✦ BNHA x Reader | Oneshots ✦

✦ The One He Can't Save✦ [Toshinori Yagi]

"To-Shi-No-Ri!"

"Ah, [Name]--"

Your knee connects with his face, causing him to stagger backwards. When you land on your feet, you dust off your knee for any blood. The boy recovers quickly, only rubbing his nose as if he has a cold.

"What are you--"

"It's my goodbye knee," you explain while walking up to him. You point to your other leg as you continue, "This is my knee to greet you but I'm not using that today."

"[Name]..."

"Stop feeling sorry for me." You cross your arms while scowling. "What had happened wasn't your fault. You have a villain to defeat, and my lack of power won't help."

He stares down at your knees with a guilt-ridden expression. No matter how many times he tries to forgive himself for allowing All For One to take your powers, he just can't seem to find that sort of internal strength within him. He was supposed to protect you with his new quirk; ever since you were kids, that's all he has ever wanted to do: protect you. When this mammoth of a quirk presented itself to him, he felt relieved that his one dream was coming true.

Alas, the fight with All For One had gone south and to make him feel this incredible pain, he destroyed what Toshinori Yagi wanted to protect. He was quick enough to protect you from dying but your dreams of being a hero were in tatters, and that hurt just as much. Seeing you realize what All For One had taken might have crushed any willpower in his body; hearing you scream in tears crushed his soul.

"I mean, a quirk where both of my knees are unbreakable is so stupid." Aware of your attempt to lighten the guilt, he remains silent as you continue blabbering on. "I should have aspired to be a regular housewife."

"Maybe we can find a way to restore your quirk."

You shake your head. "I don't want to be hopeful..."

"You should be!" he exclaims. "I'll find a way to reverse this and stop All For One. I'll be the one who--"

"YAGI!" You halt his panic with a shout, disturbing the birds that rest in the trees of U.A.. "You have two dreams in your life. You have always told me that one is to protect this world and the other is to protect me."

Since infancy, you two have been inseparable. He knows everything there is about you and has seen you in all facets of your life so far... But this... this moment counts as the second time he has ever seen you cry and it still causes a tremor in his heart.

"Yagi, I love you... I love you so much, you big loser... But please don't abandon the other people in this world. At this current point, you can't beat him and you'll get killed trying to get my powers back..." You inhale deeply as you try to stop the tremble in your voice. "You can't die right now... and you can't afford to be dwelling in the past. You need to move forward and become stronger."

He takes in your explanation, slowly digesting it and realizing the inevitability of the situation. "Then you should find someone else--"

"I will. I'll move on and find someone else who isn't a hero. I'm going to have a normal life away from all these heroes and villains."

"Good." He wants to cry as his heart breaks into a million pieces at the thought of you belonging to someone else. But he knows this is for the best. He has a responsibility now to the human population, and in his second year of high school, the burden of One For All is just too great to be sidetracked. This he knows.

"But... they won't ever be you, Yagi. I won't love anyone as much as I love you."

Your statement breaks what's left of his reasonability and he pulls your body closer to his. As the sun sets over U.A.'s horizon, the silhouette of two students kissing paints the school's building. However, there aren't any wandering eyes that rest on the pained couple as they give their last goodbye. The taste of salt and saliva intermingle within their mouths, tears lining both their faces, and it'll be the last time they ever feel the sensation of each other's lips again.