Looking down at the gator-quirked man tripping on trigger from where he was cornered up on some crates Dabi considered that he might've gotten himself in a little over his head.

He had only expected the gator and his pals to be dealing in something simple like meth or maybe shabu since they were so bold as to try dealing in the Twinkie's territory, there were still drug deals in the South Side, but the dealers knew better than to deal to minors, especially around the Twinkie's buildings, but Ricky had told him some newcomer was trying to entice him and his friends last night.

So, like the good little enforcer he was Dabi poked around and tracked one of the muscle-bound idiots to the warehouse the bozos were working out of, then he went into the place to "talk" with them about staying in their own lane, maybe intimidate them so they wouldn't be so foolish as to try that shit again.

What he didn't plan for was the group to be dealing in trigger… or for them to shoot up and go bananas on him, Dabi had to scramble for a moment since he was wearing the quirk band that day and get it off before he could do any fighting, he was hit by the intensive heat of his quirk as soon as he did but he had little choice with the five people out of their minds on drugs out for his blood.

Two of them were quickly dealt with as soon as he did because one of them had speed related quirk and he could trick them into running into each other, which had somehow ended up with him on top of a stack of crates with a massive gator man chomping at his feet and the other two heatedly arguing who got to eat his spleen, because apparently trigger was like every other drug and gave people weird cravings.

Dabi would've used some fire by now to make the gator back off but the wood crates and trigger were very flammable so he couldn't be using his quirk unnecessarily, so that was how Dabi ended up in this situation and he didn't have much time to make a plan on what to do about the other three, he was barely putting together a plan to try throwing a fireball when gator boy got the bright idea to swipe at the crate he was on.

And because it was a cheap, old rotten crate the damn thing was going to collapse in on itself with the big hole in it, what big and scaly wasn't expecting was the on-slot of trigger to fall onto him after he busted open the box, Dabi took advantage of that to have a split second to jump off the dumbass's head and launch over the two cannibals just barely missing the taller ones steel claws.

Dabi's landing was far from graceful and the only thing keeping him from breaking his nose along with the rest of his face was some quick thinking and sacrificing some skin on his arms, his wrist really hurt but he could focus on that when he wasn't at risk of being turned into someone's dinner, and not wasting a second Dabi got to his feet to run.

"Ooh! He's running again!" the clown-faced exclaimed running after him and laughing like a deranged hyena "First to grab him gets to have his kidneys!" the one with claws shouted their claws making sparks as they dragged along the floor, and now that he had both of the crazies after him it was the perfect time for clown-face to use their quirk and use one of the ribbons dangling from his arms to catch one of Dabi's legs making him fall.

"Motherfucker!" Dabi spat after his chin hit the concrete only to have his body jerked around as another ribbon wrapped around one of his arms and began dragging him to the two salivating cannibals, Dabi tried to struggle but the ribbon things were tougher than they looked so he set his arm on fire to burn the damn thing and was shocked when it didn't even quiver in the blue flames.

But before Dabi could fully freak out about possibly being eaten alive by a psychotic clown a roar from the gator boy bellowed through the warehouse, then the gator barreled into the other two having grown even bigger with a dozen or so needles sticking out just from where Dabi could see, suffering from an obvious drug overdose gator wasn't thinking as he attacked and tore apart his two companions.

Dabi gulped and tried to back away from the carnage since the gator was too preoccupied tearing into the clown but today the world had been very clear in its message of 'fuck you in particular' as he bumped into one of the empty crates creating a noise that was far too loud as gator boy's head snapped towards him.

*Oh, fuck me… * Dabi thought his entire body going rigid as the massive reptilian stared him down, the guy's body shaking from his ragged breathing coming out of his bloody maw, time seemed to be frozen and Dabi felt a kind of terror he had once felt once before in his life flood his veins with an icy chill.

What happened next happened far too fast for Dabi to consciously comprehend and all he could remember was throwing one of his hands up before a bright light blinded him while the muscles in said arm had him screaming from the pain.

But the aftermath was clear… he was choking on the smoke and ash, violet fire leaping off every surface with shattered vials of trigger scattered along the charred ground, Dabi stumbled out of the fiery wreck of the building clutching his right arm only conscious because of the sharp feeling of pins and needles coming from the arm.

He didn't make it far before he collapsed against some brick building as tears blurred his vision, he forced himself to sit up and he tried to even out his breathing to something that wasn't considered hyper-ventilating, it took him a couple of seconds to realize his phone was ringing and some part of his brain was surprised the cheap bugger had survived him going supernova.

Dabi's uninjured hand managed to find the phone in one of his remaining pockets and answered whoever was calling him *Hey Hun, you on your way home yet-* Dabi choked up hearing Magne's voice on the other end and she must've heard him *Kid? Are you okay? Dabi?* she questioned becoming worried when he hadn't answered.

Dabi tried to find his voice but his vocal cords just wouldn't cooperate "I… f-fuck, Red I c-can't-" he sobbed unable to string any form of thought together as his brain began to warp where he was to back the training room when he confronted his sperm donor, it was the only other time he had felt this awful and he barely survived it that time so he felt this underline panic that he wasn't going to make it thrumming through him.

*Hey kid, I'm going to get Midori-Chan. Everything is going to be okay Dabi just stay on the line with me, okay?* Magne told him trying to keep her voice calm and steady to further assure him and Dabi wanted to do just that because hearing her was the only thing keeping him from completely slipping back into the past, but he was growing weaker by the second and he wouldn't be able to hold his head up for much longer, much less hold his phone up with how his arm was trembling.

"R-red." Dabi croaked spots obscuring his vision even more as his breathing slowed down, but his head didn't feel any less light-headed and was hit by a wave of dizziness that caused him to fall over and he couldn't hold onto the phone *Dabi! Dabi!* Magne called panicking and Dabi wheezed back trying to speak, he tried to stay awake but he couldn't keep his grip on consciousness, seconds later it all faded to black with Magne's voice calling for him.

When Dabi was finally returned from the layer of unconsciousness, he came back to the feeling of his right arm being oddly numb with cold tingling throughout it and his head aching, not to mention his throat was burning.

Dread welled up in him as he felt the familiar aftershock of abusing his quirk wreaking havoc on his body and the beeping from a heart monitor, Dabi desperately searched his mind for why he felt like this or where he was but came up empty-handed as his memory refused to co-operate without making it too hard to think much less open his eyes, and in his horrid state Dabi found himself consumed by the outlandish idea he had been found and that he would soon be forced back 'home'.

Tears welled up as he panicked over it because even if the chances were extremely low the mere idea had him completely distraught, he knew it was unforgivably selfish of him to have abandoned his siblings with Endeavour, but he would never go back to that house.

After having gotten a small taste of what freedom was like he would rather die than go back to that hell, even if he had to go back to living on the streets and searching through dumpsters for anything to eat, it was worlds better than staying in the same house as that man.

If he was in a hospital, it would only be a matter of time before they matched his DNA to the missing person's report Fuyumi opened so long ago and the sperm donor would find him, Dabi had to get out of here and find some way to contact Magne or even the Twinkie if it meant he wouldn't go back.

A hollow groan was pulled from his lips as he tried to move and he felt a sharp spike of pain being driven into him by his right arm from the attempt, a hand quickly went to his chest and made him keep still and Dabi felt his breath be caught in his throat "Don't move Dabi, the painkillers are over the counter so they're not that strong." Deku told him through the soft humming ringing in his ears.

Normally Dabi would've felt a little annoyed hearing the Twinkie's voice in this state, but he was too busy drowning in relief that the boy was here, he and Deku weren't amicable and he gave the kid a lot of grief but the boy wouldn't let Endeavour take him, Deku blackmailing Magne's mom into leaving her alone was one of many things he'd done to protect the people he considered 'his'.

And Dabi had been working for Deku for a while now so maybe he could talk the kid into using his less than legal connections to help him escape the hospital back to Magne's place, he'd do anything Deku wanted just to get him out of this situation "D-Deku-" he said ready to plead with the boy even if it felt like he swallowed glass but he only stopped upon feeling a hand in his hair.

"Calm down Dabi, you're not in a hospital and you're safe here with me." Deku assured carefully running a hand through his hair which was helping to keep his mind off the pain, Dabi felt all of his tension coming out of him upon knowing he didn't have to deal with his body protesting as he tried to escape, without all the previous panic his body could relax and that helped the pain in his body lessen to a degree.

Oh, his body was still giving him hell, but it wasn't as bad without the stress making him tense, Dabi took a moment to breath and calmly enjoyed the feeling of someone's hand running through his hair like his mother used to do, carefully Dabi opened his eyes trying not to move too much since his right arm hadn't taken to kindly to that before.

He had to blink a couple of times to clear his vision and could see he was lying on a semi-familiar white bed in a mostly white room which took him a minute to remember where he knew this place from, Deku had brought him back to the fireproof place he recovered from his cold at and he supposed it made sense given he wasn't in the best of shape, even if people in the South Side were bending over backwards for him Deku's resources weren't endless and he'd use the same place when Dabi was unwell.

His gaze trailed over to where Deku was standing beside the bed, a heart monitor and I.V drip setup next to him "Thirsty?" Deku guessed holding up a bottle and Dabi would've nodded if he could manage it without his arm throwing a fit over it so he answered in the only way he could and grunted "I'll take that as a yes, this has peppermint in it so that it might make your throat less grouchy with you." Deku commented putting down the bottle.

Deku then moved closer, and he helped Dabi to sit up somewhat with some pillows keeping him partially elevated before giving him any of the drink, and that hurt but Dabi didn't say anything since he really wanted to drink something, in the right position Dabi gladly drank from the bottle as soon as Deku held it up to his mouth.

The water didn't fix his throat, but Dabi felt confident he could form words now "H-how'd I end up here?" he questioned still fuzzy on the details since his head was still being a dick and wasn't telling him shit about the truck that hit him last night.

"Magne-San texted me you needed help, so I tracked you down… which wasn't that hard since that warehouse you burned down was on the news." Deku explained with a small wave of the hand, Dabi frowned trying to remember what the hell Deku was talking about but the scraps he could recall didn't have anything to do with arson.

He had gone to talk to some idiots about pedaling their crap somewhere else then they…

Dabi was hit by an intense wave of nausea as flashes of nearly blue-purple fire mixed with half-burnt bodies as well as splatters of red on concrete, Dabi began gagging as the memory of what charred bone smelt like made itself prominent at that moment.

*I… killed them like… him. Oh god what the fuck have I done?! I'm really just like him now, aren't I? How am I supposed to live with myself knowing that I did-* Dabi was ripped from his downward spiral by a hand cupping his cheek and his eyes jumped to where Deku had moved to sit on the bed "Dabi, tell your brain to shut up for a second and listen to me." He instructed lightly rubbing his cheek with his thumb.

"What happened a couple hours ago was… awful, I won't deny that, and I wish there was a better way to have resolved this, but you didn't have a choice, did you Dabi?" Deku said, a sober element in his voice that he hadn't heard before, Dabi tried to look away from Deku, but the boy's hand kept him from fully turning away.

"I, I-I could've- Should've brought someone w-with me." Dabi shamefully spat, his left hand clenching the blanket "And? Things would've probably ended up the same way and you'd being feeling even worst because you've hurt people you actually gave half of a fuck about Dabi." Deku countered then forcefully turned his head back, so they were looking at each other again "Dabi, I've only known you for five months… but I think I know you well enough to tell you here and now, that despite what happened you, Dabi are nothing like your father." Deku firmly told him.

Dabi felt his heart drop like a stone into his stomach "W-wha… what are you?" Dabi sputtered confusion and dread pooling in his guts afraid of what kind answer the boy would give him considering the kid always knew way more crap than he should.

"Todoroki Touya, oldest of Todoroki Enji's four children. Quirk: Cremation allows him to make blue flames hotter than 3000c." Deku listed off as if it was the colors of the rainbow instead of the part of himself that he was desperately trying to bury in the past "He went missing and was declared dead back in April '65 after the training building on the Todoroki estate went up in flames… he would be twenty-two now, just like you Dabi." Deku added and Dabi knew exactly what he was hinting at, but the idea made his blood feel like ice.

"You knew? H-how… when did you?" Dabi tried to question but his shock wasn't doing his wrecked throat any favors, Deku gave him a raised eyebrow "Dabi, I knew who you were since day one, the only thing you've actively done to hide your identity is dying your hair." He said back and Dabi wilted at that, has anyone else found out who he was? Why hadn't anyone said anything to him about it if they knew?

"But if you k-knew who I was why the hell would you h-hire me? Or let me around your 'people' knowing that I was related to that b-bastard?" He rasped unable to see how Deku could have thought that any part of hiring him was a good idea in any context "Dabi I don't care if you're related to Endeavour, and as I just said you are nothing like that man. I work with people I know aren't quite legal, Yuri-San is probably like the biggest example of the fact I do not give a fuck about what you did in the past or what you're doing now." Deku firmly told him.

And yeah, Dabi did know Deku was pretty cozy with some shady people and that Yuri guy practically doted on Deku in a way Dabi couldn't help being envious of, but his brain was having a hard time translating that into 'letting the kid of the jackass who fucked your lives up be my rent-a-cop' because that seemed a pretty big leap to make "Why wouldn't you turn me in for the money?" he questioned especially since he damn well knew Endeavour would pay hand over fist in hush money if Deku brought him back home from the beginning.

Deku hummed "I could've… but I'd never do that." The boy responded "Why?" Dabi hissed and Deku's eyes softened a bit "Did you know there's an odd pattern in that scar on your neck? It looks like a hand that would've been twenty-one centimeters long, the same size as Endeavour's hand." Deku said back and Dabi's heart dropped even further.

Deku's hands pulled back and he crossed his arms, turning away sightly "That's not much of a reason until you remember how tight-lipped Endeavour has always been about his family, which isn't odd for a lime-light hero per say… but what little I could find paints a very specific picture about what goes on behind closed doors." Deku admitted and Dabi didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Because of course Deku would know about his family being a complete garbage fire, the fucker was just a magic eight ball for knowledge he shouldn't know, why wouldn't Deku know about his sperm donor was just as much of a bastard at home as he was in general?

And now he had something else in common with his old man, having killed others with his quirk he was just one tortured family away from becoming just like the bastard, as if hearing his thoughts Deku suddenly whacked him on the back of the head.

"Dabi, you will never be defined by that man's actions so don't compare yourself to him just because you happen to share blood or a quirk. And I will never hate you unless you do something that I can't justify… like butchering kittens for the heck of it or becoming a serial killer." Deku said, apparently having trouble coming up with something deemed unforgivable in his eyes.

"That is… a low ass bar Twinkie." Dabi couldn't help saying because that was like the bare minimum requirement, and he got a soft snort in return "Well I'm a two-toes, what do you expect?" Deku said in a way that felt like it was some inside joke he was supposed to be in on, but Dabi had no clue what that meant.

Magne had tried to look up what exactly a 'two-toes' was, but her search results just got her a bunch of things about feet and neither of them could understand how that played into what Deku said after chasing out Magne's mom, and after learning that Deku basically knew his whole life story Dabi wanted to have something on the little twerp.

"What the fuck does that mean? What's a 'two-toes'?" he questioned, Deku blinked seemingly taken aback before a spark of understanding flashed through his eyes and he rubbed the back of his neck "Ah, sorry Dabi. I thought you would've heard the term before given how long you were on the streets. Two-toes is the preferred term for Quirkless people like me." Deku explained a bit awkwardly.

Dabi's brain seemed to crash upon hearing that and all he could manage was a small "Eh?" because how could this kid be genuinely quirkless and scare the living hell out of people? Was it all just because of his connections to powerful people like Yuri? And what about that damn death aura that always surrounded him whenever he got royally pissed off?

Deku laughed awkwardly "Yeah… I tend to get that a lot, I don't know why everyone thinks I have an intelligence quirk, I mean I only wear primordial shoes, you'd think people would catch on right?" Deku told him pointing at the rather iconic shoes he always wore and Dabi kind of understood that point.

It was a tightly kept secret, but his little brother Natsuo was quirkless and Dabi remembered his brother needed different shoes that had to be made just for him, something about a joint in his brother's pinky toes making the bone structure different and he needed different shoes because of that, and Endeavour made sure they mimicked common brands instead of ordering the cheaper ones online.

But that still left him questioning how Deku could put the fear of God into anyone, sure that weird aura thing was intimidating but he knew you couldn't make it through the real world with just talk so there had to be something else under that… maybe mob mentality and peer pressure?

Deku had more than enough 'friends' to make him someone you didn't want to fuck with on a good day and he didn't have enough fingers to count just the groups he knew of that would pounce on anyone that dared to threaten the greenette, sort of like that old M.A.D. thing Deku talked about where everyone with nukes agreed to not end the world, except it was an unspoken rule of not pissing off Deku unless they wanted to become enemy number one.

"Dabi," Deku called, bringing him out of his thoughts "You hurt yourself pretty bad with your quirk… we tried to save as much of the skin we could but, there wasn't much we could do with how burnt your arm was." Deku explained switching topics abruptly and seriously.

Dabi's eyes went to where his right arm was and saw it was entirely wrapped in thick white bandages from the shoulder down except for a small part where an I.V drip was "Damn… did I burn the skin off or something?" Dabi asked half serious and was not reassured when Deku didn't reply right away.

"In some places yes… we had to remove a lot of the tissue to prevent necrosis with how bad the burns were, Yuri-San had someone with a quirk that mediated some of that damage, but a good portion of your arm will have the muscle exposed." Deku somberly explained unwinding the bandages and (painfully) revealing the tender flesh underneath making Dabi hiss.

The old dark violet-colored scar that took up half of his forearm was now replaced with a mix of porous looking white scars mixed with charred black seems that ran along dark red muscle tissue, Dabi's stomach turned at the sight and he wondered how much of his arm now looked like this "Due to the damage you'll need to spend some time relearning what things feel like and how to move your arm since you lost almost all of the nerves there." Deku explained as he began to treat the burned forearm with a swab.

Dabi winced expecting a sting or some kind of pain, but he hardly felt anything, he hardly felt the pressure from the wipes being pressed to his arm "I'll still pay you while you're recovering Dabi but this… can't happen again." Deku said his hand trembling a bit as he got ready to re-wrap his arm, glancing down at his arm Dabi couldn't help agreeing.

And as painful as it was to admit to himself, he needed someone to help him get his quirk under control before it actually killed him and he only had one option available to him "Is that… quirk training deal still on the table?" Dabi forced himself to inquire, Deku's head shot up, his eyes fluttered mouth opening and closing.

"Y-yes?" the boy answered eyes brimming with trepidation and Dabi forced himself to swallow his pride so that he could ask "Then will you help me with my quirk?"

Deku's eyes widened and the boy had to take a deep breath so he could calmly answer "Of course I will, Dabi. I've already got a step-by-step plan made for you so you can work on your own since I can only be here two days a week, I'll need to make changes since you're not in the best condition, but they'll be minor, and I can include some exercises that can help your recovery-" Deku said devolving into muttering as he wrapped Dabi's arm up again.

Dabi wanted to stay awake, but he was still exhausted and with the soft muttering floating around him it was impossible for him not to fall back asleep.