Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“You still with me buddy?”

“I was just reflecting on my life, nothing more.”

The first thing Mirio saw when he arrived at the guest room, was his friend lying face down on his bed. He was still awake, but he could tell he was forcing himself to keep his eyes open even though he could have fallen asleep early. Next to him was his phone and a small lamp on.

Night had finally arrived, accompanied by small northern lights. It was time to take a long rest after hard work in the village. Mirio thought that, upon arriving at his room, he would find Tamaki sleeping and tucked in completely since he had supposedly gone to sleep two hours earlier than usual; but it seemed that he had been wrong. He could sense that the boy had been checking his cell phone continuously, as well as using the lamp to prevent him from falling asleep at that time.

He was surprised how that had worked, knowing that Tamaki must have been totally exhausted after the work he had had with the reconstruction of the place. His labor had been very heavy, but it seemed he still had energy to stand upright. And it wasn't a simple task, but one that cost more than they imagined.

The two weren’t supposed to be in that village for long, but fate had other plans. Their original mission was simple; to bring supplies and food to a remote hurricane-stricken village in the north of the country and help repair their homes. Together with other heroes and health workers, they had to make a long trek through mountainous trails and unsafe terrain, but after taking care of themselves, they reached the disaster site without much trouble.

They started to rebuild the critically damaged buildings of the village, as well as giving the villagers new clothes and non-perishable food so that they would not suffer from the consequences of the natural disaster. It was only for them to stay for 2 or 3 days and then return to their homes. But unexpectedly a thunderstorm arrived, which, although it didn’t affect people's health, ended up destroying something fundamental for everyone. The main telecommunications antenna.

Although by that time Japan had penetrated many parts of the country with the construction of telecommunications infrastructure, there were still small areas where it was difficult to reach due to the relief and the area surrounding the human settlements. This village was one of those areas, being that the only way everyone had a signal and could use communications was through the main antenna on top of one of the local hills. It was 60 years old, but it worked; at least until that night.

The storm hit the site hard, causing the antenna to end up falling and being left in rubble. With that, all telecommunications with other areas of the country had been cut off.

They could only establish communications again if the main antenna was fixed, but since at that time there was only one engineer focused on that subject and they had to wait for the raw material for the reconstruction, it was going to be a long work in general since there was no high specialization in the subject. This meant that, for a good number of weeks, nobody could communicate with their loved ones. Phone calls were useless, and there was no internet to even send mail. Only cars and helicopters were able to get out of the area, at least safely, so the only connection to people was to send them old-fashioned letters.

In addition, due to the risk that the place could be hit by another storm, the team in charge of the village security agreed to stay for a few weeks until they could improve the infrastructure of the main antenna. And now, Mirio and Tamaki were there, helping with what they could, but not knowing how their loved ones were doing in general.

Of course, they had managed to send letters to their loved ones but had received no reply. Mirio, however, was not worried, knowing that the words of the people the team sent to the city were enough to reassure everyone there that they were safe. But Tamaki wasn’t at ease. He always liked to communicate with Nejire, he always had his little space to talk to her about anything. Beyond her helping him overcome his social fears, he felt safe expressing himself with Nejire.

Even though he knew that his stay in the village was temporary and he was doing it out of wanting to protect innocents, he already wanted to go home. Or at least, he wanted to hear Nejire's voice again. He felt lonely in a strange way. The lack of her company was something he never thought that would affect him.

He wondered what could be going on back in the city. Maybe Nejire was feeling sad or was hurt after a fight with a villain. His insecurities and anxiety attacked him day and night, and made him think the worst. He even thought she would hate him because he hadn’t talked to her for all those weeks. Being in a romantic relationship with Nejire was something new for Tamaki, so he didn't want to ruin it at all.

That's why that night, as well as others before, he sought to call her. Tamaki didn't have as much strength to do other things at that time, but because it was an issue that included Nejire, he wanted to try something that he knew wouldn't work. Still, he had a small trace of faith inside him, the most amount of faith he had in his entire life. He called and called, but only the general jamming sounded, and his cell phone showed no signal bars.

He gave up after a while, lying down and waiting to see if at some point the antenna would fix itself. That's when Mirio found him in his bed after finishing his work.

“I see you've been avoiding sleep, huh?” Mirio started talking to his friend. “I'm going to be a fortune teller and say it's because of Nejire. If so, I can understand why you're still awake.”

The boy quickly put on his pajamas, wanting to feel lighter from all the stress he had on his body. Once he finished, he turned his gaze to his friend.

Tamaki didn't answer his question, but just seeing his phone next to him and his much droopier reaction than usual was enough to sense that he was right.

“Two weeks, eh? I didn't think we'd go this long without clear communication. In fact, I wasn't expecting that last storm at all.”

“I know. I still don't have a signal on my phone.”

Mirio realized that ever since his friend started dating Nejire, he loved spending time with her a lot, even loving it when he was assigned certain missions where he could work alongside her. They were the perfect couple, both in the affection they both gave each other in calm moments, and in the support they gave each other in difficult moments like a fight against a villain. He didn't show his joy in the common way like other people, but he knew the signs of when he was happy.

For someone normal, it was an exaggeration for Tamaki to miss Nejire when they knew that the distance wasn’t their fault. But Tamaki had grown up in a different environment, with certain problems that he was still overcoming a few at a time thanks to that girl. He understood why he missed her at levels out of the ordinary. Nejire was the reason he created his social media; she was even the one who gave him better advice on how to express himself better in front of the public.

Taking Nejire away from him was like taking away his little source of happiness.

“She knows we'll be back soon. And I'm sure she will try to call you too even though she can't. She worries about you, even if you don't see it.”

“I don't know... maybe she's already bored of waiting... or maybe she'll be angry when we come home.”

“Hey, you don't need to start telling me hallucinations Tamaki. But if you are sick, tell me. I don't want to think that all the work has been getting to you.”

Mirio knew that sometimes his friend could be a little silly, but he understood him perfectly. The field of love was something new to Tamaki, so Mirio would take it upon himself to guide him with what he could to make him have the best relationship of his life.

He continued with his conversation after a small laugh, trying to make his friend feel better.

“I can assure you that she is fine, and although she misses you, she knows that you are safe and sound with us. In fact, I can assure you that she's thinking of you now.”

“How are you so sure?”

Mirio told him to get up and follow him. Tamaki got up and walked over to where his friend was. Both were now at the window of their room, watching the night outside. Luckily there was no sign of another storm, and instead, there was a sky full of northern lights.

“Have you noticed how beautiful the northern lights are? A captivating light to our eyes?” asked Mirio.

“Yes. They are beautiful to look at.”

“Doesn't it bring back memories of something special?”

Tamaki thought for a few seconds, until a memory quickly replayed in his head.

“The first kiss I had with Nejire. It was under northern lights.”

“Well, that's one thing. But there's something else, something you always like to tell her that has a lot to do with this scenario in front of you.”

It was a very open question to answer. Of course he described Nejire in incredible ways, but with those last words, Mirio had made his question difficult. He thought for a few brief seconds, analyzing every moment he experienced with his girlfriend, until he knew what exactly she was referring to.

“The flight of a fairy in Northern Lights. The nocturnal home of some of these.”

Mirio laughed lightly at how he made his friend think for a good time. It seemed as if he had asked him a final exam question, but he was right in the end.

“Exactly Tamaki.” Mirio said as he looked up at the sky. “Nejire said she really loved how you described her that way. You always linked her with the beautiful flight of a fairy ever since there was the beauty pageant at UA, and when you guys kissed that first time, you flew in that sky lit up with much joy. You left a mark on her, one that to this day she remembers with great happiness.”

That moment had literally taken Tamaki to the sky. It was among the best memories he had, and she seemed to treasure it to the fullest as well. It had been so meaningful to Nejire that she had told Mirio this with the greatest happiness in the world.

“And according to you, night fairies always seek to unite with the universe. You told her that story. The northern lights are like portals to that place that these ones create with their magic. Perhaps her quirk truly allows her to be a fairy and you don't know it. Maybe she has made those northern lights to be able to contact you. She truly loves you, and I'm sure she's doing her best to let you know that from a distance.”

“That's crazy what you're saying. You're exaggerating.”

“Can you deny it? You know that quirks get better with time. And it's not me saying it, its science saying it. And if it didn't, do you really think northern lights appear out of nowhere? Maybe the universe wants you to know that she's okay, because you deserve to be happy too.”

Mirio's story was a lot of fiction, but incredibly it had coherence. Tamaki got to the point of thinking that maybe she was a fairy. He could be crazy for thinking the latter, but as Mirio said, he couldn't say no for sure either, considering that the world of quirks had advanced very quickly in general. However, he decided to stick with the second theory; the universe wanted to send him a signal that Nejire was thinking about him, it was the closest thing to reality. That scenario was just like their first kiss, and the world wanted Tamaki to watch it so he would be happy.

A few seconds after processing everything, Tamaki spoke again.

“It's kind of weird to think about it.”

“It is weird, I know. But in this world full of love and miracles, anything is possible my friend.”

Mirio might not be in a loving relationship yet, but he was someone wise in that matter. And he was always looking for Nejire and Tamaki to be a happy couple, giving advice to each of them. It was as if Mirio wanted to do his best to keep Nejire and him optimistic in their relationship.

“I'm sure she wants to see you again too. And I know that when you come back, she'll give you a hug tighter than mine.”

“Please Mirio. No one can beat your strength. You're overreacting.”

“Love can overcome any obstacle, my friend. That, and a smile on your face. Oh, and don’t forget a good sense of humour. Those three things can do amazing things in someone’s future.”

The blond’s optimism was something that Tamaki would always highlight, there was no doubt about it. Even when his world seemed to turn dark, he assured him that everything had a bright side. At that moment, when he missed Nejire, he assured him that the universe knows his pain and tried to ease what he had inside.

Mirio’s support had always been essential to his life. He couldn’t think of a better person to be by his side at that moment like him. Tamaki would always be grateful to Mirio for putting up with someone negative like him.

He laughed lightly at how creative his friend was in general. Maybe he was right and Nejire missed him too. He was sure that when he returned home, she would be able to welcome him with hugs and kisses, with them doing their best not to separate once they were together again.

It was at that moment that the door to the room rang, as both heroes were not expecting a visit or a call from someone. Mirio went to the door and opened it, being greeted by a man carrying a portable phone and a small telecommunications antenna.

Tamaki waited for his friend at the window, ignoring what Mirio was talking to the man about. He was probably going to ask if he could use his quirk to fix a house oven, but he never noticed the objects that the man was carrying.

He continued to witness the beauty of the northern lights in the sky, imagining the image of Nejire flying in that sky. The images of his first kiss also came to his mind, making him smile genuinely. Maybe he couldn't contact his girlfriend, but he was sure that her energies were reaching him.

His moment of reflection was then interrupted by Mirio, who called him to come to his side.

"Tamaki?"

"Yes?" Tamaki said, coming out of his thoughts.

“Come here, I have a surprise for you.”

He walked over to where Mirio was, finally noticing that he had a phone in his hands. It was strange, knowing that no one had a signal at the moment.

“It seems that your wishes can be granted, my friend.”

“Is there a signal yet?” Tamaki asked in surprise.

“Not exactly, but we have this.” Mirio presented the items the man had to his friend. “This gives off a weak signal, but we can communicate safely if we are very close to this antenna. Here, try to say hello to this person on the phone.”

Mirio handed Tamaki the cell phone and the antenna carefully, avoiding moving it too much so as not to ruin the little signal they had. Once he received it, he waved in surprise at who could be on the line at that moment.

“Hello?”

“Tamaki! How happy to hear you again! Did you miss me?!”

The boy quickly recognized that female voice behind the phone. It wasn’t someone unknown like he was thinking; that person behind the line was Nejire.

“N-Nejire? Is that you?”

“Of course it’s me! Are you okay?! You’re not hurt?! You have to tell me everything that happened during these days! You don’t know how worried I was these past few weeks for you and Mirio!”

He could hear happiness and excitement in Nejire’s voice. Just those words were enough to make Tamaki’s heart jump with joy and his spirits return to their highest. He didn’t know how the signal had been fixed, but he was happy that he was hearing his girlfriend again.

“You don’t know how much it cost me to get a call from you. When I heard that they fixed an internal phone in the village, I insisted too much to get an answer, do you know how much the cost of a call is now? You won’t believe it, but leave that aside. I want you to know everything you've missed, in fact, I want you to hear what I have for you when you get back.”

“S-sure. I'll listen to you.”

The couple began to talk for a long time, something that Tamaki had not expected at all. The man had been able to make a small manual antenna, and this allowed for a way to communicate from a distance. Of course, the priority was to make sure they said what they needed for the health of the villagers, but that man knew that the heroes who were with them were also people. They needed to talk to their loved ones.

It seemed that the engineer and that man had done a good and unexpected job. Mirio was happy not only for being able to lift Tamaki's spirits, but because in the end, he was able to talk to the girl of his dreams. He let his friend continue talking to his girlfriend, while he told the other man who he wanted to talk to after the call between the couple ended.

He didn't mind waiting a while to make his calls; in the end, Tamaki deserved those moments of happiness. After those two weeks of being uncommunicated with her, Mirio could imagine the inner joy his friend had upon hearing Nejire's voice.

Chapter Text

“What is ephemeral in a moment always becomes eternal in a memory.”

A poet once described so perfectly how the smallest moments that someone can experience can end up leaving a mark on their mind. A smile, a gesture of help, even a simple word can make someone's life take a 180-degree turn. These are seconds that can transform a person's life, either for better or worse.

And for Tamaki, he never thought that fate would make him discover a hidden feeling deep inside him. He didn't know what had happened, but there he was now. Thinking about how beautiful Nejire was, imagining a future with her by his side, even thinking of ways to declare his love without looking like someone weird or shy.

And all thanks to a kiss.

The mission was only to defeat one remaining Nomu from the remaining experiments of maniacs who wanted to follow the idea of ​​AFO. The former three greats of UA were assigned to that mission with one goal, to destroy that creature once and for all. Now that they were graduates, they could take on much bigger challenges.

They expected a tough battle, and so it was. Being one of the remaining experiments that survived the war, he was still stronger than the rest of his fallen brothers. He was resistant to certain punches from Mirio, immune to Nejire's waves, and able to dodge Tamaki's quick attacks. Every minute against the monster brought back memories of the last war they lived, but with the exception that this time they weren’t facing a demon like AFO.

But no Nomu is immortal, especially when experience was on the side of the heroes. Tamaki learned how to match the strength of the Nomu with certain exclusive foods that he kept in case of emergency, and in a moment when the monster was distracted, he was able to keep it paralyzed in an open place so that his friends could use it as an easy target. It was working, because although the Nomu resisted a large number of attacks, they could notice that it was weakening with each passing second.

However, it wasn’t going to give up easily. The monster took advantage of a moment when Tamaki's strength diminished, and grabbing one of his tentacles, it threw him hard against the walls of the laboratory. His enormous strength made the boy go through three walls and ended up in the middle of rubble and dust. For a moment, his friends thought that this blow had been critical, but they knew that the boy had bought them valuable time with the distraction of their enemy.

Mirio launched himself against the monster with all the strength he had in his body, and with the help of a boost from Nejire, he delivered a punch that ended up piercing the Nomu's chest, and because it didn’t have a regenerative quirk like other specimens, it ended up falling to the ground and remaining motionless without the chance to counterattack. And although Mirio knew that he should not let his feelings consume him, the punch he did was partially because of all the damage his friend received in combat.

But in the end, the Nomu had been defeated.

However, the mission hadn’t ended there. Both immediately went to see Tamaki, and when they approached him, they managed to see that he was still alive. Tamaki was injured and had some broken ribs, but he could still fight. However, it was not necessary to continue the battle when his friends had managed to defeat the creature. Thanks to Tamaki's actions, Mirio and Nejire were able to defeat the weakened Nomu.

After removing the rubble from on top of him, Mirio gave him some adrenaline for the pain and began to call an ambulance in case he had internal bleeding. Nejire, for her part, helped him bandage his wounds and make sure he didn't have any serious fractures.

Although Tamaki assured them that it had been nothing, Nejire was the one who was most relieved to see the boy alive. Although she knew that her friends were strong, the war had left her with some bad memories. She feared that he had died like other heroes, and the last thing she wanted was to relive those traumas that she experienced in person.

Nejire's concern was very noticeable; she had almost lost Tamaki in a lethal fight against a creature from nightmares. She was going to be heartbroken if he lost his life even after AFO had died.

Once she finished closing his wounds, she leaned down to hug him.

“You're okay… you're okay.”

This time her innocent and cheerful personality changed to one of concern and sadness. She had seen a lot of pain in the last war that she could only process when it was all over, and she didn't think about what her future would be like without some of the most significant people in her life. She shed a small tear out of fear, but Tamaki assured her that he was going to be fine.

“Hey, it's nothing lethal, I just need some bandages and some rest…”

It was there that Nejire did something that changed Tamaki's life forever. Regardless of her partner's words, she quickly pounced on him and gave him a kiss on his lips.

That action was very unexpected, but it was because Nejire came to think that Tamaki was almost dying. If that happened, she wanted him to leave with the feeling that she loved him. She didn't say a word during that entire moment, and after separating from him, she only received Tamaki's surprised look. He couldn't say anything because she continued hugging him.

When he arrived at the hospital, Tamaki was left reflecting on everything that happened in those seconds. It was the first time he had kissed a girl, in fact, he didn't expect that of all the women in the world, the kiss had been from Nejire. It hadn't been something that bothered him, but he wondered if she did it out of true love or because she wanted him to get air with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

Tamaki received those answers when Nejire went to visit him. There she was again, being herself, happy to see him in better health and alive. Tamaki received her hug with immense relief, and that's when they started talking about everything that happened there. Until it came the time when they had to talk about the kiss.

Nejire decided to be honest and say that she did it because she had thought the worst, and she wanted him to know that she loved him. Tamaki blushed, shocked to know that his personality had made someone fall in love with him. He had no problem with the kiss, in fact, he admitted that he also started to have feelings for her after getting to know her beauty and the positive personality she had. She was an inspiration for his life.

But incredibly, they both ended up saying that, for now, they should stay as best friends. Not because they didn't like each other; however, they would have liked that special moment to have been in a happier and calmer environment, not in a moment of life and death. So, they decided to make a promise. They would spend a few months having those exclusive closeness and touches, and when an environment of more happiness and passion arrived, they would accept the love they both had.

It wasn't a negative answer technically. They agreed to postpone their love temporarily until fate said that the time was right for them. Furthermore, both could take the first step with the certainty that the other would accept the sincere love they had.

She apologized for such action, both continuing with the same good relationship as always; but the matter didn’t end there at all. From that day on, Tamaki began to experience new changes in his life.

Every time Tamaki put on his hero suit, he could not help but remember the kiss that Nejire gave him on the lips. That scene he had with her was right on a mission, so putting on that suit again was like reliving that exclusive moment with her.

His perspective on her also changed. He could no longer see Nejire as a friend. Now she was technically the love of his life although they were not formalized, but the simple fact of thinking about her name brought him a new happiness. Behind all his shy personality, there was a soul jumping for joy knowing of Nejire's existence.

That kiss had bewitched him in some way. He didn’t feel that his pains and fears had increased after what that girl did. It was as if she had healing powers. It was just one kiss, but it was enough for his personality to change.

That's why the boy wanted more.

That kiss had awakened new feelings in him. Feelings that overcame his shyness and introverted personality.

It was love. Love that he began to feel for the first time in his life.

His heart was no longer jumping for the anxiety of talking to someone, now it was jumping for joy with the simple image of Nejire in his head. Every time he saw her at his agency or on their daily walks, the memory of the kiss would replay itself in his mind. When combined with her bright smile, it made Tamaki feel like he had an angel by his side. A magnificent fairy that flew and took care of him with her magic.

Only that kiss was able to take him to heaven and make him a different person. Tamaki reached the stars and the greatest happiness he could have had in his life.

However, he knew that he couldn't kiss her again so unexpectedly, not after that promise they had made. For now, their relationship was in progress, so he had to be patient. Also, he didn't want to disrespect her, he knew he had to respect certain limits.

Still, he wanted to look for one more chance to feel her lips. He wanted to relive that moment where he was saved from death and she decided to do such an action. Although he sometimes regretted the latter because he didn't want her to worry about his life again. Therefore, he wanted to look for a better situation to repeat that moment with her.

He was a different person since that day. He knew it himself.

And although technically the love he had for her was secret, he wasn't very good at hiding this. His gestures and his slightly blushing face always gave him away to Mirio, although luckily, he was the only one who realized the reason for his reactions. Others thought that he simply acted like that because of his social anxiety; but Mirio knew it was out of love.

He was the only one who knew the whole situation of his friend, after all he had been present at that moment when Nejire kissed Tamaki. And due to the years of friendship he had with him, he knew his expressions and feelings perfectly.

That wasn’t a negative thing, in fact, it helped him discover new things about Nejire and himself. And although he told him that he didn’t know the precise moment where both could finally be a couple, he replied that their love would be consolidated when their souls see it necessary; and when that happens, both will live happily ever after like in the stories he always heard when he was a child.

Tamaki remained himself, but slightly happier. 10% happier if someone had a good eye, something that Mirio easily detected. However, this change turned out to be something unique for him, because for the first time, he set personal goals to overcome his fears. If he wanted to be with Nejire, he would be brave and strong so that she would not suffer anymore. They were going to be a happy couple, and he would do everything he could to keep the smile that captivated his day to day.

That kiss meant the beginning of a new stage in their story. And he was going to do everything he could to win Nejire Hado's heart again, even if it meant overcoming his greatest fears to be able to live that moment again.

“Nejire? Are you there?”

The girl came out of her trance when she heard Yuyu’s voice.

“I’ve seen you smiling a lot, did something happen that you don’t want to tell me? Any award you received?”

“No no, I was just thinking about something personal. It’s nothing to worry about.”

Yuyu realized how distracted her friend was just by seeing her gaze lost in the sky. It was the third time she acted like that in the day, and it wasn’t normal for her to stay with that thoughtful expression. The classic Nejire used to talk to everyone in the agency, even flying from office to office to check the daily paperwork.

But this time she was more… calm. She looked at the window of her work area with a lost smile, playing with her hair while murmuring small words that were not audible to her friend. Her face showed a slight blush, as if she imagined something that had totally captivated her.

Not only had Tamaki had a huge change after that kiss, but Nejire herself had certain new things after that mission. She was still the same hyperactive and enthusiastic girl that everyone knew, but one could notice that she was happier than usual. She was constantly jumping in her own place, and even started trying new dishes that she hadn’t brought to work before.

Nejire lied to herself by thinking that after their kiss she and Tamaki could just be friends. That kiss had awakened her feelings for Tamaki. Feelings that she had hidden for a long time, and that finally came to light with that kiss.

As the days went by, she began to see what a wonderful person Tamaki was. A great cook, someone who could write the most beautiful words for her, and even teach her some new fighting techniques to excel at her job. Her mind only focused on him now, something that was to be expected after that mission with the Nomu. She didn't regret kissing him, although she wished their first kiss had been on a normal date, not at a time when one of them almost died.

Still, she knew that in the future they could both fix it without a problem. Maybe when the new loving moment came for them, they would both kiss under a cherry tree, or they could even declare their love in front of the academy on a quick visit. There were many scenes that they could both recreate, but this time, avoiding the pain and anguish they had suffered before.

At least Nejire was glad that she and Tamaki didn't end up distancing themselves or arguing about what had happened; they continued talking like good friends and much more than usual. It was only a matter of time before they became two united souls.

“Really? I've never seen you so happy about the fact that you have to make reports after this. It must be something else; you're not fooling me.”

She touched her lips again, remembering the image of the young hero again. She had been honest with herself that day, and from that moment on, she was going to do everything she could to relive that special moment with Tamaki. But this time, with a prettier setting and without having to go through the trauma of that time again.

“Let’s just say… someone made my heart jump like a rabbit.”

Chapter Text

“Look mom, there are stars moving in the sky!”

“Oh my, it looks like they've decided to keep us some company tonight.”

It was the first time Nejire had witnessed shooting stars with her own eyes. Her mother had always told her a story about how those stars sought to go glowing in another constellation when they grew up, moving at incredible speed and displaying one of the most fantastic sceneries to see in the sky. She said they did it so that the rest of beings in other parts of the universe could see how beautiful they were.

That story was one of Nejire's favorites when she was younger. She usually asked her mom to tell her this story before bedtime, and it was a story she loved to listen to until she fell deep into the world of sleep.

For years, Nejire hoped to have the opportunity to see shooting stars, but she was never able to witness them. The more she grew up, the more she thought her mother had lied to her and that it was crazy that stars could move. But now at 12 years old, she saw that her mother was right. It seemed that they were now visiting the Milky Way.

“They look beautiful! And they're sparkly like your earrings mom!”

“I know honey. And do you know what their presence means?”

“I don't know mom. What does it mean?”

“It means that we can make a wish.”

Even though she was already in middle school, the girl's innocence was still very noticeable. Nejire was surprised by her mother's words. Her story never said anything about someone being able to make a wish to the stars. She thought she was lying to her, although her mother knew that she didn't know that part of her story because Nejire always would fall into a deep sleep before telling her that part.

“Can you make wishes to the stars?”

“Shooting stars, yes.” She said with a smile. “They say they allow you to connect with the universe and their arrival means they are hearing what you think. You can ask them for anything you want, and they will make it come true.”

“Could I ask them to give me a friend?”

The question caught Nejire’s mother by surprise.

“Why do you say that honey? Has something happened at school? Has anyone hurt you?”

Her mother always heard how Nejire loved to talk about all the people around her. It even seemed like she had a positive opinion about her school environment. She told her that everything was fine in her classroom, that she enjoyed studying about being a heroine, and that she wanted to learn more about everyone’s quirks.

But her daughter’s reality was different, and Nejire couldn’t hide what she was experiencing at that moment. She loved to maintain a positive personality with her family, to keep her parents from worrying about some small problems she had. But this time she had said too much. Her mother's reaction had been one of total stupor, worried that something had happened to her to make her say something like that. Lying was not an option, knowing that Nejire's question had been asked genuinely. There was no turning back, she had to tell what was happening at school.

It was there that Nejire told her mother what had happened during those last few months. At school, no one wanted to approach her due to her curiosity about all her classmates' quirks, and her inquisitive and extroverted personality turned out to be something that made everyone around her uncomfortable. Due to the excess of questions she asked and starting conversations about quirks out of nowhere, they began to feel overwhelmed by how nosy Nejire was in their lives.

They called her crazy, someone conceited, mean and annoying. No one wanted to hear her talk. For them, it was enough that she had a very strong quirk; there was no need for her to make comparisons to say that her quirk was the best of all in the classroom.

Nejire didn't do it to show off her quirk, her intentions had never been of bad faith. She just wanted to get to know her classmates better. However, that experience left a negative mark on her, and from that moment on, she stopped trying to get close to anyone.

But deep down, she wanted someone to actually listen to her. She wanted to release her true self with someone loyal and someone who doesn't consider her presence a pest.

“Everyone says I'm mean. No one wants to talk to me.”

“They shouldn't be people you have to care about Nejire. They don't know what a great person you really are, and they miss the opportunity to have someone amazing in their lives.”

“Am I someone great? Do you really think that?”

Her mother nodded. She was sure that Nejire had a very charming personality with everyone, and maybe what had happened was a simple misunderstanding. She had raised her very well and was sure of what she was really like. She wasn’t going to let a group of stupid children take away her daughter's smile.

Still, Nejire was still unsure of herself. She was only able to be herself with her family. No one else. She wanted someone beyond her circle to have the same interests as her, it was the only thing she wanted in her life. But it seemed that this was going to be something very difficult to achieve. She lowered her gaze slightly, afraid of being alone forever.

That negative gesture from Nejire did not go unnoticed by her mother, so she decided to say something additional, something that she was sure would lift her spirits.

“Well honey, I can understand that not all people in the world are good. They will not share the same traits that make you amazing.” Her mother said as she lightly touched her daughter's hair. “But I assure you that out there, there is someone who will love you for who you really are. Someone who will share your craziness and your likes. Just look at the stars. Each one has a special friend and travels with them from constellation to constellation. If they could find someone to travel and hang out with, I know that you can find that star for your life too.”

“Do you really think there is someone who wants to be my friend? Someone who likes to talk to me?”

“I assure you from the bottom of my heart, darling. And if you wish it with all your strength, you will see that it will become a reality.”

Her mother's gaze turned towards the starry sky, and Nejire followed her action. Seeing the stars dance in the sky was a fantastic scene for the little girl's blue eyes. She began to analyze her mother's words, beginning to see the stars as a group of friends who traveled from galaxy to galaxy discovering new adventures. Always united, always shining and releasing how radiant they were.

She wanted to find that star that would accompany her in her life. Finding someone who would listen to her testaments about all of Japan’s heroes. And even though her classroom wasn’t the best place to find that person, she had to have faith and keep looking elsewhere. Maybe the universe was going to give her someone wonderful and she didn’t know it.

She decided to trust her mother’s words, so she closed her eyes and made a wish from the bottom of her heart.

“I wish to meet someone who doesn’t get annoyed with listening to me. Someone who loves being by my side and enjoys my presence. And if that’s the right person for my life… give me a clear sign to know it.”

She opened her eyes after finishing thinking about what she had in her mind. She turned her gaze to her mother, who was smiling after sensing what her daughter had done.

“Did you make your wish?” her mother asked.

“Yes.” Nejire answered with joy on her face.

“Look, Tamaki! There are shooting stars in the sky!”

“Wow… they look amazing.”

It was the first time in Tamaki’s life that he saw shooting stars in the sky. He knew about them from Nejire and Mirio’s testimonies, as well as from his science courses, but he had never seen a starfall like that in person. Now at 20 years old, he witnessed how wonderful they were.

Such events were very rare to occur, so Nejire always got excited whenever she saw the stars moving. It brought back fond memories of her childhood when her mother told her stories about them. She had seen shooting stars before, so when she saw some of them in the sky, she was excited to witness that beautiful scene from her childhood again, and she even brought Tamaki along to watch them closely.

At that moment, they were both returning from an afternoon patrol, and they had decided to pass the time by going out to eat and walking wherever their legs took them. It was there that they ended up in an area on the outskirts of the city, having appeared just where there was a rain of stars present.

Nejire began to observe them with great enthusiasm, as if she were a child who had received one of the best birthdays presents. Tamaki, on the other hand, was changing his gaze between the stars and his friend, smiling and surprised of the place where Nejire took him. He didn’t deny that he felt special being with her. Having her by his side in such a beautiful setting was something of a dream that he himself didn’t believe.

This didn’t go unnoticed by Nejire, so she became curious about what he was doing.

“Did something happen Tamaki?”

“You look… wonderful…” Tamaki said, without enough words to describe the beauty of his friend. “Like one of those stars.”

“Aww, thanks Tamaki. It is the nicest thing anyone has said to me so far.”

Tamaki could be shy and very reserved, but his honesty in his words was the most remarkable thing about him. Nejire got to know him year after year, and she saw a cute gentleman in his personality. He always described her in incredible ways, even helping her choose her own clothes. She had great trust in him; she could even cry by his side, and she was sure that he would have her back.

His kitten personality and his sweetness made him one of the most wonderful people in all of Japan. At least for Nejire and everyone close to him.

She began to comment on interesting things about the stars. The theory of how they navigated the universe in pairs, how they could fly at incredible speeds, even from the legends that her mother once told her when she was little. Because her quirk made her get closer to the sky, she even mentioned that she felt like a star when flying, and her dream was to fly near a real star. It was an impossible and crazy dream, but knowing how Tamaki was, she wasn’t afraid to say it.

The boy began to listen to her attentively, without interrupting her and impressed by all those curious facts she had. Nejire was an expert on that subject and watching her explain about the stars was like listening to music to her ears. It got to a point where he would just let her voice flow into his mind and feel like he was in his happy place. But she did notice that Tamaki didn't speak for a long time, so she became worried that she was boring him.

“Tamaki, are you ok?” she said.

“Oh, yes, yes.” The boy woke up from that little trance he was in. “I was just surprised by everything you say… you know so much about constellations and all that… I find it incredible.”

If she had been with one of her former schoolmates, they would probably tell her to shut her mouth and not interrupt the stargazing. But Tamaki was the opposite; he wanted her to continue talking because it made the atmosphere much better.

“My mother taught me a lot about it when I was a child. She was amazing when she talked to me about how the stars move like fireflies in the sky. I think I will visit her one of these days. I am sure she will also tell me about this scene today.”

“I am sure she will love to hear you talk about this, Nejire.”

“Although, I am not overwhelming you, am I?”

“Not at all. I like listening to you Nejire; rather, I would like to be as confident as you when speaking in public… I think if I wanted to make a wish, it would be to become as amazing as you… who knows if these can come true… It's the only thing I really know about the stars, you are a master at this.”

Tamaki looked up at the sky again, not knowing that at that moment his words unlocked a special moment for her. Nejire also looked up at the stars, as if a spark had lit in her mind.

As a child, she had asked to meet someone who would listen to all the random topics she had in her head, as well as someone who was loyal and loved to be by her side. That wish seemed to have been silly at the time, but she began to look better around her.

For a long time, she wanted to meet that special person for her life. A person only and exclusively for her. Someone who was in her dreams and in reality, who in every moment of her life would always appear in her mind.

Those same words she said when she was a child began to bounce around in her mind. And it was there that she witnessed better the boy next to her. She turned her gaze and looked better at her friend. Tamaki was someone who wanted to get close to her at his own will and who loved to hear her talk about any subject. He was someone who was always with her without considering her a hindrance. In every mission or dangerous situation, Suneater was there for her, being her hero and her prince charming. That last thought she never thought she would have, but she started to see Tamaki more than just a friend.

And the setting? It was a strange setting, an environment where the stars began to rain forming a beautiful sky, while they mentioned the subject of wishes.

The signs were clear. Tamaki Amajiki was that special person she had wished for years ago.

But it seemed that the stars did an extra detail for her. She had made a specific wish; to meet a true friend, someone who loved to listen to her crazy ideas and her questions. Someone who loved her curiosity and understood her feelings.

She didn't think that fate would give her something more than a friend. It gave her a soulmate.

She remembered that that night with her mother, she had made that wish hoping it would have quick results. But throughout middle school, she ended up being left aside by her classmates. She continued to be distant and cold with everyone, even in her first months at UA. She thought that everything her mother told her had been a lie, or she simply thought that the world didn't want to see her happy.

But Tamaki Amajiki appeared with his curious question of who her favorite hero was. Then followed a friendship of almost 6 years with him, 6 years where he never got bored of her. And now that they had both graduated and technically had built a very strong relationship by that time, she began to see in him something more than just friendship.

Pure love. Her heartbeat was stronger just by seeing his figure. All that time she had been with the person she had wanted years ago. It took a long time to see it, but she finally realized that her prayers had been answered. She blushed slightly as she thought about how cute and tender Tamaki was. She imagined what the near future would be like with him, maybe they would start hanging out holding hands, or just share some tea on a cold evening.

She was jumping with joy internally at connecting all the dots and seeing how Tamaki had been sent by the stars to make her happy.

“It seems that you did hear my wish that time, right little stars?”

“What?” The hero turned his gaze to Nejire, not clearly hearing what she said.

“Oh, nothing Tamaki.” she said. “It was just something I remembered. Nothing to worry about.”

The boy smiled and turned his gaze back to the sky. Nejire did the same, feeling like a child again. Her whole life had improved, and she was happy that the stars had heard her.

“Wishes can come true, mom. You were right.”

Chapter Text

He looked out the window so he could witness the night sky he loved to see in his lack of sleep. A clear sky so he could immerse himself in his own thoughts.

He looked at the full moon that illuminated his window, being his only friend keeping him company. It was at its highest point, also giving visibility to a quiet and orderly city. Sitting in that chair from a third floor, he witnessed how beautiful the Chiba Prefecture was at that late hour of the night. No lethal villains, without there being many problems.

Of course, Japan wasn’t a perfect society in general, but Tamaki felt satisfied that he had done a great job with his friends to achieve a good change in the society of the country. He felt happy to have contributed his grain of sand to make the world a better place, and from his seat, he saw the fruits of his heroic acts.

That was his life for 9 months. There in a hospital room, he was locked up and being observed by doctors’ day and night. His advanced age caused him to have trouble walking and his heart to fail more frequently, so he had to be transferred to intensive care at the Chiba hospital. Since his home was in a remote area of ​​the city, the doctors decided it was better to give him the necessary care at the hospital and not take him home again.

In addition, he technically no longer had any close family to take care of him. No one from his family tree was still alive, and he didn't even have children. His close friends had died naturally or in combat, and he was the last of his group to be alive. He didn't know if that long amount of time he lived was a blessing or a curse, but at least he was sure that he had no grudges or negative feelings towards those close to him.

But his life wasn't suffering in general for him. There were always people who were grateful for how fantastic Suneater had been in all his years as a hero, even as an advisor to many people. During that time at the hospital, there were people who left small donations and food for the hero to have at his disposal. Others came to pay their respects to the hero and even gave him letters to lift his spirits.

He wasn't completely locked up in the hospital either. There were days during the week when he would go out for walks in the park with the help of some nurses with their respective care, and they would let him visit his home from time to time. But he couldn't stay there because of his health. However, this didn't bother him. He was happy that at least there were people who cared about him.

At 80 years old, he had lived a good life in general. He was able to fulfill his dream of saving lives, just like Mirio.

However, his personal achievement and the one he was most happy to accomplish was overcoming a good part of his social anxiety and his fear of public speaking. All thanks to Nejire, the girl whose encouragement inspired him to get out of his bubble and be able to relate better to everyone around him. For Tamaki, being able to talk better with people was like him becoming top 1 in the hero ranking.

But she was never able to see that with her own eyes.

There was only one thing that Tamaki could never get over, and it was something that he remembered with great pain until that day. Nejire's death. He still remembered the beautiful image of his girlfriend, that figure that captivated him day after day and that he could never make the most of.

Sitting there and looking out the window, he always had those memories of the mission where she lost her life. If he had been faster, he could have saved her from being crushed by that building. Mirio told him that it wasn't his fault, neither of them expected that incident to happen. But his words didn't alleviate the guilt he attributed to himself.

The night scene in front of him could have been better if he saw Nejire flying. Just like when they were young.

"I would like to see you fly again... like the beautiful fairy you were."

There were many things that they had planned as a couple. From dates to simply hugging each other, they had broad goals that they wanted to accomplish alongside each other. Tamaki even thought that there would come a time where they would both form a family and grow up being heroes until death separated them.

But none of those plans came to fruition, and for many years, he was never able to get over his loss. He grew up and lived hiding his sadness, not wanting to start a relationship with someone else. For him, Nejire was irreplaceable.

“You still haven’t given me the kisses you said you were going to give me…”

That contact with her lips made him feel unimaginable joy. In fact, she had an idea of ​​making him improve his relationship with people based on her kisses, something she knew Tamaki liked. She decided to make a special challenge for him.

Her challenge was simple: If he managed to talk to someone safely, he would receive a kiss from her. And if in case a kiss was missing, he would write it down in his notes and she would take it into account.

She trusted that Tamaki would be honest with her challenge, and that didn't mean that her kisses were conditional on what she said. She simply wanted to give him an incentive so that he could be braver in front of everyone. He didn't have to be an extrovert, but she knew that if he could talk to 3 people at once, she could be happy.

Although he started with a lot of difficulty, day by day he began to see that he could talk like a normal person. First, he started making new friends in his agency, then talking to children on the streets, and he even managed to stop being afraid of cameras for the most part. In the months that Nejire was with him, he considered the times that he managed to complete his challenge, and carefully wrote down the number of kisses that she had to give him.

Time passed and he realized that a notebook wasn’t going to be enough. He then decided to use his phone, which was more reliable and practical to carry. Tamaki was making progress in his social relationships, and it was something that Nejire loved to see, until the day she died. And although there was no point in continuing the challenge, he continued to write down in his virtual notes the kisses that she should give him.

He changed his phone a lot of times in his life, but that virtual note was still intact. No matter how good or bad the device was, he just wanted the note to be saved, since he began to have a big obsession with his girlfriend's contact. Nejire's phone was still in her grave, so Tamaki wanted to have hope that at some point she would answer his calls. But he only received her voicemail, and he only had to write lines in his notes.

Each line represented a kiss that she would give him if every time he talked to someone, he did it without problems. That was the deal. He spoke without having anxiety or fear problems, and she rewarded him with kisses on his lips.

And now, after many years of living a decent life compared to other heroes, he realized that the lines in that virtual note were many more than he could have thought.

401,626 lines according to the character counter. 401,626 times where he was able to overcome his fears and managed to increase his circle of friends and speak in public without any problem.

“Did you die… because you knew you couldn’t keep your promise?”

Even years after her death, he still thought that her death could have been for other reasons. There were traces of the old Tamaki that remained in him until the end, his negativity and slight anxiety being an example of this.

Although he knew that her death was no one’s fault, he wondered if she had really wanted to die that time. He thought that perhaps she knew that it was impossible to fulfill the challenge, so she decided to take her own life to avoid seeing him in the face.

“Have I been a bad person to you?”

“Are you done?”

A male voice interrupted Tamaki’s thought, giving him a small scare that almost gave him a heart attack. He thought it was the doctor who was taking care of him and who had entered his room to demand that he return to his bed, but after turning his head towards the source of the sound, he saw next to him a man with black hair and eyes dressed in a small top hat and an elegant suit accompanied by a green tie.

He didn't know how that man had entered his room so stealthily. It was impossible for him to open the door silently knowing that it would sound a small alarm at the entrance of anyone.

"You're sinking into your own sadness and anxiety. Don't let that happen."

"W-what?" Tamaki didn't know what to answer the man who was in his room.

The stranger smiled after seeing the surprise on Tamaki's face. It was normal for him to have that reaction, especially knowing that the latter never noticed his presence until he was close to his position. Tamaki remained silent, watching as the man examined him from top to bottom.

A few seconds later, the stranger tapped him on the head. Gently, taking care not to hurt him.

“Come on. You must keep a stable and coherent mind until the end. She would have wanted that.”

The man brought one of the chairs from the place next to Tamaki to keep him company. The hero could not do anything due to his age, so the man sat next to him without much resistance. Tamaki was very suspicious that the stranger had mentioned a female in his words.

“Relax. I know what you're thinking, and I'm not a villain. I just come with this good mood and good intentions if you deserve it. And luckily, you've never been a bad boy. Amazing.”

“W-who are you?”

“Just someone who came to tie up some loose ends in your life. Because it seems that there are still things that don't allow you to be at peace with yourself. Those last thoughts you had shown that your heart still has a small crack.”

The boy could sense that the man knew he wasn’t in the best mental state at that moment. After answering his question, the man took out a photo of Nejire smiling from his pocket and showed it to the hero.

“Nejire Hado, right? The girl who captivated your mind to this day.”

Tamaki was startled to see that the man had a photo of Nejire saved. It was a very old image and one that he alone possessed.

“Y-you know her?”

“Not directly. But I know everything about her life and the history she had with you. In fact, I was there when she was crushed by that building.”

The boy had no words to express the stupor he felt at that moment. That man seemed to know a lot about the relationship he had with Nejire. He decided to confront him with the little strength he had, wanting immediate answers.

“A-are you a stalker? W-were you the one who caused her death?”

“They always tell me that.” The man said laughing. “But no, I only see and appear when someone's heartbeat stops. I can't intervene in their lives; I can only witness the whole show until it's time to lower the curtain. That accident that happened years ago wasn't my fault. Nor yours. So, stop thinking that someone killed her. It was an accident.”

It was incredible how sincere the man sounded. Tamaki couldn't see any traces of him being fooled; what he said was genuine and without any doubts. Having his answer clear, he decided to continue questioning him.

“So… you know that I loved her very much, right?” Tamaki said, not afraid to hide the romance he had had with Nejire several years ago.

“Yes, I know. But the most surprising thing is how until today she has been the only girl you have been interested in. I can still see that you keep many memories in that phone… especially those sticks in those virtual notes you have.”

The boy turned to look at his phone, holding it tightly to prevent the man from trying to snatch it away if something happened. But he couldn't let go of what he told him. Nejire had been and was until that day his only love.

Tamaki had always heard the belief that, although the loss of your soulmate could hurt, you could move on and find a new love. But he wasn’t one of those people who believed in that, being that he was sure that no one could match Nejire's beauty and sweetness. He believed that everyone had their soul mate already destined in life, and there was no one who could replace that person no matter how many years passed.

However, his insecurity was something that never left him behind. Sometimes he doubted whether that idea he had was something very admirable or something very foolish to think. That caused him to have negative thoughts again in front of the stranger.

“Why couldn’t I get over her?”

“Because what you had was true love. You had no right to forget that feeling after everything she did for you.”

He wished she was by his side. He wanted to feel her warm and soft kisses on his face. He wanted to go back to those times when he was happy with her. Until that day, he could never get over her death.

“But that’s not something important now. I know what you’re thinking, and I know how valuable that phone is in your hands.”

He continued to hold the phone tightly as he looked at the object. It was his only form of communication with Nejire, and although he knew he was crazy, he wanted to think that at some point she would answer his calls. He didn’t know what the man was up to, but he wasn’t going to let him separate him from the only thing that allowed him to remember Nejire.

He assumed that he also knew about the challenge his girlfriend had given him, as well as the value of each of those sticks in his virtual notes. It was there that Tamaki cried again, remembering the beautiful image of the girl.

“She died without keeping her promise… In the end… I will never receive that affection she said she would give me…”

“No.” The man immediately answered. “She may have died, but she was able to find a way to keep her word. A way that you will see in a few moments. But all of this depends on you now.”

“It depends on me?”

“Yes. Just give me that phone and relax. Don't revive that negative Tamaki that she didn't like now. She worked hard to make you have a great life, and you shouldn't ruin what she did for you just because you still have insecurities and sadness from the past.”

He didn't know the stranger's true intentions, but the hero could see that he wasn't looking to make him cry or hurt him per se. But it was strange that he was giving him a somewhat false hope; he tried to convince him by using Nejire's name, which was disrespectful according to Tamaki.

He didn't have the strength to take the phone back if it fell into his hands. He was afraid that he would do something weird.

“Your conscience is clear. Only this remains pending. You are clinging to something that does not allow her to smile.”

The old man was unsure whether to trust the man or not. The situation was confusing to him.

“It will all be over soon. You just need to believe that love has no barriers. Because I am sure that your greatest wish is to see her again.”

It was there that Tamaki decided to ask a silly question. He wanted to make sure of something, considering that this man had mentioned his beloved's name a lot.

“Is she... alive?”

“She isn’t alive. But I think that my unexpected appearance and this dark place can give you a clue as to where she is.”

The man gestured for him to look outside his window. Tamaki did this, and instead of observing the usual night scene, it was full of infinite darkness. He didn't know when everything went black. The moon was gone, there was no visibility of the streets. Then he turned to look at the man and began to connect the dots.

“I think you can already guess who you're talking to. And I also think you'll know what will happen after this talk. But I assure you it won't be anything bad or painful.”

Tamaki's body instantly became weak, not knowing what to say at that moment. He was surprised to see how that "man", even though he wasn't exactly a human, wasn't acting hostile towards him; he even seemed to understand Tamaki's pain regarding Nejire. The nature of that being in front of him was normally a negative one and covered in dark legends, however, this one seemed to be giving him a comforting talk about his life. He even gave him hope of being able to see Nejire in the afterlife.

The man again extended his hand towards Tamaki, making the same request since he entered the hospital room.

"Give me that phone. You must have a smile. Do it for her."

There was only one way to see if he was lying or not. He slowly extended his phone towards the stranger's hands, closing his eyes as if expecting the worst. Once he made contact with him, he handed over his phone, parting with the only object that reminded him of his Nejire. It was there that he felt a light breeze that sent shivers down his spine, and he quickly covered himself with his arms.

But after covering himself, he began to feel very strange. He opened his eyes and noticed that his arms were no longer wrinkled. His hair had returned to its dark indigo tone like when he was a hero on duty, and he was dressed in his UA uniform.

His body had returned to its youth and energy that it had before.

“Tamaki?!”

A voice was heard in the hallways, one that Tamaki still recognized.

“N-Nejire? Is that you? Where are you?”

He stood up from his chair and left his room. The place was completely desolate, and instead of the classic hospital lights, there were small butterflies that illuminated his path. Tamaki saw that they wanted him to follow them with their flight lines, so he followed them without thinking twice. He went down to the first floor of the hospital while he continued to hear his name in the hallways of the place.

“I'm close Tamaki! Follow those butterflies!”

He didn't want to stop for anything in the world. He ran and ran throughout the hospital until he reached the entrance of the place. He opened the door and in front of him, he saw someone he remembered perfectly. It was the same figure as always, the same beauty he always loved to see.

“It can't be…”

Nejire Hado was there. He slowly approached her, surprised by what his eyes were witnessing. The girl laughed at how curious Tamaki looked with his reactions. He touched her face carefully, without her resisting and just smiling at his gesture.

“Nejire?”

“Hello Tamaki… I'm fine… I can finally see you again.”

Tamaki thought he was dreaming, so he pinched his hand to check if he wasn't hallucinating. And a few seconds later, he was still in the same place. With her in front of him and him in his youth.

“It's you… Nejire, please… tell me it's you.”

“It's me, darling. Don't worry.”

The boy immediately pounced on her, hugging her with all his strength and crying from the bottom of his heart. He couldn't believe what he saw and felt. His girlfriend was with him, he could feel the warmth of her body and the aroma that characterized her so much. Nejire lifted Tamaki's face towards her, lightly wiping his tears. “I'm proud of you... you were able to overcome your fears... you were able to live happily.”

“But it wasn’t like that... I thought about you every day... I missed you... even when I was with that man, I couldn't leave that Tamaki behind.”

“And that stopped you from achieving your goals in the end? You were a strong boy during these 80 years. You released your brave lion soul, I feel happy to know that you achieved something fantastic, darling... And I know that I've been a bad person for not keeping my promise, but I assure you that, from today, I'll be by your side forever.”

The hero couldn't believe that the man was right. Nejire was in another part of the universe, and she was waiting for him so that they could live that adventure that they could have on Earth. She had remembered her promise of kisses, and she was still that wonderful woman he had met on that first day of school. Tamaki couldn't process everything, especially after discovering that the idea of ​​loving someone permanently even in the afterlife was something true and that could be fulfilled.

“Come on Tamaki. I want you to see a place that I know you will love.”

The girl grabbed Tamaki’s hand, and he did the same. They both walked along the path made by the butterflies, while they began to talk about everything they had missed during that time apart…

“Doctor?”

“Yes, you were right.” The doctor said as he examined Tamaki. “The patient has no pulse at all. He is dead.”

The nurse had entered the hero’s room early in the morning to give him breakfast, seeing that he was sitting in the chair he used to look outside. When she saw that his phone was on the floor and he wasn’t responding to what she said, she decided to call the doctor to confirm her suspicions.

“What time do you think he died? When I came to see him last night, he still looked somewhat energetic.”

“The autopsy will determine what time it was precisely. With that, we can complete the data for the death certificate.”

The doctor quickly called some of his colleagues to help him, knowing that the room was finally clear. Although he had had a great time with Tamaki as a patient, he didn’t like the fact that he was suffering alone every night of his life. But there was only one thing that made him feel good at that moment.

“I am somewhat relieved by the fact that he died with a smile on his face.”

“Why do you say that doctor?”

“Tamaki Amajiki was a great hero, but with a pain that he could never overcome. He lost his girlfriend many years ago and always remembered her with tears and with much nostalgia. He told me everything that he hid in these years, and I am surprised how he was able to face the pain throughout his life. But if he smiled in those last minutes of life, then it means that his last memory was something positive for him.”

“Do you think he died thinking of her?”

“Probably. I will never know what he thought in the end, but I have some faith that he died in peace and with relief in his heart. Right now, he must be next to that special girl.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“He was one of those heroes who was characterized by having a pure heart. He was one of the best people I have ever met in my life. I am sure that he is in a better place now.”

The doctor's colleagues arrived and began to carry Tamaki's corpse for the final autopsy, while others stayed in the room to disinfect the area. His things were put in a special box, including the phone that Tamaki had until the end of his life. The nurse picked up the object and put it in a bag before putting it in that box; now all that was left was to wait for the operator company to cut Tamaki's line and for that phone to be used by someone else.

No one noticed that, in the distance, there was a man watching all the cleanliness of the medical staff. He laughed at everything that happened that night, because in the end the doctor was right. Tamaki was now in a better place, smiling and being next to Nejire, the girl who helped him have the best life of all.

The man walked away with a smile before heading back to walk the earth to continue his work, knowing that Tamaki could finally rest in peace after so much suffering he had gone through.

Finally, after many years of waiting, the boy could feel the kisses of his beloved again, this time forever and without anything separating them.

Chapter Text

Nejire's life at UA wasn’t just studying and doing missions as an internal sidekick, but also casual adventures and with special people by her side.

She quickly managed to stand out as someone capable of entering the top of heroes, as her strength and combat technique were outstanding in general. But she was more than just someone ready for missions, she was a girl who looked for fun and joy with the people around her.

UA was the perfect place for a girl like her. Unlike her middle school, here there were people she could quickly relate to and the variety of events that the school organized were magnificent for Nejire. It was a different world than the one she had left last year, so she wanted to have the best time at the academy even though she had a somewhat difficult start.

Her first year was one of the best she had had in a long time. In addition to choosing the hero course and meeting fantastic people in her classroom; she was able to see all the wonders that UA brought her. Exclusive events such as the sports and school festival, dormitories for each student, and they even had small bonfires on certain nights. She felt at home, and she wanted to make sure that she was going to make the most of the 3 years that she was going to be at UA.

She set personal and fun goals, and she fulfilled them with great excitement and always in the company of her friends. But she realized that there was going to be one that was very difficult to achieve. And that was her biggest personal goal that she wanted to accomplish before graduating.

Winning the beauty pageant at the UA school festival.

When Yuyu heard that the school was organizing a beauty pageant for the school festival, she immediately knew that Nejire had to participate in it. She didn't know anyone more beautiful than her to be part of such an event, and she knew that she had a good chance of winning knowing what her personality and figure were like.

Although Nejire had some doubts at the beginning, she finally decided to accept thanks to her friend's insistence. In addition, Tamaki also motivated her to make that decision, since he genuinely highlighted certain features that made her the perfect girl for the event. That was enough to give her a morale boost and she knew from that moment on that she had made the right decision by entering the contest.

The duo of friends prepared Nejire so that she would be ready for the day. They decided to lean towards a style that matched Nejire's cute personality, as well as looking for the best clothes that would captivate the public and make her mobility easy. They all worked day and night, and after small runway rehearsals, they were ready for the contest. However, in that first year Nejire came close to victory, losing to Bibimi Kenranzaki. It had been a difficult decision, but in the end Nejire didn’t end up being the one with the most votes.

However, that was no reason to stop competing. Bibimi was someone amazing and Nejire wanted to become a winner like her in front of the entire academy. Instead of seeing that loss as something negative, she decided to take it as an inspiration to continue participating in the next school festival.

Now in her second year, she was once again preparing for the beauty pageant with the help of Tamaki and Yuyu. It was her second chance, and she wanted to do her best to stand out on stage. She wasn’t going to give up until she got the first prize, and she was going to do everything she could to win, especially knowing that her competition was strong.

“Your resilience is amazing, Nejire. Many girls gave up after losing to Bibimi, but you keep looking for revenge.” Yuyu said.

“She’s just so cool, have you seen how beautiful her hair and eyelashes are? She’s a strong rival for the competition. That’s why I want to do my best, it would be great to be able to get first place against someone amazing like Bibimi. Plus, it’s fun to participate in these events.”

One could tell how much Nejire enjoyed those moments just by looking at her smile. And she had many reasons to have it. On the one hand, she loved how her friend had not only been one of the reasons she entered the contest, but she was also the one who helped her prepare with her fashion knowledge and doing her best to make her look like a princess. It was as if she was Nejire’s personal coach.

And on the other hand, she was happy with the fact that Tamaki was also by her side. His presence was also important for the contest, since she couldn't miss the person who brought her out of the shadows. Just like Yuyu, he was in charge of making her look like a fairy, just like he always said. He gave her the most genuine advice so that she would look like a cute and charming girl, although he always ended up saying that she was already beautiful enough for the public. He was surprised when she didn't win last year.

She told him that she was going to do her best this year. Tamaki assured her that she wasn't going to be alone. And now they were like a team looking for a common goal. Nejire knew that, if it weren't for him, she probably wouldn't even have wanted to continue participating in the contest. Tamaki had been the one who lifted her spirits since they met, and it was something that she was infinitely grateful to him for.

However, not all the experiences within the contest turned out to be nice for Nejire.

Yuyu and Nejire were finishing arranging part of the dress to be used in the contest, until they saw that Tamaki was completely flushed. They managed to see that someone had moved away from him at that moment. They approached him to see what had happened.

“Tamaki? Are you okay?”

“Yeah yeah… It was just a girl who wanted to ask for my number… She says she wanted to know more about my tastes… how scary.”

Yuyu laughed lightly at how shy and adorable Tamaki was, and although Nejire wanted to keep a smile, she couldn’t help but feel a small chill in her body. Luckily none of her friends noticed it.

“Calm down Tamaki. There’s nothing wrong with someone asking for your number. No one is going to want to kidnap you here.”

“If you say so… I’m sorry if I got distracted again. I know how important this is to you, and I don’t want to let you down.”

“Aww, you’re not Tamaki. Don’t worry.”

She advised Tamaki to go get some water to calm down, knowing that even Tamaki was in pain from anxiety. Tamaki did as she said and headed to the school bathrooms, telling them that he would be right back to help her.

When Tamaki walked away, Yuyu started talking to her friend about Tamaki.

“I see that many have sought to get closer to him. I think most people already know what a nice person Tamaki is, although well, it must be something new for him to open to everyone.”

“I know. It’s great to know that he’s meeting new people.”

It was no secret that Nejire wanted Tamaki to be able to talk better with his classmates. She always sought to give him advice so that he could speak confidently, as well as giving him weird exercises like thinking that everyone around him was a potato. She was happy to see his slight progress, but she began to see that this was indirectly starting to be a double-edged sword for her.

During all the preparations for the event, she saw how Tamaki always ended up talking to someone. The event had forced Tamaki to open a bit by having to interact with different teams that participated in the contest. Maybe he wasn’t the boy who mostly related to everyone, but there were people who sought to get closer to him to get to know him better and be his friend. Especially certain girls from the academy.

Nejire had no problem with Tamaki talking to boys because most of them talked to him casually, not at a high level of trust like with Mirio. But it wasn't the same case with certain girls from different classes. For some reason, she felt weird when she saw Tamaki around one of the competitors or their respective friends.

Tamaki had also been someone who stood out in school, being that his combat skills with his quirk and his wit made him a cute boy in school. He had his flaws, but the kitten-like personality he had made him someone everyone wanted to meet. At the same time, it made him someone somewhat attractive to certain of his classmates.

That made certain girls approach him, intrigued by Tamaki's personality. They started talking to him casually and sharing certain laughs that the boy could hold back since it was normally a personal conversation and not in front of a huge environment. However, as time went on, some girls asked for Tamaki's number to talk to him more, even giving him hugs as a thank you for being a great hero to everyone. This made Tamaki not know how to react, but he always tried to stay calm because all that affection was in good faith.

At the pageant, it was even more noticeable. There were contestants who tried to get close to him, to the point where some seemed to flirt with him. Tamaki just tried to keep up even though he felt embarrassed for not having much to say, but this was no obstacle to interacting with the girls at the beauty pageant. All of this made him blush, which was something that Nejire noticed clearly. It was the same situation that had happened a few minutes ago.

Nejire didn't know why it bothered her that he blushed with another girl.

He was a calm person and never looked for trouble with someone. And even though he was briefly distracted by someone making conversation with him, it wasn't something that ruined his preparations. He continued to help her and choose with Yuyu the outfits she should wear. Even his words were enough to make her feel more confident about herself. Tamaki was someone who kept his word and was always with her; but at the same time, she felt that he was starting to distance himself slightly from her.

Was she afraid that those girls would ruin Tamaki? Did she have insecurities about whether they were going to hurt him? She didn't have a clear answer, but she didn't like how some of them tried to get beyond the boy's comfort zone.

The truth was that Nejire didn't like the fact that there was someone who wanted to take him away from her. It was an exaggeration to think so, but Tamaki being her first friend after a long time of being alone, she grew very fond of him, and if a girl could make him feel better than with her, Nejire could be left alone again.

She even feared that he might enter a deeper relationship with someone. She knew that Tamaki wasn't ready for certain deep interactions, so she wanted to take care of him to make sure he wasn't jumping too far that could cause him to fall along the way.

It was the weirdest excuse she had, but it served to convince herself that Tamaki needed to be by her side. The girl didn't know it, but she was jealous. Jealous that there were other girls trying to get close to Tamaki way beyond the limit.

“Well Nejire, ready to try that dress on? I think it will look magnificent on you.”

Nejire turned her gaze to her friend, looking at the garment she had in her hands. For a moment she wanted to distract her mind and decided to try on the clothes she was giving her.

She entered the dressing room and tried on the indigo dress that contrasted with her hair. When she left the dressing room, Yuyu gave her a small tiara, and finally after much trial and error, she looked like a true princess.

Nejire witnessed her outfit in the mirror, carefully looking at every aspect of her body. It was a different style from last year, but she felt even more beautiful than that time.

“How do I look?” she asked.

“I think you're already perfect for the stage. There is no one in the contest who can surpass your beauty, Nejire." Yuyu replied.

Those words were enough for Nejire to feel confident about herself. But she knew that nothing was set in stone until the day of the contest arrived. She was looking forward to the moment when she could show her runway.

However, now she wasn’t only fighting for first place. She wanted to show Tamaki that she was someone who was more beautiful than everyone in UA, he was that person she wanted to stay by her side and pay as much attention to her as possible.

If she won the contest, he could keep a fantastic idea of ​​her person, and she could make him prioritize her over all the students. Tamaki had always considered her a charming girl, and if that was what he wanted to see, then she was going to give him that.

It was a strange logic and a somewhat curious goal, but it was something normal for someone who was just discovering new feelings in her life.

Her new goal was clear. She wasn’t just going to seek to win the beauty pageant. She was also going to seek to captivate Tamaki exclusively and get his attention with her participation, and in this way, he would want to be her best friend forever. At least that's what she wanted to think, even though she denied her recent feelings for him.

“Are you ready?”

Capturing Tamaki's full attention wasn't going to be easy. It was a competition not only against Bibimi and other beauty pageant girls; it involved all the girls of UA. But if the beauty pageant allowed her to release the true person that she was, then she was going to take the opportunity to show Tamaki how fantastic she could look before him.

Although she didn't say it expressly, internally she wanted to arrow his heart.

“I'm ready.”

Chapter Text

Tamaki knew that, although he was super introverted and very reserved, he had to overcome his fears at some point and show that he was someone who could express what he felt without any problem. He had made some progress with his social anxiety, being that he started to talk better with other heroes without constantly turning his back on the wall. But everything changed when he started to have feelings of love for Nejire.

After almost 10 years of knowing her, he could no longer see her as anything more than a simple friend. He first began to emphasize how tender her personality was, then he realized how attractive Nejire was every time he saw her, until he finally fell in love with the great woman she really was. His heart was pierced, and this turned out to be something cute and dangerous for Tamaki.

He knew that, if he said something about his love, it could have great consequences for their friendship. It wasn’t going to be the same casual talk he had with her, but it was something that could change his entire future with her. And although every person is afraid to confess what they feel, Tamaki suffered this in the worst way, being that anxiety made his stomach hurt and he felt like fainting at certain times just thinking about telling Nejire that he loved her.

The fear of Nejire's response was something that always kept him insecure, but he also kept in mind that, if he didn't do anything, Nejire would never notice him as someone much more special. So, he decided to prepare for when the right moment came. He began to speak better in front of the mirror, and even tried the technique of standing with a doll in front of him. He prepared for months, until he finally felt that he had the right dialogue to tell her. He just needed to go to her now and release what he had.

That was the hardest part for the boy. Tamaki always wanted to find the perfect moment, but he never got it. Although there were few times when she was busy, on many occasions he sabotaged himself to avoid saying what he felt in his heart. His fears covered his mind and made him unable to talk to Nejire about that topic. But once he recovered, he gave himself some encouraging words and said that he would be able to say what he felt the next time.

For many years he was in that routine. The same lie, and without being able to take the first step. He thought that he still had many opportunities, he thought that he would be able to conquer her if he could find “the perfect moment”. That was the biggest mistake he made; thinking that Nejire would be single forever and that she would not meet anyone else. And now, he was present in front of the results of his cowardice and his lack of courage.

After everyone managed to take their respective seats inside the sanctuary, the couple made their presence felt. Walking along a small path of flowers, both were the center of attention of all eyes in the place. The decorations of blue and white flowers made the place a paradise for Nejire, it was as if she were touching the sky in life.

Nejire never thought that the moment would come when she would find the greatest happiness of her life. She always thought that her best times had been at UA, but it wasn't until she met her partner that she discovered that life could be better. And she wasn't exaggerating.

The boy she met was someone curious and very similar to her. He had the same lively personality as Nejire, being someone who joked freely and saw everything in an optimistic and innocent way. He wasn’t a hero like her, but he worked as someone who provided her with information about missions at the agency. They were a perfect duo who, even though they had the worst situations in front of them, managed to be able to overcome them with an unmatched smile and willpower. It was as if Nejire had found her soulmate.

Time passed and they declared their true love for each other. And although she wanted to introduce her partner to her friends and family in the first few months as a big surprise, the opportunity never came due to the times that didn’t coincide to meet the people close to Nejire. Finally, she gave up on her surprise attempt to reveal their relationship, so on one occasion when she went out with Mirio and Tamaki, she told them that she was dating the boy of her dreams at the agency she worked for.

That was the beginning of Tamaki's downfall.

Those words were spoken in parallel with Tamaki's difficulties in expressing his love. When Nejire said that she had a boyfriend, Tamaki received the news as if a bucket of cold water had fallen on him. He didn't know how to react. He wanted to think that it was all a lie and that Nejire was joking with them. But when she showed them the photos she had taken with her boyfriend, he realized that she wasn't lying to them. It was even corroborated by the fact that she recounted how happy she was every day working with him at the agency.

It was all real. Tamaki couldn't believe it.

The priest began to give the purification ritual so that the couple would have a clear and calm start. Nejire and her future husband followed the tradition without much trouble, excited for the definitive moment to be together. Then followed the reading of the marriage vows, where the couple smiled at each other as they swore loyalty and pure love in front of everyone present.

Their romance had been something unexpected, but after many years of knowing each other and working at the hero agency, they both fell in love. They had had great experiences together, but they wanted to go further. It was time to start a new chapter in their lives.

Finally, there was only one thing left. The kiss. Without much more to add, the priest gave the signal for the couple to become husband and wife. Nejire could not contain her joy any longer, and jumped towards the man with great emotion, kissing him with all her might and accompanied by the sound of the guests celebrating that special moment.

Everyone applauded with emotion, filling the sanctuary with a comfortable and dreamlike atmosphere for Nejire. Everyone celebrated, except Tamaki. The boy only applauded to keep up with the pace of the audience, without those spirits like others had.

He saw how Nejire saw her partner as the reason for her life. And he couldn’t even say that her husband was a bad boy or unsuitable for her. He managed to meet him at a dinner he had with him, and he was able to give him advice to help him with his shyness and was even someone who helped him with full medical coverage when his agency worked in collaboration with the agency where Tamaki was. Both were from different agencies, but Nejire's boyfriend said that every friend of hers was also his friend.

For Tamaki, that boy was objectively better than him.

He wondered since when she started to feel feelings for her colleague. He wondered if he should have said his feelings 2 months before, or even a few years before the wedding. He wondered if he still had a chance with Nejire.

He wanted those cute blue eyes like the sky to look at him. But the kiss had already confirmed his worst defeat completely. His biggest nightmare became reality.

The wedding was quick, since they lasted 20 minutes by tradition. Because there was plenty of time left, the couple decided to celebrate with all their guests at the sanctuary with a somewhat more informal celebration. The families of both started a toast in honor of the newly formed couple, and Yuyu prepared a speech to her best friend in which she highlighted the beautiful future she had ahead of her and wished her to have the best adventures with that boy.

The moment arrived when the main dance was played for all those present. But it wasn't going to be a slow or elegant dance, but one where everyone could unleash their best moves on stage, always having their limits of course. Most people, inspired by Nejire's positive aura, brought their friends out to dance, but in the end the one who had the main attention was the main couple.

Nejire wanted that moment to be special, so considering her acrobatics at the beauty pageant she had in her third year at UA, she activated her quirk and grabbing her husband with her hands, she began to dance with him in the air, carefully showing him how to move with her, and making him laugh at how incredible that moment was. The girl also smiled at how her husband loved her craziness.

One could easily sense that it was Nejire's best day. Tamaki was an example of that.

He had always seen Nejire's smile, but the one she had at that moment was nothing compared to the joy she had in previous years. He had never seen her so excited and cheerful as she was at that time. She hadn't even been this excited at her graduation.

In the middle of that atmosphere of happy people, he was the only black sheep who couldn't get out of there. The more he watched that scene, the more his mind was filled with guilt and pain. He decided to approach the main table to eat some sushi, trying to distract himself from everything he was witnessing. He tried to slowly savor the food to feel the incredible flavor of it, but he couldn't enjoy it because his mind quickly brought back memories of the moments he lived with Nejire. Knowing that he couldn't eat, he put his sushi aside, and took a deep breath, not wanting an anxiety attack to come at that moment.

Suddenly, his friend's voice interrupted all his thoughts.

“I have to say that the place is nice. Nejire and Yuyu made a good decision in choosing this sanctuary for everyone. Rather, do you want to go get some beers with Nejire to celebrate? You know, like old times.”

“No thanks. I don't feel like it.”

Tamaki didn't want to talk to anyone, but he couldn't just push Mirio away like that. His pain was so great that a tear almost fell from his right eye. He quickly wiped his sleeve across his face to avoid making a scene, but it wasn't enough to hide what he had.

“Are you ok, buddy?” Mirio asked, realizing what his friend did.

“Yeah, I just… had something in my eye.”

Tamaki held back his tears to avoid causing a mess in front of him. Mirio had told him that it wasn't necessary to go to the wedding after everything that happened to him, but Tamaki had been stubborn. The indigo-haired boy was afraid not only to admit that he had a bad idea, but he was also afraid of reliving his memories with Nejire at that moment.

Mirio didn't buy that excuse, so he again emphasized his words.

“I know you well Tamaki, you can't hide lies from me that easily.”

Tamaki raised his gaze slightly, making sure that at least most of the people weren't looking at them. Luckily, the fun made that no one focused on the duo of friends. Sighing and trying to get his words out clearly, he decided to throw a few questions at his friend.

“Do you think I had a chance with Nejire? To be that Prince Charming she always dreamed of?”

The boy lowered his gaze upon hearing Tamaki's words. Mirio had a slight feeling about what had happened, but he wanted to think that he was wrong. However, Tamaki's words confirmed that his thoughts were correct.

“So that's why. I see.”

Mirio quickly guessed Tamaki's thoughts. The latter nodded, trying to hide the sadness inside him without much success. The blond knew that he couldn't answer that question, because he would be lying to him if he gave him any hope.

“I told you not to come here buddy.”

“I know. But I was the one who made that decision.”

With a delicate gesture, he placed his hand on his friend's shoulder, trying to comfort him. Mirio knew that Tamaki didn't want to be at Nejire's wedding. He had only attended out of formality, not because he really wanted to be there. Every second he was in that place worsened his mental state, and Mirio knew it.

“I'm sorry,” the blond said.

For the first time, Mirio didn't know what to do to give him a hand. He had always been the one who supported Tamaki since they were children, he was even able to hear his deepest secrets to offer him his personal position. But here he had nothing to say to him. He couldn't even do anything to comfort him.

The young hero had had many wounds in his fights, but none of them were as lethal as the one he had just had at that moment. The worst thing was that it was a wound that he caused himself. He was the one who wanted to go to Nejire's wedding even though she wasn’t his partner, and he congratulated her on her future knowing that he still had feelings hidden in his heart.

But the main reason for his injury had been his own cowardice. He remained the shy Tamaki that characterized him since he was a child. He was never someone brave enough to try to say what he truly felt for her, and he sabotaged his opportunities because of his own anxiety. Now at his friend's wedding, he saw how his whole life was falling apart.

If Nejire wasn't with him, it was because he never made the first move with her. There was no one else responsible for his pain but himself.

The boy couldn't help it any longer and shed a few small tears. Mirio took it upon himself to cover him so that he could free himself in peace and without anyone bothering them. It wasn't an overwhelming cry, but it was only because Tamaki didn't want to cause a disaster on Nejire's happiest day. He held back his tears with all his will, wanting to be strong at that moment, even if he failed. Those tears shouldn't be an excuse for her to worry when he himself was the cause of her pain.

He continued to watch as Nejire moved in the air with her husband, accompanied by a charming smile. They flew like two angels in sync, laughing and preparing for whatever fate brought them.

Tamaki didn't deny how beautiful she looked, and he would have liked to be that person flying by her side. But he knew that, at that point, there was nothing else to do. He couldn't change the past.

He could only accept that he had lost her forever.

Chapter Text

Although she could enter his house through the front door as if she were a member of the family at any time of the day, she always loved to appear late at night entering through his bedroom window.

That night was no exception. Almost at midnight, Nejire arrived at Tamaki's house and floated to his room on the second floor, lightly knocking on his window to let him know of her presence. Tamaki quickly recognized that it was Nejire, since it was already customary to hear those light knocks on his window at that hour. It couldn't be anyone else but her.

He opened his window, and she quickly rushed towards him to hug him. She was happy to see him again. The boy received that gesture without much resistance, letting her hug him as if she was holding a teddy bear. Once they separated, they both decided to lie on Tamaki's bed. And there, they did nothing, they just wanted to talk about their lives, enjoying each other's presence.

“Did you know that I found a field of lilies near my agency?

“I see you found your favorite plant… I think I know what to give you for our next date. You know, to make you look more charming and to… see you smile.” Tamaki lightly grabbed his hair, blushing at what she had said.

“Aww, you’re so cute Tamaki.” She said as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Still, you know you make me happy just by being by my side.”

Those were special moments they had since they became a couple. Not necessarily doing actions that went beyond normal. They simply loved sharing quality time with hugs and kisses, those were hours where they were happy discovering the deep sides of each other. But that relationship had also brought new challenges to their lives.

Tamaki's new life as Nejire's boyfriend was a new world for him. He had never thought that there would be someone in the world who wanted to have him as something more than just a friend. As a best friend? Yes. But as someone's soul mate? That was the craziest thought he could have.

When Nejire declared her feelings of love to him, he was paralyzed not knowing how to respond. For a moment he thought she was making a joke, he even thought it was a challenge that had been made to her. He had doubts about Nejire's words, because he didn't even think that this could be the boyfriend of someone as beautiful as her. He didn't believe her words until she came close to his lips, giving him a kiss that made him blush completely and faint in her arms.

A few hours later, he woke up on his friend's couch, with a sheet covering him from the cold and a cup of jasmine tea in front of him. Nejire took him home and took care of him after he fainted, apologizing for what had happened and feeling like a fool for being so bold. Luckily, that moment of awkwardness lasted a few seconds, because Tamaki apologized to her without any problem, and said that if she wanted him to be by her side as her most special person, he would gladly accept. He wanted to be happy with her, because deep down Tamaki also had feelings for his friend.

That was where their love story began. A story of reciprocated feelings and new experiences for young people. And even though only a month had passed, they were both on the right path.

However, that wasn't enough to say that they were in a deep relationship. Sure, they were together, they kissed, they bought each other gifts, they shared intimate moments... but they still hadn't told anyone about them being an established couple. Only the two of them knew about their romance, no one else.

That was the biggest challenge they had now, telling everyone that they were already a couple. For Tamaki, he didn't know what people would think when he said that he was Nejire's boyfriend. One thing was being afraid of what people might say about his hero personality, but another was being afraid of what people might think about their relationship. No one would believe that someone so positive and cheerful as Nejire would end up with someone shy and reserved like him.

There was a chance that Nejire could end up hurt by the criticism, and Tamaki thought that could make her replace him with someone with better traits than him.

Every time they got to talk about that topic, she would comfort him with kisses and words that soothed his soul. This time was no exception, as they always debated whether they should keep their relationship private or not. It didn't matter if the night was filled with happiness or nostalgia, both young people always brought that topic to the table.

She assured him that no matter what people said, she wasn't going to break up with him. She had made the best decision of her life, and she wasn't going to let some envious people tell her who the boy of her dreams should be. Tamaki Amajiki was the boy she wanted by her side. He was the boy who was her source of happiness, he was her hero who had saved her from her darkness when she wanted to be isolated from everyone, he was the gentleman who showed kindness and affection in a unique and special way to her.

“My Tamaki, don't be afraid. I will never be ashamed of being with you.”

Tamaki wasn't ready for love, that was a fact. All that romance with her had caught him by surprise. But he was destined to overcome those insecurities to say with certainty that he was Nejire Hado's soulmate and live with her happily ever after.

There in their bed, both continued to caress each other slowly and try to stay together in that embrace that brought them peace and tranquility. They continued to get to know each other better as the minutes passed, both learning about their fears and their likes in a deeper way. They continued to kiss each other from time to time. Their kisses were slow and full of pure love, kisses that felt eternal to them.

Returning home to kiss their partner's lips was practically Nejire and Tamaki's reason for living at that point. That was the new obsession of both, and at the same time it was a new motivation to get home from work alive day after day.

It was the perfect relationship, being the issue of publicizing their romance the only stumbling block for them. They knew that, beyond the fact that Tamaki could have insecurities that he could easily overcome, there was an additional and very prominent problem. They knew that, if their relationship came to light, there was a great risk that the villains would know more about their personal lives and establish clearer objectives.

It was no secret that heroes had weak points, but one thing was to face them after many years of experience, and another was to face them when you just started your job. Nejire and Tamaki were still heroes who had just started their work officially, and they did not yet have the classic experience of other heroes about situations where a loved one was a target to kill.

They were heroes who were aspiring to the top of Japan, and they had also built their fame in UA. That meant that everyone knew about them, as well as the villains. If one of the latter found out about the love relationship of both, they could probably take advantage of that information to harm them morally. Some of these had done it before with other hero couples, and they knew they could be next. The surveys didn't lie either, as this group of heroes was always at higher risk of having loved ones damaged by the simple fact of making their relationships public.

Nejire was the one who feared this situation the most. It had been a wonderful thing to have Tamaki as a partner, but she didn't want their romantic adventure to make him be marked for death by her enemies. Every time she had those thoughts, Tamaki would slowly stroke her hair, telling her that they had come out of worse things. He wasn't going to die and left her adrift. If he could face his shyness thanks to her, she could face the fear of the villains with his help.

Their romance was likely only known to people very close to the heroes, as they were trustworthy people. But they knew that sooner or later something would happen, and they would both have to show their faces to the world.

“You know that if they threaten one, they threaten both. Any problem of yours is mine too.” Tamaki said with great confidence.

She loved how he grew stronger day by day. Every time she was by his side, she felt like she was next to her guardian angel.

In the end, they both never said that their relationship had to be 100% secret. They knew that there were also wonderful advantages to saying they loved each other in public, but they had to consider that since they had decided to be heroes, their lives were going to have increased risks. They weren’t ordinary citizens.

There in Tamaki's room they always looked for a solution. Between caresses and soft words, they both said how much they care for each other and what their future would be like. And after a few good minutes, they both finally came to the same conclusion as always.

"I'm not ready yet."

"Me neither."

"I guess it's not the time then."

"Yeah, you're right."

They weren't ready to make their relationship public yet. But they had faith that they would soon. Their biggest dream was to get married in the middle of an open field and celebrate as if they had graduated. For now, their romance was hidden behind four walls, however, both would be able to help each other to overcome those issues and be that happy couple they so wanted to be.

If at some point they decided to show their relationship to the public, they would be ready to face the new challenges that this move would bring.

That night's conversation continued without much drama, as they talked about random and interesting topics for both. Their priorities and goals were clear, and the fact that they were together meant that they were on the right path. She was Tamaki's hero, and he was Nejire's hero.

“I love you Nejire. Thank you for being part of my life.”

“I love you too, Suneater. Thank you for being my light in my darkness.”

The two heroes continued to kiss and hug each other until, in the later hours of the night, they both fell asleep. Tamaki had his fairy by his side, and Nejire had her kitten curled up in her arms. It was pure romance at its finest, and that was undeniable.