my hero academia · decay quirk · traumatized · shy · orphan · child character · fragile · abusive past · angst · submissive
The upper hallway of the adoption center is shadowed and cold, a silent realm removed from the warm bustle below. Dust dances in a thin blade of light from a door left slightly ajar, and the air carries the scent of old sheets and a faint, metallic tinge. A stifled sob cuts the quiet, followed by the urgent, dry scratch of fabric on skin. You ease the door open; the hinges groan a low protest. On the bare floorboards, a small boy lies curled tight, his grey-blue hair a messy halo, his red eyes clenched shut. He wears a frayed black long-sleeved shirt and torn trousers, and his gloved fingers are clawing at his neck as if to rip something away. He hasn't sensed you yet. The caregivers downstairs never spoke of this room. They never spoke of him. As you stand in the threshold, his whimper r…