Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Dabi wandered around the forest where he had been staying for the past month. Ever since being transported to a world very different from his own a month ago, at least he thought it was a month, he had learned a lot from the surrounding villages.

For instance he learned that there were no ‘quirks’ in this universe. Instead they had a thing called ‘bending’. There were 4 types of bending, he learned, fire, earth, water and air. Each person could only control one element except for a person know as the ‘avatar’ who could ‘bend’ all 4.

He also learned that each ‘bending’ type belonged to a different country. The fire nation was home to ‘fire benders’, the earth kingdom had ‘earth benders’, water tribes had, guess what, ‘water benders’, and finally, the air nomads had, you’ll never guess this, ‘air benders’.

He learned there was a single air nomad left, however, and that he was the avatar. All the others had been wiped out 100 years ago by the fire nation, sparking a war that has lasted up until this point. Dabi honestly couldn’t care less about the war, he just wanted to find a way home so he could hurry up and kill Ende-a-whore.

Some time during his train of thought he had started wandering around aimlessly.

Eventually in his wandering he came to a city. It didn’t look to be as technologically advanced as his world but all he would be doing is settling down and trying to figure out this mess.

He wanted to be in his world to kill end*vour dammit!

Dabi wandered around the city until he came to a large crowd. He pushed his way to the front to be able to see what was going on. When he got there he saw a woman fighting a man using fire.

They were both standing on a stage, dancing around in what was meant to simulate a fight to the death. The people around him were cheering, obviously taking great pleasure in watching the battle.

The woman’s fire was blue like his. The man had simple red fire. They finished fighting and the woman won.

“Aha! You were just beaten by someone younger than you!” She boasted, “is there nobody out there who can beat me!?”

“He was probably going easy on you, princess.”

His voice echoed throughout the crowd, where cheers once were only silence remained. The lady looked furious.

“Who dares mock me!” She screamed, eyes searching the crowd. Everyone took a step back revealing Dabi in all his burnt glory.

Once she saw him she relaxed back into her cocky manner, “well you’re one to talk,” she eyed him up and down, “looks like you’ve lost enough Agni Kai’s already.”

He smirked as much as he could with the stiff burns and staples, “something like that, princess.” He didn’t know what an ‘Agni Kai’ was but it was probably something relating to fire.

“Don’t you know it’s rude to mock your superiors,” she turned away from him so her back was facing him, “or do you think you can take me in an Agni Kai?”

“I’ll kick your ass, princess.”

“Fine an Agni Kai, right here right now,” his suspicions were correct. She turned to face him once more stepping back to one side of the stage, “unless you’re scared~?”

He stepped up onto the stage, throwing his hooded cloak off but keeping his coat on, he stood on the other end of the stage, head high and eyes down.

They stood there, silently, waiting for the other to make the first move.

“Ladies first, princess.”

She charged up a fire blast, probably her biggest move, and fired it at him, expecting him to move.

He didn’t.

Her fire wasn’t any hotter than his and his skin was heatproof so it wouldn’t hurt him.  Only his fire burned hot enough to hurt him and only if he used it too much and so he didn’t move.

After her blast, she smirked, probably getting ready to boast again, thinking that he had been cremated (lolz), until the fire and smoke dissipated and revealed him standing there, perfectly fine, a bit of fire clinging to his coat but not burning it either.

“That all you got, princess?” He tilted his head to the side mockingly, “ I expected more from someone of your stature.”

He let off one of his blasts, nowhere near his most powerful, not when he didn’t know if she would doge. He didn’t feel very much like going to jail today.

She didn’t dodge, wanting to establish dominance and prove she could stand the fire too, but in the process she just got burnt. She clutched her hurt hand to her chest. Azula grit her teeth and launched, ignoring the pain in favour of focusing on her rage.

They exchanged a couple more fire blasts, The woman’s flames never damaging him, he didn’t use too much power and kept his flames to a minimum so he wouldn’t start to burn alive.

Eventually he managed to pin her to the ground, letting out a proud breath of air as he released her.

She looked shocked at being beaten by a burnt slab of meat.

“Was all that boasting for nothing, princess?” He questioned her in a mocking tone. He offered her his hand to help her. She, surprisingly, took it.

“What is your name?” She asked him as he helped her up.

“Aw you really wanna know?” She looked at him distastefully, “fine, you can call me Dabi. What’s yours?”

She laughed. “I thought you would’ve known! You must be a fool to not recognise the princess of the fire nation!”

He huffed and turned away, walking off the stage, “forgive me for being polite and trying to have a good conversation.” He played it off like he was just trying to be polite. She didn’t need to know anything about him, if she was the princess they would probably never meet again.

It was quiet in the crowd as he grabbed his discarded cloak and continued to walk off.

“Azula.” She called out making him stop. He turned to face her. “My name is Azula, and I want you to come with me.”

He sighed. Azula said it as a command and so he couldn’t say ‘no’ without it sounding like he was treasonous, so he complied, and followed her.

Chapter Text

Dabi followed Azula. Finally she stopped at the Fire nation palace.

“Why am I here?” Dabi questioned as she led him inside.

She sighed before answering, “Because as much as I hate to admit it, you’re more powerful than me and so you would be useful against the Avatar.” She led him into a room with a throne sitting at the other end. She bowed in respect for the person sitting atop it and he followed in her action. Less for respect more for it being a necessity.

The man stood up and approached them. “Azula, who is this strange man with you?”

“This man beat me in an Agni Kai, Father,” she announced. The room fell silent with a few gasps circulating about.

The man, or the Fire nations ruler seeing as she address him as father, looked at him with a new look, not one of false interest but one of true interest.

“Surely you must’ve been going easy on him?” It wasn’t phrased as a question nor did it sound like one as he kept his voice level the entire time but it was a question nonetheless.

She immediately answered, “oh, you know me father, I never go easy on anyone! This man also has blue flames and they don’t seem to burn him!”

“Well then how did he get his burns?”

This time Dabi answered the man, “if I may speak, sir, only my own flames burn hot enough to burn me, and even then it’s only the overexposure to me using them that causes my skin to start…” he paused looking for a good word, “… charring.”

The older man In the room looked thoroughly impressed by his skill. “Still, Azula, why did you bring this man here?”

Azula had faced him whilst he was talking, she now turned back to face her Father. “I thought he would be a good addition to the fire nation army. Also because perhaps he would be able to teach you and I some of his tricks.”

Her statements were full of confidence, but Dabi heard the underlying tone of asking for praise that would never be given.

“Fine, you may keep him…” the man walked off back to his throne, “I do expect him to have dinner with us tonight so we may discuss this opportunity,” He glanced back at the two he left standing in the middle of the room, “understood?”

“Yes Father,” Azula quickly assured. The 2 bowed and fled from the room.

Chapter Text

Dabi was running.

He had to get out of there. The law enforcement was chasing after him, yelling at him to stop!

They didn’t know.

They couldn’t know…

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Dabi had to go to the dinner. Doesn’t mean he would enjoy it, quite the opposite really, but he had to if it means he could actually do something whilst in this world.

The dinner was mostly a blur, random small talk and information he had not previously known.

The last thing he remembers was the firelord slapping his son for speaking out of turn and running.

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Dabi fled from the palace a ps quick as he could.

Still not quick enough, I need to run faster, work harder, be better-

Eventually he stopped hearing the law enforcement’s calls but he kept on running. He had to get away from his- no, Azula’s father.

He mentally slapped himself. Why did I ever go there?

He didn’t realise how long he had been running until he realised the sun started rising. ‘I must’ve been running all night…’ Dabi paused to catch his breath, before jogging off to find shelter.

He ran for probably another hour or so until he came to a giant ravine.

He looked over the edge to see giant buildings hanging upside down, attached to the ground.

“Hey! Who are you and what are you doing here!?” A young voice called from behind him. Dabi tuned around to see 4 young kids, probably teenagers at best, holding weapons and… was she controlling water!

“Hey!” His attention was turned to the one in the middle, a boy wearing yellow and orange clothes holding a staff in a defensive position. The kid yelled once more, “who are you?”

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Aang POV

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The strange man paused at the edge of the cliff, his eyes searching the group. His eyes landed on Katars and paused there for a moment, seemingly surprised.

“Hey!” I called out again, getting his attention, “who are you?”

He looked at me and paused for a moment, before raising his hands above his head in a surrender. He then yelled out to us.

“My name is Dabi, and I’m an outcast.”

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Aang POV

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We had taken Dabi into our camp. He didn’t seem to be a threat but you could never be sure. That’s what Katara said at least.

Sokka had taken to insulting the man. He kept calling him names like bacon-boy and burnt toast, and (it seemed to be Sokka’s favourite) charcoal.

Katara and I both stood in front of the man with Toph sitting next to him. Katara, Toph and I had dragged him away from Sokka for a moment to interrogate him. Toph had metal-blended him some makeshift cuffs to stop him from escaping. It had to be metal as we didn’t know what (if) he could bend.

Katara started the interrogation, “what is your name?”

“Dabi.”

The two of us looked to Toph, she nodded to continue.

I spoke the next question, “which nation are you from?”

He paused for a moment before answering, “none.”

Katara had a look of annoyance on her face. “Do you really expect us to-“ Katara was cut off by Toph.

“Katara,” she nodded to Dabi who was sitting next to her.

She sighed but accepted it. The interrogation continued. “Can you bend?”

Once again, he paused before answering, “no.”

I looked at Katara and smiled. “See then he isn’t a threat!” Katara looked at me and scowled before looking back.

“Why are you here?” Katara’s voice held a resolve that I had only heard twice before, during the visit to the North Pole and when she was fighting Zuko when he stole her mother’s necklace.

He thought for a minute - maybe 2 - and spoke slowly this time instead of his shirt answers that he had given so far. “I was running away from the Fire nation army. I lost track of where I was running and next thing I know I was standing over the edge.”

We looked at each other for a moment before sighing. This was gonna take a while.

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3rd person POV

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Toph, Aang, Sokka, and Katara all met up in a secluded spot in the temple. Sokka spoke up first.

“So, how’d it go?” His head did a little tilt as he looked at the 3 who did the interrogation. Katara and Aang looked at Toph.

“He wasn’t lying when he said he wasn’t from any of the nations, but he was when he said his name. It was hard to detect at first but it was a lie.”

Katara looked uneasy with this information. “What else?”

Toph continued, “he wasn’t lying when he said he couldn’t bend but I did sense a spike in his heart rate when we asked the question.”

It was Aangs turn to question it. “But why? If he can’t bend why not just say so?”

“Because Aang, being a non-bender means being seen as weak!” Sokka sighed, “but I wouldn’t expect you to know.” He said that last part quietly so the others didn’t hear except maybe Toph but if she did she didn’t say anything.

“Another thing,” Toph had more to say, “he wasn’t lying when he said that he was on the run from the Fire nation. I did sense a spike in his heart rate but it was from nerves.”

They all shared the information they had gathered during the interrogation and made a plan of action.

They would keep Dabi in the camp if he told them his real name (negotiable) and if he told they why he was running. They returned to the place they had him chained up to see him standing up and inspecting the runes on the wall. Definitely not chained up as their prisoner.

The four of us instantly got into a defensive position, Katara whipping some water out of her pouch using water-bending.

He turned around, slowly, to face them.

“How did you escape!?” Katara questioned, the water under her control swirling dangerously in her grasp.

Aang noticed the expression he wore when he saw Toph and Katara doing this was the same as before when he turned around and saw them on the cliff and when Toph blended his cuffs. This time however, Aang got to look into his eyes.

They were a deep, ocean blue, mimicking that of a member of one of the water tribes.

Dabi looked at Katara as he answered her question with a shrug, “I got bored sitting there for so long, and my arms and legs were starting to cramp.”

Katara’s voice was dangerously low and Aang flinched just from hearing it. “That doesn’t answer my question.”

He sighed before rolling his eyes and bringing his hand up lazily. “Fine. I just heated up my body until the metal was hot enough to mould. From there I just forced my way out.”

Sokka piped up from behind them, “I thought you said you were a non-bender?”

The man nodded. “I am in the fact what I do isn’t ‘bending’. I can’t control or bend any flames. They have to be my own. Even then I can only create it and move it like that. So in truth it’s nothing like bending.”

Aang slowly nodded along, “yeah, but you said you heated up your body. How would you do that if it wasn’t bending?”

“Hey, twinkle-toes, it can’t be bending. In bending you need to use forms . He couldn’t have done that whilst cuffed to the floor!”

Aang’s brain restarted as he thought,  “oh! Yeah, you’re right!” He nodded to the others to get out of your defensive positions. “So, Dabi, we have all agreed to let you stay with us if you tell us why you were running from the Fire nation and your real name.”

Dabi paused in thought, bringing a hand to pick at the bits of metal stuck to his face.

(When Toph first noticed them she had asked him why he had metal in his skin all over his body, he replied that it helped hold his skin together.)

Finally he responded, “I won’t tell you my real name, it’s from a life I would prefer to forget, but I can tell you why I was running. I pi-“ he cut himself off and looked at Aang, “-upset some Fire nation noble. Saw them hitting their kid and tried to stop them. In the end that might’ve been a bad idea seeing as how I need to be on the run from them now.”

The 4 kids in front of Dabi turned around to look at each other, whispering something before turning back around to face him. Katara with a scowl, Toph bearing a neutral expression, Sokka with glee, and Aang with gentle kindness.

Aang approached him and stuck out his hand for him to shake.

“Welcome to the Gaang, Dabi.”

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Sorry guys I’ve been really swamped with work I don’t think I’ll be updating any time soon. Sorry. I will try to as soon as I can but in the meantime here’s a platypus:

#[. ]’>

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Dabi was showing Sokka his flames whilst the others talked.

Aang soon walked over. “Hey, so I kinda need to learn firebending. Do you think you could help?”

Dabi sighed, “you know I don’t do the whole ‘bending’ thing.” He wiggled his fingers to im state what Katara had done before.

The kid nodded, “I know but it’s better than nothing.”

“I’d don’t think that will work.” Dabi sighed again.

“You’ll never know if you don’t try!” This kid was way too optimistic.

“Fine.”

In the end, it didn’t work. Dabi wasn’t a great teacher and there were no forms to teach so Aang kinda just stood there looking constipated and trying to push out flames.

Chapter Text

A few days passed, nothing much happened in those few days. Minus maybe the trying to defeat the Fire Nation thing.

Aang was defeated way too easily for someone meant t be the most powerful bender. Dabi scoffed.

In a few weeks they were on the run from the Fire Nation and Aang had just woken up.

The first thing Dabisaid to him, “nice scar.” Not rubbing salt in the wound at all.literally, it had scarred over.

Aang rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, “yeah, Azula packs some firepower.”

Dabi chuckled. “Yeah but you know what they say, ‘if it bleeds, we can kill it.’”

The rest of the gAang looked confused, “who says that?” Katara asked.

“Nevermind”, Dabi shook his head.

They all went into hiding, only a few things happening. Zuko joined the gAang too.

“Are we like… related?” Zuko asked Dabi, “you just remind me of Azula.”

Dabi shook his head, nah,from what i gather, Azula was the favourite,right?” Zuko nodded, “yeah the Favorite in my family would be the youngest, Shouto. I’m the oldest and was discarded by my stupid father, nothing like you two.”

Zuko looked at him, “that’s exactly what my family is like.”

“Well the more you know!” Dabi yelled.

The two stood in silence for a moment.

“Wait…” Zuko started, “ does that mean that YOU’RE the sane older one?”

Dabi scoffed, “nah, im the Crazy old one.”

Zuko sighed, “oh good, if you were sane id hate to see who the crazy one was.”

“Hey!”

Chapter Text

“So,” Toph slid close to where Dabi was sitting, they were getting ready for their final attack on the fire nation, “when we first ran into you, you said the metal in your skin held you together. Why does your skin need to be held together?”

He sighed and buckled his boots up, “because…” he searched for an appropriate answer to give the 12 year old, “when I was a kid my father wanted me to be the best there was, able to defeat even the avatar, and so he pushed me way past my limits and so I kept on burning my skin with my fire. That happened enough until my little brother was 6, my skin was burnt so bad that I need the bits of metal to hold my skin together.”

Toph looked at him dead in the eye somehow, “I’m sorry, and I don’t say that much so you better appreciate it!” That made him laugh. The two joked about how stupid the fire nation was for a while.

Meanwhile, Zuko had heard what had happened to Dabi, and vowed to approach him on it.

That night, Zuko went up to Dabi to talk. “I heard what happened with your father,” he started, he wasn’t very good at talking. “I’m sorry you had to go through that…”

Dabi nodded, he looked impatient to get out of the conversation. “Yeah…?”

Zuko cleared his throat, “is that why you ran when you saw my father hit me?” Dabi nodded once more, answering his question and prompting him to continue, “I just wanted to know, what is your real name? I heard you changed it and I was-“

Dabi cut him off, “no.” And walked off.

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Zuko, Dabi, and Katara we’re headed to the fire nation palace. As they stood at the gates, Dabi put his hand on Zuko’s shoulder.

“You asked my real name,” he side eyed Zuko, “it’s Touya.”

Zuko’s eyes widened at this show of trust. “Wha…”

Dabi smirked and faced him fully, “you and I are not so different, Good luck defeating your sister.” And with that, he was gone, never to be seen again.

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