Starlight: The Rise of a Hero
Chapter Two: Home
The stars overhead shine brightly as Leon lays outside, reclining on an old beach chair his parents had brought to Japan years ago. The river flows in a serene near-silence, the world around it crawling to a standstill as midnight arrives. His hair fluttering on the wind, he closes his eyes.
*Buzz*
He cracks one eye open, comically irritated. "Damn it, I thought I left my phone inside. I wish Endeavor's agency would leave me alone."
He'd started interning there in the beginning of his second year at U.A. Endeavor had been the number one hero for many years, with his firepower nigh-unmatched. Even internationally, he was still in the top three or four heroes.
When he'd fought against Mirio in his second sports festival, he'd caught Endeavor's eye with his special move, Starlight. Mirio attempted to phase downwards, but the blast radius was so wide that it consumed the part of the ground he'd moved into.
Cementoss had just enough time to protect the many pro heroes in attendance.
They'd met in the hallway outside Recovery Girl's office, and Leon had been shell-shocked when face-to-face with Japan's number one hero.
'The raw firepower you possess, even at fifty percent capacity...it's astonishing. Yes, Leon Weitz. You have impressed me. I have extended an offer for you to intern at my agency at your earliest convenience.'
'I would love to!'
The older man had smiled and laughed gruffly, before they shook on it. He had bid Endeavor a good evening, and he'd started the very next week, on Saturday. Working with him had been excellent for developing his own abilities, but the man was a drag and a pain to deal with. Especially when Leon used seventy-five percent and unleashed a can of whoop-ass on him two months ago.
Checking his phone, he found that the notification was from Nejire. His face lighting up in a smile, he lays back and responds back with enthusiasm.
The cricket's calls hung heavily on the morning air. The light filtering in through his window woke him, as it always did. After the depths of nighttime, his body longed for the embrace of the sun once more. And so he woke with dawn, slipping out of bed. Leon felt the first dregs of energy awaken from their slumber, crackling throughout his muscles before dissipating.
Greeting his Mom in the kitchen, he smiled through his exhaustion. "Hey. Pass me the granola, would you?" He asked through his early morning stupor. The light of the sun wasn't quite leaking into the kitchen, the plain artificial lights harsh on his eyes.
"What's the magic word?"
"Please."
She poured a bowl for him, passing it down the table to where he'd sat down. "You know, you don't seem that excited. You're going back to school today. Is everything alright?"
"My friends and I haven't been talking much, we've all been giving it our all in our training. I can safely hold seventy-five percent for about a minute," he said, digging into the energy-dense breakfast food. "I did get to talk with Nejire last night. I'm excited to see her." It was hard to keep the blush off of his face, thinking about their conversation.
"I still don't know how you can eat that stuff plain. That's one way we're definitely not alike," his mom teased, raising one eyebrow. "And what do I hear in your voice? A hint of affection for a certain Nejire-chan?"
"Don't tease me, I'm trying to eat."
"Not the only thing you're trying to eat, huh?"
"MOM!"
"Leon, please," she quipped briskly, "we've both seen her proportions, and she has a lot of heart to her. If you have feelings for her, I don't understand why you're hesitating. Invite her over to dinner. Whenever fits for her schedule is fine, but don't disappoint me, young man." She was serious, this time.
"Yes, ma'am," said, resigned and blushing.
Leon had double and triple-checked his backpack, making sure he had everything he'd need for his first day in his third year of the heroics course. Being the "number one" in his class, in terms of raw power had some quirks, but that also meant that he was expected to 'go beyond, Plus Ultra' the shit out of everything. "It's not like I mind, going above and beyond just makes me stronger," he muttered softly.
He was about to walk out of his room, but he caught himself, knowing he'd forgotten the most important thing of all. His sunscreen, custom made to protect him from the backlash of his quirk. There wasn't another sunscreen in the world that worked above twenty-five percent, and he had learned this the hard way.
Making sure he had his phone and phone charger, along with his wallet, he finally allowed himself to exit the room.
He had a train to catch, after all.
Izuku Midoriya walked through the tall, imposing doorway. His eyes cast upward, he was impressed; the doorway had to be twenty feet tall and six feet wide.
His breath caught in his throat, burning hot. He noticed who he was sharing a class with, and his lack of enthusiasm was mirrored by none other than Katsuki Bakugou. His childhood bully.
Those red eyes bore into him, and the cold anger in them wasn't even shocking anymore.
Izuku increased the heat around him subconsciously, rising to his bait. The temperature increase gradually became noticeable to them both, and Izuku quickly brought his quirk, Flame-Edge, back under control right as Katsuki looked away.
No words were exchanged, and Izuku proceeded to his seat unmolested.
As everyone settled into their spots, the yellow caterpillar on the floor spoke up, its voice that of a gruff man.
"All of you, settle down."
The door to class 3A was a giant, mahogany affair, its handle a burnished silver. It had been scuffed by several hands already, it seemed. He shivered as he turned it and walked into the classroom.
Leon smiled to himself, goosebumps rising on his skin, the tension in his face falling away as he set his eyes on many familiar faces. And hers. The skin around his eyes crinkled as his lips formed into a gentle smile.
"Nejire," he said, the endorphins rushing through his brain. She turned when he called.
And the smile that spread across her face was more than enough to make his heart jump, and he was determined not to freeze this time, damn it!
There was a note on the board to seat themselves wherever they'd like. As he strode over to her with as much confidence as he could muster, the few other people that he knew greeted him, and he responded in kind.
"Hey, Leon-kun. I saved you a seat. Mirio is pouting two rows back, he's annoyed that we all can't sit with each other. I'd give him a few minutes to spark back up, you know he will." She oozed positivity, and she stood to give him a hug as she approached. He was more than ten centimeters taller than her, and always made her feel safe when she was in his arms.
Her chest pressed up against his as they embraced happily, for the first time in weeks. He'd had the last week of school off to recuperate from a fight with a villain.
"I missed you so much," Leon whispered into her ear.
"I know." He couldn't see it, but there were the beginnings of tears in her eyes. "It's been a minute, Mr. Starchaser. I've missed you too," she said as they separated and took their seats.
Leon stowed his bag, looking back at his two other friends, as a chill passed through the room. A breeze rushed forth from the back of the room, and the majority of the room was on their feet in seconds, facing the figure, whose footsteps echoed throughout the room as he stepped toward them. He stowed his giant wings behind him. Mirio's eyes were already shining in wonder.
"Hey. Good reaction time, all of you, but please, sit." The voice of a young man sounded forth.
"Listen up, all of you. As I'm sure all of you know, I am the number two hero, Hawks," Hawks remarked, striding forward into the light. It reflected sharply off of his blade-like russet feathers, and he grinned genuinely. "I'm happy to be here, but I hope none of you will snitch on me if I have to step out early every now and then?" Noting no dissent from the class, he continued on.
Leon noted that he had bags under his eyes, and looked back towards where Tamaki and Mirio sat, concerned. Mirio nodded back at him, with a gesture to pay attention.
"I run a very small, but successful hero agency. I work with very little staff on-hand. If I need to step out, rest assured that I need to step out, and that it's for a reason," he finished, strained.
"That being said, my morning has been trying, so for the remainder of this period, you can choose to go to the TDL, or stay here and socialize. Don't expect this too often, you all seem like you're mature enough to handle the privilege." He finally dropped his upbeat facade, falling back to his normal nonchalance.
"I'll be going to the teacher's lounge to get some coffee. Does anyone in here want some?" His eyes raked across the room, spotting a few additional hands in the air.
"I should be back in a few minutes, then."
Mirio and Tamaki had headed for the TDL, Mirio yelling something about needing to improve his 'POWERRRR!'
Leon had watched them leave, and a few others in the small class had come up to him and Nejire to say hello. They had situated themselves by the few windows the homely classroom had to offer.
There was only twelve of them, but he at least knew most of their names, by now. He didn't know many of them well, but it was nice to be back with his people.
Back with Nejire. Turning his line of sight to the left, he caught her looking, and she turned away, a blush spreading across her face. "Caught ya." She blushed even harder, her eyes darting back and forth before finally settling on his own.
"I think the support department should be open, you wanna head over?" He mused, the question lingering in the air. She nodded with enthusiasm.
"For sure! I wonder what the new first years will be like? Maybe they'll have some interesting quirks?" She wondered out loud, starting to mutter.
"Stop muttering. It's too cute," he said, running his hand through her hair.
She internally screamed with happiness, the blush roaring across her face. He could have sworn he saw steam come out of her ears.
They gathered their things and went on their way. They both couldn't be happier. Best Monday ever.
As they roamed the halls that led to the Support department, they each took glances at the other, both wanting to say something. It looked like Leon was going to initiate the talk they needed to have, but all that Nejire got from him was a nervous bit of side-eye.
Nejire brushed a lock of her hair back behind her ear, frustrated. She walked quickly in front of Leon. "We need to talk." Her eyes were fierce and passionate. Leon stopped in his tracks, looking her in the eyes, processing. He blinked, exhaling long out his nose.
He sighed. "I know. Ever since last year, we've been putting this off. But I don't want to talk about this here. You know how I feel about you." He took a few steps forward, pulling her to him. She offered no resistance as he leant forward and kissed her forehead.
"You are the starlight in my dreams, and the sunlight of my days," he whispered. "And I know that you feel the same, since you," he said, poking her in the side, making her giggle, "confessed your feelings first."
"Well if we feel the same way, why can't we talk about this here?" She pouted, poking him in the cheek, backing up a few steps, gesturing for him to keep moving. Her left eyebrow raised, she invited an answer to her unanswered question. His features crinkled up in obvious faux-annoyance.
"Because my mom wants me to invite you to dinner, whenever it works best for you. We can spend some time out back, by the river. Wouldn't that be so much more romantic, then deciding on something in a random hallway?"
She paused and squinted her eyes a little, seeming to be imagining her schedule. After a brief moment of processing, she answered.
"Well you can tell your mom that I'm free on Wednesday."
They were both more excited than they'd admit. He was glad to be home, because home is where the heart is. And his heart was with her.
The Yagi household was a gentle, quiet affair. Especially with Izuku out at school, Inko had time to herself. Her husband, Toshinori, was out working. He ran a local food pantry, and she couldn't be any happier with her second marriage.
When Hisashi had walked out twelve years ago, she'd been nearly destitute, despite her working overtime every week. Toshinori Yagi had been a laborer his whole life, having been born quirkless. He didn't need a strong quirk to enthrall her, though. When they'd met at the food pantry, he'd been a volunteer at the time. He'd carried Izuku on one of his shoulders, while he held their groceries in his other arm. She'd seen how good he was with Izuku and how kind he was to the other children, and they flirted for a few minutes at her car.
They'd exchanged numbers, and from there, they'd dated for a few months, on and off. Six months into their relationship, he'd gained ownership of the food pantry, and he asked to move in. He proposed soon after he'd moved in, and of course she said yes.
She had no regrets about it.
A/N: That's right. Lots of ground being covered in this chapter. Please consider reviewing, any feedback would be appreciated.
