Chapter Text
“What is your name, child?” The woman standing in front of him used her pen to raise his chin, forcing him to meet her eyes, an act that went against his teachings.
“I don’t have one, miss.” He tried too look anywhere but her strange, dull eyes.
“Don’t have one, huh? Then what did they call you?” Her heels clicked as she walked in circles around him. He’s acutely aware of his surroundings, part of his training, and he knows someone else is in the room, judging by the almost inaudible rustle of feathers.
“Seven, miss. They called me Seven.” She stopped, cocking her head, before her hand connected with the back of his head almost softly.
“Why?”
“I was the seventh of seven children, miss. We all were numbers.” The woman nods, releasing his hair from her almost delicate hold.
“So child, tell me. The reports we have on you say your body count is ninety-nine. is that the case?”
“Yes, miss, it is.” Seven carefully keeps his tone neutral, his face blank.
“Then as I see it, you’ve got two choices here. You train for the remaining three years here, with my asset, then attend UA High school and make a good name for us, or, you go straight to Tartarus for whatever remains of your pathetic little life.” Seven forcefully holds back a sigh. He didn’t want to go to prison, no. He didn’t exactly like what he was forced to do by the Master and Mistress, he did it to survive. He may have been the seventh of seven children, but only three survived.
“I’ll train, miss, and attend this high school.” A smile overcomes the woman’s face, it’s sharp, cold, and wrong.
“Good choice, child. Your name from here on out is Kaminari Denki, you will answer to it.” He nods, finally meeting dull, brown eyes.
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The winged boy, Hawks, he had learned, lead him to their quarters, where they would share the facilities. He had learned that Hawks had never had to do this, however Seven, no, Denki, was used to it.
“Sorry she’s making us share, dude.” The boy rubbed the back of his neck, casting his gaze downward, an action he had never seen.
“I am used to it, Hawks. What are you doing?” Denki cocked his head at the bird-like boy, the same way he would before taking a particularly long range shot.
“Huh? Oh, lots of people do that when they’re embarrassed.” He turned, opening the door to their quarters. Two barren twin beds, one dresser with two sides, and one other door, assuming to be the bathroom facilities. “It ain’t much, man, but it works.” Denki sat on the bed opposite Hawks.
“It has a bed.” He must not have kept his tone neutral, because Hawks looked up, shocked.
“I mean, yeah, why wouldn’t it?” Denki met his eyes, true gold meeting tawny gold.
“I have never had a bed before.”
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Before the two boys knew it, a year and a half had passed, half of Denki’s assigned training timeline with this ‘commission’ as Hawks called them. He rounded a corner, only to stumble upon Hawks arguing with the Miss, whom Hawks had referred to as their ‘handler’, a term Denki was intimately familiar with.
“He knows literally nothing of heroes, villains, normal life, you send him into that school without any socialization outside of me, and everybody will know something’s up with the dude.” Denki cocked his head, a gesture Hawks had called his ‘habit’.
“Hawks? Miss?” Denki bowed immediately, part habit, part lesson from the woman in front of him.
“Ah, Denki, just the boy I wanted to see. I suppose it’s time to take a break from your honing studies, and follow Hawks.” He nods, silently, turning to follow the large red wings. ‘Honing Studies’ is what she had taken to calling his continued assassin training. Stealth, blending, knives, rifles, and his quirk, all rolled into the same package as the Master and Mistress had used.
“Follow me, Denks, we’re going to eat dinner with everyone else.”
“Everyone else? There are more than just us?” He jogged to keep up with the slightly taller boy.
“There’s, in total, four of us. You, me, Dabi, and Toga.” Denki nodded, walking beside the boy.
Reaching the dining hall was something else, it was built for many, but held only two other people. One older boy covered in scars and staples, his turquoise eyes burning bright, and a girl, probably older than himself, but younger than the scarred boy, with tawny eyes similar to Hawks’ own.
“We finally get to meet him! Yay!” The girl is literally jumping around, meal forgotten, as she bounds around the table and leans in close to Denki. “I’m Himiko Toga! What’s your name?” Denki had to take a moment, a split second, to respond with his assigned name.
“Kaminari Denki.” He eyes the older boy, who eyes him right back, and nods.
“I’m Dabi.” Denki nods at him, sitting at the table.
“You gonna get food?” Hawks settles beside him with a tray of food. Looking rather worriedly at the child next to him.
“Part of my training is substantial lack of sustenance. I am not permitted to eat until Thursday.” Dabi chokes on his water.
“Thursday? The fuck?” Now there’s a word Denki had never heard before. “It’s Sunday, you’ll die before Thursday! When did you eat something last?” He leans forward, his burning turquoise eyes seeming to nearly glow.
“It is Sunday, as you stated, by my calculations I have last eaten on Wednesday.” Dabi looked nearly sick, he would look green if it weren’t for the purple scarring.
“Oh!” Toga butts in, not minding what Dabi was about to say. “When’s your birthday, Denki?” Denki is confused by the casual first name use, as Hawks had previously explained that last names were customary. Denki brushed it off, assuming it to be a part of the blonde’s eccentric attitude.
“Birthday?” He cocked his head once more, earning a chuckle from Hawks beside him.
“Ya know, the day you were born? The day you get a year older?” Denki thought for a moment.
“I do not have one, Toga. I was assigned a name upon arrival and agreeing to the program I’m currently enrolled in, but I was not assigned a birthday.” Toga looks disheartened, and Denki feels a strange emotion at her expression, one he can’t seem to place.
“Mine’s January eighteenth. I’m nineteen.” Dabi speaks up, picking his chopsticks up to continue his meal.
“Mine’s December twenty eighth! I’m eighteen.” Hawks pipes up from his side, smiling.
“August seventh! I’m fourteen!”
“I’m thirteen now, I believe.” Hawks perks up beside him, elbowing his ribs.
“How about the day you were brought here? June twenty ninth! It’s October eighth now, so it would make sense that you’re thirteen.” Denki thinks about this for a moment before turning to Hawks.
“Would the Miss be angry with us for deciding an important profiling factor without her input?” Hawks seems to consider this for a moment before smiling again.
“Nah, man, one less thing on her plate!” Denki didn’t know what that expression meant, but he would trust the older boy.