Work Text:
unknown: hey
strawberry shoutocake: hello. who is this?
unknown: your brother touya
strawberry shoutocake: touya was burned to death by his own quirk when i was seven
unknown: i didn’t actually die, i just faked my death and ran away
strawberry shoutocake: oh that makes sense
unknown has set their name to actually touya
actually touya: so what are you up to little bro
strawberry shoutocake: is that how siblings refer to each other
actually touya: maybe?????
strawberry shoutocake: ok
strawberry shoutocake: we’re having a family day at yuuei. endeavor’s not coming but fuyumi and natsuo are. do you want to come?
actually touya: i’d love to
strawberry shoutocake: yay
Aizawa fixes the villain Dabi with a deadpan glare.
“So you’re telling me that you are Todoroki Touya. And you are here,” Aizawa heaves a heavy sigh. “To visit Todoroki Shouto. For family day.”
Dabi nods. The man is wearing a normal civilian outfit and a surprisingly convincing red wig. Honestly, Aizawa might've even fallen for the disguise…if it weren’t for the distinctive scars and surgical staples.
Seriously. They’re a dead giveaway.
“Sorry, I can’t let you in,” Aizawa says. He can’t believe he has to say this. “Since you are clearly the villain Dabi. That would be a violation of security and safety regulations.”
Dabi shakes his head furiously, “I am actually Touya, though! I can bring in someone to vouch for me.”
“Todoroki Fuyumi and Natsuo are already inside,” Aizawa says. He is not getting paid enough for this. “I do not wish to disrupt their family time with Todoroki. As this is a family day. For family.”
Dabi blinks, “I am family.”
Oh, Dabi, a voice that sounds faintly like Present Mic intones dramatically in Aizawa’s subconscious. Thou art a villain.
“Who could you possibly have to vouch for you?”
A pause.
“Endeavor?” Aizawa says dryly, preparing himself for an oncoming headache.
“No!” Dabi shakes his head. “Absolutely not.”
“Then who?” Aizawa says. “If not your…father.”
Dabi winces.
“Pro Hero Hawks?” Dabi says, although it ends up sounding more like a question.
Aizawa blinks tiredly, “Okay. I’ll call him in.” Lord knows I’m going to need backup if this turns ugly. The number two hero is as good as anything. He scoffs internally. And Endeavor is a pain in the ass.
Dabi looks pleased, tapping his foot impatiently while Aizawa turns away at the reception desk to call Hawks.
“Eraser,” Hawks greets pleasantly. “What’s up?”
“Someone here needs you to vouch for him,” Aizawa deadpans. “Get here soon.”
“O...kay?” Hawks says confusedly. Nonetheless, he adds before hanging up, “On my way!”
“He’ll be here soon,” says Aizawa to Dabi.
“Cool.”
A couple minutes pass when the door slams open and Hawks comes bursting in.
“Eraser!” Hawks calls out joyfully. He pauses, taking in Dabi in all his red-wigged glory. “Da—ude. Dude, what are you doing here?”
“I’m Todoroki Touya,” Dabi says, unphased. “I’m trying to visit my little brother for family day, but he won’t let me in.”
Aizawa watches as Hawks opens his mouth. Then closes it. Then opens it again. Rinse and repeat.
“Right,” Hawks finally settles on saying. He turns to Aizawa, a bright grin on his face, “I can vouch for him!”
Aizawa levels the number two Pro Hero with a flat stare. “You’re vouching for him. You, the number two Pro Hero, are vouching for him.”
“Yep,” Hawks beams, slapping Dabi on the shoulder and ignoring the villain’s glare. “Touya is a pretty good dude. And very much alive. Not that he was presumed dead or anything.” He shoots Dabi a look Aizawa isn’t sure he wants to decipher.
“Thank you, Keigo,” Dabi rolls his eyes.
Aizawa rubs his temples.
Aizawa takes it upon himself to escort the odd duo to the common room himself. Upon opening the door, he hears the expected idle chatter and noise. However, the moment the group notices Dabi’s presence, he’s met with dead silence.
The look on Midoriya’s face when he sees Hawks and Dabi waltz into the common area alongside Aizawa almost makes the exhausting excursion worth it. Almost. His eyes go comically wide, mouth falling open, staring at the villain in disbelief. His eyes skate over to Hawks, and Aizawa watches in mild amusement as the poor boy’s eyes go impossibly wider. Still, before Midoriya can even begin to ramble, Todoroki steps in front of the trio.
“Oh,” Todoroki says. “You’re the villain Dabi.”
Midoriya shoots him a concerned look. Dabi doesn’t even blink, “No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Shouto,” Dabi glances pointedly at the small cluster of Pro Heroes in the room eyeing him suspiciously, Aizawa included. “I’m not.”
Todoroki follows his gaze, then turns back to Dabi.
“But…you are.”
Dabi sighs in exasperation. Aizawa takes note of the small half-smirk tugging at the younger sibling’s lips, and it takes him a moment to realize… Oh, Todoroki is being a little shit. He didn’t know that was possible.
“Todoroki-kun!” Midoriya interjects nervously. “What is going on?”
“I invited my brother Touya to family day,” Todoroki cocks his head to the side, not unlike a cat. Aizawa likes cats. Todoroki, well, he needs to reevaluate his stance and take into account the burgeoning headache the family drama is giving him. “That’s allowed, right?”
“Todoroki-kun,” Uraraka hisses from the side. “That’s the villain Dabi.”
Todoroki turns toward her bodily, blinking slowly, “…No, it’s not.”
Dabi facepalms. Aizawa nearly does the same.
“You literally just said it yourself,” Uraraka says.
“I blacked out,” Todoroki deadpans. “Don’t remember anything from the past five minutes.”
Why did Aizawa decide to become a teacher, again?
It’s at that moment Todoroki Fuyumi and Todoroki Natsuo shakily stand up from their seats on the couch, slowly making their way toward them. Distantly, Aizawa wonders how they’d managed to make themselves small enough and quiet enough to escape even his notice.
(Oh, and their (alleged) brother is a villain? There must be some type of origin story for that… Aizawa doesn’t like the image he procures.)
“Touya,” Fuyumi breathes, so soft that if she weren’t so close Aizawa wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between the word and a normal breath. Her hands are trembling, but she brings them up slowly to touch the side of Dabi’s right cheek, as if he would be blown away in the wind if she did anything otherwise. “Touya, is that really you?”
Dabi looks imperceptibly panicked, but maintains his somewhat unruffled vibe by clamping his mouth shut and nodding quickly.
“Dude,” Natsuo says emphatically, smacking his older brother on the back. “Where the fuck have you been the last eight years?”
Eight years, huh?
There’s a quick flash, and all three elder Todoroki siblings’ heads snap up to glare at their blank-faced younger brother.
“Family reunion picture,” Todoroki says with no inflection. He attempts to forcibly add cheer to his voice, “Yay.”
“Oh, c’mere, kid,” Da—Touya says somewhat tearfully. “Group hug?”
Todoroki hesitantly approaches them (looking out of place in their company in a way that isn’t normal) before something seems to click into place for him. He rushes forward and squeezes Touya, eyes shut tight and looking more like a child than Aizawa has ever seen him. He allows himself to be encased by the arms of Natsuo and Fuyumi, and the siblings lean lovingly into each others’ embraces. Aizawa does not tear up.
“Welcome home, Touya,” Fuyumi whispers.
Hawks eyes meet Aizawa’s pleadingly. Subtly, Aizawa nods; he’ll look the other way this time. He’s sure his colleagues will feel the same, especially after this touching reunion.
After all, the villain Dabi is nowhere in sight—just Touya.
one month later…
“Todoroki, do you have something you’d like to share with the class?”
Todoroki meets Aizawa’s gaze, face blank, “No, sensei.”
“You must be discussing something really important if you’re choosing to text rather than pay attention in class,” Aizawa says. “Care to share?”
Distantly, he hears Kaminari mutter an “oooh shit” while Bakugou huffs at the distraction.
“No, not really.”
Aizawa’s eye twitches. He doesn’t know how he never noticed it, but Todoroki is the littlest shit sometimes.
“Todoroki-kun!” exclaims a scandalized Iida.
“FUCKING HALF-AND-HALF!” Bakugou screams. “JUST SHOW HIM THE DAMN TEXT MESSAGES SO WE CAN GET ON WITH THE LESSON!”
“I don’t think it’s that serious, Kacchan,” Midoriya interjects pleasantly.
“SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU SHITTY NERD!”
Aizawa sighs, “Todoroki. Phone, please.”
Petulantly, Todoroki hands him his phone just as it dings once more. Aizawa arches an eyebrow at the student, who’s face remains as impassive as ever.
“From hippocratic oaf,” Aizawa reads. He thinks that means Todoroki Natsuo. “‘Wow, Touya, your villain speech yesterday was fucking awesome.’ From actually touya: ‘It wasn’t really a speech. I literally just said one sentence.’ What speech are they talking about, Todoroki?”
Todoroki shrugs.
“Oh!” Yaoyorozu gasps, clasping her hands together. “The League of Villains was on the news last night!”
It’s an open secret that Todoroki’s older brother is Dabi, and that the Yuuei staff has decided to do nothing about it. No one’s really willing to acknowledge the heavy truth that hangs over them, content to draw out this limbo period for as long as possible.
“Oh, yeah!” Kirishima says. “What did Dabi say again?”
“‘I’m going to destroy Endeavor,’” Midoriya says helpfully, sounding entirely too cheerful for Aizawa’s liking. “That’s what he said.”
There’s an awkward silence, as everyone turns to gauge Todoroki’s reaction.
“It was a good speech,” Todoroki nods. “Simple but powerful. Good message, too. No beating around the bush.”
Aizawa isn’t quite sure how he should respond to that.
“Man, fuck Endeavor,” Sero pipes up eventually.
“Fuck Endeavor,” Todoroki agrees emphatically.
Aizawa is not getting paid enough for this.