Chapter Text
Once upon a time, every child dreamed of being a superhero. It was nothing more than a fantasy, something that occupied their thoughts during bedtime or while engrossed in books, TV shows, or video games.
However, everything changed when a glowing baby came into the world. From that moment on, people all across the globe began to exhibit extraordinary powers. They referred to these abilities as Meta Abilities initially.
As the phenomenon of Meta Abilities spread, some individuals saw an opportunity to use their powers for personal gain, giving rise to the first villains. Alongside them, there were those who wished to utilize their powers to assist the vulnerable, thus giving birth to the vigilantes.
Now, over 200 years have passed since the birth of the glowing baby, and a staggering 80% of the world’s population possesses these unique powers, now known as quirks. Consequently, a new profession has emerged. The Pro Heroes. These individuals are authorized to use their quirks to safeguard civilians and uphold justice, becoming revered as paragons of justice.
Fame, popularity, wealth. The best heroes in the world have it all. In the present day, children continue to dream of becoming heroes, perhaps more so than ever before.
Izuku is no exception. But he harbors very different reasons for pursuing this path.
Todoroki Izuku, the youngest son of Todoroki Enji, also known as the Flame Hero: Endeavor, Number two hero of Japan. He’s also the younger twin brother of Todoroki Shouto. Many would assume that Izuku is a spoiled brat, growing up in a life of privilege without ever facing hardships. To those people, Izuku would give a laugh and a middle finger.
The truth, however, is far from their assumptions. Endeavor is an abusive individual, despised by his entire family. Except for Fuyumi, whom Izuku is almost sure his sister is actually the reincarnation of Buddha.
Izuku’s desire to become a hero is fueled by three core reasons, each holding significant meaning for him.
The first reason stems from his deep concern for his brother, Shouto. Shouto has been Enji’s prized creation since birth, subjected to extreme training and pushed beyond his limits. It’s nothing short of abuse, although Endeavor dismisses it as necessary training. His twin is not even allowed to interact with his siblings.
Meanwhile, Izuku and his older siblings, regarded as failures by their father, are constantly overlooked and neglected. Izuku yearns for Enji’s attention, not for his own sake, but to divert the man’s focus away from Shouto, even if only for a brief respite. The thought of becoming heroes together offers Izuku a way to support and protect his brother from their father’s torment.
The second reason is that he needs power. By becoming a great hero in the future, society will have to listen to Izuku. With the influence, he intends to expose every single one of Endeavor’s crimes and make him pay for the pain he has inflicted upon their family. Without power, Izuku can’t touch Endeavor, but he’s a patient person. He already waited 15 years. He can wait a bit more.
The third reason is born out of simple spite. As Izuku steps through the towering gates of UA for the entrance exam, he can’t shake the memory of Enji’s words when he announced that Shouto would be taking the recommendation exam. Izuku realizes that his father could have recommended him as well if he had chosen to do so. Yet, he was discarded without consideration. Enji’s hurtful words echo in his mind:
“You’ll never be a hero with this puny quirk, boy. Give up on this foolish dream.”
Frowning, Izuku is fueled by determination and defiance.
“Watch me, father .” He spits out, determined to prove Enji wrong.
As Izuku’s mind drifts towards thoughts of his father, a twinge of pain radiates from the scar around his right eye, typically hidden under his messy hair. The discomfort further sours Izuku’s already somber mood.
Taking a deep breath, he brings his left hand upwards, gently massaging the scarred area with his cool fingers. Not exactly a recommended action with a burn scar, but the discomfort eases a bit, so it’s a win in his books.
To any onlooker, Izuku appears impassive, even disinterested. This couldn’t be any further from the truth, though. Izuku’s eyes are trained, scanning all hero hopefuls, identifying possible quirks, and then identifying the ones that seem to be the biggest threats.
As Izuku observes the array of impressive quirks on display, he can’t help but feel a sense of disappointment in the attitudes of some of his fellow examinees. One particular blonde boy catches his attention, rudely pushing past him while shouting to “get out of the way, extra!” How arrogant. Who does he think he is? The protagonist of a Shounen manga?
Shaking his head to dismiss the encounter, Izuku continues on, striding towards the designated examination site. He refuses to let the rude encounter distract him from his goal. Arriving at his assigned desk, he takes a moment to steady himself, his determination unwavering.
The written exam proves to be relatively easy for Izuku. While Endeavor may be an abusive and neglectful father, he never neglected his children’s education. Izuku finds himself well-prepared, to the point that he finishes answering with over two hours to spare. After checking his answers two more times, he hands over the test and leaves.
When it’s time, Izuku proceeds to the auditorium, where the practical exam will be explained, finding himself seated next to the same arrogant blonde from earlier. Surprisingly, the blonde seems more engrossed in listening to the instructions than causing any trouble, much to Izuku’s relief.
A few minutes later, Present Mic takes the stage, and though Izuku maintains a neutral expression, his inner fanboy is in complete overdrive. Endeavor despises Present Mic, so of course, Izuku loves him. Not only does Izuku appreciate Present Mic’s persona as a hero, but he also genuinely enjoys listening to the hero’s radio show.
Lost in his admiration, Izuku’s attention momentarily drifts from the explanation. However, he manages to grasp the basics—destroy the robots, accumulate points worth 1, 2, or 3, and strive to earn as many points as possible. Thanks to a blue-haired individual who abruptly interrupts Present Mic, accusing him of a mistake and then berating a nervous examinee for muttering (wait, was he talking to me?) , Izuku also becomes aware of the need to avoid the 0-Pointer robot.
With everything in mind, Izuku heads to the vestiary to change into more suitable attire for physical exertion. Despite the spring season bringing warmer temperatures, he decides to don a heavy coat, gloves, and scarf over his workout clothes. Izuku knew he’d need the extra protection against the cold for this exam, so he prepared himself accordingly.
Following the other examinees, Izuku boards the bus that will transport them to the mock city where the practical exam will take place. Silence blankets the interior of the bus, with each individual lost in their thoughts. It’s evident that UA has purposely split up students from the same schools to prevent them from teaming up.
While Izuku is sure that teamwork is allowed - or at least there was no rule saying it wasn’t - he knows it’s very unlikely to see it happening. Not only would the people need to team up with a complete stranger, but everyone is competing against one another for points. He doesn’t expect to witness much camaraderie during this test.
Stepping off the bus and facing the imposing gates of the mock city, Izuku wastes no time in starting his warm-up stretches, preparing his body for the forthcoming test. As he focuses on the gate, he notices several examinees finally gathering the courage to strike up conversations. A bad time for that, but whatever.
Among the sea of examinees, a few catch Izuku’s attention. There’s a six-armed boy wearing a face mask, a girl with what appears to be headphones on, a tail-bearing boy radiating strength, and a very short boy with what seems to be purple balls atop his head, who can’t seem to take his eyes off the girls. The last one earns a scowl from Izuku. recognizing the rudeness of such behavior. But there’s not much he can do at the moment. It’s not like staring is illegal, despite being extremely rude.
Izuku notices the gates starting to open and maneuvers himself to stand in front of the group. As soon as the space is large enough to pass through, he begins to run.
“Start!” He hears a voice followed by a growl. “What are you waiting for pups? Real life doesn’t have countdowns.”
As the crowd starts to run, Izuku is almost to the first group of robots. Activating his quirk, Cold Snap, he feels the cold traveling through his body and guides it down towards his feet. With a resounding stomp on the ground, ice spreads rapidly, transforming the streets into a huge skating rink. And Izuku is an excellent skater.
Reaching the first group, he stops in the middle of them and starts spinning, spreading his arms. An icy wind spreads from his hands, and quickly, the robots freeze and stop moving. The group had three 1-pointers, one 2-pointer, and two 3-pointers, immediately earning him 11 points and the confirmation that none of the robots are cold-resistant.
This makes things a lot easier.
Utilizing one of the newly created ice sculptures as support, Izuku propels himself forward, gliding gracefully in search of the next group of robots. Before long, he comes across a second cluster consisting of multiple 2-Pointers. With a leap, he dives into their midst, his feet touching the ground, causing ice to spread rapidly across the surface. The robots lose their footing, slipping and falling onto the icy floor. Seizing the opportunity, Izuku swiftly touches one of the fallen robots, allowing the ice to spread and immobilize the entire group, earning him eight additional points.
From there, he continues skating while searching for and freezing more robots. At some point, he ends up losing count of how many points he has scored. Specifically, because he finds the purple midget from before trying to grab onto the ass of another examinee. And by the look on the girl’s face, she’s definitely not enjoying the situation.
Without hesitation, Izuku veers towards them, “accidentally” bumping into the dwarf. For a brief moment, his grip on his quirk “slips,” resulting in the pervert’s legs being encased in ice.
“Oops. Sorry. The ice will melt in about ten minutes.” Izuku deadpans before resuming his skating, deliberately disregarding the boy’s indignant protests.
Maybe he should have frozen him out completely.
Izuku is about to look for more robots when he hears an announcement echoing through the streets.
“Two minutes left.”
Do I have enough points? I should try to get a few more just to be sure.
However, his plans are abruptly disrupted by the sudden tremors shaking the ground beneath him. Turning his attention towards the source, Izuku’s eyes widen as he witnesses a horde of students frantically fleeing from an enormous robot that looms behind them. The colossal machine, towering over the simulated city’s buildings, is in hot pursuit.
And, of course, something that size can’t get through the streets without causing chaos and destruction. The robot slams into the buildings, knocking debris everywhere and causing millions of Yen in collateral damage.
Good to know where all the tuition money goes. Izuku thinks as he eyes the giant robot, unimpressed.
As the panicked crowd rushes past him, oblivious to his presence, Izuku watches the debris fall with a sigh, a small cloud escaping his mouth in the cold air. Taking a moment to assess himself, he notices his trembling but no frost coating his limbs yet, indicating that he is still at Stage 2 of his quirk. This should be easy enough.
He can’t just leave this thing alone. It might not be worth any points, but a robot this big is bound to hurt someone on accident. Not to mention that this thing will be really annoying if Izuku just lets it keep wreaking havoc.
Moving against the flow of the crowd, Izuku positions himself a few meters away from the towering robot. As soon as the behemoth’s attention locks onto him, it prepares to strike with a powerful punch. However, Izuku closes his eyes, embracing the icy wind of his quirk as it envelops his entire body.
Rapidly dropping temperatures transform the surrounding air, causing frost and fog to form. The atmosphere swirls around Izuku, creating a vortex of snow that lifts him slightly off the ground. Opening his eyes, he thrusts his arms forward, directing the vortex towards the colossal robot.
“BLIZZARD!” He yells as the vortex envelops the 0-pointer.
The temperature plummets down, and the robot begins to creak and slow down. The robot’s green plating begins to lose coloration, quickly turning white as a crust of ice forms around it. When the vortex finally breaks up, the 0-pointer has become a giant block of ice.
Safely landing on the ground, Izuku breathes out a cold breath, noticing frost starting to form on his left arm. He lightly pats it to rid himself of the ice and turns his attention elsewhere.
“Now, let’s find a few more robots.” He mutters, ready to resume his search.
Just then, the announcement echoes through the air, declaring. “TIME’S UP!”
Izuku’s heart sinks, realizing that he can only hope he got enough points to get in.
With a sigh of relief, Izuku begins to make his way out of the chaotic scene, taking note of an old woman who starts offering assistance to anyone who may be injured. Fortunately, Izuku is unharmed, so he decides not to linger and take up her time. Although a part of him wishes he could ask for Recovery Girl’s autograph, he knows better than to interrupt a healer’s duties.
Arriving at the vestiary, Izuku reaches into his bag and retrieves a pair of mittens and a snow hat. As he puts on the winter accessories, he starts his journey home. Rubbing his hands on his arms in an attempt to generate warmth, Izuku walks briskly. The only thing he wants at the moment is a mug of hot chocolate and his electric blanket.
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In the Todoroki household, one well-known fact is that Endeavor has the sleeping routine of a hermit and that the man sleeps like a rock. For Shouto, this knowledge means that the safest time to leave his room without the risk of running into his father is around midnight.
Cautiously, Shouto opens his door, mindful of any telltale signs indicating Endeavor’s wakefulness. Once he confirms that his father is still sound asleep, he proceeds towards the kitchen, taking slow and silent steps to avoid making any noise.
Upon reaching the kitchen, Shouto briefly checks the cupboards, relieved to find all the necessary ingredients at his disposal. In swift succession, he gathers milk, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, and marshmallows.
Shouto isn’t exactly a genius in the kitchen - on the contrary, he’s a disaster - but preparing a delicious hot cocoa is a skill that all the Todoroki siblings have mastered, a secret they have been keeping from Endeavor for several years.
With everything in hand, Shouto prepares two mugs, meticulously washing any dishes used and ensuring that no trace of his activities remains visible. One mug is filled solely with the hot cocoa mixture, while the other is garnished with a generous topping of marshmallows.
Balancing the two mugs carefully in a tray, Shouto approaches his younger twin’s room, his steps deliberate yet gentle, preserving the tranquility of the night. Standing before the closed door, he raises his other hand and delivers a series of knocks, following a practiced pattern ingrained in their secret routine. Two quick knocks followed by three harder ones.
After a few seconds, Shouto hears a distinct pattern of knocks on the wooden floor emanating from inside the room. A single hard knock, followed by four quick ones. This distinctive rhythm serves as their secret code, a signal between brothers that holds deep meaning and familiarity. That’s their way to announce their presence to each other and to reassure that the one on the other side of the door isn’t Endeavor.
With a sigh of relief, he opens the door and steps inside. As expected, he finds Izuku nestled in his bed, with his electric blanket draped around his shoulders in an effort to ward off the shivers. Though the smaller boy doesn’t appear any paler than usual, the incessant trembling raises concern.
“What stage?” Shouto asks, setting the tray with the mugs on the bedside table before passing the one with marshmallows to Izuku.
“I went into stage 3.” Izuku replies, taking a comforting sip of the hot cocoa. “But I’m back to stage 1 now.”
“Stage 3?” Shouto raises an eyebrow in concern. “Why did you push yourself that far?”
“There was a giant robot causing havoc.” Izuku shrugs, holding the warm mug close to his face. “But it’s okay. I entered stage 3 only briefly, and there was minimal frost.”
Shouto pushes his worry aside, choosing to focus on comforting his younger brother instead. He wraps his left arm around Izuku’s shoulder, pulling him into a gentle side hug. Despite his own reservations about his left side, he knows that it can provide warmth for Izuku. As the comforting embrace and the hot cocoa work their magic, Izuku gradually relaxes, his trembling subsiding.
“Giant robot, huh?” Shouto inquires. “Is that where all the tuition money goes?”
“Maybe.” Izuku chuckles. “Or maybe Nedzu secretly controls the global stock market and uses the funds to fuel the school’s craziness.”
“Actually, I’m pretty sure that’s true.” Shouto responds with a hint of amusement. “You see, every major upgrade UA has undergone since Nedzu became Principal coincided with certain companies skyrocketing on the stock market within a span of two months.”
“This might be the first time I actually believe in one of your theories.” Izuku replies, amused.
“My theories make perfect sense.” Shouto asserts, playfully pointing a finger at his brother.
“Even the one about the elf with The Infinite Snacks quirk?” Izuku raises an eyebrow, unable to resist the opportunity to prod further.
A mischievous smile spreads across Izuku’s face as he waits for his brother’s response.
“The elf is real, and I’ll find them one day.” Shouto remains unwavering in his belief, his tone laced with conviction. “I always find snacks mysteriously hidden in my room after training sessions. Where else could they come from?”
Izuku plays along, pretending to ponder the possibility.
“Hmm... I don’t know... Maybe... Fuyumi?” He suggests, his teasing tone evident. “I don’t think she’s an elf.”
“No, she’s a saint.” Shouto shakes his head in disagreement, defending their sister with a fond smile. “And the only thing holding this family together.”
“And sometimes I wish she would stop.” Izuku sighs, sombering. “Endeavor doesn’t deserve it.”
Shouto shakes his head and decides to change the subject.
“So, you think you passed?” He asks.
“Can’t be sure.” Izuku shrugs, uncertainty etched on his face. “I defeated a lot of robots, but I lost count at some point. I think I ended up with over 40 points. I hope it’s enough.”
“And what about the giant robot?” Shouto raises an eyebrow, intrigued.
“Worthless.” Izuku dismisses it with a shake of his head. “It was meant to be an obstacle, not something to fight or defeat. I doubt the school expected anyone to even try.”
“Of course, you would risk pushing yourself into Stage 3 for no gain.” A smile tugs at the corner of Shouto’s lips as he shakes his head. “Only you, Izuku.”
“Your words don’t match your tone.” Izuku points. “You’re proud.”
“If Endeavor is too stupid to see how proud he should be of you, then it’s my responsibility as your big brother to pick up the slack.” Shouto states, ruffling Izuku’s hair affectionately.
Izuku pouts, but a blush spreads across his cheeks, betraying his true feelings.
“You’re, like, three minutes older.” He retorts, but the affection in his voice is evident.
“Still older.” Shouto smirks, savoring the moment.
“Yeah, I know.” Izuku admits, shaking his head. “Love you, Nii-Chan.”