POV DABI

"Any luck?" Shiggy asks as me and Keigo burst through the door. Because I'm dragging along the winged hero, Kurogiri and Shiggy exchange confused glances. "We didn't send you out to hunt heroes, moron! You were supposed to kill the double!"

"What?" Keigo gasps. "Dabi, let me go!"

"Deep breaths, Twice," Kurogiri says, handing Twice a cup of water. "You're alright." Twice just nods, but I can tell he can't breathe deeply. It's a miracle he's even breathing at all. Like an idiot, he got drunk and made a double of himself; now he has no idea if he's real or not. Shigaraki sent me and Toga to try to go find the runaway double and kill it, proving to Twice that he is, in fact, real. In the meantime, Kurogiri had to minimize the symptoms of Twice's dissociative disorder.

"No," I grumble, tightening my grip on Keigo's wrist. I drag the hero down the hall, pushing him into Toga's room, which is the only room in the base that locks from the outside. I lock the door and hurry to Twice's side. "Hey, man," I tell him, quickly removing my jacket. "Ready?"

Twice stays still, a bit confused. "For what?"

"This." I let out a wave of flames directly at Twice. Luckily, he's got swift reflexes. Twice dives backwards, throwing the bar stool he was on at me. I incinerate it with hungry blue fire, and Twice jumps over the couch, cowering beneath it. "C'mon, Twice! We gotta make this quick!"

"Dabi, what the hell are you doing?!" Shiggy screams. "Don't make me dust your bitch ass!"

"Try me, crust pan!" I shoot back, pushing the couch out of the way. Panicked, Twice gets into a fighting position. There's nowhere to hide in this open area. Shiggy steps forward, his face twisted into an angry scowl, but Kurogiri pulls him back, informing Shiggy of my plan. Twice throws a punch, and of course I dodge. I grab Twice's wrist, heating my flames as much as I can. Twice cries out in agony and drops to his knees. I let go, taking a step back with a smile on my face. "See?" I chuckle. "A double couldn't handle that."

As realization sets in, Twice smiles through the pain. Kurogiri takes Twice to the bathroom where we keep the first aid, and I give Shiggy the middle finger as I head back to the bird brain down that hall. I unlock the door to Toga's room, wincing at the nasty, coppery smell of blood. "You scumbag!" Keigo screams as soon as I pull the door open. "What the hell?! What's going on? Why am I here?"

"Calm down, feather boy," I say lazily, flicking his forehead. I gesture for him to follow me, and he does, though not without a dramatic sigh. I take him to my room, closing the door behind me. He stands awkwardly in the corner while I flop on my mattress and check my phone. No updates, which is good; I've got some free time.

"Why am I here?" Keigo says softly. "Are you going to kill me?"

"You're fine," I say, slightly annoyed. I pull out my files on the Todoroki family from my folders, assorting them accordingly on the desk. Keigo watches, his eyes wide with bewilderment. On my desk are pictures I took as a kid of Enji Todoroki beating his wife and kids as well as letters my mom wrote to me after Enji sold me away to the hero program. There are a few articles posted by randoms online who suspected something was up about Endeavor, as well as his low scores for popularity among the general people.

Keigo reaches for a picture of me when I was younger, covered in burns and bruises. "I know him," he whispers. "Where did you get this picture? I- I know this boy. Why does he look beaten up? Who did this to him?"

"I know him, too," I grumble. "Touya Todoroki, son of Pro Hero Endeavor. He died at age thirteen from an accident with his quirk, but his body was never found."

"How do you know him?" Keigo says, getting a bit defensive. His grip on the photo is getting tighter, and I can see the creases forming. I snatch the picture from him, placing it back on the table aggressively. It's hard looking at that boy in the picture. So weak, so defenseless. But it's just all the more reason to put an end to Endeavor. I have to stay goal-oriented. "Answer me, Dabi! How do you know him? Did you do that to him?!"

"It's me, Keigo," I say raspily. I rub my face with the palm of my hands, sighing slowly. "I'm the oldest Todoroki child, sold to the hero program when I was eleven. Endeavor was the one who gave me those bruises. Me and my mom and all my siblings." I drop back on my mattress, feeling blood work its way to my eyes. I relax my body, rolling my shoulders back and cracking my knuckles.

"Touya?" Keigo whispers. "You.. wait what? You're Touya?"

"In the flesh," I say dryly. "But I'm not the same Touya you remember, Keigo. I'm a villain now, and you're a hero. I don't want you to get hurt protecting me."

Keigo smiles wide, dropping down on the mattress beside me. His golden eyes twinkle at me, making butterflies erupt in my stomach. Stupid bird. "You sound the same to me! Still overprotective and edgy. Touya, why didn't you tell me sooner? We can run away together and–"

"That's exactly why I didn't tell you," I snap at him, pushing him to the side as I stand up again. Goal-oriented. "Because you're a brainless moron who makes every decision based on your emotions. You can't do that in real life, Keigo. The hero commission is watching everything you do, every move you make, everyone you make eye contact with. You can't afford to make rash decisions like running away with a villain."

"But you promised," Keigo says, sounding defeated. "Remember? Before you left me for fucking dead at the program? You said we were gonna break out and run away! We can do that now."

I don't answer because I know if I do, I'll melt into him. I just dodge the question completely, turning my back to him. "I want you to help me take down Endeavor," I tell him, "and after that, we're going to cut ties for good."

"You can't do that!" Keigo screams, pushing my shoulders. I stumble into the desk while he fumes over me, tears in his eyes. "You can't leave me again, Touya! I've been alone for six fucking years, and I'm tired of it. You're the only person who can get me out of this hell I'm in, s-so... don't be a scumbag! Stay with me!"

"What do you think I am?" I yell back. "Your fucking boyfriend? You're not my lover, Keigo, and you never will be. Just help me get this asshole off the streets and then we can go back to how things were." I jab him in the chest with my finger, glaring down at him. "You're a hero, and I'm not letting you throw that away."

"I can arrest you," Keigo threatens.

"And I can burn your wings right off your back."

Keigo grunts, stepping back. He crosses his arms over his chest, biting his bottom lip. "Fine," he says. "What do you need me to do?"

"Tell me what Endeavor did to you," I answer, "and get me some proof of it."