Resurrected & Reignited (Dabi/Touya Todoroki x Reader)

Part XXI: Simple, but Amazing

You weren't sure what to expect from running away with Touya. You'd never had to be in hiding before. To Touya, the idea was second nature; you, on the other hand, were skittish and overly cautious at every turn. Once you'd gotten back to town, you took it upon yourself to lift a pair of shoes from a shop while Touya kept watch, using his coat to hide your face as you zipped into and out of the store in seconds. If you were going to be on the run like a criminal anyway, then there wasn't much of a point in denying your needs when thievery could take care of them. It shouldn't have come as much of a surprise that your friend was very familiar with all of the abandoned buildings in the city- he had spent the last ten years living in them, after all. Tonight, you'd be in an old factory. With the help of your quirk, the both of you managed to move some heavy machinery, effectively closing off all but one of the entrances to the old building.

Your second (conscious) night with Touya wasn't at all like your first. With, what you assumed to be, the entire country out looking for you, comfort wasn't a luxury you could indulge in anymore. Every little sound made you jump out of your skin. Always, just when your exhaustion was about to overtake you, another bump in the night would startle you fully awake again. Sleeping, it seemed, just wasn't an option. Your insomnia, combined with the freezing night air was excruciating. Touya was kind enough to lend you his jacket again and had taken it upon himself to keep watch all night so you could rest. Even that wasn't enough to put you at ease, though.

The next morning wasn't much better. You'd used your quirk quite a lot during the day, and your body craved rest. Your constant jumping from conscious to unconscious left you with a throbbing headache. Though you'd managed to scrape most of the dried blood from your face, the areas you'd hurt were still quite tender. The swelling in your left eye had gotten worse as the night went on, and a deep purple bruise was now painted over the socket. On top of that, you were getting pretty hungry. All of the food and first-aid the two of you had was in the bag you left back at the Todoroki estate. All-in-all, things weren't going well. You leaned groggily against the corner of the wall as the morning sunlight brightened the large room. From your dark hiding spot, you could make Touya out clearly. He sat atop a wide pipe that had broken free of its connection and now hung down from the ceiling at an angle. His perch was situated beside a rather filthy window. He had been stationed there the entire night just staring outside. His vantage point gave him a perfect view of the building's only entry point. It was a touching notion- him sacrificing sleep and warmth for you. Perhaps chivalry wasn't dead. You only wished it hadn't been in vain.

Touya glanced down at you from atop his rest. His typical emotionless expression changed quickly upon finding your eyes open. He smiled kindly at you.

"Awake?" He asked.

"Never went to sleep." You huffed. Touya furrowed his eyebrows in a disquieting look.

"Damn." He hummed. The metal underneath him creaked irritatingly as he got to his feet and used the ladder mounted on the wall to join you on the ground.

"I was hoping you would be able to get some sleep at least. If I knew me playing look-out all night wasn't gonna help, I would've just stayed down here with you." He moped, rubbing the back of his neck. You sighed and stared down at the floor. Guilt began to build in your heart. Even with Touya's past reprimands, the words came out before you could stop them.

"I'm sorry, Touya, I...I mean... uh..." Your migraine pounded away at your skull, pushing your train of thought off its rails. You shut your eyes tightly in a pained wince and brought your hands to your head to rub your temples. Touya copped a squat beside you. His hand came up to tenderly cup your puffy cheek.

"Don't be. I probably wasn't gonna sleep anyway. I just meant I would've rather spent the night beside you." He said as he carefully lifted your face to get a better look. Touya kissed his teeth as he assessed the damage. A tiny smile formed on you as he ran his thumb along the length of your busted lip. A shy serenity replaced your anxiety for a moment as you watched his face.