tw: bullying, trauma responses, ED behavior, food insecurity
Emeric Davis ( emericdavis on tiktok) did a sensitivity reading.
Any trigger warnings will be listed in the beginning notes, but the trigger warnings for almost every chapter will be:
child abuse (referenced), ptsd
'text' is in Japanese Sign Language (JSL)
Text is thoughts
Resources for some of the sensitive topics in this fic:
U.S. suicide hotline: 988
Trevor Project suicide hotline: 1-866-488-7386
U.S. Houselessness resources: 211 hotline, other resources
U.S. Eating Disorder hotline: (800) 931-2237
Information on EDs
Finding a Good Therapist
Finding Therapy (and other mental health resources)
Slipping into class 1-A, tired honey eyes scanned the seating chart before sitting near the back next to the bird kid and storing their cane between their legs. Akira slid their plain notebook onto the kid's desk, lightly tapping it with an expectant look.
"I only know the basics of JSL, I'm sorry," he said, pausing briefly before looking for a pen. "And my pronouns are he/him."
Akira just shrugged and wrote back, "I can hear. I can teach you if you want."
"That would be bene-"
Akira put a hand up to stop him as the yellow sleeping bag stood up from behind the podium. Smiling slightly, they tensed after briefly making eye contact before waiting for the others to notice the underground hero's appearance. Bird kid's feathers ruffled as he followed Akira's gaze, and a shadow bird head peeked from underneath his cloak.
Huh, guess he doesn't just have a mutation quirk. I wonder if the bird head is a side effect or a passive trait from his parents, Akira wondered. Breaker branch would get a kick out of his aesthetic.
"Go somewhere else if you want to play at being friends... Okay, it took eight seconds before you were quiet." A few at the front ceased talking as an exhausted Aizawa introduced himself and called the class to the field.
A few of the boys gave Akira odd looks, but they'd already gotten permission as part of their accommodations to use whichever room they felt more comfortable in. Akira hesitated a moment before pulling backup pocky sticks from their backpack. Even second-hand uniforms were expensive, and their food budget would only go up as they had to train their quirk in the hero course.
Stepping outside, Akira shied away from the loud Pomeranian and mumbling broccoli, taking their place near the back next to bird kid and designer eyebags. Hopefully, we'll have introductions soon like a normal class, they thought.
As Aizawa explained the quirk assessment test, Akira blanched, taking stock of their already low body mass and calculating how much they could use their quirk on three pocky sticks without putting themselves in more danger. Because of course we would use quirks before Introduction to Heroics. Why would this be anything like the forums suggested, Akira thought bitterly. At least all pros need to know the basics of JSL.
Akira raised their hand, flinching as Bakugou shouted "DIE" with his toss. Stepping forward at Aizawa's nod, they asked, 'My quirk relies on food, and I didn't think I'd use it before lunch. May I get more candy from my sack?'
Aizawa's eyes narrowed slightly, taking in their too-big uniform as Akira tried to look unphased. "For any who prefer it, I am fluent in JSL and would recommend classes for those who don't know it. Usually, heroics students are required to take one year of JSL in their second year. We also have JSL interpreters available. Come talk to me after the assessment if you want their services going forward or more information." As Aizawa spoke, he passed two grape jelly pouches from one of his belt compartments to Akira with a quirked eyebrow.
They nodded and stepped back into the group, quickly downing one of them as the other students started the 50-meter dashes in pairs. Koda, Jiro, Bakugo, Midoriya, and Shinso briefly introduced themselves in JSL with Bakugo (he/him) knowing the basics, Jiro (she/her) having taken a year of it, Koda (he/him) and Midoriya (he/him) being fairly proficient, and Shinso (he/they) being fluent.
If I just warp for the dash and jump, that should increase my score enough given gravity girl's infinity ball toss. I can't see Aizawa judging potential on physical tests, but… Akira shuffled to the starting line, muscles protesting as their name was called along with Shoji, the arm kid. Knowing they could only warp 20 meters at a time if they pushed themselves, Akira started running as Shoji pulled ahead given his larger form and momentum-gaining appendages. At the 20-meter line, Akira activated their quirk mid-stride, a clone briefly appearing in place before dispelling as it hit the ground, and they reappeared at the 40-meter line. Pushing through their queasiness from the carried momentum, Akira crossed the finish line and looked back to see a surprised Shoji and… was Aizawa smirking? As quickly as they saw the expression, it dropped, leaving Akira to question whether it was there in the first place.
As Akira took stock of the albeit minor damage and retrieved their cane, Midoriya ran up spouting a dozen questions at once. Akira pointedly started downing their second jelly pouch, and the questions slowed for a moment. 'Yes, that's as far as I can warp at a time. Yes, it's increased with practice. Yes, how much I eat affects my maximum distance. No, you're not bothering me, but do you want to be a hero analyst? You're asking the right questions for it.'
"No, no, no, I'm going to be a hero!" Midoriya rushed to explain as they walked back to the group.
Akira tried to subtly get Midoriya to slow down, casting a worried glance at Aizawa only to not see him annoyed at the rambling. Damnit, stop calling him broccoli. That can be his call sign, but he… oh gods, he knows that would be his call sign.
'Hey, what's your call sign?' Akira asked. 'Mine is Reaper.'
"Oh! It's Deku," Midoriya said.
Akira winced, looking at him in a new, concerned light. 'No, I'm not calling you Useless. Is Broccoli okay?'
Midoriya sputtered for a moment as Bakugo laughed. Akira glared at the Pomeranian, pointedly using their call sign for him. Akira flinched as Bakugo's hands violently popped, pushing Midoriya back as Aizawa activated Erasure.
"Fighting will not be tolerated outside of sparring and mediated disputes. Activate your quirk at another student without direction again, and you will get detention," Aizawa said coldly, disinterested mask dropping into a heated glare. After a moment, he looked to Akira, who had already recovered and painted a slightly strained smile on their face.
By the time the QAT was over, Akira was exhausted, having needed their pocky sticks after the Distance Run left them shaking as their body felt like it was on fire inside. They leaned heavily on their cane while trying to catch their breath.
Shit, if I eat the second portion at lunch, I won't have anything substantial enough for dinner unless I pick up an extra delivery tonight. But if this is how Aizawa runs every morning, I need the energy. But if I don't eat enough for Introduction to Heroics and need to use my quirk, I might end up at Recovery Girl's office and-
Another jelly pouch was thrust into their hands, startling Akira out of their thoughts as they suppress a flinch. Aizawa frowned, "Ask Lunch Rush for an extra portion. It's illogical and a liability to others to use your quirk in this state."
Akira slowly sipped the pouch while leaning slightly against Tokoyami as Aizawa announced the results, putting Shinso and Midoriya at the bottom with Midoriya just barely ahead. Akira did a double take at the string of curses Shinso signed, hands kept low to avoid the teacher's gaze but still gesturing with harsh motions.
"By the way, I was lying about the expulsion," Aizawa grinned smugly. "It was a rational deception to draw out the upper limits of your Quirks."
That bastard, Akira thought, glancing at Midoriya's broken finger. He definitely would expel on other grounds; I saw the look in his eyes when he was talking with Midoriya. What the hell is he playing at?
Something like velvet yet prickly under their arm brought Akira's attention to their arms, now irritated with light scratch marks. They winced and whispered a quiet thanks as the shadow bird let Akira pet them, Tokoyami either ignoring the interaction or remaining unaware. Focusing on the strange texture helped ground Akira as they imagined the quirk was what television static would feel like.
At lunch, Lunch Rush just seemed confused when Akira nervously asked for an extra portion and gestured to the second portion on their plate. Painting a nervous smile, Akira just nodded and slunk off to find a quiet table. The cafeteria was filled with loud students exerting pressure on the very air, so Akira quickly turned on their heel and found a tree to sit under instead. After finishing their first serving, they stared at their tray.
If I eat half the second now, I should be fine to exert myself without my quirk if Heroics has an exercise like Homeroom. But then there's still the problem of tomorrow morning. If I explain, surely Boss will let me do an extra run, but then that means others can't get-
"Mori!" They froze, eyes wide and arms halfway to a block when they recognized Tokoyami in front of them.
Noticing Koda wave from behind him, Akira signed, 'Sorry, I must've zoned out. Do you need something?'
Koda softly interpreted then said, "We w-wanted to have lunch with you... if you're okay with that."
"Dark Shadow said you were… struggling towards the end of Aizawa's class, and we wanted to make sure you were fed enough," Tokoyami said hesitantly.
Akira switched to their notebook so Koda didn't have to interpret, "I'm fine, Lunch Rush gave me a second portion. And, if you want to." They shrugged, gesturing to the grass, and took a bite. After a moment, Akira asked, "What are Dark Shadow's pronouns? I don't remember you saying."
Tokoyami's feathers ruffled a bit in surprise and Dark Shadow partially emerged. "I am neutral," they said before disappearing under Tokoyami's uniform.
Akira hid a smile at their relationship and started putting the second half of that portion for that night.
'We can take these home?' Koda signed.
Akira froze. 'I- I think so? I didn't think it would be a problem.'
"Is everything fine?" Tokoyami asked.
Akira tried to will their hand to stop shaking as they wrote, "Koda doesn't know if we can take food home, but I didn't think it would be a problem. In the assistance programs, it wasn't specified that you could take food home, so it read as the omission from the standard school code was not an indication of an offense."
After a moment, Tokoyami shrugged. "If they said nothing, the fault lies with the school if we're not supposed to bring food home. It would be wasteful for uneaten food to merely be thrown away."
The trio enjoyed the quiet fresh air in comfortable silence until the bell rang for the end of lunch, and they noticed Shinso returning through the west entrance instead of the south one they took.
"Perhaps the fellow lone child would like to join us next time?" Tokoyami offered, and the other two nodded.
Notes: I also just realized the concept of limelight vs twilight vs underground as categories of heroes came from a fanfic I read. I do like them, though, so the general idea is limelight heroes like All Might primarily operate during the daytime and deal with interviews and the press pretty regularly. Underground heroes like Eraser Head primarily operate on night shifts and stealth/infiltration missions due to avoiding the press (almost) entirely. They tend to be more involved in their community and more likely to work with vigilantes. Twilight heroes like Fat Gum (for the sake of this fic at least) do a mix and are generally a middle ground while avoiding heavy media coverage.