Stormy Petrels

42

Okay, so I said about one more chapter. Make that about three. 

      Dabi found himself glad that three substitutes had been chosen to take up his guard position for class 1-A, as between his part in working with Nedzu's group to organize his two rescue task forces and his efforts to help find Malvolia- or at least get some certainty in her current state- there was no time for anything else. Not even to let himself think about what had just happened anymore.

So in the corner of his eyes he watched his coworkers struggle not to fall to pieces as he pushed on to reach out to whatever contacts he could get rather than actually taking the short breaks they had. At the end of the day, well after the sun had set when they were released from the planning sessions, he'd refuse their offers of help or to join the patrols and meals the others went to together after a long day.

Instead he'd set his full attentions on tracking Malvolia. He was in close contact with the group of officers in charge of her case and he dragged the little vigilante contacts the trio had scrounged up into helping the search too. Of course, that didn't amount to too much as they tried not to interact with others, but it had one heavy lifter that Malvolia and Izuku had taken to harassing awhile ago.

Stain the gods damned hero killer. His fighting powers weren't much use as there was nothing there to fight. But even more surprising than his apparent willingness to help was his ability to.

Dabi had no clue how he managed it, but the psychotic vigilante had networking and information gathering skills that were to die for. Paid informants, hacking, surveillance cameras throughout the city, ins with all the area's gossips, and a handful of big name villains that didn't mind his vigilante status and were very loose lipped when drunk. All that and more, Stain brought to the table once he'd been convinced to help.

     The ex-military, ex-hero killer had heard all sorts of exaggerated stories about The Red Ripper which led to a near fanatical view of her ability, but going against Endeavor and several other heroes who believed to be particularly 'unworthy' had earned her respect too once he'd assimilated the 'murderous nightmare demon' with the 'watered down street thug vigilante' of the Stormy Petrel duo. 

     Of course, he wasn't sure how he should feel about respect gained from Malvolia's near-murder of a hero that used his power as a hero to make people pay "protection money" under threat like a third rate mafia boss.  Still once convinced to help, Stain was a machine of efficiency and Dabi could grudgingly admit that while he disagreed with the murder portion, Stain probably hadn't made mistakes with who had been corrupt and how they had been so.

     It was because of this however, that he missed what Izuku was planning.

     While Dabi ran himself ragged attempting to give his all in two full time projects, Izuku mostly stayed home. The first day that he had been back was nearly overwhelming as everybody- well, almost everybody-  crowded around, talking loudly, some even shouting, in an attempt to offer condolences.

      And it had been that way until a worn down looking Present Mic came in and sent them to their seats, casting a disappointed look at the three heroes turned guards that sat at the back of the classroom ignoring everything as he did so. Class started, but mostly, after a short lesson it was busywork as their english teacher was just as preoccupied with planning the raid as all the others were.

      Izuku left at lunch his first day back and had yet to return, taking advantage of the previously offered time off.  He knew they meant well, but he'd grown up alone thus far with only Malvolia's flatly calm form of comforting and later on Dabi's sarcastic snarking. It was... well, overwhelming.