[A/N: Fun fact from last chapter, 'Boo' was the first thing Dabi ever said to Midoriya.]

It's been twenty-four hours since Dabi last talked to Izuku.

He'd arrived home later than usual yesterday. He didn't want to leave his post watching over the courthouse till he saw his siblings leave around five in the afternoon. When he stumbled through the door of his shared flat with cramped shoulders from being hunched over on that roof for so long, he found the space empty. Immediately, he'd checked Izuku and his room but no one was home.

He gave it time, aware Izuku probably went ahead and investigated the Charlie lead without him. He'd thought he'd come home. An hour passed, then two and still no Izuku. Hawks got home soon enough but he claimed to not have seen Izuku since morning. Dabi phoned Shouto using the number Izuku had given him, but the boy hadn't seen him since lunch either. He called the Endeavor agency with a voice changer, asking if interns were still operating with the temporary shut down. They weren't.

Lastly, he phoned Izuku.

"Hi! It's Izuku Midoriya! I'm busy at the moment, which is kind of a dumb thing to say since this is my voicemail. But, um, leave a message-- uh, or text me-- and I'll get back to you! Bye!"

Dabi had stared at the phone in his hands with horror dawning on him. He tried to rationalize for another hour, pacing back and forth through the flat as he told himself that Izuku was fine. He was probably taking longer with Charlie than expected and had his phone on silent. This is reckless, barge-ahead Izuku, he's fine. When did Dabi get so paranoid?

He sat in front of their door from dusk till dawn (waiting, hoping) and still no sign of Izuku.

Evens hours after sunrise, Hawks tried to move him. He was worried too-- he could see it in how his feathers ruffled and his feet never remained still. He could see it clearer when he stood in front of him, eyebrows pinched together and lips slanting downwards. Hawks placed his hands on his shoulder, softly telling him he can't stay at the door forever. Dabi had shoved him away, snapping at him to fuck off.

It'd got him to leave the door though; straight out it and into the street, frustration spilling from him in cold waves. Even with his face covered, pedestrians curved around him, keeping far away from the negative orbit around him.

He phoned Izuku again.

Several rings later and he was staring down at Izuku and his chat history. He glared at the last message he sent: Charlie's address.

Next thing he knew, he was at the Tavern with his fists already barreling toward Katou's face. The bar was empty, a dozen moving boxes replacing the people that usually crowd it. Katou knew this when Dabi's scarred hand collided with his jaw as he yelped a quick and pointless help!

Dabi slammed him into the nearest wall, holding him there by the scruff of his neck. He yelled, "Where is he? Who has him?"

Katou shook under his hold, eyes wide. He stuttered out, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Revite! Where is he?" He snarled and slammed him into the wall again for good measure. He could feel heat licking at the insides of his palms, threatening to break out into the air as fresh flames. "He went to that stupid address and never came back! You tricked us, bastard!"

"I swear I didn't know!" Katou cried. He curled in on himself as much as he could in Dabi's lock hold.

"Bullshit!"

"I didn't! Charlie came here himself and told me to send Revite to him! I promise!"

Dabi faltered. His hands hurt where they coiled around Katou's clothes. He could feel his nails digging into his palms through the fabric, carving crescent moons into his skin. Desperately he wants to shake Katou again. He wants to hit and kick and scream and burn just as he always has because Izuku is missing. 

He's felt like this once before; shivering in a back alley, smoke still fresh in his lungs even as most of it trails off into the sky a dozen blocks away. His remembers trying frantically to hold himself together, pressing his hands to burnt skin as if willing it to just stay, dammit! There'd been so much panic as he realized he had no way out - that no one would come for him or stitch back his wounds. He didn't know what to do.

Right then, gripping Katou and breathing heavily, he didn't know what to do either. There was no lead other than this. He had no contact. No plan. No Izuku telling him he had a dozens back ups. Just this and the helpless feeling that came with knowing he could do nothing else. 

"I don't know," Katou swears again. "I don't know." 

He dropped his hands, allowing his breath to exhale as he did. Think, he told himself. What would Revite do? 

Look at the evidence. He'd start there. 

Izuku disappeared after presumably going to Charlie's place with the address Katou supplied him. Katou, also presumably, didn't know it was a trap - if it was a trap. He claims Charlie came there himself after miraculously reappearing.   

"Charlie came out of the blue?" Dabi asked, unable to shake the chip in his tone but not yelling anymore. Katou nodded. 

Charlie wouldn't have appeared out of nowhere. He'd been quiet for too long, even for a mission. Someone would have known he'd been working if that was the truth. And didn't Katou mention someone finding a bloodied jacket a while back when he went missing? Clearly there was more to this. 

"Was he with anyone? Did he mention anything besides that he was back?" 

Katou nodded again. "A woman. Dark skin, black curly hair, bloodshot eyes. She gave me the creeps." 

So he had a babysitter. Someone keeping him in check. Dabi can think of a few people who'd want to do that and would also like to get rid of Izuku. 

He turns away from Katou and heads to the door. He's not going to get much else out of him and besides, this is a good enough lead for now. As he makes his way to the bar exit, he pauses. Glancing over his shoulder, he says, "One last question. How does someone with the ability to tell when someone's lying get tricked?" 

Katou looked up at him from where he rested against the wall, hand pressed to his slowly bruising jaw. His eyes flashed. "Takes a liar to know one, you know? Some people survive by pretending to have what they don't." 

Dabi was reminded of Snipe then, what he'd told Izuku at the sports festival. It's odd to him that every quirkless person he's met can't outright admit who they are. Then again, he can't seem to outright say he's Touya either. 

He grunts and leaves Katou be, returning the flat. He may feel hopeless without this one lead but he'll cling to that thread for as long as he needs. If he can keep Izuku safe, he'll weigh hat thread down by a hundred anchors and never let it out of his sight. 

When he steps into the flat, he's slapped in the face by sight of not one but three people resting in the living area. Hawks sat on the couch, head resting in his hands. He glanced up when Dabi opened the door, his eyes going wide before shifting to an almost relieved look. He'd been worried like anyone would be after Dabi storms out of a room. And gods, he pushed him away earlier, didn't he?

The two people standing in front of Hawks draw his interest away from his own thoughts. He recognizes one of them but not the other. Sutorimu stands as tall as ever, her red hair tugged back into a pony and clothes ironed perfectly. Dabi had only ever interacted with her once but from what Izuku's told him, her face doesn't ever seem to shift from the vaguely unimpressed look she adjourns now. 

Glancing at the person next to her, Dabi can't quite decipher if they're a guy, girl, or something in between. Their hair is shoulder-length and green in colour to match the green sweater hanging off their shoulders. He envies their pants and the dozens of pockets they have. 

"What the fuck," Dabi breathes. 

The short green haired one snorted. "Put eloquently."

He feels his lips curl back into a snarl. He's not in the mood to have his actions nitpicked right now. There's better things for him to do, like find Izuku. 

Sutorimu steps forward, placing a hand on their shoulder. "Sana, play nice." She turned to him. "We heard about Midoriya."

"Then you know I don't have time for whatever this is." 

The analyst sighed and crossed her arms. "You and Hawks are coming with us. We'll take you back to our house and you can stay there till you find Midoriya. We have better resources there and it's safer for you to a) not be somewhere your enemies possibly know about and b) be surrounded by people who can support you." 

He was following along until reason B. He couldn't understand how being with supportive people would help. He doesn't need support, Izuku does. That's the priority. He states as much out loud. 

'Sana' rolled their eyes. "Man, if you think being left on your own will help Mido, you're wrong. I get you want to look for him-- I do too-- but what you're doing now won't help." 

"You don't know what you're talking about," he snapped. His gaze flickered to Hawks for a moment only to find the man hadn't moved at all. 

Suddenly, Sutorimu was right in front of him. Her disappointed look felt less disapproving and more remorseful now that she was up close. The hands on her arms tightened, turning the skin around them paler than the rest of her. 

"I lost my brother when I was little," she confessed. Her eyes didn't break from his. "It hurts and all you want to do is just get them back but if you do it alone, you'll won't make it as far. People need support, especially in times like this. We're not asking to coddle you but we are asking that you let us help. We can keep you stable when we have an eye on you and we can provide you and Hawks with better ways to find him. We're smart like that. Just let us help." 

Just let me help. 

It's odd to have his own words spit back at him. The kind of odd that pulls at his gut and tells him he'd be hypocritical if he turned down her offer. He pokes his tongue into his cheek, reluctance leaning on him heavily. 

In the end, he couldn't bring himself to turn them away. 

-:- 

Dabi learns that that the person Sutorimu was with is called Akito, they're a demigirl. He also learns that they know Midoriya is Revite (little shit could have mentioned that. At this point they don't have a clue who their allies are). Lastly, he learns that the two of them are rich. 

He's always been quick to judge so believe him when he says he did not expect that of them. When he sees their home, his eyebrows climb to his hairline. They own a full house not far from Endeavors agency. It's blocky, modern, and fancy. Akito handles unlocking the front door which turns out to be a tricky process with all the security measures in place. Based on the shine in Akito's eyes, it more for her amusement than any actual danger. 

The inside of their house has the most colorful walls he's ever seen. All different hues of pinks and blue and green are scattered everywhere. Murals are painted across every wall depicting anything from trees to sunsets to oceans. It's fascinating in the strangest of ways. It's almost sad that so many pictures cover up a good portion of the designs. He's never met anyone who puts so many pictures of their friends and family on the wall. 

Hawks whistles upon seeing the display. "This is beautiful. Did you paint these, Akito?" 

"You remembered I paint!" Akito cheered. She proudly gestured to the room. "I did. Ogawa and I decided the house needed to be a positive place when we got it so I put as much life into it as I could. We have to focus on the good, you know. It's a good thing working for Endeavor pays well enough for us to afford it all." 

Dabi was hit with the reminder that Hawks and these two have history. It's hard to forget when Sutorimu shows such disdain towards the hero, pouting from across the room. 

"We can discuss that another day," Sutorimu cuts in. She motions for them to follow her down the first hall. "Lets get you both settled in and then we can decide how to go about finding Midoriya." 

Sutorimu shows them the guest bedrooms. There's two of them across the hall from each other. Hawks claims one while Dabi wanders over to the second, Sutorimu tailing him. It's a nice room with a bed far better than what Izuku and him have been taking turns sleeping in. 

"My quirk lets me know peoples greatest weaknesses and strengths." 

Dabi glances over his shoulder to where Sutorimu stands in the rooms threshold. She stares at him with a calculating work, her bigger eye gleaming in the light. 

"Your biggest weakness is the inability to understand when enough is enough," she says calmly. "You don't know when to stop denying things. You don't know when to stop digging yourself in a whole. When to stop running. When to stop keeping people out. When to stop using your quirk. To stop training before you hurt yourself." 

The call out from the Endeavor Article is clear and causes his teeth to grind together. A chill wraps wraps around his lungs as he frowns, wondering if this woman cared at all for how her words stung or if she knew and that's why she said them. 

"Your point?" he prompts. 

"You won't know when to stop chasing after Midoriya if others don't help you. You'd search all day and then all night so when the next morning came you'd be worn out but you'd keep looking. You would make no progress while you run yourself deeper into the ground." 

He'd deny it if he thought he could. He asks, "And my strength?" 

She tilts her head. "Strengths are harder to see. They're more layered and often too intertwined with weaknesses to fully understand. I think most people find their strengths on their own anyways."

"And your weakness?" If she knew so much about him from a single glance, he might as well know one thing about her. 

She looked him once over before a tiny smile picked up the corners of her lips. "The same as Midoriya's. Now come on. Lets go find that kid." 

-:- 

Three hours of discussion later and they'd only determined a few things. 

1. Izuku is likely being held by the commission. Dabi shared with the rest of their group what Katou had told him, explaining that the description he was given matched that of an old commission hero he knew, Ayumu. Hawks had confirmed that it's likely the commission called Ayumu back for duty, especially if they had Charlie and he took down her safety net. 

2. There was a high chance Izuku was being held in one of the many commission locations in Musutafu and the surrounding cities. Hawks said they almost always sent prisoners to those facilities rather than risking carrying them out to farther locations and getting caught. 

3. If they were going to rescue him, they'd need more help than the four of them could give. The commissions buildings might be easy to break into but getting out would be the hard part, even more so depending on how much security they center around Izuku. Dabi had an idea for who could help but he needed to take a few extra steps before they could get there. 

4. If the commission has Midoriya. they'll be coming for Hawks and Dabi next. They've been ordered by Akito and Sutorimu to stay under the radar. Akito promises to work on keeping any digital traces of them to a minimum. 

5. They had no idea if Izuku was alive or not. 

That thought stuck with Dabi as he lay in bed that night, staring up at the ceiling and wondering if he was allowed to sleep when Izuku was still out there. He didn't want to believe Sutorimu when she'd said the last point but he knew she was right. The commission ordered Hawks to kill him before so who's to say they haven't already? 

He tried not to think about it yet every time he closed his eyes he saw lifeless green ones staring up at him, no happy wrinkles at their corners and no mischievous shine to them. Empty eyes. 

Dabi knows he hasn't had Izuku in his life for long, not in comparison to most people, but he's attached. He let himself be vulnerable for this kid and now he's gone; swept away without warning. He has to protect the one person who change his life for the better. It's like Hawks is always saying: Revite opened his eyes. He met a boy who did all he could to fix the world, who took broken things like him and fought to repair them. He loved freely and laughed just the same. Dabi didn't stand a chance not caring for him. 

Now he's gone. 

The door to his room creeks open. Dabi doesn't look up, recognizing the sound of wings rustling against the narrow doorway. 

"Mind if I come in?" Hawks asks. 

Dabi grunts in reply. 

He hears Hawks pad over to the bed before sitting down on the side Dabi doesn't occupy. Dabi keeps lying on his side, back to the hero. Hawks doesn't seem to mind, brushing his hand up against the back of his head and softly speaking, "Can I ask what you're thinking?" 

"No." 

Hawks' fingers stiffen for a moment, Dabi can feel how they freeze. Seconds later, they relax again and draw away from Dabi's head. He hears him sigh. "Well, is there anything I can do that will help?" 

A moment, then two, then, "I don't know." 

He truly doesn't. He doesn't understand why he can't sleep when he knows it's better if he does, nor does he understand how on earth they're ever going to get Izuku back. He doesn't even understand this-- whatever Hawks and him have right now. Is he worrying too much? Too little? Is he allowed to rest? Should he trust Izuku to come back to them on his own? Can he-- 

An arm wraps around him, nearly giving him a heart attack out of surprise. Hawks uses his arm to pull Dabi towards his chest, folding one of his wings around him. Dabi tilted his head back slightly so he could see Hawks' face. 

He frowned. "What are you doing?" 

"Hugging you," Hawks answered like it was simplest concept known to mankind. 

A tiny voice in the back of his head shouts at him to shove Hawks away like he did that morning. A louder voice that sounds too much like Sutorimu tells him to stop running; to give up his frustration for a moment. 

He leans into Hawks, fingers grazing against his feathers. "I thought we said we wouldn't wouldn't use each other as distractions." 

It hurt his neck to have it tilted back to see Hawks. Regardless, his gut did a flop when Hawks smiled at him in such a way that made him doubt if he'd ever smiled at all. 

"Not a distraction. Comfort." 

Dabi grumbled, "Gross," though he felt warm from his head to his toes.

"Shut up." Hawks' wing nudged him. "Go to sleep." 

He did as he was told. Izuku was still lingering in the back of his mind, holding his worries up high. Sometimes those haunting, lifeless eyes found him again but when they did, he only had to grip Hawks' and the man would tell him Izuku would be okay. 

Hawks' hand would always grip his back.

-:-

"Where are you going?" Sutorimu demands the next morning. She stands between him and the door with her hands on her hip and face twisted into it's usual disapproving look. 

He rolls his eyes. "To turn myself into the commission." 

From the living room, he hears Akito call out, "Don't make those kind of jokes! Ogawa takes them too seriously!" 

There goes his favorite weapon. He wonders briefly how Izuku survived under these two's wing. They have so many rules and triggers to step around, not to mention the urge he has to punch Sutorimu every time she gets that condescending tone; like she knows everything. 

"I have something I need to do," he says. He gestures to the door. "Now, if you get out my way, please." 

"What do you mean by 'something'?" 

Dabi sighs because of course Hawks takes this moment to wake up and start asking questions. He looks over his shoulder to where Hawks is hovering at the end of the hall. The hair on his head is tangled, dirty-blonde strands poking out in all directions, and the white tee Sutorimu lent him sags of his shoulders, only supported by his wings sticking out the back.  

Half an hour ago, his face had been pressed into a pillow at Dabi's side. His nose scrunched up in his sleep, eyebrows tilting forward. The red lines now on his cheek came from the creases in the pillow case. Dabi had snorted at the sight when he'd woken up, before crawling out of the bed carefully and sneaking off to get ready. Though not before flicking one of his hairs out of his face. 

"A something that doesn't concern the rest of you," Dabi replies. Hawks quirks up a brow but doesn't say anything more. 

Sutorimu, on the other hand, refuses to let the conversation rest at that. She tacks on, "Considering you're a wanted criminal right now and we're looking after you, I think it does concern us. Take it as us keeping tabs on you, take it as just needing to know where you are in case of an emergency, I don't care. However, I thinks it's wise you share with the group. Or at least one of us." 

God. She sounds like Izuku with all her 'reasons'. 

"You don't have to do this alone," Hawks pipes up. He smiles at him, the kind of smile that looks too much like Fuyumi's. "We're here to help you and we're all hurting for Midoriya. You have to trust us." 

He trusts Hawks, he does but this time it's not about that. This is so much harder to do than simply trusting someone. Honestly, he'll be surprised if he can manage to even get one word out when the times comes. 

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he reluctantly admits, "I'm. . . visiting someone. They're not a threat, just a person who needs to know about Izuku. I want to do this one on my own." 

Hawks sends him a quizzical look. "Who?" 

-:-

The hallway of the apartment building is warm but not because of the heat. The paint on the walls is dull yet it feels alive with all the decorations on peoples doors. Five doors occupy this one hall and four of them have welcome mats displaying all sorts of cheesy sayings like Home is where the heart is and All are welcome. The door he stands in front of is no different with it's All Might themed mat. In bold letters, the mat says YOU ARE HERE!

He can't bring himself to scuff at the lame joke. There's a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach when he looks at the mat worn with age. He thinks about the little kid who probably saw it at the store and had to have it immediately. 

His fists tighten at his side. 

There's no easy way to do this. The whole walk here he tried to find one, running scenario after scenario through his head but never finding satisfaction with any of them. It wouldn't matter if he straight up said the truth or if he danced around the secrets he'd kept; what he shared would still hurt. 

There's no easy way so he might as well do this the first way that comes to mind. 

He knocks on the door. 

It's insignificant, just a one two three one two rap of his knuckles on wood. Still, Dabi's heart thunders in his chest as he does so. He can hear someone shuffling on the other side of the door. The light spilling from the crack near the floor shows the shadow of footsteps making their way towards him. He hangs in balance, waiting while also wanting to run. 

His hands sweat. He doesn't know what to say. What if he messes this up? What then? What else can he do? Is there something he should have prepared? Will she even listen? What if--

The door swings open. He stares at the woman standing in the entrance. Her short figure, her kind eyes wrinkled with age, her green hair held back in a half up bun. Inko Midoriya. 

"Hello--" Her eyes widen upon seeing him, the greeting she gives falling short. She stammers, voice raising an octave. "Y-you're that guy! Revite's accomplice!" 

She must come to her senses, reaching for the door and going to slam it. Quickly, Dabi jams his foot between the door. Ignoring the pain that shoots through his toes, he gasps, "Wait. I won't hurt you." 

"I don't believe you!" she yelps and pushes the door harder. He hates this; seeing her struggle to keep him out; the fear in her eyes. He hurts. 

"Please," he begs. He stares at her, trying to convey his honesty. "It's about your son." 

She stops then. Her whole demeanor shifts, going from fear to rage in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, the door is yanked open and she pushes him into the hallway shouting, "What do you know about my son!" 

He tells her everything. 

Once he starts, he can't stop. The worlds spill from his lips as he retells how he met Izuku, how he's helped him. He tells her about nights sneaking out and days spying on the Todoroki's. He describes why Izuku chose to be an analyst, how he got into Yuuei. He tells her the truth about the Stain incident, about him moving in. He shares all the good Izuku has done and how he did it. His friends, his victories, his secrets, his goals. By the end of it all, Inko can't look him in the eye. 

"I don't understand," she murmurs, voice trembling. They sit around the coffee table in her apartment now, where it's less likely the wrong people will hear him. She shakes her head. "I don't-- I signed the forms saying he was moving where the agency could better access him. I called his supervisor the moment Izuku told me about it. I talked to her. I don't understand." 

It doesn't take long to piece things together. "She was in on it too. Sutorimu knew he was Revite." 

She must have figured he was lying to his mother for good reason. Or maybe she's been watching them longer than he thought. After all, she did find them at their flat even though he doubts Izuku mentioned where he lived. 

Inko's hands shake where they grip her knees. She squeezes her eyes shut. "No. It doesn't make sense. He wanted to be a hero not-- not--" 

"A vigilante?" Dabi prompts. "When it comes down to it, aren't they the same?" 

She  cradled her head in her hands. Voice barely over a whisper, she mumbles, "I should have known. When he quit being a hero, I should've known it was for something else." 

"You couldn't have known," he assures her. 

When she looks up at him from between her fingers, her eyes reflect a kind of blame he's seen on too many faces. Her voice cracks as she says, "He was on that train, you know. The one from the first article. He was there and he was so shaken when he got home. I should've-- I wish I'd known so I could help him. He might have needed me and I wasn't there." Her eyes well but no tears fall. "Why couldn't he have just told me? Why can't he tell me himself now? Does he want me to know?"

Dabi lungs feel tight as he hangs his head. He draws his shoulders to his ears. "I don't know." 

"You. . . don't know."

"I don't know if he ever would have told you, if he wants me to tell you this now," he admits. He looks her in the eye. "You're son. . . he's missing."

Dabi knows with excruciating detail what happens next. He knows Inko broke down sobbing. He knows she kept muttering about her baby. How could he tell her this? What way could have eased the pain? When she points at him and yells about how he was lying, he wishes he was. He didn't want to tell her, but she deserved to know. He couldn't look at her and see the way she ran her hands through her hair, tears running down her face. He couldn't.

"I'm sorry," he says, not sure whether he was talking to her, himself or someone completely different. He squeezes his eyes shut. "He - He's like a brother to me." 

"Then why didn't you protect him?" she demanded. 

"He's reckless. I tell him to wait and he goes. He does things without letting anyone know. By the time I figured out where he'd gone, he'd probably already disappeared." He rubs at his eyes. "Fuck. We had a deal. He was supposed to warn me before he did things so I could protect him." 

It was a silly excuse, one he shouldn't be spewing to the boys mother of all people. Izuku's absences is painful and the truth is this is his fault. Even minor, it's still partially his fault. He didn't stop Izuku from being Revite after he learned he was a child, no his need for revenge outweighed that. He was the one who trusted his informant and gave Izuku the address. He's the one who didn't go after him. 

Inko doesn't say that though. 

"I know," she whispers. She shakes her head and repeats. "I know. He's always been like that. No one could ever control him, not even me. I shouldn't blame you but. . . it's easier when I can hold someone responsible. Otherwise I don't know what to do. How do I-- How do I even begin to process this? He's my baby. My son, and now he's gone. I can't--" 

She cuts herself off, succumbing to tears again. Dabi doesn't do comfort, especially not to people he just met, but right then all he wants to do is comfort her. He stands and does the only thing he can think of. 

"I'll find him," he tells her. "I promise I'll find him and bring him home to you." 

Even if it's the last thing I do. 

He closes his eyes and prays to whoever is listening, please let him be okay. Izuku, wherever you are, be okay.