Swan Dive

Chapter 12: Recovery

Chapter 12: Recovery

Hizashi paced as he listened to the ringing on the phone. He was so relieved that they finally found them. Nemuri and Hizashi had been driving themselves to madness following every lead, no matter how small. It still took them an entire week to find them, though, and while it could've been a lot longer, he was shaken by just how much damage was done in such a short amount of time.

Inko's death hit them hard. Nemuri was actually crying in her room right now (they were at Shouta and Hizashi's house, which had two extra rooms—one for Nemuri and one for Izuku), and Hizashi didn't have the heart to look at her crushed face right now. She'd been closer to Inko than either himself or Shouta, despite having less time to get to know the amazing woman.

Losing a friend wasn't uncommon in the world of Heroes. Hizashi had lost many friends to his profession. But Inko had been a civilian, someone who was supposed to be safe and protected. She hadn't signed up for this. And while he didn't know the circumstances of her death, he knew it was bad when Izuku and Shouta had flinched.

And speaking of the two... They were currently in Izuku's bedroom. The door was open, in case they wanted to come out, but Hizashi couldn't help but notice how they clung to each other. He knew what that was, had seen it in many of his rescued victims—trauma bonding. And it could be nasty if it wasn't addressed properly.

He'd have to help them work through it. It broke his heart to see Izuku flinch at any unexpected touch or fast movement. To see him so injured, though nothing seemed life threatening. Those shadows in his eyes made him want to cry—this was a kid not a pro! He shouldn't be looking for escape routes the moment he entered a room! He shouldn't have to eye every item like a plausible weapon of self-defense!

And Shouta... Hizashi hadn't expected Shouta's state to be so bad. He didn't seem to have too many injuries—other than his wrists and an untreated concussion, from what he could see, at least—but his mental state wasn't good.

He knew his husband, and could read even his smallest movements. So when Shouta twitched whenever he or Nemuri got too close to Izuku, he knew Shouta was fighting the urge to shield the kid. His overprotectiveness of Izuku made his heart shatter. What had that monster done to Izuku that made Shouta like this?

He remembered when he'd first found that horrid basement in the abandoned house at the edge of town. How Shouta's crazed eyes had glared at him with an obscene amount of hate, and how his breath had caught in his throat because he didn't recognize him. Shouta had been so terrified that he'd been unable to recognize him. And Izuku had been cowering—whimpering—on the ground behind him, and Shouta had bared his teeth—and had those been fangs?—like an animal, growling. He'd looked absolutely feral, and that utterly horrified Hizashi.

He'd never seen Shouta like that. Ever. And he'd seen him after some very nasty missions. But even that one time that Shouta had temporarily lost nearly all his memories, he'd still somewhat recognized Hizashi. He'd still felt safe and protected around him.

Had that changed, now?

Hizashi shook his head. He'd just come out of an extremely traumatizing situation, and he had every right to be wary even around friends and family. Hizashi just had to show Shouta and Izuku that everything would be okay, now.

"I swear, Mic, this better be important. It's break." Chiyo's irritated voice startled the blond out of his thoughts.

"R-Recovery Girl..." He winced as his voice broke again—something that'd been happening more often than not the last week. He could feel her stiffen on the other end.