𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐏𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐘.
(n.) a moment when you suddenly feel that you understand, or suddenly become conscious of something that is important to you.
𝐈𝐍 𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐂𝐇 - sydney suzuki learns that home can be a person, too.
✧.* i. midoriya / original chara...
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— THE MEMORY OF the training camp still lingered fresh in izuku midoriya's mind, each agonizing moment etched into his consciousness.
he recalled how the bones in his arms twisted and contorted in ways they never should have, with his flesh stained in deep, dark blotches of crimson. syd and kacchan's usually fierce expressions had been eclipsed by an uncommon dread, frozen with the horror of fear and vulnerability.
he could perfectly remember how their eyes locked, how they had a silent conversation without so much as parting their lips.
izuku wished he didn't understand it.
it haunted his mind, playing incessantly in his nightmares for months following. it was always the same flashes of their frames being swallowed by the swirling violet mist, blood coursing down syd's skin in rivulets. he could still feel the searing burn of the grass crushing against his forehead as his knees succumbed to the forest's floor, the anguished cry that erupted from his throat leaving his vocal cords ravaged in its wake.
that night had left an indelible imprint upon them all, an ever-present reminder that everything was temporary, and loss was inevitable.
almost an entire year had passed since then, and izuku still found himself riddled with the memories.
echoes of the terrifying tableau reverberated through his soul, manifesting in a sudden jolt that abruptly awoke him. even as his eyes flickered open to meet his dorm's darkened ceiling, the relentless thudding of his heart persisted, a reflection of the fear that continued to ensnare his being.
it almost seemed ridiculous, how his pulse remained elevated even after his nightmare had ended, but aizawa had reassured him several times that all heroes endured such experiences.
in an effort to ground himself, izuku followed the advice of his teacher and concentrated on syd's presence.
her head was nestled comfortably into the hollow of his neck, lips parted slightly as each of her exhaled breaths brushed against his freckled skin. that alone was a soothing balm to his panic, a steady reminder that she was alive and warm and okay.
izuku couldn't help but smile as she lay beside him in peaceful repose, her arm draped across his body with her fingers having found their way beneath the fabric of his shirt. before succumbing to sleep, she had been tracing the contours of the scars that marked his torso, her midas touch tender. he gently brushed a lock of her cherry-colored hair behind her ear, his thumb grazing along her jawline. she was so beautiful.
"i know you're sleeping," he whispered, lips brushing against the top of her head, "but i love you."
even in a state of utter relaxation within his embrace, her body at ease and her eyes gently fluttering under the veil of slumber, he recognized the horrors that must've been dancing behind her eyelids. he knew, as if by a silent intuition, that her mind painted a picture of everyone they'd lost in vivid detail.
