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A calm night.
The cool autumn breeze lazily sauntered through the window, prompting her to pull her cardigan closer to her body. With news breaking out of feared hellscape villain Dabi actually being the long thought dead son of Endeavor, Rei Todoroki found it hard to sleep. Her attention turned to the warm mug of tea at the end of her bed - a small kindness from the night shift staff. A million questions that needed answers. A million thoughts that poked and prodded in the corners of her mind. But first…
The sound of fabric cut the quiet in her room. A sound that normally would have sent her heart into endless unease, and yet now more than ever Rei found herself holding her head upright. Her hand settled over her mug, “I won’t alert the hospital staff if you promise not to hurt me.”
Heavy boots thudded onto the floor, only two or three steps sounding before the pause. Rei closed her eyes, a short breath escaping her,
“Why have you come here?”
“Why wouldn’t I?” the man rasped behind her and immediately she knew who it was, “It’s been so long, hasn’t it?”
At that moment, the mother of four wanted to scream. For what reason she couldn’t place: the anguish of losing her son, the relieved heartache, or a distorted mix of joy...and utter sadness. She twisted toward the voice, her slate eyes peering directly into turquoise. But that wasn’t all that she took notice of. His hair was as she remembered, but what was once smooth, pale skin was now cut and scarred - patches of charred purples and blues crudely stapled to what was left of his original skin. His neck, arms, cheeks and even under his eyes were marred grotesquely; a sight she was sure that made most people wince. Dabi stood under scrutiny in silence. His expression remained stoic, and he made no intentions of moving clear. He would let her make all the moves necessary.
Without thinking, Rei reached out her hands. Her body moved on its own, proximity being her only goal in tow as she slowly crept towards him. Her delicate fingers finally connected with his cheeks in a gentle caress, the damaged skin was rough under her touch. All the emotions she initially felt died within her. There were so many things she wanted to say. A million questions that needed answers. But all she could muster was,
“Look at what he did to you…”
He smelled strongly of ash and cinders, and it immediately brought her back to that day. The sound of sirens, the flames the size of skyscrapers, and...him. The anguish of loss haunted her at every corner, and the responsibility of Touya Todoroki’s death was a constant weight on her shoulders. Years of having a permanent hole in her heart that she would never mend. Her thumbs brushed against the staples of his cheeks with a barely-there tenderness as she finally let it sink in that he was there: truly there and not some fever dream or unbelievably cruel nightmare. Eyes glazing with tears, she exhaled shakily, “I should have known...I’m so sorry…”
Dabi swallowed thickly, an unfamiliar and ugly feeling settling into his chest. Rei repeated herself, voice now barely above a broken whisper, “I should have done something, Touya, I should have known…”
His fingers found her wrists, gingerly casing around them in some sort of acknowledgement. Dabi found the pierce in his normal glare soften significantly, “How could you have, Mother...we were all pawns in his fucked up game.”
He understands more than anyone. Understands what he couldn’t back then. What monstrous things his father was doing to her in his relentless plan to surpass the greatest hero. She bore scars just as painful and just as deep as he did...only hers were internal. There was no one who knew better. Sobbing now, Rei shook her head,
“I don’t care about any of that…” tears streamed freely down her face, “You’re here...you’re in front of me and I can touch you, I can hold you…I prayed everyday that somehow, some way you’d come back home, I..” her fingers trembled as she cried, “I-I can’t believe you’re alive, my Touya, you’re alive!”
Years of loneliness and neglect left Dabi unfeeling; a stone wall. But for a moment, through all the pain and the anger and the quite literal way his life had gone up in flames - he faltered. Lip trembling, his hands never left his mothers arms. Her tears flowed in excess, droplets forming small stains against the fabric of her sweater. The droplets on her hands however told a different story. Dabi, who normally felt nothing, whose once childlike eyes had long since lost their innocence, felt the sting of bloodied tears fall from his stitches.
Someone missed him. Someone cried and prayed and felt devastation...over him.
It was Dabi’s turn to move without thought, carefully wrapping his arms around his mother’s shoulders, feeling warmth from something other than the flames he possessed. Her smaller arms clutched the back of his jacket as tightly as she could muster, pulling him in closer as she held him. Despite his years without her, she still held the same comforts as a mother would, and it made him nearly shake with sadness. Her head found the bulk of his shoulder, a hand gently touching the back of his head,
“My Touya…I’ve missed you…”
His eyes closed, letting her words sink in; this would likely be the last time he heard them. A short sniff, “...I’m sorry, Mother…”
Rei pulled from their embrace and her eyes held a new sadness, “Come home, Touya.”
But those words were heavy. Far heavier than he was sure she didn’t mean for them to be. Impossibly heavy, even.
And he could not carry them.
With a lengthy sigh, Dabi removed himself entirely from her arms. The backs of his thumbs brushed aside any remnants of tears that remained...and the pieces of his impassive mask slid back into place. There was no going back for him. He was too far gone. Too angry. In too much pain, and yet always completely numb. Even Rei had to know that, and he liked to believe she did. He was a wanted man, after all. A Todoroki by blood, sure, but nonetheless a villain with a death toll. No amount of mercy, politics, or pardoning would undo the damage he’s done...or even worse, the damage done unto him. Wordlessly he turned from her, stepping up towards the windowsill.
“Touya, wait,” Rei interjected. She had to choose her words carefully. It had to come to this, she knew. But still, she had to try, “...If you could change...would you?”
His boots teetered on the edge of the window, fingers clutching the framework as he stilled. Barely looking over his shoulder, he gave his mother one last look - a final glance that he would do his best to commit to memory before turning his head forward and looking onto the horizon of the city, “I have no room for regrets, Mother…” his teeth clenched suddenly as a pinch of anger hit him - blue flame sparking at his fingertips, “Touya Todoroki died in those flames a long time ago.”
And with that, the eldest son was gone. Only Dabi remained, and he slipped into the darkness of the night.