#shigadabi fanfiction

[doumadono]

Hey everyone! 💜 Since the first chapter of my newest Dabi x Reader x Shigaraki serie will be posted this Tuesday, I wanted to check if anyone would be interested in being added to the taglist for this series? Please let me know in the comment section🖤💫

[satancopilotsmytardis]

(In)Delicate Touch

Pairing: Shigadabi

Rating: Explicit

Summary: Commissioned by @zehei Dabi has been working as a professional sub at La Vénus for a year and a half and he really does enjoy working there. The rooms are great, the way they book clients is clear and comprehensive, and he likes his boss a fair bit too. But one night a client goes too far and Dabi finds himself in a bad drop and nursing wounds he didn't want. He expects to get fired over causing so much trouble, but Tomura is there to lend a hand in any way that Dabi needs.

Content: BDSM club, sex work, bondage, impact play, safe word use, subdrop, aftercare, hurt/comfort, hand job, anal fingering, anal sex, daddy kink, multiple orgasms, praise kink.

Word Count: 10878

La Vénus is the only place Dabi bothers to take contracts through anymore. The BDSM club is the best in Kamino and it is the only one that really keeps up with the professionals who want to use it as a place to do business. They even have a portal on their website so that professional doms and subs can put their profiles, their limits, their availability, and a secure line for contacting. La Vénus has rules, of course. They're considered independent contractors and they can be removed from the club whenever the owner dismisses them, but they take a very small cut of the money they earn, and the security they provide is well-worth the price. Dabi doesn't have to be scared of giving his apartment address to anyone or going to a secondary location with a client, and V ensures that they are always abiding by the rules by having a row of rooms for their working doms and subs that have open windows, so that anyone can see inside and be certain that their business is being conducted appropriately. 

If he also happens to think that the owner is hot as fuck with his hair pushed back, his deadly fucking quirk barely contained by his gloves, and his perfectly tailored black suit with a blood red coat, and getting to check in with him before every shift is fucking perfect, then that's his business. 

"Just one session tonight, Dabi?" Shigaraki asks, checking his phone for the contract he and his dom for the night submitted for use of one of those rooms. 

"It's supposed to be a long bondage one." He explains. 

"Hmm, are you sure that all of the information you entered is correct? I thought you only used silk and no nylon for your staples." Dabi is genuinely surprised Shigaraki has paid that much attention to him, or at least to his preferences. He's got upwards of three hundred people in this club every night of the week and he's never seen the other man take a day off in the year and a half he's been subbing here. Not only that but he's got twenty doms and subs on rotation, he didn't think that anyone would bother to remember more than the names of the people he's been working with. 

"It was his first time booking, he might have mis-clicked. Can I still make adjustments to the room setup?" There's only another twenty minutes till the club opens its door and Dabi is supposed to be alone for at least an hour before his client arrives. He was planning on putting on a nice little peepshow for people, but he'd rather make certain that the room and everything is all set up for his session with a client. 

"Of course. I can have silk brought to your room." He agrees. "Do you want red to... match?" Dabi's already put up his coat and bag in the private changing area that the performers have access to, so he's just in his dark red lacy panties and the silver body chains with small red crystal dangles hanging off of them. He used to go for a blue look, but to distinguish workers from anyone else just looking to partake at the club, all of the performers from doms and subs to strippers and workshop teachers have to wear a deep red leather collar with La Venus embellished on it in silver foil. He didn't want the accessory to look out of place, and pivoted to wearing red instead of blue at the club. 

"If it's not too much trouble." Dabi always likes to think about his optics. Other people he's talked shop with around the club say they're usually focusing on a scene when they're in it, and that's great that works for them, but Dabi wants to be certain that he's staying constantly vigilant, and that he's setting himself up for future clients too. If their sessions are all going to be observable, then he is going to be a hell of a sight to see, and he's gonna make sure that he's got his aesthetic dialed in. 

"It's no trouble at all, Dabi." Shigaraki tells him easily.. "Does everything else seem alright?" Dabi reviews the contract again, and that looks like the only thing that was entered wrong, and he nods. "Alright, you're going to be in L2 today," he reaches back on the wall, unlocking the glass door and retrieving the key for the right room. His favorite room actually. He likes being on the left side because the bounce light is a little more diffused from that side, giving people a clearer view through the window, and he likes being in rooms two or three in that hall because those are the ones that people tend to linger in front of more, not wanting to clog up the entryway as they try to get to the seating areas that also line the hall. 

"Thanks, Shigaraki." He takes the key, but the owner doesn't let go of the tag for a second. 

"You know you can call me 'Tomura'." 

"Maybe when I'm off the clock, boss." He retorts easily. No matter how hot the other man is, Dabi doesn't want to get distracted. This is his job, he can't go around fucking that up by getting familiar or, god forbid, flirting with the guy who's establishment pays his bills. 

Shigaraki, for his part, looks wryly amused and lets him head out after that, the next person slipping in to confirm their night's plans as well. Dabi heads to his room to finish getting ready and wait for his silk. Maybe he will have a chance to put on that peep show after all. 

///

Dabi spends the first hour that V is open teasing his nipples and palming himself through his panties on the bed getting himself achingly hard and so close to the edge, but easing off of his peak to keep himself 'unspoiled' for his client who asked for him to be pent up and a little frustrated. Definitely a streak of sadist in him, but Dabi isn't a stranger to that, and he's looking forward to getting thoroughly worked over. 

Jin, one of the security team he recognizes at a glance, brings the new client to the door and Dabi is fully not expecting the blonde man to be so much taller than he is even after knowing he would be from his ID when he booked the session. Dabi steels his nerves. "Goto, it's good to meet you, I'm looking forward to our session." He starts with a pleasant smile. "If we can just re-touch on rules and boundaries, then I'd be happy to submit to you. Would you like to sit?" 

"Yeah, sure." The blond only has one eye, his prosthetic in the missing one looking like it's been forced into place with the metallic spikes around it that is kind of intimidating. He sits and Dabi starts to go through his usual spiel, he restates his hard limits, that they'll be using the traffic light system, the hand gestures that he will use if at any point during the session he goes non-verbal for any reason, and then he turns back to ask if there's anything he needs to go over as well. Goto is flat and unmoved when he says, "No." Sounding more bored than anything and Dabi's skin prickles with the first stirrings of discomfort. "Why are there silks instead of ropes?" 

He frowns slightly, "During the consultation, I said that I couldn't use rope over my staples. Since you said you wanted a heavy rigging session, I had it switched for silk since that's something my skin can tolerate." 

The other man considers the silk for a second before scoffing softly. "Fine. But you can take impact, can't you? If we're using silk, I want to use a paddle instead of my hands." 

Dabi doesn't normally love to use a paddle, it's wider and less accurate, meaning partners can overlap his staples on accident and leave him with fresh wounds. "I think that a riding crop would leave prettier marks, don't you, Sir?" He offers instead carefully. 

Goto looks him up and down and Dabi tries to look smaller and softer for him. Clearly he's more of a sadist than he'd originally thought, but the pay for this session is half of his rent this month. He can put up with this if it gets him what he needs. "Fine." Dabi expects him to ask about his levels, to get the toy off of the offered wall of them and test his tolerance. It's good practice for a session like this, but Dabi figures, 

"Remember, club rules state no impact with any implements across the face, and only light impact across the stomach and places prone to injury. My staples are fragile, so please avoid those where you can, but anywhere else is alright." 

"Yeah, got it, can we get started now?" The blond nearly snaps. Dabi bristles, but says nothing. It's his first time at V as far as he said during the booking. Maybe he's uncomfortable knowing the far wall is a window, even if it looks like a mirror from their side. 

He makes concessions on his politeness and breathes out a slow breath, trying to shake his tension and allow himself to slip into the headspace that he needs to. "Of course we can, if that would please my master." He simpers sweetly, trying for doe-eyed and helpless. 

The man starts to loosen some of his tension and tosses the jacket he was wearing over his black mesh tank top onto the chair in the corner of the room for more intimate cucking or voyeuristic sessions. "That's better, whore. I better not hear another mouthy word out of you, or I'm going to have to get rough." 

Not his favorite type of scene, but Dabi is a professional sub, he submits.

///

Goto is rough with him, and he likes his knots tight. They're loose enough, he thinks, for maybe one of Dabi's fingers, but his feel bigger as they move over his skin and knot them into place. He works methodically, not paying much attention to Dabi himself as he works. He occasionally pulls at the silk with an unhappy set around his mouth, but he clearly knows what he's doing, and Dabi finds himself over the course of an hour, knotted into a few different positions, as the other man gets a good look at his body and how flexible he is like this, before he ends up in a ball tie, tipped on his side. When the ropes are secure, thankfully, the other man doesn't actually also reach for a ball gag. He just puts his bigger hand over his ass, and palms him through his panties. He's not really doing much but groping him, and it doesn't really feel good, but Dabi moans anyway. 

The yelp he lets out the next second is real though as the riding crop comes down across the back of his tied thighs so hard that Dabi would put the pain at a seven already. The sound splits the air and he nearly chokes on his breath. 

"Not another nasty sound out of you, whore. You're not here to feel good, you're here for me to use." 

Dabi holds up three fingers to show that he understands, and then bites his lower lip hard as another crack comes down, this time just beneath his ass. And the next overlaps the first. Then across his exposed hip, along the outside of his thigh. It hurts, going up to a nine and holding there as the man hits him again and again with the crop. he goes over his scars, over his healthy skin, and the blood rushing up to the freshly forming welts as they swell, puts an uncomfortable pressure along his seams, especially around his thighs. He swears that between the ropes holding his legs together and pressed to his chest, and the ache of the impact, he's going to pop out his staples along those seams. 

"Y-yellow," he manages as he's panting between blows. 

"Thought I fucking said to keep your mouth shut?" The riding crop gets tossed to the bed, and in that second, Dabi thinks that he is setting it aside to check in. 

But the next robs him of that delusion entirely. Goto's hand fists in Dabi's hair, and he grabs hard to force his face into the sheets. Dabi barely manages to tuck his chin tighter to his chest so that he isn't smothered into the pillows and unable to speak as the man cuts off the other way he would be able to signal that he needs to stop. "Red!" He cries out, wanting to be let up immediately. 

"God, you whores here have had it too good. Thinking you can tell me what to do? When to stop? You need to learn your fucking place." He snarls, using one hand to hold him down while his other goes to-- Dabi hears the metal and leather sliding through each other as his belt is pulled. Fuck, fuck, fuck, 

"Red! Stop--" He hears the other man spit into his hand and his whole body goes hot with his terror. No, no, no, even if he hasn't moved his panties out of the way yet, if he gets that, or anything else in his seams when they hurt so badly, when they're so close to open, then he could get sick. He can't get sick again, he can't. Dabi tries to fumble for his quirk desperately, wanting to burn the silk from around his body, wanting to scare this fucker before he does anything worse to him--

"Don't you know that I own you?" 

It's like every string in him has been cut. Dabi's whole body goes so instantaneously numb that he can't make his quirk work. I own you. It's not Goto's voice that echoes in his mind. Not pain hits his body as he is shunted so sharply to hiding in his room with Natsuo as their father snarls at their mother. It's a stupid fear, it's an old helplessness that he shouldn't let distract himself now, not when he can't stop that memory, but he has to stop this disgusting man from ruining him even more as he hears his hand moving roughly over his cock. 

"Don't!" His voice doesn't even sound like his own, he can barely recognize it. It hasn't been filled with such sharp, anguished terror since he was burning--

"Get away from him!" There's movement, shouting, a scream behind him, but Dabi is only shakily trying to push his quirk away now, so scared he may light the bed on fire accidentally. He can't hurt his seams again, can't use his quirk right now, he'll burn it all to the ground and he's already destroyed whatever place he had here. Dabi sobs against the bed, his fear too big and sharp to make sense of whatever is happening beyond his body. 

There are voices, he thinks, furious and short, and the kind of whispers that come in the wake of something awful. He's the awful thing. He lost control of a session. He's the one who's broken, bleeding now, if not from his seams, than from his eyes as he sobs on the bed. 

"Dabi," the voice comes, addressing him and the bed dips just the slightest bit. He doesn't know who's speaking to him, just that it's not that man. This voice is low and trying to soothe him, he thinks, but it's hard to focus on anything other than the fear choking his chest and his quirk that is rioting beneath his skin. "Dabi, you're starting to smoke." The voice is so gentle. "No one is going to hurt you anymore." He waits but Dabi doesn't believe him. People are always hurting him. He's always hurting himself. Why would this be any different? He sobs harder and there is a longer pause, probably as the new voice decides where he deserves to be hurt when he's already been broken so thoroughly. "Can I touch you, Dabi?" 

He barely croaks, "R-red--" Through his sobs. He needs it to stop. He has to make it stop. 

"The scene is over, Dabi," the voice promises him. "I just want to untie you. Don't you think it would help if you could sit up, Dabi?" 

Would it? Could he make himself small on his own terms then? He sniffles, but it doesn't stop the tears. He barely manages to nod. 

"Okay, I'm not going to touch you. You just need to hold still, alright?" Dabi does his best to do as he's told, but tensing his muscles lightly makes them start to shake hard. He feels a little tug at one of the silks and then he's got the whisper of... something barely heavier than air against his skin, and the restrictive silk is gone. It happens twice more and then Dabi is able to slump against the bed, his limbs under his own control again, and Dabi does his best to push himself up, mind still swimming through a rolling sickness. Sick. He could get sick again. He could get hit again. He needs to focus. 

It feels impossible to do as he forces his mostly numb arms beneath his chest as he tries to turn around. His vision swims through his tears and he doesn't find the hulking man with blond hair anywhere in the room. The far curtain has been drawn over the viewing window, and Shigaraki is sitting at the foot of the bed, his hands resting in his lap. No, no, no. Further panic makes his ribs constrict sharply around his lungs. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry--" he sobs immediately. He's ruined everything, he's made so much trouble for the club. Oh-- oh god, he's really never going to be able to work here again. He's going to have to go back to what he did before--going to have to take on more clients like Goto, going to have to risk his health, his safety-- 

"Dabi, you don't need to apologize. I just need you to breathe. Can you do that for me?" 

He should be able to, shouldn't he? That's supposed to be the simplest thing a person can do, but he can't quite manage it past the tiny hiccupping sips of air that he's making himself in past the hitching sobs that are shaking his body. 

"...Okay, can you look at me, sweetheart?" Shigaraki's voice goes even softer, and Dabi forces himself to peek up at him from the tight hunch he's made of himself up against the headboard. "That's perfect, now I just need you to follow my breaths. You don't have to be perfect," he soothes, "I just want you to try. Can you try for me, Dabi?" 

Shigaraki takes a slow breath in, holds it for a few seconds, and then he lets it out in a long steady stream. Dabi doesn't think he'll ever breathe like that again, not when his chest is so tight, but he isn't being yelled at yet, isn't being hit, and he doesn't want that to change. He tries so hard for the first few breaths, but he can't stop crying for long enough to manage it on those. 

But Shigaraki smiles at him anyway, "That's it, you're already doing such a good job for me, sweetheart. Can you keep going?" He resumes the patterned breathing, and the soft encouragement makes Dabi try harder. He's already made such a mess, he has to be at least capable of doing this right. 

He forces himself to breathe. Each one stutters and stalls until his tears aren't so constant, until they're just a scattered few droplets on his cheeks and his lungs are able to fill a little more. In some vague, dizzy shadow of his mind, he thinks he was hoping that breathing again would make the awful, cold pit in his gut disperse a little. That maybe the breaths would loosen that knot of dread, but he doesn't feel that happen. His dread stays settled against his nerves as those wake up after shorting out to try to protect him from what was happening to his body. Suddenly, he's not just scared, exhausted, and sick to his stomach, he's in pain too, and he starts to shake, a thin whimper leaving him as he looks down at himself. He has to uncurl his knees from his chest to see the side of his thigh that was exposed to the crop. 

The welt he finds across his scar is so puffy that he can see it clearly, and it's shiny. The color is too dark for him to tell if it's blood, sweat, or if it's because it's just so swollen around the fresh wound, but it hurts and he needs... something. He can't get sick again, but he is having such a hard time reordering his thoughts, figuring out what he needs to do next when everything hurts and his mind is so foggy. 

"Are you in pain, Dabi?" Shigaraki keeps talking to him softly, and Dabi barely manages to nod. "I want to get you something to drink and some medicine, but there isn't anything here." He explains carefully. "Do you think that we can move to somewhere else where I can get you those things?" 

He doesn't want to hurt anymore. He doesn't want to get sick. Dabi barely manages to nod his head, the action feeling like it takes every ounce of his strength.

"Good, do you think you can stand by yourself, sweetheart?" 

Dabi doesn't know. He feels weak and his legs hurt more than anything else. He is shaking already when he just manages to uncurl his arms from around them. It's the first flicker of sense that goes through his head when he kicks off his pumps before even attempting to put his feet against the floor. Shigaraki stands as well. 

"Can I come closer, Dabi? You can hold onto my arm if you need help." He smiles at him as he makes the offer and Dabi doesn't have the energy to speak. He manages to hold three fingers against the rumpled sheets and moves to the edge. The shock of the cold floor against his bare feet is such a small thing to make him uncomfortable, but everything inside of him is already so messy that he can't tolerate it, pulling his legs back up. "...Is it too much?" 

He manages another tiny nod. 

"Okay, can I pick you up? I promise I'll be very gentle, and when I put you down, you'll be able to have some water and something for the pain." 

He doesn't want to think. He doesn't even want to exist right now. He leaves his fingers open against the sheets. Shigaraki can do whatever he wants to him now. He's already broken. What's another fracture in his skin? 

"I'm going to pick you up. I need you to keep your hands where I can see them so I know if it's hurting." Why bother? He won't stop if it does. 

It doesn't hurt when Shigaraki picks him up. He's careful as he lifts him off of the bed, supporting his back with one arm and the other hooking under his knees instead of his thighs to keep as much pressure away from the welts as possible. Dabi is lifted and he gives up. He tucks his face against Shigaraki's white shirt and closes his eyes as exhaustion sweeps so completely through him. 

///

He's not certain how long passes between being carried from that room to finding himself blinking as he notices that there's something sugary on his tongue. It's soda, he realizes after a second, lemon-lime soda. The sweetness of that helps him to take stock of other parts of his body. He is aching and sore. His broken body hates him again and it's his fault. It's always his fault. He should have known better, should have been more careful. But he wasn't and now he's hurting and he deserves it. 

Dabi pulls away from the straw that's being offered to him and tries to take in his surroundings. They're in one of the private rooms, the actual private rooms of the club, and instead of having the lights low and a thrum of music going through the sparse bedroom, the lights are on all the way and it's as quiet as it can be with the activities of the club still filtering in from past the door. Shigaraki is sitting on the chair that has been dragged to the edge of the bed that Dabi's sitting on. The backs of his legs hurt, and he shifts a little on the edge as the other watches him, taking the cup away and putting it on the side table when he finishes with that. 

"...I'm sorry." His voice sounds like it's been completely scraped raw as he tries to make his head clear. He needs to go. He made so much trouble. He has to leave. If he leaves by himself, at least, then he won't have to be kicked out. He would rather save some small thread of his dignity than have to give that up too. 

"You don't have anything to apologize for, Dabi." Shigaraki's voice is that same low, careful tone that he doesn't deserve. "Are you still hurting? I had Yumina bring some of the bruise salve. Do you want to put some of that on?"

The welts definitely hurt and he would really like for them not to anymore, but he just shakes his head and starts to stand. "Can I get my stuff before I go?" His voice shakes as he asks. It wouldn't be the first time he's just been kicked out without any of his things. But he doesn't know how he's going to even make his rent without V. He can't have to start over with his whole life without his phone too. 

"... If you think you're ready for that, then I need to know if you want me to call the police." Shigaraki asks. 

Dabi blanches, fear swelling through his chest and making it go tight. "What?" Did he break his contract with the club? He thought he would be fired, not arrested. 

"Do you want to press charges against him? I know it's difficult in situations like this, but if you want to have him arrested, we can do that. If you want..." Shigaraki's expression blackens, "Other repercussions made, then we can decide on that as well." 

Him? His head feels like it's still full of fluff. "...Aren't you mad at me?" His voice is tiny when he manages the question. 

That replaces the darkness on his features with something softer and more surprised in an instant. "Of course not, Dabi. You did everything you needed to, there's no reason for me to be upset with you." He watches Dabi as he says those words and Dabi has no idea what his face does, but he is even more deliberate and careful as he keeps speaking. "I'm sorry that happened, I'm sorry that I didn't get there faster. But you're not in trouble, and we're going to make sure that Imasuji never does something like this again." 

His seams beneath his eyes hurt and he feels something hot and wet drip against his thighs. 

Shigaraki sees him start to cry and shifts slightly before catching himself. "Can I touch you?" 

Dabi hesitates, half expecting to be hit again, but he finally gives a tiny nod. Shigaraki gathers him up, and pulls him close, tucking Dabi's head beneath his chin and getting him to sit at an angle in his lap so that the worst of the welts don't have any pressure against them. And then his hands start to pet so gently over his skin. He holds him and he speaks, 

"I'm so glad you called out for help. I'm so sorry that happened and I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure that nothing like this happens again. I promise that you're going to be safe if you want to keep working here." 

"...I can stay?" 

Shigaraki looks at him like he wishes he could pull all of the pain out of Dabi's skin. He curls a hand gently around the back of his neck and he rests their foreheads together. "Of course you can, sweetheart. I wouldn't want you anywhere else." 

The tears fall a little faster and Dabi tangles his fingers into Shigaraki's shirt, clinging to him as he begins to sob fresh. 

///

It's not until he notices the pain getting more intense in his legs that he tries to take stock of himself again. Shigaraki reaches over to the side table and takes one of the tissues to help dab away the blood from under his sore seams and crusted under his staples. He hisses slightly from how broken and achy they feel and is hit with another jolt of fear over how bad they must be. 

"Are you in more pain?" Shigaraki glances at his watch, "You can have another dose of pain medicine if you want it." 

Dabi doesn't remember even taking the first, but that must mean it's been hours since the last one and he feels sharply guilty for forcing the other to stay for so long dealing with him. "I'm okay," he can be. He will be, he thinks. Maybe. If he's not actually broken from everything that happened before. "I need to go home--" He tries to shift and can't help the sharp sound of pain he makes as he puts a little more weight on the welts and his aching seams. 

"Dabi, I won't make you have anything you don't want, but I need to know you're going to be alright if you decide to leave." 

He swallows, not wanting to look at him, but not trusting his muscles much after how much just that little shifting hurt. "...I need my medicine." He admits quietly. 

And Shigaraki doesn't blink. "Okay, is it in your bag? Do you want me to have someone bring it for you?" 

"...Okay." 

Shigaraki shifts his hold on Dabi's body slightly and he sees him pull out his phone and shoot off a text to Jin to have someone bring Dabi his things. He gets an affirmative, and after just a couple of minutes, Shigaraki is picking him up again so that he can put him on the edge of the bed while he goes over to the door to retrieve the bag. He brings it over and Dabi pulls out the alcohol wipes and his salve before being faced with the location of the hurts and how he's going to manage to check them. 

"Why don't you lay on your stomach? I can help you." He offers gently. "You can watch in the mirror and let me know if there's anything you need." 

He considers protesting, but he doesn't have a better option if he wants to see how these look and how fucked he's going to be trying to get back into his tight leather pants before he walks home. If he can even manage that. "Okay," he agrees quietly, making himself lay on his stomach, the chains and crystal beads pressing against his skin. He takes a shaky breath and turns his head so that he can look at himself in the mirror that's suspended above the bed. 

The welts are dark and crusted with tacky deep red scabs at some of the highest points and the places where they overlap with each other. That's not good, but Dabi is more scared of his seams as his attention goes lower. His staples are doing their best to keep his skin together, the sections there so swollen with irritation from either side of his skin being abused that they've nearly expanded past their limits, but they are, technically, shut. He gives a soft sigh of relief. Shigaraki makes sure he's watching and then starts to clean him up with gentle, deliberate movements, always giving Dabi enough time to ask him to stop before he touches the next place on his body. And each touch is light and careful. His skin is cool through his gloves as he opens the alcohol wipes and dabs away the bits of blood before going to the salve Dabi spends most of his money making sure he never runs out of. 

He immediately lets out a shaky sigh of relief at the first cold touch of the creme against his skin. The medicine is a thin antibiotic lotion that has a slight numbing effect that takes away a lot of the lingering discomfort. Knowing that he is getting what he needs, that his seams aren't actually open, that helps to take away the threads of fear in him, and he lets himself watch Shigaraki in the mirror as he rubs the medicine into his skin. 

He moves in soft circles, making sure to get along the welts and along each line of his seams and puncture of his staples. His hands are delicate, not looking to hurt him any more than he already has been tonight, and Dabi... starts to drift as the fear, pain, and worry ebb. He's being taken care of. He gets that so rarely. Normally he barely lets himself have a minute or two of aftercare once as session is over, and even then, he's usually using that time to try and get his client to book another session while they're still coming down from the high of their domination or while they're still aching for a release they'll need to find on their own elsewhere in the club. But this feels good. He can't remember the last time someone else helped him put the medicine on his skin. 

More of the pain fades as he finally allows himself to relax a little more against the sheets and he sighs. Shigaraki's hand stills for a second, but when Dabi timidly leaves three fingers open against the sheets, he feels three open in return against his thigh before he keeps tending to the wounds and swollen areas of skin. It puts a soft kind of warmth in his body that makes him want more of that. He's being careful, he's listening to him and taking care of him. Dabi wonders distantly if it says something sad and pathetic just that is enough to make his body temperature creep up a little higher the touches continue. 

He doesn't mean to let out the little moan that slips his lips when Tomura's fingers move along his seam towards his inner thighs, but it feels so nice to have a soft touch there. Dabi opens his legs a little more and shifting against the sheets lets him feel that his cock has started to harden too. Tomura stops when he hears that soft sound of pleasure and Dabi is reluctant to look over his shoulder to see his face, instead watching him stiffen over him in the mirror. A sharper fear goes through him. He wasn't supposed to make any noises, was he? Is he going to be hit again?

"Does that feel better, baby boy?" Tomura's voice is a little thicker, lower, and his fingers trail from the inside of his thighs along to the outer edge so that he's not touching any hurts anymore. And he puts two fingers against Dabi's skin, waiting. 

Is this a scene? Could it be? Dabi wants to take away the unpleasantness still echoing around in him from what came before. But... he doesn't know if he'll be allowed that, even when it's Shigaraki's collar looped around his neck. "...Yes, Sir. More?" He chances, keeping his hand as is. 

"Of course baby, just have to tell me if there's anything you don't like." He strokes along his thighs again, and Dabi watches in the mirror as he goes from just trailing two fingers over his skin, to both of his palms open, the soft leather touching his seams and healthy skin. This touch goes between his legs, up a little higher, light and good. A nice touch after the angry ones, and Dabi lets out a tiny sigh. "Does that feel nice, sweetheart?" 

He tucks his face into the sheets, giving up on the mirror, and manages a nod against them. Dabi doesn't normally get to be soft after something so rough, but the contrast feels so good. Like it's putting fluff around all the hurts that were written into his soul and skin. He shifts and Tomura's hands immediately retreat, but Dabi only wanted to push up a little, getting his knees a little more under him so that he would be able to lift his hips slightly as he starts to get harder, and to spread his legs a little more. 

"Good boy," Tomura murmurs, his hands going back to his skin and tracing circles up his thighs, deeper between them. He goes higher, but not where Dabi wants them. He wants something that feels good now. Tomura's already made things so much better. He can take away the last sharp bits of unhappiness in him, he knows he can. "You just have to show me what you need, baby boy, I'll give you anything." And he sounds a little breathless as he speaks. 

It makes the neediness in him go a little hotter and he makes himself let go of the sheets so that he can reach back and find Tomura's arm. He hooks his fingers in the edge of his gloves and feels his face go hot as he pulls at him. He lets his arm be moved and Dabi brings it further between his legs, until his fingers are grazing the edge of his panties. Tomura takes over from there and Dabi is holding onto the sheets again as he moves his fingers lightly over his covered balls and up to his hardening cock. 

"You want to feel good, sweetheart?" His voice going hotter. 

Dabi manages a little nod, still certain he won't be allowed that after before. 

Tomura's fingers stroke up his cock, cupping him through the lace as he hums softly. "I can do that, baby boy, but I need you to move for me." His hand retreats and Dabi wants it back, so he lets Tomura get him onto his back, and Dabi is confronted with the sight of himself in the ceiling mirror. His face is flushed and still a little blotchy from crying. He looks dazed as the chains glitter in the light of the room, his legs spread wide, knees bent to keep the worst of the welts from touching the bed. And his cock is hard and stretching his panties. Tomura moves between his spread legs, leaning over him carefully and blocking his view in the mirror. And there's not a trace of cruelty in his look. His eyes are warm and he's smiling at Dabi softly. "Can I take off your panties, sweetheart? I want to make your pretty cock feel good." 

Dabi bites his lip and nods. 

"Can I hear your color? It will make me feel better if I know you're using them." He asks, reaching to cup his cheek and stroke his thumb just under one of his aching seams. 

"Green, Sir." 

"Good. But you don't have to call me that, baby boy. I can be whatever you need from me right now. What do you want, sweetheart?" 

He wants to be safe. He wants to feel good. He wants the softness and sweetness that he never gets, let alone after something bad has happened. And he wants to be small in the wake of that. "Daddy," he whispers, his face going so hot with his shame, terrified that he can't have this either. 

Tomura's smile makes his eyes warm too as he leans over him, his hand shifting so that he can push his hair from his forehead. The kiss he presses there feels like a balm as much as his medicine did against his hurts. "You're doing such a good job for me, baby boy. Lift your hips a little more." 

He does and Tomura makes sure the thin fabric doesn't rub against any of the welts as he pulls his panties down his legs. Dabi kicks out of them when they're low enough and then he chances reaching for Tomura, getting one hand in his hair that is as thick and soft as he's always wondered. He lets himself be pulled up, but when Dabi wants a hard, messy kiss to reassure him that this is something he can have, he's instead given one that is so soft and achingly tender that it makes him breathless. His whole body gets a little warmer as Tomura kisses him, his hands moving lightly over his skin, stroking up his thighs before he shifts over him.

 Dabi almost whines, but he feels him reaching and hears the rustle of plastic as he finds the bowl on the side table that holds the variety of lubes that are in every room for the club-goers' use. Tomura picks one at random and brings his other hand up to tear it open, and when he wraps his hand around Dabi's length, his glove glides across his skin and makes Dabi's toes curl with pleasure. The touch there, after the pain from before, after denying himself even earlier, makes him gasp, wrapping his arms around Tomura's neck to keep him close as he touches him. 

He moans, his hips moving, trying to get more of that good sensation after a night of bad. "Daddy," he pleads. 

"I've got you, baby boy." He murmurs, pressing a kiss softly to the seam aching under one of his eyes. His fingers move over him, making sure to rub along his ladder and around his head, bringing Dabi's pleasure higher. He whimpers when he tightens his thighs around Daddy's hips and it makes his hurts ache a little. But he doesn't have to hurt for long. Tomura immediately shifts so that he has one hand under his hip, lifting Dabi's weight a bit and moving it higher on his back, making sure that none of the welts are rubbing against the sheets and that he doesn't have to try to get him closer, not when he's holding onto him, his legs supporting his lower half. And letting him feel Daddy's cock is getting hard too where it's pressed against him. 

Tomura doesn't pay his own arousal any attention, his hand moving deliberately over Dabi's cock, searching and finding every place that makes his pleasure sharper. His body is already so exhausted from the night, that it's not hard for him to get lost in the feelings, for his head to start to float into that soft good space that makes him love being a sub. And when he moans and tries to move into the pleasure, he doesn't get yelled at, he doesn't get hurt, instead Daddy gives him more kisses. 

"There, you're doing such a good job, baby boy. I'm so happy that you're letting me help you feel good, sweetheart. You're so pretty when you're blushing like this." And the words put more of that needy, squirmy heat in him through the heavy fog rolling in. He twists his wrist as he strokes him and Dabi moans loudly, hips jumping up into the touch. Daddy sees how much he likes that and he keeps doing it on each stroke, making him shiver and tremble, moans spilling off his lips and his fingers tugging at Daddy's suit jacket as his cock leaks. 

It only takes a few more of those tight, perfect strokes before Dabi's back is arching again, smoke curling out of his throat, as he cums, spilling all over Daddy's hand and his own stomach. He gasps, trembling against the sheets as that bliss soaks through his veins and leaves him absolutely boneless. 

"Perfect, baby boy. You did such a good job for me. I'm so proud of you, precious." He starts to shift, reaching for another wipe to clean him up and even floating, Dabi knows he doesn't want to get cleaned up yet. He doesn't want to stop. He wants Daddy to make him feel so good that he doesn't even remember the welts against his thighs. 

"Daddy," Tomura pauses and Dabi struggles to find more words, "More? Please?" He tries to be careful, making sure to only put pressure on the inside of his thighs as he tightens them around Tomura's hips. And then he rolls his hips down, breathless when he feels how big and hard Daddy's cock is. 

"Are you sure, sweetheart? All I want is to take care of you. We don't need to do anything else." He reassures him, pressing a kiss to his temple. 

Dabi knots his fingers in his jacket a little tighter and pulls at it, nodding. "Green. Please, Daddy?" 

"Of course, precious. But if you change your mind, if you don't like something, all you have to do is tell me, and then we'll be all done, okay?" 

"Mmhm," he mumbles, pulling at his shirt again. 

Tomura gives him another kiss, and then only partially disappoints Dabi because he does have to move away if he wants to strip himself of his clothes, the fabric getting tossed item by item onto the chair until he's only wearing his gloves. Only what he needs to make certain that Dabi is safe before he moves back between his legs and kisses his lips again. Dabi loses himself in that, his hands now getting to move over all of the pretty pale muscles that have been hiding under his clothes. 

Daddy's hands move over his skin too, touching his chest, pushing his chains out of the way so that he can play with the rings through his nipples, and over his sides, down his stomach, up his thighs. He goes slowly, his mouth going across Dabi's jaw and along his neck and collar bones, looking for places that make Dabi's skin go warm again. When his hands go lower he opens his legs wider, when his fingers, slick again from more lube touch him tentatively, he gasps, "Green," again before they start to move against him. 

He has to keep one arm around the back of his neck, still scared of being tossed aside while he's getting so close to the perfect floaty place he rarely ever gets to find, but the other knots back against the sheets, needing something else to hold onto. Whimpers and moans spill past his lips as Daddy circles his hole until those nerves are prickling with need. When his first finger presses in he feels gone, as the pleasure aches through him as his cock starts to harden again. 

Tomura opens him up with the same deliberate, gentle movements as he did to soothe his hurts and by the time he has three inside of him, moving against his prostate, he is near tears again from how good he feels this time. "Tomura!" He can't help the sounds spilling from him, his cock pressing against his stomach and drooling fresh pre from how needy every touch is making him. "Tomura, Daddy, please, please!" His nails bite into the sheets and the back of his neck. "Please, I want it, please, want your cock." 

"I'm going to give it to you, precious, just have to wait a little longer." Tomura gives him another kiss before he shifts again, pulling a condom from the bowl of them and Dabi waits with breathless impatience for  him to get it on before he's pulling him back in, and shifting to help him line up. His head rubs against his hole as Tomura untangles his fingers from the sheets, catching that hand and threading their fingers together. Before he can feel overwhelmed from the tenderness of that action, he starts to press inside and Dabi is lost in the stretch of him inside. 

It feels like it takes an eternity for him to be so deliciously, perfectly full. Tomura presses more soft kisses across his face as Dabi pants and whimpers, every breath makes his nerves sing like his whole body is trying to make up for the agony from earlier by amplifying every flicker of pleasure. He's hazy with it as he demands, "Green, Daddy," when he can't possibly stand to wait a second longer for it to get even better. 

Tomura breathes a laugh against his skin, leaning back just enough so that Dabi can see him smile. See his pretty eyes looking at him like he's the whole world. "Okay, baby boy, but you know what to say if it's too much?" He nods weakly and Tomura gives him another kiss as he starts to move. 

Dabi has never had sex like this before. He has never been so deep in the cloud of his subspace, never been touched like he was something precious. He has never had someone moving inside of his body, doing everything they could to make him feel good the way Tomura is. He makes sure that he's rubbing against his prostate, going at a slow, deliberate pace that keeps from putting any hard pressure against his seams or bruises, and he doesn't lose his patience with that. He keeps fucking Dabi so carefully instead of chasing his own pleasure, and he looks at him, holds his hand, like this is all he needs. Like seeing Dabi falling apart under him is all he could ever need in the world. Like he's not a burden, not an inconvenience, not an employee, but something... precious. It all makes his head so messy in such a different way than before that Dabi is smoking again as his quirk heightens alongside his pleasure. 

He is so hazy that he doesn't know how long Tomura is moving with him, kissing him, his hand tightening against Dabi's as they both build their ecstasy higher and higher. But Daddy's fucking him slow, so it must be a while. He doesn't know if it matters though, because when his cock starts to ache again, his balls going so tight, and just before his orgasm pulses through him again, he finds himself squeezing their interlocked hands together a little tighter. 

"Tomura," his name is a gasp and he's not expecting the other to whisper back, 

"Dabi," like he's the most important thing in the world. He really doesn't mean for that to push him over the edge, his body thrumming with pleasure that goes even higher as Tomura bottoms out inside of him as they cum together. Dabi doesn't think he's ever managed that with a partner either, but his fog is far too thick for him to care as Tomura captures his lips in another all-consuming kiss. 

///

They lay in bed together for a while, Tomura pressing more kisses and praise into his skin until Dabi stops trembling with his pleasure. Until his fog rolls back from his mind and after the night he's had, all he can do is feel exhausted. Tomura didn't bother taking off his watch when he was getting ready to fuck him, so Dabi catches the edge of his glove and pulls on it so he can see the time. 

"Fucking hell--" he starts to sit up out of the circle of the other's embrace as he realizes it's dawn. He started his session at eleven. "God, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--" His stomach sinks. Fuck, fuck, he cause so much trouble for the club tonight and then he'd fucking slept with his boss. 

"You don't have anything to apologize for, Dabi." Tomura tells him immediately in the same even tone as he did before, with the same warmth in his eyes. "Are you feeling better?" 

He hesitates, taking stock of himself now that his head doesn't feel nearly as out of sorts as he had since he dropped. "Yeah... thanks for taking care of me." 

"Of course--" 

"No," he pushes a little harder, straightening his spine. "You didn't have to do that. You could have left me to deal with it myself, you could have called the cops and let me come down barely-clothed in a police station. But you made sure to take care of me here, and treated the bruises. Thank you." 

Tomura doesn't dismiss the words this time. "...You're welcome, Dabi. Is there anything else that you need?" 

"A shower, breakfast I guess, and the patience to deal with cops and heroes for a couple of hours if I decide to report that douchebag for assault." 

Shigaraki's expression darkens. "This room has a bathroom attached. If you want to go clean up, I can go get your day clothes from your locker and bring them in for you. I can't offer much as far as food goes, but I might be able to help ease the stress of the last part." 

Has Goto been held here the whole time? He'd asked if he wanted to go to the police earlier, but Dabi hadn't been thinking clearly enough to put that statement into any more context. "Okay." Tomura hesitates a second, and then leans in and presses another kiss to his forehead. 

"I'll be right back, firefly." 

///

Dabi goes and takes a shower, and by the time he's finished and dried with the towels that smell sharply of the detergent used to make sure they're clean, Tomura is all buttoned up again and Dabi's day clothes are waiting for him along with another soda, bottle of water, and a bottle of Tylenol. He takes the pain meds, downs the water, and dresses. If he goes to report this then it's going to be a long fucking day to start without a lick of sleep. He should have asked for an espresso martini, though he doubts that any of the bartenders are even still here. 

When he's dressed, white t-shirt, leather pants, leather duster, boots, and his backpack with his medicine, heels, and club clothes inside, he figures there's no putting this off anymore. 

"Okay, let's deal with this fuckwit." He says with more bravo than he feels. 

"If anything is too much, you just have to say the word, and I'll deal with it, Dabi." 

"I appreciate that, Shig, but you can only fix so much." 

Tomura doesn't stall anymore and they leave the private rooms, going through the main area of the club. It's not that unusual for Dabi to be leaving after closing, but it's definitely later than he usually leaves. He's never seen the club completely empty, even the janitorial staff having finished for the day and abandoned it. They go out of the main area and into the hallway of red rooms, and Dabi startles to find the second room on the left has been roped off with velvet barriers because the glass is gone. Dabi pauses, staring at that gaping nothing that's letting him see that the room has been thoroughly cleaned and reset even though he doubts anyone will be using it until the glass is back in place. 

"What happened?" He doesn't remember hearing any glass break. 

"I was in the main room when I noticed the commotion. I didn't want to lose time by running around to the back hallway." 

"You broke the window?"

"No," he says, continuing to move down the hall. "That could have sprayed you with glass. I decayed it." 

"You're insane." Dabi barely manages to say through his thick throat. 

"When I took over this club I said I would make it a safe place for everyone who comes to indulge. I'm not about to let one of my staff, one of my best members of staff, get hurt here." They leave the hall and Dabi doesn't know what to say to that, so he chooses to remain silent. 

Tomura takes him down the service elevator, unlocking the buttons that lead to the basement level with a key and Dabi is a little concerned. He didn't know anyone ever went to the basement levels for anything. But once the elevator is moving again, he reaches back for Dabi's hand and laces their fingers together again, bringing them up so that he can press a kiss to Dabi's knuckles. It puts a warmth, a comfort in his stomach that he's never had the luxury of before. They take the long ride down and when the doors open, Dabi finds the winding pipes and cords that he expected of a place that holds the guts of the skyscraper. Tomura coaxes him out into that tangle of piping, and Dabi follows carefully behind, his quirk sitting hotter under his skin. 

He's led around two corners before they reach a doorway that Tomura knocks on once. He hears a couple of locks being thrown and then the door opens-- revealing Jin, who sees him and immediately breaks into a smile. 

"Hey, Dabs, you doing better?" 

"...Yeah." He wants to ask what exactly is going on, but the other man moves out of the way so that they can see into the room and Dabi bristles, smoke getting trapped behind his teeth as he sees Goto, a gag in his mouth, and his arms cuffed behind him with dampeners where he is strapped to a metal chair that's been bolted to the ground. "What--" Tomura pulls him into the room gently with their entwined hands. 

"Like I said before, we can call the police if you want us to. You have a written contract and a lot of eye-witnesses that will prove that he was in violation of that." He lets go of Dabi's hand to go over to Goto. The other is glaring, his teeth bared as much as they can be around his gag, and Dabi notices that part of his arm is gone. The cuffs are hooked above his elbows because on the right side, everything from the forearm down is gone. And Dabi sees a dangerous thing in Tomura's neutral expression as he takes off his glove, resting four fingers against the back of the chair. "Or we can take care of this now." 

"'Take care of' how?" But the coldness already starting in his gut is answer enough. 

"My quirk doesn't leave anything behind for anyone to find. There isn't even DNA in the dust." He doesn't say it outright, but there's no mistaking this proposal for anything but what it is. And immediately Dabi thinks he should be scared. For as gentle and caring as Tomura just was with him, he can and has, apparently, killed people before. He is dangerous. But he is watching Dabi with that tentativeness from before. Trying to make certain, he thinks, that Dabi is alright just like he has all night. "Jin already sent a double on his way with both arms intact. He can go around living his life until he gets hurt and when that happens, there will be nothing to trace it back to you. You'll be safe, Dabi. No matter what." He promises. 

He'll be safe, he thinks, even if they do go to the cops. He'll be safe, have a club full of witnesses, and his contract-- and he knows that they still won't care. Muscular will get a slap on the wrist, if anything, and then the next time he wants to get his rocks off, he'll go find someone else who isn't in a club full of people who care about what happens to each other. He'll find someone desperate, helpless, and alone, and he'll go further than he could with Dabi-- if he hasn't done that already. "...Your quirk works on anything?" 

"As far as I'm aware." He replies evenly. 

Dabi takes a step forward and Tomura waits. Goto glares at him with his one working eye. Looks at Dabi like he can't understand how someone as low as him could possibly warrant anyone bothering to care about what happens to him at all. It makes that shattered thing inside of him sharpen into something with teeth. He reaches for his face, a flame already in hand and grabs on. 

He can't go hot enough to turn his skull to ashes, not without his seam hurting badly, but it is immensely satisfying to hear him screaming around the gag as it melts over his teeth and tongue as his eyeball boils in his skull. He takes a step back when his hand starts to hurt, and Muscular is still thrashing in the chair, letting out muffled screams. 

Tomura lets it go on for a few more seconds before he catches a part of his arm where the fire hasn't spread yet, and holds on. He screams until he crumbles away. When there's nothing on the chair but dust and the air is filled with the lingering, unpleasant scent of burning hair, Tomura steps around the chair, pulling his glove back on deliberately. Jin slips out of the door, though Dabi sees him lingering outside of it. 

"There. He can't ever hurt you, or anyone else again." He starts to move closer and Dabi takes a step back. 

"Red." The word stops the other man in his tracks, hurt flickering across his features. He takes a deliberate step away from Dabi and doesn't come any closer as he finds the rest of his voice. "...You could though," he says, feeling the prickles of anxiety under his skin. Fuck. Fuck, what did he just do? He might have gotten rid of that bastard, but Tomura owns him now. Even more than he already did. 

"I wouldn't. Not ever, Dabi. If you don't want to work here anymore, then you're free to go. If you'd like a letter of recommendation or a referral to any of the other clubs in this area, I'd be happy to provide it. If you want to stop doing private sessions for a while, then that's alright too. If you want, you can put on some classes-- or you can dance if you want. Kenji mentioned that you two have been practicing together. I can be your boss again," and Dabi doesn't expect the way that makes something go sharp behind his ribs. "Or I can be... nothing to you." 

Dabi hesitates, but Tomura keeps his distance and he can't find even the slightest hint of a lie in his eyes. He just sees them sad and worried, the same way they were when he saw how badly he'd been broken. And Dabi wants them warm on him again the way they had been when he'd held his hand as they came. It's probably wrong, probably insane, but Dabi thinks he could be very happy with Tomura, even knowing that he would destroy the world if it hurt him. He hasn't ever had someone who would take care of him. He's certain Tomura will unless he tells him to stop. And.. he knows now that Tomura will stop if he ever tells him to. 

He's the one who crosses the space between them. "I want a week away," he demands breathlessly. "You don't call, you don't check on me, you don't mess with my profile. You let me leave, knowing I could go to the cops." He catches the lapels of his suit, hands hot with barely contained flame. 

"I can do that, firefly. But," Dabi's stomach sinks, "you need to go up and see Atsuhiro to get your pay for the week. I don't want you to leave without it if you decide not to come back." 

Dabi pulls him into a hard kiss.

///

When he comes back to V a week later, his locker is exactly as he left it, and he doesn't see Tomura until he's getting ready for the consultation. He walks in and finds the other holding himself with his spine straight, looking at his tablet with a furrow in his brow. 

"Dabi, welcome back. I'm sorry, I'm having some kind of technical difficulty. Your bookings for tonight aren't showing up on the schedu--" He catches the edge of the tablet and sets it aside before stepping right back into his space like their last kiss was a minute ago and not a week, and gives him another. 

Tomura goes still against him before his hand wraps around the back of Dabi's neck, his other arm going around his waist, and he kisses him back like he's the only thing that matters in the whole world. Like he's trying to tell him that he'll never be broken again. 

"Canceled them. Just want you to take care of me." He breathes when they part. 

Red eyes go surprised before warming. "I will for as long as you'll let me, firefly." Tomura promises. Dabi seals those words between them with another kiss. 

Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed, consider leaving a comment!

[oxygen537art]

istg I luv ur art style so much and also can I get mha smut recommendations (idrc wat ship but mainly bakudeku and dabihawks is wat I'm looking for. shiggydabi is cool too)

Thank you so much for your nice words, I'm glad you enjoy my art! ❤️

I've listed the authors and titles of their works that I once saved in my favorites. I hardly follow updates now, it's been a while since I reread the works listed here, so I rely purely on notes and bookmarks left by past me. Just a reminder that everyone's tastes are different, please read the tags. And check out the authors' other works!

18+, Minors Do Not Interact!

Aphra_After_Dark

The Desk Job

Fight for You, Fighting for Me

how to 69 when both of you have fangs

In For A Penny

Mommy Milkers

Of Corset Is

A Slow Descent

Something New

bluebelle

can I kiss you?

full rack

hard boiled

cozzzynook

“Closer”

"Come on baby bird, show me whose submissive”

“Lace and Feathers”

“Mated” series

“I got you a present birdie”

“I’ll Love you even when you don’t love you”

Self-care is the best care, but with you it’s just better

The sun that stole the moon

“Touya’s Fun Night In”

Cateil

drowning in you

heart and soul

messy

palpable

cellostiel

Maraschino Cherry Juice

Relaxation

The Real Deal

Songbird

So Fucking Electric

DeadBoysWalking

Hyperfixation

Shut Up And Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Good Boy

If Only

Eyes On Me

The Other Way

Wait A Minute, Baby, Stay With Me A While

Turn you inside-out by dorothycanfly

drunkenCharm

As Above So Below

Before I Ever Met You

Begging for Thread

Days of Bloom

Drowning Gods

Good Vibrations

i hold you to my heart's desire

Waiting Game

FeatheredFvck

Bad Behavior

Bet

Breathe

Dickstracted

Euphoria

I'll Do You Two Better

It's A Spring Thing

The One Percent

Unexpected

From flames to ashes by NekoRika (This is a collection of oneshots, but I save the chapters 3, 23, 36, 41, 43)

Neurotoxin

Arrangements

Change Of Pace

Learn To Breathe

Punk Gecko Boi watches Smexy Gaymer and his Goth bf fuck on webcam.mp4

Pixie_Virus

4's a Party

Couch Troubles

Meet-Cute

After Dicking Cuddles by the_pursuit_of_happiness

I'll Make It Fit and Milk Me by paleserendipity

SaltyTomato

Good boy

I hope they have your eyes

Pretty Fingers on Slick Thighs

satan_copilots_my_tardis (I recommend all of their works. Some are only available on Tumblr (18+) @satancopilotsmytardis)

SoenNoAme (TsukkiNoNeko)

Blue Flames, Blue Passion

Captivated By Your Resonating Light

Close To You

Dancing Flames

Diplomatic Approach

Edge of Glory

Glimmer

Heated

Kiss Me Like It's Do Or Die

Play A Little Game

Satisfy the Undisclosed Desires in your Heart

sometimes I wonder which one will be your last lie.

Stuck in Repeat

Tears That Drip Sore

until you learn to love yourself

White Camelia

Your Innocence Is Mine

Wind Down by frozenCinders

Primal Instincts and Pretty Things by truthinadvertising

fuck around and find out and End Racism in the OTW- All Dolled Up by unbalancedcentrifuge

VampyrSutton

Be Good For Me

The Cave

Eyes on Me

Good Little Whore

Hate Fuck

How Are You Alive?

How Do You Live Like This?

How the Mighty Fall

Spring Heat

SSD Day 3~Werebeasts~Claiming Bite/Knotting

SSD Day 6~Anthro~Collar

Werewolfnightwalker

All Of Me

The Consequences of Nesting

Down By the Wexford Border

Save a Horse, Ride a Birdboy

Soft

Take Me Apart So Gently

Turn Off The Lights (We Don't Need Them To Dance)

[shiggys-wife]

"I'm cold"

Shigadabi

Rating: Everyone

Warnings: fluff

Summary: Shigaraki is sick, and the only person he doesn't send away is Dabi

*art credit to owner*

Dabi rushed inside the dimly lit bar to escape the rain. He shook off the droplets from his hair and hung his coat by the door. Kurogiri and Twice were the only ones in the bar, and he assumed everyone else was still out. Dabi silently headed towards one of the sofas to sit down, but he looked up as Toga stomped into the room, clearly agitated.

"I'm never trying to help him again! Someone else can do it!" She exclaimed as she slammed a bowl down on the bar. Twice comforted her by patting her on the back, and she went on to sit on the stool next to him, arms crossed.

"He is stubborn on a good day, Toga," Kurogiri said.

"I was just trying to make him feel better! He didn't have to threaten me!"

"He is sick. He just took his frustration out on you. He wanted to make a move on All Might as soon as possible, but we can't do it without him. He knows that." Kurogiri explained. Dabi was listening closely now, Shigaraki was sick?

"Well, he can starve for all I care. I'm not going back in there." Toga said matter-of-factly.

"Boss is sick?" Dabi asked, speaking for the first time since he came in. Toga looked over at him, not even realizing he was there the whole time.

"Dabi! You're back!" She cheered with a wide smile, Dabi only returned from finding recruits maybe once a week, Dabi gave her a single nod before asking again.

"Shigaraki is sick? Is it serious?"

"No, it's just a cold. He has been complaining and acting like a spoiled child all day." Kurogiri said. He lifted the bowl Toga had brought out with a sigh, "We tried to get him to eat something, but he has refused everyone's attempts. You're more than welcome to try, though his soup is cold now."

Dabi made his way to the bar. He took the bowl and warmed it in his hands until steam rose from the soup inside. "I'll try," was all he said before making his way towards the leaders' room.

Dabi knocked once before entering the dark room. The TV displaying the menu of a video game was the only light in the messy room. Dabi could see just a bit of light hair sticking out from underneath the blanket bunched on the bed.

"I told you I would disintegrate the next person who bothered me," his voice sounded hoarse and rough from underneath the blankets.

"I think I would put up a hell of a fight if you tried," Dabi said as he approached the bed, Shigaraki uncovered his head and squinted at Dabi in the dark.

"Dabi, you're back."

"Yeah, just in time, so it seems. Someone has to get you to eat." Dabi said teasing slightly. The leader rolled his eyes and rolled back over in his bed.

"I don't want to eat. You can take it with you or leave it on the table on your way out."

"Tomura," Shigaraki let out an annoyed huff at the name and continued to get comfortable in his bed.

"Tenko,"

That name froze him. He hated to even hear the name, the terrible memories that followed it. But it was somehow different when Dabi used it. He told the other about his past, and he trusted him enough to share. They had shared many stories late at night hidden away from the rest of the team in Shigaraki's room.

"I'm not hungry,"

Dabi sighed and set the bowl down before sitting on the bed. He put a hand on the other's forehead. He was burning up with a fever. Most would have been afraid to suddenly touch the young villain so casually. Not Dabi. He could never be afraid of Tomura. The sick boy leaned into his warm touch and nuzzled his face in his scared hand.

"You've got a fever, tell me what you need, if you're not hungry," Dabi asked,

"I'm cold," was all he said before meeting Dabi's strong gaze. Dabi knew what he was asking for without needing to be told.

He kicked off his shoes before raising the blanket and crawling in behind Shigaraki. The air caused him to shiver, Dabi quickly covered them both and wrapped his arms around him. Tomura turned in his arms to face him and buried his face in his chest.

"Did you find anyone this time?"

"No one worth bringing here," Dabi said, Shigaraki nodded. He nuzzled closer to the warmth radiating from Dabi.

"Better?" Dabi asked after a bit of silence, Shigaraki hummed and nodded. When Dabi was away, he missed moments like this, not that he would ever admit it to anyone. Aside from Master and maybe Kurogiri, Dabi was probably the only person he cared about. He never thought he would have someone like that.

"Are you leaving again?" Tomura asked, Dabi was quiet for a moment. He had planned to rest up and leave tomorrow night.

"Tomorrow,"

"Can you not leave so soon?" He asked quietly, almost too quiet to hear. Tomura rarely asked things like that. He held it all in even if he thought it. But he was sick, he wanted Dabi with him.

"I can stay."

Tomura hummed in contentment as he drifted off to sleep. Dabi looked down at him sleeping. He ran his fingers through his hair. He never thought he would feel love, not real love anyway. He never had it as a child, and he was filled with so much hatred that he didn't think it was possible for him to love someone. But that's what this was, wasn't it? Love?

Tomura moved closer to him in his sleep, face pressed into his chest as he made little noises in his slumber. Dabi kissed his forehead and smiled.

Yeah, this was love.

[vivika-ka]

does anyone know any fanfics that are Touya and Shouto focused, or just even just Touya focused, that don’t have DabiHawks as a pairing? 😅

I don’t like putting ships “on blast” like this, since people can absolutely enjoy whatever ships they like, but DabiHawks just isn’t for me.

I usually don’t resort to this, but unfortunately I can barely find fics without the pairing (even in fanfics the pairing is untagged).

[fairystar111]

Meant to be Ours

By: fairystar111

Rating: Gen

Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia

Summary:

Katsuki knows something dearly wrong is happening but he ignores it He ignores the stalking, the prying eyes, the messages plaguing his phone He doesn't pay any mind to it Until he can’t

Characters: Bakugo Katsuki, Tomura Shigaraki/Dabi | Touya Todoroki, Spinner | Suuichi Iguchi, Kurogiri, Magne | Kenji Hikiishi, Mr.Compress | Sako Atsuhiro, Himiko Toga, Twice | Jin Bubaigawara.

CW/Tags: Kidnapping, Stalking, Forced Bonding, Stockholm Syndrome, Claiming Bites, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Possessive Behavior, Obsessive Behavior, Platonic Yandere, Parental Yandere, Emotional Manipulation, Pack Dynamics, Telepathic Bonds, Animal Characteristics, Animal Instincts, Infantilism, Parental Shigaraki Tomura, Parental Dabi | Touya Todoroki, League of Villains as Family.

Start/Previous/Next

It started after the Sports Festival. After he had won and was chained onto the winner’s podium like a feral animal and broadcasted for all the world to see. The text messages slowly began to trickle in. It started off innocent enough questions about his day, reminders to eat, and when it was time to sleep. He had assumed it was one of his classmates wanting to befriend him but not having the courage to do it in person so he had ignored it. Then it started to get creepy. Somehow they knew what he was doing outside of school. When he was staying up late into the night or when he was doing something considered “naughty”, he would get a text reprimanding him as if he were the sender's own petulant child. Sometimes he’d respond demanding to be left alone but was often either ignored or scolded, usually left with promises of a homecoming in his not too distant future.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Time for bed. Brush those little fangs and have that tail tucked under your covers by 10:00pm sharp.

ME: Fuck off.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Watch the language pup, wouldn't want me to show up and punish those bad habits out of you.

ME: read at 9:30pm.

He went to bed���but not because they told him too!

Whenever he goes out, he could feel eyes on him at all times even his house didn’t feel safe anymore, not the customary gaze of people recognizing him from the Sports Festival but something more possessive. Someone was watching him like he belonged to them and they were starting to get bolder. Whenever he would leave his home one of his possessions would go missing: a soft knitted sweater, a small worn plush from his childhood, his old baby blanket that still smelled like milky baby and his parents. Just small things that he used to help soothe his omega. They were inconsequential. He doesn't care…really he doesn't…but.

It was starting to affect his life. Despite how miniscule his collection of comfort items were, he loved them dearly. They were the only things that helped calm him down when he was overwhelmed and upset growling at every shadow in his room. He couldn’t even go to his parents about it because they thought he had thrown those things out years ago. 

Ever since he had decided to become a hero his parents had forbidden him from indulging in his omegan instincts. If he was going to be a hero he had to be strong, his mother said. From then on he wasn’t allowed to have a nest, purr, scent others or be scented, cuddle, play, groom or be groomed, or join other packs. Many things that are essential for young pups, especially omegas. It hurt to be excluded from all the ways packs show love to one another.

Soon after the decision he stopped feeling the gentle prodding from his father or his mother’s explosive reactions through their bond. His bond with his parents had fizzled out both mentally and physically, leaving him feeling touch starved and empty. Though he hid those feelings away only showing explosive anger, looking for attention in any he could even if it was negative. It was for the best that his real feelings stay hidden. If he wanted to be a hero he couldn’t let anyone know he was weak to things as pathetic as cuddles. 

Most people around him tend to automatically assume he is an Alpha from his offputting demeanor and aggressive tendencies but he has never once spoken of nor confirmed his classification in public. After his explosive display in the Sports Festival no one ever questioned that assumption again. Tabloids spurred on about UA’s unruly alpha Katsuki Bakugo: The next number one hero or villain? He didn't bother correcting them. The scent patches were explained away by claiming his scent was too overpowering. He would distress every omega in class if he didn't wear them. He wasn't allowed to let others know he’s an omega. It’s a weakness that can only be exploited and used against him, no one can ever know the truth. 

He didn't realize he had been zoned out until fingers were snapping in front of his face. The room was silent aside from the sound of his own soft stressed whines he had been unknowingly releasing, all eyes were on him and his classmates were all releasing their own worried scents into the air. 

“Are you alright Bakugo?” His teacher spoke, concern shining in his eyes. 

“I’m fine!” the blonde snapped busy trying to unfurl his usually pointed fluffy ears from his head unsuccessfully before mumbling, “Didn’t sleep much. Just tired.” He’s glad he was sitting down so no one could see his tail tucked firmly between his legs showing his unease. Truthfully he was terrified, every day that passed he felt his stalker getting bolder. They were closing in on him. Probably ready to snatch him up at any moment.

“Alright then.” His eyes and tone conveyed that he didn't quite believe him.

He stayed quiet the rest of class debating on whether the situation was serious enough to tell his teacher. He knows he probably should have told someone sooner, it's been weeks, but he didn't want to be seen as a poor naive little omega that was receiving creepy unsolicited messages and needed a big strong alpha to help him. It was bad enough at home he didn't want his teachers to treat him like he was weak too. 

It's fine, everythings is fine. He doesn’t need help from anyone, especially a damn alpha. He’s got it handled. Next week they are going to be going to a week long training camp in the mountains. UA has been keeping the location of the camp strictly underwraps so he should be safe from his stalker. While he's there he’ll train as hard as he can and get so strong it won’t even matter that he’s being relentlessly stalked because he’ll flatten any bastard that tries to get near him. 

Or that's what he had thought but now the camp is under attack. There's a group of hostile villains running around looking specifically for him. He's running through a forest trying to get to the evacuation point where Aizawa sensei should be located, with Icy-hot and Deku on his tail along with Eight-arms and Beak-face up front surrounding him while a masked villain tries to get through their defense to nab him. 

He doesn’t know when it happened but somehow the man had found an opening. Soon his world was teal blue glass. He couldn’t move or scream. He was suspended in motion trapped in a marble. He could feel himself being tossed around and the man holding him fighting before he was released. He felt a sharp prick in his neck as warm arms surrounded him. His last memory was Deku trying to jump into the portal and slurring at him to stop. 

—

As he awoke he groggily took in his surroundings, he was in a some sort of bar surrounded by the League. He was strapped to a chair in heavy quirk restraints. His arms were locked together while his hands were trapped in a metal cube. If he tried to use his quirk he would blow his hands to shreds.

“Hey Shig, I think the brat is awake.” He heard someone say but he couldn't tell who. His head was throbbing, likely from the sedative he was drugged with.

“Welcome Katsuki Bakugo, you were brought to me due to the injustices you've faced at the hands of those you call heroes. You didn't deserve to be chained like an animal- '' Tomura was being rather diplomatic as much as he wanted to immediately mark the boy as his own. It was an alpha pup they were dealing with; they are known to be aggressive and territorial if not introduced properly into a new space. 

The white haired man was talking but he couldn't hear a word. He was hyperventilating, his heart was pounding in his ears. Terrified whimpers escaped him as his distressed smell was starting to leak from underneath the day old scent patch. Releasing a sickly sweet distinctly omega smell. The room went silent as the revelation of his true classification was exposed. It was getting harder to breathe. His mind was racing coming up with scenarios each worse than the last. He knows what happens to kidnapped omegas, especially those with powerful quirks. He'll be claimed and mated against his will and used to breed pups until his body is too broken to produce anymore. 

“I thought we were taking in an alpha pup?” He hears someone murmur, obviously confused by the pathetically sweet burnt caramel scent wafting in the air. He hears footsteps walking towards him and whimpers as someone tugs off his scent patch exposing even more of his sugary scent into the air. 

“To do this shit to a pup, let alone an omega pup. The heroes truly are scum.” Shigaraki growled scent going sour with his displeasure, though he quickly forced himself to calm down when the boy yipped in terror in response. The kid’s eyes were rapidly zipping in different directions around the room, his fluffy blond pointed ears pressed flat against his skull in terror. He was getting overwhelmed. There were likely too many unknown scents and classifications in the room. He couldn't focus. 

“Everyone out. Now.” Tomura growled, the rest of his pack fled the room leaving him, Dabi, and Bakugo alone. He scruffed the boy, softing biting at the base of his neck, before carefully undoing the restraints one by one, the pup not being able to move once during the process. 

Katsuki trembled in a state of terror, his body lacking any mobility due to alpha nipping at the small glands at the back of his neck effectively paralyzing him. Scruffing was something only a pack member can do to an omega or child due to the vulnerable state it places them in. Though as betas and alpha puppies grow older their glands shrink, eventually fading away, however they stay intact in omegas. Once the glands are pressed, either through biting or squeezing, the omega is left in a vulnerable state with limited access to their senses and bodily functions relying heavily on their base instincts and pack for safety until it wears off. Scruffing omegas outside your pack is just not done, while scuffing other children outside your pack can be considered acceptable depending on the circumstance, doing the same to an omega is assault. He shouldn’t be surprised a villain would use this against him but it was just so goddamn embarrassing. Here’s his shitty biology being used against him yet again proving his parents point on why omegas shouldn't be heroes. 

“Can I hold him now?” Dabi asked, swallowing the whine that threatened to leave his chest. He’s been waiting so long to have the little spitfire home. He wants to hold him down and drown him in his scent until he’s nothing but a puddle of happy little purrs.

“Go ahead and stabilize him firefly then get him into the nest. We’ll talk when he’s calmed down.” The alpha frowned, the boy was dropping into his baseline instincts dangerously fast. Most people don’t drop this hard, this easily, unless they are either ignoring their own instincts or being severely neglected. He suspects the boy may have been both. 

“It's been a rough day, hasn't it puppy?” Dabi cooed as he scented the boy. The crying boy whined in his arms before going limp. ”Shh shh just relax, you're doing so well baby.” He purred as he got the boy drunk on soothing pheromones. He broke out into a smile when he received tiny almost soundless purrs in return. 

“Mine,” Dabi growled possessively, tightening his hold on the small blond. It shouldn't be this easy for the boy to drop just due to pheromones. The ones he and his lover were dousing him in weren't even all that strong. Clearly their pup had been neglected for far longer than they had assumed. 

“Ours,” Shigaraki confirmed before doing the same, covering the boy in his scent. 

The blonde had originally caught the couple’s attention with his display of power and aggressive behavior, thinking of him as a possible recruit. But when he had been chained to the winner’s podium after being declared the “victor” of the UA Sports Festival, they knew they had to do something. They had been watching the festival to observe the quirks of the next generation of heroes and gather intel for their next attack; they hadn't expected to see such a young child being abused so openly on television. Seeing the terror in his eyes as the boy cried out behind the muzzle struggling in his bonds while the crowd roared in excitement had left a bad taste in their mouths. The boy reminded them of themselves when they were younger, being abused so overtly while everyone around them just watched no one ever stepping up to help. They were going to save that pup and make him theirs.

They decided to first observe his home and see how he was being treated outside of school. If he had a loving pack at home there would be no need to separate them. They could just tear down the heroic institution oppressing him instead. But that wasn't the case, there were no signs of pack bonding between either parent and child. His room lacked any scent from the boy or his parents, hell it barely looked like a pup lived there at all. There were no signs of love that a growing child needs to develop properly. If things kept up like this Bakugo would have eventually gone feral from lack of proper care. 

His mother and father often worked late leaving him alone for hours on end to care for himself. The kid would often forget to eat distracted with his training or stay up for hours into the night studying. Once they saw how little he was being parented they decided to start filling the gaps his parents clearly weren't going to do. They started messaging the boy, giving him reminders to eat, when to sleep, establishing a routine he will already be accustomed to for when he comes home with them. They had eyes on him at all times if it wasn't Shigraki or Dabi it was Toga, Compress keeping an eye on the kid. 

The last step had been seeing which items brought Katsuki the most comfort and taking them away. So when they were ready to pick him up he would be unstable and ready to latch onto anyone giving him positive attention. Though they suspect that won't be much of a problem given how little attention the pup is given both at home and school. The training camp had been the perfect opportunity to abduct the boy while causing chaos to hero society. Now that they have him they aren’t ever letting him go.

—

Katsuki broke through the pheromone-induced haze with a disgruntled whine. He doesn't know how long he was stuck in the floaty haze of comfort but when he came to, he found himself in a large soft nest filled with plush pillows and soft blankets. He was currently being held by the villain Dabi Papa, his mind supplies. He wanted to move to escape from the hold but it felt so good to be covered in the scent of another omega and to be cuddled like he was someone’s beloved pup. He hasn't had anything like this since before his quirk came in. The warm hands gently carding through his hair, occasionally running a wrist through it scenting him made his mind fuzzy and despite his best efforts tiny purrs escaped his chest.  

“You awake firecracker?” Dabi rumbled, hands slowing to a stop as he observed the scent-drunk puppy. He smiled as he watched him get his bearings. For the better part of two hours he's been watching the boy, rubbing gentle circles into his skin, the child content to lay on his chest, whining softly, lip trembling whenever the older omega so much as pulled away to find his phone to snap a picture. Under that false exterior shell of anger layed a sweet docile pup waiting to be loved, just as he had thought. 

“Mm-hmm,” he lazily responded, eyes closed nuzzling into the hand to try and get it to start petting him again. He felt so calm with Dabi’s soothing pheromones sinking into his skin until he heard footsteps approaching their the nest. He whimpered in fear, latching onto the villain curling his head into the other omega’s neck breathing in his sweet smoky scent of toasted marshmallows for comfort. 

“May I come in, omega?” Shigaraki asked. They usually don’t do this sort of traditional bullshit but they thought it might be easier for the pup to imprint onto them if their dynamics were clear to establish them in his mind as prospective parents. Nearly feral packless children will oftentimes attach themselves to any potential paternal figure around them their instincts deem suitable. If they had not swooped in when they did, the boy would have likely irreversibly bonded to one of his teachers, possibly Eraserhead or even worse All Might. 

“Yes alpha,” the older omega responded as he moved himself over to make room for the white haired alpha. Katsuki whined as he was moved from Papa the scarred villain and snuggled into an unfamiliar muscled chest though he soon calmed as he was scented yet again. He was fine, it was just Daddy Shigaraki. He relaxed into the dusty scent of old books and cold morning dew. 

“We've been watching you for a while now, little hero. We know how badly you've been treated at home and in school. We brought you here because we want to save you and keep you as our own.” Tomura explained watching the blond's crimson eyes, just like his, widened in shock.

“It…w’s..you?” The blond slurred. His stalker, or stalkers apparently, had won and kidnapped him like they promised. Maybe he should have actually told someone…oops. To be fair he didn’t expect them to be the League of Villains. He had assumed it was probably some weak basement dwelling loser…again oops. That was his bad. Maybe he shouldn't have underestimated unknown extras so quickly.

“You were so rude to us over the phone. We were only trying to protect you sweetheart.” Dabi cooed before Shigaraki chimed in sternly stating “If you behave that way with us again, I’ll have to punish you puppy.”

“‘M s’rry. Go home now?” The blond asked, it was getting late, his classmate and teachers are going to get worried if he doesn't come back soon. 

“No, you can never go back there. This is your home now.” The alpha growled disapprovingly. Though he tried not to get too upset, the kid is still pretty out of it from the pheromones he was doused with. He likely doesn’t even know what he's saying.

“No no no…need go… want t’ be h’ro,” Katsuki whined, despite how nice it felt to be treated like pack, he had a life he needed to get back to. He was going to be the number one hero, he didn't have time to waste doing things like packbonding. No matter how much his instincts screamed for it.

“You can play hero with us all you want spitfire. You can be our little hero right here.” The omega tried to reason. Though he knows if someone had tried to convince him at Katsuki’s age to stop being a hero he never would have listened either. Unfortunately this was something they were going to have to train out of him through use of punishment. Something he wished someone would have done for him before he horrifically scarred himself trying to play hero for his father’s attention. 

“You don’t need to be risking your life for people who treat you like your disposable. Who will replace you with a new shiny hero as soon as you get injured so badly you need to be taken out of the field permanently and will forget you in the blink of an eye. Your sacrifice means nothing to them. They don’t deserve you. You are never going to be a hero.” Tomura hissed, tightening his hold on the boy as he released a strong disapproving parental scent, used for reprimanding misbehaving puppies. 

“No! I 'm a hero! I’m leavin’!” The boy shouted, setting off tiny crackling explosions against the man's chest. His heart stopped as he realized what he had done, the temperature of the room dropping as the mood plummets. He could smell anger coming from Daddy Shigaraki and disappointment from Papa Dabi. 

“Naughty puppy, do we need to bring back the restraints?“ Tomura asked calmly, nipping the boy's shoulder when he received no response. They had decided early on that he would be the one handling most punishments and discipline while Dabi did most of the comforting and consoling at least for now to establish Tomura as the dominant alpha and Dabi as a reassuring omega in the boy’s mind. Once the pup is thoroughly imprinted they will both be handling the discipline and aftercare equally. 

“Well do we, baby?” Dabi asked, dousing the boy in his reassuring scent. 

“Nooo,” Katsuki whined cursing his biology as his instincts screamed: appease sire, appease dam, apologize, take punishment. He flopped over on Daddy’s Shigaraki’s lap, belly up and neck bared in submission. 

He gasps as he is gently flipped over by strong rough hands and placed onto his belly, as Daddy the Alpha begins to rain down harsh swats on his bottom. He feels a distinct fear in the back of his mind, it would only take one hit with five fingers for him to be decayed. Though his instinct riddled mind supplied Sire would never hurt us. We've been bad. Deserve this. 

“You’re doing so good,” Dabi cooed as he stroked the boy's hair gently wiping away the boy's tears as his lover started to land harsher swats on the boy's stinging bottom “Taking your punishment so well puppy. We're almost done.”

“Papa,” Katsuki cried, arms reaching out to Dabi trying to get out his Daddy’s hold. His mind was so foggy he didn’t realize what he had just called the other man.

“Don’t look at him, focus on me. Your papa isn't going to save you from this, little one.” The alpha nipped the boy's ear before asking “Why are you being punished puppy?”

“Because Daddy is an assho-Ah!,” The boy yelped at the loud smack to his sit spots his snide remark got him. “I used my quirk-ow! on you and tried-ah! to leave.”

“That’s right baby, good job,” The older omega cooed purring as he stroked the boy's cheeks. “You're being a very good boy.” The young omega eagerly accepted the praise, responding in kind with his own rumbling purr nuzzling into the warm hand. 

“You will never try to use your quirk on any member of the League nor will you ever try to leave the nest again, am I understood? Everything you will ever need, you can find right here with us.” The man barked, accentuating each word with a harsh swat. 

He didn't want to agree. He didn't but his bottom was on fire and his neglected inner omega was screaming at him to please sire, pups don’t stray far from their nests, say yes. And the steady affection he was getting from his papa didn't help, only fuelling on his omega. 

“I-i understand Daddy,” Bakugo answered through hitched breaths and rumbling purrs. He wanted to scream and run away from this place but he also wanted to sit still and be a good boy for Daddy and nuzzle and purr at Papa. He didn’t know what was going on; it was like his body was on autopilot and functioning without any of his input. 

“Good boy, you did wonderfully. I'm so proud to have such a brave pup.” Shigaraki praised the boy as he finished up his spanking, laying down and settling the boy on his chest. Chuckling when the loudest purr they've ever heard from the boy escaped his lips from the simple praise. 

“Sleep now, we'll be right here when you wake.” Dabi cooed curling himself around his partner and child watching the boy try his hardest to fight sleep but ultimately fail as his breaths even out and he unconsciously snuggled deeper into their hold.

—

Bakugo would like to say that during the months he was with the League he spent his time  kicking and screaming, that he was a pest and a menace the entire time, never once backing down or submitting to them, and that he would have blown them to bits if not for the quirk canceling drugs in his system but that would be a lie. No he found it incredibly hard to rebel let alone fight against any of them, especially the pair his instincts are convinced are going to be his new “dads”. His insides turn gooey and his mind fuzzy the second either of them were around. His mind is clearest when they are away, if either of them are around his instincts just make him want to cling to them and appease them in any way he can. 

After they had coerced the truth of his homelife out of him the pair seemed to make it their mission to embarrass him at every given moment. Constantly cuddling and petting him, nuzzling and scenting him whenever he was near, and praising him for the simplest of tasks. He hated how it made him melt, his tail wagging and instant purrs sounding from his throat giving him away as he tried to push away their constant doting. The worst was when they would bathe him, spending hours lovingly washing him, making his brain mush for hours after. Grooming is another form of packbonding he has been denied for so long. It being one of the strongest forms of packbonding there is, usually used for young pups, introducing new members into a pack, or grounding someone gone feral. It's a very intimate way to show how much you care for a pack member.

That's not to say the rest of the League weren't menaces because they definitely are. Kurogiri is a vigilant motherfucker always watching him and thwarting any escape attempts. The beta always seems to know when he is going to act out, opening a portal and depositing him straight into his “parents” waiting arms. Though he’s not all bad, he does cook them delicious meals, and always makes sure his portion is extra spicy, and helps bring him whatever he needs when he’s being punished and not allowed to leave the nest, even sneaking him the spicy wasabi snacks he likes. He often helps sooth Shigaraki’s scratching fits and lightens his punishments when he believes Tomura is too harsh. He suspects the mist-man raised Shigaraki given the rumbling purrs the alpha constantly releases in his presence and how easily he can sway his decisions with only a stern expression.

Magne and Compress are both annoying but for different reasons. Magne seems to have it in her head that he is incredibly delicate and needs to be held at all times. She claims it's due to her instincts but he thinks she just wants a puppy to spoil. Magne is biologically an alpha male but feels she is truly a female omega. Being around her is always a trip. His instincts tell him he should be obedient and submit while his mind is telling him she is an omega equal to him. He usually just lets her do whatever she wants since his instincts get so confused around her. Most time he spends in her care he is scruffed, scented until he is dazed, and bound to her nest.

Compress on the other hand is also protective but in an extremely irritating way. He is too good at predicting when he is going to act out and capturing him mid-escape with his quirk. All it takes is one touch and then he is stuck in a little blue marble. But worst of all, the alpha is always teasing him, calling him the most ridiculous pet names just to see him blush.

“Come on baby boy, it’s time to eat.” Atsuhiro cooed as he fetched the boy from his nest, picking him up and carrying him on his hip to take him to the dining room. 

“Shut up!” The boy grumbled as his cheeks started to flush pink. He can’t help it, he's not used to this sort of thing. Affection was never something given to undesirable pups like him. Only the sweet docile omegas were treated that way, never the aggressive “alphas” like Katsuki.

“Well isn't that adorable. You're as red as a sweet little strawberry, just as cute as one too.” Sako chuckled; he loved to tease the boy. It was good to see him pouting and embarrassed rather than angry and almost feral like he used to be. Especially in the beginning, it helped take his mind off the initial kidnapping and be less tense around them. Instead of focusing on how sad he is to be away from school and hero life he is focused on the teasing and trying to get away from it, usually into the arms of one of his fathers or one of the other members of the League. Really Sako was being benevolent, generous even! He’s just helping the pack bond. If he finds the boy's reactions especially entertaining, well he'll just keep that to himself. 

“Stop it,” Katsuki whined. He could feel his face heating up more and more. He looked around for help but saw nothing but mirthful gazes looking his way. Even his Daddy was cracking an amused smile. He made eye contact with his Papa and extended his arms out towards him making grabby hands. He widened his eyes, flopped his ears downward, and jutted out his bottom lip into a pout making sure to look extra pitiful. His Papa was more likely to help him out if he looked genuinely upset.

“Stop picking on the baby, Sako.” Dabi teasingly scolded the man before taking the boy and sitting him on his lap to feed. Breakfast today was spicy rice porridge topped with fried egg and green onions, one of his favorites.

“It’s all in good fun, I’m sure the cutie patootie knows that.” Atsuhiro said he could help but say one last playful jab before taking his place at the dinner table, chuckling at the state of the boy's face.

Bakugo whined as he flushed bright red from the top of his hairline to the bottom of his chin. He hid his face in his Papa’s neck to avoid the laughing and amused gazes from around the dinner table. He must look like a tomato. Even his papa was struggling not to laugh...Hmph! Traitor.

Then there's Toga, the only other pup in this place. She's a lot to put it simply, upon meeting him she immediately adopted him as her little brother and will not leave him alone. She decided to be his “protector” as his older sister, meaning she won’t let him out of her sight at all times and tries to play with him at any given moment. He’ll never forget when he first met Toga officially. The girl had burst into their room demanding to see him, he had been surprised when she hadn't been snarled at or shooed out like the others. 

“I want to see the baby.” The girl whined at the edge of the nest waiting for an approving chuff from either male before getting in. 

“You know he’s only two years younger than you, Himiko.” Dabi drawled before chirping at the brat to come in. 

“Doesn't matter! I have big sibling rights even if he was only a day younger, he would still be a baby to me!” Toga argued as she squirmed her way into the nest. 

“Huh, is that so?” Tomura looked questioningly toward the omega to which Dabi nodded in agreement. It didn't matter to him if Natsuo and Fuyumi were only a couple years younger than him, to Dabi they will always be his babies. He doesn’t like to think about Shouto; he wants nothing to do with that insipid alpha pup. 

“Hi my name is Himiko Toga but you can call me Himi-nii!” Toga squealed giggling as the scent-drunk boy groggily opened his eyes. 

“Toga? Why r y’u h’re?” Katsuki slurred his foggy mind, not quite being able to catch up to his mouth. He hasn’t seen the rest of the League for a while now. He’s been stuck in his parent’s nest for so long. He's not allowed to leave the nest yet, the only times he gets to leave is to be bathed or use the bathroom and even then he is either supervised or timed. He’s only caught a few glimpses of the others though his parents usually snarl at them when they get too close to him. So he hasn't had much social interaction recently. 

“You're so cute! I'm here to play! I can't wait to bite you!” She got into a playbow ready to pounce on the boy only to be stopped by a large hand plopping onto her head.

“He’s pretty out of it, brat. He won’t be able to play with you for a while.” Shigaraki ruffled the brat’s hair and snickered as she whined, calling him a meanie while still purring and nuzzling into his hand. He had to owe it to her, before Toga, he had never been in close proximity to a kid let alone taken care of one himself. Having Twice’s pup around helped him learn how to properly deal with children and got him prepared for bringing Katsuki home. He thinks he’ll always have a soft spot for the blood-obsessed alpha pup. 

“You can come back after he’s had his nap.” Dabi answers, laughing softly as she pouted, whining under her breath about them hogging the new puppy.

Though he can’t say it's all bad, he never grew up with littermates being an only child and never bonded with anyone his own age. He hasn't gotten to play with other pups since he was three. And she’s so much fun to play with, always chasing him around the base or stalking and tackling him when he least expects it. The adults don’t bother to break them up much leaving them to tussle and gnaw on each other as they please. They're puppies. It's good for them, it helps with their development and learning how hard to bite they say. Her bites draw blood too often though. She claims it's because she loves him so much. He thinks it has something to do with her quirk and how she needs blood like she needs food. 

Spinner is the most normal out of the bunch, a simple beta. He didn’t really seem like much of a villain and Bakugo didn't take him as seriously as the others at first thinking he could easily beat him in a fight even without his quirk. Until the day he tried to escape in his care. While the lizard man had been dozing off on the couch in the living room seemingly unaware. He had tiptoed his way down the hall making sure to stay as silent as possible. When he got to the entrance he felt a chill go down his spine. He rushed to open the door when he heard a whoosh sound and then strike! The loose fabric from his shirt and shorts were pinned to the wall by long blades with killer accuracy. He looked around but saw no one there then looked up and saw glowing red eyes. There was Spinner crawling on the ceiling upside down with a terrifying expression on his face. 

“Where do you think you are going, pup?”

It's safe to say he did not try his luck with the man again. Aside from being mildly terrifying he’s pretty good company. He doesn't coddle or put him under as much as the others. He really only scruffs him when he absolutely has to. Instead he plays video games with him or just lets him do his own thing with minimal supervision. Something the others can't seem to fathom. He’s like a cool slightly geeky older brother.

Twice is the only other biological omega part of the League, besides Dabi. Katsuki is not part of the League so he does not count! The man is easy to fool and unstable, often needing help from the other alpha’s to help with his shattered psyche. He has a soft spot for children, apparently claiming Toga as his own almost immediately after meeting her. It didn’t take long to get him wrapped around his little finger.

At first he wasn’t allowed to see any members of the League. Then after a month stuck with only his parents, he was allowed out of their nest to meet everyone except for Jin. His Papa would get really aggressive and snap whenever Jin would come near him, snarling that he already had his own puppy and to get away. Though after some time he eventually calmed down and he was allowed to meet Jin properly. 

He can be pretty clingy with both him and Toga oftentimes keeping them tucked into his nest while the others are away on a mission. He plays with them a lot, always happy to create a game for them or chase them around. He’s a terrible cook but always has snacks on hand to feed them whenever he thinks they might be getting hungry. He just wants to make them feel happy and loved. It's no surprise he is the one Katsuki has been waiting to use for his escape.

He was too trusting, too soft, too unsuspecting, it was only time before someone took advantage of those omegan qualities he puts on display. Bakugo bid his time until the perfect moment arose and then it was here. The others were all going out on a mission, what exactly for he doesn’t know the exact details, but everyone except Twice would be needed. This was the chance he was waiting for all this time. As they geared up and got ready to leave, the boy feigned grogginess making sure to look extra sleepy so he wouldn’t get a precautionary scruff before they left. 

“Behave I don’t want to have to come back early to punish you.” Shigaraki told him sternly before kissing his forehead and nuzzling his cheek goodbye.

“I’ll be good. I promise.” Katsuki mumbled, rubbing his eyes and yawning for good measure.

“We’ll be back soon, be good for Jin.” Dabi cooed before doing the same as his partner.

“Bye Daddy, bye Papa,“ he mumbled as he gave them each a kiss on the cheek. Katsuki’s gut churned as he watched them walk through the portal, thinking about the betrayal he was about to commit. They're villains, he shouldn't feel bad, he shouldn't miss them, he should hate them with all his might but…he doesn’t. He likes the way they make him feel cared for and loved, he loves-No! They manipulated him; none of this is real. He’s in too deep, he has to go now! Before it's too late.

“What do you want to do? Let’s play! There's still a couple hours before bedtime. Go to bed now!” Jin rambled excitedly. This is the first time he’s taken care of the boy all on his own, he was delighted, they were going to get to spend some time all to themselves to bond. 

“Can we just watch a movie? I feel too tired to play,” he said, faking a yawn. “Sorry but can we um…Could you maybe um-” Katsuki mumbled, fidgeting with his hands feigning nervousness.

“What is it pup? Whaddya Want?” Jin looked so concerned for him it made his stomach sink.

“Can we cuddle please? I usually cuddle with Daddy and Papa during movies b-but it's okay if you don’t want to!” The younger omega asked, tilting his head to the side and widening his eyes. The man will be falling for the act in three…two…o-

“Of course we can! So cute!” Twice squealed, leaning in to hug the boy and move him onto his lap. He’s so happy that the boy is finally becoming more comfortable around them, even initiating affection toward him on his own. 

So trusting…

The man is a typical clingy, naive, trusting omega, something Bakugo cannot risk becoming. As much as he hates to take advantage of another omega, this has to be done. It's the way of the world. If you leave yourself open and vulnerable, someone is bound to take advantage. This time it's my turn, Katsuki thought as he squeezed the glands on the back of the man's neck, scruffing him. He straightened up, dropping the act as he pushed the man off of him watching as Jin’s body slumped relaxing against his will onto the couch. 

“Kat’ st’p pleas’. Can't go!” Jin cried as the boy tied his hands and legs together with blankets further immobilizing him. 

“I’m sorry. For what it's worth I really did like you, tell Himiko she was a good playmate. Goodbye Jin.” He ignored the man's cries as he looked for his shoes. They weren't by the door and he didn't have enough time to look around his parent’s Shigaraki and Dabi’s room for them. He begrudgingly slipped on Himiko’s pink sneakers and stole one of his Daddy’s Shigaraki’s hoodies from the coat rack before slipping out the door. 

He didn’t know where he was. The building he was being kept in was very nondescript and tattered on the outside, all the buildings in the area were. He walked into the closest alley and spread dirty puddle water, dirt, and trash all over himself trying to cover his scent and get rid of the League’s. He grimaced at the horrid smell but hopefully he won't leave a trail of scent that can be traced. With no idea where he is and no phone, he decided to start running in a random direction looping around blocks and cutting through alleyways hoping to find a convenience store. He needs to get scent neutralizer and scent patches before he finds a hero. He can’t let anyone know he is an omega. His parents forged his records to state that he is an alpha. If one of the policemen smell him and realize his records were falsified, his parents could get into a lot of trouble. His career could be over before it even began.

After twenty minutes of running through a residential area he finally found a convenience store open. As he walked into the shop the cashier payed him no mind only briefly glancing over his face before turning back to their attention back to their cell phone. He guesses it has been a while since the news stopped airing his case, from his rough calculations it has been a little over a month and a half since he was kidnapped. He browsed the aisles looking for the hygiene section, eventually finding it and stuffing a small pack of scent patches into the front pocket of his hoodie. As he crouched down looking at the different options for scent remover he heard the door chime signaling a new customer had arrived. He thought nothing of it as he lifted his hand to put the small bottle into his pocket but froze as his arm was caught in a firm grip. He stiffly raised his head to see Mr.Compress, out of costume he doubts anyone noticed who he is. 

“Hmm what’s this?” Astuhiro asked, looking towards the bottle in the boy's hand. “Trying to hide a certain secret, are you? Well I don't think that will be necessary, though you are in dire need of a bath.” He tightened his grip as the boy tried to pull his arm away. God he smelled awful, Sako was glad Tomura had a tracking chip installed in him otherwise he would not have been able to find him through scent alone. 

“Let me go!” Bakugo snarled. How did they find him already? They weren't supposed to be back until morning. 

“Come now, pup. If you come quietly without making a fuss, I won’t tell your Daddy about this.” Compress watched as the boy's brave face crumpled at the mention of Shigaraki.  

“I'm not a pup, I'm a hero and I'm not going back!” He can’t go back! He won’t! If he goes back to the League, he might never want to come back home. 

“Oh is that so? Well I'll tell you what I see.” Sako spoke in a teasing manner, catching the boy's other wrist in his arm. ”I see a naughty little runaway in need of punishment.”

“Shut up! Get out of my way or I’ll blow you to hell!” Katsuki yelled as he tried to detonate his explosions, whining in distress when his quirk wouldn’t comply with his demands. He looked towards the cashier for help but lost hope when they quickly averted their eyes, ignoring the situation. 

“One dose of quirk canceling drugs can last up to twelve hours in the body. You were given some this morning, I know you can't fight. Let's go home and forget this all happened.” The boy remained the same, stubbornly staring at his hands as he tried to squirm away. “Now Katsuki. Don’t make me scruff you.” Sako warned, emitting a deep warning growl that made the boy go still.

It's been months since he last trained. He had tried to in the beginning but was punished and put to a stop almost immediately. Most of his muscle mass is gone, he won’t be able to win a hand to hand fight and he doubts Atsuhiro would play fair anyway. There's no getting out of this one. He lost to the villains again. 

“You promise you won’t tell?” The omega asked as he stopped his struggles and leaned into the alpha. This has been the closest he’s ever actually got to escaping. He doesn’t even want to know what the punishment will be if they find out.

“I promise,” Sako promised with a wink miming zipping his lips and throwing away the key. He wrapped his arm around the boy's shoulder tightly as he walked them out of the store. 

“Kudos on the shoplifting, very villain-like if I do say so myself.” Compressed quipped chuckling when the boy’s face scrunched up in displeasure.

“Just shut up…Is everyone else home too?” Katsuki asked timidly. He didn't want to face Jin after his betrayal. He didn’t want to see any of his pack the League after what he did to the omega.

“No, I was sent back to retrieve Jin as it was decided he was necessary to the mission. We were going to switch places. I take care of you and he goes out to help the others. You can imagine my surprise when I saw Jin scruffed and bound, crying because you had left. They're still off on their mission. I didn't want to disrupt anything by telling them what was going on. They'll be back by morning.” That is a lie they were all alerted as soon as the boy left the base by the tracking chip. They had sent Sako to retrieve him because he was the least identifiable out of costume aside from Toga but she was still needed for the mission. 

“Oh.” The rest of the walk home was silent. It turns out Katsuki did not make it as far as he thought he did. The base was only a short walk from the convenience store. The rest of the night passed in a blur. He was ushered into a quick bath and sent to bed. Compress making sure to lock him in his actual room for the night. It was windowless and bleak, lacking any furniture or personality. He hasn't spent much time in it, most days stuck close to his parents' sides or confined to their nest. The room felt so cold and lonely compared to the warmth and affection he had steadily gotten used to receiving. I miss them, he thought as he closed his eyes and drifted off into a fitful sleep. 

—

He was roused from his sleep by the now unfamiliar feeling of an empty nest. Huh…usually when he woke up at least one of his dad’s were with him. He waited until someone came to get him. He waited and waited but thirty minutes later still no one had shown up to check on him. Eventually he mustered up the courage to try to open the bedroom door, it was unlocked. He heard voices chatting down the hall towards the kitchen but the talking stopped as soon as he entered the room. 

All eyes suddenly turned on him, the tension was thick in the air. 

“Good morning young Bakugo, we're just finishing up breakfast there should still be some left over if you’d like.” Kurogiri regarded him with a stiff sort of politeness he wasn’t used to. 

“O-okay,” They ate without him? 

“You can serve yourself, the food is on the stove.” What’s going on? Why are they acting like this?

Everyone else left the table moving to the living room without giving him a glance. He sullenly ate his food alone. After he finished eating he waited again for someone to come get him. No one came. He hesitantly got up from his seat and followed the cheerful chatter into the living room. All the seats were taken deliberately, some members even crossing their feet over couches so he wouldn't have a place. No one spared a glance as he made his way toward them, not even his papa would acknowledge his existence, never once looking his way. He sat quietly on the floor near the couch not knowing what to do. His ears perked up from their sad droopy state when his Daddy finally spoke to him. 

“Is there anything you want to tell us, little boy?” Shigaraki barked, face stoney scarlet eyes cold and uncaring.

The boy flinched, Daddy had never spoken to him so callously before, that tone was regarded for people he couldn’t care less for. He hesitantly shook his head no. 

“Really? That's not what I heard, no I heard that a certain misbehaving brat had an impromptu escapade to the market last night. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?” Shigaraki tilted his head, cold gaze piercing seeing into Bakugo’s soul. 

Katski froze face paling in realization. They knew.

“You promised you wouldn't tell,” Katsuki muttered, sending a betrayed look towards Sako.

“I promised I wouldn’t tell your Daddy and I didn’t. He’s not your Daddy anymore so that promise is null and void.” Sako spoke uncharacteristically stoic, donning an bored expression.

“W-what do you mean?” He looked toward the pair his omega had gotten so attached to and only saw cold indifference on their faces. They don’t want him anymore. I mean it's not like he wanted them in the first place, who cares if they don't love him anymore. Why is this happening again? It's just his stupid inner omega being sensitive. Why does no one ever want him? 

“Clearly you don't want to be part of our pack so you will no longer be treated as such. Though you will still be housed here seeing as you are still a valuable asset that can be used against the heroes.” Distressed whines were now starting to leak out of the boy though he himself hasn’t seemed to notice.

“You are no longer a part of this family. Go back to your room, we'll come get you if you're needed for anything.” The devastated cry the boy released shatters the hearts of everyone in the room. If it wasn’t for the scent blockers they put on beforehand they likely would have given up the ruse right then and there.

Katsuki could feel his heart break as he was ushered back into the room and the door slammed and locked shut firmly behind him. 

—

Each day that passed his heart cracks more and more. No one ever comes to visit him now; he spends his time locked away in isolation with nothing but the sound of his own cries. There's no furniture in the room, not even a bed, just three thin blankets and a small pillow he used to make a small nest. They left him no forms of entertainment, no toys, no games, not even a book, nothing to help get his mind away from the pain. His meals are bland and delivered by portal. 

No one interacts with him directly and no amount of crying or screaming can make them acknowledge him. The room reeks so strongly of misery, it's probably leaking out from underneath the door but he doubts the others care about the scent. They hardly bother with him at all. The last time he saw one of the others was a couple days ago to collect his blood. They were wearing scent blockers and expressionless, he couldn't tell what they were thinking or what they were going to use it for. They didn't speak to him, only took what they needed and left. He really is nothing but a tool for them to use now. 

Two weeks into the new treatment he woke up feeling sick. He was feverish; the room around him was a hazy blur. His tummy was pulsing with pain that with each passing hour began to ache more and more. He thinks his body was going through his first training heat. He’s never gotten one before despite being older than the typical age omegas start to get them due to the heavy suppressants he was used to taking. 

For young omegas this premature form of heat is not sexual in nature. It is simply a time for a young omega to get accustomed to the symptoms of heat and aware of what is going to happen in the future. Training heats are often spent with parents strengthening their bond with their child. Adoptive parents eagerly await the arrival of their young omegas training heat because of the sensitive nature it brings out of even the most stubborn of pups. This time, especially the first one, can be used to permanently imprint a child onto a new caregiver. Once the bond is sealed it can never be broken, the new parent will always be able to influence and command their pup. It's one of the reasons laws and regulations around adopting omega pups are so strict. If a pup already has a healthy bond with a set of parents a new bond can not be formed against their will. But if their instincts have any doubts or insecurities about their parents a new bond can be formed with a caregiver their instincts find more suitable. 

Everything hurts. He wants Dabi and Shigaraki to come back. He sniffled getting so caught up in his emotions he didn’t realize how loud his desperate cries were becoming. His instincts were screaming, they were in anguish from yet another cruel rejection from a pack that was supposed to care for him. He wanted–no he needed his Daddy to take the chilling pain away he needed his Papa to soothe the desperate ache in his heart. He wanted things to go back to the way they were before.

The teen lost in the haze of despair did not notice the door creaking open. Nor did he notice Dabi almost fall to his knees when hit with the wide range of agony in the air. The air was thick with the nauseating scent of abandonment, suffocating loneliness, pungent sorrow, and most importantly sickeningly sweet immature heat.

The decision to force the boy into a stressed induced heat had been a difficult one. Dabi had been adamant against the idea stating natural bonds formed from the boy's own free will would breed less resentment and make for a much happier pup. While Tomura argued that a bit of isolation discomfort now and some resentment later would be better than their pup escaping and completely forgetting them. 

The pair's indecision and constant arguing had caused much turmoil between the League. Some agreed with Dabi that a natural bond would be better in the long run while others agreed with Shigaraki that the boy's last attempt had been way too close and rushing a permanent bond would be better to secure their connection to the kid in the event of a successful escape. 

They decided to settle the augment via vote. Shigaraki won five votes to Dabi’s three, Twice being the last deciding vote to tip the scales in his favor. Then formed their plan of action. They would make their rejection clear and concise leaving no room for misjudgement. The boy will be excluded purposefully before being exiled from the pack, the length of his time in exile will depend on how quickly his heat will arrive. The rejection of yet another pack this young, should make the boy spiral into his first heat. His hormones will go haywire searching for any suitable parental figure to latch onto. That is when they'll swoop in and claim him permanently. Well Tomura will, Dabi is still quite upset and refuses to lay his claim on the boy if he’ll be in such a frenzied state under duress. For the time being Tomura will be the one taking the lead with the plan. Dabi will offer his support when the process is over but he wants nothing to do with it.

When they entered the room they saw the poor boy writhing in the sheets of his poorly constructed nest, likely the first he's ever made himself. His face was flushed pink and panting, his body glistening, sticky with sweat. The teen's hazy eyes drew to a focus body stiffening as he recognized the new scents in the air. His tail wagged as he struggled to move his sluggish body into an upright position desperate to see if the ones he's been longing for are really here.

“Is our little one ready to behave?” Shigaraki took the lead while his lover focused on calming himself and settling his distressed scent. The transition from always having their pup within arms reach to not having him at all had been hard on his omega. Dabi had dropped after the first three days going into an almost feral state from hearing and smelling his pup in agony but not being allowed to see him. He would destroy any doubles Jin made somehow knowing in his feral state that they were not the real Bakugo. Only when Toga transformed into the boy did he calm down, being soothed by the other pack pup in disguise. 

The boy struggled to form his mouth into words. The only sounds able to escape his throat were desperate canine whines and whimpers. He yipped sharply as Shaigaraki’s face morphed into one of displeasure. 

“Hm, I don't think so. He can’t even be bothered to grace us with a reply. Maybe another week spent here will fix that.” 

The man spoke with no remorse, like it didn't matter that he’s suffering alone, like Katsuki didn't matter. It broke something deep inside him, any remaining pieces left of his pride crumbled.

“N-no please! I'm sorry- I-i’m so sorry. I-i’ll listen! Don't go… please…please don’t leave me again i-” The pups's desperate pleas were callously cut off by the other man.

“Why should I believe you when all your actions thus far have proven otherwise? Why should I bother with you at all?” Shigaraki stalked forward until he was towering over the boy, cruel gaze pinning him down. “There’s thousands of orphaned children that would kill to be treated like you were. Maybe I should go care for one of them instead of wasting my energy on such an ungrateful brat.” I don't want any of them, I could never replace you. 

“No! I'll do whatever you want. I'll never try to escape again. I'll stay by your side. Please don’t leave me.” Tears were streaming down his face, harsh sobs interrupting his speech so much he was hardly understandable. 

“And if I want to sink my teeth in your neck, claim you as my own and cherish you forever, what would you say? Would you try to run away again? Maybe break your Papa’s heart a second time?” Just give in. Please stop making me treat you this way, puppy. You’re breaking my heart.

“Do whatever you want! Just don’t go!” Small clawed hands desperately clutched at Shigaraki’s shirt fearing if he let go, the man would disappear altogether.

“Now that doesn't sound very enthusiastic. Beg for it. I want you to hear you say it.”  Not explicit enough I need to hear you say it please.

“P-please…stay.” It was getting harder to speak through the haze of heat, having two potential parents in the room was making his instincts go into overdrive. Makes him want to do anything to be claimed and kept for good this time.

“That's all you got? Maybe you don't want this as much as you say you do.” I don’t want to be a villain to you. Don't make me feel like I forced you. 

“Please I w-want to be in the pack…want to be yours.” The omega pleaded, he wants nothing more than to be a part of the pack again he hopes his Daddy can see that. 

“You’re sure, puppy? You really want this?” It doesn’t matter if you don't, I'm still going through with it no matter what. I just wish you wanted us as much as we want you.

“Yes Daddy, please bite me. I want to stay with you.” The sincerity on the boy's face shocked the alpha, he paused for a moment before allowing the cold facade he was putting on fade away as wide teary red eyes stared up at him longingly.

“Alright baby, come here.“ Shigaraki settled himself down on the misshaped nest. The boy didn't need to be told twice. He quickly scrambled onto the alpha’s lap, tail wagging eagerly and ears standing to attention, awaiting direction.

“Tilt your head to the side for me,” The pup immediately complied, tail beginning to wag harder. “Good boy, this will only hurt for a second.” He said as he sank his teeth in the side of the boy's neck below his scent gland. Biting the scent gland is strictly for lovers; a parental or pack bite can be anywhere on the body. Tomura placed his bite somewhere very noticeable and difficult to hide in the event of a kidnapping or a hero raid on their base; his claim will be unmistakable on the once blank pup. 

As soon as the fangs broke Katsuki feels it. A connection formed in his mind linked to Tomura. He could feel the man sending gentle reassurance through the bond, turning his body to mush. He gets a pleased rumble out of the man when he senses his contentment and relief, the sour fear of abandonment finally dissipating. But it wasn't just his Daddy he could feel, there were seven other presences in his head, though they didn't feel as strong as Tomura. He’s never been in a bond bigger than just he and his parents. It was strange he could feel all of the League. They all felt so sad except for Dabi; he couldn't feel him at all.

A high pitch whine from the doorway reminds them of the second presence in the room.

“It’s alright firefly it's over. You can come here now.” Tomura cooed. That's all the permission Dabi needed to come barrelling into his side, stealing the younger off his lap and taking him into his arms. Nuzzling him and scenting him with so much love and affection the pup was beginning to become dazed and flushed once again. 

“B-bite?” Katsuki managed to get out through rumbling purrs escaping his throat.

“No baby, I'm not claiming you today.” Dabi made sure his lover did not open the bond between him and the pup. Tomura as pack leader controls the pack bond; he decides who is let into the bond and who can feel who. He usually just leaves the bond completely open letting them all feel each other or hide away their feelings if they choose to. For now the bond between him and Katsuki is strictly closed and neutral, he has not yet imprinted on to him as a parent. The pup will get his bite when he asks for it in his right mind. 

“You d-don't want m-me?” The boy whimpered, sounding so incredibly small. 

Shigaraki involuntarily released a growl aimed at Dabi in response to the pup's mood plummeting back into despair. He felt Dabi’s mood spike with shock and panic through their bond and immediately felt guilty. It was an accident he didn't mean to, the claim had just made his instincts towards the boy so much stronger. 

“Of course I do. You’re still sick puppy, two bites will be too much for your body to handle. You’ll get my bite when you feel better. ” He can have a long talk with the pup about the situation when he is not in such a delicate state both physically and mentally. For now he’ll comfort him with soft gentle deceptions to sooth his weary heart.

“Ok papa,” The boy easily accepted the lie, not being able to think coherently with the fuzzy state of his mind. “But you still want me right? Even if I'm bad? You won’t leave?”

Those words felt like a knife was being lodged down Dabi’s throat. They reminded him so much of himself, of poor Touya Todoroki burning on Seketo Hill wondering why his father did not want him and why he was never enough. He never wants Katsuki to feel that way again.

“You're not bad, you could never be bad. No you're good, so good. We love you so much. We're going to take such good care of you, puppy. Going to show how good it can be to let go and be loved, going to spoil you and adore you, until the end of time.” Dabi’s voice was so soft despite how tight his throat felt at the moment.

“We’d give you the world if that was what you wanted, puppy. Never going to feel sad or unwanted as long as we're here. We’ll be everything you’ll ever need.” Tomura’s gaze was so intense, he meant every word he was saying.

He knows deep down though the foggy haze of heat there is a voice telling him to get away but they’re looking down at him so softly. They're not looking at him like he's a burden or something that needs to be fixed. Like he’s a diamond in the rough just waiting to be polished into something better or a quirk ready to be used for the betterment of society.

No, they're gazing down at him like he’s their entire world. Like he’s already perfect to them. Like nothing would make them happier than to be his parents. He can’t help but give in. He feels a wave of calm wash over him as he accepts them both. Feels his Daddy’s shock before he feels the rush of joy and satisfaction along with the loudest purr he’s ever heard from the man. His Daddy and Papa seem to silently communicate something to each other before descending onto him drowning him in so much love and for once he returns it wholeheartedly. 

They’re interrupted by scratching on the door and quite whining followed by pointed shushing. Tomura rolled his eyes, he could feel the League's anticipation and excitement, they had probably been eavesdropping the entire time. “Fine, come in.” he calls out. 

It only takes a second for the door to burst open, the rest of their pack rushing into the room heading straight for Katsuki. Only waiting a moment for an approving chuff from the pair before surrounding the pup taking turns scenting him and giving him reassurance. The bond was exploding with so much emotion some of the pack crying in relief others from happiness or amusement. They were so excited for their pack to become whole once again. Finally their family is complete.

As he is surrounded by a real family that loves and adores him. Bakugo decides that if the heroes ever do come rescue him he won’t stop them from taking him but if they don’t well…this wouldn’t be the worst way to spend his life, he supposes. As far as he's concerned he's happy to just sit back and be loved in the meantime. 

Well Mitsiki’s plan backfired like hell by neglecting Bakugo’s omega; she just made him more susceptible to manipulation. I want to make it clear that in this AU there is no systemic oppression or rules that say omegas can’t be heroes. (Eraserhead is an omega and so are a bunch of his classmates!!!) It's just Katsuki's insecurities and upbringing making him think that way. 

Omake: 

-Totally a coincidence

Bakugo: How the fuck do they know everything happening around me?

Aoyama: Yeah…haha...I wonder how? *aggressively avoids eye contact*

-It’s not bullying its packbonding *sparkle emoji*

Sako: *mercilessly teasing Bakugo*: hehe this is peak entertainment

Tomura: *growls*

Sako *running away*: Hey! I'm doing you a favor! I'm helping with packbonding! OW! STOP BITING ME!

-Dabi and Shiggy spying on Bakugou: Damn bitch, you live like this?

Bakugo: Hey! It's not that bad 

Shiggy: Unacceptable were stealing him now

Dabi: Roger that!

-Live, Laugh, Love

Bakugo after receiving affection for the first time in years: How am I supposed to hate, bully ,seethe in these conditions?

-

Crack

Random civilian: Where'd you get your puppy

Dabi and Shiggy: Oh he’s a rescue we found him wandering around a forest alone starved and exhausted 

Bakugo: You literally kidnapped me from a summer camp Random civilian: *ignoring him* Oh how terrible! You two are such good parents!

Start/Previous/Next

[motivation-dont-know-her]

Fanart for chapter eight of @jackdaw-writes shigdabihawks fic, absolutely amazing, you should read it!

this is my first time ever drawing a character mha aside from Ochako, so if there a some inconsistencies sorry bout that.

Go support it!

[cecil-is-an-eldrich-deity]

This is how I look at ShigaDabi

(Especially in Satancopilotsmytardis fics)

[cuspidgoddess]

Archive of Our OwnMaster List

The Flock of Villains AU

A Gilded Cage is Still a Cage Completed Hawks is honest w/ the LOV from the start about his mission

The Best Things in Life are Free Completed Continuation of A Gilded Cage

How to Build a Nest Completed Fumikage Tokoyami centric

The Greatest Gift is Loving You Completed Co-Writer: @savi909 Natsuo Todoroki/Stolas Yew centric side fic

Sweet Dreams and Beautiful Nightmares

In Process

If the Mini Murder™️ became villains

Furless Babies

A Less Than Fluffy Situation Completed Hairless cat Dabi AU

Shedding Completed 1 Shot of the aftermath of A Less Than Fluffy Situation

Rough Patches Planned

[palesweetscherryblossom]

Some news

So, recently I’ve been thinking about doing some MHA ship fics based on some of my favorite fantasy movies/stories

Current ideas are: Tododeku based on the Little Mermaid

Shigadabi based on Beauty and the Beast

And Togachako based on Labyrinth

Is this something you guys would be interested in? These fics will be on my AO3 btw

[mysteroads]

Shigadabi Fluff Tidbit

Carefully, Shigaraki stood up. He took his cane in hand, limped over to Dabi, and wrapped his free hand around Dabi’s. “So, what I’m hearing is that you’ve decided to live through this war after all?”

Dabi let out a breath, then turned his hand so he could lace his fingers with Shigaraki’s. “I guess so. If only out of spite.”

“I’ll take it.” Shigaraki smiled like he had when he was playing and Dabi was singing. It was a gentle, joyful smile that changed his face and warmed his eyes to a color less like blood, and more like sunrise. He literally looked like a different person, and that person was… attractive.

Even pretty. 

Hawks blinked hard, but the apparition in the mirror didn’t change. It was still Tomura Shigaraki, smiling like a fallen angel comforting a sinner.

Shigaraki let the cane fall so his hand could reach up to Dabi’s face. With a gentleness that Hawks would’ve thought impossible a moment ago, he brushed his knuckles across Dabi’s jaw, then cupped his cheek and turned Dabi’s face to his. “Love you, Dabi.”

Dabi’s answering smile was almost shy, and his eyes were alight with something other than fire and banked rage. He lifted their joined hands so he could press a kiss to Shigaraki’s scarred fingers. “Love you too, Tomura.” 

This tenderness was harder to watch than passionate kisses. Hawks had to look away, his cheeks burning and feeling like scum for so many reasons. 

“Come on, let’s get back to bed. You can tell everyone about your brilliant plan in the morning. Especially since I know you’ll use your gamer nerd language and we’ll need Spinner to translate.”

“Oh, fuck you.”

“Later, I promise.”

Shigaraki laughed in honest amusement. “Fine. We’ll also talk about your spy, see what the rest of the League thinks about giving him a chance. It’s only fair that they have a say.”

They left, walking slowly to accommodate Shigaraki's injuries, still hand in hand. “I want a hint about your scheme first though,” Dabi said, just as they stepped out of the light. "I wanna see if I'm right."

Shigaraki’s chuckle, low and soft as velvet, floated out of the shadows. “There can only be one king.”

Read more here! https://archiveofourown.org/works/61157188

[embers-of-the-league]

Wrote another chapter for my shigadabi AU fic - this time we're getting a flashback chapter focusing on little Tenko's experiences and his trauma. We get a look at what happened after Tenko was saved from the rubble of his destroyed house. And a look at how trauma is not something that disappears just because your situation changes for the better. --- Fic synopsis: An AU where Tenko Shimura is saved by All Might after accidentally killing his family. He's currently attending his 3rd year at UA, when he meets the self-proclaimed villain, Dabi, and despite being as different as can be, the two of them fall in love. However, being together with a villain brings a lot of new perspectives on everything, and Tenko slowly starts to question everything about the hero-society that saved his life.

[satancopilotsmytardis]

(Getting) Better Together

Pairing: Shigadabi

Rating: Explicit

Summary: Commissioned by an anonymous user. Dabi did not know that he was an omega, and he can’t say that he ever really wanted to find out that he was. He just wanted to join the League of Villains and destroy his father. But when the League’s doctor refused to clear him for active duty, he really thought the next step would be getting kicked out. He didn’t think that he would suddenly have the guy who tried to kill him trying to help him through this entire situation. 

Contents: ABO, Alpha!Shigaraki, Omega!Dabi, Recovery from malnutrition/starvation, Mating Cycles, Heat/Ruts, Sex Ed, Discussions of past child and spousal abuse, Infertility, Sex Toys, Porn, Loss of Virginity/First Time, Anal Sex, Grinding, Cumming in Pants, Wet and Messy, Praise Kink, Creampie, Multiple Orgasms, Knots, Dabi has genital piercings, Shigaraki has a massive cock. 

Word Count: 19249

Given that the new boss nearly killed him, Dabi really didn't think that the situation with the League of Villains would have anything over the usual jobs that he's done with other crews of criminals. But the next day, when he and Toga come back in after getting the few things they had kept at the safe house Giran had them held up in, Kurogiri informs them that they'll be living on the floor above the bar with Shigaraki. They each get a private, barely furnished room with a lock on the door, and they'll be able to buy whatever they want to decorate their space with the money that they're going to get for being on retainer, training, and running whatever small jobs the League has for them before they debut. They are also informed that there is a grocery list on the refrigerator and that as they need things, they can add it to that. On Wednesdays and Sundays they'll get a delivery of whatever they're missing. He's also not expecting them to be told that the League has a doctor on-call and that they will need to schedule a check-up with him over the course of the next week to ensure that they're healthy and that they have any medicine that they need as they get started in the organization. That's pretty strange. 

But nothing is as strange as the doctor coming back into the examination room he's been sitting in for half an hour, and getting a somewhat bewildered look. 

"What's up, doc?" He asks, not appreciating that he's somehow managed to be even more of a freak than he already is. 

"I have the results from your test." 

"What do I have, like seventy incurable diseases or something?" It would be his luck. 

"No," but there is definitely something, given the tone. "You reported being a beta?" 

"...yeah?" 

"I have to inform you that your designation is actually that of an omega." Ujiko tells him, looking him dead in the eye. Dabi stares back. 

"What?"

"It appears that you've had extended periods of malnutrition and are severely underweight for your height. Being in such a state, your body seems to have essentially 'turned off' all of the sex traits of your designation, allowing you to pass for a beta. You'll need to have another examination to determine the health of your reproductive system." 

Dabi is so stunned that he doesn't even find the words to protest. 

///

It's another hour and a half later when he is finished, feeling a little humiliated after the entire thing, though luckily a different doctor, someone else on AFO's payroll who is actually an expert in Omega anatomy took care of that, and they're in the room with he and Ujiko to determine what he needs to do going forward. 

"Mr. Dabi--" 

"Just 'Dabi'." He says numbly. 

"Dabi," they correct, their voice gentle. "I am very sorry to inform you, but it appears that the damage sustained by your body from your burns as well as the extended period of malnutrition and high-stress has... rendered you infertile." 

Oh. That's supposed to be a bad thing. Omegas are supposed to be all about having lots of pups. But Dabi feels some relief sweep through him for the first time since he got the news. "Okay, is that why I've never had a heat?" 

"In part, maybe. But that is more likely to be related to the weight and malnutrition. We're going to prescribe some shakes that you can drink to help get your daily nutrients more readily, and we recommend you start eating a diet that is rich in fat and protein." The omega doctor gives him a pamphlet that outlines how he should be structuring his meals to ensure that he's putting on weight and Ujiko goes in for the kill, 

"Until you gain ten kilos and have your first heat, I am not marking your chart as 'field ready'." 

"What? But I've been fine. I can do my job! Just give me suppressants!" 

"Not having your heat for so long is not 'fine'," The other doctor tells him, using that infuriatingly gentle tone again. "Extended stress like this can cause a whole host of severe medical issues that can dramatically shorten your lifespan." Like he doesn't already have a short one of those. "Now that you'll be getting the nutrition your body needs as well as having a safe place to sleep, you're going to start off by feeling much, much worse as your hormones begin to equalize." They keep talking for a while, loading Dabi up with about five more pamphlets for him to read and Dabi wonders if the League was really worth all the trouble it's turning out to be. 

///

When he gets back to base that night, he goes straight to his room, and spreads out the pamphlets on his bed, trying to read through them all, but feeling like all of the information is just sort of slipping off of his brain from his shock. It takes until there's a soft knock on his door for him to realize that it must have been hours, that he skipped eating, which he's probably going to be in trouble for if AFO doesn't just decide that he's not worth the trouble of keeping around and throw him to the streets again. 

He manages to get up and go to the door. 

Shigaraki is standing on the other side, and yeah, it must be late, because he's not even wearing the hands anymore. "Here," Dabi looks down at his hands and finds a small box that claims to have a phone in it. "My number and Kurogiri's is already programed in. If you need a teleport, just text him and he'll open a portal." 

"Oh. Thanks." 

"...The doctor didn't clear you for missions." It's not a question. But the tone of it rings a bell in the back of Dabi's mind that, for as much as they're villains, means that Ujiko didn't tell Shigaraki why he wouldn't clear Dabi. "If you're using anything harder than weed, you shouldn't be here." 

"I'm not on drugs." He says a little numbly. "I'm an omega." 

He says the words half because he doesn't know if he believes them. Says them out loud himself and makes them horribly, achingly real. 

Shigaraki blinks, and then frowns, his hand moving to scratch at his neck as Dabi just holds onto the phone box like somehow that will help him feel grounded from the mess of his emotions surging through him. "...If you're pregnant then this isn't a good place for you either. We're going to start a war, Dabi. This isn't a place to raise a pup if that's what you want." His voice isn't gentle like the other doctor's was. It's clinical. "If you need treatment as you decide what you want to do, we can provide that, but we won't be able to keep you here if you can't be active. I can speak to Giran, he might be able to take you in as a broker-in-training--" 

"I'm not pregnant." Dabi tells him. "I didn't know." It sounds so pathetic when he admits it, and he doesn't know why he does. He tried to kill Shigaraki two days ago. He doesn't even like him. 

There's another long pause, and then he hears Shigaraki take a slow breath. "Okay. Do you want me to come in?" 

Dabi doesn't know what he wants, but he steps aside. Shigaraki closes the door softly behind him and sits on the crate that is serving as his desk, picking up some of the scattered pamphlets from the bed. Dabi manages to make his legs move so he can sit back down. 

Shigaraki starts to read him the pamphlets, pausing to make Dabi repeat back the things he's read so he knows that Dabi is starting to pay attention. 

///

He's going to be a mess. Once he comes out of the shock of learning his real designation, Dabi finally has that sink in. He is going to have his hormones flooding him all the time and because it's going to be the first time, it's likely that he's going to have such intense emotions that he's going to cry at the drop of a hat or get particularly vicious out of nowhere. He shouldn't be around any other omegas that he doesn't want to form an intense pack bond with, and he should be very, very careful about what alphas he associates with, because he's probably going to go back and forth from wanting to be mated to his brain turning completely off and able to be commanded without even needing a real order. None of the rest of the League are omegas though, so that's something. But Shigaraki, it turns out, is an alpha, along with Muscular, Magne, and Toga, though she's young enough that his body won't register her as a potential mate. 

Shigaraki keeps him away from the other alphas, and offers to have Kurogiri be the one who brings their work back and forth if that will make him more comfortable. But Dabi hasn't told any of the others. As far as they know, his scars are the reason that he's not allowed to do field work right now, and he's been avoiding them, hoping they think he's got an infection or something so that they don't ask what's going on. But Shigaraki is the only other person he's told, and he doesn't know if he'll manage to figure out how the fuck to do this on his own if he has to.

Shigaraki, thankfully, doesn't say anything about that yet. They don't know when his first heat is going to hit, but he doesn't ask, or assume that he's going to be allowed to knot him like a toy-- use him the way that Enji used to use his mother. And Dabi keeps his mouth shut. He goes online and reads forums and websites that are dedicated to helping omegas through their cycles and people are constantly arguing back and forth about if a toy or a person is better to get them through their heats faster, but that's not the first thing he has to deal with. 

No, the first hard thing that hits him through this transition is trying to eat. 

It's so stupid, he has been half-starved and has eaten spoiled food, or even rotten food when things were really bad, so many times in his life, but having to put on the weight he's being asked to is hard. He is supposed to start his day with a nutrient dense protein shake that has a chalky flavor that is absolutely not 'vanilla' no matter what the bottle says it is, and is so thick and rich with fat it coats his tongue like there's a waxy film on it. He fucking hates it, and it's so much liquid that he feels like he's stuffed to the gills before he even starts the day. After the shake, he usually gets an hour or two of studying villain shit, apparently taking on some of Duster's administration work, of which there's a lot, because he can't go into the field. During this time, he's supposed to have another high protein snack, even though he's already full. Then he gets to go work out. Putting on muscle is a good way to get his body up to weight, and he has always liked training, so that isn't a hardship. It's just that afterwards he has to eat a full lunch that is also high in protein. In the afternoon he is supposed to finish anything that he didn't in the morning and have another snack. He usually finishes around mid-afternoon, and then he waits for dinner, alone in his room, makes himself eat again, and has to have one final snack before he gets to go to bed. 

His isolation also means that all of these meals are taken in his bedroom, which now has a proper desk, a mini-fridge, microwave, and a hot plate. He can actually cook rudimentary things if he wants to, and he doesn't even have to wash the dishes, he just puts them in a bin that goes outside of his door so that Kurogiri or someone can take them downstairs to the dishwasher. But he can't bring himself to cook. He can't bring himself to do much of anything but the bare minimum, and that's not good enough. When he goes back to the doctor for another checkup, he's only gained .3 kilos at the end of the week which is lower than the average person who is on a refeeding treatment. At this rate it will take him far too long to get to a healthy weight, well after the League is supposed to debut in its new form. It takes about half an hour of him nearly pleading to get the goalpost moved. Seven kilos and one heat, if he can hit that and comes out of it not half-dead or having lost the weight again during the heat, then he'll be cleared for the summer camp job. 

It doesn't feel like a victory though when he goes back to his room and has to sit alone inside of it, staring at the fridge full of food he doesn't want to eat and trying to hold back tears as he feels his body betraying him again.

There's a soft knock against the door and Dabi shuts the fridge and calls, "What, Duster?" Because Shigaraki is the only one who ever comes to see him now. He must want the files that he was reviewing. Potential recruits for the summer camp job, that he's not going to be able to go on unless he gets his shit together. There's a slight pause, but Shig opens the door. He's not expecting him to step inside, flinch, and then close the door swiftly behind him. 

"Are you okay?"

He's really not expecting it when just that is enough to push him over the edge and have his seams aching as blood beads up under them. He made himself stop crying years ago. He thought that all of his tears got burned off with most of his skin on the mountain. But Shigaraki asks him one question, and he immediately bursts into the closest thing he has to tears. 

"Shit, Dabi--" Shigaraki moves into his space, his hands reaching out towards him, and Dabi can't help it, he flinches back, sparks leaping up to his skin to defend himself. He knows that this is pathetic, that this isn't what Shigaraki thought he was signing up for when he brought him to this place. But he can't help it. That doesn't mean he's going to let the other kill him though. Shigaraki immediately takes a step back, holding up his hands, his smell starting to pulse out through the room. It's gentle and comforting, not at all the acrid angry smell that he'd been when he first tried to kill him, and that scent takes all of the fight back out of him as he sobs harder. "Can I touch you? I promise I'll be careful." 

It takes him a second. He’s never wanted anyone in his personal space before, but he feels like he needs Shigaraki right now. He manages to cool his skin down, and lets out such a pitiful sound, a watery whine that he's never heard himself make. And then he gives a tiny nod. Shigaraki moves over to him and chuffs comfortingly, reaching with one hand, a finger curled into his palm, to wipe away the blood from his cheeks, and the other wraps around his shoulders as he pulls him into a hug. He keeps him close and it... feels so good for someone to comfort him. No one has done that since Natsuo, and as much as he loves his brother, even in his memories he wasn't great at it. He was young, they were both young. He shouldn't have put that on him. 

It takes an age for him to stop crying, and when he does, Shigaraki just gets him to sit down on his bed, and Duster goes over to the bathroom and wets a washcloth before he joins him and starts to wipe the blood off of his cheeks. He does it so softly, but his seams are aching so badly from the wounds being freshly torn open. He waits until Dabi's face is all clean and he's just letting his shame saturate his body before he speaks again. 

"Sorry... hormones, I guess." 

"You don't have to apologize, Dabi. When your cycle is under control, you'll be back to normal and driving me absolutely insane again." Shigaraki sounds more patient than Dabi would have ever given him credit for before. "Your room reeked of distress before you started crying, do you want to tell me what's wrong? Did something happen during your check-up?" 

"... I'm not gaining weight well enough, and I've already been struggling to eat as much as the doctor is telling me to." He admits softly. "This is a waste of time. I'll get my shit and go--" 

"I think that's a bit premature, Dabi." Shigaraki tells him. "It's only been a week. If you're having a hard time with the meals, there are other things that we can try. What don't you like about them so far?" 

It takes him a minute, but Dabi makes himself talk, and Shigaraki surprises him again by sitting there the entire time and listening. 

///

The next morning Shigaraki comes into his room with his groceries on one arm. He splits Dabi's nutrient shake in half and makes him put half of it in a weird cup that he then puts in the freezer, and only has him drink the other as Shigaraki chops up an onion, a red pepper, chilis, and minces some garlic. He puts one of the pans on the little burner and moves to put the vegetables in, but Dabi steps in, not wanting to be completely babied and also--

"You can't cook them without putting something in the pan, they'll stick!" 

"It's a non-stick pan." 

"It's a shitty non-stick pan that looks like it's been hacked at with a machete for ten years. If you don't put something into it, they'll stick." 

"Fine, you can help." He almost sounds smug when he says it, and Dabi wonders what the play is, other than making his room smell like onions. "Put a couple of spoonfuls  of the Greek yogurt into a bowl with the garlic and season it with whatever you like on your eggs." 

"What the fuck are you making?" Dabi asks, in utter confusion as Shigaraki opens a can of tomatoes which he hasn't ever used in a breakfast dish before, and once the other vegetables are sweating, pours the tomatoes in as well. 

"It's a loose take on shakshuka, I used to have it when my teacher and I were in North Africa." He cooks them for a little while as Dabi goes ahead and adds the garlic to the yogurt and digs out a bottle of hot sauce that he got and puts in a couple of splashes of that along with some salt and pepper. When the liquid in the pan has reduced a lot, Shigaraki adds some seasonings to the pan, and then uses the spoon to make two wells in the vegetables, and cracks in two eggs. He covers the pan and takes out a small thing of pita bread. 

In a few minutes, once the eggs have set, he takes that pan off the hot plate and puts it on a trivet, so he can warm the bread in a second one. That doesn't take long, and when it's all finished, they sit with the big pan between them, a plate and bread in front of each of them, and Shigaraki puts the yogurt sauce on top. He uses the pita bread to break the yolk of his egg and scoops up some of the mixture. Dabi hesitates, but he's usually not a picky eater, and he has to eat anyway. So he follows his lead. 

It's definitely different from anything he's had before, but it doesn't taste bad, and after how miserable his meals have been for the past few weeks, he isn't about to complain. Not really. He is going to badger Duster though. "Needs salt." 

"Add salt then." 

"Why did you make me breakfast?" 

"I made us breakfast," Shigaraki tells him, "That's high in protein, and hopefully tastes better than your shake?" 

"...Yeah?" 

"Good. Eat." And that's all he says about it. 

Dabi decides not to look a gift horse in the mouth and they eat the shakshuka as Shigaraki changes the discussion to the files he was working on yesterday. That discussion goes on for so long, that he doesn't notice when they finished off the pan, or when the dishes and trash got cleared away into the bin and bag to be removed, but when they're done, Shigaraki is still talking as he gets out three small containers and a few more pouches from the grocery bags. 

He only gets derailed momentarily when Shigaraki asks, "Do you like sweet things, savory things, or salty things?" 

"What?" 

Shigaraki doesn't repeat the question. 

"Uh, I don't love sweets." He says after a second.

Shigaraki puts one of the pouches back in the grocery bag and steers their conversation right back to work. He keeps Dabi talking as he finishes with what he's doing, and when they've pretty fully debriefed, he suggests, 

"I'm going to go change, and then we can go to the training room together." 

Dabi glances at his phone, surprised that it's already after ten. "Oh, okay. Why are you joining me? I promise I'm not about to have another breakdown." He's not sure if that's true. He might. He doesn't know. 

"I need to work on rebuilding muscle too," Shigaraki tells him, reaching for the hem of his shirt. He pulls the fabric up and Dabi sees that the other man is nearly as thin as he is, though he doesn't look hollowed in the sick way that Dabi is now seeing in the shape of his body. But the vivid, angry raised circular scars that dot his side speak to exactly why Shigaraki isn't at his physical peak. He knows from the reports that he also got shot in the leg at UA. "I figured that it would be easier if we did it together. Is that alright?" 

He doesn't want to be babied. He doesn't need to be. The hardest things he's ever done, he's done alone. He can get through this too. But there is a little voice in the back of his head that says he doesn't want to. He doesn't want to be alone again. 

"Okay."

Shigaraki smiles at him, and it's a very tentative thing. It almost looks like it hurts, like he hasn't smiled for any reason in a long, long time, and his face kind of forgot how to do it. Dabi isn't sure he remembers either. 

An hour later when they're both catching their breath between sets, Shigaraki pulls the three little containers out of his bag and offers him his choice. One has cheese, nuts, jerky, and a few grapes in it, another has a homemade trail mix with a few different kinds of nuts, some pretzels, and dried fruit, and the last has some slices of celery, a little portable cup of peanut butter, and some raisins. Dabi picks the trail mix, and Shigaraki eats the celery, before they get back to work. 

When they go back to base, Shig lists out a few options for lunch and lets Dabi pick one, and they cook it together. He hasn't cooked with someone else since he was a child, and he feels small again cooking next to Shigaraki. But it's different than it was when he was young. He was... always anxious when he cooked back then, always waiting to ruin something and prove to Enji that he was right to cast him aside. With Shigaraki he doesn't have to worry about that, because Duster clearly does not know his way around a kitchen and breakfast was a fluke. But they make lunch. And they make another snack to have between that and dinner, and when dinner rolls around, they have that too. Before Duster leaves for the night, he has Dabi take the shake out of the tiny shitty freezer and Shigaraki makes him shake the cup for a minute, and he hears the stuff inside get thicker and thicker. When he opens it, Duster offers him some different ice cream toppings, from toasted peanuts to strawberry sauce. Dabi doesn't like sweets, but he puts the chocolate sauce and some peanuts on top and eats the second half of the shake like it's ice cream. It's still not great, but it is miles better than it was all the past week, and Dabi tries to remember how to smile too as he thanks him. 

///

The rest of the week follows this trend. The day after the first, he and Shigaraki sit down and they plan their meals and snacks for the rest of the week, sending whoever goes out to do the grocery shopping to do that, and then Duster kicks out all of the others so that Dabi can go down to the kitchen. He didn't realize how skittish he would be, but yeah, the thought of being open and exposed is making him want to ignite or pull his skin off. They cook and meal prep for the rest of the week, but by the time they're done, Dabi is letting out the most pathetic sounds that he's never heard from himself before, and he's shaking like a leaf. Shigaraki chuffs at him again and leaves everything downstairs a mess as he ushers him back up to his room, but even that doesn't feel safe anymore.

Shig makes him sit on the edge of his bed and pulls out his phone. A second later he goes to the door and pulls a shipping box through it that's nearly as tall as Toga. Dabi doesn't have his head on straight enough to even manage to ask what the fuck that is, and he doesn't end up needing too as Shigaraki drags it over. 

"Okay, here. Why don't you make a nest, Dabi?" 

Dabi knows that nesting is a thing that omegas are supposed to do on their heats, and when they're still sharing a bed with their pups. It's supposed to be a comfortable, secure place that helps make them feel safe. It's supposed to be instinctive, but as Shigaraki starts to take out the piles of pillows, blankets, and sheets, he feels lost. Shig waits for him to move and Dabi hunches in on himself, 

"I... don't know how." It's supposed to be easy, isn't it? But looking at all of this shit, he can't imagine how he's supposed to make the pile of it more comfortable than just curling up on his little bed and pulling a blanket over his head. 

Shigaraki pauses. "Okay. Neither do I." Dabi wonders how he can keep being made to feel even more inadequate than he was before. "But I've made a blanket fort before. Do you want to try that instead?" 

"...Okay." 

He and Shig move the two chairs that they've been using to work in front of the bed, about a meter from the edge of it and apart from each other. Then Shig looks around until he finds one of the specific packages and has Dabi tear it open and spread it out in the square of space that they've made for themselves. It's a pad of some sort that has been vacuum sealed and compressed in on itself, and when they leave it alone on the floor, it starts to re-inflate, and fill out the space. Shigaraki has him opening the other blankets while he gets the thin into a mattress cover that crinkles, the label from that proclaiming it will fit most nest pads and that it's waterproof so that, Dabi blushes, slick won't leak through and ruin it. They start to put down pillows and blankets together, and there are so many of them. Some say they're very soft, some say they retain smells better than others, some say they're waterproof, and a million other things that Dabi didn't know that omegas would want, or not want in their nests-- and it occurs to him then, that maybe Shigaraki doesn't know either. Maybe he just bought a little of everything hoping that one of them would work for Dabi. 

It takes them about half an hour to get all the blankets and pillows settled inside, the nest nearly twice the size as his bed, and at the end, they use the backs of the chairs as posts, holding up two sheets that they secure together with clothes pins over their head that they stretch in a canopy over the nest by tucking one side under the edge of his mattress and draping the rest. It casts the underside in shadow and Shig holds open one of the flaps of the fort. Dabi hesitates, but crawls inside, and watches the flap close. He listens to the other moving around the room for a few minutes and feels... so small as Shigaraki cleans up the mess from all of the packaging. He feels small, but... not bad as he stays in the fort, feeling the heat of his body seeping into the air around him. It's going to get very hot in here if he leaves it like this. 

Dabi kneels and reaches for the joint in the sheets, and he unclips a few of the clothes pins in the middle of the sheets, using them to open up a vent that also serves as a skylight, letting in a little more light and allowing the heat to vent a bit more. Then he's left sitting alone and the doubt starts to creep in again. 

"Can you either come in or get out? I feel like a dumbass sitting in a pile of blankets with you just staring at it." 

"Who said I was staring at you?" 

"Are you?" 

"...Are you sure you want me to come in?" 

Dabi pulls one of the pillows close, making himself as small as he feels. "...Yeah. Not going to jump on your knot. I'm not in heat yet, Duster."

Shigaraki moves around the room again for a second, and then he hears him kneel down. He opens one side of the sheet and hesitates another second before he climbs in with him. They move around a bit, getting to a point where they're both comfortable and Shig gives him his afternoon snack. Dabi isn't expecting for that to make a warm contentedness roll through him and banish away the stress that had come from being downstairs so thoroughly, but as soon as he has his trail mix with three jerky strips, he starts to... purr. 

He's never heard that sound out of his throat. He's never even heard an omega do it in person. His mother certainly wasn't purring at all in his memories. But he starts to make that sound. It's awful. It's rough and stuttery, like his body is trying to shake off a decade worth of rust to figure out how the fuck he's supposed to show that he's... happy. He doesn't know if he's been happy since he was five. Shigaraki lets the sound ride, just sitting with him, taking out his phone as Dabi eats his snack and clicking away on some mobile game.

They stay in the nest for the rest of the day. And when Shigaraki leaves for the night and Dabi has to contemplate taking down the sheet so he can get into his bed, he can't bring himself to do it, instead climbing right back into the secure pile of pillows. It's only when the other man is gone, that Dabi realizes the alpha left his scent all in his blankets. That even though Dabi's natural scent is all but gone because of his burns, that Shigaraki's has layered through the space. It's soft and warm, telling Dabi that he was content in this space too... that the alpha was pleased with what they put together, which makes him purr again. And beyond the emotion the can place in the scent, his nest just smells good with Shigaraki's smell like chai tea and the breeze on a stormy day. He didn't used to like the rain. It could fuck with his quirk, it made finding places to sleep absolutely miserable, and it invited sickness into his body. 

But it's hard to think of a time he's ever felt safer or more cozy as he curls up with Shigaraki's smell in his nose. 

///

Shigaraki makes the doctor move back his appointment for the end of the month, and when he goes back, he's up by two-point-three kilos. He looks like it too, able to see the way his stomach isn't so flat that it's practically concave, and his face doesn't look so sallow anymore, his cheeks rounding out a little again and making him... look a little more like his mom. Fluid retention, the doctor tells him, since he's also been exercising and trying to gain muscle and not just fat, he might lose the water weight again and start to see that weight increase much more gradually. He stops having to drink the nutrient shakes now that his diet is more balanced, as long as he replaces the calories that he loses if he removes that from his diet. 

He gets back to base and finds that Shig is restocking his fridge with snacks and bursts into tears again because of his stupid hormones, and from the relief. This is all even more ridiculous given that as soon as he is allowed into the field, he'll be racing towards the confrontation with his father and his inevitable end. But he's realizing now that if he hadn't ended up here, if Shigaraki had kicked him out the second that he found out he was too weak to be useful right now, he probably wouldn't have ever even made it to standing in front of his father, let alone able to fight him. Duster takes his outburst this time with more grace, immediately chuffing at him and pulling him close. He holds onto him for a few minutes as Dabi ruins his shirt, and then he makes Dabi sit so he can lose his jacket and shoes, before he ushers him into their nest. He climbs in too, bringing Dabi's water bottle, and letting him get the stupid amount of bloody tears out of his system. 

In about half an hour, once Dabi has stopped crying and he's gotten most of the gross blood off of his face, he manages, with a fair amount of embarrassment, "I'm on track for weight gain again." 

But Shigaraki doesn't mock him for having a meltdown over good news. He just smiles, and it looks better than it did at the start of the month because he's been doing it a lot more. "Good. As long as you have your heat, no matter what the doctor says, I'll let you come on the training camp mission if you feel up to it."

Dabi blinks, "What?" 

"You're underweight, and you need to keep getting better, but if you want to debut with the others, I'll let you. My leg is still recovering. I won't be able to run when we need to, so my teacher has decided that I have to stay here and monitor your progress over coms. Someone will need to stay out of combat and coordinate movements. You can make sure that no one can get near you, and I can have a nomu keep an eye as well. As long as you don't overdo it, as long as you think that you'll be ready for that, I'll let you go." 

He is very, very lucky that he doesn't start crying again. "Thanks, Duster." 

"Just keep this up. Go wash your face, I'll get lunch." 

Dabi does as he's told, and they resume their schedule for the rest of the day. When they're finished much later with all of their work and have eaten their meals for the day, they tend to stay in the nest for another hour or two, Shig playing his game and Dabi reads, sometimes. Sometimes he just listens to Shigaraki's soft breathing, and soaks in his scent.

He's sleepy and content when he mumbles, "You're a much better alpha than I thought you were when we met." 

He's not expecting the long stretch of silence that comes after those words and he wants to take them back. He didn't mean for them to be an insult, but they definitely sound like one in hindsight. 

"I don't think I was a very good one when we met." Shigaraki tells him. "My teacher doesn't have a designation because of his quirk. Neither does Kurogiri. I wasn't allowed to socialize with many other people. I don't think I knew how to act before then. But... being around you is helping." He says it like a confession, turning to look at him finally. "I know that you're still the same rude asshole that I hired-- against my will--" Dabi appreciates the jab. It makes the rest of his words feel like they aren't scraping his skin raw. "But beyond that, you're someone I am responsible for. Someone I need to look out for and make sure that you're taken care of. I'm starting to feel the same way about the others. Starting to think about what it would be like to not be alone-- to... have a pack." 

Dabi doesn't want to start crying again, so he tries sarcasm to push through the lump in his throat. "If you give me a nomu, I'll tell everyone that you're a perfect alpha." 

Shig laughs, a short, soft thing that makes his insides feel warmer. "And what do I have to do to make that something other than lip service?" 

"Be perfect." 

"I'll do my best." 

Dabi isn't sure which one of them moves first, which is probably strange because they move so slowly. But neither of them stop until their lips are pressed together. Dabi doesn't start to panic until the second after they're kissing, as he feels the cracked texture of Shigaraki's lips against his and he has to immediately wonder what his scars feel like under his skin, if this was stupid, if he should pull away quickly and make an excuse about his hormones acting up to get the other to leave him alone and not bring up this again. Then Shigaraki wraps a hand around the back of his neck and tilts his head to the side slightly, changing the angle and making it feel like their mouths were made to press together like this. Dabi's breath is caught in the back of his throat as he realizes that this is the first kiss he's ever had. He's pretty sure he shouldn't be kissing his boss who also tried to kill him once, but it's hard to focus on that when the movement of their lips makes his skin tingle softly. 

When they part, Dabi hopes the ache across his seams is still just from him bawling like a baby earlier, and that he's not turning red. But it gets a little more intense when he sees Shigaraki's eyes searching his face, a heaviness there that makes that tingling in him feel even more intense. 

He doesn't think he means to say, "Spend my heat with me?" As the first thing out of his mouth when he finds his voice. He doesn't know if it's really a good idea to go from his first kiss to asking for Shigaraki to be his first time when he's going to be out of his mind from his hormones. But Shigaraki doesn't balk at the suggestion, doesn't immediately shoot him down and makes his embarrassment any worse. 

"I'll stay with you and help you prepare. Ask me again when it's closer. After you've had a little more time to think about it, okay?" He pairs the words with pulling Dabi close again, his lips falling against the crown of his head this time instead of his own, and Dabi feels so warm, the words not stinging like rejection. 

"Okay." His hands curl into fists against the blankets so he resists the urge to tangle his fingers into his shirt and press his nose against his neck so he can drink in the warmth of his smell. Shigaraki stays with him for another hour, and that's enough for now.

///

They don't touch like that again, but Shigaraki does make him sit down with his laptop no matter how loudly Dabi protests as humiliation roars through him, and makes him actually look at heat supplies. Those range from more waterproof blankets and special smoothies like his nutrient ones to make sure that he stays hydrated and keeping his weight where it's supposed to be while he's on his heat, to toys. 

"I am not buying a dildo." 

"Technically the League of Villains is buying you a dildo." Shigaraki says without blinking. "And you're going to want it if you decide you want to spend your heat alone. Having a knot is going to be the only relief you'll get from everything, trust me. I had to spend a few of my ruts without anything to help and I was miserable and about two seconds away from decaying my own dick." He pauses, "You might also want to get some quirk canceling cuffs if your quirk is going to be so high. I don't want you to set your nest on fire." He just goes on like this is a perfectly normal, and not entirely humiliating thing to be talking about, "The doctor mentioned you might have cramping, didn't he? We should get you a heating pad too." 

Dabi throws up his hands and slinks down into the nest. "Fuck it. If you're not going to listen to me, then you can buy the heat supplies! You know more about it than I do!" He grabs one of the blankets, pretends it's not deliberately the one that Shig was laying on last night and burrows underneath it. 

"You're acting like a child." 

Dabi blows a raspberry at him to prove his point, flicking him off as he does. But Shigaraki closes the laptop and shifts their conversation to the much more comfortable topic of work, and he hopes that means this discussion is over. 

///

It's two days later, very deliberately when Shigaraki has his own appointment with the doctor, that Dabi hears the thump of a package being delivered outside of his door. He hesitates before he climbs out of his nest, feeling like even just the distance between his nest and the door is too exposed. Still. It might be groceries, so he has to get out of the nest and he makes himself go over to it, poking his head  out and seeing a large box. He pulls it into his room and closes the door swiftly, finding a knife to cut open the tape. He chitters happily when he pulls out another new blanket for his nest, but removing that lets him see some of the other boxes beneath it. On top is a heating pad in a long flat box and beside that is another that happily proclaims that it is an eight inch dildo with an insertable knot in 'glacier blue' that comes with an attachable suction cup or pillow strap base. 100% silicone and body safe. 

Dabi lets out a humiliated keen. 

///

It takes him about an hour, but he eventually forces himself to take everything out of the box and sees that Shig did get him plenty of the heat smoothies that he loads into the fridge until they're needed, along with some quirk suppression cuffs, and special cleaner for the dildo to get it sanitized and ready for use. He really doesn't want to use that, doesn't want to take the dildo out of the box, but he's so morbidly curious about what a knot even looks like, given he hasn't ever even seen one before, that he can't help opening up the packaging. The garish box makes way for bubble plastic and a silky black bag to put the toy inside after use, and an entire booklet of warning and safety tips. He is genuinely worried he's going to need those quirk cuffs if he keeps getting any more overheated from his embarrassment, but he proceeds anyway and opens up the second layer of packaging and gets his eyes on the toy. 

Eight inches is a lot bigger than he thought it was. Dabi lets out another miserable keen. The dildo looks very realistic-- other than the fact it is the neon blue of the packaging, of his quirk, but the head looks like a real cock, and the shaft is detailed with thick winding veins that go down to the last three inches of the toy and then abruptly swells with two bulbous shapes on either side, changing the shape drastically from his own cock and making him a little dizzy. How the fuck is he supposed to get this inside of him? Dabi would have a better chance of shoving an orange up his ass. He is still staring at the thing, completely intimidated, before he hears Duster's soft knock before he lets himself in, the same way he has been for weeks now. 

Dabi looks up at him, not knowing at all what his expression might be saying, but at least Shigaraki immediately loses any words as well as he sees the neon toy in his hand as the door shuts softly behind him. 

"You're a fucking pervert!" He throws the dildo at the other and then darts down into his nest, grabbing one of the pillows that is saturated with Shigaraki's scent and pulling it close to his chest, like that can comfort him. Duster's smell is comforting, even if he has half a mind to kill him for this humiliation. He doesn't hear the thunk of the toy hitting the other or the floor which means that it's probably dust now if he caught it, and Dabi doesn't know if he's glad to be rid of it, or if he really shouldn't have done that. Shigaraki is trying to help take care of him. He's not supposed to be an ungrateful brat about that. 

But Duster moves towards his nest and he sees his shadow as it falls across the front flap of the entryway. "Why are you upset, firefly?" Shig's voice is gentle and patient and the pet name makes Dabi's cheeks feel even warmer. 

"I don't want heat toys." 

"Can you explain why not?"

It's so hard to try and think straight through the high whine of panic that feels like it's going through his head, but after a minute Dabi forces himself to start talking.

"I don't want to have to use those. I don't want to be helpless for a week, in pain, and vulnerable. I don't want to be out of control again. I-- I don't want to get pregnant, I don't want to be claimed, I don't want someone to hurt me like-- like my mom." He can taste smoke on the back of his tongue, hates how weak he already sounds, "I don't want to be an omega." 

Shigaraki is quiet for a long moment as he processes Dabi's latest fucking breakdown, but when he does start to speak, he lets out a soft sigh first. "Dabi, you know that you can't change that." 

"Fuck you." He also knows he's being over-emotional, but he doesn't actually want to hear that right now. 

"You can't, firefly. This is something you're going to have to deal with for the rest of your life. But you won't be in pain forever," he keeps his tone low, though that doesn't impart as much gentleness as Dabi might have expected. "It will only be as your glands wake up for the first time. You won't be helpless. The cuffs I got you can be taken off whenever you want to, and they can't be locked. If anyone tries to hurt you, no matter how deeply you're in your heat, you'll be able to set them on fire, Dabi. Your heat is going to make you extremely, extremely horny, but it's not like what people say about being 'out of control'." Shig promises. "You won't completely forget where you are or get so mentally fatigued you lose your sense of self-- not unless you're completely dehydrated, and that's not going to happen because you're going to have your full fridge of smoothies to drink while you're in heat. The doctor told you that you can't get pregnant, and if you're still scared about it, a silicone toy won't be able to do that for you anyway, Dabi." 

There's a small pause and then he goes on, "I don't know what happened with your mother," and if there is a verbal signpost for 'and I don't want to touch that with a ten foot pole', Shigaraki is waving it, "But as long as you're here, you are not going to be claimed by anyone unless you change your mind and decide you want that. You're going to have your heat in here, in your nice, safe room, with the locks on your door, and everything you need so that you don't have to worry about anything but making yourself feel good. By the time you're finished, you're going to feel so good, and I'm going to let you use Kurogiri as your personal errand boy and let you send him off to get you anything you want as you recover. You won't have to see anyone until you're ready to be a pain in everyone else's ass again-- and especially mine." 

Dabi doesn't say anything for a long moment after he stops speaking, but when he does, he's still got his face half-buried in the pillow. "You're a bastard." 

"Why?" 

"You just called me irrational for like five minutes straight instead of being even vaguely sympathetic, and you completely shot me down while doing it like I wouldn't notice." 

Shigaraki snorts and seems to think his petulance means that he's not likely to get kicked out again, and he pulls half of the sheet aside so that he can start to crawl into the nest to join him. "I can be sympathetic if you want me to be, but you know you're being irrational." Dabi's face goes hot again when he sees that Shig is holding the dildo. "I wasn't shooting you down, firefly. I'll stay and help if you want me to, but I want you to have explored all of your options first. I don't want you to ask me and regret it." He didn't dust it by accident, and as he crawls up to him, Dabi hides his face in the pillow to block him and it from his sight. 

"And you bought me a dildo that I won't ever be able to use!" He hears the toy thump into the blankets and Shig chuckles softly before he's carefully catching Dabi's wrists. He pulls a bit, but Dabi holds the pillow tighter. He'll smother himself with it if it means that he won't have to look at him right now.

When he won't let up with the pillow, Shig gives up on it, and just presses a kiss to the top of his head instead. "Why not, Dabi? Even if we do spend your heat together, if my rut doesn't trigger during it, you'll still need something inside when I can't give it to you." 

Dabi didn't really think of that, but he isn't about to say that. Besides, it doesn't address his biggest gripe about the toy, namely, "It's huge! Knot aside, eight inches of anything is not going inside of me!" 

He's not expecting for his outburst to be met with a sudden shift in Shigaraki's scent. Something that he's never smelled off of the other man before and that surprises him so much that he immediately forgets his stubbornness and looks up to see Shigaraki's face. His eyes are a little wide, his mouth parted in slight surprise, and embarrassment is spilling from his pores. 

Dabi's brain comes to a screeching stop and neither of them say anything for a handful of agonizing seconds. 

"Wh-- D-Did you get that because--?" Dabi's eyes flick down, but at this angle, he can't really get his eyes on Duster's crotch. "No. No. You wear skinny jeans all the time. You couldn't possibly--" 

"I thought," And Duster's voice is a little higher, a little more breathless, "that would be a good warm-up. But we can get you something smaller if you'd prefer." 

"'Warm-up'?!" 

///

It is devastating in such a particular way to learn that Shigaraki apparently has a monster cock that Dabi is going to have such a hard time of dealing with that the other man thought he would need something to practice on even when his body was going to be absolutely gushing for it, but they don't actually linger on it for too much longer that night. They eat, and they talk about other distracting things, and pretend that they aren't both embarrassed about the way they are fumbling towards... sleeping together. 

But Shigaraki has decided that embarrassment is the enemy by the next night, rather than the natural next step in this whole situation, and comes to Dabi's room with determination, a bottle of whiskey and a six pack of soju, and his laptop, not even blinking when he asks, "How much sex ed have you had?" 

Dabi almost immediately overheats from the instantaneous spike of adrenaline. 

Shig won't be dissuaded though, and once they've had dinner and are settled into their nest, he queues up the first video that he's downloaded for them to watch. 

Dabi isn't expecting the video to be almost presented like a nature documentary, though it's all animations with a soothing female voice narrating. It starts at the very beginning, stating that all humans start as betas in the womb, but that just like their primary sexes, another set of genes gets activated resulting in alphas and omegas, and if those genes aren't activated, then betas are born. Alphas and omegas are both recessive traits that have a complex presentation that crosses over a couple of different gene markers like eye color and hair do, which can result in them being much less common than betas, who don't have any of those genes to turn on or off. That's also why it's so rare for alphas and omegas to be born from two betas having pups unless they have an alpha or omega ancestor. 

The video goes on from there, describing that the early markers for their designations are in their DNA from early in their development, but that they can't be judged by anything but medical testing from when they're born until they hit puberty, despite common superstitions. During puberty, the genes turn on again as the pituitary gland activates the pup's primary puberty. When that activates for male alphas, it means they develop their ability to knot, while female alphas will find what appeared to be their clitorus lengthening, which is actually their penis pushing out of their body. Their testes stay internal, which can make it harder for them to produce healthy sperm, but they also should, unless there's a medical problem, have a working uterus as well which allows them two avenues for their fertility. That's interesting, if nothing else, but when the section about omegas starts to play, he does his best to not sit up straighter as he listens. 

Female omegas have larger glands along their vagina than a beta or alpha female that help them with the extreme production of slick, as well as a secondary set of muscles inside of their vaginal opening that allow them to 'lock' a knot inside, helping to ensure a higher chance of impregnation within a single mating session. Male omegas don't have a typical vaginal structure, they have something like a cloaca, with the slick glands in their anus along with the additional muscles for locking in a knot. But when those glands start to swell to produce slick, some weird skin flap that the video compares to the thing that closes the esophagus and trachea when eating, closes off the actual rectum, ensuring waste can't be pushed into their vaginal canal when they're being mated. 

The video goes on from there, explaining how when an alpha goes into rut, they will grow more sensitive to smells, more restless, and more aggressive with other alphas, or anyone who seems like a threat to the idea of them getting a mate. Omegas, on the other hand, start to have anxiety about their environment, and will instinctively seek out comfort, food, and the companionship of those they trust, to help take care of them when they're in their heat. It's apparently not uncommon for omegas to gather for their heats at times, creating a large group nest if they don't have mates to take care of them, and then spending their cycles together, taking care of one another, male omegas even producing sterile heat fluid instead of semen. A good heat, one where the omega has the supplies they need, if they've been eating, staying healthy, and feel safe, won't be the agony that Dabi has thought of it all of his life. His mom wasn't safe at all, she definitely wasn't healthy when she was so stressed out of her mind he remembers her leaving frost on everything that she touched. She had a bad mate. Her heats saturated their house with the scent of her pain and misery-- though that was under Enji's possessiveness and determination. 

The video finishes, and Shig finally cracks open the bottle of whisky, having refused to let him start drinking until he watched the video. 

"Questions?" He asks, seeming to still refuse to be bothered as Dabi happily takes the drink and doesn't bother to sip at it and enjoy the flavor, just wanting the burn of something that isn't his blush. 

But he doesn't get a refill until he's managed to mumble, "Not really about the... biological stuff. That was... pretty thorough." 

"So what about the non-biological stuff?" 

Dabi is definitely blushing hot enough that it's probably visible even through his scars. "I don't know. I guess what it's actually like?" When it's not awful, "What's your rut like? Have you been with an omega on it before?" He wouldn't have had the balls to ask that a month ago, but Shigaraki is the one insisting they do this whole song and dance instead of just letting Dabi get overwhelmed when his heat triggers and go from there. 

"I am territorial, I get more irritable, the itching under my skin gets," he winces slightly, "really bad until my cycle actually starts. The first few times, I didn't have anyone around, and I didn't have any toys, and I felt like I was going to stroke myself raw. Later on I got a couple of things that made it easier for me to deal with in the periods of time when I wasn't consumed with my lust." He hesitates for a second, "I have had two of my ruts with an omega." 

Dabi waits, but more details don't seem to be forthcoming. "C'mon, Duster, you can't leave me hanging. Was omega pussy not all that it was chalked up to be?" Maybe that's why he's being so dodgy about this. Maybe he doesn't want to spend Dabi's heat with him. Maybe he doesn't... want him.

"She was fine. During our cycles, I would say she was exactly what I needed, but I didn't know her very well, and I was glad to be rid of her when our cycles were over. I only shared my cycle with her because I needed to lower the scent of my hormones so that I would be able to make my debut at UA and have the scent patches actually work."

"Oh." Dabi hasn't ever heard of an alpha or beta using scent patches. Normally omega use those so that they can pass as betas, because omegas are still often thought of as nothing more than baby making devices. With the patches, they can pass as betas. "Okay, sorry for pushing, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"It's fine, Dabi. It's just not something I can give you a lot of details about. Sex, especially on my cycle, is good. I enjoyed it, she seemed to as well, but it really wasn't that different from sex in general, it was just a lot more frequent and longer than usual. Whatever you're used to, it will be like that, just heightened." He hesitates, "You were upset about the dildo," Dabi blushes and pours himself a new glass. "Have you... never tried anal before?"

Dabi is glad he's pouring because it means that he doesn't have to look up when he admits, "Never tried... anything before, Duster. Think my hormones were too fucked up to let me have a sex drive." He's sure he's going to burn his ears the rest of the way off from how hot they are, "Never even touched myself before."

He doesn't know if he was really expecting mockery. Shig has been really, really good about not mocking him about any of his inexperience and not asking about why he's so fucked up. But he doesn’t think he was expecting the other's natural spicy scent to go so much hotter and roll out through the air in their nest and send a different kind of warmth under his skin. Dabi nearly fumbles the bottle as he looks up and finds red eyes boring into him.

It takes him a second to find his tongue and croak out, "Oh my fucking god, you are such a pervert."

Shig has the good grace to look a little chastised, trying to reign in the way Dabi's admission spiked his arousal so completely. "It's just... very flattering that you would ask me to be your first."

"Yeah, super flattering, so flattering that you finally smell excited about getting to stick your enormous dick in my ass. I can't believe that you have a virginity fetish. You're a weird reclusive gamer. You're supposed to be the virgin!" Dabi huffs.

"Is that so?" Duster doesn't bother to keep the amusement out of his voice.

"Yes." He refuses to look at him, actually taking his second drink a bit more slowly, trying to pretend he doesn't feel a little dizzy from how good he smelled when he was getting hot, and like that smell isn't sitting in their nest all around them. He doesn't want to embarrass himself anymore.

"Are you just going to pout for the rest of the night, firefly?"

Dabi doesn't answer, obstinance the only path forward for his dignity.

"...Do you want to watch some other... unconventionally educational videos about shared cycles?"

"What the fuck does 'unconventionally educational' mean, Shigaraki?" Dabi asks. The other doesn't offer up an answer immediately and Dabi puts the pieces together, "Porn?! Are you asking me if I want to watch porn with you?"

"You asked me to spend your first heat with you and what it would be like. I'm not saying that all porn is realistic, but porn with actual actors on their cycles is much more realistic than anything else. Because instincts are so high, they can't have a crew on set, they just hunker down, turn on the lights and cameras, and do their thing for their cycles, and then it gets cut down to the hottest parts in the editing room. But that might help you get a better idea of what it looks like from an omega's perspective when it happens." 

"You just have an answer for fucking everything, don't you?" 

"If I didn't try, you wouldn't want to follow me , would you?" 

Dabi wants to light him on fire. But that would mean burning up their nest that is so cozy and smells so good with the lingering threads of Shigaraki's arousal in it. So Dabi drinks his second glass, and then curls up more snuggly in the pillows and blankets. "Fine." 

He barely keeps himself from giving Shigaraki so much shit when he doesn't have to go searching up this kind of content, instead just navigating over to his saved files. 

///

They watch three videos. The first is with a male alpha and female omega, the second with a female alpha and male omega, and the last with a male alpha and male omega. Each of the videos has a different porn premise attached to it that Dabi is extremely embarrassed over, the first being a repair person who wanders into the house because the omega hit her cycle too fast to cancel, and she all but throws herself at him. She seems to have a very, very good time though. The second is a femdom playing with her sub, with leather, latex, whips, and chains all in play in addition to their cycles. And the final one is about an omega who has gotten in too deep with his loan shark and is offering up his cycle in exchange for a clean slate. Dabi learns two things from these videos: One, Shigaraki is absolutely a massive kinky pervert whose brain is totally rotted from porn because he doesn't even smell hot while they're watching these together. And two, that... it will be different than he thought it would be. Because the actors remember that they're actors even when they're in their cycles. Their movements get a little sloppy, the cameras having a hard time finding good angles sometimes because they forget that they don't have a crew or director to move the cameras, but they never forget the scenario when they're spouting off their dirty talk. 

Seeing that he won't be completely gone or catatonic the way his mother had always seemed before she went into rut and after she came out of it, means that watching all of these was worth it in the end. It's a relief that he doesn't really even have words for when they finish. He'll still be him in his heat. Duster will still be himself if he goes on his rut too. They're still not finished with the last video, but Dabi uncurls himself from the nest and reaches for Tomura's sleeve. 

Shig blinks, turning to him immediately, "Is it too much, firefly? 

He shakes his head weakly, feeling his embarrassment make his temperature rise again. He pulls on his sleeve a little more insistently and Shig gets the picture, turning his body more towards him, and Dabi leans in. Duster wraps his hand around the back of his neck again, touch always so light and careful, and pulls him in for the kiss he wanted. 

The kisses they shared before were soft and slow, and this one is definitely both of those things, but it's different this time. Because this time, there is a spark that is coursing beneath it. Something that makes Dabi's skin tingle before he's even started to open his mouth for it. And when Tomura's tongue slips inside, Dabi can't help it. He loses control of his scent the way Shig had earlier, and even though his glands are extremely damaged across his neck and wrists, he's only wearing thin sleep pants, and the faint sugary smell of his arousal starts to fill the space between them. He's about to pull away and make some kind of excuse, he doesn't even know why he would do that when they are... something. Definitely having serious conversations about fucking as soon as his heat hits at the very least. Being aroused with him shouldn't embarrass him, and when Tomura's scent starts to get hotter in response, Dabi's relief is immeasurable. 

Tomura knows what he's doing, so he takes charge of the kiss as the sound of the couple fucking spills through the speakers. He licks inside of Dabi's mouth and shows him how that can feel good. He encourages him to tilt his head, to move his lips, to use his own tongue, nervous as he tries to mimic the movements. He doesn't know if he's doing well or if his inexperience is what's making this hotter for Tomura, but he stays smelling warm with his arousal as he kisses Dabi again and again until it's Dabi pulling back with a soft gasp before his teeth are clenching down to keep any other sound out of his mouth. 

There's a deep, unfamiliar ache that is starting in his pelvis and it sours his scent with pain. 

Shig pauses and looks at him, confused. "Are you alright, baby?" 

"I-- I think," he swallows his pride. They were barely making out. "I think my glands are trying to work." 

Tomura blinks, and then his whole expression brightens. "That's good, firefly." 

"Tell that to my fucking nerve endings." 

Tomura has the gall to laugh, but then he moves to press another kiss to his forehead and pause the video. "I'll get you some pain medicine and your heating pad. If it goes away, then you're not in pre-heat yet." 

"And if I am?" 

"Then I'll stay with you, if that's still what you want, Dabi." 

He makes himself meet his eyes. "Okay." It's easier to say that than so bluntly admit to him that's all that he wants. Shigaraki has been with him through every step of him trying to get healthy. He's... the only person Dabi has ever trusted like this. He knows that he'll take care of him and make sure that he feels good. He believes him when he says that he'll be a perfect alpha for him just to prove that he's worthy of everything Dabi has chosen to trust him with. 

And he thinks the other knows him well enough to infer all of that from the simple answer. It earns him another kiss against his forehead and then Shig confiscates the alcohol and gets out of their nest. When he comes back, it's with one of his water bottles from the fridge, the heating pad, and some medicine, and he stays with Dabi as the pad heats and medicine kicks in. 

The ache goes away after about half an hour, but Shig stays for at least a little longer than that, with Dabi curled up against his side, his arm wrapped around him, and tracing the patterns of his scars over his shoulder. He must stay for a little while because he lingers long enough that Dabi falls asleep and can't remember being moved. 

///

Dabi wakes up with sweat soaking his skin, and the pain from the night before so, so much more intense than it was then. Intense enough that Dabi lets out a pitiful whimper and immediately fumbles to turn on the heating pad again, even though it's already sweltering in the enclosed canopy of their nest. Their nest. His and his alpha's. Dabi whines softly, looking around. Tomura isn't here. He doesn't usually stay the night, he knows that, knows that he always comes to see him early in the morning, but he wants him now. 

Okay, well, if he has to wait for him, he can at least fix their nest. Dabi liked being closed inside of the fort, but it's far, far too hot for that now, and the blankets and pillows are a mess. He takes down the overhead sheet, opening up the nest to the cool air of the rest of the room, and then he starts to shift things around. He lays out the waterproof blankets just over the round futon that makes up the base of the nest, to keep it clean, and then he starts to push the pillows around, building up an edge around each part of the bed until there is a rim around the entire thing that makes it feel secure. Dabi feels a tickle in his throat and tries to cough it away, but it persists, and as he lets out the next slow breath, his whole chest starts to hum softly. It takes him a second to realize that despite the discomfort in his pelvis, he's purring as he puts all of the super soft downy blankets Tomura got for him back into the nest. The blankets smell like them too, and as much as Dabi just wants to curl up in the mound with his face in those, he knows that he has to keep being good if he wants to retain permission to go out on the League's debut. 

So Dabi crawls over to the minifridge, really not trusting his legs to not shake badly if he were to try and walk there instead. He doesn't feel hungry, he's just hot, hurting, and anxious. Doesn't matter. He has to be good and make sure he eats something. He usually waits to have breakfast with Tomura, but he wants his alpha to make him feel better, and he will always prioritize making sure that his physical needs are met first. So Dabi takes one of the heat smoothies, something that he can have cold, and something he won't have to worry about having to prepare in any way. Tomura got him the fruity kind instead of the artificially sweet ones and Dabi likes it a lot more than his nutrient shakes. He drinks it quickly, liking the way the chill settles in his stomach, and then refilling his water bottle from the little pitcher in the fridge before he gets the pain meds from the night before and crawls back over to his nest. He turns on the heating pad even though he's already a little too warm, and takes the pills. It's with some hesitation, but he digs out the quirk cuffs from the 'heat box' and puts those on, allowing his temperature to lower enough he doesn't think he'll bake himself alive curling up tight in the blankets with the heating pad until Tomura comes in.

He pulls the blanket that the other man had been laying on the night before right up to his nose. His smell is so good. All that hot spice of an alpha, but the calm pulse of rain going over it all. It's so... reassuring. Tomura has made himself kinder, softer, more responsible for him. He's been spending every day with him despite all of his own work just to make sure that he's alright. He's embarrassed him a lot, but all because he wants him to feel better. Because he... believes he's worth the time. He didn't just throw him away when he needed that help to be everything that he thought he would be when he hired him. He cares about him. Dabi doesn't know if he's had someone who has done that since he was a child. 

It takes another half an hour before Shig knocks on his door and steps inside, and as soon as he does, Dabi is squirming because the discomfort and anxiety switch abruptly to a sharper pain and an overwhelming pulse of heat that goes through his body and tells him that yeah, this really is happening. It's not just a little pang like the night before. He's going into his heat. 

Not even twenty-four hours ago, that prospect terrified him. Now Dabi starts to purr loudly as soon as Tomura takes a step into the room. The pain is more intense, but that's okay because it means his body is doing its best to try and get itself ready to help make both he and his alpha feel good. 

"Tomura," he whines, trying to push himself up in the nest, wanting to bring him closer as fast as possible, even if that means trying to put weight on his shaky legs. 

"Oh, firefly, don't move--" He throws the lock shut and slips out of his shoes at the door, before crossing the room and immediately kneeling down at the edge of the nest. But he doesn't come into it right away. 

"Duster," he sounds more petulant this time, reaching for him again. 

"I know," he says placatingly, "but are you sure--" 

"Get in here and show me how this is supposed to feel good or I'm going to set you on fire!" 

Tomura laughs at him again and reaches into his back pocket, taking out a set of leather gloves with the index finger cut out of them, and slips those on before he climbs into the nest with him. "Okay, baby boy, don't be cranky." He pulses out the smell of his contentment, and Dabi whimpers as that pain gets a little bit sharper and makes him squirm as his legs press together instinctively. That hurts, but the rest of his body is starting to feel tingly, and the smell of Tomura's happiness makes him a little light-headed. He wants his alpha happy. It means that he did a good job remaking their nest. And Tomura doesn't just stop by reassuring him with his scent, he also gathers Dabi close and nuzzles along his shoulder, dragging his nose up the side of Dabi's neck as he holds him, and murmurs, "You did such a good job getting everything ready, Dabi. I promise I'm going to take care of you just as well." He rubs his scent into Dabi's skin and all of the sudden that pain inside of him snaps. 

Dabi lets out an animal keen that he didn't even know he could make as the pain disappears and instead his system is absolutely flooded with the arousal that he thought he should be expecting as an omega in heat. He feels his slick pulse hot down his legs and soak through his pajama bottoms immediately as his cock hardens to the point of aching in a matter of seconds. Holy fucking shit. Dabi doesn't think he's ever felt arousal like this-- no, he's positive that he hasn't. That this is the most intense form of need that has ever been pushed through his body. That he wants to be touched right now, more than he'd even wanted to stop burning in the moments before he'd died. Dabi tangles his hands in Shig's hair, feeling how soft and thick it is, and pulls his face up from his neck so that he can crash their mouths together. 

Tomura's scent is going thicker in the air, even as he lets out another breath of laughter against his lips, which is why Dabi doesn't bite him hard enough to draw blood as he tries to get his tongue into his mouth the way it was last night. His alpha chuffs at him softly, and his hands, made gentle to protect him, are wrapped around his body, pulling him closer even though Dabi is making such a gross mess as the slick smears all over his skin. Dabi saw how much those other omega's could produce, he knew that people called omega's on their heats a 'slip 'n slide', but he had still half thought that it was a figure of speech. He understands just how sincere those things were now as he feels his pajama bottoms clinging to his legs as every drag of Tomura's tongue behind his teeth has a fresh bit of his slick leaking out of his hole with no signs of stopping. Dabi is pretty sure he won't stop until Tomura has his knot sunk deep inside of him and he's full of his cum. 

He doesn't think that last night he was thinking about how good his alpha tastes, but underneath the flavor of his toothpaste, he can find traces of his scent lingering on his tongue, and Dabi would give up breathing entirely if he could just keep licking out that flavor from his mouth. Dabi lets out a moan loudly enough he's a little worried about how thick the walls are as Tomura makes him part, but consoles him by licking across the seam of his chin and nipping at his jawline like his scars aren't even there. Dabi is pretty sure he should be bitching at the other for being gross, but instead the thought of being tasted, of being claimed by the alpha is making him even harder. It's a surprise to him when he realizes that his legs aren't clenched tight together anymore to try to smother the pain of his glands, and instead he's opened them up. That he's wrapped them around Tomura's thigh so that he can rub himself against his leg, his cock aching and leaking almost as badly as his hole as he tries his best to get the other to keep making him feel good. 

Tomura lets out a growl that he's never heard before, a sound so deep and low that it vibrates through Dabi's body and leaves him gasping out another moan. "That's it, baby boy," his voice rumbles against his skin as he noses at his neck, licking at the place where his scent gland should be burned away and making Dabi moan again. He is pretty sure he didn't want to be claimed, but when Tomura gives a gentle nibble against that place, Dabi gets dizzy from how good that it feels. Shig's hands wrap around his hips and he coaxes Dabi's hips into moving against his leg. "I want you to feel so good, firefly. Show me what you like." 

Dabi feels dizzy from how thickly their smells are swirling around the air between them and he's pretty sure that he should just push down his pants so that he can fist his hand around his cock, but he doesn't want to stop clinging to Tomura. Like if he lets go of him, the alpha might abandon him even though he's being swaddled in the reassuring scent of his arousal. But it feels so good to rub himself against Shigaraki's thigh. He's more solidly muscular underneath his jeans, and the thick denim is giving him a tantalizing texture even through his pajama bottoms. He ruts his hips up against his leg again and moans, dropping his head back against the pillows. Tomura chuffs with his approval, leaning over him and grinding his thigh up between Dabi's legs more deliberately, putting more of that wonderful friction against his body. 

"That's it, beautiful. You can have anything that you want. Just let me make your body feel good." 

He's pretty sure that if he weren't plunging deeper and deeper into his heat, he might have protested. He might have been embarrassed over how much of an absolute mess he already is, but it's hard to care about anything else than how good his body is feeling and how nice it is that his alpha is being so sweet and gentle with him. Tomura presses his neck to Dabi's as he lets him move his hips more and more frantically against his leg. The touch of their skin there bleeds out across their entire nest and somehow sparks pleasure behind his eyes like a firework nearly as bright as the actual friction that he's getting against his dick. The way that their scents tangle makes the whole room smell like completeness. He's not alone. He's not hurting. He's with his alpha, and he's going to be safe, cared for, he's going to get to feel good for the first time in his life, and he doesn't have to be scared. He's not going to be abandoned. 

Those thoughts, possibly more than anything else, are what allow Dabi to let go of the last lingering threads of stress in his body and let him sink deeper into the hazy warmth of his heat. He ruts his hips harder and faster, until even just one more little twitch is enough for him to feel his orgasm washing through him for the first time in his life. It isn't like the way that he expected it to be. He thinks that he expected him to feel like he was going to ignite again, and maybe he would have if he didn't have the suppression cuffs tight around his wrists, but instead what he notes is that the pressure growing along his length makes his balls draw up tight to his base like if he were cold, so tense and feeling so full that he's not surprised that he can't keep it all inside. And at the moment of release, his entire cock feels like it's pulsing the sharpest pleasure he's ever felt along each inch of him. It makes the muscles of his thighs shake and fall slack as he feels the forceful ejaculation spill all over the front of his pajama bottoms in ropes that almost ache as he feels each spurt of his cum release from his body. Dabi is breathless from how good it feels, and it takes him a long moment to realize that he's moaning so loudly that his voice cracks as the sound rattles out of his throat. 

"Fuck, that's it, Dabi. You're so cute, little omega," his tone is so teasing, but he can't even protest it when being called that has him letting out a little chirpy noise of bliss. He's the omega. He's the one who's being cute. No one has ever called him cute before. No one has ever helped his body feel good like this before. "And you smell so good." Dabi isn't sure that he's been paying attention to anything but how good Tomura smells, but he does try to find his own scent in the tangled mix of them. He normally doesn't think that he smells like anything other than smoke and burning, but now he can smell himself. There is an overwhelming sweetness coming off of his skin, something that reminds him of caramel, though there is still a little tang of burning in it. The edge of his fire that darkens the smell with a touch of his smoke. He doesn't think it smells that good, but he doesn't really like sweets anyway. "Let me get you out of those wet clothes, baby." 

Dabi is reluctant for it, only because it means that he, apparently, has to let go of Tomura. But his alpha makes it an easier thing to do by making sure he's laying against the nice warm nest, and presses kisses to his lips and across his face, letting out his own deeper, satisfied purr as he does it. Tomura leans back and pulls away his own shirt, his skin, Dabi notices distantly, starting to get warm for the first time against his own. His body is always so cool to the touch, but he likes this a lot. It makes it feel like he's actually seeping into the other's skin. Then he reaches for Dabi's soaked pajama bottoms and Dabi trembles as he makes his soupy muscles work to lift his hips enough for Tomura to pull the fabric off of his legs. 

When he's naked, Dabi is still feeling off-balance, but he tries to push himself up so that he can roll over. Tomura pauses him with his hand against his chest, eyes roaming over Dabi's body like he wants to eat him alive. "Where are you going, firefly? Do you want to stop?" 

Dabi whimpers. He doesn't want that at all. Not when his cock is still just as hard as it was before his entire length was dripping with his cum. His insides feel like they're coiling tighter and tighter, desperately searching for a knot to hold on to. "No, alpha," he doesn't think that's what he meant to call Tomura, but the word slips off his tongue before he can stop it. It doesn't seem like it's a bad thing though. The other man gives another one of those low chuffs of approval and Dabi swallows whatever's left of his pride and keeps going. "...I was going to present," he feels his cheeks go a little hotter. "The way all of the omegas in the... videos did." 

"Oh, precious," Tomura leans in and nuzzles their noses together before peppering his hot face with kisses. "You don't have to do that unless you want to. I would be perfectly happy for you to stay just like this so that I can see how cute your face is when I have you cumming on my knot." 

Dabi lets out a whine that is nothing but humiliation as that has his hole clenching needily and sending a fresh pulse of slick down his thighs. "Need it, Tomura. I-It hurts." He thought he was supposed to stop hurting once he got so hot, but he feels miserable as he waits to get more. 

"I'm sorry, firefly, I'll help you feel better." He promises, his eyes dragging down his body. His hands follow the path of his eyes, tracing over his shoulders, down his chest and rubbing his thumbs over his nipples. The feeling of the soft leather against his skin makes him moan again. His nipples are already more sensitive from his piercings, but the way that they feel now is far more sensitive than they ever have been before, and Dabi finds himself moaning and arching into each touch. Tomura starts to let out a continuous, deep purr as he touches him, hands moving away far too soon so that he can bring them down along Dabi's stomach, one dipping between his legs, and one covered finger, and one uncovered, running up his aching cock, and smearing through his cum. "Never been touched before, but you couldn't help decorating your pretty cock just like the rest of you, could you, baby boy?" 

Dabi can't form a coherent sentence to answer him, he's too busy spreading his legs even wider and scratching his nails up Shigaraki's back. Tomura wraps his hand around his cock and gives him a stroke from root to tip, his length already so soaked that his glove glides across his skin and sends fresh pleasure going through his body. His hand doesn't stay there either though, and Dabi is about to beg for it back, before he sees that Tomura's eyes are starting to glow from how high his instincts are going. And then his hand is moving down, knuckles rubbing against his balls, and then pushing back-- 

He can't believe that just having Tomura's fingers rubbing against his hole can feel almost as good as it did to ride his thigh. "Alpha!" 

It gets him another growl, Shig's scent going hot and him moving his hand to the back of Dabi's thigh, holding his legs open as wide as they can go, and then grinding his still clothed cock against his hole. Just that pressure there has Dabi mewling, his breath hitching in his throat. "You were so nervous before, little one." Tomura's voice sounds deeper, richer in some way that Dabi doesn't quite understand, but that makes his own instincts feel like they're about to go insane. He wants to have him, wants to have more, but he doesn't know how to get it. "Are you ready to feel what your body was made for now?" 

Yes, yes, that's exactly what he wants. "Please, alpha," he pulls at Shig's shoulders, trying to get him to lean in again. He'd give him his mouth, his throat, every inch of his body if he brings him through this the way he promised to. 

Tomura kisses him again, but Dabi is sure he's doing it mostly to distract him from immediately protesting when his hips move away from his own again. But the kiss is good, beyond that, because his alpha's fangs have dropped, and Dabi realizes what that rumble in his voice must have been. The edge of command that he was trying to keep at bay as Tomura starts to fall into his rut right alongside Dabi's heat. He can't help but chirping and purring, wrapping his arms around his neck and arching up against his body to show his pleasure as his alpha proves exactly how badly he wants him as his hormones rush to meet Dabi's own. 

The other moves over him for a second and then there's the sound of heavier fabric hitting their nest before Tomura is lowering his hips back between Dabi's legs again. His hands curl around his hips and he angles Dabi's body up a bit more so that he can rub the hot head of his cock through his slick and between his cheeks, before teasing against Dabi's hole. Whatever thread of sense was left in him frays apart in his hand at that feeling. Tomura is big. Anything is big against his hole that hasn't ever had something trying to push inside, and he is breathless as the worry that it won't fit comes rushing back. But the wave of lust that follows immediately on its heels drags him under the tide and makes him delirious. 

Whatever tangled scent he's putting out, the tiny whimper that slips from his throat, has his alpha chuffing and nuzzling against his cheek. He licks his skin and that helps to soothe his anxiety a bit. "It's alright, firefly, do you want to start slower?" He shifts to get his hand back between them, bringing his fingers against his hole again which is definitely less intimidating, but not at all what his body wants. "Can open you up just like this. Have you bounce on your pretty toy until you're desperate to be full of my cum." 

His instincts are screaming against his nerves, telling him that he wants that, not to be stuffed up with some toy. He wants his alpha's knot. He wants Tomura to be the first person he has inside of him. He wants to be good for his alpha and help him through his rut the way he promised he would help Dabi through his heat. The way he's been helping Dabi ever since he got here. It's so hard for him to find his words, but he has to manage it if he wants to do any of that. "Just want you, Tomu." His voice is weak and breathless, the need pulsing under his skin like a second heartbeat. 

"Yeah?" There's no mistaking the possessive, pleased rumble in Tomura's voice as he says that. "Okay, baby boy, do you want me to help you relax? It will make it easier." He asks, nosing at his skin and scenting him as many times and ways that he can as he moves so his cock can rub against his hole again. He teases around his rim, both of their skin getting even more soaked as he does so, because Dabi's body is so close to getting what he needs and he can barely string together a coherent thought in his head. He doesn't manage to make a coherent word, just whining high in the back of his throat as he nods his head frantically, holding tight onto the other as he tentatively grinds his hips back so that he can feel him a little more as well. Tomura gives him another slow, deep kiss, and then he breathes, his eyes glowing so bright as they look into his, "Relax."

Dabi's muscles go so weak. He didn't even realize how much he was holding back, but he barely can keep his hands over the other's shoulders, and his legs fall open as wide as they can. There's a fresh gush of slick pouring into their nest as those internal muscles finally loosen from the perpetual tautness that has been plaguing him since he woke up this morning. He lets out a low breath and starts to purrs softly as Tomura starts to press inside. 

He is big. He's so big, and his head is blunt, and he surely can't actually be made to fit a knot inside of him the way he saw those other omegas take it. But his body is helpless to try and tense as Tomura rubs against him a few more times, each rock of his hips teasing him with a little more pressure until his hole is being forced wider around him. 

The moment that his head presses inside of him with a soft pop, Dabi sees stars. The pressure of having something inside is beyond anything he's ever felt before, and even just his head is so much and his instincts cry out how good it is. He hasn't ever felt this good in his life. Even his first orgasm can't possibly compare to how wonderful he feels having his alpha starting to open up his body and push inside. Tomura chuffs and licks at his neck, telling Dabi without words that he's still so safe, that he's not going anywhere, that he's going to keep giving his body this pleasure that he doesn't have words for. He is going to make him feel better and better, until he can't keep it contained anymore and he falls apart completely, and then Tomura will probably keep giving kisses to all of his scattered parts. 

His alpha goes so slowly, pressing in inch by delicious, agonizing inch, and there are so many of those. Dabi didn't get a good look at him, but he would absolutely believe from how blindingly full he's feeling, that he's definitely getting more than eight inches of him. And by the time their hips are flush, they're both panting. Dabi's whole body is shaking, his eyes squeezed tight, some bubble of emotion in his throat that he doesn't have a name for as he's given what he needs. Tomura presses kisses to his face, over his forehead, his eyelids, along his cheeks. He purrs for him in response, and slurs around his own tongue that seems to have gotten heavier with his pleasure and heat, 

"Shh, it's alright, firefly. You're okay. You're doing such a good job, baby. You took me all the way inside your very first time. Your body was made for this, precious. You're perfect." 

Perfect. Dabi hasn't been perfect for such a long time. He thought he didn't believe in perfect anymore. But when Tomura says it, when he manages to open his eyes and look up at him, seeing his hair wild and mussed from how he's been pulling at it, seeing the flush across his cheeks that has finally brought life into his pale skin, his red eyes that are still glowing so brightly as he looks at him with no hesitation, no doubt, only a naked, searing affection-- Dabi can believe it again. Maybe not about him. But Tomura promised he would try to be a perfect alpha for him. Dabi isn't sure what else he could possibly do to prove he is like this. He doesn't know what the fullness behind his ribs is, but it's almost as distracting as the fullness inside of his hole, and the way that his body chooses to deal with the first is by forcing more bloody tears down his cheeks in a soft sob as he clings to Tomura. 

"Alpha," he doesn't have to explain that he's not crying because he's scared, or because he wants to stop. Tomura can feel him, can smell him. He knows what Dabi means and he just starts to purr for him again, even louder, as he licks and kisses the bloody tears off of his cheeks like he doesn't have to be ashamed of his ruined body. He proves to him that he wants him anyway when he rolls his hips into Dabi's, moving his cock inside of him and making every inch of his desperate hole light up with the need to be filled even more. 

"Let me love you slowly the first time," Tomura murmurs against his skin. "And then I'll give you anything else you could ever want for the rest of our cycles, firefly." 

All Dabi can do is give a weak nod, more tears trickling down his cheeks. He doesn't think he's heard anyone use even the vaguest concept of 'love' when it comes to him in over a decade. He'll take as much of it as he can get from the other man right now though. 

Tomura does go slow. He starts just by rolling their hips together in slow, undulating movements, teaching Dabi's body how to move along with them. Each one makes him a little more breathless than the last, the movements warming up his insides, getting them a little more relaxed, and not already clenching onto his cock so tightly when his knot hasn't even started to swell yet. He does it no matter how much he must also be wanting to fuck him hard and knot. He gives it to him gently because he wants Dabi's first heat to be enjoyable more than he wants to make up for the two unremarkable ruts he had before him. But when he's starting to whimper and try to make the soft rhythm a little more impactful, Tomura starts to draw his hips back. He slips a few inches of his cock out of Dabi's body and then rolls his hips again, sinking back inside. And oh! The pressure was good before, the rolling movements were so nice to stretch him open and made his insides feel warm and soft. But the friction of having Tomura's thick cock slide back as deep as it can go, that is delicious. Dabi keens, and the sound hitches on his breath, and then is nothing but a purr as he wraps his legs tight around Tomura's waist so that he can keep having that immediately. 

Tomura kisses his skin so gently, kisses his lips, keeps making sounds that tell Dabi how good he's being for him, how good they're making each other feel. But he keeps their pace slow, like he said he would. He doesn't pound into his hole the way they watched the other alphas do to their omegas in the videos. He just gives him his cock slowly and perfectly over and over again until there is nothing but their pleasure cycling between their bodies. 

Dabi's second orgasm feels so different from his first as it builds in his body. The health video said that the internal stimulation would pull the attention from his cock, and it absolutely has. He's sure he would be complaining about how long he's been so hard if it weren't for the fact that every measured thrust inside of him is turning every muscle in his body into liquid heat as his pleasure builds under his skin until he's sure that he's going to erupt. But he isn't going over the edge. It's like Tomura is holding a lid over that peak, and he is absolutely helpless not to obey and wait for him as he tries to get more. 

He doesn't understand what he was making him to wait for until he starts to feel his hole being forced to stretch a little wider again as he feels his alpha's knot start to swell. "Are you ready, firefly? I want to make you mine so badly. Want to have my spend soaking your insides, want your slick to smell like me for the rest of your cycle. Want to see you crying as you cum on my knot as I push inside." Tomura's voice is so thick with his own arousal, his growls and purrs slurring the words, his fangs glistening, and eyes still ruby red as he speaks. 

Dabi doesn't have words for how badly he wants that too, but his body is able to answer for him, a fresh gush of slick going across his thighs to help open him up even more for his alpha's knot, as he feels a pain in his jaw for the first time as his own fangs drop to show his alpha he doesn't just want his knot, but that he would take his bite as well if he deigns to give it to him. 

Seeing his teeth like that seems to strip away the last little bit of Tomura's measured control. He can't help the snarl he lets out, the sound demanding, possessive, and good instead of frightening. A sound that tells Dabi that he's so completely and deeply wanted that his alpha would kill anyone who might ever be stupid enough to try to take Dabi away from him. He kisses him hard and their fangs click, and their lips bleed, and that tangle of their blood on their tongues might as well be a drug from how high it sends Dabi into the clouds. He doesn't think that he'll ever have words for how perfect he feels like this. Even more perfect when his alpha builds their pace. Dabi holds onto him tighter, meets each one of his harder thrusts that has their bodies making obscene sounds as they move. 

The moment that Tomura's knot forces its way inside of him, swelling completely as he starts to cum, Dabi's nails tear through his back as he arches hard and cums with him. Stars explode through his body, that eruption actually a series of supernovas going through him as his alpha makes him feel so good that Dabi is certain without the cuffs, he would have become a sun from how he feels. His walls clench down so hard on Tomura's length, letting him feel every perfect, pulsing inch of him as he cums so much. Dabi has been soaked practically all morning, but nothing could possibly have prepared him for feeling the way that this does, now that he's being filled with the other's seed instead of just having his slick rush out of him. There's so much of it, it makes him feel blindingly full, and it is so satisfying in a way that his animal mind can't possibly articulate. He just knows that he's supposed to be satisfied. That he's supposed to feel like his purpose has been met and be ready to settle and cuddle for a while until they unlock. 

But Dabi wants it even more, and he's barely noticed that he's spilled his own cum between their bodies for a second time before he's starting to roll his hips again. Tomura chuffs at him, the sound absolutely amused. He can't thrust inside of him the way he was before. Not when he's locked inside. But he can do that good rolling thing that they were doing before. 

"You want more, precious?" 

Dabi manages a nod, and Tomura gets a hand under the small of his back and uses a strength that Dabi didn't know he had to lift him. Tomura lays back in their soiled nest and gets Dabi's knees wide around his hips, pressed into the bedding. "Okay, firefly, find what feels good," he murmurs, his eyes still glowing and his own arousal not fading in the slightest. "If you do a good job, I'll get to fill you up again without even taking my knot out of your pretty hole. Won't that be nice, baby boy? You'll be so full of my cum." He moves his hand to Dabi's lower abdomen, not minding the cum that gets smeared obscenely over his gloves. "Mm, maybe you'll get so full that I'll be able to see it." 

That has no right to make him so blindingly needy so immediately on the heels of his last orgasm, but Dabi can't do anything but keen and start to try to work out how much he can actually fuck himself on his alpha's cock before his knot shrinks. 

///

The rest of their cycle is a blur for the most part. Dabi just knows that he felt perfect, that Tomura took such good care of him, that he made sure he ate even though all he wanted was to mate and sleep. That he held him close and kissed him. that he never once tried to bite him, no matter the fact that Dabi essentially used his throat as a chew toy after their first round because he wanted Shigaraki to own him so badly. But he didn't let his neediness sway him. He also has the vague memory of being stuffed full of the dildo and his alpha's cock at the same time and how good that felt too, how his alpha called his hole so greedy even though it was his first time, and how that embarrassment had just made everything feel even better. But he doesn't think about that too much when they come out of their cycle. 

What he thinks about instead is the fact that Shigaraki doesn't pull away. He helps Dabi clean up his space and remake his bed. He orders them a bunch of food and then they both go into the shower together and wash each other's hair and skin until they're clean. He brings Dabi right back to his now clean bed once they're dry, and then he slowly and meticulously scents every inch of Dabi's skin, and lets him do the same. Then he holds him close and lets him lick and nuzzle at his throat, purring all the while until their food arrives. Tomura makes sure he eats every bite of what he needs to make up for all the activity, and in a day or so, when their hormones have cycled lower, and Dabi admits that he's dreading having the examination that he was told he would have to after his heat, Tomura asks if he wants him to come with him. 

He holds his hand the whole time, and gets Dabi bitching and arguing with him over nothing to distract him from how vulnerable he feels laid out on the doctor's table. 

///

"That's dumb as shit, Shigaraki." Dabi snaps as they debrief with the others. 

"Toga--" 

"Already has an assignment. If she can get the blood of as many students as she can, then we'll be in a way better position to infiltrate the school later on, either by using her, or Twice's doubles. Unless your almighty teacher is going to actually disclose who the spy he has in UA actually is?" He challenges. He swears to god that Spinner and Compress have backed off a little from the table, but he doesn't give a shit. If they think that this is going to escalate and want to be pussies about it, then that's on them. 

Shig scratches at his neck, his mask on and hiding his expression from Dabi, but he knows that the other man isn't pleased. But he made Dabi the leader for this job. He's going to lead, and he's going to prove that no matter how much time he was absent from the training with the others, that he's not weak. He's back, he's better, he absolutely deserves the position that Shigaraki has given him, and not just because all of them know he's taking his knot as often as he can get it, even with their cycles over. "Fine." 

Dabi tries not to be too smug over that and goes right back to laying out where the others will be when they hit the summer camp. 

By the time the meeting is done and Dabi has done the requisite socializing with the others, he's more than ready to be back upstairs in their room. Duster still technically has his own room, he still pretends to sleep there when his teacher calls and asks how things are going, but not five minutes after Dabi's inside, the door is opening again for his alpha, who steps inside and immediately pulls the hand from his face. It soothes him immediately to see his face again. He got so used to being able to see him, that whenever they're doing villain shit with the others and he's hiding, Dabi feels an uncomfortable distance between the two of them. 

But Tomura looks at him, and he's not frustrated with him snapping or talking back to him during the meeting. He knows exactly what to expect from Dabi at this point. He just looks lightly chastising as he steps into his space and wraps his hands carefully around Dabi's hips. Dabi starts to purr immediately as he leans in to get his kiss, but Tomura doesn't give it. "You skipped your afternoon snack, firefly." 

"Moonfish was having one of his, and it put me off my appetite. Figured we could make up for it tonight and order something terrible." 

Tomura hums and gives him his peck then. "Yeah? Terrible how?" 

"Something super greasy and bad for us so we end up not wanting to move for the rest of the night." So they can curl up in his bed together, cuddled close while Dabi watches Tomura play his games and he gets to feel cherished the way that Tomura hasn't stopped letting him feel since their cycle. 

He gets another kiss and a soft purr out of his alpha too. "If you wanted pizza that badly, you didn't have to make an excuse, baby boy. You want potatoes on it?" 

"Yeah," he doesn't need to stay in Tomura's space, he barely let him even get into the room, but he likes being close, and his alpha doesn't seem to mind, letting him tuck his head against his shoulder so that he can breathe in his scent like he's been starving for it all day. "Thanks." 

"Anything for you, firefly." He presses a kiss to Dabi's temple, and Dabi lets his own purrs start to rumble quietly between them. He knows that. Tomura will do anything for him, and at this point, Dabi is pretty sure that despite all of his good sense, that sentiment goes both ways. 

He enjoys this closeness for every second he can get it, only relenting when his stomach growls, and then, as soon as they've actually ordered their food, they're settling into the bed to be close again until it arrives. He thinks that he might not be the only one who was a mess before he got here, but he's just glad that they're both so invested in getting back on the right track. Just glad that he has Tomura with him, because he doesn't think he would be able to enjoy being an omega as much as he does now if he didn't have such a perfect alpha right beside him. 

Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed, please consider leaving a comment/ask!

[pleathewrites]

bellow the fire into my deadened lungs

chapter 1 excerpt — what are your thoughts on child abuse? + burncare read full story here

September

Meeting semi-regularly with Hawks has been… ‘Strange,’ Dabi thinks. 

The Number Two’s got a bad temper, hates being out of the loop, and hates it more when Dabi can’t be bothered to spare more than a few words at him. Dabi mostly makes Hawks do small jobs — gather bits of mild information and tail certain lower-ranked heroes. Dabi doesn’t ask for any top secrets because he has a feeling Hawks would only feed him lies. ‘Why?’ Because that’s what Dabi does. 

But the Bird has interesting thoughts. 

Dabi will admit — seeing Hawks’ speech during the Hero Ranking ceremony was wildly entertaining. Dabi assumed the hero had a flair for the dramatic, but he never thought the guy would be so bold to make such a scene on national live television. 

“Who’s gonna be happy hearing that? Stain?”

Dabi remembers Spinner’s spit-take at Hawks’ interruption of Edgeshot trying to seem oh, so humble. 

“You don’t think we need to change how we do things?... Why are those less accomplished than me playing it safe?”

Dabi remembers the way Toga’s eyes sparkled, the way even Shigaraki started to tilt his head in consideration. Dabi thinks the raining feathers were a bit over the top since the guy was already fucking floating, but he’ll admit it was a nice touch.

But his favorite — “Now, go ahead, Number One Hero, with a lower approval rating than me.”

Dabi actually let out a snort, at that one. 

It’s been a few weeks since that broadcast, but ever since, Dabi’s interest in the hero has been considerably piqued. 

He sent Hawks a set of coordinates and a time to meet about an hour ago. He’s late himself, but only by thirty minutes, and, well, he’s a villain.

He immediately spots the stupid little bird because, in an industrial town full of grey, that stupid yellow suit is an absolute eyesore. 

“You don’t own any other clothes, Hero?” 

Back turned, with only crimson wings in his view, Dabi hoped the guy would have jumped. Dabi’s been told he can be as quiet as a ghost, but then he remembers Hawks telling him something about telepathic feathers and sound vibration. 

“Dabi!” Hawks twirls halfway with that stupid grin of his, “You’re actually early. For you.”

“Say my name louder, would you. Might as well dial up the Commission right now and let ‘em know you turned, while you’re at it,” The words are worried, but Dabi’s tone stays neutral because they both know the Commission is already informed about every single one of their meetings. It’s just Hawks who thinks Dabi’s dumb as rocks. 

“We’re in a literal alleyway in one of the sketchiest towns in Japan, dude.”

“Tch,” Dabi’s nose scrunches in a sneer, ‘Of course he’d consider this town to be sketchy, just because it’s a little run down.’

Hawks scratches at the back of his head, “Though, I guess you got a point. I — uh, heh, I didn’t have time to change. Patrol and all.” 

Dabi deadpans, “You can spare ten minutes. It’s not gonna kill you,” and Hawks still looks weirdly apologetic so he adds on, “Birdy, you’re acting like I’m the one who’s gonna be waitin’ up on you. Has that been the trend, so far?”

“You know, now that you bring it up…” And Dabi just thinks, ‘oh, Gods, no,’ while Hawks puts a gloved finger to his chin, “Why are you always late?”

Dabi doesn’t answer. 

Hawks puts his hands up in mock surrender, “Alright, fine. Be mysterious, whatever,” Then clasps his hands behind his back. Dabi thinks that’ll be the end of that, but Hawks loves the sound of his own voice too much, “You villains are so dramatic.”

Dabi gapes, and lays his hand over his chest in offense, “I’m dramatic?” He scoffs — he cannot stand half the shit that comes out of this smart-ass’s mouth. His hand leaves his chest to point at the Number Two, “This coming from the guy that not only interrupted a rank ceremony but made it rain feathers while he did it? Braggin’ about his own approval rating while floating in the fuckin’ air?”

And — ‘oh shit’ — Dabi should have kept his mouth shut. 

Because he sees the bastard’s golden eyes fucking gleam, and crimson feathers ruffle, “Eh? You keepin’ tabs on me, Hot Stuff?” and he starts to lean in, close enough for Dabi to feel the need to reel back, his nose a mere inch away from Dabi’s own, “Ya like watchin’ me?” Pale eyelashes flutter.

Dabi’s had enough. 

He hears a muffled ‘oomph!’ as his scarred hand pushes Hawks’ face away, “Don’t fuckin’ flatter yourself, the ceremony was national news.”

Hawks pulls back and laughs a little. It’s a breathy sound, almost a rumble with how deep the guy’s voice is, but it’s always quiet. Tired. 

Dabi’s stomach chooses that moment to let out a loud and horrifying grumble. 

Hawks’ bushy eyebrow lifts in question, and Dabi can feel the blood gather in his cheeks, humiliation warming his usually cool skin. 

“So, there is a reason you look like a bag of bones,” Hawks says.

Dabi knows the guy is trying to be cheeky, but it hits harder than intended because, ‘Yeah, I haven’t eaten all fuckin’ day,’ and the only thing he does remember eating is cheap instant udon, yesterday. He put a boiled egg in it for protein, but that stuff only goes so far.

Luckily, Hawks continues without needing a response from Dabi, “C’mon, I’m hungry, too, and I saw a chicken place around here. On me, the place is probably cheap, anyway, considering,” and waves his hand around broadly, referring to their current location.

Usually, this is the part where ‘Person B’ says something like, ‘I don’t need your charity!’ but Dabi isn’t prideful enough to deny free sustenance, especially since he can’t even remember the last time he ate real meat. 

So, he shrugs, “Lead the way. But first, button up your fuckin’ jacket and take off your glasses, for fuck’s sake. I know you can move your feathers, so — I dunno, move ‘em under your jacket, or somethin’. Hide them.”

And Hawks actually has the audacity to pout, “I hate compressing my wings.”

“Gods,” Dabi groans to the sky, “It’s just for the walk there.”

After grumbling some more, mostly to himself, Hawks relents and leads the way to a mostly empty chicken shop with neon signs and shiny wooden floors. They sit in a booth at the farthest corner, and order. 

Hawks is somewhat right — food is cheap in a town like this. Dabi’s not well-versed in all things economics, but he knows an underfunded town is a wanted-villain’s safest haven. The residents of such towns rarely call for police — police mean heroes, and heroes mean collateral damage; the residents of this town already struggle to make ends meet with their healthy bodies and standing businesses. One bad fight can end in dozens of collapsed buildings, and an overflow of the nearest already-at-capacity hospital. 

‘As long as you don’t cause too much trouble, the residents here won’t even bat an eye at you, no matter how wanted you are.’

Dabi takes off his facemask and hood when their food is served, and Hawks lets his wings out with a ruffle. The hero begins to dig in, but his gloves stay on.

“Isn’t this cannibalism, for you?”

The previous expression of excitement on Hawks’ face drops, “Ha ha. You’re so clever. I’ve never heard that one before.”

“Fuck off.”

“No, seriously, you should be a comedian.”

“Go to hell. It was actually a semi-serious question.”

A smile quirks at the corner of Hawks’ lips, “Just let me eat in peace, man.”

And so, they eat for a bit, mostly in silence, until Dabi decides the silence feels suffocating. Hawks isn’t asking any questions, not his usual, ‘so whaddya got for me, today?’ and it leaves Dabi with his own thoughts.

After finishing about half his plate, Dabi finally asks what’s been on his mind since watching the Bird on television. 

“What are your thoughts on child abuse?” 

Hawks freezes, a chicken piece halfway through his open mouth when he looks up at Dabi, muffling out, “What?” 

Dabi lets his chin rest on his palm, curling his greasy fingers inwards to avoid his seams, “Humor me, Hero. Got a penny if ya need one.” 

Hawks swallows and puts down his fork — ‘eating chicken wings with fuckin’ utensils, what a priss.’ 

“Uh, gonna need a little bit more context here, man…”

He looks so wary.

Dabi sighs and spells it out for the dumb bird, “What would you do, as a hero, if you received a report of child abuse?”

Hawks takes a moment, scratching at his goatee, “Well, investigate, then hopefully make an arrest,” He shrugs, “Abusers should be jailed. I dunno what you want from me beyond that. Random question, dude.”

Dabi, more or less, ignores the confusion in Hawks’ eyes, but he does take note of how Hawks hasn’t continued eating. The hero is sat back, waiting for Dabi to provide the clearly missing context. 

Dabi has to know what kind of person he’s dealing with, because meeting Hawks this past month and seeing his actions on live television make Dabi… tentatively hopeful — about what, he’s not sure, but Dabi doesn’t like surprises, so he has to ask.

“Mm. But, what if that same abuser shows kindness to everyone else, outside those few people?” 

At that, Hawks lets out a scoff, “It’s usually an act, man. Why are you asking me this? I mean, like, yes, yeah it doesn’t matter if they treat others differently. Doesn’t make up for what they’re doing, the people they’re hurting.”

“Uh-huh,” Dabi’s eyes never leave Hawks’ face, noting the expressive curl of blonde eyebrows, bushed up in earnest to match his glinting frown, “And if other people are, say, ‘counting on them’?”

Those blond eyebrows furrow closer, wild hairs almost touching, “What do you mean?” 

Dabi tilts his head away from the palm it rests on and unfurls those fingers one-by-one to count off, “World leaders, presidents, peace figures.... heroes,” and even Dabi knows his voice took a sharp turn at the last item, and he doubts Hawks had missed it.

“I… No, no, it’s still wrong. It’s complicated, yeah, but... it doesn’t matter how much good someone does if that same person is going off to abuse someone else. Especially their own family.”

Dabi doesn’t know why, but hearing that come from a hero does something to him, speaks to a too-short past life, and validates the soft blindspot of his otherwise iron conscience.

Dabi picks off a piece of his own chicken and takes a bite, “Yeah, we’ll see.”

Meanwhile, Hawks looks completely out of sorts. He’s biting his lip, his hand coming up to rub the knuckle of his gloved index right underneath it. 

Dabi waits. 

“I… I didn’t spend a lot of my life with my birth parents. They were abusive. And they were… y’know, what everyone would call ‘bad people’. Drug addicts, thieves. Probably other things, too, I dunno,” and Dabi is listening to every single word, food completely forgotten. Hawks isn’t looking at him, lidded eyes are directed more towards Dabi’s shoulder, and that’s okay because Dabi hasn’t spoken a single word of his own abuse, so he’s not going to judge how others do it. 

The blond’s head shakes, “Ah,” and clearing gold eyes look back to Dabi, “Point is, even they didn’t face consequences for what they did to me. My dad… He’s in jail, but it’s not for what he did to me. And my mom… Commission paid her a hefty check to adopt me, so she's probably off living an even better life — or maybe dead from overdose, I dunno.” 

“Sounds hard,” it’s a shitty response, but Dabi doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t want to reveal his own story, but for all that’s broken and wrong and rotted inside of him, he still feels empathy towards this guy, towards the Number Two Hero.

‘Birds of a feather, ‘n all that.’

“Yeah, well. Just makes me think, if apparently ‘bad people’ can get away with the crime of child abuse — people with practically zero social or economic influence — then, how do the same institutions hold someone with real status accountable?”

Against his desire to appear aloof, Dabi feels the sharp tug of his own lips pulling into a small smile, “Askin’ all the right questions. Best ones have no answer.”

Hawks laughs, and it's the same one as the alley, low and quiet. Soft. 

Dabi wonders if the guy lets himself laugh often. He smiles a lot, that’s for certain, but smiles are always easier to fake than laughter.  

“I have a feeling a lot of villains have this kind of backstory, or something similar, huh.”

“As you?” Dabi raises a brow, the easiest kind of expression he can do to the lack of staples there, a constant reminder of his ‘backstory,’ like he’s a fucking manga character,  “Maybe. ‘Cept they weren’t saved by anyone. No one’s jumpin’ up and down to take care of us. That’s the difference between us,” his index finger flicking back-and-forth in the space between them, “Heroes ‘n villains.”

The laugh that leaves Hawks is wrong this time. It’s bitter and booming — dark, and not nearly as lovely as Dabi found the others.

“Saved. Yeah. Yeah, you’re right.”

Dabi’s stomach churns something sick. He hopes it’s the chicken.

*

The next time Dabi is supposed to meet Hawks, the skin around the staples of his hands feels like it’s on fire. Red, itchy, and, ‘Oh Gods,’ Dabi thinks he’s starting to see something white seep out the seam of his right wrist.  

He used up the last of his supplies two weeks ago. Right now, the only things he has in his apartment are gauze, soap, and tap water that can be boiled. 

Dabi thinks about calling one of the League members, any of them, but after Kamino, there’s been wanted posters of their faces plastered everywhere, mostly definitely around cities nice enough to have open pharmacies.

He calls Hawks. 

“Hello! Where are ya, hot stuff? I’ve been waitin’ for half an hour, and I even took the time to change my clothes.”

Dabi rolls his eyes at the nickname and grips the phone tighter. It makes his wrist burn. He doesn’t waste any time, “Do you have access to any antiseptics or disinfectants right now? Strong ones. Or maybe even antibiotics, like silver sulfadiazine?”

“Burn cream? Uh… not, like, I don’t have any on me. I could get some? Is everything alright?”

Dabi closes his eyes and rubs his brow, “Yeah, I’m gonna send you some new coordinates. Bring the supplies here. And hurry.”

He hangs up and sets to boiling some water. 

Three loud knocks later echo through Dabi’s apartment, and he yells, “Come in!” as he pats his wrists dry with a paper towel. 

“Dabi?” Hawks’ voice rings through the apartment and his large wings come into view from where Dabi stands in the kitchen. Hawks takes his shoes off at the entryway — ‘how well mannered.’ — and perks up when he spots the scarred man.

“Hey! So, I got an assortment of things. Hydrogen peroxide, saline, antibacterial ointment, got the silver sulfadiazine like you asked — that shit is expensive without a coupon — and, oh! I got these, like, film coverings, pharmacist calls ‘em ‘nanocrystalline silver dressing’ , supposed to be better for fighting infection,” He shrugs, “I also went ahead and got some other things like gauze, dressing, Q-tips, pins,” and sets the plastic bag on the countertop,  “Here, take a look.”

Dabi does, with his eyes because he doesn’t want his freshly cleaned wrists getting even more infected with whatever bacteria could be on the plastic bag or any of these items. 

“... Damn. Thanks, Birdy,” He’s honestly shocked Hawks got this much stuff. 

He ignores the way his heart beats faster, ‘Might finally be the sepsis.’

When Dabi looks back up at the guy, his feathers are wiggling again, something Dabi has come to understand what the hero does when he’s somewhat pleased, “Uh, can you wash your hands over there in the sink and pull out the… Hm, the silver dressing, white dressing, and the gauze? Just set it on the counter, I’ll be right back.”

Dabi walks over to his bathroom, hearing the affirmative, “Sure!” from the hero, and closes the door with his elbow. 

He needs a minute. 

‘I can’t believe I just let an undercover hero into my apartment. Am I going to have to move? Fuck… fuck, fuck!’

“Shit,” he whispers to himself as he opens his medicine cabinet and fetches a pair of tweezers and a box of latex gloves.

‘I can’t believe he bought all that stuff. Dude’s loaded, that’s fine and all, but… what the fuck? I only asked for the burn cream…’ 

Dabi shakes his head, closes the medicine cabinet, and is greeted with the reflection of his own confused expression, etched by a small crack at the upper left side. He takes a minute to look at the man staring back at him, looking at his scars and his freshly dyed roots. He knows he’s a frightening sight, something out of nightmares and horror movies. 

He hates looking at himself, sometimes. He knows others do, too. 

Some nights, the vulnerability of his upsettingly-human psyche will claw its way out like the vicious beast it is, and force him to understand his loneliness. On those nights, he will understand why people turned away a half-dead teen, why store owners chased him out with their bats and mops, and why heroes will always, always attack on-sight upon seeing Dabi’s face. 

He will understand why the League’s bar is really the one place he can ever sip his drink in peace and enjoy the burn at the back of his throat without some prick trying to slip him paper bills in exchange for things he can’t even say out loud. On those nights, the righteous anger will leave his body like steam from boiling water, and leave him hollow and cold and so, very, very alone. 

He wonders if tonight will be one of those nights. 

“Uh, Dabi? You alright in there?”

Dabi blinks out and away from his reflection, ‘Maybe not,’ and leaves his bathroom. 

When he comes back to the kitchen, all the supplies he asked for are out and ready to use. Hawks sits on Dabi’s only stool, waiting.

Dabi didn’t get a chance to really look at the guy, until now. The hero did end up changing his attire for tonight — black sweatshirt, normal jeans that are still on the baggier side, and black boots closer to the kind in fashion magazines than those hideously yellow rainboots he normally tends to wear. When Dabi lifts his eyes back up, he notices the hero’s hair looks a bit different, a little more chaotic, and a little less stiff — it looks soft. 

‘Oh, pull it fucking together.’

Dabi clears his throat and hands over the box of latex gloves, “Do you mind helping me out? I just need you to do this wrist, and then I can work on the other.”

Hawks is nodding and stretching the gloves over his hands before Dabi even finishes his sentence. 

“Y’know, your place isn’t anything like I’d thought it’d be. ‘S nice. Clean.” 

Dabi hears a snap! and a muttered, “shit.”

He opens his mouth to ask what’s wrong before he looks at Hawks’ hand, and sees matte black claws curving out fingers loosely lined with tattered blue latex.

“Oh.”

“Heh,” Hawks laughs, a bit nervously, “Sorry ‘bout that. My own gloves are so thick, I forget I have these.”

“Why am I just now seeing these?” Dabi wonders out loud, eyes glued to the tips of talons he could have sworn that, for a split second, sparkled at him, “Shit. Those are fucking sharp, man. You’re tellin’ me you don’t fight with ‘em?” He doesn’t really pay attention to broadcasts of hero fights but from the ones he’s seen, the Number Two’s hands were always gloved.

“Ah,” Hawks starts to pull a fresh latex glove over his hand again, leaving some space between the ends of each finger for his talons this time, “That wouldn’t be very heroic, would it? There’d be a lot of… blood. Kids don’t need to see that kind of gore in the news, y’know.”

Dabi raises an eyebrow, “I… guess....” 

Honestly, Dabi thinks that’s a bullshit excuse, to not use something so clearly advantageous in serious combat, especially when the hero's life is on the line practically every day, ‘Even if he doesn’t want to use them, why does he cover them?’

He lets the matter be, for now, and looks over the directions on the box of the nanocrystalline silver dressing. He reads it twice, just to make sure. 

Hawks speaks up, apparently needing to hear his own voice again, “The directions say that for exudative wounds, you should apply the dressing dry.”

“Yeah, I see that.”

“So... Let’s get started!” 

Dabi huffs. He hates that he needs help but he’s always been shit with his right hand, and he doesn’t want to risk dropping anything. He lays his left hand out towards Hawks and critically watches every move the man makes. 

Hawks is extremely gentle, and he dresses the wound as if he’s done this a thousand times over. The hero’s eyes never leave Dabi’s wrist, except for the few times he’d go over and read the instructions again to make sure he’s doing everything right. He cradles Dabi’s forearm with one hand as he uses the other to smooth the silver dressing on, the pressure of his fingers light around the staples and firm around the skin. After he applies the secondary dressing, he briefly looks up at Dabi to ask, “You alright?” 

Dabi can only nod. 

When the gauze is wrapped and firmly pinned in place, Hawks finally lets go and Dabi takes a step back to breathe.  

He immediately sets to work on his other hand, moistening the silver dressing with the clean water he’d boiled earlier on. 

“You sure you don’t want help with the other hand? I’ve been trained in this kinda stuff, first aid. I don’t mind.”

‘Well, that explains a little.’  

Still, Dabi shakes his head, “I prefer to do it myself,” and there’s truth in that, it’s the absolute truth, Dabi likes to do things himself. He likes things done his way, and he doesn’t like being touched. 

But the gentle feeling of Hawks’ fingers on his skin urges him to reconsider. 

He won’t, but some part of him wishes he would. 

As he starts to apply the silver dressing with his tweezers, he hears Hawks ask, “Can I ask you something really personal? Like, probably boundary-crossing?”

Dabi’s eyes never leave his working hands, “You got a lot of nerve, Birdbrain, thinkin’ we’re cool like that.”

He hears a small squawk, “C’mon, dude! I’m in your apartment, per your request! I think we’re along the lines of something, ‘like that’.”

Dabi snorts, “I won’t stop you, but don’t be surprised if I tell you to fuck off.”

Hawks laughs — the same small breathy one that makes Dabi’s own mouth quirk up.

Hawks asks why his body is full of scars.  

And Dabi… Well, every passing day, Dabi feels himself getting closer to death and, tonight, it makes his lips a little loose. Maybe he just wants someone to know his story, maybe he wants to try saying it out loud. And if he’s gonna tell his tale, it might as well be in the company of his favorite little double-agent.

When he finishes wrapping up the gauze around his right wrist, he digs for the cigarette packet deep in his pocket, takes out a stick, and lights it up. 

“My father,” He begins, “He’s the reason I’m like this, the reason I look like this, act this way. I know the whole ‘daddy issues’ thing is overrated but, well,” He shrugs, not daring to look up from his apartment floor. He takes another puff, the nicotine in his veins calming him, the smoke down his throat grounding him. He remembers his conviction, “That man took everything from me, left me like this, and he only ever got rewarded.”

He briefly glances at Hawks, the man’s gold eyes filled with an empathetic sorrow that only people like them could give each other, “I’m sorry.”

Dabi shakes his head and looks away, because he can’t deal with this, can’t have someone looking at him like that, not after all these years, “Not your fault. Nothing to be sorry for.”

“He’ll burn,” Hawks says, and Dabi sees the man’s fists clench from the corner of his eye, “Wherever he is, one way or another, he’ll burn.”

Dabi doesn’t know what kind of feelings are running through the hero right now. He thinks that maybe if he looks up, he might see.

‘Is he angry? Is it for me? Does he pity me, feel sorry for me? Is he triggered by my story the way I was by his? Or is he just telling me what he thinks I want to hear?’ — but Dabi doesn’t want to see. 

Because if Hawks only knew who Dabi’s father was, who made him like this, and did this to him, he doesn’t want to know if the hero would look at him the same way gold eyes do now. 

“I don’t wanna talk about this anymore, Birdy.”

Dabi walks over to his worn-out couch and sits down with a tired sigh. Hawks follows. 

For the next ten minutes, Dabi relays small bits and pieces of League information to Hawks, and the hero returns with tidbits of hero business. 

It honestly just feels like a way to fill the time. 

When a moment of silence reaches them, and Dabi’s cigarette has burned all the way through the filter, Dabi speaks up about something he kept quiet to himself last time, “Say, since you asked me a deeply personal question, grant me the same privilege?” 

“Sure, as long as I get the same privilege of tellin’ you to fuck off if I want.”

Dabi snorts and ashes his cigarette, tilts his head towards the hero.

“Was I wrong? Back then, about the Commission saving you?” 

He sees Hawks bite his lips and sink deeper into the sofa cushions, tilting his head back. He sighs, “You’re an observant fucker, aren’t you?”

Dabi smirks, “What villain isn’t?” 

“The ones that get caught.”

And at that, Dabi barks a laugh and is honestly shocked at the sound of it. He thinks Hawks is, too, by the way his blond eyebrows round up, and his previously conflicted eyes soften. 

Hawks lifts one of his clawed hands up, and if Dabi didn’t know better, he’d think the gesture was some kind of show-and-tell, but at the way Hawks’ own eyes glaze over his talons, Dabi thinks the movement is more for the hero’s own comfort. 

“I lied earlier, about the reason I don’t fight with my claws,” Hawks finally says, softly, almost as if he were speaking to himself. 

Dabi knows to keep quiet. 

“I do care about wanting kids to live in a safer world, to… spare them. Of the horrific consequences that come from battles, traumatizing images ‘n all that stuff. Of course, I care about that. But… But I know my abilities. If allowed, I know I’d be able to use my claws in ways that wouldn’t end in some kind of, fucking , feral episode.”

Dabi’s eyebrows slowly knit together, “Allowed?”

Golden eyes flick over to Dabi’s and the vulnerability swirling in them makes the scarred man want… something.

To gasp, reach out, put his own wrapped hands over the talons, and warm them up a bit, just — something.

He’s horrified at these new and intrusive thoughts. 

Instead of doing anything, he waits. 

“The Commission,” Hawks drops his hand to his lap and averts his eyes there, “They have an image of what they believe society wants a hero to look like, along with other things. They… told me they were ‘correcting’ my flaws.”

There’s a beat of heavy, waiting silence.

“They appreciate my quirk — it’s strong and versatile, good for offense, defense, rescue — stuff like that. But they don’t… They hate my raptor genes, the mutations. Like, the only thing I’m allowed to have and show are my wings — everything else has to be hidden or removed. I’m a mutant, but I have to do everything I can to look as ‘humane’ as possible.”

‘What is even considered ‘humane’, in a society of quirked-people?’ 

Dabi is immediately reminded of his hatred towards hero society, “Shit, what the fuck, Birdy. Is that why you wear those stupid-ass gloves?”

Hawks sends a bitter and sad smile to Dabi, “Was the only way to convince them to let me keep my talons. They used to clip ‘em or file them down, but that fucking hurts and they grow back wrong, so. Yeah, got these gloves and told them I’ll never take ‘em off.”

“Tch,” Dabi feels so disgusted right now, at the people who run this society, “So they make you nice ‘n pretty for everyone to look at while they profit of’a’ya. Sick.”

“Yeah, well,” Hawks huffs a laugh, and it’s the one that makes Dabi feel sick to his stomach, “I’m the Number Two Hero, with my own agency! All at the tender age of twenty-four — oops, sorry, twenty-two, Commission fudged my age to make me look even more impressive. An eighteen-year-old success story is prettier than a twenty-year-old one.”

Bile threatens to well up in Dabi’s throat at that — the effort to make this hero fit into society’s obsession with the ‘barely legal’ trope.

“I should be grateful, right?” Hawks bitterly smiles, “Everybody wants to fuck me and every hero wants to be me.”

“Fuck outta here if you’re gonna talk like that, Birdbrain.”

Pink lips bite themselves into a smile, one so much more shy and on the edge of mischievous, “Wanna see my feet?”

“What the fuck?”

He does. He really does.

read full chapter here

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[shiggys-wife]

"I love you"

Shigadabi

Ratings: Everyone

Warnings: Angst

Summary: Shigaraki isn't used to hearing "I love you" and things don't go how Dabi plans when he tells him

Fanart credits to owner

"I love you."

Words Tomura hadn't heard since he was a child. A part of him craved those words, dying just waiting to hear them. But he was a villain. The leader of the League of Villains. Raised by All for One. He couldn't love anyone; he wasn't capable of being loved. He was meant for bigger things, meant to rid the world of the false heroes and make it a better place. Love was not something Tomura Shigaraki had time for. Those were not words he wanted to hear.

So, when he was lying in bed, covered in sweat and trying to catch his breath coming down from post-orgasm bliss, and Dabi whispered them in his ear, they froze Tomura in his spot.

Dabi kissed Tomura's shoulder, gently running a finger down his arm. Tomura just lay there, silent and unmoving. How could Dabi love him?

After a long silence, Dabi couldn't take it anymore. "Tomura, did you hear me?"

"No, you don't. Don't say stuff like that, Dabi," Tomura said as he rolled over in bed, away from the others' body heat.

"What do you mean?" Dabi raised up on his elbow to look at Tomura.

"You don't love me. That's not what this is. It's just sex."

Dabi huffed and sat up fully now; Tomura still had his back to him. They had been sleeping together for months, secretly sneaking away from the others and going out on runs together just to spend time together. They weren't just sleeping together.

"You're so full of shit, Shigaraki, and you know it."

"We can't do love. We don't get that. We don't have time for that."

Dabi shook his head. This was all-for-one talking. This was the bigger picture talking. He knew Tomura felt something for him. He could feel it and see it in his eyes. But he couldn't say it. He was afraid of it.

"Why? Why can't we have that? You went your whole childhood without it; hell, so did I. Who says we can't have it now?"

Was he right? Did they deserve it? No. Dabi might, but Tomura didn't. Not after all that had happened in his life and all that he had done. He didn't deserve love.

"That's just how it is,"

"I'm not falling for it; I know you feel something for me, Tomura." Tomura was beginning to get angry. He sat up and turned toward Dabi. His red eyes were wide, and his mouth was almost in a snarl. The pillow underneath his hand turned to dust in a second.

"No, I don't! Shut the fuck up acting like you know me! No one knows me!"

"Tomura-"

"No! Get out! Get the fuck out!"

Dabi stared as he yelled. Tomura had both hands balled into fists now to try and limit the damage; it was too late for Dabi's pillow.

"Listen-"

"GET OUT!"

Tomura's heart was racing as he watched Dabi storm out of the room. His mind was spinning with conflicting emotions. He wanted to reach out, to apologize, to tell Dabi that he did feel something for him, something deep and intense. But he couldn't bring himself to say the words.

As the minutes passed, Tomura's anger slowly faded, replaced by a deep ache in his chest. He lay back down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, feeling the weight of his own loneliness pressing down on him. He never thought that someone could care for him, could see past the villainous facade he put on for the world.

But Dabi did. Dabi saw something in him that no one else did. And that scared Tomura more than anything. To be loved, to be truly seen and accepted, it was both his deepest desire and his greatest fear.

As the hours ticked by, Tomura couldn't shake the image of Dabi's hurt expression from his mind. He knew he had to do something, to confront his own fears and insecurities before it was too late. With a deep breath, he got up from the bed and went in search of Dabi.

He found him standing on the rooftop, looking out at the city below. Tomura approached him cautiously, unsure of what to say. Dabi turned to look at him, his eyes still clouded with hurt and confusion.

"I'm sorry," Tomura said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I...I do feel something for you, Dabi. I just...I'm scared. I'm scared of being vulnerable, of letting someone in."

Dabi's expression softened at Tomura's words. He reached out and took Tomura's hand in his own, two of his fingers covered in his special gloves now, squeezing it gently. "I know, Tomura. I know it's difficult for you to trust, to open up. But you don't have to do it alone. I'm here for you, always."

Tears welled up in Tomura's eyes at Dabi's words. He never thought he would hear someone say those words to him, to offer him love and support without judgment. In that moment, he knew that he had found something worth fighting for, someone worth loving.

With a shaky breath, Tomura leaned in and kissed Dabi softly, pouring all of his pent-up emotions into the gesture. Dabi responded eagerly, wrapping his arms around Tomura and pulling him close.

In that moment, surrounded by the city lights and the cool night air, Tomura finally allowed himself to believe that maybe, just maybe, he deserved love. And he was willing to fight for it, to fight for Dabi, no matter what obstacles stood in their way. For the first time in his life, Tomura felt a glimmer of hope, a flicker of warmth in his cold heart.

And as they stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, the words "I love you" hung in the air, unspoken yet understood. And for Tomura Shigaraki, the leader of the League of Villains, that was enough.

[menofsweaters]

Posting this again because we're up to Chapter 7 out of a planned twenty (!!) chapters and I just updated the tags and summary. I've been really touched by the number of comments and general engagement with this fic. I think it's a unique AU that seems to appeal to a lot of readers, including those who don't normally ship Endhawks.

A huge thank you to my writing partner @perpetual-enjine for being a constant source of support and inspiration, and also for putting up with my incessant chattering.

Please check it out if you like Endhawks, happy Todoroki family vibes, and a twist on the usual No Quirks AU! Secondary ships are the usual suspects of Jeanshot and Shigadabi, but you can look forward to a future All Might ship to be revealed later. 💛