Hero

by Shavalyoth

Having been professional heroes together for some time, a father and his son are given an interesting opportunity. This leads them both into the fires of a shadow war that's been raging for decades. But it's still a chance. A chance for them to both do some honest good. To make the world a better place. Rated M for safety in the future. No pairings at the current moment.

Hello! This is my first attempt at a story. I apologize but it is a slow start. I understand this can come across as a self insert, but I assure you, it isn't. Hate them, I just don't want to alter already existing characters. Figured it would be easier to just write new characters into the story and work them into events. I find the character alteration stories to end up being very alike. This…I fiddled with the idea of writing a father-son duo for some time, just never knew the story for it. But I have a plan. Just hope it turns out ok. I hope you all read, review, relax and enjoy!

Hero
Prologue

"YO, DAD!"

A sigh came from a man sitting at his desk marked with the name Todd Shafer. He was in his mid-forties, though his height of six-foot-two, well-trained muscles and lightly tanned skin had most pin him in his thirties. Stress-grayed hair was shaved down to a smooth head, though a healthy mix of gray and blonde stubble marked his squared jaw. His blue eyes, as bright as a summer sky, peered to the open door of his office.

"Yeah, Nick?"

Only a few seconds later did the young man come into the office, his brown hair faded up the sides into a healthy short cut and his brown eyes gleaming from the overhead lights. He was built slightly different from his faither, with a slightly more pointed jawline, leaner muscles, being an inch taller and no facial hair to speak of. All in all, both were their own brand of handsome.

As he came in, he caught the frame of the door and leaned off it with a questioning expression. "You know where the report from Saturday nights raid is? Darkstar? Detective Asher won't tell me what happened to their copy, but he was hoping he could get one of ours."

Todd narrowed his eyes in confusion and before either of them said anything else, a feminine, golden glowing arm snatched a file from atop a nearby filing cabinet and threw it like a frisbee towards Nick. He caught it clumsily before skimming over the contents. Snapping the file shut, he grinned over at the white haired, white eyed woman who was floating behind his dad. She was dressed plain, but no less beautiful. A simple white dress and white heels covered her feet with white wings folded behind her back. "Much appreciated, Celeste!"

"Tell Asher if he wants that, then he needs to get us our copy of the report on the White Sun incident. We can't file anything towards insurance or to reimburse the family who's house we accidentally destroyed. He's holding us up on that and it's starting to piss me off. Remind him they have at least fifty thousand in renovations."

Nick nodded in response to his dad and left to go do the boring part of his job. Celeste smiled lightly and sighed as she floated around Todd who was trying to finish his work and get out of the office to go patrol. "Take a break, Todd."

He paused for barely a second before huffing out his own sigh and going right back to filling out forms. The glowing woman frowned slightly and placed a hand on his, stopping his writing. He grumbled under his breath and let go, leaning back in his chair. "I can't, Celeste. If I don't do it, I'll have to outsource our admin work. If I have to do that, mistakes will get made."

"This is why I've told you; you need to hire someone you can trust. You're going to burn out eventually if you don't. You and I both know you'd rather be on the streets, stopping criminals and keeping people safe."

He got up from his chair and looked out over the city, the window the height of the office and running the entirety of the wall. 'She's right…' he thought to himself. He would've loved to be out there on the streets right now. He and his son weren't the most well-known heroes in the business, given how many operated in the surrounding area alone, but they were good at what they did. They operated in a small area of the city, keeping their net tight so they could make a bigger difference where they could. Sure, they ventured outside their normal patrol areas on occasion, but not too terribly often. They were a small duo, not subsidized by the federal government, but from charitable donations from the city and state and whoever decided to support them. It paid the bills, but they didn't live as ostentatiously as some the heroes contracted by the government or the military did. Not that it bothered himself or Nick any, they lived comfortably. It did, however, show him that hero work wasn't being approached quite how he thought it should be.

He shook his head; he didn't want to think like a pessimist right now. Celeste felt his discomfort and hovered over him, crossing her arms, propping herself on his bald head. "I get it, you want to make sure things get done right. But on the other hand, you're going to make mistakes eventually too if you don't slow down. I mean, re-…"

She was quickly interrupted when they both heard an explosion in the distance. Todds eyes narrowed as he looked up at Celeste, her nodding in affirmation. With little ceremony, she merged into him, the transformation nearly instant. He was endowed in a glorious set of full-body, armor colored gold with white trim. It hugged his muscles and made him even more imposing. Sliding the window to the side, opening himself up to the air of the outside world, he called out, his voice gaining a metallic tinge to it thanks to the hoplite style helmet that now covered his head. It shadowed his eyes so people could only see the bright blue glow of his eyes. "Nicholas!"

Not even five seconds later, a being appeared beside him, lithe and cloaked in shadow, crouched like a feral beast. His voice was dark and raspy, though still held that lightheartedness of his son's voice. "Heard it too. Guessing we're taking care of it?"

"Of course. We get there, we handle it as usual and adapt if necessary."

Nick's chuckle was dark, but not mirthful. "No problemo! Let's hit it!" He disappeared, a streak of shadow taking off over buildings and making his way to the site of the explosion. Todd himself jumped from the window and fell as large wings of light formed from his back. Soon, he took flight and made for the explosion as well.

"It's in the direction of the warehouse you and Nicholas raided this past weekend. Think it's related? Retaliatory, maybe?"

As he flew through the sky, Todd kept his eyes focused and keen, hoping to spot anything that would give him a read on the situation as he got closer. "It being retaliatory is possible, but no one in Darkstar's inner circle was confirmed to have anything close to a Quirk that could produce explosions. It's possible it could also be someone moving in on his territory. We'll find out soon enough."

Flying over the scene, he took account that to the naked eye, there wasn't too much serious damage to the actual structure of the warehouse. Nick appeared outside the building in a streak of darkness, and he also seemed to be talking to himself, rather animatedly too. "Arguing with Ego again, it seems."

"It seems so. But…I still appreciate him willing to put up with him for my sake."

He lowered himself to the ground beside Nick, overhearing the tail end of the conversation. "-lly are dumb, dude. You could literally do whatever you wa-… just… ugh… Whatever, fine! I'll let you 'use' my body for your 'nefarious' plans. Dummy…"

The conversation ended when Nick heard his dad drop beside him, the light of his transformed state slightly hurting him in his own. Todd looked slightly concerned, but felt he knew what it was about. "Ego wants to eat again?"

Nick nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, he wanted the fear of whoever was responsible for this, but I talked him down to calamari this time. Anyway, perimeter check didn't yield results. No noticeable differences in the surrounding area. Everything seems to be localized inside the warehouse. All evidence was moved out Sunday so I don't think this couldn't be an attempt to destroy anything that could pin Darkstar. Personally, I think it's someone just being a dick."

Todd looked to the building as smoke billowed out of the shattered windows. People on the streets, instead of getting distance from them had pulled out their phones and began recording. He rolled his eyes and held out his hand, light coalescing into an ornate spear in his hands. "We clear the building and report to Asher. He'll want to know about this."

Nick grinned, his shadow cloaked head forming a malicious white grin courtesy of Ego. He dashed inside, noticing first and foremost that the smoke wasn't coming from any fire. It confused him, given that what brought them here was an explosion. Todd took point behind him, and both soon noticed that the heat began to rise, forming a wind pressure and blowing the smoke away from a central point. "Just who I wanted to see…"

The voice came from the center of the smoke as it cleared and Nick crouched down, the darkness around his body forming spikes and claws. Todd flourished his spear, the tip coming to face the new person. "Who are you?"

The man wore a long black coat with a hood and a gasmask that covered the bottom half of his face. "Who I am doesn't matter. What does matter is you're the ones who took down and arrested Darkstar…and my boss isn't happy about it. You've cut off a not-so insubstantial flow of funds to him."

Todds eyes narrowed once more. "So, he sent you to bomb an old Trigger warehouse and lure us out, just so you can monologue and tell us how big of a mistake we made? We've heard it all before. We're going to pay, time for us to die. None of it's new."

The man in the mask chuckled slightly before he began to pace back and forth. "Maybe it isn't…but no one can back up a threat like my boss can. We may not know a lot about you two, but that doesn't matter in the long run. In fact, in the next few minutes, it won't matter at all. You'll be dead." With little warning the man rushed in faster than expected, his form wreathed in flame as he threw a punch at Nick. He dodged underneath and sent his own punch towards the mans gut, blasting him back. The man flipped into a recovery, only to immediately go on the defensive once more as Todd had rushed in, spear overhead to slam into him with the flat of the blade.

The man crossed his arms across his face to block the spear, but it disappeared in a flash of light, partially blinding him as Todd slammed his foot into his chest, pinning him to the floor and cracking the concrete. Nick had rushed in, chains of darkness forming around him and ready to bind the villain, but the man let out a roar and exploded in a pillar of flames that blew a hole in the roof. Nick would've been worried, but he felt the heat and knew it would've taken flames like the foreign hero Endeavors to actually get through his dads armor.

The pillar died down, but Todd remained stalwart on top of the man with steam rising from his armor, making him panic slightly. "Wha…what?! How?! My flames should've burned you to a crisp!"

Nick rolled his eyes. "Yeah, ha! Definitely haven't heard that one before, dude." Todd chuckled to himself as well. "Guess your boss didn't do ANY research, huh? Don't worry, though, our research will be easy. We don't need you to talk. Asher will get what he needs from you."

The darkness around Nick formed chains and quickly bound the panicking man. He barely fought back, as he hadn't actually expected to be beaten so easily. "I…I thought you two were street-level heroes…"

The helmet disappeared from Todds head, and he rubbed a small bead of sweat away. Nick laughed lightly and used a small rope of darkness to lift the man up and carry him out of the building. "We're still pros dude. Shit, my dad would've been a pro a lot sooner if he hadn't joined the Navy."

The man barely registered what he said as he was hauled out into the light. Police had already arrived, along with the familiar, grizzled face of Detective Asher. The permanent five o'clock shadow and tired grey eyes were a dead giveaway. Todd walked over as police rushed into the building to clear it. Nick stuffed the man in the back of the Police van marked for elemental Quirk villains. Asher looked as tired as ever and sighed when Todd stood beside him. "Wasn't expecting to be back here for a minute, Camael. Guessing that guy's the perp?"

"Using the Hero Name, huh? He's not happy."

Todd shrugged imperceptibly. 'I'm not happy either. I still need my White Sun report.' "He is. Guy mentioned a boss that was also linked to Darkstar. Figured we'd leave him mostly intact so you could work your Quirk on him."

"Well, at least there's that. And not a lot of property damage. Just a little pissed this happened in the middle of me filing everything from Saturday's raid. That, and met with a…guy who's looking for you. Sent him to your office. Foreign, Japanese from the sound of the accent. Very interested in the Darkstar raid, too."

Todd hummed in intrigue. "Sounds interesting. Hopefully he'll be there when we get back."

Nick strolled up, the darkness around him forming a bubble above him with a mouthful of sharp teeth as he shoved his hands into his jean pockets. "Someone wants to meet us, huh?" Asher nodded. "Yaldabaoth, good to see you again. And so soon, too…"

He shivered theatrically for a moment. "Hero Name? Oof…you're mad."

Asher rolled his eyes and walked over to the van, leaving the father-son duo alone. Nick hummed lightly and looked around. "At least it went quickly. Moreso than I thought it would've. Darkstar put up more of a fight than that dork. Impressive fire Quirk, though. Put off a lot of heat, and if that explosion was his Quirk he's got some power. Too bad he's a villain."

Todd nodded and his helmet came back. "It is, he could've done more as a hero than a villain, that's for sure. C'mon, Asher said someone was waiting for us at the office."

His son huffed a sigh and rolled his head, popping his neck. "Do you need me there? I could head back to the station and get the White Sun report for you? Do some patrolling along the way?" The older Shafer shook his head and lifted off the ground with wings of light. "He mentioned he was interested in Darkstar. It might be someone related to him again and I'd prefer to have you there if anything goes south."

Nick got serious and took his hands out of his pockets, the dark orb grumbling as it formed around him once more, covering him in the form of a shadow being. "Let's get to it then. I don't want someone like that hanging around our office alone." Without another word, he dashed off and up a building clinging to the shadows as best he could as he made his way back to the office. Todd followed suit as he flew overhead. "Not catching much of a break today, huh?"

"Doesn't seem to be the case. Hopefully this guy can give us some information."

The flight back was quick as Todd flew into the open window of his main office. Transforming back into his normal work clothes consisting of a white button-up shirt with a black tie, black dress pants and black dress shoes, he rolled his own neck while Celeste formed outside his body without her wings, quietly floating around the office and picking up files and papers that had been blow around in the wind. Todd closed the window before going to sit behind his desk again. She set the cleaned-up paperwork on his desk and he nodded his thanks. "Thank you, Celeste…would you mind going out an-…"

"YO DAD! GOT A GUY…BEAR…DOG HERE FOR YOU!"

Todd looked to Celeste and both shared a small look of confusion before he shook his head and straightened his back. "Can you bring him in here, bud?"

Celeste smiled lightly before taking up position behind him. She was right, getting out and getting his hands dirty, if only for a few minutes, had put him in a much better mood. It was only a moment before Nick appeared in the doorway with his own small smile, a small, well-dressed, white-furred creature with a scar over its eye beside him. Clearly an animal of some sort, the energy he seemed to put off was overwhelmingly positive and it hit Todd like a ton of bricks. "I would like to present, Mr. Nezu! Nice enough guy in the minute I've known him."

Nezu gave a quick bow of appreciation before walking in, hopping up onto one of the two chairs in front of the desk and holding out a hand. Todd shoes quickly to shake it with a small smile. "A pleasure to meet you sir. Asher said you had an interest in speaking with me?"

The small creature gave a hearty chuckle and a bright smile. "The pleasure is all mine, I assure you! And I do have a great interest in not only you, but your son as well! The two heroes responsible for taking down a significant supply of Trigger in the United States? I'm surprised when I looked the both of you up you weren't higher in the polls!"

'Asher mentioned an accent, but I can barely hear it.'

Todd huffed good-naturedly before going to sit back down, Nezu following suit. "Neither of us ever cared much for the politics of hero work. Especially here, things can get dicey when you get too far into the public eye. We prefer to do as much go as we can without playing the 'game'. Could I offer you something to drink? We have coffee, tea, water?"

Nezu nodded appreciatively. "A black coffee would be wonderful right about now, thank you." Todd looked to Celeste, the unspoken request swimming into her mind as she smiled and went off. Nick took a seat in the chair beside Nezu, one leg crossing over the other. "So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"

He looked to the son, his smile never leaving. "I was interested in meeting the two responsible for removing Darkstar. He was a thorn in our side for some time in Japan. His operation saw shipments coming through our borders for awhile now. He is also the remnant of an old regime that took hold of our country in its darkest time. I'm sure you yourself are aware of this time, Mr. Shafer? Your profile said you spent some time in the Navy during those times."

Todds hands steepled and he nodded. "I'm aware of a group of villains in Japan that tried to spread their grubby hands over to the states as well. I wasn't aware Darkstar had connections that went back that far. It would explain what the other guy was talking about, though."

This piqued Nezu's interest. "'Other guy', sir?"

Nick piped in as Celeste came back, two cups of black coffee and a can of soda, passing their drinks between the two in front of the desk before going back to Todd with his coffee. "We actually just got back from dealing with some butt-nugget who mentioned his boss wasn't happy with us taking down Darkstar. I know a little something about that time, too. But as far as I was aware, the ringleader was taken down. No one knew his Quirk or who did it, but things got better for Japan so I figured it was safe to assume he was gone. So it's either one of two things. Either ol' boy is still kicking, just quietly, or someone else is moving in, taking over the old estate, so to speak."

Nezu looked pensive for a moment before sipping his coffee, deep in thought. "I'm going to be honest with you, I'd prefer the latter. The former is…much too terrifying to envision. Unfortunately, without proper information, I can't discount either theory. You said the man you just fought; he mentioned this boss? Would it be at all possible for me to meet him? I have some experience in interrogation, and I am an internationally register Hero. I would be within my jurisdiction."

Todd shrugged, sipping his own drink. "If that's the case I don't think there'd be an issue with that, but I don't think it'll be necessary. Detective Asher, the man you spoke to before coming here, his Quirk allows him to dig into a person's mind with physical contact. Lots of red tape around how he can use it, personal privacy and all that, but since this guy is a villain apprehended in the middle of a crime, he'll be Digging him the moment they get him back to the station. In about an hour I can call him, and we can see what he's found."

Nezu smiled, beaming once more. "That would be wonderful! And it gives me plenty of time to get to the meat of the conversation." He placed his cup down and dusted his legs off, Celeste screaming internally at how cute he was. "I would like to interview the both of you and offer you jobs at my school."

Internal screaming stopped, Todd stopped drinking and Nick looked absolutely confused. A black orb formed behind Nick, slightly unnerving Nezu before the teeth formed and it spoke. "Jobs at a school? As teachers? Staff? The old man I could see…this idiot, though. Not at all."

Nezu looked astonished at the orb that Nick slapped for the comment and looked over to Celeste who, apart from going to get them their drinks, remained by Todd. He put the familial aspect and Quirk genetics together in an instant. "Amazing! Two sentient Quirks! I assumed the woman was another Quirk user, not your actual Quirk!"

Todd nodded, slightly amused. Most people looked at Quirks in three types: Emitter, Transformation and Mutant type Quirks. Sentient Quirks, because of how they worked, tended to be looked at more as Emitter-Types, completely overlooking the sentience aspect of the Quirk itself. "I'm surprised you didn't know about Celeste and Ego beforehand, since you looked us up specifically."

The principal chuckled, still looking back and forth between the two. "Quirk documentation is done a little differently in the states than in Japan. The Hero Public Safety Commission has publicly accessible records and with how my school runs its Sports Festival, our students Quirks are in the public eye from the beginning of their careers. It's done to prepare them for the fact that as Pro Heroes, their abilities will be known to the public AND villains, while they may not always know whatever it is they're going to face in the world. It helps them understand and hone their powers to cover for their weaknesses before going out into the world. In America, your Quirk's are only accessible to state officials and your federal government. I had an idea that you both had transformative abilities, but to know that they're actually sentient…it's amazing!"

Nick preened slightly at the compliment, while Todd just smiled. "From what I understand, Hero Licensing is also different. Over in Japan you have to go through school and then you're licensed by your HPSC. We have schools here, but we both got our licenses from being prior service and applying. You know I was in the Navy, but Nick also served a few years in the Army."

Nezu smiled. "With Quirks like yours, it's no wonder you found yourselves in public service. But we're getting away from my main topic. I'd like to offer you positions on my teaching staff." He noticed Nick about to speak up, and cut him off, knowing what he was probably about to ask. "Citizenship won't be a problem. I have enough pull that I can get you dual citizenship at practically the snap of a finger. The HPSC would love to have two heroes of your caliber!"

Nick deflated slightly but shrugged it off. Todd looked slightly skeptical. "There's something else, isn't there? Us in particular? You would've put out an ad in your own country. Or you would've interviewed natives. Something with less hassle." Nezu looked Todd in the eyes and hummed in approval. He picked his coffee back up and took a sip. "You're absolutely right. Finding someone in Japan would be less of a hassle, but what I want you two for is something I want kept as quiet as possible. Darkstar's boss is a point of contention, but that doesn't mean that the operations surrounding that old regime don't still operate in some capacity, as you've obviously seen. Now, don't take this the wrong way, I have a group of people I would trust implicitly with this, but most of them are part of my full-time teaching staff. Bringing the two of you in does a few things for me. One, you already know about a bigger fish above Darkstar. Whether or not that fish is in Japan, we don't know yet. I hope to know more from the detective, but for now I can't assume. Two, I can rotate you in and out of the teaching rotation without breaking up the day-to-day and have boots on the ground when taking down the hiding remnants of the old regime, or heavens forbid, help in dealing with some new boss. And finally, three, you both strike me as straight shooters. You don't care for hero politics. I could expect you both to get whatever job done and done right."

Todd hummed to himself while Nick had gotten a serious look on his face. "Sounds like you're planning on using us as some sort of shadow force. We were both used like that before when we served due to the nature of our Quirks. We got away from it. That's why we became heroes. Killing…it's not our style anymore. Not unless there's no other way."

Nezu looked mortified and waved his hands in front of his face. "No no no! Nothing like that! Don't get me wrong, it's necessary sometimes, but I have no intention of using you like assassins! No…I want you two to do what I know you want to do. What I can feel from you. I want you both to make a difference. End the remnants of the old villain's regime, give the people even more hope, and strike fear into the hearts of the villains. I have no use for executioners. I want heroes."

All was quiet in the room. The dark orb that was Ego floated in silence, Celeste looked thoughtful, Nick was seriously thinking, and Todd looked…interested. This wasn't unnoticed by Celeste as she melded into his form without transforming. "This sounds like something you could really sink your teeth into. You always think about taking sidekicks and teaching. Teaching a generation of heroes and instilling responsibility, values, and accountability? Sounds right up your alley. And you can get out onto the streets of a new city regularly. Plus~, you can let Nezu handle all~ the paperwork."

Todd grinned lightly, getting up and looking back out over the city, as he did earlier. It filled him with a slight dread, leaving it all behind. Nezu said he'd take care of all the headache of getting them to Japan but leaving the city he'd worked so hard for…it put a pit in his stomach. Countless hours of patrolling, keeping the people safe. The paperwork…oh the paperwork… "Nick…bud…what do you think?"

Nick was shaken from his thoughts and looked to his dad. "I mean…it's a big decision to make. It moves us to a whole new country. Plus…ah shit…I dunno what to tell Cat if we do leave."

Nezu perked up slightly. "Cat? A friend of yours? Family member? Don't worry, family can come, and housing would be subsidized by UA while you settle in. As for friends, it'd be a little more complicated, but…if it's to accommodate the two of you, I could pull strings and get them proper passports to visit on occasion."

His dad chuckled, but it turned sad towards the end. "No…Cat is a…well yeah, she's a friend of his. He won't admit it, but he's held a candle for her since he met her. Little older, but if he ever gets the balls to finally ask her out like I've told him she's wanted him to do, I definitely approve. As for family, sadly, we don't have anyone else here… My wife, his mom…she passed not long after giving birth to my last daughter… Complications and sadly there was no one near with a healing Quirk powerful enough to handle it…nothing… His sisters are all busy with their own lives. Two study abroad and the other works in disaster relief, so she moves around a lot. They've all got passports, so we'd only have to inform them."

The principal looked down for a moment. "I'm…very sorry to hear about your wife, Mr. Shafer…"

Todd wiped away a tear and smiled at a picture frame on his desk. Nezu could only assume it was a picture of his wife since it was facing away from him. "It's no problem. I didn't mean to dump it, just meant to help you understand the circumstances. So…with that out of the way…" He turned to Nezu and took a breath. He looked to Nick, and they held a silent conversation between themselves, all said with the eyes. Nick felt it, his dad needed this. A change of pace. They both knew they were doing good, but apart from the Trigger bust, it was street-level villains and the odd powerhouse that could take a block down. Nothing the other heroes around here couldn't take care of in their absence. They could do some real good this way. Nick smiled and nodded to his dad. Todd grinned and rolled his shoulders.

"Well, Mr. Nezu, I think Nick and I…we're going to take your deal."

Nezu hopped up to stand in his seat. "Excellent! Now, this will take some time! A week or two perhaps for me to get everything prepared in time for the upcoming school year. Now, do you think we'd be able to get into touch with the detective? I'd love to hear what he's found from your man from earlier."

Todd perked up and pulled himself out of the pain of thinking about his wife. "Not a bad idea. It should've been enough time."

He moved over to his desk once more while Celeste dialed the detective's number. Holding out the cell for him, he took it and put it on speaker. After a few rings, it picked up.

"Rolland Asher speaking."

"Hello, Detective, it's Camael."

He heard the grunt through the line. "Eh…sorry about that, Todd. It's been a hell of a day. I'm guessing you're calling about our little firefly. Well, hate to say it, but save your breath. Guys whole body detonated in holding before I could Dig in. Given the nature of his Quirk we can't tell if it's a suicide or if someone else did it to him."

This caught everyone off guard and Nezu immediately got serious. Todd looked absolutely stunned. "You didn't call?!"

"I don't need to inform you of everything that happens in the station, Todd. But…no, I hadn't gotten around to it yet. Only just got out of the captains' office giving him the details. I…I wish I had more for you, but it's a dead end on this boss he supposedly mentioned. I'm sorry."

Todd sighed and shook his head. "No, Rolland, it's not your fault. Just…relax and get some rest. I appreciate your assistance."

Another grunt. "You too, Todd. Tell the kid I'm sorry, too. Goodnight"

The line went dead, and Todd flopped down into his chair. He sucked in a tight breath and tossed his phone on the desk, cupping a hand to his face and balling up his other hand into a fist. "Fuck…"

Nezu's eyes sharpened as he sat back down. "Unfortunate…very unfortunate. But…perhaps a clue? If it was in fact suicide, it could be something as simple as fear or blind loyalty. If it wasn't, and he was killed, then that means he knew something. What that something is, we'll never know. But, with both angles, it means there's something more to this."

Nick looked to the principal and ran a hand through his hair. "Well, whatever that something is, we'll need to find someone else connected to this. Maybe we'll find that in Japan. You said Darkstar's operation sent Trigger that way, that means there are distributors. We find them, we might be able to find someone else connected to that old regime."

The small creature nodded and looked around, as if trying to make sense of something. After failing that, he shook his head and looked to Todd with a smile. "That's the kind of proactive thinking I expect from anyone working for me! As unfortunate as this whole situation is, I'm sure we'll be able to make the best of it in the coming months. Now, it's getting late, so I think it would be best if I get on my way. I'll be speaking with you both more in the days to come. We have much to work out!"

He jumped up and out of his chair, giving a quick bow towards Todd and one more towards Nick. "I'll see myself out, I believe you both have much to discuss amongst yourselves!" Nezu left with a jovial skip to his step, leaving the father and son to themselves with their respective Quirks. After a moment of silence and the sound of a door closing, it was broken.

"Jesus, you all are so fucking melodramatic…gimme a break…"

Todd looked at Ego and gave him a look akin to irritation mixed with disappointment before rolling his eyes. Before he could say anything, though, Celeste spoke up with her own irritation spilling through. "It's not melodramatic you glob of puss! These are very serious topics that were brought up. We're leaving America, a dead family member was brought up and we've got a cold lead on a potential new threat. If anything, you could do to be a little bit more serious!"

She had gotten right up to the mouth of the ball of darkness before it recoiled slightly, melting back down into Nick's shadow. He huffed a small laugh before giving her a look. "He's fine, Celeste, he's just been a little testy lately. Doesn't help he hasn't gotten to feed much. I don't have a lot of negativity for him to feed on to begin with. He wanted to feed on whoever we found when we went out, but I promised him calamari instead. Was gonna go get some before dad mentioned that guy was here. Soooo…on that note, I think I'm gonna go grab some sushi, give Cat a call! Need a good comparison before we go and I can have the genuine article!"

He hopped up with a smile, walking over and wrapping his still sitting dad in a light hug. "Love you! I'll see ya tomorrow!"

"Love you too, bud."

Todd listened for the opening and closing of the door before he loosened his tie and rested his head on the table. It wasn't long before he felt a hand rubbing his back. "You don't have to, Celeste…but thanks…I appreciate it." She smiled and continued to massage away the stress. "It's no problem, honest. This is going to be a big change for all of us. New country…the girls are going to be surprised, that's for sure."

He hummed as her ministrations continued, his eyes slowly closing as he felt himself drifting off. It wasn't long until he fell asleep, lightly snoring away on his desk. Celeste felt some of her strength wane, but not all. Over the years, she had discovered small ways to get a little bit of freedom for herself. She'd always help Todd, but she liked not having to rest every time he wanted to sleep as well.

She settled her feet on the floor, her pristine heels resting on the carpet. She walked around Todd to the picture of his wife. She was beautiful…brown hair cut short, eyes as brown as her sons and a smile so radiant it matched Todds' own when he truly smiled. Picking it up, she smiled lovingly at the photo, giving it a small kiss before setting it down back where she got it.

"Watch over us…I get the feeling we're going to need it…"

Chapter End:

I hope this is good for my first go at this! I hope everyone enjoys and I hope to get your criticism so I can improve as a writer and give you all a good, proper story!

Until next time!