Broken [(Tododeku)Complete]

Regret

Shoto POV:

Izuku and I head away from the school, towards his house. We make small talk along the way, nothing much, just irrelevant subjects. When we reach his house I can see his body tense just a bit, before he seems to calm himself. He hurries me down the hallway, so I don't see much of the house until we reach his room. Once we walk inside, I'm surprised by how little decoration he has in his room. It really doesnt even look like a bedroom, more like a hotel room. Not what I have come to expect from Izu. Wait, where did that nickname come from? I blush a bit, but I don't think he saw. We work on our project for a couple of hours before we hear the door slam. Izuku's head snaps up and towards the door, pure terror on his face. At first I think someone has broken in, but then I hear "Izuku~. I'm home!" Is that his father? I look to him for an explanation, but before I can get a word out, he pulls me up and steers me towards the closet.
"No matter what you hear, you cannot, under any circumstances, come out of this closet till I come and get you." My first instinct is to argue, but when I look into his eyes, I see the pure terror and panic. I nod my head and he shuts the door. A few seconds later his father bursts into the room, saying things even my own father has never said to me. And that's saying something. Right as I'm about to leap out and intervene, the doorbell rings and Izuku's dad leaves the room. Izuku opens the door but before I can question him he cuts me off, saying he'll explain later. He leads me to the door where my older brother is waiting. Dabi motions for me to follow him and look at Izuku, helpless. He just watches as I leave and waits till we start to leave before shutting the door. "What's going on?" Dabi asks. I should have know he would figure out something's wrong. I sigh. "I'm scared for him..." I proceed to tell Dabi my theory that izuku is abused by his father and that it's far worse than Endeavor's punishments. He looks stunned for a moment before shaking his head. "I have a plan, just follow my lead." He says as we pull up to our house. We walk in to find Father standing by the door. "You missed training Shoto. Where were you?" Before I can respond, Dabi answers for me. "He was at a friends working on a school project and he needs more time. So I brought him back here for a change of clothes so he can stay the night. I can take him back." Endeavor doesn't look happy, but he let's us pass. We rush to our sperate rooms, I grab a bag and stuff some clothes in it, not really caring, just feeling the urge to rush and get back to Izu. When I emerge from the room, Dabi is waiting for me with a bag of his own. I can only imagine what he's got in there. We hurry back to the car and hightail it down the road, trying to get to Izuku's house as fast as possible. Even when we go 5 miles over the limit, it still takes 20 minutes to get to his house. By now I'm practically buzzing with nerves. 'I hope he's okay. Please let him be okay'. We slam the car door and run to the front door of the house. Locked. I can hear faint noises coming from inside, but I dont know what they are. Dabi reaches into his bag and pulls out a lock picking kit. I don't even want to know. He cracks it in less than a minute, and as soon as he opens the door, I figure out what the sound was. Izuku's blood curdling screams. Dabi and I look at each other in terror. Never in my life have ever heard such a pain filled cries. All of the sudden, the loudest scream I've ever heard erupts from the source. We run down the hallway, past Izuku's bedroom, to the door at the end of the hall. Once we reach the door, Dabi rams it with his shoulder. Busting it open. What I see next I will never forget, as long a day as I live. Izuku, barely recognizable, is strapped facedown to a panel of unsanded wood, his father standing over him with a red hot iron rod. I don't realize what's going on till a split second later when I see Izuku's back. Its covered in cuts and bruises and..... major burns. Fresh, 3rd degree burns. His father was pretty much branding his own son. Dabi attacks the father while I rush to Izu's side. Feom the way his eyes are glazed over, I assume he thinks this is an illusion. Until is start to until him. Then his eyes begin to clear. I try to keep my face neutral as I assess the damages inflicted on his delicate body but I know he can see through that. "The ambulance is on it's way." Dabi says, pulling my attention from Izu. He has gotten the father unconscious and the rod in some water. Thank goodness. I look back to find Izuku in a panic. "No! They cant find out! He said he'd kill me if anyone found out! You need to leave me! I'll be fine." I wince at the sound of his voice. Dammit, I should have gotten here sooner. Then I register what he said. Dabi and I share a horrified glance. What has this poor boy been through? I look back to Izu, doing my best to comfort him. "He's never gonna hurt you again, Izuku. I promise." I can tell he doesn't believe me, but he doesn't say anything else. He gives me a little nod and I relax slightly. Dabi goes to answer the door and let the medics in. Izu looks at me and says "I guess I wont be winning any beauty pageants any time soon." I manage a rough chuckle. Of course he would make jokes at a time like this. I don't think the pain has fully hit him yet. Must be the adrenaline. The medics rush in and immediately get teary eyed. The place Izu on a stretcher, accidentally bumping him and making him cry out in pain. They apologize over and over again. I follow them outside and get into the ambulance beside Izuku, holding his hand as he slowly loses consciousness. I'm filled with regret. If only I hadn't left him, maybe this wouldnt have happened. But now, he is scarred and broken, never to be the same.

1149 words