Chapter Text
Touya flashed a proud smile at the camera. His life was perfect. He was nineteen and already ranked number eight among pro heroes.
Blue Spark. That was his hero name. His father had chosen it. Thankfully, too, because otherwise Touya would’ve ended up being called Dabi.
Seriously, what kind of idea was that? A name associated with death? He was going to be a hero, damn it, not a villain.
Touya understood now why there had been that dead silence in his second-year class at UA when he’d suggested it the first time.
Then again, it might’ve been funny to stick with a name like that. It would’ve made him stand out. Still, he couldn’t really complain. He was already in the top ten.
He’d made it in during the last semester. It was the first time a nineteen-year-old had reached the top ten. Endeavor was proud of him, and Touya was even prouder, knowing he was making all his classmates jealous.
Of course, he often heard that he’d gotten so high up because he was the number two hero’s son, that he’d had a head start. Some even said Endeavor had paid off the Commission.
But Touya made sure to distance himself from his father. The area he operated in was far away, he created his own techniques, and his style was way cooler and more provocative than his father’s.
Touya had piercings, three in his nose, and his ears hadn’t been spared either. Endeavor had frowned the first time he saw him like that. Touya had joked, or maybe not, that he’d dye his hair black too, but Endeavor had gotten so angry that Touya had decided to at least do him one favor and keep his natural white hair.
The piercings, though, stayed. No way he was giving up everything. Besides, he loved messing with his father.
Endeavor was kind to him. Maybe too kind. Touya wasn’t sure he deserved that kind of support.
He’d been a difficult kid growing up. He didn’t really remember it, but he knew he’d had a bad temper. He’d even run away once after his mother had been hospitalized.
Touya had never visited her. He didn’t care about her. He didn’t remember ever spending time with her anyway, she’d never given a damn about him. Thankfully, his father had been there, patient.
Sometimes, Touya was scared of catching Rei’s illness. He’d been a troubled child because she’d passed that on to him. The only things she’d ever given him were bad. It was her fault his body couldn’t handle his flames properly.
He’d burned himself several times already, but luckily nothing that left scars. Now he wore bracers that protected his skin from the destructive heat of his flames. He took them everywhere. He’d had them for so long he didn’t even remember when his father had bought them.
Touya didn’t like relying on gear, but he didn’t have a choice if he didn’t want to end up burned to a crisp.
He’d completely cut ties with his mother, but sometimes he wondered if she’d be proud of him. If, from her psychiatric hospital room, she was watching him. If she saw that confident smile and heard his arrogance as he told all of Japan that his rise had only just begun.
Touya knew why he ranked so high. His quirk’s power scared off far too many criminals, and he was popular. People liked him. He was young, good-looking, reckless, arrogant, funny. The perfect kind of impressive. Add his last name on top of that, and you got a solid ranking and a great salary for someone who had only left UA a year ago.
Blue Spark already had fans, and he fully intended to climb even higher.
Endeavor was ranked second. It would take time to surpass him, but Touya planned to get there. Especially since Endeavor had some popularity issues.
Still, the number two hero wasn’t about to let his son have it easy, even if he was proud of that ambition. Touya liked their dynamic. Rivalry and support, it was perfect.
He was sure that after the ranking ceremony, his father would come congratulate him. Touya had already caught that approving look when the rankings were announced.
Now that he’d finished his speech, Touya handed the mic to the hero next to him.
Number seven took it, but Touya barely listened to his overly rehearsed speech. Instead, he glanced at his father and smirked at his scowl. What was his problem? Upset about still being number two? As if he’d ever surpass All Might…
Even Touya wasn’t that delusional. He knew the highest he could go for now was second place, as long as the Symbol of Peace was still around.
He’d have to wait for All Might to retire, if he ever did.
An elbow jabbed into his ribs. Touya looked down, annoyed, at number seven, who was watching him with an interested smile.
“Hey, man, I really like your attitude. I don’t know how you’re not nervous, but I guess that’s because I try too hard to be perfect.”
He let out a light laugh, and Touya gave him a quick once-over.
He was yellow. Completely. His hair, his eyes, his jacket, the stripes on his shirt, his pants… Thankfully, the large wings attached to his back were a deep crimson red.
“Don’t try to be perfect. People prefer authenticity, Canary.”
The canary didn’t even look surprised. He just laughed again.
“Canary? Yeah, I guess that fits. I am the youngest, after all.”
“I said that because it’s painfully obvious your favorite color is yellow. And you’re not the youngest.”
“First of all, I prefer purple. I would’ve liked some on my costume, but I trust my designers’ vision more. And I am the youngest.”
Touya raised an amused eyebrow.
“I’m nineteen, Birdie.”
“And I’m eighteen.”
Touya stayed silent long enough for number five to finish his speech.
“…Sorry?”
Eighteen? That was way too young to be ranked this high. This guy was obviously lying.
“Yeah, sorry, I beat your record,” the canary replied with a wink. “I’m the youngest hero now. Though honestly, I can’t believe it myself. Number seven for my first ranking? It doesn’t feel real.”
So not only had this guy entered the top ten a year younger than him, he was also ahead of him? Already seventh?
“What the hell, who are you?”
“Wow, you’re really out of it, man! I was introduced like three minutes ago. But hey, I guess this kind of introduction works better.”
He held out his hand.
“Hawks. Nice to meet you.”
Touya took it reluctantly. If the press hadn’t been there, he would’ve ignored him.
“Blue Spark. Same. Enjoy the one semester you’re ahead of me.”
Hawks must have felt the tension in the handshake, because he didn’t try to keep talking, which suited Touya just fine.
Touya relaxed slightly. He was only eighth, even after multiple rankings. Hawks had only done one, and he was already above him.
Touya needed to get it together. He’d just lost his title as the youngest hero. He couldn’t afford to lose anything else. Hawks was like him. He could easily steal his fans.
He needed to stay focused. Climbing only two places in one semester wasn’t enough.
Next ranking, he’d be twenty. He had to reach the top five. Minimum.
The ceremony ended with All Might’s reassuring, uplifting speech.
Hawks was immediately swarmed by the press and even other heroes. Everyone wanted to know where he’d come from, how he’d ranked so high on his first try.
That should have been Touya. He shouldn’t have been forgotten so quickly. He didn’t seem exceptional anymore.
“What’s with that scowl? You just climbed two spots.”
Touya lifted his head and looked at his father.
“And you? You looked pissed while being number two.”
Endeavor stepped closer and smiled.
“It’s Hawks, isn’t it?”
Touya rolled his eyes.
“You know him too…”
“Everyone knows him. He was introduced just-”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Touya cut him off. “I don’t get what he’s doing here.”
“The same job we are.”
“I’m sure he’s lying about his age,” Touya continued. “His face feels familiar. He was probably ranked lower before.”
“His face seems familiar?” Endeavor repeated. “You must have seen him on TV. He’s handled some impressive missions these past few months.”
Touya scoffed and stepped away.
“Yeah, probably. Let’s stop talking about that idiot.”
“Are you jealous of him, Touya?” Endeavor asked, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
“Of a guy like him? Don’t be ridiculous. He just doesn’t deserve that spot.”
Endeavor let out a loud laugh, making Touya grimace.
“You don’t even know what he’s accomplished.”
Probably less than him.
“A chicken belongs in a fridge.”
Endeavor didn’t reply. Touya turned back and felt a flicker of disgust at the tenderness in his father’s eyes.
“I’m glad to have you by my side, my son.”
“Oh, don’t start getting sentimental. You’re tough with everyone else. I don’t want special treatment.”
Endeavor stepped closer and, unfortunately, pulled Touya into a hug. Touya struggled against his strong arms.
“I love you so much, Touya. I know I’m not the best father, but…”
“Cut it out and let go! Why are you doubting yourself? You’ve always been a good father. I hate to admit it, but the press is right. I wouldn’t be a hero without you.”
“You would’ve made it without me, Touya. You’ve always been resourceful. I’m so proud of you.”
Touya finally pulled free and brushed off the sleeve of his long dark-blue coat, worn over his black costume lined with glowing blue streaks that pulsed with his quirk.
“You don’t get to say that until I’ve surpassed you.”
Endeavor smiled, and Touya had to hold back a sigh.
“I’m sure I’ll be able to say it soon.”
Yeah, right.
First, Touya had to beat Hawks.
In the following days, Touya doubled his efforts to save lives and help people. He forced himself to be nice and to hold back on the kind of bad jokes that could hurt his reputation.
He quickly understood why Hawks was ranked above him. It wasn’t just about popularity. No, the bird was so fast he showed up at incidents before people even realized something was wrong.
So Touya trained to propel himself faster with his flames. But speed wasn’t the only thing he lacked. Precision wasn’t exactly his strongest skill either. His torrents of fire had nothing on Hawks’ razor-sharp feathers.
The canary had the perfect quirk for a hero. Touya, on the other hand, had something far more destructive than helpful. His flames weren’t exactly made for saving people from a fire.
Unlike Hawks, Touya wasn’t good at multitasking. He was more useful when it came to taking down criminals. He could handle a few rescues, sure, but not many people wanted to be saved by someone who set things on fire.
His flames were extremely hot, which meant he could melt certain materials to reach blocked areas, but there was always the risk of hurting civilians, if only from the smoke spreading around.
So Touya focused on his strengths. He went after every criminal in the area and took them down with ease.
Secretly, away from prying eyes and ears, he enforced his own sense of justice. He had already let some criminals go. The real scum, he arrested without hesitation, but people who stole just to feed their families didn’t deserve to end up in prison.
Of course, shop owners didn’t deserve to be robbed either. Touya knew that. But the world was just too complicated, so he followed his instincts. In those moments, he forgot all about climbing the hero rankings.
That night, Touya wandered through the streets, keeping an eye on everything. There were barely any people left, it was late. He still had to stop for a couple of autographs. People liked knowing they were being watched over at all hours. Some were even kind enough to tell him not to overwork himself.
Yeah… maybe Touya was overdoing it a little. He worked almost twice as much as most of the employees in his agency. But at the same time, he didn’t have anything else to do. Being a hero was his whole life.
He had drifted away from his friends at UA. They were scattered all over Japan now and only saw each other occasionally. Touya barely talked to them anymore. He wasn’t comfortable texting. But it didn’t matter. He liked being alone. He was used to it.
His father had always been too busy to play with him when he was a kid. And his mother didn’t care, so Touya entertained himself. He didn’t really remember what he used to play. He just remembered enjoying perfecting his flames. That had probably been his version of playing, pretending to be a hero.
Touya sometimes wished he had a younger brother. Someone he could’ve taught how to control their flames. That would’ve been nice. His childhood would’ve been less dull.
Still, he didn’t blame his parents for stopping at one child. He didn’t even know why they’d had him in the first place. He was probably an accident. He didn’t remember them ever loving each other. But they must have, otherwise they wouldn’t have gotten married.
So Touya had become solitude’s best friend. It was a good relationship. They both loved each other and had no intention of parting ways.
Well, he wasn’t completely isolated either. He talked to people at his agency, and he slept with girls on the nights he wasn’t on patrol. He knew how to talk to people. He’d just gotten too used to not doing it.
Yeah, he was weird. He liked being popular, but he didn’t want people getting too close. He wanted to keep a certain distance, didn’t want anyone calling him Touya. Only Endeavor could do that, and occasionally the girls he made scream.
They got close for a few minutes, and once it was over, he left immediately, claiming he had work.
People would get burned if they got too close. Only Endeavor was fireproof.
The night went on. A few stars managed to pierce through the pollution, glowing with a soft, reassuring light.
Touya walked absentmindedly. He wasn’t even tired. He didn’t need much sleep. His nights were too restless anyway. He barely ever dreamed, but he woke up constantly. He knew it wasn’t normal, but he wasn’t about to bother a doctor over something so minor.
A loud crash snapped him out of his thoughts. He immediately lifted his head and turned toward the sound like an alert dog. Without hesitation, he rushed forward. He crossed the street and turned into the right alley, stepping onto the shattered glass of a storefront that had just been robbed.
Touya scanned the area. Nothing. No one. No sound except the store’s blaring alarm.
He looked down at the broken glass and found the source of the attack.
Ice.
It had shattered on impact, but it had clearly been shaped into spikes to cause that kind of damage.
Touya picked up a piece and melted it in his hand.
The thief had taken a big risk robbing a place while a fire user was around.
Touya searched the surroundings and spoke with the police when they arrived. But aside from the ice, there was nothing.
Good for the thief, if they had a good reason.
And if they didn’t, Touya would find them himself.
Touya was lazily patrolling the streets when he passed by a screen broadcasting the news. He listened absentmindedly, then suddenly stopped when he heard the word ice. His attention snapped to the woman speaking on screen.
“A mysterious thief has been leaving ice all over the city these past few days. They haven’t been identified or even seen yet, but traces of their quirk have been found near several recent robberies…”
Was she talking about his thief? If the case was already making the news, it would make even more noise once Touya solved it. He really needed to get involved.
But despite all his efforts, Touya couldn’t track down the mysterious thief. He was always too late. All he ever found was ice, never the person behind it.
Still, he didn’t give up. It wasn’t easy, though. Some witnesses claimed they saw a girl, others said it was a boy. No one really knew.
Days passed, and nothing new broke his routine. The ice became less frequent, more discreet. The culprit was learning from their mistakes.
Touya had just been thinking about them when a man stopped him.
“Good evening, Blue Spark. I’m an agent from the Commission, sent by the president herself. I need to speak with you.”
“What is it?” Touya asked, barely paying him any attention.
He didn’t care much about the Commission. As long as they didn’t bother him, he was fine with whatever they did. Not that it seemed like they did much anyway.
“You need to stop searching for the ice thief.”
“…Excuse me?”
What was this guy’s problem? Heroes were supposed to handle criminals. Meanwhile, these people sat around in their offices and came to give him orders.
“You need to stop searching for the ice thief.”
“I heard you,” Touya replied, an annoyed smile tugging at his lips.
“Oh? Then why that reaction?”
“Why do I have to stop?”
“Because this mission belongs to Hawks.”
Oh, not that canary again. Touya had been planning to put him back in his place as soon as possible. He couldn’t let a high-profile case go to him.
“I don’t see the problem. He can keep wasting his time while I catch the thief.”
“No. There’s no need for two heroes on the same case. This is Hawks’ assignment, so focus on other matters.”
He was stupid if he thought a few words like that would crush Touya’s ego.
“Then make it my assignment. Has Hawks even seen the damn ice yet?”
“Hawks is highly qualified. You don’t need to worry about the success of this mission.”
Touya shot him a dark look. What kind of implication was that? Hawks was only one rank above him. It wasn’t that big of a gap.
“I’m more qualified. My quirk is fire. I can easily beat someone with ice. That canary’s the one who’s going to end up with frozen wings.”
“Your opinion doesn’t matter. The Commission is handling this case.”
“Hawks isn’t the Commission,” Touya shot back.
“Yes, he is,” the man replied, frowning.
“Oh really?”
“Yes. He works for us.”
“Ah. So that’s why he’s ranked so high. Because he’s your lapdog.”
Hawks had to be pretty stupid and naïve to work for people like them. Being independent was way better.
“Don’t speak about him like that. Hawks worked hard to get where he is.”
“Yeah, sure. Bet he sucked a few dicks along the way.”
The man’s expression was so disturbed that Touya grimaced for a second, almost wondering if it could actually be true. No, seriously, he was joking. The canary couldn’t be that desperate… right?
“How dare you imply such things? If anything, you’re the one who doesn’t deserve your place. You’re nothing like your father.”
There it was. Comparing him to his father. Again.
“Good. I don’t have anything to envy him for.”
He was his own person. His own hero. Why did everything always have to come back to Endeavor? They were different. Different personalities, different quirks… The only thing they shared was their eyes. That wasn’t much.
The man clearly held himself back from replying and stepped aside.
“Don’t get in our way. Drop this case. It won’t bring you anything.”
For once, Touya kept his mouth shut.
But that didn’t mean he agreed.
As if he was going to listen to a bunch of bureaucrats.
Touya didn’t change a thing. He kept listening in whenever the infamous thief was mentioned and showed up at every scene they’d hit.
The Commission didn’t bother him again, which suited him just fine.
Touya wasn’t on patrol that night. The timing annoyed him, but he couldn’t exactly ignore his father’s birthday. Endeavor was a lot like him, he didn’t really have anyone close besides Touya.
They weren’t big on celebrations, but they still went out to eat at a restaurant for the occasion.
“You should find yourself a wife,” Touya muttered, his mouth full of rice.
Endeavor gave him an unconvinced look.
“I don’t see the point.”
Touya waved his chopsticks in the air.
“You’re getting old. You really want to end up alone?”
“I already have you. That’s enough.”
Touya rolled his eyes.
“I’m just your son. We only see each other a few times a month, and we don’t even live together. You’re alone most of the time.”
“I’m fine with that,” Endeavor replied, clearly not interested in pushing the conversation further.
Touya set his chopsticks down.
“Did Mom really mess you up that badly when it comes to love?”
“I just don’t want a second family.”
“You’re not even too old to have more kids,” Touya muttered.
“I can’t see myself being a father again when I could be a grandfather soon.”
Touya burst out laughing.
“Oh, you’re going to be waiting a long time for grandkids.”
“That’s not in your plans?”
“I’ve got way too much to accomplish. Besides, I’m not even sure I want a wife.”
“Why not?”
Touya looked at him seriously.
“I don’t want to end up like you and Mom.”
Endeavor stopped eating.
“Touya… your mother and I weren’t meant for each other.”
“But you got married.”
“Because we were young and stupid. It was a mistake.”
Touya smirked.
“So I’m a mistake?”
Endeavor’s face twisted in horror.
“No. No, Touya, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me. Don’t ever think that. I love you more than anything.”
“Relax, I was joking,” Touya grumbled, rolling his eyes.
“If you ever have doubts, I want you to talk to me. We can talk about anything, Touya.”
“God, I hate it when you talk like that,” Touya complained. “I’m not some depressed teenager.”
“I know. I’m just always afraid you’ll end up like your mother.”
Touya didn’t like Rei much, but he didn’t like the way his father talked about her either. As if she were somehow lesser than them because of her illness.
“Don’t worry. That won’t happen. I’m not planning on marrying you,” Touya teased.
Endeavor shot him a glare, and Touya snickered.
“Did you even love Mom?”
“She was pretty…”
“That’s it?!”
Endeavor sighed.
“That was a long time ago, Touya. I don’t really remember. Why are you asking me all this all of a sudden?”
Touya toyed with his chopsticks.
“I don’t know. It’s just… I feel like I’ll never be able to love anyone, so I was wondering if you’d ever actually been in love.”
“Touya, why wouldn’t you be able to fall in love?”
The young hero took a few bites of rice, thinking.
“I try to be interested in girls, but… I don’t feel anything.”
“That’s normal. You’re young. You just haven’t met the right person yet.”
Touya shook his head.
“No, I… it feels like my heart is stuck. Like someone who’s already lost faith in love. It’s like I know it’s pointless, so my heart just won’t open.”
Endeavor gave him a small, reassuring smile.
“You can fall in love, Touya. Don’t doubt that. Just don’t put pressure on yourself, and don’t overthink it. That’s probably what’s holding you back.”
Touya slumped back in his chair.
“How can you be so sure? I might be aromantic.”
“I know you, Touya.”
“Oh yeah? You know me better than I know myself?” Touya shot back, dripping with sarcasm.
“You had at least one crush when you were a kid.”
Touya made a face.
“Maybe. It didn’t leave much of an impression. And honestly, you can’t compare a kindergarten crush to real love.”
“If your heart has opened even a little before, why wouldn’t it be able to open fully?”
Touya sighed.
“Ugh, why did I even start this conversation? Let’s talk about something else besides my stupid feelings.”
Endeavor chuckled softly at his son’s exasperation and agreed to change the subject.
They talked about lighter things and finished their meal, full and satisfied.
They left the restaurant and wandered through the streets.
Touya was in the middle of teasing his father about how people at the restaurant had only asked him for autographs, even though he ranked lower, when he heard shouting from a nearby street.
Endeavor noticed it too, and the two of them quickly moved toward the source.
A young woman was yelling angrily at a man who had a firm grip on her wrist.
“Let me go! I can handle myself!”
The man let out a short laugh.
“You’re too stubborn, kid. It makes you recklessly dangerous. The only thing you’re going to do is drag us down.”
“Hey, everything okay here?” Touya cut in as he approached.
He stepped closer. The girl turned toward him, eyes widening when she recognized him, while the man gave him an annoyed look.
“Nothing for you to worry about, hero,” the man spat.
Then he turned back to the girl and smiled.
“You can stay with them. I’m leaving.”
Touya hesitated to stop him, but he didn’t really have a reason. And the girl would probably feel more comfortable asking for help if the guy was gone.
“Are you okay?” he asked once the man had left.
She looked shaken. About his age. Black hair, gray eyes framed by equally dark glasses, giving her a somber, almost gloomy look.
“I don’t need help from a hero,” she snapped, glaring at him.
Touya studied her, and she tensed immediately. She looked so uncomfortable that he strongly suspected she was involved in something shady.
She tried to walk past him, but Touya grabbed her arm.
“LET GO OF ME!” she screamed.
Touya was so startled by her reaction that he let go instantly.
“Sorry,” he muttered.
But the girl bolted, and Touya didn’t have the heart to chase her. He didn’t want to scare her more.
“So that’s how you handle things?” Endeavor mocked.
He had stayed back, arms crossed against the wall, watching the whole scene. Touya shot him an irritated look.
“There was nothing to handle.”
“You might’ve just let two murderers walk away.”
“So what? What did you want me to do? Drag them to the police because they argued without getting violent?”
Endeavor straightened and stepped closer.
“The people who need help the most are usually the least willing to ask for it.”
Touya shook his head, annoyed. How dare his father judge him? He hadn’t done anything either. What was he going to say next? That Hawks wouldn’t have let her go? That that was why Touya was only eighth?
He was about to snap back when his eyes caught something at the end of the street.
A bag.
Touya picked it up. It had to belong to either the man or the girl.
There wasn’t much inside. Some food and water. Nothing important.
But there was also a piece of paper.
Touya pulled it out. It was a ticket. An invitation.
“Villain gala?” he read. “What the hell is this?”
Endeavor stepped closer and took the paper from his hands.
“It says five days from now.”
“You think it’s real? Or a joke?”
“The only way to find out is to go.”
“Oh yeah? Two heroes at a villain gala? We’d never get in,” Touya shot back.
“Then you have five days to change your look.”
“Me?” Touya repeated. “You’re not coming?”
Endeavor handed the invitation back.
“No need for both of us to go, especially if it’s a joke.”
“Yeah, and if it’s real, I’ll get all the credit,” Touya said with a grin. “Imagine I take down dozens of villains. That’d be a nice boost.”
Endeavor sighed.
“Stop thinking about your popularity.”
“Are you kidding me? You’re even more obsessed with your rank than I am.”
Endeavor grunted, and Touya snickered.
He looked down at the invitation again.
A villain gala.
That actually sounded fun.