tddk / tw child abuse the lines were beginning to blur. shouto had...

the lines were beginning to blur.
shouto had never thought of himself as a victim. it was always just his mother that needed to be saved from this hell, abused by her husband and locked away against her will.
he wasn't a victim. he was used to it, he could handle it.
"you don't deserve this, shouto. it's not right"
said a teary-eyed izuku one night as he saw the bruises on shouto's arms,
"i'm so sorry, shouto" his mother cried as she held him in a tight embrace, "he's abusing you, he's still abusing you" she wailed trapped in her cage helpless.
"shouto, come" his father bellowed, leading them to the familiar dojo before shouto stopped in his tracks.
"...no."
his father turned around, eyebrow raised, "what do you mean 'no'"?
his father narrowed his eyes, "this isn't the time for your childish rebellion, shouto now come /here/" he pointed a finger down at the floor
shouto stood his ground not moving an inch.
"what the hell are you talking about, shouto?"
"mom, she said, she said this is /abuse/-"
"your mother? give me a break, shouto. what kind of sick ideas is she putting in your head?"
"you beat me just like you beat her-" shouto felt a sudden smack to his face
"your mother is a lunatic, shouto.
"i-i'm NOT.. i'm not crazy"
"oh really, shouto? maybe you need to be locked up right along with her."
shouto shook his head, pleading and struggling.
--
shouto gasped awake, clinging onto the bedsheets as his breaths became fast and overwhelming.
"shouto, it's okay, i'm here, look at me, just focus on me" izuku soothed, grabbing onto shouto's face so he had something to
"are you alright, shouto? you want to tell me what happened?"
shouto's nightmare came to mind,
"izuku, i think i'm going crazy"
izuku startled at that, not sure what to make of it "what do you mean?"
izuku quickly interfered, holding shouto's hand in his as he sat patient for shouto to speak
"my mother... i've told you how she ended up in that mental hospital.
one day she just snapped..
and now i feel like i'm just waiting for when it will be my turn"
the room was quiet as shouto laid himself bare, his darkest insecurities brought to light
the same boy who was looking at him now with those same determined eyes
"you're not crazy, shouto. it's normal to have the reactions you do after going through what you did.
he may be broken, but he is loved
and izuku helps him hold the pieces when he can't put them back together, but one day he will
/end