Okay, hear me out on this, so we’re all fairly sure Dabi is Touya Todoroki. I’ve seen a lot of takes on his ‘secret identity’ reveal, and they’re all valid, but like, what if he isn’t actually trying to keep his identity a secret?
I mean, for fuck sake the guy called Shouto and Endeavor by their full names when he often doesn’t use his teammate’s names. His fire quirk is pretty distinctive. Maybe he dyed his hair, or maybe it just ended up like that because of his quirk/the burning. But he doesn’t really seem to be like, trying to hide who he is. He’s not volunteering information, but like, connecting the dots isn’t hard.
What if Dabi isn’t trying to hide the fact he was Touya at all, and he just like, assumes everyone else is aware of that. Like, he thinks obviously Endeavor and Shouto recognized him, but they acknowledged he was no longer Touya and fought him as they should. Tomura must’ve figured it out when he was joining, right? Guy’s supposed to be really smart.
Only, nobody’s figured it out. Or maybe like, one person figured it out. Imma say Katsuki since he has had enough interaction with Dabi and knows enough about Shouto’s history to put 2 and 2 together, but also he’s dense enough to not think to mention it to anyone else. He, like Dabi, just assumes everyone else has also figured this out and they’re all just not saying shit to be polite. Now Katsuki isn’t normally polite, but even he knows better than to touch that with a 10 ft pole. Plus it doesn’t exactly come up in casual conversation.
So anyways, this could play out one of two ways. One, heroes and villains are fighting and someone else, Shouto or Izuku maybe, finally puts it together and like shouts it out in surprise.
The whole fucking battlefield freezes, all looking at where Dabi is like, confused more than anything else.
“…Yeah? We established that ages ago?”
And it’s a fucking uproar, like straight up everyone forgets they’re supposed to be killing each other because almost nobody realized this for no particular reason other than they’re dumb.
Tomura’s like, wait, you’re Endeavor’s kid?? That’s why you hate the guy so much?? Why didn’t you say anything??
Shouto’s stuck in, holy fuck you’re alive and also a villain and also you managed to give dad a scar which was cool of you but did you have to make him look more like me? Rude?
Aizawa’s dad mode has kicked into high fucking gear because 1) that is the older brother of one of his students Who Is Probably Not Having A Good Day, 2) The Implications About Endeavors Parenting Are Concerning Him.
Then of course Katsuki pipes up to agree with Dabi of all people for once.
“What are all of you fucking on? Of course he’s Touya Todoroki? That’s been super fucking obvious the entire time? He’s not being subtle about this shit?”
Dabi, so glad someone here still has working eyesight. “Thank you! See, the weird explosion kid got it! Why the hell were the rest of you thinking?!”
At some point Dabi decides he’s done with this BS and leaves, the fight continues but it’s super half-hearted and the villains just kinda,,, leave too.
The other way this could go down, is Katsuki sorta slips up at some strategy meeting with like, everyone there. I’m talking Endeavor + the class + a bunch of other pro-heroes (Hawks included, who I want to mention is sleeping with Dabi by this point and still 100% unaware). Now let’s say Katsuki got some information or something and so he’s talking them all through what he knows + his recommendations for an attack. While he’s trying to keep it professional, he’s also still Katsuki.
“… so then if Endeavor’s worst son shows up there the-”
“Wait, why would Shouto end up there? He’s supposed to be on the Recon team.”
Katsuki paused to eye them oddly, before rolling his eyes.
“No, not Icyhot though he does suck too, nah, I’m talking about the oldest one. Touya or whatever. Anyways, if Dabi shows up there-”
Dead fucking silence for all of 2 seconds before the entire room explodes as everyone figures this shit out at once.
“How long have you known??? How did you figure it out?”
“Since the asshole called Icyhot by his full name in the middle of the woods? How did none of you assholes figure it out?”
“Why didn’t you say anything?!”
“I thought we all knew and we were being polite and not saying shit about it!”
“Wait, why did you bring it up then?”
“I’m not good at being polite.”
Its 50% “oh fuck how didn’t we see this before” and 50% “holy shit this changes everything”.
Hawks has just gone still and silent with the realization he is sitting next to his childhood hero, a man who he works with regularly now, and whose son he’s been hate-dating for the past several months. A lot of things suddenly make sense and also he feels he should just bury himself now because when that comes out he is very dead.
On the battle field Shouto probably tries to like, make this an angsty confrontation by calling Dabi ‘Touya’ and he,,, just pauses.
“…Is there, something else you’re planning to say there?”
“You’re my older brother!”
“… I mean yeah, but that’s not exactly new. Right?”
Several seconds of awkward silence.
“Oh holy shit, did you really not know?”
“Shouto, I know you’re dense, but I really haven’t been fucking subtle about this.”
“Man, have fun explaining this to mom.”
“Well that’s kinda the fucking point here.”
