Chapter 11
Shouto stared at each of the rooms they passed by, taking note of every patient they passed. Some patients were so sick that they couldn't even get out of bed.
Shouto bit his lip. He hated hospitals. He's always hated them ever since he was a child.
"It hurts!"
"Shouto, don't touch it! Let the doctors help you!"
"B-But it hurts! I c-can't… see!"
"It's okay, Sho. Big brother's got you, okay?"
"Please! Make it stop! Where's Mommy? I want Mommy!"
Shouto sighed, his hand rubbing his scar carefully. That night was terrible. And he knew that his mother was taken away, somewhere far.
But now… he was so close.
He knew that she was in this building. He could go visit her at any point.
Should he…?
Is it… even possible to—
"Oof!"
"Whoa, Shouto!"
Izuku's hand shot out to grab Shouto's arm as he stumbled right into Izuku's back, giving him a wobbly smile.
"You look like a zombie, geez," Izuku said with a slight chuckle. "Did you even see me stop?"
Shouto sighed and shook his head. "Yeah. Sorry. Are we at Lieutenant's room?"
Izuku's brow rose and he nodded. "Yeah, it's right there." He pointed to the door near them where two police officers stood on guard. "You alright?"
Shouto fidgeted in place, his hand reaching up to fiddle with his uniform shirt. He swallowed, eyes darting down the hall towards the end where they came from.
"It's just…" Shouto paused and then sighed, feeling frustrated with his indecision. "It's my mom."
Izuku tilted his head. "Your mom?" he asked sympathetically.
"Yeah," he said with a nod. "She's… in this hospital."
"She is?!" Izuku shrieked, and then immediately slapped his palms over his mouth as the officers outside of Aizawa's hospital door stared him down. "Then why don't you go see her?" he whispered.
Shouto rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm not sure if that's such a good idea. I mean…" Shouto looked down at his feet. "What if she hates me?"
Izuku reached up to touch Shouto's shoulder. "She doesn't hate you, Shouto. From what you told me, it sounds like she probably loved you. And still loves you."
Shouto placed his hand over Izuku's and held it on his shoulder, never taking his eyes off of Izuku as he spoke. He could feel his heart hammering away inside of his chest.
"Let's go visit her together. Today. After we check in on Aizawa," Izuku said with a smile. "What do you say?"
Shouto focused on the warmth radiating from Izuku's palm. Izuku was always so warm. All he ever felt growing up was a cold so painful that it burned. But Izuku's warmth wasn't hot like the boiling water that splashed on his face, but like a soothing hot spring that made all of his limbs tingle and relax.
He took a deep breath and then nodded, a small, nervous smile sliding across his face.
Izuku's smile was much wider and more confident, and he squeezed Shouto's shoulder once more before letting go. He turned to Aizawa's room and smiled at the guards, the two men stepping aside and allowing them to pass through.
Upon entering, they noticed that Aizawa was sitting up in bed, his arm in a cast and sling as well as a bandage under his right eye. There was also a man with long, blond hair sitting on the couch next to him.
"Ohh, and who might you two be?!" the blond asked.
Shouto and Izuku both winced at the sound, their eyes squinting.
"Ah. Todoroki, Midoriya. Welcome," Aizawa greeted.
"Hi, Lieutenant!" Izuku greeted.
Shouto gave a single nod, his eyes landing over the multiple injuries that were all over Aizawa's body. He didn't seem to be in too much pain, though, which gave Shouto some relief.
"Are you just ignoring me, or are you gonna introduce me?!" the blonde yelled. Yelled. Why was he yelling so much?
Aizawa's eye twitched slightly, but he held out a hand towards the man.
"This is Yamada Hizashi. He's one of our dispatchers," Aizawa explained.
"Howdy, fellas!" Yamada said, his voice super loud. "I think I've heard Shouta talk about you two. Y'all are really interesting! Especially with all the stories he's told me!"
Aizawa rolled his eyes. "Ignore him," he drawled. "So, what are you two doing here? Last I heard, the Chief was putting you guys to work."
Izuku smiled slightly. "We wanted to check up on you. We were worried when we found out you got hurt," he said softly. "How're you feeling?"
Aizawa gestured towards his arm and shrugged.
"I could be better, I guess," Aizawa said. "I'm more annoyed that I let the guy get the jump on me."
"Now, now, Shouta. You got away with your life!" Yamada said, his smile a bit strained. "That's something to be happy about!"
"Tch. Not when I was so close to catching the bastard," Aizawa said.
Shouto frowned. "Who did this to you?"
Aizawa glanced up at him, his face turning hard. "The cop killer."
Shouto felt his heart lurch, and Izuku jolted by his side. It was as if the world had suddenly stopped turning.
"W-What?! You were chasing after the killer?" Izuku asked. Aizawa nodded, and Izuku squeaked, waving his arm in the air. "Alone?!"
Aizawa sighed. "What do you want me to say? I saw him and gave chase."
"And you didn't call for backup?" Shouto asked, feeling a little affronted by it.
Aizawa narrowed his eyes. "I'm not an idiot. Of course, I called for backup," Aizawa said slowly, making Shouto back off. "They just didn't get there in time."
Shouto frowned, his lip pulling to the side. "So… he got away?"
Aizawa blinked down at his cast and shifted. "Well, considering that he and one of his goons nearly broke my arm to pieces, I didn't exactly have the opportunity to make an arrest."
"Hey, don't move too much," Yamada said, his voice a little soft and gentle, his hand reaching out to readjust Aizawa's pillows. Aizawa nodded at him in silent gratitude.
"I'm sorry this happened to you," Izuku said. "If only we were there with you when this all happened."
Aizawa hummed. "Well, there is some good news for all of this."
Shouto and Izuku both tilted their heads as Yamada beamed and pilfered through his messenger bag. He yanked out a manila envelope and thrust it in Shouto's direction. He took it with furrowed brows and unclasped the clip at the top.
"While I was trying to fight him off, I managed to get a good look," Aizawa explained as Shouto pulled out the paper tucked inside the envelope. "So I spoke with our composite artist for a while. He left not too long ago, actually."
Shouto and Izuku both dropped their jaws at its contents.
It was a sketch of the killer. And boy, did he look rough.
Burned skin, stitches and tattoos covering his face and neck. It looked like something out of a horror movie. It was both creepy and fascinating at the same time.
And yet…
Shouto couldn't help but feel something squeezing in his chest. This man… looked eerily familiar.
Especially his cold eyes.
Shouto swallowed, his fingers pinching the edges of the sketch.
"I think he captured the killer perfectly," Aizawa said.
A crease formed in between Izuku's brows after he studied the picture and looked back at Aizawa, baffled and wide-eyed.
"This is what the killer looks like?" Izuku asked.
Aizawa nodded. "Every detail."
"This is crazy," Izuku said as he shook his head. "This… looks like a monster."
"Well, he is a killer!" Yamada said with a smile. "It's no surprise he looks so insane. He is insane!"
Shouto twisted his lips and stared into the eyes of the killer, his chest constricting. He looked up at Aizawa with pinched brows and a wince grazing his features.
"What color are his eyes? Did you get a good look?" Shouto asked. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Izuku looking over at him.
Aizawa blinked at him lazily and then studied Shouto's face. "Really blue. Kind of like the color of your left eye, actually."
Shouto frowned and stared down at the picture again, the killer's lazy eyes seeming to haunt him. He suppressed a shiver.
"Can we hang onto this? For reference?" Izuku asked.
Aizawa gave a nod. "Take it to the precinct to get copies made and hand it out to all of the officers."
Izuku and Shouto nodded and both bowed their heads slightly. "Yes, sir," they both said.
"Good," Aizawa said. He sighed and leaned back against the pillows, closing his eyes slightly.
Yamada smiled and pulled up the blanket, giving Shouto and Izuku a wink through his glasses.
"He'll catch up with you guys once he's better," Yamada said. "Why don't you guys go ahead and get back to the station, yeah?"
The two officers nodded, Izuku stepping forward to bow his head again.
"It was nice meeting you," Izuku said.
"Same here, little fella!" Yamada said with a wave. "Oh, and you!" He pointed to Shouto and the officer stopped, blinking wildly at the man. "Try to smile more, okay? Don't look so constipated all the time."
Shouto frowned, and he heard Izuku snicker beside him. He sent a glare in his partner's direction, who quickly turned away and puffed out his cheeks to prevent anymore laughs from bubbling to the surface.
"Thanks for the advice," Shouto said, storming out of the room.
"Ah, wait up, Shouto!"
Shouto could hear Izuku quickly following behind him, his footsteps light and swift. Soon enough, his partner caught up beside of him with a worried look on his face.
"Shouto, what are you doing? I thought we were going to visit your mother," Izuku said as he followed Shouto towards the exit of the hospital.
"There's no time. We have to get these sketches to the precinct for distribution," Shouto said.
Izuku frowned. "But… what about—"
"We'll go afterward," Shouto said, his face softening as he looked at Izuku. "I promise."
Izuku twisted his lips in a tight pout, not looking satisfied, and he let out a quick sigh, his shoulders jumping in a light shrug.
"Fine. But once we're done there, we come straight back," Izuku said.
Shouto rolled his eyes. "I'm not even sure if I need to see my mother now. I've got a really good one right here."
"Hey!"
Izuku's face broke into a shy smile as he shoved Shouto's shoulder, and Shouto couldn't help but break into a smile of his own. Izuku's charm was so contagious. He wondered if he could keep Izuku close to him forever.
Shouto huffed out a small laugh. The thought alone made him giddy.
"These are rough sketches of the killer. Pass them around, make signs, posters. Get in contact with our other precincts. Anything that could help us catch this guy."
Shouto stood next to his partner as Izuku delivered the news to the entire precinct. Everyone was shell-shocked at the sudden reveal of the killer's face, and most of the precinct was wearing grimaces on their faces.
The picture was definitely not pretty, especially with all of the staples seemingly stuck inside the killer's face and neck. It was almost unbelievable, but then again, it was so outrageous that it couldn't have possibly been made up.
Even Bakugou, who usually stood proudly and arrogantly, was staring at the picture with bewilderment in his eyes. Shouto resisted smirking at him.
"So, should we start getting on this today?" Kirishima asked, looking around at everyone else.
Izuku nodded. "I think that's what Aizawa would want."
Shouto also nodded, his eyes sliding across the room to see the other officers sitting in the seats with wide eyes and determined expressions.
And, in the very back of the room, stood Enji, his eyes narrowed and expression gruff. Shouto frowned when they locked eyes and quickly looked back at Izuku to try to concentrate on his words about the killer. It was hard to focus, especially since there was such a heavy presence in the room. Who called him here, anyway? Shouto would love to have a chat with that person.
"Anyway, I think we should probably start patrols with this in mind. Maybe asking people if they've seen him?" Izuku suggested, looking to Shouto for support.
Shouto nodded, breathing out the tension in his chest. "We should check sketchy areas and ask around."
"Interrogating lowlifes in the area? Is that the best we can do here?" Bakugou asked.
Izuku shrugged. "It's really all we've got right now."
Bakugou rolled his eyes and stood up from his seat, snatching up the file and the picture.
"Fine. But I'm gonna catch this asshole first!" Bakugou barked as he started to slink out of the room.
"Ah, wait up, Bakugou!" Kirishima said, scrambling to follow.
The rest of the officers took that as their cue to clear out, each getting up from their seats and starting to file out of the conference room.
Shouto heard Izuku sigh and he turned towards his partner, watching as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. He glanced up at Shouto with a small, shy smile.
"That was nerve-wracking," Izuku said. "I didn't think they would listen to what I had to say."
"You did a good job," Shouto said. "You even had Bakugou's attention."
"Ah, really? Even Kacchan?" Izuku asked.
"Don't be so surprised. He's probably jealous that he didn't get up here and speak," Shouto said.
Izuku huffed out a small laugh. "That does sound like Kacchan."
"Shouto."
Shouto opened his mouth to speak again when he heard a gruff voice call his name. He turned and saw his father approaching him, that same scowl on his face.
"You should accompany me on this patrol to look for the killer," Enji said.
"I already have a partner. I don't need a new one," Shouto said, nodding his head towards Izuku.
Enji's frown deepened. "This could be a great opportunity for you to learn."
"I don't want to learn anything from you anyway," Shouto said, brushing by him.
Enji grabbed at Shouto's shoulder, making him flinch. He cursed himself for flinching at all, but he couldn't help himself. It was all too familiar.
"Why bother running around with a rookie when you can learn from one of the best?" Enji asked. "You don't have time for this, Shouto. You're wasting your career by hanging with this fool!"
Shouto grit his teeth and whirled around, shoving Enji's big hand off of his shoulder in a snarl.
"Izuku is not a fool. He'll become a better detective than I will ever be," Shouto said.
"Shouto…" Izuku whispered, hurrying to his side. He grabbed his bicep and tugged him away from Enji slightly. "Sorry, Chief, but we really have to go."
Enji frowned at them. "Are you going on a patrol now, Shouto? What sector?"
Shouto opened his mouth. "That's none of your—"
"We actually have to go visit someone!" Izuku interrupted.
Shouto whipped his head to the side to stare at his partner. He had completely forgotten about that. He had been so worked up about the case and his father that the mention of his mother had slipped his mind.
"Visit someone? Who?" Enji demanded.
Izuku's confidence was quickly doused with that question. "Uh… well, it's, um…"
Shouto grabbed Izuku's hand that rested on his bicep and looked up at his father.
"We're going to visit Mom," Shouto said.
Enji's face suddenly changed. His eyes widened and his jaw slackened a bit. He seemed to be stunned silent, which was perfect.
Shouto took that moment to flee.
"C'mon," Shouto said, dragging Izuku out of the room and leaving Enji behind. Along the way, he could feel Izuku squeezing his hand, and he glanced back to see Izuku smiling brightly at him. Shouto squeezed his hand back, feeling something bubbling in his chest.
Maybe this feeling wouldn't have to go away.
By the time they got posters made and contacted all of the other precincts in Tokyo, the sun had almost set beyond the horizon. Once they were done, Izuku latched onto Shouto's hand and led them down the street and close to the same hospital as that morning. For most of the way there, Shouto had not let go of Izuku's hand, and he wondered if his partner minded it. Every time he would look over to check, Izuku was calmly walking beside of him with a smile on his face. It was as if Izuku didn't mind being so close to Shouto.
Shouto smiled, too. It was warm.
His happiness was short-lived, though. As they arrived at the hospital, Shouto found himself hesitating.
He pulled to a stop right outside the doors to the hospital, his hand going limp in Izuku's grasp.
"Shouto?" Izuku chirped, leaning to try to make eye contact. "What's up?"
Shouto frowned, his hands clenching his uniform pants.
"I'm afraid that she'll still see me as a monster," Shouto said.
Izuku shook his head. "She won't."
Shouto bit his lip, looking back to the hospital doors. There was a receptionist still inside at the desk, typing furiously at the computer.
It was easy, Shouto told himself. Just go in and tell her that he's looking for Todoroki Rei. Todoroki Rei. That was all he had to do.
Easy…
Right?
"I…" Shouto began, his chest clenching and unclenching and lungs tight.
Izuku grabbed his shoulder, opening his mouth to probably say some words of encouragement, but he was interrupted by his phone blaring loudly in his pocket. Izuku looked torn, his eyes staying on Shouto for just a moment more before reaching into his pocket. He yanked his phone out and answered it quickly.
"H-Hello?" Izuku said into the phone. There was a brief pause, and Izuku's eyes widened, one of his brows lowering over his eye. "Wait, Mom, slow down! What's going on?"
Shouto strained his ears to try to hear. He picked up a few words here and there, like "work" and "trouble." Whatever it was, Izuku's mother sounded a little frantic.
"Uh… you mean now?" Izuku said, looking up at Shouto in alarm. "But I've got something to do tonight."
Shouto bit his lip, his eyes looking to the hospital doors and then back to Izuku. He didn't want to keep his partner waiting, especially if it was an emergency.
"Go on, Izuku," Shouto said. "You can meet up with me later."
Izuku frowned, looking conflicted. He also glanced into the hospital, the phone still up to his ear. Shouto could still hear Izuku's mother babbling on, and some static carrying on in the background as it crackled over the phone line.
Finally, after a moment, Izuku sighed and relented, shaking his head softly and regrettably.
"Okay, Mom, just try to stay calm, okay? I'll be there as soon as possible," Izuku said.
Shouto heard a quick, "Thank you so much, Izuku!" and then the call was over. Izuku pocketed his phone and looked up at Shouto remorsefully.
"We can come back another day if you want me to come with you," Izuku said. "But… it seems my Mom has gotten into some car trouble."
Shouto rubbed the back of his neck, his mind imagining what it would be like to meet Izuku's mother. Ah, he wondered if she was just as spastic as Izuku was. Cute.
"It's fine. I'm sure she needs your help," Shouto said. "I'll go on in to see my mom. You can meet her later. Sound good?"
Izuku smiled, nodding quietly. "Then next time, you can meet my mom."
Shouto's lips twitched. "I'd love that."
"Me, too," Izuku said with a fond expression. He took a deep breath and glanced out at the road. "Well, I guess I'd better get going. I'll… see you later?"
"Yeah. See you."
With those parting words, Izuku took off down the road, leaving Shouto to stand out in front of the hospital alone. Shouto watched Izuku's retreating back until it was gone. It stalled only a few seconds of his time, however, and now he was stuck with the decision to enter or to stay outside. The decision to see his mother. The woman that he hadn't seen in about 20 years.
Damn it, Shouto thought, his hand reaching up to wrench his hair. Why on earth hadn't he visited sooner? Would she even recognize him anymore?
Shouto sighed and faced the building again, his eyes landing on the receptionist. The woman wasn't even looking at him, but Shouto still felt so intimidated just thinking about entering.
Maybe he should take a walk. That should clear his head. Do a lap around the hospital first? Then he'll be energized enough to just march right inside. Yeah. That would be good.
Shouto turned away and started to make his way down the sidewalk, his hands shoved into his pockets. Several thoughts swirled around in his mind as he walked, and he tried to calm his heart. Izuku was certain that his mother wouldn't hate him.
"He's so unsightly. He's looking more and more like him!"
But what if she did?
Shouto's frantic steps slowed to a stop, his hand coming up to touch his scar on his face. This was all too much. Maybe he should just leave. Text Izuku to tell him he'd gone home. Maybe he should just go out and try to find the killer with his father. Maybe he should—
"Well, well, well. Look what we've got here."
Shouto's heart nearly jumped out of his chest at the voice, and suddenly, there was a rag being pressed to his nose and mouth. An arm wrapped around his shoulders and held his arms in place.
He tried to wriggle free, but something on the rag was making him incredibly sleepy. His eyelids were slowly closing and his vision was blurring.
He heard an eerie chuckle, one that was sending so many red flags into his brain that he thought he was going to choke.
It was him. It was that damned killer!
Shouto's knees crumpled underneath of his body and he fell limp to the ground. He could feel hands touching him, and it would've made him sick if he didn't feel so tired.
Above him, he could make out a figure in the dark. Spiky hair, and glint of silver here and there, but nothing else.
"Isn't this just sad?" the voice taunted. "Todoroki Shouto."
Shouto let out a soft whine, his chest hitching as he willed his body to move. He tried to reach for his phone, but he felt it had fallen out of his pocket and onto the sidewalk during the struggle. His hand tried to grab at it, but instead, his eyes slipped shut and he fell into darkness, leaving his body to the mercy of his captor.
"Thank you, my dear! I didn't know what I was going to do all on my own."
Izuku smiled at his mom as he helped her load the spare tire into the trunk of her car. Changing the tire was fairly simple, and since Izuku's muscles had grown a lot over the years, he was able to change the tire in no time at all. Even without his mother's help.
"It's no trouble, Mom! I always want to help you when I can!" Izuku said. "Are you on your way home?"
Inko nodded. "I just got off from work, actually. Would you like to have some dinner with me?"
Izuku smiled, wanting nothing more than to eat a delicious homemade meal with his mother. But Shouto's strained smile back at the hospital was making him feel even more on edge.
"Ah, sorry. But I have plans with Shouto," Izuku said.
Inko's face lit up suddenly. "Shouto? You mean Todoroki? That's your new partner, right?"
"Oh, yes!" Izuku answered with a bright smile. "I've told you about him before, right?"
"Well yes, but you haven't called him by his first name," Inko said, putting a hand to her cheek.
Izuku blinked at her. "Oh. Well, I guess… not."
Inko smiled. "You seem to talk about him a lot, Izuku."
"Um… I guess?" Izuku said cautiously. Where was she going with this?
"When am I going to meet this boy?" Inko said. "He seems to have completely charmed you."
Izuku's face suddenly flushed a deep red and he waved his arms in the air.
"I-I-I didn't s-say anything about l-liking him!"
Inko giggled, and it only made Izuku blush harder. He slapped his hands over his face and groaned.
"Mom, please stop," he whined.
"Okay, okay! I'm just teasing you," Inko said, patting his shoulder. "But seriously, Izuku. Bring him to dinner, okay? He seems like such a sweetheart by how you describe him."
Izuku rubbed the back of his neck, giving her a shy smile. "He really is, heh."
Inko brushed a lock of Izuku's hair behind his ear and smiled up at him.
"Well, no one will ever be worthy enough for my boy, but I'd like to think that Shouto is close," Inko said with a wink.
"He's a good one, Mom," Izuku said with a smile.
Inko nodded. "I don't doubt you, dear," she said. "Now, do you want me to drop you off where you need to go?"
"No, no, that's okay! I can get there on my own," Izuku said. "Thanks, though, Mom."
"You're welcome, dear. Have a good evening!" Inko said, waving him off.
Izuku waved back and then took off in a sprint, heading straight back to the hospital, a wobbly smile on his face. He was too excited about the prospect of Shouto meeting his mother. What would his face be like? Would he be nervous? Shy?
Too cute. It was too cute to even think about.
Izuku ducked his head, biting back his grin, and hauled forward down the street until he reached the block he needed. He slowed to a walk when the hospital was in sight. He headed straight in on the left side where the receptionist sat and smiled as he bowed his head at her.
"Hi, uh. My partner came by to visit his mother and he invited me to join," Izuku said.
"What is the visitor's name?" the receptionist asked, grabbing a nearby clipboard.
"Todoroki Shouto," Izuku answered.
The receptionist paused, her eyes scanning over the clipboard. She pursed her lips and flipped a page, tilting her head to the side.
"No visitor has signed in by that name," she said.
Izuku's smile slipped from his face, feeling as if he had been sucker-punched. He blinked rapidly at her, straightening his back.
"Huh? Are you sure? He was here like... an hour ago," Izuku said. "He came in here to talk to you."
The receptionist's brows creased a bit and she shook her head.
"No one has come by in several hours, actually," she said. "The last person to check in for a visitor's pass was at 4pm."
Izuku's heart skipped a beat. That was nearly three hours ago.
"Uh... so, no one was outside?" Izuku asked. "Did you see then leave?"
The woman sighed. "Sorry, but no."
Izuku swallowed and nodded absently, his mind running a million miles a minute.
"Okay. Thanks," Izuku said, turning away from her and heading back out of the hospital. He rubbed the back of his neck as he wandered down the street.
Did he chicken out? Why didn't he tell him?
Izuku pulled out his phone, hoping to find a missed text message or call from his partner, but was disappointed to find nothing from him.
Geez, what on earth happened? Shouto didn't look completely confident but he thought that he would at least go inside and sit in the lobby or something.
Izuku tapped on Shouto's contact and hit call, putting the phone to his ear as he walked down the sidewalk, biting the inside of his cheek as he heard the phone begin to ring.
"C'mon, Sho. Pick up," Izuku mumbled into the line.
He walked a few more paces and then heard something rattling. He froze mid-step and looked down at the source.
On the ground was a phone, the screen slightly cracked but still working as Izuku's name flashed brightly.
Izuku sucked in a sharp breath, and his phone slipped from his grasp.
"No…" Izuku whispered, eyes blowing wide.
"Shouto."
