Bruised And Broken

"Please don't leave me again."

Note: I'm sorry-

"Sho, we need to talk."

Nodding, Shoto sat up in his bed. The wound in his side tinged with a burning pain but he ignored it. His brother stepped into the room, sliding the door shut behind him. The older proceeded to the window, allowing the blanched moonlight to wash over his scarred face.

Touya looked thin and frail in the meagre light. His scars were a deep purple against pale skin and Shoto wouldn't have been surprised if he was a dead man walking. Well, he technically was.

His heart beating fast, Touya allowed the gentle thumps of rain on the glass calm his pulse. The dark abyss stretched out before him was devoid of any stars, courtesy of the indistinguishable but present clouds looming above.

"Touya?" Shoto's quiet voice cut through Touya's thoughts like a knife.

"I've killed many people." The older began.

"I know."

"I'll be locked away for life."

"I know but-"

"But what?"

"Maybe you could apply for a deal y'know; you give intel on the League in exchange for your freedom." Shoto suggested.

"He may not seem it, but Shigiraki is smart. He'll see through me instantly, especially now he knows that I've been hospitalised and therefore in the clutches of the authorities. And once he does, I'm as good as dead." Touya sighed, running a hand through his raven hair.

"Maybe you could get an insanity claim... for your trauma." Shoto said. An edge of desperation leaked into his tone, making Touya's guilt for what he was about to do weigh heavier.

"I'm going back to the league."

"But-"

"An insanity claim would leave me in an asylum. Which is no better than prison." Touya snapped. Shoto was silent for a few seconds: his head was bowed and his candy cane locks shielded his eyes from view.

"Shoto, you've got the understand. I'm not who you remember me as anymore. I'm Dabi, a murderer, a villain, a threat to lives. My life is with the league, not the broken mess of a family Endeavor created." Dabi explained hurriedly; the sight of his baby brother so defeated, in so much pain, was hurting him too.

A few moments of silence. Then, quietly....

"Please don't leave me again, Touya-nii."

.

.

.

"I am not your brother anymore."

~

The pair were cuddled together on the sofa. A warm glow from the lamp illuminated the room softly. Aizawa was gently playing with Hizashi's long hair whilst the blonde relaxed. Yuki was snuggled on Aizawa's lap, clearly enjoying the body warmth.

Both men were exhausted from worrying and it felt nice to finally get a chance to relax with each other

RING RING!

With a soft curse, Aizawa got up to answer the phone. Hizashi sat up, watching his spouse curiously.

"Is this the Aizawa-Yamada household?"

"Aizawa Shouta speaking." Aizawa answered tiredly.

"I apologise for the late hour, but Dabi has escaped."

"What?!"

"We're calling because Shoto-"

"I'll be there in 10 minutes." Aizawa cut off the policeman and hung up quickly. Hastily, he shrugged a coat on and wrapped his scarf around his neck.

"Hospital. You take the car," he told Hizashi, perched on a windowsill. Hizashi looked at him, wide-eyed and concerned. "I'm going via the rooftops."

And with that, the pro hero lept into the night.

~

Aizawa felt to cold air brush past his pale cheeks as he used his scarf to manoeuvre himself from rooftop to rooftop. This way was quicker, he noted, as he saw the traffic-jammed streets below him.

His heart was pounding in his ribcage and in his head a mantra screamed 'Shoto!' at him. The ravenette wasn't sure how Shoto had reacted to the news, or if he'd even been told, but one thing he did know was that he needed to get to his son as quickly as possibly.

The hospital came into view quickly and Aizawa dropped to ground level, running through the glass doors. As soon as the receptionist saw him, she stood up and ran towards the pro hero.

"Shoto's ok!" She reassured him quickly. "Just..."

"Thanks." Aizawa said briefly before rushing up the familiar staircases, turning familiar corners and eventually arriving before a familiar door.

As he pushed it open, Aizawa saw the back of Tsukauchi, the lie-detecting detective.

"Shoto, did Dabi say anything to you before he left?" The detective was asking gently.

"Shoto." Aizawa stepped into the room. Pained blue and grey eyes turned on him. Shoto was sat cross-legged on the bed, fiddling with the sheet anxiously. He had bit his lip and when he had briefly met Aizawa's gaze, his eyes flicked downwards again.

"Just that he was going back to the league." Shoto answered.

Something flickered in Tsukauchi's eyes. "That's a lie. Either he isn't going back to the league, or he said more to you."

"He is going back to the league."

"Truth." Tsukauchi said.

"And the other stuff was just... family stuff."

"Truth. I suppose I won't push any further, this has clearly been a bad night for you." Tsukauchi reached forward to pat Shoto's shoulder, but the boy flinched away, eyes still downcast. Retracting his hand with a wince, Tsukauchi concluded the conversation. "Get better soon, Shoto."

With that, the detective swept out the room. Aizawa slid the door shut behind the other man and turned back to Shoto.

"Shoto, are you ok?" When Shoto didn't answer, Aizawa rounded the bed and sat on the edge. The boy's bandaged hands were still anxiously fiddling with the bedsheet and he refused to look up.

Aizawa slowly tilted Shoto's head up with a gentle hand and looked into the grey-turquoise eyes.

"Shoto."

Without warning, the shiny gloss of tears covered his eyes and his lip trembled. His torso shuddered with unreleased pressure as Shoto tried not to break down. He had caused enough trouble already.

Aizawa drew him in for a hug.

~

Hizashi slammed the car door shut and raced across the car park. Bursting through the hospital doors, his blonde hair a tangled mess.

"Your husband is with him." The receptionist smiled, recognising Hizashi easily since they had come so often in the past few days. The blonde smiled back and nodded his thanks before racing to the familiar room.

Once entering, his attention was immediately drawn to his weary husband. He was holding the hand of a sleeping Shoto. The tear stains on the boy's cheeks made Hizashi wince.

Aizawa put a finger to his lips and briefly inclined his head to the sleeping teenager as if to say: 'Shhh.' To emphasise the point, he sent a pointed glare at his spouse: 'Don't you dare wake him up.'

Hizashi nodded and took a seat next to Aizawa, who had shifted to a blue plastic visitors chair.

In quick sign language, he asked 'how is he?'

Aizawa gently removed his hand from Shoto's limp one to sign: 'Upset, obviously. I mean, his newly rediscovered brother just left him.'

'It's awful.' Hizashi signed, visibly upset.

'Yeah. He didn't even get to tell his siblings.'