***DABI POV***

"Oh thank fuck..." Spinner slumped over with his hands on his knees, panting heavily as we regrouped. Gigantomachia had decided to take a nap, right in the middle of battle, so we were free for at least a few hours.

"Even the freckles on my ass are sore..." Twice complained, rubbing his backside. "We almost had him!" Honestly, I couldn't have cared less about the fight to prove our worth. The only thing on my mind was (Y/N), and whether she was okay or not. Before we had been sent packing from the Doctor's lab, he had given Shigaraki a phone, purely for the use of contacting him. I wanted to get my hands on it and call for a favour.

The only problem was talking to him without blowing up. After Ujiko had begun treating (Y/N), Shigaraki had stepped way out of line in my eyes. He had removed that disgusting hand from his face and placed it by her side. That didn't sit well with me one bit. The fact that he had refused to allow me to stay with her also had me fuming, but I didn't have the gall to fight him about it. At the very least, he had let the twerp and the old man remain to watch over her.

"Hey, look, Atsu's back!~" Toga called out from her place on a rock, though her sing-song voice was lacking the usual energy. She pointed towards the masked man, who was dusting himself off after an obviously messy teleportation.
"I do wish we had a more pleasant means of travel..." He muttered, taking his hat off to shake it out.

"How is she?" I blurted out my question rather quickly, for once not caring how pathetically needy I sounded.
"Awake and on the mend." Mr. Compress replied, approaching our little group. "Though, she is rather bitter about being forced to the sidelines. Mustard is currently watching over her at her abode."

Why the hell would she be bitter about missing out on this shitshow?

"How long until she can return?" Shigaraki questioned, tilting his head so his hair fell to reveal the scarred expanse of his neck.
"I would say a few days. A week, at most. Once she's over the lethargy she'll be as good as new." I glared at the wannabe magic man, knowing full well that he wasn't mentioning something important.

Turning to our leader, I held out my hand.
"Give me the phone. I wanna check in on her." It wasn't a question, and he damn well knew it, directing his head in the opposite direction.
"No. Nobody is going to come and go as they please. Suck it up." He replied flatly, his nails raking against the earth he sat on instead of his own skin.

Gritting my teeth, I refrained from cremating him then and there.
"Don't you want me to work on the new recruit I've been grooming? How am I supposed to do that when I'm stuck all the way out here in ass-fuck nowhere?" It was obvious he knew I had a point, but of course, he didn't want it to seem like anybody could boss him around.

"You just want to get all touchy with your little girlfriend." He muttered sourly, grunting as he stood up and stretched his arms over his head. I was positive a vein was jutting out of my forehead now, but I still stretched my lips into a smirk.
"What? Jealous that you can't touch anybody?"

Oh, when he spun around that hand of his was dangerously close, but Mr. Compress had grabbed hold of his wrist, keeping him from moving it that extra inch or so.
"Let's not get aggressive here, gentlemen! If you would accept my two cents, I believe it would be beneficial to send Dabi out for a while. If not to boost (Y/N)'s moral, then to gather recruits. Goodness knows we need them now more than ever."

"Ugh, whatever..." The powderet yanked his arm away, kicking at the dry earth with his red sneaker. "It's not like he was any help to us today anyway..." Usually, that would have been enough to piss me right off and then some, but I chose to ignore his insult when he tossed the cellphone to me. Walking away from the group, I dialed the code the doctor had provided us with, bringing it to my ear.

"You're all very needy, I must say." The voice said in place of a greeting. "What is it you want?"

"It's Dabi. Send me to (Y/Address)."

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***(Y/N) POV***

I had managed to hide Mustard flawlessly from my mother...

...for six whole hours.

It all would have been a breeze if she had decided to knock on my door instead of waltzing in, finding Mustard sitting on the ground between my knees as I was perched on the bed, scissors poised ready to continue snipping at his hair.

"(Y/N), dear, who is this charming young man?" My mother cocked her head, and both Mustard and myself stiffened instantly.
"Uh..." I wasn't sure why I had the urge to scream at her to get out of my room, but I swallowed it down even if it felt like the right response. "...th..this is Hisoka...He's...um...he was one of the citizens who were devastated by the Kamino incident...His parents are overseas at the moment, so I thought it would be okay to let him stay for a while..?"

Fuck, that was the shittiest lie I ever told...

My mother's brow lifted, but just before I could panic over my deception skills, she smiled brightly.
"Such a selfless act, honey! Hisoka, dear, you're more than welcome to keep my daughter company for as long as you need! My husband and I travel a lot, so it'll be nice for her to have somebody around."

Mustard blinked back at her, almost stupefied by her obliviousness.
"Uh, th..thank you, Mrs (L/N)..." He murmured, and I could see the sweat gathering against the side of his neck. I was extremely relieved that the news reports regarding the summer camp seige had only shown photographs of Mustard from a distance, his face too swollen to recognise, but once that relief had worn off, I became pissed off with my birth giver's presence.

"Would you two like something to eat? I brought some sesame slice back from work that you might like!" She offered, and I stretched my arms up behind my head, struggling to stop the scowl from scrunching up my face.
"We're fine. We ate already. Can we get back to it? I can't get him to sit still for that long and it's getting frustrating."

My mother seemed a little taken aback by my harsh tone, but that smile didn't falter.
"Of course, honey. Just give me a yell if either of you need anything! I'll be heading off to a shoot in a little while, so I'll make sure to leave some money for dinner." With a peppy wave, she closed my door, and I just glared at the wood bitterly.

"I just realised something..." Mustard murmured, shrinking down lower.
"Hmm?" I barely glanced down to him, too busy trying to justify the agitation I was feeling as I leaned back into Karma's body, causing him to snort and wag his tail. 
"My clothes are in the wash...I'm wearing yours..."

Finally, I allowed my (E/C) eyes to trail back down to the boy, and I couldn't help but snicker. Before Mr. Compress had left, he had nagged Mustard to wash his uniform, which had been positively filthy. Without any other clothes to wear, he had surrendered when I insisted he let me dress him. Now, he sat on the floor in a pair of peachy scalloped shorts; much too short for his body size, and a maroon shirt of mine that had hilariously turned into a crop top. Partnered with his periwinkle gloves, it truly was an outfit to behold.

"Shut up, you look cute." I sighed, continuing on with the right side of his hair. Karma snorted again, standing up and stretching before jumping off the bed and opting to slump down beside Mustard, who reached out to play with his red brindle fur.
"You've been sounding pretty cranky since you woke up..." He stated quietly, mumbling an apology as I straightened his head up.

"Is that so? I feel fine and dandy." I replied curtly, aggressively snipping at his ashy brown hair. It felt great.
"If you're sure...It's just that usually you seem...a little softer than this..." The boy admitted, slouching as Karma quickly lost interest in his attention, standing up again to wander around the room. Puffing out my cheeks, I began to cut a little faster, though I was still careful to keep it even.
"No idea what you're on about. I can't see any difference."

Or can I? I don't feel right...but I do at the same time?

Mustard didn't say anything else after that. Surprisingly, he sat perfectly still for the remainder of the time it took for me to finish off his hair, absently brushing it into a small pile as it fell to the ground.
"There we go. Picture perfect, if I do say so myself." I nodded proudly, giving his shoulders a squeeze before he stood up to check himself up in the mirror. His demeanor brightened up immediately, and I felt accomplished.
"I love it! Thanks, (Y/N)!"

I was about to respond when I caught a small movement out of the corner of my eye. My jaw clenched tight when I spotted Karma, paws up on my bedside table, mouth open and ready to close around Father. My body moved on it's own, and I threw myself across the length of the bed, teeth bared as I snatched the disembodied hand.
"Don't fucking touch that, you mongrel!" I snarled, clutching Father close to my chest, and Karma dropped down immediately, tail tucked and ears flat against his head as he backed away in a crawl.

Mustard had frozen solid, eyes wide in shock at my reaction, and for a few moments I didn't even know what was going on. The only thought racing through my mind was the fact that I had to protect the item. I had to keep it safe. That was until I saw the fear in Karma's eyes, and it was like a punch to the gut.

Breath catching in my throat, I dropped Father to the bed, jumping off and kneeling on the floor, reaching out towards my terrified dog.
"Sh..shit...Baby boy, I'm so sorry...I..I didn't mean..." My heart sank as Karma whimpered, scurrying to retreat behind Mustard, who looked incredibly concerned.
"See what I mean..?"

I've never yelled at an animal before...Especially not one of my own babies...

My head began to ache, and I winced before rising to my feet, turning my gaze away from my dog and my friend.
"L..let him out...He'll get over it before dinner..." I muttered, rubbing at my temples. Unconvinced, Mustard did what I had told him too, and I had never seen that dog move so fast. After closing the door, Mustard returned to me, rubbing my back as he tried to get me to meet his eyes.
"Hey, you can talk to me, you know? Do you think maybe you've gone too far over your quirk limit?"

Yes...Maybe...No..?

"I'm...just worried about the others, that's all...Dabi, Tomura, all of them..." I explained in a softer tone, moving out of his touch to grab Father and place it back on my bedside table, repositioning it several times before I was satisfied. Mustard hummed in acknowledgement, but before he could say anything as a proper response, a loud bang sounded from my closed wardrobe, followed by guttural cussing.

"Fucking...Dumbass prick of a..." Out stepped Dabi, yanking one of my UA blazers from his shoulder, then a coathanger from his head. When he glanced up, his anger seemed to melt away, being replaced with a hybrid of relief and concern. "Shit, Tenderfoot, you had me worried."

I just stared at him for a few moments, not reacting in any way, before I turned back to the table, adjusting Father once more.
"How's the battle going?" It suddenly felt like a weighted blanket had been thrown over the room, but I didn't pay any mind to it.
"It's going shit..." Dabi answered slowly, eyeing Mustard like he was asking a silent question. "...What's wrong with you? This isn't your usual greeting..."

I shrugged, pocketing my hands, focusing on the dapples of sunlight dancing on my bare arm.
"Isn't it?" Mustard took a few steps towards Dabi, completely lost.
"Didn't you just say you were worried about him..?" He asked, and again, I offered him a shrug.
"Yeah, and now he's here, completely fine. No need to worry about him now."

I want to be in his arms...but Master wouldn't like that...He wouldn't, would he? Do I care?

If I had looked at Dabi in that moment, I would have seen a mixture of emotions. Hurt, fear, upset, anger, but most of all, worry.

"I knew I should've gotten here sooner..." He muttered to himself, walking forwards and nudging Mustard with his elbow. "Oi, Drag Fart, go play with the dogs or some shit. Give us a minute." The brunet didn't argue, tugging the hem of his feminine shorts down a little as he stumbled towards the door.
"Y..yeah, okay...I'll just go chill with Mrs. (L/N)." I just stared at the floor until I heard the door click, that was when I was encased in warm, loving arms.
"I'm not letting you do anything like that again..."

Not...letting me..?

I began to squirm in his grip, but he refused to let go.
"You can't just come out of my closet and order me around, Touya, you asshole!" I barked, throwing my head back so I could snarl in his face. "You're not my boss! You didn't give enough shits to stay with me! You didn't even leave me anything! Tomura did!"

"Yeah, to fucking remind you that you belong to him, you dumbass!" He snapped back, still refusing to let go. "I tried to stay, but that sketchy doctor bastard wouldn't let me!"

He...said I belong to him..?

The tingly feeling in my chest felt disgusting, but I had no means to stop it. That meant I had done a great job. I was important to him.
"Why'd you even come here, huh?! You should be doing your job instead of stalking me!" I began to butt my head into his sternum, which was honestly doing me more damage than it was to him.

Scoffing, Dabi dragged me over to the bed, flopping himself down and taking me with him so we were laying face to face.
"I was ready to fucking shit my pants with worry, you absolute bitch tit!" He growled, bringing one hand up from my torso to hold my head back so I wouldn't smash it right into his pierced nose. "For your information, I'm also planning on doing some shit for both us and that Ujiko freak, but you're more important! You know, cuz of love and shit!"

Love..? That's right...What am I doing..?

The poor man was probably confused beyond belief when I ceased all retaliation, squishing my head in the dip of his neck instead of bombarding him with headbutts.
"I feel like shit, Tou..." I complained pitifully, pressing closer as my brain began to throb again. He began to trace small circles against the small of my back, adjusting his chin so it sat perfectly against the curve of my forehead.
"Ditto..." He sighed, threading his fingers through my (H/C) mess, taking care not to let any of it catch in his staples. "You just gotta be careful..."

Ignoring the second part of what he said, I puffed a breath of hot air against his skin, praying for my headache to disappear.
"What's your job? Can I come with you..?"

"Remember what happened the last time you asked to come with me..?"

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***Gotta love being on evacuation alert due to catastrophic level fires destroying the state! Anyway, have some twink-looking Mustard and more angst build-up, my dudes.

ALSO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 400K READS! I never expected Flawed to surpass Irascible, but here we are, and I'm so so so thankful!

Next time: Wildfires and High Fliers***