𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧' |𝐭.𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐤𝐢

43- dates, dates, and dates!

"Unfortunately we don't have a say in who we fall for" He smiled sadly, "But you're lucky, some of us are still awaiting that type of love finds us. Even if it's experienced just once, it's better than never to have experienced it at all."

You bit your lip, voice barely a whisper.

"I feel like an asshole."

He looked over at you, surprised.

"It's like I'm longing for him but I have no memory of who he is or what he did. And he's probably out there thinking I forgot about him."

You turned to him, gaze steady now. Your heartbeat raced beneath your ribs, not from nerves, but from something deeper. Some pull.

"I think I should visit him," You said.

He nodded slowly. "That's something you're going to have to tell Aizawa. He's been in charge of his case since day one. Like... fully. Oversight, progress, access."

Your lips parted. And the wind blew a little stronger.

"But if you do decide to go through with this," Hawks' voice softened, the usual edge replaced by quiet understanding. His eyes held a weight that made your chest tighten, as if he was carrying some of your burden for you.

"I need you to know this. You've spent so long waiting, waiting for the world to give you permission to be yourself again. Out of all the years we've known each other, I only saw you truly alive for a handful of months. And those moments? They showed me who you really are beneath it all, brilliant, fierce, and full of light."

He paused, his eyes searching yours.

"You've carried so much pain, so much loss, and yet here you are, still standing. You've given yourself time to heal, both in body and soul. Now, it's time to stop hiding, to stop waiting for someone else to define you. You are your own person, Y/N. Your past doesn't own you, and neither does anyone else."

You blinked hard, trying to swallow down the lump forming in your throat. "I'm tired of waiting."

He tilted his head.

"I've waited long enough, for peace, and for answers. So..." You let out a shaky breath. "I'm done waiting. No more 'maybe one day.' No more 'what ifs.' I'm deciding who I am, right here."

A breeze ruffled your hair. Keigo watched you like he was seeing a star finally blink into existence after a long night.

"Good" He said, eyes gleaming. "Stop waiting, chase that feeling, chase it all Y/N, because you deserve it."

⸻

The air in the room was thick. Suffocating. Like everyone was holding their breath, waiting for lightning to strike.

Endeavor spoke first, his voice gravelly and exhausted, like the truth had been stuck in his throat for days.

"You want to see him?" he said, eyes hard. "Then you need to hear this first. He's already gone."

You froze.

"His heart's still beating, yeah. But it's muscle memory at this point. Breathing out of habit. And even that's starting to slow."

The silence that followed was unbearable, a vacuum that made the walls feel like they were closing in.

Recovery Girl stepped forward, her voice quiet but steeped in sorrow.

"My Quirk... it's not working. His body's rejecting it. Like it's forgotten how to heal. Like it only remembers how to break itself. Again. And again."

You didn't realize you were crying until a tear hit your hand, warm, unexpected. Something deep inside your chest twisted, cracked open like a fault line.