A door opened.

He could hear it. He knew he'd heard things before, but this time…

Footsteps. Someone was there.

Who…?

"We're here, Love."

Had it always been this hard to open his eyes? The room was familiar, though he didn't know why.

"-can't believe it's been a year already."

It's a hospital. That means I'm alive, at least. He couldn't help but smile.

"He says he's getting better, but still…"

Wait, is that…

"Mo...Momo…?"

Her hand flew to her mouth as tears welled in her eyes. She's crying? A sob escaped her throat and she moved to stand, but a moment later the door flew open and three strangers entered.

As darkness invaded his world again, he watched his wife break into tears as his best friend stared at him through the glass.

What…?

The first dream was hazy, a half formed memory.

The world was black. He felt nothing but the sensation of floating. Muffled voices echoed through his mind; some were familiar, others were new.

It wasn't long before everything was silent, apart from a… Ticking? Beeping? ...sound to his side.

"-bably won't surprise…almost killed Kaminari today…ran me over while I was on my way here."

He knew who was speaking. How long had she been there? How long had he been there?

The ticking never ceased.

She was reading now. What book was it? It was familiar.

Another person was there. The two were...crying?

Shoto woke slowly, but kept his eyes closed, his thumb gliding back and forth over the ring on his left hand.

Trembling hands brought the spoon up to his lips, barely able to keep from spilling the warm soup it contained. The weakness was one of many indications as to just how long he had been here. Even with healing quirks and physical therapy, he had a long road ahead of him.

He'd had quite a few visitors, though many either didn't stay long, or came when he was unconscious. The only two constants were Momo and…

"Izuku?" The green-haired hero looked up at the raspy voice. "Can...I ask you something?"

His friend nodded, a small smile crossing his lips.

Shoto took a shaking breath. "It's about...Momo. I want to know…if she… blames herself."

Izuku looked puzzled for a moment before clarity entered his features. "N-no, she doesn't. She...might have at first, but no." The man looked down, staring at his hands. "You have an amazing wife, Shoto. I..."

Now it was Shoto's turn to be confused. Something in his friends voice, the way he trailed off, said that a lot more had happened while he was unconscious.

He took another slow sip of the soup before setting the bowl down, most of his energy now drained. "What makes you...say that? About Momo, I mean."

A look of sadness crossed the green-haired man's face, and Shoto worried that he'd touched on a sensitive subject. "She...she's helped me a lot, recently. I… a year ago… O-ochako…" He saw the tears hitting the floor as his friends shoulders started shaking.

"Izuku…"

"N-no, Shoto. You're fine." Izuku sniffed, rubbing his eyes with his sleeve. "You had n-no way of knowing…"

Why did it feel that wasn't entirely true?

Within a few weeks, Shoto was discharged from the hospital. Most of his strength had returned, but he still had a long way to go before hero work was an option.

The ride home was mostly silent. Momo was very obviously excited, but could tell Shoto was exhausted, and so did her best to reign in her emotions. She did, however, list off everything she'd done over the past few days in preparation for his return.

Shoto, however, was feeling far too overwhelmed with everything and barely heard anything that was said. He barely registered the walk to the front door or shedding his shoes and light jacket. The next thing he knew, he was lying face down on his own bed, succumbing to sleep.

Darkness. It accompanied nearly all of his dreams. Darkness and voices.

"Todoroki…" This voice was new. He recognized it clearly, but it had never been in any other dreams. "I'm sorry, I just… I didn't know who else to talk to."

Why had Sero come to visit him? And why was this dream so clear?

Crying. Sero was crying. Why?

"I...I screwed up, man…" His voice cracked as he spoke. "We th-thought it'd be a simple operation…"

Scraping, then footsteps. He must be pacing.

"The villain...he was pinned. We had him...but…" The tape hero took a shaking breath, now sitting on the opposite side. "W-we were wrong...about his quirk…I could have stopped him, but…" The sobbing returned full force.

Shoto knew what it was like to feel helpless. He'd watched Bakugou get kidnapped. He'd seen All for One. He'd even failed to save people. Now he simply listened as he friend and former classmate broke down, unable to move, to speak. Unable to do anything.

"She's dead….because I didn't do anything. A-and now Izuku is inviting me t-to the…. How can I even s-speak to him… after….after I…"

The crying didn't stop for a long while.

"Momo?"

The raven-haired woman turned and smiled at him. Three months had passed since he'd woken up, yet some days it still felt like he'd only recently come to. "Can you...take me to Ochako's grave today?"

Momo's eyes widened briefly before a soft smile crossed her face. "Of course. Do you want me to call Izuku, as well?"

Shoto shook his head. "No. I just...I never got to say goodbye…"

His wife nodded in understanding, setting aside the book she'd been reading. "Let me grab my jacket and we'll go, ok?"

He nodded wordlessly, watching as she walked to their bedroom.

There was a slight chill in the air as the two left their home, opting to walk rather than drive in an effort to keep up with Shoto's physical therapy. They had barely walked a block when they came across a familiar face.

"Shoto. Momo. It's good to see you!" Sero gave the two his usual toothy smile, though it seemed slightly forced. Momo smiled in return while Shoto simply waved. "Sounds like you'll be coming back to the agency soon, yeah?"

The two toned man nodded. "I'll be doing tactical work while I'm getting my strength back."

"I screwed up, man."

Shoto looked away for a long moment, then met Sero's gaze again. "Have you told him yet?"

Silence fell between the three heroes for a long moment. "Shoto, what are you..." Momo let her voice trail off as tears started to form in the tape hero's eyes.

Sero nodded slowly, finally realizing what Shoto meant. "I-I have. Not in detail, but...I have…"

The man smiled, then reached out and patted the other's shoulder. "I doubt he ever blamed you."

The black haired hero smiled brightly and nodded before taking his leave, leaving a satisfied Shoto and a confused Momo to continue their walk.

"I-I know it's probably not my place," the woman started, "but what was that about?"

Shoto was silent for a while before answering. "He was there when...when Ochako was killed." Momo gasped, one hand covering her mouth. "He came in and told me while I was unconscious, but I didn't remember any of it until a few weeks ago."

Momo was speechless, and so the two continued in silence.

The breeze in the cemetery was gentle and warm as it swept through the grass and trees, twisting Shoto's hair as he stared at the headstone.

"I've always been bad with feelings. You know that." The man took a shaky breath, turning his gaze towards the sky. "You and Izuku, and Iida, too. You were always there for me when I needed it."

From the corner of his eye he could see Momo making her way between the rows of graves, silently reading through the names and dates on each.

"I never really got the chance to thank you for all you've done for me, and I hope you're somewhere you can hear. But thank you, for everything."

His gaze returned to the stone, to the characters etched on its face. "The least I can do is keep an eye out for Izuku. We both know how reckless he can get."

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as Shoto heard Ochako's signature laugh play in his mind. There was a long moment of silence before he spoke again.

"He needs someone… Now more than ever. And after all he's done for me, it's only right that I try to be that person."

A second silence fell briefly before Shoto turned to leave. At that moment, the wind picked up, and he could swear he heard her voice carried by it, pulling his smile out in full.

"Thank you, Shoto, for taking care of my husband."

His smile grew as he walked.

"Thank you."

Well, folks. There it is. I'm really sorry if this final chapter seems rushed. There are, admittedly, a few spots where things seem a bit disjointed, but I was kind of going for that (waking up from a coma and all). I hope everyone enjoyed the story, and I'm not sorry for any tears I may have caused along the way ;)

Take care, you lovely people!