Chapter Text
“Can you tell me what hurts?” Shouta asked. There was a bruise on Todoroki’s temple, but though his eyes seemed unfocused his pupils looked to be the same size.
The kid started to sit up, winced, and sunk back against the embankment. “Everything?”
“Yeah, I get that.” Most of Todoroki’s cuts had scabbed over, and the few that weren’t were bleeding sluggishly. He checked the kid’s arms, finding a weak but regular pulse in both wrists. His hands and fingers were torn up, and Shouta pulled his emergency kit out to wrap them. “I’m gonna lift your shirt, okay?”
Todoroki nodded and tried to sit up again. Shouta supported him with one arm behind his shoulders, pushing his t-shirt up with the other hand.
More bruising on his chest and stomach. Todoroki hissed in a breath when Shouta brushed over one of the bruises on his ribcage. “Could be cracked,” he said, pulling the kid’s shirt back down.
“I think so,” Todoroki agreed faintly. “It feels…like that.”
And if that didn’t make Shouta’s blood boil.
Todoroki was fifteen. He had no business knowing what cracked ribs felt like.
The left leg was next. His knee was swollen and scraped up, but the joint didn’t seem too damaged when Shouta manipulated it. He wrapped it anyway, if only to cover the bare skin and let the kid preserve a little bit of warmth.
“All right.” Shouta gently shifted Todoroki, so his back was to the embankment with both legs stretched out in front of him. He crouched on the kid’s right side, careful not to touch the leg. “Can you melt this?”
“It’s broken,” Todoroki said. He was shivering now. Shouta dug in his kit for a silvery emergency blanket and draped it over Todoroki’s shoulders.
“It’s okay,” he said, pulling the edges of the blanket close. He wiped a smudge of mud off the kid’s chin and waited until his eyes focused on him. “I just want to help.”
Todoroki finally nodded and leaned forward to touch his left hand to the ice. He all but collapsed against Shouta when he did, and he let Todoroki hold onto him until he got his balance back.
“That was a good idea, with the ice,” he said, trying to distract Todoroki while he examined his leg.
“I couldn’t make a splint. I thought…maybe immobilize it?”
Shouta nodded. “Good idea,” he repeated. The ice had undoubtedly done damage to Todoroki’s leg—even he wasn’t immune to frostbite. But trying to move around with a broken leg could have done more. “I’ll make a splint, then we can get out of here. Sound good?”
Todoroki grimaced and looked down. His wrapped hands lay on his thighs, blood spotting through the bandage as he flexed his fingers.
“What’s wrong?” Shouta asked. Todoroki could be hard to read sometimes, but he was sending pretty clear signals right now. Head down, shoulders curled up, like he was expecting a scolding or worse. He wouldn’t meet Shouta’s eyes now, even when he scooted closer and put a hand on the kid’s shoulder.
“Todo…Shouto?”
The kid looked up at the use of his first name. He met Shouta’s gaze for a moment, and the man swore he could see a hint of fear in his eyes. “My father?” he finally asked quietly.
“He’s looking for you.”
Todoroki shrank in on himself a little more, and Shouta leaned in closer. “He won’t find you, kid. I got here first. We’re gonna get out of here before he even knows what happened.”
Todoroki shook his head. “He’ll still know.”
Shouta took a deep breath. He couldn’t afford to lose his temper here. “I’ll take care of that. Now, you ready to get out of here?”
…
It had taken some time to find the right branches to use for the splint, then to wrap Todoroki’s leg up properly. The kid was practically wilting from pain and exhaustion by the end, and Shouta gave him a few minutes to catch his breath while he radioed the search party.
Well. Not the entire search party. Just the other two teachers.
The ones he could trust.
“Shouta? You’ve been a little quiet, is everything okay?”
“I found him,” he replied. He let Todoroki lean against him to rest while he relayed the situation to Hizashi and Kan. “We need evac.”
“On my way,” Kan said. “Aizawa…we can’t hide this from Endeavor for long.”
Todoroki flinched at the name, and Shouta rested a hand against his back. “I know.”
He didn’t know all of Endeavor’s sidekicks. If one of them had a way to track the search party remotely or tap into their radio frequency….
Well. This had always been a race against time.
“The road opens up half a kilometer south of your location,” Kan announced. “Can you make it?”
“We’ll meet you there,” Shouta agreed. He hooked the radio to his belt and climbed to his feet, dusting himself up. “Ready to go?”
Todoroki looked up at him wearily, then reached out to be helped to his feet. Shouta leaned down, one arm behind the kid’s back and under his knees, and scooped him up.
He yelped, grabbing Shouta’s capture scarf as the man shifted his grip. “M-Mr. Aizawa?”
“You’re not walking on that leg,” Shouta replied. And…damn. Had this kid always been this light? Shouta knew, logically, he couldn’t have lost that much over the last four days. And yet, somehow the teenager seemed far too thin and frail in his arms.
It was probably his imagination.
They trudged through the forest, Shouta keeping his eyes open for any path back up to the road. Todoroki finally relaxed against him, head resting on his shoulder so that his hair tickled the underside of Shouta’s chin. He dozed fitfully, something always bringing him back from the blink of sleep with a flinch or gasp.
Finally…finally…the forest and the road levelled out. There was a big curve here, with an extended shoulder on the outside of the road. Kan had already brought the rescue service’s helicopter around, and the rotors were kicking up dust and debris as they descended as soon as Shouta left the tree line.
“SHOUTO!”
Todoroki flinched in Shouta’s arms. He swore and ran for the helicopter, the burst of fire bright in his peripheral vision. He swore he could feel the heat of the flames even as the wind from the rotors buffeted his hair away from his face.
Kan was there, leaning out of the helicopter, arms out to pull Todoroki in. Endeavor was closing in on them, still bellowing his son’s name. Shouta hurriedly climbed in, wrapped both arms around Todoroki to tuck him against his chest as he yelled for the pilot to go. The kid was shaking, breath coming in jerky gasps. Panicking.
Next thing he knew, Kan was leaping out of the helicopter. The other teacher caught his eye with a grim smile. “I’ll hold him off.”
Shouta nodded. “Thanks, Kan.”
The other man grinned, fangs sharp in the fading light. “It is truly my pleasure, Aizawa.”
They slowly rose into the air as Vlad King marched out to meet Endeavor face-to-face. Todoroki’s hands were twisted into Shouta’s capture scarf, his face buried against his shoulder as he trembled. Shouta tucked the kid’s head under his chin, trying to whisper reassurances to him. He was bruised and battered and terrified.
“I’ve got you, kid,” he whispered. “Everything’s gonna be okay.”
He didn’t like making promises. Too many things could go wrong, too many variables were unaccounted for. It was better to state plainly what you could do, not wrap it up with grandiose plans and promises you might not be able to keep.
He’d keep this one, though. Endeavor was never laying a hand on this kid ever again.
…
“Relation to the patient?” the nurse asked, barely looking up from her computer. They’d rushed Todoroki in as soon as they landed, leaving Shouta to fill out the paperwork while his student was undergoing exams and healing procedures.
He didn’t want to leave him, but this had to be done before Endeavor or one of his minions showed up.
Shouta opened his license folder and slid it over the counter, making sure the nurse could see the laminated card in the sleeve opposite his hero license. “Pro hero Eraserhead,” he explained. “I have guardianship.”
She glanced at the card and nodded, typing a few things into her computer. “Would you like to designate approved visitors now? We can turn them all away if you’d like to wait.”
“I can do it now,” he said, taking the form she offered. He put himself, Hizashi, and Kan at the top of the list—the teachers involved in the search for Todoroki. Principal Nezu was next. He hesitated for a few moments, then added All Might. All the kids looked up to the former number one, even after losing his power. They’d need someone who wasn’t involved in the search on the list…someone who could stand up to Endeavor.
He started to hand the list back but scribbled three more names on it at the last minute. Midoriya, Yaoyorozu, and Iida. He couldn’t put the whole class on the list, but Todoroki was close with the three of them.
“Thank you,” the nurse said, accepting the list. “His medical records?”
“They’re being sent over from UA.”
She nodded again. “I see he’s been assigned a private room. Let me get that room number for you so you can head on up, Eraserhead.”
“Thank you.” He waited while she entered a few more things on her computer, letting the bustle of the waiting room filter into the background. Endeavor wouldn’t be able to force his way past hospital staff, not without sparking an incident. Shouta had already contacted Nezu, already passed along the first report of Todoroki’s condition. If Endeavor took to the press, UA would be ready to counter him.
He found the kid’s room easy enough. Todoroki was still being treated, but Shouta had barely been there five minutes before Hizashi burst through the door. He’d brought a change of clothes for both of them. And coffee.
They sat in silence for a minute while Shouta let the dark brew revive him. Hizashi leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, head hanging down between his shoulders.
“Are we really doing this, Shouta?” Hizashi asked.
Shouta’s teeth clenched. “He froze his leg because he couldn’t make a splint. He…Hizashi, he said he knew his ribs were cracked because he knew what that felt like. He was out of his mind from fever and exhaustion and his father’s voice terrified him.”
Hizashi sucked in a shuddering breath. “What do we do, Shouta? Endeavor is…”
“Human,” Shouta said. He met his friend’s eyes—to Hizashi’s credit, he didn’t flinch away from Shouta’s glare. “And flammable.”
“Shouta, you can’t set Endeavor on fire,” Hizashi protested with a weak laugh.
“You’re right. It wouldn’t do anything.” Shouta took a long sip of coffee, emptying the cup. “We need water.”
“Be serious, man. What are we gonna do?”
Shouta licked his lips, locking eyes with his old friend. “Our job is to keep these kids safe. We’re gonna do our job, Hizashi.”
…
Displaced fracture of the right tibia. Hairline fracture of the left seventh and eighth rib. Hairline fracture of left scapula. Frostbite on the right leg, from knee to ankle. Dehydration. Malnutrition. Exposure. Exhaustion.
Shouta sat at Todoroki’s bedside, holding his hand, watching the kid sleep as he remembered the injuries the doctor had explained to him. If they’d been a few hours later…if Shouta had followed Endeavor’s search plan rather than his gut…they could’ve been too late.
And all over some sadistic training regime.
Hizashi was down in the lobby, providing some backup to the hospital staff in case Endeavor showed his face. Kan had held the flame hero off as best as he could—first by saying the helicopter could fly faster without Endeavor’s weight added, then by appealing to the man’s pride to get him to call off the search before he tried to follow. And finally with the thinly veiled threat of a public scandal, when Endeavor threatened to leave for the hospital anyway.
Vlad King was a strong hero to face in battle…but Sekijiro Kan was probably the only man alive who was as stubborn as Endeavor.
A timid tap at the door caught Shouta’s attention, and a familiar green-haired student stuck his head in. “Mr. Aizawa?”
“Come on in,” he said softly, waving his student in. “Keep your voice down, though. He’s sleeping.”
Midoriya nodded, staring at Todoroki in the hospital bed. He was hooked up to countless tubes and wires, his face pale beneath the scraps and bruises. “Is he gonna be okay?”
“In time.”
Midoriya was silent for a few long seconds. He fidgeted, hands twisting in the hem of his t-shirt. Shifted from foot to foot. Glanced at Shouta and then looked away.
“Is there something else, Midoriya?”
“What? No, no, it’s just…I mean, I probably shouldn’t bother you about it.”
He sighed. A headache was starting to form behind his eyes. “Spit it out, problem child.”
“R-right. I know…the nurse said I could come right up, but I wasn’t the only one in the waiting room wanting to see Todoroki. And I just…he tried to stop me, but All—All Might’s here, too, he just couldn’t come up with me. Because…and All Might got between us, and I think he’ll be okay. I mean, it’s the hospital, so it’s not like he can do anything, right? A-and anyway—”
“Midoriya!”
The kid straightened up with a squeak. “Sorry, sir. It’s just…Endeavor’s here.”
Shouta sighed. He beckoned the kid closer, held Todoroki’s limp hand toward him. “Keep holding his hand, all right? If he wakes up, just talk to him. Let him know he’s safe. He’ll fall back asleep again.”
“R-right.” Midoriya took Todoroki’s hand and settled into Shouta’s chair. “Mr. Aizawa?”
“I’m going to deal with our visitor. I’ll be back.”
As always, he heard Endeavor before he saw him. He rounded the corner into the waiting room to see the flame hero towering over All Might, heedless of the nurses gawking in the background. A short, green-haired woman, who he could only assume to be Midoriya’s mother, was standing next to Hizashi on the other side of the room, her hands clenched into fists at her sides as she looked about ready to give Endeavor a piece of her mind.
Great. There were two of them.
“Eraserhead!” Endeavor rounded on him as Shouta lazily raised a hand in greeting. “What’s the meaning of this?”
“Visitors have been restricted for Todoroki’s safety,” Shouta replied blandly. “You’re not on the list.”
“I’m his father!”
“You left him stranded on a mountainside with three protein bars and a canteen.”
Endeavor scoffed. “Survival training.”
“You took his phone. He couldn’t call for help if he was injured.”
The big man waved a hand dismissively. “He’s made it back before.”
Shouta lowered his head to hide his grin. Gotcha. “So this is regular training for you?”
“Of course.” Endeavor folded his arms. “Shouto knows this. He can’t be expected to be coddled as a hero. He’ll need to be strong enough to defeat…to be the best,” he amended, shooting a glance at All Might.
“Coddled?” Midoriya’s mother spat. Shouta held a hand up to stop her.
“Regardless of your intentions, your son was critically injured on an unsupervised training excursion while under your supervision.”
Endeavor’s eyes narrowed. “What are you saying, Eraser?”
Shouta met his gaze evenly. “I’m sure you understand that we can’t release Todoroki into your custody until a full investigation is completed.”
The flame hero snarled. He spun on his heel, stalking toward the hospital entrance. “You haven’t heard the last from me, Eraserhead,” he called over his shoulder.
Shouta allowed himself to smile, meeting the man’s eyes for an instant. “I’m looking forward to it.”
…
He left All Might consoling Midoriya’s mother and returned to Todoroki’s room, only to find Midoriya curled up in the bed with him.
Midoriya looked up guiltily. He had one arm behind Todoroki’s shoulders, with Todoroki’s head resting on his chest close to his heart. “He had a nightmare,” he explained.
Shouta sighed. “Yeah.” They weren’t frequent. Usually if the kid woke up, he was just a little disoriented. Asked where he was, asked why his teacher was there, then fell back asleep. The few times he’d woken up from a nightmare, it had taken Shouta far too long to calm him back down.
He sat next to the bed, arms folded, staring out across the room while his thoughts churned. Kan and Nezu were rushing through the paperwork while he and Hizashi watched over the kid in the hospital. The ball would already be rolling by the time Endeavor got back to his agency.
“Mr. Aizawa?”
The voice startled him out of his thoughts, and he turned enough to look at Midoriya. “Yeah?”
“I was studying hero law while you were gone…is it true that pro heroes can take custody of a child if they think they’re in an abusive home?”
He shifted in the chair to face the kid. Todoroki had woken up again, but he just stared at Shouta with tired eyes while Midoriya petted his hair absently. “That’s partially true,” he explained. “To be specific, some pro heroes can remove a dependent from a situation that is damaging to them physically, mentally, or emotionally.”
Midoriya blinked. “What’s the difference?”
“A dependent doesn’t necessarily mean a child. It could refer to someone who’s disabled or elderly.”
“I see.” Midoriya nodded. “You said…you said ‘some’ pro heroes?”
“They have to have a special certification, in addition to their license,” Shouta said. “Any pro hero can remove a person from an actively dangerous situation; but only heroes with this certification can act on suspicion of abuse.”
Todoroki shifted. Midoriya straightened up a little. “Who’s certified for that?”
In response, Shouta pulled out his hero license. He flipped the folder open to show the kids the laminated card he’d shown to the nurse earlier. “It’s a requirement for every pro hero who teaches at UA.”
“That means…” Midoriya’s eyes were wide.
Todoroki just looked tired. “He’ll fight you,” he said.
Shouta snorted, tucking his hero license away. “He just admitted in front of witnesses that he let this happen,” he said, gesturing at Todoroki’s body. “And that it wasn’t the first time. Let him try.”
“He doesn’t give up.”
He leaned forward. “Neither do I.”
Todoroki nodded. His eyes were sliding shut again, and he relaxed into Midoriya’s hold. “I don’t want to go home,” he mumbled.
“You won’t,” Shouta promised. He rested a hand on top of Todoroki’s head, smiling when the kid leaned into his touch. “I’ve got you, kid. You’re safe now.”