4 Deku

Izuku trembled. He didn't know why his friend was being so mean to him. He thought that getting his Quirk would mean he and Bakugo could become Heroes together. The explosions really hurt. Couldn't he see that?

Izuku looked back to see the kid he was defending from Bakugo's bullying had ran off, not even looking back or calling for a teacher. 

'At least he doesn't have to get hurt anymore...'

Izuku shut his eyes for the next round of explosion enhanced punches from the blonde boy in front of him. The two other kids, one with extending fingers and the other with red bat wings, laughed as they held him down. Izuku could only cry as he was too shy to fight back. He was scared of getting in trouble, scared of hurting someone, and scared of how his mom would act. If there was anyone that Izuku Midoriya genuinely loved, it was his mother, Inko Midoriya. Seeing her sad was not something Izuku would let happen for as long as he was still breathing. If he had to smile through the pain, he would. If he had to lie to not make her worry, he would.

So, Izuku endured it all. As much as he hated being hurt, he knew doing the same back at them wouldn't help. 

X

Izuku looked up from his notebook titled "Hero Analysis For The Future, Vol. 4" and laughed nervously. There was only one reason Katsuki Bakugo would willingly walk over to him in the corner of the cafeteria.

"Whatcha writing there, Deku? Mind if I take a look?"

"Ah, Kacchan, that's-"

Izuku couldn't get out another word before the notebook was grabbed from him. 

"Hero analysis, huh? Y'know, Deku, it's pretty creepy to be stalking Pro Heroes like this. Maybe I should get rid of these stalker notes so they don't have to worry about them..."

Bakugo smirked before letting off a small explosion. Bits of paper flew from his hand in a small cloud of smoke. Izuku looked on with shock, not realizing his hand was stretched out to catch a single piece of charred paper. It was a small section on a Pro Hero named Endeavor. The only word that could be distinguished was the name. Izuku looked down at it with a shaking hand. His eyes were slightly widened, yet unfocused.

Izuku's blank eyes slowly turned towards Bakugo and his laughing possey. The blonde in question just smirked at Izuku's dejected look. 

"You're just a punching bag, Deku. Don't let those Heroes give you any ideas. You'd probably end up having to clean their toilets with how weak you are! That strength Quirk is a real joke!"

Bakugo himself started laughing the hardest he had in a while. The useless punching bag Deku was really pathetic. How could someone with a physical enhancement Quirk be so cowardly? Bakugo decided to leave after that, getting somewhat annoyed from looking at Izuku's two toned face. Seriously, what were those dark patches even for? 

"Bakugo...why..."

Bakugo looked back, a little surprised at Deku not using that stupid nickname he came up with when they were younger. Izuku was looking down, his hair shadowing the upper half of his face. Bakugo chuckled again at how Izuku was trembling like a building that was about to crumble.

"You're... You're nothing..."

"You're gonna have to speak up, Deku. We can't hear you over all the shaking!"

Just as Bakugo made his comment, Izuku's head snapped in his direction. The blonde boy and his gang took a step back. They were expecting the tears, sure, but they didn't expect a look of such fury on the usually shy boy's face. 

"You're nothing but a piece of crap bully who shouldn't even get to call himself a Hero!"

Izuku was crying, but his tears were that of rage. His eyebrows were furrowed, his teeth clenched and showing in a wide snarl. A low growl escaped his throat, coming out more like that of an animal's rather than a human's. But what caught the most attention was his eyes. Izuku's eyes were a solid, glowing crimson. The whites of his eyes and his pupils were both replaced by that crimson glow. 

Izuku took a step forward, the other kids taking a step back. The heat now exuding from the green haired boy became apparent. Steam gently drifted off his skin, fading before it could rise very far. Bakugo and his gang decided now was the time to run away. None of them looked back. They feared that if they did, they would be in for a world of hurt. And Izuku was glad that nobody looked back at him.

He fell to his knees in slight exhaustion, still crying from the loss of his notebook. If it was any other notebook, he would let it slide and just copy what he could onto another. This notebook, however, was the one he got from his absent father. It was one of the few things that connected the two. Izuku and his father, Hisashi, had barely any memories together, yet the two and Inko loved each other nonetheless. Hisashi could almost never be home due to his demanding job. He took it so that his son and his wife could live as peacefully and comfortably as possible. 

For the past few years that his father had been gone, Izuku still received birthday gifts every year, all of them being delivered on the exact day they should. If there was one thing Izuku knew about Hisashi, it was that the man cared. He cared for Inko. He cared for Izuku. He would never let them forget that.

Izuku was only 8 years old, but he knew full well that cherishing each and every gift his father gave him was what kept the two close. Izuku was beginning to hate and doubt himself for not being able to keep this one simple thing safe.

But Bakugo ruined that. He ruined it all because Izuku was too weak to fight back. No, it wasn't that he was weak. It was that he was a coward. Keeping his father's gifts out of harm's way was far more important than placating an egotistical brat who threw tantrums when he didn't get what he wanted. Even so, a coward like Izuku couldn't even stand up for what he held dear to him.

So, Izuku decided to. He would get stronger. He would be a Hero. And he would protect everything precious to him. The only problem was figuring out how to get back at everyone and everything, if that is what he should even do. While he thought over what to do, Izuku would let people think he hasn't changed. He would let them think he was still a shy, useless punching bag with a Quirk he didn't want to use. In reality, he would be stronger than any of them could even dream of him being. He would prove them wrong one day.

But even so, Izuku would never let go of that fear of hurting others. To keep himself from lashing out, he bottled up his true emotions. He feared that one day, it could all spill over and he would never come back from it. He would keep a tight lid on it for as long as he could. Unfortunately, it seemed it wouldn't be long enough.

X

Izuku got done telling Aizawa his story. The two were sitting on the soft grass as Izuku chatted away. The entire time, Aizawa had a scowl on his face. Never did he expect that one of his own students, a Hero Course student at that, would be such a little shit.

"Now that I'm at U.A., it feels like everything I'm holding back is trying to break out. Every time I use my Quirk, I feel...angry, I guess. I don't know why it feels like everything I've built up until now is starting to fall apart."

"That's an easy one. It's falling apart because it doesn't need to be held up anymore."

Izuku stared questioningly at his teacher, not understanding what he was getting at. (Give him a break, the past few days have had more social interaction than he had ever had with someone who wasn't his own mother.)

"The people you'll get to know here are beyond that. Just put some trust in them, and they will trust you completely. I've been teaching here for years now. I've seen students with cases just as bad as yours, if not worse. I wasn't the one to help them through it, their classmates were."

Izuku still looked confused, but nodded anyway.

"Emotions are something everyone has, you know. Thoughts, ideals, desires, we all have and feel them. As someone who knows wholeheartedly what you're going through, just open up to them. It'll make it so much easier in the future."

Izuku had previously known nothing about his teacher except what his Quirk was and his Hero name. Now, he felt as if he was seeing a new person, which wasn't entirely incorrect, he guessed. As curious as he was, he merely bowed to Aizawa with a thankful smile. 

"You should get back to class now. We've spent a bit too much time out here."

Izuku nodded and stood up to head inside. Aizawa sighed as he also stood up. This student of his knew more about him now than most people ever would. It seems that Izuku Midoriya had a way with getting people to open up. 

Now, Aizawa needed to think on what to do about how much rage Izuku was holding on to. That kid's Quirk runs on emotions and desires. If he ever gets too comfortable with letting loose, he feared he might have to pay for that Bakugo kid's life support. He could literally feel the pure hatred coming from Izuku as he told his story.

'Oh god, they're having indoor battle practice tomorrow... And All Might is the one teaching that class... I don't think Nezu would mind me supervising, would he?'