Tw blood and drugs discussion?

Night arrived and the old man was still there. Really! It was like he intended to live with them from now on and Touya was not having it.

Besides, he knew Eri was waiting for him to go so she could come out and eat. The man seemed to think the child was just shy and that with some time she will join them, but Touya knew better. She was terrified of strangers; blame the yakuza and Endeavor.

So, for both of them's sanity, he had to kick Knuckleduster out.

"Don't you have other places to be?" he abruptly interrupted the vigilante's rambling, not hiding his annoyance.

"Not for now. I found you sooner than I thought, so I've got time to spare," he replied nonchalantly.

"Well, spare it in some other place. This isn't a hotel."

"I take it you don't want me here?"

The old man seemed amused by the situation, with a lifted eyebrow and a smirk on his face. If it wasn't for the risk of this bastard fleeing with the child, he would have attacked, no matter the consequences. He only landed a hit before because he had the surprise factor.

"You want me to spell it? Leave."

"Okay, okay," the vigilante agreed, standing up and heading towards the door. "If you need me, you know where to find me."

"Some random building-on-progress in the old part of Naruhata. Got it. Now go."

Those were some unspecific instructions, but he wasn't about to make him specify.

"One last thing." The old man turned to look at him with a serious expression. "I hope you don't have this attitude with the child."

"Who do you think you are?! My bastard father?! Just leave already!" Touya roared.

"Just telling you to watch your mouth. Kids take everything to heart."

With that, Grandpa Knuckles finally left. Touya deserved some claps on the back for being able to contain himself.

Now, part two: Eri.

He went to her room in case that old man was still listening.

"Eri, I kicked that guy out. Are you hungry yet?"

His voice still had some remaining anger in it, but the child should be smart enough to know it wasn't towards her. Not that it made a difference, he was a stranger to her, just a stranger she had no chance but to trust.

"Yes, but um…" she hesitated.

"What is it?"

"Help?"

Oh, that was some progress. The child had dressed herself in a thick white sweater and a sleeveless blue dress that reached all the way to her ankles; however, by the looks of the loose bandages she was showing to him it seemed like she was having some trouble putting them on.

"I'll teach you and you do it on your legs. The arms are harder, anyway."

The child nodded and then stayed silent while he rewrapped the bandages.

Despite how he used to get hurt a lot—and still did—, he wasn't that much of an expert. First, he didn't want his father to notice the missing bandages and find out he was still training; then, once he was on his own, he just didn't care to get them. The good thing was that focusing on the task at hand made him calm down.

At least, up until the badly concealed sadness on Eri's features brought back a fleeting memory of Shouto's bandaged face.

He looked too much like Mom that day.

"We need to cut your hair," he blurted, stopping his mind from remembering.

"Cut?"

She didn't seem fond of the idea, but whether she liked it or not, she needed to do it for her own safety.

"Yes. Remember when I said you were too recognizable? This will make you less recognizable and you'll be able to come with me when I go out."

The child pressed her lips together, still unsure. Not like she had a choice. It was like how he wished he could dye his hair red like it was supposed to be, but that'd be an obvious giveaway to his identity. Dying Eri's hair was an option, but cutting was cheaper.

"Child, did you never hear that beggars can't be choosers?" She shook her head, gaining a snort from Touya. "Well, we have to change your looks; so, unless you have a better idea, that's our best option."

"Can't you burn it instead?"

That took him by surprise. He thought she just liked her hair as it was, but it looked like it was more about the way to shorten it. He should have guessed it, her cuts were obviously not accidental nor self-inflicted like his burns, so having something sharp near her face could be triggering.

"Sure, we'll finish this, have dinner, cut your hair with fire and leave," he listed.

"Where are we going?"

"Naruhata. At this point, the police must be sure we are in this city, so we need to go before they catch us."

She hummed and then again her eyes showed something he couldn't quite name. It was akin to gratitude and relief, but it wasn't any of them. Or maybe it was, he was never good with feelings, so what did he know?

A few days later, they had established themselves in a mostly empty warehouse. While it didn't have separate rooms and all furniture it did have was ruined, the wide space and high ceiling made it a good place to train without being in the open where someone could spot them. He picked it with the intention of starting Eri's training immediately, but it looked like she needed to recharge a little longer to be able to use her quirk, so it was mostly physical training.

On that note, not like it mattered, but Eri seemed to adapt to her new life quickly. She helped him search for stuff in the trash or distract cashiers so he could get them food once they ran out of money. He had been worried that their disguises weren't good enough, but so far no one had found out who they were. All he did was wear his hood up and have her wear a beanie to cover her horn and hair every time they went out. Talking of her hair, now it didn't reach her shoulders, though it was hard to tell due to how uneven her silverish locks were; the goal was to make her look different, not pretty, after all.

Nevertheless, he knew this couldn't last long. As much as he wished he didn't have to see Knuckleduster again, it was only a matter of time before he noticed him playing vigilante in his territory. It wasn't his fault that most of the odd jobs here were on that line! For whatever reason, there was a proliferation of some drug called trigger in this zone and the authorities were too useless to do anything about it, so Giran made it Touya's job.

It was funny how the less annoying person in his life right now was the little child.

Anyways, today, around a month after they arrived at Naruhata, he was tracking who could be the provider of the drug. He was given the location he was supposed to meet with a client and a brief description: a drunkard that always wears a white mask covering most of his face.

"Heeeey, ya here for… hic… for the drug?" he was asked as he approached the place.

Not how he planned it, but it would work. By the looks of it, he was the dealer. Sadly, his mission wasn't to eliminate him, but to find out where the drugs come from.

"Sure am. Some need a boost, you know?"

He chuckled at his own words. He's got power to spare, but if his target got his guard down better for him. Not like he was all that alert with how much he was drinking, the man was literally crawling around.

"Follow meee" he slurred.

He moved surprisingly fast for his inebriated state. Touya just walked behind him lazily with his hands in his pockets, eyeing his surroundings for escape routes. Not like he could see much with the darkness of night and his bad eyesight.

"Here you are, Dabi," a blond man called out.

Of course it's a trap.

Before he could realize it, his hoodie was in the man's hands, leaving Touya without any way to hide his face. Without missing a beat, he shot fire to the thief, yet he got dizzy at the last moment, making him miss his target. Actually, he felt so dizzy he was about to puke.

"Losin' yar footing?" the drunkard mocked.

He absent-mindedly analyzed his enemies. All four of them wore masks or similar, the thief's was a beak mask, so he was going to assume they were from the Shie Hassaikai. Didn't Giran say he made that guy forget his confession? Did they find out on their own or…

Nevermind, his mind was too fuzzy.

"What do you want from me?"

"The boss wants to meet you, he said he has an offer for you," the blond yakuza answered.

"I don't want anything from that shitty asshole," he growled.

"Don't you dare talk about the boss like that!"

The yell from the drunkard and the empty bottle thrown at Touya set everyone in motion. The bald guy started growing crystals from his skin and launched at him in tandem with the thief wielding a katana and the other guy ripping open the stitched smile on his mask. Touya only managed to set his upper half on fire as a means of defense. It was hot enough to make the bottle and the crystals explode and burn the mouth of the guy that tried to bite him, but the katana managed to cut across his chest before the red-hot metal cauterized the wound.

Touya immediately expanded the fire, making it catch on their clothes as he let himself fall and roll away. It was going to be a tough fight, but his inability to feel pain gave him an advantage since they expected him to falter because of the damage. He made the most unimpressed face he could muster as he got up and let the burning remains of his t-shirt fall to the ground.

"That's all you have?"

The drunkard threw a knife at him, effectively sticking it on his left arm as he used it as coverage, but the blast he got in response left the yakuza out of commission, scrambling to put out the fire. What a bad match for him, with so much alcohol in his system he would burn quickly, that was why Touya never drank.

Now, the next target: the thief, he seemed to be the coordinator of the remaining triad. He heated up the blade still on his arm for a funny surprise as it was stolen. The man dropped it by reflex, and that's the chance Touya took to burn his mask and take his katana.

"Setsuno!"

He was stopped by a crystal sword made from the bald guy's arm. The hit to his abdomen threw him backwards and opened the wound on his chest, but at least he managed to grab the katana by the blade, tearing it from the man's hold and letting it fall. Who cared if he cut his hand doing this?

"You see, even trash like us can be useful for each other."

Guess he was lower than trash then.

It's not the time for that!

"Eat! Eat!"

The cannibal tried to bite his healthy arm, but as soon as his teeth glazed his skin, he set it on fire and used his bleeding hand to prevent him from getting away as he forced him to eat his flames.

"Careful, it's hot," he tainted before kicking his unconscious body away.

"Tabe! What have you done?! You monster!" the blond guy exclaimed, reaching for his discarded weapon.

"He shouldn't bite more than he can chew," Touya shrugged, aiming at him with his quirk.

It was weird though, despite the drunkard being out, he still felt light-headed. That must be why he failed again, making the katana too hot to hold instead.

Next thing he knew, he was pinned to a wall by the crystal sword.

"You won't get far with wounds like that," its owner declared.

"Yes, we hoped you'd give up so we could take you to the boss, but after all this, you aren't getting out alive. Any last words?"

"Go to hell," Touya spat, along with some blood.

They were underestimating him if they thought he was dying here. He still had to get his revenge. As long as his flames still burned, he was alive. Even if his body gave up, he would keep going as he always did.

So, why couldn't he move? Another quirk?

Stop already! his father's voice commanded in his mind, roaring like a fire.

NEVER.

His vision was blurring, but he could still see the pair's surprised faces as he melted the crystals and reached towards the thief, melting the mask and forcing him to take it off.

Unexpectedly, a childish giggle was heard as a human-like figure launched at the blond yakuza, eliciting a painful scream out of him.

Touya took the distraction to shoot flames at thr crystal guy and make his retreat.

If he was going to faint it had to be at the warehouse, where Eri wouldn't think he had left her.

"Dabi, what happened to you?" a distant voice asked.

"Out m'way," he muttered before tripping and falling into unconsciousness.

Mister had told her to stay awake and alert until he came back. Not like she could sleep without him around. She was laying on the shared mattress they used as bed with his jacket on, under the pieces of dirty and torn fabric they had for covers, but that warmth wasn't enough.

She always felt like that when he went away. He was able to chase the bad feelings away just by being around. Eri knew he had to work to provide for them, so she couldn't tell him anything.

But still…

It was just so lonely.

And she knew his job was dangerous too. Mister always came back hurt. He was getting hurt because of her and she couldn't say anything. He didn't like when she said it was her fault.

Maybe I should go?

The thought was still in her mind and it seemed to call to her more the more she got attached to Mister. It made her heart hurt.

A noise by the door made her jump, but it was just a cat. There were a lot of cats around and they liked to keep her company.

She sat and let the cat rub against her. It was one she already knew. It was a black male cat that was missing an eye. Mister said he was very old and he must have lost it in a fight.

Not for the first time, she remembered the young boss' words, promising he could make something good out of her, out of her curse: the cure, he called it. She wondered if that cure could help this kitty. She wondered if it could stop Mister from getting hurt.

He always smelled of ashes and burnt meat, just like his jacket; but every time he came back, there was smoke coming from him. She had thought that was just how fire quirks worked, up until the day he witnessed him rearranging the metal things that delimited the burnt paths on his skin.

"It doesn't hurt," he had told her. "When the damage gets too deep, you don't feel it anymore."

That doesn't mean you don't get hurt, she had wanted to say, but kept it to herself and nodded.

Mister could always tell when she was hiding something, though. He didn't like that either, but he would hate it if she said it, so she couldn't.

He didn't really like her at all.

The cat licked the tears out of her face, bringing her back to the present.

"At least you like me, don't you?" she asked the feline, as she carefully petted his head.

The cat purred, the sound making Eri feel better.

"Aw, so cute!"

Both she and the cat were startled. A girl wearing an oversized hoodie covering her hair was standing at the door. And she wasn't alone.

She knew he had to get on her feet and get ready to fight but her body wouldn't respond. Even the cat was hissing at the intruders, standing protectively before Eri.

"Hey, kiddo. Didn't expect to see you here."

She knew that voice.

"You are the visitor from the other day. Mister doesn't like you," she said.

"Nah, he's just in his 'hate everyone' phase," he shrugged, to then fixate his single seeing eye on her. "By the way, the name's Knuckleduster, nice to meetcha."

"And I'm Toga, Toga Himiko!" the girl said excitedly, pulling the hood off to show her blond hair that reached a bit beyond her shoulders and cat-like yellow eyes.

"Now, make way."

Eri obeyed and observed how Knuckleduster approached the mattress to leave what he was carrying on it.

It was Mister! He looked so hurt! She could feel the tears about to fall again.

Toga hurried to her side.

"It's okay. He got all bloody and pretty, but he'll be fine."

The cat hissed at her as she reached for Eri. The girl growled back, showing her fangs, but her feline friend didn't falter, choosing to curl on the kid's lap to better defend her.

"Toga, stop playing and help me bandage him."

"Ow…" she pouted. "But he looks good like that."

"Can I help?" Eri asked with a trembling voice.

"Of course," the man answered, giving her a bandage. "S'a good thing you ended up in my old base. Otherwise, we'd have to wait for Dabi to wake up so he could tell us where you were."

The comment made her shudder. She chose to focus on the name drop as she took Mister's arm and started bandaging it like he taught her.

"Mister said he doesn't use his name anymore."

"Yeah, I'm guessing we're all going by alias."

"Not me! Should I get one?" Toga exclaimed, before sitting on the floor to tend to what seemed like a bite mark on his other arm.

The kid immediately looked away. She didn't want to see his wounds, but the one Knuckleduster was tending to was too prominent to ignore. It went from his left shoulder to the center of his torso, where it slightly crossed the limit between healthy and burnt skin. She felt her cuts grow cold at the sight, as if the sharp metal was still sliding on her flesh.

The cat's purring was the only thing keeping her from crying.

"Uh…" she hesitated, but she forced herself to talk once she saw all eyes were on her. "Are you friends with Mister?"

"You could say that," the man answered.

"I want to be friends with him. When I saw him all messed up like that, I couldn't help it, I had to get those meanies away from him so we could be friends!" she said happily as she took a blood-stained finger to her mouth.

However, she halted half-way through, looking surprised. Suddenly, the girl's demeanor changed, her smile becoming softer and her gestures more restrained as she cleaned her hands with a handkerchief.

"Ah, forget what I said about him looking good like this. I was joking! Your big brother looks like he really needs help," she stated.

Eri blinked at her, but didn't think too much of it. She guessed Toga just had a creepy sense of humor like Mister.

"I think you'll be friends," she offered.

"Yeah, I thought you already knew each other. This guy seems to have a soft spot for little children."

"Hey! I'm not that little, I'm about to graduate from middle school!"

She took off what Eri just realized was Mister's hoodie, letting her school uniform be seen to somehow prove the point.

"Anyways, this was nice, but I need to go now," she announced as she folded the hoodie and left it on a table along with the broken phone that was in the pocket. "My parents must be wondering where I am."

"Sure, Eri and I will take care of him. Be safe."

"Bye-bye, Toga-san."

"Toga-chan for you, Eri-chan," she smiled. "Goodbye."

Once the girl walked out the door and closed it, she shifted her attention back to Mister. She had bandaged all the way to his hand since there was a cut there too and his friends had finished tending to his wounds too.

"This guy is quite the trouble magnet. I'm late for a few minutes and he tries to take four yakuzas all by himself," the man snorted, his expression fond as he patted Mister's hair.

"Yakuzas? Like the people who had me?"

"Yeah, of the same group too."

She couldn't contain the tears this time. Mister had really gotten hurt because of her.

It's my fault, I'm so sorry.

Then again she couldn't say it aloud, even if Mister couldn't listen.

"C'mon, don't be sad. What everyone else does is not your fault."

He caressed her hair, despite the cat's warning hiss. She petted her friend to calm him down. It was nice. The touch was kind.

"Is he really going to be fine?"

"S'gonna hurt like hell, but he'll survive."

She chose not to point out he was wrong about the first part. Instead, Eri cuddled up to the fire user, his warmth immediately making her sleepy.

Mister's friends were weird, but so was him. As long as they were kind, and she had Mister around, she could keep her fear under control. She could sleep at peace, because Mister's friend would look over them.

Right?

You heard about Dadzawa, get ready for Knuckledadster XD

I haven't written a fight since I was in the DB fandom (around 2013?), but there you have that. I didn't expect Toga's cameo but that fight was when Duster and Touya were supposed to meet so now it's when they remeet I guess.

Also, has anyone noticed what I'm doing with the keywords (bold)?

Disclaimer: My Hero Academia and its characters are property of Kōhei Horikoshi and Studio Bones.