I had decided that it would be best to be warped somewhere away from my house, seeing as my parents were due back. I certainly looked like I had seen better days; puffy eyes and scruffy (H/C) hair, and I wasn't prepared to have to think up an arsenal of excuses. I was simply exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

It had already been just short of an hour, and I was still just swinging back and forth on the swing at the park, trying to figure out what I was supposed to do. Villainy wasn't something I was even remotely fond of, nor would I be any good at it. I knew I would be ordered to do some nasty, treacherous deeds, and that make my stomach twist itself in knots.

My sneakers scraped against the wood chips beneath me, and I stared at the scuff marks with a dull gaze. Normally, I could see the light in every dark situation. The girl who could spin a happy smile with sooner linings, but this time I was coming up blank.

There's Touya...

Of course Dabi was a positive, but what would happen when he found out? The man was prone to temper tantrums, and this was something that would set him off into an absolute riot. He was overprotective, and knowing that Shigaraki had me wrapped around his little finger would mean utter chaos.

"At least Hisoka's safe..." I murmured under my breath as I skidded to a halt. The air was growing colder each evening, and my arms prickled with goosebumps, but I wasn't sure whether it was due to the chill of the night.

Someone's watching me...

I wasn't sure what I expected when I tore my eyes away from the ground, but when they fell upon a tall, hooded being just across the way, I couldn't contain the loud gulp as I swallowed a yelp. Whoever it was had hidden themselves well. A large, black hooded jacket, slick shades and a slightly discoloured surgical mask was what covered their appearance, and they were headed straight for me.

My initial reaction was to stand my ground; hero instincts ever present, but once they got closer, I had the sudden urge to turn tail and run.

Because it was Dabi.

"O..oh...h..hey..." Stumbling over my words, and right off the swing, I began to take small steps back, and his pace quickened. Each stride was more aggressive, yet his hands stayed hidden; wedged deep into his pockets.
"Tell me it's a lie..." I could barely hear him when he spoke to me, but I knew I was about to regret keeping my new-found fate a secret.

"T..Touya...I didn't have a choi-" My words fell back down my throat as Dabi reached out with one hand and grasped my shoulder roughly. His palm was frightfully hot, and I looked up into my own reflection in his sunglasses.

"If you had just fucking said the word...I would have broken the little cunt out for you..!" He hissed, and clouds of vapour clouded from his mouth, mixing with the chill air, though it may well have been actual smoke. "This is why I can't even leave you alone for five fucking minutes! You fucked up, (Y/N)! Do you know how badly you've fucked up?!"

Yes...

Even though I knew it was the truth, it didn't make his verbal attack any less painful. Pulling my lip between my chattering teeth, I shook my head slowly.
"I..I made my choice, T..Touya...I know...it's a stupid one...b..but..but I stand by it..! It's no different than your choices, so-"

"NO FUCKING DIFFERENT?! DO YOU THINK I WANTED TO END UP LIKE THIS, YOU IDIOT?!" I recoiled as Dabi snapped; dark, noxious smog beginning to almost ooze out from the sleeve of his jacket. "DO YOU THINK I HAPPILY CHOSE TO MELT MYSELF INTO A FREAK AND KILL PEOPLE FOR A LIVING?!"

With a surprisingly hard shove, he pushed me away. Just in time, too, as his right side lit up into a wild blaze. The material turned to ash, and his glasses melted down his face and fell to the ground. Those ocean eyes of his were brewing with a sapphire storm of thunder and lightning, and it scared me. It scared me more than I had ever been, all because it was coming from the person I loved.

"You're...you're not a freak..! I just...this is...I made a choice and that's all there is to it! I'm sorry I messed up! I'm sorry I'm that much of an idiot! I know I am, but that doesn't change anything! It's done, and that's that!" Waterworks were all systems go, and I desperately tried to stop myself from shaking in fear. I didn't want to be frightened of him, but in that moment, seeing him lit up like a wildfire, I couldn't help it.

"HE'S GONNA MAKE YOU KILL THE PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT! SHARK BOY, THAT FUCK'N ELF..! DO YOU SERIOUSLY THINK I HAVE THE TIME TO PICK UP YOUR FUCKING PIECES AFTER YOU'VE GOTTA DO THAT?!" Dabi began to pace back and forth, and with each tread of his boot his flames grew bigger; hotter.

"I..I wouldn't do that..I-"
"HE'LL KILL YOU IF YOU DON'T! WHAT AREN'T YOU GETTING?!" The grass at his feet set alight, and the right side of his clothing was all but smouldering ashes now. "YOU FUCKED UP! I COULD BARELY KEEP YOU SAFE AS IT WAS, AND NOW..!" As he screamed, the staples closet to the corners of his mouth buckled and popped, causing the skin to split and drizzles of crimson to begin trailing down his chin. He threw his hand out and all I could do was scramble out of the way as a burst of cerulean blue swept over the swing set.

Burning rubber, and the harsh, indescribable scent of near-melting steel assaulted my nose, but my words, (E/C) eyes were glued to the raging man before me. He was worried for me, and this tantrum was one of his messed up ways of showing it. Even so, I began to back away slowly as tears streamed down my face, due to both fear and airborne ash.

"P..please...Touya...calm down..!" I cried out, but there was no getting through to him.
"THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS! I'M GONNA HAVE TO END UP LIKE HER! TURNING A BLIND EYE EVEN THOUGH THE PEOPLE SHE'S SUPPOSED TO CARE ABOUT ARE GETTING HURT! DESTROYED! I DON'T WANNA BE HER, DAMMIT!" It was only a matter of time before the authorities showed up, thanks to his almost incoherent screaming, and the rest of the children's play equipment was up in flames already.

Her..? Like her..? Who is she..? What is he going on about..?

"We..we can talk about this...about what to do...You just need to calm down..!" I tried to console my boyfriend from a distance, but my pleas were falling upon deaf ears. His yelling became completely unintelligible, and my heart almost came to a stop when he finally grew silent; turning to face me with a wild, azure glare.

"This...is why...I can't care about people..." He whispered with a hoarse voice before turning around and walking into the fray of flame and smoke. I would have followed him; risking my flesh and bone, but three pairs of heavy, racing footsteps forced me to stay put.

"(Y/N)?! What the hell happened?! Are you okay..?!" It took me a few moments to snap myself out of my teary daze and focus on Neijire's concerned face.
"Come on, we need to get her away from the fire..! Could you please call the fire brigade?" That had definitely been Mirio's voice, so that could only mean...

"Y..you're not hurt, a..are you..?!" Amajiki's shaky arm came down over my shoulders and guided me towards the street, but we didn't get even as far as a few feet before I threw myself into his chest and began to wail.
"I..I..I'm so stupid, Tamaki! I..I'm an idiot! I couldn't..! I..I didn't..!"

I screwed up..!

"H..hey...i..it's okay, (Y/N)...Y..you're okay...That person has a s..strong quirk...Nobody would have r..really been able to take him on alone..." The ravonette murmured quietly, completely misinterpreting my sobs and self-loathing remarks.
"Looks to me like that was the same villain who had a part in the first year training came siege..." Mirio hummed as he approached us. "I'm really glad you're safe, (Y/N)! I'm sure that was super scary! You're so brave!"

I'm anything but...

I couldn't look any of them in the eye, and I just clung onto Amajiki until the police and fire departments arrived, along with several pro heroes, including Fatgum...and Endeavor.

"Chickadee, you're gonna kill me before cholesterol does at this rate!" Fatgum placed his sturdy hands on my shoulders and frowned. "They didn't hurt you, did they? No burns? He didn't say anything nasty, did he? I know  can sometimes hurt more than a flesh wound..." He rambled on, but I just shook my head slowly.

"N..no...he just...set fire to the park..." I mumbled quietly as I accepted a warm, squishy embrace from my mentor.
"Stop coddling the child. We need details. Stop acting like a father and be a professional." That voice was cold and harsh, forcing me to look up and lock eyes with the intimidating flame hero.

"With all due respect, Endeavor...it could benefit you to show a little more compassion..." Fatgum's aura darkened, which was something I hadn't really seen before. "But...you are right...we need some information, (Y/N)..." He turned to me and I immediately pressed myself back into Amajiki, who gingerly wrapped his arms around me.
"I..I didn't see much...because of the fire..."

I can't say anything...

"Appearance...how his quirk activated...Details, girl..!" Endeavor snapped at me, and I flinched; hard, into my best friend's chest.
"I..I don't know..! He...whoever it was...s..started to scream at m..me...and then th..there was so much fire..." I sniffled, trying to hold back all the other negative emotions I was trying to keep bottled. "D..dark clothes...d..dark hair...I..I don't know! Th..they were wearing a mask and g..glasses!"

Nothing too obvious...but they'd already know...thanks to the colour...

Endeavor glared down at me through the flickering red flames on his face, and I got momentarily lost in his...

O..ocean eyes...They're...so similar...but so much colder...A dead sea...

"Fine. That will do. Get yourselves home, kids..." With a click of his tongue, the brawny man strode away towards the police, who were also assessing the scene as the fire department dowsed the remains of flickering blue flames.
"C..come on, (Y/N)...I..I'll take you home..." Amajiki released me, but allowed his hand to timidly slip into mine. I held it as tight as I could, trying to keep myself grounded.

"Are your parents home yet, Chickadee? I don't want you to be all alone after such a fright..." Fatgum asked, concern lacing his tone.
"Sh..she can stay at my place...She already has some clothes there...a..and my mother wouldn't mind..." Amajiki mumbled before looking at me for confirmation. "I..if she wants to, that is..."

I can't be alone...if he was that mad...what if he...N..no! No, he wouldn't...but...just in case...

"Y..yeah...I'd feel more comfortable..." I whispered softly, trying to muster up a smile. It just felt crooked and wrong. After a final spine-crushing, three-way embrace from our mentor, and a group hug from both Nejire and Mirio, we left hand in hand in the direction of Amajiki's home.

"A..are you sure you're okay..? I..I mean, in general...Y..you've been acting different lately..." The meek boy broke the silence after a while, but I kept my head down.
"Y..yeah...it's nothing...I'm just...confused...about this whole hero thing...I...don't think I'm doing it right..."

I've already hurt people...I've fallen in love with a villain...I've betrayed you!

To my surprise, his hand tightened around mine and he pulled me a little closer into his side.
"Th..that's not true...Y..you've done so well...and p..people l..love you...I lo...I think you're doing g..great..." Amajiki stammered softly, and I felt my heart ache.
"Thanks, Tamaki..." I whispered, leaning my head on his shoulder as we walked along.

"...but I think I've just really messed it all up..."

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***Dabi needs a good spanking***