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"You'll never be a hero!"
He had often heard that growing up. Because of the constant verbal abuse, there were times when he'd slip back into his old mindset and fully believed in his own worthlessness. Luckily, though, whenever he was out of it, he'd always manage to catch it and pull himself out of the gutter.
But occasionally, he would spiral too far down. It would take hold of him by the neck, choking him until he just couldn't breathe. It was only through an outside stimulus that let him snap out of his daze. But this rarely occurred. The thought of being alone with only his thoughts to accompany him—how his brain tended to go into overdrive—terrified him. He never liked it.
To avoid this, he had begun to mumble his thoughts out loud deliberately so others could stop him themselves—or rather, he had subconsciously started doing this to cope.
This method was developed while he was being bullied in elementary school, so the constant mumbles annoyed his bullies even further, only worsening their treatment.
It was unfortunate, but he couldn't do anything about it.
After all, he was quirkless with no way of helping others without risking his life.
Midoriya Izuku was a shy and impulsive boy whose body couldn't sit still if he saw someone in danger.
"A hero is someone whose body moves on its own."
He couldn't remember where he had heard this from, but he wanted to believe it was one of the reasons why All Might chose him specifically.
He wanted to believe he was special.
When he saw his best friend classmate vulnerable to the Sludge Villain's attacks, his mind blanked, but his body was already running toward the monster. To do what—to help somehow, he didn't know.
All he knew was that he needed to do something.
Bakugou Katsuki had mixed feelings toward the obviously pathetic and useless boy who was doing anything to rescue him. It was ironic that a person who couldn't even do anything was trying to help over any of the pro-heroes.
Where were the heroes he admired so much?
Weren't they supposed to save him?
He was completely flabbergasted, with due reason, because who in their right mind would save someone who'd harassed them for years? Midoriya Izuku, apparently. Katsuki couldn't tell if he was impressed or just thought the other was stupid.
But he was relieved when someone took action. He saw the fact that no one moved a muscle to do anything when he was taken hostage by the villain—if not, only to crowd around and watch a show.
The one person who did—despite his inability to do much—was a boy he stepped on and humiliated regularly. At this, he simply felt anger—at himself, for feeling reassured—and contempt—for the very heroes who were supposed to do their job.
He had a few minute reasons as to why he had always wanted to become a pro-hero, but this incident had sparked a new motivation to achieve his goal—to prove that he can become a greater hero than the ones who had done nothing to save him.
Actually, if anything, Katsuki was utterly embarrassed.
His entire childhood consisted of flaunting his superiority over everyone else. Then, all of a sudden, he's held captive, unable to do anything. With all that talk about being better, huh?
And to add salt to the wound, the boy that was always weaker than him turned out to be stronger than him he thought. Of course, not physically—mentally. Otherwise, the abuse would've broken him already. But the thought of someone as cowardly as him even trying to help somehow made his skin prickle.
He didn't feel inferior, there's no way in hell.
Was he jealous of a Deku? He refused to accept it.
The boy in question figured it was this incident that caused the other's change in thinking. And, in a way, that idea was right—if being more motivated was counted.
That thought made Midoriya Izuku glad he took action instead of keeping his feet planted and watching as his friend fell victim to a villain.
He enjoyed the feeling of proving himself valuable, his subconscious supplied.
Didn't everyone?
Afterwards, when All Might offered to make him a hero, he was elated, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was amiss.
The innumerable possibilities as to why made him uneasy, but he pushed it to the back of his mind; this was his only opportunity to embark on the path to achieve his one true dream.
Not to mention, his idol—the very person who sparked it—offered the possibility to him.
Izuku couldn't refuse, but it wasn't like he wanted to, either.
Later on, he sorted out his feelings. Was he so helpless that he needed someone else's power? And yet, despite this, it was a one in a lifetime chance proposed by the Number One Hero.
Life is a race for a person's hopes, dreams, and futures, but why is it that not everyone has the same starting point?
It's unfair.
Izuku trained tirelessly to make up for his delayed start. Everyone else had their entire lives to train their quirk, but he simply had a few months. Considering the extremely short time frame, he liked to believe he had made significant progress handling his new ability.
He worked hard.
But even then, why was he still lacking? Why was it not enough?
It hurt.
His first injury was during the entrance exam.
While Recovery Girl did help the damage, Deku was still introduced to a new world of the horrifying pain a shattered arm can deal.
He didn't doubt the examination judges wouldn't save a student in danger, but he was afraid by the time they arrived or handled the situation, the girl he'd met earlier would've been seriously injured. Although, with the presence of Recovery Girl, it seemed that his worries were unfounded.
He digressed.
It became a subconscious habit to massage his arms as he grew lost in thought, especially after the practical destruction of his limbs.
Izuku didn't regret saving her—after all, it's a hero's duty. Even at the cost of himself.
Could his mother say the same if she knew?
Over time, he was relieved to see his progress as he began to gain some form of control on his quirk. He didn't think breaking his bones whenever he used it worked very well in the long run, more so if he became a hero.
Why did he think it was a hypothetical?
He knew deep down that he wouldn't last if he continued like this.
As his mother and only present parent in his life, Midoriya Inko tended to worry over her son excessively. She knew sometimes it was overbearing, but she can't help it, especially because of their family situation; she's a mother, it's her duty to be there for her kid. Even then, she fears occasionally her attitude is too much.
Of course, when she's met with her son's warm smile, all the weight on her shoulders are lifted, and her heart eases when he reassures her.
In her eyes, her son is very strong, and to be straightforward, she's relieved but also confused—how would he get into U.A? She didn't want it to come off the wrong way, but the two of them knew he lacked a quirk. She couldn't fathom how he could be admitted to a hero academy.
But she had faith in the heroes, and most of all, she trusted her son—she wanted him to follow the dreams she thought had fallen off after his diagnosis.
She only wanted him to be happy.
And yet when he came home after the entrance exam with scars—most of all, when he told her it was a broken arm? Her anxiety spiked.
Izuku reassured his mother that he was fine, but the dilapidated appearance of her son didn't convince her.
She couldn't understand how the exam could have injured him so much that it left a scar.
Did they bully him? Just because he's quirkless?
At this thought, she intended to have a little discussion with the examiners, but almost as if he had read her mind, Izuku stopped her just as soon as the idea crossed her mind. He had gotten the injury to save a girl.
Inko was relieved he wasn't wronged, but once again, worry wormed into her heart again. Was the girl the one being bullied? No mother would want her son to be hurt, but as a normal human being, she couldn't stand the girl being hurt either.
She said nothing about her concerns. Instead, she reluctantly let it go and simply reminded him to look after himself. It's never good to get injured, but she's glad he saved her. It was a representation of his dreams of becoming a hero.
In hindsight, perhaps it wasn't the best action to take with his current state of mind. This would've only encouraged him to rescue people at the expense of his body.
Her chest tightened, fearing the possible future. She hardened her heart and made up her mind. If he continued coming home with injuries or more scars, she'd pull him out of the academy, ignoring his protests and wishes. She couldn't risk losing her only child.
He was all she had left.
When Deku opened his acceptance letter, he was beyond ecstatic. He celebrated with his mother (to whom he would never admit he cried in joy, despite her already knowing).
He wasn't a Deku, anymore, right?
Grinning from ear to ear, he reminded himself that he was one step closer to achieving his dream. There were still a lot more steps to take.
He knew he was destined for greatness.
He had to be.
To be quite frank, it was obvious to anyone with a working pair of eyes and common sense—which, to Aizawa Shota's utter horror, surprisingly not many had—that Midoriya's self-destructive behavior all in the name of justice definitely earned him a spot under a category of students he kept a watching eye on called problem children.
It was during the entrance exam when he first took note of the young boy. Present Mic had been rambling about his achievement in taking down the Zero Pointer—a major feat, mind you, as there had been others before him who had withstood it but never had anyone actually put it out of commission—but the boy had done so at the cost of his body.
Shota couldn't say he'd agree with the notion, but he gave him the benefit of the doubt. It was common for people to make impulsive and thoughtless decisions on the spur of the moment, especially because he had saved another contestant, so he gave him a pass on that.
But even then, there should be a limit. Is he just going to incapacitate himself every instance he uses his quirk? Does he expect someone to back him up afterwards all the time?
That kind of naive and irrational thinking would do more harm than good. Sure, in the short term, it'd be manageable, more so because he's a student with access to Recovery Girl, but in the long run?
Professional heroes cannot expect assistance for every single villain they capture, and while it'd be helpful, face it, if a hero can't take care of one on their own, they shouldn't have gotten their license.
The inability to arrest a villain safely only serves to prove their unreliability on the field.
Eraserhead couldn't allow a lacking student—in both physicality as well as mentality—to remain in U.A.
..Only for the boy in question to prove himself, at the very least, not hopeless.
He hesitated on what to do. It was almost astonishing. Midoriya showed fast development; however, his current mindset would only continue to be a problem in the future.
Well, for now, Shota decided to not expel the student. He figured he'd monitor his progress and see how he grew from there on. He supposed that it wasn't very harmful now.
Midoriya Izuku was simply an unfortunate young boy who wanted to become a hero.
He was bullied for being quirkless. And even if he ignored the words thrown at him, his disappointment with himself only grew with him.
His life wasn't pretty, no. But it was almost beautiful how optimistic—idealistic—he remained.
And soon, his praying seemed to pay off.
He was saved by his favorite hero and got his signature.
Of course, life is never without ups and downs, and Midoriya, so hopeful it was almost desperate, tried to check if his inability blocked a path he wished for with his idol.
He was let down. And his dreams shattered altogether, right then and there.
But the timid boy was strangely proactive for someone of his character.
If only to make up for the discrepancy.
He had barely processed the situation and the sight in front of him before his body had moved on its own accord.
He saved his best friend, and while he was criticized by the other heroes on the scene because God forbid they take action, his hero had told him he could follow in his footsteps.
That's when it blossomed in him. It was self-satisfaction, really.
Saving people saved him, in turn. It was a win-win.
His idol had given him an unprecedented opportunity, and, of course, he took it. He had reopened a world of dreams, but this time, it was within reach.
Midoriya had to prove himself worthy of being All Might's disciple.
Things were looking up for him.
He trained hard, trying to make up for his entire childhood in the span of a few months.
He got accepted into the #1 hero academy in Japan and was enrolled into the class at the top of the hero department.
What had started as a simple pipe dream transformed into a path for his future, and Midoriya was absolutely thriving.
The boy was making progress in the development of his quirk, and it wouldn't be long until he'd be quite proficient in its mastery.
He was finally on his way to becoming a hero, just as he always wanted.
But who knows when his savior complex will interfere and bite him in the back..?
He'll be dragged down and ruined.