First things first: GUYS! I DID IT. I FINALLY COMPLETED A MULTI-CHAPTER STORY. I'm so fucking proud of myself. Thank you all so much to those who were here since the beginning and joined along the way, and especially those who gave me such wonderful comments. Special thanks to my beta reader (BokuNoW on here) as well for listening to my half-baked ideas :D
Anyways, there will be a special announcement I make in the next "chapter" I post, so stick around for just a little longer
Also! I have a tumblr! You can find it in my bio- in there I post updates on all my stories and announcements for any new projects in the works, feel free to check it out!
And last thing: I'm not sure when it'll be posted, but I'm making a special one shot for Himiko and Julie that I couldn't fit in here. It'll be called Blood Oath and won't be necessary to read, but I hope those that do like it!
chapter ten: I'm here for you, always
"So what does Ink-san think of me hanging out with you so much?" Himiko asked, swinging her mask in a lazy circle as she sipped on yet another coconut shell. Izuku walked beside her, a content smile on his face as he embraced the cooler breeze. The weather was finally starting to cool down enough to be comfortable.
The two had gotten closer over the days; Himiko would walk him to and from school to give Bakugou a piece of her mind if he tried anything, and Izuku often stayed over to play video games with Dabi and talk about Quirks with Tenko. Himiko hadn't realized how interested the two were in the subject, and it usually took Dabi dunking them both in cold water to get them to stop. Himiko giggled to herself after remembering one time where Dabi accidentally shorted out the console and they had to get a new one after Tenko tried to Dust him.
Izuku was particularly interested in both her brothers' Quirks because of Dabi's lack of resistance to his own flames, and the nature behind Tenko's Decay Quirk. Izuku had yet to ask what hers was, and she was grateful for it.
"Oh she loves it!" Izuku chirped, smile growing into a grin. "She's happy I finally made some friends, and she seems to get along really well with Chiba-san."
Izuku remembered fondly of how, a few days ago, Himiko had been walking him over to her house, and Kacchan had cornered them.
It had been a relatively normal day—he had gone to school and Himiko-chan walked him home after. Kacchan kept glaring at Izuku with a foul look all through the day, but he had kept his usual distance, so it hadn't really bothered him, but on the way to Izuku's apartment, he and his goons had cornered them in a deserted alleyway.
Himiko-chan had tensed noticeably and stood to take a defensive stance before Izuku, eyes wary as she stared the boys down.
"What do you what, Bakugou?" she asked in a quiet, menacing voice. Izuku took notice of the bandage on the blond's nose and almost laughed, but he kept his eyes focused as he tried to find an escape route that unfortunately didn't exist. Why do they never make alleys with a back route? Izuku thought in exasperation. Do construction workers realize how many muggings and assaults they could prevent?
Glowering a bit in frustration, Izuku was able to catch the tail end of Kacchan's words: "You really wanna hang around a Quirkless loser like Deku? You think you can get away with attacking me? I'm going to U.A. High, and if you think you're strong enough to take me on, you're dead wrong."
Izuku froze in place, wide eyes trained on Himiko as she glared at the boy. Oh no, he thought, oh no oh no- she knows. But Himiko's reaction wasn't what he was expecting.
She laughed.
She laughed hard, and long, and loud.
"What," she gasped, "you really think U.A. is gonna take in a pathetic fuck like you? Someone who prays on the defenseless and threatens to kill them? Don't make me laugh, asshole, you'd be lucky to be accepted to a regular high school. Heroes aren't just some nobodies with an ego; they help people, and the only thing I've seen you do is hurt someone that's supposed to be your friend. If you have any sense or brains, you'll stay the fuck away from us, or my mom will sue your sorry ass."
(Despite what she said about Heroes, she didn't seem to believe it.)
With that, Himiko grabbed Izuku's limp hand and dragged him away. She didn't seem to notice the way Izuku had paled dangerously or the gob-smacked looks on the others' faces.
Twice now Himiko has stood up to Kacchan and left unscaved, and if she did it a third time Izuku might just die.
"Izuku-chan," Himiko chided lightly, "Julie said you can just call her Julie." Izuku offered an apologetic smile, but said nothing else. That was else something he noticed- the only time Himiko-chan had ever called Julie her mom was during that altercation, and she never said anything about it since. He privately wondered what was up with that, but didn't dare call her on it.
Their family was an odd thing, but it was clear they all cared for each other.
Maybe he could be a part of that some day.
—
"Oh my god, Hitoshi, why the hell are you putting milk in the batter?" Julie laughed, not believing the sight before her. Hitoshi was somehow covered head to toe in flour, mixer in hand, with raw egg in their fucking hair. They offered her a sheepish grin.
"You put it on the counter so I thought…"
Julie just laughed harder. "No, you goofball, the milk is to dip the cookies in."
"…ohhhhhhhhh."
Ruffling their hair and uncaring of the raw egg that smeared on her hand, she took the milk carton from the kid and put it back in the fridge. They were still smiling awkwardly when she turned back around, but she didn't mind much—she was just glad they looked happy.
"Well, you didn't put too much in, so it should be fine. Hopefully we can salvage it and no one will notice. I swear, none of you have baked a fucking cookie in your life…" She tsked crossly, grabbing another egg that hopefully wouldn't find its way into their hair. The kid would need a shower for sure after this.
"My family doesn't really celebrate holidays so there's no need for cookies, and my aunt is shit at baking. Plus I'm not allowed around knives," Hitoshi said, almost casually, but Julie noticed the way their actions had slowed down a bit and how their smile seemed to strain.
Deciding she shouldn't get involved in that subject today, Julie changed the topic as gracelessly as a cat dunked in water.
"Well since you don't celebrate Christmas, you're definitely sleeping over when December rolls around. We gotta get you all caught up with the festivities because you deserve it, kid. I'm willing to bet you don't get a lotta presents, so I'm changing that, got it?" Julie said with a smile, cracking the egg and adding it to the bowl. She spotted Hitoshi tearing up a bit from the corner of her eye, but she didn't comment.
Wordlessly, they started mixing the new egg with the mixer, and the two continued in comfortable silence.
That was until the front door banged open with an obnoxious, "We're baaaaaack!" followed by, "Himiko-chan, not so loud!"
Grinning, Julie called, "Hey, guys! We're in the kitchen if you wanna join us."
There was muffled speech she couldn't quite catch, an oof as someone fell over, then the sound of rushing footsteps. Himiko rounded the corner with a flourish, but Izuku crashed into her because of the abrupt halt.
"Fuck!"
"Sorry, Himi-chan!"
"Shut the fuck up!"
"Ahh…" Hitoshi mumbled awkwardly. "Seems the cryptid has emerged from its cave."
"Dude, what-" Julie wheezed, accidentally inhaling flour that was floating in the air and starting a coughing fit. "My kids are so fucking stupid," she managed between hacks.
"Objection!" Tenko screamed from down the hall.
"No no, she's got a point," Himiko agreed, managing to untangle herself from Izuku-kun in a flail of limbs. She sniffed the air. Made a face. "What the hell is-"
"COOKIES!" Tenko screamed, again. A door slammed shut a second later, then said teen was racing around the corner-
-only to trip over Izuku, who was still lying on the floor.
"Ow!"
"FUCK-"
"STOP FUCKING SCREAMING!" Julie screamed, glaring at Tenko when he purposefully screamed no back at her. Hitoshi stood beside her, hands over their ears with a nonchalant expression, already used to their 3pm bullshit.
"This family is such a mess," Himiko sighed dramatically, expression that of an old lady who lost her husband at sea.
"Excuse you, I'm a fucking delight," Tenko snapped, untangling himself from poor little Izuku and offering him a gloved hand up.
"You're a fucking nightmare is what you are," Julie said with an eyeroll. Tenko just flipped her off.
"Speaking of nightmares, where's Dabi's ugly mug?" Himiko asked, sitting up from her place on the floor.
"Since you're the one that stitched him up, isn't that a blow against you?" Tenko asked skeptically.
"The sun looks really pretty today, doesn't it?"
"That's the ceiling and no."
"Stop staring at the fucking sun," Julie snapped, "I don't want to buy more glasses than nessacary."
"Is Dabi still wearing glasses? Can't you just replace the contacts?" Izuku asked curiously from beside Tenko. The two had taken a seat on the couch when it was obvious the cookies weren't ready yet. The two were bonding over Quirks, but they seemed to be getting along outside of that specific topic too. Julie was glad he wasn't just talking to people online anymore.
"No, Julie replaced them, but then Dabi smashed his glasses. He said he would rather go blind than wear something he was dared to get," Hitoshi piped up, a pair of oven mitts on their hands as they placed the baking tray in the oven and started the timer. Must've prepped them while I was dealing with the hellions, Julie mused.
"Oh, hey, Hitoshi." Himiko smiled, waltzing into the kitchen like she wasn't banned after playing the Knife Game to see what they were up to. "What pronouns are we using today?"
"They/them," Julie answered, grabbing a paper towel to wipe down the counter as Hitoshi began setting the used bowls and mixer in the sink.
Shooing Himiko back into the living room portion of the room, Julie cleaned off her hands after throwing away the towels, taking a seat next to Tenko.
"Where's Dabi at?" Tenko asked from where he was flipping through something on his phone.
"Oh right, he's out with some friends at the café," Julie said.
"What?" Tenko screamed in disbelief, eyes wide as his phone slipped from his grasp.
"HE'S GOT FRIENDS?" Himiko schreeced, and suddenly Julie very much regretted adopting kids.
—
Dabi waved goodbye to Keigo and Rumi as he headed home, mood in a better place than it had been in days. That wasn't to say he was unhappy at home, but it was...nice, being able to hang out with people his own age that weren't his siblings. It had been a long time since he last checked in on his friends, so he was glad they were all able to slip out for a few hours today after contacting him a couple days ago. It had been a shock, to say the least, when he got an unexpected PM on his gamer account.
chicken strips
yo is this todoroki touya?
He was scared, at first, remarkably so, when he saw his old name; who he used to be. He wasn't that person anymore. He didn't want to be that person anymore.
The message had been sent a few hours ago, but he had been in an online class for high school and couldn't check it, and he procrastinated answering, trying to figure out who it was. The only contact with people he had outside the house were his teachers and Izuku, and none of them knew his birth name. He spent another hour deciding what to do, but when nothing immediately came to mind, he resigned to telling Julie if anything went wrong.
i didnt start the fire
..who is this?
chicken strips
joe mama
who else
i didnt start the fire
nice try but my moms insane
chicken strips
Touya?
i didnt start the fire
...who is this? i dont want any trouble
chicken strips
TOU YOU IGNORANT SLUT ITS KEIGO
WHERE. HAVE. YOU. BEEN.
BED EMPTY, NO NOTE
i didnt start the fire
KEIGO?!
chicken strips
I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD, YOU HAVENT BEEN SEEN
i didnt start the fire
..oH
DUDE
IM SO SORRY
ITS NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
chicken strips
i wonT HESITATE BITCH
i didnt start the fire
IC AN EXPALN
chicken strips
A BITCH DIES TONIGHT
It was funny, looking back on the exchange, as he tried to explain to his old sparring partner that he was alive, happy, and well...and then he had gotten Rumi involved.
He still shuddered thinking about it.
After several hours of reasurences that he would message them every day and meet up with them, the three managed to slip back into their old routines.
Rumi continued to belittle and challenge them every chance she got, Keigo and Dabi teamed up against her and still got their asses kicked for their efforts, and Dabi was, well, happy, to see his old friends again. Both of them were still apparently working for the Commission, but her contract was almost up, and soon she would be an independent Pro Hero.
They had much to talk about and catch up on years of thinking one dead and the others too busy training, and they told each other all about their hobbies and interests they did in their limited free time.
Dabi had taken up an interest in drawing some years ago and the theaters, and Julie had been nothing but encouraging since, going as far as to get him specially customized sketch paper and utensils, even buying tickets to any local musicals starting up. Dabi had been ecstatic and was considering even trying out for one.
Rumi had taken a fascination for old myths and legends, even going so far as to base her future Hero costume off one in particular. She especially liked kick-boxing and sports like soccer and football since they required a lot of running and kicking a ball as hard as you could at something. She has really grown into herself (physically and emotionally), and she seemed pretty happy with who she was now.
Keigo, after some prompting, finally admitted to reading mystery novels in his free time and even creating some of his own songs. It helped strengthen his voice and gave him a confidence boost, and the Commission rather liked his interest in mystery and puzzle-solving. They said it would make him a more rounded Hero, which of course took the opposite effect and he was more reluctant to read now, but he still managed to scrounge up something time-consuming and hardcore for whenever he was in the mood.
Overall, Dabi was glad they were all able to reconnect again, and had said as much. He was teased by Rumi of course, but he didn't mind. Leaving the café with a smile, he headed home. The walk was uneventful, but he was feeling rather tired once he reached the house, and was looking forward to a nap.
Opening the front door, Dabi was immediately assaulted by the smell of…cookies?
It's literally like three in the afternoon, Dabi thought in bemusement, sneezing when a cloud of flour floated in from the kitchen. A shout of welcome quickly followed the sneeze.
"Hey, Dabi's home!" Himiko screamed, sounding far too excited by this. Suspiciously, Dabi kicked his shoes off by the front door and wandered into the kitchen, nodding his head to Hitoshi and Izuku-kun in greeting. Hitoshi was picking absently under his—their—finger nails, trying to get out some batter still under them, and Dabi couldn't help but snort at seeing the egg yolk in their hair. Izuku was snapping his rubber band against his wrist methodically, a dazed look on his face that Dabi decided meant he wasn't really aware of it.
Grinning, he asked, "What happened here?" He took a glance around when Himiko began spitting out rabid fire bullshit that Dabi wasn't really interested in listening to. "Where's Megumi?" The little terror was absent from the room, and he didn't hear his eager barking when he entered the house.
Hitoshi looked almost amused as he—they, goddamnit—said, "The puffball was causing a racket and trying to eat the cookies, so Julie-san put him in her room and gave him some peanut butter." Dabi hummed in acknowledgment, smiled, and opened his mouth to ask why they were making cookies in the middle of the day, when Himiko piped up.
"Is it true you were with friends?!" she asked, nearly yelled, with a hyper look in her eyes. If Dabi didn't know any better, he'd guess she already wolfed down some cookies, but she was usually like that. Dabi paused.
"…yes?" It came out more a question than an answer, but good enough.
"Woah," she breathed, a glint of astonishment in her eyes. "You have friends? Really? You?"
Dabi's left eye twitched. "Yes."
"Do you really?"
"Yes."
"Are we sure you didn't threaten them first?"
Dabi glared at Tenko, taking a threatening step towards him.
Tenko raised his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I'm just asking."
He huffed crossly. "Well don't."
"So," Julie said, eerily chipper, even for her. "When do I get to meet these friends of yours?" Her tone was casual and eager, but it came off creepy.
"…never," Dabi said, taking a slow step back. Julie caught the movement and instantly zeroed in on him.
"Where ya goin'?"
"Fuck," Dabi whispered, before bolting from the room, Julie hot on his trail with a cackle like a clown from those shitty American horror movies she made them watch. No way in fuck was he letting her embarrass him.
"YOU CAN'T RUN FROM ME, DEE DEE," she screamed in that weird, high-pitched voice she used whenever she was trying to make them feel better when they were scared. It wasn't working this time, though.
"STOP SCREAMING," four voices screamed back from the living room, and that's how Dabi knew he was in a family of nutcases.
—
"Hey, Himiko, get in here, I wanna show you something," Julie called, late one Friday evening. She had noticed something was…off about Himiko in the last few weeks, and she was hoping her surprise would help her get back to her old self, even if only a little. She wouldn't force any of her kids to tell her something if they didn't want to, but she wanted to let them know she was there for them when and if they needed her.
There was a pause, then Himiko called back an acknowledgement. There was another pause before Himiko's bedroom door opened, and then the girl appeared in the hall, rubbing at her eyes sleepily. Her footsteps had been silent as a whisper—a habit Julie was trying to get her to break—and she briefly wondered if she should've saved this for another day, before pushing it away. She had a feeling Himiko would like this.
"Wha' is it?" Himiko asked around a yawn, pulling her blanket around her tighter when it began to slip off one shoulder.
"I wanna show you something," Julie repeated with a smile, grabbing the hand that was still rubbing at her kid's eye gently, steering her towards the couch. When Himiko settled, Julie said, "My mom used to show me old movies and shows when I was about your age, back before the first Quirks came around, and I thought it would be fun to show you." Himiko perked up slightly, either at the mention of her mom or of pre-Quirk era movies, but Julie continued without prompt. "I was thinking of inviting Izuku over at some point to show him, since he still seems pretty discouraged about his status, and if you like, we can make it an unofficial tradition?" Her tone turned hopefully by the end of it, but she wouldn't hold out.
Himiko looked contemplative as she thought it over. She sunk a little into the couch as she relaxed, though she didn't seem to notice. Finally she smiled, curling further into the blanket until she was cocooned in it. "That sounds nice."
Julie grinned, relieved, and put on the first show.
—
By the end of it, Himiko was fully addicted to sitcoms, up to and including The Office and Friends.
Julie would call this night a success.
—
December had finally rolled around, and the weather had turned near-frigid—for Julie, anyways. She liked the cold, but that didn't mean she was immune to it.
It had gotten so cold and begun to snow so much they couldn't take Megumi for his walks anymore, and even if he liked being shoved into an uncomfortable doggy coat, she wouldn't make him anyways. All it meant now was that they had to watch what they fed him so he didn't gain any unnecessary fat while he was unable to go out, but otherwise she would say the Chiba family was fairly happy.
Both her and Dabi's birthdays had come and gone smoothly, and she still remembered the look on Dabi's face as he was surprised with breakfast in bed and a drawing tablet. Even after all his years with them, he was still surprised every time he got a gift or they celebrated his birthday.
It pissed her off to no end to think of what Endeavor had done to him (later confirmed to his siblings too), and after what he told her about his friend Keigo-kun and how he worked for the Commission. Julie knew for a fact Endwhore was working alongside them, and that when he was a child, Dabi was often forced to spare against people far more qualified when he himself had little control over Cremation, and even less resistance to it. His other friend, Rumi-chan, apparently made some sort of deal with them five years ago, and it would expire on her next birthday so she could be her own independent Hero, but until then Julie was working a case against the Commission with Inko, who just so happened to be a very successful and feared lawyer.
She later found out she had tried to get many restraining orders placed against one Bakugou Katsuki, but there 'wasn't enough sound proof of assault,' and she could do nothing. Julie had never met him personally, but if she did, she might just take a page from the Himiko handbook and get him right in the sniffer, consequences be damned. Alas, she had three kids and a dog to care for, and couldn't risk jail time.
Besides, if she got called into court, she didn't want to risk any of her kids getting exposed (but that didn't stop her from giving Izuku a pointer or two in self-defense).
Speaking of, Hitoshi and Izuku had begun sparring. The two both wanted to get into U.A., but both were severely under qualified, both in terms of body and Quirk. She had done some research and had in fact found that the rule that a Quirk is required to apply will be removed by Izuku's third year of junior high by some righteous guy named Aizawa, and to that she solutes him. Still, despite the rule being taken down, there was no guarantee Izuku would be accepted, or even pass, especially with the way he was now.
Neither of them have fought a day in their life despite the constant bullying, and even if they couldn't become Heroes, they shouldn't be so dependent on them and should know the proper way to knock someone straight on their ass. Julie's own mom had taught her some basic fighting moves when she was a kid, and in her adult years, had taken it upon herself to take a couple classes a year, just in case. Of course, not every gym or dojo was overly eager to enroll a kid with a Brainwashing Quirk and one with no Quirk at all, and Julie was still hesitant to let Himiko around others that didn't know of her Quirk. Luckily Izuku and Himiko were both fast learners, Himiko with her reflexes and speed and Izuku with his balance and ability to adapt, but Hitoshi was still struggling. They couldn't get much training done like this out in the cold and snow, but Julie was determined to get them into fighting shape before they could apply. They needed all the help they could get when it came to a school as biased as U.A., after all.
Sighing a bit as she got comfortable, Julie scooted further under the kotatsu. On either side of her, Izuku and Himiko nuzzled further into her sides for warmth. The heating system was a bit damaged, so the kotatsu was pretty much the only heat source in the house since they didn't have a fireplace. She had considered calling up her friends at Hatsume Studios, but decided it was too trivial for a multi-million dollar corporation that aided Pros in the field. Dabi was his own heater anyways, and the cold didn't even bother him, while Koko's Xbox kept him warm. As for these three reptiles, they had to suffer in the cold while they watched old shows from the pre-Quirk era as they waited for the futon to warm.
They had just started season three when the doorbell rang several times, and Julie immediately went on guard because only someone in an emergency or a psychopath would ring seven times in a row.
Reluctantly leaving the warm folds of the futon and the anguished cries of Izuku and Himiko behind, Julie crept over to the door and pulled her bright yellow jacket tighter around herself, hesitant to open the door if it meant being assaulted by the cold. Finally stealing her resolve, she unlocked the door and cracked it open enough to peak outside. What she saw had her stopping in place.
Asuka stood a ways from her, curled in on herself against the cold. She looked miserable with her snow-white hair plastered to the sides of her head and face half-buried in her scarf, but when she spoke Julie heard her clearly over the wind.
"Please," she pleaded, voice trembling, "take her. I—I can't raise her any longer. That—that thing k- killed him." Her voice caught on the word, but she didn't appear to care.
Julie opened the door a little more and looked down to the little shivering bundle before her front door, white hair identical to her mother's wavy and silvery strands, and a little horn peeking out from her right temple. She was a small thing, couldn't have been older than three or four, and it didn't take Julie more than a moment to figure out what Asuka was saying.
Julie looked up, eyes sharp and cold, her freckles flickering from molten orange to a black-like haze. Asuka didn't seem to notice her change in expression, but her daughter sure did.
"Why?" Julie demanded more than asked, and Asuka looked up, something like resentment and hate flicking in her eyes, but it wasn't directed at her.
"That child killed my husband," she said, voice hard. "She's cursed, and I can't keep her with me anymore."
"Cursed?" Julie asked, tone disbelieving. Her eyes flicked back to the little girl, someone who she had been excited to meet when Asuka first said she was having a baby, but that was nearly three years ago. The two had hardly spoken since, and now here she was, the Yakuza head's daughter trusting a practical stranger with the safety of her kid over her own father. The kid was so small and chubby, it made her heart ache to think her own flesh and blood could call her such a thing.
Face like stone, she looked back up, but Asuka had already vanished into the night.
The child before her stirred, roused by the sounds of Izuku and Himiko shuffling up behind her. She shuddered when a rather strong blast of wind swept through, nearly carrying her little blanket away, and she looked up at Julie with big red eyes, so innocent and ignorant to where her mother was or what she called her.
"Momma?" she managed to squeak out, head tilting this way and that for her mother, but she was already long gone. Her eyes filled with tears when she couldn't find her. "P- papa?"
The little horn on her head glowed and sparked golden, and Julie could hear Izuku asking what was wrong from behind her, but she was too focused on the toddler that was crying for the person who had just abandoned her.
….
The sequel, Lost but Found, is now up!
