How wonderful, Aizawa thought sarcastically. He would have another problem child. Someone just kill him now. Nezu seemed really happy about this, he didn't know whether he should feel scared or relieved. It could go either way.
Aizawa thought the best course of action would be to seat Dabi next to Todoroki in class. Todoroki probably wouldn't disturb the villian. Then again Todoroki had his conspiracy theories. The kid already thought that Midoriya was All Might's secret love child and that Shinso was his secret love child. Well, the All Might theory wasn't too hard to see, but him and Shinso? So help him if Todoroki tries to convince him that Dabi is Endeavor's secret love child!
He'd definitely be able to get the program started, all Aizawa had to do now was break the news to the villain.
When Dabi first heard what they planned to do with him, he initially protested.
"No way am I doing that! I'd rather go to jail."
Aizawa sighed. "How many times do I have to explain this, we literally can't throw you in prison. This was the most rational option."
Dabi glared at him, firm in his decision. "If that's rational, then you guys must be crazy. "
"You can either go to UA and attend the program, or you can stay in this hospital till you're 18." Aizawa replied through gritted teeth. Why must he make everything so difficult?
"It isn't that long." He said stubbornly, looking the hero in the eyes.
"Here, there's nothing stopping the media from trying to pry into your personal life and past to sell a story off it. At UA you will just be required to do a weekly check in with our counselor, everything will be kept secret. We understand privacy that much." Dabi seems very secretive, if he was right, then this would be the deciding factor in getting the villian to accept.
If there was anything Dabi absolutely hated besides his dad and the commission, it was people prying into his life. Those were his secrets that he had a right to keep. He hated when someone felt obligated to know what he was thinking, or what happened in his past.
Even if he wanted to become a hero at one point in his life, he learned how selfish they were, and it's not like anyone would welcome him with open arms. He didn't even have any money either. Then, as if reading his mind,
"If you're worried about money, don't. The school will provide funds for you. "
Of course the school had money, he just didn't think they'd be so willing to spend it on him. Dabi gave the offer a little more thought, even though he already knew the answer. Staring holes into the wall, he replied, "Fine, I accept."
Aizawa let out a sigh of relief before going over rules and regulations. He would be in class 1-A and like Dabi thought, he was currently wearing quirk canceling cuffs. At UA, instead of wearing the cuffs at all times because, and he quotes, "would be impractable," he'd have to wear a quirk canceling collar with a GPS tracking device, "just in case he tried to escape."
The decision for a collar must be deliberate as bracelets could have been an option, but they would have been made of metal, which could easily be turned into a weapon. The neck would be the best option for them since it'd be a lot harder to get off and would be nearly impossible to use against their students.
It would be fine, it's not like they could shock him with it, or would actually do that, right? He tried reassuring himself, gritting his teeth from the painful memories, willing himself not to show any emotion as his breath quickened. Remember, deep breaths, he reminded himself calming down before he had an episode in front of his new teacher. Level headed once more, he continued to pay attention to the hero.
The rest of the rules were pretty straightforward. Be in by curfew, be on time for class, don't get in fights, don't leave UA without authorization from a teacher, complete the weekly check-ins, and a bunch of other normal school rules.
He'd be given a dorm in the new dormitories, courtesy of their recent attacks on the school. His dorm would be on the fifth floor, probably to make it harder for him to escape. It was next to that frog girl, Tsu was it? She didn't seem too noisy, he just hoped she would leave him alone. If anything did go awry, like a mob of teenagers at his door, it wouldn't be too long of a way down to jump out the window. Worse case scenario is that he gets a bad bruise.
It was now 5:30 pm, Aizawa had been gone for close to half an hour now, and Dabi was left alone in the room. He occupied himself by staring at the roses that were surprisingly sitting in a white vase on the side table next to the bed. The petals were captivating, both white and red blending together. Each flower was different. He could analyze each fluctuation for hours. His mother liked flowers, she'd look at them with such admiration. Her favorites were pansies, she would tell him as she handed him one.
You'd think that they wouldn't pop back up, that they'd die from the winter frost, but they're so strong, just like you my little snowflake.
I'm not a snowflake, I have flames!
*laughter* Yes, you have such strong fire! But- you're still my snowflake, so, so special. -I love you, Touya. I know you'll make the world beautiful! -I can't wait to see what my snowflake will become.
If she could only see him now, he thought sadly. What would she think if she knew the monster he's become? He attacked his own brother! Who does that? Sure, he didn't really mean it, but still, he's supposed to keep Shoto safe!
He really did miss her. Her laugh still rang fresh through his memory; the one thing that he never forgot over the years. He picked at the white sheets, feeling disappointed in himself. She only wished for one thing, and he failed at that! His father was right, the commission was right, they were all right! Everywhere he looked reminded him of her. It's all just white!
white
white
white
white
WHITE
WHITE!
It hurt- so much, like claws tearing at his chest. An emptiness that rings the saddest note, so clear and melodic, it cuts like a silver dagger deep into his soul. So deep, it leaves him feeling hollow, void of everything else but that pain. If he could cry, then maybe some of that pain, that emptiness, would trickle out. But he can't, so it's trapped within him, threatening to consume him, leaving an empty shell behind.
He'd thought so much how to take that reoccurring pain away. It would be so easy to just take his own life. He'd learned over a hundred different ways to kill a man. So why hasn't he? He wasn't scared of death.
There wasn't anyone who could possibly care about him. Why linger any longer in this miserable world? He didn't know. Maybe it was because he knew it was wrong. Maybe if he could just hold on, it would be ok. He could last, just make it one more day. Maybe- all the meaning of life was... is just to live. He could do that.
This unbearable unrelenting feeling, it continued draining him, taking away the will to do anything. Sleep was the only escape, the only relief, the only thing he could do besides stare blankly into a void, in the space between objects. He let himself succumb to the nothingness that sleep brought, hoping that he wouldn't wake up anytime soon- but coming to terms to waking up one day... to simply be alive. Then maybe he'd find something to live for again. He'd just have to keep holding out.
Aizawa came in close to 8 pm, silently opening the door to Dabi's room. A lot happened in just a short amount of time, which must have been physically and emotionally taxing. He'd be surprised if the villian wasn't asleep even though he had woken up this afternoon.
If Aizawa had it his way, he'd also be asleep, but a hero's duty never rests. He'd been gone for the past few hours reviewing and signing paperwork to get the program up for Dabi. He also got the quirk canceling collar, so Dabi wouldn't have to wear the cuffs anymore and to prepare him to proceed to the school.
Sure enough, the villian was sleeping on the bed. He looked peaceful, but distressed at the same time. This child, he couldn't begin to imagine what caused him to hate heros so much, pushed him to become so spiteful.
He walked up to Dabi, lightly shaking him. He was out cold. Aizawa attached the collar, and removed the cuffs. There, that's better. He ran his hand through the boy's midnight hair before going over to the corner chair and settling in for the night. He really hoped that wasn't caught on camera; it'd ruin his reputation.
(I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I actually did do some research on flowers for this chapter! Yay for me!)