Archive of Our Own

It was when Denki threw up for the 2nd time, Kyoka knew something was wrong. His face was pale and he was shaking like he was cold. It scared Kyoka that her boyfriend, who was fine not 10 minutes ago, got so sick so quickly. 

--

This all had happened the night that the two had designated as a ‘together night’. These nights were just for the two of them. Often they watched movies or played games, but on special nights, they would cook and eat dinner together, something they both enjoyed a lot.

They had settled on making a pepperoni pizza. They had talked about it before, about how it would take quite a long time with a lot of ingredients, so they were a bit apprehensive. However, when they both succeeded in passing the licensing exam, they decided to celebrate on the next Saturday afternoon with this idea.

The pizza had ultimately been a mess, a delicious one, but a mess nonetheless. The sauce had somehow gotten on the ceiling and the dough was too sticky, but it was all fun. The only problem was Denki’s insistence against garlic powder on top. Kyoka gave up quickly though. She decided she’d only put some on her servings so she didn’t have to fight him.

But in her haste to eat the warm pizza, Kyoka accidentally mixed up which plate she gave Denki, and he, too hungry to notice, swallowed it down without realizing.

And now she was here, with a sick boyfriend clutching the trash can.

“I’m sorry, baby, was something spoiled?” she said comfortingly.

“Maybe…” he paused, gagging,  “old cheese?” Denki gasped.

He threw up again.

“I don’t think so, Denki…” Kyoka drifted off, looking at the in-date expiration date on the package of cheese.  She threw the package away just in case, but she didn’t think that was it. She couldn’t think of anything else that would have made him. And it was odd that she felt fine.

Suddenly, Denki, after wiping his mouth, crept over to a couch in the living room and fell on it hard.

“Kyoka,” he said with a slur that sounded drunk, “I think… I think I’m just gonna lay here.”

“Oh...kay?” she drew out watching him writhe on the seat. She walked over towards him to look at his face completely. “Do you want anything from me?” she asked him, touching his head, looking for a fever. Nothing, yet.

“I just want,” he giggled, “yooooouuu!” he said in a high-pitched voice. “Sit with me!” he yelled.

She followed his directions, sitting on the floor beside him. Though, by the way he was talking, he sounded delusional.

“I love you, Kyoka! I really do, that’s why I wanna tell you something…” he trailed off mumbling to himself. Kyoka wasn’t sure what he meant. They told each other almost everything, certainly everything important.

Denki giggled again, “You smell nice! Sweet... like cherries. Mmm, cherries.” he said, sounding even more delirious. His head was bobbing up and down like he was fighting off sleep.

Kyoka was intrigued, nothing she used smelt like cherries. Mina used a cherry lotion, but she’d never used it before. “Why do I smell like cherries, I don’t use anything like that?” she asked him.

Denki rustled, shifting his weight like he did when he was annoyed but didn’t want to upset someone. “Not your smelly stuff, you!”

Now Kyoka was very confused. She wasn’t sure how she smelled like cherries to him, was it the sickness? She couldn’t be sure. She was close to calling for Aizawa-sensei.

She shifted uncomfortably, “Thanks...I guess.” she said, struggling to respond.

“I really, really wanna taste you, like a lot…” he looked at her intently. Kyoka blushed. What was he saying? Taste her? She didn’t wanna think about it. “I’d even be gentle!” he finished abruptly.

Kyoka felt her face heat even more. “No Denki, you perv!” she said loudly.

His head cocked and his eyebrows furrowed, “What do you mean, it's not pervy, it's beautiful, you’re beautiful!” he said.

Kyoka was now even more confused.

He leaned in close to her, “Anyway, I wanted to tell you something… It’s a big one though, can I trust you not to get scared?” he whispered into her ear.

“Y-yes?”

“I’m a vampire!” he whisper-screamed.

“Y-you’re a what?” she said, slightly louder than she meant. She slapped her hand against her mouth. Oops. 

“Shhhhhh, Kyoooka, I’m a vampire, too loud!” Denki said sloppily. Kyoka felt bad for yelling at him but was concerned that he thought he was a vampire , a fake mythical creature . 

He placed his finger against his mouth. “Can you keep the secret? Please, I don’t want to have to erase your brain.” he asked, slightly pouting.

“Denki, you can not be serious. Vampires don’t exist!” she said to him quietly, not wanting to yell another time.

“Kyoka, I’m serious…” he said, frowning. He moved his hand to her face and stared at her. “Look at me,” he whined, “I’ve got fangs, Kyoka!” he said, baring his teeth and surely enough, there were a pair of fangs where normal teeth were. 

Kyoka restricted the instinct to jump back at the sight. What in the hell was that? Why did her boyfriend have fangs? 

“Kyoka, please! Don't be scared, I love you…” he said, kissing her forehead. She looked into his eyes and found them to be red instead of the natural yellow.

“Y-” he paused, “You need to call my mom. Tell her I’m sick… I’m gonna go to sleep now.” he said, slamming his head against the couch and falling asleep.

Kyoka wanted to scream, but ruled against it, seeing as her boyfriend just fell asleep, her boyfriend who also happened to be a vampire. She was now very sure she was not going to call Aizawa-sensei.

She wasn’t sure what to do. She felt panic creep at the back of her throat and shook a bit. In response, she gave a deep breath, something class 1-A learned in a heroics class on heroic’s effects on the human brain.

In. Out. Focus. She could do this. Kyoka remembered Denki said something about his mom. Maybe she could help? Maybe… maybe she has answers. She searched for Denki's phone in his pocket.

It was locked, but Kyoka knew the password, he boasted all the time that it was the thing he loved most in the world, it was her name. She blushed when she first found out but was in too much of a hurry to fluster over it now.

She searched through his phone and found the call app. He had weird names for all his contacts, it was annoying, but after scrolling a long time, she searched ‘mom’ in the search bar. A contact appeared saying 'mom <3', she clicked it immediately and the phone began to ring.

"Hello? Denki," an older woman's voice answered, "it's not Wednesday yet. Do you need a new package already? You are growing…"

"Uh..um, I'm sorry ma'am, this is Kyoka Jirou, Denki's girlfriend. He's sick." Kyoka said awkwardly. His mom seemed worried.

"Oh, oh dear, I'm sorry. What happened?" She asked her patiently.

"He…" Kyoka wasn't sure what to say. Should she mention what he said? Did he eat something that is allergic to vampires? "Um, he… he told me he was a vampire?" She said. It came out like a question like she couldn't be sure herself.

"Oh, no. Did he… are you… please, don't say anything! I'll do anything! Just take care of my baby boy!" She said quickly.

Kyoka felt bad now, she wasn't planning on doing anything to Denki, he was still her boyfriend and she still cared for him. "I- I promise. Just, do you know how to help him? He's sick and he threw up a lot." She said, trying to talk his mom down.

"What did he eat? Was it garlic? God, that sounds just like him…" his mom asked.

Kyoka thought for a moment… she gave him the wrong slice! "Oh, no. Oh, I did this." She said quietly, "I gave him my slice with garlic on it. We made a pizza." She said.

Kyoka was planning for the woman to yell at her incompetence, but instead, she laughed.  "Oh dear, the boy should have noticed! Well, at least that's an easy fix. You did say he threw up, right?" She said, her anxious voice changing into a light, motherly tone.

Kyoka stilled in a moment of reaction. "Y-yes?"

His mother sighed, "I know this is going to be uncomfortable, but can you get a package of blood from his mini fridge in his room?" She said.

Kyoka bit back the urge to scream. "Blood in his room? I… thought they were capri suns?"

A laugh was heard through the phone. "No, dear, we have to eat somehow. This is how we do it." 

"Oh."

More laughter was heard.

"Can… can I ask a few more questions first?" Kyoka asked shyly.

"Of course, dear. I understand that this might be a bit confusing." She answered softly. "What do you want to know?"

Kyoka felt a bit giddy at the question like she was unearthing something cryptid. She shook her head, this was a real woman, let alone her boyfriend's mother!

"So, if garlic is true, what else is? Oh do you drink human blood like in the stories? Or is it different?" She constrained herself from asking more.

"Well garlic is a special case, most other myths are false fodder to knock people off our trails. The only other thing I can think of is sunlight, we don't burn up into dust," she snorted, "obviously. We just burn worse than normal." She finished.

"So that's why Denki is so pale!" Kyoka said, finally realizing why he didn't tan with the summer heat. His mom laughed.

"As for the human blood question, we don't normally drink human blood, but occasionally some humans allow us to drink from them. It's not needed though, I doubt Denki would ever ask." She answered.

Another question arose in Kyoka's mind. “Should Denki be eating then? He’s a vampire! He doesn’t get sick?” she asked anxiously.

“Oh, dear. It’s fine, vampires often quite enjoy human food. We just don’t get anything from it, that's all.” she answered.

Kyoka sighed, relief flooding over her.

She paused for a moment looking for anything off the top of her head. She couldn't think of any other questions that were urgent. "So I just need to get him a 'capri sun' right?" She asked, recalling her instructions.

"Yes, dear. Just wake him up and he will know what to do. Just make sure to throw it away after he's done. Oh! And get him to bed, he'll be sleepy afterwards." She instructed.

"Okay." Kyoka confirmed. 

She was just to say goodbye and end the call when she heard his mother shift. "Dear, did he tell you consciously?" She asked softly, the worried tone returning.

Kyoka shifted uncomfortably. "N-no. He was delirious. I think he wanted to tell me soon, but not now." She said a bit ashamed.

"Oh, dear. Well, maybe it's a good idea to keep it a secret that you know about him 'til he tells you." She said.

"Maybe so." Kyoka agreed.

They ended the conversation and Kyoka quickly went to grab Denki a pouch. They looked and felt like normal juice pouches, but she still felt odd knowing what they were.

She quickly ran back down into the commons and woke up Denki and gave him the package.

He quickly grabbed it and bit into it, drinking it all quickly. By the end he was awake enough for Kyoka to coax him to bed, still not quite awake.

Kyoka went to her own room. She didn't get any sleep that night.

--

In the morning, Denki hurriedly came to Kyoka's dorm. 

"Did I say anything crazy last night? Like really crazy, not just normal dumb crazy." he asked.

Kyoka contemplated her answer, "Just that you loved me, you dork." She said, she'd let him tell her when he was ready.

Denki sighed. "I’m your dork." he said.

"You're more than that." She replied. And he really was.

---

Denki thankfully didn’t mention the night anymore after that and everything fell into a new normal. Albeit one with Kyoka in the know and a little more perceptive.

She realized when he ate, how he doused himself with sunscreen, even in the late fall. It was almost silly how she didn’t notice before.

Denki, however, made no move to tell her, and so neither did Kyoka. It felt somewhat wrong, but she didn’t know what else to do. It wasn’t as if she was lying.

The next time Denki’s vampirism was mentioned was at a student dinner in the dorms. Sato had decided to cook a nice meal of spaghetti and meat sauce.

It was a nice night and the class was able to come together completely. (Some were out on internships regularly and didn’t always make it in time for dinner.) Everyone was laughing together and Denki found himself with his normal group.

“Yo, Sparky! How was the remedial class?” Denki said to Bakugo, huffing to himself over the wait for the food.

Bakugo growled at him. “YOU WANNA DIE, ASSHOLE?”

Denki just laughed and yelled, “Not particularly!” 

Kyoka bit back laughter, not necessarily wanting to die today. Thankfully, Sato announced that dinner was ready right before she broke.

Immediately, the classroom erupted into the kitchen, people grabbing plates and dipping themselves spaghetti. Kyoka went ahead and got some herself and sat down with an empty spot adjacent to her, waiting for Denki. 

In the kitchen, Kyoka heard a conversation between Denki and Sato. “Is there garlic in the sauce?” Denki asked, his voice wavering as if he was afraid to ask.

Sato chuckled, “What, are you a vampire or something?”

And in true Denki fashion, he replied, “I actually a-”

Kyoka reacted quickly at what she heard. Was he really about to say that? He shouldn’t! “Denki, are you coming?” she yelled loudly and a bit more nervously than she wanted.

Denki responded, “Yeah, babe. Give me a sec.” He turned back to Sato, “Is there any garlic? In all honesty, I can't stomach it.” he said.

Sato shook his head, “Naw, I was gonna put some garlic powder on the table, but someone must have thrown it away.” he said.

Kyoka looked down and tried not to bring attention to herself. Of course, she threw it away!

“Cool, thanks!” Denki said, grabbing a plate and getting himself spaghetti.

Kyoka sighed in relief.

--

The next vampire incident came about a month later. The day was late and Denki and Kyouka were studying at a table in the commons, or, Kyoka would say, she was studying. Denki was asleep, laying his head sideways, nuzzling Kyoka's arm.

The day had been hard. Training had been ruthless and English was even more so. English, fortunately, came somewhat easy for Kyoka, being that she listened to international music as much as Japanese music, but Denki was not so lucky. He tried his best, Kyoka could attest to that, he really did study as much as he could, but it was like his mind drifted elsewhere and the letters on the page flitted away. So, in preparation for a monster of an English project (a detailed slideshow about an American town of their choice), Denki sat down that afternoon after dinner to go over terms with Kyoka.

Kyoka, also a bit perturbed by the extent of the project, agreed to study with him. They began with flashcards, quizzing each other on pronunciation and spelling, then moved on to their grammar homework that they agreed to work on together. Finally, when they had finished their assignment, they began work on the project they had studied for. Kyoka had been excited, she could share her love of Nashville, a town of music in which she could sympathize, but Denki… he chose Los Angeles for the only reason that he did not know any other city not already picked. So, in his boredom and exhaustion, his eyes slowly fluttered close and his head nodded until it reached the table.

Denki, sleep talking, said, “I’m hungry. I want foooood.” he elongated the last vowel in his sleepiness.

Kyoka giggled slightly at her tired boyfriend, the boy she finally had come to know as a vampire. At this point, her work was far from her mind. She watched as his chest rose and fell, inhaling and exhaling into her arm. He was so sweet when he was tired, always acting bashful and clingy, it was cute. Kyoka slowly stroked through his hair, pulling slightly through his tangles. A small nasal noise escaped between his face and her arm. A snore. If he wasn’t quite asleep before, he really was now.

Eventually, Kyoka moved back to her work, reading a book on Nashville’s history, letting her boyfriend sleep.

So it was to her confusion to feel a pinch on her wrist. She looked down quickly, afraid it was a bug, but it wasn’t. To her confusion and surprise, Denki had latched onto her wrist and slightly began to chew on it. Not hard, just small little squeezes like he didn’t actually want to hurt her.

Kyoka contemplated what to do. Should she move her arm and risk Denki being mortified, or let him stay with his weird habit? It didn’t hurt and there was no one else around… she decided to let him stay, praying that it wouldn’t leave a mark.

After a while of this, Kyoka heard footsteps. Suddenly, Momo was sitting down with a glass of milk in her hand, staring confused at the scene in front of her. Quickly, with a blush on her face, she yanked her wrist out of Denki’s grasp. Denki’s head slamming on the table.

"Ouchies!" Denki said, completely awake. He rubbed his hand on his head.

Kyoka blushed again, she didn't mean to do that, she just didn't want anyone…

"Sorry, Denki. You were laying on my arm and I must have moved it too quickly." Kyoka said quickly. Momo stared at her in confusion, she wouldn't use the word "laying".

Denki blushed too, "Um, did I do… something weird?" He asked. 

Kyoka quickly responded, "No!" She didn't want to lie, but she didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable either.

He sighed. "Good. I sometimes do weird stuff when I go to sleep." he said.

Momo looked at them one more time before drinking the last of her milk and returning to her dorm. Kyoka sighed again.

Looking at her partner, she smiled and kissed his head. "You were tired, you sure you got enough to eat?" She asked absent-mindedly.

After a moment, she realized what she said, she prayed he wouldn't pick up on what she had just said.

Thankfully, He just shook his head. "I didn't have a full lunch." he said.

Kyoka knew what he meant, even if he didn't mean for her to understand. He forgot his blood pack. He brought them to lunch each day, disguised as a fruit juice pack. He must have been running on empty. Of course, he chewed at her arm, he needed blood.

"Well, maybe you should get something from your fridge?" she pushed a bit farther.

He just nodded sleepily. He kissed her forehead and went upstairs.

Kyoka waited a moment and sighed. She wasn't sure she could last any longer. Denki, please, she begged internally, tell her your secret.

--

The next morning, a Saturday, the class decided to go hiking on a small trail not far from the dorms. Everyone was in the commons packing their bags. Kyoka went through her bag earlier though, so she was just chatting with the girls.

“You two really did fit right together as soon as you began dating. How did you do it?” Mina said as she packed her lunch in her bag.

Kyoka blushed, she and Denki were the first of the class to get together out of the prospective couples. “I… um, honesty?” she answered lamely. Mina stuck out her tongue.

“That doesn’t give me anything, Kyoka!” she whined.

Kyoka shook her head and began to focus on her partner packing his own bag. She watched as he packed his lunch, a water bottle, his phone, a ‘capri-sun’, and a small first aid kit.

Kyoka then noticed the lack of sunscreen. Didn’t his mother say they had to cover themselves to stay unburnt?

“Hey, Mina?” Kyoka asked, keeping her eyes on Denki.

“Yeah, what’s up?” Mina replied.

“I'll… be right back. I forgot something.” she said slowly, taking her bag with her.

“‘Kay, remember we leave in fifteen!” Mina called at her friend.

In her room, she held a small cream-colored bottle of sunscreen, High SPF, and a special blend for the hypersensitive. She almost never burned, but she bought it when she learned about Denki, just in case.

When she returned downstairs, the class set off to the trail.

--

When they made it to the trail, the sky was clear and the air was warm for the autumn day that it was. It worried Kyoka that it might be too much for Denki, but he looked as happy as could be. 

The group all began to set off when Denki finally realized. 

“Shit, I forgot it, damn. I’m gonna be in pain…” he said under his breath, but Kyoka caught it.

“Did you forget something?” she asked innocently.

“Yeah, I forgot my sunscreen. I burn way too easily.” he answered.

Kyoka already knew that he’d respond that way and not ‘I’m a vampire and my skin burns easily, can you remind me next time to bring sunscreen?’, but she had hoped anyway.

She sighed, and dug into her own bag, searching for that small cream-colored bottle. “Here, take it.” she said, giving the bottle to him.

He looked at her confused, “But you don’t burn…” he said. His face contorted in thought like he was piecing a puzzle together

She blushed, she had forgotten about that. “Just take it, idiot! I know you burn!” she said quickly.

“Oh, okay!” he said, taking the bottle and squirting a bit of sunscreen on his fingers. He spread it on his shoulders and neck.

“Hey, Kyo, can you get my face?” he asked.

“Y-yeah, Denki.” she said, slightly embarrassed. She took a bit of sunscreen and smudged it on his face. She noticed him staring at her and she blushed slightly.

“We ought to catch up…” he said.

“Yeah.” she agreed. 

--

About a month later, the warm early autumn air had chilled to a crisp chill that blanketed the earth. As a month had passed since the last ‘together night’, so had a month passed since Kyoka learned Denki’s secret. Denki had yet to tell her though, and Kyoka was getting tired of keeping the secret. Thankfully, their next night out was today. They were going to see a movie, a docudrama about the life of a musician they mutually enjoyed. After that, they’d go get ice cream and a popular new creamery.

When Kyoka asked him if he was ready to go, he seemed nervous. Kyoka, despite his worry for him, shivered a bit with excitement. She could finally tell him!

Eventually, they made it to the mall that held the movie theatre and creamery. It was the same one that Midoriya had gotten attacked in, so they were a bit on guard.

The movie theatre was a bit desolate. Only a few workers and a group of people were waiting in the lobby while the pair got their tickets.

“Movie’s in thirty minutes, it's on the left, five theatres down.” a young man, Kyoka’s age, said tiredly as he handed her the tickets.

“We’ve got thirty minutes till showtime. Wanna go get snacks?” Kyoka asked, knowing the answer would be yes.

“Yessss!” he replied, holding the ‘s’ into a hiss. “I want popcorn!” he added.

“Okay, fine. I want some too. Share?” she asked before starting to walk to the snack counter.

“Yes, please!” he said, “Thanks babe!”

Kyoka placed the order for a large popcorn bucket and two drinks for her and Denki.

“Hey, Kyoka?” Denki asked her quietly so the attendant could not hear. “I… have something I’d like to discuss later, if that’s okay.” he said.

Kyoka breathed, it was finally time. “Yeah, that's fine, babe.” she said in return.

The large bucket may have been a bit too much. It was bigger than Kyoka’s head and was heavier than expected. Not too heavy, mind you, these were still heroes in training, but heavier than what she thought was normal.

The movie theatre itself was still light when they found their seats. The seats themselves were very nice, and both were excited for the movie itself, but Kyoka was too focused on Denki’s words. She’d finally be free to help him, to love him freely… Love. Kyoka blushed from head to toe.

She loved him…

She was totally screwed.

--

The movie unfortunately was quite boring. The acting was awful and there was barely anything they didn’t already know in it. It was fine though, they just ended up kissing a bunch. Weird, Kyoka supposedly didn’t like PDA, maybe more has changed than she thought.

They left the theatre as soon as the credits hit the screen, wanting to get to the creamery quickly before it got too late.

“It’s kinda across the mall, where the food court is. Sorry for the walk.” Kyoka said, peering at a map posted in the entrance to the main mall.

“Kyoka, it’s fine. It’s not even that far.” Denki said. But it was far for Kyoka, too far. She wanted to sit down right now, kiss him, and scream that “I know, Denki! I know, damn it!” but she didn’t. 

So it was almost torture when Denki asked her to wait so he could go to the bathroom. “Sorry, too much soda. I'll be right out.” he said. Kyoka just shook her head, not trusting her voice enough to speak.

She fidgeted in her spot, trying to calm down when a tall man appeared next to her. His long hair and pale skin gave Kyoka the creeps.

“Excuse me?” she questioned, staring at the man staring at her. “What the hell do you want?”

He tilted his head and smiled, slightly exposing his teeth. There, set in his overreaching grin, were fangs, long and sharp unlike Denki’s. He was a vampire, staring at her!

 “Oh, dear. You just smell,” he inhaled, “so good. I think I’ll take you for myself.” He laughed in an eerie tenor, shaking Kyoka to her core.

Suddenly, Kyoka felt the urge to run, to flee without thought or reason. Her legs shook, but they did not move.

“I’m sorry, it wasn’t an option.” he growled, grabbing her arms. She wanted to scream, but before she could, the air in her lungs disappeared. She gasped for air.

“Uh-uh, no screaming. No one will ever hear you again.” Kyoka heard him say before he hit her head and she lost consciousness.

--

When Denki walked out of the bathroom, Kyoka wasn’t anywhere in sight. He had asked her to stay, but maybe she had forgotten. He’d try the creamery, maybe she’d be there.

The Milk-cow Creamery was a cute place with pink walls and a big plastic cow in the middle of the shop, but there was no Kyoka. It scared Denki. Where was she? She never did stuff like this.

He pulled out her phone. He’d call her. She’d pick up the phone, she always did…

But she didn’t.

His heart dropped. Where did she go? Anxiety washed over him.

Then he heard a distant scream.

--

Kyoka awoke slowly to the rhythm of running. She was being kidnapped. She should have struggled, but she couldn’t seem to move. She felt nauseous, what was he going to do to her? She had so much more to do! She wanted to become a hero and fall in love and see the world. She prayed now that she’d only see a new day.

Suddenly, he stopped and set her down. She tried to move again to no avail. She was in the back parking lot of the mall, few cars dotting the lines. It was cold, the autumn breeze blowing her hair onto her cheeks. An ominous feeling descended upon Kyoka as she stood.

“No, dear, you aren’t getting away.” he growled in her ear, grabbing her again. She shivered.

“Let me go!” she cried out with a rasp and struggled. “Let. Me. Go.” 

“No, I’m going to enjoy my meal. You are going to sit still.” he said. Suddenly Kyoka’s body felt heavy like she was made of stone. She couldn’t move, she couldn’t breathe. Oh god, she was going to die!

Then, as her body finally stilled, he bit into her neck near the edge of her shoulder. Searing pain flared from the bite down every vein in her body. She pulled against him, struggling to break free, but it only made the pain worse. It felt like burning waves crashing into her. She screamed loud and clear with every bit of strength she had.

The man released her only to yell, “Shut up!” and to slap her face. After spouting that, he clamped back on and pressed. The pain flared up again, but Kyoka had no air in her lungs to cry with.

Out of breath, she attempted to gasp for air despite the pain. Reaching, pulling her lungs to keep fighting. With every breath, the pain worsened.

Then, suddenly, her body turned from the fires of hell to the icy grip of death. Silent sobs filled the air as tears streamed down her face. Inwardly she cried for Denki. That she’d see him one more time. Her consciousness started to fade with her sight already smudged with tears. She was just about to give in when-

“ KYOKAAA ” 

A terrifying screech came from across the parking lot. Suddenly, Denki was very near. His eyes red and his fangs out to see.

“What are you doing?” he said to the man who was greedily biting his girlfriend.

Quickly, the man let up. “Oh, she’s yours? Why didn’t you mark her?” he asked as if Kyoka was finders keepers.

“She is Mine . Let go of her!” he said again.

“No can do, bud. She’s my meal and I’m hungry.” the man said. He bit into her bleeding neck again, leaving Kyoka to scream again.

Suddenly, the man was halfway across the parking lot, ripped off of Kyoka with no warning. The man growled, but ran, leaving the two alone.

“No, no, no, no! It wasn’t supposed to be like this!” he said, catching Kyoka as she fell to her knees. Her wound was bleeding profusely as he cradled her. It was bigger now as the vampire had been ripped off. Denki feared the worst. 

“I-” Kyoka tried to say, her voice failing her, “I… knew. I love you… Denki…” she said, her eyes fluttering open and closed. She was tired. And for once, she was comfortably warm.

Denki began to sob. “No! Please, please don’t! I… I can’t lose you!” he cried. He knew what he had to do. He knew the one thing he vowed he’d never do. He’d save her by drinking her blood.

Vampires evolved to have healing and blood clotting properties in their saliva when they extend their fangs and bite down. This was so the humans that were used for food wouldn’t die from passive blood loss. It was helpful for those in the old days who harvested humans but now is seen as a gift to the humans who allow themselves to be taken from.

So, Denki clamped down on Kyoka’s wound softly. He didn’t try to drink any of it, he didn’t want it. Not now.

Kyoka moaned a bit in pain but seemed much more at peace. “I… trust you, D-denki…” she choked out.

After what felt like an eternity, Denki let up. He whispered softly, “I love you, darling… you’ll be fine now.”

He picked his head up and screamed, “Help! Help me! My girlfriend’s hurt! Somebody call 119!”

Thankfully, it only took a moment for Denki and Kyoka to be surrounded by help.

--

In the hospital, Aizawa sat down with Denki next to a sleeping Kyoka, to talk about what happened.

“Before I say anything, I want you to know that you can trust me. I know you are a vampire and I know how you saved her.” Aizawa said. Denki’s eyes widened. How could he know?

“I, myself, am a dhampir, a mixed blood. I know that vampires aren’t the monsters the movies make them out to be.” he finished.

Denki sighed, that made a lot of sense. His teacher was always tired and he approved his minifridge without question.

“I know that might be a bit surprising, but it’s true. Anyway, is it true that it was, in fact, a vampire that attacked Jirou?” he asked softly.

Denki didn’t respond, before shaking his head yes.

“Okay then. We will put on record that it was a villain attack by a bite-type quirk. Did Jirou know about vampires?” he asked.

Denki thought about it for a moment. He’d never told her, but by the way she acted, she probably knew. “I think so. I think she knew what was happening too.” he answered sadly.

“That’s not great, but I think she’s trustworthy.” he admitted.

Denki acted quickly, “What are you saying? I trust Kyoka, I was going to tell her tonight! Before… before…” he couldn’t finish the sentence.

Aizawa nodded before saying, “Okay, I understand. I’ll leave you be, but just know I’ll always be there if you need it. From one supernatural to another.”

Denki nodded softly, he understood.

--

The next morning, Kyoka awoke screaming. Denki woke quickly after her and held her as her screams died out. She was still so scared, never letting go of Denki’s hand. The doctors moved her room to UA after a few hours of her being physically fine, but she stayed in the medical ward just in case.

Denki was scared though, he didn’t want to bring up his vampirism, but was obligated to tell her. He felt caught.

When she was brought into the hospital, Denki was terrified she’d be repulsed by him, but she had kept him from leaving. She needed him to stay, so he did.

He breathed in, he’d tell her. “Hey…” he said, bracing himself. She grumbled a bit in response. “I… think you already know but I’m also a vampire.” he said, rushing the last bit out.

Kyoka coughed a bit and inhaled. “I…” since she was bitten she could only manage screams and raspy whispers, “know, Denki. I told you that. I love you anyway, you saved me.”

Denki sighed, he could relax.

“Do you… do you have any questions?” he asked Kyoka.

Kyoka managed a small wheezing laugh, “No, your mom covered those for me.”

Denki cocked his head. His mom?

“You told me when you got sick, Denki. I wanted to wait till you were ready for me to know.” she said.

“But that was a month ago!” he said.

“And you damn well didn’t make it easy for me.” she responded. She was smiling for the first time since the incident.

Denki blushed. He had a lot of events this month. “Oh, Kyoka. I love you!” he said. He hugged her tightly, and she returned it.

He pulled away. “And you are sure you aren’t repulsed? I drink blood , Kyoka!” he asked.

“No! I’ve known for a while, Denki. I’ve gotten used to it. I know you’re not like him.” she said.

“I hope so! Vampires like him are the scum of the earth. We gave up barbaric ways like that ages ago!” he said, sounding a bit old. Kyoka giggled.

When Denki noticed what he said, he blushed. “No, I’m turning into my dad!” he said.

Kyoka smiled at her boyfriend. A vampire, but also a hero.

She’d be alright, she’d make it. With him. Always with him.