The quirkless hero

More sports festival

Izuku was aware of Todoroki watching him, at first he ignored it but it was starting to get concerning so he decided it was time to find out why.

"Is something wrong?" He asked after pulling Todoroki to the side.

"How do you do it?" Asked Todoroki after a deep breath, "I thought you where the same as me but, I could never smile as freely as you seem to. Is it because yours was from a villain? Do you still believe in the goodness of hero's?"

"What do you mean the same as you Todoroki... And what of mine do you mean?" queried Izuku, he didn't know where this was going but already had a bad feeling.

"Your scar, mine came from a hero." Replied Todoroki. "Have you herd of quirk marriages?"

At this things started to click in Izuku head. He had heard Ashido mention a scar on todoroki but he had assumed it wasn't significant. "I have, you have a scar too?" He asked.

"Sorry, your so competent I forget your blind," replied Todoroki before taking Izuku hand and placing it on his face.

Izukus fingers where met with extreamly rough dry skin that carried on all around Todorokis eye and up to his hair line.

"Did Endeavour do this?" Demanded Izuku his voice dangerously low.

"Not himself," admitted Todoroki, "he abused my mother till she when mad, she was the one who poured the boiling water over me."

Izuku was furious, and yet vindicated. The number two hero was even worse than the number one! It wasn't just him, so many suffered from selfish people calling themselves heros.

"You where right Todoroki, we are the same." Stated izuku, "I called the person who did this a villain because that's what I believe they are," continued izuku gesturing towards his scar, "however that's not how he's seen by anyone else. You asked if i still believed in the goodness of hero's, no i dont. If All Might himself telling me to give up on my dreams wasn't enough being blinded by someone endorsed as a future hero certainly was. I believe that their are very few true hero's in the industry and that the term hero no longer refers to the good and the selfless but to those with power."

"How do you smile so freely when you know that?" Asked Todoroki a hint of urgency in his voice.

Izuku froze at this, not because he wondered how he smiled, because he knew why. It was something he'd gotten from all might, it had been one of the things he'd admired most, how a smile alone could sooth the masses. He'd always felt disgusted that he used anything from the man who he found so repulsive.

"Is the reason you don't use your fire because its from Endeavour?" Countered izuku.

"I want to become a hero with my own power." Agreed Todoroki.

"It is your power Todoroki. My smile is from All might, and I hate that it is because i hate him... but its a useful ability, if i want to be better than him, I can't limit myself out of spite. So i dont smile freely, far from it, other than knowing its origin, the damaged skin on my face is so tight that even the slightest movement hurts, speaking is uncomfortable enough but... smiling is the worst, it's improved from how it was, my mum makes sure I moisturise my burns every day but... it hurts. So I definitely don't smile freely. I haven't since my quirkless diagnosis when i was four."

Todoroki was silent at this seemingly deep in thought, "I can't even see fire without thinking about what he put me through." He muttered. "I don't know how I'd ever be able to use it."

"Do you want to be a hero?" Asked Izuku.

"Yes." Replied Todoroki.

"Then you will." Replied Izuku assuredly.