Bruised And Broken

"He's dead."

"He was there.." Shoto murmured in a daze. His bleary eyes glazed across the dimly-lit room, before stopping to stare out into the night sky. "But he couldn't have... he's dead."

"Shoto, come back to me." Hizashi said. The dissociative tone in Shoto's dazed voice was scaring him. He shook the teen's shoulders incredibly gently, not wanting to worsen his injuries. However, Hizashi was all for avoiding another spacing-out episode of Shoto's, because the teen never fully came back for a few hours, even days.

"Hizashi." That voice was music to his ears. The blonde looked round from his position seated on the edge of the bed to see Aizawa in the doorway. Shoto relaxed slightly at hearing the pro hero's baritone voice.

"Is he okay?" Aizawa asked. Just as Hizashi was about to respond, Shoto's eyes slipped shut and he slumped onto Hizashi fully.

"He's exhausted." The blonde replied, laying the teen back onto the bed. With a quiet exhale, Aizawa moved forward to tuck the blankets up to Shoto's chin.

Hizashi let out a long drawn-out sigh and sank into the blue plastic visitor chair. "Can this kid just please catch a break?"

"Life is cruel." Aizawa replied bitterly. "But we'll help him through it."

Hizashi nodded wearily. Aizawa occupied the chair next to him, and the blonde rested his head on his spouse's shoulder. As Hizashi's green eyes slipped closed, Aizawa gazed at the prone Shoto, promising himself that he would help the kid in every way he knew how.

~

"He's too young to train! He just turned 6!!"

"He must surpass All Might."

"No! He must live a life that makes him happy." A single act of defiance, a sentence of disagreement. Rei had bandages wound around her arms for the next month.

Shoto jolted awake, realising with a pang that he'd had yet another nightmare. How weak, a voice inside his head (that sounded suspiciously like his father) whispered.

Haunted eyes turned to observe Aizawa and Hizashi. The couple were still asleep, their chest's rising and falling perfectly aligning with the other's. Shoto couldn't help but allow himself a sliver of happiness as he watched the happy pair. He also couldn't help the rush of pride when he realised that these people were his dads.

Shoto felt the heat rising to his cheeks as he caught up with his racing thoughts. This was the first time he'd looked at Aizawa and Hizashi and regarded them as his parents, not his generous teachers who took him in 2 and a half months ago.

He'd never seen them as his parents simply because they were so different from his biological parents. Rei was a good mother, until that day (although Shoto still saw her as a good mother, their relationship had been permanently tainted), and Enji was just one shitbag of a parent, no questions asked. But Hizashi was eccentric, funny, caring and unwittingly capable of making Shoto smile. Aizawa was gentle and supporting, and he held an understanding in the depth of those dark eyes that made Shoto feel so safe and warm.

Shoto struggled with the concept of a happy family, but he was pretty sure that the Aizawa-Hizashi household had to be the definition of one.

~

Presently abandoning his previous musings, Shoto cast his mismatched eyes to the window. The sun was peeking above the horizon, a warm golden stopping short of his bed. The golden was dim and encompassing, enchanting Shoto in an indescribable way.

Sunrise.

Normally he detested sunrise, because it meant getting up for training, despite only having got a maximum of 5 hours sleep, and being beat to a pulp within the following hour.

Over the past 2.5 months with his new parents, Shoto had grown to love it because it signalled the beginning of a new day. A new day to bask in the warmth of his parent's smiles, a new day to hug and play with Yuki, a new day to laugh at the 1-A shenanigans, and most importantly a another step away from his past and into his (hopefully) bright future.

Shoto ran a hand through his limp locks, subconsciously noted he ought to wash it soon. His fingers brushed over the bandage around his temple and let a wave of bitterness wash over him.

Ignoring the dull ache in his side, he swung his legs over the side of the bed. His bare feet made contact with the cold floor and a small shiver ran through his body. Gritting his teeth, he hauled himself up. At first, he stumbled uncertainly until his legs registered he was standing.

With wavering steps, he made his way over to the window. The window stretched from the roof to the floor, and took up a majority of the wall. It gave Shoto a priceless view over Musutafu. His hospital room was on a relatively high story.

Pressing a bandaged hand against the glass, he marvelled over the view. A sudden twinge of jealously bubbled to the surface as Shoto thought of Hawks, who could soar freely though the orange skies anytime he wanted.

"Shoto?" A weary voice asked him. Shouto withdrew from the enthralling view to face Aizawa. "You should be in bed."

"Sorry." Shoto muttered instinctively. He turned back to the window, warily registering Aizawa's presence to his right.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The older man's onyx eyes soaked in the sunrise.

"Yeah."

A comfortable silence settled between to two.

"Aizawa?" Shoto broke the quiet with a wince. Hizashi distantly mumbled in his sleep; Aizawa had left him lying across the two seats.

"What's up, kid?" Aizawa turned to give the boy his full attention.

"Someone was here. A few hours ago. I was half-asleep but I swear-"

"It was your brother."

"Natsuo?"

"No."

"...It couldn't have been...no..." Shoto's wild eyes turned to Aizawa's, who were studying him closely.

"Touya's alive. Though I suspect you'll know him as Dabi now." Aizawa hadn't intended to let it slip so with so little tact, but he'd had an overwhelming urge to tell Shoto the truth, because God knows the boy deserved it.

"... After the camp... I had my theories... the e-eyes..." Shoto vaguely gestured to his own azure eye. "The quirk..." He glanced at his left hand. "And his hatred of heroes..."

"But he's dead. I saw him die, I was there, he's dead-" Shoto trembled with emotion. Aizawa put two grounding hands on the boy's shoulders, conveying a deep understanding which always calmed the younger.

"I don't know what happened, nor how he survived, but your eldest brother is alive and in this hospital... and he wants to see you. He did, last night, but he began panicking- flashbacks, I suspect, so the visit was cut short." Aizawa explained.

"Is he hurt..?"

"He overused his quirk, rescuing you from Endeavor." As Aizawa said that, Shoto averted his eyes from the hero's face and took a steadying breath.

"That's Touya for you." Shoto laughed quietly. A stray tear slipped down his pale cheek. "He may be a villain to everyone else, but he's still my hero."

A/N: It'd be really useful if you could give me some feedback on this chapter, positive or negative. Only if you have time and want to though, hope you enjoyed!

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