Chapter Text
At night, Todoroki Touya, a pale and slim sixteen-year-old boy with white hair streaked faintly with red at the crown, stumbled barefoot down the street. His hair spiked upward in uneven tufts, falling low over his thin turquoise eyes. His body ached, scars pulling tight against his skin, reminders of the nursery he had just burned down. He was desperate to find his way back home, to see if the place he had once belonged to still existed for him.
When he finally reached the Todoroki Abode, he stopped short. His father, the Flame Hero; Endeavor, stood in the yard, barking commands. Shouto was there, small and trembling, face wet with tears as he tried to endure the brutal training. Touya’s chest tightened. For a moment, he thought his family had moved on without him, that in the three years he had been gone — three years in a coma after losing control of his Quirk at Sekoto Peak — they had erased him. His body bore the evidence of that failure: regenerative tissue stretched across his lower face and neck, down past his collarbone, around his torso, arms, and legs.
The insecurities clawed at him, whispering that he was nothing but a failure, that he had ruined everything. But then he looked closer. Shouto’s cries weren’t from weakness; they were from pain. He wasn’t training willingly. He was being forced. Touya’s eyes narrowed, realization dawning. His father had never loved him, not truly. He had only ever loved what Touya could give him.
If Touya couldn’t live out his dream... then neither would Enji.
Later that night, Touya crept into Shouto’s room. The boy stirred as Touya crouched beside the bed, his turquoise eyes softening as he whispered. “Shouto. Wake up. I’m getting you out of here.”
Shouto blinked, his small voice trembling. “Touya..?”
Touya nodded, squeezing his hand. “Yeah. It’s me. Come on, we don’t have time.”
Shouto nodded, slipping his hand into Touya’s without hesitation, and together they moved carefully through the house. Touya’s heart pounded as he checked every shadow, every corner, terrified of running into their father.
They reached Fuyumi’s room, and Touya eased the door open. His twin sat up immediately, her eyes wide. “Touya?” she whispered, her voice breaking as she rushed forward to hug him. Tears spilled down her cheeks. “You’re alive. I thought-”
“I missed you too,” Touya murmured, holding her close. The sound of footsteps in the hall snapped them back. He pulled away quickly. “We have to go. Now.”
Fuyumi’s eyes darted toward Shouto, then back to Touya. “What about Natsuo?”
Touya shook his head, his voice sharp. “There’s no time. Someone has to stay behind for Mom anyway.”
Fuyumi froze, her expression shifting. “Touya… you don’t know?”
Touya frowned. “Know what?”
Her voice shook. “Mom’s gone. She… she had a breakdown. They sent her to Fujitani Hospital. She-” Fuyumi’s eyes flicked to Shouto, her voice breaking. “She poured boiling water on Shouto's face. She thought he was Father.”
Touya froze halfway out the window, stomach twisting violently. His eyes snapped to Shouto, and for the first time, he truly saw the scar. It stretched across the left side of his face, from his hairline down his cheek.
Touya's voice was hoarse. “Shouto… is that true?”
Shouto’s small voice was steady, though his eyes glistened. “Yeah. It’s all Enji's fault.”
Touya’s breath caught. He wanted to deny it, wanted to believe it wasn’t real, but the truth wasn't deniable. A resentment emerged; he thought of his mother, of the way she had tried to help him when he was thirteen, and how he had lashed out at her instead. He had told her she was guilty for his existence, that her family had sold her off to Enji because they were poor.
That had been the day he lost control, the day Sekoto Peak burned.
He had never apologized.
Now he might never get the chance.
A shout echoed through the house, Enji’s voice filled with anger. Touya’s heart lurched as he realized their father must have gone to Shouto’s room and found it empty. He jumped out the window, landing hard on the ground below, and beckoned his siblings to follow. “Come on! Hurry!”
Fuyumi helped Shouto out first, then climbed down herself.
Together, the three of them ran into the night.
Midoriya Izuku jogged through the streets, school bag bouncing against his side with each step. He was fourteen, short for his age, and quite skinny. His round face was framed by a mop of dark forest-green hair that curled at odd angles, sticking up in places no matter how much he tried to flatten it. His large emerald eyes were wide and watery, and four freckles dotted his cheeks in a diamond pattern, something people often pointed out when they called him plain-looking or said he didn’t stand out.
Izuku didn’t mind. He had bigger things to worry about than appearances.
He slowed down when he noticed a crowd forming ahead. People were gathering near Tatooin Station, their voices rising with excitement. Izuku squeezed through the crowd until he could see what was happening. A giant villain was rampaging near the railway, clutching a stolen bag. He was panicking, swinging his arms wildly as Heroes rushed in to stop him. Izuku’s eyes widened, heart racing.
The villain struck a portal catenary, causing it to collapse. Death Arms ran forward and caught the structure before it could crush anyone. Backdraft followed, using his Water Pump Quirk to create a barrier of water, pushing citizens back to safety. Izuku scribbled notes quickly in his notebook, muttering to himself as he wrote down their names and abilities.
Kamui Woods arrived next, wooden limbs extending as he confronted the villain. The giant swung his massive hand down, but Kamui dodged easily, movements sharp and precise. The villain shouted angrily, telling him to get away, but Kamui pressed forward, weaving through the attacks. Izuku’s pen scratched across the page, excitement growing.
Kamui ran up the villain’s arm, extending his wooden limb to grab the wrist. The villain shook him off, throwing him into the air. Kamui twisted midair and landed smoothly. He stood tall, accusing the villain of breaking laws and calling him the incarnation of evil.
Kamui prepared his Lacquered Chain Prison, his arm extending as wood shot out to bind the villain. Just as he was about to finish, Mt. Lady appeared. She leapt into the air, body growing to an enormous size, and slammed into the villain with her Canyon Cannon. The giant collapsed, defeated before Kamui could finish his move.
The crowd erupted in cheers. Cameras flashed as reporters swarmed Mt. Lady. She posed confidently, announcing that it was her debut and that the rest should be left to her. Kamui stood off to the side, stunned and silent, his moment stolen. Izuku frowned slightly, but his pen didn’t stop. He wrote down Mt. Lady’s Quirk, Gigantification, noting the advantages and disadvantages he could see.
A man standing nearby glanced at Izuku, noticing his frantic note-taking. “You aimin' to be a Hero, kid?” he asked with a smile. “Good luck with that.”
Izuku looked up, face brightening. “Yes, sir! I’ll do my best!”
The man chuckled and moved on. Izuku closed his notebook, hugging it to his chest as the crowd began to disperse. The sidewalk cleared, and he continued jogging toward school, mind buzzing with everything he had just seen.
At Aldera Junior High, the classroom was noisy until the teacher raised his voice. He stood at the front, holding a stack of papers, and reminded the students that it was time to start thinking about their futures. He said he would hand out the printouts for their desired life courses, but added with a tired smile that he already knew most of them wanted to be Heroes. The room immediately erupted in excitement. Students shouted over one another, showing off their Quirks despite the teacher’s warning that they weren’t allowed to use them during school hours.
Bakugou Katsuki leaned back in his chair, crimson eyes sharp as he smirked. “Hey, Teach, don’t lump me in with these Extras,” he said loudly. “I’m superior, the real deal. These buncha losers will be lucky to end up as Sidekicks to some busted D-lister.”
The class groaned and shouted at him, telling him to shut up, but Katsuki only sneered. “Shut your mouths, I'll take you all on! You all know I’m aiming for U.A. High. None of you could even dream of making it in!”
The students muttered about how difficult the exam was, the .2 acceptance rate, but Katsuki cut them off, his voice full of confidence as he hopped onto his desk. “I already aced the mock test. I'm the only one here who stands a chance at getting in. I’ll surpass even All Might himself! And be the richest Hero of all time! Everyone across the world will know who I am, and it all starts with U.A. High!”
The teacher, flipping through his papers, added offhandedly, “Oh, that's right, Midoriya, don't you wanna go to U.A. too?”
The room went silent for a moment before every head turned toward Izuku. Laughter broke out almost immediately.
“There’s no way you’ll get into the Hero Course if all you can do is study,” one student said, grinning. "You don't even have a Quirk!"
Izuku’s face flushed as he tried to defend himself. “The school got rid of the rule about Quirkless students. I... I could be the first one."
Katsuki slammed his palm against Izuku’s desk, an explosion knocking him backward onto the floor. Izuku winced as Katsuki glared down at him. “Listen here, don’t put yourself on the same level as me, Deku. You’re even worse than these damn rejects, ya' Quirkless wannabe! You really think they'd let someone like you when they could have me?!”
Izuku pushed himself up, his voice shaking but determined. “N-no, wait, you've got it all wrong, really! I-I’m not trying to compete with you, please believe me! I just want to follow the dream I’ve had since I was a kid... I may not have a Quirk... but I won’t know if I can do it unless I try my hardest, right?”
Katsuki scoffed, his tone mocking. “You’d never hang with the best of the best, you’d die in the exams!” The rest of the class snickered, their eyes full of pity and amusement as they looked down on Izuku.
Later, when classes ended, Izuku gathered his things. He checked his phone, reading about a villain incident nearby. A slime-like villain had robbed a store and fled through the streets, Quirk active. All Might himself had pursued him, but the villain escaped into the sewers. Izuku’s eyes lit up as he thought about taking notes later.
Before he could leave, Katsuki appeared, snatching Izuku’s notebook from his hands. He flipped through it casually, fanning himself with the pages. “What’s this, Deku? You think we're done?”
Two of Katsuki’s friends walked over, grinning. “What’s that you got? Did you steal his diary?”
Katsuki held up the notebook, showing the title: Hero Analysis for the Future Number 13.
One of the boys chuckled. “You’re seriously taking notes on how to be a Hero? That’s pathetic.”
"He still thinks he'll be accepted; he's delusional!"
Izuku laughed nervously, trying to play along. “Yeah, funny joke. Can I have it back?”
Katsuki’s hand sparked, and the notebook exploded in a burst of smoke and ash. He tossed the ruined remains out the window. “Heroes show potential early. You can tell who’s destined for greatness just by looking at them. When I’m the only one from this garbage school to get into U.A., people will talk about me like that. They’ll know I’m legit. The next big thing.”
He stepped closer, placing a hand on Izuku’s shoulder. Smoke rose as the fabric of Izuku’s uniform singed under the heat. Katsuki smiled, tone fake and cheerful. “Word of advice, Nerd. Don’t even think about applying. Or else.”
Izuku trembled, his voice breaking as he tried to respond, but Katsuki and his friends were already laughing as they walked away. One of them shook his head. “Sad. I thought he’d at least have some fight in him.”
The other snorted. “Guess he finally understands he’ll never be a Hero. Better to find out now than later, I guess.”
Katsuki stopped at the door, turning his head just slightly. His voice was calm, almost casual. “If you really want to be a Hero so badly, there’s one way. Pray you’re born with a Quirk in your next life. Then take a swan dive off the roof of the building.” He chuckled to himself as he walked out.
Izuku’s hands clenched at his sides, anger flaring for a brief moment. He turned back, his eyes burning with a sudden resolve. But when Katsuki lifted his hand and let off a few sparks, Izuku froze again.
Katsuki smirked, asking, “Something wrong?” before leaving the classroom with his two goons.
Izuku stood alone, chest tight, notebook gone, and his dream feeling further away than ever.