𝑨𝑬𝑻𝑯𝑬𝑹𝑰𝑼𝑺 𝑴𝑬𝑳𝑨𝑵𝑪𝑯𝑶𝑳𝑰𝑨 •𝒃𝒙𝒃•

the heat

AN: Warning! Mature themes up ahead!

His moment of vulnerability was cut short when he heard the door slide open. He did his best to clear his expression of any proof that he had given in to his feelings, but he wasn't a good actor and he never could truly hide what he was feeling.

"Back already?" He peered at the man through the mirror and watched as a hint of surprise flashed across his features, "What? Did you expect to find me lying in a pool of my own blood?"

In a moment, the surprise was cleared away, only to be replaced by a more stern expression, "Stop joking around."

Shaking his head, Arashi turned around to face him eye-to-eye, "I apologise, but I currently can't do anything other than joke around," he admitted, "Otherwise, you know, I'll probably break down." He put on a smile, one that made his lips tremble.

Aizawa stepped forward, black shoes clicking against the tiled floor, "You can cry."

Hearing that made his smile falter, but he forced it to stay put, "I'd rather not."

"Genzai-"

"Sensei," he interrupted, the smile threatening to slip off, "I don't want to talk about it."

Slowly, the man's expression shifted once again, taking on a more relaxed, more soft, look, "You can grieve for the loss of a loved one." Nonetheless, he continued with his words, disregarding Arashi's previous ones.

"I don't want to." He bit back, no longer smiling.

"You're just going to make yourself feel worse if you don't." Aizawa truly doesn't give up, does he?

Closing his eyes, Arashi took in a deep breath, trying to hold back whatever it was that was on the tip of his tongue—words that he'd rather keep unsaid, words that he'd probably regret ever saying, "I can't get worse than this." Is what he ended up saying instead.

"It can always get worse."

No, Arashi didn't think it could.

"When can I leave? I don't like hospitals." He changed the subject, refusing to look at the man.

Just the mere sight of all the whiteness around him made him nauseous. The last time he was in one of these, he was with his... mother, listening to the doctors who explained to him what was going on with her.

He hated it—the hospital.

"And where do you intend to go?" As soon as the words left Aizawa, it dawned on Arashi.

Huh... He had nowhere to go. His house was burned and no longer liveable enough for him to go back. He had no one left, no family to turn to, nobody to ask for help.

"I'll..." he began, but he did not know what else to say, "figure something out."

He was alone, more alone than he had ever been.

Aizawa didn't say anything, but then, he walked up to him and Arashi felt his hand press onto his shoulder, "You don't have to figure anything out." As if trying to offer him comfort, Aizawa gripped onto said shoulder.

He was lousy at comforting him. Arashi couldn't help but think that.

"If you're saying what you think you're saying, then I have to decline," Without a second thought, he stepped back and let the man's hand slide off him, "I have no intention of burdening you with myself."

"You're not burdening me." Aizawa spoke.

That almost made Arashi laugh, "Truly? You don't have a single clue as to what kind of person I am," he said, feeling amusement bubble in the pit of his chest, "You're my sensei and nothing else, why are you doing this? Why are you ready to take in a kid you know nothing about?"