Save me, please

Turn time back

Shinsou didn't bother to look up as the door opened. There was only one person who knew he was here. Only one person who would come in here. Besides, the damn hooves clicking on the glass was a pretty clear indicator. No, he knew who it was. But he wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of having his attention.

Shinsou heard a cork pop, and heard someone drinking something. He didn't care. Torture him, kill him, it didn't matter. If it wasn't his dads, they didn't deserve his attention. He just wanted Aizawa and Hizashi. Maybe Aimi or Ryuu, but right now he really wanted his dads.

Shinsou shivered as a hand grabbed his neck, but didn't move. He still didn't like it, but he wasn't going to give a reaction. No, Taurus didn't deserve that. Even with the burning pain filling his body, he didn't move. He wouldn't give Taurus that satisfaction.

Taurus eventually removed his hand, looking down at the boy. Strange. Most people screamed and writhed. He didn't even react. But he'd panicked less than two months when Taurus put his hand on his neck. Something had changed in the purple haired boy, besides the gift Taurus had given.

After drinking Virgo blood, Taurus could heal people. More than a simple healing quirk. Taurus could turn back time, in a way, turn people into what they would've been had they not been treated bad. He'd restored Shinsou's height and weight, turning him into a five foot four teenage boy.

It seemed he didn't even notice. Maybe he was just being a broody teenager. Being with Aizawa for so long must've infected his personality. He'd realize soon enough. Once he stopped pouting, he'd know what Taurus had done for him.

Aizawa couldn't help but think of how they'd met Shinsou. From that first day at the orphanage, to the first Taurus encounter, to those first lessons, where Shinsou just took off. Where he'd knocked everyone off their feet with his intelligence. That first night together again, where Shinsou had held onto him constantly, where it felt like they had a bond no one could break.

Aizawa also thought about Shinsou's life before meeting them. That lullaby that his mother had sang, drowned out by the crackle of flames. The friendship he'd found in Aimi, cracked by their separation. The power of his quirk, diluted by years of torment and abuse. That bright look in his eyes, dulled by years of hatred and imprisonment.

He wondered what Shinsou would've looked like if he'd lived a healthy life. How tall would he have been? What would he sound like? Would he still be thin, or would he have a stockier build? Would he be quiet and nervous, or loud and adventurous? Would he be a natural at everything he did, or would he struggle?

There were times Aizawa wondered what would've happened. What would've happened if the house had never burned down? Would Shinsou still be with his mother and brother? Would he want to go to UA? Would he try his damn hardest to get in, or would he be reluctant to try?

What would've happened if they'd never saved him from the orphanage? Would he have died? Would he have been thrown into the streets and left to die? Or would Taurus have taken him so much sooner? Would he make Shinsou join his ranks, turned him into a villain? Would he have taken advantage of the boy?

Hizashi was thinking of everything that had led up to this. Meeting Shota, losing Oboro, taking Shinsou home, losing the boy…what would happen now? Would they get Shinsou back? Could they save him? What if Taurus had hurt him? What if they lost Shinsou today? He wished they could just stop time completely and save him.

A family broken apart, racing to save each other. Time raced on, taunting them with how long they were apart. There were times everyone wished to turn time back, or stop it, to erase what happened. They couldn't do that. They could only hope to find each other before time ran out.