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Throwing Stones
Chapter Sixteen: A Talk between Brothers
Shouto glanced out the window as the bus ran over one pothole after the next. The scenery gradually changed from a bustling city to a town overgrown in vines and foliage. Upturned concrete and broken walls told the story of a battle that he knew nothing about. He was curious to know what'd happened here and how it'd ended up virtually abandoned.
He glanced down at the letter in his hands, reading over the message once more.
Shouto,
Sorry to hit you up out of the blue like this but I saw a commercial on TV the other day for the Sports Festival and it got me thinking. I know you've got your plate full thanks to our dear old dad, so I'll keep this simple. When you fight, don't think of your left side as an extension of our old man. They're your flames. Use them as you want. I landed my ass in jail for my own screw ups, but I can say that I always saw my fire as my own. You still have a bad habit of thinking of your fire as part of the bastard. If you're serious about going the hero route, then you should pursue it with all you've got. Don't screw up like I did. That's all I really wanted to say.
PS: I'm starting to really like this program. It's out in the sticks but the coordinator is hot. Just saying.
Touya
He found himself laughing slightly at his brother's casual tone.
It was the first time his older brother had ever contacted him. All of his life, he'd been kept insulated from the rest of his siblings. He knew he had two older brothers and an older sister, but he'd never really had a chance to spend any time with them. There was only once he'd managed to have a conversation with Touya and that was shortly after he'd awakened from his coma in the hospital.
Shouto's lips dipped at the thought.
Ten years ago Touya had almost burned himself to death at Sekoto Peak. Their father managed to pull him from the river he'd thrown himself into to put out the flames, but he'd fallen into a coma for six months afterwards. They'd each tried to visit Touya during that time but the doctors weren't sure if he'd pull through. So he used to sit by his oldest brother's side and just talk to him while they waited for him to wake up.
Eventually, Touya had awakened and he'd been by his side when he did.
He could still recall his oldest brother's confusion. Even as young as they were, he knew that Touya was confused as to how he'd survived. So after he'd sat up, he'd carefully wrapped his arms around Touya's middle and hugged him.
Shouto winced as they ran over another pothole.
That'd been the only time Touya had ever hugged him back. They didn't speak much as their father rushed in right afterwards, but it'd been a long road to recovery for Touya. Although it was evident that his sibling's heart never full healed from being rejected so thoroughly by their father.
"Are you sure about this?" Aizawa questioned him as they drove through what appeared to be the town center. Most of the buildings were destroyed but one small restaurant had been recently renovated. It's store front looked freshly rebuilt while tables and chairs dotted the interior, as if just waiting for its first set of customers in years.
His lips curled up into a smile.
"Yeah, it's fine. We've been needing to have this talk for a while now." Shouto answered his teacher.
Plus, he really wanted to see how he was doing. Their father had banned all of them from visiting Touya while he was in prison. This time, he didn't even tell anyone where he was going besides Aizawa. He didn't feel the need to ask for permission to talk to his own brother.
He wouldn't be asking for forgiveness either.
"We're here." Aizawa announced.
Shouto blinked as he took in the two story building that Touya was currently staying in. It had a modern feel to it but the shrubbery and foliage growing around the property gave it a welcoming atmosphere.
He disembarked from the bus only to be met with the exhausted expression of a Safety Commission representative.
"Are you okay?" Shouto found himself asking the worn out man.
"Oh I'm fine, young man. I just didn't get much sleep is all." His gaze drifted towards the building's front door as two people emerged.
One he recognized as the pro hero Hawks and the other was a young woman he presumed to be the coordinator of the program Touya had briefly mentioned.
His face flushed slightly as she flashed him a welcome smile.
It looked like Touya wasn't lying in his letter about her.
"Heyo!" Hawks greeted the Safety Commission's representative. "You're Mera, right? I'll take you to the town center to check out everyone's progress." The blond then glanced at him, "Goof to finally meet you, kiddo!" His grin was wide and joyful as he turned towards him. "Touya's been bragging about you a lot."
Shouto felt his face flame as Hawks continued, "He won't stop talking about how his kid brother is going to be in the Sports Festival this year. I'd say he's looking forward to seeing you in action."
Was he really?
"Oh hush," The woman gave a shooing motion with her hand. "Don't make things awkward for those two. Now shoo! You've got your own work to do!"
Hawks laughed as he led the representative down the shrine steps. Shouto was left staring after them, confused as to what exactly had just happened.
"You'll have to forgive him. He has a penchant for stirring the pot. I'm Kagome by the way, it's a pleasure to meet you." She offered him an introductory bow and he returned it with one of his own.
"Is Touya inside? There's something I'd like to talk to him about." He clutched the letter in his hand more firmly.
There were so many things he wanted to ask him but mainly, how it is he viewed their father. Him personally, he couldn't even bother using his left side due to his hatred of the man. So how did Touya do it? How did he come to see his flames as his own rather than Endeavor's?
Kagome's smile softened, "He's waiting for you in the library. We'll take you to him. As a warning, Eraser and I do have to sit in during your talk. I hope you understand."
Shouto nodded.
It made sense.
Legally speaking, it was a bad idea to leave a convicted felon alone with an underage student. So to protect him and themselves, there would be no privacy during this visit.
Kagome led him inside and down a hall until they'd reached a decently sized room packed to the brim with comfortable couches, shelves and books of every genre.
"So a letter wasn't enough, huh egg-head?" He heard Touya greet him. "Had to come calling too?"
Despite his words, a confident smirk had spread across his oldest brother's lips.
Shouto slid into the seat across from him, "I'm not an egg-head and I wanted to talk to you about your letter."
Touya's grin widened, "Have you seen your old baby pictures? You're definitely still an egg-head."
He fought the urge to feel the shape of his head. Was it really reminiscent of an egg?
"Touya," They both heard Kagome give him a warning tone.
His brother raised his hands in defeat, "Alright, alright I'm done."
It was so strange seeing his eldest sibling acting so carefree. The few times he had seen him at the estate, Touya had always been scowling or angry. This was honestly the first time he'd ever seen him smile. Truly smile. Not the sneer he used to throw at their dad at every opportunity.
"In any case, you said you wanted to talk." Touya's expression quickly grew serious, "Let me guess, it's about your power right?"
Shouto glanced down at his left palm, "I wanted to ask how you were able to do it. Use your fire, that is."
Every time he tried, he could only picture Endeavor's face and the flames would fade away on their own accord.
He felt his brother's index finger prodding his forehead forcefully.
"You're asking the wrong question." Azure eyes narrowed at him, "What you should be asking is how can you make those flames yours." Touya gestured towards his left palm, "Which it's fairly simple. You like using your ice since it reminds you of mom. When you use your fire, you can try using it in such a way to make your ice colder. Don't let the old fart keep you from developing your control."
Touya flexed his fingers, "I'd show you if I could but I'm on a strict quirk ban. So for now, try maintaining a perfect temperate with both of your sides active. Once you've perfected that, you can work on using your fire to make your ice more effective." He poked his forehead once more, "If visualizing flames makes you choke, then picture ice. Just remember that regardless of what you do, that left side is one half of you, not Endeavor. So make good use of it."
Touya's smirk widened, "Plus it always helped me when I pictured throwing flames at him instead. It's a good stress relief."
Shouto snorted as he tried to hold back his laughter.
Imagine hitting Endeavor with his flames huh? He could do that.
"Hey egg-head," His brother went back to using his earlier nickname for him. "Take the win."
Shouto's lips curled into a smile, "I will."
For just this moment, it didn't matter that Touya was a convicted felon and he was an aspiring hero in U.A.
Right now, they were simply brothers having a casual conversation.
"Kagome's on dinner duty tonight and she'll be making soba. Feel like sticking around until then to hang with us outcasts?" Touya grinned.
Shouto's smile softened, "I'd like that."
This would probably be the first time the two of the had sat down at a table and shared a conversation over dinner together. It sounded wonderful and maybe, just maybe, he could visit them again.
Shouto closed his eyes at the thought.
Maybe he'd visit again next week.
