Chapter Text
The day Midoriya Izuku was told that he wasn’t going to have a quirk, his whole world shattered. He tried to be brave about it, but it was hard. And while he knew his mother tried her best to be supportive, but when he asked her if he could still be a hero without having a quirk and all she said that she was sorry; that wasn’t exactly what he wanted to hear.
Things gradually got worse once word got out that he was quirkless. His so-called friends started to slowly pull away from him. And then the bullying happened shortly after that. But the thing that hurt the most was Kacchan, Bakugou Katsuki, pulling away from him.
The two have been friends ever since they could walk and talk. They did everything together. Whenever they would play “Agency Bakugou”, Izuku knew that Kacchan was destined for greatness and would become the best hero the world has ever seen.
But he wanted the two of them to reach those dreams together.
To become the best heroes that the world has ever known. Even better than All-Might.
But those dreams were just dreams now. They would never come to fruition. Especially since he did not have a quirk. And day by day, it slowly ate him inside.
Nothing hurt more than Kacchan not being his friend anymore. Being a hero be damned, having your best friend look at you in disgust was the worst feeling in the world. Why did Izuku think he could stand up to Kacchan and the other bullies? Why did he try to reach for Kacchan’s hand at the river? Why was Kacchan calling him Deku and useless?
He wasn’t useless.
He wasn’t useless.
The bullying never stopped, even when they got into middle school. If anything, it seemed to have gotten worse. But Izuku refused to give up. Refused to give up on the heroes of the world. He still wrote in his notebooks every day. All-Might was still the best.
Kacchan was still the best.
He tried to convince himself that Kacchan bullying him and tormenting him wasn’t that bad (it was). But what hurt him the most was Kacchan outright ignoring him. He missed his friend so much. He missed the friend that would play with him in the woods, the friend that would catch bugs with him, the friend who said that they would get a hero agency, his one and true friend.
But those days were long behind them now. Izuku was a useless deku without a quirk.
A nobody.
A waste of space.
When the teacher called out to the class that both Izuku and Kacchan were going to apply to UA together, he knew that it wasn’t going to go well. He could feel the furry wafting off of the explosive boy in waves. After class, Kacchan and his so-called friends stayed behind to torment him.
Kacchan even burnt his shoulder and it hurt. But he didn’t cry when Kacchan grabbed his notebook and exploded it, he didn’t cry when Kacchan threw his notebook out the window and watched it fall into the pond, he didn’t cry when Kacchan told him that he was a quirkless loser, and he didn’t cry when his lackeys said that he would never amount to anything.
“Maybe you should take a swan dive off the roof and pray you get a quirk in the next life.”
Izuku’s heart shattered then and all he could think about was how empty he felt inside.
After that day, Izuku never really talked to Kacchan again. He still admired him, thought he was amazing, and knew he would be the greatest hero. But the constant rejection hurt and also, the boy refused to even acknowledge him anymore.
When middle school ended, he did not enroll in high schools right away. His heart had been broken too many times and his depression was consuming him from the inside. Every time he looked into the mirror, all he wanted to do was disappear.
His mother was worried about him. He wasn’t eating full meals, he wasn’t eating, he still loved heroes, but he wasn’t as intense about them anymore.
The more he stewed in his misery, the more useless he felt. Perhaps Kacchan and everyone was right, he was a quirkless nobody that would never amount to anything.
These thoughts went on for a couple more months. But it was when his mother found him spiraling further that she decided that enough was enough and that he needed to get help.
And so, Izuku was sent to a therapist.
Her name is Kanade Shimizu, 32 years old, and her quirk was amazing. She could use her quirk to analyze someone’s thoughts and feelings. At least, that was what Izuku had been told. But something told him that there was more to it than that.
When Izuku told her everything that had been going on, his thoughts and feelings, he could see her features slowly changing. A part of him was worried that it had been in disgust, but that quickly changed once she straightened herself out so she could talk to him.
“Midoriya, I have had many students come to me. Quirkless and those with quirks. But the way you talk about yourself it’s as though you truly believe you will never amount to anything. And I am here to tell you that you are wrong.” She sounded so confident when she said this and Izuku was trying his best to believe her.
He was.
But it was so hard.
“It’s kind of hard to see yourself as anything other than useless when that is all society seems to be telling me.” Izuku mumbled, keeping his eyes strained onto the floor. He felt disgusted with himself. His mother tried to help him see that there was more to him than his quirkless status. And he tried to think differently, he did.
But when you are constantly bullied, told you are a waste of space, and then tossed aside; there is only so much heartache he could take.
“Midoriya.” She said softly this time, reaching out and placing a hand on his shoulder so that he would look at her. “Society has failed you Midoriya. Society believes that those with quirks outweigh the quirkless, but I promise you that not everyone feels that way. There are so many organizations in the world that support the quirkless, there are even support groups, and there are plenty of those in the Support department that are quirkless as well.
You are not a waste of space, Midoriya. You are a very gifted individual with a brilliant mind. The world might have ended you the short end of the stick, but that does not mean your life is over. You can still do great things without a quirk. It always bothered me that society thinks you are what your quirk says about you, and that will always feel wrong to me.
A quirk does not make you who you are. It is you yourself that makes you who you are.”
Izuku was quiet as he took in everything Kanade-sensei was saying. He looked right into her bright blue eyes this time. She wasn’t looking at him with disgust. She wasn’t judging him. No, she was doing the exact opposite.
She was trying to make him see that he could do anything, even without a quirk. And she was right, society was wrong for making everyone think that they couldn’t amount to anything without a quirk. A quirk doesn’t make you who you are.
But that’s just it, wasn’t it?
A quirk doesn’t make you who you are.
Her words stayed with him all day, even after dinner, after his shower, and after he had gone to bed.
With a resolve he thought he had long since lost, Izuku got out of bed and walked over toward his computer desk. As soon as it had booted up, Izuku wasted no time in opening up his web browser. And that whole night, he learned all that he could about the support course, quirkless organizations, and other support groups.
He wasn’t healed instantly. It would take time for Izuku to regain who he once was. But it was a step in the right direction.
Kanade-sensei was a blessing in disguise. She always listened to Izuku and was always there to help him whenever he felt like he was spiraling again. When he had asked her more about the support groups, he could tell that it made her happy that he wasn’t focusing on his own failures, but was trying to move onto something better for himself.
And he was.
His relationship with his mother had gotten better as well. Inko no longer looked ready to cry when she would glance in his direction. And he no longer felt guilt when she would look so sad. Their relationship had always been solid and he wanted to keep it that way.
In all honesty, he wasn’t even mad when his mother had recommended he go to therapy. Because as he sat there after the first day thinking about everything, he really was about to spiral. And had he spiraled even further…he didn’t even want to entertain the idea.
Now when he looked in the mirror, he didn’t see a broken shell. He no longer saw dark circles under his eyes, nor did he see the bone sticking out of his skin; he actually looked healthy. His hair even looked healthier too. And his green eyes had the shine back.
He wasn’t fully healed, but he was getting there.
After he learned more about the support programs, he started to take some online classes and certifications. Although he missed the entrance exams for UA in the summer, he planned on taking it in the spring or next summer. His mother and Kanade-sensei had been so happy and they supported him full-heartedly.
Oddly enough, the first suit and support item he ever designed was Kacchan’s. Even though their relationship had turned sour, he still cared about the explosive hero.
He was still Izuku’s image of victory.
Izuku was very happy when his designs were accepted and he had even gotten some great feedback as well.
Inko had even turned one of their unused closets into Izuku’s workspace. Whenever the thoughts of his quirklessness or society got to him too badly, Izuku would turn to tinkering or drawing blueprints. Kanade-sensei had been the one to recommend he find an outlet when the thoughts got too dark or hard for him to ignore.
And so far, her advice was working.
When the entrance exams for UA opened up again, it was his mother who had approached him along with Kanade-sensei. “The UA entrance exams have opened up again, what do you think Izuku?” It was a joint session this time. His therapist had asked if his mother could attend this meeting and now he understood why. She wanted to see if he had made further progress with his healing and was ready to move on.
“I’ve been thinking about this for a while, you know?” Izuku started, chewing on his bottom lip. “And I think I would like to go ahead and try out for the exams! Honestly, although the hero course has always been my dream, I have learned that I can be a hero in my own way. And it’s time that I let go of the hurt and move forward.” His eyes shined brightly with determination at the end of his speech.
He wanted – no. He needed to do this.
Izuku wanted to prove that there was so much more to him than his quirklessness.
He was his own person and he was going to show the world how incredible he could be.
“Oh Izuku… I am so happy for you, honey! Of course, I support you one-hundred percent!” Inko expressed teary-eyed as she wrapped her arms around her son and pulled him close. He could feel the happiness radiating off of her in waves and it warmed his heart. Izuku knew that his mother would always be in his corner and he was so grateful for her. And Kanade-sensei as well.
“That’s great, Midoriya! Let’s go ahead and get the paperwork all filled out. You’re going to do great things, Izuku. And I want you to know that if you ever need anything at all, I am only a call away. And we can keep your sessions the same.” Kanade-sensei had explained to him with a smile on her face.
Not only was he grateful for his mother, he was truly grateful for Shimizu as well. She had helped him so much and he wanted to prove to her that he could do this. That all of their sessions had not been for nothing. That she had helped change him for the better.
“Thank you, I- I’m ready.”