Something Different

18: Difference

"Are you really All Might's secret love child or something?"

Izuku slapped a palm over his mouth to prevent further misconceptions. For whatever reason, Todoroki wanted to speak with Izuku prior to their fight. And apparently, Todoroki thought that Izuku was related to All Might... Oh, what a reaction he had.

"Definitely not," Izuku scoffed, removing his hand from his mouth. "If I had to choose between being All Might's son, and consuming a rat while it's alive, I would rather take a swan dive off a roof."

"...You could have just said that you aren't," Todoroki shuffled his weight from one foot to the other, leaning his back against the wall opposite from Izuku. "Do you have a dislike for All Might?"

"That's a grave understatement," Izuku rolled his eyes and pocketed his hands. He didn't know much about Todoroki, but he certainly wasn't a blabbermouth. Izuku didn't need to worry about him telling others about this conversation. "I have a firm hatred for All Might, but we're working towards strengthening our bond... It's more difficult than it sounds."

"You deny that you're his relative, but you claim that you're in contact. Am I correct?"

Izuku raised an eyebrow. "I suppose...? Is there a purpose to this conversation?"

Todoroki's cold eyes narrowed into a stony glare. His expressionless face looked more angry than anything else, at the moment. But why would he be angry? "No matter what your relationship with All Might is, there's something going on. That means that I have every right to defeat you."

"...I'm sorry?"

"Do you know what Quirk Marriages are?" Todoroki suddenly brought up. Izuku's eyes widened as he swallowed the lump in his throat. Of course, he knew. Toya had told him about Endeavor's Quirk Marriage many times.

When Izuku nodded, Todoroki seemed slightly surprised—not that he showed much of it. His eye twitched, but that was it. If Izuku hadn't spent years observing human behavior, he would have missed it.

Todoroki pointed to himself, "I'm the product of a Quirk Marriage."

Izuku gave him an unimpressed look. He gestured to Todoroki's hair, eyes, and the scar on the left side of his face. "I think I could tell," he admitted sarcastically. "Besides, I was... friends with your brother."

Todoroki tilted his head, the closest thing to emotion he had shown. "Natsuo has never mentioned a curly green-haired boy before... Surely, he would have told me about you."

"What I mean is..." Izuku fidgetted with the hem of his shirt, "I was... Toya's friend."

"...Toya?" Todoroki's eyes twitched once more, but this time around, it was more noticeable. "But, he's..."

"Didn't you hear me speak in past tense?" Izuku let out a frustrated breath. "He told me all about your family's situation. Besides Natsuo, I was his... confidant."

"Oh..."

That was a long time ago, though. There was no guarantee that Toya would take Izuku kindly, this time around. Not only was he not a villain anymore, he was a hero. And Toya didn't really like heroes. Perhaps if he...

"Nevertheless, our match is approaching. We should prepare ourselves... And you should take the time to process this information."

"I... condemn my left side. This burn mark..." Todoroki's fingers brushed the large scar on his face, his expression grim. "My mother poured scalding water on my face, because it reminded her of my father. He is the cause of our family's falling out. That's why..." he gritted his teeth. "I refuse to use his flames."