Roughly a week after making his request to Kurogiri, the shadowy man informed him that a space was ready at the warehouse. The only stipulation was that Tomura go with him for safety. Izuku was more than fine with that and, for once, the pale man didn't complain about being dragged out one cold morning. He actually seemed interested when the greenette explained the weapon he was going to try.

Halfway to the warehouse they ran into Dabi, who was in the middle of selling a baggy of suspicious white powder to an unkempt and skeletal looking woman. After she left, he caught sight of them and winked. "Just getting a start on next month's rent. What brings you this way?"

The two opted to ignore the interaction. Izuku personally didn't like drug dealers but while living in a slum he understood it a bit better from observing people. For a lot of the buyers it was an escape from their terrible lives. For the dealers, like Dabi, it was the only way to stay housed and fed. Even if he wasn't a villain, Izuku suspected no legal job would hire him because of his appearance.

"I'm starting weapons training. Home was too cramped." Izuku bounced lightly on his feet. He was excited to start. He'd spent hours studying the basic moves and miming through them. All he needed now was real practice.

Much like Tomura, Dabi tilted his head curiously. "Oh? Mind if I tag along? I got some knife skills if you need pointers." He smirked at the pun and the two started walking away without him. The scarred man had to jog to catch up.

Wrapping his arms around himself, Izuku shivered when a bitter gust of wind cut through his jacket. Smirk still in place, Dabi matched their strides and draped a warm arm over his shoulders. The heat radiating through his trench coat surprised the greenette into leaning into the man's side as they walked. A blush stained his cheeks but he glanced up at Dabi quizzically. "Are you regulating your temperature with your quirk?"

The scarred man tilted his head to glance at him. "Yeah. Though if I overdo it I get heatstroke. It's just fucking cold today." The arm squeezed his shoulders lightly, rumpling the thin fabric of his oversized hoodie. Izuku was touched when he inferred it was for his benefit that Dabi was doing it.

On Izuku's other side Tomura inched closer until the greenette was sandwiched firmly between them. The pale man got cold easier than even the small teen. Dabi grinned at the not so subtle demand, adjusting his arm so it was around Tomura's shoulders instead. The awkward position left Izuku flustered and made it difficult to walk, for multiple reasons, but he didn't complain.

When they finally reached the warehouse he was feeling toasty and frustratingly hormonal. Investigating the space proved to be an effective area set aside for Izuku was at the back of the cavernous building, partially obscured with large boxes and shelves. The nook was almost as big as their whole apartment. Padded dummies were set up against one wall and the requested rope and wood practice kusarigama rested on a makeshift bench of crates. Next to it was a pallet of water bottles, a rack of towels, and a hamper. Kurogiri had thought of everything!

Taking off his jacket, he picked up the weapon, careful to hold it like he'd seen in the videos. It weighed like the real thing. It could still do serious damage if he was careless, even if the wooden blade was blunted and the ball padded with leather. After getting a feel for it he went through a basic warm-up routine while getting used to moving with it.

After easing into the exercise he dragged a dummy into the middle of the area. The pointy end of the weapon was self explanatory but he needed to be able to gauge distances against the length of chain, or rope in this case. He started with the most basic maneuver, whirling the ball above his head before releasing it. It gave a satisfying thump when it struck the target in the head.

The next toss barely clipped the edge. The timing was off on the third and he ended up with a bruised hip when it swung back around. It was very clear the first try was beginner's luck. A determined frown in place, he kept at it, hyper focused and blocking out Dabi's and Tomura's heckling every time he hit himself.

By the time he finally had to pause he was sweating like a racehorse and sore. Tomura had a water bottle ready when he returned to the bench. "You're improving. It's been three hours though. Kurogiri texted that he's starting lunch."

That made Izuku start in surprise, not realizing he'd been at it for so long. After drinking down the entire bottle of water he peeled his moist shirt off with a grimace. He'd have to walk back in just his jacket if he didn't want to get too chilled. Grabbing a towel, he started wiping himself down.

When he looked up to toss the soiled towel in the hamper he became aware of Dabi staring at his chest and arms. There was a mild frown on his face. It made Izuku self conscious when he realized the man was observing his scars. The only time he'd seen him shirtless was when the greenette was bandaged up after the assault.

Finally, Dabi tilted his head. "Who did those?"

Izuku fidgeted and hugged himself. "My d-dad. And bullies." A surge of anxiety washed over him like ice water when he realized he'd never told the man he was quirkless. He didn't know what he'd do if Dabi rejected him. "T-they, um… I don't have a quirk. They didn't like that."

A couple seconds passed before the scarred man shrugged. "Sometimes I wished I didn't have a quirk." A joyless grin crossed his lips, looking more like a snarl. "Mine gave me these, too."

He gestured to his discolored neck. "He only ever cared about power. My quirk is more powerful than his. Blue is the highest temperature flames can go. He trained me non stop even though my body isn't suited for prolonged use. When my little brother was born he threw me away like trash to train him instead. One day I lost control and attacked him because he broke Shoto's arm and still insisted on training without taking him to a doctor."

The greenette and Tomura listened with rapt attention. The pale man looked angry, hand creeping up to scratch his neck. Absently, Izuku reached out to snag it, pulling the hand down and threading his fingers through Tomura's. The action startled him into halting his self harm.

Izuku was upset too but hid it better. Dabi's story was similar to his own. Hisashi initially started beating him to try forcing a quirk manifestation. He didn't understand the science behind the diagnosis and thought Izuku could activate a power if he was distressed enough. In his own twisted way, his father was trying to help him unlock a quirk.

As he spoke, Dabi flexed his fingers, absently summoning and dismissing his fire in an agitated tic. "He burned me and I tried to retaliate but I was too emotional. My own flames lit me up like a torch. When I woke up, I was in some woods near Mount Fuji and the news was running a story about how an accident killed me." His expression twisted before relaxing into an easy smirk. "I look damn good for a corpse, huh?"

The pale man hissed, eyes widening as some detail caught his attention. Dabi lifted an eyebrow at him with a knowing grin. Clearly Izuku was missing something. He'd ask Tomura later, not wanting to pry at the moment. The man squeezed the greenette's fingers almost painfully before speaking with conviction. "We'll kill him for you. And your dad too, shrimp."