❝ EIGHTEEN | red eyes & warm hugs

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TW; anxiety / panic attack + detailed description of paranoia and stalking, *** indicate the start of it and another three *** will indicate the end of it. please skip if you feel you will be unable to read it, i don't want to harm anyone <3

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L/N Y/N
at the corner store | 11:48 pm

so, you may have forgotten how to breathe for a couple of seconds.

your eyes are blown wide as you stare at dabi's scarred face, his lips are pulled up into a small smirk as he allows you to ogle his face for a second. your (e/c) eyes take in every charred piece of skin, staples holding it together almost painfully while three studs gleam brightly under the dim, broken light reflecting onto his nose. you weren't expecting him to look like this in real life- so...beautiful. it's like you're trapped under a cloudy haze that floats through your mind, all you can see is dabi's sapphire eyes and everything else but him blends into the background.

his eyebrow raises and you blink once and feel humiliation roll over you that you had shamelessly ogled his face right in front of him.

goodbye.

your hand tightens on the strap of your bag that you have slung over one shoulder and you try to force words up your now dry throat, body trembling with anticipation and excitement.

"you want to kiss me?" you ask only to internally dropkick yourself. that is literally the dumbest thing you could have said.

if you had points for being seductive, you'd have one from the stunt you pulled to buy bakugou more time, and that one point would have been taken off of you for your poor attempt at trying to speak normally to dabi right now.

dabi huffs out a breathy laugh, no doubt thinking the question is stupid as well. "i said it for a reason, doll. now let me ask you again and you tell me either no or yes, do you want me to kiss you right now?"

the way his eyes have darkened to a ocean blue, pupils lidded as he stares at you expectantly. his eyes that seem to hold millions of secrets are glued onto your lips that are pursed as you try to calm yourself down, never once leaving them but still at a safe distance so that you didn't feel pressured into saying yes.

of course you want to be kissed by him. he's-quite frankly- the hottest guy you've ever seen in your life and the fact that he wants to kiss you, even talk to you is a massive thing. you'd be the dumbest person alive if you let this opportunity slip, a complete fool. he'll probably regret it afterwards and you'll feel like a complete idiot, but you'd get kissed, right?

fuck it, you signed up to that stupid sex app for a reason-and now here's your opportunity.

the word comes out as a breathless whimper, so quiet that it could easily get lost in the slight breeze that roams the small and tattered shop. it's a word that you barely even heard yourself, and you were the one who said it to him.

but dabi hears it, scalding eyes immediately snapping to yours the moment he faintly hears-yes, come from your parted lips and his lips curl into a teasing smirk.

"good choice, doll." and then he leans in.

you were never the one to imagine how you would be kissed or how it would feel like to be kissed. if it happened, then it happened and it's not a big deal for you. you never believed nor thought about if kissing feels as amazing as some authors put it in books. they describe it as fireworks going off, an insatiable heat lights up in the pit of your stomach as butterflies cascade around your joyful heart. lips bruising as they're claimed in a passionate lock of lips, tongues swirling as their body's enter twine and begin a fight for dominance.

kissing can't be that amazing, right?

well, you'll never know since dabi's phone goes off just milliseconds before his lips brush yours.

it doesn't bother him, not at all. but the sound startles you as it rips through the quiet yet electric atmosphere you two had been surrounded in, body jumping and your elbow bashing off one of the glass jar of sweets on the counter; said jar of sweets now crashing onto the floor and sending shards of glass everywhere.

such a seductive person, (y/n), you fucking fool.

dabi pulls away, a breathy laugh that could be considered as an awkward chuckle passes his lips as he watches you completely panic at the broken jar-not even paying attention to what has nearly happened mere seconds ago.

"if that shitty owner forces me to pay for those nasty sweets i'll fucking fry his dick," you hiss out in rage as you immediately rush to get a sweeping brush and pan all while grumbling to yourself. "the sweets are fucking expired anyway, he's expired by how old he is and this shop is expired! stupid ass-"

your muttering doesn't go unnoticed by dabi who picks up a few of the larger pieces of glass and dumps them in the bin that you had pulled out from behind the counter. the tension from the kiss has disappeared and he's more than happy to watch you amusedly complain to yourself about the shop and the owner who apparently hates you.

the black-haired male can't understand why he finds you endearing, he really can't. you're exactly like you are over text, adorably awkward yet stupidly amusing with the little things you do. dabi has to admit, he finds you funny and with the way you panic at the slightest of flirting just sends his brain into overdrive with how responsive you are to any sexual talk. it's something new for him, he's never met nor talked to anyone who gets flustered easily and literally freezes up in tense situations.

dabi nearly thought he'd have to get you to write down a yes or no on a piece of paper when he asked you for a kiss with the way you were just staring at him wide eyes, gorgeous (e/c) eyes that gleamed with excitement and hidden joy.

you were adorable, yet dabi doesn't like the way he subconsciously thinks about you at random times of the day, distracting him from the things he needed to do and always having him check his phone to see if you texted him. dabi didn't like the little things you did to him, you were someone he wanted to fuck.

nothing more.

"he doesn't even visit the shop! i might as well bloody own it with all the hours i do!" you'd like the point out that you did a max sixteen hours every week, but that's really besides the point. "shitty owner!"

you aggressively stomp over to the bin and pour the glass shards in, snarling to yourself about the owner. you completely forgot about dabi who's now leaning against the dirty window with his mask secured back around his face once again, his gaze glued to your form as he watches you rush in and from the back room to put away the sweeping brush and pan.

"you do know there's security cameras up and running here, right?" dabi drawls when you return from the back room and his eyebrows rise up in amusement when he sees you freeze and stare at him with a flushed face.

oh shit, you're panicking now. there's nothing worse than being embarrassed, you can't take being embarrassed or being put in an awkward situation. the almost-kiss is hanging in the air and all you want to do is go home and scream into your pillow for your awkward and clumsy moves. you fool.

"uhm- uh yeah, i know that," you meekly say while forcing your legs to move towards the shop door where dabi had now moved to. "it's fine, he never checks the cameras."

you'll just pretend that the kiss never happened- it'll be fine.

"and if he does?" dabi's smooth voice from behind you sends shivers of excitement up your spine and awakens a part in your brain you never realised was there.

never mind, it won't be fine because being near dabi is making you think about kissing him.

"then i guess you can say goodbye to ever seeing me in that shitty shop again." you grimly smile while stepping outside and locking up the shop with shaky hands.

maybe-maybe you could kiss him when you turn around? he wants to kiss you, he said that inside. so, he still wants to be kissed by you; hopefully. you could just turn around and do it, might run all the way home to escape the embarrassing situation but it'll be over and done with! it sounds like a good plan and then you can just feign ignorance until you inevitably meet dabi again while you're working your shift.

you lock the door, having just worked up the courage to turn around and kiss, you swivel on your feet and nearly reach for dabi's arm to get his attention but stop yourself last minute.

for there were four people, or three people if you take the fucking lizard guy out of the equation-standing behind dabi in a lazy manner.

you almost screamed in surprise, but you didn't but that was because you were literally too surprised to do anything else but gawk at them.

dabi notices your stunned expression and turns around to see what was behind him. "what are you looking at do- oh for fuck sake."

the bitter tone that sweeps over his voice causes the pretty blonde haired girl who is standing beside jin; the same man who you met the first time you saw dabi, to giggle loudly and step forward towards you two.

"my, my, my!" she quickly stops in front of you, eyes gleaming with sadistic intent and lips pulled into a devious smile. "where did you find this stunning person?"

what.

dabi swats her hands away when she reaches up to cup your cheeks. "fuck off, bitch. why the fuck are you guys here? i told you i'd be back in a bit."

jin puts his hand up and even though he had his hood up you can still see his bright smile from underneath the glow of the street lamp. "i'll tell it! okay, so- you were taking forever to get back so shiggy suggested that we go look for you! of course, i said no because i wanted to watch this movie. the movie sucks by the way, i really do not recommend- i'm getting off track but we came here because i told them that you talked to this person there and here we are!"

dabi glares at him and jin hesitatingly puts his hand down.

"i mean, who said that he took an interest to the person who works here? c'mon guys speak up! it certainly wasn't me-"

"shut the fuck up you crazy bastard," the murderous glint in dabi's eyes have you subtly taking a step back away from the slightly unhinged group.

it's past twelve at night and you were surrounded by a group of people you don't know. despite the fact that you feel comfortable around dabi, you do not want to be take advantage of and need to get out of there as fast as possible so you can make it home.

"guys, we're scaring them," the lizard guy says as he nods at you, but he doesn't sound empathetic at all. instead, he has a cruel smile on his lips and your heart begins to race in your chest. "this is why toga shouldn't introduce herself first."

toga sticks her tongue out at him but her smirk is still there and the way she scans your body has you nervously grinning at her at an attempt to appear normal. they didn't seem like an ordinary group of friends and with the way dabi seems so hostile around them, even jin, has you questioning every motive each of these people around you have.

you're about to speak up and say you really need to go home and it was nice to meet them, but a raspy voice pierces the cool air and catches the attention of all the group.

"you're falling behind on missions over them?" the long, blue hair covers the guy's face but you can make out weird indents and scars all over his neck. his voice is husky and guttural and he appears calm but the way he's leaning back against the bicycle rack in a relaxed manner has your hair standing up on your arms. "i didn't see you as a slacker, dabi."

wait, you swear you know that voice.

"which i'm fucking not." the black-haired boy grits out between clenched teeth. you can nearly hear his molars grinding together and his hands are in tight fists that are poised and ready to hit something. "i was gonna do it after i stopped off here, piss off."

"watch that tone of yours," he lifts his head and your eyes meet a pair of spine chilling, red eyes that freeze you in place with complete and utter fear. "i'm the one paying you, am i not?"

you know those eyes, you fucking know those eyes.

"then fuck off and let me do my job, boss." it seems like dabi has completely forgotten about you and is now in a stand off with this person you don't know the name of but somehow feel a sense of deja vu with.

all you know is you need to leave, now. you can feel something brewing in this group and you do not want to be a part of it.

thankfully, well-not really seeing as the blue haired man gazes at you with a stoic face, chapped lips pursed into a straight line as he glares at your quivering form but you swear to yourself that you see the recognition flash in his eyes before they narrow slightly at you again.

fuck, where did you know him from?

"leave," the deep command sets your heart aflame and you back away with shaky legs. "while you still can."

you didn't need to be told twice.

you briskly walk off into the dark pathway, breathing harsh and heavy as you try to control your rising anxiety that floods every nerve and limb in your body. that was the most terrifying situation you've ever been in, nothing even happened but that group of people scared you. even the way dabi was talking to them had you second guessing who he was.

you didn't know him, at all. you didn't know what he does for a job, why he refers to that man as his boss- you know nothing about dabi.

which is why you need to set up a few more barriers around your heart, because that situation had you fucking terrified for your life.

***
trigger warnings start now

you blindly fish for your phone in your pocket, pulling it out with a baited breath. you need to call someone, have them distract you from the horrid atmosphere you had been in moments before. your chest feels tight, like someone was lying down on top of you and crushing your lungs in your rib cage.

your body is tense, rigid and as straight as a pole as you nervously walk through the dark and quiet streets. a horrid sense of dread fills you and a full body tremor has you nearly shrieking because you definitely can feel someone's eyes on you.

those red eyes, filled with hatred are the only thing your brain is focusing on to the point you can barely unlock your phone with your password. the heavy gaze on your back has you snapping your head back every few seconds to check if you're being stalked or not.

this feeling is horrible and all you can think of is having someone talk to you, ease you from your horrible night and give you the comfort you crave at this moment of time.

your shaky hand flicks over the contacts in the app you have opened. you click on the messages and start scrolling through the people you have on the stupid sex app because surprisingly you trust them more to help you then your closer friends.

you turn a corner swiftly, a soft sob escaping you as all you can feel, think- fucking see is those stupid red eyes, your back feels like it's on fire from the intense gaze that is burning into it.

midoriya; he's definitely asleep and cannot be waken up by anything-something kaminari found out a few days ago.

kaminari; he got his phone taken off him by his home room teacher because he missed an hour of his classes today and isn't allowed near any electronics.

kirishima; he texted the group chat when you first started your shift saying his wifi is shit and that he won't be able to contact any of them till tomorrow.

a wheeze leaves your chest and you swear you can feel someone's gaze as you practically jog through the familiar streets. your anxiety is now pushing your heart and brain into panic and you struggle to breathe, trembling and uncoordinated fingers scrolling past other contacts as you desperately look for someone you can talk to.

you really want either midoriya, kaminari or kirishima to talk too you since you're more comfortable with them. but since they're unavailable you have to try find someone else before you completely lose it.

jirou isn't an option either seeing as she hasn't opened any of your texts since you texted her when you were at the mall.

fuck. your gaze is blurry and you feel like everything is closing in on you and forcing you into a corner. that group of people didn't even do anything to you, so why the fuck were you panicking so much? was this built up anxiety over the last few days and this pushed it over? or were you that terrified of them?

what the fuck is happening to you?

you're panicking by now and you're still another fifteen minutes away from your house. your eyes manage to decipher the name of a contact and you feel the slightest sliver of hope fuel you though it's overwhelmed by fear and paranoia that you're feeling right now.

you haven't talked to him since the day of the mall, nor have you texted him either. but he was worth a shot, hopefully.

you blindly press the call button and bring a hand up to your mouth to muffle the wheezy gasp that escapes your tight chest. why is it so hard to breathe?

you sob louder, heartbeat beginning to pound in your ears when you hear a pair of footsteps echo behind you. you don't know if it was your imagination stirring stuff up, forcing you into a deep corner of pure terror or if you were actually being followed.

whatever it was, you needed help.

☏ | CHATS (00)

L/N Y/N HAS REQUESTED TO CALL TODOROKI SHOUTO!

you heave out a breath and nearly cry out, all you can hear is footsteps and you feel like you're about to faint from how lightheaded you are. fear, fear, fear. the way you're not able to breathe is scaring you, the way all you can see is haunting red eyes is terrifying you and the way all you can hear is pounding footsteps and is about to send you over the edge.

the only thing stopping you is the gravely voice that practically swims through your phone's speakers.

"hello." todoroki mutters into the phone bluntly and just hearing his voice keeps your head barely about the ocean of panic trying to drown you.

"todo- todoroki," you gasp out, sobbing loudly when you get the horrible feeling that someone is right behind you but you're too scared to look, to do anything but go forward.

you hear the sound of ruffling, indicating that he's now sat up and more alert. "(l/n)? what's wrong?"

"i...i don't know," you blubber, throat aching as you sob again and nearly scream when you hear the footsteps again. "can't breathe. i-i'm being fol- followed. i'm so scared, please."

you're turning into hysterics now, barely managing to form coherent sentences as you lose all logic and common sense. practically gasping down the phone the phone that someone is following you and that all you can hear is horrendous footsteps that seem to get louder with each minute.

"fuck," the cold air is now stinging your damp cheek but you don't care. you're just weaving through random streets, too panicked to even know where you're going as your anxiety takes the reigns of your mind. "can you breathe?"

"n-no," you wheeze, head shaking though he can't see you. "i don't know what's happening, but i- i don't even know where i am. s-someone's- i'm being followed- i can't-"

"kaminari," you hiccup and start to sob again. your throat hurts so much and you can barely get a single breath of air into your tightening lungs. "kaminari! get up!"

"no," you whimper as you hear the footsteps come closer. eyes squeezing shut for a few seconds while your legs blindly lead you down the path.

"(l/n), i know you're scared right now but you need to turn on your location. me and kaminari are coming, okay? find a shop, a house- anywhere with people in it and stay there. we'll come find you and don't hang up on me." todoroki informs you through the phone but you can barely hear it over the footsteps that seem to echo everywhere.

"location is on," you whisper, hands balling into fists. "p-please hurry. they- they're close. there's no- no shops, i can- i can't even see!" you begin to blabber again when you realise your gaze is so blurry from tears that you can barely see what's in front of you. "i'm so scared."

"kaminari and i are on the way. can you take deep breaths for me? even if you do five, that'll be a start," todoroki calmly says to you, ignoring kaminari's panicked words that are muffled behind his voice. "we're heading your way, we'll be there soon. just listen to my voice, i know you can take at least three for me. is that okay?"

"i don't-" you furiously wipe your eyes but they just fill back up with tears and your panic keeps pushing you down, drowning you in anxiety and dread with the dark thoughts of being kidnapped or hurt by someone following you. "i can't-please,"

todoroki keeps talking to you and despite the breathless pants that are echoing through the phone, he manages to keep a level head as he uses his ice to skid across to your location faster while kaminari uses his electricity to boost himself alongside his friend to get there faster to you.

they're both panicking, fear filling them up as they race towards your location that is scattering around the outskirts of town. they were both wide awake and alert, listening to your hysteria as you barely string a sentence together to try tell them the fear you have at that moment.

they alerted their home room teacher of the situation before they left- meaning that a parade of police and some pro heroes are on the way as well in case they manage to catch the person stalking you throughout the dim streets of esuha city.

"around this corner," todoroki tells kaminari as they slid around a street, only a few metres away from where you were running blindly around.

"(l/n), we see you, stop running. there's no one behind you, i promise." todoroki's words do nothing to help you but you try force yourself to jog slightly, yet you can still hear the footsteps. you can still hear them.

"no- they're still here!" you mumble into the phone, shaking your head as the footsteps take over your hearing completely. "no, no, no-"

you scream as you crash into a firm chest, immediately beginning to panic and thrash around in the strong hold. your heart feels like it's going to come up your throat and you begin to cry out.

"g-go away, go away, go away," flashes of sadistic red eyes, big (e/c) similar to yours and a haunting figure hit you like a truck and you break down in the chest. you're drowning, you can feel yourself drowning and being pulled down into a dark depth of hidden memories that you stored away to protect yourself. "no!"

"(y/n)!" it feels like someone has pulled your head above water and you gasp and splutter against the chest once the familiar tone of the voice registers in your head. "(y/n), it's me, kaminari. you're okay, i have you."

that's when you become aware that you're holding onto him like a lifeline, todoroki stands at your side while the blaring sirens of police cars fill your ears instead of the terrifying footsteps you were hearing earlier. your hands clutch at kaminari's hoodie like he's holding you above a cliff, letting go meaning you'll plunder into the water below. it's scary how you feel, how panicked you had been until the familiarity of kaminari and todoroki's presence pulled you out of the pano haze your mind and body had fallen into.

and that's when you break down.

***
trigger warning ended

your knees give out and kaminari easily kneels down on the cold and gritty concrete path, allowing you to clutch onto him as you sob into his chest, still recovering from the panic attack and brutal paranoia you had. his strong arms hold you in a safe, warm hug-as if protecting you from whatever was out to hurt you, from the horrid red eyes that forced you into a dark place that you pushed away.

you can hear his thunderous heartbeat beneath his hoodie and don't mind how he's basically cradling you in his arms in the middle of the street while the police and pro heroes assigned to help scour the area to make sure it's safe. todoroki has his large palm placed against your back, in the exact same spot you felt eyes burning into you but the heat his palm is radiating is comforting-lulling you into a sleep state as your loud and terror filled sobs fall into soft hiccups and quiet sniffles.

you didn't realise how kaminari is rocking you both slightly, one hand gently cupping the back of your head while the other slowly rubs your sides up and down. the warmth raiding off both him and todoroki has your eyes droop as the exhaustion of the night settles into your tired limbs.

your half awake, body still trembling from the events when you faintly register that a police officer has come over and told them that they're bringing you to the station. you think you hear todoroki reply and kaminari let out a curse, but you're too tired to even do anything.

a warm blanket is draped over you but not once are you taken from kaminari's arms. you're pretty sure todoroki tucks the blanket around your form so it protects you from the sharp air before kaminari lifts you up easily and it feels like you're floating through the air, but you really don't care anymore.

being in kaminari's arms and knowing todoroki's presence is there with you is enough to make you feel safe and protected and for the first time that night, you give a gentle smile and finally take a deep breath.

you're safe now, the warm hugs kaminari and todoroki have given you is all you need to know, they were there.

you're safe.

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as always, please do not force yourself to read a triggering scene. your health matters more than a book so please skip over anything that may potentially upset you

to add on to my list of never ending failures in life, i have covid and am literally dying rn 😒 between my legs and now my aching immune system threatening to give up on me, i'm actually wondering if my body was a mistake or smth cause WHY AM I ALWAYS SICK OR INJURED

anyways, jjk newest chapter has me kicking my feet — there's hope.

WC: 4791