Eri was sitting in her little bed in her rehabilitation center as she watched the sun peak in the center of the sky. The clouds were round puffs of fluffy white cotton and the cerulean blue clear skies were something out of a picture book. She couldn't take her crimson eyes off of the wonder...
...but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't seem to smile at its beauty.
Birds chirped away with beautiful songs and early Autumn insects were buzzing by with no care in the world. For as long as she could remember, she ached for that same freedom...the freedom to be able to enjoy the grassy fields and floral patches that decorated the earth. She craved the moment where she could feel a feather-soft bed and stand on top of a tall building as if she were flying. Eri wanted to live the life that was stolen from her thanks to Overhaul and the nature of her quirk...she just wanted to be a normal kid.
Even though she was healing and resting with real doctors and trusted personnel, she couldn't help but think back to you as the first person who ever made a real effort to protect her. Eri would sleep in your arms, feel the warmth of your hands as you attempted to brush through her hair with your fingers, and she remembered the smile that seemed to rival the very sun she was currently observing. You were the first hero she ever met that showed her promise of an outside world...and thanks to your sacrifice, she would finally be able to walk freely. Deku and Mirio came to save her from her living nightmare...
...but did you make it out of there? Did you survive?
"What's with the long face half-pint?" Eri looked in the doorway of her room to see a man with an all black outfit of a sweatshirt, skinny jeans, and skater shoes. His spikey black hair only emphasized his bright blue eyes more in comparison to his dark figure and deep violet scars. Eri just so subtly started to curl her lips upwards at seeing the man.
"You're the one that was with (y/n)! Is Big Sissy okay?! Have you seen her?" Eri called out to him. He chucked while scratching the back of his head and walking towards the end of her bed to sit down. A small brown bag was gripped lazily in his hand with the scent of fresh food emanating from it.
"She asked about you too. She sent me here to make sure you were okay. You're lucky I was already coming here to visit someone and just so happened to figure out you were here too." Dabi was quite familiar with this particular rehabilitation center due to the woman who had her own luxury suite on the opposite side of the facility in the psychiatric ward. With his regular visits to this location, the staff was familiar with him and never even questioned if he decided to wander the halls or talk with the receptionists. His snooping led him straight to Eri...and seeing her gave him the tiniest feeling of solace.
"She was worried about me?! So she's okay!" Eri's eyes watered in pure relief as her earlier thoughts that constantly plagued her could subside.
"Hey, no crying kid. I'm supposed to be here on happy business." It was odd for Touya to speak with a child this way, or even with children at all. She reminded him of what it was like when Fuyumi was born...when she was little and she would look up to him with a sense of security and reassurance. It was odd for him to find that comfort again within the walls of a rehab center as he scared McDonalds with a little girl he barely knew...but he didn't run or shove away this opportunity to feel like himself again. "Literally happy business. Here's your happy meal that I promised." Dabi pulled out a little red box from the bag and inside was a small cheeseburger, fries, an extra order of chicken nuggets, and a girl toy that resembled a rainbow unicorn mini-stuffed animal.
"Wow! I've never had anything like this before! This is so awesome mister-..."
"Touya. You can call me Touya."
~~
The world was starting to turn once again for you and with the help of Katsuki, Hawks, and All Might, you felt the pressure of trying to get back into healthy shape. News of your quirk was still under lock and key, but you preferred it that way. You were terrified that if Nezu or Eraserhead found out that you were quirkless, that you'd have to give up going to UA...and maybe that you wouldn't be able to work for Endeavor anymore. If you couldn't do either of those, then it was akin to kissing your hero career goodbye. Despite your training and other various skillsets, it was painfully obvious to you that you grew dependent on your quirk and now you have to learn how to live without it. It was like losing a limb...an odd yet painful feeling of vacancy and loss that never fully feels comfortable again.
During the school days, you were home with Hawks who guarded you, trained you, and teased you as you had to complete make up homework assignments. Cardio, yoga, strength training...you name it and he was pushing you. It was really nice having that downtime with Hawks and honestly it felt good to start working your muscles again. You wanted the security of feeling strong...the ability to fight back and take control of your life without waiting for someone to come save you. The fact there were people in your life willing to risk everything to save you was wonderful...but you knew you were more than capable of fighting back. You had to. You always were a fighter that clawed your way through life and with Hawks' talons at your disposal, he would make you a warrior yet again.
Since school had resumed for your boyfriend, he had to go back to the dorms with Midoriya, Shoto, Shinso, and all of the other students that were pulled out to fight against the Yakuza and Overhaul. Waking up alone was terrifying for you...and honestly your insomnia went through the roof. Every night you would curl up on your cold mattress, begging and bartering to whatever god that might be out there that you would be able to teleport right into Katsuki's arms again...
...but it never worked. And each night you would cry yourself to sleep alone.
Sometimes during the day you would take a nap with Hawks. He really enjoyed those moments after you finished your workout, showered, and ate when you would curl up with him on the sofa with a blanket and fall right asleep. You would lay right against his chest with his crimson wings curled around the two of you like a shield...and honestly, the safety of his embrace was what truly allowed you to sleep peacefully. With Hawks, you knew you were safe...you trusted him whole heartedly...and you couldn't have asked for a better literal partner in crime.
It was funny sometimes when the two of you would play games like texas hold 'em and blackjack. Hawks would beat you mercilessly at the games and the one time that you did beat him, he insisted you cheated.
"You're telling me that you didn't sneak a better card into your hand? There's no way you got four kings. You're a sly one kid, I like that," Hawks snickered to himself as he pushed the chips towards you. And by poker chips, you meant hair clips of various colors.
"Even if I did, which I didn't, wouldn't it be your fault for not catching it?" You teased back at the winged hero. His golden honey eyes were accented with narrow black lines just like sharp eyeliner that any pro makeup artist would die for. His dirty blond locks of hair were pushed ruggedly out of his face with the exception of a single wavey strand that dangled in his face. Little pieces of blond stubble from when he last shaved shadowed the sharpness of his jaw...and if you weren't dating Katsuki you'd find yourself completely enamored by his beauty.
"Oh? Is that how we're playing? You're a dirty one aren't you?" Hawks grinned back.
"Oh shut it bird brain, you wish."
"Hey, can't blame a guy for dreaming hm?" Hawks stood up to curl his hand gently on the back of your head as he leaned over you to look at your dead poker hand. The round was over and he wanted to see for a fact that you didn't cheat. "Well, whaddaya know...baby bird tells the truth. Guess I gotta teach you how to be a better liar." You felt the stubble of his cheek on your own as well as the heat of his chest on your back. The scent of his woodsy cologne was drool worthy...and you just tried to hold your head on straight around him.
"You're already breaking me with your hellish training...I don't think I can take more lessons on top of that." Hawks gave a deep chuckle right in your ear and you felt your heart drop into your stomach with goosebumps rising along your arms and thighs.
"I'm just teaching you how they taught me...and don't worry kid." His lips were basically tickling your ear as his slow burning voice like whiskey dripped through your mind. "I haven't broken you yet."
~~
The days seemed to pass very similarly with ruthless training from Hawks, breakfast and dinners with All Might, and occassional visits from Katsuki and your friends. This morning was different though. Today, you were greeted with a letter on your nightstand that wasn't there when you fell asleep. It had no address or postage marks on it whatsoever, but inside contained a single photo and a scrap piece of note. When you saw the photograph, tears flooded your eyes and you felt a sigh of relief remove a ten ton weight from your shoulders.
There in pure healthy glory was little Eri sitting in her bed and waiving at the camera with look of ease on her features. You never saw Eri's face more than just a short moment when Dabi gave you that quirk revival pill, but you would have recognized this little girl anywhere. The way your heart clenched at the sight of her was more than enough of a sign for you...and it filled you with joy.
She's doing fine. She's at the same facility as my mom right now. I'll pick you up before your babysitter shows up. ;)
-T
You had about four hours before Hawks would arrive to stay with you for the day and nervous jitters started taking over your body. It would be the first time in about two weeks that you would leave the house...but you knew that stepping out of that door was healthy for you. You couldn't stay sheltered and hide forever. Hawks tried in his own way to help you...to have you start to fix up All Might's yard for exercise or simply sit on your balcony with him...but now you had a greater motive than yourself to walk out of those doors.
You could hold Eri in your arms...to make sure she is safe...to know that the two of you made it out of Hell alive no matter how much the River Styx tried to sweep you away.
"Want some breakfast kiddo?" A knock on your bedroom door tore away your attention. You opened it to see All Might standing in a dress shirt and pants with a lighthearted smile on his aging face.
"Yeah that sounds great," You spoke with a return expression. You quickly made your way to follow All Might down the stairs to see the hero already had chocolate chip waffles sitting on two plates.
"I'm not much of a cook but these frozen waffles seem to be pretty tasty in a toaster," All Might chuckled while grabbing some butter and syrup from the refrigerator and pantry. Mornings like these were so calm and nice between the two of you...and truth be told it was almost like he's been your father this whole time. Part of you wanted to tell him about everything going on with Dabi and Eri...but you also knew that being involved with a villain somehow would always garner negative attention. All Might had your best interests in mind and all he wanted to do was provide a safe place for you to come home and a warm embrace for you to seek shelter in...but telling him anything about this was just going to cause more problems than need be.
"Going to work soon?" You asked All Might as he sat down with a cup of tea for him and a coffee for you. You thought about Aizawa as the little bit of whipped cream on the mug began to melt...and you missed your sensei dearly.
"Yeah I am. Endeavor should be here soon since he offered to drop me off before heading to the office. Apparently Young Todoroki needed some sort of salve or something like that. Today we are talking about rescue techniques for citizens that are in a state of shock. I was pretty good at that back in my hayday so hopefully I can give the kids some solid advice." You sipped on your coffee feeling the loneliness seep back into your heart...and as much as you absolutely loved seeing Hawks each day, you missed being with 1-A.
"Hey All Might? Do you...do you think that Nezu will let me stay in the program?" All Might's fork clanked against his plate and he was overall silent for just a moment to think.
"I don't see why not. Why? Do you want to go back to school? Are you sure you're ready for that?"
"I've walked from Hokkaido to Tokyo after watching my parents die. I think I can handle sitting at a desk for a few hours a day," You chuckled with a morbid sense of humor. All Might winced but his dark eyes peered at you with concern.
"It's not about how far you can push your limits but how much you allow yourself to heal before adding more burdens on your back. You've delt with more in the past month than most people would ever go through in a lifetime. You don't need to rush yourself into getting back into a routine if you aren't ready for it, (y/n). I...I was talking to Endeavor last night and he mentioned that his agency offers therapy sessions you could go to. I think if you were to start school again between losing your quirk and dealing with your fears then I would implore you to do it only if you have a doctor working with you." You flinched at the word, dropping your fork and a sharp stab of panic shot through your heart like a needle. With a cold breath sucking in to your seized lungs, you felt the same jittering fear as you did in the cell.
"No, absolutely not." All Might was taken aback by your blatant rejection and the fact you had that reaction to the word was sign enough that you weren't ready. You couldn't even hear the term without fear dripping down your spine like liquid ice...so how were you supposed to perform hero duties or sit in class if certain things set you off like that?
"You saying that is all the more reason for you to do it. I'm not trying to force you. You're almost an adult now so I want you to make the choice for yourself...but I promise you that it does help. You lost your sense of security and between Hawks getting your strength back and a therapist to center your mind mentally, you can start getting back on your feet again in a healthy way. Us heroes do this all the time. I had one for a long while after my sensei died...I know plenty of coworkers and comrades that had one too. The nature of this job is so mentally demanding and taxing while the world views us as impenetrable. That's not true though...I'm All Might and I'm still human. There's no shame in helping yourself."
Deep down inside you knew he was right but you couldn't bring yourself to say the words. It was like you swallowed cement. Opening your mouth was close to impossible and the only thing that distracted your from the pain was hearing the front door of All Might's home open. A towering man in a navy dress shirt and medium toned brown slacks walked through the door with his crimson hair blazing.
"What are you trying to get her into this time, All Might?" Endeavor cheekily asked the retired hero. All Might gave his unlikely friend a small smile.
"I was explaining to her the therapy option we spoke about but she doesn't seem to want to bite." Endeavor mulled his next words over in his mind carefully, seeing that you absolutely didn't want to be alone with a doctor or anyone similar again. He felt it was entirely his responsibility you were like this now...but the pro-hero had no idea you were quirkless just yet. Enji scratched his crimson hair while releasing a sigh, thinking back to all the times his wife begged him for the two of them to get some sort of help...and how his wife was to the point now where she needed around the clock care. Endeavor couldn't do it to someone else again, he had to put himself out there if he was going to ever correct his mistakes from the past.
"Look...(y/n)...if you don't want to go alone then...we can do the sessions together. I'm long overdue for something like that anyway..." Enji said awkwardly. The flame hero pat your shoulder with his massive hand and it crumbled away the building cement feeling in your throat.
"I...I don't know..."
"We'll try it once, see how it is, and if you don't like it then we can at least say that we tried." Enji's voice echoed the same plead his wife made after Touya vanished all those years ago...and he was coldhearted enough to reject her. He felt the bile rise in his throat like acid from the memory...but you weren't like Enji.
"Okay...but just one."
~~
You were pacing around your bedroom floor in normal clothes that weren't sweatpants or leggings for once. Getting dressed in one of the Spring dresses Mitsuki got you and a denim jacket helped you feel strong enough to walk out of the front door today...but you were just waiting for Dabi to fetch you. As if right on cue, a knock on the front door alerted you that he had arrived and you nearly slipped on your rug trying to run downstairs. Opening the door to see a wanted criminal in normal civilian clothing was odd...but it was also a bit relieving to see the person Touya would have been minus the glamour of villainy.
"Look at you all dressed up...were you hoping this was a date, sweetheart?" Dabi teased you with that crude smirk of his. An unmarked black vehicle sat in the driveway and it was obvious that he either stole the car or bought it unlicensed from the black market.
"Well you're the one who showed up in a luxury vehicle so who do you think is trying to impress whom?" Dabi chuckled at your response and led you away from the home as you locked the door.
"Got me there. Buckle up buttercup cause I drive fast."
He wasn't kidding with the way he zipped around turns and shifted lanes eagerly. It wasn't that he was a bad driver, it was actually quite the opposite, but he definitely drove like a street racer. The usual long journey was cut down by fifteen minutes simply from his speeding alone and it was a wonder that he wasn't pulled over.
"Speeding and red-light cameras can't catch a car that's unmarked and undetectable. The cops never seem to patrol these side streets anyway...not that they could ever catch me," Dabi smirked. The car itself smelled like Italian leather and warm tobacco, most likely from his cigarette addiction. It reminded you of when Dabi was the only heat you had in your tiny cell and you felt at ease as it perfumed the air around you.
As the two of you arrived to the familiar facility, he opened the door for you and offered his hand for you to clasp as you stepped out of the car. It was the little gestures like those that proved to you that Touya was still a good person at heart...just one that made some really fucked up choices. He led you down a few different hallways until you came to a wooden door with a small rectangular window in the center of the top of the door. You peaked your head to peer through it only to see a little girl sitting in her bed, watching the birds as she always did in the morning.
You couldn't stop yourself.
"Eri!" You called out for her with teary eyes as you all but yanked the door open with a foreign strength. She whipped your head towards you only to have her lips curl up in surprise. It wasn't quite a smile just yet, but it was good enough.
"Sissy?! You came to see me! You remembered me!" She met you half way as you pulled the little girl into your arms, holding her head gently in your hand as her face was burrowed in the crook of your neck.
"Of course I remembered you! I swore to you I'd protect you. I'm just so happy you're okay. I haven't stopped thinking about you. Oh Eri, I'm so glad!"
Touya watched from the doorway as he leaned against the frame with his arms crossed as you were bent down in your beautiful dress to hold the little girl in your arms like the most prized gift in the world. His heart clenched at the sight...a vision of what he could have had vanishing like vapors in the wind. This thought was frozen the moment he heard that same tiny voice call out his name.
"Thank you Mr. Touya! You brought my Big Sissy back to me! Thank you! Thank you!" Eri kept repeating as she clung onto you as if her life depended on it. You turned to Touya to see his cerulean eyes wide and his once stubborn stance broken into uncertainty. His eyes locked with yours and he swore his heart gave out when he saw the brilliant and gorgeous smile curl your soft lips.
"Told you so," You murmured to the villain who didn't quite know how to respond. The man that killed hundreds of people, destroyed thousands of lives, and felt intense hate for even his own father was caught in a trance by a woman he fell head over heels for and a little girl that saw his true soul without any prejudice at all. Dabi bit his lip as he nodded, turning away from the door and proceeding to walk down the hallways towards the familiar route of his mother's room. This facility was full of lost souls desperate to discover who they were supposed to be and eager to get back onto a path where they felt life was worth living. Touya saw first hand exactly what he was capable of: reuniting loved ones with their families, finding people once considered lost, befriending those unable to connect with the general populace...the list went on and each day he spent with you generated another trait he could add.
Eri was just a child abused by a world that wanted to use her like a machine, yet she still was able to find hope in people no matter what evils they did to her. Being around people with cruel, fossilized hearts taught her how to observe her environment and tell who was truly her friend or her foe. She saw Touya as more than his monsterous scars and dangerous quirk...she saw you as a hero despite your weaknesses and violent past. It was in you two, Mirio, and Deku that Eri placed her faith in humanity once again...and like hell would you ever disappoint her.
As you spoke with the child and listened to her worries...her dreams...her hopes for the future...it was there that you realized there was absolutely no way you could ever give up on becoming a hero, even if you were quirkless. This child was saved thanks to your bravery and she continued to hold light in her eyes because you were the one who held the torch in the darkness.
"Do you ever think I'll be able to be like you when I grow up? My quirk...it hurts people...I wanna help them! I wanna be like you and Deku and Mirio! I wanna be like Mr. Touya!" You sat with the girl in your lap, a hairbrush in your hand as you were the only one who ever seemed to be able to tame her wild silvery locks. To control a wild quirk like hers required expert level focus and vigilance. She needed to not allow her emotions throw her awry and center herself without any sway from outside distractions. You thought about what you could teach her, all of things you've learned in your life that you could possibly teach her and help her with...
...and it all started to make sense.
Dao...you're gonna love this.
"Of course will Eri, because I'm gonna teach you. I'll walk with you every step of the way and together I'll teach you how to use your own strength to control your quirk," You smiled at the back of the little girl's head. Her quizzical expression was obvious, even if you couldn't see her face.
"How will you do that?" You finished the last stroke of the brush and turned her to face you and for the first time in over a month, you felt strong again...like you had something that truly motivated you aside from your boyfriend or friends. There was a child that desperately needed your help and you would do anything in your power to help her.
"By showing you how to harness your own life energy to control your quirk. Tell me, Eri, have you ever heard of chi?"
~~
A/n
Ooo. How do we feel about this chapter?
It's a bit of a buildup for what I have planned next.
Sorry there was no Kacchan in this chapter but I PROMISE he is in the next one. After all...a certain concert is taking place soon...
Thoughts? Predictions? Feelings?
How are we doing today guys?
Also, massive thank you to random4151 for their !!AMAZING!! comic art! I love these so much and they really make me see the story through your eyes. They sent me other slides but for some reason wattpad isn't letting me place them all in this chapter so I selected my favorite one of her OC Shinobou at the summer festival with Katsuki.
Thank you all so much for you love <3
Happy Wednesday!
-v4k