Steadily Running Out of Time (MHA x Reader)

Gray: When We Were Young /12

I sat by myself on the plain faded green bed I'd been assigned to. My knees curled close to my chest. My eyes were hazy, staring ahead. Buzzing filled my mind; I could no longer hear myself thinking. And because I had nothing to think about other than counting the dolphins painted on the wall ahead of me, my ears tuned to the conversation outside. Her voice was muffled behind the door. Next to the exit, a curtained window and large, cushioned chair sat in the corner. My dull, tired eyes wandered to the shadows standing in the window frame. They were in the hallway just beyond. My mom was holding her head, half sobbing. In front of her was a male doctor. "Do... Do you think she will ever talk again...?"

The doctor sighed. "It is too early to be sure. There have been many kids who went through a mute stage just like her. They eventually grew out of it and started talking again..." He was silent, breath catching, too telling for our own good. "However...in the chance that she does not overcome this, I... just want you to be prepared..." My eyes returned to staring at the opposite wall. The TV mounted on it was dark and lifeless. All the lights in my room were off. The whole place was so eerily silent. So void of life. Like a cage, its concrete walls prevented me from leaving. Like a prison, visitors, even my own mom, were only allowed in at certain times. How was this...? How was this better than before?

I wish I could talk. Just...didn't know why I couldn't...

"M-maybe there is a way we can help her!" My ears caught on to the new voice. A lady doctor, maybe. Turning my head just a little, I saw a third shadow standing in front of my mother holding a clipboard to her chest. She started flipping through a couple different papers on the board. "There's a chance she just needs to be with other children! It isn't very normal for kids to end up here, but by luck it seems a boy was admitted only a few days after her!"

"Really??" My mom gasped.

"Mhm! He's a few years older, but still the closest to her age in the facility!" The woman's voice sounded so enthusiastic, just listening to it gave me hope. But then, she sighed. "Hhh, unfortunately, there are a few complications... The boy, Tenko Shimura...doesn't speak either... On top of that, we believe his quirk activation is what led to the deaths of his entire family... We...have found ways to prevent him from using his quirk, but, it is still a risk..." This left Mom speechless. I watched her shadow silently as she thought it all over.

"I..." She began. "Will have to think about it some more."

"-Of course. You are welcome to take as long as you like. We can try other methods in the meantime." The lady doctor bowed. And that was the end of the conversation.

A month passed and still I only opened my mouth to eat and drink. They just... couldn't get me to speak, as much as they encouraged. The essentials were all my mouth could intake. ...I thought I had lost my voice. Simple as that.

It didn't matter if I spoke or not...no one would listen. No one would understand. It would change nothing. That was my mindset. That is what I had decided. Why even try?

Eventually, I brought my mom to desperation. She went at her own time to meet with this "Shimura" kid to see if it was worth a shot. Apparently, she decided that it was.

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          Creeeee...

The wooden door opened to a new room I had never seen before. Inside shined a faint light glowing from a smaller TV near the ground, where another light haired boy sat. I shrank away from the dark frame, only peeking my eyes through instead. The boy didn't even respond to the new light crawling his way. In his hands was a remote controller, and in front of him on the screen was what looked like a pretty boring farming game.