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The battlefield was as scary as everyone thought.
Blood. Lifeless bodies. Piles of rubble. A scent filled with hopelessness and despair.
Yet here you stand, amongst many other heroes who all have sworn their life. This was their chosen battle, whether they liked it or not. The moment you all took your oath, it was the inevitable end to you all. It wasn't negativity. You'd like to believe you were still optimistic despite knowing the reality but at the same time, you knew you had to be ready for anything. Because in this war, nothing came expected.
That all being said, you still can't help tears being shed. Left and right, your comrades fall and with the back of your free hand, you wiped the tears away from your blurry vision. You needed to fight. You needed to continue on even if you were the last one standing.
You all felt this coming. The false sense of security that came after All Might defeated that villain. The same villain that also caused the fall of the Symbol of Peace. You all knew what would happen next yet you somehow tricked your mind into enjoying the last moments of peace.
Shouta knew it was just a mere coping mechanism. You were among the top heroes and the retirement of All Might meant more work on your shoulders. You weren't Endeavor, next in line of being number one hero, but you had to keep your strong stance. That meant coming home later than usual, falling in his arms just to sleep peacefully. Despite UA installing dorms not only for students but for teachers as well, Shouta still chose to stay with you in your apartment. It was just a few minutes walk from the school anyways, so it wasn't much of a deal. Whenever you had a day off, you made sure to spend the day inside and Shouta didn't mind at all. Domesticity lulled him in and he can't keep his hands off you.
Years of relationship with the underground hero made you the woman you are now. You used to be a hero who did things for fame. But after meeting Eraser Head, you changed for the better. You became more calculated and practical. Still, the air of youth that came with you never left. One that Shouta craved more than anything. He loved everything about you. But especially this, the light atmosphere that came with your smile. Blinding light that would've hurt his dry eyes but instead, he welcomed it. With all his heart.
The days that led to this moment was nothing but peaceful. Despite the growing numbers of crime, you managed. During the day while he was teaching in UA, you took shelter in the comfort of your home with your kids, two cats that Shouta once brought home from his nightly endeavors. He'd come home to your cooking. A shared shower (with something more intimate before, during or after) followed by your patrols. It became a routine, the truth of the upcoming war unspoken but known.
In all of those days, you thought you were prepared. You always pictured the worst case scenario to calm your nerves. But when the battlefield cleared, when the dust settled, when the fight was won, you still felt like you lost. You cradled his head on your lap, sobbing your heart out like a child who lost her mother. But you lost more than a loved one. You lost your other half. Or so you thought.
He coughed, blood dripping past his lips and you shake. You touch his face, thinking of any way you can to save him. Your quirk was always useful, mind control which you had honed for many years. You never tried it on Shouta though. It was an unspoken promise between you. But at this moment, you can't help but navigate through his mind with a will to save him.
It was then that you remembered All Might's voice. It was the following day after he lost his quirk. You asked him how he managed to push past his limits despite his body aching to collapse. He told you that he remembered his Master's words. Of remembering where he came from.
That was exactly what you found when you read Shouta's head. Nothing but thoughts of you two, from this moment way back to when you two had just started getting to know each other. You knew that this was it, the time that you can push through your limits.
The human mind was a mystery but somehow you understood it now. Just a vague understanding of what you can do to save Shouta. Unlocking a part of his brain to make it heal himself. It sounded like something out of a comic book, but you always thought you were living in one anyways.
There was a consequence to it. And though your heart ached because of it, you can't just let Shouta die. Not like this.
When he woke up a month later, he was more than confused. He knew he should be dead. The way his body float in the abyss for what felt like an eternity, he thought that it was the end. The doctors explained to him that it was natural for him to fall in a state of coma. But it was nothing natural on how he recovered though. They said that his mind made his body cooperate. It exhausted him so much, hence a whole month of sleeping, but he was more than okay now. There were no damages at all, not even his memories of the battle was fogged, but there was something he couldn't put a finger on.
At home, there was a presence lingering. A faint scent in the air that made him wonder. What was it. He felt like his apartment was somewhat cold. Like there was something missing. But he doesn't know what. His cats were there. None of things were untouched. But there's a gaping hole in his heart and it never ached, just left him empty.
After a few days, he was back teaching in UA. His students missed him and he did too, he was grateful no one was harmed. But the empty hole in his chest remained. He decided that the place he used to call home was nothing but a place now. The principal offered him to stay in the dorms, yet he remained in the same apartment. The scent was barely there now, but he liked it. Somehow it filled the gape in his chest, even if it was temporary.
The year passed by so quickly, Shouta barely felt it. In the days, he would be buried in his work. In the nights, he patrolled the streets. He did everything to fill the hole in his heart but nothing ever worked.
That was until the new school year came. He was about to head to the classroom when the principal called for him. He sighed, not looking forward to it at all. His patrol last night was longer than usual and he barely had any sleep. So when he trudged to the principal's office, opening the door, he made sure to cut it as quickly as possible.
Not before the principal called you. He told Shouta about a new teacher coming and that he wanted him to show her the ropes. Shouta scoffed. Didn't the principal say that you were among the top heroes? Why do you even need coddling?
But when you entered the office, he felt the air escape him. And for the first time, he felt no hole or emptiness, just warmth, in his chest.
No words from his superior registered as he introduced you. And when you two walked out to head to the classroom, he can barely say any words until you finally spoke.
"I've waited for this for so long," you manage to say without your voice breaking. Somehow, the sadness in you radiated through him. You look up to him and your eyes were brimming with tears yet your smile brought the light that he never knew he craved. "You might not remember me, Shouta. But I will always love you."
He doesn't remember your face at all. Not your voice, your body, or your smile. But those words. Somehow, his heart remember it. All too clearly that both warmth and pain filled him.
He doesn't say it. How could he? He doesn't know you.
But, somehow, he knew. He loved you too. He will always love you.