Disclaimer: I do not in ANY WAY own My Hero Academia.
Warning: This story may have triggering elements (mentions of self-harm, self-esteem and body-image issues). Reader discretion is advised.
A/N: My first MHA story! I'm not too far into it yet, but I feel like I don't need to know more than I do so far to be able to write this oneshot. But I hope you guys like it!
Also, please review!
Can You See Me?
"Hey, Midoriya?" I call out to him before we leave class. There's something I need to ask him.
"Oh, hey, Hagakure. What's up?" He seems a little shocked that I'm talking to him. Just because we haven't really talked before Midoriya doesn't mean I can't start now! How rude!
…Okay, maybe not so rude. He's never rude. He's probably the second nicest person I have ever met, only behind Mashirao. Ever since we were on that team in that exercise when the year started, me and Mashirao have become best friends – we even call each other by our first names. He calls me Toru and I call him Mashirao.
"Midoriya, that support girl that was on your team during the Sports Festival…she's like a genius right? She really created all that stuff?" I ask him, and he smiles.
"Hatsume? Oh yeah! She's brilliant! Why do you ask?" He responds. So Hatsume's her name…
"I just need something to be made and I was hoping that she might be able to do it. Thank you, Midoriya! I'm gonna rush to see her right now. Thanks again, so much!" I run out before he can even say goodbye.
If this works out, and I don't have much hope but if there's even a chance, I have to take it.
I want Hatsume to find a way to let Mashirao see me.
The only people that can see me are myself and anyone in my family related to me. I don't know why this is, but if what Midoriya says is true then Hatsume might be the person.
I really like Mashirao, dare I say it love him. It's probably just teenage love, but I get sad every time I think about him because it's pretty obvious he likes me too. But it's not fair for him if I ask him out of he can't see me. He can't love an invisible person…nobody can.
I've accepted for a long time, since late elementary school honestly, that nobody will ever love me in that way. They can't love someone who they can't see. I remember in elementary school, everyone has crushes on other kids. I was no exception. But nobody ever had any crushes on me. In middle school I never went to any school functions with anyone except a few friends and their dates.
I started to really hate myself. I still do, sometimes. It's hard to even like yourself if you know that nobody will ever love you in a way that you desire. Of course I have family and friends that love me, but unless I am seen by somebody, they could never love me like a partner.
I've told a few people how I feel. After all that's happened to our class, we all became a pseudo-family. Mina and Tsuyu have become the closest to me, themselves also having body-image issues too.
Mina used to get made fun of so much because of her pink skin and her eye color. She told me she used to cry everyday she came home from school because everyone was so mean to her. She didn't have a single friend until the end of middle school. I'm happy that everyone in U.A. accepts her.
Tsuyu was also teased for her frog quirk. She had to stop eating in front of her classmates because they made fun of the shape of her tongue. She hated talking because of her deeper voice and the 'ribbit' vocal tick that made itself known after her quirk manifested.
I don't understand how people could be so cruel. Shinsou, from the general studies couse, told Midoriya during their fight how everyone called him a villain because of his quirk. And we know that Bakugo used to really bully Midoriya because his quirk manifested very late and pretended he didn't even have one because he couldn't control it.
Why does everyone have to be so mean? Isn't it bad enough that we hate ourselves – why do other people have to make us feel even worse?
Mina and Tsuyu don't know that I also hurt myself. I hit myself sometimes. I don't do it a lot, and I never do it in a way that could permanently injure me or scar me (not like that would even matter though, stupid invisible body…).
I know I should stop, and I really try not to do it, but it's really hard. I've been doing it less and less, talking with Mina and Tsuyu helps calm me down that I don't feel the need to do it as much.
But when I think about Mashirao and how I wish he could get over me because it's not fair for him to waste his time liking me when he wouldn't be able to really love me the way he thinks he does or wants to…just makes me want to hit myself, like it's my fault for being invisible. I know it doesn't make sense but it's what I feel.
I sometimes wonder if they do it too. It'd be easy to hide any self-harming because of our hero training, especially Midoriya with how much his body goes through, and that makes me feel guilty because as a friend I should be able to notice that stuff and help. I'm invisible – they have an excuse for not being able to notice. They are visible – what's my excuse?
Stop it, Toru. Get a grip on yourself. You don't even know if they do, and they probably don't. And here you are, feeling guilty about hypothetical self-harming of your friends.
It's hard not to imagine them doing so, though. If I do it, then it's possible they do as well. And I don't want them to feel what I feel. I don't want to feel what I feel. They're my friends, even Midoriya.
"Hatsume?" I've seen her around enough to know where she goes in the hallways at this time. I just needed confirmation from Midoriya that she's what she says she is before I ask her.
"That's my name, Mei Hatsume!" She says, turning around instantly and I see her face perk up in confusion as her eyes quickly scan for the approximate area my face would be (enough people have done that when trying to talk to me that I know what they do). I'm surprised she gets it right – she's the first person to have successfully done so. "Whatcha need? You interested in investing in one of my babies?" She asks, very hyper.
"Yes. My name is Toru Hagakure I need something made and you're the only person that might be able to do it. Midoriya tells me you're a genius and I'm desperate." I say, flat-out. I don't like throwing my pride out the window sucking-up like this, but I am desperate.
"Then follow me. Class can wait!" She grabs my arm and starts flying!
"Ahhh!" I scream, scared but also exhilarated. I see us heading towards the support dorms, but all I can focus on is the great feeling of the wind in my face and my body in the air. It feels amazing.
Before I can relish it even further, Hatsume presses a button on her backpack-jetpack-thing and flies into a window that just opened up. It looks to be her room/workshop.
"So, whatcha need?" She asks immediately before I can get my bearings. She really is a no-nonsense girl and gives no time for breathers, huh?
"I don't know how to say this exactly so I'll just try my best. I need you to make a way for people to see me. Like a special pair of glasses or something. Only my family and I can see me. But I want other people to as well. Please, Hatsume. I…I don't have much money but I'll find a way to pay whatever you want. Just help me, please." My voice starts to crack at the end, but I am able to hold back my tears and calm down.
"I don't want your money, Toru. You said Izuku sent you? I would never charge him or his friends. I will try my best to help you. Now, you said your family can see you? That must mean that's something inheritable about this. Seeing as the brain only interprets information that the body receives…aha! It must mean it's their eyes! Hold un one itsy-bitsy second!" She says calmly then going straight for helping me and is now digging into her closet. I barely have time to register that she's helping me for free before she is looking at me and wearing a huge pair of goggles like we would see in a mad-scientist's place in a movie or something.
"Let's go to the entire spectrum now…ooh that was fast! Oh my, Toru! You're gorgeous!" She squeals out and I feel tears building in my eyes.
"You..see me?" I crack, trying to hold back my sobs. This is…more than I can handle right now. I feel myself pulled into a hug.
"Shh…" She whispers. "Yes, Toru. I saw you perfectly and you're so beautiful." She says, rubbing my back. After a few minutes of this, I stop crying and she explains to me what she did.
"That baby of mine converts the electromagnetic spectrum, you know all ranges of light wavelengths, into waves in the visual spectrum. It seems your body gives off very high-length x-rays. Not the kind that damage us if exposed too long like in a hospital, but a different-enough wavelength that they can't be seen with human eyes, well, except the ones in your family that seem to be able to see these kind of waves." She explains and I am in awe. She figured it out!
"Hatsume…"
"Please, call me Mei. And you had the perfect suggestion too – I can make glasses that covert this wavelength my baby recorded into the visible spectrum. You can give them to anyone you want. I will also make the frames out of steel and the lenses made out of a strong material too so they won't break. And don't worry, I won't save any of this information in a database or anything so villains could use it against you. That's the first thing we learn in support-course – don't do anything that could help the villains." She finishes explaining and I pull her into a very strong hug.
"Mei…thank you so much. You don't know how much you have helped me." I say, not wanting to go into detail about everything.
"You're welcome. I'm happy to have helped. That's what we do, me and you. We help people." She says, laughing when I end the hug. "I'll have the glasses ready in a few hours. I'll skip the rest of my classes – they're all pathetically easy anyway. Go to your classes and come back when school ends. As we came in through the window, my room is 2-15." Mei says, and I tell her I'll be here then.
I did manage to go to all my classes, but there was no way I could actually focus or take notes. I'm gonna have to ask Ochaco for hers later. All I could think about was the glasses Hatsume, no Mei was making for me at this very moment. I look at the clock and the bell will ring in less than a minute.
"No homework today, guys, but review your notes. Today's material was difficult and new, and you'll all get it if you practice. See you tomorrow!" Our math teacher finishes right before the bell rings. And once it does I run faster than I ever have in my life (even faster than I did in the U.A. entrance exams or in the Sports Festival) to Mei's support dorm and up the stairs to her room. I get there in not even two minutes and I knock so hard on the door that it opens up due it not being locked.
"Faster than I expected, Tooru." Mei says, turning around in her chair, wearing a nice, small pair of glasses with clear lenses and nice, metal frame. "And still absolutely gorgeous." She says, smiling at me. She gets up from her chair and walks towards me and hands me the glasses.
"Thank you so much, Mei. I really can't express how much I appreciate this." I say, and she smiles and hugs me.
"I know you appreciate it! I'm happy to help! If you ever need something else or others do, send them my way, though I can't guarantee them no costs like you got!" Mei says, laughing.
"Mei, I should have asked earlier but I was so excited and forgot to…can I have your phone number? Like, do you wanna be friends? Next time I go out I can invite you?" I'm trying my best to articulate this, and I'm sure she'd see me blushing if she was still wearing the glasses.
"Sure!" She says and we exchange numbers. After one last squeezing hug from me to her, I leave her dorm to find Mashirao.
I walk into the common room and I see him doing some homework alone. Tokoyami is the only other person here, on the other side of the room reading a book.
"Hey Mashirao? Can you help me carry something from my room down? It's heavy and I hurt my wrist earlier." I ask him, and he looks up to me and smiles.
"Sure thing, Toru." He says and he gets up from his chair, leaving his stuff there. We all trust each other to not mess with each other's stuff.
"Oh, and hello Tokoyami." I say to him before Mashirao and I climb the stairs to the first floor of rooms and we walk to my room. I unlock the door and I close it when we both walk in.
"What is it you need me to carry?" Mashirao looks at me, smiling. I swallow, suddenly very nervous.
Doesn't matter. I have to do this.
"Sorry, Mashirao, but that was a lie. I wanted to tell you something alone but Tokoyami was there. But before I do, I got you something. Can you put these glasses on?" I ask him.
"Uhh, alright?" He questions but does what I say. I can feel my heart hurting as I hand them to him. When he puts them on his face is in shock.
"…Toru? Is that you?" He asks, and I feel the tears that I had with Mei earlier coming back. "You're beautiful, Toru." He says in awe and I rush into his chest for a hug. He wraps his arms around me and I see his tail moving quickly.
"Yes. I wanted you to be able to see me before I tell you this. I…I really like you Mashirao. I have for a long time now, and I know you like me too. But I didn't think it was fair for you to like me if you couldn't see me. Someone made these glasses so I can be visible." I explain to him between sobs.
"Oh, Toru. Thank you." He says and I feel him kiss the top of my head. I only hug him harder and sob tears of happiness into his chest.
Mashirao formally asked me on a date after we talked. He told me he's going to wear the glasses all the time from now on; he tells me not only can he see me with them, but they also help his eyesight a little!
When our classmates asked him about the glasses before homeroom started today, I told them the truth. That they allow him to see me, and I gave them to him because we liked each other. Everyone was shocked, and most asked me if they could try it out. I was nervous but I let them. After everyone tried it, they all told me I was beautiful and that they're happy I trusted them with what I looked like.
"Have a good day, everyone." Mr. Aizawa says lazily before laying back down on the floor and dismisses us.
"Midoriya!" I call him out again, like I did just yesterday. He turns to me and smiles.
"Hey, Hagakure!" He's not fazed at all about having seen me. Nobody was, actually. They all treated me the same (well, except for Mineta who will probably perv over me more now than he used to).
"I just wanted to thank you again. Mei made the glasses for me, and I wouldn't have been able to ask her to help if you hadn't confirmed how much of a genius she was. So thank you so much, Midoriya. God, it feels like all I've done the past two days is thank people." I joke and Midoriya chuckles.
"I'm just happy she was able to help you, Hagakure. You're my friend. And friends help each other. Oh, and congratulations for you and Ojiro." Midoriya says.
"Stop making me thank you!" I say in false-anger at Midoriya who laughs. I give him a small hug before we part ways to go to our next class.
Suddenly, I can be seen. Mashirao can see me. And there are ways for me to be seen now. Everything I hated about myself is gone. I'm still invisible, but I can be seen.
But I know that if I feel bad about myself again, I can't hurt myself anymore. I'll talk to someone. I'll always have Mina and Tsuyu, but now I have Mashirao. And I have Mei and Midoriya.
I'll be fine.
A/N: Wow. I just wrote this all in one sitting. Short story, but it was an idea I wanted to do for a while since getting into (and loving) MHA. I was curious at how Hagakure's quirk worked, and then I started thinking about how never being seen could affect her on a mental and emotional level, which developed into her having these kinds of issues.
But what did you guy think? I know – I wrote a straight pairing. I betrayed anyone who is a fan of mine! Still, think I did it alright. The focus wasn't on the pairing, it was on Hagakure. I hope you guys enjoyed this oneshot, and I expect to write more MHA stories in the future!
Also, don't forget to review!