Chapter 10 It's A Small World We Live In
Izuku woke up to the feeling of a new notification. His eyes opened slowly, as he looked around. The blue glow of the notification screen immediately caught his attention.
[Congratulations! Your skill Fire Breathing has Leveled Up!]
"Huh" Izuku rubbed the sleep off his eyes, and pushed himself up. "But I didn't do anything…?"
[Constant use of Breathing Techniques, and Fire Breathing has strengthened your body both physically and mentally. You can now use the different forms of Fire Breathing!]
"So learning how to use it all the time was the requirement." Izuku mumbled, "But… what forms?"
[Fire Breathing First Form: An offensive technique that allows the user to increase the temperature of the air around to create flames. Combined with a weapon, or limbs, it can cause huge destruction.]
[Fire Breathing Second Form: A Defensive technique that allows the User to concentrate the Fire Breathing into creating an armor of flames around them. All Damage dealt to the User will be reduced by 10%. Heat Resistance will increase by 15 %.]
[Fire Breathing Third Form: This technique can be used to transfer the heat to an item in contact with the User's body. Damage dealt by items infused with Fiery Breath will be increased by 5%]
"Huh, now the requirement makes sense." Izuku muttered and rolled of his bed to go grab his notebook for his quirk analysis. But once the notification disappeared, and the darkness of the room came back, something else caught his attention.
He sucked in a sharp breath, excitement jittering under his skin. Oh my god, am I seeing this right?
He rushed to his bathroom, Night Vision aiding him to not crash into everything in his path. He reminded himself to not turn on the lights as he stood in front of the mirror and stared at his reflection. It was so faint, and translucent, Izuku almost didn't see it. But, his senses were heightened with the help of Ki and then he saw it.
A faint, barely there presence of a luminescence around his body. Like a halo. Izuku raised his arm and studied it intently. He had to squint his eyes, and focus hard in order to see. The tiny, white, and iridescent green flames burning in the space around him. It curled and stretched around his arm, but never quite touching him. If Izuku blinked, or lost his focus even for a second, they'd disappear from his sight. His eyes started throb with how hard he was focusing, but he continued and followed the flames. He looked into the mirror once again and saw it.
Right from around the corner of his mouth, where condensed white smoke— is it steam? — escaped. The wispy smoke curled around his neck, before disappearing under his cloth.
"Holy shit…" He breathed.
He watched as the smoke turned around brighter, and brighter, until actual flames were exhaled from his mouth. They lapped around his skin, but didn't burn. His body got hotter, but it wasn't unbearable. The flames swirled and curled, before they dissipated with a poof.
Wait, is it gone? Izuku panicked. But leaning closer against the mirror, he realized they were still there. But suddenly, the skin on his cheek, neck, and chest itched and burned. He quickly switched on the light, and looked at the mirror, only to freeze at sight.
The path tracked by the flames only a moment ago was now marked on his skin by a silvery green metallic sheen. It glowed and puslated in the same color as the flame before slowly fading away. Once it was gone, Izuku could barely even see the marks. Almost the same color as his skin, but not quite. He guessed it won't be noticeable except for under certain angle of lightings.
He took off his shirt to see how far they went. Because he did feel the same burn on his chest. So in that case-
The two trails of flame tapered down, and stopped right in the middle of his chest, over where his heart was.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw Nana and Banjo leaning in closer to the mirror to take a look at mark. He shifted his eyes upwards and found En, and Shigaraki, tip-toeing, to get a peek over their shoulder. It was adorable seeing En practically try and climb on Banjo's shoulder, given he was the shortest among them. Shinomori being talled looked highly amused.
Izuku sniggered and turned around, "What do you think?"
"I think it's the coolest thing I've ever seen." Shigaraki murmured with awe.
"It's cool." En agreed, and nodded.
"Man, I'm jealous." Banjo said loudly, placing his hand on his waist, and leaning away.
"It's pretty." Nana committed, tilting her head to study the mark on his neck.
Shigaraki leaned in, and narrowed his head, "Is it just me or does the part where the flame concentrates look vaguely like two dragon heads."
En leaned in and tilted his head, "It… looks like the heart." He pointed to the conical shape, "The two sides, and the," he pointed to the thin gap between them, "septum."
Nana leaned in, "Mhmm… when you think about it, two dragon's head from the top, side by side will look like a heart."
Shinomori hummed, "Maybe it's both."
"Hey, hey, turn off the lights and do the glowy thing again." Shigaraki requested. Izuku chuckled at his excitement, but complied; Wanting to see it himself.
Once the bathroom went dark, Izuku took in deep breaths, and exhaled. Activating Fire Breathing. The moment he did, the marks glowed in bright green shade, pulsating at a steady rhythm. The halo reappeared, brighter and more prominent than before.
" Holy shit, it's actually mimicking fire." Banjo gasped.
Izuku turned around, and looked into the mirror. Just like Banjo had said, the glow on the marks seemed to sway and flicker like actual flames. Dark black shadows framing the tendrils of flame. He looked into his eyes, reflecting the glow of the flames, making it seem like there were tiny flames in them as well.
" Do you feel different? " Nana asked, while Shigaraki and En were pushing each other to get a closer look at the marks.
"Not really… just a bit warmer." Izuku replied and moved his hand, "Oh, I do feel a lot lighter. And…" he looked around and realized he could see better in the dark despite having Night Vision deactivated. "My vision improved." he looked down at himself, and let go of the Fire Breathing slowly. Watching the flame slowly die out in their luminescence. He switched on the light, and grinned.
Suddenly, several notifications popped up after that, just like the first Fire Breathing had leveled up. Izuku flinched slightly at the onslaught of notifications. Blocks of blue zoomed past and around him, closing around him in a circle, before extending both upwards and downwards.
Fire Breathing may be the most difficult one to level up, aside from One For All, but it was also one of the most benefits.
" I don't think I'll ever get over this. " Banjo commented dryly, looking through the notifications.
Izuku heard Shigaraki snort, while he checked through the notifications one by one. This is going to be troublesome if I get more skills.
Most of his Passive skills, save for Strategize, and Pattern Recognition had leveled up along with two of his Active Skills— Sprint, and Night Vision, and Perfect Aim.
[Congratulations! You have Leveled Up!]
[You have earned 10 points!]
[Due to Born to Be Hero (L), He Who Cheated Death (M), Ninth User Of One For All(S) being in effect, you have earned 22 additional points!]
" That puts you at Level 20, doesn't it? " Nana asked, " And you started at Level 15, right? "
"Yep!" Izuku nodded.
" And you got this skill at age 12. To level up 5 times within two years… " Shinomori mumbled.
" He's most likely to level up quicker once he gets into UA. " En added.
" Ah ha! My boy is going to grow up to be an amazing hero!" Banjo proclaimed.
Izuku blushed, "I still need to get into UA first you know…"
Nana leaned down to meet his eye level, and placed her hand on his cheek. Izuku couldn't actually feel her hand, but he could feel her touch. It was cool, and cozy. " Honey, you're going to get into UA. I'm sure of it ."
" They'd be stupid not to take you in ." Banjo scoffed.
Izuku dropped his gaze, and fiddled with his finger. His quirk might seem strong, but he was sure there were people out there with stronger quirk. Moreover, he was still at a low level. Even Katsuki was at least five levels above him.
"Hey, Izuku," Nana called softly, " Just go back to sleep now. There's still some time left before your training starts. Don't think too much okay? Or you'll end up overthinking and making yourself anxious for no reason. There's still a long time before the Entrance Exam."
Izuku sniffled and nodded as he headed back to this bed. "Okay."
He shuffled in to his bed as the images of the vestiges faded away from his sight. ".. night."
***
Izuku had been walking back home after school when the message came. He frowned seeing the unknown number, before recalling about the guy he had given his number to. His eyes went wide in surprise, and he rushed to open the message.
XXX-XXX-XXXX: Hey, tiny…
XXX-XXX-XXXX: Dunno if you remember but um…
XXX-XXX-XXXX: The offer to ask help… is it still there?
Tiny Green Helper: Of course!
XXX-XXX-XXXX: Oh thank fuck.
Dabi: Um… so when can I meet him?
Dabi: It's a bit urgent
Izuku frowned. Urgent? How urgent? Was someone after him? Was he in danger?
Tiny Green Helper: I'll call him right now.
Tiny Green Helper And if you don't mind me asking, what's wrong?
Tiny Green Helper Maybe I could be of some help until the Hero comes.
Dabi: Erm… I'm not sure, but someone's been following me.
Tiny Green Helper: Where are you?
Dabi sent him the address, and Izuku immediately turned in its direction. He activated Sprint, and ran. While he ran, he scrolled through his contacts, and called Shouta. It took three rings before he picked up. Izuku checked the time, and sighed mentally in relief when he realized Shouta's classes should be over by now.
"What's wrong?"
"Um, Do you want the short version or the long version?" Izuku asked, and used Pull to haul himself up onto the rooftops. Jumping from rooftops to rooftops was going to take longer than sprinting, but he was less likely to be seen and get caught while using quirks.
"Wha- Wait, are you running? What's going on?"
"It's nothing. I'm fine. I promise. I'm just going to find that person"
"Give me the short version."
"So um, a while ago, I met this guy and he was getting attacked by some guy with a knife. I didn't get hurt, I swear. And there were no heroes on patrol nearby. I just-"
"Kid, I get it. Continue."
"Right um, so he was a bit injured, and I offered to help him with it. I managed to get him to talk a little because I was concerned. I gave him my number because I was worried…," Izuku grunted as he pulled himself up to a tall building, "And he just messaged me. Apparently someone's been following them recently."
"Did you call the police?"
"Yeah about that. He refused to ask help from any Heroes. He hates them, Dad. Probably had a bad experience with one in the past. But there's something wrong. I saw his profiles, and a few things were concerning. Even Nana thinks so! So I persuaded him enough that if he needed help he could message me, or ask you for help."
"...How do you always find people like that, Izuku?" Shouta sighed.
"Dad, not right now. People in need of help, remember?"
"Don't sass me. Anyways… you can help the guy lose his tail?"
"Of course!"
"Alright, in that case, take him to the cafe near our gym. And even if you can't shake of the tail, it's fine."
"Don't worry, I got it."
"Alright. And do not get into more trouble."
"Sir, Yes Sir!"
Izuku snickered when he heard Shouta grumbled and ended the call. He stuffed the phone back in his pocket and checked his current location. "Huh, I'm close."
It took two more minutes before he reached the place Dabi had given him the address of. It was near the end of the shopping district. It took another five minutes before he spotted the guy, hanging near a comic shop.
"Hey!" Izuku greeted me.
Dabi flinched and spun around alarmed, before relaxing when he noticed him. "Oh hey, tiny." He blinked and raised his eyebrow, "You came quick. I messaged you for like ten minutes."
"I'm fast," Izuku simply replied. He took a good look at the guy, and noticed he had more burn marks than before. He even looked more exhausted. The eyebags under his eyes were more prominent and a painful shade of purple. But he was wearing new clothes. Not the tattered one he had been wearing the last time. "Anyways, are you going somewhere?"
"No. Why? You got a place in mind?"
"Actually yeah," Izuku subtly glanced around, Aural Sense, Situation Awareness, and Ki all working to look for anyone who was watching them. It was hard. Izuku was getting too much sensory input, but he endured the pain until he was sure they were clear.
"Looks like no one else is coming." Izuku chirped, "Come on, let's go."
"Huh?" Izuku grabbed Dabi by his hand and pulled him in the direction of the cafe his Dad had asked them to meet up at.
"Did you call the Hero?"
"Yep!" Izuku replied, "He said he'll meet us soon."
"....are you sure he can help me?" Dabi asked hesitantly. Izuku frowned, not because of Dabi's lack of doubt, but because he was worried what could've concerned the guy this much.
"We won't know until we try." Izuku shrugged, "But I do know for sure, that he'll give his best to help you."
"...Okay."
***
It took fifteen minutes before Shouta met up with them. Looking tired and exhausted as ever, but just as alert, and vigilant. Izuku guessed it was because of how vague his explanation was. But then again, he himself didn't know what kind of problem Dabi was having. All Izuku knew that no ordinary person would have a title like 'The Walking Dead'. If it was anything similar to 'The Who Cheated Death', it could be dangerous.
Dabi didn't seem to mind the wait. Perfectly content with the kittens swarming up to him. Though he did tense up when he saw Shouta walk into the cafe.
"Problem Child." Shouta nodded at him, and then looked at Dabi, "Problem Child's Problem. How can I help?"
Dabi blinked, surprised at the nickname, and looked at Izuku. Izuku blushed and glared at his Dad, before shaking his head and decided to ignore it. "Eraserhead, this is Dabi. The guy I told you about."
Shouta nodded and turned his focus on Dabi, "He didn't tell me much, so I'll need you tell me as much as you can, or are comfortable with. Or if it's something that you can't talk about here, then I'll need you to give me an idea of what I'm dealing with."
Dabi stared at him for some time, and Izuku noticed him curling his hand up into tight fists under the table.
"What if it's about the Number Two Hero?"
Izuku looked up. Endeavor?
Wait… Endeavor's real name… isn't it Enji Todoroki?
Wait then why is-
"Depends. What happened?" Shouta asked, without any change in his expression.
Dabi kept quiet for a little longer, probably considering his options. He glanced at Izuku from the corner of his eyes before letting out a sigh and continuing. "My real name is Touya Todoroki. And legally, I'm supposed to be dead."
Izuku noticed the way Shouta immediately straightened up. He himself copied the action. Eyes wide with alarm.
"Touya Todoroki was declared dead at the age of 13." Dabi said, voice grave and expression neutral, "But… I only came close to burning to death. I was in a coma for 3 years, and before I went back… to that asshole, only to find that nothing's changed."
Izuku felt anger bubble up in his chest. Because if what was a assuming was correct, it was seriously fucked up.
"What caused the burning?"
Dabi pressed his lips together, glaring at the cup in front of him, before replying, "I… lost control of my quirk."
"Why?" Shouta asked.
Dabi sucked in a sharp breath, and hissed, "He abandoned me, and I was 13… and I… broke down."
Izuku heard himself sucking in a sharp breath and leaned away. Shouta looked to be as disturbed as him, but it was well hidden behind his mask of indifference.
"It's not the entire story, is it?" Shouta asked.
Dabit clenched his jaw and nodded, "No."
"Okay," Shouta nodded, "I know someone. A detective. He can help you."
"A detective?" Dabi, scoffed and raised an eyebrow, "Against Endeavor? "
Shouta nodded, "His name is Tsukauchi. His quirk is Lie Detection. You can tell him the entire story, and he'll know it's the truth." He took out his phone, probably to message the said Detective, "Problem Child said someone was following you, right? In that case, we need to get you off the streets."
"I don't have anywhere to go." Dabi said monotonously.
"It's not a problem." Shouta replied, "I can get you a safe place."
"...How are you sure he can help me? How are you sure you can help me?" Dabi asked.
Shouta looked up and met his eyes, "No one's above the law, kid. Not even the Number Two Hero. Plus, he and I got friends in high places."
"Friends like who?" Dabi asked suspiciously.
"You know Nedzu?"
"UA's principal?"
Shouta nodded, "Yeah, I got Nedzu for one, and-"
"All Might!" Izuku added.
Shouta nodded once again, "And All Might. Plus, Tsuakauchi is All Might's friend. So there's that too. And I'm an Underground Hero kid. Even Endeavor will know better than to mess with me directly. "
Dabi stared at Eraserhead silently, before lowering his head and asking in a quiet voice, "... Why are you doing this? I don't get it. Even tiny, was persistent in helping me. You two don't even know me." And for the first time, his voice quivered.
"You don't need to know someone to help them." Izuku replied. "You need help, and we want to help you. It's that simple."
Shouta shrugged, "What the Problem Child said. Plus, I'm a Pro-Hero, it's kinda in my job description."
Dabi snorted, and looked up. However, it was clear to both of them he had lowered his guard to them. His shoulders were as tense as before. Izuku sent a look at his Dad and smiled. Shouta stood up and looked at him.
"So what do you say, kid?" He asked, "I'm willing to help you. But I won't be able to do anything if you don't let me help you. So, what do you say?"
"... Okay… I'll take your help." Dabi replied in a quiet voice.
Izuku beamed.
***
As it turned out, the safe place for Dabi, ended up being Shout's apartment. The case turned out to be way more grave than it was initially assumed. Though Izuku didn't have much idea on it apart from what he had heard directly from Dabi. it was grave, and disturbing enough, that even his Dad, who was usually composed on the outside, was enraged . It was the first time Izuku had seen him come home, looking ready to kill.
However, the look on Dabi's face when he saw him in Shouta's apartment, playing with Coffee was hilarious. The guy stood stunned in the corridor with mouth hanging open for a good minute, before stuttering out, "What the fuck are you doing here?"
He looked even more dumbstruck when Shouta told him about their relation. Izuku spent a good minute or so snickering at the wide range of expressions on Dabi's face.
The case turned out to be far more elaborate, time consuming, and intricate than Izuku would have guessed. But then again it made sense given that the case was against the Number Two Hero. Izuku didn't have the slightest as to how deep the case went, but he was still angry for Dabi nonetheless.
At first Dabi had been awkward around them, only sticking by Izuku. And Izuku was more than happy to spend time with him whenever he could. He shifted all of his video game set up to Shouta's apartment. And of course, there was no way his mom wouldn't know about Dabi while he was living in Shouta's apartment. But Shouta only told her that it was related to a case, and he couldn't share much. His mom of course didn't question much about it, but she did fuss about Dabi's thin frame and malnourished condition. The poor guy looked so overwhelmed.
***
Izuku was in Shouta's apartment, studying for the entrance exam. Dabi was currently in his apartment, most likely looking for food because Shouta forgot to restock snacks in his kitchen. (" I'm telling mom!" Izuku declared when he noticed the lack of snacks. He ducked when Shouta shot his Capture Weapon at him, and ran away snickering. " Don't you dare- Izuku! Come back! Fuck- ")
His Situational Awareness perked up, notifying him that someone was coming. He looked up when he heard a rustle of feathers. A large shadow appeared right in front of him. His fight or flight instincts flared as he shot up from where he sat, and spun around, arms raised and ready to defend. His eyes widened when he saw familiar red feathers.
" Hawks?! " Izuku shrieked.
The Hero looked equally surprised seeing him on the other side of the divider, but then he grinned and waved his hand. Izuku walked over, and opened the divider to the balcony, "What are you doing here-"
"Hey, little bird." Hawks grinned. Izuku spluttered. Baby bird? Really? Do I look that young?
" Yes, " Shigaraki unhelpfully replied. " You look like you just turned 10 the other day. "
Izuku ignored it. He heard footsteps approaching and turned around to find Shouta coming out of his room with a slight frown on his face.
"I messaged you like five minutes ago." He muttered.
Hawks shrugged, "I'm fast."
Shouta sighed and shook his head, "There is a perfectly fine functioning door here, you know?"
"I know, but ," He pointed towards the balcony and then the divider, "I like to call it the Hawks door."
Shouta shook his head and pushed his hair back, "Whatever. Come inside." He looked at Izuku, "Kid, go to your room."
Izuku looked between him and Hawks. His dad knew him? But I thought he didn't work with most LimeLight Heroes? Especially the ones up in the top 10.
"This adorable little bird is your kid? No way. " Hawks said, walking inside after opening his boots picking it up in his hand.
"Shut up." Shouta replied monotonously. "Kid."
"Going!" Izuku replied and rushed to pick up his notebook and stationary. He cast one last glance at the two before walking out. As much as he was curious, he knew it wasn't business and he knew better than to butt his nose in his Dad's business without his permission.
Though as he walked out, he caught words like 'Project Wings', 'free' and 'UA.'
Huh. I wonder what they're working on.
***
Living with Dabi is fun. He's cool, and funny. Izuku realized that he likes to act tough, (he definitely is) and unimpressed with anything in sight. But then got all excited when he finally beat Izuku at a game, or when squirrels came up to him. (He likes squirrels a lot. And sometimes, when he goes out, he often comes back with at least one squirrel on his head, or shoulder.)
Dabi also liked to be dramatic. Especially with his clothes. He liked to wear jackets that were long and flowy enough to swoosh around every time he turned. And Dabi loves doing that. One time, he turned around, after finishing his conversation with Izuku but his cap apparently didn't swoosh enough to his satisfaction, so he turned around and leveled Izuku with an unimpressed stare and said, 'Am I clear?' and after Izuku muttered a confused yes, he nodded to himself before turning around more aggressively than he needed to, just so that he could let the jacket (cape?) swoosh after him in a wide arc.
Once the realization settled in, Izuku struggled to hold back his laugh.
Hawks had started visiting his Dad often for the last few months . Izuku isn't sure why, but it's probably something really important, and related to the hero mission, because right after Hawks' comes, Shouta does a full body sweep of the Hero, to make sure there aren't any bugs on him. And when he comes back home (if the apartment has been left alone while he was gone) he does a full sweep of the place. And despite the precaution, he puts up devices that Izuku after some research and observation found out were jammers— both for signals and audio.
Izuku found out about the second one accident. He hadn't meant to. He was practicing using his Ki combined with Selective Focus, and Aural Sense when he realized he can't hear anything from his Dad's apartment apart from a constant static. It had freaked him out the first time. Because one moment he could hear the footsteps, and muffled voice and then suddenly it was all gone.
Logically Izuku knows nothing could've happened while they were in the house, but Izuku's seen several unexplainable things happen— he died, and came to life, he has teleported into the middle of the Amazon, and Serengenti Plains, he can talk with vestiges— so he would panic anyways. Izuku knew that his Dad met up with Hawks outside of their apartment as well (Probably to throw off people who might be watching them. Because there's no pattern. Izuku tried finding one with the help of his skill and failed). Izuku knew about the meet ups outside of the apartment, because Shouta would come back home wearing the 'Hawks' expression, as Izuku liked to describe it. It's a mixture of suppressed anger, disgust, and a lot of concern.
(Shouta probably doesn't know, but he has a specific expression for everyone, and Izuku with the help of Ki, and Pattern Recognition, figured out as many as it could. The expressions weren't obvious, because his dad isn't a man of many emotions. But with enough observation, it became noticeable.)
While his Dad was with Hawks, Izuku would take the opportunity to drag Dabi out of the house to hang out with him. It's fun. And Dabi seemed to enjoy it as well.
Izuku had been on top of a roof, along with Dabi, when Hawks appeared. Izuku, of course, heard barely audible flaps of his wings as he descended without even looking. He turned around with a bright smile and waved at the Hero. Hawks looked surprised at first, before he grinned just as brightly at him.
"Hey, little bird." Hawks greeted, walking over to where they were sitting by the edge. Dabi spun around, eyes widened in alarm( It wasn't surprising given most people don't hear Hawks coming in with how quiet he can get) Then they settled on Hawks, and it changed. Izuku didn't even need to use Ki to be able to read their emotions.
The two just stared at each other for a moment, before Hawks shifted his weight onto one leg, eyed Dabi from head to toe, and smirked, "Who's the handsome guy, buddy?"
Izuku scrunched his nose. Objectively he knew Dabi was good looking. He was tall, and had a lean figure. His eyes were a pretty shade of electric blue. Even his scars somehow fit his persona. But it's still weird to hear someone call him... that because Dabi's been living next door (he's essentially living with them) for two month, and Dabi's like a big brother to him (Izuku's never had a big brother, and the idea of one made him so freaking happy and excited!).
Dabi sized Hawks as well, rolling his tongue across as his cheek as he did, before leaning back against the parapet and replying, "Didn't know there were pretty birds around here."
Hawks flushed. Oh my god, Hawks is blushing
Again, Izuku knew Hawks' good looking, as well. He's not dumb, or blind, thank you very much but still.
Izuku wondered if the two had forgotten about his presence. He checked his profile to make sure he hadn't activated Stealth by mistake.
"So, what do they call you?" Hawks asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Dabi. And you?"
The eyebrow raised further up, and his eyes sparkled. Hawks looked genuinely gleeful, and for once Izuku noticed there weren't any hidden emotions behind it.
"The names' Hawks. But you can call me whatever you want."
Izuku blinked, and tilted his head. Are they... Are they... is this flirting?
" Aww, you innocent little baby ." Nana cooed. Izuku blinked once again, and looked up to find Shigaraki sulking in the corner of the roof, with Shinomori trying to console him.
En only met his eyes for a moment before shrugging, and giving an OK sign.
"What if I call you fried chicken?" Dabi asked, raising his eyebrow to mirror Hawks'. Izuku gasped internally. Dabi, he's The Hawks, you can't just-
Hawks only shrugged in response, his grin never once faltering, "You know what they say about KFC. It's finger licking good ."
...I need to leave.
Izuku loudly cleared his throat, and the other blinked and looked at him surprised. Oh my god, they did forget about me-
Izuku cleared his throat once again, "If you don't mind, can you please take your flirting elsewhere and not taint my sacred roof."
Hawks at least had the decency to look embarrassed, cheeks tinting pink. Dabi looked way too smug for his own good.
" No! I will not! Let me sulk in peace !" Izuku heard Shigaraki complain. The guy turned to En looking betrayed and asked, " How are you fine like this? "
En only shrugged in response and walked to sit up on the parapet.
"Heh, sorry little bird," Hawks apologized, "Anyways, whatcha guys doing?"
"Tiny's freaking out about his entrance exam."
"Oh?" Hawks turned around and looked at him curiously, "Entrance Exam? For which school?"
"U.A" Izuku replied.
Izuku didn't know why but Hawks' face just lit up and he beamed, "You're going to U.A?"
"Mhmm. I want to. I hope to." Izuku replied.
Izuku again didn't understand why but Hawks' wings bristled with barely contained excitement. He glanced at Dabi but the older guy was busy staring at Hawks. Not checking out would be a more accurate term. Izuku needed bleach for his mind.
Why does it feel like letting these two meet was a bad idea, and I will eventually suffer because of it?
***
Izuku didn't know why Dabi never used his more powerful side of his quirk, FreezeFlame, and stuck to using the destructive side of it. But Izuku wasn't to judge. He knew, if he were given a powerful quirk like One For All, without System managing the outflow of its power, he would have broken several bones before he even came close to understanding how it worked.
Dabi had requested his help for the quirk activation, and Izuku was more than happy to help him with it. But each quirk activates differently, so he needed to have a base idea about how BlueFlames was triggered. He was surprised to find out that BlueFlames wasn't always blue but rather started out as a high temperature orange flame. With almost the same temperature as Endeavor's HellFlame.
When Izuku thought about it, it made sense. Because Endeavor's HellFlame is just the perfect temperature to balance out Dabi's extremely powerful ice quirk. He was never supposed to improve his flames. The flames weren't the actual weapon, but rather the vessel for a more powerful one.
It would also explain why BlueFlame manifested so early in his body. It was so that his body would be prepared and equipped for when his actual quirk manifested. But that never happened, because Dabi was trained solely to train his fire quirk. His actual quirk manifested but never had the chance to be controlled. So his body grew colder and colder, instead of the other way around.
BlueFlame was triggered by huge emotional distress. Which is more than not the trigger of several stressed induced quirk manifestations. But if his quirk was manifeste from extreme emotion, then Izuku assumed FreezeFlame should be manifested the same way.
So, after Dabi's regular meet up with Detective Tsukauchi related to his case, along with Shouta, they went to a rented gym meant solely for quirk practice. Courtesy of Tsukauchi, the place was a high end gym, and could withstand the extreme temperatures of Dabi's quirk.
"So, where do I start, green bean?" Dabi asked, once they entered the gym.
"First…" Izuku thought about how he worked with One For All. "Feel it out."
"Feel it out?" Dabi frowned,"Whatcha mean?"
"The cold." Shouta explained, "You say your body feels cold all the time, right? Try focusing the cold on your finger tips. The same way you focus your fire."
So with that, Dabi sat down on the floor, and worked on focusing the feeling of his quirk on his fingertips. Izuku knew it would take time. It took him two months with Fire Breathing, but that didn't mean he didn't get bored easily. So, while Dabi was busy concentrating, Izuku dragged Shouta to spar with him in the other half of the room. It wasn't just for escaping his boredom though. Shouta was a proficient fighter. And what Izuku wanted was for Dabi to realize that as of now, the strongest person in the room was Eraserhead.
Izuku knew it worked, despite taking time. Shouta and he weren't sparing as much as they were dancing. The fight was pre-choreographed. They were just executing the already known steps with speed and precision. It was nothing more than a show. But Dabi didn't need to know that, yet.
Izuku had spent a long time, after Dabi's request, thinking about his quirk. He had deduced Dabi's quirk manifestation trigger was extreme emotions. But given that his quirk has never manifested before, even by accident, it meant the required emotion was something Dabi had never felt before.
Izuku thought long and hard about it. He had seen Dabi painted with several emotions. When they first met, Dabi stinked of hatred, and revenge. The hatred inside burned with an unadulterated passion. He had also seen the man jealous. It radiated off of him in waves when they walked down the park. Though Izuku never figured out what caused it, because by the time he turned around, Dabi would reel back his emotions to a trained neutral.
Dabi would never come for his help if it was something he could do by himself. He liked being independent. So, Izuku knew that Dabi must have tried activating his ice side of the quirk to the point where his frustration turned to anger. So, the required trigger wouldn't be anger or frustration.
It can't be joy either. Quirk manifested as a form of evolution. And evolutions like that happen to ensure the continuation of species. Quirks manifested to make humans stronger, and keep them protected. If one was happy, they had to feel safe as well. It was rare for the feeling of joy and safety to be exclusive to each other.
So what does it leave me with?
Pattern recognition wracked his mind to find an answer. The same skidded into his mind at the same time En whispered it for him.
Fear.
Izuku grinned and jumped away from Shouta's range of attacks. Shouta, being amazing as he is, didn't look surprised, or startled and pretended to come to a stop as if it was planned. Izuku looked at Dabi, until the guy noticed his stare and looked up at him.
"What?"
Izuku grinned wide with all his teeth bared.
He didn't answer Dabi, and looked to his side to check his profile. He didn't need to do that, but intimidation, you know.
"What is he doing?" He heard Dabi ask as Izuku clicked onto his Telempathy skill.
"Using his quirk," Shouta replied.
"I thought his quirk told him about people's quirk?" Dabi replied incredulously
Izuku didn't need to look to know Shouta shrugged before replying in his same low, gruff voice, "It's a part of it."
"Then, what is his quirk?"
"You're about to find out." Izuku answered coolly as he established a Telempathic link with Shouta. Izuku shared his idea with the man, while making plans to execute it. He checked the amount of Points he needed to level up his Skills.
"System, transfer 100 points to Dominance." Izuku muttered.
"What?" Dabi asked, confused, and incredulous.
Izuku looked at him with feigned innocence and shrugged, "Nothing."
He needed 50 points per level up until level 10, before the required prince increased. The system was far too meticulous to let him get ridiculous cheats. Not that Izuku minded it at all. (Izuku preferred grinding to gain levels, but right now he needed an immediate boost to it.)
His Dominance was currently at Level 5. Level 7, after the paid level ups. It wouldn't be nearly enough to intimidate an A Ranked Quirk User like Dabi, but it will make him alert, and consider him a threat. That's what he needed for the moment.
He looked at Shouta, "Eraserhead, lend me your knife for a moment."
"Wait, what? Why-" Dabi asked, but Izuku ignored him as he walked over to take the knife from Shouta's hand.
" You're a menace.' " He heard his Dad say as he grabbed the weapon. Izuku fought hard to suppress the smile threatening to form on his face, lest he broke character. He needed Dabi to be scared. And Izuku knew from personal experience that everyone is scared when they're about to die.
Izuku activated Perfect Aim, and threw the knife at Dabi. It glided past Dabi's ears, cutting off a bit of his hair before embedding itself on the wall behind him.
" Too close. " Shouta scolded.
"What the fuck?" Dabi ducked his head out of reflex, "That could've killed me tiny."
Izuku grinned sharply, and took an offensive stance, "I know."
He activated Sprint, Stealth, and Dominance and moved. Izuku didn't actually need to hurt Dabi. He couldn't willingly hurt Dabi. But he could make it seem like he wanted to hurt— no, kill him —and that would be enough. Plus, it's not like Izuku could actually hurt him if he wanted. Higher rank, and huge gap in stats. Plus, he would need his Heat Resistance at level 50, if he wanted to survive his BlueFlames with just second degree burns. He was currently at Level 10. There was no way he would survive.
Dabi ducked as Izuku lurched at him, but Izuku wasn't going for him in the first place. He grinned and pulled the knife out of the wall before spinning around and attacking Dabi once again.
"Stop!" Dabi yelled, "The fuck are you doing, tiny?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Izuku asked in a calm voice, pressing his hand on Dabi's shoulder as he jumped over him, and swung his knife. Dabi narrowly avoided it. "I'm trying to kill you."
Dabi was a trained fighter. Possibly even more trained than him. And more experienced. He 'died' when he was 13, and had been training since he was 4. (Sometimes, Izuku considered showing up at Endeavor's Agency and punching that guy in his flame covered face.) That's 9 years of training. Izuku only had 5 years of it.
If Izuku hadn't activated Stealth, Dabi would have been able to read his movements like reading a book. It would have ruined the whole plan. Izuku isn't experienced like his Dad, he can't project his hostility into his movements.
"What? Why?" Dabi asked, sounding somewhat betrayed.
Izuku almost faltered at the sound of Dabi's voice. Guilt bubbling up to his throat. But Concentration suppressed it, and cleared his mind. Izuku gritted his teeth, and clenched his jaw. He didn't bother answering Dabi. And stopped letting Dabi have any chance to speak either. He wouldn't be able to take it.
Izuku grabbed Dabi's hand and twisted it around his back, pressing his palm against his back. If Dabi used his flame, it would end up hurting him. Izuku knew Dabi panicked in that moment. Knew that if fell down, he would die.
His dormant quirk exploded.
Izuku felt himself being thrown backwards from the sheer force of it. The temperature in the room dropped suddenly and rapidly. A thick layer of frost spread out, with thick white condensation tailing it. Making it seem like white flames were spreading out on the floor. It was too quick and Izuku found himself frozen.
He felt his lungs burn as the air around them started to freeze. Shards of ice formed in the air. Izuku looked up just as five icicles in the shape of hexagonal diamonds came to a stop, a few inches away from his face.
Izuku looked at them wide eyed.
Pattern Recognition drew imaginary lines connecting the floating ice shards. Together they created a much bigger, more intricate geometric design. Like a huge snowflake.
Izuku knew all of those shards, and the icicles in front of him were sharp enough to cut him just by a simple touch. But he just couldn't resist the urge to touch them. It was just so dangerously beautiful.
Dark red stained the icicle. Izuku could barely feel the sting of the cut over the numbness of his fingers. It was then that the alarms in his head started to blare. He hadn't told Dabi entirely about the nature of his quirk. He didn't know that his quirk could suck out heat from his body.
Izuku reminded himself to breathe.
The glow of his mark reflected against the icicle, creating an almost greenish halo. His body's temperature slowly, very slowly rose. He looked up to check on his Dad. He didn't seem like he was affected by the burst from the quirk. But he did look like the cold was affecting him. And Dabi-
And Dabi-
He looked so betrayed.
Izuku felt his lips quiver and eyes water.
Onslaught of blue notification popped up in front of him.
[Cold Resistance is fighting against the low temperatures!]
[Cold Resistance is fighting against the low temperatures!]
[Cold Resistance is fighting against the low temperatures!]
[Cold Resistance is fighting against the low temperatures!]
[Cold Resistance is fighting against the low temperatures!]
Then as if a switch was flipped, all the blue messages turned into ardent red.
[Cold Resistance has failed to block the cold!]
[Cold Resistance has failed to block the cold!]
[Cold Resistance has failed to block the cold!]
[Cold Resistance has failed to block the cold!]
He felt was so, so cold and sad, and guilty.
Suddenly the icicles dropped, and Izuku looked up. Through the fuzz of his misty eyes, he saw his Dad's eyes glowing red.
"Dabi, stop." He said, voice alarmed, "It's too cold. Use your flames!"
Dabi seemed to hesitate for a second, and Izuku dropped down to his knees. The image of Dabi looking at him so utterly betrayed played in his mind, over, and over again.
"I'm sorry, Dabi." Izuku cried, "I swear I wasn't going to hurt you."
Blue flames danced on his palms. Dabi knelt down as pressed his palm flat against the sheet of frost. The frost hissed as the heat melted it. Dense white vapors rose from the ground.
"Quirks respond to the body, more specifically the surge of an unknown or uncommon emotion for that person." Shouta explained, "Izuku figured your emotion must be fear."
Izuku couldn't see the expression on Dabi's face. Too busy trying to keep his body heated. Breathing in, and exhaling. Dense wide condensation forced past his clenched teeth. Snaking around his face to form a ring. His toes and fingers were already numb. Red rings formed around his anklet were the ice touch. It was so cold, it burned.
"I'm sorry." Izuku cried, "Please, don't hate me."
His vision was blurry, but he was sure if it was because of the cold or his tears. A ringing sound echoed in his ears. He cringed, and touched his ears, only to realize he can't feel it.
No.
I can't feel my fingers.
"Dabi, hurry," Shouta urged, "I'm bringing a thermal blanket."
Izuku grunted as he took in deep breaths. He knew he had time before he got hypothermia, the dryness of the room helped, but that didn't make it any easier. His numb fingers and toes ached. He wasn't remotely dressed enough for a temperature this low.
A scarred hand appeared around his legs. Izuku frowned.
"You're hurting." He pointed out.
"It's fine." Dabi replied, "Nothing I've never felt before."
Izuku frowned harder and pouted, "That doesn't make it any better."
Dabi chuckled, and Izuku let out a sigh as the frost around his ankle melted away.
"I'm sorry for attacking you." Izuku mumbled.
Dabi chuckled once again, the flames on his palm faded away, until they were barely visible.
"You looked damn scary back there," Dabi commented, "I pity the villains who will have to go against you in the future." He held his hand in front of him, "I'm going to use my flames to heat up your body. I promise it won't hurt."
Izuku shook his head, "It's fine. I can handle burns."
"...that's… that's concerning." Izuku looked up and found the elder frowning.
Izuku grinned, and tapped on his cheeks where marks still glowed. "It's my quirk. I can handle a bit of heat."
"Yeah speaking of which, what is your quirk? Seriously? I'm so confused." Dabi asked, holding his hand inches away from Izuku's arms, so that the flames didn't touch him. Izuku's body soaked in the heat from the flames like a sponge soaking in water.
God, I'm never going to stop using the breathing techniques.
Shouta came back, carrying a cup of something warm, and a thermal blanket with him.
"Here, drink this." He said, kneeling down in front of him, "Warm yourself your up." Izuku mumbled a quiet thank and took the cup from his Dad. The rich scent of chocolate invdaded his mouth. But just as he was about to drink it, he felt someone hit his head. Whining softly, he rubbed the spot and looked up at his Dad.
"That's for making me stand and watch."
"'M sorry." He mumbled around the rim of the cup and took in a big gulp of the drink.
"Also, why are your cheeks still glowing?" Dabi asked, "Why are they glowing in the first place?"
"Part of his/my quirk." Shouta and Izuku said at the same time.
"Why you, though?" Dabi asked, "I'm pretty sure I would've been more scared, more quickly, if he attacked me." He said pointing his thumb towards Shouta.
Izuku sniffed, and inhaled deeply. Feeling the heat slowly return to his body. It felt so nice as his body warmed up with each breath.
"He's currently your guardian." Izuku replied, "I didn't think it would be a good idea to let him attack you."
Dabi looked at him like he was an alien. If Shouta had been more expressive, he would probably be mirroring the guy's expression.
"... you… you're unbelievable." Dabi breathed out in the end and shook his head. He looked at Shouta, "What are you teaching him?"
"I didn't teach anything. He came like that." Shouta muttered, stretching his lips to form a thin line.
Izuku went home on Shouta's back, and wrapped around in Dabi's leather jacket.