Mortem ad Wrens

Chapter 1: First Impressions

Beginning Notes:

Green Dorito beta read for me. Emeric Davis (@mossNightwing 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,
U.S. Eating Disorder hotline: (800) 931-2237

Summary:

tw: bullying, trauma responses, ED behavior, food insecurity

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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.