Artifice

Ruin My Life

Before I start, I would like to clarify. This is NOT a ship between Toga and Izuku.

⚠️ abuse
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Izuku's POV:

Toga was unusually kind to me. It felt good. I never had someone be this kind and genuine before, not even my own mother. It was kinda nice.

Sure, Dabi looked out for me, but I wouldn't exactly call it kind. If anything, I thought of myself as more of a liability to Dabi.

I was used to getting constantly pushed around for just being myself. However, with Himiko, I felt more like a member of the league than an asset.

My mother was never very affectionate. It was nearly impossible to read her emotions. Living with her, I couldn't help but feel like just another mouth to feed.

Whenever I accomplished something, she dryly congratulated me. It was nearly impossible to get more than that from her. I struggled to distinguish if she truly meant it. Her words said she did, but her tone and facial expression said that she wouldn't accept any less.

I tried to achieve everything with flying colors. Being unable to develop a quirk was the biggest disappointment of my life. The last thing I wanted was to add to that.

The last thing I've ever wanted to be was a liability, but no matter how hard I tried, I always came up short. I felt like a constant burden to others, but Toga didn't see me like that. She has faith in my capabilities.

I buried the joy I felt into the back of my mind. Overwhelming thoughts consumed me, telling me she would think of me differently if AFO hadn't given me a quirk. That I am a liability and just a pawn in this game.

"You ok, Izuku?" Toga's voice broke my train of thought. She could tell something was bothering me but, thankfully, decided not to push it.

"I'm fine. Sorry." I reassured her as I took off the mask. I tried to convince her and myself of these words.

"Alright then." Her smile from earlier had faded. She got up, nudging the remaining trash under the couch. "I'm glad you like the costume I made you. Now that that's done, I'm going to bed. I'm exhausted." She stretched her arms above her head before cracking her knuckles.

"Good night." I forced a faint smile. My head was still clouded with thoughts.

Toga disappeared into her bedroom, leaving me alone in my thoughts. The room was eerily quiet. It put me on edge.

Suddenly, Tomura walked in. He had been acting off for the past couple days. I've been brushing off his awkward demeanor, but this time it was too obvious to be ignored. My conscious told me that there was something wrong. I tried to ignore this feeling and continued as normal.

"What's up, Shigaraki?" I addressed him casually.

Tomura looked at me with a cold expression.

"Come with me." Shigaraki said bluntly.

"Alright." This made me really on edge.

Tomura led me down a hallway I had never gone through before. This was really weird. The air felt heavy. As much as I wanted to break the silence, something told me that that would be a bad move. Trusting my gut, I remained silent.

The hall felt like it stretched on forever. I was about to ask where we were going before Shigaraki unlocked a door to our right.

The room was cold and dark. The floor was pure cement, with the only thing being in the room, a chain secured to the wall.

My muscles tensed at the demeaning atmosphere of the room.

"What is this-" I asked before I was cut short with a blow to the head, knocking me unconscious.