Taste of Poison Paradise

Interlude II: What Lies in the Ashes

"Half an hour," says the officer in front of Douma, opening the door and eyeing the occupant inside warily. This was a containment room housing one of the most dangerous villains in the country, after all, quirk suppression cuffs and bound to a chair or not. "Good luck."

Douma nods, stepping in. The cool, gray walls shiver as the man of ice passes by and takes a seat. Dabi's—Touya's?—face seemingly glitches when he recognizes the footsteps heading toward him before it settles for a cold, indifferent stare. Douma feels his eyes sting.

Of course the universe would torture him with someone who once offered a break.

"Come now, Touya," Douma says quietly as he sits down and cerulean meets kaleidoscopic. "We all know you're not one for icing someone out."

It had always been that way; where Touya's anger erupted at the tip of a hat. Touya was never quiet with his anger—he would rage and rampage, lashing out with his flames and spewing curses from his lips.

Douma was the one who seethed in silence. He was the one who regarded his target with little more than an apathetic glance, if they were lucky. Eyes, that once held so much warmth, had the warmth sucked away in milliseconds.

The two had only fought once in their youth, and it nearly tore the household apart. Touya's room was boiling hot, and no one but the child himself could stand to be in there. Natsuo had tried, but even his Frost couldn't protect him from the heat. Crashes and thuds could be heard regularly throughout the day; the poor training dummies suffered as they were punished for mere crime of existing.

Douma had retreated to the other end of the Todoroki Estate, where walls of frost barred anyone from entry. Even if Endeavor had tried, he wouldn't be able to enter either. He only came out for meals, and even then, stared off into the distance and was unresponsive to any attempts at conversation.

He was the one who iced people out. Never Touya.

"What would you know about me?" Dabi snarls in response. "Touya is dead. I killed him." Like I'm going to kill everyone else in our wretched family.

Douma looks into those cerulean eyes, and all he can see is the thirst for revenge—a thirst so strong that it consumes someone's entire being. He looks deeper, and there's nothing but anger, rage, wrath, and revenge. His body follows each breath he takes, carefully controlled, and fueling his tense muscles with oxygen should he need to attack.

Touya is dead. And that is that. Douma nods slowly, and Dabi's eyes widen.

There is none of the warmth and affection Touya's eyes once held when looking at Douma. His body is tense and constantly poised to pounce. It's obvious that his hunger for revenge has already consumed his life. When was the last time Dabi smiled out of genuine, innocent happiness?

He can see it now; Dabi will burn and burn until there's nothing left.

Douma takes a small moment to mourn Touya once more. A small moment, since most of his mourning was completed ages ago. Regardless, it was necessary, since upon seeing him face to face again, the small spark of hope that had welled up was snuffed out all too quickly.

The blond man wrings his hands. "Tell me," he says to a perturbed Dabi, "are you happy?"

Dabi blinks as though the word is a foreign concept to him. He sighs and chuckles darkly, devoid of any humor. "I just got captured and my plan to ruin Endeavor's life has just been foiled. What do you think, Douma-chan?" he spits out the honorific like it's one of Shinobu's poisons.

Douma sighs. "What I mean is, does doing this make you happy? Stewing in anger, plotting revenge, and all this to discredit Endeavor. Does it bring you joy?"