✨: morning dad are you ok?
Every morning.
Every morning, at various times, he received that text from his little Star, and it had quickly become something he'd look forward to every single day while waiting around in the hospital.
He'd always reply telling her he was okay even if he wasn't, that he was missing her, and ask about how she was feeling.
He really hoped that his talk with her about being honest a few months back had stuck with her, because she always told him she was okay, too.
Sometimes she'd have a bad dream, crawl into Giran's bed to ask for her phone and call or text Touya, but he didn't mind that. He was happy to sit on the phone texting with her until she fell back to sleep and Giran told him, usually sending him a picture of her asleep with her phone in hand.
This morning was different though.
✨: morning 🐾
🔥: mornin darlin
🔥: told u u can hav a cat when ur better
He assumed that's what she was hinting at by using that emoji, anyway.
✨: no its two paws!
✨: i dont know how to spell what i call you ☹️
Touya could tell her how to spell it. But having her refer to him using an emoji because she wasn't sure on how to spell his name was way cuter.
And honestly, after Tomura put off visiting Touya because 'something unexpected' came up... Touya could use what little pick-me-ups he could get.
🔥: very smart darlin
✨: {{Picture attachment.}}
Touya frowns a little when he clicks on the photo Star had sent through, but his expression soon softens when he sees what she'd sent through.
A little drawing of him. It's a little shaky in comparison to her usual stuff, a little messy, and not nearly as detailed as she usually got her drawings, but it's definitely hers, and it's of him.
The purple scarring, the white hair with black, stitched together clothes... there's even a small blue flame by his feet. Unmistakably him.
He instantly feels a little relieved. She was drawing again, after what felt like months of her not really doing it because she was too stressed out or easily angered by her own mistakes, no matter how small.
And she chose to draw him, which means she might not be scared and confused about what she'd seen, and what she knew anymore.
That she might not be scared of him and loves him still despite him being 'bad'.
🔥: i love it doll thank u
✨: its bad, drawing with fingers is hard
🔥: aint bad hon
✨: uncle giran helped
✨: i drew mura too
🔥: show me?
It feels like forever since he last saw one of her drawings, and he has nothing better to do but indulge in her little text conversation with him while he's sitting in a hospital bed, waiting for Ujiko to come and fix him up.
Zero was still sitting obediently by his side, remaining loyal to Tomuras request to watch over Touya while he was sorting out the HSPC and all of its buildings and staff, so it wasn't like he didn't have any company, but it wasn't exactly fun company.
Zero, despite being with the League for months now, still wasn't the most thrilling in conversation, apparently still struggling to learn social cues, but now Ujiko was free from Tartarus, he might be able to correct that for him.
✨: {{Picture attachment.}}
An equally shaky and messy drawing, but definitely Tomura with his big, fluffy hair, red eyes with creases surrounding them. It's not her greatest work, but it's still charming because she did it.
🔥: hell love it
🔥: wish i could give u a squish
✨: i can come see you
Touya looks at his remains of an arm, wanting to see her, but knowing that Zero was right and she'd probably cry about it, or at the very least, be upset that he'd been badly hurt.
🔥: dunno doll, aint fixed yet
✨: please?
And Touya really doesn't want to say no to her, because he wants to see her just as much as she wants to see him.
So he caves.
🔥: cmon then
*•*
Not even a few hours later, Giran walks through the door, quickly followed by Star, who sprints into the room.
She completely ignores Zero who perks up by Touyas bedside, seeming to come fully to life for the first time since being here, and says hello to her.
She instead leaps onto the bed by Touya's feet and crawls her way up so she's lying right on top of his chest, her arms wrapped around his neck and her head buried under his jaw.
He'd actually fully intended on keeping his arm hidden from her for as long as he could, but his body reacts automatically to her enthusiastic hug before he can really think about it.
He wraps his arms around her, burying his face into her hair, ignoring the way her hair wraps around his staples.
"Hey darlin'." He murmurs.
"I missed you!" She exclaims, her voice muffled against him.
"Missed you too." He replies, squeezing her a little as if to accentuate his point.
This seems to get her to realise something isn't quite right, and she turns her head a little to look at his arm where the lower half is missing, squeaking a little in surprise and lurching away from him, going to the side of the bed quicker than he'd ever seen her move before.
He hadn't really been too bothered about the loss of his lower arm, he knew that with the second war being a success, it wouldn't impede him in any way because he'd be able to get actual medical care now, and decent prosthetics.
And he knew she would be freaked out, and actually had been relatively excited to spook her a little. But her initial reaction of disgust still makes him have to swallow down the hurt, just a little.
"Your arm is gone!" She panics, staring at the bandaged stump left behind.
And just like always, Touya masks the hurt with humor.
Dramatically he gasps, lifting what remains of his arm and staring at it in horror, as though he hadn't been aware of it before she had pointed it out.
"You took it!" He accuses, unable to stop himself from grinning afterwards.
"Nuh-uh!" She scowls at him.
"Uh-huh. You got up too quickly, bet you pulled it off when you got up."
"You're dumb." She says, but there's no venom in it, and she seems to rapidly go a little paler than she usually looks.
Zero is up in an instant before it happens, grabbing her arm before she can fall to the floor as she passes out. He manages to bend over Touya as he sits up in the bed and haul her up into his scarred arms rather than holding her up with a tight grip on her arm, settling back into his chair with her laid over his lap, her head against his chest.
"Aw, poor lil' love." Giran says softly and sadly, pouting slightly and patting her head. "Ain't built fer all this violence. Sucha gentle lil' soul."
Zero watches over her carefully, like he was built to do, gently moving hair out of her face.
Touya kind of feels like setting himself alight again. He knew she was a bit grossed out by blood, but didn't think she'd have such an adverse reaction to seeing his arm, something that was already under control, with not even a speck of blood in sight, even on the bandages.
"Take her back." He orders simply, turning his face away.
"Oh don't be like that, Touya. She's never seen somethin' like this before." Giran chastises as gently as he can.
"I don't care. She's stressed enough already, so jus' take her back." Touya snaps irritably.
"Hello again, Star." Zero greets softly, which tells Touya that they've missed the small window of time that meant they could take her away without her putting up a fight.
If she even put up a fight.
Touya is surprised when he feels the mattress dip again, and Star tucks herself into his side where he still has his entire arm intact, more gently this time.
He doesn't say anything, but looks down at her, his hand going to her head to rub his thumb against her skull rhythmically.
"You feelin' okay, doll?" He asks quietly. "Sick?"
She shakes her head against him, but doesn't say anything for a little while, until she raises her head again to take another peek at his bandaged arm.
"You're really hurt." She says tearfully.
"Hon, can't feel a thing." Touya reassures, throwing Zero a look the second she makes it apparent she's crying.
He actually seems to get a small, knowing smile back from the man in return, too.
"F' anythin' It's just kinda annoying." Touya tells her, tilting her head so he can wipe her face gently. "Keep forgetting I don't have a hand on that side anymore."
"It's gone forever?" She asks, sniffing.
"'Til I get prosthetics. Like Uncle Girans fingers." Touya replies calmly.
"But Tomura got his back." She says, wiping her own face. "Can't you get yours back?"
"Don't feel like becomin' a experiment just to get my arm back, doll." Touya replies.
He sees Zero flinch from the corner of his eyes, and moves his attention to him, Zero is still smiling like he always does, but there's something unreadable behind those mismatched eyes, a look Touya hadn't seen before.
"Sorry, man." Touya says, a little surprised by the reaction.
"What for?" Is the response he gets back.
Touya kind of feels like it's an avoidant answer, so he ignores it, knowing Zero had definitely heard. He had apologised to him too, which was more than he usually gave.
"Did this happen when you were fighting your dad?" Star asks.
She reaches to touch his other arm, her fingers barely grazing his bandages before they retract again, a small expression of uncertainty on her face.
"Yeah." Touya says, and then quickly changes the subject. "Let's just cuddle a bit, yeah?"
"Okay, pawpaw." She agrees, nodding, and then glances at his other arm again. "Can we just cuddle on this side?"
Touya snorts, hiding the insecurity she was unawaringly creating in her reactions, even though he knows she's just a kid that'd never seen something like this before, as Giran had pointed out.
"Sure, princess."
And so she tucks herself into his side again, under his arm, and lays there silently as he holds her, rubbing her side affectionately.
"Any news on Ujiko?" Giran asks, leaning back and crossing his ankles.
"Nah, it's a decent way from Tartarus to here." Touya shrugs. "Plus with all the riots an' sh-stuff, probably ain't makin' his journey any easier."
"There was a riot on the way here." Star informs him, looking up at him. "There was a man with a big sign with pictures of Spinner on it."
"Was a heteromorph equality rally." Giran explains further.
"Surprised you didn't join in, Starshine." Touya teases, smirking down at her.
She instantly goes all embarrassed and hides her face against his ribcage again. "Shut up."
He chuckles, moving his hand to her hair and Giran smiles softly, reaching to rub her back reassuringly.
"Darlin' here's been learnin' all about it from Aiko." He says proudly. "An' about things like fashion, and other girly stuff."
"Great." Touya rolls his eyes. "The important things, then."
"Aunty Aoi told me that the poochy bit here is my organs." Star says, perking up again and poking Touya's lower stomach. "And that I'm not chunky because they're there!"
"You ain't chunky in the first place, who the hell's been tellin' you that?" Touya frowns.
"No-one, but Aunty Aiko says lots of girls make themselves sick because they don't realise that they're meant to be there, so they think they're chunky." Star says, patting his stomach again.
"You're lettin' her tell Star about all that?" Touya asks sourly, staring right at Giran.
Giran shrugs, giving him a toothless grin. "She's gotta learn about all this stuff sometime. M' jus' happy my girls are gettin' on. They've even been drawin' dresses together."
"And watching other movies like Spirited Away." Star chimes in. "Aunty Aiko isn't that scary when you spend time with her."
She peers at Zero. "She says she misses you too, Uncle Zero, and that you should go and see her when everything is less busy."
"I'd like that." Zero replies, his voice warm and genuine, his lips still curled upwards.
Touya rolls his eyes. She always did have a thing for men with issues. Zero had even told her he wasn't interested and apparently she was still trying it.
Giran shoots Touya a sharp look at his reaction, but doesn't utter a word.
Star motions for Touya to duck his head closer to her, so she can whisper something to him, which he does with a playful smirk.
"Aunty Aiko says that she secretly cares about you, too." She whispers. "Even though you upset her when you were younger."
"I'm glad you're havin' fun, doll." Touya replies, ignoring the comment that meant Aiko had told her some of what had gone down when they were younger. "Why don't you tell me some more?"
He kisses her cheek softly before sitting up again, listening to her enthusiastically tell him about her time at Giran's, like that horrible phone call hadn't happened days before.
It felt so nice having her here, in his arms, close and happy. She seems more like herself than she had done in months, and Touya tries very hard to focus on the fact he was glad she's happy again, rather than the fact she seems to be doing better now she's away from him.