Chapter Text
It's the flu, it has to be. There's no way that Izuku would be feeling this rough if it wasn't considering that he's usually pretty healthy. Unfortunately for him it is also the first time that he's been really sick since awakening as the slayer so maybe having heightened senses means illnesses hit him harder than before. He's so lethargic that he hasn't been paying attention to a word that Minoru has been saying as they walk through the school garden on the way to their final lesson of the day. While he knows that's not unusual for their group of friends he still feels a little guilty about it, especially as he's going to be spending the night at Minoru's next time Inko is working the night shift.
“My mum's really excited to meet you by the way,” Minoru says as Izuku finally zones back into the conversation. “This will be the first time I've had a friend over since the hole in the ceiling incident.”
Izuku manages a laugh. “She still mad about that?”
“Yeah which kinda sucks because there's literally nothing I can do about it,” Minoru grumbles.
“You could pay to have it fixed,” Izuku points out.
“I could but the latest instalment of my favourite hentai dating sim just dropped and I want to hundred percent this one,” Minoru says.
“You're terrible,” Izuku tells him.
“I aim to please.” Minoru says and Izuku is about to open his mouth to reply when a girl's voice meets both of their ears.
“Let go of me please!” she cries and both Izuku and Minoru turn to see a girl with black, shoulder length hair trying to pull her arm out of the grip of a boy with purple hair that covers one of his eyes.
“No,” the boy snaps. “You don't get to do that to me, I waited for you for over an hour last night!”
“Seiji please, you're hurting me,” the girl says, tears in her eyes.
“Then where were you?” Seiji demands. “I was at the Bronze for ages! Have you been cheating on me Yui?”
“We're not even together!” Yui cries. “I went out for coffee with you that one time because I felt sorry for you but I'm not your girlfriend so please just leave me alone!”
“You think I should go and get a teacher?” Minoru asks.
“Probably,” Izuku replies.
“Okay,” Minoru says and darts away.
“You don't get to make me look like an idiot in front of my friends and get away with it,” Seiji growls. “I'm going to teach you not to make a fool of me.”
At this point Izuku has to step in. He strides over to them and grabs Seiji's arm. “Like hell you are,” he says and goes to pull him off Yui.
He pulls but Seiji's arm doesn't budge so he adds his other hand and tries again but still he can't seem to pry Seiji away from Yui when this should be no problem for him. Izuku has faced vampires at least twice his size but now he can't even pull one of his peers off a girl. Seiji becomes annoyed with his trying and shoves Izuku off, sending him against the nearby wall which he hits with a thud.
“Fuck off,” Seiji tells him. “This doesn't concern you.”
Izuku tries to stand to tell him off but hitting the wall with that much force has left him winded and he can barely get his feet under him. Before he can even try again a deep voice sounds from behind them all.
“Hey asshole,” Hitoshi says, appearing behind Seiji.
“The fuck do you want?” Seiji just about finishes asking before Hitoshi punches him in the jaw, sending him flying.
“Stop being a dick, you dick,” Hitoshi tells him. He turns to Yui. “You okay?”
She nods, tears still in her eyes. “I think so.”
“Why don't you get out of here, I'll deal with him,” Hitoshi says.
“Okay,” Yui nods and practically runs away.
With her gone he then turns to Izuku and holds out his hand. “You alright?”
Unable to speak Izuku can only nod and allow Hitoshi to pull him to his feet. “Th... thank you,” he stammers once he's finally standing. “I didn't expect him to be able to send me flying like that.”
“Considering who you are I'm surprised too,” Hitoshi says. He looks over the shaking, pale Izuku and something in his usual demeanour softens. “Are you hurt?”
“I... I don't know,” Izuku says, tears filling his eyes. It's exactly like the previous night, nearly getting staked.
Hitoshi looks at him and there is no hint of his usual sneer on his face. “Do you want to go and see the nurse?” he asks. “I can take you.”
Wiping away some stray tears Izuku shakes his head. “No it's fine,” he says. “I think I'm just going to go home early and get some rest.”
“Want me to walk you?” Hitoshi asks, still unconvinced that Izuku doesn't need to go to the school nurse.
“No it's fine,” Izuku says shaking his head. “You don't have to be nice to me, I know we're not exactly friends.”
A chuckle leaves Hitoshi. “I know I'm an asshole but I'm not that much of an asshole,” he says. “I don't mind walking you home if you're feeling shitty.”
Izuku thinks about this for a long moment. “No, really it's fine. I don't want you to get in trouble for skipping school.”
“Well if you're sure...” Hitoshi says, eyeing Izuku suspiciously.
Izuku is about to protest once again and say that he's fine but he doesn't have to as Minoru appears, panting as if he's run a marathon.
“I couldn't find a teacher,” he says, gasping for breath. “What happened?”
Before Izuku can explain Hitoshi jumps in. “I'll be off then, see you around.”
“Thank you Shinsou,” Izuku says as he walks away.
“What the hell did I miss?” Minoru asks once they're alone.
“I don't know,” Izuku says, sinking down to the floor with his head in his hands. “I just got swatted by some nobody and rescued by Shinsou! With this and the vamp nearly staking me last night I don't feel like myself anymore.”
“This flu is really kicking your ass,” Minoru says sitting down next to him.
“You're telling me,” Izuku agrees as tears threaten again. “I'm so pathetic!”
“No you're not,” Minoru tells him firmly. “You're just sick, it happens to everyone and it's worse for you because you're so used to being the strong one.”
Izuku wipes his eyes with the back of his hand. “I know it will go away eventually but it doesn't feel that way at the moment.” With a sigh he gets to his feet. “I think I'm going to go home and get some rest.”
“Do you want some company on the way home?” Minoru asks, also getting up.
“Shinsou asked me the same thing,” Izuku says.
“So he's not a total asshole then...”
“I'll be okay, I don't want you to get in trouble for not going to class,” Izuku says.
“While I want to say I don't care I know that I'm already in trouble with my geography teacher for looking down her top so I don't wanna make her even madder,” Minoru says and Izuku laughs in spite of everything.
“Probably best you go then.”
“Text me when you get home though, okay?” Minoru tells him.
“I will,” Izuku assures him. “If I'm not feeling so awful I'm off school I'll come over.”
“See you tomorrow then,” Minoru says and offers him a small wave, which Izuku returns before heading off towards the school's entrance.
The sky is already beginning to darken as Izuku leaves the safety of school and he knows that he should be more alert because any vampires that happen to be nearby will be waking for the night but he isn't. All he can think about is the looming prospect that he might be returning to his weaker state from before he gained his slayer powers. Nerves begin to bubble inside him the farther away he gets from school and he wonders if maybe he should have taken Hitoshi or Minoru up on their offer for company while he walks home. What if he were actually to run into a vampire in this state? Or, an even worse thought, what if he were to run into Shouto or one of the other members of the Todoroki clan? Izuku knows there's no way he would survive that fight and he finds himself sinking deeper and deeper into despair. Lost in his own thoughts he doesn't notice the low growling from behind him until a sudden roar makes him spin around.
Two huge vampires stand behind him, fangs bared and hungry looking. Izuku's breath catches in his throat and for a fraction of a second he thinks about delving into his backpack for his stake but one of the vampires lunges for him and he thinks better of it. He can't fight in this state – getting thrown off by a boy at school shows that – so instead he turns and runs. Before he can get very far away from the two a third jumps out and blocks his path. Despite his dulled reflexes Izuku is able to change direction and run from the three of them, all of whom are now in pursuit but thankfully he is still fast and he manages to put some distance between himself and the three vampires.
As he turns a corner, both his lungs and legs burning from running, Izuku could cry when he catches sight of the old run down boarding house. If he can get inside he might be able to lose them completely or wait for them to get bored and leave so that he can call one of his friends to come and pick him up. Luckily for Izuku there is a lot of foliage around the boarding house so he is able to slip into it and in through a broken window before the three vampires chasing him can realise that he's gone. Sinking to the floor Izuku breathes a sigh of relief: for now he's safe. Pulling his phone out of his pocket he discovers that he has no signal but that's not the most pressing issue right now. What he has to do is wait for those three to keep chasing after someone they've lost and not start looking around for him so that he can escape.
Slowly he begins to catch his breath and by the time he feels able to stand Izuku is pretty confident that the vampires are all gone. Tentatively his sticks his head out of the window he climbed in and looks around. When he sees that there is no one there Izuku breathes a sigh of relief and begins to climb out so that he can get as far away from here as possible. A harsh hand around his ankle pulls him back and Izuku can't stop himself from crying out as he's tugged back into the house and slammed against the wall. In front of him stands a vampire with huge fangs and a madness in his eyes that terrifies Izuku.
“Now what is a little mouse like you doing all alone out here?” the vampire asks. “Have you come to be my dinner?”
Terror fills him and Izuku lashes out, punching the vampire in the shoulder but he may as well have been swatting at a fly for all the good it does. The vampire is barely bothered by the hit but Izuku's entire arm is now alight with pain. Fighting has never felt like this before and Izuku has no idea how he's going to defend himself; the only thing he can think to do is run and run he does. Holding on to his still throbbing hand Izuku wriggles away from the vampire and runs farther into the darkness of the house. There is no way for him to get out of this with no strength and no weapons and Izuku knows that he has to think of something otherwise he's going to die. As he goes through each one he makes sure to slam doors behind him but the vampire is so strong he tears through them as easily as if they were paper.
Finally Izuku makes it to what was a kitchen and as soon as he slams the door closed he shoves a rickety looking chair under the handle, hoping that it will buy him some time. Thankfully this door seems to be sturdier than the others so the vampire isn't able to break it instantly. Izuku dives into his backpack and in and among all of his school stuff and wooden stakes is a very large bottle filled with holy water. He has no idea how it got there – maybe Yuga put it in there when he stayed over – but Izuku can work with this. With a combination of the holy water and a rusty bucket in the corner of the room he waits until the vampire has broken the door and throws the entire bucket of holy water on top of him as if he were washing a car.
Instantly the vampire begins to smoke, crying out in agony. While it's screaming in pain Izuku uses every ounce of strength he still possess and shoves the vampire backwards onto a broken piece of the door and it explodes into dust. Shaking all over Izuku sinks down to the floor and tries to catch his breath again. That must have been the only vampire in the house otherwise he's sure that there would be more of them swarming him by now so he continues to sit as the pounding of his heart returns to normal. Once his hands have stopped shaking he pulls his phone out of his pocket but finds that he still has no signal. Pushing himself to his feet he makes his way over to the back door to go home and clean himself up before his mum finds out that he's not at school.
He's about to take hold of the door handle when it bursts open, causing him to jump back in terror as a large figure stands in front of him. A scream leaves Izuku's lips and he recoils, not prepared to face another vampire but before he can get his bearings enough to run away he realises that it's not a vampire in front of him at all.
“Are you okay kid?” Aizawa asks as he steps into the house and Izuku can finally see him properly.
Izuku opens his mouth to reply but everything that has happened in the last half an hour suddenly hits him and he runs to Aizawa, hugging him and sobbing into his coat.
“It's okay,” Aizawa tells him as he wraps his arms around him and holds him tightly. “I've got you, everything is going to be alright. You're safe now.”
Eventually Aizawa manages to get Izuku to calm down with the help of his friends and they all head back to the library. When they arrive Travers is in Aizawa's office on the phone (presumably to someone in England) so Mashirao goes to get Izuku a can of coke from one of the vending machines while the others fill him in on what has been happening. Izuku listens, barely able to take anything in. He knew that there was something he disliked about Travers but he never imagined that he would do something like this!
“It's an organic compound of muscle relaxants and, among other things, adrenal suppressors,” Aizawa tells him, showing Izuku the box containing the needle that Travers has kept locked away in his bag.
“And he's been injecting me with this?” Izuku asks.
“It is while he had you staring at that Grounding Crystal,” Yuga tells him as he cleans some of the lingering dirt from Izuku's face.
Izuku stares at the box, bile rising in the back of his throat as he takes it all in. “Will I...?”
“It's temporary,” Aizawa cuts in when he trails off. “You'll be back to yourself again in a few days.”
“Good,” Izuku says, tugging the blanket Ochako gave him tighter around himself. “I can't be helpless like that again... when I hit him it felt like my arm broke.”
“This is one fucked up test,” Minoru says as he glares at Travers' back through the office window.
“My thoughts exactly,” Aizawa says. “I've never agreed with it and I certainly didn't want to have any part in it when you were supposed to go through it but the Council decided to bring it forward without either of us knowing. It's an antiquated exercise in cruelty and they never should have done this before you were old enough.”
“It was perfectly controlled,” Travers' voice says and everyone turns as he comes out of the office. “The Council would never have let anything happen to Mr Midoriya, if it had then we would have stepped in.”
“Like you stepped in and injected me without my knowledge or consent, or Mr Aizawa's, because you thought I needed to be tested,” Izuku says glaring at him.
“You may not understand this now, Mr Midoriya, but this has been for your own good,” Travers tells him. “You exhibited extraordinary courage and clear-headedness in battle and the Council is very pleased with your performance.”
“Well isn't that just what I wanted to hear,” Izuku mutters darkly. “Do I get a gold star for passing?”
Travers sighs. While he hadn't expected Izuku to be leaping for joy he didn't expect this level of resistance. “I understand that you're upset.”
“No you don't. You don't understand anything.”
“Yeah Midoriya could have been seriously hurt!” Toru jumps in, shooting a ghostly glare Travers' way.
“I am aware that you all think this test was unfair,” Travers says, his tone diplomatic, “but we're not in the business of fair. We're fighting a war.”
“You're waging a war, he's fighting it,” Aizawa growls. “There's a difference. Now get out of my library.”
“Be very careful with what you say next Aizawa,” Travers warns. “Your strong desire to protect the slayer is detrimental to your duty.”
“Then screw my duty!”
“You are incapable of clear judgement and, therefore, you are useless to the cause,” Travers tells him.
“Listen here you pompous–”
“I passed the test,” Izuku says, cutting him off as he places a hand to his head and wishing that it would all just stop. “Can you just leave please? We're done.”
“Not quite,” Travers says, turning to Aizawa. “He passed, you failed.”
“What?”
“The slayer isn't the only one performing in this situation Aizawa,” Travers tells him, fixing Aizawa with a hard stare. “I have recommended to the council, and they have agreed, that you will be relieved of your duties as Watcher, effective immediately. You're fired.”
Stunned silence follows his statement; Aizawa looks as if he's been slapped and all the colour drains from his face.
“The Council feels it would be best if you were to have no further contact with the slayer,” Travers continues, caring nothing for the anguish he has just caused all present, “therefore you will accompany me back to England and a new watcher will be sent to Japan in your place.”
“But I have a job...” Aizawa says, his voice as broken as him.
“This is not a negotiation Aizawa,” Travers tells him. “The Council agrees that you are no longer fit to be the boy's watcher. If you do not co-operate and return with me then we will be forced to take drastic action.”
Aizawa sags like a deflated balloon. “Fine,” he mumbles, eyes cast down to the floor.
Travers turns to the teenagers, all sitting around the table staring at him in horror. “You may go home,” he tells them. “There is no reason for you all to stay.”
“Come on Deku, we'll walk you home,” Ochako tells him as she, Yuga, Mashirao and Minoru get to their feet but Izuku refuses to move.
“No,” he says, glaring at Travers, who raises an eyebrow at him.
“Excuse me?”
“I don't want another watcher,” Izuku says. “I want Mr Aizawa to stay.”
Travers frowns at him. “That's not for you to decide, young man.”
“Actually it is,” Izuku says. “I'm the slayer and I won't have a new watcher. If Mr Aizawa goes then so do I.”
“I would have thought that you should understand that it doesn't work like that,” Travers tells him.
“Bite me!”
“Young man–” Travers begins as if he's about to launch into lecturing him.
“I won't have another watcher,” Izuku repeats. “You forced me into a test I was too young for so if you send another watcher then I'll quit the Council.”
Travers studies him as if weighing up whether to fight him or not but then seems to think better of it, knowing that he can't afford to go back to the rest of the Council and tell them that he has lost the slayer. “Fine,” he says. “If that is the way you want to bargain then Aizawa will remain as your watcher.”
“Thank you.”
“But,” Travers continues, “because he failed the test I still require him to return to England for a short amount of time and when he comes back to Japan another watcher will be accompanying him.”
“Why?”
“To make sure that he is upholding the Council's ideals,” Travers says.
“Okay fine but you won't send anyone in his place,” Izuku says firmly. “Once he's done what you want him to in England he can come back and I'll still carry on doing whatever it is you want me to.”
“That is acceptable,” Travers says.
“Good,” Izuku says. He can feel tears welling up in his eyes but he manages to hold himself together. After everything that has happened tonight he can't show weakness in front of Travers; he has to hold his ground otherwise Aizawa could be taken away from him again.
“However,” Travers says, “you will need a chaperone while he is gone.”
“Oh I think they'll be alright,” Aizawa says, grinning as Izuku's friends come to stand behind him.
Travers looks at him in horror. “Aizawa you can't be serious! We're talking about children here.”
“Actually we're talking about the slayer, a very powerful witch who is probably descended from Momo Yaoyorozu, a werewolf, a walking encyclopedia on all things occult, a ghost who has been on the Hellmouth for the last sixty years and a boy who currently has more magical power held in his penis than the majority of people in this room put together.”
“He's talking about me,” Minoru whispers with glee.
“I can assure you that he wishes he wasn't,” Yuga whispers back.
Aizawa gives Izuku a wink before he turns back to Travers. “I think they're going to be just fine on their own.”