Chapter Text
"Not All Men are created equal"
Izuku Midoriya had long since accepted his fate, ever since He was 4-year-old in that cold steel stool, sitting in that doctor's office, He still remembered the despair in his heart and the indifference of the doctor when He had casually told his Mother that Izuku Midoriya was quirkless................Useless, the only monicker that had ever fit him afterwards.
His own helplessness gnawed at his heart day and night, ever since society had thrown him aside like a toy that had grown old, He'd been nothing more than dirt, although children could be ignorantly cruel in their words, it still deepened the well of sorrow in Him. In hindsight, somebody should've noticed and got him help, It did take 2 years and Izuku finally cracking after bottling his emotions up and not telling an adult or His Mother. Why, well you see Midoriya was ignored even for his basic requests such as getting his lunch box back after it "mysteriously disappeared", though Midoriya knew it was Kacchan and his lackeys who did the deed.
You see, little Izuku was smart for his age and realised that if something as small as stealing, when it concerned Him, was given no thought then protesting against bodily harm would yield no results, that when the hope of having at least a decent life should've ended, the idea of being a hero should've been snuffed out of him like the flicker of a candle in a windy dark field.
Izuku did not in fact accept it, maybe out of spite of his injustice maybe out of his genuine desire to save people, it still didn't drive away all of the negative sentiments Izuku had.
"I am tired", was the most frequent thought Izuku's young mind conjured up, the reason was all of the sluggish grim dark feelings in his heart, all of his hate, hate for the world that had cursed him with quirklessness, at his fate for being so grim that He would forever be regarded as useless, Deku a misspelling of his name turned into belittlement, his hate for himself for being so scared, for being a coward. Not even able to look his mother in the eye and tell her why He came home most days with scrapes and bruises, of course He wasn't so clumsy to fall again and again, He kept telling himself "I am not USELESS" yet somewhere along the way He started to not believe his own words.
On sixth birthday, His mother had invited his classmates via phone without telling Izuku to give him a surprise, Izuku didn't understand why his mother had gotten so much food or tidied up their apartment like they were having guests, but when no one showed up on his birthday, Izuku felt both relief and sadness. Relief over having a reprieve from his torment for even a day and sadness after seeing his mother's expression though She tried to hide her fury and disappointment, Izuku saw her silent crying after She thought He'd gone to bed.
4 days later, Izuku woke up feeling oddly refreshed, He felt on top of the world, He felt like He wasn't worthless. Izuku felt the energy sitting in his chest, a heavy weight, willing it through his body and experimenting with it, He wanted to confirm his suspicions before he told his mother. Afterall, He wouldn't want to give his mother a false hope, four hours afterwards he collapsed in school.
When He came to, He was in a hospital bed, groggily opening his eyes and staring at the ceiling until his mother noticed and tried to get him out of his trance. When he noticed his mother, He told her through relieved tears that HE FINALLY GOT A QUIRK, His mother's sad face got him to stop and He asked her in a meek, afraid voice; "M-Mom, what happened?".
She stayed silent and pulled him into her embrace; through her tears She told him that He had fainted cause of exhaustion, that He didn't need to lie to her, that it was okay if He didn't have a quirk ......that he would always be USELESS, that it was okay if he couldn't be a hero.
Izuku had never mentioned the energy born of his suffering to her again...