After Burn

Dabi

Yume slept soundly that night, though she still wasn't sure what the future held for her—the present was enough. She liked to pretend she didn't care about what Bakugo said but...she did. And the fact he came to try to apologize meant enough to her that he didn't have to say it. Even if he was forced, he still ended up showing face. Something she could slightly respect.

Suddenly, the sound of glass breaking woke her. As she sat up in bed—the air was heavy with silence, so much so that she started to wonder if she had imagined it. But then she heard more noises from downstairs. Still sporting her usual nightwear (Dabis hoodie and her panties) she crept outside—a yell slicing through the sound of her low breaths. She rushed downstairs in the dark—the smell of smoke filling her senses. A familiar blue light reached down the hallway... Dabis flames. Her cautious crawl turned to a desperate sprint—she scrambled to the entrance of the dorm building—the scene sending a jolt down her back.

In front of her stood Midoriya, who was leaning onto the wall—his arm held tightly to his body—his skin scorched. Her gaze eagerly scanned the room, searching for Dabi. Her desperation was soon met with Dabis figure, slowly appearing through his blue flames.

"Get out of here!" Midoriya yelled, not even turning around to see who was behind him. At the sound of his yell, Bakugo and Tokoyami arrived. "Hokori?! What is going on?!" Tokoyami eagerly asked, registering the scene. At the mention of her name, Dabis flames grew—his calm voice coating her ears.

"Yume. I found you." She felt like she needed to pinch herself, the entire ordeal felt like a dream. 'I found you'...did that mean he had been searching for her? She stumbled back, struggling to handle it all—the heat of Dabis flames only making it worse.

"Dabi I..." A lump appeared in her throat, stifling her words which struggled to formulate. The sensation of crying felt so foreign as she felt the taste of salt enter her mouth—liquid streaming from her eyes.

She felt her body step forward, one foot after another until she was running through his flames, letting her body be engulfed in a temporary heat before she finally reached Dabi—her body clicking into his as she hugged him. Dabi only let the hug last for a moment before he broke free.

"I only came for you. Now we can go." He deadpanned, guiding her body towards the door. However, a sudden blast sent them flying in the opposite direction.

"HEY SHIT HEAD, ARE YOU REALLY GONNA THROW THIS ALL AWAY?!" Bakugo's voice thundered through the environment as his fist connected with Dabis face, sending a blast out as he did. Dabi stumbled to the ground, his flames waning temporarily. "TOKOYAMI, CALL ERASERHEAD!" Bakugo demanded, causing Tokoyami to rush upstairs towards his phone and more backup.

Yumes body twitched as she watched Bakugo so easily take Dabi to the ground. In front of her stood the signifiers of her two choices. And she didn't know which to choose. She watched helplessly as Dabi got up and continued in a fight with Bakugo.

"Yume. Get outside. This will be over soon." Dabi stated, his confidence unwavering as he stared down Bakugo—who scoffed at his words. Yume instinctively started to do as Dabi said, the gravity of the moment stopping her as Bakugo called out to her.

"HOKORI DAMMIT- YOU NEED TO STAY." 

Bakugo said it as if it was a fact. He truly believed that it would be the best if she stayed. The sentiment was unexpected from Bakugo, which made it all that much more powerful.

"I don't know what to do!" Yume cried out weakly, her hands cradling the crown of her head as she let the weight of the decision envelop her. If she did this, there was no going back—either way. Being a villain was her entire life, but she left Dabi for a reason. If she left with him, she would never be able to escape his grasp ever again. But at the same time—if she chose to stay at UA right now, she would likely never become the villain she wanted to be. Monday was a day away, that was the time she was supposed to decide, not now. She wasn't prepared. She didn't want to do this right now.

"DON'T BE A DUMBASS. YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO!" Bakugo yelled out again, his voice snapping her out of the spiral she was circling down—right before he was thrown to the ground. She had seen way worse, but somehow this affected her. As soon as she saw Aizawa arrive, the look in his eye made it clear.

Yume tore her body into action, using her quirk to put out Dabis flames with the wind—rendering him momentarily powerless before Aizawa arrived, removing the quirk all together.

Dabi yelled something at Yume, raising his voice for the first time in what seemed like years. Yume tuned it all out, tears forcing their way out of her eyes as she squeezed them shut—she felt her heart tear as she buckled over, her love for Dabi making everything so much harder.

After a while, the muffled noise seemed to calm down—even then, she kept her eyes shut until a gentle but weighty touch on her shoulder broke her free. She opened her eyes to look up at Bakugo, whose nose was bleeding as he frowned down at her.

"Aizawa left with Dabi.... you almost acted like a complete idiot back there." Though his hand was on her shoulder, his tone remained unrelenting as it dug into her.

"Your nose is bleeding." Those were the only words she could muster as she looked up at him, her watery eyes making the hairs on his neck stand up. He took his hand off her shoulder, using it to wipe the blood off his face.

"You made the right choice." His voice almost sounded calm as he looked down at her, the smoke making his eyes sting.

"Doesn't feel like it." she muttered as she touched the fabric of the hoodie she was wearing—another painful reminder of Dabi.

"Eventually, it will...."