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Waking up in cold sweat was not a new sensation, nightmares tended to come with the job.
He’d spent countless sleepless nights just pacing around the shitty, run-down house they were currently staying in.
He kind of missed the bar, but could not complain; it was his fault, kind of, that they were discovered.
He’d half expected Shigaraki to decay his face off once finding out, but...their boss was surprisingly calm about it. After the initial shock of losing his mentor had worn off, Dabi couldn’t stop but notice a slight change happening in the scraggly pale figure. The whole thing with the Yakuza had definitely shown something was different from the spiteful, bratty mophead he’d first come in contact with.
He wasn’t sure what to think about it.
Right now, he wasn’t really able to think much of anything at all.
He’d perhaps gone a bit overboard during their earlier heist, getting some supplies.
Bringing his hand up, Dabi noted dully his skin looked lightly burnt even beyond the usual marks, and bits of smoke escaped from between the cracks and stitches. His body felt so fuckin’ hot, like he was suffering from a ridiculously high fever, then thrown into a goddamn oven or something.
Dabi should’ve known to expect this.
He’d seen Shigaraki look at him for a moment when they’d returned. He was a surprisingly stoic person when he wasn’t panicking, but Dabi knew. Their boss had likely noticed the issue before he did, but had not said anything to spare his dignity or something. It was not like nothing could be done at this point; he’d just have to weather it.
Back in the bar, he could use the showers to take a cold one, that helped.
The water in this place wasn’t running for obvious reasons, so if anyone had to wash up, they’d need to use public spaces, something he couldn’t do easily, given how recognizable he was thanks to the scarring; plus at this state he couldn't really leave very far from the house anyway.
What they’d opted on instead was use whatever bottled water they had at hand, or soaking towels in the small spring nearby the house in the forest, draping them over him.
It helped for a bit, but wasn’t ideal.
He still wondered why they’d come to this house specifically, other than it was remote. It had been Shigaraki’s idea, though he’d never explained what the place was, not that any of them really cared.
Dabi manages to push himself up, the room spinning in his vision for a bit.
He mostly slept alone in this room, others preferring to stay huddled together in the large, run down living room. Though he’d seen Shigaraki sometimes stay at another part of the house, usually sunken in thought. There was something special about this house, but he didn’t care to ask questions.
Pushing himself off the bed carefully, he knew he’d have to go and get the damn rags to at least somewhat ease this, since it did not seem like anyone was gonna check on him anytime soon.
Luckily it wasn’t the worst it could be; sometimes he was too feverish and sickly to even move.
Pacing out of the room, he still threatened to fall over, part of him wanting to tear open all the stitching just to let the damn heat out faster, but he refrained from doing so. If he was gonna die, it better be for a flashier way and reason than his own pitiful misery.
He noted the living room, normally piled with his ragtag of comrades, was empty this time around, likely the reason why nobody had come to see him.
They all were probably outside, doing whatever the fuck it was they were doing. Some missions from Shigaraki, others personal shit. He did not care.
There was one figure sitting on the couch, legs tugged up on it as well as he played on his phone. Red eyes shift up to look at him. Dabi could barely make out his form, vision turning blurry as the heat coming from within intensified.
Shit he really shouldn’t be standing, should he?
He blinks heavily, leaning against the door-frame as his head starts spinning worse.
Between blinks, he could see Shigaraki slip his phone away and slide off the couch.
After another blink, he was standing right in front of him, admittedly almost spooking Dabi off his feet.
A hand raises up, and part of Dabi admittedly assumes he was going to die now, but instead of five fingers grasping his face to decay it to pieces, Tomura simply places the back of his hand against his forehead, expression stoic like it had been earlier that day.
”You’re burnin’ up.”
”No shit sherlock.”
Dabi manages to mumble out, his voice sounding very sleepy and hoarse.
It wasn’t too surprising, the unpleasant heat did dry up his throat worse than the condition Shigaraki’s face was in.
His boss says nothing, just drops his hand, then gestures him to go back to his room.
”I’ll get the towels.”
”You? Since when did you give a shit?”
Dabi snorts, then grimaces as doing that actually hurt, making his head spin even worse. Tomura just ignores him and goes to look through their supplies, not really giving him a choice. He manages to wander back to his bed, slumping down on it and just breathing out a few times, trying to somewhat manage the aching.
All his joints ached, his skin was itchy, and his insides were burning up, making him nauseous as hell.
The urge to tear at his wound was present again, but he doesn’t get the chance to even seriously contemplate on it, as he could hear footsteps stopping next to his shabby mattress of a bed, placing something rather heavy beside it.
A careful hand reaches for his shoulder, and Dabi rolls over slowly, able to make out the pale silhouette even with his blurry vision.
The hand again presses against his forehead, and Dabi now notes it feels almost icy cold against his burning up body.
Thinking about it, Shigaraki always felt kind of cold if you ever got close to him - both figuratively and literally.
He didn’t bother doing either, not on purpose, but he had ended up getting in close physical proximity due to outside influences, and Tomura always felt so cold.
He’d figured it was another weird trait of being the weird ass cryptid mophead Shigaraki was, though right now he kind of liked it.
Dabi almost protests out loud, feeling the hand leave.
A wet towel was draped over his forehead and shoulders, alongside few other spots that Toga would put them on, as she usually dealt with it. Mostly near his stitching.
It did help almost instantly, but Dabi knew Shigaraki would be forced to loom near him for the next hour or so, because his body-heat would quickly warm up the rags, reducing the effect the water had. The idea of having their creep of a boss hang around him for that long was uncomfortable, but Dabi knew he had no choice.
It was not like Tomura was that prone to trying to murder him brutally anymore.
If anything, he’d become much more tolerable.
He’d given him that Nomu back then. Shigaraki had not specifically asked him anything, nor had he told him details. The mophead had just informed him he’d gotten his own pet monster for the task, and also suggested Twice to stay close to him as well during the operation. He’d not thought a whole lot on it, but looking back, Shigaraki had likely deduced his issue, giving him an option to not use his flames too much.
It was...admittedly pretty decent from a supposed villain boss.
He feels some of the towels get pulled away one by one, likely soaked again in the water before getting draped over him again.
Fingers brushed his skin carefully too, likely checking what his temperature was, and Dabi hated the fact he kind of missed the touch as soon as it was gone.
It just...it felt colder than the wet towels, and in his feverish state, that was all he craved.
”Hn, I kind of wanted to tell you to be more careful, but I figured it was a tad late for that.”
Dabi wanted to snort again, but he knew it would just hurt, so he doesn’t respond, keeping his eyes closed as the towel on his face gets lifted away. He could feel those pleasantly cool fingers brush against the edge of his scarring, and knew the red eyes were focused on his face, probably looking at the tiny wisps of smoke occasionally escaping from in-between the stitches.
”You look pretty terrible.”
”Tell me somethin’ I don’t know.”
That actually causes his boss to chuckle a bit, and Dabi was still confused about how surprisingly low Shigaraki’s voice could get.
It didn’t quite match his appearance, at least at first glance.
He kind of liked it when it got lower, weirdly enough.
The hand eventually leaves and the towel is back, blocking out any light that seeped through his eyelids.
They just sort of remained there in silence, up until the water runs out, and Dabi hears Tomura sigh, sensing the back of his hand press against his forehead again now, after removing the towel. It also brushes against other parts, namely his chest and tummy, probably just to see if his temperature had gone down at all.
The touch made him shiver almost involuntarily, and Dabi was fucking glad Shigaraki likely just took it as a side-effect of his burning up state.
”I gotta go get more water. Our stash is almost empty since Toga and Spinner aren’t back yet, so I’ll hafta go to the pond.”
”Oh great, now you’re gonna pour muddy water on me.”
Tomura again, ignores his complaint and heads out, which... It was starting to confuse him.
His boss barely reacted to his taunts anymore, and it was starting to be a bit unnerving.
It made Dabi feel like Shigaraki was seeing through his bravado, and he had no clue if that was a good or a bad thing.
As time passed, he began to feel more and more uncomfortable, right up until Dabi had to get up, just to move, to keep his body from hurting.
He staggers to his feet again, wondering if he should just go outside and land on a heap to the cold ground or drown himself in the damned pond.
He was proud of his power, but also hated it.
Pacing towards the back door Shigaraki had gone out from, his vision was getting extremely blurry.
His thoughts were a complete mess, dulled by the unpleasant feverish heat.
All he wanted right now was to be submerged in something cold and maybe just fucking drop dead.
Something appears in his vision, but he can’t make it out properly.
A distant voice calls out to him, a quiet mutter he couldn’t make sense to.
Taking another step, Dabi feels his legs start giving away and he collapses finally.
There was a sound of something hitting the floor, something splashing out like liquid, and instead of hitting the floor like whatever did before him, he collides with something relatively soft. All he saw was a blur of pale colors, white and something bluish.
The surface against his face was both smooth and ragged, and so pleasantly cold.
Dabi’s arms slip around whatever was holding him up, and he just sort of buries his face deeper into the cool softness.
He could hear the distant voice again, calling out his name questioningly, but his feverish mind couldn’t register it.
He just wanted to get closer to whatever it was that felt so damn relieving right now.
Tomura stood there cautiously, keeping his hands away from Dabi as he tried to decide what to do right now.
He’d seen the reckless fool up on his feet again, then almost falling to his face on the floor, making him reflexively drop the water to catch him.
Now he’d have to go and get more, and carrying it wasn’t easy when he had to watch his fingers. Namely, he could not use all his strength when having to keep a finger or two away.
Before he could do that however, he’d have to decide what to do with the feverish fire quirk user, who for some reason was snuggling his neck now.
It was a bizarre and unfamiliar sensation, but not particularly bad.
His initial reaction had been to shove Dabi off him, but his rational side quickly took control, stopping him before he could. He was pretty sure Dabi wouldn’t be able to walk back on his own, and judging from the way he was holding him....he probably wouldn’t be easy to convince to let go.
Not to mention, his brain had to be a pile of mush right now, Tomura wasn’t surprised if the idiot didn’t even realize what he was doing.
This was not something Dabi normally did after all, he generally had this whole lone-wolf act going on.
It annoyed others, but Tomura understood enough about him thanks to his earlier research and observation, to deduce why he was avoiding them.
Still though...
He could feel a feverish hand slip under his coat now, just spreading against his back, and he admittedly began to feel uncomfortable about this.
Tomura was not one to shy away from physical contact per say - just ask a certain kid he’d terrorized a while back - but this was...different.
Finally, he makes a decision, and somehow manages to maneuver Dabi around, backing them both towards the room he’d slept in.
He was kind of glad no one was there to see this, because it was a tiny bit embarrassing.
As he stops beside the mattress, Tomura attempts to shove Dabi off him to make him drop back down to the mattress, but he underestimates the grip the fire user had on him, basically making them both stumble against it, and he barely manages to clench his fists to not just outright decay the mattress away from beneath them.
He was now awkwardly stuck, one arm pinned under Dabi, whose face was still snuggled against his neck, and the squeezing around his waist actually gets tighter.
”Are you fucking kidding me?”
Tomura finally huffs out, now starting to get annoyed.
The same time, he could not stop the slight warm sensation creeping up on his face, something he definitely wasn’t used to. He could feel Dabi mutter something out against him, and the following sigh sounded almost relieved.
”Dabi, let go I need to get more water.”
”No.”
The fire wielder mumbles out, nuzzling against him some more.
Tomura huffs out slowly, lifting his hand up to carefully mingle his fingers into the black hair, avoiding his scalp. He forcibly yanks his head back, so he could look into the dulled, feverish blue eyes.
”This will last much longer if you don’t stop fooling around.”
He wasn’t sure if Dabi truly registered his words, given how dazed his expression was. The next second, he flops his head right back, now even throwing a leg over him like a stubborn child. The pale figure was almost ready to try and just kick him off, ignoring the agony it would likely cause to the fire user in this state, when Dabi’s next words make him halt.
”You feel better.”
Tomura blinks at that, just staring into the air for a moment.
”Yer ’lways s’ cold.”
Dabi mumbles out again, lips moving against his neck as he spoke, and Tomura was too baffled by the situation to even react to the sensation of Dabi’s arm shifting again, not until he felt the heated palm press against his bare back under his shirt.
It made him flinch, a shiver running down his spine, and the only reason he was somehow able to not just violently trash around and throw Dabi off him was the knowledge he wasn’t really aware of what he was doing.
That, and...it felt weirdly nice, being held like this.
It was not something he was used to.
After a while Dabi shifts again, the leg finally slipping off him, though otherwise he doesn’t let go, hand still pressed against his back, breath brushing over his neck.
”....Does that really help?”
Dabi just hums as a response, rubbing his nose against his throat, the sensation kind of sending shivers down Tomura’s spine again.
”....Fine. I’ll let you do this this once.”
He mutters out with a sigh, gaining nothing as a response, aside from Dabi pressing more against him.
When the fire wielder comes to again, his head felt much clearer, most of the aching was gone.
The relief is soon replaced by utter shock however, as Dabi realizes just what the fuck he was holding onto.
He quickly let’s go of his boss, scooting back and ending up on the floor.
Tomura was still asleep, snoring softly under his breath.
He’d...had he just...?
How the hell had Shigaraki’s hands not disintegrated him while he slept?
Why was his boss sleeping next to him anyway?
Why had he been....?
Dabi just stares at the sleeping figure, a mixture of emotions raging in his brain.
Namely, he was lowkey panicking, wondering how Shigaraki would react once he woke up.
Why had his boss even done this?
How pathetic he must’ve looked for someone like Shigaraki to let him cuddle them.
His shoulders slump after a moment, and Dabi just examines the sleeping pale figure, noting that now that he wasn’t being restrained by his presence, he’d curled up, almost like a kid.
It was....weirdly cute.
Dabi shakes his head with a sigh, slowly pushing himself up.
He could hear the door open, and a familiar voice informing the whole goddamn house ’honey I’m home!”
He walks there, watching as Twice and Spinner carry in a bunch of stuff, with Toga following behind them, waving at him enthusiastically.
”Hey there, are you feeling better? Tomura-kun told us to let you sleep since you overused your quirk last time like a dummy!”
Huh, so thats why nobody had asked him to join in on the supply mission?
Fair enough, he wouldn’t have been of any help at that point anyway.
”Where’s Shigaraki?”
Spinner asks as he puts the box of what Dabi assumed was stolen food or so, down to the floor. Dabi opens his mouth, but then closes it, unsure on what to say. He couldn’t really explain it away easily, why Tomura was asleep on what he’d deemed his room and mattress.
He knew Toga would tease him to hell and back if she figured out what had happened.
Luckily, Dabi didn’t have to come up with excuses as Tomura emerges from behind him, greeting them calmly, hands in his pockets sans pinkies.
”Ah, if it isn’t our dear leader! You look fine today, more rested than usual! Did you perhaps take a nap while we were way?”
Twice tells him cheerfully, and Dabi could feel the red eyes drift towards him.
He keeps his face stoic, even though part of him was lowkey freaking out on the inside.
Shigaraki wasn’t really the type to tell them about his apparently weird feverish behavior, but still...
”Good to see you’re back unharmed.”
Shigaraki simply comments, gaining a wide smile from Toga.
”Aww our leader was worried about us!”
Tomura just shrugs, cracking his neck as he examines what they’d brought. Dabi watches him for a moment, then sighs and rubs his neck, heading back to his room. The thing Tomura had used to carry the water with was still on the floor, the water itself having left slight darkened stain on the spot. If anyone noticed it, they didn’t comment or ask why it was there, and Shigaraki just casually kicks the bucket aside, sliding it inside the small closet room nearby.
Dabi had honestly thought that weird incident was all there was to it.
However, ever since waking up in a fucking cuddle with Shigaraki of all people, all he could think about was that.
Why had Tomura allowed it?
He’d initially thought it was just pity due to his state, but knowing Tomura, he was not one to pity anyone, not himself or others. He’d likely rationalized it to himself somehow in that maze of a head of his. How he’d done that, Dabi wasn’t sure.
How his brain had somehow thought cuddling Shigaraki was a good idea was also a mystery.
All he could remember from it was that he’d felt really cool, and he’d really needed that at that moment.
That was it, just his feverish brain with weird cravings.
He should not look too deep into it.
Still...
His blue eyes kept drifting towards their boss every now and then, especially when he was tilting his head to rub his neck, or flopped his head back against the backrest of the couch he sat on with a sigh. Seeing the pale surface stretched out in front of his eyes just made his mind swirl right back to that night, how good it had felt to press against it. It was so weird, he began to wonder if someone had somehow switched his quirk with Togas, giving him weird cravings now with this almost vampiric obsession towards his throat.
Except, he didn’t really want to bite his boss, ew.
He just...he couldn’t stop looking.
If Tomura caught his gaze, Dabi would quickly avert it, rather wanting to drop dead than admit he felt any sort of draw towards him even when not high with quirk withdrawal symptoms, or whatever the hell he should call it.
It was fine, he could deal with it.
He could ignore it.
Until he couldn’t anymore.
It had been a rough job, but they’d managed to get what they needed and not get caught. Spinner was injured, and Twice had gotten hit on the shoulder, but they were pretty much alive thanks to him burning the bunch of bigots they’d looted stuff from.
Unfortunately, now he was back, stuck in his mattress with the same feverish bullshit.
Toga was beside him, chattering away while she kept draping the towels on him. He didn’t really listen, brain too mushy to register any words. She eventually leaves, and given the water bucket was still there, Toga was not going for a refill.
Maybe someone had called her for something, hell if he knew.
Eventually footsteps return, but the aura of the person was different from hers. A hand brushes against him, and the towel draped across his face is lifted, making him frown and gaze up blurredly.
Even with his vision fucked to hell, he could recognize the pale silhouette as Shigaraki.
The fuck was he doing there?
”I needed Toga to do something for me, so she asked me to look after your pitiful ass for a bit.”
”Gee thanks. Gettin’ special treatment from the boss himself.”
Dabi mutters sarcastically, his voice barely a coherent mumble.
The towel is flopped back on his face, though he could’ve sworn he’d heard Shigaraki chuckle.
For a moment, he sank back into his head, random thoughts swirling alongside his mind. He was too feverish to really focus on anything in particular, so Dabi just let his mind go into whatever direction it wanted. Of course, his thoughts were now mostly about Shigaraki who sat beside him, occasionally re-soaking the towels to drape them over him again.
He could occasionally feel the cool hand brush against him - backside to avoid injuring him - and as more time passed, the more likely that touch was to cause shivers.
”Your fever or so isn’t going down much like last time...”
Tomura muses out, though Dabi’s brain didn’t really register the words properly.
He just kind of wanted to feel that cool touch against him again, because it sure as hell worked better than the towels, somehow.
At least, when he didn’t have a shower available.
Dabi couldn’t imagine he’d gone and done that if he’d had that option.
He wouldn’t have...
Blue eyes crack open as the towel is removed again, and his already incoherent thoughts grind to a halt, as he realizes Tomura had ditched his usual coat now, probably because when he was in this state, any room he was in would start to turn warm.
That was not what made him stare though.
Shigaraki was typing on his phone with a slight frown, and he’d actually brushed some of his hair behind his ear to see the screen properly. Sure he’d begun to show his face to them more and more, now almost never wearing the hand on his face unless out on the field, but somehow his feverish mind still found the sight shocking.
Not just that.
Apparently his feverish brain was starting to think the weird, cryptical pale young man was actually kind of cute, and now that annoying thought was playing in his head on a loop.
Red eyes drift up at him, and his body and mind was too heavy for Dabi to bother moving or even closing his eyes to pretend he wasn’t looking.
Shigaraki doesn’t seem too surprised or bothered by it, just drifts his gaze back down to the phone, before sighing and putting it away in his coat pocket, the black canvas slumped to a heap beside him.
”You’ve been relying on your quirk more and more recently, which probably explains why these fits are getting worse.”
The pale figure holds his chin, as if contemplating on a solution.
There wasn’t much they could do, he couldn’t exactly just not use his quirk when it was necessary, and they currently had no access to Nomus.
Dabi closes his eyes as a wave of heat hits him, grimacing as it felt pretty terrible.
A hand brushes against his forehead and stays there for a moment, the cool touch actually smoothening out some of the wrinkles there.
”Perhaps....given this is quirk based and not an actual fever, it functions a little differently.”
Shigaraki was still musing to himself, but Dabi didn’t pay any attention to his words, just focused on the cool touch against his forehead. After a while, the four fingers slip away much to his dismay, and he hears Tomura shift lightly, releasing a slow sigh.
”.....I suppose that could explain it.”
He could feel the red eyes on him, sensing that Tomura was contemplating on something, having perhaps landed on a solution or so. He’d always been bad at explaining his plans to them, often taking action before they understood what was happening.
Dabi could hear more shifting, and the next second, something soft and kind of cool appears beside him, careful fingers maneuvering his feverish, weakened body easily until he could press against the familiar, textured patch of skin.
His eyes crack open, though only for a bit.
Shigaraki had lied down beside him, allowing him to press his face against his neck like last time.
Perhaps if he wasn’t so hazy, he would’ve freaked out about it, but right now it just felt good.
Dabi lifts his hand almost as if in trance, barely managing to slip it around him, pressing his palm against Tomura’s back under his shirt like last time.
”Your body is probably using my body heat to match and lower it. The difference is big enough to trigger a reaction.”
Dabi just hums, not really understanding what he was saying.
Maybe Shigaraki was just speaking his thoughts out loud to rationalize to himself why he was letting Dabi cuddle him again, who knew with that crazy head of his.
He nuzzles closer, feeling a hand to reach up to his hair, a finger or two drawing circles there. The gesture seemed to be unintentional, more of a reflexive thing Shigaraki wasn’t fully conscious of.
Eventually, the feverish feeling eases, though unlike last time, he doesn’t fall asleep.
Dabi remains there, listening to Shigaraki’s breath even out as he falls into slumber, dry lips brushing against his forehead involuntarily.
He should probably move, but... It felt kind of good, beyond the heat easing feeling.
It had been ages since he’d been held kind of gently like this, even if having Shigaraki do it was weird.
Then again, Shigaraki was weird in general, maybe he should stop questioning it and just go with the flow as usual.
Besides...glancing up, something told him his boss was secretly enjoying this closeness, namely the slight smile on his sleeping face told him that.
Fuck now that was cute, nobody could deny that.
Dabi sighs slowly, then rests his head back to the crook of his neck.
Fine, it was not like they could afford to have softness like this very often.
Might as well go with it.