Hero Academia: A Sky Full of Stars
Disclaimer: I do not own Hero Academia or anything mentioned in this except my OC, Andromeda.
Cages aren't made of iron. They're made of thoughts. ~Unknown
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"Don't disappoint me, Andromeda."
The voice of her Father echoed in her mind, a blatant warning that he had given her before she left Italy.
She knew the consequences of disappointing him quite intimately. Absentmindedly, one of her hands traced the straight scars that lined the inside of her right hand, hidden from view by velvet black gloves.
"Miss Emrys? We've arrived."
Turning her distracted gaze away from the car window, the young woman gave him a small smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Hale," she thanked him gratefully, taking a moment to inspect her appearance with critical eyes.
Black tights, brown flats, a dark green pleated skirt that went to the middle of her thighs, short-sleeved white button-up shirt with a red tie properly tied, and a grey blazer with two thin green strips at the cuffs, lapels, and shoulders. Her dark curls were piled high into a neat, tight bun while her face was bare of foundation with a bit of neutral color eye-shadow for her eyes, mascara for her long lashes, and peach-colored lipstick on her lips.
Overall, she looked every inch the prim and proper young heiress that she was.
"Goodbye, Mr. Hale. Thank you again for the ride," she thanked him once more as she picked up her backpack, black leather from some expensive brand back at home.
Inhaling deeply, she grasped onto that cool composure she had learned from years of experience and pushed open the door, slipping out of the car. She brushed any imaginary lint off her skirt and strode gracefully into the school.
Whispers exploded around her, everyone wondering who the foreigner was. It was clear by her rich tanned skin and bright, turquoise eyes that she wasn't from the area.
Feeling eyes on her, the young heiress straightened her back and held her head high, radiating a cool confidence. She knew from experience that things would not work well for her if she didn't present herself in the proper way.
Relief flickered through her as she found the classroom for Class 1-C, the Department of General Education. Stepping inside, she scanned the room in a glance, trying to figure out where to sit. The majority of the class was spread around the front, but there was a purple-haired guy in the back who was alone. There was a clear ring of seats around him, as if no one wanted to be around him.
Deciding that it was better to keep her full attention on the future lessons, she headed straight for the back, where she picked an empty seat next to the purple-haired guy. It went quiet in the room as all eyes went to her, before a new wave of whispers broke out.
"Why is she sitting with him?"
"Someone should warn the poor girl."
Deciding to ignore whatever they were gossiping about now, she shifted her backpack onto her lap and dug around in it. She pulled out a plain navy notebook and a small black pencil bag, setting both on top of her desk. Placing both hands on her lap, she clasped them together and crossed her legs neatly, patiently waiting for the instructor to arrive.
Her eyes widened as a rather attractive older woman in a provocative outfit strut into the classroom. Cheeks heating in embarrassment, she focused her gaze on her face, making sure not to drop any lower.
"Hello, kids! My name is Midnight and I will be your homeroom teacher. I also teach Modern Hero Art History," Midnight smirked as she perched on the edge of the desk, crossing her legs. "So why don't we start by getting to know each other a little bit more? One at a time, everyone introduce themselves. Your name, where you're from, your Quirk, that sort of thing."
As the front section of the class introduced themselves one by one, turquoise eyes scanned each of them, analyzing. She didn't come here to make friends. Her Father sent her here for one reason only and that was to graduate U.A. with the highest score possible, so that she could return to Italy and start college there. By the time she reached eighteen, there would be a betrothal arranged by her Father.
She forced herself out of her downward spiral of thoughts as she noticed it was her turn.
"Hello. My name is Andromeda Emrys and I'm from Italy," Andromeda inclined her head slightly, her lips stretching into the pleasant, polite smile she had learned years ago.
Glancing over at the purple-haired guy, she watched as he slowly dragged himself up from his slumped position on the desk.
"Shinso Hitoshi," he drawled, half-lidded indigo eyes flickering around the class before landing on the girl next to him. His eyebrows raised slightly as he looked at her thoughtfully.
Turquoise met indigo as they locked eyes.
Andromeda wondered just what he could see in her eyes. She had been told by her nanny that the eyes were windows to the soul and hers were very expressive.
Afraid of what he might see, she tore her eyes from his and looked down at her notebook. The moment passed as Midnight began to teach on artists from history. Andromeda dutifully copied down notes on the subject, reminding herself inwardly that she wasn't planning to make friends here. She had done that before and it never ended well.
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After Modern Hero Art History with Midnight and Mathematics with Ectoplasm, there was a break for lunch.
The cafeteria was packed with students, all mingling, talking, laughing, and messing around. Backpack held by the straps in one arm, Andromeda got in the line for food and picked out a couple of the healthier options, like a salad with some grilled chicken in it, along with a bottle of water. She got out of line and stood to the side, scanning the room for a place to sit.
A flash of purple caught her eye and she turned her head to see a table at the other end of the cafeteria, empty of all but one student. Shinso Hitoshi sat with his back to the wall behind him, facing the rest of the cafeteria. Half-lidded indigo eyes were idly studying the students at the other tables as he ate. Other students were throwing glances over at him, whispering to their friends. They probably thought they were being discrete, but it was as obvious as a neon sign.
Anger sparked in her chest, hot and seething, and she remembered one of the rules.
Don't cause a scene. Don't draw attention.
Deciding to ignore that rule for once, Andromeda strode forward.
"Hey, Andromeda-san! Come sit with us!"
She ignored the student who called that out to her as she confidently strode down the aisle between the packed tables. Indigo eyes met turquoise and his eyebrows raised as she headed straight towards him.
"Hello, Shinso-san," Andromeda smiled as she stopped in front of him, holding her food tray in one hand and her backpack in the other. "May I sit with you, please?"
Shinso stared up at her, eyebrows still raised, before nodding.
She took the seat directly across from him, placing her back to the rest of the cafeteria. The move was intentional, a non-verbal, physical barrier that separated Shinso from the rest of the students. It was basically like placing a "Don't Mess With This One" sign on him.
Setting her backpack on the empty seat next to her and crossing her legs neatly under the table, Andromeda popped open her salad and started to eat in small, precise bites.
"Why did you do that?"
She didn't look up immediately at the question. Chewing her bite of chicken and lettuce, she swallowed before looking at him.
"You were sitting by yourself. I thought you might want company."
Shinso looked taken aback by the simple response, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion. "Everyone else avoids me and you decide to that I want company?"
"Essentially, yes," she took a sip from her bottle of water.
"Why?"
"You seem like a nice guy," Andromeda cocked her head, a small smile twisting at her lips.
He looked so confused and surprised by her words that she couldn't help feeling a bit sad for him. No one should ever be treated badly to the point that they expected it. Her gloved fingers on one hand briefly brushed at the palm of the other before clasping together in her lap.
"You're kind of weird," Shinso stated bluntly, eyeing her like he didn't know what to make of her.
Surprised at the blunt statement, Andromeda laughed, her eyes brightening with mirth.
"That's not something I normally hear, but yes, I suppose I am."
The rest of the lunch break was spent in an unexpectedly comfortable silence. While Shinso finished eating, Andromeda alternated between bites of salad and glancing over the lesson notes from Mathematics class. She was well-rounded when it came to school subjects, but she had slightly more trouble with math than anything else. The rules of it were difficult for her to understand at times.
By the time lunch break ended, she felt like she had a decent grasp on the concepts of the lesson. She threw away her trash and headed towards the next class with Shinso following, his hands stuffed in his pockets.
The next class was English, much to her joy. She enjoyed languages, learning and studying them. Even if she had already learned English a couple of years ago, it was still a nice way for her to keep up on it.
Grabbing a seat near the back, Andromeda dug around in her backpack and pulled out another notebook. This one was a dark purple, just a couple of shades off from indigo.
She heard a quiet snort and glanced over as Shinso took the seat to her right. His eyes were on her notebook.
"That's a nice color," he observed, amused.
"I think so too. It's my favorite actually," Andromeda smiled lightly as his eyes widened slightly in surprise, caught off guard.
Catching her light amusement, he looked away, just as the instructor entered.
The class was interesting, if a little disappointing. Learning English from Present Mic was duller than she thought. His voice droning on about nouns and verbs along with the warm classroom almost put her to sleep a few times. She fought it off by writing in her notebook, recording all of the studying tips for English that she could remember from when she learned it. Next to her, Shinso had lost the battle and dozed freely, his messy purple hair resembling a bush on the desk.
"That's it for the day, little listeners! Thank you for being here!" Present Mic dismissed the class when it ended.
Slipping her notebook back into her backpack, Andromeda glanced over at Shinso, who was still knocked out.
She hesitated for a moment, wondering if he would be mad at her for waking him up, before deciding that he would be angrier if he woke up late and missed their next class.
"Shinso-san, it's time to wake up," she murmured quietly, reaching out to gently touch his arm.
Just that small touch made him jerk his head up, looking around blearily.
"What? What's going on?"
"English class just ended. It's time to go to Modern Literature," she answered, secretly admitting inwardly that he looked cute when he had just woken up, somehow softer. Alarmed by that thought, she stuffed it in the deepest mental hole she could find, knowing those kind of thoughts never helped anyone.
"Oh..." he blinked, standing. "Thanks for waking me up then."
"You're welcome," she headed out of the classroom, Shinso following.
For Modern Literature class, Cementoss lectured on the types of literature they would be reading throughout the year. When the class ended, he assigned a reading in the textbook, from the play of Othello by Shakespeare. He instructed for them to pair up and work on it in groups, analyzing a section of the reading.
Andromeda immediately turned to Shinso, hoping he would work with her.
"Shinso-san, would you like to be partners in this project?"
He blinked at her in surprise before nodding. "Sure."
Standing, she packed up and slung the bag over her shoulders. She looked to Shinso, who had gotten up and stood next to her, carrying his own bag with one hand.
"Where do you want to meet?"
She tilted her head in thought, her lips twisting into a thoughtful frown.
If she was honest with herself, she didn't really want to work on the project at her apartment. It was lonely, staying in that big apartment by herself.
"Is there a cafe or something of the sort we could go to? I would pay for the both of us of course, since it was my idea," she quickly backtracked, seeing his frown. "I'm sorry, that was a stupid idea. I just moved here a few days ago and I haven't been out of the apartment yet so I was just wondering..."
"Hey, it's okay," he cut her off. "I've got a place in mind but I don't know if it's your kind of thing."
"I'd like to go," Andromeda smiled, cheering inwardly. "Any excuse to leave the apartment is welcome, I assure you."
"Okay," Shinso nodded. "Do you want to go now or would you rather go home to change?"
"I'm fine with going now, if you are as well."
When he nodded, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She pulled up Mr. Hale's contact and typed a quick message.
Mr. Hale, I am going to accompany a classmate to a cafe to work on a project together. We will be walking so there is no need for a car. Thank you for your consideration.
Sending it, she pocketed her phone and looked to Shinso.
"Lead the way, Shinso-san."
A Sky Full of Stars
"People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel."~Maya Angelou
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After a short walk from U.A., they arrived at a small building. Andromeda looked at the colorful signs outside, looking around curiously, before following Shinso inside.
Once inside, Shinso slipped off his shoes, stacked them neatly and set them to the side. He moved over to one of the machines in the entryway and pressed a button, reaching down to grab the pair of slips that it dispensed and slipping them on. Straightening, he squirted some hand-sanitizer onto his hands and rubbed his hands together.
Andromeda copied him, taking off her shoes and stacking them next to his, before slipping on a pair of slippers and hand-sanitizing her hands.
Shinso waited for her to finish before opening the door to the cafe, stepping inside and holding it open for her.
Stepping through, Andromeda looked around in interest. There were multiple shelves around the room filled with books, manga, fiction, any genre she could think of. They rounded the corner of the hallway and moved into the main room, where there was a large tree made of wood with perches.
She cocked her head, wondering what the perches were for, until she saw a furry ginger tabby curled up on one of them. Her eyes widened, delighted, as she looked around, seeing more cats scattered around the cafe that she hadn't noticed.
"What is this?"
Moving over to one of the couches, Shinso sat down on the floor and leaned back against it, setting his bag down next to him. Andromeda followed and sat down on the other side of him, tucking her legs under her neatly.
"It's a cat cafe. You don't have them back home?"
Andromeda couldn't contain her smile as it widened, brighter than it had been in years, as a cat with long, beautiful grey fur, just a few shades off from silver, sauntered over to her. Bright green eyes looked up at her as the cat moved to lay against her side. Reaching out, tentative gloved fingers combed through the thick fur, causing the cat to purr loudly.
"No, unfortunately, there aren't any of these in Italy," she looked up from the cat, smiling brightly. "This is amazing!"
"Glad you like it," Shinso smirked, scratching under the chin of a sleek black tabby as it came up to him.
For the next two hours, the two students worked on their assigned reading, analyzing it separately and discussing what they each found. It was nice to find that Shinso did his own share of work. He was smart and pointed out insightful details she hadn't taken notice of. Andromeda enjoyed herself more than she had expected to and she liked to think Shinso did too.
Shinso offered to walk her home and she accepted, knowing it was late enough that it was a bad idea for her to walk home by herself.
The walk was filled with small talk, asking casual questions and getting to know one another.
"What is your dream, Shinso-san?"
"Like every other kid of our time and age, I want to be a Pro Hero," Shinso kicked at a stray rock, his eyes distant as they walked. "I want to be an Underground Hero, like Eraserhead."
"I think you'll be a great Hero," Andromeda complimented, smiling as she turned to look over at him. "From what I've seen, people are intimidated by you and your abilities. But you're not bad or evil or anything like that. You're smart and determined. Your heart's in the right place to be a Hero. If there's anyone that'll get into the Hero course, it'll be you."
Shinso stared at her, stunned. His lips slowly twisted into a smile, the first genuine smile she had seen from him.
"Thanks, Andromeda-san. What's your dream, if you don't mind me asking?"
The peace that she was feeling faded, the reminder of what her life held causing her smile to gain a bittersweet tint.
"Father expects me to graduate U.A. with sufficient grades. After that, he expects me to return to Italy, where I will be expected to marry the suitor he selects for me," Andromeda answered quietly, her eyes unfocused as she stared into the distance.
Beside her, Shinso frowned, recognizing that she seemed to take this plan as a fact of life, as if it had been expected of her from birth.
"Forget your Father for a second. What do you want to do?"
Blinking in surprise at the unexpected question, Andromeda pondered the answer. That question brought back thoughts that she had locked up a long time ago. She hadn't allowed herself to dream in years. She had been so focused on surviving for so long, just living day by day.
"I...I don't know. I suppose..."
"Suppose what?"
She looked over at Shinso, her lips twisting into a small, honest smile.
"I would like to be myself. No expectations from others, no plans looming over my head, just me."
"Then just be you," Shinso spoke bluntly, frown growing as he contemplated the hidden meanings tied to that dream. "The hard truth of it all is that life is too short to be doing anything you don't want to do. If I had listened to everyone else, I wouldn't have even considered being a Hero. You should do what you want with your life. It's yours, not anyone else's."
Halting in her tracks, Andromeda stared at him with wide eyes.
"Hime, are you truly happy with this life?"
That was the question her nanny, the one who had raised her from childhood, had whispered to her. Little five-year-old Andromeda hadn't known how to answer her at that time, too puzzled over the question. She thought the way she grew up was the norm. To her, there was nothing wrong with it. She had never known anything else.
But the perspective had shifted as she aged, seeing the way other parents reacted with their children. Her thoughts had wandered, wondering why her father treated her differently.
"It's not that easy..." Andromeda frowned, the thought of her father sending those dark thoughts back to the front of her mind. "My father wouldn't like it."
"In the end, it's up to you," Shinso let the issue go for the moment, sensing that those conceptions she had wouldn't be broken that easily.
Andromeda stayed quiet, taking on a small frown as she thought on his words. The rest of the walk was comfortably quiet. When they reached her apartment building, Andromeda bid him goodnight and waved in farewell absentmindedly as she walked inside.
Late in the night, as she lay in bed, Andromeda contemplated his advice.