My Number One Hero-(All Might/ Toshinori Yagi) Book 3

34

Through this kiss, Toshinori felt desperate. At first, he kissed softly, then with a swift gradation of intensity that made me cling to him as the only solid thing in a dizzy, swaying world. His insistent mouth parted my shaking lips, sending wild tremors along my nerves, evoking sensations I had never known I was capable of feeling. But he knew from my note that I was only taking time away from him because of the tension between us regarding the Endeavor situation and to surprise him... Maybe taking this time apart was doing more damage, but I knew the end result would be worth it. I just wanted to show him I loved him as much as he loved me.

He pulled away.

"What are you planning?" he questioned breathlessly. "From that kiss... I know you aren't seeing anyone or cheating, so what are you planning?"

"I-I can't tell you any more than what you heard, Toshinori. You got the milk for the twins; you should be preparing to leave to pick them up."

I went to open the door, only to have it shut by Toshinori. His bangs covered his face as his head was bowed toward the ground.

"Hana, what are you planning?" Toshinori asked more sternly. "Why are you staying at Aizawa's house and not communicating with me? Why can't you tell me?"

"Just like I asked you to speak to me before, but you just disregarded your feelings about the situation. Now you want me to communicate with you?"

I could feel the tension between us thickening, a storm I wasn't sure we could weather. His breath was ragged, his frustration simmering just beneath the surface, and I couldn't ignore the desperate plea in his voice. But something inside of me—something I couldn't name—told me to hold on. I had to stay strong. Just a little longer. I had made a promise to myself, and the upcoming UA festival was my only goal right now.

My heart fluttered in my chest, torn between wanting to be close to him, to ease his hurt, and knowing I had to hold my ground. I could see the hurt in his eyes, the way his brows furrowed, the tension in his jaw. It stung to watch him like this, to see the confusion and worry cloud his usually steady gaze.

But I couldn't give in.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself, though my heart was racing, my mind a swirl of emotions. "Toshinori, you don't get it." My voice was softer now, a whisper of vulnerability breaking through the layers of distance I had put between us. "I'm doing this... not because I don't love you. But because I do."

His eyes flickered with uncertainty, his stance softening just a fraction.

"You don't think I want to be with you? To talk this out? To have you hold me close like you always do?" I continued, trying to make him understand without letting my own emotions take over. "But I need you to trust me. I need you to trust that this... this distance, it's what we both need right now. For just a little while longer. Please."

Inside, I was screaming to just close the distance, to take him in my arms and forget about all the reasons I was holding back. But I had made a promise. To him, to myself. It was the only way I could see through this, see us through it. The UA festival would be a turning point, I hoped. A chance for him to see why this was necessary, to see how much I loved him in ways words couldn't explain.

His eyes softened, but there was still a spark of pain there. "I don't want to lose you, Hana. I don't want to be the reason you feel like you need space."

"You're not the reason," I said, my voice steadying despite the turmoil in my chest. "You never were, Toshinori. It's... me. I need this time. To process. To make sense of everything. I need to stand on my own for a little while."

His eyes flashed with something—something I couldn't quite decipher—but the pain didn't leave. It lingered, heavy in the air between us. I could see his internal battle, the struggle between wanting to fix this and needing to give me the space I'd asked for.

"Just trust me," I whispered, my hands gripping the door handle, ready to leave. "Please."

He didn't move. His eyes stayed fixed on mine, as if searching for something—an answer, a sign that I wasn't just walking away for good.

"I'll be here," he said quietly, his voice soft but firm, as though he were making a promise of his own.

I swallowed, the weight of his words pressing down on me. "I know."

I could feel the weight of his gaze on me as I opened the door.

Toshinori stepped forward, the movement slow and heavy. His eyes, filled with uncertainty and quiet pain, met mine for a final moment before he turned and walked out of my office.

The door clicked softly behind him, the sound almost final in the silence that followed. I stood there, staring at the door, my heart feeling like it had just been ripped from my chest.

I wanted to chase after him. I wanted to call him back, to apologize, to hold him and make everything right. But I couldn't. Not yet.

I closed my eyes, taking a slow breath, reminding myself of why I had done this. I had to hold on, just a little longer. The festival would come soon, and then, maybe—just maybe—everything would make sense.

As I stood there in the quiet aftermath, I let the feeling of his absence sink into me, letting the echo of his footsteps fade into the silence.

And for the first time, I let myself wonder if I was doing the right thing.

I stood there, still, as Toshinori's absence began to feel like a suffocating weight. The room felt too quiet now, the silence pressing in on me. My fingers instinctively twisted a strand of hair between them, the action grounding me as my teeth sank into my lip. I was trying to focus, trying to calm the storm inside me, but it wasn't working. I could feel my patience fraying with each second that passed.

This whole thing—this distance between Toshinori and me—it was killing me. Slowly. Every minute without him felt like an eternity. And worse, I couldn't even hold my babies. I could already feel my heart aching for them, knowing they were growing inside of me, yet I couldn't touch them the way I wanted to. I couldn't share that joy with Toshinori the way I'd hoped.

I bit down harder on my lip, frustration bubbling up. But the worst part wasn't even the distance from Toshinori, or the inability to be with the twins. No. It was him. That damn best friend / caterpillar man of mine, always poking his nose into things, making everything more complicated than it needed to be. He was supposed to be the one I could trust, the one who always had my back. But these days, I couldn't even look at him without feeling annoyed.

I was so done with him. His cryptic comments, his half-baked advice, always acting like he knew what was best for me. If I didn't keep myself in check, I was going to strangle him. I knew him too well—he was the type to push all the wrong buttons just to get a reaction. And today, I could already feel that simmering irritation in my chest, ready to explode.

I closed my eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply, trying to remind myself that I couldn't let this get out of control. Not yet, anyway. If I lost it now, everything would be a mess. But damn, I was this close to snapping. I could already picture myself marching to his office, knocking on the door, and demanding an explanation for whatever the hell he thought he was doing.

I exhaled slowly, rubbing my temples in an attempt to clear the headache that was forming. Aizawa was my best friend, sure, but lately, he had been pushing my patience to its absolute limit. And now, with Toshinori and everything else weighing on me, I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep it together.

I had to trust the process. I had to believe that time apart from Toshinori would bring us closer in the end, that somehow, this all had a purpose. But my patience with that damn caterpillar? That was running out faster than I cared to admit.

With one last deep breath, I forced myself to refocus. I couldn't let the anger and frustration consume me. Not yet. But the second Aizawa walked into this office again, I swear, I might just lose it.

"I want to see my babies," I whined out in frustration.