Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hinata Shouyou hadn’t slept all night.

He had gone to bed early, jumped under the covers with the idea in his head to get a full night’s sleep before the big day- his very first day of university. After an hour had passed, and Hinata still lie awake in bed, heart beating hard enough that he could hear it and mysterious patches of sweat developing underneath his armpits, Hinata had decided get up, cool off, and get a drink of water. He then had returned to bed, feeling refreshed and ready for the most well-prepared and goddamn restful night of sleep anyone had ever had.

By four o’clock in the morning, however, the situation had started to look a little bleak. By the time the dark sky had begun to glow with the promise of a budding sunrise, Hinata had given up on sleeping completely, avidly convincing himself that it was excitement, not nerves, which was keeping him conscious.

And, he reasoned, who wouldn’t be too excited to sleep? After all, Hinata Shouyou wasn’t going to just any university. No, the university he was going to was special.

Because Hinata Shouyou was special. He just knew it.

About an hour after Hinata had watched the sun peek over the mountains from his window, he began to hear the familiar sounds of his mother moving around in the kitchen, and sighed in relief. His eyes felt sore and dry, and his stomach was turning in anticipation (excited anticipation, he reminded himself, not nervous anticipation) and all he wanted was for the waiting to end. He had been waiting for this day his whole life: the day he could go somewhere where he didn’t have to hide, where he could be with people like him, where he could learn and get stronger. It was everything that he had ever wanted.

Hinata reached for the red marker on his desk, and checked off the date on the calendar with finality, smiling softy to himself. April first. The day that would change his life forever.

Hinata’s exhaustion was already giving way to his enthusiasm, and he bolted out of his bedroom door and down the hall. It was too late by the time he had realized that he had forgotten to pace himself, and by the time he stuck out over the first stair, he had gathered a little too much momentum.

He felt a familiar sensation- the feeling of the air moving, rising up to meet him at his feet. It swept him up, filling him with an almost intoxicating sense of weightlessness. For a moment, the air held him, and Hinata hovered above the staircase, reveling in the feeling of flight.

Then, it dropped him.

Hinata plummeted down, his bare foot catching the step below him at an awkward angle and sending him flying down the staircase on his back.

“Ugh,” he groaned at the bottom of the staircase, reaching behind him to rub his now bruised spine. He really wished that, just once, that sudden, thrilling burst of flight wouldn’t end with him in a beaten
heap on the floor.

Before he could get up, he was greeted by the image of his concerned mother standing over him. She was wearing an apron patterned with little colored flowers, and her graying brown hair was tied back into a messy bun.

“Shouyou,” she sighed, holding out her hand to help him to his feet, “How many times do I have to tell you to be careful?”

Hinata rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Sorry, mom. I’m just so excited!”

His mother smiled a kind smile, her eyes turning warm like melted chocolate. “I know, sweetheart,” she said. Then she examined his face, and her eyes narrowed. “You didn’t sleep, did you?”

Hinata looked away from her, wondering how she always managed to do that. His mother may have been super-human, but mind reading wasn’t supposed to be in her repertoire. Hinata felt her hand on his face, and he slid his eyes back to meet hers.

“I didn’t either,” she admitted. “You know, Shouyou, it isn’t too late for you to just go to an ordinary college….”

Hinata yanked his head away from her hand, shaking his head. “No, mom,” he groaned, “We talked about this. I’m going to Sora! I want to be a hero, just like you and dad.” Then he hit her with his most
radiant smile.

She shook her head, smiling. “I know, Shouyou. And I love you for that. But you know why I worry, after what happened to your dad….”

Hinanta saw the first glimmer of tears beginning to form in her eyes, and wrapped her in a hug before they could spill. His mother was tiny, just like him, and over the past few years Hinata had gained a few inched on her. He held her, trying to ignore the pang of sadness he felt over the thought of their immanent separation.

“Don’t worry, mom,” he said, “I’ll be okay. I mean, it’s just school. What could happen to me?”

For a moment, she wouldn’t let go of him, even when he subtly tried to pull out of her grasp. Then, once Hinata had begun to wonder if she was actually planning on keeping him prisoner for the rest of his life, she released him.

“You’re right, you’re right,” she breathed, wiping at her eyes. “You’ll be great, sweetheart. I know it. Here, how about I make us some breakfast?”

A couple of hours later, and Hinata was standing by the front door, a stuffed backpack weighing down his shoulders and two small suitcases resting on the floor by each of his hands.

“I get Nii-chan’s room when he leaves, right?” His little sister Natsu said. She was sitting on the stairs, her legs drawn up to her chest as she watched him sift through his things to make sure he had everything that he needed.

Their mom gave Natsu a confused look. “But what’s wrong with your room, Natsu?”

“Nothing,” Natsu explained, “I’m keeping my room. I’m just going to have two rooms!”

“That seems very greedy,” Hinata said, fighting back a smile.

Natsu hugged her legs closer to her body. “It’s not greedy! I’m losing a brother, so I should get another room, it’s only fair!” She let her face rest on her knees, so that the rest of her speech came out muffled. “If I don’t get your room, then I’m losing a brother, and I don’t get anything for it. And that’s not fair.”

Hinata felt like his sister had just reached into his heart and pummeled it with her little fists. He was sitting at her side in a second, wrapping an arm around her and holding her close.

“You still have a brother, Natsu,” he assured her as she sniffled into his shirt, “I’ll be back all the time for breaks and stuff!” When she continued to cry, Hinata sighed. “And, I guess you can sleep in my room sometimes. If you really want to.”

“Yay!”

Hinata rolled his eyes and gave Natsu one last squeeze before returning to his bags. The doorbell rang.

“That must be Yachi,” his mother said. Sure enough, when she opened the door, they were all greeted by Hinata’s oldest friend’s smiling face. She was laden with several bags, all slung over her back and shoulders, and was crouched over forward with the difficulty of her load.

“Good morning, Hinata-san,” Yachi greeted Shouyou’s mother, voice strained.

Hinata smiled, a hint of mockery in the expression. “What’s in all of those bags, Hito-chan?” he snickered.

Yachi scowled at him, looking like she wanted to respond, but was still putting all of her energy into holding onto her luggage.

“Oh, why don’t you set those down for a moment, sweetie,” Hinata’s mom said sympathetically. She reached over and helped Yachi detach a couple of the bags from her shoulder, and they fell to the floor with a gentle thud. Hinata’s mom then shot a hard look in his direction, “And you are going to help her with her things, Shouyou.”

“Oh, n-no, it’s really fine!” Yachi stuttered, blushing, “It’s my own fault for packing so many things….”

“It’s okay!” Hinata picked up one of the bags that Yachi had dropped, swinging it over his shoulder. “I was gonna help her anyway,” he said to his mom, insulted that she would think any different.

She smiled warmly at him, and suddenly he was being drawn into a tight hug. “I know, Shouyou,” she said, “You’re such a good boy.”

“Mooom,” he groaned, embarrassed, but didn’t try to pull away. When she finally released him, his mother beckoned to Yachi, who was watching them with a smile.

“And you, too,” she said, giving Yachi a quick hug. “I can’t believe you two are going off on your own already! The time goes so fast….” She gave them both a long look, as if she could rewind and see them
as children again if she tried hard enough. “You take care of each other, alright?”

“Of course,” Hinata said with a beaming smile.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t get into too much trouble,” Yachi added with a smile. Hinata rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, waving one of his hands dismissively. “Can we go now? I don’t wanna be late!”

Hinata’s mom took a deep breath. “Yes, of course. I suppose I’ve stalled long enough, haven’t I?”

Hinata went over to the staircase, where Natsu was sitting and looking away from all of them resolutely, a firm pout etched onto her little face. He crouched down in front of her, moving his head to try and get her to meet his eyes.

“Hey, Natsu,” he whispered. She continued to look away from him. “I’m going to miss you a lot. Can I have one more hug before I go?”

For a moment, it seemed as if Natsu was going to ignore him. But her resolve soon broke, and she launched herself at Hinata, burying her face in his shoulder and hugging him tightly. Hinata laughed and ran his hand over her bright orange hair. When he pulled away, Natsu was hiding her eyes behind the crook of her arm.

Yachi followed his example, leaning down to give Natsu a hug and tell her goodbye. Yachi and Hinata’s families had been close for a long time; she was nearly as much of a sibling to Natsu as Shouyou was.

Hinata’s mother drove them both to the train station. After one last, crushing hug for each of them, and the terrible sight of his mom dutifully holding back tears, the two were left alone.

As soon as his mother’s car disappeared out of sight, Hinata allowed his excitement to break free. He jumped into the air (maybe just a little bit higher than was technically ‘normal’) with his arms and legs sticking out into a star formation.

“Aaah, can you believe it, Hito-chan?” he cheered, now bouncing up and down in front of his friend. “We’re finally going! Sora Academy, just like we always talked about! We’re going to be the greatest superheroes ever!”

Yachi giggled at Hinata’s antics, but leaned forward to shush him. “Quiet down! What if somebody hears you?”

Hinata stopped yelling, but his wide grin remained stretched across his face. He bent down to pick up the luggage he had left at his sides. “Heh, sorry. But I’m just so happy!”

“I know.” Yachi smiled. “But we have to get there first….”

“Oh, yeah!” Hinata said, remembering his special pamphlet. He reached into the front pocket of his pants and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper. On the front were two smiling kids, the picture
distorted by wrinkles caused by how much Hinata had handled it. He flipped it over to reveal the directions on the back.

“It says we have to go to track…one hundred and one.”

Yachi frowned. “One hundred and one? This station doesn’t have anywhere near that many tracks….”

Hinata leaned in closer to her conspiratorially. “That’s because it’s a secret,” he whispered, “We only get to know because we’re special!”

Yachi smiled, beginning to become infected by Hinata’s enthusiasm. “Alright,” she said, “So what are we waiting for? Let’s go- hey! Shou-chan! Wait for me!”

“So…should we knock?”

Hinata shrugged. They were standing outside of a shining steel door, with no handle, or anything else to indicate that it could be opened. It was located in a desolate, remote corner of the station that had taken the two of them ages to find, and that, with the exception of the brand-new looking door, seemed to be in terrible disrepair. The floor was covered in soot, and the faint sound of dripping water reached them from somewhere nearby.

Above the door was a simple plaque reading 101.

After a brief moment of consideration, Hinata began banging on the door with his closed fist. “Hello!” he shouted, “Is anyone in there?”

“Hinata-kun, stop it,” Yachi groaned, covering her face in embarrassment. When no one came to the door, Hinata groaned in frustration.

“Let me in!” he shouted, continuing to bang on the door, “Let me in, let me in, let me in!”

Yachi grabbed his arms and struggled to hold him back. “Shou-chan, stop! Look!” She pointed at a small pedestal a few steps to their left. The top was angled forward, displaying a screen that read ‘Please swipe your identification.’

“It must mean the one we got in the mail,” Yachi said, reaching into her jacket pocket and fishing around. She soon produced a little blue card, and took a deep breath before swiping it through the machine. A moment passed, and soon Yachi’s face and name appeared on the screen. Then, with a soft ‘swoosh’, the metal door slid open.

“Woooah!” Hinata gasped. Behind the door was a little room was what looked like a large glass elevator. He and Yachi shared a quick, nervous look, and stepped inside.

“Gwah!” Hinata shouted as he found himself and all of his things being violently thrown onto the hard floor. He looked up from the ground, dazed, to see that Yachi was holding her hand over her mouth, stifling giggles.

“There’s a force-field,” she snickered, “You have to swipe your card!”

Hinata shook his head a bit, clearing it. “A force field? Woah, that’s so cool!”

Yachi shook her head. “Just hurry up!”

Hinata stood up, scurrying over to the pedestal. When he swiped his card, his face and name appeared on the screen, and he cooed in excitement.

“Oooh, that’s me!”

Yachi rolled her eyes. “Just get in here already!”

“Right!” Hinata ran to join his friend in the elevator. The entire thing was made of glass, even the floor, revealing the dark gray of the elevator shaft around them. It glowed with a bright, iridescent light that seemed to be coming from the walls themselves. On the side of the elevator nearest to Yachi was a small keypad with only one button: an arrow pointing up.

“I guess we’re going up,” Yachi said. She looked over at Hinata with a bit of panic in her eyes. When he gave her a reassuring smile, she took a deep breath, and pressed the button. For a moment, nothing happened.

And then, they were flying.

And screaming. They were also both screaming.

“Shouyou!” Yachi shrieked, reaching to hold onto her friend. They were going up the shaft at such a speed that they were both stuck to the floor of the elevator, the pressure forcing them to the ground. Hinata felt like his stomach had probably fallen through the floor and was plummeting towards Earth, however far away that must be now, and he fought the bile that tried to come up and into his throat.

For several heart-pounding seconds that felt like years, he and Yachi simply held each other and screamed, Hinata’s mind repeating a mantra of I’m too young to die I’m too young to die I’m too young to die-

Then, everything slowed down. Hinata cracked open one of his eyes, his arms still wrapped around Yachi, to see that they were bathed in natural sunlight. All around him were white, fluffy clouds, and blue sky.

“Hito-chan!” Hinata said, shaking Yachi’s shoulder in an attempt to coax her out of the fetal position. “Look! It’s amazing!”

Yachi slowly opened her eyes, taking in their positions. “Oh my god,” she said as she looked down through the floor, “Oh god, oh god, oh-“

“Haha!” Hinata laughed, looking down on the world beneath him. “We’re flying! Isn’t this incredible?”

“Yeah,” said Yachi weakly, crawling back into her previous position on the floor, “It’s…great….”

Hinata was standing now, face pressed against one of the glass walls, taking in everything. One day, he thought, I’m going to be able to fly this high on my own.

But he didn’t get to enjoy the view for long, because they soon began slowing to a stop, a huge, floating metal structure getting closer and closer as they ascended. Soon, they were sliding into another gray shaft, the elevator gliding gracefully to a halt. Before the door slid open, Hinata reached for Yachi’s arm and pulled her into a standing position, holding onto her arm when she swayed a little. The door opened, revealing a small train platform with a few benches, a vending machine, and a screen listing departure times. The whole platform was encased in what looked like glass, and connected to a great tube with train tracks on the bottom, stretching out into the unknown. Around them, a few people were milling about, ranging from teenagers Hinata and Yachi’s age to older adults.

“Wow!” Hinata exclaimed, running out onto the platform. He looked at the screen. “It says there’s a train coming in three minutes.”

Yachi dragged herself and her bags over to a bench, collapsing onto it. Hinata soon took a seat next to her.

“Do you want something from the vending machine?” Hinata asked her.

Yachi shook her head. Her eyes were closed, and her mouth was shut into a tight line. She was shaking slightly.

Hinata looked at her with concern. “Hey, are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Yachi just shook her head again.

“…Are you nervous?” Hinata asked.

Yachi opened her eyes, giving Hinata a desperate expression. “Aren’t you?”

Hinata thought about it.; He supposed he did feel a little queasy, and his hands had been sweating since the moment his mom had dropped them off at the station. But all of that was completely overrun by how long he had waited for this day to come.

“I guess, a little,” he admitted.

Yachi bit her lip. “I’m just worried...about my power.”

Hinata cocked his head to the side. “Your power? Why?”

“I’m just worried that people will make fun of it.”

“Why would they? Your power is awesome!”

A light blush colored Yachi’s cheeks.

“Besides,” Hinata continued, a slight frown developing on his face, “At least you know how to use your power.”

“You’ll learn, Shou-chan,” Yachi assured him, “I mean, isn’t that why we’re going to Sora? To learn?”

Hinata beamed, like Yachi had turned on light switch in his mind. “Yeah!”

Before they could say anything more to each other, the train was arriving, sliding almost noiselessly into the platform and breezing by for a while before slowing to a stop. After sharing a quick look, Hinata and Yachi gathered their things and stepped onto the train.

On the inside, the train looked pretty much like any ordinary train would, but it proved itself to go at least three times as fast. It wasn’t long before Sora Academy was coming into view through the clouds, and Hinata began to hit Yachi with a barrage of tiny slaps.

“Ow, ow! Stop that, I see it!”

They both pressed their faces against the window, taking in as much of the school as they could before they got there.

“Wooooah,” they gasped in unison. The structure was enormous; it consisted of several floating platforms dotted with buildings, all set on different levels, and surrounding one building that was larger than all of the rest, with a domed ceiling and great glass windows. Sprouting from the main cluster of platforms, an enclosed glass bridge led to what looked like a small town, the second circular platform dotted with little buildings and lined with streets. Another bridge led to a smaller platform, which seemed to house a huge outdoor training area.

“I can’t believe it,” Yachi breathed, “How can they possibly keep all of this in the air?”

Hinata just shrugged, unable to tear his eyes away from the sight in front of him. He found himself beginning to tear up, overcome with emotion, and quickly wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.

They didn’t have long to sit and gape, though, because soon enough the train was beginning to slow down, bringing them gently into the small train dock that rested outside of one of the outer floating platforms.

When the doors of the train slid open, Hinata and Yachi both bounded outside, desperate to see everything close up. The room they stepped put into led them to another set of automated metal doors that soon slid open, revealing Sora Academy to them for the first time.

“Wow,” Hinata breathed, suddenly subdued.

They were on one of the smaller outer platforms. Stretching in front of them was an area covered in white concrete walkways, and speckled with areas of bright green grass and brilliantly blossoming cherry trees. In the center of the area was a large, impressive fountain, and further back was an arrangement of different buildings. Above them, on the central, elevated platform, the huge, domed building Hinata had seen from the train loomed above them, gorgeous and impressive.

He and Yachi shared a brief look, before breaking out into mutual excited jumping and yelling.

They were so preoccupied with their celebrating that they didn’t notice a person coming towards them until they heard a voice.

“Hello!” the person greeted pleasantly, and Hinata and Yachi stopped jumping, embarrassed. The boy speaking to them seemed older, probably in his third and final year at the school (Hinata knew that at Sora, your fourth and final year was spend in field training, actually out in the world and fighting bad guys). He had gray hair, a little beauty mark on his cheek, and a clipboard tucked under his arm. The corners of his eyes were crinkling with quiet laughter at their display.

“My name’s Sugawara Koushi,” the boy said, “Welcome to Sora! If you would just step over here, we can help you.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Sugawara-senpai!” Hinata and Yachi said, both bowing slightly. Sugawara laughed, waving them over to where a table was set up a few steps ahead of them.

“It’s very nice to meet you too!” he said genuinely. Hinata wasn’t sure what it was, exactly, but just being around Sugawara seemed to make him feel more comfortable and happy. Maybe it was the warm way he welcomed them, but any nervousness Hinata had felt was disappearing in his presence. It was a little strange, but definitely not unpleasant.

When they reached the table, they saw another boy was sitting there, one with a strong build and dark hair and eyes. He was scowling down at a mess of papers laid out in front of him, but he smiled up at Yachi and Hinata when they approached.

“Hello,” he said, “I’m Daichi Sawamura. Can you both give me your names please?”

“I-I’m Yachi Hitoka,” Yachi said, fidgeting with the sleeves of her jacket. Daichi scanned one of the papers in front of him, before nodding and making a mark with a pencil. “Welcome to Sora, Yachi-san.”

“Thank you!” Yachi bowed quickly, and stepped out of the way for Hinata.

“My name is Hinata Shouyou,” he said, voice coming out a little more timid than he had planned. For an instant, he saw Daichi’s eyes widen just the slightest bit.

“Oh, Hinata!” Sugawara said next to him, smiling widely and giving him a brisk pat on the back, “We should have known it was you! Because of the hair.”

Hinata felt his ears turn red, and he rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. All of his life, he had lived with no one but Yachi and her family knowing who his parents were. There were times when he would have given anything for it not to be a secret- but now that he was at the place where his parents had studied, where everyone would know him, he felt an odd weight start to settle in his chest. He suddenly worried that he wouldn’t be what everyone was expecting.

“Well, welcome to Sora Academy, Hinata-san,” Daichi said with a grin, making another mark on his paper, “It’s good to have you.” Hinata thanked him.

“You can put your bags here,” Sugawara told them, gesturing towards a big plastic bin. “Someone will be over to make sure it gets flown to the right dorm room before you get there.” As Yachi and Hinata gratefully relieved themselves of their luggage, Sugawara called to someone.

“Kageyama-san!”

Hinata looked up in the direction that Suga was calling, for the first time seeing a boy who was several yards away from them, sitting on the edge of the giant fountain. Hinata could see that he had jet-black hair, and that he was watching them with a glowering expression. Despite the look on his face, Sugawara continued to smile and wave him over insistently until he stood.

“These are some of your new classmates,” Sugawara said to the mean-looking boy, gesturing to Yachi and Hinata. “This is Yachi Hitoka, and this is Hinata Shouyou. His parents-”

“I know who his parents were.”

Hinata looked up in surprise at the hostility in the boy’s voice. He felt anger start to manifest inside of him, and he felt himself open his mouth to respond, although his brain didn’t yet know what he was planning on saying. Thankfully, before he could get that far, Sugawara stepped in.

“Kageyama…” he said, still smiling, but with something like a threat underlying his tone.

Kageyama seemed to calm down, if only slightly, some of the hardness in his black eyes fading into indifference. He looked away from them, frowning.

“It shouldn’t matter who his parents were, should it? He’s just like the rest of us.” he said. Sugawara looked like he was about to say something, but he was interrupted by a chuckle from the table.

“He’s right,” Daichi said, smiling at Hinata, “Here, it doesn’t matter how powerful your parents are. It’s all about working on your own abilities. Got that?”
Hinata nodded vigorously. “Of course!” he shouted, “I’m ready to work hard!”

Daichi grinned. “Good.”

Things calmed down after that, with the surly Kageyama settling for standing off to the side with his hands in his pockets, that awful scowl still distorting his features. But Hinata couldn’t help but bristle with residual anger. What was this guy’s problem? Hinata was insulted by the implication that he would try to ride his parents’ coattails.

Sugawara checked his clipboard. “We only have to wait for two more first years. Then we can start showing you guys around!”

Hinata frowned, looking around as if more underclassmen might be hiding behind the trees. But all he could see was himself, Yachi, and Mean Asshole Kageyama.

“Only two more?” he asked, “That’s it?”

Suga nodded. “The school’s broken up into districts based on what area of Japan you’re from.” He ginned a little mischievously, “It’s easier to manage a bunch of superhuman college students that way. Our section is called the Orange District. It’s not like we usually have that many in a class…although, I think this is one of the smallest we’ve had in a while.”

Hinata couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. He had always imagined the Academy as being filled with hundreds of students, that he would be surrounded by so many kids like him. At least, that’s sort of how his parents had always made it sound.

“Oi, Hinata,” Daichi said, snapping him out of his daydreaming, “It isn’t like people with superpowers grow on trees. All of us are special and important- that’s why we get all of this.”
Hinata nodded, understanding. The thought that he was rare and special certainly improved his mood.

Sugawara nodded. “He’s right. And besides, there are plenty of times you’ll get to meet the students from other districts once school starts. You’ll share some classes, games, competitions…oh, good. It looks like the last two are here.”

Everyone turned back to the dock where Hinata and Yachi had just come from, seeing that another train had arrived, the metal doors sliding open to reveal two boys. One had freckles scattered across the bridge of his nose, and the other was tall and bespectacled.

“Hello, welcome to Sora!” Sugawara said, quickly walking towards the boys. “We can help you right over here.”

The boys stepped up to the table where Daishi was sitting, and he asked for their names the same way he had with Yachi and Hinata.

“Yamaguchi Tadashi,” the boy with the freckles said, looking down at his feet.

Daichi nodded. He went to make a mark on his list, but when he pressed the pencil to the paper, it snapped in half- no, not in half, it shattered, shards of wood shooting off in every direction and littering the table.

“Dammit! Again?” he groaned. “Why don’t they make these things stronger?”

Sugawara was stifling a laugh behind one of his hands. “You have to be more gentle, Daichi,” he said, before reaching into his jacket and producing a pen. Hinata caught a glimpse of the inside, noting that there were several more writing utensils in Suga’s pocket. He fought the urge to laugh a little himself.

“I am gentle,” Daichi muttered, taking the pen from Suga. He looked back up to the new first years. “Sorry about that. Anyway, what’s your name?”

“Tsukishima Kei,” the tall one said, stepping in front of the other boy. Hinata frowned; he didn’t like the way he was looking around the school with a bored expression, as if none of this impressed him in the slightest. Who wouldn’t be impressed by all of this? Hinata’s head was still spinning, just trying to take it all in.

“Great!” Daichi exclaimed. He gathered his papers, shoved them into a binder, and stood. “Now we can start the tour.”

Hinata leaped into the air. “Yay! Tour!” Yachi smiled at him, looking excited as well. But the tall boy, Tsukishima, clicked his tongue, regarding Hinata with a look of distain. Hinata stilled, narrowing his eyes. What was this guy’s problem with him? Did he wanna fight?
>

“It’ll have to be quick,” Sugawara said, looking at his watch, “We’re running a little late.”

Dachi nodded, heading back in the direction of the fountain. He waved for the group to follow him.

“So, as you all probably saw coming in, Sora is made up of several platforms,” Daichi explained, “The school itself is on the main platform, surrounded by the facilities for each district. This is our platform.” He walked them around, gesturing to the various buildings as he walked by, “Those two buildings are housing, where you’ll all be living. Over there is the dining hall, and that one next to it is a gym, for personal training. And right over here is a small park, with some grass and a few benches, that kind of thing.”

“It’s a nice place to study,” Sugawara added.

Hinata was pretty sure his eyes were the size of planets, but he couldn’t care. Everything was so incredible, from the fully stocked gym to the lush green park- he couldn’t believe that it was all there for him to use.

“Do you see that bridge?” Daichi asked, pointing in the direction of the big glass bridge that Hinata had noticed earlier, the one that jutted from the side of the main platform. He and all of the first years nodded their heads.

“That leads to the town,” Daichi said. “A lot of staff members live there, but so do some other people- retired superheroes, mostly. It’s small, but there are some shops, cafés, restaurants…bars….”

“Daichi,” Suga groaned, “It’s the first day, and they’re all underage. Don’t go giving them a list of all the bars they can go to….”

Daichi held his hands up innocently. “I wasn’t going to! I’m just giving them a tour of everything!”

Hinata, Yachi, and Yamaguchi all laughed.

Daichi grinned. “Alright, alright. Anyway, Sugawara-san and I are your student leaders, so you can come to us with any problems, questions, anything.”

Suga nodded. “Each district has two student leaders, and two head teachers as well. So you’ll always have somebody to help you!”

Hinata tilted his head to the side in confusion. “Why are there two of everything?” he wondered. He had noticed that there were two dorm buildings, as well.

Everyone looked at Hinata, then, as if surprised by the question. Next to him, Tsukishima covered a mean snicker behind his hand. Hinata felt his face warm.

Before anyone could answer his question, a loud voice made everyone’s head turn.

“Hey, first years! How fun!” The voice was coming from a boy with a shaved head. Another boy was walking beside him, grinning. His hair stuck up high on his head, and he was even shorter than Hinata.

Sugawara rolled his eyes, although he was smiling. “Shut up, Tanaka. It wasn’t so long ago that you were a first year.”

Tanaka laughed loudly, throwing his head back. “That’s why we have to mess with them! Right, Nishinoya-kun?”

The shorter boy, Nishinoya, nodded, puffing out his chest importantly. “Absolutely. It is our solemn duty as second years.” Then he broke his pose, laughing. “It’s nice to see you, Suga-san, Dachi- san!”

Suga and Daichi both smiled. “It’s good to see you too,” Daichi said, “When did you two get here?”

“Not long ago. We-” Suddenly, Nishinoya’s eyes found Hinata, and he grinned. “Hey, this has gotta be the little Hinata! Am I right?”

Hinata nodded timidly. Daichi sighed.

“Yes, but we’re trying to-”

“Wooah!” Tanaka said, leaning in to get a better look at Hinata. “So cool! You know, your dad, he was a big inspiration to me growing up.”

Nishinoya nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! ‘The Raven’; so awesome! I had a poster of him in my room. I remember that neat cape he used to wear, with all those black feathers-”

Suddenly, Hinata stopped hearing whatever the second year was saying to him. An image flashed through his mind: an image of that same, feathered cape. But it wasn’t the image that Nishinoya was thinking of. Hinata felt a rush of pain tear through him, strong and sudden enough to leave him breathless.

“That’s enough!” Sugawara suddenly said, his voice more serious than Hinata had yet heard it. It was enough to pull him out of his daze, and he hurriedly wiped at his eyes, mortified to find that he had started to tear up. He felt a warmth on his arm, and looked over to see that Yachi was holding onto him, concern evident in her brown eyes.

Tanaka and Nishinoya were had gone silent. They both looked thoroughly chastened.

“Shit. Sorry,” Tanaka said.

“Yeah,” Nishinoya agreed, “We should’ve thought first. Sorry, Hinata.”

Sugawara was giving Hinata a measured look, seeming to ask him if he was okay without words. Hinata became horribly aware that everyone was staring at him- even Mean Asshole Kageyama, who was fixing him with such an intense glare that he worried it might actually kill him. He laughed nervously.

“No, it’s fine! I’m fine! Don’t worry about it. I was just surprised, that’s all!” He said, waving his arms around frantically.

Nishinoya and Tanaka shared a look. “Alright, good,” Nishinoya said, “Well, we should probably get going. Good luck at placement, everyone!”

They both left, and Daichi cursed. “Damn, we’re so late now. Come one, everyone! We’re heading towards the school.”

They followed Daichi at a swift pace. Hinata looked around himself, wondering if anyone else was sharing his confusion.

Placement? He thought. What’s that?

“So these are our first years.”

Hinata shifted under the man’s gaze. After the tour, Daichi and Suga had led them up a long staircase, to the central platform housing the school itself. They had brought them to a huge gymnasium, before wishing them all good luck and apologizing that they couldn’t stay for this. And then they had left. That gymnasium was where Hinata and the other first years now sat, nervous and fidgeting on the hard, polished floor. A bit off to the side was a raised platform, like a small stage. Hinata thought it looked more ominous than a block of wood had any right to.

The man speaking to them was standing in front of them, pacing back and forth with his hands clasped behind his back. His eyes surveyed the students, seeming to assess them, and Hinata thought he could feel his new classmates holding their breaths.

After several agonizing moments, the man broke out into a sly grin. “Well, welcome to Sora!” he announced. “My name is Coach Ukai. I’m the gym teacher here, and I’m also head teacher for Heroes in the Orange District. So I’m sure we’re all going to get to know each other very well.”

There was a collective greeting from the first years. After a gesture from Coach Ukai, another man, who had been sitting cross-legged on the floor with a clipboard, stood.

“I’m Takeda,” the man announced, “I’m a professor here at Sora, and the head teacher for Hero Support in your district. I’m very excited to meet all of you!”

“It’s nice to meet you, Takeda-sensei!” they chanted. But Hinata was still lost. What did hero support mean? A quick, shared look with Yachi confirmed that she didn’t know what was going on either.

Ukai stopped his slow pacing, and faced them all with a level expression. “Right now, as you probably know, our job is to decide which of you will be on the Hero track, and which of you will be on the Hero Support-or sidekick, as you like to call it- track. I know you’re probably nervous. But I want you to give us your best.”

Takeda smiled encouragingly at them. “Don’t worry,” he said, “There’s no right or wrong. We just need to know what your abilities are best suited for.”

Ukai nodded. “And no whining,” he added. “Now, we only have this space until the next group comes, and we’re running late, so let’s get this started. You,” he pointed at Tsukishima, who was sitting the farthest to the left, “You go first. Get up on the platform. And try not to look too excited about it.”

Tsuki was wearing his usual bored expression as he stepped up onto the platform. Hinata, on the other hand, was worrying that his heart was beating so loudly that the other’s would be able to hear it- actually, he was beginning to fear that he would have a heart attack, right there in the gymnasium. He knew that cold sweat was gathering on his face, could feel it pooling in his clenched fists.

After all this time. After waiting for his entire life for the opportunity to train, to develop his powers and become a hero, all of that could potentially be about to be taken from him. When he’d woken up this morning, he’d had no idea that he would face such a decisive test. Why hadn’t his mother warned him?

Not that it mattered now. Now, Hinata could only see one option left to him.

He was going to have to fly for them.

“Name?” Coach Ukai asked once Tsukishima was standing on the stage. Hinata snapped out of his thoughts, desperate to see what was in store for him.

“Tsukishima Kei,” he drawled. Both teaches made marks on their clipboards.

“Power?”

“Force Fields.”

Ukai nodded. “Can you make one now?”

Tsukishima didn’t say anything in response. He simply waved a hand over his head, pivoting, and an iridescent sheen appeared around him, shimmering bluish green like a soap bubble. The entire thing seemed to hum with electrical energy. Hinata felt the hair on his body stand up a little.

“Oooh,” Yachi gasped next to Hinata. Hinata crossed his arms of his chest, scowling.

“Good.” Ukai made a few notes. “Now I’m going to see how strong it is. Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

Coach Ukai walked over to the nearest wall, to what looked like a control panel covered in buttons of different color and size. He pressed a finger onto one of the buttons, and a hatch opened up in the ceiling. The first years sitting on the floor gasped in various degrees of shock as several heavy-looking metal spheres tumbled down from the hatch and fell directly onto Tsukishima. But the force field held, leaving Tsuki standing unharmed, and unfazed, in his shimmering protective bubble. A few of the balls rolled off and headed towards the other first years, one of them heading directly for the freckled boy- Yamaguchi.

They all screamed. For a second, Hinata saw a flash of panic cross Tsukishima’s normally passive face, and he stuck out an open hand, causing a force field to appear around Yamaguchi, protecting him.

Unfortunately, this meant that his own force field disappeared, leaving Tsukishima completely vulnerable to the metal weights that were still raining down on him. Yachi covered her eyes with her hands. Hinata did the same, but couldn’t resist peeking through the gaps between his fingers.

Tsukishima braced himself for impact, but before the balls could hit him, they burst apart, disintegrating into what looked like dust, or ash. Tsukishima stood, body still tense with fear, while the substance rained peacefully down on him. Everyone looked to Ukai, who was standing with a hand outstretched.

“Well,” he said, brushing his hands together, and seemingly indifferent to the students’ lingering distress, “I think I’ve seen enough. You can come down now.”

Tsuki stepped down, his face having fallen back into its usual distasteful frown. But Hinata could see that his legs were trembling slightly.

Ukai beckoned over to Takeda, who grabbed a cloth bag and held it open for him. The coach fished around in the bag for a moment before producing a polished metal badge.

“Here,” he said as he handed the badge to Tsukishima, “When everyone has gone, you’ll go with Daichi. Now go take a seat.”

Tsukishima walked passed Hinata on his way to his seat, and Hinata would have sworn that he tilted the glimmering black badge in his hands on purpose, facing it so that Hinata could read the word “Hero” etched into the metal in orange lettering.

Tsukishima returned to his spot next to Yamaguchi, whose eyes were still peeled wide in shock after nearly taking a weighted metal sphere to the face.

“T-thanks, Tsuki!” he finally managed to say. Tsukishima grunted, but otherwise said nothing.

It was Yamaguchi who went next. When he took the stage, he declared that his power was enhanced marksmanship.

“…Sometimes,” he added, out of the corner of his mouth, but neither Ukai nor Takeda appeared to hear it. Soon a bow and arrow were placed in Yamaguchi’s trembling hands.

Ukai pressed another of the buttons on the wall. This time, several targets descended from the ceiling, all of various sizes, and all shifting at different speeds and in different directions. Yamaguchi drew his bow, squinting in concentration.

He released the arrow, and it dropped, clattering to the ground. After a few more tries, all yielding a similar result, he was told to step down. Hinata could see a bright orange badge with black letters be pressed into Yamaguchi’s palm, and he was instructed to go with Sugawara after the placement was over. When Yamaguchi returned to his seat, it was with a slight slump in his shoulders.

Hinata sighed. He felt guilty for feeling relieved that not all of his classmates were as gifted as Tsukishima and his powerful force fields.

The next one in line was Yachi, and she gave Hinata a look of pure panic when she was called to the stage. Hinata gave her a brisk pat on the shoulder.

“Good luck!” he whispered.

She nodded, and made her cautious way to the stage.

“Name?” Ukai asked.

Yachi’s face was bright red, but her voice was steady. “Yachi Hitoka.”

“Power?”

“Well…I, uh….”

Ukai raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

Yachi stared resolutely at her feet. “I’m a shape-shifter, sir.”

Ukai looked up from his clipboard with some interest. “A shape-shifter, huh? What can you change into?”

“Um…small animals. L-like, rabbits, and, um…hamsters….”

“…Alright. Can you do it now?”

When the light subsided, the recognizable image of Yachi was gone. In its place was a small, yellow bird, flapping its tiny wings in the space where Yachi had just been standing.

“Aaw,” Tsukishima said with a snicker, “How cute.”

Hinata felt anger rise up in his throat like bile. “Hey-” he started, but he was cut off by coach Ukai.

“Enough!” he snapped at Tsukishima. He then jumped a little in surprise- the little bird that was Yachi had flown over to perch herself on the edge of his clipboard. “Uh…you can change back now, Yachi-san.”

The bird flew off of the clipboard, and a few seconds later, Yachi was back to her human form. If it was possible, she was even redder than she had been before her transformation.

“I’m sorry, Coach Ukai!” she said, “I just wasn’t sure if you could see me well!”

Ukai looked like he might have been fighting a smile. “It’s fine. You can come get your badge now.”

She nodded, rushing over to Takeda to receive her orange badge. When she sat back down next to Hinata, he was worried that she would be upset about her placement and Tsukishima’s bullying. Instead, she smiled at him.

“I’m glad it’s over,” she breathed. “I think it’s your turn now, Hinata-kun! Good luck!”

She was right. He was the next in line, and Coach Ukai was waving him over casually, like he wasn’t about to decide Hinata’s entire future.

No, Hinata thought, I’m the one who decides my future. I can do this, I can do this….even though I’ve never actually flown before…I’m sure I can do this….

“Are you feeling alright?” a concerned voice said beside him. He realized that he had stood up, but hadn’t made any move to walk towards the platform. Takeda-sensei was at his side, watching him with a concerned expression. “You look a little pale. Can I get you some water?”

Hinata shook his head. He tried to fight the nausea that was slowly starting to overtake his body- he’d always had a tendency to vomit when nervous, and he could think of no worse way to start his college experience than getting sick on a stage in front of his entire class. Even if his entire class consisted of only four other students, three if he didn’t count Yachi, who had seen him throw up plenty of times.

The walk to the platform felt like a dream to Hinata, the time it took skewed so that it felt like both an eternity and a second all at once. He tried to focus on putting one leg in front of the other.

“Name?” Coach Ukai asked, just has he had all the others.

"Hinata Shouyou.” Hinata’s voice sounded like it belonged to another person, like he was a puppet being manipulated by a faraway being. Shit. He hated his nerves.

If the coach recognized the name, he made no indication. Hinata wasn’t sure if he was grateful or not. “And your power?” Ukai continued.

“Flight.” There is was. The word that would condemn him. Flight? Is that really what they called what Shouyou could do?

It was hard for Hinata to register anything other than the beating in his own heart, but he thought that Ukai may have been smiling. “Well, I guess we don’t need any fancy props to help prove that. When you’re ready, Hinata.”

The word ‘ready’ almost made Hinata laugh. Before doing anything, he looked down at the rest of the first-years, hoping for a reassuring smile from Yachi to encourage him.

And she may have given him that smile, but Hinata didn’t see it, because he was suddenly trapped by another person’s gaze: it was none other than Mean Asshole Kageyama, who had been sitting slightly behind the rest of the group for most of the placement, completely silent. Now he was staring at Hinata with such frightening intensity that Hinata started to worry the other boy could actually kill him with his eyes, and that he was currently trying to, for whatever reason. Hinata swallowed. He closed his eyes. Focus.

He trained his thoughts on the air around him. It was stuffy in the gym, but there was enough ventilation that currents still shifted, still moved and danced with and ran into one another. Hinata could feel it, could almost see it in him mind. Shutting everything else out, he coaxed the air towards himself, approaching it like someone would approach a frightened animal.

He exhaled when that familiar, exhilarating sense of weightlessness hit him. He felt the air, both in him and around him, and soon he was feeling his feet part with the wood below them. He didn’t open his eyes, but he knew that he was hovering a few feet off the ground. He had the lift- now all he had to do was move himself forward.

Hinata thought back to his father. He thought about what his dad had always told him, that flight was like having a conversation with the air. Taking a deep breath, he reached out to the air around him, and tried to speak to it. It greeted him, and he felt his body shift forward a little, a rush of elation filling him. This was the farthest he had ever gotten before. He was going to do it. He was going to fly.

Then, like a bolt of lightning, Hinata’s thoughts were filled with the same image that had come for him when the second years had been talking to him. There was a black cape, a wave of nausea, and a sudden burst of pain.

Hinata opened his eyes to see that he was on the hard floor of the gym, his limbs sprawled and tangled and his body aching. He had fallen. Just like he always did.

“Are you alright?” Both Takeda and Ukai were kneeling beside him, looking concerned. Hinata sat up. Yachi was standing behind the teachers, trying to get a good look at him.

“I’m fine,” Hinata said. Takeda continued to inspect him for injuries. “Really, I’m okay! I’m ready to try again.”

The two teachers shared a look. “Don’t worry about that, Hinata-kun,” Takeda said, “You did enough.”

Enough? Hinata wondered if that meant what he thought, a spark of hope returning to him. He allowed the teachers to help him to his feet, and Takeda went to get the bag of badges, pulling one out. The badge was bright orange. Hinata’s heart plummeted.

“No!” he found himself saying, causing Takeda to look up in surprise. “I…I can do it! I swear! I just need to learn.”

Ukai sighed. “It’s nearly unheard of for a person’s powers to develop any further once they reach the age of eighteen. I’m sorry, but I can’t put you in a class that you aren’t suited for.”
Hinata clenched his fists in frustration. “But I can do it! I’m meant to be a hero! I have to be!”

“Enough!” Ukai yelled, and Hinata flinched. “I said at the beginning that I wouldn’t tolerate any complaining. It’s an insult to you peers in the hero-support class. Now take your badge and take a seat.”

Hinata felt like the world was ending. There was nothing he could do other than accept his badge from Takeda, and return to his place on the floor. Upon seeing the faces of the rest of his classmates,

Hinata suddenly felt more embarrassed than he had ever been. He wanted to go find a cave in the woods and live there forever.

Yachi was by his side in an instant, telling him that everything was okay. “At least we’ll be in the same classes now!” she said.

Hinata looked away from her.

He didn’t hear Ukai call for the next person, but he saw Kageyama emerge from his lonely spot in the back and make his way onto the stage.

“Name?” Ukai said, settling back into the routine.

Kageyama stared directly in front of him. “Kageyama Tobio.”

“And your power?”

His eyes flickered to Ukai, and then returned to whatever spot on the wall he was examining.

“Telekinesis.”

Ukai sighed tiredly. He walked over to the control panel once again, and pressed a button. This time, a large, grey box fell from the ceiling, but it didn’t land on Kageyama. Instead, it landed on the space in front of him.

“When you’re ready,” Ukai said.

Hinata wasn’t really paying attention to Mean Asshole Kageyama’s placement; he was staring into his lap, far too deep in his own pit of despair to care what was happening. But immediately after the go-ahead had left Ukai’s mouth, there was a collective intake of breath from the other students. Yachi shook Hinata’s shoulder, and Hinata looked up.

“What is it?”

Yachi shook her head in bewilderment. “The box…look, it’s on the other side of the gym! I swear, I didn’t even see it move!”

Sure enough, the box that had been place in front of Kageyama was now at the far end of the gym. But Hinata hadn’t been paying attention, so he didn’t really know what was so special about that.

Ukai, meanwhile, seemed to know. His eyes were slightly widened, a hand brought up to his chin in thought. “Can you do another one?”

Kageyama nodded, and Ukai pressed another button. This time, a much smaller object, a ball, fell in front of Kageyama’s feet. On the far end of the gymnasium, a little basket descended.

Ukai watched Kageyama with intent. “Try to put the ball into the basket.”

For a moment, Hinata thought that Kageyama hadn’t done anything. Then he noticed that there was no longer a ball in front of Kageyama, and he whipped his head around despite himself. There was no way….

And yet, there it was. It was almost too far away to see, but the little ball was definitely in the little basket on the opposite end of the court. It had happened in less than a second. Kageyama hadn’t even moved.

Hinata shook his head around; he felt like his brain had glitched. But he knew that Kageyama had moved the ball with his mind.

“Amazing,” he found himself whispering. But he heard Tsukishima scoff.

“Freak.” he spat.

The word was said with malice, and just loud enough that Hinata knew Kageyama would hear it. He saw, so quick that he might have imagined it, but knew that he didn’t, a violent twitch flick across Kageyama’s face. The expression of pain was gone as soon as it had come, but Hinata had seen it. He couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for Kageyama, even if he was a mean asshole.

Unfortunately, Ukai and Takeda were deep in conversation, and didn’t hear Tsukishima’s insult. When the broke apart, Ukai instructed Kageyama to step down. He was presented with a black badge with orange letters, and told to go with Daichi.

“Alright, the hard part of today is done!” Takeda said to all of them with a warm smile, “You can all relax now. Your student leaders should be waiting for you outside of the gym, and they’ll show you to your dorms and make sure you all get your schedules. Classes start tomorrow, so get a good night’s sleep. It was great meeting all of you, and I’m sure we’re going to have a great year together.”

They all said their thank yous and goodbyes, and headed out to the gym exit. On the way, Hinata found himself drifting towards Kageyama who, despite being placed on the Hero track, had a look in his eyes like he was ready to burn the whole school down.

“Hey,” Hinata said, “Tsukishima-san is just jealous, you know.” Tsuki heard him and shot him a look, but Hinata didn’t really care.

He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but it wasn’t for Kageyama’s expression to become even sourer. He looked down at Hinata.

“You think I need pity from someone like you?” he snapped. “You can’t even do anything, the only reason you’re here is because of your parents. You’re just wasting everyone’s time.”

Hinata gaped. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and saw that it was Yachi trying to pull him away from Kageyama. Hinata resisted.

“Well at least I’m not a big asshole!” he yelled. Kageyama’s eyes narrowed, and Yachi pulled harder on Hinata’s arm. He complied, allowing her to guide him out of the door, mumbling about how he wasn’t worth it under her breath. She was probably right, but Hinata wanted nothing more than to go back and give Kageyama a piece of his mind.

When they got out into the hallway, Daichi and Sugawara were both waiting for them, leaning against a wall and chatting with each other.

“Oh, welcome back!” Suga said when he saw them, “How did it go?”

None of them said anything, but their feelings must have shown on all of their faces, because Daichi and Suga both laughed.

“I know, it’s rough,” Daichi said sympathetically. “I remember when we had to do it. But it’s over now, so you can all go collapse on your beds.”

Suga nodded. “It’s been a long day for all of us. So, if you got a Hero badge, go with Daichi, and if you got a Hero Support badge, come with me.”

They all shuffled to their respective advisors. If Sugawara was surprised to see Hinata standing with him, he didn’t show it. “Alright!” Suga said, “How about we go get some dinner first. I’m starving.”

“Me too,” said Yamaguchi.

Yachi groaned. “So am I.”

Hinata said nothing.

Sugawara took the three of them to the cafeteria, explaining how their meal plans would work, telling them which foods were the best, and which stay away from. He talked about how none of them had much to worry about when it came to things like food, because the government was interested in keeping all of them healthy and training.

The food wasn’t bad, but Hinata hadn’t gotten over his nausea from placement, and could only pick at what he had taken. While Yachi and Yamaguchi asked Sugawara questions and gratefully ate their dinners, Hinata let himself tune out, his head resting on his hand. He kept hearing Kageyama’s words in his mind.

You’re only here because of your parents. You can’t even do anything.

Maybe he had been right. If there really was no hope that Hinata’s powers would develop, then what reason did he have to stay here? He would be of more use going to regular school and getting a regular job, just like his mother wanted him to.

And yet, there was something inside of him that knew he couldn’t let go of his dream. Not yet. But he didn’t see how it was possible, now.

After they had eaten, Suga led them to their dorms. Really, the structure was less like a dorm building and more like a house, with only one level and hallways with bedrooms branching off from a central area that consisted of a kitchen and a lounging area.

“Another perk about being at a superhero university,” Sugawara said, “Everyone gets their own room.”

When Hinata got into his own small room, he saw that his things had made it there safely, the bags piled on top of his bed. From the window, Hinata could see the sun beginning to set over the school grounds, the buildings and trees leaving long shadows as if they were down one earth, and not floating far above it.

Hinata checked his phone and saw that his mother had texted him. He told her that everything was fine, that his first day had been great, but that he wanted to be well-rested for the start classes tomorrow and was going to go to sleep.

He tossed his stuff off of the bed, not having enough energy left to even start unpacking, and collapsed on top of it. He allowed his thoughts to wander, still watching the sun as it quickly retreated into nighttime.

Hinata was startled awake by a loud pounding at his door. There was drool on his hand, and his arm was stiff from acting as his pillow. He looked at his phone and saw that it was a little past ten at night.

Knock, knock, knock. “Hinata, are you awake? Come on, open up!”

It was Yachi. Hinata dragged himself off of his bed and to the door, feeling disoriented. His stomach growled, and he regretted that he hadn’t eaten any dinner.

“There you are!” Yachi said when he opened the door, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. I was just sleeping.”

“Oh! Sorry,” Yachi’s eyes brightened, “But you should come out! Some of the second and third years are here, and we’re all gonna introduce ourselves. Suga-san told me to come and get you.”

Hinata rubbed the sleepy haze out of his eyes. He really wasn’t in the mood for socializing.

“I dunno Yachi, I’m kind of tired….”

Yachi frowned. “They all seem really nice, though. And Suga-san brought snacks!”

Hinata felt another hunger pang at the mention of snacks, and clutched a hand to his stomach with a groan. “I guess I could go and say hi….”

Yachi beamed at him. “Great! Let’s go.”

Hinata followed Yachi into the shared living area, where Sugawara, Yamaguchi and a few other students were sitting on the floor around a coffee table. As promised, the table was littered with bags and boxes, all filled with various snacks and treats. Hinata felt a sudden urge to get to his knees and worship his student leader.

“Ah, Hinata!” Suga said when he saw them, “I’m glad you’re here.” He turned to the others. “This is Hinata Shouyou.”

“Hinata?” a boy with dark hair said, eyes wide.

“Yes, yes,” Sugawara said, waving his hand back and forth as if to shoo the subject away, “But we’ve been over that plenty today, haven’t we, Hinata-kun? Anyway, why don’t you two come sit down?”

Hinata and Yachi sat down at the table. Hinata found himself seated between Yachi, and a big, strong-looking guy with long brown hair pulled into a bun. He wondered how this person could be a sidekick; he certainly looked like a hero to Hinata, much more than someone thin and lanky like Tsukishima. He caught Hinata looking at him and smiled a warm, if slightly bashful, smile.

“This is Azumane Asahi,” Suga said. The man smiled and put a hand behind his neck.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said.

Sugawara then gestured to the two others at the table- a girl with short brown hair, and the boy who had reacted to Hinata’s name. “This is Yui Michimiya, and Chikara Ennoshita.”

They greeted each other, and soon everyone was digging into the snacks. Hinata thought that he had never tasted prepackaged food so delicious in his entire life.

“So,” Michimiya said, “Are you all excited for your classes tomorrow?”

Yamaguchi swallowed a mouthful of food. “I was a little surprised that they gave us our entire schedule.”

Sugawara nodded. “Yeah, for first years the curriculum is pretty controlled. But nest year you’ll be able to choose more of your classes. Most of the people in Hero Support will eventually specialize in something, like weapons or martial arts, that kind of thing.”

“And in a few months, you’ll get assigned to a Hero from the Orange District,” Ennoshita added. Suga groaned.

“Ennoshita, don’t get them worried about that already!”

“…Sorry.”

Yachi’s eyes were widened in horror. “We get…assigned our heroes?”

All of the upperclassmen laughed.

“It’s not as serious as that,” Michimiya reassured them, “You’ll just get paired up with someone for this year, to make sure that you can learn how to work together. Then after the year ends you can choose to stay together if you want, or find someone else, or just study solo and see if someone else comes along who you’re compatible with.”

Sugawara smiled softly. “That’s right! Daichi and I got paired up our first year, and we decided to stay together. But Asahi and his first Hero didn’t, and now he and Nishinoya are planning to start training together this year.”

Hinata swallowed the remainder of the candy bar he had been eating. He wasn’t at all fond of the idea of being paired up with some hero to cater to, but he couldn’t help but be fascinated by the conversation.

“Nishinoya?” He asked, “That’s the guy we met outside today, isn’t it?’

Sugawara nodded. “Noya-san is a second year, and he was assigned a Sidekick from his own class last year. But he and Asahi ran into each other, and well…” he laughed a little. “Asahi is a healer, and Nishinoya definitely needs one most of the time. Right, Asahi-san?”

Asahi smiled nervously. “Ah, yeah,” he said, “He can be pretty reckless sometimes….”

Hinata blinked up at the third year in surprise. “You’re a healer? But that’s such a cool power!”

Asahi flushed and looked away from him. There was a strange look in his eyes, and Hinata wondered if he’d said something wrong.

“Hinata,” Sugawara said kindly. “Being in the Hero Support class doesn’t mean that your powers aren’t as useful as the Heroes. It just means that they’re different.”

Asahi nodded. “You can’t really fight villains with healing powers,” he said sheepishly.

“Well, I think there’s something to be said for having powers that heal instead of hurt,” Michimiya added. There was a chorus of agreement around the table.

Yamaguchi suddenly turned to Suga with interest, as if he had just thought of something. “What’s your power, Sugawara-san?”

Ennoshita answered before Sugawara could. “He’s an empath. So he can sense what other people are feeling.” He gave Suga a sidelong glance. “And sometimes he makes us feel what he’s feeling, too.”

Sugawara put his arms up. “I don’t mean to do the second thing, though. It just happens sometimes!”

“Only you would apologize for making us feel calm and happy, Suga,” Asahi said.

Hinata thought back to all of his encounters with Sugawara that day, realizing that the sense of comfort that he had experienced when he had first met him was present again, although not as noticeably. It might have been that he had gotten some sleep and food to eat, but Hinata was feeling much more optimistic than he had been a few hours earlier. He couldn’t help but wonder if Suga could sense his discomfort, and adjust his own feelings to make him feel better.

They talked and played little games until it was past midnight, and by the time they decided to turn in for the night, Hinata was smiling and laughing with Yachi and his new friends. And, as badly as he still wanted to be in the Heroes’ dorm, he thought that they probably weren’t having as much fun with Tsukishima and Mean Asshole Kageyama as their first years.

After Hinata had brushed his teeth and returned to his room, he heard a knock on the door. He opened it, assuming that it would be Yachi on the other side; instead, he found Sugawara there, smiling his peaceful smile at him.

“Hi, Hinata. Sorry to bother you, but can I come in for a minute?”

Hinata nodded and stepped aside, wondering what he had done that his student advisor was coming into his room.

“Don’t worry,” Suga said quickly, “I’m just checking in with all of the first years before I go to bed. It’s my job to make sure you’re all doing alright, after all.”

Hinata blinked. It was going to take some time to get used to having his emotions read.

“Everything’s fine!” he said with the brightest smile he could manage. Sugawara gave him a searching look, before turning his head to look around the room.

“Maybe you should unpack some of you things before you go to bed,” he suggested. “I always feel better when my room is put together. Makes it feel more like home, you know?”

Hinata nodded. Really, he had been planning on just throwing his sheets onto his bed and going to sleep, but he didn’t want to tell Suga that.

Sugawara sighed. “I know it’s been a hard day for you, Hinata. I’m sorry for what happened before, with Tanaka and Nishinoya. I should have said something to them earlier.”

With a shock, Hinata realized that Suga must have felt his strong emotions when the two second years had been talking about his dad. He felt his face heat up in embarrassment.

“It’s alright, Hinata. I know the past few years must have been rough for you and your family.” Sugawara clapped Hinata on the back. “But let me know if you need anything, okay? Even just to talk.”

“Okay,” Hinata said, smiling at his student leader, “I will!”

“Good. I’ll leave you alone now. Sleep well, Hinata!”

“Good night!” Hinata chimed as Sugawara left and closed the door behind him, leaving Hinata alone in his room. It was a pretty good room, for having it all to himself- besides his bed, he had a nice desk to work at, a wardrobe, and a window looking out onto a row of trees, behind which was their gym. It was really pretty nice, and Hinata decided that he would be grateful for it.

He didn’t think that he was any better than Sugawara and the other sidekicks. In fact, learning about some of their powers had made Hinata think that, even here, he was one of the weakest links. And yet…he couldn’t let go of the idea that somehow, he was supposed to be a hero. And he knew that there had to be a way to get there. His mother always told him that there was always a way, and that if you couldn’t see the path to your goals, you could make one.

Hinata smiled to himself and went over to one of his bags, beginning to unpack his things into his new home.

He was going to get there. He was just going to have to make his own path.