A Lost Creation

Owning Up

Touya ached. He ached everywhere it was possible for him to even feel the ache.

His lower arm was gone, the first limb to have actually burned off completely, which was only a matter of time considering the extent of his burns before he'd gone full bore into battle.
Luckily, thanks to the nerve damage, he was barely even aware of it, but that just meant he needed to be more cautious of it, even if he had managed to get to a hospital that Spinner had opened up.

Ujiko would be back soon, free from the confines that the heroes had put him in, and he'd be able to sort him out with a prosthetic arm, hopefully top of the range seeing as they'd managed to recover his damn hospital and underground laboratory.
He looks at his bandaged remains of an arm, even the slight movement of his neck makes the rest of his skin feel taut.

"Are you in pain? I can ask for more medicine." Zero speaks up from his bedside.

"I'm alright." Touya replies dismissively.

He already had a line of painkillers going straight through his veins. Any more would knock him out, and he wasn't quite settled yet.

It was too quick, too perfect. Everything had gone too smoothly.
He was on edge, waiting for something bad to happen, and he needed to be awake in case something did happen.

"I can tell you're uncomfortable, and you can relax, the area is well guarded." Zero insists.

"Don't make me say it." Touya warns, the 'fuck off' sitting right on the tip of his tongue.

"Even if you say it, I've been instructed by Shigaraki to remain by your side." Zero replies, and if Touya didn't know any better, he'd say it was smug.

"He could just come an' do it himself." Touya huffs, leaning back in the hospital bed again.

"He's busy. You know that." Zero responds. "He's currently replacing the staff in the HSPC building, and then later, in the evening, he's going to be working on taking care of the media, and tomorrow-"

"Shut up." Touya sighs, the words a concise and clear order.

And so Zero does shut up, leaving Touya alone with his thoughts for a little while.

"Can't wait for Ujiko to come and sort this out." Touya says, lifting his injured arm with a wince. "Gonna freak Star out wi' it when I see her."

"She'll cry." Zero says as though it's a fact.

"Yeah, probably." Touya chuckles dryly, a small smirk pulling at his lips. "She's cute."

"What will you tell her?" Zero asks.

"The truth. Burned it off." Touya shrugs. "She doesn't need to know why."

Zero hums a little, offering no judgment or advice as a response.
The short peace is interrupted by the buzzing of Touya's phone against the wooden table next to Zero.

Touya frowns at the noise, turning his head to look at the phone clattering on the table. Zero reaches for it, glancing at the screen.

"Who is it?" Touya asks.

"It says 'pops'." Zero relays.

"Hand it over." Touya replies, holding his hand out for it, clicking the answer button and holding it up to his ear, wincing with each movement. "What's up, old man?"

"How's it goin' son?" Is the gravelly answer back from Giran.

He sounds tired, Touya knew the sound of Giran's sleepless night voice all too well from being the cause of it in the past.