It's early morning when Shouto receives the call from Dabi. He answers without hesitation and when he hears his brother's request, he obliges right away. He meets him outside Yuuei, waiting patiently at the front doors. It's bright out; the skies clear and the sun warming everything it's light touches. Good weather doesn't stop the sinking feeling in his gut.

Dabi finds him not two minutes into waiting. He strides towards him nearly unrecognizable. He hides behind a mask and sunglasses, scars disappearing under layers of cloth. His shoulders are slumped as he brushes past Shouto with a quick murmur of, "Lead the way."

It's hard not slip up when he says, "As you wish, Dabi."

Sometimes he thinks to call his brother Touya. He wonders how his name would sound out loud when spoken by him. He doesn't dare say it though. He's not like Fuyumi and Natsuo, he never knew Touya the way they did. If he has any memories of him at all, they're hazy and those of a four year old who didn't understand anything. He only knows Dabi but yet he wonders. Would he like Touya? Does he like Dabi more, if at all?

He guides Dabi through the halls of Yuuei, ignoring the stares they receive. There's not many people in the building at this time, only students like Iida who prefer to arrive an hour before classes or have taken up extracurricular activities. Still, the stray students lingering in the halls, whispering and following the two of them with their eyes.

It pointless to question what they're saying when he already knows. Aizawa may have taken away his social media, but he's lived in the spotlight long enough to know the rumors circulating about his family. He's also lived as he has long enough to not care. Kaminari says he's oblivious to social cues, Shouto says he simply doesn't want to know them.

They make it to their destination with little talk. Part of Shouto longs for the conversation he's avoiding: the reason why Dabi called both yesterday and now today. Deep down he knows why. The thought causes his lips to purse and heart to stumble.

"This it?" Dabi asks, jutting his head in the direction of the door they stand outside of.

Shouto nods. "This is it."

Reaching forward, he raps his knuckles on the door. Surprisingly, no one responds from inside but instead from behind them.

"I am here," a voice booms. Shouto turns around slowly to face his teacher, All Might, standing behind them in all his muscular glory. The symbol of peace always holds himself in such a grand manner that Shouto can't help but notice. It's amazing they didn't realize he was behind them before. "How can I help you, Young Todoroki?"

He resists frowning at his name. He prefers it much more when people call him Shouto.

Shouto doesn't know what's running through Dabi's mind as he steps towards All Might; he can't hear what he's thinking. What he does know is the that the worry rolling off him in defeated waves is the same Shouto feels in his gut. His brother and him aren't so different.

"He's here because of me," Dabi states. "I need to talk to you about Revite."

All Might visibly stiffens. It's not too often Shouto sees his teacher seem so caught off guard. He clears his throat. "I think this is a conversation we should have inside."

All Might welcomes the two of them into his office, offering them seats on the couch stationed in the middle of the room. He sits himself in the chair adjacent to them and sighs. He glances between Shouto and Dabi before speaking.

"What happened?"

Shouto wishes he could respond. He thinks he knows but he doesn't know for certain. In his pocket, his phone contains a dozen unanswered messages to someone he hasn't seen in a day and a half.

"Revite is missing."

It's harder to hear it confirmed. Midoriya (this boy of sunshine and harbinger of life. he who trampled everything Shouto knew. this perfect person with a smile wide enough to encompass the whole world and with hands that reach to pull up anything sinking. izuku, whose name he can't stop repeating in his mind whenever he gets a moment of rest) is missing. Revite (who is the same as midoriya because how could he not be? who is most like the freckled boy but someone who recklessly saves others with wit and courage?) is missing.

He's known so for a while. It's not like Midoriya to not answer his texts, even with all that's going on. It's not like Dabi to call him out of the blue asking if he's seen Revite lately. Those combined with the knowledge that Revite and Midoriya are the same person is enough to clue Shouto in.

While Shouto takes the announcement well enough, All Might does not.

The symbol of peace leans heavily into his chair. His hands grip the arm rests and his eyes remain wide. His voice sounds almost timid as he softly asks, "How long?"

"Almost two days," Dabi replies.

All Might rubs at his face with his hand, a crestfallen look breaching his features. "Do you have any leads? Is anyone looking for him?"

"That's why we're here." Dabi takes off his mask and glasses, revealing his scars. The recognition in All Might's eyes is clear. "I'm Revite's partner. He said I could trust you."

Shouto knows this. He saw All Might stand up for Revite's evidence when his father's hero license was taken away the other day. As Midoriya had promised, All Might believed them.

"You can," he confirmed. "M- Revite and I share each others secrets. I trust him a great deal and I will help you find him any way I can."

Shouto doesn't miss the near slip up. He tilts his head. "You know his identity?"

All Might stared. "You do too?"

Shouto doesn't give a verbal response while Dabi answers, "Izuku is a brother to me. Shouto, on the other hand, figured it out on his own."

Shouto feels relieved to here that. Does this mean Midoriya understood what he meant when he thanked him? (if they're the last words he says to him, he hopes he understood. he needs to know how thankful he is)

However, it's not comforting that All Might knows his identity. How close were Midoriya and him? What kind of secret is Midoriya keeping for the the number one hero? What kind of secret does All Might have to keep?

"I'm sorry about your brother, Dabi," All Might says, his voice carrying not a single note of dishonesty. Shouto glances at Dabi only to find him hunched over.

Dabi's arms rest on his knees, his shoulders trembling. He hangs his head like a doomed man, eyes trained on the ground. Shouto has never seen him so despaired. Not even in what little memories he has of Touya has he seen him look so shaken. Touya always looked blank - Dabi looks blank most of the time. This is jarringly different.

Vulnerability, Shouto concludes. He's acting vulnerable.

Shouto was never shown how to express his emotions in ways other than snappish words and near yells. He didn't think Dabi would either and yet he crumbles before his very eyes. The blank composure slides off him like syrup and reveals the worry Shouto's been detecting this whole time. He's scared. He's upset. Confused.

"I need to get him back," Dabi says and Shouto asks himself if he ever sounded like that talking about his siblings before. If his voice ever wavered like so. (he will never be what midoriya is to dabi, but he thinks - maybe - that he wants to be at least a brother to him) "I don't know how to get him back."

All Might reaches across the space between them and places a hand on Dabi's shoulder. "That's all right."

"It's not all right," Dabi mumbles darkly. "I'm supposed to protect him. What if I can't get him back? What then?"

Shouto thinks the same. When he first realized Midoriya was missing that had been his first thought; what then? He didn't have an answer yesterday and he doesn't have one now. What does he do without the boy who helped him see so much-- the boy he's grown to care about despite how many walls he put between  himself and the world. How does he exist without the warm feeling he gets every time he hears his name? How does the world go on without Revite, the one who showed them all how to see better-- be better?

Take the next step, Aizawa had told him. Last night he crept out of Natsuo and his shared room just before what could be considered early morning and discovered his teacher sitting at their hotel rooms kitchen counter. He nursed a cup of tea and asked Shouto what had him up. Shouto confessed he wasn't used to sleeping without the sound of his furnace humming constantly, and maybe he was little trapped in his thoughts.

He asked Aizawa what he's supposed to do when the court settles their case, when his father is separated from them, when he might never sleep to the sound of his furnace again. Aizawa had told him simply, You move on. Take the next step. Even if things don't go the way you want, you keep stepping forward. It's what all heroes do.

Shouto supposes this is Dabi's next step; reaching out to All Might.

"We get there when we get there," All Might assured his brother. His smile is dimmer though still there like always. "We will find Young Midoriya. I will help. No matter if it drags my name through the mud or not, I will be there. Other heroes will help too if you only ask."

If asking for help was Dabi's step, All Might giving it is his.

Shouto's left asking himself, What's my step?

"Thank you," Dabi says like those words took the last of his energy. He hands All Might a strip of paper from his pocket. "That's our search groups contact. Call and Hawks will fill you in on the details and how you can help."

All Might slid the paper into his own pocket. "I will. You best get going though, before the halls are packed with students."

Dabi nodded. He put his mask back on and secured his sunglasses. His eyes lingered on Shouto for a moment before he turned and left. Shouto understood.

"Young Todoroki." He snapped his gaze back to All Might. His teacher smiled warmly at him. "You too. Aizawa must be looking for where you disappeared to."

He blinked. "He accompanied me to the school. He's checking in on the class before he takes me to the courthouse again."

All Might chuckled. "I should have guessed so."

Shouto tilted his head, confused, then thought it better to not worry himself with what All Might meant. He stood, excused himself, and went to find Aizawa. As he closed All Might's door, he noticed two familiar faces pass by. A girl with bat ears that he often saw next stand next to Midoriya in class and the boy who won the sports festival. He hesitated, eyes following them down the hall, then smiled.

He thinks he found his step.

-:-

When Dabi told the group about his success with All Might, Akito cheered and span around in her chair. Sutorimu gave him a congratulatory nod before turning back to her computer to look up heroes to ask help from (as All Might recommended). Hawks shared their excitement, but only for a second. He pulled Dabi aside to the hallway after, face turned serious.

"How did it go?" he asked, hand resting on his arm. Dabi stared at the contact, debating whether it was okay or not. He still wasn't certain where he and Hawks stood with these sorts of things.

"Did you not hear what I said? He agreed to help."

"Not that." Hawks whacked him slightly with his wings. "I meant with Ms. Midoriya."

Ah, that. Dabi shrugged. "It went well, I think. I'm still alive and she's-- She'll be okay. She was angry at first but I think she's coming to terms with the truth now. When we get Izuku back, she'll be right as rain."

There's a whisper in the back of his head that echoes if. If we get him back. Dabi ignores it as much as he can. He didn't ask a hero like All Might for help over nothing.

Hawks squeezes his arm, forcing him to meet his eyes. "We'll get him back."

Dabi grunts. "I know that."

"Hey. You didn't cry, did you?"

"I don't have tear ducts, bird brain," he shot back. Hawks smiled. It was a sad smile yet it was laced with some traces of happiness. Sort of like the reverse of Hawks himself. He seemed so bright and happy but he was woven together with bits of hurt and struggle. Layer upon layer of different contradicting emotions that made Dabi's head spin. The good kind of spinning, he's starting to think.

With the comfort of Hawks' hand on his arm, he leaned forward and placed his own hand on his jaw, pulling him forward. He pressed their lips together. It wasn't like last time when he'd been all nerves. There was no rush, no sweaty palms or squashed noses-- just Hawks and him.

Hawks leans into him and Dabi can feel the steady thrum of his heart as he pulls his chest to his. He wants to stay like that for a few more minutes, not worrying about evil heroes and lost brothers. Only focusing on them and what they're turning out to be.

It doesn't last longer than a few seconds as they both stop, resting their foreheads together. He stares at Hawks as the saddened smile morphs into a pleased one.

"What was that for?" he teases, back to sounding way too confident.

"Fuck off," he grumbles. He shifts away from him, glancing into the living room. "We should go help."

"Since when are you so interested in helping others?"

He sends him a dry look. "Have I not been working for Revite this whole time?"

Hawks laughed and threw his arm around his shoulder, steering him back into the living room. They took not one step into the room and Sutorimu was already on them, dropping a list of names and numbers into their hands.

"You two call these agencies and ask for help," she ordered. "They all have employees Sana and I have spoken with at events who are in favour of Revite. They're loud about it too so chances are their employers will assist in getting Midoriya back. Sana and I will tackle the agencies we're more hesitant about. Got it? Get to work."

She quickly shot a glare Hawks' way then spun back to her computer leaving Dabi baffled. He exchanged a look with Hawks, confirming it wasn't just him taken aback by the woman's intensity.

"Why does she hate you so much?" Dabi asked, still watching her.

Hawks' shoulders hiked up to his ears. "I may have ruined her examination for her analyst license. I didn't listen to her and swooped in when I wasn't supposed to. It ended with the examiner getting a broken ankle and her needing to wait a whole other six months till she could try again."

Dabi whistled. "Good going with that one. She's still mad about it though?"

"She didn't. . . Her life wasn't the best back then and she really needed that pass. I don't know the whole story but I do know it messed her up for a while. I don't blame her for being so mad." Hawks' eyes were glued to Sutorimu's back as he spoke, the light leaving them. His wings drooped and his arm fell away from around Dabi's shoulder. He shook his head and turned away. "Come on. Let's get to work."

Something Dabi's learned about Hawks is that when he's done with a conversation, he's truly done with a conversation. He held back anymore of his questions and did as he was told.

Dabi's not ashamed to say he has never been good with convincing people over phone. He's more a threaten with fire then talk later kind of guy. Lucky for him, Hawks was a master at it. He breezed through conversations easily, flattering secretaries and then chatting calmly with their bosses. He'd say all the right things that drew a person to listen to him, then he'd drop the bomb.

"We got Ingenium!" Akito called from across the room.

Dabi turned to face her. "Isn't he retired from his injuries?"

"His agency is still running!"

"Thanks Sana," Sutorimu hummed. She tossed a paper Dabi's way. "That's the code to a chat we've set up for all helping heroes. It allows us to see what heroes say but won't let them see what others say. That way we can avoid leaks in case the someone's lying about their support."

He thanked Sutorimu and relayed the information to Hawks when he hung up the phone. He quickly added Crust to the list of heroes agreeing to help.

An hour dragged on like that and they only secured seven heroes. Most agencies denied because they couldn't risk getting involved. If anything backfired, they'd loose their jobs. Hawks told him not to blame them and so they moved on. Call after call.

Hawks hung up his latest call and shook his head at Dabi. "Slash won't help. He says the medias watching his every move right now because of his mention in the Endeavor article."

Dabi glowered at the phone resting on the table. He understood but it was still frustrating. Are they wasting their time with this? They should be trying to find Izuku alone if this is all they're getting out of these calls:  A few heroes on the lookout.

"Dabi," Sutorimu said. She stood in front of him again, arms folded over another paper. "Take a break."

"I need to find Iz--"

"Take a break from phone calls and plot out this map." She handed him the rolled paper and gestured to the table. "Lay it out and get Hawks to help you circle any commission run buildings. Sana's compiling research on commission run businesses to help. Like Hawks said earlier, they won't have taken him far. If we can get all the buildings in the city and area, we can then direct the heroes and ourselves to search around them for information."

She walked away just as quickly as she came. Dabi didn't have to be told twice. With the help of Hawks, Dabi had all the commission buildings circled with red pen in no time. There were fifteen different buildings in the the city and surrounding areas but only four which Hawks confirmed was where the commission took prisoners. There was still a chance that he didn't know about other holding places so they agreed to watch out for all the buildings.

Akito and Sutorimu directed a few heroes to different buildings but it still left half that they couldn't search. Dabi sighed and said out loud, "I'll go search the building closest to us."

"Dabi," Sutorimu cut in, "are you sure that's wise? You're wanted and--"

"We don't have enough heroes. I'm going," he said sternly.

Sutorimu opened her mouth to protest only to close it. Her eyes trailed away from Dabi to look somewhere behind him. He felt his lip tug downwards as he turned to see what distracted her. His eyes widened, surprise capturing his breath. Standing in the doorway was none of than Shouto.

"Hello," he said calmly. "I knocked but no one answered."

Dabi thinks he heard Akito curse something about forgetting to lock the door but could care less when he notices the gaggle of people behind Shouto. He recognized his siblings first, both Fuyumi and Natsuo flanking Shouto. Behind them were four teenagers decked out in Yuuei's student uniforms. He recognized them vaguely from the sports festival but couldn't name them if he tried.

Shouto gestured to the map. "I figured you'd need help looking. Dabi doesn't have to go out if you send some of us to do the searching. We're not on any wanted lists as far as I could tell."

Dabi blanks. He should have expected his own blood to do this sort of thing but least of all did he expect it from Shouto. It's no wonder Izuku likes him, he's just as impulsive.

"I'm sorry," Hawks said, hands rubbing at his temples. "How exactly did you find us, never mind find us with a bunch of teenagers in tow?"

"When you weren't at the flat I figured you'd be hiding out at an allies place and you mentioned Akito and Sutorimu-san when when planning for the Endeavor article so I guessed their place was the safest bet," Shouto answered, shrugging. He pointed to his group. "As for the teenagers; these are Midoriya's friends. They're willing to help find him."

Dabi glared at the children hovering behind his brother. "Don't tell me you spilled everything to them."

"I did."

"Christ," he curses and rubbed at his face. "You and Izuku need to stop hanging around each other."

Dabi didn't get more time to wallow in the stupidity of Shouto before one of the teenagers stepped forward. She crossed her arms, eyes skimming over each of their group's faces. Her ears were large and fluffy on the outside like a bats. She cocked her head. "Anyone going to introduce us? If we're going to help, we need to know some names."

Part of Dabi wanted to die. He can't believe these kids. The other part of him knew they needed more hands.

With much reluctance, he grumbled, "Names Dabi, though I'm sure you already knew that from the news. I'm Revite's partner."

"So Izu-kun really is Revite? Todoroki-kun wasn't lying?" One of the students with pink hair and crazy eyes questioned. She reminded Dabi vaguely of Katou's informant that knew Stain just by the way her hands vibrated at her sides and how she looked around the room eagerly. "Sweet! I knew he was a little genius!"

Bat-ears rolled her eyes. "It was a little obvious. I had a suspicion because he was always disappearing and acting weird. Still surprising somehow."

"Yeah. His baby face throws you off." Hawks waved at the group. "Heyo. I'm Keigo." Dabi made out the sound of someone grumbling a is that Hawks' name? but Hawks seemed to ignore it as he pressed on. "Redhead's Sutorimu, Endeavors head analyst, and the other one is Akito, Endeavors head support technician."

Akito nodded at the kids. "'Sup. They/She pronouns please."

"Noted," Bat-ears said. She pointed her thumb at her friends. "The one drooling over Akito is Hatsume, a support student. Mr Sleep Deprived is Shinsou, Midoriya's hero partner. That loser is my hero partner Kaseki, and I'm Komori."

Dabi folded his arms over each other and leaned back into his chair. He asked, "What can you bring to the table? Our number one goal is to get Izuku back and if you can't help, you're getting left behind."

He knows it sounded harsh but they didn't need stragglers.

"Kaseki here can control bones. He's not the best with humans yet but he can manage them well enough to control a couple security guys if you ever need but beyond that, he's just extra man power," Komori explained. Dabi watches as Shouto lets her take the wheel, both of them aware she was the leader of their pack.

"Shinsou's the same. His quirk can control people if they answer one of his questions. Depending on the situation and person, he can even get them to share information but only minimal stuff that's practically motor memory like passcodes and such. He's also a sneaky bugger and can spy on people like no ones business.

"Hatsume can build you anything so she's helpful for nearly everything." Komori straightened. "And I can pick up sounds extremely well. It's good for getting information and being on look out. Plus I. . . " She looked to the floor, tugging at the cuffs of her sleeves nervously. "I know Charlie. He's my uncle. If Midoriya went missing looking for him, maybe he's with him and I'll do anything to get him back. He gave me a mission and I won't let him down."

Against himself, he could admit that they had a well stacked bunch. They could help search around the buildings the heroes couldn't. They pose an advantage, one he can't turn down.

He glanced behind Shouto where his other siblings stood. He asked, "And what about you three? How can you help?"

Fuyumi watched him, lips evened out and eyes challenging. "I don't know but we'll help any way you want us to. We owe Revite that much."

Dabi didn't understand his siblings. At the moment, they all teetered on the fine line holding them together; their relationship delicate and fragile. If he messed up once, he feared he wouldn't be able to repair the damages. With his stress so high, who knows how he'll fumble. He doesn't want them to get in the way. Still, in the back of his mind he knew one thing: Izuku would let them help. This is about Izuku after all, isn't it?

"Fine," he said. "Sutorimu will give you all a run down of how searching the buildings will go and sort you into groups."

"Searching is simple," Sutorimu continued. "Don't do anything too complicated. All we're doing is looking around the buildings in hopes of finding clues. Don't break into anything. If you do go into a building, don't go beyond where public is allowed. Keep an eye out for greater security. Listen for chatter among the employees. If there's any suspicious activity, report back to us. If you see Commissioner Damaso anywhere, that's likely a good start. We're just looking. If we make an advances without certainties, it could derail the whole search. Don't screw this up for us."

All their guests nodded. Sutorimu rattled off names as she sorted groups and stationed people at different buildings. Akito gave out the code they'd given to the pro heroes and ordered they check in every hour. Shifts were set and numbers were exchanged.

Dabi looked around the room, surveying their new crew. For a moment, he thanked Izuku for being such a social idiot with no regard for how to keep a secret.

"All right," he said. He grinned. "Let's go find that kid."

[A/N: I'm working on a short backstory fic for Sutorimu. It shares all about her life and how she became who she is. The stuff Hawks mentioned (her needing the pass and her life being hard) is all explained. The first chapter has been posted on Ao3 and is called, Shoot High (And You'll Miss). ]