Novels2Search
When Paths Converge: A MHA Fanfic
13. The Flaming Garbage Can

13. The Flaming Garbage Can

Yui stood outside the apartment building with the two homeless kids she’d found. Maybe bringing them back to where I live and giving them my real name after they knew I used to be a villain was not a good idea…

“Okay, you two. I’m only going to say this once. I live with a ten year old, if you so much as harm a curly green hair on his precious head, I will pull your guts out and use you as marionettes. Capisce?”

She wasn’t sure if it was the threat or the look in her eyes, but both of them paled and rushed to nod. She led the way to their door, unlocking it and letting them walk inside. They took off their shoes, “Okay, first, let’s treat that burn Dabi.” She grabbed the arm that wasn’t burned and pulled him to the bathroom. “Take off the shirt and jacket.”

“Most girls buy me dinner first,” He raised his hands when she pulled out the shears, “Okay sorry! Taking it off!” He pulled off his jacket and shirt, his torso was covered with more of those purple scars.

She frowned before she started to treat the burn. “Are those from your Quirk?” Her voice was soft, her eyes on his arm.

“Yeah, my fire burns too hot for my body to handle.” Dabi grumbled, “My body wasn’t made to handle heat.”

“Have you tried to lower the temperature?”

“The lowest they go is 2,600 Fahrenheit. I’ve never been able to make them orange like normal fire.” She put the bandage on his arm, before she saw another burn among his scars, looking deeper than the other. “What the fuck is that from?”

The teen was silent for a moment before he looked away from her, “It’s freezing out there, I had to keep the brat warm somehow.” He muttered, his eyes on a tile on the floor.

Yui let out a sigh before she got to work on treating that one, being as careful as she could. With all his scaring, it was hard to see the wounds, could he still feel it? Or were his nerves dead because of it? She wasn’t sure which option she’d prefer.

“You’d probably need some support gear to use it. Or maybe stop generating fire on your fucking arms since obviously that hurts you. It looks like your fingers don’t burn?” She put the first aid kit away. “Anyway, we can talk Quirks later, take a shower if you want, I’ll grab clothes you can wear,” She left the room, closing the door behind her.

She rummaged through her closet to pull hoodies and sweatpants for both of them. Himiko was standing in the living room, staring at the window with a far away look in her eyes.

“You okay?” She put the clothes on the couch, “Dabi is in the shower now, once he’s done its all yours. I’ll wash your clothes too.”

She jumped and turned to her, blinking rapidly. “Why are you doing this? What do you want?” her voice came out soft and uncertain.

Yui blinked, “I want to help you. Look, I won’t get into it, but my parents were shit. I finally got my head out of my ass thanks to someone else and got away. So seeing you and Dabi…you’re both kids like me. We got handed a shitty hand in life. If I can slip you both some aces I will.”

Before she knew it, a body crashed into hers, almost taking her to the floor if she didn’t brace her knees. Arms crushed her in a hug as she sobbed into her shoulder. I got another crier…Yui smiled softly as she slowly knelt down with her, rubbing her back and whispering to the girl that it was okay, she was safe and she would help her.

“Yui-nee?” she jerked at the voice, raising her head to stare into wide emerald eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, green bean, I’m okay… I have some friends that will be staying awhile.” she kept on holding Himiko close, the girl’s sobs turning to sniffles as amber eyes turned to the new voice. “Can you start coffee for me please? I think we'll need it.”

----------------------------------------

When everyone was showered, in clean clothes, scarfed down a quick breakfast of toast and eggs and sat down around the couch with either mugs of coffee or hot chocolate, did they start introductions.

“Um, hi, I’m Izuku. It’s ah…nice to meet you?” his fingers rubbed against the mug in his hands as his eyes flicked up to them and then away.

“Hi!! My name is Himiko Toga! I’m eleven years old, my favorite colors are red and pink and I love steak!” Himiko chirped as she kicked her legs a bit.

Dabi rolled his eyes, but he had a small smile on his face. “Name’s Dabi, kid. Don’t worry, we've already been promised evisceration if we touch you, so you’re safe.”

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

“Yui-nee! You can’t threaten people!” Izuku turned to her, his eyes wide.

“It wasn’t a threat, threats are empty. It was a promise, because I will do exactly what I said if they hurt you.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Anyway, I found them on the streets. They’re homeless, and I want to help them. Another round of snow is on the way and Himiko already told me her parents are terrible, but they aren’t people we’d have to worry about?”

“Nope! My dad works for an accounting firm and my mom is a housewife!”

“So, harmless. I’ll dig up information to double check, but it shouldn’t be hard to get you set up. Your age might be an issue, but not anymore than mine is…okay Dabi, your turn. I need to know if anyone in your past will come to bite us on the ass.” She focused those teal eyes on him, “I get that you probably don’t want to tell me, but if I help you, I should know what fire I’m walking into,”

Dabi looked down at his mug, frowning down at it. “What…do you think of…Endeavor?” his voice was soft and controlled, not betraying his emotions.

Yui blinked, meeting viridian eyes before she turned back to the teenager. “Personally? I can’t stand him, even though he’s number 2, he doesn’t act like it. He’s angry, and brash and only cares about reducing people he sees as villains to ash. His civilian injuries are twice the amount as All Might's, and his property damage is sky high and the hero commission still allows him to stomp around like an overgrown toddler.”

Izuku nodded, “Yeah, I’m a hero fan boy and even I don’t want Endeavor merch…he’s way too scary and angry. I feel bad for his sidekicks, I know I couldn’t stand being around that much yelling.”

Dabi’s eyes were wide as he stared at them before his hands clenched on the mug. “Well, it’s a lot worse for his family.”

Yui and Izuku listened intently, neither moving or going to speak. The hatred and pain in Dabi's voice was too palpable. “When my Quirk came in, all I did was train. Fighting until I got sick, until I collapsed, until the fire I made burned my skin until it looked like this.” He touched the purple scars on his face. “I have three younger siblings, and....AND-” Dabi's voice cracked as his flames flared out for a moment before Yui tackled him, Dabi lashed out at her before he realized she was holding him through a blanket that his flames were barely making progress through, the acrid smell of burning material filling the air as he looked down at her already seeing the burns forming on her face as she hugged him.

His flames dwindled to nothing as the two youngest in the room screamed, Izuku pulling a fire extinguisher from behind the couch, where it lived after Yui had accidentally set fire to the coffee table. "I burst into flame and you hug me with some kind of retardant blanket?" Dabi let out a wet laugh his vision growing blurry, "Why the fuck would you do that?"

Yui looked up at him with a glare, wrapping him firmly in the blanket, hissing when her burns brushed against something before finally muttering, "I told you I knew what it was like to grow up with shitty parents...you don't have to talk about how your family was involved with Endeavor."

Dabi seemed to smirk at that last bit, "Fuck you..."glancing at her burns and down at the blanket around him, "maybe I want to tell somebody." he finished running a hand through his hair and clenching, before letting out a frustrated growl.

"I have siblings, a-and the only reason we existed was to find this, perfect solution to surpassing All Might!" Dabi's breathing picked up as he began to hyperventilate. Izuku guiltily put his All Might figure behind the napkin holder. "T-the youngest, he was the perfect mix. The rest of us were dropped! Like trash! But we could finally see each other. Except for Sh-him...It was like they thought we'd corrupt him!" his voice cracked as his hand pulled at his hair.

"You know what I missed? It's going to sound so cheesy, but when he was a toddler he'd always come to me. Learning how to crawl? Right to me, gripping my pants leg when he was learning to stand and walk...still doing it when he was shy..." Dabi's voice shattered and they didn't say anything when they saw a tear slide down his face. "My little brother would always find me when he was scared, or when he was excited about something...I miss him coming to me..." Dabi's head was getting a little light headed, ‘why were the lights so bright?’

Yui pressed down on his chest, trying to say something about 'just breathe', "N-no! He worked him so hard, trying to make him into the perfect weapon! Our mother tried so hard to step between them, but she was so much smaller and weaker than him…I…I couldn’t protect him either. Until I overheard her yelling at him, ‘You push them too hard, Enji! What’s it going to take?! Will you stop if this kills one of them?!’” his voice changed in pitch to initiate a more feminine tone.

“That’s when I thought of the idea…if I died, maybe he’d get his head out of his ass and he’d leave Shoto alone…maybe he’d actually be a father… So, one night I was training by myself, and I let my flames go out of control. They consumed the specialized building that could withstand Endeavor’s flames, but mine burned hotter and turned everything to ash. I left before I could see my siblings’ or my mother’s reactions…”

“But it didn’t stop anything! I found out that he was pushing Shoto even harder! Our mother couldn’t take it! She was so kind and he broke her mind so bad she's been hospitalized! I saw Shoto with a massive scar across his eye! I don't even know what's happened with Fuyumi and Natsuo! What kind of monster does that to the woman and kids that are supposed to be family?!” His eyes snapped up to them, overwhelmed with pain and hatred and confusion. A few tears slipped down his cheeks before he slumped back against the couch, the empty mug falling to the floor as he covered his face with his hands.

Yui put the mug down before she put her hand on his shoulder, the teen stiffened at the touch before he collapsed against her. Izuku rushed to his other side to hug him, tears pouring down his face. Himiko went around the couch to hug around his shoulders as she hid her face in his hair.

They stayed like that until limbs were numb and tears had dried up but heads were clearer. An unspoken thread between four children that had pasts steeped in blood and burns and pain, a bond between them that spoke of understanding that pain and will rise up against it. A bond that made them family more so than blood.