#spookyquirk!reader

[lethargicsunlight]

Dabi X SpookyQuirk!Reader'I Just Want You to Be Okay' (Part 3)

Another Oneshot!

You can find the other parts of this series in my directory: Link

Apparently, Dabi and SpookyQuirk!Reader live in my head rent free?

I think I'll continue to write them, at least until Halloween.

Who doesn't like a good slow-burn?

heh, get it?

Oh I know, let's play a game. It's called: 'How many oneshots can LS write to build romantic tension until the characters make kissy face!?'

...

Yeah I'll stop now. Please enjoy~

WARNINGS: MHA/BNHA SPOILERS!!! Mention of Blood, Injury, some trauma. FLUFF. SFW

━━━━━━━━━𝕯𝖆𝖇𝖎 ━━━━━━━━━

You had not been expecting a confessional today.

You both stood on a dock where the black water gently lapped at the posts, and the night sky was lit by an almost full moon.

You were both soaked to the bone. You were perched on a crate, something tied around your ankle which was still kind of bleeding. He was leaning, opposite you, against a guard rail.

Kurogiri had been injured and was still laid out, so you guys had to escape the hard way. In car, on foot, and then--in the ocean.

And, whew boy, you were pretty sure you had never been this tired in your life.

"That was.. Exciting." You remark, lifting your leg up to the top of the crate, tightening the useless bit of soaked cloth that was wrapped around it. A torn piece of fabric from Dabi's jacket.

He's glaring at you, and you know it. Even before you look up to match his stare.

"I can't believe you did that."

"...I was just trying to help--"

"You don't get to make decisions." He's pointing at you now, the staples near his wrist glinting in that bit of moonlight.

You close your mouth and swallow, jaw clenched. After a breath, "Fine, at least tell me what you were planning to do."

"That doesn't matter." He retorts, voice low, hand receding and then stuffed into his elbow as his arms cross. "What matters is you do as we say."

You shake your head, eyes narrowed in disbelief. "You act like I'm some kind of kidnapped little kid! Dabi; I've already made it very clear--I'm in this now." Your hand presses to your chest. "The others get it. They trust me, when they need to. I know I'm not that good at fighting, but I can--"

"It doesn't matter what you're good at, or how much they trust you. What matters, is if you get caught."

"Oh, so I should've just sat there? Let them take you?"

He's off the guard rail, nearing you at a blinding speed, a growl in his throat.

You desperately try grip unto your resolve, and try not to flinch when he's up in your face.

"You should never have been a part of the League."

And just as soon as he had come, he was gone. Striding off, stomping up the stairs.

Well that hurt..

Dread seeps into your chest. Honestly?

He was your main reason for wanting to stay.

"Oh, hell no." You leap down from the crate--immediately regret it because of your ankle--then go hobbling off after him.

You're surprised to find that he didn't go too far. He'd stopped and leant against a light post--but as he hears you coming, he starts walking again. He's avoiding you.

"Dabi," You hiss, quickening your uneven steps. It eases some of the anger to know he hadn't really left you--but he wasn't out of the woods yet.

"Ugh, Dabi just--" You can feel blood seeping into your shoe, and as it glides over the inner sole; your contact with it causes you to slip. You grunt, but manage to keep yourself upright after stumbling. Saved you a little bit of embarrassment, at least.

"Look, I'm sorry!" You call out. He stops, but doesn't look back at you.

You continue to hobble, but you stop before you reach him. Not only were you scared to see his face, but you really didn't want him to notice the desperation on yours. Specifically, the tears that threatened your outer vision.

"I was scared they were going to hurt you, so I acted--I acted selfishly, I acted against orders--but I just.." Your voice shakes a lot more than you want it to and goes into higher pitches without your permission. Emotion is choking you and you wish you knew why--It was overwhelmingly apparent that he had been gradually becoming more and more frustrated by your presence. You could literally see the color of frustration, in glowing angry orange, as it outlined his handsome features every time you had your quirk going, every time he was in the same room.

Handsome? Now is not the fucking time--

"You just what?" His voice reverberates through your body, the deep rasp of it making your breath hitch.

You were too tired to use your quirk. You couldn't gauge what emotions he was feeling. The fear keeps your mouth from moving, for a solid minute, and it's only when he's whirling on you with a crazed and angered expression that you finally release the tension--

"You just wh--"

"I just wanted you to be okay."

He's frozen for a moment. But only a moment--and then his teeth grind as he yowls; hands going into his hair and gripping his scalp. He's shaking, and you take an involuntary step back as he writhes almost like he's in pain.

"Dabi..?" You ask, concerned, panic rising in your chest.

"JUST STOP!" He screams, and from his hands--blue fire erupts.

The heat of it is staggering, and the thermal wind blows you back so your tailbone hits the pavement. You're up instantly, watching as cerulean flames engulf the overgrown decorative shrubbery--then, the abandoned car behind it. He stands in the middle while the violent torrents dance around him, and his eyes remain covered by his palms as he grips his skull.

Why.

If you had only said something selfish, something bratty--maybe it wouldn't hurt so much.

It would have been so easy to walk away, to ignore you, to begrudgingly tolerate your presence until he was back at the base where he could lock himself away in his room until he remembered all the why's he was there. What he was fighting for and about, and why you didn't fucking matter.

Yet now as he dares to find you in his vision, glimpsing your face through his fingers; he knows he can't.

You're bleeding.

You're scared.

And you fucking cared that he was okay.

The past few months had been torture. Ever since the jaunt to the cemetery, everyone had accepted you. He thought he could keep his distance, and hope that things would just.. go well for you. Instead, he found himself listening to your conversations with Toga and Compress, learning more about you indirectly.

He found himself wanting to know more about you.

Instead of drowning in liquor, he'd suffocate in his own bed, wondering about you and your life and your habits. Every time he thought his head was above the water, you somehow managed to drag him back down into the depths.

He kept replaying the moment when you had sung Happy Birthday to the dead boy.

He was angry to the point of combustion when you would come back with Twice, scrapes on your face and bandages around your arm.

He was the one that demanded you go with him on this assignment, rather than Mr. Compress--because he simply couldn't trust them to make sure you were safe. He couldn't read minds, but swore they treated you more as an amusing source of entertainment than a person. It scared him.

"I know I'm.. Kind of stupid." You continue talking, drawing his attention despite how much he didn't want you to. Your voice isn't loud, but he can hear it over the licks of the flames--and it earnestly surprises him when he notices you moving closer and not farther away.

"And I'm not good at anything. And I'm--" Come on, come on, something else... "I'm useless, I'm uncoordinated.." Your hands are up as your moving forward, shielding your face from the heat.

"...But I want to be here. I want to help, and be a part of this--I want to help you." You didn't know that last bit was going to slip out, but too late.

It's Touya that let's his arms fall to his sides; that lets the fires be tempered despite the emotions still raging inside. His eyes are boyish and sad as he watches you navigate the smoldering concrete until you're in front of him.

"And I know its selfish.." You even roll your eyes, your lips quivering into a smile. "But I've never felt like I belong the way I do when I'm around you."

Your throat tightens--

"--And them." Added, last minute, a little louder.

He's silent. Contemplating. Remembering.

The way his siblings had pushed him away when he was in pain. The way his mother refused to sympathize with his views. The way the people that should have loved him didn't even stand up for him, or put effort towards him when he needed it the most, because they were too afraid and self-concerned.

It's not about his father in that moment. It's about everything else.

It's about how different he might have been, if someone like you had just been there; to listen and encourage and understand and sing happy birthday like you meant it, instead of like you were being forced to.

It's the child of his soul, he realizes, that's reaching out for you. The boy that died on the hill. The ghost of who he was.

Maybe you were the only one that could see it. It was your quirk, after all.

"Dabi?"

Your question leaves him stranded back in the world of the living; eyes still dazed as he looks at you but beyond you. He blinks, body relaxing.

"...You aren't stupid." He says finally--and it's all gruff, like whatever that outburst was never happened.

"What?"

"Your ankle is bleeding." He says, matter-of-fact like, eyes now drifting towards the ground.

"...Ye-yeah, yeah it is--what are you..?" Your eyes follow him as he moves around to your side then lifts your arm, forcing you to bear some weight on him.

"You need to keep pressure off of it."

You stare at him, almost scared, as he starts to help you hobble away from the scene. "We better get out of here before someone notices.." He says, ignoring your big eyes and gaping mouth.

"...excuse me--what--What just--" Dabi never liked to be touched, so it takes some restraint to not prod at his shoulder. "You can't just--"

"You say 'just' a lot, did you know that?" He mutters, and there's a hint of a grin on his face. A grin!

You deadpan.

"...You are going to waltz every bit around what just happened, aren't you?" You ask, huffing when his only response is a 'hn.'

As the silence begins to set-in, so does the realization of how close he was. Of his own volition. Even when he'd offered to help 'bandage' your ankle, he hadn't more than grazed his fingertips across your skin--now his ribs met yours, and his hand was warm and firm against your waist. And, the other, wound around your wrist.

Suddenly, you are very hot. And it isn't the residual heat from his little inner existential crisis you were pretty sure he just had.

"At uhm. At least.. Are you still mad at me?" You ask, point blank, eyebrows tilted in as you sneak a look. "Do you still think I shouldn't be here?"

He catches your gaze and holds it.

"No," He admits.

A few more steps.

"...I just want you to be okay."

[lethargicsunlight]

Dabi X SpookyQuirk!Reader "I Want to Know You" (Part 9)

I'm still behind at work, but I got hit with the itch so I stayed up stupid late to finish it oops

(This is also not proof read, so please forgive ;n;)

You can find the other parts of this series at my directory: LINK

It it isn't evident already, I'm not following any specific timeline here. I'm going with the flow, and writing what feels.. natural. And Good.

That said,

WARNINGS: SFW (but a little spicy early on, so rated TEEN), MHA manga/anime SPOILERS, spooky vibes, PTSD THEMES (very little)

"Hey."

The voice startles you, causing the sketchbook to snap against your legs as you look up to him.

"Woah, woah." Dabi offers you a broken and amused grin, "Does something have you spooked?"

Imagine that.

"Sorry," You straighten up and relax, "Didn't get as much sleep as I wanted. Put me a little on edge."

"Mm." His grin fades and you miss it already. "Is everything alright?"

His voice is more... threatening then sweet, and the tone matches the deadly look in his eyes. You realized then, with absolute certainty, you could name something or someone; and he would probably harm them for disturbing you.

Ironic, considering he was the culprit.

"Yeah, I'm good. I think it's just.." Your eyes catch on the staples next to his mouth, and they linger there before traveling along the puckered skin of his jaw and his chin. It's like a punch to the stomach, realizing you knew where those scars might have come from--and that you were still too scared to mention it.

He, on the other hand, interpreted your staring to mean something entirely different.

"Hn." A confident noise tumbles from his throat, and his lips are turning up into a grin again. As you open your mouth to continue verbalizing the same excuse you had given Kurogiri the night before, you find a finger being pressed to the ridge of your upper lip. Instinctively your mouth slams shut.

He leans forward, his free hand supporting his weight against the couch armrest while the other traces your cheek before he places it behind you. He's bent at the hip and looming, leaning, closer.

Your heart stutters.

"Am I the reason you can't sleep..?" He asks, breath fanning over your nose while his lidded eyes flicker between yours. When his gaze drops to your lips for a second, your breath catches in your throat--it was a full system malfunction. You felt as though he was lighting you on fire--except this felt really, really nice in comparison to the flames that engulfed you in those dreams.

Which, was barely more than a distant memory right now.

"Y-yes--I MEAN, no..?" You quickly re-learn how to force your body back to function, and try to look away from him so you can ground yourself. Your hands curl into your sketchbook; afraid to touch him. "It's not--just--I uh--"

"Shh, hey.." He leans more into the armrest and blocks out your vision again, "It's okay. I'm not going to push you into anything you don't want to do.." his features are softer, and it reminds you of laughing ghost children and how he tasted like cold seawater and smoke at the cemetery.

His constant misinterpretation of your reactions was both frustrating and intoxicating. Thank goodness the rest of the League was still conveniently elsewhere, or you would also be embarrassed.

"Although.." His voice drops, quieted by the proximity. "That look on your face.. makes it a little hard to resist."

Oh god--"D-Dabi, wait a second--"

"Hm..?" He hums inquisitively, innocently, still inching closer.

"There's something I need to discuss, we need to.. discuss.."

"Mmhm?" Darker, more purposeful.

"We.. I uhm.. Dream.."

"Yeah..?"

You could've said anything really. It wouldn't have mattered.

You were out of it, sucked into his gravity as his lips brushed against yours. Unlike the kiss out at the cemetery, this one was warm and coaxing. An invitation seemed to roll from him to you as his movements quickened, and you felt the cushion dip next to your thigh as he presses his knee unto it.

It felt dangerous.

It's like adrenaline running through his veins, but deeper. It's a compulsion he can't ignore--he can't be close enough. For so long, the scarring bothered him little. He didn't care how it looked or how it felt. But now, as you find some bravery in that caring and perfect vessel of a body to reach out and touch his face; he just wishes he could feel it better.

"Ugh, I'm starving.." "I'm barely hungry at all."

Your eyes fly open as a voice comes out from the hall going upstairs. Dabi grunts a sound of displeasure against you, giving just one more pull at your lips before he drags himself away. "Always something, huh..?" He whispers quietly, letting his disappointment show on his face before giving you a wink.

You're dazed, barely more sentient than jell-o after that charming wink; and you can't stop staring at the beautiful and boyish way his eyes light up afterwards. Wait.. shit, shit, shit! He's moving too slow!

"Huh?" Twice opens the door and catches Dabi still removing himself from the couch.

"Hey Twice."

"What was that?" Suddenly he smacks both hands to his cheeks, leaning forward. "OOOOooooh!" He begins pointing from Dabi to you and back again feverishly. "It finally happened?!"

Your eyes bulge and you slink further into the depths of the couch cushions. Dabi just straightens his stance and crosses his arms, unmoved. Damn him.

"What do you mean 'finally happened'?"

"You--and them!"

Dabi just shrugs his shoulders, "Yeah, what of it?"

Twice places his hands on his hips, "Hahhah! Knew it." "I didn't think it would happen."

Sobering quickly, you mentally groan. Realizing Dabi could manipulate you so easily was a little daunting. Hot, but daunting.

Their banter fades into the background while you contemplate how the hell to come back from that. You really needed to discuss those dreams with him, even if it meant ruining his earlier assumptions referring to you... thinking about him at night.

Not that you didn't think of him, but that sort of paled in comparison to dreaming of being burned alive on three different occasions. By his particular brand of fire.

"What do you say?"

"Hm?" You look up to Dabi as his voice interrupts your thoughts for the second time that morning.

"We're thinking about a quick brunch before Crusty gets back."

"Oh, sure."

------

"Sooo.." Twice leans in awkwardly against the low-sitting picnic table, his trench coat almost dusting his brunch. "Now that you can like, make them do things.. I mean can they hurt people?"

"I've never tried it." You say quietly, "They still have minds of their own. Asking them to just.. shank someone seems a little inappropriate."

Dabi chokes on his coffee, trying to stifle a laugh.

Twice bellows aloud, flamboyantly gesturing to the metal firebrand at your side. "Wow, you made him laugh! That's a superpower in and of itself!"

"Keep it down Twice, we can't afford to attract attention." He seethes in a hiss of a whisper, all but hiding his amusement behind the lip of his paper cup.

Aggressively overexaggerating his new instruction, Twice places a hand next to the area where his mouth should be and continued speaking in a very ragged whispering voice. "You do know we're villains right? We don't have to be appropriate! Just be yourself."

His words catch you off-guard.

Just be yourself.

You lean in, playing on his behavior, and whisper back. "Well considering they're dead and all, I kinda don't want to be mean to them, ya know?"

"Fair, fair." "That's a poor excuse."

Dabi feigns a little sigh, a hand bracing his temples as though he was exhausted by your little antics.

But the two of you only continue--within reason, and when no one was around.

Short-talk about big topics, mentions of other League members, the occasional scathing input from your partner; it was more an outing with friends than with co-workers. Pleasant, if unusual. You and Dabi were experts at deciphering Twice's mind-mangled speech, and had accepted it fully without judgement. His split personality was as mundane to you now, as the buttons on your coat or the label on Dabi's cup that said: Warning! Contains Hot Liquid.

By the time the three of you began walking back to the base, you had formed a stronger bond with Twice. Like you, he had been estranged by society--an unacceptable variant. Perhaps not for his quirk, but who he was internally; and like you, he searched for acceptance. A place to freely be himself.

It wasn't spelled out directly, but you picked it up throughout. If anything, being among the League had really improved your perception of people--and at one point, you had unabashedly used your quirk at his request. You'd left it on since, and allowed it to help you conform your responses. More out of politeness than being nosy.

Though, your sneaky glances at the man beside you were definitely nosy. It always made your insides flutter to find that edging of green jealousy in his aura. You made sure, in those moments, to shift a little closer or brush your elbow with his.

He seemed reluctant to initiate any public affections, but considering the kiss--kisses now, you suppose--and lack of having really placed a name on the relationship, you didn't want to rush it. In fact, you were quite content to just.. exist. Quiet moments like that at the cemetery and this little jaunt were rare, and you were sure that whatever Shigaraki had planned ahead would leave you wistful for these sacred hours of peace.

Don't ruin a good thing while you have it.

----

"Dabi, there's something I need to tell you."

You had no idea what kind of panic the simple sentence caused him.

Things had indeed turned bleak, just as you had expected. Now, the two of you sat high up overlooking battle-beaten sky-scrapers and damaged complexes. It'd been a blur--the three of you suddenly being called into action, as the League's mettle was once again tested.

Endeavor had been there.

"Yeah, what?"

There's venom in Dabi's voice, but it's half-hearted. His voice is ragged, and you can smell the taint of burnt flesh from where you sat beside him.

You couldn't hear what they were saying. The chaos was too loud.

You ran. You didn't know what it was you were running to do--you couldn't fight a pro-hero. You could barely fight at all. It made no sense! You knew that getting involved would make it worse, yet something within begged you to move. To stop him.

Stop who?

Your mind blanched at that.

Dabi stood several feet away from a pro-hero, Endeavor--Japan's Number Two Hero. There'd never been such a threat to his life in your presence. Most days, that raven-haired man seemed invincible. Unconcerned about death, even; like the reaper wouldn't dare to touch him until his work was done.

But now, all you could fathom was how you weren't ready to lose him. How you didn't know him, but you knew you loved him.

You couldn't get close enough, however, as Dabi sent out a spiral of azure flame that encased him and his adversary. Within inches of it, you lurch to a stop--the heat wave sending your mind rushing back to the visions within your dreams.

You were vibrating again. All over. You could hear the boy's voice in your head, you could feel the anger and resentment and sadness. It was like an overwhelming bass at a club, and it threatened to explode from the chasm of your chest.

"Dabi!" You scream, but the sound is blanketed by roaring fire. "Shit.."

Just when you thought  your body might split in two from the intense vibration, you feel something intrude your mouth from the back of your throat. It's gross, but familiar--and then your vision is blackened by One for All's teleportation quirk.

Dabi's first instinct was to assume you were going to say something negative. It didn't matter what it was, really; anything could tip the scale for him at that moment. He'd been so close to his father--so close to ruining him--but also too far.

He knew it would have been a losing battle, but the disappointment still pisses him off.

Instead of seeking you, he had withdrawn. Once teleported to relative safety, he'd simply existed in your presence. You didn't know, still, who he was or what that conflict meant for him. And for once.. he almost wishes he had told you.

Then he wouldn't have to fear whatever it was you were about to say. How you regretted your decisions, or how you wanted to leave, or...

"I've... had some dreams recently." There hadn't been time for you to rehearse this, but it was happening now. You weren't going another minute without telling him, without at least some form of closure.

"Dreams?"

"Well, they're more than dreams. I think." You shift, marginally closer to him. The altitude caused a bit of wind to buffet through his and your hair. "I think they're visions. Something to do with my quirk, but I haven't been able to figure out how."

A weird thing to admit now, he thinks. His eyes dance over your face and shoulders, eyebrows slightly taught. "Why didn't you say anything before?"

"I was afraid."

"Why?"

"Because the visions are about you."

About him? "What do you mean?"

"I keep.. I go into it feeling.." You sigh, a little frustrated. "It's hard to explain. It starts with feeling as though I'm burning alive. It's all blue fire, I'm in these woods.. someone's supposed to be there, but they didn't come."

His breath catches. Hell, his whole body feels iced over.

Sure, you had a habit of surprising him with your quirk. You could see, speak, and manipulate ghosts of all things. But to see... his past? To experience his past? Did you fabricate this somehow?

You're too embarrassed to really notice his reaction, your head tilted away against your arm. "Obviously, I don't know. It could be nothing. But it's happened three times now and when you were fighting with.. It's like I was having the vision all over again."

You weren't fabricating it.

His chest heaves once, breathing out the air he'd held within. There's no use in hiding it now. Nor would questioning you or your abilities help anything--no one knew. And he didn't care. He didn't care how it worked or what it meant.

"He's my father."

"What?"

"Endeavor. Enji Todoroki." He says the name with wavering vocals, disgust tied to the way he pushes the words through his teeth. "My real name.. is Touya Todoroki."

With the fire-related quirks, that had been one of your guesses; and perhaps why mentioning Endeavor felt so weird around him.

"That fire happened when I was a kid. I wanted to show him how well I had developed my quirk." There's a flex in his face much like a snarl, his lip curling against the restraint of the staples in his cheek. "But of course, he didn't come. He had his new prodigy and I was.. obsolete."

Your hand reaches out then, touching his arm. His first instinct is to bat it away--to push off your sympathies and remind you he isn't weak. But you knew that. And your expression, he realizes upon glancing at your face, is more that of encouragement.

"Please tell me." You say, fingers tightening on that part of his sleeve.

"I want to know you."

[lethargicsunlight]

Dabi X SpookyQuirk!Reader "A Familiar Face" (mini) Part 12

Another benefit from being a member of the League: knowing how to get around.

A new benefit of being a ghost? Not having to pay, hide, or sneak around. Or even use doors for that matter.

Yeah, fuck those doors.

Unfortunately, no amount of humorous mental glib was going to improve your situation, nor silence the hopeless voice in the back of your head.

Getting around certainly was easier, but you had honestly no idea where to begin looking. They weren't at the base, you knew that. But you weren't close enough with Shigaraki or his 'master' to know about any other secret villainous locations, aside from a warehouse that was raided--what, months ago now?

You wondered how they were doing. How Dabi was doing. From eavesdropping, you'd learned that everyone got away relatively safely; but surely once on the other side of Kurogiri's portal, Dabi would realize you were dead. Dead or something.

You stop along the sidewalk to look down at your transparent palms.

The thoughts that come are bombarding, squeezing in and vying for  space against your mortal fears. Some thoughts, rarer than the others, begged to ask the question--why care?

Why care about life?

Why care about the world, when you're here with something so familiar?

…But like always, it's Dabi that pulls you back to the living.

You aren't sure if it was the image of his face in the cemetery before you kissed, or the crack in his voice when he bared himself to you on the roof top of a broken building--but somewhere, you found resolve.

"I want to know you." You say aloud, steeling yourself as you drop your hands and look forward. Something about the memories added a propulsion to your step, and you felt stronger.

You weren't going to accept death until you tried to live again first.

----

"This sounds like a really good plan." "This plan is insane."

Funny, Dabi thinks, For once, Twice is correct on both accounts.

Kurogiri had warp-gated him and Twice to the cemetery where you had practiced your quirk. He still carried you, despite how his burnt skin had remained unattended to. The others, whom admittedly were in worse shape, had gone on with Shigaraki to his contact so they might receive medical attention.

If Dabi's arms were sore, he couldn't feel it right now.

Among the gravestones though, he eventually lays you down before looking out over the field. Above, the sky turned amber as the sun began to set. Honestly, he figured the time of day had little to do with ghosts--but, he considered it good luck, since it was usually nighttime when you had interacted with them.

Thinking about you starts to chip away at his posture, and he has to swallow a lump in his throat as he rises back from the ground.

"Hey!" He starts, hands cupping his mouth. "Hey, you guys remember me right?"

Twice stares at him, as silence answers. He awkwardly glances down at your body then sharply looks away, feeling a twist in his chest.

"I'm talking to the ghosts of this cemetery!" He continues, "I… I really need your help! This person I was with, you remember?"

More silence.

"Yeah, the one that could interacted with you! The one that.. Let you throw things at me!" Emotion begins to pitch his voice. His resolve begins to slip, but he doesn't stop.

"They did something earlier, and I think… I think their soul is lost out there. With you guys! And, we need to bring it back--them back--so they can continue their life!"

"Please! Help me find Y/n!"

Twice looks out over the field, following Dabi's gaze as though hoping to see something. But there's nothing, all cold grass, dead leaves, and tall stones. He wants to hope--the urge to scream alongside his friend causing his knuckles to pop as he grips his own arms.

Dabi's heart thuds in his chest and his throat constricts. He tastes blood, and wipes at his mouth as the staples grow weak along his cheeks, weeping red from the freshly burnt skin. He takes a second to calm down, but Twice can hear his breathing as it grows labored.

"Please just.. I can't go looking for 'em. The area is roped off. Near the Central Park." He's quieter now, head bowing. "I know I don't deserve your help. But Y/n does. They've only ever been kind and helpful. It's only because of them I even know you're here." He chokes on it, coughing through wounded and smoke-filled lungs. "They're in this position because they helped Me. I wanna fix it, but I can't without your help...Please."

"Dabi.." Twice's voice, the lower pitched one, echoes concern as he calls out. He'd never seen this level of emotion from the man before--who was always so mellow, so guarded.

Ignoring him, Dabi lifts a hand and produces a small flame in his palm. "You remember me right? You remember this?"

He waves it in the air, blindly, hoping he was showing it to someone.

"I think Y/n's soul is out there, or spirit or--whatever--"

Twice realizes Dabi is repeating himself.

And he would. Dabi would repeat himself. Over and over, until his voice was hoarse, and the sky was obsidian. He plead and bargained for hours--sometimes asking for sign he knew he wouldn't receive. Only you could make the ghosts strong enough to do that.

----

"No."

"Not here."

"Didn't see anything."

You couldn't sigh like you would in your living body, but you still made a noise of frustration as you came to stand next to a fountain in the park. You had wondered allover the area, speaking to other ghosts on the street in the hopes one of them glanced the League and knew where they might be heading.

Without any luck in that regard, all that was left was to walk.

"Um, hey.."

You flinch, stuttering forward without sound and pressing your hands into the water of the fountain to catch yourself. You fall through it, and feel nothing. An oddly positive thing considering the circumstances. Turning to look back, it's..

A familiar face.

Not that you recalled a name for him, but it was the same teenager you had met at the cemetery. All long and lanky, tussled dark hair that hung in his face. There was a serious grunge phase a few decades ago…

"Oh. OH! Hi." You resettle, rising back up to standing and facing them fully. "It's nice seeing you again." Aside from the.. Being dead, maybe, part.

"…" He stares, awkwardly, head a little tilted so his bangs hang out of his eyes. After a few seconds of returning his gaze, you realize the dark of his irises were dilated pupils. Perhaps a sign of drug overdo--

"You're friend is looking for you."

"…What?"

"That guy. Your boyfriend or whatever."

"Dabi..?"

The teen's response is a shrug. A shrug.

He's kidding right?

[lethargicsunlight]

Dabi X SpookyQuirk!Reader "I'm Not Giving Up on You" mini (Part 11)

 

 

Crap…

 

Crap crap crap crap--

 

You had literally just watched your body disappear through an untraceable warp gate. You were left on the broken, burnt remains of the street as nothing but a ghostly visage of your former living self.

 

Am I… dead?

 

Either way, you certainly weren't alive. The lack of breath, the lack of weight--was surprisingly pleasant? You shake your head, I don't have time to get confused right now.. I have to get back.

 

There's a nagging, persistent voice that asks 'why?', but you ignore it. You needed to get back to the League, of course. You needed to get back to Dabi, to your family. Even if I have to remain like this.

 

A quick glance at your surroundings and you find Endeavor on his knees several feet away, looking at the ground as blood pours from his face--his aura of navy and amber was thicker than before, almost liquid-like in the way it disperses through the ether around him. Police had started to enter the area, which was being blocked by yellow tape and orange cones. Other Heroes now filtered in behind them, and you step back as they approach Endeavor--despite knowing they couldn't touch you.

 

They too had thicker, more vibrant auras. A perk? You try to think positively.

 

You find yourself able to walk. It feels different, but it seemed your not-so-corporeal body was willing to follow instructions. Giving in to your curiosity, you draw a little closer to the heroes, and listen as they grimly begin to detail the situation to one another.

 

It was mostly to do with the ward being evacuated and how many civilians were injured--but all had survived. Surprising, considering the amount of destruction. Though, at least you knew, that it was never the intention of the League to just kill civilians. Even as the police and heroes like Gunhead continue to talk about the event like they had been a torrent of evil incarnate.

 

It makes you fume. It's even worse, watching their auras fluctuate, and it's all concern and truth.

 

They really believed you and the others were evil.

 

I have to get back.

 

You turn away from them, catching a lasting glimpse of a stone-silent Endeavor before you leave.

 

----

 

"Y/n's not dead."

 

Shigaraki and the others turn to look at a stoic-faced Dabi, who still held your corpse close to his chest.

 

"…Dabi," Compress starts, but the aforementioned man gave him a cutting glare.

 

"Y/n didn't take any damage. After using the ghost-whispering thing, they over-did it, and just--went down." He explains, boots still splashing through the stormwater as he approaches. "I think y/n's spirit is still back there. I know it."

 

"Y/n overused their quirk, and we don't know anything about it. What makes you think it didn't just.." Shigaraki knows he's stepping on the toes of his comrade--but it's not like he and Dabi really got along. "Kill 'em?" There's a slight shrug to his shoulders as he says it.

 

"Are you really going to give up that easily?" Dabi growls.

 

"The area is swarming with Pro-Heroes and Police. Even if we did decide to investigate your claims Dabi, we would be putting ourselves back in danger." Kurogiri now stands between them.

 

"I know. But I have a plan."

 

I'm not giving up on you.

[lethargicsunlight]

Dabi X SpookyQuirk!Reader "Good is Subjective" (Part 7)

Finally, this one's been in my brain for a while! I hope this reads well!

Find the other parts of this series here at my directory: Link

If you missed out on the previous parts you might be a little lost, but I do think this can read stand alone. Just letting you know before you continue. <3

WARNINGS: FLUFF, SFW, BNHA SPOILERS, GHOSTS, SPIRITS, SPOOKY VIBES

Another night, a different cemetery.

This time, you have a bag over your shoulder full of odd bits and ends, and a tiny pen light in your other hand to light the path. Unlike the previous cemetery where you used to work, this one was much older and less frequented by grieving guests. It was practically pitch-black outside, no moon to speak-of, and no warmth in the air; absolutely frigid, and every breeze had you and Dabi walking a little closer together than normal.

Well, it had you walking closer than normal. But he didn't seem to mind.

Since the two of you had been attacked in the abandoned casino and car shop, you had revealed to him that your quirk had some strange advantages that the League wasn't aware of. Initially, you had been reluctant to mention the ability simply because you were scared of using it--something had always felt taboo about it. Not that anyone had ever established rules for this kind of thing, but you had always been under the impression that it was bad. Perhaps that was just ingrained information, forced upon you by worried parents and frightened teachers and tired doctors.

Either way, when the two of you had been warp-hole-ed back to base, you were expecting a verbal beating. Your inexperience had clouded your judgement, and you had withheld information from them about yourself--it really wasn't a good mix. But to your surprise, Dabi stood up for you.

"Y/n wasn't a criminal before now, you can't expect them to be efficient in the field out of nowhere."

You're now peering over Dabi's shoulder as he stands in front of you. Shigaraki had begun to move in towards you, and though it didn't read to you as threatening--you were still appreciative.

His face was mostly hidden with hair, but you could see the edges of a grimace on his chapped lips. A hand twitches at his side, and it puts a pit in your stomach. Whenever Shigaraki would scratch at his skin, things weren't going to go well, so you only hoped it stayed at his thigh.

"Fine." His voice sounds painfully dry, and he seems to shrink a little into his bar stool. He leans his cheek into his hand, preparing a smirk--but now he can see you better. "...What's with your hair?"

"Oh, uh--"

"The green guy showed up." Dabi cuts you off, and you want to be mad, but something tells you to stay quiet. "There was a spirit helping us out and.. Turns out, Ghost Whisperer here has a new trick."

"Oh?" Shigaraki looks to you expectantly, and Dabi remains quiet. You decide now might be the moment to step up to the plate.

"I can give them my energy." A breath, and something within curdles. Your intuition, begging you not to continue. But in faith, you do so anyway. "If they comply, I can.. Help them manifest and physically interact with the environment."

"...So you can make them do things for you?"

The look on Shigaraki's face in that moment could still give you goosebumps, and if not for the chilled air that already had you shivering beneath your coat, you certainly would have gotten them now. He reminded you of something hungry--wanting and wanting, but never satisfied. Paired with his ever-bleeding inky aura, he could pass for something monstrous.

Yet, you sensed a sadness too. A deep navy at the edges, pulling you in even when it scares you.

"There's a line of trees up ahead. I think that will give us enough cover." Like always, Dabi's voice pulls you back to the present, back to the living.

Oh, right. Training.

You could barely make out the blotches of trees in the night, but you wordlessly followed his instruction; the both of you gaining a bit of speed over the crunching of dead leaves underfoot. Before long, you were setting out some plastic bowls and cups--light and non-lethal items that (hopefully) you could convince a few ghosts to pick up. There was an opportunely placed concrete bench nearby that worked as a nice little stage.

"You're quiet." Dabi remarks, taking the bag from you and slinging it over his shoulder. "I thought you'd be ecstatic about being more 'useful'." His voice is a bit more agitated than you expected, and you offer him a curious look.

"Well sure, yeah, but.."

"But what?" There's that venom again. His hot and cold personality was going to drive you insane--what had happened to that 'please' in the car? The feather-light touch of his hands on your ankle and your back and your wrist--lets not think about that right now.

You hesitate a few seconds, eyeing him, evaluating him. Your quirk wasn't going yet, and somehow, he seemed to know it even though he couldn't see your eyes.

He was angry--but not at you. He had opened his mouth and set this all in motion; pulled you from the safety net they had you in and thrown you to the wolves--there weren't going to be any excuses now. If you were being trained to fight, then your life was going to be put on the line even more than it already had been.

It couldn't be a coincidence. Every time he was near you, either you got hurt or your life got worse. His fire was always too hot and you were always too close--hell he had literally burned you. Even if it was indirectly.

He was stupid for thinking he could let you in.

"I'm just a little anxious. This is new territory." You eventually say, though your quick to follow up with--"I'm not scared or anything. It's just. New."

"Hm." Dabi grunts, then crosses his arms. Suddenly there's a barrier between the two of you, and it makes the world feel much colder. "Well, let's see what you can do. Gotta get over it sometime."

You narrow your eyes at him then, and he doesn't even see it because he's staring off into the distance.

"I thought you tagged along to--I don't know--instruct me or something?"

"Like I have any idea how to do that." He retorts evenly, "You know how your stuff works. Now do it. Make the stuff move, practice, do whatever. Those are your instructions."

"...Dabi, are you okay?"

"What?" The gentleness in your voice surprises him; usually you were so quick to argue. He wanted you to be angry, see him for what he is, walk away. Anything but look at him like that.

"You're just acting weird." You make a move to step toward him, and he goes to step away.

"How would you know if I'm acting weird? You don't know anything about me."

That makes you stop. Because you sure didn't. You didn't know anything about him aside from what was on the surface and what you had gleaned from being in his presence. Tearing it from the atmosphere, because really, he wasn't an open book kind of guy.

"It's.. I..." You struggle as guilt wells up in your chest. Should you have tried harder? Why were you so scared?

His sigh is loud enough to distract you from returning to your thoughts, and a wisp of his breath can be seen in the edges of the pen light. He's on a ledge, teetering between pushing you away or pulling you in. He knows it's not good for you--but he wants to be selfish.

"...Things are going to change." He breaks the tense silence, and tries to find your eyes in the dark. "They aren't going to treat you like they used to. You'll be on the front lines now. Doing the dirty work."

"That doesn't explain why your mad at me."

"...I'm not mad at you."

"Okay."

"Okay."

And, we're back to going absolutely nowhere.

You huff audibly, rubbing your hands together. Since he was being his more 'cold-shoulder' self, you no longer had any interest in standing next to him for warmth.

"Well, since that's 'settled' I guess I'll get started." You drone, no longer motivated at all.

"I'll be right here if you need anything."

You're tempted to pick up the pinecone next to your shoe and chuck it at him. 'I'll be right here if you need anything~', what kind of back and forth game was he playing? One minute, it feels like your heart's beating in your head and you want to melt into his embrace--like those silly romance movies--and in the next, he's making your blood boil as though he's a campfire and you're roasting on a spit!

You're stomping away at that point, and Dabi decides to lean in against one of the nearby pines. Without you there, his eyes begin to better adjust to the darkness, and eventually he can pick out your form next to the gravestones with or without the halo of the pen light.

As you--he presumes--look for some willing ghosts to participate in your training, it gives him a minute or two to think. Or, well, it was suppose to; but now all he can do is watch and wonder. Ironically, he'd made mention of how little you knew him--but he wasn't any better, was he?

And of course, his mind drifts to the moment he'd had you practically closed in next to the car. Every quiet second he has alone when he's supposed to be focusing on his ambitions--it's all about you instead. An impulsive desire to return to that second and ignore the ghost in the back seat. He couldn't possibly predict what would have happened, but maybe if he could kiss you--maybe if he could give in, he wouldn't keep having these excuses trying to pull him back..

His attention is drawn back to the physical you, who was now chatting to something. To nothing. To you, it could be anything--but to him, and everyone else, it would always look like you were talking to the air, to the wall, to the trees.

It's the realization dawning on him that makes him feel a little weak.

To him, you were the kindest person he had ever met. Someone capable of loving the things no one else could even see--despite how you were treated by society for it. Strong enough to endure, and love and care anyway. But no matter what he thought you deserved--the world would always disagree with him. And he was stupid to even placate the thought of forcing you to ignore your quirk and live a normal life--because then it wouldn't be you.

He realizes he's the only one that could--

Plink.

A pinecone bounces off of the armored plates on the sleeves of his coat. Dabi just watches it roll on the ground next to his feet before he drags his eyes upwards.

You're standing there, still pretty far away, hands covering your mouth.

"I'm so sorry--I didn't think he would--that was--I was just--" You're making excuses, but he can see the guilt-ridden Cheshire smile between your fingers.

"Did you make a ghost.. Throw a pinecone at me?"

You sputter, trying to hold the laugh back with your palm and failing. "N-No! I.."

He starts moving in on you, threatening, shoulders up and wide and dark hair in his face. "So, you're makin' me out to be the bad guy in your little practice routine. All right.." He removes his hands from his pockets and lights a dim little flame in each. "I can work with that."

Uh oh.

"D-Dabi, I am truly sorry, I was just.." You're having to take steps backwards as he slowly struts towards you--but with the growing proximity and the light of his flames dancing across his features--you can now see the smile at the edges of his facial scarring.

That makes your heart flutter.

"Well go on," he taunts, voice low "You better run..!" Then he's leaping for you, causing you to squeal and dart away. You're pointing at the objects on the bench, telling the teenage ghost from earlier to help you out--"Throw em at him!"

And they do. Soon, you've accumulated all the younger ghosts in the field, a few older ones watching at the edges--children darting in and around your feet, running with you through the graveyard. Your hair's turning white slowly, not that you care, and nothing feels wrong anymore. You're just having fun.

And so is he. The plastic bits bounce off of him, but he slows when he's too close and feigns damage. He spews a bit of fire every now and then to scare you, which you squeal and laugh at. All of the ghosts would pause in awe, and giggle in that echoing way.

He feels young again. He can't see everything that you see, but the way your eyes sparkle makes his breath catch. It's the same as the times he played with his siblings, but its also different.

You begin to tire, bending at the hips and breathing out puffs of vapor. You're too slow when you notice him behind you, and though you try to dodge again; he has you.

Leaves kick up in the air as you both tumble unto the cold ground, laughing, fighting. But your punches are weak and his hands lack any fire.

Finally, he grabs your wrists and pins them to the ground, hovering over you and straddling your hips. He's grinning after a gruff, "Heh, there. Looks like the Villain wins today.."

You try to come up with a clever comeback, but as the adrenaline slides away, you're left breathless. It's the closest the two of you had ever been. Except, instead of feeling flustered, you just feel.. Light. "Dabi?"

"Hm?" It dawns on him too, the position he was now in. There's a flash of panic in his mind--should he remove himself? Was this the right thing to do..?

"I want to know you." You say, lips quivering while your nerves start act up and butterflies go roving through your insides.

His eyebrows connect, turning upward--and there's those boyish eyes. The same look he had given you in the car with the word 'please' on his lips. It makes your heart flip, and the air is snatched from your throat. "…There's nothing good to know about me, y/n."

You shake your head, "Good is subjective." Then your voice lowers to a whisper, eyes grazing from his thick eyelashes down his nose--those three piercings you wondered about--then his lips. "I'll decide for myself what is good and what isn't."

The battle is won. It wasn't enough that you had been a light in the dark, a purpose for the pull--but now you had his heart in both hands. You would seek the truth of him, and he might actually be willing to give it to you before he gave it to the world. But the thoughts of his future confrontations are far from his mind in that moment.

He's giving in, leaning down until he meets you halfway. He kisses you slow, eyes drawing to a close and yours do the same. His hands leave your wrists in favor of lowering his weight; propping to one elbow while his right arm comes down to press his thumb against your cheek, along your jaw, below your ear.

Your own hands are gentle. Grazing his shoulders first, then careful as they brave the scarred skin of his neck. There's a noise from him, but you're unable to discern if it's pain or comfort, so you leave them to hover there; neither pulling or pushing.

It's the sound of 'ooh's and giggling children that reminds you of your surroundings when the two of you stop for air; but you're too flushed from the kiss to remark on it immediately. Your eyes find his, which are still lidded; only slivers of cerulean that you can barely see in the dark. He's still so close, leaving warm breaths the tingle across your cheeks.

"I want to know you too." He says, voice more like that of a growl. A little teasing.

You smile, "I guess we better save the big questions for later though.." You cheekily lean up to whisper in his ear: "We have a bit of an audience."

He chuckles and gives you an exaggerated click of his tongue. "Next time I kiss you.. it won't be while you're using your quirk."

[lethargicsunlight]

Dabi XSpookyQuirk!Reader 'Phantasmagoria' (Part 4)

Another oneshot, and continuation of the SpookyQuirk!Reader series!

Please see my Directory for the other Parts to this series : Link

I'm organizing these tonight, I swear. Actually, I need to redo ALL of my stuff. lol

This is happing shortly after Part 3, and is more of a mini.

WARNINGS: phantasmal injury (burning), SFW, FLUFF, PINING.

━━━━━━━━━𝕯𝖆𝖇𝖎 ━━━━━━━━━

At first, it was just the taste of ash on your tongue.

Literally, like you had licked the bottom of a fireplace--or as though you had left the marshmallow in the fire too long and ate it anyway.

But soon, things escalate.

Like you were waking up in an inferno, and everything was just engulfed in white hot agony--scorching across every surface of your being. You knew it was fire, it was burning; but as though your nervous system couldn't calculate the right amount of pain to distribute, it also felt like falling into a frozen lake. Everything was sharp. Every nerve ending was screaming.

Some inner voice tells you not to open your eyes, but you do anyway. With some resemblance of a rebellious nature at the corners of your consciousness, like you could tell this was a dream, but who you were wasn't you.

It's unfortunate, though, because even with your eyes open--all you see is blue. A bright cerulean ocean of heat and violence.

----

When you awake, your body had jolted upright. It spasmed with a chill, and you fisted the sheets while your chest heaved--desperate for air.

You could swear you still smelled smoke.

You calm down, looking around the room, focusing on the texture of the bedding.

"...Well, that's a new one." You say, then swallow the panic for good.

You were pretty familiar with bad dreams. Seeing corpses walking around as a kid had quite the effect on your sleeping schedule. (As did the medications prescribed by your psychologists)

But, with the eventual understanding and then development of your quirk--random blood-soaked ghosts didn't wake you up anymore. The tendency for nightmares diminished to the normal standard. And, remarkably, they rarely involved corpses or ghosts; it was usually something living that tortured you.

But what the fuck was that?

You had been on fire--it definitely felt like you were dying--and the fire had been blue. It goes without saying that Dabi was involved, in some fashion. Perhaps that night the two of you had fought near the dock, the fire had scared you more than you realized. Maybe it was subconscious.

Or, maybe it was nothing and you were overthinking it.

There's a knock at your door, blissfully interrupting your inner debate.

"Yes?"

"Just checking in. You are usually up before this hour." Kurogiri.

There's no windows in your room, but Shigaraki had given you a cell phone when they realized you had actually joined the league, rather than being an unwilling participant in their endeavor. It was an odd exchange of trust. No windows, but you could call the authorities if you wanted.

Not that you wanted.

You tap the screen and check the time--indeed, it was a good hour past your regular schedule. It made you wonder if that nightmare had kept you asleep that whole time.

"...Yeah, sorry. Had some difficulties sleeping, I think."

"If it happens again, could I suggest some tea?"

You resist the urge to start your quirk up early. You wondered what emotion was bleeding into his aura. Would it be concern? Or was he faking it?

There was definitely something off about him, but you appreciated him nonetheless. He was a walking mass of misty purple.. stuff, so maybe his emotions didn't work like everyone else's.

"That's really nice of you. I'll let you know. I should be down in a bit," And you're already crawling out, finding your clothes.

"Understood. See you downstairs."

----

"What color is loooove?"

"Wh--" You blanche at Toga's question, peering at her with blurred vision over the glass of water you were sipping on.

"You see emotions riiight?" She asks, way too close to your face, way too loud for this time of the morning.

"Yeah," You set the glass down on the coffee table, waiting for her to continue. Don't complain, don't say anything mean, keep a little smile--don't forget to show her the drawings later, it'll keep her happy..

As much as you monologue about her creepiness, you weren't blind. Her aura bled the most melancholy of deep blues. She was the most sad when she was smiling.

"Well, then, surely you must know what the color love is right? Is it.. Pink? Red? OooH! I bet it's red like blood isn't it?" She puts her hands together, hopping and swaying her hips.

You offer a raised brow. "Why are you asking?" You lean in, feigning some interest. "Do you have a crush on someone?"

She gives an exaggerated gasp, hands flying to her mouth. "...Maybe." Then she's a giggling fit as she sits beside you, swinging side to side. "So tell me! What is it, what is it?!"

You let your shoulders follow your sigh. It's a little fun to act childish like her sometimes; even if it was demented. "Well.."

You can hear ice clinking, and your gaze slips past Toga's blonde locks to see Dabi seated at the bar. His head is tilted, just a bit, so his ear is towards you.

Well this is awkward now.

You clear your throat. It's not like this was something to hide--he didn't care. Right?

"I just want you to be okay."

You had both admitted it. Every hour since, you chest felt heavier and heavier--And, of course, you had both avoided the topic ever since. It was only a few days ago now, but there was always someone else in the room.  Thank god.

How were you even going to tackle that mountain? How would the dynamic shift?

You just didn't know how to handle it right now.

"Love doesn't really have a color. It's.. More a combination of colors. Love itself, really, is more complex than an emotion outright. There's a lot of factors involved."

"Hm?" Toga's head tilts and she looks a little disappointed. "So, how would you know if someone liked you? How do you know what all the colors even mean?! Ugh! I have so many questions!"

"Issalright, it takes a lot of practice." You try to de-escalate her excitement by sounding softer, "but, really it's hard to tell if someone.. Likes you that way. A lot of the time, our emotions can conflict with how we explain them. Like.."

You try to come up with an example, "When you're upset with someone. Obviously you're angry right? But, then, if it's because they've done something to hurt you; you're sad too. So you'll have two colors."

You watch the disassociation in her features in real time, and you can tell she's bored with you.

"Yeah, okay." She pouts, "I was just hoping you could look at someone and tell if they like me back.."

"Mm. I wish it was less complicated too."

Dabi shifts back into his original position to stare at the still full glass of whiskey he wasn't going to drink.

Back to old habits.. He muses, but the grin never graces his features. He never asked you about yourself; he simply eavesdropped or deduced everything, laying it all out in his mind and trying to piece you together.

Things were different now.

He couldn't completely return to the way he was before the escape and the dock and the way he had just--spontaneously combusted in the middle of nowhere. He couldn't return to loathing you for how kind and interesting you were.

But he also didn't know how to approach you.

He figured it would probably be easy. Everyone else was open with you. Even now, Toga sat at your side and didn't feel the need to twist a blade in her fingers or put on a show. You didn't judge, condescend, or conspire against anyone.

Yet the reality of it still scared him and kept his body rigid in place when you were close by. Accepting that you meant something to him was easier in his head--but doing it in real life meant... change.

It didn't change how he felt about his father, nor did it change how he felt about the League's mission.

But his priorities had undoubtedly shifted.

Inwardly, he groans, and his hand finds a way into his hair as he leans over the bar.

"I just wanted you to be okay."

His heart dances along with the lilt of your voice in his mind, thudding harder at the catch in your breath between the 'you' and the 'to be'. The rapture that small inflection causes is astronomical--and it makes the world spin from his stool at the bar.

It meant everything to him.

He just didn't know how to handle it right now.

[lethargicsunlight]

Dabi X SpookyQuirk!Reader "Oddment" (Part 10)

Thank you for reading!

Find the other parts of this series in my directory: LINK

I really appreciate everyone's patience, work has been really hectic lately; in fact, I will still be working extra hours over the weekend. But such is life~

Please enjoy!

(btw this gif is bootiful, credit to the creator <3)

WARNINGS: SPOOKY VIBES, GORE, DETAILED BODILY INJURY, BLOOD, FLUFF, ANGST, and most importantly SPOILERS

"Don't you dare.."

Dabi's voice, Touya's voice, as it reaches around and pulls you to a stop in front of him.

Beyond the wild and burning cerulean ocean was a man of irregular height, blood pouring from a wound that spanned from his left temple to his lip. There's a grimace, parenthesized by large jowls, and an aura that clung to the inferno about his shoulders.

Since Dabi had revealed his true self to you, an image of Enji had arose in your mind. A one-sided, but still very clear, depiction of a man who only knows pride and jealousy and anger and perfection.

So it was surprising to see such a melancholic array of navy and indigo. Of regret and guilt, sadness, empathy. Yet a spark of amber remained; striking against the darker hues.

"I have to."

You stand in front of Dabi, Touya, who you loved dearly. Whom you had neglected to say so to, even though you wanted to, for the sake of saving him too much emotional pressure. But then, perhaps, this was as good a confession as any.

"No you don't!" His voice is louder now, pitched by fear, and you can hear the clinking of his belt against the asphalt as he crawls towards you. The smell of burnt hair, burnt skin, chokes you--tears spring from the corners of your eyes.

Yes I do.

"Get out of the way!" Endeavor roars, "This isn't your fight!"

"Yes it is!"

You surprise yourself with your own volume. Your hands are fists and you're tense, but you don't shake. You won't be moved. Not even by the long fingers that wrap around your ankle, weakly pulling you back. "Y/n.. Please.."

You would die if I didn't.

As if to prove your point, Dabi's encircling flame begins to die down. At the edges of its flickering light, you can see the wreckage of their battle--destroyed buildings and melted cars. There's a young man draped over concrete rubble, who's hair color alone queued you in on his identity. Shoto, Touya's little brother.

Beyond, you could hear other ongoing conflicts--no doubt the rest of the League. Kurogiri had not been able to warp everyone out, so you could only assume he was either downed or captured.

"This is ridiculous.." Endeavor seethes, "If you don't stand down, you'll die in the flames!"

The grip on your ankle tightens, and there's an unspoken link between the two of you then.

Getting captured meant a lot of things, but above all else, it meant the end. Not that, you suspected, Dabi planned on being captured. He'd gone into this wild; dancing even. He courted death jovially, watching his father's face fall as the world learned about Touya.

It's then that you realize why he had never openly spoken about his affections. Why it was never made official. You were criminals, destined for an end eventually--and you would never get to have a happy ending.

But getting captured today, wasn't going to happen. Not while you were here.

Dabi wasn't the only one who had something to show the world.

"I'm not moving." And you say it to both of them, arms extending outwards. In your peripheral, you can still see the apparitions that you had gathered earlier, leaning in, watching you.

Endeavor growls in frustration, bulking up the inferno that framed his torso. "Why are you protecting him?!"

Your mind races through a thousand answers. He didn't know you were a part of the League, you could say that. Or, you could make a statement, draw the crowd's focus--gain the League some public advantage.

But in the end, you could only say the truth.

"Because I love your son."

vvvvVVVVVVVVRRRR

You weren't sure how you had known--but you did. When your body had been overcome with the same vibrations as Dabi's first encounter with Endeavor, you latched onto the feeling and succumbed to it; rather than being scared. And like the vision, it was painful; but you were calm.

And now, as you finally allow the vibration--the emotions--to break the surface of your skin, it bleeds out from your finger tips and feeds the apparitions. The air itself ripples and takes on a visually static appearance, making the area look mottled and grey.

You had found the barrier. And you were breaking it.

"What're you.." Dabi croaks, a cold chill rattling his scorched flesh. Where there was hair on his burnt body, it stood on end, and everything felt.. Wrong. His eyes searched the back of your head, pleading for you to just turn around--but he watches in horror as your whole head of hair steadily turns white.

White like his.

His attention is stolen by movement in his peripheral, and he sees a silent pair of legs. One was badly broken, dragging along the ground--yet phasing through the rubble. Beyond that, a moving wall of sludge; then a warped child. Another figure appears to his right and causes his head to snap back and forth, taking in the morbid images as fear digs into his ribs.

What were you doing?!

Endeavor's head pounds against the noise and he winces, almost unable to process the imagery around him through the vibrations in his skull. When he does, he takes an involuntary step back. "What.."

Like a plague, corpses ambled towards him. Some burnt, some crushed, some with glaring holes through which he could see the city beyond. Victims, he realizes. "An illusion quirk.." He assumes, preparing a mild fireball. He throws it--but it hits nothing, fizzling out against a slab of upturned concrete.

Even if they weren't real, he couldn't deny just how unsettling--

Suddenly hands are gripping his arm. Startled, he flings it outwards, and a woman goes flying--but she gently floats back to the ground. Just as the first one had appeared, there were now many; groping at his arms and legs. Each touch felt cold and unnatural.

It's just an illusion. He tells himself, ignoring them, trying to move forward but still somehow being held back. "This is just wasting my time, this means nothing!" He yells over them, at you, who had remained still and silent.

He's trudging forward then, but slower. Dabi's fingers flex against your ankle and move up to your calf as he regains strength from adrenaline. He rises from the ground. "Y/n... let's go." He orders you, but you don't move. "Y/n--"

A swirling purple portal appears behind him. He'd never been more elated to see one than this very moment. It gives him the extra boost of energy he needed, and he's on his feet--the frustrated wailing of his father becoming music to his ears.

"C'mon Ghost Whisperer, this is cool and all but we need to--"

You fall. Your knees hit first then you swing to the side, limp. Not a word.

"Shit." He glances at the incoming torpedo of his old man, who had now resorted to using  his fire propulsion to thrust himself through the crowd of dead. The corpses all reached out to slow him, but could do little more than that.

Dabi quickly scoops you into his arms, messily, uncaring if his staples caught on your clothes. He leaps through the portal, falling unto his shoulder against an unfamiliar floor with a faint splash of water.

---

"Bout time.." Shigaraki rasps, holding a heavily damaged arm while Kurogiri closes the warp gate. "We're in one of those massive storm drains. I have someone coming for us.."

Spinner sits off to the side, Toga next to him while she splashes her shoes in about an inch of water that seemed to cover the entire space, lit up by the one light Kurogiri had on his phone. Twice leans against a column, untouched in comparison to his comrades. Compress looks like he had a run-in with a bear, slash marks marring his intricate outfit.

But Dabi barely notices them.

All he can focus on is how cold you are.

"Twice's clones gave us an advantage and we managed..."

Kurogiri goes on to explain something, but he doesn't hear it. He's still on the floor, turning you over so your face was no longer in the water; the unsettling way your body lacks weight causing his heart to palpitate. "Y/n..?"

Suddenly it's quiet. Kurogiri stops talking in favor of watching you, and everyone else follows suit.

He takes up your arms and tries to sit you upright, then shakes you at the shoulders. "Y/n!"

Nothing.

Your head falls back. Dabi's fingers dig into the flesh of your arm--he's too scared to check for a pulse. "Hey, hey--we gotta go." He continues to talk at you, anger flaring in his much too worn-out body. "Y/n, you didn't--you didn't take any hits. You're not fooling me, now wake the fuck up."

But you don't.

"Hey.. Y/n's hair is all white." Spinner murmurs, settling himself next to Twice as everyone begins to gather.

For once, Twice has nothing to say.

Dabi snarls at your limp form. "Y/n, I swear.." His voice unexpectedly cracks, and he swallows his panic. "This isn't the time to be messing around.."

He uses his knee to prop you up, one hand supporting your neck as he reluctantly gives in. He's still holding unto that ember of anger, still growling as he places his fingers against your neck, his face drawing close to feel your breath across that part of his face that he could feel...

Only it doesn't.

He waits longer still.

Nothing.

The announcement is made when his forehead drops into the crook of your neck and his shoulders begin to shake with uneven breaths.

"Shit.." Twice whispers from above, leaning more heavily against the pillar. Compress removes his mask, eyes downcast.

"Are they..?" Toga asks, like it might suddenly change, like she was just interpreting things incorrectly. Spinner's hand flashes forward as she starts to move in, and gives her a warning look with a serious shake of his head.

Shigaraki's own shoulders appear to slump. As much as he wanted to appear unfeeling and selfish.. you had always been interesting to him. He would catch your sympathetic glances even when you tried to hide them; watch as you show a kindness to the League that they had all been bereft of most of their lives.

He would never have admitted it, but he was jealous in that moment. He wished he knew you better. An image instills itself in the front of his mind, of you sitting with the other members and listening to them and offering Kurogiri help with drinks.

"We should give him space." Kurogiri whispers into his ear, and Shigaraki gives the slightest of nods.

"We need to go this way." He announces, pulling everyone's attention. "Dabi you can catch up. Bring.." He stops on the word and doesn't know why he feels choked up. "Bring y/n with you."

Reading the room, everyone wordlessly follows Shigaraki's directions. Dabi focuses on their splashing footsteps until they are far away, staring at his own reflection in the water over your shoulder.

"Damn you." He rasps. It's venom that drips from his tongue, but it's honey when he draws back and places his hand on your jaw. "I can't even fucking cry.."

His thumb traces your nose, then along your bottom lip. The muscles spasm in his chest and throat, but his tear ducts were burnt. Instead, blood begins to seep from the scarring below his eyes--which he doesn't bother to wipe away. It drips unto your damp chest, leaving blossoms of crimson.

Without the ability to properly sob, his grief mounts in other ways.

Anger. It bubbles in his chest, then it boils the water--heat waves emitting from around his hold on you--and he wails. It echoes like a wolf's cry through the passages of the massive storm drain.

"I'm not accepting this.." He seethes into your ear, voice hoarse, nose pressed into your hair. "It's your quirk, isn't it..?" He drags a long breath through his nose, "You're still there.. I just can't see you.." He swallows hard; and though he lacks the strength, he wills himself to rise with you still against his chest. "Come back.." He pleads, walking in the direction of his comrades. "Come back."

.

.

.

"Y/n... let's go."

"Y/n--"

You turn around, "Yeah, Yeah I know--" You glance over your shoulder to follow his gaze and find a very angry-looking torpedo heading in your direction--very quickly. "Holy--"

"C'mon Ghost Whisperer, this is cool and all but we need to--"

"Yep, I'm right here." You step towards him, waiting for him to lead you away; but he doesn't move. "Hey--"

"Shit.."

Your eyes narrow on him as he moves past you and picks up--

Your body.

With you--a limp noodle essentially--being carried in his arms, he leaps through one of Kurogiri's warp gates. Without you. Or...

You gaze downward, picking up your palms and turning them over. You could easily pick up the asphalt and rubble through the translucency of your ghostly visage.

...Crap.

[lethargicsunlight]

Another one I've added to the SpookyQuirk! X Dabi playlist ;)

[lethargicsunlight]

'Ghost' by Jacob Lee gives me SpookyQuirk! x Dabi vibes.

[lethargicsunlight]

To cliff-hanger, or not to cliff-hanger?

That is the question~

[lethargicsunlight]

Oh I'm such a goof! I didn't mention anything about Nezu in chap three!! I really liked how you captured his "nice and sweet, but here it is, take my help cause what else ya gonna do" attitude.

I also really like the new banner for the story btw

omfg I've been blessed by Anon AGAIN--

HELLO AGAIN!

lol I'm glad his personality shines through, Nezu is actually one of my favorite characters.

AND THE BANNER--ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL?!?! @thebomb-thebird-andtheburntbitch actually MADE this for me, and I'm absolutely smitten with it. SUCH a masterpeice, I think it fits the aesthetic perfectly~

Once again, thanks for reaching out on the wonderful Ask, it really helps. There should be another chapter coming up soon! I can't leave you guys hanging on that cliff for too long~ <3

[lethargicsunlight]

I don't usually reblog my own stuff, but since we've gotten so far (16 Parts) I thought I would give it a go.

Dabi XSpookyQuirk!Reader 'Happy Birthday' (Part 1)

You can find the other parts of this series on my Directory: Link

God I just want his jacket...

AnYwAyS, I wrote this inspired by the upcoming sp00ky season, and I just.. really wanted some mha villain on my Tumblr, ya know?

Summery: You have a spooky quirk, and All for One takes a liking to it after meeting you under special circumstances. You've been 'working' with the League for a few weeks, and the members of the Vanguard always see you at the base with Shigaraki and Kurogiri. They begin to grow suspicious, until one night, Kurogiri approaches Dabi and instructs him to go with you on a personal errand to make sure you don't bail.

WARNINGS: FLUFF. SFW. GHOSTS/SPIRITS. SPOOKY. SLOWBURN. A little bit of sad/angst, but then some more fluff. (I mean it's Dabi, so it's not.. it's not f-l-u-f-f, but you get what I'm sayin' right?) This is meant to have a romantic tone, but its a slow one.

(There is a slight physical pre-requisite for this one, and it is hair. This character has hair. I promise this will make sense.)

If you guys like it, I might write more on this idea later :)

━━━━━━━━━𝕯𝖆𝖇𝖎 ━━━━━━━━━

You had a folded up end-table under your arm and a blue paper box in your other hand.

It was almost midnight and the air had the most pleasant August breeze.

For just a little while, you let the calm sounds of nature sweep you away. You allow yourself to forget the mess that had become your waking world, and pretend everything was just fine. You're running a little errand for a friend. That was it.

But the grind of shoes against gravel reminds you that you aren't doing this alone.

Dabi was walking with you; just a few steps behind.

A peculiar choice on Kurogiri's part. Ever since Shigaraki had introduced you to his 'master', the wispy warp-gate guy had been your.. Well you weren't sure what he was. A chaperone? Shigaraki was obviously his boss or something, since Kurogiri did as was ordered of him. But when it came to you, he called the shots--though it was always chased by 'it's what he wants'.

Honestly the unorganized hierarchy was just confusing. Hell, everything was confusing.

You had been working late at the funeral home, sweeping up incense ash and flower petals; when your world was flipped upside down. Admittedly, you needed it. Remaining where you were was draining you. It was stagnant and sick, and you spent more time with the dead than the living.

You unconsciously snort. What a weird way to interpret the situation. Like you had been saved by a group of villains.

As if.

"What's so funny?"

Dabi's voice reaches around and pulls your track of thought to a stop. You had almost forgotten he was there while your mind had gone on such a tangent.

"Nothing, sorry." You respond, the laughter slipping from your expression. "Just a memory."

He doesn't comment after that.

Really, Dabi wanted to follow your line of thinking. Why him? He'd much rather be sleeping or drinking the cheap whiskey at the bar than walking through a damn cemetery.

But, in comparison to Twice, Toga, Spinner, or even Mr. Compress himself.. he was the most focused and quiet. Usually he wouldn't so easily accept a chore like this; but he would be lying if he wasn't curious. Everyone else's uses were known to him, but you were every bit of a mystery. Kurogiri practically treated you like a guest.

When Spinner was the first to question your integrity and loyalty, it had caused a wave of suspicion. Suddenly you were around with no explanation aside from, "She will be a useful ally to reform society" and "her quirk is valuable".

But.. your presence grew on them.

Since coming to the bar, you never left. You always had a sketchbook with you, and charcoal smudged on your hands and your face. You would suddenly start sketching feverishly while Shigaraki and Kurogiri gave details about their next mission. They would try to lean over and get a peek at your drawings--but Kurogiri was always fast to protect your privacy.

Once, Toga had managed to glance at a page. During an outing, she had pulled Dabi aside to tell him.

"I saw what she was drawing!" She whispers to him, heavy sleeves bouncing next to her mouth.

"Oh?" Dabi fakes a disinterested tone, knowing she was going to tell him regardless.

"Yeah! It was beautiful!" She squees, laughing through her fangs and swinging around a lamp post. "I thought she was really boring at first, but I think we might become best friends!"

Dabi was beginning to lose patience. "What was so beautiful about it?"

"They were people covered in blood!" She exclaims, no longer whispering. Dabi winces at her volume then sighs. Of course, when Toga says 'beautiful', its in relation to something morbid.

Suddenly, when everyone had thought you were some resemblance of normal, they were proven wrong. It reassured the feelings of suspicion to an extent, to think you were as broken and twisted as the rest of them. It made your quiet, almost kind, demeanor more tolerable.

It just couldn't change the fact that they didn't appreciate the lack of transparency with their leaders.

But Dabi was going to figure you out tonight. He would make sure of it.

"So," He starts, having caught up to be in stride with you. "What's the box for?"

Wow, stop the presses. He was talking to you like a human being. Usually there was venom in his tone, or at least a large helping of distaste. It wasn't something he just used on you either, he used it on everyone. Talking to Dabi was essentially talking to a brick wall. Except, brick walls don't spontaneously combust or intentionally murder people.

You clear your throat as a cover, allowing a few more seconds to figure out how you were going to answer.

Obviously, you had to tell him. Otherwise this would be even more awkward. Maybe that's why Kurogiri had chosen Dabi to be your little entourage this evening--aside from just scaring you into not escaping.

Not that you planned on escaping, as crazy as that sounded.

"It's a cake."

Dabi processes that information. What would you be doing with a cake in a cemetery? Sure, bringing offerings to the dead was a normal thing to do, but not a whole cake. Water, incense, flowers--he knew you had worked at a funeral home, so you were educated on this kind of thing. What he had originally guessed was a ritualistic grave-site visit for a lost loved one was quickly being turned on its head.

Though, that made this a little less annoying?

The thought of you being all gushy or tearful over a family member or something had really been making him uncomfortable. It was certainly a feeling he couldn't share, even if he wanted to. He'd already thought about how he would react, knowing which insults he would spit and how he would threaten you, berate you, for being such a weak ass. He was going to burn up whatever you had left there and tell you to get over it.

If he was going to have to deal with you longterm, he wasn't going to tolerate that kind of bullshit.

But you looked far from tearful.

"A... cake." He clicks his tongue, "Okay, so what is the cake for?"

He sounds a little impatient, and all things considered, you really didn't want to test him. You were just hoping the stave off the truth. You couldn't even guess at what his reaction would be when he found out.

ooh, but then, there was a small voice inside that was eager. All for One was the first person in your life to accept and recognize your ability as something other than demented and terrifying--maybe the metal firebrand next to you would be the same?

After all, he was demented and terrifying.

"...It's a birthday cake. I'm," You breathe, eyes wandering as you suppress the embarrassment that this was. "..I'm hosting a boy's birthday party."

What the actual fuck.

Okay, so nevermind, this was very annoying. There were children involved?! Dabi's brows knot together and he's whipping around on you.

"A fucking birthday party? What are you--"

Your smiling features actually causes him some hesitation. His eyes narrow, and he realizes there's something more to it without you even having to voice it.

"Don't worry, you won't see him." You say, nonchalantly, then return to walking along the gravel path.

He grabs your arm though, and his hand is much warmer than a regular hand aught to be. It's a little harsh too, and you almost lose balance of the cake.

"You better tell me what this is about, newbie." He warns, "I don't play this guessing game shit. I don't care what the big guy thinks of you, I'll leave your ashes here with the rest of the dead without even so much as a second thought."

Empty threats? Or was he serious? No, probably serious. His cerulean eyes were searing beneath the inky threads of his hair, and your intuition was thrashing. You were looking death in the face.

It was almost funny how much it didn't scare you. But as much as you knew about death, there was still something that flexed in fear of your mortal peril. Don't die! It says.

"..Alright. I understand." You straighten, but he doesn't let go of your arm. You glance at it, but he doesn't appear to care. He was going to light you up if you pissed him off.

"He's dead. He died three years ago. Today is his eleventh birthday, even though he was nine when it happened. I met him when they had his funeral." Then you're sighing with impatience. Now you had to explain the whole thing.

"I promised him I would come around and help celebrate his birthday. When he was alive, his parents always missed it; out for work or something. Pretty sad for a kid so young right?" Dabi's expression doesn't change, so you just keep going without waiting on a reply.

"So I bought a cake, like I always do, and I'm here to.. you know, celebrate. His birthday. It makes him happy." You sigh again. "Look I know this is ridiculous. I don't expect you, or anyone else, to care. If they weren't worried about me running off, you certainly wouldn't have to be here."

"...You're talking about this kid like he's going to be there." Dabi's voice is surprisingly even.

Oh, right. You had kind of bypassed the most important facet of this information dump.

"He is. I uh.. I see them. Dead people. Spirits. Ghosts. Apparitions." You shrug, rolling your eyes, "Whatever you want to call them."

Well, that certainly gave him something to think about.

Was that even possible? Dabi obviously wasn't much of a religious person himself, he really didn't have time for it and he'd murdered enough people to damn himself to hell and back again. He'd referenced it in passing though, and never took it seriously. If Heroes weren't condemned by society for their heinous and greedy actions--could hell even exist?

Well, she never said she could see hell. Just dead people.

Dead people.

"...Those drawings you do. In the bar.." He starts it off, but you're able to finish for him.

"Yeah. Dead people. Kurogiri told me to draw whoever I see in their vicinity." You inhale, realizing Dabi had finally removed his hand from your arm. "It.. almost sounds like they're expecting someone."

"Huh." He replies, returning to his usual mellow, disinterested self. "So what, your quirk is just.. ghost watching?"

You stifle a laugh, snorting and turning away. Did the human incinerator have a sense of humor?

Though, as you look back at him, he doesn't look amused. You cough to hide it, but it's not like he didn't hear it.

"Er, no. It's more like a side-effect. When I activate my quirk, I can see people's emotions.. in the form of auras. Different colors mean different things. But after I've used it; it's like crossing a barrier. Their world kind of.. overlaps with ours. And I can see them."

"...Yeah, I imagine that went over well in school."

So he did have a sense of humor! Asshole.

"Mm. No, it didn't." You hum, then start going up the path again. You were already kind of late, you didn't want to disappoint the kid.

Dabi let you walk ahead again, watching you--seeing you for the first time. There were numerous reasons why Shigiraki and his master might want you around, and you weren't well versed enough in combat to get away. Actually.. it almost seemed like you didn't want to.

He wondered if society had failed you in the same way it had failed them.

Wait, why do I care?  He inwardly grimaces as he now begins stepping after you. While it was useful to know what you were capable of, he wasn't sure why his mind kept drifting--wondering what your life had been like.

He didn't have enough room in his heart to care about someone as weak as you. He didn't have the room for anyone, only his burning hatred that threatened to swallow him whole, that he welcomed with open, burnt, arms.

...Yet, as you stop at a gravesite and begin unfolding the little table from underneath your arm.. He can't stop picturing what his life might have been like if he had met you as a kid.

Had your parents mistreated you for your quirk? Were you lonely? Did it scare you to see walking corpses when you were that little?

You take a deep breath and step back, glancing in Dabi's direction. "You uh.. don't have to be around for this part."

"Sorry newbie, I'm not going anywhere." He rasps with a little more venom in his voice than before. His arms cross and, in a quiet act of delinquency, he sets his weight on a nearby tombstone. One leg bent, the other out, he watches you like a hawk.

Your eyes flicker over him, and it feels forbidden--but he looks..

Well, he looks good. Even if he is being a little disrespectful to whoever's family tombstone his butt was placed against.

That's crazy. You're crazy. Just--do the thing, and get this weird night over with. You swallow and turn your attention back to the small innocuous tombstone in front of you.

Activating your quirk is nothing special. Most people can't tell the difference between your 'on' state and your 'off' state. It's as simple as a gray haze coming over your pupil and iris. It looks almost like severe cataracts--or, you could even say it looks like the eyes of someone who is dying.

Lovely sentiment.

It takes a few seconds.

"Jo..?" You call out, sitting on your knees. You begin opening the box, revealing a simple vanilla cake with white icing and colorful sprinkles. Once the box is removed, Dabi can just barely make out the 'Happy Birthday' written in blue icing on the top.

Your hand goes to a pocket, and you remove about four birthday candles. Delicately, you stick the candles through the icing and into the sponge of the cake.

"Jo, you didn't forget your birthday did you?"

"Of coursh not!" His head, slightly transparent, peeks out from around the stone to look at you. You can tell he's smiling without seeing his mouth, and his voice echoes like you're in a cave. Obviously not the case, but you suppose 'ghost' voices can't be like normal ones.

You raise a brow at him, feigning a parental look. "Well you better get over here, then! I've got a whole cake here, just for you."

Dabi notes the instantaneous change in your person. It's.. weird, watching you talk to nothing. But the lilt in your voice can't be anything but genuine. You're eyes are a little grey, but he'd never seen so much life in them.

The boy, Jo, comes around and sits on the ledge of his tombstone. The little fold out table is just tall enough, his elbows can sit on it as he admires the cake you had brought him.

The other unfortunate nuance of your quirk was that you didn't see apparitions in a preferred state or in the way the spirit themselves might remember their body. You saw them how they died. Sometimes it's a mess. You've seen victims of villain versus hero battles where they had been crushed by buildings--barely more than a large splatter of blood and flattened bones. Others were simply torn apart, missing limbs or dragging them by the tendons as they moved through the ether.

You were lucky Jo's death had lacked such severity.

He didn't like to talk about it, but you had learned that he'd passed away from overdose. He thought his mother's medications were candies, because they tasted a little like those chalky ones that they bought for him at the corner store when he was upset about something.

It was another night they were working late. The nanny had already put him to bed, leaving him to his own devices. You could imagine that he liked to act out--part of you wondered if he was lying. Maybe he knew he wasn't supposed to steal his mother's medication. Maybe he just wanted her to yell at him about it.

Either way, it was sad.

There were bits of vomit permanently stained to his cheeks, and his neck was thicker than it should be. The way his speech was impaired suggested his tongue was swollen too, but it didn't stop him from talking. He's giddy as he laughs and kicks his feet--telling you about his day spent hanging around some old people on the other end of the cemetery.

"They were kinda cool tho.. Hey, uh--" He stops his little story-telling to lean in closer to you. "I haven't sheen you ashmuch. Where you been?"

"Oh uh.." You give him a little shrug, "I... got a better job. Somewhere else. I'm still around though."

He looks saddened, and you quickly try to change the subject. "But hey, just because I'm not here as much doesn't mean I won't come back for your birthday! At least, not until you're ready to go. Speaking of which.. I think it's time we got this party started!" You pull a lighter out from your back pocket and start lighting the candles.

Dabi's curious about that sentence. 'Until you're ready to go.' Was there.. another part of the afterlife? Were these just, lingering spirits?

He didn't dare ask. Not now, and not later. It was really irritating him how interesting you were.

"There we go!" You set the lighter on the table, the little amber flames dancing in that August breeze. "Ready?"

He's bouncing, like he's been waiting forever for this little moment with you. You could swear there was something glistening in his eyes. You find yourself wondering if the dead could cry.

After in emphatic nod, you start singing.

"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear JOooo, Happy birthday to yoou!"

He squeals into laughter, and you do too. Some of the other resident ghosts have gathered just out of the way, watching with knowing stares and sad smiles.

"Think you can blow the candles out this time?" You ask him, hands folding into your lap. There's some tiredness seeping into your eyes from the late hour, and while you cherished this little happy minute of your weird life, you knew you'd be stumbling back to the base if you didn't wrap things up quick.

He puts on the biggest, roundest, cutest face of determination. "I'm gunna twy!"

Filling his cheeks with air, he blows and blows, sputtering over the flames of the candles--to no avail. He deflates. "Aww.."

"Try one more time." You say, giving him a little wink.

He nods, taking in the biggest breath of his--life?--and just blows super hard.

You let your essence slip, just a little. Just a sliver should be enough to give the birthday boy his wish that he deserved. Dabi doesn't notice how one strand of your hair turns silver, but he does notice the chill--and the icy little puff of wind that successfully blows out the candles.

"Woah!" Jo's mouth drops and he stares hard at the little plumes of smoke that drift up from the flameless wicks.

"Well look at that. I hope you made a good wish Jo.. this one might come true." You tease him, beginning to pluck the candles from the cake and making sure they're really out before putting them in the box.

"...I wished it for you."

"Hm?" You stop cleaning up to listen to him. For you?

"I wished for you, sho you could be happy, and have a long and really good life!" He's smiling so hard his eye are shut tight.

Your eyes twitch before they start to water. "Oh, Jo.." You coo, your chest aching and squeezing from the child's innocent, selfless act

Dabi's eye twitches too. Shit, is she.. crying? After thinking he'd get away without it, there you fucking go--

"You didn't have to do that, you know--" Sniff, "It's your birthday.."

"Yeah, but.. you've come here every year." Suddenly, the apparition of the nine-year-old seemed much older. His eyes hold a deeper sorrow than a boy that age should. "I think the others are right. It'sh your turn to have fun. If you're shomewhere else.. you don't gotta come back for me."

"What?"

"I think I'm gonna go. I'm weady."

"..Are you sure?" Your voice croaks, and you have to wipe the tears away before they get into your mouth.

You can just hear the gravelly and annoyed noise coming from a few tombstones down as Dabi pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Yeah." Jo reaches out and places his hand near you face. He can't touch you, but he tries anyway. "Thank you. You've been the best frwend ever."

Oh god--you choke, but force a big smile. "Yeah?... You have been too, buddy." You try to place your hand over his, but all you feel is the cold tingle of his leftover energy. He gradually begins to fade.

It's the last time you'll see him.

No more midnight trips to the cemetery in August.

It's great to know that for you, people can die twice.

When he's gone, you just feel empty. You sit there, looking at nothing for a few more seconds, letting some more tears slip down your face. Pulling in that shaky, last-minute breath before you finish boxing the cake and folding the table.

It wasn't all bad. You knew he was going somewhere nice, where he'd be loved again. It just, hurt a little; like it always does.

You wipe at your eyes again as you start on the path, walking past a visibly agitated Dabi--which you choose not to address.

Though as he pushes himself back up to follow after you, he does something you don't expect.

He takes the table from your arm, and holds it under his instead--giving you some freedom. With that arm, you're able to wipe the remaining tears from your face.

"Than--"

"Don't say a word." He warns, not even glancing at you.

He knows he should've done something much worse. He should've.. not cared. Complained about how this was all nonsense, berated you for wasting his time with emotional shit..

But he couldn't.

He hadn't really understood, fully, what had happened between you and the dead kid--but he got bits and pieces of it. He'll never forget the way you sung happy birthday. And he was able to deduce that the kid had gone away, permanently, somehow. That's why you were crying.

He audibly sighs from frustration.

He'd had hasty thoughts of you before; moments where he wondered what he could take from you while in the base. You weren't the vixens he got toasted at the bar and brought to his bed, but you could've been something to bide his time with between scouting and incinerating.

But those thoughts were gone now.

You were too good. Too kind to be used as a quick fix. You weren't mean enough, or crazy enough, to be a part of the League of Villains. But that wasn't his choice, and he doubted it was yours either.

And no matter how good, how kind, how giving  you were... No society was ever going to accept you fully. Not for everything that you were.

Walking in silence, you steal a glance at the darkly clothed man next to you.. and you can see just a slimmest outline of cerulean around his features as your quirk slowly recedes.

The color that matched his eyes.. was the same color as sympathy.

You turn to hide your surprise at the little revelation. You were pretty sure he didn't have the capacity for that emotion--yet, you had evidence.

"Listen, newbie."

Oh no.

"I have to tell the others about your quirk." He states it like it's annoying, but you're absolutely relieved.

"Oh. I uh, I don't care. Not sure why Kurogiri didn't say anything anyway I was just.. you know. It's kind of.." Weird? Creepy? Morbid? These are villains we're talking about here. "..it tends to make people uncomfortable."

"Tch." He side-glances at you, teeth showing above his scarred chin in a little grin. "It's our job to make people feel uncomfortable."

Something about that brings you a peace you've never felt before. It feels like home. And you realize--

He said 'our'.

[lethargicsunlight]

Dabi XSpookyQuirk!Reader 'No Happy Endings' (Part 16)

First of all, THANK YOU FOR READING!

Due to the shear amount of 'Parts' to this series, I will be doing some overall organizing moving forward.

In short, this will be the last part of this series. (Read all the way to the end to see an epilogue ;) )

I never expected this story to go as far as it has, but I've loved the entire trip of it. It's nice to let loose and just write how I want to and what I want to, and this story in particular is an example of that shear joy. I hope everyone continues to follow along, to see where our SpookyQuirk!Reader ends up! <3

Read the other parts here: LINK

Join the Tag List here: LINK (leave a comment here or there)

WARNINGS: Spicy themes, Spooky vibes, a little fluff, not edited. The usual.

Neither you or the League could have anticipated the consequences soon to come from your appearance in their latest squabble with the pro-heroes of Japan.

The Hero Commission had released statement after statement, making presumptuous claims about your quirk being 'illusionary' 'nightmarish scare tactics'.

But the people of Japan had a different perspective.

Similar to the rise of Stain's cultish followers, the demonstration of your power inspired unlikely questions and investigations among civilians--some of which recognized the ghosts you'd temporarily made corporeal. Names and pictures were compared to the apparitions, staking allegations against the Hero Commission for their attempt of crowd control through manipulating the truth, and not being transparent.

After your 'audience' with All for One, you'd returned to the League's base with a numbness in your chest and glaze over your vision. Dabi, still coping with his dimensional feelings on the matter, stayed in your shadow. Close enough to open doors, provide meals, and ground you to the room--but far away enough that he seemed hesitant to touch. Considering the revelations that seemed to just keep playing on the damn T.V. in the lobby, the two of you had little alone time.

The news had become a constant noise. The lights of the television would dance across Shigaraki's features as he leant in with hands folded over his chin, elbows on his knees, constantly evaluating the public view and figuring out how to manipulate it. He'd task one or two people with something, an errand or espionage, and send them out. Small and inconspicuous things, like listening to rumors in dark places.

But, not you.

"You need to lay low a while." Shigaraki had warned, eyeing you over the back of the couch. "Even other villains are going to seek you out right now. To ask questions, maybe try to use you."

He turns back to the screen, skin a little smoother than usual, his hand apparatus missing from over his face. "We can't let them have you."

You had stared at the back of his head for a while, feeling strange in the air of it all. For once, you really didn't mind being cooped up at the base--the outside felt foreign now. But some kind of hurt tugged at your heart, reminding you that you remained more of an asset than a friend to him and his superior. Though, even if that were to change, you doubted it would be something Shigaraki would verbalize.

Twice had a tendency to linger. Objectively different than Shigaraki, he was both rude and not-rude about wanting to be in your presence for extended lengths of time, and admitted it verbally. Accompanying you and Dabi to the kitchen to eat, sitting nearby in the lobby, offering to fetch things. Compress, Toga, and Spinner too had spent a few mornings discussing everything before going away to work, patting your shoulders awkwardly and expressing delight on how you'd really become 'a part of the League'. (They were also particularly interested in their new resident ghost: Haga, whom now lingered in a cleared out basement of the building. You've promised to decorate it for him, for as long he decided to stay.) The last week had been hectic and moving, filled with strange emotional conversations and observations--mostly to do with you.

However, this particular morning, with your hands wrapped around a beverage, the kitchen is suspiciously empty.

And, you take that time to dwell. To, marinate in everything that had happened all too fast.

It makes you smile.

Not for having changed the public view, not for having expressed your abilities to a large audience and feeling validated in the face of it (though, you won't lie, that's kind of nice too), but for the strange and awkward and wonderful assurances of the League. Of your friends.

Like you, their social skills had suffered in the shadow cast by society--but unlike society, you didn't have to interpret their emotions through verbal or even non-verbal communication. With a flip of a switch, you knew.

And joy was a vibrant yellow.

Something like static over your left shoulder draws you out of your daydreams, followed by a hand grazing your upper arm. Instinctively, you lean into the warmth with your eyes closed and your crown meet's the rivets of Dabi's coat. There's a warm hum that comes from his chest, and the comfort of it is immense.

"Good morning." You say, almost accusing, searching for him as your eyes reopen.

"Mm," is his response, as he dips down to rub his nose into your hair. "Finally, no one's fucking around this morning.."

You grin, a tingle of excitement running down your spine at his closeness. Your eyebrows cinch in, and you lift away to turn towards him proper, examining him. He moves back just enough, expression unreadable.

You want to comment on his hesitancy with you, but you're also afraid to ruin the moment.

"You're looking good." You say, reaching out toward him. He seems to flex a moment with indecision, before leaning in so your index could trace the flesh above the staples in his cheeks.

"Good huh?" He asks, mocking, with a new and steady grin. "You do too, I guess."

You roll your eyes, "I meant, you're healing well. You look amazing."

His eyes light up a little unexpectedly, but his grin begins to fade out. One of his hands chases yours, fingers teasing at your wrist. "Y/n." He says it like he's addressing you, formally. Your heart skips in your chest, though you're unsure why.

He leans forward. Expecting a kiss (long overdue), you close your eyes.

But his face moves to the side, and you can feel the cooled metal of his staples as they graze your brow-bone. Instead, his lips meet your ear, "You don't have to stay.." He whispers, and now his fingers shift up so his thumb is in your palm. He wraps your hand up, pulling it to his chest. "You can still get away from all of this."

Despite how serious his questions were, you chuckle.

He draws back, brows set. "I'm serious." He says, expecting you to freeze.

But you shake your head, "So am I. What gave you the impression I was afraid?"

"You…" His voice drifts, "I didn't mean you were. But this--this situation isn't good for you. I mean, the League and I yeah, but All for One?" He shakes his head, "He's got shit going on in Shiggy's brain that I don't really much care for, especially anything to do with you."

"And how are you different?" You ask, voice level. Even you had been asking those questions, seeking those apprehensions in the past week or so.

"Being different isn't the point. Being in very real danger is the point."

"We've always been in danger; every time we step outside, and it just keeps getting worse." You shrug, "Yes, sure, you're right. I could run away. Hide, you know, like I used to."

He blanches a bit, mouth producing a thin line.

"Or, I could be right here." And you swallow as emotions begin to choke you. "I could be right here, standing for something, being someone. Even if that means I'm 'Necromancer', or whatever, and I'm a big scary villain; just like you."

You move yourself forward, breaking the connection between your hands so your chest is flush with his instead. "I may deal in ghosts Touya, but I've never felt more alive then I do right now."

Brightness returns to his eyes. A boyishness you remember, one night in the street, with flames engulfing the scenery in his anger. The spirit of the fire you dreamed so much about, with smoke in your lungs and embers sizzling in your veins. It's painful, the hurt, the suffering--but pain means you're alive. And though he wouldn't be brave enough to say it right now, you'd managed a similar effect upon him; in resurrecting the perished version of himself, the one lost on the mountain he'd turned to cinders that night so long ago. Touya.

And Touya, the child, had been so deprived of what you offered. Not a night of sin, but a life of care. A life, no matter how short, of your fiery and argumentative spirit that inspired change within him, that forced alternative perspectives and made the world feel bigger, brighter. The selflessness he'd never experienced--that which caused him to contemplate pushing you away so many times--was not exclusive to heroes. It was exclusive to love.

There are no happy endings for villains. You were going to be in danger, just as he was, and though he had yet to fulfill his aspirations--part of him simply didn't care. The world could burn outside that room, and he wouldn't care. Ten minutes of bliss would be worth eternal damnation as far as he was concerned. He just needed to reach out and grab it; be selfish again, with you. Happy, with you.

A grin breaks out across his face, stretching the staples. "You're right." His arms cage you suddenly, pulling in as he steps backwards. You gasp, but laugh with the break in tension. A few more steps back and his arm leaves your waist, going behind him--to lock the kitchen door.

"We are villains. Both of us.." He draws you in tighter, lips catching on your jaw. "So fuck everybody else.."

You shiver, temperature rising to hellishly warm. "Dabi--" He shifts back, a finger going to your mouth. He prods your lower lip, "Touya." He corrects you with one hot breath. "Call me Touya."

Though, he expected this bliss to last much longer than ten minutes; much to the chagrin of anyone who might want a morning coffee.

Epilogue:

"I don't trust him."

You peer at Touya over your shoulder, still crouched behind the ruined brick of an abandoned school building. "What?" You ask, not completely aligned with the topic of his conversation. Your brain was still fuzzy from walking around in your 'spirit form'.

"Hawks."

Oh. At the mention of it, you turn your head to see the League's Pro-hero agent high in the sky, surveying the area. "You think he's playing us?"

"I don't know." He adjusts his coat, rolling up the sleeves to combat the heat. "Crusty trusts him, but--shit he's turning back."

Angling in the air like a falcon, Hawks descends at an alarming speed. He lands somewhere nearby and uses the building's remnants as cover to make his way to the two of you. He does a little wave, a sign everything was clear, and you both stand to approach him.

"Hey you two," He shoves his hands into his pockets, slouching a little. "I got a lay of the land, looks like you're free to roam. I'd take a look due east, I think a lot of the damage took place there."

"Thanks." Touya says quickly, "That all?"

Hawks blinks a few times, "Yeah. That's all. I mean, I would totally keep a look out for you guys--but being gone for too long might get a little suspicious."

"Right, got it. You're free to leave."

Something about Touya's tone hinted he might actually be happier of Hawks did leave.

"Well hold on, let me take a break first," Hawks holds his hands up, then twists to start stretching one of his arms. A wing follows the motion in the opposite direction.

Touya turns away, heading further into the rubble. "Yeah whatever."

"Besides," Hawks continues, eyes drawing towards you. "I want to see what the fuss is all about. I heard you could summon ghosties, right?"

You can hear when Touya's footsteps cease, kicking pebbles up with his boots.

"Uh-" Feeling the air shift, you try to dodge the question. "It's, well--"

"You know, the news really made it sound scary. But you're not really scary at all. I bet it's pretty cool to see--"

"No." Is Touya's resounding answer, to no question in particular, as his hand suddenly braces your arm and starts dragging you away.

[lethargicsunlight]

Dabi XSpookyQuirk!Reader "Good-bye" (mini) (Part 6)

Dabi's palm was set against his chin as he looked out the passenger side window. He'd offered to drive, but you had insisted that was ridiculous because he had a head wound.

Which, to your point, his head was absolutely throbbing.

"You think we should try a pay phone?"

Your voice chases his grogginess, but it can't erase the pain.

"I think we're fine."

"…You, sure? I mean if we can get in touch with Kurogiri--"

"Do you remember the number?"

"…No."

He did. But he wasn't going to admit it.

They could probably go about the situation a thousand ways. Drive into town and buy a phone charger from a twenty-four seven corner store, or maybe there was a computer café open at all hours where they could instant message or email one of the League..

But he wasn't going to voice those things. At least not yet.

He just wanted to extend this time, this drive with you, as much as possible.

And you did too. So you didn't argue.

---

Though, as the night progressed, the propensity for Shigaraki's anger to mount was nagging at you both.  (Even more so than the weird tension that followed after Dabi 'checking you for injuries')

You looked decent enough to go inside a corner store and buy a phone charger. After parking the car near an abandoned lot, you left it running and used the usb port to charge the device--and sent Kurogiri and Shigaraki both a text message with your location.

Daizou thumbs a part of his uniform, standing where you can see him.

"I guess this is goodbye."

You reach your hand out as though to shake, "I wouldn't have survived this without you. Thank you." And you mean it. He lends his hand, and though you don't feel it, you both enact the motion.

Dabi awkwardly stays off to the side, leaning against the doors of the car; watching you shake hands with nothing.

"Yeah, well. It was... interesting, I guess." He muses, then looks up at the sky. "...I suppose I should probably head on up. As much fun as this was.. being around someone that could hear me, reminded me what it was like to have friends. To be loved."

He looks back and winks, "Got me a wife up there, ya'know. I wonder if she'll look at me the way ya'll looked at each other after he woke up."

Flustered, but confident Dabi couldn't hear him, you hide it with scratching at your face.

"Yeah well--I hope so too. I'm sure she misses you."

On cue, Dabi clears his throat. "Uh--I'm not, sure how to go about this but.." he leans a little towards you. "Where is this guy standing?"

You blink, surprised, then gesture. "Four feet, that way."

He tries to configure that and look in Daizou's direction. "Thanks, dead guy."

Daizou just shakes his head, "Yeah. You're welcome."  You relay that message to Dabi, who gives a slightly embarrassed nod, then looks anywhere but the location you had pointed too.

Something about that little gesture infinitely warmed you. Most of your life, you had lived and dealt with people who had not believed in your quirk--no matter what proof you approached them with. They were always in denial. The League had been your first taste of acceptance.

But Dabi had not only proven his belief, time and time again--he accepted it as something he should respond to and be a part of. The ghost was as much a person to him, as he was to you.

Don't cry, don't cry...

You give the ghost a warm smile, watching as he begins to fade. "I'm glad I met you. Good-bye Daizou."

"Good-bye, you silly delinquent."

You chuckle, then wipe the little bit of wetness at the corner of your eye. It always hurts, just a little.

"He gone..?" Dabi asks after a few seconds of silence, and you nod. Your phone begins to ring, and you pick it up without thinking.

"Hello--"

"WHY ARE YOU TWO FUCKING CITIES AWAY FROM THE CASINO?! I SWEAR, IF YOU TWO WERE DOING HANKY PANKY AND WASTING TIME ON THE JOB WHILE WE WORRIED OVER YOU--"

You and Dabi shared a grimace. Yep. Should've known.

[lethargicsunlight]

Dabi X SpookyQuirk!Reader "Conflagration" (mini) (Part 8)

(See the other parts on my directory! LINK)

It's happening again.

The fire.

Bark on a nearby tree has turned black, crisscrossed with cerulean streaks; like lightning, glowing from within. Embers spit and sizzle, arcing down to the scorched earth from the branches and dancing on the thermal winds that send the blaze into organic, breath-like spirals.

It's loud. You've never heard anything like it. The very air was as though bellowing  with emotion; tearing it molecularly apart to feed a frenzied beast. Between the cacophony and the sapphire hues--you reach for serenity. To pull apart the pain that keeps you tethered, and move past it.

This was your third time visiting this place.

The second had been like the first, stuck and swallowed by the flames and waking up in a cold sweat.

But not this time.

Determined to change the fate of this vision, you let go of trying to struggle and sink into the scenery. It's wretched--the pain insurmountable despite how you remain absolutely lucid as something you can't fathom rakes through your flesh down to the bone. You can see and you can't see all at once.

Your eyes are closed, but you also know what the fire looks like--what the burning foliage looks like. You know there's a stream nearby, even though your body won't move towards it. You know there's someone that was supposed to be here..

But they never came.

It's their fault.

These thoughts aren't yours. These memories aren't yours. Finally everything seems to mount until at a fever pitch, and your essence finally blends in--syncing with the environment and becoming part of it.

Why didn't he come?!

If he had... just this once..!

I could've shown him!

It was a little boy's voice; echoing through the smoke that rose from burning trees and boiling streams. Broken, angry, and sad.

Finally, the world begins fading to black like dropping ink into a glass of water; transparent at first, but then its pitch darkness.

And at the vision's end, all you can feel is cold.

----

This time when you wake up, your body is buzzing. Your arms and chest quake uncontrollably, and you grab for your phone to check the time. It's 2:45 AM. You try to set it down carefully, but instead it clatters unto the wood of the bedside table.

You force yourself to rise and sit at the side of the bed; shaking hands massaging your scalp as you stare at the floor.

This wasn't a coincidence anymore.

At first, you thought this was some subconscious dialogue your own mind wanted to share with you; a warning as you kept finding yourself closer and closer with the League of Villains and Dabi in particular. Seeing as things had turned out, however.. there was no warning that could sway you. Your mind's previous interpretations of 'right' and 'wrong' had evolved, and you could no longer look at the world in the black and white spectrum as it wanted you to.

So why?

You can put two and two together. You were being burned, or rather, whoever you were projecting from had been. And, seeing as how Dabi was littered with burn scars..

It's really amazing you hadn't figured it out till now.

The broken and sad voice of the boy echoes in your mind and it takes a full second to convince yourself that it's not happening again as you fidget, and eventually stand up. There's no way you can go back to sleep now. Instead, you begin to get dressed. You needed to go outside and be somewhere other than this room.

Since you had shared a kiss with the elusive metal firebrand, you had both promised to be more open. Unfortunately though, while you had plenty of confessions for him.. he had little. Not for being secretive, but more because he spent most of his time focused on what needed to be done. He admitted to some personal pleasures, but they were far from anything he 'loved' or 'favored' for more than short-term. Whether that was hobbies or even people. He never kept anyone close, and even the League was often just at arms length.

When it came to his past though, he was always short about his answers and quick to go into his usual manifesto.

"So.." You start, a little awkwardly as the two of you are making headway back towards the base. It has almost felt like a game of twenty questions, as he relinquished to finally asking you about your life and quirk. 'What was it like as a kid?' 'Did you have parents?' 'Was it scary?'

"Those scars..? How did you get them?"

You can see a shift in his posture then, and his eyes narrow as he focuses forward. "Something that happened quite a while ago now. It's a reminder of my purpose.. but it's nothing more important than that."

Your eyebrows dip in, and you know it probably is more important than that, but you don't push. "Oh.."

There's a flash of guilt in his eyes as he recognizes the disappointment in your voice. "It's because of this hero society." He spits the venom laced words, trying to pivot your attention to something else. "They're hypocrites, and they need to be torn down from their shiny pedestals. They think they're invincible because this twisted society protects them.. but we're going to stop that."

He looks at you, eyes hard and hot with malice and determination. "Right..?" He asks you, as though his interpretation of 'we' was actually intended for the two of you alone, rather than the League and its entirety.

"Right."

You're still shaking as you make your way downstairs. You're surprised to find Shigaraki and Kurogiri both there; the latter at the bar and the former with his face lit up by a monitor in the corner.

"Y/n?" It's Kurogiri announcing your presence, fiery yellow eyes unreadable despite the concerned sound in his voice.

"Sorry. Had a hard time sleeping again, I just need some air." You say, making your way towards the exit.

The bell sounds a familiar jingle upon your departure, and you don't notice Shigaraki turning in his chair to stare at the door as it closes.

Kurogiri goes about making you some of that tea he mentioned weeks back, and eventually he brings it out to you; still piping hot and tasting of medicine. It helps, but you never bring yourself to admit to the misty man what you had been dreaming about. You make the excuse that you may have overused your quirk, or weren't used to the extended effects of your new abilities and it affected your sleep. That was good enough for him.

When you return to your room in the hopes of getting the last few hours of rest, you first stand outside of it--wondering if you should take a few steps more down the hall to a certain door. The discovery of your mutual feelings encouraged you--but it was still so new. You feared confronting him about the dreams might turn him away and make him cold again.

Instead you sluggishly return to bed. When chasing sleep didn't work, you grabbed the sketchbook from your bag and used the light on your phone to sketch the fire.

When the image felt empty, you added a silhouette of a boy in pain.

[lethargicsunlight]

Dabi X SpookyQuirk!Reader 'Please' (Part 5)

You can find the other parts of this series on my Directory here: Link

First of, Thank you for reading!

This one's a long one~

I'm not going to put a summery here, because I feel like building the setting throughout is good practice?

But this is still certainly a continuation of the series, so please read the previous parts if you can! <3

Also I tried to make a cliff-hanger, but it kinda turned into something else ;)

Enjoy! <3

WARNINGS: SFW. Ghosts/Spirits, spooky, slow burn, bodily fluid (blood), injury, burns, violence.

━━━━━━━━━𝕯𝖆𝖇𝖎 ━━━━━━━━━

Your hands are uncharacteristically gripping unto the collar of Dabi's jacket.

"Dabi, I just want you to know, if I die--"

"You're not gunna die, now MOVE!"  He shoves you forward after wrenching your hands from him, following behind as you both run deeper into the maze of the abandoned casino.

"I was gunna say--I'm going to haunt your ass for this!" You slip underneath a fallen decorative greek-inspired pillar, and there's a thunderous noise from the opposite end of the complex as the doors are caved in. Another villain group, not inspired by Stain, not as noble, and certainly not as nice.

"Let's get out of this building," He points to a set of glass doors while coming up beside you and brushing your arm. "I want to burn it to the fucking ground."

A violent sentiment, but one you certainly agreed with.

Heavy footsteps begin to near--you don't have to look back, you know it's the almost seven-foot-tall fellow from earlier. He was faster, and he had some monstrous qualities; like horns and massive hooved feet--

suddenly you're reminded of how Minotaur were supposed to lurk on labyrinths.

Huh. Imagine that.

"Shit!" Dabi suddenly pushes you again, sending you careening into the mosaic tiled floor as something whooshes past--the same pillar from earlier. It crashes into the door beyond that you were heading for, shattering the glass.

You roll, clambering to get back up on your feet. You can see Dabi in your peripheral on the other side of the aisle.

Mr. Minotaur--yes that's what you're calling him--easily catches up with you. It only takes a split second for him to make his decision; after all, you were the weakest.

He picks up an entire slot machine, ripping the bolts from the ground. As you make it back into balance, an opportunely placed brochure ruins it--and you're back with your stomach on the tile.

Resilient to the end, you grab the closest thing to you--a drink tray--and throw it at your assailant.

It bounces off his massive pecs, and he actually pauses to chuckle.

Oh, fuck you!

You try to reach for something else, but's he's already swinging the machine back over his shoulder. Batter up!

"Hey," Dabi's voice is unusually calm as he appears next to you, hand outstretched towards the incoming bat-o-slot-machine. "I usually like my steak rare, but this time; I think I'll make an exception."

FLOOOM

The plastic and sheet metal of the machine melts in Mr. Minotaur's hands as Dabi releases a massive wave of flame. He howls, but evidently it sparked some unnatural anger; pouring adrenaline into his blood shot eyes as his body becomes engulfed in the blue ire of your partner's quirk.

"Crap--" You roll, barely dodging as the melting heap lands where you had just been--a tendril of flame slashing out and searing against your spine.

"Y/N!" Dabi's whipped around, he's grabbing for you and trying to drag you along as the beast-man continues to move towards you, his body scorching. His reaches with his less burnt arm to uproot a set of bolted iron benches.

Up on your feet again, Dabi manages to move you just far enough away--that the stool's hit him instead of you as they're thrown. You had covered your head expecting the impact, but instead you hear the metal thwang, and then the softer thud of Dabi's body hitting the ground before the crash.

Not good, not good not good--

You whirl on your heel, stepping backwards and looking for him; and once you find him, it's your turn to grab and pull.

Except he's not getting up.

SHIT.

Giving up, you lift your eyes back to Mr. Minotaur. He's ablaze, and he fails an attempt to step toward you--leg buckling and crumbling beneath him. He howls and screams and curses, crawling across the tile; but the heat is too much, and in seconds he's ash.

And if you don't hurry the fuck up, you will be too.

The fire swarms through the slot machines, attaching to any remotely flammable substance for purchase. The only thing saving you right now is the tile.

Time to go.

You shake Dabi violently, but no response. You cradle his head, checking him over, panic rising in your chest as blood trickles past his brow--there's a gash hidden in his hair. "Shit, shit--Dabi! Dabi you better wake your ass--" Something implodes behind the flames and sends a wall of heat towards you.

No time.

Desperate, you loop your arms in under his arm pits and drag him out of the building. You couldn't be careful going over the glass, so you wince and promise you'll help him with the cuts later. "Sorry..sorry, sorry--sorry!"

With a fire that big, someone was sure to notice--so you didn't stop to rest until you had made it to the car repair shop across the street.

You lean him up against the back of the building, out of eyesight from the casino hotel. You're prodding his face, his shoulders; but he's out cold. You feel for a pulse, but you could tell he was still alive even without it.

You feel a wash of relief anyway, as the slow thrum of his heart beats against your fingers.

Too bad you aren't a doctor, and even if you think his head wound isn't bad--it could still be very bad.

You press the button on your ear piece. "Kurogiri? Shigaraki? Anybody?"

No response.

Someone in the casino had jammed the signal or something almost twenty minutes ago--although now, you wonder if the battery had just been drained completely, as there wasn't even a static tone any more.

You check your phone? It's dead. You check Dabi's phone? Also dead.

Great.

You had to get him back to base, alone, in the middle of the night, and you had to be fast about it. You couldn't accept what would happen if you didn't.

Luckily for you, this was a car repair shop. And looking around, you can see some busted up mini vans, sports cars, cruisers...

But, unluckily, you don't know a damn thing about stealing a car.

It's a stretch, but you flip your little on switch, and look around.

Accidents happen. Maybe there was a.. disgruntled mechanic around here somewhere, who just-so-happened to die on the job.

At first glance though, you see nothing. You growl in frustration, then pat Dabi's shoulder. "Don't go anywhere, okay?" And then you're up, on the search.

It should probably be embarrassing to rely on you quirk for something a normal criminal could do in seconds--but let's not get caught up on the details.

"Hey uh.." You knock on a metal door, the office back entrance. "I could really use some help. Anyone in there?"

Ghosts could hear and see the living, but your voice was particularly clear for them. Maybe that would make them curious..?

You knock on the glass of window, "Hello?" and you start to fill anxiety seep into your shaking arms. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, you were spiraling. "Look I--I really need some help, anybody?!"

You turn back and punch the door, letting out frustrated shout; "Please, my friend's hurt--I need some--"

"Goddamn delinquents trying to steal cars outta my lot, stupid idiots--did they forget to lock the gate again?"

It echoes. God you'd never been so happy to hear a dead person.

"Hey," You find the source, as the head of a really rickety old man is just hovering above you--the rest of his body hidden behind the door. "Do you think you could help me?"

He's startled when he notices you staring at him. "..Wait, you can hear me?"

Oh god I do not have time--"Yes, I can hear you, see you, it's uh.. an ability, of mine." You frantically wave your hands towards yourself. "Ghost whisperer at your service, nice to meet you."

He raises a brow, under-bite evident in the way he chews his upper lip in suspicion. "V'never had someone notice me before.." A hand appears through the door and he scratches his chin--must be habit, ghosts can't feel itchiness.

"Yeah, yeah it's uh pretty rare stuff--listen, I have a friend whose injured and I came over here because I need help."

"I hardly see how that's my problem. I'm dead."

Your eye twitches.

"And I am very sorry for your loss, but if you could just spare some earthly kindness--I just need a way to get him and I out of here." You lay your palms out, slowing your speech so you don't sound to angry.

"So you are here to steal a car."

"...I hardly see how that's your problem, since you're dead." You retort, hands going to your hips.

His eyes widen and his head tips back, "Ooh, you wanna play it that way? Fine, I could just leave ya then." He slowly begins to disappear behind the door, but he's taking the time--waiting for you to say something else.

Like any other ghost, you know he's probably lonely--so you suck it up and blow out your frustration in a sigh.

"Look, I'm sorry. Is this your place? Or.. was?"

"Puah, it's still my place." He appears, coming out full bodied and even though he couldn't bump into you, it makes you move back. "You see that sign up--" He's pointing at an area above the roof where it looks like a sign had been torn off.

"...ThEm BaStErDs!" He yells, and you flinch. "I CaN'T BeLiEvE they would do that to my shop! I never heard anything about them changing the name! RRGH!" He stomps into the ground, making no sound at all and kicking up no dirt.

You feel bad for him, despite how much this was all wasting very valuable time.

Folding your arms, you clear your throat to get his attention. "I'm.. very sorry."

He waves a hand at you, "Ah, this isn't your fault.. I've been ignorant of it. Things changing, that is. I know they are, but I just.. can't let go." He's bug-eyed when he turns back to you. "This was my life, this old shop. I started it with my bare hands." He shakes them with emphasis.

You nod sullenly, approaching him. "Sounds like you loved it. And you worked hard for it." You give the shop a once over, "It's.. a life's work."

"It really was." He says fondly, and after a few seconds of contemplation, he acquiesces. "You said you needed help..?"

"Oh, is the living worth your time again?" You ask him, giving him a little mischievous smile.

"Well, you don't seem too bad.." He gives a little shrug, "And uh.. I haven't had many folks to talk to so.."

"Great. Now, how do I steal a car?"

----

Dabi was sat haphazardly in the passenger seat while you had your upper torso in the floorboard of the driver's. You'd taken some towels left out by the mechanics and wrapped them around his head, but his pulse was still slow.

You had just cut off enough of the plastic protecting the wire components before you heard sirens.

Someone had finally called in the fire.

"Crap," You tear the plastic free with a harsh jerk.

"Hm? They after you?" Daizou--the name belonging to the dead car-repair shop owner--sticks his disembodied head through the console.

"Well--not technically." You put Dabi's knife in the cup-holder, "But I don't think they'll take too kindly to me stealing a car so, we need to hurry this up a little."

You stare up into the wires, holding Dabi's lighter up against the darkness and prepping your other hand with the wire-cutters.

"...Daizou, there's a lot of wires in here." You squint, picking through them. "Say it again, real slowly."

"Hey, is that your friend too?"

"What?" You shift your head out from under the steering wheel, only to see someone harshly grabbing your ankles.

"Found you!" A voice cackles, wrenching you out of the car.

It's someone from the casino, his hair and neon-green suit very obviously singed from the fire. He must've escaped and came looking for you.

When your tailbone hits the pavement, you're kicking out--but his body stretches away from you, melding with the chartreuse of the fabric of his suit.

Whatever his quirk was, it was gross.

His arms begin to bend unnaturally, wrapping around your legs and weaving up your torso, tying you into place. You drop the wire-cutters, grabbing at the dense and flexible flesh and trying to pry it away from you.

"I'm gunna squeeze the life outta ya, you fucking rat!" He screeches, angular face shaped into a "V" with his awful grin.

"Oh, not a friend--" You hear Daizou, but even as he moves like he wants to help you--he can't.

Well.. You could change that.

Your arms were free enough, you could grab the snake-like arm that tries to cover your mouth. Using all your (not very impressive) upper body strength, you manage to hold it back.

"Daizou! I'm gunna do something, and you gotta help me--okay? Hrk--"

"Who are you talking to?!" The flexible creep yells, tightening his hold, making the bones pop in your back. His eyes dart around, but all he can see, is Dabi laid out in the car.

"What do you mean, I can't do anything..?"

"Just--just trust me--" Gasp, "I need you to get me the knife, then you gotta get that car running!"

"What are you playing at?!" The other villain now begins to look around wildly, though his arms never stop constricting.

Whew, that hurts--"I can give you some of my energy! So you can--!"

"STOP TALKING!" The villain pushes against your hands, trapping them against your mouth and leaving you with nothing but muffled noise.

That's okay though--you just had to hope Daizou got the idea.

Unlike the boy at the cemetery, Daizou was going to need a lot more than a sliver of your essence if he was going to pick up and move objects. You stop resisting and just focus, ignoring the pain of your squeezed abdomen.

You can feel the departure; something that slides away from your being and becomes a part of something else. You don't know necessarily how much is enough, so you just give out as much as you can--until you begin struggling to breathe.

There's a crack, probably a rib--and you whelp. Concentration broken.

Evidently though, it was enough.

"What the fuck is--"

You feel the butt of the knife in your fingers as Daizou shoves it through the villain's coiled arms, and it strengthens your resolve. Adrenaline pumping, you thrust it with everything, slicing into the thick flesh.

"GAH!" The arms recede, and you scramble up from the ground.

"Hurry up, get in!" You hear Daizou from within the car and you do as you're told, hopping in and slamming the door as the arms extend towards you. Unfortunately, in order to break into the car--you had to break the window, so naturally there isn't much to protect you. You begin slashing at the wriggling arms.

"Gross--piece of--" You stab at one of the hands and he screeches.

Suddenly, the engine roars to life.

Daizou's head pops up from the hood of the car, "I can't believe I Just did that..!"

You switch your attention to putting the car in drive, but stop a moment to look at Daizou. He stands frozen, most of his body still beneath the car hood.

"Well what are you doing--get in the car!" You say, before the Villain's hands wrap around your throat and shove fingers into your mouth. Ugh!

He phases through the console and goes to the backseat as you fight not to choke and press your foot against the gas. Along with the lurch of the vehicle, the extendo-villain's hands are pulled free; but then they grab unto the car window.

The metal whines against the pull and tires begin to spin, burning tracks. Maybe you should have chosen a sports car..

But the horse power wins out, and there's a blissful few minutes of watching the stretchy man eat asphalt while you tear out of the parking lot; taking the back route away from the casino.

"WOOOO!" You scream, triumphant, and you can hear Daizou laughing behind you.

"I haven't seen that much excitement since my drag-racin' days!"

"Oh, and all that talk about me stealing a car?" You eye him in the rear-view mirror, laughing off the last of the adrenaline.

"Yeah, yeah.." He's laughing too.

Then the car falls into a tense silence. Every now and again, you reach over to feel Dabi's arm--searching for that pulse. At some point, you just leave his hand there; balancing it over the armrest with your thumb on his wrist.

"...You like that guy or somethin?"

You sigh, "It's... complicated."

"Mmm."

Sensing you were still antsy about it, he doesn't press any further. The base was hours away by car, but you couldn't take him to a hospital or grab a bullet train.

The longer he was out, the more your stomach sank.

You better not, Dabi. Tears prick at your vision and you suck on your bottom lip, taking deep breaths and struggling to focus on the road. If you don't wake up, I'm gunna kick your ass.

----

You're almost drifting behind the wheel when you finally hear it.

The soft groan and shifting, the clinking of metal staples, the heavy breaths and hisses of pain.

"Dabi?"

"Hnn... y/n..?" His eyes are narrow, squinting at the flashes of street lights as you pass them. Why is your hand on his wrist..?

As soon as he notices, your hand is pulling away and gripping the steering wheel.

"Oh thank fuck," You say, taking the easiest breaths you had all evening. "Are you okay? Is your--are you; do you need anything or--"

"Nah I'm.. I think I'm fine. Head hurts." He shifts again, hand grazing across his scalp until he feels the towel. He looks at it in the side mirror.

"...Did you..?" He stops, as the memories rush back into his already swollen brain all at once. He winces, but now he has a clearer picture of why he was in some random car with you, head dressed. (--horribly, but hey, the bleeding stopped.)

"Shit, y/n what the fuck happened?" His voice is thick with exhaustion and pain, but the sound of it made your stomach flip. You were so glad he was okay.

"Uh, the.. big bull guy hit you pretty hard." You swallow, recounting the events. "I had to drag you out--watch your legs. I had to go over some glass.."

Instinctively, he reaches down and feels around his pants leg--evidently the fabric was thick enough, you got him out with any more injury.

"There was a car-repair place, so I went there. We got a car; had one of his goons show up out of no-where--"

"You were attacked?"

"Yeah, but we--"

"Are you okay?"

You take a second to glance at him, and it makes you want to stop the car. Hell you want to stop the world.

You'd give your soul for him to look at you like that, just for ten more minutes!

"I'm fine." You say, voice a little pitched. Right now is really not the time for that.

You can feel his eyes, and see his raking gaze in your peripheral. "Dabi?" You question, hoping he would continue the conversation, and distract you from whatever that look had been.

"Stop the car."

"What?"

"I said, stop. the. car."

"Dabi, I know I said I wouldn't argue against your orders anymore, but you have a head wo--"

"Please."

If it wouldn't have complicated things, you would've pressed the break right then and there.

Instead, you pull off close to a bridge where people sometimes take rest stops on long drives. There's benches and little viewing binoculars. It reminds you of the dock, as you watch the moon glitter on the water's surface.

"Okay," You turn to address him, but he's already opening the door. He rounds the car, faster than you can really retaliate (especially for someone with a head wound) and he's opening your door.

"Face me."

Your eyebrows knot, but you comply--suspiciously.

"Are you bleeding anywhere?"

"Uh.. no?"

Suddenly he takes up one of your arms, looking over it--like when he had helped with your ankle, his touch was feather-light across your skin. He notices the bruises, and you can see a subtle twitch in his face. Something like the beginning of a snarl.

Wait, is he.. ?

"Dabi, I appreciate it, but really. I'm fine."

He shakes his head in response, "If you were running on adrenaline, you wouldn't feel if--" He remembers when the slot machine fell close to you. The flames, flashing like lightning behind his eyelids.

Please, don't let it be his fault. Don't let it be him that hurt you.

"Get out," He says, moving backwards, eyes cast down. "I need to see your back."

He hasn't really looked at your face, except to ask you if you were okay. Sure, he liked to avoid most... emotional confrontations with you, but he normally wasn't so afraid to lock eyes. You open your mouth to argue, but knowing it was wasted breath, you just allowed yourself to slide out of the car seat.

"You need medical attention," You warn him with a little peeved stare before turning around, and per Dabi's nature--he just doesn't respond.

You begin lifting up the back of your shirt, but as soon as you lift the hem, you can feel the tips of his finger pads as they chased your hands. He takes it from you, moving a little faster, causing every particle in body to start vibrating. You just freeze up, chewing on the inside of your mouth as you try to focus on anything that isn't Dabi-touching-you-right-now.

He almost shoves the fabric back into place when he sees the edges of a noticeable burn just above the dip in your spine; but like a car crash, he can't look away or stop himself from revealing the damage. The bruising along your sides were something he noticed too, turning purple and blue just beneath the skin.

The burn itself is.. well, it's not that bad. It's not welting up, the skin is just shiny and probably far more painful than you were currently perceiving it.

He could tell by your expression how worried you were. It's why he hadn't been able to look at your eyes since.

This was his fault.

"...Well am I going to die, or what?" You ask, a little frustrated--and a LOT flustered.

"...It needs attention." He finally says, dropping your shirt. "But it's not.. it's not dire." He reassuring himself, too.

"Good." You fix your shirt in a flurry, turning back--but oh god--why did you do that? You're just staring at him.

This time, finally, he forces himself to look you in the eye--and instantly, they're big and boyish again. It's that concerned look--the look you wish was permanently tattooed on the back of your eyelids.

"...What?"

"Your hair.."

"Oh." Yeah, 'oh'--like you hadn't expected him to notice. You never did check in the mirror. It was the first time since you were little that you had ever really indulged in that side of your quirk, so you had no idea what the extent of the effect was. Evidently it was... noticeable.

You were aware that your hair would bleach white when you shifted the balance of your essence--but, considering that breaching the barrier was already really dangerous--you had never put it into practice. It was sparsely given; little gifts to the ghosts when they needed it. Like if they didn't know how to pass over or if they wanted to comfort a loved one by grazing their shoulder.

But, desperate times call for desperate measures.

He's still waiting on an explanation, but you don't even get words out before his hand is flying upwards to your face. He takes the strands into his fingers, observing, silently questioning, just barely brushing your forehead at the hairline.

Shivers roll up your spine.

He's gunna kill me.

You swallow hard, "I had to.. pull some favors."

His cerulean eyes flicker from your hair back to your eyes. "Favors..?"

"Yeah, uhm--" You have to lick your lips and refocus, as his hand continues to toy with the silvery strands. "You know, the--ghosts, I had to.. get help. In the fight."

His brows knot together. The reminder that your had been attacked without him there to protect you is a slap to the face, but more than that..

"You can get 'help' from them?"

"It's complicated, but yes. If I have to." Suddenly you feel really guilty for having never told him. It shows on your face, which causes his head to tilt.

"So.. how does that work?"

There's definitely a lack of anger in his voice, which you were not expecting.

"I have to give them.." You've never had to put this in words before. "Life. Energy. My life energy. Stuff."

His lip twitches, and you could swear it was the beginnings of a grin. "That sounds dangerous."

"That's kind of why I don't use it often."

You hadn't realized until now how close he was. Drawn in, further and further, with your feet between his and his warm breath fanning your face.

As much as the pain and guilt soured the taste on his tongue, he wanted nothing more than to touch you.

You had fought for him. Risked your life--hell, multiple times now--for him. As much as it dogged him how you had been hurt every time, he couldn't deny how it made him want to give in. To just.. relax, and lean into you, and let you care for him.

Like you did everyone else, even if they didn't know it.

And you're just a breath away. Beaten and bruised and worried for him.

It's you, the taste of you, that he wants to chase the sour from his mouth. You're like a fountain, and made of the only liquid that could ease his parched tongue..

If only you would stop glancing into the back-seat of the car.

"...We're not alone, are we?"

You suck in your bottom lip then let it out with a little pop. The action makes him just a little more frustrated. "Yeeah, no."

Poor Dabi sighs, while Daizou just wiggles his eyebrows at you with only the top portion of his head sticking out through the window.