You'd never pictured yourself as the type of hero that would steal the stage; be in the so-called "spotlight". A gentle Quirk. That's the way people always described your powers, and in all respects, you agreed with them. You didn't have much offensive power to begin with, but if you could be of use to others—the braver, stronger heroes—you thought it would all be okay. This, too, would be a way to make your mark.

Perhaps that had been your cowardice speaking.

"—[me]..."

Maybe you'd never had any intention of standing on the front lines, risking it all, and laying yourself bare.

"[Na—]..."

Yet still, there was something inside of you. A faint, budding desire. A gentle flame that would surely die out if left untended. But it was there, all the same. Even if you didn't feel as strong as the others, even if you didn't share in their self-confidence... you wanted to become the kind of person that would put everything on the line for victory. Determined, passionate. Stubborn, undeterred. Strong—

"[Name]...!"

Like Katsuki.

"Oh."

You blinked wearily. The corners of your eyes were stinging, and it took considerable effort to keep them pried open. The familiar scent of disinfectant burned at your nostrils. A hospital room, no doubt. A hospital room, and a disheveled blonde male whose eyes were watery and red.

"Katsuki-kun." Your voice sounded scratchy as you said the words. You winced a bit, trying to prop yourself upright on the bed. All of your limbs were aching.

He hastily shook his head. "Don't try to move too much, just... goddammit. You little asshole. Who the hell do you think you are, scaring me shitless like that...?"

"I'm... sorry."

"Sorry's not good enough. Moron."

"I know, but—"

In an instant, he was upon you, strong arms cradling your frame. He was trembling ever-so softly. You didn't know how long you'd been out for, but he'd surely been waiting right by your side, the whole time. You were in a hospital room, after all. If so, that could only mean that All Might had succeeded in his rescue. Either that, or you were both dead.

"Stupid [Name]," Katsuki muttered, squeezing you carefully so as not to cause you any pain. "I thought you were supposed to be the calm one. What the hell was going through your head, trying to pull a damn stunt like that? You could've fucking died. You know that, don't you?"

You hung your head, letting it drape across the crook of Katsuki's neck. "Of course I knew that. There was no guarantee that I'd be safe, even if they accepted me into their alliance. It just didn't matter at the time. I wanted to make sure that you at least would get out. I thought maybe... I could protect you."

He gripped you tighter.

"And that's why you decided to push your powers to the point that you were dripping blood?"

"I didn't know it would hurt my body that much. I'd never made a shield like that before."

"So you decided to test it out in a situation like that? Fucking great."

"I wasn't..."

He was angry, that much you could tell. It wasn't as if it was unwarranted, though. You had behaved recklessly, and you were fully aware of that fact, but you weren't lying about the element of fear having disappeared from the equation. At the time, you honestly thought you would be okay dying. If you could save Katsuki, it was more than enough. You cared for him so much that it was the honest-to-god truth. And you knew what prompted people to put their lives on the line like that.

Love, huh?

By now, you were sure of it. The two of you had only know each other for a scarce few months, but the feeling was intense and overwhelming. It was unfamiliar, too. The fact that you'd never even come close to a sensation like this was all the more confirmation.

Even if you'd chosen to abandon that title; to focus on yourselves instead, it was true. He was your soulmate, and regardless of when either of your flames would die out, you were sure of it—sure of the fact that you'd never love anyone the way you loved him.

"Stop making me worry all the time, for fuck's sake. You're gonna give me a damn heart attack one day."

Katsuki pulled away, muttering curses under his breath. His eyes were still puffy and red. He must've been crying because of you again. How many times did that make now...? Too many, in any case. You couldn't keep hurting him like this...

"I'm sorry, Katsuki-kun." You smiled wistfully, caressing his cheek with your palm. "I shouldn't have done all those reckless things, but the thought of you being taken from me was just too much to bear. We already stopped... we stopped worrying about the soulmate marks, but with this kidnapping, I honestly thought it was the end. The universe was telling me to act. Telling me to re-write our fate, no matter what it took."

Katsuki clenched his jaw. "That shitty thing again... [Name], I've already told you, but you can't let it fucking control your life."

"I know, but—"

"No, you don't, so listen up." He gripped you by the shoulders, brows furrowed. "You and me, we're in this for the long haul, so don't even think about trying to back out early. If either of us die, it's gonna be of old age or some other shit like that. I'm not fucking going anywhere, so get that through your skull. I'm not going anywhere," he rasped, "and neither are you."

He pressed his index finger firmly up against your forehead, punctuating his words with a gentle push. Your head bobbed backwards. Oh, no. There were tears welling up in the corners of your eyes now. Oh, no.

Don't cry, don't don't cry, don't—

But you were already crying. You were crying loudly and unabashed, your sobs no doubt echoing even in the hallways and rooms next door. You hated crying in front of Katsuki. You hated sobbing so pitifully, when he was always so strong and brave for your sake. You hated that he was watching it all unravel with such terribly kind eyes.

"Come here, babe. Sshh," he mumbled, gently stroking your hair, "it's okay. It's okay, [Name]. It's okay if you cry. I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you, okay?"

"O-okay..."

"I promise." He kissed the crown of your head, nuzzling the flushed skin with his nose. "It's all gonna work out for us. You'll see."

"It's gonna work out for us," you repeated breathlessly. "It's going to... work out for us..."

"Of course it will."

"And... we can be happy?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Crimson orbs raked down your flushed, teary-eyed expression. He frowned. "We're already happy, aren't we?"

"Oh..."

He was right. You'd nearly been killed by villains, you'd spent the better portion of your relationship scared to death about what would happen, but you were still happy. In spite of all that, you were probably happier than you'd ever been, just having him hold you in his arms like this.

I love him so much.

You smiled, wiping away at your misty eyes. "You're right, Katsuki-kun. You're always right."

"Pssh, no shit. Tell me something I didn't know."

"I can't. You already know everything."

"Attagirl," he grinned, messily tousling your hair. "You've gotten real good at stroking my ego, huh?"

"I learned from the best."

"Yeah, yeah." He paused for a moment, then smiled. "I'm just glad you're okay. I don't care if we're heroes or whatever, I never want to see you hurting yourself like that for my sake. It's... too painful. Promise me you won't pull any stunts like that ever again."

You blinked away the last of your tears. "If I do, then you just have to be there to stop me."

"[Name]," he warned.

"I know. It's fine. We'll take care of each other, okay? We'll make sure that neither gets hurt."

Katsuki sighed loudly. "God, you're so fucking difficult. Okay, fine. Whatever it takes to shut you up."

You nodded wordlessly, slumping against his chest. Your body was aching, but the bleeding had stopped. If it had been anything life-threatening, you were sure the doctors wouldn't have let Katsuki come see you already, so you'd probably just pushed yourself too hard. Actually—how much time had even passed? All Might had definitely gotten the two of you out safely, but...

"Ah, right." Katsuki's expression faltered. "You've been out, so you don't know. Well, it's playing all over the news, so you may as well see."

You blinked in confusion, but he was already reaching for the remote and switching on the small, compact TV that dangled down from the ceiling over your bed. It opened up to a news channel. Your eyes widened.

"Is that—?"

"All Might's true form," Katsuki muttered dryly. "Or, his weakened form, actually. During that fight, with the shitty League's boss... he used up all his remaining strength, and what you see on the screen is the result of that. The two of us managed to get pulled away to safely right after All Might first arrived and you passed out, but they whisked you off the hospital right away, and I came with. I wasn't there at the site of the battle, but I watched it all on the screen. The fight's been long over. This newsreel just's showing you some of the highlights." He cast his head down. "I guess it's a pretty big fuckin' deal, the Symbol of Peace having essentially died out and all."

All might had... won. But apparently, at a great price to his own body. The thin, skeletal-like figure you were staring at... it bore almost no resemblance to the looming force you'd known all this time. His powers were gone now. He no longer had a single drop left in that tattered body of his. And thus, the Symbol of Peace had come to an end.

Katsuki had known all that. He'd seen it all unravel, and he'd still chosen to stay by your side instead of remaining with the crowds of supporters outside that had been cheering All Might on. It wasn't just your freckled, curly-haired classmate who loved the hero with all his being—Katsuki had been a die-hard fan since day one. His ambition and strength, the drive to never give up... he'd obtained those things by watching and admiring All Might, for years on end. This was his biggest role model, and he'd just made his last stand to the world.

He could've been there for him, watching All Might's final minutes. But he came to wait with me instead.

"I'm sor—"

"I know what you're thinking, so stop fucking thinking it." Katsuki clenched his fists. "He's the strongest hero in the world. He was, at least. Me staying behind wouldn't have made a difference. He would've won either way. But you needed me here. Or—" His eyes flickered to the side, "I needed you. To be okay."

Your vision began to blur yet again. Katsuki laughed, wiping the tears away.

"Such a crybaby, [Name]."

"I know..."

"You give me a real hard time, I swear."

"I-I know..."

Katsuki leaned forward, grabbing one of your hands into his own. He gently kissed your fingers, temples reddening.

"I'm crazy about you, did you know that?"

"I—"

You shook your head, every fiber of your being having grown impossibly hot. Katsuki continued to kiss along your knuckles, working his way to the back of your hand, the flushed skin on your neck, and the warm apples of your cheeks. His lips brushed by gently each time, barely making contact; as though you were a delicate, porcelain doll.

Words were rising to your throat. They were trapped in your chest, encircled by stiff rib-cage, but you could feel them desperately pounding to break free. The more Katsuki kissed you, the more the burn intensified. When he'd been captured, you remembered being so horrified by the thought of being unable to give these words a voice. You had to say them now, before your mark faded any more. Otherwise, you'd never know when you'd get a chance to—

No, that's wrong.

Katsuki had just promised that neither of you were going anywhere. He would never go back on his word. Your life wasn't eroding away, and neither was Katsuki's. You didn't have to rush anything out of fear. He would still be there for you, always.

You smiled, shuffling back on the bed and cupping two hands across your mouth. Katsuki furrowed his brows but said nothing, watching you with a confused expression. You took a deep breath, dropping your voice to a whisper.

"I love you... Katsuki-kun."

Katsuki cocked his head to the side and frowned. "Did you say something just now?"

You smiled. "Sort of. Just a little promise to myself; a wish for the future."

"Fuckin' weirdo," Katsuki scoffed. He pushed off the edge of the bed and met you in a bear-hug. "My girlfriend's a damn weirdo. Luckily," he grinned, "she's also cute as hell. "

You giggled, falling to the bed with Katsuki hugging your sides and blowing raspberries into the crook of your neck. Your limbs became a tangled mess under the covers. Even though your body was aching all over, and the fatigue was hitting you hard, you knew a simple moment like this would become one you'd treasure all your life.

You'd have plenty of opportunities to say those words. Forever was a long time, after all.