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Izuku isn’t supposed to be outside.
He’s supposed to be safely in the apartment, finishing up the three projects and two worksheets and studying for the math test he has tomorrow.
Yet Aizawa is on a patrol, and Yamada is still at UA finishing up the preparations for a new class project, and even though he really wants someone to talk to, he doesn’t want to disturb either of his Dads.
So he’d decided to take a walk.
The night air is cool against his skin, against the scars that he so rarely exposes but are bared by the tank top he’s wearing today. It’s a pleasant coolness, one that doesn’t quite detract from his thinking but does relieve some of his tension.
Izuku allows his lips to turn up in a small smile as he tilts his head toward the sky, relishing in the stretch of his neck as he admires the few stars that are already visible.
He strolls briskly along the streets in the neighborhood for a while, allowing the much-needed breath of fresh air to clear his mind. As he approaches the gate to the neighborhood, the sounds, the rumbling and beeps and honks of the vehicles on the main road, break into the silence of before, yet they aren’t intrusive, only present. As he looks across and sees the light of a cluster of buildings in the city, it occurs to him that while he’s out, he might as well do something productive.
Sending a quick text in the family group chat — off to buy groceries, will be back soon — and then tucking his phone into the pocket of his shorts, Izuku breaks into an easy jog, heading for the nearby supermarket.
It takes him a loop around the store to find the kind of milk that they usually buy; for some reason, the section was rearranged at some point in the last week. Then, on his way to the checkout counter, he takes a quick detour to grab Aizawa’s favorite jelly packets, and, as an afterthought, a loaf of bread — weren't they almost finished with their current one?
By the time he’s paid and exiting the store, there’s a tingling in his spine, almost like a warning.
He doesn’t exactly ignore the feeling; spending so much time with his Pro Hero parents has taught him never to disregard an instinct. But he does pretend like he doesn’t notice, doing nothing different other than walking faster. Tipping off a potential enemy would do no good, after all.
As he gets closer and closer to home, to safety, the feeling only intensifies. Once or twice, when he looks back, he’s sure that he spotted some movement behind him, but he never sees anybody.
Although it’s getting late, the air isn’t that chilly. Yet Izuku shivers.
He’s almost finally home when it happens.
He feels the thudding of footsteps behind him, and then in the span of a second, hears the shink of a knife being drawn and pressed against the vulnerable skin of his neck before he even has time to blink or run.
He freezes.
In such a precarious position, with his assailant’s arm locked across his chest and pulling him back into their body and a blade preventing him from charging forward and breaking away, Izuku dares not make a move. He may not know what they plan to do with him or who his mysterious stalker even is, but one thing is clear: they’re dangerous. Very much so.
Or not…? he realizes as they start laughing. He risks turning his head ever-so-slightly to get a glimpse at his attacker.
It’s a girl who looks to be almost the same age as Izuku. Her head is thrown back as she giggles crazily, her face split into a wide, almost maniacal grin from which unusually long canines poke out. Her eyes sparkle with something that’s not quite ill will (though Izuku can’t be sure) and strangely enough, there’s a light dusting of pink over her cheeks. Pale ash-blonde hair is styled into two messy buns — or perhaps styled isn’t the right word, as her hair seems to be matted and dirty, and upon closer inspection, her gaze is both excited and dull at the same time, while badly-concealed bruises cover her arms where she’s holding him in place.
Are you okay? he wants to ask.
He stays silent.
But she doesn’t.
“Izuku– that’s what the cashier called you, isn’t it?” she cooes, leaning in closer. “It’s cute, but I think Izu-kun would be even cuter, don’t you?” she continues.
It takes all of Izuku’s willpower to not flinch back, to remember that there’s a knife behind his head.
“Who- who are you?” Izuku asks shakily, trying to keep from trembling.
“I know your name, so it’s only fair that you know mine!” the girl replies cheerily. “Call me Himiko-chan!”
He tries to nod. “Okay, uh, Himiko-chan…”
She squeals in delight.
“...What do you want with me? I don’t have anything of importance-”
“I want to make you all bloody — you’d look so pretty covered in red!” Her blush deepens and her gaze intensifies. “And then I want to become just like you! We can match, wouldn’t you like that?”
She moves her knife from his neck to his exposed arms and experimentally presses down the tip of the blade, her eyes taking on a crazed look when she draws specks of blood.
“Uh, Himiko-chan?” Izuku starts. “I don’t think this is a good idea…”
Her grin immediately turns into a pout. “Izu-kun, don’t be like that; everyone always tells me that! I was hoping you’d understand.” Behind her petulant expression, though, there’s a hint of something more bitter.
Oh, how Izuku regrets going outside today. If only he kept doing his homework, he’d be safe now, just bored out of his mind.
Yet there’s a part of him that sees a tortured soul in Himiko. A part of him that wants to help her somehow. He doesn’t know her motivations or the reason behind her apparent obsession with blood, but she seems like she’s around his age. So why’s she alone like this?
She presses her blade deeper, drawing more blood, yet it’s not near any major artery and it’s not deep enough to cause lasting damage.
“Need…” she whispers, her voice hoarse now. “Please…”
“Are you okay?” Izuku asks, even though he’s the one bleeding right now. He’s pressed against Himiko, so he can clearly feel her body shaking against his own.
“I’m not— I need to drink— so hungry—”
She leans forward and, to Izuku’s horror, she licks at the open wound, sighing. “So good…”
And then she collapses, her knife clattering to the pavement as her arm flops limply to her side. Her breathing is clearly unsteady, and Izuku doesn’t even stop to wonder if it’s a ploy before he kneels down to shake at the unconscious girl.
“Himiko? Himiko!”
No answer.
Her pulse is dangerously sluggish beneath his fingers, and he does the one thing he can do: he pulls out his phone and calls both Aizawa and Yamada.
“Hello?” he says frantically. “Can you both come home, like, now? No, I’m mostly fine— a girl collapsed— thank you!”
Hanging up, he hauls her into his arms and carries her and the groceries into the apartment.
~
“Izuku! What happened?”
Yamada is the first to arrive home, and his eyes widen first at the sight of the figure on their couch, then at the bandages covering Izuku’s arm.
“She followed me home, stabbed me, licked my blood, and then collapsed — don’t worry, I’m fine — and I couldn’t just leave her there!”
“She- what do you mean, she licked your blood?” Yamada asks.
“She was saying something about needing blood before she passed out; I think it may be part of her Quirk or a medical condition,” he explains. “She didn’t look okay.”
Yamada sighs. “I’m calling Vlad.”
Mere minutes later, the Blood Hero is in their apartment, looking down with concern at Himiko. “She’s not okay,” he says. “Izuku’s right- she needed blood, and she’s needed it for a long time.” He draws in a breath, running a hand over her cheek. “Her skin is pale — do you see this here? It looks like her body requires more blood than the average person to sustain itself.”
“Is there anything you can do to help her?” Izuku asks frantically. “She took some of my blood earlier, but I don’t think it was enough…”
Thankfully, Kan nods. “Don’t worry. I suffered from blood loss when my Quirk first came in; my body was still adjusting and I couldn’t yet control the blood very well. This is not quite the same, but I think…” he trails off for a moment. “How did she inject your blood? Did she need any equipment?”
“She just licked it straight from my arm,” Izuku answers, gesturing half-heartedly to his now-bandaged arm.
“If she was taking yours by mouth, she should be able to take mine that way as well,” Kan says. Without further warning, he ejects blood from his body and sends it shooting down Himiko’s throat. Not long after does the unconscious girl gasp suddenly, her chest heaving up and down even though her eyes are still tightly shut, color instantly beginning to return to her face.
It’s then that Aizawa bursts through the front door. “I was on the other side of town when I heard,” he apologizes, for once looking almost frazzled. “Izuku, tell me, why is your arm bandaged and why is Kan here and-”
He’s finally come around to the other side of the couch.
“-And why is there an unconscious girl in our home?”
“Ah,” Izuku said, scratching his head semi-sheepishly. “Well, the first two items can be attributed to the third, but long story short, I took a walk, went to buy milk, and then she followed me home, cut my arm, licked the blood, and then passed out.”
Aizawa sighs. “Problem child.”
Izuku can’t even argue with that.
“She shows signs of severe child neglect,” Yamada speaks up. “Shouta…”
“I-” Aizawa starts, but Yamada cuts him off.
“She’s a special case!” he exclaims. “Her Quirk has specific medical needs—”
“Needs that I am best suited to take care of,” Kan interjects, standing up. “I will take her. You can be sure that her needs will be well met,” he promises.
Himiko’s eyes slowly flutter open and she pushes herself into an upright position, watching Kan with something akin to disbelief. “You’ll… you’ll accept me?” she whispers.
“Mmhm, yes. But first, open your mouth. You’re still at a blood deficit.”
Obediently, Himiko complies, and Kan slowly sends more blood into her open mouth. She swallows, closing her eyes to savor it, and when she opens then again there’s awe in her gaze.
“You’re like me.”
The Blood Hero nods. “I am.”
“You helped me.”
“I did, and I’d do it again.”
“You’ll accept me?” she asks again. “How?”
“I’m a Pro Hero, which means I have an emergency foster license,” Kan explains. “And I’ll do my best to keep you safe–”
“But you’re a hero!” Himiko bursts out. “Why are you helping? You never help! No one helps!”
And Izuku’s heart shatters a little bit.
“I promise that whatever you’ve gone through, you shouldn’t have,” Kan responds, placing a hand over his heart and kneeling down in front of Himiko. “And you won’t have to go through it anymore–”
“They called me a monster.” Himiko’s voice breaks.
“You’re not one,” Kan declares.
“But-”
“Don’t ever believe that, okay?” he interrupts. “Whoever ‘they’ are, they’re not the ones who define you or control you anymore.”
He looks her in the eyes.
“You’ll be safe with me. You’ll be safe,” he repeats.
“But they said it was disgusting; they said I had to hide it for anyone to ever want me. Will you…?”
Will you be like them?
The unspoken question hangs in the air for a long moment before Kan grips Himiko’s hand between his own.
“I knew about it, and yet I still want you, don’t I?” he asks. “And look at me– you said it yourself: I’m like you. And I will want you no matter what.”
He smiles, and Himiko can see the tips of pointed canines that are just like her own.
“The world may be cruel, and there will always be those who look down on you or disregard you. Yet you have to just keep moving forward and always know: you’re not a monster, not a villain, not whatever they may label you. You never will be. Okay?”
And Himiko shakily nods, holding back tears that threaten to fall from eyes shining with tentative happiness.
For the first time in a very long time, a girl ostracized by her schoolmates, abandoned by her parents, and almost rejected by society finds herself able to imagine a future in which not all is completely hopeless.