If you didn't read the warning in the description, this book contains mentions of topics readers may not be comfortable with. Please do not read if such things are outside of your comfort zone.

[tw: (mentioned/past) self-harm, bullying, suicidal thoughts/actions]

—

Izuku Midoriya's smile brightened nearly everyone's day. Eyes crinkled up at the edges like paper until they closed shut in a beaming grin. It was in his nature to make everyone happy, and this was just one of the things he did to ensure that.

And because he wanted everyone to be happy, he didn't mention the times where he sat on the edge of his bed and cried into his hands and pillow. He didn't mention the moments he stared out the open window a little too long and imagined the cold wind whipping against him as he fell down, down, down.

He didn't talk about how much his heart hurt sometimes, especially when he thought about his previously Quirkless life. Nor did he talk about the way he used to cope, the dozens of pencil sharpeners missing their blades. The long sleeved shirts. The scars.

Izuku Midoriya wanted to make everyone happy, so he smiled and shoved the hurtful things— "Pray for a Quirk in your next life and take a swan dive off the roof." "I'm sorry Izuku! I wish things could be different!" "It's not gonna happen, kid." "It's good to dream, but make sure those dreams are realistic." "Izuku, your father... he's... he's not coming back for a while, okay?"— deep down inside of him, inside his heart, inside his scars, and kept them under lock and key.

Izuku Midoriya just wanted everyone to be happy.

—

It's my personal headcanon that Deku's dad abandoned them when he was little, but I left it purposefully ambiguous so you could come up with your own ideas, too.

Also, my word count doesn't include a/ns, just a heads up :)

[word count: 241]