Ethereal | Aizawa Shota ✔

Chapter 20 - Aftermath

The funeral was small.

It was held shortly after the Kamino incident. The students and staff attended, paying their condolences to their beloved teacher. A small ceremony filled with silent tears as they watched her body lower into the ground.

Aizawa didn't speak outside of class for two weeks.

In a desperate attempt to drown out his thoughts, his what-ifs, Shota threw himself into his work. His efforts on night patrols doubled as he looked for some way to distract himself. Everything reminded him of her.

The way the sun filtered through windows in the morning.

He changed his curtains out with blackout curtains.

The familiar scent on his clothes.

He changed his brand of detergent.

The recovery room reminded him of when she nursed him back to health. The classroom of whispered words and small exchanged smiles.

He missed her kisses. When she greeted him in the morning. In between classes.

Her kisses felt like home, like a place you had always wanted but never known. They were like a slow morning with family, the steadily rising sun outside of the window and cold floor beneath your feet. Each kiss warmed your heart like a nice big cup of soup on a cold night, and yet froze it like an icy pole on a summer's day. Kissing her reminded you of better times, of great times and of the best times. They made you feel safe, secure, loved.

And her hugs were just the same.

And now, she's gone.

----

Aizawa rubbed his eyes as he stumbled into the common room at the wee hours of the morning. It had been days since he slept, and he would fight it off until he collapsed. His dreams were haunted by her smile, caramel eyes.

He glanced up to see Midoriya, eyes vacant as he stared at a blank wall. Tears streamed down his face, but it was silent, the kind of crying that was practiced. It was nothing like the open and unashamed tears that Shota was used to.

"Problem Child...?" Shota winced as his voice cracked.

The boy flinched before spinning towards his teacher. "I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry." Sobs wracked his small body as he curled inward.

Aizawa hesitantly stepped forward, pulling the green haired boy into a hug. "It's okay." Shota murmured quietly, rubbing small circles into his back. "You want to tell me what's wrong?"

Midoriya hiccupped, tears flowing down his freckled cheeks. "I could have saved her. I just left her. It... it should've been me."

Aizawa's heart wrenched. "No. No, don't say that."

"I know you loved her. You'd be happier!" Midoriya insisted. "I shouldn't have left. I could've protected her. What... What kind of hero runs away? Leaves their teacher to die?"

"Midoriya," Shota spoke firmly. "Yes, it hurts now that she's gone. But it would hurt just as much if you had died too. Your life is not worth less than someone else's."

The boy curled inward. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." Was the only words that Aizawa could think of. He didn't know what else to say. So, he sat there as he quietly comforted his student. In a way, it helped quiet the inner turmoil that he faced. Because he understood the guilt that wracked Midoriya's brain.

"You're going to be okay."

And if he was saying that to Midoriya, or to himself, nobody needed to know.

----

Slowly, carefully, the class moved on.

Every now and then, someone would mention her, and the entirety of Class 1-A would flinch, remembering the grief and horror that filled their teacher's face.

There was a short incident where Monoma, in his spite, said that Hanako wasn't strong enough and that's why she died. That she didn't deserve to be a hero and that Class 1-A was equally as weak.

He ended up with several broken bones and burns.

There was another incident where Kaminari came crying to Aizawa about math. He later explained that Evelyn took the time everyday to read aloud the problem and explain it to him.

It was clear the tragedy forced the students together. When you looked at other classes, they moved in cliques, small groups that were separated from each other. 1-A moved as a whole, never far from each other. They walked together, always doing headcounts so no one would be left behind.

A month later, and Aizawa began to speak again.

Hizashi nearly cried at the return of his friend, welcoming him back with open arms.

They would be okay.