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You don’t really remember much about Touya because your oldest brother left when you turned six.
Sometimes, on days when Fuyumi took you to visit your mother, she would mention Touya. Your mother was always calm when she heard his name, but her eyes would take on a deep sadness. Talking about him was never forbidden, but it was a sensitive topic. Father, on the other hand, never mentioned his eldest son. To him, Touya and Natsuo were disappointments, reminders of his failures in his obsessive pursuit of creating the “masterpiece” who could surpass the greatest hero.
No one in the family knows what happened to Touya after he left. Natsuo still holds a grudge against Father, much like you do, for everything he did to the family- to you, to mother, and to Touya. Conversations between Natsuo and Father rarely last more than three minutes before they end in insults, with Natsuo storming out. Fuyumi, being the second eldest, once tried to speak to father about Touya, but he always dismissed her, claiming even hearing his name gave him a headache. The subject was dropped since then.
The only thing that existed in the house, solely for the purpose of reminding everyone what Todoroki Touya looked like, was a family picture taken when you were five. It sits in the living room, next to the television, face down because father can’t stand to look at it.
The Touya in your memory had bright red hair and turquoise eyes, and he possessed a powerful fire quirk, just like Father. According to Fuyumi, he was the kind of older brother who always cared- so much so that he chose to leave rather than continue to watch his family fall apart.
You don’t blame him for leaving, or for running away- however people want to describe it. Your mother lost her sanity trying to shield you from father’s wrath. Touya, being the oldest, must have witnessed even more than you did. Maybe it broke him.
Ten years have passed.
Sometimes you find yourself thinking about him, and you can’t help but wonder.
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‘Getting a little lost, eh, Todoroki Shouto?’
Warnings flash through your mind as you turn around to find a certain villain blocking the exit of the alley. He grins gleefully, like a child opening a Christmas present. Being cornered by a member of the League of Villains in a back alley- your horoscope should have said “worst day ever” instead of “it’s a great day for Capricorns.”
In hindsight, you shouldn’t have chased that petty criminal. It is a bad move to blindly run into an alley in a shady part of town that you don’t know. To make things worse, somewhere along the chase, you lose your phone, and the thief gets away with the old woman's purse. The entire situation is just bad.
‘Dabi,’ you acknowledge him curtly, shifting into a defensive stance.
You don’t know the full extent of his quirk, but he is a wanted criminal with a bounty on his head. It would be smart not to engage in battle, so you carefully calculate your next move. Although you could send a signal to the nearby active heroes and stall for reinforcements, escaping seems like the wisest choice. The exit is right behind Dabi- if you can make a dash for it and use your ice as a distraction…
‘Oh, you’re not going anywhere, by the way~’
A blue fireball flies toward you, leaving you no choice but to dodge. In the blink of an eye, you are slammed against a brick wall, his hand pinning you by the throat. You try to escape by freezing his arm, but he simply thaws it with his fire. Before you can try again, he raises the temperature in the hand holding your neck.
‘Try that again, and I’ll give you something uglier than the scar your mother gave you.’
His threat works; you stop struggling and stare at him in disbelief. How could he know about that? Only your family knows about that incident. Your mother has only consulted a professional for her mental health, and under no circumstances could the asylum leak that information. Your father made sure of it- after all, the great flame hero has a reputation to maintain, and he can’t let what happened to his wife tarnish that.
Yet somehow, this villain- a member of the League, no less- knows.
‘How do you know?!’
With spite in your voice, you spit. The older man remains unfazed, his expression one of gleeful excitement.
‘Oh, you mean how I know that Endeavor, the newly crowned number one hero, is an abusive asshole who drove his wife crazy and gave his children daddy issues? Yeah, I know enough, kid.’
You look at him with growing unease. Dabi might be far more dangerous than you thought. Aside from the fact that he is a prominent figure in the League of Villains, you realize you know nothing about him. There are so many things he could do with that kind of information.
‘… who are you, Dabi?’
He tilts his head slightly and releases your neck. Your eyes widen in surprise as his hand instead tentatively touches your neck in an almost caring manner.
‘Didn’t take you for an idiot, but I guess it can’t be helped. I go by Dabi for now.’
‘Who exactly are you?! There’s no way anyone outside of my family knows about my scar or my mom. Where- who did you hear that from?’
The man with the patched face runs a hand through your hair, grabbing a fistful of it as he examines the left side of your face and sighs, almost regretfully. Turquoise eyes lock with yours, and the corner of his mouth lifts into a small, genuine smile. He still looks ghastly, but his expression is sober. It wouldn’t have seemed as intimidating if it weren’t for the fact that his face is patched with staples and half of the skin on his body is dead. No matter how you look at it, the man resembles a walking zombie.
‘Who did I hear it from? I don't need to, but not to spoil the fun- that’ll be your homework, Todoroki Shouto. You’re the genius here, after all.’
‘Don’t fuck with me!’
You throw a punch at him, but the villain easily catches it with one hand.
‘No need for violence. Like I said, I’m just here to kill some time with you. Now that I’ve gotten a closer look, you don’t resemble that asshole of a father... You actually look more like your mother.’
With a swift motion, he pins both of your hands to either side of your head and leans closer. His breath is tickling your skin. You just can’t help the shudder running down your spine, prickling your skin.
‘How is she these days?’
‘… better.’
‘I see. And Fuyumi? She was always such a worrywart. Natsuo must be in college by now. He never was interested in hero work-‘
‘Why do you care so much, villain? I’m not obliged to tell you anything about my family. Don’t give me that ‘kill-some-time’ bullshit. Just tell me, what do you want?!’
You snap, and the expression on the raven-haired man’s face is hard to read. He stares at you with contemplation.
‘Why do I care? I’ve thought about it so much I went crazy. There’s so much you don’t know, Todoroki Shouto, but you’ll figure it out soon enough.’
His scarred fingers release your wrists and wander downward, encircling your waist. It burns where he touches, but you can barely think about that, because the next thing he does is kiss you- hard. Teeth and tongue, a fight for dominance. It’s a mark, a reminder, rather than an affectionate act. You try to pull away, but he grabs your wrists with one hand and uses the other to force your mouth open. The taste of rust and the metallic tang of blood assaults your senses as his teeth break the skin.
He doesn’t let you go until he’s satisfied, ensuring you’ve bled enough for his amusement. You wipe your mouth and spit out the taste, trying to rid yourself of the sensation. He cackles like a madman and ruffles your hair.
‘Tell Rei I said hi.’
Suddenly, it all clicks into place- how he knows everything, how he holds such contempt for the flame hero. How could you have been so blind to the obvious? Those turquoise eyes, the fire quirk, the striking resemblance to your father...
'Brother?'
He’s gone before the word even rolls off your tongue.
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