Chapter Text
Izuku awoke to a splitting headache, an agonizing new burn scar, and 5,000¥ missing from his wallet. He knew about the money because the empty leather sleeve was sitting on top of a scrap-paper note next to his pillow. 'Next round is on you'. Real classy, Dabi. At least the Frankenstein's monster reject left some painkillers and a glass of water in reach.
It took herculean effort to sit up with his neck and chest feeling like they would split open with the movement. He vaguely remembered the previous(?) night. He'd gone after a new target but his intel had failed to note that her suit had been upgraded recently to include retractable claws in her gloves. He should have expected it with a cat themed hero. She went down but not before trying to take Izuku with her.
After that his recollection was a blur of rooftops and alleyways. From the feel of it he probably fell off a roof at some point. Thankfully nothing seemed broken, just bruised. He remembered someone feeling him up, blue flames, and then nothing.
The knowledge that Dabi now knew where he lived didn't upset him as much as it should have. There wasn't anything worth stealing, wallet notwithstanding, and his computer files were locked down tight. The villain would just be a nuisance if he showed up. Nothing Izuku couldn't handle.
The afternoon passed in a lazy blur. After awkwardly bandaging the wound, he grabbed a beer and a bag of chips, and settled at his computer. First he checked police records of the previous night to make sure he hadn't gotten entirely careless. Then, he went through emails - 20 job rejection letters, 15 forum notices, and 5 spam ads. Last, he loaded up a streaming site to veg out on movies while he recovered strength.
After a couple hours he started to get restless. A check told him it was almost ten at night. The normal time he'd head to the pub. Now that he'd gotten used to the pain he could easily ignore it. His pain tolerance had only gone up over the years, a little burn wasn't much in the grand scheme of possible injuries.
Decision made, he grabbed an intact jacket from a hook by the door, slipped on his boots, and headed out. The bar was only a ten minute walk from his building, for which he was grateful. The wind had a frigid bite to it that made him suspect it would snow soon.
Dabi was lounging at their usual place at the counter, already halfway through a drink. He glanced up in surprise when Izuku slumped onto the stool next to him. "Didn't think you'd be here tonight."
"Apparently it's my turn to pay. I figured to get it over with." Izuku twisted his lips in a wry grin. "Thanks, by the way. You could have stayed, it musta been late by the time you left."
"Whatever. I was gonna stick around, then I noticed you had fuck all for food."
Izuku scoffed, gesturing to himself pointedly. "Unemployed felon." He claimed his drink when it was put in front of him and took a few sips, savoring a burn unrelated to his neck. It would be a relief when the numbness kicked in.
"Ya know, you'd have more food money if you'd stop wasting it here."
"Don't shit on my unhealthy coping mechanisms. Alcoholism is the only thing I have to look forward to at the end of the day."
"That's… pathetic. But I can respect it." Dabi raised his glass to Izuku in a mock toast.
An amusement snort escaped and Izuku raised his glass as well. "To society's unwanted leftovers."
They clinked the cups together before downing them. They sat in companionable silence for several minutes before Dabi broke it.
"So, the recent spree of hero deaths is interesting." His gaze flitted briefly to the greenette, who ignored him aside from an uninterested grunt.
Not taking the hint, the man pressed on. "It reminds me of Stain. Well, only better executed."
The former hero knew where the conversation was going. He didn't mind that it was Dabi digging for information but that didn't mean he was going to give up the game in the middle of a public space. "Hmm. Seems to me like just another idealistic copycat. Look how it ended for the Hero Killer."
The scarred man chuckled, signaling the bartender for another round. "It's only a matter of time until they're caught. Unless they join up with someone with more resources. That was Stain's biggest mistake."
That got a surprised laugh out of Izuku. Was the villain trying to recruit Machigai? The look on Shigaraki's face would almost be worth the death sentence if he accepted the hinted offer. He knew Dabi was smart enough to put two and two together after finding him bleeding out on the same night a hero died, so he wouldn't lie if asked outright.
"From my limited experience, organized crime rarely coincides with results." He finished his second glass before side-eying the other man. "I'm gonna call it a night. Seems like it's going to be nasty out later." Standing, he fished some cash out of his pants pocket and dropped it on the counter as a tip.
A second later he heard steps behind him. Dabi caught up easily to the shorter man as he reached the door. "Want company?"
Izuku gave the question serious thought before shrugging. "Sure." Meeting outside the pub was crossing an invisible line. A line for what, he wasn't certain. But his sore and buzzed self found being alone unappealing. He'd been alone for so long that even just a few extra minutes with a villain was welcome compared to going back to his cold and empty apartment.
When they stepped out of the building it was into blistering gusts and near white out conditions. The storm hit faster than anticipated. Next to him Dabi cursed and popped up the collar of his trench coat. His own jacket was threadbare and did nothing to protect him from the cold.
They set out at a brisk pace, nearly running to reach Izuku's apartment faster. By the time they reached his door his fingers were numb. He dropped the keys twice before Dabi snagged them. The greenette made a beeline for the heater the second the door was unlocked, paying no mind as he tracked melting snow onto the carpet.
The villain followed only a few seconds later. The man had been polite enough to remove his own boots and coat despite Izuku's bad example. They huddled side by side in front of the little space heater, shoulders touching. Every time the wind picked up the window rattled and a cold draft entered the apartment.
When he could feel his hands again Izuku finally stood to remove his jacket and boots. He busied himself making tea on the tiny stove and turned on the oven to further combat the chill. "I have some TV dinners." He offered after a bit of silence.
The other man glanced over and nodded. Dabi clearly wasn't intending to go back out in that weather and Izuku wasn't sadistic enough to make him. It would cut into his meals for the week but he would make do like he always did. He pulled two trays out of the freezer and popped them into the oven before rejoining the man. He settled into his nest on the floor and booted up his computer.
Izuku brought up his streaming account and requeued the movies he'd been watching earlier. After a pause he patted the spot next to him. "May as well get comfortable. That's supposed to last a day or two." He nodded towards the window.
The villain sighed but accepted the invitation, sprawling out to take up half the space. Izuku would have been annoyed if he weren't busy trying to ignore the heat radiating off the man. To distract himself he pulled up Fight Club, a favorite pre-quirk era American movie he'd found thanks to his VPN lifting country restrictions. It was in English but he still retained enough of Present Mic's lessons to enjoy it with minimal subtitles needed.
They watched peacefully for several minutes until the timer for their food drew Izuku away. While the trays cooled off on the counter he prepared the tea and carried the mugs over to Dabi. The man's nose crinkled a bit at the offering until he smelled the jasmine and honey. The greenette wasn't offended - he'd never liked green tea but it was usually all anyone had.
A hum escaped the villain as he sipped the drink. Even for a fire user it was probably soothing after the cold. The greenette carried the food over next before plopping back down. They ate while watching the movie in a strange sort of domesticity that Izuku found he missed.
The illusion was shattered after they ate and the credits rolled. The other man side-eyed him as the next movie, The Dark Knight, loaded. He spoke up with a smirk "So. Vigilante and hero killer, huh? Never woulda expected it from All-Might's golden boy."
A bitter frown twisted Izuku's lips at the words. "I was only a convenient vessel. The second I was convicted he tried forcing me to pass on One For All. When I refused he cut all ties. Everyone did. If they're seen talking to me it could be a career ender. Mom tried to keep in touch but she was fired when the news hit for being related to a disgraced hero. There's nothing else for me to live for aside from revenge."
That wiped the smug teasing look from the man's face. They sat in tense silence for several moments before the greenette cracked his neck with a resigned sigh. "Hey Dabi, can a quirkless person be a hero?"
The seemingly random change in topic startled him. A serious expression formed as he picked up on Izuku's melancholy mood. Finally, he gestured towards the screen, where Batman was beating the shit out of yakuza henchmen. "Yeah, they can. With or without support gear. Toga can kick my ass into next week even without shifting her form."
That drew a resentful laugh out of the greenette. A villain was more understanding and progressive than the formerly quirkless former number one hero. All-Might had never seen his worth until he had a power bestowed on him. No one had. If someone like Aizawa-sensei, who fought quirkless, had found him first would things have been different? There was no use ruminating on regrets.
"Would Shigaraki even let me join without killing me?"
Dabi hummed thoughtfully, shrugging after a moment. "No clue. Let's find out." He pulled out his phone and pressed himself flush to Izuku's side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders he gave a lazy peace sign. "Say 'cheese'."
A blush formed on his cheeks but he grinned and threw up his own peace sign as the man held his phone out for a selfie. The idea of fucking with Shigaraki made him feel better, even if he couldn't stop thinking about the firm heat resting against him. Once the photo was taken the man stayed in place, bringing the phone in so Izuku could see what he was typing.
'Found Machigai. I think he's a keeper. What do you think?'
"Wanna bet he accidentally decays his phone?" The villain chuckled.
The mental image drew a genuine laugh from the greenette. "No contest. He should really invest in gloves." The easy comradery from the bar settled back in place with the lighter topic.
Rather than move after putting away his phone, the man kept his arm around Izuku. It seemed casual but it was all the greenette could focus on. It wasn't a purely sexual interest, though his tightening pants could attest to some. It was more that this was the most friendly physical contact he'd had in years. After a few moments he melted into it, relaxing against Dabi's side. The man tactfully pretended not to notice when he snuggled a bit.
They spent the rest of the night watching pre-quirk action movies until Izuku dozed off halfway through The Crow. He stirred a bit when Dabi moved but was only half aware of being laid down. When a solid body curled up next to him he drifted off again with a content sigh.