A Home in the Shadows

Summary:

the talk between Todoroki and izuku with a twist

Notes:

Endeavor is good in this story while rei is the bad parent

After the cavalry battle, Izuku found himself sitting in the break room, rehydrating and mentally preparing for the upcoming one-on-one matches. His thoughts were interrupted when Todoroki approached him, his expression unreadable.
"Can we talk?" Todoroki asked, his tone neutral but firm.
Izuku nodded, standing and following him to a quieter corner of the hallway. There was something different in Todoroki's demeanor, as if he had been waiting for the right moment to say something important.
"I know you've noticed that I only use my ice." Todoroki began, crossing his arms. "And I know you're smart enough to have figured out there's a reason behind it."
Izuku nodded slowly, not wanting to interrupt.
Todoroki exhaled, glancing at the floor for a moment before continuing. "I don't use my fire because it reminds me of my childhood. The scar on my eye is not from a quirk accident like everyone assumes. It's from my mother" Izuku's eyes widened in surprise. This was the opposite of what he had always assumed.
"My mother only wanted children with her quirk, pure ice. When my brother Touya and I were born with fire, she despised us. She tried to tolerate me for a while, but once my fire started manifesting, she... she snapped. She saw my left side as a stain, as a reminder of what she didn't want. When I was six, she poured a kettle of hot boiling water on me."
Izuku felt his stomach churn. He had heard of abusive households before but hearing it directly from Todoroki made it even more harrowing.
Todoroki continued, his voice steady despite the painful memories. "After that, my father divorced her. She left with Natsuo and Fuyumi, taking them with her because they had the quirk she wanted. She abandoned Touya and me, leaving us behind like we were nothing. My father... he raised us. He trained us. He didn't push me into heroics for his own gain—he just wanted me to be strong enough to protect myself."
"And Touya?" Izuku asked hesitantly.
A small, almost nostalgic smile crossed Todoroki's face. "He's alive. He goes by the name Ghost Flame now—a pro hero who works in the shadows. He never stopped trying to be a hero, even after everything our mother did. I'm actually pretty sure he's in the stands with my dad today"
Izuku processed the information carefully. Everything he thought he knew about Todoroki's family was completely flipped. "So... you don't use your fire because it reminds you of her?"
Todoroki nodded. "It reminds me of what she did and why. I don't want to be anything like her. But... I also know that my father never forced me to use it. He always told me it was my choice. I just—" He sighed, rubbing his temple. "I don't know what I want anymore."
Izuku looked at him with understanding. "Todoroki, your power is yours, not hers. Your fire doesn't mean that you will use it to hurt people like she hurt you. It doesn't define you. You do. And if you don't want to use it in combat you can at least use it to regulate your body temperature that way you don't wind up freezing yourself."
Todoroki stared at him, visibly absorbing his words. "I... I'll think about it."
A comfortable silence stretched between them before Todoroki spoke again. "Thank you, Izuku. For listening."
Izuku smiled. "Anytime."
As they returned to the waiting area, Izuku had a feeling that the next stage of the sports Festival was going to be even more intense—not just in competition, but in personal growth as well.

Notes:

probably going to do 2 chapters a day from now on cause I'm also working on other stories as well so the multi chapter update was a onetime thing and I figured out the ship it's gonna be Izuku Kirishima and Todoroki