Chapter Text
Shouto never considered himself as a party type. Not when loud music instead of entertaining only caused him a headache, being too much of a burden for his sensitive ears. To say nothing of all of those people happily cramping together in far too small space, bumping into each other constantly. For some unknown reason convinced that disturbing his personal space was something not only acceptable, but even wanted. Like a bunch of strangers’ bodies attached to his own was an essence of his very existence.
Just to be clear - no it was not.
Even if sometimes he gladly took advantage of it.
Still, even if he deeply despised the mentioned form of entertainment, everyone knew one - Shouto always attended any party that truly mattered. And to be perfectly honest, the only one unanimously confirmed as worthy of that title, happened to be the one thrown by Touya - his older brother. In their shared mansion without Shouto’s approval or mostly even knowledge. Not like he really could do anything to change that. Despite the fact they were siblings, Touya (to the other people mostly known as Dabi because he liked to think it made him mysterious, and he was too dark and shit to be called by his given name with it soft undertone) never went easy on him. If Shouto wanted something, he had to fight for it with everything he got. So, (after many unquestionable and rather painful failures) he learned to choose his battles wisely.
Or simply became too lazy to give a damn after regularly getting his ass beaten. 'Cause honestly, why even bother?
After all, Touya wasn't really that bad. A little hard to handle with his “I. Don’t. Give. A. Shit.” kind of attitude and alarmingly blank stare boring into your very soul, but let’s not forget that whether he liked it or not, he was still his big brother. A fact he often emphasized, for most of the time treating him just adequately - little Sho in need of his constant help with almost everything.
From learning the primary truth about the world to getting a decent hook up. Last one being not such a bad option considering his brother's surprisingly good taste and intuition in people.
So yeah, to some quiet agreement sometimes they just happened to share a little more than a bit of home space.
It started one morning when Shouto spread himself out on the couch, too bored for his own good, absently staring at the ceiling. He tried not to mind a loud giggle disturbing his peace once Touya's one-night stand decided to join him into a salon. With a clear intention in her mind attacking his younger self, without prior explanation of her behaviour or much of the given choice. Unwilling to wait for her original partner to wake up, with ease taking what she was there primarily for.
All he could think of was her soft lips onto his own, round breast pressed right to his chest and sweet smell filling his nostrils.
Not like any of this really mattered, as the thing that made him move and act on it was solely a pair of turquoise eyes, closely observing him from a door frame. Challenging in a way that successfully made his blood boil. Just like it always had. Undermining Shouto’s very being and making him do things he would have normally never thought of doing.
After that 'accident' similar things happened even often. Some of Dabi's guest dared to openly approach him (after or before fucking with raven) and he never turned them down, because why should he? Shouto might have been dense, but he realised rather quickly that none of this truly mattered. To him, or even more for them. It was all about temporary pleasure. A brief moment of Play Pretend, when they chose to put on way too familiar act, losing themselves into a touch of strangers.
To forget how lonely and dysfunctional they have grown up to be.
Sometimes, Touya would’ve asked him directly to join them into his bedroom, so they could’ve enjoyed his daily prey together. Another time Shouto would’ve come to him all by himself. And so, with time he turned out to be bold (and spoiled) enough to simply take whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it.
Not even once told that someone was out of his reach or forbidden to at least try.
Another party with another set of music too noisy for his liking, leading him to wondering what was he even doing here. Sure, some of his classmates were here too, but Shouto was never particularly fond of them, just the same, as truth be told, they haven’t come here to meet him especially. They may have tried to hide it (rather poorly if you asked him) but it was rather obvious - he was not the ‘Todoroki’ they craved attention from, almost pleading to be noticed. Pathetic. Still somehow understandable.
As one of the few Shouto could have actually stood up, and simply as it seemed, joined Touya's side. Getting rid of every follower that surrounded him and helping them realized how little did them truly matter.
But again, why should he bother? He had Touya to himself more often than he would like to, somewhere around his seven birthdays becoming tired of his stupid face already. Who would not, if all they were ever doing was blankly staring at each other. All day long, until Shouto couldn’t take it anymore, preferring to storm out than to bear with it a second longer.
Muting whatever conversation may have taken place among people sitting with him on a couch, Shouto absently minded his own business. At least to the moment some female thought it was such a good idea to hang herself on him from behind, whispering to his ear, “Who is he?”
“Who is who?” he asked brightly, trying to catch up with the current situation while subtly shoving her off.
Accidentally attracting even more attention, once sitting beside him guys overheard his question, instantly crawling closer with pure interest evidently showing on their faces. For some unknown reasons catching his shoulders to lean onto his space and whispered conspiratorially:
“The one all over your brother!”
Most likely another insignificant one?
“How could the both of you be so blind?” the girl shrieked, plastered to Shouto back still. “It's totally the other way around!”
And THAT certainly got his attention.
Twisting a little, he searched for Touya, oddly interested. Even if it was most likely an exaggeration, he couldn’t help being curious. He highly doubted that there was a human capable of (not so much attracting what to) maintaining Dabi’s attention for longer than a quick fuck. And even then raven rarely seemed to care, reducing himself to looking a little less bored than he normally would or touch lacking any real affection. Shouto witnessed it enough time to acquire almost intact faith in his brother's complete lack of any deeper emotions.
Finding what he was looking for was pretty easy considering the commotion always accompanying his target. For once not as big as usually, which was weird in itself. Fact that literally no one hung over Touya (to at least try to sit into his laps or hug him from any ankle) made Shouto stiffen. Something was wrong. Something was terriblywrong.
Scanning Touya’s closest surrounding he had laid his eyes on the one who must be HIM almost instantly. The one sitting not too close but also not too far away from his brother's reach. The fact that Touya seemed to be using freely and happily, once by once drawing closer to the blond. To whispered in his ear, probably grazing it slightly by his teeth. To lightly nuzzle his nose against the other neck. To carelessly stroke his shoulder, desperate to touch him more than he was supposed to.
“So? Who is he? And why are they not making out yet?”
Exactly his question.
Normally Touya would not waste a second to get into somebody's pants. Regardless of any circumstances (like that one time when a guy literally had a mental breakdown right in front of their eyes and Dabi blankly told him to get his shit together and strip, or get the hell out).
Sometimes, he started with it right in the middle of the party, not really minding the audience. Boldly tearing the chosen one into pieces, forcing everybody to watch and absorb every single sight he decided to share with them.
Feeling strangely on edge, without a single word Shouto simply rose from his seat semi-conscious about where was he going. Right to his brother and his brand new toy. Why? It depended. Mostly because he just felt like it. The feelings behind it? Hard to tell. Curiosity? Anxiety? Maybe. Lack of understanding? Most likely.
Normally Shouto would at least snort to himself about all that people getting away from his way faster than they would escape from a burning house. However, right now he didn't seem to mind much, entirely focused on his brother figure distractedly wrapping his finger around the blond’s lock. Getting behind the sofa they were currently sitting on, Shouto decided not to disturb Dabi's weird game, limiting himself to being acknowledged after embracing the Sunny Boy.
"Willing to have some fun together?" Coming closer, he placed a light kiss right under the sharp jawline. As it turned out, the stranger's skin was unexpectedly soft to the touch. Half consciously, Shouto moved a little lower, caressingly exploring the bare throat. "I can assure you, I can please you way better than this old man over here."
He was only half joking, stealthily glancing at Touya. Expecting at least a snicker from him. Not a deadly stare completely freezing his blood. There was something going on Shouto couldn’t fully put his mind onto. On the other hand, probably for like the first time in his life, he could have easily named most of the emotions shown by Touya. Obviously not only to him as some of the people surrounding them took a preventive step back.
Touya hadn’t moved even a bit. What changed was the air all around him. It was suffocating. Alarming. Plainly warning about an unavoidable threat of bloodshed.
He completely missed an utter disgust with which crimson eyes bore into top of his head. Same as quick change to blond's hostile attitude, as fast as he notices irrefutable resemblance between both of cornered him figures. Curiosity and playful smirk which seemed to only worsened everything once spotted by raven.
Touya's face went so still it was almost hurtful to look at. Like he was an empty facade, too distant to this world and everybody in it. Cold and untouchable, acting faster than anybody else. With a strange grace getting up and without a warning grabbing Shouto's ear to jerk him forward, forcing him to rise with him.
Hissing mostly out of surprise rather than actual pain, Shouto obediently followed him to the kitchen, catching a glimpse of something almost pity-like into the blonde's oddly hypnotizing eyes. Not that Touya let him faze out, with surprisingly brute tossing him around.
Following him right into the dark, he blinked involuntarily when Touya unceremoniously turned the light on, finally freeing his poor ear, now throbbing painfully.
“The hell were you doing?”
Staring at him blankly, Shouto found out that he hadn’t even known what this whole fuss was all about. Persevering into silence, he simply held his brother's burning glare, internally completely in awe that he was able to witness such a rare outburst. Probably not the best thing to mention aloud then, considered that Dabi appeared to be really waiting for his answer.
“Just though we may share,” Shouto summed. Not even slightly prepared for a force with which Dabi decided to reply with, having only a half of mind to push him straight onto a fridge. Which started to rock dangerously, nearly crushing them both into process. Almost, because not even it had enough courage to try and prevent Touya right into the middle of his almost animal-like fury. His eyes went impossible dark, every muscle of his face steady and unnaturally tight. He bared his teeth, probably even unaware of his own doing. Finger gripping around Shouto’s throat for much more than just keeping him in place. Hammer deeply, purposely cutting him off the oxygen.
“Repeat.”
Shouto didn’t dare to. Not that he could even if he wanted to, as Touya strengthened his grip, with ease raising him just above the floor.
Dabi entered his maniac mode. I repeat, Dabi entered his maniac mode. Retreat. NOW.
He could sense it far sooner than it happened to hit him right in the face.
Bloodlust and irresistible need to hurt. Not only break but crush. Make you regret that you even dared to exist. What the hell was exactly going on?
“I-” Shouto tried to defeat himself but failed utterly, starting to feel a little bit dizzy. “I-I wasn't thinking,” he croaked weakly.
Cold fear shook all his body. His mind really seemed to believe Touya would choke him. He was no longer so sure himself he wouldn't either.
And then without a warning, the hand that supported him disappeared completely, sending him straight to the floor, coughing and still too shocked to process what the hell had actually happened.
“Stupid brat.”
There was a grimace on Touya's face, but none of the other emotions had shown moreover. There was no sympathy or understanding. Just nonchalance and an unspoken promise of even more violence if he would one day forced him to bring that conversation again. Because Sho might have been a stupid brat (harmless mostly, as Touya liked to summarize him) but even that didn't make him truly safe. Nothing really could against the brutal force that truly Touya was.
When he left the room and once again Shouto was all alone, he couldn’t think about anything but what he had just witnessed. He might have missed the punchline of his brother's (maybe brief yet still obvious) demonstration of strength, but still found out about three things that made him shiver in pure delightment.
Firstly, there was someone out of his reach. Person forbidden even to him, to the extent of Touya using violence to beat that into his head. First one Dabi chose to keep all to himself, visibly possessive and alert.
Secondly, the more he thought about it, the stronger desire he had. Desire to obtain; to take over something that moment ago he hadn’t even known used to exist. Person he didn't pay much attention to, spotting nothing more than basic things (like the color of his hair which Dabi appeared to adore or piercing hue of his eyes when they escorted him out of the room). Now he wanted to know everything which lead him to last, final conclusion:
He was lost and probably begged to get himself killed, but he just couldn’t deny
how beautifully delicious it would be to participate in such a deceitful game.