Chapter Text
'Why am I back here?' Dabi thought as he kept his hood up and head down, peering into the compound that colored his life in shades of red and blue for so long. How many years had he chased being what his father wanted? How long was he rejected over and over again, while his parents kept trying for the perfect child? Then they got Shouto. They got their perfect child. But Dabi had kept fucking trying, kept trying to prove he could be what his father wanted. While it had annoyed Natsuo to no end, Dabi had been born with a wildfire in his chest that demanded he pay penance to it. That is likely why he was back at his old house for the first time since he buried his old name.
The sound of a screen sliding open had Dabi peeking from his hiding space. It was little Shouto. Dabi could only see part of his face, the light casting his face mostly in shadow, but he could see that perfectly divided hair that gave him away. Dabi felt the fire in his chest grow, hatred there. That was until Shouto turned his face back towards the house, into the light. The little boy might as well have frozen Dabi solid the way the sight of his face smothered Dabi's inner flame. There was a massive bright pink scar on the left side of Shouto's face.
How? When? Why? Dabi's mind came up with all sorts of causes. None of them were pretty. He had seen the way his father had dragged Shouto around from training. Had his father done this in a training accident? The rage that always kept him warm and drove him forward dimmed a little as he realized that his drive to having his father see him as valuable had ended up with him possibly putting Shouto in even more danger.
And yet, Dabi was sure if he hadn't gone to the Sekoto Peak and nearly died, his bitterness towards Shouto would have remained. Now all that was left was his hatred for his father, the man who refused to come see what he had learned to do. The man who had disregarded all of his kids except the one that fit his own personal desire. What could have a 5 year old done that enraged Enji so much that he'd burn his face? Dabi didn't want to think about that, not right then.
An insane idea ignited then, as he watched Shouto rest his chin on the windowsill. There was a way to make this right as well as sticking it to Enji in the best possible way.
Dabi jogged to the front to see if Enji's car was there. With it not in the drive, Dabi scaled the wall and dropped down right outside Shouto's window. Immediately he looked up and found Shouto was looking down. His teal gaze met a dichromatic one. They stared at each other before realization filled Shouto's face, that mouth falling open and eyes widening.
"Tou-"
"Shh, move, I am coming up." Dabi said as he waved his brother back. Shouto scurried back so that Dabi could climb up the side of the building and swing through the open door. As soon as his feet were on the floor, there was a heavy weight slamming into his middle. Shouto's face pressed into his sweater as tiny arms wrapped around his waist. Unable to stay stoic, Dabi's hand came to rest on that red and white hair.
"Hey, Sho," he whispered softly. Shouto's head snapped up, eyes filled with tears and face twisted in an ugly scowl.
"We thought you died! You're on the altar!" Shouto said, small flames and ice cracking along those chubby cheeks. Dabi's hands came to cradle that face before he squished those cheeks together, smushing that face into an even uglier appearance.
"Yeah, well I'm back to do the same with you guys." Dabi let go of that face, only to find his gaze falling to that scar
"Huh?" Shouto looked so confused. With care, Dabi stroked a thumb along the very edge of the scar.
"It's not supposed to be like this, the way we live." Dabi added when Shouto appeared to grow more perplexed. What he was saying must have eventually made sense because Shouto's face grew slowly darker as moments passed.
"Go, pack a backpack or two with all your favorite things. We are going to leave here forever." Dabi said as he stepped away and gently pushed Shouto's shoulders to get the five year old into action. Shouto's normally stoic face grew bright with a rare smile before he ran to grab a small backpack. Dabi knew there was several large duffle bags in a hall closet.
Not knowing how long he had, Dabi headed out of the room to run down the hall. His footsteps must have roused his other siblings because Natsuo and Fuyumi poked their heads out of their rooms. All three of them stared at each other, stunned into a frozen state.