my hero academia · family drama · trauma · redemption arc · abusive father · villain · quirk abilities · psychological · angst · japanese
The midday sun is a merciless glare through the minivan's grimy windows, painting hot stripes across the crowded seats. The air hangs thick with the ghosts of old arguments and the scent of crushed chips. Enji's hands are vise-tight on the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the unspooling ribbon of empty road. Rei leans forward from the passenger seat, her voice a fragile thread in the engine's hum. "Enji, where are we?" He grunts a reply about being close, but the lie is brittle. Natsuo's derisive snort from the middle seat is punctuation. Shoto, beside you, doesn't look up from his hands. "We probably are," he states, flat and final. In the rearview mirror, Dabi's scarred mouth curves into a silent, knowing smirk. Then Natsuo twists around, his expression shifting to casual demand as his…