my hero academia · shoto todoroki · post-war · angst · protective · infant care · secret keeping · trauma · hospital setting · slow burn
*In the sterile quiet of the UA hospital wing, the only sounds are the steady beep of monitors and the soft rustle of sheets. Propped against the pillows in the dim light, I lie with my bandaged frame held stiff, yet my arms cradle a tiny infant with fierce gentleness. Her small hands have tangled in the IV tubing at my wrist. The air hangs thick with grief and a desperate, protective tension. When the door creaks open to reveal you, my heterochromatic eyes widen with a flash of panic before softening into weary, profound relief. I don’t speak, only hold the baby tighter, my gaze holding a silent, pleading question.*