Work Text:
“Please close the door.”
The voice, almost inaudible, still reaches Enji as he walks into the room. His eyes are fixated, not wanting to look at anything else besides the floor. In short, he lets go of the knob and closes the door behind him.
The woman who was sitting on the bed moves a little, twisting her fragile body to have a better look at Enji. He stands firmly by the door. The woman’s lips turns into a small and weak smile. One that Enji would like to miss from seeing.
“You came,” added the woman.
Enji almost nods his head. He thinks he shouldn’t. So he didn’t.
“What’s wrong, Enji?”
Her voice still sounds so alluring. It makes him want to run across the room and plants himself in her embrace. But he knows it’s too much. It’s just too much. He might just end up breaking her again.
His ears picks something else from the background. Television. It’s on medium volume level. She must’ve seen him on the television. Earlier today, he was just out there. He almost lost a fight against one of those monsters. He was aware that his battle was being televised, because why not? The number two hero is finally doing his job. When he was done battling for his life, all the onlookers suddenly swarmed around him. Congratulations. Admiration. Affirmation. Gratitude. But he has to swipe away the media from putting his face on the screens anymore.
He had to be somewhere. At least, after his talk with Hawks, he has to be somewhere.
“Enji?”
“Yes,” he responds.
“Are you sure?”
Rei raises a concerned eyebrow that melts something inside Enji’s chest.
“Yes,” he repeats, with a new found smile on his face.
Rei’s lips catches it and forms into a smile once more. “You should smile more. A hero or not. You should smile more. It suits you.”
Enji has heard it right. She just complimented him. His smile automatically holds onto his crooked face a little bit longer.
“Here,” she pats the empty space beside her, “Sit with me.”
They are both facing the huge curtain-less window. Enji is keeping a good distance between them. Rei doesn’t mind. The cold wind from the window passes by the space between. For a moment, he wonders if Rei’s cold. He’s tempted to close their distance. But then again he remembers her quirk. She’s never bothered by the cold.
“Did any of the kids visit you today?”
Rei just nods. Her eyes rest steadily outside the window. Enji would’ve thought so. Their three remaining children love their mother so much. Rei would sometimes cry when she’s telling him stories about them.
“Did any of the kids visit you today?” Rei repeats to him.
It catches him off, but not too surprised to delay his answers to her.
“I’m pretty sure they’re busy doing something else. Fuyumi is so focused on her studies. Natsuo is fired up on his career. While Shouto is doing his best for the licensure exams,” he feels the need to swallow, “And I was also out fighting off villains earlier.”
“Do you want me to talk to them? They will listen to me.”
“No.”
“Why?”
Enji looks over at her, “I am the father of this family, remember? I promised you.”
Rei’s hand slowly reaches his and engulfs them in hers. She feels so cold within his touch. He doesn’t know if it is her quirk or the sickness. She’s looking at their hands when she speaks again, “Yes, but you don’t always have to do things on your own.”
Enji has to remind himself again that she’s forgiven him. A long time ago. He needs to remember that they aren’t the way they used to be. He’s made mistake. She did too. It’s time to grant forgiveness to himself next.
He has been brought back to reality after feeling Rei’s soothing thumb on his one palm. The gauze was gone, but she could still trace the long scar on it. She traces it with her finger, not too hard to cause him pain but enough to hear a slight giggle from him.
Rei immediately looks up, “What’s wrong?”
Enji tries to hide the smile and embarrassment.
“What?” she asked, jokingly.
“It tickles,” Enji feels like a kid.
She gives him an are you serious look. But he knows she loves it when he does that.
Now, Enji’s turn to take her hand and loosely entangles it with her. He looks at it for a moment, unsure on what else to do beside contently staring at it. Rei’s hands aren’t as soft as they used to be but this isn’t all about that. Enji just can’t believe it. Before the kids happened, they didn’t even hold hands. Their first kiss was on their wedding. And even after they got married, they sleep on different rooms.
Rei with the kids. Enji on his own.
But now, all he ever wanted is to hold her as much as he can. As much as she wants to.
“If it helps,” Rei starts again, “You can kiss my forehead.” She talks like a teenage girl having her first boyfriend.
Enji wastes no more seconds as he brings their faces together. His lips touching her forehead so lightly, Rei couldn’t feel it at all.
“That’s it?” chuckles.
“Yeah.”
“Come on, you’re the number two hero, Endeavor!” she beamed persuasively at him. He just chuckles at her antics. She is supposed to say something again, then she starts coughing.
Rei holds onto her chest as she coughs. Enji’s eyes widens. He immediately stretches out his arms so he can help her. She holds up a hand as if to tell him she can take it. She obviously can’t. Enji can hear the sharpness in her every cough. It sounds like her throat is going to be torned apart. Soon enough, Rei is gripping his arms so hard, his skin reddened.
It squeezes all the blood out of Enji’s heart, seeing her like this. He can’t do anything aside from putting a hand on her back, trying to ease the pain.
Enji can finally breathe when Rei has calmed down. He tells her to lay down. Rei doesn’t complain anymore as she lets her husband lay her head on the pillow and pull the covers over her.
This time, Enji plants another kiss on her forehead. Hard enough so she won’t comment about it anymore.
“You need to rest, Rei.”
“When will you visit again?”
“I can’t say…”
“Take the kids next time when you do,” she smiles weakly at him. She looks so pale, now that the sunlight is gone.
When Enji doesn’t respond, she calls him again, “Enji, please?”
He squeezes her hands one last time, “Promise.”