Izuku flinched and bit into his knuckle, eyes squinted in pain as he watched Katsuki clean the fresh wound.

Katsuki was still a little pale and clearly still processing what had just happened, but was trying to focus more on preventing infection to distract himself from everything else. He held Izuku's flashlight in between his teeth, pointed at the wound.

"Sorry..."

The blond grunted, setting aside the tequila and reaching for the gauze he had fished out of Izuku's pack.

"For not telling you sooner that I had been bitten before..."

Katsuki huffed, placing the gauze on the wound, causing another flinch, then removed the flashlight and turned it off. "Not like it would have made a difference."

"You wouldn't have wanted to chop my arm off."

"That's probably true..."

Izuku hummed, watching as Katsuki carefully wrapped his arm.

Katsuki inhaled deeply through his nose and leaned back into the chair once he finished, folding his arms over his still-bare chest. "How do I know you're telling the truth? How do I know you're not going to turn on me?"

The greenette swallowed and looked away, then peeled the glove off his right hand. Katsuki's scowl was unchanging as he spotted the pale, crescent scar between Izuku's thumb and pointer finger. The scar was deep and torn where his attacker's canines had dug deeper.

"This is the first bite... It happened two months in... A mimic... The one that got my dad killed..." He licked his lips and swallowed hard, then pulled on the collar of his shirt, down and back to reveal a second scar. More shredded, raised skin, much more vicious than the first on his hand. Katsuki's throat dried and he reached to touch it. "That one is... Is how I escaped them the first time... They didn't know I'm immune... So when Shindo saw me bitten, he just left me there... And I was able to get away in all the chaos..."

Katsuki grit his teeth, tips of his fingers brushing over the pale scar. "That's why he thought you were dead..?"

Izuku nodded, releasing his shirt. Katsuki snapped his hand back as the fabric bounced back into its place, but crumpled and uneven. He scrunched his nose and fixed it. When Izuku looked at him, he realized he was still recovering from his own shock and focusing on something completely meaningless. He dropped right back into the chair, crossing his arms.

"And that's why you're so hellbent on getting to the CDC," more of a statement than a question, really.

Again, Izuku nodded.

"Do you know if there's any more people immune?"

"Oh, yes. Absolutely." Izuku turned to more fully face his companion. "Some people don't realize it and think it's a fluke. Some people know, but are terrified of letting others know... People have been killed for informing someone they've been bitten, even if it's scarred. Some people... Some don't know it because they're limb has been cut off... People don't realize that cutting off the limb doesn't help unless it's cut off the exact moment they're bitten because of how fast-acting the disease is... You'll still become infected, just... At a slower rate, unless you are immune. Then there's those who kill themselves because they've been bitten..."

Katsuki looked down to the hardwood floors, brows pinched together. "And those who don't know at all because they haven't been bitten."

"Right."

"How are so many immune?"

"It's just like there's all the different infected." Izuku rubbed his hands together. "The CDC believes the special infected are that way due to a genetic mutation. Something in their DNA made it so they're not just practically walking around brain dead. I think it's the same for the immune. It's something genetic."

Katsuki breathed deeply and rubbed his eyes. He's trying to take it all in at once, staring at the bandaged wound on Izuku's arm.

Dark thoughts came to mind and he finally met his eyes. "How are you still alive..?"

Izuku stared at him for a few moments. "I... I told you, Katsuki. I'm immune. The bite won't turn me, I-"

"That's not what I mean."

The greenette wasn't understanding him.

Katsuki leaned forward. "How... How have you not killed yourself..? All this shit you've been through... Anyone else would have put themselves out of their own misery."

"Oh..." Izuku swallowed and looked away. He slouched in his chair and rubbed his neck. "I... I won't lie... I tried to... I wanted to die..."

The blond's scowl deepened.

Izuku pursed his lips. "Didn't work out though, I guess. Something always happened when I tried or when I was giving up..."

"Like what..?"

"Well..." He inhaled and smiled awkwardly. "The gun was still on safety the first time... Then, uh... In New York, right before I found the grenades, I... I thought of you..."

Katsuki raised a brow. "Me? You thought of me?" He sounded disbelieving.

Izuku chuckled and nodded. "Yeah... Well, more like something you had said. You remember half-time, your first game as quarterback?" Katsuki's brows only raised more. "You know... You were yelling at everyone and-"

"Are you serious?" Izuku startled slightly as he was interuppted. "My 'life throws you shit' speech?"

"Yeah... That one."

Katsuki stared, blinking slowly. "You heard that?"

The greenette nodded.

"That's the speech that kept you going?"

Izuku chuckled sheepishly, looking away. "Yeah... You probably hadn't intended for it to even have such a lasting impact when it wasn't even directed to me."

"I wasn't even wanting to be motivating! I was just pissed off they were losing my first game as quarterback!"

This made Izuku burst into laughter, clutching his stomach as he leaned forward.

Katsuki just stared at him as if he'd grown a second head. He stood, running his hands through his hair. "I'm going to bed. If you turn overnight, I'm blowing up the house."

Izuku swallowed, smile slowly falling as he watched Katsuki walk away.

~

Katsuki shuffled out of the bedroom the next morning, still groggy. He had to do a double-take when he spotted the bandaging on Izuku's arm.

"Oh, good morning. I didn't hear you come out."

"Still no symptoms?"

Izuku blinked a few times, then sighed, raising his arm. "Nope. No fever, no delusions, no dizzniness, nausea or hunger. Just a bandaged bite. It's been about... Nine hours since the bite.

"So still about seventeen hours left."

The greenette frowned. "You still don't believe me..?"

Katsuki scoffed, adjusting the too-small shirt. He should go back and try to find one that fits better. "Well, excuse me for never having met or heard of someone with immunity."

"Why can't you trust that I know I'm immune..? I've been bitten twice before and haven't turned. The third bite isn't going to be any different." Izuku walked passed Katsuki and grabbed his knapsack.

The blond just huffed and looked around, furrowing his brows. "Where the hell is the dufflebag?"

Izuku raised a brow. "Outside? Where you left it?"

Katsuki rushed to the window, peering out into the street and cursing under his breath as he spotted the open duffle bag exactly where he left it... With several infected wandering the street around it.

One of the infected he recognized as the guy who bound his arms to the chair.

"Do you want to stay another day..? Wait for some of the infected to clear up and monitor me..?"

Katsuki breathed deeply, staring out the window. "No... Just let me change shirts..."

-----

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Katsuki is clearly struggling to accept the whole immunity thing.