Chapter Text
“Hey, it’s okay. I’m okay. You didn’t hurt me, sweetheart.” Dabi was saying softly and Izuku slumped a little in relief, eyes slipping closed briefly to cover whatever emotion was currently surging through him.
Guilt? Very much so. But only really for taking away the other’s choice and for the pain that was clearly written across his face as the child’s quirk coursed through him. For the results? Smug. Relieved. Hopeful. Especially when the man’s words confirmed that his mind hadn’t been reversed as well. He was sure a pre-bridge Touya would not be this calm about all of this.
He opened his eyes and met Dabi’s gaze, the guilt shining through easily. The look he received in return confirmed further that the older man’s mind was still its correct age, very clearly telling him that Dabi was
not
buying the ‘it was an accident, i froze up’ story that he was already spinning in preparation.
Had it been a risk? Absolutely. There was literally no counting the ways that this could have gone wrong. But the ways it could go right? There were so many opportunities open for the man next to him now that he no longer matched the description of a wanted criminal.
Izuku was positive that Dabi had never once told anyone in the League about his past. If he were to change his name, or pick up his old one once more, and move on with his life then no one would be the wiser. Sure, some heroes might suspect but no one would say anything for fear of upsetting Endeavor.
The teen hummed at the thought, mind traveling deeper into the possibilities of what would happen if Enji Todoroki ever saw Dabi again. Would he be happy to see him? Would he attack him? There were too many variables to tell which way that gamble could go. Still, no one would look at the now white haired teenager and think ‘Mass Murdering Criminal’.
Dabi could be
free.
An elbow knocked into Izuku’s knee, dragging him out of his thoughts and back into the present situation. Eri’s sobs had slowed down significantly, turning into quiet little hiccups. Dabi rose from the ground and very carefully sat down on the sofa next to her, a hand coming up to rub her back gently. Blue eyes met green once more and Izuku took the hint to sink down onto the sofa on the child’s other side.
They could figure out what this meant in the long run, later. Right now, Eri needed him to be present in the moment.
“Hey, it’s okay. You
helped
him, Eri.” Izuku murmured softly, smiling at her when she looked up at him in disbelief. He motioned at Dabi and let his smile grow a little bit. “Look at him, at his scars. They’re not completely healed but the worst of it is gone, right?”
The little girl’s eyes flickered away from Izuku to Dabi, curiosity in her tear filled eyes as she took in the sight of the older man. Gone were the staples that had marred his face before. The lines of his scars were softer as well, less harsh as they cut across half of his face. The burns still dipped down below his shirt, yes, but they were less purple and if Izuku were to place a bet he’d say that they stopped just a little past Dabi’s collar bones.
One of Dabi’s hands came up, reaching out carefully to let the little girl drag her fingers over the unblemished skin on the back of his arm. Dabi’s eyes never left Eri’s face, gauging her reaction as she took in the ways that her quirk had changed his physical appearance. His entire face softened even more as she let out a shuddering little breath and half collapsed into his side, burying her face in his shirt.
Izuku’s lips twitched into a soft smile at the sight, watching as Dabi wrapped his arm around her and let her process her thoughts. His free hand came up to carefully drag his fingers through her hair, trying to soothe her a little without overwhelming her again.
For a moment, he let himself just take in the other changes to Dabi’s appearance. His face, while changed a little from the lack of deep scar tissue and staples, was younger than even Izuku had ever seen it. Softer, somehow. Izuku would bet if they stood up right now the older one would also be a few inches shorter than he’d been just a few minutes ago.
Younger. Dabi was younger now, without a doubt. If Izuku had to hazard a guess he’d put the other at fifteen or sixteen now.
Tearing his eyes away from the two of them, trying to hold off the storm of thoughts that realization brought him off for a moment, he reached out to pluck his phone up off of the cushion next to him. The screen lit up, telling him it was early in the morning. His breath stuttered, though, at the dozens of notifications that also lit up.
Biting his lip, he slid his finger over the screen and started sorting through them carefully. There was a missed call from Hizashi, probably checking in when he didn’t call him but before he had a chance to talk to Shouta. There were several messages to the class group chat and a quick scan of them showed the class speculating about Izuku’s roll in Overhaul’s hissy fit in the street yesterday. He wanted to protest but held off. Later, when things were settled down, he’d fuss at them about putting information where it could be easily hacked as well.
Instead, he scrolled through the rest of his notifications. Another missed call, this time from Kacchan. Unsurprising. Even more unsurprising was the expletive filled text from the blonde telling him to be safe and to call him the moment he could. That drew a small smile from him as he cleared it out. Leave it to Kacchan to be a mother hen. Dabi probably had a similar text message from him, too.
The smile fell, though, when his phone pinged softly with a new notification. A new text, from his dad, flashed across the screen.
‘
Things are developing here. I’m trying to handle it but Nighteye is hinting at bringing All Might in. Up to you if you want to call or show your face before he has a chance to poison the water.’
Ever tuned to Izuku and his mood, Dabi’s gaze was on him the moment his breath hitched. Gritting his teeth in an attempt not to curse and scare Eri, Izuku held the phone out to him so he could see the screen. His brows furrowed as his gaze bounced back to Izuku, hold tightening on the little girl just a little.
They both were having the same thought, then. If All Might was given even an ounce of control over this situation then the chance of Nighteye trying to either use Eri as a pawn or just handing her over to the commission was high. Dad would try but everyone knew how much Nighteye had idolized All Might before they’d stopped working together.
If Izuku could get his claws into the man first, plant a seed of doubt that All Might and the commission were best suited to deal with a traumatized child. Let alone a traumatized child with a powerful and dangerous quirk. Dabi’s lips pulled down in a scowl as Izuku’s thoughts played across his face, the teen’s gaze dropping down to Eri contemplatively. He gave himself a brief moment to admire the way that Dabi just seemed to always
know
where Izuku’s mind was going.
A silent conversation passed between the two of them, a small wave of Izuku’s hand and a quirking of Dabi’s eyebrows. The teen huffed, offended, and flipped Dabi off before he reached out to gently pet the girl’s hair.
He flashed her a bright smile when instead of shying away, she just shifted so she could peak up at him without letting go of the iron grip she had on Dabi’s shirt.
“Eri, baby, we need to ask you to be brave for a little while. Can you do that for us?” He asked softly, tucking a stray strand of hair that had escaped her ponytail behind her ear and out of her face. He’d have to stop at a store on the way out of town to get her some proper clothes, he mused to himself as he waited for her answer.
She chewed on her lip, thinking, before nodding a little and shifting so she could grab onto Izuku’s shirt with her other hand.
“My dad is a hero.” He continued now that she was watching him cautiously. “A really good one. And he’s working on making sure that Overhaul can’t hurt you ever again, okay?” His heart broke a little as her lip quivered at the mention of the villain’s name but he pressed on. “But we need to go meet him and the other heroes where they’re working because some of the other heroes need help understanding what’s going on. Dabi and I will be there the whole time with you, I promise. No one will hurt you, we won’t let them. Understand?”
He could see the hesitation in her eyes. And the fear. If she said no, he’d settle for calling and threatening Nighteye with exposure of grooming and the ruin of hero society with what he knew about One for All. It wouldn’t be ideal and definitely wouldn’t win the man’s help later on down the road. But it would do the job of keeping All Might away from the entire situation and keeping Eri safe.
It just wouldn’t be as effective as placing the little girl in front of the Hero and letting him see for himself what was at stake. If she stayed out of sight then he could detach and convince himself that everything he did was for the greater good or whatever. Face to face with her, however, he’d have no heart to truly throw her to the wolves. He had to believe that someone that worked that closely to All Might and also had the admiration and respect of someone like Mirio had a heart. And no one with a heart would be able to look Eri in the eye and do anything that could hurt her.
Plus, if he saw how attached to Dabi and Izuku she was then he’d have an easier time convincing him that U.A would be the safest place for her after all of this was said and done. That he’d be tearing her away from the only stable and safe people she had and it could hinder her healing to take her away. Then they’d have a more reputable aly in their corner when it came to the commission.
(And, if push came to shove, he could plant the story of the Roof. Could maybe poison the water around All Might and his allies just a little bit more. Give the man less and less influence.)
Over Eri’s head, he could see Dabi scowling at him a little and fought the urge to fidget. Surely the man knew the protective instinct he felt was mirrored in Izuku. That he wouldn’t do anything to actually put the little girl in harm’s way. He chewed on his lip for a moment and Dabi’s gaze softened just a little.
“It would be the fastest way to make sure that bird brain can’t ever hurt you again.” He said, bringing Eri’s attention back to him and giving her a small smile. “We just want to keep you safe, I promise.”
She was silent for a long moment, long enough that Izuku was already spinning his argument for the phone call to Nighteye in his mind and the best way to make the man give in, before nodding her head a little.
“O-Okay. I can be brave.” She said softly, sitting up a little straighter and turning her gaze back to Izuku. It warmed and broke his heart in equal measure to see the determination in her eyes and as he leaned down to press a light kiss to the top of her head he vowed that nothing was going to hurt her ever again.
He’d make damn sure of it.