The Insomniac's Journal (mha fanfic)

...the Puzzle Pieces...

Shota tightens his hands into fists, holding them at his side as he feels the sting on his cheek. He blinks back the immediate tears and continually tries holding back the more emotional ones.

Vlad slapped him.

Shota hadn't expected it to go this far. Nezu had been giving this weekend's debrief (he started them when the dorms were first built) when Vlad had fired a petty insult at Shota. With all eyes on Vlad, Shota returned it with a half-baked comment in a lazy, bored tone.

All to show he didn't care.

Then the man went on some rant that Shota couldn't be bothered to listen to. This whole week has been an eternal fuck up, and the one day he is off isn't about to be ruined by this bastard.

That was until he brought up the USJ (or more specifically Shota's injuries and how he can't possibly be mentally stable enough to keep teaching.).

And it spiraled from there.

What had started as a petty comment escalated into a heated argument where Vlad was the first to snap, hitting Shota harshly across the cheek.

As soon as the sound rang out through the room both froze, Shota biting back tears at the sharp pain while Vlad's brain seemed to be attempting to catch up to his actions. The silence stretched further until Vlad took a step forward and Shota took two steps back, finally retorting. (He didn't snap, though, he never does.)

"Get the fuck away from me you lawless bastard," He growled lowly.

"Listen—"

"That's enough, Vlad King," Nezu speaks loud and clear. "You're well on your way to a pay suspension, do you want to close that gap?"

Vlad shakes his head, pursing his lips.

"Well then, if I may continue..."

Nezu's words blur together as he continues and Shota's hand itches to soothe the ache in his cheek. It's likely going to bruise; Vlad almost knocked him over with a single hit so he'd be more surprised if it didn't but he hopes it doesn't. They'd ask too many questions.

As soon as Nezu was done, he requested to have Vlad in his office and took his leave. Shota would have been right behind him if it weren't for the work he had left. But alas he simply sat there typing hell knows what on the monitor before him.

"Eraser?" All might calls.

"Yagi make it quick, I don't have the time or the energy." He hissed back.

"Are you... are you going to go see Recovery Girl for that?" He asks, pointing to the reddening bruise on Shota's cheek.

"It's go away on his own." Until then he can't look himself in the mirror but that's fine. He can't stand it though, the feeling of being branded. Something as unique as a handprint that can never be replicated.

"But—"

"I said I'm fucking fine," He cursed, his eyes narrow and his voice low.

A hand lands slowly on his shoulder, pressing to the point where it's painful but even Yagi doesn't notice.

"Show some respect, will ya? He is 15 to 20 years your senior." Yokami growls in English.

Shota shrugged his hand off, switching to Spanish. "Go cry to your daddy."

Yokami's expression tightens but he turns to leave, his final words being expressed in their native tongue long before he steps out of the room. "I wonder what Onee-san would say if she saw you now."