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“To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.” - Lao Tzu
There was a sort of quiet peace that surrounded Musutafu at this time of night that couldn’t be beat, at least in Shouto’s opinion.
Musutafu was a big city, to be sure, but the light pollution wasn’t nearly as strong here as it was in other places. Musutafu was more of a business and residential town, after all, rather than commercial, so a good majority of the city’s lights were almost always off by the time night rolled around. It made nights like these - stargazing on the roof of the U.A dorms - the perfect way to relax.
It was something Shouto normally did alone, growing up. He would sneak out of the house once a week in the middle of the night and lay in the backyard, watching the stars glow and wondering how far away they really were. He could see them right there, so why couldn’t just reach for them? They were almost close enough to touch, Shouto thought. Almost close enough to scoop up in childlike hands and to hold so close that he didn’t have to give them up.
He gave up most everything else until recently, after all. He counted himself lucky that he wasn’t made to give up the stars back then. This time, though, he didn’t have to give up a single thing. And this time, he could share that quiet, peaceful view of the Musutafu stars with people he cared about.
Shouto invited his friends to stargaze with him after training that day. They were all tired, and wanted something low-energy to do, so Shouto had suggested bringing up snacks and music and blankets and pillows to the roof, where they could just… coexist. To be around each other and appreciate the stars. They had been surprised to learn that stargazing was one of Shouto’s favorite things, but were more than happy to join him in his childhood tradition. (Minus the sneaking out to do so, of course. They got Aizawa-sensei’s permission first.)
Midoriya and Uraraka had since fallen asleep against Iida’s shoulders, and Iida himself was not far from drifting off either. Iida’s glasses were slipping down his nose, and Shouto briefly wondered if he could get them off without waking him so they wouldn’t get damaged. Tsu was sitting to Shouto’s left, gravitating to his warm side in the cool night air. She was awake, but quiet, also too enamored with the stars to talk much.
This moment, right here and now, was how Shouto wanted to spend every night from now on. Nothing but the sounds of cicadas and crickets while he laid under the stars with his friends. It was nice… comforting, even, to know that people he cared about were within arms’ reach. That they liked the stars as much as he did.
Shouto wondered if he could spend every night like this.
After they graduated, he was sure they’d all be pulled in different directions thanks to their careers. Midoriya was going to be a hero in the spotlight, because of course he was. He was going to be a hero like All Might who saved people with a smile. There was no way he wouldn’t. Uraraka was going to be a rescue hero and support her family back in another prefecture, and Iida was going to continue the legacy of his family, the legacy of Ingenium. Tsu was going to be a rescue hero too, off to the coasts of Japan to assist in water rescues and operations.
As for Shouto himself… well, he wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted to do just yet. He was still exploring every facet of heroics he didn’t get to look into when he was younger. There were so many niches, so many roles he could fill in the hero world.
He could be a rescue hero like Uraraka and Tsu. His fire could help prevent hypothermia, he could assist in controlled burns, and so much more. His ice could prop up structures, ice wounds, even keep food from spoiling for a time - just as varied as his fire. It was hard for Shouto to imagine himself as a rescue hero, though. He wasn’t very reassuring to civilians, at least according to the Licensing Exam results. He found it hard to relate to most people, let alone comfort them. But he was sure he could do it if he really wanted to.
Then there were combat heroes. There was more than one kind, though. Midoriya and Iida were going to be mainstream heroes, those involved with the media and the billboard rankings, though their motivations were doing so were different. Shouto was pretty sure neither of them really wanted to be involved with the media, but it came with the territory. There were also heroes like Aizawa-sensei, those who staunchly avoided the media in any way they could, whether it was by working two jobs or working night shifts only. It made their presence virtually unknown, though, and that was the antithesis of what Midoriya and Iida were trying to achieve.
And even aside from combat and rescue heroes, there were secondary careers to think about.
Present Mic held the most jobs as a hero Shouto knew about, topping out at three - he hosted a radio show, taught at U.A, and did hero work, all at once. Shouto didn’t think he’d want to do all of that, but it was certainly something to consider. What kind of job could he do, Shouto wondered? Could he work somewhere peaceful and quiet, just like this, for when the day’s hero work grew too exhausting, stressful, or emotional? Were such jobs out there?
Perhaps he could be an astronomer on the side, or something else to do with space, Shouto thought. He certainly did like the stars. Maybe that would be a way to bring all of his friends together again. He could open up an observatory or a planetarium and have nightly viewings of the stars, pointing out all of the constellations and telling fun facts to those that would listen.
That star right there is actually a planet, he’d say. You can see it this time of year. My sister Fuyumi told me all about it.
Shouto tore his gaze away from the stars for a moment long enough to glance back over at his friends. Iida was asleep now, his glasses hanging on for dear life at the tip of his nose. Midoriya was drooling in his sleep onto poor Iida’s sleeve, and for a moment Shouto was tempted to get a picture… but he decided against it. Some of the other students might see it, and as much as Shouto liked his classmates, he had long since decided that this feeling, these sights, of his friends and him under the stars in their most vulnerable moments, were only for him.
Shouto wasn’t generally a selfish person by any means, but this… this was his. His home away from home. He couldn’t imagine where he’d be now without his friends. It was another thing he didn’t want to give up, not to anybody.
“What are you thinking about over there?” Tsu asked curiously, her voice soft so as not to wake up the others. Shouto reached out to gingerly remove Iida’s glasses, just barely succeeding in removing them without waking him. He set them down somewhere safe, and then laid down against the blankets and pillows they’d brought up here to the roof.
“Just thinking about the future,” Shouto said, just as soft. “I think I might like to do this again every night, even after we graduate. I should’ve invited you all sooner.”
Tsu hummed thoughtfully. “I think that’s doable.”
“You think so?” Shouto turned his head to her. She nodded.
“We’d make it happen somehow, I’m sure.”
That was all the answer Shouto needed, anyway. Just the idea that they were willing to do this - to have these moments with him every day - was enough to make all the thoughts about the future stop for a little while. Because whatever future lie ahead for them, it would be perfect, so long as his friends stayed in it. Shouto knew that much for a fact. His life was already astronomically better.
Ha. Astronomically.
“You’re making that face you make when you think of bad jokes,” Tsu said. Shouto smiled just a little. It was easier to do that these days.
“You all would think it’s terrible, yes,” he didn’t even bother to deny the accusation, looking back up to the heavens and letting out a content sigh. “As Uraraka would say, it would’ve been too cringy for words. I’d have told it anyways.” (They were trying to teach him new slang and phrases every day. Some of it stuck, some of it didn’t.)
“That does sound like you,” Tsu agreed, deciding to lay down and look up as well.
That constellation is supposed to be Hercules, Shouto thinks to himself. I think it looks more like a frog, though. The Tsu constellation sounds much nicer.
Shouto’s mind wandered, jumping aimlessly from thought to thought. And eventually, once Tsu fell asleep and he was sure he was the only one left awake, he too began to drift off. Constellations and planets and blanket forts and smiles and welcoming arms were all he dreamed about while he was on the roof, under the stars, and surrounded by his friends.
Shouto doesn’t know what hero he wants to be just yet, but now he’s sure that doesn’t matter. The most important thing is that no matter who he ends up being, he still has his friends with him.