Skin

Save Me

A man was found burnt to ash in a filthy alleyway, and there were two probable suspects. The evidence was all there along with a crystal clear motive. The sons of Endeavor were under the magnifying glass of injustice for nothing more than a quick moment by a pesky, rookie detective. Then suddenly the case was dropped a few days later. For some reason it was decided that the man known as Sake Koshin, the towns loud-mouthed drunk, died due to being exposed to a flammable substance, more than likely fresh gasoline on the cement, and was burned to a crisp after dropping a lit cigarette on the ground. With the amount of alcohol in his system, stated by the bartenders who were serving him that night, there was no way he would have been stable enough on his feet to run out of harms way. He was on the edge of blacking out when he was escorted from the bar.

This was the story that was fed to the public. All the stuff about Touya and Shouto, Endeavor's assistance in a murder/cover up crime went unspoken. When you have as much pull as the #1 hero, it can be fairly easy to make things go away. Paying off witnesses and threatening those involved in the case with forgotten accusations that were never brought to the light or saying you'll expose dark secrets of affairs and foul play will definitely cause the guilty to keep quiet.

Endeavor wasn't one for blackmail, but to protect his sons, nothing was off limits. Lies, truths, murder; it didn't matter an ounce. Sometimes, there's exceptions for injustice if it means protecting the real victims in the end. Right?

Endeavor sighed as he splashed cool water on his face in order to wake himself up. The bluish bags under his eyes were becoming more visible as the restless nights continued. Between fighting crime, managing his agency, and trying to fix his broken family, there was hardly any time for sleep. So much needed to be done. It was too much for one man to take on alone.

"Hey." Endeavor jerked around in a fright, due to being caught by surprise in his vulnerable, tired state. "Relax." Dabi put his hands up, "It's just me." He leaned against the doorframe and pointed behind him with his thumb, "Your security system sucks. But I guess living in a gated house, it would be hard for intruders to sneak in, so no need to lock your doors."

The tired hero groaned, "I forgot to lock them again."

"No shit. When was the last time you slept, old man?"

"I've been busy." He simply answered, while tying his blue robe with flames along the trim around his waist. "What are you doing back? You know it's dangerous. We can't risk someone seeing you here again."

"I heard that the safety commission is gonna do a live conference at UA tomorrow." The highly anticipated event was going to cover the topics of 'UA's conflicted students and staff', and the trust of the mighty heroes who were on the receiving end of societies judgment. "Think Shouto and his allies will crash it?"

"If they were smart, they'd think twice about that. The top heroes are going to be there in case anything gets out of hand."

Dabi crossed his arms and nodded, "Don't worry, you won't be seeing any villain attacks from us."

"That so? Your League of Villains comrades are still interested in breaking the trust between heroes and society, are they not?" Endeavor rhetorically asked. "I'm sure you still have that goal in sight too."

"We're laying low for now. With the boss out of the picture for his own reasons, we've decided to take the backseat and let things fall into place. Why get our hands dirty when the pros and police are making all the wrong plays? I mean, wrong for you guys. Right for us."

"Right." Endeavor repeated, "I'm sorry. After everything, and all these infringements and lies I partook in, I realize now what you're fighting against. I don't agree with the way you all have handled things, but I can admit that we as a society have to change with the times." Endeavor felt his sons eyes on him and looked up, netting his stare. He cleared his throat and shook his head as he began to stray away from the main subject. "Quirks aren't as simple as we've been told that they were and there's still so much research that has to be done with the biology and how it impacts the individual. How the mixing of quirks can affect the thought process and the actions of people. I feel so stupid for not recognizing it before."