The Artist and the Hero (Aizawa x OC)

I Love You

"He sounds kinda like Hizashi," I pointed out.

"In some ways, yeah, but even he couldn't keep up with Hiz's energy and excitement. Anyway, Oboro and I attended the same work study. We were both excited to train with a real pro hero and knew that we were one step closer to forming that agency we talked about. During one mission, a particularly nasty villain attacked some civilians in the city, so we went to investigate. It all happened so fast, I still barely remember what exactly happened. The next thing I knew, Oboro had pushed a couple kids out of the way of a collapsing building, only to get crushed himself. He died instantly."

I covered my mouth with a hand in shock. I had heard about an accident, but I had no idea it had been that bad. It made my eyes water just thinking about that poor kid being crushed to death. "I saw it all and I tried to get to him, but I wasn't fast enough. They never found his body, which only made me feel worse. I ended up having to tell Hizashi what happened. It changed both of us I think. It's why I'm so afraid to lose people, and it's why I kept training to be a pro hero. Ever since Oboro-"

He cut himself off as a sob threatened to choke him. "Oh Shota," I cooed and pulled him close. I'd never seen him cry before, and I bet that he didn't do it often. It must've been hard for him to show emotion, especially after his friend got killed. He clung onto me tightly, his shoulders trembling the tiniest bit, but other than that he made no noise. I rubbed circles into his back and let him cry. Who knows how long it had been since he had let himself feel like this?

"I'm glad you told me, Shota. What you went through sounds awful, but it wasn't-"

"Please, I've heard that a thousand times and I'm sorry but I just can't believe that it's not my fault," he pulled away with a frustrated look on his face. "I know that if I had been stronger, or a little faster, or anything then I would've been able to save him."

"Shota, listen to me. You were a child, there wasn't much you could do anyway even if you wanted to. I know I'm not a hero, but I do know that a hero means you have to be prepared to lose some people. What happened to your friend wasn't anyone's fault. Think about what would've happened if something went differently. You could've been killed instead, or those people could've died if your friend hadn't saved them. There's always going to be an outcome, whether it's good or bad. You have to learn how to forgive yourself, or this fear may tear you apart. I couldn't bear to see that happen to you."

Shota sighed, looking defeated. There were still a few tears leaking out of his eyes, and he still looked exhausted, but I could tell my words were beginning to sink in. "Shota, you're already doing so much for everyone right now. You're an amazing hero on top of an amazing teacher. I can't speak for Oboro, but I think he would be proud of what you and Hiz are doing. If I was him, I know I would be."

Shota cupped my face in his hands and leaned his forehead against mine. He let out a shaky breath. I gave him a sad smile and gently held his wrists as a way to calm him down. "I know you're right, but it's hard for me to accept that."

"I know, but we can work on that together. I'm here for you, and I always will be." At that moment, I wanted to say those three words he had uttered only a few hours ago. However, I was scared. I had never spoken those words to a partner before. Saying them would mean this relationship would run deeper, which I wanted. At the same time, though, I knew that if I was going to love Shota Aizawa, I would be willingly stepping into something challenging. My parents would worry about me more, I would have to deal with nosy reporters, and don't get me started on worrying if Shota's next patrol would be his last.

I found that despite these new challenges, I still wanted to stick by his side. I was a quirkless artist who probably won't contribute a lot to the world, but Shota had chosen me to be his girlfriend. I was important to him, and it took me a while to figure that out. Maybe going the next step wouldn't be so bad. Besides, it had been a few months since we started dating. It may have been faster than I'm used to, but I knew in my heart that I loved Shota.