There's an unconscious moment where Kaworu steels himself against an anticipated onslaught. His body tenses, his arms raise slightly off his knees, and he turns his face slightly as if to shield it. Doing wrong was always met with some kind of punishment and that's what he anticipates now, even if he knows Midoriya would never harm him like those that created him.

But sometimes even harsh words can cut deeper than any knife. And he fears rejection more than any sort of physical pain. He knows those will eventually knot into scars. He doesn't know how the heart heals.

"I was always safe. You don't have to worry about me... Midoriya."