𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧' |𝐭.𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐤𝐢

43- dates, dates, and dates!

He took a slow breath, like he was steeling himself to deliver a blow you weren't prepared for.

"There's something you need to know," he said quietly, voice low but heavy. "Tenko... he thinks you're dead."

Your world tilted. The air seemed to vanish from your lungs.

Dead.

You, dead.

"What?" You laughed, hollow and stunned. "You told him I died?"

Aizawa turned away. His shoulders sank, burdened by everything he couldn't save.

"You promised me before the war," He said, "that you'd let me handle everything when it came to him. I've been honoring that promise. By keeping you away."

Your voice cracked with disbelief. "So you lied to him?"

"It was the only way," Aizawa said quietly, but firmly.

"The only way to what? Let him suffer? Let him grieve someone who isn't even gone?"

Aizawa crossed his arms. "The only way to keep him from completely falling apart."

That stopped you. Not because it made sense, but because of the weight behind his words. The exhaustion in his eyes. Like he'd had this argument with himself over and over again and still hated the answer every time.

"You don't remember," Endeavor cut in, voice rough, "but when Tenko loses someone he loves... it doesn't just hurt him. It changes him. Twists him into something else. We saw it happen after his family. And what came after..."

You flinched.

Aizawa didn't say a word. He just stood there still, silent, letting the weight of everything hang heavy in the air.

"I get it," you snapped, voice cracking with frustration. "You made your choice. Now I'm making mine."

For a flicker of a second, something broke through Aizawa's usual calm, a shadow, a hesitation. You caught it. And it burned.

You stepped closer, fire in your eyes, "I'm twenty years old. I've busted my ass harder than anyone I know. Maybe I don't have a quirk anymore, but I'm still medically licensed. Still here, still fighting."

Your voice dropped, raw and fierce, "I'm done living in this lie, the fake hero everyone thinks I am. The atomic bomb. The miracle survivor. But the truth? I lost my damn quirk. And I'm tired of pretending it didn't happen."

You took a shaky breath and looked up at Endeavor first. His cold, hard gaze softened just enough to catch the gratitude in your eyes.

"Thank you," You said, your voice trembling but steady, "Thank you for pushing me, for making me tough when I thought I couldn't be. For never letting me settle for less, even when it was hard."

Endeavor's usual scowl faltered into a brief nod, the smallest sign of respect.

Then your eyes found Aizawa's. He stood quiet, but you knew how much he'd done behind the scenes.

"And you... thank you for taking me in when no one else would. For letting me work under Endeavor's company, even when it wasn't easy. For believing in me when I struggled to believe in myself."

Aizawa's lips pressed into a thin line, and for a moment, you caught the faintest flicker of something like pride.

Finally, you turned to Recovery Girl, her gentle presence a quiet anchor through everything.

"And you, thank you. For helping me pass my medical exams when I thought I'd fail. For getting me through the darkest days and landing me the job at UA. You saved me more times than I can count."

She gave a soft, almost sad smile, her eyes shimmering with unspoken memories.

You swallowed hard, feeling the flood of emotions rise inside you.

"But as much as I owe all of you, I don't owe you my life. Not after everything the war took from me, from all of us."

Your voice grew stronger, fierce with a new kind of clarity.

"It's time to stop living for others. Time to break free from what I was forced to be, and finally live for who I want to become."

The room fell silent and you could feel the weight of your words settling like dust, but underneath it all, a spark of hope was lighting up inside you.

You were done being anyone's project.

Now, you were ready to finally be yourself.

The silence held for a beat. Then another. You braced yourself for protest, pushback, something.
But none came.

Instead, Endeavor gave a slow exhale, heavy with something between resignation and respect. "You're tougher than half the pros out there. Maybe even tougher than me." His gaze met yours. "You want out? Then stand tall when you walk away. You've earned it."

Recovery Girl dabbed at her eyes with the corner of her sleeve, her voice trembling as she spoke.
"I always knew you'd grow beyond us. We just wanted to keep you safe... even if it meant holding you back a little longer than we should have."

Then Aizawa stepped forward, his hands tucked into his coat pockets. He studied you, eyes dark and warm with something deeper than words.

He smiled.

Just a little.

"Yes," He said. "That contract tying you to Endeavor's agency? We voided it. You're your own person now. Hero license. Name. Life. It's all yours."

You blinked, stunned. The chains that had quietly bound you all this time, the ones no one ever talked about, had finally fallen away.

"And guardianship?" Aizawa added, his voice softer now. "You don't need me for that anymore either."

He hesitated, just for a breath, "But I'll always be here if you do."

Something in your chest cracked open, but this time it didn't hurt. It was the kind of break that made room for breath, for freedom, for you.

Tears welled up in your eyes again, but you didn't wipe them away. You just nodded.

"Thank you," You whispered, voice breaking around the edges.

And for the first time in years, the weight didn't crush you.

It lifted.

You weren't just walking away.

You were finally walking forward.

another authors note :

hiii okay so anther small rant. ik the angst sucks but I really like fleshing out my characters and giving them character development, to ultimately make the ending of the story more impactful and imo more emotional.

so right now, we're seeing y/n really go through it — like, she's lost her quirk and someone who clearly meant a lot to her. it hurts, and you'll feel that.

we started off with her just being a nurse, quiet, a little reserved, sometimes throwing in a sassy comment here and there. but over time, she started gaining confidence, using her quirk more offensively, and speaking up for herself. she grew a lot. but now? she's back at square one. it's tough.still, the next chapter is where she decides that her pain isn't going to define her anymore. she's choosing to move forward, even if it's messy, even if it's scary. it's a big step, and honestly, a powerful one.

so i'm only saying all this if you're actually interested lol, but i just wanted to share that i've really grown to love and care for this version of y/n, just like i did for the one in fallin'.

as we get closer to the end of the book, i felt like it was the right time to point out how much our girl has grown. like, she's been through love, heartbreak, forgiveness, healing, and soon, we'll see her step into something even bigger: freedom and legacy. :)

that is all, love u all!!!