Dabi's POV (past)

      Grab, adjust, burn, repeat. Grab, adjust, burn, repeat. I was sitting behind the dark red velvet curtains that Endeavor was giving a speech in front of. I may be 13, but I know this routine better than I know my own quirk, easily. I remember before I had it mesmerized though; one mess-up and Enji would slap me across my face when we got back home, hard. I used to try and help out, hand him the microphone and shit when he asked for it, but I've long since given up on trying to be useful. He always takes it the wrong way, as though he thinks I view him as a cripple or something. I've learned better though.

      I take another pamphlet, burning it with ease. My flames consume it, slowly flickering blue at random, unpredictable intervals. There's supposed to be some random hero trainees coming in to talk to Enji after his speech apparently. At one point, I would've been ecstatic to learn that, but the older I get, the less I care.

       Speaking of, as though right on queue with my thoughts, I hear the teens and tweens come in through the backstage door. They're loud. Very loud. I'm grad they haven't noticed me hiding out in the shadows yet, but since I'm burning pamphlets with Endeavor's face all over them, it won't be long.

       As the trainees venture further into the backstage, I notice a couple eyes on me. So I've been spotted. Oh well. Enji will probably beat me for that alone, so I might as well put on a show like the circus animal everyone views me as. I stand up and clap my hands, it dusts the pamphlets' ashes off of my hands, as well as gets the 5 people nearest to me's attention. Those people end up being 4 students and one of the teachers. Well shit. The show must go on, I guess.

       "Hi guys, I'm Touya Todoroki, Endeavor's eldest son, he's giving a speech about how Japan has been leading in the STUTBAV operation. I'm sure that you know what that is, yes?" I say, giving a short display of flame with my left hand.

      A small boy with blonde hair and black markings around his golden eyes raises his hand. Despite his natural beauty, if you will, his most striking feature was handedly his big red wings. "I don't know what it stands for! Also, if you're the No. 2 hero's son, why aren't you in training to become a hero?"

      I grit my teeth. I was hoping to avoid that question. "STUTBAV stands for 'stop the urge to become a villain'. And that second question isn't important."

       I glance at the floor for a minute. It feels like it should be silent after saying something like that, but the rest of the trainees continue to chatter away. A girl with big muscles and bunny ears turns to me though, clearly thinking about something. I could ask what, and I can tell she would share, but I really don't care.

      I take a seat back down, and grab another pamphlet, twisting and folding it gingerly with my fingers, until it becomes a sort of fat-looking origami crane. I feel a set of eyes on me, and a second later, another set. I go to glance up and glare at whoever it is, but instead am met with a pair of (covered) breasts in my face, and a hand on each of my shoulders. I shriek a little as I look up, spewing nonsense.

       "D- n- g- i- h- m- don't no please I'm gay I'm homosexual please keep your tatas to yourself!" I say desperately, trying to get a grip on myself. "I'm a minor and a virgin!!" The girl smacks me across the face.

       "Get a grip Touya! I'm Mirko, and I'm not here to molest you or anything! I'm here to tell you that me and Edgeshot" -she hooks a thumb over her shoulder at a tall and skinny boy with sharply angled grey hair- "think you could be an awesome addition to the heroes! Whaddya say?" Mirko asks, pumping her fists in the air with a mischievous grin.

      "Ehhh, as tempting as that offer is, imma have to pass." I say, staring down intensely at my shoes.

      "Oh come on! Its such an awesome offer! How are you passing this up!? Do you need parental approval? Or! I know! Aizawa-sensei! C'mere! Touya wants to join the hero program!" She says excitedly, speaking 90 miles a minute. My face is a deep crimson I'm so embarrassed, but if Mirko notices it, she doesn't care. 

      The teacher from earlier walks over slowly, now wrapped in a bright yellow sleeping bag. "Aizawa-sensei! Touya told us that he wants to join! Can he? Can he?" Mirko asks, jumping up and down.

      "Ehhh, only if he promises not to cost us any extra money, what with the wedding costs and all, I don't have much to go on." Mr. Aizawa said, wriggling in his sleeping bag.

      "Oh! I forgot you and Yamada-sensei were getting married!" Mirko says, stopping jumping to hug Aizawa. "Congrats by the way! Anyway, I'm sure Touya won't cause any problems or additional costs!"

      "Well then, have Edgeshot and Hawks take him back to the dorms. He's lucky we're just starting the semester. He can have the dorm room between Edgeshot and Hawks, since Ito left." Mr. Aizawa says before waddling away. It all happened so fast I barely realized what was happening before it was too late. Mirko grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me over to Hawks.

      "Aizawa-sensei said touya can have the room between you and edgeshot's rooms!" Mirko said, jumping around and hugging the winged boy.

      The boy smiled weakly, "well, that's exciting! I guess you do get to be a hero trainee after all! Did Endeavor really interrupt his important speech just to give you the okay? Your dad must really love you. Mine did too." Its a white lie. I know because I say the same things the same way when lying.

      "Well, there's no way that he would say yes, so- no. He didn't interrupt his speech, but bunny girl- er um, Mirko got it done. Anyway, don't you gotta be here to ask him questions after the speech or something? Also, what's your name? You obviously heard that mine is Touya." I say all of this in an increasingly quiet and fast voice. I'm staring at my shoes by the time I'm finished, but I'm not quite sure why.

      "Oh! I'm sorry! I forgot!" The boy bows down, his head is lower than his crotch by the time he stops going down "I'm Hawks! My dead name is Keigo, but that's not important. The hero-commission-president-lady said I should stop telling people that though! So, I'm Hawks! At your service! What's your hero name?" He rambles. It's actually pretty cute, watching a short blonde boy tell you his life story.

      "Oh, well, I guess I always wanted to be Mission, y'know, to match Endeavor? Silly, right? But, I think now I want to be Flames. 'Cuz of my flames! Get it?" I say, laughing with Hawks a little, "What's so funny about that though?"

      "It's just, Mission? Pffft" Hawks giggles out, doubling over with laughter.

      "Hey, I was a just a kid, alright? And don't we have somewhere to be anyway?" I say, pointing out the door. "Dunno about you, but I have no damn idea how to get there from here. Plus, Edgeshot is coming with us."

      Keigo stops giggling and frowns, "You're probably right, but, I dunno the way either. I mean, I'm sure I could get us there if I carried you and flew there over the buildings, but I can only carry one person at a time. And there's two people I would have to carry."

      "I guess we're SOL then, birdie, unless you can convince pointy boy to stay here." I say, nodding behind me in the general direction of Edgeshot.

      "I wouldn't mind staying here. I have some important questions I'd like to ask Endeavor anyway." Edgeshot says from right behind me.

      I jump nearly a foot in the air, "GOD FUCKING SHIT! YOU FUCKING SCARED ME! DON'T PULL THAT SHIT ON ME!" I say, high enough in the air that Hawks might have to fly up to me to safely bring me back down.

      "sorry," is all Edgeshot says, but Hawks goes back to giggling.

      "C'mon, scaredy cat! We're gonna have to leave now if I wanna get back in time to talk to the No. 2 hero!" Hawks says, dragging me out the door by my wrist.

      I can tell you everything you want to know about him" I say, squinting as the sunlight floods my vision, making it swim before it finally clears up.

      "Well then, tell me: what was it like being raised by my idol?!" Hawks asks, shouting with excitement at the end. He wraps his legs around mine, and his arms around my torso while continuing to talk. "Can you jump for me real quick? Thanks Flames!"

      I jump, and Hawks uses the propulsion to start flying. First, directly vertical, then, diagonal as we get up past the height of most of Tokyo's buildings. "Well, honestly, shitty. Don't tell him I said that though. He'd probably beat me for tainting his precious name." I say, rolling my eyes, not that Keigo can see me do it. "He used to try and train me, but now I'm just another one of his mistakes. His real treasure, my little brother Shoto, was born 4 years ago. He's the perfect child Enji wanted. Both my parents' quirks combined. I have my dad's quirk, but my body was designed for my mom's quirk. The worst of both worlds. Anyway, he doesn't want me to be a hero, because my quirk hurts me, and he says that one day they're gonna have to staple my charred flesh back on my body if I don't stop. I never cared though. And I never will. Anyway, that's what its like being Endeavor's eldest son, and worst failure. Now its you're turn. Why does your dad hate you? I know you said he loves you, but it was such a painfully obvious lie that I just have to know." I vent to Keigo. He probably doesn't care about a word I just said, but too bad for him, I guess.

      "oh. Wow. That is a really sad story. Are you okay? Also-" I watch as Keigo pauses, biting his bottom lip for a second "Are-are you queer because of it? I heard that that's something that happens frequently to victims of domestic abuse. Or, at least, it happened to me. Anyway, I'm sorry if that's too personal! In fact, forget it! You don't have to answer! Don't answer!" He says quickly.

      "Well, actually, I am gay. How 'bout you? What's your sexuality and/or gender?" I say happily, before looking up. "Oh wow! UA's in the distance! Its so pretty! I can't believe I'm going there now!"

      "I know! It is so pretty, isn't it? Also, some people don't really count this as a sexuality, but I'm bisexual. Everyone always talks about how we're just in denial, or need to pick a side, but, ask me in a decade or more, and I'm sure I'll still be bi! Also, what my dad did isn't really important. Its nothing much, compared to what you went through. Just a small bit of neglect, physical abuse, the likes. All my dad, of course. My mom was there, she's just... Mentally unstable. To say the least. Well, I'd love to keep talking about how fucked up my life was until I joined the hero commission, but, we've just arrived at UA. Also, there's something you should know about this class. We arent actually going to UA to be pro heroes, er- at least, not yet. we're all too young for that. We're actually going through intense infiltration training for the next 3 years, so, say good bye to free will, family ties, and freedom in general." Keigo says sadly, putting me down as we reach solid ground again.

      "Welcome to UA." He says.