'I don't possess a quirk.'

This is a phrase that is much easier to translate into sign language than the truth.

My quirk has always brought me immense embarrassment. And as such, I believed it would bring embarrassment to my parents as well. I mean, my parents are capable of becoming one of the top heroes with flashy combat oriented quirks, but they ended up with a mutation baby with a completely unrelated, useless quirk. How disappointed would they be?

I guess that I was just destined to be an introvert due to my controlling guardians, and I hated it. My quirk just wasn't meant for me. It was meant for a flirty extrovert that knew what they wanted and how to get it or something. I feel like I was supposed to be a different person.

My quirk came two years late. My parents were angry but let it go and waited some more time. When I got it, I made an effort to conceal it from the world the moment I fully understood it. I did not find out what my quirk was in a very fun way..

I had firstly introduced the idea of me being a super late bloomer. I had heard of people not getting their quirks until their teens. It was rare, but it happened.

My doctor ruined it by saying that there are more factors that would be visible if I was a part of this phenomenon, so my cover was blown. I had no explanation and brushed it off as her being a very unlucky child and a first case.

It didn't work for long.

"(Y/n), are you hiding something from us?"

My mother was relentless, with no idea how to handle such a situation with care and respect, even to a little girl. The woman stomped her foot and crossed her arms, awaiting an explanation that wouldn't ever come.

"No, mama," a six year old me lied, a blush of shame forming. Luckily, my quirk didn't work around my parents, but I wasn't sure why exactly. I had learned the extent of my quirk from an earlier experience and knew too many things for such a young girl.

My mother didn't believe it so be so, and neither did my father.

After that failed, their doctor introduced the idea of my quirk being something that was unable to be used or even discovered naturally.

I was grateful for him once again even if he blew my cover earlier. That seemed to appease my parents for the time being. With no useable quirk, I couldn't get into any hero course, and my parents weren't happy about that. They were high school drop outs and 'just wanted their offspring to do better,' as they called it.

I overheard them talking one night when I was six, a week before I began going to elementary school for the first time. They wanted to send me to a normal elementary and middle school for now and then for high school, I would be switched to a hero school, UA, where they wanted me to be in 1A. Because I liked arts and crafts, they considered enrolling me into the Support course, so if I never developed a quirk, I still had a chance to become successful in some way. I never caught a break, did I?

Then again, I won't be able to avoid speaking forever, and I know that.. but I just don't want to believe it.

. . .

School had been balancing between hell and purgatory all my life. In elementary, my parents thought I was mentally impaired because I didn't speak. When they saw my high grades, they retracted and accepted that I was just being shy, since I talked around them but not at school.

After an incident related to my quirk in daycare that I've almost wiped completely from my memory, I was extra careful in school from then on and didn't take any chances. It was easy as long as I studied hard and I made it into junior high with flying colors.

In junior high, I was invisible. It was almost blissful that now, no one ever made an effort to speak to me. If they did, they strayed away after they found out I was mute and couldn't actually hold a long conversation with most people, or just asked for my homework. I enjoyed it more than I should have, I think.

But then, something went wrong during the last two weeks before I would be going to high school.

I was minding my own business in a free period and had my leg sticking out because I was sore from physical education. I felt something push against my leg.

Katsuki Bakugo's blind ass tripped over my leg and landed flat on his face.

Yeah, that asshole who was bullying the cute green haired kid. I always felt so bad for watching by and not doing anything, and I guess that this was my karma. I didn't have many classes with them, mostly my last two periods on Fridays and Mondays, where Katsuki was usually too bored to bother Deku much (I think that's his name, that's what he always called him. I thought it was a pretty insulting name for a parent to give their kid though..) but I always saw Katsuki rough him up in the hallways.

Ever since I accidentally tripped him, Katsuki had shared his angry energy between Midoriya and I because I embarrassed him, even though no one would ever dare mention it again. I got the same treatment, except I didn't cry or apologize. I didn't even say anything to him. I just moved on and powered through school, avoiding him as much as I could. Besides, there was almost no time left. What's the point?

But this didn't stop my self confidence from plummeting.

"Why the hell don't you talk, huh?"

A hand on my shoulder startled me. It was a Monday, that Friday would be the last day of school, so I was trying to enjoy the last week we had of nothing after finals.

I jumped back, closed my sketch notebook and stared at Katsuki's scowling expression as he seemed to begin steaming at my cluelessness. I tilted my head, knowing that he wouldn't understand sign language and hoping he would go away. I was beginning to get nervous already since we were alone in the classroom after school, and who knows what this guy would do angry and alone. He circled around my desk to stare at me from the front.

"You're not fucking deaf. I know you have a working throat and voice box.. so fucking talk!" Katsuki exclaimed, slamming his hands onto my desk.

I was surprised, to say the least. Most people didn't care that I didn't speak, and despite bullying me, he hadn't made a comment about that yet during the painful week of torture he had given me. Most assumed that I was in an accident that rendered me mute after they found out that I can indeed hear them, and most people brushed it off as having my own reasons. Most people respected it. The jackass must've assumed I just didn't feel like answering.

I wrote the word 'mute' on a piece of paper, and with an involuntary scowl, returned to my drawing.

"Bullshit!" Katsuki growled, snatching the notebook from my hands. He took the paper with the drawing out of the book, and then ripped the notebook apart from its spine. He made sure to crumble then drawing. He placed his hands gently on either side of my face and then roughly pulled me off of the chair. It fell sideways to the ground as he pulled me by my collar up to his face level.

"You have daddy issues or something? Refusing to talk when you obviously can.. I take that as blatant disrespect." It caught me off guard and we locked eyes for a second. I shut my eyes and frantically tried to kick him off. Eye contact made me anxious, paranoid.. All of the bad feeling one could have. His grip only tightened.

"I won't let go until you fucking speak!" He didn't let go. I only wondered what kind of parents he must have to let a teenage boy get this out of hand.

When he began to choke me is when I began to genuinely become afraid.

I placed my hand on his arm, pulling, begging him internally to let me go. I didn't understand why he couldn't just leave me alone.

"If I let go, will you talk?"

With the little strength and moving space I had, I weakly nodded.

"I don't believe you," he said, and then lightened his grip around my neck, still making me hover above the ground. "Who the fuck do you think you are? Trip me and think you can get away with it and even ignore me? I should've taught you this lesson a while ago-"

"Let go!"

It slipped out. I immediately regretted everything. His grip loosened and eventually he let me go, and I fell to the floor with a loud thud.

Katsuki didn't say anything for a while. He just stood there, dazed. His gaze swept down to me on the floor. I was still groaning in pain. A million of intrusive thoughts were probably in a nasty milkshake swirling in his head. I almost felt sorry for him. That's what happened when someone was exposed to my voice.

"Fuck," I said again. One, because of the pain. Two, because my quirk had seemed to have taken its toll and there was nothing I could do for him, so there was no point in resisting the urge to speak anymore. I messed up big time. This was quite the last thing I ever wanted to happen. I had trained myself to not speak even when under a stressful situation, but the sudden touching had just bypassed it all in just a second. All of that training; for nothing. No one had ever done that to me, so why would I have some kind of defense? Yet I blamed myself, still.

When I looked up at him, his face was bright red, his eyebrows were still furrowed in anger, earning himself a pretty goofy but angry expression. He looked like he was battling with himself inside. His eyes followed as I stood with a limp.

My quirk didn't just make someone infatuated with me and ignore all that they stood for. It altered the way the person treated me depending on their actual personality. A kind person will remain to be kind but may become a bit more clingy. If they hated me, they will fight with themselves over it until they go crazy, and become jealous. It wasn't that dangerous, but to the wrong person, it could be. This is what was happening to Katsuki. Everyone that it affected made them do different things, and it was terrifying that I couldn't predict it completely.

I glared at him, as if to say 'I told you so' and frantically picked up my books and speed-walked past him. I didn't want to deal with him when he came to his senses, so I went to the library and hid in the back behind a dictionary. I spent a lot of time thinking about what an asshole he is and wondering if it's a big deal that he heard my voice.

The next day came and I dreaded coming to school, mostly dreading that I would see him.

When I went to my locker in the morning to get a book, there were flowers instead. They were my favorites; daisies. Attached was a note.

'(L/n),

Don't hold a grudge about yesterday. It's not a big deal.

Don't be mad goddamnit. It's annoying me just thinking about it.

I found these ugly flowers and I had no where else to put them so just fucking take them.

-Bakugo'

Needless to say I groaned and hit my head against the locker a little bit too hard. The effects were beginning.

Whenever I spoke to someone, usually asking for a pencil or what the homework was, Katsuki would interfere somehow. Not in a cute way; he'd make an excuse and push them away from me, but never forgot to insult me for being mute or stupid or clumsy or gullible.

Suddenly the straight A student and future number one hero, Katsuki (according to him) was asking me for help on extremely easy homework with an attitude and refused to take no for an answer, 'because I had good grades' but in reality I had a 76 in that subject while he had a 92.

And then he cursed at me and demanded that we go out for ice cream or something because 'he could see that I was still mad at him' which I refused and had to hide in the girls bathroom until he calmed down and stopped creating explosions for intimidation. He even began using my first name.

Thankfully, this only lasted for a week. Why? Well, it was the last week, remember? Summer break finally came and I was free from my short but long torture. This is how I found out that the effect wears off after a period of time (during which they cannot see me or communicate with me in any way) but I felt like there was something more to its conditions that I'll have to find out myself the hard way.

On my first day at UA, I saw Katsuki again in the hallways, and I immediately picked up my walking pace and swung past him. He definitely recognized me, but didn't seem to care. He didn't have that flustered face in middle school and didn't make an effort to speak to me. I didn't want to relive that anyways. Only a week of that torture and it made me shake just thinking about it.. imagining any longer would break me. I was glad to know that there was a way for my quirk to wear off. I guess I should've been happy that he didn't care for me anymore, and I was back to being invisible.

And from then on, I began to consider myself completely mute and vowed to never speak a word no matter what. Attention was nice, but not this kind. It was hard, but I managed to get this far, so why give up?

. . .

Mei greeted me as I stepped into the lab. She was too busy to face me. I took a peek on what she was working on; it was some kind of mask like-item.

"Want to see?" Mei asked in excitement, not taking her eyes off of what was probably her new baby.

I hummed, basically telling her to hold on as I was too tired to listen to her ramble. She obliged while I unpacked my bag full of nails, wrenches and other things. I sighed; I wasn't completely ready for this day. I hadn't been feeling well, but at least my life was more stable than it was towards the end of middle school. Absolutely no problems so far. My only trouble is getting through school without being able to speak, but my teachers understood my situation that I had explained to them. My biggest worry at the time was a due project based on developing support items that I hadn't started.

"What are you gonna do for your birthday?" Mei asked. She stopped working and looked at me for a moment for my answer.

I shrugged and smiled. She nodded and went back to work.

I was surprised that she remembered my birthday. We had only met the year before and I've only told her once. Then again, I remembered hers.

She started talking again. "Well, if you prefer to stay indoors, there's nothing wrong with that. We can have a movie-night," she said and dropped her tools. She wiped some sweat off of her brow. "Whew. Almost done."

I coughed to get her attention and told her 'Sure' in sign language, which was just putting my finger on my mouth and moving it forward quickly. I was a person of few words, even in sign language. I learned the minimal basics of it and I don't intend to get complicated with my 'words'.. But I do indeed have lots of thoughts that never get through to the outside.

Mei was nice enough to learn basic sign language for me, and I simply wrote on a notepad when it got too complicated for her. I never thought I'd be grateful for her, but here I am. She's never asked me why I don't speak and respected me. She was my only friend.

"That's great!" she squealed.

I finished unpacking my things for my project and decided to procrastinate a bit longer.

'Project?' I signed curiously.

Mei giggled. "That sign is so cute." I rolled my eyes. "And no, I finished my project, but it's a surprise. This right here is a gift for someone."

'Who?' I signed with a deadpan, ignoring her comment.

"That one is too. And it's a secret!"

I rolled my eyes and leaned in to get a glimpse. She didn't try to stop me from sneaking a peek. I was right; it was a mask type item that only covers the mouth. It was transparent in the middle for some reason. It had straps like a gas mask. It seemed to have a small metal box on the side, which was weird for a mask.

"You caught me! It's a gift for you!" she admitted all too quickly.

I was taken aback. I looked at her and then at the mask. And then it hit me.

'My voice?' I angrily signed. I wasn't sure if I was actually angry at her. Yes, it was a very kind gesture, but at the same time, I was conflicted about it. But why?

When she saw my expression, her own face softened and she leaned against the counter. "A few weeks ago, a girl came up to me and asked if I can make her a mask that would nullify the effects of her voice quirk. It would make others around her sleepy, which didn't let her make friends and ruined her self confidence," she began. "So of course, I just couldn't let that slide, so I made a mask for her that would nullify the effects in a discreet way. My parents had done it before, so they gave me a programmed metal box, and all I had to do was make the actual mask, make a couple tweaks and connect it to the box. All it does is alter your voice in such a way so that the effect it gives off doesn't work anymore. Voice quirks are known to be nullified through support items and masks, so why not do it for you, when you seem to be struggling?"

I almost cried right there on the spot.

"I finished the mask for her yesterday, and she came up to me saying that it works perfectly, and she's already made some new friends. I made it again and changed it to match your quirk a little better for you," Mei said. "Don't worry, this won't be your only gift. But I thought I owe this to you!"

I stood there frozen for a moment, before getting the urge to yell, 'I LOVE YOU! THANK YOU!' but I knew that it would be a disaster, so instead, I ran up to her and tackled her to the ground. I hated myself for being angry a few seconds ago.

"Give me a minute woman!" Mei screeched and laughed manically a second later. I wasn't entirely sure if my laugh counted as part of my quirk, so I suppressed it, but it just came out as a loud snort.

"Get off Ms. Piggy!" She ended up shoving me away and getting back to work on the mask.

The longer I stared, the more I realized she was a godsend. Minutes felt like hours as I waited for her to finish. I felt bad for rushing her by tapping my feet, but I wanted it so bad.

"One last one.. There!" Mei exclaimed and jumped away. "How's it lookin'?"

She gave me a small mirror and I audibly gasped. I didn't know that the mask would actually look good on a person.. I think she made it specifically fit my head/jaw shape, but no one knows where she got those measurements, and I didn't want to know. It fit perfectly over my mouth. It was a bit transparent, not obscuring it completely so it would be allowed to be worn in school. It was white with a (f/c) accent.

I smiled bigger than I ever had before. Maybe this would be the start of a new life. A new beginning. A restart button, all thanks to Hatsume Mei.

"Take it off from the back, like a bra," Mei said happily. "It's foldable and everything!"

I practiced for a bit, finally mastering the kind of complicated moves needed to unlock it. I already had trouble taking off my bra, so it was a real challenge. I hugged Mei one last time.

"Come on, try it!" she exclaimed.

I put the mask on and took a deep breath. I looked at her with an unsure gaze and she frantically nodded.

"I'm sure, do it!"

My heart was pounding in my ears.

"Hi."

Mei stayed quiet. Her smile grew bigger and bigger. "See!"

"I.. I can talk now?" I said. My voice was raspy, unused. I was already having trouble with thinking how to pronounce some words.. I knew it was be hard to get used to it all. When my quirk is activated, my voice sounds silky smooth no matter what, but this is what my voice really sounds like.

"Aw, don't cry now.." Mei said. I hadn't even noticed the tear falling down my cheek.

"It's time to let go of yesterday." She stepped up to me and wiped it off my face. "Let today be a new beginning."

. . .

3rd person

Mei waved off the ecstatic girl. The pink haired girl had never seen her so happy. Actually, she hadn't ever seen her cry either, not once. It was surreal to watch the now masked girl skip away with the intent to actually speak for once.

Mei bowed to an invisible audience clapping for her, as proud as a mother, and took out her project. She revised it one last time. She was a bit paranoid that she had made an imperfect somewhere, and it was obvious, having checked it about fifty eight times. She also took out her presentation notes and began practicing her speech.

There was an angry knock on her door, interrupting her. She yelled, "One second!" to which she put her baby in a safe place and rushed over.

"Yes?" She smiled as softly opened the door, but it was flung open by the person at the opposite end. Mei shrieked as she had thought a metal bolt from the door would scratch one of her creations, but calmed down soon after.

"HATSUME!" Mei recognized the angry voice as the girl with the sleeping quirk. Immediately, she felt herself get a bit drowsy. Although, the more energetic the person, the harder it was to make them sleepy, so Mei was safe from her quirk. The most Sleepy's quirk was able to actually do was make someone decide to take a quick nap.

"Here to thank me again, Sleepy?" Mei grinned, having forgotten her actual name.

"No!" Sleepy threw something on the ground and Mei gasped as her gaze caught it. The mask split in two as it hit the hard floor. Sleepy was literally shaking in anger, her pale face red, and Mei had never been more confused.

"Did I do.. something wrong?"

Sleepy growled. "Your stupid mask nullified my quirk. Thanks for that. But in just two hours it just randomly stopped working and I think it actually amplified it! Everyone in my class fucking fainted in the fucking classroom when I should only be able to make someone suddenly decide to take a nap! And now I'm probably going to be suspended, so thanks a fucking lot."

"Wait, it did what now?"

Sleepy stood at the door tapping her feet against the floor impatiently. "I demand an explanation."

"C-Can you tell me a bit more about what happened?" Mei asked as she looked through her bag, taking out a screwdriver.

Sleepy stared. "It's just as I said. I think someone I spoke to hours ago also was affected.. like, how does that even work?!"

"Oh man.." Mei frantically picked up the mask and set it on her desk. She laid it down and opened the back box, revealing in its complicated maze, a red wire among the rest, and she slapped her cheeks as hard as she could.

"I put the completely wrong program in!" Mei screeched. "They're in metal boxes that look completely identical and I didn't even bother to check! What is wrong with me?!"

"Why the hell would you develop something that didn't do the same thing but looked the same on the outside without a damn label?!" Sleepy demanded.

"I don't know!" Mei cried. "My parents made these, not me! The program I put in is an old model that they specifically told me not to use.. I wanted to try fixing the old ones so I brought them along and must've mixed them up! I wasn't thinking! There must've just been a malfunction with the old model.."

"The whole malfunction thing is understandable, but why the hell did the thing amplify my quirk?!" Sleepy exclaimed. "It shouldn't make people so tired that they pass out at all, no matter how much they hear my voice. Isn't it just a nullifier? Hell, doesn't it just filter my voice a bit differently? How can it do that?"

"...I'm not sure why it's doing that. And it's scary," Mei said in a hushed tone. "Oh wait.. I just gave someone else a model of the mask.." Mei quickly opened all of the nullifiers she had laid in her bag. "God, I hope I didn't mix that one up too.."

The old and new models had distinct differences when they were opened up. The old had red wires smacked in the middle, and the new models had green ones instead.

As she opened them up and laid them down, there was only old model left. "Shit, I used the old one again.. I'm so stupid. I should've separated them.. or fixed them right away.. or.. I don't know.."

"Stop blaming yourself," Sleepy said with a sigh. "Sorry for being so angry... We can figure it out. I just hope their quirk wasn't too dangerous. Especially since it'll be amplified too."

Mei felt some sweat form on her forehead. "Y-Yeah! Me too.. Come on, let's go report this.."

I'm kinda mad.. nothing happened in this chapter but I managed to accidentally make it too long.

Updates coming soon!