Severed from Hope
When I was little, I saw All Might on TV. "Haha! It's fine now! Why? Because I am here!!!" Buildings were crumbling all around, flames raged as people screamed, and a blond middle-aged man was saving them. Carrying the injured on his back, digging survivors out from the rubble with his own hands, flashing a bright smile to those gripped by fear, he brought hope to everyone. And just like that, I fell for heroes.
I thought it was cool, the way he soaked up all the cheers and attention. My heart raced and wouldn't stop. From that moment, I made a vow. I'm going to be a hero. Fueled by that unbreakable resolve, I bolted to my dad in the living room and yelled at the top of my lungs.
"Dad! I'm gonna be a hero!!!"
Honestly, I have no idea where that confidence came from back then. Did I think any family would cheer me on or be happy for me? Or did I just assume it was the natural response? Whatever the case, the past doesn't change. I'd already blurted it out to him. And Dad's reply?
"No, you're not."
That single, firm word, spat out as he sat at the table, swigging something from a green bottle, was nothing like the dream I wanted. It was the exact scene I'd never wished for. Still, I threw a tantrum. I grabbed the creases in his pants and begged to be like that blond guy on TV. I figured if I kept at it, he'd cave to my stubbornness eventually.
And even that hope shattered.
"A hero? You? A hero? You know what happens if you try that shit? You turn into a fucking retard."
"...Huh?"
"You wanna be like those guys on TV? Think you'll get famous just 'cause you're a hero? Nah, no one's gonna want you. They'll treat you like a worthless piece of shit. Scraping by on chump change even the cops wouldn't touch, that's what heroes are, pathetic fucking losers."
I was only five when Dad said that to me. Not some stranger, my own father, to his kid. The shock hit hard, and even now, I've got trauma from him because of it. But I get why he had to say it. Our family was dirt poor. We borrowed from loan sharks constantly, living like total beggars despite all the "light" in our lives. Even so, Dad busted his ass at day labor to feed us. He didn't shy from illegal gigs either, doing whatever it took to scrape together enough for basic food, clothes, and shelter.
But Dad was human too.
Crash!
"Are you insane?! What the hell are you doing in front of the kid?!"
"Hah... Why? Can't I blow off steam? You bitch about money nonstop, can't I vent? You think I want to live like this? You think I'm that much of a pushover?"
Dad drank constantly. Day and night, without fail. Our home was always a mess of shattered stuff and endless parental shouting. I remember hating that family life so much as a kid that I wandered outside all the time. That's probably when I met Bakugo and Midoriya.
"You okay?"
"?"
"You were crying alone... You hurt anywhere?"
I'd hide in alleys far from home, in the city shopping district, sobbing my eyes out. That's when a green-haired kid and one with spiky hair like an explosion came up to me. I was wary at first, didn't let them touch me easily. But we started talking, realized we all loved heroes, and just like that, we were friends.
"All Might's so awesome, right?! He can do anything! Even impossible situations get solved the second he shows up!"
"I'm gonna be All Might's sidekick someday! Then I can hang with him all day!"
"To be All Might's sidekick, you've gotta be someone great like Night Eye, y'know?"
"Hah, I can do it!"
After meeting Midoriya and Bakugo, we hung out all the time. Woods, downtown, riverbanks, anywhere we went, heroes were the topic. Our role-playing and games were all hero-themed. We were that obsessed, so our friendship felt unbreakable.
Until the Quirk diagnosis.
"Quirkless."
"...What?"
"Exactly what it says. No Quirk. So you'll probably need to rethink your future plans. But don't get too down, most office jobs don't care about Quirks. Study hard, and even kids like you can..."
I'd snuck to the hospital without telling Dad for the test. The results were brutal. Nothing like what I'd hoped for. Reality kept shoving unwanted scenes my way. It felt like the whole world was turning its back on me, ignoring me. But I didn't let go of hope. I still had my one true friends, Bakugo and Midoriya.
So I bolted from the hospital straight to our usual empty lot. And with my own eyes, I saw it.
"Y-You're too much, Kacchan... He's crying? I-I won't forgive you if you go too far!!!"
"...A Quirkless loser playing hero? Deku."
Midoriya was getting beat by Bakugo. Pathetically. I envied Bakugo. And Midoriya just looked so damn pitiful.