𝑺𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒎 𝒆𝒕 𝑳𝒖𝒏𝒂𝒎 ✦ 𝐇. 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐨

𝗞𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗜𝗻 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗔 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗿

There's something rather ironic about a heteromorph with moth features marrying someone with a light quirk. Like a moth drawn to the sun.

Sol Natsumushi, the result of such a union, was her own light. She loved to take a little light from the moon and play with her small ball of sun when she was young. Fully black eyes always loved to stare at the ball. Light was warm. Light was safe.

Sol was born a heteromorph like her mom, with pure white skin and large black eyes, feathery antennae, and the wings of a ghostly silk moth. Her mom, who looked like a luna moth, said she was beautiful, but her classmates said she looked like a ghost. Sol had nothing to reply to those jeers with. It wasn't like she had the voice to do so.

Normally, it looked like Sol had no mouth, but when she opened it, it looked rather monstrous. So she kept it closed except when eating. Instead, she learned to communicate in sign language, and when her quirks developed, she gained another way to communicate. Along with her dad's light bending, she'd inherited her mom's telepathy quirk. All she needed was contact with a person, and she could speak in their mind.

Not many people liked that, so Sol stuck to JSL and wrote down her words for those who didn't know sign language.

There were a few times when Sol tried to speak at home, but she found her vocal chords were nonexistent. So she kept quiet. She didn't like how she looked when she spoke, anyway.

Throughout middle school, the darkroom became her favorite place. Her mutations gave her the ability to see in the dark, so she was able to make her way around the room with relative ease. It helped that the photography teacher allowed Sol to hide out in there.

There, she ate. A monstrous mouth meant a sight to behold during lunchtime, so solitude was what would make everyone comfortable. Her lunch typically consisted of whatever old clothes they were able to find at a center and the same red nectar used to feed hummingbirds. The clothes tasted bad and were typically made of low quality fabric. But the nectar was nice. Sol always saved that for last for dessert.

One day, while Sol was eating her lunch, someone unfamiliar entered the darkroom. It was a boy with crazy hair and tired eyes, who beelined for a collection of photos hanging up. He seemed to be checking the progress on them, so Sol assumed he was a photography student.

She'd never paid attention to the photography, but she suddenly found herself wanting to see what the boy had captured. Perhaps she would pay more attention to the art around her.

Apparently, she shifts too much or maybe breathes too loud because the boy's head snaps in her direction before he walks to the door and sticks his head out.

"There's someone else in here." It's phrased as a fact. Could he see her?

"Oh!" That was Miss Koizumi, the photography teacher who always welcomed Sol into her space. "That would be Natsumushi. She eats lunch in there."

The teacher pokes her head in. "Natsumushi, why don't you come out and say hi? You can finish eating in my room if you'd like to."

The boy steps out of the room at Miss Koizumi's insistence, and Sol hesitates before gathering her things. The teacher's face lights up as she steps into the little bit of light, and she beckons Sol out, where she got a proper look at the boy.

He was very purple, with lilac hair and purple eyes that widened slightly at the sight of her. She thinks she's seen him around. She thinks he might be in 2-H.

"Shinso," Ah, that must be his name, "This is Sol Natsumushi." The boy lifts his hand in a wave. "Natsumushi, this is Hitoshi Shinso. He's in your year." The teacher places a hand on her back just above the base of her moth wings and smiles reassuringly.

"Natsumishi... he knows sign as well."

Sol's eyes widen, and she shakily signs out a 'really?' Miss Koizumi nods. She'd never met anyone who wasn't a teacher or her parents who knew sign. Not any student. Was he hard of hearing?

Sol turns to Shinso, wings fluttering happily as she signs out a greeting and bows.

"Hi," Shinso chuckles before signing. 'You speak in sign?'

Sol nodded and took a seat beside him, setting her bottle of nectar on the desk and turning her body to face him.

'I have no voice. Why do you know sign language?'

It might be rude to ask, but she was so curious. Shinso hesitates before responding.

'My quirk is mind control. It makes people more comfortable if I don't speak out loud.'

Oh, well, that made sense. That was kinda sad, though. Signing for the sake of other people. Though, wasn't that partially how Sol started out?

'You can speak out loud around me. I don't mind. Is it okay if I finish lunch? My mouth is weird.'

Shinso's eyes widened before softening, and he nodded with a small grin. "Yeah, go ahead."

Sol can feel his eyes on her as she unrolls her tongue and puts it in her nectar to drink. It makes her blush a little bit, but she can tell his gaze is more analytical than judgmental.

"So, do you typically eat in there? It seems lonely."

She shrugs. 'Yeah. My mouth freaks people out.' She opens it to demonstrate, and Shinso hums.

"I can see why. They're a bunch of cowards, though." He grinned. "I think it's cool. You're like a moth, right?"

Sol nods. He seemed so genuinely interested. It made her feel seen.

'Yes. My mom is a heteromorph like me. Or maybe I'm like her. Whatever.' Shinso chuckles. 'I basically have the same diet as a moth. I finished it earlier but I eat old clothes or any fabric my family can get their hands on. And nectar.'

"That's really cool, actually." Shinso smiles warmly. "Is there any particular moth you and your mom are?"

Sol nodded before realizing her bottle was empty and rolling her tongue back up. Miss Koizumi passes by to throw the bottle away. Sol had almost forgotten about her.

'My mom is a luna moth. And we did some digging and found out I'm a ghostly silk moth.' Sol spreads her wings a little to display the pattern.

Eventually, the conversation about Sol dies down, so she asks what she'd been wondering for a bit.

'How does your quirk work?'

Shinso hesitates again before chuckling to himself. "If I ask someone a question with the intention to, and they answer, I can control them for a little bit. It takes a bit of concentration, especially to control more than one person, and I get a massive migraine if I use it too much."

'That's so cool! I'm assuming it all has to be verbal? Is that why you use sign?'

He nods. "Right on the money. I don't use my quirk much except when given permission, but people don't trust me much anyway because they think my quirk is villainous." He rubs the back of his neck with a sigh.

Sol's brows furrowed. But if he didn't use his quirk much, then why did they think he would use it for evil? He was really nice, too. She relays these thoughts, and Shinso's shoulders seem to relax further.

"I dunno. I want to be a hero, too. I want to help people, but I don't know how much I can help people if I can't be trusted for my quirk."

Sol thinks for a short moment before reaching out a hand and touching his arm.

I would trust you.

Shinso's eyes widen at the sound of her voice in his head. He covers her hand with his own, eyes swirling with emotion.

"Thank you, Natsumushi."

You can call me Sol.

"Then you can call me Hitoshi."

---

Sunflower vol.6 - Harry Styles