Bruised And Broken

Visits

Two days into his hospital stay, Shoto started receiving visitors. Most came with tears and gifts and wishes for his recovery. Shoto didn't mind, if anything he appreciated them, but no one knew about Touya yet, not even his own family. Staying silent about the big curveball in his life was a struggle, but he'd never been one to share much honestly.

~

"Shoto!" Uraraka bounced into the room, closely followed by Midoriya, Iida and Tsuyu. The whole Dekusquad had planned a Saturday morning visit after getting permission from Aizawa.

"Hey guys." Shoto said wearily. He was still badly injured and felt a nagging fatigue a majority of the time.

"Nice to see you, kero." Tsuyu smiled.

"Shoto, I'm glad to see you looking better." Iida was referring to the fact that some of Shoto's bandages had been removed. He was still verging on looking like a mummy though.

Midoriya just shot him a smile. Shoto knew the greenette felt guilty for what happened to him.

"Thanks Tenya. Hi Izuku." Shoto replied softly. Midoriya looked up with a blinding smile, obviously realising that Shoto didn't blame him.

"Hey Shoto!" Midoriya said happily. Internally, he let out a sigh of relief. He'd been feeling guilty for days now and the relief that Shoto didn't see it the same way visibly cheered him up.

~

"Shoto." Fuyumi gasped, her graceful fingers ghosting over his bandages.

"I'm okay, Yumi." Shoto responded, not wanting his kind sister to worry. In all honesty, he was feeling like shit,  but that was to be expected. Seeing the concern on Fuyumi's delicate features only amplified the pain.

"I'm gonna kill that old bastard." Natsuo growled. He was pacing in the corner, shoulders hunched and expression dark. Shoto couldn't help but let his thoughts drift to how Natsuo would react upon learning Touya's survival.

It was the evening on the same day as the Dekusquad's visit, the day Shoto had been cleared for visitors. Fine orange light bathed the room as the sun sunk lower in the sky. Natsuo's soft grey eyes were darkened by the purple bags hanging beneath them and it was apparent he hadn't slept for days. Fuyumi had told Shoto as much, when Natsuo had left the room for the toilet. Apparently, the white-haired male had been shaken ever since he saw the news about Dabi being the one to rescue Shoto.

Theories had been circling through the media ever since that night. Shoto had deliberately been avoiding any social media or news programmes. He was aware of one article though, which Aizawa had brought to his attention, which veered dangerously close to the truth on the situation. Had Natsuo seen that, he'd probably already have guessed the true identity of Dabi.

As for his father, no one had told Shoto anything yet. He'd heard hushed discussions outside his room door about it being a 'sensitive topic' and one that could 'interrupt his healing process'. In all honesty, Shoto thought the not knowing was putting a dampen on his mood because he didn't know if the bastard had escaped or died or something. He planned to ask Hizashi or Aizawa when they came to visit him later. The pair had been forced to return home because of the doctors insisting Shoto needed to sleep and have some time alone to help process the trauma; there was also Yuki the cat and the fact the couple had to catch up with their teaching jobs.

"Natsu!" Fuyumi protested, but she didn't sound annoyed. Instead there was a weary tone underlying her soft voice which made Shoto wince internally. He felt responsible for his family's apparent lack of sleep.

The three siblings looked at each other awkwardly, each wondering whether to bring up the sensitive subject of Touya. The tense air was interrupted by a knock at the door, which slid open to reveal Aizawa and Hizashi. Both men's hair was styled in a loose updo. Aizawa wore a worn-out black turtle neck and Hizashi had a patchy soft yellow jumper on. They each wore a gentle smile.