On one winter day, where snow drifted down peacefully from the sky, similar in a fashion to those of pale feathers, there were two that resided within a house. The snow continued to fall quietly, as the two curled together by the fire.
"It's snowing again, just like how it was when I met you." One of the figures spoke. He had red and white hair, as well as mismatched eyes to go with it. A smile danced around on his lips, teasingly.
"T-that was a long time ago, Shouto." The other figure, having green hair protests, trying to hide her blushing face within his sleeve.
"Only a year." He hummed quietly. "I will never regret that day, Izuku." She could only hum in agreement. She leaned closer into him, taking in his heat that comforted her so and wished that this moment could last forever.
The seasons turn, and spring comes, bringing all the beauty and happiness along with it. Izuku sings along with the birds, a song to honour the season and all the emotions that were brought with it, as she worked. Shouto sat in the background, weaving nimbly with reeds, creating hats and baskets. Her voice resounded around their small field, birds fluttering to join, as they both work peacefully. A bird had perched on her finger.
"When you sing, everything's beautiful." Shouto compliments, smiling at her. Izuku looks back, surprise written clearly on her face. Her heart overflowing with joy, she smiles brightly back, a small blush colouring her cheeks.
Hours later, after their duties, they sit beside each other on the porch, Shouto laying down, head in her lap, staring up at her face.
"Hey Shouto?"
"Yes?"
"What if there was a day where I couldn't sing anymore? Would you still love me as you do now?" Izuku asks, staring out into the fields, hiding her feelings deep within her eyes. His hand reaches up to hold her face.
"But of course," He says, smiling so gently. "You're so much more than your voice, you know." Tears drip down Izuku's face, unbidden as they fall on to Shouto's.
"Thank you, mean the world to me" She murmurs so quietly. Her eyes close as tears of happiness kept coming.
Then I knew, when I'm with you, I would wish for nothing more.
A year prior before, during winter.
Todoroki was hiking through the barren forest when frantic flapping caught his attention. The snow was falling gently, as he headed toward the source of the sound. An elegant heron with green secondary feathers was frantically trying to release herself from the trap around her ankle. Todoroki rushed forward, undoing the knot around the bird's ankle. The loop was released, and it seemed as though the bird gave Todoroki a brief nod of gratitude before taking off into the skies. He pulls his hat down slightly to shade his eyes, as he watched the bird soar off into the distance.
Time moves on in it's slow stumbling gait. It was now summer, as the comforting heat of the sun implied. We were picking crops and herbs from the fields when explosive bouts of coughing caught her attention. She looked over to see Shouto coughing up lungfuls of blood.
"Shouto!" Izuku cried out in alarm, dropping my basket, and rushing over.
"I-I'm fine, Izu." He attempted to reassure, still coughing weakly.
"Of course you aren't fine, that's a lot of blood!" She squirmed underneath his arm and began supporting him. "Let's get you inside so you can lie down."
"I'm fine." He insists once more, as his leg gave out beneath him briefly.
"Yeah. Fine." She deadpans back, before dragging him into their small house. Her eyes were filled with turmoil as she laid him down onto their bedroll, placing a damp cloth on top of his head. She sits at his side.
"I-Izu… please finish tending the crops." Shouto pleaded. He was pale, as his eyes looked at her, even if he was trying to suppress his own pain. To ease her husband's mind, she did just that, although not before ensuring that he was as comfortable as he could've been in his situation. Her mind was clouded was dark thoughts, as their financial situation wasn't exactly the best, only making enough to get by, but not enough to live lavishly. It was never something that they needed prior to their current situation. She thought back to her past, pausing for a moment to look at her arms.
"Perhaps… it's not like there's much to live for should he die." Izuku sighed, steeling her resolve.
She spent all her spare time in a room, with only a loom and a light, with the door shut. Wounds slowly began adorning her hands as more and more time was spent at the loom, making lavish clothing to purchase medicine for Todoroki. The leaves slowly changed colours as time kept moving on, as it waits for no one.
If there was one thing Izuku believed wholeheartedly in, was not letting Todoroki die if she could help it.
It was now autumn. The two sat together within their house, as Izuku guided a small bowl of medicine held in his hand to Todoroki's lips. The crickets chirped absently outside.
"Drink." She encouraged. "It'll be good for you." She struggled to maintain her smile. His other hand, gripped her own wrist, as dried blood could be seen around her fingertips. His eyes seemed glassy, as he examined her hands before cradling them in his own.
"Your fingertips are beautiful." He whispers. Izuku forces a bright smile.
His hands are cold, so cold. To her, they were like ice.
"Go rest now, Shouto." Izuku reassures. "You'll get well soon." Both knew that the words couldn't never be enforced, but held onto the fragile hope it presented.
It was a few weeks later. Izuku's hands were bandaged as she hugged Shouto from behind. Tears were slowly leaking out of her eyes as Shouto coughed, the medicine only relieving some of his pain.
"Hey Shouto…. Let's say… let's say there's a day I can't weave anymore." Izuku mumbled quietly. "Would you still stay with me? Would you still love me as you did before?"
"But of course." He hummed before breaking off into a cough, covering it up with his sleeve. His large, icy cold hands shifted, encompassing Izuku's as she sobbed into his back.
Hours turned to days, days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months.
She stares at her bare, uncovered form, before making a decision and plucking another one.
You could see the small light of a lantern within the room, burning through the night as Izuku works endlessly to make enough money for medicine.
She bowed deeply in front of a shrine, bandaged hands in front of her own the floor.
"Can I help you?"
"I hope it isn't too much to ask, but may I stay here for the night?"
Prints littered the room as she still kept going.
Running to and from the village, desperately selling her kimonos and purchasing remedies for Shouto.
The two laugh as they roll around happily on the ground, embracing each other.
She prayed once more to a shrine, as incense burned and sacrifices were laid before it.
She stares at her bloodied figure before pulling once more.
"Will you marry me?"
"In heart and soul."
She broke away from her work to care for Shouto who had gotten worse. Bandaged and bloodied hands supported him through his coughing fit.
Looking at her now, she fell onto her knees, looking up at the sky and crying her heart out. She screamed her pain into the aurora as memories assaulted her. The time they first me, all the time they spent together. And she stayed there for as long as she needed.
Soon, she found herself in front of a shrine. Blood dripped down from her hands as autumn leaves could be seen drifting down outside.
"If there's a day, when I am not the same, not human anymore, would you still be here with me, would you still love me as I you did before?" She sang, staring longingly ahead of her, before closing her eyes. A single pure white feather was clutched in her hands. Tears trailed down her face. "To be honest, I still fear the truth, so I left it all untold. Reaching out, drifting down, the final feather falls alone…" She lifted her hand out, intending to release the feather.
"But of course," Shouto's voice whispered, like many times before. She could see his face, smiling at her. It was as though his hand was stopping her from letting go. "Keep my promise to embrace you, without wings, I'll love you even more," His spirit embraced her from behind.
"And the crane that had once so beautifully taken flight that winter day, I'll remember for forever how you spread your sings and soared." She clutched his soul like a lifeline, crying in his embrace.
"And as always, for forever 'til the end, I'll love you as before."
And this is a thing that I worked on. A one shot, based off Seasonal Feathers by Lyrattic ft. Ham.
If u saw this song before, it's because I used it in my other fic. A story for my friend who wanted angst. Which um, I'm not good at if any of this is indication. So most of it is paraphrased and I know it so sorry, and the last lines are directly quoted. Hope you liked it. If this idea already exists, um oops.