A/N: Time for the next chapter of this story. It should stick to present tense for the rest of the fic. This chapter should focus on years 4-6 of Touya's life, and conclude at 6, when Fuyumi develops her quirk and Natsuo is at least a year old. Natsuo will be born, but lots of light, fluffy Todoroki sibling bonding is here. However, the dark abuse undertones are developing, and we will see firsthand how awful E slur is to Touya. Thanks for the reviews and follows! It's most appreciated. The OC has his part in the past, but yes he has a power having to do with dreams, and the mindscape is where he is most of the time.
This fanfic is an interesting one that will mess with our brains. I like stories that mess with you, make you think differently. I think a lot of the Neverending Story, and how essentially it is a form of self-insert movie and fiction, the protagonist travels between two realities, but it's left very vague as to what is real and what isn't. But even in that story, and in other fics like it, the self insert dominates everyone and everything for the nebulous reason that they can, will, and must. Again, this fic will be a complete deconstruction of those ideas, but the two ideas I want you guys to keep in your minds while reading this are some excellent points that some users on a website called sufficientvelocity discussed.
Please read and review! Also, I hope I got the age timelines right, and yes the si is meant to not be OP.
Namely, first idea was that as a user named Raviollus said: "For example, I have never seen an SI take on the idea that he wasn't real seriously." This fic serves as character vs self material. Second idea was from a user named Cyberninja, who said they hadn't seen a psychological take on treating now real people (within the story itself, of course) as fictional characters.
These two ideas are very important for this story, so keep them in mind.
The oc's pov is in present tense from now on.
Thank you to the new follower! I hope you all enioy where this will go.
Bold/Italic: Aiden's thoughts/Aiden talking.
Italic: Touya's thoughts.
Chapter 2: Tinderbox
*****'s POV
He's burning, he's burning up.
It consumes his skin, it consumes everything.
No matter where he looks, all he sees are bright red and orange flames.
Smoke is entering his lungs, and he can no longer breathe．
"Stop..." He whimpers, watching the flesh melt off his legs in horror.
He staggers over to the mirror and looks in, because what else can be worse than the fact that he just lost his house?
He nearly screams at what he sees, but doesn't have the capacity to scream anymore, so he just stares at the horrifying sight before him.
A charred skeleton stares back at him in the mirror, pieces of charred flesh hang off his face and body in clumps, barely held in place by shiny silver staples-then his entire body melts and there is just a blackened skeleton standing there, grinning at him. Skeletal fingers are visible to him, as plainly as the black holes of its eyes that stare back.
He turns away from the mirror and runs with all his might, but the grinning skeleton follows him, laughing-its demented laughs follow him the more he runs. No matter where he turns, there is a funhouse mirror, and the skeleton is there, burned flesh hanging off its decaying face.
He's cornered by the skeleton, it reaches for his face, grinning widely and whispers, in a raspy voice, "What's wrong? Can't stand the heat?"
Then it tries to burn him with blue fire and he lets out a cry of terror-until he wakes up.
Wait...wakes up?
Why would he wake up? After all, he died.
'Great, I died before I could complete my chemistry degree. I died before I could do absolutely anything that I wanted to do with my life.'
He's dead.
But more than anything else, he is frustrated!
He had told them before that this fire would kill him, and it had!
Because he's dead.
That's right, he is dead. The sooner he comes to terms with it, the better, he thinks darkly.
He feels like a heavy sandbag has been dropped onto his head.
Realizing this is like his heart has been smashed into pieces.
'I told them my room was a fire hazard, but they didn't listen.'
Wait...how can he be thinking...complaining, even, if he's dead?
"Let's see...after death is heaven, hell...or reincarnation?" He mumbles.
Well, if he can complain and talk and think, then he must be alive. The hope floods through him like nothing else.
'Open your eyes,' He tells his body, but nothing happens physically.
But, he does open his eyes, in a sense.
His blue eyes open...and all he sees is blue in his vicinity. Sitting up, he sees there is calm blue water trickling beside him. From what he registers, he also feels extremely cold for some reason.
Despite this, he also feels warm too, which is contradictory. He's not quite sure how to explain that logically, either.
"I'm freezing..." He mumbles.
It's then that he does realize something: he is see-through, from his hands to his feet. Is...is he a ghost?
"What the fuck?"
Fear floods through him as he quakes.
Where is he? All he sees is blue below him, calm blue water that's lukewarm in temperature babbling below him. It's like a river.
"Hello?" He calls out, but no one answers.
Just great.
Right, remember basic details. While he's here, he might as well think of his name first.
"My name is Aiden...my birthday is July the twelfth..." He mutters.
He's a college student, or was, seeing as he...he died.
Aiden sighs. The beginning of a lovely nightmare seems to be before him.
Where the hell is he? That's the first task he seemingly has to deal with, he thinks.
Figure out where the hell he is...inside a dark cave? That's what it seems like, at the very least. What else could it be?
The cold water turns hot sometimes and it's a strange sensation, he thinks, as he charges through this dreamscape, praying he will find someone. All he sees is more of the same blue water that isn't actually water...his feet make no noise as he splashes in the water.
As he runs, he sees objects lying on the ground here and there.
"This is ridiculous, completely unscientific." He complains.
He is a logical person, completely confident in his ability to explain illogical things.
He can't go any farther, because a bloody wall is in his way.
"Hello?" He calls again.
'Okay,' Aiden thinks, 'Reexamine your surroundings. Try to figure out where you are.'
His father has told him about this method, of trying to find your way back if you get lost hiking.
The first thing he would do is search for signs of life.
"But..." He mutters, fidgeting, "I don't seem to be alive myself."
After all, he has not been hungry or even thirsty. He is still sleeping...right?
"I don't know what to make of any of this." He moans, falling back into the hot water again, which is really more like lava than water. Strangely, it doesn't hurt him.
"I...really...died." He repeats the words to himself, feeling tears prick at his eyes.
He can't see his mother again, or his father. This is hell.
"How could I be reincarnated if I look like a ghost?" He moans, putting his face in his hands and crying, hysterical crying, because he just died, damn it. His cries echo off the walls of his prison.
The water seems to respond to his feelings, growing hotter and hotter until it's steaming blue magma again. It doesn't hurt at all, it billows around him, yet passes through him.
"Lava?" He says absently, watching as the waters cool.
His desperation starts again, causing the lava to rise again.
"Please...someone, anyone...help me! Someone help me! I can't be stuck here forever!"
He glances at his translucent hand and laughs.
"Oh right...I'm dead..."
It's then that he hears it, a sound.
A small footfall.
He hears it again, growing closer.
It's a quiet sound.
It sounds like someone is wading in the water toward him.
"Hello?" He calls.
The footsteps increase their pace.
Aiden cowers, covering his head with his hands.
He can see a small shadow when he looks up, which darts back, like it's afraid of him. He can also hear breathing, somehow.
Aiden knows that someone is there. "Hello, can you help me?"
The small shadow is creeping toward him. He can vaguely make out a humanoid form.
This person can't be taller than three feet.
That makes him both happy and scared.
"Can you hear me?"
The figure tilts its head and nods.
As he gets closer, the first thing he perceives are a set of turquoise orbs staring up at him. The eyes are so bright, but lighter in shade than his own.
As he watches, the figure becomes that of a child, obviously male. This kid can't be older than three or four.
The child is sizing him up as well.
It's then that he notices the child has spiky hair like that of an anime character.
His hair is pure crimson in color.
"Are you okay, mister?" The ghost child says.
But no matter how he looks at him, he looks alive.
"I heard this voice I didn't know...I heard you crying...and I got worried. I decided to go look and see what was happening. Mister, why are you so sad in my dream? Did you get hurt? Can I help?"
Dream?
Aiden stares at the child.
"My name is Aiden." He states.
He waits for a reaction, the child blinks and nods.
"I've never seen you here before in my dreams, Mister."
Now this is getting weird.
"Do I look like a ghost?"
The boy nods.
"Are you a ghost?" The boy asks.
Aiden begins to cry again.
"I'm not a ghost..."
The child smiles at him, and it's the most innocent smile he has ever seen. "Mama tells me it's okay to cry. She says it means you're brave."
The child races to Aiden and hugs him. His hands are warm, the child is entirely warm. He can feel the cold leaving him.
The child hugs his middle.
"It's okay to cry! Are you here to be my friend? i've never had a friend before." He chirps.
The red-haired boy keeps hugging him and Aiden lets it all out, sobbing.
"It's okay, Mister! Everyone gets sad, Aiden-niisan?"
"...Yes. What is um, your name?" He asks.
'Is this child...me? But if that's the case, shouldn't I be the one in control and he shouldn't exist?' He thinks.
The child beams.
"My name is Touya!"
"Touya..." He mutters.
"I'm Touya Todoroki, nice to meet you, Aiden-niisan!"
Wait, did he say Todoroki? As in...Todoroki from My Hero Academia?
"What's wrong, Mister?"
He blinks. "Don't you remember...the fire?"
"Hmm...I can do it with my quirk!"
Blue flames appear around the child.
Aiden lets out a small scream.
"What's wrong, Mister? It's not gonna hurt you."
"I don't like fire much."
"It's my quirk. Don't you have one, mister?"
This dream communication might be a quirk...wait, he's been reincarnated.
"Are you my guardian angel?" He asks.
"...Yes." He mumbles.
"Where did you come from, Aiden-nii?" He asks.
"I went up to heaven before I was supposed to.."
Touya blinks. "What did you say?"
"Well, I mean that I'm you-"
There is a strange noise, like wind whistling.
"I didn't catch that. I'm sorry." The child trails off.
"No, it's all right..."
'Touya Todoroki dies.' He thinks darkly.
But why? Why couldn't he tell the child he was reborn?
Later on, he learns that he is not in charge of the body, but Touya is. Furthermore, instead of one soul, there is another soul, Touya's. How is this possible?
"Hey, Mister, look what I drew. I drew you."
The tears still come down his face.
"Thanks so much, kid."
When he opens his eyes, he can see nothing.
He can see what the child is doing and hear.
But he can't control the body.
"Are you still lonely, mister? I notice no one can hear or see you but me. I don't know why that is, Mister."
He's trapped in the child's mind. He feels a twinge of resentment. But this is a child that's gonna die from his dad's shitty parenting. The least he can do is help.
Even though he's not good with the meta on this series, he'll help.
This isn't how it's supposed to go, he's supposed to be the one in control.
"Touya, who are you talking to?" Rei Todoroki asks.
"Just my imaginary friend!"
There is something else troubling.
Why are Touya's flames blue?
It reminds him of a different character.
"Touya."
"Yeah?"
"Why are your flames blue?"
"I dunno, why?"
Maybe it's a coincidence, but he is going to keep an eye on Touya Todoroki just in case.
Today's the day.
The day his daddy wants him to start training with him.
Touya's very excited, because his daddy wants him to be a hero!
'Touya, I don't think this is a good idea,' Aiden-niisan says in his head.
"Why? Daddy wants what's best for me." Touya says cheerfully.
'Touya...don't trust your father. He's a cruel man.' Aiden-niisan says.
Touya just can't bring himself to believe it, but he still thanks Aiden-nii for looking out for his wellbeing.
"Daddy wants me to be strong like him." He whispers to himself, too excited to think straight.
'That's not a good thing,' Aiden whispers in his head.
Touya doesn't understand why even Aiden-niisan seems to not like his father, he is a hero.
Aiden-niisan can't be seen by anyone, even his mommy, so he's not sure if he is imagining him or not.
He talks to Aiden-niisan a lot, when he's sad or lonely, which is a lot because his daddy has been yelling more lately. Aiden-niisan comforts him and talks to him in a strange language, about things he's never heard of before, but which often put the child to sleep.
Touya trusts Aiden-niisan, but he trusts his daddy more.
That morning, he overhears an argument between his mommy and his daddy.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Enji? He is only four years old." His mommy's voice.
For some reason, she sounds upset. But why?
Daddy wants him to be as big and tough and strong as he is, that's a good thing, right?
"He got his quirk, Touya is my son and he's ready to handle this. He will be as strong as me." Daddy sounds like he believes in him, he sounds happy, which makes Touya happy.
"Enji, go easy on him. He's a child."
There is a strange sound and he hears his mommy start to cry.
"He is my son and I must have a successor, you will not stand in my way, woman."
Did his daddy make his mommy cry? Why would he do that to her?
The door opens and his father steps out, looking at him, before motioning for him to follow.
He leads Touya to that training room he has seen his daddy enter before.
"Do you want to be like your daddy?" He asks seriously.
Touya looks at how amazing his daddy looks, on fire, and nods. His dad is super strong and saves so many people!
His daddy puts on his flames.
He looks super cool...but also super scary, for some reason.
Touya watches in fascination as his daddy uses his flames with relative ease.
"Touya, your flames are possibly hotter than mine. I will train you to be my heir and overcome All Might. Show me your quirk, again." He demands, which is weird, but Touya figures he just wants to be proud of him.
Touya holds his hand out and a small, blue flame appears in it, crackling.
His daddy's eyes are filled with greed as he watches Touya's fire. "Make a bigger flame, Touya."
His daddy is counting on him.
He won't let him down.
'Don't worry, Daddy! I'll do my best!' Touya thinks, closing his eyes and produces a second flame that is even bigger than the first.
His daddy's grin grows wider.
Touya doesn't know why...but it makes him feel scared to see his daddy smiling like that. It doesn't look nice, it looks like it's a wolf about to eat him up.
"You will begin training with me today. You will learn to dodge my fire, you will learn to master your quirk, so you can be a great hero. You will not fail me at all and will show how much you love me in your battle, right? You will not disappoint me, Touya. You are the heir to the family name." Daddy is looking at him as though he sees an opponent.
Touya isn't sure how to react.
He just nods.
His daddy looks satisfied, before he starts shooting flames at him.
At first, Touya thinks it's all part of some big game, but he runs, scared of the flames, trips and falls.
His father picks him up and growls, "You must not be afraid of the flames. You are not an idiotic failure, you are a Todoroki, this is your destiny, accept it. You are my son, Touya. You must not be weak."
He swallows and tries again.
The blue flames appear on his hands and hurt his hands as they manifest. It hurts...he gazes at his daddy. That's his daddy, he can't throw fire at him, he could hurt him. He can't do that.
They rush up his arm, causing him to fall back and scream as the flames attack his flesh, burning him.
"You're burning yourself." His father impassively remarks, as though this is nothing to him.
"Daddy, it hurts, make it stop!" He whines.
"No, you must control it, Touya. That is your quirk, given to you by me. Do you not appreciate me enough? If you did, you would control it."
"I don't like it...my arm hurts, Daddy."
His father hits him in the face.
"There is no crying to be had, you are a Todoroki. Do not disappoint me, Touya. Worthless brat, do your flames again."
He tries, but it burns him again instead of hitting his daddy.
"Again."
He tries, but it again seems to burn only him and not his father, though it does get bigger.
"AGAIN! GET UP!"
He succeeds this time, but each time he just gets more and more hurt.
It's so hot, hot, hot.
He doesn't want to do this anymore.
He's tired, his hands hurt and he wishes his daddy would stop yelling, that he would stop looking at him like that.
After an hour or so, his daddy sends him away.
Mommy is there to comfort him and heal his burns with her quirk.
"Why did Daddy hurt me, Mommy?" He asks.
She starts to answer, but sees that Enji is watching and freezes.
"Your daddy wants what's best for us. He wants you to be a great hero. You're my little Touya, my brave, strong warrior, right?" She wipes his tears away and hugs him close.
Touya feels a lot better after he is hugged by his mommy.
His tutors seem delighted that he has his quirk and speak about how he should be happy to have his daddy as his daddy and how he will be a great hero someday. He should be proud.
Why, then, does he not feel happy?
He just feels afraid.
Every time he thinks about his father or that room, he wants to puke.
He doesn't think he likes his daddy that much anymore.
Aiden-niisan comes to console him, saying that he was scared of flames and that's why he didn't come to help Touya.
He just feels...scared of his daddy now.
Daddy is just upset because he isn't being enough of a good boy.
He'll...he'll be better, then.
'Your father is the one who should be better.' Aiden whispers.
"Fuyumi!" Touya cries, going to his baby sister as she sits in her crib.
She's only a few months old, so she can only watch him as he cries, ignorant to his suffering, or his problems.
If Daddy did mean things to her, he thinks he wouldn't be able to like his daddy anymore.
In fact, he thinks he doesn't like his daddy at all.
He thinks he hates him.
Just like how he hates peas and doesn't like eating them.
The months fly by.
Touya's training continues, no matter how much he begs him to stop.
His daddy mocks him for crying and for getting burned by his quirk, says he's not really his son, that he's worthless. He makes him practice until he's constantly covered in ouchies and burns and he hates it.
The only light in his life is his baby sister, who learns to talk slowly.
The first thing she says is his name.
"Tou-ya." She grabs at his red hair with her tiny fingers as he laughs.
"Yumi, stop!"
He swears he can hear Aiden-nii laugh, too.
He freezes upon hearing his mean daddy's footfalls.
Lately, he's taken to yelling at Mommy, lately he pushes her around and says a lot of mean things. Sometimes, Mommy even cries when she thinks no one is around.
It's like his daddy is a villain. But he's a hero, he can't be a villain.
'Your father is the villain,' Aiden-niisan says.
Touya agrees.
Touya strains his ears to listen to the conversation.
"...complete disappointment."
"Don't talk about Touya like that, Enji. He's trying his best."
Fuyumi turns a year old and time passes.
Touya turns five. It's the worst birthday of his life.
His daddy no longer gives him presents.
His mommy tries, but he still cries when his daddy calls him weak.
He loves his quirk and thinks it's cool, but the flames make him scared, and he's not sure why.
They take him to the doctor, but the doctor says a lot of words he doesn't understand. What he does understand is that his body was made for cold like Mommy, but instead has heat like Daddy and he can't control it, though the heat doesn't bother him too much.
"He's a failure of a son." He says within earshot of Touya, much to his heartbreak.
"Don't be so hard on him. He's only five years old, I told you to go easy on him, and besides, he has the rest of his life to train and be good. He should be outside, playing, not training all the time."
His mommy sounds scared.
"Mommy..."
Sometimes, she even looks afraid of him.
He's not sure why.
"Enji..." She will say, before shaking her head and addressing him as Touya.
"I'm so sorry...Touya...you look just like him." She will say.
Why does he have to look so much like the man who keeps hurting him?
He hates his red hair.
It makes mommy scared of him.
"I can only hope Fuyumi will not be a disappointment, like Touya." Endeavor remarks to his mother.
'Fuyumi isn't weak,' He thinks angrily.
None of them are weak.
Touya realizes he has a deep hatred for his father that's only growing every minute.
He hates how Fuyumi tries to get her father's attention, only to be brushed aside and ignored every time.
He hates how Fuyumi cries, asking why Daddy has no time to see her.
He hates how he hurts Mommy.
He hates how he makes himself hurt.
But seeing Fuyumi hurt makes him angry.
He wishes he could be better for his family.
'Your father is terrible. I wish I could help. But I can't.'
Aiden-niisan can only do so much.
He looks just like his daddy.
How he hates his reflection.
"You're lucky having Endeavor as your father." One of his tutors sighs.
If they actually know what is going on, why don't they say anything?
They must know.
His daddy has to be a hero, but he's a good guy, right?
He believes that less and less every day.
They're all sitting at the dinner table when Touya decides to rebel.
"Eat your dinner, Touya. You'll be training with me after dinner-"
"No."
His father's face reddens. "What did you say to me?"
"Dear, please. He has homework to do." His mom placates.
"I won't be hurt anymore! I hate you!" He shrieks.
"You will stop being so weak and do as I say."
Not for the first time, Touya is thrown to the floor and punished by his father.
"You know who is in charge here?"
"You..." He coughs, having been hit hard enough to be bleeding from his nose.
"Touya!" Fuyumi cries.
She's nearing two years old, and Touya's seen the way he looks at her.
Like she's less than dirt.
"You will train, regardless of if you like it or not."
All Touya can do is nod.
He's put through more hell on Earth.
He tries telling people about his father's abuse, but they never believe him. His doctor tells him he must be mistaken about his father's abuse and that his father loves him.
His tutors dismiss him out of hand when he brings up the subject.
He's seen nice daddies and his daddy isn't nice. He doesn't like him, he hates him.
One of the most bittersweet days of his life is when he receives news he was not expecting to hear.
It's around October, in the month of Halloween, when his mother tells him and Fuyumi some news.
Fuyumi is growing more and more every day, and only a few months from her second birthday.
Spending time with Fuyumi is his favorite thing to do.
"I'm pregnant again, Touya, so you're gonna have a little brother or sister." Mommy says.
Touya's world shatters. On the one hand, he's excited and happy for his mom. He glances at Fuyumi. Her quirk will come in two years. How will she be treated then?
"You'll be a good big brother like always?" His mom is pleading with him, and he can't make her upset. He says he will.
Fuyumi hits her second birthday and is ignored most of the day by Endeavor.
Touya spends time with her.
"Why doesn't Daddy like me?" She cries into his arms.
"Daddy's just mean. I don't think he's a hero. He's pretending."
"But he is a hero." Fuyumi argues.
He hugs her close, thinking dark thoughts that his young mind can't even begin to understand.
'I just want to keep Fuyumi and my new sibling safe...' He thinks.
Aiden-niisan keeps giving him the same advice.
It's getting old.
He wishes Aiden-niisan would stop going silent on him.
He turns six, and already his birthdays are less fun.
Mommy won't even look him in the eye anymore, it feels like she's scared of him.
'She thinks you look like Endeavor.' Aiden-niisan says.
These days, Aiden-nii is often as helpless as his tutors are, reassuring him with platitudes.
"Do it again." Endeavor orders.
Touya's flames have become more impressive, but he still cannot control them as much as his father would want. While he can attack now, he cannot stop himself from being burned.
His mother bandages him without looking at him these days.
She'll jump when he enters a room and apologize, but he sees it.
The older he gets, the more he resembles that man.
That man doesn't even let him go to school, saying he is a failure and that he would not impress the public. He doesn't even like that Touya gets sick often.
Touya often stares out the window longingly, wishing he could go to school, too.
July 1st becomes the best day of Touya's life.
On that day, he gains a baby brother for the first time.
Fuyumi excitedly leans over to see her baby brother.
Touya leans over, too.
He sees a head of white hair like his sister.
His daddy looks...angry? Disappointed? He couldn't tell.
"His name is Todoroki Natsuo." His mother says.
"Natsuo!" Fuyumi chirps.
The infant smiles upon seeing his older sister for the first time and grabs at her hair.
The second Natsuo is put in his father's hands, he cries and cries.
Touya can't stop smirking, until his mother tells him to stop.
Natsuo gets passed to him.
As soon as baby Natsuo looks into Touya's eyes, he stops crying and smiles.
"Nice to meet you, Natsuo! I'm Touya, your older brother."
Natsuo is reluctant to even leave Touya's lap.
Touya supposes he's just...overreacting.
Maybe it's just because soon...Fuyumi will be three. Daddy will be looking for a quirk. If she doesn't have one, she'll be useless to him.
Everything hurts. It burns and it hurts.
Touya awakens in a cold sweat from the nightmare he's just had.
He's decided-he's going to protect his siblings from his father.
Someone has to stop his father.
But no one does.
His father does whatever he wants.
He yells at Natsuo for crying too much even though he's just a baby.
His mother tries to stop him, but she gets knocked around.
Aiden-nii is a voice in his head and can't stand up to him.
"I wish Daddy would die." He tells his mother one day.
"You can't say things like that, Touya." She whispers, glancing around, in case he is there.
"Why not? He's mean and he doesn't like us. I wish we could take him to jail. He hurts you and he makes me hurt." He says what Aiden-nii told him to say. Saying this would end the father problem, he had said.
"Everything's fine, Touya. Now please don't talk like that again."
'Touya, your father can't be reasoned with,' Aiden-nii says.
He agrees, but Aiden-nii got him in trouble!
'What can I do?' He thinks, up in his bedroom.
'Wait.'
The thing is, Touya's tired of it. He's only six and he is tired of his father hurting his mother and his siblings and himself.
If he didn't have his siblings, he'd probably break.
For the first time that night, the thought of him killing his father enters his mind.
He can't do that.
His daddy's bigger than he is and stronger than he is.
Maybe he could put him in jail?
He tries to and is laughed at, accused of making trouble for Endeavor and sent home, where his father punishes him more.
He'd told the truth, why hadn't they believed him?
Don't heroes care?
'If I didn't have Fuyumi, and Natsuo...I don't know what I'd do...' He thinks idly.
He's going to be a different hero than his dad.
A better hero.
Little did he realize that his destiny had a different role in mind for him than hero.