Chapter VIII

                                    

                                          
Two weeks, that's how long it had been since Izuku stopped talking to anyone besides his father over the phone. Two weeks since he had been traveling to the hospital with Hisashi every day where he would stay in the lounge and do his work. Conversing with the nurses, paramedics, and other doctors that would come in occasionally and start up a simple conversation.
Izuku had known many of the nurses and doctors since he was young, so most of the conversations that took place weren't painstakingly long or forced. And just as always, Izuku would continue to do his runs and other workouts, stopping only to see Mrs. Tori at the flower shop despite the cold weather of late December. Once finished he'd then head home and wait for his father to return only shortly after.
Though it had been a total of three weeks since he had last seen his mother, a part of him was worried. Though that part of him was always pushed away when he brought her up to his father, where he'd tell him that the locator on her phone revealed that she was only a few miles away, no doubt staying with one of her many infidelity partners.
The routine wasn't horrible, but Izuku couldn't help but notice how each day it seemed as though every fragment of his old routine was slowly being washed away. As if those shards of his old life were being swept away by a crashing river tide that threatened to pull him under and keep him in those dark waters if he dared to reach in and hold onto the past.
Perhaps it was his own subconscious telling him to let go, telling him to move on. But Izuku could feel a part of himself cry out at the mere idea, at the single idea of leaving behind what he once loved. What he still loved.
Or rather, who he still loved.
The boy was aggravated with himself, he was exasperated with himself over the fact that he couldn't move past the two people he was trying so desperately to let go of.
He had been the one to cut things off, he alone had been the one to block the both of them and do whatever necessary to be sure that he didn't run into them at all, he had been the one to agree to go to the hospital daily just in case Bakugou decided to live up to his threat. Or worse, Kirishima stepping in and joining him.
Though so far, Izuku was both relieved and strangely disappointed that it seemed the blonde didn't hold true to his word, nor did Kirishima try to enact any sort of similar action.
But at the gentle touch of a hand on his shoulder, Izuku yelped and jumped from his seat, turning his torso to face whomever it was that had snuck up on him.
Hisashi laughed when Izuku turned to face him, the boy's cheek flushing embarrassedly while the Omega gave a pointed and slightly aggravated look at his father.
"Sorry, you were lost in thought there for a while, is your schoolwork giving you any trouble?" Hisashi chuckled while Izuku shook his head and turned back to his laptop.
"No, I'm just writing a revised summary of the chapter I just read in your old med school book, 'Atlas of Human Autonomy 3rd edition'," Izuku stated as he moved over slightly to show his father the notes he had been taking, only for Hisashi to glare pointedly at the screen, turning only a second later to give his son an unimpressed look.
"What?" Izuku squawked, laughing nervously while Hisashi slowly saved Izuku's work before closing his laptop, never once breaking his incredulous stare.
"You're fifteen Izuku, and you're writing medical reports," Hisashi stated, raising his eyebrow to emphasize his stance on the matter. Though Izuku only huffed at the man and crossed his arms over his chest.
"So? I finished all my work! And shouldn't you be happy that you have a kid who prefers to do extra academic work, rather than sneaking out and partying all the time?" Izuku sassed while Hisashi scoffed and smirked at his son.