No, it's you and you alone.

Chapter Eleven

When Shouta comes back to awareness, he is still kneeling in a pool of blood. Shinsou is gone, the smudges in the blood indicating he had been dragged off to an ambulance.

Someone is shaking his shoulder and Shouta looks up to see a paramedic.

"Sir? Sir, are you injured? I need you to focus, you are covered in blood, is any of it yours?" The words are frighteningly reminiscent of what Shouta had just been telling Shinsou and oh god, Shinsou.

"I'm fine, it's... it's not my blood." Shouta swallows heavily, resisting the urge to throw up. "The kid, Shinsou. Is he okay?"

The paramedics face is wane, her eyes filled with concern, "Shinsou Hitoshi is getting our full attention. He's on route to the hospital now. I can't tell you how it will go... He was in bad condition, sir."

Shouta blanches, "I...I need to be with him. Can you let me know which hospital they are taking him to?"

He breathes out a sigh of relief as the paramedic nods, "Yes, sir. Me and my coworker are heading to that hospital now, we can take you with us. Allow us to check up on you on the way. I understand this can be a traumatic event when you find someone you care about injured, so let us help you."

The words strike Shouta hard. Someone... he cares about? God, it sounds so plain, so simple. He hadn't realised how much the kid had been growing on him until he almost lost him.

A sick feeling fills his stomach. All this time, Shinsou had been dealing with this. And Aizawa had known. Sure, maybe he hadn't known the full story, but Shouta wasn't stupid, he knew something was up with the boy.

And yet, naively, he had put his trust in Shinsou. Put his faith in the fact that the boy would come to him if he really needed help. Shouta had failed to see the weight of the situation. And now it's too late.

Shouta realises the paramedic is staring at him with questioning eyes and he clears his throat and nods, "Yes... alright."

He follows her out to an EMT van and clambers carefully into the back, taking a seat on one of the benches. The paramedic follows him, seating herself next to him.

The ride is a blur, the EMT, Nakamoto, introduces herself and manages to draw out a few details about Shouta. He answers all of her questions, telling her about the situation and how it led up to Shinsou getting hurt.

He knows frustratingly little about the event. Nakamoto tells him they had picked up the strange man on the way and that they had identified him as Ikeda Daichi, Shinsou's foster father. Foster father.

Everything was beginning to come together, and Shouta didn't like the picture it was painting.

Upon arrival at the hospital, Shouta is already through the doors before the paramedics can say another word.

"I'm here for Shinsou Hitoshi, do you have any updates?" The receptionist raises a single manicured eyebrow as he blurts out the words to her, palms pressed against the front desk.

"Relationship to the patient?" She looks just a bit suspicious and Shouta realizes he is still in his hero outfit, minus the capture scarf. He is also still covered in blood.

Right, he probably looks like a homeless person.

Shouta does his best not to feel frustrated by the question. Relationship to the patient? A strange urge comes over him, an urge to skip this awkward situation by claiming Shinsou is his son. It's... not an unattractive thought. But he can't.

"I was the first responding pro hero on the scene, as well as his teacher. Shinsou is a student of U.A and partial custody rights are held by us. I can get the documentation for verification if required." Shouta says this impatiently as he slides his hero license across the table.