ᴵⁿ ʳᵉˢᵖᵒⁿˢᵉ: @hiroix ⋙ OF PILLARS
┋ 蒼炎⋙—.❝Hey, now, you don’t get to make a face like that. Where’s all that pep of yours gone, All Might? You retired and joined the meek masses, eh? That’s so depressing even I might cry.❞
Adrenaline flooded his veins, and his heart beat so loud he could scarcely speak over the deafening rattle behind ivory bars. He never expected to have come across the last remnant of All Might, alone, unguarded. Dabi wasn’t even sure he wanted to be this close -- but now that he was, he could hardly decide what he wanted to make of it. Like a hound that chased at tires, he didn’t know what to do once he’d caught up to the wheels that had turned the construct along.
All Might was Shigaraki’s hate-soaked infatuation. He was Stain’s great dilemma. But Dabi didn’t have one strong feeling towards his life or another -- save for one. And the thoughts oozed through a fragmented psyche, one burning hot drop at a time.
It could have been you. It should have been you. You were the best, right?
You were the closest to him. You could have guessed. Could have wondered.
You could have looked into that house, and you would have seen it all. Her screaming, crying. Natsuo’s confusion. Fuyumi’s desperation. Shouto’s torment. My own grave.
Hell, what if you had been in time?
If heroes really came when they were needed -- if there was ever such a thing as a hero...
Ah, well. Pipe dreams. Instead, you attended the same ceremonies as he did. You guys stood side-by-side, receiving recognition, aplomb, and a lifestyle predicated on such shitty sacrifices.
That’s why I hate to see you making such a somber, reticent expression. It’s too late for all that.
Dabi’s fist coiled, a tightening grip upon escalating emotion,
❝I know, it’s uncanny, right? It’s almost like we’re arguing over who gets to define and inherit the future. Bit of a spoiler: it’s not gonna be you guys.
All Might, try not to take it personally. You didn’t make all the mistakes. It’ll disappoint Stain if you yield now, though, so keep struggling valiantly until the end, all right?❞
We used to watch you on the t.v. You were so big. Bigger than everything going on in that rotten little world we were trapped inside of. It just takes one man, you know. You came so close. But the system blinded you -- you couldn’t see past the infrastructure that caged you. That’s why you missed so much. I don’t blame you, All Might. I blame all of it.
