Symboliic - Tumblr Posts
“ sure. “ now that most things are out in the open, shoto isn’t too surprised that all might had questions for him, though that didn’t mean he was prepared. the words ‘i don’t know’ hung in his throat, it would be the easy way out, but it didn’t answer the question and wasn’t necessarily true. but thinking about what he wants without relating it back to his father even as a form of protest, was still relatively new to him.
“ i don’t think i care about being number one anymore. “ he answered carefully. “ or it’s not my main goal. “ if he were being honest, he probably didn’t have the outgoing personality expected of a number one hero. of course, then again, neither did his father. “ i just want to help as many people as i can.. i want to be the kind of hero that could forgive my father. “ how could he be a hero in the truest sense of the word if he held on to so much bitterness and anger?
✧ ✦ ✧ @quirkdriven ❤‘d ( for todoroki! )
“can i ask you something?” all might certainly has more time to spend one-on-one with his students, now that he can’t go off fighting villains when he’s supposed to be in class. but he finds that with this extra time comes necessary conversations he hoped he’d never have to have. and he hates to admit it, but his recent run-in with endeavor has shaken him to his core.
nonetheless, here he sits, in front of the youngest todoroki, with his hands wrapped around a steaming cup of tea in hopes of keeping them from shaking.
“your father’s goal was always to surpass me. i have to assume yours was too.” he looks up at him, figuring he’s stared into the hot liquid long enough. “now what happens? with him at number 1, what are you working toward? what sort of hero do you, want to be, kid?”
symboliic:
all might isn’t honestly sure what he hopes to gain from this, but it feels important to have the conversation anyway. it won’t be until nearly halfway through their talk that he realizes he’s doing it not for himself, but for young todoroki. sure, there’s a bit of catharsis in there for him; closure, if you will, for his stepping down and the elder todoroki’s rise. but none of that has anything to do with the young man in front of him, and when he finally understands, it’s like a weight off his shoulders.
(he’s never considered himself to be a good teacher. not to his classes, not to midoriya, not to anyone. he’s been so focused on himself. maybe that can finally start to change.)
“y’know, i think that’s very wise of you.” not that he doesn’t think he has it in him, at least in terms of power. “there are plenty of heroes who don’t want to be at the top,” he says. “but very few of them actually have what it takes anyway. it takes a rare kind of person to have it all but still set your sights on something else.” he smiles, just a little. it’s nothing like the big, bold, glistening smile of his hero persona, but it’s somehow more genuine, like this.
“i…” he hesitates. “i don’t know what happened between you and your father.” and he doesn’t need to; todoroki has made it very clear that whatever the reason, the two are not on good terms. “but if you’re looking ahead to forgiveness…” he finds himself lost in thought for a moment. “then your mind, and your heart—” he pokes the other’s chest. “are already in the right place.”
he looks back up at all might as his teacher begins speaking, he wasn’t quite expecting this new goal to be called wise. while shoto knew that the number a hero reaches doesn’t truly encapsulate their worth as a hero, becoming number one had been the goal drilled into him almost since he could remember. to his father, this new goal wouldn’t have been anything to praise at all. or maybe that wouldn’t be the case anymore, now that his father was trying to change. but shoto didn’t know how deep that change went just yet. he’d have to wait and see.
“thank you. i’ll still be trying my hardest though.” now that he’s actually talking about it with someone, it does feel more like something he wants for himself and his family. he wants to be able to visit his mother as a pro hero and tell her about the things she’s done and the people he’s saved. he wants to be able to provide comfort and peace to people in a crisis. this was why he’d loved all might as a child, in stark contrast to the atmosphere his father brought to a room. “i don’t think bakugou or izuku would accept anything less anyway.” his mouth quirked up into a small smile at the thought. it was odd to consider that he’s at the point where he can just speak with all might like this, especially with how complicated their relationship is now because of endeavor. but he doesn’t blame all might for that, and he can’t imagine his teacher holds it against him either.
“you spoke to him, at the remedial training?” while he’d been trying to ignore his father’s attendance, he had seen the two of them sitting together before the children had taken all of his attention. “do you think he’s truly trying to change?” hearing the opinions of others didn’t necessarily affect how he felt about the situation, he already knew his sister and mother were inclined to forgive him while his brother couldn’t. but all might knew his father longer than he or his siblings had, and he knew him in the context of a hero and a rival. if there was anyone besides his family that endeavor had to change for, it was all might.