𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍 𝐁𝐘 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒

congrats

"The ceremony's about to start—" I countered.

"Will you stop worrying?" He scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "We'll be back before round-face finishes that idiot's tie and before the raccoon knows we're missing."

"Okay," I sighed. I grabbed the armrests of the chair and pushed myself to stand. The two of us slipped out of the room and walked down the hallway. We walked in silence, letting the pictures on the walls tell stories of our high school career.

That was until—

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Kacchan asked. I looked at him. He strolled the hallway with his hands in his pockets, scrunching up his gown with his head tilted back. Some things never change.

"I don't know," I turned my eyes away and let them fall to my feet. "Today is supposed to be one of the best days of our life but it just doesn't—I don't—I don't know." My hand retreated to my face to massage my temples in frustration. I stopped walking and placed my hands on my hips. Kacchan stopped a few footsteps ahead, turning to me sideways with his eyes narrowed. I looked at him with a frown. "They should be here with us," I whispered.

Kacchan blinked several times, letting his eyes slip to one side as he tried to process what I meant. "Who?"

I stepped to the side and rolled my head back. "All Might. Ms. Midnight. Nighteye. Yuki."

Kacchan's face went pale and his eyes slowly rounded at the mention of Yuki. He clenched his jaw and swallowed hard. "They died for us, Deku."

"Yuki didn't."

Kacchan stood there, unmoving. I could tell that he didn't know what to say as the memory of Yuki's death crawled back to him. An angry smile flashed across my lips as it all came back to me. "You were so mean to her. To both of us."

Kacchan looked at me with furrowed brows. "Don't fucking start. That was a long time ago."

"So?" I shrugged my shoulders and narrowed my eyes.

"So? So I've changed. I know what I did was wrong. Don't beat me up over that shit fourteen years later."

I sighed and brushed my hand through my hair. "You're right, you're right. I'm sorry."

Kacchan puffed air through his cheeks and sighed. "Whatever, man. Let's go, I wanna show you something."

We walked down the hallway of UA in silence. We passed our very first classroom—our homeroom from when we were first years. The door was wide open and the desks were still arranged into rows. As we passed, a flash memory of everyone sitting in their assigned seats filled the empty room. We passed the cafeteria where there were many food fights, the staircase where I confessed my feelings for Ochacho, and went up the stairs to where Principal Nezu resided. Only, he wasn't there anymore.

A few doors down, Kacchan stopped in front of a glass case. I came to stand beside him, my frown deepening when my eyes registered what I was looking at.

A shrine for All Might.

Before his prime, during, and after.

I clenched my throat, trapping air and saliva as his memory swept me in a wave of sadness. I still didn't want to believe he was gone—how could I? He's the only reason I am who I am.

His memorial was decorated with pictures; most of which were from my class. A smile pulled at my lips.

His hero suits; one from each of his eras.
Flowers; yellow, blue, and white.
And candles with flames that never ceased.

"We all wish he was here," Kacchan started, his eyes watching the flame of the candles. I looked down, noticing his hands pinched into fists as they bulged out of his pockets. "We wish they were all here."