章 34: Upbringing
Hisashi Midoriya let out a breath of smoke as he watched the news. So Giran was dead, huh? It was probably for the best, he hadn't been quite the same since his abduction. It was time to get some new faces in the brokerage business anyway. On a more personal note, now that Giran was out of the way, there was nothing holding Hisashi back from meeting with Mastermind. He'd been in the villain game long enough to have gained a fearsome reputation, and Mastermind wasn't known for being picky about his clients, so Hisashi had no doubt that the one he'd somehow offended was Giran, not Mastermind. Still, it wouldn't have been wise to go behind the broker's back, but that wouldn't be a problem anymore.
Hisashi called in one of his underlings, "I need you to find out what meetings Mastermind has coming up." He grinned. "I think it's time we reach out, don't you?"
"I seriously don't know how you can eat that stuff." Dabi wrinkled his nose in disgust as Keigo destroyed yet another chicken wing.
"You're eating them too." Keigo said, not bothering to cover his mouth. If Dabi was already disgusted, why waste the extra effort?
"Well, I'm not…" Dabi gestured to his wings and Keigo rolled his eyes.
"What? Did you think that actual hawks only eat mice or worms or something? Newsflash." Keigo took another bite. "They eat birds, so I can eat all the fried chicken I want, ok?"
Dabi shook his head and went back to his own plate. Keigo didn't know exactly why Dabi had invited him over for takeout and video games, but he'd said it was something about building trust? Keigo wasn't complaining. Any time he spent with the league was an opportunity for to gather more information on how they worked and what they might do next. He'd personally been hoping to spend some more time with other members of the league today as well, but so far it was just him and Dabi. Freezerburn was apparently on a date with Mastermind and Keigo couldn't help but be a little disappointed he hadn't arrived in time to see Mastermind's unmasked face. Maybe Dabi just invited him over so he wouldn't have to be alone? Did villains get lonely?
"So, birdie," Dabi said finally, "What was it like growing up with the Hero Commission?"
Keigo froze, "What?"
"I mean, sorry if I'm overstepping my boundaries," Dabi held up his hands placatingly, "but Mastermind let slip about...well, your upbringing, I guess. Sorry if that's something you're not comfortable with discussing or...just forget I said anything."
Keigo blinked a few times. On the one hand, the fact he was raised by the hero commission was classified info, on the other hand… he might be able to use it to cement his place in the league. Maybe if he gave himself a convincing enough backstory, Dabi would finally believe that he was an ally, not an infiltrator.
"It's ok, man." Keigo smiled. "I don't mind, ask away."
Dabi nodded, "How old were you when they picked you up."
There really wasn't any way of knowing how much Mastermind knew, or how much he'd told the league, so honesty was probably the best policy for now if Keigo really wanted this to work, "I think I was like seven or eight? It was a few years after I got my quirk. My parents weren't really around a lot, and when they were, they were drunk, so I spent a lot of time either alone or with my friends, playing and messing around with our quirks."
"So you had a powerful quirk and knew how to use it." Dabi said. "Sounds to me like the perfect combination for the Commission to take advantage of."
Keigo nodded, because that was what Dabi expected, but that wasn't what the commission had been thinking when they took him in, was it?
"So, um, anyway, yeah, I ended up saving a bunch of people from a car accident and when the heroes arrived, well," Keigo frowned, "I don't really remember exactly, it was a long time ago, but these guys in suits went to go talk to my parents, told them they'd make sure I had a good life away from the poverty."
Dabi scoffed, "I'm sure they offered your parents a pretty comfortable life too, right?"
Keigo looked at him in confusion, "What do you mean?"
Dabi stared at him for a moment, "Do you really expect me to believe the Commission didn't give those bastards anything to let them take you away or to stay silent about the whole thing?" He shook his head. "Let's be honest, birdie, your parents probably sold you to the Commission for a six pack of beer."
Keigo sputtered for a minute. The Commission hadn't bought him! That was wrong, illegal, it was...exactly what Endeavor had done to get his hands on Dabi's mother. Thinking about it, it was kinda odd that his parents had never said anything about the whole thing, wasn't it? Wouldn't a mom and dad who thought they were giving him the best chance at life, like the Commission told him...wouldn't they step forward when he became a hero? Wouldn't they brag to their friends when he rose in the ranks and became number one? How much had the Commission paid them for their silence?
Dabi was looking at him sympathetically, "I guess you hadn't figured that part out yet, had you?" He awkwardly put his hand on Keigo's shoulder, "Don't worry about it, birdie, those bastards at the Commission never deserved you anyway. I'm guessing they trained you relentlessly, like Endeavor trained me and Shouto?"
Keigo nodded numbly, then remembered he was supposed to be playing this up to get Dabi to trust him, "Yeah, actually. I basically trained everyday, practicing strength and control with my feathers. They even made me hit targets blindfolded until I didn't have any feathers left to use. They said using all my feathers like that would help both with my control and with how fast they grew back in."
Dabi raised an eyebrow, "Did it?"
Keigo shrugged, "I don't know. I mean, it definitely helped with my control, but… I'd never really used all my feathers at once before the Commission took me away, so I don't really know if it really made them grow any faster."
Dabi nodded, "Makes sense. I'm sorry you had to go through that."
Keigo didn't really know how to react to that. No one had ever... pitied him for his upbringing before. The Commission always just told him how lucky he was they'd found him as early as they did. So which was it? Did he have a blessed upbringing, or was he bought and raised to...what? Be the Commission's personal weapon?
"Don't worry about it, man." Keigo said finally. "I mean, it made me who I am now, right?"
Dabi frowned, "Doesn't mean it didn't suck." He sighed and gestured to his scars. "I mean, these scars might look pretty bad-ass and add to my aesthetic, but that doesn't mean getting them didn't hurt."
Keigo studied the burn scars for a moment, his stomach sinking as he connected the dots, "Did...did Endeavor give those to you?"
Dabi chuckled, "It wasn't his fire that burned me, if that's what you mean. But it was still the bastard's fault," He paused and frowned. "I may have been born with my father's fire quirk, but my mom was an ice user. Shouto got lucky with his perfect quirk. As long as he uses both sides, his quirk won't hurt him. Me, however," Dabi ran his hand along his collarbone, fingering where his scars attached to the flawless skin on his chest, "I was born with the skin of an ice user. Every time I used my quirk as a kid, it hurt and I risked burning myself beyond repair. One day, after Mom got sent away, Shouto was being stubborn, so Dad decided to train me instead." He took a deep breath, "He pushed me too far. He was angry and frustrated and just kept attacking me, even though he could see how much pain I was in. I seriously thought I was going to die. So, I did what I had to to survive and I went beyond my limits."
Keigo watched as Dabi clenched his fists, seeing the way his skin, scars, and staples stretched. The scars...that was just Dabi. Keigo had never thought about how he'd gotten them, how much it must have hurt. Why was that? Was it just because he was a villain? Did that really make Dabi's pain less than his own for some reason?
Dabi exhaled slowly, "Anyway, I ran away not too long after that. My scars are probably only as bad as they are because I didn't really have access to a hospital while they finished healing. But, whatever." Dabi shrugged. "The good thing is that I ended up killing a bunch of my nerve endings, so using my quirk doesn't hurt nearly as much as it did when I was a kid."
"I don't think that counts as a good thing ." Keigo said, slightly horrified.
Dabi laughed, "Yeah, but it sure as hell makes torching things a lot easier!"
Keigo shook his head, "You're insane."
"Yeah, yeah, I never said I wasn't, but whatever." Dabi grinned. "But seriously, Hawks, if you ever want out of the Commission, we'd be happy to help. I mean, it'd be great if you were spying for us instead of them, but if you ever just want out, no one should have to do something they're uncomfortable with."
Keigo stared at him for a moment, so much for convincing Dabi he wasn't a spy. And he didn't need to be 'freed' from the Hero Commission.
Did he?
"Sure, man, whatever." Keigo smiled, hoping it was convincing enough. "But weren't you supposed to be destroying me in video games?"
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