In The End, What Does It Mean To Be A Hero

Not All Men Are Created Equal

Izuku was a smart kid to contrary belief.

He recognized that look in the doctors eyes when he was diagnosed quirkless (like it was some disease-).

He knows that the other kids don't like him. The harsh words and bruises were a good enough reminder. They don't want to be seen with "the quirkless kid", "the freak", "the useless deku". No they'd rather be seen with Katsuki, the next number one hero, the strongest kid in the entire school. Izuku also knows that the teachers don't like him either. He's tried to get their attention when he was hurt. He's tried to tell them who hurt him. Their reactions were always the same. "They're just roughhousing, its not their fault you're weak, deku." "Don't lie to me freak, Bakugo will be an amazing hero, so cut it out with the jealousy." "Maybe they'd stop hurting you if you'd stop provoking them."

He knows how to patch himself up, treat his bruises, bandage his cuts, tend his burns... He knows that a child his age shouldn't know how to do these things, but he had to learn after the school nurses had refused to treat his wounds to save material for those that were worth it ( He recognized that glint in their eyes, it was the same look of disgust the doctor had when he was diagnosed).

Izuku knows that his mother wants to look at him, but can't, as if it physically pains her. He wasn't stupid. He heard his mothers pleas for Hisashi that night. Hisashi didn't want a quirkless child, he wanted a kid that would make him proud.

He stopped trying to get his mother's attention after she'd screamed at him, blaming him for his father's departure (Hisashi wasn't his father. A father would love their child unconditionally). She apologized, but he knows she didn't mean it. If she did, she wouldn't ignore him, she would feed him, she would love him. But he doesn't blame her, after all, how could she love the same child that had ruined her life? He knows he's the reason for her struggling, so he stopped asking for food, he learned to cook for himself. Sure, it took him a lot of time, and yes, he was burnt by the stove countless times, but the least he could do was try to take care of himself (He knows he shouldn't, that his mother should also love him unconditionally, but at least she stayed, he should be grateful she hasn't gotten rid of him) .

So yes, Izuku really was smart for a kid his age.

That doesn't mean he's happy about it, or that he's any less human. He's still the same Izuku that was best friends with Kacchan, the same Izuku who asked his mother for help when he fell and scraped his knee, the same Izuku that wanted a quirk oh so badly, the same Izuku that wanted to be a hero.

But people don't like his "stupid dreams and fantasies". They call him stupid when he talks about heroes, and say he needs a wake up call to reality. He never stopped analyzing quirks, no matter how much he was beaten for it. Instead, he hid his analysis, because he knew they will get destroyed no matter how hard he worked on them. So he improved his skills in the comfort of his bedroom, the only place he felt safe, away from the disappointment in his mothers eyes, away from the disgusted glares of his classmates, the look of pity on almost every stranger who finds out.

So here he is, at eight years old hidden behind a dumpster in some ratty alleyway near his school, reusing his bandages to tend the wounds he'd gained from Katsuki and his lackeys.

Today had been a particularly bad day. He woke up half an hour later than usual after staying up late analyzing a new hero (Could you blame him? She has an amazing quirk, the ability to freeze water is perfect for heroics!) and ended up missing breakfast (He doesn't want to be late, he can't afford that). He went through the school day like any other day, the endless taunts, the hateful glares, but during lunch, which he had also missed, one of the upperclassmen had shoved him into a locker after dumping the rest of their food on him (as if he were trash) so he missed the the last few periods. And to his surprise, it had been Katsuki who had freed him from the confined space, but not before he and his lackeys decided to use him as quirk practice. Yubi, one of Katsuki's followers, had learned that when he elongated his fingers at a certain speed, they could pierce through skin, and Henjin, another one of his ex-best friends followers who could manipulate metal, decided to mess with Izuku's locker to make small knives to use on him. Katsuki stuck to his usual explosions, one going off a bit too close to his ear (that explains the light ringing in his left ear).