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Shouta ran as fast as his feet could carry him. His footsteps echoed off the walls, his eyes burned, and he felt a dull ache in his head. He stumbled around the bend and finally caught sight of Nemuri some distance away. Just ahead of her, he came to a stop. He tried to catch his breath, but at the same time he had so many questions in his head. Nemuri had only called him briefly and told him to come to the hospital immediately. Something bad had happened to Hizashi.
Nemuri had tears in her eyes as she turned to Shouta and gently stroked his back. "Where is he?" the black-haired man coughed, still out of breath.
"They're still operating," the purple-haired woman sobbed, continuing hesitantly, "But .... it's not good for him." Shouta's breathing returned to normal, but his heart stopped. What had happened to his boyfriend?
"What happened?" he asked, upset.
Nemuri wiped away the tears that ran down her cheeks. "I wasn't there," she began, "but Hawks told me that Mic must have gotten caught in the middle. There was a hostage situation in town and Hawks and Endeavor didn't get the situation under control as quickly as they expected. They called in reinforcements, which included Mic." She paused to collect herself for a moment, then continued. "Hawks said it was a tough fight. The villains were numerous and well organized. In addition, there were some very strong quirks represented." Her breathing was audibly heavy and she struggled for words. "Endeavor timed his „Hellfire Storm“ attack when all the other heroes were out of the line of fire, but Mic was knocked back by one of the villains and got into Endeavor's line of fire. Mic is fast and he probably managed to still dodge, but his attention was no longer on the villain." She hesitated for a moment before continuing. Shouta looked at her blankly. "Hawks said the villain had had a quirk with blades or something like that. He attacked Mic again and this time he wasn't fast enough and......" Her voice broke and tears rolled down her cheeks. Her legs sagged away and Shouta rushed the short distance to support her. She buried her face in his scarf and sobbed, "They ....... the doctors.... They don't know if he's going to make it."
Shouta didn't say a word, he couldn't. His vision blurred and he wrapped his arms around Nemuri. "He'll make it," he spoke softly, more to himself than to her.
They stood there together for some time, and by the time Nemuri broke away from Shouta, they had calmed down a bit. "Let's wait here until the doctors can tell us something," she suggested, pointing to some chairs. Shouta just nodded mutely.
Time seemed to stand still and Shouta couldn't tell if minutes had passed or already hours with no new information. Doctors and other staff walked past them, but no one would or could comment on the operation currently underway. Shouta was in despair. The man he loved might be dying and there was nothing he could do. His inner turmoil finally made him stand up.
"This is all taking far too long! I'm going to stretch my legs. I can't just sit around here and wait."
Nemuri nodded. She knew that nothing she could say would help her friend.
Shouta walked down the hallway he had run down earlier. He buried his hands in his pants pockets and clenched them into fists. He needed air. His chest felt so incredibly tight.
Suddenly, he heard a laugh and froze in motion.
"Hizashi?"
No, it couldn't be. His boyfriend was still in the operating room, right?
Again, that laughter.
Shouta slowly started moving again, trying to locate the sound that was so familiar to him. As he passed a glass door leading to one of the balconies, he thought he saw a blond figure in the corner of his eye, which then disappeared again. With a shaky hand, he opened the door and stepped outside onto the balcony.
".......... Zashi?"
The blond leaned against the railing and smiled at him. Shouta could make out no injury on his boyfriend's body. No blood. Nothing. He was wearing jeans, a T-shirt, and his boots. Everyday clothes, not his hero outfit.
"B...... but how..... that can't be...... Are you ... is that really you, Zashi?" the black-haired stuttered, reaching for his friend with trembling fingers.
"I wanted to say goodbye, Shou," Hizashi said softly.
Shouta's movement stilled.
"What?....No... You....."
His vision blurred again, but suddenly he felt Hizashi's hand in his. It felt so familiar. Warm. Like it always did. Shouta closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, the blond was standing right in front of him.
"Don't be sad, dearest," Hizashi said tenderly, running his other hand over Shouta's cheek to wipe away the tears.
"I'll go ahead and wait for you on the other side."
A lump formed in Shouta's throat and he squeezed Hizashi's hand harder.
"But promise me you'll take your time though, alright?"
The black-haired man looked his boyfriend in the face. The blond had the same gentle smile he almost always had when they were together. Shouta swallowed hard.
"Don't leave me alone," he pleaded, barely audible.
"You are not alone. I will always be with you."
".....Please don't go."
Shouta's handshake tightened even more. He didn't want to let Hizashi go. He couldn't. The blond was the core of his life. The most important person to him. His pool of rest. His home.
"I can't let you go," he sobbed, tears starting to run down his face again.
Hizashi pulled Shouta's chin up and joined their lips in a heartfelt kiss. Shouta closed his eyes and felt all the love and all the warmth coming from Hizashi and took it in. When the kiss ended and Shouta opened his eyes again, he thought he saw wings. White, almost glowing wings that appeared behind Hizashi.
The blond took a step back without letting go of Shouta's hand.
"I love you, Shouta Aizwawa."
"And I love you, Zashi." The words came without hesitation. "I will always love you. Just wait for me, promise?"
Hizashi nodded. "Take care dearest. We'll meet again."
Their hands slowly parted, and Shouta saw those white glowing wings again that now seemed to envelop the love of his life. "We meet again," he said as the touch of their fingers finally disappeared.
"Shouta." A voice sounded behind him. The black-haired man did not turn around. He knew it was Nemuri. He knew her voice, even if it was distorted by her crying.
"They did everything........ but,..... but they couldn't....... He..... he is...." Nemuri voice broke. Shouta's tears ran down his cheeks without support, but he smiled gently. "I know, Nemuri. We could say goodbye."