Shoto, Bakugo, Endeavor and Aizawa were now in the empty field the police's instructions had led them to. Soon enough, Dabi showed up, it was clear he had been waiting for them.

"Ah, how amazing! You're here too Bakugo?" he began. "You know, I was kinda afraid they would keep you out of battle since I 'am obviously targeting you'... But here you are, to fight me I assume! How lovely!"

Aizawa wasted no time, he erased Dabi's quirk before he could start a single fire.

"As long as I'm here, you will not be able to use your fire. Kurogiri has been caught. It is best if you surrender now. This is for your own sake."

"Kurogiri's been caught? My, he should have been more careful... Well, no matter! Don't tell me you thought he was the reason I threatened you all so carelessly before! I just wanted some time with my brother!"

"Toya, surrender now. There is still hope for you. You might be able to get out of this if you don't cause any more trouble." Endeavor said, sounding somewhat desparate.

"Is that so father?" Dabi pretended to be skeptical.

Aizawa glanced at Endeavor, and spoke with a low voice.

"Endeavor, you know that's not true, don't you? The police has discovered many more crimes he's been involved in in the past. He most likely won't get out of jail once he's in. You understand this, right?"

Endeavor didn't answer.

"Shoto doesn't know, but we trusted you would go along with this desicion. There is an extremely small chance of him getting out of jail." Aizawa continued, still not getting an answer.

"Nah, I don't think I'll play along with you dad." Dabi spoke, everyone turned to him. "Now, let's have a little chat before we start fighting, shall we?"

Bakugo looked at Shoto. Both had heard what Aizawa told Endeavor.

"Shoto..." Bakugo didn't get to say anything else. Not that he had anything in mind, anyway.

"Mr. Aizawa. You should have told me." Shoto spoke, Aizawa took a while to answer.

"I apologise, Shoto. I didn't know how you would take it."

"Hey, what are you all discussing?" Dabi interrupted them. "I have some questions I'm hoping you'll give answers to!"

The four looked at him.

"First... Just for how long can you take my quirk away, Eraser? Surely it can't be for that long."

"The time is enough for us to securely hand you to the police." Aizawa didn't have much to say.

"No small talk? Fine with me." Dabi looked away from Aizawa, at Bakugo. "Bakugo Katsuki, next question is about you! What exactly is your relationship with Shoto?"

Bakugo said nothing. He simply glared at Dabi.

"Hm... Do you perhaps, love him?"

"Tch... Damn bastard."

"That punch you gave me still kinda hurts you know! You must have been really frustrated seeing Shoto burn. Yes, that's it, right?? You love him!"

Shoto glanced at Bakugo, though looked away quickly, as to not draw his attention. His brother was really calling out people.

"You must be embarrassed hearing it like that... well, apologies. But I can see why Shoto likes you. You're exactly the type of person that would interest him!"

"You little-" Bakugo was about to attack him, but Aizawa stopped him before he could.

"He's trying to get on your nerves. Don't fall for it."

"... Right."

Bakugo was to avoid eye contact with any human being for the next 24 hours.

"Well... I thought this subject would interest you more." Dabi seemed disappointed. "Or maybe you just don't believe what I'm saying! That's more likely, isn't it? Fine then! Shoto! Mind telling us what it is you find in Bakugo?"

Shoto could feel a sheet of ice forming on his hand.

"Don't you have anything to say for yourself? Why do only our lives interest you? What about you?"

Dabi looked at Shoto seriously for the first time. Shoto couldn't tell what the look in his eyes meant.

"Oh Shoto... I'm already dead. This life of mine, it has nothing in it. Nothing but chaos." Dabi smiled and looked up. A tear left his eye. "I'm not like you... I'm not going to be a hero. I have no one to love. No one to care about. But that's fine! I don't want anyone! All I wanna do is hear about how your life is going! Look at how much you've grown... You've had it just as hard as me, yet you didn't give up."

Shoto was speechless. So was everyone else. They stared at Dabi, he seemed genuinely lost. More tears appeared in his eyes and ran down his face, though now, they were tears of blood.

"Your life is so interesting Shoto... That's why I'm interested in learning about it. For me, there's nothing else. Just you."

"My time is almost up... if I don't hurry now, we'll probably lose him. I hate this..."

Aizawa couldn't refrain from blinking for much longer. He restrained Dabi with his cloth, who didn't seem to care at all. He probably hadn't even noticed it.

"Damn it..."

Right before he blinked, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Monoma.

"Monoma?"

"Need a hand?"

Monoma copied Aizawa's quirk and immediately used it on Dabi. Aizawa finally deactivated his quirk.

"Thank you..."

"My pleasure."

Monoma sounded oddly serious. Aizawa assumed he had heard Dabi.

"Oh? Who might you be?" Dabi asked.

"... No one important."

"I see... Oh. I'm tied." Dabi noticed for the first time that he was tied up, though he just laughed. "Hey, Shoto. Will you visit me here and then? You too, Bakugo. I'd like to hear news from you two."

After that, Dabi fainted. No one knew what had happened. They all stayed silent. That was until team 3 contacted Endeavor.

[Conversation between Midnight and Endeavor]

M(idnight): Endeavor, what's the situation? Is Monoma with you?

Endeavor: Toya is knocked out. We are bringing him back now. Monoma is with us. He's safe.
M: I see. Well, be quick. Keep Dabi's quirk erased.

[End of conversation]

Endeavor walked to Dabi and picked him up.

"We are heading back to the police. The other teams are there waiting for us."

"Right." the team said with one voice.

Shoto looked at Dabi. He could tell something was wrong with him.

"Shoto? Are you okay?" Bakugo spoke to him, distracting him.

"Uh- yeah, I'm fine."

"No you're not."

"..."

On the way to the police (not a police station, the location policemen had gathered during Kurogiri's capture), Monoma watched as Bakugo comforted Shoto. Until a few weeks ago, he was surprised that Bakugo had a heart at all. Now he thought he was seeing an entirely different person. He made no comment.

"Who knew Bakugo out of all people would care so much... and for someone like Todoroki."

The team reached the police, where the other teams were waiting. Endeavor gave Dabi to the police, as Mitsuki and the Todoroki family (apart from Endeavor who was talking with the chief) approached Bakugo and Todoroki.

"Shoto? What happened?" Fuyumi spoke, seeing that Shoto was terrible.

"I'm fine. We got Toya..."

"Stop saying you're fine. Okay? No one will believe it." Bakugo said, not too harshly.

Shoto stayed silent. Aizawa went to talk to the group.

"Toya said some pretty deep things. Leave Shoto alone for now. Shoto. If you need someone, let me know straight away."

"... I'd like to stay alone with Bakugo." Shoto's voice was shaking.

"I see. We'll go back to the dorms immediately then. However, the two of you will have to come talk with the police later."

"Understood." Bakugo spoke for both of them, since Shoto was not in a state to communicate.

Aizawa accompanied them back to the dorms, and made sure the rest of the class didn't disturb them at all. He also brought Monoma to his class's dorms. The Todoroki family (apart from Shoto) and Mitsuki went to the police station, while the remaining heroes gathered at UA to inform the principal about what had happened.

************************************
Dabi is clearly not cannon. I know. I'll keep it this way.