Chapter Text
If, five years ago, someone told Natsuo that not only was he going to find his long-lost older brother, but that he was also going to learn that his sister’s best friend was a villain, gain a sorta-kinda fake boyfriend in the leader of the League of Villains, and be partially responsible for the redemption of two of the most wanted men in Japan, he would have told them that they were nuts.
And true, Natsuo had thought the whole thing was nuts at first, back when that broccoli-looking kid had first popped up at his door, brandishing a thick manilla folder and an obvious case of unrequited love.
Natsuo knew these things. He was a doctor. Or, well, basically.
He was also really good at falling in love with people he couldn’t have, but that was a minor detail.
“Uh, Todoroki-san?” the kid had said nervously.
Natsuo sighed deeply. He’d only come to his father’s place to visit his older sister, not some green-bean looking toddler. “Can I help you?”
The kid nodded frantically. “Uh, yeah, hi. I’m Midoriya Izuku. One of, uh, Shouto’s friends.”
Natsuo raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t thought it was possible for someone to get as red as this Midoriya kid just had at the mention of Natsuo’s little brother. And the use of the first name… Natsuo grinned. He’d have teasing fodder for the next five years.
Apparently misreading Natsuo’s grin, greenie continued. “And, um, I really wanted to talk to him about this, but I thought he might do something… rash.”
That caught Natsuo’s attention. “Rash how?”
He and Fuyumi had been attempting to reconcile their relationship with their youngest brother for a few months now, and they had made some progress. To the extent of Natsuo’s knowledge, though, there were only a few things that would make Shouto do something rash to cause a classmate to be concerned enough to visit his family.
Instantly, the name Midoriya clicked in Natsuo’s mind.
“Who are you and that Iida kid going after now?”
Cabbage boy stuttered and somehow turned even redder. “What? No, no, no, it’s not like that. No. It’s, uh, about your… father, I guess.”
Natsuo blinked. “You’re gonna kill him ?”
Grass boy looked like he was about to have a heart attack. “What? No, no. I mean, it’s more about—”
Natsuo scowled and leaned against the doorframe. “What about him, then?”
Exactly how much had Shouto told his friends? Natsuo hadn’t initially assumed anything, but Midoriya’s panicked reaction awakened long-forgotten memories of Shouto at the sports festival. Natsuo never liked watching it, but Fuyumi had dragged him over to the TV whenever Shouto was onscreen.
What had the green kid said? Something about how Shouto’s power was his, not his father’s, right?
Midoriya sighed. “Can I come in?”
Natsuo shot a glance behind him— his sister was at work, though she’d be home soon, Shouto was out with that Yaoyorozu girl, and his father was out doing who-knows-what. Natsuo didn’t know, and he certainly didn’t care, as long as he wasn’t alone with his father. “Yeah, sure.”
He propped the door open for the kid, who darted in like a startled bunny and immediately whirled away to the table. He plopped his folder on the table as all of the papers exploded out in a whirlwind.
Natsuo groaned internally as Midoriya gathered up all of his papers into a bundle.
“So, I, uh, was doing some research. And I dunno if you know this, but one time Shouto called me All Might’s secret love child. Which is ridiculous, of course!” Bunny-kid forced out the most obviously fake peal of laughter Natsuo had ever heard. Honestly, Natsuo was almost impressed. It took talent to be that absolutely abysmal at lying. “But! The point is, that got me thinking about other hypothetical love children. And some of them were kinda ridiculous, like Hitoshi and Eraserhead, because the age gap is too small even though they are super similar... but... anyway! That, uh, got me thinking. What if there was some connection between—”
Natsuo squinted. He didn’t know how Shouto deciphered this kid’s rambling. “Get to the point.”
Rabbit boy took a deep breath before mumbling something nervously.
“What?”
“I think that the villain known as Dabi is actually your brother.” Midori-kid enunciated. “Maybe.” he tacked on haphazardly.
Natsuo just stared. “What.”
“From what little I’ve pieced together from what Shouto’s told me, it seems like—”
Natsuo tuned out the kid’s mumbling as he thumbed through the papers on the table, the twisting of his stomach suspiciously akin to those twirling rides at those carnivals their mother had sometimes taken him to as a child, before… everything.
He was terrified to realize that he hadn’t immediately ruled it out. It was ridiculous, but… he hadn’t seen Touya in years. He had told himself Touya was dead, told Fuyumi Touya was dead in response to her desperate questions every year on the anniversary of his disappearance. He’d never been completely sold on Touya’s death, but it was better to have no hope and get what you didn’t expect than have your hopes dashed.
And this… Natsuo didn’t know what to make of this.
The man in the pictures had Natsuo’s father’s aquamarine eyes, his mother’s face, Touya’s fire . The scars to go along with the quirk that his older brother had never been able to control. And the name. Cremation. Just the kind of cheesy pun that Touya and Fuyumi used to love.
Natsuo slammed the papers back down on the table hard enough that it made cabbage patch kid jump. “Where is he?”
Freckles frowned. “I… don’t know. I mean, it was just an idea, I’m not even sure that—”
“That’s my brother.” Natsuo interrupted. “So where is he?”
“He’s a villain!” the kid protested. “It’s not like I know their whereabouts every second of every day!”
Natsuo sighed. The kid was right. He couldn’t blame this on him. “Okay. Do you know, hypothetically, where I could get more information?”
Broccoli-kid hesitated. “Well… I— I mean…” He sighed, then glared up at Natsuo with stone-cold eyes. “No. I don’t. And I really shouldn’t have said anything.”
Natsuo gave Midoriya his patented Older Brother Glare™, which the kid immediately withered under. “Look. Kid. Midoriya, right?”
Natsuo waited for a nod before he continued.
“Yeah, okay. This is my older brother we’re talking about, right? Has Shouto told you all that our old man got up to when we were kids?”
Bunny boy nodded slowly, something contorted in his expression.
Natsuo raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t anticipated that, honestly, but it made his job a lot easier. Not that he couldn’t convince the kid if not, of course— he was a broke college student. He could argue his way into or out of anything.
“I know my brother.” Lie. “There’s no way that he would have became a villain.” Fuyumi would say that wasn’t a lie, but Natsuo wasn’t so sure.
Cabbage patch kid frowned and scratched the back of his head. “Todoroki-san—”
“At least let me try to talk to him. I owe it to him to try.” At last, the truth.
Midoriya fidgeted.
Natsuo let the grin he had plastered on collapse. “Plus, wouldn’t the lack of a fighter like that really hurt the villains? Really, it’s the most logical option, isn’t it?”
“But—”
“Look, if he won’t come back with me, I’ll stop talking to him and let you— and the authorities— know, okay?”
Midoriya shifted awkwardly. “Well…”
Natsuo raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it a hero’s job to help people find their family?”
It was a low blow, and Natsuo knew it. If it worked, though…
“But if you get hurt?”
“Kid, my father is the number one pro hero in the country. My brother is currently training to be a pro hero, and my sister and I taught ourselves how to fight without quirks when we were kids. I’ll be fine. And if I’m not, I’ve got plenty of people to help me. And you know too, right?”
“Well…”
“Hey, how about this. I promise to tell you when—or if— I decide to go after my brother. That way you can make sure I’m safe. Get a pro or something.” Natsuo lied.
Greenie deflated. “Okay.”
Natsuo blinked. “Okay?”
“Okay,” Salad boy repeated, more confidently this time. “I won’t stop you from looking. But you need to tell me when you’re looking. And I don’t know where he is.”
Natsuo glanced at the clock absentmindedly and nearly shoved Midori-boy out of the house. “You should get going. My sister will be home any minute.”
Natsuo loved his sister. Really, more than anything.
So. There was absolutely no way in hell that she could know.
Greenie paused. “Should I tell her?”
“No.” Natsuo snapped. He took a deep breath and ignored the kid’s shocked gaze. “No,” Natsuo repeated slowly. “It would only upset her. I don’t think telling her right when she comes home from work is a good idea.”
The kid nodded slowly, his words drawn out. “Well, okay…”
“I’ll let you know if I run into any issues.” Natsuo lied.
Greenie nodded and finished gathering his papers almost twice as quickly as before. Apparently, the kid bought it. Honestly, with someone this gullible, Natsuo couldn’t even feel that bad about lying to him.
He glanced at the clock and practically shoved Midoriya out the door, his best fake smile stretched over his face before the kid could say anything else.
As soon as Midori-boy left, Natsuo practically sprinted over to his computer and googled a manner of things that would undoubtedly concern his Hero Commission agent for all time.
whereabouts of league of villains
Thousands of pages popped up, but Natsuo clicked on the first one he saw and skimmed it. Sightings in Hosu... back alleys… burned bodies... potentially recruiting…
Natsuo shuddered. So. They were recruiting. And his brother was burning people to a crisp. Natsuo was a stubborn man, enough to rival even his father. However, for the first time in his rage-induced googling, he felt a flicker of fear rise in the pit of his stomach.
If Dabi really was Touya… Natsuo wasn’t going to pretend that everything was okay. That he was some kind of hero. Touya was a bad person, and there was a body count to prove it. But it only reinforced the idea that he had to go after his brother before someone else found out.
If Fuyumi found out, she’d go after her older brother before you could say three bodies found in Fukuoka. She had always maintained that her brother was alive, but this…
Natsuo sunk down in his chair, the burned husks of his brother’s victims leering at him from the screen.
Well, this… this would break her.
And as for Shouto… to be completely honest, Natsuo didn’t know how much his little brother would care, on a personal level. He couldn’t imagine Shouto had many memories of their oldest brother. But his classmate was right. Shouto would run after his older brother before you could say police believe the murders are connected to the League of Villains. And the League was after Shouto, anyway.
And look, Natsuo knew he absolutely wasn’t the best person to be doing this. He was quirkless and yeah, almost certainly not firing on all cylinders right now. And yeah, his actions were probably going to be colored by what he remembered of his brother. But there was absolutely no way he was leaving this to his father or any other pros, no matter how much his big sister trusted Miruko and Hawks.
It wasn’t that he didn’t like Miruko and Hawks, far from it. No, this was something he had to do himself. Besides, if he left this up to either of them, his brother would be arrested sooner than you could say poor decision making. And Natsuo needed some answers.
A key jangled in the door, and Natsuo launched himself over the counter to stuff Greenie’s file in the school bag that Natsuo had strewn on the kitchen counter when he had arrived from school that afternoon.
“Natsu, I’m ho—” Fuyumi singsonged before she turned into the kitchen to see Natsuo, his hair still thrown into a haphazard, gravity-defying ponytail from his earlier cleaning session, perched on the top of the kitchen counter like a gremlin as he hugged his school bag for dear life.
Fuyumi froze. “What.”
“What?” Natsuo parroted blankly.
Fuyumi merely sighed and emptied her bag on the counter beside Natsuo. “You know, at this point, I don’t even ask,” she muttered under her breath.
Natsuo sighed in relief internally as he slipped off the counter.
Fuyumi crossed to the fridge and rummaged around before she yanked out a container of miso paste, a sunshiny grin suddenly spread across her face. “Wait! I forgot to tell you! Rumi and Keigo invited us out to lunch on Saturday.”
Natsuo sighed, his thoughts far beyond the kitchen or Fuyumi’s lunch plans. It was probably going to take weeks to find his brother. There was no telling where Dabi would be looking for recruits and when. “Yeah, okay.”
Fuyumi frowned and ruffled Natsuo’s hair. “Come on, Natsu. I thought you liked them.”
Natsuo was shoved back into reality by Fuyumi’s hand in his hair. “Wait, what?”
Fuyumi put the miso paste down. “Hey, is something wrong?”
Natsuo shook his head. “No, sorry. Just zoned out for a second.”
Fuyumi raised an eyebrow. She clearly didn’t believe a word that came out of Natsuo’s mouth, but she turned back into the fridge as her voice echoed out of it. “If you say so. Anyway, Rumi and Keigo invited us out to lunch on Saturday, since they both finally have a day off.”
Natsuo wandered over to his laptop and opened it again as the search engine spat out pages of results. “Hm.”
“I’ve been pestering them to take some time off for weeks,” Fuyumi said as she dumped a package of tofu and some green onions on the counter before she darted back into the cupboard. “But things have been so busy lately, they’ve been working almost around the clock.”
Natsuo’s head darted up. “Why?”
Fuyumi frowned and pulled out a container of rice. “They’re not really supposed to say anything, but from what I’ve gathered, it seems like the League of Villains has been pretty active in Fukuoka lately. It’s just terrible. I don’t understand those sorts of people, Natsu.”
Fuyumi shook her head sadly in the way only a teacher could. She’d perfected the “I’m not angry, just disappointed” look years ago, and honestly, Natsuo thought it could probably make a mass murderer turn themselves in at this point. Maybe he should bring her along to meet Touya.
“It is terrible.” Natsuo echoed as he googled league of villains activity fukuoka .
Fuyumi wandered over, cradling a container of rice. “What are you working on over there, anyway?”
Natsuo slammed his laptop down before you could say sighting of nefarious villain Dabi in Fukuoka. “Home… work.”
Fuyumi frowned. “Homework you… don’t want me to see?”
Natsuo blanked. “...yes?
Fuyumi leaned forward and grinned mischievously in the way only an older sister could as all of Natsuo’s functioning brain cells simultaneously decided to hit the panic button and check out. “You talking to someone? A crush? ”
Natsuo had high intelligence stats, alright? He’d gotten into med school and managed to figure out how to live by himself without any help from anyone but his big sister and trusty old google. He just… wasn’t high wis. He knew that. So his response really shouldn’t have surprised himself.
“Uh… yes.”
Fuyumi’s grin went from mischievous to sharklike in an instant. “Oh?”
All of Natsuo’s brain cells decided to come back in a rush and left him with an overwhelming sense of oh, shit.
“Yeah,” Natsuo said as he tucked his laptop into his bag. “And you know what? I’d much rather talk to you about your day. Since we didn’t get to talk much about that kind of stuff when we were kids.”
Their childhood was another low blow, but apparently it wasn’t like Natsuo was above them at this point.
Fuyumi raised an eyebrow and her grin didn’t fade, but she didn’t push. “Alright, alright, okay. But we’re talking about this later.”
Natsuo followed her into the kitchen. “As soon as you admit that you’ve got a crush on Mir—”
Slam. Fuyumi threw open a cupboard, smacking Natsuo’s forehead point blank with the wooden door.
Natsuo raised a hand to the bump on his head with a wince. “Shit.”
Fuyumi leaned into the cupboard with a poorly concealed grin. “Watch your language! And I wonder what gets Shouto speaking the way he does…here I am thinking it might be his classmates.”
Guilt peeled at his smile as the heat of his ancient laptop burned through his bag to his side like a fire. “Sorry, sorry.”
From the limited googling Natsuo had done, it had seemed like the League had been most active at night. He’d agreed to stay over with Fuyumi until seven when old daddy dearest got home.
Fuyumi was ready to give their father a chance and start holding their “family dinners” again, but Natsuo and Shouto sure as hell weren’t. Fuyumi had pleaded with Natsuo to give their father a chance but hadn’t pushed when he had refused.
They might all disagree, but that didn’t mean that Natsuo and Shouto didn’t love their sister, so they always came to visit before Fuyumi’s dinners, though Shouto was out doing some hero shit today.
So once it got to be seven, Natsuo could always “head back to his apartment,” catch the train to Fukuoka, and get some more googling in on the train ride back. He didn’t have class until two tomorrow, so he could stay out late, but he didn’t expect to actually find Touya. If he was really lucky, he could find someone who might be able to tell him something about how to talk to a recruiter for the League.
Natsuo adjusted his hood yet again, his snow-white hair sheltered by the cloth. He had never really been a hood person, but he figured it was probably a good idea to avoid broadcasting his face to everyone in the sketchiest part of town. It probably couldn’t hurt to look as suspicious as possible, either, so Natsuo had donned a medical mask, one of Hawks’ obnoxiously dramatic coats that he wore when he was trying to hide his wings, and a pair of rain boots.
The mask was easy to find— he had plenty in a box at his apartment.
Mirio had given him the rain boots last semester during a particularly bad storm after his roommate discovered that Natsuo didn’t have any boots of his own. Mirio insisted Natsuo take his. They were a little big, yeah, but they worked, so that was really all Natsuo cared about. Mirio’s quirk may be gone, but that didn’t mean he had lost his selfless streak.
The coat, though, that had been an interesting find, to say the least. Natsuo had realized he needed something for the Villain Aesthetic™, and for some reason, not only did Hawks have the habit of randomly discarding his clothes anywhere he visited (including Natsuo’s father’s house during his frequent visits to Fuyumi) he also had recently taken to wearing the edgiest things. Natsuo supposed this is what came of robbing kids of their childhoods. Edgy fashion sense when they were in their twenties.
Bzzt. Bzzt.
Natsuo fished out his phone from one of the pockets on Hawks’ coat (why the hell were they so deep?) and scrolled down on the message he had received.
You: hey mirio not gonna be home til late, over @ my sister’s (19: 02: 03)
stick figure eyes: Okay! I figured! Have a great time at your sister’s place!! :D :D
(19: 58: 20)
Natsuo grinned despite himself. He really was lucky to have found a great roommate in Mirio. Though it went without saying that if Mirio knew what Natsuo was doing, Mirio would try to stop him, quirk or no.
And in the occasion that Mirio did contact Fuyumi and ask if Natsuo was still there, he could always blame the trains or something— say there was some sort of villain attack, maybe. Or say that he was getting groceries, though he’d actually have to swing by a store for that one.
Natsuo stuffed his phone back in his pocket and quickly scanned the road. It was all but deserted, at this point, save for a few stragglers near the dumpsters who glared at him behind their hoods. His initial plan was, yes, to just traverse the back alleys in an attempt to find his brother— at least find some information. The League was apparently recruiting, after all, and most of the bodies had been found in these back alleys on the south side of the city.
Natsuo turned down yet another side street as his footsteps echoed against the buildings that surrounded him like a cage.
Tap, tap, tap.
He paused.
The footsteps paused.
Natsuo took a step forward.
Tap, tap.
Natsuo slipped his other hand into his pocket and grabbed the handle of his knife as he scanned the hazy alley for any stragglers. It could be nothing, it could be—
“A little early, aren’t we, Keigo?” a raspy voice almost purred.
Natsuo’s blood ran cold.
Problem one: someone had just called him Takami Keigo. Problem two: from the sound of it, someone was trying to flirt with Takami Keigo. Problem three, which was probably the most pressing: Natsuo was not Takami Keigo.
And okay, okay, yeah, Natsuo probably should have thought out wearing one of Hawks’ jackets before Natsuo decided to venture out into the sketchiest area of Hawks’ patrol. But—
Wait.
He had been around his sister enough to recognize the name— Takami Keigo — even if no one besides his sister and Miruko ever really used it. But the stranger had addressed Natsuo as Keigo.
Natsuo took a deep breath as the footsteps approached him. He probably should have just kept walking, but at this point, if he started again, he was sure whoever the hell this was would just think Hawks was ignoring them. And if he revealed that he wasn’t Hawks, he had no idea how they’d react.
Or he could just go with one of the standard “doesn’t speak Japanese” or, to be safe, “doesn’t speak at all” plans.
“Hey, Keigo.” the voice drawled, almost directly over Natsuo’s shoulder. “Are y—”
Natsuo risked a glance up before he could stop himself.
His jaw dropped. “Holy shit, you look way worse in person.”
Touya’s face contorted into something resembling a particularly ugly cat. Natsuo slipped the mask off from around his ears and lowered the hood with a flourish as some sort of twisted pride rose deep in him at Touya’s horror.
“Natsu?” His older brother looked like he was on the brink of about sixteen different mental breakdowns but honestly, Natsuo didn’t really give a fuck.
“Touya.”
“You— how did you—” Touya’s eyes looked like saucers. Well, if saucers could be scared that they were about to be chewed out. “You—”
“So... villainy, huh?”
“You—”
Natsuo frowned. “Look, it wasn’t that hard to figure out.”
It hadn’t been, once Bunny kid had brought up the idea. But Touya didn’t need to know that the idea wasn’t Natsuo’s.
“I…”
“Yumi would be pissed,” Natsuo said, an eyebrow raised with the condescension of a forty-something living in their parents’ basement.
“Yumi doesn’t… know? “ Touya said weakly.
“Hell, no. Nobody could save you from Yumi when she’s pissed, twin or not. And trust me, she’ll be pissed.”
“You’re going to tell her?”
“Oh, were you planning on it? Just like you were planning on telling me?” Natsuo’s voice dripped with sarcasm as he nodded, his wide grin about as real as the “healthy energy barz” Mirio devoured religiously.
“Well—”
Natsuo’s grin dissolved into a bored scowl. “So you’re with the League now?”
“Look, Natsuo, can we talk about this later?” Touya pleaded.
“You know, I would have been all for that. If I wasn’t, you know, under the impression that you were dead for years.”
“Natsuo—”
“No, you shut up. Do you know? Do you know what it was like in that goddamn house every fucking day since you left? You don’t, do you? And you know what the worst part of this is? I’m not even surprised. I’m not even surprised this is what came of you. Hell, I’m surprised it was only one of us, honestly. But that doesn’t make you strong. And that doesn’t excuse anything.”
Touya shifted uncomfortably.
Natsuo took a deep breath. “So. I’m not going to kid myself and ask for you to come back with me. But I’m not about to let you leave again. You owe me that much. And I want Yumi and Shouto to meet you, I do, but first, you have to prove that you won’t hurt them.”
Touya laughed. It was a sharp, bitter sound, and something in Natsuo twisted as soon as he heard it. “I’m a villain, Natsuo. Hurting people is all that I do.”
Natsuo crossed his arms. “And you think that’s going to help us?”
“It will when I kill Father.”
Natsuo blinked because okay, wow, yeah, he knew that was coming eventually, but not so soon, and certainly not so openly. “But… you won’t— you’ll still talk to me, right?”
Natsuo almost kicked himself. He sounded like a little kid again. Though, he supposed, that was really what he was.
Touya hesitated. “I... yes. But I need to get back.”
Natsuo frowned. “Get back where?”
“The League.”
Natsuo scoffed. “They’re more important than me? Really? Your own baby brother?”
Touya frowned. “Natsuo—”
Natsuo took a step forward. “No, really? I just reconnected with you after years and you’re running off to your villain friends?”
Touya winced. “Look, Natsu— I can’t exactly bring you back to the League.”
Honestly, Natsuo might just have a death wish. “And why not?”
Touya scoffed, uncertainty leaking through his voice. “It’s the League of Villains , Natsuo.”
“So? If I’m going to be hanging around you from now on, don’t you think that I should be able to meet them?”
“Natsuo, I don’t think you understand.”
“What? Are you ashamed of me now?”
Touya pinched the bridge of his nose. “Are you even thinking about what you’re asking me right now?”
“Yeah.” Natsuo lied.
“These are Japan’s most wanted criminals. And you want to meet them.”
“Well, they’re who you spend all of your time around, right? That and, uh, this Keigo, apparently?”
Touya cleared his throat loudly as what little Natsuo could see of his face flushed almost as red as his hair used to be. “Yeah, but—”
Alright. Flustered at the mention of Keigo. Touya might be a villain, but he was still Natsuo’s brother and thus not above teasing.
“Are you scared they’re going to try to attack me or something?”
“No!” Touya snapped, then, again, more calmly, “No. No.”
“So, then? What’s the hangup?”
And yeah, Natsuo had just suggested it to mess with Touya, but now he was genuinely curious. If Touya wasn’t scared that Natsuo was going to get hurt, what was holding him back?
“You do realize I’m not going to sell you out, right? You may be an asshole, but you’re still my brother.”
Touya sighed again. “I’m not scared of that, no.”
“So…”
Touya pinched the bridge of his nose. “You can’t just go waltzing into the League of Villains. That’s not how that works.”
“I’m your brother, though. Do they know I’m your brother?”
Touya was silent.
“They don’t know, do they? And you don’t want me to tell them? You don’t trust me to keep a secret? So you’re throwing me out again?”
“I’ve gotta go, Natsu.”
Both brothers froze as soon as the nickname came out of Touya’s mouth. Natsuo was the first to recover from his momentary shock.
“You’re just gonna leave me again?” His voice was soft, small, and he hated it.
Touya hesitated for a second, two, until his face and voice went blank. “One time. One time, and then we talk over text. And you don’t tell Fuyumi or Shouto. This will not ever happen again.”
Natsuo’s stomach sunk at the same time as the giddiness of actually tricking Touya into letting him meet the League of Villains set in. He didn’t expect that to actually work. “Uh. Okay.”
Touya sighed heavily and flipped the hood of his coat— different from the coat he was wearing in all of the pictures of him, Natsuo noted— up over his head. “Come on, then.”
Natsuo hesitated. This was quite possibly the worst idea he’d ever had, but there was no way he could go back on it now. He regretted not asking Keigo or Miruko for help, but it was too late now. Maybe he could tell Keigo what happened tomorrow. Keigo was pretty dumb too, right? He’d probably done something like this, right? Well— not this bad, but maybe close?
Touya paused at the entrance to the alley. “Coming?”
Natsuo swallowed hard and sprinted to catch up with his brother. This was fine. This was great. There was absolutely no way that this could go wrong. Right?
(Wrong.)
Touya— no, Dabi — stood at the door with all the anxiety of a teenager introducing their emo, “nOT LiKE othEr BoYs” boyfriend to their parents.
“So,” Natsuo drawled as he scanned the shocked faces. “Let’s see. We got a gamer, a vampire, a magician, a dude in a bodysuit, and a… is that a gremlin? Good to know these are the hands that our society will be entrusted to after you guys take over the world or whatever.”
The magic dude blinked. “Dabi, who is this?”
Natsuo jumped in before his brother could so much as open his mouth. “I’m his little brother—”
Knife girl squealed. “A brother!”
“No.” Touya drawled.
“Aw, Dabi…” she pouted, cradling her knife to her chest. “He’s so—”
“No.”
Natsuo didn’t even spare them a glance. “Yeah. Big bro never mentioned me, huh?”
Magic-man waved Natsuo off. “Don’t feel bad about it. Dabi never mentions anyone, really.”
“Damn, woulda thought he cared more than that. I figured that even if he didn’t send any letters, he would have talked to you guys.”
The bodysuit dude shook his head. “No, sorry! Of course he did, you idiot! ”
Natsuo felt his two hours and five minutes of sleep crash into him like a truck.
“So, you’ve decided to join us now?” Lizard-guy— Skinner? Winner? No, no, Spinner , that was it— piped up from the corner.
Natsuo shrugged. “Mostly just wanted to reconnect with my dear ol’ brother.”
“Aw, that’s so sweet! If he’s not devoted to us, he’s a danger!”
Natsuo glanced at Touya, who looked absolutely mortified. Natsuo grinned.
“But, you know, I’m not against the cause.”
“New friends!” Knife lady cheered as she threw her arms around bodysuit dude’s neck.
“You want to join us?” Gremlin-boy monotoned with all the ferocity of the leader of several empires. Given that he was currently bundled in Hello Kitty blanket and buried in a pile of pillows, it was less than effective.
“Sure.”
“And what, exactly, could you offer us?”
Natsuo didn’t even try to stifle his grin. “Well, for starters, my name is Todoroki Natsuo.”
The room was smothered in a blanket of dead silence, enough to hear a pin drop.
“I’m sorry,” Top hat said slowly, “but what was that?”
Natsuo cast a smug glance at his brother, who looked like he was about to set Natsuo on fire. “I said , my name is Todoroki Natsuo.”
And just like that, all hell broke loose.
“You’re a Todoroki ?”
“Is this true?”
“It all makes sense now! No way, he’s lying!”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
If this is what villainy was, Natsuo could get used to it.
The gremlin held up a hand and instantly, the chattering stopped. “Dabi. Is this true?”
Touya opened and closed his mouth like a fish that was about to have its head chopped off.
“Yeah, Touya ,” Natsuo said, “am I telling the truth or not?”
“Touya?” Spinner echoed slowly.
“ Touya!” Blondie grinned and clasped her hands beneath her chin. “Aw, that name is so cute, I love it!”
Touya looked like he had aged thirty years in just a few minutes. He sighed miserably. “Yes.”
Gremlin looked like he was about to blow a gasket. “And you didn’t tell us? Do you have any idea how—”
“I can’t believe you’re a Todoroki,” Vampire lady gushed, “do you have any other cute siblings besides Natsuo and Shouto?”
Natsuo thought about it, he really did. But if he did drag Fuyumi into this now, she’d be pissed. “So. Can I stay?”
Gremlin shot a venomous glare at Touya. “Yes.”
Touya balked. “What?”
Gremlin stared him down. “I said yes, Touya .”
“But how can he help us?” Touya protested.
Natsuo leaned against the wall. “I can get you information, can’t I?”
“But—Hawks—”
“Hawks has valuable intel,” gremlin said, “but he isn’t the son of the number one hero. ”
Now, Natsuo didn’t have time to unpack all of that, but it sure as hell was coming. If Hawks was really working with the villains, Natsuo didn’t care how much Fuyumi and Miruko loved him. Though, he supposed, so was he, for the moment, so maybe he was being a hypocrite. To be completely honest, though, Natsuo didn’t really care.
Natsuo shrugged. “It’s just facts, after all, Ya-nii.”
Vampire girl echoed the nickname under her breath giddily, the very way Natsuo had reacted internally when Shouto started talking about the kid— Midoriya— from the sports festival with the cute hair and a death wish with smitten stars in his eyes. It was the unmistakable tone of a sibling filing something away for future teasing fodder.
Honestly, Natsuo could enjoy it here.
“So.” Natsuo clapped. “I give you intel about my father, and I get to visit and see my older brother. Sound good to everyone?”
Spinner nodded begrudgingly.
“I’m on board! I don’t like this! ” the guy in the silver bodysuit exclaimed.
“I’m cool with it!” blonde knife girl grinned.
“Fine, then, we’re agreed,” Gremlin said as he stared Touya down with a level of pettiness that Natsuo aspired to have. “Todoroki Natsuo will join the League of Villains.”