Some people would probably argue that going out to illegally hunt criminals the same day you've been arrested for doing just is not a very bright idea – and Aizawa would absolutely be one of those people – but when has Dabi ever cared about other people's opinions? His fists are itching for a fight, his eyes refuse to close after he's slept through the afternoon, and if he has to look at another equation tonight he swears he's going to set something on fire.
Most likely Endeavor.
And Dabi doesn't think Aizawa would appreciate that, either. Not that he cares what the man thinks, of course.
Still, after all the fussing from his mother, the shitty treatment from the police and having to deal with his father's bullshit, Dabi desperately needs to let out some steam. What's a better way to do that than go beat up some assholes?
(Dabi doesn't have a therapist, but if he did, he's sure they would tell him that violence isn't a healthy coping mechanism. To which his response would probably be that sex and drugs aren't an available option right now, so he takes what he can get.
Maybe that's why he doesn't have a therapist.)
And, well, Aizawa still needs to give him back his phone. It only makes sense to go, he reasons.
Sneaking out is as easy as always, which comes as a bit of a surprise. He sort of expected Endeavor to be on some higher alert after that disaster, but it doesn't seem to be the case, if the loud snoring coming from the man's bedroom is anything to go by. It's strange, but Dabi isn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. It's very likely that Endeavor is just too much of an idiot to think any of his children would dare to do something like that.
He isn't even out of his neighbourhood when he catches his first criminal of the night. An older man, ridiculously richly dressed, being threatened by some muscly guy with a fake gun and a creepy smile. Dabi rolls his eyes, briefly considers letting the criminal do his part because honestly, fuck capitalism and fuck rich people, but eventually takes him out anyway, just because he looks so sketchy, and leaves before the victim can even think about thanking him.
He probably shouldn't have done that, he realises almost immediately. He most likely wouldn't, if it was any other day. Not only because of his personal feelings towards rich assholes, but also because his neighbourhood is not exactly a great place for vigilanting. Too big of a chance of some wealthy bastard snitching on him to the authorities. After all, people here have heroes – they don't need vigilantes. But tonight he just really wanted to punch someone. Which, again, he really shouldn't have done. Especially now that he would most likely be kept under some surveillance from the police. He doesn't want to end up back at the precinct, thank you very much.
He manages to stifle any further violent urges until he gets to his usual area of 'work'. But the moment he steps into the darkness, the moment the familiar grim alleys start singing to him with their melody of crime, he's gone. In the next two hours, he stops another mugging, two rape attempts, one burglary and one unimaginative bullying session, and he has a hell of a time doing it. The wound on his chest stings something awful with every sharp move, but somehow, the pain only makes it better. Makes him feel more alive.
Such a large number of crimes is nothing out of the ordinary – in big cities like this, there is always something shady happening, some assholes whose faces need rearranging. What is very much out of the ordinary though is that he's been out here for so long and yet Aizawa has not shown up. Usually, it only takes about two arrests for the man to find him (and pretend to scold him while doing nothing to actually stop him), so his current absence doesn't bode well. Is it possible that the man took a day off? Dabi finds it hard to believe. Aizawa doesn't seem like the kind of guy who takes days off. Maybe he's busy with something big? But Dabi is pretty sure he would know if there was anything big going on, so it can't be it. Maybe he didn't think Dabi would be stupid enough to go out after what happened earlier and just decided not to bother with searching for him?
Whatever the reason, Dabi is getting annoyed with all this waiting. It's just his luck that the one time he actually wants the hero to come harass him Aizawa is nowhere to be found.
He lets himself fall backwards with a sigh, legs dangling over the edge of the roof he's sitting on. His back touches the ground with a quiet thud and the cool of it is a welcome reprieve from the still absurdly hot weather. For a moment, he simply stares at the stars, trying to recall any of the constellations Toga forced him to learn during her short witchy phase. It's a futile effort, both because his memory is pretty shit and because the stars are barely there, just a few weak flickers among the deep darkness. He knows their true beauty is obstructed by all the light the city generates. He knows they would be way more impressive viewed from the countryside or a remote beach, like the one where Hawks took him on their anniversary date and they spent the entire night competing over who can come up with the stupidest new zodiac sign. Still, they're nice to look at. Calming.
Instinctively, he reaches for his phone to play some mindless game but then he remembers he doesn't have it. Fucking Aizawa has it and his other phone is back in his room, plugged to the charger. He did consider taking it with him, just in case, but in the end he decided the risk wasn't worth it. That phone had enough personal information on it to instantly blow his cover if someone managed to get their hands on it. And it was also Touya's phone, one given to him by Endeavor, so it might just as well have some tracking shit installed on it or whatever. Probably not – he thinks he would be able to notice – but it's better safe than sorry. Besides, what does he really need a phone for anyway? It's not like he ever actually calls the police.
Disappointed that his Candy Crush craving will have to go unsatisfied, he grabs a pack of cigarettes instead. He's been itching for a smoke ever since he left the house. His hand hesitates though, just before lighting it. Because he's also been trying not to completely ruin Touya's young lungs. Therefore, he imposed a limit – three cigs a day tops. And he's already had that much today. But, well, sometimes a guy needs to indulge a bit, you know? And hey, maybe the familiar rush of nicotine will make him less irritated. Less likely to accidentally murder someone.
He lights the cigarette.
Not even a minute later, someone starts yelling somewhere close by. Someone else shrieks in response. Sighing again (and cursing himself for growing so soft), Dabi scrambles to stand up and immediately hisses in pain as the movement pulls on his wound. The screams from below steadily increase in volume. He flexes his muscles one last time and rushes to see what's going on down there, cigarette still between his lips.
And, well, the nicotine is so much better accompanied by the metallic taste of blood.
***
Later, much later, Dabi finds himself walking lazily down a familiar street – much too crowded for this hour of the night, he notices with some distaste – wondering if it's time to head home. It's pretty late already, so he should hurry if he wants to make it home before anyone notices his absence. Not to mention how his eyelids seem to be dropping without his permission and his muscles keep yelling at him to let them rest. His throat is raw from all the energy drinks he consumed and he thinks his poor heart is attempting to perform Vivaldi's Summer with the way it's racing like crazy.
(He might have overdone it a bit tonight. Rarely, if ever, does his body count for the night exceed seven, maybe eight assholes. He's already at twelve right now.)
Besides, there's no reason for him to stay any longer. Eraser clearly isn't coming.
Mind made up, he speeds up his steps, aiming towards the train station. Despite the late hour, the news are playing on multiple large screens on the buildings around him and for a short second, his eyes fixate on one that seems to be describing the villain attack from earlier. Just like the officers promised, there's nothing about him in there – no mention of Endeavor, burns or wayward teenagers. Only a bare acknowledgement of the incident, without getting into many details.
At least he gets an official confirmation that the girl is fine. If the reporter is to be believed, there were no fatalities from the attack. Take that, useless pigs.
Dabi is so busy staring at the screen and cursing the authorities that he doesn't notice a small child running right at him until it's too late. He glances down exactly in time to see a small body crush into him with a strangled cry and then his balance is gone and his butt painfully hits the ground.
"Watch it!" he hisses out of habit, ready to glare at whatever careless brat decided to make his day even worse.
But then his eyes meet an awfully familiar pair of blond buns, accompanied by a mouth full of sharp fangs and a face too young and way too gaunt. It doesn't feel real – she doesn't feel real – but he would know her anywhere. Whatever harsh words he was about to spew die on his tongue. He can do nothing but stare.
"I'm sorry!" cries the little girl who is undeniably Toga Himiko, her eyes wide and devoid of the usual craziness Dabi associates with her. Instead, they are glassy and filled with fear.
Her knees are both bleeding, Dabi notes absentmindedly, an unfortunate result of her skirt not being long enough to protect them from the fall. But that fact doesn't stop her from immediately jumping to her feet and running off into the crowd before he can fully process what's just happened.
"Wait!" he shouts after her, clumsily attempting to stand up, still half in shock. Unfortunately, when he manages to get up without being trampled to death by annoyed pedestrians and turns around, she's no longer there.
Some people are shooting him suspicious glances but he doesn't pay them any mind, too stunned by the unexpected encounter. He can't believe he's just met Toga. His heart is beating so fast it threatens to jump out of his chest and chase after her, and this time it has nothing to do with the amount of caffeine he consumed. He almost lets his legs do just that, before he realizes that him following her like that would probably only terrify her more.
"Shit," he curses under his breath, angry that he didn't react faster.
He's always known, theoretically, that League members also existed in this world, even if they weren't all criminals yet. Hell, he's met Twice! Although, with Twice it was different – he was still more or less the same guy, albeit a little less scraggly looking and a lot less crazy. But Toga? The Toga here is just a child, a literal baby, terrified and unwanted, and still so innocent. He doesn't know what he wants to do more – hug her until she never has to look so scared ever again or cry because she's nothing like the girl who used to be like a sister to him. So he does neither. Instead, he's stuck wondering.
Ten years is a lot of time. Toga hasn't had her breakdown yet and won't for some more years. Twice – Jin – is still sane and, as far as Dabi knows, has no plans of excessively cloning himself. Spinner would be what, in middle school right now? Mr. Compress's family might still be alive. Magne might have not started murdering people yet. There's still a chance for all of them, a chance to have a normal life. If only someone had the knowledge and the means to help them...
(As for Shigaraki and Kurogiri... well, Dabi knows where they are. Shiggy would be incredibly young too now, around Natsu's age, but still not young enough to be anywhere else than in All For One's clutches. There's nothing to be done for them, he tells himself. It doesn't help with the guilt.)
Before he has a chance to think deeper about what seeing Toga and having these revelations might mean to him, his attention is caught by a muffled screaming coming from somewhere to his right. So much for grand epiphanies. Cursing the terrible timing of whatever mediocre villain's ass he's about to kick – honestly, do criminals not sleep? – he pulls on his hood and runs towards the commotion as quietly as he can, one hand already on the handle of his knife.
It turns out to be a dark alley a few buildings over – when isn't it a dark alley? criminals here are also not very original, it seems – one with an exit on both sides, but long enough that it doesn't really matter. Sneaking closer to glimpse at whatever's happening without being noticed, he forces his breathing to slow down as to not give himself away. His heart continues to hammer in his chest at an unreasonable speed, but there's nothing to be done about that. It will either slow down on its own until tomorrow or he's gonna die of a heart attack. A small inconvenience like that isn't going to stop him from having his fun, he decides as he climbs to the roof of one of the buildings and peeks over the edge.
There's more people in the alley than he's expecting.
Four imposing figures, covered from head to toe in black, are standing in a half circle around two other people, a girl and a boy. The latter is leaning heavily against the wall, clutching his stomach tightly, and there's a large red stain at the front of his shirt. There's no weapon visible, but he's clearly been stabbed. His skin is pale and clammy, and even from the distance Dabi can see the frantic rising and falling of his chest. His face is twisted in pain and, occasionally, he will let out a small whimper. Dabi realizes it must have been him he heard scream.
The girl is standing in front of the boy, fists raised and body tense, glaring at their assailants with vivid hatred. She's young, maybe not as young as Dabi has been when he was first thrown into the streets, but certainly not of age. There are some light scars on her arms and more severe ones peeking from underneath her tank top. She seems tough, much tougher than anyone her age should be, and something in Dabi aches for her. For them both really, as the boy behind her is even younger and yet, although badly hurt and painfully outnumbered, he still has that look in his eyes that every survivor has. A will to live, a will to fight. They're both innocent children thrown into a cruel world way too early and, for some reason even he can't fully explain, Dabi finds himself needing to save them.
Before that though, he has to get some insight on what's going on. They're clearly being attacked by some group, maybe just some regular thugs or maybe someone worse. The person who appears to be in charge of the attackers is snarling something about debts and favours and 'The Boss' as they advance – so, probably a gang. The girl appears to be shooting them down quite adamantly, which only serves to make the dark figures angrier, and it seems like the only reason they don't attack her yet is her quirk – a red scorpion tail almost as tall as the rest of her – that looms behind her threateningly and helps keep them at an arm's length. But even so, despite her apparent confidence, she's visibly nervous. She may be a skilled fighter – and she looks like one – but probably not enough to easily take out all four of them on her own. And certainly not fast enough for her wounded companion, who's definitely losing a lot of blood and doesn't have much time left.
If the boy is to live, Dabi will have to finish this quickly. But without his quirk – and he can't use his quirk, because while earlier it might have been overlooked, now there's a police record on him and they know, not only about his flames but also about his vigilantist tendencies – and without his infamous reputation as the League of Villains' commander Dabi that used to cause most minor criminals to flee at the first sight of his scars, taking on four unknown enemies might prove to be difficult. Especially if he doesn't want to kill anyone. And especially, especially because that one annoying vigilante Dabi usually just makes the brainless thugs want to challenge him more.
The truth is, he probably needs backup.
Once again, Dabi curses Eraserhead for making him weak. Or logical, whatever. He would have never considered asking a hero for help before that man inserted himself into his life and dared to be nice. Why can't he go back to mindlessly setting people on fire? If he could use his quirk, getting rid of the thugs wouldn't take longer than a few seconds. There would be no need for any backup, especially not the hero type. Alas, it is what it is.
It's just too bad that this particular hero he would like to ask for help hasn't had a chance to give him his phone back yet.
Well, shit.
From where he's perched on the roof over the alley, Dabi can see the entire confrontation quite clearly. Whoever these ninja guys are, they seem cautious about the girl's quirk, not coming closer than absolutely necessary even while threatening and stating their demands. None of them have any unusual features and none of them are using anything else to fight with other than their bodies, so Dabi thinks it's safe to assume they're quirkless or have quirks that are non-combatant. That makes it somehow more manageable. And they don't seem that tough anyway – guys with muscles as inflated as theirs tend to be all bark and no bite.
"I don't want to hear it!" the leader, an imposing woman, hisses, taking a menacing step closer to the girl. She has her hands propped on her hips and her eyes are narrowed into slits. Her head is shaved and she has a dragon tattoo covering the back of her neck and most of her skull. Combined with the impressive size of her biceps, she makes quite an intimidating picture. "Your boss promised my boys they would get their rewards in exchange for our aim. We did our part of the deal. Where's yours?"
"I told you, I don't know!" the girl protests, clearly getting frustrated. Her eyes dart around frantically, as though in search of an opening or maybe someone who would help her. For a moment, her gaze seems to land on him and her eyes widen just a bit, but she looks away too quickly for Dabi to be sure if it was real or just a trick of the light. "He always repays depts. Always. He wouldn't lie to you! If he hasn't given you what you want yet, he will soon!"
"It's been weeks!" one of the men growls, clenching his fists.
"Well, maybe the work you did for him wasn't satisfactory!"
"You little bitch—!"
The leader grabs her companion's hand before it can try to hit the girl. She herself looks like she would like nothing more than to do just that, but she seems to be holding her temper in check for now. Whatever it is they want so badly must be really important. It just makes Dabi want to stop them more.
"Calm down, Yuji," the woman commands gently, a perfect picture of politeness. "We're just talking for now. There's no need to be rash. I'm sure our friend here is smart enough to realize what situation she's in without unnecessary violence."
"'Without unnecessary violence?!'" the bleeding boy exclaims indignantly between the grunts of pain. "You stabbed me! You—" he doesn't get to finish whatever he means to say, cut off by a sudden coughing fit. Somehow, his face turns even paler just from uttering those two sentences. Dabi expects blood to start gushing out of his mouth at any moment.
"Oh, but that was very necessary," the leader continues, her smile not wavering even a little. "It gives you an incentive to give us what we want quicker."
"I can't give you anything," the girl insists, an edge of desperation seeping into her voice. Her gaze subtly turns up to where Dabi is sitting, proving that she did in fact notice him before, and there's an urging in it, bordering on pleading. "I don't control what he does! There's nothing I can do to help you! Please, you have to believe me!"
Unfazed, the leader tilts her head and says, her voice smooth, "Maybe you can't help. But you can bring us to him, can you not?"
"What? No, I—I don't—" the girl stutters, and even from the distance Dabi can see her hands begin to shake. Behind her, the boy lets out a choked, gurgling sound, but she doesn't react, frightened eyes focused solely on the enemy in front of her. "I don't know where he is, I swear. He doesn't tell me this stuff. He doesn't! You have to believe me! Even if I wanted to tell you, I can't!"
The two women's stubborn gazes lock in a heated battle, each eager to get her way, none willing to give up without a fight. The silence encompassing the alley is tense enough to cut. Dabi wonders if he should leave. This is clearly something much more complicated than he initially assumed and he has no intention of involving himself in any gangster drama. But something keeps him in place. Part of a gang or not, these are still children. He's familiar with the life on the streets – he doubts it was their choice to join whatever shady boss they seem to be serving.
"I think you're lying," the leader says finally, her voice low. "I think you know exactly where he is. You're his biggest little worshiper, after all."
Well, maybe it was her choice after all, Dabi feels the need to rectify. Even so, he doesn't think he has a right to judge her. Someone like her – young and lost, lonely and hopeless – would make a perfect target for a skilled manipulator. A kind word here, a friendly smile there and voila, you have earned yourself their undying loyalty. It's a common pattern with abuse victims – just look at dear Shiggy and his sickly obsession with his 'Master'.
The girl does not react to the taunt. The nervousness she's been expressing so far vanishes in a blink of an eye, discarded the moment it proved futile. Now, her expression is blank, maybe even a bit condescending. "Think whatever you want, I don't care. You can plead, you can threaten me, you can even try to kill me if you want, but I'm telling you that I don't know where he is and that's all you're going to get from me."
The leader shares a look with one of her companions and nods lightly. The grin on the man's face is obvious, despite being covered by black cloth. He ostentatiously flexes his muscles, then cracks his joints and forms his hands into fists. The two other guys remain still, but have similarly eager auras of bloodlust around them.
"I suppose we have to do this the ugly way, then," she says sweetly, baring her teeth in a parody of a pleasant smile. "Your turn, Yuji."
The big man doesn't need to be told twice. He jumps at the chance to leap forwards and aim a punch at the girl's head, probably strong enough to crack her skull if it hit. Taking a hasty step back, she stops the attack with her tail before it lands, but the impact forces a grunt out of her anyway and there's barely any space left behind her now, especially with the wounded boy still leaning against the wall. She glares at her attacker with the sort of hatred that could never exist outside of the darkness. It only seems to make the man's next attacks that much more passionate.
The girl manages to hold her own for a while, much longer than Dabi would have expected. The three dark figures observe the fight in silence, but the longer it goes on the stormier the leader's expression becomes. It's obvious she's getting impatient. Her eyes dart back and forth between the two entrances to the alley, as if to check for any wayward onlookers. She must be aware they won't go unnoticed forever.
It's unfortunate for her that she doesn't think to look up.
She inclines her head the slightest bit, which must be some sort of signal, because the two remaining men stretch their muscles and lazily move to join the fight. One of them reaches into his pocket to retrieve something and it flashes with the reflected dull light of a single streetlamp. At first, Dabi assumes it's a knife, but he quickly realizes his mistake. The shiny thing with which the man throws himself at the scorpion girl is a bloody butcher's hook.
Suddenly, Dabi feels a renewed wave of sympathy for that poor boy. Having your guts rearranged with something like that couldn't have been pleasant.
The girl manages to dodge the hook attack (seriously, what the fuck? is that guy, some Captain Hook wannabe?), but it forces her to close the distance between her and the first guy, who immediately attempts to grab her by her throat. She smacks her tail into him, putting him back on the defensive, but it leaves her vulnerable to the third man's attack and the kick sends her flying, her back hitting the wall with a thud.
The leader's sharp gaze turns to the left entrance and so does Dabi's. It doesn't seem like any of the passers-by are brave or sober enough to interrupt, but they doubtlessly can hear something is going on. It's just a matter of time before someone calls the cops, bad district or not. He's either going to have to get down there soon or run off before anyone undesired spots him and finally puts him in jail.
The choice is basically made for him. The girl pulls herself up, but she's breathing hard and her moves are starting to get frantic as she's immediately forced to parr another two hits. There's a trickle of blood running down her face from a small wound on her head and she seems a little dizzy. As though sensing the weakness in her victim, the leader gives another signal – a small whistle.
Instantly, one of the masked figures lunges at the girl, breaking the pattern of long range attacks and she raises her hands to defend herself. At the same time, the other two take advantage of her preoccupation and strike as well. She might have even been able to deflect them all, somehow, if not for the leader, who chooses this moment to put her foot in the bleeding boy's stomach, causing him to shriek in agony. The girl turns towards him on instinct and the few seconds of her startled distraction are enough for one of the attackers to grab onto her tail and force it down, making her unable to use it.
She yelps and trashes around as the two dark figures restrain her limbs and the last one kicks her roughly in the stomach to keep her down. The boy screams her name through his cries, Annika or something like that, but he's too hurt himself to attempt any help, so he's left to gasp and watch her desperately struggle against impossible odds. The hook-wielding man sends the girl a wide grin as he raises the weapon, readying for the final swing.
And just like that, Dabi moves. It's risky, too risky probably, but his limbs work without his permission. Something, some voice in his mind, urges him to help, even if it's dangerous, and right then, watching the girl's eyes widen in horror at the approaching weapon, he can't find it in himself to defy it.
Hero course would teach you that your own safety is more important than saving every single person. That you shouldn't rush in recklessly when you know you're outnumbered, even at the cost of someone's life, because your life is always more important. Dabi thinks it's bullshit – didn't people use to be called heroes precisely because they put the lives of others above their own?
Not here, apparently. Here, they would tell you to alert other heroes and wait for reinforcements. It's not even that he thinks it's stupid, it just obviously isn't an option for him. As if to spite him, Eraser is nowhere to be found, despite the fact that he managed to corner Dabi during his nightly escapades every single time before. There's only one choice here – let it happen, let two innocent children die, or get involved but risk getting hurt.
Getting hurt has never really been a concern for Dabi, so he jumps off the roof without further hesitation, using the weakest possible force of his flames to soften the fall.
"It's not nice to gang up on someone like that," he drawls, as the man's hand stills and all of their heads turn to him in surprise. Especially the leader seems unhappy about the interruption. Good, he thinks and grins at them sharply, twirling the handle of his knife between his fingers. "No one's ever taught you any manners?"
"Get lost, brat," one of them spits, his large hand still gripping the struggling girl's arm. "It's none of your business."
"Oh, I don't know," Dabi hums, taking a few casual steps forward. The masked people tense a little but not enough to indicate they really see him as a threat. More like an annoyance. The wounded boy coughs up some blood and moans again, reminding Dabi that there's no time for dramatics here. "I would say dealing with assholes like you is exactly my business."
He doesn't wait for them to react. He lunges at the closest one, aiming straight for the head. The handle of his knife is just heavy enough to work as a substitute for a blunt weapon and he's about to use that fact. It would have been so much easier if he could just slit their throats and call it a day, but that's 'morally wrong' or whatever, so simply knocking them out before they can kill him will have to do.
He's lucky he's fast. The person he's aiming for dodges his attack and immediately retaliates, about to grab Dabi's arm and probably break it, if the furious scowl on his face is anything to go by. He manages to jump back in time though and, knowing it would only egg the guy on, sends him a smug smirk.
It vanishes the moment he can feel another presence right at his back. Oh yeah, there are other people to take care of. At least the girl took advantage of their distraction, managing to break free, and is now fighting the other two.
Dabi ducks his head just as the person behind him tries to punch him and quickly aims a kick to the attackers knees. At the same time he blocks another hit from the other guy, barely saving himself from getting bonked in the ribs.
"You playing a hero, kid?" taunts the one who attacked him from behind, the woman. The deranged smile on her face mirrors his own. "There ain't no heroes here. You're just gonna die for nothing."
Even before she finishes talking, she's already in his face. She's fast, faster than her companions, but, fortunately, not as fast as Dabi. Caught off guard, he does the only thing he can think off – shoves his knife in front of himself just in time to slash her palm with the sharp end. She hisses in pain or maybe just in surprise, but doesn't pause for long, only getting more determined to land a hit. The other guy is also trying to punch him from behind, but his moves are laughably slow. Still, he's an inconvenience and an unwelcome distraction.
As if hearing his thoughts, the woman uses the moment he turns around to block another hit from the guy and kicks him in the back. He manages to spin the momentum enough to still avoid the second attack, but his spine hurts as hell and so do the palms of his hands as his body collides with the harsh concrete. The sting from the chest wound he's already had combined with everything else turns out to be too much for him and his mouth lets out a pained cry without his permission.
"What? Baby's hurt?" the woman coos, derision dripping from every word. "You should go home, boy, while you can still walk."
Fuck. He really wishes he could use his quirk right now. He's sure they wouldn't sound so fucking cocky if their bodies were, you know, being set on fire.
Beggars can't be choosers though so he stands up quickly and only doubles his efforts. He won't let some mediocre goons get the best of him, a child's body or not. As he's exchanging punches with the big guy, he notices out of the corner of his eye that the girl must have managed to take out one of her opponents, because there's an unmoving body lying at her feet, with the hook still gripped in its hand. The woman must notice it too, because she curses and ceases her attacks on him, leaving him to fight the guy alone while she goes to aid her other companion in subduing the scorpion girl. Now that it's just the two of them, Dabi can properly direct his attention to the man in front of him and the real fight begins.
They exchange some more blows, but Dabi is able to avoid most of them. This criminal obviously has no idea of any martial arts, or even the basic fighting moves – it's likely his size is usually more than enough to compensate for that, so he never bothered to learn. Which is good for Dabi, who has fighting against much bigger opponents pretty much mastered at this point. It's laughably easy to use their strength against them if you know what you're doing. And so, after receiving way more new bruises than he's comfortable with, he finally manages to land a hit to the guy's head. A hard one.
He crumples to the ground with a thud, unconscious, and Dabi lets out a sigh of relief.
Good. Two down, two to go.
Momentarily out of opponents, Dabi risks a glance towards the wounded guy and immediately curses. The boy's clothes are soaked with blood and his face is dangerously pale. With the state he's in, t's a miracle he's still conscious – but judging by how his head is beginning to go limp, it's just a matter of time before the blood loss gets one over him.
Someone should probably do something about it.
"You!" he shouts at the girl as he barges into the man behind her, hoping to take him out with one well aimed blow like he did with the one before. It doesn't quite work, but it certainly earns Dabi the guy's attention. Since he's busy not getting smashed by the furious giant, he has no way of checking if she's listening, so he just continues, hoping that she does, "Take your friend and run! I will finish it here!"
"No way!" she yells back and then yelps as the woman aims a kick to her side. Panting, she adds through gritted teeth, "You won't be able to take them both!"
He curses again, irritation boiling the blood in his veins. He could incinerate all of them with a flick of his fingers if he wanted to – he's not weak. He simply chooses to keep them alive – although he might change his mind if that guy tries to grab his hair one more fucking time.
"He won't make it if you don't get him to the hospital soon!" he snaps, and if the next time he slashes the guy's skin with his knife it's a little deeper than he would normally allow, well, no one can blame him.
She says something back but it's drowned by the sudden battle cry Dabi's opponent lets out. Dabi head snaps towards him but it's too late to react. The much larger body slams into him at full force and they both fall to the ground, Dabi's fragile bones taking the brunt of it.
The air is squeezed out of him and he gasps, pain pulsing through his whole back. The guy's body is crushing him, not only making it hard to breathe but also aggravating the wound he got from the villain earlier. Dabi struggles despite knowing he has little chance to overpower the muscly monster. He pushes at him, kicks his legs, even attempts to bite the asshole, all to no avail.
(Look, it might be futile effort but he absolutely refuses to go down just because some idiot decided to throw himself at him instead of fighting like a normal person. Like, who does that?!)
The guy grunts and raises himself on his arms while the rest of his body is still keeping Dabi in place. He's completely unmoved by Dabi's attempts at getting free, if maybe a bit annoyed, like one would be at an irritating fly. The man then grabs Dabi's wrists to further restrain him and it takes everything in him not to scream in frustration. The suffocating feeling of the guy's heavy body squashing him reminds him of things he doesn't want to remember – of being helpless, weak, at a monster's mercy.
He can't overpower this man. The girl is still fighting with that woman and it doesn't seem like she will be done anytime soon, so he can't hope for her help either. No one else is coming to his aid – he knows better than most that there are no heroes here. Not even Eraser, the one time that he's needed. Dabi's on his own, like always.
His opponent lets go of one of his hands to raise a fist, no doubt about to punch the ever-loving fuck out of Dabi. His smile, smile that is only a faint imprint against the fabric of his black ski mask yet obvious in the glint of his crazed eyes, promises pain.
And that just can't be. Dabi's face is too pretty to get ruined like that.
Before he can question that decision, Dabi readies his muscles to run the moment he's able to and then opens his mouth. A wave of fire springs from between his lips, aimed right at the guy's head.
Letting out a blood-chilling scream, the guy stumbles back, clutching at his burning face, and in turn, letting Dabi jump to his feet. The man is wailing and Dabi is coughing, the taste of smoke heavy on his tongue, his throat burning unpleasantly. This isn't something he uses often, this ability, because of how hard to control and unpleasant it is, but hard times call for hard responses. At least it won't be possible for the guy to recall what colour the fire was, he thinks to himself wryly.
He watches in something akin to fascination as the man desperately grasps at his cheeks, trying to do something about the mask that's been melted into his skin. With the blood and the blisters quickly appearing wherever the fabric is completely gone and the black parts of it that fused grotesquely with the flesh, the sight is quite gruesome. But really, it's the guy's own fault for wearing something so ridiculous.
He walks over to the crying mess of a man and knocks him out while he's still being a baby about some small burns. Only then he lets himself relax slightly. One more left. He can easily take one, hopefully without using any more fire. The girl should be fine to take her friend and run now.
He will worry about explaining the burns on the man later. There are more important things to take care of first. Like the boy bleeding out on the ground.
He turns to see how the other fight is going and immediately winces. By now, the scorpion girl is bruised and bloodied, and breathing heavily, her moves visibly getting more and more uncoordinated. Her opponent – the leader – is way faster, stronger and unrelenting, and clearly about to win very soon. Even without a quirk, she's just a better fighter.
Realizing he needs to do something, Dabi attempts to sneakily hit her on the head while she's busy avoiding getting stabbed by the other girl's tail, but the woman notices him in time and dodges. He doesn't let that discourage him, continuing with an onslaught forcefully enough that she has to focus her attention on him instead of the girl.
But instead of running, like he fucking told her to, the girl keeps trying to get a hit in. She doesn't spare a glance at her dying friend. She just stabs and stabs and stabs the air with her tail, each time a bit more frantically. The woman growls but avoids every single attack, even while simultaneously exchanging blows with Dabi. There is significantly less blood on her than on anyone else.
She's good, Dabi thinks bitterly, parring another of her blows. She's probably the best out of all of them.
Out loud, he says, "Run, for fuck's sake! I will be fine! Go get him some help!"
Again, she doesn't react. For some reason, she seems to care more about finishing this fight than she cares about saving her companion. Her companion, who is no longer leaning against the wall but instead sitting in a pool of his own blood, his face ghostly pale and his eyes closed. Dabi would've thought him already dead if not for the shallow rising and falling of his chest.
The scorpion girl doesn't look at the boy once. She only has eyes for her opponent. Her expression is dark, infuriatingly stubborn, her lips twisted into a hateful grimace as she continues throwing around her tails and, when it doesn't work, suddenly changes tactics and sends a kick to the woman's back. The woman staggers, almost falling into Dabi's raised fist, but then stops herself, somehow, and turns her body around, aiming her leg at Dabi's face with lighting speed.
It smashes into him with its entire force and he's violently thrown back. He lands heavily on the ground, scrapping his palms even more and definitely adding to his already excessive bruising. He groans, feeling blood drip from his mouth – he must have bitten his tongue. His face is throbbing, which probably means he's going to have to find a way to explain a black eye tomorrow. Great.
He forces his limbs to cooperate despite their protests and manages to pull himself up to his knees. There's no time for self-pity right now, he berates himself. Blinking, he turns his head towards the fight to see what's going on. It takes him way too long to get the dark spots out of his vision and by then, the woman is already on the girl, her hips straddling her, one of her hands keeping the girl's tail pinned to the ground and the other closing around her throat.
Dabi curses, catching the girl's eyes, desperate and wild. He attempts to stand up, to help her, but immediately gets dizzy and falls on his butt ungracefully. Frustration boils in his gut and he's ready to throw caution to the wind and use his quirk, when he notices the girls hands are free.
"Catch!"
He slides his knife over to her, hoping she will know what he means, and the girl doesn't waste any time. As the leader's head snaps to him to see what's happening, the girl grabs the knife and thrusts it into the woman's throat.
Well, he thinks blankly as he watches the woman's eyes widen in shock as she starts choking on the blood spurting from the gash on her neck. This isn't exactly what he had in mind, but at least the girl has an excuse of self-defence. Even if he would prefer there to be no deaths, this is certainly better than losing.
Soon, the woman stops convulsing and her body goes completely still. At this point, there's blood everywhere, but especially all over the girl. She doesn't seem particularly bothered though. She grimaces slightly, wipes the blood off her face and throws the corpse to the side so she can stand up. She coughs a little, massaging her throat. It's going to bruise, Dabi can tell her that. He also takes a shot at standing, again, although everything is still spinning a little, and this time he succeeds. That woman must have really hit his head good. He just hopes it's not a concussion. Those are a nightmare to deal with.
"Nice job," he comments, brushing dirt from his pants. It's useless - they're covered in blood and ripped in multiple places. He won't be using them again. But the gesture is almost instinctual.
Slowly, still unsure of his steps, he walks over to the girl to make sure she's fine. She's standing over the body awkwardly, glancing down at it as if unsure what to think. The blood is soaking her white shoes. She's probably in shock.
"Thanks," she says, still breathing shakily. Her face is wet, from blood and sweat, but it doesn't seem like she's about to pass out or start crying, or anything dramatic like that, so Dabi sighs a sigh of relief. He wouldn't know what to do if she did.
"Who were those people?"
"Who knows." She shrugs, seemingly unbothered. Dabi raises an eyebrow. From what he heard, they clearly knew each other. Whatever this was, was personal. But then again, why would she admit that to some random stranger, especially if she's involved in something less than legal. It's probably smarter to play dumb. "Some gang, maybe. There's a lot of them these days."
Still, even if the lying makes sense, she's just... a little too chill about all of this. Something's not right about it. That's not how he would expect an innocent victim to react after killing someone, even in self-defence. But then again, if she's been living on these streets as long as she thinks she's been then she hasn't been innocent for a very long time. It's not unusual for the mind to repress trauma at first. She's probably just in shock.
He glances back to the wounded guy. His state didn't change much – by which he means it's just as disastrous as a moment ago – although it's no longer clear whether he's breathing or not.
"You really should get him to the hospital," he feels the need to repeat.
"Nah." She waves a dismissive hand. "He won't make it anyway."
Dabi blinks. What?
"Really, thanks for the help though," she continues, taking a step closer to him. Her smile seems weird all of the sudden. Like those vacant smiles painted on creepy dolls. Empty. "I wouldn't expect a skinny kid like you to fight so well. I would be dead if not for you."
"Well," he says, warily, "that's what I do."
She nods, but she doesn't seem to be listening. Maybe she really is in shock. Or maybe she's more injured than she appears. Her head must have taken some blows too, after all. She might have a concussion. He should call an ambulance for both of them. Although, she's probably right it's too late for the boy at this point. And he doesn't have a phone anyway.
"You sure you're alright?" he finds himself asking when she doesn't say anything for a while.
"Oh," she startles, chuckling nervously as she looks around at all the fallen people around them and then down at her torn and bloodied clothes. "Yeah, sorry. I'm good."
"Okay. Good." He nods, then turns, about to make his way towards the boy. She might have given up on him already, but he can still try to save him. "What's his name?"
"I really don't think—Agh!" a yelp leaves her mouth suddenly, interrupting whatever she's about to say, and Dabi spins around on instinct, rushing to catch her before she can fall.
Her body is warm in his arms, he thinks absentmindedly, as he helps to stabilize her. It's probably the blood. If he wasn't looking like a murder victim already, he surely does now. It's making his skin all sticky. The metallic smell is both pleasantly familiar and repulsing.
The girl gets her bearings quickly and sends him a bashful smile, one hand clutching his arm as she steadies her footing.
"Ah, sorry," she mumbles, rubbing at the back of her neck. "I'm still a little dizzy."
"It's fine," he says, although the warning bells in his brain won't stop ringing.
There isn't anything to trip over where they're standing.
She nods again, as if to herself, and seems to be about to step back when suddenly her head jumps up and her unusually yellow eyes catch his. A sugary sweet smile grows on her lips but by then it's too late to react, because her hand is already moving.
At first, he doesn't feel anything. It's like the world stops, absurdly and abruptly. He can only blink at her, his mind blank, as she simply continues to smile at him, as if nothing was wrong.
Then, piercing pain erupts in his abdomen, making him gasp. Only then does she push him away and suddenly, his legs aren't strong enough to hold him up. His knees hit the ground ungracefully, no doubt adding to his collection of scratches, but he barely feels it. Something warm and sticky is running down his stomach and soaking through his t-shirt, dyeing it red. With his trembling hands – when did they start trembling? – he reaches down to where the pain erupts from. There's a knife in his abdomen, he finds out. He almost chuckles. There's a knife in his abdomen.
His bloodstained fingers curl around the handle as if that could somehow make it disappear. The pain is there, but it's muffled by the white noise in his ears. For a moment he simply stares down at the wound, uncomprehending. How is there a knife in his abdomen? Surely he wasn't stupid enough to let some teenage girl stab him?
Said girl takes a few steps back, as if to admire her work, and gives him another small smile. Somehow, she seems even younger now, even more innocent, even with all the blood covering her. The red matches the colour of her tail, his brain notices dumbly. It suits her.
"I'm really sorry about that," she says, with no trace of guilt in her tone. "You seem like a nice kid, but I really can't have you babbling about me. I'm sure you understand."
"You—"
"Ah, ah, ah. Don't strain yourself," she interrupts, nonchalantly walking over to one of the unconscious men. As she crouches and starts searching through his pockets, she sends Dabi a cheeky wink. "Just let it happen."
"Fuck you," he spits, already cursing himself for being so careless, for involving himself in something he didn't fully understand. He should have just let them kill her. That's what he gets for trying to play hero.
Having found what she was looking for – another knife, who would have thought – she does a quick job of slitting the guy's throat, no sign of hesitation or remorse. Then she stands up and goes to the other unconscious man, the bloody blade in her hand glinting in the moonlight. Even if he wanted to stop her, Dabi's body refuses to cooperate, his useless hands gripping the handle of the knife stuck in his stomach desperately as if that would somehow keep him from falling apart. And he doesn't want to anyway. Risking his own life, life that's already slipping through his fingers, for a bunch of worthless criminals is the last thing he's interested in doing right now.
Blinking back the annoying black dots from his sight, Dabi watches silently as the girl swiftly kills the rest of her attackers, each with one sharp cut. That doll-like smile never quite leaves her face. She's calm and precise, and on the outside it might seem like the murders mean nothing to her. But her twinkling eyes betray just how much she's enjoying it.
Once she's done with the thugs, she turns to her fallen companion and her expression shifts slightly. Becomes something more conflicted. For a moment, it seems like she's going to say something, but in the end, her face turns cold again and all she does is slit his throat as well.
What has probably been only a few minutes feels like hours, and with every passing moment Dabi is sure she's going to try to do the same to him. Try being the key word. He might be a bit weakened physically right now – okay, a bit more than a bit – but his fire will burn as hot as ever. And, fuck, will he enjoy hearing her screams.
Before he can actually go ahead and let his fire roar, a police siren starts blaring somewhere close by. Both he and the girl freeze. Him because at this point he's either going to die from the bleeding before anyone finds him or he's going to have to deal with the police. With five dead bodies around him, one with his face burned off, after just getting arrested the same day.
The girl puts the knife into her pocket and purses her lips, as if annoyed their fun is being cut short. She shoots a glance at the entrance to the alley, then sends him one last smile. Even covered in blood and dirt, she still looks more like a lost child than a heartless murderer.
"Thanks again for helping me," she says as she starts to walk away. "I'm sorry I'm not a victim you've been expecting."
In no time, she's gone, leaving behind nothing but an echo of her laugh. He doesn't try to shout after her – with his luck, it would just make the pigs find him faster.