Chapter Text
“Hey, he went this way!”
Izuku skidded to a stop. There was two choices here. Keep running down the street and risk being spotted out in the open, or hide and risk being caught. If he kept running they wouldn't catch up easily, but he's tired, lungs heaving and sweat dripping down his face. He needs to rest. He can't fight if he gets caught, but he's so tired.
The sound of feet behind him prompted a snap decision.
He darted down a familiar alley, one that the kids that picked on him never went down because of the grime and the awful smell of rotting food. He's hid here before and the smell is familiar now. He rushed to his usual hiding space only to slam into a white and red-haired teen already crouching there.
“....uhhhh...” Izuku went quiet, muttering incomprehensible nonsense under his breath. He'd never seen anyone else in this alley before, so why did he have to run into someone now of all times? "....um....I.... huh."
The other boy was quiet, icy blue eyes boring holes into his head from under tired lids. He had dark purple bags- no, those were scars, under his eyes. Izuku pushed his way into the small inset in the alley wall, not caring that he was in the other boys' personal space.
“ Hey, wait just a minute, fuck off.”
But Izuku did not fuck off. Instead, he sat down right next to the stranger and pulled his backpack into his lap. He tried his hardest not to stare at the mottled dark purple scars on their face and arms, and the bruises that nearly matched them in color and size. Instead, he took deep shuddering breaths, trying to get his breathing under control as another set of explosions went off near the entrance of the alley.
"Didn't you hear me? I said, fuck off-
“Where the FUCK is that useless damn Deku?!”
Another set of explosions and sadistic laughter caused Izuku to pull his knees and bag tight against his chest, unconsciously trying to make himself a smaller target in case they came down the alley.
“I think he went down here!”
Izuku froze. Oh shit. They were in the alley. They were in the alley they were in the alley they wereinthealleyFuckFuckFuckFu -
His panic was cut short when the red-haired teen stood abruptly, and was that smoke seeping from out of his stitches?! That's not normal, is it? The stranger stepped out of the literal hole in the wall, waves of blistering heat radiating from their body.
“Oi, what the fuck do you want, mhn?” His voice was hoarse and rough, as if he was speaking after gargling gravel. And while there was almost no inflection, he still sounded... bored?
“And who are you, huh? What’s this to you, scarface?” Kacch- no, Bakugou, sounded like he was snarling, like an angry animal trying to prove itself to its pack. A wild dog attempting to establish dominance. But a wild dog can never hope to fight a wolf.
Izuku didn’t dare peek to see what was happening, but he recognized the near hysterical laughs of Bakugou's lackeys. Two kids that were just about as angry as Bakugou, but nowhere near as aggressive without him to guide them.
“It’s nothing to me." A swish of fabric and another crunch of gravel.
“What? Are you mocking me, bastard?” Bakugou sounded angry. Then again, he always sounded angry lately.
There was a sigh, one filled with indescribable exhaustion and a hiss of promised flame. “Just go on and get the hell outta here, go find someone your own age to fuck with.”
“Fuck you, you damn ugly bastard!”
The hiss of flames grew into a thundering roar, a flickering blue light playing off the parts of the alley that Izuku could see, and the heat was scorching even from where he was hiding.
“Alright, fine, we’re going, you freak.” A scuffle of three pairs of feet, “come on, I’m sure he’s around here somewhere.” A scoff. "Should call the fucking cops on you, you psycho."
A moment passed, or maybe an hour, Izuku couldn’t tell over the roaring of noise inside of his skull. “Oi, you alive down there?” A scuffed shoe kicked at his red sneakers, black ash transferring from one to the other with the brushing contact. “I think I scared them off, so, uh, shit, I’m really no good at this kinda thing.”
Izuku looked upwards into eyes of ice. "...I’m, uhh, I think I’m gonna just sit until I know they won't come back.”
The scarred and bruised teen shrugged, “makes sense, I’d probably have done the same thing if I had the chance back then.” He rubbed at the dark scars on his face and had an expression that spoke volumes to his regret. “Has that blond kid been messing with you for a while, then?”
Izuku nodded. “Kaccha- Bakugou has been bullying me for a-a while now.” He couldn't call Bakugou by a nickname anymore, it didn't feel right. Especially not that this stranger had seen what he was doing.
Had stood up for him even without knowing anything.
If a stranger would do something like that... knew it was something wrong... why hadn't anyone else?
“Shit, I hate kids like that.” The teen stepped backed into the small space in the wall and sat back down next to Izuku. “So, why's he do it?”
Izuku cast his gaze to the pavement, worried he would lose his now companion with his next works. “It-Its because I'm quirkless.” That's it, thats all he says and he waits for the sound of disgust, but it never comes.
“So, you're saying its cuz he's a piece of shit?” The red-haired teen grinned, teeth bared in a mockery of a real smile.
Izuku turned to look at the teen, then nodded. “I guess you could, uh, you could say that.” Nobody had ever called Bakugou out on his actions before, only said that 'boys will be boys' as if that solved anything.
As if it excused anything.
The scarred teen rolled his ice-blue eyes in derision. “Hell, what's a kid that age even doing picking on people? He's what, twelve?”
“He's fourteen!” Izuku knew he sounded like a whiny child, but that's what he was for fuck's sake!
The other teenager scoffed, "huh? And you're what, ten ?!"
"I'm fourteen too, j-jackass!" Izuku didn't know what prompted him to curse, it seemed like the right thing to do given the flow of the conversation. Fit in and be accepted. He wanted this guy, this stranger who had stood up for him, to like him.
“Really now? Sure about that? You both seem pretty small.”
“Hey, that's un-uncalled for.” Izuku rolled his eyes, picking up on the subtle tone of sarcasm. "Side's you're not even that old either."
"Fuck off, I'm older than you by two years!"
Izuku smirked, a shaky and weak thing, "but you act just like a fourteen your old, though."
“Hmph.” The red-haired teen slumped against the wall, somehow relaxed in this strange situation. “What's your name, kid?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Well, I can't keep thinking about you as ‘kid' now, can I?”
“Fair enough." Was it though? Izuku didn't think this is how people were supposed to make friends. "It's Midoriya Izuku.” Izuku held out a hand to try and make a good second impression. Definitely not how you make friends, but when did Izuku ever do anything the right way?
"Well then, Midoriya." The red-haired teen clasped his new compatriot's hand in his own. “You can call me Dabi.”
Maybe hours passed, or maybe it was only moments, but the two sat in companionable silence, watching the shadows on the alley wall stretch and grow.
Dabi stood suddenly, stepping out of the hideaway and into the darkness of the alley. "So, Midoriya, need me to walk you home?"
"...that's probably a good idea, my mom doesn't like when I stay out late."
"Well that's good, it means she cares." Dabi's tone had changed from bored to... thoughtful? Izuku wasn't sure, but he sounded almost regretful. What did Dabi regret? "Count yourself lucky, right there."
"Yeah, I do every day." Izuku stood and swung his bag back onto his back. "It's this way."
"Oh, Dagobah Beach is out this way, too, isn't it?" Dabi ran a hand through his red hair, looking like he was seriously mulling something over.
Izuku glance over at his new... friend? "Yeah, it is. Why?"
"Hmph. That place is a dump. We should hang out in it."
"..." Izuku frowned. "You know, normally when people say something is a dump, they don't say they want to hang out in it."
"'Normally?' What's that? Sounds boring." Dabi shrugged, "no one else ever goes out there, right? So it's a cool place to hang out without worrying about... explosive interlopers."
"That's a way of putting it." Quiet fell over the duo again, and the light was from the setting sun turned the world a soft, hopeful orange, a color befitting the mood that hung over both of them. It was nice. Peaceful. They passed houses which turned into smaller houses, and those smaller houses turned into cramped apartment buildings until they stood at the doorstep of their destination. "Well, this is me. Thank's for walking me back."
"Give me your phone." Dabi put out an expecting hand, making little grabbing motions.
"Why?" Izuku held his hand over the pocket his phone was in, remembering an incident with Bakugou, his phone and a bridge.
Another dramatic roll of ice-blue eyes. This is going to happen a lot, isn't it? "Why do you think? So I can put my number in it, and we can meet up again. I don't want to wander around in gross alleys if I want to hang out."
Izuku snorted, based on how little he knew about Dabi, he could still picture the red-head getting lost in alleys just because he wanted to hang out. "Alright."
Dabi tapped at the screen, personalizing his contact name and ringtone. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
"I'm going inside now." Izuku wanted to roll his eyes, wanted to say something equally sarcastic, but more than anything, he wanted to get some sleep. It had been an emotional day.
"Cool, text me in a couple hours, I'll be online by then." The older teen jogged off in the direction he had come from, casually waving as he left. "Later, hater."
"...I'm not a hater..." Izuku waved back at the retreating figure in the distance, turning back and unlocking his apartment door. "That was weird, right? Whatever then."
He stepped inside, taking off his shoes and putting them aside. "I'm home, mom!"
"Izuku, where were you?" His mother's' voice floated to him from the kitchen, the sound of pots and pans rattling a quiet accompaniment to her words. "You didn't get into any trouble, did you?"
Izuku laughed, him getting into trouble? No way. "No, but I think I made a friend today."
"Oh really, that's wonderful!"
Their conversation faded into a calming buzz, Izuku telling his mother a highly edited version of the events that had happened after school, and his mother telling him about her own day in return.
The routine of the night blurred into a comfortable easiness, it's always so easy to lose yourself in the nothingness. And sooner then Izuku realized, he was already up in his room almost precisely two hours after getting home. Izuku pulled his phone off of his bedside table. He snorted when he opened the messaging app and saw the new contact name. He really had made a new friend that day, didn't he?
[Unnamed Chat]
*Midoriya Izuku* is online.
Midoriya Izuku: This is Midoriya.
Izuku.
Thanks for not letting Bakugou beat me up.
*Dabi* is online.
Dabi: No prob
Midoriya Izuku: You get home alright?
Dabi: Yea, I'm indoors dont worry about me
Was cool meeting you, Midoriya
Get some sleep
*Dabi* is offline.
*Midoriya Izuku* is offline.
*** * ***
[Unnamed Chat]
*Dabi* is online.
*Dabi* has changed the chat name to [Crime?]
Dabi: Yawning is just your body's 20% battery warning
*Midoriya Izuku* is online.
Midoriya Izuku: WTH
Dabi: The person directly in front of you is also the person furthest behind you
Midoriya Izuku: Dabi, it's 3 am
Go to sleep
Dabi: Sleep is like a trial period for death
Midoriya Izuku: I haven't even known you for an entire day.
And you go and do this.
I have so many regrets.
*Midoriya Izuku* is offline.
Dabi: Why do people say that quitters never win, but then they tell people to quit when theyre ahead?
Oh, I see how this is then
rude
*Dabi* is offline.
*** * ***
It’s cold inside and out this early in the morning. It’s always cold during fall. Dabi shivers and pulls his stolen jacket tighter around himself. He wonders for a moment what would happen if he went back home. Would they welcome him back into the family? Or turn him away with words such as ‘failure’ and ‘disappointment’ following him the entire way?
Dabi scoffed, breath freezing in front of him. He knows already which one it would be. There was no point in dwelling on useless fantasy.
But maybe he needed to find a new dream. A new family.
Without prompting his thoughts traveled back to the kid who had quite literally run into him in a dark alley the week before. That kid had been so easy to talk to. He didn’t even know why he had faced that kid's bully for him, he had never done that sort of thing for anyone but family before.
Maybe that meant something, but Dabi wasn’t sure what it was supposed to be. With a sigh he pushed himself back to his feet, wincing at the cold that had seeped into his bones during the short amount of sleep he had gotten. He pulled out his phone, checking the time. 3:15 am. Just like every other time he had woken up with panic on his mind. He didn’t want to remember when waking at three had become routine for him, but the habit had stuck with him for all these years.
Sure, he knew when the habit had started, his little brothers' nightmares sending him to the one place he felt safe, but he didn’t want to remember. Sometimes your memories only linger to hurt you. And that memory stung like a fresh wound, even after all this time.
Dabi shivered again, sparking a small flame in his hand in a useless attempt to warm himself again. He had thought that sleeping in the abandoned apartment complex would keep the chill of the air out of his bones, but he had been wrong. Winter was fast on the approach, and a small, morbid part of him hoped that he wouldn’t be able to find shelter one night and would freeze.
He grimaced, letting that thought shed itself away from his mind like a snakes scales. He extinguished his flame, hating how the blue flames transitioned to a familiar orange as they cooled. Trying not to let the feeling affect him he sent out a message to his newest friend.
[Crime?]
*Dabi* is online.
Dabi: An Egg salad is just a chicken salad tht’s really underdone
*Midoriya Izuku* is online.
Midoriya Izuku: So this is a constant thing with you then
Well, there are worse things I guess
Dabi: If the ground suddenly turned invisible
but the bugs and everything that lived in it didnt
that would be terrifying
Midoriya Izuku: Thanks for that Dabi
Now I’m going to have nightmares
I’m going back to sleep
*Midoriya Izuku* is offline.
Dabi shoved his phone back into the pocket of his stolen jacket. He had gotten so used to talking to his brother at three in the morning that it actually felt wrong to not talk to someone that early. And the little tidbits of information that were true but absolutly weird to think about had always helped his brother get to sleep, and now Dabi just couldn’t stop doing it to whoever would listen.
He knew it was an annoying habit, but Midoriya hadn’t told him to knock it off, so until he did, Dabi would keep doing it. Dabi dragged a hand through his hair grimacing at the feel of built-up grease. He’d have to find a way to shower soon, sleeping outside really wasn’t great for hygiene. He brushed off the most noticeable of the grime that stuck to his clothes and stepped out of the abandoned building onto the icy air of the morning.
There was a restaurant a few blocks away that would put out the last night's leftovers in boxes for garbage pick up, and Dabi planned on getting there before the cleanup crew could. Free food is free food. A few years ago if someone told him he would be sleeping in abandoned buildings and eating garbage, he would be hard-pressed to believe them, but now he could pinpoint the exact moment he had started down the path that led him here. He thought back on this fact as he walked, the streets almost empty, the only people on them being those with situations similar or worse than his own.
He shoved his hands into his pants pockets, hunching his shoulders and trying to look less imposing. With his hair color and scars he was always standing out in a crowd, and with the few people on the street, he felt like he stuck out even more. He wished he had stolen a hoodie as well, but grabbing the jacket off the clothesline at his old home without being seen had been hard enough. But it was worth it, even if there was no insulation or lining. And the wind cut right through it like a freezing knife. The short sleeves kinda defeated the purpose of it being a jacket, too. And it got damp really easy with the long coat tails...
Alright, so maybe it wasn’t worth it. But it would be when he punched his worthless fathers face in while wearing it.
Dabi smirked, feeling the tug of the staples against his scars. Thinking about kicking his father's ass always put him in a better mood. He glanced around the alley he was in, not even sure if he was even walking in the right direction anymore. This is why he couldn’t multitask, he’d get lost far too easily.
With a frown on his face, Dabi checked his phone for the time. 3:46. He’s been walking for over thirty minutes, and he’s pretty sure his destination is ahead. Maybe. He’s not sure anymore. Maybe it was back that way?
Dabi sighed dramatically, glad there was no one around to see his failing. He pulled up a map of the area on his phone, checking his location and his destination. “Are you kidding me?” Angrily he jammed the phone back into his pocket. He hadn’t gone the wrong way, but he had somehow ended up behind the building instead of in the small alley at the side of it. It wasn’t even a big mistake, but Dabi was tired and hungry, so it might as well have been the end of the world.
Directionally dyslexic. Dabi wondered if that was a real thing because that would really explain a bit. With just a few steps he was where he needed to be, but he shouldn't have gotten turned around in the first place.
He peered into the boxes piled up in the alley, grabbing anything that looked halfway edible and shoving anything that wouldn’t make a mess into his jacket pockets.
Once he had his haul, he turned back the way he came, wanting to be inside if he was going to eat. His thoughts wandered as he walked, but he made sure to keep an eye on where he was going this time, not wanting to get lost again.
He pulled a protein bar that had expired a year ago out of the jacket pocket and opened it, incinerating the wrapper as he walked, ash falling from his hand and floating away on the ice cold wind. Dabi thumbed through the news app on his phone, glancing over new hero debuts, Quirk regulation law votes, the latest of the Hero Killers victims, new innovations in technology. There was also an article on Endeavor, but before he could read it the 15% warning on his phone popped up, and the app closed out.
Maybe that was a good thing, he didn’t want to start his day angry. Dabi slipped into the narrow alley behind the abandoned apartment building he was squatting in and climbed in through the broken window, barely managing not to fall flat on his face once inside. “Nice, good job me.”
Dabi made his way over to the sleeping bag in the corner that had served as his bed the night before, pulling the stolen food out of his pockets and putting it in a faded black backpack. His phone charger was still there, and he plugged his phone in, setting an alarm for two hours later, settling into the sleeping bag to get some more sleep.
Who knew what the day would bring later?
*** * ***
It's been almost an entire week since Izuku had literally run into Dabi, and once again he finds himself in a similar situation. Him running away from Bakugou and his gang, Dabi standing in the wrong place at the wrong time. Izuku's starting to notice a pattern. But now is no time for patterns, not while Dabi is sprawled across the ground and Izuku is trying to drag him along with him by the wrist. "Get up, they're still following me!"
"What the fuck even is your life, Midoriya?" The older teen rolled back to his feet, grabbing his backpack off the ground and was off again, long legs almost easily matching Izuku's pace.
"Complicated in a million ways!" The boy in question was now barreling down the street at his top speed, turning corners and hopping down sets of stairs at the last possible second.
"Fucking hell, where are we even running to?!" Dabi would never admit it, but he was starting to have a little bit of trouble keeping up with the kid. It was a bit scary just how fast the little fucker could run, but after seeing that Bakugou kid, Dabi sort of understood.
"The beach, they won't go there!"
Their conversation dissolved into heavy breathing and the loud slam of footsteps on the pavement. The entrance to the beach turned junk-yard was just ahead, and both of them have never been happier to see a pile of garbage before. Once their shoes hit the sand, they slowed down and meandered their way through rusted out washing machines, finding their way to a clearing surrounded by what looked like toaster ovens.
Weird.
Izuku settled down on a heavily dented espresso machine, taking off his backpack and setting it in the sand.
Dabi however, was not faring as well as his friend. The scarred teen was standing with his hands planted on his knees, trying to get his breathing back under control. "How the hell are you, fuck, hold on." He took a few more deep breaths, finally sitting down on a toaster oven and leaning back onto the pile of rusted metal behind him. "How the hell, damn, how are you so fast?"
"The thing about growing up bullied is it makes you fast. You learn just how fast you need to run to avoid people, you learn how to do everything in double time." Izuku spoke dispassionately, almost like he was bored. In reality, he was simply resigned to the fact that his life had spiraled out of his control.
Dabi shrugged, "alright, I guess that makes sense." He leaned forward, running a scarred hand through his red hair and frowned. Sooner or later he'd have to do something about that. The color almost made him sick at times. With a shudder, he pulled himself out of his quickly spiraling thoughts and back into the present. "But if you're so fucking fast, why don't you ever fight back?"
"I just, I just don't know how, you know what I mean?"
"I could, I dunno, maybe teach you?" Dabi leveled his gaze at his companion, not expecting the manic bout of laughter that came next.
" Haha, you, you're gonna what? He-haha-HA!" Izuku wiped tears of mirth away from his eyes, violent gasps of laughter shaking his slight frame. "You lost your breath after running less than two miles, how are you gonna teach me how to fight?"
Dabi frowned, struggling to not join in the laughter. "Hey, one, uncalled for. Two, I'm actually really fucking good at fighting, so fuck you."
"Alright then, sounds like a plan." Izuku blinked, thinking over what he had just said. "Wait for just a second..." He laughed, "so we're clear, I'm not agreeing to the, uh, to the fucking part, just the teaching me to fight."
"...you agreed to that real fast."
Izuku shrugged, "well, what have I got to lose?"
"Self-respect?" Dabi rolled to his feet, tossing off his backpack and his jacket, letting them rest on the blocks of metal that surrounded small clearing.
"Self-respect? What's that, sounds boring." Izuku followed Dabi's example, pulling off the top half of his school uniform and pushed himself to his feet. "So what are you waiting for? Show me the way, sensei."
"Oh my god, what have I gotten myself into?"
*** * ***
It had been a few hours now, and Izuku knew what Dabi called 'the bare minimum.' He knew how to throw a punch, and how to kick, and he knew the weakest points of the body, but he still had a long way to go. His arms and legs ached, and his knuckles were sore, but the pain didn't feel like it usually did. Instead of the burning pain that he had grown accustomed to in the past years, he felt pleasantly numb.
He had earned this pain. Won the bruises and the bloody knuckles by his own ability.
"And remember, you don't just have to punch or kick. Fucking bite the little bastard if you have to. Throw some rocks at him. Do whatever it takes to protect yourself."
"Thank you, sensei."
" No. Do not." Dabi grinned, the past few hours, the little brat had mocked him by calling him 'sensei' at almost every opportunity. He would never admit it, but it was almost funny. Almost. Dabi picked his jacket out of the mangled pile of metal, dusting off the flakes of dust and tiny specks of sand. He pulled the jacket on and leaned down to grab his backpack, giving it the same treatment as his jacket. It had been a while since he had had so much fun when training.
Then again, maybe he had never had so much fun when training. The way his father had thought of training was nothing like how it felt to train for fun, and this time around Dabi had found himself actually enjoying the familiar movements and steps. He was dragged out of those thoughts, however, by the sound of someone repeatedly calling his name.
"Hey, Dabi?"
"What."
"You don't have a place to stay, do you?" Izuku was careful with his tone, keeping back the flood of worry and the sickening taste of fear that rose up every time he thought about Dabi's living situation.
Dabi blanched, trying to keep his voice from betraying his emotions. "How did you come to that conclusion?"
Izuku waved his phone at him. "You always say you'll be online, or you'll be inside, or that you're not in the rain, but never that you're home." He frowned, "and you're always awake at three am, every day."
"I..." Dabi didn't know what to say. He didn't know what he was supposed to say. "No, I... I have a place to stay.” He took in a breath trying to steel himself for what he would have to say next. “I just can't go back there again."
“Oh.”
“That place isn’t home to me anymore.” And with that, Dabi felt something break inside of himself. Something he thought he had gotten rid of a long time ago. The small slivers of hopefamilyhome shattered into nothing, floating off like ashes in the breeze.
Izuku pulled his backpack on, turning away from his friend. "Then I guess you'll have to stay with me for a bit, then, won't you."
That wasn't a question. It was a statement. An undeniable truth. Dabi could feel the obvious power and weight of the words. If he refused... he wouldn't have the ability to refuse, would he?
"Why?" Dabi kept his voice as flat as possible, trying not to let the doubt be heard. "You barely know me, why would you take me in?"
"That's what friends are for, isn't it?" Izuku didn't look back, knowing that his friend needed a moment or two to work through this on his own. "So, what do you say?"
Dabi fell silent, he tried to speak, but the words just wouldn't come. His throat felt tight, and his eyes burned with unshed tears. Why was he being shown such kindness? He didn't deserve it, so why?
Izuku checked his phone once more, putting it back into his pocket before stepping forward on aching legs. "Come on, my mom's making baked tonkatsu for dinner."
Dabi grinned, blinking the tears out of his eyes and following his friend out of the piles of metal. "Whatever you say, Midoriya." He had a feeling that he would be following the other teen for a long time from now on out.
*** * ***
"Shoes and jackets off at the door, and try not to track too much sand in."
"Mhm." Dabi was quiet, he’s been quiet the entire way back from the beach. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to act in this sort of situation. It had been a very long time since he had had any friends, and even then, they weren't really friends, just people that were impressed by who his father was.
"Hey mom, I'm home!" Izuku toed off his shoes and stepped into the small apartment living room, tossing his backpack onto the couch. "I brought a friend over for dinner!"
"Oh, is that why you told me to make extra?"
"Yeah, he's the one who's gonna be staying over for a bit, too." Izuku pulled on Dabi's sleeve, not succeeding in dragging him out of his own mind, before giving up and walking towards where he assumed his mother was. "Are you in the kitchen?"
"Yes dear, bring your friend, it's about time I met them!"
"Well, Dabi, let's get this over with." Izuku's words sounded like they should have been resigned, but contrasted with the bright smile written across his face. "You ready for some of the best cooking of all time?"
Dabi ignored the two questions, trying not to get too comfortable in a place that seemed to radiate warmth and comfort from every angle. "How did you know I would come over?" On that note, how did he know he would be staying over? How did Midoriya know anything about that?
"You were just going to, that's it." Izuku shrugged, he didn't have any other answer for him. "Come on, you need to meet my mom."
"Hmm." Dabi pushed down the sudden fluttering of anxiety in his guts, he was no good at introductions. Most people would get freaked out by his scars before he even had the chance to say hello. What if she was scared of him and his scars, or even worse, what if she pitied him?
But his worries were unfounded. Izuku's mother, a small woman with hair the same color as her sons, was glaring at the oven with a ferocious intensity that would strike fear into the hearts of the bravest heroes and even All Might himself. If she used that glare correctly, criminals would probably turn themselves in just to escape the possibility of her wrath.
Izuku frowned, "Mom, why are you glaring at the oven?"
"I put the pork in a little too late, so it's not finished yet, but everything else is already ready." At the mention of the glare, her expression immediately melted into a broad smile that brightened up the room with its intensity. Dabi immediately saw where Izuku had gotten his genial attitude from.
"Okay then." Izuku pushed Dabi forward from where he had been awkwardly trying to hide behind him. "This is Dabi, he's the one I told you about."
"Oh, I'm so glad my little boy made a friend! I'm Midoriya Inko, Izuku's mother." The woman was soft, not in any way that Dabi could explain, but she just was. Soft. Warm. Everything you think that a family should be. "He's not very good at making friends, you know."
"I'm just fine at making friends, mom!" Izuku rolled his eyes, an expression he had already picked up from Dabi, but the motion was offset by his soft smile.
Inko turned to her sons' friend, jokingly brandishing a spatula. "Now, don't you believe a word he says, dear."
Dabi stayed silent, words all stolen away from him with the strength and depth of his shock. This was all just too much for him to process. The sheer force of the warmth of the tiny family sent him reeling mentally, and there was nothing to tether him to the earth.
"Well now that introductions are out of the way, I'm gonna go change out of my uniform." And with that, Izuku was darting out of the kitchen, leaving Dabi behind to the overwhelming warmth.
This is awkward. Dabi wasn't sure how he was supposed to direct the conversation without a buffer, and he was sure that staying silent would just be weird, and he didn't want to be weird. Not that he had much choice in that, but he didn't want to do it on purpose.
"You're the first friend he's made in almost three years, you know?"
Dabi shrugged, trying to place that tidbit of information into the puzzle that was Midoriya Izuku. "Well, I just hope I'll be a good one."
"I'm sure you will." Inko busied herself with the oven, getting the rest of the meal ready.
Dabi smiled awkwardly. He must look an awful sight, he knew his smiles were never that great looking, to begin with, but with the scars… Well, he didn’t like smiling much anymore.
Silence fell in the kitchen, but unlike the silence that had surrounded his own family life, this one was warm and comfortable, like a woolen sweater softened with age. It was... nice. Dabi wasn't sure that was the right word, but nobody had ever called him a genius. Actually, most people called him the opposite.
"Can you help me set the table, Dabi?"
"Huh?" Dabi was startled out of his musings, staring in surprise at the green haired woman smiling up at him. "Oh, yeah, no problem."
Inko pointed out the plates and silverware, and Dabi was almost shocked at how easy it was to settle into a place like this. Setting the table was such an ordinary thing, and it was something that he never thought he would have. He carried the plates and utensils out to the small table, noticing as he walked how there were three matching chairs, but one of them was on the opposite side of the room.
He set the table quickly, grabbing the other chair once he was done. Why wasn't the chair at the table? Was there only the two of them living here? Whatever it was, Dabi didn't really know or even care. He just wanted to spend time with this little family as long as he was welcome to. As long as they would have him. Maybe forever if he could.
He found a soft smile pulling its way across his face, only noticing it was there by the tugging in his stitches. A light tap at his shoulder redirected his attention to the wide smile of his friend. “Looking a little wistful there, Dabi.”
“No, I wasn’t.” Dabi turned headed back to the kitchen to help Inko set up the meal, “just… thanks, for this. You know what I mean.”
“Yeah, I think I do, Dabi.”
*** * ***
The rest of dinner seemed to drag on but also seemed to simultaneously pass by in a blink of an eye. Dabi was still reeling from everything that had happened since he had woken up that morning. How he went from eating actual garbage and sleeping in an abandoned building, to staying in a real home and eating a meal made with love and care.
And now here he was, wearing borrowed clothes and was clean and well fed for the first time in weeks. Part of him was sure he was dreaming, and he didn’t ever want the dream to end. But his dream wouldn’t feature a bedroom plastered with All Might merchandise, that much he was sure of.
“You lost in thought over there?” Izuku looked up from where he was setting up the spare futon, grabbing the pillow and throwing it at Dabi.
“What, no, I’m good.” Dabi caught the pillow, turning it over in his hands the same way he was turning the thoughts over in his mind.
Izuku frowned, he knew something was on Dabi’s mind, but he didn’t want to pry. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“No, not really.” Dabi sighed, pushing his hand through his hair, the red locks still damp from the shower. “But I probably should.”
Izuku settled on his bed, turning expectantly to Dabi. “I’m listening.” He was always listening, and would always try and be there for a friend.
“I just…” Dabi sat on the futon, legs crossed, still holding the pillow. “I never thought I’d ever end up with anyone caring about me ever since...” He trailed off, not sure how to impart the weight of his feelings. “I can’t go back to my family, not after what happened. After what that bastard did…”
“What happened.” Izuku’s words took on a flat tone, one that Dabi didn’t notice, to caught up in a wave of past regrets.
“My father is… not a good person, even though he’s called a hero.”
“If your father is who I think it is, then-
Dabi snarled out his response, anger from his past boiling up anew. “That flame-faced fuckwit only had kids because he wanted to create someone who could surpass All Might!”
“What do you mean?” Izuku didn’t want to know where Dabi was going with this. He already didn’t like Endeavor, but if what Dabi was saying was what he thought…
“What do you know about quirk marriages?”
Those words sent warning bells ringing in Izuku's mind, weren't quirk marriages illegal? “I know they’re supposed to be outlawed," he said carefully, he stomach sinking as he watched Dabi's derisive snort.
“Yeah, well, that’s how it’s supposed to be, but that’s not how it is.” Dabi paused, giving himself time to breathe, trying to steady himself before he could continue. “My father always wanted to surpass All Might. That was the one thing that drove him, and drove him to take possession of my mother.”
“What do you mean by possession?” A sick knot had made itself present in Izuku's gut, and he wasn't sure if he was feeling disgust, fear, or hatred. Maybe a mix of all three with a splash of pure rage.
“That firefuck basically bought her from her family so he could try and create a perfect child to surpass All Might,” Dabi spoke quietly, teeth gritted against the years' old emotional pain. “That bastard didn’t care about her, didn’t care about my two older siblings, and doesn’t care about my little brother.” The ‘he doesn’t care about me’ went unsaid, but the implications were there. Dabi tightened his grip on the pillow he was holding, trying to control the shake in his voice.
“He tried to train us, and it was… it was bad .” He couldn’t find a better word, his mind too busy flashing to memories of broken bones and long-term hospital stays. “And when my brothers quirk manifested… fuck, I-I tried to shield him from that life, but I-I, I couldn’t.”
“I couldn’t protect him….” Dabi’s voice wavered and his vision blurred with bloody unshed tears, vision tinting red. He scrubbed a hand across his face, cursing himself internally. What was he even doing? Why was he pouring his heart out to someone he barely knew or talked to outside of texts? As he sat there questioning himself, he missed the exact moment that a pair of warm arms wrapped around his shoulders. He only knew they were there when he collapsed into them.
“You might not have always been able to help as much as you wanted, but you were there for him, Dabi.” Izukus words were kind, soft, what he hoped Dabi needed right now.
“But was that really enough? I couldn’t get him out of that house, I couldn’t do anything!” Dabi felt the dam holding back years of repressed feelings crack, shatter, and crumble down, letting the tears rush forward as sobs shook his shoulders.
“You did what you could,” Izuku knew his words weren’t enough to help his friend, so he just held him, letting the tears that looked more like blood soak his shirt. He silently vowed that if he ever had the chance to punch Endeavor in the face, he would take it, the consequences be damned. Here was someone so broken and in pain they were still bleeding out, and there was nothing he could do but try to hold the pieces together and hope the bleeding would stop.
*** * ***
It’s been a few weeks now, and Izuku still isn’t used to Dabi’s presence in his life. It’s a bit of a disconnect from how he acts when he’s out on the town. Out there it’s like he’s putting on a front, all disinterested frowns, and snark, but when he’s inside… Well, Izuku will never get used to being shaken awake at three am just to be told ‘the movie Ratatouille is pretty much a mecha anime’ or ‘throwing snowballs at a snowman is like throwing steaks at a cow.’ Or the really weird music. Nor will he get used to his mother trying to teach Dabi how to cook. He’s not any good at it, but he’s determined.
And when he’s teaching him to fight he’s the same, bad jokes and shitty dance moves blending with the lesson in the same way the multiple fighting styles he teaches him mix. It was obvious from the look on Dabi's face as he taught that these moves, those fighting styles had been taught by his father, but as the lessons went on, the look faded away. Slowly, but surely. Less of a grimace, more unsteady smile.
These dualities dominated Izuku’s thoughts as he walked home from school when an idea popped into his head. He turned down a busy street, entering the first store he saw, coming out less than ten minutes later with his acquisition. A box of black hair dye.
He walked the last leg of his journey with pep in his step, not even needing to run to avoid Bakugou this time. Once home he toed off his shoes and tossed his backpack onto the couch, listening to a steady stream of curses coming from the kitchen. If he ever used that kind of language, his mother would cry, but whenever Dabi did it it was just fine for some reason!
“I’m home!”
“Yeah whatever, welcome back, Izuku.” Dabi had started calling him by his first name after the night he had cried in front of, and on, him. It was a bonding moment, so it just made sense to do so. At least in Dabi's mind it did. “Your mom had to go back to work, something about an ‘all hands on deck’ situation.”
“Oh, alright.” Nothing that Dabi had just said explained the cursing Izuku had heard, but he knew better than to ask. Because if he asked, whatever explanation he got would make no sense at all. “So, am I cooking dinner then?”
“Nah, she made dinner already, it’s in the fridge if you’re hungry.”
“That can wait, I got you something.”
Dabi followed Izuku into the living room, a small smile quirking his lip. “Oh, what’cha got?”
Izuku brandished the grocery bag at him, pushing it toward his friend and watching Dabi’s face light up when he saw the box of black hair dye. “Oh, hell yeah!”
“I just thought about it on the way home, seemed like a good idea.”
“So, you’re helping me with this, like, right now.” Dabi laughed, the thought of erasing his most obvious connection to his father lighting up his face with a genuine smile. “Thanks, Izuku.”
“No problem, Dabi.”
Once Izuku had changed out of his school uniform, the two of them were in the small bathroom, Dabi sitting on the edge of the bathtub, getting ready to dye hair. Not how either of them saw their day going. “So, you might want to take off your shirt.” Izuku pulled on the thin set of plastic gloves that came in the box, set aside the shower cap that was inside it, and set about opening and mixing the dye with the developer, wrinkling his nose at the acrid smell.
“So that’s how it is then?” Dabi grinned mockingly, tossing his shirt into Izukus' face.
“Shut up, I don’t want to stain that shirt.” Izuku rolled his eyes, shoving a brush into Dabis' hand. “Brush your hair, ‘cuz I’m not going to.”
“Rude.” Dabi set to work, artlessly brushing his, soon to be black, hair.
“You’re such an ass, why do I even want to be your friend?”
“My tragic backstory and three am wisdom?” He set the brush down, grinning up at his friend.
“Alright, I guess that’s good enough.” Izuku stepped up with the bowl filled with prepared dye. “Now this is gonna be interesting.”
“Hell yeah.”
Izuku pushed back Dabi's hair, only to stop with surprise. “Why is your hair so fluffy?”
“Shut up, it’s not fluffy.” Dabi frowned, fluffy is a word for cats, not for people.
“It really is. And soft too!”
“Why do people think you’re nice? You’re evil,” he lamented his fate, this green haired demon was going to kill him with embarrassment.
Izuku laughed softly, working the dye into the tips of Dabi’s hair. “Dabi, I think that you might be my best friend.”
“What, really?” Dabi tried to keep the surprise out of his voice but failed. How could Dabi of all people be his best friend? He’s awful if he did say so himself.
“Yeah, you’re the person I talk to most, except for mom, we’re always hanging out, you wake me up at three am every day just to tell me random facts. So let's face it, you’re my best friend.” Izuku finished with the hair dye, having made sure that it was worked into every bit of Dabi’s hair before grabbing the shower cap. He wasn’t sure why people were supposed to cover their hair when dying it, but rules are rules. He was gonna look great, Izuku was sure of it. And if he didn’t, well, Izuku was pretty handy with scissors.
Dabi seemed to think over what had been said, huffing out a small laugh. “Oh shit, I think you're right. And looks like you're stuck with me as yours too.”
“Thanks, then.” Izuku grabbed a washcloth and dampened it, wiping away the stray bits of dye that had gotten onto Dabi’s skin.
“No problem, Zuzu,” Dabi smirked, looking terribly smug for someone sitting on the side of a bathtub with no shirt and a shower cap.
“Seriously, Zuzu? Really?” Izuku debated the ethics of drowning Dabi right there and then, but he didn’t feel like hiding a body.
“That’s what you get for being my friend.”
Izuku sighed, smile betraying his real feelings, “guess I better get used to that, then.”