As Dabi's flames rush towards you, a scream tears through your throat, and all you can see is a flash of bright blue light.

“You're okay, you're okay...” The brightness fades as you hear the familiar voice.

“H-Huh...?” Blinking a few times, you find yourself gazing up at Tokoyami from his lap. You go to sit up, but something holds you in place.

“It was just a nightmare. It wasn't real. You're okay, Y/n.” Tokoyami comfortingly rubs your head, running his fingers through your hair. His other hand tenderly wipes frozen tears from your face, and he gives you a soft smile.

“A nightmare...?” You glance around Tokoyami's room. It looks exactly like it did when you were studying. The light is on and cosy, light pours in from under the door to the hall, and the city is lit beautifully out the window. The curtains wave in the breeze, and the faint smell of a fire floats in.

“There was a fire down the street. I'm guessing that triggered it. Don't worry, it was just a kitchen mishap at a restaurant. There's no indication of foul play. Hawks is already checking it out. You're okay.” Tokoyami reassures you.

“Oh... A fire...” You sigh and try to sit up again, but you're still stuck.

“You froze us together...” Tokoyami chuckles. Your shirt is frozen against his pants under your head, and frost covers your body. Tokoyami’s sweater is draped over your chest and torso, and the warm and soft fabric helps with some of the cold.

“Oh, I'm sorry!” You quickly activate your quirk and scramble to evaporate the ice and frost. A blush covers your face as you work, successfully detaching yourself from him. “I'm so so sorry, Tokoyami! I didn't mean to fall asleep in your lap or freeze you...!”

Seeing you blush causes Tokoyami to flush as well. He runs his hand over his feathers, unconsciously fixing them. “It was nothing. You fell asleep on my shoulder and slipped. You needed the sleep, so I let you rest... I just wish I could have woken you up sooner when you started having your nightmare...”

“Thank you for waking me up in the first place...” You sit up next to him, still embarrassed. “I guess you didn't really have a choice with how I was freezing you, huh...?” A small chuckle leaves your lips, and Tokoyami shakes his head.

“Why wouldn't I wake you up when you were clearly having a nightmare? Of course I did. I didn't want you being frightened.” He gives you a stern look. “...It was about Dabi, wasn't it?”

Staring down at your lap, you nod slowly. “I woke up all alone in the dark in here. You weren't in here anymore, and the door was locked... I couldn't get the window open either... There wasn't any light, and then I looked under the door and saw boots, so I thought it was maybe you or Hawks... But...”

“It was Dabi instead...” Tokoyami nods as you hesitate to finish your sentence.

“Yeah... He opened the door, and there was so much fire... Then he said he already took you out... And then he attacked me... And that's when I woke up...” You sigh.

“I'm okay, Y/n. You're okay. We're all okay.” He awkwardly rubs your back, trying to continue to comfort you without showing how flustered he is. He originally assumed your fear was all from Dabi, but it seems like some of it was worrying for him as well. “I may be a terrible matchup against someone like Dabi, but I won't ever hesitate to reach you if he ever shows his face to you again. You can count on that, Y/n.”

Hearing Tokoyami's words makes your face flush a bit more and causes your eyes to widen, but before you can think of a response, there's a voice from the window. “Talk about smooth talking, huh? You're acting like a real gentleman here, Tsukuyomi. Protective, too.”

Both you and Tokoyami whip your heads around to stare at Hawks hovering outside the window. “H-Hawks...! What are you doing there??” You stammer over at him. “How long have you been there??”

“I was just gonna update Tsukuyomi on the fire, but I see I'm interrupting a moment. Just ignore me. Continue.” Hawks gives you both a cheeky smile as he leans on the window sill, waving you on.

“Don't speak like that!!” Tokoyami looks mortified. “What moment? There was no moment! I was just waking her up from a nightmare!” He sits up straight, and underneath his feathers he's a bright red mess.

“Y-Yeah, nothing was happening...!!” You agree. “He was just...!” Hawks is still giving you both a smug grin, and you realize Tokoyami's sweater is still draped over you. “I-I was freezing over, that's all!!”

Hawks lets out a loud laugh as he watches both of your reactions. “Alright, alright! If you both insist...!”

Tokoyami grumbles under his breath and clears his throat, trying to change the topic. “Anyways... What's the update on the fire? Did they confirm the cause?”

Hawks chuckles at Tokoyami's attempt to switch to a less embarrassing topic. “They'll need to do a proper arson investigation, but all of the stories line up. Looks like someone slipped in the kitchen and spilled a bunch of oil. Thankfully none of the staff or patrons were hurt. They were already completely evacuated by the time the fire spread from the kitchen.” Hawks explains. “I didn't even have to do anything.”

“So it was just a kitchen mishap like you said over the phone...” Tokoyami nods.

“Yep! The police and I confirmed it. It sucks though, it'll take a while before they can reopen again, and I've been craving their food... We should have gone there for lunch instead...” Hawks groans, then turns to you with a more serious expression. “Was it the smell of the smoke that triggered your nightmare?”

Tokoyami nods. “She was sleeping soundly until the smell got strong. I should have closed my window...”

“You were trying to let me sleep, though. Don't worry about it, Tokoyami.” You reassure him then turn back to Hawks. “It was about Dabi... I dreamt he was here and attacking...”

“Hm... I know Eraserhead already mentioned getting therapy for it to you, but I'll talk to my boss about getting you some virtual appointments if you're worried about missing more classes. Exposure therapy may be a good idea, too. I know you're still jumpy around fire. Maybe you can see if Endeavor's son can give you a hand with that.” Hawks taps his finger against his chin.

“Yeah... I'll talk to Shoto about that when we get back to school in a few days... Maybe Monoma can help, too...”

“Monoma...? Why would you need or even want help from him...?” Tokoyami asks incredulously.

“What's wrong with this Monoma guy?” Hawks asks.

“He's in 1B, and he can be a little... Competitive and... nasty about it when it comes to our class. He was actually one of the first people I met at UA, though. I met my friend Hitoshi when I moved to the area, and then Tetsutetsu and Monoma during the entrance exam. He was nice until after our class started getting attention... He can copy quirks, so I figured if he can copy my quirk, and if I can get Shoto to help with his fire, I'll be more comfortable. I can't exactly make a lot of water at once thanks to my hands and feet, after all.”

“Hmm, I suppose...” Tokoyami sighs. “Would he even accept your request, though?”

“Is he the blond one your team had a moment with in the cavalry battle?” Hawks asks you, and you nod. “It's a good idea.”

“I think I can convince him to help. He does love proving himself to our class, after all.” You say.

The three of you continue discussing, and you eventually excuse yourself to your room for the night. Thankfully, no nightmares plague your sleep, and you sleep soundly throughout the night.

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tee hee gotcha

also this book will reach the max number of parts in ten chapters, so it'll end on 190, and I'll continue on a second book from 191 onwards :) I still need to make the cover but I'll post it before we reach 190 here, so you guys have time to presave it to your library and whatnot. I'll also post a link on my announcements when it's up and again after this book reaches 190 <3

ily all and thank you for enjoying my story so far!! I hope you all continue to enjoy reading it ❤️❤️❤️❤️