Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Shoto catches his reflection as he walks past his dorm bathroom. Except it’s not him, is it? He backtracks and goes to the mirror above the sink.

The children, they’re looking like him more and more every day. And Shoto’s left side… it’s unbearable.

He covers the left side of his face with his hand. He’s still there. He can still see the crimson hair peeking through his fingers, the sliver of a blue eye.

It’s yours! Your Quirk, not his!

He grabs his crimson hair in a fist, pounding the other on the edge of the sink. He can't stand it. Every time he looks in the mirror, all he sees is him.

Soon you’ll learn the limits of that power.

Every part that's him, every part that's unbearable, must be destroyed. That's the only way. He stumbles out of the bathroom and down the hall to his door. Once inside, he flash-freezes it shut. He’s alone. That’s right, Iida left due to a family emergency earlier during the final matches. Good. It’s better that he isn’t here. The frost spreads from his feet, across the floor, up the walls, covering the ceiling. The temperature drops rapidly.

It's unbearable.

It’s yours!

Tears slide down his cheeks, but soon freeze in place.

“I can’t…” his voice cracks. “I don’t want to be him. I don’t want anything to do with him.”

He slams his right hand over his scarred eye and the frost creeps down his face, across his chest, down his left arm. He falls to his knees, weeping, the tears freezing on his face. The frost continues to creep down his leg, fully covering his left side now. He swore once to never fight with his left side. Now he won't have to.

The cold burns. His unfrozen side shivers, his body trying desperately to maintain homeostasis. He remembers his mother, not the last time he saw her, before that. When she was still sane, still kind, still loved him. He hadn’t visited her since she was hospitalized. He didn’t want to upset her by showing the face she swore she despised.

He thought of his siblings, Fuyumi and Natsuo. Would they miss him when he was gone? He hoped not, for their sake. He didn’t want to be a burden. Touya. Surely Touya wouldn’t miss him. He was off being Pheonix, the hot and flashy hero. He didn’t have time for Shoto anymore.

But maybe he did owe it to them to say goodbye? Yeah, after everything they’ve done for him, hell, Touya practically raised him himself, he should say goodbye. He pulled his phone from his pocket, thankfully, it was in the unfrozen one.

Last he’d heard, Touya was on a mission, but maybe he could at least leave a voicemail? He probably only had time for one phone call now, his limbs were numb, and he was getting really tired. And he was so, so cold.

“This is Pheonix! If you’re hearing this, I’m probably on a mission. Please leave a message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!” Beep.

Shoto tried to keep his teeth from chattering too much. It would suck if he bit his tongue off before he could leave his message for his brother.

“Huh… huh… hey, T-t-t Touya. It-t-t-t-t’s Ssssshhhh-ot-to. I’m s-sor-ry for c-calling you during a muh mission. I jusssst c-can’t st-st-stand it anymore. I don’t wan-nt to be like him. I wuh won’t buh buh be like him. Not anymore. Duh don’t worry about me. And t-tell Ffffuuyumi and Natsssu not t-t-to wo-wo-rry either.

I’m so… so cold, T-touya. And sssleepy. T-tell muh Mom I’m sssorry too. For ne…ver visiting. I didn’t want… to anger her… again…”

The phone slipped out of his numbed fingers and the screen touched his thumb, hitting the end call button. He was so, so tired.

~*~

Touya shook the policeman’s hand as the bank robber was led away in handcuffs. Another job well done. He fished his phone out of his pocket and saw a missed call from Shoto. He had meant to call his little brother earlier to congratulate him on his second-place win in the sports festival, but Pheonix was needed. He clicked play on the voicemail and held it up to his ear.

He immediately started panicking. He ran to a secluded alley and used his blue fire to propel him up to the roof of a building. It wasn’t good for the general populace to see Pheonix frantic, even if the situation was warranted.

What the hell was happening to Shoto? He wasn’t making any sense. Don’t worry about him? Tell Mom he’s sorry? As the message ended, Touya was sweating with anxiety. He tried to quickly come up with a plan and realized the exact person he needed to call.

“Aizawa.” The familiar stern voice answered.

“Mr. Aizawa? This is Touya Todoroki. Shoto’s eldest brother.”

“I know who you are, Todoroki.”

“Right, sorry.” He took a deep breath. “I think something happened to Shoto. He left me a concerning message and I’m kinda freaking out. He sounded like he was shivering and wasn’t making much sense. I’m terrified and—”

“I’m on my way to his dorm now. Call an ambulance and get over here as fast as you can.”

“Thank you, sir! Thank you so much!”

“And Todoroki,” Aizawa caught Touya just before he hung up. “Please be careful on your way over. I know you’re scared, but you possibly getting hurt in your hurry won’t be any help to Shoto right now.”

“Yes, sir.” He nodded and hung up. Immediately, he put in another call.

“What’s your emergency?” A woman answered.

~*~

Aizawa pounded on the door. “Todoroki! Open up!”

No response, not even the sound of movement. He noticed the door was freezing to the touch. He swore under his breath.

A door creaked across the hall. “Mr. Aizawa?” Kirishima peeked his head out.

The teacher spun around. “Quickly, I need you to break Todoroki’s door down. I think he froze it shut.”

“What’s wrong?” The boy opened the door wider.

“Now, Kirishima!”

The boy yelped and hardened his legs. A few kicks later, the door and ice behind it splintered apart. Todoroki was laying still on the floor, his skin turning blue.

Aizawa swore. “Kirishima, keep everyone in their rooms. An ambulance is already on its way, and we need to keep the hallway clear for them.”

“What happened to him?!” The red-head stared, frozen in panic at the sight of his classmate.

Aizawa grabbed his shoulders. “I need you to stay calm right now. And I need you to keep everyone else calm too. You can’t help Todoroki right now, so don’t worry about him. I’ve got him. Focus on what you can do.”

Kirishima nodded, a determined look on his face. “Yes, sir.”

The red-head’s door was wide open. Aizawa stormed in and grabbed the blanket off the boy’s bed. Quickly rushing across the hall to Todoroki, he wrapped him up in the blanket.

He checked the boy’s pulse. It was faint, but at least it was still there. He held the limp boy close, trying to pass on some of his body heat.

“Stay with me, Todoroki.”

Chapter Text

Touya screeched into the parking lot of the high school. There was already a waiting ambulance outside the gates. Unsurprisingly, there were also already several reporters.

He donned a long grey coat and pulled up the hood to hide his hero costume. The last thing he wanted to deal with right now was an impromptu interview. He kept his head down and walked quickly to the edge of the crowd. Midnight was holding back the paparazzi and caught his eye. She motioned for him to come through and he hurried past the opened gate, ignoring the clamor around him, begging for pieces of a story.

He rushed toward the building he knew to be the boy’s dorm, praying to a god he didn’t believe in that his brother was okay. He knocked on the door, which was soon opened by a green-haired boy.

“Mr. Todoroki?”

Touya nodded.

“The medics just got here a second ago. I already directed them to your brother’s room. I’ll take you there.” He held the door for the pro hero and quickly guided him through the maze of corridors and stairways until they reached Shouto’s floor.

Mr. Aizawa stood at the end of the hall outside Shoto’s room. Touya threw his hood back and caught the older pro’s eye.

“Mr. Aizawa!” he called out. “What happened? Where’s Shoto?”

He took in the scene through the doorway. Ice covered every inch of the dorm. Two paramedics knelt on either side of his baby brother, whose entire left side was encased in ice. What little skin Touya could see was blue.

He stumbled and felt a hand at his elbow, turning to see Mr. Aizawa steadying him.

“He’s alive, Todoroki.” The older pro murmured. “Focus on that right now. Breathe.”

“His left side though…” Touya whispered back, his gaze not moving away from his baby brother. “What the hell happened? Was Endeavor at the festival today? Did he talk to Shoto? What the hell did he say? What did he do?”

“Breathe, Todoroki.”

“What did that bastard do?!” His volume was rising. “Tell me!”

He felt his palms warm as he clenched them into fists. Before he could react, Aizawa’s eyes glowed and his hair stood straight up. Touya’s palms immediately cooled.

“Todoroki.” Touya tore his gaze away from his brother upon hearing Aizawa’s tone, his mind flashing back to his own high school days.

“I don’t know what happened to cause this.” The older man kept his voice low and even. “Endeavor was at the festival today, but I didn’t see him interact with your brother. I asked his classmates and no one else saw anything either. That doesn’t mean that he didn’t, however.”

Aizawa’s hair fell as he blinked, releasing Touya from his quirk.

“Either way, it doesn’t matter right now. What matters is Shoto and getting him proper care. The best thing you can do right now is be there for him. We can deal with Endeavor later.”

Touya felt tears streak down his face. He hastily wipes them away on his sleeve. “Okay.” He nodded. “Right. Okay. I can—” he took a sharp breath as he looked at his baby brother again. “I can do that.”

Aizawa nodded and looked past him down the hall.

“What did I tell you all?” Touya heard the gruff voice say. “Clear the hallway. Stay in your rooms.”

Touya heard skittering and doors softly clicking shut.

~*~

Once the paramedics secured Shoto on the gurney, Touya followed them closely to the ambulance. He wordlessly locked eyes with Eraserhead as he left, tossing the man his keys. The gruff man nodded in understanding.

The ride to the hospital was a blur. He called Fuyumi and Natsuo, he knew that much, and he’s sure that he answered any questions the paramedics had. But all of his focus was on the tiny screen reading out Shoto’s vitals. The reassuring rhythm of his heartbeat. He’s alive. Focus on that.

He was kept out of the room when they finally arrived. As much as he hated it, he understood why. All of the medical staff’s focus had to be on Shoto right now. They couldn’t afford to waste time comforting him. So, he sat in the waiting room, completely numb.

“Oh my gosh, Touya!” Fuyumi rushed over with Natsuo close behind. “What’s happening? Have the doctors said anything? Have you seen him?”

Touya stood to greet his siblings, his eyes weary. “Hypothermia. That’s all they told me so far.”

The pair stopped in front of him, waiting. They looked so much like the little kids he’d looked after at that moment, and he couldn’t bear it. This time, he didn’t wipe away the tears, just let them fall freely.

Fuyumi’s eyes softened and she pulled her older brother in a hug. Usually, he’d scoff and push her away, maybe tease her a bit, but he couldn’t bring himself to right now. And the hug felt so damn good that he didn’t want to.

“Excuse me,” a soft voice spoke. A young woman in scrubs stood about a foot away from the group. The siblings detangled themselves.

“Are you the family of Todoroki Shoto?” She asked.

“Yes, we’re his siblings.” Touya nodded. “Please, is there any news?”

“I’m Dr. Shimizu.” She answers. “Your brother is stable for now.”

The three siblings breathe a sigh of relief, Yumi leans against Touya.

“He has severe hypothermia,” Dr. Shimizu continues. “We’ve already begun active internal rewarming. I’ll be honest with you. There is still plenty that can go wrong from here. We’re monitoring his vitals closely.”

“Active internal rewarming?” Touya wonders.

“Warmed iv fluids to gradually raise his temperature.” Natsuo explained, accidentally cutting off the doctor’s response. “Sorry.” He muttered once he realized.

“Medical student?” She guessed. Natsuo nodded.

“As you said, we have started warmed iv fluids. But it will still be some time before you can see him.”

“Why do you have to raise his temperature gradually? Isn’t it better to get it back to normal as soon as possible?” Fuyumi asked.

“If we raise it too fast, he could go into shock, and that would lead to more problems.” The doctor answered. “There is also the risk of burns and cardiac arrest.”

They nodded solemnly. They knew quite well how dangerous burns can be. Shoto didn’t need any more scars.

“Is Shoto’s father here?” Shimizu asked, her question like a knife through the silence.

“God, I hope not.” Natsuo muttered. Fuyumi elbowed him.

“Our father’s a pro hero.” Fuyumi explained. “We haven’t been able to reach him yet.”

The woman nodded. “I only ask because young Todoroki is a minor and—”

“You don’t have to explain it to us.” Touya assures her. “We know there’s paperwork to be signed and liabilities to cover.” As much as he hated it, Endeavor would have to show up eventually.

“I’m sorry I don’t have better news.” The doctor admitted, her purposely neutral face slipping for a moment. “I’ll be sure to keep you all updated with any changes to your brother’s condition.”

“Thank you.” The three of them bowed.

Dr. Shimizu turned to go, but Touya called out.

“Wait!” She turned back. “I almost forgot in all the chaos.” He breathed deeply, steeling himself for his next words.

“I know the paramedics were treating this as an accident,” he said. “But I don’t think it was.”

Dr. Shimizu gave an encouraging nod.

“I… I got a voicemail from Shoto.” He fidgeted with the hem of his jacket. “I couldn’t really make sense of it, but…” he glanced at his siblings, gauging their reactions. They stood waiting, confusion, and intrigue in their countenance.

“I think Shoto did this to himself. On purpose.” Touya finishes.

Fuyumi lets out a soft gasp, Natsuo turns pale.

“You think he tried to commit suicide?” The doctor asked gently.

Touya couldn’t speak. He swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded.

“Thank you for telling me. This matches the pattern of his wounds.” She takes out a notepad, marking something down. “I know this must be difficult for you all, but I have a few more questions.”

He nodded for her to continue.

“Has he ever tried to take his own life before?”

He shakes his head.

“Has he seemed different over the past few weeks or so? Any significant changes in mood or personality?”

“He’s a teenager.” Fuyumi whispers. “It’s kind of hard to tell with him.”

The doctor makes another note. “Has there been any major changes or impacts in his life recently? A death in the family, traumatic incident, anything like that?”

“You heard of the attack at the USJ?” Touya croaked.

She nodded.

“He was there. No major injuries to him but he did watch his teacher get seriously hurt, as well as some of his classmates.”

She made one last note before flipping the notepad closed and tucking it in her pocket. “Thank you. I’ll let you know of any new developments.” She promptly walked away.

Fuyumi immediately turned to Touya. “Why didn’t you tell me about the voicemail?!” she exclaimed.

“Everything was happening so fast, and I was so focused on getting Shoto here alive that it honestly slipped my mind.” He sat down heavily, holding his head in his hands. “I’m sorry.” He mumbles through his fingers. “I should have told you sooner.”

He feels her arm around his shoulders, and Natsuo’s hand on his knee. They wallow in the silence together.

Chapter Text

An hour or so later, Eraserhead joins their little group.

“Sorry I took so long.” He tossed Touya’s keys back. “Had to deal with the press. They should be leaving you alone.” He smirked. “I think I made a few of them actually wet themselves.” He gives no further detail, but it has the desired effect, pulling a small smile from the trio.

“Thank you, Mr. Aizawa.” Touya said. “For everything.”

The pro shrugged. “It’s my job to take care of my students. A media swarm is not conducive to anyone’s healing. Leading them away from Todoroki was a logical deception.”

He sat down in a nearby chair. “Any news yet?”

They relayed the information they had. The pro hero’s face remained passive as they talked, but those who knew him would notice the concern in his eyes.

“When’s the last time any of you ate anything?” He asked.

The three of them mumbled out different times, apparently none of which were satisfactory to Eraserhead.

“I’m going to get us all some coffee and sandwiches.” He stood and disappeared down the hallway, returning after some time and passed out the various food stuffs.

They all ate in near silence, only broken by the occasional wrapper crinkling.

Hours passed. Dr. Shimizu gave them small updates: his temperature is steadily rising, a good sign. His vitals are still stable, even better.

The police came and interviewed Aizawa privately. Then they interviewed the others one at a time. Endeavor still hadn’t shown up.

A social worker stayed with their little group, explaining the necessary steps in the investigation. Words like domestic inquiry and unstable home life were thrown around. Touya did his best to answer each question honestly. He desperately hoped the social worker believed him. If Shoto could be legally separated from Endeavor, that would be a dream come true.

Night eventually turned to day. Shoto was in a coma and moved to a private room. The siblings and Eraserhead migrated to his new room and huddled around the bed.

“All we can do now is wait,” Dr. Shimizu explained.

And wait they did. Endeavor still hadn’t gotten in touch with them. It had been over twelve hours.

Mr. Aizawa took a call from the school and gave them an update. Principle Nedzu sent his well wishes. Shoto’s classmates sent flowers and cards, not that he could appreciate them.

The social worker stopped by again. She made some notes in her file and frowned when hearing Endeavor had still not reached out. “I’m consenting for Shoto to be put under a 72-hour psychiatric hold following his awakening. During that time, Endeavor shall not be allowed to see him, and a formal case will be opened.” She went to exit and Touya heard her mutter, “I’ll be damned if that bastard gets anywhere near this child again.”

Once she leaves, Fuyumi turns to him.

“You should go home, Touya.” She whispered. “Get some sleep, take a shower, change. We’ll call you immediately if anything happens.”

“You first.” He quipped.

“Touya,” Natsuo chimed. “You’re still in your Pheonix costume. Go home and change at least.”

“They’re right, Todoroki.” Eraserhead says from his chair in the corner. “You’ve done all you can for Shoto. You need to take care of yourself now.”

“You promise to call if anything changes?”

His siblings nod.

Touya goes home.

~*~

“Where is my son!” Touya hears a familiar voice yell down the hall.

It’s about damn time. He thinks.

He rounds the corner and sees his father towering over some poor nurses.

“You can’t see him.” He states plainly. Endeavor whips around upon hearing his voice.

“He’s been put on a 72-hour psychiatric hold once he wakes up from his coma and social services have deemed you an unfit parent, after interviewing us all and your failure to show up in a reasonable timeframe.” He crosses his arms over his clean sweatshirt. “I doubt this display is helping you in that department.”

Endeavor seethes and storms over to Touya. “What have you done?” He growls. “What lies did you tell them? Huh?”

“I didn’t tell them anything that wasn’t the absolute truth.” Touya states, sidestepping the larger man and skirting past him.

“Don’t you walk away from me, young man!” He screams after him.

“What are you gonna do? Beat me up?” Touya throws back. “As if you didn’t already do that my entire life.”

He goes to the cowering nurses. “Get out of here now.” He whispers. “And get security.” They frantically nod and scurry away.

Good. Now I just have to stall until security shows up.

“And what is this nonsense about a psychiatric hold?” Endeavor storms after him, still fuming. “My son is not crazy! He doesn’t need to be in a psych ward!”

“He tried to kill himself, Dad.” Touya finally turns around and faces his father again. “He completely froze over the entirety of his left side and turned his dorm room into an igloo. He had severe hypothermia and could have permanent scarring.”

“Get out of my way, Touya.”

That’s it.

“No.” Touya plants himself between Shoto’s room and Endeavor. “You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to push us around so that you get what you want. We’re not kids anymore.”

“He’s my son!” Endeavor snarls, towering over his eldest child. “I have final say over his medical decisions!”

“He’s in here because of you!” Some people passing by in the hallway were awkwardly glancing over as their voices grew louder. “You pushed him too far. You beat him bloody. You ‘trained’ him until he vomited every single day. You did all of that, not us. This is all your fault!”

Touya glared up at his father’s snarling face, and for once, he wasn’t afraid. “How many times, Dad? How many people have to crack before you see?”

He stepped closer. “First Mom with the kettle. Then me on the mountain top. And now Shoto.” Two sets of turquoise eyes bore into each other. “How many more, Dad?”

If they were the same height, they would have been nose to nose. As it stood, they were more so nose to neck.

“How many times” Touya screams out, “do we have to tear ourselves apart before you realize what you’re doing to this family?!”

“Enough, both of you.” Mr. Aizawa is suddenly standing between them, his eyes glowing red and his hair standing on end. Despite his intervention, the air between them sizzled with their rage. Touya lowers his voice to almost a whisper.

“I can’t wait for the world to see what you really are.” He watches as the words cut through the number two hero. “Because it will happen, someday. You will reap everything you’ve sown. The past never dies.”

Something shifts behind Endeavor’s eyes as the words hit him. He almost looks afraid. At that moment, several security guards arrive and promptly escort him out of the hospital. Eraserhead releases Touya from his quirk and gives him a solemn nod.

“Let me know if I can help in any way, kid.”

“You’ve done so much for us already, Mr. Aizawa. Thank you.” Touya replies.

~*~

Shoto wakes up a few days later and is placed under the psychiatric hold. After the 72 hours, he is deemed unfit for release and is kept in the hospital long term. It’s for the best. At least he’s getting the help he needs now.

Months pass. The three siblings visit their baby brother. Endeavor is arrested. Shoto’s classmates visit in small groups when he’s finally cleared for more visitors. It’s the first time Touya sees Shoto smile in a long time.

Eventually, Shoto is released from the hospital with a therapist and a medication plan. He lives on campus with Mr. Aizawa acting as temporary guardian. It will be some time before Endeavor’s trial and the subsequent custody battle, even without the League of Villains threat looming over them all. But for now, Shoto is excited to go to summer training camp with his classmates. Mr. Aizawa assures Touya that the location of the camp is a strict secret among the necessary UA staff. Not even the students will know where they’re going until they arrive. Shoto is safe now. What could possibly go wrong?