Chapter Text
Toshinori likes late night walks, especially during nights such as today where the warm winds keep his joints from protesting while he tries to enjoy the night sky and quiet. He, on principle, avoids allies but a shape on the ground shifting catches his attention and he can’t quite stop himself from investigating.
It’s a young man kneeled over and seemingly asleep. Toshinori removes the jacket that drapes from his own frail form to carefully throw it over the man.
Unfortunately, he wakes up; on top of that, the alley lights up.
Toshnori jumps back in time, luckily the man is seemingly a bit sluggish, as a burst of flame ignites from the man. Now that he’s awake, he can see the man’s red rimmed eyes and smell a familiar stench Toshinori knows from police drug busts.
“What the hell do you want?” His voice is scratchy and rough.
“Sorry, I just saw you asleep and figured you would want something a bit thicker. It’s warm now but that has the chance to change,” the man from what Toshinori can see is wearing thin rags. “Do you need to go somewhere?”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, you don’t have to play hero.”
“I could get you an actual one, if you need,” the man looks like he hasn’t had a decent meal or shower in a while, it’s concerning.
There’s no bite to these next words but they still cause Toshinori to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment, “Oh yeah, call a hero on the dude who’s high as shit. I’m fine.”
“If you say so. Well, you can keep the coat anyway.”
The man eyes him, “Cool,” then after a second, “Thanks.”
“No problem, young man.”
The next time Toshinori sees the man is in a local shopping center. His scars and clothing style make him stick out from the crowd as he stares down a run-down vending machine. The man has a crumpled bill in hand with his eyes flickering between two options.
“Hello!” Despite the call, the other’s eyes stay on the machine. Toshinori gets closer, “Hello? Young man?”
That seems to do it as he looks over, “What- It’s you.”
“Can’t decide?”
Eyes look down at his wrinkled five dollar bill, “No.”
“How about both?” Toshinori pulls out his own wallet and hands the man a ten dollar bill.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“You don’t know me, why the cash? The jacket?”
“No point in not helping someone.”
A scoff, “Yeah okay,” but he takes the bill from Toshinori’s grasp, “Thanks and goodbye.” The items clunk to the retrieval tray and the man is gone.
They run into each other a few more times. Toshinori learns scraps of information about the man: his name is Dabi, he likes the color - or shade depending on who you are, Dabi is a color person while Toshinori saying its a shade fell on deaf ears - and that he hates heroes.
“They’re all for show.”
“While a little show doesn’t hurt, I do think some should focus more on their job.”
“That’s the thing, the show is the job to some.”
“To some but others do wish to get the heroic side of the job done.”
“Very few.”
“Quite a few.”
A huff, “You’re a stubborn old man.”
“A bit,” that gets a snort. “Heroes still help those in need.”
“Not all of them.”
“Not all of them,” Toshinori repeats back.
Between hero work and training a new successor, Toshinori hasn’t had the time for leisure walks so he hasn’t seen Dabi all that often but today he runs into him on the way home from young Midoriya’s beach training.
“Hello!”
“Hey. What are you doing out?”
“Just taking a walk!” Toshinori tilts his head, “I was headed down to the beach actually,” a lie as he had been headed home but one Toshinori can definitely afford, “Would you like to join me?”
Dabi worries him. Even now the man looks like he hasn’t changed much from that first time Toshinori ran into him in an alley. On top of the man’s jumpy nature, seemingly being homeless, and quick quirk use, Toshinori is worried about the path this man is on and what his past holds with all of those burns. He didn’t see anyone on the criminal record or missing persons list that matched his description.
“The one covered in trash?”
Toshinori smiles, images of the boy already working on cleaning it coming to mind, “Yes, but I think it has quite the potential.”
“What’s that even supposed to mean?”
He makes sure to buy a sandwich for Dabi on their walk there.
“I’m going to get back at heroes though, I’m going to do it.”
“...How?” Quiet. Dead silence. Toshinori feels the dread creep in at what this quiet says. They had been talking casually once again about how heroes are flawed in their usual back and forth. Dabi, after some talking, has revealed he doesn’t think all heroes are faulty in their practice but he does believe some heroes are definitely corrupt - to which Toshinori can’t disagree. As soon as Toshinori asks this one word question however, the air of ease the other man had been carrying this whole time drops. The words, ‘Get back at heroes,’ ring in Toshinori’s mind. “Chasing after things too hard will get you hurt.”
“I don’t care. It doesn’t matter anymore. You sound like my si- I have nothing left anyway.”
“Young man, you have a life.”
“Not much of one.”
“Plenty of one.”
“Sure.”
Toshinori sighs, thinks, and takes a chance, “I’m a retired hero,” the man tenses as Toshinori talks, “Not much of one anymore. I know you don’t like us but I figured I’d tell you.”
“Why.”
“To let you know I’ve been in the system. I’ve seen co-workers drug into prison by the police before. I know what you mean by wishing you could change how things work but I want you to know that I also don’t want you hurt. You can do this another way.”
There’s a pause, then, “Makes sense you were a retired hero. Sticking your nose in places that don’t belong.”
“The essence of a true hero!” It’s a silly line, one he’s told Midoriya, and worth telling Dabi as he cracks a ghost of a smile.
Then it drops, “Too bad not many heroes do that.”
“It’s a pity.”
“No denying?”
“Like I said, I get your views on hero society to a degree. I’m just concerned how you’re going about it.”
A hand waves, a scarred wrist being revealed, “Like I’ve said, I’m going to do what I have to do. Shouldn’t you have learned that chasing after heroes and capes is what gets you hurt?”
“I did.”
Quiet. But not the same dreadful one from earlier. It’s one of apprehension with stolen glances at a sickly form and a gaunt face.
It starts like most of the times Dabi gets worked up: heroes.
“I just want society to see how awful heroes are! Why is that so hard!”
“I get it but you worry me.”
A long sigh, one of exasperation, “You’ve said. How else do I do it?”
“Police?”
“Oh please,” he’s giving Toshinori his, ‘Why would you even say that,’ look, “They’re definitely paid off.”
“Not all of them.”
“Name one.”
“I have a few, I would genuinely be willing to tell you how to contact them if you’re interested in doing that.”
“I’m not.”
“Why?”
“Police can’t touch heroes anyway.”
“Yes, they could. Like I said, I’ve seen plenty be taken care of.”
“Police are already played as heroes lap dogs,” Dabi tosses his hands up, “What about high ranking ones?”
“...Is it a high ranking hero you’re after?”
The quiet creeps in again, the first kind that drags Toshinori’s worry out. “They wouldn’t be able to touch him. Like hell.”
“What did he do?” The other man is tense, like an imitation of a large predator, but Toshinori holds no fear. He repeats his question.
“He’s an awful bitch. He deserves to rot in a cell.”
“Language. Is he...perhaps the very top?”
“Almost.”
“So not All Might?”
“No.”
The nagging feeling at the back of Toshinori’s mind subsides at the response. Thoughts flicker through the top ten, only one stands out to him though, “Endeavor?”
The always returning silence answers his question.
“Are you doing okay?”
“I’m doing fine. You ask me that too much.”
Toshinori tilts his head, angling his view down at the man, “Because you’re always worrisome.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Could you please go to the police?” He knows it’s sudden but even with Toshinori being busy, he’s been seeing too little of Dabi. When the man is around, he reeks of ash.
“No one will believe me."
“They will.”
“Sure. There’s no way to beat the number two.”
“Unless,” a pause, “You get number one?”
Dabi bursts out laughing, something rare but this time Toshinori knows it's not in the sense of humor, “All Might? He’s number one, there’s no way I could get a hold of him or he’d help.” The laughter dies once the younger realizes Toshinori is serious.
“I told you, I’m a retired pro-hero which means I have connections. Will you allow me to help you?"