The King is Dead

The Image of Tranquility

"It's hot!"

Hizashi has been complaining the entire ride, fanning the AC into his face and complaining some more when it smells like 'old car.' Shouto notes that Aizawa might drive them off the mountain.

He's been to an onsen before, his father was normal in the sense that he took Shouto at least once a year. Shout felt relaxed the first time, with his mother just on the other side of the partition and Natsuo and Touya there with him. After mother left, Fuyumi, Natsuo, and Touya started going with friends and Shouto was alone. Touya died, he was still alone. Father was there. The hot water reminded him of mother, reminded him of fire and burns that would never heal completely. The salts are supposed to heal scars partially, but he had a feeling his scars were given to him to stay, burned so hot he would never be rid of them.

So they weren't as relaxing for Shouto as they should be, maybe without father, it would be different.

The rest of the drive was quiet after Hizashi got snapped at and it was more peaceful altogether. He hasn't been to this onsen before, it's more remote and he thinks t's better- fewer people to recognize him. He follows Hizashi to the locker room while Aizawa buys towels (he may have forgotten to bring them from home...)

Once all three are undressed with towels wrapped at their waists, Shouto follows Hizashi again to the bath itself. It's hot even from a few feet away and familiar steam makes him nearly sweat.

He showers himself off, he knows any other guests are looking at his scars. He ignores the prying eyes. When he enters the water, placing his towel on his head as to not lose it, there are soft whispers and he knows they recognize him. One person gets up and leaves, everyone else just keeps their distance. He feels lonely like this. Everyone tends to avoid him now that he committed manslaughter (Aizawa told him it wasn't murder if he hadn't intended it.)

Hizashi slides in next to him, folding his towel and putting it on his head the same way as Shouto. He smiles and when he turns his head forward, deflates into the water as if the steam is taking years of stress away. Shouto wouldn't be surprised.

He tries to relax like Hizashi, even closes his eyes for a second to imagine a safe place, fire fills his head, he opens his eyes. Aizawa slides in next to him instead of on the other side of Hizashi, which takes Shouto by surprise.

(Even more surprising is the feeling that floods his veins... he feels protected.)

After a few minutes, Aizawa points at his own chest but gestures at Shouto's. "Did he do that too?" It's quietly spoken, a majority of the onsen was empty now, that's probably why he's asking.

Shouto looks at his chest, there's a scar just left of the center of it. It's a small notch in his skin, reddish-brown with small tendrils over the skin. When it happened father hadn't let it get too deep. By the time he'd broken down the door, it hadn't been far past the cartilage left to his sternum.

"Not directly." He settles for, same answer he would've given if asked about his facial scarring.

Aizawa nods, then points to a spot on his shoulder. "I got this when I was your age." There's a small stretched-out piece of skin, made that way by years of growing. Todoroki identifies it as a definite stab wound. "Some guy pierced my skin with a box cutter when I was interning. Not the same, but just reminded me of yours I guess." He relaxes and puts his arms down into the water.

Shouto contemplates the openness of that situation. Aizawa claims to not like Shouto, he's not to be blamed. But he sat so close and then shared a personal story, Shouto feels more comfortable.

"My mom gave it to me," he fights the darkness of his mind with the will to get closer to someone. "She did it to save me."

Aizawa keeps his eyes closed. "Save you?"