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I wish you could see the wicked truth

Caught up in a rush, it's killing you

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Akemi glared at herself in the mirror. "Come on; you can do this. Don't let that smug asshole menace you into ignoring workplace safety," she hissed, trying to school her reflection into something confident and intimidating.

Nothing she tried was convincing. There just wasn't anything remotely scary about a five-foot-nothing skinny blonde with frizzy bedhead and cat print pajamas. The scarred remains of her right eye were probably the only thing that came close, but as she usually covered it with an eyepatch, it wouldn't do her much good.

Frantic scrabbling from the bathroom door distracted Akemi for a moment, and she reached for it as quickly as she could. Unfortunately, she wasn't fast enough. Napoleon was already yowling in protest at being closed off from his owner, and Akemi was reasonably sure his grating screams were going to get the police called. For a cat that was only bones and quirk energy, he was absurdly lively.

Yanking the bathroom door open, Akemi glared down at her whiny cat. "God damn it, Leon," she scolded. "People are going to think I'm murdering someone." Utterly oblivious to the noise complaints he was going to be the cause of, Napoleon ceased screaming and flung himself at Akemi's legs, rubbing the sharp bones of his face into her shins. "Alright, needy little bitch boy. I'm happy to see you too."

Once he was satisfied he'd thoroughly lacerated his owner's legs, Napoleon trotted back towards his cat tower, leaving Akemi to get her shit together and start her day. She gave up on trying to look like she wasn't someone to be messed with, opting for a French braid and the lucky pink button-up she'd stolen from her mum.

Akemi did a final inventory of all the first aid supplies she'd bought, mainly to soothe her anxiety, before throwing them into a box and lugging it downstairs to her shop. Making it to the backroom in time to greet the delivery guys dropping off her fertilizer order, Akemi found herself slowly relaxing. Her routine of lugging large bags into their rightful places as she idly chatted with the two men effectively managed to ease her nerves. By the time her new employee showed up, Akemi was feeling almost like herself again.

Dabi arrived just as she was finishing up her inventory work for the morning, reasonably close to when she'd asked him to be here. Akemi grinned and waved at him, setting down her clipboard as she reviewed the half-formed plan she'd come up with the night before. "Look at you, entering the shop like a normal person. I'm almost impressed," she teased, trying to keep her tone light and casual.

"Save it, pipsqueak," Dabi grumbled, glaring at her with red-rimmed, sleep-deprived eyes. "I'm not in the mood for small talk." Akemi paused for a moment, looking him up and down. Without his arrogance and backtalk to distract her, she realized that Dabi was far frailer than she'd initially thought. At first glance, he was lithe and dark, like a slim shadow slipping through cracks unnoticed. But a closer look turned his lean figure into malnourished and his imposing scars into painful wounds.

Realizing she'd been gawking at him for far too long, Akemi glanced back up at Dabi's face a little guiltily. His eyes were narrowed, the beginnings of a sneer curling his lips, and Akemi scrambled for something that would distract him. "I'm guessing matching uniforms are a lost cause," she said, trying to cover up her awkwardness with a fake pout.

The annoyance in Dabi's eyes dimmed slightly, and his angry scowl softened. "Me wearing pink? Not in a million years," he replied, rolling his eyes at the thought. Before Akemi could respond, he continued in an impatient tone, "Are you gonna show me how to do my job, or will I just be standing here and scaring off customers?"

Akemi chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment, really not looking forward to the conversation to come. Still, her primary coping strategy of avoidance wasn't applicable here, so she had to grit her teeth and get it over with. "Right, sorry, we can start now. Follow me to the backroom," she replied. She turned and slipped inside, trying not to look like she was folding in on herself. Akemi noted that Dabi observed the backroom with mild interest, taking in the counter space, shelves, and fridges.

Leaning against one of the counters, Akemi waited until Dabi was standing across from her before she spoke. "Before I show you around, we need to address your injuries," she said and bit back a sigh as Dabi instantly bristled.

"And what would those be, pipsqueak," he growled, his bright turquoise eyes burning with sudden suspicion. Akemi crossed her arms, meeting his glare with a flat, calm stare. She wasn't going to let his angsty bullshit get in the way of this.

"Oh, let's see," she began. "Besides your burns, Benji reported you had several cracked ribs, a sprained knee, and a left wrist and right ankle that are at best sprained. We need to get them taken care of so you'll be safe." Her voice rose a bit towards the end, and Akemi took a breath to calm herself. She needed to keep her voice as even and non-threatening as possible.

"Don't get worked up on my account, boss," Dabi drawled, slumping back against the wall in a deceptively calm stance. Akemi could still see tension in his shoulders and jaw. "I can handle a little pain. It won't get in the way of my work."

"Oh, enough of that emo bullshit," she groaned. "Look, I've already got the supplies here for you. Just let me walk you through treatment so we can move on to what you're going to be doing." Akemi turned, reaching for the box of first aid materials. Before she could grab it, a hand grasped her wrist, yanking her back around to face Dabi. Oh, he's pissed, she noted, a bit distracted by how unnaturally warm his hand was.

"I don't need your fucking charity," he snarled, stepping into Akemi's personal space and towering over her. Unfortunately for him, most people towered over Akemi, and she wasn't intimidated by it in the slightest anymore.

"It's not charity! It's a matter of workplace safety," she argued back, tilting her chin up to meet his blazing eyes stubbornly. "Working at a flower shop isn't all about arranging bouquets and talking to customers. I'm constantly lifting heavy boxes, water containers, and more. Hell, I barely have a chance to sit down! You cannot do any of that safely with those injuries, and by not treating them, you're putting yourself and me in danger. I can't afford a concussion because your cracked ribs make you drop a bucket full of water." Her arguments sounded callous, but Akemi figured tough love was the only way she would get her point through Dabi's thick skull.

Dabi's eyes dimmed a fraction, and she could tell he saw the logic in her words. That only seemed to make him angrier, though. He stepped forward more, sneering down at Akemi. She felt the counter dig into her back as she leaned away from him, becoming more annoyed by his attempts at intimidating her out of caring. "I told you, it won't affect my work," he hissed. "I can barely feel it, so keep your nose out of my fucking business."

Not impressed in the slightest, Akemi glanced down, noticing that he'd rested his left hand on the counter next to her. His right arm still gripped her wrist, pinning it to the counter, but her other hand was still free. Akemi narrowed her eye, staring right back at Dabi as she reached up and grasped his left wrist, squeezing it with enough force that he flinched. "What was that about you 'barely feeling it'?" Akemi asked.

Dabi gaped at her as though he couldn't believe she'd called his bluff. Akemi felt guilty about hurting him, but she wasn't going to budge on this. If he wanted to work for her, he needed to follow her rules. Dabi seemed to realize this, and he relaxed slightly in defeat. "You've got guts, pipsqueak," he grumbled, laughing bitterly. Akemi shrugged.

"I take workplace safety very seriously," she replied, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"No kidding," Dabi said. "I'm starting to think you're more trouble than you're worth." Akemi rolled her eye, letting go of his wrist so she could shove him backward gently. Dabi stumbled slightly, blinking at her as though he hadn't realized they were still so close. He dropped her wrist quickly, wrinkling his nose at Akemi's teasing smile.

Akemi turned back to the first aid materials, gesturing for Dabi to sit down on one of the stools. However, when she turned back to him, she saw he'd completely ignored her and instead boosted himself onto a counter. "You're such a petty little shit," she quipped, setting the box next to him and glaring up at his smug expression.

"I don't think you get to call anyone little," he replied, and Akemi groaned, hands lifting unconsciously to rub her temples.

"Enough with the pipsqueak nonsense. It's not creative in the slightest," Akemi griped, rummaging around for the stupid splint so she could avoid Dabi's very punchable grin.

"Whatever you say, half-pint," he replied. Akemi glared up at him as he reveled in the annoyance he was causing. Resisting chucking the wrist splint at his face, she instead dropped it in his lap. And if she used a bit more force than necessary, well, that wasn't something anyone could prove.

"Put that on," she instructed, deciding the best course of action was to ignore the words that came out of his mouth. "You can adjust it so it won't squeeze your scars too much. Oh, and this," she added, pulling out a cold wrap for his ribs, "goes under your shirt. Make sure it's loose, though, because you're not supposed to wrap anything tightly around cracked ribs." She continued to pull out stuff and instruct him, giving Dabi no time to be snarky.

Finally, she reached the end of the large number of wraps and splints he needed, and she quickly moved on to the pain meds. Most of it was standard stuff, but she noticed Dabi frown in confusion when she pulled out an unlabeled mason jar. "And what exactly is that supposed to do?" Dabi asked, and Akemi grinned at him.

"This," she began, proudly lifting the jar, "is my mum's burn cream. It's got pain relief, some silver sulfadiazine, and plants like aloe that she grew herself. It works way better than the other over-the-counter stuff, especially because most of us have sensitive skin. If you try it and don't like it, I've got some branded stuff as well."

She held it out to Dabi, who took it and hesitantly unscrewed the lid. Akemi stifled a giggle as he poked at the cream with a finger, looking like he thought it would explode. She waited patiently as he spread a glob of it over the part of his arm that the splint didn't cover. He'd shrugged off the tattered, dark blue jacket he'd worn to work when Akemi had begun thrusting medical supplies at him, and Akemi was still shocked by just how much of him was a scarred, painful-looking mess.

Dabi let out a low whistle. "How did your family end up needing stuff this strong, half-pint?" he asked, smearing more of it on his exposed scarring.

"Careful, Dabi. You almost sound interested in my life." At his annoyed glare, she continued with a laugh. "My little sister breathes fire. She's always been a handful, but it was worse when she was little and couldn't control her quirk. We all ended up with our fair share of burns."

"Is that why you wear an eyepatch?" Dabi asked, and Akemi's hand went unconsciously to her covered right eye. The question was innocent enough, but there was a gleam in Dabi's eyes that pulled her up short. It reminded her of some of the bullies that had chased her throughout her years at school. They'd start with sweet smiles and innocent questions, prodding for weak points that they could poke at until they left fissures in Akemi's mental health. She'd forgotten for a moment that this man was dangerous, a mistake he'd thankfully corrected for her.

"No," she drawled, relaxing her posture and keeping a neutral expression. "I just love cosplaying as a pirate." Dabi's shit-eating grin returned as he took her response as a sour point he could use. Akemi decided she would let him think what he wanted.

"I see. Should I be keeping an eye out for a dead parrot you can use as a first mate?" Dabi taunted, and Akemi stuck out her tongue at him, thoroughly done with his nonsense.

"Shut up and finish putting burn cream on so I can teach you your job," she snapped.

"Aye, aye, captain," he replied with a lazy salute. Akemi reached over, intending to pinch his side, but Dabi was quick to dodge her. He slid off the counter, grabbing his jacket as he went and shrugging it on. "I'm yours to command," he said, mockery dripping from every word.

Looking him over, Akemi noticed a smear of cream on his jaw that he hadn't rubbed in enough. She reached forward without thinking. "Hang on a sec," she muttered, gently rubbing it in the same way she often did with her siblings when they left sunscreen or lotion on their faces. Pulling back, Akemi realized what she'd done and winced. "Shit, sorry. Didn't mean to do that."

Dabi was looking at her with a strange mix of unease and confusion, like he couldn't understand what had happened. It quickly vanished behind his second most common expression: an irritated scowl. "Just start your training bullshit, half-pint," he growled.

Akemi nodded and, unable to handle the awkwardness she'd just created, saluted him mockingly. "Aye, aye, captain," she quipped, ducking with a surprised squeak as a plastic container was hurled at her head. It seemed like she wasn't the only one being tested by their arrangement to the point of violence.

Holy crap, this took so much longer than I wanted it to! Here are 2000+ words of Akemi bullying Dabi into self-care as an apology. She has no time for his trust issues, and he has yet to figure out what he can use to hurt her enough to get her to keep her distance. Yet. He'll get there eventually because he's an angsty little shit who desperately needs therapy.

Also, Dabi could absolutely pull off pink, and I will be presenting my evidence here:

Have a lovely day! <3

~ Avie