Serendipity

passivity

He sees Hawks again at a big white building. The guards holding Shouto by his forearms pass him off to the hero, and Hawks allows for Shouto to walk beside him.

They walk through long white halls, Shouto's steps becoming shakier and shakier with exhaustion. His ice has long since melted completely, his limbs freed of their glacial prisons. Hawks asks him if he feels any better since earlier, Shouto nods in response. Then, Hawks tells him about his day, how he ate breakfast at a friend's house. Pancakes and eggs. Shouto can't remember ever having those, he can't even imagine what that would be like.

Hawks opens a door for him, "Right through here," he says, gesturing into the room. Shouto steps inside and Hawks follows after him. There is a man in a doctor's coat sitting in a chair with four little wheels on the stand at the bottom. He looks up and smiles gently at the two, setting his pen down and standing. He shakes hands with Hawks but doesn't offer his hand to Shouto, probably on account of the handcuffs.

"I'm Dr. Tsuda, a friend of Hawks'." He bows his head slightly. "I've been asked to perform a physical examination to collect evidence, there are a few consent forms we have to fill out but Hawks and I will help you through it."

Shouto's head spins. Consent forms? Physical examinations? Father never told him about this. He never prepared him on the proper response to all of these things happening. And for the feeling that he is normal, and real, like everyone else he's been around today.

Hawks sets a hand on Shouto's shoulder, Shouto flinches and steps away, nearly backing into a shelf. "Shouto, I know it's scary. I know everything, so that's why you should do this. I'll be a key witness, we can help you."

Shouto shakes his head, gaze passing between the doctor and Hawks. He doesn't understand. Key witness to what?

Hawks points to a chair, "You should sit, if you sit I can explain everything to you, okay?" Shouto stares at Hawks for a minute before finally nodding slowly, convincing himself that's a safe choice. He sits on the chair, wrists still tightly wound in the metal cuffs.

Hawks leans against the wall across from him, sharing a look with the doctor. "Shouto... we know Endeavor's your dad, and I know about your entire family. I've been... god, how do I explain this without sounding creepy?"

He goes on to explain that he was assigned to the first Todoroki child, Shouto nearly flinches when he says Touya's name. He says he's been watching Endeavor this whole time, setting up cameras and other devices when he wasn't looking. Working with him and getting close to try to get any semblance of an admission.

He says he knows about the training dojo, about how Endeavor locked him in there for so many years. About how Endeavor hurt him so often and so brutally.

Shouto didn't think anyone knew about that. It's terrifying to think he's been watched this whole time.

And it's comforting to know that he was never actually alone.

Shouto slips a bit, mind reeling out of his head to a point where he isn't him, and he isn't anything. He watches the body move through it all, signing each consent form with his own signature, having Hawks call his higher-ups and sign the guardian signatures on their behalf. When they're done, the doctor tells Hawks to leave and then tells Shouto to get into the hospital gown on the seat. Shouto listens, and finds himself waiting for Hawks to come back.

He thinks if Hawks treated him like his father treated him, he'd be safer. With set rules and boundaries, he'd know what he can do. Hawks is smaller than father, probably weaker, too. He doesn't have fire, he hasn't hurt Shouto yet.

The handcuffs are taken off of him before the doctor starts his examination. He takes pictures and moves Shouto's limbs for him, lifting an arm to better see his rib cage, the way it sticks out and the way his stomach seems hollow. He comments on it, telling Shouto he can go get a meal from the cafeteria after this. He gives Shouto a different hospital outfit, with pants and a loose-fitting shirt.