Fire Within -Tododeku

Burning ambitions

Katsuki Bakugo had convinced everyone that Izuku Midoriya was a conceited human being, an arrogant and egotistical guy due to his powerful fire quirk.

 He never showed his fire again, hoping that everyone would forget about it over time. They did not, but once they started to grow up, the bullying was replaced with a pervasive indifference.

 Izuku didn't know which one was better. Everyone ignored him, and he never tried to present himself to anyone, since the mere thought of starting a conversation was paralyzing. He did not ever raise his hand, nor even say hi to people. He felt his face redden, and he wondered if his shy character was once again taken as a display of a superiority complex. Izuku quickly remembered the hushed whispers everytime he was forced to talk by teachers.

It was a double-edged sword, this newfound invisibility. On one hand, the physical torment had ceased, and he no longer had to endure Katsuki's cruel taunts. But on the other, he had become a ghost in his own life, a mere observer in a world where he yearned for acceptance.

Perhaps he would never be able to make friends until high school would finish. He felt his eyes burn at the thought, and he walked faster to his home despite knowing what was waiting for him. Dad would be already at the house. 

Opening the door with his own key, he was met with the familiar mix of tobacco and cheap alcohol, which confirmed that, indeed, Hisashi was home. He was a man who had once aspired to greatness, but his dreams had crumbled into dust. His face, etched with the lines of disappointment, rarely bore a smile, and when it did, it held no warmth. He had become a stern and unforgiving figure, his eyes clouded with bitterness. His words were like shards of glass, capable of cutting deep with their sharpness, and his voice carried the weight of unfulfilled ambitions. He had dreamt of being a hero, but he was met with failure, since he didn't pass any of the writing exams that were required to enter a hero academia like U.A. He had a once gentle demeanor that Izuku could still remember from his own, old shattered memories of the man holding him in his arms like he was the best gift a human being could ask for. It was gone after his quirk manifested, this power and curse that had forever changed his life.

"Izuku. You are late" he snapped from the couch, holding an unfinished beer. "We need to keep training that quirk of yours if you want to go to UA" he slurred, clearly affected by the alcohol. It seemed that he had consumed too much to be a threat of any kind, and Izuku felt relief.

The dream to go to UA was largely his father, who wanted to live his own dreams through his son. It was as if his father saw in him a second chance at life. Izuku found it pathetic. He did want to be a hero, fiercely. Not only would he save people, maybe from the same bullying and indifference he was met with, but it would also provide him an income, which would mean that he would be able to move out, far away from failed dreams and the alcohol smell that he had grown to hate.

"I'm sorry, father. The teacher wanted to speak to me about me going to UA". It was true. He wasn't expecting the pep talk he got from the teacher, who had found out about this dream and excitedly motivated him to pursue it, saying that a fire quirk like his would be very powerful in the business. Izuku wasn't thrilled, but he felt his heart soften at the unexpected support from his teacher. "He was very encouraging. Said he thought I had more chances than anyone else in the class". Izuku continued, hoping this would cheer up his father and stop taking his alcohol induced anger on him.

"Well, isn't that something. Of course the teacher would be encouraging. After all, you inherited a better version of my quirk. A very powerful one. But you are too much of a weakling, Izuku". He stared at Izuku's green eyes, who was standing in the middle of the room awkwardly. "Heroes don't cry. They aren't softies." He said, staring at the reddened eyes of his son.

"I'll toughen up dad, I promise" Izuku murmured. Showing emotions was a sign of weakness? He knew that it was a lie, and so was his promise. After all, logic told him emotions were what made him human.

This time, Hisashi observed him, a smile starting to draw itself on his face, his eyes softening. It was a hesitant, almost reluctant smile, as if it had been buried beneath layers of disappointment and had now found a reason to surface. It seemed like he for once, observed Izuku with a sense of pride, one that his son knew that he had on him: after all, even if he treated him harshly from the moment he developed a fire quirk, there were moments in training where he seemed to watch him in awe. Izuku had heard him in phonecalls, saying how proud he was that his son was surpassing him already at his age and that he was his most beloved creation. When he heard that, he wanted to cry from happiness. Maybe his father did love him, after all.

But then Izuku was met with reality.

"Alright, get ready now!" He yelled, the smile disappearing completely. "You are already too late, and we don't want people wandering about while we are at the fields. Hurry up" he ordered him around, a severe expression on his face.

And then Izuku's new torment began, but there was a difference. He was determined to become a hero, not just for his own sake, but to protect those who needed saving and to prove that even those who showed their emotions were capable of being the strongest heroes of all.