he tried to hold back a smile.

Tomura's eyes flickered on his face, until they fell down to his hands. Izuku looked too. His fingers were still holding the leather of the bracelet.

"Shit." With his constant fidgeting he had managed to take apart the knot made by Katsuki. He pulled his hand away and it fell on the table, open.

Quick, pale hands reached to take it into a careful hold.

"Allow me," Tomura said, holding the bracelet by the ends with just the tips of his fingers.

"Thanks." Izuku held out his hand.

Tomura brought the bracelet around it, and began to tie a knot. Izuku let out a small gasp - quickly biting his lip after to shut up - when Tomura's cold fingers grazed his skin.

"There," Tomura whispered, finishing the knot. The bracelet was once again back around Izuku's wrist. The knot Tomura had done was tidy, both ends pointing neatly into opposing directions, parallel with the rest of the bracelet.

"A reef knot," Tomura answered Izuku's unasked question. "Should hold a bit better.”

"Thank you," Izuku said. Tomura's hand was still resting atop his. The leather of the glove only covered the two fingers and the back of his hand, leaving Tomura's cold palm pressed against Izuku's skin.

Izuku could not explain what drove him to do what he did. Except for barren the need to do so. He took a hold of Tomura's hand, caressing the pale skin with his thumb. Tomura's fingers were so cold, his hand bony and so pale.

Except the tips of his index fingers, which were pinkish, the skin in them seeming irritated. Izuku had not noticed that before and wondered, if the covered fingers also looked like that.

"Why are you always wearing gloves?" Izuku asked, running his fingers on Tomura's palm. He felt hypnotized.

"It helps," Tomura said, allowing his hand to be moved by Izuku. He did not elaborate.

Izuku kept feeling Tomura's hand, all the way to his wrist, going over the strap of leather keeping his glove on. The skin on his wrist felt smooth, but not soft.

It took a moment for Izuku to understand that the heavy breathing was not coming from Tomura. No, Tomura seemed to be barely breathing at all.

"I- " he swallowed. The air felt hot.

"Izuku?”

He exhaled a wavering breath and pulled back into his own chair, letting go of Tomura's hand. "I should probably start heading home soon," he said quickly, looking around for a waitress.

Tomura simply raised his arm and made an inviting motion. Not even ten seconds later a waitress was standing by their table.

"How can I help?”

"The check, please," Tomura told, not looking away from Izuku.

"Of course, just a moment," the waitress nodded, not bothering with any small talk.

"You liked your food?" Tomura asked.

Izuku nodded. His chest felt heavy.

They waited for a moment in silence, until the waitress arrived again. She seemed to hesitate for a moment over who to give the check to, but Tomura was already reaching for it.

Izuku was on his way to object, refusing to let Tomura pay, but the other man simply turned his piercing gaze towards Izuku, making him unable to speak. It was like he was holding Izuku captive.

It was the very same feeling he had just recently felt. On that alley.

By the time he was getting a hold of himself, the waitress was already leaving and Tomura was placing his wallet back into his pocket.

"Let's go," Tomura said, nodding towards the door.

Ignoring the way his heart was beating and his hands shaking, Izuku followed.

The coke Tomura had ordered for himself stayed untouched on the table.

Chapter Text

Stepping outside into the cold air felt amazing. It cleared Izuku's head somewhat. Tomura's presence had made him feel nearly drunk.

They begun walking towards the small parking lot Tomura had left his car in. Despite the refreshing air and getting out of the restaurant, Izuku's head still was mostly a mess of thoughts.

The evening had been a lot. He had already felt tired when he had separated from Uraraka and Todoroki. Add the horrifying altercation with the men and whatever the horror was that made them disappear, and then just the emotional turmoil that Tomura seemed to always cause in him. It all added up to a cloud of exhaustion engulfing his body, only overshadowed by the exhilaration of Tomura’s company.

Yet, it was all starting to catch up on him. He could feel it in the heaviness of his eyelids and the burning of his muscles.

They were nearly by the car, and Izuku was enjoying the serenity of the evening, when Tomura suddenly spun around so fast it took a while for Izuku to notice he had done so. Following Tomura's line of sight, he saw what the other was staring at.

An elderly man had clearly been walking towards them, though he was hesitating now that he had been noticed. He was wearing a clean suit and a had a briefcase in hand. His hair and beard had long ago crossed the line from salt'n pepper to simply grey. He was the same man Izuku had noticed in the restaurant, sitting alone by the window.

Now he was staring at them - no, at Tomura - like he could not quite believe what he was seeing. Tomura was clearly wary, his entire body language tense and ready to snap at any moment, and Izuku could not blame him. What could an old classy looking man want from them?

"I- excuse me... um," the man stuttered over his words, taken aback now that he had been noticed. His eyes kept flickering towards Tomura's face, and he seemed almost scared. Though, with the way Tomura was glaring at him, it was a fair reaction.

"I didn't mean to interrupt... it's just- you-," the man gestured with a shaking hand at Tomura. "Are you- but how could... you can't... Shi-?”

"You must be confusing me with someone else," Tomura cut in, words sharp and poisonous.

The man shook his head. "No, no I don't- I knew you," he stuttered, voice desperate. "We- 1968 at the-“

"You likely knew my father. We look alike. He's dead. Now if you don't mind, we're going to go.”

Tomura's tone was cold enough to send shivers down Izuku's spine. With a hand at Izuku's lower back, Tomura guided him towards the car, not waiting to see if the man actually minded.

"No, you look just like him," the man said lowly behind them. "You- you must- even the sc-“

Tomura turned a furious glare towards the man, and Izuku vowed to never get into the receiving end of such look. Tomura was outright terrifying. It was far from the captivating, preying look Izuku was used to. There was no teasing, no curiosity. It was pure hostility.

The man must have felt it too, because he quieted down.

"I can't help you. Goodbye," Tomura said. Not looking away from the man, he opened the car doors and took his arm off Izuku's lower back. Izuku almost wished he had kept it. "Get in the car, Izuku.”

Not daring - or wanting - to disagree Izuku quickly jumped inside the car. As soon as he was seated, he pulled the door closed. Tomura was already on the drivers seat, and began reversing.

The man kept staring at them as they drove away. To the last moment that he was still in Izuku's sight, he was staring at them, until Tomura took a turn and Izuku could no longer see him.

Tomura was livid. He was tapping at the wheel with his fingers much too fast for it to be relaxing, his other hand scratching at the skin on his neck. Izuku had never seen him so rattled.

"Are- are you okay?" he asked carefully.

Tomura's eyes snapped to Izuku and his breath caught in his throat. But the harsh fury soon disappeared, as Tomura took in who he was looking at, and it was replaced by solemness and shame.

For the first time, Tomura was the one unable to hold the eye contact.

"Yes, sorry," Tomura responded, voice raspy. "I didn't mean for you to see me like that.”

Tomura sounded mad at himself.

"It's okay," Izuku assured. "Can I- um, why did that bother you so much?”

Tomura grunted. "Just surprised me."

"Are you sure he didn't know you? He seemed... pretty certain.”

"I'm sure.”

Izuku bit the inside of his cheek. He still felt like things did not quite add up. "I- I thought he was going to say your name.”

"Shimura.”

"Huh?”

"Shimura. My biological father's name," Tomura explained. The words tasted of toxicity and animosity.

Izuku did not know the full relationship of Tomura and his deceased father, but it was clear Tomura certainly did not think highly of him.

"He lived here?" Izuku asked, once Tomura seemed slightly calmer.

"No," Tomura shook his head. "Thats why I didn't expect- well it doesn't matter. He's not going to be a bother anymore.”

Tomura trailed off, speaking the end of the sentence mostly to himself. With his agitation, his pedal feet had grown heavy, and the car was speeding up as they got into a proper road. To Izuku's surprise, he did not feel scared.

Tomura sighed in the silence. "Sorry. I- I just don't like remembering him.”

"That's okay," Izuku said softly, and in a brazen move took a hold of Tomura's hand that had come to rest by the gear shift. He gave an encouraging squeeze before letting go.

He ignored the hotness on his cheeks as their fingers lingered on for a moment too long.

The tiredness was starting to take over. He was leaning on the cold car window, looking outside into the darkness. They kept talking, but the conversation was rather sluggish. Neither of them minded.

Despite its older age, the car was quite comfortable. Izuku found himself hoping that the drive back would last. He wanted to tell Tomura to drive slower, just so they could get a few more minutes out of the night.

The night had indeed fallen, covering everything into the shadows. Izuku wondered, if a bear appeared on the forest edge, would he even see it.

"Do you think those men are okay?" Izuku muttered, his tiredness letting the words slip out without much thought.

"What?" Tomura glanced at him, confused.

"The men from the alley," Izuku explained. "They just...disappeared. What if they're hurt?”

"Does it matter?" Tomura questioned, looking at Izuku pointedly. "I mean, five against one, that just isn't fair. They were obviously horrible people. They had no good reason to harass you.”

Izuku paused, on his way to explain his point of view when the meaning of the words hit him, like ice falling down his insides. His mouth felt dry. Suddenly he felt wide awake, as every ounce of tiredness disappeared. He pressed the edge of his thumbnail into his skin, focusing on the pain to calm him.

Swallowing, he forced himself to speak.

"I never said there were five.”

"Oh. Sorry, I assumed," Tomura said casually, not missing a beat. Not even glancing at Izuku. "How many were there?”

Izuku wet his lips. "No...you were right. It was five.”

"Oh, well then," Tomura shrugged. "Anyway, my point stands.”

"Yeah, I guess so," Izuku said, his heart racing. Adrenaline was making it impossible to return to the serene state he had been in.

Izuku pretended it was worry, as Tomura clearly knew more than he let on. Izuku chose to believe it was fear, and not exhilaration, that was making his skin crawl.

Not soon later Tomura curved to park in front of Izuku's house.

"Thanks for the evening, Tomura," Izuku said as he stepped out of the car. "And thank you for the ride, but you really have to let me pay back for the food.”

Tomura waved his hand dismissively. "I don't even remember how much it cost.”

"Yes you do," Izuku challenged.

"Well you don't," Tomura smirked.

"Just tell me," Izuku groaned.

Tomura cocked his head, an arrogant smile on his face.

"C'mon, Tomura.”

"No. This evening was on me," Tomura said. "I'm sure we can figure some other way you could pay back.”

Izuku rolled his eyes, pretending Tomura had not made him blush.

"Good night, Izuku," Tomura said, reaching to close the door. "I'll see you tomorrow.”

Izuku sighed as he watched the lights on Tomura's car disappear in the night. If his head had not been such a mess of thoughts, maybe he could have figured out how to pay Tomura.

Defeated he walked inside. Inko was still awake, asking him if he enjoyed his evening. Izuku assured that he did, but citing his tiredness managed to slunk into his room pretty quickly.

Groaning, Izuku sat on the edge of his bed. The exhaustion of everything that had happened that day, was truly settling in.

They really should have gone out on a weekend.

But alas, it was only Wednesday, which meant that he could not spend the next day in bed.

Unfortunately, no matter how exhausted he was, Izuku also knew that he would not be able to fall asleep anytime soon.

He chucked the bag off his shoulder, letting it fall from the edge of the bed to the floor. The loud thump it made, reminded him of his find.

Curiosity peaked, Izuku dug out the book. His mind was still swirling with thoughts of red eyes and cold skin.

It was only a few little things, oddities Izuku had noticed and felt. He wanted to be open minded about Tomura, wanted to believe that everything made sense as it was.

But there was a reason why in the restaurant Izuku had not asked if Tomura had gotten hurt when he had seen the man wipe what could only be blood off his fingers.

Izuku ran his hand over his face, rubbing his eyes and refusing to entertain thoughts of that nature any further.

Instead he chose to occupy his thoughts with more calming things. He sat deeper into his bed, took the book into his hands and began flipping it with more care that he had in the shop. Izuku was enamored by the artistry of the illustrations, as well as the author's skill in keeping the text engaging, constantly dredging the line between fact and fiction.

He did not notice the minutes passing by, allowing his mind to be taken over by the text.

It had gotten to a very interesting point, and the author was clearly making way for a fascinating subject. Izuku read it with a needlepoint focus, flipping to the next page - only to find the following page missing.

Frowning Izuku ran his fingers on the jagged remnants of the pages missing. They had not been cut off, but ripped, leaving uneven pieces of paper sticking out.

It was hardly a loss, or even surprising, after all he had known that the book was used when he had bought it. He would not have thought it further. Except, when he looked at the page remaining, he recognized it.

Izuku knew what pages were missing. He knew, because he had been looking at them in the shop. Those were the very pages that had made him want to buy the book.

The woman with the red eyes.

The pages were in the book when he had bought it. Izuku had been looking at it the whole time the clerk handled it.

Quickly Izuku grabbed his bag off the floor, rummaging inside it. They must have fallen out.

The evidence clearly pointed out that they had been ripped - not fallen.

And there was only one person besides him, who could have had access to the book in the time between Izuku buying it, and arriving home.

Not wanting to jump into conclusions, Izuku began to go through the whole book. Maybe he had remembered wrong. Maybe the pages he was thinking about were at another spot.

Izuku went through the book. Twice. The pages were not there.

He tried to think back to the evening. Had he left his bag behind at any point? Had he had it with him when he got off Tomura's car in front of the restaurant? Did he leave for the bathroom? At what point could Tomura have had access to the bag?

And why? If it was Tomura - why? What reason did he have?

He glanced at the last page before the ripped one, as well as the next page after the ripped ones. Instead of the calm the book had provided him earlier, now the words made his head spin.

...the cold skin of the dead...eternal life of undead...by the consumption of blood…

His chest clenched. He kept reading.

...to be believed; silver, garlic, the crucifix...as unholy even the sun hates their existence…

He slammed the book closed, heart racing in his chest.

For a moment he just sat there. Nothing seemed to make sense. Or maybe everything did, but accepting that, seemed even worse.

Sighing he got up and walked to his desk. The notebook was still there. He flipped open the page he found himself staring at the most frequently.

During the evening he had been itching for his notebook - or even just a pen and a piece of napkin - so many times, but now that he stood there, his mind was empty. Or rather, too full to make out anything sensible.

He looked at the things already written down.

Red

Cold

Strong

He sat down with a grunt and buried his hand into his hair. What had his life become?

Unable to fight his yearning for more information, he opened his laptop. He could see his reflection on the screen as he waited for it to turn on. He looked like shit. He just wished he had not looked like that when he had been with Tomura.

The computer opened and Izuku went to the search bar. But once that had opened, he hesitated. What was he doing? What was he even supposed to search for?

He almost slammed the thing shut, but then a thought crossed his mind. It was a mere curiosity, but now that he had thought of it, he could not resist the temptation.

What had Tomura said again…?

He clicked on the search bar, and wrote; Shimura.

Unsurprisingly, the results were just a tad bit too much.

He began slimming down the options and focused only on obituaries. Allowing his curiosity lead him, he got used to the familiar rhythm of research.

Then he came upon a very low quality portrait of a man, baring some resemblance to Tomura. He clicked on it, excitement pooling in his chest, but soon found out that the man in the picture - Shimura Kotaro, a successful business man - had died in 1911. That explained the quality of the picture.

He was about to dismiss it as well, after all, Tomura's father could not have died in 1911, and this Shimura had no living posterity when he had passed.

But it was undeniable, the man shared much similarity to Tomura. Though, not enough to confuse the two of them with each other.

There was a one more...theory. After all, in many occasions Izuku had felt like perhaps Tomura was older than he seemed. It was in the way he at times talked, and what he talked about. In the way it seemed he had experienced more things than any one of his age would have had time to. Even in the clothes he wore.

Izuku shut the laptop. He got up from his desk and walked over to his window. The cold glass on his forehead eased some of the headache he was getting.

He thought of the alley. It had been terrifying. Then they had all just disappeared. And there was that presence, like something was observing them. That presence that had felt much more familiar than Izuku dared to admit.

Izuku returned to his desk and opened his computer again. This time he simply wrote; 'red eyes', into the search bar. It was not the first time he had done so. But this time he did not stay in strictly medical research papers.

He got lost on it, clicking from one article to another, from source to source. He let the words wash over him without pausing to think of everything that he knew to be true.

Because he also knew to be true, that there were things about Tomura that simply did not make sense. And Izuku knew he was not the only one who thought so, even if others did not think of it so much and consciously. Perhaps it was the way Tomura balanced just on the edge of the uncanny valley that set people off. Should have set Izuku off.

Instead Izuku felt pulled towards Tomura. Even now. His heart was beating in his ears and his palms were sweaty, and by all reason, he was terrified and confused. And he still wanted to find everything out about Tomura, because the man fascinated him in a way no one had before.

For a moment it seemed he had collected all the answers, all the quirks of Tomura and explanations for them. The constantly changing eyes, the way he always felt cold no matter what, the way he seemed to be able to move without anyone noticing, even the incredible amount of strength that he had that allowed him to do things that by all means should be impossible or the product of Izuku's overactive imagination.

Vindication spread through him as he stared at the screen, because he had been right. The whole time. But almost immediately after it was dimmed, because, well, it was insanity. Even thinking about it.

At least he could still recognize how ridiculous it was to think - to even consider these things. That ought to count for something. Not that it helped with actually shutting his thoughts off.

Muttering to himself was not cutting it. He opened a new, empty page from his notebook and took a pen. He would fill it with actual evidence, sensible evidence to prove himself that he was wrong, that he ought to give up with whatever this was.

Pages after pages he had filled with the most ridiculous topics he had gotten obsessed over, filled with Tomura. But now his mind was blank. He could not think of anything to write down. All he had was just - it did not make sense.

It was not possible. It could not - it simply could not. Because that was not how things - people worked. It was impossible. He shut the notebook and tossed it aside.

Raking his fingers through his hair, Izuku turned to gaze at the ceiling, hoping for a missing clue to drop into his face. He knew what was possible, and those theories were not. All logic went against them. It was impossible.

Even as he kept repeating the words to himself, over and over again, he could not deny the evidence he did have. Strongest of which was the feeling deep inside him, the feeling he felt every time he was close to Tomura. It might have gone against everything he knew, but the evidence simply pointed into that direction.

Shigaraki Tomura was not human.

Chapter Text

Izuku woke up far too early in the morning. He had not slept much, and his head still felt foggy from yesterday. With a sigh he pushed himself up from the bed.

He did everything pretty much on autopilot and once he was done he was not sure he had done anything he was supposed to. But he had his bag and he was wearing clothes. That should be enough.

He glanced at the open notebook mocking him from his desk. All his thoughts there, written up. Izuku left.

As he made his way to the campus, he swore to himself that he would not let his stupidity dictate him. He should have gone to bed immediately last night, as he had already been so tired. That was all the previous evening had been. He dismissed the stupid theory - because that was what it had been. There was no reason to believe that. He would not think of those things anymore and he would be normal. He would also not let his overactive imagination affect the way he was with Tomura.

By the time he arrived, he was beginning to feel a lot more confident, and his eyes were not trying to slip shut anymore. He began walking through the yard towards the front doors, following the masses slowly flowing into that direction. Izuku lifted his gaze from his feet, glancing up at the doors - and froze.

Tomura was standing by the front doors, aside so he would not get caught up on the flow of people, and he was staring directly at Izuku with a sly smile on his face. He was waiting. He was waiting for Izuku.

Distantly Izuku could feel a few bodies colliding with his, people grumbling at him for blocking the path. Not that he managed to understand what it meant. His heart was beating loud and fast. There was not enough air. He swallowed, clenching his fists. His palms were sweaty. All the theories from last night rushed back in, as he remembered why he had been so certain.

And Izuku knew that Tomura knew, he could see it in his face. He had not moved, just cocked his head the slightest bit, like he was just curious on what Izuku would do next.

Izuku ran.

He took a few staggering steps backwards, whipped around and ran. Through the people, forcing his way out of the crowd, colliding with others. He could not think about anything but his need to get away.

He could not breathe.

He did not know where he was going, just that he was going away. He let his legs lead him, his body guide him while his mind screamed danger.

He could not say how long it took for him to stop. He was panting, from the physical exertion or from the panic clawing at his lungs - he could not say. He had made a beeline into the forest that was surrounding the little town, pushing closer and closer each day until someday it would swallow it all.

It was void of people, void of sounds.

Izuku dropped to his knees, unable to care about the wetness soaking through his jeans from the ground. He let his bag fall off his shoulder.

For a moment he just stayed there, rubbing his chest as his breathing evened. His mind was starting to clear.

He stood up, hand still on his chest. His panic had began to ease away and on its place came shame. What the hell was he doing?

He scoffed, feeling frustrated with himself. That had been a complete overreaction - in fact, everything he had done since yesterday had been a complete overreaction. What happened to not letting his thoughts affect the way he was with Tomura?

Izuku would stop. He would get his act together, go back to the campus, and apologize to Tomura - who had to be feeling pretty confused at the moment. Because whatever Izuku had been thinking about him was not true.

He stood up, turned around and screamed.

Tomura was standing right there, less than meter from Izuku.

"Shit- Tomura," Izuku swallowed, as his heartbeat skyrocketed. "You sc- scared the crap out of me. I um- I didn't h- hear you at all.”

Tomura raised his brow. With his hands in the pockets of his jacket, he began slowly walking closer to Izuku. "Why'd you come here, Izuku. Why did you run?”

His voice sent shivers down Izuku's back. Even though he was whispering it felt like the words were too loud. Izuku knew if he were to move then, he would just fall down. He tried to open his mouth, but he had no idea what to say.

Tomura continued slowly walking around him. Like a predator rounding up its prey. No...not ‘like’.

"What have you been thinking? Is something troubling you, Izuku?" Tomura asked quietly. “You look pretty shaken.”

Izuku should have listened to Katsuki. He knew it then with certainty. The worst part was, that he had known, on some level, from the moment Katsuki had first warned him. "It's nothing, just...a lot of things on my mind.”

Tomura appeared into his field of vision, looking at him intimidatingly. Izuku clenched his jaw, dropping his gaze to his shoes. The dampness of the forest floor was seeping into the sneakers.

"Like what?" Tomura whispered.

Izuku bit the inside of his cheek.

"Izuku?”

He raised his gaze back to Tomura, focusing on the blue tresses hanging by his face rather than his eyes. He was so close to Izuku. "I just-" Izuku drew in a breath, a sudden flash of frustration and determination breezing through him. Wetting his lips he returned Tomura's gaze, looking directly into those red eyes that had been haunting him for a while. He could see in them a mirrored exhilaration of his own.

"I was right, wasn't I?” Izuku asked, though it was hardly intended as a question.

Tomura cocked his head.

Nerves and adrenaline making him feel buzzed, Izuku continued. "The car. I didn't imagine any of that.”

"Now why-“

"Don't lie to me!" Izuku cut in. "I'm right, I know I am. You're-" he swallowed, feeling out of breath.

Tomura kept staring at him, in a clear a challenge. Izuku did not break the eye contact, even when it started to feel like literal hell.

Tomura's mouth spread into a wide grin. Not like the small smirks Izuku had seen, in fact he had never seen Tomura grin like this before. Izuku inhaled sharply.

Tomura's canines and incisors were sharp, much sharper than any human's. He continued slowly walking around Izuku, a crazed expression on his face.

"Yes?”

Breaking off the eye contact, Izuku turned to stare at a rotting leaf on the ground. He was not sure if he still could move if he had to. Not that running would help.

Tomura would catch him.

And when he would, he could hold Izuku as long as he wished, because he was much, much stronger than Izuku.

Stronger than a human.

"It was you," Izuku whispered, voice shaky. "In the alley. What did you do to them?”

Tomura sighed, the breath hitting on the hairs at the back of Izuku’s head. He was so close. "Nothing they didn't deserve. I was just protecting you.”

Shivers ran through the entirety of Izuku’s body. He felt the absurd desire to smile. "That man knew you," he said instead.

"What are you trying to prove, Izuku?" Tomura asked softly. It could have been even described as caring or gentle, if one did not know any better. The way Tomura said Izuku's name still made him shudder.

A drop of water rolled down Izuku's cheek. It took a moment for him to realize the wetness was coming from his own eyes. His entire body was shaking.

"Your heart is beating so fast," Tomura said wistfully.

He wanted to reach for the bracelet in his hand. Or the knife, still in his nightstand drawer. He could not move, trapped by Tomura's presence. Like all those other times, captivated by the eyes that kept changing.

The way he always seemed to appear out of nowhere. Like he had already known where Izuku was.

And when he wanted to be gone, he would be.

"There's no point pretending anymore, Izuku, is there?" Tomura whispered. His voice was rasp.

Tomura's damaged skin, that was not damaged like a human's but of a marble statue. Unchangeable. Unmoldable.

Izuku thought of Katsuki's warnings at the beach. It felt like ages ago. He thought Of the book he had found. Even the sun hates them.

He glanced up to the sky, covered by the forest. He knew that nothing would in any case make its way through those leaves, as the clouds were already hiding the sun.

“You’re..." Izuku whispered, unable to finish the sentence. The red eyed woman on the book, and the demonic expression on her face when she attacked, teeth sharp even on the paper.

"What, Izuku?”

The way he had reached for the blood coming from Izuku's head. Thrown himself between Izuku and the car. He had mended the wounds on Izuku's hands.

He had told Izuku all the things he had needed to hear. He had driven Izuku to home almost every day.

"You know," Tomura urged. "What am I?”

Izuku had never seen Tomura blush. When he laughed he covered his mouth with his hand.

Izuku had liked his laugh.

"Say it," Tomura whispered. Izuku felt his breath on his neck.

Lives lived in ways no one could have in twenty years. Never eating but always hungry. Control like no one’s - not just of himself but of others. Setting alarm bells flaring in everyone, whilst pulling them right in.

Everything Tomura did seemed inhuman. Everything he was, was so much more, while always lacking that small part that made one so undoubtedly human.

Because Tomura was-

"Say it," Tomura hissed.

"A vampire.”

And his world was filled with pain.

It was the worst pain Izuku had ever felt. He could not scream, only gasp desperately as it wrecked through his entire body, before dimming down until it was concentrated just onto his neck.

Tomura groaned, teeth buried deep into the juncture of Izuku's neck. Izuku did not struggle as arms wrapped around him, pulling him closer, against Tomura's front.

He kept panting and gasping for a proper breath as the monster fed on him. The game was over. Izuku could not do anything, he did not know anything. His body felt out of his control, a limp doll for Tomura to hold. He could not hear anything, see anything, feel anything. Anything but Tomura. Tomura groaning in pleasure, Tomura's blue hair, Tomura's hands on him. Tomura's teeth on him. In him.

He reached to grab Tomura by the back of his head, twisting his fingers into his hair. He did not try to pull Tomura off - not that it would have made a difference. He just kept holding on as he writhed in Tomura's arms.

Tomura's other hand left from where it had been by Izuku's hip. Izuku could not hold back a desperate gasp as it moved to his neck. Tomura's bare hand wrapped around his neck, not squeezing hard enough to cut Izuku's breathing, but hard enough to be a reminder that he could. Izuku felt dizzy.

"What the-“

The pain eased a bit as Tomura pulled his teeth off, but the pull itself set another flare of pain alight. Izuku could feel wetness rolling down his skin and Tomura leaning his head against Izuku, breathing heavily.

Suddenly Tomura appeared in front of him, hand still on his neck.

His eyes looked frantic and crazed. Blood smeared on his lips, rolling down his chin. Izuku could see it between his teeth. He looked inhuman. He was inhuman.

Tomura looked at Izuku, eyes flickering all over him.

"Fuck," he suddenly exhaled, and then Izuku was moving.

It was like being thrown in a car during sudden sped ups, except tens times worse. One moment he was standing there in front of Tomura, practically being held up by the hand on his neck, the next he was pushed against a tree, air punched out of his lungs.

Izuku gasped for breath, his vision dimming for a moment. It did not make him feel better when the realization hit him, that with Tomura's strength and speed he could have easily smashed Izuku into pieces.

Or maybe it did. He no longer knew anything for certainty.

Tomura was leaning towards him, three fingers on his chest keeping him up, waiting for Izuku to catch his breath. His other hand was still Izuku's his neck, cold, smooth fingers on his pulse.

"T- Tomura..." Izuku managed to finally stutter. He did not know what he was asking for.

Tomura leaned forward, closer to Izuku. He looked desperate. Izuku felt...wanted. Tomura's eyes flickered between Izuku's face, and the hand still on his throat.

Then his lips were on Izuku’s.

It was like the air had been punched out of his lungs again, and for a moment Izuku could not do anything else but tense on his feet, and squeeze tighter at the fabric on Tomura's shoulders, that he could not even remember grabbing.

Then for a reasons that he did not know, he kissed back.

Tomura's mouth tasted of copper. When Izuku returned the kiss, a low keening sound escaped from Tomura’s throat. It made Izuku feel ecstatic. Tomura pried with his tongue at Izuku's teeth, and he opened his mouth to let Tomura in.

He could taste more blood on Tomura's tongue.

While Tomura kissed frantically, his hands had begun to roam around Izuku's body, making their way under his clothes, grabbing at anywhere they could.

Izuku moaned into Tomura's mouth when he felt nails scraping down his back. Tomura pulled off from the kiss, a thin trail of bloodied spit connecting their mouths for a moment. Izuku looked at him underneath his half closed lids.

Tomura staring at him with intensity Izuku had never seen before. He looked hungry.

Izuku leaned back, his head hitting the tree as Tomura began kissing and sucking at Izuku's jaw. It was frantic, desperate and the best thing Izuku had ever felt. He was burning, his entire body ablaze.

"Tomura," he gasped.

"Yes, yes," Tomura panted into his neck. He pushed even closer and lodged his thigh between Izuku's legs. Izuku inhaled sharply, the inhale turning into a moan as Tomura grinded against him. He could feel a distinct hardness in Tomura's pants, grinding against his own thigh. Tomura was moaning contently as he marked Izuku's neck.

"I'm- I'm not gay," Izuku gasped out as Tomura sucked in a particularly pleasurable spot, close to the wound he had left on him.

"Okay," Tomura exhaled, licking a long stripe from the wound up to Izuku's jaw, still grinding his hips heavily into Izuku's. The pressure of his tongue on the wound sent a sharp flare of pain that made Izuku moan louder as it mixed with the pleasure.

He had never felt like this. It was all so much. Tomura's touch made his skin burn. He felt so sensitive. Everything felt like too much, yet he could not stop yearning for more.

"I'm really not," he moaned as Tomura grinded against him in an extremely pleasurable manner.

"I believe you," Tomura rasped out, kissing at the wound on Izuku's neck.

Izuku felt so aroused, all other feelings not even a memory. Gone was the doubt, the nervousness and anger. Only a small sliver of fear was still shimmering underneath his skin, and it seemed to only add into his arousal.

Tomura sucked on the wound, and the pain was too much. Izuku’s face was wet with tears.

"No, wait Tomura- stop- I'm gonna- " Izuku gasped desperately, his other hand shooting into Tomura's hair and pulling at it. Tomura's grinding halted and Izuku could feel him smile against the skin he had been kissing and sucking at.

His heart was beating frantically, and he turned to look up into the branches, hoping to be able to calm himself down.

Tomura took his other hand off from where it had been on Izuku's lower back, a few fingers sneaked under the waistband of his jeans. Izuku whined at the loss of touch, only to pull harder at Tomura's hair when the hand began to open his jeans.

Torturously slowly, Tomura pulled down the zip and began nudging Izuku’s pants down, boxers following soon after. The momentarily relief of his erection not being trapped anymore, was soon overshadowed by the cold air hitting at the bared skin and he winced. Tomura's hand - which was slowly teasing and touching him near where he actually wanted it, but never there - was not bringing any relief a normal human hand would, as it was almost as colder than the air.

Then Tomura began kissing him again, his other hand wrapping around Izuku's cock while the other dug nails deep into the skin on Izuku's back, and he could not care about anything anymore beyond the pain and pleasure mixing into ecstasy, of which the cold was just another part of.

Being an active partner in the kissing started becoming difficult as Tomura stroked Izuku's cock. He was far too close then what he ought to be in a situation like this. Really, he should not be even aroused at all but Tomura and everything he did seemed to just turn him on more.

Eventually he was just moaning and panting into Tomura's mouth, but he did not receive any indication that he was being minded. In fact, Tomura seemed more exhilarated than Izuku had ever seen anyone be.

The edge of Tomura's nail crazed at Izuku's cock, making him cry out. “Fuck- too much! Tomura I can’t-” He felt so oversensitive, every cell of him screaming.

"That's right, cry for me," Tomura muttered, stroking faster. Izuku could not breathe. "You're so pretty, so fucking pretty.”

Tears were falling down Izuku's cheeks. Tomura swiped at the tip of his cock with his thumb. Izuku felt his orgasm building. He was on fire - he did not know what to do. He did not know if he should push into Tomura or away from him. He did not know anything beyond Tomura and the pleasure he brought to Izuku.

They were the only things in existence, the only ones who mattered. The world was gone, and Izuku was gone on Tomura. His arms on him were the only thing keeping Izuku existing.

Tomura licked at the skin above Izuku's clavicle gently, before burying his teeth into the flesh and sucking.

The pleasure crashed like an anvil and Izuku was flying, and he was falling. It was pure ecstasy. He was writhing and gasping, Tomura's name on his lips. He might have been screaming, but he could not tell. His throat was in so much pain either way.

Tomura kept stroking him as he came down from his orgasm, until he was far past overstimulated, tears running down his face.

Distantly he was aware of Tomura writhing and moaning, as he kept sucking on Izuku's blood. Barely able to control his muscles, Izuku reached down. Tomura must have understood what he was attempting, as he snatched Izuku's hand and brought it to his crotch.

At some point that Izuku had - unsurprisingly - not noticed, Tomura had pulled his own cock out. He tried to stroke it, but gave up pretty soon after - his limbs felt as though they had been detached from him - instead he just allowed Tomura to dictate the rhythm and fuck into his fist.

As Tomura got closer, the pressure of his teeth heightened, sending sharp spikes of pain from Izuku's trapezius. Tomura's nails were digging harshly into the skin of Izuku's hip.

When Tomura orgasmed, he kept his teeth on Izuku - though not sucking anymore, just biting down. Izuku kept his hand on Tomura's cock, finding surprising pleasure in the feeling of Tomura's cum landing on his thigh and fingers.

Tomura's hips stuttered a few more times until stilling. Only then did he finally stop biting Izuku. The feeling of Tomura's teeth leaving his flesh was uncomfortable, and for the oddest small moment Izuku missed being bitten.

He was still panting heavily from his own orgasm. He felt dizzy and his entire body seemed to be made of jelly. As Tomura dislocated himself from Izuku, he found that there was not much keeping him up. He allowed himself to sink down to the ground, back against the tree. Instead of even attempting to pull his pants up, he dropped his jacket to the ground so he would not have to sit on the cold forest floor.

Chapter Text

A shadow was looming over Izuku. He felt disoriented. Both his shoulder and neck were aching, and he wondered if he might have pulled a muscle.

Then the red eyes staring at him registered in his mind. Izuku realized where he was and what actually had just happened.

"Egh..." Izuku groaned, closing his eyes for a few more seconds. When he opened them, nothing had changed.

So, not an insane dream then.

"You alright?" Tomura asked casually, as if Izuku had just tripped or something.

"Am I- what- no! What the fuck?" Izuku stuttered, trying to get up to...do something, though he did not quite know what yet. It did not matter in the end, because as he tried to move, he noticed that his pants and boxers were still very much pushed down and his cock was very much out in the open. And it was cold.

He tried to pull his pants up quickly to cover himself up from Tomura, who was not even pretending not to look. Except that there was cum on his legs, and holy shit he had another man's cum on himself.

Izuku made some sort of a half-panicked half-disgusted noice and reached to wipe the cum off, except that he did not want to touch it and he did not have anything to wipe it off with, but he was already touching it because it was on his skin, and Tomura was looking extremely amused by his scrambling. He - of course - was already perfectly cleaned up and wearing pants.

"Here," Tomura finally said, after staring at Izuku's attempts to make himself presentable. He was holding a few napkins of which Izuku had no idea where he had pulled them out from.

He snatched the napkins quickly and wiped himself clean. The cum had already cooled down, which made it harder to wipe off, and even after he had managed to clean himself he still felt dirty and in need of a shower. Not helped by the actual dirt off the ground he had on himself.

Izuku noticed four small crescent-shaped wounds on his hip, with some blood smeared around them. They were from Tomura's nails, he noted distantly, and ignored the warm feeling it caused in his chest. The smeared blood had already dried and Izuku did not even attempt to wipe it off.

Finally he managed to stand up and dress up. Feeling much more confident with clothes on, he turned to look at Tomura properly. He was observing Izuku with a satisfied look on his face. When Izuku glared at him, he just smirked widely showing off his sharp teeth. There was still blood on his lips.

Tomura walked over to him. Izuku stayed where he was as Tomura brought his hand to his jaw. He felt as though he should be scared. But he simply was not. He was confused, angry, disoriented - but not scared. At least not like he should be.

He was scared of what all of it meant. He was scared of what had happened and what might happen.

But he was not scared of Tomura.

With a gentle push, Tomura tilted Izuku's head. The pull on the wound in his neck stung. Tomura ran his fingers softly - a mere whisper of a touch - on it. He then pulled the fabric of Izuku's shirt slightly aside to reveal the other mark.
He looked so proud of himself.
Izuku took a half-a-step back, staggering slightly. He still felt dizzy. Tomura's hands fell to his sides.

"You should drink something," Tomura said, and reached for Izuku's bag that had been left on the ground. That was where must have gotten the napkins too. Clearly, going through Izuku's personal stuff was not something Tomura was a stranger to.

He pulled a smoothie from there that Izuku always carried with him as mid-day snack, and chucked it to Izuku. He managed to catch it despite feeling shaky.

"Thanks," he muttered, and opened the smoothie. He drank some of it before turning his attention to Tomura. "Now can you tell me what the fuck just happened?"

****

"So... you drink blood?”

"It's all I need," Tomura said. He was walking a step or so in front of Izuku.

Izuku rubbed at his skin close to where it was the most sensitive. "You- you fed on me.”

"Purely hedonistic reasons. I can survive a while without hunting.”

Izuku shivered at the phrasing. He made it seem so casual, like it was not that big of a deal. Like all of this was about as significant as Izuku finding out Tomura liked to go shooting moose, or whatever it was that actual human hunters did. He frowned at the thought.

"Those two animal attacks, in the news. The- the dead guys. Was that you?”

Tomura scoffed. "No. I'd never do something like that.”

Izuku felt relieved. He recognized that things were far from being anywhere near the description of ‘well’, but at the very least Tomura did not just go around killing people. That would have been quite a heavy blow on Izuku’s morals.

Though, he still was not quite sure what 'hunting' actually ment in this context. Could Tomura just go around biting people when he was hungry? Surely someone would notice rather soon, especially if it was true that-

He slammed his hand over the bite mark on himself, as a wave of nausea and fear - of pure horror - grabbed him into a staggering hold.

"You bit me," he inhaled.

"I did," Tomura nodded, sounding incredibly satisfied with himself.

"Will I- what's going to happen- I mean, you bit me. Twice. Am I gonna-" Izuku tried to stutter, all the while his heartbeat sped up and breathing became a task far too difficult for him.

"You're not turning into a vampire if that's what you're thinking," Tomura thankfully cut in, saving Izuku from having to voice his thoughts.

The words stifled the worst of his horror. He took in a deep breath, shaking his hands to calm his body.

"But you bit me?”

"It's not an STD, you don't just catch it," Tomura chuckled. He clearly found Izuku’s confusion and panic to be just the most amusing entertainment. "You'd have to die at least.”

"Oh. Okay. Good." Izuku exhaled. Then he panicked again. "Wait- we didn't use any condoms, what if I'm gonna catch an actual STD-“

"It was a fucking hand job, calm down," Tomura fully laughed this time. "Besides. I can't carry anything. I am dead.”

"Right." Izuku's ears were burning as the embarrassment set in. He knew that they had not done anything that concerning, but the whole situation was so confusing, it was like he had lost all of his usual capability to think. He knew he had a habit of letting his mouth ran faster than his brain - especially when everything he thought to be true turned out to not be - but he really needed to think at least a few seconds before asking the next stupid question his panic mulled brain would undoubtedly fire at him.

"Does that make me a necrophiliac?”

“What?" Tomura laughed hysterically, his voice rising unusually high. "You know what - if you think that that describes you; go for it.”

"I was just wondering," Izuku scoffed. "And anyway, dead bodies can carry things.”

"Well vampires can't," Tomura noted. Izuku did not have anything to retaliate that with.

He focused on his feet on the slippery forest floor. He was not quite sure where they were going, but he was pretty sure that if Tomura was going to kill him, he would have done so already.

"You've died then?”

"Yeah. Not my best moment," Tomura said. Izuku rolled his eyes.

"How-" he began, but hesitated. Was it impolite to ask someone how they had died? Though, biting someone and sucking their blood would definitely be considered impolite. At least, Izuku was quite sure about that.

"Pneumonia, most likely," Tomura answered nonetheless.

"You're not sure?" Izuku frowned.

"I might've been...a bit delirious at the time, so it's hard to remember everything. I wasn't in such a good shape even before the fever hit, so it could've been something else," Tomura said. "But that's what Sensei guesses finally did me in.”

"The doctors didn't know?”

Tomura shook his head. "I was on the streets. Never saw a doctor.”

"Oh," Izuku cringed. "Sorry.”

"It was a long time ago," Tomura chuckled.

"How long?" Izuku immediately asked.

“I died in 1911.”

Izuku’s chest constricted at the words. He did not know how to react or even feel about that. It was such an abstract thought. That he was looking at someone - and talking with them - who was likely older than anyone else on the entire earth. He doubted that many people lived anymore, whose birth year started with ‘eighteen’.

And certainly none of them looked to be in their twenties.

“When were you born?”

“In 1891."

Izuku did some quick mental math. "So, you're...one hundred and fourteen?" His head hurt.

"Sounds about right," Tomura shrugged.

"You died at twenty”

"I'm fairly certain. It was kinda hard to keep track of time, so most of the info I've had to figure out afterwards.”

"That's- fuck," Izuku exhaled.

"You don't usually swear this much," Tomura commented.

"Well I don't usually find out vampires exist- fuck vampires exist!” Izuku snapped. He had to pause to lean into his legs and breathe for a moment. Once he felt less like fainting, he pushed back up. "Are there more- how many- are there more here?”

"Not many," Tomura said. "I doubt there's more than fifty in all of Japan. And no, there's only two here. Though, I've noticed some movements nearby. I've been keeping an eye out. If they come here I'll take care of it.”

"The animal attacks...should I be worried? Or- or start carrying like a garlic spray with me?”

Tomura scoffed. "You can, but you're not going to stop any vampire with a spray. But you don't have to be worried, like I said, I'm keeping an eye on the situation.”

"Okay," Izuku nodded, though he did not exactly feel that much less worried. "Wait two? Who's the other one?”

"My Sensei, naturally," Tomura said.

"Oh, right. That makes sense I guess," Izuku said, fully aware that absolutely nothing at the moment made sense. "What about the doctor?”

"Ujiko? No, he's not a vampire. But he knows. He works for Sensei.”

They continued to walk in silence for a little while as Izuku mulled everything over in his mind.

"I- why me?" he asked.

Tomura looked at him questioningly.

"Why'd you start talking to me in the first place? Why'd- why didn't you try hide harder? Why me?”

"Most people will come up with an explanation for anything, to make it fit their own worldview. If they cannot come up with anything, they'll just assume there's a trick or something they didn't realize going on. Confirmation bias is perhaps the best way to hide,” Tomura explained calmly. “You started poking.”

"You wore a cloak to school!" Izuku cried out. "You weren't even trying!”

Tomura huffed. "I got that in 1916, I'm not going to stop wearing it just because you've decided it's no longer in fashion. And anyway, I was only wearing it then, because someone broke my coat.”

"ME?" Izuku asked, voice rising. "You jumped in front of a car!”

“For you," Tomura scoffed.

"You're so-," Izuku rubbed at his eyes. He was getting a huge headache and it was not making any easier to focus on anything important. He no longer even felt like he knew what important was. He was grappling at everything and hoping to find some hold of something. Just to feel for a moment like his entire belief system had not been smashed to pieces, in multiple ways. "I guess this explains why you look like someone took the fashions of the last hundred years, put them into a blender, drank it and vomited all over you.”

"Thanks," Tomura deadpanned.

"I'm not saying it looks bad, but it's not exactly under the radar.”

Tomura smiled widely. "For the last...fifteen, maybe twenty years my friend Toga has made no attempt at all to hide herself. She dresses by whatever the latest 'vampire fashion' in the mainstream happens to be. If asked, she will proudly state herself to be a vampire. So far absolutely no one has suspected her to be an actual vampire.”

Izuku could not help but to find the image amusing. But it also made sense. He had seen his fair share of 'those freaks' in the schools he had been in. The people who seemed to just not give a single care about what others thought of them, always making Izuku jealous of their bravery. He could easily imagine a few of them dressing up as vampires daily, and proclaiming themselves loudly to be such.

He would have never assumed that they could be telling the truth.

He kicked at a rock on the ground, following with his eyes as it tumbled forward. "I- I am considering that maybe I'm in a psychosis or I've fallen into a coma. That this is all just-," he pointed at his forehead, twirling his finger around, “- you know. Not real. I've gone mad.”

"An understandable reaction. I might've thought something similar back then," Tomura said. "You'll get used to it. Maybe.”

"Well that's reassuring," Izuku scoffed. "But really, how can I know? Can you prove me this is all real?”

“No, I suppose not,” Tomura agreed. "But then again, this could all be a computer simulation, for all you know. Maybe were just characters in a video game. 'Real' is after all something philosophers still can't agree on, I certainly can't give you an answer. But what I can tell, is how I view it. Which is, it doesn't fucking matter. Who gives a crap. If I'm experiencing this right now, it must be real, to me. What else matters? Where, why or how it is happening, none of that means shit. What means anything, is that I am experiencing it, which means it must be happening in some form. Whether it's happening in my head or on someone's computer screen, it is happening. So it is real.”

"That's..." Izuku rubbed at the bridge of his nose, digesting Tomura's words.

"Too confusing?”

"No, no..." he shook his head. "No, I actually think you might be right. And surely someone will notice at some point if I've start hallucinating, right?”

"Sure.”

"Okay," Izuku sighed. "So... if this is real, what exactly is this- us? I mean, what happened-“

"You’re talking about it as if we had just witnessed ourselves have sex rather than be the ones who had it," Tomura said, casting a dark, hungry look at Izuku.

Izuku swallowed nervously. "I- well. It's just- like I said, I'm not gay.”

Tomura stopped walking and turned to look at him. Izuku stopped too. When Tomura took a step towards him, he stayed still. The Tomura was right in front of him, breath caressing his lips, having moved too fast for Izuku to even comprehend it. He stayed still, anticipation growing alarmingly fast within him.

Then Tomura grabbed Izuku by his hair, tilted his head back and licked a line from below his jaw to his lips, where he pressed one harsh kiss. Then he simply let go with a satisfied expression.

"Okay.”

Izuku stared baffled as Tomura turned back around and continued walking. His spit on Izuku's skin chilled quickly in the cold air, and Izuku wiped it off with his sleeve.

"Wha- you can't- Hey! I'm serious," he jogged to stop Tomura. "I'm not, I'm really not.”

Tomura side eyed him, with an intense look that made Izuku flush, heat burning down in his stomach. "I'm not," he whispered once more.

"Like I said," Tomura breathed, with a tone that made Izuku want to drop onto his knees. "I believe you.”

"Okay." Izuku swallowed, suddenly feeling hot in the cold outside air. He turned his gaze away from Tomura. "You never answered.”

Tomura tilted his head.

"Why me? You started to talk to me first, and it wasn't an accident that we kept crossing ways after, was it?”

"No," Tomura said after a moment of hesitation. "It wasn't an accident. From the first moment I saw you, smelled you…you trapped me, really. I thought of so many ways I could've lured you to follow me somewhere aside. Where I could've killed you and no one would've noticed.”

Izuku's breath hitched. Tomura reached to touch at the teeth marks on his skin. "Your blood, Izuku. It calls to me in a way no one else's has..." Tomura sighed, eyes boring into Izuku's neck. He could see the hunger in them. One wrong move and he would attack Izuku.

"Do you want to kill me?" Izuku whispered, too scared to say the words aloud.

"Is there an urge within me that's telling me to suck all the blood out of you, until you're but a lifeless corpse...or to just kill you quick and fast so I won't have to worry about what you're doing to me? Yes, yes there is. And it's yelling to me every time I look at you." Tomura got closer, hand still on Izuku's skin. "But do I want to kill you? No...I don't.”

He did not have to say the 'anymore' aloud for Izuku to hear it. He might have as well had yelled it.

"And do you think you can resist that urge?”

Tomura tilted his head, smiling widely. "I always do what I want.”

Izuku should be hyperventilating or panicking. But he felt entranced by Tomura. He had goosebumps all over him. Tomura kept running small circles on Izuku’s neck with his finger, attention purely on Izuku.

"What am I doing to you?" he asked quietly, making Tomura's thumb pause.

"You're driving me crazy," Tomura exhaled, desperation in his eyes. "I wish you could understand...your blood. I can hear your heartbeats, I can hear the blood running within your veins. I want it, unlike I've ever wanted anything.”

"Tell me," Izuku pleaded. "What's it like?”

"Blood?" Tomura asked, taking his hand off Izuku's neck to instead take his hand by the wrist. "Or your blood?”

"Yes- both.”

Izuku gasped as Tomura flicked his nail against the inner side of his wrist, a small red line forming there quickly. Droplets of blood began to pool atop of it and his mind registered the faint echo of pain.

"It's the most rich, delicious wine, the kind that you don’t notice is making you drunk," Tomura began describing, voice heavy and lustful. "It's the first sip of cool, clear water after feeling thirst you'd been certain would kill you. It's satisfying and never enough." An edge of frustration colored the last words from Tomura's mouth. “It’s warmth...and you want it to cover every part of you, inside and out, because it’s the only way you won’t feel cold.”

The drops of blood on Izuku's skin became too heavy and few of them rolled down his wrist. Tomura swiped them with his other hand, bringing his hand up slowly to lick his thumb clean with a soft sigh.

"But your blood, it is better than anything I can describe. It calls to me. It's worse than any drug, and I've been addicted since I first smelled you," he said, breathing picking up.

Izuku shivered when Tomura pressed his tongue on the skin, licking away the blood. The knowledge that Tomura had his blood inside of him should have horrified him. But it just made him feel wanted. A part of Izuku was inside of Tomura, keeping him alive. Was that not the highest honor one could have?

Tomura licked the wound again, sucking it gently and sending pain mangled with pleasure down Izuku's body. With a satisfied smile, he let Izuku's hand drop and continued to walk away. Izuku exhaled softly.

"So...what now?"

Izuku looked up in surprise, having been lost in thought staring at the little cut on his wrist. It was still bleeding sluggishly. Tomura was standing a few steps ahead of him. He seemed exited, almost vibrating. Like he was barely able to hold himself back.

"What are you going to do?" Tomura continued eagerly. "I've destroyed your understanding of the world, what next? You must understand that if you stay with me, I will end up destroying you too.”

"Do you not want me? To stay friends with you, I mean?" The thought horrified Izuku. He wanted Tomura to want him. In whatever way. Be it his body and blood, Izuku did not care. He could not say when it had become so, but now the mere opportunity made him feel cold. He just could not handle even the thought of Tomura dismissing him.

Tomura clicked his tongue. "Haven't we gone over this already, Izuku. I told you, you shouldn't be my friend. But I'm not going to let you go, and now it's too late to run. You can try, of course. But you won't make it." He moved then, too fast for Izuku to process and then he was standing behind him again, fingers brushing against his hair. He leaned closer, his whisper caressing Izuku's skin. "I've been made to kill you, to hunt you, to tempt you. But I don't want you dead, and I've already won this hunt. I want to keep you around a while longer. What about you then? You've been made to fear me, to run from me, to want me? What do you want now?”

With ease Tomura spun Izuku around, so that he was looking Tomura directly into his eyes.

"I want..." Izuku whispered, too afraid to speak his desire aloud. He closed his eyes as he spoke, not being able to look at Tomura while doing so. "I want you. I want to try.”

"You'll never know if it's real," Tomura whispered, caressing Izuku's jaw with his finger. Izuku was not sure if Tomura meant the fact that he was a vampire, or the feelings crackling in the air between them.

"I don't care," Izuku said defiantly and opened his eyes. Tomura’s red eyes welcomed him into their lure. "I want to try.”

"And if you die?" Tomura's hand rested on his neck, cold and dangerous.

“I trust you,” Izuku said.

“You shouldn’t,” Tomura pitied. “It could still happen. What if?”

Izuku breathed heavily. He did not want to die. But now that he had gotten this close to Tomura, cracked open his secret and seen a piece of the truth, he could not give that away. "Then- then so be it.”

Tomura smirked. Izuku's hands were still shaking when their lips connected. It was slower and softer than last time. With everything less frantic, Izuku allowed himself a moment to take in everything. Kissing Tomura was different. Not so much because he was a man, but because of the lack of a distinct warmth that one would expect.

Perhaps it should have been unpleasant, but Izuku could not feel so. He ran his tongue over Tomura's teeth, finding the sharp canines. Carefully he pushed against it, inhaling a shaky breath as it cut at his tongue. Tomura moaned into his mouth as blood mixed with their spit. Izuku moaned in turn when Tomura sucked gently on his tongue.

He had been wrong. What he had thought back then, when Katsuki had warned him of Tomura. Shigaraki Tomura was not a rollercoaster by any means. No, he was driving on a mountain road at highway speeds, jumping off a cliff into strange waters and climbing a mountain wall alone.

Izuku was made of cotton and Tomura was a flame, but he could not resist. He would likely burn in Tomura's warmth until they were one and the same, until Tomura would move on leaving nothing but ashes behind. Still, Izuku wanted to feel that burn, wanted to feel Tomura.

So be it.

When Izuku later finally arrived home - not even having attempted to go to his lecture - instead of his head being filled with horror images, it was filled with thoughts of Tomura. Memories of skin against skin.

He walked over to the mirror in his room, glad that his mother was not home. He looked a mess. His jeans had stains on the knees and there was blood on his shirt. Pulling the neckline aside revealed two red wounds, clearly in the shape of teeth. He could feel them pulsating witth pain. When he tried, they were hot to the touch.

His jaw and neck also carried some regular hickeys, than for some reason made him more flustered than the bite marks. Those just sent a deep feeling of passion through his veins, of exhilaration.

His hair was a mess and he found pieces of tree bark in it.

He sat on the edge of his bed, exhaling as he did. He pulled his shirt off and threw it aside. He would think what to do with it later.

The whole day had been a mangle of confusion, of one unexplainable thing after another. His worldview had been shaken in more ways than one. Reality was an illusion of what it once had been.

But Tomura had brought something else in its wake. Something that he did not understand, but that he wanted to. Something dangerous yet much more beautiful than Izuku's past life.

About three things Izuku was absolutely positive.

First, Tomura was a vampire.

Second, there was a part of him - and Izuku didn't know how dominant that part might be - that thirsted for Izuku's blood.

And third, unconditionally, and irrevocably, Izuku wanted him.

Chapter Text

Izuku had had to strategically pick out his clothes, as to not worry his mother. He had cleaned and bandaged the wounds on his neck - which had been an unexpectedly arousing operation. Every time his hand grazed at the sensitive spots, it was like he was back in the forest.

He was just grateful that the marks were low enough that he could cover them with his hoodie, though he kept readjusting the hood, feeling slightly self-conscious. He had checked his reflection far too many times before he finally leaving home. Perhaps not only because of the bite marks. Currently he was sitting alone in the cafeteria, using his free time on writing. He had been sitting there for over a quarter of an hour, yet he had barely managed to get a full sentence on the paper in front of him.

His mind kept slipping to the things that had happened, and things he had discovered. Red eyes and copper in his mouth. Hands like ocean, cold and controlling, throwing him as they willed in their throes. He shifted in his seat, uncomfortable pressure starting to form in his trousers.

He did not understand how he was supposed to just keep existing like before. To care like before. Everything had changed, yet as he looked around, everything was the exact same, down to the odd lonely noodle somehow stuck to the ceiling.

Izuku wanted to ask more questions and he wanted to inspect. He wanted...he wanted so much.

"Midoriya!" A loud voice exclaimed, and someone dropped to the seat opposite of him, shaking the table.

Izuku nearly jumped out of his skin, calming when he saw Uraraka's flushed face in front of him.

"You-!" she smacked him - hard - on his arm. "I was worried!”

"Okay, first of all - ow. Second, why? Did something happen? Are you okay?”

Uraraka stared at him with an expression that could only be described as flabbergasted. Then her face melted into a syrupy smile, and shivers ran down Izuku's back. He wondered, what the likelihood was that two of his friends were vampires and wanted to kill him. Tomura had promised that there were not any others in the town, but Uraraka looked like she was truly considering ripping Izuku's head off.

"Midoriya," she began, fake sweetness in her voice, still smiling in that very alarming way. "Do you remember when I left you alone with Shigaraki Tomura, and you promised that we would see the next day, and then I didn’t see you the next day?”

Blood disappeared from his face. "Oh- crap, Uraraka, I'm so sorry, I completely forgot! I- something came up and- I'm sorry.”

She kept him trapped under her gaze for a few more burning seconds, until her expression softened.

"Alright, turn those puppy dog eyes down," she sighed, slumping into her chair. "You're okay, right?”

His neck throbbed and he readjusted his hoodie. "Yes, of course. I'm okay.”

"That's good," she nodded. She seemed to be hesitating over saying something, so Izuku stayed silent, waiting for her to speak up.

"Did- well," Uraraka bit her lip, looking nervous. "Did it have something to do with Shigaraki?”

"He's a good guy," Izuku immediately rushed to defend, despite himself having bore those very same doubts. "He gave me a ride home just like he promised, and even covered for my food.”

Uraraka blushed lightly. "I wasn't insinuating anything like that. Just...wondering what happened.”

"Oh," Izuku felt embarrassed over having gotten so defensive so fast. He also did not want to lie to Uraraka, but telling the entire truth was absolutely out of the question. "Well...um, yeah. I happened upon him and we kinda got caught up in our...conversation, and ended up- well, it doesn't matter, we lost track of time and then it just didn't seem worth it to go to any lectures. But I genuinely did not mean to forget you, I’m really sorry.”

Uraraka nodded, swirling a tug of hair around her finger. "I know you consider him to be a good person - and I believe you,” she quickly added, as Izuku’s face must have done something to betray his immediate defensiveness hackling up again. "But if there was anything to be worried about...you would tell someone, right?”

Izuku frowned.

“I don’t want to sound judgmental or come off as overbearing,” Uraraka said, looking at the table rather than at Izuku. “But you do sometimes act so differently when it comes to him…”

"Wh- what," he feigned a nervous chuckle, his hands suddenly feeling clammy and the air far too humid. "What do you mean by that?”

The cafeteria felt too open for the conversation and Izuku wanted to disappear into his chair. Uraraka had not even said anything that indicated that she knew about any of the things he was worried of anyone knowing. And realistically he knew that no one was listening. But he could not help but to feel on edge.

Uraraka still seemed nervous, but more determined. "You know what I mean. You two...you just seem close. He doesn’t talk to anyone else - at least not to anyone that anyone else knows. And there are all kinds of rumors going around about him. I don’t claim them to be true, but I wouldn’t know would I.”

Izuku cracked his knuckles under the table, trying to find the proper words to explain to Uraraka that there was nothing to be worried off, without sounding like he had something to hide. He had never been a good liar, and he was really starting to get frustrated by that.

“It’s not like I care - I mean I do - but it’s none of my business what you like to do. Whether that is drugs or anything, it’s none of my business. But if he’s pressuring you, or hurting you, or making you help with anything illegal-”

“Whoa, whoa, hold up,” Izuku cut her off. “No, nothing like that. He’s not- nothing like that has happened. He’s just a little odd. Truly. There’s no need to be worried.”

She looked at him with consideration. She must have found - or not found - whatever it was that she was looking for, as her composure relaxed considerably.

“Okay. Good, that’s good. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Izuku assured. Yet there was a rotten little thought at the back of his mind, that felt insulted in behalf of Tomura. It wanted to berate her, to call her out for being judgmental and close-minded. What right did she have to say or indicate any of those things about Tomura?

He pushed the thought aside, into a corner of his mind and refused to look at it.

“Why do you spend time with him?” the words seemed to fall from Uraraka's lips before she could think what she was saying, and she slammed her hand on her mouth, flushing red. "Sorry, I didn't mean to sound so rude. I'm sure he's nice, I just...well I've never really seen that side of him. It's difficult to imagine him being social, with anyone.”

The rotten thought screamed in vindication but Izuku forced it down, not allowing the sour feeling to show on his face. He knew it wanted nothing but chew Ochako apart for even suggesting that Tomura was unlikable. It was ridiculous. Izuku himself barely liked Tomura at times.

"He's...enticing. I don't quite understand him, but I want to. It's not as much that there's some other side to him that is pleasant whereas the one you've seen is unpleasant, but rather that each part of him is interesting," he explained with a quiet voice, focusing on his fingers against the white page instead of looking at Ochako. “It seems as though he sees the world differently than most people. I don't know how to explain it, but everything he does is just so him. He's so unapologetic about who he is...I admire that. But you can also see how the world has shaped and carved him into the very person he is today, with his sharp edges and cracked places. He's kind too, in an odd way. Never out of a feeling of duty, but simply because he wants so. And if he doesn't want to, he won't. He listens, and understands. He always seems to say the things that are the worst things to say, but the exact things I need to hear. And he....cares," Izuku finished softly.

It barely scratched the surface of why Izuku liked Tomura. He had left out the undoubtedly inhuman parts of Tomura, the ones that called to Izuku. The way Izuku was most certainly being corrupted by Tomura's eyes and lips. The way his touch made him feel adrenaline. The hunger in Tomura.

That blessed hell that had traveled through him when Tomura had bitten into him.

The way Izuku felt when he thought of his own blood inside Tomura, and the way it made his cock swell.

Tomura had said that Izuku was like a drug to him, but he truly believed it was vey much the other way around. Izuku was the addict. After all, Tomura needed to consume blood, hurting Izuku was in his very nature.

Izuku on the other hand. He knew Tomura was bad for him in every way possible. Yet he wanted more. The simple pleasure of Tomura seeing him was worth the harm. Tomura was the worst kind of a drug. One that left him broken and aching and thinking about the next time they were to see. The next time he was to feel the absolute satisfaction Tomura brought with him.

He did not say any of that to Uraraka.

Izuku made Uraraka promise to tell Todoriki he was well, and to tell him he was sorry. By the time he saw the dark car swerve in front of him at the parking lot, his heart was already making him feel dizzy. He knew Tomura would be able to hear the way it was elated, because of him.

Izuku felt shame - but also the tiniest fraction of giddiness - for it.

Tomura pushed the car door open for him and Izuku settled in, not one word needed to be exchanged between them. The car roared into life and Tomura began heading for Izuku's home. As the vampire kept his eyes on the road, Izuku took the moment to discreetly look at his face, taking in all the small details.

Now that he knew what he was looking at, the signs were more obvious. Despite the texture and scarring of his skin, there was a clear lack of life in it. His skin was not oily, but it also was not dry. Eerily it reminded Izuku of a human being pressed into a mold from which a statue had been created. Each small detail was included, but they had no life in them.

Even the way he sat was wrong. He did not slump or shift. He did not adjust his position or move his hands on the wheel. In fact, it did not seem like he even breathed. But there was no sign of him being uncomfortable. He was fully graceful and effortless in a way only a statue could be.

But alas, he was no statue. Izuku was reminded of this when those blood red eyes - full of all the life he otherwise lacked - turned to look at him.

Izuku could not even remember to tell Tomura to look at the road, heart jumping to his throat at being caught staring. Tomura smiled widely, revealing his sharp teeth.

Before, Izuku had not realized how small Tomura's smiles had been. It was clear that he had learned to control his facial expressions well throughout the years. It felt special, being allowed to witness such a smile.

"Enjoying yourself?" Tomura said, glancing lazily at the road.

Izuku tucked a hair behind his ear, flushing red. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare."

"I don't mind being watched," Tomura said.

Izuku's face grew even hotter and he glanced out of the window at the passing trees. The faint echoes of sunlight created silver linings to the large, heavy clouds.

"Can you walk in the sunlight?" Izuku asked, out of curiosity and a want to find a new topic. He had been outside during the day with Tomura plenty of times, surely he would have noticed. But thick clouds as the ones he was looking at now were so common.

"No...it's not particularly something I enjoy," Tomura answered distantly.

"So it's true?” Izuku's voice rose with excitement as he turned to look at Tomura.

"More or less," he shrugged.

"What other myths are true? Silver? Mirrors? Can you turn into a bat? What about churches?”

Tomura held up his hand. "Slow down, slow down, you're gonna give yourself an aneurysm. One question at a time.”

"Okay, so..." Izuku thought for a moment. "Is silver a thing?”

"You'll cause more harm with that than with iron, yes.”

"Huh." For some reason he had not actually expected that. For a moment he thought of trying to press one of the silver shade ornaments in his bracelet into Tomura's skin, just to try. He dismissed the thought, doubting that Tomura would appreciate it. "What about mirrors, can you see yourself in them?”

Instead of answering, Tomura nodded at the rear-view mirror above them. It was tilted towards him, so that Izuku saw only the back of it.

With a slight tremor in his hand, he reached for the mirror. Tomura was looking at him, the gaze making hairs in his neck stand up. Slowly he tilted it so that he saw Tomura's seat in it.

He exhaled sharply.

Quickly he tilted the mirror back to it's original position and sat back. For a moment he genuinely entertained the possibility that Tomura was a figment of his imagination, because he indeed had not been visible in the mirror.

In the mirror that had been hanging right there, the whole time. All those times Izuku had sat there. He bit at his lip. The image of the drivers seat missing Tomura, only his clothes present in the reflection, was burned into his mind. It was a sharp reminder of whom he was actually sitting next to.

Someone who was not human.

"I can hear your heartbeat," Tomura said softly. "Are you scared?”

He did not sound sad, nor sorry. He sounded exited.

"Could God protect me?" Izuku asked, rather than even attempt to guess what a truthful answer would be.

"Do you believe?”

Izuku shook his head, than paused. "I- I don't know anymore.”

"If there is a god, he hasn't been able to hurt me or stop me," Tomura said. "Or maybe he just doesn't want to.”

"I wouldn't find sanctuary from a church then?" Izuku asked.

"You can try.”

"Do- should you be stopped?”

Tomura did not feign that with an answer. "Truth is, even I have a lacking understanding of everything, especially concerning all the 'why's. Sensei believes that science can explain it all, and if he doesn't have an explanation that is merely because he doesn't know all yet.”

"What about you? What do you believe?" Izuku asked. He had himself thought of something along the same lines, that there had to be a scientific explanation to - well, to Tomura. He itched to get his hands on Tomura, to inspect his body from head to toe, make him show all of him that was not human.

Tomura clicked his tongue. "I don't give a fuck. I barely knew why things were working as they did when I was a human, why should it be any different now. I know how to survive, that's all I need.”

Izuku shook his head slightly with a small smile on his lips. Figures Tomura would not care. After all, Tomura was from a different time. Literally.

But just because Tomura did not care to understand, did not mean Izuku was capable of the same. He wanted- no he needed to understand.

"So, do you sleep in a coffin?" he asked instead, a small smile on his lips.

Tomura scoffed. "Don't sleep much at all. I don't need sleep.”

“Can you sleep?”

"Yes," Tomura said slowly. "Not quite like you, it's more resting than sleeping. But we can fall asleep too, into a much more permanent stasis. A bit like hibernation, except for decades, even centuries.”

Izuku raised his brows. "Really?" He could not deny that even the thought of sleeping for that long seemed horrifying to him. Tomura's soft, almost wistful expression told him that he felt very differently.

"Immortal life is long, Izuku," he said eyes trained into something beyond the road. "That is when I would pick a coffin...a tomb. So, that if it was disturbed I would wake. Most do so.”

"So, you've never…"

Tomura shook his head. "No. I'm still quite young, for what I am.”

"Do you want to? In the future?" Izuku asked, an echo of worry gnawing at him. He could see it. Growing old and sitting at Tomura’s grave, waiting for the decades to pass so they could meet again. The thought filled him with dread and his eyes seemed to sting.

"Someday, likely yes," Tomura answered confidently. "But not for a while.”

"How long is 'a while' to an immortal?”

Tomura's lips twitched in what Izuku was quite certain was amusement. "A day. A millennium. Hard to say. Time feels different when it doesn't command you, only the world around you.”

Izuku nodded, though he was painfully aware that he did not - could not - fully understand the perspective Tomura was talking from. It was a powerful reminder of how different they were, on a much deeper level.

"Do you need to be invited to come in?" Izuku asked, partly out of genuine curiosity, partly to distract his thoughts.

"Yes, but like with the churches, it depends. Whatever laws these things follow, are not the same as the ones you have. A piece of paper might not determine who owns a house, and a privately owned building that is no one's home, doesn't require an invitation.”

"Can I invite you to my home?”

"You...or your mother.”

"But if neither of us does, you can't come in?”

Tomura nodded.

The information gave Izuku a slight feeling of ease. He was sure that he would invite Tomura in, if the situation arose, but there was a slight comfort in knowing that he could not just waltz in without Izuku knowing.

He also felt slightly frustrated. Consuming blood and being strong, he believed those could be explained with science, but this seemed much more vague. It was just words after all.

"Any other questions you wish to ask?”

"Can you turn into a bat?" Izuku immediately asked.

"No.”

"Pity," he pouted. "You'd be a cute a bat.”

He could feel the exasperation rolling off Tomura, but he could also see that the other man was amused.

"You don't think I'm cute like this?" Tomura asked, glancing almost lewdly at Izuku.

He refused to answer or even acknowledge Tomura's teasing, though the blush on his face was likely enough of an answer.

"What about garlic?”

Tomura turned his eyes back to the road. "Well…"

"Really?"

"It's not going to kill me or stop me or anything like that," Tomura said, as if Izuku was being completely ridiculous. "But there is...an effect. Let's say I'm on a hunt. I come across two people. One of them has eaten garlic and one them hasn't. I would pick the one who hasn't. I wouldn't even realize that that's why. But if the person who's eaten the garlic was the only one I came across, I'd feed from them." Tomura shrugged. "I don't know, garlic just has a bad vibe. But it is not something you can use to keep a vampire away from you if they’ve chosen you.”

Izuku chuckled softly.

The rest of the drive went in relative silence. Izuku's head was swarming with thoughts and questions that he could not make sense of. He rubbed the edge of his nail to his wrist, right below his bracelet.

His veins seemed more visible through his skin than usual. He swore he could feel the blood flowing inside of him, keeping him alive, rushing under his skin. He ran the tip of his finger over the most visible of the veins. It was pulsating and he thought that he could see it move. See his blood move.

There was something so enthralling about it. A mere nick on his skin and the blood would change its trajectory. Red against white. It would not take much, the veins were so close to his skin. Would it rush out? Would it pool softly on his skin?

He pressed his skin with his nail. His blood continued flowing life to his hands, not caring about Izuku's thoughts. How much force would he need to break the skin?

Tomura's voice cut him out of his thoughts. "What are you thinking?" he asked. He sounded quieter, yet more intense, words breathed out. "I can hear your heartbeat...your breathing," Tomura reminded, making Izuku's heart beat even faster.

He swallowed. "How often do you feed?”

"Depends on how much and so on," Tomura said thoughtfully. "But if I were to, for example, suck all the blood out of an average adult man, that would keep me comfortable for a couple of weeks. After a month I'd start getting desperate.”

Izuku paused his finger from where he had been rubbing at his wrist. "But...you don't do that though?”

Tomura gave him a slightly questioning look.

"That- suck all the blood out of someone," Izuku chuckled nervously. "I mean that'd kill them. You said - the animal attacks - you wouldn't do that.”

Tomura looked at him quietly for a moment, finger tapping softly against the steering wheel. “Yes, that is true.”

Izuku nodded, letting out a breath he was not aware he had been holding. Their conversations felt like an ocean. Every time Izuku thought it had become calm and he would be able to just float and breathe, a new wave would hit and pull him under, filling every part of his being with conflicting feelings of fear, doubt, curiosity, awe and arousal. Then the waves would let go and he would find himself on the surface again, waiting for the next wave to drag him beneath.

He did not understand how Tomura could go from being so light and lewd to being so intense in the blink of an eye.

"Fucking hell..." the vampire in question suddenly muttered. Izuku was surprised to hear so much irritation and hatred in his voice, but relaxed when he realized that he was not the one those emotions were being directed at.

Tomura turned to Izuku's home street. Then Izuku saw what seemed to be attracting Tomura's ire. On his front yard was a familiar looking blonde boy, leaning against the wall, all attention on his phone.

"Katchan…"

Tomura let out a displeased scoff next to him, but drove to the yard. The sound of the approaching car drew Katsuki's attention off from his phone. His face morphed into a confused look until he locked eyes with Izuku, before diverting to look at Tomura.

Izuku could pinpoint the very moment he recognized who was driving the car, as his face morphed into a very displeased scowl - not that different from what Tomura was wearing.

Tomura parked the car with jerky movements, eyes diligently trained to Katsuki, who was pushing himself off the wall.

The car was still and Izuku made a move to open his door, but froze when a hand landed on his thigh. Eyes still on Katsuki, and a frown still on his face, Tomura ran his hand up the inside of Izuku's thigh, pausing far too close to the one spot Izuku simultaneously did not want Tomura's hand on, and wanted it more than anything. Izuku's breath hitched, but Tomura paid him no attention, rubbing soft circles on his leg through his jeans.

"What's he want...?" Tomura muttered. Katsuki was almost by the car, but Izuku could not focus at all. All the blood from his face was rushing down, and he felt as though he might die from the mortification and heat he was feeling.

Instead of walking over to Izuku's side, Katsuki beelined directly over to Tomura's side of the car. Finally - though the time truly could not have been as long as it felt to Izuku - Tomura removed his hand off Izuku, and rolled down the window.

Izuku quickly moved to click off his seatbelt, and to position himself in what he wished looked like a casual pose, his leg raised slightly to cover anything indiscriminating.

Why did Tomura have this kind of an effect on him?

"The fuck you doing with him?" Katsuki hollered angrily the moment he was by Tomura's window.

Tomura leaned over, his body language showing just how much Katsuki's intimidation tactics worked on him - that is to say, not at all. "What's it look like? Giving him a ride," he sneered.
Izuku felt himself blush again, the words making him think of very different scenarios, which truly did not help with his issue. He reached for the door an clambered out of the car, while Katsuki scoffed at Tomura.

"Listen up, freak," Katsuki bellowed, leaning over Tomura's window not sparing a glance at Izuku. "I don't know what the hell is your deal, or what you want from him, but-“

"Good, because it's none of your business," Tomura interrupted, making Katsuki stare at him blankly. Whereas Katsuki commanded attention and fear by yelling and therefore overpowering a conversation, Tomura barely raised his voice above a whisper. The quiet, raspy voice still managed to easily overpower Katsuki's yelling by mere intimidation. Each word was slathered with venom, cutting its victim. The strongest asset, however, was the absolute indifference. Tomura truly did not care about Katsuki's tactics, and was not threatened by them.

Izuku knew he should have felt angry for his friend, at Tomura for putting that expression on Katsuki's face, but all he could think was; 'fuck, he's attractive’.

"What- don't you fucking interrupt me, scarface!" Katsuki snapped. Izuku sighed in frustration, and tried to cut in, but Katsuki continued yelling. "You stay away from him," Katsuki jammed his thumb into Izuku's direction. "If you know what's best for you, get that?”

"I don't think I'm the one you have to be worried for, kid," Tomura said smugly, making Katsuki's face turn red. "Now get your hands off my car.”

Katsuki stared at Tomura blankly. Izuku could not help but to notice, that Katsuki's usual bravado was colored by what seemed to be genuine fear. Like he could not help but to feel disturbed by Tomura. Knowing what he knew, could he really blame Katsuki? Was not his reaction the rational one?

Finally Katsuki seemed to get his voice back. "YOU FUCKING-“

Tomura gave an unimpressed look towards Katsuki and reached to roll up his window. While Katsuki continued yelling and banging on his window, he reached for the window on the other side.
Izuku leaned down to meet him face to face. "Thanks for the ride," he smiled, then nodded towards Katsuki. "And sorry about that.”

Tomura smirked and reached for Izuku's hand. He held it in a gentle grip, but it was his gaze that captivated Izuku.

"I'd like to see you again...soon.”

Izuku flushed hot, and smiled at Tomura. Katsuki had given up on the other window and began stomping around the car.

"I'd- I'd like that too," he said, trying to not come off as overenthusiastic.

"Tomorrow? I could come pick you up by noon.”

"No!" Katsuki - who had just moved to stand next to Izuku and continued glaring at Tomura - snapped. Izuku was already nodding his head, more focused on the fingers tapping on his wrist than Katsuki's attitude.

"Yeah, that sounds great," he nodded, no doubt sounding breathless. Not that it mattered, Tomura must have been well aware of how his presence affected Izuku's body.

Izuku kept staring at the back of Tomura's car after he left, not hearing a word of the whining coming from the blond boy next to him.

The car disappeared, and with a sigh he finally turned to address Katsuki.

"What the fuck, Katsuki?" he snapped. No matter how much Katsuki complained about the use of his nickname, it never failed to piss him off when Izuku used his actual name. He was glaring at Izuku, as if he was the one who had been rude.

"You weren't supposed to associate with him anymore.”

Izuku threw his arms up in frustration. "I never agreed to that."
"I told you-“

"And I told you that I don't care!" he cut in, not allowing Katsuki to continue. "Unless you have something concrete to tell me that isn't that you don't like him, I don't care!”

"My mom also thinks there's something rotten about him!"

"Yeah, maybe his music taste," Izuku scoffed. "That's not gonna kill me.”

The words made Izuku shiver, and he hoped that Katsuki did not notice. Tomura could kill him. Part of him wanted to. It should have been more worrisome that this was the precise moment Izuku understood perfectly what people meant by having 'butterflies' in their stomach.

Katsuki continued ranting, but Izuku truly did not care to hear. So he turned his back on Katsuki and began heading towards the house.

He heard heavy steps follow him.

"He wants to fuck you." Katsuki spat out. "You're just too gullible to notice it, but I can see it in his eyes! The way he looks at you..." there was disgust in his voice. "He wants to use you.”

Izuku was glad Katsuki could not know how his words made the butterflies move lower in his body. Still, he could not hold back his words.

"What makes you think I haven't noticed?”

Katsuki stopped like he had just walked into a wall.

"You- you've not- have…?"

"Of course not!" Izuku lied immediately. "I just mean that it's really not your business if I spend time with him or not. If you want to keep trying to convince me, you can turn around right now and go home. If you're willing to drop it, you can come inside.”

He stared at Katsuki defiantly. For a moment he thought that Katsuki might actually turn around and leave. But finally he relented.

"Fine. But I get to complain to you about my classmates.”

Izuku snorted. "Sure."

Chapter Text

Izuku had changed clothes far too many times. When he finally settled into an outfit that he thought looked flattering, he got so annoyed at himself for the way he had been behaving that he changed again, just out of spite.

Then he regretted it, because the previous look had been good. So he changed back. Not for Tomura - he just liked the way it looked. That was it.

He could hear the car arriving on the driveway. He rushed to get going, yelling a quick goodbye to Inko before closing the front door. Tomura was still seated on the driver’s seat, eyes drilling at Izuku.

“Hi!” Izuku opened the car door and sat next to Tomura, flashing a grin at him.

“Hi,” Tomura responded in kind. Izuku was not sure if the seductiveness in his voice was there on purpose, or if Izuku just imagined it.

Instead of driving away immediately, Tomura took the moment to look Izuku over. He almost began regretting his clothes again, but then Tomura spoke. “You look good.”

The words sent a sharp spike of pleasure through his body. “Thanks. You too.”

He did. As Tomura began to back away from the yard, Izuku took a moment to look at him instead. He had pulled his hair up on a loose ponytail. It allowed Izuku to see his face properly in a way he usually did not get to.

He was also quite sure that there was some black once again smudged on his eyes, highlighting them beautifully. He had a black v-neck on, with slightly fraying sleeves. The neckline seemed to be quite deep.

“So, where are you taking me?” he asked after a while of driving, once he finally removed his eyes from Tomura’s exposed skin. They seemed to be heading further away from the town.

“It shouldn’t rain today, so I thought we’d take advantage of that.”

****

The smell of a wet forest was all encompassing as he opened the car door. The ground was soft and gave under his foot. Even if the sun had been out, the thick layers of leaves would have kept it from reaching them. The shadows did not create an uncomfortable wet hole as Izuku might have once viewed it, but rather a cove hiding them in its comfort.

The dirt road ended there, barely visible from where it tapered off. Grass, moss and rain had taken their toll on the unkempt road.

“This is where you wanted to bring me?” he whispered. It felt almost forbidden to disrupt the tranquility by speaking.

Tomura opened the trunk and pulled out a bag. “Not quite. You up for a little walk?”

Izuku turned to answer him, but stopped, lips parted. He had first assumed that Tomura was wearing the dark hakama he often did, but now he saw that it was actually a dark grey skirt. It came down to his shins. It reminded him of some skirt an American woman might have worn in the fifties. Or at least that was what first came to his mind.

He realized that there was a very fair possibility that Tomura had actually bought it around then. He had come to realize that most of Tomura’s clothes were much older than Izuku himself.

“Sure,” he managed to say, hoping that Tomura had not noticed the odd pause, and think Izuku was displeased with his dressing.

Quite the opposite, actually.

It was frustrating that Tomura could make any piece of clothing he had pulled from underneath his bed in a random order look good.

There did not seem to be any small paths leading into the forest. Tomura was not bothered by this, heading into the trees with confidence.

“I never took you for a nature kind of a guy,” Izuku mused aloud, following after Tomura.

“I wasn’t. Used to hate this kinda shit. You know, back when I was still human. The heat and the sweat and the bugs, it’s just,” he shivered. “Eugh. And exercise. Now it’s alright. Away from people, and all the noise. As long as there’s shadows, the temperatures don’t bother me and bugs leave me alone.”

“So why’d you pick this,” Izuku asked. “Do I strike you as a nature kind of a guy?”

“Well, the green hair does make me associate you with some things.”

Izuku swatted Tomura on the arm.

“You’re so annoying.”

Tomura chuckled. “I thought you’d appreciate the privacy.”

Izuku flushed, ducking his head down. “I don’t mind being seen with you in public,” he said, voice lacking the confidence the statement needed.

Tomura did not bother to acknowledge his statement with words, he merely tilted his head towards Izuku, with a raised brow, his gaze seeing right trough him. It bore deep into Izuku, a wind on the sparks at the bottom of his stomach that never seemed disappear when he was with Tomura.

They continued walking through the woods. Izuku had no idea where they were going, since there was no marked path. But Tomura seemed to know where he was going, walking confidently forward. They were going slightly upwards, Izuku was quite sure of that.

He was glad he had stuck with the usual red sneakers he used, as the muddy ground might have been too harsh for his other shoes.

He would have assumed that a skirt was not the best option of clothing for hiking, but it seemed to be working well for Tomura. It might have just been Tomura as well. He moved very fluidly even in the thick undergrowth. At times it almost seemed like his feet did not even properly touch the ground.

It reminded Izuku of an deer, or a puma. Something distinctly inhuman.

He had not realized how much Tomura had been performing humanity, but now that he had stopped...perhaps the privacy had not been just for Izuku’s sake.

It could have been unsettling, scary even. But Izuku just felt more fascinated by Tomura with each new thing he learned of him.

The trees and bushes became a little sparse, and then they arrived to a clearing in the middle of the forest. Exited, Izuku rushed to the middle of the opening. It was very pretty and serene. The ground seemed almost dry. There were even some blue flowers he could spot. The sunlight that was not being blocked by the roof of leaves and branches felt warm on his skin.

Tomura was not standing next to him anymore.

He spun around, searching for the pale figure, whom he quickly spotted standing on the edge of the clearing, covered by the shadows. He was looking at Izuku with a pleased expression.

Izuku walked over to him.

“The sun?”
Tomura nodded, glancing up at the sky. “It should go away soon.”

“You said you weren’t going to just burst into flames, right?”

Tomura made a small affirming sound as Izuku reached for his hand. He allowed Izuku to bring it up and to the edge of the shadow. “So...what happens?”

Tomura did not answer, just let Izuku slowly bring his hand to the sunlight.

At first it seemed like nothing happened. Then he noticed the warmth. Tomura’s usually so cold skin was getting warmer by the second. Next, he noticed the reddening. The parts being touched by the sunlight were getting redder, first like an aggressive sunburn, then worse. He could see a bit of smoke starting to trail above the skin, reminding him of a fog trailing above a shimmering lake in the mornings.

“A bit like pressing your hand onto a hot stove, I’d imagine,” Tomura said calmly.

“Shit,” Izuku pushed his hand back to the shadows. “Why’d you let me do that?”

Tomura chuckled. “I don’t mind,” he raised his hand on his eye-level, looking at the broken skin curiously. “I kind of like it…”

“Being burned?”

“It feels the same as before. Not a lot of things do. And anyway,” he showed the back of his hand to Izuku. “I heal fast.”

The skin was slowly, but visibly getting back to normal.

“So, it won’t like...kill you?” Izuku asked.

“Nah,” Tomura scratched at the healing back of his hand. “I mean, maybe if someone held me in it long enough.”

“You don’t mind telling me how to kill you?” Izuku laughed nervously.

Quickly, too quickly for Izuku to even see, Tomura grabbed his hand and pulled him into the shadows. Izuku stumbled, staying upright only thanks to Tomura’s arms.

“You think you could hold me anywhere without my willingness?”

Izuku was breathing heavily, a bright contrast to the stillness of Tomura. Tomura, who was looking at him with a bright smile.

“I wouldn’t even if I could,” Izuku exhaled, his breath making the hairs that had fallen over Tomura’s face waver. They were so close.

“I know.”

Izuku staggered on his feet as Tomura’s hands disappeared. He brushed his fingers through his hair, and followed after the other man.

Tomura walked on the side of the clearing, until he found a spot he deemed fitting. From the bag he had been carrying he pulled out a blanket which they spread out on the ground, so that half of it was in the shadows, though the sun did hide back behind the clouds rather soon.

“You brought me to a picnic,” Izuku exhaled as Tomura began to pull out various snacks from the bag. There were fresh fruits, nuts, some snacks, juice and water.

Tomura held out a hand, and Izuku let himself be pulled on the picnic blanket.

“So, you approve?”

“Yeah, this is- this is really nice,” he said, popping a piece of fruit into his mouth. “Though,” he frowned. “What about you? Do you eat- I mean, I’ve never seen you-”

“Don’t worry about me,” Tomura cut in. “I’ve got all I want right here.”

“R-right. Okay,” Izuku stammered. He hated how much of an affect Tomura had on him with just his words. Especially since he was getting more and more sure that Tomura was not even trying. He just said things as he saw them.

Which Izuku also did do - or tried to - but it came out much more full of stuttering.

Tomura took his gloves off. The burnt skin was nearly healed by then, likely would have been fully if Tomura did not keep scratching at it. Absentmindedly Tomura reached to tuck few blue hairs behind his ear, Izuku following the movement intensely.

“You should wear your hair like that more often.”

The words seemed to surprise him, his hand pausing. Izuku bit his lip. “It’s just- it shows your face.”

“Generally that’s seen as a negative thing.”

“No,” Izuku exclaimed. “It’s- I- well, I like it.”

Tomura scratched at his hand a few more times, and tilted his head curiously. He pushed the gloves into his skirt pocket.

“What am I to do with you…?”

The words were quiet, spoken clearly more to Tomura himself than to Izuku. They sent shivers down his back. He swallowed.

Tomura did not elaborate.

The conversation moved on. They talked about school, music, even movies. Tomura kept asking questions about Izuku and his childhood. He seemed curious about even the most basic things.

Izuku ended up lying on his back, watching the massive clouds above them. Tomura was watching him. Izuku had just finished telling a story about himself as a kid that involved a bike and a broken arm, when Tomura reached to take a cherry from one of the containers.

Before Izuku could even question him, the cherry pressed against his lips. He opened his mouth instinctively, allowing the cherry to be pressed in. He could feel the cold of a finger against his lip.
Tomura’s pupils widened as he looked at Izuku’s lips, making his eyes appear darker. Though nothing could hide the red of his gleaming irises.

Tomura stayed still. Waiting. Preying.

Izuku took the opportunity to look away as he spit out the cherry spit. Breaking the eye contact made breathing feel a bit easier.

“So um-” he began, with no plan on what to say. He just needed to cut the tension somehow before he did something insane. Red cloth caught his eyes. “Why- I mean I know I already asked - but that wasn’t true was it?”

“What do you mean?” Tomura asked.

“The gloves,” he pointed at them. “Is it just a...fashion statement?”

Tomura’s lip twitched towards a smile. “No.”

“Does it have anything to do with- you know-” he gestured awkwardly at Tomura.

Tomura readjusted his position so he was no longer slouching as much. More hairs had fallen out from his ponytail. A breeze washed over them, playing with the strings of hair.

“There are some of us,” Tomura began, motioning at himself. “That have these...abilities.”

Izuku frowned, not understanding.

“Sensei calls them ´quirks´.”

“So it’s like...magic?”

“Not...really,” Tomura shook his head. “Only some of us - vampires - have a quirk. And they’re all different. They can be really anything.”

“Like what?” Izuku pushed himself to sit up.

“Well Toga can momentarily change her appearance to those whose blood she’s recently drank.”

Izuku’s eyebrows shot up, but Tomura continued. “Spinner has some reptilian characteristics. Dabi can control fire to some extent. And Sensei has the ability to see a vampire’s quirk. If they have one and what it is. He can even spot if a human is likely to have a quirk if turned.”

“That’s-” Izuku ran his hand over his mouth. His fingers itched to take notes. He wanted to ask more questions but he did not even know where to begin. “Wow- so, wait- how does- is there like a logic- I mean scientifically...” he trailed off, opening and closing his mouth, as he tried to search for the proper words to capture the storm of curiosity in his mind.

“There is a logic to how things work,” Tomura said. “Sensei has done a lot of research. He’s had those very same questions. He can explain precisely what cells are doing what to cause reactions with some quirks - like Dabi’s - but some of them are just a big question mark - like his own. What he also has not been able to figure out is why or how they appear. Humans don’t have them, yet he can sense if they’re likely to.” Tomura smirked. “It pisses him off that he still doesn’t understand why some vampires have them and what determines what they’re like.”

Izuku nodded. The more scientific approach helped him process the whole thing more calmly. It felt a bit more believable now. Though if he could just see-

“So that’s why! You have a quirk then? And it’s somehow related to your hands?”

Tomura nodded. “It’s quite a unique one. Even in the scale of existing quirks.” He reached for an empty juice bottle and held it on his hand for Izuku to see.

Izuku did not know what to expect to happen, but the air felt tenser than before. A calm before the storm. He turned his attention to the bottle, and the pale hand holding it with only two fingers. He felt like a kid, waiting for a magic trick.

Tomura continued, his eyes fixed on the bottle. “Anything or anyone -” his voice was barely above a whisper, yet cutting like a whip “- I touch with all five of my fingers -“ slowly he began setting each of his fingers down onto the glass. “ - decays.”

He set the last finger down.

Right in front of Izuku’s eyes the small glass bottle broke, the corrosion spreading from Tomura’s fingertips in seconds, until all that was left was a bit of dust on his hand, slowly being thrown into the air by the wind.

Nothing was left to indicate that there had ever been anything else.

Then, too fast for Izuku to take in, Tomura surged closer. A few centimeters between their faces. Izuku would have been able to feel Tomura’s breath on his skin. If Tomura had breathed, that is.

Crimson eyes stared at him with craze, lust and excitement.

Izuku realized Tomura was not the only one not breathing.

His other palm was cradling Izuku’s cheek.

All fingers, but one, touching him.

“It destroys everything,” Tomura whispered. Like a kid exited to tell a secret. “Nothing can stop it. Stop me. Yet...” his eyes flickered over Izuku’s face, pausing on the hand on his cheek. Cold against warm. “For some reason…”

He set the last finger down.

Izuku’s eyes squeezed shut as he bared for pain, for death. Yet, there was nothing but the touch of a cold hand and the loud beating of Izuku’s heart.

He opened his eyes.

“It doesn’t work on you.”

He let out the trapped breath that had got caught in his chest in hopes of prolonging his life. And he inhaled a new one.

Tomura removed his hand and sat back to his previous spot. Calm as if nothing had happened. As if Izuku’s heart - which he knew Tomura could hear - was not still beating like a hammer.

“That’s why the gloves,” Tomura nodded at the innocent red pieces of fabric between them. “I don’t really like wearing them - I don’t when I don’t have to. But it’s better than to risk any unexplainable mishaps happening in public. I’ve mastered my control by now, but still. You never know what might happen.” He flexed his fingers a few times.

Izuku squeezed at the blanket under him. They both stayed quiet. Izuku because he felt unable to speak, Tomura perhaps to let Izuku untangle his thoughts. He appreciated it. Or perhaps Tomura just did not have anything to add.

Izuku watched Tomura’s hands. The long white fingers, the sharp dark nails. Spidery and alien. He had spent a lot of time watching them, of fantasizing about them. They had been in his dreams, washed with red. Fitting for the death they had been carrying all that time.

He saw the glass decaying in his mind, a loop repeating behind his eyes. Then it was his face, the pale fingers resting on his-

On his neck.

His voice cracked as he spoke.

“You were going to kill me.”

The breeze was no longer refreshing. Now it chilled him to the bone.

Tomura was just looking at him. He did not deny it. Why would he?

“I enjoyed playing with you,” he finally spoke, voice steady and sure. There was no shame. No regret. “But when you finally figured it out...it was too risky to let you live.”

Izuku dug his nails into the fabric in his hand. He was shaking, and he was not even quite sure why. His lip trembled. He was blinking rapidly, trying to hold back from crying. He was not sad, not really. Just…upset. All the emotions that had been swirling around and in him during the last few days were finally coming down in bright lighting, shocking his core.

Tomura looked even more exited.

“So why did you?”

Tomura returned to leaning millimeters from Izuku’s face, making him flinch. The red eyes were gleaming with unrestrained joy.

Unrestrained. That was what Tomura was. Jumping back and forth, like the wind or the sea, giving Izuku whiplash with no way to keep up. Dizzying and fast.

“Do you- do you understand- you can’t-“ Tomura babbled, like even he could not quite restrain himself, his words coming out too fast for his mouth to adjust. “You don’t understand how good it felt to touch you. To be able to touch anything like that, as much as I wanted. I haven’t been able to do that in such a long time.”

Tomura brought his hand to the side of Izuku’s cheek again, this time keeping it hovering, just barely from touching. Izuku’s heart was racing.

He pulled it away, moving to scratch at his own neck instead.

“Are you going to kill me now?” Izuku asked, voice trembling.

“I haven’t decided yet.”

Izuku swallowed.

“You intrigue me,” Tomura mused. “And I rarely feel intrigued.”

He could not look at Tomura. But he could not look away either. Conflict was taking over his mind, telling him to run away when he knew he could not even stand, not with the way his legs were trembling. He glanced around them, as if someone was going to just appear into the middle of nowhere.

Privacy. Right.

All the sings had been there, that coming with Tomura was dangerous. Even after the reveal. Yet Izuku had cast them all aside. If this was where he died, it was his own fault. He had chosen to join Tomura, knowing full well who he was joining.

He could not run fast enough. He was not strong enough. There was nothing he could do.

Tomura had thought about killing him. Had tried. He did not seem bothered by it in the least. Izuku was friends with someone willing to murder. They had kissed - had sex.

The person next to him was willing to murder.

Izuku’s eyes widened. “When-” he cleared his throat. “When I asked about those animal attacks...you said you didn’t do that. But you weren’t talking about killing people, were you?”

Tomura stayed silent. Not in denial, but rather to urge Izuku to go on.

Izuku drew in a breath that disappeared somewhere on the way to his lungs. “You were talking about leaving behind bodies.”

Tomura’s mouth spread into a vulgar smile, baring his sharp teeth. “Are you scared now?” he hissed. “Angry? Izuku, I’m a killer. It’s written in my bones and in the bodies of my victims. It’s my nature.”

Tomura began crawling slowly towards Izuku - when had Izuku moved so far, he could not remember.

“I’m not human.” Tomura whispered, yet Izuku could hear the words as if they had been whispered right into his ear. “I want to sink my teeth into you and feel your blood in my throat.”

As he got closer, Izuku began to see what he truly was, the shadows dancing on his face, revealing everything hidden behind the human mask. Nothing truly changed, nothing that Izuku could pinpoint. It was more so that, before, Izuku had not realized what he had been looking at. Now he understood it all.

Everything about him was inhuman. His teeth were sharp and made for ripping into flesh, mouth twisted into a far too large of a grin, eyes bulging.

They were nearly face to face, Tomura half over him. Izuku could see all the small details of him, how his skin looked more like porcelain than skin, how it cracked from the places he had been scarred. The scars, carved into him long before.

His eyes, filled with hunger. With glee. The color of torn open veins. He looked demonic. Monstrous.

Izuku surged forward and kissed him.

It was painful. He immediately cut his lip on Tomura’s teeth. Yet the stinging pain was as important to him as the grass below them. The feeling of Tomura’s mouth against his was far too overwhelming to allow him to think of anything else. He could breathe again - he felt alive again.

If this was sin, and hell was awaiting him in afterlife, then he would gladly accept an eternity of agony to feel this.

Tomura was still, like a statue - and just as hard and unalive. Izuku brought his hand up to hold him by the back of his head, sinking his fingers into the soft tresses.

It felt like he was kissing a figure of stone, yet he could not even consider stopping. Not even as tears began flowing out of his eyes. He felt the odd urge to vomit. There was not enough space within him for these emotions and feelings.

He gasped - or sobbed, he did not know - overwhelmed by desperation and sorrow. Desire and affection.

It might have been the gasp, the cry, breathing life into Tomura’s lungs, or the blood trickling down Izuku’s chin and down his tongue to Tomura’s mouth, that brought him to move.

Izuku did not care which it was. For now, Tomura was kissing him. Not kindly, nor gently, but with rage and passion, like an animal - a monster - taking what he wanted.

Izuku wanted him to take everything. If Tomura wished to pull out his intestines through his mouth, then so be it. It would be less painful than if Tomura stopped and left.

The kiss tasted of blood. Tomura sucked on his lip, making them both groan - Izuku in pain and Tomura in ecstasy.

The noises Tomura kept making as he licked Izuku’s mouth and chin clean off blood were the most erotic sounds Izuku could remember ever having heard.

Izuku pulled away from the kiss, making Tomura let out a high whine. He began pressing kisses on the sides of Tomura’s jaw, suckling his way down his throat.

“What’s wrong with you?” Tomura grunted. Izuku felt himself be grasped tightly from above his hip, Tomura pushing his hand under his shirt. The cold of his hand made Izuku shiver as he kept kissing Tomura’s neck.

There was clearly no limit to how harsh he could be, in fact, the vampire seemed to enjoy Izuku not holding back. He nipped at Tomura’s neck with his teeth, sucked on the skin, pulled at his hair.

His other hand he pushed into the low neckline of Tomura’s shirt, stretching the fabric to touch him. His collarbones were sharp, protruding through his skin. Izuku felt them moving as he squirmed. He slid his hand lower, over Tomura’s chest. He could feel each individual rib. It was incredible how someone so lithe - borderline malnourished - could hold so much strength.

Izuku began running his fingertips over the scars dotted over his shoulders and chest. Constellations he ducked lower to kiss.

Tomura sighed as Izuku scratched his teeth over the gathering of scars on his shoulder, and dropped to rest his weight on Izuku’s lap, straddling him properly. Izuku grunted against Tomura’s skin in surprise as the sudden friction brought with it pleasure. He had not realized how aroused he had become, but no he could not stop being aware of it. He moved his hands from Tomura’s chest and neck, to grab him by the thighs.

Tomura’s skirt was of a wooly material, though not too heavy. But there was far too much of it. Tomura began a slow gyration of his hips as Izuku tried to push the fabric of the skirt out from the way. Tomura moaned and grabbed Izuku by the hair and pulled him back into a kiss.

“Fuck,” Izuku groaned into Tomura’s mouth. He tried to get his hands under the skirt, but there was too much fabric and damn-

The air escaped from his lungs as Tomura pushed him down with force, coming to practically lie on top of him. The kisses got more and more frantic. Tomura sucked on his tongue, nails raking up his sides.

Izuku gasped at the sting. Tomura nipped at his lower lip, letting out a satisfied hum as more blood got mixed in their spit.

He brought his hand to Tomura’s ass, squeezing at it through his skirt and helping him grind against Izuku’s thigh. Tomura moaned into his mouth as Izuku pushed his thigh better between Tomura’s.

“Let me-“ Tomura panted against Izuku’s lips. “Let me taste your life, Izuku.”

Izuku pushed Tomura’s ragged shirt up, sliding his hand on his warm back, over his spine. “Fuck, Tomura,” Izuku panted. More of Tomura’s hair had fallen out from the ponytail, framing his face in a soft, light halo as the sun shone through them. The hairs that reached down tickled Izuku’s cheek.

Tomura groaned, his body trembling under Izuku’s hands. “Izu- ah- FUCK!”

Izuku screamed as suddenly he was yanked with force, as Tomura rolled them over.

“What the fuck?” he gasped, leaning over Tomura who was breathing heavily, eyes closed.

Tomura scoffed and opened his eyes. “The sun.”

Izuku glanced at the spot they had just been on. The sun had returned from behind the clouds, washing the ground in its gold. “Oh, shit. Sorry.”

A hand grabbed him by the throat. “I didn’t tell you to stop.”

Izuku resumed running his hand over Tomura’s back as he arched beautifully off the ground. He could feel how the skin was flaking from the sun, how it felt harsher. It was cooling down, no longer as warm against his hand.

“You know,” he moaned as Tomura pulled at his lower lip with his teeth. “I kinda- kinda like it too. You’re so strong and- ah- and all. It’s nice to know you have some weaknesses.”

Tomura let go of his lip, but did not stop pushing against Izuku’s leg. He took a hold of Izuku by the back of his neck, forcing him to keep looking at him. “You’d do well to remember that in the shadows, I have no weaknesses. I could take you any way I want and you wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.”

“So take me.”

Tomura’s pupils widened, and not a second later Izuku found himself back lying on the ground with Tomura on top.

He grinned once before ducking down and sinking his teeth into the juncture of Izuku’s neck.

Izuku screamed, a broken scream as the pain spread from his neck, sharp lightnings through him, cutting all his ability to think. Tomura sucked and Izuku's back arched off the ground.

“Tomura-!” He grabbed Tomura’s hair and pulled. “Ah- fuck!” He felt lightheaded. His body was made of lead.

Tomura pushed his hips against Izuku, body rolling as he sucked and swallowed. He was using Izuku to gain all the pleasure he could get, taking Izuku in all the ways possible.

A cry fell from Izuku’s throat as Tomura pulled his teeth out his flesh. His neck was aching, pulsating. His cock was pressing against the zipper of his jeans, some wetness gathering against the tip.

“Don’t stop,” he hissed out.

Tomura was looking down at him, a smug, satisfied look on his face. Blood smeared on his lips. Izuku could feel it rolling slowly down his neck into his hair and the grass. Tomuea looked amazing, hair disheveled like a mane around his face.

Izuku had managed to finally get Tomura’s skirt out of the way - or rather it was freed as they had tumbled over - and he slid his hand up Tomuras bare thigh. Tomura shivered against him.

His other hand he brought to Tomura’s lower back, groaning at the feeling of Tomura's moving hips, as he pressed his hardness against Izuku’s leg. “Oh, God,” he exhaled, urging Tomura’s movement with a slight pressure of his hand.

Tomura tutted at him. “Now, now. Don’t blaspheme.” He brought his hand to Izuku’s crotch and palmed at his hard cock.

Izuku groaned, pushing off the ground, only to be pressed back down by a hand on his chest. With his other hand, he palmed at Izuku’s cock once more, before opening the zipper.
“Wha- Tomura!” he tensed under the cold hands as Tomura pushed his pants down as far as they went, his boxers following soon after. Izuku hissed at the chilly breeze on his naked skin.
Tomura moved above him, adjusting his skirt so that it lay over them without coming between them, also covering Izuku’s skin from the worst of the chill. Tomura shuffled above him, reaching under his skirt, doing something not visible for Izuku to see.

He only realized what Tomura had done when he felt bare skin against his hard cock. “Oh, fuck.”

Tomura pulled him slightly up by his neck, wiping something off his skin, then held his hand under Izuku’s face. It was gleaming with blood. “Spit.”

Izuku did not question him, just gathered as much wetness in his mouth as he could and spat it on Tomura’s hand.

Then he was gasping and arching off the ground, as Tomura lathered the mixture of saliva and blood on his cock, stroking it slowly. His skirt still coverer both his hand and Izuku’s cock. Not seeing what was happening was driving him crazy. He was grasping at the grass underneath him, dirt getting stuck under his nails.

Tomura stopped stroking him, but his hand stayed under the skirt.

“Wh- what ‘r you doin’?” Izuku panted. He tried to thrust upwards, to get some kind of friction from anywhere. All he could feel was the slightest touch of the fabric of the cursed skirt, and it was not enough.

Tomura’s thigh flexed under his hand. Bony, yet so strong. The skin was cold. A god carved from marble, sitting atop of him, making the most beautiful expressions, as lust and pleasure washed over him. His mouth parted the slightest bit, small huffs and pants falling from between his lips, his tongue peaking from between his teeth.

Cold fingers wrapped around his cock once more. Tomura did not start stroking, just held him and teased him from below the head with the edge of his thumb. He moved and then Izuku felt the wet pressure against his tip.

“Wait, wait-“ he gasped, taking a hold of Tomura’s arms. “I- we need lube- I don’t want to hurt you.”

Tomura raised his brow. “You think you can hurt me?”

Then he sunk down.

Izuku gasped, digging his nails into Tomura’s thigh, as the most beautiful feeling encompassed him. He was so tight and Izuku felt like he might die, it was so much and it was everywhere, squeezing him just right. Tomura moaned too, throwing his head back in pleasure.

Izuku leaned in to press a kiss below his Adam’s apple, as his legs trembled from the overload of stimulation. He pushed Tomura’s shirt up, revealing more of his pale stomach, grasping with his hands to hold on to his sides as Tomura rolled his hips.

“Take this off, please,” he begged. With one swift move Tomura pulled the shirt over his head and dropped it somewhere on the ground.

He looked ill, his skin sunken and showing each bone protruding through it. A body of a starving man locked in time. Izuku ran his hand over the vast expanse of pale skin, over the scars littered all over him, letting his nails graze more heavily as they passed his nipples. “You’re gorgeous.”

Tomura hummed approvingly. His eyes were closed, lips barely apart as he sought for his pleasure. Izuku wanted to give it, he wanted to make Tomura arch his back, cry out Izuku’s name.

“You feel so good- fuck- so tight,” Izuku gasped, trying to thrust up to Tomura as well as he could.

Tomura’s roaming hands pushed Izuku’s shirt up as well, and without even attempting to be gentle, pulled it off of him. He heard some seam rip, but he could not be bothered by it as cold hands returned to Izuku’s chest, leaving harsh red lines in their wake as they raked over him.

Izuku moaned Tomura’s name. The stinging on his skin was overshadowed by the tight hole squeezing around his cock. It was all so much and it was by far the most alive he had ever felt.

If he could just stay there forever, lying on the ground as this magnificent beast laid with him. Him, of all people. The nothing special, useless Izuku, chosen by this immortal being.

The sounds of their bodies meeting each other echoed in the forest as Tomura sped up. His other hand stayed clutching at Izuku’s side, the other one came to rest right below his neck.

“Tomura!” Izuku cried. Tomura did not press hard, but it was enough to cut his air supply some, making him even more lightheaded.

“Look at you,” Tomura said, looking down at Izuku. “Lying there... all mine.”

Tears were streaming down his face. Tomura moved his hand the slightest - still keeping it close to Izuku’s throat. Then, a sharp scrape of a nail on the soft skin. Tomura’s smile widened as Izuku flinched.

He felt the stinging pain first, then the wetness rolling down. Tomura’s fingers returned to their earlier position, applying some pressure near the cut. “Your blood is so beautiful,” he moaned, emphasizing his words by taking Izuku’s cock as far inside him as he could.

Izuku’s thighs trembled. He propped his leg up to gain more leverage. The feeling of Tomura on him, the hands on him, the pain, the damp grass and the building tension at the bottom of his stomach, growing and growing with each rise and fall of Tomura’s hips, with each lust filled look he gave, with each moan of pleasure.

Tomura leaned down, licking a stripe on his skin, following the path of wetness he had felt rolling down. He shivered from the feeling of Tomura’s cool tongue on his sweaty skin. He gave one firm suck, making the sting worse, and when he pulled up his mouth was once again stained with red. A bloody string of spit snapped against his chin.

“Yes,” Tomura groaned, picking up the pace. Izuku bit his lip as Tomura swallowed. He could see the way his throat moved. Tomura clenched around him, making the storm within Izuku wilder and wilder.

“You’re amazing,” Izuku said, pushing himself up so he could wrap his hand around Tomura’s lower back, feel the way he rolled his hips and simultaneously thrust into to that divine tightness. “Fuck yourself on me,” he panted. “God, please.”

Tomura felt so small in the hold of his arms, no muscle or fat to soften his hard edges, like he would break if Izuku squeezed too hard. Skeletal. His body chill against Izuku’s hot skin.

He brought his hand to the juncture of his neck, where Tomura had bitten him. The wound was no longer bleeding, but still wet to the touch. He got as much blood into his hand as he could and brought it to Tomura’s mouth.

Tomura’s eyes flashed in hunger as the bloody fingers pressed against his lips, and he waisted no time sucking them into his mouth.

Izuku nearly cried, Tomura’s lips wrapped around his fingers looked far too good.

And Tomura kept fucking himself on Izuku’s cock to the same rhythm. The sucking and the friction - he felt like he might faint, that the ocean that was Shigaraki Tomura would take a hold of him and slam into the nearest cliff wall and there would be nothing left behind.

He reached down and finally pushed Tomura’s skirt aside, to reveal where they were connected. He almost came from just the sight alone. Tomura’s thighs kept flexing and relaxing as he rode him. His cock was hard and thick, precum wetting the tip.

God, it was alluring, and Izuku was more turned on than he thought to be in the realm of possibilities. He pulled slowly his fingers out from Tomura’s mouth, moaning at the sight. Tomura kept sucking on them the whole time.

He spread the spit on Tomura’s cock, enjoying the way it made him squirm in his lap, and moaning when it made him tighter around him. Once he felt satisfied, he wrapped his hand around Tomura’s erection.

He stroked slowly up an down, before quickening the rhythm. He enjoyed the way Tomura shuddered in his arms. A low inhuman growl left his throat as Izuku ran his thumb over his slit, applying pressure.

“Harder,” Tomura growled, nails digging into Izuku’s back.

Tomura’s hips got even faster as he chased his orgasm, fucking up into Izuku’s fist then down on his cock. As he got closer, his hold on Izuku became tighter, until there was nothing Izuku could do but let Tomura use him while trying to keep jerking him off to the same rhythm.

“There you go, so fucking good,” Izuku panted, sweat rolling down his forehead.

Tomura was frantic, feral. Absolutely inhuman as he chased that high, eyes dark an animalistic. Izuku listened to the beautiful moans and gasps leaving from him. Tomura tilted his head back, baring his neck to Izuku. Izuku watched as his teeth dug into his lower lip, making it tear. Izuku licked a stripe up from his collarbone to his jaw, making him moan.

“Make me cum, Izuku.”

Izuku sucked on the skin as hard as he could, while continuing to jerk Tomura off and thrust into him. He could tell from the way he kept tensing in his arms and the way his hole kept clenching around his cock that Tomura was close.

“Shit,” Izuku exhaled. “So good, cum for me Tomura, so good,” he kept babbling on as he fucked deeper, harder, faster into Tomura, until finally he felt Tomura tense all over, fingers digging into his back. Tomura did not make any noise beyond gasps of stuttering breath as he spilled his cum over Izuku’s hand and stomach.

“Yeah, yeah, good- amazing, so good, you feel so fucking good- you’re amazing-“

Izuku kept stroking Tomura through his orgasm, driving his cock into him as he convulsed. Tomura looked glorious. It was beyond pornographic.

Even as Tomura began coming down from his high, turning sluggish in Izuku’s arms, he continued driving into him.

“That was good, Izuku,” Tomura purred into Izuku’s ear, sending spikes of pleasure through him. There was no more rhythm or reason in his thrusts anymore, just pure unadulterated seeking of pleasure. Tomura continued to undulate his hips. “Now... I want something else…”

“Whatever you want-“ Izuku panted, thrusting into Tomura with depravity. “Take it- take it all.”

Tomura chuckled lowly. “I will.”

Then he bit into Izuku’s skin. Izuku screamed as the sharp teeth tore into his flesh. Deep, burning, iron-hot pain exploded on his neck where Tomura bit down, followed by waves and waves of pleasure, almost indistinguishable from the pain.

Then Izuku was coming. Tomura was sucking out his blood, still riding him, and Izuku’s cock was throbbing inside him shooting ropes of cum, tears falling down his his cheeks, and maybe he was still screaming - he could no longer tell.

Izuku’s head was spinning. The world was spinning. Izuku fell down on the ground, his muscles giving up on sitting. His softening cock slipped out of Tomura’s hole, but Tomura stayed latched into him. Izuku felt detached from the world. The only thing that mattered - that existed - was Tomura on top of him and the teeth in his skin.

The waves of pleasure kept crashing to him as Tomura fed, so powerful that he almost thought he was still orgasming. He was weightless. Floating. He kept tensing and relaxing. Tomura was moaning against his skin.

Eventually - seconds or hours later - Tomura rolled off of him. There was blood on his lips. Izuku turned his head towards him. His arms and legs did not work anymore. He was not in control of his body. The ground was cold and he was nearly naked, yet he barely felt it.

Tomura watched him with a tranquil expression. The blood against his dead-pale skin looked beautiful. He was beautiful. A moth landed into his wild blue hair.

Chapter Text

“Whoa,” Tomura was by his side in less than a second, keeping him upright. “Steady.”

“Sorry,” Izuku exhaled, grabbing a hold of Tomura’s arm. He had merely been standing there, trying to redress himself when he had nearly fallen. “My head went- went black for a moment. I’m just...a bit dizzy.”

“Hmm.” Tomura gave him his shirt, keeping his hand on him even as he dressed. Still looking at Izuku curiously, he leaned to grab something from the picnic blanket, that was once again in the shadows of the clouds. He held out the thing he had picked - a juice pouch - to Izuku, and with a tone that left no room for argument told him to drink it.

Izuku ran his fingers over the wound on his neck and took the juice. “Right. Thank you.”

As evening began to creep closer, Tomura began packing up their picnic. He did not let Izuku help, or even get up from where he had sat down.

“I may have gone a bit overboard,” he just said with a grin, eyeing possessively at the mark on Izuku’s neck.

Once he was ready, Izuku stood up, preparing himself for the trek back. But Tomura stilled, with a considering expression on his face.

“What?” Izuku asked.

“It would probably be better if you didn’t walk all that way yet. You still look a bit pale.”

“I’m fine,” Izuku assured, touched by the vampire’s concern, as ironic as it was.

“I’ll carry you,” Tomura stated.

“What?” Izuku laughed. “No you won’t, I’m far too heavy-“

Tomura raised his brows, flashing his teeth.

“Well- still. You don’t have to.”

“I wasn’t asking.”

Izuku shuffled nervously in his place. He knew Tomura would get his will, and not just because Izuku found it impossible to resist him. He wanted to give everything to Tomura, but a part of him wanted to push back. He was not used to being the one being cared for. He carried people, not the other way around.

Then again, Tomura was hardly ‘people’.

“You shouldn’t-“ he still tried.

“Izuku. Let me.”

The words like a loving whip made him straighten. “Fine,” he exhaled, his own voice strange and breathy.

Tomura moved fast, grabbing a hold of Izuku and lifting him onto his back, the way he had last been carried when he was a child. Izuku wrapped instinctively his arms around Tomura’s neck, not worried about accidentally choking him. He held on.

It was like getting into a rollercoaster. Izuku had barely just settled when Tomura took off. He was fast. Izuku’s stomach flipped and it felt like all his intestines were pressed up against his back.

Tomura moved far too fast for any human, but that was not the only inhuman part. For it did not feel like Tomura was running. They were flying, yet not quite. Tomura was leaping into the shadows, and became a part of them, pulling Izuku with him.

He could not open his eyes, the wind pushing them closed. Would not have wanted even if he could have. He could barely breathe. Tomura may have belonged in the shadows, but Izuku was lost without him.

He tightened his arms and pressed his face into Tomura’s neck.

The winds washed over him. The world was light in the darkness. They were dancing on the edge of Death. Tomura already on the other side, guiding Izuku. His blood was roaring in his veins and his heart was buried in Tomura’s chest. The speed accelerated. He breathed Tomura in and used all the scent to paint a picture to the back of his mind so he would never forget.

It all came to a crashing stop. Running through a glass door-

“Were here,” Tomura’s hoarse voice pulled Izuku back. He was still clinging to Tomura’s back, panting for a breath and his heart was beating like a scared little mouse, trying to escape.

“That was- that was quite...” he tried to find any words to describe how it had felt to be pulled into the shadows that Tomura moved in. Like they had truly become a part of them. Though it had bee clear that one of them did not belong there.

“You’ll get used to it,” Tomura said as he helped Izuku back to the ground, keeping his arms on him until Izuku had caught his balance.

Izuku chuckled. “I doubt it.” Getting used to anything about Tomura, that seemed impossible. When he still made Izuku’s skin tingle with just a touch. A look was enough to make shivers fall down his spine.

Tomura frowned slightly, as he searched for something in Izuku’s eyes. A small line forming between where his brows would have been. Izuku did not think twice before leaning forward and pressing his lips against Tomura’s.

Tomura exhaled forlornly, and kissed back. This kiss was softer. Calmer. Like a drop of blood slowly rolling down a finger. Izuku took it all in. The taste of Tomura, his tongue against Izuku’s. A hand came to rest on Izuku’s lower back as he arched just a bit towards Tomura.

Izuku dropped one last peck against Tomura’s lips before pulling away.

He gave Tomura a soft smile and started heading for the car. Tomura stayed standing still for a moment, looking stricken. Only when Izuku got to the car and called; “Keys?” did he seem to snap out of it.

“It’s my turn,” Izuku said once Tomura had started the car.

“Huh?” Tomura glanced at him. He still seemed slightly perplexed as he looked at Izuku.

“I want to know more about you,” Izuku picked at the skin by his nails. “You- I mean you’ve told me some things but, what of that was actually true?”

“Quite a lot,” Tomura said. “Mostly I just...adjusted the timeline.”

Izuku nodded. “You were born in eighteen...”
“1891.” Tomura finished for him.

“What was it like?” Izuku asked. “Your childhood?”

Tomura scratched at his neck. “Ugh...well, it was a long time ago.”

“Yeah,” Izuku chuckled. “You don’t say. Where were you born?”

“Iwate,” Tomura responded. “Dad was a wealthy guy. Build us a fancy home there. Took his in-laws there too, grandma and grandpa.” He smirked. “We had a dog. Mon-chan.”

Izuku’s eyes widened. “I always wanted a pet.”

“Hmm. I miss him most of all of them.”

Izuku could tell from Tomura’s tone that he was being completely honest. “What were they like? Your family?”

Tomura tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. It was getting dimmer outside.

“My father was...strict. The rest, they just did what he wanted. Watched from the sidelines as he berated me. They would tell me to stop crying afterwards. It made them sad when I did.”

Izuku frowned. “I’m sorry. That sounds…”

Tomura nodded, even as Izuku trailed off. “I hated the lot of them. Though, it was still better while they were still there.”

“What happened?”

“1896. I was five.”

“That’s when you lost them.”

Tomura nodded. “You heard of the Sanriku earthquake?”

Izuku turned to Tomura as he realized what must have happened. “Oh.”

Tomura just smirked, as though he was recalling something amusing. “Yeah. Dad wasn’t home. He was on a...trip or something. Work related probably. The rest of us...well. I was the only one who survived. The house was in pieces afterwards.”

“That sounds awful,” Izuku gasped. “To have to go through something like that at five, you must’ve been terrified. Though, I’m really glad you survived.”

“Dad wasn’t quite as happy,” Tomura said. Even though he was smiling, Izuku could feel the barely contained rage boiling under his skin. It made the air feel heavy and the car feel smaller. “Imagine his disappointment when he returned to his pride of a house demolished, his family nothing but corpses missing their limbs with their heads caved in. And all he had left was his no-good pathetic excuse of a son.”

“Tomura-“ Izuku reached to lay a hand on his thigh, eyes stinging with tears.

“He’d already hated me before. I was too soft, too sensitive. I looked like his mother who’d abandoned him. I never did anything right, and then I had the guts to survive while the rest of them died.”

“He was your father, he should’ve-“

“He said I killed them,” Tomura cut in. “Like survivors guilt, but by proxy.” Tomura picked at his lips absentmindedly. “He never hit me before the accident. I always wondered if any of them would’ve stepped in if they’d been there.”

“Hell, Tomura,” Izuku exhaled. “None of that should’ve happened. You didn’t deserve it.”

Tomura glanced at him, paused with surprise in his eyes as he realized how affected Izuku was by what he had told.

“Hey, it’s alright. I’m over it.”

Izuku found that hard to believe, with the amount of poison Tomura’s words were soaked in as he talked about his father, but he just nodded.

“And anyway, I made sure he got what he deserved.”

“What do you mean?” Izuku asked, though he did have a slight hesitant suspicion already.

Tomura’s smile widened. “I ran out of home at fifteen. Five years later Sensei found me, turned me and gave me a home. I went to visit my father one last time. And I killed him.”

Izuku swallowed. Even as he had already anticipated that, it still made the hairs on his arm stand up. But to his surprise, he did notice that he actually did not feel the slightest bit sorry for Tomura’s father.

Still, he was not quite sure what to say. Condolences? Congratulations? Izuku had used to think that his moral compass was quite strong and sure, but now it was just another thing Tomura had spun around and around.

All Izuku knew, was that he could not blame Tomura for what he had done.

“We're here,” Tomura said. Izuku snapped his head up from where he had been focusing on his nails. They were by Izuku’s house.

Izuku hesitated. “I- you don’t suppose we could still do something. I don’t think I want this night to end quite yet.”

Tomura grinned. “Sure.”

Izuku watched Tomura silently, as he drove them away from Izuku's house. Tomura took a quick stop at a store, getting something while Izuku waited in the car.

Eventually Tomura drove them to the nearby beach where they got off.

The waves were rushing to the shore. The wind blew through his hair, bringing it the strong scent of salty ocean water. They had only taken a few steps and Izuku already had sand in his shoes. Everything seemed grey, except for Tomura.

There were no other people around.

Tomura sat down on the sand, popping open the bottle he had bought. Izuku sat next to him.

“So...how’d it happen? If not from bite?” Izuku asked, taking a swig from the bottle he was offered. Red wine. Not bad. “You said...you had to die? But he - your Sensei - changed you. How’d he do it?”

Tomura took the bottle. “He came to me, about five years after I’d ran from home. He bit me.”

“I thought you said the bite didn’t do it?” Izuku’s hand shot up to his own neck.

“It’s not all,” Tomura said. “I wasn’t in that good of a shape then. I thought he was just some rich guy looking to get off. I was so hungry and tired.”

Tomura scratched at his neck and gazed at the sea, memories of times long since passed - times Izuku could not even imagine - fleeting in his mind.

“He kneeled down to me, pulled me in, tilted my head and bit into my neck.” Tomura had stopped scratching, but his hand stayed where it was. Izuku realized that that must have been the spot he had been bitten in. “He didn’t explain anything of what he was doing. Just told me that I wouldn’t be alone anymore. He then brought his wrist to my mouth and told me to bite. So I did.”

Izuku took the bottle and fidgeted with it. “And...then what?”

“I drank. It was...amazing. It was the best thing I could remember having ever tasted. And for a moment, I felt okay. I wasn’t in pain, I wasn’t hungry, I wasn’t thirsty.” Tomura sighed, smile fleeting on his face. “Then he left.”

“What?” Izuku frowned. “He just left?”

Tomura nodded. “Once the ecstasy washed away, I could tell something was different. Wrong. Death was with me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just that. Death. There’s no way to explain it, but that is what happened. Death was there, looking over my shoulder, following me, breathing down my neck. When I ate, I ate with Death. When I ran, I ran with Death. When I slept, I slept with Death. A month or so later I got sick. Sicker than usual. That likely evolved into pneumonia...and, well. I didn’t pull through. The next time I opened my eyes, my heart was no longer beating. Death was gone and I...I was hungry.”

“Christ, Tomura,” Izuku exhaled. “That all...it must’ve been so confusing and scary.”

Tomura turned to look at him. He seemed almost confused. Surprised. Izuku was not sure what to make of these looks that Tomura kept giving him.

“I guess.”

Izuku pumped their shoulders softly together. Tomura did not say anything but allowed the contact. He reached for his pocket and pulled out a cigarette pack and a lighter.

“Do you mind?”

“No, go ahead.” He watched as Tomura brought the cigarette to his mouth, held it it there between his lips while he lit it. Was he making it look so erotic on purpose?

As if he could hear the way Izuku’s mind was running into every and each direction, Tomura glanced at him with a raised brow, blowing smoke from his mouth.

Izuku flushed and turned to the sea. “Does that even do anything for you?”

“Not really,” Tomura said. “I like the ritual. Clears my head.”

“Huh. Same with the wine?”

“Yeah,” Tomura picked the bottle. “I do like the taste. Most things just taste like...nothing. Downsides of being dead,” he chuckled.

“So, your plan is to get me intoxicated while you stay clearheaded?” Izuku smirked at him.

“You get me more intoxicated than any of there things ever could.”

It was corny, yet his mouth felt dry. There had been no tease in Tomura’s tone. He had just stated is as an off-hand fact. Izuku bit his lip. “Me or my blood?”

Tomura leaned closer, until his breath was tickling Izuku’s skin. “What’s the difference?”

Izuku let out a gasp as Tomura pressed his mouth to his neck, blowing the smoke against his skin. He felt the soft press of a tongue before Tomura pulled back.

It was getting darker. The air chillier.

“So,” Tomura leaned back. “Will you introduce me to your mother?”

“What?” Izuku paled, taken aback by the sudden change of subject. His heart was still catching up from the feeling of Tomura’s lips on his neck. “Like...introduce you as...as a boy- a partner? I don’t- I mean- if you-“

“Calm down, Izuku,” Tomura chuckled, handing the bottle to him. “I really don’t care if you introduce me or what you’d like to introduce me as. I just wanted to see you squirm. And anyway, it’s not like I haven’t met your mother already.”

Izuku took a sip of the wine and focused on the feeling of warmth as it made its way down his throat coming to rest at the bottom of his stomach. Izuku did not allow himself to start speaking until he had swallowed all of it, for once in his life forcing himself to think what he was going to say.

“What are we?”

Tomura tilted his head.

“Are we together?” Izuku asked. “Exclusively? Are we-“ he swallowed. “A couple?”

Tomura took a drag of his cigarette. The end shimmered for a moment. “We are...we. If there’s something you want to call this-“ he motioned between them with his cigarette. “-go ahead. I don’t care.”

“What would you call me if someone asked who I am to you?”

“I’d tell them that you’re mine.”

“What does that mean?” Izuku exhaled. “Am I- are we- what kind of a relationship is this?”

Tomura flicked at his smoke. “Hmm...you’re not asking for a name, you’re asking for rules.”

“W- what?”

“Yes...you want to know how to perform your role with me. A lover? Partner? Brother? Friend? Mistress? Son? You want to know what you should do with me, how to feel for me. Am I the only one you can call what you call, or one of many? You want to know the rules of how to behave with me. I have none to give you. What rules are you wishing for?”

Tomura had opened the whole world of possibilities for Izuku, yet he felt confined by every door that opened. He did not know what to do in these places that Tomura had torn all the familiar structures down from.

Rules. Perhaps he was right. Izuku wanted rules. Or he thought he did. Rules were familiar.

“When I said that...that I wasn’t gay, and you just responded ‘okay’...you meant that, didn’t you?” he asked, frowning to himself.

“Why would I say so if I didn’t mean it. I don’t care enough to lie, Izuku.”

He chuckled. He should have realized that. “I thought you were making fun of me. But you- you just accepted that. You believed me.”

“What’s there to believe?” Tomura asked through his smoke. “You say you’re not gay, then that’s it. You know what you feel better than I. And I honestly couldn’t give half a shit what you call yourself while your cock is in me.”

“Jesus, Tomura!” Izuku flushed hot. “You can’t just say things like that!”

“Why not? It’s true.” Tomura smirked. “Anyway, I’ve lived a long while. Things like labels, I can’t be assed with them. You can call yourself whatever you want, it doesn’t make a difference to me. I mean, it’s about you, why should I be bothered with it. If you don’t think you’re gay, then you’re not.”

“That’s…nice. I think,” Izuku smiled. Tomura just scoffed and took another drag. His blue hair had fallen out of the ponytail sometime ago, probably when they were...well. The messy look suited him. It framed his pale scarred face like a piece of art.

Even just sitting there and smoking, he was mesmerizing. Izuku wanted to take a picture, something to prove to him later that this kind of beauty was possible. But like with sunsets, he knew a camera would not do justice to the beast Tomura was.

Izuku wrapped his jacket tighter around himself. “Can I?” he held out his hand.

Tomura handed the cigarette to him. There was not much left. Izuku took it and placed it on his mouth, his lips on the same place as Tomura’s had been just a moment ago.

His first drag evolved quickly into coughing. Tomura just smirked and took it back, putting it out on the back of his hand. Izuku bit his lip.

“I might be a bit gay.”

“Hmm.” Tomura threw the cigarette stump over his shoulder and looked at Izuku. “Okay.”

Izuku smiled.

The evening kept going on, but neither of them felt like stopping yet. Tomura belonged to the nights after all, and Izuku belonged to him.

Yes. That was what he wanted. Not rules. He just wanted to be Tomura’s. What did that mean? How did one belong to someone else? He was overwhelmed by Tomura.

“So, if I were to call you my boyfriend, you’d be okay with that?” Izuku asked, trying to ignore the way just saying the word caused a titillating feeling at his stomach.

“Yes, Izuku,” Tomura leaned closer. “I’d like that.”

“And...if I didn’t want everyone to know quite yet, exactly what our relationship is like?” he treaded lightly. He did not want Tomura to think Izuku was ashamed of him, it was just, well he did not really want people to know that about him yet.

“I don’t care what you tell about me to other people,” Tomura assured, nonchalantly. “Beyond the vampire part of course. If you told someone about that, I’d have to kill you and whoever you told, which would be a shame. I don’t particularly want to kill you.”

“Why?” It was a question that had been plaguing Izuku for a while. If Tomura was what he was, and all of this was real, killing Izuku should be his aim, should it not? He had tried it, why had he not gone through it already? Not that it could not still happen. But even if it did, Izuku believed that it would not be because Tomura wanted to. “Why don’t you want to kill me?”

The ocean sounded so loud in the silence as Izuku waited. His question had seemed to surprise Tomura. Perhaps it should have surprised Izuku too, after all, he was talking about his own death.
He was more curios about Tomura.

“You...confuse me, Izuku,” Tomura finally said. “You keep giving your life into my hands, knowing what I’ll do with it. Knowing what I’m capable of. I...don’t understand you. You’re not suicidal, that’s not it. You give your life to my hands, as if you know that I’ll take care of it - it doesn’t matter to you how. I showed you who I truly am - the monster that I truly am without all the things that allure my prey to me - and despite that, you kissed me.”

Tomura paused for a moment, looking at Izuku with a frown. He clearly saw something in Izuku’s expression he had not managed to conceal. Tomura shook his head slowly. “No...not despite it. Because of it.”

Izuku wanted to deny it. He wanted, but he could not lie, not to Tomura.

“I like it when you’re just…you,” he admitted quietly.

He could not tell what Tomura thought of that. He smiled in that way of his, flashing his teeth. But in his eyes...was it sadness? Awe? He was not sure.

All he could do was lean in and pull Tomura into a kiss, hoping to inhale whatever shadows that were clinging to him, and breathe some of the fire Tomura had lit in him, back.

It was slow, and gentle. He licked at Tomura’s rough lips, sighing into his mouth. The twilight had already passed and night taken over.

Chapter Text

Izuku stared at his reflection in the mirror. His skin was covered in bruises and hickeys, even some scratch marks. From the blues and purples it was very easy to tell where Shigaraki’s hands had been on him. Where he had held on tightly.

It was quite alarming, to be honest. The kind that if people saw them, they would gasp and cover their mouths. Izuku had gasped himself when he had seen them. Then he had blushed about as red as his sneakers as arousal - no, not even just arousal - desire and satisfaction spread like someone had poured warm water into his veins.

He kept pressing the spots, biting his lip to stay quiet. It had been some days, but a large part of them were still rather sensitive.

He wondered what Katsuki would think if he saw what Tomura had done to Izuku, after all his warnings. Perhaps Izuku should start to consider the possibility that he was a bit of a hypocrite.

The marks on his neck were the ones that demanded his attention the most. He could still see Tomura’s teethmarks, even though the scars had started to heal already. That was a strange thing about the bite marks - the did not seem to behave as normal scars would. They healed differently and much faster.

He picked a long sleeved red hoodie to wear.

He kept getting distracted throughout his lecture. Minutes felt like hours and hours like seconds. More than once he noticed his hands grazing his neck over the bites, without him having intended to do anything.

He had stepped outside for a breather after the lecture when he spotted Tomura. He was by the little store just outside the campus area, with a blond man that Izuku did not immediately recognize. It was when he saw the cigarettes on their hands that he made the connection. This was the same guy he had seen Tomura smoke with a couple of times, he was just without his usual beanie.

He could feel the exact moment Tomura’s eyes found him. The hairs in his arms rose. He wondered if that was some actual vampire thing or if it was just a Tomura thing. Maybe it was an Izuku thing.
Tomura lifted his other hand and made a small come-hither movement with his fingers. Izuku bit his lip at the warmth it caused to strike in him. Tomura’s friend turned to look at where Tomura was looking, spotting Izuku as well.

He seemed to say something to Tomura, which earned him a swat on the arm. Izuku had been on the receiving end of those swats, and knew how strong they were. Judging from the small reaction the other guy gave, he was likely one of the vampire friends Tomura had talked of.

Not that Izuku really needed that to figure it out. Once he knew what he was looking for, it was quite easy to recognize. There was just a certain quality of inhumanity to them. And allure, though this guy was no competition for Tomura.

He walked over to them, hands in his pockets. Izuku was surprised to find that he was not that anxious to talk to him.

“Hey, Tomura,” he greeted.

Tomura’s smile spread as he got closer. “Izuku,” he nodded towards the blond guy. “This is Bubaigawara Jin. Jin, this is-“

“This is the beau!” The guy interrupted, gaining a glare from Tomura. “He seems sweet. We should off him.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Tomura said. “He’s more fucked in the head than I am.”

“Hey!” Bubaigawara yelped. “We’re all equally fucked in the head, just in different ways.”

Tomura snorted and took another drag from his cigarette.

“Right,” Izuku hesitated. “Um, it’s nice to meet you Bubaigawara-san.”

Bubaigawara seemed touched by Izuku greeting him. He brought his hand to his chest. “Aw, Tomu-chan, he’s way too nice for you.”

“Don’t fucking call me that,” Tomura grumbled, but Bubaigawara ignored him.

“It’s very nice to meet,” Bubaigawara bowed enthusiastically. “We’ve all been curious about who’s caught Tomura’s attention. Fucker.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Izuku nodded at the man awkwardly, the nervousness of meeting a new person already starting to eat at him.

As though sensing Izuku’s discomfort, Tomura implied - not too gently - to Bubaigawara that he should leave. Izuku tried to assure that that was in no way necessary, but neither of the vampires acknowledged him. Bubaigawara also did not seem to be hurt by Tomura’s comments, merely telling him that the ‘rest of them’ would want to meet Izuku as soon as possible.

“I was thinking,” Tomura began after Bubaigawara had gone. He leaned against the wall and leveled Izuku with a look that made his insides burn. “- that it might be time for you to come see my home. If you want, that is.”

“Really?” The thought was more exiting than he would have expected. There was the prospect of seeing Tomura’s home - which in itself was likely quite an experience - but also just the mundanity of being taken to his home. Izuku had a feeling that Tomura did not just let anyone into his private space. He stammered an answer, trying to keep his tone calm. “That’s- yes. I mean, absolutely.”

Tomura hooked a finger through the loop of Izuku’s jeans and tugged him closer, sending a shiver like lightning up his spine. “Great. I’ll come pick you up Saturday morning?”

Izuku nodded, flustered over the close proximity. The air felt colder around Tomura.

“Sensei’ll be there,” Tomura said with a low voice, eyes concentrated on Izuku’s face. He was not quite sure what Tomura was seeing. “He’ll probably want to see you. The doc is likely somewhere there too, and some of the rest. Jin comes around the most, and he usually sticks around for a few days, so you can expect at least him to be there. But they all come and go as they will, so it’s hard to predict. But I’ll tell them to mind their own business if they get on your nerves.”

Izuku had a small suspicion that it was not his nerves that were the issue. At least not in the way Tomura was insinuating. “I think it’d be nice to meet some of your friends.”

Tomura rolled his eyes dramatically and brought his cigarette to his lips.

He was not sure what made him do it. He saw the press of Tomura’s dry lips against the paper, his lithe, dead fingers holding it between them. It was morbid and erotic - just like Tomura. When he moved the cigarette away, still holding the smoke inside, Izuku brought his palm to the back of his head, into his coarse blue locks. He leaned in, opening his lips and bringing them less than a centimetre away from Tomura’s.

The smallest dilation of his pupils was the only sign of Tomura’s surprise. He held the smoke within him for a few more seconds, before leaning as close as he could without actually touching Izuku’s lips.

He breathed the smoke in as Tomura exhaled softly. He concentrated on the way it moved within him. He imagined he could feel where it had been touched by Tomura, cooled by him. His eyes had fluttered closed at some point, and when he opened them he saw blood.

Tomura’s red eyes looked at him with elation, as the smoke danced between them.

****

“I’ll get it!” Izuku yelled from his room when he heard the doorbell. He ran his fingers through his hair one last time, feeling defeated by it.

His mother had already gotten to the door. Izuku heard her surprised tone, and the response of Tomura’s low and raspy timber. Even just that made something spark in him.

“Izuku-chan! I didn’t know you were friends with Shigaraki-kun,” his mom beamed at him as he came to the door. Tomura ran his eyes over Izuku’s body, barely contained heat pooling in them. They were getting darker.

“Yeah, we’ve spent some time together. I like him,” Izuku said, running his fingers through his hair once more.

“How lovely,” Inko smiled.

Izuku returned with an awkward smile of his own and walked over to Tomura. “Yeah, we gotta get going now. We made some plans.”

“Oh, yes, of course,” Inko nodded. “You two have fun. It was wonderful to see you again Shigaraki-kun, you tell your father my best.”

“Of course, Midoriya-san,” Tomura responded, bowing at Inko.

“Alright, bye mom,” Izuku wrapped his hand around Tomura’s bicep and pulled him with him.

“Why do I get the feeling that you don’t want me to spend time with your mother?” Tomura asked with a playful tease once they were inside his car.

Izuku waved through the window at Inko who was still looking at them from the door.

“We both have the same sickness,” he responded. “Not knowing when to shut up.”

Tomura chuckled and turned on the ignition. “You look good today.”

“Oh,” Izuku flushed at the sudden compliment. “Thanks.”

He had tried a bit harder than he usually would. He had a light blue dress shirt - two top buttons undone - and a pair of khakis. He had also tried to make his hair seem a bit neater.
He looked at Tomura. He had his dark hakama on, and a white dress shirt with less wrinkles than usual. His hair looked softer as well. Izuku tilted his head.

“Did you dress to impress my mom?”

Tomura’s lip twitched. “Well, I’m a bit more concerned about your opinion than your mom’s.”

Izuku scoffed. “You already know I find you attractive, you don’t have to work for it.”

“Fine,” Tomura relented. “Maybe I wanted to give a good impression to your mother too.”

****

The house was old and impressive. Izuku did not know much about architecture of the past, but if he had to wager a guess, he would say the house had been there for a couple hundred years the very least. Even the roof with its upwards curving eaves was weighed down by the past years.

Red and black so deep that it sucked the light from around it. The wood it was built from did not show the age in weakness, but rather in on how imposing it was.

“Come on,” Tomura said gently, holding out his hand. Izuku allowed the cold fingers to wrap around his own and pull him towards the house.

The air felt different the closer they came. Like the house was too heavy to exist, and was slowly pulling the world towards it. A black hole.

Tomura opened the doors. Izuku almost expected them to let out a mournful creak, to cry underneath the weight of the years, but they were completely silent. Had it been dark, Izuku would not have even known they were opened.

“This is a beautiful place,” Izuku managed to finally say once they were inside. It truly was, in that way old oil paintings, that have darkened, were. Even the air felt old.

The inside of the house was just as imposing as the outside. Dark colors. The decor elegant and rich. But it did not feel lived in. It felt forgotten.

There were paintings on the walls. People Izuku did not recognize. A pale man with white hair appeared multiple times, his eyes cast in shadows in all of them.

Izuku paused when he saw a familiar pale-haired figure looking at him from the wall. His eyes were haunted, glaring with an echo of longing into the far nothingness.

Tomura’s hand pushed Izuku gently to continue past the painting of himself, surrounded by faceless bodies.

“Charming.”

“Sensei has a...peculiar taste in art,” Tomura said with amusement.

They walked further into the house, and Izuku began to hear the distant sounds of talking. On the way towards those sounds, he noted with curiosity one more character in the paintings. A lithe, tired looking man with shoulder length hair. He looked sad. He also bore a striking resemblance to Tomura.

They turned one more corner, and the voices quieted down. They had arrived a more laid back area, with couches and chairs. The large windows that would have brought a lot of light to the space were covered with thick curtains.

A strange array of people were lounging on the chairs. A young - or at least appearing so - girl with blonde hair done up on buns. She was looking at him with gleaming yellow eyes. Bubaigawara - the only one Izuku recognized - was standing by her.

There was also a finely dressed person in a long coat and a top-hat, their face covered with a theatrical mask. Next to them was a large woman - or Izuku was guessing that was what she was - looking at him calculatingly past her sunglasses.

In the very corner was a man dressed in punk style. His hair bright pink and pointing up. Eyes lined with black. He was not looking at Izuku at first, but rather at Tomura. When his eyes did turn to Izuku, they were filled with so much loathing and judgement that Izuku nearly ran away.

A gasp broke the silence, and suddenly the blonde girl was right in front of Izuku, making him jerk back.

“Oh Tomu, you didn’t tell me he was so lovely!” the girl squealed.

Tomura took a step further, pushing the girl to back off. “Don’t give him a heart attack. I like him. And don’t call me that.”

The girl rolled her eyes. Still, Izuku could see she respected Tomura and did not push further. When she turned her attention back to Izuku, she stayed standing where she was. “Hi there, I’m Toga Himiko. You smell great.”

“Oh- um. Thank you? It’s nice to meet you,” Izuku said. She did not stop staring at him intensely until Tomura let out a small, barely audible snarl.

“Alright missus, make room for the rest of us,” the masked man spoke, pushing past Toga. “I too am curious of who has caught the attention of our dear friend.”

The lack of visible facial expressions was much compensated by the elaborate body language, as well as the inflections of his voice. All added, he was very theatrical.

“I don’t think I caught your name yet?”

Izuku winced internally, realizing he had not even had the common curtesy to introduce himself, being so caught up in the strangeness of everything. “Right, sorry. Midoriya Izuku.”

“What a lovely name, you may call me Mr. Compress.”

Izuku kept his face as neutral as he could as he nodded.

“Compress prefers not to show his face to people he doesn’t know well enough,” Tomura said. “Don’t take it personally.”

“Identity can be a precious thing that one might not want to flaunt,” Mr. Compress said.

“Yeah, you make up for it well enough by flaunting everything else,” the one in the sunglasses called.

“Don’t mind Magne,” Mr. Compress waved his hand dismissively. He turned to look at the woman as he muttered; “You’ll come to notice most people here don’t understand much of tact.”

The woman - Magne - just smirked.

“If you all are done behaving like a pack of wild animals, we’ll keep going,” Tomura spoke up.

At his words the punk man pushed off the wall and walked over to them. He paused less then half a meter away from Tomura. Now with him closer, Izuku could make out all the intriguing features on him. There was a green tint to his skin, and what Izuku realized seemed to be scatterings of scales on him. Even the shape of his face seemed to have a lizard like quality to it. He recalled Tomura saying one of his friends had such a quirk.

Tomura lifted his hand to cradle the cheek of the lizard-like man. They exchanged silent looks, and Tomura dropped his hand.

“This is Spinner,” he said, eyes still on the man. “He’s my closest friend.”

With fire in his eyes Spinner turned to Izuku, and the words of greeting dried in his throat. Spinner looked at him up and down, his eyebrow arching up the slightest bit.

“I guess you could’ve done worse,” he finally said. His voice was raspy and he sounded unimpressed. Izuku could see a row of sharp teeth - not just the canines like Tomura, but all of them - when he opened his mouth.

Spinner then turned back to Tomura, and to Izuku’s surprise, grabbed him by the lapels and pressed his mouth against Tomura’s in an aggressive kiss, mostly teeth and tongue. It did not last long. When Spinner pulled away Izuku could see a string of spit connecting their mouths for a second.

As if he had done nothing, Spinner walked past them and out of the room.

“He can a bit protective,” Tomura said, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. He looked annoyed, but in a playful way one pretends to be annoyed by someone they have a lot of affection for.

He had returned the kiss.

Feeling taken aback and confused, Izuku just nodded. Emptiness coiled at the bottom of his stomach.

Tomura brought his hand to his lower back and gently guided him out of the room.

“It’s- you two-“ Izuku began as soon as they were further from the others, trailing off as he realized he had no idea what he was even asking. “Why’d you do that?”

“Hmm?”

Izuku rolled his eyes, a twinge of annoyance at Tomura’s aloofness striking at him. “You kissed him.”

“Oh, that,” Tomura shrugged. “Technically he kissed me.”

Izuku waited for something more, but it did not come.

“Is he- I thought I was your only one. Are there more?” He hated how petulant he sounded, even to his own ears.

Tomura laughed before Izuku could even finish his question. “Spinner is nothing like you.”

“What is he then?”

“He’s my dearest friend. He can get a bit possessive sometimes.”

“You kiss all your friends?” Izuku asked.

“Just him.”

“I- I don’t get it,” Izuku stopped walking and stepped in front of Tomura so he could look at him. “Is he jealous? Does he- don’t you think he might have a crush on you? I don’t get how you two are different from us.”

“Izuku,” Tomura said with a silky voice, cupping his face with his hand. Izuku exhaled as the cold skin touched him. “I’ve known Spinner for a long time. We understand each other, and we love each other. But it is nothing like what we have. I don’t want to possess him, like I do you. And he doesn’t have a crush on me, Spinner doesn’t do that kinds of things. Our relationship is about respect...camaraderie. He’s my right hand man, as you might say. We don’t kiss for the reasons you and I kiss. We kiss...as a sign of understanding. Like you might hug your friends. When you’ve lived as long as we have, you stop giving a shit about what actions are reserved for which relationships.”

Izuku chewed at the inside of his cheek. “That...that sounds a lot healthier than what we two have.”

Tomura shrugged but did not disagree.

“Do you think...maybe you should just pick him. It might be a better solution for all involved.”

“This isn’t unhealthy for me, Izuku. This is my nature,” Tomura tugged at Izuku’s hair playfully. “I have made my decision, and I want you. The question is, what do you choose?”

Tomura was right. If they ended up badly, Izuku would be the one hurt. The one in danger. He already was. Tomura’s blood red eyes - the eyes of a murderer - reminded Izuku of that. Choosing Tomura was like choosing poison. A Russian roulette with all of the guns loaded. Yet…

“That’s not even a question,” Izuku whispered. “Hasn’t been for a while.”

Tomura smiled, and with the hand tangled up in Izuku’s hair, he pulled him into a kiss. It was a reminder. And Izuku understood, with Tomura’s lips on his, with his hand tugging at his hair, with his tongue pushing against Izuku’s, he understood how they were different from Spinner and Tomura. It was not explainable in words, but he felt it.

Tomura showed him around the house more - which meant walking around and giving nasty looks to some of the paintings - while Izuku followed him.

“I’ve got one more person who’ll want to meet you,” Tomura said, sounding a tad more apprehensive. Izuku frowned. He wondered if this was the moment he should turn away and leave.

He followed Tomura to a rich dark brown door. Tomura did not knock, just opened the door.

Izuku nearly missed the fraction of a second of hesitation on Tomura’s face before they stepped in.

“Tomura.”

Izuku’s heart must have skipped a beat, the voice coming from seemingly nowhere. Tomura merely tilted his head, gaze focused somewhere into the dark corners of the room. There were not much lights, bar for a small lamp on one of the tables.

A tall figure was the first thing Izuku could make out elsewhere in the room. The man must have been easily a head or two taller than Tomura. And as if his size was not enough to make him imposing, he was radiating an aura of pure danger.

It was different to Tomura’s. The danger Tomura imposed was like a forbidden fruit, a cigarette, alcohol, a knife to the hand.

This man was suffocating.

The man moved and a light on the ceiling turned on. Izuku felt the urge to divert his eyes. As if looking might stain him. He refused the urge, and stayed by Tomura’s side, eyes on the man.

He was wearing a fitted suit. His skin and hair were devoid of any color, white as death. The only color to him were the bright red eyes, watching at Tomura from the shadows cast on his face.

“Sensei,” Tomura said, voice barely above a breath.

Izuku had never seen an expression on his face as the one he saw now. It made his skin crawl. Tomura was clearly devoted to this man, adored him, but Izuku could swear he saw pain in all the small flickers of emotion.

“So...this is the human you’ve chosen. Midoriya Izuku, was it?” Only once the syllables of Izuku’s name had fallen from Tomura’s Sensei’s lips, did he look at Izuku.

Izuku wanted to shift under that look. He knew this man wanted to kill him. He did not know why or how he knew, but he knew. Just as he had recognized the hunger in Tomura’s eyes for him, he recognized the want to kill in these.

But this was not for hunger. It was something else. Defiance.

“Yes,” Tomura’s voice rang strong and sure. He did not seem to notice his Sensei’s desires. Or he simply did not care.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Shigaraki-san,” Izuku said politely, bowing in a way he hoped did not come off as too stiff.

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine. I was truly curios to see whom had caught the attention of my...dear Tomura. He’s not an easy man to please.”

“I hope I don’t disappoint.”

Izuku could practically hear Tomura roll his eyes next to him. His Sensei just looked at him calculatingly.

Trying to avoid eye contact, Izuku looked around the room. It was different to the rest of the house. An office room, almost clinical. Jars of strange substances adored the shelves. Blue curtains kept the sunlight from coming into the room.

“Tomura has told you everything,” the older Shigaraki said. It was not a question, as much as a statement, but nonetheless Izuku nodded.

“Yes.”

His eyes flickered to Tomura. “Risky.”

“I trust him,” Tomura stated, with no doubt nor defiance in his voice. He held eye contact with his Sensei, until the older man relented.

“Then I shall too.” He turned back to Izuku.

“Thank you,” Izuku said.

“Yeah, we just came to say hi,” Tomura said and took a hold of Izuku’s hand. “Bye. C’mon Izuku.”

“So eager to get away from me, Tomura?”

Tomura’s jaw tensed just the slightest bit. “Sensei-”

“I’m just teasing,” Shigaraki’s Sensei said tenderly, stepping closer to Tomura. He reached out to tuck a piece of hair behind Tomura’s ear, flicking his finger below his chin. Tomura’s face was blank.
The older Shigaraki’s eyes flickered towards Izuku, just for a moment, before he brought his hand back down. “Enjoy the evening. It was pleasure to meet, Midoriya.”

“Yes. You too.”

Izuku could feel eyes on his back as Tomura pulled him by the hand and out of the room.

“He’s...interesting,” Izuku commented, once he felt like they were far enough from the room, and once the air did not feel like it was lacking oxygen anymore.

“Hmm,” Tomura scratched at his neck. “He can be a bit strange, I guess, if you’re not used to him.”

“How old is he?”

“Ugh,” Tomura blew air between his lips. “Old. I’m not even sure he remembers - or knows. I think it might be a four digit number by now.”

Izuku’s brows rose up. “Shit- I mean. Wow.”

“Yeah,” Tomura said wistfully. He then nodded towards a painting on the wall. At first it seemed to be another one of Tomura, but it did not quite match. The white-haired man on the canvas did not have any of the scars Tomura did. He also looked a bit older. It was likely of the same man that the painting Izuku had spotted earlier, which also had resembled Tomura.

“Sensei’s brother,” Tomura said. “They grew up together, with nothing but each other. Then Sensei was turned...and he accidentally killed his brother. He still regrets it. That’s why he understood my situation.”

He pictured a younger version of Shigaraki’s Sensei with the man on the painting, somewhere in rural Asia, long ago, long before anything that was familiar to Izuku. The brother in the painting was smiling softly, but there was a sadness to him.

“That painting wasn’t done during his lifetime.”

Tomura nodded. “Every now and then Sensei’ll come across a talented artist, and he’ll commission a painting from them. He’ll spend hours with them, overseeing the painting process and describing his brother to the finest detail. He’s still not managed to get exactly what he want’s, but he keeps trying.”

“That’s...” Izuku trailed off, unsure what would even be fit to say. He wondered, if he had perhaps cast his judgement far too soon. “He looks like you,” he said quietly, nodding at the painting.

Tomura turned to him, eyes wide.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“No,” Tomura cut off, turning back to the painting, a line forming between his brows. The scar tissue made it pull a bit unusually. Tomura swallowed. “It’s okay. It’s just...no one’s ever said that.”

“Oh,” Izuku bit his lip, holding back the thousands of words in his mind. Of how the man in the painting resembled Tomura deeply, how odd it was that no one would have ever told Tomura so. But the expression on Tomura’s face told him that he was missing some part of a greater puzzle, so he let it be. Tomura did not seem to be hurt by what he had said. More so, he seemed like he saw something for the first time for what it really was.

“Well,” Tomura turned his back on the painting. “Let’s go, I’ll show you my rooms.”

Chapter Text

Izuku stepped through the door after Tomura. The space was a lot. The first thing Izuku’s eyes focused on were the massive, heavy, deep, blood red curtains covering the windows, keeping any sunlight from coming in. Instead of a harsh light in the ceiling as with his Sensei, there were multiple small lamps on the walls, glowing a warm orange light, like candles.

The next thing he noticed was the clutter covering every single surface in the room. Memories and past decades showing the life - or afterlife - Tomura had lived, in the form of all kinds of objets. There were large bookshelves on one of the walls, filled to the point of spilling over with books, magazines, movies, cd’s, vinyls, games and random knick knacks and figurines. Next to them was what seemed to be a glass vitrine with something inside it.

A large dark brown office desk made from wood had also gathered an impressive amount of all kinds of things on it. Including what looked like a gaming set. It looked a bit out of place in such an old space, as did the massive speakers near it.

Especially once Izuku noticed the piano in the corner of the room.

“This is...wow,” Izuku said, running his hand on the red curtains. Despite the curtains being so aggressively thick, the end result was not as stuffy and claustrophobic as he would have thought. No, it was more like a nest. The darkness felt inviting and warm. Safe.

“Good?” Tomura asked, sitting gracefully down on a soft looking couch, prepping his feet up on the tea table.

“Yes, very,” Izuku nodded. “It’s very you.”

Tomura squinted at him.

Izuku smiled innocently. His eyes caught the massive four poster bed in the other corner. “No coffin?”

Tomura did not dignify him with a proper answer, merely giving him a fairly bitchy look.

“I thought you didn’t need sleep?”

“I don’t need it. It’s still nice to rest.”

“It’s all so odd,” Izuku turned back to the curtains. “I really would like to figure out more about this vampire thing, you know. Your existence kinda goes against my entire tuition, but there ought to be a logic to things.”

“It’s also nicer to fuck in,” Tomura said, suddenly right by his ear, making Izuku jump back.

“Don’t do that,” he squeaked, face hot.

Tomura smirked, stepping back.

Izuku continued looking around the room. On the walls were multiple paintings, pictures and posters. Izuku recognized Tomura’s friends in some of them. He could see the decades they had shared.
On the bookshelf was a picture as well, this one by itself, with some dried flowers in a vase by it.

Izuku went to take a closer look. It was a black and white photo of a family, all dressed in traditional clothes. A dark haired man with a woman next to him and two children in front of them. The man was looking directly at the camera with a stoic expression. His hand was on the shoulder of the other child - a small girl, looking warily ahead. The woman was also standing stoically, but she seemed softer than the man. Mirroring her husband, her hand was on the shoulder of the other child, a young boy.

The boy was looking forward, somewhere past the camera. He looked scared. His black hair had been combed neatly and his hands were softly crossed in front of him.

This time Izuku was not surprised when Tomura’s voice started right by his ear.

“It was the first time I’d seen a camera. I was terrified of the thing and confused about what was happening. I don’t remember much from my childhood, but I remember when we were told to stand still and look at the thing. The woman taking the picture disappeared under this black fabric and I was certain it was some kind of a monster. It felt like eternity that we had to stay still. Mum and dad were holding us to keep us from moving. It’s the last - and only - picture that Hana and Mom ever got to be in.”

Izuku turned to look at Tomura.

“You miss them.”

“I miss the thought of them,” Tomura responded. “I don’t really remember them.”

Izuku reached for Tomura’s hand and squeezed it.

Tomura gave Izuku a soft smile and turned back to the photo. “I don’t miss him.”

Izuku looked at the man in the photo. He looked sure and insignificant.

“You deserved a dad you’d miss.”

Tomura chuckled, relaxing. “Thanks. So did you.”

Absentmindedly he noted that Tomura was right. Ever since moving in with his mum, he could not remember a time he would have missed his father.

He was just about to say so to Tomura, when his gaze happened upon something. The glass vitrine. Or more so, what was inside it.

Tomura must have noticed his attention shifting, as he turned to look into the same direction. He did not say anything as Izuku walked over to the thing, frown deepening.

“What...what exactly are these? Are they real?” he finally managed to ask.

Tomura looked slightly uncomfortable under his gaze, though not nearly enough to be appropriate. He scratched at his neck. “They’re my family.”

Izuku tilted his head. “...What?”

Tomura walked over to the vitrine and clicked the latches open, and lifted up the glass lid. “My family,” he said, affectionally. He pointed at the smallest pair. “Hana’s.” He continued pointing each of them. “Mom’s, grandma’s and grandpa’s. That one I got from Sensei as a gift, after I destroyed one of them. Those are also from him - from these two guys that I...well. And this,” he actually picked up the one on the centre. “This is Father.”

Izuku exhaled. “That’s- that’s a hand. A human hand. A real one.”

“Yes,” Tomura simply said, holding the thing - hand - gently in his own. It was a mummified hand, clearly having been separate from the rest of the body for a long time. Tomura was holding it like it was something precious.

“Why? I mean- why do you have these, and how?”

“Sensei got them for me, so I’d have something to remember them by,” Tomura said, setting his father’s hand back on its place.

“Right.” Izuku bit his lip. He was not even sure if this was a vampire fucked up kind of a thing, born over a century ago fucked up kind of a thing or just plain old fucked up. “I...I thought you met him only way after your family passed. Except for your father.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

Izuku blinked. “How does- how did he get these then?”

Tomura shrugged. “I don’t ask and he doesn’t have to lie.”

“But you’re sure they’re...them?”

“I’m sure.”

“That’s- I mean that’s- fuck.”

“Izuku,” Tomura said, voice saccharine as he closed the vitrine. “This is not the most disturbing part of me.”

“I think I’m quite valid to feel disturbed by it,” Izuku stated. Frankly, he was of the opinion that Tomura ought to feel more disturbed about the situation as well.

Tomura ginned, his fangs showing. “Are you? Disturbed?”

He looked at the hands, set on their places. He looked at Tomura, the curious expression on his face.

“I think I am,” Izuku responded. “I think I’ve been for a while.”

Tomura tilted his head.

Izuku nodded. “Why else would I be here?”

Tomura took a step closer, moving slowly and carefully as if Izuku might get spooked and run off at too sudden movements. Like a bird or a rabbit. His heart certainly was beating like one, and he knew Tomura could hear it. Was listening to it.

“Do you play that old thing or is it just for decoration?” Izuku said suddenly, before Tomura could reach him.

“You’ve gotten sassier,” Tomura said, sounding pleased.

“Maybe I’m just less self-conscious of what you think of me. Do you?”

Tomura considered him for a moment. “I do. Had to fill up my time somehow before video games were invented.”

Izuku chuckled with amusement. “Would you play something for me?”

Rather than respond, Tomura walked over to the grand piano - having figured out immediately what Izuku had meant - pulled out the chair and sat down. With delicate movements he opened the cover. Izuku stepped behind him to watch as he pulled on his gloves, and soon his long fingers grazed the white keys before finally pressing down.

As Tomura’s fingers danced on the keys with the familiarity of someone who had been doing it for a long time, familiar notes began to come from the piano. Izuku sighed as the melody comforted him. It sounded beautiful being played right there, rather than from a recording. And by someone with talent.

“Debussy?”

Tomura hummed, his fingers continuing to produce music so gentle, Izuku had a hard time believing it came from him. Clair de Lune faded away, bleeding into something else. He might have recognized some Chopin, before the melody changed once again. Tomura jumped from one artist to another, the transitions subtle and flawless. Izuku was not even sure he was aware he was doing it.

The latest piece trailed off, and silence took. Only for Tomura’s fingers to return, with a beautiful tune, one that Izuku did not recognize.

“Who’s this?” he asked quietly.

“No one,” Tomura responded.

The tune picked up, flowing through Izuku, quieting and growing.

“It’s beautiful.”

He stepped even closer, standing directly behind Tomura as he slipped a small object from his pocket into his palm, barely aware of what he was doing.

The tone slowed down once more, into something melancholy. It made Izuku think of winter. He clicked the thing open.

“Are you trying to sneak up on a vampire?” Tomura asked, voice not wavering and not pausing his playing for a moment. The tune sped up.

Izuku breathed out a laugh. “How stupid would that be?”

“Fairly stupid, immensely dangerous and quite impossible.”

Izuku’s breath was picking up as Tomura stayed quiet despite the constant movement as he reached for the keys. He brought the knife to rest on Tomura’s jugular, a hair away from touching his scarred skin.

“I got it from Katchan.”

“Must you call him that?” Tomura said, with clear distaste in his voice.

“Yes,” Izuku laughed and leaned closer, so that his cheek was pressed against Tomura’s hair. “You’re a really good player.”

“Thank you, Izuku.”

Izuku lowered his voice even more. “It’s silver.”

The slightest twitch of his pinky, a small deviation from the path, and the only sign that Izuku had managed to sneak a tap at Tomura's cool demeanor.

“Does it actually have any effect on you?” Izuku asked, despite already having gotten his answer.

“I’m sure you’ll find out.”

Izuku bit the inside of his cheek, trying to keep the tension of his body from making his hand shake as he laid the blade to rest against Tomura’s neck.

Tomura let out a soft, sigh like sound, the tune he was playing turning into a more gentle melody.

Izuku drew the knife in a fast motion, and Tomura missed a note.

Dark red stained the unnaturally pale skin of Tomura’s neck. His blood was thicker than normal blood, and the red was darker. Like it was directly from the artery, despite Izuku not having cut that deep.

He had been easy to cut. It had not required any more force than it would have to have done the same to a human. That must have been the silver working.

Izuku sighed, running his thumb on the skin, pulling it gently and spreading the cut. Tomura exhaled.

It was truly fascinating how all of it worked, despite all logic saying it should not. What was it that made vampires sensitive to silver? Freeze them in time? Move after their heart had stopped...and yet blood still passed their veins.

He smeared the red against the white with his thumb. It felt just like blood. It smelt just like blood. He felt transfixed as he leaned closer, and without stopping to question his actions, pressed his lips against the wound. It tasted like blood.

Now Tomura trembled.

With his other hand Izuku gathered Tomura’s hair from the way and pushed it aside. Then he bit down.

Unlike the silver, his teeth could not pierce Tomura’s skin, but there was a twisted sense of satisfaction in the action nonetheless. Even more so when he sucked and Tomura cried out, grasping Izuku’s hair with his hand.

Despite the blood tasting exactly like blood, Izuku could not resist swallowing it. It was addicting. The taste was not good, and it made him feel nauseous, but he barely registered that. Somehow, it was simultaneously the best thing he could remember ever having tasted. He felt detached. As one might feel after a really good massage or after an orgasm. Was this how blood made Tomura feel? He could understand his actions a lot more if so.

He let go with a gasp, having to lean into Tomura to stay upright. He had forgotten to even breathe and the lack of oxygen was getting to him.

Not that Tomura was doing much better.

“You stopped playing,” Izuku said, breathing heavily.

“Give me a fucking break,” Tomura exhaled, leaning into Izuku nearly as much as he was leaning into Tomura.

Izuku nipped at the scar, gasping when Tomura’s fingers tightened in his hair. “I- I didn’t realize you’d be that sensitive.”

Tomura hummed. “We don’t really feel things anymore like humans. Pain is harder to come by after death. But having your blood sucked...it’s quite a unique hurt.”

“It makes sense, in a way,” Izuku said. “Blood is such a vital thing - the only vital thing to keep you going. Your body wants to make it very clear you shouldn’t lose any. Survival tactic.”

Tomura chuckled. “Yes. Unfortunately, for a lot that is always looking to feel something - anything - pain can become quite an ecstatic feeling.”

“Well that seems counterproductive.”

“Fortunately,” Tomura said, tilting his head to look at Izuku. His eyes, half lidded and filled with lust, dropped to Izuku’s lips. He could feel Tomura’s drying blood on them. “Fortunately...there are things that feel even better.”

“Such as?”

Tomura’s lips spread into a lazy smile as he used the grip he still had on Izuku’s hair to bring him forward.

Izuku grabbed a tight hold on Tomura’s shoulder with his free hand as Tomura sunk his teeth into his neck. He groaned, pain exploding, sending warmth down his spine.

He was still leaning over Tomura’s shoulders, while the vampire was seated on his stool. He could feel himself start to loose balance, distributing most of his weight against Tomura. Just as his legs were on the edge of completely giving up, Tomura moved. Distantly Izuku noted the feeling of the floor disappearing from underneath him, hands on him and suddenly something soft hitting his back. Or rather, his back hitting something soft.

“Fuck,” he groaned, as Tomura pulled off of him. Blood made his cracked lips glisten.

Tomura grinned. “Take off your clothes.”

Izuku complied, forcing his limbs to work enough so he could manage to rid himself of his clothing as quickly as possible. He dropped them off somewhere off the large bed - on which they were now - keeping his attention on Tomura.

Tomura was watching him, and slowly removing his gloves.

“You’re not worried about accidentally destroying the bed?” Izuku asked, not able to help himself.

“I can finally touch,” Tomura said, bringing his hand to rest against Izuku’s bare leg. “I’m taking full advantage of that. And I haven’t lost control in decades.”

Izuku bit his lip as Tomura’s hand slowly slid further along his leg, cold against his skin. He wondered what it would take to make Tomura lose control. Could he make him lose control? The thought was arousing, making his already hardening cock twitch.

He reached for the buttons of Tomura’s shirt. “You’re wearing too much.”

Instead of helping Izuku, Tomura leaned to press their lips together. Izuku tasted his own blood in Tomura’s mouth.

With some grappling and fumbling, Izuku managed to free Tomura from his clothes, getting barely any help from the man himself, who was more focused on kissing him.

He ran his hands over Tomura’s body, trying to find soft spots from the hardness. There were strange scars all over him, cracks and scratches on his porcelain skin. The knowledge that he had gotten all of these before his death made Izuku’s insides curl in empathy.

Seeing Tomura fully naked was a privilege.

Tomura began pressing kisses on Izuku’s neck, sucking on the sensitive skin. Izuku moaned as desire flared in him at Tomura’s actions. He could feel Tomura’s lips curling into a smile against his neck. He felt Tomura lick over the puncture marks, sighing softly.

He let out a whiny sigh as Tomura continued his way down, pressing kisses and sucking his skin. On his chest, down his stomach. It was driving Izuku crazy. Tomura was toying with him, never fully doing what he implied. Keeping his kisses soft and teasing, barely sucking when he did.

“Stop being so gentle,” Izuku gasped.

“Isn’t gentle good?”

“You’re torturing me,” Izuku said, breathing heavily. “Do something proper.”

Tomura pressed a kiss - soft as a feather - on the V of Izuku’s hips. Another further down. And another one.

Izuku’s cock was throbbing and he could not look down. He was so hard it was becoming painful.

“Touch me,” he commanded.

Tomura pressed his lips just by Izuku’s groin, still not where Izuku needed him. “I am,” he said, his hand moving gently up and down Izuku’s thigh.

“Tomura,” Izuku gasped. “Just fucking touch me.”

A soft kiss was pressed against his cock, and Izuku cried out. More so from frustration than relief. He felt wetness roll down his cheek. He could hear someone breathing heavily, and it took him more than a moment to realize it was not himself.

“Look at me,” Tomura said, voice low and commanding.

Izuku forced his head to move so he could look at Tomura, hunched between his legs. He was staring at Izuku, pupils blown wide making his eyes look dark and predatory. The little red of his irises that was visible was gleaming.

He leaned down, eyes still on Izuku, and took his cock into his mouth.

Izuku cried out, forcing his eyes to stay on Tomura even through his tears. He was sensitive, far beyond normal. Each nerve of his body was awaiting for something, and he was going to lose his mind. Tomura was still not touching him properly.

He was going down on his cock agonizingly slow, not putting any real pressure into it. He was not sucking or using his tongue, he was just taking it into his mouth. It was still enough to drive Izuku mad. He could not breathe.

He felt his cock hit the back of Tomura’s throat and he grabbed at the sheet under him, arching off the bed as he finally felt proper pleasure. And then Tomura was pulling away.

“No, no- wait- what are you doing? Don’t stop,” Izuku cried. “Please don’t stop.”

But he might have as well been begging to an empty room. The wetness of Tomura’s mouth disappeared, leaving Izuku’s cock hard and throbbing. Tomura began sucking soft kisses below the shaft, down his perineum. He moved his way to Izuku’s thighs, until he was kissing the soft, sensitive skin on the insides.

“Please,” Izuku begged, tears streaming down his face. “Please, let me feel you. Stop playing games, just let me feel you.”

Tomura pressed one more kiss on the inside of his thigh, and then sucked on the skin gently. When he stopped, Izuku was ready to start begging again, only for a piercing pain to strike him and his words turned into a scream.

He grabbed a hold of Tomura’s hair as his teeth sunk deeper into Izuku’s skin. “Yes, oh fuck,” Izuku panted. He could not tell pain from pleasure anymore. He could not even tell if anything was real anymore, all he knew was Tomura, between his legs making the most beautiful little moans he had ever heard, as he drunk Izuku’s blood desperately.

His hands were grasping at Izuku’s skin, and Izuku knew that he would have beautiful crescent shaped scars on his hips.

Tomura was rocking his hips into the mattress as he sucked Izuku’s blood. It was desperate, animalistic and it was turning Izuku on even more, which he had not thought possible.

He pressed his hand against Tomura’s back, running his fingers on the knobs of his spine, feeling how his bones moved underneath his skin. White hot searing pain was crashing through his body, yet at some point he had locked his other leg behind Tomura’s lower back, keeping him there.

Izuku focused on the feeling of Tomura’s skin under his hands, of his hair. Harsh, soft strands. Tangled.

Pain. Shooting thorough him. He was starting to lose his ability to think. He was ascending.

Tomura’s moans broke through the fog in his head. Cries in the darkness leading his way. Oh, and how beautiful they were. Tomura was shaking against him, underneath his hand, over his body. He stilled and slumped against Izuku.

After a moment of heavy breathing - whose, Izuku could not say anymore - he felt Tomura’s teeth dislodge themselves from his flesh with a sharp pain.

His head felt heavy, so he did not attempt to lift it from the pillows. Despite the heaviness of his eyes, he had no issue following Tomura’s every move as he rose to sit on his knees, still between Izuku’s legs.

He looked flushed, almost alive. He looked like a beast. Inhumane, but alive. His lips were stained red, and as he panted, Izuku could see the blood between his teeth.

“Tomura...”, Izuku gasped, unable to say anything else.

Tomura looked down at him, satisfied grin on his face. Then, he brought his hand up to his chest, directly below his own throat. It took a moment for Izuku to realize he was holding something. Something familiar.

“My knife.”

He had no idea when Tomura had took it. He could not even remember having let go of it.

Tomura brought the silver blade against his porcelain skin, and keeping his eyes on Izuku, he pressed it down. A bloody line followed the silver, stark against Tomura’s skin. He pulled the knife away and let it fall on the bed, the blade still open.

“Come up here,” he said.

Izuku blinked sluggishly, his brain seeming slow to take in the meaning of the words. It seemed like far too much effort, but since Tomura asked...he could not not do it.

He pushed himself up into a sitting position, immediately beginning to feel lightheaded. But it did not matter, as Tomura caught him, one arm holding his back up, the other hand coming to guide Izuku’s head.

“Your turn, Izuku,” he whispered.

Izuku’s head was moved again. Tomura’s cool fingers felt nice.

He was slumped against Tomura. He could feel the wetness of Tomura’s blood against his lips and cheek.

It was pure instinct, that he licked his lips. But that taste - it still was not good - yet he needed more. He licked at the wound directly, then sucked at it once it was clean. Tomura groaned, his hand resting in Izuku’s hair.

The fog started to disappear from his brain. He still did not feel normal. But he could think, and he did not feel like two seconds from fainting. He just felt ecstatic. His cock was returning to hardness - he had not noticed it softening, but now his arousal was back at full strength, simmering through all his veins.

Izuku pulled away from the wound, coming to the same level with Tomura. Tomura who was observing him with a curious tilt of his head. He was completely barren, no pretence of humanity remaining.

Izuku cupped Tomura’s face, sliding his thumb over his lower lip. His own blood was drying in the cracks of his lips. Between those lips he could see his teeth, all of them deadly, sharp and strong enough to bite through bone.

The press of their lips, far from the first by now, still was able to send shivers down Izuku’s back. He kept it gentle at first. Just the press of lips. Exchanging breaths. He could smell the blood in Tomura’s breath.

Slowly, he deepened the kiss. He took Tomura’s lower lip between his. He tasted his own blood, and gave Tomura his. Tomura allowed Izuku to set the pace, responding only in kind.

The tension was growing. Finally, he allowed himself to get lost fully in the kiss. He pushed his tongue into Tomura’s mouth, feeling the sharpness of his teeth. Tomura grabbed his neck, pulling him closer. His tongue slid against Izuku’s and the taste of blood was everywhere.

He jerked out of the kiss with a gasp, as Tomura’s hand wrapped around his cock and began stroking. Tomura allowed him a few moments to catch his breath before he was pulled back into the kiss. Tomura’s presence was overwhelming. Izuku became more passive in the kiss, letting Tomura dictate it, just as he was dictating Izuku’s pleasure with his hand.

They continued so, until Izuku was right on the edge. Then Tomura stopped.

Izuku cried out, slumping against Tomura, holding onto him. He did not beg anymore, just hung on, waiting for his release. Whatever way Tomura saw fit to give it to him.

Tomura moved, and the knife was once again back in his hand. Izuku leaned back the slightest bit, arm still slung over Tomura’s shoulder, as he kept an eye on the knife.

“How far will you go?” Tomura asked, voice soft. “How much of yourself will you show me?”

Izuku breathed, trying to find the will to form words.

“Anything,” he finally managed to rasp out. “I can’t turn back anymore. You’ve seen all of me. I’ve let you as in as I can.”

For a moment he thought Tomura would burry the knife into his soft human flesh. He wondered if he would be buried. Would he rise from the ground? Would that be what Tomura wanted?

Instead, Tomura turned the knife to himself.

“And how far do you think I’ll go?” he asked now. “How far I’ll let you?”

Izuku looked into his blood red eyes. Looked calmly at him.

“I...I don’t know,” he answered, with honesty.

Tomura nodded and plunged the knife into his lower abdomen. He slit a neat, horizontal line into it, pulled the knife out with a spray of blood, and let it fall off the bed.

“Tomura...” Izuku pressed his hand against the wound. His mind was not filled with panic or horror, but rather, a warm feeling. Affection. Smile was tugging at his lips.

The wound was not bleeding like it would on a normal person. The blood was too thick. It rolled down his abdomen, between his legs. Red stained the sheets.

“Izuku,” Tomura tilted his head up with his hand. Izuku felt the blood smearing against his cheek from Tomura’s hand. “Izuku, I wan’t you to fuck me. I want you in me.”

Izuku swallowed, and nodded. Tomura’s hoarse voice and the way he was looking at him, it was all so erotic.

He began to slowly move his hand down Tomura’s side to his behind, but then Tomura stopped him.

“No, Izuku. I want you in me.”

Izuku blinked, trying to make sense of what Tomura was saying. What he meant.

Then it clicked.

Tomura’s lips spread into a grin, as he must have seen the realization on Izuku’s face.

Izuku lowered his gaze from Tomura’s face down his body, to the gaping wound bleeding sluggishly all over his lower body. The red stains in the sheets growing larger.

He looked at Tomura again.

Tomura nodded, and from his position - on his knees like Izuku himself - he slowly lowered himself, moving closer, his thighs spread so that Izuku’s legs remained between them and so that Izuku’s cock was on level with the wound. Hovering just above from sitting on his legs, hands on his ankles. He moved just the slightest, so that Izuku’s cock would brush against the wound.

Izuku moaned at the contact.

“Please,” Tomura whispered.

With his eyes on Izuku’s, Tomura slowly wrapped his hand around Izuku’s cock and gently guided it to the wound. His lips trembled as he pressed the tip inside. It was cold and wet.

Sweat rolled down Izuku’s brow. He looked at Tomura’s pleading eyes. He was holding Izuku’s cock still, slowly pushing himself forward. As though, perhaps Izuku would not notice until it was too late.
But too late for what? Izuku was already gone.

So, grabbing Tomura’s shoulder for balance, he pushed in.

Somewhere distantly he was aware of Tomura’s broken cry, of him slumping against Izuku with his hands grasping at Izuku’s shoulders. Of his head coming to rest against his neck. Mostly he was aware of the onslaught of sensations, as he was surrounded by Tomura.

He was so soft. He was everywhere. Slick insides moving with every thrust, molding themselves to make a home for Izuku. Blood was spilling between them. It was smearing against Izuku’s groin and running down his legs.

Tomura had began kissing his neck, sucking on the skin anywhere he could reach while pushing against Izuku’s thrusts.

Izuku took a hold of his waist, holding so tight that on anyone else it would have left horrendous bruises. His own legs were starting to scream with tiredness, but he was not done. It was all irrelevant. Sore muscles would be a reminder he would gladly bear. He sped his thrusts, pushing as deep as he could.

His groans were harmonized by the wet squelch of Tomura’s insides, the sound of skin against skin and the cries of pain or pleasure bleeding from Tomura.

Tomura’s fingers dug into his shoulders, his nails breaking the skin and he felt Tomura spill between them, his release staining Izuku’s legs.

“Christ, Tomura,” Izuku gasped as Tomura slumped against him, practically gluing himself into Izuku.

His thrusts were becoming more shallow, more urgent. He was getting closer. He buried his fingers into Tomura’s hair as he thrust into his now nearly limp body, ecstasy blinding him as it grew closer and closer-

His climax hit him, powerful, washing away everything else. He spilled into Tomura’s guts, fucking his cum as deep as he could until every last drop was gone.

Once it was over, his muscles finally gave up, and he fell back to the pillows, pulling Tomura down with him.

Chapter Text

Things seemed different afterwards. Tomura was diligent about coming to pick Izuku up in the mornings when he needed to get to the university. He would spend time with Izuku in the library when Izuku needed to study - and he did, he had been procrastinating on his course works far too much - sometimes Tomura would even do some of his own studying. Though those times were fairly rare. And when he did, Izuku was never quite sure if it was for any specific course.

Tomura was no longer trying to insert himself into Izuku’s orbit with such intense ferocity. Now he simply existed there, even when not physically. The thought made Izuku feel warm. It was also a relief - at least for the sake of his degree - that now, when Tomura was not around, Izuku did not feel the need to fill all his time with speculation over where he was or if he had imagined him. Things felt more secure. And he could always press his fingers against the marks left by Tomura, and revel in the knowledge that he had given them to Izuku.

Though the marks were not always a positive thing. He still went red just thinking about the morning after at Tomura’s place. All the other scratches and bite-marks were hidden under clothes, but his neck was filled with hickeys. Fucking vampire.

He had already been feeling exhausted, as he had had to spend the morning hunched over a toilet, expelling the contents of his stomach. Consuming large amounts of blood - even if it came from a vampire - did not seem such a good idea in hindsight. Not that Izuku had truly regretted it.

Since neither of them knew makeup that well, and Izuku had not wanted his mother - or anyone really - to see him looking like that, no matter how much Tomura liked it, they had needed to get some help. Which meant a torturous half an hour with the vampire Magne.

“Trust me Izuku, Toga would have been worse and she wouldn’t have done as good of a job,” Tomura had assured afterwards, not that it had made Izuku feel any less embarrassed.

Magne had done a good job, but she had also not held back in the remarks. She had said that they had all been sure Tomura had tried to kill Izuku, judging by the screams. She also had made comments on the state of the bed - which Tomura had not felt the need to even try to tidy up or even hide the bloody sheets - and a litany of all other kinds of teases, and comments on the difficulty of ‘color matching’ when her subject kept flushing red.

Tomura had not seemed the slightest bit bothered, more focused on his handheld than on her. Izuku himself had then truly wished that Tomura had had a coffin after all, so he could have crawled in there himself and locked it up for good, and maybe have had it thrown into the bottom of the ocean.

Nonetheless, he was grateful for Magne. She had saved him from a whole lot of embarrassment with his mother.

The flirting did not stop either. And Tomura still had very little care for such things as personal space. But Izuku found that he mostly found it endearing, in its own way. He did not consider much about the glances they received. People were always looking at Tomura oddly anyways. Maybe not that long ago they would have bothered him more, but he no longer found it in himself to care. As long as he was with Tomura he was content.

Though at times he got the cold feeling that he was being watched, even when he was alone.

It was a week or so later that he realized how much people had noticed. Maybe it should not have taken him off guard as much as it did, but it was hard to care about such things when he was with Tomura.

His hand was aching from writing in the same position for too long. Uraraka was sitting opposite of him, tapping her notebook with the end of a pen in steady intervals. They had been working on assignments together for a couple of hours by now, and the creative flow had begun to taper off. It was the first time in a while he had seen her.

His fingers protested with aches as he pushed on, determined to finish his notes for the day.

“Midoriya-kun?”

He looked up from his notes at Uraraka. She seemed to hesitate for a moment, then she looked down with flushed cheeks.

“What is is?” Izuku asked kindly, curios of what had gotten the enthusiastic girl so bashful.

“You and...Shigaraki-san,” she leaned closer as she spoke and Izuku could already feel his cheeks flushing hot. “You two have spent a lot of time together.”

Izuku hesitated for a moment, but nodded. He had assumed they had already talked about his friendship with Tomura, and that he had assured her that she did not need to worry. He hoped he did not have to listen to her accuse Tomura of anything again.

“I’ve seen you two, and I just wondered,” she continued, clearly feeling very awkward with the topic. "Are you two like...together? Romantically?”

“What?” Izuku laughed nervously, completely taken of guard. “Why do- I mean we’re just...” he trailed off, unsure of where he was even attempting to get.

Uraraka laid her hand atop Izuku’s. “I’m sorry, it’s really none of my business. It’s just, if you were, I’d be fine with that. I mean-,” she sighed. “If you happened to be gay and in a relationship, I just wanted you to know that you have someone in your corner, might you ever need any support.”

Izuku deflated. Uraraka was looking at him with compassion and kindness.

“It’s okay,” he assured her. “I- thank you.” He swallowed, still anxious. But in the face of her kindness and honesty it was easy to let go of that. “I don’t know what specifically we are- or rather I do, I just don’t know what to call it. But yes...we’re together.”

Uraraka smiled brightly, though he could see a twinge of concern in her expression. Somehow he doubted it was because Tomura was a man, but rather because he was Shigaraki. Izuku knew the kind of reputation he had.

Strangely, he felt once again the need to defend Tomura. Even though he knew that the reputation was not unearned. Even though he knew that the truth was even worse.

He forced the urge down. Uraraka was kind and did not deserve that kind of attitude. She was just looking out for him. It was a quality he appreciated. Or at least used to.

“He makes you happy?” Uraraka asked.

Izuku thought of the danger, of the fear and desire. Happy? He was not sure what that was. Was he happy with Tomura? It did not seem like it fit, it seemed so small. So normal. Did Christ make his people feel happy? Those who devoted their lives to the Church? It was a crude comparison, but the only one he found.

Happy.

“He makes me…feel,” Izuku said.

Uraraka was quiet, looking at him with a strange expression. The answer might have come across a bit odd, and he realized she was waiting for him to finish the sentence, despite him having done so already.

“Yes,” he added. “He makes me happy.”

Uraraka smiled again. “Then I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you.”

It was nice, having someone in his corner, as Uraraka had said. Though in an odd way, the conversation made him feel more distant from her. He had come to realize sure that they did not quite speak the same language. They did not see the same colors. It felt as though the corner they supposedly shared, had a trick door that she did not know of, which hid behind it another world. And at some point, Izuku had gone through that door, leaving the corner behind.

Still, he appreciated her support. In a logical stance he could see the goodness of it, and the kind gesture. It did not change much but he felt confident. Her question however, did not leave his mind.

Happy. It stuck with him, the thought. Perhaps Tomura did make him happy, if ‘happy’ could be a disease, starting as a warm spot in the chest, spreading into his veins and bones, twisting and pulling at them, drowning his lungs with it, becoming a boiling lake in his stomach. Overwhelming with its presence, like heat so strong it could not be differentiated from extreme cold. Until it would have to leak out from his eyes to keep him from bursting open.

Then, yes. Tomura made him happy.

****

Silver could cut vampires. Cutting one’s stomach open with silver was not enough to kill one. Vampire blood could give some amount of nourishment to a human, if they had - for example - lost large amounts of their own blood. Too much vampire blood would eventually cause the same effect as swallowing normal blood, once the high had passed. As Izuku had unfortunately discovered.

A piece of wood splintered from the pen he had been chewing on absentmindedly.

It made sense. It likely had an effect on the success rate of the transformation. If the person only had the vampire blood in their stomach without enough having been absorbed into the bloodstream, the transformation would not happen. And if all the blood was vomited up, there would not be enough time for it to absorb. He was not sure how long it would stay in the system though.

He dotted another note into the page.

A pile of books on the edge of his table were reminding him of all the actual schoolwork he had left to do. He was determinedly ignoring them.

But he just did not feel like focusing. Or focusing on anything but what he was doing.

Izuku had not actually planned on investigating vampires and vampirism - like Tomura had said his Sensei had been doing for centuries. Izuku’s interest was based more on just a need to make sense of the things for himself. He understood human biology, studied it. Of course he was interested on the existence of such an anomaly. How could a human change so completely after death.

Was it an infection? A virus? Could it affect all kinds of animals or just people? Or perhaps it was something truly beyond their understanding. Something sinister. But there had to be some kind of logic to it all. Even if he did not understand it.

The sun had already cast the evening’s last lights. The winter was slowly closing in on them. Izuku was focused deeply into his notes, when he got the peculiar feeling of a heavy weight more akin to dead winter nights on himself. The darkness felt filled with intent.

Was someone watching him? The cold presence at the back of his mind became heavier.

Izuku looked around his room, but of course, it was empty. No eyes on him, no one observing him.

He shook his body, as if he could shrug off the odd feeling of someone waiting for him. The movement startled something into flight from the corner of his table.

A small, white, moth landed on his notebook, near his hand. It had a dark spot at the back of its wings, like it had smudged some graphite into them.

“Was it just you?” Izuku muttered, watching the little bug move on the paper.

“No,” came a response right by his ear.

Izuku jerked up, hitting himself against his desk. His chair fell with a clutter and the moth flied off in a hurry to the closest lamp.

Tomura stayed still through the whole ordeal. Watching with amusement as Izuku tried to get his breath back to control.

“Christ- Tomura!” Izuku panted, rubbing his chest. “You nearly gave me a heart attack! How’d you even get in?”

Tomura nodded with his head. “Through the window.”

Izuku followed the motion to his now open window, pushing cold wind into the room. “What the hell, Tomura? Someone might’ve thought you to be a burglar - and you can’t just climb through peoples windows!”

“I can if I’ve been invited,” Tomura said, reminding Izuku of that one detail that made no sense. Izuku closed his notebook. “And anyway, no one’s ever noticed me before.”

Izuku paused. “I haven’t invited you in, have I?”

He felt a moment of vindication, it had been a lie. Of course words would not be enough to determine if a vampire could cross a threshold or not. But then a small, mischievous smile crossed Tomura’s face. “No, but your mother has. Ages ago. I told you about that, didn’t I?"

Izuku rolled his eyes, still rubbing his chest. Now that he thought, he did remember Tomura mentioning having met his mother, before Izuku had even discovered the vampire thing. Which, he supposed, meant that Tomura had actually been able to come into Izuku’s home the whole time. Thought he had not yet-

“Wait!“ he turned to Tomura, dread freezing him. “What do you mean before? You’ve never been here before.”

Tomura smiled that calm smile of his, as if there was nothing to be concerned over. “I guess I’ve never been here before with you awake. You should show me around. I showed you my home.”

“You’ve been here while I slept?” Izuku asked, leaning into his desk.

Tomura nodded nonchalantly, looking around the room. “Sometimes I’ve come here, if was bored. I don’t need to sleep after all.”

The desk pressed hard agains his skin as Izuku tried to process Tomura’s words. He thought back to all the times he had woken up in the middle of the night, all the embarrassing things he might have done.

“So you just- what- watch me sleep? What kind of a creep does that- that’s- I have a right to privacy!”

“Sometimes you’d say my name,” Tomura said, smiling. He stepped closer to Izuku. “Moan my name...must’ve been pleasant dreams.”

Izuku felt shame. The room - lightened only by his desk lamp - felt confining and he wanted to run. But he stayed where he was, knuckles white as he held on to his desk like a lifeline. Because in addition to shame, he felt anger. Trembling, exhilarating, anger. “You- that- fuck you!”

Tomura leaned in closer, breathing in Izuku. The air felt heavy between them, as Tomura slowly reached for Izuku’s hip.

It was then that Izuku remembered that he was only wearing boxers and a t-shirt, as he had been getting ready for bed earlier. Tomura slid his fingers on the skin of his sides, sending shivers up Izuku’s spine.

“I’m mad at you,” Izuku exhaled.

“Yeah?” Tomura cocked his brow and tugged at his waistband. Izuku drew in a sharp breath. The feelings of anger and shame were still clouding his mind, but that did nothing to stop the heat from making his underwear tighten.

Tomura tilted his head, as if he was looking at something mildly intriguing. His fingers grazed at the bulge, not touching properly.

“Don’t worry,” he whispered, mouthing at Izuku’s neck. Izuku groaned in pleasure. “I didn’t touch you...often.”

Izuku gasped. Rage and arousal ascending in him simultaneously, complimenting and inciting each other.

“Can’t say the same for myself,” Tomura chuckled into Izuku’s neck, tickling Izuku with his breath.

“Fuck!”

“For someone so ‘mad’ at me, you sure are hard,” Tomura said, groping Izuku’s cock through his boxers into his palm.

“Fuck you!” Izuku gasped - not that it made Tomura any less correct. Izuku was angry and frustrated and fuck he was so turned on. The thought of Tomura having watched him made bile rise into his throat and yet he could not stop the arousal from making his cock harden.

Tomura could have been there any night, Izuku would have had no idea. He could have done anything to him, and Izuku would not have been able to stop him. He might have done something, Izuku had no reason to trust anything Tomura was saying. He was not a human. He clearly had no need to confine into human morals.

The question remained; did Izuku care?

Tomura leaned back, hand still caressing Izuku’s body. He gave Izuku an overly sweet smile, full of charm and deception. Locks of his blue hair covering his face, like the curtains in his Sensei’s room. He was made of honey, and Izuku knew he was the fly.

“Izuku,” said Tomura with his hoarse voice, but it sounded beautiful. “I just wanted to see you...to surprise you.”

Izuku was brought back into that house. Not to the curiosity and beauty he saw there, but to those moments with that man. Voice sweeter than sugar, yet all Izuku had felt was nausea. That was what Tomura sounded like.

Maybe it would have worked - did work - months ago. That sweet deceptive lure, that made the most disturbing looking vampires look like the epitome of lust and desire.

But now, Tomura had - without realizing it - shown too much of himself to Izuku after all.

Izuku grabbed Tomura’s wrist and pushed him aside. “No. I’m still mad at you.”

Perhaps from sheer astonishment, Tomura allowed his hand to be moved. He stared at Izuku in bafflement, and with pleasure Izuku realized that he had managed to actually confound the vampire.

“Seriously, Izuku” he scoffed, no longer overly sweet, but dry and disgruntled. “That’s where you draw the line?”

Izuku stayed stubbornly still, not saying a word.

“You know I’ve killed people?” Tomura pointed at him, sounding frustrated. “You know that. And I don’t feel any remorse about that. Haven’t for years- decades!”

Izuku bit his lip as Tomura snarled at him. He wondered how far he could push him. They had never really fought, not like this. Not with Izuku having any power over Tomura.

The truth was; no, he did not really care. The rage had passed as soon as it had arrived. That a monster had invaded his privacy? Watched him while touching himself? It was hot.

Being able to frustrate Tomura? Have leverage on him? Make him mad? Fight with him?

Arousing was not enough to describe that high.

“You hurt my feelings,” said Izuku coldly. “And then you tried to manipulate me into forgiving you. You treated me like any other prey.”

“Any other prey?” repeated Tomura. Izuku had finally pushed him too far. “Any other prey? You are any other prey. You’re a meekly human, you’ve lived a fraction of what I’ve lived and after you’ve died, I’ll be here for centuries.”

The shadows in the room grew as Tomura spoke, cornering Izuku to where he was. And Tomura let all of his pretenses fall, letting Izuku see him in all of his horror. His eyes flaming red as he let his fury free, his mouth wide and gnarly, filled with sharp teeth. Even his body seemed different, his death showing in his bones and skin, his nails sharp like talons. His face was all sharp bones and angles, marred by scars, no longer covered by soft blue curtains, but limp dead hair.

“I can kill you whenever I want, and don’t you ever think I won’t. I might like you, Midoriya Izuku, but that does not mean you have arisen above me,” snarled Tomura, creeping closer to Izuku. He smelled like death. His sharp talons dug into Izuku’s neck as he reached to grab him - not quite choking, yet. The desk dug painfully into Izuku’s back as he was pushed against it. “You are just another prey.”

“If that was true,” Izuku panted. “We wouldn’t be here. I know you could kill me- might kill me,” Izuku could not hold back a smile. “But you’d feel bad about it. You might even…regret it.”

Fury flamed in Tomura’s eyes and his hand tightened around Izuku’s neck, nails piercing the skin. Izuku cried out, muffling his screams into Tomura’s neck as his feelings crested, the fear, anger, shame, lust and desire all becoming too much for him to handle. He cried as his orgasm rocked through his body, releasing all his feelings in pleasure.

Tomura stood still, his hand loosening a little as Izuku spilled his cum into his boxers, rocking against Tomura’s thigh and likely getting some into him too. It felt too much and too little. His lungs felt tight and tears were running down his face.

“I’m not any other prey,” Izuku panted into Tomura’s neck, laughter bubbling from his chest. “Don’t you ever lie to me like that again. I don’t care about all that other stuff.”

“Did you just…?”

“Yeah,” giggled Izuku. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it. You just turn me on so much,” he pulled his head from Tomura’s neck so he could look at him. His monstrous face. “You look so fucking hot,” he exhaled and kissed Tomura.

After a moment of kissing, Tomura pushed Izuku off of him, and looked at him like he truly could not understand him.

“You are...strange, Midoriya Izuku,” said Tomura. “Is this really what you want?”

Izuku tucked a few strands of hair behind Tomura’s ear. Had his ears always been so pointed? “Isn’t that your whole thing? Making people want you so that you can kill them?”

“Yes. Vampires can make you think - no matter of your actual tastes - that they’re the most attractive and sexual and desirable person there is. Like a siren song. But once the singing stops and the teeth come out, most people want to turn back. But you...that’s when you get interested.”

Izuku ran his fingers over Tomura’s face, over his scars and eyelids. He found the mole on his chin and he felt his teeth, receiving a tiny lick on his thumb. “Is it that unbelievable that I like you like this?”

Tomura chuckled, an honest laugh with no scorn nor mockery. “I’m not insecure, Izuku, I’m a monster. Technically I think I’d be qualified as a different species. I’m willing to manipulate you into wanting me, I’ve tried. But then you’ve rejected me. When I give you beautiful face, and lies so you can claim ignorance to my sins, you refuse me.”

“I can’t claim ignorance to your sins,” Izuku admitted. “I don’t wish to. I feel as if they’re mine already.”

“I don’t understand you, Midoriya Izuku. I knew you were something unique from the beginning, but I never fathomed just quite how fucked in the head you were before ever even meeting me. I could never create all of this,” said Tomura, cupping Izuku’s face into his hand. “What is wrong with you?”

“I used to be good,” said Izuku wistfully. “It was something I prided myself in. But you...you’ve changed me. I don’t know what that is anymore.”

“I’m not good. I am a murderer.”

Izuku smiled softly, leaning into Tomura’s touch. His murderer, so hungry for a simple touch now that he finally could. “A lion kills, because that’s what they must do. Doesn’t mean it’s not good.”

“That’s how you see me? What are you then?”

“A lamb willing to watch from the sidelines as the lion kills, even though it could try to stop the lion.”

Tomura rolled his eyes. “If the lamb tried, it would just get killed too.”

“Maybe,” agreed Izuku. “But he doesn’t even want to try.”

Tomura was quiet for a while. He was no longer trying to look threatening, but he still was not trying to deceive Izuku into thinking he looked like a human. The monster was calm, lost in thought. Izuku appreciated the sight, knowing that he was privileged to witness it.

“Why?” Tomura finally asked with a quiet voice.

Izuku sighed, focusing on the feeling of Tomura’s hand. It did not feel too cold anymore. “I love you.”

It was funny almost, how little it changed. There was nothing, no fireworks, no nerves or stuttering, he did not even blush. It was just a statement. A truth. He had not really even thought about it, but he never really thought about the sky being blue or the earth being round.

Tomura removed his hand and took a step back. There was a fire in his gaze again - he had liked what he had heard - but there was also hesitance.

“Are you hoping I’ll say it back?” asked Tomura. There was ridicule in his voice, but Izuku saw through it.

“Only if you’ll mean it.”

Tomura scratched at his neck. “Do you understand what you’re hoping for? My love won’t be the kind a mother would wish for their child. It’ll be cruel, and violent. Selfish and obsessive. It won’t be kind.”

“I know you, Tomura,” Izuku said. “I know all your roses have the sharpest thorns and the red comes from blood. I know what I’ve gotten myself into. I’m not as naive as you think I am.”

“That might be true,” Tomura agreed with a sigh. “But you still are more naive than you think you are.”

Izuku stepped towards Tomura, reaching out to him. But before he could touch, Tomura moved with speed too fast for Izuku to comprehend and he was thrown onto his bed. Tomura loomed over him, looking mighty and strong.

He came to sit on the bed, between Izuku’s legs. Then he reached out, took a hold of Izuku’s boxers, and ripped them off. His shirt met the same fate.

He looked at Izuku’s bare body, spread out on the bed. Izuku’s skin bristled from the intensity.

He reached out to tug at Tomura’s shirt. “Please?”

The puppy eyes worked and Tomura allowed himself to be undressed - his clothes were not even torn apart.

Once Izuku was done, and Tomura was naked too, he was pushed back down onto the bed. Tomura took the shreds of Izuku’s shirt, and ripped a strip from it.

“Give me your hand.”

“Why?” asked Izuku.

Tomura just cocked a brow, a clear gesture of ‘do you trust me?’ even though both of them knew trusting Tomura was generally a dangerous thing to do. Izuku held out his hand.

Tomura wrapped the strip around his hand, and then the bedpost of that side, tying it tightly there. He took Izuku’s other hand, intending to do the same, but paused. He ran his fingers on the bracelet still tied around that wrist, and Izuku saw the way they reddened at the touch.

“I wonder what your friend would think if he saw you now,” he said, leaning to nuzzle Izuku’s wrist with his face. “If he knew you were mine.”

Izuku saw the question through its disguise - for it was not mere wondering that Tomura was doing. He nodded. “I’ll tell him. The next time I see him, I’ll tell him.”

Tomura’s fingers left the bracelet and he pressed a soft, simple kiss on it. It reddened his lips beautifully. Then he tied that wrist too to the bedpost, and finished it all up by tying Izuku’s ankles together.

“Do you have lube?” Tomura asked, already reaching to open the drawers of Izuku’s bedside table.

“Yeah, somewhere there,” responded Izuku, unable to do anything beyond watching from where he was.

Then began a torturous eternity, as Tomura began fingering himself open - which he did not even need to do - just so he could force Izuku to watch. His cock was hard once more, leaking on his stomach. But Tomura just kept going, and Izuku started to fear that maybe he would just get himself off there, and leave Izuku aching.

“Hng, Tomura, please,” Izuku begged. The scraps of fabric was digging into his wrists.

“Patience,” Tomura panted, his hand moving behind him and a blissed grin on his face.

“How many fingers?” Izuku asked.

Tomura grinned. “Four.”

Izuku let out a whine, far more pathetic than what he believed himself to be capable of. “That’s enough! One’s enough for you, so stop torturing me, please Tomura!”

“Hush, Izuku,” Tomura chuckled. He threw his head back, showing his neck, and Izuku wished he would have been in a position to press his lips against it. He wanted to cry as Tomura moaned, the sound making his cock ache.

“We-,” began Tomura breathily. “We don’t want your mother to wake up, now do we?”

Izuku bit his lip, hard, tensing against the strains. Tomura was right, so he held himself back form screaming at him.

There must have been some good in the world after all, as not much later, Tomura finally removed his fingers from himself and sat atop Izuku’s thighs.

The weight felt wonderful, but it was not enough. Nothing was ever enough.

“Please,” he whispered.

Tomura grinned, eyes gleaming, and finally he wrapped his hand around Izuku’s weeping cock. Izuku cried out, the fabric strips cutting even deeper into his skin as he tensed against them.

Tomura rose to his knees, above Izuku, still holding his cock. He paid no attention to anything, to Izuku begging. He took his time settling above Izuku, and guiding his tip to brush against his hole.
The small touch was enough to send shivers of pleasure all through Izuku’s body, and with horror he realized there was no way he was going to last long. Tomura clearly did not care.

He sunk down in one smooth motion, and there was no resistance. He bottomed out all at once, and Izuku had to turn his head to bite at his own arm to stop himself from screaming.

What followed was bliss. Tomura felt so good around him. He started riding Izuku passionately, determined for his own pleasure. He looked so beautiful, and Izuku wanted to touch him. His beautiful body, lips and his stomach. Thighs and legs, everything.

For a moment he imagined their positions switched. Tomura spread out and Izuku on top of him. Except Izuku would not use fabric. No, he would spread Tomura out on the floor, and he would use nails.

Tomura would look so beautiful like that.

It did not take long for Izuku to reach his climax - for the second time that evening. But even as he was thrown in the winds of the pleasure, Tomura kept going. Izuku came down, and Tomura reached his own climax, spilling his seed all over Izuku, and he still kept going.

Izuku was overstimulated. Tears were running down his face, and his cock was hardening from Tomura’s determination. He was sure he would be spent to death by the time Tomura was done.

He lost count of all things. There was a cooling pool of Tomura’s cum on his stomach, some of it dripping down his sides, overstimulating him even further. The pain from his wrists and legs had begun feeling pleasant. He felt like he was floating.

He could not remember it all coming to an end. He had heard the panting of Tomura from above him. He had felt a sting on his neck. Hands on his face.

There was the relief on his wrists and ankles.

When he finally came to himself, he was under the covers, Tomura’s naked form holding him.

All of his muscles ached, but he turned to be face to face with Tomura.

Tomura ran a finger on his temple, pushing aside some wet hairs that had glued stuck. “You get so sweaty,” he chuckled with a low voice.

Izuku huffed, a smile breaking its way to his face nonetheless. “You nearly rode me to death.”

Tomura pressed a kiss on Izuku’s forehead. “Are you complaining?”

Instead of answering, Izuku pressed a soft kiss on Tomura’s lips.

It did not take long for him to fall asleep, cold arms wrapped around him.

Chapter Text

The morning came with a suffocating pain. Izuku groaned and grabbed a hold at the body writhing atop his. It was too early to make any sense of anything, and all he knew that he was surrounded by a scent that he had come to love, as tresses of hair tickled his face. A sharp pain was radiating down from his trapezius down his back, his chest, to his neck. A hand was woven tightly into his hair, tilting his head slightly to the side.

It was a dream he had had many times, too many to keep a track of. Except that this time, Izuku realized, it was not a dream.

Noting that his lover had waken, the teeth detached from Izuku’s skin and Tomura’s face appeared into his view. His lips were stained beautifully red, blood smeared on them. Still sleepy, Izuku reached to wipe a smear off from below Tomura's lower lip and pressed the thumb into Tomura’s mouth so he could lick it clean. Once Izuku had lowered his hand back down, Tomura leaned in to press a kiss, tasting of metal, on Izuku’z mouth.

“Good morning,” Tomura said, after finally pulling off Izuku. He looked content, straddling his chest. The sight made Izuku think of a cat, coming to demand food.

“Mo’in’,” Izuku tried to respond, his voice even more hoarse than it usually was in the mornings.

Tomura handed him a glass of water - that he got from somewhere - and laid down on the bed next to Izuku. There was restlessness to him, a thrumming Izuku could almost feel vibrating underneath his skin.

“Quite a wake up,” Izuku commented, after downing all of the water. The ache on his shoulder was already dimming into a comfortable thrum.

“I was bored. You sleep so much,” Tomura said, tucking himself into Izuku’s arms. He looked quite adorable like that - to Izuku at the very least - a big bad vampire with his hair pointing at every direction, cuddled up like a kitten. Or a panther.

“I thought you could sleep too?” Izuku said as he ran his fingers softly on Tomura’s arm.

“I can,” Tomura sighed. “And I did. The first two hours. Then I got bored of it.”

“So what’d you do for the rest-“ Izuku glanced at the clock on his bedside table. “-almost six hours?”

“I got my Game Boy with me,” Tomura mumbled into Izuku’s chest.

“Course you did.”

“And I got my boy toy,” Tomura snarked, pinching Izuku’s side and making him squeak in a very unflattering manner.

“Tomura! That’s disgusting.”

Tomura cackled manically, giving Izuku a sly look. “You’re too easy.”

Izuku opened his mouth to retort, but his attention was caught by something. He reached to cup Tomura’s face - who practically nuzzled into the touch - a looked at him with consideration.

“Your eyes look much darker,” he commented.

Tomura nodded. “Happens when I haven’t fed properly in a while.”

“You’re always feeding on me,” Izuku commented with a frown.

“If you were my only source of blood you’d be dead.”

“Oh,” he nodded. It made sense, probably. A glum feeling rested at the bottom of his stomach. “Right.”

“Does that still bother you?” Tomura groaned. “I don’t even kill all my-“

“It’s not that,” Izuku cut in. “It’s just...well, it’s quite intimate isn’t it?”

Tomura blanched at him. “Are you...jealous?”

“What?” Izuku shrieked. “No!”

“Would you rather I kill them all? I can if you want-“

“No, no. Don’t be ridiculous. Do what you’ve done. It’s fine, I’m being idiotic,” he rushed to say, feeling the blush on his face. “Just...you don’t give them your blood, do you?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Good. I mean- ok. That’s- great.”

Tomura chuckled, a reached to press a soft kiss on Izuku’s neck that made him shiver. “Don’t worry. They’re just...any other prey.”

Izuku flushed even redder, the words making the warmth in his chest grow. “Is that why you’re like that?” he asked, hoping to calm himself with the topic change.

“Like what?”

“So...restless,” he responded, unsure how to describe the way Tomura seemed. “You’re hungry?”

“Hmm, maybe I am more...aware,” Tomura said, and Izuku felt the wetness of a tongue where Tomura’s lips had been. “But I’ll take care of it later, so no need to worry. And anyway,” Tomura pulled back. “Now that you’re awake, I had an actual reason to come here.”

“Other than stalking me?”

“Yeah,” Tomura nodded, either not picking up or not caring about the sarcasm in Izuku’s question. “We - the other’s, you met them - usually do something together if we’re all in the same place. Toga suggested I should bring you. So, if you want?”

“This couldn’t have been a text?” Izuku had to ask. “You had to break into my home?”

“Well I can’t sit on your cock over text, can I?”

Izuku sighed. Tomura was impossible. “I’d love to come. If it’s fine with you. If you’d rather I wouldn’t come-“

Tomura waved his hand dismissively at Izuku. “Eh, it’ll be hell, were you there or not. So I’d rather you were.”

“They’re not that bad,” Izuku laughed. “But yeah. I’ll come. What are you doing?”

“Baseball,” Tomura responded, with distain in his voice.

****

A few days later they went deep into the forest, away from people. Tomura drove them, some old song by Del Shannon playing in the car radio.

Izuku stared at the all powering green around them, his thoughts distant as he recollected an event from earlier that day. Katsuki had come to yell at him - once again - full of self righteous fury. Izuku had been simply walking home from the store, when he had been spotted. Katsuki had grabbed Izuku by his bicep, turning him to face him. Izuku had barely had time to take off his headphones when the yelling had already begun.

“WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN DOING, DEKU?” Katsuki had finished, face red and eyes furious. The cruel name was a painful and a low blow.

“What? Nothing!” Izuku had defended himself, not having the tiniest idea what Katsuki could be so angry over, to bring back that name, with such a cruel tone. There was none of the playfulness he sometimes packed it with.

“I told you to stay away from him!” Katsuki - unsurprisingly, really - yelled. Of course it had been about Tomura.

Izuku had just sighed tiredly. “I don’t want to do this again, Katchan. Every time. I’m allowed to have other friends.”

“Friends,” Katsuki scoffed. “You suck his dick yet?”

Izuku stepped back as if he had been slapped. “What? Why would you- what the hell, Katsuki!”

“I saw you two.”

Izuku’s face flushed with heat. “Doing what? When?”

“Couple of weeks back. He was all up on you, practically trying to fuck you dry. Offered you a smoke, but you’d rather suck it from his mouth.”

The mention of smoke jogged Izuku’s memory, and he realized what Katsuki must have meant. The day Tomura had invited him over.

“You never told me you were...like that. Though I guess I should’t be shocked,” Katsuki said, eyeing him up and down. “Hanging out with him.”

Izuku flushed red. He closed his eyes, turning away from Katsuki. He was not going to cry. He was too old for that. But Katsuki knew how to punch where it hurt.

And Izuku was tired of it.

“Yes,” he said, voice sure and turned back to Katsuki. The promise to Tomura made it easier to speak. “I’m like that. I’ve sucked his dick, and it was great. What about it?”

“Oh,” now it was Katsuki’s turn to look like he had been slapped in the face. “I- nothing-“

“You’re not gonna call me a faggot? Threaten to out me if I don’t stop going out with him? Punch me?”

“No!” Katsuki said, actually looking a bit hurt and ashamed. The confrontation was not going as he had wanted. “No I wouldn’t- I didn’t mean it like- I don’t care about that!”

“Then what the hell is your issue?” Izuku yelled, spreading out his arms.

“I don’t care about you being- being gay, or that...you never even told me-“

“Why would I have told you?” Izuku asked. “When I hadn’t told anyone, when I didn’t even know until Tomura!”

Katsuki looked at his shoes with an sour expression. He was clearly upset. “Because I- it doesn’t matter.”

“Yeah. Sure,” Izuku huffed out. “Whatever, it is- I’m done, Katsuki. I’m done having this same conversation.”

He turned, trying to leave, but Katsuki grabbed him by his arm, a truly panicked expression on his face, far too vulnerable and honest for Katsuki. Izuku stopped.

“Don’t- just, please, Izuku, I’m sorry,” he rushed out. “I’m sorry, just please Izuku, listen to me, please.”

Izuku stared at his friend’s face. “What?”

“There are things...you don’t understand,” he said slowly. “About him, about- he- Izuku he is not...” he trailed off, his lower lip trembling. He looked genuinely concerned. Like he needed to make Izuku understand something.

Izuku cocked his head, frowning as dread climbed up his body. “What do you know?”

“I’m not just being judgmental,” Katsuki said. “I’m worried- scared...for your life, Izuku. I don’t want you to die.”

“I’m not going to,” Izuku said slowly. “You know things that you’re not willing to tell me, but I know him better than you do. I’m not leaving him.”

Katsuki stared at him for a few seconds in disbelief. “Are you...are fucking kidding me?” he asked, voice rising alarmingly. Izuku straightened his back. Katsuki let go of him as if he had been burned. “Why do you have to be so- so- fucking you!” he screamed, eyes wide. “HE’S DANGEROUS, IZUKU. YOU COULD DIE. Don’t be so thick!”

Izuku sighed, as Katsuki kept screaming and spouting his hatred. “Can’t you just leave it?”

“LEAVE IT?” Katsuki screamed. “You need to leave him! He’s dangerous, how can I get this through your idiotic brain!”

“Katchan-“ Izuku tried, but his friend had gotten started once again.

“He’ll kill you, I fucking know he will! He’s definitely already killed people, and you’ll be next!”

“Katchan-“

“He’s dark, and rotten to the bone, he’s not normal, he’s not fucking humane-“

“Katsuki-“

“-goes against the laws of nature, there’s nothing good that’ll come from this. You might as well jump off a roof if you want to be dead so badly!”

“Katsuki!”

“He’s fucking dangerous, Izuku! Not like a rapist or a murderer, he’s so much worse! He’s dangerous-“

“I DON’T CARE!” Izuku screamed out.

Katsuki stopped yelling, shocked enough by Izuku’s outburst.

“I - don’t - care,” Izuku panted. “I don’t care. There’s nothing - nothing - you can tell me I don’t already know. And I don’t care.”

“Izuku-“ Katsuki said, reaching again for Izuku’s hand.

He pushed it aside, stepping back. “I don’t care, Katsuki. I told you, I’m done. I’m done. I don’t want to hear it anymore. Don’t call me, or text me or come look for me.” Katsuki flinched. Izuku turned around and began walking away. “And don’t be worried. You never were before.”

Katsuki’s calls for his name turned faint as he walked away, placing the headphones back over his ears. There was nothing to do anymore. It hurt, walking away from his childhood friend - especially since he knew his concerns to be valid - but it did not hurt enough.

It bothered him, that Katsuki could not just trust him. It annoyed him that he thought he had any right to intervene on his relationship with Tomura. It pissed him off that he judged Tomura.

Cutting him off like that? Izuku was more bothered by how little it bothered him, than by actually cutting him off. It was like a faint whisper that clung to him, tried to show him a picture of them, of what he was casting aside. But the young boys in the picture looked strange. And even then, Izuku could feel the rift already beginning to take form between them.

A cold hand over his brought him back to the present. Tomura was giving him a questioning, yet gentle look. He did not look quite human. He almost never did, around Izuku, anymore. He did not know if it was because Tomura had stopped trying to influence how Izuku saw him, or because Izuku could see the truth now.

He leaned in to place a kiss on his cold lips. “I’m fine.”

“If you say so,” Tomura said. “We’re here. Just a bit of a walk.”

“Into the forest?”

Tomura nodded, stepping out of the car. By the time Izuku had gotten his seatbelt off, Tomura was already holding Izuku’s door open for him.

“Thank you,” Izuku said as he stepped out, the scent of the damp, green forest surrounding him. The ground sunk beneath his feet. The air felt heavy, and the grey clouds looked dark. “You’re playing in the forest?”

“We prefer the privacy. No matter what we do, something always escalates. Better to be out of people’s sight, if we want to keep to ourselves in future as well.”

“Right,” Izuku said, curious to what ‘escalation’ would look like with a group of vampires. Hopefully nothing involving his guts.

Toga was once again the first to dash at them - once they reached a wide area, past a thickenings of trees where no one would hopefully just wonder into - a twisted smile on her face. “You came!” she squealed at Izuku. “I thought that maybe Tomu was having us on, lying to get us off his back.”

“Don’t call me that,” Tomura injected.

“I’m glad to be here. Though I don’t know how much I can participate, I don’t actually know the rules of baseball that well,” Izuku said with a laugh, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

“Neither do like half of us,” Toga said waving her hand dismissively. “And those who do cheat anyways.”

“Right.”

“As if I’d let any of you play with him anyways,” Tomura said sourly. “He’d be dead before the first goal.”

“Why’d you pick a game none of you know how to play?” Izuku asked as they headed towards the rest of the group, Toga jumping with excitement ahead of them.

“Toga picked it,” Tomura said. “And she’s right, someone always cheats and then things get derailed, or everyone just knows different rules - the point is, the rules get forgotten no matter what we play.”

Izuku nodded. This was going to be interesting for sure.

The same group that had been at the house was there too, as well as two new faces Izuku had not yet met. A tired looking man, wearing a full three piece suit. His hair was dark purple, and when he moved, it almost looked like mist. And another man, with messy black hair, wearing a long leather jacket. He had some piercings on his face - half of which seemed to have been gravely burned.

The black haired vampire’s striking bright eyes turned to them as they reached the group. His attention though, had been on them long before, Izuku could tell. Or rather, on him.

As their eyes met, Izuku could see the change in them. They hardened, focusing on one single target. It was the same look Tomura gave him when he wanted to appear intimidating or when he let his instincts loose.

The black haired man began approaching him rapidly, but just a meter short of reaching Izuku, he stopped like he had been restrained. At the same moment, Izuku could hear a low, quiet, yet nightmarish growl behind him. It froze him, and he knew that even if Death itself chose to appear in that moment, he would not be able to run. The hairs at the back of his neck stood up.

It took him a moment to realize the sound had come from Tomura, who slowly moved from behind him, to stand by him, looking at the black haired vampire with a gaze more horrifying than what the vampire had been giving Izuku. His hand laid possessively on Izuku’s shoulder.

Finally, the black haired vampire tore his eyes from Izuku, looking at Tomura’s ragged red shoes instead, his head nodding into a bow.

The blood-curdling growl stopped, and the tension disappeared as thought it had never been there. Izuku had not even realised that everything around them had seemed to come to a standstill.

“This is Dabi,” Tomura said, leisurely as though nothing had happened, while the black haired vampire - Dabi - straightened himself. Now when he looked at Izuku there was no longer a that crazed-over look in his eyes, and he seemed to be aware of other things around them. He still stayed where he was. “He’s the youngest of us, turned not so long ago. He still struggles with control, as most young ones do. That’s why he doesn’t really interact with humans beyond the necessary. Don’t take it personally, and don’t worry. He’s under my protection and won’t defy my commands unless he wishes to die. Again.”

Dabi clearly did not appreciate being talked about as if he was not there. His jaw clenched but he did not say anything, just nodded at them and walked away.

There was something familiar about him, though Izuku could not place his finger on what it was.

The purple haired man Tomura introduced as Kurogiri. He was quiet and calm compared to the other ones, and spoke to Tomura with deep respect.

The game begun. The first obstacle came in the form of dividing the group into two teams. Toga and Bubaigawara demanded to be in the same team. Spinner suggested pulling sticks and the ones who got the same length would be in the same team, but also refused to be in the opposing team to Tomura. Dabi in turn refused to be in the same team with Spinner. No one wanted to be in the same team as Mr. Compress, and everyone wanted to be in the same team as Magne. Kurogiri was very exasperated.

Eventually they managed to settle into teams. In one team were Tomura, Spinner, Toga and Bubaigawara. On the other one: Dabi, Kurogiri, Magne and Mr. Compress.

The teams were easy to tell apart, as Toga forced her teammates to wear baseball caps that she had brought (”It’s for the aesthetic!”), and the other team was just as they were. Dabi removed his long leather coat. Mr. Compress refused to remove any of his clothes, including the theatrical mask he was wearing - a different one this time.

Tomura did not look too bad - actually he looked quite good - with the baseball cap on, his hair tied into a ponytail with few strands spilling on his face, black sweatpants and his v-necked black shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a bat over his shoulder, looking seconds away from bashing it into someone’s head.

The game progressed - somewhat. Toga had clearly understated the situation when she had said that half of them did not know the rules, because clearly, none of them knew the rules. Toga’s knowledge seemed to be all from movies and such, but that just meant that she knew what happened, not why.

They chose the beginning team by throwing a bat in the air between Spinner and Mr. Compress, who took a hold of it and grasped on it above each other’s palms. Mr. Compress was the one to place his hand over the head, leaving no room for Spinner to take hold of. Instead of giving up, Spinner, dug his sharp nails into the wood, still partly visible at the top. As when Mr. Compress let go of the bat, he still managed to hold it in the air with his nails, their team was the one to get to start.

Tomura was the first one to hit the ball - thrown by Dabi. He managed to get a hit on the first try. The bat hit the ball with such force that it alone would have been enough of an explanation for why they wanted the privacy to play. The ball moved with speed too fast for Izuku to follow it, as did Tomura. No one managed to throw the ball anywhere before Tomura had reached the home base. In fact no one managed to throw the ball at all, as no one could find it.

They kept going.

Apparently, preparing with multiple backup balls and bats, had been a very obvious to them. It did not take long for Izuku to realize how much of a necessity that was.

At one point when it was Dabi’s turn to hit and run, instead of going after the ball as he was - as far as Izuku understood - supposed to, Tomura set off after Dabi, smashing the bat against his head. The bat broke into pieces, and Dabi did not manage to run even to the first base. Instead, Dabi grabbed one of the shards and tried to stab Tomura onto the side with it.

Despite the rules of the game being extremely vague - which did lead to many disagreements - Mr. Compress managed to be absolutely horrific at the game. It was very evident why no one had wanted him to be a part of their team. Somehow, every time it was his turn to do anything, what should have been just a short action turned into a whole show with a prelude and an ending. It was horrible for the game, but very amusing for Izuku.

Magne balanced Mr. Compress out well, as she in turn was far too impatient and competitive. It did not make her the best team mate to have, but she was efficient. Or at least, very good at hitting things. Over half of her team's success was thanks to her. Dabi seemed to be equal amounts of efficient and destructive. Kurigiri continued on mostly being exasperated.

Tomura and Spinner were a lethal duo - literally, had there been humans playing - and destroyed a fair amount of their equipment. In Izuku’s opinion that should have led to some sanction, but he stayed quiet, rather enjoying the way Tomura was beaming. The other part of Tomura’s team - Toga and Bubaigawara - seemed to keep on forgetting that they were supposed to be playing.

All in all, it was the most confusing and amusing game Izuku had ever witnessed. He had no idea how it progressed, but neither had any of the players. There was a high probability that the game would have kept on going for multiple hours, had they not been interrupted.

Tomura was getting ready to hit the ball once again, while Izuku was brazenly admiring his looks, when he suddenly tensed, lowering the bat but keeping it in his hand. The other vampires followed his example, stopping in their tracks and turning to look into the same direction as Tomura was. Izuku got up, ready to ask him what was wrong.

Before he could say anything, Tomura held out his hand in a sign of silence, tilting his head and listening to something Izuku could not hear.

“Izuku,” he said in a moment. “Stay there and stay quiet.” He then turned to Spinner, maybe saying something, too quiet for Izuku’s human ears to catch.

Spinner nodded, and moved so that he was standing by Izuku. Not close enough to look like he was guarding, but Izuku knew that that was what he was doing. Izuku felt nearly surprised at how protective he looked. He had kind of assumed that Spinner would be mostly glad to see him die.

It did not take long after that for things to start happening. Tomura moved to stand at the front of the group, the others moving behind him to wait. No instructions were given, but they all seemed to know what Tomura wanted of them.

Three figures appeared from the shadows of the forest, suddenly and quietly. Izuku could immediately tell that they were no more human than his Tomura.

“Are you lost?” Tomura asked, raising his voice. His tone was falsely casual, deliberately so.

The vampire at the front was dressed in black skinny jeans and a green jacket with an obnoxious purple fur collar. His brown hair was cut short, giving him a rather clean look, especially compared to Tomura’s ragged appearance. He leveled Tomura with an contemplating look. His eyes were striking, and clearly belonging to a predator.

“We heard voices and came to inspect,” he said, voice drawling in an annoying manner. “We did not expect to come across such a large group of our own kind. Merely something...to catch.”

Tomura clicked his tongue, clearly unimpressed by the other vampire, and not hiding it.

The vampire strolled closer, looking cockily at them all. Tomura did not let his gaze falter, staying where he was.

Izuku could tell that there was more going on than what met the eye. A mental battle. Beasts sizing each other up. He was not sure which one was winning, though he knew which one he was hoping for.

“Chisaki Kai,” the other vampire said, despite Tomura not actually having made any move towards introductions. “And you are…?”

Tomura kept looking at Chisaki as if the very sight of him was mostly tiring. “Shigaraki Tomura,” he eventually responded. “And I live here.”

Chisaki must have heard the warning in Tomura’s tone. He took a placating step back, holding his hands out. “We do not mean to step on your territory.”

“Yet you already did so. About fifty kilometers ago.”

The cocksure expression on Chisaki’s face faltered a bit. The two vampires behind him moved closer, ready to defend if necessary. But Chisaki held out a hand, and they stopped. “We’re merely passing through.”

“Which I would allow,” Tomura responded. “If you didn’t feel the need to draw so much attention to yourselves. I have lived in the shadows for a hundred years, I do not need to be dragged out because some wannabe hippie can’t clean after himself.”

The false calm fell from Chisaki’s face fully. He stood more guardedly, but Tomura stayed relaxed. They were on his home turf. He had the upper hand.

Izuku bit his lower lip. He should not be getting turned on right now. Spinner would definitely kill him.

Chisaki looked around, eyeing up all of Tomura’s friends. Eventually his eyes fell upon Izuku, and stayed there. He had been caught. Tomura must have noticed it too, but he did not appear worried.

“Bold words from someone carrying a human with him. A snack?”

Now even Tomura turned openly hostile. He flipped the bat in his hand. “I do not share.”

Chisaki smirked, glad to have found a soft spot to poke at. Or so he thought.

Tomura looked away from Chisaki, eyeing the bat in his hand. The simple admission that he did not feel the need to keep an eye on Chisaki, seemed to make the man unhappy.

Tomura flipped the bat again. “Chisaki Kai. You and your friends have a day to leave from my home. After that, I will kill you. If you leave one more body behind you, if you as much as hurt one more person here, I will kill you.” He flipped the bat one final time. This time when his hand closed around it, the bat decayed into pieces. Tomura opened his hand slowly, letting the last bits of dust fall into the ground. “Do we have an agreement?”

Chisaki tried to keep his cool, but Izuku could see fear infiltrate him. The other of his vampire’s took a staggering step back. But the one on his right side, bared his teeth, boldly moving towards Tomura.

In less than a second, Tomura was by him, hand wrapped around his neck with his pinky clearly lifted off from his skin. All the vampires who were not yet familiar with Tomura’s quirk, seemed to catch on fortunately fast on what the situation was.

“Hari!” Chisaki’s voice rang a warning. Tomura kept his hand where it was, but his eyes were on Chisaki.

The standstill lasted for what must have been minutes, at least by Izuku’s estimation. None of the vampires seemed to be bothered.

“We have an agreement,” Chisaki said quietly.

Tomura smiled, a nasty smug smile, sickeningly sweet. One finger at a time he let go of Chisaki’s friend’s neck.

“Wonderful. Now, leave.”

The other vampires backed off at Chisaki’s command, disappearing into the forest. Chisaki followed after them, but paused at the edge of the clearing, giving one last glance at Tomura. And for a moment, his eyes lingered on Izuku, a sour look on his face. Then, he too, was gone.

Chapter Text

“Well this has been fun,” Tomura said, turning back to them once the other vampires were gone. “I think me and Izuku ought to leave now.”

“Aw,” Toga sighed, batting her eyes at them.

“You’re worried?” Izuku asked Tomura, thinking of the curiosity in Chisaki’s eyes and the way they had lingered on him.

“No,” Tomura shook his head, walking over to Izuku and wrapping an arm around his waist. “I doubt they’ll try anything anymore, but I want to go and make sure they all leave as I told them.”

“Alright. What should I do?”

“Nothing. I’ll take you home first.”

As they begun to leave - the others returning to their game - Spinner caught up to them, grabbing Tomura by the arm. “Do you need another pair of eyes?”

Tomura halted for a moment. “Do you know where he lives?” he asked, nodding at Izuku.

Izuku was not sure how to feel about Spinner simply answering ‘yes’. Perhaps there was something in him that made vampires want to stalk him.

“Meet me there.”

Spinner nodded, and promptly disappeared into the forest. Tomura and Izuku followed, much slower.

Despite the evening having gotten cut short, the trek back was nice and calm. Izuku felt safe in the damp forest with Tomura by his side. In the car Tomura allowed Izuku to pick the music, and for the whole drive, Izuku sat with his body towards Tomura, not even attempting to pretend he that was not appreciating the sight.

Izuku already knew that he would do anything for Tomura. But seeing him so commanding, as a leader, it was amazing. He understood the dedication the other vampires had for him. They respected him. When Tomura wanted so, there was such a power and confidence to him. Izuku doubted anyone could see it and not want to do as he wished.

When they got to Izuku’s house, he saw no sign of Spinner. That, of course, did not mean he was not there. Since Tomura seemed in no way surprised, Izuku had a feeling he had already noticed something that he himself had not.

“Thanks for the evening,” Izuku said.

“Yeah, didn’t go quite as I planned,” Tomura responded.

Izuku smiled. “It’s alright. I mean, sucks - I think - but...it was fun seeing you so...um-“ he coughed into his sleeve, suppressing a nervous giggle. “You know.”

Tomura tilted his head. “Do I?”

“Shut it,” Izuku muttered and leaned in to make sure Tomura did so by pulling him into a deep kiss.

Tomura kissed back with equal amount of passion, nipping at his bottom lip. Izuku could feel the blood mixing with their saliva, and Tomura sucking at the wound.

With a satisfied sigh Tomura pulled back, using his thumb to wipe off the last blood.

“Now I need to get going.”

Izuku nodded, and finally got up from the car. Before closing the car door, he turned back to Tomura. “Good luck. And stay safe.”

Tomura rolled his eyes. “Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“Just call me once you’re done.”

“I will. Good night Izuku.”

“Good night,” Izuku closed the door. The car stayed on the driveway even as he went inside. He took a glass of water and went to his room. He glanced out from his window. The driveway was empty.

He had been thinking that he would still work on some of his assignments, but once he had sat on the edge of his bed, tiredness caught on to him. It did not take long for him to fall asleep, dreams of gleaming red eyes and bloody rivers engulfing his mind.

****

“How was yesterday? You had fun?” Inko asked in the morning. It was one of the rare times they were having breakfast at the same time. He felt as though he barely saw her these days.

“Yes, it was nice.”

He thought back to the previous day. It had been odd, the meeting with the other vampires. Not to mention just how strange Tomura’s friends already were.

Then there was the argument with Katsuki. Just thinking about it made the food in his mouth taste like ash. So he did not.

Instead he thought of Tomura. He had not heard anything of him yet. Since he had given the other vampires a day’s time limit, Izuku doubted he would hear of him until that. No excuses to put off his schoolwork.

“Were you with Shigaraki-kun the whole evening?” Inko asked lightly, sipping her tea.

Izuku looked up, trying not to look guilty. Or to feel guilty. He could already feel the redness climb up his face. “Um- yeah. I mean I met- there were some others there too.”

“That’s nice,” Inko smiled. “Shigaraki...he’s quite...hmm.”

“What?” Izuku tensed. He really did not want to have to hear his mother badmouthing Tomura as well.

Inko sighed, at least looking a bit apologetic. “Nothing. It’s just- he has always seemed quite lonely. It’s really nice that you’re his friend.”

“Oh.” Izuku was not quite sure what to respond, but he appreciated his mom. She was so kind. He could not help but to feel a pang of guilt, no matter how hard he tried not to. What would she think if she knew how sick in the head her son was? The things he was okay with. The fact that that very moment, he knew Tomura was practically hunting down other vampires, making sure they did not kill anyone. Not because he cared about the lives, but because he wanted to keep killing them himself without drawing attention. And Izuku did not care.

“Is that all he is?”

“Mom!” he exclaimed, taken aback by the boldness from his mother.

Sadness painted his mother's face, but she masked it quickly with a smile. “I’m not that oblivious. I know what Shikaraki-kun’s...preferences include. You’re an adult and free to do as you wish and share as much as you wish. But...would you tell me?”

Izuku ran his hands over his face, and stayed there, leaning into his palms. He stared at the table through his fingers. Inko stayed quiet.

He had not planned for the conversation to happen like it was happening at the moment, but then again, he had not planned for the conversation to happen ever.

He lifted his head off his hands. He felt hollow. He wanted to leave.

But the love that was still in his mother’s eyes made him stay.

“Yes,” he said. “We’re together, like that. I’m- yeah.”

Inko reached for his hands, taking them into hers. They were so much smaller than his. Izuku had grown past his mother many years ago, but still every now and then he would notice it with something almost akin to surprise.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I know this isn’t exactly what you hoped for me.”

“It’s not,” Inko said. She stroked Izuku’s hand. “It saddens me to know it will bring you difficulties. But don’t apologize. A parent always wishes their child to have an easy and a happy life. But that’s not realistic, in any scenario. And you’re a strong man. And even so, you’ll always have me supporting you.”

“Thank you, mom,” Izuku whispered, tears clouding his vision.

Inko smiled at him. They stayed there, hand in hand, in silence. Inko filled with love for her son, and her son filled with the last dregs of regret and guilt he was still capable off. He had shown but a crumb of the truth to her, and she had accepted it. He would spare her heart and would take the rest to the grave with him, whenever that would reach him.

****

Izuku pushed aside from his desk, hands sore from writing. His brain was starting to feel foggy. He looked outside from his window. The weather was looking grey, damp and depressing. More amicable than usual then.

“I’m going for a walk!” he yelled as he grabbed his coat and headed for the front door.

“Alright,” his mother answered from the living room. “How long will you be gone?”

“Um...dunno. Bye!”

He finished tying up his shoes, and went outside accompanied by Inko’s goodbye. The smell of past rain freshened up his mind.

Cars drove past him as he walked trying not to think of anything. He kept glancing at his phone at steady intervals - periodically promising himself to also stop doing so - but there was not anything from Tomura yet. He could just reach out himself, it was unlikely that Tomura was so occupied that he would not notice. But Izuku wanted to prove to Tomura - and maybe himself - that he could go a day without talking to him.

Needing to occupy his thoughts with something else, he headed towards the small corner store nearby. It was quiet there. The cashier was half asleep as he charged for the can Izuku got himself.

He stepped out of the store, feeling oddly languid. The cold wind made him shiver. Unsure of what to do next, he opened the can and took a sip.

Out of nowhere, he got the odd sensation that someone was standing right behind him. But before he could even turn fully around, everything went dark.

****

At some point he became aware of the fact that he was unconscious. He could not remember how he had become unconscious. Was it morning? He did not feel like he was in his bed. Things did not add up. His mouth tasted awful. He felt like throwing up.

Why was he unconscious? He could not remember having dreamt. He could not really remember anything. He was floating in nothingness. Darkness was coddling him from all over.

“Fuck...” he moaned as awareness finally began rousing in him. His body ached and he could tell he was lying on something hard. “T’mura…?”

Someone walked by him. Izuku forced his eyes to open. He saw white shoes against a hardwood floor.

“Well look who’s waking up,” a drawling voice spoke. A familiar, annoying, voice.

Izuku groaned as he was rolled over and manhandled into a sitting position against the wall. A young man was looking at him with a content, self-satisfied, expression. Chisaki. Izuku forced his limbs to work so he could push aside Chisaki’s disgusting hand.

“I think you were supposed to leave,” Izuku panted. His head was thrumming.

Chisaki stood up, not concerned with Izuku. He paced a few steps while Izuku was still trying to clear his head up. Could he stay up if he even tried to stand? Not that it would be that helpful against a vampire.

His only consolation was that he was still alive. Chisaki could have killed him already, could do it right that moment, had he wanted. So there had to be a reason he was still alive.

“You...you are really an interesting case,” Chisaki said, turning to Izuku. “Why does Shigaraki keep you around? What’s so special about you?”

“Nothing. I can’t be the only human a vampire’s kept around.”

Chisaki dropped into a squat in front of Izuku. “Of course. But you are also wrong, there is something about you. Some reason he would keep you around. So it will hurt when I take you away.”

“You’re not his biggest fan, huh?” Izuku muttered.

“What gave it away?” Chisaki said plainly. “Territorial bastard.”

“That’s what this is about,” Izuku realized. “You’re pissy that he told you to get lost, so now you wanna break his stuff. Because you’re too scared to confront him.”

Chisaki’s eyes hardened and his jaw clenched. Izuku was promptly reminded of why not to mouth to a being indefinitely stronger than him, as he was pushed against the wall with enough force to knock out his breath.

The cold wall was pressing into his back, Chisaki’s hand still threateningly on his chest. Unexpectedly, Chisaki leaned forward. “His...so that’s what you are.” He brought his nose closer to Izuku’s neck and breathed in. Izuku tried to lean further away from him, but he had no chances against a vampire.

Chisake smelled him once more before leaning back with a disgusted expression on his face. “Of course, you’re his boy toy. Warm flesh to collect his cum.”

“He prefers it the other way around,” Izuku spat out, trying to inch away from Chisaki’s nauseating presence. It earned him a slap in the face.

“I’m going to kill you,” Chisaki hissed out. “And I don’t have all day, so don’t annoy me.”

Izuku forced his mouth to stay shut, diverting his gaze to the floor. He did not know what to do. He had known being with Tomura would be dangerous. He just assumed that Tomura would be the danger to end him. He did not want to die from Chisaki’s hand. He tried to think all that he could do.

In his trouser pocket was the weight of a knife. The knife he had gotten from Katsuki.

“You’re sweetheart isn’t coming for you,” Chisaki said. “He’s kilometers away, making sure my friends are leaving. By the time he’ll realize I’m not with them, you’ll be dead.”

“Why waste so much time?” Izuku asked. “Why aren’t I dead already?”

Chisaki smirked. “Smart boy toy. Two reasons. Can you guess them?”

“You’re a sadist?” Izuku said, playing time as he tried to think how to use the knife to his advantage. He would never be fast enough, which meant that surprise was his only chance.

Chisaki rolled his eyes. “Pathetic. And unimaginative. Firstly, I wanted to make sure you meant at least something to him. Though, you being alive was already pretty evident of that. I’ve realized that I simply cannot let someone like him just walk all over me. If he wants me to leave, he ought to pay for it. And that prize should be significant.”

“And secondly?” Izuku asked.

“I want you to run.”

Izuku blinked. “Why?”

“I want you to try to escape. I want you to cling on to the hope that your lover cares enough to appear here and save you. And I want to hunt you down. I will give you a five seconds head start.”

“What?”

“Starting now.”

Izuku scrambled up, gaze on the doorway. It was pathetic, and hopeless, but it was all he had. His heart raced and his head was still feeling dizzy. As he moved he slipped his hand into the pocket of his trousers.

He could not even make it out of the room. Chisaki appeared in front of him, and kicked him back. Pain flashed in him as he slammed against a table, dropping onto the floor. Something made from glass fell to the floor as well, breaking into shards around him.

He did not have time to think. Chisaki walked over to him, so he grabbed a chair, trying to slam it against him. Chisaki barely cared, taking it into his hand and slamming it into the wall hard enough to break it into pieces. While he was looking away, Izuku quickly took the knife into his hand and held it behind his back.

“For someone so tangled up in vampire business I expected better from you,” Chisaki sighed.

“Yeah, well the only vampire I spend time with it, is someone I don’t want dead,” Izuku said, moving so that the large table was between them.

“You should,” Chisaki stepped closer, leaning over the table. “Without him you would not be here, in this situation.”

Instead of trying to go around the table, Chisaki moved over it and pushed Izuku against the wall. He cried out as his body slammed once again against something, and fell to the floor. In the grapple he had managed to flick the knife open without Chisaki picking up on the noise.

Chisaki loomed over him. Izuku tried to get up, and Chisaki stepped on his shin with sudden force.

Izuku screamed. It hurt. A bone must have been broken.

He panted as the pain settled. Chisaki squatted in front of him again. He cringed, as though Izuku was something particularly disgusting he had stepped on. “I want him to find you like this,” he muttered, loud enough so that Izuku would hear.

He wanted to throw up, from the pain and from Chisaki’s presence.

In a disgusting mockery of caress, Chisaki moved Izuku’s hair away from his neck and tilted it slightly back. Seeing his only possible opening, he tried to slam the knife into Chisaki’s neck.

It was for naught. Chisaki was faster and stronger than him, and before the knife could even graze his skin, he had Izuku’s hand in a tight hold.

“Oh, look at that,” he said calmly, forcing the knife off of Izuku’s hand. He eyed it for a few seconds, and then threw it on the other side of the room. “You didn’t actually expect that to work did you?”

Chisaki stared at him with a pleased expression on his face, his fangs visible as he evaluated Izuku.

Accepting defeat, Izuku closed his eyes, and turned his head. He thought of Tomura. He thought of his mother who waiting for him to return home. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter.

Waiting for the pain to come, he tensed. Waiting for the feeling of teeth piercing his skin. Waiting for it all to end. It was a sad, bitter end, and Izuku was pained by the thought of Tomura finding his dead body. At least he had met Tomura. With that thought, he would face his end.

But it did not come. Instead, Chisaki let a choked off sound. Izuku felt something wet splatter on his chest.

Carefully, he opened his eyes. Chisaki was staring at his own chest, eyes wide and mouth open. Izuku followed his gaze. There, right in the middle, through his ribcage. Exactly from where his heart would be, was sticking out a wooden stake, its point red from blood.

Chisaki fell on his side, next to Izuku. He convulsed on the ground, blood spilling from his lips. His hands tried to wrap around the stake for nothing, fingers slipping on the bloody wood. Then he stilled, with a final croaking groan, leaving behind no illusion of the humanity. A shrivelled up monster.

Izuku looked away from him, up to the man who was observing the situation with mild curiosity. Finally, he too, looked away from what once was Chisaki. Familiar red eyes turned to Izuku.

“Shigaraki,” he exhaled.

“Midoriya?” Izuku's heart was still beating from the adrenaline and it took him a while to realize he was being spoken to. "Are you alright?” Tomura’s Sensei asked again, kneeling down to help Izuku up.

“My leg,” he gasped as it was jostled.

Shigaraki’s brow furrowed. He moved his position so that he could grab Izuku from his armpits and haul him up, leaving none of the weight for Izuku’s legs to carry. Still, he could not prevent the cry breaking out from him at the movement, gritting his teeth when Shigaraki laid him on the table in the room.

Ignoring the pain, he pushed himself upright enough to be able to follow with his eyes as Shigaraki ripped open his pant from the shin, and rolled it up. Careful hands caressed his skin, feeling the bones. Izuku hissed through his teeth when even the light touch caused nauseating pain to flare up.

“It seems fractured, but not broken,” he said after a moment. “You might get away with just a cast, but we’ll know more once I’ve taken you to a hospital.”

Izuku nodded. He still felt lightheaded. All his senses were on edge, not quite believing the danger was over. He glanced at the shriveling body of Chisaki. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “For...saving me.”

Shigaraki paused for a moment, taking Izuku’s words in. Then he smiled. “Of course. You mean a lot to my son. I just wish I had made it here earlier.”

“Where is Tomura?” Izuku asked, hissing out as Shigaraki straightened his leg to rest against the table. “I mean, is he still…”

“I haven’t heard of him yet,” Shigaraki responded. “And he’s not picking up, but that’s quite normal for him. So no need to worry.”

Izuku nodded. He wanted to ask more, but Shigaraki’s expression changed.

“What?” Izuku frowned.

“You’re bleeding from somewhere,” Shigaraki said.

“I- oh.” Izuku tried to take in all the pains he was feeling, but his body was positively aching from more places than it was not. Shigaraki reached for his jacket, helping his arm from the sleeve. The fabric caught into something and tugged painfully. “Ah! The glass- there was glass on the table. It broke,” Izuku hissed through gritted teeth.

Shigaraki made a noise of agreement as he revealed Izuku’s arm. “There’s a piece stuck here,” he muttered. Gentle hands moved on his skin again, feeling the injuries. “Most of these are just scratches, but these two are bleeding too heavily. I’ll clean them and wrap them before we go.”

“Um- okay,” Izuku said, taken aback by the amount of blood on his left arm. Glass had scratched the entirety of his bicep, and indeed, he could see the glint of glass, sticking from his flesh.

“Are you feeling lightheaded?” Shigaraki asked as he moved away from Izuku. He heard the sounds of drawers opening.

“A bit,” Izuku admitted. “But nothing I can’t handle.”

“Did you hit your head?” Shigaraki asked. Izuku heard the tap going.

“Maybe? I’m not sure how I lost consciousness.”

“Alright,” Shigaraki said as he returned to Izuku with some supplies. “Try to keep talking so I’ll know you’re still okay.”

“Okay,” Izuku nodded. “Thank you, for doing all this”

“Like I said. You’re important to my son.”

The words warmed Izuku’s chest. “He’s important to me too.”

That made Shigaraki’s lips tug up. “That’s good to hear. May I ask...how did this happen? You and Tomura, that is. Most people would run the other way, learning that someone close to them was like Tomura. And...I don’t just mean him being a vampire.”

“That probably would’ve been the smart thing to do,” Izuku chuckled. “I just...every time I learned something new about him, it just made me want to get to know him more.”

“Hmm. How did you get him to open up to you? Tomura can be quite closed off...private.”

Izuku hissed as the shard of glass was pulled off his flesh with careful fingers. A wet rag pressed against the wound.

“Midoriya?”

“I’m okay,” Izuku assured, taking a few deep breaths until his heartbeat calmed. “Trust me, I’m just as surprised as you are. If not more.”

“You must’ve done something right,” Shigaraki chuckled and began wrapping gauze on the wound with gentle and sure hands.

“I don’t know about that. I’m pretty sure at first he was just going to kill me.”

“Yet, he didn’t,” Shigaraki said. His hands slowed for a moment. There was sincerity in his voice, when he spoke his next word. “Why?”

The hands continued, moving to wash the next wound.

“I’m not sure,” Izuku admitted. It was nothing he had not wondered over a dozen times, especially in the beginning. “He said he found me interesting.”

“That explains why he didn’t kill you immediately,” Shigaraki said, tying up the next wound. “But not why he keeps you around. Not how you got so close to his heart.”

“Do you disapprove?” Izuku asked. Shigaraki was nearly done patching him up.

“No. I think it’s wonderful,” Shigaraki said. “This is the first time I’ve seen him like this. You’ve...changed him. In ways no one else has. That’s why I’m curious.”

“I should call him,” Izuku said. He missed Tomura. He wanted to hear his voice. And Tomura would want to know about what had happened.

“He won’t pick up,” Shigaraki said, placing aside the gauze he had not used. “Not until he’s finished.”

Izuku looked down, feeling disappointed. His eyes came upon the white rolls of gauze, and he frowned. “Where’d you get those?”

“I found some, from the drawers,” Shigaraki said. “What is he like with you? Tomura. You two have spent a lot of time together.”

Izuku looked around properly for the first time. Before, he had only been looking for the door. He spotted the drawers, still slightly ajar. And a sink at the side of the room. The place looked old. It reminded him of an old fashioned laboratory.

“Where are we?” he asked.

“Just some old house,” Shigaraki responded. “Your pulse is rising. Perhaps you should lie down for a moment.”

“How’d you know we were going to be here?” Izuku asked and turned back to Shigaraki.

“Lie down,” came the response. Izuku did not obey.

“I feel fine. We should get going to the hospital.”

“There’s no hurry,” Shigaraki said. “Lie down, rest a moment. I don’t want you to faint on the way to the hospital. Tell me more about you and Tomura.”

Izuku still did not comply. The hairs in his arms were standing up. “You knew we were going to be here,” he said, dread filling up his lungs as the pieces locked into places. “Because you wanted us to be here. You got him to attack me.”

Through the kind, comforting persona that had taken care of him, Izuku could see a glint of annoyance in Shigaraki’s eyes. “Why would I want that?”

“So you could save me...” Izuku glanced at Chisaki’s body. It looked like it had aged years, just in the short time they had been there. “And...so you would have someone who you could blame.”

“Blame for what?” Shigaraki asked, voice overly sweet and placating.

“My death.”

Chapter Text

Izuku’s leg was throbbing with pain. He could not move. His bones were made of ice, making everything inside him shiver. His nails were digging into his palm.

A chair screeched against the floor. Shigaraki sat down. Izuku did not dare to look at him, but he could feel he was being watched.

“It would have been simple,” Shigaraki spoke up. “You would have told me what I needed to know. I would have killed you. You would have never even known you were in danger. I would have done it fast, painless.”

Izuku wavered, feeling the horrifying truth in his body. He wanted to run, to scream and cry. But he could not move.

“Midoriya,” Shigaraki said, voice steady and cold. Commanding. “Midoriya. Look at me.”

Izuku did. Shigaraki was still giving him the same placating look. Like he was calming down an overreacting child.

“We can still do that,” Shigaraki said. “It doesn’t have to be difficult or painful. This can be easy. Just answer my questions.”

“I won’t live if I comply?”

Shigaraki smiled apologetically. “I cannot have you telling Tomura about all of this. And we both know you would not leave him.”

“Then why should I bother?” Izuku asked through his fear. There was no way out. Even if he would not be competing against an immortal vampire - fouler and somehow more sinister than any of the others - he could not run with his leg. The silver knife was somewhere on the other side of the room. Even if he did have it, if he had not been able to surprise Chisaki with it, there was no chance surprising Shigaraki.

And Shigaraki was aware of all of it. He did not even pretend to be concerned that Izuku might try to leave. He was lounging in the chair he had pulled up, looking relaxed and confident, one leg crossed over the other.

Confident were his words too, when he responded. “I am in no hurry to kill you. I can break you in many ways, many times, before it comes to that. If you comply, it will not have to come to that. Your mother can burry her son, still looking like her son.”

“And...you want to know about mine and Tomura’s relationship,” Izuku said.

“Yes.”

Somehow even that simple word seemed like something above normal people. There was no shame in Shigaraki’s attitude, wanting to know about something as trivial as a relationship.

“Why?” Izuku asked, letting all of his confusion bleed into his voice. “You’re already aware of the nature of our relationship, are you not?”

“I am,” Shigaraki responded calmly. “But I do not care about the type of relationship you two have, but about what it has caused. And how.”

“Why?” Izuku asked again. “Why do you want to know? And why from me? What could I possibly give you, that Tomura couldn’t give better. You probably wouldn’t even have to threaten him - not that you had to threaten me either, if all you wanted to know is how our relationship is.”

“I already tried that,” Shigaraki said, speaking like one would speak to a child who did not understand the purpose of eating their greens. “You did not answer my questions.”

“Because I realized you set all this up!” Izuku exclaimed.

Shigaraki sighed tiredly, crossing his arms. “This conversation is not progressing. I am in no hurry to kill you, but that does not mean I wish to waste time.”

Izuku held back from mentioning how he very much wished to do just that. Mouthing back to Chisaki had been a nervous response, but he was not capable of doing so to Shigaraki. Chisaki had been scary, but it was nothing compared to Shigaraki. Izuku was by no means a small man, but he next to the eternal beast, he felt like absolutely nothing.

“Okay,” he whispered into the air. “Okay.”

“You will answer my questions? Truthfully?” Shigaraki asked.

“I will consider it,” Izuku corrected. “I will consider answering, if you just tell me why.”

Shigaraki weighted the options given to him, each silent second feeling like someone was pouring cold water into Izuku’s lungs. “Very well. It is only fair.” His chair screeched against the floor again as he stood up. Izuku twitched involuntarily at the sound. Shigaraki began walking slowly as he talked. “I want to understand how you gained his trust. How you managed to get him to open up to you.”

Izuku shifted, unsure if Shigaraki was being serious. Izuku had not done anything that special after all. And he was quite sure that Shigaraki knew his own son better than Izuku did.

“Why would you want to know that?”

Shigaraki rested his palm casually on the edge of the table, causing Izuku to jerk away from him. He did not seem to care. “So I can prevent it from happening again.”

Izuku frowned. “What? Why? He’s happy, he-“ Izuku paused as the pieces began to click together, revealing the picture he had sensed to be there from the moment Tomura had first brought up his Sensei.

“Do not give me that look,” Shigaraki scoffed, moving forward. “You do not understand a fraction of the situation I am dealing with.”

“You’re manipulating him. You’ve beenmanipulating him all his life! Now he is actually relying on someone else than you.”

“It is a complicated situation,” Shigaraki stated from behind him.

Izuku whipped his head to look behind him, but Shigaraki had already moved to stand by the side of the table.

“How long have you been controlling him?” he demanded. “You got him those dead hands. You’ve been manipulating him before you even turned him.”

Shigaraki hummed positively. “I could sense that that child had great potential. I did not know the half of it. Tomura is my greatest creation. He is a masterpiece.”

Shigaraki spoke of Tomura as though he was speaking of a valuable jewel, or a mighty sword. His eyes gleamed with affection and possessiveness.

“I won’t help you hurt him,” Izuku stated. His voice did not waver, and his body did not frighten.

Shigaraki sighed. “Now, now Midoriya. One should not break promises.”

“I promised I would consider answering,” Izuku hissed. “I have considered. And the answer is ‘no’.”

Shigaraki looked up, his patience wearing thin. “Very well. If that is how you prefer it, it is all the same to me. I offered you kindness, you have declined.”

Izuku opened his mouth to retaliate with words, but Shigaraki’s hand slammed him from his sitting up position to his back. He gasped as his breath was once again knocked from his lungs. The lack of air was the only thing that kept him from screaming as the movement also managed to send a sharp pain from his leg.

Proving just how familiar with the place he was, Shigaraki reached under the table and pulled something from there. A second later Izuku felt a leather strap being secured around his wrist, tightened well.

Instinctually he reached with his other hand to try to take it off, but Shigaraki was not bothered the slightest. He moved to the other side, and soon Izuku’s other hand was forced down and strapped to the table as well.

His right leg got tied down too. When it was time for his left leg, Izuku could not hold back a scream as the leather tightened around his shin, pulling at the injury.

Izuku breathed through his teeth heavily, waiting for the pain to settle, as Shigaraki moved to stand by his head.

“Have you changed your mind?” Shigaraki asked kindly.

The leathers cut into his skin painfully. Shigaraki had not tried to make him feel comfortable. His leg was throbbing steadily in the new position. He felt sick. “No. I won’t help you hurt him.”

“Pity,” Shigaraki shrugged. “So you are making me hurt you.”

“You don’t have to,” Izuku said coldly. It was easier to be rude to Shigaraki now, since he knew that there was nothing he could do or say to save himself. He could spend his last moments doing the little he could to protect Tomura.

Shigaraki chuckled lightly. He reached to straighten out a wrinkle in Izuku’s shirt, by the collar. Then he grabbed at the fabric, and pulled.

The fabric dug into his skin painfully before the stitches gave in. With Shigaraki’s power, it took less than a second. He could still tell it had given him some nasty burn marks on his skin.

Shigaraki cleaned the shreds of fabric, ripping off his sleeves as well. He disappeared from Izuku’s viewpoint for a moment. He heard a trashcan lid open and close, and Shigaraki returned. This time he simply looked at Izuku with a raised brow.

Izuku squeezed his lips tightly shut and looked away. Shigaraki continued.

Next he removed Izuku’s belt, ignoring the way he tried to squirm away from him. At least he did not break the belt. As soon as Izuku thought of that, Shigaraki began ripping off his pants.

Izuku could not even panic properly about the act itself. All he could comprehend was the pain in his leg, as Shigaraki ripped the fabric off from around it, constantly jostling it. Izuku grit his teeth together, trying to think anything to distract himself. Tomura. His mother. Trying not to bite his tongue as he screamed through closed teeth.

Shigaraki removed the rest of his clothes, even his socks and shoes, leaving him bare. They were inside, but the old house was drafty. The chill was uncomfortable, but at least it gave him something else to focus on, other than the humiliation of lying naked in front of Shigaraki.

“Tomura doesn’t trust people,” Shigaraki said. His fingers ran up up Izuku’s body, pausing at his side where he knew were scratch marks left by Tomura’s nails. “But he trusts you.” Shigaraki’s nails pressed into the skin as he spoke, not painfully yet, but enough to be felt. “Why...” he began to slowly drag his nails in the path made by Tomura. “...is that?”

It did not hurt much, it was nothing compared to some of the things Tomura had done to him. But he felt a sickness in him and a tightness in his chest. Shigaraki was tarnishing the marks left by his Tomura. If he were to die, he wanted to do so with evidence of Tomura on his skin.

He closed his eyes, and pretended he was elsewhere.

Shigaraki chuckled, not deterred by him. “Ah, so strong...and brave. I can see why he would find interest in you. Not, why he would respect you. How did that occur? Tell me about your first meeting. And do not feel the need to spare details.”

A hand came to rest on his chest. Slowly, it was as if it was getting heavier, more and more pressure was applied to it. Breathing became difficult, and he began to feel lightheaded. The discomfort changed into a pain, as though a rock had been laid to rest on his chest. Yet, even as his eyes began to tear up, he stayed silent.

Truly, he did not know how much of a difference it would make. He did not believe he knew that much. The only assurance that he was doing the right thing, was Shigaraki’s determination. He would not be as resolute about gaining the information, if it was not of value to him. He could wield a weapon out of the most simple confessions, of that Izuku was sure. So he would not confess anything.

“No? Strange, I was under the impression that all couples would jump at the opportunity to talk of their partner,” Shigaraki said, finally removing his hand. “Then again, you are not like most couples. Or perhaps more accurately, Tomura, is not like most people.”

“I think most people would not want to talk about the people they care about to crazy maniacs who wish to hurt them,” Izuku panted, voice hoarse. The sudden release of oxygen back into his brain had given him a momentarily high, but now that too was settling into a nasty headache.

“I am not the bad guy here,” Shigaraki said. He took a hold of Izuku’s forearm. “I am merely a worried parent.”

“Sure.”

Shigaraki let out a disapproving sound and tightened his hold on Izuku’s arm, other hand coming to hold next to the other. “Has he ever tried to kill you?”

The way Shigaraki had positioned his hands was a very clear warning. Izuku knew what to expect when he gasped; “Go fuck yourself.”

Shigaraki squeezed harder and yanked, breaking the bones in his arm as easily as a kid might break a branch. Izuku screamed, arching off the table and making the leathers bite into his skin. He tried not to move his leg too, but it was near impossible. It felt like his arm had gotten caught between two rocks. He could have sworn he heard a crunch. Quickly, he leaned as far over the edge of the table as his restrains allowed and threw up.

Shigaraki stepped aside, a disapproving expression on his face.

“Sorry,” Izuku panted. “I was aiming for you.”

“He has tried to kill you, hasn’t he? He must have.” Shigaraki pondered aloud, rounding up to the other side of the table. “What made him change his mind?”

Izuku did not speak.

Metal clattered against metal, and Shigaraki pulled a knife from underneath the table. It looked old, and valuable. A museum artifact, that would be used to torture Izuku. He still did not speak.

“He told you of his youth too,” Shigaraki said. Izuku was not even sure if he was being spoken to, or if Shigaraki was just voicing his thoughts. He placed the tip of the knife between Izuku’s collarbones, biting into his skin. “He rarely even speaks of that to me. When did he tell you of it? What did you do for him to tell you?”

Izuku though back to hearing of Shigaraki’s childhood. He had already known parts, things Tomura had shared when Izuku had asked or simply opening up in return for Izuku having opened up. But when he had told the whole story...Izuku could not remember having done anything special. He had just listened. He thought of the way Tomura had looked and sounded. He allowed the memories to drown his thoughts. If he could just return to that moment and leave everything else behind.

When Izuku still did not answer, Shigaraki began to drag the knife down. He did it extremely slowly, so Izuku could feel each of moment as painfully as possible. He did not cut deep enough to be lethal, but deep enough for blood to start pooling up from the wound.

At the highest point of his sternum, the knife stopped, though still pressing into him. “Why did he tell you?”

“I’m not helping you,” Izuku gasped. The knife kept moving at the same painfully slow pace. When it got past his ribs, to the softer parts, Shigaraki sunk it deeper. Izuku squeezed his working hand into a tight fist and tried to breathe steadily.

Shigaraki dragged the knife down all the way to his abdomen, before he spoke again. “You should. Not just for the sake of yourself, but for the sake of everyone. I don’t wish to harm Tomura.”

Izuku laughed through his pain. “You- You want to have him on a leash. To control everything he does.”

“Yes,” Shigaraki said. “And you should be grateful that I do.”

“Right.”

“As I mentioned, I saw great potential in Tomura long before I turned him. It is my gift, I can see what quirks a vampire might be carrying. At times, I even see in people, what they have the potential for. You for example…had you not turned out to be so destructive for my goals I might have even turned you. In Tomura’s case however, his quirk turned out to be far more powerful than I had anticipated,” Shigaraki explained, awe clear in his voice. “You’ve seen it, haven't you?”

Izuku saw the bottle break into pieces in his mind. He had been horrified in the moment, but a part of him understood the awe in Shigaraki’s voice. It was exceptional, just as Tomura himself.

“I was joyous, do not misunderstand,” he continued. “But I also saw the power of destruction he could be capable of. It is a matter of safety that I am able to control him, in future as well as now.”

“Just because he can do something destructive, doesn’t give you the right to manipulate his entire life,” Izuku spat out, angry on behalf of his love.

“Oh, no. It is not merely his quirk that makes him dangerous,” Shigaraki chuckled. He twisted the knife slightly in Izuku’s guts, reminding him of who was in control. “I have spent decades creating shackles for him, adjusting them time after time, just so he won’t escape of them. That he won’t notice them. I have done all of this, and then you come along, giving him the keys. You think you are setting him free, but what you really are setting free, is a monster. You think just because he trusts you, cares for you, that you could control him. To keep him in check.”

“I don’t wish to control him,” Izuku said, words full of honesty.

“Then you are not just naive, but a fool as well,” Shigaraki stated. “You must understand. Once he is gone from my hold, no one will be able to capture him again. He is a wild beast, and he will sow destruction and pain in his path. If you help me, I will be able to control where his path lies.”

“So you could use him to destroy everything you want gone? You’re a horrible person; why would I want you to have that power?” Izuku demanded. The knife twisted again, hot and cold flashes going through his body. His face was wet, and despite sweat running down his skin, he felt cold.

“A beast in the hands of a horrible person is still better than a beast running free,” Shigaraki said. “He won’t take your wishes into account. You will not be able to stop him from killing. Even for a vampire, Tomura is feral. Has always been. He is destruction. Unpredictable. You cannot allow that to roam free.”

“I know who I fell in love with,” Izuku cried out. “I fell in love with a wild beast, a force of nature. I would never wish to contain that. I know he is dangerous.”

“What you know is but a glimpse of the truth. You have seen the deathly streams of rapids, but you have not seen the ocean it flows from,” Shigaraki said mournfully. His attention moved from Izuku for a moment, into something that Izuku could not see. But he saw age, on Shigaraki’s face. Absurdly, he remembered then how old Shigaraki was. He had seen centuries. Witnessed things Izuku could not imagine.

He had thought all the words from Shigaraki’s mouth to be pure manipulation, but now he saw another possibility. Shigaraki truly believed himself. Saw himself as doing the right thing. Even more absurdly, Izuku considered the possibility that he was right. It would not change his stance, but it was a confusing thought.

“Tomura, my dear child, is one of a kind,” Shigaraki sighed. “I love him dearly, but that does not mean I am blind to the darkness in him. The strength and power. There is no other vampire that comes to his level. He is even stronger than I am.”

Shigaraki pushed the knife deeper into Izuku, until it was deep enough to stay where it was without him having to hold it. He leaned closer to Izuku. With a gentle hand he pushed aside the sweaty hairs that had gotten stuck to his forehead.

“Do you see,” he said slowly. “Why it is extremely important to have him be controlled? I am the only one who can do it. He is a monster.”

Izuku breathed heavily. All his feelings were overwhelming him, coming in tears down his cheeks. He wept silently, Shigaraki following him intensely.

The truth was dawning upon him with certainty. He would die. He had no expectancy of tricking his way out. Overpowering was simply out of question. His end would come, no matter what action he took. Achingly familiar red eyes were looking at him, anticipation in them. He enjoyed Izuku’s tears.

It was not how he had wanted to die. He was terrified, not of the eventual death, but that it would have to be like this.

But even though it was easy to trace back how he had ended up there, right then, Izuku would not take a single step back.

“I...understand,” Izuku whispered. “I understand what he is. You may be right, it may be better for humanity for him to be under your control. But it is not better for him. And I care about him more than I care about humanity.”

Shigaraki closed his eyes, sighing deeply. He stayed still for a while, leaning over Izuku. He did not move, not even to breathe. A lifelike statue. When he finally opened his eyes, they were cold, and lifeless.

There was no more kindness to him, not even the false kind. Just a ruthless man, ready to demand what he wanted. Shigaraki moved back to his previous position and reached for the knife-

“Sensei?”

Shigaraki stopped. Izuku exhaled, more tears springing into his eyes. Tension bled from his body, and his aches became a background hum. The relief the voice brought to him was immediate.

“Tomura,” he sighed and moved his head just enough to see the beautiful form of his lover standing in the doorway. He looked divine.

“Tomura,” Shigaraki said as well, but with resignation, rather then elevation. He stepped away from Izuku, leaving the knife in his guts. “You were not supposed to be here.”

“Yeah. I kinda guessed that,” Tomura said, eyes meeting with Izuku’s, before returning to his Sensei. “What are you doing?”

“I am doing what is best for us,” he said, walking over to Tomura. He caressed Tomura’s cheek with his fingers. “What is best for you.”

Tomura leaned away from the touch. Shigaraki did not react, other than dropping his hand, but Izuku could sense all the way to where he was lying the cold disappointment that came from it.

“Why is my Izuku strapped naked to your table, with a knife in his guts?” Tomura hissed, voice getting more unsteady. He crossed his arms. “You’ve always encouraged me to take what I want. I have taken Izuku, and now you’re trying to take him from me.”

“Tomura,” Shigaraki said with authority. Tomura’s spine straightened immediately, his eyes flickering to his Sensei. Tomura was imposing, but Shigaraki standing nearly two heads taller than him seemed to diminish that all. “I will always want you to take what you want, but I am still your parent. I only wish to protect you from harm.”

“No!” Izuku gasped. “Tomura-“

“He’s not harming me,” Tomura said, glaring at his Sensei. It came off more petulant than fierce.

“Perhaps not intentionally, or perhaps he knows fully what he is doing,” Shigaraki said. “But I see what he is doing to you. He is trying to drive a wedge between us. To pull you away from me. Manipulate you.”

“That’s not true!” Izuku tried to yell, but his voice was tired and he sounded just pathetic.

“Even if he doesn’t intend to, you will find no happiness from there, either way,” Shigaraki gestured at Izuku. “He has not seen all of you as I have. He will never be able to accept all of you. He is a human, he won’t understand. When he’ll see the ugly truths, he will want you to change. No one should force you to change, Tomura.”

Izuku cried. Tomura made a move to get closer, but Shigaraki stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

“He won’t match up to you. He’ll resent you for not changing. For staying young when he ages. Tomura, my dear child, you do not need him.”

“So I should just let you kill him?” Tomura’s hand reached out to scratch at his neck, making a nasty sound that even Izuku heard.

Shigaraki laid his other hand atop Tomura’s head, fingers entangling in his hair. Tomura leaned into the touch, bowing his head slightly.

“You look so much like him,” Shigaraki sighed quietly, the words seeming to have been intended mostly for himself. But Izuku could see the way the words made Tomura harden. “This human has potential for a great quirk. For you, my Tomura, I will attempt to make him into a vampire. Because I love you. Should he survive the transformation, I see no reason for him not to stand by your side.”

“Tomura, please,” Izuku cried. “No.”

“He is not willing to change for you,” Shigaraki lamented. “But perhaps he will understand once he sees the world as you do. This is my gift to you, Tomura.”

“And should he not live? What then?”

Shigaraki pulled Tomura closer, into a loose-armed hug. Tomura stood still. “Then he will be gone,” said Shigaraki. “But you will still have me. He is just a human. You will get over it. I will help you.”

Izuku kept moaning ‘no’, over and over again, too tired for anything else. Shigaraki already had arms possessively around Tomura, keeping him in his orbit. His ability to hope was rapidly fading, with the other functions of his mind. He wished he could reach out to Tomura.

“Sensei...” Tomura’s quiet voice came from Shigaraki’s arms.

“Do you trust me?” Shigaraki asked. “I have taken care of you all your life. If you still trust me as you have done, you will let me do this. You will always have me.”

Izuku could see Tomura tremble, as Shigaraki’s hand caressed his head. Then Tomura’s resolve broke. He moved, returning the hug with almost feral desperation. He had to rise to his tiptoes so he could throw his arms above Shigaraki’s and burry his face into his neck. Even then Shigaraki had to lean down some.

“There, there, poor thing,” Shigaraki said, as Tomura let out a sob. Hearing it hurt more than the knife in Izuku’s guts. “You will flourish with me. I have been there for you and I always shall be. Everyone around you dies, but I will stay. I will let you be who you are, fulfill your crave for destruction. You are a magnificent masterpiece.”

At first Izuku though that Tomura was crying, but after a moment, he realized he was laughing. Not happily, but in despair.

“Sensei,” Tomura said, voice broken and sad. He sounded as though he was choking to even get the words out. “You were right.”

Shigaraki let out a positive noice of agreement. Pitying. “Of what?”

Tomura’s hold on him tightened.

“I am stronger than you.”

Tomura's hand moved, faster than Izuku could comprehend, to the back of Shigaraki’s head. Shigaraki let out an animalistic yelp and pushed Tomura off, all the previous parental love gone in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only disgust and anger. But it was already too late. Blood spilled from his head as decay spread. He tried to step toward Tomura, but by the time his leg moved the rest of his body was gone. Pieces of flesh, blood and dust fell to the floor. All that was left of Shigaraki.

Tomura stared at the pile, frozen still on his position on the floor where his Sensei had managed to push him. Crimson blood droplets had sprayed on his face and body. Tomura’s gaze was void of emotions, his usually expressive gaze cold and empty.

“Tomura...” Izuku managed to whisper.

It was as though the entire room had changed and Tomura had waken up. His gaze snapped up to Izuku, a fire behind his eyes. He rose up, and without the slightest bit of hesitation walked right through the sludge of blood and dust that once was his Sensei. Izuku smiled sluggishly as Tomura came to stand next to him.

He looked like an angel. A statue carved from marble looking down at him. Izuku did not feel pain anymore, nor cold. He felt light and good.

“Oh, Izuku,” Tomura sighed, looking over his body. He touched the edge of the wound on Izuku’s stomach gently. With the tip of his fingernail he pulled the slightest bit at the skin. Izuku shivered. “I hate to see his marks on your body. I’m the only one who should be allowed to do that to you.”

“You came for me,” Izuku smiled. “You were...supposed to be gone ‘till the end of t’ day. Why’d you come?”

“You’re mine,” Tomura said. “Of course I came.”

“I love you,” Izuku exhaled. He tried to reach out to touch Tomura’s face, forgetting the bindings around his wrists.

Tomura noticed the cut off movement. Gentle and cold fingers wrapped around Izuku’s wrist, right above the leather. He caressed Izuku’s skin with a soft smile on his face.

“My Sensei knows...knew me the best,” Tomura said softly. “And he was right. I am a monster and I am a selfish lover. I won’t change for you, Izuku. I adore destruction and I will cause it. I have no reason to believe that one day I won’t kill you, just because I want to.”

“You heard that,” Izuku whispered, soaking in the feeling of Tomura’s touch on his skin.

Tomura's other hand stayed on Izuku’s wrist, but the other one he brought to Izuku’s neck. “I could kill you right now.”

“I know,” Izuku said, desperation fueling his words. “I know, Tomura. I love it, I love you. If you heard what your sensei said, you heard my words too. And when I was lying here, with him, I thought I was going to die. I was sure he would kill me. And it broke my heart, the thought of him ending my life. When it should be you. There is no other hand I’d rather die by than yours. If this is how I’ll go, I’ll die happy.”

Slowly Tomura pulled his hand off and leaned down to kiss the wounds on Izuku’s stomach. He felt Tomura’s cold lips on his skin and his tongue on his wound. He trembled as Tomura licked the blood, kissing each part of the open skin and around the knife still stuck on him.

“Would you do it?” Izuku asked. Tomura’s tongue pushed into his flesh. “You could...Tomura, please.”

Tomura lifted his head, his lips stained with red. “What should I do?”

“Kill me. Change me.”

“Change you?”

“Yes,” Izuku said. His breathing was becoming painful. His head ached. The cold was unbearable and he was still strapped into the table. In his weakened state he tried to put all the certainty he could into his voice. “You’ve already given me your blood. You could give me more. Death would finalize the transformation, right? That’s how it works? Then we could be together forever. And I could see the world like you do.”

He had not thought of it before, but it seemed like an obvious solution. And there could not possibly be a more enticing life for him than death with Tomura. It would mean the end of his life, not to mention all the acts of damnation he would have to partake in, but he saw the beauty in it.

“Dying is not pleasant,” Tomura said. “Being dead even less so. You do not understand what you would be forfeiting on. Nor what you would have to endure. The transformation is painful and there is a chance it won’t work. You would stay dead. Is that a risk you are willing to take?”

“For you?” Izuku exhaled. “To experience the world like you? Yes, always yes.”

The air felt heavy in the silence. Izuku blinked rapidly, trying to force his tired body to focus. Tomura stood still, looking down at him.

Izuku swallowed. “Please.”

Slowly, far too slowly, Tomura brought his hand up to his own neck. Each movement made Izuku’s heart beat faster. He tensed against his bindings, breathing heavily as Tomura pressed his sharp nails against his white porcelain skin. All the old scars paled next to the new one. Izuku felt as though a tension had been broken as the skin was torn by the sharp edge of the nails.

The wound was nearly the length of Tomura’s finger, directly where his artery was. Blood began to sluggishly spill from his neck, mixing with the red of his Sensei. It soaked into the fabric of his shirt, into his light blue hair.

Izuku strained against his bindings, wanting to - needing to - touch Tomura and his blood. It called to him, lured him to it.

Tomura leaned down. Izuku felt the cold blood drip onto his face. It felt icy against his sweaty skin. His heart beat faster and faster as Tomura leaned closer, each second feeling torturously long. Years and decades passed in the few seconds it took for Tomura to press the wound on his neck against Izuku’s lips.

As soon as the first drops of blood fell to his lips and into his mouth, letting him taste that sweet addicting nectar, he surged up as much as his bindings let him. Tomura supported his head with his hand, his fingers burying into Izuku’s hair.

The blood spilled into his mouth. Thick, cold and irony. He sucked it, swallowed it with greed. Tomura moaned in pain or pleasure, his hold of Izuku’s hair tightening. Izuku drank and he drank, the blood filling his stomach. Distant part of him still registered the nausea that came with swallowing blood, but it was largely overshadowed by the ecstasy engulfing him.

Tomura laid him back down against the cold table. Yet the cold and hard of it no longer bothered him. The aches of his body had been washed away. He panted desperately as Tomura detached them, a string of blood and spit connecting them for a moment longer. It snapped off and Tomura’s face came to his field of vision.

His pupils were blown wide and he too was panting. He brushed some of Izuku’s hair off of his forehead and tilted his head back. Izuku could feel Tomura’s lips graze the skin of his neck, right by his jugular. He tensed, awaiting for the by now familiar feeling of teeth piercing his skin.

It came soft, this time. A kiss, teeth sinking into his flesh. Tomura took his time, sucking slowly and sensually. Izuku wished he could lay his hand on Tomura’s back, to feel the rise and fall of his ribs. The pain was indistinguishable from pleasure. Just a rope tied to his heart and pulling at it all the same.

Gently, Tomura pulled off of him, teeth stained red. He stayed hovering above Izuku, cradling his face with his hands. Izuku was still alive, still breathing, his heart beating fast and erratic. Even more so when Tomura pressed his lips against the bite on his neck once more, softly letting his teeth brush against it.

“Just in case,” Tomura whispered. “But...no.”

“No?” Izuku frowned, trying to understand what he was hearing. He could feel Tomura smile against his neck.

“No. I won’t change you,” Tomura said, pressing his lips on Izuku. “I enjoy you like this too much.”

“Oh,” Izuku closed his eyes, getting lost in the feeling of Tomura’s lips. It was becoming increasingly more difficult to process information.

Tomura began loosening the bindings around Izuku’s wrists and ankles. He registered the distant stag of pain of his broken bones as they were moved, but he could no longer do much more than whimper.

With ease Izuku was gathered into Tomura’s arms, his bare body limp as he was lifted into a bridal carry, the knife still stuck in his guts. He smelt dust and blood.

Distantly he was aware of Tomura carrying him out of the room, and at a point he felt cold air on his skin.

“Don’t worry,” Tomura’s voice echoed in his head, the words hazy and broken. But the strong arms cradling him brought on a sense of security. As the blackness soaked into his head, he knew he was going to be okay.

A dark beast sat on his chest, breathing cold onto his heart.

Izuku lost consciousness, his head lolling against Tomura’s shoulder. His naked body was covered in rivulets of blood, safely held in the arms of his lover. A creature so prone to destruction, carried Izuku to safety. In the moment, as he was being carried through the halls of the old house, he could not appreciate it. But afterwards he would often dream of it. In his dreams the halls kept going, eternal corridors stretching to beyond. His naked body dripping blood on the path they left behind. His skin pale from the abuse. And Tomura, carrying his dear bride towards the light.

In those dreams, they never got to the end, Tomura just kept walking. And Izuku would feel safe and good. The knife in his stomach did not matter, because when he looked up, he would see the blood on Tomura’s neck. He knew there was no danger.

Chapter Text

Izuku was dancing with Tomura. They were in a beautiful hall, the ceiling high above them like the sky, decorated with gold against soft blue. Candles on the walls, duplicating into thousands and millions in the tall mirrors reaching upwards. On the side there was an orchestra, playing the familiar tunes that Izuku had heard from Tomura’s piano. But he never saw them fully, Tomura was twirling him in his arms too fast to take in any details.

In the mirrors he saw them both. Tomura looked handsome, his black tailcoat ornamented with deep dark red embroidery, and the slight touches of blue to match his hair, which for once was pulled into a neat low ponytail, keeping most of the hairs from his face. He looked like a nineteenth century aristocrat from Europe.

They danced, the only ones one the large dance floor. Suddenly, Tomura swooped him and lowered him into a dip. Izuku shivered as Tomura kissed him on his neck, his fangs scraping at the skin.
An ache started to form on Izuku’s lower back, radiating into his limbs. Tomura pulled him up again, into a twirl, catching him when Izuku stumbled and collided into Tomura’s chest.

“I feel dizzy,” Izuku mumbled. The ache was now on his leg, making each of his steps unsure. But Tomura kept pulling him along. They went faster and faster, until Izuku felt as though he was just being dragged into the swirls of Tomura.

“Izuku.”

“I’m here,” Izuku exhaled, tightening his hold of Tomura’s hands. It caused an ache in his left hand to become present, joining in on with the other aches. His body felt heavy, but Tomura kept him up easily, even as his steps became even more staggering and clumsy.

“Izuku?”

The mirrors were making the candle-lights so very bright. Izuku closed his eyes, hoping to ease the intensity of the lights. They kept moving. Izuku tried to keep up with Tomura’s steps, but it was difficult. He was going so fast.

“Izuku?”

He opened his eyes. Tomura was looking at him with a curious expression. He was stroking Izuku’s hand softly with his thumb. Only the light from the candles was remaining, bright above him.

“Hey,” Tomura whispered. “Look who woke up.”

Izuku blinked. Tomura moved his seat closer to the bed, adjusting his hold on Izuku’s hand. The other one was in a neat white cast on top of the blankets. The room was very white, and very bright. Izuku’s mouth tasted terrible. He was in a hospital.

“What...day is it?” Izuku asked after a while.

“I brought you here yesterday. Everything is good now,” Tomura said softly. His hair had been somewhat pulled from his face, a low messy bun at the back of his head making his hair stick into strange directions. He was wearing a different shirt than before.

Izuku instinctually reached with his free hand towards his stomach, that no longer had a knife buried into it. “What did...what do...my mom?”

“Doctor Garaki took care of you. As far as anyones’s aware you took quite a tumble on the stairs. Your mom is here too, she’s in the cafeteria at the moment. She’ll be back soon.”

“Oh,” Izuku breathed more easily. Tomura was looking at him softly. His eyes were bright red, and Izuku found comfort in them. He was too tired to talk, so he let himself get lost in the red.

The next time he woke up, it was to the sight of his mother. She looked worried and tired, but as soon as she noticed Izuku having opened his eyes, she smiled brightly.

It all came crashing back to Izuku. What he had asked from Tomura, all the while not even sparing a thought to his mother. What would she have thought? Would Izuku have just disappeared for a while? Would he have returned at some point? And for how long? Would he have told her? Or just let her wonder why her son was stuck in youth.

He still would have gone through with it, but he felt sickness in his stomach for not having even thought what it would have meant for the woman who had raised him.

“Izuku, sweetheart, how are you feeling? Are you hurting anywhere?”

“Mom, hi,” Izuku said, his voice hoarse from sleep. “I’m okay, just a bit sore.”

“Do you want some water?” Inko asked, moving to grab a plastic cup. She filled it with water from the tap in the room. As she moved, she revealed an armchair at the corner of the room with a curled up Tomura on it, a blanked set atop of him.

“He’s the one who called me,” Inko said as she noticed where Izuku was looking at. “I was so worried, but he kept assuring me. It was good that he was here.” She handed the water to Izuku, a twinkle in her eye. “You picked a good one.”

Izuku flushed, ducking his head down, but accepted the water.

Inko sighed softly and sat down. Izuku dared to lift his gaze and found his mother looking at Tomura, with a soft smile. Izuku looked at Tomura too, his blue shaggy hair falling over his face, his breaths coming unnaturally evenly for a sleeping person, a hand peeking from underneath his blanket with a glove on it.

“I mean it,” Inko said, turning back to her son. She laid her hand on Izuku’s - the one that was not broken, and smiled with genuineness. “Regardless of all, I’m truly happy you have found someone kind. I’m- I’m sorry if at first I sounded hesitant or judgmental-”

“Mom,” Izuku cut her of, taking a hold of her hand. “It’s fine - you were fine. And I’m happy too.”

They both had to subtly blink away their tears, and Izuku hoped Tomura did not notice that. Inko wiped her face, sat up straight on her chair and cleared her throat. “So- the doctors said that you had couple of broken bones. I guess it was just a matter of time before that happened here too-“

“Mom!” Izuku groaned.

“I was just teasing. But they said that your shin was pretty badly broken, as well as your forearm. There was a broken bottle on the ground that you fell on - see this is why I’m always saying how important it is to not litter - but it cut your stomach quite badly. You lost quite a lot of blood. There was a moment there when things looked...but there should be no danger anymore. Just...rest and proper nutrition. It shouldn’t even scar too badly.”

Izuku resisted the urge to look at said scars. He doubted his mother had actually seen what they looked like, if she bought a story about some glass. Instead, he addressed the thought that had been nagging quietly at the back of his head.

“Has...does dad know?”

Inko faltered. As though she had been preparing for the question, while hoping for it not to come.

“I called him,” she said. “And...he wanted to visit, he wanted to come to see you, he really did. There was just-“

“He was busy?” Izuku said, the words tasting bitter. Tomura’s breathing had stilled.

Sadness passed over Inko. “Yes. But he did ask you to call as soon as you could.”

Izuku swallowed. He did not even know why was feeling upset. It was not like he had expected anything else. Things like these had stopped being surprising ages ago. He clenched his jaw. “Yeah. I’ll get to that.”

There was a shifting in the corner. They both turned their attention to Tomura, who was finally moving from his spot. He looked drowsily around, until his eyes landed on Izuku.

He sat up straight, face lighting up.

Inko smiled. “I think I’ll leave you two alone for a while,” she said as Tomura walked over to Izuku’s bed. She still turned to Izuku for a moment, looking at him the full love and care of a mother. “You’re okay?”

“I’m good,” Izuku nodded, squeezing her hand in reassurance.

Tomura took the seat left empty by Inko. He stayed quiet until the door had closed after her.

“I could hear your teeth grinding all the way there,” he said as soon as it was just the two of them.

Izuku snorted.

“He’s a bastard,” Tomura said. “But you care. Are you really okay?”

“I am. It sucks, and I’m not saying it doesn’t sting. It does. But I’ve got better people here.” As he said it, Izuku was surprised to find that it did not feel like a lie. “But what about you. Are you okay?”

Izuku almost burst out laughing immediately after asking the question. Tomura looked like he had been slapped, expect that realistically Izuku having slapped him would have had less of an effect.

“What?” Tomura managed to say.

“Your Sensei,” Izuku said tenderly. “You cared for him too. That must’ve been difficult.”

His memories of everything that went down were a bit fuzzy, especially towards the end. But he still remembered Tomura on the blood splattered floor, red covering him, and that empty, cold look in his eyes. He remembered the broken sob he had let out when giving into the older Shigaraki.

“Oh,” Tomura still seemed unsure how to progress with the topic, or how to even vaguely react to it. He rubbed at his neck. “I...yes. Hmm.”

“Tomura?”

“I am okay,” Tomura responded slowly, as though testing the waters with each syllable. “I’ve been somewhat aware of…things with my Sensei for a while. I don’t regret it. I don’t feel bad about it. There is a part of me that feels...as though in a way I’ve made him proud. Which makes me feel good even though I hate him. It’s complicated. The main thing is that I still have you. Your mother wasn’t wrong, for a moment there it was looking quite bad.”

“You saved me,” Izuku said. “My hero.”

Tomura smiled. “This isn’t salvation, Izuku.”

“Then I don’t want salvation,” Izuku shrugged, and winced as he felt a sting in his stomach. “But tell me...how did you find me? How did you even know to look for me.”

“Spinner’s help.”

“What? He hates me,” Izuku blurted out, blushing lightly at his own directness. “Sorry, I just-“

“I know,” Tomura interrupted. He leaned on Izuku’s bed, hands nearly as pale as the sheets. “He doesn’t hate you. He just loves me very much and is therefore...reasonably suspicious of anything that has the power to hurt me. Especially since there aren’t many things with that power.”

“But...he thinks I have that power?”

Tomura’s red eyes gleamed with amusement. “He knows you do. You recognized it yourself.”

Izuku swallowed, the tension between them turning intense. He had know in some level, but it was different to have Tomura say it himself. It was nearly arousing.

“Ah, but please, continue. Spinner?” he said, forcing himself to focus on the matter at hand.

Tomura nodded. “I met him outside your house after I dropped you off. And I asked him to keep an eye on you while I went after the other vampires. I didn’t like the way Chisaki looked at you. Clearly, it was a good decision.”

“So, he saw Chisaki capture me?”

Tomura shook his head. “Not quite. He was knocked out with a drug. That’s how he knew my Sensei was involved. He’s experimented with things such as that. It lasts quite long, keeping the drugged vampire unconscious, and after waking they tend to have hours even days of lost memories. It’s a mixture of garlic, silver and things like that, but the normal formulas don’t work on Spinner that well. Which we found out some time ago, but never shared with my Sensei or the doctor. Clearly that was the right decision.”

“Why don’t they work on him?”

“Something to do with his lizard-qualities. We’re not quite sure how these things work, it’s what Sensei wanted to figure out so badly. Now he’ll never now.” Tomura paused for a moment, as though confused on whether or not to he was feeling bad about the fact. Izuku laid his hand atop of Tomura’s cold one, and it seemed to shake him out of his stupor.

“So, once Spinner woke, he immediately contacted me,” Tomura continued. “I returned as fast as I could. Its a remote location, rarely used but he owns the house, so it didn’t take long for me to locate you. Once I was there I could hear your voices...and I could smell your blood.”

Izuku shifted his hand on his chest. Knowing or guessing Izuku’s thoughts, Tomura reached to gently push up the hospital shirt Izuku was wearing. From the very top of his chest ran a light line, getting stronger the closer it got to his abdomen. At the very bottom it was covered with gauze.

Tomura ran his fingers down it, sending shivers down Izuku’s body deep into his bones, as though electricity had been sizzling at the tips of Tomura’s fingers. He leaned to press his lips on Izuku’s stomach, sucking at the spot nearest to the covered part.

“It looks weeks old,” Izuku said, his voice weak. Tomura’s hairs brushed at his bare stomach, tickling him.

“Hmm. So it does,” Tomura mumbled, rising up and coming to meet Izuku’s gaze. He brushed at Izuku’s lip with his thumb. “It’s my blood...in your system, it thinks it has to prepare you for the change. Doc had to still throw a couple of stitches down there where it got a bit too deep, but mostly it’s healed.”

Izuku nodded. He remembered tasting Tomura, the fire it had lit in him. He could still feel it...he could feel... “Do you wish to do it?”

“What?”

“I...I told you to change me...I did, didn’t I? Like he said he would?”

Tomura nodded. “You did.”

“I understand why you didn’t do it then, I wasn’t in my right mind. But I am now, and you should- we should do it. That way we could be together, forever. You wouldn’t have to worry about me dying.”

“Yes, because you would be dead,” Tomura said back. “And as I said, there is never full certainty of the transformation working. You might just stay dead.”

Izuku hesitated. It was a daunting possibility. Yet. “I’d die anyway. Eventually. I’d grow old and...you wouldn’t.”

“Your twenties are not the age you wish to die at, Izuku. Trust me.”

“Well, we don’t have to do it now, just, eventually. I mean- your Sensei is right, we would have more in common. I’d understand you better...I’d see the world the way you see it.”

Izuku was not sure what he had said, but Tomura suddenly straightened into his full height, a manic grin on his lips. “You want to be a monster, Izuku.”

“We’ve gone over this, I don’t care that you’re the way you are-“

“Precisely,” Tomura cut off, and with a fluid movement jumped into Izuku’s lap, knees spread in each side of him. He leaned over, the yellow hospital lights shining through his blue hair like a wicked halo. “You don’t care if a monster acts like a monster...but you Izuku, are not a monster. So what does it say about you,” he pressed his pointer finger agains Izuku’s chest, his nail digging into his skin. “-that you don’t even try to stop me? You wish to change because the actions of a monster are so much easier to accept, if you are a monster too.”

Izuku stared at Tomura defiantly, from his position, lying on the hospital bed. But Tomura had pealed back his layers and was gleaming at what he had found underneath.

“So,” he finally said, when Tomura did not speak further. “Will you change me?”

A low chuckle came from Tomura as he leaned to brush his lips against Izuku’s neck. Izuku bend his head back, shivering as he felt the grazing of teeth. Tomura kissed his way up Izuku’s neck, his cheek until he reached Izuku’s lips.

“No,” he panted against Izuku’s lips. “I wan’t to see you grow old, and I want feel your life for much longer.”

Before Izuku could respond further, his words were swallowed by Tomura’s mouth. He kissed with fervor and fury, pushing his tongue into Izuku’s mouth where it was accepted. They tasted each other, and Izuku buried his fingers into Tomura’s hair, appreciating the softness of it against his fingers.

Uncertain amount of time passed as they continued. Once Tomura finally pulled back and sat on the edge of the bed, Izuku’s was lightheaded and achingly hard. He was glad he was already lying down.

“What then?” he asked, quietly. His heart was racing and he was out of breath. “You won’t change me...where do we go from here?”

“I think for now, that is up to you,” Tomura responded. “You’ve been the closest to death that you’ve ever been, purely because of us. Have you changed your mind?”

Izuku shook his head before Tomura had even finished his question. “No. I want to be with you. For the rest of my life,” he reached to take Tomura’s hand, and hesitated. “Will you...can you promise…”

Tomura tilted his head, his eyes finding Izuku’s. “Yes?”

“Can you promise not to leave me? Ever?”

“No,” Tomura responded, nearly immediately. It strangled Izuku’s breath and his heart flushed cold. But part of him had know that it was a promise that Tomura would not be able to keep nonetheless. It was not in his nature. He was just telling the truth to Izuku. Tomura continued calmly; “I can’t see the future and I don’t know where it might take me. And I can’t be in a leash anymore, no matter how beautiful that leash might be. But even if I can’t promise you that, I can promise my return. Can you promise to receive me, always?”

“Yes-“

“I want you to be honest,” Tomura cut him off. “If in a few years I disappear as though I never was, and you move on. You meet a beautiful, wonderful woman, and you fall in love. You marry her, you move in with her. You’ll have children, grandchildren. Your life will be perfect. There will be nothing missing. There’s nothing you worry about. You’ll have friends and family who’ll care about you. And then, at that moment, I will return. When the night casts it shadows over your sunny life, I’ll break my way into your home, and take you from your bed where your wife still sleeps. Will you come?”

Izuku held his breath and his words, feeling the life Tomura described. He closed his eyes, truly seeing it, basking in it. It was wonderful and it was what he had always dreamed of.

He opened his eyes to Tomura’s intense gaze. “I will.”

Tomura smiled. “Good.”

“There is...something else I wish you would promise, if you can,” Izuku began carefully. Tomura nodded lightly, showing he was listening. Izuku continued; “When I was there, in that house. Before you came. I was so terrified I’d die...and I’d never see you again. I want you to promise that you won’t let me die, by any other way than by your hands. Please?”

Tomura gathered Izuku’s hand into his, and brought it to his lips. He kissed the back of it gently. “I promise.”

Izuku exhaled in relief. Tomura reached to wipe something wet off his cheek. “Go back to sleep, Izuku. You’ve been exhausted.”

Izuku nodded, taking a more comfortable position in the hospital sheets. “Will you stay? While I sleep?”

“Where else would I go?” Tomura said, settling onto the chair by the bed. He closed his eyes, clasping his hands together. He looked as though he was sleeping, but Izuku knew he was as aware as he was seconds before.

“Tomura?” Izuku whispered after a few minutes of silence.

Tomura’s eyes opened, the burning red directed at Izuku.

“I can feel him with me now. I didn’t regocnize him before, but now I do,” Izuku whispered, barely aloud. “He’s here.”

“Yes,” Tomura agreed quietly. “So he must.”

Soon Izuku fell asleep, the watchful gaze of Death upon him, watching the person Tomura had directed at him. As long as Tomura’s blood still flowed in Izuku, he would watch and he would wait.

Chapter Text

Wind blazed through the woods, throwing the dust of summer into the air and making it shine in the sunlight. Sounds of laughter rang in the air, coming from the house full of people. Drinks were being shared and toast given. The curtains were closed to keep the heat of sun multiplying on its path inside through the windows.

Izuku made his way through the people, trying to find the pair he had lost in the celebration. People kept stopping him with wide smiles and congratulatory words, which he responded with his own smiles and thank yous, trying his hardest not to get caught in another age long conversation.

Finally he got to the little corner where he discovered two people sitting, deep in a conversation. His mother kept smiling joyfully, charmed as ever.

“Here you are,” he sighed and took a seat for himself. The summer heat was making him sweat and the amount of people in the house was not exactly helping.

“Izuku, darling,” his mother remarked happily. “Tomura-kun was just telling me all about his latest work - oh he is so smart isn’t he Izuku?”

Tomura chuckled lightly. “You flatter me.”

“Yes mum,” Izuku said. “He is also my boyfriend.”

“Oh, hush,” Inko said, swatting her hand playfully. Tomura was looking at him intensely, his arm coming to rest on the backrest of Izuku’s chair, gently caressing his neck and sending shivers down Izuku’s back. “But you are treating him well,” Inko said, then turning to Tomura. “He is?”

“Your son is nothing but a wonder,” Tomura said with a warm tone. Izuku could hear the heat that was fueling it.

“Mom, you’re supposed to give that talk to him, not your own son.”

“Oh, by now he’s as much my son as you are. You’re part of this family,” she said, smiling happily at them. “And so handsome and youthful too!”

“And I’m not?” Izuku shot back. He was teasing. Truly how fully his mother had accepted Tomura into her son’s life was an aspect that brought him mostly just pure happiness. There was of course the shadow that was always there, that he knew might someday come to ruin her, but he loved it too much to prevent it.

“You’re very handsome too,” Inko said with a twinkle in her eye. “The crows feet are barely noti-“

“Mom!” Izuku exclaimed, while Tomura laughed next to him. The traitor.

As though reading Izuku’s thoughts, he moved his hand to touch with the cold tips of his fingers the said crows feet - which truly were barely there - with a soft smile on his lips, and a fire in his eyes that Inko could not see with the way his head was turned. “They make you look very beautiful.”

Izuku’s breath caught in his throat. Even now, Tomura had such power over him. He could still make his heart race and his cheeks flush with his words. And those eyes, bright red.

“Stop, or you’ll make mom cry,” Izuku whispered, still loud enough that his mom could hear.

“I will not, don’t be ridiculous, Izuku,” Inko said. They both turned back to her, not mentioning the way her eyes were glistening in the lights. “I’m just happy. Things have been so lovely. Even if your father couldn’t co-

“It’s okay, mom. I don’t need him here to be happy,” Izuku said, and found the words to sound truthful. Tomura relaxed from the momentarily tenseness that overtook him when the topic of Izuku’s father came up.

Inko smiled. “Happiness is such a precious thing. Appreciate it. Did you hear of the hiker who got lost in the woods? They still haven’t found him. I know you both enjoy the nature, you’re still staying safe, aren’t you?”

There was worry in her eyes, but Tomura calmed it with one smile. “I’ll keep Izuku safe, there’s no need to worry. The nature can be dangerous if one goes alone, but he always has me with him.”

The words worked to assure her, and soon they were in full conversation again. Izuku didn’t partake much, beoynd short answers and nods. Mostly he just watched Tomura. His hair - white these days, and longer - cascading down his shoulders, making him look more mature. Of course, he looked quite much the exact same as he did the first time Izuku saw him. And the very same creases and scars adored his body with no new additions.

He was as breathtaking as ever. He had become good at socializing with Izuku’s mother. He had approached it as any new talent, with determination and success. And now Izuku could see each carefully calculated move, word, tone and smile, all put together to make him irresistible.

Izuku felt content there. It was where he belonged. He rarely though of his future anymore. He remembered the days, sometimes long ago, when it was all he could think. But not anymore. As long as he could be sure that Tomura was there, even if it was just to put him to his grave, he need not anything more.

The evening grew older, and the visitors started slowly flowing away, in small groups. Izuku was talking with someone whose name he could not even quite recall, when Tomura appeared from somewhere and pulled him aside.

He led them outside of the house, where the sun was no longer washing everything with its light. There was a bit of a chill in the air, but Izuku barely noticed it.

“Dance with me,” Tomura said, pulling Izuku into himself.

Izuku came to rest against Tomura’s body. Hard and cold against his own warmth, and he belonged.

They moved slowly in the darkness outside, only a few lights illuminating their dance. The only music for them was the dimmed one coming from inside the house, far for them.

“I’ve never considered myself to be a lucky person,” Tomura said suddenly into the silence.

Izuku did not say anything, sensing that Tomura had still more to say. To show that he was still listening, he squeezed gently Tomura where his hand rested on his hip.

Tomura had his arms wrapped around Izuku’s neck, his face not visible where it was tucked against Izuku’s. But he could hear each of Tomura’s words clearly, right by his ear. The air tickled hit cartilage.

“I see now, that I’ve come across unexpected luck. That I’d meet someone like you...decades after my birth. Knowing now that you’ll always be waiting for me...I’ve never had that. Not like this. And all this time together, I still don’t seem to be able to understand you fully. It doesn’t matter if I treat you as a prey as a foe or as a lover, you brazenly disregard my power to situate yourself in my heart to fit your will.”

Izuku listened, keeping the steady sway of their bodies. Tomura’s words brought tears to his eyes. He did not know when or if was even possible for Tomura to understand the capacity of Izuku’s want for him. At times he was not sure he understood it himself. What he did understand, was the he could no longer leave Tomura any more he could leave his own body.

“I don’t say it often enough, but...” Tomura continued with a low voice. “I love you.”

Molten lava and electricity flooded Izuku’s veins. The words sounded so wonderful coming from Tomura’s mouth. As each time, he made sure to imprint the memory deeply into himself, the hoarseness of Tomura’s voice, the speed of his words, the way his breath brushed against Izuku’s face.

“I love you too,” he said. “And you mightn’t say it, but you show it. All the time.” His voice wavered in the last words.

“Hmm?”

“I hear it when you kiss me, when we fuck. When you bite me. I can hear it in each moment of pain you bring me and in each moment of pleasure. When I wake up to an empty bed or you straddling me. I can always hear it.”

“Fuck, Izuku,” Tomura groaned, pressing his face into Izuku’s neck. He could feel the press of lips on his sensitive neck.

“You’re not the only lucky one,” Izuku said quietly.

Tomura pulled back a bit, and Izuku took a hold of his neck, enjoying the feel of Tomura’s hair on his fingers. Tomura was looking at him expectantly, eyes flickering down to Izuku’s lips. He understood the command and leaned closer, their lips just nearly touching, breathing in each other. Rather than close the gap, Izuku went to twirl Tomura into the rhythm of their faint music.

A sigh escaped Tomura, as his back came to rest against Izuku’s front, and they continued to sway, hands crossed in front of them.

“Bastard,” Tomura said, with the tenderness of a love confession.

Izuku chuckled into his hair, and moved again, letting Tomura twirl away from him until he was leaning from him, holding on with only a hand. Tomura was watching him with intensity, allowing himself to be moved to Izuku’s whims.

It was still clear he was merely following, waiting. Any moment he wished he could take over the situation, in whatever way he wished. He was a beast, moving with graze as Izuku wanted, and it made his heart sing. Even now, Tomura could not resist luring him in with each of his movements, with his gaze.

They returned to a traditional waltz pose, Izuku’s left hand on Tomura’s hip and Tomura’s right on his shoulder.

“Take me,” he whispered quietly, his heart beating fast.

Tomura’s eyes gleamed. Once again, his prey had fallen into his trap.

****

He groaned as his back slammed against the wall. Tomura’s thigh pressed against his groin as he was pulled into a deep kiss. He pushed against the solid body, letting the taste of Tomura take over his senses. He did not wait to lick his way into Tomura’s mouth, and he was let in. He was not bothered by the sharp teeth, scraping his tongue and lips, causing blood to mix with their saliva. It happened so often when their kissing turned this intense, that to Izuku it was an integral part of it. And he loved the way Tomura - every time - seemed to come alive at the taste of the blood. His kisses turning more intense somehow, his hands grabbing Izuku harder, digging into the soft skin and flesh of his hips. Tomura’s hardness was pressing against his stomach and it was driving him mad.

“I want you,” Izuku gasped, as Tomura pulled away from the kiss for a moment - only to suck on Izuku’s lower lip instead.

Tomura let out a satisfied groan - almost like a purr, Izuku thought with a smile - and began to open the belt on Izuku’s pants. Slender fingers touched him, down the waistband of his boxers to the hardness pushing against them. He tried to grind into the touch, but the fingers pulled away, as did the lips kissing him.

In retaliation, he grabbed Tomura’s hair, pulling him towards himself with it. Tomura was headed that way anyway, his lips moving to kiss and suck at Izuku’s neck, leaving him a panting mess. His hands continued their work beneath, shivers running on Izuku’s skin as sharp nails grazed at his softness. As Tomura begun to kiss downwards a path he’d mapped out for himself - Izuku’s collar, chest, nipples, stomach, navel and down he went - his hands begun pushing down Izuku’s pants and underwear.

Izuku arched against the wall as the sensations drowned him, slathering him from all around. Tomura’s lips, tongue and teeth on his skin, his hair brushing against him as he moved, too soft and too gentle, and his hands on his legs, on his thighs, knees, cock-

A shuttering breath broke from Izuku as those beautiful hands stroked him, only to stop nearly immediately after. Tomura kissed his way down Izuku's hips, nipping at all the parts most sensitive, that he knew would make Izuku’s brain stop from functioning.

The teasing was getting to him. He needed to feel Tomura, to see him and every moment in between was too many. His hand, still loosely attached to Tomura’s hair, grabbed a tigh hold and pulled him up, in a way that would have been painful to any human. Tomura merely complied, standing up with a lethargic smile on his lips, eyes half lidded.

Desperation rushing through him and guiding each of his moves in haste, Izuku began undressing Tomura. Buttons, layers, all to be removed. Tomura did not do anything to prevent him, nor did he do anything to help him. He just stood there, hungry eyes directed at his quarry, allowing himself to moved and molded. Finally, body of deadly pale skin greeted him and Izuku did not hesitate to touch it. He let his hands and lips wonder, going to all of his favorite places.

More gently now, he pushed Tomura towards the bed - still covered - where he fell on his back, white hairs spread around in a halo to frame his demonic face. Izuku was breathing heavily. Tomura was not breathing at all. He was waiting.

Izuku kicked the jeans and underwear off his legs fully, and lowered himself on the bed atop his lover. Tomura’s hand came to rest on his shoulder as he began kissing his way down Tomura’s body, reaching his hard cock and taking it into his mouth without much preamble.

“Fucking hell ‘Zuku.”Tomura groaned at the suddenness, hips jerking upwards and his cock hitting the back of Izuku’s throat. Izuku breathed through the gag reflex, and began bobbing his head, using his tongue to pleasure Tomura more.

A hand buried into his green hair, messing the little bit of work he had managed to achieve to make it look presentable. Holding Izuku still, he fucked into his mouth. Izuku relaxed into the hold, enjoying the brutal pace and the huffs and groans coming from Tomura.

Just as Tomura’s legs began to tremble and his body tense - Izuku could tell he was getting close - he pulled Izuku off, sending a flare of pain from his scalp, which merely fueled the fire within him. With frenzy, Tomura pulled him onto the bed by his side, letting him fall onto his back. His body had changed in the years. Softer, older, fatter and stronger in some ways, weaker in others, covered in the marks his life had left on him.

Any possible insecurities were burned to ashes each time Tomura looked at him with desire so hot he feared he would burn with them. Tomura loved each change he found on Izuku, he loved the softness off him - grabbing, licking and sucking to his pleasure - he would follow each change with a jovial, childlike wonder. Especially when those changes were made by him. Scars on scars on scars. And Izuku loved them too.

Tomura reached into their bedside drawer and pulled out a tube of lube and squeezed some on his hand. He leaned to kiss Izuku softly, while his hand moved between his legs beginning to circle his hole. Izuku shivered at the cold lube - Tomura’s fingers could not warm it - a sensation he had grown to enjoy. As the kiss deepened, Tomura’s tongue pushing into his mouth, his finger pushed into him. He groaned into the kiss, rocking slightly back on the finger.

Tomura took his time, continuously kissing Izuku - on the mouth, his neck and collarbones - while one finger turned into two turned into three. Izuku felt desperate, panting and messy. Finally, Tomura pulled his fingers away. He did not let Izuku feel empty for long, as he replaced them with his cock.

Arching into the sensation, Izuku cried out as he was filled. Tomura was frustratingly calm. Like a predator, awaiting the right moment so strike, the only thing betraying his interest being the wild shine at the deep of his eyes and his teeth bared and ready.

“Move, dammit,” Izuku groaned, trying to push into the cock, needing it deeper in him. He needed to consume Tomura, to be consumed by Tomura. He felt wetness roll down his face into his hairline.

Slowly, so slowly, Tomura began rocking into Izuku, as though he had all the time in the world. And he did. He could continue fucking Izuku into his death and keep going for years after, for as long as he wished. Izuku shuddered at the thought, his cock twitching where it lay painfully hard against his stomach.

Tomura began picking up the pace - not much - but enough for Izuku to grip tightly at the sheets and try to meet the trusts. Tomura smiled, a cruel satisfied grin. The low light coming from behind him shone through his hair. He no longer looked like any human.

“You look so beautiful,” Izuku gasped.

“If you knew what I saw,” Tomura whispered, leaning lower, his hairs brushing at Izuku’s sweaty skin. “Your depravity is to die for.”

“I’d do it for you,” Izuku cried out as Tomura’s trusts began to hit directly at his prostrate. “Anything for you, Tomura, fuck- anything. I love you, so much. I love you.”

He knew he was babbling, but he could not stop the flood of praise and devotion, not when it made Tomura’s thrusts more intense. He was drowning in a sea of pleasure, the waves pinning him into the solid rock as they broke his body completely.

“If I died now,” he whispered, head buried into Tomura’s neck. “I’d be happy. You make me feel so alive.”

Tomura groaned and the rhythm of his hips faltered for a moment, before continuing with even more fervor.

“Izuku,” he said, pushing Izuku’s head gently aside to bare his neck. His lips hovered there. Izuku crossed his legs behind Tomura’s back, urging him even closer.

“Tomura, please,” he begged.

“Death is forever,” Tomura whispered, his breath dancing on Izuku’s skin.

“Then it might just sate me,” Izuku responded. Cold lips pressed into his neck.

“I love you too.”

Tomura’s mouth opened, and sharp teeth broke through his skin, sinking deep, down, with pain like fire. Izuku’s scream of pleasure cut off with his breath. Blood had sprayed from the force of Tomura’s bite, onto their bodies and staining the never again white sheets.