Leave Your Mark | Various!BNHA x Reader

45: Magnetic Personality

At the risk of getting too ahead of yourself, you feel like you might have a chance at winning over yet another Todoroki.

Think about it. As far as you know, Dabi hasn't really done much at this stage. When Giran first introduced him to the League of Villains, he didn't even have any noteworthy crimes. He was simply someone that aligned with Stain's beliefs. Albeit rather loosely, but still. It's entirely possible he hasn't even killed anyone yet. Dabi's goal was always to expose Endeavor as a "false" hero in the eyes of society and destroy his reputation, before claiming both his and Shouto's lives. It was always about making a statement. He bided his time and joined a villain organization in order to make waves and hit Endeavor where it hurt the most. What he sought was his family's total and utter defeat. He wanted his family to endure the same bitter humiliation as him. He wanted the entire world to point at them and laugh.

You're certainly not delusional. You know that there are limits to what you can accomplish. Unlike Chisaki, who you grew up alongside and had time to foster a close relationship with, Dabi has already lived through many years of quiet, brooding resentment. There's no guarantee that you'll be able to change him before he takes things too far.

But you'll be damned if you don't at least try.

"Man, that was good," you beam, and after a moment's pause, you hold out your hand expectantly. "Another one, please."

Dabi chuckles incredulously. "What am I, your personal lighter?"

"I mean, the position's open, so if you're willing to..."

"There's really not a thought behind those eyes, huh?"

"Like I said," you sigh. "I was the smartest person in my middle school. I had perfect grades every single year. I was even valedictorian, and I gave a kick-ass graduating speech. People teared up, you know. Even the teachers got emotional."

"Aw. What a nice dream," Dabi muses, slowly roasting another marshmallow for you. He then hands you the completed s'more and pats you on the back a few times. "You're still a kid, so I guess it's good to have a healthy imagination."

"Ugh!"

You cram the s'more in your mouth-angrily, this time. You're tempted to just go ahead and tell Dabi that you've already received Endeavor's approval. Well, sort of. He knows you're smart, at least. And he has to like you at least a little bit, otherwise he would probably have banned you from his house by now. Still, as tempting as it is, that would definitely be the wrong move. There's no faster way to piss Dabi off than to bring up his daddy issues.

For now, you'll try to take it slow. And considering you're already eating s'mores together as if you're old pals, you'd say this is a pretty solid start.

He could've been happy. He even wanted to apologize to his family and make amends at some point. Then he realized that Endeavor was still obsessed with surpassing All Might, and he just completely gave up. But maybe... I can help them start over.

"What kind of things do you like, Dabi?" you ask.

He finishes eating a s'more of his own, then tilts his head. "As in?"

"I don't know. Just in general. Like, hobbies and stuff. Besides loitering around train stations, what do you do for fun?"

"What do you think I do for fun?" he challenges.

Uh, planning to murder your family, planning to humiliate your family, planning to end your family's bloodline-

Yeah, that's pretty much about it. You're only just now realizing that Dabi's character wasn't really explored much, apart from his connection to the Todoroki household. You never got to see if there was anything that brought him actual joy. Other than when he was shown as a kid, all excited about potentially surpassing Endeavor someday, has he ever felt actual happiness? Like, for real?