Chapter Text
The first thing Izuku did, when he felt up to anything but lying in the bed questioning his life choices, was take up the burner phone Kayama-sensei had left and call the only number saved on it. As it rang, he realized Eri wouldn’t have her own phone and might have started to hyperventilate about who was going to answer before the terse “What?” in Eraserhead’s familiar voice had him releasing all of the air from his lungs in a relieved sigh. Izuku wasn’t sure what it said about him that the sigh was apparently identifiable since his sensei responded to it with, “Midoriya. Good to know you’re awake.”
A little voice in the background cried, “Zuzu?”
Sensei’s voice held a smile as he said, “there’s someone here who has been waiting for your call.”
The phone must have been handed over because Eri’s soft voice asked, “Zuzu?”
He smiled, a weight lifting from his overtaxed shoulders. They hadn’t lied to spare him. Eri was safe. She’d made it. “Hi Eri.”
She started sobbing and Izuku didn’t have the energy to panic like he usually would.
Instead he lay back against his raised bed and pillows and soothed her, “Shhh. Eri. You were amazing, Eri. You got the heroes. You saved me.”
“You saved me!” She sobbed.
He chuckled, “I’ve had more practice. That was your first heroic save. That’s pretty special.”
Eri sniffled and took a deep breath, sounding calmer when she asked, “are you okay? They won’t let me see you yet.”
“I’m okay.” Izuku lied just a little, “grown-ups make the rules about hospital visits, so we just have to listen to them.”
“That’s dumb.”
He laughed softly, “yeah, it is. Hey Eri, is Eraserhead taking care of you?”
She sounded excited, “Yeah! And Present Mic. They gave me a room with no lock on the door, and I can leave it open! And I can leave the room whenever I want.”
“That sounds great!”
He heard a shifting and guessed she was nodding her head. “It’s warm, and the bed is soft with comfy sheets, and there’s a cat, and he likes me! I think he thinks my room is his, but I told him I don’t mind sharing.”
“I’ve heard cats are good roommates.”
“He purrs really loud!”
“Only the best cats do that.”
“He’s a good cat…I think…he’s the only cat I’ve met, but I like him, but I’ve met people I like and don’t like, so I might not like all cats.”
Eri was such a brave and wonderful girl. Izuku couldn’t believe anyone could have hurt her or let her be hurt the way she had been. “That’s a very good observation.”
“Thanks.” She said solemnly. “Zuzu, are you going to live here too? You can share my room. It’s big enough for you and me and Dumpster.”
Izuku laughed, “I have my own room, but it’s in the same building, so I won’t be far away.”
“It’s really big here.” She hummed, “there’s lots more room for tag.”
He hummed back, “and my classmates are there too, there are a lot of us, so tag will be super fun. I bet all of them would love to play with us!”
“Really?”
“Really.”
She was silent for a while before asking, “can we make a fort big enough for everyone?”
He thought of his friends and knew people would take furniture apart to make it happen if it would make Eri happy. “Yeah, I think we can.”
She made a noise that might have been excitement and said, “okay. Promise?”
“I promise.”
“Okay. I have to go now, Zuzu. Present Mic said the fashion police are gonna come for Eraserhead if we don’t go shopping because the clothes he got me look like glittery kitty vomit.”
There were all sorts of interesting noises on Eri’s end of the line to accompany Izuku’s laughter before Aizawa-sensei spoke. “Goodbye, Midoriya.”
It felt really good to laugh, even though it trailed off awkwardly in the silence of the hospital room.
Even awkward, he felt lighter.
– – –
“I am here! With visitors!” All Might announced as he stepped into the hospital room only to be completely eclipsed by the wave of vigilantes who followed him and swarmed Izuku’s hospital bed. “I heard you weren’t up to visitors last night and when I found these guys hanging out on the roof I thought they might cheer you up.”
Izuku tensed. Dabi jumped to his feet protectively. Their mom gasped but stood as tall as her tiny frame could. She put herself solidly between the group of vigilante’s and the hero with the same stance she used to use when she was called to the school and told Izuku was causing trouble. She was ready to take on the world for him. Wait, why would she…she knows! How does my mom know?! “Mom?”
“It’s alright baby. We’ll talk about it later.” She promised, and didn’t sound like she was mad at him. What the Hell had happened while he was gone?
All of the Blacklisters looked different levels of worried, all except for Hatsume who set a little gadget behind the TV mounted on the wall and gave a thumbs up. “We’re good, talk freely, security won’t hear anything.” She sat cross legged on the foot of the bed and grinned, “you didn’t tell me All Might knew!”
Izuku tried very hard not to panic. “I…he…he didn’t…”
Toga giggled, “we’re so bad at this secret thing!”
That was not reassuring.
All Might winked at Izuku and said, “You have nothing to fear, young Midoriya, it seems we each guard a secret for the other. I found out in an unconventional way, your secret is safe. From what I’ve seen of your videos, you’re doing good work. It’s impressive, young man. And I want to help.”
“But…but…you’re All Might! You’re the symbol of peace!”
“And you are Blacklist, the symbol of change. Nice to meet you.”
Dabi flopped back onto the bed and growled, “could have done without the minor heart attack.”
“Agreed.” Gentle nodded, “the good hero here joined us on the roof with a smile and invitation to come see how you were doing.”
“We tried to tell him we were just waiting for Dabi,” La Brava added, “but he just laughed and said Blacklist would probably like to see us too.”
Spinner nodded with wide eyes, “He didn’t even explain that we weren’t in trouble. We thought we were gonna end up fighting All Might to get you out of here.”
The golden hero’s smile brightened, “and yet you still came. You are a very brave group!”
“The bravest!” Twice exclaimed and then whimpered, “I almost pissed myself.”
Inko didn’t move.
“Midoriya-san?” All Might looked confused.
“As I understand the order of events, just before my son began this…mission…of his, he took down all of your merchandise. Since he could point out what he liked for himself, he always loved you. He watched your videos on loop. He wanted to be a hero and save everyone with a smile just like you. Then all of a sudden, his dreams shifted. He was more realistic, but more hurt. His smiles didn’t reach his eyes. I don’t know what you did to him, but he’s worked too hard to get his smile back for you to take it away.”
The symbol of peace went to his knees and prostrated himself before all of them, “that day will remain one of my greatest shames. I spoke from a place of ignorance and hurt a promising young man. It was unforgivable and yet your son forgave me. Midoriya-san, I swear I will do everything I can to be worthy of that forgiveness. Midoriya Izuku or Blacklist, he is an exceptional young man and has already opened my eyes to my own imperfections. He is someone the world desperately needs and I am convinced he will usher in a new era just as I once did. I want to help that era come to pass.”
Inko looked shocked, honestly, Izuku was shocked. Looking around the room he saw all of the blacklisters in similar states, even Dabi.
Izuku’s mom finally took pity on his first hero and she reached down to pull on his massive arm, “stand up.” She told him, “you promise me you’ll watch over my son? Promise me you’ll do your best to keep him safe?”
“I will.”
She took a deep breath, looked back at all of the expectant faces looking at her, and Izuku wondered when his mom had adopted all of them. How long had she known?
“Fine.” She breathed out. “I’m not ready to invite you to family dinners, but I’ll trust you. For now.”
“Family dinners?” All Might and Izuku both asked at once and looked to each other in confusion.
How much had changed while he was gone?
"How are you doing?"
Izuku turned his attention from All Might to the doorway, and quickly relaxed as Compress locked it behind himself and made his way in, crutches clacking. "Recovery Girl didn't heal you?" He asked, outrage sneaking into his voice.
Compress rested carefully in the bedside chair Magne pulled up and smiled at the woman in thanks, "officially we were never there. Nezu had proof that he granted us temporary license to help, and La Brava has a copy, of course, but as far as anyone else knows a group of helpful civilians stepped forward and assisted only in the clean up rescue efforts. Recovery Girl has no connection to a man who simply broke his leg and ended up here."
"Who protected us?" Izuku wondered. Nezu would have arranged it to work while still healing his people.
"Hawks. He hunted us down when we didn't respond to his message, choosing transformation."
"Hawks." Izuku was skeptical.
Compress laughed, "and that is why we hadn't responded. It's well known he's a Commission hero. He didn't even go to a hero school. He was hand picked and trained by them, for them."
Izuku groaned, "there's no way he doesn't know who I am."
"No. And we aren't sure how far we can trust him either."
All Might shook his head, “my apologies, Hawks is a younger generation hero, I don’t know him very well. He has a reputation for speaking against the norm, and he is very popular, but his quick rise in popularity could be due to the Commission.”
Izuku lay back and groaned, "La Brava, have you looked into him?"
"I’ve been trying, however with Ghost watching the Commission servers it's slow going. Nezu might be our best bet for reliable information on him."
“Hawks isn’t our only worry.” All Might said it apologetically, “but you don’t need to think of these things now. Rest and heal.”
Every Blacklister present groaned and Izuku smiled slightly, they knew him too well. “Yeah, I…uh…I’m not going to rest at all now until I know.”
The hero looked sheepish and Chizome spoke up. “Overhaul knows too. Something about Nemoto’s quirk, he was in shock and not talking when he was placed in the ambulance but we don’t know how long that will last.”
“But we released the Endeavor video while you were still a prisoner.” La Brava offered.
Chizome nodded, “while not perfect, it will at least give you a degree of separation.”
Izuku could tell there was something he wasn’t saying.
Chizome just watched him, unspeaking.
Whatever it is, it’s not good.
Inko was looking something up on her phone. When Dabi’s voice filled the room, everyone froze. “My name is Todoroki Toya. The eldest son of Todoroki Enji, the number two hero, Endeavor.”
Dabi’s whole body went rigid and Izuku squeezed his hand. Toga gave him a hug and Magne stood close, a solid presence if the scarred man needed her.
Izuku watched the video with his mom. He’d seen all the pieces, but it hadn’t been finished when he left for I-island.
La Brava was as skilled as always. She’d captured the plight of the Todoroki family perfectly to the backdrop of Dabi describing his life, and ‘death’ as Toya. The video evidence was brutal, the paper trail damning. She’d highlighted his accomplishment of not being on the bribe list they’d exposed before and segued into his damage and injury statistics in a devastatingly effective blow. It wrapped up with Toya again, Izuku and Gentle standing behind the prop couch this time. Dabi looked straight at the camera and said, “You didn’t break me, Endeavor, because I found people who held me together. Stop hurting my brother. Let my mother go. I don’t hold any delusions that you’ll be charged for all of this like you should be, but maybe the public outrage will be enough to save them from you. If it is, then this was worth it.”
Izuku in his blacklist garb put a hand on Dabi’s shoulder as he and Gentle stared into the camera. Gentle began the outro elegantly, “It is our hope that Todoroki Toya is incorrect and this monster in a hero’s garb might pay for his crimes. As ever, we pass the evidence into the hands of the authorities and hope for a satisfactory ending. For Justice.”
Izuku’s altered voice finished the video, “And if hope fails, then it is in the hands of the people to demand the justice the Commission may deny this family. His ranking is not a shield against consequences. It can’t be. His pride and avarice have led him to abandon compassion, something a hero can not afford to do. Remember, even in the darkest of days, the voice of the people will still be heard.”
He remembered saying it, didn’t remember it being so dramatic, but those had been a lousy couple of days. The phone dropped to the bed and Inko launched herself over Izuku’s legs to cradle Dabi close and rock him as if he was still that little boy burning up alone in a forest. She was crying and just repeating, “Oh baby, oh my poor baby.”
Dabi’s eyes were suspiciously bright.
“If the police don’t punish him for this, I will ruin him.” She promised.
Izuku nodded solemnly, “never underestimate the power of a mom on the warpath with access to the internet.”
Twice shivered and in the other voice cheered, “release the Karens!”
Toga snorted, Magne snickered, and finally all of them burst into overwhelmed and slightly manic laughter.
Dabi disappeared in a sea of hugs, hair ruffles, and shoulder squeezes. He went down cursing and struggling, but he definitely still went down.
Izuku and Compress sat slightly to the side, their injuries not allowing them to join in. All Might stepped back to give the large found family their privacy.
The magician took Izuku’s hand and asked, “how are your wounds? Is all the motion jostling them too much?”
“I don’t know.” Izuku admitted. “The reason I’m not in agony is apparently widespread nerve damage. It still hurts, but not at all like the doctors say it should. They’re bringing in a specialist from India to work with Recovery Girl to fix it, so I’m going to be stuck here a little longer.”
“Is it reversible?”
He nodded, “with time.”
“Okay! Nope! No, no no no no. Social meter is maxed out. I’m outta here.” Dabi struggled to free himself.
Izuku covered his mouth so his tousled and frazzled brother didn’t notice him laughing as he stormed from the room.
His cheeks and forehead were covered in lipstick marks in shades matching Mag, Toya, and his mom.
But for all the growls and snarls, the older boy had been smiling.
Inko giggled for a moment before she turned her focus on Izuku, "I'm assuming Katsuki knows about all of this."
Izuku shook his head.
"He knows." She insisted.
"No he-"
"Izuku." She said with no room for argument. "He knows."
He hung his head, "yes."
"Who else?" She pressed.
"Oh! Oh! His boyfriend knows!" Toga bounced and squealed in delight.
“Some of it, at least.” Mag amended.
"Boyfriend?!" Inko threw her arms around him, "oh Izuku I'm so happy for you! It's the Todoroki child, isn't it? He came to visit me with your teachers after you were taken. He was so lost. Oh baby, he's such a sweet boy!"
Izuku didn't bother to fight the embrace, embarrassing as the reason for it was.
"We already mentioned Hawks knows." Magne continued the list.
La Brava nodded, "and Best Jeanist found out during the internship."
"Nezu knew since Izuku's first foray into UA." Gentle added.
The whole room stared at All Might. "And now All Might knows." Spinner narrated like it wasn't obvious.
Inko pulled back and rubbed her temples. "Izuku, Baby, do you mean to tell me you've been doing this for just over a year, and your best friend, boyfriend, three heroes on the top 10 list, and your principal all know your secret identity?!"
"To be fair," Mei cut in helpfully, "Nezu knows everything, so that's not really a surprise."
Izuku blushed, "and Shoto only knows I'm a Blacklister, not that I'm actually Blacklist."
"I give it a week, but that's only because that boy is the smartest dumb person I know." Mei shrugged.
His mom groaned, “is there anyone who doesn’t know?”
“I’ve managed to hide it from Aizawa-sensei!” He was rather proud of that, actually. It took a lot of concentration to separate what he knew as Eraserhead’s student and as a vigilante, especially since they were decently close in his Blacklist persona.
Chizome made a weird sound and his shoulders shook.
Is he upset about it? None of the people who know were his fault. “Chizome, none of this is on you. It’s my fault.” Izuku tried to comfort him.
Twice’s more aggressive voice piped in, “someone needs to learn restraint.” followed up by his normal voice saying, “Let’s put it on a billboard!”
Toga cocked her head, “the thing about restraint or blacklist?”
“Uh…” Twice blinked. “No?”
Izuku smiled. These were his people. His people had come for him, all of them and then some. It wasn’t great that heroes knew, but the ones that did know were his people too. For an only child from a largely single parent home, Izuku found himself surrounded by family.
He fell asleep to the sounds of laughter and his mom’s gentle hand in his hair.
– – –
The door opened two hours later, it was right at the start of visiting hours but Izuku was still surprised to see Kaachan in the doorway and not Dabi or his mom. “Kacchan?”
The blond tossed him a box and huffed, “the hag wanted me to bring that to you.”
Izuku stared, it was a new phone. Similar to his old one, but this was the newest model on the market. It was already in one of the protection cases rated for heroics. “I can’t-”
“Keep it.” Kacchan ordered. “She wont accept it back. It has your old number and everything. The info gathering team found your old one during their search but it was already ruined. The SD card survived though.”
“Wouldn’t it still be in evidence? I wouldn’t think it would get processed that quickly.”
“Nezu put one of your weird friends on the info team.”
Compress. Izuku smiled.
“I put all your account shit on it.”
“Wha-”
“You’re still using Sm@llMight15 as your password. Seriously?”
Izuku blushed, “only for my civilian stuff,” he defended weakly.
Kacchan snorted and flopped into the bedside chair, kicking his feet up onto the hospital bed.
“I…ah…thank you.” He whispered.
“Thank the hag. Seriously, I mean that. She won’t stop harping on me about your condition. It’s fucking annoying. Call her.”
“I will.”
“Good.” The blond sniffed and added, “I had home video apps you didn’t, so I put my password in and made you a profile. Hospitals are fucking boring…when are you getting out?”
Izuku shook his head, “I don’t know. Recovery Girl said there’s a lot of stuff wrong that I just can’t feel. It’s…Chisaki’s quirk…they’re worried about how he…put me back together…” He forced a smile. “But I’m in good hands. And I can’t feel it, right? So I’m okay.”
“I know your fake smiles, nerd. You’re not okay.”
Those red eyes burned and he admitted, “no.” a lot more quickly than he would have admitted that to anyone else. Kacchan didn’t suffer nonsense.
Instead of the usual response to being right, Kacchan’s response was solemn. “You know none of us expect you to be, right?”
Izuku snorted derisively, “Aizawa-sensei was teaching wrapped up in bandages two days after he almost died.”
Kacchan dropped his feet to the ground and leaned forward, “Okay, one, not the same. Aizawa-sensei had physical trauma from an incident that didn’t even last half an hour. You were there for over a week. Psychological and physical torture aren’t the same thing as combat wounds. And two, Aizawa-sensei is not someone to be emulated. He carries around a bright yellow sleeping bag nearly everywhere and eats nothing but jelly pouches. He’s a great hero, but a fucking disaster of a human being. Tell me you see that.”
“No.”
“Probably because you’re a disaster too.”
“Probably,” Izuku admitted.
Kacchan glared at him like he was trying to figure out if Izuku was mocking him or not, but continued. “My point is that no one thinks you’ll be the same after all that shit, and no one thinks you should just magically be okay. You try that shit you’re gonna freak your friends out.”
“Are you trying to tell me you’d be not okay after something like that?”
“Hell no.” Kacchan barked, “I’d internalize that shit until it killed me or I killed someone else.”
“I’d be there.” Izuku teased.
Kacchan didn’t let him lighten the conversation with hypotheticals. “I am here.”
Izuku had been doing so well not crying. He’d held it in for Eri, held it in to rob Chisaki of the satisfaction, held it in to keep Dabi’s spirits up. He’d slipped up, sure, but for the most part he’d held it in. It wasn’t fair that all it took from his best friend were those three simple words. “Kacchan.” He sobbed and they came, hot and awful rolling down his cheeks in wet globs of failure.
“There’s those big ugly tears.” Kacchan grinned, but climbed onto the bed to let Izuku cling to him. He didn’t even complain about him ruining his shirt with tears and probably a liberal amount of snot. “Good, let it all out.”
“Kacchan you jerk!” He wailed.
“Heh.” the blond just laughed and sat there waiting for the tears to run their course.
It took a very long time.
When they were finally just a bare trickle and the wailing was only hiccups, Kacchan pulled a water bottle from the side pocket of his cargo shorts and passed it over.
Izuku glared at him.
“What? It’s you. I know you.” Kacchan shrugged. “Besides, you feel better, right?”
Izuku grumbled.
Kacchan just laughed at him again.
He sobered while Izuku was drinking his water though.
“You really will come through this, Deku.” Kacchan promised, “you’re gonna be stronger than ever and you’ll understand trauma so you can help people better when they’re going through it. It sucks, yeah, but this is the kind of shit that makes a hero fucking heroic. Right?”
Izuku just drank his water. He didn’t have an answer, not one Kacchan wanted to hear.
Kacchan waited for a long time. Long enough that Izuku felt bad about his silence. He was about to say something random to break it when the blond gave up and pressed on.
“All that shit that Overhaul bastard spewed, forget it. He was done and he knew it. That was just him trying to get one last hit in. Just because he knew what would hurt doesn’t mean he knew fuck all about anything, especially you.”
“But what if it’s true, Kacchan?” He whispered. Saying it out loud felt awful, like it suddenly had more weight to it. Like just saying it could make it real. “We’re learning all these laws and rules in class for a reason and I, what? Just think I know better? Better than people who’ve done this longer than I’ve been alive? That the rules don’t apply to me?”
“You have heroes backing your play.” Kacchan said, the closest to talking about Blacklist that Izuku had ever heard him.
“Doesn’t that just make us all egotistical?” He asked.
Kacchan hummed, “Well, it’s Nezu. So yeah, the ego is there. That doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”
“How do I know then?”
“You’ve always known. It’s annoying.”
He hesitated, but wanted to know what the other boy meant. “Kacchan?”
Kacchan took a deep breath, but didn’t move to get off of the bed. “Even when I was a shit to you, you stuck with me. You knew who I was under all my bullshit. You see…whatever you see under Aizawa’s tired ass skin. You see Todoroki through his…whatever is up with his face. You see people. The good in people. So when someone doesn’t have enough good to register on your radar, they must be pretty shit human beings.”
Izuku shook his head, “I left two men tied up back in my cell. They died.” He’d told people before but none of them had reacted the way he thought they should. Maybe Kacchan would.
“Did you know the building would collapse? Have some future sight quirk I don’t know about? You Nighteyes illegitimate kid or something? The hair matches.”
Izuku blinked and answered it all with, “no.”
“Then shut the fuck up.”
Izuku pushed again, “I shot a man!”
“He lived.” Kacchan dismissed, “Besides, he was going to let them capture you again, right? Or he attacked you. You wouldn’t just shoot somebody for no reason. Remember the Nomu, at the USJ? You knew what you had to do to get us out and you stabbed it’s fucking brain.”
“But this time it wasn’t for everyone, it was just me!”
“And all the people you’ll save and help and free in the future.”
Izuku shook his head, “that’s an egotistical way of looking at life.”
“No. It’s a single measure of your worth. The only one you’re gonna listen to when you’re like this, fucking Deku.”
The sound of clapping came from the doorway and a huge, muzzled hero stepped inside. “I see you started your therapy session without me.”
“Inui-sensei!” Izuku squeaked.
Hound Dog looked at Kacchan and offered, “that was excellent, Bakugo. Have you ever considered becoming a counselor?”
Izuku’s best friend scoffed at UA’s counselor and snarked, “Maybe if I dry up as a real hero.”
“Kacchan!” The implications of that statement weren’t flattering, but Inue-sensei didn’t seem to take it personally.
“I’m outta here.” Kacchan slipped off of the bed and tossed over his shoulder, “Get your head out of your ass and your ass out of that bed soon, nerd. The dorm’s weird without you in it.”
“I miss you too, Kacchan.”
“Tch, whatever.” The explosive blond slammed the door behind him.
Inui-sensei took the chair which was a little too small for his large frame. He handed Izuku a bag full of his books and a bunch of loose folders. “The summer camp was moved to UA and everyone is staying in the dorms for the summer after what happened to you. The Wild Wild Pussycats sent some training and lessons you can do from your hospital bed to help you catch up to some of what you missed. Most of it is perception and mental puzzles. Once you’re on your feet again, be ready. They won’t go easy on you just because you’ve been laid up. I hear they’d planned to throw your class over a cliff at the start of your training when it was still going to be in the mountains.”
He grinned, “it might be a testament to how bored I am here, but that sounds kinda fun.”
Inui-sensei chuckled, “Nezu also thought you might need a listening ear. I’m glad you have friends around to help with that.”
Izuku smiled, glad to have something to do while he waited to heal.
“Would you like to talk?” Inui-sensei asked with that calm demeanor that had always fit wrongly on his face.
Izuku looked at the door, took a deep breath, and sighed. “Maybe just until Dabi or mom gets back.
He cried a lot more that afternoon.
But it didn’t feel bad.
– – –
"We need a better way to get in contact with recruits." Izuku worried as he stared at the ceiling.
Dabi, sitting beside him, scrolled a bit more and hummed.
"I think that must be how Overhaul's people found me. They tracked the people who chose transformation until they found a group all in the same place and then went there."
"I thought they wanted you because you're quirkless." Dabi threw out absently and kept scrolling.
"Well...sure...but they saw me outside of Securi-Tea. They asked about it. And they asked if I was Blacklist, so maybe they were looking for us both...well...both sides of me? I...this is confusing. But still, they were there for a reason and I think it's something we need to fix."
"Uhuh." Dabi nodded, having only vaguely heard all of that. He could process it later. He'd found a new message thread about Endeavor and-
“Put that away.” Izuku snatched Dabi’s phone and sat on it.
“Hey!” Dabi glared. Sure, he’d been very over focused on his phone since they’d gotten Izuku back, and sure this bout of scrolling might have started hours ag- how the hell was it 4pm? Okay, maybe I need to stop for a while. But it was cathartic to see the world finally waking up and realizing what a piece of shit their beloved hero was.
And they were realizing. The number of people still defending him was large, they kept focusing on the fact that he had the highest rate of crime cleared, even higher than All Might’s although his shit personality vs All Might’s ‘mighty smile’ had kept him locked in the Number 2 position. There was a large debate about whether his parenting methods could be considered a success since one son was at UA and the other was a vigilante still trying to make the world a better place.
Dabi wanted to eviscerate them. To assume Endeavor’s abuse had anything to do with the fact that he’d managed to crawl, bloodied and broken, to a better place. Fuck that. His shear bull headedness and his found family had done that. Bet they’d be singing a different tune if I’d turned out to be a full on villain. Maybe I should have mentioned my body count. Shit. No. That’s stupid. I’m trying to rebuild my life, not tank it. Fuck, he’s still getting into my head!
When he came out of his own head, Izuku was watching him with those understanding eyes that made Dabi want to cry and kill something at the same time. His brother just asked, “you think the hospital would allow a guitar?”
Thinking about that conversation on the balcony made him smile. “Nah, probably bug the hell out of people with all the beginners Do Re Me crap.” He sighed.
Izuku put on a pout.
Dabi snorted at him.
“Are you…no, of course you aren’t okay…do you need…”
He stood to walk around the room a little, “I’m more okay than I thought I’d be. Yeah, there are a lot of ass holes saying it was just ‘training’ and ‘tough love’ and shit like that, but I knew there would be. It’s not about what the ass holes are saying. It’s about me. I got it out. People know. And sure, it isn’t over, but it feels damn good. Like I got some of his chains off of me.”
Izuku smiled one of those sunshine smiles and Dabi wondered how he could still make that expression after all the shit he’d been through.
“You’re more than he made you, Dabi. You always have been. The fact that you are the man you are today is because you’re so much stronger. You know that, right?”
Dabi snorted, “yeah, brat. I know.”
Izuku didn’t look like he believed him.
“What?”
“Did you look at the good responses at all? You’ve been scrolling for like 10 hours.”
Dabi blushed, “Uh…I figured I’d check those later, but I did see how many there were. I’m not wallowing. I’m just…cautious.”
Izuku’s eyes were calling him an idiot.
“What?!”
“You’re an idiot.”
Heh. Maybe.
“You have a lot of people behind you. More than the people who are still praising him. They’re calling you strong and brave and relating to you, linking their lives to yours through shared experience or emotions. You resonate with them. They’re empathizing with you. It’s amazing, Dabi.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t need their support. I have plenty.”
“It’s nice though, isn’t it?”
He hummed. It was nice. It was more overwhelming though. It was easier to look at the bad reactions. He knew how to deal with those.
Izuku huffed, “Okay. That’s it. We’re learning music.”
“Huh?” Dabi arched a brow at him.
“We’re doing the guitar and violin thing. I’m sure there are tutorials online. Music therapy is a thing. We’re doing this.”
“We don’t have a guitar. Or a violin.”
“Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is the acquisition of the tools we need to fulfill our goals.”
“You know I’m going to steal them, right?”
“I heard nothing you just said.” Izuku made a huffed little laugh, “you really have to work on all that mumbling, Dabi. Geez.”
Dabi grinned and carefully attacked to bedridden brat. He knew Izuku couldn’t feel all the damage, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there. He ruffled his hair, smothered him lovingly with the pillow, and stole his phone from underneath the younger boy earning a squawk. “Ew, that’s an open back gown! Your ass was on my phone!”
Izuku stuck his tongue out.
Dabi sighed, and instead of going back to the spiral of responses and reactions over his childhood trauma, he opened a viewing app and started Wander Over Yonder.
His brother bounced as best he could, and snuggled in to watch. They’d seen it all already, so when the greenette dropped quickly into sleep, Dabi wasn’t surprised. He cracked the window to let a soft breeze inside, and left the cartoon playing on the rolling table that fit over the bed.
The hospital room television was on mute, left on to power Mei’s anti-listening whatever she'd put behind it. The scrolling feed on the bottom caught his attention.
There in bright white letters on a red background, [Endeavor’s response to the allegations: “it's all true” says the number two hero.]
Dabi’s heart stopped. He'd never expected Enji to deny it. He'd expected him to respond angrily, defend it, to tell the world his actions had been justified. Just the process of creating another number one hero. He'd expected fire. It was always fire with the old man. The video had been harsh. It should have fanned those flames. “It's all true” was just…bland. He didn't know what the dumpster fire was planning. Was he so unmoved it didn't even merit anger?
Why did he even care? Enji was his past. Dabi had a new life. A better life. He stared at the hospital ceiling in thought.
What do I do now?
– – –
Shoto stood in the flower shop searching the array of bins and bunches for what he needed. He wasn’t sure what hospital etiquette was for visiting one’s brand new boyfriend. Were they together? Had Izuku’s yelled response in the middle of a kidnapping meant they were official? Were boyfriends ever official? There was no ceremony he was aware of.
Well, if they weren’t…official…he could just ask Izuku now. The hospital wasn’t the most romantic setting, but given Izuku’s penchant for getting into trouble the sooner he asked the better. He would also need to tell him about his revelation in Overhaul’s tunnels. However that realization did not change Shoto’s feelings. Well, perhaps it made them fonder. To know the man he admired and the boy he likely loved were the same person…that was rather wonderful.
It would wait, though. Izuku didn’t do well when people found out his secrets. He should heal first. The Blacklist discussion could be had later. This time Izuku didn’t know about the incident, so silence wouldn’t cause him the panic he had before. Silence would simply give him peace and let him heal.
And give Shoto the time to think of how to bring it up.
Shoto picked up a flower labeled amaryllis and placed it in the tall bucket of water the shop woman had given him. Flowers seemed the standard gift for hospital visits, but he didn’t want to just pick something pretty. Pretty without substance was pointless. Instead, he had researched the meaning behind flowers and chosen carefully based on that.
The shopkeeper looked at his choices strangely when he brought them to be prepared. He could see they were more haphazard than the bouquets on display. The colors were much more varied so were the flower types.
Shoto didn’t know if it was simply the visual representation of his message he was seeing, but he thought the blooms were perfect together.
She wrapped the stems in gold paper and Shoto picked a green ribbon the color of Izuku’s hair, then he took the flowers and made his way through the crowded sidewalks to the hospital.
Part of him wondered if all of his focus should be on the flowers and their relationship. Was he using it as a means to block out thoughts of the revelations of the Blacklist video? No. He had been courting Izuku for weeks, this was important too. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t known the things his father had done to all of them. And Blacklist had been in his house, so seeing his own abuse in the video hadn’t been surprising either. Not welcoming, he wasn’t incredibly happy that the world had now seen him as a victim when he wanted to be seen as a hero. But he was strong enough to overcome the perception. He and Izuku would overcome society’s perceptions of them together.
Toya was a surprise.
Shoto couldn’t say he wasn’t angry at his oldest brother for hiding right in front of him for so long. And angry at himself for not seeing it. They shared an eye. Toya looked a lot like a perfect combination of their parents. But wondering how he missed the similarities wouldn’t do any good in the present.
So he wouldn’t.
Did Izuku know? No. It isn’t fair to be mad at him for keeping his brother’s secret, even if he did know. Besides, he had other business with Izuku. He would visit Izuku and they would decide what they were to each other, and they would move forward together.
That had been the plan, at least.
But Toya was there, lounging on Izuku’s hospital bed like he belonged there.
He did belong there though, didn’t he. He was Midoriya Dabi now, Izuku’s brother. The first time Izuku had been hospitalized the class had all spoken about how the older boy rarely left his side.
Funny, he’d had no problem leaving his other siblings.
Shoto took a deep, calming breath. He couldn’t be upset with Toya for escaping the abuse. He’d been so young and they’d barely interacted. It wasn’t like anything but blood and shared trauma linked them.
But Natsuo had cried in front of Toya’s butsudan every night for months. He’d done it so long that Enji had forbidden him from entering that room anymore. Then Natsuo had cried in his own room. Fuyumi had been strongly quiet, but she’d grieved too. And their mother…their mother had broken.
“Shoto?” Izuku asked quietly.
He’d been silent too long.
Shoto stepped up to the bed and held the bouquet out to Izuku, “I chose them for their meanings.” He promised.
Izuku took them reverently but admitted, “I…um…I don’t speak flowers.” He sniffed them though, and smiled a slightly wobbly smile, “They’re really nice. Thank you.”
He’d had to look up the meanings himself, so Shoto wasn’t upset that Izuku didn’t know them. Instead, he pointed out each flower type and explained, “baby’s breath- everlasting love, amaryllis-pride, camellia by their colors mean- longing, you’re my heart’s flame, and you’re adorable, holly- defense, and white jasmine- sweet love.”
Toya whistled, “that’s a Love-ly bouquet.” He said it like he was enjoying the pun.
Izuku elbowed him.
Shoto stared at Toya intently. He didn’t remember his brother making jokes. Dabi was nothing like what he remembered of Toya.
Toya stared back a moment before he sighed, “You watched it, huh?”
“Yes.” Shoto nodded, “and I have a question.”
“Okay.” Toya was waiting for him to continue, but the question wasn’t for him.
“At this point, do I consider you my brother, or brother in law?” He asked Izuku, “I’m not sure it matters until I propose, but I would like to be prepared.”
Izuku and Toya both choked on air.
He waited patiently. Honestly it did bother him a little bit, but he felt like logically it shouldn’t. He and Izuku weren’t related, he knew that. But even a slight societal misunderstanding that Izuku might have Endeavor’s genetics just felt…tainting.
Toya managed to stop coughing first. “What?! All the stuff in that video and that’s what you want to know?!”
“Well, it seems the most pressing at the moment.” He noted and moved to place the flowers in a vase while Toya laughed at him.
Unlike Toya, Izuku didn’t laugh. Izuku understood him. “I think the choice should be yours, whatever you feel most comfortable with.”
“Perhaps I will consider Dabi and Toya two separate entities. You are not my brother, so if he is your brother it makes sense he should also not be my brother…I think.”
Toya snorted. “Would have been hilarious if Izu was Endeavor’s though.”
Shoto brought the flowers back to the bedside and asked, “How’s that?”
“Glitch kid, weak kid, weak kid, perfect quirked rebellious kid, quirkless kid.” The older boy counted off on his fingers, “and since Inko is definitely Izu’s mom, the fault would all be Endeavor’s. Priceless.”
Izuku looked slightly miffed at being labeled a ‘fault’.
Shoto was furious on his boyfriend’s behalf. He sat carefully on Izuku’s bed beside him and tried to tell him with his eyes that he was wonderful. He filled Shoto’s world with a light and hope he hadn’t known existed.
Toya was an ass.
“If you think about it, it makes sense that a son of the Todoroki family began punishing false heroes. Two of them doing it isn’t even a stretch.”
Instead of yelling or venting his anger, Shoto distanced himself from his father’s methods. He fell back into the mask of indifference, which had served him well before, turned to Toya and simply asked, “have you talked to mother yet?”
The smile slipped from Toya’s face and Shoto had to fight to keep one off of his own. He wasn’t trying to mock his brother, after all.
“No.” Toya looked at Izuku for a moment and then back to Shoto, “I’ve been busy.”
“Dabi!” Izuku cried, “I’ll be fine, Shoto can stay with me. I didn’t even think, your mom could find out you’re alive from a video if she sees it before you see her.”
“I doubt she’s watching them.” Toya hedged.
“It’s been in the news.” Shoto pointed out helpfully.
“Go! Dabi, please, go talk to her! I’d never forgive myself if I was the reason your mom was suffering.”
Toya stared at Shoto like he knew exactly what his baby brother had just done.
Shoto didn’t care. “She cried over you.” He put the final nail in Toya’s coffin.
Izuku’s eyes were watering.
Toya stood and growled, “Fine! Fine! I’m going.”
“You should take flowers.” Shoto suggested.
Toya slammed the door.
Shoto had no idea why Endeavor screamed and struck out. It was so much more rewarding to be subtle.
Izuku fumbled with his phone and Shoto glanced at the screen to see he’d sent Toya a link to a flower meaning website.
Shoto tried to hide his laughter, but he supposed the shaking shoulders gave him away.
“What?” Izuku asked confusedly.
He shook his head, “You’re just…perfect.”
– – –
Izuku blushed. He’d honestly thought their first conversation after everything would have more to do with Blacklist than their relationship. He didn’t mind relationship talks, but he hadn’t been ready for one. Is that normal? Needing to be ready for a talk like this? Am I going to constantly wonder if my thought process is normal or not from now on? How much does it matter if it isn’t? “You’re the only one who thinks I'm perfect.” Izuku promised him.
Shoto shrugged, “We’re boyfriends, right? I’m allowed to think you’re perfect. We’re in the honeymoon period, so hormones will be heightened and the sense of superficial love and attraction strong. I might not always think you’re perfect, but it makes sense to do so now.”
Izuku blinked. That had almost been to the level of one of his mumbling fits. Was he rubbing off on Shoto? The thought made his whole face heat up and he just knew he was as red as a tomato.
“I did some research.” Shoto admitted. “I hoped to court you properly, but the books weren’t written for heroes and so didn’t cover a lot of relevant situations.”
“Like confessions given mid kidnapping?” Izuku guessed. “I’m so sorry I did that, I just…I wasn’t sure I’d live through whatever was going to happen…and I wanted you to know. I couldn’t just leave without you knowing I liked you too.” Saying it outloud sounded…selfish. “Was that selfish?”
Shoto shook his head. “I would have wanted to know. But I am glad you’re alive, Izuku. I don’t think I would like the world much if you weren’t in it.”
Izuku smiled, “So we’re boyfriends?”
Shoto returned the smile with a soft one of his own, “If you still want to-”
Izuku took his hands and nodded emphatically.
“I am glad, and relieved.” Shoto played with Izuku’s fingers for a while, obviously trying to put something into words.
“Can I kiss you?” Izuku asked and Shoto’s head shot up so fast he knew that was what he’d been trying to ask.
“Yes.” The bicolored boy was instantly leaning over him, the speed of the move making Izuku laugh into his mouth on the first attempt. Shoto smiled wide at that and made kissing an awkward endeavor, but he was determined.
Izuku wanted to look at his smile forever. Unfortunately Izuku was caught in a giggle fit where everything was suddenly funny and he couldn’t help but continue laughing.
Shoto seemed to take it in stride, or as a challenge, as he switched to kissing Izuku’s neck.
Izuku had laughed while crying before, but moaning while laughing was new. He was a disaster! He tried to cover his face but Shoto caught his hands.
“Don’t ever be worried about being yourself. I love who you are. Don’t hide from me.”
Those words made Izuku’s heart flip and the laughter was fully swallowed up by Shoto’s mouth. He hummed in contentment. His world and mind were still in chaos, but he felt anchored in the storm by those hot and cold lips.
“Eri? Why did you stop, listener?” Came from the doorway.
“I think they’re having the grown-up hug time.” A tiny, high pitched voice whispered loudly.
“They better not be.”
That was Aizawa-sensei!
Izuku pulled the covers up over his head. He heard Shoto say, “good afternoon sensei.”
“A very good one, apparently.” Yamada-sensei laughed and Izuku wondered if he could blush any hotter. He didn’t think so.
“Yes.” Shoto said simply.
Oh, look at that, he’d been wrong.
“Wait!” Eri rushed out of the room and Izuku let the sheets fall back and stared after her, worried she might have been traumatized by him and Shoto. He heard someone in the hallway scolding, ‘wait, you can’t just take those off the cart!’ and Eri came stumbling back in with arms full of white hospital sheets.
While Aizawa-sensei calmed the annoyed orderly, Eri brought her haul to Izuku’s bed and proudly announced, “forts make things better, Zuzu.”
Izuku blushed, but Shoto nodded and stood to help Mic tie sheets to the unused IV poles at the head of the bed, to light fixtures, monitors, everything they could until Izuku had a nice little tent all around him, opened on one side so he could still see his visitors, but with a flap that would allow it to close when he wanted.
He stared from Shoto to Eri as his usually stoic boyfriend offered the little girl a hand for a fist bump and then explained how to do it and what it meant. Eri bumped his fist triumphantly and they both climbed onto the bed again.
“That can’t be safety compliant.” Aizawa-sensei said, but didn’t move to take it down.
“Oh shoosh, Sho,” Yamada-sensei grinned, “you’re just jealous you didn’t have one for your last hospital stay.” Then he looked at Eri and asked, “permission to approach the fort?”
“Permission granted.” She told him.
Izuku wondered how many forts the two men had made for Eri over the couple days she’d been safe at UA.
Yamada-sensei brought out a bag and pulled Eraserbear and MicBear out to place in the fort with them. Then he dipped his hand back inside and pulled out a white bear with red eyes and a little horn on one side of its forehead. It was dressed in a red, overall style dress with black paw print leggings underneath which matched the outfit Eri was wearing and it was holding a plushy apple. “We stopped at the Build-A-Bear shop to get Eri a teddy. She made a green bear with green eyes and then asked if we could make one to bring to you.”
“I picked it out all myself!” Eri promised and pressed the fluffy creation toward Izuku.
He snuggled it and then the real Eri. “I’ll cherish my Eri-bear forever. Thank you.”
She looked like she should be smiling, but she didn’t. Her face stayed serious as she insisted, “promise?”
“Promise.” He nodded and hugged her.
A sniffle beside them reminded Izuku that Yamada sensei was still standing there. He wiped his eyes and pulled out two last things from the bag. One was a pair of cat paw slippers complete with toe beans, and the second a soft headband like the girls wore when they put stuff on their faces, it had little black cat ears on it. “Eri’s going to be staying with Aizawa-sensei for a while. We took her shopping for stuff for her room, but she kept finding things to bring you instead. These were the two things we couldn’t get her to put back.”
“I have them too!” She insisted. “Zuzu and I will match! And we’ll make a big fort and camp inside and be kitties. Zuzu promised.”
Izuku laughed, “well, I didn’t know the kitty part, but it does sound like it would make the fort time even better. Thank you Eri.” He looked up and gave an apologetic smile, “and thank you, Aizawa-sensei, Yamada-sensei.”
“Not a problem, li’l listener.” Yamada-sensei ruffled his hair fondly.
Eri’s little voice piped up again, “I learned a song for you Zuzu.” She told him, then leaned close to whisper, “It’s about fireflies!”
“Really? A whole song?”
Aizawa-sensei’s voice was awash with fatigue as he responded, “she was up at 5am to make sure she had it all memorized.”
Yamada-sensei’s smile was almost ear to ear, “she’s so good! And she worked really hard on it!”
Shoto blinked, “can I hear it too?”
Eri cocked her head to the side, “it’s a get well song…are you sick?”
“Of many things.” He said with his usual straight face and almost set Izuku’s giggle fit off again.
Eri nodded sagely, “then you should hear it too.”
Aizawa wheeled Lemillion into the room, Kirishima walking behind him.
“Midobro! Good to see you! Whoa! Cool fort! I didn’t get a fort!”
“Kirishima!” Izuku beamed, “I heard you saved Fat Gum! You’re amazing!”
The redhead blushed and rubbed his neck sheepishly, “It was a group effort, but I helped. He says when we’re licensed and allowed to do work studies he wants me to call him first. I think he’s calling dibs on me.”
“That’s great!”
Lemillion looked at the flowers and whistled, “someone’s loved.”
Izuku blushed.
“My boyfriend isn’t a words guy, so he likes talking through flowers.” The bright blond explained. “I’m Togata Mirio, it’s nice to meet you out of costume.”
While they talked, Yamada Sensei tuned his guitar. Eri climbed down, her legs kicking as she slipped from the high bed until her toes hit the floor. She ran to pose in the middle of the hospital room. She was adorable. When Yamada started playing the song, he sang softly, but Eri belted it out like she was on stage. She did a little bouncing dance, waved her arms, and spun around singing her little heart out. The only thing that might have made it better would be a smile, but Izuku was happy. She seemed happy. And his teachers were watching her with a fondness that made him think she probably wasn’t going to ever be alone again.
When she finished, she touched each of their foreheads and made a shooing motion, “ouchies go away!”
Aizawa-sensei blushed a little and Izuku could imagine the gruff man doing that to make Eri’s ouchies better. It was an adorable image.
“Did it help?” Eri asked hopefully.
All of the boys solemnly nodded and told her they felt so much better.
Eri proudly sat with Izuku and Shoto in the hospital bed fort and proclaimed, “I’m gonna be a hero Zuzu! I’m going to make bad stuff go away so no one ever forgets how to smile.”
He hugged her tight, trembling a little as he fought back tears. “You’re gonna be the best hero ever, Eri.”
“Not better than Eraserhead!” She sounded scandalized.
Izuku nodded seriously, “even better.”
She nibbled on her fingertip in thought then nodded back. “I have to study hard then. Can I study with Zuzu and Lemon? Cause we’re all gonna be heroes?”
“Zuzu and Lemon have different kinds of classes right now.” Aizawa-sensei told her, “but I bet they wouldn’t mind helping you sometimes.”
“Count on me!” Lemillion cheered, “and when I’m out of costume, you can just call me Mirio, Eri-chan!”
She looked at Izuku and he agreed, “you can count on me too, Eri. You’re already my hero.”
He got a hug for that, the first one she’d ever initiated.
Izuku hugged her back tightly. She was his hero in so many ways.
Between Eri and Shoto, Izuku felt human again.
– – –
Dabi stomped all the way out of the hospital and to the train, where he switched from stomping to sulking. He knew it was childish. He didn’t care. Releasing that video had been supposed to be the end. He had no idea why he’d thought Izuku would just ignore his birth family. Izuku couldn’t stand to see anyone hurting. He would have overlooked it if it weren’t for Shoto. Bastard.
Shoto and his stupid trauma stilled face.
Dabi couldn’t even tell if the little shit was trolling him or serious.
Yeah yeah. Okay Pot. When had his inner voice started sounding like a certain little green boss-chan> He thought back…at his own inner voice, Hey, just because I’m black doesn’t mean the kettle isn’t too! He chose to ignore how insane the situation was. All of it.
Looking to distract himself, he pulled out his phone. There was a backlog of those stupid jumbled 1 minute videos Twice kept sending him waiting in his messages that he could mindlessly dive into. Well…one of the Twices sent them…probably the security guard Twice. He had free time. Dabi ignored the issue of all of them using the same media accounts and the whole all of them being one but also individual because he could see how Twice had lost it and Dabi was dealing with his own mental situation at the moment, so no.
Huh? He had a text from Izu-chan.
Dabi screamed, threw his phone, and then calmly stood to retrieve it amidst the shocked stares of the other passengers. He sat back down and eyed the ‘Languages of Flowers’ website his helpful little brother had shared.
He didn’t even know what he’d want to say to the woman who’d given him life. Even if he had the money to waste on flowers, he couldn’t translate confusion into flowers…
Curious, he looked up confusion on the website.
Purple Hyacinth symbolizes emotional torment and feelings of confusion.
Well then.
Still curious he thought back to Izuku’s notes and searched Autumn Bellflower. Those were what Enji kept sending her, if he remembered right.
Autumn Bellflower symbolizes victory, accuracy and justice and says I love you best when you are sad. A flower of sorrow and lonely love but intrinsic worth.
That was…accurate and very messed up. Dabi wondered if Enji knew that.
“Excuse me,” a man across the aisle asked him. “Are you, Todoroki Toya?”
“No.” Dabi growled.
The man was either brave or stupid because he leaned forward and continued, “but you have the same sc-” before his seat mate covered the guy’s mouth and pulled him solidly back into the seat.
Dabi pulled his hood up and over his face, looking down at his phone so it was further shadowed. He clicked on Twice’s name and opened the first video he saw. Some artsy thing about a chick 3d printing a body and embroidering skin onto it. Kinda neat and creepy. Next was a robot hooker in a demon mask and fangs that danced and talked. Then came little cartoon animals doing a skit about how some lizards played with their shed skin before eating it. Then a jumping spider being narrated with a cutesy voice singing about nummy bugs while stuffing its face. Slowly the tension got pushed into the back of his mind. The next video showed photography tricks, then came kittens, then a guy making music with water glasses, then some new dance craze, then Blacklist cosplay which was fucking adorable. He sent that one to Izuku.
It was in the middle of a clip of some Swedish furry tormenting some blue haired dude that the speakers crackled to life.
Next stop Tokyo Station C, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Fujitani Hospital, And transfer for Line J-L.
Dabi stood and made his way to the doors, wishing he could disappear back into the videos.
Then he huffed. He was a grown ass man. If he wanted to disappear into videos, he would.
Izuku’s face popped into his mind.
Damn it.
He compromised by ordering a coffee and finding a seat in the back of the hospital’s small visitor’s cafe where he could continue to ignore the presence of the woman up-
“Toya?” a strangled voice almost begged.
-stairs. He squeezed his eyes shut, then looked up and took a long drink of coffee as if he wasn’t bothered at all. And met his brother’s wide, hopeful, and watery eyes. “Hey, Natsuo.”
The man slumped into the seat across from him, his own coffee sloshing in his cup. “I saw the video…I didn’t…it’s really you.”
“Last I checked, but I have this friend who can clone people so you never know.”
The white haired boy hauled Dabi up by his collar and he had a moment to realize his little brother was now taller than him before said brother punched him in the gut.
Then followed it up by hugging him so tightly Dabi could barely squirm, only his toes touching the ground. “Pick an emotion!” He wheezed.
Natsuo calmly said, “no” and continued to squeeze the life out of him.
Dabi almost flamed up to get him to let go, but Shoto’s stupid voice echoed in his head She cried over you. What had Natsuo done? Out of all of them, he’d been the only one Dabi really missed. Instead of fighting, he just hung there listening to Natsuo babbling about who knew what. He was talking too fast and kept trailing off mid sentence. He pieced together that the white haired boy missed him. That was about it.
“I’m so glad you got away from that bastard, but you should have called me! I would have-”
Dabi cocked his head and looked as unflappable and cool as he could still dangling from his little brother’s arms, “You would have done what? Run away? Joined me on the streets? Tried to sneak me help and eventually get caught because you suck at subtlety?"
“I can be subtle.” Natsuo argued.
“A whole cafe of people who hadn’t noticed me are now staring at us.” Dabi pointed out and wiggled a little to try to reach his coffee. He’d been drinking that, damn it.
The white haired boy turned red and dropped Dabi to his feet, but in the same motion grabbed his arm and pulled, “come on.”
Dabi made one last grab for his coffee, managed to snag it, and took a long drink while walking quickly backwards where he was being pulled. He lifted the cup, saluting the gawkers with a grin, then stumbled and turned to avoid falling. “Where are we going?”
“I’ve interned here before. There’s a storage closet we can talk in with no cameras.”
“Figures you’d be a closet case.” Dabi grinned.
His brother scowled.
Dabi dipped down to his captured wrist and used that hand to zip his lips, since the other still held his cup.
Natsuo snorted a surprised laugh.
I win. He thought before his brother shoved him into the promised closet and locked the door behind him. At least it’s roomy.
“We thought you died!” He said in a choked voice and Dabi shifted uncomfortably before offering a hug.
Natsuo looked at the spread arms and blinked.
“It works when Izu-n…Izuku cries.”
“Izuku?” His brother’s confusion visibly cleared as he said, “he’s part of your new family. New dad?”
“He acts like it sometimes.”
“Brother.” Natsuo realized, his face doing something complicated.
Dabi felt guilty which pissed him off. “Yeah. So? I was starving and alone and I…I deserved a family.”
“You had one.” Natsuo accused.
“Hey, you were a genius kid. All I was good at was fighting and fire. You were smart. You were talking about being a doctor or some shit, top of your class. No way Enji wasn’t going to pay for your college tuition. And he didn’t hurt you. He didn’t want an ice-quirked kid. You were safe there.”
“And Fuyumi?”
“She was smart too. And Enji treated her like his kid, not his property. She was happy, and she wanted us all to be a happy family so much she would have dragged me back promising things would get better and if I didn’t go, she’d have gone to mom. Mom…mom was broken. It was better to be dead to-”
“No it wasn’t!” Natsuo screamed.
Dabi took a surprised step back and bumped into a shelf of something that rattled precariously. He didn’t look though, eyes locked on the furious kid in front of him. No, not a kid. My little brother is all grown up.
“Everything fell apart, Toya!”
“Dabi.” He corrected automatically.
Natsuo stared at him and he raised his hands in surrender. His brother continued at a more normal volume. “After you ‘died’ mom went completely mental. She hurt Shoto and Enji used the excuse to get rid of her. Fuyumi became mom and sister and even after college she came back to mother all of us like some kind of spirit who didn’t know the family was dead. Shoto was almost nothing but his spite and Enji trained him like a mini-me he was going to push to the top so he could stand there behind him. It was sick. I couldn’t get out fast enough.”
“But you said you interned here, right? So you’re in med school like you always wanted.”
Those grey eyes narrowed and Natsuo snarled, “have you ever heard of a scholarship?! I didn’t need the old man’s money to go to school, you idiot!”
“I was 13 years old.” Dabi defended himself, “I think I put a decent amount of thought into all of it for a 13 year old who’d just burned himself up.”
That made Natsuo visibly deflate and he slid to his knees and just sat there.
Dabi looked around like shelves of antiseptic and towels might give him the right words, finally he took a seat in front of his now quiet brother and asked, “so…uh…doctor, huh?”
“Pediatrician, eventually.”
“That…makes sense. It’s good to be on your patient’s level, right?”
“You’re an asshole.”
Dabi chuckled, “yeah, well…that’s not a big change from when I was 13.”
Natsuo gave a hiccuping sob that was almost a laugh, “yeah. Not really.”
They were quiet long enough it was awkward before Dabi started to get itchy. “You really like this closet, huh?”
Natsuo stared at him. “That was the moment to apologize, you dick.”
Dabi smirked, “yeah? Damn. Missed it.”
His brother stared with an incredulous look on his face before he burst out laughing and leaned forward so his head was resting on Dabi’s shoulder, the familiar feeling a cold helping to sooth his always too hot skin, just like when they were kids. “I’m so glad you’re alive, To-Dabi.”
Dabi sighed and wrapped his arms around the larger boy. “Yeah…sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.”
“I get it. I do.” Natsuo promised, then Dabi felt a smile grow against his collarbone and his brother added, “besides, having to deal with mom and Fuyumi will be punishment enough. I can just be happy and watch you suffer at the same time.” He chuckled.
“Shit.” Dabi groaned.
Natsuo just laughed some more, it was almost frantic with relief and a little wet sounding, but that was fine.
It was not fine!
After the tearful and weird impromptu reunion, Natsuo had dragged Dabi from the comfy closet and into the bright corridors of the hospital. He moved with complete familiarity giving Dabi no chance to even gather his thoughts before he was standing in front of one of the many identical doors in the long term stay ward.
There were two women talking inside. Shit. Fuyumi is here too?! He turned accusing eyes to Natsuo who grinned, opened the door, and pushed him inside.
The little shit.
His mother stopped talking to stare in confusion, but Dabi saw the moment she recognized him. Her whole body just stopped moving, she wasn’t even breathing. Like he was some kind of predator.
He sighed. “Hi, Rei.”
“To-” She sobbed.
“Dabi.” He and Natsuo said at the same time, before his brother continued, “he goes by Dabi, now, mom. But yeah. It’s him.’
Fuyumi gasped and covered her mouth, “Toya.”
He fought back another sigh and just corrected, “Dabi.”
Natsuo was grinning as Dabi was surrounded by the arms of two sobbing women. He had no idea how to handle the situation. At least the grinning little shit had talked to him. How was he supposed to respond to crying? The Izuku method of being a shit until the green bean wanted to hit him more than cry or pushing the kid off the nearest tall surface and yelling, “Parkour!” would probably not be well received.
They are biologically related to me. How am I more grossed out by their snot than Izuku's? Is it a girl thing? Does my primal mind think they have cooties or some shit? And why am I analyzing myself?! Damn it, Izuku!
“Toya, I-” Rei started and Dabi bit his tongue to stop from correcting her. It was obvious she wouldn’t or couldn’t use his chosen name. Who knew what her mental state was. “-Where have you been?”
“Well…ah…that’s a story.”
Natsuo perked up and opened the door with a promise of, “I’ll get the popcorn.”
Dabi sighed. At least it felt like he had his brother back. Even if Fuyumi and Rei were fully disconnected from reality somehow. Natsuo was enough.
Even though he wanted to strangle the little shit.