#and the way he excitedly jumps out of his seat in the short where nina funds her mom

[offbrand-deltatraveler]

I love him so much

[writerzuniverse]

Northern Lights

LEVEL ONE

Characters: Madaline North (OC), Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugou, Koushi Sugawara, Daichi Sawamura, Keishin Ukai, Makoto Shimada, Yusuke Takinoue, Asahi Azumane, Yuu Nishinoya, Chikara Ennoshita, Ryuunosuke Tanaka, Kinnoshita (mentioned), Narita (mentioned)

Chapter Title*: if someone wakes me up one more time, they’ll be found in the dumpster

Warnings: Violence (non-graphic)*, Name-calling, A little bit of angst but not much. If you spot anything else, please tell me!

[NOTE: Normal is Japanese and Bold is Spanish]

Quiet beeping jumped her out of her thoughts, making Madaline turn on her side to look at the phone-esque gadget. Sighing at the screen, she grabbed her hoodie and brown combat boots and left, keys and the gadget in her hand.

[CELESTIAL DETECTED: PORCUPINE: MUSTAFU]

One day, that’s all I want. An aurora* fox trotted along next to her silently, looking around at his fellow spirits as they followed her as well. The dot on the gadget (called the Celestial Detection Phone, or CDP for short) was in an alleyway, thankfully. Turning into the said alley, the blonde immediately hid behind a dumpster, seeing a group of thugs trying to tug the poor spirit out from its hiding place.

“C’mon, you little shit, we just want to know what you look like.” A scowl grew on her face at their words. There were three, I believe. Taking out her collapsible staff, Madaline spun around the corner of the dumpster she was hiding behind and threw it like a javelin. It hit the side of one guy’s head, and by the time the trio looked over, there was a stumbling blonde in front of them, swinging yet another staff into their stomachs. They ran away like little bitches.

“I hope they don’t report you.” The kind girl held out her hand, waiting for the animal to come out. “It’s okay, I won’t hurt you.” The porcupine, who looked way too small for an adult, crawled out shivering. “Oh no, you must’ve died young.” Madaline frowned, then smiled weakly. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.” The baby porcupine, currently completely white, climbed up on her hand, nuzzling her fingers. Madaline closed her green eyes, taming the baby, making it turn an aurora color.

It cooed ‘smiling’ up at its new owner. She smiled back, putting him on her shoulder. Walking down the alleyway to leave, she checked the time. 5:53 am already? Pouting, she felt the porcupine climb up to her head. Putting her headphones in so as to not look like a lunatic, she continued her way down to her home to get ready for school. “What should I call you?” The animal on her head cooed again. “I’ll call you Tiny, then.” Her other Celestials joined the duo, excited to have a baby among the group. Hera, a black panther spirit, beckoned Tiny to go onto her back, to which he complied, snuggling into her coat. The fox from before climbed up onto his owner’s shoulders.

“What do I need to do today, again?” Rolling her right sleeve up, she read the writing.

School

Work

Don’t forget to update the Celestial files

Nodding to herself, Madaline walked into her home, dropped Felix off and got ready for school. I also have the reminders on my phone.

I have a few assignments due today, I also need to talk to Midoriya about his workout routine. The green haired boy’s visage appeared in her mind as she brushed her teeth. He obviously became stronger, it’s a wonder how nobody else saw it. After putting on her black Converse and grabbing her satchel, she paused at the doorway, groaning as she doubled back to grab her lunch. I hope I’m not forgetting something.

Once again, the class was too rowdy and loud, making Madaline turn up her music and continue to read her book, masking her presence even more. This is how it usually went, she would ignore most of her classmates, and they would ignore her. By the time they left, her ears were still ringing from their chatter. Getting up, she knocked on Midoriya’s desk, smiling at him when he looked up skittishly.

“Hey, Midoriya-kun.”

“N-North-san!” The fellow freckled boy screamed, making her flinch at his volume. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine, I was just wondering what’s your workout routine?” The blonde tilted her head.

“Oh, I just found it online, I thought it would be useful for Yuuei.” Izuku stuttered out.

“Ah, alright, thanks!” She cheered, jogging out.

“Hey, spirit bitch, what did Deku tell you?” A familiar bomb quirked boy growled behind her.

“Why should I tell you of all people?” Madaline hissed back, turning around to look at Bakugou, eyes narrowed.

“Because I can make your fucking life a living hell.” The ash blonde suggested.

“What a coincidence, so can I.” The sarcasm seemed to throw him off. The duo stared at each other, in a temporary standoff.

“I heard you’re going to do homeschooling after this year.” Bakugou finally spoke.

“Wow, you spoke a sentence without cussing!” She tried to avoid the topic by using sarcasm.

“I’m taking that as a fucking yes.” He grumbled, brushing past the short girl. “Just stay out of my way, spirit bitch.”

Madaline just watched as he left before leaving herself. Geez, he acts as if the world is out to get him, the pompous fucker. She huffed, her hands tightening around the satchel straps, letting a cat spirit rub against her, taking away most of her frustration.

As she walked towards The Elemental Crows’ Hero Agency, she kept a hand on her CDP, waiting for a notification to interrupt her calm walk. Nothing, thankfully. Getting her ID out, she scanned it as she walked in, immediately being greeted by a few sidekicks and interns, sending her own greeting back, she called through the agency. “I’m here!” More sidekicks and interns smiled at the teen’s antics.

Calmly walking up the wide stairs to the elevator, she called to a friend of hers, who was an intern. “Hey, Suga, are any of the Crows here?”

“I think Mizu, Fire, and Chikyu are here. I can text them if you want.” The kind senpai answered.

“Nah, I want my entrance to be a surprise.” The duo laughed then said goodbye to each other. Daichi walked out the elevator as she went in, they shared a high-five. After she walked back out, now on the top floor where the heroes that own the building and their interns offices are, Madaline trotted right upto the door with a flame that had crow wings sprouting from it, hearing the three heroes Suga talked about. Knocking, the blonde waited.

“Yes?” A gruff man with piercings answered the door, only to get a tick mark when he saw who it was. “And where the hell have you been?!”

Ukai roughly placed his hand on her head, rubbing. “Hey, watch the hair! I was at school y’know!”

“Keishin, stop teasing the poor girl.” Takinoue finally stepped in, smiling as he hugged her.

“Yeah, Keishin, she’s a third year now, remember?” Shimada threw his two cents in.

“Hmph, I guess I’ll let it slide.” The trio of heroes looked at the newcomer, a small, aurora porcupine. “A new Celestial, huh?”

“It’s cute!” Shimada cheered petting the happy animal.

“Yep, meet Tiny.” The men deadpanned, making Madaline pout.

“Has it’s quirk appeared yet?” Takinoue held his hand out for Tiny to climb on.

“No, but it’ll take a while to show, I believe he died when he was three or early four.” The freckled girl smiled mimicking the baby’s coo.

“Alright, you know where your lab is, go on.” Ukai gestured for her to leave. “Oh, and can you check on Asahi real quick? We gave him a lot of paperwork.”

“Yeah, totally!” Letting Tiny come back to her, Madaline jogged off, going to the office down the hall and to the right with two theater masks, one looking scared, the other being transparent. “Asa-kun! Can I come in?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, come on in North-chan.” A soft but deep voice answered.

“I’m going to make some drinks after work, do you want something?” The green eyed girl peeked in, her bright eyes meeting his timid look.

“Can I get some peach tea if it’s not too much?” He looked back down at his work, a pile of paperwork next to him.

“It’s not, do you need help with work?” Madaline sat in the seat in front of him, grabbing a pen.

“No, I can do it on my own, thank you though.” The brunet smiled at her focused look. Cute. He went back to work, the girl’s almost non-existent presence calming him. He frowned, remembering the fight he had with Nishinoya earlier that month.

“It’s not your fault, you know.” Madaline spoke, writing peach tea just below her list of things to do. “The loss and the fight. Many heroes have lost battles, don’t let it define you, okay?”

Asahi was silent for a few minutes, the words getting soaked in his heart. “Alright.” He looked at his letter of resignation. Looks like I’m staying a hero. He went to shred it, but the short girl already grabbed it.

“Give this to Noya, he would love to burn this.” The duo laughed.

“You’d be a great hero.” Asahi grabbed the paper, getting up from his desk to go to the elevator.

“Nah, I have animals to take care of.” A frown bit at her lips, but she brushed it off.

“They’re in the meeting room, and I’m coming with you to take pictures!”

“It’s not to get out of work, is it?” They got in the elevator as they spoke.

“No!” A few seconds later, she was running out the elevator to throw up aurora colored mist. “Yes.” Madaline pouted.

“Okay, you can come with, but we are going to watch over you, alright?” Asahi chuckled.

“Fine.” They walked into the Senshi Unit: Karasuno ‘meeting’ room. Everyone was, surprisingly, there.

“Heyo, everyone!” Madaline smiled, speeding up so she could Will Smith meme Asahi. He only covered his face with the paper, as everyone stood silently.

“Um, Nishinoya, wanna burn this?” Everything was silent for a few minutes, but the mentioned boy cheered, excitedly taking the paper. Lighting crackled around it, and everyone watched it burn with wicked eyes, making the poor ‘ace’ shake.

“Alright, I’m going to work now!” She tried to run to her lab, but was caught by Daichi, who held her up like a cat caught by the scruff of their neck. Felix, the fox spirit, snickered, putting Tiny on his back, while Nina, the cat, shook her head in disappointment.

“Asahi told me that you need to be watched, again?” He smiled ‘kindly’.

“Maybe.” Madaline smiled nervously in response.

Ennoshita stepped in front of her, giving her his chastising glance, tearing another response from her. “Fine, you guys can come.”

“Thank you.” The Karasuno captain nodded. The group walked alongside her, talking animatedly, and Ennoshita, Kinoshita, and Narita had to go do some paperwork, so it was just the six of them. Getting into her lab, which was on the third floor, they immediately stood on the sidelines, watching her work.

Madaline placed Tiny on the island in the middle, tapping the surface with two fingers, making a touchable hologram pop up. Going over to the ‘Celestial Files’ box, she expanded it, the other boxes moving away. Pressing the ‘+’ button, she directed the new spirit to a small pad, letting him off after scanning him.

Name: Tiny

Type: Small

Quirk: Unknown

Animal: Porcupine

Age: 3 or 4

Notes:

Coos when excited and loves attention. Found in the alleyway near the Seijoh Hero Agency, three thugs around him. Do not leave alone.

Most likely could have developed social, separation, and normal anxiety if he was allowed to live longer.

“How many applications have you guys gotten?” Madaline said as she typed.

“Four, applications close tomorrow.” Suga called, looking over the applications. “We got that ‘King of Shadows’ guy.”

“From Kitagawa Daiichi?” Tanaka leaned in.

“Man, I wish I didn’t get suspended.” Nishinoya pouted, crossing his arms.

“It’s okay, Noya! You’ll be able to make a grand entrance when you meet the first years!” Madaline cheered him up.

“Yeah!” He cheered. Madaline uploaded the file to the folder.

“I’m done, can we get something to eat?” She jumped up to Daichi, looking like an excited child.

“Yes, Tanaka, can you text Ennoshita what we’re doing?” The buzzcut haired boy nodded, following as the group left. Suga helped her lock up.

The day continued like that, just hanging out with her friends and trying to avoid the topic of future heroes.

Hero, huh? Madaline thought that night, laying down in her bed. There’s no way! I have the celestials and all the work I have to put in to protect them. With a huff, she turned on her side and fell asleep.

“You’d be a good hero.”

--

*: There won’t always be a chapter title, so be on the lookout for that!

*: The violence scenes will become more graphic the further I get into the story.

*: You guys know the Northern Lights down in Norway? That’s what I mean when I say “aurora”.

Small note, not very important, Madaline is part Latina, so she speaks Spanish, but as I, the author, don’t, the parts where she speaks in Spanish will be in bold to avoid conflict and butchering words. Thank you for understanding!

[whattheheartwantsrevamp]

Chapter 8

A few days have passed and it’s Thursday. Today we get out exams back in Algebra and I’m really nervous about it. I feel like I passed it but I’m not sure. Words can’t express how much I want to pass this exam. I walk into the classroom and sit in my usual seat. I shake my head as I look over at Doug, who is drawing in his textbook.

“You know at the end of the year when you turn that in they are going to charge you for that right?” I ask him as I sit down and he nods his head.

“Yup.” He says as he closes the textbook and puts it on Ashton’s desk. He grabs his textbook out of his backpack and places it on his desk making me laugh. He is so crazy. Jermaine comes in and sits in his desk in front of me.

“How do you think you did on your exam?” He asks as he turns around and looks at me and I shrug my shoulders.

“I’m not sure. What about you?” I ask and he smirks in response.

“I know I passed. I copied off of Nina’s test.” He says and I shake my head while chuckling. I look at the desk next to me and I sigh a little. Ciara hasn’t been to school since Monday and it’s a little weird. I’ve also texted her a few times but she hasn’t responded. Nina has been worried sick about her too. Nina’s grandmother is sick so she went with her family to go and visit her.

“Where’s your girl?” Doug asks as he nods towards Ciara’s empty seat.

“I don’t know. She hasn’t responded to any of my messages.” I say as I check my phone and he nods his head slowly. I look towards the door and I see Ashton walk in along with Elise. She looks over at me and smiles as she begins to make her way over to me.

“Hey Russell.” She says flirtatiously and I sigh before sitting back in my seat.

“Hey.” I say keeping it short, hoping that she would take the hint and leave me alone.

“You look really nice today.” She says and Doug sighs loudly, catching her attention.

“We have to wear uniforms. He literally had the same thing on yesterday.” Doug says and she rolls her eyes.

“Shut up.” She says to him before turning her attention back to me.

“Where’s your little…friend?” She asks referring to Ciara and I exhale loudly.

“One of her neighbors probably stole her little car.” Elise says making her and Ashton laugh.

“I don’t think the crackheads and drug dealers even want that piece of trash.” Ashton says and they both laugh harder.

“Y’all really don’t see anything wrong with what you both just said?” I ask making them both stop laughing. Jermaine sits back in his seat and shakes his head.

“Can both of y’all just get out of my face please?” I ask as I run my hand down my face. Without saying anything else they both walk over to their seats.

“So damn ignorant.” Jermaine mumbles and I shake my head. My phone vibrates on the desk and I see a message from Nina.

Nina:

Hey Russell, have you heard from Ci yet?

Me:

No. I’m guessing you haven’t heard from her either.

Nina:

No and I’m really worried. She’s going to kill me for this but after school, do you mind going by her house and checking on her for me? It’s not like her to miss school and not answer my calls.

Me:

I don’t mind at all. I’m actually a little worried about her too.

Nina:

Okay. I’ll send you her address. No matter what you see or hear please don’t judge her or treat her any differently because of it.

I raise my eyebrow as I reread her last message. I would never treat her any differently. I can’t lie, this message does make me wonder about what I could possibly be getting myself into by going over there. I told her that I would stop after school and she sent me her address. The bell rings and the class begins.

“Good morning class. Before we begin with the lesson for today I want to give you guys back your exams. Some of you did really well and some of you might want to study a little harder if you plan on passing this class.” Mrs. Bailey says before she begins to pass out the exams. The closer she gets to my desk, the faster my heart beats. There is so much riding on me passing this exam. Mrs. Bailey passes Jermaine his exam and his smile drops as he looks at his exam.

“How did I fail?” He asks as he looks over the test. Doug leans over and looks at it before chuckling.

“Each test had different questions, genius.” Doug says and I laugh before shaking my head.

“Good Job Russell. I’m happy to see that your tutoring sessions are working out.” Mrs. Bailey says with a small smile as she gives me my exam back. I look over it and smile big when I see the 98% A written at the top of the paper.

“Damn Russ, you usually get Cs and Ds on these exams.” Doug says as he peaks at my exam.

“I know. I’m a little surprised myself.” I say as I put the exam in my backpack.

“Jermaine, you might want to ask her to tutor you too.” Doug says to him making him roll his eyes and we laugh. I can’t wait to show Ciara my exam after school. The rest of the day drags by as usual and I sigh in relief when I hear the final bell ring. Thankfully we don’t have practice today so I can go by Ciara’s place before heading home. I get into my car and I put her address into my GPS. As I’m driving in the opposite direction of my house I can’t help but to notice the difference. Abandoned buildings, raggedy streets, liquor stores and people hanging out everywhere. I pull up to her apartment complex and the appearance is worse than I could have ever imagined. I instantly spot Ciara and she’s standing outside arguing with an older woman. The conversation looks heated and I debate if I need to stay in the car until it’s over or intervene. I watch as Ciara shakes her head and tries to walk away and the woman grabs her arm harshly and pulls her back over to her. I take a deep breath before grabbing my backpack and getting out of the car. The closer I get to them, the more I can hear the conversation.

“You must have lost your damn mind talking to me like that. In case you forgot, I am your mother and you will do what I say. Now you know I need that damn money.” I hear the woman say and Ciara shakes her head.

“I’m not giving you any money. That’s the money that we need for the bills. Ma, I’m already working overtime to make up for the money that you took.” I hear Ciara say and the woman just rolls her eyes.

“Mama I can’t keep doing this with you.” Ciara say as her voice cracks and the woman laughs.

“You’re acting like I’m asking you to stay here. You can leave and go where ever you want to go. I don’t need you. I’ve never needed you. You’re worthless, always have been, always will be. You have been nothing but a pain in my ass since you were born and I’ll be so happy when you finally decide to leave and I’ll never have to see you again.Matter of fact, why don’t you just pack up your shit and leave now?” The woman says harshly before turning and walking away. Ciara lets out a shaky breath as she drops her head.

“Hey.” I say softly making her jump in surprise. She looks over at me with a shocked expression on her face.

“Russell, what are you doing here?” She asks and I put my hands in my pockets nervously.

“Nina asked me to come by and check on you since you haven’t been to school and haven’t been answering your phone.” I reply and she nods her head.

“How much of that did you hear?” She asks and I sigh a little.

“Enough. Was that your mother?” I ask and she nods her head before taking a seat on the steps of the apartments.

“Yup. She’s something, isn’t she?” She asks sarcastically before chuckling to herself.

“She’s on drugs?” I ask and she looks up at me with tears in her eyes and nods her head.

“She’s been on drugs for years and I’ve been trying so hard to take care of us. Lately she’s been spiraling. She steals money out of my purse, things from the house and then disappears for days. I had to beg my supervisor for extra shifts at work just to pay the bills. That’s why I haven’t been to school, I’m tired. I just…I don’t know what to do.” She says as she begins to cry. I sit next to her and wrap my arms around her as she breaks down. You really never know what someone is going through. She’s dealing with all of this at home and then she has to deal with Ashton at school. I really admire her strength.I’m surprised she hasn’t reached her breaking point yet.

“I’m sorry.” She says as she pulls away from me and wipes her face.

“You don’t have to apologize for how you’re feeling. Ciara, you are so strong.” I say to her as I wipe away a fresh tear, making her look over at me.

“I don’t feel strong.” She says as she looks down at her hands. I place my fingers under her chin and I lift her head gently making her look at me.

“But you are. Look at what you’re dealing with at home and you’re still able to work, go to school and make good grades. That’s amazing. You’re amazing.” I say passionately as I look in her eyes.

“You really think so?” She asks softly and I nod my head.

“Yes. You need to come back to school though.” I say as I wipe away another tear and I let go of her face.

“I know and I will. My manager said that I can’t continue working the morning shifts on the weekdays because I’m supposed to be in school.” She says and I nod my head.

“I have an idea for you to make more money. You could tutor after school or on the weekends.” I say and she laughs before shaking her head.

“I don’t think I’m a good enough tutor to get paid for that.” She says and I smirk before reaching into my backpack and grabbing my exam.

“I disagree. I should be paying you honestly.” I say as I pass her my Algebra exam.

“Oh my God! You got a 98.” She says excitedly and I laugh before nodding my head.

“Yup and the only reason why I got that and not a perfect score is because I didn’t show all of my work on a question. I got this because of you.” I say and she nods her head.

“I guess I could be a tutor.” She says and I nod my head.

“Yup and I believe you owe me a date now.” I say with a smirk and she looks at me with a shocked expression.

“You still want to go out with me?” She asks and I nod my head.

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?” I ask and she shrugs her shoulders.

“Because you saw all of this and you know about what I’m going through with my mom. I didn’t think you would still be interested.” She says and I shake my head.

“None of this changes how I feel about you.” I say sincerely and she gives me a small smile.

“I guess we should plan a date then.” She says and I smile big.

“I’ll plan the date. You just be ready and make sure you answer your phone.” I say to her and she laughs before nodding her head.

“I will. I’m going to call Nina later on today.” She says and I nod my head.

“And you’ll be at school tomorrow?” I ask and she nods her head. She reaches over and gives me a hug.

“Thank you.” She says in my ear softly.

“You don’t have to thank me.” I reply as she lets me go. Now I just have to come up with the perfect date.