What Makes A Hero

7

It didn't take a genius to realize that Nox had been coming home earlier than usual and Izumi had to wonder if it was because Nox thought he was going to try to... try something again or rather he just normally had less work to do at this time of year. He never was able to bring up enough courage to directly ask, although he did occasionally hint at the question and try and drag an answer from the older. It was as impossible as drawing blood from a rock, but it was good practice for prying so he kept at it anyway.

Summer slowly grew closer and closer and Izumi was already registered for his next semester of classes- he'd impressed everyone surpassing their expectations and testing into the second semester of several grades ahead of  where his age group should be, and three semesters ahead of where they had predicted he would be and spent two whole days glowing (more like blushing and stammering profusely) under their heavy praise. Nox had given him a flash of what almost looked proud smile and a 'impressive, nicely done'.

Izumi only realized by the time he went to bed that he had excitedly spoken about it for over half the night. And so Izumi spent most of the night worrying about that and fretting over how to apologize. By morning he felt miserable.

He shouldn't have gotten so caught up in it, it was just school, he must have been boring Nox too- how could he have not noticed how rude he was being if he really was that smart? Maybe he should ask to remain on his current course. He didn't have school that day but by the time he had woken up and dragged himself to the kitchen itching with shame he saw that the other had made him katsudon for breakfast with a note declaring it was for him too. The small gesture had him relaxing. So for once he hadn't messed up then. Probably.

  That evening Nox had returned even earlier than usual- not a trace of accusation or anything but fond pride on his nearly blank face- and pulled from the refrigerator a homemade cake that read, in careful iced words, 'Congratulations.' Izumi was never quite sure how or where it had been hidden because he knew that he hadn't seen it, but he ended up spending the whole of the next day unable to contain the smile that had formed.

Maybe, just maybe, Nox was a little bit proud of him.   

      Probably not, it was just grades after all, but Izuku couldn't help but dream that he was. All the same he still found himself wondering why exactly Nox's schedule was changing.

        Nox never took weekends off from his job, but Sunday he had always gotten off before lunch and this hadn't changed in the months Izumi had been living with him, so fifteen minutes before noon he was unsurprised to hear the quiet click of the door. He'd just gotten back from the market again where he'd spent the morning getting the food needed for the next three day's meals- he made a point to leave the house every three days for small trips of food and again whenever necessary for any other supplies to make sure he still talked with other people.

       "Izumi?"

Startled, Izumi jumped slightly from his meandering thoughts, "Huh?"

"Right then, clearly you need to get out and enjoy the fresh air." Nox gently pushed him to the side and efficiently finished unpacking the last of the groceries to Izumi's stuttered protests.

"Wh- hu- n-no- I've go this! Don't worry about me I-I'm fine, really!"

"Look at you, you're paler than paper, you can be as good at analysis as you like, but you still should make an effort to stay in shape and healthy." Nox clucked disprovingly as they ushered him out the door. Outside the front door were three more doors, two locked on either side of the square hallway and one directly across. As usual Izumi headed towards this third one and together the two went down the stairwell which led- after opening another door- to the outside. Nox lived in a remote place near a remote village in a difficult to spot house. Izumi had at one point made it a game to spot where the house was located, but had given it up after only an hour as a lost cause when he couldn't find a single sign of it.