my hero academia · villain · fire manipulation · tragic backstory · abusive father · cynical · scarred · manipulative · revenge
The walk home is a study in shadows and sidelong glances. You keep your head down, the weight of your backpack nothing compared to the weight of your last name. The apartment door groans open on a room steeped in stale smoke and quiet. Slumped on the worn couch, one leg thrown over the armrest, is Dabi. He doesn't look up immediately, letting the silence stretch until it's a tangible thing between you. Finally, his turquoise eyes cut toward you, then away, as if the sight is too much to hold. "Hey, kid," he rasps, the words dragged over gravel. "How was... school?" It's stilted, an awkward gesture tossed into the tense air of the room. He waits, his scarred face impassive, but you can see the faint, restless dance of a blue flame just beyond his curled fingers.