This will be my first story, and it'll be a doozy, hopefully. This is obviously inspired by Kōhei Horikoshi's, Boku no Hero Academia. I recently watched the entire first season in a single night, and I really, really fell in love with the plot. It doesn't help that I thought about writing a similar book a few years back, but never got around to it. The idea is somewhat refreshing, and Deku's character is pretty likeable, so... here we are!

First thing: I'm not very well rehearsed in writing with Japanese honorifics, thus, I will avoid them for now. I do apologize, I know it likely will take away from some of the impact, and if someone wants to help me in that, I'd like that. But until I actually learn to correctly use them, I will refrain from including them as to avoid disrespect.

Second: Due to the limited amount of episodes, obviously, characters personalities are going to be somewhat more difficult to include. I've read the manga up to date, and using that, in addition to the first season, I can try my best at capturing everyone's personalities, but I will likely make some errors, so bare with me, and we'll all work through it.

Now onto the final notes about the stories. Romance is going to be hinted at in some chapters, and blatantly referenced in others. The pairings have not yet been decided, but I don't plan on writing anything like Izuku/Katsuki. While they have a history, I don't think it's romantic.

This story will be AU, and will feature the following:

Mature Theme(s)

Violence of both Physical and Mental Abuse

Sexual References

If you're cool with that, alright, here we go: enjoy!

Prologue

A Lifetime of Sorrow

"Fear not citizens, for hope has arrived!" The voice, strong and courageous, echoed through the darks halls of the Midoriya household. A gentle pitter of rain was the only other sound, hitting the glass of the window gently, drumming against the shingles on the rooftop. "I am here!"

A moment passed, as the faint screaming and static from the speakers halted, before the voice was once again heard, speaking the same lines as before. "Fear not citizens, for hope has arrived!"

Hisashi Midoriya, with a blank look, stared ahead, stationed directly on his sofa. Though his eyes were void of life, his mind was full of thoughts, each one bouncing among his brain, endlessly clamoring to be heard. Every so often, he'd break his stupor long enough to hear the recording of All Might proclaiming with great pride, that he was on-scene.

"Mr. Midoriya, we've reviewed the medical forms of your son, along with his x-rays. We... we have come to a deduction about his powers. We're sorry; but it doesn't look as if he'll ever develop them."

Subconsciously, Hisashi felt his hands tighten, his nails digging into his palms. He wasn't sure if he was drawing blood or not- but then, frankly, he didn't care. It merely felt good to display the raw, burning anger that he felt within. He snorted, smoke billowing out from his nostrils, and he saw the steam that began to circulate from his hands. Bubbling just beneath the surface was a white-hot anger that was surely aimed at someone; he just didn't know who.

"A-are you sure? He'll never develop them?"

"Yes, sir. Look here. This x-ray is of your son's foot. As you can see by the display, Izuku has two joints in his pinky. Research studies were done during the sudden development of 'super-powers' and it was found that humans were evolving to be rid of those traits that served no genetic superiority. Those with Quirks typically have one one joint. With that in mind, it is very unlikely that Izuku will ever develop a Quirk."

"Never... develop..." Hisashi muttered to himself. He continued to replay the doctor's words in his mind, trying to find if there was something that could still be taken for a sign of hope. He loved his son; he wanted Izuku's fantasy of being a hero to come true.

After his wife's passing, Izuku became all that Hisashi cared about. Though he was small, he was extremely energetic when it came to heroes, and Hisashi could see his son's unwavering dedication toward being a hero. His only issue was that he hadn't yet developed a Quirk.

Now...

Now it looked as if he was bound to live life Quirkless.

He would never live out his dream.

Numbly, Hisashi stood up, barely feeling his feet move as he walked toward the source of All Might's voice. The darkness of the halls did little to deter the father from locating his son's pitch-dark room. The only source of light came from the dull glow of the computer that Hisashi had turned on for Izuku to keep him distracted. He stared into his son's room, watching the screen continually replay, and looked directly into the back of the seat that masked Izuku's tiny body.

"I-Izuku..." Hisashi mumbled. He didn't want to cry- he had to be strong for his son.

Slowly, the chair turned around, and revealed a broken looking boy, whose eyes were reddened from tears. Despite the lingering tears, Izuku's face was twisted into a painfully optimistic smile, as he tried desperately to emulate his hero, who was still smiling on-screen, despite the fire that burned endlessly around him.

"D-dad...?" Izuku said quietly. The waver in his voice, mixed with its fragility, caused Hisashi's heart to nearly crumble for his only son. "Even w-when things seem impossible... he never gives up..." There was a pause. "D-do you think I can be a hero, too?"

Hisashi felt his eyes prickle with tears and his heart begin to break. His brain screamed out for him to help his son in any way possible- to end this torment that he was going through. There had to be something he could do. Something.

"Is there any way he'll ever develop a Quirk? Are you sure he isn't just a late bloomer?"

"Like I said; it's extremely unlikely he'll develop one. We're still learning about Quirks, and since they rely on marvels we haven't yet discovered, it is... technically, still possible. I wouldn't hold my breath, though. The only way he discovers one now is if puberty has some adverse effect on his body. While there are reports that said those who undergo tremendous physical and mental trauma can trigger immediate mutation, those reports are misleading. They might result in a Quirk, but that is both highly dangerous and deadly. I'm sorry, Mr. Midoriya, but your son will just have to grow up Quirkless."

Hisashi's brain paused at one single sentence, and for a second, his tears hitched, as his eyes widened in possible realization. There was still hope!

"... it is also said that those who undergo tremendous physical and mental trauma can trigger immediate mutation, resulting in a Quirk..."

"T-tremendous physical and mental trauma...?" Hisashi said quietly.

Dare he attempt it? It was unthinkable. He would be harming his own flesh and blood. He'd be doing unthinkable things, causing scars that would be both visible and invisible, and would persist for likely decades. But... if it worked... he'd be solving his son's greatest problem. He'd be giving his son the future he wanted. Izuku would be able to be a hero; he'd be able to work with All Might- even surpass him!

Hisashi's eyes hardened and his resolve steeled. He'd fix this!

"Izuku... you'll be a hero, yet."

Izuku, the diminutive child, looked up at his father, whose face was unreadable and his eyes were masked by the shadows, and felt a pang of fear creep into his heart. He didn't know what his father was planning, but his tone was dark, yet full of misguided hope. Smoke seemed to be escaping his father's mouth, and even his hands were steaming once again.

Moving quickly, Hisashi put his hands on Izuku's shoulders tightly and looked in directly in his eyes. Izuku squirmed under his father's grip, both in pain from the tightness he was held at, and at the heat his father was emitting. His heart began to race, the fear taking over as his tears began to actively fall once more.

His father, however, didn't seem to notice. If anything, he saw the tears as tears of happiness. "Forgive me, my son... I shall make your dreams come true! Please, Izuku, forgive me..."

The heat increased, and Izuku began to yelp as his skin was exposed to the rapidly rising temperature. The once cream-colored skin began to change into a angry pink as the skin cells were bombarded with sudden amounts of heat. Izuku began to scream, as what felt like trillions of needles pierced his skin and dug deep into his joints. He tried- feebly- to remove his father's hands from his shoulders, but found he lacked any semblance of strength needed to pry his father's iron grip off.

The screams that pierced the darkness began to fade as Izuku's fragile body finally gave, his vision beginning to blur and fade. The young boy slumped forward, held up only by his father's vice-like grip. After a few more moments, Hisashi finally let up on his heat-based barrage, and gently moved his son from the chair onto his bed. He felt the thick pangs of pain run through his heart as he looked over what he'd done to his only son.

Izuku's tiny shoulders were bare, as the shirt that has once covered it was now in singed tatters. The damage to the shirt was unnoticeable when compared to the damage to the skin, however. Formerly pale skin was now blistered and red, and blood seeped from the blisters that had already opened. Hisashi frowned; he hadn't meant to burn him that throughly.

He didn't want to scar Izuku physically, at least, not yet. He would prefer to avoid scarring, if at all possible, but he also knew if his son was to become the best hero, he'd need to endure far worse. That meant, he'd need to be exposed to the roughest of conditions, and the harshest of burns. Standing up to his full height, Hisashi barely recognized the look of agony that was still on Izuku's face. His eyes drank in the expression, but his brain warped it, seeing nothing but dismay that he'd fainted.

"Don't worry, son." Hisashi began to walk away, after taking notes of the injuries so that he could fetch bandages and ointment to avoid infection. "We'll just keep trying. You'll be a hero. I promise."

So, what do you think? It's a little short, and a little dark, I'm sure. While I think the whole, 'great-hero-needs-tragedy' backstory is overused and frankly unnecessary at times, I'm using this backstory to help change Izuku's character slightly. As you can see, his father isn't a drunken parent who beats his child to relieve personal anger, which I feel many people expect when they hear about abuse. In this case, Izuku's father literally believes what he's doing is going to help- which, ultimately, makes it no better, but it will explain why Izuku goes through what he does, later on in the story.

If you have any questions, or anything similar, feel free to PM me, or, naturally, leave a review. While flames are unnecessary, I do look to improve upon my writing and I'd love to learn to use honorifics, so if you want to help, I'd appreciate it. Otherwise, review, favorite and all that jazz, because support lets me know people care, which lets me know to keep writing!