Sightless

Chapter 1: Manipulation

Izuku Midoriya was used to abuse. He'd faced it almost every day of his life, all because he was Quirkless. Due to the sheer amount of it, the abuse never really bothered him. Well, at least it didn't used to. It started getting worse and worse in middle school with his childhood friend, Katsuki Bakugou(or as Midoriya called him, Kacchan), becoming more popular with the other kids and becoming more abusive. Midoriya would often come home with new wounds that his mother would fret over, insisting that they were "No big deal mom, really." His kindness never changed. Even though he recognized that his old friend was no longer friendly(even going so far as to call him Deku, meaning useless), he still referred to him with affection and never raised his voice or a hand against him.

Though, it wasn't like he could fight back if he wanted to. Every single student and teacher in the school had a Quirk, except for him. And even though he was Quirkless, he still held onto his dream of becoming a hero. He never let go of that dream and when things got particularly bad, he held onto that dream and worked harder than ever.

That changed the day he ran into the wrong villain.

It had been a normal day at school at first, then near the end of the final period the teacher began to talk about high schools. Everyone in the class began to chatter excitedly about which school they wanted to go to. Midoriya simply kept his head down. He wanted to go to UA, the most prestigious hero school in the country. The only other person planning on going to UA was Bakugou, who was confident that he could get in.

Everyone was talking happily, until the teacher mentioned Midoriya's interest in going to UA. The talking stopped as the entire class looked back at him. The silence only lasted a beat, before the entire class dissolved into laughter as Bakugou began to yell at him. Even after the school day was over, people were still talking about the fact that pitiful, Quirkless Deku wanted to go into a hero course. Midoriya began to pack his things, thinking he had caught a break, when Bakugou made the already awful day even worse. He started by grabbing Midoriya's hero notebook, burning it, then throwing it out the window. He then left with one final remark, one that angered Midoriya more than Bakugou had ever been able to anger him before.

"I know how you can get a Quirk. Just pray you'll get one in your next life, then take a swan dive off the roof!" Bakugou and his friends cackled before leaving Midoriya alone in the classroom, shaking with sorrow and rage, and trying not to cry.

When he finally left the school and retrieved his notebook, Midoriya began his walk home. Normally, the worst that happened to him on that walk was running into Bakugou. But on that fateful day, he ran into something much, much worse. As he waited to cross the street, a tall man in a hoodie got very close to him. If Midoriya tried to move away, the man simply got closer. Midoriya looked up at him to ask him to move, but the man spoke first.

"Why the long face, kid? Rough day?" he asked. Midoriya looked at him, bewildered. "Wanna talk about it?" Midoriya didn't want to talk about it with a stranger, but his mouth began moving on its own. As he told the strange man about what had transpired that day, he found himself talking more and more, feeling worse with each word. The man stared at him intensely as Midoriya talked and Midoriya couldn't help but feel extremely scared. Before he knew it, tears began to fall from his eyes. The man grinned a wicked grin.

"That's it boy. Let it out, show me that emotion!" Midoriya barely registered the man's words and began to feel ill. The man placed his hand on Midoriya's forehead, and all Midoriya could feel was a deep, dark sadness. The only things that registered in his mind were the words his classmate had told him that day.

Take a swan dive off the roof! Those words rang throughout his head, and he didn't notice the man slip away.

Midoriya wandered home in a daze, an awful feeling in his chest. Soon his memories of the strange man faded and were replaced with replays of the bullying he endured on a daily basis, memories of where his scars really came from, memories of a friend long gone. Once he got to his house, he instinctively put on a smile so his mother wouldn't worry.

These thoughts are temporary, he reassured himself, They'll be gone with a good night's sleep like always. And so he greeted his mother like normal, ate dinner, did his homework, and went straight to bed. But the thoughts didn't fade. Instead, they brewed like a witch's potion, becoming stronger.

When Midoriya woke up, alarm blaring the next morning, he laid there, wondering why he should get up. He didn't seem to have the energy to put on his clothes or eat breakfast, he just wanted to sleep the day away. It was only when his mother called to him that he would be late that he found enough motivation to put on his uniform and leave for school, only eating a slice of toast for breakfast. The whole way to school those dark thought persisted, poisoning his mind. Once he got there, he was immediately greeted by the taunts of Bakugou.

"Hey Deku!" he shouted. Midoriya looked at him, his big green eyes full of sadness. Bakugou's smirk slipped as he regarded the other boy. He had never seen him so upset. Well, at least not BEFORE a beating.

"What the fuck is that face for?" Bakugou shouted. Midoriya shook his head.

"Not today Kacchan, please..." he whimpered. Bakugou scowled.

"What do you mean not today?!"

"Just... please..." Before Bakugou or his lackies could do anything, Midoriya rushed to the relative safety of a classroom. He went through the day in a daze, dwelling on the thoughts that had reared their ugly heads. Not surprisingly, they were said in Bakugou's voice.

You're worthless.

You can't do anything.

You can't be a hero.

Quirkless Deku.

Take a swan dive off the roof.

Take a swan dive off the roof.

Take a swan dive off the roof.

The final bell rang, jarring Midoriya from his thoughts. He noticed that his desk was damp, he had been crying, was still crying. He hurriedly wiped the tears away when Bakugou showed up once again, slamming an explosive hand onto Midoriya's desk.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" he demanded. Midoriya jumped and instinctively backed away. "I asked you a question Deku!"

"N-Nothing Kacchan!" Midoriya said, shaking. Bakugou immediately became even more pissed at the mention of his childhood nickname.

"Stop fucking calling me that! What are you, a kid?! You certainly cry like one!" Midoriya looked down at his feet, which were suddenly very interesting. Bakugou took offense to this and grabbed the smaller boy's shirt, forcing Midoriya to look at him. "I'm talking to you dumbass!" Midoriya began to cry once again as his shirt started smoking. Bakugou looked at him in disgust and dropped him to the floor.

"Whatever. You're not worth my time, crybaby Deku." Bakugou walked away, leaving Midoriya on the floor in tears. The thoughts once again began to race through his head and he curled up into a fetal position, begging for them to leave him. He laid there crying for a full five minutes before he got up and gathered his things. As he left the building, his eyes fell upon a strange man. One who looked very familiar. The man grinned, and suddenly Midoriya was left with one thought.

Die.

The thought didn't bring him fear as would be expected. Instead, it brought him comfort. A solution to the thoughts and people who had been plaguing his life. Like a zombie, he turned around and walked back into the building, up the stairwell, and onto the roof. He leaned on the railing of the building, a seed of doubt in his mind. Then his eyes locked with the stranger, and his mind went blank. He took off his shoes and placed them on the ground next to him. Then, he climbed onto the railing. He closed his eyes.

Take a swan dive off the roof.

And he did.

As he fell to his death, he felt nothing. Nothing, until he heard a desperate scream.

"DEKU!!!" Midoriya opened his eyes. To see Bakugou flying towards him, using his Quirk as a jetpack. Bakugou collided with Midoriya and wrapped an arm around him while trying to use his other hand to keep them in the air.

"What the fuck are you doing??" There was no anger in his voice, just fear. Midoriya looked at him sadly.

"Isn't this what you wanted me to do?" Bakugou's face lit up with realization, and his hand slipped. He could only watch in horror as his childhood friend fell head-first into the concrete below.