A/N: Hi! First of all, thank you for checking out this story! YOU are amazing. Yes, I'm talking to YOU. If you have the time, consider leaving a review and telling me what you enjoyed and what I can improve on, I would greatly appreciate it!
Second. As you can see, this is my first ever published story (though it won't be the only one wink), but I do have dabbled a bit in writing before. This story is somewhat structured already, however I decided on leaving a couple of things to be determined by your recommendations, so expect a few questions in the coming chapters.
Finally, I should let you guys know. Schedule. My plan is to release 1~2 chapters a month, but it all depends on the reception and feedback the story receives. Since I don't know what to expect, I don't want to set some impossible expectations for this first couple of chapters, so let's do it like this: if at the end of the chapter you feel like you dig the concept and would like to read more, scream "I want to read more of this crap!" out loud. I'll probably hear it and I'll work harder just for you!
Well, that's it for now!
It was an awfully chilly day of early spring.
Midoriya Izuku hastily straightened his buttoned-up black jacket and fixed his collar for the fifth time in front of the closed door to what was going to be his classroom for this year. He had liked his new uniform initially. In fact, when he wore it for the first time and looked himself in the mirror he thought he looked kinda cool and a little bit badass wearing all-black. It was like seeing a whole different person, an older version of himself. But now, standing here, his clothes felt ill-fitted and wrong.
Though, there was little he could do at this point. He knew it. The longer he stayed outside, the more likely he was to run into someone.
No, he didn't want that.
Fixing his collar one last time he took a deep breath.
He slowly slid the classroom door open, doing his best to keep the noise to a minimum. He practically jumped inside and repeated the careful process to close the door. Then, he hurried to find any vacant seats while maintaining his gaze glued to the dirty beige tiles of the floor. Thankfully his favorite spot was empty in the far corner next to the window. In one swift motion, he sat down and hid his head under his arms, trying to appear as small as possible. He waited for a few seconds and only then did he release the breath he was holding. A success!
He shyly peeked through a small gap in his arms with a single verdant eye and scanned the room. There were multiple people he recognized from last year, and a few of them made him grip his table a little tighter since, honestly, he didn't want to see them again, but at the very least he didn't catch a glimpse of ashen blond hair. Well, not yet. But he could hope, right? Right?
He decided to listen to the conversations of his new classmates to keep his thoughts from going in that particular direction. Most of it consisted of them catching up, talking about what they did during the winter break.
A group of girls to his right were particularly loud and their anecdotes seemingly endless. The way they could effortlessly talk to each other and joke around was nothing short of amazing to him. He wished he could be like that, but there was no way. Just thinking about approaching them made his stomach twist. What if they noticed he looked freaky in the new uniform? That his jacket was a couple of sizes bigger than it should be, partially covering his hands? Or that his mop of green hair was even unrulier than usual?
Yeah, not happening. Zero chance. He'd rather stay out of their way, or anyone's for that matter, because…
He simply wasn't born that way.
But what if, the ever-present naïve voice within his mind said, what if this time is different? I won't know unless I try it, like mom said. And… And Kacchan isn't here.
He took a glance around the room to confirm it. No sign of him. He gulped. Just opening his mouth seemed like an impossible task, but the thought of making a friend, even just one, eased his rising nervousness. Having someone to talk to by his side, someone who wouldn't make fun of him, would be worth any mean comments.
He would give anything for a friend.
I can do it. Just say hello. It's like mom said. Smile and say hello. And then- then what!? What do I do after!? What if they ask about my winter break and then I gotta tell them I spent most of it rewatching All Might's animated series and reading about his journey on becoming the Number One Hero while taking notes on all of the major fights I could find on the public record which is undoubtedly really cool but maybe they will think my obsession is sort of creepy so perhaps I should omit it entirely and say I didn't do much, but what if-
He lost himself in thought, trying to picture how the conversation would go-
"!"
-and flinched when the girls began to laugh, a noise that filled his body with dread. He immediately threw his hands up in the air as he thought up several excuses to avoid their teasing, when he realized he hadn't said anything. Or had he? Was he muttering?
The group of girls looked at him like he had grown a second head before they walked further away from his seat. He was about to apologize, but the words died in his throat. He didn't want to embarrass himself further and instead dropped his head onto the table, his ears going bright-red from the pure, unadulterated cringe. He really was pathetic. Why did he ever think that was going to work? That it was going to be different? Just because it was the first year of middle school? Yeah right. He was still the same useless and pitiful Deku, he thought as he stared out the window at the school entrance below, his green eyes glazed over. Nothing had changed.
Stupid Deku.
It was exactly the same as when he spent hours and hours, days and weeks, sitting on the floor of his bedroom while trying to force his Quirk into existence. Trying to prove that he was like all of them. Trying to reject reality.
Stupid, stupid Deku.
When would he grow up? When would he accept that this was the way things were and that you couldn't do anything about it? When would he stop trying to be someone he was not, someone he was never-
No. That's not it, that same childish, irritating voice spoke and he ignored it.
He watched as a small sea of students slowly made their way inside the building and couldn't help but wonder, how many of them were born destined for greatness? How many of them would be able to, someday, fulfill their dreams?
And how many of them were doomed to fail from the very start, just because of something outside of their control? Because they weren't lucky enough at birth?
It was unfair. But not all men were created equal, and that was it. There was nothing he could do to change that fact. It was a natural law he had learned from a very young age and it had been reinforced in front of his eyes time and time again throughout the years.
It was how the world worked.
But that can't be all there is to it, that foolish, silly voice whispered inside of him, clinging miserably to hope. It can't. There must be more. It's only a matter of time, okay? Just… Just hold on. You'll see. Anyone can be a hero. I can be-
Suddenly, the door to the classroom slammed open and Izuku blinked a few times. The classroom had way more people than before. He had lost himself in thought. He blushed and covered his face with his hands. Oh god. Hopefully, he hadn't been muttering. Please, please. It was only the first day, how bad was he going to screw it up?
"Alright class, settle down," a grave voice drawled and Izuku zeroed in on the old man standing in front of the whole class. Their teacher, he assumed, "You'll have time to catch up with your friends during recess. Now, be silent."
The noise slowly died out and Izuku took the chance to scan the class once more. No ashen blond. Great. He definitely wasn't in his class then. Knowing him he would never risk being late. A heavy weight was lifted from his shoulders and he slumped back on his chair before he quickly shook his head and sat upright once more. Nobody saw that, right? His eyes darted from side to side, but everyone was paying close attention to the teacher. The green-haired boy paled and focused on the teacher's words as they seemed important.
"-ent. Please come in and introduce yourself," the old teacher said and motioned to someone outside the classroom. What was going on? Why did everyone look so-
His mind went blank and his body froze the instant he caught a glimpse of ashen blond entering the classroom. His relief had been short-lived.
But wait, something was wrong. The shade was wrong. And the shape, and the height, and the face, and- and-
-and everything. It was all wrong. That wasn't Kacchan, he realized as he stared at the girl standing next to the teacher.
She had straight shoulder-length pale blond hair a shade darker than Kacchan's that neatly framed her face, adorned with a red ribbon that sat on top of her head. The black of the uniform contrasted greatly against her fair skin and, standing next to the teacher she appeared to be… tiny. She had to be a little shorter than he was. As he took her appearance in, Izuku thought she looked like a tidy porcelain doll- well, at least she would have looked like one if not for her eyes. Gray orbs regarded the room intensely in stark contrast to her neutral expression before she spun around to face the board as the teacher said something and handed her a marker.
In lazy, messy characters she presented her name. Komine Oriana. Then, she faced them once more, but this time her eyes glinted dangerously.
"I'll be in your care," she all but growled with a devilish, nasty, and awfully sharp grin that reminded Izuku of the cruel smiles of his tormentors. He immediately looked down as fear took an icy hold of his heart and his limbs began to shake. He intertwined his fingers under the table to prevent anyone from noticing, yet the shaking didn't stop. She looked downright terrifying. His left leg bounced up and down out of his control as his anxiety continued to bubble up in his chest. No. No. Deep breaths, he told himself.
At that moment, the girl plopped herself unceremoniously on the seat to his right and he sat upright, unmoving and barely breathing. He had nearly squealed if not for the fact that he was choking on his heart.
Don't make eye contact, don't make eye contact, don't make eye contact-
He repeated several times, allowing his eyes to check the ceiling for any violations of the structural law. So far so good.
"Now that that's settled, I want to take some time to introduce myself. I'll be your homeroom teacher for the year, my name is-"
Their teacher began to talk about himself and what they could expect from their first year as middle schoolers and Izuku took that chance to breathe and calm down.
After a while, as their teacher droned about Algebra, a somewhat more relaxed Izuku tried to understand the source of his unease.
Of course he knew that feeling nervous was his normal state of being. As far as he remembered it had always been like that. But that still didn't explain this.
His left eyebrow twitched every few seconds as he intently counted each of the black hairs of the person sitting in front of him, pointedly avoiding turning his head in the new girl's general direction. Yep, calm. He was calm. Calm as… the ocean at the heart of a Category Two hurricane.
His knee hit the bottom of his desk and he winced in pain.
Okay, maybe Category Three.
And, as he thought about it he realized that for some reason the new girl's presence had disturbed him. That distressing smile of hers reminded him of Kacchan's, and those eyes, they felt like they were sizing him up as if he was a defenseless prey in front of a starving predator.
She looked scary and he couldn't explain why. It was what his gut told him, that he should avoid her at all cost.
But that's not fair. Simply judging her because of her appearance. What if she's lonely because of that? Because of something she didn't choose? Something she was born with- Wait.
Wait.
Her Quirk. Could it be…? Perhaps it was fear-related, or something along those lines. She didn't seem to have any physical mutations on her body, at least none that were evident.
His leg stopped bouncing and he furrowed his brow.
That could explain it. But, then again, feeling fear was his typical mood, so… maybe…
Curious and shining green met with apathetic and arid gray.
Oh no. Oh no.
Her posture was laidback and indifferent as she rocked back and forth sitting on her tilted chair, both hands locked behind her head. She was giving him a sideways glance that, even though they were sitting at almost the same height, it felt like she was looking down on him.
He let out a soundless scream before he broke out of his stupor and looked down at his table. Cold sweat gathered around his forehead.
Crap! Yeah, no, she was definitely the type! One hundred percent! Don't judge a book by its cover his butt! That book sitting to his right had 'I'll punch you and steal your lunch money' as its title in a broad, huge, clearly legible font! A delinquent through and through!
Izuku quivered, feeling her eyes bore into him but not daring to confirm it.
He was hopeful that it wasn't too late to stay out of her radar.
And so, the morning classes crawled by painfully slow. By the end of it, the green-haired boy was a jittery mess of anxiety. And by the looks of things he wouldn't be able to catch any respite just yet.
As soon as the teacher had left the classroom, a bunch of his peers seized the opportunity to speak to the cool transfer student and huddled around her, which wouldn't be a problem in and of itself if not for the fact that said student was his seat neighbor. Thanks to that detail, he was currently unable to leave the classroom without alerting a bunch of people to his presence. He took a deep breath, one of many he had already taken today, and maxed out his ability to slip by people's notice. It was at times like this that he felt grateful for being plain-looking.
Meanwhile, the new girl was being bombarded with question after question, about her previous school, where she lived, how was it like, what did she do during winter break, her likes, dislikes, among other things. And, as far as he could tell she had taken the spotlight in stride and was already fitting in with the popular group.
He sighed. Must be nice being like that. All these tough interactions that stressed him so much, some people easily maneuvered through them like nothing. It was their natural environment. And he… he felt so out of place. He wanted to leave. So many people clustered together near him made him feel uncomfortable.
"Wait, ain't that Midoriya?"
He heard someone say and his mind instantly emptied. That voice. Someone approached his table. He slowly looked up and regarded the ugly, mocking smirk on Haruo's face.
"Almost didn't see you there," he said, dark eyes peeking through narrow slits. That was the purpose, Izuku mentally replied but thought better than voicing it. Instead, he simply scratched his cheek.
"H-H-Hey…"
Haruo snorted at his greeting before repeating back his stutter in an annoying tone, "H-H-Hey. You haven't changed at all, have you? Will you ever learn how to speak properly, or are you too dumb for that?"
Izuku heard a couple of chuckles coming from behind the raven-haired boy and he bit on his lower lip, preventing it from trembling. Don't rise to it. It'll just get worse. Just ignore them.
However, his silence only served to widen the smirk on Haruo's face. The taller boy placed a rough hand on his shoulder and pointed his thumb at his cheek. Izuku trembled and tightly shut his eyes, waiting for the pain.
"Lucky you Midoriya, you get to sit next to the cute transfer student," he heard Haruo sigh dramatically, "What a waste."
Take the seat if you want it, Izuku wanted to say but he couldn't speak.
"Oh, I know! Why don't you make yourself useful for once and go get us something to eat? I'm hungry. You guys want anything?" Haruo asked loudly and some people answered but he couldn't hear them properly over the deafening noise of his beating heart. Why was it always like this? Why couldn't he ever stand up for himself? Again and again, it never changed. And it never would.
Suddenly, Haruo lifted his hand from his shoulder.
"Komine-san…?" he heard him speak, confusion clear in his voice. Komine-san? Wasn't that-
"Why are you making fun of the wimp?"
An unfamiliar raspy voice said, way closer than he expected. The surprise was enough to force his eyes open and the first thing he saw were two gray orbs staring at him impassively. The transfer student was standing next to her desk with an unreadable expression. He got the feeling that she was beyond bored, but there was something else. Maybe it was because she was closer now, but he was certain that he could see something in her face that wasn't there before. Then, she looked away from him and time began to move again.
"Why? Well duh, he's Midoriya, what do you- oh right, you don't know!" Haruo said and Izuku's blood ran cold. Of course. Not a day could go by without being reminded of it in the worst possible way. The green-haired boy formed two tight fists and looked down. It was always the same.
He couldn't escape his curse.
"Midoriya here, the wimp," Haruo spat, "he's Quirkless."
No matter how many times he heard it, that word never failed to push a void, empty feeling in his chest. He closed his eyes and clutched the fabric of his pants, willing the stupid, stupid, tears away. That's who he was at the end of the day, no matter what. Nothing would ever change that.
But-
No! Shut up!
I don't want to hear it. I just… It was dumb of me to think-
"That's it? That's the reason?" the transfer student said.
"Yeah, he's a total loser. Never fights back either," Haruo replied.
"Ooooh, I get it now," the transfer student made a realization sound that somehow deepened the festering wound in Izuku's soul. As if all the insults that were thrown his way, the bullying, the abuse, everything was justified just because he was Quirkless. Just because of a stupid extra joint in his toe. "Wow, you are more pathetic than what I first thought."
Just because he could do exactly what a normal human being- wait, what did she say?
"Huh?" Haruo seemed to share his confusion. "Are you talking about-"
"You," the girl interrupted him with a growl and the room went silent. All of the sudden, a strange pressure weighed down on his shoulders, heavier than Haruo's hands. "I'm talking about you, dumbass. Ya' need it spelled or something? Is that it?"
Izuku looked up, mouth agape. He quickly dried up his tears with the back of his hand and watched as the girl fearlessly walked towards Haruo with a terrifying sneer twisting her face. The green-haired boy helplessly looked from side to side, begging his other classmates to do something, anything, but they all remained rooted in place.
"W-What are you even getting all worked up for?" Haruo's voice cracked and Izuku almost couldn't believe his ears. The raven-haired boy brought up both of his hands in a placating manner, "It's just Quirkless Midoriya! Everyone makes fun of him, right guys?"
"That so?" she said as her eyes darkened further, "Say, what's your Quirk?"
"M-Mine? I don't-"
"What? Are you ashamed of it? Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if it was as pathetic as you," she said and shrugged, and Izuku noticed that her hands were completely covered in white bandages but he couldn't give that realization much thought because the following second a loud bang reverberated through the silent classroom. It didn't take him long to realize what had happened and he blanched. Haruo had fired one of his fingers and it slammed against the locker in the corner of the room.
"Okay, that's it. Piss off," the raven-haired boy, standing at least a head taller than the transfer student, said lowly. He looked beyond mad. Izuku instinctively covered himself with his arms and leaned as far back as possible, unable to do anything else. "And take that back, now."
The threat hung heavy in the room as Haruo and the transfer student glared at each other, only a couple of inches away. Come on, that was enough, right? Somebody should intervene soon, or they would… because of him, she would…
Izuku's eyes widened. Because of him. She was standing up for him, wasn't she? The new transfer student was currently facing Haruo, one of his bullies because he was making fun of him. He hadn't realized that until now. No, he couldn't let her get hurt because of him. He wouldn't be able to forgive himself. He breathed in and out, in and out, several times until he regained the feeling in his legs and then…
She laughed.
The transfer student burst down giggling as if she had just heard a hilarious joke. It sounded innocent at first, but the mocking undertone soon rose to the surface.
Haruo tensed, Izuku stood and someone in the crowd stepped closer-
"Ugh!"
-yet the girl moved faster than any of them. Izuku swore that one instant his two classmates were facing each other, the next Haruo was slammed face-first into his desk while the transfer student held both of his arms behind his back. The green-haired boy blinked at the scene, trying to comprehend what just happened before he leaped back with a yelp.
"That's lame," the girl said and he could almost taste the amusement in her tone, "Your Quirk's too lame. Honestly, with that kind of attitude, I expected much more. Were you trying to be intimidating?" Gone was the anger that had painted her face a moment prior, replaced by a predatory, jagged grin that sent shivers down Izuku's spine.
The raven-haired boy grunted in pain as she tightened her grip on his arms. Izuku looked from the shuddering bully to the girl that shouldn't- couldn't possibly hold so much strength within her seemingly frail, delicate, and slim body. She didn't even look like she was exerting herself either.
"Say," the girl started venomously, "What do you think would happen if I broke your hands?"
That chilling statement coursed through Izuku's entire body like an electric shock. She couldn't be serious.
"You think you would still be able to use your lil' power? Or would such an injury render you…"
The green-haired boy watched as Haruo's narrow eyes widened to painful proportions, almost popping out of their sockets.
"...Quirkless?" her smile stretched until it reached her eyes while her index fingers thrummed against Haruo's forearms teasingly.
"N-No… d-don't-ugh!" his bully croaked.
"Uh? What is it? Wanna find out?"
"Please, don't, I-I…" Haruo begged weakly and Izuku was pretty sure he was the only one who could hear his pleas, and they made the green-haired boy clench his jaw shut. C'mon, someone should intervene or it was going to end badly! Anybody!
Nevertheless, not a soul moved.
Another electric shock coursed through Izuku's body, flowing all the way to the tip of his fingers. The fear that had taken an icy hold over his muscles was beginning to melt, slowly. But it wasn't fast enough. He wasn't that person, he was just useless, stupid Deku. Nothing ever changed.
At that moment, his gaze happened to connect with his bully's. He saw fear, as painful tears had gathered in the corners of his dark eyes. He didn't see his tormentor, but a kid who was afraid.
Just like me.
"...help-"
And that's all it took.
"That's enough!"
Izuku stomped forwards, clutching his beating heart tightly.
He was breathing heavily and shadows were creeping around the corners of his vision, but that didn't matter.
"Let him go."
He stared straight into the transfer student's eyes and witnessed as her smile fell and the joy in her expression dissolved. His heart picked up its pace when her eyebrows shot upwards in order to give him an unimpressed, indifferent glare.
With each passing second, it got impossibly harder to stand, let alone match her gaze, but he remained unmoving, unblinking.
And just when he was about to collapse-
"Sure."
She released her hold on Haruo and the boy didn't waste a single moment to stand up, cover his eyes with one of his arms and shove his way out of the circle of people that surrounded them.
Izuku's knees buckled under the pressure and he fell flat on his rear, nearly passing out. What the hell was he thinking!? No, that's the thing, he wasn't thinking! That was way too much, way too intense! His body just moved and the words poured out of his mouth! Oh no. He was pretty sure he was gonna die. What a mess.
Murmurs began to spread throughout the classroom and soon the frosty silence was overruled by the gossiping whispers of her fellow students. To her, most of it sounded like muffled nonsense, as if they were unintelligible mumbling echoes in empty space.
A discordant, annoying noise that followed her no matter where she went.
Oriana rolled her eyes. Another bunch of idiots.
"That was fun to watch," a girl said as she approached. Her round, honey-colored eyes shone with mirth and her white teeth glowed, set into a charming smile. Sunkissed reddish-brown hair cascaded down to her waist in wavy layers. Ferro Chaya, was it? One of the few names she even bothered to remember. She was flanked by two other girls, one with blonde curls and green eyes, the other with long, silky dark-blue hair that buried eyes of the same color. The blonde one grabbed Chaya's arm.
"I don't think-"
However, Chaya easily broke out of her hold, "Will you settle down? Geez. Does she look out of control to you?" the auburn-haired girl pointed at her and a metallic rattle followed her hand due to the absurd amount of bracelets on her wrists.
Oriana simply stared at them, unamused.
"See?" Chaya said and the blond girl gulped, "Still, breaking someone's arms on your first day? You're pretty hardcore, aren't you?"
Oriana craned her neck to the side and stretched out her arms, "It's not like I was gonna break them for real," she yawned, "I was just tryna scare him a bit."
Chaya laughed, a melodic sound that made Oriana wonder how much practice it took to get to that point. "That's golden! I like you already! Hey, can I call you Oriana? And you can call me Yaya."
Oriana blinked. That was faster than expected. Making sure her teeth were visible, she replied, "Sounds good, Yaya."
"Then, Oriana-chan. So cute! We'll be bestest of friends!" the auburn-haired girl returned a radiant smile, unaffected by her razor-sharp teeth. Then, she began to gracefully pace around the room. "Well, if we're gonna be friends, I gotta let you in on a secret," she said way too loudly for it to be a secret, and not a second after the conversations all around them faded into whispers. It was more than obvious that they were listening in.
What was this about?
"There's something I really, really hate. Not exaggerating. It's just- ugh- gross. It makes me feel sick to my stomach," she paused to stick her tongue out in disgust, "I'm talking about snitches. What do you think, Ko-chan?"
The blue-haired girl's elegant face scrunched up in pure disgust, as if the mere concept was unnatural, and strands of her hair throbbed and spiked outwards. "Don't even tell me about it. Snitches are the worst. Can't think of something more lame," she spat the words with disdain.
Okaaay… these people didn't like snitches. Noted.
"Right!? I knew you'd get it. You're the smartest. I mean, nobody would be stupid enough to believe otherwise. What about you, Sato-kun? Wouldn't you be mad if someone snitched on one of your friends and got them in trouble?"
"I would get so mad, I'd crush them," the tallest boy in the class answered. Sato Montaro. He was huge and had some kind of rocks protruding from his shoulders. What a beast. She wondered how long it would take her to beat him down.
Chaya's cute giggles brought her out of her musings. "That's what I like about you, Sato-kun! You're always ready to protect your friends! That's so cool," the auburn-haired girl said and the boy blushed a bright red. "Anyway, I'm glad we're all on the same page here. It'd be such a shame if a snitch was hiding under our noses and lying straight to our faces, right guys?" she singsonged the last part, and all around them people nodded in agreement.
"Totally! That'd be so uncool!"
"Yeah, not happening!"
"If I see anyone acting snitchy, I'll let you know straight away!"
Chaya smiled innocently while standing next to the lockers. It was obvious that the pretty little girl loved the sound of her own voice, but was there any meaning to it? It felt like she was hinting at something, but… meh. Those kinds of games were worthless. At the end of the day, she needed one thing and one thing only.
Strength.
"I knew you guys were awesome! Yeah, I'm glad we're on the same page here. I'm so excited! This will certainly be a fun year!" she heard Chaya cheering from the side.
A feeling of disappointment washed over her. The strong had no need for such tactics. Maybe her initial perception of the status quo was wrong. But then, what was that irritating feeling of familiarity? Just another silly emotion?
She shook her head, feeling like she was underwater. This was not the time.
A mop of green hair entered her vision and her mind latched on to the distraction. The wimp. He had his back to the wall and was hugging his knees close to his chest, burying his face. He looked so small. Seeing him like that brought an image to her mind, of a tiny bunny cowering in fear while hiding underneath a bush. She approached.
"Hey, you okay?" Oriana asked the green-haired boy, but he remained unresponsive. Weird. He seemed to be awake, at least. "Heeeey." No response. "Wakey wakey, it's time for school." Nothing. Huh. He was really out of it. And it had been, like, five minutes since the other guy ran away. This wasn't normal, was it?
"Found it~" Chaya sang to her side, by now out of the spotlight. Most of their classmates had already left the room, except for her and her two lackeys. "I knew it'd be around here, somewhere. Girls, look at this." Oriana's eyes trailed over to where she stood until they landed on the auburn-haired girl flicking something into the air, then catching it between two fingers. Her eyes slightly widened in realization. It was half of the other guy's finger. Guess that's what he shot out. Chaya looked gleeful. "Should we flush it down the toilet? What do you think?"
"Let's throw it in the pond. Maybe the fish will enjoy the taste of trash," the blue-haired girl suggested with a tiny smile.
Chaya giggled and Oriana couldn't help but mouth a silent 'Wow'. There had to be some history there. "That's so mean! I love it, Ko-chan! What about you, Nana-chan? Any ideas?"
"Maybe we can hide it and make him do something really embarrassing to get it back," the blonde whispered softly while eyeing Oriana with fear. Huh. "U-Um, like eating dirt in front of everyone or something."
Chaya hummed and flicked the digit upwards again, catching it in her hand, "Sounds fun as well. But fish food is such a strong contender. Like, just imagine his reaction! Ugh, I can't decide! Oriana-chan, what do you think we should do?"
Ew. Frankly, she didn't give a fuck. She shrugged, "Do whatever you want."
"Come on, that's no fun! Think of-" Chaya's irritating whines were cut short by a buzzing noise. The auburn-haired girl puffed out her cheeks and produced a vibrant, neon green phone from her pocket. "Right. Lunch. I almost forgot."
"Shoot. Do we have a table?" the blonde girl said, worried. Between the three of them, she was the easiest to read so far.
"Of course we do. Mio-chan got us covered," Chaya extended her arm currently holding her phone, and posed with the sliced-off finger close to her face. A faint clicking sound followed. "Done. 'Kay. Let's go before she blows up my phone with angry emojis. You coming, Oriana-chan?"
Right. The green-haired boy. "Just a sec," Oriana said and regarded him once more. He was still hiding, cloistered in that imaginary shell of his, like it somehow protected him against his surroundings while his fear was plain to see. It reeked.
An intense, overbearing stench of anxiety.
So disgustingly weak.
A wimp. Useless. Coward.
Quirkless.
A total loser.
A familiar emotion stormed inside of her chest.
She loudly snapped her fingers close to his ears. The boy's head shot upwards and he frantically pushed with his feet to get away from her, his skin pale as a sheet of paper.
She huffed.
"Can you stand up?" she said, crossing her arms.
"W-Wh-What," he muttered dumbly, opening and closing his mouth like some kind of fish that got expelled out of the water.
"Can. You. Stand. Up." Oriana repeated, emphasizing each word.
"I-I-I! U-U-Um-Y-Y-Y-"
Oriana groaned as he started to panic. "Alright, calm down. It's fine. Look, I'm not gonna hurt you."
"Y-Y-You. W-W-Where-" his eyes darted from side to side, desperately looking for something.
"If you're searching for that other dumbass, he's fine. Nothing happened. Now, stand up," Oriana said.
The boy took a series of practiced deep breaths before he tried to speak again, "F-F-Fin-"
Suddenly, an object fell next to them, spinning through the air before landing with a soft thud. It was half a finger. Right. That was disgusting. No way she was gonna pick that shit up.
"F-F-F-F-!" the green-haired boy exclaimed while throwing his hands up and doing weird, jerky motions. Then, in an instant, it was like all of his strength simply vanished from his body and he fell unconscious, foaming from the mouth.
What?
"Oops~My bad, I'm so clumsy sometimes," Chaya said, lightly bumping herself on the head and her blue-haired friend covered her mouth with one hand.
Oh.
So, that was it.
Everyone makes fun of him, right guys?
Submerged and floating in that usual weightless abyss, Oriana came to a realization. She found herself alone, drifting in a never-ending ocean. She slowly opened her eyes to gaze at the dim light above, a light that was perpetually out of her reach. The water around her was murky and mournfully still, and behind her the void lingered.
She was sinking steadily, just like always. However, she no longer fought against it. She knew it was useless. There was no point.
It's just Quirkless-
Kind eyes the color of chocolate flashed through her mind.
Suddenly, her surroundings boiled and bubbled. Frenzied. Hundreds of hands took hold of her, dragging her to the depths below, and she simply allowed it to happen.
They were all the same.
She took one last look at that light, engraving every little detail of it to memory. Its warmth, its color, its form, its voice. Then, it was dark again.
Oriana grabbed the piece of the finger next to her before she stood up. Her view was tinted, like she was seeing through a red-colored glass stapled into her iris. She could hear her whispers in the back of her mind, but she easily ignored them. "You know Yaya, I usually don't do this kind of thing, but since we're friends…" she turned to look directly at Chaya's sparkling amber eyes. "I'll give you a warning. This one's mine, okay?"
Her declaration was followed by a sickening crunch. She basked in the way her flawless smile stiffened and horror filled her big eyes as she realized she wasn't dealing with the weak morons she was used to. Her forearm bulged, then there was another crack. Subsequently, she tossed the broken finger out of an opened window without even turning.
"Are we clear?" Oriana said with a smile, giving her the look. Just the way he taught her.
