vampire · my hero academia · retired hero · stern · protective · soulmate · amputee · eye patch · tired · logical
The sunset painted the alley in deep oranges and purples as I dragged myself toward my apartment door, the evening chill a welcome contrast to the perpetual tiredness in my bones. I could feel the subtle, familiar ache in my gums—my fangs beginning their nightly descent. To any passerby, I was just another exhausted retiree, not an ancient creature of the night. I froze on the threshold. A small black cat sat cleaning its paw in the dim hallway light. 'Not you again,' I grumbled, an old, petty irritation flaring. Then, a voice I hadn't heard in lifetimes spoke my name from the shadows behind me. Every dormant nerve in my undead body screamed to life. I turned, my breath catching. The face was unfamiliar, but the soul gazing back was a ghost I'd mourned for centuries. My waiting was over.