"Love was so fucking cringey until I met you."
You and your delinquent brother had been "troubled" kids, since the very beginning of it all.
Before things got bad; and, before things got good.
Constantly wreaking havoc just for the fun of it, lea...
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You weren't ready.
You thought you were.
But, once the truth actually struck you, you realised that you were in way over your head.
You would have never expected that.
It felt like something like that was coming. But, actually hearing it from him, it was so much harder to swallow than you ever imagined.
The only thing you could choke up in that moment, was a breaking, "Why?"
Your voice was weakened, sad, and wanting desperately to know more.
"I love you so much, Y/N. You're my little sister, for fuck sake! I had a chance at giving you a choice, so I took it." he turned to you, grabbing your hands, "I'm so grateful that Nezu heard me out, when I spoke to him about you. I told him everything about you. Everything I could, in the three hours that we spoke. He said that you sounded like you needed help, and that he was always going to offer help to someone in need."
You bit your lip.
"He offered you help. And, even though I wasn't going to be able to see you anymore, (which tore me to fucking shreds) I made my decision. It wasn't as easy one, don't get me wrong. Nezu said that could give you a real second chance. And by then, it was too late for me. But you were only sixteen! The world had so much to offer you. And, unfortunately, betraying you was the only way I knew for sure that I could give you that boost."
For some reason, you couldn't find the heart to be angry at him.
Your heart was a swirling pit of pain and rage and confusion.
But you felt Katsuki's hand on your knee.
He held you together. While Takumi kept talking, many flashbacks started to fill your mind.
Like a player on speed, you saw everything at once.
Playing 'heroes and villains' with Tamuki and Touya, while you were always the hero. You remembered the cops dragging you out the doors of your own hideout, separating you and your brother. You saw the jail cell you were stuck in for a few weeks, you saw Aizawa speaking with you, you saw all of your friends' faces again for the first time, and how they once feared you. You saw Katsuki, when you first met him, and the spark that ignited from the very start, and was still burning ravenously. You saw your injuries, your scars, you saw Shouto, you saw the people you battled with, and the people you battled for.
You saw your improvement.
The pure magic that had become your life.
In that moment, it all started to feel impossibly like miracle.
So, Tamuki had sacrificed his own exposure to hand you over to the government, so that they would issue you into a hero course.
So...he did it for you.
"Given our past, and our family, some things are borderline unachievable. But, at the very least, you had a chance! A chance to finally stand on your own two feet and pick which side of the road you want to take! It was finally your choice, and that was enough for me."
That was enough for Katsuki, too.
With crossed eyebrows, Katsuki took Tamuki's hand and gave it a firm shake.
"Thank you."
"What!?" you and Tamuki gasped in unison.
"Don't make a big deal, idiots! I just wanted to thank you not underestimating her. And maybe if you didn't throw her under the bus, maybe I would've never met this fucking idiot. She'd probably still be a villain, too."
Love.
Love is like when you drive under a bridge when it's raining heavily and, just for a small second, the car goes silent and there is a moment of calmness. You can breathe.
Love is like running a race by yourself for so long, until you look over and see someone running next to you.
Love is like handing someone a gun aimed at your heart and hoping that they never pull the trigger.
Love is like when you can't sleep at night because reality is finally better than your dreams.
Love is like home.
Love, for you, is like Katsuki.
You love Katsuki.
And you finally realised it.
"I know you're not coming back," Tamuki muttered gently, "You have a new life. You have someone to protect and love you, which is such a relief for me. But, I need you to understand that it's different for me. And soon, i'll have to go back to jail. I never actually escaped that place. I was temporarily working with the police force and U-A, keeping you under monitor, until you started making progress. And, FYI, none of us doubted you for even a second. You know, sometimes, I think you don't realise how much everyone cares about you."
"I second that." Katsuki said.
"I won't see you for a while, Y/N. You're going to go home, you're going to go back to school, and you're going to chase your dreams."
You realised what this was, now.
"I know you'll catch them. You were born for this."
It was goodbye.
"I might not be able to keep up with you anymore, but I'll always be in the shadows. I'll have your back from behind bars. And you know, i'm actually okay with that." Tamuki got sadder with every word he spoke, yet he was still smiling. "At least one of us got a second chance. And, at the end of the day, i'm actually glad it was you."
He fell into your arms.
"Please enjoy freedom. For the both of us."
You wrapped your hands around his head, letting him enjoy your embrace for the last time.
"Thank you, Tamuki. I'd be a lost cause without you."
As the moment progressed, Tamuki realised how relieved he was that you hadn't retaliated in the way he had imagined. Instead of exploding with rage and being the entire village to the ground, (again), you thanked him for the sacrifice he made.
And maybe, one day, Tamuki would get to experience real freedom himself.
Even before you were old enough to understand the concept of selflessness, Takumi had been sacrificing his freedom for your benefit. He'd been giving things up, and destroying his own life, with the well-being of yours in mind.
You were the best thing that ever happened to him.
And seeing you excel at life would be the best gift he could ever ask for. Because that would mean that his work didn't go to waste.
Takumi never liked being in the spotlight.
He preferred being the person holding the light, getting the final say on who deserves to truly shine.
And you did.
He would make sure of it.
Takumi saved you.
Though it meant years of grieving pain that would come after, Tamuki lived with hope that you would stick to your word, and live life like you were living for him, too.
