Chapter Text
Steven has gotten used to the road, used to traveling the world, jumping from place to place. He couldn't stay in Beach City forever, but it's hard not to admit the feeling of homesickness that has washed over him these past few months. So when Garnet called and asked him to look into some last remaining Gem outposts to make sure they aren't active and aren't going to harm anyone, he jumped at it. Maybe there will be a chance to warp back to them, say hi, then keep travelling. If only it were so easy.
"How's Stanvard?" Steven asks while driving along a dirt patch. Normally, cell service would be nonexistent, but thank god for Peridot for insisting a upgrade to his phone that has gem technology for him to contact anyone anywhere, with the help of "gem satellite network." Whatever that means.
"It's good! The tour was fascinating, and the campus is really nice! I'm not sure if I like their Engineering program, but the Aerospace program seems good!" Connie gleefully replies.
Steven smiles. "Ah, that's great! Are you still planning to go to Jayhawk? See what they'll offer?"
Connie hums. "Yeah! I love their sociology program, and it would be great to visit and see if that is the for sure path I want to go toward! So many options!" She squeals, jumping up and down.
Steven laughs. "Hold on." Steven parks, turns on the video call, and points it at the abandoned ruins. "See! Told you I'd be able to find it." Connie stares in wonder. "I'll probably go in and scan it, make sure nothing is set off." Steven yawns.
"You could do that in the morning, you know," Connie says, laughing.
"I know! But I want to make it in time for your college tour! You said you wanted me to be there. So if I do this now, I'll have more time later!" Steven says, unbuckling and going out the door. The sudden wind sends a shiver down his spine as the sun sets.
"Just be safe!" Connie exclaims.
Steven nods. "Do you want to continue the-" Steven asks before being cut off by Connie.
"Oh! Some of the students here want to hear more about space! Can we...call later?" She beams.
Steven nods. "Of course. I'll send a signal once the site's cleared." He smiles earnestly. Connie nods.
Both say their goodbyes as Steven hangs up and walks toward the site. Admittedly, it's a bit shocking that they haven't had many problems with World governments, as they should be getting, but since saving the world a few times, it's granted them some leeway.
The place was in ruin, and a glowing artifact lay dormant in the middle of the room. Runes and ancient scribbling lay upon the walls, as Steven turns to find anything that can hint that this may have traps of some kind, or something dangerous.
"Whoa." Steven coos as he looks and sees the artifact...a small orb with a weird energy emitting from it.
"Is this...a gem...?" As he reaches out his hand towards it, he suddenly feels the room shake. Doors close behind him.
He whips his head to see as he deploys his shield. The orb flickers and shines brighter. He tries to step back, but is unsuccessful, as the gravitational pull from the small orb pulls him in. "Maybe...I'll bubble it!" He lunges forward, successfully bubbling it before he is suddenly surrounded by a flash of light.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" He feels himself being pulled along a stream of...something. Blue waves of energy pulse around him as he suddenly finds himself falling from the sky.
The wind blows in his face as he plummets towards the ground.
"Okay, calm down, I can slow down." Steven closes his eyes and begins to float downward. He opens his eyes to see a giant building with glass in the shape of an H, and similar small buildings with "H-A" engraved on the top. He lands on the grass, looking around.
An alarm is going off. "Shoot. Where am I?" He stares at the massive...H? And sees figures running towards him. He raises his hands instinctually. A man with a cowboy hat and a gas mask pulls a gun on him, as a man with long black hair, red glowing eyes, hair floating, and a...scarf? Bracing for something to happen. A large man with...a muzzle on him? What?
"[Woah, woah, woah! No need to get violent!]" Steven shouts as his eyes widen at the sudden hostility.
“How did you get into our school?" The man with a muzzle says.
Steven widens his eyes and begins to speak Japanese.
"I don't know! I fell from the sky after touching a...orb...." Steven winces. That sounds so unbelievable.
"An orb?" The man with a scarf says.
"I was investigating a shutdown gem site! An artifact was glowing, and I reached for it, thinking it was able to be contained, but before I could do anything, I just showed up, falling from the sky!" The three men look at each other, confused and curious about the story being told in front of them.
Steven stares at the three men with horror. "Promise, I really do not know what's going on! Where are we? Why is there an H building, and why are you wearing a gas mask?" He points at Snipe.
They stare in confusion even more. "Come with us." The man with the muzzle has an animalistic nature to his voice that doesn't sound pleasant.
"O-okay...where are we going..." Steven asks.
The Gun Hero replies with a western accent, "To see the principal."
See what now?
Suddenly, he’s in a tiny room in front of a...dog? Rat? Mouse? Bear? Staring at him, while the three previous men stand waiting outside the door, Steven is in front of the...principal?
"Ah, hello, it seems you have made it past our security system." The animal said. Steven's eyes widen.
"Uh, yeah...sorry about that, it wasn't intentional!" He raises his hands. "I swear I fell from the sky after handling an artifact!" Steven says solemnly.
The door opens, and a man with a tan trench coat and black hair enters. "Ah, Tsukauchi, please sit. This young man somehow made it past our defenses-"
Steven raises his hand, "On accident!" Steven interjects.
"Yes, so he claims," Nezu says, barely containing his enjoyment.
The man nods.
He reaches out a hand, "What's your name, son?"
Steven grips the man's hand, "Steven Universe, sir. Like I was telling..." Steven turns to...
"Nezu!" The animal proclaims.
"I was just in a ruined site moments ago. I found a gem artifact, and when I went to reach for it, I was suddenly transported here." Steven waves his other hand, Tsukauchi never releasing his grip.
He sighs. "He seems to be telling the truth, Principal." Steven's eyes widen. He lets go and grabs his arm, rubbing.
"Ah, sorry for the hesitation, but we had to see if you were telling the truth. Detective Tsukauchi used his quirk to be able to tell if you were lying or not." Nezu proclaims.
"...quirk?" Steven looks confused. "What's a quirk?" The two men look at each other, confused. Steven laughs awkwardly. "What's...where am I?"
Nezu stands. "You are at U.A. High School, the prestigious campus that brings about the world's top heroes."
Steven looks more confused. "H-heroes?" He raises his hands. "What are quirks?"
Tsukauchi squints. "Abilities unique to the individual. I have a lie detector quirk."
Steven looks horrified. "No way! There are humans...like me?" His eyes widen.
Nezu's head tilts. "Why yes, 80% of Earth's population has quirks of some kind."
Steven's eyes widen even more. "What?! No, they don't! Not where-" He tilts his head downward. Hyperventilating.
"Where do you come from?" Tsukauchi asks.
"Beach City! Delmarva, USA!" Steven shouts.
The two men shake their heads. "Beach City nor Delmarva are not regions known to this world," Nezu replies calmly.
His eyes shake. "You're telling me that-" The black-haired man comes in again.
The door is squeaking as he groans. "Can we go now?" He asks, annoyed.
Nezu shakes his head. "Aizawa, meet Steven Universe." Aizawa grunts.
"Wait, so where am I? What?" Steven turns to see the calendar. 2182. "WHAT????" He points to the calendar. "It's 2020! How are-"
Nezu, Tsukauchi, and Aizawa stare in confusion. "Hmm. What the predicament. It seems you have traveled dimensions and time." He hums happily.
Steven's eyes widen. "N-no...it..." He shakes. He turns pink. He closes his eyes and calms down. "Sorry. Sorry."
Aizawa grunts.
"Well, it may be of interest to us to protect you. You aren't a villain, are you?" Nezu asks as Steven shakes his head.
"No! Of course not. I..." Steven's breath shortens.
Nezu smiles. "Aizawa, please escort Steven to Gym Gamma. I would love to see more of his abilities." He hums.
Steven's eyes widen. "Abilities?" He asks.
"Why yes, you asked if there were humans like you, and you just changed hues right now." Steven scratches the back of his neck.
"Yeah. Okay." Steven agrees. Aizawa grunts before guiding Steven toward the building.
They walk in silence for a little while. "So...what's your quirk?" Steven asks Aizawa before kicking the rock in front of him.
"I can erase others' quirks with a glance." He says, looking at the ground. Steven's eyes shine.
"So cool..." He mutters.
"Oh god, another problem child," Aizawa mutters.
They approach the building, tall gray walls with blue and gold accents that tatter the gym. Steven stares in awe as the pair walks in. Shortly after, Principal Nezu and Ectoplasm join them as Steven twists his neck.
Sure, he's been rusty, I mean, who hasn't? The last war he fought was against beings that apparently no one on this planet has interacted with, and with the rise of peace in his homeworld, he couldn't help but enjoy sparring. Aizawa stands across from him, immediately raising his fists.
In a second, his hair floats and his eyes turn red. Steven's eyes widen in wonder, and he immediately puts two bubbles to protect his hands, making impromptu gloves as protection from the impact. This leaves a confused expression on Aizawa's face as he rushes in to fight.
Punches land; immediately, Steven summons his shield and blocks punches coming from the Ninja hero, pushing him back with the shield. He swings, and Aizawa jumps over, trying to throw his capture weapon, but immediately failing due to a large pink bubble surrounding Steven. Nezu cheers.
Aizawa lands and grunts, charging forward and throwing more of his scarf to Steven's body, but Steven grabs it and pulls him closer, using a hand with a bubble to punch down on Aizawa, managing to connect. Aizawa stumbles back before Steven jumps and floats in the air, before slowing down and dropping to land the final blow. Aizawa jumps out of the way.
I can't go all out; that would be bad. His eyes dart; using a shield he summoned, he jumps and throws it at the hero, before he captures and flings the defensive weapon back toward Steven. "You're pretty good!" Steven smiles and calls as he jumps over his own shield.
With a swift move, Aizawa successfully captures Steven with his scarf before yelling, "Thanks! I guess you underestimated-" Steven's bubble immediately pushes out through his body, allowing Steven to let go of his bindings. He runs and throws more blows, using bubbles to throw more cushioned punches, as he crosses his arms to be pushed back.
"Stop!" Nezu calls out. "I see you are very familiar with using your quirk for offense, even when it seems to have many defensive properties!" He chirps, happy with the results shown.
Steven nods. "Yeah, I mean, back in my world, I was leading a rebellion against a dictatorship, so I had to learn how to fight pretty quickly." He scratches the back of his neck. He raises his hands, "N-not that there is still one! I managed to succeed, and now we're in an intergalactic peace." He chuckles nervously.
Aizawa and Nezu stare in disbelief. "I mean, it wasn't until Jasper trained me that I was able to fight much more smoothly. I guess I'm more of a talker than a fighter, though." He hums as he lowers his hands.
"Unbelievable," Aizawa grunts as he sighs. "They let a child fight a war?" He grumbles as Nezu looks over.
"Not that far off from what the HPSC is doing with our students," Nezu says softly.
Aizawa nods. "Regrettable, but we wouldn't be able to stop these children even if we wanted to. Problem children."
"You said you were training heroes? For a-a war?" Steven stares in disbelief.
"Not exactly. Just to be heroes. To protect and serve their communities." Nezu replies.
"It just so happens that the HPSC is gearing up for some type of conflict, and wants to use Hero students. Though many were against that idea, and even now, we have them operate at a lower risk compared to the pros." Aizawa grumbles.
Steven nods. "The HPSC?" He asks, turning his head.
"Hero Public Safety Commission. A group that keeps watch on heroes and their legal status." Nezu replies.
"Why are you telling me all this? I mean, shouldn't I be like...a security risk?" Steven asks, laughing nervously.
"You seem to be telling the truth. And from what I gather, Aizawa's quirk has no effect on you, which suggests you aren't of this world's properties." Nezu smiles.
"And you seem to have advanced training, especially for someone of your age," Ectoplasm adds. Steven scratches the back of his neck.
He lifts his shirt to reveal a pink gem. "This is where my ability comes from, mainly. I can create light-based constructs, and I'm practicing on making more complicated ones, but as I said before, the main conflict in my world has been dealt with. I mainly sit and teach other Gems to have more freedom. Or I did...I've been travelling more to find myself outside of all of..." He shyly looks away. Why am I telling them all of this?
"Hmm. Interesting! We must talk about more of your world! We can talk about the origins, the stories, the way you came to be, and the countless--" Nezu spatters before Aizawa interrupts.
"Principal," Aizawa sighs.
He turns to Steven, "You must be tired. We can house you for a while until we can find a way to send you back home." He offers. Nezu and Ectoplasm nod.
"Yes. And we can look for this Orb you found." Nezu adds.
Steven's eyes widen as he shakes his head. "A-are you sure? I don't want to intrude!"
Nezu nods. "Yes, of course. We wouldn't want the HPSC finding out about you either, so it works in our favor!" He chirps happily.
"I-I-is there anything I can do to help with the search? I can mark on a map areas that were gem locations! Oh, you probably don't know what that means-" Steven musters.
"Yes, yes, but we can discuss that after you get settled in." Nezu smiles. "Mr. Aizawa, would it be possible for him to stay in the dormitories with your Class?" Aizawa groans.
"Yeah, sure. I'll have to explain his presence, though." He grumbles as he nods toward the door. "Follow me."
Steven nods. "T-thank you! Oh, I need new clothes and-" He mutters before Nezu nods. "
Yes, yes, we will find a way to help you with that as well." Steven's eyes widen. He bows.
Steven follows Aizawa across the campus. "Don't walk in until I tell you to. This class is rowdy, excitable. Sorry about that."
Steven raises his hands. "No, it's okay! I haven't been in a classroom before, so it'll all be new experiences for me!" He grins as Aizawa raises an eyebrow.
"Never? Kid, don't tell me you've only ever been a soldier your whole life." He grumbles, showcasing the first amount of care since Steven had met him.
"O-oh...I guess I have? I was raised by...the gems. They are part of an Alien race of warriors. And they didn't have the best clue about the rules of what makes a good childhood for a human. Or half-human." He scratches the back of his neck. "They tried their best, though! And they were a part of a rebellion that rebelled against their own due to them threatening the end of humanity, so not all bad." He smiles sorrowfully.
Aizawa grimaces. "After you're rested, you'll have to tell me everything." He grumbles as they approach a building, the same building Steven saw on his descent. A "1-A" sign is plastered on the front, and Steven stares in awe. Some figures approach the window and stare in wonder as Aizawa walks up the steps.
"You'll stay out here. I'll call for you." Aizawa says, and Steven nods.
Aizawa walks into the building and is swarmed by a group of teenagers.
"Who's that with you, Mr. Aizawa?" Mina asks, jumping up and down.
"Yeah! Yeah! We saw him fall from the sky!" Mineta, a small figure, waves his hands around. "We thought he was an intruder!"
"What's with the outfit? Black shirt with a star and pink cardigan?" Jiro asks curiously.
"We have a guest. He'll be staying with your class for the foreseeable future until we can find a way to send him home." Aizawa grumbles. "He is from another dimension, or so we believe. So, please treat him kindly; he is still getting acclimated to this."
The students' faces fell. "WHAT?!" Bakugo screams from the kitchen.
"How do you know he's telling the truth?" Shoto asks before Aizawa raises his hand.
"Tsukauchi was here to confirm. He's telling the truth, or strongly believes it. He seems to be of no threat, and he has abilities as well. He is a guest and will be treated as such. Understand?" He raises his hair and glares with red eyes.
"Yes, sir!" The class exclaims.
He turns to open the door. "You can come in."
Steven walks into the building. Spacious and very homey as he turns to look around. He spots many different people, some obviously human, while others...look different. Huh! So interesting! Is that a man with a bird head? A girl with pink skin? Oh, I should ask her if it's like mine-
"Universe," Aizawa grumbles.
"Oh, right! Sorry." Steven nervously grabs the back of his neck. "Hi! I'm Steven Universe. I am 17, about to be 18, and I uh...have a quirk? I guess that's what you would call it here." He summons a bubble around his fist. A green-haired boy stares in amazement.
"I am a crystal gem on my world, so uh..." He raises his shirt to reveal a pink gem in the spot where his belly button would be. "And, yeah..." He nervously looks down.
"So cool!" The green-haired boy exclaims.
A tall boy runs up and extends a hand. "Hello! I am Tenya Iida, the Class President!"
Steven shakes his hand. "Nice to meet ya, do you prefer Tenya or Iida?" He tilts his head.
"You can refer to me as Iida!" Iida responds, and Steven nods. Right. Most people will prefer being referred to by their last name. "You all can call me Steven! I don't really like being called by my last name." He chuckles.
They all nod. Aizawa grumbles and turns. "Iida, show him his room when he's done."
Iida nods.
"We'll talk later, dismissed." Aizawa walks off.
Steven turns and waves.
"Hey, man! I'm Kirishima!" Kirishima exclaims, smiling with a shark tooth grin, and red hair being a defining feature. So cool.
"Mina Ashido! You can call me Mina, though!" Mina, the pink-skinned girl Steven noted, waves.
"Jiro." A girl with earphones hanging out of her ears calls.
The green-haired boy runs up and shakes Steven's hand. "I'm Izuku Midoriya! Oh my, your quirk is fascinating. Is that all you can do? Can you manifest anything more? What about bigger bubbles? How about-"
"Deku!" A blonde boy yells out. He walks over. Eyeing Steven up and down.
He shakes. "S-sorry," Midoriya responds, nervously scratching his cheek.
Steven reaches his hand out. "What's your name?" He asks. The blonde grunts and walks off.
Steven shyly lowers his hand. "Don't worry about Bakugo, he's just shy," Mina calls before Bakugo yells. "LIKE HELL I AM!"
A brown-haired girl runs over, "Ochako Uraraka! Nice to meet ya!" Steven nods.
"You all must have some pretty cool abilities! Quirks. Sorry." Steven laughs. They all nod.
A boy with...circles in his elbows? Replies. "Yeah, man! We're training to be the best of heroes! Sero, by the way!" Steven nods.
"It's awesome to have a fresh face around!" A boy with yellow hair and a black bolt approaches. Steven shakes his hand. "Kaminari! You are really good at Japanese; you're not native, are you?"
Steven blushes before shaking his head. "No, no, I was born and raised in the US! In my world, there aren't nearly as many heroes, so I studied nearly every language to be able to help whoever I can." He smiles.
The class stares in shock. "Wow! That is impressive!" Kaminari responds.
Steven blushes and shakes his head. "Not really, I mean, not going to school was a big part of that." He chuckles.
"No school?" Iida responds.
"Y-yeah, I can talk about that later." He blushes. The class nods.
A tall girl approaches with black hair in a ponytail.
Next to her, a girl with frog-like features stands. "I'm Yaoyorozu, but you can call me Momo." Steven nods.
"I'm Tsuyu Asui, but please, call me Tsu." Steven smiles.
A teen with split hair stares before walking away. Strange. A small boy calls out. "Sup, I'm Mineta." Steven nods. "Do you have any preference in the hotties that-" Mina chopped him in the neck.
Steven raises an eyebrow. "Uh...no. I have a girlfriend." He chuckles. "And that's no way to speak about a woman, man." He looks on in a mix of disgust and confusion. The girls in the room widen their eyes.
Mineta grumbles as he turns away.
"Uh..." Steven smiles. A muscular man, along with a boy with a tail, and a boy with blonde hair, call out.
"I'm Sato!" The muscular...teen? Calls out.
"Ojiro!" The tail-man calls out.
"Oui, I'm Aoyama!" He does poses.
"Nice to meet all of you!" Steven calls out, and the class grins.
Steven walks past as Iida shows him off to his room. On the fourth floor, in a room, isolated and empty, Iida waves goodbye and walks off.
Steven opens the door to find a bed, a door that probably leads to the bathroom, a closet, and a window leading to the outside.
He flops onto the bed. He sighs as he closes his eyes. I'll be home soon, guys.