Blue Madness (Touya/Dabi x Reader)

XIII. Nice t-shirt

The damage caused by the villains downtown was sad beyond words.

Everywhere, buildings were in ruins, burned to the ground, some still emitting wisps of smoke that spiraled in the humid late July air. Everywhere, grave-faced heroes were lending a hand to the police investigating the events. Everywhere, people were crying over the loss of their homes, businesses or, even worse, loved ones. Everywhere I looked, there was horror. And it was totally heartbreaking.

For long minutes, I had been wandering aimlessly through the streets alongside Fuyumi, who had insisted on accompanying me when I had expressed the desire to go and see by myself the extent of the villains' attack. We were both speechless at the sight of that real butchery.

When I had called Fuyumi to make sure she was okay, she had told me how the emergency evacuation of the elementary school where she worked - the same school we had attended as kids - had gone. As soon as the principal had heard about what was happening outside, he had ordered the immediate transport of the children out of town, even before the police had time to react. Buses had been sent to pick up the students and staff. Barely ten minutes later, half the building had been destroyed by blue flames. By acting preventively, the director had saved the lives of a hundred children, and this ordinary man had become their hero.

"Look at that," Fuyumi suddenly said as she pointed to the right, snapping me out of my thoughts.

We had just arrived near the school and I turned my eyes to observe it. Much of the building had gone up in smoke. Among the debris were countless pieces of broken glass, half-burned desks, soot-coated chairs and a whole heap of school belongings that had been left behind when the school was evacuated.

"I still can't believe it," murmured my best friend in a shaky voice. "My class was right there. Can you believe it? There's nothing left... Oh, my poor students... they could have died!"

My friend stifled a sob. I turned to her, holding back my tears with difficulty, then drew her into my arms and held her close.

"The headmaster is a real hero," I said, stroking her back to comfort her. "Thanks to him, you're all safe and sound, and that's all that matters now."
"Y-yes... I was so scared!"
"It's all over now," I murmured, feeling my heart clench painfully at the thought of my best friend's near-death experience.

Fuyumi sniffed as she returned my embrace, then pulled away to glance tearfully at the school.

"I don't know when I'll be able to start working again," she said. "I have no idea what will happen now..."

That was definitely my Fuyumi. She had witnessed a villain attack first-hand, she could have died, and all she could think about was getting back to work!

"Why don't you start by taking a few days off," I said, holding back a discouraged sigh. "The children will probably be transferred temporarily to the other elementary school on the east side of town. At least, until this one is rebuilt... and you'll certainly be able to teach there. They probably won't have enough teachers to accommodate that many students."
"You're right," she breathed, unconsciously replacing her square glasses. "I can't think straight since yesterday. My brain's all jumbled up."
"Well, that's normal. You've been through something extremely upsetting. Give yourself some time."
"Thank you... I'm glad you're here, (Y/N)."
"I'm even happier that you weren't hurt."

We exchanged a smile.

"I really wonder what villain did this," she said, wiping away her tears. "I just can't understand how someone could be so evil and hostile as to prey on defenseless children... on top of all the damage he's done in town!"
"I-I know," I stammered, looking away. "It's really horrible... The guy who did this is a monster."