Boku No Hero Academia One Shots [Book 2]

Tomura Shigaraki

Requested by: lemonkitten-

[A/N]: My first request in a while, so I hope it's good! It's...definitely a break from Hawks.

Spoilers for Chapter 262 Onward!!

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The romance between hero and villain was doomed, by definition.

Societal expectations were that which you had deliberately chosen to disregard, in favour of pursuing your love. You convinced yourself it could work - it would work, because your hearts were beating the same rhythm. In hindsight, it was a tragic mistake, a miscalculation of the highest degree.

Yet, your happiness knew no boundaries.

His knew the boundary of unbridled power and destruction.

There had been trust, there had been understanding. But you could give him nothing more than a mere taste of all the love that seeped into your veins. You made the time. You made the effort...but in the end, you could never make it work. Why was this so difficult to believe? Years of emotional and mental preparation should have numbed you to the emptiness you felt...to the sorrow dancing in your eyes. But it hadn't. It was a painful display, watching him float amid that tank, unruly, snowy-white hair giving the impression of a complete stranger. And that tiny smirk, the one you squinted to see...it just wasn't right! It wasn't...him. It was foreign - unlike all those soft, affection-stitched smiles he offered to you in private.

Private...wrapped up in the night, obscured from the corrupt, prying eyes of those who decided your relationship was a plague on society. But it made you happy! Surely you deserved a semblance of something so warm and powerful? Compensation for caressing death every single day...doing the bidding of people who only saw a pawn, not a person...

Or perhaps you didn't, and this was your karma.

Around you, Nomus were being slaughtered, but your limbs were frozen. You were trembling, maybe crying. A scream might have torn apart your lungs, but it was impossible to tell. With all the chaos surrounding you, nobody would have noticed, regardless. They saw you standing idly, but there was no expenditure of time or energy, to spur you into action. Or perhaps there was, and the blood thrumming in your ears simply silenced it. You didn't know. The one certainty passed through your lips as a whisper.

"This is not the person I fell in love with."

Who is this...? What is he becoming?

A hand graced the tank that housed him, and in the briefest of moments, you imagined breaking it open and dragging him out...dragging him home. He could talk, tell you everything - everything he needed you to hear. If he had done that in the beginning...could this have been prevented? No...don't be ridiculous. He craved strength, and victory in the overthrow of heroes. He would never have been dissuaded. All For One would never have allowed that. Even from Tartarus, you didn't doubt that he could have arranged a hit on you. Had Tomura been ensuring your safety, by keeping his distance?...But he didn't think like that! You whimpered quietly, mourning for a time filled with innocent touches and shy kisses. If you could turn back the clock...

...But you couldn't.

Only death could bring back such forgotten bliss.

This was your reality now, as abhorrent as it was...as much as it twisted your stomach. It sounded like a pipe dream, but...you had wished to raise a family with this man. You wanted to...

Really...I'm such an idiot. Why did I ever fall for a villain? And why do I still want this to work?

You still wanted to fulfil all the heartfelt promises you made together. 'I promise to always remain faithful', 'I promise never to abandon you', 'I promise never to expose your secrets'...'I promise to marry you, when things become easier'. Was this how he planned to ease his burdens? All the destruction he would cause, all the lives he would claim...Was it your fault, for not stopping him? You were too blinded by love, too enraged at those who sought to make death do you part. You couldn't have ever hurt him. It just...wasn't possible. Even now, gazing into that tank, eyes glistening with tears, you wanted to feel him again...But you knew that he couldn't wake, because the minute he did, everything would be over.

He would kill you.

Along with all those far-fetched promises.

But...honestly? Death echoed the most relaxing words - you could be happy again! You had to fight, but then you could succumb...right? You couldn't hurt your beloved, and you couldn't bear to watch him die, but...wasn't that for the greater good? The 'greater good', huh...? That had no meaning anymore.

Your devotion knew no boundaries.

His did, but...if you were both sinners, then he would follow you into Hell.

Die with me, Tenko Shimura. 

[Word Count: 775]