Lost Bonds

Chapter 9: Shoto

Sorry about slow updates. Writer's block, dead cats, and kittens that smell like cheese don't go well together for writing. Also, Shoto and Dabi are pretty OOC in this.

I had no clue how Toya got rid of that other villain, I think he goes by the name Twice. He just dragged him out, and came back into the room, clearly annoyed. It had been two days since that incident, and it seemed as if nothing much of interest had occurred. I was still stuck in this chair, and Toya was sitting on his bed. He was obviously bored, and put some music on. I didn't know the song, but it was clearly some style of rap. I must have looked confused, because Toya told me, "Sucker for pain. Imagine Dragons." I just nodded mutely.

We both just sat there for a while as the music cycled. It was mostly songs to do with violence, which I didn't like. "Can I have some soba?" I asked after even more time elapsed. He sighs, "don't you ever want anything else?" I shake my head, "no, not really, to be honest." He frowns, looking slightly disgusted. Another few minutes pass, and I stay without soba. "Will you join the League for soba?" He pipes up. I look at him, dumbfounded, and he looks entirely serious. "You're offering me noodles for my loyalty to a crime ring lead by a skinny ass child?" I question him. He just nods.

I burst out laughing. I can't help myself, the idea is just so absurd, and his seriousness is just laughable. Tears of laughter appear in my eyes, and I start coughing from laughing so long. I must have just been desperate for something that wasn't silence. He smirks and snorts quietly, "you dying?" I laugh even more, "I think so." He laughs a bit more too. This feels strangely nice. Just my brother and I laughing together. I momentarily forget my situation, my stress, my scars. It's blissful. I don't want it to end. "Seriously though, is soba the thing that will break you? I'm fucking desperate."

I finally calm down after a minute. "No, soba won't break me." He thinks for a second, then replies, "what about what Midoryia kid? You seem to like him." Again, I'm tempted to laugh. "Are you saying you think I'm gay?" He nods, seemingly holding in a laugh, then turns serious once he notices me not laughing. "Wait, are you?" I stay silent, and he seems unsure. "Dude, please tell me." I shake my head, "let me go and I'll tell you." He stands up, "listen here you little shit." We make eye contact, and start laughing again. We take some time to calm, and Toya says, "once you snap, I'm getting the answer."

"Who said I'll ever snap?" I sass, and he retorts, "I do. I'm gonna find what breaks you." For some time, he keeps offering random things in exchange for my loyalty. It's normal things at first, but quickly becomes cursed. He asks, "why wouldn't you want one of Crusty's hands? You can use them to slap people without having to touch them." I explain, "I can do worse to a person without having to touch the god knows how old hand of a corpse." He nods, indicating he sees my point. He then snaps his fingers, "Father's teeth?" My eyes widen, and I bite my lip to surpressed another laughing fit. I then reply, "but are they yet ready to be harvested?"

We both start laughing yet again. Toya takes a second to calm down before saying, "I should have kidnapped you sooner. The only other person in the League that can appreciate my cursed humour is Toga, and she's scary." I raise an eyebrow, wondering how scary she can be. I'm provided with an answer, "she's obsessed with Brocolli Boy and Kirby, and she loves to talk about how much she's going to shit them up and drink all their blood." I really want to ask, but he just shakes his head. I don't ask.

I then realise something off with what he said. 'The only other person in the League.' "You consider me part of the League already?" He quickly realises what I'm referring to, then nods. "You're my little brother, with the obvious potential to become a huge threat. Of course I consider you part of the team." How he talks about me is weird. He recognises me as source of power that no one particularly wants to work against, yet he also talks about me as a person. My family only talks about my power and skills, not my moral value. Yet, Toya stated I'm his brother, then the asset of my power. He put me first. Not my power, me.

"You okay, kiddo? You're spacing out." I nod, "yeah I'm fine. I'm kinda tired, I might go to sleep." He smiles and gets up, "you want some soba first?" I smile too, and he just says "I'll be back when it's done. I'll make sure it cools." With that, he runs off. Toya is honestly an amazing brother. To others, he may seem average, but I've never really had a real sibling. I was forced to think of myself as above my blood relatives, and I was segregated from them. Now that that doesn't happen, Natsuo and Fuyumi act kind of strange around me. As if they're afraid. Of what? Me being like our old man? Snapping just like he did?

I get lost in these fears for a while. But then, I remember why these thoughts started originally. Toya. He treats me like a human being. He values me. Maybe even loves me. Yet again, my deep thoughts about familial bonds and love are interrupted by Toya bringing soba. He has a steaming bowl of it, and a cold looking one. He undoes the bindings on the chair and gives me the cold bowl. He sits and starts eating the hot one. I taste my own, it's amazing. We finish the strange night we just had with eating our noodles.

He lays some blankets on the floor to make a makeshift bed. "Probably more comfortable than that chair. Don't have any extras, so you'll just have to keep your body temperature up with your left side." I lay down on this bed and ask, "you trust me?" He nods, laying on his now bare matress. I smile, and close my eyes. I was obviously more tired than I realised, since I pretty much passed out.

Word count: 1069 (nice)