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When Aizawa asked for his new hero name, Shouto’s palms sweated and itched. He felt like the entire class was staring at him. It took two tries for him to speak. Eventually, Shouto said, “My hero name will be Touya.”
Aizawa blinked. “Touya? But that’s not even your first name.”
“It’s the name of my deceased older brother.”
Aizawa’s eyes widened. Then he smiled gently. “That sounds like a lovely way to honor him.”
Shouto sat down. His head spun. The world faded in and out. He was having trouble breathing. This hadn’t even been the hard part. After his father found out, there would be hell to pay.
Shouto waited patiently for the hospital elevator to arrive. He needed to tell Mom about his hero name before anyone else did. His father’s words still rang in his ears: “Did you even consider what this will do to your poor mother?” Shouto believed that his mom would understand his choice. But he had to be certain. If he’d change his mind for anyone, it would be her.
“Hey! You!” Someone growled rudely.
Turning around, Shouto faced a young man with spikey black hair. He wore a trench coat and ragged jeans. Staples held together his scarred face. Something about him seemed a little familiar, but Shouto couldn’t put his finger on it. Maybe he looked a little like Natsuo?
The two of them stared at each other. The silence stretched on until it became awkward. Finally, Shouto said, “You called out to me.”
The stranger shoved his hands into his pockets. “Yeah, I did.” His face twisted angrily. “Why did you make your hero name ‘Touya’?”
Shouto startled. “How did you know that?” The news was still very new. “Are you a fan of mine?” He’d been getting a lot of gifts since the Sports Festival, albeit mostly from members of the opposite sex closer to his own age.
The man’s scarred lips twisted. “You could say I’ve been following your career closely. Why did you pick that name?”
Shouto expected he’d be asked this question many times throughout his hero career. This was a chance to practice his answer. He took a deep breath. “Touya Todoroki was my late older brother. He wanted to become a hero when he grew up. I took his name as my own as a tribute to him, and a way to ensure that he wouldn’t be forgotten. And I did it to call out my father.” Shouto hadn’t meant to add that last part. It was more honest than he wanted to be with a random fan. His nerves must be getting to him.
The stranger stared at him, his fists clenching and unclenching. “That’s…”
“Dabi!” A new voice cried. “Time to pay what you owe us!” A group of men in suits rushed down the hallway.
Whirling around, Dabi growled, “I don’t have time for this right now!”
The elevator dinged open. Shouto could tell that Dabi was in trouble, and his friend Izuku had taught him that a hero never left someone in trouble alone. So he grabbed Dabi’s arm and dragged him into the elevator.
At the same time, one of the men threw a pair of handcuffs. One cuff snapped around Shouto’s right wrist and the other around Dabi’s left wrist. The elevator door closed. The men swore behind them.
As the elevator jolted upward, Dabi yanked at the chain. “Dammit. These must have been rigged to snap shut around anyone who touched them. How did the yakuza get their hands on the latest police technology? They’re quirk suppressant cuffs, too. Shit.” He gripped his hair with his one free hand. “Ugh, what a day! I can’t believe I’m stuck cuffed to Endeavor’s little masterpiece!”
“I also noticed that my power no longer works,” Shouto said. He’d already tried to freeze and shatter the cuffs twice. “Why were the yakuza chasing you?”
Dabi scowled and kicked the door. “Just a small issue. I didn’t deliver something they believe belongs to them, but they didn’t give me accurate information about the job, so it’s really all their fault. Look, I don’t want to start any trouble at this particular hospital. I know you don’t either.”
This was true—Shouto didn’t want to do anything to disrupt his mother’s recovery. He nodded.
Dabi said, “Let’s sneak past the yakuza. I know a guy who can get these cuffs off.”
Shouto said, “We could go to the police and get them removed.”
Dabi scowled. “No. No police. If you even think about calling the police, then I’ll make you sorry.” His eyebrows rose threateningly.
“I already agreed not to cause a scene at this hospital.” Shouto glared. “I won’t call the police, but that’s because I don’t want my mother to find out about this, not because I’m scared of you. You look like one good gust of wind might knock you over.”
“Why, you!” Dabi pushed Shouto against the wall and put his free hand around his throat.
After a moment, Shouto asked, “Are you doing anything?”
Dabi growled, “I’m trying to strangle you!”
“You need to use more force. I can still breath perfectly well.”
Dabi doubled-over, muttering, “Damn…quirk suppressants…sapping my strength…”
“Are you unwell?” Shouto offered him a hand. “Perhaps we should contact the authorities after all. You look like you require medical assistance.”
Dabi slapped it away. “I don’t need your pity.”
“It’s not just pity. You remind me of my older brother, Touya. He had a weak body, too.”
Dabi snorted. “Isn’t that ironic?”
“His death was very hard on our family. My mother had a mental breakdown. Natsuo became a doctor because he wants to save people to make up for never being able to save his brother. Fuyumi cries whenever she sees his favorite food or hears his favorite song. They both miss him constantly. I’m sure you must have people who care about you too, so you should look after yourself.” Shouto tried to sound persuasive even though his words came out flat, like almost everything he said. He had no gift for public speaking.
“I…I didn’t know they still thought about…your brother…so frequently.” Dabi ran a tongue over his lips. “But you were too young to remember him. Why would you care?”
Shouto said, “Fuyumi and Natsuo have told me so many stories about him that he feels real to me. They wanted to keep his memory alive in our hearts.”
Dabi rubbed at his eyes. “Dammit. I can’t even cry. This is ridiculous.” His tone turned defensive. “I’m surprised Endeavor even let his older children spend time with his perfect masterpiece.”
Just like that, Shouto realized why Dabi acted so curious about his family. Dabi must be an Endeavor fanboy! Shouto had been approached by countless such fans before who viewed him as a shortcut to their idol. The way Dabi referred to Shouto as if he was an extension of Endeavor proved he must be the same.
Usually, Shouto simply blew off people like that. But when he’d picked his hero name, he’d decided to be more proactive about exposing his father to the world. From now on, he would no longer hide the truth. “My father did try to isolate me from my siblings. He used to train me until I would fall over from exhaustion. These scars are from him.” Shouto held up his arm, letting his sleeve fall down. “However, I have decided to no longer obey him, and I’ve been reaching out to my siblings more. We talk about Touya a lot. It appears my father treated him similarly to me.”
Dabi stared at the scars on his forearm. All color drained from his already-pale face. “Whoa, I didn’t know…he used to…but I assumed he’d treat the masterpiece better than…”
The elevator door opened with a ding.
As if breaking free from a trance, Dabi leapt out the door.
The chain stopped him from getting far. He struggled, then growled, “Come on!”
“You’re very weak,” Shouto observed, stepping out of the elevator.
Dabi grumbled, “If I had my quirk back, I’d show you who’s weak.”
Shouto realized that he had offended. He’d merely been attempting to show concern. Yet another communication failure. He stopped talking until he could regroup and figure out the correct thing to say. Sweat dripped down the left side of his face. He raised his free wrist to wipe it off.
Not noticing, Dabi dragged him along after. “Before I got sidetracked, I came here to tell you that you can’t make ‘Touya’ your hero name.”
“I don’t see what business it is of yours,” Shouto said.
Dabi scowled. Shouto had only intended this as a statement of fact, but he must have spoken too bluntly again.
Waving his arms (and jerking on the chain) Dabi cried, “The name is already taken! Besides, it’s a stupid tribute. No one is going to understand what it means except our family. If you want the world to get your meaning, then you might as well call yourself ‘Otouto.’” He snorted. “Like Shouto, get it?”
“I get it.” Shouto considered: both a pun on his name and the Japanese word for little brother. “Hmmm. Otouto would also fit my intentions. Many heroes use puns in their names.”
Dabi stared. “That was a joke. I was being sarcastic. Do you understand sarcasm?”
“I often don’t,” Shouto admitted. “I did not receive much socialization growing up. I appreciate your patience as I learn.”
“Like a robot,” Dabi observed with a raised eyebrow. He muttered under his breath, “Fucking Endeavor screwed up your upbringing hard.”
“Yes, that is true,” Shouto said. Hopefully he’d persuaded Dabi to stop being a fan of Endeavor. Then this entire mess would at least have one good result. “Where are we going?” He realized he’d been mindlessly following a stranger down the hallway as they spoke.
Dabi said, “There are five stairwells in the hospital. They have enough men to guard all of them, but they’ll have to thin down their numbers to cover all the possibilities. We can take one or two yakuza between us. Let’s pick the west stairs. Those are closest to the front door.”
Dragged along after Dabi, Shouto said, “You know your way around this hospital. Have you been here often?” He was attempting to get a feel for how sick Dabi was without causing offense again.
Dabi raised an eyebrow. “Starting to get suspicious, are you?”
Shouto was terrible at this subtly thing. He gave up. “Yes, I am very concerned about your physical condition.”
“Never mind.” Dabi raised his eyes to the ceiling.
Shouto asked, “Are you looking for enemies above?”
Dabi snorted. “You’re a very strange kid. The fucker sure did a number on your head.”
Shouto felt offended. “It was a valid question. That’s how the CIA assassinated the former Hero Public Safety Commission president.”
“You believe that ridiculous theory?” Dabi recoiled. “Don’t get me wrong, the official story is bunk, but it was clearly the current president who arranged it so she could succeed him.”
Shouto said, “She could have been working with the CIA.”
“That’s passable.” Dabi hmphed. “At least you’re not one of those idiots who think that Lady Nagant killed him.”
“Of course not,” Shouto said indignantly, pushing open the stairwell door. “What motive would she have had? That’s just a ridiculous level of paranoia.”
They crept down two flights of stairs. Dabi stopped to rest periodically, but he pretended that he was listening for footsteps. Not that Shouto minded the break. His sweating had gotten worse. His left side was soaked now.
Dabi stopped at last flight. He put a finger to his lips, then whispered his plan. Shouto nodded.
Together, they vaulted over the stair railing and flew at the unsuspecting yakuza below. Dabi’s boot and Shouto’s sneaker crashed into his face. The man slammed into the ground.
“Nice!” Dabi struck a pose with his fist raised. Then he dropped to his knees (jerking Shouto down with him) and ruffled through the unconscious man’s pockets. “No keys, but I wasn’t expecting to get that lucky.” He ruffled Shouto’s hair. “You did good.” Then he wrinkled his nose and wiped his hands on his pants. “Damn, kid, you smell. Did fucking Endeavor never teach you to use deodorant?”
Shouto leaned against the wall. He’d become light-headed. “No, it’s because my ice side has stopped working and now my fire side is overheating my body.”
“Your fire side…” Dabi gaped. “Hold up. Are you telling me that you can still use your flames?”
Shouto nodded. “The cuffs only suppressed the ice half of my quirk, probably because they only got my right side.”
Dabi shrieked, “Then why haven’t you melted us out of these cuffs already?”
Shouto said, “I refuse to use my father’s power. I’m going to become a hero with only my mother’s ice.”
“I don’t care about your daddy issues! Mine are worse anyway! Just get me out of these cuffs!” Dabi put his hand around Shouto’s throat.
Shouto asked, “Are you trying to squeeze?”
“Yes!” Dabi cried.
“You still need to use more force. It feels like a pleasant massage.” Shouto observed the beads of sweat dripping down Dabi’s forehead. “Are you feeling unwell? Are you sure you don’t need a doctor?”
Dabi collapsed to the ground, panting. Naturally, this jerked Shouto to his knees as well. Shouto put his free hand on Dabi’s forehead. The scarred skin felt hot. Dabi groaned, “I never signed up for this bullshit. All I wanted today was to murder a blood relative or two. Is that too much to ask of the universe?”
Seriously, Shouto said, “That sounds like a crime, so probably yes.”
A group of yakuza burst into the stairwell. Shouto was only surprised that it hadn’t happened sooner, with all Dabi’s shouting.
With a groan, Dabi heaved himself to his feet. He tried to punch the first yakuza, but his blow bounced off as easily as Shouto had resisted all his strangulation attempts.
Drawing on his training, Shouto blocked a club with his forearm while kicking another yakuza between the legs. But then one of them tackled Dabi, and the handcuff jerked Shouto down with him in a pile of arms and legs.
“Burn off these cuffs already!” Dabi shrieked, kicking Shouto. Shouto did not think this was an accident.
Grabbing Dabi, Shouto rolled out of the way before a yakuza brought his club down. In a small voice, he admitted, “At such close range, I’m afraid I might burn you. Just like he always did to me.”
Dabi grabbed his face with rough fingers. “Listen to me. Forget about fucking Endeavor. Just focus on my voice. Use your power for my sake. You can do it. If you can’t believe in yourself, then believe in the me who believes in you!”
Since the yakuza had surrounded them and raised their clubs while Dabi had been talking and holding Shouto in place, there was no other choice. But Shouto had to admit he found the words reassuring. He swallowed and nodded. Through his light-headedness, he summoned the smallest flame he could and sliced off the cuffs.
“Boo-yah! Free at last!” Blue flames blazing off his body, Dabi leapt forward and attacked the yakuza.
It was over very quickly. Shouto intended to help, but instead he ended up dragging Dabi away from the unconscious bodies before he could maim or kill anyone.
Unperturbed, Dabi flashed him a big grin. “You know, we actually make a good team.”
Shouto froze a flame eating into the wooden stairs before it could turn into a major fire. “Our abilities appear compatible, yes.”
Cloth rustled behind him. One of the yakuza sat up. Shouto turned around, summoning a wave of ice to freeze the man to the ground.
So far, the yakuza had only used clubs. Shouto was caught completely off-guard when the yakuza pulled a gun from under his coat and fired. The ice struck, but too late.
“Look out!” Dabi screamed, pushing Shouto away from the bullet.
Dabi landed on top of Shouto. Blood dripped down from his shoulder. At such a close range, the white roots of his hair showed.
Shouto whispered, “You saved my life.”
Dabi grinned. He brushed a sweaty lock of hair off Shouto’s forehead. “I guess now you know who I am, huh, Otouto?”
Shouto considered who might have a fire quirk, take a bullet for Endeavor’s son, and be extremely obsessed with changing his hero name to Otouto so he wouldn’t embarrass Endeavor, and there was only one obvious choice. “You’re Endeavor’s super-fan.”
Screaming incoherently, Dabi attempted to strangle Shouto until the paramedics arrived to carry him off for medical treatment.
But Dabi did show up for dinner with Fuyumi and Natsuo after his release from the hospital. There was a lot of crying. Shouto changed his hero name to “Otouto,” despite Dabi shouting at him, “Don’t do it! That was a joke!”
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: Dabi Gets Redeemed by Brute Force
Dabi: Surprise! I’m alive!
Natsuo: Not for long, you’re not.
Dabi: Uh, Fuyumi, save me?
Fuyumi: You hold him down, I punch.
#
Omake: Copyright Violation
Shouto: I’m going to make my hero name Dabi.
Dabi: Why did you pick that? Was it a tribute to your dead older brother?
Shouto: No, I just thought it sounded cool. Total coincidence.
Dabi: Well, you can’t have it.
Shouto: How about Blue Flames? Blue is a cool color.
Dabi: I swear you’re doing this on purpose.
#
Omake: Metafiction
Dabi: Did I win my big brother contest with Tomura? I think I’m clearly the winner.
Author: In Tomura’s first big brother story, he bonded with Izuku on a detective road trip, then they ruined All for One’s plans. In your first story, you never even came near Endeavor, then got yourself murdered by All for One in the omakes. In Tomura’s second story, he thwarted All for One with Izuku and redeemed himself. In your second story, you tried to strangle Shouto no less than three times.
Dabi: So best two out of three?
Author: You don’t understand, you already lost best two out of three.