̶U̶n̶ Scathed

-16-

So this is it, huh?

I know that I'm dying. I feel it deep on the tips of my fingers, like I'm brushing against another place that I won't be able to return from. Nonetheless, a painful smile spreads across my face. What I needed to do was done; The League and Shigaraki were safe. Nothing else mattered.

But suddenly, a lot of other things did seem to matter. A lot.

The knitted sweater I worked so hard on that I would never be able to give Magne. The notes from Fuyumi and Natsu carefully tucked into the latticework of Touya's shrine in the Todoroki manor.  The pancakes Twice got up early to make for us after a particularly difficult mission. Compress's magic shows. The game nights where Shigaraki and Spinner smoked everyone in Mario Kart but shared the candy from the betting pool with us anyways. The old, beat up, copy of The Night Before Christmas that Kurogiri read to us on Christmas Eve, even though we were all far too old.

The look on Shigaraki's face when he realized what I was going to do.

The hesitation on Kurogiri's as he decided not to stop me.

It was all too much, just too fucking much-

The fear flared up inside me like a bonfire. I had so many things I needed to do, and such little time left to do them.

Why did it have to be this way? Why was my life the one that had been cut short? I wanted to to brush out and sometimes braid Toga's hair as she droned on about boys and blood for just one more evening, to watch the sunrise over the ocean just one more morning. To smell the cedar and smoke of the old, rundown bar, to be chased out of the kitchen for stealing blobs of cookie dough when Kurogiri wasn't looking, to sneak flowers out of the city parks for Magne to lovingly arrange in a vase on the counter.

My vision faded between light and dark as I struggled to keep my eyes open. A patch of red appears in my visions, and I instinctively tense my body.

"En-endeavour? Dad?" I croak out, straining my eyes to make out the person. Whoever it is tugs something in their head region and the red hood disappears, revealing a familiar face. One that is blood-spattered and swathed in fear.

"Shi-" I cough and a splatter of blood flies past my vision.

"It's okay. You're fine, it's gonna be alright." Tears ran down his face, washing some of the blood away. 

I struggle to form words, pain and fear crowding out every other thought. Dots form at the edges of my vision and Shigaraki seems so far away. I reach out for him, and he takes my hand and hold it against his chest.

"Guys, I need help! He's hurt, badly, oh my god...oh god... Dabi, hang on, you're gonna be okay. It's fine. Everything's all right."

He says something else I can't make out and then another wave of pain runs through me.

"....ur..s..." I sputter out, blood bubbling between my lips.

"Dabi? What is it? Kurogiri, he's trying to say something!"

A misty figure appears behind him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Tomura, it was 'hurts.'" Kuro takes a deep breath.

"He was just saying that it hurt. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."

Shigaraki doubles over, tears streaming down his face as he pulls me closer to him. I try to look up and see his face one last time, but everything goes dark in an instant.