Fighting Fears

Chapter 31

Todoroki's POV

I blinked, coughing from the amount of dust. Around me, my fellow classmates and the pros began to awaken as well. I shoved a piece of rubble off of me so I could stand. My head hurt, vision blurred. I felt so dizzy, causing me to stumble. "W-What happened?" Midoriya groaned, sitting up. Thinking back, I remembered the last thing I saw being a giant black-and-icy-blue form crashing to the ground as our barrier broke.

"Winter!"

I shot up, racing over to the crater in front of us. Steam was rising from the ground. I quickly scanned the area until I spotted her. Without thinking, I jumped off the edge, sliding down towards the flattened center. A few of my classmates joined me as well. I ran to my friend's side, dropping down to my knees. Winter blinked, coming to. "H-Hey." She coughed. "Don't talk. Save your strength. You'll need it." I said, heart pounding. "Why would I need it?" Winter looked at me with a bored expression. "You'll need it to recover!" I retorted. "Recover? That ain't happening. Not with this," Winter laughed, gesturing to the massive wound on her abdomen that was barely bleeding at this point. I only then realized she was surrounded by a pool of her own blood. "S-So?! That's nothing, you'll be fine!" I stuttered. "Don't lie to yourself, Todoroki. I know I'm not gonna make it out of this shit pit- haha I just said shit pit-" Winter started laughing again. She coughed violently, blood trickling out of the corner of her mouth. "Stop! Please! Winter, it's not funny!" I tried to get her to realize she was only making it worse. The rest of 1-A and our teachers joined us, quietly crowding around. Above, the rest of the pros and UA students watched anxiously. "Shit pit is very funny. You're just stressed out." She snorted. "Winter, I'm serious!" I snapped, doing everything I could to keep myself from crying. Winter looked at me, her expression changing. Sympathy shimmered in her gorgeous neon-blue eyes. "Hey... don't cry..." She gently reached out, setting her hand against my face. I bit my lip, slightly leaning into her touch. "Hey Izuku, what time is it?" Winter suddenly asked. "H-huh? It's... seven, why?" He frowned. "Because. I told myself a long time ago if I were to die, I want to die at sunset. To know that I completed a day's worth of work without giving up. I did that, didn't I? You're all safe now. You can go home to your families and friends and pets. You're free to be the heroes you want to be, now that my parents are dead." She said. "Winter, you're not going to die! I-It's gonna be okay!" My body began to shake. "Todoroki, I'm not afraid of death. It doesn't scare me anymore." Winter smiled. "That- That's not what I mean! You can't leave me!" I shouted. "Damnit, Winter, why are you doing this?!" I questioned angrily. "Doing what?" "Making me say goodbye when I haven't even told you how I feel!" She looked at me calmly.

"Then tell me now."

It took me a second to process what she had just said. I swallowed the lump in my throat before responding. "I love you, Winter. I love you so much. You- You were the first person... to really notice how I felt. You've made me laugh without trying, you've taken care of me without getting anything out of it, whether it be fame or money. I adore your stupid, witty comebacks, the way you annoy the hell out of Bakugo, the way you look at me when you're worried. Even after I said those things about you, you came back and forgave me. Winter... please... stay with me... don't leave... I can't lose you..." I begged, my chest aching. "I'm so sorry I have to do this. It was the only way. I thought I'd never care about anyone so strongly after I lost Kasey. I swore I wouldn't let anyone else in. But then All Might and Midnight found me, and once I met y'all, I began to care again. For everyone in this class, the pros that raised me, the rest of the UA staff for giving me a chance. I was so rude to them, yet they still took care of me. Oh- that reminds me," Winter turned to look at our teachers. "Hey Aizawa, I'm sorry I broke down your door and woke you up like fifty million times." She apologized. As Winter turned her attention back to me, I noticed Aizawa staring at Winter, a grief-stricken look on his face. Midnight and All Might were frozen in shock, like two parents watching their child die in front of them... which, in a way, they were.

"Anyways, I noticed that I felt differently towards you. Something like the way I cared about Kasey, yet different. Something stronger, more important. And then I realized how I felt about you. Shoto, I love you so damn much. I swore to myself I would give my life to protect you if it came to that... unfortunately, it did." She sighed, looking away for a moment. "Promise me you won't forget me, okay?" Winter asked, looking into my eyes. "I... I promise. Winter, I could never forget you." I weakly smiled back. "Good. I'll promise you something too. This isn't the end of the world. You won't be hurting for ever. It'll be okay." Winter gathered what little strength she had left to kiss me. I began to cry as I held her against me, kissing her back. We stayed there for a moment, until I noticed she became limp. Any restraint I had against myself at that point disappeared. I pulled her close, resting my chin on her shoulder, screaming in agony.

Midoriya's POV

Uraraka buried her face against my chest at the sight. I bit my lip, beginning to cry. I held Uraraka close, trying to block out Todoroki's pained cries. I thought that it'd be easier for me to deal with death, since I had seen villains die, and those people in Winter's memory.

But those weren't someone you truly knew.

I reminded myself. I didn't know those people like I had known Winter.

Winter... I'm so sorry!