I Am Not Number Seven (TUA/MHA Crossover)

22. Vanya: New Look

A/N: in case it isn't clear in this chapter, Vanya has replaced Mineta! expect her to take some but not all of his roles in class 1A's trials and tribulations
after all, this is an alternate universe, not a straight up rewrite (wink wink)

ALSO here's picture of Vanya's hero uniform, drawn by me (art ref by @naylanovotny / @madkey31 on tumblr)!
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The next day, Sero, Vanya, and Kirishima all met up at the train station to walk to school together.

If Vanya was to say that she became friends with Sero quickly, then she became friends with Kirishima at the speed of light. Despite only meeting him the day before, she expressed herself as freely as she did with Sero, using sarcasm, making blunt jokes, and even doing that reserved half-smile she did only in the presence of people she genuinely felt comfortable with.

Although she felt secure in her friendship with Sero, a part of her was scared he would find "normal" people to be friends with at UA and leave her behind, which is why she was so surprised the two boys invited her to eat with them after school yesterday. The meal they shared together warmed her heart and made her think. Maybe she wasn't as replaceable as she had been taught to think by the Academy. Perhaps she did have value as a person, not just as a weapon.

The pleasant feeling of contentment settled over her the day before as she watched her friends (friends! She could hardly believe she had multiple) pour over their syllabi from Aizawa's class, squawking and arguing with no actual anger behind it when the other ate too messily and stained the paper of the person next to them with sauce.

They walked to class together, each of them trading playful jabs at the others as they went through the gate. The beginning of the day was relatively normal, Sero and Kirishima told her- for Vanya had no way to know if this was true or not, starting with English class at the beginning of the day and followed by other typical school subjects taught by pro heroes.

They then broke for lunch, crowding into the cafeteria and surrounded by a variety of delicious smells. Class 1-A sat together in the same area, groups of friends had already formed so they sat shoulder to shoulder in the cozy booths.

However, Vanya's stomach had turned at the prospect of sitting so close to someone she didn't know and when she whispered her concerns to her dark-haired friend, he nodded with an understanding glint in her eye and then carefully nudged her behind him so that the other would fill in the seats before them, leaving the two at the edge where Vanya would have an aisle seat, boarded only by Sero.

After lunch, they all gathered back into the classroom awaiting the start of the next period. Heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway, coming closer according to Vanya's ears. She was the only one that did not flinch when the door flew open and All Might walked in.

"I am coming through the door like a normal person!" he shouted with a flourish. Vanya's lips thinned at the display.

The class oo'ed and ah'ed at the hero as he explained that Hero Basic Training would make up most of their units and that they should focus the hardest in this class. He gestured wildly as he spoke, reminding Vanya of how Five talked when he was irritated. He seemed to not have a volume lower than 'loud' as evident from his speech, the tone did not change as he spoke again, "That's why today's training is," he drew out the last word for effect, "Combat experience!"

Excited and nervous murmurs filled the air equally, Vanya caught many heartbeats sped up for both reasons when she listened closely. From her seat near the back, she noticed many stiff shoulders and twitching hands.

"And to go with these are your costumes made based on your quirk registrations and requests you sent in before school started! After you change, meet me in Ground Beta!" All Might announced, pointing to a section of the wall that appeared to their view, carrying suitcases that had their class numbers on them. The class let out loud exclamations of glee at the reveal, even Vanya's eyes widened. She had not expected their hero suits to be ready so quickly into the year. The girl's pinky tapped the desk in excitement where she had her hands folded neatly. Although Reginald had "strongly suggested" (read: ordered) her to make her suit as eye-catching as possible in order to aid in her popularity scores, Vanya had referenced underground hero suits when designing her own.