Archive of Our Own

“I swear to god Dabi, if you throw up on me you’re walking back.” Tomura hissed as another large pothole caused the old van to shake, tossing Dabi closer to him.

“I’m, fuck, trying not to!” The blacked haired man hissed right back. “God, open the window--”

“Dabi it’s 30 degrees tonight, we are not freezing to death for you.”

“I told you not to drink too much. You know it makes it worse.” Magne tried to sound cold, but she couldn’t hide the worry in her voice.

“Turn towards Toga!” Tomura commanded and scooted away from him, well, as much as the cramped van would let him. For some reason, Dabi was sitting in the middle of the van, between Toga and Tomura. Maybe it was because Twice had told him that it was the best seat to sit in, but who remembers. Magne, since she owned the ‘mom van’, was sitting comfortably up front with Spinner, who was driving. Twice was the least lucky, not even having a seat but squatting in the back of the van, rolling around with whatever Magne had back there.

“Ew! No!” Toga cried. “If you throw up on me I’ll get Jin to kick your ass!”

“Sorry, Dabi, I gotta protect lil’ Toga’s honor!” Twice piped up from the back seat.

“You know you’re supposed to avoid the potholes, right Spinner!” Dabi reached over to kick the back of his seat. Spinner said nothing and instead turned slightly to run over another large pothole, grinning smugly when Dabi groaned again. This time, Tomura was thrown from his seat, his shoulder digging into Dabi’s. “How much longer anyway? We’ve been in here for hours.”

“Just two. They had to build it far away from the city because who would wanna live next to a mental asylum.” Toga giggled and poked Dabi’s unusually pale face. “I really think he’s gonna lose it this time.”

“We’re almost there, Dabi, I promise. Then, I’ll get you some ice water from the cooler in the back, okay?” Magne looked at him from the rearview mirror. Dabi glared at his shoes as he gave her a thumbs up, uncharacteristically silent. Tomura rolled his eyes as he drew his attention back into his game boy. He currently had a bet with Spinner that he could finish his game before they got to the destination.

“Oh! Look! That has to be it right there!” Toga awed and shoved her face against the window. The asylum hadn’t been in use since the 50s and it looked like it. Even though they were still far away, the building looked imposing. “Do you think it has gargoyles?”

“Toga, it was a hospital, not a church.” Magne frowned.

“How many stories do you think it is?” Spinner asked as he turned his attention back to the road.

“Looks about 3?” Toga squinted, trying to see the building that was shrouded in darkness. “This is so exciting! This is the first officially haunted place we’re going to as a team!” She squealed. “We gotta mark the occasion, say cheese!” The flash of her polaroid camera made Tomura hiss and Dabi groan.

“Toga, while I love taking group photos, don’t waste the film! We’re too broke to afford extra.” Magne chided before gesturing to Spinner to turn down an old dirt road. Toga only pouted as she fanned the photo, helping it develop faster. “Jin are you sure you’re going to want to be in charge of the voice recorder?

“Yeah, as long as I got the best gals to protect me, I’ll be fine. I’m going to piss my pants!”

“Just let me know and I’ll hold it for you, Twice.” Spinner called from the front. The blond man gave him a thumbs up, before yelling loudly across the van about how lucky he was to have such good friends. Toga loudly agreed with him. “Losers with motion sickness suck it up, we are turning off the main road.” Spinner warned just before the van began to shake from the dips and rocks of the dirt road. From the middle seat, Dabi groaned and Toga rubbed his back. But her soothing actions quickly stopped when she gasped and turned back to the window. “Almost there!” He called from the rumble of the car.

“Make it in one piece, make it in one piece.” Magne prayed. “Big Sis can’t afford a trip to the mechanic right now.”

“Spinner you owe me a pizza.” Tomura grinned as his game boy chimed loudly, signaling that he beat the final boss.

“You’re actually insane.” Spinner couldn’t hide the envy in his voice.

“We’re here! We’re here!” Toga cheered. “Look, Dabi! We’re here!” The black haired man swatted her hand away from him. As soon as Spinner parked the car in the trees by the building, Toga bounced out, quickly followed by a stumbling Dabi, who sucked in the cold air of the night. Twice rolled out of the back, landing on his feet as he excitedly stretched his legs. “Look, Dabi’s not throwing up! Everyone over here! Let’s take one more picture!” Twice and Magne quickly posed over Dabi, who was crouched on the ground.

“Still can’t believe you beat the final boss that quickly.” Spinner watched over Tomura’s shoulder as he tapped away on the game boy. “Did you use the cheat code?”

“I’ve cleared this game 5 times already.” The light haired man replied, rolling his red eyes. “Damn, what am I going to play on the way back now?”

“I think I have some games lying around--”

“Quit nerding out!” Dabi yelled at them.

“Possessive much?” Spinner rolled his eyes and mumbled to himself.

Both of them made their way to the other side of the car, watching Dabi splash some of the ice water Magne had given him on his face. “Fuck, those were the worst hours of my life, and I lived with an asshole.”

“Hopefully the trees will hide the car from the main road, let’s just get out of the cold... ” Tomura stood tall, scanning the building in front of them. It was taller, taller than what any of them were expecting. Tomura had to say he was surprised that most of the glass in the windows remained, a few were cracked and broken, but other than that it looked untouched.

In fact, it looked like when they did decide to close the asylum down, they simply chained up the main entrance and called it a night. Then again, the only people crazy enough to break into the old abandoned building were the ones currently outside.

“Wouldn’t it be so cool if I looked up at the top of the building and saw a figure at the window?” Toga gasped as she searched each and every one.

“You’re crazy!” Twice shivered. “Are we really going in there?” The stone and brick facade of the dilapidated building was unwelcoming. It was the stereotypical abandoned building mixed with the added horror of it being miles away from anywhere else. If they needed help, they were on their own.

“Everyone make sure you have cell service.” Tomura commanded, looking at his own phone.

“Wait, you’re not suggesting we split up?” Spinner frowned. “This building is huge, we’d never find each other.”

“Everyone knows ghosts like it better with less people! They’re shy!” Toga smiled when Magne gave her a flashlight. “Besides, there’s 6 of us and 3 floors! It’s almost like we’re supposed to split up!”

“That’s what they say in horror movies.” Spinner pointed out.

“Aw, but if we go off by ourselves the whole night they why bother coming as a group.” Magne frowned. “I want to spend time with all of my friends.”

“Agreed! You’ll have to drag me in!”

“Don’t worry Twice, there are no such things as ghosts.” Tomura rolled his eyes as they started moving closer to the front entrance. “And if there were, what can they do? They’re already dead.”

“You can’t say that, Tomura!” Toga whined loudly. “You gotta be more considerate! No ghosts will come out if you’re rude and mean to them! You’ll drain their confidence! You have to be encouraging, like this: come on out, ghouls and ghosties! I know you can do it!”

“You’re the devil!”. Twice pulled away from the blonde and clung onto Magne, hoping that she would protect him. Dabi took the first step onto the wooden porch, testing the strength underneath his boot. When it didn’t cave under his weight he shrugged and offered Tomura a hand, who said nothing as he took it and walked up to stop beside Dabi. The rest of the group followed, looking at the imposing doors at the entrance. Dabi whistled as took in the look of the front door. Just in on top of the large door, were metal letters that read:

Kamino Mental Facility and Hospital

“Hey, creep. Just think of it, this is where they would’ve put you.” Dabi grinned as he wrapped his arm around Tomura’s shoulder, pulling him in. So close that Tomura felt his heated breath against his ear.

“Knowing you, you would’ve ended up as the janitor, so fuck off.” He made no move to get out of Dabi’s grasp. Instead, he nodded his head forward, gesturing to the door. “Be a good boy and break in for us.”

“Anything for you, boss.” His grin was wolfish.

“God, we’re not even inside yet and they’re already starting.” Toga muttered under her breath as she watched them flirt. She’s surprised that it hasn’t driven any of them crazy, yet. Her eyes flashed between Tomura’s unimpressed face to Dabi’s teasing one, talking to each other with quick sarcastic jabs as Dabi picked the lock. They were doing it again, looking at each other like they were the only ones there. “Hurry Dabi, I wanna see ghosts!” She stomped her feet childishly.

“What are the magic words?” He drawled out.

“Please!” Her and Twice shouted, but the black haired man wasn’t looking at them. Dabi’s blue eyes were focused on Tomura.

“I’m going in first.” Tomura uncrossed his arms and pushed past Dabi, creaking open the door.

“Be careful! Watch out for any wild animals, Tomura!” Magne called as she watched him disappear behind the door, quickly followed by Dabi, and then Toga practically dragging Twice in. It was worse than what they thought. Inside the asylum was dark and damp, random debris scattered around and graffiti covered the paint peeling walls. Their flashlights were the only light, their footsteps were the only sound. They were perfectly alone.

“This is perfect!” Toga squealed. “We have to find ghosts here!” Twice hid behind Toga, in between Magne and Spinner, while Dabi and Tomura walked at their own pace a few feet behind. “Who’s ready?” Toga grinned when she led them through the long hallways.

“So, this was a waste of time.” The blonde haired girl grumbled as she kicked a piece of wood across the large room they were all huddled in. Was it the cafeteria? Or the recreational room? She didn’t know. All that mattered was… “We’ve been here forever and not even a single knock, whisper, or footstep!” She yelled loudly, like the ghosts would actually hear her. They had spent the better part of the night walking around the first floor.

“Told you. No such thing as ghosts.” Tomura said as he looked at the graffiti-covered walls. “This looks like your handy work.” He pointed to the cartoonishly drawn middle finger on the wall.

“Aw, you’re making me blush.” Dabi responded.

“This is going nowhere.” Toga frowned with defeat. Magne quickly walked over to her and gently patted her back. “Hey! Maybe we’re too bunched up!” Her eyes sparkled with excitement. A groan fell from almost everyone’s lips, knowing where she was going with his. “Ghosts like it when you’re alone, so maybe we should split up! We still haven’t explored the basement, and that’s where they’ll be the most ghosts!”

“What makes you say that?” Tomura shoved his hands into his black hoodie, genuinely curious.

“Uh… closer to hell?” Spinner suggested. There was a pause, before Dabi scoffed and then started laughing loudly.

“Come on! Who wants to spend 15 minutes alone in the basement! They won’t have to pay for midnight dinner!” Toga sang, trying to make it sound more appealing. After every ‘paranormal investigation’, which usually ended around 12 or 1, they would crowd back into the van and drive to the local diner. Then, they would stay there until about 3, when Mr. Compress or Kurogiri pleaded with them to just go to sleep already.

“No way!” Twice held up his arms in a x shape, emphasising just how he felt. Both Magne and Spinner looked away from the bubbly blonde, not eager to go there as well.

“Fuck it, I’ll go.” Tomura shrugged. “Hopefully it’ll be warmer down there, I’m going to freeze before I see anything. Then I’ll die and show you guys if ghosts are real or not.”

“I’ll keep look out. Make sure nothing tries to eat ya.” Dabi added as he walked up to Tomura, not waiting for the red eyed man's response. It’s not like he would’ve said no, everyone knew that already.

“Do you guys still think you’re being subtle?” Spinner frowned.

“At this point, we might as well split into teams.” Magne suggested. “Here, Tomura, take my flashlight. You and Dabi should have one.” He thanked the redhead. “Alright, we already did the first floor…”

“Oooo! Me and Jin call the second floor!” Toga glomped the other blond, who was less excited at the idea.

“Alright, Spinner Magne, third floor.” Tomura turned to walk away but he was held back.

“Uh, I’m scared of heights. I’d rather take the basement” Spinner confessed.

“What? Now way! The basement is way creepier!” Magne shivered.

“Well, which is it? It’s either one or the other.” Dabi stood closer to Tomura, as if he was daring them to try and split them up.

“Fine, we’ll take the basement.” Magne sighed, knowing she’d lose the battle.

“Great. Looks like it's you and me up top.” Tomura rolled his eyes but couldn’t hide the small smile on his lips. “What do you guys think, meet back here in an hour?” Once everyone agreed, they went their separate ways. Toga had to drag Twice up the stairs, while Dabi and Tomura walked behind them with amusement. “Don’t worry Twice, if you survive I’ll buy you a drink after!” Dabi hollered.

“How long do you think we got until Twice cracks?” Tomura walked past Dabi, towards the wall of windows. If he remembered correctly, this must be the observation deck Magne had told him about.The city lights were barely visible over the rows of trees that surrounded the abandoned building. The sharp sound of Dabi flicking open his lighter echoed around the room, before a couple clicks. “Do you have to smoke that shit in front of me?” Tomura snapped and glared at the black haired man lounging against the wall.

“What? I’m standing way over here.” He puffed out as he gestured to the large space between them.

“For now. But then you get bored and walk your sorry ass over to me. And well… you know what happens next.” It seemed like Tomura was right, because Dabi’s grin turned wolfish as he dramatically dropped his cigarette and then crushed it under his boot. “You’re being wasteful, after all the complaining about how expensive that shit is, you just crush it like that?”

“I expect to be rewarded.” Dabi exhaled, letting the smoke crawl out of his lips and in the air. Tomura really hated that nasty habit, but he couldn’t deny the fact that Dabi looked too damn attractive while smoking. The way his half lidded eyes burn from within the cloud of smoke should be illegal. Tomura could only watch as Dabi lazily stalked over to him, the familiar hungry look clouding his eyes.

“‘Rewarded’? Is that how you really feel about kissing me?” Tomura teased and Dabi stopped right in front of him. His hands raised up to push some of Tomura’s white hair away from his face.

“I like it longer.” Dabi’s voice was low. Before Tomura could retort, Dabi’s fingers carded through his hair before softly yanking, making his head tilt up. Dabi hummed in approval at the better angle before leaning in to kiss him. Tomura groaned, a little too loudly for his pride. After the loud crowded mess that was the two hour car ride, they were thankful to finally get some alone time together. Even if it was on the third floor of a potentially haunted building.

“Fuck, Dabi stop it already.” Tomura huffed out and pushed him away by his shoulders when he was getting a little too eager. Dabi groaned and rested his forehead on Tomura's shoulder.

“Come on. I’ve done it in worse places.”

“Yeah, well I haven’t, freak.” Tomura grimaced.

“Oh yeah, I forgot.” The shit eating grin that grew on Dabi’s lips made Tomura want to throw him out the window. “Gotta say, I’m honored that I got to--”

“Choke on a cigarette, will you?” Tomura hissed out. He hoped that the darkness would hide the blush on his cheeks but he knew he lost when Dabi chuckled. Still, Tomura couldn’t help but push past Dabi and start walking aimlessly around. He wasn’t really serious about investigating the place like Toga, but seeing decaying and rotting buildings was kinda cool.

“Come on, babe.” The black haired man sighed dramatically but still followed after him. “What else are we going to do here? We both know they’re no such thing as ghosts. There are plenty of alive things that are scarier.”

“Eh, I don’t know.” Tomura smirked as he stopped underneath a rotting door frame. He peered through the darkness of the first room in the hallway. “I think I could think of a lot of ways to ignore you. What do you think?” He called loudly, his voice echoing within the empty rooms. “Any ghosts want to chime in? Should I leave my friend here and go off by myself?”

“Oooo… I think you should make out…” Dabi mimicked a ghostly voice. “Huh, wow, did ya hear that? I think we should do what they say. We don’t wanna make these demons angry.”

“Ghosts.” Tomura corrected as he turned away from the room to walk further down the hallway. There wasn’t much on the third floor, most rooms were empty, without any furniture or doors. They really should’ve taken the basement, at least there was probably more things to do. Here, they just circled back around to look at the observation deck. At least the view was pretty. Tomura sighed as he looked out the window.

“You cold?” Dabi didn’t even wait for his response and wrapped his arm around his waist, resting his chin on his shoulder as he looked outside too.

“I‘m thirsty.” Tomura complained.

“I hid some booze in the car.” Dabi suggested.

“You know Magne is going to kill you if she finds out, right?”

“If.” Dabi chuckled as he kissed the crook of Tomura’s neck.

“You’re pretty annoying and Toga did want to see some ghosts.” A shiver crawled up his spine when Dabi’s hot breath tickled his neck.

“I guess I’ll have to keep you busy so you won’t have a chance to tell her…” Before he knew it, Dabi had gently turned him around to face him and started pushing him towards the wall. Dabi leaned in, his lip ghosting against Tomura when a shrill scream rang from down stairs.

“Twice.” Both of them spoke at the same time, shrugging before grabbing at each other.

From below, both Magne and Spinner ran up the stairs. They had heard Twice yelp from the first floor. The truth was, they didn’t even spend a moment in the basement. Magne made it down the stairs before she decided that she didn’t get paid enough for this… wait, she didn’t get paid at all! Still, she didn’t want to disappoint Toga, so her and Spinner decided to act like they explored.

“Twice! Are you alright?!” Magne ran up to the man using Toga as a shield as he walked backwards from a room at the end of the creepily long hallway. This whole place was practically a large hallway.

“We’re fine big sis!” Toga grinned as she snapped another photo of the empty room. “Jin heard someone whisper by the closet!” She explained with a toothy grin as she waved the two photos in with her two hands. They decided after too many incidents of almost losing or dropping the camera that it would be best if it was attached to a lanyard around her neck. “I think I really got something this time!”

“Let’s call it quits for tonight.” Spinner suggested as he watched Magne trying to comfort a shaky Twice.

“Oh, Shuuichi, come on! Can’t we stay?” Her pleading voice echoed loudly. “This might be the first physical evidence of ghosts we got and we’re just going to leave? Hey, shine your light over here!” She batted at his flashlight, but Spinner quickly moved out of the way.

“Okay, okay! Wait a second, will you?” He quickly readjusted himself as they all huddled in a circle, inspecting the two photographs she took.

The first one was just a blurry picture of Twice, who was hauling ass towards the door in an attempt to get out of the room. The second one, was more promising. It was a clear shot of the empty room and at the perfect angle to see the inside of the closet. At first, there was nothing out of ordinary, it was just a photo of a dirty and abandoned room. But by the closet--

“That’s an orb! That’s gotta be an orb!” Toga jumped up in excitement.

“Imma boutta faint!” Twice groaned as he swayed and held onto Spinner’s shoulders for support.

“I’m getting chills.” Spinner confessed as he looked at Magne for comfort. The woman was speechless, on one hand, she was never skeptic. In fact, she was pretty open to the idea of ghosts. They make cute halloween decorations! But then again, it’s not like she wanted to see anything.

“Uh… maybe we should find the boys and leave?” She suggested calmly, not wanting to freak out Twice even more.

“No! We can’t!” Toga whined. “I bet you when Tomura sees this, he’ll be down to be alone in the room. He’ll teach that ghost a lesson to scare poor lil Jin!”

“Tomura would lose to an opossum.” Spinner pointed out.

“Can’t we just go?”

“Agreed. I have work tomorrow and I’m pretty sure Dabi does too.” Magne pointed out. “Besides, if we leave too late we might not make it to the Diner.” There were few things worth going through hell for, but Kurogiri’s cooking was one of them. Seriously, Tomura didn’t know how lucky he was to be raised by him. When no one decided to move, Magne took Twice in one hand and Toga in the other and started walking back down the hallway, towards the stairs.

“Spinner--”

“On it.” He said as he shined the flashlight in front of them, lighting the way towards the stairs. They slowly shuffled down the hallway, peering into each doorway they came across. Every once in a while, Spinner had to look back to make sure nothing was following them. He could’ve sworn he heard footsteps, but then again, maybe it was just the reverb from his own?

All of a sudden, Twice dragged his feet to a halt, making everyone stop and stare around them wildly.

“Do you guys hear that?” The blond was completely frozen, which chilled Magne and Spinner to the bone. Toga, on the other hand, was less impressed. “It sounds like moaning! Oh god, the ghost is coming!” Jin shoved himself between Magne and Toga, hoping the two ladies would protect him.

“Pretty sure Tomura is.” Toga grinned and reached up to pat his head reassuringly.

“What?” Magne blushed. Everyone went quiet, trying to focus on the sound, sure enough, they all could hear it. “Aw, come on-- Seriously, guys?! Again!?”

“Their standards are just low enough for each other.” Spinner added with a grimace.

“Oh, let’s teach them a lesson! They always spoil the fun.” Toga’s lips curled deviously.

“I'm down for revenge.” Spinner agreed. “For making me have to deal with whatever they got going on, I should be entitled to some financial compensation.”

“Why don’t they make it official already?” Toga sighed sadly. “They really are perfect for each other. I wish Ochaco and Izuku were that passionate about me.”

“Yeah they’re basically boyfriends in every way but not in actual name.” Spinner pointed out as he shined his flashlight in the doorway to one of the creepier rooms. “Plus, if everyone knew Tomura was Dabi’s, hopefully he would be a little less possessive.” It was pretty funny how jealous Dabi would get when he and Tomura started talking about video games, or god forbid actually play one. Well, funny and scary. He would never give Dabi the satisfaction of showing that he was intimidated by the black haired man, but he had to admit he was.

But Spinner wasn’t offended as everyone would be glared at with those burning blue eyes if they got close to Tomura.

Spinner decided it was funny when someone else would tense up and shake in their boots at Dabi, not so much as when he was the one being roasted alive.

“Dabi is terrified of relationships, but with his parents, who can blame him? And Tomura wouldn’t even know where to start. He probably knows it’s better to wait for Dabi to be more comfortable and make the first move.” Magne explained eloquently. “Remember last time Dabi got uncomfortable? He disappeared for like a week.”

“Yeah and that was because the girl he used to hook up with told him that she wasn’t seeing anyone else but him!” Toga pointed out. There was a pause as they all remembered the memory fondly. Not that him disappearing was funny, but the way he returned nonchalantly like he never left was hilarious. Dabi just showed up with two boxes of pizza at the door before welcoming himself inside. “But I mean, Dabi can’t be that dumb. He must know how Tomu’s changed him. He hasn’t even looked at another person besides Tomura. He doesn’t even flirt with the pizza boy to get a discount!”

“Tomura’s different too.” Spinner added. “He’s still kinda rude but more patient.”

“Tomura’s a catch! Dabi better watch out!” Twice cheered.

“Maybe if they saw what we saw, they’d know just how precious what they have… what they could have… is.” Magne smiled sadly. “They just deserve to be happy.”

“I know just what to do!” Toga jumped up and ran towards the stairs. “You guys stay here, and I’ll go upstairs by myself.”

“Oh no.”

“Oh yes.” She practically purred. “Now be quiet or else you’ll ruin it and I’ll never forgive anyone!” She glared at them. Knowing better than to argue with Toga when she’s got her mind set on something, the rest of them hung back, watching her anxiously as she silently skipped up the stairs. It was crazy how stealthy the blonde girl could be when she really wanted to be. It was a good thing she would often giggle or else they would lose track of her.

Toga had to try her hardest not to giggle or laugh as she peeked out from the stairs, seeing her unsuspecting targets immediately.

Usually, both Tomura and Dabi are eerily perceptive and would spot her right away, but this time, they were a little busy. It was too dark to see every (horrifying, at least to Toga) detail. She could still make out their silhouettes. Dabi had Tomura pushed against the wall, his hands grasping and pulling at his white haired companion’s hoodie in an attempt to have more access to his neck. Which, it seemed like Dabi was winning a very important battle against.

It turns out Tomura was the one moaning, his voice soft and breathless with every huff of ‘Dabi’. His own hand was clutching at Dabi’s shoulder while the other curled itself in his dark locks. She was too disgusted (and frankly terrified) to look further down.

Now, Toga had to resist the urge to vomit. This better be worth it.

She tiptoed behind them, creeping up and using Dabi’s broad back as cover. Really, she only had to worry about Tomura seeing her under the cover of darkness. It didn’t seem like she would have to worry after all, as Tomura’s usually alert and captivating red eyes were closed.

A grin split on her lips as she stopped at the perfect position and raised her camera to her eyes. Without a warning, the bright flash of the polaroid blinded the three of them.

“Toga!” Tomura hissed and practically pushed Dabi away. She couldn’t stop the laughter that bubbled up from her chest. Even though she was blinded by the darkness, Toga could hear the blush in his shrill voice. Over her giggles and Tomura’s shouting she could hear Dabi curse as he stumbled backwards.

“I think this is the scariest photo yet!” She teased as she grabbed the picture and began waving it, desperately wanting to see how it turned out. In an instant, Tomura’s hand shot out from the darkness, swiping at the photo. This time, Toga was prepared and quickly twirled away.

“Toga! Give that to me!” Tomura reached for her again, but failed to catch her. She’s naturally smaller and more flexible so getting a hold of her was nearly impossible for Tomura’s flustered and frustrated state.

Toga couldn’t help but laugh at the attempt and twirl away again.

“Look, look! It’s like we’re dancing!” She threw her head back. As soon as the words left her lips, her back collided with a firm chest, and the photo was ripped from her outstretched hands. Toga gasped in surprise and whipped around to glare at Dabi. This time, when she tried to jump and get the photo, Dabi simply stretched his hand higher. “Curse you, you gangly emo--”

“Great! Give it here, Dabi.” Tomura sighed in relief and held out his hand.

“Hmmm…. No.” He said thoughtfully, before a wicked grin spread on his lips.

“‘No’? What do you mean, ‘no’?” Tomura’s voice was dripping with annoyance.

“I'm going to keep it, as a souvenir or some shit.” He said proudly. His blue eyes tore away from Tomura to gaze at the photo. It was clearly for dramatics as it was too dark to see without a flashlight. “I think I’m going to spend hours remembering this.” Tomura lunged at Dabi, who cackled and turned to run down the stairs. As Tomura stood there, his hand stretched where Dabi once was, Toga moved past him and skipped down the stairs.

“You’re both dead!” Tomura hissed as he ran down the stairs after them, only to be greeted with everyone waiting in a semi circle for him. Magne, Spinner, and Twice just looked up at him, while Toga smiled playfully. As always, Dabi was the most infuriating with a satisfied and smug smirk. “Nothing was happening!” Tomura snapped, his face bright red.

“Yeah, like nothing happened at the cemetery?” Toga leered.

“Mary Shelly and her Frankenstein.” Magne shook her head in distaste.

“I dunno, judging from Tomura’s neck, I think there’s a nasty vampire on the loose.”

Tomura’s red eyes went wide as his jaw dropped open. It was such a cute look that Dabi had to turn away before the urge to kiss him became irresistible. Dabi could feel the pride hum warmly against his skin. Tomura could only curse to himself as he tugged on his hood and pulled the drawstrings, tightening the opening of the hood to cover most of his face except his eyes. It looked even more ridiculous as tufts of his white hair were sticking out in various directions.

“Well, what are we doing standing around here? Aren’t we supposed to be hunting ghosts?” Dabi decided to spare Tomura from any more embarrassment (and attention). His voice was rough against the quiet night, making everyone jump.

“Oh, yeah, yeah!” Toga bounced up to Tomura. “Look, Tomu! I caught an orb on camera!” She practically shoved the photo in his face. Spinner quickly shined his flash at the photo, helping them see.

“That’s a speck of dust.” Tomura frowned.

“What? Really?” All the excitement left her body as she slumped her shoulders.

“Dust.” He reaffirmed.

“It wasn’t dust! I can tell you that much!” Twice shivered. Dabi’s attention was drawn away from their little discussion. The picture of him and Tomura was suddenly all he could think about. He didn’t have the chance to see it earlier with it being so dark, but now that everyone is arguing what to do next, it was the perfect time. Lazily, Dabi walked to a window, using the moonlight to help him see. God, he was seriously considering paying Toga for such an amazing photo of them. You could see most of the bites and marks of Tomura’s neck along with the deep red flush of his cheeks.

He would’ve spent the whole night there, looking at the photograph. But the flash of a car lights coming down the dirt road that would eventually lead to where they were at, illegally. “Fuck, we’ve got company guys.” Dabi frowned as he squinted. “Looks like a black car and a cop car.”

Suddenly, he was swarmed by all of his friends pushing up against the window.

“Uh oh.” Twice eloquently summarized everyone’s feelings.

“Do you think we can get to the car before they come?” Magne worried.

“Well, we gotta try.” Spinner added, but everyone looked to the white haired man, who was glaring at the approaching car. Even Dabi was waiting for Tomura, his blue eyes solely focused on him.

“They’ll have a harder time trying to track down all of us. We’ll meet up by the car, Spinner, you got the keys so don’t you dare get caught. Everyone scatter.” Tomura commanded. And they practically stumbled down the stairs as a group. Once they got to the ground floor, they all split up, going their own directions. Even though Tomura knew everyone in their little group as quicker and smarter than any cop, he still couldn’t help but worry. Toga’s a minor, Spinner, Magne, and Twice weren’t cut out for a night in jail… and then, there’s Dabi...

Tomura’s thoughts screeched to a halt when he heard heavy footsteps to his right.

“I said ‘scatter’.”

“I’m not leaving your scrawny ass alone.” Dabi mirrored his frown.

“Dabi, if you get caught, they’ll call Enji.” Tomura chewed on his lip. “I won’t forgive myself--”

“We won’t get caught.” His hand shot out to grab Tomura’s, tugging him down a hallway he was about to run past. “Come on, let’s go out the back. There’s a rock formation we can go down that leads to the forest and we can round back to get to the car.”

“Are you kidding me?” Tomura nearly tripped, but Dabi pulled him forward. “I’m wearing converse, I’ll slip and crack my head open. You go down there and I’ll go out the side--”

“I’ll carry you then.”

“You’ll just drop me… Or you’ll slip trying to carry me and we’re both caught.” The words weren’t meant to be mean, but he just wanted to make a point. Dabi wasn’t physically strong like Twice or Magne, so it might not even work. At least Tomura had nothing to lose if he got caught. Maybe he’ll get a disappointed sigh out of Kurogiri, but it’s not like Enji fucking Todoroki would show up.

“I’m wearing doc martens, slip resistant, dumbass.” Dabi rolled his eyes. “Just trust me.”

“I do.” Tomura’s voice was soft. Vaguely, over the sound of their footsteps, he heard the front door of the building slam open, echoing around them. They quickly made their way to the back door. Ever the gentleman, Dabi managed to kick open the door for Tomura, making him exit first.

The cold air hit Tomura’s face and made him shiver. He was glad that he still had his hood up as they made it towards the tree line.

“Don’t worry, babe, I’ll warm you up real soon.”

“We are literally running from the cops, can you not do that now?”

“I know… it’s kinda hot, right?” Tomura couldn’t help but laugh, genuinely laugh, at Dabi’s words. That seemed to catch even Dabi off guard, as his blue eyes widened and flickered with adoration at the sound. Once they made it past the trees they slowed down, careful not to slip on the rocks. Dabi climbed down the rocks first and then reached up, gesturing for Tomura to come.

“Be careful, idiot.” Tomura hissed softly when he felt Dabi’s arms curl around him. Dabi only hummed in response as he focused on climbing down the rocks. Once they successfully got down, Tomura was gently placed on the ground. They didn’t waste any time as they ran through the trees to the car.

“Magne! Spinner!” Dabi called out as they met their friends by the car.

“Hey guys!” Magne both gave them a hug. “Have you seen Toga and Jin?”

“Nah, we went out the back way.” Dabi shook his head and decided to lean against the van.

“I think Twice tried the side exit.” Spinner shrugged.

“Let’s hope we can leave before they see our car.” Tomura hummed and started walking towards Dabi.

“Guys, look! They’re out front.” Magne gasped as she peered over the bushes. Sure enough, when everyone walked over to her, they saw their two blonds in the front of the building, being dragged outside. The bad news was they were caught, but the good news is they weren’t in handcuffs.

“Shit. Toga’s a minor she’ll be fine, but Twice will have a rough night.” Dabi frowned.

“Hey, is that ReDestro with them?” Spinner blinked.

“Fuck, it is!” Tomura hissed and crouched down further in the bushes, as if the man would see him.

“Don’t play with me you know I got shit eyesight.” Dabi squinted. “How rich is this guy to own so many buildings? He’s got like half the town, and all the haunted places too.” Both Magne and Spinner shot each other an amused look at Dabi’s annoyed tone.

“Says the guy who’s father drives a fucking rolls-royce.” Tomura rolled his eyes. There was a tense moment of silence. To his friends, this little moment came when Tomura began piecing together a plan. His red eyes would practically shine as his thoughts raced through his head. “Stay here.” He muttered as he stood up and started walking out of their hiding space.

“What are you doing?” Dabi grabbed his hand.

“Gonna save the two village idiots.” They all knew that his words were meant to distract them from what he was about to do.

“Hell no. That guy gives me the creeps.” Dabi took a step towards Tomura, tightening his grip.

“Well, I can’t just leave them!” The white haired man pulled his hand out of Dabi’s. “Hate to point out the obvious, but the guys got a soft spot for me. And if the cops see you guys, they might not let you go! So just stay here!”

“‘Soft spot’ my ass.” Dabi hissed as he watched Tomura walk towards the group.

“Hey, that’s where you guys are.” Tomura spoke clearly as he walked up to Toga and Twice, who were currently being glared at by ReDestro and his assistants. The cops were off by their car, probably deciding if they should take them in or not, or maybe they were waiting for what the redheaded man would say.

“Tomura? Is that really you?” ReDestro spun around to face Tomura.

“Tomu!” Toga smiled as she tried to hug him but was stopped by one of the assistants.

“Uh, yeah, haha.” Tomura tried to hide his grimace at the man’s attention. ReDestro was always too eager to talk to him. He nodded to Toga and Twice behind them. The two of them looked fine, more relieved to see their leader than anything else. “Sorry, me and my friends, we were just walking around here…” His arms gestured to the building. “You know… ghost hunting.”

“‘Ghost hunting’?” Skeptic repeated incredulously..

“Not much to do in this town.” Tomura full on glared at him.

“Well, I wish you would’ve told me!” ReDestro stepped closer to place a hand on Tomura’s shoulder. Immediately, his red eyes tracked the movement. He wished he could set fire to things just by glaring at them. “I know an excellent medium! She would be willing to do a private show here! Or, we could find something else to do! There might not be much to do in this town, but the next city over has a lot to do.”

“Nice, I’ll remember that for next time.” Tomura kept staring at the hand.

“Of course! There definitely will be a next time, right?”

“Depends on the time. I’m very busy these days.” He pointed at Toga and Twice and then jerked his thumb backwards, silently ordering them to kindly get the fuck over here. The two of them stumbled past the assistants and ReDestro to stand behind Tomura. They then glared back at ReDestro from hiding behind Tomura.

“Well, how about we exchange numbers to set up with little meeting?” It was either that Tomura was amazing at hiding his disgust, or that ReDestro was losing his eyesight already. For one of the few times in his life, Tomura was completely speechless. Even though he had no idea what he was going to say, his mouth opened.

Suddenly, tires screeched down the driveway. Everyone turned to see a mom-like minivan pull up so quickly that it kicked up dust as it lurched to a stop in front of Tomura. The door was swung open to reveal a pissed off Magne.

“Tomura! There you are! Do you know how worried I’ve been! Your father trusted me to look after you!” She yelled, using her mom-voice. “And here you are, in the middle of nowhere you could’ve been killed! Or kidnapped and sold! Do you have any idea how that would make me feel?! Do you even care?! You know what, don’t even answer that! Get your butt inside the car this instant! I’m going to call your father and order him to ground you! That’s right! Ground you!” Magne is a sweetheart, but she can be terrifying when trifled with.

Her little act seemed to make everyone speechless. It wasn’t long before Tomura snapped out of it and moved to the car, followed by Twice and Toga. Toga took the front seat, leaving Tomura to open up the back door and be greeted by a smug looking Dabi. As soon as Tomura sat down, Dabi wrapped his arm around his shoulder. Then, Dabi’s hand pulled down Tomura's hood and ruffled his white hair affectionately. No doubt trying to show off his bites and hickeys. Twice quickly went into the backseat as well, sandwiching Tomura in and protecting him from ReDestro’s searching gaze.

“Sorry, Mr. Pestro.” Magne shook her head as she shifted the car to drive. “Tomura will not be causing anymore trouble tonight. Or any other nights.” With that, she pulled away.

“Oh my god! Queen Magne!” Toga cheered loudly as they all but sped out of the driveway.

“Guess those acting classes did pay off.” She couldn’t help but giggle.

“I owe you, Magne.” Tomura sighed with relief as he relaxed against Dabi’s side.

“Actually, it was Dabi’s idea.” Spinner piped up from the trunk.

“Shut it, lizard!” Dabi yelled. Instead of teasing him, Tomura smiled softly and snuggled into the crook of Dabi’s neck, loving the gentle heat radiating from him.

“Maybe you should bang him.” Toga said after some thought. Immediately, everyone at the booth turned to stare at her. “He would probably pay for your college.” She added as she played with the steak knife.

Their night of shenanigans was almost done. The last thing to do was do the ever important midnight dinner at Kurogiri and Mr. Compress’s diner. As usual, they were the only ones in the diner and even though they had plenty of freedom to sit where they wanted to, they chose the same spot in the corner. It was nearing about 3 in the morning, but that didn’t stop them from ordering whatever they wanted.

“Absolutely not!” Magne slammed her coffee cup down on the table. “Tomura can do so much better!” His romantic life suddenly becoming the topic of the conversation made Tomura a bit annoyed. Seriously, every week Toga brought up someone Tomura should date. Of course, the red eyed man knew it was in an attempt to make Dabi jealous, but Dabi rarely took the bait.

“He’s like 40… and balding.” Spinner frowned as he took a bite of a pie that he shared with Twice. Thank god Kurogiri was in the kitchen talking to Mr. Compress, or the caretaker would’ve interrogated all of them.

“Tell him to keep the lights off!” Twice cackled with his mouth full of food.

“Can we please stop talking about this? I’m seriously about to throw up.” Dabi groaned as he reached over to dip his fries in ranch. He and Tomura decided to share a plate of fries. Unlike their friends, they usually chose salty over sweet.

“How much do you think I’d get if I let him take me on a date?” Tomura hummed as he took a sip of his ginger ale.

“500 bucks.” Twice answered a little too quickly for Dabi’s liking.

“Eh, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was 1000… the man’s thirsty.” Toga slurped her milkshake loudly.

“You really think I’m worth that much?” Tomura was genuinely surprised.

“Yeah! You’re a total catch!” Toga patted his shoulder.

“If you’re half as good as Kurogiri, then you’re definitely a catch!” Everyone’s attention was drawn to Mr. Compress, who stood in front of the booth with the check in his hand. At first, Kurogiri refused to charge Tomura and his friends, but as time went on, the amount of fries they ate became astronomical. And well, not wanting to run their business to the ground, Tomura’s friends had to practically beg to be charged.

“Please stop.” Tomura groaned in embarrassment.

”Aw, come on, Tomura! It’s just simple teasing!” Mr. Compress chuckled as he laid the check on the table. “At my age, teasing is one of the only enjoyments that gets me through the grueling work day.” Everyone quickly reached into their pocket for money. Even Tomura was about to get his wallet out, but he was stopped by Dabi.

“I got it.” Dabi couldn’t look at anyone as he paid for both of them. He hated being a fucking gentleman because everyone gave him that knowing grin. “Just pay me back sometime.”

“I can pay you now.”

“Nah. I don’t want you to. You can pay me back... Friday.” Dabi hesitated.

“Sure. I don’t have any plans.” Tomura shrugged.

“Great. It’s a date.” Dabi didn’t bother to wait for chaos to break out as he lazily got out of the booth, not bothering to pay attention to Toga’s squeal and everyone’s cheer. He was about to leave for the night, but he stopped. Tomura would usually stay with Kurogiri until the diner closed, but he really didn’t want to leave him yet. Dabi was already tired of everyone else’s company, but when it came to Tomura, it seemed like he could never get enough of him. “I came on my bike before Magne picked us up, you wanna ride home?”

“Yeah... okay...” Tomura didn’t even hesitate in giving his answer. It was his turn to ignore everyone else as he and Dabi walked out together.

“And then there were four!” Magne sighed with content as she watched her two boys blush and hold each other.

“About time.” Spinner rolled his eyes. “Wait, do you think this will help or hinder the PDA situation with those two?”

“Oh, I bet we ain’t seen nothing yet.” Toga grinned madly as she chomped the cherry on top of her milkshake.