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Izuku has never seen stars before; for him they have always been just a concept, a figment of imagination from some poet or painter who is long dead.
Everyone says the stars used to shine brightly at night, as if on display for everyone to see, but that time has long since passed. As Japan grew more and more dependent on technology, the sky grew dimmer and dimmer, and now the only thing that shines in the night sky is the muted light of the moon.
It’s almost like stars never existed at all.
Izuku knows that they must have existed, though; not even he can come up with words to describe something so beautiful that doesn’t really exist.
Those poets had to have seen the stars to write about them.
Those painters had to have seen the stars to paint them.
They were radiant, Inko likes to recall. Like a little piece of the sky falling into your lap.
Inko has seen the stars before. So has Aizawa. But Izuku has not; no one his age has.
But that won’t be the case for much longer.
Once every twenty-five years, the world turns out its lights, and for one night, the sky is alive. For just that one night, the sky is radiant.
It seems almost fitting, that the day Izuku becomes a Pro Hero is the day he witnesses true brilliance for the first time.
UA usually holds their graduation ceremony mid-afternoon, but this year is a special occasion, so the ceremony is instead held on the hill overlooking the small city of Musutafu.
Aizawa is the one giving the closing speech at the ceremony, though Izuku misses most of it. He is focused on the skyline instead.
As the sun sets over the hill, lights all across the city blink out. Spatters of darkness appear here and there, each growing larger and larger until the entire city is cloaked in darkness. The sun disappears into the skyline.
Izuku shifts his gaze upwards, and his breath catches in his throat. The sky is full with tiny balls of light that shift and shine in the dark air. The stars are radiant.
Aizawa finishes the closing speech with a gesture that Izuku doesn’t quite catch, entranced by the stars as he is. Izuku just stands there, staring up at the sky.
He doesn’t know how long he stays there, but when Ochako comes over to pull him off of the stage, Izuku’s legs are sore, and he releases a breath he didn’t know he was holding.
Izuku can tell she is talking to him, but he doesn’t really focus on her until she lightly flicks his nose. He yelps, and Ochako just gives him a slightly knowing look.
She invites him up to the roof where the rest of his former classmates wait, and he follows her quickly. It’ll be easier to see the stars up there.
He feels bad to leave without saying goodbye to his mom, but she’ll understand.
She was the first one to tell him about the stars, after all.
Izuku scales up the side of the building, but Ochako chooses to float up. She looks ethereal in the moonlight.
When Izuku throws a hand over the roof to haul himself up, he feels an icy hand cover his own.
Shouto doesn’t ask Izuku why he took so long; he already knows.
Shouto hauls Izuku up first, then Ochako, and he leads the pair to where the rest of their former classmates are sitting in a circle, talking in hushed voices.
Even Kacchan is quiet.
Izuku easily finds a seat in between Tenya and Tsuyu, and he falls back against the roof with a light grunt.
The stars shine even brighter when he’s on the roof. A little piece of the sky, falling right into his lap.
Tsuyu flops down beside Izuku with a satisfied croak, and together they gaze at the stars. They’re radiant.
Eventually, the night becomes quiet and the air becomes still as his former classmates surrender to sleep.
Izuku doesn’t fall asleep though; instead he continues to watch the stars all night.
If he concentrates, he can catch a glimpse of constellations he’s only ever heard about. He only sees them for a split second. Then the stars shift and the shape is lost to the sky once more.
Eventually the sun rises, and Izuku briefly thinks that nothing will ever be the same again.
Izuku has finally caught a glimpse of the stars that he’s only ever dreamed of seeing. He’s finally become a fully-fledged Pro Hero. All of Izuku’s dreams have come to pass, and now he looks to the future with wide eyes and an eager heart.
The new generation of heroes is here, and with them, a new dawn rises. With them, a new era of peace will begin.