"Forever"

"Being a hero isn't easy."

Todoroki's POV

Recovery Girl had just finished testing me and my reflexes when I heard my phone vibrate, and Aizawa quickly handed it to me without another word.

I switch on my phone, and my eyebrows raised when I saw who texted me.

Bakugou? I thought, instantly opening the message as worry flowed through me. Did something happen with him and Izuku?

I instantly smiled when I saw what he sent me.

It was a photo.

Izuku was sitting in a wheelchair, smiling brightly with an oxygen mask over his mouth as he pointed at a tree filled with the most beautiful purple flowers I've ever seen.

I smiled at the photo and wiped some tears from my eyes, happy to see that Izuku was okay and recovering well.

I miss him, I realised, sniffing as Aizawa sat beside me and glanced at my phone. I miss him so much.

"That's a nice photo," Aizawa commented, handing me a tissue. "I'm happy to see that he's trying to stay active and get some fresh air."

I nodded, quickly typing out a reply.

Shouto: Tell my baby that he looks adorable and that I'm doing okay.

Shouto: I hope I can see you guys soon. Love you both.

I sighed and put my phone down after making sure that the messages sent, looking up and meeting Aizawa's eyes.

"Sensei?" I muttered, and I could see Aizawa tense.

He cleared his throat. "Yes, Todoroki?"

"How do you do it?"

Aizawa lifted his hand from where it rested on my shoulder, pulling away from me as he made himself comfortable beside me. I felt upset at the lack of physical affection and grabbed onto his arm in fear that he was going to walk away and leave me alone, alone with the monsters and the constant ringing in my head –

Aizawa lifted his right hand and carefully detached my grip on his arm, lowing both our hands and giving mine a squeeze, a small reassurance that he wasn't going to leave me.

"Being a hero isn't easy, Todoroki. There are always going to be people who you can't save, and sometimes the guilt becomes too much and it starts to tear you apart little by little," he sighed, and held tightly to my hand. "When you're a hero, you have people constantly telling you that it's not your fault, and that there was nothing you could do, but you don't believe them, because you could've been stronger, faster, bolder."

Aizawa looked down, shaking his head.

"However, in that moment, you weren't," he looked me in the eyes. "When you're on the field, every movement, every minute, every second, counts. But still, you won't be able to save them all."

I was shocked, and blinked rapidly. "A-Aizawa –."

"Wait another minute, Todoroki. When you think about the lives you couldn't save, you also have to think about the ones you did, and then the guilt will be easier to carry." He said, his eyes trailing across the room.

"What happened wasn't your fault, Sensei," I muttered, getting him to look me in the eyes again. "And nobody died – well, Izuku and I died – but we're here now!" I squeezed his hand. "We're here and alive. You saved us, Sensei. You saved us."

A small smile crept onto the hero's face and he chuckled, letting go of my hand to gently mess up my hair.

"Thanks, kid. I needed to hear that. You'll be a great hero one day."