Chapter Text
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
I am not made of the same stardust the legends are, neither do I find satisfaction being of mud the common are. I find no place between people to call my own and perhaps they know it too. I'm alien, just not the good kind I think.
UA looked very different from the prospectus. With its walls withholding years and years of laurels and achievements, having seen the best in the field walking past- it felt exhilarating to walk past the same walls. Top notch security and state-of-the-art equipment, whole heartedly believable that the campus could only weave successful destinies. The crowd would uphold the standard too, or so i thought-
"HOW DID YOU GET A QUIRK, YOU DAMN NERD!?"
This is the first day. What is wrong with him ? The person who yelled- who seemed to have dandelions for hair- aggressively launched himself towards the timid guy. His eyes were sharp, His fists already crackling explosives, ready to fight. The timid guy, who I think was named Midoriya, was scarcely saved as Mr Aizawa wrapped his scarf around the dandelion guy. I do know his name, I just don't think someone like this is worth remembering.
I stared down at my shoes. Would I be able to handle people like him every day for three years?
The thought gnawed at me. I bit the inside of my cheek and glanced toward the timid green-haired boy on the receiving end of the yelling. He was sweating, fingers fidgeting, eyes flicking nervously between Mr Aizawa and the loud dandelion.
Apparently, while I was lost in thought, Mr Aizawa had announced something shocking enough to leave the class buzzing. I'd missed it entirely. I wanted to ask someone, but hesitation held me back again. Whatever it was, it couldn't have been that bad... right?
Midoriya came up to stand with the group of students. I wanted to ask him if he's alright but my nerves wouldn't let me. My upper teeth bit onto my lower lip as I felt my heart beat in my ears.
I could ask "hey, are you okay?" or would that be too forward? "You okay?" but that sounds too un-caring and nonchalant. I do not want to come off as weird.
Chatter around me got louder by the second, clouding my thoughts, having me start over the conversations in my head again and again-
"Are you okay?" I blurted out . . To the wrong person.
The words had barely left my mouth as I turned my head towards him to meet his eyes, ruby ones. My eyebrows lifted as I blinked trying to grasp the situation. I inhaled sharply, my lips pursing- ready to empty out the words I had no idea what were but he beat me to it.
"Hah?"
"I'm sorry, that wasn't- that question wasn't meant for you." came my words out rushing, avoiding his piercing gaze at all costs. He wasn't dangerous-looking by any means but he was definitely intimidating. His gaze ghosted over me for a couple more seconds before moving on with a "tch".
I stole a look at him again. He stood tall and proud, not a wave of nervousness or jitters of the first day in his poise. While his face feigned boredom, his eyes analyzed everyone. He had an air about him, something demanding of respect- i wish his actions were half as civilized. I think my gaze lingered on him longer than I had intended, avoiding his gaze again as I felt his eyes on me.
The day went on. Softball training didn't go too well. It was a fine attempt, but maybe I'd picked the wrong weapon to summon. They called my quirk Summon, which sounded like something out of a video game, and it kind of was. "The ability to manifest fictional weapons in reality. The weapons can be summoned when one fully understands their function. A weapon can be used only once every 24 hours; once disengaged, it cannot be summoned again."That was the teacher approved version. Neat and Marketable. The kind of summary you could print on hero trading cards or sponsorship pamphlets. In reality, though, it was just an inventory quirk with an annoyingly long cooldown.
The next training sport was a short distance sprint and I knew just the equipment to manifest. Holding my arm out in the air as I concentrated to manifest the weapon I wanted, but I felt eyes on me. While performing is something I enjoy, I know for a fact no one here has eyes on me to validate and praise me, all that awaits me is scrutiny, judgement and criticism. The air seemed heavy, struggling to enter my lungs. I exhaled as my weapon finally manifested.
I was up against this huge six arms person. Quirk aside, he was tall with long legs. He seemed to be quite agile too so he'd be faster than average. As I was studying him, my eyes wandered to the eager crowd of students awaiting their turn while looking at us. And there he was, looking towards my way with an indescribable look.
"I'm Mezou Shoji, nice to meet you."
Huh- oh. Conversation. Right. I have to say something back.
"Y/N L/N, it's nice to meet you too" I replied while shaking his hand and also bowing.
"Foreign student ?" He inquired while stretching in place. I nodded at him, giving him a small smile as I also stretched my arms to get my mind off of the disturbance.
"Do you understand me or should I-"
"Oh, no, no, I understand you perfectly. I may not be fluent like a native, but I'm proficient." Wincing internally as I accidentally interrupted him, hoping he wouldn't find any offense. I wish I had some way to tell but with his mask covering half of his face, I could only hope. "That's helpful. Good to know." He nodded and walked toward the starting line, I followed after him.
The Firebolt from the Harry Potter series. Acceleration: 150 miles per hour in ten seconds. Sure, the Nimbus 2001 would've done the job, but I felt the need to show off since everyone else was bringing their best impressions too. "Up," I commanded, and the broom shot into my hand. As I mounted it, I could feel the eyes of my classmates on me, a prickle of curiosity and disbelief crawling up my neck. A sharp whistle cut through the air, making me jolt. That had given Shoji half a second's head start. But the Firebolt stayed true to its name, slicing through the air and crossing the 100-meter mark in the blink of an eye.
By the time I dismounted the Firebolt and let it vanish in my inventory, Shoji had reached the finishing line. He panted, looking at the meter to know the time it took him. By the look of the outcome, I had hopes that I'd be ranked highest in this training, even above the engine guy whose quirk was basically speed.
The day went on. More training, more summoning, and somehow, I managed to stay near the top of the scoreboard. But during every training session, my eyes found him. I wanted to see him, how capable he actually was and every time he was near perfect. His moves never a hair more than necessary, every bit calculated. It was as if he had practiced this prior one too many times for it to become mere muscle memory.
Then, after training, out of nowhere, Mr Aizawa pulled up a list of ranks. I was left confused , I thought this was only training. But everyone seemed to know this part was coming. Was this what I'd missed?
"Midoriya... you're dead last..." someone muttered. My eyes darted to the bottom of the screen, where his name sat uncomfortably in last place. My eyebrows furrowed in irritation, poor guy. Still, it was only the first day, they should cut him some slack, he only needed to improve.
"Oh, and about the expulsion thing-" Aizawa's voice sliced the air.
"I lied."
EXPULSION?
The room erupted in disbelief. My heart jumped to my throat. Someone could've been expelled? My pulse quickened as I recounted my careless actions throughout the training session that could've got me expelled. A tall girl, Yaoyorozou Momo, I think, called his bluff. Relief washed over the class in a wave of laughter and groans, the tension dissolving into chatter and gossip I wanted to join in. I looked around as people mingled with each other, feeling my limbs grow heavy.
So I sat there again, in class, staring at my book, foolishly hoping that someone would ask for my name.
The invisible girl's laughter bubbled from the next row, answered by Jirou's dry response. Their conversation flowed easily, like a melody already in motion. I opened my mouth to join, but no words came. By the time I found something to pitch into their conversation, the moment had passed. I turned back to my desk, cheeks warm, pretending to be absorbed in the chapter on hero public policy. My heart thudded embarrassingly loud.
The clock dragged its hands, mercilessly slow. I told myself not to force it, to not look desperate, to not ruin whatever first impression I had made in that training period. But watching everyone else already belong while I sat in silence- it stung, making my lungs not co-operate, only taking a quarter of the air I needed to breathe, making me feel heavy.
Maybe I could talk to Shoji again? I turned, only to find him sitting quietly, expression unreadable.
Never mind.
What good was showing off if no one thought it impressive enough to talk to me? My head hung low over my book. I heard the door scrape open. Mr Aizawa left, muttering something about paperwork which gave way for the bold ones to claim the space, their voices bright and alive, names bouncing off the walls.
I stayed seated. I could be extroverted back home, I was- but not here. Not when every sound, every syllable of Japanese still felt foreign in my mouth.
And then the bell rang.
Relief is far from what i would describe i felt but at least I could breathe properly now. I was saved by schedule. Library Period. I stared at the period slip in my hand. The library period was probably just going to be a placeholder for "free time" for the hero course but to me, it meant sanctuary. I'm a bookworm, but only by soon-to-be trade. My quirk requires me to immerse myself in books to know every nook and cranny about the equipments I could add to my ever-growing roster. Reading stopped being fun for me long ago but at the very least I won't feel left out.
I sat, placing my new Hero Ethics and Public Policy workbook in my bag whilst a few rushed outside. I stood, clutching my bag, ready to leave the class alone when i heard a chirpy-
"Hey!!"
The voice was bright, unmissable. I turned.
A girl with pink skin and eyes like molten gold beamed at me, waving so enthusiastically she nearly knocked her chair over. "I'm Mina!! Haha—ya know, the acid girlie?" She pointed at herself with both thumbs and laughed like I was already her friend.
"Your quirk is so cool!! I saw you out there and I was like, WHAAAAT?! Bro, that's awesome."She said animatedly. Her joy was infectious, pulling me in before I could resist- not that I wanted to. I studied her animated expressions, the way her energy radiated into every gesture.
She was being so nice to me, I have to be equally nice to her.
"Haha, thank you so much," I managed, mirroring her brightness in a smaller, cautious way. Seeing her pleasant expression, I continued "You were amazing out there! And honestly, I was too shy to come and talk to you." I prayed my Japanese didn't stumble, that my words didn't mark me too sharply as foreign but Mina only gasped, delighted. "Shy? Nahhh, you can't be shy! You've got a cool mysterious uhh what is the word.. uhh yes! nonchalant! Vibes, like, boom, totally untouchable." She winked. "Guess I was wrong, huh?"
The tightness in my chest eased just a little. " I did good enough for the first time i guess but i guess a lot of people saw it as cheating ?" I sighed. Aizawa waved it off as permissible but it wouldn't be the first time I'd be flagged as cheating. Summoning quirks like mine were less common and less researched about.
" Nah think about it! you're never gonna have a fair fight with a villain! That's why Eraserhead waved it off" Mina continued. The bell rang again, its sharp tone breaking through the thrum of voices. Chairs scraped, bags rustled, conversations scattered into promises to continue later as they walked out of class.
"Library period," Mina chirped, springing up with a bounce that made her curls shift like they had their own rhythm. "C'mon, let's go together! you're all packed right ?"
"Together?" The word slipped out before I could check it, quiet and uncertain.
"Duh." Mina stared at me- dramatically offended before looping her arm through mine without waiting for permission and grinning her blinding smile towards me. Her warmth was sudden, startling, but it pulled me into motion before hesitation could root me to the floor.
I let her lead me into the hallway's current of bodies. I wonder if she knew where the library actually was. The buzz of chatter echoed against the tall windows, sunlight painting patches of gold across polished floors. Students filled the corridor with their laughter, their easy camaraderie. I kept my gaze lowered, focusing on the rhythm of my steps, on the way Mina carried me along in her tide.
We exited the class but not before something caught my eye. Perhaps it wasn't something but someone. But I didn't need to look back, it wasn't necessary but I couldn't help but feel a familiar tingle about the aura. Curiosity betrayed me.
I glanced back once, just once.
And there he was again. The dandelion hair boy.
He walked with his hands shoved deep into his pockets, shoulders hunched- a stark difference to his still confident demeanor. His eyes caught mine for a flicker of a moment, sharp, assessing, as if he'd already decided something about me and hated it. I tore my eyes away from him immediately.
My breath stilled in my throat. I'd made way too much eye contact with this guy for just one day I think. He walked past us, his eyes turning away as if I wasn't even there to begin with.
"Hey, don't zone out on me!" Mina tugged my arm, snapping me back. "The library's huge, you're gonna love it." I nodded, letting her words fill the space where my thoughts had threatened to spiral. "Have you been there already?" I asked, trying to calm myself down. Maybe she was right. Maybe the library would be a kind of refuge. A place where no one needed me to be loud or clever, only quiet.
"Huh? oh yeah! we came here for an exploration trip back in middle school" She continued.
After a few flights of stairs, the library opened up before me like another world. High arched ceilings, rows upon rows of shelves, dust motes catching the light that streamed in through tall windows. It smelled faintly of paper and polish, a scent both foreign and oddly comforting.
"See?" Mina whispered, though her excitement still carried. "It's like... huge and never-ending." She gestured grandly, then bounced off toward a table already filled with students. "Go grab a book if ya want, I'll grab us seats!" I nodded towards her, walking to the fiction section to grab myself a book.
And just like that, I was left standing among the shelves. While reading may not be fun anymore, it's still home for me when I'm so far away from it. I let myself drift amongst the English Literature section. Fingers grazing spines, steps slow, almost reverent. Titles swam before my eyes, Woolf, Orwell, books with names too heavy for me to carry right now. But something softer pulled at me, a quiet hum under the noise of my own thoughts.
I turned a corner, and there it was.
A worn copy of Pride & Prejudice, its edges frayed like it had been held a hundred times before, waiting patiently for another pair of hands. I stopped. My fingers hovered before finally brushing the cover. A strange ache bloomed in my chest. I didn't know why, only that it felt like the book was calling out to me. I had read Pride and Prejudice before, I love it in every sense and in every media. I loved Jane Austen. Her books were something I read purely for myself, not to train, not to research but to enjoy.
I clutched the book to me, as though it might anchor me in this new place, the only familiar thing in this foreign place. And as I turned back toward the tables, the sharp ruby of his gaze found me again.
I froze, my heart skipping a beat. I looked at him, expressions unreadable on both of our faces.. Not knowing what to do, I bowed slightly to greet him- my demeanor still nervous. I looked up to meet his eyes but he only spared me a glance and passed me by. But before I could leave it at that, he looked back at me before turning towards his way. I could see his feet move away. His demeanor didn't seem to be friendly or nice in the slightest. And while I had hoped he would at least acknowledge my presence, it wouldn't do me any good to make any enemies here, especially not this guy after I've witnessed what he can do but god, he's so arrogant.
Shaking hateful thoughts about him from my head, I headed towards the table Mina captured. I slid in the chair beside her. There sat a few more people from our class, all who were chatting away like they had known each other for long. I meekly kept my book on the table and opened it. "Whatcha get ?" Mina asked excitedly as she turned towards me.
"Oh, Pride and Prejudice" I answered. " the movie ?? Does that have a book ?" Mina asked. I smiled and nodded. "Cool, maybe i'll read it sometime" Mina announced. Just as I was about to start reading, a rough scratching of chair legs against the floor made me look up. There he was, Dandelion guy. Should I start questioning things now?
"Hey Bakugou! You were great in that training sesh, totally floored everyone! No wonder you came in first place. " said the yellow haired guy. So this is that Bakugou Katsuki, All Japan Rank 1 in the UA entrance exams. I read an article about him, how he worked out 6 days a week, trained and studied for 6 months prior to the exam-
"Are ya stalking me or somethin'?"
So this is what he sounds like. Oh wait-
"Excuse me?" I closed my book and finally looked at him. He sat there, arms crossed over his chest, eyebrows scrunched and eyes as angry as the first time I saw them.
"What, are ya deaf now?" He persisted. His voice matched his arrogance, sharp and accusatory. I wonder how he was brought up to think that if I saw him a couple of times in school then I'd be stalking him ?? Also we're in the same class too!?
"I'm sorry, I think I misheard you. Did you just ask me if I was stalking you?" I leaned in, putting my weight over my arms on the table, smiling as the words left my mouth.
"She's not a stalker, blasty. She's my new friend! Go be weird somewhere else!" Mina chimed as she swung her arm around my shoulder, bringing me closer to her. "Ain't talking to you, pinky" Mina just stuck her tongue out to him in response.
I then turned towards a voice that called out my name, it was the yellow haired guy. "What ? I'm sorry, could you repeat that again?" I smiled towards him. "No worries, I was just askin' what your quirk is exactly- oh! My bad, where are my manners-? Denki Kaminari, nice to meet you, cutie" He said while extending his hand towards me. I raised my eyebrows as he called me cutie. Was this guy for real ? I shook his hand as I answered, "I'm Y/N L/N, foreign student. My quirk is summon, i can summon fictional weapons into reality so i basically read, increase my inventory and summon weapons with a long cooldown"
"Wait, that's so cool! You can totally use the Excalibur and end enemies in one go !" He beamed. Much like Mina, his energy was just as contagious. His bright smile and sunshine personality was adorable. But as i was about to answer-
"The Excalibur probably won't be as effective in battle here as in its own fictional world and anyway what if your hands were to get injured during battle?" Bakugou questioned, the anger in his eyes was gone, replaced by boredom. I turned to him and stared. Formulating every kind of response to reply to him nicely and not raise any kind of negative emotion from him.
"What would you do if the same happened to you?" Is what I ended up going with. Was that a good response ? I have no idea. "Won't let my hands get injured, I'd go for long range attacks." he answered without missing a beat. It's almost like with combat practice he also has these answers rehearsed. "Then I would do the same." I replied.
"If your quirk allows ya weapons, then wouldya throw em at enemies for long range ?" The amusement in his voice was evident. I raised my eyebrows. Was he fucking with me ? I acknowledge the fact that he's extremely capable and probably the best candidate to replace All Might but fuck does this think he's all that?
I smiled tightly at him before answering, "well, I can't be telling you all of my secrets now can I?"
"Secrets, sure"