You were expecting to be ogled at when you walked into the classroom, so it didn't come as much of a surprise to you that they were, in fact, staring at you in curiosity. You knew you looked out of place. You didn't look like a pera to the class in your hoodie and jeans, but you held yourself in a way that made them sure that you were in fact who Aizawa said you were.
Said man motioned for you to introduce yourself, so you did, telling them all your name. "I'm here to research interesting quirks I find at UA," you said, and a few people raised their hands. One of which was the green haired boy from the infirmary.
You nodded at him, and he stood up, anxiously fiddling with his thumbs. "Uh... what's your quirk, if it's okay for me to ask?"
"I don't have one," you said, and then immediately started cursing yourself. Wasn't that just what Aizawa had told you not to do? You cringed internally. So much for having an excuse for when you glitched.
Luckily, no one seemed to notice your internal turmoil. Instead, Izuku Midoriya, who you now recognized as the protagonist, excitedly exclaimed, "Woah, really? That's so cool! It's amazing that you're at UA without a quirk, even if it is just for journaling."
You didn't have the heart to say otherwise. "Thanks."
Aizawa seemed to think that it was an acceptable start and whipped out an ugly yellow sleeping bag, laying down in it on the floor. "You guys have this period to yourselves after last week. Don't get used to it." And with that, the sleep deprived man passed out on the floor, leaving you to fend for yourself.
You stood at the front of the room awkwardly, unsure of what to do. Someone else spoke up at the front of the class. "Quirkless losers don't belong here."
"Woah, don't be like that, Bakugo. I think being quirkless and still being able to come someplace like here is pretty manly," said a redhead before looking back are you. "Uh... womanly, I mean?"
"Thanks," you decided to say, going with the bare minimum. "As Aizawa told you, I'm also here as a student aid. If you have any questions on work you might have, I'd be more than happy to help you. If not, I'm okay with continuing to answer questions."
"How old are you?" asked a black-haired girl from the back. "You look really young to already be working as a journalist and student aid at the same time."
You decided to take it as a compliment, and not that you looked unqualified to be doing what you said you were doing. "I'm nineteen."
"I love older women," the purple haired boy that you'd been warned about said. "What's your cup size, lady?"
The comment made you irrationally angry. Or perhaps it was rational anger. You couldn't quite tell. Regardless, you took a deep breath so that you wouldn't say something that you regretted. "I'm going to report you for saying that. Apparently, you have a history of harassing girls, isn't that right, Mineta?"
"H-How did you know my name?" he stuttered, and you glared at him.
"You have a reputation and let me say- it's not a very good one. Keep this shit up and you're definitely going to end up expelled," you told him curtly, not even bothering to sugar coat it. He sputtered some more, and you continued. "Does your mother know that you talk to girls like that? I'm assuming she doesn't. Why don't we give her a call?"
"That's enough," called Aizawa from where he was on the floor. "Mineta- principal's office, now. We need to have a chat."
Mineta looked close to tears. A few of the girls shot you thankful looks as he was hauled off by Aizawa to see Nezu. You smiled at them kindly, not wanting to be perceived as some sort of bitch who picked on children just because she could. Thankfully, no one seemed to think that was the case.
Once Aizawa and the purple haired freak were out of the room, a girl with pink hair and horns spoke up. "Thank you for doing that for us. He's been harassing the girls in here since the beginning of the year."
"Of course," you told her. "No one likes being asked invasive questions like that. Especially when they're the inappropriate kind."
"I like you," she said back with a grin. "You're pretty cool. If you want, you can sit with me and my friends at lunch and I can tell you about our quirks for your job," she told you, and you had to begrudgingly shake your head.
"Sorry, I'm sitting with some other people today. Maybe tomorrow. I'd love to hear about your guys' quirks, though. Does anyone in particular want me to document theirs?"
You saw a couple of hands go up, and you smiled. "Okay, let's get started, then."
▌│█║▌║▌║
You were starving by the time lunch came. You'd spent the rest of that class going through various quirks and the way they worked. It was a nice refresher, and honestly pretty fun to learn about. Your favorite quirk out of their class definitely had to be Ochaco Uraraka's. Being able to force things to levitate was just so cool.
You also learned that Mineta had in fact been expelled for his behavior. Apparently, you calling him out led the other girls to report him, and after all of them did, he was pretty much screwed. You were super proud of them for standing up for themselves. You knew how difficult that could be and you were happy that they were getting justice.
You wandered around the lunchroom, unable to figure out where the Big Three had gone. It was too crowded to see anything. You briefly considered getting in line to grab food, only to realize that you didn't have any money. So much for trying Lunch Rush's cooking, you thought to yourself.
You felt a bit idiotic wandering around without a uniform. It was hard to fit into the crowd when you were so clearly not supposed to be there. Thankfully, after a few minutes, the space around you got gradually less crowded and you were able to spot where your friends were sitting. They'd chosen an inconspicuous table in the back corner, and you walked over after they gave you a wave.
"Hey!" you greeted, waving back as you got closer to them. "How was your guys' days so far?"
"Hiya!" Nejire exclaimed back. "We've been doing pretty good! Our training went really well today! We're on track to becoming great heroes!" She paused, taking in your empty hands with a frown. "Why aren't you eating? The line is right over there, you know."
You shrugged. "I don't have any money to get the food. I would if I could, things are just difficult right now." A complete understatement. Things were more than just difficult. Things were completely out of your control. You couldn't exactly blame Aizawa for not giving you any money when he had a bunch of other things to worry about. You continued on. "It's fine. I'll eat once I get home."
It was weird calling Aizawa's house your home. While it was nice to be there, you knew deep down that you'd never be able to actually consider it your home. Not when you had a different home an entire universe away that was still waiting for you. You wondered if you'd ever get used to any of this- wondered if you could even try.
Mirio shook his head with a concerned look before his eyes took on a familiar sparkle. "No need to wait. None of us mind sharing for the day."
"It's no big deal," Tamaki agreed, speaking up for the first time. You looked his way, only for him to turn the opposite direction, blush apparent on his cheeks. You smiled softly. That boy was really cute.
"Besides, you absolutely have to try Lunch Rush's cooking! It's amazing. Now way I'd let you miss out on it!" Nejire said excitedly. She grinned, patting the seat next to her, which you gladly took.
"Thank you," you told them as they divvied up their lunches, each giving you a small portion. "You guys didn't have to do this."
"Uh, yeah we did," Nejire told you. "You're our friend. We wouldn't just let you skip a meal because you didn't have the money."
While you appreciated it, you couldn't help but feel that they were a little too nice. What would've happened if you were someone who wanted to take advantage of them? They would've just given stuff up if it meant you were content, and that wasn't okay. They needed to look after themselves too.
You decided to just shut up and eat the food that was given to you. You felt your eyes widen in surprise, and you ate a little more with a grin. "Holy shit, this is really good. You guys get food like this every day?"
You thought back to the school lunches in your home country. They fucking sucked. You vaguely remembered seeing a fly in your school's pizza, once. The sight of it made your best friend vomit and the two of you spent the rest of the day in the nurse's office. It was truly a disgusting experience.
The three of them smiled at your response, but it was Mirio who spoke up. "You should try the food when Lunch Rush is actually trying. Today was just the basics. The really good stuff comes later in the year."
"That sounds heavenly," you told him. "I haven't had food this good in years."
"Well, what did you normally eat back at home?" Nejire asked, tilting her head.
"Instant ramen and cereal," you answered honestly. It was the easiest to make. You normally saved the good meals for when you made things for your brother. He deserved to have actual nutrients.
"That doesn't sound very healthy," Mirio frowned.
"It wasn't, but it tasted pretty good. There's actually a lot you can do with instant ramen when you put effort into it. I used to live off the stuff during my high school years," you explained.
"Oh yeah!" Nejire said eccentrically. "You never told us where you were from, did you? What was your home country like?"
You gave her a brief explanation of your home country and what your city and school was like. She hummed, nodding her head. "And what kind of school did you go to? Did you want to be a hero too before you picked up journalism? You seem like the type to have it as a childhood dream."
"I didn't go to a hero school," you explained. "I never really wanted to be one as a kid, either. I always did think that they were cool, though. I went to a regular high school and spent most of my time in the library researching whatever it was that I was interested in at the moment. I guess that's why I fell into journalism. I miss home, though. Things weren't always the best, but at least it was familiar."
Mirio patted your shoulder with a hum. "It must be hard to be away from your friends and family. I could never imagine what it would be like to be so far away."
You sighed. "Yeah, it is hard. But hey, at least I get to meet a bunch of cool new people here. You guys have been amazing to me, too. I really appreciate it."
At your words, Tamaki went red again and Nejire's cheeks turned pink. Mirio laughed it off, grinning at you widely. "Yeah, we're trying our best! You're pretty great, too! Fun to hang out with and talk to, for sure."
"Are you guys going to be pro heroes after finishing up here?" You asked, feeling a bit stupid after the question left your mouth. Of course they were going to become pro heroes. That was the entire point of attending UA High School.
"I'm going to become a pro hero so that I can save a million people," Mirio told you, completely serious. "I know I can't save everyone, so I'm going to try and save as many people as I can. Even if it's just making someone smile, I want to be the best person I can be!"
That was when you remembered. There was something that was going to happen- a decision that you were going to have to make. Mirio was going to go on some sort of mission, wasn't he? And he was going to lose his quirk in the process. You vaguely remembered something about him getting it back later, but you knew how much it pained him when it initially happened. To lose something that was a part of you since birth... you couldn't even imagine what that was like.
You couldn't help but feel guilty. This was a tough spot to be in, and you knew it. You had the power to change the future, and you were aware of the consequences. The butterfly affect had been something that you'd been hyperfixated on in middle school. One small action- even just saving one singular life could lead to disaster. Especially in a world of corrupt heroes.
You forced yourself not to think about it. That was something that you could worry about at a later date. As for now, you'd keep laughing and talking to your new friends. You'd only known them for two days, but they already meant a lot to you. Even though you desperately wanted to go home and reunite with your friends and younger brother, a small part of you couldn't help but wish that this would continue forever.