𝐟𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 ⟢ 𝘁. 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗼𝗿𝗼𝗸𝗶/𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗶

𝟑𝟎: 𝐬𝐦𝐨𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞

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𝐝𝐚𝐛𝐢

leaving y/n's place, the cold morning air feels like a slap to the face, pulling me back to reality. two nights. two nights away from the league, and that's long enough for everyone to notice—especially toga. she's always had a way of tracking people, slipping in and out of shadows like it's just another fun game.

sure enough, there she is, crouched on a nearby rooftop with her usual grin plastered across her face. i hadn't even made it halfway down the street before she spotted me. "dabi, dabi," she calls out, dropping down beside me with that playful bounce in her step. "you've been gone so long... did you find a girlfriend, hmm?"

i keep my hands shoved in my pockets, giving her a side glance. "don't you have better things to do?"

she skips a little to match my pace, her voice a mix of curiosity and that unnerving cheerfulness. "so is that y/n, huh? is she your girlfriend? she is really beautiful. does she know about us?" she twirls a lock of her hair, a thoughtful look crossing her face. "i wonder if you'd drink her blood... i would do that?"

"knock it off, toga," i mutter, keeping my tone steady. "it's not like that."

"aw, come on," she pouts, swinging an arm around my shoulders like we've been best friends our entire lives. "if she's not your girlfriend, then what is she? someone you just play with? or someone you actually care about?" she leans in closer, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret. "lucky for you, shigaraki didn't even notice you were gone... not yet, he's been busy anyway."

before i can say anything back, twice comes clambering over, his expressions shifting like a bad tv signal. "two nights is a long time, dabi. long enough to start wondering where your loyalty is." he pauses, then blurts out, "you're not gonna betray us, right? right? because that would be bad. really bad."

"no," i say simply, my voice low. "i'm not fucking betraying anyone." i don't give toga's question a real answer, just let it hang in the cold morning air. because whatever y/n is to me... it's complicated for me to share it out there. too complicated for words.

as we make our way back to hq, i find my thoughts drifting to y/n, despite myself. the suit she made for me—the sleek black fabric with silver and blue streaks, like flames frozen in ice. it's almost too good, like she's trying to make me into something i'm not. someone... better.

and then there was her proposal. that look in her eyes when she said i couldn't have it as long as i'm seen as the enemy. that entire time felt like she was trying to show me a different way, another branch in this tree called "wanting to stay with her".

"hey," twice cuts in, pulling me back from my thoughts. "you noticed hawks, right? he's been acting a bit different around you. suspicious. like he knows something... something about you." his voices switch back and forth, a fractured uncertainty in them. "he's been sent away a lot. and when he does come around, he's always watching you."