Deku's Kisses

Shoji Mezo

      Forgiveness was a concept that Shoji Mezo quickly came to understand. When he was a young child he began to realize that he and his family were different from others, not once had he found anyone else that looked like him. His mother has a quirk that allows her to shift her limbs to different parts of her body, she was a mother who honestly could have eyes on the back of her head. His father has multiple arms but they aren't webbed like Mezo's. He knew that his parents really did love him but he also knew that they didn't want to have another kid after seeing what their quirks looked like put together, he heard them talking about it before. 

     They hadn't meant for him to hear, of course. His family tried being careful anytime they would discuss Mezo's unique appearance but not much snuck past the boy. Whether he wanted to or not, his quirk allowed for him to hear much better than the average person. Small creaks in the flooring, the flush of a toilet and many conversations could be heard right from the comfort of his bed.

    In that same bed was where Mezo found peace or at least some semblance of it. Even before he discovered his parents' aversion to his appearance it wasn't hard to see that he made people uncomfortable. Both children and adults alike -although grown ups were better at hiding it- were visibly unnerved by his presence.  He could tell each and every time someone took a few steps back when he travelled near. He could tell each and every time how afraid someone was when he towered over their smaller figure. As a child Shoji was still rather large, always being the tallest kid in the room and maybe even the building.  He could tell each and every time someone would talk to him with eyes not reaching his figure. In his bed was where he learned to forgive them.

    After accumulating hours in such bed soaking it with his own salty tears Shoji realized that he could never change how he looks. A fact that most people never learn. Sure he could gain muscle or chop his hair but fundamentally he will always look like Shoji Mezo. He would always have multiple limbs, his height would always be intimidating and his face would always be scary. Those three things would always be true. Cementing those as facts somehow helped the boy. 

  It took all the way through middle school for him to stop trying to change himself for the benefit of others. He stopped hunching over and lowering himself to look less intimidating, first. He stopped trying to change his voice to sound less scary, second. He tried to stop wearing his mask but after making multiple children cry in public he decided that maybe it was okay to just show his face at home, third.  Once he stopped trying to morph himself into a different package Mezo realized that it was easier to like himself.

Shoji Mezo began to kind of enjoy being different. He was thankful that he could see over crowds, he found that it came in handy for navigating public transportation. His mother said that he hugs just like his father, which Mezo knew was what made her fall in love with the man. It turned out that his quirk would be really good for heroics, he realized this after saving his family from their burning home. His heightened sense of smell caught the scent of smoke when the flames on his living room curtains were still easily smothered. The small portable heater next to the window was the source of the fire and was easily unplugged and thrown out.  He saved his family with his quirk. He was a hero now and Mezo knew about plenty of heros who looked 'villainous'  but people still trusted them with their lives. He forgave himself for having a terrifying quirk as it was the reason why he could save others.

   Of course, Shoji had not realized that he would be saving people so early in his high school career. After everything that happened during his first year at UA he started loving his quirk. Sure he couldn't sleep without dreaming of that portal and sure he can't go to the mall without looking over his shoulder but he knew he saved some of his friend's lives. For the first time ever he had other people who liked him and his quirk.