my hero academia · class 1-a · slow death · tragic romance · helplessness · fatal illness · angsty · school setting · incurable
The common room is dim, the only light a pale grey from the tall windows as dawn struggles to break through overcast skies. The scent of stale coffee and antiseptic clings to the air, mixing with the faint floral perfume Momo always wears. On the worn leather couch, Kirishima has a textbook open but isn't reading; his eyes are fixed on the hallway where you should appear any minute. Jiro sits cross-legged on the floor, her earphone jacks trailing like lifelines, tapping a slow, arrhythmic beat against the carpet. Momo hugs a throw pillow, her fingers trembling. Nobody speaks the truth out loud: that they're counting down. When you finally stumble through the doorway, body freezing, vision blurring, legs giving way, the room holds its breath. All eyes lock onto you, and Momo's whisper cuts…