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They stood off to the side for a moment just watching as the dark-haired man sat, dazed to the point that he probably didn’t even realize there was another being there. Or even that he was no longer getting his face bashed into the concrete by that...thing.
After another moment while the man was still lost in his own mind, the other decided to take action to prevent him from spiraling too deeply.
“Aizawa Shouta. I am pleased to finally meet you, though I wish it were under different circumstances.”
The man, Shouta, startled and immediately activated his quirk, staring at the new figure (?) who seemed unconcerned about the perceived threat.
“Hizashi?”
He blinked and with it came a wave of tears unknown to a man with chronic dry-eye.
The other’s eyes softened with sadness. “No, I’m sorry. I am not Hizashi.”
It was the truth after all. Those they visited were often terrified and flighty, a combination that made his job much harder and came with a lot of high risks and to mitigate their fears, he unconsciously took a similar form to those they wished to see most.
And in his dying minutes, Shouta wanted to see his husband.
“Look closer. I look similar to your Hizashi but I am not him.”
It was true. The form they had taken was a likeness to the voice hero at a glance but there were discrepancies. Too angular, too tall, hair too light and too long.
This only startled Shouta more. He started reaching for his capture weapon despite the overwhelming evidence that physics wasn’t quite right at the moment. Evidenced by ‘Hizashi’s’ barely floating hair and the lightness of their bodies they both felt.
They simply held out their hand and said, “It’s okay, I promise.”
At this point, Shouta was beginning to look rabid with his bright red eyes, floating hair, and his lips twisted into a snarl.
“Shouta, it’s alright. I am not here to hurt you.”
“Like hell-”
“Listen to me. I am not here to hurt you. I am Death. I am here to help you.”
Like every time before that, like with every person who ever doubted their identity, some overbearing force, stronger than even them made its move.
And Shouta accepted the truth.
Thousands upon thousands of years had numbed Death to this fact. Maybe with true human emotion, he would have been uncomfortable with that unknown force acting upon unwilling people but it often made even the most flighty people calm.
“Come, sit. I am not dangerous.” Death was careful to be slow as they kneeled before sitting with crossed legs.
Shouta seemed hesitant, now that he was more aware of how everything seemed...off. They were still at the USJ, but not. There were still people around them, but not.
Slowly, he did actually make his way to where Death had sat upon the ground.
“So I’m dead,” he said carefully as he sat, matching their position, then deciding better if it and stretching out.
“Not quite. You have a chance but considering the situation, I am not sure how good of a chance it is.”
He squinted at him suspiciously. “Do you talk to everyone who dies or has a near-death experience? It would be impossible.”
Death nodded, enjoying the silky blond hair still floating around their leather-clad shoulders.
“I’m not sure how it works but I am separated into as many forms as I need and I constantly know what they know.”
“And yet, you sure don’t know a lot,” Shouta grumbled.
Death actually laughed at this, genuinely smiling for the first time in what felt like eons.
“You are correct. I don’t know a lot of things. I don’t know where you go after I help you pass on. I don’t know who or what created me. All I know is that I am here to help the dead.”
Shouta was silent. Unsure of what he was doing or where this was going except into the afterlife.
“Are my students okay?” He asked slowly, almost scared of the answer.
Death watched him for a moment, curious but understanding. After a moment, their blank, white eyes flashed a bit brighter.
“Thirteen is the only other one on your side of the fight who has a potentially deadly injury. But I believe they will live.”
The entirety of Shouta’s body relaxed, tears once again pricking at his eyes.
After a few deep breaths, he mumbled, “I’ve got to stop crying like this.”
“You’re in limbo. Your body does not work the same way here. Your current tears are just an indication that if it weren’t for chronic dry-eye, you would be a very teary man.”
Instead of responding, Shouta just glared at them, looking a bit silly with his misty eyes and dark frown.
“It is not the nature of humans to hold their emotions in the way you do. I’d recommend taking a mental step back and observe your situation.” Their expression softened slightly. “It can be near impossible for you to cross without it.”
“But I don’t want to cross,” Shouta snapped, “I have to…” He trailed off, his voice getting softer with the understanding of their situation.
“Nothing you do here will affect the living world,” Death said softly. They raised a hesitant hand and settled it on Shouta’s shoulder.
He flinched away as if Death was Shigaraki coming back for one more round. “I just can’t believe that I have to leave them to fend for themselves. If they die, it will be on my head.”
“Shouta, they are alive because of you. Had you hesitated when Tsuyu was in danger, she would have greeted me before you. Humans have limits. You broke past your’s in an effort to save your student.”
“Death, I-” He paused. “Does everyone call you Death or do you have an actual name? I feel a bit ridiculous in such a serious situation.”
Death had no discernable reaction except to shrug (however robotic and off it seemed).
“Many call me Death, some call me sir or ma’am, a few are so lost in their own mind that they call me the name of the one I am emulating. It is your choice. Gender is a human concept, therefore I do not mind any of them.”
With the level of their conversation lightened, Shouta found himself silent, staring out at the haze. It felt like something was changing in the air, whatever it was made his heart ache with longing.
“Can I...Can I ask you for a favor?”
Death raised their head to look back at Shouta. By this point their expression had softened a bit, allowing more of Hizashi’s features to shine through.
“If it is within the realm of possibilities, I will try.”
Shouta opened his mouth to ask, only to have his voice catch in his throat with the first word. Instead, his uninhibited emotions tore from his mouth in the form of a sob.
Centuries upon millennium of dealing with the newly deceased clued death into what he was trying to ask.
Slowly, as to not startle him, they reached over and brought Shouta close, wrapping their arms around him in the best approximation of a hug they could manage. He only sobbed louder with the contact, returning the hug with such a force, a human could be injured in his grasp.
This was one of the few times Death appreciated appearing as approximations of loved ones. Even if this man could not have a final goodbye with his husband, he could mitigate his emotions slightly.
“I-” Shouta hiccuped from where his face was curled over Death’s shoulder. “I’m scared. I want to go home. I want to apologize to Hizashi for dismissing his idea to adopt a child. I want to tell him I love him. I want to tell my class to be careful and don’t let ‘Plus Ultra’ run them into the ground. I…”
He trailed off as Death suddenly stiffened, unlatching themselves from Shouta’s hold before stepping back and staring at nothing.
“I believe we need a change of location.”
“Wha-”
Death grabbed his hand and through a whirl of vertigo, they were vaguely somewhere else.
“A little warning next time,” Shouta snapped, violently wiping the tears from his eyes.
“No time. I had stopped paying attention to the living world and needed to bring you back to your body quickly.”
“But we aren’t in the physical world. Why would we have to move?”
Death just did their approximation of a shrug. “Once again, I am not sure. But I know that if you keep close to your physical body, it will make the transition to the living world easier.”
“Where are we, then?”
“Mufasu General. Congratulations, you’ve survived the worst of it.”
A wave of relief washed over him, only overshadowed by the wave of embarrassment of which Death took immediate notice.
“You look startled. Are you alright?”
Shouta groaned and wiped a hand over his face, catching the last of his tears. “I don’t really show my emotions to just anyone. I’m never going to live it down if anyone learns I started bawling over dying when I didn’t even die.”
“No one remembers meeting me if they were only near-death. And I hope to only see you once more after a very long and fulfilling life. No one except me shall know what happened today.”
The new information was...startling to say the least but welcome at the same time. He wasn’t quite sure what he would do if he came back with a relative understanding of limbo/purgatory.
“So, what now? Stand here for hours and wait until they either save my life or pull the plug?”
Already done with Shouta’s attitude, Death sighed before strutting over and locking eyes with him. (The best they could without pupils.)
“Relax,” they said in a firm command. “If you continue to stress at this level, you might be the first to burst a blood vessel in my presence.”
Shouta didn’t respond, his face still twisted in concern, leaving Death to fume for a moment in a rare incident of their emotions going wild.
“Just...breathe. Whatever happens, will happen. If you live, thank the higher power and continue to be a great hero and teacher. If you die, I do believe there are a few lost souls waiting for their lost one.”
He wanted to feel anger. To start shouting at Death for their casualness in such a dire situation. But instead, he began to shake with false adrenaline. The thought of leaving the kids with the death of their teacher on their minds was haunting.
Strangely, he did not react badly to the rush, instead, dissolving into silent tears once more.
Death was very much lost as well. To be human seemed to be a mess of emotions that even they had no time to try and understand.
So instead, they casually walked up behind them and began running their fingers through his hair.
He thankfully relaxed into the motion.
Time eventually became lost to them. Not that it mattered much in the first place.
Shouta appreciated the contact while Death was happy enough to no longer have a pro-hero freaking out in close proximity. Win-win.
After a perceived millennium of silent company, Death’s hand went straight through empty space instead of back into inky locks of hair. They opened their eyes to see that they were alone, their physical appearance breaking apart into something no human could perceive.
Shouta was gone.
He had not passed over, as he couldn’t without Death’s guiding hand. Yet he was missing from their little pocket of limbo. Meaning…
Death mentally sighed as they forced their liquidating form into a standing position.
“No one ever thinks to say goodbye.”