Chapter Text
Touya Todoroki, Age: 13
Dear my little Peppermint,
I am so sorry I have not been home in a while or written to you. A lot has changed for me recently. Plus, I have been in a coma. Waking up in a hospital was not ideal but, then again, it beats being dead....
********
White walls were as unwelcoming of a sight the second time around. Sleep tried to pull him back under, but Touya fought the feeling. His dreams were filled with flashes of deep blue and vibrant orange. His body felt like it could not cool down, yet the sheets underneath him were ice cold. The skin covering his bones was itchy, and he was determined to scratch the itch away. Overstimulation brought tears to his eyes, but Touya felt too stubborn to let them fall.
‘Why does my skin feel weird? Burns don’t feel like this.’ Unease filled the teenager. His hand twitched as his fingers passed over the bandages that covered his arms. They were smoother than the blanket and pure white indicating they had recently been changed. Coughs forced their way from his throat as his body became more aware. Everything ached. The more he felt, the more his panic grew. Where was his mom? His siblings? Had he fainted during training again? Was this another test? Had his dad finally taken him back to the Commission?
As panicked thoughts grew, breathing became more and more difficult. The beeping grew in volume. Ringing filled his ears. Black spots filled his already blurry vision and the room distorted. His hands looked for purchase on anything he could grab which turned out to be the itchy blanket which only irritated his skin further. Everything was bright and loud and ‘please someone just help me. Save me. I can’t breathe. Please. I promise whatever I did I’ll make it up just stop this please!’
There was gentle pressure on his head.
Someone was running their hand through his hair.
The pressure and repeated action gave the young boy something to focus on. Their hands were gentle causing a swaying motion of his hair. This also brough to his attention how little hair was on his head but that it was low on his ranking of notable things at the time. Instead, he forced his eyes to blink away the tears and blurriness. His head tilted as much as his stiff muscles would allow searching the room for the other inhabitant.
That is when he spotted a man sitting to his right. He was dressed in casual street clothes. Long blonde hair was braided over his shoulder. Black and clear framed glasses were set on his nose. He smiled gently at Touya and, when his vision cleared, he noticed that the man had been actively speaking to him.
“There you are. Hello, Little Listener. You are okay. We are in Central Hospital right now.” He continued to run a gentle hand over his head as he spoke. “You were in a quirk accident, but everyone is okay now.”
The words quirk accident triggered Touya’s memories. The big bright fire, his burns, the deep bone aches, all came together to paint a horrifying picture. Not only had his Da—Endeavor never shown even though Touya managed a skill he had been trying to teach the boy for YEARS, but Touya had finally caught himself on fire. When he had finally passed out, he thought that was going to be the end. Touya had believed he was going to just be another statistic of a life lost to the second most popular hero in all of Japan.
The only hope he had was his hero. The man that filled his vision before it all went away with bright yellow goggles, a gray scarf and shoulder-length black hair. With a clearer mind, a name began associated with the man.
Eraserhead saved him.
********
It was strange to find out two of my heroes had been the ones to save me. I still don’t know why two people who had never met me before cared enough to sleep by my bedside. But they stayed, and so far, they still have not left. But it's only been a little while so we will give them some time...
********
“I-- how--” He coughed again causing pain in his chest. Iron filled his mouth.
“Hold on.” The hand left his hair as the kind stranger stood up to be closer to the bed. “Don’t try to talk right now, your vocal cords are still recovering from the fire.”
Big gentle hands were careful as they rearranged Touya to be sitting up. The change in view allowed the young boy to see the rest of the bland hospital room. There was an empty chair with two duffle bags stuffed underneath next to where the man had been sitting. Machines filled the extra space explaining the wires and IVs poked all around his body. Looking down at his own body, Touya saw a mix of healed yet scared skin and bandages. His eyes lingered on the dark metal cuff like bracelets that were wrapped around each of his wrists. Touya tapped them before looking back up at the man.
“Oh.” His voice took on a sad tone which confused Touya. “The doctors and nurses wanted to make sure you didn’t burn yourself again while you were healing. Shouta shouted at them for so long they placed him in big boy timeout.” He paused as if expecting Touya to laugh. “Once your bandages come off completely and we can get a quirk counselor to see you, they will come right off.”
He leaned towards the bedside table. A cup full of water was then held up to Touya’s mouth with a straw. “Little sips, Little Listener.” The man then offered him a pad and pen. “If you know sign, you can use that, but this may be the easier route for now.”
Touya looked at the pad for a long time. A memory, fuzzy and out of reach, lingered in the back of his mind. Has he used this before? With a shaky hand, he scribbled out those exact words for the man.
Have I used these before?
The words looked rough and scratchy. They were nothing like how his words usually looked. Endeavor had trained all his children to write pretty. ‘Your autographs must be memorable. Everything about you must be perfect down to the way your letters appear.’ The Flame Hero would tell a younger Touya.
“You have.” The man sat back down in his seat so they could be at eye level. “You woke up a week ago and were coherent. You gave your statement to the police and Shouta. But your body got another infection shortly after, and you were placed into a short medically induced coma so your body could finish healing. You had been in and out for two weeks before that.”
It was like someone had dunked him in a bucket of cold ice water. His body shivered. If his injuries were bad enough to be knocked out for multiple weeks, he really messed up. He shivered again. No, this was not just the realization that being saved was actually the only way he was alive. Touya was actually freezing, an experience he had never truly had before with his body being made to withstand the cold temperatures. The next breath he released looked foggy. The quirk cuffs must be affecting more than just the fire that normally hides away in his chest and belly. He went to ask the man about the cuffs more when he remembered that he still didn’t know who this man was. It looks like his spatial awareness was bad too.
Who are you?
The blonde stranger laughed. “I’m Hizashi Yamada. But you probably know me better as Voice Hero: Present Mic .”
His eyes widened staring at the hero. Touya had only heard stories of the hero through the few children he had interacted with and the first time he had met Eraserhead. Even still, he felt a smile open on his face. It took many moments for Touya to think of anything else too distracted by this new bit of information.
“Are you okay, Little Listener?” Present Mic, Mr. Yamada asked him while looking worried. He tapped Touya’s cheek to get his attention.
The little boy nodded quickly. He stared at the man’s bright blue eyes as he worked up the courage to ask one more question. Well, two questions really, but they went hand in hand. They were the questions he had been most scared of getting answers to. He did not want to pop this bubble between them.
What about my dad? When do you have to take me home?
“We won’t.” Present Mic takes one of Touya’s smaller hands into his own hands. Warmth traveled through his cold, shivering body. “Your Dad--”
The room door made a loud creaking sound as it opened up. A taller man with black shoulder length hair stuck his head inside. A small smile lit up his face when his ruby red eye met Touya’s. The little boy just felt in awe of the goggle-less man.
That was Eraserhead.
********
I don’t think I’ll be coming home. Aizawa and Yamada won’t listen when I say it's okay. I want to be there to protect you, Nat, and Fumi. That is the thing I am most scared of. I will never trust you in that fiery monster’s care. Every morning, I pray that you three make it one more day. Each day at a time. And I will do it every day until we are under the same roof again.
********
“Good morning, problem child. It’s a relief to see you awake.” The erasure hero stepped up to the other side of his bed. Rough hands cradled his face and tilted it ever so to look in his eyes. “Are you feeling, okay?”
The little boy could do nothing but nod causing the black-haired man to huff softly. He glanced down at the pad in his lap as he let the little face go. “Do you tell him, Zashi?”
When Touya looked at the blonde again, he could not help but notice that he looked as awe-struck as Touya felt. Which was weird. They had to have met before if they were both standing with him, right?
“I was just about to when you walked in. I think it's making the little listener anxious.” He tightened his hold on Touya’s hand.
Eraserhead nodded then looked at Touya. The man carefully took a seat on the bed next to him before holding his other hand. “Touya, do you remember what happened?”
A little nod.
“Good.” He nodded encouragingly. “I brought you here right after I found you. We have been trying to reach your--” The man hesitated as if attempting to find the right word. Touya pulled his hands free. “Father. All we have gotten so far is a message from his office that he is out of the country on a mission for the Hero Commission. Because of that and some of your previous injuries before the accident, you have been placed in my care as my emergency foster child.”
‘That is a lot to take in. I know I should be excited! I get to be with my hero; I get to not be at home. But, what about Fumi and Nat’s? Dad was already getting too rough on the twins. And Sho? He just got out of the hospital. I need to be there to take care of him and protect them!’
Little hands wrote quickly and urgently as his heart rate picked up again.
What about my siblings? Who is going to keep them safe? I need to go home! I need...
His written words trailed off as his panic attack started back up. Breathing was hard. Focusing on a pad of paper was hard. Blood rushed through his ears. All he could picture was Sho’s crying and bleeding face from a few weeks ago, their mother being sent away, and Nat having bruises as their father tried to “bring out” his quirk.
Just like last time, a gentle pressure pulled Touya from his mind. Differently, this pressure was from something fabric against his neck. It was soft and light gray and hugged his neck and shoulders. He curled into the pressure and looked back up to Eraserhead.
“Hey, hey.” His voice was much softer now that Touya could understand him again. “We will reach your family. No one has any contact information right now, but the minute Endeavor is back in town, I will track them down. They have been missing you, too. Your brother even called the police to report you missing.”
Which one?
He made a face, but it had gone too fast for the boy to read what emotion flashed on it. “A Natsuo. His call was the reason I found you so fast.”
Natsuo. His family had tried to find him. The very thought warmed Touya’s skin. Someone noticed he was not home and cared enough to do something about it. He longed to see them even more now.
But if it was Eraserhead making the promise that he would see his family again ?
Touya had no choice but to believe him.
********
Please tell Nat thank you for looking for me. I am so proud of you all. One day, you will meet Eraserhead. Maybe you could even meet Present Mic, too. I know they would both love you all almost as much as I do. Until then though, I will stay safe, just for you.
********
“ Speaking of,” Eraserhead sounded more serious. “You don’t have to agree. If there is somewhere else, you would rather stay than I will make that happen. But, if you let us, Zashi and I would love to take you home, so you have somewhere warm and safe to heal. I’m sure you are ready to sleep in a more comfortable bed.”
If Touya was not already speechless, that would have rendered him so.
Your home? I don’t want to be a burden. You both have--
A now familiar hand rested against Touya’s hand. He looked up to the blonde it belonged. “You are not a burden. Sho and I are happy to watch over you as long as you let us. We wouldn’t offer our home if we didn’t want you there.”
‘Can I stay with you, forever?’ The boy had felt more love between the two men in an hour than he had his whole life from Father. He would not ask that though; that was just begging for this situation to be jinxed.
Sho?
Mr. Yamada laughed and gestured to his partner who was sitting on the bed. “Eraserhead’s legal name is Shouta Aizawa.”
‘Oh, that makes sense.’
Mr. Aizawa nodded his head with his own laugh. “Hizashi likes to call me his big cat. Speaking of, if you need another reason to come home with us, we have cats at home.”
Touya tilted his head curiously.
I have never seen a real cat before. Father never lets us have pets.
Two offended gasps filled the room. Both men looked like he had admitted to robbing a store. Apparently, never seeing a cat or not having a pet was a big deal to them. Their reactions made him giggle though the sound was more static than an actual happy sound.
Still, both men smiled like they had just won the lottery. “That is a wrong we must fix, Touya. You cannot go any longer with being around cats. Or dogs if you prefer.” Mr. Aizawa seemed determined.
Mr. Yamada brought Touya’s attention back to himself with a smile. “So, what will it be? Would you like to come visit our home?”
And well, did they really expect him to say no?
********
They have cats, Peppermint. Cats are awesome. Though Mr. Aizawa promised I would see a dog soon so they can see which one I like better. I will make sure to keep you updated. He also said we would get some postage as soon as we have our home address so I can really mail these to you.
For now, I will just keep writing so you know that I never stop thinking about you, all of you.
All my love,
Your big brother, Touya.