Bruised And Broken

Visits

"Aizawa-san." Fuyumi greeted respectfully and Natsuo nodded his head.

"Fuyumi, I remember meeting you before." Aizawa greeted. They'd first met when Fuyumi had begged Aizawa to help Shoto, then met her in person at the hospital, and once more in court. None of these situations were the best place to meet someone.

"Um, this is my brother, Natsuo!" Fuyumi pushed her brother forward.

"Hi." Natsuo said, awkwardly rubbing her neck. Aizawa and Hizashi had met Natsuo before at court but they hadn't talked at all. Everyone was too focused on getting the flaming bastard into a jail cell.

"Nice to meet you." Aizawa said briskly; it was clear he had something to tell Shoto. Fuyumi picked up on this and ushered her brother out, both calling goodbyes to Shoto over their shoulders.

"Shoto." Aizawa said heavily, sitting on the side of the bed. Shoto's brilliant azure eye and gentle grey one narrowed at the older man in confusion.

"Did something happen?" Was the teen's immediate question, which Hizashi denied quickly.

"Do you want to know what's happening to your father?" Aizawa asked. "We were just informed that... there was a change of plan."

"Yes." Shoto replied quickly. He hid his sweaty palms beneath the soft cover and met Aizawa's onyx eyes. Hizashi stood on the other side of the boy, his emerald eyes framed with the tell-tale purple bags of sleep deprivation. Shoto shifted self-consciously, wishing he had a long-sleeved jumper to comfort him; he always felt better when less of his bruised or bandaged skin was shown.

"He's not going back to a typical prison. He's going to Tartarus and will be treated as a highly dangerous criminal." Aizawa explained seriously. "After what he did to your family, Dabi and you... he's been declared as having villainous intention on par with the LOV."

Shoto gulped. He'd never seen his father as a hero or, hell, even a decent human being but Tartarus was a place for the most threatening, the most dangerous criminals to walk to streets of Japan. It made him realise how bad what his father did to him actually was.

"Shoto, do you need some time alone?" Aizawa's understanding voice cut through Shoto's thoughts. Shoto shook his head; he knew that being alone would only allow him to spiral further. At the older men's concerned expressions, the teen forced himself to speak.

"No, it's... I'm fine." He muttered. Aizawa glanced at Hizashi.

"Want to watch a movie?" The blonde said with a wide grin.

Shoto smiled for the first time in days.

~

Some visits were not so welcome. By now the media had discovered exactly which room Shoto was staying in at the hospital. How? Shoto didn't know.

Reporters and journalists lurked below his window, several stories up from where they were stood. They were trying to catch a glimpse of the teen, to see what state Enji had left him in.

Shoto's nurse, a young smiling man in his mid-twenties, had drawn the blinds down to give Shoto some privacy. Evening light filtered through the gaps, patterning the floor in orange. Shoto could hear the distant chatter as the reporters left after another day of unsuccessful filming. Hopefully, Shoto thought, they would give up the next day.

~

"I told all those reporters you were in another room." Kirishima laughed when he visited Shoto the next day. Sure enough when Shoto had taken a hasty peak through the blinds, there was no one there.

The whole Bakusquad had come this afternoon, all dressed in casual clothes and hampered with gifts. Even Bakugo was there, leaning against the wall by the door. Mina had brought lots of sweets, whilst Kaminari and Kirishima had brought games and comics alike. Bakugo had cooked a delicious-smelling dinner for Shoto, and had placed the foil-wrapped dish onto the bedside table whilst muttering about "being forced to".

"Class is so boring without our resident pretty boy." Mina complained mournfully. Shoto doubted this was true, because he normally sat quietly and undisturbed for a vast majority of the time, dutifully copying notes and answering questions.

"Yup!" Kaminari confirmed Mina's statement. Kirishima nodded earnestly and Bakugo just looked away, apparently annoyed about having to be here.

Once the other three had left the room, Bakugo spoke directly to Shoto for the first time since he entered the room.

"Get better would ya?" The blonde said grumpily. "It's not that I care or anything, you're just the only fucking decent opponent in our class."

~

Shoto was curled on his bed, headphones in and dark academia music playing. In a sudden bout of bad weather, the blanket of darkness had brough a cold wave of rain with it.

His peripheral vision sensed movement and he turned in time to see his room door slide fully open. Removing his earphones, Shoto squinted at the scene before him. A tall, lanky figure stood silhouetted against the dimmed light of the hospital corridor. Touya.

"Sho, we need to talk."