Frozen Wings

Epilogue

Hawks' POV

Cheers erupted from the crowd as my former student finally married the love of his life. Besides me, Winter was purring like a motorboat, looking happier and prouder than ever. I smiled, looking down at my own hand, rubbing the silver band on my ring finger. Winter and I had gotten married after the 1-A and 1-B students had graduated UA. It was still one of my fondest memories. I had expected to propose to her but she beat me to it before I had even bought a ring.

And now, Todoroki was finally sealing the deal with Yaoyorozu. It had taken him a long time to build up the courage, but seeing his friends and mentors do it themselves assured him it would go fine. And fine it did.

They had chosen a simplistic ceremony rather than an all-out elaborate one. It was still just as beautiful and made no difference to me or anyone else attending.

Natsuo and Fuyumi immediately ran up to their younger brother and his wife, crushing them in a hug as soon as the official ceremony was over. We all walked outside, enjoying the afternoon.

Todoroki's family had shrunk to the three siblings after the battle where Dabi had died. Apparently Endeavor has been shot and killed during a fight with a smaller Nomu that had a villain with a gun following it around. Todoroki had needed a lot of time to recover, losing three of his family members so close together in time, but with Yaoyorozu and Winter supporting him he got through it, keeping the promise he made to his brother, becoming a wonderful hero.

Unfortunately, there was one more person that didn't make it to see anyone move on to the next stage in their life after graduation. All Might had peacefully left us, his body unable to function anymore. It hurt like hell, seeing so many people die, but I had to focus on who was left. Midoriya took his death the worst, of course, but he knew it was inevitable. We all did. It took time but those who remained put ourselves back together again, standing alongside each other through thick and thin.

Storms threw a fit when Shinso said he didn't want to get married to anyone ever. I had to remind her that had she not met me she would've done the same thing. I think she had just been worried he would need someone and not have them when the time came. But that turned out alright, since the students all formed an agency together.

I sighed, looking over my friends. My family.

"What'cha thinking about?" Winter walked up to me, brushing her tail along my feathers.

"Just... how far we've come. How far everyone's gone from when they first decided to become a hero to now." I said. She paused, looking at the smiling faces.

"It was a long and gruesome journey, yes. But I think that in the end it was all worth it." She turned to face me, kindness in her eyes.

"I couldn't agree more. I do have a question though."

"Go for it."

"What do you think would've happened if the serums had worked? If you had become robotic, like they wanted?" It was a question I had wanted to ask for a long time but could never find the right moment.

My wife paused, thinking intently.

"I think that many good people would have lose their lives at my own claws. I think that many people would be miserable because I took something away from them that they'd never get back. I would probably be dead, too, because someone or some government would've gotten angry and chosen to put an end to it. But then again, I remind myself that there's no need to worry about what might have happened because it didn't. I became a failed experiment and because of that we're where we are now." She said.

"That's... a pretty perfect answer." I chuckled.

"I have thought about it too. But I also think about this." She gestured to everyone around us.