I'll Have a Blue Christmas (As Long As You're Here With Me)

Definitely Shitty, Sorta Okay

Todoroki leaned back into his pillow, breathing through his mouth instead of his nose. His face was bandaged almost completely. They hid healing burns and scrapes and bruises. His leg was stretched and lifted up in a thick plaster cast, and the nurses had put a sock over his foot so he wouldn't be uncomfortable.

He seemed fine with it all, but hell if anyone knew what this kid thought.

"S'it Christmas today? Can you give her the presents?"

Aizawa smiled. The recovery team had found the presents untouched, a bit dusty with ash but they were still very usable and presentable. That's what happens with a pretty fire retardant house. The rest of the house was paper and wood, it burned so quickly it didn't have time to just spread.

"The presents are fine. I'll bring them next time I visit."

"Sensei, happy birthday."

"Not even close."

The two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence. Todoroki was starting to nod off to sleep, at least you'd think so, if it weren't for the tapping of his finger casts against metal. Was he trying to keep himself awake?

"How's father? I hurt him bad. S' gonna kick me or something."

"No, he's okay, physically. Do you remember when I taught about the recent aggression quirks where pro heroes were targeted?"

Todoroki furrowed his brows, desperately trying to look for where he'd heard that before. But Aizawa remembered the way Todoroki had been out of it that entire week, not there mentally.

"It's okay if you don't. You won't be in trouble. We can just study it after school sometime with Asui, she was absent one of those days."

Todoroki nodded. "Okay."

Aizawa continued. "Your father was hit with an aggression quirk. The quirk used against him boosted his epinephrine levels, so it made him really mad for no apparent reason." Aizawa didn't want to add 'but the school is looking further into this because us heroes have a feeling the quirk only aided in the abuse, something that was already there to begin with.' Better not to stress the kid out.

"Epinephrine..." Shouto sounded out the word. "That's... that's like adrenaline."

"Yes, almost." He was glad to know his student listened at least a little.

"My head hurts, Sensei."

Aizawa played with the hem of the thin sheet, scratching at the stitches. "Is it just a headache, or do you want a nurse?"

Todoroki dropped his head to the side, eyes piercing into Aizawa's soul. "Dunno. Can you bring Bakugo?"

Aizawa sighed. "I'm sure he'll visit but he's with his family now. The rest of your class too."

They're with their families.

Todoroki was not with his family, and Aizawa thinks that right now, it's a good thing. Todoroki deserves a day of rest, where he's not being coddled but not being beat. Where he doesn't have to wrap his own wounds or depend on kids his age to do it for him.

He still wanted the story about what Todoroki had said about Midoriya and Bakugo and his shoulder wound. He swears if those two were the ones to rip the skin off, he'll suspend them or find a punishment that'll make them wish they were expelled.

There was a tap at the door before it slid open. Aizawa watched as two yellow-haired people walked in, and a taller black-haired person.

"Pro hero Voltage." Aizawa nodded, then he looked down to her son, "Problem child."