Chapter Text
Midoriya Izuku stands before a littered desk of ink splashes and bright red lilies on his desk, the vase is a brown murky color.
Obviously hand-made from their ceramics class, thrown together sloppily as if to symbolize Midoriya Izuku himself isn’t important.
He sighs as he removes the vase filled with the pretty flowers, despite what the flowers may mean he cannot deny the elegance and beauty within them and he wished the flowers would stopped being used like this.
The flowers are meant for final goodbyes, usually related to he death of someoe else.
And Izuku has no plans of going anywhere, so he takes out his bleach in his bag(along with his trust rag) and he gets to cleaning, silently apologizing to the objects around him for the harsh treatment they received.
_____
When Izuku started UA, he thought this time, things would be different.
He made friends with Uraraka Ochako(a pretty girl who so kindly takes his hand whenever he needs someone to), Iida Tenya(a boy who he had a rocky start with, but couldn’t imagine not speaking to), and then there was Todoroki Shoto(his past is littered with scars, but he’s always looking out for him and their friends).
And he’s even slowly fixing things with Kacchan, he thinks! His old friend is pretty hard to understand sometimes, but he can’t discount the advice Kacchan is giving him!
“Deku-kun!” Uraraka yells, dragging Todoroki by his hand as the boy follows her like a love stricken puppy,
“Uraraka-san, if you keep dragging Todoroki-kun like that he’ll trip on his feet.” Izuku teases, letting Uraraka take his hand in her free one.
If anyone at Aldrea saw this they would be shocked at how Izuku let her touch him so easily, whispers would fly around about how Uraraka is a quirkless sympathizer and she would be outcasted immediately along with him, slowly resenting him for not recoiling fast enough.
But they’re at UA, and at UA, Izuku is safe to be touched.
Izuku isn’t a quirkless, germy freak who hurts everyone who tries to be nice to him.
_____
“What would you even know!?” Shinso yells at him as Izuku slams him over his shoulder and the teenage boy stays silent.
Izuku knows a lot.
He knows a lot more than anyone in this school possibly ever could.
But he doesn’t say that.
He stays silent and bites his tongue.
No one needs to know.
No one at all.
_____
“Deku-kun.” Uraraka softly says, her hands wrapped on his arm as Todoroki sat besides him, laying his head on his shoulder.
“Midoriya.” He says as Iida sits criss-cross in front of Izuku.
“What is wrong?” Iida asks as Izuku sniffles.
It’s stupid.
It’s really stupid.
“Nothing that makes you upset isn’t stupid.” Todoroki says patting his thigh as Izuku hiccups.
“I-I was just thinking about something and I’m really glad I’m not in middle school anymore!” Izuku said, trying to laugh through his tears as he found himself wrapped into a warm hug.
And he can’t even begin to tell anyone how happy he is that his friends, his lovely kind friends, don't even ask about his middle school years.
_____
“Don’t you think the quirkless being allowed in this school is kind of dumb?” Monoma Neito asks, sitting across Izuku as if they’re somehow kindred spirits.
“No?” Izuku asks, baffled at the stupid question. “They’re still people. They should still be allowed to get an education.” Izuku says slowly, trying to get across to the boy how dumb he sounded.
“Tsk, golden boy stays golden.” Monoma says as he sits with the business kids and Izuku blinks.
He’s glad to know Monoma doesn’t actually think that.
He doesn’t think he would be able to control himself if he did.
But when he feels a glare bore in the back of his head Izuku couldn’t help but turn around.
And now he’s wondering why Shinso’s looking at him with such an angry gaze.
_____
Shinso Hitoshi can’t stand goody-two-shoes Midoriya Izuku.
He can’t stand how he didn’t even bother to get down his volatile quirk.
He can’t stand how he fawns over his friends, trying to appease the idiotic hero students who kiss the ground his feet walk on.
And he especially can’t stand his fake ass ‘everyone deserves a spot anywhere’ speech.
Kids like him don’t actually believe that shit.
Kids like him are the ones who won’t let anyone share a spot with them.
Kids like Midoriya Izuku are what keeps kids like Shinso Hitoshi oppressed.
_____
“Class 1-A and 1-C will be having a debate!” Midnight yells, cheering as fourty students walk into the class.
“Today for art history we’re going to debate this piece right here!” Midnight yells, turning on the projector to reveal a manifesto published when the quirk wars were taking place on why the quirkless people should be killed.
And Izuku felt sick to his stomach.
He doesn’t want to talk about this, but looking at his red shoes he knows he has to.
Even if he isn’t exactly quirkless anymore, those feelings will never go away.
He will be a pillar for all the people, quirkless included.
_____
“I think this piece is stupid and ignorant.” Izuku states boldly, stepping up as he points at the screen. “They say the quirkless are less of people, but are we?” Izuku questions and Shinso glares at the boys use of word.
We.
He hates sympathizers like him.
Using the word ‘we’ like he could ever be lumped in with them.
Someone like him wouldn’t mix with Shinso’s kind.
They never could.
“All we have different is a pinky joint in our toes and a lack of some special power. But having no quirk is no different from being able to grow faster hair. It’s no different then being able to-.” Izuku begins as Shinso raises his hand.
“What would you even know about the quirkless prejudice or any prejudice?” He asks as Izuku’s shining white knights stand straighter.
The floaty girl and half-n-half boy, a hand each on the boy's shoulder as if he would even need back up to handle Shinso.
“Shinso-kun, I must insist that you are not privy to any personal information of Midoriya-kun’s life.” Glasses boy says, pushing up the glasses as if he came up with the smartest sentence.
“I know a lot about quirkless people.” Izuku says, almost silent. “The ink stains that litter the desks and the cheap vases people put red lilies in. I know about how we carry bleach and a rag in our bags, even after years have passed since school. I know about weaving through the bad parts of town because the kids with the good quirks would never touch the slums. I know about befriending your local villains because if you don’t have a shot anywhere you have a shot with them. I know about your parents leaving because you’re not good enough. I know about-.” Shinso cuts him off again, annoyed by his ‘we’ spiel.
There is no ‘we’ with someone like Midoriya Izuku.
There is just a ‘I’ with kids like him.
“Did you read that somewhere?” Shinso asks and he watches as Izuku breathes in, calming down as if he would need it for this topic.
“No. I know it.” Izuku states boldly and maybe that's where Shinso’s hate for Midoriya began.
_____
Uraraka pets Izuku’s hair as the boy lays on her lap after crying for the duration of Aizawa-sensei’s class, Todoroki’s head on her shoulder as he’s burning his bruised lip from getting into another secretive fight with Kacchan.
The reason for all three of them being out of class is because the teachers have decided Uraraka is the keeper of the ‘problem trio’, she has yet to be told who her third problem person is though.
Maybe it’s her.
But what does she know?
“You’re muttering.” Todoroki states, playing with her free hand as he pokes her finger-pads one at a time as if practicing piano on them.
“Ah, Deku-kun must be rubbing off on me.” Uraraka silently states as Todoroki hums.
“I like your muttering, I like Midoriya’s as well though.” Todoroki says, dancing over every other fingers with his pointer and middle finger, using his other hand to hold her hand palm up.
“What did you and Bakugou-kun get into a fight about this time, Todoroki-kun?” Uraraka asks before sighing, “or is it another secret?” She asks as Todoroki sighs, and it’s not a tired one, or an annoyed one.
It’s more like a puppy who was told they couldn’t get a treat for being cute.
Or a child who sighs because their mother isn’t ignoring their issues.
It’s much closer to the second one in Uraraka’s opinion.
“You have to ask Midoriya.” Todoroki says as Uraraka hums a yes.
“It was about Deku-kun then? I’ll have to ask him about it.” Uraraka whispers as Todoroki hums a yes.
She hopes Izuku wakes up soon, she doesn’t want Ashido(any of the girls truthfully) to come across such a suspicious scene again.
_____
Izuku knows discussing your problems with people you trust is freeing, but he never imagined how nice it would be to tell Uraraka about his past.
Even about All for One and One for All!
It really is a weight off someone's chest.
But confessing that Shinso’s comments bugged him made Izuku feels all twisted and knotted.
He hated it.
“That fucking dipshit!” Uraraka yells, kicking the school building as she screamed obscenities into the open field of UA high, Todoroki nodding behind her in agreement.
“That fuck face thinks he knows shit, because of his quirk! Are you fucking kidding me!?” Uraraka yelled and Izuku's eyes went wide at her anger.
He knew she would be mildly pissed, but it’s like seeing the second coming of his mother when he confessed about how Aldrea ignored him.
He would be sure to put making sure Uraraka stayed away from Shinso as his top priority at the moment.
Maybe Todoroki as well.
Maybe they should all just say away from Shinso for now on, for Shinso’s safety.
Izuku isn't sure he can hold Uraraka back when she sets her mind to something.
_____
You remember how Izuku said he would stay away from Shinso? That seemed to be a lot harder than he thought since the boy would constantly pick fights with him.
Stating passive aggressive comments to Izuku’s friends all the way to telling Izuku to stop trying to be nice to the business kids because they have different quirks.
Izuku understands Shinso thinks he’s helping, he does.
But he’s not.
And it pisses Izuku off, but he can’t lash out.
He can’t give anyone a reason to label him anything like them.
He ignores the part of him that wants to scream at Shinso for farthing the divide between people.
Shinso with his quirk would make a good hero, and it’s obvious that Shinso wants to help so Izuku will bite his tongue.
Just like always.
_____
Izuku lays on Shoto’s lap as his feet are draped over Ochako’s, the three on his bed as Iida sits on the spinny chair.
The four of them breathe in as Iida sighs, “I don't know why you don’t tell him you were quirkless before UA.” Iida says as Izuku laughs lightly.
“It’s not that easy.” Izuku says with a tired sigh, he was barely about to convince Iida he was a late bloomer without spilling the beans about One for All.
He doesn’t know if he could do the same with Shinso.
“Yes you can.” Iida says matter of factly, pulling out documents from his bag. “I didn’t want to risk Bakugou-kun seeing these, or well anyone outside of our group, but I was able to convince Tensei-nii to let me have these!” Iida cheers as Izuku’s eyes bulge out of his eye sockets at the documents.
Those are reports from Izuku’s middle school, how did Iida get his hands on these!?
“I told Tensei-nii I would tell everyone about how he’s secretly been dating Midnight-sensei for three years.” Iida says as Ochako snorts, holding her face to hide her giggles as Todoroki stares at her, love struck yet again and Izuku can’t help but feel happy.
He didn’t know having others on his side felt this good.
“I love you guys.” Izuku whispers out, choking back his tears as the ‘I love you’s from everyone else pours out.
And at the end of the night there's not a single dry eye.
_____
“Deku-kun!” Ochako yells, draping herself across Shoto’s and Tenya’s laps to get to Izuku.
“Yes, Ochako?” Izuku asks as the brown haired girl shoots him traitorous puppy dog eyes.
“Please… tell me about the quirkless rights!” She yells as Yaomomo sighs.
“Uraraka-san, while this is a group project, please don’t try to get Midoriya-san as your fact checker.”
Izuku’s eyes dart as Shinso walks into the dorms with Kaminari and Jiro, the three discussing something like team up moves.
But he ignores the group, they don’t matter to him at the moment.
Instead his grade in history matters much more at the moment.
“The quirkless have the highest suicide rate in Japan, specifically middle schoolers as getting into high school is hard because the lack of schools willing to accept-.” Izuku begins as Shinso stares at him with daggers in his eyes.
“Would you fucking stop this shit!” Shinso yells, “your pity isn’t the fucking kindness you think it is!”
And Izuku breathes in, feeling Ochako roll off of him he knows if he blows up now there's at least three people who won’t label him as the bad guy.
And maybe those are the only opinions he needs.
_____
“Who said it was out of pity?” Izuku asked, standing up as Yaomomo whispers loudly that it’s just Shinso getting a rise out of him.
“Who doesn’t know that!” Shisno yells as Izuku grips his All Might shorts tightly.
“Me!” Izuku yells at the boy who’s eyes shoot wide, “I didn’t fucking know it was out of god damn pity!”
“Don’t try to spin this on me! You are all the fucking same!” Shinso yells as Izuku laughs.
“Me? You’re the one getting mad I’m being friendly with others! Why all because someone with a quirk like mine burned you in the past; are you serious!? I know what it’s like.” Izuku says as Shinso stares at him.
“How!? How could you know!” Shinsho yells and Izuku breathes out and then in, shutting his eyes as he silently apologizes to his mother and All Might for his next words.
He knows how hard they kept the secret under wraps all because he asked, but he’s so fed up with Shinso’s bullshit.
“Because for fourteen years I was quirkless! I was told to kill myself by people who used to be my friends! I was outcasted and beaten! I was berated for the tiniest things! Just because I lacked fire-breathing or being able to move shit with my mind!” Izuku yells, pulling down his collar to show off his shoulders.
“I was burned for being different! In more ways than one too!” Izuku yells as he steps closer to Shinso, chest to chest as he stares up at him.
“Tell me one more time, Shinso-kun. Tell me I don’t know what the fuck happened to me.” Izuku says as Shinso’s eyes dart around, “go on. Do it.” He says and when he sees Shinso won’t he huffs and takes his seat right next to his friend, pencil in hand as he turns to them and smiles.
“Sorry. To answer your question Ochako, it’s because high schools that aren’t UA won’t accept quirkless kids. Because we’re worthless pieces of shit.” Izuku finishes and the silence in the common room doesn’t bug him at all because Shoto is laughing louder than anything he’s ever heard.