Part 8
The snow had finally decided to stop a few days after that meeting in the cold and silent night. It had come down like no tomorrow for the past two or so days. Layering the streets so much that the streets of Japan looked more like a northern neighbor than an island nation.
Winter had come in very thick this year and had yet to shave off any of its weight. The sun hadn't even come out today, much like the past few days. Rather, the sky was covered with dark gray clouds, but unlike the past few days... there was no snow coming out of the fluffy masses.
That didn't mean that the snow was gone through. In fact, it was everywhere still. On the tops of cars, canceling or delaying schools, and allowing plenty of children to call out happily as they ran through the blocks throwing the balls of ice at each other and giggling as they did so.
People were slowly starting to leak out of homes today as well and finally attempt to clear the sidewalks and roads from what had covered it. The piles of snow were huge but able to be cleared if someone had a big enough shovel to use. The thick layers of white that coated the streets and homes nearby were slowly starting to get cleared more and more as people started to come by and shove the piles of white stuff away and create a better walkway for those who dared to venture out onto the icy streets.
One such person was himself, knowing that if he didn't get more food and soon... that crummy little apartment he was holed up in at the moment would be even less appealing than it already was to the fire manipulating male. So, despite the slushy snow that was easily getting on his boots and then wetness that was slowly starting to seep into his socks from the treck outside... his growling stomach won in the end.
It was one of the many things he disliked about the League of Villains... how that crusty hand guy didn't even give him or any of the other members enough money from everything the did or stole to even allow Dabi to buy enough food for a week that wasn't from a convenience store. But he always stayed in the League... it being the only place that actually held his ideals at the current.
So despite all the annoying and slightly psychotic people who made up the roster of members, Dabi stayed with the group. They were working towards a similar goal and it was thanks to them that he had already started to make a name for himself as well. So if anything... he was at least sticking with them for as long as he saw that his ideas and the League's were matching up.
However at the current... the League and food were not on the same side. And so, he was out to get some before his stomach ate himself.
Sure he could always steal it as he used to after he left that old traditional home... but he was a big and up and coming villain currently. And thus, stealing some bread wasn't exactly the image he was trying to go for anymore. Maybe if the read was made by someone he wanted to injure or kill... but not just because he was hungry. So he'd buy some crappy bread today, and maybe a warm meat bun as well... this weather nipping at more than his nose.
The small chiming of the bell at least let him know he had arrived at his location. The man behind the counter seemed to be on hour eighteen of his shift, judging from the tired greeting he muttered to the male with his hood pulled up and the medical mask covering his face. The clerk really must be tired if he doesn't even bat an eye at him... something a lot of people usually did when they saw his face for obvious- and very seeable - reasons.
The aisles of the small convenience market were stacked high with new items, the holiday season approaching faster than anyone knew and thus companies were making sure to package their goods on all things red, white, and green. It made Dabi roll his eyes, knowing very well how the spirit of whatever had long died out in favor of the spirit of spending.
He turned, seeing a small shopping basket and grabbed it. Soon enough, the plastic device was being filled with all sorts of items: loaves of bread, canned veggies, some candy, and a few drinks. Dabi sighed, feeling how his wallet would definitely be taking a hard hit today. His feet taking him towards the register as he went down the last small aisle. A few boxes of tea meeting his lingering gaze, one specifically catching his eye.
The box wasn't something to attention-grabbing for the average person, but then again... this was the same one she had mentioned was her favorite tea a few nights ago. The box was a peach hue and had the logo written in red calligraphy. The title of the kind written in a smaller, but identical font a little way down, depicted next to some cinnamon sticks. And then, of course, the marketing of the tea brand, calling itself high quality and made with royal leaves... whatever that meant.
Vienna Cinnamon
That was what it was called, and he could still remember the intensity of the cinnamon on his tongue as he had indulged himself in a few cups of the leaf made beverage. Her voice asking him if he was okay watching some sort of anime about a dragon maid or another strange title. But even so, he couldn't muster up the words to complain at all that night.
And so, he instead just sat there and idly sipped at his tea as she laughed softly every few seconds at something happening on the colorful show that was playing. The rest of the evening a blur between the tea, ordered food, and light conversation that kept the air from feeling awkward.
Touya
She had picked up on calling him that really quick. Dropping Dabi as if he had changed his name again. His birth name always having been something foreign to him in the last few years, now back and seeing as normal as the flames he could produce from the palms of his hands.
While he had long since gotten rid of being called that name, he couldn't help how nice it felt to hear it again. The name was his name. A name he had assumed was dead, but now once more was being used to address him. The power a simple name could have... he had never known until he heard her saying it as often as she did that night.
Offering him that cup of tea, a blanket to keep warm under, if he wanted to watch anything particular... always starting or ending her sentence with his name. The way it flowed off her tongue like silk on a bed... easy and smooth.
He had assumed and convinced himself long ago that he hated the name. The name his parents had given him, yet another sign of how he was tied to them. But as the night went on, he couldn't help but feel his feelings change, even in the slightest little bit. He used to care a lot about being called Touya. This time, however, he really couldn't care. It was nice to hear his name muttered in such a soft and peaceful voice again.
The only times after the departure of his mother that had his name muttered was from the lips of his father angrily yelling at him, flames bursting from his fists. Or from his two younger siblings, crying out in agony for him to come and help them... do something, anything to relieve the pain that was making them shut down. He had never gotten the chance to hear Shouto call out his name... as by the time he came around, their father had made sure to isolate him from Touya, Fuyumi, and Natsuo. And so... Shouto was the only one who he hadn't heard his name called in disgust.
His mother even at one point did so... during one of the last few days she had before her sanity snapped. Therefore, hearing how someone could talk to him and mutter his name in such a calm manner reminded him that it was possible... and that someone even like him could have a kindness or two done to him.
Without thinking much about it, his hand had snatched the box off the shelf and threw it among his other groceries. The fancy box of tea seeming to stick out among the cheap bread and off-brand cereal that was in his basket. He couldn't help it though... the idea that this time was tied to a calm happiness he had experienced once made him act like a delusional child.
He knew for a fact that the night in question would never come again. If anything she had been acting like a hero and helping to calm down someone she deemed a worthy, if not needy cause. But even so, despite the huge gap he was going to have now until he managed to get his hands on more money... the clerk easily scanned the box of tea as Dabi handed over the money for his items.
And even as he went back outside into the cold winter day, the snow crunching under his boots he couldn't help that he felt much calmer and relaxed today and the last few then he had for a very long time.
He had always assumed that being able to get back at his father, ruin his image and prove to him that he had indeed created a powerful child the first time around and not the fourth time. That was his motivation, his starting point, his biggest desire... it was all that kept him going at one point.
But now, with the weight of this box of tea in his plastic bag and the strange calmness that he was feeling, despite being a wanted villain out in the public during daylight... he couldn't help but feel like he was doing well for himself.
Like... one little venting session and then a peaceful evening was all it took to start the healing process he had long accepted that he couldn't have. That the damage that was done to him was much too powerful and severe for him. But now... now he couldn't convince himself of those words as much as he used to. It was as if... this tea had a healing factor in it.
But he wasn't an idiot. He knew very well that the tea wasn't anything other than a slightly expensive brand that was generally drunken in the winter because of the flavors it mixed together. If anything had made him feel this way... it had been the person to make the tea and the company she had with him.
And even now... he couldn't shake the image of her soft features and airy laugh out of his head. Looks and sounds that were not meant for him, but just out in the open as he had sat in her apartment. Her comfortability with it all... as if she was okay with him being there. Forgetting how he had tried to kill her one meeting before.
But then again, he had also gotten her out of that situation, like she had tried to help him. This strange attraction he had towards her, making the male always linger near her. If he wasn't already informed on what her quirk was, he would have assumed that it was some sort of affection based quirk, making him seek her out for some reason... but instead, it was some dumb switching quirk.
His emotions that swirled in a storm like way were still too hard to get a reading on, but Dabi couldn't help but seek her out. She was a hero... the thing he despised the most. But despite it, he could see himself liking the girl under the hero persona. If only she hadn't had chosen the path she did. Maybe then something would have come out of it beyond him seeing nothing but pity from her and his own feelings of confusion.
But alas, he was never too lucky. And now... he had more tea then he knew what to do with.
~~~~~
The warmth of the sweater she wore seemed to be doing little to help her relax. Nor was the cozy blanket, or the feeling or the hot chocolate mug resting in her hands. None of her usual comforts were doing much good for her at the current moment... in fact, it seemed more like the female was further on edge trying to distract herself from what had happened.
What would her boss say? What would her co-workers say? What would her friends say? What would the media say? What would the public say? What would her mother say?
Oh God... what was she supposed to say? What was she even supposed to think?
Her mind had been constantly replaying the interaction, the confession, and the aftermath on repeat for the last two days. And as she thought and obsessed about it more and more... she couldn't help but think of all the times she should have done something differently!
But she didn't... and she could have been killed. He could have waited for her to lay her guard down enough to strike her... but he didn't. Instead, he was quiet after his spilling of the past she had no reason to not believe was true.
The raw emotion he displayed and how he seemed unsure to even be sharing it himself. Fuyu had decided that in the end... he was either a great actor or really was the son of Endeavor. But then... he was still a villain.
No number of bad childhood events could change the fact that Touya had gone and hurt people right back. He had hurt, and stolen, and killed people because he thought it was the best thing for him to do. He was still a bad person, wasn't he? What good person did these sort of things?
She shook her head, knowing that if she continued on this thought process she would try to convince herself that maybe he was misunderstood and she truly didn't understand what it was like to grow up in the kind of household he had grown up in.
But that was another lie... she did know what it was like to grow up in that kind of household. Her father was always terrorizing her mother, making threats and demands like he owned her and her life.
And with the fear he ruled with and the power he had... he did indeed own her life. And he owned her. Her father having never showed an ounce of regret when he would do those things that Fuyu had sworn she'd stop when she became a hero.
The abuse of a spouse and of a father... was something she made sure to save people from. That was why she became a rescue hero in the first place... because while she had managed to find the strength to save herself and her mother, Fuyu knew not everyone was as lucky as she was when it came to leaving someone who you feared.
Maybe that was why she instantly, almost alarmingly so, started to see Touya in a different light than before she had known what his real name was and what happened to him to get him to this point.
He had lived through her story with different actors and an alternate ending... and she had lived through his with an alternate ending and different actors.
But, even so... she couldn't understand why it was the path of a villain. Especially when his other siblings had not resorted to that path. Todoroki Fuyumi still lived at home and helped take care of the grounds while running a business and publicity for her father. Todoroki Natsuo was still in college, but from what the news reports and press had written about him... he was going to going for a Ph.D. in his field of choice. And then there was Todoroki Shouto... the youngest who was trying his damn hardest to become a hero.
Fuyu couldn't understand it. How could four siblings from the same parents have three of the four work towards benefitting humanity further, while making sure to walk outside of their father's shadow and make a name for themselves?
And then there was Touya... trying to do that, but the wrong way in her opinion.
She could understand not knowing how to properly express herself after such a traumatic experience, as she knew too well how hard it was at times to make a decision or speak her mind without fear. Instead, she coated her true feelings with a joke or instead living in a fictional world...
... but hurting others for your own gain or even worse - to make yourself feel better. It made her stomach churn and the bile in her throat build up to an uncomfortable amount.
Fuyu stood up, making sure to carefully place all the things she had prepared for herself to relax on the side while she moved to gaze out her window. The bright rays of the sun starting to peek through the snow clouds above, casting a few stray golden spotlights on some areas of the outside.
One of those lights just so happened to be hitting that same bench where her mysterious stalker had been two nights ago. And also where he had made his confession to her. The swirling in her gut reminding her of so many amateur mistakes she made that night.
And even more when he finally came into her apartment. How she had put down that emergency button in favor of a teapot. Her favorite blend of winter tea made and served in two mugs and then two of her coziest blankets being used to keep two bodies warm.
And even with the anime she had been meaning and excited to watch for the last week playing on the tv in front of her... Fuyu couldn't help but still watch the male from the side of her eyes.
It wasn't that she was nervous about him being here... rather she was finding herself more worried that he wasn't having a good time here with her. Was he okay? Was his mind still stuck on the past and now the wounds he had reopened himself? Did he regret telling her?
Her mind was swirling and nothing seemed to settle it, or at least until he had broken the silence and asked if he could have another glass of the tea. She was shocked, to say the least, but even so... she made another pot. And then another.
The pair of them each silently thinking and watching the anime that was on and just enjoying the warmth. The cold had never been her favorite, and seeing as Touya seemed to have been shivering from it before coming in... she had a feeling that she was correct about him not liking the cold.
The memory was still fresh, and the beating of her heart when she had spoken the words and showed him her kindness was something she still was debating about. Was he really worth it? In that moment... she would have told you yes...
"Come on." Fuyu motioned back towards her apartment, a calmness suddenly on her lips and words. "It's freezing out here. I'm sure even someone with a fire quirk gets cold."
He didn't speak a word after that, simply getting up from his seat on the bench and following after the girl. His hood rising above his head and covering his features before he could really understand why he did it.
Maybe it was because he didn't want any of this hero's noisy neighbors to notice him... or maybe it was because he didn't want her to get in trouble for being seen with him in such a calm and friendly way. But, that would mean he too wanted to indulge in a calm and friendly chat with her.
And as things currently stood... Dabi wasn't sure exactly what he expected from the tea tonight, or why he had decided to even take up her offer. But he did know one thing... and it was that he was cold. After all, from all the recollecting he had done tonight out in that brisk cold... his hands were shaking.
Something he at least hoped was from the cold, and not what was repressed underneath the surface."
But as things stood currently... she wasn't so sure of it anymore. She wasn't sure of anything or anyone. After all... if the number one hero was a child and spouse abuser and his eldest son had reverted to being a villain because of his actions... then what did that say about the true nature of heroes?
Were they only heroic in the spotlight and could act however they wished later on? Was this way people like Touya became a villain?
The questions and concerns in her head had finally reached a breaking point. And with a muffled cry of anxiety crossing past her lips, Fuyu leaned downwards and held herself close. The carpet was itching on her skin... but she didn't care.
She had to make a decision... and find out where exactly she stood on this entire thing. Two days was enough worrying for her. Two days was more then she should have given... seeing as deep down, she knew where she stood on questions like this.
Touya had opened her eyes to another side of the hero world she had always known existed by denied... and despite how she wanted to help him further and bring him back to the side that she thought he would flourish more in... she knew better.
She loved being a hero. And Fuyu would not let anyone or anything jeopardize it.
Not even Touya... who she was still trying to decide her own feelings for. Or at least sort them out more.
She couldn't deny what she was feeling in her chest though. That despite it all, despite how she was supposed to turn him in and bring him to justice and all that a hero is trained and told to do for years and years... some part of Fuyu wished for another calm night with him.
And while she knew that the night would never come again... she wished it would. Touya, despite his other persona, was interesting. He was capable of being a good person. And if he hadn't become who he was currently was... maybe she would have called him or asked him to hang out more... but rather she was stuck like this.
But either way... she wouldn't allow it to go further. She had made up her mind on what side she was on, and something in her gut told her that Touya had as well... So in the end, she'd do what she had always been doing up to this point.
The burns on her neck were almost completely healed, she was feeling ready to return to the office and dive back into her hero work, her head was no longer pounding with pain from sounds and lights around her... and so, she was going back.
No more pity for someone who was just as old and experienced in the world as she was. She had to protect herself first, no matter how sad the story was. She was going to be a hero... and despite how her heart kept telling her to find and reach out for the male in question... she would not. She would do what she needed to do.
And what she needed to do was bring villains like him down... and most importantly, make sure to not allow the line between them get any more blurred then it already was.