A conversation with Razell (and before that Crazy1201 on the AO3 site) inspired the first scene.

X

He was sitting on the couch, Shouto on his right and Fuyumi on his left, with Natsuo on Fuyumi's other side. The Todoroki family's couch was vaguely similar to the one in the League's apartment, but a couch was a couch.

They were just relaxing together, no words needed. The three siblings occasionally smiled at him with kind, matching sets of blue-and-gray eyes.

Fuyumi was a little on the small side, and wore her deep red hair in neat buns, while Natsuo had a large build, but had spiky hair like his own, besides it being bright red rather than black.

Shouto started talking about something his school friends had done the other day.

Then the front door opened, and Shouto broke off as they all glanced up.

The person in the doorway could almost pass as his twin—the same height and build, the same blue eyes, the same hairstyle besides the color being very dark red rather than black. And another difference was the less noticeable burn scars, barely pink against his skin.

The person threw him a hateful look. "Why is there a villain sitting in my spot?" Even his voice sounded similar.

Fuyumi gestured at him, saying, "This is Touya-Two."

Shouto said, gravely, "He's my new favorite brother."

"I fake my death for a few years and you replace me?" the real Touya said, looking horrified. "He's a villain!" The glare returned as he turned his electric blue eyes back to him. "How can you accept him—after what he did to Mom?"

His eyes widened at the accusation. "That was Endeavor's fault!"

"Yeah? Then what color are those flames?" Touya asked with a sneer, throwing his arm out to point to the side.

And there she was, with her short brown hair beginning to singe and solid blue eyes wide in desperate fear as she stared at him, blue flames surrounding her.

Shouto said sadly, "The doctors were going to release her soon."

"So much for being her 'saving son'," Touya said hatefully, "Mr. fire origin. You're a dangerous nobody. They were right to give up on you."

"No they weren't!" he yelled, his voice becoming a hateful growl. "I'll kill them! I'll kill them all! All the false heroes!"

Blue flames erupted from him, consuming the real Touya. And also spreading to Shouto, his eyes wide in desperate fear.

Dabi jerked to a sitting position.

Someone whistled close by. "That's some dedication."

Dabi squinted into the shadows, trying to see who was there. Green skin—most likely Spinner.

And, great—he'd caught his own face on fire again. He reached up to smother the little flames.

It didn't look like he'd set anything else on fire.

Had he fallen asleep on the couch last night? Well, obviously, since he was lying on it now.

"I mean," Spinner said, "I do dream about Stain sometimes, but I could really feel your—"

"What time is it?" Dabi said wearily, not in the mood for Spinner's rambling. With how dark the room was, it couldn't be daylight yet.

"Four thirty."

He didn't care why Spinner was in the living room at four thirty in the morning, so he didn't ask.

When Spinner started to speak again, Dabi lay back down and rolled over to face the back of the couch.

Stupid dream.

All he could really remember was getting upset and torching Shouto, but he felt like there had been more to it before that, something happier. And maybe some scattered feelings about family and duplicity. But he couldn't quite bring the scenes to mind.

It was stupid anyhow. His ambitions weren't going to hurt Shouto like that. His goals and Shouto were mutually exclusive. And they would remain that way.

Shouto's phone was ringing.

He groaned. He just wanted to stay asleep, but still slowly rolled over to reach for the phone. He felt sore. And why was his phone in the bed with him? He had been talking to Dabi, right? He cracked one eye open just long enough to see where to press to answer the call. "Sorry for falling asleep on you, Touya," he said.

"Shouto," came an alarmed voice, followed by a curse. "My finger slipped, I didn't mean to bother you this early!" Then there was a pause. "Wait, did you say 'Touya'?"

Shouto opened one eye again to look at his phone screen. "Oh. Hello, Natsuo."

"Yeah, hi. But why did you say 'Touya'? And what happened last night?"

Shouto guessed he wasn't going to be able to sleep longer. He rubbed his eyes and said, "I got called in for my work-study to help with a villain attack, and got back after dark. I think it's already caught up with me, by the way—any advice for dealing with sore and stiff muscles?"

"You probably know more about that than I do. Did you stay hydrated? And no, sucking on your own ice doesn't count."

Shouto didn't answer.

"Did you at least take a hot bath right afterward?"

"A hot shower."

"Okay, good. And if it's really already setting in, then try a cool one this morning. And you know getting up and moving around will help as long as you don't over do it. Oh, and also massaging the affected areas." Then he muttered, "The old man really should know better than to overwork you when you have hero classes the next day."

"My work-study isn't with him. I just overdid things."

"Oh. Oooh. That's great, little bro!"

Shouto could easily imagine Natsuo's huge grin.

"His face must've been priceless when you told him!"

"I never actually told him. I haven't spoken with him in weeks."

"Seriously?! And he hasn't called to yell at you yet? This is great. What if he doesn't even know? You have to film it when you tell him."

Shouto's morning alarm sounded, and he turned it off, checking the time. "I'll think about it. I need to get ready for class, now, so I'll talk to you another time. Goodbye, Natsuo."

"Hey, wait. Shouto, you never explained the weird greeting."

Shouto got up to get his school uniform. "I was half-asleep and didn't think about what I was saying."

"Oh," Natsuo said, suddenly quiet. "You've been dreaming about Touya?"

Shouto frowned, not sure what he was allowed to say without breaking his promise. "Fuyumi said not to tell you what's been going on yet."

"Fuyumi knows?" A whine entered his voice. "Why doesn't she want me to know?"

Shouto kept the phone to his ear while he struggled into his pants with his other hand. "We've been planning on telling you eventually."

He was beginning to think it wasn't possible to put on pants single-handedly.

Natsuo turned serious again, sounding somewhat wistful. "Just don't forget me, okay? The three of us need to stick together."

After classes ended for the day, Shouto finally had some free time to look through the stapled papers Yaoyorozu had given him yesterday.

The front and back of the last page looked like photocopied entries from an encyclopedia, about the formation of frost, snowflakes, and ice. There were notes in the margins comparing and contrasting those three things with how her creation quirk worked, and ideas for possible techniques.

She had been very thorough and concise.

Although Shouto had already thought of his right side as being similar to frost, and had even thought of his ice as something that wanted to grow and build continuously, he hadn't quite put it together. Ice grew and shaped itself over time, building up to the final shapes. Yaoyorozu's quirk also dealt with building up her lipids.

If he could control the way his ice grew, he might could create objects like Yaoyorozu could.

Well, ice objects.

It made more sense than his original idea of changing the shape of his ice after it had already formed, the way he was trying to use his fire.

On page four of the six pages—three front and back—Yaoyorozu listed some general advice, such as deciding on a go-to object. Something general-purpose that he would use often. Like a weapon. She'd touched on the subject in person yesterday, but went into more detail on paper about how the process of creating a certain object can become almost instinctual when said object is created over and over.

So... What weapon could Shouto see becoming his signature? Something simple, but also useful.

A European-style long sword.

Made of clear ice.

Like knights and princes.

Yes.

Before Shouto could start second-guessing himself, he activated his quirk and tried concentrating on the feeling of the ice forming.

He'd previously spent half an hour concentrating on the feel of his ice as he made little crystals in the palm of his hand—he could do this. It would be like when he'd iced over his left side for aesthetic effect, only on a micro level. When his eyes were closed, he could feel the ice growing, feel the way his own power moved when lacking any direction. He could give it that direction.

He started with the blade's tip and added to it until transitioning to a hand guard, handle, and a round pummel at the end. He caught it around the handle as he stopped using his quirk, and opened his eyes.

And... it wasn't clear. And looked more like a flattened stick with a handle than like a sword. Shouto was decidedly not a sculptor. Perhaps Yaoyorozu should have mentioned the relevance of artistic talent.

A bit disgusted with himself, he switched it to his left hand and melted it.

What would he have used a sword for, anyhow? When he actually thought it through, they were archaic, and the whole reason for a blade was to cut things. To draw blood. Hadn't he decided he wanted to save lives? Why would he want to get into fancy-looking duels? Especially if he was the only one holding a sword in said duel?

Shouto didn't even know how to use a sword.

Or any other weapon, for that matter. His father had always only focused on Shouto using his quirk.

"Iida, what do girls like? I need more ideas," Izuku said, looking up from the map he was drawing circles on.

"Well, flowers or chocolates can be a friendly gesture. Of course, you could also personalize a gift based on an individual's preferences and personality."

"Hello, Touya."

"Not Touya."

Nor Touya-Two.

Dabi had no idea where the thought of someone calling him 'Touya-Two' came from. He was pretty sure Shouto had never called him that.

"I apologize for falling asleep last night," Shouto said.

"Sounded like you had a hard day. Besides, I hung up on you last time, so it's fair."

"But I didn't mind that. And there was more I wanted to tell you about last night."

Dabi realized he had a lot he could tell Shouto about, as well.

He wondered if he should ask what the deal was with Toga and the Midoriya kid, since he was pretty sure Midoriya was one of Shouto's close friends.

About an hour ago, Toga had come through one of Kurogiri's portals with a bouquet of deep red flowers. She had gushed about how 'her boyfriend' said he picked those particular flowers because he thought the color resembled blood.

However, everyone knew giving a girl flowers was supposed to mean deep love or something, right? Especially if the flowers were red?

However, it wasn't really Dabi's business.

Shouto told him about the progress he was making with his fire and ice, with the help of Backdraft and one of his school friends.

Dabi laughed at the story of attempting an ice sword and having no artistic talent, and told Shouto to keep trying—though maybe something other than a sword.

He then told Shouto about his own progress with his fire, and about some of his, Toga's, and Kurogiri's ideas for pranks to play on Shigaraki.

Shouto seemed more amused than abhorred that all of Toga's ideas involved blood or stabbing and were repeatedly vetoed. Shouto asked if he could get in on the prank, and Dabi refused to let him anywhere near the hideout.

Shouto also said he was looking forward to meeting with him and Fuyumi tomorrow afternoon.

They had previously decided to meet near UA during the weekend, after Shouto's work-study, and when Fuyumi didn't have work. Dabi was looking forward to it, as well. As long as Shouto's sister didn't get him arrested, that was. He was hoping she could clear up the misunderstanding about him being Touya.

Not that Dabi didn't like talking to the kid, but he would rather not be mistaken for a dead guy.

Shouto then started talking about the lava incident from yesterday. Shouto had rambled a little about it last night before falling asleep, and Dabi had seen a little footage of it on the news.

Dabi hadn't thought much of it. Not like he cared about a little property damage.

However, as Shouto started talking about it again, Dabi could see it'd had an impact on him. It sounded like the kid was reliving the experience, trying to process what he had seen yesterday. Dabi could almost imagine being there himself, surrounded by heat and flames, boots sinking into molten rock, civilians crying, buildings breaking down.

"It was so much worse in person than how it looked on the news. And it had happened so quickly, Touya. By the time I got there, the fight was already over and lava and fire was everywhere. It was so hot that doors were welded shut. There wasn't time for people to leave before things got bad."

Shouto continued, "And it could have been so much worse. The villain was already in handcuffs when I arrived, and there were so many heroes on the scene, making sure no one was trapped in any of the buildings and also helping to clear the roads for emergency responders. He could have caused so much more destruction if things had happened just a little differently. If it had gone on for longer, if the heroes hadn't gotten there as quickly, if there had been people on the street. There were several people injured by fire, debris, or smoke inhalation, but no one had died. I'm so glad no one had died."

Dabi wondered if Shouto still wanted to be a hero, after experiencing something like that.

"Yes," Shouto said. Then said, "Actually, the hero killer incident was more traumatic."

Hero killer incident? Had Shouto seen Stain in person?

Then Dabi recalled there having been something on the news about a few UA kids being saved that night when Stain had been caught and the videos started going viral.

Shouto had been one of them?

He couldn't really remember. He hadn't cared about any of that back then, besides thinking that Stain might've had the right idea. Dabi hadn't focused on any of the victims.

Had Stain found Shouto to be a true hero?

He knew Stain had approved of the Midoriya kid. But Dabi couldn't remember hearing about Stain approving of anyone other than All Might and Midoriya.

So much for Midoriya being a hero, though. He's been consorting with a villain. ...Although, Shouto was as well.

"The more situations I experience," Shouto said, "the more I feel the need to help. If I can help keep people from dying or being hurt, nothing else matters. I want to be there to keep people from experiencing things like yesterday."

Dabi wore his hooded jacket that night as he snuck around the closed off street.

The damage didn't even take in a whole block. The police caution tape and road barricades wouldn't make much difference for most people. And only a few of the buildings really looked all that bad.

A smoky smell still lingered heavily in the air. It wasn't quite the same as the smell of a normal house fire. Most likely because of the lava rock mixed in with it. The road was built up in some areas, which must've been the cooled lava Shouto had helped with. One building had caution tape across its gaping doorway. The door itself sat to the side.

Dabi went up to the doorway, tracing the warped edge with his finger. It was most likely the one Shouto had said he'd cut through to get in. Dabi lit a small flame as he peaked inside.

"There you are."

Dabi kept himself from reacting, clenching his teeth to tamp down on the impulse to jump. He turned slowly, vanishing the flame as he looked over his shoulder. "Eraser." Why did it seem like the guy always showed up right after he activated his quirk?

"Any reason you decided to meet here specifically?" Eraserhead asked. He sounded a touch suspicious.

Eraserhead had called Dabi earlier, requesting they meet somewhere to talk. Dabi figured he might as well check out the property damage if he was going to be out tonight. And the ruins of a fire seemed like a fitting place for Dabi to be.

Dabi smirked. "Why not? Feels like home here." He spread his arms, hoping to show how much he fit in with his surroundings. Though his ragged trench coat would've made more of an impact.

Eraserhead studied Dabi for another second or two—why was he so suspicious tonight?—then held up a piece of paper. "He look familiar?"

Dabi lit a small fire in his palm again.

It was a mugshot of a guy with smoke-like, glowing orange eyes.

"He's the one who caused this," Eraserhead said with a vague gesture at their surroundings.

The guy had one of Dabi's marks on his cheek.

He vaguely recalled those molten eyes glaring, smoke from the corners trailing in the breeze. Recalled the guy trying to spit on Dabi when he'd been turned down.

Dabi glanced up from the photo, at the destruction around him. He could almost see the flames that had once eaten at the blackened areas of the buildings, Shouto running back and forth, trying to help as much as possible.

This was Dabi's fault.

His eyes darted back and forth over the street. Families had lived in a few of those high-rises. Some of the buildings had broken windows, sagging walls. Collapsed floors. What would have happened to those left behind if—?

No, no, no. His rejects were supposed to run away with their tails between their legs and end up either dead or arrested—not go around throwing lava at stuff and putting innocent people in danger.

Dabi should have just killed them. What kind of coward was he to shove off the responsibility to someone else?

"Stop."

Dabi looked toward the voice and saw Eraserhead's eyes glowing red.

"Stop what?" he asked calmly. He hadn't been doing anything.

He felt blood trail down what was left of his cheek. He must've made a face that had pulled too hard on his scars.

Dabi smiled. "Looks like even the rejects are helping cause some chaos, huh, Eraser? The heroes couldn't keep this from happening," Dabi said, pointing at the street.

It was, after all, what he and the League had wanted to demonstrate. The failings of hero society. How ineffectual heroes really were. To show everyone that heroes couldn't always keep everyone safe. Did it really matter that it wasn't Dabi himself who'd done the attack? Of course, it was nowhere near the scale that the League wanted, but it was something.

Eraserhead gave him an unimpressed look.

Dabi didn't react to it.

"You're doing the right thing leaving them to the police."

Dabi was pretty sure he hadn't said any of his thoughts out loud. He narrowed his eyes at Eraserhead. "I just don't care enough to waste my time on them."

Eraserhead sighed. "That wasn't what I wanted to talk about, anyhow."

Dabi raised an eyebrow in question.

"Do you know where he could have gotten his hands on illegal drugs?"

With another quick glance at the street, Dabi guessed, "You talking quirk enhancers?" He frowned. "The League isn't weak enough to need that stuff."

Although, Dabi had been on the street long enough to know a few guys.

He didn't like ratting people out, but, if it meant getting rid of those drugs, he might make an exception.

He might could also ask Giran what he knew about quirk-related drugs.

Author's Note:

...This fic might be getting too serious. What do you guys think? Also, I'll probably switch the order of two future chapters. I was going to have the Fuyumi chapter, then the Hawks flashback chapter, then a pranking Shigaraki chapter—but I think I'll switch the order of the flashback and prank chapters. I'd like to post the prank chapter before next month (though I'm cutting it pretty close, since I haven't written it or the Fuyumi chapter yet).

I wrote a scene with Natsuo. ...I'm not sure how to make Natsuo in-character, sorry. But... he's studying to be a doctor, right, so he can talk about what I'd found online about DOMS (...which I now know the name of. It's that thing when you get sore one or two mornings after doing some kind of exercise or work). I'd thought of having Shouto ask Natsuo what Aizawa had called him about last weekend, but I couldn't find a good place to add that. Too bad, though. Now Natsuo won't have a reason to dig. Well, unless I have Shouto call him back later...

I'd wanted to have this chapter done Tuesday, but I kept changing the last half of the Dabi and Shouto phone call scene (and, because of that, had rethought the chapter ending as well). I think it was the first version that had Shouto mentioning the lava guy having a scar, Dabi vaguely remembering him, and then Dabi starting to argue with himself in his thoughts about several things. I eventually decided to let Eraserhead deal with that (although, originally, I wasn't wanting Dabi to find out at all. Or at least not in this chapter). I'd also had Shouto saying that Backdraft was asked to come to some kind of meeting and had told him not to come in to his work-study in the morning, so Shouto wasn't sure if he could still see Dabi because he wouldn't have an excuse for leaving campus. That'd led to Dabi realizing that Shouto had been asking permission every time he stepped off campus ('that explained a lot'). Dabi suggested asking Eraserhead what is and isn't allowed when living on campus, and said Eraserhead would let him go into town if he wants. However, despite me having thought of that vaguely mentioned meeting taking place that day, I also hadn't planned on it effecting the fic at first. When I realized who would probably go to that meeting (like Backdraft, because of the lava guy having had one of those sample drugs), I couldn't reconcile a few things (or at least, not neatly enough. Were too many excuses when I tried adding that stuff in. Even though I wasn't going to have the UA students there this time. ...Maybe. I hadn't decided for sure). So... there's probably a meeting at some point, sometime, about the quirk-erasing drugs and stuff. But it's not as big a deal as in the anime, since Eri's already safe. Or at least, everyone thinks she's safe. It's more about rounding up the drugs and finding out whether or not any permanent ones have been made yet. And arresting Overhaul.

Also, before I'd decided on the current ending for the phone call scene, I had thought of making the last scene with Dabi and Eraserhead take place in a dead-end alley, and Dabi watching the sky for Eraserhead—only for him to show up on foot for once. But once I'd switched the setting of the scene, today, to Dabi looking around at that damaged street, the words came a lot faster. (Also, I'd written Dabi as wearing the little jacket he'd worn that time at the park because it'd make him less noticeable for anyone who could be watching the crime scene, and also because Eraserhead's already seen him in it before. ...Not sure where he got that jacket, but if nothing else he could've just stolen it from someone.)

I would mention more about what Midoriya's doing, but I wasn't sure how to say it in-fic. I imagine him using one of those circle-drawing compasses, with the point centered where he would leave a gift and the drawing end measured out to match the distance based on time taken to retrieve the gift. That way, if all the circles intersect, I think that would mean he has a possible location for their base.