Tododeku One-Shots

You're My Hero {SF}

[Todoroki Shouto]

'I hate my life.'

Those were the words that stayed inside my mind after everything was revealed upon opening my eyes.

Life is definitely unfair. No, it's not just unfair. It's completely unequal, from the beginning of life to the end. People thinking of only themselves, because they had cool powers, 'Quirks' if you will, and decided for themselves to become heroes like the ones they had idolized. They think they are the coolest and most powerful when they have Quirks.

But in my case, a 'Quirk' seemed more like a curse.

Few may say that my Quirk is amazing. After all, my Quirk is a combination of Ice and Fire Quirks. In other words, the right side of my body could produce ice, while the left, flames. But that didn't mean it could be used for any advantages, as I have sworn to myself that I would only use my right sided Ice Quirk, the one I inherited from my mother.

I despised the source of my left side. My Fire Quirk came from my father, the second best hero in the country, Endeavor. Some might believe it's great to have a father like him. After all, Endeavor is one of the best, and you should look up to him because he's strong. However, it's not like that at all to me. I never, ever looked up to him, for he is the worst hero.

Well...not necessarily the worst, but the scoundrel merely chose my mother to use her Ice Quirk to make me. His masterpiece, his son that would surpass his rival All Might, the one who will finish The Symbol of Peace, the son he could be proud of, the son he created to use, the son who could fulfill his desires.

He only married my mother for her Quirk, nothing else. Now, doesn't that make him the worst husband and father?

Every time I resisted his wishes, which had begun when I was very young, he would hurt me for it, even when I was five. Believe me when I say I couldn't fight back. I was weak back then, he was too strong for my baby hands. And whenever he would attempt to hurt mother, I was always there for her, to receive father's attacks instead.

I could still remember how I would always cry in mother's arms whenever father got violent about my being. I would always say that I would never be like father, who bullied and hurt mother. And she was always there supporting me, comforting me, telling me everything would be alright and that someday, I would become a stronger hero than father. She also disliked father, and I knew she was suffering for me. And it pained me to see that.

Even if I was just gazing outside the window, witnessing children of my age freely playing and having fun with no restrictions, I would get pulled away from the window by father, and he would say how it was useless to admire those low level children if I became the strongest because of him. I was always jealous, I have to admit. I was always inside the house, and was not allowed to go out unless I had a reasonable excuse.

'Why had I been born with this life? Why can't I be normal like other kids and have fun and let the heroes do their jobs on protecting us? Why do I need to be like my father, and meet everyone's expectations? Why do I need to have this kind of life?' I asked myself these question many times in my youth. But then, I would think right afterward, I'll be fine as long as I am with my mother.

However, the mother I knew while growing up changed. No, she hadn't changed. She was always like that. I just didn't realize it when I was younger.

I was just walking through the small hallway of our house in search for my mother one day, when I saw the lights in the kitchen were turned on. Curious, I slowly walked toward the slightly opened door and took a peek through the bright crevice. First, I saw the kettle on the stove, releasing misty steam from the heat. Then I saw her back turned toward me as she held a phone.