The three boys stood in the president's office, heads lowered and hands clasped in front of them. Kio made sure to stand in the middle, wings up and flared behind him to somewhat shield the other two. They stuck close to his sides, shoulders almost touching as the president paced in front of her desk, sharp eyes not once leaving their small forms.
"You do realise that there are consequences to your actions. You broke the rules, so now you have to be punished."
They remained silent, knowing just how bad they had messed up. Last time one of the trainees broke the rules, she was kicked out to the streets with nothing but the clothes on her back. They were lucky to be getting off with a simple punishment.
The president snapped her fingers, two other commission members stepping forward with quirk-repressing collars in their hands. The boys didn't resist as they were quickly clasped onto their necks. They were used to wearing these collars since they had to wear them during physical training to properly train their bodies. They glanced at each other with mild hope, maybe this was all they would get, just having to wear the collar for a while didn't seem too bad.
The president waved her hand, signalling for the third worker to step forward. He walked up to the trio with his hands raised, lightly touching Touya and Keigo on the forehead. Their eyes rolled back as they immediately collapsed to the floor. Kio's wings, which had relaxed against his back, flared out once more as he bent down to check on them. His eyes narrowed in a glare, looking up just to feel a hand touch his forehead before he too, was out like a light.
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Kio woke up to the sound of chains, wincing at the ache in his limbs. He opened his eyes, glancing around at the room he was in. It was big, lights shining brightly overhead and searing into his tired eyes. Swiping his gaze along the floor, he saw Touya and Keigo, kneeling side by side in the middle of the room with their hands bound behind their backs. Keigo's wings were wrapped in ropes too, he could see them digging painfully into the soft feathers. They were looking around the room, appearing to have just woken up too.
Kio tried to get up, to make his way over to them and see if they were ok, but the sound of chains rattled in his ears as he moved his arms. Looking down, chains were wrapped around his body, tight enough to keep him still and strong enough so he couldn't break out of them. He was propped up against the wall in front of Keigo and Touya, the ends of the chains attached to small hooks above him. His wings twitched at his back, sending a jolt of pain up his spine. They were pressed between himself and the wall in an almost painful angle, he shouldn't move them too much.
He glanced up at Keigo and Touya, who were looking at him with panic and confusion. Kio gave them a small smile, opening his mouth to try and comfort them in some way, but the sound of a door dragging open stopped him before he even began.
His mouth snapped shut, the smile fading from his lips as the president walked in with another, older trainee in tow. She stood to the side, eyes roaming over all their bound forms before gesturing to the trainee who stepped out from behind her. Kio recognised him, he was the one who confronted Keigo and Touya in the cafeteria when he wasn't around. A growl resonated in his chest, instincts screaming "danger" and "protect".
He watched with sharp eyes as he stepped in front of Touya, touching him lightly on the forehead. Touya hissed in pain, curling in on himself. Red eyes narrowed in a glare, immediately snapped to the president with a snarl pulling at his lips.
"What the hell did he do to him."
She remained calm and collected, regarding him out the corner of her eyes.
"He's temporarily borrowing his quirk."
(Just a little note: this trainees' quirk is similar to Monoma's but instead of copying it, he steals it for a short amount of time. The more powerful the quirk, the less time he has with it.)
The trainee got back up, flexing his hands with a small smirk. The president turned on her heels, walking back towards the door.
"You know what to do."
"Yes ma'am."
With that, she was gone, leaving the four boys alone in the room. The trainee spun around, a smirk growing on his lips as he walked in circles around Keigo and Touya, eyes not once leaving Kio's glare.
Keigo and Touya remained silent, pressed against each other for some semblance of comfort. Kio could see the light tremble in their forms, the fear in their eyes, and the fact that he couldn't do anything about it was killing him.
"About time you guys got what was coming for you. You were getting too cocky for your own good."
Kio struggled against the chains, lips pulled back in a snarl.
"When I get out of these chains, you better believe you're not walking out of here alive."
The smirk dropped from his lips as he stopped in front of Keigo and Touya, turning his back to Kio.
"I would sacrifice my life for the commission, and if I get to put you guys in your place too, I'd die happy."
Kio could do nothing but watch, terror twisting his stomach as the trainee raised his palms and unleashed a torrent of blue flames at the other two.
Gut-wrenching screams pierced the air as the wall of heat crashed into Keigo and Touya. Kio could see them thrash and writhe within the flames, could barely hear their faint cries as they called out for him over the blood rushing in his ears. He struggled harder in his chains, body jerking forward in response to their frantic calls. His heart was beating rapidly, panic and fear squeezing at his chest.
"Stop it! Stop it! You're gonna kill them!"
Instincts screamed at him, to break out these chains and get to them, hold them, protect them, but he couldn't. The chains were too strong, specially designed to keep him in place. Tears ran down his cheeks as he helplessly thrashed in his place against the wall. He was shouting, screaming, begging for him to stop, to let him free so he could tend to them, but the other didn't listen, just kept the steady stream of fire going.
Just when he thought he couldn't take any more, the screams stopped. Terror ripped through his chest as everything suddenly went silent, only the sound of rushing flames present in the room. Kio stopped, wide eyes staring into the fire, seeing the way their bodies stilled and collapsed on the floor, one on top of the other. Something snapped within him.
Faintly, he could hear the loud rattling of chains, could feel himself moving across the floor, limbs free and heavy. He felt his talons slash against skin, could smell the metallic stench of blood permeate the air. Small bodies were cradled in his arms, wings and tail curling around them, trying to absorb as much of their heat as he could. He pressed them to his chest, hoping, praying for them to be alright, that he got there in time.
One of them twitched, it was small but Kio felt it. The knowledge that at least one of them was still alive cleared his mind a bit. He quickly brought a hand up to check their pulses, feeling the skin jump slightly beneath his fingers. Relief washed over him in a staggering wave, falling to the ground as small 'thank you's escaped his lips.
That's when he finally took the time to look over the extent of their injuries. Most, if not all, of Keigo's feathers had been burnt off, leaving tiny burnt nubs on his back. He must have used his wings to take the brunt of the attack, protecting both himself and Touya. Touya's bandages had also been burnt off, leaving smoking, black strands clinging to his skin. Their arms and legs had nasty burns all over them, patches of skin burnt off completely and hair singed at the ends.
Their clothes were in shreds, barely hanging onto their limp forms as Kio stood on shaky legs. He wrapped his wings around them, shielding them from view. They stirred in his arms, small whimpers escaping their lips. Kio was careful not to jostle them too much, to not cause any more damage. He turned with a heavy sigh, making his way to the door. He opened it with his tail, just now properly noticing that he had shifted forms to his much bigger one.
He sighed once more, pulling the door open and immediately stopping upon seeing what was on the other side. The president stood there, calm and collected as always, even after seeing the blood covering Kio's hands and the burnt but alive bodies in his arms. A growl rumbled through his chest, wings tightening protectively and tail swishing behind him. The president said nothing as she stepped around him, motioning for the other workers to follow in behind her. Kio had half a mind to kill her then and there but managed to restrain himself. She was powerful, if he did somehow manage to kill her, it would only cause him problems later down the line.
He turned away, making his way directly to their room to tend to their burns. He laid them down on the soft sheets that made their nest, grabbing some cool water and a washcloth. He made sure the water wasn't too cold, but cold enough to soothe their burns without leaving any scars. He cleaned them up with gentle hands, shedding their clothes and bandages while he was at it. Once he deemed them clean enough, he grabbed the moisturiser, rubbing it into the dry skin.
When everything was done and the boys were properly tended to, snoring away in their little nest, Kio took the time to bandage up his own injuries. The chains had dug into his skin and scraped against his arms and legs when he broke free. Tending to his own wounds didn't take as long and he was curled around Keigo and Touya before much time had passed at all.
He pressed them closer, mindful of their burns as they instinctively shuffled into him. He curled around them, soft promises leaving his lips, of protection and safety before he finally allowed his eyes to flutter shut, sleep taking over his tired mind.