Part 6
Dabi x Fuyu Soji
The warm cup of tea rested nicely in between her hands, the female gazing off into the distant flickering images of the television in front of her. Her eyes, while glued to the various colorful character speaking on the screen, were not focused on what was happening. Her mind was wandering yet again.
To the same place, it had been the last three days... the images and notions of the males and the memory they both now shared with her... making her gut feel sick every-time that small crying child made his appearance in her mindscape. Fuyu sighed, feeling how her tea was still scolding at this moment, yet she pressed the drink to her lips and allowed the burning sensation of the herbal drink to hit her throat. It was strange, usually, she'd wait for it to be much cooler, almost lukewarm before she even allowed the liquid to touch her mouth... but not today it appeared.
Much like the tea, she also wondered why she suddenly wasn't worried about the fire-wielding villain who was still out lurking somewhere in the city. Her mind trying to tell her of the danger she, not to mention other heroes and civilians, would be in... yet she couldn't. Something inside of her had changed and she knew that no longer was she able to see Dabi as just some villain who wanted to cause trouble.
A piece of information that she wasn't supposed to have in the first place was stuck in her head, and even if the memory were to be given back by some miracle... she knew the information that had come with it would not be gone. Forever now... much like him, this information was now part of her psyche forever. The only difference between him and her... was that she hadn't experienced it. Therefore the female could only look onto the scene as a witness... not a participant.
She shook her head, trying to get rid of the way the older pair of cerulean eyes looked at the small child with that unmatched disappointment... as if he wasn't good enough. Like he was a mistake that was never supposed to exist. Almost like he... wasn't supposed to be born the way he was and the father blamed solely the son for something out of his control.
Fuyu couldn't speak of this to a sole though... knowing that if she did... there would be repercussions that she couldn't even imagine at this time. Not only would she get into trouble for withholding this information when Hawks and Endeavor specifically three days ago had asked her to tell them anything important... but what would become of Endeavor and his image if she spilled that one of his children was now the villain known as Dabi. More so that he wasn't even able to recognize his own child... making her assume it's been a while since the number one hero had even seen him... or that Todoroki Enji simply didn't care for him any longer unlike the youngest son who currently was attending his first year at Yuuei Academy.
Not only that... but knowing of the abuse the Todoroki household had gone through and making it public was also something she couldn't exactly do. Her name would be on the line as well, no doubt with Endeavor's popularity growing as of late, many heroes and supporters would be quick to judge her and make all sorts of scandalous remarks about her and a possible 'hatred', 'jealousy' or worse in the news outlets and tabloids.
Then came Dabi himself...
The black haired woman sighed, trying to figure out what exactly it would mean for him if the public found out his true identity. After all, he seemed to go through a lot of trouble to make sure his true identity remained a secret. From how his blood red hair was now jet black, or how his face and body were covered in various scars and staples... she could see the effort he put into hiding his true name.
But... was he planning to allow people to know of his title? Or was he trying to hide his past from himself as much as he was from the public? She couldn't be sure... which was why for the time being... she'd keep her mouth shut.
Fuyu knew it might lead to more struggles down the road, but she could only hope that at least before the damages became irreversible... she'd be able to figure out why the villain did what he did and why his father acted the way he did... and much more.
The cup was empty now, her thoughts long and filling that the pro-hero hadn't even noticed that it had been empty until her tongue was dry from the air coming into her mouth. She shook her head and cleared her mind. Knowing she should try and settle her mind with the anime she put on.
It looked to be some old reruns of Soul Eater, seeing as the Halloween season was drawing near, thus the stations were playing anime that had that sort of vibe. And so the ravenette relaxed. This was supposed to be her off week after all. Both the doctors and her boss reminding her that because of her injury from the previous rescue, that she was not fit to return to battle right away. And so she had been glued to her couch and apartment the last few days, but tonight would be the first time she wasn't focusing on her revelation inside the hospital.
And for the most part, she was able to focus on the anime, laughing every now and then at something humorous that occurred and let out a sniffle when something emotional and moving happened.
The small clink of something hitting her window was nearly missed by the female who was slowly getting absorbed into the world of the D.W.M.A and its students... but then the small 'clink' came again, this one a bit louder. Fuyu had noticed it that time and reached for the remote.
She hit the mute button, remaining still and listening to the sounds around her. The hum of the electronics and some muffled voices of the neighbors around her didn't seem out of the norm... so maybe she really had imagined it because she was on edge a bit.
But then it came again, right outside her patio door. The 'clink' once again louder than the last, and then another one around the same volume right away. Slowly she rose from her couch and walked over to the patio and slid the door open. The breeze of the cool autumn air tickling her bare arms and reminding the female she'd need to break out her sweaters soon.
As she stepped out onto the terrace, a small pebble came flying upwards. It hit her chest and then fell to the ground. Fuyu narrowed her eyes and looked over the edge. Her hues of orange falling onto the figure of a male in a dark sweatshirt looking upwards. A few more pebbles from the community garden in her apartment complex in his hands.
The glowing hues of cerulean looked at her, then suddenly were gone as the male turned his back to her. He rose a hand slowly and motioned it forward... inviting the female to follow him into the dimly lit garden outside of the safety of her home.
Fuyu gulped, unsure of what to do. One on hand she knew the risks of following this villain when he had tried a few separate times to kill her. But on the other, he also had been civil with her as well, and now seeing as he knew where she lived... and hadn't attacked her... maybe he was feeling a bit calm and pacifistic tonight.
Deciding against every lesson UA had taught her and instead grabbing a warm jacket to fight away the chill in the air and in her bones... Fuyu decided to trust him. Her stomach churned with how this could very well be some of her last moments on this Earth, but her mind reminded her of how she might actually have something to reach the middle point with Dabi on.
Her feet walked faster down the stairs than she realized and soon enough the door outside was opened and her form walked away from the building and into the grass that had already started to gather dew on it for the next morning. The sun had set long ago, the only traces of light coming from the stars and the single lamp that was hanging above a small bench.
On that bench sat the figure that had gotten her attention minutes prior. The figure was laying out comfortably on the bench, not really seeming to be impatient on her arrival. almost like he knew she'd come one way or another.
Fuyu paused underneath the street lamp, still out of arm's reach of this male... she still had to show some sort of caution after all. She cleared her throat, eyes focusing on the male who's still had yet to speak or even return his gaze to her from a few moments prior.
"Can I help you?" She spoke out to him, being the first one to break the silence that had clung to the atmosphere thus far.
He was silent, moving only to lay his head back and gaze up at the stars above him. His breath leaving his mouth and showing off the warmth he had had in comparison to the chilly night air. Fuyu shivered, her eyes narrowing.
"Fine... if you have nothing to talk about, then I'm going back inside." She muttered, turning on her heel and starting to trudge back to the entrance way.
"I'm surprised you're so willing to stand out here... seeing as those burns around your neck are still managed and all." He finally spoke to her, his voice hinting towards something more. "More so that you haven't called the authorities... don't tell me you're sympathetic to villains now."
Fuyu's eyes twitched, digging into her pocket and taking out a small device attached to a chain. Dabi rose a brow at this, seeing as he wasn't expecting his, but then again... heroes were always rather annoying when it came to this sort of thing.
"An emergency call button?" He spoke, seeing the dark-haired hero nod.
"After the last few encounters with you... my boss thought this was an excellent precaution for my week off to heal from my injuries..." She grumbled, finger touching the button but not pressing it.
"So... are you going to threaten me, or are you actually going to call the heroes on me?" He baited her, wanting to see what exactly this hero's plan was.
"That depends as to why you're here..." Fuyu muttered, eyes lowering slightly.
She wasn't sure why... but she was growing more and more irritated towards this male the more she saw him. But it wasn't the irritation that came from fighting villains... but rather the kind she would get from someone she knew and got along with... making this entire thing even worse for her.
"Well... it seems as if I'm still missing a memory. One that would be a bit personal to me if it's from a certain period of my life. And so... I'm here to only get confirmation on it." He spoke, sitting in a way now that was much tenser and ready to jump into action if the situation turned.
"Well as it appears... I have something I've wanted to ask you as well..." Fuyu muttered.
"Perfect..." Dabi chuckled. "So let's keep things civil this time then. I won't burn you alive if you give me what I wa-"
"I don't think so." Fuyu interrupted him, voice stern and unwavering. "I'm calling the shots tonight."
"And what makes you think you can?" He asked, annoyance growing in his tone.
"Well... I have your answer and a pretty good guess as to who exactly you really are, Dabi. So... you can either tell me, or I'll find out through a few other outlets. Plus... even if you injure me again... this little button will make it a lot harder for you to escape this time..."
Dabi's face looked annoyed, as he definitely did not like being at the mercy of yet another hero... but then again, it wasn't like she was going to call the other pros at this moment. So... he'd let loose of some of his caution... enough to at least get the answer he needed out of her in return for answering her own question if he saw the need to do so.
"I want an answer..." She turned her voice, for the first time letting the male know that the usual carefree and slightly shy girl was reaching her end.
"And what exactly are you wanting to get out of me?" He questioned her, raising a brow as her own gaze broke from his.
"The memory that's stuck in my head... it was faceless until a few days ago... and so... I want to know if the people who I believe are in your memory are correct. And if you so much as lie to me, I'll press this button right here and my entire agency will flock here before you can even spark your flames..."
Dabi narrowed his gaze, a slight flip occurring in his stomach as he thought of what exactly would come next. But then again... he was sure he knew. That was the reason he was here right now after all... because he wanted to see if she knew.
"Spit it out then... and preferably before one of your nosy neighbors notices the both of us talking..."
Fuyu nodded slowly, sucking in a breath and then allowed the words that had been trapped in her mind for days now finally out into the open.
"Todoroki Enji... you're one of his children, aren't you?"