Izuku Midoriya had always known he was a burden. He had known from as far back as his earliest memory. His mommy had been crying, a lot. He couldn't remember why, but she had screamed at him when he tried to crawl to her. He remembered her words. "Stay away from me! It's your fault he's gone!" Izuku didn't know who "he" was, but he wished he could have said sorry in that moment.
He remembered the day he had been diagnosed by the doctor when he was four. Mommy had been crying again, she did that a lot it seemed. The car ride to the office was tense, and his mommy had growled out that he had better have a quirk, he'd better be a late bloomer, because she had no use for a worthless, quirkless kid. He had spent the whole time in the waiting room praying to anyone that would listen that he could have a quirk so his mommy would want him.
Watching the hope die in his mommy's eyes when the doctor said he had the extra toe joint and would remain quirkless broke his heart, but it scared him too. He had been right to be scared.
His next clearest memory was when his mommy brought a tall man home. They had walked right past where he was playing with his All Might toy on the living room floor. His mommy had not even looked at him as she was carried by the man, kind of like how he saw in movies. It was not the first time he did not get dinner, he knew that, but it was the first time it had happened because someone else was in the apartment with them, distracting his mommy. It certainly was not the last.
The first time one of his mommy's new friends had disciplined him he remembered the pain on his cheek as tears fell over the tender skin the man had struck, but it was not as much pain as his back side where he had used his belt.
Mommy had watched. That was all. It was what she did every time.
Years passed this way, and though Izuku still tried to cling to his mommy for protection when things got scary or overwhelming, he always expected her to shoo him away without interest. He km grew the comfort she would provide would be short lived, if he got any at all.
Eventually the men she brought home got worse, and Izuku had started to hide in his room when they came home with her, just in case. It helped sometimes, but sometimes it didn't. If the men got interested learning about him, or if he wasn't fast enough, he had to cope. Those nights always hurt, and he always went to bed hungry and crying.
She stopped coming home for days at a time around his eighth birthday, and he started to see a pattern during those times. If he was right, and eventually he almost always was, he could at least eat for a couple days until she returned. By the time he was nine he was a decent hand in the kitchen, and he always kept things clean so she never found out just in case she cared.
When she was home, things were always hell for Izuku, so he started to prefer when she was away. Until he was almost ten, and she started to take him places with her.
That was... terrifying. He had been alone so much the past two years, besides school, that the loud places, multiple voices, tall men (just like the ones mommy brought home that hit him) were too much. He tried so hard to stay close to her but she never wanted him around. So he would try to stay as quiet as he could in a corner, not wanting to be noticed.
Apparently, it didn't work though. Two nights before his tenth birthday his mommy found him abs forced him to put on a tank top he hadn't worn since he was six. It showed his tummy cause it was too short. She also gave him a pair of shorts that clung to him like a second skin. Here wasn't allowed shows tonight, she said it would be too much work for the man, and Izuku knew suddenly that he has still caught someone's attention. That was never good, and years filled his eyes. Mommy told him to grow up and raised her hand, and Izuku swallowed back the sniffle that threatened to leave his throat as his fear took hold.
The night only got worse from there. Even the big man had grabbed him Izuku squeaked, in fear and in surprise, and the man had run his finger over his lips to shush him. His mommy had laughed, but at least she pulled his hand away when she did. "From now on people will have to pay to touch him," she scolded lightly, looking pleased with herself.
Shrugging the man took his wrist roughly and shot back at her, "Maybe next time then, " with a grin that creeped Izuku out. "Who paid?"
"He's Shogo's tonight, " she said, and the man raised an eyebrow, surprised, before dragging the boy to the room of the man she had named. Keeping a tight grip on his wrist, the man pounded on door they stopped in front of. A few seconds later, though they felt like minutes to Izuku, a tall, thin man opened it.
The man on the other side of the door looked tired, or bored, and Izuku was not entirely sure which, maybe it was both. He also looked unhappy, and that was one emotion Izuku could identify. It was one of the emotions that, when on the face of an adult, meant bad things for him.
Izuku was unceremoniously dragged into the room, he heard a grunt from the new man as the door shut. He wasn't able to contain the whimper that escaped as soon as they were alone together. Keeping his eyes downcast he waited for something to happen. His breathing slowed just slightly when no move was made by the man to touch him, and he looked up when he heard the man sigh, only to see the man look down at him.
After another moment of silence passed between them the man crouched down until he was about the same height as Izuku. The boy was unsure if this was something he liked or if it scared him more. Adults never got on his level, they always spoke down to him.
"What's your name, kid?" The man asked, and he sounded nice, but Izuku knew better. The "nice" ones always ended up hurting him the most.
"P-Please don't hurt me, Mister," he stuttered, expecting a blow for his mis-speech. His mommy hated his stuttering, but there was not much he could do about it when he was scared. Izuku was not sure what he saw pass across the man's face, bit no hand was raised, and the man looked calm when he asked for his name again. Izuku honestly had no idea how to respond, kindness was not a thing he knew how to react towhen he never experienced it. Instead he just repeated his own question, proud of himself for not stuttering this time, not understanding why this man had not done anything to him yet.
Shaking his head, his black hair swaying around his shoulders as he did, the man said, "No, I promise I won't hurt you."
He had promised, so Izuki had to believe him, right? He had not hurt him yet, and if Izuku did not answer him soon he might break his promise anyway. Gathering his courage, Izuku decided to tell him.
The man nodded, thanking him, and Izuku blinked in confusion. No one ever thanked him for anything, least of all for telling them his name. He was even more confused when the man asked him if anyone had hurt him before he wad brought to this room. Why did it matter to him?
