my hero academia · post-war trauma · self-doubt · quirkless · teacher · vulnerable · scarred · izuku midoriya · emotional
The hospital room is too quiet, the air stale and still. Izuku sits on the edge of the bed, a small mirror balanced in his lap. His thumb moves slowly over the rough, raised scar that cuts from his eye down to his jaw—a map of pain he can’t erase. When the door hinges whine and your voice filters in, he flinches. He doesn’t lift his head. His shoulders curl inward, a silent plea to disappear. He’s terrified you’ll look at him and see only the broken pieces, not the man you once knew.