Chapter Text
It's a more than proven fact that minorities are hated. Any minority of any kind has always been subjected to some kind of loathing from the rest of the world. It happens over and over, in history, in the government, in social spaces. Almost if not everywhere. Hate isn't engrained into the brain of clueless moldeable children. It's taught. And it's one of the best trained traits from the beginning of society. And sadly, the world of supernatural abilities isn't any different.
Izuku has always known of his place in society. Well, it's not like he'd be able to forget, he's reminded what his worth is more than once a day. The name-calling was one of the things that bothered him the most. He's pretty sure most people even think 'Deku' is his real name. Well, to be fair, Izuku almost forgot his own name.
He never really bothered in taking offense to nicknames, most of the time he would be in his own little world, and when some of them were loud enough for him to register the word or combination of words, Izuku would rate them. He took great pride in being an expert on the vast field of insults. He would never say them, but he memorized enough to have an average of which were more popular.
Between his extensive years of unintentional research, he found that "Waste of space", "Useless" and "Idiot" were the most used. But it was always the creative ones that had high ratings, though he was disappointed in seeing that over the years, they became more rare than when they were kids. Weird, but true, kids were smarter for name calling.
Some of his all time favorites were “delusional dumbass”, with a score of 7.8/10. “Insignificant insect” with a score of 8.3/10 and finally, “God’s most hated” with a big score of… 9.6/10!!!
His scoring system was rating 1-10 on how creative it was and in how little time the person told him that + situation + if it sounded natural. 1 meant it was boring, and didn’t hurt at all and 10 meant it was made on the spot and kind of creative! +2.5 points if it made him cry, +1.1 points if it gave him any suicidal thoughts, +0.5 points if he had heard it for the first time. And so on.
He would deduct points if it was too common, it took too long to think of, it was the nickname everyone called him or stuff like that.
He even had a notebook specified for insults. It started when he was bored, too much time on his hands and nothing to do in class. In the notebook it has an open list for insults he’s been called and each has a rating next to it plus a space to write how many times he’s been called that. It also had a week average, on every Saturday he would write the 3 most popular and the 3 most creative. He would also do this at the end of each month.
It’s a fun way to spend time.
Apart from the constant harsh remarks, Izuku has always had less dislike for the physical part, his pain tolerance is quite high, he barely feels punches or kicks anymore so it doesn't bother him as much. And, he has learnt to patch himself up so that's another advantage!
And like his ‘Insultbook’ there was also his ‘Hitnotes’, where he would rate hits he would get from classmates or sometimes teachers. He would write the name of the one who did it, the type of blow they gave, rating to the form of it, the injuries they caused, rating of the in-the-moment-pain.
Then he would list ways to improve the hit, the use of what gave the hit, and then like with the insults: he would make an average of how many times he’s been given the same hit, an average of the top 3 people who hit him in a week, then a month and a top 3 of the most painful ones.
Bully favorites so far into the month; Punch to the face(typically the eyes or right cheek), 18 times (It’s only two weeks into the month), not very painful 4.3/10(usually not well executed). Second place: intentional trip(Usually done by extending a foot that he didn’t see so he trips.), 21 times, not painful at all 3.1/10 (Sometimes he falls to his face + Not always makes him fall. But embarrassing). And first place: shove/push(Usually done intentionally to get him to move out of the way in a rude way), 34 times, doesn’t hurt a lot 4.5/10(Makes him feel weak, it’s subtle, can hurt if done right. Too common).
He sighs, he takes off his uniform to have a better look at new bruises on his stomach, beside them some other marks that were starting to heal. Thankfully none were done near his ribs so it didn’t hurt as much. But he might have trouble eating for a few days without throwing up.
The blood on his head wasn't a good indicator but he really couldn't care less. After all, he's been in worse condition. And he has enough to treat himself with. He’s treated worse with less.
He takes some bandages and wraps his torso, which is littered with red, purple and a blue-ish yellow. He felt the dull pain of his body any time he moved his torso so he’ll make sure to be more gentle with that area.
He wasn't careful as he searched for a wound on his head that would explain the blood. After a few minutes he gave up and simply cleaned himself up before using more bandages. At least he knew the injury wasn't too bad or open; if the fact that he wasn't bleeding anymore was anything to go by.
His head hurt but it was manageable, as long as he didn’t bump his head, he would guess the wound would heal. Though he wouldn’t brush his hair or wash his hair for a while just in case, even a small tap on his head felt like a needle.
He felt sore, fatigued. Not only physically but mentally as well. He didn't bother to have a better look at the burn on his shoulder. He could move his arm and that's what his brain qualified as healthy.
Well healthy enough to survive, and for now that’s what his expectations are on. Plus, the burn had started to heal and he could barely feel it as long as he didn’t touch it too much or move his arm around.
His steps were sluggish, his throat throbbed and he was struggling to stay awake. He was about to groan but that irritation in his vocal cords made him stay silent. He put on some pajamas, and he stressed himself mentally as the thought of yet another uniform ruined.
The shirt was way too big for him, but he enjoyed it, the pants were the good texture of fluffy and soft. And since they were baggy it didn’t touch the healing cut on his leg.
He drank some water, it slightly eased his previously dry throat. The lights of the fridge welcomed Izuku into the sight of a bare inside. "Of course.." he mutters, the sound of his rough tone somewhat echoed through the empty apartment.
Lazily he put some shoes on and he took some money from the secret stash, he grabbed the keys and locked the door behind him. The bustling city made his head hurt, he forgot his headphones, a headache is just what he needed. People talking, laughing, running, arguing and the occasional salesperson trying to get attention.
He can just hope nothing more happens, he winces, realizing he has been unconsciously scratching himself, the all too familiar burn-like sensation on his arm. He rolls his eyes and keeps walking, mentally going over what he needs to buy.
Bandages, food, a sewing needle, black thread, and a notebook.
As he reaches the recognizable store, he squints his eyes at the brightness, he grabs a cart and walks through isles, he grabs some stuff for his school lunch, enough food for at least a week that he would make work until the end of the month, the stuff to try and repair his uniform and a bland notebook.
He reminds himself of some shampoo, as he walks towards the isle, he notices a familiar duo. Bullies. His pace quickens and he panics, walking into the first aisle he sees close enough, he crashes with something and falls to the floor. He grunts at the way his sore body reminds him of poorly treated injuries.
"I'm so, so, so sorry, I didn't look where I was g-going, I'm s-so sorry, I r-really didn't mean to-" he was already bracing himself for a hit or a yell, maybe both. Probably both.
"Hey, hey, it's ok, alright? No need to apologize so much" a gruff voice replies, the stranger extends his hand to help. Izuku hesitates but takes it, feeling something like a scar and maybe stitches?
"I'm really sorry, and thank you" Izuku says, feeling embarrassed, looking at the floor, already expecting a hit or an insult if he's lucky enough. A hand grabs his wrist surprisingly carefully, ah, he was scratching himself again, wasn't he.
"It's no problem, kid" the man replies, Izuku's eyes dart up as he feels the person softly brush his thumb against his arm. He looks at the face of the stranger, a young adult probably, with purple scars and.. stitches? Just like his hand. "Are you ok?" The man asks and Izuku can just barely hear the worry. His eyes are sharp but the intense blue is surprisingly empathetic.
"h-hm?" Izuku asks, it's been such a long time since anyone has treated him like he was a person. He can feel the common sting in his eyes and the itch on his nose, his hand forms into a fist, crescent dents on his palm caused by his nails, trying to ground himself by the stinging pressure.
"Well, you have bandages and you seem to be panicked, are you hiding from something? You were almost running before you crashed into me" Izuku felt the urge to cry at that moment. It's stupid, but no one has been worried for him in so long. He's reminded of his mother and now he's moments away from bawling his eyes out, his hand slightly shacking, he bites the insides of his checks, tasting the metallic flavor of blood.
"hey, hey, look at me. You're alright. You're safe. It's going to be ok, kid. Breathe in and out" the stranger reassures, he takes one of Izuku's hand and makes slow circles in his hand. Izuku closes his eyes, trying to focus on breathing, struggling to get his lungs to cooperate. "Breath in.." Izuku does "Breath out..." Izuku complies again, but there’s still a small shake to his hands.
"Good, good. Now, do you mind telling me your name?" His voice is raspy but his tone is filled with kindness. "M-Midoriya Izu-Izuku" a shaky answer comes out of his quivering lips.
"Ok, Midoriya, now that your breathing pace is normal, could you tell me why you were running?" Izuku tenses but nods. "B-bullies... I'm s-sorry I b-bothered you, um-”
"Call me Dabi, kid" the man, now identified as Dabi smiles, it’s small and shy but makes Izuku feel secure. "And there's no need to apologize, you're not bothering at all. You can stick with me until you feel like it's safe to go home." Dabi says.
"I- t-t-thank you, Dabi-san" Izuku thanks, he wipes away the tears that were forming, the movement makes his untreated shoulder hurt a little.
"No problem"
They chatted for a while as Dabi accompanied Izuku to finish shopping, Izuku had a genuine smile on his face, he hasn't done that in a while... as soon as Izuku hears Dabi's quirk, he lights up.
"Blue flames, meaning your fire is stronger than a hero like Endeavour, that's so cool! It might be a sensitive topic but considering your scars, it would probably mean your quirk doesn't have a resistance for the quirk, which is rare but happens 1 in 135 people with similar destructive quirks, it might be the drawback of the quirk. It might be because the flames are blue instead of normal, but that's just a hypothesis, since the scars might've been caused by another accident, but, it's unlikely because the scars are a purple and burn scars are usually a maroon. It also means the quirk can be used from the entire body and not only the hands if the scars are anything to go by. Then again-" Izuku starts muttering, without really realizing it, he stops as he sees the shock in Dabi's face. He snaps his mouth shut.
Great job, Izuku, you just creeped out the only person who has been kind to you in years. I really need to learn to shut up...
"Wow kid, that's... I- wow" The young adult stutters, Izuku's eyes widen, the tone on Dabis voice isn't disgust, it's more like he was impressed. "You're quite the smart one" well that’s new.
"I-It's really not that impressive" Izuku says while looking away, but Dabi clearly thinks differently. "It is, no one has ever been able to analyze so much with just the name of my quirk. Do you have an intelligence quirk or something?"
This is where it goes downhill. Izuku knows it, Dabi surely will be disgusted after he says it- "I'm quirkless" there it is, he'll hate him! He's so stupid he actually thought someone actually tolerated him-
"Oh, really? That's even more impressive, wow kid, you're smart for your age" what? Izuku feels himself surprised. That has never happened before. Never. And he just feels like hugging Dabi and never letting go.
"...R-R-Really?" He asks in disbelief, this is a dream, it has to be, though the hurt on his torso begged to differ. "Of course, oh, I've got to go, here's my number. You can text me anytime, and if you're in trouble don't hesitate to call" Dabi gave Izuku a piece of paper with some numbers before taking a box of black hair dye and walking away. Leaving Izuku in disbelief.