Hisashi was on his way home from work, tying up loose ends and making sure his leave from the underground world would go unnoticed until it was too late. Everyone that knew his identity must be silenced, the easy or the hard way. A little more blood on his hands would be nothing compared to how drenched they already were. Inko didn't need to know about this part... Just that they were going to be safe. Hmm, he still needed to come up with a new job. Something to bring in money but to also show he was bettering himself...
Just when he was about to turn a corner, a young boy ran into him. He stumbled back and fell on his butt, staring up at Hisashi with a panicked look. His clear blue eyes were drowning in tears and his pure white hair spiked up in every direction. He had bandages wrapped around his arms, visible due to him only wearing a short sleeved white t-shirt. He also had mild scarring in his face and looked rather skinny for his height.
"I-I'm sorry!" he yelped, quickly crawling back up, glancing behind him before wanting to run away again.
"Hey, it's okay" Hisashi smiled, holding him back.
"What's wrong? Are you lost? Is someone trying to hurt you?"
"P-please leave me alone, sir" the boy breathed, keeping his head down as he tried to flee again.
"I can help you" Hisashi tried again. This whole situation reminded him of how he found Tenko. Red flags and warning signs were flashing all around this kid. Come to think of it, he should be around Tenko's age, right? His adopted son was now 8 years old, living with the Midoriya's for four years. He vaguely recognized something in this boy, like he should know him from somewhere... Yes, he definitely reminded him of someone... Again, the boy turned around, as if scared he was being followed.
"I-I need to go-"
"Hey, wait, I-" Hisashi started, both of them freezing up at a booming voice and flames lurking from around the corner.
"Quickly, hide here" Hisashi whispered, pushing the boy behind a garbage container before taking a few steps towards the noise, as if he was just walking by. He was surprised to see Endeavor walking towards him. Huh, no sidekicks... Since when does he do the field work on his own? He always has people to assist him in the more social aspect of the job, right?
"You! Have you seen a boy, this tall, white hair? It is of utmost importance that I find him as soon as possible!"
"Oh? I think I saw a young boy heading down that direction a minute ago" Hisashi said, pointing at a side street on the other side of the road.
"Thank you, citizen!" the hero yelled, quickly going over to where Hisashi pointed.
He sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before checking up on the boy again. He was trembling, some tears spilling from his eyes.
"Y-you didn't r-root me out..." he choked out, looking shocked and surprised.
"If a big shot like Endeavor is looking for someone like you, it can only mean a few things" Hisashi sighed.
"Either you have done something really, really bad or you are related to something really, really bad. Or someone important is paying a lot of money to find you and keep it quiet"
It would explain the lack of sidekicks and the fact he seemed rushed, giving only a few characteristics of the boy and no reason why he needed to find him whatsoever. The boy still seemed hesitant to trust him though...
"Listen, I'm not a big fan of heroes either... But I can help you, if you want? My name is Midoriya Hisashi"
The boy rubbed his arms, looking a bit unsure, glancing around before looking back up at the man.
"D-Dabi"
"Nice to meet you Dabi. Can you tell me why the number two hero is looking for you?" Hisashi asked, reaching out to the boy. Dabi slowly took his hand, staying close to this strange man, still afraid his father would turn back up and force him to come back home with him. Home... That place was no home... It was a prison and he finally escaped.
"I-I ran away..."
"Oh? Are you from a rich or influential family?" Hisashi asked, using his quirk to look into the boy. A fire quirk. Powerful. Harmful. Not only for others but also for himself... He didn't know in what way, All For One's main objective wasn't to identify quirks. Dabi didn't answer him, which Hisashi kind of expected.
"Why did you run away?"
There was another silence as Dabi took in the warmth of the man that rescued him. It was getting colder since the sun was going down and he wasn't exactly dressed for the weather.
"M-my father, he-" Dabi whispered, cutting himself short as he heard a noise behind him. A cat jumped off a dumpster, meowing loudly. Hisashi frowned, not liking the fact this boy was so jumpy and afraid.
"Does he harm you?"
"Y-yes" Dabi choked out, sniffling a little. No one would ever believe him... No one would do anything about it if they knew... Why would they? His father is Endeavor, the number two hero. He saved people, right? He'd never hit a child! At least that's what people thought...
"Don't worry Dabi, I will do everything in my power to keep you away from that situation, okay?" Hisashi breathed, giving the boy a small smile.
"Come on, I'll take you to my home. You look like you can use something to eat and a change of clothes"
The boy nodded, trusting the man for the time being. He seemed kind enough and if he wasn't a fan of heroes, he was unlikely to report him. If he happened to be a villain, so be it. Toya could take it. Anything but his abusive home...
Inko gave her husband a look when he arrived at the door with Dabi. They seemed to have a silent conversation as Toya looked around at what he could see of the house. It was smaller than his home, but it seemed cozy.
"He needs our help Inko" Hisashi whispered, knowing their sons were just a room away.
"What's your name sweetie?" Inko asked, kneeling down in front of the white haired boy.
"D-Dabi"
"Okay, well Dabi, dinner is almost ready so, uhm, Tenko?!"
"Yes mom?!" Tenko yelled back as he put down his crayon. He was coloring with Izuku in the living room. The small green headed boy was already 4, but he would stay quirkless until their father handed down his quirk to him. Tenko had a quirk of his own, but it wasn't exactly a great one. Hisashi had bought special gloves for him, with a few fingers uncovered so he'd never touch anything with all fingers at the same time.
"Come here for a second!" Inko yelled, making Tenko stand up and walk over to the hallway.
"This is Dabi, he'll be staying with us for a little while. Why don't you show him your room? You can give him some clothes he can borrow"
Tenko stared at Dabi for a moment. He was hurt and scared... It was just like when father found him...
"Okay" the blue haired boy smiled, now looking at the other boy. He reached out, holding onto his white shirt as he carefully tugged him along.
"We're going to need a bigger house if you keep bringing back children like this, Hisashi... Who is he? Where did he come from? What about his family?" Inko asked when the boys were out of sight.
"He ran away from an abusive home" Hisashi explained, making his wife gasp.
"I refuse to send him back there Inko a-and we can't just throw him out on the street. What if the wrong people find him? It's just not safe"
"I-I understand... And I do want to help him, Hisashi, don't get me wrong. It's just... We already have our hands full with Izuku and Tenko and now him, it's-"
"What if I can arrange for someone to help out? To take care of Dabi instead of us?" Hisashi suggested.
"His stay will only be temporary, I promise"
"Listen, you don't have to rush things to get him out of here, okay? I won't let any harm fall over the boy" Inko smiled, giving her husband a kiss.
"Now please check on the food and watch over Izuku while I go and see how the boys are doing"
Hisashi nodded, walking into the living room with a big smile.
"Daddy!" Izuku happily exclaimed, reaching out towards the man as his father scooped him up.
Meanwhile Inko walked in on Dabi pulling off his shirt while Tenko handed him a new one. The green haired woman gasped and quickly kneeled down in front of the child. He had bruises and cuts all over his chest, already showing scars at his sides.
"Oh dear... I-I... Let me clean this up first" she whispered, leading the boy to the bathroom to clean up his wounds.
Dabi was used to doing it himself or having his mom do it after his father beat him relentlessly in so-called training or when he got punished for doing something bad. This woman reminded him of his mom, sweet and caring. Yet she seemed to have a loving husband, one that didn't hit her or her children. Must be nice...
"Tenko, clothes" Inko called out, having the red eyed boy come in with a clean set of clothing.
"Dabi will be staying in your room for a while, your dad will set up a futon after dinner"
Tenko nodded, excited for his very first sleepover! This was gonna be so much fun!
You see, he doesn't have a lot of friends at school due to his scary quirk. The kids in his class are scared to get turned to dust even though he always wears his gloves. It's why he mostly plays with Izuku and Katsuki. But now there would be someone his age staying over! He finally had a chance to make friends!
Toya, on the other hand, was confused and surprised by the comfort given to him. He was a stranger intruding this family, yet they gave him more than he ever had at home. His wounds were treated, he had clean and comfy clothes, a full meal, a warm bed... He stared at the ceiling, all cuddled up in the soft blankets of his futon. This was nice... Was this how regular children lived..?
"I think Dabi is a cool name" Tenko whispered, making the white haired boy look left at his roommate.
"Thanks" Toya muttered. It's the name he chose to use when meeting Hisashi. He wasn't sure if he could trust these people with his true identity yet...
"I bet you have a cool quirk as well" Tenko continued.
"Nah..." the red head mumbled.
"My quirk isn't cool at all..."
"Oh... I know that feeling" Tenko sighed, looking down at his hand with a small frown.
"My quirk is called Decay... Everything I touch with all five fingers decays, crumbles down into nothing... Just... Whoosh! Gone"
"So...also people?" Dabi asked unsure.
"Everything" Tenko repeated, followed by a long pause. He didn't know why he said that. Now Dabi would never want to be his friend! Oh no! He ruined all of his chances now!
"...My quirk hurts" Dabi whispered, seeing Tenko look at him with curiosity and interest.
"When I use it for too long, I lose control and it hurts me"
"That's not nice" Tenko mumbled, making Dabi chuckle. He was used to yelling and cursing. To hear someone his age talk so innocently was something foreign and cute to him.
"Yeah... Not nice at all" he breathed, a small smile on his face.
"What is it called?" Tenko asked.
"Incinerate" Dabi answered, making the blue haired boy let out a quiet 'whoa' before the door to their room opened.
"Boys, it's time to sleep, okay" Hisashi said, looking at the two boys.
"Remember Tenko, you need to get up early tomorrow for school. Also, Dabi, Inko wants to take you shopping to find you some fitting clothes. Rest up, both of you, I don't want zombies tomorrow morning!"
"Yes dad!" Tenko shouted, smiling as Hisashi ruffled his hair.
"Goodnight boys"
"Night dad!"
The door closed again, making Dabi sigh.
"You have a good dad" he whispered.
"Yeah, I'm happy he found me" Tenko smiled, making Toya frown in confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, Hisashi isn't my first dad" Tenko explained.
"I had another one first, but... He's gone now, so... Uhm... Yeah... Then my new dad found me and now I have a new mom and a little brother too!"
Dabi could feel it was a sensitive topic and decided not to dig any further as to what happened with his biological family. It must be a painful memory.
"He adopted you?"
"Yep" Tenko smiled.
"How long have you lived here?" Dabi asked after that.
"A while... Izuku was still a tiny baby" Tenko answered. If these people already took in a child that wasn't their own, they might actually be good people after all. Maybe... Maybe they'll take him in too? Like, permanently..? If things are really so good as this evening made it out to seem, he might've actually hit the jackpot for once in his life.