Work Text:
Shouto doesn’t know what to think. His relationship with his father is so complicated he doesn’t know where to begin. Dad was… it’s not an exaggeration to say Dad was abusive. He hurt Shouto, physically and emotionally, he was the one who abused Mom until she snapped and gave Shouto his scar, and he was the one… who tore the family apart.
For a long time, Shouto hated his father, totally hated him. He wished his dad would die and wanted to set him on fire for the abuse that had left him with PTSD and hated him so much… but…
But that didn’t change anything. Whether he hated Dad or not, he was still messed up. Hating Dad didn’t make him feel better, it didn’t make him feel worse either… it was pointless.
So for a while, he didn’t hate Dad, but he also wanted nothing to do with him. He ignored his fire powers and ignored Dad and just tried to forget he had ever known Todoroki Enji… but his skills as a Hero in training suffered.
And so even though it made him want to panic, he went to do his work experience at his father’s agency and actually started talking to him again. It felt weird and he was on edge, expecting Dad to hurt him like before, but… Dad didn’t. And it confused him.
But now he understands. Dad… is trying to change. He wants to be a good person again, a real Hero. And although part of Shouto wants his father to be miserable, he knows this way Dad won’t abuse anyone else.
So as he looks at his father, his heart still racing with anxiety, Shouto knows he’ll never forgive his dad… but he wants to aim for a proper relationship with him.