Chapter Text
Keigo knew his situation wasn't exactly the best. For years now, he'd been alone in the HPSC headquarters, training on the daily in order to become like his hero, Endeavor.
Keigo —no, his name was Hawks now, they'd told him so over and over, even if he still hadn't really gotten used to it— hadn't seen his mom since he was first taken by the Commission when he was 6, which was two years ago now. But that was fine, she was better off now, living in a probably luxurious house like she always wanted.
Hawks rubbed his bandaged arm and for a second wondered what would have happened if his mom never sold him to the Commission. Would they still be living on the streets? Would someone from the bad men his mom told him worked with his dad come for them? Well, there was no way of knowing now.
Because his mom ended up giving him up to the Commission in exchange for living a good life. The life she deserved, as she always said. Did her house have a pool now, like some of the fancy ones he saw on TV occasionally? Did it have a long kitchen? Was it big? She was alone now, he hoped she didn't feel lonely in such a big house.
When his mom was sad, it made Keigo sad as well. He could tell when she was sad or upset because the eyes floating around her head would usually float lower than they often did, like the way his own wings dropped when he was upset too.
He really hoped she was fine, even if she hadn't stopped to visit him in the two years he had been with the Commission.
He was pulled out of his thoughts when someone knocked on the door. He immediately scrambled out of his bed and stood up straight, despite his leg hurting from that morning's training, as the door opened.
For a second, a million different possibilities passed through his head. Was his handler mad because he didn't do well on training again? Was he going to get punished!? Was it because he got hurt again today!?...
He relaxed visibly once the door completely opened, and he saw the only Commission agent who was ever nice to him, Sora-san. He liked Sora-san, he sometimes sneaked him sweets and would sometimes walk him to the infirmary after a particularly tough training session.
However, confusion crossed his face once he saw a kid, maybe around his age, standing next to him and glaring at nothing in particular. He seemed to be in a mood. His vibrant red hair and deep blue eyes immediately reminded him of Endeavor. He looked so much like his hero!
He sent a cautious, questioning look towards Sora-san, and he gave him a kind smile.
"Hello, Kei-chan" Ah, that's right, Sora-san was also the only one who still referred to him as anything other than his hero name when no one else was around. "This is Touya. He's going to be joining you in training from now on, and you share a room with him, so be nice. You think you can run him by the training schedule for tomorrow?"
"Yes, Sora-san."
"Alright then, I'll leave you two alone so you can get to know each other."
He gently nudged Touya inside the room. The other kid growled but complied, taking the bag he was carrying with him and walking into the room, going straight to the free bed that was in front of Hawks' and dropping his bag there before plopping down there, still looking grumpy.
The door closed again, and they were left alone for the time being.
Hawks shifted his weight from one foot to the other, fidgeting with his hands. He was never good at making friends, he never really had friends before, and he hadn't been near other kids in a while, so he really had no idea of what to do or say. Besides, Touya looked angry, which only made him even more nervous. At least Hawks knew he was supposed to get training on how to be social once he was a little older.
"Um… Hi. Why are you here? I haven't seen any other kids here since I got here, but Sora-san said you are going to be training too, so… Are you going to be a Hero?"
No answer. Okay.
"How old are you? I just turned 8 last week! I've been training here since I was 6." he announced proudly.
Still, no answer, but this time Touya at least looked at him.
"Have they given you a new name yet? I'm Ke… Uh, I'm Hawks. Nice to meet you." he tried again.
Touya gave him a weird look.
"New name? The guy from before called you Kei."
Oh, he was finally talking!
"I guess that's a no then, they probably will give you yours tomorrow at training… By the way, training starts at 8! We can't be late, and breakfast is served in the cafeteria at 7. We have a break at 12 for lunch and then we have classes, and later more training. And we're not supposed to use our names! My name is, um, was Keigo Takami. But we're not allowed to use it! Only our hero names, and mine's Hawks."
Touya stared at him for some very long seconds, before blurting out:
"That is so stupid."
Hawks looked at him, scandalized. "Don't say that, someone can hear you!"
Touya gave him a daring look, repeating, this time louder: "That's stupid!"
"Stop!" Hawks scolded him.
"Hum… No. I'm not calling you by your hero name, that's dumb, you won't even need to be called that until like, 10 more years when you debut. So you're Keigo to me. And I don't care what stupid hero name they give me, I will burn you if you call me by anything other than Touya."
Keigo frowned, also propping down on his bed and looking at Touya.
"We will be punished if they hear us calling each other like that."
Touya shrugged.
"Then we only do it when we're alone. But I won't give up my name, as much as I hate it."
Keigo sent him a curious look.
"You don't like it? Why?"
"I like my first name, because my mom chose it. But my last name… I hate it, because it reminds me that I'm related to my father."
Oh, so that was it. He was like Keigo, then.
Keigo bit his lip and glanced around nervously. He knew there were no cameras here, he had checked multiple times, but he still felt like someone could hear them, so he leaned closer to Touya, whispering his next words.
"I think I know what you mean. My dad was a villain, and his last name was very well-known. That's also why they changed my name to my hero name. He wasn't…" Keigo stopped for a second, searching for the right word until he finally settled for "nice."
Touya gave him a knowing look, almost as if he knew what Keigo meant by that, probably because he himself experienced it too.
"Yeah. You know, my dad is…" he suddenly cut himself off as his eyes focused on something behind Keigo. He followed his gaze, spotting his very old Endeavor plush.
A smile tugged at his lips, and he picked it up, proudly showing it to Touya.
"Oh, do you like Endeavor!? He's my favorite hero! You look like him a little bit, do you know that? Oh! What's your Quirk!?" he blurted out excitedly.
But Touya's demeanor had changed in the matter of seconds. He no longer seemed like he wanted to keep talking, and he looked even more mad than before.
He glared at the Endeavor plush as if it had personally offended him before fully laying on his bed and turning his back on Keigo.
"Don't bother me, I'm tired. I'm going to bed."
Keigo deflated, putting down the Endeavor plush. Had he said something wrong? Was Touya mad because of him?...
"Touya…"
"Go to sleep too, you said it yourself, breakfast at 7 and training at 8. We can't be late."
"But…"
"Go. To. Bed." Touya growled.
Keigo didn't answer, and instead moved to turn off the lights in order to not bother Touya before making his way to the bathroom, brushing his teeth and changing into his pajamas before quietly slipping into bed. He didn't bother to mention to Touya where the bathroom was or ask if he was planning on sleeping with those clothes on.
He'd made it clear he was mad and didn't want Keigo talking to him, so he had to respect that, even if he didn't know why the other boy suddenly got all grumpy again.
He was right either way, it was getting late, and they had to be up early tomorrow, especially considering it was Touya's first day. The Commission President hated it when people weren't on time, and Keigo had a feeling, she would be watching them train tomorrow.
So he went to sleep, wondering why the other boy was so offended all of a sudden, and wishing his first day of training didn't go as bad as Keigo's had, back when he first arrived at the HPSC.
The next morning rolled around way too fast for their liking, and they got up way too early. Keigo took it upon himself to wake up Touya, hoping he wasn't still mad. Touya didn't even spare him a glance as he got up and went into the bathroom to take a shower and get changed.
Keigo got changed meanwhile, waiting for Touya so he could guide him to the cafeteria. He came out of the bathroom and they silently made their way over to the cafeteria, Keigo throwing constant glances in Touya's directions, but too nervous to still say anything.
They quietly gathered their breakfast and sat down in one of the free spaces they could find.
They looked so out of place, two kids in a sea of adults. For two years, Keigo had been the only kid there.
He kept throwing side glances at Touya as they took their breakfast. Finally, Touya seemed to have enough, and he slammed his hand on the table, startling Keigo.
"If there's anything you want to say, just say it already."
"I'm sorry." Keigo blurted out.
Touya gave him a weird look.
"Why are you apologizing?"
Keigo bit his lip, eyes going down and looking at his fumbling hands on his lap. "I said something yesterday that made you angry, I think. I don't know what it was, but I'm sorry."
Touya snorted.
"You don't know what you did, and you're apologizing?"
"Um… Yes."
Touya sighed, staying quiet for a moment before finally addressing Keigo again.
"It's fine, it's just… A long, boring story. I'll tell you one day, but you don't have to apologize. It was me the one who got all grumpy about it."
Keigo looked up.
"You'll tell me?..."
"Mhm. Not right now though, okay?"
Keigo nodded enthusiastically and proceeded to keep engulfing his breakfast.
Touya giggled at the sight before following suit, after all, they still had to be at the training room in 30 minutes.
That was the day Keigo and Touya became friends. As the only two kids being trained by the Commission, they only had each other.
Touya was given the name Blue Phoenix, and apparently, the HPSC had an agreement with his dad and he was going to be trained to be an underground hero, contrary to Keigo, who was supposed to be a Hero who was always being watched by the public.
Touya seemed mad at first, but finally he accepted it. Later he told Keigo it was for the best, that way he didn't have to worry about ranking high like Keigo would have to, and also that way he wouldn't be associated with his dad and later, his baby brother, who would most likely become a hero too.
'My old man would hate having the family disappointment associated with his masterpiece' he had said.
Keigo didn't ask. At this point, he learned that asking Touya about his family was never a good idea. He'd only ever repeat he'd tell him one day.
Keigo was 10, and Touya was 11 when he finally opened up to Keigo about who his family was.
That evening, they snuck to the training room after hours and burned Keigo's Endeavor plush. He didn't need it anymore, not when it had been Endeavor who hurt his best friend the most.
This is also the point in their story where, unbeknownst to them, it all took a turn.
The HPSC president had been observing their joint exercise that day, like she did once every month to 'observe their progress'.
This time though, it was different.
"Everything is ready, ma'am. The woman says she is willing to cooperate."
"And you said she only needs their blood?" the HPSC president asked, eyes still glued to Keigo and Touya, who were oblivious to this as they went around their usual battle.
"Yes."
"Good. Take the samples tomorrow, tell them we decided to do their monthly physical check-up early due to their performances today."
"Understood, ma'am. I'll let the doctor know."
And so, it was set. Experiment 1812xx was about to begin now.
The HPSC had successfully tracked down a woman with a rather unusual Quirk. When provided with blood samples from two people, she could create an individual that shared both their DNA charges.
The Commission's President had seen this as an opportunity. It was no secret Blue Phoenix was rebellious, and it was only a matter of time before his ideals rubbed off into Hawks. They couldn't allow that.
They had put a lot of resources into training those two for the past years, so when word got to her about this woman, she made her choice.
They would create a safeplan, in case either Hawks or Blue Phoenix failed. An individual that shared both their strengths and Quirks, possibly even more powerful than them.
Experiment 1812xx, codename: Dragon Bloom.
Touya had died. Or so they told Keigo, but he knew that was probably a lie. He refused to believe it, and when he debuted as a hero 6 years later, he found he was correct the first night he came to his new apartment to find a figure standing in the dark and waiting for him.
A sharpened feather was on his hand in the matter of seconds, pointing at the intruder's throat.
"Who are you? And why are you here?"
From the dim light coming in through the window, he managed to see the way metal glinted, slightly illuminating purple scars.
The stranger chuckled, his voice low and raspy.
"Sorry for getting your feathers all ruffled, Kei."
That set him on edge, the point of the sharpened feather grazing the stranger's throat now.
"My name is Hawks."
The intruder hummed, tilting his head to the side, apparently not worried at all about the feather. "Is it?"
A tense silence followed, Hawks' eyes never leaving the figure of the intruder. Finally, said stranger gave a step towards him, the tip of the feather cutting him slightly, but he didn't even seem to feel it or he didn't mind the slight droplets of blood going down his neck now.
The light from the window completely illuminated his grotesque face now, and then Hawks saw his eyes: an electric shade of blue looking at him with a turmoil of emotions.
Hawks lowered his weapon without even really realizing it. He gulped, suddenly lost into those eyes.
He opened his mouth, a weak "Touya…?" making it out.
The stranger smiled, the action pulling at some of the staples on his face, but despite the slightly gruesome picture, Keigo could see it now, he knew that smile all too well.
"Hey, Kei. Missed ya."
And so, Touya —no, he changed his name to Dabi now— told him everything. Told him how the Commission only thought he'd burned himself to death, but he'd managed to escape. Told him how he tried to go back for him, but couldn't find a way to break him out of the HPSC building, so he just waited.
He waited until Keigo was out into the world as Hawks to be able to approach him.
That's how Dabi and Hawks met, and how Touya and Keigo reunited.
Their relationship was complicated to say the least. Dabi came and went when he wanted, and they had this weird 'friends with benefits' deal going on.
Then Dabi decided to make things more complicated by joining the League of Villains and, technically, becoming a villain.
As if Hawks didn't already have enough on his plate having feelings towards his legally dead childhood best friend, now he had to add to that list that he was his enemy now.
They somehow managed to make it work though.
And now, here Hawks was at 24 years old, standing in the office of the HPSC president and being tasked with infiltrating the League of Villains.
Truth be told, he almost busted out laughing right then and there, but somehow managed to keep his face neutral.
"Our sources say Dabi is recruiting people for the League, so your best shot is to track him down."
Right, track down Dabi. It's not like Hawks knew Dabi was going to come visit him sometime this week, most likely also complaining about said recruits being 'idiots who've never even stolen a piece of gum in their lives'.
She was going to say something else, when a knock on the door interrupted them.
She excused herself before going out into the hallway with the Commission agent who had called for her.
Curiosity got the best of Hawks, and he discreetly sneaked one of his feathers behind her to listen in.
"Ma'am, I have the report you asked for on subject Dragon Bloom. He has been doing exceptionally well on training lately, and has proven to have good control over his Quirk. If he wasn't still of age, I'd say he would be more than ready to debut as a pro."
"It's in his genes after all, he was made to be even better than the two subjects he shares his DNA with."
Hawks' world suddenly came to a halt, realization slowly slipping into him as he took in the meaning behind those words: subject, training, debut, made, minor for fucks sake.
The Commission was training a new hero. Since when? Why? Wasn't he the last one? Did she just say he was 'made'?
A chill went up Hawks' spine upon thinking somewhere in that building, there was a kid who was living the same hell he had. He couldn't allow that. Not only as a pro hero, but as a victim of the people who tortured him for years and called it training. He wouldn't wish his same hell upon anyone else.
Soon after, the Commission president joined him again. Hawks slipped into his mask with ease, pretending he had been checking his phone all along.
"Ma'am, I hate to cut this meeting short, but I'm needed for some paperwork back at my agency on the joint patrol with Endeavor. May I go?"
"Do you know your orders?"
"Yes ma'am, track Dabi down and do whatever it takes to join the League and act as a spy. I'll do late night patrols more often, keep an eye out for him."
"Good, you may leave then."
Hawks nodded, slipping out of her office as she focused her attention instead on some files laying on her desk.
At this point, he'd made up his mind: he was going to save that kid, no matter what.