Summary: Dabi got captured and thrown into prison after being arrested on the night the Vanguard Action Squad attacked UA's training camp; during his sentence, he's offered an ultimatum. After agreeing to it, he's forced to teach Hero Class 1-A the mindset of a villain to give them a feel for what they're dealing with. Along the way, the heroes and Class 1-A learn a few things about him...as well as he himself. Sometimes, even a villain has the instinct to protect buried deep within them since they were born...
/This is just a random idea I had one day, and figured that I'd take a stab at it. I absolutely love Dabi's character, so this'll be interesting to write about him for the first time. This is slightly crackish, slightly serious, soooo….yeah. That being said, it's been a while since I've read the manga so no flames (pun intended)? Anyways, I hope you enjoy! (I've been listening to Datte Atashino Hero by LiSA on repeat for a while now, and I want to write Dabi as a character for the Fantasy AU of Boku No Hero Academia. That's...not a bad thing, right? Eh, I might just do a short for it in a special chapter.)
*DOB stands for Date Of Birth. It shows up in this chapter, and this saves you guys from having to look it up yourselves!*
"You don't even bother anymore. You cut to the bone, pick up the phone…
To hear my Swan Song."
~Swan Song by Set It Off
Dabi hated heroes.
He should rephrase that: he hated fake heroes. All they did was focus on gaining frivolous items like popularity and money that they forget what it really means to be a hero. Only All Might was the exception to that, saving hundreds from imminent danger with a smile so wide it gave Dabi a rush of adrenaline. That, he decided the first time he saw the scene from his slightly damaged phone, is what separated the true heroes from the shams. Stain had put it nicely in perspective for any and all uprising villains; it was their choice, however, to follow through with his vision of taking down the hero system or not. Dabi was not going to sit back and do nothing. (In retrospect - from the very far future - Dabi realized that this also meant Stain's ideals gave heroes a looking glass into their flawed ways, presenting an opportunity to fix what should have been inputted a long time ago.)
Then there were some heroes who fell in the middle.
As the door to his impregnable prison cell opened the scarred villain lifted his gaze from the ground to the man who had entered, holding a manilla folder in his grasp. He immediately recognized the other as Eraserhead, the underground pro hero who could cancel a Quirk with just a glare. He vaguely remembered that one of his clones fought the sleep-deprived man, catching him by surprise and almost managing to burn his face off. As his hands twitched from their spot on his lap, unable to move freely due to the Quirk Inhibitors on his wrists, he imagined the skin of the pro hero's face flaking away and rising into the air as ash once his eyes dulled, the life struggling to no avail to keep them alight.
Sadly, his dreams of murdering the man in front of him were not to be realized.
"Alias: Dabi. Real Name: Unknown. Age: 21. Blood Type: Unknown. DOB: Unknown. Quirk: Cremation. Relatives: Unknown, Presumed to be Deceased." Eraserhead listed as he flicked through the files, making Dabi tilt his head and scrutinize him with piercing aquamarine orbs. The pro hero was known for being the "no-bullshit" type, getting straight to the point no matter who he was speaking to. When the villain saw how the hero looked paler than usual and gripped the papers attached to the folder so tightly they became slightly crumpled, he narrowed his eyes.
If there was one thing he and Eraserhead shared in common, it was that they both hated to tiptoe around the real matter at hand. The fact that the hero was doing it at all either meant that he hated what he was about to say or he couldn't find a way to just yet.
"What's it to you?" He instead replied lazily, keeping his jaw from clenching in irritation. If Eraserhead wanted to dance, then two can play that game.
Only a metal table separated the two, located in the center of the room. Eraserhead put the file down on the object, pulling out the chair which sat opposite from the Cremation User and taking a seat. "This is all the information we managed to get out of you from not only yourself, but from what little your colleague gave away."
Dabi felt like chuckling, but he held it in. While he didn't particularly enjoy collaborating with the League of Villains, it was an unspoken agreement that they would have each other's back. (He supposed it also helped that they had no idea who he was; despite Toga's best efforts, when she was passionate about something she tended to let a few things slip on accident. The fewer things she knew, the better.)
Instead, a slight downturn of his lips had to settle for now. "I am not as patient as you're making me out to be, so get on with it."
"You're in no position to demand anything." Eraserhead pointed out. It was true; with his Quirk cut off from him and locked inside a prison cell with five feet of solid concrete separating him from whatever was on the other side of that door, he shouldn't be acting like he owned the place. However, the pro moved on from the topic and said the next sentence as if he was ripping off a band-aid from a fresh wound. "UA has a deal for you."
"One month," Dabi stated, taking the time to digest Eraserhead's declaration. He ended up answering with a drawn-out huff of something close to amusement. "One month of being locked in here, and you have a proposition for me."
"I don't necessarily agree with it myself." The hero grimaced before pulling another pile of papers from the folder. With a plop they landed closer to Dabi, fanning out in front of him. "But I can see the end goal of this ordeal."
Dabi examined the pages. The few words that stuck out to him overall were "villain", "mind", and "educate". Normally those words weren't all that uncommon considering the type of society that existed today, but the fact that he saw his "name" wedged between the second and the last one that caught his eye alarmed him.
Sometimes, he really hated that his mind could draw conclusions faster than the average person.
"Are you fucking with me?" He grounded out, aquamarine orbs piercing Eraserhead's form with no mercy. "You want me to do this?"
"It wasn't my choice." Eraserhead pinched his brow, trying to soothe the upcoming headache. "But, we are in an...interesting...situation right now. With two villains from the League captured, we decided to put you to use in our favor. You'll only be limited to teaching one class, and we decided that it would be Class 1-A."
The irony of it all made him want to laugh. "What makes you think that I'll agree to this?" Dabi slid the papers back over to the pro hero, keeping his facial expression neutral while he tilted his head to the side. While the action seemed innocent, Dabi knew that it would come across as a threat to Eraserhead. That was good; he wanted to intimidate him. Even if he was in handcuffs, the pro hero should know that he won't follow orders like some obedient dog. "I'm a villain, you're a hero; the former go to prison, not be integrated back into the hero training course where they teach young, impressionable minds about the inner workings of a villain."
To the hero's credit, he remained unfazed. "The students would get a firsthand look on how a villain thinks and acts. When apprehending them, it's difficult to imagine what a villain would do in a certain situation. Even though the teachers at UA briefly go over this topic, they themselves are not villains. It would be better for the students to have a primary source, in any case." The only thing the villain caught was one specific phrase, which made his blood boil at how naïve the supposed "pro hero" truly was.
"You think heroes can't be villains?" Dabi barked out a laugh, one that was filled with resentment. Nonetheless, he leaned forward so abruptly it almost made the hero flinch, any signs of laughing gone. "You can't be farther from the truth, Eraserhead. Why else do you think I joined the League? I, at least, should be the least of your concerns."
"I'm going to be having you around my students." Eraserhead snapped at him, eyes hardening further as he regarded him. "In turn, that makes you my priority and my concern. Anything else?"
"What do I get out of this?" Dabi couldn't believe that he was seriously considering this in the first place. Teach a bunch of brats how to be a villain? It was an absurd idea, but somehow the school saw some merit from it.
Eraserhead folded his arms across the table, his words like a slap in Dabi's face. "For your cooperation, we're willing to release your associate Himiko Toga and cease all avid searching for the League of Villains for two months."
Dabi leaned back, careful not to show any reaction to the proposition. He...really did not want to have to teach those kids, especially Bakugo. After their failed attempt to capture him during UA's summer camp expedition, the explosive teen would be even more violent than before. To be frank, he didn't know who was worse: Bakugo when filled with pent-up anger, or Shigaraki when he didn't get his way. The Cremation User figured it would be the latter, since they lost valuable assets to the League on top of their failure to capture Bakugo Katsuki. Dabi did not want to deal with Shigaraki when he was like that, anyways.
And then there was the matter of Toga's release. While the girl certainly had a few screws loose, she was more than just a capable fighter and could also do undercover operations. She was a necessity to the League, regardless if Dabi disliked her company or not. Besides...she could also send the League a message for him, if they were allowed to meet just before her release.
Despite this, two months wasn't enough time for the League to come up with a solid plan. It was a bargain, but…
"Three."
"Pardon?" Eraserhead looked somewhat surprised by his response, furrowing his brow shortly afterwards.
"Make it three months, and I'll consider." Even though he said that, Dabi had already made up his mind. Although he didn't like the conditions, he supposed that he could bear with it for a while. Plus, he got to see the interior of UA and learn the inner workings of the building...Once he broke free, he would have priceless info. stored in his brain.
Eraserhead looked annoyed with the new proposition, but nonetheless nodded. Dabi didn't know if he would even put a word in for him, but he wasn't budging until he got what he wanted.
That's right; let these so-called "heroes" think that they have control of the situation.
As Eraserhead stood up from his chair and exited the room, Dabi couldn't help the crooked smile that threatened to split his face in two. Maybe this ordeal was a blessing in disguise, after all. He'd make sure to teach those kids how tainted the ideals they held oh-so close to their chest and revered with all of their hearts were.
Then, when the time came for him to leave, he would simply…
Crush them.
"Let's see those so-called heroes try to cover up the truth from their students when I'm around."
/Uh-oh, Dabi's scheming…
(We all know that he won't follow through with his threat lol)
...Or will he?
Anyways, thanks for checking this story out! The details surrounding Dabi's and Toga's capture will be revealed later on in this story, and as you can see this fic diverts from the cannon route because of their capture. I know my writing's not the best, but I at least hope you guys enjoy this chapter and the next that are to come. That being said, I'm putting my other stories on hold for a while to write this one as I'm interested to see how this one will turn out.
See you guys soon!
~VampChippzRisesAgain
