[ With Endeavor as his father, there was no doubt in the hero community that he would rise in the ranks the moment that he hit Yuuei. Going there had just spurred him forward faster, left him making a name for himself in a way that started to leave his father behind. True, it'd taken him a long time to accept the part of him that came from Endeavor - his third year at school, to be exact - but he's a hero that's making headlines on his own, now.
So that means there are people out for blood. His father's enemies fixate on him, thinking he'll be a weak link in the chain for Endeavor. He earns his own as he fights them, stopping petty crimes and bigger without hesitation or remorse. They'll definitely say that he's more merciful than his father, but it's not by much, only tempered by the thought of his sister, of his mother, who he's been working on mending his relationship with now that he's stepped out of the looming shadow of the man that hurt them both.
When he's targeted, this time, Shouto of course puts up a fight. But every second of it, for all the ice and fire that he uses, there's never any sign of the supposed villain's quirk. Quirkless crime isn't exactly uncommon, but for someone that would go after a Todoroki to, well, go after a Todoroki to be quirkless...
He wants to know the motivation, there.
He gets it.
My mother.
Shouto stops, his hand reached out. My mother. He's met plenty of villains that have said things, given him crocodile tears, in some vain attempt to get him to stop from taking them in. But this time, there's something real, genuine, in the plea. In the tears.
His fingers twitch, and his hand lowers, but he doesn't decrease the ice. There's still plenty of wariness telling him to be logical. ]
What about your mother. [ Not a question - a quiet demand, really, but there's none of the coldness of his ice in the bluntness of his voice. ]
[He doesn't care what might happen to him if he fails in his task, but dear god does he ever care about what could happen to his mother.]
M-My mother is Midoriya Inko. Please, make sure she's safe.
[Whatever happens to him, whatever he might have to endure for his crimes, that's just, that's the law. He won't mind it. He deserves whatever society asks of him to repent, to die- anything.
But his mother- all he wants is his mother to be safe. Shouto's strong, Endeavor is strong- if there's anybody who might be able to protect her, it's them. And maybe, maybe his plea won't fall on deaf ears. Shouto's at least willing to listen.]
[ When there's no trick, as the plea settles in the cold air of the alley around them, Shouto waits a few seconds longer. A minute, almost two. Still, nothing happens except the desperate request, just as genuine as everything else. So he finds himself conflicted. Heroes are meant to do good, to help people. He can help one woman, no problem. Find somewhere safe for her - the Todorokis own a great deal of property, if she needs to be kept somewhere for her own protection.
But what about her son? If he's not really a villain, if he has a reason to beg for help, a reason to do this, to be a villain, and it isn't his own reason...
Don't they have an obligation to help people like him, too? ]
Don't make me regret this. [ Is what he finally answers with, lowering his right hand and bringing up his left to melt away his ice at a rate that won't damage any tissue or induce shock. ]
[As he's being freed from the ice, he looks at Todoroki completely lost. He goes over all the things he's done, the ice melts around him.
And he stays.]
You should really just take me to the police.
[It's not his own reason, being a villain like this. He would have stopped much earlier if he could somehow guarantee his mother's safety. But he's comparatively weak when it comes to people with quirks. He's easy to bully around, and villains have made use of it. He doesn't want to be a villain, but that doesn't erase all the people he's hurt, all the damage he's done.]
[ Shouto continues to melt the ice, until he's down to his captive's legs. He leaves it there, from the knees down, simply so he can assess him without worrying about him doing anything. A big part of him is still pretty suspicious about all of this, but... he has a feeling. A feeling in his gut.
There's more to this. There's so much more to this. ]
I'm going to. But I'm going to do it personally, instead of calling for pickup. [ Stepping closer, he kicks the toe of his right boot into the ice remaining around Izuku's legs. It cracks with the force of contact and a rush of additional ice. ] Midoriya, right?
[Izuku just curls his arms around himself. The ice might be melted now, but that doesn't mean he's not still cold. He doesn't seem like he's going to fight or run.]
... Yes. Can you... could you... make sure my mother is okay first?
[He's not going to deny Shouto's right to anything. He's a hero and in the right. But Izuku really needs to make sure nothing happens to his mother before he answers anything.]
[ Shouto doesn't take his eyes off of him, but he does reach into one of his many pockets to pull out his phone. More than once he's fried an ear piece, or lost it because of ice knocking it loose and the rush of air from bursts of fire sending it flying, but his belt's pockets are fire and ice proof. He can pull his phone out, call a sidekick that he trusts to check in on her.
Get her to a safehouse. He can think of any number of them that could be suitable, it just depends on where she is. ]
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no subject
So that means there are people out for blood. His father's enemies fixate on him, thinking he'll be a weak link in the chain for Endeavor. He earns his own as he fights them, stopping petty crimes and bigger without hesitation or remorse. They'll definitely say that he's more merciful than his father, but it's not by much, only tempered by the thought of his sister, of his mother, who he's been working on mending his relationship with now that he's stepped out of the looming shadow of the man that hurt them both.
When he's targeted, this time, Shouto of course puts up a fight. But every second of it, for all the ice and fire that he uses, there's never any sign of the supposed villain's quirk. Quirkless crime isn't exactly uncommon, but for someone that would go after a Todoroki to, well, go after a Todoroki to be quirkless...
He wants to know the motivation, there.
He gets it.
My mother.
Shouto stops, his hand reached out. My mother. He's met plenty of villains that have said things, given him crocodile tears, in some vain attempt to get him to stop from taking them in. But this time, there's something real, genuine, in the plea. In the tears.
His fingers twitch, and his hand lowers, but he doesn't decrease the ice. There's still plenty of wariness telling him to be logical. ]
What about your mother. [ Not a question - a quiet demand, really, but there's none of the coldness of his ice in the bluntness of his voice. ]
no subject
M-My mother is Midoriya Inko. Please, make sure she's safe.
[Whatever happens to him, whatever he might have to endure for his crimes, that's just, that's the law. He won't mind it. He deserves whatever society asks of him to repent, to die- anything.
But his mother- all he wants is his mother to be safe. Shouto's strong, Endeavor is strong- if there's anybody who might be able to protect her, it's them. And maybe, maybe his plea won't fall on deaf ears. Shouto's at least willing to listen.]
no subject
But what about her son? If he's not really a villain, if he has a reason to beg for help, a reason to do this, to be a villain, and it isn't his own reason...
Don't they have an obligation to help people like him, too? ]
Don't make me regret this. [ Is what he finally answers with, lowering his right hand and bringing up his left to melt away his ice at a rate that won't damage any tissue or induce shock. ]
no subject
And he stays.]
You should really just take me to the police.
[It's not his own reason, being a villain like this. He would have stopped much earlier if he could somehow guarantee his mother's safety. But he's comparatively weak when it comes to people with quirks. He's easy to bully around, and villains have made use of it. He doesn't want to be a villain, but that doesn't erase all the people he's hurt, all the damage he's done.]
no subject
There's more to this. There's so much more to this. ]
I'm going to. But I'm going to do it personally, instead of calling for pickup. [ Stepping closer, he kicks the toe of his right boot into the ice remaining around Izuku's legs. It cracks with the force of contact and a rush of additional ice. ] Midoriya, right?
You and I have a lot to talk about.
no subject
... Yes. Can you... could you... make sure my mother is okay first?
[He's not going to deny Shouto's right to anything. He's a hero and in the right. But Izuku really needs to make sure nothing happens to his mother before he answers anything.]
no subject
[ Shouto doesn't take his eyes off of him, but he does reach into one of his many pockets to pull out his phone. More than once he's fried an ear piece, or lost it because of ice knocking it loose and the rush of air from bursts of fire sending it flying, but his belt's pockets are fire and ice proof. He can pull his phone out, call a sidekick that he trusts to check in on her.
Get her to a safehouse. He can think of any number of them that could be suitable, it just depends on where she is. ]