Chapter Text
Today was a new day! Today was a perfect day! Today was the beginning of the rest of your life! Today was…! Today was….
Today was going to be awful.
You groaned, the sound soft and muffled further by your palms as you scrubbed your hands over your face. Today was the first day of school, new school… U. A. You still weren't quite sure how it had all happened, your acceptance. You remembered if, of course, but the acceptance still seemed so surreal. You expected them to contact you later and explain they'd made a mistake. They never did. Dropping your hands, you turned your gaze back to the mirror in front of you. You were nothing special. Your quirk wasn't even that great, considering you had a very delicate grasp on what it took to control it. As a matter of fact, you really didn't like your quirk because it was practically invisible, the only sign you were using it usually only cropped up in a small breeze. But best--or worst, in your opinion--of all, you couldn't speak. Not because you chose not to, you wished it were that simple. No, the cause behind your mute life was probably what had gotten you in U. A. and a part of you couldn't hate the events of the past anymore.
While you straightened your blazer and tie, your fingers brushed the discoloured skin at the base of your throat, a grimace twisting your features. You may have hated the skirt, but you thanked every deity imaginable for the high collar and tie required with the uniform. You really didn't want to have to explain why you had an eternal bruise encircling your throat to complete strangers. With one final glance at yourself, you sighed and turned to head out the door, snagging your bag as you went.
‘This is it. You can do this!’
You had been so wrong. You realized that almost as soon as you had come to the gate. You recognized a few people from the entrance exams, namely that explosive blonde (after all how could you forget someone whose first words to you were “Out of my way, extra, before I incinerate you!”). You huffed as he caught you staring, his brows furrowing as he scowled at you before striding into the building. His attitude certainly left something to be desired, but you were sure you wouldn't have to interact with him much. A few other students waved, they seemed friendly enough, if a little confused when you didn't say anything, as you passed them hurriedly. You didn't have time for lengthy introductions right now, and it would be lengthy no matter what, it was always so difficult to communicate with someone who didn't know sign language and you had to write everything down. You skid into the hallway, narrowly missing another student while you sprinted down the hall. Of course, as it always did, something just had to go wrong. Before you could stop, another body appeared before yours and you crashed into them, barrelling into their back so hard it sent the both of you tumbling to the floor.
You twisted your body, throwing your arms up to shield your face as you rolled yourself to the side in order to ensure you didn't land on top of this stranger who--ah, shit, no--was spewing loud curses from his hands and knees next to you. Your eyes widened as you hit your side, the concrete’s unforgiving kiss sure to leave a bruise on your hip and shoulder, a soft whine escaping your lips at both the physical pain and the thought of whatever fresh hell you'd just opened the doors to. “You,” the blonde growled at you when you lowered your arm and peeked around the appendage at him. He was on his feet before you knew it, one hand gripping the collar of your uniform as he hauled you up from the floor. His free hand extended at his side, palm upward and fingers twitching as small explosions popped in his hand. “Just what the fuck do you think you're doin’, huh!” It clearly wasn't a question but you shook your head, pushing your hands between the two of you to try and get him to loosen his grip or let you go, the latter being the most preferable. The moment your palms made contact with his chest he snarled, the explosions in his palms getting bigger. “Get your hands off me, you shitty extra!” His grip tightened on your collar and you gulped, the sound of his explosions and the heat of the flames so close to you drawing your attention. “What's the matter, bitch? Never seen a real quirk before?”
Whether it was the sneer in his voice or the fact he was still holding you like a captive, you weren't sure but something snapped. Your lips twisted into a snarl, your eyes narrowed as you sucked in a breath and concentrated. It happened steadily, the drastic decrease in pressure of the room. The air around you shifted, the explosions in the guy’s palms losing some of their edge as the oxygen levels thinned. He grunted, his crimson eyes widening slightly with the sudden effort it took to take a breath. With a sudden shove to his chest, you ripped yourself from his grasp, contorting the molecules in the air around your hands to add more force to your little shove. Apparently, you overshot your goal--typical--and the resulting wave of drastically decreased pressure caused a gust of air large enough to knock him back.
‘Shit. Shitshitshit fucking SHIT. He’s gonna kill me! He's literally about to annihilate me in front of everyone! This is just my luck! I'm gonna die on my first day of high school!’
The blonde growled as he regained his footing, sweeping one leg back as he lowered himself into an offensive position. Your heart sped in your chest though you did your best to keep your breathing calm, your eyes glued to this overly aggressive male as if your life depended on it. Which… It just might. This guy was snarling like an animal as he stared at you and now that you'd allowed the air pressure around you to turn to normal, his explosions cracked and popped louder and bigger than ever. Your mind raced frantically for a way out of this terrible situation that started out as a simple accident. His quirk was focused in his hands, therefore if you could focus your quirk there, it should cancel out his, right? Unless you messed up and instead of taking oxygen away from his flames, you fed them. You bit the inside of your cheek, steeling yourself in the same moment this guy rushed at you, only… he didn't use his quirk, at least on you. He thrust one hand behind him, a blast shuddering through the air as he propelled forward, his other hand curled into a fist. Coming right at you. On instinct, you threw your hands up, squeezing your eyes closed to brace yourself for the incoming blow.
There was an impact and there was a roaring noise, but no pain. Nothing had touched you. Confused, you opened one eye, dropping your arms to once more peer around the grey material of your blazer and gasped soundlessly. There was no evidence of what, exactly, you'd done but the guy was surrounded by rushing wind, a cyclone just his height spinning around him in a wide berth. The roaring noise was his more than likely filthy screams mixing with the howl of the winds, you realized and with a horrified twist of your features, you forced the air around you back to normal. The moment you released him, he was advancing on you again, “What the fuck was that!?” When you didn't answer him with anything more than a frantic shake of your head and shrug, palms turned toward him as you raised your hands, he only seemed to grow angrier. “THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!! ANSWER ME!”
Without thinking about it, you frantically began signing at him. You apologized repeatedly and told him you couldn't answer him. A part of you was angry that he was so angry, but another part--a larger part--was intimidated by that feral look in his eyes when he hadn't touched you. Midway through explaining yourself, you realized what you were doing and why he had stopped a foot away from you, the expression in his gaze mixing confusion with his dying rage. “What the fuck are you doing!?” He spat venomously, crimson orbs watching the movement of your hands still. His shoulders were less tense, hands still curled into fists but dropped to his sides. Maybe you were safe for the moment.
Slowly, you lifted one hand to point at your lips, when his eyes followed, you mouthed: I can't speak. The look he gave you, those ruby orbs flashing with a second of pity before hardening again, it made you want to punch him in his arrogant face. “Stay outta my way, shitty girl. Next time I won't go so fucking easy on you even if you are crippled.” Your eyes widened, mouth falling open as he turned on his heel and strode away from you. Did he just…? Did he just call you crippled? Clearly, he had. You heard him for goodness sake but you couldn't believe it at the moment. Being mute didn't make you crippled! It just made you have to work harder than everyone else at simple things. It built character and made you a better person! Right? Your fists clenched at your sides as you watched his retreating form, a flame lighting in your chest. How dare he! You'd show that asshole just how capable you were! You'd already shown him you could hold him off, but now… Now there was a desire to wipe that smug, albeit scary, smile off his face the next time the two of you crossed paths.
While you smoothed your rumpled clothes, you glanced around the halls. Surprisingly, no one was in the hall to witness your scuffle with the aggressive ash blonde boy, which would also explain why no one intervened. You sighed, bending to scoop up your bag and made your way slowly to your assigned classroom.
For the most part, the rest of the day was uneventful. You were in class 1-B, which to your horror was just down from 1-A and none other than Mr. Anger Management Issues was striding inside. You cursed your luck for the rest of the morning, especially after you had to present your teacher with a two page note on your condition. You introduced yourself with a wave and the help of your trusty notebook and the day commenced. You fielded questions about your inability to speak, responding that it was a side effect of your quirk. The hours trickled by like molasses in winter as the morning lessons droned on and on. By the time the bell rang to signal lunch, you practically broke your ankle trying to get as far away from your class as possible. Now, it wasn’t that you didn't like them, you just didn't like being drilled for information you deemed unnecessary. For example, you didn't see why it was so important that they knew why you couldn't speak and your fib of it being a drawback of your quirk hadn't taken root as reality, apparently. In other words, they called your bluff. With a sigh, you pointed out your preference of meal and silently thanked Lunch Rush before turning with your tray to find an empty table. That in itself was a feat, but you managed to find one that wasn't entirely crowded and sat at the far end, the occupants giving you an odd look before turning back to their conversation.
‘Just like junior high.’ You picked at your meal while your gaze scanned the crowds around you. A few tables in front of you was that green haired boy that everyone was talking about, the one that took out the zero pointer in the entrance exams, he was talking with a stern looking, taller boy with glasses and a rosy cheeked brunette who looked like she was hanging off his every word. You watched them curiously for a moment, tilting your head when the shorter male suddenly turned red and sputtered, frantically backing away from the table. ‘Huh. He's an odd one, isn't he.’ You turned your attention from them, smiling softly when you made eye contact with a few students until your gaze came to rest on a seething pair of vermillion orbs. Immediately, you straightened in your seat, your brows rising as you stared back at him. How long had he been there? How long had he been staring at you? Why was he staring you? No matter how hard you tried, as long as that bastard stared at you, you couldn't look away. It was as if he had you captured, bound in that intense glare of his with no hope of escape until he chose to release you. You gulped, your throat sticking together as your mouth went dry. Your heart sped up, beating rapidly against your rib cage with a sudden rush of adrenaline. This guy was unpredictable. What if he decided to charge you in the middle of the school? He wouldn’t catch you off guard, that's for sure, not with how neither of you blinked. The two of you sat like that for what seemed like hours, staring back at one another with varying degrees of confusion and irritation (and in your case a little fear) until he turned his head with a roll of his eyes. You let out a breath you hadn't known you'd been holding. ‘What's his deal?’
The deranged boy was front and center in your mind as you returned to classes, relieved it was something more physical like actual hero training. Well… maybe not training exactly. This was more like another series of tests to gauge your abilities. You did your best, pushed yourself and your Quirk until your head felt like it was going to explode from the migraine caused by the rapid changes of atmospheric pressure around you. It was exhausting and thrilling and painful and… terrible. Your body had never hurt so much in your life by the time the bell rung for dismissal.
Thankfully, someone above decided to have mercy on you for your walk home. There were no incidents, no explosive assholes trying to black your eye, no nosy classmates trying to get you to spill your secret. It was peaceful. A small breeze rustled the trees, carrying the scent of the city on the wind. You breathed deeply, turning your face to the setting sun. The reds and purples bled together at the horizon, marred by the strong outlines of the city scape. Your mother was waiting at the door as your rounded the corner. “(Y/N)! Oh, baby, how was your first day?” She wrapped her arms around you when you came close enough, squeezing you to her chest tightly enough that you had trouble taking a breath. She laughed softly when she let you go, holding you at arm's length to look you over.
‘Honestly, Mom,’ you signed slowly (even the muscles of your hands hurt), ‘it was awful.’