After you graduated from UA, you had desperately hoped that you and the sensei you were close to would stay in contact.
But, alas, it simply wasn't meant to be. You had been afraid to call in from time to time, thinking you'd be nothing more than a nuisance, which simply wasn't the case.
You loved him, and secretly, he loved you when you neared your graduation, but he forced himself to let you go, as much as it deeply pained him.
He felt you were better off. He thought you could do better than a broken, traumatized, significantly older man than him.
He thought he'd hold you back.
But he was wrong. So wrong. If he only knew just how deeply you felt.
And as luck would have it? He would. Tonight.
Friday Evening
Tonight, the city was having a fun, annual Halloween event. There was going to be a masquerade ball pulling out all the stops for any and all attendees that would be joining.
You were excited, but... the only problem was, you'd be going stag. The thought was mildly upsetting, to say the least.
After getting yourself ready - dressed to the 9's with your gorgeous, sapphire blue ball gown, matching jewelery, makeup, masquerade mask, and of course your hair done accordingly, you were ready to head out.
Once you arrived, you slipped the mask over your face and made your way into the opera house where it was held like you owned it.
Upon entering the ballroom that was beautifully decorated, you scanned the crowd and the table of refreshments.
The classical music played, setting the mood.
You hummed appreciatively.
It wasn't long until you were approached by a strikingly handsome man (from what you could tell) that was dressed in a black suit with a wolf face masquerade mask.
Your heart almost stopped.
God. He reminded you of Shōta.
But that was ridiculous. He wouldn't be here.
The man finally spoke gruffly, though not unkindly,
"Good evening, Miss. You look absolutely breathtaking. Would you do me the honors of having this dance?"
You smiled politely, your heart racing, and you swallowed hard, taking his large hand in your smaller one.
"I'd love to."
As he led you to the dance floor, Schubert's Serenade played as he pulled you close and began to lead you in time with the perfect notes and rhythm of the timeless piece - the cello mixing perfectly with the other accompaniments.
"You're an excellent dancer, dear. Where did you learn?"
You flushed and swallowed hard.
"My adoptive father actually taught me. He and I are close, and I asked him to teach me back when I attended UA. I wanted to learn for prom."
Your eyes saddened.
"Never got to dance with the man I wanted to, though."
The man's ears perked up.
"That's a shame. And who was this man?"
You sighed, feeling the tightness in your throat and the pressure building in your eyes, but you tried not to ruin the moment.
"He was my former Sensei - Aizawa Shōta. Retired Pro Eraserhead. I - never mind -"
The man paused but then noticed you getting emotional.
"No - please go on."
Tears finally spilled down your cheeks from under your masquerade mask, and you let out a sad laugh.
"You want to hear about him? Why?"
But he insisted.
"Just humor me."
You swallowed hard and replied,
"I loved him. I still do, but after I graduated, he never reached out. I figured I was just his student, and his job was done, so he had no reason to stay in contact."
For a moment, you thought you could see the man in the man's eyes, but no, that wasn't possible, was it?
Finally, he spoke in the familiar voice you knew so well (he had deliberately shifted his tone so that it was unrecognizable), and your heart felt like it was seizing.
"God, {{user}}. I've been such a fool. Thinking that all this time, you'd be better off without me, and here you are, beautiful as ever, in my arms. {{user}}, can you ever forgive me for the pain I caused you?"
He finally lifted his mask to reveal his handsome face that you thought you'd never see again.