Surrounded By Flames

I Know Who You Are

I sat at the kitchen counter drinking my coffee as my mind wondered about what Dabi might be up to when my phone broke me out of my thoughts. I answered the phone without looking at the caller ID to lost in thought. I took another sip of coffee before speaking.
"Hello?"

"Hey Y/N! Did you miss your favorite student?"

"Natsuo? What are you up to?"

"I am on break from school and thought I would see if I could shadow you."

"Shadow me or get help with your schoolwork?"

"You caught me. Would you be able to come over for a bit and help me with a few things?" I looked at the clock out of habit before answering.

"Sure I can come over today. Give me thirty minutes and I will head your way."

"Thanks Y/N, I'll go grab some snack for us, it'll be just like the old days."

"See you soon."

"I see you still suck with autoimmune diseases."

"That's not fair Y/N I have been trying but when you throw peoples quirk into the mix it just makes it difficult." Natsuo said resting his head on his book.

"Let's take a break Natsuo, I can see smoke coming out of your ears."

"Not funny Y/N." I chuckled at his expression before standing up and stretching my muscles.

"Where is the restroom again?"

"Down the hall take a right and its on the left. Do you want me to grab drinks while you are gone?"

"Sure, if I'm not back in ten minutes come find me I am probably lost." I stated before stepping out of the room and heading the way he said, or at least I thought it was the way. I didn't expect to find a shine for a small child behind the door I opened, nor did I expect to find a comfortable familiarity in the bright blue eyes staring back at me.

I felt like I knew this person but every time I would get close to putting the pieces together they never seemed to click into the right place. I couldn't know this person they were dead but why do I feel like I know them so well? My chest hurt the longer I looked at the smiling white haired boy.

"What are yo...oh..." Natsuo's voice drifted off as his footsteps stopped beside me.

"Who is this?" I asked, never taking my eyes off the picture.

"That's...that's Touya." The tone of his voice pulled me away from the photo. An array of emotions flashed across Natsuo's face before stopping on a stoic expression. Natsuo chuckled, which threw me off. "My fathers greatest mistake but it was covered up so well. The media never knew that the charred forest they found years ago was actually my older brother. Or that Enji's obsession with creating the perfect hero caused my brother to push his quirk to far. Now the only thing left of my brother is in this tiny nook, all pictures of him disappeared to here like he never existed." His voice broke. "Sorry...I...I need a moment." Natsuo stated before turning and disappearing back down the hallway.

Turning back to the shrine I noticed a door below it. Without thinking I opened it up. On top of a star covered blanket was a stack of pictures. I grabbed the first picture of Touya, it depicted him with a bright smile, blue eyes shinning and a band-aid across his nose. Why am I so drawn to him?

"Natsuo, Y/N I am back!" Fuyumi called from the front of the house. I jumped at her voice, not even realizing I shoved the picture in my back pocket until I got home later that night.

I plopped down on the couch after my twelve hour shift. Dabi should have been back today and though I do miss him I am glad to have a little more time to myself. After I brought that picture home from the Todoroki house I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. The more I looked at it the more the pieces of the puzzle came together.

Under the pile of pictures was a star covered blanket, Dabi said he loved stars. Dabi is around the age Touya would be. Dabi his blue flames which burn really hot, hot enough to burn a body. Cremate you might say. Dabi's body is not tolerating his quirk well, which can happen after you loose control of it, especially a flame quirk. Most of all, their eyes. Those bright blue orbs that I could get lost in like an ocean.

I found myself once again staring at the picture of Touya that hasn't left its place on the kitchen island. I am 95% sure that Dabi is Touya and knowing some of his backstory makes it hard for me to confront him about this fact. I don't know how he will react, the thought of loosing him makes my chest hurt.

"What's got you so deep in thought that you didn't even hear me come in?" Dabi's voice called my attention. My eyes meet his before he glanced down at the picture on the island. The kind Dabi I knew replaced with lips pursed into a thin line. "What's this?"

"I meet an old friend of mine to help him study. Natuso used to be one of my students that I tutored." I barely caught the flinch at Natsuo's name. "While I was there I stumbled across a shrine...and without realizing it I took that picture." Dabi picked up the picture and turned it over to read the back which I had memorized 'Touya Todoroki, age 13'.

"Who knew my little koala had a bad streak in her, stealing from a shrine..." Dabi's voice sounded strained. He flipped the picture back over but never said anything else. It was like he was in a trance staring at that picture. With his eyes hidden behind his hair I finally got the last piece of the puzzle I needed. I reached across the island and caressed his cheek.

"Touya...?" I whispered out. His ocean eyes shot up to mine with such melancholy my heart hurt.

"What...?" He asked in a trance, not realizing what I called him.

"Your roots are showing..."