Feathers and Flame // Dabi x Reader x Hawks

39: Touya

Touya Todoroki.

It took until he dumped that bottle of liquid over his head for it to finally click. Black faded to white and you were left staring at the back of someone you barely knew.

Touya.

Son of Endeavor, the number one hero.

The signs were there all along, but you were missing the exact pieces that fit them together. Who was it you'd run into that night before seeing Hawks? Natsuo? He was so familiar to you and now you understood why. The charred photo of a young version of Dabi you'd plucked from inside his desk that day, was that his father he stood beside? Your mind was reeling from the weight of it.

Even Compress was taken aback. "Dabi! You never told us your story."

You kept everyone in the dark, didn't you?

Skeptic, whom Dabi had forced along, was tapping furiously at the screen of his computer to your left.

"What is this?" you hissed at Skeptic, who shrunk into himself as you drew closer. "Is this what you've been planning in your fucking room all those nights?"

If only you'd tried harder to uncover the truth. Even then, it probably would have amounted to nothing. You knelt next to Skeptic, your eyes glued to the screen and whatever broadcast he was playing.

The vice around your heart squeezed tighter as you beheld the scene playing out before you. He'd gathered everything—even a paternity test—to prove his point. Everything was meticulously planned, right down to the fact he chose not to wear a shirt, leaving his brutal scars on display for the entire world.

But it was the truth of it—of him—that truly shattered you.

Quirk marriage. Endeavor's desire for children. Dabi's failing. His masterpiece in Shoto. The physical and mental abuse.

Fresh tears lined your eyes as you came to finally understand. After all this time, you knew who Dabi was. His paranoia, his apathy, his fear of failure. Finally, it all made sense to you. But when an image Hawks flashed across that screen, your mind emptied of any thoughts at all.

There before you, in perfect clarity, was the moment when Hawks cut down Twice.

"It was rushed work," Skeptic said to Dabi. You hadn't even realised Dabi was looking at him—at you. "But my editing was perfect. Worship me."

"Thanks a lot." Dabi's words were for Skeptic, but his attention was yours. "It was a great shot. I thought I should put it to good use." This time, he spoke to you. "What did you think, princess?" You opened your mouth to speak, but words failed you. Undeterred, Dabi went on. "You'll want to listen to this next bit."

He stepped back up to the edge of Gigantomachia's back, staring down at his family from high above.

"This was supposed to be my gift to you, Endeavor, but I guess it's for both of you now." Dabi's eyes slid to yours before returning to his father, that manic grin surfacing once again. "I did a background check on your little spy, Hawks." He spat the name with vitriol. "To earn our trust, he would even go as far as to kill a fellow hero. His victim was Best Jeanist, who was recovering from his injuries. I guess you could say violence was a part of his life." Those fiery blue eyes were on you now. "I wasn't surprised to learn his father was a serial killer. A villain—arrested by Endeavor himself. That's why he kept his identity and name a secret. It's funny how people like that are drawn to one another."

Another perfectly placed strike to your feeble heart.

"He covered everything up with that righteous persona," Dabi continued. "Heroes. Only ever protecting themselves. Now the entire world will see the truth."