Work Text:
Tenya was cold.
The flimsy hospital blanket did nothing to fend off the unforgiving arms of the cold that clawed at his neck. It left him feeling hollow, like an empty glass bottle.
He stared down at his arm, his brain reminding him that he was like glass in more ways than one.
The stark white cast protected his arm from the cold, but it was itchy and Tenya was barely resisting the urge to bite it off with his teeth.
But he refrained. Such behaviour would be unbecoming of a hero in training, let alone a member of the Iidaten family.
So he sat still in his bed, observing as Todoroki and Midoriya layed down to rest.
They asked if he was going to sleep, and if he felt unwell but he told them no, stating that he wanted to wait up for his parents to visit. Then Midoriya asked if he simply wanted some company, and Todoroki's eyes portrayed a deep sort of sadness Tenya chose not to focus on. Again, he refused, telling them both just how important it was as future heroes to be well-rested and healed.
Midoriya went to rebut him but Todoroki stopped him, and for that he was thankful. Midoriya was a wonderful person, truly, Tenya knew that he would do wonders for the world in the future. If he was saving Tenya now, then he could barely begin to comprehend the amazing feats Midoriya would accomplish as a fully-fledged Pro Hero.
But Midoriya, perhaps, was too caring about his friends. He pushed and pushed and pushed, and while Tenya was thankful that the other boy had pushed in this situation, he sometimes wishes he wouldn't push so hard. He was obviously concerned about Tenya and didn't want to leave him alone, but he didn't see that this opportunity might do Tenya some good. That Tenya needed to be alone with his thoughts, despite how that's what got them initially this mess in the first place.
He had made up some excuse about knowing he would be staying in the hospital past tomorrow due to his injuries and it seemed to satisfy the other boy.
Todoroki stared at him, face as blank as a cloud-covered sky at night, but eyes swimming with emotion and questions Tenya desperately wanted to avoid.
He bid them both a good night and waited for them to fall asleep, which brought him to where he was now.
His hair was disheveled and his glasses rested crookedly on his nose, but he couldn't bring himself to fix them. His left arm was encased in a bone-white cast and his right felt heavy and numb from where the doctor had healed him earlier.
The only sounds in the room were that of Midoriya and Todoroki's breathing as they slept, the various low buzzing of machines, and his own quiet breaths.
He lifted his gaze to the clock on the wall once again. 23:46 it read.
Tenya then brought his eyes down to look at his phone on the table beside his bed, staring at the black screen, almost trying to will it to light up with a message.
Any explanation, or reassurance.
But he was not so lucky.
His parents were probably busy visiting Tensei. Tenya would be too, had he not gotten injured in his petty attempt at revenge.
He was used to it, however, how his parents prioritised his older brother. How they loudly proclaimed his victories and did little to praise Tenya. It was how hero families worked. Todoroki knew it, Yaoyorozu knew it, they all did. The first child to become a hero was always the most important.
And Tenya was fine with that, he really was, he loved his brother more than and coherent string of words could ever portray but… he couldn't help how his heart lurched a little at the fact that his parents weren't here to visit him.
He shuffled down the bed until he was lying on his back and tried to fall asleep, not bothered to take his glasses off.
Maybe they'd be here tomorrow.
They were not.
Tenya woke with a headache that made the entire right side of his head numb and sensitive to the touch. His glasses had somehow fallen to the floor during his sleep, and he was embarrassed that Todoroki had to pick them up for him.
Despite the rays of warm sun that filtered through the windows, Tenya was still cold.
His sleep had done nothing to warm him during the night and he wanted nothing more than to fall back into the arms of Morpheus and stay there until he could leave the hospital. But he didn't, instead sitting up and greeting Midoriya and Todoroki properly, like any Iida was expected to.
The nurses came in then, checking the various machines and asking them a range of questions, most of them something along the lines of "Are you feeling alright?". Tenya didn't want to admit it, but by the 3rd repeat of the question he was ready to snap at one of them.
They left quickly, though not before setting up tables to go over their bed's and placing breakfast trays on them.
Breakfast was a quiet affair, the three boys staying silent as they were last night. Speaking of which, Midoriya had yet to mention how Tenya hadn't gone to bed straight away. And he will admit, it was a hypocritical thing to do, but he needed the time to himself.
He looked down at his breakfast, smiling when he noticed the glass of cranberry juice sitting next to his toast. It was a simple thing, but it made his heart warm. They only ever had orange juice at home because of their quirks and Tenya quickly bored of the drink. But cranberry juice was nice, too sweet for most people, but he loved it.
The toast was nice, if a little dry, but the juice helped with that.
Tenya didn't wake up like this usually. He would rise at 6 and go for a run, before coming home and making himself a small breakfast with a healthy glass of orange juice. It would be around this time that Tensei would come down, followed by his parents. They would eat breakfast together — they'd try to anyway, sometimes they were too busy being heroes and saving people to sit and eat breakfast — and then they'd go about their days.
But Tenya always got his own breakfast, never had it made for him.
It was nice.
It felt like he'd barely eaten before his empty plate was whisked away, the only evidence he'd had breakfast being the crumbs on his bed sheets and the half-empty cup of cranberry juice on his bedside.
After breakfast, Midoriya made for the bathroom, leaving Todoroki and Tenya alone.
Tenya was unnerved by the other boy's presence. Not because he was a Todoroki, nor because he was scared of him, but because he was intelligent and often saw what others didn't.
And Tenya didn't need that right now. He'd heard of Todoroki's wild conspiracy theories from the Sports Festival, and he wasn't too keen on having one made about himself.
"Where are your parents, Iida?" Todoroki's voice was smooth, and it was laced with concern though Tenya could barely hear it past the loud cacophony of monotony and cold.
"They're on their way." He replied, perhaps a bit too quickly.
He was looking at his juice now, avoiding the other's gaze, not seeing how Todoroki's eyes softened a little.
"Are you sure?"
Tenya found himself hesitating, words unable to form and push themselves from his throat.
He was sure. His parents were on their way because of course they were, where else would they be?
"They're probably still with Tensei." Tenya said, surprising himself with the ease of which it left his throat.
Because it was true, probably. Tensei was practically broken beyond repair, of course they were with him.
Tenya's injuries were in no way comparable to his brother's. Tensei was paralysed from the waist down and would never be able to do hero work again. Tenya on the other hand was fine! He got a little scratched up but he'd be fine in a few days.
"They're with your brother?"
He nodded, still not letting his eyes slip in the other boy's direction.
"Your brother who — and please correct me if I'm wrong — was stabbed a few days ago and — while paralysed — is in a stable condition and can take care of himself? They prioritised their 30 year old son over you, someone who got into a fight and harm came to them because they wanted revenge?" Todoroki said, each word punched a bit more breath from Tenya's lungs, and he couldn't figure out why.
Or maybe he just didn't want to.
Because they would be here, both of his parents. They would come to the hospital and help him sort out his injuries and take him home safely.
They would.
Midoriya waltzed out of the bathroom, leaving Tenya to be alone with his thoughts as the boy started talking to Todoroki.
His parents would be here, of course they would.
Visiting hours simply hadn't started yet.
But they would come.
They would.
Time ticked by quietly, light conversation reaching his ears though the room's occupations did their best to stay quiet.
Midoriya was at the door, his mother — Inko, a kind-hearted woman he had met on several occasions when Midoriya held study-sessions and the likes — helping him into his coat as he couldn't quite do it himself.
They were smiling, laughing even, at the fact that the zipper kept getting stuck on the bandages round his left arm.
It made Tenya feel… something, but he wasn't sure what it was.
He turned slightly, so he could see the red and white hair of the Todorokis.
Todoroki and someone Tenya knew to be his older sister Fuyumi were speaking quietly with the doctor. Try as he might, he couldn't quite ignore the presence of Fuyumi or Inko as he would have liked to.
For the sake of privacy, of course.
He felt eyes on him, but he kept his chin tucked to his chest, staring at the dark screen of his phone on the hospital bed. It sat in his lap, atop the cold and flimsy medical sheets.
It would light up soon, it would.
The room got quieter suddenly, and when Tenya looked up he found himself alone. His parents still hadn't arrived.
The doctor was there, but the only physical evidence that Todoroki and Midoriya had been with him earlier was the ruffled sheets of their hospital beds.
"Iida." The doctor began, moving closer until he was at the foot of the bed opposite him. "I'm not sure if you heard me earlier, but I'm the doctor that's been taking care of you since you arrived. You can call me Dagon."
The man moved round the bed and placed his clipboard down on the seats to Tenya's left.
"Are your parents here?" He asked, a look of concern clouding his face.
"No." Tenya replied, focusing not on the doctor but the door behind him that had stayed shut since Todoroki left. The door his parents had yet to come through.
"Will they be coming?"
He swallowed past the lump in his throat, ignoring how it felt like an impossibly large stone was stuck in his neck.
"I'm not sure." He replied honestly, "My brother was injured recently, so I imagine they're looking after him."
The doctor was silent for a bit after that, reaching for the clipboard to check over something. He made a noise of understanding as he read, no doubt seeing the emergency contact list.
That being his parents and his older brother.
"Of course. Well I will have to call them to come as soon as they can, but I need to check up on your injuries nas soon as possible, so long as you consent."
Tenya nodded and the boring process of question-answer began.
After prodding at his right arm for a bit, making sure nothing else had escaped his notice, Dagon moved up to his head.
Tenya wasn't really paying attention to the doctor during the check up, most of his brain focusing on "Why aren't they here yet?".
Yes, Tenya understood the need for his parents to stay by Tensei's side, but surely one of them could visit? Surely one of them could take the train to the hospital, if only to hear about his injuries.
Maybe his parents were busy with the agency. It had been a while since they publically led it, after all. But still… Surely he comes before the agency, right? He's their son, their child. Why is it that Tensei gets all of their love and attention when Tenya is lying in a hospital bed because of the same man, the same villain.
"–this Iida?"
The room came back into focus as the doctor called out for him and Tenya found his head clearing for a few moments, allowing him to think properly again.
"Could you repeat that please?" He asked, looking to his left where the doctor was holding his arm. It was out of the cast now, and he could see the gruesome picture Stain painted with his knives along his skin.
"Of course." The doctor replied, a strange look on his face. "I asked if you could feel this."
Tenya looked at him, waiting for the doctor to do something, for a prick of pain or discomfort when he pressed against one of his injuries.
A tense few moments passed where Tenya braced for the pain, hoping it was over quickly, but nothing came.
"Feel what?"
The doctor's eyes widened slightly, almost quick enough that Tenya didn't catch it. But he did, and he watched as the doctor moved about with an air of forced calmness. A learned thing that came from years of hiding information from patients.
After another few tense moments where Tenya couldn't decide what to say, the doctor left the room with a "I'll be back in one moment, alright Iida?".
Tenya squinted at the doctor, ready to object, but the man was gone before any words could climb from his throat.
The door was left ajar in the doctor's haste, leaving Tenya a clear view of the empty corridor behind it. His parents still weren't here.
He looked away, knowing that the pain in his chest was nothing to do with the injuries he'd sustained from confronting Stain.
His eyes moved to the window, and the dark sky that lay out behind it.
It felt as though this morning was only a moment ago, when it was practically already time for dinner.
It was cloudy tonight, he noted idly. The stars were nowhere to be seen.
He moved his gaze again, downward this time until he found the expanse of mottled skin that was his left arm.
The cast had been broken off neatly, something to do with the doctor's quirk probably. Or maybe it was simply a new cast. Tenya hadn't ever needed one before, so what would he know?
Without the cast though, his arm felt cold. It looked cold too, paler than usual and stiff, more like marble than skin.
And his hand…
It was crooked now
The new scars were pink and puffy, though some of them had already turned darker and could be mistaken for his normal skin if not for the slight difference in colour.
And their were dark scabs running along beside some of the semi-healed scars. They were the darkest of all, deep browns and reds as his skin tried to stitch itself back together.
He wanted to trace them, like veins of minerals in rocks. He couldn't help it really, how his right hand rose and crept towards his left, slowly getting closer and closer.
And finally, he brought it down along the ridge on his hand where skin met scar tissue and mottled pink battled beige.
It was a strange texture, leathery and smooth in a way his skin wasn't. It left him feeling something was wrong, though he couldn't quite explain what about it was so unnatural about the feeling.
He pressed harder, despite the pain that was sure to come, wanting just to find out what was wrong with the skin.
Surprisingly, he felt no pain, only the squishy ridge between fresh scab tissue and skin.
It should hurt more than this, he noted idly as he continued to prod at his skin.
He had looked away at some point, though he couldn't exactly remember why. Maybe it was because he couldn't stand to see the terrible consequences of his stupid quest for revenge, because of how wrong it was to see the crooked lines where Stain's blades cut through his skin without remorse.
He felt something trickle onto his finger, cold and wrong and it almost felt like Tenya was back in the alleyway.
The walls were shifting, texture and shape changing until they stood a mis-match of hospital tiles and grimy alley walls.
But the blood… It dripped down Tenya's fingers, sliding over them in a way he might never forget. The feeling of the warm red liquid on his skin had him panicking more than he'd like to admit.
But he pushed it away, the panic, letting it be and flow until it was no longer the focus of his mind. It was still there, humming at the back of his head and waiting to escape, but it was bearable… for now.
He turned to his hand again, more than ready to wipe the blood off his fingers but his vision was quickly consumed by a wave of red.
His hand was… covered in blood. Both of them were.
The right was dripping a steady stream onto the floor from where it pressed into his skin and the left was painted with the dark liquid.
A choked gasp escaped his throat, and he made to grab for the tissues that sat on his bedside table, hoping to clean up the mess he'd made.
The cardboard box was soon dyed red, as we're the once pristine white tissues within it as Tenya dabbes then against his skin.
He focused on the right hand first, rolling the tissue round within it until it was no longer drenched in blood.
Then he moved onto the left, ignoring how the slippery liquid made his stomach roil, how it made him want to run as far as he could from Hosu and never look back.
He brought the tissue down, dabbing at his hand and somehow ignoring how the sopping wet tissue felt against his skin.
The pile of red in the bin only grew, drenched tissues turning lighter and dried as he went on, working through the violent calls of his mind to find a bathroom and empty his stomach.
He dabbed at his hand, now dyed an unnatural colour of pink, until the tissue came back mostly white.
Grabbing for another one had him reaching into the box again and leaving it empty, having used all of the tissues from inside.
He took a shaky breath as he looked at the tissue he held. This is the last one.
Tenya brought it towards his hand and began dabbing at the skin, scrunched up hospital tissues hurting his skin–
Hurting his–
He pressed the tissue down against his skin, harder this time than before, expecting pain and another lazy flow of blood.
The blood came, but the pain did not.
Tenya gagged, tears suddenly leaking from his eyes at the realisation.
He dabbed at his hand, again and again, over and over, unwilling to accept the truth.
His hand…
He couldn't feel it.
That's why the doctor left.
Dagon probably knew he'd never regain the feeling in his hand, that he'd maybe never become a hero because of it.
But he hadn't told Tenya. He hadn't told anyone.
Because there was no one to tell, his parents weren't here.
Tenya was cold, and it had nothing to do with the thin hospital blankets that lay on his bed, and everything to do with the empty space in the room his parents should have occupied.