So, I just noticed that it was actually hard to put Todoroki and Aizawa-sensei in the same scene together since their first names have just a one-letter difference from each other (っ °Д °;)っ sorry about that \(￣︶￣*\))
~
Izuku winced as Hisashi stitched his head wound up but it wasn't as painful as the lashings he received the other day or how the villagers, who had once looked at him with smiles when he had danced with Shoto, glared at him and blamed him for their kingdom's misfortune just because he was a merman... a cursed creature.
Izuku closed his eyes and let tears flow down his face. Katsuki and the others had been right... there was nothing good in the human world-- that the humans would only love and accept you as long as they think that you're one of them even though you're just pretending, and then hate you once you reveal your true self and they find out that you're different from them. They'd hate you as if you did nothing good.
He remembered how, despite his blurry vision, he saw Shoto amongst the panicking crowd around him-- how his eyes widened in surprise and in horror upon seeing him in his true form. He couldn't handle being stared at like that, especially from Shoto whom he expected would accept him even in his mermaid form-- the main reason why he had thrashed out and caused injury to himself. He was so lost in thought the failed to see Shigaraki and approach him.
"That was a close one, eh little one?" Shigaraki said as he grabbed Izuku's jaw and forced the greenhead to look up. "The villagers almost tore you apart,"
Izuku averted his eyes. "Kill me already..." he mumbled, "You already got what you want, right...? Yuei is now yours..."
"Oh but it will never be ours, not until that bloody prince of theirs is still alive," Shigaraki said, "And until he breathes his last breath at my feet, you will continue on to live-- suffering at the hands of the humans you foolishly put your trust on,"
Izuku glared at him. "If you dare hurt even a single hair on Shoto--"
"What will you do, merman?" Shigaraki cackled. "Flap your fins?"
Izuku didn't answer. How could he? He can't even save himself from the pitiful situation he's in, what more can he do to threaten Shigaraki?
Shigaraki then turned to Hisashi and to one of the guards that had been the pirates' true spy-- Kosuke. "Take him back in the dungeon,"
"We'll play later, little one," Shigaraki mumbled to Izuku before Kosuke slung the young merman over his shoulder as he was nothing but a sack of rice.
The sudden movement made Izuku's head pound and before he could even fight back, he was dumped back inside his cell and was thrown tattered clothes for him to wear before they slammed the gates shut and locked him up.
"Maybe spending night under here would knock some sense into you," Kosuke said, "See you in the morning.
Izuku looked at him in shock and he glanced at the small window that provided his cell a bit of light. Before they dragged him to the circle, they made sure that Izuku did not eat dinner and with his stay overdue, he was unable to eat lunch as well... surely they wouldn't let him skip dinner tonight... right?
He willed himself to change in his human form and quickly put on some clothes, careful of Kosuke's lustful eyes that were set on him as if a predator watched its prey. Izuku would've changed after the guards left but he had no choice, he couldn't talk to them in his mermaid form.
"C-can you at least give me water to drink...?" Izuku asked, hoping that a hint of mercy would creep its way to the guards' heart.
Kosuke made a move and returned back with a bowl of water to which the guard handed to Izuku through an outstretched hand. His legs were shaky when he stood up, but he was just too thirsty to even endure how painful his legs felt and struggled to walk and reach for the bowl.
As soon as Izuku's fingertips touched the bowl, Kosuke let it go-- making it fall down the concrete ground with a thud and spilled the water on the ground.
"Now, see what you did... you spilled it," Kosuke said with a smug smirk on his face as Izuku looked down on the bowl in horror. "As punishment for wasting water, you won't be given one for tonight,"
"N-no... I... please... just bit would... please...!" Izuku said, falling to his knees. He didn't care how pathetic he looked, he was desperate at this rate.
Kosuke laughed at Izuku's state but stopped when Hisashi gave him a look. "What are you looking at?" he said then walked past the right-hand man, bumping his shoulders.
"Please... j-just a bit... p-please..." Izuku cried, but both of them had gone out to carry on with their duties-- leaving him.
Tears fell down his eyes and he moved to wipe them towards his mouth for a taste of water to at least relieve his parched throat and he felt pity towards himself in this situation-- he was all alone, suffering, with no one to save him.
He lied down on the cold ground and forced himself to sleep-- at least in his dreams he could be happy, he could be back home where his family was waiting for him. A small smile tugged his lips as he dreamed of going back into the ocean, Inko waiting for him in open arms as a small voice at the back of his mind wished that the dream was real and that he not wake up from the nightmare called reality.
***
Izuku woke up to two things-- first, was how badly his stomach was hurting for not having anything it for almost a day now as his body shook from the cold and hunger he felt; second, was the smell from the freshly cooked food and plenty of water that was set down by the gates of his cell-- it was a plate full of bread with butter, a bowl of soup, and a turkey leg that was partnered with a jug of water.
Surprised at the tray, Izuku sat up quickly-- rubbing his eyes to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating-- before he slowly crawled and lightly touched the food. Tears blurred his vision as soon as he realized that real food was presented to him and he didn't mind the salty tears that he tasted as soon as he started shoving the bread in his mouth. He hummed in pleasure as more tears flowed down his face while he ate-- extremely grateful at whoever left the tray of food.
As soon as he wolfed down the bread and turkey leg, he went for the soup but stopped when he reached for the spoon that was placed at the side of the tray as he remembered when he first came across the human object-- it had been when he woke up at the infirmary after Shoto brought him to the castle. Izuku smiled softly at the memory as he continued to finish his dinner and silently thanked the maids who were both brave and kind enough to leave food for him.
"Glad you're enjoying the food," A voice said behind him and Izuku flinched and cowered back as his green eyes met Hisashi's copper orbs.
Izuku trembled in fear, completely forgetting the food laid before him as all he had in mind was how much trouble he would be in just for satisfying his hunger.
"What? Cat got your tongue, merman?" Hisashi as tears formed at the corner of Izuku's eyes-- fear was starting to eat him up as he thought of what kind of cruel punishment would Shigaraki think of doing to him as soon as he finds out.
Hisashi looked down at the unfinished food, his lips in a thin line so Izuku had a hard time reading his expression. "Hurry up and finish it before Kosuke or any other guard sees you eating," he said and the next emotion that hit Izuku was utter confusion.
Did he hear it right? Shigaraki's right-hand man was turning a blind eye after seeing Izuku eat when he was clearly not supposed to? What is happening? This isn't a dream, is it? Or maybe there was something in the food that made him delusional?
"Did you not hear what I said, boy?" Hisashi asked his voice stern this time and made Izuku flinch.
Without another word, Izuku silently reached for his unfinished bowl of soup and continued to eat while his eyes were glued to Hisashi-- trying to read him and find out the reason why was he doing what he was doing.
As soon as he finished Hisashi opened the cell and Izuku scrambled back in fear, covering his face with his arms and his eyes closed tightly as he expected to be hit. But his eyes opened in surprise when he heard the cell close back and locked while Hisashi left the dungeon with Izuku's tray of food.
He sat there for hours as he tried to figure out what was happening and why was Hisashi letting him eat when Shigaraki's instructions were clear that Izuku did not eat anything at all. However, the adrenaline he had been feeling the whole gradually faded, and with his stomach full, Izuku fell back to sleep.
***
Hisashi took a final turn that headed to the kitchen when he halted to a stop as soon as he met eyes with Kosuke. The guard's eyes traveled down to the tray of empty plates he was holding before looking back at Hisashi.
"What are you looking at?" Hisashi asked.
"What are you doing in the middle of the night holding that tray?" Kosuke answered his question with another question.
"Ever heard of a midnight snack?" Hisashi sarcastically answered and Kosuke growled.
"Your quarters are not even near hear,"
"I can eat wherever I want," Hisashi said as he walked up to Kosuke until he was close enough to look intimidating. "Do we have a problem with that, Kosuke?"
They locked eyes for a minute, glaring at each other until Kosuke broke eye contact and looked away. "No..." he grumbled an answer and Hisashi smirked in triumph before he walked past the guard who threw glares of daggers at the back of his head before Kosuke turned and went on his way to continue patrolling around the castle.
The next day, after a whole day of torment from Shigaraki, Hisashi visited Izuku once more-- holding a first aid kit for Izuku's bruises.
Though still worry and a bit weirded out by the right-hand man's actions, Izuku let Hisashi tend to his wounds and winced as soon as the damp cloth made contact with his raw skin.
"Stop struggling or it would hurt more," Hisashi ordered and Izuku tried hard not to move as he bit his lip and tried to stop the whimpers to escape and allowed Hisashi to finish his job faster.
"T-thank you..." Izuku whispered and Hisashi hummed a response as he turned and walked out of Izuku's cell, not forgetting to lock the gates and exited the dungeon without looking back-- leaving a very confused Izuku.
The days continued on like that, Izuku enduring whatever torment Shigaraki stored for him with Hisashi visiting every other night to tend his wounds and leave without another word or a conversation shared between them.
Until one night, Izuku finally had the strength to voice out his thoughts. "Why are you helping me?"
Hisashi, who was about to leave again, stopped at his tracks.
Tension built up between the silence that surrounded them that Izuku had to break it. "I-I... I don't deserve your help..." he said, "Why do you come here every other night to tend my wounds... why do you offer me food... I don't understand..."
Hisashi turned his head just enough to see Izuku at the corner of his eyes and Izuku could swear he saw a flicker of emotion in those copper-colored eyes. "The less you know, the better," was his only answer before he turned and left without another word.
Izuku stared at the cell gates blankly until something caught his eyes and his heart skipped a beat-- Hisashi forgot to lock his gate.
Standing up so fast, Izuku ran for the gate and had held the bar to pull it open when something stopped him from his actions and he slowly lost his grip before sitting back on the cold floor.
He doesn't deserve to be free after what he's done to Shoto. He deserves to rot and die in his human form as punishment for lying. He can't go home to Katsuki and Mitsuki, knowing that Shoto was hiding and fighting for his life and Shigaraki ruling over Yuei... He doesn't even deserve the kindness Hisashi had been showing him... He doesn't deserve kindness at all...
Letting a few tears slip through his eyes, Izuku hugged his knees and rested his forehead on them before closing his eyes and forced himself to sleep to get rid of the heavy feeling in his heart, unknown of Hisashi's presence that had just hidden behind a wall near his cell, fists clenched with anger for Izuku not taking the chance to be free from their grasps.
The next days came and Hisashi stopped visiting Izuku, leaving the greenhead all alone with his aching wounds and bruises that Shigaraki had inflicted on him every single day.