"Forever"

"Teach me how to say goodbye."

VERY IMPORTANT A/N AT THE END! PLEASE READ!

 (Rise up, rise up, Eliza - my love take your time, I'll see you on the other side. Raise a glass to freedom- *dies*) - Hamilton the musical. If you understood this, I love you.

Todoroki's POV

As Christmas began to approach fast, the whole class was in holiday spirits with Kaminari seeming happier than usual, which was a pleasant sight, especially when he confidently used his quirk to briefly spark some electricity into the Christmas tree, which caused the brightly coloured lights to turn on. The whole common area was decorated with Christmas colours and lights, especially mistletoe, which I was sure to catch Izuku under multiple times.

Katsuki and I had been discussing sleeping arrangements often, since I would be staying with him over the break, and he was being so damn stubborn and wouldn't call his parents to ask whether or not they had bought the bunk bed that Katsuki had requested when I had first gotten adopted. I was beginning to consider stealing his phone to call them myself, since I didn't have any of their numbers yet, but I really didn't want to have an angry blonde chasing me around the dorms until I dropped. And yes, that has happened before, and wasn't fun.

Christmas was next week, and even though I never celebrated it with my family – or with anyone, actually – I was excited, and privately considered it to be my first Christmas. The thought made my chest feel warm.

Currently, I was sitting with everyone in the common room as we conversed, Izuku leaning into my side with a happy smile on his face while Katsuki sat with Kirishima at our feet, the redhead smiling brightly as he explained the ending of an action movie with dramatic hand motions. The temperamental blonde acted like he was uninterested in what his best friend had to say, but telling from the small smirk that would occasionally twitch his lips, it was easy to see that he was glad to have Kirishima's presence near him.

Everyone was trying to hold onto this cosy moment, and keep those they treasured most close, because after tomorrow, we would all be going our separate ways. The thought was saddening, because it truly would be hard not being able to see everyone every day (apart from Mineta). It was a sadistic and inevitable thing that was always going to whack us over the head like a baseball bat, and yet, I honestly couldn't believe that it was real. We have all been through so much together, thick and thin, so seeing each other leave for a while made my heart throb.

It hurt. It really did.

I guess I got lucky, since I'd be staying with Katsuki, and he and Izuku do live close to each other, but it would still be weird to not spend every waking moment with the greenette. Earlier, he had sat me down and told me that he needed to spend some time alone with his Mum, since she hasn't been doing too well recently, especially with all the stress that Izuku and his injuries put on her. It shocked me to hear that she had been silently suffering in the sidelines, and I agreed, and said that I won't bother them until he felt his Mum was better enough.

The thought of Izuku's Mum being mentally unwell had stabbed me hard, and reminded me of my own mother, who was still being held in a mental hospital. I had promised myself to get her out of there soon, but I couldn't, because apparently I didn't have the legal claim to, even though she was my mother and my 'father' was in jail. It angered me whenever I thought about it. She didn't deserve to be there.

As the day died and the night rose from the shadows, the class slowly swept into their respective rooms, hugging each other tightly before parting – not Mineta, he was still attached to the ceiling with Sero's tape – and saying their goodbyes, since we were all leaving at different times in the morning. Again, the sight of seeing my classmates so sad pained me, and when Izuku approached me with a warm embrace, I almost couldn't hold back my tears.