Gone With the Tide ((MIDORIYA IZUKU X OC))

26

One Week Later
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A storm raged outside as Aizawa sat on the edge of Rin's bed. He held his old jacket in his hands that she had taken from him when they first met, and ran his thumb over the worn fabric. The scent of it had changed, and it made him miss her even more.

He had taken it upon himself to rearrange her furniture to how it had been before she barricaded her door, and had been sitting in her room since that afternoon. It was dark now, and the flashes of lightening lit up the darkened room, exposing Aizawa in all his gloomy glory.

He had been fighting off the overwhelmed tears for so long that he didn't know if he'd ever know how to cry again. It felt like it had been years since he slept last, and still they found no leads on where his precious Rin could be.

The hollow feeling in his chest without her glued to his hip made him want to throw in the towel; to end this seemingly never ending pain in the back of his head. He felt his lip quiver the longer he stared at the jacket, and a flash of Rin's smile came and went in his head.

A dry sob hit the air before he buried his face into the fabric in his hands, and Deku stood in the doorway, looking on at the sad sight of his teacher. Aizawa hadn't been the same since that day, and neither had the rest of 1-A. It felt as if there was something missing without her, and even Bakugou had ceased his torment on Deku since Rin was taken.

Mina had neglected to come out of her room since Deku told her what happened, and almost every time he had gone to check on her, she was passed out asleep on her bed. Tear stains covered her cheeks, and the sight of his classmates and teacher so distraught fueled him all the more to get Rin back. It wasn't just him feeling so lost, it was everyone around him.

"Sir," Deku called, and Aizawa quickly looked up. "I just thought I'd come and check on you..."

"I'm... fine." Aizawa said weakly, and reluctantly set Rin's jacket to the side.

"We'll find her soon," Deku tried to sound reassuring. Thunder rumbled in the distance. "And I'm sure she's doing everything she can to come back to us, too."

"I don't doubt that." Aizawa said, sighing.

"I know it's hard..." his student said, finally stepping into the room. He had Rin's seashells in his fist. "But... we have to stay positive."

Aizawa tried to smile. "I know."

Deku looked down at the floor after hearing his teacher's raspy tone, and felt a pang of sadness course through his chest.

"You know," Aizawa began again, catching Deku's attention. "She talked about you constantly."

"Huh?" Deku rose a brow.

"She would always ask where you were," Aizawa clarified. "Mostly in the beginning before she was with you all the time. She'd ask when she could go to the beach with you again... or if I knew whether or not that you still had the shells she gave you, or if I thought you'd want more."

Deku felt the swell of tears threatening his waterline, and again he looked down.

"I can really tell," his teacher said, his voice nothing more than a whisper. "That she loves you a lot."