Author's Note:
Alternative title: Therapist Izuku - Part 1
Chapter 29: Born with Everything, Born with Nothing
I watched idly from the side tunnel as my fellow students streamed out of the stadium and towards the private pavilion the school had set up for us to eat in, away from the general audience. There was an hour allotted for lunch and then the recreational games would begin. Those advancing to the third event were welcome to participate, but it was rare for anyone who intended to make a deep run in the knockouts to do so. I wasn't particularly fatigued by the first two events, but the extended break was nevertheless welcome.
If I'm going to win this, it's inevitable that I'll have to go all out, in particular against Todoroki. Doesn't hurt to be fully rested for that.
Lazily rolling my eyes back to the boy in question, I waited patiently as he continued to glare at me in silence. Whether he intended to be intimidating or was merely contemplating what he wished to say didn't particularly matter to me, but I opted to refrain from any of my usual wry grins given the subject that was about to be discussed.
Finally, after several minutes of stifling silence, Todoroki spoke. "I was overwhelmed, and it made me break the promise I made to myself a long time ago."
"Your fire." I stated rhetorically.
Todoroki held my gaze for a moment longer before holding his left arm out and staring into his palm.
"When Tokoyami's quirk encased your head, I acted without thinking. It was frustration at being denied by such a simple trick, yes, but it was also fear." Todoroki said stonily.
I blinked in surprise. Fear?
"No one in our class realizes what you're capable of, not even Yaoyorozu or Iida. I'm the only one who can sense your true power, and it reminded me of something." Todoroki raised his head, revealing cold gray and blue eyes that pierced into me. "That day at the USJ. Experiencing All Might's quirk. The power coming from you feels the same as All Might's, and you two are obviously close."
Lowering his hand, Todoroki's eyes narrowed. "Midoriya, tell me. Are you really All Might's secret love child or something?"
Despite my best attempt, I couldn't help but release a small snort as my lips twitched upwards.
"No, All Might is not my father." I replied with an involuntary smirk.
Todoroki scowled in response to my mirth, but didn't press the nature of my relationship with All Might any further when it became clear I wouldn't be offering an explanation.
"You must know that my father is the number two hero, Endeavor." Todoroki spat, uttering the word 'hero' as if it were a curse. "So if you're the protege of the number one hero, All Might, that means I have even more reason to defeat you."
I could see the rage begin to build as he continued. "My old man is ambitious. He aims for the top. He used his power to make a name for himself as a hero, but he was never able to best All Might, so the Symbol of Peace is living proof of his failure." Casting his eyes down the hallway, Todoroki's voice took on a resentful edge. "He's still at it though. Trying to take down All Might, one way or another."
I remained silent as Todoroki spoke. It was strange for a deeply private person to unload such personal information, but I wasn't going to interrupt. Todoroki had been failed miserably by both his mother and father from a very early age, and I doubted that he had ever actually spoken to anyone about what had happened. It would take years for him to fully recover from the trauma of his childhood, but the least I could do was help him take that first step.
"My father has not only a rich history of accomplishments, but plenty of money to throw at his problems. He bought my mother's relatives to get his hands on her quirk, and now he's raising me to usurp All Might." Todoroki clenched his fists and grimaced as emotion began to seep into his voice. "It's so annoying. I refuse to be a tool for that scumbag."
A pregnant pause hung over the hall before Todoroki continued, the faint tendrils of emotion lacing his tone giving way to raw pain. "In every memory of my mother, I only see her crying." Shoto slowly raised his left hand to touch his scar. "I remember she called my left side 'unbearable,' before she poured boiling water on my face."
Even knowing beforehand what had transpired, hearing it directly from the source, a fifteen year old boy, was soul-wrenching, and my heart ached at the pain and betrayal in his voice.
"The reason I picked a fight with you was to show my old man what I was capable of doing, without having to rely on his damned fire quirk." Todoroki focused his eyes back on mine, and a shiver ran down my spine at the sheer strength of will emanating from him. "I'm going to show him that I reject his power, and that I can take first place without using it."
We stood in ominous silence for the better part of a minute before Todoroki pushed himself off the wall and started to walk away, but just before he reached the edge of the tunnel, I called after him.
"What is your quirk?" I asked plainly.
Looking over his shoulder, Todoroki furrowed his brow in wary confusion.
"As it is on the national registry." I clarified.
"Half-Cold Half-Hot." He replied brusquely.
"So you only have a single quirk?" My tone was innocent enough, but the hint of challenge couldn't be missed.
Turning back, Todoroki's eye twitched in irritation. "Of course. It may be two distinct powers, but they're shackled together. No one really has more than one quirk."
If only that were true.
I nodded my head and repeated the name. "Half-Cold Half-Hot, not Hellflame. It's yours. Your quirk, not his." I finished softly.
Shoto's eyes widened and he took a step backward as if he had been struck. I watched as he stared ahead vacantly, his mind no doubt racing through his past as it had in the anime.
Izuku's emotions had been flaring during their battle. While he had held back in order to force Todoroki to unshackle himself, Izuku was still just a fifteen year old kid who was doing his best to help a friend, despite not really knowing how best to do so. Shoto will need to talk to both of his parents to make real progress, but I can help him a bit more than Izuku did canonically.
After nearly a minute had passed, Todoroki finally seemed to snap from his daze, blinking owlishly as he stared at me.
"You rejected your left half because of what fire has represented to you all your life. Your father's hatred, your mother's fear, your pain. I can't begin to understand what your life has been like to this point. We couldn't be more different." Resolve filled me and my gaze bored into Shoto. "But what do you want your fire to be? Not what your father wants, or anyone else. You."
Todoroki remained frozen in place, so after a few seconds, I moved to stand beside him, each of us facing opposite ends of the tunnel.
"You must decide what your fire means to you. Will it be a searing inferno that consumes you and drowns you in resentment,-" I turned my head to look at Todoroki, who was still staring ahead vacantly. "-or will it be a warm light for all mankind?"
Todoroki's head snapped towards me. He gaped at me in bewilderment as though I had suggested he soar through the stars on wings of snow. Sighing softly, I placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You are who you choose to be, Shoto, but as your friend, I am here for you. No matter your decision." I said sincerely.
With a sad smile, I departed from the tunnel, leaving Todoroki alone with his thoughts.
Author's Note:
I'm not a huge fan of Shoto having a life changing epiphany after only six words, but that's what actually happened in canon, so it is what it is.
As for the chapter title, I'll leave it to you to decide who was born with nothing and who was born with everything. I'm sure different people will have different answers.
In regards to Enji and Rei, that's a whole can of worms. Obviously, Horikoshi changed his plans for Endeavor over time, but the redemption arc for Endeavor is a bit odd because of how his past was originally portrayed in early chapters/seasons. In this fic, things will be a bit different so as to make the situation more believable. The primary divergence point for the Todoroki family will be that Toya 'dies' before Rei burns Shoto and is institutionalized. I'll get into it more as the topic comes up, but for now, know that Endeavor is still a piece of shit, just marginally less of one, otherwise his canonical redemption arc makes very little sense.