Forever and Always - SHOTOXOC (Eng Ver.)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Shoto POV

The moment Mei loses consciousness, I run toward her and grab her before she hits the ground.

I hold her against my chest as the anger grows inside me more and more.
The Villain has not yet fully recovered from Mei's psychological attack, so I take the opportunity to give him the final blow. I hold the girl with my left arm while I launch an ice attack with my right.

"THAT'S THE END OF YOU." I shout with all my voice.
Iida and Midoriya leave together attacking him at the same time. After the blow received, I create a sheet of ice on which Stain collapses.
I go back to giving all my attention to Mei. I don't think she will wake up quickly. She has blood coming out of her nose so I move her hair in front of her face.
I stand up with her in my arms and hold her to me.

Midoriya tries to get closer to see her condition but I shrug off her grip.
"I just wanted to check that she's okay," the boy says, trying to reassure me, but I remain still without a word, staring at her. Deku seems to sense what I'm thinking and so he moves away from me waiting for the pros to arrive.

I feel they are tying someone up but I don't care now.
I couldn't protect her, she wanted to do her own thing as usual. If anything happens to her I can never forgive myself.

We move to the main road and some heroes and rescuers come to meet us.
"Are there any wounded?" Someone asks but I am totally stuck.
One of the rescuers comes toward me so he can pick Mei up but I don't allow anyone to be able to get close to her.
"Todoroki, they just want to examine her, you know she needs treatment too." Midoriya tells me, drawing my attention back to herself.
I can my gaze on the girl again and apprehensively hand her over to the rescuer.

Then she is taken away from me.

Mei POV

"She's waking up." I hear voices near me.
I open my eyes and slowly focus on my surroundings.
I am in the hospital but I don't remember how I got there, beside the bed my parents are sitting.
As soon as I open my eyes fully my mother pulls me into a warm embrace that I immediately return gladly.
Slowly memories of the previous night and the fight against Stain begin to come back to me.

Shoto!
The boys!
I sit up sharply ready to get out of bed but my father stops me by making me lie down again
"Don't worry everyone is fine. You're the only one who hadn't woken up yet. They are in the next room." He tells me giving me a reassuring smile.
I nod unconvinced and try to remember more about last night.

We were fighting against Stain when I decided to enter his min---.
I freeze and open my eyes wide.
I remember perfectly what I saw, what was in his sick mind.
The images flood my mind again and I feel a twinge in my heart that prevents me from breathing.
I lean forward with my hands against my chest as those images don't want to go away.
It is as if I can still hear their screams. Smell their blood. Watching them die.
"Mei! Breathe strength!" My mother helps me come back to my senses.
Tears begin to line my face.
"It was all so true! How could a person do this? How could someone go so far as to kill a human being? Mom!" I abandon myself in her embrace as the sobs get louder and louder.

I just want to forget everything I have seen but they will be impossible to erase.

In the days following the fight I had a hard time sleeping.
My dreams were always occupied by nightmares related to what I had seen or my sister.
It had been a long time since this had happened to me, probably all the stress accumulated during this period favored it.
It is currently three o'clock in the morning and I know very well that I should sleep since tomorrow is the practical exam.
I passed the theoretical one with difficulty, not because I'm not good at school, in fact I'm fourth in my class, but the lack of sleep has put me in serious difficulty.

I turn on the light and get out of bed heading for the window. I open it wide hoping that some fresh air will make me feel better.
At the same moment, the lights in Shoto's room also turn on. The two-toned man walks past the window rubbing his eyes.
When he opens it and ours meet we remain motionless for a few seconds.

Since after the fight and the internship ended, we have not spoken since.
I learned only later that it was he who took me out of the alley and protected me.
I didn't even get to thank him.
I retrieve my cell phone from the nightstand and rush to the window again.

From Shorty ❤️
I didn't get a chance to thank you for protecting me during the fight with Stain.

From Icyhot ❤️❄️🔥
You don't have to do that. Anyone would have done it.

From Shorty❤️
I know. But it felt right to tell you. I appreciated it.

Having this formal tone hurts me. We've never been cold to each other, even in the hardest of times.
I see him typing something but then he rests his cell phone on the windowsill and closes the window.
I let out a sigh realizing that he has ended our conversation. I go back to bed hoping to get back to sleep but eventually failing to do so, I go to read.
A little later I hear a knock against my window.

I jump up in fright and walk over, doing as quietly as I can.
On the windowsill outside my room, there is Shoto.
I quickly open the window and with a leap he enters my room.
"What are you doing here?" I ask him.

The two-toned man says nothing but starts to prepare the bed he usually sleeps in when he stays here.
"You could at least answer me." I point out by placing myself at his side.
"I know you haven't slept for days. I noticed the dark circles under the eyes at school and the light on at night. I'm here to let you sleep; tomorrow is the test and you need rest. And I also know you can't go back to sleep when you have a nightmare if you're alone so let me finish the bed. I'm staying here tonight whether you like it or not." The two-toned man looks at me for a few seconds before going back to laying out the sheet.

I say nothing and go back to my bed with my back to him.
I hear him behind me fumbling some more before slipping under the covers.
"Thank you Shoto. Good night." I tell him getting no answer.

But he is right. Soon after I fall into a deep sleep like I haven't in days.

A/N

I had started this project just for fun and to pass the time and I am very happy with where I have come.

Thank you very much ❤️