A/N:

welcome back to the new chapter i really should be focusing on college applications instead of this but i can't stop writing

sorry if some of this feels boring but some things will start happening sooner than canon and we will get more bonding next chapter

Chapter 8: why are you like this?

Steven woke with a gasp, echoes of nightmares still present and making it hard to breathe. The next few minutes were spent laying on his back until his lungs stopped convulsing and he could think straight.

This was the first nightmare he'd had since he'd arrived at UA, something he was hoping wouldn't happen at all. He grasped at the escaping strands of them, trying to remember why they affected him so, but they dissipated before he could do anything.

He rolled over, picking up his phone to check the time. The glowing screen stared him down, the 1:00 on its surface mocking him.

Sighing, he stood and rubbed at his eyes. His heart was pounding, and there was no way he'd be able to get back to sleep in this state. He stumbled out of his room, slowly trudging down the staircase as he made his way down to the kitchen. Technically, there was supposed to be a curfew, but he wasn't a student here anyways so he could probably argue against it if he was caught.

Of course, upon arrival, Steven wasn't expecting to come face-to-face with one of the students.

"Oh, Shinsou-san!" He tried for a friendly smile, but didn't quite hit the mark. "Didn't expect to see you here."

"Just Shinsou is fine," the tall boy looked at him with a dead-eyed expression. "Nightmares? Or just regular insomnia?"

"Nightmares," Steven admitted. He was far too exhausted to come up with a different excuse.

Shinsou hummed. "Welcome to the club." He turned around, waving over his shoulder to follow him.

They entered the kitchen, which was illuminated by the distant emergency lights of the common room, giving a gloomy and dim feel.

"We've got coffee," Shinsou told him. "Unless you want to get any actual sleeping done."

"I'll—" Steven yawned, interrupting his train of thought. "Sorry. Is there tea?"

"Here." The hero student tossed Steven a box of teabags, which he almost dropped. Picking out a bag of chamomile, he turned on the kettle as Shinsou sipped at a mug of what was, presumably, coffee.

"You're not the only one to come down," Shinsou said, breaking the silence. "I'm usually down here since I can't sleep anyways, but a lot of us get nightmares."

Steven frowned. "Like, regular nightmares? Or…"

"Sometimes," he shrugged. "Most of the time, it's trauma. Or something. I don't sleep long enough to get them anyways."

Steven poured the hot water into a mug of his own, scowling as he did so. "Aizawa told me a little, but— is this normal? Do other schools get attacked like you did?"

Shinsou didn't move to face him. "No."

"That's so—"

"Unfair?" he interrupted. "Or villainous? Maybe evil? We've heard it all before." He snorted, a derisive, contemptuous sound. "That won't stop the villains."

"Why do they do it?" Steven asked. "You're just students. What reason do villains have to target you?"

"The first time? They wanted to kill a hero. The second time they kidnapped one of us and tried to turn him to their side."

"What?" Steven narrowly avoided crushing the mug he held, a pink tinge appearing under his eyes. "They kidnapped a child? What kind of despicable, horrible people are they to do that?"

"There are far worse people in this world than the League of Villains." Shinsou sipped at his coffee in the ensuing silence. "They wanted me, at first."

"You?"

"My quirk, I guess," he shrugged. "When I was younger, my classmates were afraid of me. They thought I had a villain's quirk. That I'd attack them, or something. I don't know. Guess that the League assumed the same things a bunch of middle schoolers did."

"Why would they do that?" The pink threatened to spread further, and Steven forced himself to calm down. "I mean, why would they assume you have a villain's quirk?"

He chuckled darkly. "I don't know. Does Brainwashing mean anything to you?"

Steven blinked, unsure how to answer the question. "No?"

Shinsou sneered. "Then you don't get it. My quirk, everyone said it's a villain's quirk. That Brainwashing couldn't be used by a hero, that I'd only ever become a villain."

"That's stupid," he stated. "Just because you can brainwash people doesn't mean you'll just use it on everyone. I mean, one of my friends could have stolen the entire ocean. She almost did, too, but I convinced her not to. She has a lot of power, but that doesn't mean she uses it to cause harm."

"The ocean…" Shinsou looked at him skeptically, but shook his head. "Fine. Whatever."

"You're not a villain, Shinsou," Steven restated. "You're already more of a hero than they were."

"Maybe," the boy looked away, but Steven didn't press. He blew on his tea, taking a slow sip and savoring the feeling of it running down his throat. After a minute or two, Shinsou turned back to him and said, "When you showed up, you broke out of my brainwashing."

"So that was you," he muttered. Shinsou raised an eyebrow, and Steven blushed. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"How?" he demanded. "You're the second person to ever do that. Is it a fluke? Or one of your… gem abilities?"

"I don't know," Steven admitted. "I felt you hit me with it, and then I think my gem jolted me out of it. Maybe you only brainwashed the human part of me, and my gem was able to stop it?"

"Wait, I'm confused. Are you one person, even? You talk about your gem as if it had thoughts and feelings of its own."

"I mean, technically?" Steven shrugged. "My gem is part of me, but it's still technically a separate entity since it used to be my mom."

Shinsou was not amused. "I don't think that makes as much sense as you think it does."

"I don't get it either, man."

"Young Midoriya! I trust you've gotten enough sleep?"

Izuku nodded frantically. "Yes, All Might! Togata-senpai will be introducing me to Sir Nighteye today. Actually, I'm supposed to meet with him in an hour or two."

All Might nodded sagely. "Good, that's good. I apologize for not being able to introduce you to him myself. As it is, I do not believe he would be receptive to my presence."

Izuku squinted at him, but didn't question his mentor out loud. Silently, though, he wondered if it wouldn't just be simpler for them to apologize to one another.

The man coughed. "There's one more thing, my boy." He looked a bit embarrassed, though Izuku had no idea why. "I've heard from the other teachers that there's been a new addition to your class?"

So that was what this was about. "Yeah. Universe-senpai is nice, I guess."

"But?"

Izuku shivered. "I can't help thinking, what if he's working for All For One?"

"What makes you say that?" All Might rested his hand on his fists, looking contemplative.

"It's just… it's like he has multiple quirks!" Izuku said. "What if he's an advanced Nomu? Or All For One gave him a bunch of quirks? He sparred with Togata-senpai on Thursday and, like, he didn't beat him or anything, but he probably could have! He was summoning these pink shields, and made protective bubbles around himself, and he definitely has enhanced strength and durability, and he had some of the best reflexes I've ever seen, and he was floating, and—"

"Breathe, my boy," All Might placed a hand on his shoulder. "You said he was floating?"

"A-and a lot of other things. I'm scared, I think," Izuku admitted.

They stared off into the rising sun together.

"If it isn't too much, Young Midoriya, I'd like you to speak to him." Izuku sputtered, but All Might continued. "Nedzu trusts the boy, but he could have been fooled. You're smart, especially with those notebooks of yours, and I'm sure you could find out if he truly is an agent of evil."

Izuku blanched at the prospect, but the compliments warmed his heart as well. After all, could he really deny his dad All Might?

"O-of course. I won't let you down, All Might!"

He laughed, a sound somehow both hearty and thin, and it was all he needed to hear.

"I'm sure you won't, my boy."

This time, Steven woke up feeling much more refreshed.

He'd talked to Shinsou for the better part of an hour, and that combined with the calming effect of the tea meant he collapsed into bed and instantly sank into a dreamless sleep.

It also meant he slept until ten in the morning, but if that was the sacrifice he paid for getting a restful night's sleep, he'd take it.

He washed up, shaking away any residual grogginess, and with a new bounce to his step he made his way into the kitchen...

...where one of the students he couldn't name was yelling at Kirishima and Kaminari.

The latter two spotted him, and ran in his direction. "Steven!" yelled Kaminari. "I think Bakugou's going to kill us!"

"You dumbasses are going to kill yourselves if you keep up with the bright ideas!"

Steven walked over to look at the subject of Bakugou's anger, and almost gagged. It looked like something Amethyst would try to eat, but give up because it was too foul for her.

Then again, she drank engine oil, so maybe he was underestimating her.

"What is this?" he turned and asked the cowering students.

"It's bullshit, that's what it is!" Bakugou seethed, not giving the two boys a chance to answer. "You don't just toss in anything you can into a pan and then try to fry it, dipshits."

"We're sorry, Baku-bro!" Kirishima was near the point of tears. "We just wanted to try cooking something special!"

"Yeah, so special that it would kill anyone who tried to eat it."

Steven pursed his lips and dealt with the mess, trusting Bakugou to have the situation with Kaminari and Kirishima well in hand. On one hand, it seemed a bit harsh, but on the other…

It was hard to imagine anyone could be so incompetent in the kitchen!

With the countertop cleaned, and the two boys sufficiently cowed, Bakugou grunted at him (in thanks, Steven was sure) and muttered something about being late thanks to morons.

Steven turned to them. "What were you actually trying to make?"

"An omelette," Kaminari sniffed.

He paused. "Do you even know what an omelette is?"

"...I'd rather not answer that question."

"Okay," Steven rolled his eyes. "Would you like me to teach you how to make an omelette?"

Kaminari and Kirishima conferred, then answered with a unanimous "Yes."

"Great. First of all, we should actually take out the eggs, hmm?"

It was a grueling lesson, accompanied by blood, sweat, and tears, but eventually Steven managed to get each of the two boys to produce a successful omelette.

Kaminari, surprisingly, managed to get one on his first (guided) attempt, but Kirishima ruined two of his before he created something edible.

Steven watched, bemused, as the two celebrated their victory against their own incompetence. It was proof that anyone could be taught anything, that it only took a bit of positive reinforcement (not that Bakugou's method didn't help them learn not to do what they did at first).

Shaking his head, he grabbed the breakfast that he made for himself and sat down at one of the tables. As he ate, he stared at the nearby wall, which meant he was completely blindsided by the appearance of one of the students.

"You're pink."

Steven nearly jumped out of his seat at the sudden interruption, and turned to see a boy with red and white hair in the chair next to him.

"You're pink," he repeated when Steven didn't say anything.

"Am I?" He pulled out his phone and entered the camera to see that yeah, okay, there was a bit more pink there than he would have liked. Wow, had he been walking around the entire morning like that? Honestly embarrassing, he had to say.

"Why? You turned pink when you sparred against Togata-senpai as well." The boy leaned closer, and Steven wondered if he had a concept of personal space.

"It just happens sometimes? Uhm, give me a second…" With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and allowed the tension to leave his body. He recognized his feelings, understood them, and let them go.

"Okay," he said and opened his eyes, the pink gone from his face. "Sorry about that. It happens when I get stressed or something— I was angry at someone but didn't realize."

"Why were you angry?"

This kid was pretty nosy, but Steven internally shrugged, figuring he could indulge him (and honestly he needed a good vent anyways). "Principal Nedzu wanted me to meet a hero yesterday, and I did for like twenty seconds because he insulted Garnet really badly, and she basically raised me so I didn't like that very much."

"You say you're half-alien. Is Garnet an alien as well?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, she's technically two aliens fused together— Sapphire has future vision and ice abilities, while Ruby… she just has fire, I think."

The boy's eyes widened, imperceptibly. "Ice… and fire? That's awfully similar to my own quirk." He moved his face even closer, eyes squinting as he stared at him. "I find it hard to believe you when you say that you are an alien."

Steven blinked. "But why? I guess it's a bit out there, but I am telling the truth."

"A likely story. None of your powers are connected in the slightest," he said. "In fact, they're so disjointed from one another one could say you have multiple quirks. And now, you even talk about one of your so-called alien friends that's actually two aliens fused together— I'm surprised you would think me so gullible."

"I promise, I'm seriously not from this world, you can ask Principal Nedzu."

"Who's to say you haven't tricked him as well? Tell me, you say you were warped here."

"Yes, by an ancient gem artifact!" Steven replied, exasperated at this kid's tenacity.

He hummed noncommittally. "And yet Kurogiri, who has attacked us multiple times, is also famously known to have a warp quirk."

Steven sputtered. "Are you trying to say I'm a villain? Or some sort of spy?"

"Yes," he nodded. Steven was truly astounded by his audacity, and he could even feel the pink creeping back into his cheeks.

"Listen, I get it if you don't trust me yet, that's fine," he nearly growled. "But I've been nothing but kind and supportive, and it's really hurtful when you accuse me of wanting to harm you. If you're going to do this, just— just leave me alone."

Surprisingly, the boy did stand up. "Fine then, Universe. Just know that I've seen past your deception, and you will do no harm to my classmates or my teachers." With that, he stalked his way out of the room.

Steven watched him leave, and he did his best to keep the rosy flush away from his skin. He only partially succeeded, and he knew that his entire cheeks would be tinged an unnatural pink for the rest of the day.

How fun.

It was later that afternoon when it happened.

Steven had commandeered a couch, politely turning away anybody who wanted to talk to him because he was absolutely not in the mood.

Browsing on his phone was just starting to get boring when it happened.

And by it, he meant the intrusion of a new student.

"So!" yelled a slightly manic, high-pitched voice. "I heard that class 1-A has an alien now."

The collective groan of over half of the class almost drowned out the latter half of the sentence.

"Monoma, why are you here?" complained Ashido.

Monoma snorted. "Please. If you'd been listening, you'd know that I have only deigned to set foot in these inferior dormitories to observe if the rumor circulating is indeed true."

Steven sank lower into the cushions, hoping he wouldn't be bothered. He was feeling a little better, yes, but this was even worse than that other boy.

"Is it not enough that 1-A seeks fame at every step? Is it necessary to lie about something so absurd as an alien?"

"We're not lying!" yelled an annoyed Hagakure. "And Steven's actually not having a very good day so if you could back off that would be nice!"

"First name basis already?" he scoffed. "Truly, you all are uncultured. Allow me to prove once and for all how pointless your rumors are."

Steven could hear Monoma's footsteps getting closer, and he hoped that he hadn't somehow been found. It seemed his luck ran out, however, as his head peeked over the top of the couch a moment later.

"And who is this?" he mocked. "The infamous alien of class 1-A?"

"Hi?" Steven waved weakly, hoping he would go away.

"Pathetic," Monoma snarked. "The so-called alien can't even bother to get up. Not to mention, he looks exactly the same as any regular human! I wonder what sort of quirk he has—"

Before Steven could react, Monoma swiped a hand down and grazed his exposed arm. In the seconds following, his expression morphed from smugness, to shock, to denial, to anger, back to shock, and finally disbelief.

"W-w-what?" he sputtered. "You're quirkless?"

Out of nowhere, Todoroki showed up next to him. "Maybe your quirk just isn't working, Monoma."

He reddened. "My quirk always works! You insolent 1-A bastard— look!" He touched Todoroki's arm and then, inexplicably, created ice from one hand and fire from the other. A quirk that could copy others? Steven would have been gushing at it, had it been any other day.

Todoroki made a small "oh" sound and disappeared to… somewhere, Monoma turning his focus back on Steven.

"So you circulated rumors that you were an alien, with incredible powers, yet you're quirkless?" He cackled. "How disappointing. Come on, show me your little 'alien' powers," he mocked once more.

Steven had had enough. He just wanted peace, he just wanted to relax, and then some annoying kid had to come in here to harass him? That was the last straw.

"I'm not in the mood, okay?" He meant to say that at a normal volume, but his agitation had apparently affected him more than he realized. The room rumbled from the power behind his words, and he stomped off to his own room in anger.

Most of class 1-A (and Monoma) stared in shock.

"Yo," Kaminari broke the silence. "What the fuck?"

End Notes:

monoma: "fuck"
shoto: "damn"
everyone else: "goddammit guys"