echoes of the living

by treeoathh3

Summary:

Izuku is stuck in a zombie apocalypse. Well whatever, his whole life has been shitty might as well add man eaters onto the shit pile.

Notes:

so yeah, i stole of lot of this shit from other forms of zombie media. just had to get this fic outta my head. below is some general info for the fic

Chapter 1: disgusting

Types of Zombies

Overall name- Cranks 

Roamers- Weakest form they’re slow and can’t use their quirks. They make up most of the population. 

 

Groaners- They’re slippery, it’s hard to hit them with a gun. They can use their quirks about as well as when they were human.

 

Sprinters- They are very fast, faster than the average human tenfold. They never get tired and once they lock onto a target they don’t stop chasing unless they’re stopped somehow. To add onto the pile they can use their quirk about as well as a groaner.  

 

Clickers- They’re blind and find things by sound. (yes I stole this from the last of us, sue me) Mainly found in dark locations. Extremely dangerous, stronger than ten pro heroes. Can lengthen limbs. Body mutation. About as skilled as a high end Nomu. Beyond saving. Has one or more quirks.

 

The Decayed- The most dangerous variation of zombie. Stronger than 5 clickers together. Beyond saving, no humanity left. Very intelligent. Very perceptive. They have multiple quirks.

Izuku's rules

1. Double Tap
2. If you can run, then run 
3. Silence is key
4. Cardio for the bros
5. Listen to your gut
6. People are a disease
7. Expiration dates don’t matter
8. Rusty is a no go
9. Good style matters
10. Quality over quantity 
11. Blades don’t need reloading
12. Use your head, brains for gains
13. Cleanliness over deadliness 
14. Attention to detail 
15. Parkour for the hoes
16. Pack light
17. Always buckle up
18. Never run around a corner
19. Stay entertained
20. If it’s Gray, STAY AWAY

---

1

Disgusting was the first word that came to mind, the scene before him was nothing other than disgusting. Hundreds of corpses lay sprawled out in the street. The street that was once filled with the living, now reeked with the stench of death. Despite being so young, he was used to the smell by now. He was used to seeing cold, pale, lifeless bodies. He was used to how the injuries on the bodies would make the former humans look unrecognizable. How it would make them look nothing more than rotting flesh on the ground. In recent years, seeing horrific sights such as these, were as normal as seeing a cloud in the sky. These bodies were older though, for they had been lying on this street for months. They were slowly decomposing, some were skeletons by now.

Izuku walked calmly through the streets, his footsteps silent despite the broken rubble and dead leaves. It was a useful skill he’d learned through trial and error. He had too many supply runs gone wrong all because he wasn’t stealthy enough. Once he figured out how to make his steps as light as feathers, it became muscle memory. 

(How did he learn? From the movie Leap. But apparently the name was changed to Ballerina? Weird.)

It was a windy and relatively cloudy day. The sun would peek out from its hiding place every once in a while, and Izuku would try to bask in its warmth. It was august and winter was fast approaching, he was going to soak up as much sun as possible. Despite being accustomed to life as it was now, Izuku didn’t think he’d ever get used to the eerie quiet. It was unnatural, especially in a city as big as this one. It was basically silent except for the periodic piece of trash blowing across the street like a tumbleweed. Sometimes there was a cat digging through dumpsters, looking for any sort of scrap to fill its empty stomach. Or perhaps the occasional falling sign, its weathered hinges got so rusty it finally gave in and broke. It’s ironic, any outsider would simply think this city was abandoned, for there was no sign of any life. No sign of any life. Because there is no life. There is only one of them. 

They didn’t make any noise except for their feet dragging as they walked and the occasional groan. They were sluggish and slow until they saw something worth chasing. As if their only reason for being brought into this world was to hunt, or better yet, to kill. 

As long as you were quiet, and unnoticeable, you could survive. Izuku didn’t like that word much though. Survive. It was such a grim word. Izuku liked to think of his life more as living, just in a dystopian setting. He was living in a deserted city filled with the dead. He had adapted to his surroundings and found tips and tricks that helped him to live. He was extraordinarily smart, tactful, resourceful, and skilled. The fittest survive, and the weak die out. If you had told him a couple years ago he’d be among the strong, he would’ve laughed in your face. After all, being unnoticeable and quiet weren’t usually admirable traits, but they were the two he excelled at the most. 

Well that and his extraordinary fashion sense. Izuku took this shit seriously, his outfits were top tier, and extremely practical. His nice slightly olive green slightly baggy cargo pants with at least 20 pockets for storage, paired with his hiking boots for easy maneuvering. He also had a plain baggy black t-shirt along with some necklaces and fingerless gloves. Pair all of that with his weapons belt and small backpack, Izuku looked pretty badass.

Anyways back on track. 

However it’s not strength alone that allows you to survive in a zombie apocalypse. In fact, Izuku barely relied on his strength. You have to be perceptive and resourceful. Those were the two top qualities a person must possess to thrive in an apocalypse. He had everything written down in his guidebook.

“20 foolproof ways to not die in an apocalypse. Tips and tricks to make survival less boring.” Ha, and Katsuki said his notebooks were ridiculous and useless.

When Izuku was done with the creation of his super secret concoction, he’d return the world to normal. He’d become hella famous and sell his book, making him rich and famous. Not to mention he’d be a hero. A title he never thought he’d attain after having his hopes and dreams crushed by a not so nice doctor, his friends and family, and the #1 hero.   

---

When Izuku reached the young age of four he unfortunately learned the untasteful lesson that not all men are born equal. He was one of the very unlucky kids not to be born with a quirk in a superhuman society. He was insecure and was bullied due to his quirkless status. It was a cold and lonely world for him even before the apocalypse. No kid in elementary school should be told to kill themselves. 

They shouldn’t have to throw away piles of notes from their peers calling him horrible names and saying the world would be better off without him. They shouldn’t have to be forced to wear shoes that stand out because society is discriminatory towards the quirkless. They shouldn’t have to lose their best friend…

Before he found out about his status, he and his friend Katsuki always dreamed of becoming a hero duo together, (despite Katsuki’s constant denial, Izuku knew better). Katsuki had changed though. He had nicknamed him Deku and bullied him a lot, but something told Izuku he didn’t truly mean it. That he was just following the crowd. It hurt, but Katsuki never gave him notes, he never left those disgusting red flowers on his desk or in his locker. He was just there, staring at him in distaste. Always there to shut him down, and remind him of how useless he was. How he could never be anything special. In a way, he reminded him a lot of his mom.

His mom cared about him, he knew that much. They just never had that good of a relationship. When his dad left, they went through a hard time. His mom was depressed and lost her job, and they were even homeless for a while. His mom had always blamed him, even if she wouldn’t say it to his face. 

According to her they were ‘happy’ until they found out about his condition. Unfortunately for them his father couldn’t bear to be seen with a son who was as weak as he was. A son that was destined for a life of shame. So he left, he left Izuku and his mom behind, and he never looked back. His mom couldn’t handle it, she was so helplessly in love with him. She had always overlooked the abuse, both mental and physical, all because when he was happy he seemed like the perfect husband and father. She was blinded by the man he used to be before they got married. So they both suffered for it. Izuku was glad he was quirkless simply because it meant he never had to see his dad again. He could take the bullying from his classmates, but not from his own father. It hurt more knowing that his father had known him since his whole life, and still treated him like shit. So in a way, his condition was a blessing in disguise. 

It was excruciating hearing his mom talk about how much she missed him. How much of a good person he was. She never told him how upset she was that he left because of him, but she always implied it. Izuku remembered one night when they were sleeping in their car, he must have been 7 at the time, and she had been drinking. She was crying and talking about how much she loved his dad, and how happy they were. It made Izuku want to cut his ears off. 

He had to grow up quickly given his situation. Luckily, Izuku was extremely smart and very perceptive, especially for his age. He knew his mom wasn’t very healthy mentally, she couldn't have been. How could she miss someone who was a dirtbag and did nothing but hurt them. He didn’t know how his dad used to be, after all he was diagnosed at age four. Any happy memories he may have had before then were quickly locked away due to the abuse that followed. 

He could only assume his father must’ve been normal and well, nice, before his birth. Which of course made him wonder what he ever did to ruin their family. To make his father leave, and his mom depressed. To make his classmates hate him, and his teachers disgusted by him. Just being quirkless wasn’t reason enough…right?

He always had suicidal thoughts in the back of his mind, but he didn’t truly want to die. Deep down he was still a good kid, one who wanted to help people. He held onto the memories he had before he was given those red shoes. When he was so sure he could be a hero just like All Might. A part of him still held onto that dream. 

Eventually, he and his mom got back on their feet. His mom stopped drinking as much and she got her job back. They were able to get a cheap apartment, nothing special, but way better than being homeless. 

Izuku didn’t see her much at all after she started working. Barely ever actually. They would pass each other in their home on some days when she would get home from her night shift and he had gotten up to get ready for school. But Izuku wouldn’t call that a relationship. His mom had drowned herself in work so she wouldn’t have to be around Izuku that much. He knew it was because he looked just like his father and she couldn’t bear to look at him. Not his fault of course, that his face and presence were the root of all her problems. He had gotten used to it of course, after all it wasn’t like his life had ever been any different. It was like he was a disease, or a parasite. People just couldn’t stand him, nor would they ever be able to. He was quirkless after all, the trash of society. 

---

Throughout every place in Mutsutafu, the mall was definitely Izuku’s favorite looting spot. It had everything a person could need and more. Survival gear, clothing, medical supplies, toys, electronics, home goods, you name it. And the best part was that it was all in one building. He of course would go to other stores and warehouses when he needed to, but he went to the mall every month. It was the closest spot to his bunker, and it had everything he needed so it was convenient. But most importantly, it had figurines.

Rule #17, you gotta stay entertained, boredom kills more than cranks ever could. No one wants to live in complete boredom, and collecting figures was one of his foolproof ways to stay entertained. Ever since he was little, he was always interested in heroes and action figures. But of course, since he was poor (and his mom never cared to buy him one), he never got to collect any. However, to his absolute thrill, he could now take whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. He had to admit, living in a lawless land had its perks.

Izuku roamed happily through the dark endless halls till he reached his destination. Boxlunch. Since he started looting here, it was always inaccessible to him due to the main and back entrance being blocked off. The entrances were covered in rocky boulders that not only blocked off the doors itself, but also the hallways. Basically, there was no way to get to that side of the store. Izuku had written it off going into Boxlunch entirely when he first found out. Even if he somehow managed to clear out all of the boulders, that was the least of his problems. First off, all that noise that would be made by clearing them would attract dozens of cranks. Not to mention even if he made it to the entrance there was no guarantee that the inside and all the merchandise would be completely intact. 

However, last month he made an exciting discovery.

A couple weeks ago he was chilling on the roof of the mall after he was done with his looting. It was a nice sunny day and he was getting a nice tan. There were a ton of exits along the roof and Izuku noticed that one of the roof hatches was located right next to Boxlunch. In this particular mall every retail store was connected due to a hallway in the back of the store. (Imagine that one scene in stranger things season 3 where robin and steve get their deliveries from, sry i suck at explaining) He was beyond excited because this meant he could check out the store. But just as he was opening the hatch two problems arose. 

First the hatch was chained so he couldn’t open it, second three roamers accompanied by a groaner had somehow managed to make it onto the roof. Figures, just his luck. He booked it home. He was strong but he embodies rule #2. If you can run, then run. In his opinion it’s the most important rule there is. Never put yourself in unnecessary danger. That’s his motto.

Anyways long story short, he got himself some chain cutters and made sure he wasn’t followed this time so he could finally make his way into that store. 

Izuku said a little prayer that the merchandise wouldn’t be ruined and started scaling his way to the roof. He made it to the top, and headed for the east portion of the mall where box lunch was located. Luckily, he had no problems and was able to make it there unscathed. He grabbed his chain cutter bolts outta his bag and got to work. He thanked himself for his dedication to his upper body workouts and broke the chain. He silently dropped down into the dark. He turned on his flashlight and surveyed the area for any cranks. When he deduced there were none he made his way to the back of the store and entered the back hallway that used to be for deliveries and transport for employees. Then, right next door, was the backdoor for boxlunch. 

He tried not to get too excited when he found that the door was intact and unlocked. He held his breath as he slowly creaked the door open. He brought his flashlight up to the store to find it was perfectly fine! Everything was intact. Izuku brought his hand up to his cheek to wipe away a tear of happiness. Then he immediately started geeking out. He hadn’t had this much excitement in years. They had everything. They had figures of All Might, Endeavor, and the new hero Hawks who had risen in the rankings faster than any before him! They had limited edition hero cards and shirts and hoodies that were so cool! They even had a hoodie with a design of his favorite hero ever, Eraserhead!  

This is such a good find , he thought to himself looking at it in awe. It was almost impossible to find any sort of merch on him at all. It was a simple design just like Izuku liked them to be. It was a subtle and small line art of eraserheads famous support weapon, his capture scarf, and a pair of his infamous yellow goggles on top. Perfect. Izuku ditched his crusty old black one and threw on his nice new one. He’d definitely have to throw it in the wash when he got home though cause it was kind of dusty and crusty.

That didn’t matter right now though as he was too high on ecstasy to care.

Eraserhead was one of the more well known underground heroes, but he was still well y’know, an underground hero so barely anybody knew about him. 

Izuku remembered one day when he was nine, his mom randomly gave him her old computer as she was replacing it with a new work one. He loved that thing to death and treasured it more than anything else. It was the first and last gift he had ever gotten from his mother, (if you can even call it a gift). Eventually he got bored one day and decided to teach himself how to hack into things. After about a half hour of research he had hacked into some public security cameras. He had a lot of fun doing this and did it often to practice his skills. One night in particular he noticed something strange.

He was watching a shady drug deal and the two crooks got into a fight. Izuku sighed. Typical. Then the criminal who had a nail lengthening quirk, went in to stab the other guy when suddenly, his nails returned to normal. What? It was as if he didn’t have any control over his quirk, or better yet, it was simply gone, in an instant. The two villains were then wrapped in a grey scarf. Izuku will never forget the feeling of excitement and fascination when the figure finally stepped into light, revealing his stark red eyes behind those strikingly yellow goggles. 

When Izuku was finally done stuffing his second bag with merchandise he made his way out of the mall and started his venture home. Technically yes he is violating rule #16, pack light, but he decided this was an exception. It felt like Christmas in there and he wasn’t leaving a single thing behind. He was strong enough to move efficiently even when carrying two bags. Who cares if he was slightly slower than usual. He wouldn’t run into trouble..probably. 

Izuku hopped skillfully across rooftops, landing gracefully. He then slid down a gutter to get to the ground and started carefully running along the back alleyways. He started running along the sidewalk as he was very close to home. He had taken a pretty large house as his base, sure it may be impractical and somewhat harder to maintain, but he decided he was gonna live in style! There were a couple cranks just out and about and once they caught Izuku in their sights they began to follow him, but they were just roamers so they wouldn’t be able to catch him.

However it was just his luck that he ran into a sprinter just as he was two blocks away from his home. Izuku couldn’t outrun him with this extra bag on him. So Izuku did what was necessary. When the sprinter started running at him, Izuku pulled out his gun. He didn’t like wasting ammunition but this particular sprinter looked like it had some sort of fire quirk. Izuku couldn’t take the chance to take him out with his knife so he pulled the trigger. Bang. A perfect headshot. The shot echoed throughout the general area every crank within a mile was headed his way now. The sprinter fell to the ground, even more dead now then he was earlier.

The sight of it sickened him, he still believed somewhat that they were still human. It’s why he dedicated so much of his time to his super secret concoction. He didn’t like killing, not one bit. But it’s what this cruel world demands for survival, a grim reminder that nothing is the same anymore.

Izuku quickly made it home and double checked all his locks and barricades. Then he got to work unpacking his new haul. He then noticed that there were specks of crank blood on his clothes, and his brand new hoodie. Disgusting . He immediately threw it in the wash.

Chapter 2: origins

Summary:

shit goes down guys

Notes:

so like, i tried my best. im trying to get better at writing so this fic will hopefully help with that. also like sorry if its confusing.... yeah hope you enjoy tho

Izuku Midoriya was 14 years old when the outbreak first started. He was living with his mom, Inko Midoriya, in a small apartment complex. She was working as a nurse so she was one of the first to be exposed. The sickness was a simple flu, then it transformed into something nobody could have possibly imagined. 

 

It came in waves. For most, it began as a simple head cold, but then the coughing grew more ferocious and the fever never stopped. Their quirks started going out of control and then it all just stopped. Their hearts stopped beating and their bodies stopped moving. 

 

The calm before the storm.

 

Izuku remembered when his mom came home with these symptoms. He had felt bad for her and wanted to take care of her, but for the most part, she stayed in her room with the door locked. 

 

It was a good thing though, because if she hadn’t, Izuku wouldn’t be alive today. He remembered how worried he was when he heard her groaning at night, and when he heard things being thrown and pushed over. (Likely from her using her quirk). He had knocked to check on her and ask if she was okay, but she would never answer. He had called emergency services one night when it was really bad. The groaning and banging seemed never ending. They said they would send someone over but the wait would be long because they were pretty short staffed at the moment. 

 

4 hours, and 26 minutes. That’s how long he waited until he heard a knock on his door. Izuku was sitting both in silence and in fear. His mom had gone completely silent more than two hours ago. That was unusual and hadn’t happened for days. The eerie quiet was almost unbearable. 

 

Sure there were times when she would calm down, presumably to sleep. But never silent. The walls were paper thin so he could also hear her breathing or shifting in bed trying to get comfortable. But not now, now she had gone completely silent, almost as if she had just… No, Izuku didn’t want to finish that thought.

 

He had opened the door and explained the situation to the officer. He seemed frustrated, as if this was a waste of his time. But he had come all this way so he made his way over to Inko’s door.

 

Knock…

 

No Answer

 

Knock…

 

Silence

 

The officer grew impatient and began banging on his mothers door and shouting. “Police, open up or I’ll break down this door!” He shouted. Eventually he did just that. He kicked the door open to see complete chaos. 

 

Books and papers were laid across the floors. Clothes and blankets were torn apart as well, but none of this was as disturbing as the blood peppered on the sheets of his mothers bed.

 

Izuku would never forget the sight of the officer's eyes shifting from annoyance to seriousness with a tinge of fear. 

 

Scrrrr

 

Izuku listened as that sound broke the deafening silence. He couldn’t quite pinpoint the location until the officer pulled out his gun and started shouting. His boots… were moving, but he wasn’t moving them. Almost like something was pulling them.

 

That’s when it hit him, his mothers quirk. Izuku looked into her room to see her, arm stretched out and making this disgusting moaning sound. Almost like she was in constant pain but not extreme pain, more like a dull ache. Izuku watched as the officer fired right into his mothers arm. She didn’t even flinch.

 

Her posture remained the same as she continued to pull his boots towards her, ever so slowly. 

 

He shot her again, this time in her other arm. 

 

Izuku knew he was shouting but it was hard to hear over the ringing in his ears. He just watched in horror as this man was putting bullets in his mothers arms. The lighting was bad so he couldn’t see her face, but he could see the blood splattered on the sheets and trickling down her arms. 

 

A small tear found its way down his cheek. He was surprised, he hadn’t cried in a long time. He was a bit overwhelmed right now though so perhaps that’s why. Why was this man shooting his mom? What did she do? Didn’t he come here to help her? That was the whole purpose of Izuku’s call.

 

As he regained his senses he looked up at the man's face again, he was pure terror at this point. He looked as if he was about to run. Perhaps it was the adrenaline he felt as he shot Izuku’s mother, but he didn’t notice that he was inching even closer to her. Despite being shot twice, she never stopped pulling him towards her. He was about a foot deep into the bedroom before he noticed, but by then, it was too late.

She had him right where she wanted him. 

 

It was almost as if time stopped. She has bit him directly in his jugular, his screams were naught but silent. Izuku listened to the gurgling of his throat as blood trickled down his neck. His hands reached for his throat but then they dropped and the body fell. His mother laid over it, the sounds of her chewing made Izuku sick to his stomach. 

 

What in the world was going on? 

 

He finally remembered to breathe and noticed the officer's gun laying right next to him. He picked it up and pointed it right at his mothers head. 

 

Bang

---

Izuku woke up in a cold sweat. Not that dream again. He sat up and turned on a light before making his way into his bathroom. He washed his face and teeth and took a good look at himself in the mirror before leaving to get dressed. 

 

He didn’t have that dream often, but when he did he never felt good. His mom was actually the one who gave him the idea to name this variation of crank a groaner, as she was always groaning(obviously). What kind of son pulls the trigger on his own mother… He hated that dream.

 

He made some eggs for breakfast and then got to work on his super secret concoction. He maneuvered his way to the garage, aka the place where he was keeping all his work. He called the room a deadman's experimentarium, or just DET for short. In it he had his chem set, some herbal plants along with other drugs he was growing, and a variety of tools he had been collecting over the years. It’s been three years since the outbreak so he’s had a lot of time to collect some useful materials. He always made sure he stocked up with the highest value of materials he could find, rule 10 in his guide. Doesn’t matter what it is, always make sure you have the best version of it instead of grabbing more. This coincides with rule 16, aka always pack light. 

 

He immediately got to work with some more experiments on infected bits of flesh he had obtained after some serious zombie fights. He basically kept them in jars and preserved them, which he hated not only because of the smell but also because they looked quite disgusting. But it’s whatever because it’s all in the name of science right? As a wise man once said you gotta do what you gotta do. 

 

Izuku just starts doing what he’s always been doing, injecting random shit into the infected in order to hopefully observe a helpful reaction. He’s been researching and experimenting ever since he established this lab two years ago. It’s always been his mission, his resolve, his passion, to do something about this virus since everyone else just gave up. He had always wanted to be a hero so why not just do that by saving the world's ass and cure everyone. Not only that, but he’d also get hella rich so that’s a plus.

 

When you grow up poor as hell, money in any form is very tempting. 

 

Though it can get kind of lonely, just sitting in the DET, hoping that eventually one of his drug concoctions will do something to help heal that which is lost. It’s the same routine over and over and over and over and over and over……

 

AGAIN. OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

 

He gets up, washes up, gets supplies if he needs and then goes to the DET and shoots drugs up rotting pieces of flesh hoping for a reaction that will probably never happen. He’s been alone his whole life but now it just feels suffocating. A never ending routine that is practically hopeless. A part of him believed that Chisaki was right, this was all for nothing and would continue to be for nothing.  

 

Slap

 

Izuku hit himself, shook his head and groaned in frustration. He couldn’t let himself drown in his own thoughts. Besides, why is that memory coming back to him now? It was so long ago, 2 years at least…

---

When the outbreak first started, things in the city were chaotic as you can imagine. The virus first began in Mustafu when the league of villains first made their debut. New villains in town with the cheesiest nickname. Like seriously? The league of villains? They couldn’t think of anything else? Izuku remembered chuckling to himself when he first read the headline. “ New Villain group calling themselves the ‘League of Villains’ reigned an attack on the USJ ”. Wait, the USJ? Wasn’t that where Katsuki went to train? Izuku immediately began researching more into it and found that class 1-A had indeed been training at the facility when the villains had attacked. Katsuki had passed the entrance exams obviously and was on his way to becoming a hero. Katsuki told him he was placed in class 1-A.

 

Izuku and Katsuki barely ever talked. Before he transferred to UA, Katsuki would go out of his way sometimes just to spout douche comments at Izuku during school hours, but after school, it was pretty non-existent. It was kinda just like Katsuki was trying to impress, or at least please his peers and teachers. 

 

Izuku knew Katsuki for as long as he could remember, and a part of him knew deep down that Katsuki didn’t really want to be mean to Izuku. Katsuki has always been the fiery type, but he and Izuku did use to be best friends after all. Izuku liked to think he knew Katsuki on a deeper level than most.  

 

The easiest way to explain it was that Izuku felt that everyone he had once been close to drifted away from him just because he was quirkless. His parents and Katsuki’s backhanded comments were always directed towards his condition and never really towards his personality or basically who he was as a person. I mean, Katsuki did always say that Izuku’s troublesome muttering habit was hella annoying but other than that their friendship was pretty normal. 

 

In a way, Izuku wanted to believe that Katsuki was so rough because he didn’t want Izuku to get hurt. 

 

When they were little, Izuku rushed to stop a girl from falling into a thorn bush, but in doing so, he ended up falling into the thorn bush himself. Katsuki was yelling at him as he was picking out the thorns, and telling him how stupid he was for doing so. But while he was yelling at him Izuku could see a faint softness in his eyes that told him Katsuki wasn’t really mad at him. 

 

Even still, Izuku liked to believe that he could still see that softness in Katsuki’s eyes when he would yell at him. He didn’t see anything remotely close to that in anyone else's eyes so, y’know. But even still, he’s a dumbass who treats him like shit so Izuku tried his best not to think of him too often. 

 

The last time he and Katsuki had talked before the USJ incident was when Izuku approached him on the day of his entrance exam to wish him luck. 

 

Katsuki scoffed, “I don’t need luck you damn nerd, I’m going to become number 1 with skill and talent alone.”

 

“Of course, I just wanted you to know that I’m…. y’know, rooting for you.”

 

Katsuki rolled his eyes, “Yeah whatever Deku.”

 

And then he left.

 

Izuku hadn’t seen him since because he had been busy with the hero course. He didn’t pass him on the sidewalk on the way to school anymore as UA was in the opposite direction and Katsuki always left earlier than he ever did. His chair was filled by another student in Aldera high, and it almost felt like the bullying grew even more relentless. 

 

Izuku couldn’t help but wonder if somehow, Katsuki was holding off the worst of it by yelling at Izuku himself. Izuku hated thinking thoughts like that because he knew they couldn’t be true. He was holding off a hope that he and Katsuki were something they weren’t. 

 

Katsuki didn’t want to be his friend. Katsuki didn’t want a quirkless loser like him in his life. He didn’t need a weakling to block his way to the top. Izuku had to learn to accept that. 

 

But now, Katsuki had been involved in another villain attack. Izuku couldn’t help but be worried. He knew the fiery idiot was strong, and didn’t need him but even still… This is the second time he’s been involved in an attack. In the same year too!

 

Izuku and Katsuki on his crappy flip phone and there was no answer. God of course he wouldn’t answer it’s midnight you idiot! Izuku felt his cheeks flushed in embarrassment, how stupid. Izuku made sure to wake up extra early the next day to catch Katsuki on his walk to school.

 

“Why the hell did you call me last night?”

 

Yup just as fiery as ever, even this early. 

 

“I’m sorry Kacchan I was just worried, I saw your class was involved in the recent villain attack on the USJ and wanted to check in on you…” Izuku managed to get the words out with minimal stutters, yet still felt so incredibly stupid saying them. 

 

“Whatever, I'm fine, now stop shaking you dumbass, god you should’ve put a coat on if you were going to go to school this early.”

 

Katsuki pulled a hoodie out of his bag and forcibly shoved it in Izuku’s arms. 

 

“Kacchan you really dont-”

 

“You stain this and I’ll fucking kill you.”

 

Izuku paused and looked at the kind sentiment. It’s been a month at least since the last time Izuku talked to Katsuki, and even longer since he talked to him alone in a setting like this. It was early, around 5:30 am and no one else was out. The sun was just beginning to peek over the clouds. 

 

“What happened? Was the league strong? What were their quirks? How many-”

 

Katsuki scoffed. “Stop rambling. They were weak as hell, this weird misty bastard separated the class and teachers. Aizawa-sensei got beat to hell by this disgusting looking monster, I think they called it a nomu or whatever. I obviously helped take out all the small fry, but before I could take on that beast thing and their leader, that scrawny guy with the hands on his face, All might show up. Beat me to the punch.”

 

Izuku looked in awe at Katsuki, he never talked this much to him before, not without an insult or two thrown in. It was nice, almost like old times. 

 

“Wait… All might was there?? …That’s so cool! Bet he took out the villain in one punch.”

 

Katsuki eyed Izuku for a moment, he wondered why he was acting weird about his supposed favorite hero. Normally he’d jump at the chance to talk about the guy but now… Whatever, why would I care, it’s probably related to the sludge villain incident anyways. He really should just get over it. Katsuki thought. 

 

“No, the nomu thing had a quirk that directly countered All mights. All might ended up beating him though, obviously. But only because he got distracted. That thing went crazy and ended up attacking its own master. That’s the reason All Might was able to detain him. I heard it ended up biting a hero and officer as the damn thing was being transported. Crazy shit.” 

 

“That is crazy…I’m glad you’re ok.”

 

Katsuki scoffed again. “Yeah whatever, you distracted me so now I’m going to be late. I want that sweater back by the end of the day.”

 

And before Izuku could respond he was off.

 

That was the last time he saw and spoke with him before it all happened. The virus.

 

Apparently the nomu that had gone crazy was infected with some sort of disease. It’s body couldn’t handle all of its quirks and to counter it, it’s body died. However the people it but we're experiencing the same symptoms as the nomu despite not having multiple quirks. This causes their bodies to eventually die. But what no one expected was that they would come back to life. Then the bodies would turn into disgusting decayed versions of what they once were. The virus was named dorrosion , a play off of corrosion except instead of metals, it decays your very being and flesh. It was deemed incurable. All those who possessed it were no longer considered human and were labeled KOS by the government. (kill on sight) 

 

The virus spread extremely quickly. Many heroes and civilians alike were lost to its cruel nature. The survivors fled to strongholds outside the city created by famous hero schools like UA and Shiketsu high. 

 

Then again, this was all just speculation Izuku had learned from Overhaul. Izuku never got a chance to watch the news or read many articles about the virus before the power lines went down so he placed a lot of faith in Chisaki’s explanation.  

 

After his mothers death, Izuku was forced to leave his home for survival. He had run out of food and water. So despite the chaos, undead around every corner, and impending doom, he ventured to his local convenience store. Though unfortunately for him one dropped chip bag and he had five cranks on his ass. Just as he thought he was done for, five spikes emerged from the ground impaling each of the infected.

 

Izuku blinked. What?

 

“It’s dangerous for kids to be out alone in this world.”

 

Izuku looked up and saw a scruffy and lanky guy. He was wearing a scruffy purple scarf around his neck and a large bird mask on his face. He was strong, Izuku knew that much, and after seeing his quirk in action Izuku knew he wouldn’t even make it far if he tried to run. 

 

The guy was looking at him with intrigue but also a hint of disgust he was terrible at hiding. 

 

“Are you mute? You should know that it’s rude not to respond when your elders speak to you.”

 

“S-s-sorry, I didn’t k-know what to say.” Izuku stuttered. 

The masked man pulled out a handkerchief and tossed it on Izuku’s lap.

“Wipe your tears and get up, that floor is disgusting.”

 

Izuku hadn’t even realized he had been crying. He quickly obeyed the man's orders and stood up. He then bowed. 

 

“Thank you for saving me.”

 

“What’s your name kid?”

 

Izuku raised his head, “Um my name is Izuku midoriya.”

 

“Okay Izuku, you can come with me now.”

 

“C-come with you?”

 

“I won’t repeat myself.”

 

The man then exited the store leaving behind a stunned Izuku. Quickly he gathered his composure and slowly but surely maneuvered around the dead bodies and out the store to see a sleek black along with two other masked men. One of them opened the car door for Izuku to which he thanked them and then entered the vehicle.

 

They drove in awkward silence for a solid five minutes before Izuku decided to break the silence.

 

“If I may ask… what is your name sir?”

 

“Kai Chisaki.”

 

Okay…. Awkward again, this guy seriously does not know how to hold a conversation. Also I must be absolutely insane to have gotten in a car with this guy. I mean, he did save me so I felt an obligation to listen to him but now I’m getting major bad vibes. What if he was a villain before this all went down? 

 

Before Izuku could continue to drown in his own thoughts of worry and doubt, Chisaki decided to explain himself. 

“I’m looking for a way to cure this world of diseases. Not only the one that currently riddles it, but also of another one. I saw you alone and decided to enlist your help. You’ll be provided with meals and a bed so don’t worry about that stuff.”

 

“Enlist my help? Why? I’m just a random kid.”

 

“For testing purposes obviously.” 

 

Izuku’s eyes went wide with fear again. This is bad, this guy wants to experiment on me to find a cure for dorrosion. I thought everyone gave up on that. Not to mention I’m in serious danger, I could die… What does this guy plan on doing with me.

 

“Y-you said you wanted to cure not only dorrosion but also another disease… which one are you referencing?”

 

Chisaki stared at him for a minute before answering. “The disease that has plagued this world for far too long. Meta abilities.”

 

Quirks? This guy wants to get rid of quirks? 

 

“But… why?”

 

Chisaki sighed, “For far too long our society has been worsened by the abilities known as quirks. They’re unnatural and humans were never meant to possess abilities like this. We survived for thousands of years without them. That was our higher civilization, Now we are plagued with heroes and villains and other meaningless labels that rot our society. And look at our city now, this virus targets a users quirk and uses it to decay them from the inside out. If quirks never existed then the world would spin right again. It’s a sickness that only destroys things therefore it must be cured.”

 

Izuku blinked and was too stunned to speak. This guy is insane. 

 

Izuku tried to jump out of the car before he was quickly knocked out. 

 

“Reckless fool.”

 

When Izuku came too he was in a cold hospital bed. He would later come to learn that Kai Chisaki was better known as overhaul, aka a powerful Yakuza villain. Just his luck. Overhaul was obsessed with finding cures to diseases and didn’t care at all what he had to do to make progress. Izuku was brought to a large facility made by the Yakuza clan. Using quirks was forbidden so luckily Chisaki never found out about his status and Izuku had enough foresight to not mention it. He had a feeling if he ever did he would be in even bigger trouble.

There were 30 other testees, either kidnapped or volunteers, scouted by the members of the Yakuza. They were all injected with various drugs, experimented on, and tested on a variety of things, and unfortunately a lot of people died. 

 

Izuku did what he could to survive. 

 

He trained in his room via working out and practicing cheap martial art tricks he got from a magazine he happened to have in his backpack at the time of his capture. Though he couldn’t even call it that because his dumbass willingly got in the car. Luckily Chisaki allowed him to keep his belongings. 

 

Izuku gathered as much information as he could on the place. Every lab rat was kept in similar rooms, and they were all kept on a tight schedule. There was one room that always piqued Izuku’s interest. It was located on the second floor of the facility but Izuku could see it from his testing room due to the layout of the building as it was kind of on a loft thingy. The windows were tinted so he couldn’t see inside but Chisaki spent most of his time in this room if he was downstairs observing other testees and consulting with the other yakuza members. Izuku speculated where his office was or maybe the cultivation of all his research. 

 

Who knows, Izuku personally didn’t care enough to check after the facility was compromised. The last “stronghold” left in Musutfu according to Chisaki was being invaded by cranks. Luckily Izuku managed to somehow escape, leading us to the current events of this story. 

 

Chisaki and the rest of the testes, and most of the Yakuza clan died that day. Those who survived fled the city.

 

Izuku can’t say he’s happy about what happened to him. But without Chisaki, Izuku knows he surely would’ve died. So… at least one good thing came out of that experience.

---

Izuku sat up from his desk and exited the DET, went to the kitchen and made himself an eggo. 

 

“Okay, I’ve convinced myself. It’s about time I go back to that god awful place.”

Notes:

sorry if the end felt rushedddddd sorry sowwy sowwy also BAKUDEKU SLIME, guys im so excited to write more bkdk