Take a Walk Into the Dark

One - The Deterioration of Izuku Midoriya Part One

I stood on a bridge hundreds of feet over water. The emotions inside were turning over and over in my gut, while a knot increasingly tightened in my chest, suffocating my heart. With each thump, blood roared in my ears, loud enough to drown out the shouts of the small crowd gathered behind me.

I hadn't originally came here with the intent to jump, actually. I liked this spot, because of the view of the water below. Though, instead of staying on the safe side, I decided to swing my legs over and sit on the railing. I sat there for a bit before a woman pulled over to ask if I was thinking of jumping. I put on a fake smile and told her I wasn't, and that I was just thinking. She didn't look convinced, but she left regardless. Over the passing minutes, though, the thought became more and more appealing.

So why did I want to kill myself? Many reasons. So many reasons. I guess it would be easier if I started at the beginning.

Ten years ago

I woke up ecstatic, as all kids do in their birthday. Except, this was the most important birthday of my life. My mom was taking me to the quirk doctor, and we'd find out what my quirk would be. My mom had a telekinesis quirk that let her pull small objects towards her, and supposedly my dad had a fire breath quirk, so I was expecting to get something along the lines of pyrokinesis. Even if I couldn't create fire, I could always become a Rescue Hero, and divert fires away from civilians. Or I could carry a lighter.

But all my dreams were crushed the moment the doctor told us the results.

"I'm sorry, but you're quirkless. You'll never be a Hero." He said in a bored tone. He then told my mom the charges of the visit, and we quickly left, my mom pulling me along.

Later that night, my mom came into my room while I was watching my favorite All Might video. She stood in the doorway, and looked at me sadly. I quietly spoke up.

"You see? He always saves everyone with a smile. That's who I want to be." I turned to her, my eyes watery. "Can I be a Hero too?"

My mom ran to me, crying her eyes out. "I'm sorry!" She sobbed, hugging me fiercely. "I'm so sorry, Izuku!"

It didn't get any easier from there. My best friend, Katsuki Bakugo; or as I called him, Kacchan; got a flashy quirk himself. Explosion. Makes sense, really. He's always been ill-tempered, but now since everyone praised him for just happening to have the right genes to get a good quirk, he's also gained an ego the size of a planet.

Once word got out that I was quirkless, Bakugo and his cronies harassed me any chance they got. Every time I tried to stand up for myself, he would have them hold me down and launch explosion after explosion on me, while saying I was useless.

"You're a damn loser, Deku." He would growl, his friends laughing as they walked off. Every single day, I would return home with more and more bruises, and as I got older, scars started spreading across my body. My mom always worried about me, but I always told her I was fine. I think she knew who was doing this, because apparently her relationship with Bakugo's mom, who was her childhood friend, grew increasingly distant and uncomfortable.

Middle School

Where do I even begin? Middle school made the bullying in elementary school look, well, elementary. I was everyone's favorite punching bag. It got so bad, to the point where even the faculty treated me like S-H-I-T. To the school nurse, the injuries I got everyday were my way of wasting her supplies, and most days she would outright refuse to even take a look at me.