Work Text:
Pro Hero Dabi, known to friends and family as Touya Himura, is calm. He’s calm, cool, collected—
“NUMBER TEN HERO AND YOU CAN’T AFFORD A CAR?!”
“Kacchan! Todoroki-kun told us that his brother gets carsick! Don’t be rude!”
“Deku. Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight. You two should lower your voices. I think you’re stressing Touya-nii out.”
“Ha? That’s your brother’s stressed face? Looks more like he’s constipated.”
“Kacchan!”
Calm, cool, collected, and totally not about to light a dumpster on fire. Even if he has a growing migraine throbbing behind his eyeballs, he’s fine . Perfectly fine . After all, Touya didn’t become Number Ten by exploding into blue inferno whenever he got pissed off. He’s always been applauded for being calm—
“Can’t I just blast off with my quirk? Think of all the villains we’re missing by fucking walking!”
Cool—
“Kacchan! Don’t! Dabi-san told us that we’re supposed to stay in a group! Not only is it safer, but it gives us an advantage if we do have to fight. And walking isn't so bad. Right, Todoroki-kun? ”
Collected—
“Touya-nii, look. I found a cat. If we can’t find their owner, can we keep them?”
Fuck it.
Touya abruptly stops and spins around, causing his three interns to crash into each other. They’re like a line of confused ducklings who imprinted on the first thing they saw after hatching. Unfortunately, Touya just so happens to be their ‘mother duck’ for the next few months .
He might really go from ‘Pro Hero Dabi’ to ‘S-Class Villain Dabi’.
Touya glares at the trio, being extra careful not to glare at the tabby cat snuggled in his brother’s arms. After all, the cat didn’t deserve his wrath.
“Shouto, that cat has a clipped ear so they’re probably a stray. We can bring them to the nearest shelter and drop them off if you’re worried about their safety. Dynamight, if I see you taking off I will personally put you on desk duty for the rest of the month. And Deku—”
Midoriya eeps quietly.
“... Stop yelling. You’re giving me a headache.”
Bakugou lets out a howling laugh as Midoriya blushes and shuffles over to Shouto’s side, no doubt trying to hide behind his little brother’s (frustratingly) tall frame. The action makes Touya feel ten times more annoyed, an emotion he quickly aims at the haughtiest of his three idiots.
“That goes doubly for you, Dynamight. Don’t think I haven’t noticed that Deku only yells because he’s trying to calm your screaming ass down.”
Midoriya eeps again, Shouto’s shoulders shake, and even the cat lets out a chirp that sounds like a snort. Bakugou’s jaw snaps shut and the sound his mouth emits has Touya praying that the teen’s teeth are okay. He does not want to be doing dentist trips on top of the hell that is this year’s Hero Work Studies. Bakugou’s face then begins to redden and Touya’s prayers switch from teeth to ‘Please for the love of god don’t let this extremely emotional teenager have a temper tantrum on my watch please’.
“Touya-nii, why can’t we keep this cat? You said they’re a stray so—”
“I’m so sorry, Dabi-san! I promise I’ll be quieter! S-starting now!”
“Stop acting like you’re better than me just because you're in the Top Ten, you Endeavor wannabe!”
Touya will have to apologize to his support team later. Clearly, his new quirk cuffs were not able to handle the temperature of his stress flames.
When Touya first agreed to let Shouto join his agency for his Hero Work Study, he had honestly been looking forward to it. Not only had his brother given their old man the metaphoric middle finger after rejecting the Number One’s request and choosing the ‘lowly’ Number Ten’s agency, but this would be the first time he and Shouto would be working together as heroes. He was a teeny, tiny bit excited to see what kind of skills Shouto had picked up during his time at U.A. (“So I can copy and steal them,” he said, half-jokingly, at the last family dinner, “obviously”) and well, sue him. He was excited to show his baby brother the ropes and how to really be a hero, not a walking billboard of one (cough Endeavor COUGH).
But what he hadn’t expected was Shouto bringing his friends to the first day of his Work Study and asking Touya to take them too.
“They have no place to go,” Shouto said simply after Touya had pulled him into his office and asked him an exasperated, “ Why ?”
“All of them? Really?” Touya couldn’t believe it. “Didn’t your friends do super well in the Sports Festival? Shouldn’t heroes be tripping over their feet for them?
“Well…” His younger brother cocked his head and then proceeded to share way too much information. Information that someone probably should’ve told Shouto was classified. “Gran Torino got his license semi-revoked after the Stain incident, Nighteye is still injured after the yakuza raid, and Best Jeanist is on medical leave after Bakugou blasted him through a window. Oh and Nighteye doesn’t like Midoriya because he’s All Might’s secret son.”
That was the moment Touya’s migraine started. “I… see…” he said. He had then gathered all his strength to gently deny Shouto… only for Shouto to bow his head and beg him to allow his friends to study with them. And Touya, ever the softhearted sibling, couldn’t say no.
“Don’t worry, Touya-nii,” Shouto said right before his friends entered Touya's office, “all the heroes Midoriya and Bakugou worked with only got their licenses suspended for six months. Plus, they didn’t die. So, I don’t think their ‘curse’ will affect you like my ‘hand-crushing’ one affects me.”
Correction, that was the moment Touya’s migraine started.
“Shouto, when you get the chance, follow up with the civilian who broke into that convenience store yesterday. I want to make sure he’s ok. Oh, and nix the word ‘villain’ from your report. He’s clearly sorry and one mistake shouldn’t ruin his whole life.”
“On it, Touya-nii.”
“Deku, make sure to keep your reports concise and on topic. As interesting as it is to learn about how the mud villain’s quirk operates, it takes up too much space when written up. Try to keep everything under five sentences.”
“G-got it!”
“Dynamight,” Touya holds back a sigh, already predicting how the blond teen will react, “good work so far. Keep it up.”
“HA! Take that losers.”
Yup, there it is . “Dynamight, be nice,” Touya warns, “I can still put you on report duty for the rest of the month.” Yet even Touya’s threat of paperwork can’t erase the smirk on Bakugou’s lips as he crosses his arms and stares, triumphantly, at his classmates. Shouto stares back, blankly. As for Midoriya—
“Can I see your report Kacchan? I want to know how you did it!”
“Wha-? No, do your own damn—!”
“I’d also like to see,” Shouto muses, “I always feel like I write too casually.”
“You do,” Touya deadpans. “Didn’t U.A. teach you how to use polite forms?”
“Fuck off, Icyhot!”
“Language,” Touya deadpans, again. He then sighs. Well, he’s a mentor so he might as well start mentoring. “You two can look over some of my old reports if you want to get a better grasp of what to write. I warn you though, it’s not going to be exciting villain takedowns. It’s mostly just mundane stuff.”
The twin expressions of excitement on Midoriya’s and Shouto’s faces—more subtle in Shouto’s case, but still present—make it seem like Touya offered them ice cream sundaes and not year-old paperwork.
“Hey!” Bakugou suddenly yells, “what about me?”
That… honestly takes Touya by surprise. “You wanna look too?” Touya asks, frowning. “But your report was nearly flawless.”
Bakugou scowls. “Yeah, so? ‘Nearly flawless’ means it wasn’t fully flawless. Which also means it wasn’t the best. So—” He stomps towards Touya with a snarl. “Show me your damn reports too, discount Number One.”
Wow. Just wow. Touya doesn’t know whether to be impressed by Bakugou’s tenacity or to send him on the first bullet train back to U.A. for being an asshole. “Okay, new rule; never call me ‘discount Number One’ again. In fact, never call me anything Endeavor related. Ever. Got it?”
Midoriya nods enthusiastically (not who Touya was talking to but, appreciated). Shouto nods solemnly (also not who Touya was talking to). Bakugou scoffs then rolls his eyes (yeah, what did Touya expect?).
“Dynamight,” Touya hisses, “do I make myself clear?”
“Yeah, yeah,” Bakugou says, waving his hands, “I promise I won’t bring up your daddy issues or whatever. Now,” he adds, not noticing (or choosing not to notice) the puff of smoke that escapes from Touya’s ears, “are you gonna show us those reports?”
Touya opens his mouth, snaps it shut with a sharp click , and reminds himself, for the millionth time, that he is the calm, cool, and collected Pro Hero Dabi.
“Sure,” he says through gritted teeth, “follow me.”
Though it might seem that the source of Touya’s migraines was Bakugou and Bakugou only, it wasn’t. Yes, Bakugou has pride issues and never seemed to think about his words before he said them, but he has the skills and the brains of a stellar future hero. (Plus, he’s stupidly good at paperwork, much to Touya’s awe and chagrin.)
It turns out, Bakugou is only a portion of Touya’s migraine. The other two parts went to his brother (of course) and—
“Did you really have to crash into a wall to prove a point?”
Midoriya blushes under Touya’s cold gaze and he shrugs. “I didn’t want to seriously hurt… Mr. Smiley, was it? Sure, his art is considered vandalism, but it felt wrong to… to arrest him.”
Touya sighs. Yeah, he can understand that part. Especially since Mr. Smiley seemed more like an artist desperate for attention than an actual criminal. Not to mention that the hilarious caricature of Endeavor that Mr. Smiley drew had Touya laughing for a full three minutes, no quirk necessary. However…
“I get that. But if you keep putting yourself in danger, you’re going to burn yourself out,” Touya explains. Then, before his nerves can get the better of him, Touya rolls up his sleeves to show Midoriya how far his own ‘burns’ went. “Trust me, I know from experience.”
Midoriya’s eyes widen as he takes in Touya’s purple skin before they narrow in silent resolve.
“Still…” Midoriya purses his lips as if he wants to say something but unlike Bakugou and (if Touya is being honest) Shouto, was actually considering his words and choosing to stay silent. Somehow, the action pisses Touya off more than all of Bakugou’s complaining sessions combined.
“Deku, I’m not a mind reader. I don’t have that kind of quirk. If you have something you want to tell me, you need to say it.”
What follows is a long and, in Touya’s opinion, awkward silence as Midoriya mulls over his words. The teen opens his mouth, closes it, opens it again, mutters something, and then closes it.
“If I have this power,” Midoriya finally says, “shouldn’t I use it to its full extent? It’s not fair to those who need saving if I don’t.”
Okay… Touya can see where Midoriya’s coming from. Probably a little too well regarding his own past with his quirk and its capabilities. But still…
“It’s also not fair to you,” he points out. “Deku, I hate to break it to you, but you’re not the only hero out there in the world. There are a hundred thousand other heroes who also want to save everyone. Yes, there are some rotten, flame-bearded apples,” Midoriya snorts at that, “but I like to think that most are good. And those good ones? Those are your allies, the ones who’ll look after you and make sure you don’t crash into walls.” Another laugh from Midoriya and to Touya’s relief, his green eyes begin to lose their hard edge.
“So basically, you’re telling me to trust people more?” Midoriya asks sheepishly.
“Yup,” Touya says bluntly. “You learn fast, kid.” And then, because Touya is and always has been a pot-stirrer. “Now if only Shouto could also learn not to crash into walls when sliding around on his ice!”
“Shut up, Touya-nii!”
“Touya-nii.”
“Shouto.”
“Is this the part where we bond?”
“What the actual fuck are you talking about?"
“Is this the part where we bond?” Shouto asks again, innocently. Even though he is blocking the way to Touya’s private bathroom. With both arms.
Touya sighs. “Shouto, I need to shower. I stink.”
“You do. You’re also covered in slime.”
Touya grits his teeth and wills himself not to catch on fire. “Yeah. I just finished apprehending someone with a slime quirk. That’s why I need to shower.”
“You bonded with Bakugou and Midoriya,” Shouto continues, unperturbed and thoroughly ignoring Touya’s request to get clean. “I want to bond with you too.”
Touya sighs. Again. “Shouto, we’re related. We’ve been bonding for the last sixteen years.”
Something in Shouto’s stoic face twitches and subtly (extremely subtly) his expression changes from ‘hopeful’ to ‘disappointed’. His youngest brother lowers his arms and his eyes begin to drift to the wall behind Touya’s head. As he avoids Touya’s confused look, the ‘subtly disappointed’ expression on Shouto’s face shifts and grows into a ‘recognizably disappointed’ expression.
Immediately, Touya’s confusion is replaced by worry. But before he can ask what’s wrong—
“I… thought that you’d teach me more hero stuff,” Shouto confesses quietly. “But it feels like you’re ignoring me and just focusing on my friends.”
A loud splurt of slime hitting the ground is the only thing that interrupts Touya’s shocked silence. Shit.
“Have I been doing that?” he asks, half to himself and half to Shouto.
Shouto glances at him and for a split second, Touya feels small and stupid under his younger brother’s gaze. Slowly, Shouto looks down and nods.
Double shit. He didn’t mean to do that. But thinking back on it with a changed perspective, he did unintentionally drift more towards Midoriya and Bakugou. He did spend extra time with the other two during patrols. Hell, just today, he asked Midoriya and Bakugou to accompany him to deal with the slime villain. Not Shouto.
Triple shit.
Perhaps Touya was subconsciously trying to protect Shouto. Or perhaps he thought everything he was trying to teach would be ‘old news’ to Shouto. Or perhaps… he secretly felt intimidated; the prodigal sibling trying to mentor the perfect one.
Whatever it was, Touya definitely fucked up.
“Shou…” Touya reaches out and, despite his slimy body, places what he hopes is a comforting hand on Shouto’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry,” he says, “I didn’t mean to ignore you.”
Shouto stiffens, his frown becoming even deeper. “I know you weren’t,” he says. “You have a lot on your plate right now with all… three of us.” There’s a hint of guilt in Shouto’s tone which only makes Touya feel ten times guiltier.
“I do have a lot to deal with,” Touya says carefully, “But…” He squeezes his brother’s shoulder and waits until Shouto looks at him to continue. “I agreed to have all three of you here. You’re each my responsibility and it wasn’t fair that I was leaving you out.” Touya smiles and yeah, he doesn’t exactly have an ‘All Might Smile’, but he tries to put as much determination and resolve as he can into his grin. “I promise I’ll do better and teach you everything that there is to know about being a hero.”
He’s met with silence and—for a split second—Touya can’t help but hold his breath, scared of what might come next. But then, his brother nods and the smallest of smiles quirks up on his lips.
“Thanks, Touya-nii,” Shouto says and relief floods Touya’s body. “I appreciate it.” Yet just as quickly as it had appeared, Shouto’s smile suddenly drops.
“You should really shower though. You stink.”
Touya totally does not wipe slime into Shouto’s hair after that comment. He totally doesn't.
The villain doesn’t even know what hits him.
That being the combined efforts of all three of Touya’s migraines and Touya himself. The villain in question, a man with a snowflake quirk who had an intense love for punching people and stealing cash registers, now found himself wrapped around a lamppost thanks to Midoriya’s versatile quirk. And, thanks to Touya’s flames, the villain’s body temperature was now too warm to produce any more annoying ice dandruffs.
“Dabi-nii, are you feeling okay?” Shouto asks, his hand against Touya's back as he cools his brother down.
Touya grunts. “Never better,” he says, staring at the struggling villain and making sure his fire didn’t accidentally burn him. “You’re doing great, Shouto.”
He catches Shouto secretly smiling to himself at the compliment.
“Did you see how this idiot fell into my ‘Nitro Smoke Explosion' trap?” Bakugou asks, half haughty and half searching for approval.
“I did. Nice job, Dynamight.” Bakugou preens like a peacock at the praise.
“Um…” Midoriya starts and Touya chuckles.
“Thanks for helping me out, Deku. Your teamwork skills have really improved.” Midoriya beams happily.
Okay fine. Touya admits that he probably would’ve never taken on three students at the start of this Work Study. But now, together with his brother and his brother’s friends, he can’t help but admit that when they team up, everything works out pretty gre—
“Damn it, Deku! You’re squeezing the idiot’s eyes out!”
“Wha-? AHHH I’M SO SORRY!!”
“Don’t apologize to a villain, you nerd!”
“Touya-nii, I see another cat. Can I go grab them? I promise I’ll be quick.”
Touya can only sigh. He tilts his head back, closes his eyes, and then very calmly, collectedly, and cooly, yells at the top of his voice—
“FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WILL YOU THREE SHUT UP!”