D. A. B. I. [COUNT TO TEN FICVERSE]

Research Hour: Summoned

"Dr. Todoroki, go to the glass room please," Shouto flinched upon hearing those words. What did it mean? Why was he being called? Did he do something wrong? Was this about the people that had kidnapped him? Was his father going to punish him for the event with Izuku gone wrong? He might use that as an excuse to do anything he wished. The man was a menace. 

"I'm being summoned?" he frowned.

"It appears so," Izuku shifted. He didn't want Shouto to leave. Shouto leaving made him nervous. 

Shouto stood up and made his way to the room. Izuku tugged on his shirt and frowned. "You aren't going to go in there, are you?" Where else was he going to go?

"I don't have much of a choice in the matter," Shouto placed his hand on the doorknob. He walked in and allowed the door to close. His father sat on the other side of the glass. What would it be like if Shouto was the criminal locked away? Would his father visit him? Probably not. He might even delete his existence from his memory. 

"I'm taking you away from this patient. He is clearly a threat to your health and safety. Touya is now his doctor," his father said. Shouto frowned. 

"You gave me this patient because you thought I was the only one that could handle him. Now you're taking him away?" Shouto wasn't going to go down without a fight. This was ridiculous. 

"You've gotten attached to him. You're attracted to him. You might even begin to think that you love and care for him. He is a criminal. He is a murderer. He is mentally unstable and a hazard to you. I will not have you associating with him. Did you forget that you're going to marry Momo? Forget about Izuku Midoriya. It was my mistake to assign him to you." A mistake? His father would never admit a mistake in a million years. Something was fishy about this. 

"I will not forget," Shouto stood up. "I will not stand down either. He is my patient. He isn't Touya's or anyone else's. He is mine." 

"Shouto," his father slammed his fist down on the table and his fiery flames grew hotter. It fogged up the glass. "I may care for you but don't allow that to go to your head. You are my son. I am your father. Don't think that I will not harm you because of your relationship to me. I can fire you. I can hurt you. But, most importantly, I can harm Izuku Midoriya. You will be best suited to heed my words." 

His brain churned with the sentences his father had just spoken. Images of Touya's arm flashed in his brain. He felt lightheaded. Shouto lost his ability to focus. He became pale. "Do you understand?" Shouto nodded. He couldn't say anything. For Touya's sake. For Izuku's sake. He would have to listen this time. Tomorrow, however, he would most definitely try his best to fight it. For now, he'd have to think. This wasn't him backing down. This was a strategic exit. 

"I understand," Shouto left the room. He grabbed what he needed and he made his way out. He lacked in every emotion. He didn't allow himself to feel anything or the rage would consume him. His anger. His sorrow. He barely heard a word of what Izuku and Deku were saying. He just said his farewells and left. He walked the long hallways to return to his room. On his way, he passed Tomura Shigaraki's cell. The male hadn't crossed his mind since the joint therapy he had with Izuku. 

Tomura sat in the corner of his cell rocking back and forth. His mouth moving but no words escaping. "Tomura Shigaraki?" Shouto stared. Tomura lifted his head and tilted it so that his hair would fall out of his face. Tomura stared at Shouto. 

"Ah, the second Todoroki," he blinked. "Why're you here?" 

"If you have to make a choice...do you choose to follow yourself or circumstance?" Shouto didn't understand why he asked the question. He just felt that Tomura might have the answer. He seemed like the kind of guy who had a lot to think about and a lot of time to think about it. Tomura burst into a fit of laughter. 

"This must be a Todoroki family trait. This is the second time someone has asked me that," Tomura couldn't stop snickering. "I don't know a lot about you, second Todoroki, so I can't say what you would do. However, people are often disappointed in themselves for not following their souls."

"Thank you," Shouto nodded and left. He'd have to persuade his father. Somehow, someway, he would.