Touya had locked himself in the bathroom while his mock of a found family enjoyed its meal.

He was still pissed, but the little rebellious act he had just committed had managed to calm him down enough to smile at his reflection.

The boy in the mirror looked more like him now.

He had wanted to look as not problematic as he could for UA, but after today there was no reason to.

His old silver piercings were back on his ears and nose and the burns he obtained in the entrance exam added to him looking more like he used to before Eri took years off his life.

Talking of the child, she seemed to think him getting hurt was her fault.

That was expected, since she thought every bad thing to happen to him was her fault, but it was not how he wanted her to react.

He wanted her to understand that not healing him wouldn't make him stop, so that her fear of him getting hurt would override her fear of her quirk.

Maybe he'd have to be more direct about it.

He found Eri standing at the door of their room, trembling slightly as she looked inside.

He sighed, making her startle and, surprisingly, run to hug him.

"What's this about?" he asked.

"I thought you were gone," she answered before wiping her face with her arm and taking a breath to look up at him. "I'm sorry I didn't support you."

But not sorry enough to do something about it, Touya thought bitterly.

"'Sorry' doesn't mean anything if it doesn't change anything, kid."

The girl looked thoughtful for a moment and then she dragged him inside the room, making him sit on her bed with her.

"I will support you from now on," she declared as she held one of his hands between hers. "Oniisan is already a hero, after all."

If he wasn't so confused, he would have laughed like a maniac at the absurdity of what he just heard.

"Huh? What do you mean? I'm a vigilante at best."

Eri shook her head. "Oniisan saved me and goes around fighting villains with Duster-san. He is already a hero, he doesn't need to go to school for that."

"Oh, I wish," he chuckled. "You know, before being a hero was a job, it used to be like that, but now you're not a hero unless you have a license, so I'm not one yet."

"That's unfair," the kid pouted.

"Yeah, well, life is unfair to the unfortunate ones."

He looked so sad and lonely… just like when they first met after she followed him.

Just she had been.

But he had turned it around.

He had welcomed her in his arms and had shielded her from the cold world she had been living in.

Safe.

He made her feel safe.

He kept her safe.

She had been fortunate to meet him.

And then life started to be fair to her.

All because of him.

I want to make Oniisan fortunate too.

But it was late now.

The damage was already done.

Healing him would be a meaningless apology; because, as he said, it wouldn't change anything.

It was his feelings that she hurt, her quirk couldn't do anything about it.

"Would Oniisan leave if he doesn't pass?" she said aloud before she could stop herself.

His sad eyes meet hers, considering his answer.

"No," he sighed, sounding defeated. "If I don't pass, I'll find another way to get that license. Or I'll stay a vigilante. Or, hell!, I'll become the villain they all see me as! But whatever path I end up on, I'll take you with me."

She felt relieved.

"Then I'll help you become what you want. If you don't pass, we'll have plenty of time to train my quirk, right? So don't be sad, please."

He was surprised by her statement. However, when he realized what she was proposing, he rewarded her with a smile.

"Took you long enough."

Eri pressed her lips together, but ultimately decided to tell him the little secret she had been hiding.

"I have been practicing on my own, actually."

"Oh, so you just didn't want me to train you," he said as if he had made a big discovery.

"No, I was just worried, because…" She took a moment to gather the courage to say her next words. "I want you to be careful too. If you get hurt too often, I won't be able to help."

"I know that. Don't worry, I don't like depending on others too much, anyway. We'll train to make sure you can use it safely when you have to, that's all."

Eri gave a firm nod as resolve filled her chest.

It was only then that his piercings caught her attention.

She got on her knees on the bed to be able to reach his face; to which Dabi raised an eyebrow in curiosity, but let her do.

"You have these again," she said, poking the three metal dots on his nose as if they were buttons.

"Yeah. What about them?"

"Overhaul has some here," she muttered, touching the lower part of his left ear.

"Guess you won't be getting these as part of your 'be like Oniisan' phase then," her brother joked. "You are too much of a good kid to be looking like a delinquent."

Eri was happy to see he was in a better mood. She wasn't scared of him anymore, but he was still scary when he got angry.

And he called her a good kid again.

"Who is looking like a delin— Oh my god, Dabi!"

Tamao was at the door holding a tray with food, her mouth and eyes open in surprise as she stared at her brother.

He gave the woman a devilish smirk.

"That's what you get for not knocking," he said as he stood to close the door behind her. "C'mon, join us. We were having a very interesting conversation."

"How did you get pierced? Did you sneak out?" she yell-whispered, giving him the tray.

"Nah, I did it myself."

Tamao brought a hand to her face and let out a heavy sigh as she plopped down next to Eri.

"I swear, it's like you enjoy worrying us."

He didn't bother hiding his snicker as he went to his own bed and placed the tray on his lap, pointedly ignoring how the woman kept trying to see if he got hurt from getting the piercings.

"It's funny that you do."

"It's sad that you don't," she replied.

Touya looked down at his food. It was yakisoba, his favorite, and he was starving, but at the same time he didn't feel like eating.

"I won't fight you on that," he shrugged, idly picking and letting the noodles slip from his chopsticks. "I've got a shitty life, after all, you just HAVE to pity me."

"You are not wrong but…"

"That's not why we worry for Oniisan!" Eri intervened.

Touya rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I know you've got attached to me. Honestly, I'm surprised you keep calling me 'Mister'."

It was meant to be a joke about how she got to keep calling him the same after 'finding out they were related', but the kid's eyes lit up.

"Can I call you 'Niichan'?"

"Sure," he answered.

At least it's not 'Hiro-nii', he thought. That's a step away from 'Touya-nii'.

The little girl gave him the slightest of smiles and he had to stuff his mouth with noodles to keep feigning indifference.

It was Tamao's turn to laugh at him.

"That was so obvious."

"Talking of 'obvious', what did you mean 'Dabi is not me'? 'Cause it sounds like your father wanted a successor and you weren't up to the challenge, so I'm your remplacement."

His intention was to both change the topic and get back at her, but she only gave him a troubled look.

"No," she frowned. "If anything, you are his old pupil's remplacement."

Right, my bad. Guess I'll have to remember Duster is not Endeavor either.

"What's it then?"

She spared a look to the child that was in the room with them. Was it something Eri shouldn't hear?

"Kid, go play or something."

"No, it's okay, it's just…" Duster's daughter trailed off, pausing to pick her words. "We've had our fair share of disgraces. We don't want you to be another one."

"Too bad I'm already a disgrace," he joked.

Yet his self-deprecating humor wasn't funny to her.

"Dabi, I'm being serious."

"And ruining the mood with your family drama."

Because it was impossible not to notice Tamao was the only woman in that house.

His eyes went to Eri, who had experienced her mother's abandonment at such a young age.

Not like it was much different for me.

That was something that affected her siblings more than him, but it still hurt how, after Shouto was born, his mother would only talk to him to nag him about stopping his training.

Nothing more.

She wasn't there.

"Great, I've lost my appetite," he complained as he put the tray away.

"You need to eat, Dabi."

"Whatcha gonna do if I don't? Shove it down my throat?"

"No, but a hero needs to take care of themself to be able to take care of others," Tamao pointed out.

He felt his temperature skyrocket in seconds. How could she be so low to use his failed dream to get her way? Yes, he knew she had the best intentions, but she was just adding insult to injury.

"What do you know?!" he snapped. "Being a hero is all about self-sacrifice! If you can't stand that, just look the other way, I don't care!"

He stood up and was about to storm out of the room when her reply made him trip over himself.

"Dad was a hero! I know what I'm saying, Dabi."

He faceplanted on the floor.

That man? A hero?

That explained his skills.

And his sense of justice.

And how Touya felt comfortable enough to confide in Tamao.

All the pieces fell into place.

Duster was a hero, who lost his quirk and had to retire, yet he refused to stop and keep doing hero stuff as a vigilante.

How did I manage to get tangled up with another hero family?

A drop of blood dripped from his face.

"Niichan, are you okay?" Eri asked, agitated.

"Yeah, I just hurt my nose," he explained, pinching the sides of it as he stood up.

"Jeez, if I had known you'd have such a reaction I wouldn't have said anything."

Tamao seemed at a loss, but genuinely worried, since she didn't comment on the fact the piercings might have made the impact worse.

"No, it's good that you did. Everything makes sense now," Touya said before making his way through the door.

There were a million thoughts on his mind, overlapping and mixing, not letting him listen clearly to any of them.

So he chose to ignore them for now.

Touya no longer cared about the results of his exams.

That's why he told himself he wouldn't even look at them when they arrived.

But, as it turns out, they didn't come in a paper letter he could burn.

A metal disc-shaped thingy fell to the ground as he burned the envelope.

The hit turned it up, showing a projection of All fucking Might.

He was about to stomp on it until it broke when Duster snatched it.

"Hey, you got one from All Might. That must be a good sign."

"You can watch it without me," he stated, already making his way to his room.

I'm not listening to All Might of all people telling me how much of a failure I am.

He had gone to pick up the mail with the single purpose of destroying it before anyone else saw it, but he couldn't do even that right.

His mood had been at an all time low since the exam and the revelations that followed. He barely slept, ate or did anything besides training. That was the only thing that seemed to calm the fire that kept festering inside him.

From where he was, pacing in the space between the two beds, he could hear how everyone had reunited in the living room to listen to the results and it made him feel like locking himself in the room for the rest of the day.

After all, UA was an elite school, there was no way he passed with such a lousy performance.

That's why he decided he was gonna kill the guy that made him fail.

The only reason he had waited for the result was so that the guy would get his. That way he could tell him his life was the price for his victory or that it was a pity he would lose his life in vain.

That'd be the start of his villain life.

He felt bad for the explosive kid, though. Their rematch would likely be a battle to the death.

"Niichan, you passed!" Eri announced as she rushed into the room and hugged him tightly.

It took him completely off guard.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, you should watch it when you can, but in summary you passed," the old man said with an honest smile as he handed him the projector. "Congratulations, boy."

Hesitantly, Touya reached for the device and then sat on his bed, trying to hide the trembling of his hands from how hard he was holding it.

"I can't believe it. Guess UA's standards are lower than I thought."

If he wasn't so shocked he would be laughing.

Everyone kept hyping up that school, saying how many top heroes came from it. But then, they let someone like him enter after what could be the worst performance of his life.

"Don't sell yourself short, Dabi. You worked really hard," Tamao reminded him.

"Yes, Niichan deserved to pass!"

When Eri looked at him, he could see a tremulous smile on her face, yet he decided to focus on Duster instead.

His attitude didn't make sense after all the shit he gave him because he got hurt in the exam.

"Are you actually gonna let me go there, though, old man?"

He arched an eyebrow and then shared a look with his daughter, who was as expectant as Touya was.

"I still think there's better options for you," he stated seriously, before shifting to a more nonchalant tone, "but we can't have you running away, so I guess I can't stop you."

The teen didn't miss the disappointed look the woman gave her father, but it was overshadowed by the fact that this guy, who used to be a hero, didn't think he should take that route, even after he made it into the hero course at one of the top hero schools of the country.

Which just further proves getting into UA isn't such a big deal, he told himself with a sigh.

He mindlessly spun the projector in his hands, being careful to not turn it on.

After all, he still wasn't sure he wanted to see it.

If seeing All Might's clown smile wasn't enough of a reason, then it was the fact that there had to be a catch.

Things couldn't be going so well for him.

"Don't let him discourage you, Dabi," Tamao snapped him out of his thoughts. "Whether he likes it or not, you made it; so do your best to stay on that path, okay?"

Touya raised an eyebrow in suspicion. "What is this about?"

"I just hope UA teaches you how to balance taking care of yourself and of others," she shrugged.

"It won't," Duster sentenced. "All those people want are weapons against the villains. They'll be delighted with someone like Dabi."

"I'm the right man for the case then," he said bitterly.

I'm literally made for this.

He doubted the school could teach him anything he didn't already know, at least in terms of fighting skills; but he was sure, if he did learn something, it wouldn't be its rotten ideology.

For them, anything was worth it as long as you saved people.

That's why his father felt entitled to do all he did to his family: as long as he saved people, the ones he hurted didn't matter.

He's been able to get along with it all, even to this day, the most resentful part of his mind reminded him. All because hero society keeps protecting him from the consequences of his actions.

"I'll show them how bad it can backfire," he promised himself.

"Yeah, maybe then something would change," Duster agreed. "But you do need to take care of yourself if you want that."

Tamao gave Touya a smug smile at having her words confirmed.

"Yeah, yeah. You're the expert, Mr. Ex-hero," he huffed.

He was still wrapping his head around the fact this man had been a hero, to be honest.

But there was something that was crystal clear in his mind:

Staying around them will drive me crazy.

"How about I start by moving away, huh?" he smirked. "It'd be good to be closer to the school."

"What about Eri, though? She'd miss you," the woman pointed out.

"I'm going with Niichan," the child replied, earning a headpat from him.

"You took the words out of my mouth, Eri."

"I don't know, becoming a hero is very hard on its own. Are you sure you can take care of her at the same time?" Duster argued.

"Don't worry, I've been preparing to become a hero my whole life. UA will be a piece of cake," he snorted, defiant.

The old man didn't seem too convinced, but before he could say something else, Touya spoke again.

"Besides, I thought we agreed I'd leave whenever I wanted," he reminded him.

"So you're gonna live on the streets again? I'm now your guardian, I can't allow that."

It was starting to become a confrontation. He threw the projector on the bed and stood up with full intent to start yelling about how Duster knew what he was signing up for when he became his legal guardian and that he was so unfair for going back on his word.

Tamao, however, wasn't having any of that.

"Please, just find the middle ground," she sighed, stepping between them.

"And what would that be, huh? It's either going or staying, I'm not doing part-time!" he snapped.

"Actually," she started, crossing her arms with a confident smile. "The place I just started working at has another open spot. You'll have to wait until April, but you could work there part-time. You don't really need experience and they provide housing for employees."

"The housing expenses are discounted from the pay, though. Whatever they have left won't be enough to sustain two people," her father pointed out.

The woman turned to face the vigilante, face unchanging.

"That's why you'll pay for that. As you said, you are their legal guardian, so it's required by law. Dabi will pay for the school instead."

So, in summary, she wasn't totally on Touya's side, but she wasn't against him either.

Yeah, I'm totally losing my head being around these people.

"Fine by me. How about you, old man?" he pressed for an answer, plopping down on the bed, which made the projector bounce to the floor.

Eri rushed to get it and give it back to him.

Come to think of it, the kid had been mostly quiet for all their conversation. And Touya had a guess of why, one that made him angry.

But she couldn't really blame her. At least she was trying to support him, by not saying she didn't.

"It's not like it matters. You can't stop me."

His eyes were locked on Duster, even though his words were for everyone in that room.

"I can," he corrected the teen with a sigh, "but that won't do you any good."

The man was giving him a hard look. One that reminded him too much of his father's every time he said not training him was 'for his own good'.

That was a lie. Same as this one.

Because this man wasn't giving into his daughter's plan for him. No, he was doing it so he wouldn't completely run away like he himself admitted before.

"We're all settled then. Dad, let's go, there's a lot to prepare."

The woman was practically pushing him out of the room. Seeing this, Eri looked at him, asking with her eyes if she should follow, to which Touya nodded tiredly.

As much as he hated it, he needed to be alone with his thoughts for a while.

It was the first day of the course and Touya was already off to a bad start.

The first signs were there when he looked in the mirror that morning, before leaving for school.

He kept feeling something was wrong with his reflection.

He messed around with his uniform, trying to fix whatever it was, but he was never satisfied.

On the train, there were whispers and looks that made him wish he had asked the old man for a ride.

And lastly, when he stepped under the arch with the logo of the school, that annoying feeling became so overwhelming he tripped over his own feet and fell down.

He stayed there on the floor for a few moments, trying to pacify the anger and shame pushing him to the blink of burning.

The people around just made matters worse:

While some had quietly laughed at him, others had startled but otherwhile pretended not to see anything.

And this is the best hero school on this side of Japan, he mocked in his head.

"Are you okay, mon ami?" someone asked from above him.

He finally stood back up and dusted off his clothes, refusing to look at the guy that was 'kind' enough to check on him, but not kind enough to offer his hand.

"Yeah, and I'm not your friend," he replied dryly before walking away from him as fast as he could without breaking into a run.

The kid took the hint, but not for long. Seeing as they were going in the same direction, he initiated conversation again.

"I see you are from the hero course too."

Touya turned to see the blue-eyed blond pointing at the gold button on the green stripe at the shoulder of his uniform.

Apparently that was what gave him away?

He gave a hum of acknowledgment.

"Which class?"

"1-A," the black-haired teen huffed, hoping that was the end of it.

"Me too! Let me introduce myself," he said with a flair of his hand that gave him a sparkly aura. "I'm Aoyama Yuga, nice to meet you, mon camarade."

Oh, crap. I have to stand this guy until graduation?

"Dabi Hiro," he spat.

He made a point to enter the class before the sparkly kid and, as soon as he did, a loud voice called out to him.

"Hey! You made it, fire hazard."

It was the explosion boy from the entrance exams. He couldn't help the smirk that curled his lips.

"Yeah, same goes for you!" he bit back playfully.

"Excuse me, what's with your uniform?" a navy-haired kid scolded him, chopping the air with his hand. "Your jacket should be buttoned up and your tie is loose."

"Oh, my bad," Touya mocked as he rolled up his sleeves, which made Bakugou snort in amusement. "You should be glad I even wear those. I have a fire quirk, my temperature is above average."

The affronted look on the boy's face dissipated at the made-up explanation.

"My apologies. UA does allow for quirk-based accommodations," the self-appointed rules lawyer of the class said, bowing just enough to convey his sincerity.

Weird kid, but not the worst, he thought, remembering the one now staring at him from seat number 1.

Touya's was seat number 16; so, ignoring how the naggy boy had turned to bug Bakugou about his uniform, he walked deeper into the classroom to figure out where that was.

There were 5 columns and 4 rows for each except for the one beside the windows, which had an extra seat at the back. This meant he was on the 4th seat of the 4th row, matching his fake birthday: the 4th of April, the day he was turned back into a teen.

A bitter reminder that will follow him all year.

This day had been bad sign after bad sign without a break.

And the cherry on top was the occupant of the seat before his.

Seat number 15, 4th seat on the 3rd row: Todoroki Shouto.

A devilish smile crept onto his face as he passed by his little brother, who didn't even bother to acknowledge his presence.

He was as impassible as the last time he saw him.

But he was going to change that.

Dabi would make his school life hell.

This chapter was hard to write because I couldn't figure out the pacing T.T So now I have a lot of drafts from scenes that I think would make more sense further into the story.

There's so much going on in this chapter that I don't know what to point out, but I guess the plot is finally moving forwards.

Anyways, some aclarations:

- Touya has to wait until April to start working because, in Japan, you are allowed to work part-time after the earliest start of the fiscal year (March 31) after you turn 15. The previous year, he was legally 14 on March 31, so he can't work until the start of this fiscal year.

- Touya is legally 15, probably 16 at the end of the chapter, but physically he is 17 and mentally he is 23. He's a mess.

- The number 4 is bad luck in Japan because it can be pronounced the same as "death" in Japanese.

Disclaimer: My Hero Academia and its characters are property of Kōhei Horikoshi and Studio Bones.