Hero Touya/Dabi

6 - Scary Fire

A little boy sat under a tree. Wet streaks trailed down his face, ice covered the ground around him.
          "Shoto?.."
          The sudden voice caught him off guard, he backed up into the tree, slamming his back into it as a figure loomed over him.
          "You good, lil bro?" Touya smirked.
          Shoto pouted, "Leave me alone, Touya."
          Touya frowned, plopped himself next to his little brother. "What's wrong? You can tell me, Sho."
          Shoto punched the ground, ice dusting the air around them, "Stop acting like you don't know what's bothering me!"
          Touya ran a hand though his hair, looking away from his little brother, sighing. "It's Dad, isn't it?.."
          The silence spoke more than words.
          Touya stood. "Come with me," he held out his hand. Shoto looked at it for a moment, seemingly searching the back of his mind before taking his older brother's hand and standing up.
          They walked hand in hand together on the grounds of their home. They walked past the fountain, past the garden, past the array of expensive vehicles. They walked and walked until they came to a large wooden sign hammered into the grass.
          "Sekoto Peak" is what it read.
          They entered the forest, trekking past bushes, ginormous trees, and patches of blue flowers. They eventually stopped at an overturned log overlooking a small pond. Touya sat down, patting the space next to him. Shoto hesitantly filled the space beside his elder brother.
"Listen, Sho, I know you hate dad and all, but don't let him get to you. Someday you'll go to UA, and be free of his relentless nonsense. Trust me," Touya said, giving Shoto a reassuring look.
          Shoto evaded his brothers gaze, instead watching the dragonflies whizz above the pool of clear sparkling water.
          Wind rustled the bushes around them, filling the long silent gap with the crackling of leaves and branches moving against one another.
"Do you think Dad will still love me even without my fire?"
"Wha-," the question was so abrupt, so out of the blue, that even Touya was at a loss of words, "Without your fire? Sho, why can't you use your fire?"
Shoto swallowed, "Fire's so scary, Touya-nii, I don't wanna be like him! He hurts people, I don't wanna hurt people..."
Touya knew what Shoto was going through, but he also didn't. Endeavour. Enji Todoroki. Their father, who was a hero; an abuser. All his life he wanted to be like a hero like him. He wanted to work beside his father, have him finally look at him, and acknowledge that he's everything the number 2 hero ever wanted. Ever since he awakened his ice quirk, he realized how selfish his dream of becoming better than Shoto was. He was no better than his father. But Shoto's story is so different from his. Shoto never wanted to be Endeavour. He'd always adored All Might from a young age. He hated his father, which is what they had in common.
"Listen, Sho," Touya turned to face his little brother, "Fire doesn't have to be scary. You don't need to be like him. See?" He stuck his hand out in front of Shoto. Slowly, a small light blue flame erupted from Touya's scarred palm. "Touch it," he said, "don't be scared. You trust me, right?"
Shoto hesitantly put his hand around the flame. Instead of a slight burning sensation, he felt cool air ventilating off it. He gasped and his eyes went wide. He looked up at his grinning brother.
"Literally cool, right?"
Shoto giggled, "Yeah! Cool."
Touya put a hand on Shoto's shoulder. "You're not like him, okay? Fire can be used in the right way. Like how All Might uses his quirk to beat the bad guys. Your half and half quirk is unique, Shoto. And if Dad can't see that, then I'll make him."
          "Thanks, Touya-nii."
          Touya ruffled his little brother's white and red hair, "C'mon, let's get some rest. I got that UA sports festival thing tomorrow."
          "You're gonna be great!"
          "Thanks."