it wasn't much

kids at school were mean.

they yelled at me and called me quirkless. they'd avoid me because they thought they would become quirkless too.

it wasn't much. sure, it hurt, but it wasn't anything drastic. i could handle it.

but then kacchan left. i couldn't blame him, i'm quirkless. who would want to hang out with deku?

so i figured it wasn't much and i could continue on with my life, this empty feeling in my chest that wouldn't go away no matter how hard i tried.

and then middle school came.

it got gradually worse. i'd get pushed into lockers, laughed at, tripped, cornered every once in a while and stripped of any dignity i had left.

and sometimes it got physical, but it was only a burn or two, so it wasn't much, right?

after all,

i'm quirkless deku.

i myself am not much. so even if this ache in my chest has grown, pulling me into its abyss. this horrible feeling of dread when i wake up.

this horrible feeling of numb that screamed wrong but i couldn't make myself care.

it wasn't that big of a deal, right?

so even if i'm spiraling down, getting told to kill myself and leave my beautiful mother behind-

w҉h҉o҉ d҉i҉d҉n҉t҉ b҉e҉l҉i҉e҉v҉e҉ i҉n҉ y҉o҉u҉

why should that matter?

but then i met all might. sure, at first he didn't believe in me like everyone else, but he does now, right? and it isn't much but to me that means the world.

so why does it still sting?

but i'm being selfish, so of course it's enough.

a girl spoke to me. she didn't trip me, in fact she saved me from tripping over myself! this isn't much, but it should be enough.

i feel giddy and excited, of course, but confused. why would she talk to a useless deku?

i'm a hero course student with friends now. i help people.

this isn't much, but it's more than i've ever had before.

before i was quirkless. now i have a quirk.

would they have cared as much as they do for me now if they knew?

it feels like i'm only loved and respected because of it. what if i didn't have it? would i have achieved as much as i have?

this quirk isn't much, but it's given me more than i've ever had before.

if i was quirkless, would they believe in me?

no. who has ever heard of a quirkless hero?
and i know that i'm right. they're great people, but that's how people think.

as i think this, i realize i've always had this ache in my chest, this lonely aura trailing behind me, this worthlessness scarred onto my wrists.

what i had before wasn't much, but at least i was me.