Izuku sighed as Dabi slammed the door to his bedroom (or rather bean bag room). He's glad the flat wasn't burned down. He feels bad that he didn't tell Dabi about anything but he truly thought he knew. It's a good thing Dabi took it well (relatively) and things between them are still okay. He doesn't know what he'd do if Dabi up and left now. He cares about him. He's one of the only friends he's ever had. . . and he's useful for the things he's doing as Revite. 

Three surprises in two days. He feels bad for Dabi. The news that he's quirkless and Hawks is a spy on top of him asking about Touya must have been a wild ride for him. He's glad that the villain(?) has started being more comfortable around him that he's okay with the lying (sort of lying). It's even better that he opened up about his past a little. He hopes Dabi understood that it doesn't bother Izuku that he used to be Touya, just as it doesn't bother him that he's quirkless.

It's surprising how many people have taken well to his quirklessness recently considering how everyone in middle school treated it like he had an infectious disease. Maybe Kacchan was wrong. What does that mean about him though? If how he treated him was wrong then-- no. He'll think about that later. 

He looked to Hawks who was still sitting at the table, eyes trained on the door Dabi left through. Izuku watched the way his gaze lingered there for a few moments before seeming to remember Izuku was still in the room and turned to him. Had he not wanted Dabi to leave yet?

Hawks sighed and leaned back on the chair. "I don't think he'll put up with me anymore."

Oh? 

"He'll come around," he reassured him. "I don't think he's as mad as he seems. He'll probably fight you or something and then get over it. I wouldn't worry too much. If it makes you feel any better, I think he's starting to warm up to you." 

"Really?" He perked up and Izuku resisted the urge to chuckle at his behavior. He's more eager for this than he thought. He must have let some of his amusement slip onto his expression because Hawks started to explain himself. "I mean, I just have never been around someone like him. It's eye opening. He sees things so differently, kind of like how you see them, how I want to start seeing things. I was hoping you could show me but clearly you'll be busy and he, well, he seems to do nothing."

"He does nothing all day."

"He should get a job or something."

"The day Dabi gets a job is the day the hero system falls," Izuku joked before he met Hawks eyes. He fiddled with his hands. "Uh, this is  awkward, um-- and tell me if it's too invasive-- but are you okay if I ask you some questions about the commission?"

The hero stared at him for a second, as if processing what he said before nodding. "Yeah, go all out kid. I'll tell you anything but you can't release it all in one of your articles yet. I don't want to be suspected of playing double agent." 

"Don't worry. You're too valuable in the position you're in for me to jeopardize it." He paused, face turning red with embarrassment. "Not that all you're worth is that! I didn't- oh god that probably sounded kinda horrible."

Hawks waved off his apology. "I got what you meant. It's okay."

He sighed. Good. "Right, um. So I was wondering if you could tell me more about what growing up with the commission was like? Dabi told me some of what you said to him but I know there has to be more."

He rubbed at his neck and Izuku worried for a moment that he was going to take back his word and not share. If his suspicions about how they raised Hawks are correct, he can see why he'd feel uncomfortable talking about it. He'd understand if he wants to wait to talk. He's already waiting for Dabi to open up about his past. It's no bother waiting for both of them as long as they talk about things before it eats them from the inside out. 

"There's not much more to what I told Dabi," Hawks finally answered. "I'm sure there's plenty wrong with how the commission raised me but I'm still just starting to see all of that."

Izuku nodded. Fair. After his talk with Hawks at the agency, he knows that he's only just coming around. It'll take time before he's used to seeing heroes the way he and Dabi do. He remembers the first month after his run in with Shudder had been strange. It felt like he'd been dumped into an alternate reality. He'd spent his life looking up to heroes and that had changed in the blink of an eye and after that everything seemed off, like the whole world had moved a few inches to the left. 

Being Hawks would be so much harder. He not only likely idolized heroes but grew up around them too. He was raised by them. He is one. This change doesn't just shift a dream of his, it shifts his entire life. He can't imagine going through that. 

"It's okay if you don't have an answer right now," Izuku said. "I get it's a lot."

Hawks shook his head. "No, it's not that. I just-- I don't think I could explain it very well. I was pretty blinded by my eagerness to be a hero back then. One of the others would be better to ask."

A frown pulled at his lips as his eyes narrowed in confusion. "The others?"

"I wasn't the only one who the commission took in. I think there were about twenty of us at first," Hawks said, eyes down casting to the floor. "There's not a whole lot I know but I'm pretty sure they could help you and would be willing. The commission keeps a cabinet full of files on the program at the main building. Names, addresses, lesson plans, everything. I can get you in if you want to look at them."

Paper copy files? It must be important then. So far in his experience as Revite he's realized that if somethings not online, the people harboring the information don't want it to get out. There's something about that program that the public can't know. 

"No thanks," he turned down Hawks' offer. "I can't risk you getting caught being involved. I've broken into places before, I can do it again. Besides, I've been dying to get a look at what other things the commission is keeping from everyone and it might take longer than you'll want to be there."

That caused Hawks to tilt his head to the side, clearly not understanding. "What do you mean 'other things'? Most of the files are online too. Why not just hack into them?"

"Hack into the commission's files?!" Izuku squeaked. "I can't do that!"

"Why not? You don't seem to have a problem breaking into their building."

He shook his head roughly. "It's not about my moral code. The commission has the best security in the entire country when it comes to guarding their information. I'm a good hacker, but not that good. You'd need the best in the Continent to hack through their defenses. I'm not even the best in the region yet." 

Standing up, Izuku pulled back on his mask. He grabbed his bag that he'd set down by Dabi's lonely lamp before stuffing his computer into it. Checking the back pocket, he confirmed that, yes, he has his extendable baton. 

Hawks peeked at his bag, raising at eyebrow. "Uh, what are you doing?"

"Going to break into the commission like we just talked about?" 

Seriously, was Hawks not paying attention? He double checked his bag again. He has to stop by the store on his way there to get some supplies that he doesn't carry around in his bag. There's probably a store that sells rope not to far from here. The sun sets in an hour and a half. That gives him a good amount of time before he can enact his plan in the dark. Hopefully he'll be home in time for his mom not to suspect too much. 

"Wait, wait, wait," Hawks said, standing in front of him with his hands raised. "You're what? You're doing this now? Aren't you going to wake Dabi or something?"

"Uh. . . no?" 

He tried to dart around Hawks but the hero just opened up his wings, blocking his path. "Are you serious? You can't waltz in there just because you want to. At least try to come up with a plan." 

"Sure I can," he said, slinging his bag onto his back. "And I do have a plan. You don't have to worry. I've got it covered."

He ducked under Hawks' wing and bolted for the door before slipping through it. Hawks' should have realized by now he's stubborn and can't be stopped. He'll pick it up soon.

As he raced away he heard Hawks groan behind him, "Dabi's going to fucking kill me."

-:-

Fun fact about breaking into high importance facilities: It's easier than it looks.

Turns out, the commissions floor security isn't as tight as the one the use for their online files. He guesses they just assumed no one would want to break into a building that, except for the top floors, is open to the public. The first few floors are used as board rooms or offices. Majority of the offices are for civillain services besides those on the fifth floor which are exclusively for heroes. The second lowest floor, just below the main and above the maintenance rooms, is used as a private court room for hero related injustices such as getting licenses provoked (aka the place everyone Izuku's articles cover go at one point or another). 

Anyone is able to walk into the commission and roam around the first five floors so why would the commission bother with security? It's the top two they worry about. Those happen to be the floors Izuku needs to get into. 

He'd gathered the supplies he needed and went to an internet cafe where he spent the next hour looking over the layout of those two floors. From what he could tell, there was always at least three security guards positioned outside the stair case for those floors. The actual floors have two guards each that room around the floor for an hour and then change shifts. 

It worked perfectly. For him at least. 

Now he stood outside the commission building with a wide grin on his face. He turned away from the building, walking past it and into the next one. He'd discovered it to be hotel and as he walked into the lobby, no one gave him a second glance. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the security camera in the corner of his room and he wished he could have worn his windbreaker and pull the hood over his head but that would give him away. Everyone knew what his costume looked like by now. 

He made way for the elevator, passing a cleaning cart on the way. He tried not to wince as he snagged a key card from it secretly. He promised in his head that he'd return it but he knew better than to actually believe that. Yay stealing. One of the many downsides to being Revite.

Ignoring his sweating hands, he swiped the card through the door for the stairs, satisfied when he heard the quiet click that indicated it unlocking. He slid through the door and walked calmly up the stairs. When he reach the third floor, he passed a woman who had to be only a little older than his mother and tried to give her a smile. She returned it and disappeared down the stairs, opposite direction of him. He let himself release a sigh. 

He needs to calm down and not be so paranoid. He can do this. No one's going to catch him. It'll be fine. 

He reached the seventh floor (biggest hotel he's ever seen but then again, it's at the heart of Musutafu) by the time he'd calmed his nerves down. He opened the door to the roof and stepped outside. He stared across the roof that was level with the eighth floor of the commission building. Digging around in his bag, his pulled out his mask and baton. He slipped on his windbreaker and situated the grey mask on his face. Sometimes he wonders if going with a hard mask rather than just a cloth one was a good idea or not but then he remembers comfort is not the purpose. 

He yanked his hood over his head and took a deep breath, lining the baton up with the building. A mantra of please work replayed in his head as he extended the pole fully. He laid it across the gap between the buildings, resting the end of the pole of the ledge of one of the commissions windows. Fastening his rope to the pole and the to himself, he stepped onto the metal beam. 

It was like a sturdy tight rope, Izuku discovered. The only problem is he's never been very good at tight roping, especially when compared to Kacchan who aced everything with flying colours. Also his legs wouldn't stop shaking and who could blame him? He's probably eighty feet in the air with only a thin metal pole keeping him from falling and going splat! 

Courage seemed to be on his side that day, for once, and he manged to take a few steps. The pole below him wobbled halfway to the other side and he froze. When it stopped, he resumed, taking the final steps. The tricky part, he quickly learned, was crouching down low enough on the beam to open up the window. Legs hurting in the crouched position, he pulled at the window till it successfully slid open before crawling inside. 

Reaching through the window, he retrieved his pole, shrinking it back down into a baton and untying the rope from himself. He looked around the room, satisfied that he'd entered the right one. He pulled out his phone, looking over the layout of the room again. Great, the room he's looking for is only two hallways down. 

He crept around the first hallway, careful to remain conscious of his footsteps. He felt like he was five again, sneaking down to watching videos of All Might on his computer in the middle of the night without his mom noticing. The same mix of anxiety and excitement gripped at his chest. 

Only this time the consequences won't just be a ban on video games for a week. 

A loud thud caught his attention and without thinking, he ducked behind one of the open doors that lead to another room. He held his breath as he hid, the sound of footsteps reaching his ears. Slowly, they got louder and he could make out a mix of voices to pair with it. 

". . . think it's because of that English guy President Damaso was raging about earlier this weak," he heard someone say. They were near him, just outside the door he was hiding behind. He was grateful they were walking in the direction he came from, not the filing room he's looking for. 

"Probably. She really threw quite the fit," A second more gruff voice chimed in. "She was as pissed as when Revite made that article about Alloy." 

"You don't think she'll. . . you know, take it out on us right?"

"Nah. She's already dealt with the guy. What's his name?"

"Chester or something stupidly English. I don't know." 

"Oh hey! Did you hear that. . . " 

Their voices faded to the point Izuku could no longer hear them. He released a breath he didn't know he was holding before removing himself from behind the door. All his senses were on alert as he made it down the last hallway to his destination. The door in front of him was tacked with a plate that read Authorized Personal Only | Documents and Data.

Without hesitation, he hooked his phone up to the key pad on the door. He pulled up the code he'd downloaded earlier in the wifi cafe. Once again, he was evermore grateful for the use of having separate phones for Revite and his personal life, even if it took a while to convince his mom that he'd just broken his other phone so she'd let him buy a new bone (with his own allowance of course). 

The door unlocked with a satisfying click and he couldn't resist grinning to himself. Take that security lock. 

He located the cabinets he was looking for quicker then he thought. He stood in front of the many files and smiled. This will certainly do. 

He pulled open each of the drawers, finding the files he needed in the bottom one. Distantly, he made out the sound of nearing footsteps and felt his blood turn cold. He glanced around the corner of the cabinet, noticing a guard walking his way. 

Great. He was hoping he'd get a few more minutes before the guards would come to this section. At least he wasn't hearing any alarms from opening the window. 

The guard was closer now, only a few feet away. Izuku waited for them to round the corner before whacking his baton underneath their ear, at the jaw. They fell to the floor, consciousness having slipped away. Izuku winced at the sight but was appreciative nonetheless of Dabi's training. 

He pulled the guard to the side before returning to the files. He stared at the cabinet, sifting through the many folders till he found the one he needed. He pulled it out and looked at the first page.

Heroics program trial: subject 12
Name: Classified 
Quirk: Wings
Alias: Hawks 

Week 4: Subject appears to hold a high eagerness to become a hero in comparison to other subjects. Day 26 of program proves quirk efficiency to be useful in offense and teamwork. Subject faces troubles in pairing with others, out of both parties not wanting to engage with each other. It's suspected that the others resent him for his skills and excitement. Subject appears emotionally affected by this but not enough to affect training and therefore not necessary for intervention as of now. Holding off experimental trials for now seems to be best until full heroic potential and profit from subject can be determined . . . 

Izuku stopped reading and tucked the folder into his bag after checking to see if all twenty other trained heroes files were in there as well. The folder from behind it contained information on the programs itself and its intents. He shoved it's contents in his bag. He slammed shut the drawer before glancing at his phone for the other cabinet he needed. 

A frown pulled at his lips when he found it, only to find it empty. Odd. The section had been labeled Admin Required on the layout. He noticed the handle was significantly less dusty than the others. They must have cleared it out. Did they know he was coming or did somebody else already try this?

He shook his head and moved to the next section of the room. When looking at the layout, he discovered they have a set of cabinets dedicated to the top hundred heroes. It wasn't harder to find letter E and open up Endeavors cabinet. Most heroes only had a drawer or two filled with cases and information. Endeavor had a whole cabinet for his news articles, blackmail, and regular information. The top drawer seemed the newest and he peered inside to find exactly the file he was looking for: Family relations. 

It was thicker than he expected. His eyes widened as he noticed there were notes dating back to a decade ago. He pulled out one paper that caught his eye, the title of the page catching his eye. 

Todoroki Manor Fundraising Party 2XXX
Operative: Damaso (Commission President)
Initiative: Gather information on immediate relatives
Details: Learned of names and appearances of Todoroki household. I (Damaso) interacted with oldest of Enji's children, Touya Todoroki. The child was brash and protective of his siblings, not allowing me to venture further into the house than the staff kitchen. I have reason to believe he is Enji's successor. I've planted the idea of adding Touya to the heroics program but it is uncertain whether he will take up on it or not.  Enji remained disclosed when discussing his relatives for the most part, briefly discussing Touya and letting slip another of his children's names, Fuyumi. The mission was not a complete fail. Talking with other members attending led to learning more about Enji's wife, who'd appeared for a few moments at one point and. . .

Izuku quickly flipped to the next page and grinned at what he found. It was exactly what he'd been looking for. He shoved the entire folder in his bag and closed the cabinet, knowing any other documents would also be accessible on Endeavors agency files.

As he was about to leave, stepping over the unconscious guard, he noticed a file clutched in his hand. A frown tugged at his lips. How had he not seen that before? He peered at it, confused by the label. Revite | Classified.

Oh yeah. He's taking that. Better to not have  the commission get any leads on him, please and thank you. He stuffed it in his bag after cautiously prying it from his hands. 

 He rushed back to the window he came through but paused on his way out. He stared at the row of cabinets, remembering why his bag was heavier than usual. A grin reached his lips and strode towards the wall, pulling the spray paint he'd packed out of his bag. 

By the time he made it out of the commission and was already walking down the stairs of the next door hotel, he knew the next shift of guards had figured out he was there by the sound of distant sirens. It was impossible to hold back his smug expression as he thought about the words written across the cabinets. 

You're next
        -R

-:-

Izuku was walking to his internship when the demand was sent out.

It had been a fairly easy going day. He'd gone to school for the first full day since meeting Hatsume, much to Shinsou's pleasure, and Mic-sensei had once again taken them down to the support classroom to work on their project for the sports festival. Shinsou's voice changer was coming along well. It was enjoyable to watch Hatsume excitedly show them all the improvements she made since they last saw each other. She claimed it would be finished within the next few days and then they could start working on Izuku's weapon for the remaining week before the festival. 

He thinks he can call the two of them friends. Not that Shinsou will ever admit it. Someone that he can for sure say is his friend is Uraraka. He'd shot her a text, as promised, and they walked to school together. It was easy to be comfortable around her. She talked freely, her kindness always extended to him. They didn't speak of anything serious, just light hearted conversations. The most heated talk he had with her was on whether strawberry or green tea mochi was better. 

The day was relatively calm besides a few things. He'd caught Shouto's eye when passing him in the halls. The boy had glared but it felt more like a challenge then an attack. There was also the fact that he spent a good portion of the day paranoid about breaking into the commission. By lunch, there had still been no word of it anywhere and Izuku assumed the commission wanted to keep it under wraps.

He was wrong. 

This was discovered as he walked to Endeavors agency. He'd agreed with Sutorimu that he'd show up after school was let out so they could do some office work (it's Endeavor's day off apparently). It's a shame that he has to walk by the commission building every time he heads to the agency. If he didn't, then he wouldn't be stuck in a crowd of people as President Damaso stood at the steps of the building, giving a speech. 

". . . and I understand that this is hard on everyone," Damaso had been saying when Izuku had shown up, trying to make his way past the crowd so he could get to his intern. "We are watching our heroes, our protectors, get torn down and attacked. Revite is not here to help you. He is a danger to us all and that is why the Hero Public Safety Commission has decided to place the order that Revite be turned over for prosecution. A reward given to any who help with his arrest."

Izuku halted in his tracks. His eyes flicked to where Damaso was standing, his gut sinking. All around him, people shouted and argued. He was pushed into another person by the jostling of the crowd. There was a grunt and the person turned around, a snarl appearing on their face. "Oi! What the do you think you're-- Deku?"

Blonde hair, red eyes, a scowl so very familiar. Izuku cringed. "Uh, hey Kacchan."

Why on earth is Kacchan here? Of all people. He didn't understand. Not an hour ago did he see him leaving the school to go home so why was he here? At a protest? When they were kids Kacchan wouldn't be caught dead around anything that bordered on breaking the law, never mind going against it. Yet here he was, at a protest for Revite. 

Is he here to defend Revite or to hear what the commission has to say?

"What the fuck are you doing here you shitty nerd?" Kacchan demanded. 

"Uh--" He took a step back, intimidated by the way Kacchan leaned into his space, scowl growing. "I pass by on my way to my intern. I-I got caught in the crowd."

His eyes scanned over him, searching for something before he scoffed and leaned away from him. "Tch. Stay out my fucking way then."

He could do that. He's been doing that his whole life. 

There was a shout from the crowd, someone louder than all the others (a quirk likely) that pulled both of their attention away from each other. "On what grounds?! Why should we help you arrest him?!"

There was a chorus of agreement before Damaso cut in. "Silence!" she demanded, years of authority clear in her tone (and in the wrinkles on her forehead). "Revite is a wanted criminal. His articles harm. He goes against the heroes, spreading rumors and claiming it to be evidence. His goal is to destroy heroes and he's doing it through his articles! Our heroes are the people who save us yet this man decides that he gets to demean them. He is a villain."

Then something happened that nearly shocked Izuku's soul out of his body. He barely had time to be offended by Damaso's words before Kacchan start shouting from next to him. "'Freedom of speech, press and all other forms of expression'! Article 21 of your fucking constitution, lady! Know our rights! Those are shitty grounds to order arrest on!"

Damaso blinked at Kacchan, surprise clear on her face. Izuku could relate. He stared at his childhood friend who'd only ever idolized heroes, who was trying to be a hero himself, as he defended him, Revite, the one ruining heroes and outing them for what they are. 

A smile stretched across his lips. Kacchan's growing. Since talking to Shinsou and Dabi, he's started to realize the things Kacchan did to him weren't the best. He's always known they had a complicated relationship but there's even more bad to it than he thought. Seeing this, it felt like improvement. Even if he doesn't know it, he's defending Izuku, Revite. It was enough to make Izuku stare for a moment or two while the crowd around him cheered and agreed. There was a familiar twist to Kacchan's face, like he was mad, but he could see the small proud smirk on his face. 

"I. . . I suppose your right," Damaso said finally, cutting off the crowd, "but we all know that Revite has done more than just what is seen in his articles. He's a criminal. He steals. He breaks into agencies, heroes personal homes. He threatens people. He broke into U.A., a school full of children who he could have harmed. His arrest is of utmost need if we are to keep everyone safe."

"Keep everyone safe or just you and your wallet?" The person from earlier with the voice quirk shouted.

"Please, you know I, and the commission I represent, only want what's best."

"Fine," they countered and Izuku watched three people surrounding them heft them into the air. Next to him, Kacchan rolled his eyes at the theatrics. The person stood above the rest of the crowd, narrowed eyes trained on Damaso. "Say you are keeping us in your best interest. What proof do you have that Revite did any of those things?"

"We all have seen the footage of him at the USJ and--"

"We think we saw him. Who's to say someone else wasn't under that mask?"

"I see where you're coming from but there is more than that isolated incident. For example, breaking in to Alloy's home. There is proof that someone working for him was there. Along with Conium," she argued. "There was footage of the conversation before the fire that was sent into the police the morning of the articles release."

The person snapped, "That could have been anyone. Anonymous means it's uncertain who it is. Someone could have recorded it and sent it in to Revite. You say someone working for him broke into Alloy's home, but you have no proof they were associated with him. I believe your call for arrest is unreasonable. Revite should not be declared a wanted criminal."

Izuku swears he saw Damaso's jaw crack she was clenching it so hard. She clasped her hands behind her back and straightened, the whole crowd of protesters waiting for her response. She fixed the person with a glare, icy eyes glazing over like sliding a mask onto ones face. 

"Then it is too bad that your beliefs do not play into the law." 

Thinking about it, Izuku shouldn't have let the small flicker of hope ignite in his chest. He knew it would be stomped down. He knew that Damaso would not be persuaded, the commission is not going to budge in their decision. He's too big of a threat, especially after last night. He'd let hope get to him though because he wasn't use to this, to people sticking up for him. Here was an entire crowd of civilians arguing his case. There was that person, the one hoisted on peoples shoulders who was arguing for him, making points that forced the commission to acknowledge them. 

Damaso had clearly been outmatched but she won. She and the rest of the commission would always win because they have more power, more control. One can be as smart as they want when playing a game of tug of war but when it comes down to it, brute strength will win. It's how the system works. The heroes get away, they get the upper hand and everyone else will only ever reach half the heights they do. They will always win. 

"Revite is a wanted criminal from this point forward," Damaso said, raising her chin eye, the pearls around her neck glistening in the afternoon light. "Anyone caught assisting him will be tried and severely punished. To counter this, anyone who aids in his arrest will be rewarded. That is all."

She turned, heels clopping against the ground as she walked back towards the doors of the commission. The shut with a click and she was gone. The crowd rioted, an uproar carrying across it. People shoved forward, towards the commission buildings steps but guards held them back. Izuku was shoved into Kacchan again and the other boy snarled before grabbing his wrist and dragging him out and away from the center of the protesters. 

He glanced back at the people, their signs held high with bold words, their voices mixing with each other in a combination of angry shouts. He felt glee swell in him. This is more of change then he could have imagined. He's working towards his goal, it coming along. Soon. 

Kacchan released him once they were away from the crowd. Izuku grinned up at him. "What you said, I--uh, I thought it was pretty cool." 

"I don't care what you fucking think, Deku," he snapped. A rough shove to his shoulder sent him stumbling back a step. He's glad from his training otherwise he might have been knocked to the ground like usual. Kacchan snarled. "You have to get to your fucking internship, so get out of my hair."

He nodded quickly. "Uh, right. Thanks, Kacchan."

"Fuck off, nerd."

"I didn't do-"

Kacchan leveled him with a glare and Izuku immediately shut his mouth. Right. Anger issues Kacchan wants him to leave. At least he helped him a little back in the crowd, both guiding him out and defending Revite. He forced down a small smile. Maybe he's getting a little better. Baby steps. 

He waved to him. "All right, bye Kacchan. See you at school!"

"Whatever." The blonde stomped away from him and he took it as he cue to leave as well, dashing off in the direction of Endeavors agency. As he went, he risked a glance over his shoulder (almost tripping from doing so) at Kacchan's retreating figure. Maybe there's something to salvage there after all.