UPRIGHT: Illusion, fear, anxiety, subconscious, intuition
REVERSED: Release of fear, repressed emotion, inner confusion
Ophelia had to persuade Mitsuki to leave the room to not only reduce the effect of persuasion on the boy but also have her play the role of being refused of seeing her son as well just in case Mrs. Midoriya arrives at the hospital.
Mitsuki was willing to play as the decoy as it was to act like they are on a 72-hour hold for psychological stability due to the assault from the Sludge Villain and monitor the possibility of trauma. The staff has been strictly told to play the part and was forbidden to tell anyone the true story, however, 4 people have been fired on the spot by Ophelia's mentor herself when they refused to go by the CPS requirements.
"I swear, once we are done with the exam I will report this hospital to the NHC for medical malpractice, negligence, and abandoning a patient in need due to discrimination." An old woman was ranting right next to Ophelia and she had to agree. "You were right to call me Ophi, this is beyond my comprehension of abuse."
Ophelia hissed and the tip of her tail shook violently. "I know, this Quirkism or any kind of discrimination needs to stop. I also made a report on the paramedics who refused to treat Izuku during transport until she threatened a lawsuit. Though I think her skillet was extra insurance. This boy is so young and from what I heard from Mitsuki, he was abused both at home and at school."
The woman sighed and shook her head. "The school would hear from me too, they don't call me Nurse from Hell for nothing."
Ophelia chuckled at her mentor and has the people in the medical community call her that as well as the Head Reaper. "Well, all that aside, all we have to do now is wait for the boy to wake up."
"Yes, from what I can tell it shouldn't be too much longer.
—
Midoriya woke up to the strange sound of beeps and he saw a white room with monitors, cables, and curtains. Blinking in confusion, he tried to get up but instantly his body ached in pain.
"Itte~."
"Midoriya, please don't get up yet. You have been through a tough ordeal yesterday, so it is natural to feel like you have been wrung through the wringer."
"Eh?" Midoriya looked right next to him and saw an old lady in a pink nurse outfit with a needle cane, and a few feet behind her was a Lamia-looking serpent with vibrant green eyes. His eyes went wide and stars started to form in them.
"OHMYGOD, IT IS RECOVERY GIRL AND THE SERPENTINE HEROINE OPHIUCHI! OHMYGOSH I CAN'T BELIEVE I GET TO MEET YOU TWO AND AT THE SAME TIME, IS IT TRUE THAT YOUR KISS CAN START THE HEALING PROCESS OF THE INJURED AND IT USES THEIR ENERGY FOR THE RECOVERY? AND YOUR QUIRK IS SILK TOUCH, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION BUT I HEAR YOU CAN CALM SOMEONE DOWN WITH A TOUCH OR USE IT FOR ACCUPRESSURE? WAIT WHERE IS MY NOTEBOOK, CAN I HAVE AN AUTOGRAPH?"
Recovery Girl and Ophiuchi looked at the boy in shock at his energetic rambling before chuckling at his fanboy cuteness.
"Maybe later, Midoriya," Ophelia said and frowned a bit, and she immediately noticed the boy tense. "I am here as a Social Worker for the Tattooin Child Welfare and Protective Services." His hands tightened and she saw the green flames flicker and change color briefly behind him. "You are not in trouble, we came upon a request from a civilian due to the marks on your body. We want to make sure you are safe-"
"I-I'm not," Midoriya said suddenly, eyes looking down and tears started to fall from his eyes. He looked defeated, and Ophelia's tail twitched. Recovery Girl stayed impassive but she was raging inside. "I'm tired."
Ophelia moved next to him to the opposite of the bed and took out her notebook. "Can you tell me what happened?"
Midoriya was scared, stomach buzzing like a thousand bees and he wanted to throw up. He was scared of the retribution of what his mom and the potential clients would do if this fails, scared of where he would go if they did take him, and most importantly he was Quirkless, would they even believe him?
Ophelia was looking at him with patience, she could tell that he had lost a lot of trust. She did not want to rush him, as it would possibly clam him up and they would get nowhere.
"-ail?"
"I'm sorry? Can you repeat that?" Ophelia said as she did not hear him properly. Midoriya was looking at her tail.
"I-I know it is a w-weird question, I'm sorry! B-but would it be p-possible if I can hold your t-tail?" He said quickly and bowed his head. "I-I am hoping to see if your Silk Touch can calm me enough to give you the information. Wait…" The greenette had a thought and looked guilty. "Does your Quirk work with your tail or only with certain parts of your body." He then blushed at what he said and recoiled. "I-I'm sorry!"
Ophelia's heart broke when he kept saying sorry and decided to grant him that request. "Don't say sorry, your curiosity is valid." She sprayed her tail with a disinfectant and cleaned it with a towel before giving the tip to the boy. The moment he touched it, he immediately became mesmerized at the pearlescent hue and the feel.
"Yes, my Quirk affects all of my body the moment someone touches my skin I can activate my muscles and it acts like a massage, relieving stress or tension." She heard the boy say wow and he hugged her tail, surprising her with his strength. "Whenever you are ready to continue, we won't rush you."
Midoriya did feel a little calmer but one question was nagging his mind. He looked at them, swallowed a few times, and took a deep breath before asking. "In your mind, how do you see the Quirkless?"
Ophelia and Recovery Girl looked at the boy in slight surprise, both thinking that he doesn't know that he has a Quirk. Recovery Girl will tell him later, and as for the question, they also know why he had asked that. The bane of being someone without a Quirk, driven to think they are worse than villains, all because of the superior thinking idiots in the QRA.
"I see them as human," I said and he looked at me in shock. "No matter where we are from, how we were made, we all have the same blood, we all live on this planet, and we all have feelings. We all may walk certain paths but that will not divert me in my beliefs."
Recovery Girl was the next to speak up. "I too agree, anybody with a heart and blood and a soul are all treated equally to me. Which is why I will tear this hospital to the ground once we treat you properly."
Recovery Girl had a look of vengeance on her face and it scared the serpentine and the greenette. They both thought that this woman looks like she will kill.
A few seconds had passed and Midoriya laughed lightly. "You see us as human, huh?" He hugged Ophelia's tail more tightly and steeled his resolve.
Ophelia and Recovery Girl listened and wrote down everything he said and their hearts shattered. His abuse started right after the age of 5 and continued to become more aggressive to where he was punished with weapons or canes leaving marks on his chest, back, thighs. Things then escalated when at the age of 12 his 'mother' started to bring strange men into her home and allowed them to touch, harm, and assault him. Ophelia had a hard time not twitching her tail when he mentioned the blood and pain, and these services continued to this day.
She will be arrested for this and I will make sure she will not see the light of day. "Thank you for telling me this, Izuku." Ophelia responded and saw that he was still crying in despair. "May I touch you? Just your face."
Midoriya thought about this for a few moments before nodding. He felt her soft, snakeskin hands graze his right cheek and immediately he leaned his face towards her gentle touch. The boy knew she was using her Silk Touch, and it felt so good, so gentle, it soothed his nerves and the negativity in his mind started to phase out.
"I-I'm sorry…"
"Don't say sorry, Izuku. None of this is your fault, you did not put yourself in that position." Ophelia said and continued rubbing his cheek. "We have a couple more things to do, Izuku. Recovery Girl will need to do a full exam on you, including x-rays. We need to get physical evidence."
Midoriya nodded but he was still scared. "What will happen now?"
"We have enough evidence to warrant an immediate separation from your mother, and with further proof could lead to her arrest, you will live with me until the court date and from there once we have a verdict we will have to either return you to her or find a foster family for you until 17."
"Can't I be with the Bakugou's?" Midoriya pleaded and she melted but still had to follow protocol.
"Not right now, you will be under protective custody until the court date, and from there we may arrange visits. You can ask if they want to adopt you."
"He doesn't need to ask, the Old Hag will have him, no questions asked."
Midoriya jolted in surprise and looked behind the serpentine and saw that the blonde boy was awake.
"K-K-Kacchan!" Midoriya yelped and shrunk away badly. "H-how long were you awake?"
"Just enough to hear about the exam and x-rays, but nothing before that," Bakugou said with a glare, flinching from the arm spasms. "Don't worry, Deku. You know how much she adores you, she treats you better than me."
"D-don't say that, Kacchan." Midoriya said, sighing in relief that he did not hear anything.
Ophelia smiled and went towards the boy while Recovery Girl took Midoriya to another room for x-rays, she eyed the red-eyed boy keeping tabs on the greenette before the door closed.
"You know more than what you just told." The serpentine said and immediately saw him stiffen at being caught.
"If I tell him I heard everything, he would be even more scared not only for him, but for me as well. He always thought of others and ignored his own wellbeing, I can't add more stress than he is already in."
Ophelia nodded in approval at his words. "Well, I will let you know that he will be separated effective immediately, and the hearing will be available within 72 hours after the removal."
Bakugou nodded. There is nothing much he can do now but just wait and support him until the showdown.