Smile

Smile- prequel

Izumi Midoryia smiles a lot.

It's a very distinct, perked up smile paired with kind, crinkled eyes that she directs to almost everyone she meets. Sometimes they smile back. Most of the time...she doesn't want to talk about it.

Nonetheless, she continues to smile- even when she knows it's hard...it's those times when she forces herself to muster up the effort to give a wobbly, but earnest smile.

It's a weapon, it's a sign of safety, it's something that makes her feel...strong.

Like, a hero.

But even she knows she can't be a hero- she knows very, damn well that the chances of becoming a hero for a quirkless girl like her are close to none. Because that's what they tell her everyday.

(But damn them if they think the some...harsh words will stop her. If she can't be one professionally, maybe just simply choosing to help; to smile and just... trying would be enough. She will be a hero, by her own means.)

She's living in a world where flashy quirks are glorified. Where the different weird, villainous quirks are put down. A world where the quirkless are less than human.

A worthless beast. How could a beast be a hero?

Izumi is not very good at following society's expectations.

Yes, she... knows the risks. She knows she might die young. She knows first-handily that it's going to be really, really hard. She's going to to work harder than everyone.

She tries not think about the pain. She doesn't think about how she could just make it all easier again. She doesn't think about how it would so much easier to give up.

Because she's going to be a hero.

She's going to be someone who made a difference. A good kind of difference. Because even if she can't defeat the bad guys and win, she will be that human who found a chance to protect another and took it.

So damn everyone who tells her she's a deku.

(She doesn't think about how much of a damn she thinks about them. It's hard to forget your everyday. It's hard to believe in yourselve- But mama is brave, so Izumi will be brave for her.)

So she does everything.

She smiles, so they know they are allowed to feel safe. She does everything she can to help so they know she's there- because maybe she can protect others from themselves. From feelings. From...overwhelming thoughts and other mean people.

She knows she would want that- for someone to take the time of their day and help, so for now, maybe she can continue to pretend.

Other people think she's delusional. That she's a foolish kid who can't give up an impossible dream- which, thank you very much, she'd like to say, because she already knows that from the last one hundred-million-gazillion-big number of times someone told her to give up.

Some jerks should just know how to take a hint. She's not stupid. She's not stupid.

But...while she hates it, she understands it. She's thinks about that a lot.

Oh yes she does. It haunts her. It hurts a lot, because they're right and she can't say anything. She wants to scream, but everybody's listening and it's too..loud. So, so loud.

Sometimes it hurts.

It doesn't hurt that much.

Besides, it's not like they really hide it, so she's prepared for the jabs and insults- and though she doesn't really remember much, she thinks that she does a fairly good job of going about her day.