A/N: The first part of a series that I call Watch the Stars With Me (or just Watch the Stars). They're a series of unrelated oneshots about people watching meteor showers - the Perseids Meteor Shower, to be precise in this case! I, um, got struck with inspiration the other night while I was trying to catch the Perseids outburst on Thursday night and the next thing I knew I wanted to see so many different characters watch those meteors together somehow, and so here I am. Our first group: Naomasa Tsukauchi and Toshinori Yagi!
If there's a certain group of characters you want to see written for the series though, feel free to drop me a message here or an ask on my tumblr, blacknovelist55. Thinking up scenarios is lots of fun, and I don't mind, so there's certainly no harm in asking.
This particular fic features some fantastic headcanons about Naomasa and Toshinori from Sevi007, so please go check them out on their blog! This is my own interpretation to some of those headcanon events tied in with the "watching meteors" theme I wanted to use. This style is a bit different from what I'm used to and I'm not sure about the pacing or if I've written them in character, but I tried my best. I hope you guys enjoy it nonetheless!
"If we could pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars...?"
"Come on, Naomasa," A voice rang out, the rhythmic crunching of gravel underfoot the only warning as two boys rushed past, barely slowing as they simultaneously rounded a corner. "We need to hurry if we're gonna catch our ride home!"
"Oh yeah?" His companion challenged, "and whose fault is it that we're late in the first place, huh Toshinori?" Naomasa dug his elbow lightly into Toshinori's side, and Toshinori's grin widened.
"You enjoyed yourself and you know it," He teased, bumping back. A hand crashed into the back of Toshinori's head and he yelped, fumbling as they slowed to a jog.
"Wuh-ah, hey, ow! What was that for?"
"You," Naomasa said, flicking his fingers in Toshinori's direction, eyes narrowed, "can keep your mouth shut until we reach the stop. It's still your fault!" A smile tugged at the edge of his lips as Toshinori mock glared back, grin still in place.
"Why you... get back here!"
They laughed, bolting forward at full-speed. Naomasa ducked beneath Toshinori's arms, twisting around posts and skipping over dips in the pavement as the taller tried to smack him. Above them the sky slipped from pink and purple to turquoise and orange, the sun's light slowly fading from the horizon. It was a few blocks from the bus stop before they staggered to a stop and leaned against a short steel fence, stitches in their side and chests heaving from the breakneck run. Toshinori let out a particularly harsh wheeze and Naomasa couldn't help but giggle in-between breaths at the sound, eyes drifting up towards the rooftops. The duo sat for a moment, nothing but the sound of their breathing between them.
"...My parents are probably gonna kill us for getting home this late," Naomasa said, eyes glued to the dimming light over the buildings. He glanced at Toshinori and grinned. "That's still your fault though, by the way."
Toshinori huffed, crossing his arms and pointedly looking away. "Well, be that way," He said. "Let that be the last time I take you with me on a training day. Good luck becoming a police man when you can't even lift your own weight!"
"I can so lift my own weight. Just because I'm not practically killing myself with training every other day like you are doesn't mean I can't throw you over my shoulder, you know." Naomasa stood, giving himself a long hard stretch before offering a hand to the other. "Let's go. We might as well see if we haven't missed the last bus or something."
He pulled Toshinori up and they shared a grin, falling into step beside each other. Naomasa was still staring up at the sky, thoughtful, and even as they sat together on the cool bench his eyes barely drifted.
"What's on your thoughts, Nao?" Toshinori eventually asked. Naomasa looked at him for a moment.
"There's supposed to be meteor showers at this time of year," he said, nodding towards the night sky. "It's a long shot, since the sky's still bright, but I figure there might be a chance of seeing one if I just keep looking."
"Wait, really?" Toshinori's eyes went wide before darting up, his head twisting all around as he searched. "C'mon, maybe we can see one before the bus gets here!" Naomasa laughed at his friend's eagerness and craned his neck with him, peering up into the darkness.
Silence reigned as they looked, Toshinori's darting eyes slowing and his smile fading until he eventually found himself staring at a single star, lost in thought. Blinking, he returned to himself, glancing at Naomasa to see him still searching fervently for a glimpse of the elusive meteors. He shifted, gripping the cold steel of the bench and letting it cool his fingers as he searched for words. It was as good a time as ever.
"Hey, Naomasa."
"Yeah Toshinori?"
"You remember Nana Shimura, the woman I told you about the other day, right?"
Naomasa pulled his eyes towards Toshinori at that. "Of course. She's the one who said she wanted to give her quirk to you, right?" His brow furrowed. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, it's just..." Toshinori fidgeted. "I want to know what you think. About Shimura-san's offer and me suddenly gaining a quirk and all that."
"What I think...?" He hummed, turning away. "Well, this Shimura-san sounds pretty trustworthy, even if the idea of a quirk like hers is pretty outlandish. I trust your judgement about her. It's not like you're a bad judge of character." Naomasa paused, thinking, and he frowned. "You suddenly gaining a quirk though... what kind of a question is that?"
Toshinori shrugged. "There's no reason for it, really, I'm just curious is all."
Naomasa slung an arm over Toshinori's shoulders, eyes knowing. "You're overthinking all your hero things again, aren't you."
The flat not-question statement had Toshinori sputtering. "O-overthinking it? What are you talking about?"
"You think you owe it to me and the world to be special, don't you, Mr. Future-Greatest-Hero?" Naomasa jabbed a finger at Toshinori's chest, grinning. "Just because our plans didn't involve me or you suddenly getting a quirk doesn't mean they can't change to include that, dummy. Gaining a quirk isn't going to do anything but help you become the best - it's not like we can't be the best cop-and-hero duo the world's ever seen just because you're suddenly not quirkless anymore. It's up to you if you're gonna take that quirk or not, and I'm with you every step. Are you hearing me on this, Toshinori?"
There's no reply. Toshinori isn't even looking at him, and the encouraging expression slowly slid off his face. "Uh... Toshinori? Are you ok-"
Naomasa wheezed as Toshinori stood up, yanking him into a crushing hug and practically lifting his feet off the ground.
"You... are the best guy on the planet, you know that?" He asked, voice thick and eyes screwed shut.
"Thanks, Toshi. You too," Naomasa returned, hugging back and smacking Toshinori in the back a couple times. The arms wrapped around him loosened marginally and let him touch the ground again, and it was another minute before Toshinori released him completely. Naomasa pat Toshinori's back comfortingly as he doubled over and regained his bearings, head casually tilting up and away from him and towards -
"Holy shit," Naomasa breathed. "Tosh-Toshinori, look up, you've got to see this!" He shook him, eyes glued to a patch of turquoise sky.
"Woah, wait, hold on Nao!" Toshinori pushed the hands away, shutting his eyes to stave off the brief dizziness before looking up, hands falling to his side. "What is…"
"...Oh wow."
A bright ball of white-blue light slowly streaked across the sky, a long vibrant tail of blue and red trailing after it. There was something awe-inspiring about it, the careful way it seemed to travel above them and towards some unknown point in space, unlike anything they'd ever seen. "The meteor shower..." Toshinori realized. "It's not even that dark yet but it's so bright, what, how…..?"
"Make a wish, Toshinori."
"Huh?"
Naomasa gave him a hard nudge, eyes likewise glued to the earth-grazer. His hand was pressed to his chest. "Hurry up and make a wish on it before it disappears, come on!" He gave him another prod.
Toshinori startled, staring wide-eyed at the meteor for a moment, his mind blank. But then he thought, watching the wonder of nature fly across the horizon, and Toshinori pressed his fist up against his chest like his friend, eyes squeezing shut for a moment as he sent his thoughts into the sky with all of his heart. He opened his eyes again to see the light finally far away, dispersing into the rapidly approaching night.
He and Naomasa stood together there for a minute, shoulder to shoulder, hearts beating in their chests. And then: "What kind of wish did you make?"
"The right one, I hope. I probably won't know until it comes true. You?"
"Me too, but... I'm not worried."
"Good."
"Hey, Toshinori."
"Yeah, Naomasa?"
"Do you remember that one time when we were kids, when we saw that shooting star?"
"Of course I do. Why do you ask?"
"Do you remember the wish you made?"
"For the most part. Why?"
"Just a bit curious, is all. Did yours ever manage to come true?"
He thinks of papers and coffee, the beams from the people whose lives he has saved by simply existing, the love that has managed to surround him, and Toshinori smiles.
"Better than I ever could have imagined."
Naomasa grins knowingly at the twinkle in his best friend's eye.
"Good."