Our Loved Creation

by sleepyxleaf

Summary:

**SEQUEL TO MY STORY: A LOST CREATION.**

Now with the name Star Todoroki, and legally being an adult, you’re accepted into an art school like you’d always wanted growing up under Dabi, Tomura and the League’s care.
However, being homeschooled, protected from the ugly sides of the world, and living with two of Japans most notorious villains as your parents isn’t as great as it once seemed.
Now you have to navigate life with what little you learned by being kept so safe by the two, learning what being an adult means awkwardly along the way, years later than your peers seemed to.

Making friends, trying to keep friends and desperately trying to understand why the boy you like doesn’t seem to like you back is hard.

But you can do it.

Chapter 1: It’s Your First Day at School!

“Ugh, it’s heavy.” You complain, struggling to pull your bag over your shoulders.

 

“Let me help.” Dabi says, using the top handle to lead it to the top of your shoulders. “Jesus, kid, what you got in there? Rocks?”

 

“Thanks.” You say gruffly, rolling your eyes at his dramatics. 

 

His hand doesn’t leave your back though, the cool metal apparent even through your shirt.

 

“Dad…” You sigh.

 

“All grown up.” He mopes, like he has been all morning.

 

“I’ll be back later, don’t be a crybaby.” You tell him, turning to give him a quick hug.

 

Except it’s not a quick hug, because he refuses to let go of you, which really you should have seen coming. 

 

“Dad, I’ll miss the train.” You remind him.

 

“Wish you’d just let me drive ya.” He mutters grouchily.

 

“Nope!” You say quickly, using your freedom to head for the door. “Can’t be the only one there who’s dad drives them!”

 

Dabi grumbles a little behind you, but follows you to the door with his arms crossed, the disingenuous smile only given away from the worry in his ice blue eyes.

 

“Good luck, Starshine.” He says, rubbing your arm. “F’ ya need anything you call, yeah?”

 

“I know dad. It’ll be fine!” You reassure, beaming at him as if feigning your own confidence will stop him from worrying.

 

You bend down to give Cloud a fuss before leaving, scratching the top of his head affectionately a few times before standing and beginning to twist the door handle.

 

“I love ya.” He says pointedly, and you roll your eyes again while your backs turned to him, but turn to give him a soft look.

 

“Love you too, dad.” You reply, blowing him a kiss before rushing out of the door, paranoid about getting the train in time.

 

The train station isn’t too far, not really, and Tomura and Dabi had made sure it was one of the safest, nicest ones when you all moved out of the tiny apartment above Zeros bar.

But you still didn’t want to risk being late on your very first day of physically going to art school.

 

Dabi had shown you the basics of buying a ticket, reading the time tables and listening to the announcements and ensuring you’re on the right platform, but it all seems so much more daunting alone.

You can see other people your age doing the same things, although their movements look more natural as they do it and less nervous, like they’d done it a thousand times already. A lot of them seem to be in pre-established groups of other students, and the ones that aren’t have their headphones in, and their attention focused solely on their phone screens.

 

You’d love to reach out and try to make friends, but there was no guarantee that they’d be going to the same school as you anyway, and besides, you weren’t really too sure on how to communicate with people outside your family, because you never really got to while growing up.

So you keep to yourself, taking in everyone else’s behaviour and putting one of your own earphones in, some lo-fi playing quietly so you can still hear the trains as they’re announced. 

 

You’re surprised by just how many people are so absorbed into their phones. 

And yeah, you had one, you’d had one since Dabi burned his arm off and ended up in hospital, but your parents had drilled it into you not to become reliant on it for anything other than contacting people. 

When you get onto the train, you eventually relent and actually check your messages, looking to kill some time. 

 

All of it is just your family wishing you luck on your first day, Himiko promising to come to you in an instant if you need someone dealt with and Uncle Giran reminding you that you worked hard to get into that school, and even Shuuichi has sent a brief text wishing you luck. 

You reassure Himiko that you’ll be okay, thank your grandpa for encouraging you all this time and promise to make him proud, and briefly hover over Tomuras icon.

 

✨: Hi dad. I missed you this morning, I’m on the train to college now.

 

Surprisingly, he answers pretty quickly, a rarity for Tomura now he’s so busy.

 

🤚🏻: Did you pick up the money I left by your water?

 

✨: Yes, dad. Thank you, you didn’t need to do that.

 

🤚🏻: Its better you don’t go in with a Touya made lunch.

🤚🏻: Trust me.

 

You snicker a little to yourself, drawing attention to you by the people around you, some faces curious and others scrutinising. 

You give an apologetic smile to the people whose eyes linger before looking back down at your phone. You’re beginning to understand why everyone else is doing this now.

 

✨: I’m a little nervous. :s

 

🤚🏻: To be expected. But you’ll be fine. 

 

Ever the man of few words, but you know that there’s more behind his words than what he’s giving you.

 

🤚🏻: Take pictures for us.

 

✨: Ok. Are you not working?

 

🤚🏻: Made sure I could be available if you or Touya needed it.

 

Your phone pings when your other dad sends a message, and you immediately swap to that chat.

 

🔥: did u get on the train ok? 

 

✨: Yeah dad, you don’t need to worry.

 

🔥: always gonna worry about u bbydoll

 

You smile softly at your phone. Through the years he’d never changed. He’d always been protective, patient, loving and supportive of you, even when you probably didn’t deserve it. 

You played it off when he says things like that to your face, but did treasure the knowledge that despite everything, you always had him to fall back on.

 

A painful impact against your leg pulls your attention away from your phone, your smile turning into a bewildered look as you make direct eye contact with a reptilian heteromorph who has nothing but concern in their slitted green eyes.

 

“Sorry.” A gruff voice says instantly, and he raises his taloned hands in surrender.

 

“Oh, that’s o-“ You begin to reply with a genuine smile, a little taken aback to see a dark haired guy around your age grab his arm and pull him away, further down the carriage. 

 

“C’mon man, let’s go. Without whackin’ people with your tail this time.” He leads, sounding teasing.

 

Then they’re both gone without another word, leaving you alone again. You notice your mouth is still open to finish your sentence and you snap your mouth shut, dropping your shoulders a little. 

It would have been nice to interact with someone instead of just sitting and waiting, even if you were sure that the hit from their tail was going to leave a bruise.

 

*•*

 

The building you end up in front of is massive. 

Massive . 

When you’re told that the art blocks are based outside and you wouldn’t have to try and navigate all the corridors, doors and swarms of students, you can’t help but release a little of the tension you’d been carrying in your body on the short walk from the train station to the art school. 

 

You follow the group of students being led to the art blocks, a few steps behind the pre-established groups, smiling at anyone who spares you a glance in the hope that someone might take you under their wing.

It doesn’t happen, though. Until you hear heavy footsteps like someone’s running behind you. You spin around, narrowing your eyes until you see a small girl running behind you, trying to catch up.

 

“Wait up!” She calls, her voice higher than even Himiko’s.

 

You turn to see if anyone else stops, on the off chance she was talking to someone else and not you , but no-one even turns to look.

So you stop, waiting for her to catch up with a curious look on your face.

 

When she gets closer you realise the reason she’s so small is because she’s a mouse heteromorph, something you’d never seen before, and you find it really hard not to stare at her as she beams up at you with cute, chubby cheeks and elongated front teeth.

 

“Illustration?” Is the first word out of her mouth.

 

You blink. “Uh, art?”

 

She gives you an almost pitiful look but holds her hand out, still smiling. “I’m Katō.”

 

“Oh! Todoroki.” You introduce yourself, taking her hand and letting her shake it. 

 

“Thanks for waiting.” She continues to smile, walking beside you and panting slightly. “My siblings were running riot this morning so it was hard work getting out the door.”

 

You relax a little that if nothing, this person seemed to want to spend time talking to you.

 

“How many siblings do you have?” You ask curiously.

 

“Eight.” She sighs, and your head snaps down to look at her. “Yeah. I know.”

 

“That… That’s-“ 

 

“Horrible.” She finishes for you, shaking her head. 

 

You open the door to the smaller building everyone else had gone inside, her scuttling under your arm before you even walk in with her tail tucked up against her back in a way that tells you she’d definitely been caught out by a door before.   

 

“Alright guys, is that everyone?” A middle aged man in a flannel shirt asks, lounging behind a desk with his ankles crossed on top of it.

 

You glance out of the window set in the door and nod, not spotting any more strays. 

He nods back, sighing as he removes his feet from his desk and pushes himself back to stand up.

 

“Look for your names on the tables. For the first term we’ve got you all sitting next to others from your schools so there are familiar faces. When you all get comfortable, we’re happy for you to move places as you see fit.” He says boredly, looking over his glasses at everyone. 

 

Everyone immediately moves to search for their names, and although you want to ask the teacher where you’d be, what with you being homeschooled and all, you follow suit, your newfound friend a lot quicker than you’d expect, dodging people with ease as she rushes to find her name on the white tables spread across the room.

When she finds her place and sits down, you hope that you’d miraculously be placed next to her, but you’re not. Instead, you’re placed at the end of the same table, with only one person sat next to you.

 

When you sit down and catch the blonde girl’s eyes you smile and say a quiet ‘hi’, which she hums an acknowledgement at before practically turning her back to you.

The sinking feeling returns, and you practically slide back into your seat, trying not to have a ‘defeatist attitude’ like Tomura would say, and just take it in your stride by convincing yourself that if you continue to be friendly and try to open yourself up for conversation, someone will finally acknowledge you for longer than a second.

 

The teacher, Sato, who refuses to be called ‘sir’, announces that your first project will be to draw something that represents you for the class to look at by the end of the day. It’s a shorter time span than you’re used to from the recreational classes you’d taken with Uncle Giran for years, but you’re confident that you can think of something you can draw up relatively quickly that shows everything about you as a person.

 

And you do. You decide to recreate the tattoo on your chest of the sun, moon and star, putting together the pieces of you you’d gotten from each of your parents. You decide on the moon to have a controller in it, and the sun to have people embracing in it. You struggle with the star, though. You initially decide on paintbrushes, but figure that’s pretty self-explanatory considering the class you’re in. While you think of something else, you sketch out a cat hanging over the star, its body hidden behind the star and its legs hanging at the bottom. 

You couldn’t include your family and neglect Cloud, after all.

 

*•*

 

The first break is hard.

Kāto disappears the second it’s announced, and no-one else makes an effort to introduce themselves or even really look at you.

You don’t know where the cafeteria is, and don’t want to risk trying to find it alone, so you sit on the steps outside of another outbuilding and think about what to do for your own section of the drawing, absentmindedly scratching your face. 

 

✨: how do you make friends?

 

🔪: Coming now!

 

✨: Don’t do that 

 

🔪: 🥺

 

✨ : Please don’t

 

🔪: Okaaaay

 

🔪: just keep being yourself! 

 

You sigh. Clearly that wasn’t enough. 

You jolt when you feel a small hand on your shoulder, your head snapping to see who it is.

You’re met with Kāto’s friendly eyes, round cheeks and closed-mouth smile.

 

“What’re you doing here?” She asks.

 

“Waiting for break to be over.” You reply, a little less enthusiastically than you’d usually talk to someone new.

 

She raises an eyebrow at you. “… Here?”

 

“I don’t know anywhere else.” You reply, slipping your phone into your pocket. “Or anyone else.”

 

“You know me.” She says, grinning.

 

“I…”

 

“Come with me next break! I’ll introduce you to my friends!” She encourages, sitting down next to you on the steps. “…Don’t sit here again.”

 

“Why?” You ask curiously.

 

“This is the bad kids block.” She says thoughtfully. 

 

“Oh.” You murmur.

 

It was probably meant as a deterrent, but your whole family had been labelled as ‘bad’ at one point, and yeah, sure they’d done some things you’d rather forget, but they weren’t bad people to the core . 

Being told something like that only made you kind of want to seek them out.

After all, your big, ‘bad’ dad had been the one to save you from starving on the streets.

 

You take a deep breath and force a smile, turning to look at her properly again. 

 

“I’d like that. Thank you.”

 

*•*

 

“Nice work Todoroki.” A male voice says right by your ear, making you startle instantly.

 

When you remove your earphone and turn to look, you see Sato looking at you with vague amusement in his warm brown eyes. 

 

“Nervous disposition, eh?” He asks you.

 

“I don’t like being crept up on. Sorry.” You smile apologetically. 

 

“Not to worry, we all have our quirks.” He says, shrugging it off. “Nice details in the clothing.”

 

“Thanks, my aunt taught me.” You smile fondly at the memories of Aiko teaching you how to shade and colour clothing.

 

He hums and pats your shoulder which makes you tense, and then walks off to the next table, looking over another student's shoulder. 

You smile softly to yourself at the reassuring comments and accidentally meet the eyes of the blonde girl next to you again. 

 

She is not smiling.

In fact, she’s staring at you as though she wishes you would drop dead right in front of her. 

Your initial instinct is to ask her if she’s okay, but you think better of it. Something you’d done had clearly annoyed her, although you were completely oblivious to what that could be.

 

Desperate to not be looked at like that again, you turn your music down a little more, even though it’s already quiet. Just in case it was louder than you thought. 

You also move all the materials you’re using to the side of the table furthest from her in case you’re accidentally in her way and hindering her from doing her work.

 

You keep your head down and try to continue even though you can definitely still feel her eyes on you.

 

“You know…” She says finally, and you immediately look over at her, your lips pulling up again.

 

Finally, someone other than Kāto was talking to you. You can’t wait to-

 

“The heart in the center just makes it look tacky.” She says, smiling straight back at you, but she’s dead behind the eyes as she says it. “You some kind of edgelord?”

 

Your smile slowly drops, and you look down at the artwork in front of you that you were already hours deep into shading. 

The moon, with a controller and a red watercolour background in the center. The sun with people embracing and a blue watercolour background in the center. And then the star, with an anatomical heart in the center, bandages holding it together and flowers growing from the arteries. Cloud was shaded and finished. 

You were even going to paint the background of the star your favourite colour.

 

“Um, no. It’s just…” You pause. “This is me?”

 

She gives you easily the most judgemental look that you’d ever seen at your answer, one that even put Tomura’s looks to shame.

And then she turns away again, moving her long hair over her shoulder to create some kind of shield to stop you from looking at her work. 

 

You try to ignore it, and continue on, too deep into it to restart. 

But you carry on with a lot less enthusiasm than before.

 

*•*

 

When the second break is called, Kāto is practically straight on your arm, acting like you’d known each other for years as she chews your ear off about her own drawing, surprisingly strong for such a small person.

 

“It’s so hard thinking about what to draw about myself!” She complains as she drags you through the corridors like she knows the huge building by heart already. “I pretty much only work with the HRG and-“

 

“HRG?” You ask.

 

“Heteromorph rights group!” She tells you like she’s sick of having to explain whatever that means. “It's important , Todoroki.”

 

“I understand.” You placate immediately, because there’s a slight whine in her voice that tells you the mere mention of it has her getting emotional.

 

“Anyway, that’s where I met my friends. In my old school, we ran the group! All the others we worked with are in different schools now, but Tsume, Takagi and Wani are here.”

 

The name Wani sounds vaguely familiar, but you can’t really place it. You can’t help but try to dig for the memory of where you’d heard that name before as she continues on telling you about them all. 

Tsume is in the photography class, and Takagi and Wani are in a music class, and that’s all you really pick up on through your own thoughts.

 

Soon you both get to a door opposite a vending machine in the corridors and Kāto throws it open with confidence, pulling you in with her unnatural strength. 

A room full of eyes land on you both, and you kind of want to shrink into yourself.

 

“Hi guys!” Kāto calls, leading you to a table at the back of the room. “I brought a new friend!”

 

Your eyes widen when you see the heteromorph from the train sitting with his feet kicked up on the table, his black hair tied up this time, revealing piercings in his pointed ears.

With him sitting in front of you, you can see him clearly now and take the time to soak in everything about him.

 

He has sand-coloured scales in comparison to Shuuichi’s green scales, and they don’t look shiny either, but kind of rough instead. Above his slitted green eyes he has ridges that you suppose are in lieu of eyebrows with small spikes lining them. There are some running down the line of his face, too. Somehow he has a piercing in one of his nostrils as well as his ears and you can’t help but wonder how that was even possible with how tough his skin looks.

He looks kind of menacing sitting there with his feet up and his strong arms crossed over his chest, a little like he did on the train, but he reminds you too much of Shuuichi for you to not smile warmly at him.

 

But he looks away the second you do, and his friend you recognise from the train, the dark haired one, grins and turns to whisper something to him.

Whatever he says only gets a sharp look from the reptilian man, and a hissed response, his forked tongue flicking out in a manner that Shuuichi had never exhibited.

 

“This is Todoroki!” She announces, holding her arms out like she’s presenting you as artwork. “Todoroki, this is Tsume,”

 

She gestures to a pretty girl on the opposite side of the table to the two boys. One of the feline ears on the girl's head flicks as she acknowledges you, giving you a small smirk as she leans the upper half of her body over the table, the simple, casual pose somehow looking like she’s a model while doing it.

 

“This is Takagi,” 

 

Kāto gestures to the dark-haired boy that’s grinning at you lazily, which when paired with the black hair, piercings and leather jacket, reminds you of Dabi enough to make you relax a little. You can’t spot any heteromorphic qualities straight away, but you suppose that they could be hidden.

 

“And Wani!” She finishes, almost proudly.

 

“Train girl.” Takagi greets, grinning still, and Wani tuts disapprovingly.

 

“You know each other?” Kāto asks, sitting beside Tsume.

 

“Naw, Vesper hit her with his tail this morning.” Takagi explains, sounding entirely amused as you take a nervous seat beside Kāto. 

 

The name Vesper sounds oddly familiar too, but the memory of where from is so distant you can’t quite reach it.

 

“I said sorry.” Wani replies defensively.

 

“You need better control of it, man.” Tsume says, her voice as amused as Takagi’s.

 

“Oh fuck off. ” Wani grumbles, looking what could be passed as embarrassed . “I’m sorting it, alright?”

 

“Not this again.” Tsume rolls her eyes and leans back in her seat, mirroring Wani as she crosses slender arms over her chest. “You’re not going to get rid of it.”

 

You look at him, horrified that someone would even think about doing something like that.

 

“It’s really fine!” You reassure. “It didn’t hurt that much.”

 

He looks at you like he wants you to shut up, and Takagi seems to revel in his friend's anguish.

 

“Didn’t hurt?” Takagi chuckles. “Musta gone easy on her Ves, remember that time you dented a truck?”

 

Smoke begins to slowly leak from Wani’s nostrils as he hits his friend with a small smack at the back of his head, which only entertains Takagi more , but they all seem to change subject quickly.

 

“Anyway, Todoroki huh? Like the famous ones?” Takagi asks, digging around in his pockets.

 

“Uh…” You cringe.

 

You had agreed not to tell anyone who your parents are, on the off chance that it caused uproar.

Although Tomura was working hard in office with Atsuhiro and Kurogiri to ensure that society was managed better than it had been when you, and they , had been younger, it didn’t erase all the lives taken and changed in order for him to get to that place.

He’d also, in a roundabout way, expressed concerns that exposing who your family were would bring harm upon you.

 

Luckily Tsume scoffs, rolling her yellow eyes that so closely resemble Himiko’s. “Don’t be an idiot, Akito. Why would they send one of their own here?”

 

“Never hurts to ask, babe.” Takagi says, beginning to roll a cigarette.

 

Tsume doesn’t look impressed still, but you could hug her with how easily she just saved you from that situation.

 

“You must get that all the time, huh?” Kāto asks, giving you her full attention. “Shame you gotta be shoved in with them.”

 

And, yeah, she probably has a point. Dabi has never hidden the fact that his dad was an asshole, but Fuyumi was lovely, Natsuo was kind, and from what little you had seen of Shoto, he seemed to be okay. 

But you know really that the focus on how bad the Todoroki family is all boils down to your dad and his dad, as much as you could ignore it.

 

“It’s not too often really, I was homeschooled, so…” You begin.

 

“Woof.” Kāto and Tsume groan in unison.

 

“First time out in the world.” Tsume adds thoughtfully, her tail flicking slightly on the floor behind her.

 

“Well, we’ll look after you!” Kāto announces cheerfully. 

 

“Smoke?” Takagi asks Wani, passing him the cigarette he’d just rolled.

 

Wani hesitates, but plucks it carefully from his friends fingers with taloned fingers of his own and you can’t help but watch him intently.

 

“So you’re doing art too?” Tsume asks, leaning forward to look at you, her cheek resting on her fist.

 

You nod. “I’m sure it’s not as interesting as photography, though.”

 

Tsume smirks at you. “ All art is interesting.”

 

“Unless its Hana’s.” Takagi interjects as he rolls another smoke.

 

“Hey!” Kāto snaps.

 

“Hers is meaningful, you just wouldn’t understand it.” Tsume says calmly, even though the swish of her black tail behind her hints at agitation.

 

“I don’t do politics.” Takagi shrugs, grinning.

 

“You write songs about villains!” Kāto accuses, grinding her teeth.

 

“ Allegedly .” He replies, clearly winding her up. 

 

“Cut it out, man.” Wani says, his voice a low rumble.

 

The second he talks, you return your attention to him. When you accidentally lock eyes, his throat flares slightly like it’s puffing up and his eyes shift instantly as he stands.

 

“Come on.” He says to Takagi, who hums lazily and gets up in no hurry at all in comparison.

 

You watch them leave as Tsume and Kāto talk between themselves about Kāto’s drawing for today, distantly picking up on the fact she’d been drawing herself doing something or other.

When Kāto pulls you back into the conversation, asking what you’re drawing, you notice that Tsume’s giving you an amused look not too dissimilar from the one you got from Takagi, but you talk about your own project with the same enthusiasm you caught Kāto talking about hers in.

 

“Actually…” You say before really thinking about it. “Can you look at it when we get back and tell me if it’s a little… edgy?”

 

Kāto raises an eyebrow and Tsume snickers, leaning her cheek on her fist again.

 

“And so it begins.” She says dryly.

 

*•*

 

“This isn’t edgy .” Kāto says loudly beside you, loud enough for your blonde tablemate to hear. 

 

Maybe telling her why you were worried about it was a bit silly, but the look on the other girl's face is priceless.

 

“If it were edgy it’d have holes in it, blood and shit. Not flowers. ” She continues pointedly, staring directly at the offending person.

 

“Don’t you have a stick to go chew on, Kāto?” She asks in return, her face as sour as usual.

 

“Not right now, but your pencils might start to look tasty if you’re not careful.” Kāto replies with a sickly sweet disingenuous grin, the reply so instant that there’s no way that she didn’t have any kind of experience rebutting comments like that before.  

 

The girl, Itō, Kāto had told you her name was, just scoffs and turns away from you both again. 

Seemingly pleased that she’d won that round, Kāto returns her attention to you, her smile back to being completely genuine and friendly. 

 

“It looks great, like, wow! ” She says, a little more quietly. “I can’t wait to see it finished!”

 

And this gives you enough confidence to keep your head down and finish it to a degree you’re relatively happy with. 

When it’s the end of the day, and time to look around at everyone’s drawings, you immediately start with Itōs. 

It’s good, there’s no denying that. You actually really like it. It’s drawn in charcoal, shattered glass with random scenes in them. It’s messy, messier than you could ever work, but it looks good regardless.

 

The others are pretty standard apart from the odd stand-out pieces from other students that definitely put you to shame and you just know they’ll do well, it taking everything within you to not reach out and touch the canvases and paper to as if to try and soak up some of the talent etched on them.

Kāto’s is one of them. It’s block artwork, like a poster that’s meant to catch attention straight away, and the art style is cute, developed like she’d been drawing and painting this way for years.

 

You’re inspired by the time you leave, exchanging numbers with Kāto at the end of the day before you both have to scurry off for different trains.

 

At least you met two nice people today. 

That’s better than none in your book.

 

*•*

 

“I’m home!” You call as you open the door. 

 

You may as well not have bothered because Dabi’s already leaning against the wall like he knew you were outside the door moments before, his scarred arm and prosthetic arm crossed over his chest and a small smile upturning his lips.

 

“How’d it go?”

 

“Did you check the tracker dad? Creepy.” You lead with, dropping your bag to pick up Cloud.

 

“Your first day out in the wild, kid. Was worried.” Dabi shrugs, coming forward to scratch Cloud's head. “Spill it.”

 

“It was scary at first, but it was fine when I met Kāto.” You reply, carrying Cloud through into the living room. “She’s this really cute little mouse girl. Really friendly, but she’s really quick with comebacks too. You’d like her.”

 

Dabi listens without comment, following you through the house until you sit on the plush couch, holding Cloud to your chest and petting his fluffy body.

 

“She introduced me to Tsume, Takagi and Wani. They all seemed nice.” You pause. “I think I upset Wani though. I don’t know what I did wrong. He accidentally hit me with his tail on the train, but it was totally fine!”

 

Dabi immediately looks mischievous as he smirks. “Were you starin’, hon?”

 

Your face heats up instantly at the accusation. “ No !” 

 

He hums knowingly, his smirk pulling up even more and his eyes beginning to get that twinkle that only came before he’s about to tease you relentlessly .

 

“Don’t start.” You warn.

 

“Ain’t startin’ nothin’.” He says, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “Tell me about the others.” 

 

And so you do, you tell him about Tsume, how pretty she is and how smooth every movement she made was. You tell him about how she validated every type of art and stood up for Kāto when Takagi tried teasing the friendly girl about hers.

You then tell him about how Takagi reminded you so much of him, and how he writes songs about villains. Good songs, you hoped.

 

When you’re midway through telling him about Wani, Tomura comes in, his hair down for once instead of being tied up in a ponytail on the back of his head. 

 

“Hey, babe.” Dad calls, a grin taking over his face. “Star’s gotta crush already.”

 

“I do not !” You defend, throwing a pillow at him which immediately has Cloud jumping off your lap and hissing.

 

“And?” Tomura says, almost expectantly .

 

“Pay up.” Dabi says, looking like the cat that got the cream, holding his hand out.

 

“You can’t be serious.” You deadpan.

 

“We made that bet years ago.” Tomura says boredly.

 

“Are you serious ?” You ask again, more offended this time.

 

“A bets a bet. Ain’t you a man of your word?” Dabi teases.

 

You watch in disbelief as Tomura glowers at him and digs into his pocket for his wallet.

 

“You guys are the worst .” 

 

“What’s his name, Starlight?” Tomura asks, ignoring your complaint.

 

“I don’t have a crush on him.” You continue to defend, sinking further into the seat. “Dabi just thinks because he’s some kind of dragon heteromo-“

 

“Name.”

 

“Dad, come on. ”

 

“Wani.” Dabi answers for you, wiggling his white eyebrows teasingly.

 

“I hate you so much.” You complain as Tomura pauses mid putting money into Dabi’s hand.

 

“Wani.” He repeats, looking over at you with scrutinising red eyes.

 

“I don’t even know him!” You exclaim, taking the look as Tomura getting protective over you.

 

Tomura looks at Dabi as if expecting something from him , too, but all he gets is a smug look as he shoves the money into his pocket.

There’s a second where he raises his wrinkled brow slightly, but whatever it was he was expecting from Dabi doesn’t happen, so he turns his attention to you, his eyes back to being the softer versions of themselves that he tends to look at you with these days.

 

“It was a good day then?” He asks, and you nod. “You think you’ll stay?”

 

“Yeah, I liked it.” You smile softly, petting Cloud when he revisits your lap.

 

“I’m glad.” Tomura says fondly, crossing the room to go into the kitchen, placing his hand on your head briefly as he passes. “You forgot to send pictures, though.”

 

“I’ll send one tomorrow.” You promise, following him with your eyes.

 

“You’re going tomorrow too?” Dabi asks in fake devastation, flopping to lie down with his full weight to the side of you, which makes Cloud happy, the fluffy cat immediately climbing onto Dabi’s chest to leech off his warmth.

 

“Every day dad, like we discussed.”

 

“Tryna kill your old man from heartbreak.” He accuses.

 

“Runs in the family.” You tease, and he gasps, but the grin on his face is instant.

 

“You never saw a thing, s’all rumours.”

 

“Mmmhm.” You reply, trying to nudge him away with your shoulder unsuccessfully.

 

“Baby girl all grown up, makin’ fun of me.” He complains, likely only half -teasing.

 

“Kiss.” Tomura says simply as he reappears, leaning over the chair to peck Dabi’s lips.

 

“Gross, guys.” You whine, their faces too close to you for your liking. 

 

Tomura looks at you amused, and Dabi immediately turns to torment you.

 

“Aw, all jealous like when you were a lil’ Starshine? Wanna kiss?”

 

“No.”

 

He grabs your face between one scarred and one metal palm, that evil twinkle in his eyes again.

 

“Dad! No! ”

 

“Stop it, Touya.” Tomura says, flicking his temple.

 

Dabi pouts genuinely this time. “Never get any love anymore.”

 

“Oh, stop being a baby.” You roll your eyes. “I love you loads.”

 

“Touya, help me with dinner.” Tomura leads. “Star needs to rest.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Dabi groans. “Missed ya, Starshine. Glad you had a good day.”

 

He bumps his head against yours gently before slowly extracting himself from the sofa so that he doesn’t upset Cloud too much.

Cloud is smart enough to know that when they both go into the kitchen, that means it’s feeding time, and quickly follows behind Dabi, meowing all the way.

 

Chapter 2: First Night Out

A week had passed.

A whole week at school, and you hadn’t done anything to embarrass yourself, incriminate your parents or annoy anyone else.

Well, the last one was mainly due to Kāto insisting that Sato move you and the guy sitting next to her on the second day. You’re surprised Sato buckled as quickly as he did considering he said that none of you could move seats for a month, but you’re also relieved to be sitting next to someone friendlier, anyway.

 

And Kāto really has made good on her promise to look after you. She was always at your side and talking to you and including you in whatever she was planning.

Tsume was nice too, the complete opposite of Kāto with how calm and level headed she is. She never even snaps at Takagi when he winds her up, calling her ‘kitten’ whenever she attempts to put him in his place, or ‘babe’ whenever he’s trying to be condescending when in a debate.

You didn’t mind it too much when he poked fun at you. You had years of experience with Dabi. It was actually a little fun bantering with him.

But…

 

“Did I do something to upset Wani?” You ask Kāto after making the reptilian man leave hastily during the first break again .

 

“Huh? No?” Kāto replies, audibly confused. “He’s just kinda weird.”

 

“ I don’t think so…” You murmur, looking off into the distance and no longer down at your newfound friend.

 

“No, he’s definitely weird.” Kāto doubles down with a giggle. “We all are. It’s okay!”

 

“I really don’t think so.” You insist. 

 

It’s a bit of a lie, of course. 

Kāto, if not weird, was erratic. She went a thousand miles an hour at any given time, whether she was talking or moving. Sometimes she’d talk about one thing and interrupt herself to talk about another thing entirely.

Tsume, if she had a weird side, didn’t show it freely. She was cool, calm and collected at all times. Even if she was annoyed, it would only ever show with a slight flick of her tail or a twitch of her ear.

 

Takagi was a little odd, maybe. But he was so busy teasing everyone else at any opportune moment that it didn’t really feel like any particular one of them seemed weirder than the others, and distracted you completely from him .

And Wani was hard to judge, because he’d barely said a whole sentence around you during the whole week.

 

You’d seen him with the others before you and Kāto had joined though. You had seen the sharp toothed grins, you’d seen the flicking of his tongue whenever he pronounced his ‘s’s which he so actively avoided when you were around, you’d even heard his laugh, which was so much deeper and more rumbly than Shuuichi’s. 

But when he spotted you and Kāto coming to join them all in the little unused boardroom where all the ‘outcasts’ hung out (as Itō put it within earshot of you the one day), his expression and body language would change entirely, his arms crossing over his chest and he would almost seem like he wanted to be anywhere but with you all.

 

“Stop lying to her.” Tsume says to Kāto, and then looks directly at you with intense, yellow eyes. “It’s because you stare.”

 

“I-“ You begin to deny, your cheeks immediately heating in a way that only serves to mortify you further.

 

“Keiko!” Kāto complains, wrapping an arm around your shoulders protectively.

 

“Well, it’s true. You stare and he hates it.” Tsume shrugs. “ We all know why you stare, but Vespers oblivious. So if you like him just tell him.”

 

“I do not like him!” You defend immediately, like you had with Dabi all week. “He just reminds me of someone, that’s all.” 

 

“Let me guess, the dude from the League?” Tsume deadpans, and the look on your face must give you away because she shakes her head a little bit. “Do yourself a favour and never tell him that.”

 

You decide to hold your tongue. You think that there’s worse to be compared to than Shuuichi but you can appreciate that there’s a… stigma attached to the League that might make someone not want to be compared to a member of it. 

But they were all for heteromorphic rights, and Shuuichi, teamed with Tomura, has made strides in that. 

 

Heteromorphs were now unable to be turned away from jobs because of how they looked. They didn’t have to be told that they couldn’t have kids with their non-heteromorph partners because it was ‘too much of a risk’ or if they were allowed to have kids, they no longer had to  jump through hoops with medical professionals during an already stressful period.

Shuuichi donated so much money to charities too, for those that had been unfairly discriminated against and thrown into homelessness because of how they’d been born, as did Tomura. 

 

He even started a one day event every year in Tokyo where all heteromorphs could celebrate being themselves without fear of being ridiculed or attacked for it. He had guest speakers, musical artists who had heteromorphism, and there were even little stalls run by people that had been rejected loans to open their own proper stores simply for how they looked.

You’d enjoyed it the one time you agreed to go with Dabi and Tomura, but it wasn’t quite as fun as Gay Pride which you attended every year with your dads.

 

“I think it’s nice.” Kāto defends, rubbing her cheek against yours, like Himiko did sometimes when she was battling with her cute aggression. “Vesper never gets girls usually.”

 

“Never?” You ask, surprised.

 

Tsume snickers and gives you a knowing look, and you immediately wish you’d kept that one inside.

 

“Talkin’ about my boy?” Takagi asks from behind you, making you startle.

 

He was probably grinning that lazy grin before you spun around, but it feels particularly teasing when he looks down at you, his messy black hair tied into a small ponytail.

 

“Keep your nose out of it, Takagi.” Tsume warns.

 

“Ah, about the crush.” He grins wider, his eyes landing on you again, sparkling with mischief. “Got it.”

 

And then he sits on the table, directly in front of you.

 

“I don’t have a crush on him.” You insist, your face burning from embarrassment that you couldn’t even escape this conversation at school now.

 

“So I got a chance, then?” Takagi asks, still all grins and teasing eyes.

 

Your face gets even warmer, even though you know he’s just teasing you, and your mouth opens and closes without any words leaving you.

 

“Quit picking on her!” Kāto finally exclaims, leaning on the table and swatting at his hand when it gets too close to you.

 

“Who said I was picking on her?” He smirks, running his eyes over you.

 

“You’re making her uncomfortable.” Tsume speaks up.

 

Takagi rolls his eyes, but retracts his hand. “Alright, alright.”

 

“Where is he anyway?” Tsume asks.

 

“Writin’.” Takagi replies with a small shrug. “Said he read somethin’ that got the brain whirring, so…”

 

“Ooh! Exciting.” Kāto chirps, her hands going to cradle her face. “Will it be done by Saturday?”

 

“Probably, knowing him.” Takagi replies, digging in his pockets. “Gonna be summoned soon I’m sure.”

 

“You coming?” Tsume asks you.

 

“Uh…”

 

“Oh! There’s a big music showcase on Saturday!”  Kāto explains. “Vesper and Akito are playing, but loads of other bands and singers are too!”

 

She gasps then, her eyes sparkling with excitement. “We could all even have a sleepover!” 

 

“Oh, would there be space?” You ask, immediately interested with the promise of your first ever time spending the night with a real friend rather than Himiko.

 

“Not at mine.” She says immediately, scrunching up her little nose like the very idea disgusts her. “Maybe yours?”

 

“Oh, uh…”

 

“Mine’s open.” Tsume suggests, saving you from a very awkward situation.

 

But Takagi’s eyes are weighing heavy on you again, in a way that you can’t really ignore. When you glance at him the teasing look is completely gone and his face is settled into a neutral expression for the first time ever.

For some reason, it unsettles you.

 

“I’d like that.” You agree, trying to ignore it.

 

*•*

 

“Hey darlin’.” Dabi greets when you walk into the kitchen.

 

You wrap your arms around his neck, leaning your chin over his shoulder to see what he’s doing.

Whatever it is, it’s a lot of numbers.

He turns to look at you, his mismatched lips turning upwards.

 

“What do I owe the pleasure?” He asks, lifting an arm to scruff your hair a little.

 

“Nothin’.” You reply, squeezing him a little. 

 

“Good day?” He asks, leaning his head against yours.

 

“Mhmm. Got invited to Tsume’s for the night on Saturday.”

 

“Oh, right?” Dabi replies, his tone changing ever so slightly.

 

“Yeah. There’s a music showcase, Takagi and Wani are playing.”

 

“ Ah .” Dabi smirks immediately.

 

“Don’t.”

 

His smirk grows wider but he holds his hands up in surrender. 

 

“Do what you wanna do, hon. You’re an adult now.” He says, surprisingly easily.

 

“I know.” You reply, kissing his temple quickly before releasing him from your hold. 

 

“You know how to get there?” He asks, returning back to his work.

 

“Yeah, they’re going to meet me at the station.”

 

“Alright doll.” He says, leaning his cheek on his metallic hand.

 

You pick Cloud up, finally giving him the attention he’d been begging for while rubbing against your ankles. 

 

“I’m gonna go work on my project.”

 

“Let me know if you need a model.”

 

“Idiot.” You reply, grinning as you carry Cloud off to your room.

 

*•*

 

Wani eases up a little in the next couple of days when you make an active effort to not really look at him. He starts speaking more, and you discover that he’s actually equally as smart as Tsume, and quick to clap back at Takagi. 

You still try not to say too much to him, not wanting to ruin the quick progress you’d made.

 

The others, thankfully, don’t seem to have said anything about your not-crush to him, and don’t mention it again after that. 

 

After the project hand-in, Kāto is straight back to hanging off your arm, looking up at you all excitedly.

 

“Akito said they finished the song today! I’m so excited to hear it!” She immediately begins chatting away. “Their band are super popular already, I can’t wait for you to see the crowds!”

 

“They are?” You query as you walk out of the building.

 

“Yup! They even got offered a one song deal to see how it goes but Vesper wimped out.” Kāto explains, shaking her head. “He always wimps out when it matters.”

 

He doesn’t really strike you as the type to ‘wimp out’ at anything . 

 

“This one time-“

 

“Girls.” Takagi says suddenly from behind you, wrapping his arm around your shoulders and one around Kāto’s waist. 

 

You jolt immediately, a faint aura of green coming off you without you really intending for it to happen.

He moves away from you without fuss though, not even passing comment on the fact you’d been mere moments away from hitting him with your quirk.

 

“Comin’ tomorrow?” He asks you, keeping his arm around Kāto’s waist. 

 

“Yeah.” You agree. “Sorry about th-“

 

“Sick.” He says, squeezing his arm around Kāto’s waist. “See ya there then, cheeks.”

 

“Get off !” She groans, moving away from him. 

 

He snickers, pulling the cigarette that he’d tucked behind his ear. “Yes ma’am.”

 

He then winks at you and gives you both a two-fingered salute before spinning on his heel and walking off in the opposite direction.

Kāto huffs and pouts up at you.

 

“What was I saying?” She asks.

 

“I don’t really remember.” You admit, still a little spooked from being crept up on from behind. 

 

“Ugh!” She groans. “ Anyway , what are you wearing?”

 

“I hadn’t really thought about it.” You admit. “Is there a dress code?”

 

She deadpans at you, and then you get a whole lecture on how you need to plan what to wear on outings like the one you’d been invited to. 

You listen dutifully the entire time, not really understanding why it was so important, but entertaining her ramblings anyway. 

 

*•*

 

You’re midway through packing a bag for tomorrow when two knocks on your door interrupt you.

 

“Yeah?” You call, shoving your outfit for tomorrow into your bag.

 

The door opens, white hair and red eyes peering around the door quickly before Tomura opens it properly, not entering further than just in front of the door.

Cloud slips in between his feet too, immediately hopping onto your bed.

 

“Touya said you’re staying at a friend's house tomorrow.” He states, watching as you continue to go through your wardrobe.

 

“Yeah! I’m excited!” You reply whole-heartedly.

 

“That’s good.” He says, watching but not stopping Cloud as he tries to climb into your bag as well. “Touya told you that if you need us you can call us any time?”

 

If it were Dabi telling you that you probably would roll your eyes at him, but because it's Tomura, you stop yourself and give him a soft smile instead.

 

“I know, pa.”

 

“ Any time, Star.” Tomura reiterates. “We’d rather you were safe.”

 

“I’ll be fine, Tomura, I promise.” You smile, pausing your packing to give him a hug like you would for Dabi whenever he gets stressed. 

 

He instantaneously wraps his arms around you, one hand quickly moving to your head protectively like he does sometimes. 

You don’t usually let them baby you like that anymore. Well… Let Dabi baby you like that anymore. But coming from Tomura it always felt a little more special.

 

“Cloud wants to go with you.” He finally comments, the smirk clear in his voice.

 

You pull away to look at Cloud, who has settled into a loaf inside your duffel bag, his long fur hanging out of the bag making him look like some kind of wig and making the whole sight even more ridiculous.

You immediately pull your phone out of your pocket and take a picture of him, cooing about how cute he looks the entire time.

 

“Join us for dinner.” Tomura says as you immediately go to send the picture to Kāto, who was the recipient of most of the photos you took of the fluffy beast. 

 

You hum absentmindedly and he places a hand on the back of your head, stroking his thumb back and forth over your scalp momentarily before disappearing off again, leaving the door open so that you’d end up smelling the food and joining them even if you weren’t listening properly.

 

*•*

 

“Dad is being weirdly cool about this.” You say to Tomura after he insisted on driving you to the train station.

 

“What do you mean, Starlight?” Tomura asks, keeping his attention on the road as he makes a turn.

 

“Well he near enough had a meltdown on my first day at school, buthe’s completely fine letting me stay at someone’s house he doesn’t know for the night?” You question. “Did you talk to him or something?”

 

“No, I didn’t.” Tomura replies easily, even though you’re distrustful of the answer. “He’s probably just coming to terms with the fact you’re an adult now.”

 

“X to doubt.” You mutter to yourself.

 

Tomura snorts, glancing at you with clear amusement. 

 

“You don’t even know what game that’s from.” 

 

“Do too!” You immediately defend. “I said it once and you forced me to play it!”

 

Tomura snickers a little to himself, but drops it.

You drop it too, falling into a comfortable quiet for a moment or two before you see the signs for the train station.

 

“He’s not going to show up, is he?” You ask, turning to look at him to make sure you can see his face when he replies.

 

“No, Star.” Tomura replies, his voice as even as ever and his expression neutral.

 

“ You’re not going to show up either, right?” You ask testingly.

 

“No. Unless you call.” Tomura answers, seemingly honestly.

 

You hum, turning your face away to look out of the window again, watching as you approach the station.

He’d never lied to you before, always painfully honest and blunt with everyone to stop any wires from being crossed. You’d like to think he wouldn’t start now.

 

*•*

 

Tsume’s house is just as you imagined it really. Minimal decor, with white walls and grey and black sleek furniture. It's so clean that it looks like a showroom, and her bedroom is no different, aside from one cork board hanging on her wall which is covered in photos of her, Kāto, Takagi and Wani, seemingly from middle school onwards.

You can’t help but look at them all, taking in how cute it was that she’d kept them all, and even taken them in the first place. 

 

Your family didn’t really take photos. There were a few in your house of you and Dabi, one of them being one of you in your yukata and him grinning at the camera on your first proper birthday, and the other two are sneaky pictures Tomura managed to take. One was you both feeding the ducks, and the other was you and him in front of the final painting you had worked on in the recreational art class you attended for years with Uncle Giran, a proud smile on his face. 

There was only one picture of you and Tomura, one from way back when he and Dabi started dating, you curled up asleep on his stomach and Tomura asleep too.

 

“Todoroki! Are you even listening to me right now?” You hear Kāto ask.

 

“Hm? Sorry.” You reply, turning to face the two girls that are sat cosy together on the plush rug on Tsume’s floor as they do their makeup.

 

“You’re really going like that? No makeup or anything?” She queries.

 

“Eh, makeup is a lot of effort.” You reply, scrunching your nose up. 

 

Himiko had tried getting you into makeup when you were fourteen and you weren’t really too big on it, it took way too much time to do and you didn’t really feel any different with it on. Plus by the time it came to take it off it almost felt a little grimy .

 

“But you’re wearing what you always wear!” Kāto complains in a fashion that’s all too similar to how Himiko would complain if you didn’t dress up fancy with her.

 

“She’s comfortable. Leave it.” Tsume instructs as she drags an eyeliner pencil across her waterline.

 

“But I wanted her and Vesper to have a magic moment where he sees her from the stage and-“

 

“Stop.” You immediately say, trying not to whine the complaint. “I didn’t come for him anyway.”

 

 Kāto gives you a doubtful look, and Tsume stops, blinking a couple of times before doing the other eye, not making any kind of comment.

 

“Then why did you come?”

 

“Because I wanted to spend time with you guys.” You reply, a little embarrassed. “I’ve never spent the night with people outside of my family, so…”

 

Kāto’s expression turns a little more touched, and Tsume gives you a small smile in the mirror, it only lasting a moment before she’s digging around in her makeup bag again.

 

“Okay well I still wanna do your makeup so sit.” She insists, and you groan but obey, sitting in front of Kato and leaning forward a little bit so that she can reach your face easier.

 

She squeals with excitement, hopping a little like she does sometimes whenever she’s particularly excited or happy. Without even asking what kind of makeup you want, she gets to work as Tsume keeps working on her own.

 

“I think blue would look really nice. What do you think, Keiko?” Kāto asks, looking at all the eyeshadow colours laid out on the floor beside her.

 

“Mm.” Tsume replies absentmindedly, putting the lid on some spray she’d put all over her face. 

 

She turns then, her yellow eyes giving you her full attention as she scans your face. Then she points at a couple of shimmery blues and then a black, digging out a brush and beginning to drag it lightly over the lightest blue.

 

“You do the other side.” She instructs Kāto, who’s more than eager to oblige.

 

Whatever they do it doesn’t take nearly as long as it does with Himiko talking excitedly, and when you look in the mirror you don’t hate it. They had only done your eyes, a light blue blending out into black and the mascara making your eyes look a little brighter.

 

“That’s better!” Kāto nods, leaning back and admiring the job she’d done. “Are you sure you don’t want to borrow a top, or a skirt or something?”

 

“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with what I’m wearing.” You reply, looking down at yourself. 

 

You were wearing your favourite ripped jeans gifted to you by Aiko, and wearing a relatively nice top, not as revealing as Tsume’s, or as strappy as Kāto’s, but it was still a nice off-the-shoulder shirt that covered your chest tattoo, because you didn’t want to have to explain that one too much.

 

“There isn’t anything wrong with it.” Tsume replies calmly, looking at you evenly. “You look good. Now, let’s get going before Akito gets more impatient.”

 

*•*

 

It’s busy .

You hadn’t expected it to be as busy as it was, but there’s a crowd of people waiting to get in, and then when you finally get in, it’s practically wall-to-wall with people. 

You’d never really been in an environment like this before, your dads tending to avoid it with you whenever possible, and oh god it's so loud already, and the music hasn’t even started yet.

 

You end up pressing yourself up against Tsume as she stands at the bar, telling Kāto to run off and find the boys while she handles the drinks. 

You could have joined Kāto instead but with her small frame and surprising speed, you would have just slowed her down, and you didn’t want to separate yourself from the calm one just yet when you are currently fighting a inner battle about just how close you’re going to be to all the rowdy men in the club.

 

“What do you want, Todoroki?” Tsume asks right beside your ear as you stare with growing anxiety at the large amount of people yelling over the music playing while the first band gets set up.

 

“Just a ramune.” You reply. “Thank you.”

 

“No alcohol?” She asks, moving away to look at you, raising an eyebrow. “You look like you need it.”

 

You shake your head, and she doesn’t push it further, just nods and orders the drinks, resting one of her hands on your shoulder which helps you feel a little more grounded and present.

Once the drinks have been poured, she moves them close to you both, ducking her head to talk to you again.

 

“Don’t leave your drink. Take it with you and cover it with your hand if you’re holding it but not drinking, okay?” She says, leaning back to look at you as though she was checking you understand.

 

“Why?” You query, moving closer to her to make it easier for her to hear you. “I saw someone spill a drink when we walked in.”

 

She looks at you unshaken for a moment before leaning back in to talk to you again. 

 

“Because you don’t want to get spiked.”

 

You look at her blankly, trying to gauge what that means. People dropping spikes into drinks? You would like to think that even in the dim lighting of the bar that you would be able to see that before drinking it.

She looks at you again with those scrutinising yellow eyes, and you can’t help but feel a little intimidated by her, even though she’s never been anything but truthful and nice to you.

 

She ducks close to your ear again, though. “You don’t know what that is?”

 

You shake your head, and her expression turns a little more exasperated, one of her black ears flicking slightly.

 

“Sometimes if you leave a drink unattended people drop drugs into them.” She explains to you. “Tends to be dudes that do it to make women vulnerable and easier to drag back home, but it can happen to guys too, so if Takagi or Wani leave their drinks with you make sure you watch them, yeah?”

 

She pauses for a moment. “ Especially Takagi. The idiot got   cocky and was caught out before.” 

 

She looks at your horrified expression, her own expression softening the most you’d ever seen before. 

 

“Didn't your parents tell you about this?” She asks, and you shake your head. “Okay, something else you need to know, don’t wander off or let anyone else wander off. Especially with someone you don’t know.”

 

“Okay.” You agree and nod, and she gives you a fond smile. 

 

It’s all kind of a lot to take on board at once. You hadn’t realised that coming would be so… unsafe, and you’re trying with all your might not to look as fearful as you feel. 

She opens her mouth to say something else, and all you see is a flash of silver before there’s someone grabbing your arm tight and pulling you away from her.

What happens next is so quick and you’re already so stunned from what Tsume told you that you don’t really process how Wani and Takagi appear so quickly, Takagi grabbing whoever was grabbing you and Wani towering behind him as though he was ready to be the brawn behind Takagi if needed.

 

“There a problem?” Takagi asks, glaring at the stranger.

 

You finally look up at whoever was holding onto you, seeing the familiar sight of angry scars across pale skin, and the serene smile that is staying curved upwards even though he’s subtly being threatened.

 

“Zero?!” You squeak quietly, too quiet for him to hear.

 

“I suggest you let go of me.” Zero replies calmly.

 

“Let go of her , then.” Takagi replies instantly, but you swat at his hand gently, shaking your head.

 

He looks confused, but releases the grip he has on Zeros arm, which realistically the nomu wouldn’t really have felt anyway.

 

“Zero let go.” You order, and are surprised that he actually listens, removing his hand but weighing all of his attention on you.

 

“Who is this guy, ‘Roki?” Takagi asks, still glaring directly at Zero, who seems to be assessing everyone else silently.

 

You panic, unsure how to answer that question on the off chance that answering it would incriminate your parents which you’d promised you wouldn’t do. 

Turns out you don’t need to worry, because Zero goes ahead and answers for you.

 

“I’m her uncle.” He replies coolly.

 

They all immediately look at you for confirmation, even Wani.

Your mouth opens and closes a couple of times, before you scowl up at Zero himself, gripping his upper arm.

 

“Let's go and talk.” 

 

“Okay, little Star.” Zero replies, all content smiles and soft eyes despite how clearly upset you are and how annoyed your friends are. 

 

“Wait…” Tsume says, gently reaching for your arm.

 

“It’s fine, I promise.” You try to reassure her with the best smile you can muster.

 

You walk towards the signposted smoking area, gripping Zero’s arm the entire time even though he’s walking without argument. You don’t mind pushing past all the people with him close by. You know what he’s capable of if it really came down to that.

The second you’re outside you pull him to the quietest area, letting go of him and hissing:

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

“Making sure you’re safe.” He replies easily.

 

“They sent you to spy on me?” You ask, clearly offended.

 

His eye twitches, and that’s all the answer you need.

 

“Great, well now I’m embarrassed and annoyed.” You grumble to yourself. “Just go, I’m fine.”

 

“I’m sorry Star, but I can’t disobey an order.” Zero apologises, and he sounds genuine.

 

“But I’ve just given you a new one!” You snap. “Go home, now .”

 

“You know that’s not how this works.” He replies apologetically, tilting his head a little at you.

 

His eyes drift upwards then, over your head, looking at something behind you, which means he misses the look of pure disdain you give him.

 

“I hate you all.”

 

“Untrue.”

 

“I hate you right now .” You insist, and his eyes fall back down on you, his soft smile growing a little more warmer and genuine.

 

“You don’t.” He insists himself. “They were just worried for your safety. That’s a good thing.”

 

“Not when they send someone to spy on me!” You all but growl. “I’m an adult!”

 

“I-“ He begins and then stops himself. “It’s more me watching over you to make sure you’re safe. Bodyguarding, perhaps. Although… I can see you don’t need that.”

 

His eyes drift upwards again, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

This time, you follow his line of sight, turning your head to see Takagi and Wani watching you both from the wall opposite, Takagi smoking idly and Wani just leaning against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes fixed completely on Zero.

 

“They’re protective. That’s good.” Zero states.

 

And yeah, maybe that makes you feel good.

And sure , Wani being so watchful of you makes something inside you feel a little warmer, but that’s only because up until two days ago you were certain he hated you.

 

“Exactly, so I don’t need you. So go.” You try again. 

 

Zero tilts his head enough that some more of his long hair falls out from beneath his hood.

 

“The girl did something to distress you.” He states as if he knows the full story. 

 

“She didn’t .” You groan, throwing your hands up in exasperation, which immediately has Zero focusing on the two boys behind you again.

 

“Refrain from doing that, otherwise your friends are going to get involved again.” He instructs calmly. “You can’t lie to me, Star.”

 

“I’m not! It wasn’t her that upset me, it was what she was telling me about!” You reply, struggling to keep your tone low.

 

“What was that?” He asks. 

 

“Spiking and shit.” You snap irritably.

 

His eyes darken for a moment. “I would never let that happen.”

 

“I still don’t want you here! It’s embarrassing!” You groan, running your hands through your hair in frustration. 

 

Zero catches your wrists gently and lowers them to your sides, his eyes softening again and his full attention on you, a hint of remorse in his eyes.

 

“I can’t leave.” He repeats. “I apologise for embarrassing you, I want you to be happy. The best I can do is stay out of sight of you.”

 

You groan, knowing that he really won’t leave, and that really was your best option. Frustration pricks at your eyes, and Zero shakes his head.

 

“Don’t cry, you’ll ruin your pretty makeup.”

 

“Tell them I hate them.” You state, pulling your wrists from his grasp and turning your back to him, sniffing hard as though that’ll rid you of your visible emotions.

 

“I won’t.” Zero calls as you walk away, towards Takagi and Wani, who instantly push themselves away from the brick wall.

 

“You okay?” Wani asks, his ridged brows furrowing a bit, as though he’s frowning.

 

“Fine.” You reply, a bit more abruptly than you really mean to.

 

“That really your uncle?” Takagi asks, wrapping an arm around your shoulders like he had yesterday, except this time you don’t flinch away.

“Sadly.” You huff, allowing the two men to guide you back inside and praying that the hustle and bustle inside the building and the music that would be playing would distract you from the fact that Zero would be in there somewhere, watching you.

Chapter 3: Protected

It’s hard to really enjoy the music, or night in general, while knowing that Zero’s hidden somewhere within the crowds watching you. 

Kāto and Tsume are having fun dancing and pushing people around in the crowds and swinging their heads, arms and legs everywhere whenever an artist you’d never heard of plays a heavier song.

A lot of it sounds like music Dabi would listen to, and it only makes you feel more and more sour towards him and what he’d done tonight.

 

The boys would come back from behind the stage and check in on you all here and there, Takagi giving you a once over and a thumbs up, which you’d dutifully return before he’d give a quick nod and join in with Kāto and Tsume. Wani, however, stuck by your side in the middle of the crowd, standing either behind or next to you, although he was silent. Sometimes when you’d risk a glance at him, you’d see his green, slitted eyes focused on whoever was performing as he bobs his head in time to the music, and sometimes you’d look and meet his concerned eyes as they’re resting on you.

He’d always look away quickly though, and you can’t help but feel a little more relaxed knowing that clearly he didn’t hate you as much as he seemed to act sometimes.

 

The fourth time coming off from backstage, Wani goes off outside by himself, and Takagi, once checking on you again, returns to the circle of people that are shoving each other and then picking each other up when they inevitably fall. 

The whole thing is a little weird and loud for you, so you follow after Wani, knowing Zero will be watching if something were to happen with you separated from the others.

 

He’s in the smoking area, sitting on a bench alone, a lit cigarette dangling between two taloned fingers as he leans forward, staring at the floor.

You approach him quietly, smiling at the few stragglers outside as well as you pass them.

When your feet are within his vision, he looks up, puzzled at first, and then concerned.

 

“Are you alright?” He asks, his voice that low deep rumble you feel as though you haven’t heard for weeks.

 

“Yeah!” You agree with a soft smile, slowly sitting down like you’re scared of spooking him off if you do anything too quickly. “It’s just kinda loud. I don’t get the pushing thing, either.”

 

Wani flicks some of the smoke from his cigarette onto the floor, and then turns his head to look at you thoughtfully.

 

“It’s called a mosh pit.”

 

You stare blankly at him, not expecting an actual conversation with him, but the second you look too long, he moves his head to stare at the floor again, messing his black hair up roughly so you can’t see too much of his face again.

 

“A ‘mosh pit’?” You repeat, curiously.

 

“Yeah.” He grunts, actually seeming to take a breath of his cigarette. “It’s usually what happens when heavier bands play. It’s encouraged, kind of like a sign you’re enjoying the music.”

 

He blows smoke out of his nose like Dabi used to sometimes when he was drunk, and sniffs, leaning back a little more on the bench.

 

“Just shoving people around and stuff. It's good fun. If you wanna go in there, it’s not as scary as it looks. If you fall, someone’ll pick you up, and if someone’s going too hard they’re usually dragged out.”

 

“Oh.” You nod, leaning back too, your back fully against the bench. “‘Mosh pit’…”

 

You shiver a little, the cold air so much more icy in comparison to the warmth outside.

This draws Wani’s attention.

 

“You’re cold?” He asks.

 

“A little, but it’s okay.” You admit, shrugging. “My house is always a little warm, that’s all.”

 

He looks at you for a second before placing his cigarette in an ashtray by his arm carefully and shrugging his heavy leather jacket off.

 

“Oh you don’t have to do that.” You try to reassure, but he shakes his head and plops the heavy material over your shoulders.

 

“It’s fine. I got a sweater on anyway.” He shrugs, picking the cigarette up and glancing at someone leaning on the wall opposite. “Is that really your uncle?”

 

You follow his eyes, throwing Zero an exasperated look when you realise it’s him, just with his hair tucked back into his hood.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“He looks young.” Wani says, almost dubiously. “And like he’s part of the Yakuza or something.”

 

“Oh, no.” You say quickly, hugging the jacket around your shoulders, thankful it doesn’t smell like smoke, otherwise Dabi would kill you. “He’s just been through some stuff.”

 

He and your dads had never told you what , but you had done a little research on nomu a few weeks into being allowed unrestricted internet access a couple of years ago.

 

“Like a wood chipper or something?” Wani asks, kind of dryly.

 

You giggle unexpectedly, which has Wani turning to face you again. “Maybe!” 

 

He looks at you, a little abashed for a couple of moments before his mouth twitches upward a little bit on one side and he shakes his head, as though he’s in disbelief. 

He takes another drag of the half-finished cigarette and then puts it out, taking a deep breath.

 

“Oh, you can carry on.” You reassure. “My dad smokes.”

 

Wani shakes his head, sitting up properly again, but avoiding looking directly at you once more. “We’re on next, and I don’t really smoke.”

 

“Right.” You say, in the same tone of voice you use whenever Dabi says he’s going to quit smoking.

 

Wani looks over at you again, rubbing his hands on his thighs. “I don’t.”

 

You glance at the cigarette he just put out and then back at him, smirking a little. 

He stares at you, his eyes running over your face as though he’s trying to figure you out before speaking again.

 

“I get nervous before we play. That’s all.” He says, swallowing audibly and then standing up.

 

“Wait, your jacket.” You say, quickly taking it off. 

 

“I won’t need it once I’m inside.” He says, not turning around to address you properly, holding a hand up like Tomura sometimes does when he’s done with a conversation.

 

You watch, a little surprised by the abrupt leaving, but smiling about the fact you’d managed to have an actual conversation one-on-one with him. 

You stand back up, taking off and folding the jacket over your arm and walking up to Zero, who hadn’t moved an inch since sneaking outside to watch you.

 

“Zero?” You ask.

 

“Yes, little Star?” He replies instantly.

 

“You know the friend I was just with?” 

 

He nods, moving away from the wall he’d been leaning against.

 

“Does he hate me?” You ask curiously.

 

“What? No.” Zero replies immediately with a rare tone of amusement.

 

“Does he dislike me a little bit?” You ask.

 

Zero snorts at you. “He likes you, Star. He was concerned, curious, doubtful, and then flustered, and then nervous.”

 

“Flustered?” You frown. “Why?”

 

Zero smirks at you. “You have a pretty smile.”

 

You feel heat immediately rise to your cheeks and you scoff at him, using your free arm to shove his shoulder. “You’re biased.”

 

“I’m honest.” Zero corrects.

 

You ‘pfft’ at him, walking past to go back inside with him slinking in behind you, immediately disappearing off again the second you’re in the packed bar.

You spot Kāto and Tsume instantly, as close as they can possibly get to the little stage area with Kāto on her shoulders.

You wander over, actually joining the main group of people for the first time. Kāto beams the second she sees you trying to push through the crowd as politely as possible, calling your name and waving both arms.

When you get through and join them on the side at the front of the stage, Kāto leans forward to give you a hug, despite the grunt it earns from Tsume. 

 

“Akito said you went off with Vesper!” Kāto shouts when you’ve parted, and then wiggles her eyebrows with a grin. 

 

You deadpan at her. “It’s loud in here!”

 

She just raises an eyebrow even more at you, and Tsume luckily saves the day again by directing both of your attentions to the stage as Takagi comes out on stage with a guitar, a couple of other guys you don’t recognise taking place on stage too. 

The crowd starts cheering in a way they hadn’t for anyone else, not really, and you look around, taking in the genuine excitement on everyone’s faces.

Someone in the crowd even whistles which seems to make Takagi chuckle as he moves a microphone stand down a little.

 

“Control yourselves.” He says jokingly when the mic is low enough to speak into.

 

The whole crowd laughs, Tsume rolling her eyes, but smirking, and Kāto yells excitedly at him, which makes his lopsided grin even bigger.

Wani comes out, showing the most skin you’d seen ever, really. His rough scaled arms are out, no longer wearing the sweater he’d been wearing outside in the smoking area. Instead he’s wearing a drop armhole vest shirt, revealing a lot of his sides as he moves, seemingly ignoring the crowd as they cheer again.

 

At least it’s not just you that gets that reaction from him.

 

“Woo! Vesper!” Kāto yells, just like she did for Takagi.

 

Vesper glances at her as he brings his own mic stand higher, giving her a soft smile you’d never really seen before. When he spots you standing beside her, he seems to freeze for a moment before returning back to what he was doing.

 

“Hello everyone.” Takagi greets with his usual confident and wonky smile, gesturing at his bandmates. “We’re Ill Intent.”

 

This gets another cheer from a few of the crowd members, which makes Takagi chuckle and even Wani seems to be smirking a bit.

 

“We’ve got a couple more newbies in the crowd today, so play nice.” Wani says, his voice somehow even deeper as it’s projected around the room. “I don’t wanna see any fights today.”

 

There’s a lone boo that goes ignored as Wani continues to talk, brushing his black hair out of his face so that his face is on show properly for the first time ever.

 

“If you’ve been to our shows before, you know we write songs about real events.” Wani continues, his eyes scanning the crowd. “So we have something new to play for you.”

 

Everyone cheers again, including Tsume and Kāto, and you just grin up at your new friends, admiring how they look like they belong there. They have the look for it, the dark hair, the piercings, Takagi’s confidence and Wani’s build. You’re pretty confident that from looks alone Dabi would probably listen to their music.

And when they announce the song, ‘Bite Back’, and start playing , you’re proved right. It’s loud, especially so close to the stage, and it’s angry .

 

You can’t really pick up on what Wani’s shouting about, not really, only picking up on bits and pieces here and there, apart from the chorus, which admittedly does make you want to jump.

Everyone’s loving the performance when you look around, the ‘mosh pit’ the biggest it had been all night, and Kāto reaching for it like a child, which has Tsume dropping to a crouch so she can quickly scramble off her shoulders and dart into the center of it.

Without Kāto on her shoulders, Tsume turns her attention to you, grabbing your free hand and giving it a squeeze before encouraging you to jump along too, Wani, Takagi and their bandmates are too involved in their performance to notice you properly.

 

It’s fun, it’s really fun. 

And you find yourself joining the chant for another song at the end, a little disheartened when Takagi informs the crowd they can’t have any more stage time tonight.

The crowd continues to demand another song though, the odd boo thrown in from a few attendees. 

Wani grins at this, grabbing the mic he was just about to abandon and saying: “Don’t be greedy.”

 

Takagi seconds this as Wani walks behind him, walking off stage. “Support the other acts!”

 

It’s not long before Wani’s with you all again, bringing the drummer along with him. Kāto comes straight back, climbing up him like some kind of cat hybrid rather than a mouse, but he grins and lets her sit on his shoulders, her arms wrapping around his neck awkwardly.

 

“You did so good!” You hear her praise loudly.

 

“Thanks.” Is the gruff reply she gets back, but he keeps grinning, all sharp teeth and warm eyes like you’d seen him give them all when you weren’t around.

 

“You were really good.” You say, completely honestly, the second his eyes accidentally meet yours.

 

His eyes immediately move away again, but he murmurs something you don’t hear, and Kāto coos directly into his ear, grinning and squeezing him tighter. 

Takagi and the remaining member of their band join you not too much later, and you hear him attempting to yell their names over the commotion in the crowd, but you can’t quite make out what he’s saying.

It’s fun. You’re a bit more relaxed, and you’re meeting more people.

 

You’re happy .

 

*•*

 

You didn’t end up staying too much longer, because Kāto ends up getting a little too rowdy to the point you, Takagi and Tsume have to take turns carrying her back so she doesn’t fall over and hurt herself.

Takagi follows you all back to Tsume’s house dutifully, glaring at any guy that dares look at you all for a second longer than he deems acceptable.

You hold Kāto as Tsume unlocks her door, Takagi standing behind you, smoking a cigarette.

 

“Okay, help her get ready for bed.” Tsume instructs, opening the door for you. 

 

“I don’t need to go to bed! I wanna talk!” Kāto exclaims, lolling her head back dramatically.

 

“Ignore her. I’ll be up in a sec.” Tsume tells you, her tail flicking slightly across the ground.

 

“Okay!” You agree easily, carrying your smaller friend inside without questioning it.

 

“Don’t be boring, Todoroki.” Kāto pouts as you sit her on Tsume’s bed.

 

“We can talk while you get ready for bed!” You try to placate.

 

“You should drink too!” Kāto offers instead.

 

“Oh, I-“ You begin to reply.

 

“Keiko’s parents always have the good shit!” Kāto continues, hopping off the bed and rushing to leave the room.

 

Luckily Tsume is right there, about to open the door herself, unbothered when Kāto’s face directly hits her stomach.

 

“No stealing their alcohol.” She says, like she already knew that was the plan Kāto had hatched.

 

“But Todoroki hasn’t drunk anything all night!” She exclaims defeatedly.

 

“My mom…” You begin to explain, picking up where you’d left off when Kāto had interrupted you.

 

“Your mom isn’t here. ” Kāto sighs, and her words are a bit too on the nose, despite her not knowing it. 

 

“No, my mom…” You gently lead her back into the room by her hand. “My mom was an addict, and I read online that it can run in the family, so I don’t want to risk it.”

 

There’s an uncomfortable silence for some reason, and then Kāto says: ‘woof.’

 

“I get it.” Tsume shrugs. “Take your shoes off, Hana.”

 

Kāto complains about having to do so when you still have your shoes on, but you take your shoes off pretty quickly after it’s mentioned, too. After all, Tsume’s house was nice , even nicer than yours, and you didn’t want to do anything that would ruin your chances of getting invited around again.

It takes some time, and a little fight here and there, but you all manage to get into bed together, all three of you pressed close together thanks to the size of the bed.

 

“If you hear noises, it’s just Takagi.” Tsume yawns, curling up as best she can on her side of the bed.

 

“He’s here?” You ask, a little nervously.

 

He hadn’t tried anything, and beyond asking if he’d have a chance with you once , he’d not uttered a word since. But the anxieties of sleeping with a male around that you don’t know too well gnaw at the back of your mind.

 

“He stays all the time, don’t worry.” Tsume replies, one of her feline ears flicking a little in the dark.

 

“Because they’re fucking.” Kāto giggles, moving closer to you.

 

“That is not why.” Tsume clarifies, her voice a little sharper than usual when prodded at.

 

Kāto doesn’t say anything further about it, just continues to giggle. You shush her gently, which she ignores for a little while before showing to a stop.

You’d closed your eyes by then, trying to find a distraction in your mind so you wouldn’t worry too much about being away from home, and you feel a warm, small hand wrap around yours. 

 

“I’m glad you came today, too, Todoroki.” Kāto says quietly.

 

You smile softly, opening your eyes to peer down at the dark mass curled up next to you.

 

“Thank you for inviting me.” You whisper back. 

 

*•*

 

You stay for longer than you agreed to with your parents as a small act of rebellion, although both Kāto and Tsume are still asleep when you gather your things and repack them all. 

You don’t hear Takagi wandering around so you creep out of Tsume’s bedroom with the full intent of sneaking out of the house entirely.

Except when you get to the bottom of the staircase, you see a shirtless Takagi walking towards you with a towel in hand, using it to hand dry his hair.

 

“Oh. Mornin’, ‘Roki.” Takagi greets, pausing what he’s doing to look at you.

 

You stare back at him, wide-eyed, your eyes transfixed on the multiple large bruises clustered around his torso.

 

“You’re hurt!” You exclaim, dropping your bag and approaching him. “How?!”

 

He shrugs, taking a step back. “Musta been the pits.”

 

You’re not sure you believe it. The bruises are all different colours, which tells you they’re all from different occasions, but you keep quiet about it.

 

“You off then?” He asks, looking at your bag and then back at you with those warm brown eyes.

 

“Yeah, better get home or my d-“ You catch yourself and correct the word you were going to use quickly. “Parents will worry.”

 

“If you hang on for five I can get you to the station.” Takagi says, returning back to drying his hair with the towel as he walks. 

 

“It’s fine, thank you.” You reassure. “Um, actually, can I ask you a question?”

 

“Sure. What’s up?” He asks, stopping again to give you his full attention.

 

“Are you sleeping with Tsume?” You ask. “It’s okay if you are! I just think if you love each other you should focus on that. I don’t want to upset her.”

 

Takagi blinks, frowns, opens his mouth and then closes it again, replacing it with his usual lopsided smile.

 

“What’s love got to do with it?” He asks, his smirk growing. “Your parents tell ya that?”

 

You open your mouth, a little bashful. It sounds almost like he’s talking to you like you’re a child.

 

“That’s not what’s going on, anyway.” He says before you can answer his question. “She’s just helping me out by lettin’ me stay.”

 

There’s a brief pause and then he shrugs again. “Anyway, let me just grab a shirt and I’ll walk you to the train station.”

 

“It’s fine, really.” You repeat, quickly grabbing your bag again. “Thank you though.”

 

And then you rush out, ignoring him when he tries to reach out for you to stop you from going alone. 

 

*•*

 

“Star!” Is the first thing you hear the second you walk through the door. “You’re late, are you okay, hon?”

 

You take a deep breath, knowing that this course of action is going to suck, but not wanting to have a massive argument with your parents. 

And so you ignore him.

You don’t even look at him when he appears in the hallway, Cloud running between his feet to come and see you, meowing loudly the entire way.

 

You pick the calico cat up swiftly, making sure to do it so you don’t have to look at Dabi as you do so.

 

“Doll, d’ya hear me?” Dabi asks. “You good?”

 

You ignore him again, carrying Cloud up the stairs in your arms like a baby.

You don’t see Tomura coming to check on you though, so when Dabi calls for you again, you spin around mid-staircase to scowl at him.

 

“You know I’m fine, so stop pretending.” You snap, hesitating briefly when you see Tomura’s mass of white hair appear in the corner of your eye, coming from the office downstairs.

 

“I dunno what you’re on about Starshine.” Dabi says, glancing in Tomura’s direction for a split second.

 

“You spying on me?” You reply, your voice cracking slightly from the betrayal. “Just leave me alone.”

 

“I didn’t spy on you!” Dabi defends. 

 

“You got Zero to do it for you both, which is even worse. ” You retort without stopping your path to your room.

 

“You did what ?” You hear Tomura ask Dabi as you reach the top of the stairs, walking off towards your room.

 

You leave them to it, deciding to take Cloud to your room and catch up on the sleep you’d missed out on while staying away overnight.

Cloud, ever the good companion, lets you cling onto him like you used to with your first ever teddy whenever you were scared, purring the whole while.

 

*•*

 

A knock on the door pulls you from sleep.

You huff, turning over as if that’ll stop you hearing anything else. Cloud immediately jumps over your body and curls up against your stomach again. 

There’s a couple more quiet moments until you hear another knock again. 

 

“What?” You ask groggily.

 

“Can we talk?” Tomura asks from the other side of the door, in English.

 

“Come in.” You reply in Japanese, face planting the bed again after.

 

Tomura enters quietly, clicking the door shut behind him and picking up scattered clothes as he passes them, folding them over his arm.

 

“Are you too tired to talk now?” Tomura asks, placing the clothes he’d picked up on the arm of your gaming chair. 

 

“M’okay, but I don’t forgive you.” You say, still keeping your face pressed into the pillow.

 

“I have nothing to do with it.” Tomura informs you calmly. “So I don’t need your forgiveness.”

 

“You must have known. You guys are always all over each other.” You grumble, peering at him with one eye.

 

He smirks at you. “Not always.”

 

You force yourself to sit up, Cloud moving to curl up between your legs, kneading your shins as he purrs.

 

“Touya was worried about you. We’ve kept you pretty sheltered, and he knows what environments like that can be like.” Tomura explains. “I’ve reiterated to him that you’re an adult now, and that means you can make your own decisions and learn the hard way if it comes to that. We told you we were here if you needed help, that’s what it should have been left as.”

 

“Why isn’t he here talking to me about it then?” You ask, cocking an eyebrow at him. 

 

“He’s cooling off.” Tomura replies calmly. “You know what he’s like.”

 

You sigh, but accept the answer. Tomura had stood up for you, and told Dabi never to do it again, and typically Dabi listened when Tomura got serious with him.

Well, everyone listens to Tomura when he gets serious.

 

“How was it?” Tomura asks. “Did you have fun even though Zero was there?”

 

“Yeah, after a while.” You reply, petting Cloud’s fluffy head. “It was loud , my ears are still ringing a bit.”

 

Tomura hums thoughtfully. “Can I try something out?”

 

“I mean, sure?” You reply uncertainly.

 

Tomura sits on the edge of your bed cautiously before leaning even closer.

 

“I’m just gonna touch your head for a second.” He warns you before he does it, his cool hands placing themselves over each of your ears. 

 

You feel his hands warm up a little either side of your head for a second, and then the faint ringing is gone again. 

You look at him in awe, touching your ears yourself.

 

“When did you get that one?” You ask, intrigued.

 

“Recently. Good to know it works.” Tomura replies with a self-satisfied smile, standing back up. “Get some more rest.”

 

He pauses a couple of steps into leaving your room though, glancing over his shoulder at you.

 

“Did you drink? Because if you did, it’s a good idea to drink water and eat properly.” 

 

“Nah.” You shake your head. “Doesn’t really seem worth the risk.”

 

Tomura nods, his fluffy white hair bouncing a little with the movement. “Alright. I’ll come up with some food a little later for you.”

 

“Thanks, dad.” You reply, although you’re fully awake now with no intention of dropping back off to sleep.

 

Tomura hums an acknowledgement, leaving your room and closing the door quietly. 

You look down at your purring friend, scratching between his ears like you know he really likes, letting him bump his head against your hand demandingly whenever you stop.

 

“Aw. I missed you, Cloud.” You tell him, lifting him up to kiss his little head. “I don’t think I’ll be in a rush to stay away again.”

 

Cloud ‘mrreow’s at you, and bumps his head against your face again before you put him down again. You reach for your phone to make sure no-one had contacted you, but you find a couple of messages from Tsume waiting for you.

 

Tsume Keiko: Akito said you left in a hurry. Is everything okay?

Tsume Keiko: I’m sorry if him staying made you  uncomfortable. He stayed in my parents room all night.

Tsume Keiko: He has some stuff going on, so we all try to help where we can.

Tsume Keiko: Can you just let me know you’re home?

 

You lean against your headboard, Cloud purring like mad in your lap.

 

✨ : I didn’t sleep too well, so I left and fell straight to sleep, sorry for worrying you!

Tsume Keiko: I was about to freak out, please always let someone know when you get home.

Tsume Keiko: We were beginning to get paranoid about that guy from last night .

✨ : It really was my uncle, I promise!

 

You startle a little when your own face is reflected back at you on the phone screen, Tsume’s name coming up as a phone call. 

You answer it, even more startled when Tsume and Kāto’s faces appear in place of your own, your face going up to a small screen in the corner.

 

“Um, hello?” You say awkwardly. 

 

“Hi!” Kāto replies cheerily, leaning over Tsume’s shoulder as she looks at you.

 

“Just checking you are actually alright.” Tsume says dubiously, her yellow eyes scanning her screen as though she’s taking in every detail of your background.

 

“I’m fine!” You reply, giggling a little nervously. “It’s just me and Cloud.”

 

“Show me the boy!” Kāto exclaims, and you dutifully obey, angling your phone so they can see Cloud loafed up in your lap.

 

Kāto ‘aww’s immediately as you scratch between his ears again, sending him into a purring frenzy. 

Takagi’s face appears between Kāto and Tsume’s, his eyes narrowed as he peers at the screen too. The second he sees Cloud, there’s a look of realisation and then his facial expression turns more teasing. 

 

“Nice puss, ‘Roki.”

 

Tsume immediately claps her palm around the back of his head and he chuckles.

You’re unsure if it's on your side or theirs, but you swear you hear hushed voices nearby, followed by the sound of footsteps. 

You ignore it though, choosing to talk on the phone to all of them for a little while, cherishing the feeling of having real friends that care about you, outside of your family. 

Chapter 4: Fragments

You manage to go a whole week without talking to Dabi, even though you can tell it’s really upsetting him. You could have really spoken to him the same day, but he still hadn’t apologised to you, and you were stubborn.

Tomura hadn’t pushed you into talking to him, seeming to accept that Dabi needed to approach you first, no matter how much he moped about it.

You didn’t even cave when you overheard him whining to Tomura about how he missed it when you were small, even though it almost got you.

 

You spend your time focusing on your friends and course work instead, spending most evenings talking on the phone to Tsume and Kāto, sometimes Himiko, too. 

Your current project theme is ‘fragments’, and you had to find a way to incorporate the different types of art into the project. Which meant you had to wrap your head around fine art, illustration and textiles, and how to throw them all together in a way that looks cohesive. 

You figured for the textiles part you could contact Aiko, or even Fuyumi, because you know she sews. The fine art part could be a Uncle Giran job if you really needed help, because he was always eager to help you out, consistently texting you to ask how college was going and asking you to send him photos of your work.

 

Illustration, though, that was easy. That came naturally to you.

 

So you decide on your project to be fragments of memories. That’s what you associated the word ‘fragment’ with quite heavily, anyway. You had already sketched out the outline of shattered glass, and drawn memories you could flesh out in either pencil, pen or paint in some of the fragments, but you were struggling with what to put in the textiles sections.

You’d been sitting at your desk, staring at the paper in front of you for quite some time before flopping back in your seat, admitting defeat.

 

“What do you think, Cloud?” You ask, swirling the chair to look over at the cat on your bed, sprawled out in a little sun puddle.

 

He begins purring just from being spoken to, but doesn’t lift his head, only starts kneading lazily at your bedsheets again.

You sigh, leaning your head back and looking at all the glow in the dark stars that remain on your ceiling from when you first moved into the new home and were scared of all the free space it came with. 

 

You decide to get up, having a snack break. 

Cloud remains on the bed, in the warm, like always. So you leave the door open just in case he decides he wants to leave.

You walk down the stairs quietly listening to the sounds in the house, trying to listen out for whether your parents were home or whether they’d left.

You pause for a second at the bottom of the stairs, listening intently before making your way into the living room and kitchen area, cursing mentally when you see Dabi lounging on the settee.

 

You ignore him anyway, walking past to get to the kitchen and rifling through your designated cupboards for something you feel like eating.

It’s quiet apart from the sound of you trying to find something to eat for about two minutes before you hear Dabi call your name.

You ignore it, because of course you do. And he goes quiet again for a second before trying again.

 

“ Starshine. ” He emphasises, sounding a little broken when he speaks.

 

“I’m contactable through Zero.” You reply, although it kind of hurts to when he sounds so upset.

 

“I’m sorry, okay? Just quit ignoring me.” Dabi begs. “Look at me.”

 

You pause for a second, looking at the laminate on the floor as you collect yourself, before turning around to look at him with a hardened gaze.

The second your eyes meet he lets out a shaky breath, and pats the seat next to him.

 

“C’mere?”

 

You look at him, at the darkened scars under his eyes indicating that he hasn’t been getting much sleep, the sight not making it any easier for you to stick to your guns. 

 

“I’m busy, dad.” You say simply.

 

“Too busy to listen to your old man.”

 

“Yup.” You say, spinning around to grab the closest snacks to you this time.

 

Because you don’t want to hang around to see the hurt on his face when you say that. You don’t want to see it because you know you’ll cave, even though you know you’re right to be angry for what he did, and he was in the wrong for making Zero spy on you. 

 

“You’re killin’ me.” Dabi mopes. 

 

You grab your food and head straight back out, not sparing him another glance.

You ignore Tomura too when you see him leaning in the doorway of his office downstairs, raising one of his scarred and cracked brows at you.

 

*•*

 

“Star, I’m coming in.”

 

“No you’re not.” You call back, still staring at the blank spaces on the page hours later.

 

Clearly your words are ignored, because your door opens anyway. You groan, turning around to give Dabi a sharp look, freezing a second when you see a small smear of blood on one of his clear patches of skin.

 

“Dad, I’m busy.” You reiterate calmly.

 

“Yeah, well, you can listen while you work.” He says dismissively, walking to your bed and picking Cloud up, placing him on his lap.

 

You sigh, accepting your fate and remaining in your chair facing him, knowing that you weren’t getting anywhere with your project anyway, and he clearly wanted to talk about what he did, and wasn’t going to let it go this time.

 

“Go on then.” You say, crossing your arms over your chest.

 

He takes a deep breath, scratching Cloud's head gently before speaking.

 

“I’m sorry, doll. I really am.” He leads with. “I shouldn’tve had Zero watching you to make sure you were okay.”

 

“No, you shouldn’t have.” You agree.

 

Dabi gives you a coy smile. “I was worried ‘bout you, Star.”

 

You don’t say anything in response, just kind of shrug at him. 

 

“Sounds silly, ‘cause I know you’re an adult now, but there’s a lotta stuff you don’t know, ‘cause I wanted to protect you.” Dabi continues. 

 

“Like spiking?” You ask, keeping your face completely deadpan.

 

He cringes a little. “Well, yeah. That.”

 

He sighs through his nose, taking a second before continuing. “A bunch of stuff really. That, what it could lead to… boys .”

 

He says ‘boys’ more pointedly, giving you a knowing glance, which you don’t care for at all.

 

“What are you even talking about right now?” You ask, a little more sharply than you really mean to. “There are no boys .”

 

“I wasn’t born yesterday, Star.” Dabi replies just as curtly. “There’s that Wani dude.”

 

“Oh my god!” You exclaim. “Nothing is happening with me and Wani!”

 

“I’m not stupid Star.” Dabi sighs, running his metal hand through his white hair. “I heard you on the phone to him.”

 

“Clearly you are, because I don’t even have his number!” You snap, spinning around to get your phone with the full intention of chucking it at him so he could see for himself.

 

“Okay, so some other guy’s in the picture.” Dabi accuses.

 

“There’s no guy !” You exclaim.

 

“Quit yellin’.” Dabi replies sharply. “We don’t yell.”

 

“We don’t lie either, and you’re still accusing me of that!” You retort.

 

“I heard a guy talkin’ to you about shit I don’t wanna hear about.” Dabi continues to accuse. 

 

“What?!”

 

“Both of you.” Tomura warns in the hallway, which does nothing to soothe your anger.

 

“No! He’s accusing me of lying!” You exclaim, gesturing at Dabi as though he can see you.

 

“I heard it, Star.” Dabi continues to defend, even as Tomura leans on the doorway into your room. 

 

“The only guy I’ve spoken to on the phone in the past week was Takagi and he said one sentence!”

 

“Yeah, and it was inappropriate.” Dabi sniffs, clearly trying to mask a look of disgust.

 

“Touya.” Tomura warns.

 

“What do you mean?!” You ask in exasperation. “He said Cloud was a nice cat! How is that inappropriate?”

 

Dabi blinks at you, and Tomura sighs, standing properly and gesturing for Dabi to leave the room. 

 

“Both of you can sort this out later with clear heads.” He says, taking control of the situation. “Touya, come on.”

 

Surprisingly, Dabi does just get up without another word, plonking Cloud back where he had been napping before.

The door is closed quietly behind you, and you don’t hear them whispering to each other, so you assume that Tomura has taken him elsewhere to calm him down.

You’re not sure you even want to stay at your home with Dabi losing his cool and your project sitting unfinished on your desk, so you call the first person that comes to mind.

 

“Todoroki? You okay?” Tsume answers on the third ring.

 

“Had a fight with my dad.” You admit. “Can I come over?”

 

“Uh, sure, but I’m getting ready to go to Akito’s.” She replies.

 

“Can I come?” You ask.

 

“Well, yeah, of course you can.” She replies, but it sounds a little hesitant.

 

“…But?” You finish for her.

 

“But it’s gonna be a house party.” She admits. “Everyone will be drinking and knowing Akito’s parties, there’s probably going to be drugs there too.”

 

There’s the sound of makeup clattering on her side of the phone. “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. I can always skip it but he always-“

 

“Thank you for caring.” You interrupt with a small smile. “But I’ll be okay.”

 

There’s a short pause, but she does answer.

 

“Okay. If you’re sure.”

 

*•*

 

When you get to Takagi’s house, it’s clear that he’s rich.

It’s a large house, with no neighbours to complain about the loud music playing inside as well as all the chatter.

You gawk at it with your mouth open, already feeling underdressed in comparison to Tsume who's wearing a tight fitting dress, even if she’s only got platform sneakers on. But seeing all the other girls talking and smoking on the front lawn, you feel even more out of place in your flannel shirt and ripped jeans. 

 

“His house is huge!” You exclaim in shock.

 

“Yeah, well, his parents used to be Commission workers.” Tsume explains as you walk up the pathway. “Think they took a good deal from the League to stay with them when they took over.”

 

“Oh.” You practically squeak.

 

“Same rule goes for drinks here, too.” She continues, smiling at someone who greets her. “Akito’s parties can get a little out of hand, and as much as we trust him, we don’t trust all his friends. Okay?”

 

You nod, feeling a little like you’re a five year old, but knowing she’s only telling you because it’s important to know.

 

“Stay with one of us, okay? And if you get stuck with Akito alone and he seems a little…wobbly, come get one of us, yeah?” She asks, her yellow eyes on yours.

 

“Got it.” You agree, letting her take your hand in hers as you reach the door.

 

The inside of his house was probably clean and tidy at one point, but not anymore. 

Now there were people everywhere , smoking inside and dropping the ash onto the, albeit a little sticky, marble floor. There were random items of clothing scattered around too, abandoned drinks on any of the free surfaces, and multiple couples kissing intensely on your path to find your friends.

 

“Gross.” You mutter to yourself when you pass a couple who are getting particularly handsy, and Tsume squeezes your hand reassuringly, probably only just because she kind of heard you say something over all the noise inside the house.

 

“Oi, Aoki.” Tsume calls over the music as you approach the bass player from Wani and Takagi’s band. “Where’s Akito?”

 

“Hey!” Aoki greets, grinning lazily and swaying a little on his feet. “Went out back with Vesper and the short one.”

 

Tsume’s ear flicks in mild annoyance. “Her name is Kāto .”

 

“My bad. Don’t need to get all hissy.” He grins like Takagi would, but you can see the genuine annoyance on Tsume’s face before she gently tugs you along again, leading you into another large room filled with people.

 

This room is somehow even more chaotic, and you cringe a little when you see people throwing things into cups that are way too close to the large flat screen TV on the wall. 

You had no idea someone could know as many people as this to throw a party so big, and when you catch sight of a couple of people trading money and small bags of powder, a flash of a memory of your mom and her boyfriends comes back and you subconsciously squeeze her hand a little tighter.

She squeezes it back reassuringly, not slowing her pursuit to find Takagi within the crowds.

 

The kitchen seems a little quieter, although it smells funny like the cigarettes Dabi and sometimes Tomura smoke from time to time. There’s food and empty wrappers everywhere , and the glass doors to the garden are open wide.

 

“Out here, Todoroki.” Tsume says as though she’s trying to reassure you, even though you’re fine for the most part.

 

“You can call me Star.” You tell her, albeit shyly.

 

She turns her head to give you a soft smile, her yellow eyes shining in a way you hadn’t really seen before, only when her and Takagi were messing around occasionally. 

 

“Then you can call me Keiko.” She replies with another gentle squeeze of your hand.

 

The garden is so much quieter than the house, the music still audible but not as intense, and there’s only a few small groups sitting in separate huddles on the garden furniture.

 

“Keiko!” Takagi calls, standing up a little clumsily and holding his arms up in the air, until he spots you and his black eyebrows furrow in confusion. “And Todoroki?”

 

“Hey guys.” Keiko greets, ushering you forward, into an inescapable embrace from Kāto, who seems pleased to see you at least.

 

“Hi.” You greet, trying not to overthink the lack of enthusiasm from Takagi at your appearance. 

 

“Sit with me!” Kāto insists, using two of her hands to pull you to a wicker seat.

 

Wani watches you carefully, his green eyes following both you and Kāto as he takes a drag of a cigarette.

 

“No offence but why’d you bring ‘Roki over?” Takagi asks, sounding like he’s at least trying to keep his voice low as he goes to give Keiko a hug.

 

“She wants to get out. I told her what your parties are like, and she said she’ll be fine. We’ll all keep an eye on her anyway.” Tsume tells him, patting his back and rolling her eyes as she looks over at you.

 

You smile uncertainly as Kāto leans over you to take the cigarette from Wani.

 

“Mhm! She’ll be fine!” Kāto agrees, taking a deep breath from the cigarette and blowing it out deliberately away from you.

 

“You smoke?” You ask her, confused because you’d never seen her smoke before.

 

“Only this.” She replies, holding up the funny smelling cigarette and grinning. “If it’s for free ~”

 

“What…?” You query, your eyebrows pulling closer a little bit as she inhales it again.

 

Takagi flops into the seat next to Wani again, who is still watching you and Kāto with an intensity you’d never really had his attention with before.

 

“Weed, ‘Roki.” He says, kicking his feet up on the glass table in the middle of you all.

 

“You’re smoking weeds ?” You ask, dumbfounded, and Kāto stares at you in surprise for a second as she tries passing it to Keiko, who abstains.

 

“Seriously? How old are you? Also, I thought your mom was an addict?” Takagi giggles as he reaches to take it from Kāto instead, only to be slapped around the back of the head by Keiko again and drop the cigarette onto the floor. “Ow!”

 

“You’re being a prick.” She hisses, her tail flicking across the floor angrily and a yowl building at the back of her throat.

 

“That one hurt .” Takagi groans, clutching the back of his head. 

 

“Good. Rein it in.” Keiko replies sharply before throwing you an apologetic look.

 

But you don’t care too much about that. You’re too busy being hurt by the realisation that this was a drug, a drug you were familiar with because of your parents. One of which was always openly disapproving of your mom for having problems with drug addiction.

 

“Sorry, Todoroki.” 

 

You’re hurt .

You’re hurt that Dabi accused you of lying when he’d been lying all this time to you. 

You’re hurt that you’d argued, and now you were finding this out, and-

 

“Star?” Kāto asks, pulling you out of your head.

 

You realise you’re looking straight into her worried eyes, the whites of them tinted a little red unusually.

 

“Hm?” You reply.

 

“Akito said he’s sorry.” She tells you slowly.

 

“Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s fine.” You reply, forcing a smile. 

 

Clearly no-one believes you, because you’ve always been a terrible liar, so they all look at you dubiously apart from Wani who gives Takagi a sharp look.

When Takagi tries to give him the joint, Wani shakes his head, and you immediately bristle a bit from being treated like a child multiple times in one day.

 

“Don’t do that just because I’m here.” You insist. “Do whatever, I don’t care.” 

 

Because you’d seen your parents do it anyway, even if they kept it away from you.

So Takagi tries to offer it to Wani again but he shakes his head once more and leans back so that Kāto can take it once more.

 

“Greedy.” He says teasingly, giving her that usual wonky grin of his, except it doesn’t really reach his eyes this time.

 

“It’s free !” She repeats in her sing-song voice, taking another drag.

 

Takagi starts joking about beginning to charge her per puff, and Wani reaches around him to flick one of Keiko’s feline ears gently. 

She looks at him immediately, her ear flicking a little as though it’s a reflex reaction.

 

“What do you want to drink?” He asks, his voice always surprisingly deep.

 

“Surprise me.” She replies, smirking at him.

 

He nods and looks over at you. “I dunno if he’s got ramune but I could probably find something else.”

 

“I’ll come with you.” You say, standing up before he can insist you don’t.

 

He looks a little taken aback for a second but gets up without fuss, practically towering over you when he leads you back into the kitchen, standing behind you the whole time. 

When you get back inside, Wani immediately starts going into the refrigerator and cupboards like he knows the house inside and out, pouring a small amount of a clear liquid into a plastic cup and filling the rest of it with melon soda.

 

“You want some of this?” He asks, holding up the plastic bottle of melon soda. 

 

You shake your head. “I want one of what you just made.”

 

He blinks at you, immediately looking a little more pensive. 

 

“I dunno, Todoroki.” He says, not quite a warning, but enough for you to be stubborn about it.

 

You didn’t want to be coddled anymore. You were sick of being treated like a child by everyone .

 

“Please stop treating me like a kid.” You say, trying to be firm, but your voice wavers ever so slightly.

 

Wani stares at you for a second, the expression on his scaled face a little hard to read, but he seems to be weighing up his options.

 

“Try it first.” He says, pushing the cup towards you.

 

You obey, lifting the cup to your lips and taking a sip, immediately wincing when the taste hits your tongue, but you force yourself not to cough as you swallow it down. You don’t want to humiliate yourself twice .

 

“That’s horrible.” You admit.

 

“If you really want a drink , I can put less vodka in.” Wani offers. “Or you can just drink the soda. Alcohol does taste like shit.”

 

“Less. Definitely less.” You nod, wiping your mouth.

 

Wani gives a small nod before grabbing the bottle of vodka again, pouring only a small bit in this time.

You take the time to check your phone, frowning a little when you see Tomura had texted you an hour or so ago.

 

✋🏻: Where are you?

 

✨: out

 

It doesn’t even take a minute for Tomura to respond.

 

✋🏻: I got that far, Star.

✋🏻: Are you safe, at least?

 

✨: yes dad.

 

✋🏻: You know what to do if that changes. Don’t do anything rash just because you fought with Touya.

 

You curb the urge to text him back ‘fuck you’, just scowling at your phone instead as Wani pours your drink.

 

“I wasn’t trying to treat you like a kid.” Wani says out of the blue, surprising you. 

 

You peer up at him, only to see he’s ‘focused’ on making your drink, his clawed hands tilting the plastic bottle so that the soda is filling the remainder of the cup.

 

“None of us want you to be uncomfortable. That’s all.” He says, still avoiding making eye contact with you as he screws the cap back on. “Akito’s an idiot but he didn’t mean to be a dick.”

 

“It’s fine.” You say quickly. “I don’t care about that, it’s just the fight I had with my dad and then you guys feeling like you have to act a certain way about me when I don’t care as long as I’m not involved and it’s not the heavy stuff.”

 

Wani leans on the countertop as you talk, giving you his full attention. 

 

“Heavy stuff?” He asks.

 

“It’s fine.” You say again, not wanting to get any further into it, grabbing the cup he’d poured for you and taking a sip. “Better, thank you.”

 

“No worries.” He sniffs, letting go of the counter. “You fought with your dad?” 

 

“Yeah.” You shrug. 

 

“You good?”

 

“Fine.” You dismiss, drinking nearly half the cup.

 

“Go steady.” Wani warns you, picking up the drink he’d made for Keiko. “It’ll hit you all at once if you keep drinking them like that.”

 

You follow him outside again, relaxing a little more when you see the others are all giggling, messing around and being themselves again.

 

*•*

 

And like an idiot, you don’t heed Wani’s warning, and drink about three cups quickly before you start feeling a little giddy. 

It’s not too bad though, you’re just a little unstable on your feet, and a lot more chatty than usual. 

You let Kāto drag you inside to dance to a song she was particularly excited about, and you find yourself not even caring about the fact you can’t dance, especially not on clumsy feet, and the fact that people might be watching.

Even Keiko loosens up a little bit, becoming more smiley and giggly than usual, but Wani remains relatively subdued, watching over you, Keiko and Kāto even when Takagi wanders off for a while occasionally.

 

He’s drinking, you can see he’s drinking, but he’s not as talkative as the rest of you, keeping a distance from the bigger crowds and only really talking to people if they speak to him first.

Kāto tries dragging him into the crowd at one point too, apparently wanting to dance with him too, but he shakes his head and motions towards his tail.

For some reason this upsets you more than it should. It wasn’t his fault that his quirk made him different, bigger, and that his tail takes up space.

 

So you cling to him for the rest of the night. Not literally, of course, but you stay close to his side, allowing him silence when he seems to get a little antsy about being alone with you.

You’re unsure how long it’s been when Wani walks away completely from you.

 

“Wait, where’re you goin’?” You ask, trying to grab a hold of him before you get lost in the crowd.

 

“Watch your drink.” He says sharply before taking a breath and just plucking it out of your hand. “You’ve had enough, actually.”

 

“You-“ You freeze, watching as he puts it on a shelf way out of your reach. “What the hell?”

 

“If you carry on, you’ll get sick.” He says blandly, continuing to make his way out of the packed living area.

 

You pout, but don’t argue it. 

You kinda liked Wani. He was sweet when he spoke. You could tell that he was always watching you all carefully when you interacted, kind of like Tomura does before speaking. He listens well, takes things on board and is a calming and caring presence to be around. 

You didn’t want to upset him.

 

“Where’re you goin’?” You ask, grabbing the back of his sweater.

 

“To find Akito.” He says, his voice deep enough to carry over all the noise.

 

“He’s fine , he went with Keiko and Kāto.” You say, tugging on the material.

 

Wani glances down at you exasperatedly. “The girls came back together an hour ago.”

 

“Ohhh.” You murmur, following behind him as he checks each room in the house, which there are a lot of. 

 

The final room is the biggest and it’s completely empty, even though it’s trashed, the furniture strewn everywhere and the balcony doors wide open, blowing pieces of paper around in the room.

You’re too busy focusing on all the mess, the scene in front of you making a fuzzy memory return, but Wani practically lunges across the room, grabbing Takagi by the cuff of his neck and practically throwing him back into the room. 

You startle a little, looking in surprise at Takagi as he straightens his shirt.

 

“What’re you doing, man?” Wani asks, a mixture of hurt and anger in his voice.

 

“Didn’t need to fuckin’ choke me.” Takagi defends. 

 

“You know I didn’t do it on purpose.” Wani says firmly.

 

“‘Roki.”  Takagi says a little morosely.

 

He reaches for you and looks a little hurt when you take a step back, alarm bells ringing when your hazy brain realises that a drunk man is approaching you.

 

“Wasn’t really gonna do it.” He huffs. 

 

You have no idea what he’s talking about, but Wani’s taking control again, wrapping a strong arm around Takagi’s shoulders and walking him towards the door again.

 

“Come on. We’re telling everyone to leave and then you’re going to bed.” Wani says in a tone that indicates there is no room for argument. “You too, Todoroki.”

 

“But the room…” You fret, swaying a little on your feet.

 

“Fuck ‘em” Takagi sniffs as Wani holds one of your arms in probably the most gentle grip he can to pull you along, too.

 

*•*

 

The party takes forever to disband. 

Well, it feels like forever anyway as Keiko forces you and Kāto to drink water and eat whatever snacks she can find that are left in the kitchen after it has been well and truly raided.

The music being shut off abruptly and the sound of Wani yelling to everyone that the party is over and they need to leave is a little jarring at first, but you get used to it after a while, the sound of people complaining and leaving kind of blurring into one big fuzz.

 

“He’s nice.” You find yourself saying time and time again. “He’s soo nice.” 

 

Wani only rejoins you all when the house has been cleared, running those green eyes over you all like he’s assessing how each of you are doing.

He sits next to Takagi, who’s smoking inside the house carelessly, the rough scales on his arm rubbing against his friends.

 

“You drunk some water?” He asks him lowly, and Takagi rolls his eyes, nodding. 

 

“Do we need to lock the windows?” Keiko asks dryly as she pushes another crushed bag of chips towards you.

 

Takagi laughs sarcastically, flicking ash onto the floor.

 

“You should have some, too.” Wani tells Takagi.

 

“I’m not a fuckin’ newbie at this, dude. It’ll be fine.” Takagi grumbles.

 

Kāto leans her head on your shoulder. “Sleepy.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Takagi sighs. “My room’s safe. Locked it.”

 

And so you and Kāto finish your second bag of chips and your second glasses of water, albeit slowly, and Wani and Keiko manage to force Takagi to eat a couple too before you and Kāto clumsily make your way up the stairs, Wani walking behind you both with his arms out as though he’s ready to catch you both if you were to fall.

 

“C’mon you two. Us first.” Keiko encourages you when you get into Takagi’s room, leading you and Kāto to the bathroom.

 

You let her pull you into the en suite, surprised to find it relatively tidy in comparison to the rest of the house and even Takagi’s room, which had clothes and paper strewn about everywhere.

Kāto immediately strips into her underwear, leaving the jumpsuit she’d been wearing on the floor, which makes you giggle in surprise.

 

“What are you doing?” You ask between surprised giggles.

 

“Peeing and then going to sleep.” Kāto replies with a yawn, and then begins pulling her panties down.

 

You spin around, the surprised giggles now turning more nervous. Keiko rubs your arm with an exhausted sigh before pulling her dress over her head too.

 

“I don’t wanna get naked.” You complain, covering your eyes.

 

“You can sleep in your shirt and panties.” Keiko tells you calmly. “They’re gonna put the heater on for Vesper, so it’s going to get hot. It’s not going to be comfortable sleeping in jeans anyway, and you’ll regret it when you wake up.”

 

“You’re gonna feel rough.” Kāto says in that sing-song voice again.

 

“But the boys…” You worry.

 

“They won’t touch you.” Keiko replies confidently. “And even if they did try, I’d claw their eyes out.”

 

And she says it with such conviction that you believe her, so you take your jeans off shyly, although you don’t follow in their footsteps of Kāto and pee in the same room as them, waiting for them to leave before doing that. 

When you come back out, you’re surprised to see the boys shirtless too. Well, Wani’s shirtless, Takagi is on the bed in his boxers, the bruises you’d seen a week before all faded to nothing. He’s completely unphased by the sight of Keiko and Kāto in their underwear and he doesn’t even spare you a look when you come out shyly. 

Wani immediately looks away, waiting until you sit cautiously on the little airbed they must have set up to go to the bathroom himself.

 

“You can’t sleep there.” Kāto says, flopping onto the bed with Takagi and Keiko.

 

“Why?” You ask, confused.

 

“Vesper needs the heater.” Takagi replies boredly.

 

You peer behind you, realising there’s a large heater there. “Oh.”

 

“Come up here.” Kāto encourages, patting the bed. 

 

You hesitate, but she pats again a little more insistently and Takagi finally looks over at you, so you cave to the pressure and climb onto the bed with the others.

Luckily Kāto doesn’t cling to you like she did before, just lays between Takagi and Keiko, her tail wiggling like it does when she’s happy.

And you figure if they’re all comfortable and happy, there isn’t a reason for you not to be.

 

You grab your phone from the side, your eyes struggling to focus on the screen.

You’ve missed a couple of calls and you seem to have a few texts from Tomura and Dabi.

They’re hard to read, so you squint as you stare at the screen.

 

✋🏻: Where are you?

✋🏻: Star. 

 

🔥: i’m sorry i argued with u hon, can u come home pls

🔥: at least let me know ur safe

🔥: star?

 

✋🏻: Star, if you don’t tell me where you are I’m going to have to check the gps and I don’t want to do that.

 

You scoff, frowning at your phone as you try to get your thumbs to cooperate enough to send a message back. 

 

✨: I’m staun out quit treatinf me like a baby

 

Your phone rings almost immediately after that, and you groan dramatically.

 

“What’s going on, Star?” Keiko asks, frowning herself.

 

“S’ my dad .” You explain exasperatedly, clicking ‘answer’ and holding the phone to your ear.

 

“At three a.m?” Takagi asks, amused. 

 

“Where are you?” Tomura asks the second you pick up.

 

“With my friends .” You answer tiredly. “S’ fine .”

 

There’s silence on the other end of the phone, all of your friends watching you with concern in their eyes, even when Wani comes out of the bathroom.

When he realises you’re on the phone he treads carefully to his specifically delegated bed.

 

“Okay.” Tomura says, sounding like he’s sighing a little through his nose. “You’re safe?”

 

“Mhmmm.”

 

“Happy?”

 

“Kinda.”

 

“Still upset about earlier with Touya?”

 

“And other things.” You say, deciding to have a conversation about that when you’re alone with them.

 

“Okay.” Tomura says, sighing a little again. “You’ve really worried your dad.”

 

“I’m not a baby.” You snap in a way you would never snap at Tomura if your head was clear.

 

“You’re our child.” Tomura says instantly. “And we worry.”

 

“Don’t need to. I’m fine .” You insist.

 

“Okay, Star.” He agrees. “Call me if you want to be picked up at any time, okay?”

 

“Okay!” You agree tiredly.

 

“We love you, Starlight.”

 

Your face heats up in embarrassment and you murmur a quick ‘I love you too’ before hanging up.

 

“Cute.” Takagi quips, only to be flicked on the nose by Kāto.

 

“It’s nice she loves her dad.” Kāto defends. 

 

“Ugh, stop .” You groan, covering your face with your hands, which makes Takagi chuckle.

 

They all relax again after that, giggling and talking about various people that had attended the party, and sharing explicit and weird tales about them all with you.

Kāto drops off first, unsurprisingly, her nose twitching even in her sleep, and Takagi reaches to grab a pen before drawing whiskers on her face gently, because apparently that was a ‘rule’.

Keiko slowly stops talking after a while, curling up more and more at the end of the bed until you’re certain she’s asleep. 

 

Conversation kind of dies down between you, Wani and Takagi after a while, so you look around the darkened room, making a note of all the guitars he has lying around his room that you can kind of make out.

 

“Sorry for scaring you guys earlier.” Takagi says randomly. “I wasn’t really gonna.”

 

“You say that every time dude. Just go to sleep, parties over.” Wani replies, his voice a sleepy rumble. 

 

Takagi doesn’t speak again, and so you close your eyes and try to sleep too, even though the world feels like it’s spinning.

Chapter 5: Repercussions

“What are you doing?” You ask the second you wake up, horrified by the sight in front of you.

 

Kāto giggles as she continues pushing the needle into her arm, the sight enough to make you cringe, never mind the flickering memories of your mom doing this exact same thing.

 

“It’s free!” She exclaims gleefully.

 

You sit up, trying to edge away as Takagi grins lazily at the sight of Kāto pushing the liquid in the syringe into her body. 

 

“You shouldn’t do that.” You tell her, your voice wavering.

 

She rolls her eyes at you, leaning back with the needle still in her arm, and Takagi looks at you a little disapprovingly too.

 

“Don’t be boring, Todoroki.” He says simply. 

 

“I’m not being boring. ” You reply defensively. “That’ll…”

 

“Jesus, Star, let her live.” Keiko snaps, her tail flicking angrily.

 

You look at your feline friend with hurt clear in your eyes. She’s been nothing but protective so far with you, so what was with the change? 

You look to Wani for back up, knowing he was equally as caring, just a little more subtle about it,  but find the bed by Takagi’s heater empty. 

 

“Where’s Wani?” You ask, looking at the three sitting at the end of the bed.

 

“Left early. Was tired after babysittin’ you all night.” Takagi says with a shrug.

 

That rips at the last thread holding your heart together. Wani had said to you he wasn’t trying to treat you like a kid, so why would he refer to you trying to keep him company all night as ‘babysitting’? 

 

And then you remember the sharpness in his voice when he’d told you to watch your drink, and how he’d just plucked it out of your hand and told you you’d had enough for the night. Was that his patience slipping? Had you really just been being watched over all night, like how Dabi had sent Zero to babysit you?

 

Takagi pulls another needle seemingly out of nowhere, passing it to Keiko and you shake your head, looking at her with panic written all over your face.

 

“Don’t.” You plead.

 

“Just leave.” Takagi snaps, his dark eyes narrowing. “You’re killin’ the vibe, Ves already left early ‘cause of you.”

 

Your lip wobbles, and your hand stretches to grab your phone from the bedside table.

 

“Gonna call your daddy?” He simpers, and Kāto giggles as she slumps further and further back. “Maybe call your mom for us while you’re at it, yeah? Sounds like she knows how to have fun.”

 

Keiko chuckles at that, tying a band around her upper arm like Kāto had before jabbing herself.

 

“Keiko.” You beg for a second time, but she hisses at you just like she’d hissed at Aoki the night before. 

 

“Just go, Todoroki.”

 

And so you take a deep, shaky breath, getting off of the bed in a hurry, stepping directly on a needle you hadn’t seen on the floor. Your breath catches in fear, but you step as carefully as you can over all the discarded needles on the floor, not even bothering to find your jeans among all the mess on the floor.

You call Dabi the second you leave the room, hurrying down the stairs while actively avoiding all the cups left on them.

Your tears pour down your face when he answers, knowing you’re finally going to feel safe and loved again.

 

“Dad.” You sob.

 

“What do you want?” Is the response.

 

Not ‘what’s wrong?’, not ‘are you okay?’ and not even a ‘Starshine.’

Just ‘What do you want?’

 

“They’re doing drugs dad.” You admit, knowing that if he is going to say ‘I told you so’, he’ll wait until you’re over the shock. “Can you come and get me?”

 

“Why would I do that?”

 

You pause in front of the entrance to Takagi’s house.

 

“What?” You ask, your voice watery.

 

“Why would I come and get you? You ignored me for a week, an’ then fucked off and didn’t even tell me where you were all night.” Dabi replies sharply at the other end of the phone. “You wanna be an adult so bad, get yourself outta that situation.”

 

“Dad, I’m scared . Please.” You beg as you open the giant front door. “I’m sorry for all of that, I didn’t want to argue but you really upset me with the whole Zero thing. I’m sorry. Please come and get me. Or Tomura. Please.”

 

Dabi scoffs. “Tomura didn’t even fuckin’ want you in the first place but I made it work .”

 

Fresh tears roll down your face as you crumple onto the front step. “Dad.”

 

“I ain’t your dad .” Dabi snaps, his voice raising more than it ever has with you.

 

Not that he needed to yell for the words to cut you like a knife.

 

“It was a fucking mistake carryin’ you around for years. You’re not even grateful .” 

 

And then he hangs up on you. 

Leaving you a sobbing, hurt, broken mess on the front door of a house you weren’t even familiar with .

 

*•*

 

You wake up with a sob, the sound surprising you into sitting up, the movement quickly making a shooting pain go through your head.

 

“Ow.” You whisper to yourself, wincing in pain.

 

Your mouth is dry. So, so dry. And your head hurts, and your body aches .

You lower your hand from your head, looking around the room, your eyes squinted to try and block out the daylight coming through the blinds.

Kāto is still sleeping next to you, her teeth chattering slightly in her sleep and her tail wiggling lazily. She looks peaceful, like people are meant to when they're asleep.

You wipe your eyes as you look at the end of the bed, seeing Keiko all curled up like she had been when she’d fallen asleep. 

 

Wani is curled up slightly by the heater, too. It kind of looks like he might be frowning, but it’s hard to tell with locks of his black hair obscuring the view of his face. Something warm stirs in your chest when you realise he’s brought his tail up to his chest and is hugging it slightly to himself.

Takagi has disappeared, though, the blankets where he’d been sleeping have been thrown back haphazardly.

You vaguely remember that Takagi had gone missing last night and Wani had seemed worried about it, so you slip out of his side of the bed slowly to not wake the others. 

 

You cautiously step on the floor, phantom pains in your foot reminding you of your dream. The ground is clear though aside from clothes and ripped out pieces of notebook paper with hastily written words on them.

You wipe your face again as you stand, making sure any remnants from tears are gone before you try to find Takagi.

You open and close the door quietly, looking around at the mess of a hallway to see if any doors are open, and peering around the open doorways turns your search up empty.

You slowly make your way down the stairs, each step a little sticky due to spilled drinks the night before.

 

Vaguely knowing where the kitchen was in the house, you make your way uncertainly to the living area, finding the TV turned on to some music channel, although it’s playing quite quietly.

You take this as a good sign that Takagi is up and about somewhere , and decide to get a glass of water for your insanely dry mouth and then continue your search. 

But there’s no need to, because the smell of cigarette smoke coming from the kitchen tells you you’d found him before you even see him.

 

“Afternoon.” He greets gruffly from the table, dressed this time in a baggy vest and sweatpants. 

 

“Hi.” You greet, smiling a little coyly, unable to shake the feeling that he was mad at you even outside of the dream. “You okay?”

 

He grunts a reply, lifting the cigarette to his lips as he flops back in his seat.

You watch him warily.

 

“Can I have some water?” You ask politely.

 

“Go ahead. Mi casa es su casa or whatever the saying is.” He says, flicking ash onto the floor.

 

There’s something wrong . He’s not smiling like he usually always seems to be. His voice is dead, no emotion behind it whatsoever, and when you look at his eyes, they’re distant, like he’s on another planet entirely.

 

“Are you okay?” You ask softly.

 

Takagi immediately switches up, the teasing grin back as he looks over at you. 

 

“All good, legs.”

 

Your face heats up, and you immediately back up behind the kitchen bar, hiding your bare legs from him, which makes him chuckle as he leans forward again, taking a deep breath of his cigarette and his attention turning back to a beer in front of him.

 

“You’re drinking already?” You ask, half concerned and half intrigued. 

 

“Hair of the dog. Stops the hangover.” He tells you, back to his voice being bland.

 

“Hangover?” You ask, looking around the messy surfaces for an empty cup or a glass you can rinse out and use. 

 

Takagi hums a little, stubbing his cigarette out. “S’what happens when you drink too much. Wake up super thirsty, headache, light hurts your eyes, body aches and shit.”

 

“Oh.” You murmur, realising that you had all of those symptoms, and that you probably should have listened to Wani. “Damn.”

 

“Damn indeed.” He agrees, swigging his beer. “There’s water bottles in the fridge, babe. Just make sure they haven’t been opened first.”

 

“Oh! Thank you.” You say, immediately moving to the refrigerator to retrieve one.

 

It’s quiet for a moment or two as you both sip your retrospective drinks. 

You look around at the mess, wondering if you should ask if he wanted you to help clear it all up. Now the daylight is hitting the room you can see how dirty it is, food and drink splattered on the surfaces, walls and floors. There’s cigarette ash everywhere, and wrappers from all kinds of different foods.

 

“Do you want help cleaning this up?” You ask, more out of politeness than actually wanting to.

 

“Nah. It’ll keep me busy for a coupla days.” Takagi says, flopping back in his seat again.

 

You nod, sipping your water again, and assessing Takagi from where you stand. Something was definitely off, you were too good at reading people's body language. Your therapist had told you that it was from constantly being in fight or flight when you’d lived with your mom.

Taking a deep breath and trying to swallow down the embarrassment of being bare-legged in front of Takagi when you had been fine with it last night, you sit on the chair next to him, leaning back too to try and mirror him.

 

“You seem off.” You tell him, trying to keep your voice gentle. “Did I do something wrong?”

 

Takagi glances at you, and now you’re sitting close to him, you can see the scars littered on his arms, some silvered with age, others pink, as though they’re newer.

You vaguely remember Hakuchō, how she had marks like that, although less severe, and what Himiko had told you about it, and your heart sinks, because Takagi always seemed happy . He was loved by the others, too. So why?

 

“Not you. Me.” He says simply, as though that should be enough of an answer.

 

You frown. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

 

Takagi laughs humourlessly. “I’m always doin’ something wrong, but don’t worry about it.”

 

And then he pushes your arm gently, meant to be a playful action, but you refuse to let go of it. You didn’t want him to get sad over nothing and do that again. 

 

“You didn’t do anything wrong, though.” You remain firm. “No-one argued, everyone had fun.”

 

Takagi stares at you for a second, his face settling into a completely stoic expression like you’d caught him looking at you before, except this time you’re not spooked by it. It’s like he’s trying to gauge how much he can trust you and trying to guess what you’ll do with his answer.

 

“Upset you.” He says with a sniff, breaking eye contact to reach for his cigarettes again. “Upset the others. Always do.”

 

“I’m not upset, and the others aren’t either.” You reply, a hint of confusion in your voice.

 

“Look, Star. It’s cute you wanna make it better, but you’re not goin’ to.” He says, flicking his lighter open and his words muffled from the cigarette dangling from his lips. “Said and did stupid shit.”

 

“Is this about the thing you said about my mom?” You ask. “I really don’t care about that.”

 

He winces slightly as though you bringing up the issue directly physically pains him.

You don’t even get to reassure him further, because Wani appears in the doorway, yawning, which reveals his sharp teeth in a way you haven’t seen for a while.

He’s still not wearing a shirt, his rough scales and solid muscle on his stomach on show for the first time you’ve seen sober.

Your face immediately heats again for some reason and you snap your head back around, your eyes wide.

 

Oh no .

 

“Everything alright?” Wani asks, his voice extra gravelly from sleep.

 

“S’all good man.” Takagi replies for you both.

 

“How’s your head, Todoroki?” Wani asks, going to the fridge, probably to get a bottle of water.

 

“Yeah, fine.” You lie too quickly, and Takagi gives you a teasing grin.

 

“You’re a shitty liar, ‘Roki.” He tells you with a smile too close to Dabi’s when he’s taking the piss out of you.

 

“So are you.” You’re quick to retort with a knowing look.

 

His smirk doesn’t waver though, and he only breaks eye contact to look over at Wani when clatters ring out in the room.

 

“Hell yeah.” Takagi grins, leaning his arm across the back of his chair. “Nurse Wani in the house.” 

 

A vague memory sparks in your mind and you frown despite yourself.

 

“What did you say?” You ask, listening to Wani breaking eggs on the counter.

 

“Nurse Wani.” Takagi repeats. “‘Cause he always nurses us back to full HP after a party.”

 

Wani snorts. “Don’t try to butter me up with that.”

 

You remain sat with a frown as the two banter as Wani cooks, trying to scrape back the vague memory that had half baked in your mind.

The smell of whatever Wani’s cooking wakes the others eventually, even though it begins turning your stomach. Kāto seems particularly groggy and grumpy, but Keiko is just as awake and alert as Wani, and even begins helping him out in the kitchen.

 

“I don’t feel good.” You complain, the smell of cooking eggs getting too much for you.

 

“She’s going to vom.” Kāto warns. 

 

“If you’re gonna puke, do it that way.” Takagi suggests, gesturing towards Kāto, who scoots away from you.

 

“For fucks sake guys, get a bucket .” Keiko gripes, grabbing the closest thing to a bucket she can get and rushing it over to you.

 

She manages to make it just in the nick of time, immediately pulling your hair into a small ponytail in her hand and rubbing your back sympathetically.

You moan a little pathetically, and Keiko makes a noise of empathy.

 

“Is she okay?” Wani asks, sounding concerned.

 

“Fine.” Keiko replies calmly, gently letting your hair go.

 

“First timers, eh?” Takagi jokes as Keiko takes the bowl from under you.

 

“Oh shut up .” Keiko replies, but there’s no actual venom in it.

 

“I want my dads.” You mumble, your body still hot like you’re going to be sick again.

 

“Dads?” Kāto and Takagi ask at the same time.

 

“Like dads, plural ?” Takagi asks further.

 

“Just text them, I’m sure they’ll come and get you.” Keiko says in the distance, sounding like she’s going into another room.

 

“They’re mad at me.” You groan. 

 

“Doubt it, one of ‘em called you at crazy o’clock last night, telling you he loved you.” Takagi scoffs. 

 

The smell of food gets stronger and you hear plates being placed next to you, which just makes your stomach churn again.

 

“Do you want something to eat? It’ll make you feel better.” You hear Wani ask, and you shake your head.

 

“You should eat, legs.” Takagi tells you, nudging your seat with his foot.

 

“Don’t call her that.” Kāto defends you with a mouth full of food.

 

“Call her what I want in my own house, squeaks.” Takagi replies.

 

“Todoroki?” Wani asks, crouching low enough to the table for you to see his thighs. “Can I touch you a sec?”

 

“Nowhere weird.” You reply weakly.

 

“I-“ Wani begins to say defensively and then takes a breath. “Just gonna move your hair.”

 

And then you feel blunt claws gently gliding across your damp face, moving your hair out of the way so that he can see your face a little more clearly.

You’re too sick to care about how stupid you look right now, and deliberately keep your eyes on the table instead of meeting the concerned green eyes on you right now.

 

“Want us to text your dads?” He asks and you shake your head.

 

He looks away from you when Keiko reappears and places your phone on the table next to you.

 

“Question, how dead are we when they get here?” Takagi asks, picking at the food Wani had put in front of him.

 

“He wouldn’t do anything.” You reply defensively as you get up slowly, forgetting they don’t know who your parents are.

 

There’s a small pause as you text Tomura asking him to pick you up.

 

“The way you said that kinda makes me feel like he would.” Takagi says, and his voice is back to being a little less chirpy.

 

✋🏻: Send me the address.

 

“Don’t be so paranoid.” Keiko tells Takagi.

 

You send Tomura the address, thankful that he didn’t just check the GPS on your phone like Dabi was prone to doing. 

 

“You gonna throw up again?” Keiko asks softly as Wani returns back to the kitchen bar.

 

You shake your head, and she rubs your back again as Takagi loudly exclaims his relief.

 

“Might wanna get dressed before they come.” She suggests. “Are you gonna be okay going upstairs?”

 

You nod, slowly getting up and going upstairs, Keiko taking your seat and distracting everyone else apart from Wani, who watches you carefully as you leave the room.

 

*•*

 

Tomura arrives in no time at all, luckily bringing the less nice car of the two. 

 

✋🏻: Outside.

 

You say a tired and weak goodbye to everyone, letting Kāto give you a gentle hug.

 

“Hope ya feel better soon, newbie.” Takagi calls from his seat at the table, smoking another cigarette.

 

Wani just nods at you, but Keiko follows you to the door, and you get more and more anxious with each step. You didn’t want her to see Tomura, but couldn’t tell her to stay inside without it coming across as weird.

 

“You don’t have to come.” You settle on.

 

“I just want to make sure you get to them okay.” Keiko explains coolly.

 

“I’ll be alright.” You insist, your hand on the door handle.

 

She smiles softly at you. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay here and watch. I don’t want to be ripped a new one, either.”

 

You have no idea what she means by that, but because you’d already been too defensive about Tomura earlier, you let it slide and just nod instead, opening the door. 

 

“Remember to tell me when you get home.” She reminds you.

 

You agree hastily, trying not to make it too obvious that you’re rushing out of the house.

She stays true to her word, leaning in the doorway and waving politely even though she doesn’t get anything back from Tomura in his car from the distance that you can tell.

You for some reason feel a little ashamed walking to the car, hugging yourself in preparation for the telling off you’re going to get the second you get into the car.

 

You open the passenger side door, waving a shy goodbye to Keiko before getting in.

You put your seatbelt on before relaxing a little in the seat, thankful that Tomura only has a game soundtrack on quietly as he sits, leaning his face on his fist.

You glance at him quickly, meeting a completely stoic expression as he looks back at you.

And that’s all it takes for your face to crumple.

 

“Feeling bad, huh?” He asks.

 

You nod, trying to fight back tears.

 

“Thank you for coming.” You say, your voice thick.

 

“Of course, Starlight. I told you, any time.” He says calmly.

 

“I want a hug and to go to bed.” You admit.

 

Tomura wastes no time in wrapping his arm around your shoulders, pulling you gently so your head is leaning against his shoulder. 

This makes the tears fall, especially when he leans his cheek against the top of your head.

 

“Why are you being nice to me?” You ask between sobs.

 

“Because you’re my daughter.” He replies matter of factly.

 

“But I was horrible.“ You mope.

 

“Star. You could scream and yell at us all you wanted and we’d still come and get you.” Tomura says as calmly as ever. “You were drunk, I’ve dealt with worse from Touya.”

 

“You’re not mad at me?” You ask, bracing yourself a little for the answer.

 

He pauses for a second. “I’m unimpressed with you for disappearing and waiting until three a.m to tell us you were safe, but I’m not mad. You were time blind.”

 

‘Unimpressed’ is just as bad as Tomura telling you he was flat out furious at you, so you sob again, and his arm around you tightens. 

 

“I had a nightmare where you guys didn’t want me anymore.” You tell him, feeling like a mere child just from having the same nightmare you used to when you were first taken in by Dabi.

 

“Never going to happen.” Tomura says bluntly, rubbing your arm.

 

You nod, trying to overcome it, trying not to fall back into the same thought pattern you had all those years ago.

 

“Come on. Let's get you home, fed and showered and then you can go to bed.” Tomura says, rubbing his cheek against your head before letting go of you. “If you’re quick with the shower, Touya won’t be able to smell the smoke and weed on you.”

 

“I didn’t do that.” You defend quickly, wiping your eyes as you straighten yourself back up.

 

“I believe you.” Tomura replies evenly, putting the car into gear again.

 

You stay schtum about the fact you knew they smoked weed, too sick and tired to address the issue now. 

 

“Can you drive slow, please?” You ask, leaning your head against the window, the coldness nice in comparison to the heat you had felt earlier while sick.

 

Tomura snorts as he pulls out into the road again. “Don’t worry, Star. As much as he’d try to hide it, Touya wouldn’t be happy if you were sick in his car.”

 

*•*

 

When you get home, Cloud yowls loudly which immediately ruins the plan you and Tomura had made to get you into the shower while he made you something easy to stomach, knowing Dabi would immediately latch on to the fact you stank of cigarettes and weed.

Dabi immediately appears, his eyes full of worry and his arms reaching for you as he takes quick strides towards you, pulling you into a firm hug, his hand holding your head to his shoulder and his face buried into your hair. 

 

“I’m so sorry, babygirl.” He leads with, and then follows it up with: “Don’t ever do that again. Damn near killed me with worry.”

 

“Sorry.” You reply immediately, your hands going to clutch the sides of his shirt. “I’m sorry.”

 

He doesn’t say anything, just squeezes you a little tighter for a moment. 

Tomura pats your back as he passes, Cloud batting your ankles for attention.

 

“You stink, hon.” Dabi tells you, gently pulling away to look at your face, his azure eyes scanning you thoroughly. 

 

“I didn’t smoke anything.” You tell him quickly.

 

He gives a half-hearted smirk. “Usually if you say somethin’ like that unprovoked so quickly, I’d think otherwise, but you’ve always been a crappy liar.”

 

He looks like he wants to reach for you again, but he refrains from doing so. Instead, he uses his knuckles to gently move some stray hairs from your face, giving a tired but sympathetic look.

 

“Bit hungover?” He asks.

 

You nod, and he nods a little himself, dropping the prosthetic arm to his side again.

 

“Go clean up.” He encourages, picking Cloud up. “‘Ll make you some food.”

 

“Thanks, dad.” You reply, immediately moving to go upstairs to peel your gross-feeling clothes off and to try and feel clean again.

 

You end up having a cold shower, because the warm water knocks you sick again. You’re shivering by the time you come out, but it feels refreshing. You clean your teeth twice, and douse yourself in deodorant and perfume to try and mask any remaining smells. 

When you go back downstairs, they’ve given Cloud a catnip stick and there’s sliced up buttered toast on a plate for you as well as green tea and a cup of water. 

You manage the toast, the lack of smell making it easier to deal with the idea of eating, and drink all of the water and a little of the tea before you start feeling tired again.

 

Luckily Dabi and Tomura don’t hover too much beyond Tomura laying a hand on your head briefly whenever he passes and Dabi rubbing your back softly once. 

They’d closed the blinds, too, and had the TV on quietly while you ate, keeping their voices quieter than usual as they talked to one another.

 

When you get halfway through the cup of tea, you relent and decide to go to bed, picking Cloud up slowly and hauling him to bed with you.

He’s just happy to have you back apparently, purring the instant you pick him up, not stopping when you lay down next to him on the bed, and providing a nice soothing sound for you to fall asleep to.

 

*•*

 

When you wake up again your mouth is dry once more, but way less icky-tasting than it had been.

You spot a glass of water that one of your dads must have left for you while you were sleeping, and you lean on one elbow to drink it with one eye open. 

 

Cloud has moved from your side, probably to chase after a warmer spot what with your curtains being closed, and your phone vibrates on your bedside table after a few sips.

You put your glass down to reach for it, squinting a little in your sleepiness.

You have several unread texts, and it hits you that you forgot to tell Keiko you got home safe.

 

Tsume Keiko: Are you home yet?

Tsume Keiko: Star?

 

Kāto Hana: Star! Are you home? Worried about you 💗

 

???: roki the girls are freakin out, you home?

???: told em you might just be pukin but they never listen

???: it’s takagi btw

???: sorry about last night, but don’t punish them over it

 

You stare at the final text for a second, and then read them all all over again, and your stomach sinks.

You had thoroughly embarrassed yourself last night and this morning. 

 

You had gotten drunk on practically no drinks compared to the others because you didn’t listen to Wani. You’d danced with Kāto even though you were a horrible dancer and probably looked like a total idiot in front of everyone. You’d annoyed Wani enough for him to lose his temper, if only slightly, and take your drink from you. You’d repeatedly said about how nice Wani was, only to receive hummed responses from the others. You’d seen Kāto, Keiko and Takagi in their underwear and had basically been half nude with them, too. In front of Wani.

 

And then you’d blushed when you’d seen Wani shirtless. 

You liked him, and you’d thrown up in front of him because you hadn’t listened to him warning you about drinking quickly.

 

You couldn’t see them ever again.

 

“Star, hon, you okay?” Dabi asks from the doorway, peering in mid-step.

 

You look up at him, your eyes brimming with tears.

Dabi immediately jumps to action, coming into the room and sitting on your bed, reaching for you. 

You flop against his side, and immediately get an arm wrapped around you.

 

“Feelin’ sick again?” He asks.

 

You shake your head. “Embarrassed.”

 

“Ah.” He sighs, rubbing your arm. “Can’tve been that bad, hon.”

 

“I threw up in front of everyone.” You say sadly, omitting all the other information.

 

“Pretty standard for a night drinking, darlin’.” Dabi says.

 

“I can’t see them ever again.” You mope.

 

Dabi rolls his eyes and pulls you even closer. “Wonder where you get the dramatics from.”

 

“I’m not being dramatic.” You defend weepily.

 

“Love you to pieces, but you are.” He tells you, leaning his scarred chin on the top of your head. “When you’re all better tomorrow you’ll realise.”

 

You just lean against him, crying quietly, your phone buzzing here and there still until someone tries ringing you, and Dabi slowly lets go of you.

 

“Answer your phone, Star.”  He tells you simply as he gets up.

 

You don’t though, too terrified to answer. 

Instead you just lay in your bed for the rest of the day, napping here and there and only leaving your room when your parents call you down for dinner. 

You only answer when a completely new number appears on the screen. 

 

“Hello?” You ask cautiously.

 

“Todoroki?” You hear a familiar deep voice ask on the other end of the phone.

 

“Uh… Wani?” You ask in return.

 

There’s quiet on the other end of the phone for long enough for you to say ‘hello?’ again and move the phone away to look at the screen.

 

“You’re home safe?” He asks. 

 

“Yeah.” You reply, a little shamefully.

 

“Okay. That’s all I wanted to know.” He says.

 

“Wait-“ You say before you can stop yourself, and there’s silence on the other end, but he doesn’t hang up. “I’m sorry if I annoyed you last night.”

 

There’s a silence long enough for it to be painful for you, your anxiety bubbling up again.

It’s only soothed when Wani finally responds.

 

“You didn’t annoy me. It was nice having company.” He pauses. “For once.”

 

You let out a breath of relief before he adds: “Just text the others please.”

 

And then he hangs up.

You suppose with Wani telling you to contact the others, that meant they weren’t really too annoyed, and you hadn’t embarrassed yourself too much for them to be this insistent about contacting you.

So you reply to Keiko and Kāto, accepting the phone call you immediately get from Keiko, and the telling off you recieve for not telling her when you got home and making her worry all day. 

 

You open up about being fearful that you had annoyed them all and embarrassed yourself enough to ruin your friendships with them, which Keiko listens to, tells you you’re an idiot and that’s just ‘beer fear’.

She then shares stories of when they’d all been way worse than you. 

She tells you about when Takagi had been spiked and he was so sick that he bascially destroyed Keiko’s only bathroom, and they’d been so worried about him they thought they might have to call an ambulance. Another time Kāto had been so drunk that she’d thrown up all over a guy that was trying to flirt with her. Apparently Wani had a tendency to overthink interactions between the others and people he didn’t know and almost started fights a few times when he’d had enough to drink that it actually affected him.

 

It all makes you feel less bad, and less embarrassed, and you’re equal parts relieved you’d not ruined everything and overjoyed that they didn’t want you to leave them alone after everything.

 

*•*

 

The next morning you feel worlds better, which is a good thing considering you needed to go into college.

You do your usual routine of waking up with Cloud and giving him a cuddle for a while before kissing his little head and getting up, drinking the glass of water Tomura still routinely leaves for you when he wakes up every morning. 

You try to put on an outfit that covers your chest tattoo but is also loose enough for you to not get too hot during the day, because the sun was scorching through the windows already, and then go downstairs to place your bag by the front door so you can grab it on the way out.

 

When you go to the living room and dining area, surprised to see Tomura still at home and Dabi up and awake, although he doesn’t exactly look happy about it as he sips his coffee, Tomura placing food down on the table for breakfast.

 

“Morning.” Tomura says, peering at you. “Feeling better?”

 

You nod, sitting in the chair next to Dabi, thanking Tomura for the food before picking up a bowl. The two exchange a brief glance that you don’t see before Tomura sits down casually in one of the chairs too, his crimson eyes resting on you. 

 

“If you’re feeling better, let’s all have a chat.”

Chapter 6: A Hard Talk

“A chat?” You repeat, instantly worrying. “About what?”

You look over at Dabi, but he’s avoiding looking at you, his head turned slightly away so that he can hide behind his messy white hair for the most part. So instead, you look at Tomura, who doesn’t look angry, but you'd never been told to have a chat with the two of them before, so you’re naturally a little nervous.

“What do you think, Star?” Tomura asks you right back.

You pause before replying to him and then glance at Dabi, but he’s still avoiding eye contact with you, sipping his coffee and picking absentmindedly at one of the staples lining his cheek.
A nervous habit that you knew all too well.
He didn’t want to be here either.

You return your attention to Tomura, who’s waiting expectantly for an answer, his crimson eyes on you without any sign of wavering.

“Is this about me and Dabi’s argument?” You ask warily. “We both said sorry…”

“That’s between you both to sort out. If you both feel it’s been resolved, then there’s no need for me to get involved.” Tomura says evenly. “I will reiterate that there won’t be any yelling in this house though. We’re all above that, I’d like to think. We all know how to talk calmly and in a more productive way than that.”

“Sorry.” You mumble. “But he was accusing me of lying when he’s always made fun of me for being a shi-”

Tomuras eyes narrow.

“Bad liar.” You correct quickly.

“I didn’t know you didn’t know.” Dabi finally speaks up. “Tha’s all.”

“Know what?” You ask, completely oblivious.

Dabi puts his cup on the table and starts plucking at a staple on the back of his palm instead of actually answering the question, acting more nervous than you are for some reason.

“Touya.” Tomura says, and Dabi sighs, flopping back.

“That what he said was inappropriate.” Dabi finally relents.

“All he said was-!” You begin to exclaim, but quickly lower your voice when you get a warning look from Tomura. “All he said was that Cloud was a nice cat. I don’t understand why you think that’s inappropriate, dad.”

“That’s not what he said though, hon.” Dabi says, looking kind of like he wants to die.

“That’s exactly what he said, he said ‘nice puss, ‘Roki.’” You repeat the words, frowning a little when Dabi cringes. “What? I seriously don’t get it.”

“Pussy is another word for vagina, Star.” Tomura tells you bluntly.

Your eyes widen and your mouth drops a little in surprise, your face heating up immediately, feeling a fresh kind of humiliated seeing as Tomura had never spoken to you about things like that unless you’d come to him first.

“I swear I didn’t-” You begin to defend.

“We know.” Tomura says, holding his hand up to silence you. “But now you’re in environments like this, we need to have a talk with you about-”

“Nope.” You say simply, standing up with the full intent of leaving for school without breakfast entirely if it meant that you could avoid having this conversation.

“Sit down.” Tomura commands in a tone you’d never heard him use with you before.

Your body betrays you by immediately sitting down again, a startled look on your face as you sit there, wanting to curl in on yourself.

“If you don’t want to talk about that, we can address it another time.” Tomura speaks slowly, as if he’s worried about you trying to dart off again. “But we do need to talk about the fact you disappeared without letting us know where you had gone, and only let us know you were alive and safe at three a.m.”

“Dad.” You begin to complain, only for him to motion for you to be quiet again.

“Listen.” Tomura says simply before continuing. “You, as much as you’re an adult now, have a lot to learn that we haven’t told you about because we wanted to keep you as safe as possible. That leaves you naive and oblivious to things that could land you in dangerous or uncomfortable situations. Like the comment your friend made.”

You open your mouth to protest again, but Tomura raises a cracked brow, so you close your mouth before you make him angry.

“That means that even if you’re mad, it’s important for you to tell us where you’re going. You don’t have to tell us who you’re with, or what you’re doing, but even a general idea of the area is enough.”

“You have a GPS tracker on my phone.”

“Did we check it even though Touya was seconds away from bursting into flames?” Tomura asks.

“...No.” You relent.

“Because you’re allowed your privacy.” Tomura says, leaning back.

“If somethin’ had happened to you…” Dabi mutters, shaking his head a little.

“But you said you weren’t mad.” You say, feeling a little attacked.

“I wasn’t.” Tomura replies. “I was concerned.”

“Then why are you talking about it now?” You ask, confused and upset. “You could have just said all this when it happened.”

“Talking to you hungover woulda gotten nowhere, Star.” Dabi finally pipes up, still picking at his seams.

“It’s better to talk when everyone’s clear headed.” Tomura seconds. “This isn’t an attack, Star. I’m letting you know our expectations moving forward.”

You take a deep breath to try to stop yourself from crying at the sudden confrontation. You hated confrontation at the best of times, and even when you’d misbehaved in the past, it was usually Dabi that addressed it all and sorted the issue out.

“And you?” You ask, turning your head to look at Dabi.

“Everythin’ he already said, Star.” He says, still being avoidant. “An’ you know… f’ you got any questions, you can always ask us.”

“Sure, I got a question.” You say, feeling particularly vindictive in your upset, and feeling satisfied that finally gets your dad to turn to look at you, curious. “How come you’ve both been doing drugs while also talking about how much of a scumbag my mom is for the exact same thing?”

Dabi looks a little like a deer in headlights at your question, but Tomura is as unshaken as ever.

“That’s different, Star.” Tomura says.

“It’s all the same, I thought.” You say, refusing to back down. “Mom was a bad parent for doing drugs, right? So…”

Dabi’s expression pulls into a more pissed off one, but Tomura speaks before he can.

“It helps with Touya’s pain, and it helps me sleep.” He says calmly. “It’s a plant, not a synthetic drug that can be harmful like the one your mom was taking.”

“So it won’t be a problem if I do it then? Good to know.” You say, getting up again.

“Star, sit back down.” Dabi finally says, his tone a lot angrier than Tomuras had been.

“Nope, all good, my questions been answered.” You say simply, turning your back to them.

“Star.” Tomura says.

“Seeya later.” You say, refusing to sit back down or go any further in the conversation with them both. “Hope I don’t come back to you both on the floor because of the totally harmless drug.”

And then you leave, grabbing your bag and rushing out of the door before they can hear your soft cries, knowing the journey to the train station is long enough for you to pull yourself together and slow your heart down before you get to class.

*•*

 

“What’s wrong, Star?” Kāto asks after you didn’t follow her to your usual spot during the first break.

 

“I’m fine.” You reply, feigning complete concentration on your project.

 

“No you’re not.” She replies, taking her seat next to you.

 

“Personal stuff.” You deflect, and she immediately says ‘ohhh’, going quiet for a bit.

 

“Do you need anything? I always carry tampons with me.” She whispers.

 

You take a shaky breath, already having been on a thin thread all day, and Kāto’s relentless kindness is threatening to tip you over the edge.

 

“Not that, Kāto.” You say as simply as you can.

 

She goes quiet again, but you can feel her eyes on you anyway. 

You jolt when you feel something wrapping around your ankle, only to look down and see she’s wrapped her tail around it loosely, giving you a toothy grin when you look up at her, her eyes warm and caring.

 

“I’m here for you, ‘Roki.” She says, not moving her tail.

 

You swallow and nod. “Yeah. Thank you.”

 

She doesn’t talk much to you after that, entertaining herself with the people opposite and next to her, but she keeps her tail around your ankle, as though it’s her way of assuring you that she’s still there, still present and aware if you need her.

You manage to get a decent chunk of the fine art fragments done, at least with a base coat before the second break comes around, and this time, you follow her, deciding that maybe seeing your friends might make you feel a little better.

 

They all seem to be their usual selves, Takagi leaning back on his chair with his feet on the table, smiling lazily. Tsume’s tail is flicking slightly across the floor, which tells you he’d likely been winding her up. Wani’s eyes are on you the second you walk in for once, his expression unreadable. His black hair is pulled up into a small messy ponytail at the back of his head, revealing his pointed ears properly this time and the piercings that decorate them.

 

“Hey.” Tsume greets as you sit beside her, her tail flicking against your ankle briefly.

 

“‘Roki.” Takagi greets. “Feelin’ better?”

 

“Yeah.” You agree. “Sorry.”

 

“For…?” He asks, raising an eyebrow. 

 

“Throwing up.” You murmur.

 

Takagi snorts. “I don’t care about that.”

 

“He didn’t apologise to me when he ruined my bathroom.” Tsume says pointedly.

 

“I was spiked!” Takagi defends. “Plus, I cleaned it up, didn’t I?”

 

They continue their banter without you, Kāto joining in too, getting enthusiastic about it like she always does, but Wani stays out of the conversation just like you. 

But he keeps looking at you, which is making you a little uncomfortable. You weren’t used to being on the receiving end of the lingering looks, and now you had realised you liked him, it was even worse. 

 

You don’t really feel much better for being around them, but it beats sitting on your own dwelling on what you were going to go home to after your outburst this morning.

Neither Dabi nor Tomura had text you, so you could only imagine what kind of extra arguments you were going to have.

 

“You okay, Star?” Tsume asks, pulling you from your head. “You’re really quiet.”

 

“Yeah, sorry, what were you saying?” You reply, smiling insincerely.

 

She looks at you like she can see right through you, and the attention from the others makes you want to squirm a bit, but they don’t question it further, just move onto a new topic, talking about some people you don’t know from their old school.

Your interest is piqued a bit more when there’s a brief mention of another gig that Ill Intent are playing in a couple of weekends time, but you keep your interest muted, just on the off chance Tomura and Dabi decide you can’t be trusted to go out again.

 

*•*

 

When you get home, you go in with the full intention of rushing to your room before either of your parents can pull you into a conversation again, but the house is eerily quiet. 

No sounds of kitchen utensils, no noise coming from the TV, no sign of Cloud coming to greet you like he always did whenever anyone came through the door.

And sure, Tomura had told you that weed was harmless, but your mind instantly goes to what you’d said earlier in the morning, about finding them just like you’d found your mom, and you can’t help but bow down to the anxiety of Tomura maybe choosing that to be the first lie he’s told you.

 

So you peer around the living room opening, spotting Dabi on the couch, leaning his arms on his thighs and staring at the ground.

You had only ever seen him look so out of it when he’d returned from therapy sessions that Fuyumi had forced him to go to with her and then eventually Natsuo, too.

 

So you swallow your fear of being told off again and say: “Dad?”

 

He lifts his head to look at you, blowing out a stream of smoke.

 

“Hey Starshine.”

 

“Are you okay?” You ask tentatively.

 

“Yeah, just thinkin’.” He replies, looking at the floor again.

 

You wait for him to continue, but he doesn’t, just remains as still as a statue on the couch.

 

“Where’s Tomura and Cloud?” You ask.

 

“Doctors and soakin’ up the sun in your room.” Dabi sighs. “I got too hot for him.”

 

“You burned him?” You ask, surprised. 

 

Dabi was a little less in control of his quirk than Tomura was with any of his, but he still would step away if his emotions got the better of him and he started losing control of the fire resting inside him.

 

Dabi laughs dryly. “Naw, hon. He’s gone to get a surgery approved. I got too hot for Cloud .”

 

“Surgery?” You immediately fret, moving a little more into the living area. “Is he okay?”

 

“He’s fine.” Dabi says, leaning back onto the couch finally.

 

“Okay…” You reply, unconvinced, but able to tell that he didn’t want to get any further into it with you.

 

“You don’t really think I’m a shitty dad, right?” Dabi suddenly asks, looking over at you with miserable blue eyes. “I know I’ve not always been the greatest but I’ve really tried to keep you safe an’ happy.”

 

“That’s not…” You pause. “That’s not what I meant, dad.”

 

He sniffs, nodding a little and looking away again, but the way he’s chewing at the inside of his staples in his cheek tells you he doesn’t really trust what you’re saying. 

You take a deep breath and approach him, flopping next to him and leaning your head on his shoulder.

 

“You’re not a bad dad.” You tell him.

 

“Ain’t a good one. I know that.” He murmurs.

 

“You are.” You insist. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that. I was just upset you guys lied all this time. I’m sorry, dad.”

 

You wrap your arms around him as best as you can, burying your face in his shoulder like you used to when you were a kid. 

You didn’t want him to think for a second that he was a bad dad. He wasn’t. He took you on when he didn’t have to, when he was only young himself. He protected you from the dark side of what he was doing to make sure you guys had a safe place to stay, and to make sure you could live a normal life. 

If he hadn’t done everything he had, you had no idea where you would be now, and that scared you to no end.

 

“I just love you to pieces, doll.” He tells you, wrapping his prosthetic arm around you as tight as he can without hurting you. “Just wanna do what’s best for you, even if it means hiding things.”

 

He presses his cheek against the top of your head, and suddenly you feel like you’re ten years old again, small and safe in his arms, a feeling you’d longed for a long time since you’d grown up.

 

“I love you too, pawpaw.” You reply quietly, using the old nickname for him, hoping it would drag this feeling out for a bit longer. 

 

He gives a dry sob, squeezing you a little tighter. “Gonna make me cry, baby girl, an’ I don’t wanna get blood in your hair.”

 

He sighs a little before adding: “You just grew up so fast. ”

 

You remain glued to his side until Tomura comes back, his fluffy hair tied into a bun that looks like it might break free any moment.

He walks in seemingly not expecting you to be there and looks at you both blankly for a moment before his lips curve up a little, giving you both a rare soft smile.

 

“I feel like I might have accidentally walked into a time machine.” He quips as he walks past to go into the kitchen.

 

“Don’t ruin it.” Dabi mutters against your hair.

 

You cling onto Dabi for a couple of moments longer before realising the feeling of being small and safe nestled against your dad has faded away again, and you slowly pull yourself away from him, noticing how reluctant he is to let you go.

When you look at him, he’s giving you a small but sad smile.

 

“I have to go work on my project.” You excuse, and he nods, but the look of sadness doesn’t go away.

 

You get off the couch, and grab your bag on the way out and stand at the bottom of the stairs, also a little concerned about Tomura and the surgery he was apparently planning on having.

 

“How’d it go?” You hear Dabi ask after the clattering in the kitchen dies down.

 

“Well, I wasn’t surprised to discover Ujiko had been lying this whole time to put me off having it done.” Tomura replies dryly.

 

The name Ujiko doesn’t really ring a bell to you, but lying to Tomura was a brave, or stupid , move.

 

“You’re going through with it then?” You hear Dabi ask, his voice a little more distant this time, like he’s moved further away, probably into the kitchen.

 

Tomura hums an affirmative, and the rest of the conversation is so hushed that you can’t hear it. Neither of them seem distressed or nervous about it, so you take that as a sign that you don’t need to worry either, and slowly go up the stairs so that they can’t hear and know you were listening in on them.

When you get to your room you decide not to bother doing any more to your project, having done a decent chunk of it today in college, instead sitting on your bed with Cloud and picking up your switch for the first time in months, deciding to play The Legend of Zelda, like you used to with Tomura when you were younger, trying to chase that feeling of nostalgia for a little longer.

 

Except when you try to load the file, it tells you that the game card is corrupted.

You frown at the screen before pulling out your phone and googling how to fix the issue and instantly being overwhelmed by the solutions listed. You could ask Tomura, but he was always weighed down with work, and you were a little uncertain that he wasn’t still annoyed with you from this morning.

Shuuichi would probably be able to fix it too, but you didn’t want to have to go through the hassle of having to wait to give it to him.

 

So you search for game stores nearby, relieved to see there’s one relatively close to your home. So you chuck your beaten up Switch, phone and rarely used debit card Tomura had gifted you on your sixteenth birthday away in a tote bag, ridding yourself of the shirt you wore to cover up in college. 

It was hot and you didn’t need to worry about your tattoo or scar outside of college, so you rush down the stairs, leaning into the living room.

 

“I’m gonna go to the game store before it closes!” You call, before clocking Dabi and Tomura kissing pressed up against the kitchen counter. “ Gross . Bye!”

 

Tomura chuckles, and Dabi calls after you to be safe, but you’re on a mission, leaving the house in a hurry to make sure you get there on time.

The walk there is pretty straightforward, and you don’t get lost at all on your way, opening the glass fronted doors a little hesitantly. It wasn’t often you went to stores alone, after all. 

The walls are full of game titles, and you gaze up at them all as you walk towards the back of the store, assuming that’s where the counter will be. 

You only pause when you see the tip of a familiarly coloured tail on the floor behind the center aisle. 

 

You peer around the aisle, your eyes widening when you’re faced with the unmistakable view of the back of Wani’s head as he slides games into their allotted slots.

You turn to leave, but your bag knocks into a display, making the whole thing rattle loudly, immediately alerting Wani.

His head turns, his eyes running from your bag to your face, his eyes soon widening when he realises it’s you . 

 

“ Todoroki ?”

Chapter 7: Insight

“ Todoroki? ” Vesper asks, completely surprised.

 

He’d never seen anyone he knew from college wander into this store, that’s precisely why he chose this store. It was in a nicer area than where he lived, which meant that he didn’t have to worry about thieves, because the people that lived and frequented this area had more than enough money to pay for their stuff.

She was also wearing a lot less than she usually did. Even when she’d been drunk she’d been wearing a huge flannel shirt that covered most of her anyway.

But now he can’t stop staring at the tattoo on her chest, because Vesper had never seen a tattoo in person before, and Todoroki did not seem the type to have one.

 

“Hi, Wani.” She greets shyly, shifting on her feet a little, uncomfortable.

 

He can’t even blame her, because he keeps staring at the stupid tattoo, and it being on her chest is the worst place she could have possibly chosen because now he looks like a pervert and he’s not.

 

“You work here?” She asks, still sounding a little on edge.

 

Vesper tears his eyes away from the tattoo to look at her directly, kind of blandly at her. He’s standing in front of her in uniform, holding games that he’d been midway putting into the shelves because he’d resigned himself to the fact that no-one was going to come in with it getting close to their closing time. 

 

“Yeah.” He says simply.

 

“Can you help me?” She asks, glancing over at the counter at the back of the store.

 

Now, Vesper never says anything about what he sees, but he is observant.

He’d noticed that she was comfortable around Keiko and Hana, but was always a little edgy around Akito and him. She was getting better, but still hated it when Akito tried getting a little too friendly with her sometimes, it was written on her face and clear with how her body locked up a little whenever he tried slinging an arm around her shoulders. 

Vesper kept his distance anyway, not wanting to upset her when she didn’t seem to trust men anyway, never mind someone like him.

It’s not really a surprise that she would rather deal with him than his manager. 

 

“What’s wrong?” He asks, hating the stupid hiss that always comes whenever he says a word that has an ‘s’ in it.

 

She immediately digs in her bag to pull out whatever the issue is, and Vesper takes the chance to turn again and put the games he’d been holding a little more haphazardly into the display. 

When he turns back she’s shyly holding out a beaten up Nintendo Switch towards him. He blinks a little in surprise. The model is old , nearly ten years old, if not actually older than that.

 

“I wanted to play Legend of Zelda, but it said the game card is corrupted?” She questions, as though she’s doubting herself.

 

He takes the console from her carefully in his taloned hand, trying desperately not to scratch it because he definitely was overdue his talons being dremeled down. 

 

“Corrupted?” He asks, trying to load the game.

 

“That’s what it said, yeah.” Todoroki replies, seeming to ease up now his attention was on the screen.

 

Sure enough, the warning screen comes up announcing that the game card is corrupted.

It’s been a while since he’d had to work with one of these, so his interest is immediately piqued, and he hums a little with his intrigue, trying to get the game card out as carefully as he possibly can. 

Todoroki watches him, her eyes filled with her own interest at what he’s doing as he holds the game card up to the light to try and see if there are any defects on it.

 

He hated being stared at as a rule.

He was used to it for the most part, after all, he was a giant reptile heteromorph that looked scary but he wasn’t scary . 

If he wanted to follow in his dads footsteps, he probably could have done a good job as a villain. He was strong, huge, and ‘blessed’ with his dads quirk, which was his fathers wording, not his. 

He was used to kids grabbing their parents in fear, he was used to hushed voices and fingers pointing and eyes staring , but he hated it all the same.

 

But she isn’t staring at him this time, just watching as he moves closer to the counter, his manager thankfully not even throwing the two of them a second glance as he leans over to grab a wipe to give the game card a quick once over.

 

“I haven’t played it for a while…” She admits, almost sounding guilty about it.

 

“Usually this only happens when you play it to death.” Vesper murmurs, popping it back into the console and trying to reload it.

 

“What happens if it’s broken? She asks nervously.

 

Vesper looks up at her just as the Switch sounds out the noise that means his first attempt at saving it hadn’t worked.

 

“You’ll have to get another card.” Vesper says, returning his attention back to the console in his hands, planning on going into the settings this time to see if there was anything wrong with the console itself.

 

“Closing in five, Wani.” His manager says, his voice dead and his eyes lingering on Todoroki for just long enough for Vesper to get the silent hint.

 

Vesper fights the urge to roll his eyes at the abrupt interruption, and passes the Switch back to Todoroki.

 

“Wait for me out front.” He says simply, which immediately has Suzuki’s eyes on him.

 

“Okay.” She says, her shoulders lifting as though Vesper had just promised her the world. He kind of hates that he wants to see more of that sparkle in her eye, which she’d been completely lacking today. “Thank you.”

 

At least the older man has the tact to wait until Todoroki has left before saying: “Pretty girl.”

 

Vesper grunts a non-committed acknowledgement to what he’d said, at least taking the time out to make sure the games he’d put away earlier are stacked a little neater, and moves the stock on the display that Todoroki had accidentally nudged with her bag so that it was all neatly arranged again. 

He can feel Suzuki’s eyes on him the entire time of doing so, and it takes everything in him not to bristle. 

He needs this job.

 

“You know her, or are you just offering help off the clock to random pretty strangers now?” Suzuki finally asks once Vesper’s finished up. “‘Cause that won’t look good.”

 

“She’s a friend.” Vesper says bluntly.

 

Suzuki hums a little to himself, still watching as Vesper takes off his lanyard, leaving it on the side while he goes to retrieve his jacket from the staff cabinet.

 

“What’s her name, then?” He questions further.

 

“ Todoroki. ” Vesper hisses despite himself.

 

He really doesn’t care for being made out to be a liar. Especially when the accusation is so vile.

 

“Ah, thought she looked a little familiar.” Suzuki finally relents thoughtfully. “Better make sure you fix the issue then, eh?”

 

Vesper frowns a little, but doesn’t question it. He could know her family, or maybe just have seen her around if she lives nearby.

 

“That was the plan anyway.” Vesper says in response, pulling his jacket on. “You leaving too?”

 

“In a bit. Need to do the accounts.” Suzuki waves him off. “Stay safe.”

 

Which, weird , he’d been working here for a couple of months now and Suzuki had never bothered saying anything like that before to him, but Vesper is beyond caring when he shoves his lanyard into his pocket.

 

“Seeya.” He says gruffly, leaving to return to the job he’d started with Todoroki.

 

And sure enough, she’s waiting outside, leaning on a barrier with a bottle of water between her hand, rolling it between her palms as she looks over the road thoughtfully.

Vesper really has to control himself with the overwhelming urge to grab her and pull her away from the road. 

She wasn’t Akito. She could be trusted around roads like this.

Although when he takes a few steps to join her and immediately zeros in on a large scar on her forearm that he hadn’t noticed earlier in his surprise, he begins to doubt that.

 

“Hi.” She greets shyly, immediately tucking the scarred arm to her side so he can’t stare at it anymore. “Thank you for helping me.”

 

“It’s fine.” Vesper shrugs. “There’s a park nearby.”

 

She nods, standing up straight and digging in her bag, pulling out another can out of her bag, holding it out to him with the unmarred arm.

Vesper stares at her wordlessly for a moment.

 

“It’s kinda hot out. I thought you’d like a drink too.” She explains, even though he understands what she did, he just doesn’t get it. “I remember you drank some melon soda when we were at Takagi's, so…”

 

“Yeah, thanks.” Vesper agrees, taking it from her carefully, terrified of accidentally scratching her too when she’s already so jumpy around men.

 

He leads her over to the park, forgetting how much she liked to talk to him. 

 

“I didn’t know you had a job.” She says as she walks beside him, looking up at him. “How long have you been working there?”

 

“A few months now.” He replies, trying not to hiss the ‘s’, because she always stared at his tongue.

 

“That’s so cool. My dad would probably work in a game store if he could. He loves them.” She muses, looking around at their surroundings rather than him for once. “I didn’t know there was a park so close. Are there ducks?”

 

Vesper frowns a little bit in confusion. “Ducks?”

 

She nods, not divulging further. 

 

“Maybe.” Vesper shrugs. “Not been there in a while.”

 

She hums a little to herself, falling silent. 

Vesper knows it’s because of him. He knows it. 

He’s not a good speaker at the best of times, never mind with people he barely knows. Especially when he’s on edge around her anyway, because no-one really tends to make an effort with him. He had his three friends who accepted him because he was different, just like them, and not one person made an effort to get to know him outside of that unless he could provide something useful to them.

 

“What was up with you today?” He asks, but the words come out a lot more abrupt than he really means to. 

 

“Oh, nothing.” She deflects.  

 

But Vesper isn’t an idiot. She loyally came with Hana every break to the boardroom, was always chatty with the girls, and tried to give as good as she got with Akito. 

She had been subdued, but he doesn’t push it as he sits as best as he can on the closest bench, trying to poke his tail through the small gap on the back for comfort.

She sits next to him, pulling her bag onto her lap and pulling out the console again to give to him. 

 

He dutifully returns to what he was about to do before Suzuki had interrupted him, linking the Switches internet source to his phone and catching Todoroki leaning a little closer to see what he’s doing from the corner of his eye. 

 

“Gonna go into the settings and check if there’s a system update that’s screwing it up.” Vesper tells her despite knowing it's a pointless exercise because the model she has is so old there’s no chance that there were any new updates to it.

 

She hums an acknowledgement, watching as he scrolls through the settings, unsurprised when he sees there’s no new updates. He tries the settings on the actual game itself, his brow ridges pulling a little as he frowns slightly in his concentration. 

It takes everything in him not to flinch when her bare shoulder bumps against him as she gets even closer.

 

“Wow, I didn’t know you could do all this.” She says, awe in her voice. 

 

Vespers tail completely betrays him by lifting up slightly behind him and swaying a little, and he can’t tell if It’s because he’s just happy that someone is showing interest in something that he cares about, or because he's being a loser about a girl practically leaning on him for the first time in his life ever.

Luckily she doesn’t seem to notice when he glances at her quickly, her eyes transfixed on the screen.

 

He tries literally everything he can to figure out if there’s a way to fix the issue, explaining everything to Todoroki who doesn’t mock him or call him a nerd like he was so used to hearing, even if it’s just a joke, from his friends whenever he talks about stuff like this.

 

“I think it’s crapped out, ‘Roki.” He admits apologetically.

 

“Man…” She sighs, taking it out of his hands carefully. “Well, thanks anyway. I’ll go in tomorrow and get a new game card.”

 

“Might be better to just download the digital version. You don’t have to worry about the game card corrupting that way.” Vesper suggests, despite it quite literally taking money away from his boss.

 

She blinks at him. “How do I do that?”

 

Vesper stares at her for a second, but holds his hand out for her to give him the Switch again.

Her expression turns more thankful, and she passes it back to him again, blatantly scooting next to him this time, her thigh pressed against his.

His tail lifts again and he hisses in annoyance at himself. Pathetic. Apparently he can’t even handle a girl moving closer to him completely platonically.

 

Todoroki glances at him curiously but he ignores it, choosing not to address it, and she doesn’t even question it, probably assuming it was another one of his ‘traits’. 

He takes a breath, scrolling down to the Eshop and explaining to her how to digitally download games.

She listens intently, nodding a little as he talks, gently taking it from him once he’s finished.

 

“How’d you go all that time without knowing that?” He asks, confused.

 

“I got the cards, or Sh- or my dads friend would take it and download them for me. I didn’t realise it was that simple.”

 

Vesper watches her carefully as she puts the console back in her bag. 

‘She’, maybe? Was she talking about her mom? She never really mentioned her before, but he supposes maybe there’s a slight relationship there. He can’t quite understand why she’d be secretive about that, though. He didn’t care.

 

When she looks back up at him, he looks away immediately, drinking from the can she had gotten him. A slight shudder runs down his limb when she lays her hand on his arm.

 

“Thank you, Wani.” She says with a soft smile, her voice warm and her eyes the kindest that have ever been laid on him. 

 

Vesper feels something warm bloom in his chest, the feeling foreign, and he swallows uncomfortably.

 

“Yeah, it’s fine. It’s my job.” He replies, the words a lot more blunt than he really intends for them to be again, but she doesn’t really seem to mind.

 

“Do you wanna go and see if there’s any ducks?” She asks, moving her head to look across at the small pond, squinting a little as though she’s trying to see if there were any in the distance anyway. 

 

He does. 

He really does. 

The girls didn’t really spend much time with him outside of college and gigs, only Akito making an active effort to involve Vesper in things despite how antisocial he’d grown over the years in fear of what people thought of him and in fear of accidentally hurting someone with his extra appendages.

 

He wanted to get to know Todoroki, he wanted to ask about the tattoo, about the huge scar on her arm, he wanted to understand why she was giving him so much attention and kindness despite of who he is and what he looks like. 

He’d hurt her with his tail on her first day of college, after all, and she’d never brought it up again.

Noone was kind to him without a catch. He’d learned that over and over again throughout his life, each time getting more and more painful.

 

But his mom… his mom would be home by now.

If she was having a good day, she’d be making dinner, and expecting him home any time now, even if she always told him he could go out and do whatever as long as he was safe and stayed out of trouble.

But there were more times than not now where he had come home and she’d been crying on the couch. That’s why he’d taken the job in the first place, because he’d learned she was struggling to keep everything going with her wage alone. 

 

She wouldn’t tell him why she was crying now whenever he asked, because last time he asked, she’d been crying over his father, and Vesper had quizzed her on why she would be upset about losing a man like that, a man who did what he did.

But she still did cry, and it still hurt him every time.

So he’d make dinner. 

He’d make dinner, stick one of those horrible game shows she loved so much on the TV, and sit with her until she seemed happy enough to be left alone again.

 

“I gotta go check on my mom.” He says, standing up quickly. “Sorry.”

 

Todoroki’s excitement fades slowly, and she nods, pulling her bags straps over her shoulder and standing too. 

 

“Yeah, you’re right. I should check on my dad, too.” She agrees. “Thanks, though. Sorry for taking up time.”

 

Vesper wants to wince a little at the words, and the blatant change in her body language, but he manages to maintain the poker face.

 

“If you need more help, just text or call.” He says, and then immediately doubts how eager that makes him sound. “Or whatever. Here to help.”

 

She nods, her lips curling up again. “I will. Thanks.”

 

*•*

 

“Mom?” Vesper calls when he gets into the house, turning around to lock the door as he enters.

 

Just in case .

 

He turns his podcast down, listening out for any sign of life within the apartment. And sure enough, there’s sniffling coming from the living room.

Vesper takes a deep breath, steeling himself for the sight of his mom upset, and walks into the room, shrugging off his jacket, no longer needing it now he was in the heat of their apartment. 

There she is, still in her own uniform, her face buried in her hands.

 

“Mom?” Vesper repeats, slinging his jacket over the back of one of the wooden chairs. “What’s the matter?”

 

She immediately wipes her scaled face quickly, as if trying to rid the evidence that she’d been crying, even though Vesper had literally just walked in on her doing it.

She offers him a wobbly smile and he just stares at her, too far into this routine to even pretend to buy it.

He doesn’t even need to stay wordless for long before she buckles.

 

“Just lost a patient today, that’s all.” She says, taking a shuddered breath.

 

Vesper frowns. She’d lost plenty of patients before and not cried. If she did that she’d be crying every day, people died every day. 

 

“She just wouldn’t eat. No matter how hard we tried.”  She sobs. “Just reminded me of that little girl, that’s all.”

 

Vesper has no idea what she’s even talking about right now, but she’s crying again and he’s the man of the house now, so he mans the fuck up and pulls her into his side, swallowing his own hurt at seeing her hurt.

He ends up sitting there for quite some time, letting his moms tears soak his sweater. He doesn’t even know what to say to make her feel better, so he just remains still, his arm wrapped around her shoulders and his cheek resting against her hair.

 

Once the crying has stopped, she moves away, looking a little embarrassed as she rubs Vesper's arm.

 

“You’re a good boy, Vesper. Always have been.” She sighs. “Sorry. I’ll get a grip.”

 

“You’re allowed to be upset, mom.” Vesper replies, standing up in preparation to make them both food.

 

“I’ll go get dinner started, love, just go have fun for a bit.” Mom says, getting up and rubbing his arm again, her smile a little warmer this time.

 

Vesper nods, but watches her carefully as she walks out of the living room and into the kitchen, waiting for her to be out of sight before running his hands through his hair.

He sits on the sofa instead of going into his room and changing like he wants to, just in case she needs him again, and pulls out his phone.

 

Akito T: duuuuude where are u

Akito T: i know ur off shift

Akito T: get on cod now 🔫

 

Vesper rolls his eyes.

 

Vesper: Not tonight, man.

 

His brow furrows again when he sees message notifications from Todoroki, clicking them open.

 

Todoroki: Thank you so much again!

Todoroki: I made you something as a thank you, can we meet alone tomorrow so I can give it to you?

 

Alarm bells start to ring, and he frowns, his fingers tapping out the message before his brain really has time to process why he’s reacting the way he is.

 

Vesper: Why alone?

 

He stares at the screen, listening out for his mom until the bubbles indicating Todoroki is typing pop up, the animation popping up and disappearing a couple of times before staying there steadily.

 

Todoroki: So that Takagi doesn’t bully us, duh

 

Which is honestly a pretty reasonable response. It made sense, he was sick of the teasing, so couldn’t be surprised that Todoroki was too.

But his hackles are up, because this had happened before. He’d been lured out unsuspectingly by a female student in his class and ambushed.

 

But that was middle school. 

This was college.

 

He was bigger now. Stronger. Even if he hated it.

 

Vesper: Sure. When & where?

Chapter 8: Making Progress

You sit on the bench by the smoking area alone, itching your face anxiously as you look around, waiting for Wani to appear so you could gift him the drawing you’d made for him as a thanks.

It hadn’t taken you too long, about an hour and a half with charcoal pencils. You’d used one of the many photographs Keiko had put online of him and Takagi’s band performing as a reference, finding a really good close up of him singing into a microphone.

You hadn’t dared to ask Dabi if it was any good, so you’d asked Tomura, in English (much to Dabis disgust), if he could come and tell you if it was good instead. Luckily he didn’t make you regret doing so, not even giving a slight smirk in response to your request once he’d seen the drawing.

 

When you finally spot the giant man bundled up like usual in the distance, your back straightens, and you can’t help but smile hopefully at the sight of him, even though he seems to be looking around the smoking area expectantly despite the fact you’re the only person around there on their own, everyone else being in class or huddled together in close groups.

When he gets closer, he looks at you dubiously, his thick tail swooping across the ground slightly like Keiko’s does when she’s annoyed.

 

“You’re alone?” He asks.

 

You pause, your smile wavering a little as you’re unsettled by the question, but you choose to ignore the concern. 

 

“Yeah. I asked you to meet me alone. Remember?” You reply, forcing a bigger smile. “Did you bring someone?”

 

He shakes his head, and seems to relax, his tail stilling behind him. “No.”

 

You nod and cautiously dig into your bag, keeping half an eye on him on the off chance he’d figured out who you were and wanted to cause you harm like your parents were worried about, ready to use your quirk at any moment. 

You pull out the drawing, making sure it hadn’t smudged or anything and hold it out for him, excited to see his reaction.

 

“It’s not much, but I just wanted to do something as a little thank you for working out of hours for me.” You explain as he takes the drawing from you in the most gentle way you’d ever seen anyone take something from someone before. 

 

He’s silent, his green eyes scanning the ripped-out sketchbook page.

 

“I used a picture I found on Keikos page, I hope you don’t mind.” You say, just to fill the space. “It’s a really nice photo of you. You look really good on stage.”

 

Your face heats up the second your words have him looking at you instead of the drawing, his less human-like face making it hard to tell his reaction to either.

 

“I just meant that you look like you belong there.” You say quickly. “You have a good stage presence.”

 

He continues to stare right at you for a moment before looking at the picture again, his tail swishing slightly behind him again.

 

“You drew this?” He asks, his raspy voice quieter than you’d ever heard it before.

 

“Yeah! Do you like it?” You ask, a hopeful lilt in your voice.

 

He’s quiet for a second, looking at the charcoal drawing even still. “Yeah. I like it. Thank you.”

 

And then he looks up at you and the scaled corners of his mouth pull up slightly. 

A smile.

You’d finally gotten a smile out of him.

You beam right back at him, unable to stop yourself.

 

“I’m so glad.” You reply, leaning forward on the bench as you smile. “It was really fun to draw.”

 

“It was?” He asks as though he doesn’t believe you.

 

“Yeah! All the little details in your scales and stuff.” You reply enthusiastically. “The light reflecting on the spikes on your brows and along your nose line… It's a really nice picture to work with. You’re fun to draw.”

 

He stares at you like you just grew a second head, and you second guess yourself, wondering if you said something offensive by accident.

 

“Sorry.” You say, a little uncertainly, your shoulders dropping slightly.

 

“It’s the nicest compliment I’ve had.” He shrugs, tucking the drawing as carefully as possible into his pocket. 

 

“I bet you get them all the time.” You say, your eyes averting and your smile a little more forlorn at the idea that he probably has girls coming onto him all the time at shows. 

 

While you’re looking at the floor, you miss the look Wani gives you.

 

“What’s your deal, Todoroki?” He asks, his tone shifting.

 

You look up, catching the narrowed green eyes that had been so soft moments before.

 

“What?” You ask, confused. “What do you mean?”

 

You don’t really understand what you said or did wrong to make him look so angry, especially when his throat puffs up like it did that day the others made fun of him for hitting you with his tail by accident. 

The fact that happens seems to annoy him even more as his clawed hand flies up to hold his throat, and his green eyes move away from your face.

 

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you later.” He says, turning a little and then pausing. “…I really do like the drawing.”

 

“Good. That makes me happy.” You reply softly with a puzzled smile.

 

He nods, still pausing for a moment like he has something more to say, before deciding to commit to his action and walking away from you again, running a hand through his black hair.

You watch him disappear into the college building, smiling slightly in case he turned around again, but it falls when he’s gone.

What had you said wrong?

 

*•*

 

“He’s just not used to the attention.” Kāto shrugs when you tell her what happened. 

 

“But what has that got to do with him asking me what my deal is?” You ask, staring at the empty pieces of your project with your cheek resting on your fist.

 

“I dunno! He’s defensive, that’s just Vesper.” Kāto replies with a sigh. “He probably thinks you’re making fun of him, ‘cause he's paranoid.”

 

“Why would I make fun of him?” You ask, a little insulted. “I’ve never made fun of anyone , ever, in my entire life.”

 

Kāto throws you a look that says ‘be real’, and you lift your head.

 

“I haven’t .” You insist.

 

“Todoroki, everyone’s made fun of someone, even if it’s just a little bit.” Kāto says with a raised eyebrow.

 

“I haven’t! I wouldn’t!” You continue to insist.

 

“Uh-huh.” Kāto says, completely distrustfully, and entirely distracted by her own flow going with her project.

 

You huff a little to yourself, giving up on your own project and getting your phone out instead, deciding to text Aiko to see if she would be able to, or be willing to help you on the textile portion of your project.

You don’t expect an answer straight away, you never really get a response for at least a few hours anyway from her, so you let your thumb hover over Wani’s name for a couple of moments, toying with the idea of letting him know you hadn’t been making fun of him earlier.

 

“Struggling to find motivation, Todoroki?” Sato asks from behind you, making you jolt and almost drop your phone in your alarm. “Sorry, I keep forgetting you’re a nervous one. Thought you would have seen me.”

 

“It’s fine.” You breathe, tucking your phone back into your pocket. “Yeah. I’m not really too experienced in textiles, so I’m struggling to come up with ideas.”

 

Sato hums understandingly, and pats your shoulder a couple of times. “Take a lap, Todoroki.”

 

“Sorry?” You ask, blinking at the older man as he juts his thumb towards the doors. 

 

“Go for a walk. Have a think.” He says, raising a greying eyebrow. “You’ve been staring at it for too long.”

 

“Fresh eyes!” Kāto instructs cheerily beside him, repeating the words he often said when you guys needed to step away from your work for a bit to get a fresh look at it when you came back.

 

“Uh… okay?” You agree reluctantly, having not walked around the campus alone since your first day. 

 

You can’t help but notice Itō staring at you as you fumble around under your desk, retrieving your bag. When you look back up at her she’s smirking at you like she’s enjoying seeing you having to leave.

You ignore it, praising Kāto’s work quietly and telling her you’ll be back soon.

 

“Mhm, don’t use the free time to worry about Vesper.” She teases, giving you a toothy grin that lifts her chubby cheeks up.

 

You feel the blood race to your cheeks immediately, but you do your best to try and hide how flustered you are as you flip her off, which makes her giggle before she returns back to her colourful project. 

You try to ignore the burning of Itōs eyes on you as you walk out of the art room, feeling a little alien as you do so. 

 

Deciding not to risk getting lost by walking around the campus, you head towards the only place you know how to get to by yourself. You figure that even if everyone else is still in their classes you can wait out getting a response from Aiko in the boardroom you all usually hang out at. 

You stop by the vending machine to grab an iced tea to help pass the time, and are completely oblivious to your surroundings as you wait for the bottle to drop.

 

“You skippin’?” You hear someone ask from behind you the exact same time the bottle thuds to the bottom of the machine.

 

Instead of freezing like you usually do, you swing for the person behind you, your fist connecting with Takagi’s cheek, knocking his head to the side.

Your hands immediately fly to cover your mouth, your eyes widening.

 

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry!” You immediately apologise, reaching out to check his face even though he’s almost instantly collected himself.

 

He grins at you, a playful gleam in his eye as he holds a hand to the cheek you’d struck. 

 

“Not bad, ‘Roki.” He praises. “Had worse though.”

 

“Are you okay?!” You continue to worry, even though he seems completely unshaken, lowering his hand to expose the red mark on his cheek.

 

“Fine, babe. Don’t even worry about it.” He says, rolling his eyes, like this was nothing to him. “Shouldn’ta snuck up on you.”

 

“I’m so so sorry!” You repeat as he bends down to grab your forgotten drink for you. 

 

“Quit tweakin’, it’s fine.” He says, holding the bottle out for you. His eyes seem to have lost the playful gleam to them, though, which doesn’t soothe you. “Wanna talk to ya.”

 

“Me?” You ask, taking the bottle from his hand slowly. “Why…?”

 

“C’mon.” He says simply in response, nodding his head towards the door of the boardroom.

 

You decide that’s a less scary option, whatever it is can’t be that serious if he’s willing to discuss it around other people, because there’s bound to be others in there that aren’t in class.

 

“How come you’re not in class?” You ask as he holds open the door for you.

 

“Got sent out.” He replies coolly. 

 

“What? Why?” You ask, heading for your usual table.

 

“Was rilin’ Ves up.” Takagi explains casually. “Second he starts smoking, Prof gets mad.”

 

He flops into the seat opposite to you, kicking his feet onto the table like usual.

 

“Sounds about right.” You say, a wave of guilt hitting you when you glance at the red mark on Takagi’s cheek. 

 

“Speaking of…” Takagi starts, a lazy grin pulling at his features. “Saw your drawing.”

 

“Jealous you didn’t get one?” You ask, immediately deflecting into banter like he so often did.

 

His grin widens, making his lip piercings poke out a little more. “Sure I am. That’s favouritism, ‘Roki. Can’t be doin’ that.”

 

“I’ll consider it.” You shrug, unable to stop yourself from smiling back as you open your iced tea.

 

He watches you as you take a sip of your drink, his grin slowly fading as he crosses his arms behind his head, looking at you thoughtfully. 

 

“So, like, what’s your end game, Todoroki?” He asks, that rare intense look in his eyes back in full force.

 

“What do you mean?” You ask, screwing the cap back on your bottle.

 

“Whatever you’re doin’ with Vesper.” Takagi clarifies. 

 

You feel yourself bristle a little bit. “I’m just trying to be friends with him, like I keep saying.”

 

He snorts. “Listen, my boy might be oblivious, but I’m not. You seem like you’re into him, I’ve noticed it, Hana’s noticed it, and Keiko’s noticed it.”

 

You squirm in your seat uncomfortably. “I-“

 

“You gonna confess?” He asks, rocking his chair back a bit.

 

“What? No!” You reply quickly, becoming sheepish. “Why would I do that? He barely talks to me. He doesn’t like me like that.”

 

“‘Cause he hasn’t realised, and he doesn’t let himself do that anymore.” Takagi says, dropping the jovial mask he almost always wore entirely. “He’s not easy pickings for dickheads to play around with now.”

 

You frown in confusion at him as he sits normally again, digging into his cargo pocket. 

 

“What I’m sayin’ is: if you’re just messing around with him for the fun of it, it’s not gonna end nicely for you.” He says, tapping his cigarette box on the table as he stares at you. “Understand?”

 

Your mouth opens and closes, your confused frown still pulling your eyebrows together. 

 

“Are you threatening me?” Is the first surprised question that leaves you.

 

“I’m promisin’ you, babe.” He corrects with a small shrug. “Vesper’s a good guy. We love him and want what’s best for him. He’s doin’ good, he’s happy here. I don’t wanna see that messed up for someone else's entertainment.”

 

“I know he’s a good guy.” You defend, hurt that he seems to think so little of you. “That’s why I want to get to know him better.”

 

“Just telling you, ‘Roki. As a friend to you both, the second you hurt him, it’s done.” Takagi replies, finally opening the carton and pulling out a cigarette. 

 

“I’m not going to.” You say firmly. “I can’t believe you seriously think I would.”

 

“Seen it happen before.” Takagi says, tucking the cigarette behind his ear. “Not letting it happen again.”

 

“He’s had girlfriends before? That have hurt him?” You ask, your heart aching at the idea of it.

 

“Nah. Dumbasses that thought it was funny to lead him on so they could laugh about it behind his back.” Takagi explains, his expression still serious.

 

“That’s…” You begin. 

 

Horrible .

 

“Not what he deserves.” Takagi finishes for you. 

 

You nod in agreement, the little he’d told you enough to make you sad for Wani, and it also kind of explained why he was always so on edge around you.

It’s also kind of sweet that Takagi cares so much about Wani despite constantly winding him up. You wonder if they all do that for each other. You trusted that Kāto would, she was protective and outspoken about it, but Keiko was a lot more subtle about her concerns and care, the same as Wani.

 

“I do like him.” You admit softly, a little embarrassed but feeling like it’s the right thing to say. “But I don’t know… I don’t think he feels the same. Even if he did I wouldn’t really know what to do.”

 

Takagi looks at you for a moment, his expression unreadable. “You’ll figure it out together then, I guess.”

 

He stands up, his hands going into his pockets. “Gonna go smoke. Coming?”

 

You shake your head with a little smile.

 

“I’m not gonna do anything.” He says, as if you really had been threatened by his earlier comment.

 

But you’d watched enough movies to know that it was just how people dealt with situations like this when their friend had been hurt and they were scared of seeing their friend being hurt again, so you roll your eyes and give him a bit more of a teasing look.

 

“Don’t worry, Takagi, I’m not scared of you.” You reassure him. “You’re looking out for him. I get it.”

 

He nods, seeming to relax again. 

And in an action you hadn’t really seen for a while, he outstretches his fist towards you, that playful grin making a reappearance again. 

 

“ Gently this time, ‘Roki.” He teases.

 

“Yeah, yeah.” You roll your eyes and try to ignore the twinge of guilt as you tap your fist against his. “…I am really sorry about that, though.”

 

He waves you off dismissively. “I’ll be more careful next time.”

 

And then he’s moving his cigarette so it’s dangling from his lips as he heads out of the room.

You sit by yourself, thinking about what he’d said for a moment, playing idly with your drink. You really hope he doesn’t tell Wani about your admission, especially seeing as you barely knew each other. It didn’t really make sense that you liked him, and it would probably freak him out.

You pull your phone out again, smiling when you see Aiko has responded to you.

 

Your smile drops when it’s an apology, explaining she’s too busy at work to make time to help you out right now.

You accept it though, she usually was busy with work.

 

✨: It’s okay! I miss you though so it’d be nice to hang out when you do have time

You decide to go for your second option of Aunty Fuyumi, knowing that although she didn’t have the same level of expertise as Aiko, she had made clothes for your cousin, Kenji, while she had been pregnant with him, and they weren’t too bad for a complete amateur.

✨: Hiya aunt Fuyumi, can I come around for help on my project at some point?

✨: I’m not very good at sewing :( 

 

With her working from home while she’s pregnant, she probably has a lot more free time than usual, which is why she seems to respond right away.

Aunty Fuyumi🩷: 🥺 You want me to help with your project?
Aunty Fuyumi🩷: Of course you can!!
Aunty Fuyumi🩷: Did you want to come today? Do you like spicy curry still? I can make some for you! Kenji will be so happy to see you too. I’m excited!

You smile at her enthusiasm, despite having felt a little nervous about asking her, especially when you’d never really spent too much time alone with her. Mostly because Dabi was a little overbearing with her, but she seemed really excited at the idea of spending some one-on-one time with you.
You text your dad, having learned the lesson not to disappear on the two of them the hard way. You did not want to have to sit through another conversation like that again.

✨: Dad, can I visit Yumi after class today for help on my project?

 

🔥 : She needs 2 be restin doll

You huff a little, reporting the news to Fuyumi.

Aunty Fuyumi🩷: He’s such a worrier
Aunty Fuyumi🩷: Tell him I’m fine, and that we’ll take it easy
Aunty Fuyumi🩷: Do not tell him I’m cooking

 

You snort a little to yourself and do exactly that.

🔥: cant u ask aiko or zero

🔥: shes pregnant again star hon she needs 2 rest

 

✨: I asked Aiko and she said she’s busy because of some fashion show next week, and Zero’s a little clumsy with his hands still.
✨: She’s not even got a bump yet. I’m gonna be doing all the work, I just need her to show me how and maybe borrow some materials.

🔥:  u aint gonna take no for an answer are u

🔥:  jus cuz u cant see it yet doesnt mean it isnt there starshine

🔥: u can go but the second she looks tired u gotta go hon, dont let her push it

 

You grin and let Fuyumi know that you’re coming over after class, really excited to spend some time mostly alone with her.
Before tucking your phone away, your thoughts stray back to Wani, and Takagi’s concern for him. You really hadn’t been making fun of him, but you suppose that if he wasn’t used to attention, as Kāto said, and if he’d had people feign interest in him before, like Takagi said, you could kind of understand the reaction he had.

You’ve no idea what you’re doing. You have no real experience with friendships outside of your ‘family’, and no experience whatsoever in boys or relationships in general. 

So you type out a message and send it, hoping it was the right thing to do.

 

✨ : Hi Wani, I just wanted to let you know I wasn’t making fun of you earlier, and I never would. I’m sorry if it came across that way. I really do want to get to know you a little more, though. I can tell you’re really sweet and you care a lot about people. I really like that about you.

 

*•*

 

“Star!” Fuyumi exclaims the second she opens the door, wrapping her arms around your shoulders in a warm, tight hug. “I’m so happy to see you!”

 

You hug her back, giving her a little squeeze before letting go, a big smile on your face at the welcome you recieved.

 

“It’s been so long!” She tells you, ushering you into the house. “You changed your hair colour.”

 

“Yeah. Dad helped.” You explain, a little coyly when you notice her husband appear in your peripheral vision, carrying Kenji.

 

“Star!” Kenji exclaims immediately, trying desperately to be let down.

 

“Wait for her to take her shoes off.” Fuyumi’s husband, Hikaru Shimizu, tells him. 

 

“Star’s here for help on her work, Kenji, you can’t play with her today.” Fuyumi tells him, walking over to kiss his nose affectionately, even as he whines a protest. 

 

The second your shoes are off, Shimizu lowers Kenji to the ground, and he runs straight at you, slamming his body against yours in a clumsy hug.

 

“Hi Kenji!” You greet, squeezing him tighter than you did Fuyumi. “How are you?”

 

“I’ve been going to school, we’re learning numbers. I can count to ten! One, two, three-“ Kenji says without taking a breath.

 

“She doesn’t need you to show her.” Shimizu chuckles, interrupting him. “C’mon, dinner.”

 

Kenji pouts but follows after his father to the kitchen. Fuyumi turns to look at you with a beam that reminds you so much of your dads proper smile.

 

“I made the curry, I hope you’re hungry.” Fuyumi says, gently leading you to the kitchen too with her hand on your shoulder. “We usually eat at the chabudai, I hope you don’t mind. It might be a little cosy but it’s so nice to spend time with each other when they both get back!”

 

You politely thank her husband when he passes you a bowl with a pre-portioned amount in it. 

He seems…nice. You hadn’t really met him before because he wasn’t too keen on your dads on account of them being murderers. But he seems to be being polite to you, asking what you’re working on, if you’re enjoying college, and taking an interest in everything you have to say.

Kenji tries to tell you about his school life as you talk, demanding your attention even when his parents tell him to calm down and not to talk with his mouth full. Even you have to pat his back and tell him to relax a bit when he almost chokes on his food in his enthusiasm.

 

Fuyumi asks about your dads, and you tell her they’re fine, mostly, neglecting to tell her about Tomura’s mystery surgery. You ask her about the baby and she’s all smiles as she tells you it’s healthy and she’s having less morning sickness this time around. When you ask if they want another boy or a girl this time, Fuyumi admits she wants a girl, but Shimizu tells you he wants another boy and Kenji begins to demand his mom gives him a little brother.

 

Fuyumi handles Kenji with so much patience and grace that you find yourself wishing your mom had been like that, or that you had a mom like that just in general. You loved Dabi and Tomura, you really did, but there was an ache in your heart that always appeared whenever you saw people getting along well with their moms.

By the end of the meal you offer to clean your bowl yourself but Shimizu shakes his head, taking your bowl and telling you he’ll have Kenji help instead. It's clearly just a ploy to get the four year old to leave you and Fuyumi alone, but he’s just happy to be involved as he chases after his dad.

 

“So.” Fuyumi beams. “Let's see your work so far, then.”

 

And so you retrieve the artwork, laying it on the table, looking at it instead of her face on the off chance she didn’t like it.

 

“Wow, Star!” Is her immediate reaction though, and you see her tied-up silver and red hair appear in your peripheral as she leans closer to look at it. “This is amazing! …Are you sure you want my help with it?”

 

“Thank you, ‘Yumi.” You say, relaxing a little and smiling back at her. “You don’t have to do anything, but I’d really like it if you could show me how to do some basic sewing.” 

 

“Of course!” She says, getting up and retrieving a sewing box from one of her cabinets.

 

She hands you some material, a needle and thread and sits shoulder to shoulder with you, patiently explaining how to do a running stitch. 

You can understand why she’s a teacher. She’s endlessly patient and even when you get something wrong, she’s encouraging and gently corrects you. She’s warm and loving and everything you can imagine a teacher should be.

While you try to master the art of chain stitching, you tell her about your plan with your project, telling her that the textile areas are going to be the patchy memories you have, the messy ones, so the stitches don’t need to be perfect.

This has Fuyumi giving you a soft look and you jolt a little when she rests her head against yours.

 

“You’re such a strong person, Star. We’re all so proud of you.” She says, completely whole heartedly.

 

Your cheeks flush and you murmur an awkward thanks, not used to such high praise from women. 

She runs you through a couple more stitches before Kenji comes barrelling into the room again, and almost ruins your work with fruit-stained fingers. Fuyumi apologises profusely, but you don’t mind too much because Shimizu managed to yank it out of his reach in time.

 

“I’m sorry.” Kenji apologises as he sits on your lap, having given you no choice but to give him your full attention now. 

 

“Aw, that’s okay, Jiji.” You reply, wrapping your arms around his middle loosely. “You just really liked it, huh? That makes me happy.”

 

“I liked it!” He agrees, leaning his back against you.

 

You can’t help but find your little cousin adorable, so you kiss the top of his head affectionately, which seems to make Fuyumi happy, and even Shimizu half-smiles at the sight of it.

Before you know it, Fuyumi has her phone out and is taking a picture to send to Dabi. 

 

“It’s very impressive.” Shimizu praises, giving your artwork another once over. “What’s the theme?”

 

“Fragments.” You reply, trying to dig your own phone out of your pocket without jostling Kenji too much. “I decided to go with fragments of memories.”

 

“Ah. That’s why the guys are in there so much.” He nods.

 

“Star was telling me how the sections with her parents in them are the happy ones, the empty sections are going to be her ‘messy’ memories.” Fuyumi says pointedly, raising an eyebrow.

 

“It just makes sense for the bad parts to be the messy parts.” You shrug, finally pulling your phone from your pocket.

 

“You don’t know it’ll be bad, stop talking like that.” Fuyumi says, bumping her shoulder against yours affectionately. 

 

“Star is good at colouring.” Kenji agrees, distracted by the TV.

 

You smile down at him, kissing the top of his soft hair again and turn your attention to your phone screen, your heart skipping a beat when you see Wanis name in the notifications. 

You tap on that one first, though, nervously awaiting what he had to say. 

 

Wani Vesper: I shouldntve spoken to you like that, Im sorry todoroki. 

 

It wasn’t as much as you were hoping for, but it was something , so your mood lifts even more, and you spend another hour with Fuyumi and her little family before going home.

 

*•*

 

And your text must have been what Wani needed, because he does lighten up more over the next week. 

He smiles, even if it’s only slight instead of the sharp toothed grins he’d given to the others occasionally before, and greets you when you and Kāto walk into the boardroom which he’d never really done before.

He starts pulling you into conversation a few days in, asking about your project, asking about whether you’d played Legend of Zelda yet, asking if you were coming to the gig next weekend. 

 

And it’s nice. It feels like you’re actually building a solid friendship with him, rather than forcing him into talking to you and spending time with you like you felt you had been up until this point.

You even text a little bit. Not much, just exchange silly pictures of Cloud and he sends the odd meme about gaming or art.

 

So when he approaches you to your side alone while you’re using the vending machine, you’re not expecting it. 

You turn your head and smile at him.

 

“Hey Wani.” You greet. “How’re you?”

 

“I’m alright, thanks.” He replies, swallowing hard for some reason. “You on break now?”

 

“Yeah, just grabbing a drink and then I’ll be in.” You reply, grabbing the drink that tumbles down.

 

“I was just wondering...” He begins, and you turn, giving him your full attention, which seems to make him a little sheepish. “I have band practice tomorrow, but after that, would you wanna do something?”

 

“Sure! What did you guys have in mind?” You ask, sipping your drink.

 

“It’d just be us.” He clarifies awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck with a clawed hand.

 

“Oh!” You say, your face lighting up immediately, which visibly catches him off guard. “What did you wanna do?”

 

He pauses, his eyes on you as though he wasn’t expecting you to hold to your decision and smile about it. 

 

“Can I text you later?” He asks, his eyes still wider than usual. “I need to check when places close.”

 

“That’s fine!” You agree, still unable to stop smiling at him.

 

His scales don’t seem to change colour like you’d seen Spinners do whenever he got a little flustered. They stay their usual sandy beige colour, but his nostrils seem to flare a little, only highlighted because of the thick ring pushed through one of them that keeps moving.

And then a small thud against one of the lockers startles you and he hisses a little to himself in annoyance.

 

“Sorry. It was my tail.” He explains, sounding as though he’s a little embarrassed.

 

“Don’t worry, I’m just a little jumpy.” You reply, laughing a little self-deprecatingly at yourself.

 

“I know.” He replies, his tail still flicking behind him. “You definitely want to come tomorrow?”

 

“Yeah! Definitely.” You reply, smiling the biggest you possibly can.

Chapter 9: Very First Date

“Dad!”

 

“Yeah hon?”

 

“Not you, the other one.” You sigh.

 

“Rude.” Dabi says, coming in anyway.

 

One of his white eyebrows raises upon seeing you, his cold blue eyes scanning your outfit. It’s not that fancy, none of your clothes really are. It’s just a black bodysuit from Aiko’s fashion line with a laced high neck, and some white ripped jeans. You had attempted to make an effort by putting some mascara on, and your hair was tied up into the space bun style Himiko had taught you and Zero how to do. 

 

“I didn’t tell you to come in.” You say exasperatedly, knowing you’re now going to have to explain where you’re going to him.

 

“Why you all dressed up? Goin’ out?” He asks, leaning against the wall by the door. “S’ a school night.”

 

“Dad!” You call again, only for Tomura to appear in the doorway mid-call.

 

“Don’t ignore me, Star.” Dabi says, plucking the material of your bodysuit.

 

Tomura enters properly, assessing you just like Dabi had as your scarred dad tells you it’s ‘too tight’.

 

“Bodysuit?” Tomura asks, ignoring Dabi too.

 

“Mhm! Is it too much?”

 

“Yes.” Dabi says quickly.

 

“No, but it’s going to be a pain if you need the bathroom.” Tomura replies more honestly. “White is also a brave choice depending on what you’re doing. It’ll stain if anything gets spilled on it.”

 

“We’re going to an arcade bar.” You tell him in English.

 

“I understand you.” Dabi says in English, his blue eyes cold and made even harsher in comparison to the darkness of his scarring when your attention snaps to him, your eyes wide.

 

Tomura turns to him, his red eyes amused as he crosses his arms over his chest. 

 

“What did she say, then?” Tomura challenges in English.

 

Dabi stares at him, the scarring under one of his eyes twitching a couple of times as the silence stretches, but then he huffs.

 

“Screw the both of you.”

 

You immediately relax and Tomura chuckles, his cracked lips pulling into a smirk as he moves his hand to the back of Dabi’s head, his fingers moving through the messy white locks.

 

“Don’t worry baby, I can teach you English if you like.” Tomura offers playfully.

 

“I can teach myself.” Dabi huffs, but doesn’t move away from the touch, or out of your room. 

 

Tomura gives you another once-over, reverting back to Japanese to not upset Dabi further.

 

“Very pretty, Starlight.” Tomura nods. “Just be careful with the pants.”

 

“You can’t go out on a school night, Star. You worked hard to get into that school.” Dabi says worriedly.

 

“I’m not going out out, dad.” You reply tiredly. “Does my makeup look okay, ‘Mura?”

 

Tomura moves forward, cupping your face in his hands carefully to tilt your head back. 

 

“Well where are you going then?” Dabi asks, the frown evident in his voice as Tomura looks over your face carefully.

 

Tomura raises a cracked brow at you as he runs a thumb gently under one of your eyes, as if to say ‘are you going to tell him?’

 

“I have a date.” You explain, grateful that Tomura is blocking your view of Dabi.

 

“A date? With who? That Takagi guy?” Dabi asks. “I don’t like it. He’s disrespectful.”

 

Tomura rolls his eyes as he pulls a strand of hair from the front of your face, letting it loose so it frames your face.

 

“There. All set.” Tomura says, releasing you.

 

“Who’s the guy, Star?” Dabi asks again.

 

“It’s a girl.” You correct him like Tomura had instructed you to.

 

“A girl ?!” Dabi says, too shocked to remember how bad of a liar you are. 

 

Tomura holds his hand out with a smirk and you realise why he’d instructed you to lie in the first place.

 

“You bet on me again?!” You ask, and immediately backtrack. “He made me lie, it’s not a girl.”

 

Tomura clicks his tongue, but his smirk remains as he calls you a spoilsport.

 

“Who is it then?” Dabi asks, pushing Tomura away when he goes to wrap an arm around his waist.

 

“Wani.” You admit, picking up your tote bag beside Cloud.

 

“I fuckin’ knew it! Pay up!” Dabi says instantly, swinging to Tomura.

 

“I hate you both.” You say flatly. “I’m going.”

 

“At least take a jacket, princess. What if you get cold?” Dabi asks, immediately looking concerned again.

 

“It’s summer, dad.” You say tiredly.

 

He grabs a lightweight jacket from the back of your door and thrusts it towards you, which you take with an eye roll.

 

“Do you need a lift?” He asks, following behind you.

 

“Nope.”

 

“But-“

 

“Touya, let’s get started on your English lesson.” Tomura interrupts, all amusement, as you grab your slip on shoes from in front of the door.

 

You don’t hear whatever snide remark he gets back from Dabi, because you are out of the door the next second, pulling your shoes on once you’ve left.

You take a deep breath, brush the stray bits of fur from Cloud off your top and head for the train station.

 

*•*

 

The second you get off the train you spot him, which isn’t hard when he’s easily nearly seven foot and towers over most people. 

He’s wrapped up warm again even though it’s summer, but it’s the bundle of flowers in one of his hands that really draws your attention. 

He looks nervous, even as he tries to pinpoint you in the crowd of people coming off the train, his green eyes scanning over every single face before he sees you.

 

You smile at him and wave, your own stomach fluttering a little too when you can finally stand in front of him.

 

“Hi!” You greet, looking at the flowers.

 

“Hi.” He replies, robotically handing the flowers towards you. “They’re for you. Mom said girls like flowers.” 

 

You take them, immediately looking over all the petals. “Thank you. They’re really pretty.”

 

You hadn’t been given flowers for years , not since Atsuhiro had moved out and stopped visiting as much. 

 

“I don’t really know much about flowers.” He admits.

 

“Well, you did really good!” You say cheerfully, gently separating the pink ones from the blue ones so he can see them. “These ones are my favourite.”

 

“What are they?” He asks.

 

“Chrysanthemums.” You reply, looking up at him. “They can represent the sun, or rebirth.”

 

He nods, seeming to take that in. 

 

“How was band practice?” You ask as he finally stops leaning against the wall and begins walking.

 

“Not bad, I think we’re ready for the show next week.” Wani replies, running a taloned hand through his black hair. “What did you do?”

 

“Got ready for this.” You admit shyly.

 

You feel his eyes on you, but you don’t meet them, busy looking at the flowers as you walk beside him.

 

“You look good.” He tells you.

 

“Thank you. So do you.” You smile softly to yourself.

 

His tail swishes slightly across the floor, but he doesn’t say ‘thank you’, or move the conversation further than that. Instead he switches to telling you about the bar you were going to, listing the games they had there. You perk up a little when he mentions the fact that they have Mario Kart, Pacman and Guitar Hero machines. 

 

“The Mario Kart and Guitar Hero ones are usually pretty busy, so I might have to show you how to play the others while we wait.” He tells you, moving a little closer as you walk down a narrow alleyway together.

 

“Okay! I’m a quick learner so it shouldn’t be too much of a hassle.” You agree, carefully tucking the bouquet into your bag, hoping they don’t get too crushed or die while you’re out.

 

“It wouldn’t be a hassle anyway.” He murmurs.

 

It’s not too long a walk from the train station to the bar, and surprisingly there’s not a queue to get in like there had been at the bar Ill Intent had played in.

When you get in, it’s relatively quiet, or it looks that way at least with the lights off and only neon lights, arcade machines and glow in the dark paint splattered on the wall.

It’s cool . You like it almost immediately.

 

“Wow!” You grin, turning to look at him.

 

His eyes are on you, his head tilted down as though he’s trying to pay you all his attention. He nods a little.

 

“Yeah, I like it here.” He agrees. “Are you going to be okay, though?”

 

“What do you mean?” You ask, furrowing your brows a bit.

 

“Well, it’s dark and you’re kinda jumpy. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable.” He replies, sounding a little embarrassed to have to say it out loud.

 

“Oh, I’ll be fine.” You reassure, equal parts embarrassed and touched that he’d even considered that. 

 

“Tell me if you want to leave, we can find somewhere else.” He tells you before beginning to walk to the bar, and you follow behind him with your heart growing warmer.

 

He hands you a drinks menu, waiting for you to read through it before paying the bartender any mind. 

You order a non-alcoholic cocktail that’s Mario themed, practically bouncing as you wait, and he orders one from the same menu, except it’s Donkey Kong themed.

 

“You can drink, I don’t mind.” You tell him, but he shakes his head, leaning on the bar with his hands. 

 

“I don’t need to.” He replies simply.

 

You get your drinks, which are aptly decorated and in really cool tumblers, and walk to the booths together. 

Poor Wani has to sit right at the edge of the seat to allow room for his tail to lay across it, and you look at the stretch of thick muscle curiously as you sip your drink. 

When you look back at him, his throat is beginning to puff out ever so slightly.

 

“Sorry, it’s just… Is that not uncomfortable? Shall we find a different table?” You ask. 

 

He shakes his head, stirring his drink. “I want to be able to hear you properly. The booths block out some of the sound.”

 

“If you’re sure.” You reply with an understanding smile. 

 

There’s an awkward silence for a moment, but you try to pay it no mind, soaking in your surroundings as you sip your sweet drink. 

 

“Can I ask you something?” He finally asks, breaking the silence.

 

“Sure, what is it?” You ask, giving him your full attention.

 

“The tattoo, did it hurt?” He asks, not looking you in the eyes. 

 

“Yeah, a little.” You admit. “She said the chest was a brave choice for a first tattoo but it wasn’t awful .”

 

Wani nods a little, finally leaning forward to sip the drink. “What does it mean? The sun, moon, and star?”

 

“It’s me and my dads.” You explain. “I’m the star, and they're the sun and moon. They have the same ones, too.” 

 

“Nice.” He says, finally looking at you. “It’s nice you’re close.”

 

You smile at him, leaning your elbows on the table separating you both. “Are you close with your parents?”

 

“My mom.” Wani replies, and then changes the topic. “What game did you wanna go on first?”

 

You hum, looking out at all the arcade games. “What’s good?”

 

“Depends what you like.” He replies. “It’s pretty quiet today, so we could probably go on whatever.”

 

“I’d like to see if Mario Kart is free first.” You settle on. “Me and my dad used to play it a lot. I’m pretty good at it.”

 

Wani smirks a little at you. “Yeah? Gonna kick my ass?”

 

“If I can beat him I can definitely beat you .” You say with a grin.

 

“Finish your drink and we’ll see about that.” Wani says, finally, finally offering you one of those toothy grins you’d never had him give you before.

 

Your heart lifts, and conversation comes a lot easier after that, he seems the most relaxed he ever has, he doesn’t seem as conscious of the way his tongue hisses outside of his mouth whenever he says a word with an ‘s’, and slowly but surely he stops himself from apologising whenever he gets particularly excited about a topic and his tail thumps against his seat.

You end up spending an hour talking before realising your drinks are long gone and you need to actually play some of the games.

 

You do end up playing Mario Kart first, and you do beat him, just as you promised. He tells you that he was ‘just going easy on you’, and demands a rematch, which you’re more than happy to oblige. When you beat him again he looks astonished, but does laugh it off, and you’re blessed with the deep rumbling sound of his laugh for the first time ever.

 

“Yeah, you got me.” He chuckles, looking at you fondly.

 

You can’t help but find it so funny when he looks at you like that, because to anyone else, he would look scary.

He's taller than anyone you’d ever seen before, and you can tell he’s big and strong even with his sweater and jacket on. The small spikes that line his brow line and nose line don’t do him any favours either, even if he didn’t have the ring in his nose and lining the tops of his pointed ears.

His teeth are sharp, his talons are sharp, his tail is solid muscle, everything about him looks like it should hurt, but he’s so gentle .

 

You go to some kind of shooting game next, which you’re awful at. You don’t mind too much though, because it makes Wani laugh, and he tries to help you aim on a solo try by standing behind you and gently coaxing your arms into the right position before starting a second game together.

You do a little better that time around, and you can’t help but keep stealing glances at Wani, smiling when you see how happy he seems to be, his green eyes sparkling as he looks at the screen in front of him.

 

He buys you another drink, and this time you push the boat out and get an actual cocktail, because you’re beginning to realise just how much you like him, how you keep staring and smiling at him and it’s making you a little nervous, even though he doesn’t seem phased by the staring anymore.

He doesn’t join you, getting another fake cocktail and sliding into the booth opposite you, smiling softly to himself. 

 

You take the short silence as a chance to send a quick text to Tomura to let him know everything is going okay, and when you look back up, Wani is also on his phone, but his expression has changed to a more somber one.

 

“Everything okay?” You ask, sipping your drink and wincing. “Wow, that’s strong.”

 

He glances up at you, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. “Drink what you want and I’ll have the rest.”

 

“Thanks.” You smile around the straw between your lips. “Is everything okay, though?”

 

Wani nods and leans back, his arms going behind his head. “Yeah, just my mom. She’s just struggling at the hospital.”

 

“She’s in hospital?!” You ask, leaning forward in surprise. 

 

“She’s fine, she just works there.” He reassures you with a slight laugh.

 

You say a small ‘oh’, embarrassed at your concern, but Wani brushes it off and explains briefly how his mom is a pediatric nurse. You’ve no idea what that means, but nurses work hard to get their qualifications.

 

“That’s really cool.” You say thoughtfully, stirring your drink. “What does your dad do?”

 

Wani pauses, looking a little pensive. “He’s in prison.”

 

“Oh, shit, sorry.” You grimace.

 

“Don’t worry about it.” He murmurs. “What about your dads?”

 

And then it’s your turn to pause. “…Government stuff.”

 

“Interesting.” Wani replies, one of his ridged brows lifting. “Takes a certain kind of person to work for them.”

 

You bristle a little bit, and it must show on your face because Wani backtracks quickly.

 

“That came out wrong. They don’t just let anyone work for the government anymore.”

 

“I don’t know too much about it.” You reply, still telling the truth. “It’s all pretty boring to be honest.”

 

He nods slowly, his eyes averting, and it falls into an awkward silence again for a little while until you give up on your drink and push it towards him. His smirk returns and his eyes are warm again as he looks at you. 

 

“Swap.” He says, pushing his own drink towards you in return.

 

“But that’s yours. You paid for it.” You argue, pushing it back.

 

“I paid for them both, so either way I’m getting a drink I paid for, Todoroki.” He says, all amusement.

 

“Then have them both.” You retort. “And you can call me Star if you want.”

 

His smile grows a little more. “ Star , take the damn drink.”

 

And then he pushes it towards you again, and this time you let him win. When he gives you the straw from your previous drink you’re relieved to have a sweet drink instead of the one that burned your throat a little bit with each taste.

He watches you quietly for a moment before leaning back and inhaling through his nose.

 

“Can I ask you another question?”

 

“Shoot.” You reply, still sipping through the straw.

 

“How’d you get the scar on your arm?” He asks, gesturing towards his own arm where the scar would be if it were on him. “It looks pretty gnarly.”

 

You go to respond honestly before thinking better of it and give a lot less detail than you would usually.

 

“I was in a fire. It was an accident.” You reply nonchalantly. 

 

“Shit.” He says, slumping a little as though that upset him. “Must’ve been scary.”

 

“I don’t really remember much of it.” You admit with a small shrug. “Thanks for swapping with me, this is way better.”

 

He smiles a little to himself. “Drinking doesn’t suit you anyway.”

 

“What do you mean?” You quiz.

 

“Dunno, just feels weird watching you do it.” He shrugs, and you roll your eyes at him playfully.

 

“Treating me like a kid again.” You say, trying to sound teasing. “Hurry up, I wanna kick your ass again.”

 

And so he gives you a toothy grin and downs the drink in one without even wincing. Once you’re out of the booth, you grab one of his arms, finding it even more solid than you expected, and you ‘drag’ him to the Guitar Hero machine.

Unsurprisingly he’s amazing at it, even on the hardest setting and you can’t help but stare in amazement at him which ruins your own score.

 

“What the hell?” You ask, amazed.

 

“Lots of free time growing up.” He replies, putting the plastic guitar down. “This game is why I decided to get into music.”

 

You listen with wide eyes, that being the most genuine bit of information you had been given about him the whole evening. 

 

“Really? Because of Guitar Hero?” You ask.

 

“I mean, there are other reasons, but when I was younger, yeah.” He replies, checking his phone and looking a little dour about it. “We should probably head back soon.”

 

“Aw.” You murmur, checking your own phone to see it’s only ten p.m. “Last train’s not ‘til midnight.”

 

“Yeah, but I wanna make sure you get back safe.” He says simply, shrugging his jacket off and placing it on your shoulders.

 

“You don’t have to do that.” You say, more nervously than anything else, because you were not ready to have to explain your parents to him yet.

 

“I want to.” Is the simple reply back as he begins to lead you gently out of the bar.

 

“It’s really fine.” You reassure. “I can get my dad to pick me up from the train station.”

 

Wani looks down at you with a scrutinising gaze. “Text him now then. I’ll get the train with you there.” 

 

“Nothing will happen on the train.” You continue to insist. “Honestly it’s fine, Wani.”

 

“Vesper.” He corrects, but lets up about it, his smile fading. “Alright. But I’m making sure you get on the train.”

 

“Okay.” You agree, willing to settle on that.

 

You walk quietly together for some time, Vesper’s expression thoughtful whenever you look up at him. You gently feel in your bag to make sure that the flowers are okay from time to time, and walk a little closer to him when you get to more populated areas.

 

“Are they okay?” He asks, glancing down at you when you check them for the third time. 

 

“I think so.” You reply, smiling up at them. “I really do like them. Thank you.”

 

He looks down at you silently, his tail flicking slightly behind him. 

 

“That’s okay.” He says after a moment, turning his attention away. “Thanks for giving me a chance.”

 

When you get to the train station, he follows you to the platform, looking around flatly as if looking for potential dangers. Trains were pretty quick these days, though, so the platform is nearly empty.

 

“Thanks for taking me out.” You say, carefully taking his jacket off your shoulders. “I had a lot of fun. We should do this again.”

 

He blinks at you in stunned surprise as he automatically reaches to take his jacket back from you.

 

“Can I give you a hug?” You ask as the speakers announce the train is approaching. 

 

“Sure.” He agrees, the hissing of the ‘s’ dragging out for a second longer than it usually does.

 

You wrap your arms around his middle, pressing your cheek to just below his chest. You don’t really expect him to hug you back, you’d never really seen him hug anyone else. You just wanted to show how grateful you are in the best way you knew how to.

But the arm he’s not holding his jacket with is wrapped around your shoulders, holding you there for longer than you expected.

His tail thumps against the floor behind him a couple of times as it sways, but he doesn’t apologise or make excuses again, which is nice because it means he’s getting more comfortable with you.

 

When the train stops, you pull away and thank him again, bowing a little and then immediately regretting it when you remember how formal and weird that is. 

He doesn’t seem to care though, smiling at you warmly and encouraging you onto the train, his hair being blown across his face from another train passing.

You sit on the side closest to him and wave at him through the window as the doors close. 

 

He seems to huff at you as he smiles, waving back and then pulls his phone from his back pocket, seeming to pause before sending whatever it was he’d typed out.

And then your phone goes off in your bag, and you dig around to get it out.

 

Vesper Wani: You look beautiful by the way

 

Your face immediately heats up, and you look out of the window to see him looking expectantly at you.

Except when your eyes meet through the glass, he looks down, and the train sets off again, saving you from too much humiliation at how flustered you must look.

 

*•*

 

“Hey Starshine.” Dad greets when you open the passenger side door. “How'd it go?”

 

“Good! He got me flowers!” You reply cheerfully, clicking your seatbelt in and immediately pulling the bouquet from your bag, only having lost a few petals and leaves during the night.

 

Dabi raises a white eyebrow. “Strong start, I’ll give him that. What didja get up to?”

 

“We went to this arcade bar not too far from the station, it was kinda quiet so we managed to play on the things we wanted to.” You reply as Dabi begins driving you home again. “I didn’t drink anything either, just so you know.”

 

You pause for a moment before adding: “Well I tried to, but it tasted nasty so he had it instead and I had the non-alcoholic one he ordered.”

 

“He drive?” Dabi asks.

 

“I don’t think so? No.” You reply. “I don’t know if he’d need a special car because of the tail.”

 

Dabi is quiet for a moment, for once not immediately taking the easy bait to make fun of someone.

 

“He’s really good at Guitar Hero, but I kicked his ass at Mario Kart. Tomura would have really enjoyed that.” You say to fill the empty space. 

 

Dabi nods, his blue eyes full of thought even as they rest on the road. 

 

“No nerd comment?” You ask, nudging his prosthetic with your elbow gently.

 

“Don’t wanna give Tomura his money back.” Dabi replies.

 

“You guys are literally the worst.” You deadpan.

 

He chuckles, but it doesn’t sound genuine like he usually is when he’s teasing you and you can’t help but frown.

 

“Are you mad at me?” You ask, confused. “I really didn’t drink.”

 

“Not mad at you, hon.” He says, glancing at you and reaching his metallic hand to brush over your cheek. “Just told you no dating or boyfriends ‘til you’re thirty.”

 

You roll your eyes. “You’re impossible.”

 

He smirks again, returning his attention to the road. “Just don’t wanna have to torch the guy for upsettin’ you so young.”

 

“ Dad. ” You say exasperatedly.

 

“Just sayin’.” He shrugs.

 

*•*

 

When you get home Dabi goes off to bed and you give a brief run down to Tomura who listens dutifully, pausing his game and everything.

He even retrieves a glass that will work as a vase for your flowers, putting them in there carefully for you.

 

“You had a good time?” He asks, and you nod.

 

“It was really nice.” You say, smiling a little to yourself

 

“You’re happy?” He asks, as if it wasn’t already clear.

 

“Mhm!” You reply, bobbing your head enthusiastically.

 

He nods, and looks thoughtfully at the TV for a moment before returning his crimson eyes to you. 

 

“He didn’t make you uncomfortable at any point?”

 

“No, and don’t worry, dad already threatened to ‘torch’ him.” You say with an eye roll.

 

Tomura huffs in amusement, sitting back down on the couch. “He could have been more subtle about it.”

 

You pick up the makeshift vase, approaching the back of Tomura as he resumes his game.

 

“Night, Pa.” You say, kissing his cheek. “Love you.”

 

“Goodnight, little Star.” He says, smirking.

 

You take your flowers to your room, unsurprised to see Cloud curled up on your bed. He lifts his head and mewls at you as you place them on your desk, and you laugh to yourself, turning to look at the fluffy little calico on your bed.

 

“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry, I didn’t forget about you, Cloud.” You say, sitting beside him and scratching the top of his head lovingly. 

 

He purrs immediately, bumping his head against your hand whenever you try to stop, wanting to shower and get into your pyjamas.

You promise to come back and give him all the cuddles he wants when you’re ready for bed, dropping a kiss to his head.

Before going to the shower you text Kāto and Keiko to tell them it went well, smiling the whole time. And when you come back, you open your phone to a few messages back. 

 

Hana Kāto: Aaaaaaaaaaaa

Keiko Tsume: Cute! 

Keiko Tsume: I can’t believe he actually did it

Hana Kāto: Tell us everything!!! Did you kiss? 👀

 

You frown a little, sitting down next to Cloud again. 

 

✨: No, we just went to an arcade bar for a few hours

✨: It was really nice in there, it was really fun! He got me flowers. 🥺

✨: We didn’t kiss, Kāto 😂

 

Hana Kāto: omg no kiss??

Keiko Tsume: flowers? 

Keiko Tsume: Show us.

 

A niggle of doubt begins to chew at you due to Kāto’s text, but you get up to take a picture of the flowers anyway.

 

✨: {{Picture attachment}}

 

Keiko Tsume: pretty! 

Keiko Tsume: who knew ves knew anything about flowers

Keiko Tsume: …or dates, tbh

 

✨: He was really sweet and thoughtful the whole time

 

Keiko Tsume: sounds like him

Hana Kāto: Our baby’s all growed up 🥲

Hana Kāto: ugh! Young love!

 

✨: I don’t know about that just yet 😅

 

Keiko Tsume: we’ll see about that, you guys would work well together

Hana Kāto: because you’re both sweet lil innocent bebbies 

 

You don’t take too kindly to the infantilism again, locking your phone as you lay down, Cloud moving up the bed to curl up against your chest. 

You run your fingers through his fur, lost in thought. 

Your mind goes back through the entire date, trying to remember if there was any point you should have or could have kissed him. You didn’t particularly feel the need to, and you don’t think you wanted to just yet anyway, and when your mind goes to the logistics of it, you’re not convinced you even could anyway, because he has a sharp beak-like snout.

 

After an hour or so of struggling to sleep, you get up, deciding bravely to approach Tomura about your worries. 

When you get to the living room with Cloud traipsing along behind you, he’s exactly where he was when you’d left him, except this time he has a beer in front of him. 

He double takes at you, probably expecting it to be Dabi that had been coming down the stairs.

 

“Can’t sleep?” He asks, eyes fixed on the screen.

 

“Not really.” You admit, sitting next to him and resting your head on his shoulder.

 

He automatically leans his cheek on your head. “Is something wrong?”

 

“Kinda… Can I talk to you about something?” You ask, and he instantly pauses his game. “Don’t tell dad?”

 

“I’m listening.”

 

“Well… it’s just…” You begin, floundering a bit. “We didn’t like, kiss or anything.”

 

“Okay?” Tomura says with an amused huff. “Touya will be glad to hear it.”

 

You roll your eyes, half smiling quickly before it drops again. “But my friend sounded surprised? Like I maybe should have?”

 

“Did you want to?” Tomura asks.

 

“Well no, not really.” You reply.

 

“There you go then.” He says simply.

 

“But what if I was meant to?”

 

“You don’t have to do something you don’t want to just because it’s expected of you, ever , Starlight.” Tomura says firmly.

 

You sigh a little to yourself. 

 

“Don’t let people tell you what you’re expected to do.” He reiterates. “You had a nice time regardless of whether you kissed or not?”

 

“Yeah, a really nice time.” You agree.

 

“Then stop worrying.” He says, making the situation a lot more simpler than you had been. 

 

“Yeah. Yeah…” You reply quietly, pausing for a moment before asking: “How will I know if I do want to?”

 

Tomura is quiet for a long moment before giving a small shrug.

 

“When the time is right, you’ll know.”

Chapter 10: Takagi

The next day you brace yourself for comments from Takagi, expecting him to mock you both in one way or another as you walk with Kāto to the usual meeting spot.

Keiko, Takagi and Vesper seem to be having an in depth conversation, and you're a little surprised to see Takagi sitting next to Keiko and not Vesper like he usually does.

Kāto takes the last seat on that side of the table quickly, forcing you to sit next to Vesper, who smiles at you as you do so.

 

“It’s insensitive. That’s all I’m saying.” Keiko says simply, clearly riled up if the twitching of one her extra ears is anything to go by.

 

“Maybe you're just a bit of a snowflake, babe.” Takagi says, rolling a cigarette on the table beside her.

 

She scowls, batting his hand as he lifts the paper to his lips so that tobacco falls all over his lap and the floor.

 

“Dude!” He says, actually sounding annoyed. 

 

“ Asshole .” She replies in an annoyed hiss.

 

“Why are you guys fightin’?” Kāto asks with her mouth full.

 

“Akito wants to write a song that Keiko doesn’t approve of.” Vesper replies, tying up his hair, his eyes darting to the side to make sure he doesn’t accidentally hit you with his elbow.

 

“He wants to write a song inspired by Dabi.” Keiko says, her voice heavy with judgment. “ Dabi. I mean, he killed people.”

 

You fight the urge to shrink into yourself, and peer over at Vesper to see what his reaction is, but he seems unperturbed, just watching the two opposite blankly.

 

“If you read the articles you’d realise that he only did that in self defense ‘cause they were always trynna kill or hurt them first.” Takagi retorts, brushing off the tobacco covering his pants. 

 

“Let's just stop talking about it.” Vesper suggests, leaning back in his chair. 

 

“You’re gonna let him do it?” She asks, turning her anger towards Vesper.

 

Vesper shrugs, which only gets her ear twitching again, a low yowl forming at the back of her throat.

 

“Let’s drop it.” He repeats. 

 

“You’re gonna start fights again.” Kāto says with a knowing tone.

 

“It’ll be subtle.” Vesper shrugs. 

 

“Seriously, Ves?” She asks, even more irritated as her tail begins swaying violently from side to side. “He got hurt last time. Seriously hurt.”

 

“I threw myself in.” Takagi defends. “Don’t blame it on him.”

 

Kāto watches quietly as she eats, the whole table the most tense it’s ever been. Vesper is sitting with his arms crossed, but other than that he looks unphased by Keiko’s anger, and Takagi’s back to rolling a cigarette silently, staring at Keiko too.

 

“You’re both reckless and stupid.” She says simply, getting up.

 

“Babe, c’mon, it was just an idea.” Takagi sighs, tugging the hem of her skirt. 

 

She spins around, her nails rapidly turning into claws and scratches Takagi without so much as a ‘sorry’, turning back around and leaving without a word as he clutches his hand.

 

“Two in a month!” Takagi says in surprise, not taking it to heart. “You’re next, Kāto.”

 

“What’d you mean?” Vesper asks, frowning.

 

“Star punched me the other week.” Takagi says, smirking.

 

Vesper turns to look at you, his expression unreadable to you, and Kāto looks surprised too, her chewing slowing.

 

“I said sorry, I didn’t mean to.” You say quickly, somehow feeling even smaller with his bright green eyes on you. “He spooked me and I just… it’s never happened before.”

 

“Sounds like you deserved it then, Akito.” Vesper shrugs, turning his attention back to Takagi. “Thought you picked up quickly that she doesn’t like that.”

 

“I can’t believe you got to punch him before me!” Kāto exclaims, hopping from her seat to try and throw her own fist towards him.

 

Unfortunately for her, due to her height, it’s easy to dodge, and Takagi holds his hands up.

 

“Woah, squeaks, cool it. I’ve already got one injury. Your time’ll come.” 

 

“Yeah, now !” Kāto insists, and the two end up on the same seat somehow, Takagi managing to keep her at bay with his hand alone.

 

It’s ridiculous to watch, and they’re attracting the attention of other people in the room, who look over at you all with raised eyebrows and judgemental whispers.

You’re worried about Keiko, so you turn to Vesper, who’s watching the debacle a little exasperatedly.

 

“Vesper.”

 

His lips twitch upwards slightly and he tilts his head towards you, his tail flicking across the floor right at the end. 

 

“Yeah?” He replies quietly, matching your tone.

 

“I’m gonna go find Keiko. I’m worried about her.” You say, running your eyes over his face. “Aren’t you guys?”

 

“They fight a lot.” He explains as Takagi narrowly avoids being bitten. “She’ll calm down.”

 

“I dunno… She seemed really upset.” You murmur, never having seen Keiko lose her cool like that before.

 

Vesper looks at you, his slit pupils dilating ever so slightly.  

 

“Okay.” He says, nodding and uncrossing his arms. “I’ll see you later.”

 

You smile softly at him. “See you later.”

 

There’s a silent moment where you both stare at each other, and it kind of feels like something was meant to happen, maybe a hug or something, but you’re not sure.

 

“Kiss!” Kāto hisses to you, not very subtly, and you immediately recoil away from him, embarrassment heating up your face. 

 

“Don’t make it weird, Hana.” Vesper replies calmly. 

 

“But-“

 

“I’m gonna go check on Keiko.” You say quickly, standing up. “I’ll see you guys next break.”

 

“Wait, ‘Roki, you forgot something.” Takagi says, grabbing your hoodie as you pass.

 

“I did? What?” You ask, looking back at the table.

 

“Vespers kiss.” Takagi replies with a snicker. 

 

“Leave her alone, or I’ll hit you.” Vesper says dryly, which only seems to egg Takagi on. 

 

You keep your head down as you leave, hoping no-one can tell how embarrassed you are. 

You know you have no chance of trying to find Keiko when you only know how to get to the usual hangout spot and the art buildings, so you call her, not really expecting her to pick up.

 

“Yeah?” She says as she answers.

 

“Where are you?” You ask, looking down the hallway like you’ll be able to spot some sign of her.

 

“…Smoking area.”

 

“Can I come see you?” You ask, knowing from Tomura that sometimes people wanted to be left alone when they were upset.

 

She’s quiet for a moment, but says: “Yeah. Okay.”

 

You smile a little to yourself, looking for signs that would lead you there, but come up empty. 

 

“…Can you tell me how to get there?”

 

She laughs at you dryly, probably due to your complete lack of knowledge about the campus, but she does give you step-by-step directions on where to find her, and you manage to follow them without getting lost.

You push the door to the smoking area open, and find her sitting opposite it on her own, her feline ear twitching as she smokes alone on a bench. 

 

“Hey.” You say, sitting next to her on the bench.

 

“Hey.” She replies quietly. 

 

“I didn’t know you smoke.” 

 

“I try not to.” She admits, sighing. “Just stressed out.”

 

“Because of the song?” You ask, looking out at the other students on different benches under the shade, smoking and talking.

 

“Not exactly.” She murmurs, flicking ash onto the floor.

 

You turn your attention back to her, regarding her curiously for more information. She doesn’t meet your gaze as she takes a long drag of her cigarette, her ear flicking slightly.

When she does look at you though, her expression softens, and she smiles slightly at you.

 

“Usually it’s Vesper that comes chasing after me.”

 

“Well, you seemed mad at him. He probably wanted to give you some space.” You try to reassure, and she snorts a little bit, looking away again.

 

“Can you tell me what’s wrong?” You try again. “I've never seen you get upset before.” 

 

She glances at you through her thin curtain of hair. “Just worried about him.”

 

“Vesper?” You ask, confused.

 

“Akito.” She clarifies. “He’s doing dumb shit again.”

 

You squint a little bit. “He seems his usual self to me?”

 

She gives a humourless laugh. “Not that, Star. Subtle things. Like writing a song about something that’ll start fights. Staying at his huge house alone even though he hates being alone. Someone said they saw him in a dangerous part of town the other week trying to ‘find’ something. He’s not eaten here at all this week.”

 

You listen, trying to understand what she’s saying.

 

“I mean, last time he threw a party he tried throwing himself off the balcony, if you want a more obvious marker he’s not doing too great.” She says, shaking her head a little bit.

 

“He said he wasn’t going to.” You tell her, trying to help her.

 

“He said that the last three times.” 

 

Your brow furrows. “But why would he?”

 

She looks at you sadly. “You know what? Don’t worry about it, Star.”

 

“But you’re stressed about it.” You argue. “I want to help.”

 

“I love you, girl.” She says with a genuine warmth in her voice. “But you can’t help if you don’t even know about these kinds of things.”

 

“Then teach me.” You say, desperately trying to learn, to be more of an adult, someone that knew things.

 

“It’s not my place to tell you.” She explains, putting out her cigarette. “He’ll probably tell you about it at some point. Or, if you’re really unlucky, you’ll see it for yourself.”

 

*•*

 

Next break, you can’t help but find yourself staring at Takagi, trying to decipher his every sentence and move, looking for some kind of secret that would explain why he would deliberately jump off the balcony at his house, or deliberately get hurt in a fight at one of Ill Intent’s gigs. 

Every time he catches your eyes, you look away, not really noticing how Vesper is getting more and more tense beside you, his claws digging into his arms and his expression hardening the more you stare at Takagi.

 

“Got a starin’ problem, ‘Roki?” Takagi asks finally, leaning back and raising an eyebrow. 

 

“No, sorry.” You reply quickly, embarrassed because everyone else looks awkward about it.

 

“Maybe turn your attention to the dude on your left.” Takagi suggests, half joking.

 

You glance at Vesper, finally noticing how hard-set his face is and how stiff he’s sitting next to you. He doesn’t look at you immediately, but when he does, you swear there’s a little hurt in his eyes.

Your heart stinks, and you stand up.

 

“Let's go talk?”

 

Everyone is silent, including Vesper as he looks up at you from his seat. 

Reluctantly, he gets up from his seat, standing and waiting for you to lead the way. You’re thankful that there’s not any further goading from Takagi, and that if the others are going to talk about you, it’s going to be out of earshot. 

You try your best to remember the way Keiko had told you to get to the smoking area, but find yourself in a random corridor you don’t recognise.

 

You turn around sheepishly, and Vesper’s eyes are on you.

 

“Smoking area?”

 

“Yeah. How did you-“ You begin to say.

 

He pushes open a door next to him that leads to the outside area wordlessly. 

You look at the suddenly recognisable door, a little embarrassed.

 

“It was open before.” You explain in a humiliated manner, walking under his arm.

 

“You’re meant to leave it shut so the smell doesn’t come in.” He informs you, his voice back to how it had been before he’d started getting closer to you.

 

Your stomach feels heavy, and you head to the most secluded area possible before reaching for his hand. His ridged brows furrow, but he lets you gently lace your fingers through his, your heart pounding in your chest.

 

“Are you mad at me?” You ask quietly.

 

He regards you silently for a second. “Not mad . Upset.”

 

“Can you tell me why?” You ask, wanting to understand what you had done wrong.

 

He stares at you blankly momentarily, but takes a step closer when someone passes behind you.

 

“You’ve just spent the past twenty minutes staring at my best friend, Star.” He says evenly. 

 

You process what he’s saying for a second before it clicks in your head and your eyes widen.

 

“No! Not like that !” You insist, screwing your face up a bit. “I just… Keiko told me she’s worried about him because he tries to jump off the balcony on purpose a lot, even though he said he wasn’t going to. I just wanted to figure out why he would do that.”

 

Vesper stares at you, like he’s trying to process what you’re saying even though he was there when it happened.

 

“I know he has scars, I knew a girl that had the same ones, ‘cause she was sad, but she looked sad. Takagi seems happy. I’m just confused.” You explain further.

 

“That’s why you were staring at him?” Vesper asks, sounding a little distrustful.

 

“Yeah. I’m pretty good at reading people. I thought if I paid enough attention I’d see him being sad, or notice a reason why he’d be sad enough to do something that could really hurt him.” 

 

Vesper is silent for another moment, but his body relaxes slowly and he lets out a slow breath through his nose.

 

“Akito has problems.” He explains. “That’s why we worry about him.”

 

“But he seems fine.” You frown. “I don’t get it.”

 

“He’s a good actor.” Vesper sighs, tugging on your interlocked fingers to sit you down on a bench beside him. “It only really comes out when he’s drunk.”

 

“Then he should stop drinking.” You say, sitting next to him, lost in thought. It seemed like a pretty easy fix to you, at least.

 

Vesper doesn’t reply, and when you look at him, his eyes are transfixed on your hands. You smile softly and give his hand a squeeze, widening your smile when he looks up at you.

 

“I only like you.” You tell him, your face heating up.

 

“Yeah.” He says, sounding more like he’s trying to reassure himself than agreeing with you. “…Yeah.”

 

 *•*

 

When you get home, having diffused the situation with Vesper and managed to keep the musing about Takagi to a minimum so you could get a good chunk of your project done, Dabi’s in the kitchen drinking a beer, dressed in a suit. 

You raise an eyebrow as you carry Cloud in, it’s rare that he actually ever goes into work, it’s not even the evening yet he’s cracked open a beer, and he seems completely oblivious to you coming home.

 

“Hard day?” You ask, amused.

 

Dabi groans loudly and turns to look at you tiredly.

You put Cloud down the second he reaches for a hug, letting him pull you to him.

 

“Hey, hon.” He sighs, rubbing your back before letting go of you. “Ain’t cooking tonight, so pick what take out you want.”

 

“Is something the matter?” You ask as he grabs his beer again.

 

“Long day.” He replies, walking past you to sit on the couch.

 

You follow behind him, leaving Cloud to eat the kibble that had been put down for him. 

 

“Did something happen?” You ask curiously.

 

“Not a damn thing, darlin’. It was so boring. I dunno how he does it all day every day.” Dabi replies, flopping against the back of the couch.

 

You hum, not really understanding why that would make him need a beer so early, but accepting it anyway.

 

“Where’s Tomura?” You ask, wrapping your arms around his neck from behind.

 

“Doctors.”

 

“Oh.” You murmur. “Is he okay?”

 

“Fine, hon.” Dabi replies, leaning his head on yours.

 

“Okay.” You murmur, kissing his staple-lined cheek and pulling back from him again. “Can I ask you something?”

 

“Sure, hon. What’s up?” Dabi asks, tilting his head to look at you, his white eyebrows pulling together slightly in concern.

 

“When you burned, was it on purpose, or an accident?” You ask.

 

He blinks at you, stunned silent for a second. “Huh?”

 

“When you got burned, was it on purpose or an accident?” You repeat, trying to speak more clearly.

 

He stares at you for a long moment, opening and closing his mouth a couple of times before his concerned frown deepens and he shakes his head a little bit at you.

 

“Where is this comin’ from?” He asks, still frowning.

 

You don’t understand why he looks mad about you asking, because he’d always been pretty open with you about the scarring and how he got it, as well as how they would cause him problems from time to time. 

 

“I just wanna know.” You reply. “One of my friends keeps trying to do dangerous things that could hurt him on purpose and I just want to understand why.”

 

“If your friends are doing shit like that I don’t want you around them.” Dabi says simply, turning his face away from you to grab his beer from the table.

 

“Don’t be like that. I just want to help him.” You argue.

 

“This that Wani guy?” Dabi asks.

 

“No! Takagi.” You groan in exasperation. 

 

He huffs. “Don’t like it anyway.”

 

“Just answer the question, please.” You plead as he stands up, taking his beer with him. “I wanna understand.”

 

“Gotta make a call. Pick somethin’ to eat.” He says, waving you off.

 

You watch him leave, confused and worried that it was the wrong thing to have asked. 

He doesn’t come back down even when you order the food, and when you stand outside the door, you can’t hear whatever he might have been saying thanks to the soundproofing Tomura was insistent on having in the entire house.

So you end up eating alone, with Cloud continuously trying to jump onto the table.

 

Tomura does come back halfway into your meal, raising a wrinkled brow at the sight of the take out boxes on the table, draping his suit jacket over the back of the armchair.

 

“Couldn’t be bothered to cook then?” He asks, going to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. “How are you, little Star?”

 

“M’ okay.” You reply half-heartedly with a mouth full of food. “Are you?”

 

Tomura hums, taking a seat opposite you and looking over you thoughtfully while sipping his water.

 

“Talk.” He says simply.

 

“Huh?” You ask, poking at your food.

 

“Don’t play dumb with me.” Tomura says, but his voice is all amusement. “Where’s Touya?”

 

“Upstairs, he said he had to make a call.” You murmur.

 

“Are you both fighting again?” Tomura asks, finally moving forward to pick out food he wants from the random selection of things you’d brought. 

 

“No.” You reply, sighing and leaning back in your seat. “I asked him a question, he said he didn’t want me hanging around my friends anymore, and then went to make the call.”

 

Tomura nods. “What did you ask him?”

 

“Whether he burned himself on purpose, or if it was an accident.” You reply.

 

Tomura pauses, his crimson eyes zeroing in on you. “Why would you ask something like that, Star?”

 

You open your mouth to reply, but think better of it when you remember the reaction that Dabi had towards the reason you’d given him for asking, and just shrug instead. 

Tomura obviously isn’t buying it, and just leans back in his seat, crossing his arms and staring at you with an intensity that you know only means: ‘tell me now’.

 

“One of my friends is doing things that could really hurt him on purpose. I thought maybe dad would be able to help me understand why.” You explain, avoiding looking at him.

 

“Okay. And why didn’t you just tell me that in the first place?” Tomura asks, finally beginning to eat.

 

“Because he said he didn’t want me to hang around with my friends if they’re doing that kinda stuff.” You explain, giving up on your food and dragging Cloud onto your lap instead.

 

Tomura hums thoughtfully again, but doesn’t address it. 

 

“There’s a lot of reasons someone would do something like that.” He says. “Everyone’s got their reasons, but you can’t force them to tell you. You just have to watch and care for them when they’re feeling a little vulnerable.”

 

“But I wanna help.” You sigh, cuddling Cloud like a baby.

 

“Just being there is a help. They need to help themselves first.” Tomura states as matter-of-factly as ever. 

 

*•*

 

You’re playing on your beaten-up Switch, laying next to Cloud on your bed when there’s a knock at the door. You glance at your clock, and frown when you see it’s relatively late into the night.

 

You go to the door, opening it a crack to see your scarred dad looking at you through his white eyelashes.

 

“Can I come in?” Dabi asks.

 

“Sure.” You agree, confused, opening the door wider and moving out of the way for him.

 

He follows you in, only coming to sit on the bed when you cross your legs and pat the bed, signaling for him to join you. 

He sighs deeply when he sits down, petting Cloud the instant the little furball gets onto his lap. 

 

“The first time was an accident.” Dabi says, taking a deep breath. “Second time, not so much.”

 

You blink at him, not actually expecting to get any answers from him about the subject.

 

“Why?” You ask, stunned.

 

Dabi pauses, clearly thinking about the answer. “‘Cause I wanted to get rid of him. And I thought that was the only way to do it properly. That I probably wasn’t strong enough to do it alone without… Well you know.”

 

“But you lost an arm.” You remind him, confused. “You could have died.”

 

“I didn’t.”

 

“But you could have. And then I’d have been alone again.” You argue.

 

He purses his lips slightly. “You’d have Tomura and the others, old man Giran and Aiko.”

 

You stare at him in shock. “What are you talking about?”

 

“I’ve answered your question.” He replies, shooing Cloud off his lap so he can stand up. “See you in the mornin’, darlin’.”

 

“You can’t just say that and go!” You exclaim in stunned anger as you watch him head for your door, scratching his head. “Dad!”

 

But he leaves without another word.

 

Sleep doesn’t come for quite some time after that, and when it does, you’re faced with a nightmare.

A nightmare where Dabi’s not there anymore, Tomura doesn’t want you, and Uncle Giran and Aiko go missing. 

You feel about eleven years old again when you wake up with Cloud licking your face with his sandpapery tongue.

 

Except when you were eleven, you’d go to your parents room.

Now you find yourself reaching for your phone, taking heavy breaths as you sit up and reach for your lamp as the dial tone rings out.

 

“Star?” Vesper answers after the phone rings for a while, his voice impossibly lower with his grogginess.

 

“Sorry, did I wake you?” You ask between dry sobs.

 

“…Are you crying?” He asks, sounding a lot more awake. “What happened? Are you okay?”

 

“It’s stupid, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called.” You say, rubbing your eyes.

 

“You should’ve.” He insists, and you hear his bed creak and a click of a light on his end of the line too. “Where are you?”

 

“I’m at home. I had a nightmare.” You explain, and then laugh as fresh tears spill from your eyes. “See? I told you it was dumb.”

 

He’s quiet for a moment and you convince yourself he’s mad at you for waking him up in that short span of time.

 

“Wanna talk about it?” 

 

“No, I’m kind of embarrassed actually.” You reply, laughing nervously again. “I’ll let you go back to sleep, I’m really s-“

 

“Tell me about it.” Vesper interrupts. “…It’ll help.”

 

You can’t tell him the details, because you promised your dads you wouldn’t give them away. It was sweet of Vesper to try and help, and you wanted to spill your guts, you always had with all of your family… but you couldn’t this time.

 

“My dad told me something that upset me earlier, I think it just is playing on my mind a bit.” You reply, your breaths actually evening out already. 

 

“I’m sorry, Star.” He says softly. “But it was just a dream. Everything’s alright.”

 

“I know. It just so easily wouldn’t have been just a dream.” You reply, beginning to cry again.

 

“Please don’t cry.” Vesper pleads quietly. “It’s fine. You’re fine.”

 

You nod, not that he can see it, and wipe your eyes as he listens on the other side.

 

“Shit… Do you want me to come over? I can find a way.”

 

“No, it’s fine, I’m fine, you’re right.” You reassure quickly.

 

He pauses again, listening to you try to collect yourself without any judgment even in his voice. 

He just… stays on the line as you slowly calm down, waiting until your shuddered breaths are really far apart and the sound of Clouds purring drowns them out anyway.

 

“You feel better?” He asks after a while.

 

“A little. I’m sorry.” You reply, thoroughly embarrassed. 

 

He sighs a little to himself. “Lay back down.”

 

You do, leaving the light on this time. 

 

“Tell me about the ducks.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You said your dad used to take you to see the ducks. Tell me about it.” He repeats, and you hear his light click back off and his bed creak again.

 

And so you do. You tell him about how you started visiting the ducks, and how your dad had taught you how to pet them. You even mention how your dads proposed to each other at a duck pond, and he listens patiently the whole time, even when you begin yawning between words.

 

“Think of all of that, and try to go to sleep.” Vesper says once you naturally run out of stories to tell. “I’ll stay on the phone.”

 

“You don’t have to.” You say, your heart getting warmer as you smile a little against the pillow.

 

“I want to.” He says simply.

Chapter 11: Ill Intent

“So you may as well stay at mine tonight with the others.” Akito finishes his five minute long rant with.

 

Vesper deadpans at him while helping him tune his stupid guitar that had definitely been tuned yesterday, too. God knows what he did to the things when he was out of sight of Vesper.

 

“Come on! You could score some alone time away from your mom with Star!” Akito tries to bargain.

 

“Not interested.” Vesper says simply, his hands working at the strings carefully.

 

“What’s the point in bein’ with this girl if you're not interested in her in that way?” Akito groans, leaning back dramatically.

 

“Didn’t say that.” Vesper replies, exhaling through his nose exasperatedly. “We haven’t even moved past hugging, Aki. What makes you think we’re gonna jump into bed together the first chance we get?”

 

“I would.” Akito mumbles. 

 

Vesper ignores him, because just because he would, it didn’t mean Vesper needed to. They had a show they needed to get ready for, and he wasn’t going to continue this back and forth for longer than he needed to.

His mom needed him right now, so he would try to get back in time to catch her before her shift.

 

“Hey, does she know about your thing yet?” Akito snickers, drawing Vesper’s attention back to him as he looks at Akito holding up two fingers tiredly.

 

“No. She doesn’t.” Vesper says bluntly, and thrusts Akito’s guitar back at him.

 

“Maybe you should tell her, man. Might speed things up a bit.” Akito suggests, hopping down off the table he’d been sitting on.

 

“I’m happy with how things are.” Vesper says, strained, as Akito follows behind him. 

 

“You don’t treasure those things enough man, if I had-“

 

“Stop.” 

 

“Aw, are you embarrassed ?” Akito immediately teases, and Vesper inhales deeply before asking for a bottle of water from the bartender. “Aw, Ves.”

 

It takes everything in him not to shove the smaller guy off of him as he tries to jump and pinch Vesper’s rough cheek patronizingly. 

Instead he settles for flicking the end of his tail against the back of Akito’s knee hard enough so that his leg buckles and he almost crumples to the floor.

 

“Well played.” Akito praises, smirking like he always does whenever he winds Vesper up enough.

 

“Shut up and go do your sound check.” Vesper mutters into his water.

 

“You’re so cute when you’re serious.” Akito teases.

 

“I hate you so much right now.” Vesper replies dryly.

 

“Eh, you love me.” Akito replies confidently, trying to pinch Vesper's exposed side before darting off, finally doing his sound check.

 

The conversation makes Vesper decide to check his phone. He hasn’t checked it since earlier on in the day, and definitely not since turning up to the venue for the show tonight. 

 

Star ⭐️: i’m excited to see you later!

Star ⭐️: They’re making me change, might need to borrow a jacket later, sorry 

Star ⭐️: Are you staying at Takagi’s tonight too? 

 

Mom❤️ : make sure you eat if you’re drinking tonight!

Mom❤️: love you

 

Vesper: not planning on it mom. Hoping to come back later. Love you too

 

Vesper: that’s fine, I have a sweater and jacket you can borrow if you need it. How come they made you change?

 

Star ⭐️: apparently I looked like a nun 😅

Star ⭐️: Thank you!!

Star ⭐️: are you staying at Takagis? 🥺

 

Vesper: I’m sure you looked nice anyway. & I wasn’t really planning on it but I’ll see what happens.

 

Star ⭐️: thank you 🥺 & okay! See you soon

 

Vesper sighs a little, sliding his phone into his pocket again and takes another sip of water before deciding to join the others on stage for sound check.

But he’s distracted the entire time, because there was no way a girl like Star could genuinely be interested in him.

No girl ever was. 

 

When she’d been staring at Akito the other day it had almost made sense to Vesper. He was just a stepping stone to getting to Akito, he’d convinced himself. He wasn’t expecting her to say so candidly that she only liked him .

He doesn’t get how she could like him, he was barely even human, and she was gorgeous, nice and talented.

Girls like that didn’t want boyfriends that had such severe forms of heteromorphism like him.

 

So deep down, he can’t help himself from still waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Because it’s just too good to be true.

 

He manages to pull himself through the sound check without getting too nervous, it’s always easier when there’s no crowd of people watching. And once sound check is done, they can mostly relax until people pile in and the other bands start to play. 

He’s busy rolling a beer bottle around in his hands, listening to the other guys talk silently when he’s suddenly dragged into the conversation.

 

“Hey, Ves, your girlfriend coming tonight?” Abe asks, smirking.

 

“She’s not my girlfriend. We went on one date. That’s all.” Vesper replies, swigging his beer to lubricate the conversation.

 

“That’s enough for marriage isn’t it?” Aoki joins in with the teasing, flicking his hair out of his eyes.

 

Vesper deadpans at him, getting a snicker in response. 

 

“My boy’s scared of getting attached.” Akito chimes up, wrapping an arm around Vesper's shoulders.

 

Vesper bristles, because he’d clocked him immediately and he hated that, and it’s not made much better when Aoki’s grin widens and he says:

 

“Well if you don’t want her, I’ll have her. She’s cute.”

 

Vesper can’t help but be glad that he’s currently a little colder than he should be, because if it were any hotter in the room smoke would be leaking out of his nose.

 

“Gonna go smoke.” He announces, standing up.

 

“Just playing dude.” Aoki immediately tries to backtrack.

 

“It’s fine. Just need some fresh air before people come in.” Vesper dismisses, digging in his pocket for the pack of cigarettes he always carried on him during gigs.

 

None of them follow thankfully as he pulls his jacket on and sits outside in the smoking area, not making any effort to actually light the cigarette hanging out of the end of his mouth. 

He just sits there quietly for a little while, cherishing the peace while it’s there. Things were going to get loud and busy very quickly, as marked by the people beginning to filter into the garden area, giving him a decent amount of space to himself still.

It’s not long before the bench he’s on is full, and he’s practically being pushed to the end of it, and that’s when he finally lights the cigarette.

 

He’s lost in thought when he sees fishnet tights approach him, but he doesn’t pay it much mind as he takes a drag of the cigarette, leaning forward, his elbows on his thighs. 

 

“You there?” A familiar amused voice asks from in front of him, and he finally snaps out of his daze.

 

His eyes travel from the red sneakers, up the fishnet tights to the hem of the oversized and old Ill Intent hoodie, all the way up to the friendly smile of Star Todoroki. 

His tail flicks immediately at the sight of her and he can’t help but smile straight back at her.

 

“Yeah. I’m here.” He grins. “Where’d you get this from?” 

 

He tugs on the old hoodie’s sleeve gently, deciding it was the safest place to touch her without freaking her out. It works, because she doesn’t shy away or flinch. 

 

“Keiko gave it to me. She said you’d like it.” She replies shyly, her hands clasping one another in front of her.

 

It’s so cute that Vesper struggles to believe it again.

 

“It looks good on you. You look good.” He agrees, fumbling the words awkwardly as he puts the cigarette out in the ashtray on the arm of the bench. 

 

“Thanks. So do you.” She replies wholeheartedly. “I always like when you have your hair up.”

 

Vesper blinks at her, because his hair has always been like a comfort blanket to him. He’d had it long for years so that he could hide behind it, to hide away from prying eyes.

She gestures to her own ears, her eyes kind and her smile warm as she looks down at him.

 

“You have cool ears. I wish mine were pointed.” She continues, complimenting him on things he’d never been complimented on before. “I wish I had more piercings in mine, too.”

 

He can’t really think of anything to say in return, because he’s getting nervous for more reasons than just the impending show now, and Star's face softens.

 

“Are you nervous?” She asks quietly. “Is that why you smoke before you play?”

 

Vesper manages to bob his head in a curt agreement, and Star hums understandingly, getting bumped by someone trying to pass in the small gap between her and a small group of people.

 

“Can I sit on your lap?” She asks.

 

“Huh?” Is Vesper's initial response.

 

“Can I sit on your lap?” She asks a little louder, as though the issue was that he hadn’t heard her.

 

He blinks at her, dumbfounded, but his body nods for him, and she beams at him. 

She turns her back to him, sitting on his lap, and Vesper surprises himself when his arms automatically wrap around her middle.

 

“This okay?” He asks, his heart in his throat.

 

“Mhm! It was a long walk from the station, sorry. Takagi said you came out here and I wanted to make sure you were okay, Zero said you were nervous last time too.” 

 

“Your uncle? How did he know?” Vesper asks with a confused frown, as far as he could remember, he didn’t utter a word to the scarred man.

 

“He can sense people’s feelings, it’s his quirk.” She explains. “But you’ll be okay, you'll do great! Just like last time.” 

 

And she says it so affectionately, gazing at him with the kindest eyes he’s ever had on him. He just stares back at her like a hopeless idiot, because how was this happening to him ?

She huffs at him, like there’s something charming about the fact he’s gone mute, and opens her mouth, but is interrupted by Akito.

 

“Missin’ the opening act.” He says, waving his match out. “Lovebirds.”

 

Star tenses a little, but leans against Vesper's chest, and he can’t help but worry that she might feel how quick his heart is beating from being in such close proximity to her.

 

“Seen ‘em a million times.” Vesper says, cautiously resting his chin on her shoulder. 

 

“I was giving him a pep talk.” Star explains.

 

“Yeah, all cosy like.” Akito teases.

 

Vesper narrows his eyes at him, but it goes ignored as Akito carries on teasing them both, ending it with telling them both to get up and go in and to stop being ‘antisocial’.

Star rolls her eyes and presses a quick kiss to Vesper's cheek. 

 

“You’ll be great.” She repeats before standing up, leaving him stunned silent as she walks back into the bar. 

 

“Aw, baby’s first kiss.” Akito teases, making an attempt to pinch the side of Vesper's face. 

 

Vesper sighs, grabbing Akito by his middle and hauling him up in one easy motion over his shoulder, plonking the smaller boy on the bench where he’d been sitting previously.

 

“Woah, that was hot.” Akito says, surprised. “Again!”

 

Vesper flips him off without turning around as he heads back inside. Keiko could handle herself perfectly fine, but Hana was a flight risk, and Star… well, she was barely wearing anything , and Vesper knew men could be gross even a couple of drinks in.

The place is busier than expected, and it’s one of the rare occasions Vesper is glad he’s so big and so recognisable because he can see the girls sitting over at the bar over the top of everyone else’s heads.

 

“Ves! Here!” Keiko calls anyway, waving him over.

 

Vesper grins at her, pushing his way through the crowd to get to them. The second he’s close enough, Hana’s using her deceiving strength to climb up onto his shoulders, but he doesn’t mind too much, he’s used to her doing it, and she always wraps her tail around him so she’s extra stable when she does it, which means he doesn’t need to stress too much about holding her up there. 

 

Star beams at the sight of it, sipping a drink that matches Keiko’s. 

The second Hana is on his shoulders she’s yelling and trying to catch the attention of the frontman, and Vesper rolls his eyes but tries getting on his tiptoes to help her endeavor. 

The second the frontman grins and waves her on stage she’s off Vespers shoulders and being carried over to the stage by other attendees.

 

He takes his chance of freedom to join Star and Keiko by the bar, leaning down so Keiko can talk to him without yelling.

 

“Where’s Aki?” She asks, one of her pointed ears flicking a little.

 

“Outside. He’s fine. He’s only had a couple’a beers.” Vesper replies, glancing at Star from the corners of his eyes to make sure she’s okay.

 

She’s fine, smiling as she sips from her straw, watching Hana prance around on stage encouraging the crowd to jump. 

 

“Thanks, Ves.” Keiko says with a soft smile, squeezing his arm affectionately.

 

He wouldn’t have thought twice about that before, and he knows she doesn’t mean anything by it, but he feels a little guilty despite Star not even blinking about the contact.

 

“She’s so brave.” She calls over the music. “I could never.”

 

“She’s insane .” Keiko corrects playfully.

 

Akito makes his way through the crowd finally, immediately latching to Keiko’s side. Vesper can’t help but watch Star's face as she admires the band and Hana from afar, her eyes sparkling with excitement for her friend.

Vesper leans forward, their faces practically touching.

 

“If you want to come on stage when we play, you can.” He offers, moving away again to look at her expression. 

 

She seems to get a little bashful, trying to hide behind her drink as she motions for him to lean down again. He does, eager to listen to whatever she has to say. 

 

“No it’s okay.” She says, her lips practically grazing his ear. “I don’t wanna ruin the thing you have going on.”

 

Vesper frowns. “What thing?” 

 

“You put on a good show! I don’t wanna ruin that!”

 

“You could never ruin that.” Vesper says, almost insulted. “You’d probably make it better, people would rather watch a pretty girl than me.”

 

She immediately goes all flustered and adorable, her lips pulled up ever so slightly as she looks at him like he’s the only person in the world.

Vesper wishes he had a normal face so that he could kiss her properly, but the best he can do is rest a hand carefully at the back of her head, which she doesn’t flinch at, and press his snout against her forehead.

 

When he pulls away, his heart pounding in his chest, her grin is even wider, and she doesn’t seem put off at all. 

 

“You don’t give yourself enough credit!” She calls over the support act announcing their final song. “You’re really fun to watch, and you look great!”

 

Vesper just stares at her in response.

Too good to be true.

 

Hana tugging at his shirt pulls his attention away, and he has to crouch to hear her talking to him.

 

“Can you carry me on so I can crowd surf?” She asks excitedly. 

 

“Only if you persuade Star to go, too.” Vesper bargains, watching the round-cheeked girl carefully as people start barging to get to the bar again. 

 

“Deal!” Hana agrees and hops up onto the stool beside Stars, the two talking closely with one another.

 

He probably shouldn’t have forced the subject, but he really wanted Star to live a little more, to push herself out of her comfort zone and to have fun .

Hana, with her talent of always managing to talk people into things they’d never imagine they’d do before she’s convinced them to, has Star agreeing to be led onto stage while Hana demands to be carried over Vesper's shoulder.

 

Star slides her hand into his, and nervously follows him on stage when Akito makes it clear it’s time to go.

Abe and Aoki are on it, as always, the first people on stage, teasing the crowd by improvising jamming together.

Vesper sets Hana down in front of the roaring crowd, smiling at everyone as he grabs the microphone, and lets go of Star's hand, taking note of the look of unease now she’s up there with them.

 

He gets it. That’s why he always has to have a nervous cigarette before every performance.

 

“Hello.” He says, and everyone cheers, which makes him laugh. He always spends so much time worrying before playing, and it’s always okay. “We’re Ill Intent. You might have heard of us.”

 

“Who’re the girls?” Someone calls from the crowd, making them all laugh on-stage.

 

“This is our friend Hana.” Vesper introduces, patting Hana’s head as she poses cutely for the crowd. “And this…”

 

He pauses for a second. He can’t say girlfriend, because she’s only been on one date with him. He can’t say friend, because he wanted more than that, he wanted to treasure the random stroke of luck he’d had with her.

 

“Is Star.” He settles with, simply. “They’re going to jump when we start playing, and we’re expecting you to catch them.”

 

“And none of that creepy shit either for the ones that want to test their luck.” Akito pipes up. 

 

“Don’t piss us off.” Vesper agrees. “Have any of you been to see us recently?”

 

There’s a few whistles and cheers from the crowd, so Vesper nods a little to himself, wrapping the mics wire around his wrist a couple of times and gently pushing Star towards the edge of the stage with Hana.

 

“So you’ll know this one.” Vesper says, and Akito calls:

 

“It’s Bite Back!”

 

Hana grabs Star's hand when the guys start playing, and leaps from the stage, giving Star no choice but to go with her. Vesper watches carefully even while performing to make sure the two are caught and are being carried to safety without any wandering hands or any other kind of issue.

And sure, Star looks terrified at first, but her face soon lights up when she realises she’s safe, and Vesper almost gets caught off guard when she looks directly at him with the most alive, sparkling eyes he’s ever seen, and her smile the widest and most genuine he’d ever witnessed from her, too.

 

He watches them carefully as they’re passed from person to person all the way to the back of the crowd, and gives them a thumbs up when they’re set down, making sure they’re okay. Hana jumps up and down as she waves, and Star gives an enthusiastic thumbs up back, her wide smile permanently fixed on her face.

Vesper can relax a little more with Hana back in the crowd, being lifted by people easily thanks to her small stance, and Star rejoining Keiko by the bar.

 

He eases into the performances, getting into the comfortable headspace he finds himself in when people are enjoying what they created together and are hollering at him and the others for good reasons, not bad ones. 

Before the final song, Vesper crouches at the edge of the stage, catching his breath.

Takagi and Aoki take over, Abe mindlessly drumming in the background as the two chatter and interact with the audience.

 

He moves his fringe out of the way, trying to spot the girls in the crowd. 

Kāto is on some guys shoulders, but Keiko and Star have disappeared, merging into the crowd probably. It’s hard to tell with the lights in his eyes, but he trusts the two to look after one another.

He rises again, and Takagi slaps his back a couple times.

 

“You guys wanna hear a new song?” Vesper asks, placing the mic in its stand so he can top up with water.

 

The audience cheers, and Vesper grins into his water bottle. Akito explains that it’s not quite perfect yet and that they all need to be patient with them.

 

“High energy guys. S’ our last song.” Akito tells them all. 

 

A couple boos sound out and Vesper chuckles. “Alright, alright. Less of that. Put your energy into this song.”

 

He motions for the crowd to split as the others begin playing the intro, still keeping half an eye out for Keiko and Star. 

When the audience is in a good enough state Vesper nods a little to himself, taking a deeper breath as he psyches himself up for the last song.

 

“This is Gasoline.” Vesper shouts, looking across the crowd. “You guys ready?”

 

They roar an agreement and Vesper smirks.

 

“Lets burn it fucking down!”

 

*•*

 

It’d been at least an hour since they’d been packed up and the show was over, and Vesper was beginning to get antsy about the fact that Keiko and Star had seemingly disappeared into thin air. 

And because he was getting anxious, Akito was too, and doing him no favours with it because Hana is too drunk to really soothe either of them, instead just telling them that she’s sure they’re fine when either of them pull their phones out to check if they’ve gotten responses.

 

When Vesper finally sees Keiko’s black ears amongst the crowd he shoots to his feet and makes a beeline for them, exhaling his relief from his nose when he sees neither of them are hurt or particularly intoxicated.

 

“Where did you go? We were worried.” He asks Keiko, knowing that he can’t control the sound of his concern in his voice, and he doesn’t want Star to be scared of him.

 

“Star started getting a headache, we went to get some medicine.” Keiko explains calmly.

 

Vesper frowns, looking down at Star, who’s clinging to Keiko’s arm. “Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah, it just happens sometimes.” She says, shrugging a little.

 

“Do you want me to take you home?” He asks as Akito finally appears and flicks Keiko’s feline ear.

 

“Bad kitty.” He chastises jokingly.

 

“I hate you so much, Aki.” Keiko deadpans. “Vesper, drop it, she’s fine.”

 

Vesper feels Hana rush past him before attaching herself to Star, and he can’t help but frown at the sharpness of Keiko’s tone. She never really spoke to him like that before, and he doesn’t understand why asking Star if she wanted to be taken home was worthy of snapping at him over.

He lets it go though, just happy that the two of them are safe and that they rejoined the rest of the group without incident. 

And Star seems fine as they all stay drinking and talking for another hour at the venue, but Vesper resigns himself to staying at Akito’s house for the night to keep an eye on her anyway.

 

She started off fine but got increasingly more quiet as the night went on, one of her eyes twitching here and there as though she’s in pain, but she doesn’t outwardly show it beyond that.

She crashes first, not even taking her hoodie off before collapsing on the bed and falling asleep. He manages to convince the others (mainly Akito) not to draw on her face as punishment for falling asleep first, even though he’s teased for doing so.

 

The night ends the same as it usually does, the girls and Takagi curled up in his giant bed together, with Vesper on the air mattress on the floor with his back pressed up against the heater.

 

*•*

 

Vesper jolts when someone shakes him awake gently, his eyes half-opening, and his vision blurred enough from sleep that he can’t really make out anything besides a dark silhouette in front of him.

 

“What?” He manages to ask, leaning up onto his elbow and squinting into the darkness.

 

“Does Takagi have any heat packs?” Star whispers.

 

“Heat packs?” Vesper asks back in return, frowning and rubbing his eyes. “I dunno, Star. That’s random as hell. Is your head hurting again?”

 

“I have really bad period pains, the heat helps.” She explains in a hushed tone.

 

Vesper pauses, his sleep-addled brain loading what she’d said for a moment. Neither of the girls had ever really shared anything like that before, so Vesper had almost forgotten that periods were even a thing.

 

“He’s the only kid, I don’t think there’ll be any. We could probably find some painkillers, though.” Vesper replies finally, beginning to sit up properly.

 

“I don’t wanna take their medicine, it’s expensive…” Star worries in the darkness, and Vesper blinks at her, gesturing at the giant room they’re in, in the literal mansion they’re in. 

 

She giggles softly at him. “Yeah, okay.”

 

“C’mon then.” Vesper says, standing up slowly and trying to be quiet about leaving the room. 

 

She takes his hand in the dark, which Vesper still isn’t quite used to yet, but he squeezes it as gently as he can because he doesn’t want to forget his own strength and add to her pain any further.

 

“In here.” He leads, opening the door to Akito’s parents room, which, unsurprisingly, hadn’t been cleaned since he trashed it during his last party. “Careful.”

 

Star grips his hand a little tighter, as though the simple warning was enough to worry her, and Vesper feels around in the dark for the light switch to their en suite.

When the light comes on, they both flinch at the suddenness of it and Vesper chuckles a little bit, which relaxes her enough to make her smile too. 

 

She sits on the edge of the bath while Vesper rifles through the medicine cabinet, Akito’s parents having moved it high enough that he’d struggle to get into it without some kind of step. 

 

“I’m kinda useless with this stuff, do you need something specific or is Eve okay?” Vesper asks, pulling a packet from the cabinet.

 

“That’s fine. Thank you.” Star replies as though he’d saved her life. 

 

He grabs a cup from overhead too, filling it with water before passing the packet to her. She thanks him again, popping out a couple of the tablets from the packaging and swapping it with the cup of water.

 

“Do you need anything else?” Vesper asks as she sips the water.

 

She shakes her head, trying to pass him the cup back, but he shakes his head back at her. He wants her to finish all of it.

 

“You sure?” He asks, moving her hair out of her face carefully to look at her properly. She didn’t look clammy or anything. “You don’t need like, tampons, or anything?”

 

“No, I got some pads when we were out.” Star replies, finishing the cup of water. 

 

“Okay.” He replies, taking the cup from her and giving it a quick rinse. “You don’t want to go home? ‘Cause I’ll stay up with you until your dads arrive if you want.”

 

“It’s fine, I can handle it.” She says, finally getting up.

 

Vesper places a hand on her waist as he closes the cabinet and looks down at her, finding her curious expression adorable. Unable to express his care in any normal way, he bends down a little to press his forehead against hers. 

She immediately wraps her arms around his shoulders, trapping him in a warm hug. 

 

“Thank you.” She murmurs, and he presses his snout to her forehead before pulling away from her. 

 

“C’mon, sleep must help, right?” He says, leading her out with his hand placed on the small of her back.

 

“Yeah. I used to just sleep it off. I am pretty tired…” She hisses in annoyance. “I forgot to take my iron tablets.”

 

“Fat chance finding something that specific here.” He sighs, flicking the light off again.

 

“It’s fine, I might just get a little sleepy.” She reassures. 

 

They sneak back into Akito’s room together, Vesper briefly stroking the back of her head before setting back down on the air mattress on the floor.

 

“Vesper.” She whispers, making no effort to get back on the bed with the others.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Can I sleep with you?” She asks, crouching by the mattress and holding her stomach.

 

Vespers brain short circuits, his ridged brows pulling together and then loosening as his tongue flicks out of his mouth in a way that he hadn’t done since learning how to control instincts like that. 

 

“What? Star, we’re in a room full of people. I… no, not here.” He pauses for a second, thinking more about his answer.  “Not yet.”

 

“Not like that !” She replies, mortified. “I just wanna be warm too.”

 

“Oh, shit.” Vesper hisses, wishing he could curl up and die right now . 

 

“Idiot.” She murmurs, but it sounds kind of affectionate. 

 

“Yup.” He agrees, sighing from his nose and lifting his blanket. “C’mon.”

 

“Thank you.” She whispers, crawling across the short distance and then laying next to him. 

 

“You go up to the heater, but be careful.” Vesper tells her quietly, getting up and treading carefully over her, lifting his tail so he doesn’t accidentally smother her with the weight of it. “It’ll burn you if you touch it.”

 

“But you need it.” She argues quietly.

 

“I’ll still be close enough to it that I won’t get sick. Budge up.” He says, motioning for her to move closer to the heater in the dark.

 

She huffs, but moves to where he’d been laying, allowing him to lay beside her, his tail now laying across the floor with what little space was left on the air mattress. Hopefully the others would look before standing on it, but he was willing to take the risk if it meant she was more comfortable.

He closes his eyes and tries not to think too much about the fact she’s lying so close to him as he tries to get back to sleep. 

 

“Vesper?”

 

“Yes, Star?”

 

“What’re those things on your back?”

 

Vesper's eyes shoot open, forgetting that the last time she’d seen him topless she’d been drunk as hell, and probably wouldn’t have noticed the awkward stumps on his back. She must have seen them when they were in the bathroom. 

 

“They would have been wings, but they were ruined when I was born.” He explains carefully. “They amputated them as soon as I was free.”

 

“Wow.” She says in quiet awe. “That’s a shame though, right? You probably would have liked to have wings.”

 

“No, I wouldn’t have.” Vesper says all too quickly.

 

“Why?” She asks, genuinely confused, as though extra appendages were something to be thankful for instead of bitter about it. 

 

“Because they would have gotten in the way. Same as my tail.” He replies. “Go to sleep.”

 

She snorts at him, rolling onto her side so her back’s nearly against his chest. 

 

“What?” He asks, closing his eyes.

 

“You sound just like my dad. He always used to tell me to go to sleep when I started asking questions, too.” She tells him. 

 

“And you never learned.” Vesper teases, and she giggles quietly. 

 

“I just wanna know more about you.” She whispers. “That’s all.”

 

“We can go out again.” Vesper promises.

 

“Soon?” She asks quietly, shifting a little closer to him.

 

“Soon.” He agrees.

Chapter 12: Bad News

Notes:

CW: Mention of cancer

When you wake up, you’re faced with the back of Vesper, the slight crack in the curtains allowing sunlight to hit his frame in a diagonal line, lighting his hair up so the black locks shine a little. You look at the exposed stumps on his back now you can see them a little more clearly. They’re not very big, standing about an inch out of his back, and just as rough as the rest of his body from the look of it. 

Curiously, you trail your fingers gently over one of them, which makes Vesper shudder a little. You freeze, grimacing as you half-expect him to have woken up from the touch, but when a couple of moments pass and he doesn’t say anything or move, you assume that he’s still asleep, and reach for it thoughtfully again.
It’s always surprising how rough his scales are in comparison to how smooth you remember Shuichi’s scales to be.

This time Vesper groans a little, the sound rumbling through the room as he twitches in his sleep, and you withdraw your hand again, spotting Takagi stir a little at the sound from the corner of your eye.
Sure enough, Takagi sits up, rubbing his eyes as he yawns, and your shoulders drop a little when you see fresh cuts on his side, the morning light exposing them to you in a way you hadn’t seen the day before.
The second he meets your eyes, his expression turns into a shit eating grin, and you shake your head, holding a finger to your lips to practically beg for his silence.

“Holy shit!” He says anyway, shaking Keiko who’d been curled up asleep next to him.

“Don’t!” You hiss.

“Geddoff.” Keiko murmurs, swatting at Takagi.

You glare at Takagi, not that he seems to care, snickering as smoke seems to come from Vesper’s face.

“Shut up, Akito.” Keiko says grouchily, kicking him and turning her back to him.

“Star and Vesper got it on.” He whispers back, smiling even wider when Keiko shoots upwards, alarming Hana enough to wake her up with a start, too.

“She’s fully dressed you fucking idiot.” Keiko bitches, slapping Takagi over the back of the head like she usually does.

“Maybe she’s shy.” Takagi retorts playfully, not put off by the slap. “Not everyone’s a pro like you, babe.”

Keiko gives him a dead-eyed look and returns her attention back to you both, frowning a little. “Why’s he smoking?”

“Maybe he’s having a nightmare.” Hana yawns, sitting up as well.

You sit up slowly to peer at his face. There’s definitely smoke leaking from his nostrils, and he seems to be clutching the blanket tightly. When you go to move a little more, you’re suddenly aware of a weight constricting around your ankle, and you realise he must have wrapped the thinner end of his tail around you at some point during the night.
You gently try to move some of his hair from his face to see if he looks troubled as he sleeps, but his eyes open and slide towards you.

“Somethin’ wrong?” He asks drowsily.

“You’re smoking.” You reply, pointing to your own nose. “Are you okay?”

Vesper blinks a couple of times, as though he’s waking up properly, his green eyes becoming clearer, and his tail unwinding from your ankle. He lets go of the blanket with one hand to rub his eyes carefully, but still holds the blanket up with his other hand so it’s covering his body even when you move to sit up properly, crossing your legs.

“Ves, make us breakfast, yeah?” Takagi teases, throwing a random item of clothing at the back of Vesper's head.

“Yeah, yeah, in a bit. Let me wake up.” Vesper grumbles back, looking embarrassed for some reason.

You look at him curiously as the others all start waking up properly, Keiko stretching out her arms and back and Hana talking excitedly, her tail swishing over the end of the bed.

“Are you okay?” You ask Vesper again, quietly.

“Yeah.” He replies, running one of his clawed hands through his hair. “Are you?”

“I’m okay.” You reply, not really convinced by his answer, but not wanting to push the topic.

“Anyone wanna start the day off right with me?” Takagi asks, digging around in his nightstand and pulling out a long wooden box.

 

“Seriously, Akito?” Keiko asks, raising an eyebrow. 

 

He raises an eyebrow like he’s waiting for an answer anyway, and she scoffs.

 

“Some of us have shit to do today.” 

 

“I’ll have some if it’s going!” Hana says cheerfully. 

 

“See, Hana knows how to have fun.” Takagi says, nudging Keiko with his elbow as he begins pulling things from the box. “Ves, you joinin’?”

 

“Nah. Need to check on my mom later.” Vesper replies, staring at the floor as he scratches the back of his head. 

 

“Boo.” Takagi says, but doesn’t push it further or ask you. 

 

They all start filtering out of the room, Takagi leaves last with the joint he’d rolled hanging between his pierced lips, but doesn't leave without pestering Vesper for food. He gets swatted away irritatedly by Vesper, but takes it as well as always, chuckling and winking at him before leaving you both alone in the room.

You wait until the doors closed before turning to Vesper again.

 

“Are you sure you’re okay?” You ask, concerned.

 

“Fine, Star.” He replies, giving you an unconvincing smile. “You should go join them. I’m gonna shower and then come cook for you guys. Should be able to eat it this time.”

 

“Oh, okay. Sounds good.” You say, giving him an equally unconvincing smile and beginning to get up.

 

“Do you need more Eve? I’ll bring you some down.” He asks, his eyes following you up.

 

“That’d be nice. Thank you, Ves.” You reply with a soft, genuine smile.

 

You leave him to it after that, rejoining the others downstairs in the dining room and kitchen area. 

He comes down again about half an hour later, his hair wet and dripping on a towel placed around his shoulders. Takagi cheers at the sight of him, and Vesper seems more in good humour this time as he rolls his eyes and flips him off.

 

“You’re gonna have to learn to cook sometime, Aki.” He says, and then beckons you over with a tilt of his head. 

 

You get up from your seat and join him by the fridge, thanking him when he passes you two tablets, and tip-toeing to try to press a quick kiss to his cheek as a thank you.

You must startle him with the movement, because he turns his face to look at you curiously just as your lips press against the corner of his mouth, making you ‘eep’ and immediately retract, your hand flying to your mouth.

 

“Shit, I’m sorry.” He apologises quickly, but you’re already apologising to him.

 

“What’s going on? Where's my food?” Takagi calls from the table in response to the slight commotion from you both.

 

“I’m gonna kill him.” Vesper murmurs, shaking his head and returning back to pulling random ingredients from the fridge and cupboard.

 

You notice that the scales on his cheeks go slightly darker, and it makes you feel even more flustered too.

 

“Out the way, Star.” He says softly, patting the side of your hip as you stand in the way kind of uselessly.

 

“Don’t you need help?” You ask, sipping some water from the fridge to help the tablets down. 

 

He stares at you for a second, silent. 

 

“No, I want you to rest.” He says, placing a hand on the back of your head softly. “You’re sweet though. Thank you.”

 

You smile up at him, your stomach fluttering when he quickly presses his snout to your forehead quickly before shooing you off. 

You sit back down, ignoring Takagi’s pretend vomiting, and join in with conversation while Vesper cooks for everyone. Everyone seems in high spirits, no-one having drunk too much the night before like last time, and it definitely feels a lot easier this time around, especially seeing as Takagi seems more like himself this morning.

 

Vesper places a plate in front of you first, and you beam up at him, thanking him while Takagi bitches about not being fed first. Then he places plates in front of Hana and Keiko, doing nothing to stop Keiko batting Takagi’s hands away from her food when he tries to take it from her. 

Vesper finally sits down with his own food, unable to stop himself from smiling when Takagi fully flips out.

 

“We’ve been friends since we were like this big dude, what gives?!” He exclaims, removing his feet from the table so he can gesture dramatically. “Got no love for me anymore?”

 

“Dude, it's on the counter. Just go get it.” Vesper shrugs, his smirk growing. 

 

“Don’t pretend you’re a gentleman.” Takagi scoffs, scooting his chair away from the table. 

 

“Thank you Ves!” Hana says cheerfully, as if to rub salt in the wound.

 

Takagi grumbles as he gets the final plate from the counter and flops back down on his seat.

You’re surprised by how nice the onigiri that Vesper has made you all is. It wasn’t often that you had fish at home on account of Dabi hating it, but you find yourself really enjoying the tuna inside of the rice. 

 

“This is so good.” You murmur, understanding why Takagi always pesters Vesper to make them food. 

 

Vesper just gives you a soft smile in response, Hana’s happy swaying as she eats is probably a compliment enough for him, and it’s probably the same kind of compliment for him to hear the slight purr from Keiko as she eats, too.

 

It’s kind of a shame when your friends all start filtering out of Takagi’s house. Vesper walks you to the train station diligently, allowing you to hold his hand and talk to him excitedly about what you could do the next time you spend time together.

You decide to actually go for dinner together somewhere, letting him pick the place because in all honesty, you’re just happy to spend time with him doing whatever. 

 

He waits for your train to leave before leaving himself, and you check your phone for the first time in the morning.

 

🤚🏻: Can you come home soon please, Starlight.

 

You frown. Tomura had never asked you to come home before, usually it was Dabi.

 

✨: I’m on the train now. Is everything okay?

 

But you don’t get a response.

 

*•*

 

When you get home, Cloud doesn’t come running to meet you like he usually does, and you call out another curious ‘hello’, not used to the lack of welcome.

 

“In here, Starlight.” Tomura calls back from the living room.

 

You follow his voice, finding him sitting on the couch with no Cloud or Dabi for company. His fluffy white hair looks even messier than usual, like he’d been running his hands through it over and over, and his eyes look a little puffy, like he may have been crying.
But Tomura never cries.

“Are you okay?” You ask cautiously, setting your bag down on the floor by the couch. “Where’s dad?”

If it were Dabi, you’d have been on the couch and giving him a hug within seconds, but if Tomura is upset, he doesn’t often really like to be held or pestered too much. It goes against everything in you to not rush to comfort him, but you manage to do it.
Tomura gives you a solemn smile.

“Sit down, Star.”

“Am I in trouble?” You ask nervously, pulling at the hem of the hoodie Keiko had given you the day before. “Where’s dad?”

“He’s in our room with Cloud.” Tomura replies, patting the couch.

You settle down on the edge of the couch, kind of on edge because you don’t trust that you’re not in trouble, even though you don’t really remember doing anything that could have landed you a telling off, and you certainly hadn’t done anything that would upset Tomura to the point of tears.

“Can you tell me what’s happening?” You ask after a mere second of silence. “You’re freaking me out.”

Tomura sighs quietly, his expression becoming stoic again. “Touyas mom, Rei, your grandma… She’s just been told she's sick again.”

He looks away for a brief moment, interlocking his hands as he leans on his thighs.
Your mouth opens and closes as you struggle to formulate words. You definitely remembered hearing Natsuo telling Dabi that his mom had been given the all clear not too long ago, because you remembered the look of relief on Dabi’s face as he’d leaned back in his chair.

“But Natsuo told dad that she was better like, two years ago.” You finally manage to say. “She can't be sick again.”

Tomura nods slowly, taking a measured breath. “Sometimes, Star, the cancer can go away for a little bit, and then come back. It’s called recurrent cancer, and it’s a lot more serious this time around.”

You stare at him silently. You don’t really know how to deal with this information. You didn’t know Grandma Rei, not really, because she’d been so sick before that Dabi was worried about you potentially giving her something that may make it worse, the same for Fuyumi and Kenji. She lived pretty far away too, the same as Natsuo, so Dabi usually did the visiting on his own, with Tomura needing to work, and your school work not wanting to be disrupted.

“But she can get better again.” You say, trying to think of the best case. “She’s done it before.”

Tomura gives you a pitying look, shaking his head ever so slightly. ”Not this time, little Star.”

“But Natsuo’s a good doctor, right?”

“That’s not how this works, Star. I’m sorry.” Tomura sighs, running his hands through his hair again. “Touya wants us all to go and visit her when he’s feeling a bit more steady.”

You nod, kind of stunned.
Tomura seems to be watching you carefully, but you don’t really know what he’s watching so intently for . You don’t know how you’re meant to react to situations like this. The last time someone in your life had died was Magne, and that had happened so quickly that you didn’t really have time to process it fully, never mind know it was going to happen.

“Are you okay?” Tomura asks calmly, moving some stray hairs out of your face carefully.

“Sad for dad.” You say, knowing that was the one definite emotion you could pinpoint. “Is he okay? Can I go and see him?”

“Me too.” Tomura sympathises. “As for seeing him… Probably not for the best, Star. I had to give him a quirk suppressant to stop him from bursting into flames. He’s sleeping it off with Cloud.”

That, paired with the knowledge that Dabi had done that on purpose before, breaks your heart fully and you finally feel your lip wobble, which makes Tomura’s expression turn more pitying again and he reaches for you, bringing you into his side. 

He rests his chin on your head, rubbing your arm reassuringly.
You kind of feel a little bad, because he’d clearly had to deal with Dabi already, which had visibly upset him, and you were now adding more extra stress onto it.

“I’m sorry.” You apologise, only to get an amused huff from him.

“You don’t need to apologise. I’m surprised it took you that long to cry.” He replies, pressing his cracked lips to the top of your head. 

 

You lean against Tomura for a little while before apologising again and excusing yourself to your bedroom, trying to call Vesper, only for it to go unanswered. 

You scratch your face as you lay on your bed, worried about your dad, and your stomach beginning to hurt again.

 

*•*

 

You wake to your phone ringing right beside your head, startling you awake. You jolt upright, and squint through your sleep blurred vision to see Vesper's name on the screen.

You pick up the call groggily, wiping your eyes.

 

“Are you okay?” He asks immediately.

 

“Sorry, I fell asleep.” You reply sleepily. 

 

“That’s fine. Is something wrong?” He asks again. 

 

You pause, taking a moment to wake up properly and remember what had happened before you’d fallen asleep. 

 

“Worried about my dad.” You murmur. “My grandma’s sick again, and To- My other dad said that she’s not gonna get better.”

 

“Shit.” Vesper hisses down the phone. “Star…”

 

“Can I come and see you?” You ask quietly. 

 

There’s a pause on the other end of the phone, and for a second you worry that maybe you were being too much, and becoming a burden for him.

 

“I’ll come to you.” He says. “We’ll go see the ducks.”

 

*•*

 

The second you see him come off the train, you practically throw yourself at him, and he wraps one arm around you without hesitation, the other hand going to the back of your head. 

 

“I’m sorry.” Are the first words that leave you.

 

“Don’t be.” He says simply, resting his chin on the top of your head.

 

People tut at you and probably stare as they move around you, but you don’t care, especially when Vesper wraps the thinner end of his tail around your ankle, so similar to how Hana had when you were struggling before. 

He doesn’t try to move you or make you talk before you’re ready, only moving when you do, waiting for you to back away before letting go of you, including his hold on your ankle.

 

“You must think I’m so annoying.” You joke weakly, avoiding his eyes.

 

“Why would I think that?” He asks, sounding genuinely confused. 

 

“It’s just a lot isn't it?” You laugh nervously.

 

“Star…” He sighs. “The world doesn’t pick favourites, everyone has stuff going on.”

 

“Even you?” You ask, looking at him sadly. “‘Cause you always seem pretty happy.”

 

“Yeah. Even me.” Vesper says, gently encouraging you away from the platform by sliding his hand into yours. “C’mon, we only have a couple hours.” 

 

“A couple hours?” You repeat, letting him lead you out of the train station.

 

“I got called into work for close so Suzuki can leave early.” Vesper explains. “We’ll go get some food and drinks and then we can sit at the park for a bit.”

 

“You probably want to be at home though, right? I’m sorry.” 

 

“Star. I want to be here. Stop.” He says, squeezing your hand and giving you a small, reassuring smile.

 

You smile back at him, your heart feeling a lot lighter just from being around him. 

You end up getting some street food, and despite being adamant you can buy your own food, Vesper shakes his head and bats your hand with the card Tomura gave you away gently, paying for your food and drink as well as his own.

He even carries it all as you walk to the park you’d gone to when you’d visited his work the first time, despite you saying it was fine for you to carry your own.

 

You sit down on a bench by the water, watching the ducks swim towards a woman and her child throwing seeds out for them, thanking Vesper quietly when he sits beside you and hands you your box of yakisoba. 

He leans back, looking over the pond too, his green eyes shimmering in the light. You also notice he’s not wearing his usual getup, instead in his uniform instead of a sweater and jacket. It was pretty warm today, you guess. 

 

“How's your stomach?” He asks, turning his attention to you just as you take your first mouthful of food. “Shitty timing to find out something like that, huh?”

 

You nod a little, quickly chewing and swallowing your food so you can reply. “I’m okay. I’m more worried about dad.”

 

Vesper just nods as he opens his own takeout box.

 

“He’s still sleeping. Dad had to give him a quirk suppressant because he was so upset.” You continue, picking at your food.

 

Vesper pauses mid-bite of his yakitori. “Wait, aren’t those illegal?”

 

You shrug. Wouldn't surprise you if they were. 

 

“His quirk can be dangerous if he loses control of it.” You say simply.

 

Vesper is quiet for a second before saying: “Not scary at all, Star.”

 

“He wouldn’t do anything to us.” You say defensively, and Vesper’s ridged brow raises.

 

“I meant for me . Those guys sound real protective.” He clarifies patiently.

 

“He wouldn’t do anything to you, either.” You say firmly, and then add quietly. “…He wouldn’t want to upset me.”

 

He watches you quietly for a second before finally starting to eat himself. 

 

“I get it.” He says after a while. “It’d be hard to hear something like that about my mom. I’d probably lose it too.”

 

You nod a little. You supposed you didn’t really have the warning about your mom, it just happened and you were forced to deal with it there and then. There wasn’t a lead up to it.

If you had known it was going to happen you would have been upset and nervous about her doing anything, too.

 

“What’s your dads quirk?” He asks, unknowingly catching you off guard.

 

You can’t not answer the question, because that’s more suspicious than if you were to just tell the truth. So you give him a bare-bones answer.

 

“Just a basic fire quirk.” You reply blandly. “He smokes like you when he gets mad.”

 

“He does, huh?” Vesper asks, sounding genuinely surprised that someone has the same reaction to emotions as him. 

 

You nod a little, busying yourself with eating so you don’t have to continue the conversation further.

It’s a comfortable silence as you sit together and eat, you don’t really feel the need to talk too much about it apart from that, and it’s nice to be out of the house with Dabi upset and Tomura upset for the first time you’ve ever seen, too.

 

“Can I ask you a question?” 

 

You feel anxiety bubble in your stomach as you look at Vesper, a little startled. 

Had he figured it out from that information alone?

 

“Why ducks?” He asks, vaguely amused. 

 

“Oh.” You breathe. “It’s dumb.”

 

Vesper deadpans at you. “Akito once told me that capybaras are his favourite animal because ‘they’re chill little guys.’” 

 

You snort a little, unable to stop yourself from smiling. “He’s not wrong .”

 

“Tell me.” Vesper encourages, bumping his thigh against yours playfully.

 

“Well when I was younger, my dad took me to go see them a lot. He said it was because it was an easy way to keep me entertained while we were homeless, but I don’t know, they’re just kinda peaceful. They’re chill little guys, too.” You explain, not expecting the look of horror on Vespers face when you turn to smile at him. “What?”

 

“You were homeless ?” He asks, surprised.

 

“Yeah, for a bit when mom died.” You explain, a little nervous about the face he’s pulling.

 

“Your mom died? ” He asks, the horror on his face only growing.

 

“I thought I told you guys…” 

 

“Shit Star, that's awful. I’m sorry.” He says, pulling you to him.

 

You’re stunned for a second. No-one had really reacted like that when you’d told them your mom had died before, aside from Dabi. 

 

“It’s okay, she kinda sucked.” You admit, but lean into him anyway.

 

He rubs your arm, resting his chin on your head. 

He keeps you like that for a while, and it makes you feel kinda warm, content…

Safe .

 

When he begins to move away, you’re reluctant to let him, and he tenses first before chuckling and pulling you even closer.

 

“If you wanted a hug, you only needed to ask.” 

 

And then both of his arms are wrapped around you, the tightest they have been before, his tail wrapping around your lower leg as well, and he just stays like that with you.

You don’t force him to carry that on for too much longer though, eventually pulling away and thanking him quietly.

 

“You probably need to get to work, right?” You ask, a little forlornly.

 

“Yeah. Sucks. Would’ve liked to spend more time with you.” He agrees.

 

“Even though I’ve been weird and probably a bit annoying?” You ask, laughing nervously again as you reach for your bag.

 

You miss the deadpan look he gives you in return. “You’ve been sat with a seven foot lizard man. You’re not the weird one here.”

 

You giggle. “That’s not weird.”

 

You see the even more unimpressed look you get in return for that one, and you can’t help but genuinely laugh at his expression.

This seems to relax him entirely as he gives you a rare sharp-toothed grin, getting up with you, and wrapping a strong arm around your shoulders.

 

“Come on.” He says warmly. “Let's get you home.”

 

Chapter 13: Grandma Rei

The journey is long. 

Moreso because Dabi doesn’t really talk at all for the full three hours. He just sits in silence, resting his cheek on his metallic fist and stares at the road, and it’s not like Tomura’s really a talker either, so he doesn’t try to start any conversations to fill the empty space in the car.

You end up just trying to listen to the music Tomura plays as he drives, enjoying it more than the kind of music Dabi usually has on, and texting your friends.

 

They’d pulled you from school to go and see Grandma Rei, and you were nervous about it. You’d only really heard stories about her, Dabi obviously having a real soft spot for her even though he tried to hide it, and Fuyumi always talking fondly about her. 

You didn’t want her to not like you because you weren’t blood like Kenji was to them all.

 

Tomura seems to pick up on your nerves the further into the journey you get, his crimson eyes continuously peering at you in the rear view mirror.

 

“Are you okay, Star?” He asks after the fifth time checking on you. “Do you need some painkillers or for Touya to warm up your heat pack?”

 

“I’m okay.” You reply, looking at him back in the mirror. “I’m just worried.”

 

“About what?” Tomura asks, returning his gaze to the road.

 

“What if she doesn’t like me?” You murmur, looking out of the window.

 

“She’ll love you.” Dabi says simply, his voice hoarse as though he hasn’t spoken in days.

 

Tomura glances at you again, but doesn’t say anything further, neither of you wanting to upset Dabi more than he already was. 

 

“I love you, dad.” You say after a while, trying to make the mood lighter in the car because the air feels so heavy it’s almost suffocating .

 

This, apparently, is the wrong thing to say, because streaks of red spill from Dabi’s facial seams almost immediately, and he hisses in annoyance, opening the glove box and pulling out baby wipes to wipe them away. 

 

“Fuck.” He says, his voice breaking. “Sorry, hon. I love you too. You know that.”

 

You shut up after that, even though neither of them get mad at you for making him cry again. Tomura’s hand goes to the back of Dabi’s head and remains there until the blood stops leaking from him, and Dabi returns back to his original position of leaning on his fist, sniffing from time to time.

 

It’s almost a relief when you finally pull up and Dabi wastes no time in getting out of the car, not saying a word to either of you as he rushes to a random house on the street.

Tomura sighs, running his hands through his hair and flopping back in his seat. 

You both sit there for long enough for the door to open and for Dabi to wrap his arms around Grandma Rei, hiding her from your sight. 

 

“Be good, Star.” Tomura says, pulling the keys from the ignition finally.

 

“I’m not twelve.” You remind him, and then add more jokingly: “ You be good.”

 

Tomura rolls his eyes but smirks and gets out of the car, you following close behind as he ties his fluffy hair up into a bun that’s barely contained by the thin band.

Dabi’s finally let go of her, his hands cupping her face as you approach them, saying something quietly to her, which she doesn’t seem to take too kindly to, frowning at him.

 

“Touya.” She says sternly.

 

“I said what I said. Should’ve been him.”

 

She shakes her head disapprovingly at him, and then her expression softens completely when she looks at you, half-hidden behind Tomura like you’re eleven years old again.

 

“Oh my! You must be Star.” She says, her face lighting up as she moves out of Dabi’s touch. “And Shigaraki. It’s so lovely to finally meet you both.”

 

“You too.” Tomura says, bowing his head slightly, but your words catch in your throat.

 

You hadn’t had a grandma since you were really young, and you wanted this for so long that you were terrified of saying or doing something wrong and ruining it all for yourself and Dabi.

 

“Star.” Tomura hisses.

 

“I’m sorry, it’s just-“ You begin, only to immediately be quiet when the older lady catches your face between her hands, her gray eyes scanning your face with curiosity.

 

“You look so much healthier now than all the photos I saw in the papers.” She says, giving you a soft smile. “I’m so glad.”

 

“Mom…” Dabi sighs.

 

“Thank you, ma’am.” You practically squeak.

 

“Grandma.” She corrects simply, stroking your cheek affectionately and then turning her attention to Tomura. 

 

You stand, stunned, only just making out the silhouette of someone else in the house from the corner of your eye. When you look properly you see a tall man with a similar build to Dabi leaning against the front door, his mismatched eyes looking over you all a little judgmentally. 

One side of his hair is white, and the other is red, and he has a large red scar over his eye on one side. He doesn’t exactly look friendly, so you take another step closer to Tomura, even though he’s being given a probably unwanted hug by Rei.

 

“Mom, you promised.” Dabi says, a little irritatedly.

 

“Touya, that's your brother, would it kill you to just be civil for a few hours?” Rei says exasperatedly, letting go of Tomura. 

 

“It might, actually.” Dabi answers, completely deadpan.

 

“You brought them.” Dabi’s brother says, his voice bland.

 

“Hello, Shoto.” Tomura says, his voice forcefully calm.

 

Something clicks in your brain, and you remember the name and the one baby picture you’d seen of Shoto in Fuyumi’s house. You remember that Dabi doesn’t get on with Shoto for some reason, the conversation always being shut down whenever you asked about it. 

He stares at you, his face somehow even more impassive than Tomura’s. 

 

“Hi.” You settle for, a little uncertainly with how intensely he’s staring at you.

 

He doesn’t answer, just moves away from the entrance and disappears inside wordlessly.

Rei sighs, and motions for you all to follow her inside. 

Dabi’s immediately straight onto wrapping an arm around her shoulders and talking quietly to her as you and Tomura walk inside the house together, taking your shoes off at the door.

Her home is similar to Fuyumis, with a lot of pictures everywhere, but with a colder colour scheme. You look around at the walls as you follow them into the kitchen, hoping to catch sight of some of her artwork.

 

“Mom, he’s twenty three, he can look after himself.” You hear Dabi saying as you look around the kitchen, wanting to take in as much as you can while you’re here.

 

“He’s my son, and your brother.” Rei says calmly as she puts a kettle on the stovetop. 

 

“He’s a grown man, and he had you all his life. C’mon, mom. Let us help you. Don’t you wanna be closer to your grandkids?” Dabi continues, following her around the kitchen.

 

When you glance at Tomura to see what he seems to be feeling towards the conversation, he’s busy watching Shoto from the corners of his eyes.

 

“I want to be close to you all . Why don’t you move here if money isn’t an issue?” Rei asks in return.

 

“Star’s in school, I can’t move her.” Dabi says exasperatedly. 

 

Your shoulders sink a little bit. You were getting in the way of Dabi being able to spend time with his mom. 

Tomura’s hand goes to the back of your neck, his thumb rubbing over the skin there softly, as if he’d picked up how that had made you feel from the subtle movement alone.

For some reason this makes Shoto straighten suddenly, which makes Dabi’s attention snap to him because Rei jumps a little in response, Dabi’s cold, blue eyes narrowing.

 

“Quit being so fuckin’ jumpy, you’re gonna stress mom out.” He snaps. 

 

Tomura stares at Shoto, but doesn’t move his hand, and Shoto doesn’t relax again. 

 

“You’re both stressing me out.” Rei sighs. “Shoto, it’s fine.”

 

“Looked after her for seven years, literally adopted her and he still thinks we’re gonna kill her.” Dabi scoffs in disgust.

 

“Touya.” Rei says firmly again.

 

“I can’t help it.” Shoto says simply. 

 

“Then leave.” Dabi quips back.

 

“It’s my house.”

 

“I swear-“

 

“Touya.” Tomura warns this time, and this actually seems to be effective, even though Dabi does not look pleased about having to stop.

 

“Mom. I just really want to have you closer. I didn’t have you for years . Please.” You hear Dabi beg quietly, and you feel a little like you shouldn’t be hearing it. 

 

You’d never heard Dabi sound so downtrodden and desperate before. And despite Rei being sick, she doesn’t look it, and Dabi doesn’t seem worried about stressing her out like he does when Fuyumi’s pregnant, because otherwise he wouldn’t be picking fights so readily with Shoto if he was.

 

“I’ll think about it.” Grandma Rei says, stroking Dabi’s cheek and giving him an affectionate look before returning to making cups of tea for everyone.

 

“Let me.” Dabi says softly, taking the kettle from her easily. 

 

“Rei-“ Tomura begins to say.

 

“Mom.” She corrects automatically.

 

Shoto scoffs, but Tomura must not hear it because for the first time in your life, you look up at him and see complete bewilderment on his face.

He swallows hard before speaking again.

 

“ Mom , why don’t you sit down? Let Touya take care of you.” Tomura says, his voice strained as he says the first word.

 

“I should be hosting.” She says calmly, handing you both cups before taking her own and leading you all into the living room. 

 

Dabi, for some reason, hangs behind, and when you peer over your shoulder in curiosity you spot him pretending to throw the kettle at Shoto with a mean grin.

You raise an eyebrow, but figure that’s just a weird sibling thing they have going on, because you definitely remember Hana mentioning that her siblings have done weird things like that, too.

 

“So! Tomura.” Rei says, sitting down and looking like it’s the most relieving thing she could have done. “Do you have a date for the wedding yet?”

 

“We’re still working on legalising it.” Tomura replies matter of factly as he sits on the couch opposite her. “We’re trying to push it forward, obviously, but we’ve been trying for years and had no luck so far.”

 

Rei tuts disapprovingly, shaking her head.

 

“There is a way around it, but-“

 

“Nope.” Dabi says simply as he flops onto the couch and kicks his feet up onto the coffee table.

 

Tomura smiles slightly and gestures towards Dabi as if to say ‘exactly’.

You’re busy admiring all the pictures on the wall as they all talk. She had so many more pictures that you’d never seen before, presumably the ones from their old family home that Natsuo and Shoto didn’t want. Fuyumi was so cute as a kid, and it’s nice seeing pictures of her, Natsuo and Dabi as children playing together. Shoto seemed to feature in the photos a lot on his own, which made them a little less interesting to look at. He doesn’t seem to have a scar in any of the earlier pictures though, which piques your interest.

 

“Star.” Tomura says, snapping you out of it.

 

“Hm?” You turn to look at him.

 

“Grandma asked you a question.” He says, raising a rough brow.

 

“Oh, sorry, I was just looking at the pictures. I haven’t seen any of these before.” You explain, bowing your head towards her. 

 

She smiles patiently at you, thankfully not offended. 

 

“I was blessed with very cute children.” She agrees, looking over at the wall of photos too. “I am biased, though.”

 

“Fuyumi’s really cute.” You agree. “She looks the same now, just taller.”

 

“Hey, what about me?” Dabi asks, moving his arm behind Tomura to push you playfully.

 

“Eh, you’re alright.” You tease back, just thankful to have the usual Dabi back, even if it’s just for a fleeting moment.

 

“Shoulda left you on the streets.” He says, but he’s grinning when he says it, and it’s almost a relief to see.

 

Rei doesn’t seem to mind the teasing either, smiling at the three of you with a proud look in particular when she looks at you. 

 

“That’s the best thing you’ve ever done, Touya.” She says simply, which seems to stun Dabi. “Touya said you’re an artist, Star.”

 

“Oh, I-“ You begin to say, a little uncertain about that.

 

“What do you like to paint?” She asks, interrupting you.

 

“I like flowers. I’m okay at portraits, too.” You tell her.

 

“Lovely.” She smiles, like she’s remembering something fondly.

 

“Dad said you used to draw too, in hospital?” You ask, wanting to bond with her over something , but Dabi and Tomura both stiffen next to you.

 

“I did.” She agrees, ignoring their reactions. “It was a good way to pass the time.”

 

“Do you have any pictures? I’d really like to see.” You ask, hopeful.

 

“Ah, no. It was a long time ago.” She says, still smiling at you. “But I’m sure you have pictures of your work, right? I’d love to see them.”

 

You nod, your expression becoming more excited as you pull out your phone, opening the album that you’d made full of progress pictures you would send Uncle Giran, Jin and Zero. When you go to hand your phone to her, she laughs quietly and shakes her head.

 

“I don’t know how to work those things, love, come here.” She explains, patting the arm of the chair she’s in.

 

You obediently get up and sit on the arm of the chair, directly next to her, leaning down a little so you can flick through the photos for her, guiding her on how to zoom in on the photos and swipe to look at others as you hold it.

She zooms in on all of them, looking at the details with extreme interest, humming in approval and shaking her head in disbelief.

 

“You’re a very talented young lady, Star.” She tells you, looking up at you through white hair with such similar gray eyes to Fuyumi. “I always knew my grandchildren would be amazing.”

 

“We got lucky.” Dabi says, but it’s with a proud tone.

 

“Thanks, grandma.” You say, the word feeling a little foreign on your tongue.

 

She smiles kindly at you, reaching out to touch your cheek again, and you faintly realise how cold her hand is.

 

“You go to school, Touya said?” She asks, giving you her undivided attention.

 

“Yeah, art school.” You say, nodding slightly. “It’s one of the best ones in Japan. I worked really hard to get in.”

 

Her smile grows enough to make her eyes crinkle a bit. “Isn’t that something? I’m so proud of you.”

 

You look at her like she’d just given you the world with that last sentence alone, not even thinking twice when her hand goes to pet the back of your hair.

 

“So grown up. I’m sorry I missed your younger years.” Rei says, her smile and eyes getting a little sadder.

 

“It’s all Touya’s fault.” Shoto comments from the doorway.

 

“Wanna find out how late stage an abortion can be, kid?” Dabi asks immediately. 

 

“Touya!” Rei snaps at the same time Tomura tries to subtly bump his thigh against Dabi’s. “Shoto, go upstairs.”

 

Rei sighs audibly beside you, but she continues to pet your hair.

 

“Never have more than one child.” She whispers to you, her smile giving away the fact she’s trying to joke with you, and you smile back at her automatically. 

 

“I don’t think I’ll have any .” You whisper back, still smiling.

 

“Smart girl.” She says with a little nod and a small snort.

 

You sit beside her, not wanting to move away from the affectionate touches that seem to come so easily to her. Maybe that’s where Dabi got it from.

 

They all start talking together again about whether she’s going to get treatment again or not, only for her to shut the conversation down and say she just wanted to enjoy spending time with you and her ‘son-in-law’.

When the conversation turns to what Tomura does for work, you begin tuning the conversation out again, noting that there didn’t seem to be many pictures of Endeavor up in this room at least, just your dad and his siblings.

 

The front door opens after a while, and you hear someone call: “it’s just me!”

 

“Touya’s here with Star and Shigaraki!” You hear Shoto call back from upstairs.

 

A white haired man, Natsuo, immediately comes rushing into the room, looking amazed as he sees you all in the room together.

 

“Nats.” Dabi greets, an easy grin on his face as he reaches for his brother, a stark difference to how he is with Shoto.

 

“Touya. You didn’t tell me you were coming.” Natsuo says, giving Dabi a quick one-armed hug over the couch. “Shigaraki, nice to meet you.”

 

And then he does something no-one ever does, and holds his hand out.

Tomura’s cracked lips pull up, and he takes his hand, shaking it with his pinky finger out even though he has full control of his quirk.

 

“You too.” Tomura says simply, still smiling even when they let go of each others hands. 

 

Natsuo’s attention then turns to you, his grey eyes scanning you. He’s like the male version of Rei, they look so startlingly similar. 

 

“Star. Wow, you’ve really grown up, huh? I’ve heard so much about you.” He says, approaching you too. “You a hugger?”

 

“Uh…” 

 

“She’s nervous around men.” Tomura says simply, saving you from having to try to be polite about it.

 

You hadn’t reacted like that for a while, and you don’t like that you don’t know why you froze up like that. Sure, Natsuo was a little more stocky than Dabi and Shoto, but you knew about Natsuo. He was a doctor, he was safe. He didn’t look like Endeavor at all, and it wasn’t like he looked anything like your moms boyfriends either.

 

“I get it.” Natsuo says, stopping just shy of you. “That why you bit my old man?”

 

You’re mortified that that’s being brought up at a time you really don’t want it to be.

 

“Kinda…” You murmur, and Natsuo belly laughs, turning to Dabi again and jutting his thumb towards you. 

 

“Absolute legend.” He says, sounding completely amused, and when you dare a glance at Rei, she doesn’t look angry, just like she’s enjoying everyone being together.

 

“Tellin’ ya, man. Nothing you pop out is ever gonna beat my kid for that alone. ” Dabi says smugly.

 

“Gotta agree, gotta agree.” Natsuo smirks. “Don’t tell my girl that though.”

 

Dabi mimes zipping his lips with a smirk, encouraging Tomura to move up so that Natsuo can sit next to him.

You end up showing Natsuo your work, too, watching his reactions more carefully than you had Rei’s, even though you didn’t feel too much of a need to impress him.

Occasionally he’d get to a picture, pause, and then show Dabi and say: “have you seen this?”

To which Dabi would reply: “yeah, dude, she’s my kid.”

And then Natsuo would shake his head in disbelief and continue scrolling, so you feel a little vindicated by the time you get your phone back. 

 

“Star.” Rei says, pulling your attention to her once more.

 

You look down at her, curious.

 

“I would love it if we could have a day where we draw together.” She says, smiling up at you hopefully. 

 

“I’d like that too.” You agree, excited to do something artsy with someone other than Uncle Giran.

 

*•*

 

You end up staying for a little longer than planned, and when Tomura uses the signal you all use to say you’re absolutely done and need to leave, stroking the back of his knuckles over Dabi’s scarred arm firmly, Dabi seems really reluctant to leave.

On the way to the hallway, Dabi refuses to put his shoes on, and Tomura stares at him blankly.

 

“I wanna be with mom.” He admits, looking a little guilty about it.

 

“Okay.” Tomura replies easily, even though you feel panic begin to bubble up in you. 

 

“I’ll come back in a few days?” He asks, as if torn between stating it and asking for permission.

 

“Whatever you need, Touya.” Tomura replies calmly.

 

“I love you.” Dabi says, reaching for Tomura and giving him a quick kiss.

 

“Gross.” You murmur out of habit, but instead of getting any kind of teasing comment back, Dabi just gives you a small, sad smile and reaches for you. 

 

You let him pull you into a hug, his lips pressing against the top of your head and his arms tightening around you.

 

“I love you, doll.” He says, squeezing you again before letting go. “Call or text me whenever, ‘kay?” 

 

“Okay.” You agree, but it’s reluctant. You wouldn’t mind staying either, but know you can’t.

 

“Attagirl.” He praises. “Drive safe.”

 

“Always do.” Tomura says evenly before opening the front door. “Don’t murder your brother.”

 

“Why would I kill Natsuo?” Dabi asks with a teasing grin as he leans in the doorway. 

 

“You know exactly who I mean.” Tomura says, turning to give him another kiss and a stern look before unlocking the car and gesturing for you to get in.

 

You do, watching as the two have a brief conversation and an even quicker hug before Tomura is getting in the car, too.

You watch as he silently puts his seatbelt on and scrolls through his phone to put on a playlist and to turn on the directions home.

 

“Got everything?” He asks, like this is normal, and you nod. “Good.”

 

And then he just sets off without addressing it.

You sit silently for a while, adopting the same pose Dabi had been sitting in the entire journey to Grandma Reis house.

 

“So it’s just us?” You ask, filling the empty space.

 

“For now.” Tomura nods.

 

You’ve never been left alone for a significant amount of time with Tomura, and as much as you trusted Dabi not to leave you for good, the small part of your brain that always worried about it as a child begins to reappear.

Tomura glances at you after a while, and something about you must give away your fear because he does a brief double take and then says:

 

“You know what that means?”

 

“What?” You ask, a little confused.

 

“Means that we can have fish without him complaining about the smell.” He says, glancing over at you.

 

“Yeah.” You agree, unconvinced.

 

“We could also play games for as long as we want without being called nerds.” Tomura points out, reaching out to pet the back of your hair.

 

“Yeah.” You agree again, trying to sound a bit more enthusiastic about it.

 

“I’ll make you your favourite.” He tries to bargain.

 

“It’s okay. Can we get takeout instead?” You ask, leaning your head back into his palm.

 

“Of course we can, Starlight.” Tomura agrees.

 

You pause for a moment.

 

“Can we play shrines when we get home?” You ask, your voice small and the words even giving you flashbacks to when you were younger.

 

“Always, little Star.” Tomura replies easily, rubbing his thumb against your skull.

Chapter 14: Murphy’s Law

There was something wrong with Star Todoroki, and she would not tell Vesper what it was.

When he’d vented to Akito about being worried about her, he’d simply shrugged and said that women could sometimes just ‘be that way’, and then proceeded to tell him about some single mom he’d managed to hook up with over the weekend, despite Vesper's clear lack of interest.

When he’d tried talking to Keiko and Hana about it, to see if maybe it was something she felt better talking to girls about, Hana just joined in with noting that she seemed quiet and Keiko shrugged and said that periods sucked. 

 

But Star was really open about that, apparently, so if it was just a matter of her being on her period, Vesper can’t help but feel like she’d just say that.

 

When he’d expressed worry that maybe she’d realised she didn’t want to take this further than friendship, Akito had gotten that weird look in his eyes that only meant trouble , so Vesper had shut that conversation down quickly, despite starting it himself. 

 

He was trying . He bought her chocolates one day, because mom had suggested that might cheer her up, and she’d been grateful and given him a hug, but the smile wasn’t a genuine one, because it wasn’t one that reached her eyes.

He’d tried getting her out for dinner on the days he didn’t have band practice or work, and she always had an excuse as to why she couldn’t. 

She wanted to spend time with her uncle the one day, her big sister wanted to have a sleep over the other- which was confusing in itself because he didn’t remember her ever mentioning a sister before, and then the third time he’d tried, she wanted to stay home with her dad and cat and play games.

 

He accepted it and started backing away himself. Maybe he was being too much too soon, and she was beginning to get freaked out.

If she noticed she didn’t say anything or try to push it to go back to normal, which almost makes it worse for Vesper. He wanted her to want whatever it was going on between them, too.

 

The thing that lights him up, the thing that makes him feel a little more like himself again, is when Akito tells him that the manager of a rapidly growing band had reached out asking them to go on tour with them, being the support act while they traveled around Japan.

Usually, Vesper would panic and refuse to go, but since the emails now went to Akito (on account of Vesper losing a record deal last time something like this happened), he’d already agreed and they were now definitely going to this tour.

 

He’s suckered into it now, so he has to enjoy it instead of fearing it, so he smiles when they tell Keiko, who’s so taken aback she freezes before launching herself at Vesper, telling him how proud she is of him for finally agreeing to do something she knows is scary for him. 

 

“We need to go out and celebrate.” She says simply, giving Akito a fist bump.

 

“What we celebrating?” Hana asks, plopping herself onto the seat next to Keikos.

“Vesper and Akito are touring with Nightwalker!” Keiko explains excitedly.

“What?!” Hana asks, her eyebrows shooting up. “Holy shit, guys, that’s huge!”

Star is as quiet as ever as she settles onto the seat next to Vesper, like she always did now the others had rearranged themselves so that they could sit by each other, but she seems to be listening this time, because even she looks impressed.

“This weekend.” Keiko says firmly, leaving no room for argument. “At No Name.” 

“That place is a dive.” Vesper says, thinking more of Star than anyone else.

“You love it there.” Keiko replies, looking a little confused. “And so does Akito.”

The Bar With No Name was alright, Vesper only liked it because it was small and dark, so there were only a limited amount of people that could enter before they shut the doors. But because it was small and dark, that sometimes led to more undesirable people at the bar, too. 

He wasn’t worried for himself, he was more than capable of holding his own, and he’d usually back Akito up if he got too cocky, too. But it wasn’t really somewhere he was comfortable with the girls being in.

“When did you get boring?” Akito asks, rolling his head to look at Vesper exasperatedly.

“I’m thinking of the girls.” Vesper says evenly.

Keiko snorts at him. “Seriously, dude?”

“You can fight off the creeps for us!” Hana says enthusiastically.

“You know how trigger happy the kitten is with her claws and even Star punched me a little while ago.” Akito says, rocking back on his chair. “They’ll be fine.”

“Actually, he doesn’t, because he never pisses me off enough to make me want to scratch him.” Keiko interrupts, giving Akito an unimpressed look.

“I wasn’t pissin’ you off last time you did it.” Akito says with a teasing grin, but it only serves to prove her point and annoy Keiko, who’s expression deepens in her annoyance.

“If that’s where you like, that’s where you should go.” Star finally says.

“Aren’t you coming?” Hana asks, looking a little upset at the idea she may not be going.

Star looks a little uncertain for a second before nodding slightly. “Yeah, I can come.”

Hana’s face lights up again, her teeth beginning to grind in excitement.
Vesper glances at Star, running his eyes up and down her slightly slouched position. She never usually held herself like that, she always sat properly, and looked happy to be around them all, happy to be around him, but not lately.
He can’t really focus on the plans the others are making for the weekend, because he’s too distracted by her, and his worries about her, so he gently tugs on the sleeve closest to him. When she looks up at him curiously, he nods his head towards the door as if to silently ask for her to go with him for a private talk.

She looks a little nervous, a concerned frown pulling her eyebrows together, but she nods and begins to get up, with Vesper following close behind.

“Guys, now is not the time for private time, we’re planning!” Akito says, trying to grab Vesper’s jacket as he passes, only for Vesper to slap his hand away.

“Fill us in later.” Vesper says simply.

“Will there be any space left?” Akito retorts, only to be slapped around the back of the head by Keiko.

Vesper has never been so glad for Star’s complete naivety before, because she doesn’t even seem to take Akito’s comment on board as they walk out of the room.

“Where are we going?” She asks, stopping to look at him when the door closes behind them.

“Here’s fine.” Vesper replies, deciding with how nervous she looks that she probably wants to be around other people. “I just… I’m worried about you.”

“Me? Why?” She asks, either genuinely confused or putting on a good show of being completely ignorant.

“Because you’re being weird, Star.” Vesper sighs, gently leading her away from the door.

“I am?” She asks, looking a little hurt. “I’m sorry…”

“Not like that. You’re just not yourself.” Vesper corrects quickly. “You’ve been really quiet, and it feels like you’re trying to avoid me. Did I do something wrong? If you’re not interested anymore, I get it, but can you just tell me?”

She stares at him, surprised for a second before shaking her head. “You haven’t done anything wrong, I really like you, Vesper.”

“Then what’s going on with you?” He asks, appreciating her hand sliding into his more than he probably should.

She opens her mouth to reply, but soon closes it again, as if she’s decided that whatever the answer is isn’t good enough to actually respond with.

“Talk to me.” He practically begs.

Something his dad would probably have called him pathetic for, but Vesper doesn’t care.
He does care about Star.
Probably too much too soon, and it was probably going to backfire on him sooner rather than later, but he never had nice things before her, and he was trying with all his might to keep things the way they are.

“It’s dumb.” She replies.

“Star.” He says, giving her a pleading look.

She stares up at him silently for a second before her body seems to release the tension she’d been holding and she slouches a little bit.

“I feel like I’m being annoying by bugging you with all this. I don’t want you to think I’m just, like, a problem .”

“The problem is that you’re not talking to me. You’re not talking to anyone . I care about you, Star.” He insists. “I want to know.”

She sighs, but relents.

“My dad decided to stay with his mom instead of coming back with us. He said he’d be back in a few days, but it’s been a week.” She replies. “I’m worried he’s not going to come back.”

Vesper stares at her for a second, the words buffering in his head.
This girl really seemed to care about her dad. 

He takes a quick moment to process how that would feel for him, if his mom decided to do the same thing. He’d probably be worried too. Not about her not coming back, but more for her mental state to do a thing like that.

“Of course he’ll come back. Why would he leave you?” Vesper asks.

“Mom left me.” She replies quietly, and for some reason, those three words threaten to tear a hole in Vesper’s heart.

“That’s different, and I think you know it.” Vesper says calmly.

Her face crumples, and Vesper panics immediately, looking around to make sure nobody was paying any real attention to what they were doing. He’d been accused of making someone cry before, and he did not need another needless suspension under his belt.
Luckily she seems to catch herself before the tears come, and she just gives a small nod, looking away.

“I’ve missed you.” He admits, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand.

“Really?” She asks quietly.

“Of course.” He says, rolling his eyes and squeezing her hand.

She beams at him for the first time in days and his worries melt away at the sight of it. He can finally see the Star he likes again, that sparkle back in her eyes even if it’s only for right now. 

 

*•*

 

“Mom. I’m home.” Vesper calls, slipping his shoes and jacket off.

 

He sniffs, frowning as he realises he can smell burning coming from inside the apartment, more specifically the kitchen. 

Startled, he runs into the kitchen, his ridged brows raising when he sees his mom throwing things into the flames on the stove.

 

“What are you doing?” He asks, panicking as he grabs her wrist, hating the fact she flinches.

 

When he sees what she’s holding in his hand, it hurts a little bit more than he cares to admit. 

A picture of him when he was a baby and still had his messed up wings, curled up in his dads arms. Back when his dad was his dad, and not the fucked up, angry version that they’d been left with the memories of.

 

“They need to go.” She says simply, gently prying his hand from her wrist.

 

“But that's a picture of me, too, mom.” Vesper replies.

 

“I have thousands of you, honey.” She reassures, rubbing his arm. “Ones of us together and ones of just you.”

 

“I want this one.” Vesper says, plucking it from her fingers. 

 

He doesn’t know why it’s struck such a chord in him, but it has. 

Maybe it’s just because it’s a reminder that his dad was good, once. Maybe because he’s looking at Vesper like he actually loved him once, too. 

Maybe it’s just because he’s scared of his mom destroying their shared past on a whim, too.

 

She looks at him, hurt flitting in her eyes for a brief moment, and then turns the stove off, putting an end to her statement against his dad. 

 

“How was your day?” She asks casually, beginning to tidy up all the ashes left behind from all the photos she must have burned before.

 

“Good. Akito signed us up as a support act for a band called Nightwalker.” Vesper says, sliding the photograph into his pocket. “We’ll be going around Japan playing.”

 

Mom stops in her tracks, her hands flying to her mouth as she looks at Vesper in complete surprise. 

It’s not too long until she’s dragging him into a tight hug, squeezing him tighter than she has in years. 

 

“I always knew you’d do well!” She says, pride evident in her tone. “Vesper, you’re so clever!”

 

She’s mere seconds away from pinching his cheek like a grandma, so Vesper laughs and gently bats her hand away. 

 

“Stop, mom.” He chuckles. “We both know I’dve wimped out if it were up to me.”

 

“But you’re doing it anyway , and that’s something to be proud of.” His mom says firmly, her lips turned up into a genuine smile for once as she returns back to cleaning up her mess. “Take lots of pictures for me.”

 

“‘Course, mom.” Vesper agrees.

 

“What does your girlfriend think?” She asks.

 

“She’s not my girlfriend.” Vesper corrects patiently.

 

Mom gives him an eye roll, patting his hip to silently ask him to move out of the way as she puts all the collected ash into the bin.

 

“I don’t know. She didn’t say much. We’re all gonna go celebrate at the weekend.” Vesper informs her as she brushes her hands off on her thighs.

 

“Be safe and look after her.” Mom says even though she doesn’t need to tell him, and rubs his back affectionately. “Let’s get takeout. My treat. What do you want?”

 

Vesper tries to insist on not doing that, because he knows that she now has to provide for them both alone, even with his part time wages it probably isn’t enough, and something like needless takeout was a real treat. His mom is adamant though, and he ends up agreeing to pizza. 

It ends up being the nicest evening they’ve had since dad was sentenced, mom seems to be in a good mood, and Vesper can’t help but find himself feeling a little lighter too the more people seem to be excited for him and his friends.

 

*•*

 

Star seems a lot better in the next couple of days after finally telling someone how she’s feeling and what’s going on, which makes Vesper feel better in return. 

He manages to convince her to not allow Keiko and Hana to bully her into wearing anything too skimpy unless she wants to, and is relieved that Akito is once again happy to host them for the night so none of them have to figure out a way back. 

 

It seems to go well by the time the weekend does come around. Star is staying close to him initially, the darkness in the bar unsettling her, but Vesper is sure to keep something pressed against her, whether it’s an arm, hand, thigh or just the tip of his tail. And sure enough, she relaxes slowly but surely.

She’s drinking slowly this time around, despite the others teasing her for ‘nursing’ her drink. Vesper gives them all warning glances whenever they do, which eventually stops them from doing it entirely.

 

With Aoki and Abe he can understand why they would tease her for drinking slowly, but Akito, Keiko and Hana all know she’s new to the whole concept of drinking and should be more understanding about her taking it slow.

 

The guys occasionally go out to smoke, leaving Vesper with the girls, but he doesn’t mind that too much. 

He loves Akito and his bandmates, but he finds it so much easier to relax properly with the girls, because there’s never any expectations of ‘manliness’ or relentless teasing with them.

 

The more Star drinks, the clingier she becomes, which is fine by Vesper, he doesn’t mind her holding onto his arm or leaning into his side or grabbing his hand to put it on the top of, or on the back of it. 

It was nice after a week of being terrified she didn’t want to waste her time with him anymore. 

She seems to loosen up with it too, which is nice. She talks easier, talks more , and seems to be having fun. She even goes to dance with Keiko and Hana at one point.

 

He uses that as an excuse to join the guys in the smoking area, having watched the area around the girls carefully before getting up and going. The crowd was relatively subdued tonight, no noticeable creeps or peoples clearly partaking in shady business deals. Just a bunch of middle aged guys talking quietly in one of the booths, and small groups of normal-looking customers scattered around.

 

“What up, Ves?” Aoki greets the second Vesper is close enough to hear them.

 

“Managed to tear yourself away from ‘Roki, then.” Akito teases as he flicks ash onto the floor.

 

Vesper ignores him, sitting down on the bench with the rest of them.

 

“Just jealous ‘cause you can’t get a girl.” Abe teases back for Vesper.

 

“Could get a girl in five minutes if I wanted to.” Akito says confidently.

 

“Bet.” Abe grins. 

 

“Not Tsume, though. That’s too easy.” Aoki joins in.

 

“Fine. Easy. Watch me.” Akito snorts, taking another drag of his cigarette.

 

“You’ll upset her.” Vesper says, trying to keep it quiet so that Akito doesn’t get too upset about him ‘showing him up’ in front of the other two.

 

“She’ll get over it, she always does.” Akito shrugs.

 

Vesper doesn’t get it, because he would never do anything that’d upset Star over a stupid bet, but he’s done his bit in warning his friend, and that’s all he can do for him.

It isn’t until Akito stands up that he realises that the other man is drunk, having to catch his arm to stop him from swaying over. 

 

“Ow!” Akito whines.

 

“Should I have let you fall?” Vesper asks. “Don’t be a wimp. You’ll have a bruise, tops.”

 

“You’re too strong for your own good, giant.” Akito grumbles, rubbing where Vesper had caught him with a pout.

 

Another thing Akito wouldn’t do when sober, because he knew how cautious Vesper was about his own strength. He could easily break bones if he was too careless about the force he was applying.

Vesper tries not to focus too much on it, knowing nothing was really meant by it and Akito was probably just being his normal, dramatic self. 

When they all filter back into the bar, Vesper frowns as he sees Hana and Keiko crouching by Star who’s awkwardly sat on the floor. 

 

They head over too, and Keiko looks up at Vesper, looking a little confused.

 

“What happened?”

 

“Star’s drunk.” Hana says simply, but Keiko doesn’t look convinced.

 

“She’s had what, three drinks?” Vesper asks.

 

“Did you guys leave her drink?” Abe asks, crouching down too, waving in front of her face.

 

“Did we not learn from last time?” Akito asks exasperatedly. “I didn’t do all that puking for nothin’.”

 

Vesper crouches too and Star immediately reaches for him. He lets her hug him, and tries to lift her up as carefully as possible while her arms are around his neck.

 

“She’ll fall.” Keiko says, trying to stop him, but Vesper just nods and places his hands either side of Star’s waist to keep her up just in case.

 

“Star, what’s wrong?” Vesper asks, trying to pull her away so he can look at her face clearly.

 

“Dizzy.” She slurs, her body like deadweight against him.

 

“Pfft. Lightweight.” Akito snorts, poking Star’s side.

 

Vesper gives him a sharp look, and Star groans at the poke, trying to move away.

 

“She drank more at Akito’s house party and didn’t act like this.” Keiko stresses, acting as though it was just her and Vesper in this situation. “Some guy just bumped into her and she just crumpled to the floor and won’t stay up.”

 

“Where’d he go?” Vesper asks, his tail flicking in agitation.

 

“We were too busy worrying about Star.” Keiko explains. 

 

Which makes sense, but Vesper is still pissed off about someone pushing over an innocent girl who would have absolutely been minding her own business.

 

“If your friend’s too drunk to hold herself up, she needs to go home.” One of the bartenders says from behind him.

 

“Not drunk.” Star insists, her voice muffled by Vesper's clothing. “Scared.”

 

“Well you don’t seem sober , ‘Roki.” Akito comments with a raised eyebrow.

 

But Vesper believes her. 

Star wasn’t much of a liar, and she sounds scared and confused.

 

“Where’s your phone? We’ll call your dad.” Vesper says patiently as Abe and Aoki back away, apparently not wanting their vibe to be ruined by Star’s funny turn.

 

“No.”  Star groans, pressing her face against Vesper's shoulder firmly.

 

“She can’t stay here.” The bartender behind him says sternly.

 

“I’m handling it.” Vesper snaps, his tail thumping against the floor. 

 

The bartender doesn’t look impressed, but does leave them alone after that. Just as well, because Vesper can feel smoke beginning to leave his nose.

 

“Star, you can’t stay here if you’re not feeling good.” Keiko tries instead. “Don’t worry about it if you have to go home, we just want you to be okay.”

 

Star tries to shake her head, but ends up groaning when her body doesn’t seem to want to move properly. 

This definitely seems too different to when Akito was spiked. He could at least move and speak, even if it was slurred and mostly stumbling. 

 

“Star either you call your dad or tell me where you live, or we’ll have to call an ambulance. This isn’t normal.” Vesper says, beginning to become even more concerned.

 

“Don’t freak her out.” Hana says, crossing her arms over her chest and frowning.

 

“No.” Star begs weakly at the same time Keiko begins to back Vesper up to Hana.

 

“It’ll be a massive fuss if we have to call a ambulance.” Akito says, raising an eyebrow.

 

“She can’t fucking move, dude.”

 

Star sobs against him and he freezes, immediately hauling her up into his arms and beginning to carry her out of the building, Akito calling after him, but only Keiko actually following.

 

“Star, please don’t cry.” Vesper says softly the second they’re outside and he can talk a little quieter. 

 

“Put her on the floor.” Keiko says, patting Vespers arm. “So we can check her eyes.”

 

He gently sets her on the floor, her head rolling like some kind of doll. It’s horrible to see, her body so heavy and the clear panic on her face as she can’t control it.

 

“Do you have seizures, Star?” Keiko asks, gently brushing her hair out of her face. 

 

“Huh?” Star just about manages to say. 

 

“That’ll be a no.” Vesper says, crouching down and shielding the view of her from the onlookers with his body. 

 

“Her eyes look normal.” Keiko says, sounding confused. “Star, can you not move at all?”

 

“She said she was dizzy, but she’s slurring and she can’t move.”

 

“Stroke?” Hana says, surprising Vesper with her sudden appearance. 

 

“She’s eighteen.” Keiko says with an eyeroll. “And her face isn’t drooping or anything.”

 

“Fuck, maybe we should call an ambulance anyway.” Vesper says, running his hands through his hair.

 

“No!” Star says with more vigor than before.

 

“Then let us call your dads.” Keiko tries to bargain. “Or I can take you home?”

 

“Not happening. It’ll be the last train soon and you won’t be able to keep her up all that time.” Vesper says firmly. “Claws or not, it’s not safe.”

 

Keiko looks a little exasperated, and Hana gets on the floor too to cuddle up to Star, letting the girl rest her head on Hana’s shoulder more comfortably.

 

“Everything alright here girls?” The bouncer asks from behind Vesper.

 

Vesper bristles, apparently enough for Keiko to notice  because she places a hand on his arm calmly.

 

“We’re fine, thank you. Just waiting for our friend to give us her address.” Keiko explains, smiling up at the man behind him.

 

He hums, sounding a little doubtful about it, but seems to back off again right as Star begins to cry silently.  Hana shushes her and pets her hair as Keiko sighs, her tail flicking across the pavement behind her.

 

“You’re not going to get into trouble if you go home, Star. They’ll just be happy you’re somewhere safe.” Keiko tells her evenly.

 

“Not that.” Star explains briefly.

 

“What is it then?” Keiko asks, her tail flicking even more behind her.

 

“I’m calling an ambulance.” Vesper says, making the decision finally.

 

“Vesper.”

 

Vesper pauses mid getting his phone from his jacket pocket, looking at Star even though it’s hard for him to do when she’s so distressed and has mascara smudging under her eyes.

 

“Home.” 

 

“Okay.” Vesper agrees. “You need to tell me where, though.”

 

“Same street.” She manages to slur, rolling her head away from Hana’s shoulder.

 

It’s minimal, but Vesper can put it together. The street she’d forced him to leave her at when he’d last visited her, making him leave before she even went into one of the three large houses on that street before she went home.

 

“Alright. Okay.” Vesper sighs, and Keiko seems to relax as well, letting out a relieved breath through her nose. “You gonna throw up?”

 

“No.” 

 

“Okay. I’ll pick you up then. Gonna have to be quick to get the last train.” Vesper says, beginning to stand to try and haul her up again as carefully as possible.

 

Keiko stands up too, straightening her skirt and Hana boops Star’s nose softly as Vesper lifts her up.

 

“Feel better soon, Star.” She says, as though this entire situation isn’t scary.

 

“Please tell me if anything happens.” Keiko says, stopping Vesper from going like he wants to. 

 

“Yeah, I will.” Vesper agrees hurriedly, and then remembers what Akito had said earlier. “Aki agreed to some dumb bet the guys made. He might do something that upsets you because of it. Try not to get too upset.”

 

Keiko looks a little confused at first, but Vesper knows she understands when the pierced feline ear flicks. 

 

“Be safe. Have fun.” He says, using his tail to give her ankle a gentle squeeze before walking off with Star in his arms, her face pressed into his shoulder again.

 

It feels like a long walk in the complete silence between them both, but Star does break the silence after a while of hurried walking.

 

“M’ sorry.”

 

“Don’t be. Rest. Maybe you can sleep whatever it is off.” Vesper says, pressing his snout to the top of her head quickly.

 

*•*

 

He just manages to make the last train to the prefecture that Star lives in. He gets more than a few weird looks from people on the train as he refuses to let go of Star just in case she’s accidentally bumped again and falls. He chooses to ignore it, only occasionally peering down at her to make sure she’s still okay.

Not that she looks okay. Whenever he looks at her she looks terrified , which is fair enough. She can’t move or really speak, which must be horrible. 

 

It makes him feel a little bit special to know she was trusting him while she was in such a state, but he tries not to dwell too much on it, knowing her safety was more important than his own feelings right now.

 

He’s only just beginning to get tired when he gets to the end of her street, and that’s only because it’s up a decieving incline. 

 

“Which house, Star?” He asks, looking at the large white houses. 

 

“Todoroki-Sh-“ She begins to say and then says: “Don't tell anyone.”

 

“I’m not going to tell anyone.” Vesper reassures, getting close to the first house to try and read the nameplate in the dark.

 

Her house ends up being the furthest one, and Vesper’s relieved to see that the lights are on. When he walks up to the door, he realises they have a coded lock and a pretty solid looking door.

 

“Your parents dealers or something, Star? This is like, military standard.” He tries to joke.

 

“Two one zero nine.” She says in response, and then repeats her plea not to tell anyone. 

 

“Quit worrying, I’m not gonna say anything. I only hang out with you guys, anyway.” Vesper replies, pressing the code in.

 

Sure enough there’s a loud click and he takes a deep breath before trying to shift her so he can push the door open.

When he steps inside, he hears a hissed ‘fuck’, and then rustling from the closest room to the giant front door.

 

“Star? Shit, hang on a second, hon.” A kind of familiar sounding raspy voice calls hurriedly.

 

There’s more rustling and hissed curses before someone appears at the edge of the doorway, severe red eyes meeting Vespers, surrounded by scarred, cracked skin.

Vesper's eyes widen as he realises just who he’s looking at.

 

There was no way.

 

Cracked skin around the red eyes, the equally cracked skin on his mouth, the asymmetrical scars on his eye and mouth, the unruly white hair pulled into a ponytail at the back of his head. There are scars on his chest that Vesper doesn’t remember ever seeing in photos of him before, and he’s shorter than Vesper imagined, but he’s just as terrifying as the media makes out anyway.

 

Tomura Shigaraki.

 

And then it clicks. The dad with the fire quirk that can be dangerous if he loses control of it. The fact she had ‘been in a fire’ and bore a scar similar to his own. The name.

 

Touya Todoroki.

 

He remembered reading somewhere that they’d taken in a kid, but they kept her name out of the media, and made sure that no sign of her was ever shown to the masses.

 

Now it made sense why they were so protective.

Now it made sense why she didn’t want to call them.

Now it made sense why she was begging him not to tell anyone.

 

He’s just kind of standing there with her in his arms, probably looking just as terrified as he feels as Shigaraki seems to wait for him to say something, to explain what’s happening.

 

“Hello.” Shigaraki says evenly after a painful moment of silent staring.

 

Vesper bows his head quickly and wordlessly, gulping loudly.

 

“What happened here?” Shigaraki asks, crossing his arms over his chest as he leans in the doorway.

 

“I don’t know sir, the girls just told me she fell.” Vesper replies robotically, keeping his eyes on the floor.

 

He tries his hardest not to visibly flinch when Shigaraki pushes himself away from the doorway to approach him, and then there’s sounds of footsteps rushing to the doorway, and then there he is, all angry scars, unforgiving blue eyes and an unfriendly scowl pulling white eyebrows together.

 

“What the fuck?”

 

“Pawpaw.” Star says, her head lolling awkwardly so she can see Todoroki- Dabi . 

 

“What happened?” Dabi asks worriedly and then immediately glares at Vesper, his tone dropping to a dangerous one. “What did you do ?”

 

“I didn’t do anything, sir.” Vesper defends despite being terrified , his body betraying how scared he is by tucking his tail between his legs.

 

“Touya, calm down.” Shigaraki orders calmly. “Wani, I assume? Put her down.”

 

“She’ll fall. She can’t hold herself up.” Vesper explains, and despite how terrifying being trapped in Shigaraki’s gaze is , he’s hoping carrying his daughter is what is going to keep him alive right now.

 

“She was spiked ? Where the fuck were you ?” Dabi seethes, and sure enough, smoke begins filtering through his seams.

 

Shigaraki shoots him a stern look that goes completely ignored. 

 

“Are you hurt, Starlight?” Shigaraki asks, reaching to move hair out of her face, but pauses when Vesper jolts a little from fear and gives Vesper what is probably meant to be a reassuring look.

 

“Scared.” Star repeats. “Can’t move. Speaking ‘s hard.”

 

Dabi is still barely containing his fire from the looks of things, his face contorting into an expression he’d seen all over the news, the same face he’d pulled as he’d killed Endeavor.

Shigaraki, however, hums a little, surprisingly calm in comparison. 

 

“Set her down. I’ll hold her up.” He repeats, and Vesper gulps audibly again but carefully begins to set her down. 

 

Shigaraki catches her easily, holding her to his side and moving her hair out of her eyes, scanning her face carefully as Dabi makes a move for Vesper. 

Vesper’s tongue darts out of his mouth as he loses control of his instincts in his fear, and he backs away instinctively, thankfully guarded by Shigaraki, who’s arm shoots out, stopping Dabi in his tracks.

 

“Don’t be mean.” Star demands weakly.

 

“It’s my house.” Dabi replies, clearly furious.

 

“You said she fell?” Shigaraki asks, ignoring his boyfriend's anger.

 

“The girls, they said they were dancing and a guy bumped into her and she fell and couldn’t get back up after that.” Vesper explains, his voice shaking even though he should be trying to be bigger, scarier, holding his ground. “She isn’t spiked. We’re careful about that, my friend Takagi was spiked.”

 

“There are injections now. It’s not just drinks.” Shigaraki explains calmly. “Although this seems unusual.”

 

He lifts Star's wrist, and then drops it, her arm flopping to her side again and a distressed groan leaving her.

 

“You left girls in a bar ? Smart.” Dabi comments sarcastically. “Some genius we have here.”

 

“Did you see the guy?” Shigaraki asks, passing Star to Dabi even though his staples are beginning to glow from the heat coming off him.

 

Somehow it works though as Dabi panics and immediately places his arms around her so his staples don’t touch skin, and the steaming from between his seams slows down slowly but definitely. 

 

“I was outside, sir, but I wanted to find the guy.” Vesper admits, his eyes still on the pristine tiled flooring. “Keiko said they were more worried about Star falling than looking at the guy.”

 

“A quirk maybe?” Shigaraki murmurs, probably to himself.

 

“You feel sick, babygirl?” Dabi asks quietly, his entire demeanor changing now Star was in close proximity to him. 

 

“Dizzy.” Star replies. 

 

Shigaraki frowns slightly. “Dizzy?”

 

“Like drunk, kinda spinny?” Dabi asks.

 

“She only had three drinks.” Vesper informs him, but quickly wishes he hadn’t when he gets a sharp glare from icy eyes.

 

“Not drunk.” Star confirms. 

 

“Okay, Starlight.” Shigaraki says, in probably what is the most soothing tone he can muster. “Touya, take her to bed. Wani, let's talk.”

 

“C’mon darlin’ girl.” Dabi says, hauling her up even though it’s a struggle, but he’s sure to glare at Vesper before struggling up the stairs. 

 

“I just need to put some things away. Stay here.” Shigaraki says, walking past him.

 

And Vesper could leave. Make a run for it and pray they don’t come after him, but he stays frozen in place, his tail quite literally between his legs. 

Shigaraki only takes a couple minutes cleaning up whatever he needed to, and then he reappears at the doorway, suddenly wearing a shirt that looks too big for him and gestures for Vesper to follow him in with a simple nod of his head.

 

Vesper walks in, standing awkwardly just past the doorway and staring at Shigaraki as he sits on the coffee table.

 

“Sit.” 

 

“Yes sir.” Vesper agrees, practically fighting with his body to allow him to sit down on the couch opposite Shigaraki.

 

Shigaraki waits for Vesper to sit before regarding him thoughtfully. 

 

“Why didn’t you take her to a hospital?”

 

“I was going to call an ambulance but she asked to be taken home.” Vesper replies, his eyes on his feet.

 

“She hates hospitals.” Shigaraki says evenly. 

 

Vesper doesn’t really know how to reply to that, so he stays quiet. 

He kind of wishes he had just called an ambulance now, anyway.

 

“I heard about your dad. You still live in the same place?” Shigaraki asks, and Vesper nods curtly. “Okay. Last train has long gone. I’ll set up the spare room.”

 

Doesn’t matter because Vesper’s not going to be able to sleep in this house, but he says a weak thank you anyway. 

 

“I’m sure I don’t need to tell you to stay in that room.” Shigaraki says, his facial expression still as stoic as ever, not giving anything away. “We’ll be checking on her overnight, so it would be pointless trying anything.”

 

“No.” Vesper says, trying not to show the offense taken in his tone. “I wouldn’t do that anyway. Never mind with her like that.”

 

“Good.” Shigaraki says, getting up. 

 

And then he just leaves, not making a move for Vesper like Dabi had, slinging his hands in his pockets as if to make it abundantly clear that he wasn’t going to try anything.

Vesper sits there awkwardly, his tail slowly retreating from where it had been resting now Shigaraki and Dabi were distracted elsewhere. 

He looks around, taking in the oddly… minimal decor. There was a large TV opposite, with the latest release of the PlayStation hooked up to it, with a bunch of older models of different game consoles and video games themselves stacked neatly in a shelf beside the screen.

 

There’s no photos of Star or either of them on the white walls, and aside from a few pillows and one throw that are all black, there’s nothing too homely about this room. 

Vesper is admittedly still too nervous to move too much to look at the adjacent kitchen area, so just sits as still as possible.

 

He hates himself for it, of course. He wishes he could just get up and leave like he wants to, but his body won’t cooperate. 

He’s stuck, thanks to his own cowardice. 

He’s not expecting Shigaraki to come back so fast, or maybe he’s been sitting frozen in fear for longer than he realised. 

 

“Come on, then.” Shigaraki says from the doorway. 

 

Vesper stands up, his tail ducking between his legs again. He follows behind Shigaraki wordlessly, picking up on the muted rumble of Dabi’s voice coming from upstairs.

When they set foot on the upper floor, he realises Star's door is open just the tiniest bit, allowing Dabi’s voice to come through.

 

“Close your eyes and get to sleep, Starshine.” He hears Dabi say as he passes the door, making sure to keep his eyes ahead of him in order to avoid the death glare of Dabi.

 

Shigaraki pushes a door open and watches carefully as Vesper walks robotically into the room. 

This room is just as empty and soulless as the living area. White walls, white sheets on the bed, white curtains and nothing beyond the white furniture. It almost looks like a pristine showroom, but Vesper assumes that they probably don’t have many visitors. 

 

“Stay in here.” Shigaraki says simply, as if he needed to remind him of that.

 

“Sir?” Vesper says, stopping Shigaraki mid-turn and hating the fact he has to do this. “I need heat, otherwise I’ll get sick.”

 

Shigaraki nods, gesturing towards a small heater in the room. 

 

“They all run separately. It’s a touch screen.” He says simply. 

 

Vesper bows his head in thanks, and Shigaraki regards him again for a second.

 

“Thank you again for bringing her back.” He repeats. “I’ve got rid of the effects of the quirk, so she’ll be fine in the morning.”

 

And then he leaves, not giving Vesper any more context behind what he’d said. 

Vesper stares at the closed door for a second before trying to forcibly make his body relax and trying to figure out how to use the heater. It is pretty simple, luckily, so he turns it up high and sits on the bed.

 

He tries to gauge how genuine Shigaraki had been when thanking him and offering him a room for the night. 

He had stopped Dabi from trying to get to Vesper downstairs, but that could have simply been because it was in front of Star, even if she couldn’t move or talk. He’d also used what definitely sounded like a warning tone towards Dabi and told him to calm down initially, too. 

He’d thanked Vesper twice for bringing her back, and had offered him a place to stay, but Vesper couldn’t bring himself to believe that it was solely out of gratitude.

 

He’s half convinced that one of them is going to come back and kill him for not looking after Star properly tonight, and Vesper can’t relax because of it. 

The house is so quiet as well, so Vesper can’t hear if they’re upstairs or downstairs, which is even more unsettling. He can’t even hear street noise from outside. 

 

He ends up staying up until the early hours of the morning, on edge even as he begins to slump down onto the bed fully.

It’s only out of sheer exhaustion that he falls asleep at all, curled up tight into a ball like he used to when he was a toddler. 

Chapter 15: Stars View

You were enjoying yourself for the first time since Dabi had left home. Genuinely , not just forcing yourself to put on a brave face for Uncle Giran or Himiko. 

 

The bar is admittedly a bit of a dive, like Vesper said, and you are nervous when you get there, but Keiko sneaks you a shot to ‘help with the nerves’, and after that and one vodka with melon soda you’re a lot more at ease.

Vesper helps anyway, always being sure to have his arm or thigh pressed against your own, and if not, his tail is laid across your foot, the weight of it keeping you grounded.

 

It’s nice because he keeps looking out for you. When the others tease you for drinking so slowly he always quips back for you, and shoots them sharp glances, his taloned hand settling on your back as if to silently reassure you that what you were doing was fine, and to ignore them.

By the end of your second drink you’re pretty cosy snuggled up against him, the build of his body reminding you of Uncle Jin, nice and solid and safe to lean against.

 

You’re not too sure about Aoki and Abe. Abe seems nicer than Aoki, he’s a little more quiet than Aoki and Akito who seem to be battling for the limelight with one another. He seems to be looking fondly at you and Vesper from time to time too, and is patient with Hana when she tries dragging him away with her and Keiko to go and dance.

You discover that Vesper’s hand feels really nice in your hair, his longer claws scratching at your scalp nicely when he rubs your head whenever you place his hand there. He snorts whenever he pulls his hand away and you pull it straight back, the feeling really relaxing for you.

 

You’re happy that he’s happy and seems to be having a good time with everyone, laughing and joking with his bandmates and then being as thoughtful as normal with you while also being sweet and keeping a half-eye out for Keiko and Hana, too.

 

He’s nice.

He’s so nice.

 

And you’re so proud of him for agreeing to tour with this Nightwalker band when Hana and Keiko had told you before that he’d wimped out of a record deal before because he was scared. 

You can see how proud they are of them all too, both Hana and Keiko’s eyes sparkling like Dabi’s did whenever he looked at you.

 

By the end of your third drink, you’re really relaxed, and feeling quite upbeat, so when Abe asks if you want another when he comes back from his smoke, you shake your head, not wanting to push it too far like you did the last time you drank with the others. 

Keiko and Hana manage to convince you this time to join them for one dance, Hana grabbing your hand and dragging you away from Vesper and to the small wooden floor that the bar claimed was their dance floor. 

 

You’re nowhere near as good a dancer as Keiko, and are happy that Hana’s happy to just fool around instead of actually trying to dance, which matches your energy just fine.

It’s nice too, because this bar is so quiet in comparison to the ones you’ve all been to before. There’s only two other small groups of women on the dance floor, and a couple of older men on the sidelines that are talking with one another and holding drinks.

You giggle as Hana runs at you, lifting her up and spinning her around dramatically before setting her on the floor.

 

You don’t even really notice the men on the sidelines moving because you’re too busy having fun with the girls. 

You must not really pay attention to your surroundings because you step back and accidentally bump backwards into solid muscle.

Whoever it is touches your arm, and even though it’s just for a split second, your skin crawls in the way it always does whenever a man touches you without asking and you move to turn and apologise, but your body just… doesn’t move.

 

In fact, you’re hit with such a sudden wave of dizziness that you crumple to the floor, suddenly losing track of where your feet even are. 

There’s a ringing in your ears for some reason too, the noise of it threatening to pierce through your brain. 

 

“Oops!” You hear Hana giggle ever so slightly over the constant ringing in your ears. 

 

“Are you okay, Star?” You hear Keiko ask, and you can kind of piece together that she’s getting closer to you, even though your vision is spinning like you can physically see the earth turning.

 

“Dizzy.” You manage to say, although your voice sounds funny and you struggle to make the word out.

 

“Come on, let's get you up.” Keiko says, and you’re faintly aware of hands tucking themselves under your armpits. 

 

She grunts as she tries lifting you up, but even you can feel how heavy your body is underneath you, and you end up back on the floor again.

You can’t really see what’s happening at all with how badly your vision is spinning, everything is doubled and a weird mix of wavy and spinny. You try to lift yourself up instead, but can’t get control of your arms.

It’s terrifying, so you close your eyes and try to even out your breathing like your therapist had taught you a few years ago. 

 

Hopefully when you open your eyes again, you’ll feel a bit better.

 

“What happened?” You hear Vesper ask, his deep voice carrying over the ringing clearly in comparison to Keiko and Hana’s voice.

 

“Star’s drunk.” Hana says, her voice ever so faint.

 

“She’s had what, three drinks?” You hear Vesper ask, doubtful.

 

Their voices begin to get drowned out by the ringing in your ears, and you can only really pick up on Vespers because of the low rumble of it.

You can just about make out the shape of Vesper before you’re being lifted up, his hands either side of your waist and your face pressed against his shoulder. 

 

“Star, what’s wrong?” Vesper asks, trying to move your head away from his shoulder, but you feel like you’ll collapse if anyone moves you further.

 

“Dizzy.” You manage to say, but your tongue still feels foreign and your voice sounds muffled even to you.

 

You hear a distant voice and then feel someone poke your side like Dabi would do playfully from time to time and you groan at it, willing your body to move away, but it won’t. 

Vesper sounds like he’s getting angry, but you don’t understand why, because you can’t really see or hear anything. You want to panic, but it’s like you’re stuck locked into your own body.

 

You hear an unfamiliar voice accuse you of being drunk and needing to leave, but you don’t want to ruin the night.

You’d be fine , you just needed to calm down.

 

“Not drunk.” You insist, trying to save the problem you were making. “Scared.”

 

Because this probably was just some weird kind of panic attack you’d never had before. 

This was meant to be a celebration and you were currently in the middle of ruining it for them all, and for no good reason, because you’d been totally fine before bumping into that stranger.

 

“Where’s your phone? We’ll call your dad.” Vesper says. 

 

“No.” You groan.

 

You could not call Tomura.

He wasn’t outwardly showing it, but there was no way he wasn’t struggling with Dabi being gone, too. He hadn’t even wanted you originally, you were just an add-on to being with Dabi. You didn’t want to burden him right now, and you couldn’t even walk to the car alone if they called him with you like this.

 

Two visions of Keiko appear in your peripheral vision, and her voice comes to you a little clearer with her getting closer to you.

 

“Star, you can't stay here if you're not feeling good." She tells you calmly. "Don't worry about it if you have to go home, we just want you to be okay."

 

You try to shake your head but you struggle, the movement just makes your vision even worse and you groan again, wondering if maybe it was a sudden migraine.

 

"Star either you call your dad or tell me where you live, or we'll have to call an ambulance. This isn't normal." Vesper says, sounding really worried.

 

“No.” You beg weakly, all their voices becoming an incomprehensible mess in your head.

 

You want to understand what they’re saying, you want to hear your friends. You want to hug Vesper, because you’re scared and you need to be comforted. You’re humiliated, because nothing like this has ever happened before and you’re embarrassing yourself and Vesper in front of his bandmates.

So frustrated tears begin to well in your eyes, and just like you can’t control your body, you can’t control yourself from crying.

 

And then you’re being lifted properly, laying across Vesper's arms, and just barely able to make out the fact you’re staring at the ceiling as you’re carried out of the building.

Thankfully because Vesper is so solid, you don’t move too much cradled like this, otherwise you’d probably be sick from all the motion.

 

“Star, please don't cry.” Vesper pleads softly when you get outside, and the ringing in your ears quietens slightly.

 

You can just about make out that Keiko is saying something before Vesper gently places you on the ground, your vision still spinning and your head rolling to the side awkwardly because you can’t even control that, really.

 

“Do you have seizures, Star?” Keiko asks, appearing in your vision again.

 

“Huh?” You manage to ask, barely.

 

“That’ll be a no.” Vesper says, crouching in front of you so that you can see a swaying version of his face, his emerald eyes full of worry.

 

They all start talking again, and you close your eyes, trying to level yourself out again. 

You are beginning to feel the dizziness lessen slightly when you hear Vesper mention calling an ambulance.

 

“No!” You try to exclaim with as much energy as you can, but you wipe yourself back out by doing that. 

 

Someone moves your head so that it is resting on their shoulder, which helps a little bit. 

You groan slightly and try to press your face as firmly as possible into the shoulder you’re resting on. The world is spinning badly again, and you do begin to actually feel nauseous with it this time.

 

You did not want to go to a hospital. 

You still needed to take a plush with you as well as forcing your dads to come with you to the doctors, never mind an actual hospital.

 

They’re all talking again, and you’re slowly beginning to stop feeling like you can feel yourself wobbling even though you’re still when someone begins petting your hair. 

 

"You're not going to get into trouble if you go home, Star. They'll just be happy you're somewhere safe." Keiko says, sounding like she's struggling to be patient. 

 

“Not that.” You manage to groan out. 

 

“What is it then?” You hear Keiko ask tiredly.

 

“I’m calling an ambulance.” You hear Vesper say with enough firmness that you’re scared enough into making a decision.

 

Introducing Vesper to your dad was way less scary than having to go to a hospital.

 

“Vesper.” You slur. “Home.”

 

“Okay.” He agrees, surprisingly easily. “You need to tell me where, though.”

 

“Same street.” You struggle, hoping that’s enough for him to know what you’re saying.

 

“Alright. Okay.” Vesper says, thankfully. “You gonna throw up?” 

 

“No.” You reply, but you’re not fully convinced yourself.

 

“Okay. I’ll pick you up then. Gonna have to be quick to get the last train.” 

 

He gently slides his arms under you again to lift you up, clearly trying to do it as carefully as possible, because you don’t ever register the movement making your dizziness worse. 

Someone presses your nose quickly on the way up, and you can hear voices but you’re desperately trying to focus on not being knocked sick and embarrassing yourself by being sick on Vesper. 

 

You try desperately to get over whatever was going on with you before Vesper reaches the train station, but when it feels like a long time has passed and you don’t feel any better, you try to slur out an apology.

 

“Don’t be. Rest. Maybe you can sleep whatever it is off.” Vesper replies calmly, and you feel him press his nose against your forehead quickly, as though you haven’t ruined his celebratory night.

 

And so you do. You try to go to sleep, but you can’t because even with your eyes closed, you can feel everything spinning around you, and it’s too disconcerting to let yourself fall asleep.

You feel yourself getting more and more frightened the more time goes on without you regaining control of your limbs, the ringing in your ears still continuing and your vision still doubled and spinning whenever you dare to open your eyes.

 

What if you were like this forever now? 

You didn’t know why this had happened, there were no warning signs, and you hadn’t felt like you had enough alcohol to be drunk drunk, but maybe that was all this was. If that’s the case you don’t understand why anyone does it, because you’re terrified.

 

And then there’s the fact you now absolutely had to take Vesper to see Tomura, and although you trusted Tomura to be okay with it, you were worried about Vesper's reaction. 

Tomura had a name for himself. A lot of people hated him, wanted to see him hurt or out of power. He was scary to a lot of people.

You also weren't meant to tell anyone they were your parents. 

 

“Which house, Star?” Vesper asks, pulling you out of your head and sounding a little breathless.

 

“Todoroki-Shi-“ You begin to say, and then panic mid-answer. “Don’t tell anyone.”

 

“I’m not going to tell anyone.” He replies calmly.

 

You try to keep yourself present enough to know what’s going on, but it’s hard when everything is so out of reach for you.

 

Your parents dealers or something, Star? This is like, military standard." He jokes a little weakly.

 

“Two one zero nine.” You tell him. 

 

Your birthday, as chosen by Tomura and Dabi.

 

“Please don’t tell ‘nyone.” You repeat, your words slurred and awkward.

 

“Quit worrying. I’m not gonna say anything. I only hang out with you guys, anyway.” Vesper reassures again, and you can vaguely hear the beeping as he enters the code.

 

You feel him shift you slightly as he pushes open the door, and you have to close your eyes again to stop the light from inside being so blinding.

You can’t really hear anything, and Vesper doesn’t seem to be moving, so you wonder if you’re meant to be giving him permission to go further into the house to find Tomura, but then you hear a familiar voice.

 

“What the fuck? ” 

 

“Pawpaw.” You say automatically, your head rolling so you can look at your dad. 

 

He’s back .

And you can’t even give him a hug.

 

Dabi’s expression changes from anger to concern as he looks back at you.

 

“What happened?” He asks, and then his expression turns angry again from what you can make out. “What did you do? ”

 

“I didn’t do anything, sir.” You hear Vesper say before you have to close your eyes and try to tune them out again.

 

So many voices were only making the ringing louder, and you can feel Dabi making the air warmer which is just making you feel sick all over again.

 

“Are you hurt, Starlight?” You make out Tomura asking over all the other noise in your head.

 

“Scared.” You repeat. “Can't move. Speaking ‘s hard.”

 

You don’t hear if Tomura responds, but you feel Vesper gently beginning to lower you so you’re on your feet again, despite knowing you can't hold yourself up.

You open your eyes when a thinner arm wraps around you, keeping you upright, and are met with the sight of Tomura who brushes your hair away from your eyes gently.

His arm shoots to the side though when Dabi moves forward quickly, with you only just making out the mass of his white hair that seems to be tripled in your dizziness.

 

“Don’t be mean.” You try to demand, not trusting that he wasn’t lunging for Vesper.

 

“It’s my house.” You hear Dabi reply angrily.

 

You close your eyes, silently apologising to Vesper within your own head and wishing there was a way for him to hear it.

You groan when Tomura lifts your wrist and lets it drop to your side again, the deadweight of it making it almost hurt a bit.

 

And the next thing you're aware of is that you’re being passed to a warm, familiar body, and you’re not sure you’ve ever been so glad to be near Dabi before, even if the heat radiating off him makes you feel nauseous right now.

 

“You feel sick babygirl?” You hear your dad ask, his voice softer than it had been before.

 

“Dizzy.” You reply.

 

“Like drunk? Kinda spinny?” Dabi asks.

 

“She only had three drinks.” You hear Vesper tell him.

 

“Not drunk.” You agree, even though you’re not convinced.

 

“Okay Starlight.” You hear. “Touya, take her to bed. Wani, let’s talk.”

 

“C’mon darlin’ girl.” Dabi says, struggling to pick you up but doing it anyway.

 

The walk up the stairs is a lot slower than if Vesper was to do it, but he does it anyway. You don’t mind either, you know with Dabi around you’re as safe as possible, and even feeling his warmth pressed against you is enough to make you relax a little bit more.

You trusted Vesper, but you trusted your dad with your entire soul.

 

You hoped that Tomura wasn’t going to be mean to Vesper while you were out of earshot and unable to stand up for him. Hopefully he was just trying to figure out what was happening for you.

 

“There we go.” Dabi grunts, lowering you down onto your bed a little more clumsily than Vesper would have. “Jeez doll, couldn’tve picked someone a little smaller for your old man to pick a fight with?”

 

“Don’t fight.” You groan with your eyes still squeezed shut, even though you can feel Cloud bumping his head against yours.

 

“Wouldn’t anyway, hon, too worried about you.” Dabi replies, his fingers moving your hair out of your eyes. “Dizzy, huh? Can you tell me what happened?”

 

“Dancing.” You say, kind of registering Cloud curling up against your chest. “Bumped someone. Fell, dizzy.”

 

“You remember who?” Dabi asks patiently, and you can feel him lifting your arm and tucking something fuzzy under it. A teddy of some kind, probably.

 

“Old guy.” You reply, wishing you could reach for him. 

 

“Their stories match, then.” You hear Tomura say, and then you’re aware of a cooler touch against your forehead. “I’ll see if it’s a quirk.”

 

“‘Mura, be nice.” You tell him as his hand gets a little colder.

 

“I am being nice, Starlight. I’ll be getting the spare room ready in a minute.” Tomura replies evenly. 

 

“You’re joking?” Dabi asks in blatant disbelief.

 

“What do you suggest, Touya?” Tomura asks in return before humming a little to himself. “A quirk. Interesting.”

 

“Sending him home maybe?” Dabi replies, clearly annoyed. “I’m stayin’ in here with her, then.” 

 

“Please.” You plead, feeling weak even though the dizziness is slowly fading.

 

“Don’t needta ask doll, m’ doin’ it anyway.” Dabi sighs, and you feel the mattress dip as he climbs onto the bed. 

 

“You should feel better soon, Star.” Tomura says, and presses his cracked lips to your forehead like you're ten years old again. “You were brave. Well done.”

 

Dabi wraps an arm around you just like he used to when you were little as you hear Tomura’s footsteps back away from you and you’re so thankful that the ringing in your ears seems to be going away too. It’s slow, but it’s certain. 

You open your eyes to see if the spinning has gone, but it’s still there ever so slightly.

 

“Close your eyes and get to sleep, Starshine.” Dabi says, giving you a little squeeze.

 

You can hear Cloud purring again now, and your arm feels heavy still when you lift it, but you manage to get your hand on the calico’s body, and clumsily pet him a little bit.

 

“Vesper is good.” You tell Dabi. “Be nice.”

 

“I’ll be the judge of that. Sleep, baby girl.” Dabi replies simply.

 

And you are pretty tired. The warmth coming off Dabi doesn’t help with the feeling of sleepiness either, so you do give Cloud a few more pets before your hand begins to feel far away from you and you slowly drop off to sleep.

 

*•*

 

You wake up with only Cloud flopped and stretched out against you, your door open and Dabi and Tomuras voices faintly coming up from downstairs.

You blink a couple of times to make sure your vision isn’t going to suddenly start spinning again, and lift your arm a couple of times to make sure you could actually move by yourself again. 

When you’re confident you’re okay, you sit up slowly, still not wanting to rush just in case, and begin to get out of bed to go to the spare room, wanting to see Vesper and explain why you hadn’t told them about your parents before he gets up. 

 

But when you leave your own room, the door is open and there's no sign of Vesper at all in the room. 

You don’t think you heard him talking from downstairs, but maybe he was just being quiet because he was nervous. It took him nearly two weeks to talk to you properly after all. 

 

You pick Cloud up, carrying him down the stairs just in case he hisses at Vesper like he hissed at Shuichi for the first month you had him. 

 

“It’ll be fine babe, just go for it.” You hear Dabi say from halfway down the stairs.

 

“It’s fine. It’s better someone’s around for Star if you’re going to be spending more time with your family.” You hear Tomura reply, and you frown a little. 

 

Dabi was going to go again? 

 

“I read somewhere that you can lose feeling, so it’s an idea to sit on it for a little longer and research more. Whenever I asked All For One or Ujiko, it was always just a no, without reason.”

 

“Cunts.” Is the simple reply from Dabi, which was definitely not a word he would say if you were around to hear it.

 

You also kind of get the feeling that whatever they were discussing was not something they would talk about in front of Vesper, so you appear in the doorway, looking at them both cuddled up as Tomura plays a game.

 

“Starshine.” Dabi says, his face lighting up. “You’re feeling better?”

 

“Yeah I’m okay. Thank you, dad.” You say, more towards Tomura than him. “Where’s Vesper?”

 

Dabi’s smile drops and he turns his attention back to the TV.

 

“He left, Starlight.” Tomura replies evenly.

 

“He did? Did he come and say goodbye?” You ask, dropping Cloud to the floor.

 

You know that Dabi and Tomura always said goodbye to you whenever they went out.

Tomura every morning made sure to leave a glass of water on your bedside table and stroke your hair softly, and Dabi did the same on the odd days he went to work, too. Sometimes they woke you up slightly when they did it.

 

“He didn’t.” Dabi replies bluntly.

 

“He did make sure you were okay before he left though, Starlight.” Tomura adds, trying to soften the blow. “You should eat. You’ll need the energy to recover properly today.”

 

“You guys didn’t do anything to him did you?” You ask, watching as they both stare at you. “He really didn’t do anything wrong.”

 

“You don’t trust us?” Tomura asks, pausing his game.

 

And with that, and how hurt Dabi looks, you can see this entire situation becoming a conversation you weren’t willing to have right now.

 

“That’s not what I meant. I don’t know, I’m tired. I’ll eat in a bit.” You say quickly, and then leave to go back upstairs as quickly as you can. 

 

You’re a little disheartened to see that Vesper hadn’t text you when you check your phone, but you decide to reach out anyway.

 

✨: i’m so sorry for running your night, can we talk please? 

But he never replies.

 

Chapter 16: Confronted

Vesper couldn’t do it.

He couldn’t bring himself to reply.

 

He knew he was being a coward. He always was when it came to things that were important.

And really he should have known that there would be a massive catch when such a pretty, nice girl showed an interest in him.

 

He just didn’t expect it to be mass murderers for parents.

 

And sure, he and Akito had read up on them, they had seen all the interviews, they’d seen all kinds of documentaries on all of the members of the League, and they’d both had parents that had dealt with them in the past.

 

But he didn’t expect to actually run into them himself one day.

 

And yeah, Shigaraki hadn’t been as terrifying as he looked. He was polite, even if a little blunt, and he had tried to keep Dabi at bay. Neither of them had come into the room they had allowed Vesper to stay in, and honestly, Vesper isn’t entirely sure that Shigaraki had slept at all that night.

 

When he’d finally gotten the nerve to leave the room, he’d tried sneaking out of the house, having not heard any movement or voices.

Shigaraki had appeared behind him though, making his presence known by asking:

 

“You’re leaving?”

 

Vesper had jumped, and spun around, his stupid tail immediately moving between his legs again.

Shigaraki had looked tired , the rough skin under his eyes a lot darker than it had been the night before, and there wasn’t a shine in his eyes anymore either, just a dull red instead of the blood red that Vesper had seen when he first arrived.

 

“Yes, sir.” Vesper had replied, bowing his head.

 

“Star and Touya aren’t awake yet.” He’d commented, raising a brow as if he was judging Vesper for not hanging around.

 

Vesper kind of didn’t know what to say, so he just stood staring at the man as if waiting for permission to finally leave.

 

“You’re welcome to have breakfast and wait for her.” Shigaraki had said patiently, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned on the wall.

 

“Is she okay?” Vesper asked.

 

If she had still been a little ropey he could have probably forced himself to stay a little longer, but if she was still sick, he didn’t trust that they wouldn’t kill him this time around.

 

“It was a quirk, similar to hers. I fixed it.” Shigaraki had replied. “She’ll be fine, just tired.”

 

Vesper nodded, thankful that she was okay at least. That meant he wasn’t going to be in hot water with them for too long, at least. 

Hopefully, anyway.

 

“I should go home.” Vesper had said, taking a step back. “Thank you for letting me stay last night.” 

 

He’d bowed his head again, and Shigaraki hadn’t said anything or moved, just watched him as he put his shoes back on and left the house with another bow of his head. 

He thought he had been free from the two finally when he finally got outside, but he soon heard Dabi’s raspy voice from above him.

 

“Leavin’ without saying goodbye?” 

 

Vesper had frozen, slowly looking up to see Dabi smoking and leaning over the balcony.

 

“Shigaraki said she needed to rest.” Vesper had replied, his words leaving him slowly because he had been terrified of saying the wrong thing.

 

Dabi had scoffed at him, flicking ash into the morning sky, his eyes cold and unforgiving as he looked down at him. “Don’t come back.”

 

And taking that as a warning, Vesper had tried to distance himself from her. 

But he had kept his word, not telling anyone about who her parents were, not even his mom. 

He stopped hanging out with the girls and just spent his breaks working on his coursework and writing new songs with Akito when he decided he wanted to hang around with him instead of going to see the girls.

 

He missed the girls.

He missed Star .

 

But he just can’t take the pressure of dating a girl whose parents would easily kill him if he upset her even a little bit. They probably would now if Star mentioned to them that he had been avoiding her at college and ignoring her phone calls and texts.

But it was better to do it now than before things got too serious, surely?

 

And he was trying to make sure she wasn’t too upset by using the girls to know what was going on. Keiko picked up on it a lot quicker than expected and started ignoring him in return, but Hana was always happy to talk about Star. 

Even though he hadn’t spoken to her in a few days, he knew that her first project had been marked well, and she was struggling with knowing whether to major in fine art or illustration.

 

He wanted to reach out, to try and help, but knew it was for the best not to.

 

His life feels… incredibly empty without her in it. He was used to the texts, the phone calls, the random meetings as well as him deseperately wanting to go on more dates with her.

He likes to think that he wouldn’t ever hurt her, but his dad probably thought the same about his mom.

Things change. People change.

 

She could do better, anyway.

 

*•*

 

“Today is dragging.” Vesper complains, leaning on the desk. 

 

“It’s quiet.” Suzuki agrees. “I did tell you that you could go home if you wanted to.”

 

Vesper needed the money though, to help mom out, even if it was only a little bit. So he’d ignored the offer. But after rearranging the displays and cleaning everything he possibly could, Vesper was all out of things to do, and still had an hour until close.

They needed a big new game release, something to draw people in, but all that was getting released at the moment was remasters, which people would rather download digitally.

 

When the door opens, Vesper perks up beside Suzuki, excited to potentially have a new way to kill the time. 

He immediately shrinks into himself when Star appears in his line of sight, her eyebrows pulled together and her lips turned downward.

 

Unhappy.  

Unhappy wasn’t good.

 

“The pretty girl is back.” Suzuki whispers teasingly. “Doesn’t look happy.”

 

“Star…” Vesper starts to say.

 

“Why are you ignoring me?” She asks quickly, interrupting him. “Are you mad at me? I’m sorry about what happened.”

 

Vesper blinks. He was not expecting her to appear at him workplace and immediately start confronting him in front of his boss.

He can feel Suzukis eyes on him, which doesn’t help, because he knows if he turned to look he’d either be smirking and teasing about it or be angry .

 

“What? No, I’m not mad at you. I’m glad you’re okay.” And he means it.

 

“Why are you ignoring me then? I’ve tried talking to you so many times and you keep avoiding me.” She asks again, hurt laced in her words.

 

“Maybe you should take that early finish, Wani.” Suzuki suggests, sounding surprisingly calm about it all.

 

Star just stares at Vesper, waiting for an answer while he sits there, not expecting such a brazen move from someone that had always seemed so timid before.

 

“Go.” Suzuki hisses, raising an eyebrow at Vesper when he looks over at him as though he’s expecting the older man to help.

 

“I’ll be like ten minutes.” Vesper says instead, getting up.

 

Suzuki rolls his eyes, and returns his attention back to the computer in front of him, scrolling through the latest gaming news idly.

 

Vesper leaves the building with Star silent behind him, and taking a deep breath, he turns to face her, trying to look stern.

 

“You can’t just come here and argue with me, Star. This is my job.”

 

“I’m not arguing with you, I’m asking you a question.” She argues. “I tried talking to you several times and you ignored me every time.”

 

“Here isn’t the place.” Vesper sighs. 

 

“How else am I meant to talk to you then? You never answer my calls or texts and I haven’t seen you at all in college.” 

 

“Look, I just don’t think this is a good idea.”

 

“What, me talking to you? I’ll go, but I really need to explain-“

 

“Not that. Us.” Vesper says, even though it hurts.

 

And it hurts Star, too, because her expression changes from anger to confusion, flinching slightly from his words.

 

“What? Why?” She asks, sounding dumbfounded.

 

“Because, Star.” Vesper breathes, trying to find the words. “Your dads already hate me and I haven’t really done anything wrong yet. They’re not really the kind of people you want to have hating you.”

 

She stares at him silently for a moment, her eyes scanning his face in a way that always makes him want to curl up inside himself. 

 

“My dads.” She repeats, her voice dropping colder. “What, they said something to you?”

 

“No.” Vesper says immediately, and then, thinking better of it, adds: “Well, Dabi told me not to come back.”

 

A whole new look of hurt flits over her face at this, and she just about musters: “He did?”

 

Vesper shifts on his feet slightly. 

Maybe that had been the wrong thing to say.

 

“Look, I like you Star, I really do. But your dads…” Vesper tries to diffuse.

 

“You’re scared.” She says simply. “My dads didn’t do anything to you. They let you stay.”

 

“Yeah, but Star-“ 

 

“Tomura’s the prime minister now. He wouldn’t do anything.” She says, beginning to grow angry again. “And Dabi was just worried, he wasn’t going to do anything. He wouldn’t if he knew it would upset me.”

 

“Yeah, but if I did something to upset you one day, what then?” Vesper asks, trying to be gentle about it.

 

But she doesn’t say anything in response, her face set in stone as she stares at him.

Vesper begins to feel a little nervous, he’d never seen her look so cold and angry before. She was almost always smiling or at least looking content or peaceful.

 

She turns on her heel without discussing it further with him, taking Vesper by surprise.

 

“Star!” He calls, but she ignores him, storming off into the distance.

 

*•*

 

Keiko Tsume: Have you heard from Star??

 

Vesper sighs, turning onto his side as he replies. 

 

Vesper: She came into work earlier, but haven’t heard from her since. Why?

 

Keiko Tsume: She’s literally disappeared, I’ve tried calling her and everything. 

 

Vesper: I think I upset her earlier. 

 

Keiko Tsume: What did you do??

 

Vesper: I told her I dont think we should see each other anymore.

 

Unsurprisingly, Keiko immediately calls him, and he braces himself as he answers the phone, sitting up against his headboard.

 

“What the fuck , Ves?!”

 

“Look- I can’t tell you why.” He begins.

 

“Is this because of what happened at the weekend? Don’t be such a dick!” 

 

“Keiko-“

 

“You were so worried about her, so what the fuck happened?” Keiko asks, clearly annoyed. “Did you wimp out the second you met her dads? Seriously, Vesper?”

 

“You don’t understand-“ He tries.

 

“No, you don’t understand.” Keiko cuts him off. “You know she adores you! She liked you from the second she saw you, even Aki spotted it. You like her too, it’s disgustingly obvious. So why are you doing this to yourself? What, it got too serious?”

 

“It’s not that, her parents-“

 

“Oh my god. Where does she live?” She interrupts again, sounding exasperated.

 

“You can’t go there.” Vesper says panickedly.

 

“I’m worried about her! Some dickhead upset her!”

 

“Keiko.” Vesper sighs.

 

“I really thought you were better than this, Vesper.” Keiko says before hanging up on him.

 

Vesper tries to tell himself that if she knew, she’d understand. Maybe he should have just told her anyway. She’d always expressed a distaste towards the villains they wrote about from time to time, even if she claimed it was just because she worried about them causing fights.

But he still couldn’t bring himself to break the promise he’d made to Star. He’d seen how worried she seemed even in her state about him telling the others.

 

Maybe he was proving the point about why she’d been so worried in the first place to tell them all who her parents were by reacting the way he had.

 

Not too proud to admit he still really cared about Star and liked her, he breaks his silence and finally sends her a text. 

 

Vesper: Star? Keiko’s worried about you. I’m sorry for upsetting you but she really cares about you so can you just let her know you’re okay

Vesper: or not, I guess. I’m sorry

Vesper: I haven’t told anyone, btw

 

Vesper sits for a while, not really expecting a response anyway.

After a while he throws his phone away from himself, and runs both of his hands through his hair, thumping his head against the wall.

 

“Don’t hate me.” He murmurs.

 

She couldn’t possibly hate him more than he hated himself, anyway.

Chapter 17: Comfort//Communication

When the door opens, you’re met with curious silver eyes and the grey hair to match.

The second she realises who she’s looking at, Grandma Rei’s expression softens.

 

“Star, honey, what are you doing here?” She asks, beginning to usher you in, but your face crumples and she freezes. “Sweetie, what’s wrong?”

 

You're pulled into a hug immediately, and you kind of just let loose everything you had held in on the train over. 

You hadn’t even really thought about where you were going when you decided to come here. You barely even knew how to get to Grandma Rei’s house, you just went completely from memory.

Your face is buried in her shoulder as you cry and she rubs your back lovingly.

 

“Come on, Star. Let's get you inside and get you something to eat and drink. Did Touya come too?” 

 

You shake your head, reluctantly letting her go and wiping your face, a little frustrated at yourself for crying.

 

“Good.” Shoto says from behind Rei.

 

Rei ignores him, holding your upper arm as she pulls you into the house, past Shoto.

 

“There should be left over soba you can have.” She fusses the second she gets into the kitchen.

 

“I’m not really hungry…” 

 

“Nonsense.” Rei says simply, already serving up a portion for you.

 

You don’t try to protest further, not wanting to upset your grandma, and just silently take the bowl from her, bowing your head politely.

 

“Sit and tell me what’s the matter.” Rei says, dragging a chair out for herself. “Shoto, this doesn’t involve you.”

 

“I want to know what Touya’s done wrong.”

 

“Go.” Rei says firmly, frowning at the man behind you.

 

Shoto clearly does leave as you poke at the food, because she focuses on you again with a soft smile, leaning her aged face on the heel of her hand.

You feel kind of stupid saying what was wrong to her, especially when you had turned up out of the blue, and really didn’t understand why you had come all the way here anyway.

 

“The boy I like doesn’t want to see me anymore.” You finally tell her, your voice barely above a murmur. “He said It’s because of my dads. He’s scared.”

 

Rei’s expression becomes more pitiful. “That’s hard. I’m sorry, Star.” 

 

You shrug, feeling stupid for being as upset as you are.

 

“I can see where he’s coming from though, Star. Can’t you?” She asks patiently, her grey eyes soft and searching when your eyes snap up to look at her. “Your dads have done some really serious, scary things. Just because we love them and choose to forgive, it doesn’t mean other people have to.”

 

“But they're not horrible people.” You begin to defend.

 

“ We know that. They’ve done horrible things, but they’re not horrible themselves.” Rei agrees, smiling softly at you. “We’re lucky to know that side of them, but outsiders? People that have nothing to go on but what the papers say? They’re probably very scary.”

 

You poke at your food some more before finally taking a reluctant bite.

 

“I can’t speak for Shigaraki, but a lot of people don’t see the Touya we know.” Rei continues, seeming to relax a bit as you force yourself to eat the soba she’d given you. “They don’t see the yearning to have a family, they don’t see the secret vulnerabilities. They don’t see the unadulterated love he has for those he does let in.”

 

You listen, watching her lean back in her chair as you realise how hungry you actually are and how good the food she’s made is and begin to eat properly.

 

“Try to imagine how you would feel if you found out his parents had quite a scary reputation.” Rei says.

 

“But even if he did have scary parents, that doesn’t mean that he’s bad. I’d still want to see him.” You reply.

 

“But you’re not the issue, honey.” Rei leads gently. “He’s scared of what your dads are capable of.” 

 

“I told him, Tomura is the prime minister now, he wouldn’t do anything. And Dabi-“

 

“Touya.”

 

You blink, frown, but correct yourself. “ Touya wouldn’t do anything that would upset me.”

 

“But what if this boy upset you first? You still think that he wouldn’t worry about Touya doing something?”

 

“He’s upset me for the past few days and nothing happened.” You tell her.

 

“Did you tell Touya?” She asks, a little too knowingly for your liking.

 

“… No.” You admit, sighing from your nose.

 

“Do they know you’re here now, sweetheart?” She asks. “It’s getting late.”

 

You shake your head slightly, finishing the bowl of food. “…I was mad.”

 

She nods slowly, watching you as you pick the bowl up, prepared to go and wash it in the sink like you’d been taught to by Magne all those years ago.

She grabs your arm, squeezing it gently.

 

“Don’t worry about that. How about we do some drawing together? That’d be nice, wouldn’t it?” She asks, smiling serenely.

 

Your mood instantly lifts and you nod enthusiastically. You were so excited to see what Dabi’s moms drawings looked like after both he and Fuyumi had told you that she spent years drawing in the hospital. It had been so upsetting to hear they’d gotten rid of them all when she was better, you wanted to see it all and try to learn what you could from the older woman.

 

“Okay sweetie. I’ll go grab some paper and pencils. Why don’t you go into the living room and put on some good background noise for us?” She asks, taking the bowl from you and getting up.

 

You’re more than eager to oblige, hurrying into the cosy living area and turning the TV on, not used to using an old remote with a lot less options on it. But you manage to find some braindead show to play quietly in the background, practically buzzing with excitement as you wait for your grandma to come back downstairs.

She takes a little longer than you expected, and you freeze when Shoto appears in the doorway, staring at you with an unreadable expression.

 

“Hello.” You greet properly for the first time.

 

“A boy made you sad?” He asks, cutting to the chase, and you feel your face burn as you realise Shoto must have been eavesdropping.

 

“Kinda.” You murmur, embarrassed.

 

“Don’t tell Touya. He doesn’t like it when people he loves get hurt.” Shoto says simply. 

 

“I know.” You reply, because he’d defended you from being hurt for as long as you’d been with him.

 

“How do I get him to like me?” Shoto asks.

 

“Huh?” You immediately ask in response, taken aback by the question.

 

“How do I get him to like me?” He repeats, actually coming into the room and sitting opposite you, his grey and blue eyes resting on you intensely.

 

“Why doesn’t he like you?” You question in return.

 

“Because I was dads favourite.” He replies simply, 

 

You furrow your brows at that, confused. Dabi didn’t like his dad anyway, so why did it matter if he was the favourite? 

You decide to try and help Shoto anyway, because if they started to get on it would make Grandma’s life less stressful. 

 

“Well, he likes music. Loud, angry music.” You lead with, giving it some thought. “He likes training in the gym with Shuichi. When he tried sparring with Tomura he didn’t like it too much though. I think he gets mad because Tomura is fast. ”

 

You pause curiously as Shoto holds his hand up, pulling his phone out and seemingly taking notes .

When his eyes meet yours again, you start up again, a little amused that he clearly cared enough to make notes about it.

 

“He kind of likes it when people make fun of him back, I think, but don’t do that too soon because it might annoy him.” You inform him, and he nods, making a note of that, too.  “He likes cats a lot. We have a cat called Cloud, he’s cute.”

 

Shoto continues taking notes as you give him random bits of information that might help him.

Rei enters the room just as you say:

 

“Well, he really seems to like when people are mean about your dad. So if he wasn’t nice to you either, maybe that would help, to talk about it? He likes to talk, but you have to be careful. It's important to listen. He likes it when people listen to him, too. He likes feeling important.” You continue, oblivious as Rei approaches with a smile on her face and a sketchbook and pencil case in hand. “Oh, and he likes talking about me and Tomura a lot, even if you don’t like Tomura, he likes to talk about him so maybe ask?”

 

You beam at Rei when she sits on the floor opposite you and sets the sketchbook and pencils out.

 

“I’m so excited.” You admit. “I wanted to see your drawings ever since Fuyumi said you drew.”

 

“It’s been a while.” Rei admits. “Don’t get too excited.”

 

Shoto surprisingly stays with you both as you agree to draw one another, you working on one page of the sketchbook and Grandma Rei works on the other.

 

“So, tell me about this boy, Star.” She says after a while, smiling at you when you duck your head a little in embarrassment. “What is it about him you like?”

 

“He’s sweet.” You start with, thinking about all the times he’d done something nice for you. “He’s really nice. He thinks about other people a lot, he’s always worrying about someone , because he cares.”

 

“That’s a good quality to have.” Rei says thoughtfully.

 

“He remembers things, even if they’re silly or unimportant. I told him me and dad used to go to see the ducks a lot and he remembered and went to see them with me, even though he didn’t get it.”

 

Rei smiles a little, and Shoto pulls his phone out again to take another note.

 

“He’s really talented. He’s a singer.” You tell her as you scratch some shading into your drawing. “His band is touring around Japan with another band soon.”

 

“Impressive.” Rei says, raising an eyebrow. “A fellow creative, too! That’s good!”

 

“Yeah.” You say, smiling a little. “He’s cool. He looks kinda scary, but he’s nice. I’m gonna miss him.”

 

“Well, it sounds to me like this boy will be back, sweetie.” Grandma says calmly. “If he’s as lovely as he sounds.”

 

You’re not so sure about that one, so you stay quiet for a second before peering at Shoto, who’s watching Rei over her shoulder.

 

“Shoto, do you have a girlfriend or boyfriend?” You ask, a little shyly. 

 

Shoto looks up at you, the angry red scar around his left eye making the blue stand out just like Dabi’s scars make his blue eyes seem even brighter.

 

“I do. Her name is Momo.”

 

“Is she nice?” You ask, looking away to focus on getting your drawing a little more fleshed out in the facial area.

 

“She is.” He nods, not really giving you much more to go off.

 

“She’s a lovely girl.” Rei chimes in. “Very pretty. From a good family.”

 

You hum a little to yourself. You didn’t really realise how important families seemed to be when you were dating someone. Maybe because Tomura and Dabi didn’t have families when they started dating.

 

The room goes quiet again apart from the sound of pencils scratching against paper, you refusing to look over at Grandma's drawing, wanting to keep it a surprise. 

 

“What do you do, Shoto?” You ask, wanting to learn more about your mysterious uncle while you can.

 

“I’m a police officer.” He says. “What are you going to do after art school?”

 

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead.” You admit.

 

“There’s no pressure. You’re still young.” Grandma reassures. 

 

“What did you do, grandma?” You ask, continuing to shade pieces here and there. 

 

“Well, I was a bit busy having four children to look after.” She replies evenly. “I’d have liked to do something with children, though. Maybe teaching.”

 

“Like ‘Yumi.” You note to yourself, nodding a little.

 

You could imagine her doing that. She was soft and warm just like Fuyumi, and you could imagine she was a good mom, just like Fuyumi, even if Endeavor was a bad dad.

It’s nice drawing with someone outside of Uncle Giran and Hana, even when you all fall into a comfortable silence. 

You sit quietly drawing, only occasionally turning your head to the TV when something catches your attention.

Within a couple of hours of sketching and fleshing out your drawing, you think you’re pretty happy with what you’ve done, and you turn it around to show her.

 

Her face lights up, and she stops what she’s doing to lift the drawing closer to her face, scanning all the little details. 

 

“You’re actually good.” Shoto says, surprised.

 

“Shoto.” Rei sighs, putting the sketchbook back down. “I’m not too far off now, darling Star.”

 

You wait patiently, still avoiding looking at her drawing so it’s a nice surprise for you.

You end up talking a bit more with Shoto about his girlfriend. Finding out they had been dating since they were on the same hero course together when they were younger.

You aren’t expecting to hear a very familiar voice call: “Just me.”

 

“In here, Touya.” Rei calls back, completely oblivious to how betrayed you look.

 

She must have called them when she made out she was getting the sketchbook and pencils.

 

Dabi comes in, his face going from concerned to annoyed when he sees Shoto, Tomura entering the room too, a lot more stoic.

 

“Hello Shigaraki, Touya. How are you?” Shoto greets, looking directly at Tomura.

 

“Better now we know where Star is.” Tomura replies bluntly, looking at you.

 

Your shoulders sink. You were almost definitely in trouble now.

 

Dabi strides over, placing a warm hand on the top of your head, but his attention is drawn to Grandma Rei’s drawing.

 

“Holy shit mom, you did that?” He asks, amazed.

 

You take the chance to look at the drawing, your eyes widening too. It was good. Really good. It was just shy of being realistic, and she’d managed to get all kinds of details in your face.

 

“Can I keep that?” He asks and you immediately scowl at him.

 

“I drew it for my Star.” She replies calmly. 

 

“Yeah, it’s mine.” You reiterate, swatting his hand away.

 

“Shared custody?” He asks, seeming to forget his concern for a minute as he grins lopsidedly at you.

 

“ Full custody.” You reply, still frowning and trying to get his hand out of your hair.

 

“Shoto quit takin’ pictures, you little creep.” Dabi snaps as Shoto lifts his camera up to try and get a picture of you both.

 

Grandma Rei gently tears the page out from the sketchbook and slides it towards you wordlessly, smiling softly at you as you take it and admire it up close.

 

“Thank you for spending the evening drawing with me. I had a lovely time.” She says, completely genuinely.

 

“Thank you for having me.” You reply, the politeness embedded deeply within you.

 

“C’mon doll, let's get you home.” Dabi says, ruffling your hair and finally withdrawing his hand from you. “College tomorrow.” 

 

You reluctantly stand, holding on tight to the drawing as if he’s going to snatch it away from you.

 

“Thank you grandma. I had fun.” You repeat. “Bye Shoto. See you both soon?”

 

Tomura immediately places a hand on your shoulder to lead you away, staring at Shoto as if to gauge his reaction to him touching you with his whole hand again.

 

“Bye, Star.” Shoto replies blandly.

 

“See you soon, sweetheart.” Grandma Rei says as you start to leave. “Drive safe, Shigaraki.”

 

“Thanks for lettin’ us know where she was mom.” You hear Dabi say as you’re led out of the house. “You doin’ okay?”

 

Tomura waits for you to put your shoes on before opening the door wordlessly, allowing you to leave first. 

He doesn’t say a word to you as you make the short walk to the car, and doesn’t speak as he slides into the driver's seat, waiting until you’d put your seatbelt on before talking.

 

“What’s going on with you, Starlight?” He asks, turning to look at you.

 

You gulp, shrinking a little under the weight of his gaze.

 

“You’ve never run away before.” He says simply. “We were worried. Has something happened?”

 

You stare at him quietly before relenting. Tomura would probably be calmer about the reason than Dabi would be.

 

“Vesper doesn’t want to see me anymore.” You inform him slowly. “He said he’s scared of you both.”

 

Tomura nods slowly in response, finally looking away, towards Dabi as he exits the house, giving Grandma Rei a hug, the cracked corners of his mouth drooping slightly.

 

“I was angry about it.” You explain further. “Angry at you both for doing what you did. I want him to like me and not be scared of you. I don’t want people to stop being my friends because of what you guys did.”

 

Tomuras eyes return to you, a slight sadness in them. 

 

“But it’s okay. Grandma told me that it’s not my fault that people don’t know you, and that they don’t know you and Dabi aren’t bad people.” You continue, looking away yourself, because you don’t want to see that foreign sad look on Tomura’s face. “She said that Vesper will come back because he’s a nice guy..”

 

You’re not expecting Tomura’s hand to go to your head, stroking your hair affectionately. 

 

“Neither of us would purposefully do anything to upset you.” He tells you, even though you know that. “We wouldn’t ever hurt anyone you care about, Star.”

 

“I know that, but Vesper doesn’t.” You murmur as his hand retracts.

 

Tomura pauses as Dabi gets in the car, buckling himself in and then turning to look at you with concerned blue eyes.

 

“What gives, hon? You know how scared I was?” Dabi asks, immediately reaching to pet your face.

 

“Sorry.” You reply, looking away. 

 

“Star is upset because Vesper decided that he doesn’t want to take things further with her.” Tomura informs him as he begins to reverse. Dabi’s head snaps to him, a look of fury on his scarred face. “Because of us.”

 

“Us?!” Dabi asks angrily, and Tomura gives him a sharp look.

 

“Understandably. We don’t have the nicest reputation, Touya.” Tomura says, forcefully calmly. 

 

Dabi immediately opens his mouth, but Tomura interrupts him before he can actually say anything.

 

“Think first.” Tomura says evenly, glancing at Dabi again and raising a brow.

 

Dabi’s mouth closes, and he huffs, flopping back in his seat and staring out of the window silently.

The journey feels a bit awkward after that for half an hour, so you focus on the paper in your hands instead, amazed by the talent your grandma had that no-one else had really brought up too much before. 

 

“I’m sorry, Star.” Dabi says, his voice thick as it breaks through the silence. “Never wanted you to feel like you can’t be happy cause’a us.”

 

“It’s not your fault.” You reply, trying to convince yourself of what you’re saying. “He doesn’t know you.”

Chapter 18: Bravery

Vesper was kind of expecting the look of anger on Keikos face when he braves walking into the usual hang out spot after he decided to finally stop avoiding them all and actually join his friends again during break times.

He’d accepted she was pissed off at him when she had gotten angry at him for calling things off with Star and hung up on him after voicing her disappointment in him, and kind of expected an unwelcome atmosphere from her.

 

He isn’t expecting Star to just not be there, though.

She’s always with the others. 

 

“Where’s Star?” He can’t help but ask the second he sits down.

 

“Ask her.” Is Keiko’s immediate dry response, but Hana is more than happy to tell him.

 

“She’s sick, she’s having the day off.” She informs him in her usual happy tone.

 

“Wha’s up with you, sourpuss?” Akito asks, attempting to wrap an arm around Keiko’s shoulders, only for her to slink away from him fluidly. “Are you seriously still mad at me?”

 

“Touch me and I’ll castrate you.” She replies just as dryly and matter-of-factly as she’d spoken to Vesper.

 

“Damn.” Akito whistles, but backs off. “Man hater.”

 

In response to this, Keiko just gives him the sickliest sweet and most unsettling smile Vesper has ever seen Keiko give before, picking up her bag and standing from her seat wordlessly.

Even Akito seems a little shaken at this momentarily, his eyes widening slightly in response before he turns his attention to Hana, who seems to be minding her own business and casually eating her bento despite Keiko walking out of the boardroom without another comment towards any of them.

 

“Hey, actual man-hater.” He says, casually draping an arm around her shoulders instead. “What’s up with whiskers?”

 

“She’s mad at you for making out with that woman at the bar, and she’s disappointed in Vesper for acting like you.” Hana replies honestly, her mouth still full of food. 

 

“How am I acting like him ?” Vesper can’t help but ask irritatedly before really thinking about it, trying to ignore the flit of hurt that crosses over Akito’s face quickly.

 

“Ves couldn’t be like me if he tried .” Akito scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his seat. “An’ she’s never held a grudge for this long before.”

 

“ You upset Star.” Hana says, pointing at Vesper, and then gesturing loosely at Akito. “And you did that two days after banging Keiko.”

 

Vesper narrows his eyes at Akito, who, like always, shrugs a little at him, but he at least has the decency to look a little embarrassed at his shitty behaviour being outed so easily. 

 

“I’ll fix the Star thing.” Vesper promises lowly to himself, but apparently says it loud enough for Akito to roll his eyes and Hana to nod her head expectantly.

 

Luckily Akito doesn’t seem to care enough about what he did wrong with Star to ask, so they all move on quickly after that, and Vesper takes it upon himself to try to find Keiko after a couple of minutes with the others to make sure she’s okay like he always does, even if he’s a little scared of her currently.

She’s not in any of her usual haunts though, so Vesper gives up, assuming she’d gone back to class and goes back to class early himself.

 

And for the rest of the day, he tries to brace himself for what he knows he needs to do.

He’ll get college out of the way, go to the store, get some soup and a sugary drink for Star, get the train and brave her parents.

 

He’s scared, of course. 

But Keiko was right. He likes her. A lot. And she, for some reason, likes him back.

It was a rarity for this to happen to Vesper, especially with such a flawless person. He couldn’t let it slide out of his own fear, that would be the most pitiful thing he’s ever done.

 

He doesn’t want Keiko to be mad or to be compared to Akito as much as he doesn't want Star to be upset.

 

So he’d grow a backbone. Just this once.

And hopefully it will pay off.

 

*•*

 

Later on, he stands in front of the door of Star's house, taking a deep breath in preparation for what’s likely about to happen. He’s clutching onto the bag he’s holding so tightly that if he had normal hands, his knuckles would probably be white.

He gulps before trying to carefully press the doorbell with a taloned finger that definitely needs to be dremeled down again.

 

He can’t even hear the sound of it through the military standard door, his stomach already beginning to twist uncomfortably in his nervousness. He shifts from foot to foot, his tail trying to duck between his legs as he debates whether to leave the bag and run for it before anyone can come to answer the door when a voice comes through a small speaker and spooks him.

 

“Though I told you to not ta come back.” A tinny voice says.

 

“I’m sorry, sir. But Hana told me Star was sick, so I got her some stuff.” Vesper replies, looking at the speaker and then trying to find the camera to prove he has a bag.

 

When he spots it, he lifts the bag, his heart thundering in his chest from fear.

 

“Hey!” Vesper hears after the sound of rustling comes through the speaker. 

 

“Hello, Wani.” The calmer, clearer voice of Shigaraki says, and Vesper's tail wraps around his ankle. A stupid self soothing behaviour. “What brings you here? Star said you weren’t interested in seeing each other any more.”

 

Vesper's blood runs a little colder, his fist tightening around the plastic in his hand even more, and his nostrils flaring slightly.

 

“I was an idiot. I want to say sorry and make sure she’s okay.” Vesper replies, his voice breaking a little mid-sentence from fear.

 

There’s a small ‘hm’ that travels through the speakers, but the door does finally open, revealing the massive fluff of Shigarakis hair. 

Red eyes look at him scrutinisingly.

 

“She was very upset.” He says simply.

 

Vesper opens his mouth to reply, guilt washing over his features, but the door is opening fully to allow him in. 

 

“Make it right.” Shigaraki says as he passes the phone back to a pissed-off looking Dabi behind him.

 

“Thank you, sir.” Vesper bows, stepping inside and sliding his shoes off while avoiding the almost burning gaze of Dabi.

 

He doesn’t look at, nor say a word to the fiery villain as he heads for the stairs, keeping his head down. 

 

“Keep the door open!” Dabi snaps at him from the bottom of the stairs.

 

“Touya, they’re both adults.” A calmer voice calls from a room downstairs. “Come in here.”

 

“Don’t wanna watch you and Shuichi play your stupid nerd games.” Vesper hears Dabi mutter under his breath, but when he gets to the top of the stairs, he finds that Dabi’s turned away and gone to join them in the living room anyway.

 

He can’t help but get a little excited at the idea that he’s in the same house as Shuichi Iguchi , the man that had helped society change massively in how heteromorphs are dealt with, but he swallows it for now.

 

Star had to come first.

 

He goes to the room he remembers her being taken to when she’d been knocked sick with that quirk and lets out a small breath of air through his nose before knocking on the door.

 

“Not now, dad.” He hears Star groan through the door.

 

“Uh, not your dad.” Vesper corrects gently. “It’s Ves. Hana said you were sick so I got you some stuff.”

 

There’s a second of silence, the sound of a chair dragging across the floor faintly coming through the door and then the door is opening to a startled looking Star.

 

“What?” She practically squeaks.

 

“I fucked up. I’m sorry.” He admits, avoiding her eyes. “I didn’t mean it, I was just scared. But… Shigaraki seems cool.”

 

She doesn’t respond verbally, and Vesper cannot bring himself to tear his eyes away from the floor, so there’s a painful moment of silence between them.

He isn’t really prepared for her next move to be stepping out of her room and wrapping her arms around his middle, hugging him completely one sidedly until his body automatically moves so that his free hand is on the back of her head.

 

He hopes briefly that whatever’s wrong with her isn’t contagious, but even if it is, that’s fine. He’d rather have her forgiveness even if it made him sick.

 

“Don’t do that again.” She says, her voice muffled against his sweater. 

 

“I won’t, I’m sorry.” He promises, wishing he wasn’t holding this stupid bag so he could give her a proper hug.

 

“C’min.” She murmurs, letting go of him, and backing away.

 

Vesper stands awkwardly at the door, watching her go in and then sit on her bed, staring at him.

 

“I said come in.” She leads again,  petting the cat on her bed that begins yowling at the sight of him. “Cloud, cut it out.”

 

“He gonna scratch me?“ Vesper asks cautiously.

 

Star gives an amused look in response. “Only if you touch his tummy for too long. You scared of his little claws?”

 

“I don’t want him to damage them.” Vesper clarifies, glancing nervously at the hallway before relenting and  entering the room when he sees that he’s not being watched.

 

“Close the door, please.” Star requests, picking up the cat and cradling it to her chest.            

 

“Dabi said-“ Vesper begins to say.

 

“I’m a grown up.” She interrupts, sounding more annoyed than Vesper would like.

 

So he listens and closes the door, standing awkwardly in front of her, placing the bag beside her.

 

“I got you some sports drinks, soup and medicine.” He explains, scratching the back of his neck.

 

“Sit down.” Star says, finally releasing the fluffy cat and patting the space next to her.

 

Cloud curls up, but appears to be keeping a watchful eye on Vesper as he reluctantly sits beside her, surprised when she immediately leans her entire body against his.

He wraps an arm around her shoulders and tries to angle his head so he can rest the side of his face against the top of her head.

 

“What’s the matter?” He asks gently.

 

“Headache.” She replies tiredly. “Thank you for coming, even though you were scared.”

 

Vesper doesn’t reply, because he doesn’t really know how to. She doesn’t seem to mind though, perfectly content leaning against him.

 

“Were you doing something before I came in?” He asks after a short while, resting his chin on the top of her head so he can warily watch the cat as it moves behind them.

 

“Trying to do coursework.” She answers. “…I didn’t get very far.”

 

“You need to rest, Star.” Vesper sighs, moving away from her to pull the medicine and one of the drinks from the bag beside him. “Take this, and get into bed.”

 

“But-“

 

“No arguing, please.” Vesper insists, trying to give her the items.

 

She listens, taking the box of medicine and drink from him, although she’s being reluctant about it.

Vesper takes a deep breath before reaching out, petting her hair gently as she pops out a couple of capsules from the box. 

 

“Thank you.” She murmurs. 

 

”Anytime.” He says wholeheartedly. “Keiko was upset today. She worries and cares, too. Did you speak to her?”

 

Star nods as she takes a swig of the drink, taking a moment before drinking some more as Vesper watches, a little concerned about her seeming to have these headaches a lot.

Even in her fluffy pyjamas, clearly sick, and completely makeup-less, he can’t tear his eyes from her. 

 

She's beautiful. 

Too beautiful for him.

 

“I really like you.” She says, catching Vesper off guard. 

 

He gulps. “I don’t know why.”

 

“Why wouldn’t I?” She asks, confused. “You’re thoughtful, and caring about everyone, not just me. You’re talented, and…”

 

She pauses, looking away, embarrassed.

 

“You’re really cute.” She admits, her voice small.

 

Vesper sits quietly for a second, soaking in the compliments that he has never had in such quick succession before, and honestly, he isn’t even entirely sure he believes them.

 

“Star…” He takes a measured breath. “I’m not normal . I have to be careful about everything. My claws, the spikes, if I get annoyed, the fire…”

 

“I don’t care about any of that. I trust you.” She defends.

 

“We couldn’t do anything normal couples do, Star, and you deserve someone that can give you everything you want.” Vesper tries to explain even though it hurts.

 

“Like what? ” She asks, sounding a little exasperated. “I want you .”

 

Vesper feels his body heat up in response, not expecting such an honest sounding statement from her with no embarrassment accompanying it, just pleading eyes.

 

“Well…” He murmurs, trying to think of something relatively simple for her to think about. “My face… isn’t normal. We probably couldn’t even kiss.”

 

He looks away at this point, embarrassed and not really wanting to see the look on her face when she finally realises how unnatural it would all be between the two of them.

He isn’t expecting soft hands on his face, turning his head so he’s forced to look at her. 

 

He definitely isn’t expecting her to press her lips to the tip of his beaked mouth, his eyes widening and smoke immediately streaming from his nostrils.

Which is not helped by the door swinging open and a pissed off Dabi scowling at them.

 

“I told you to leave the damn door op-“ He freezes, his metallic hand tightening on the door handle. “What the-“

 

“Touya, what are you doing ?”

 

Star immediately pulls away from him, flustered. “Dad!”

 

Dabi is immediately being pulled away from the door by his smaller partner and pushed towards the staircase, amusement in Shigaraki’s crimson eyes as he smirks at the two of them.

 

“ Gross , Star.” Shigaraki says teasingly with his smirk widening and pulling at his cracked lips.

 

“Get out , dad!” Star snaps in embarrassment, despite Shigaraki already being midway through closing the door.

 

Vesper can’t help but feel a little pang of hurt at being called gross. It had been a while since someone had been brave enough to say that to his face, and although he clearly wasn’t their favourite person, he wasn’t expecting Shigaraki to be the one to say something like that. 

It must show on his face because the second Star finally glances at him, she seems panicked.

 

“He wasn’t calling you gross.” She immediately explains. “He just said it ‘cause I always call them gross when they kiss.” 

 

Vesper nods, willing himself to believe it.

 

“You need to rest, Star.” He says, getting up and trying to play it cool, as though he can’t feel his heartbeat thumping through his entire body. “Stop trying to do work and just focus on getting better.”

 

She looks hurt as he gets up, so he leans back down to press his snout against her forehead.

 

“I want you to stay.” She says softly.

 

“We’ll do something when you’re better.” He promises. 

 

“Okay.” She agrees reluctantly, moving to get up.

 

“Stay there and rest.” Vesper asserts, gently pushing her so she’s half laying on her bed. “I’ll see you soon.”

 

She pouts a bit about it, but doesn’t argue further. “Text me when you get home?”

 

“Sure.” Vesper agrees, backing out of the room. “Later, Star.”

 

“Bye.” She calls sadly, and it sucks, he doesn’t enjoy seeing her upset, especially when he’s the cause of it.

 

But he needs to let her rest, and also needs to leave before Dabi comes back to set him alight.

 

He clicks the door shut quietly, and sighs, running a taloned hand through his hair. He only gives himself a second of reprieve before going down the stairs as quietly as he can.

He’s hurriedly trying to get his shoes on when Shigaraki makes himself known again.

 

“Leaving already, Wani?”

 

Vesper jolts a little, straightening up, his eyes widening when he sees Iguchi standing beside Shigaraki, seemingly smiling softly at him, in much more of a friendly way Vesper was used to in this house.

 

“This is Shuichi Iguchi. I’m sure you’re familiar.” Shigaraki introduces, gesturing to the taller, scaled man beside him. “We’re going to play some co-op games this evening. You’re welcome to join us.”

 

He wants to say yes, he desperately does, but the glare  he’s getting from Dabi standing behind the two of them forces him to make excuses about why he can’t stay.

Shigaraki hums and doesn’t push it further, disappearing into the living room again, pushing Dabi further into the room. 

Iguchi stays for a second longer, giving Vesper a even bigger genuine smile.

 

“Should join us sometime, man.” He says, uncrossing his arms. “Star okay?”

 

“Yeah, that’d be cool.” Vesper tries to reply coolly. “She’s fine. She said she has a headache.”

 

Iguchi’s face softens in understanding. “Ah, yeah, she’s always had those.”

 

“Shuichi, Touya’s gonna play Smash Bros.” Shigaraki calls and then snorts as though the idea of it is preposterous.

 

Iguchi immediately looks amused, saying a brief goodbye to Vesper before joining the other two.

Vesper leaves pretty rapidly after that, his heart pounding in his chest from his first attempted kiss and then meeting his idol all within the hour.

 

Maybe they could be relatively normal after all. Maybe he didn’t need to stop himself from being happy to allow Star to find happiness elsewhere. 

Maybe they could both find it with each other after all.

Chapter 19: Birthday Girl

Notes:

Wrote this over a week so I could upload on my birthday as per tradition.
Bone apple teeth!

“It’s your birthday soon, right?” Keiko asks thoughtfully as she helps you get ready for another one of Ill Intents smaller gigs.

 

“Mhm, next week. On Shūbun No Hi.” You reply with a little bob of your head.

 

“Party!” Hana chimes up excitedly.

 

“Oh, me and my dads usually…” You begin to say, but get cut off by Hana wrapping her arms around your neck. 

 

“Party!” She repeats, drawing the word out in a sing-song tone.

 

“We’ll have to do something.” Keiko agrees, swatting Hana away from you so she can continue with your makeup without Hana getting in the way. 

 

Hana is grinding her teeth happily as she pulls away from you, continuing to tie your hair up for you. 

 

“I usually see my family on my birthday.” You inform them, this time without any interruption.

 

You really enjoyed seeing all your family on that day, it was rare that all of them were in the same room together anymore, so you treasured having time with them all like you used to when you were younger.

It was fun seeing Uncle Giran, Dabi and Jin smoking together in the garden and laughing like they used to. It was fun playing games with Tomura and Shuichi while Himiko and Atsuhiro tried to throw them off the game so you could win. 

You liked having Uncle Zero around, especially now he was slowly becoming more expressive. His mismatched eyes were always so soft when he looked at you, and his constant smile seemed more and more genuine every time you saw him. When Aiko came too, you loved seeing her because she’s always so busy that you don’t really get to spend much time with her these days.

 

“You can see them during the day and then we can go out later on at night.” Keiko says, not really allowing room for argument.

 

“Can we come? Will there be food?” Hana asks curiously.

 

“Uh…” You begin, struggling to think of an excuse. 

 

“We can have food at the party.” Keiko says, shutting the conversation down for you.

 

And sure, the idea of a party is a little exciting, even if you also wanted to spend time with your family too. But it doesn’t get brought up again, which is a little disheartening. You can’t help but feel like maybe you shouldn’t have been so quick to shut the idea down, but you liked your usual birthday plans.
No-one mentions it again throughout the whole week, only Vesper really seeming to ask you if you were excited, what you wanted to do and if he could see you.
You end up agreeing that he can come to your house and then you can go for dinner somewhere in the local area, but you’re still a little disappointed that you won’t see your other friends.

At least you can always count on your family to be there and be consistent when it comes to your birthday. You could tell that Dabi was excited like usual, because even through the week he was calling you his little birthday girl, throwing his arms around you and whining about you growing up too quick while Tomura rolled his eyes.
You were a little defensive when he joked about adopting another little girl now that you’re older and don’t need him, but you’d never lied about wanting a sibling. You were happy just being alone with them.

“You goin’ to bed?” Dabi asks when you stand up from where you’d been scrolling on your phone for hours on the couch.

You’d basically been ignoring him sprawled out across the rest of the sofa with his head on Tomuras shoulder, watching Tomura play some dungeon crawler for hours.

“Yeah, I think so. Is everyone coming tomorrow?” You ask curiously as you walk towards the kitchen to get a cup of water.

“Should be, hon.” Dabi nods, sitting up from where he’d been leaning.

“Make sure you have everything.” Tomura says simply.

It was something you’d picked up on, the night before your birthday you were expected to stay in your room so that they can decorate the rooms ready for you to come down to in the morning. It was silly, because you were probably getting too old for all of that now, but they still did it anyway.

“Mhm.” You say, returning to kiss Dabi’s staple lined cheek, and then ducking to press a quick one to Tomura’s cheek too. “Night, dads.”

“G’night, darlin’.” Dabi says, ruffling your hair just as you begin to walk away.

“Night, Starlight.” Tomura replies, smirking slightly from the rare unprompted show of affection.

Cloud is hot on your heels as you go up the stairs, used to the bedtime routine. As you get into your pyjamas he takes his usual spot on your bed, curled up against the giant duck plush that you’d had since you were little, kneading his paws into the blanket.
You get into bed, laying facing him and running your hand over his fluffy side.
His purrs aren’t quite loud enough to stop you from hearing dull thuds and movements from downstairs, but it’s enough to help you fall asleep, your hand nestled in his long fur.

-

 

“Wakey wakey!” A familiar sing-song voice calls, and the next thing you know, your bed is being jumped on, and a heavy body is practically on top of you, making Cloud arch up and hiss.

“Himiko.” You groan, but smile the second she starts kissing your face all over.

“Happy birthday!” She says happily, squeezing you tight. “I missed you so much!”

 

You rub your eyes, trying to wake up a little more.

“I heard you have a boyfriend.” Himiko starts teasing far too early, and you can hear the way she’s smiling from her words alone.

“Don’t start, he’s not my boyfriend.” You say, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks almost immediately.

“That’s not what I heard.” Himiko continues to tease. 

 

“Stop.” You plead, beginning to sit up.

She does, luckily, and sits up with you, her yellow eyes wide and glittery with excitement.

“Who else is here?” You ask, getting up from the bed.

“Me, Jin and some people I’m not allowed to tell you about.” Himiko replies, picking Cloud up and plopping him down onto her lap.

 

You frown in confusion. 

People she wasn’t allowed to tell you about? Were your friends here? You kind of hope not, because you really weren’t ready to explain your parents to anyone else after what happened with Vesper.

 

“You should change.” Himiko nods. “Just put some sweatpants on!”

 

You shrug and obey, pulling on some sweatpants and heading out of your room with Himiko hanging off your arm chatting excitedly and Cloud jogging behind you both.

When you get downstairs they’ve put balloons and sashes up downstairs, which Cloud immediately takes interest in, batting one around the hallway floor.

You enter the living room, immediately clocking Tomura and Dabi sitting with Uncle Jin on the sofa, and then you realise Shoto is sitting with them too with Grandma Rei sitting on her own armchair. 

 

“Happy birthday Star!” They all call at the same time you call out for your grandma and run towards her.

 

“Careful!” Dabi urges when you wrap your arms around her neck.

 

“You came!” You say happily, kissing her cheek.

 

“Of course. It’s my granddaughter's birthday!” She replies, stroking your cheek with a soft smile.

 

“Uncle Jin!” You say secondly, throwing yourself at him a bit more haphazardly.

 

Shoto immediately swings his head to look at Rei, who rolls her eyes and shakes her head.

Jin catches you with a laugh and squeezes you tight.

 

“Happy birthday darlin’ girl!” He greets, letting go of you so you can stand back up. “ Hope it sucks .”

 

“Hello Shoto.” You say, bowing your head.

 

“Happy birthday.” He replies, ignoring the glare he gets from Dabi. 

 

“Are ‘Yumi and Nats coming too?” You ask curiously, turning to Dabi for a hug.

 

“Nats is at work doll, but ‘Yumi and Kenji are comin’ a little later.” Dabi says, his hand going to your hair.

 

You make a noise of contentment, hugging Tomura tight.

 

“Presents!” Himiko calls, clapping her hands. 

 

“Breakfast first, Toga.” Tomura replies amusedly.

 

“Zero needs to hurry up then.” Himiko pouts, flopping down next to Shoto. 

 

Shoto tenses a little bit, but a sharp look from both Rei and Dabi forces him to relax again pretty quickly. 

You choose to sit next to Jin, leaning against him just because you haven’t seen him in a while. He wraps an arm around you smoothly, bringing you closer to him.

 

“How ya been? What ya doing today? Seeing any friends?” Jin asks, leaning his head against yours. 

 

You tell him about college, and that you’ve chosen to go into illustration rather than fine art. He’s nothing but encouraging if you ignore the second voice, and when you tell him about Vesper taking you out later his interest is even more piqued.

 

“It’s her boyfriend.” Himiko informs him, licking her sharp teeth as she smiles.

 

“He’s not my boyfriend.” You defend immediately.

 

“But Shiggy said you kissed him!” Himiko exclaims, giving Tomura a betrayed look.

 

Tomura looks unphased even though you give him the most hurt expression you’ve ever given anyone before, right at the same time Dabi scoffs and rolls his eyes.

 

“I lied.” Tomura says calmly. “For the shits and giggles.”

 

Dabi snorts at the same time Himiko flings her arm to point at Tomura, who’s also smirking at Dabi’s laughter. 

 

“You would never lie or say that!” She accuses.

 

Uncle Jin must pick up on the complete humiliation radiating off you, because he gives you another squeeze as if to ground you.

Rei watches with fond amusement as Tomura continues to try to stick to his lie and Dabi continues to laugh, even when Himiko gets pouty about it.

 

Not too soon after, Uncle Zero, Aiko and Uncle Giran come through the door holding boxes, Aiko holding bags in her own hands.

 

“Uncle Zero and Giran! Aunty Aiko!” You call happily, immediately moving from Jin to rush for them.

 

Aiko immediately drops the bags to give you a hug, but Uncle Giran and Zero head straight for the kitchen to put the boxes down.

 

“Shouldn’t I be the only uncle in the room?” Shoto asks, visibly confused.

 

“You were adopted.” Dabi replies, completely deadpan.

 

Uncle Jin laughs, slapping Dabi’s arm, and then immediately whining about how hard the metal is while Shoto stares at Rei.

 

“Touya, for christs sake.” Grandma sighs. “You weren’t adopted, Shoto.”

 

You ignore the bickering between those two as you follow Uncle Giran and Zero, basically bouncing on your feet as you wait for them to be free for a hug.

You slam into Zero first, who chuckles lowly and picks you up easily despite being a lot bigger than you used to be when people used to pick you up.

 

“Happy birthday, little Star.” He says, smiling serenely as he places you back down on the ground. 

 

“Ey’up little darlin’.” Giran grins as you wrap your arms around him too. “Brought you birthday pancakes.”

 

“Thank you!” You beam, and just like always he just puts his hand on the top of your head.

 

“Pancakes?” Jin asks, his scarred head popping up. “ Blergh! ”

 

“Let the girls eat first.” Zero instructs, watching Aiko carefully as she drops the bags on the kitchen floor.

 

“Yay!” Himiko chimes happily, coming to join you all in the kitchen.

 

Rei gets up too, Dabi straightening up to watch her join you in the kitchen as Giran and Zero get plates out for everyone.

 

“Hello, Rei.” Zero acknowledges her first, bowing his head. 

 

“Mrs. Todoroki, s’ nice to finally meet ya.” Giran greets soon  after, reaching out a hand to her.

 

Rei smiles softly and takes his hand, giving it a squeeze. “Thank you for looking after Touya.”

 

Giran introduces Rei to Aiko as Zero helps you and Himiko plate your food, and the two of you scurry back to the living room to eat, Jin pretending to swipe Himiko’s pancakes from her and earning a swift pull of a knife.

Shoto stands up immediately, and Dabi yanks him back down by the back of his shirt.

 

“Sit down and shut up.” He warns.

 

“Don’t be mean to Shoto.” You frown as you settle next to him again.

 

Himiko sits next to Jin and allows him to share some of her food while Tomura squeezes the back of Dabi’s neck. Probably a warning of some kind.

When Zero calls the others to get their food, Jin is immediately on his feet, the others following slowly behind and Aiko joining you and Himiko, sitting on the floor and petting Cloud when he rubs against her.

 

You go through the same conversation you’d had with Jin with Aiko, except she doesn’t ask you too many questions about Vesper, even when Himiko tries interjecting.

Shuichi comes through the front door holding a small present soon after, and you wave, getting a grin and a wave back in response.

 

“Happy birthday.” He nods, slipping his shoes off at the door.

 

“Thank you!” You reply.

 

“There’s pancakes!” Himiko informs him. “Quick, before Jin takes them all.”

 

“Zero is on portion control.” Tomura calls.

 

Shuichi chuckles, but does go to join the others in the kitchen.

It’s so nice having everyone in one room again, especially when Atsuhiro appears, closely followed by Fuyumi and Kenji. Atsuhiro seems to love being able to show magic tricks to a new person, and easily gets Kenji to stop hanging off your legs with card tricks and pulling silly items from his marbles.

Fuyumi seems pleased to have a break too, talking to Rei, Shoto and Dabi, crying from time to time which seemed to make Dabi flap in a panic even though she said it was happy, hormonal tears.

 

Himiko sits close by as you open your gifts, “ooh”ing and “ahh”ing when you pull item after item of clothing out of the bag from Aiko.

When she gets a little pouty about the clothes being cute and not having any of them herself, Aiko offers to grab her some too, saving the mood from going too sour.

Shuichi has gotten you a copy of the latest Legend of Zelda release, which you hug him briefly for. Jin keeps up his yearly tradition of getting you a silly rubber duck and some chocolates. This year it’s a duck with a palette and paintbrush. 

 

Giran, Fuyumi, Grandma and Atsuhiro all get art supplies which works for you. Uncle Giran even seems to have found some sparkly watercolor paints for you, which you’re excited to use as soon as possible. 

Shoto, surprisingly, passes you a small wrapped gift which turns out to be a custom drawn keyring of Cloud, which you absolutely love, and give him a hug, even though it makes Dabi snarl a bit.

Zero gifts you a rough drawing that he has done of you, Tomura and Dabi, explaining that Uncle Giran was trying to teach him how to draw, too. You love it, and give him the tightest squeeze ever while Jin compliments and insults the artwork at the same time.

 

Himiko, unsurprisingly, gives you another cat plushie and some clothes. You thank her and allow her to rub her cheek against yours affectionately without complaining for once, and when it’s time to open your dads present, Tomura passes it to you from his pocket.

 

“Thank you.” You reply automatically, sitting down between them to open it.

 

When you tear open the paper, a small black box is revealed, and when you open it it’s a delicate silver chain with a star charm hanging from it, with a gorgeous blue stone in the center that seems to be iridescent. 

You stare at it, wide eyed.

 

“Touya insisted on blue.” Tomura says pointedly.

 

“‘S the best colour.” Dabi replies. “D’ya like it, hon?”

 

You nod eagerly, thanking your dads over and over, thrusting the box at Tomura as a silent plea to have help putting it on.

He huffs amusedly, motioning for you to turn as he pulls the thin chain from the box and drapes it around your neck.

 

“It’s an opal.” Tomura informs you. “They’re soft gems, so can be easily damaged. Be careful with it.”

 

“I will be!” You promise. “It’s so pretty! Thank you. Love you.”

 

“Love you too, darlin’.” Dabi smirks, ruffling your hair while Tomura closes the clasp on the back of your neck.

 

“Happy birthday little Star.” Is Tomura’s response, but his voice is a lot softer than usual, and you don’t need him to repeat it back to you to know you’re loved.

 

The rest of the day goes so fast, filled with laughter and banter and people you hold so dearly. You’re playing Mario Kart, everyone taking it in turns to play, when the doorbell goes off.

You perk up, looking at Dabi and Tomura to see who checks their phone first. When it’s Tomura that does it, he stands up and walks into the hallway without a word, passing Kenji the controller despite being in first place.

Everyone seems to see this as a chance to try and get in first place finally, and you end up entirely distracted trying to keep first place and win before he gets back.

 

You hear the door open, and soon after Tomura calls your name, following it up with:

 

“Wani’s here.” 

 

You immediately panic, forgetting that you had made plans with Vesper and having let time run away from you.

He looks incredibly nervous as he walks in behind Tomura, his tail tucked between his legs.

 

“Everyone, this is Wani, Stars friend.” Tomura introduces. 

 

You shoot to your feet as everyone greets Vesper simultaneously, asides from Dabi. You pass your controller to Himiko to rush and apologise to Vesper, who looks relieved to have you nearby. 

 

“Happy bir-“ He begins to say, but you cut him off.

 

“I’m so sorry! I lost track of time, I’ll get ready really quick and then we can go.” You apologise, tip-toeing to try to give him a hug.

 

Uncertain arms wrap around you, like he’s nervous of even giving you a hug around Dabi.

 

“S’fine, Star.” He says, letting go. 

 

“You can play while I help Star get ready.” Himiko chimes, hopping up and passing a bewildered Vesper the controller you had passed to her.

 

“Uh…” 

 

“Sit down, Wani.” You hear Tomura instruct as you’re dragged off by Himiko.

 

The second you’re out of earshot, Himiko whispers: “He’s not very cute.”

 

“ I think he’s cute.” You defend, frowning.

 

*•*

 

With Himiko’s help, you manage to get ready a lot quicker than if you were with Hana and Keiko, although you wish she’d let you pick a longer skirt.

You’re not expecting it to be short enough that everyone’s eyes widen when they see you, Himiko showing you off with a wide armed gesture and ‘ta-da!’

Aiko nods in approval, Vesper clears his throat as Dabi glares at him, and Grandma Rei tells you you look pretty, which Himiko is so pleased with that she puffs her chest out a little bit.

 

“Very pretty, Starlight.” Tomura says. “Take a jacket.”

 

You hum an agreement and make your way around all the guests, thanking them and giving them hugs, and for the people you’re closest to, a kiss on the cheek. You make sure to hug Grandma Rei for a little longer than anyone else, letting her cup your face as she says goodbye to you. 

When you get to Zero, he holds you tighter than he usually would, which makes you laugh a little nervously.

 

“He was very scared, but he stayed anyway.” He tells you quietly. “He likes you a lot, little Star. And you're happy. That makes me happy.”

 

When you pull away, his different coloured eyes are warm and his serene smile seems a little more genuine.

He’s never said he’s felt something before.

 

“Thank you Uncle Zero. I love you.” You try, just to see if he’d finally learned that emotion, too.

 

“I love you too.” He replies easily, and you beam at him, throwing your arms around him a second time.

 

Tomura seems happy talking to Shuichi and Vesper, tucking some hair behind your ear and telling you to be safe. Dabi still looks grumpy, but accepts a hug and reinforces that you need to be safe and put a jacket on.

You roll your eyes at him, though, pulling away from him at the same time Vesper stands up, Kenji rolling his head back to stare up at Vesper from where he sits on the floor.

 

“Mommy-“

 

“Shh, Kenji. You’re losing.” Fuyumi tries to lead him away from whatever he was going to say. 

 

“Ready to go?” Vesper asks, clearly trying to keep his voice quiet in comparison to everyone else talking.

 

You nod, linking your arm through his and leading him out of the house, calling out a final goodbye to everyone.

 

“Where are we going?” You ask excitedly, looking up at him.

 

He stares back down at you for a second, quiet, before answering: “There’s been a slight change of plans.”

 

*•*

 

When you walk into the bar Vesper had led you to, Hana instantly rushes to you, slamming into you with a hug. Keiko waves from the bar, Takagi throwing up a hand lazily at you as well.

 

“Happy birthday!” Hana practically sings, looking up at you with a wide, toothy grin. 

 

“Thank you! I didn’t think I would see you guys!” You exclaim, your shoulders lifting in your happiness. 

 

Hana practically drags you to the bar, Keiko leaning forward to give you a one-armed hug and wishing you a happy birthday too. Takagi just grins at you and gestures at the bottles behind the bar.

 

“Forgot to get ya a present, so I’m buyin’ your drinks tonight.” He informs you. 

 

“Well thanks!” You agree, giving him a fist bump.

 

“Don’t praise him for doing the bare minimum.” Keiko says dryly, sliding a small gift towards you.

 

You take a seat next to her, thanking her for the present and unwrapping it immediately as Vesper orders for you both.

Inside is a handful of makeup products that you tended to borrow from her, and a cute hair bow with a star in the center. 

You coo at it, immediately putting it in your hair and thanking her profusely. Hana places a gift next to you immediately after, hopping where she stands in excitement.

 

This gift is a handmade one, a drawing of Cloud in Hana’s signature blocky, cute, cartoony style. It’s even in a cute little frame with stars dotted all over it.

You love it, of course you do, it’s Cloud .

So you give her another hug, and thank her over and over.

 

“Where’s your present, Ves?” Takagi asks, and you feel Vesper bristle slightly beside you.

 

“I’ll give it to her later.” Vesper replies. “When we’re alone.”

 

“Bet ya will. Two presents, right?” Takagi continues to tease, but Keiko slaps him over the back of his head effortlessly.

 

“Drink your drink and we’ll dance.” Keiko says to you simply as Takagi rubs the back of his head, actually looking a little hurt.

 

You end up needing two drinks before going to dance with Hana and Keiko, but when you do, it’s fun like it always is. You return for another drink, Vesper and Takagi talking between themselves. You thank Vesper for getting the same drink again, kissing his cheek quickly, which immediately seems to fluster him. 

It probably doesn’t help that Takagi gives him a wide, teasing grin.

 

And even though you’re tired, it’s nice to have spent time with your friends and your family.

Hana ends up trying to pull Takagi to the dancefloor when a guy comes over to talk to Keiko, smiling and buying her a drink. Takagi is scowling at the newcomer and refusing to budge from the stool he’s on, even though you can see that Hana’s trying really hard to pull him off of it.

 

Eventually, she gives up with him and begs for you and Vesper to join her instead.

Vesper declines, his green eyes remaining on Takagi as if he’s trying to catch his attention, so you leave him to it, dancing with Hana and having a laugh with each other   while doing it. 

You lose track of how much time passes, until there's sudden yelling and a ruckus at the bar. 

 

You and Hana stop, looking over to see what was going on, only to see Vesper holding Takagi in the air by the scruff of his jacket and the barman holding back the guy Keiko had been talking to as Keiko yells at Takagi.

You both make your way to the bar, only to catch that security were coming in to apprehend Vesper and Takagi, even though Keiko’s trying to argue the fact that Vesper hadn’t done anything wrong.

 

The police are called before you even get the story of what happened out of them.

 

When they cart Vesper and Takagi off, you call the only person you can think of that can help.

 

*•*

 

“Dad.” You say nervously, hyper aware that Keiko and Hana are behind you, and are probably going to be all kinds of surprised to see who your dad is .

 

“Starlight.” Tomura greets, stroking your cheek with his arm out of the window. “Are you okay?”

 

“I’m okay. But Vesper and Takagi…”

 

“We’ll sort it.” Tomura says confidently. “And your friends?”

 

“They… they missed the last train.” You reply quietly. “I’m sorry.”

 

“You trust them?” He asks calmly, seemingly unbothered by the massive favour you were asking him for.

 

You nod, and he nods back curtly. 

 

“Tell them to get in.” He says simply, turning his face to look out the windscreen, leaning his cheek on his fist. 

 

You thank him, and then return to your friends, a little concerned about this entire situation.

 

“Okay, he’ll drive you both back to Keiko’s.” You tell them. “Just…don’t freak out please.”

 

“Why would we freak out?” Keiko asks with a small frown, but Hana is already on her feet and practically skipping to the car.

 

You can’t bring yourself to say the words out loud, so you just gesture to the car, which she reluctantly gets into at the same time as you.

 

“Thank you sir!” Hana thanks happily, clipping herself in, obviously not having looked at Tomura yet.

 

Keiko, however, freezes, and a yowl begins to start at the back of her throat.

 

“What’s up, Keiks?” Hana asks innocently, looking at Keiko, who really seems to be trying to relax as she gets into the car.

 

It’s only then that Hana looks at Tomura, who catches her eyes through the rearview mirror. Her eyes widen, but she doesn’t seem scared like Keiko does, her feline ears trying to flatten back against her head.

 

“You don’t need to worry.” Tomura says simply. “Where am I going?”

 

You shrink into your seat a little as the only response is the yowling getting louder slightly, even though Keiko desperately seems to be trying to swallow the sound.

Tomura ignores it though, patiently waiting for a response. And slowly Keiko manages to control herself enough to tell him a street name.

 

“We can walk from there.” She says, clearing her throat.

 

“You aren’t walking in that area at night.” Tomura responds.

 

“He probably knows what he’s talking about.” Hana whispers.

 

Keiko takes a deep breath and finally gives him an actual address, seeming to relax as Tomura puts the heated seats on.

 

“I’m sorry.” She mutters when the yowling finally stops.

 

“You don’t need to be sorry, it’s instinct.” Tomura replies, completely unoffended.

 

When you look back at them both, you spot Hana’s tail wrapped around Keiko’s ankle like she sometimes does whenever you’re distressed.

Hana gives you an uncertain smile, and Keiko is looking out of the window, so you can’t get a read of what’s going on with her.

 

“Can you tell me what happened?” Tomura asks, breaking the silence after a while.

 

“It’s stupid.” Keiko replies, making her disdain at the situation known. 

 

“Probably, it usually is. But if I’m going to try to get them out, I need to know the story.” Tomura replies, staring ahead at the road.

 

Keiko is quiet for a second before replying.

 

“We’ve been… It’s…”

 

Tomura waits for her to spit it out without interruption.

 

“I kissed a guy and he got mad and punched him.” Keiko finally manages to say. “Vesper just held him back. Don’t worry about getting Akito out, but Vesper shouldn’t be held overnight because of that.”

 

Tomura hums in response blandly, even though Keiko seems to be scanning his reaction through the mirror.

 

“How come you didn’t tell us Shigaraki’s your dad, Star?” Hana asks, cutting to the chase. 

 

“Hana.” Keiko hisses.

 

“We asked her not to tell people for her own safety.” Tomura replies for you. “I’m sure you both know we’re not exactly everyone’s favourite people.” 

 

“You didn’t trust us?” Hana asks, leaning forward to rest her face against your seat.

 

“That’s not it…” You murmur.

 

Keiko is even more silent than usual during the journey, only sparing Tomura odd glances here and there. You’re a little nervous about it, because you really liked both of them and didn’t want them to stop being friends with you because of your family.

When he pulls up to her house though, she does thank him before getting out of the car. 

 

“Tell me what happens?” She asks you before opening the door.

 

You nod in agreement, and she gives you a soft smile that offers you a little relief, and turns her attention to Tomura.

 

“Thank you, Shigaraki.”

 

“Of course. I’d rather get you home safely.” He replies evenly. 

 

“Thank you sir!” Hana repeats. “Can I touch your hair? It’s so fluffy!”

 

“Hana…” Keiko sighs even though Tomura gives Hana one of his amused huffs. “C’mon.”

 

And then they leave, Hana waving at you when they reach the apartment block entrance.

 

“Thank you, dad.” You say again, avoiding looking at him. 

 

“It’s fine, Starlight. Let’s get Vesper now.”

 

*•*

 

You’re almost a little thankful that you were placed in the waiting room while Tomura spoke to the officer at the front desk in another room when you see how pale the officer is when they come out of it, even though Tomura seems as unshaken as ever.

 

“Vesper Wani needs to be released. It was a misunderstanding.” You hear him mutter to one of his coworkers.

 

The coworker moves the quickest you’ve ever seen anyone move before, her heels clicking on the floor as she walks down the long hallway.

 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you.” You quietly repeat to Tomura when he’s close enough.

 

Tomura nods, not making an effort to quieten his voice. “He shouldn’t have been falsely arrested for de-escalating a situation.” 

 

And sure enough, Vesper's back and getting his belongings back, looking a little downtrodden, his tail beginning to tuck between his legs at the sight of Tomura.

He looks a little ashamed when he joins you both, his eyes on his feet.

 

“I’m sorry for ruining your birthday, Star. Thank you, sir, for helping.” Are the first words out of his mouth.

 

“You haven’t ruined my birthday!” You defend with a frown.

 

“You shouldn’t have been arrested for simply being there. Shuichi has been working hard enough that discrimination shouldn’t be an issue anymore. ” Tomura shrugs. “Come on, let’s go home.”

 

“Vesper can come?” You ask hopefully.

 

“He’s welcome to stay. It’ll have to be in your room though as Rei is in the spare room and Shoto is on the couch.” Tomura says, unlocking the car. “Be quiet unless you want to upset Touya.”

 

“Can you stay?” You ask Vesper with big, pleading eyes.

 

He looks a little uncertain, his mouth opening and closing a couple of times before he nods slightly.

 

“I still need to give you your present.” He justifies his decision with.

 

*•*

 

You manage to get back, slide your shoes off and get Vesper up the stairs without alerting Dabi. You even manage to get a spare toothbrush for Vesper and he makes it to the bathroom and back without bumping into Dabi.

When you’re both ready for bed, Vesper refusing to take his pants off, he passes you a small box. 

 

“Happy birthday, Star.” He says simply, sitting down on the bed next to you.

 

You thank him, opening the box to reveal a bracelet with several charms on it. You pick it up carefully, turning it to see all the charms. A sun, moon and star as well as a little paintbrush and a triforce.

You beam at him, even though he’s looking away.

 

“It’s so pretty! Thank you!” You exclaim, carefully putting it on the side so you can wrap your arms around him.

 

He returns the hug with one arm, making a winded noise when you pull back and kiss the beak of his mouth quickly.

 

“I’ll get Tomura to help me put it on tomorrow. Thank you!” You say, picking it up to admire it again.

 

Vesper seems to be quiet for a second before speaking again.

 

“You can get more for it, or take them off or change them around.” He tells you, pointing at the clasp. “When you take it off, they can slide off.”

 

You ‘ooh’ at this, already planning to see if there’s any other charms you’d like to add to it, deciding to lay down with it clutched in your hand.

Vesper takes the side closest to the heater, turning it up while apologising, even though you don’t care. His legs hang off the bottom of the bed a little, and he lays on his back even though it must be uncomfortable with his tail. 

 

“Turn onto your side.” You try to lead. “You can curl up, it’s okay!”

 

Vesper breathes through his nose for a second, but turns over, using a strong arm to drag your back to his chest as he curls up, the end of his tail wrapping around your ankle. 

 

“That okay?” He asks, sounding a little nervous.

 

“Mhm!” You agree, your eyes closing.

 

His arm is a little rough curled around you, but when he rests his chin on top of your head you feel safe. Secure.

Happy .

 

“Today was really good.” You say quietly.

 

Vesper just presses his snout against the back of your neck in response. 

Chapter 20: Who’s This?

Vesper wakes up in an unfamiliar room, but it only takes a second for him to remember what happened the night before, that the person he’s curled around is Star and that he’d inadvertently ruined her birthday by getting arrested.

And sure, he knew he hadn’t done anything to warrant it, he’d actually been trying to de-escalate the situation by holding Akito back. He was simply arrested for being present, being big, and being… him.

 

Which is almost even more infuriating, because that shouldn’t even be a thing anymore. Iguchi had made massive moves in heteromorph rights over the years. 

Vesper supposes that Shigaraki likely chewed out the arresting officer or whoever had been in charge of intake that day, but it still shouldn’t have happened.

 

Star didn’t seem too upset about it, but it was still a stress she didn’t need on her birthday, and if he’s being honest, he’s annoyed at Akito for losing his temper and causing a scene, too.

 

Star stirs a little bit under his arm, and he loosens it slightly, allowing her room to move if she wants to.

He probably shouldn’t have curled up around her like this, but he accepts he’s more selfish than he originally realised and wants to make the most of a girl being willing to be so close to him.

 

“Vesper, can you take that thing out your pocket?” Star grumbles sleepily. 

 

“Huh?” Vesper asks in return, confused.

 

And then he pieces it together and immediately unlatches from Star, blood pooling in his face in embarrassment as he turns away from her.

 

“You don’t have to move. ” She huffs, and then turns over to drape an arm over him, her face pressing into his shoulder.

 

Vesper stays as still as he can, staring at the ceiling, trying to keep his thoughts on the Akito situation in the hopes it’ll eradicate the current issue he’s facing.

Star is either asleep again or half awake, which works for him, because he wants to get rid of the problem before she’s fully awake and starts asking questions.

 

“Thank you for staying.” She murmurs against his arm after a while. “Even though my dads are a little scary.”

 

Which would have been fine if she didn’t kiss his scales after she speaks, like he’s not repulsive .

Luckily, the reminder of her parents being present in the house strikes enough fear inside of him that he’s distracted from the issue at hand, unbothered by Shigaraki, because he’s the one that suggested he stayed, but definitely concerned about how Dabi might react if he sees Vesper coming out of Star's room.

 

“Hey, Star.” Vesper replies, trying to keep his voice low, too. “Can I use the shower?”

 

Two birds, one stone.

 

“What, right now?” She asks, looking up at him with a small frown and bleary eyes.

 

“Yeah. I think I’m shedding.” He lies.

 

“Oh, okay.” Star yawns, getting up slowly and stretching. “Yeah, I’ll find you a towel.”

 

She doesn’t even question his lie, ask questions or anything , just stretches out a little bit more before sliding out of bed.

He keeps his eyes on the ceiling, because seeing her in her sleep shorts and tight tank top wouldn’t feel respectful right now.

 

She ducks out of the room without a word, leaving the door slightly ajar. Mere seconds later, her fluffy calico cat budges the door open a little more with his head, pausing when he sees Vesper and begins to yowl a little. Vesper ‘shh’s the cat, concerned with the door being open anyway, never mind the noise drawing attention.

 

The cat arches his back a little as he cautiously approaches the bed, but luckily Star comes back relatively quickly, closing the door some more and lifting the cat into her arms smoothly.

 

“I left the towel on the side of the bath.” She says, kissing Cloud's head quickly. “And one of the sponges that Dabi sometimes uses for his scars in case that helps.”

 

Vesper blinks for a second.

Not only did she not ask questions or look at him like he was a freak for supposedly ‘shedding’, she’d offered something that could help. 

And Vesper now feels terrible for lying.

 

“Coast is clear.” She says with a small smile. “I’m gonna go down to see grandma. I’ll make sure dad doesn’t come up, too.”

 

“Thanks.” Vesper nods as she puts Cloud back down on the ground.

 

He looks away quickly when she bends to pick up some discarded sweatpants on the floor, his tail flicking across the bed.

 

“Come down when you’re ready. I think Tomura will help us lie.” She says, leaning over the bed to kiss his cheek.

 

*•*

 

When Vesper braves joining her, and her parents downstairs, he’d half forgotten about the fact Star's grandma was downstairs.

And he hadn’t really known what he was expecting considering he knew Shigaraki didn’t have any family left, but was still surprised to see a thin, tired looking silver haired woman and Shoto Todoroki sat on their couch.

 

“Good morning, Wani.” Shigaraki greets easily from a separate armchair.

 

Dabi’s head snaps towards him at the greeting, a scowl on his scarred face as he stands in the kitchen area. Vesper tries not to pay it any mind, bowing his head at Star’s grandma and Todoroki instead.

 

“Vesper, this is my grandma, and Shoto.” Star introduces, swinging her arms towards the two sitting on the couch alongside her. “Grandma, Shoto, this is Vesper.”

 

“I’ve heard a lot about you.” Star's grandma says, smiling softly at Vesper, her eyes crinkling on the outer corners.

 

Vesper gives a nervous laugh, unsure on what to do.

 

“Where did you come from?” Dabi asks sourly. 

 

“There was an incident last night. Wani stayed in the office.” Shigaraki lies, saying it so evenly that there's no way that anyone could pick up on any kind of dishonesty.

 

Dabi scoffs. “An incident ?”

 

“We’ll discuss it later.” Shigaraki says, his tone final.

 

“I need to go…” Vesper says, trying to get out of this situation.

 

“No! Stay!” Star insists, hopping up from the sofa and trying to grab his arm at the same time the doorbell rings through the house.

 

He hears a displeased grumble from Dabi in the kitchen, and Star looks over at Shigaraki as he pulls out his phone, eyeing whoever’s outside blankly.

 

“Can I help you?” Shigaraki asks right as Star's grandma asks Vesper a question.

 

“I’m sorry, ma’am?” Vesper asks in return, a little overstimulated from all the eyes on him, the multiple noises in the room and the general situation he’s in.

 

“Star said you’re a musician.” She repeats. “What kind of music do you play?”

 

“Can you teach me about music?” Todoroki asks immediately after. 

 

“Uh…” Vesper replies uncertainly, quickly getting even more overwhelmed because there was no way Star’s grandma knows anything about metal, and he didn’t really sign up to educate Shoto Todoroki about music either. 

 

Besides, where would he even start?

 

“I told you, no-one by that name lives here.” Shigaraki says, actually sounding a little agitated .

 

“Who’s the chump looking for, babe?” Dabi asks, approaching Shigaraki and leaning over the back of the chair to look at the phone screen too, his white eyebrows pulling together.

 

“Y/N L/N.” The voice comes through the screen. “I know she’s in there.”

 

The atmosphere immediately goes tense, Star literally freezing beside him and slowly turning her head to look at her parents in fear.

Shigaraki is frowning and Dabi is scowling as he snatches the phone from Shigaraki’s hand.

 

“He said no-one by that name lives here. Fuck off ‘fore I make you fuck off.” Dabi snaps, leaving the room with Shigaraki hot in his heels.

 

“Why is Touya lying?” Todoroki asks his mom as Star tightens her grip on Vesper's arm.

 

He couldn’t remember her real name before, but he definitely remembered it now.  

Y/N L/N, a girl that had reportedly been taken in by the League for trafficking, reported dead by the media, magically found alive again, and then eventually returned back to the League after the war. 

None of what had been reported was true though, everyone knew as much now , but there was a time where everyone had feared for her, and then when she was pronounced dead, hundreds had gone to leave teddies, flowers, prayers and all manners of other gifts at her false grave.

 

Vesper had read a lot about it. He’d half planned to make a song about it, once.

 

But now he knew her. And she was Star , and from how pale she looks, she did not want to be known as anything else.

 

“Star, honey, I’m sure your dads will sort it out. You don’t need to worry.” Rei Todoroki tries to soothe, reaching out to rub her arm with a sympathetic smile.

 

“Mom, Touya’s gonna kill someone again.” Shoto warns.

 

“Cut it out, Shoto.” The older Todoroki sighs. “Your niece is stressed enough already.”

 

And Star just doesn ’ t talk or respond, just stands there frozen in fear while Dabi gets louder and more irate in the hallway.

 

Vesper tries to peel her off of him, to try to get her to sit down because she looks like she’s moments away from fainting, and he’d really rather she does it on the couch rather than somewhere she could potentially hurt herself. But her grip only tightens around the scales on his arm. 

Honestly, if he wasn’t a dragon heteromorph, she’d probably be holding on tight enough for it to hurt .

 

“Star, please sit down.” Vesper tries to lead gently as he tries to carefully slide a clawed finger underneath her own hand to pry her off.

 

She allows him to do it this time, letting him move her to where she had been sitting before with each of his hands on each side of her.

Rei Todoroki pets her hair soothingly as Shoto cranes his neck to try and look towards the hallway, and Vesper crouches in front of her, trying to catch her eyes.

 

“It’s okay, love. No need to panic.” The older lady repeats, all soft eyes and smiles.

 

“No-one calls me that anymore.” Star replies, her voice the smallest Vesper has ever heard.

 

Vesper just places one hand on the side of her lower leg and wraps his tail around the ankle of her other leg, unable to know what to say to help her, because he doesn’t fully understand why she would react so strongly to her old name.

 

Shigaraki and Dabi return a couple of moments later, clearly arguing between themselves before Shigaraki is looming over Vesper, his long white hair brushing over Vesper’s shoulder.

When Vesper looks up at him a little fearfully, Shigaraki tilts his head to silently tell him to move, which Vesper does reluctantly but obediently. 

He stands, watching as Dabi angrily explains that the ‘idiot outside’ is trying to claim that he’s Star’s real dad to his mom and brother, pacing as he does so with smoke leaking through his seams.

 

When Rei goes to touch him , likely to soothe him too, he snatches his arm away from her.

 

“I’ll burn you, mom. Don’t.” 

 

“Deep breaths.” Todoroki tries to suggest, only for Dabi to glare at him.

 

“Real fuckin’ helpful, UA did wonders for you, puppet. Star student, weren’t it?” Dabi sneers.

 

“Boys.” Their mom warns.

 

Vesper turns his attention to Star and Shigaraki, his voice low as he talks to her about whatever’s going on. At least she seems a little more switched on s he speaks to her, even if she’s visibly confused.

 

“Come on, then.” Shigaraki says, standing and reaching a hand out for her.

 

“You’re not .” Dabi says in disbelief, his staples beginning to change color from the heat radiating off his body.

 

“He knows where she is now anyway.” Shigaraki says evenly as he helps Star stand. “She’s an adult. She can make her own decisions.”

 

“Star.” Dabi says, an unmistakable hurt in his voice.

 

But Star doesn’t reply as she walks past with Shigaraki’s aid, Dabi following close behind and leaving Vesper in the room with the rest of the Todorokis.

 

“Eventful morning, hm?” Star's grandma asks, obviously trying to make light of the situation to try to ease Vesper’s own worry.

 

“Something like that, yeah.” Vesper replies, glancing at the hallway as Dabi argues with Shigaraki about opening the door.

 

He doesn’t want to be rude, but he also wants to be with her right now.

 

“Go.” The silver haired woman says with a soft smile, earning Vesper’s attention again.

 

“I-“

 

“You want to be with her.” She says knowingly. “She needs you as well.” 

 

“You’re big. You can stop Touya if he tries to kill him.” Shoto Todoroki chimes in, his mismatched eyes running up Vesper's body.

 

“I dunno about that.” Vesper laughs nervously.

 

“ Tomura! ” Vesper hears Dabi snap, and then the front door audibly opens. 

 

“Go, go, go.” Star's grandma insists, almost shooing him away with her hands. 

 

And Vesper still feels a little rude, but he doesn’t need to be told twice, bowing his head towards them both before joining the other three in the hallway.

Luckily, all of Dabi’s anger is directed towards the older man just outside the front door, so Vesper doesn’t even get as much as a glance from him as he hovers behind Star, Shigaraki giving him an approving look before rolling his crimson eyes back towards the stranger.

 

“It’s really you.” The balding, short, and visibly older man says almost breathlessly. “Y/N, it’s so nice to finally meet you.”

 

“I don’t know who you are.” Star replies, sounding nervous.

 

“I’m your dad.” The older man insists. “D/N! Your mom must have mentioned me.”

 

“Mom…” Star trails off, like she doesn’t want to take the conversation further.

 

“Candy, right?” Her ‘dad’ continues enthusiastically, even though the name doesn’t seem to get a flicker of recognition from Star.

 

Dabi scoffs, but Vesper can’t tell why. Maybe because the name is a little tacky, but with how angry he is, it could just be the fact this man had the audacity to appear at his doorstep.

 

“I don’t know you. Sorry.” Star repeats, backing away a little bit, jolting when she steps on Vesper's foot, but her expression turns to one of relief when she looks up and sees him standing behind her.

 

“See, she doesn’t know you. Get the hell offa my property.” Dabi snaps, his lip beginning to pull up into a snarl.

 

The stranger ignores the blatantly riled up Dabi, stepping closer to the house.

 

“I’m your real dad, Y/N.” He insists. “I can’t believe it took so long to find you, but I’m here now. I finally found a private eye worth his salt.”

 

“You stalked my kid?!” Dabi snaps, beginning to shake from barely-contained anger.

 

“Touya.” Shigaraki says, eerily calmly.

 

“I don’t understand.” Star replies shakily. “These are my real dads.”

 

The man claiming to be her real father scoffs at the statement.

 

“One of them isn’t even a real man , darling.”

 

Dabi lunges at him within less than a second, swinging for his face with his fist aflame, only to narrowly miss the man.

Shigaraki doesn’t even seem phased, moving Star back against Vesper more fully, stepping forward to deal with this strange old guy himself, most likely.

 

Vesper is still trying to wrap his head around what that could even have meant to warrant such a violent reaction when the older man manages to wrap a hand around Dabi’s wrist when he swings again, making Dabi’s knees buckle immediately.

And Shigaraki is quick , he always knew that, but he’d never expected to see how quick he is in person, because one second he’s in front of Vesper, and the next, he’s floored Star’s ‘dad’, his hands clutching the man's sweater as he stands over him.  

 

“Dad! No!” Star cries, scared, and steps towards the scene in front of them too.

 

Vesper holds her back at the same time the younger Todoroki appears, rushing to Dabi, who’s kneeling on the floor, his flames out and his body swaying. 

Shigaraki does pause at Star’s cry of his name, but he doesn’t let go of the man frozen in fear below him.

Instead, he lowers his face so their noses are nearly touching and must say something lowly to the man on the ground before letting him go, his head smacking loudly on the pavement.

 

Star sobs in relief as Shigaraki stands slowly, the older man apparently out for the count as he stays limp in the ground. 

Shigaraki turns around to check on his partner first, crouching in front of him.

Vesper pulls Star to him, pulling her into a hug so she can have some kind of comfort before her dads are present again.

 

“Bastard quirked me.” Dabi slurs, gagging a bit afterwards.

 

“Dizzy?” Shigaraki asks.

 

“Mhm.  Arms feel like jelly. Words’re hard.” Dabi replies, lolling his head towards his brother who had kneeled dutifully beside him and rested a hand protectively on his back while he’d watched Shigaraki. “ Geddoff , Shoto.”

 

Shigaraki hums, placing a hand on top of Dabis head as he stands, a yellow aura emitting from the contact as he turns his attention back to Vesper, giving him a small nod.

 

“Are you okay, Star?” He asks as he walks back towards the house, ignoring Dabi as he swats at Shoto in annoyance, seemingly back to full health in a matter of moments.

 

“You hurt him.” She replies, her voice muffled against Vesper's sweater.

 

“If he didn’t catch himself in time, that's his own fault.” Shigaraki says dryly, running a hand that could so easily be dangerous down the back of her head. “Pack your things. We’re moving, and you’re going to your uncles.”

Chapter 21: Useful Again

Zero enjoyed having a task.

Even years after being reanimated, and for at least a few years living alone, Zero never knew what to do with his time without an objective. 

Whenever he was alone, when Aiko didn’t come to visit, or Shigaraki and Dabi, or even Star, he just sat on the settee, in silence, staring through the TV rather than watching it, and waited for someone, anyone to contact him for help or just to talk.

 

It didn’t happen often though.

 

And when he’s in the middle of maintaining Shigarakis office while he has the day off, and Shigaraki calls, requesting that Zero looks after Star for an undetermined amount of time, he immediately takes him up on that.

He missed the little girl so much, even though she wasn’t so little anymore. 

 

And when she shows up, her aura a startling blue as she carries a bag on her shoulder, and a pet carrier in her other hand, Zero takes the bag off her and gently sets the pet carrier on the floor. 

He traps her in a hug, which she returns, her arms wrapped around his back. 

 

“I’m happy to see you, Star.” He tells her, and he feels it.

 

She doesn’t respond, just hugs him a little tighter.

She’s upset, he knows that much. He just needs to get down to the reason why.

 

“You brought Cloud.” Zero states as she pulls away. “Is he sick?”

 

She shakes her head. “Tomura said it would make the move easier if he’s not in the house.”

 

Zero nods attentively, noting the fact mentally that the cat wasn’t what was making her sad. He carries her duffel bag into the spare room of his apartment. Usually Aiko stayed there, so it was nice and tidy for Star already.

She follows behind him silently after freeing Cloud from his confines and letting him dart out into the apartment.

 

“Aiko usually stays in here, so she’s left a few things I’m sure you can use.” Zero explains, setting the bag on the bed.

 

“Aiko stays in here? I thought you guys were…” Star trails off, confused. 

 

Zero tilts his head. “Were what?”

 

“Well… Dating.” Star admits, picking at her clothes anxiously. 

 

Zero winces as a wave of conflicting emotions muddy his mind, and he forcibly has to try to refresh his brain to make it go away for him to answer.

 

“I haven’t learned that one yet, Star.” He says simply, his scarred hand resting on the back of her head. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

 

“It’s my fault we have to move.” She replies quietly.

 

Zero processes that for a moment. “Untrue. It’s your fathers.”

 

“Yeah but he wouldn’t have come round if I knew I’d been followed.” She sniffs, sitting on the bed and allowing Cloud to hop onto her lap.

 

“That’s the whole point of being followed.” Zero replies factually. “You’re not meant to know you’re being followed.”

 

This doesn’t make the blue hue coming off Star any better, so Zero scans his brain for things that have made her feel better previously.

He’d tried physical affection, and that hadn’t worked.

He also had tried speaking logically, and that hadn’t worked, either.

 

“I’ll make you cocoa.” He says with a small nod, backing off and setting to complete his task.

 

It’s nice having something to do. To have a purpose again. 

Even when he passes her the cocoa and she remains sad.

Even when she stays sad apart from when she takes quiet phone calls at night.

 

Zero tries keeping her occupied by getting her to help him draw, but he understands that she probably finds it just as mundane as he does being stuck in the apartment. 

He attempts to pull her into entertaining the cat after reading that cats need to have forty five minutes of play time a day, too, and that doesn’t seem to cheer her up either, even though she looks at the fluffy creature so adoringly.

 

He understands the frustration of not being allowed to go to college, she worked hard to get there and probably lacked the resources she needed to do the work she had from art school while in his home.

Knowing Star, she probably was struggling not seeing her fathers, her friends and the people she cared so much about, too.

 

So when she approaches him a week later and asks to have her boyfriend around, Zero pauses.

 

“I’ll have to ask your dad.” He says, reaching for his phone.

 

“You don’t need to, Tomura’s let him stay the night before.” Star says quickly, but the concern coming off her is telling him to check anyway.

 

“I’ll call Shigaraki.” Zero reaffirms. 

 

Star stands awkwardly as he brings his phone to his ear.

For the first time ever, Shigaraki answers after one ring.

 

“Has something happened?” Shigaraki asks.

 

“No, I just have a question.” 

 

“Is it about Star or a general question? I have things that need my immediate attention.” Shigaraki replies shortly.

 

“It’s about Star.” Zero placates. “Is her boyfriend allowed to stay over?”

 

Shigaraki sighs, taking a moment to answer. “Fine.”

 

“Okay.” Zero replies, moving to hang up.

 

“Wait.” Shigaraki orders, and Zero moves the phone back to his ear. “When you were in the hospital, do you remember any other nomu being with you?”

 

Zero cocks his head, trying to delve into his faint memories of the hospital. He remembers pain, he remembers the crazed eyes of the doctor who had created him. But he doesn’t really remember any other people that survived the experiments.

 

“No.” Zero replies. “I apologise.”

 

Shigaraki sighs again, and there’s the distinct sound of scratching that comes through the line. “Right, okay. Fine.”

 

“Is there a problem?” Zero asks, trained to soothe Shigaraki once the scratching starts.

 

“We found a stash we didn’t know about. Several have had to be…dealt with.” Shigaraki sighs. “Touya’s grown particularly attached to one.”

 

“Interesting.” Zero hums.

 

“He’s not taking no for an answer.” Shigaraki continues to gripe. “I wanted to see if you remembered a small girl. Six years old.”

 

Zero searches his brain again but shakes his head. “No. I don’t think there was a young girl in the facility with me.”

 

“Alright.” Shigaraki sighs. “Thanks anyway.”

 

“Let me know if you need any more help.” Zero says. “Goodbye.”

 

Star looks at him hopefully the second the call has ended, and he nods. 

 

“Your dad said it was okay.” He confirms.

 

She beams , her aura immediately changing from blue to yellow. 

 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She chants excitedly, wrapping her arms around him tightly. 

 

“Of course, Star.” Zero replies evenly, his smile pulling up more genuinely.

 

She runs off, likely to tell her boyfriend that he could come over, and Zero tilts his head slightly in thought as he stands idly in the kitchen. 

When guests come over, it’s polite to have snacks and drinks on hand. So that’s his next task.

His dexterity is a lot better now his scars have healed up, so he’s less clumsy as he prepares the picky food, he only drops a couple things while cooking which is a massive improvement.

 

Cloud tries to snatch food a couple of times, and ends up being banished to the pet carrier until Zero is done, the cats yowls going ignored.

Star appears an hour later, blinking when she sees the plates of food he’s prepared.

 

“He’s here.” She says, approaching the front door slowly. “Did you make all of that for us?”

 

“Yes.” Zero replies dutifully as he releases Cloud from the carrier. “It’s polite to make food for guests.”

 

“Thank you, Uncle Zero.” She says softly before releasing the door when the buzzer goes, slamming into her boyfriend full force.

 

Zero is unsurprised to see that her boyfriend is the tall, reptilian boy with pointed, pierced ears that he’d half-met at the show Dabi had asked him to keep a watch over her.

He didn’t mind that. He’d seen the protectiveness radiating off him and his smaller friend when Zero had grabbed Star, ready to pull her out of the situation she’d seemed uncomfortable in. 

 

He gets up from where he had been crouched, preparing to greet the boy who appears to be cautious, glancing at Zero nervously before petting Star's hair.

Star lets go of him, gesturing to Zero who is standing slightly behind her, cocking his head and turning his lips up a little more in an attempt to seem less threatening, despite the scaled boy being a good foot or so taller than him.

 

“Vesper, this is my Uncle Zero. You kind of met at the first gig I saw.” She introduces. “Zero, this is Vesper Wani.”

 

“Hello Wani. It’s nice to meet you properly.”  Zero says, bowing his head politely.

 

Wani automatically bows his head back, grimacing when Cloud begins to hiss at him. 

 

“Hey.” Wani replies back, his voice deeper than even Dabi’s.

 

“Zero made us food.” Star says, tugging on Wani’s hand.

 

“Oh. Thanks, man.” Wani nods, allowing the small girl to lead him into the apartment, leaving Zero to shut the door behind them. 

 

Wani is still nervous, and Zero sits back on the couch, dragging Cloud onto his lap, curious as to how to make Wani relax. He was smiling like he was always told to do, and he had greeted him warmly.

The two talk together quietly, and Zero takes this as a sign that he isn’t meant to listen, so he turns the TV on. He doesn’t really care much about whatever TV channel Aiko had put on last time, so he switches to the news, wondering if the media had anything about the nomu that Shigaraki had found yet.

 

Wani seems to ease the longer Zero is distracted, and that’s fine. Especially when they thank him for the food, Wani bowing his head politely, and leaving to go to her temporary bedroom.

There’s nothing but happiness from both of them like that, and Zero eases up himself after that.

 

He waits, letting the two spend the night together and wash up without incident, until two a.m. to check on Star like he has been doing daily. 

He silently opens the door a crack, Cloud slinking past him and joining the two after wailing to be let into the room all night.

 

He peers in to find the two curled up together, her large boyfriend curled around her, his face hidden by long black locks of hair, his arm wrapped around her stomach and his tail curled around one of her exposed ankles.

 

Zero studies the two for a second before humming quietly to himself and closing the door quietly.

 

*•*

 

Wani visits again, which Zero doesn’t mind, because it lifted Star’s spirits where he was failing to.

But unlike the first time, after a while of the two chatting in the room, a positive energy filling the atmosphere, the moods switch, and Zero’s head perks up in curiosity when he senses arousal and stress from Star's room.

 

He stands, approaching the room, his eyes beginning to narrow and his smile dropping.

 

There’s the low murmuring of voices, Wani’s recognisable rumble of a voice barely audible with how low he’s speaking compared to Stars.

 

“What?!” He hears Star squeak through the door.

 

“Star, is everything okay in there?” He asks, cocking his head, silver hair falling over his shoulders as he stares at the door handle, ready to burst in in a second.

 

The sense of arousal quickly turns into stress, too, after that.

 

“Yep! Yep! Everything’s okay!” Star calls back, but Zero doesn’t move.

 

“I’m uncertain.” Zero replies, fighting his instincts to open the door but also wanting to allow Star her privacy if everything was okay.

 

“I promise, Zero. Just go.” Star insists, sounding embarrassed. 

 

Zero backs off, but it’s hard. 

His order was to protect Star while Shigaraki and Dabi sorted out the new house, and although their order had hierarchy over Star’s, his newly found free will wanted to let her have some privacy.

 

“I’ll just go.” He hears Wani say as Zero tries to tear himself out of the hallway.

 

A mixture of humiliation and concern is beginning to leak from the room, and Zero can’t tell who’s emotions they are.

 

“No, don’t.” Star pleads. “I don’t think you’re weird or anything, it’s just-“

 

Wani says something quietly again, and sadness begins to leak through instead of stress.

 

“I’ll see you soon.” He hears Wani promise, and the door opens.

 

Wani’s eyes widen when he sees Zero trying to force himself to back away into the living area again.

 

“You’re leaving.” Zero states.

 

“Yeah, I’ve got work.” Wani dismisses, but Zero can see the deception rolling off him.

 

“A lie, but okay.” Zero replies, moving out of Wani’s way.

 

Wani’s tail is beginning to worm between his legs as he approaches Zero, and Zero’s body almost allows him to ignore the original order until Wani is within touching distance.

He grabs the thickly clothed upper arm of Wani, a little surprised by how firm it is. His eyes narrow, even though he doesn’t like the sudden fear emitting off Wani.

 

“If you made Star uncomfortable…” Zero begins to threaten.

 

“I didn’t do anything, man!” Wani panics, his forked tongue darting out of his mouth in stress. 

 

Zero doesn’t sense any deception coming from him, so he lets go, and Wani takes a step back, his tail fully between his legs now.

 

“I’m sorry, Wani.” Zero bows his head. “I tried to ignore it.”

 

Wani stays frozen in place until Zero takes it upon himself to duck into his own bedroom. He hears the front door open and close soon after, but he’s too busy calling Shigaraki to pay any mind to it.

 

“Yes, Zero?” Shigaraki replies after a couple of rings.

 

“I’m unsure on a situation.”

 

“What is it?” Shigaraki asks, and then snaps at someone in the background. “ Careful. That’s my daughters.”

 

“Star had Wani around again.” Zero begins.

 

“And?” Shigaraki asks snappily.

 

Zero winces, a more human part of his brain reminding him that he shouldn’t be spoken to like that, but the obedient side wins like always. 

 

“I sensed arousal and stress coming from the room.” 

 

There’s a long silence from Shigaraki on the other end of the phone.

 

“Wani.” 

 

“Yes, sir.” Zero responds with a small head bob.

 

Shigaraki is quiet for a moment longer. “I’ll discuss it with her in a moment. I’m trying to do this on my own.”

 

“Dabi isn’t with you?” Zero queries.

 

“He’s with the stupid-“ Shigaraki begins to complain, but stops himself. “He’s busy.” 

 

“I can try to talk to Star.” Zero offers.

 

Shigaraki pauses. “It’s my job. But… just make sure she isn’t hurt. If she is, I'll resolve the situation quickly.”

 

“Wani said that he didn’t do anything, and I didn’t feel that he was lying.” Zero tries to reassure.

 

Shigaraki is silent for a moment, and then gives a half-amused huff. “If that’s the case, I can imagine he was the stressed one. But I’ll still discuss it with Star. Thank you for telling me, Zero.”

 

“Oh. Tell Star we’ll be there to pick her up in a couple of days.” Shigaraki informs him. “Later.”

 

Zero doesn’t even get a chance to return the goodbye before Shigaraki hangs up.

He slips his phone back into his sweatpants pocket and returns to the outside of Star's door. 

 

“Little Star.”

 

“I’m on the phone.” She calls back, sadness still travelling through the door.

 

“Are you okay? Earlier I could feel-“

 

“I’m fine, Zero!” She says, embarrassment laced in her voice. “I’m on the phone!”

 

“Okay.” Zero relents. “After, I need to talk with you.”

 

“Sure, okay, just go please?” She asks exasperatedly.

 

“Of course, Star.” Zero nods, and returns to the living room.

 

He sets about making his niece a cocoa, but he needn’t have bothered, because her sadness slowly but surely turns into happiness, and she even giggles inside the spare room.

When she exits her room to join him again, she’s smiling and radiating yellow energy.

 

“You’re happier.” Zero states. “I’m glad.”

 

“Mhm, I was talking to Keiko about something and I feel better now.” Star replies, laughing to herself when she sees the cup of cocoa, but takes it anyway.

 

“I have to ask.” Zero begins. “Did Wani do something to distress you?”

 

Star shakes her head, and Zero watches as her aura remains unchanged. 

 

“Okay.” Zero relaxes. 

 

“What did you need to tell me?” She asks innocently, flopping beside him on the couch and leaning her head on his shoulder.

 

Zero’s lips turn up a little more genuinely.  

 

“Your dad said you’ll be able to go home in a couple of days.” He tells her, leaning his cheek on her head like he used to when she was so much smaller.

 

And although Zero isn’t happy that he’ll be back to being alone in the apartment again, he is happy to see the dull yellow aura surrounding her turn a more sharp, defined gold at the news she can be reunited with her fathers again.

Chapter 22: New Territory

You slam into your dad with such force that he nearly topples over, but he laughs as he catches himself before doing so and wraps a metallic arm around you.

It hasn’t been that long really, about a week and a half, but you hadn’t really spent too much time away from your parents, and for some reason it made you anxious being away from them for a long period of time.

 

“Never thought I’d see the day my lil’ Starshine acts like this again.” Dabi teases, trying to straighten up as you cling to him.

 

“I missed you so much.” You say, your voice muffled by his jacket.

 

“Missed you too, dollface.” He replies, taking the chance to kiss the top of your head while he can.

 

Tomura is weirdly quiet, but you give him a hug too, squeezing him tight even though he’s a lot more built than Dabi is, and isn’t the most comfortable to hug.

 

You don’t realise there’s a small girl clinging onto Tomura’s leg until you pull away and startle at the sight of her.

She looks young, no older than five. She’s wearing a bunch of winter clothing even though it’s only autumn, even to the point of having a hat on top of her tangled white hair. 

The most startling thing about her is her eyes , you’d never seen anything like it before. They looked like purple opals, with so many different hues of violet freckled within them. 

 

“Uh, dad?”

 

“I know.” Is the curt response back, and Zero hums a little behind you in thought.

 

“This is the child you told me about?” Zero asks curiously.

 

“Yeah.” Tomura grunts, trying to push the little girl forward, past you and into the apartment with Zero. “Her voice box has been removed, so she can’t talk. She’s also not fully completed the nomu transition yet so I need you to hold onto her to check she can be reintroduced to people and kids her age.”

 

“Me?” Zero asks in a way that you’d never heard him question an order before. “Why?”

 

Tomura even looks vaguely surprised himself, raising a cracked brow at your uncle. “Because we can’t continue to keep her in the office.”

 

Zero hums thoughtfully again, regarding the little girl who’s clutching onto Tomura so tight that her knuckles are turning white .

 

“She’s scared.” He says matter-of-factly.

 

“C’mon, princess.” Dabi tries to lure. “Zero’s a friend.”

 

And for some reason, hearing Dabi refer to someone that isn’t you as ‘princess’ makes a horrible feeling start to gnaw at your chest.

Zero glances at you, offering a more somber smile before crouching so he’s near eye-level with the young girl. 

 

“Hello, I’m Zero. Do you have a name?” He asks, tilting his head slowly.

 

Dabi goes to answer, but Tomura cuts him off before he can even speak.

 

“We’re not naming it.”

 

“ Her .” Dabi corrects, a lot more sharply than usual.

 

And you kind of agree with him on that one.

You’d seen Tomura grumpy, and you’d seen him at work, snapping at people, bossing them around and once overheard him threatening people, too.

But you’d never heard him completely dehumanise someone to the point he would refuse to name them, and you’d never heard him refer to anyone as ‘it’.

 

“What’s your name?” You ask the little girl curiously, even though you know she won’t be able to verbalise it. 

 

Maybe she knew sign language like Dabi did at the very least.

 

She looks at you with wide, pretty eyes, and then glances at Dabi nervously.

 

“Been callin’ her Nova.” Dabi says, sounding awkward.

 

Tomuras expression hardens, but Zero seems happy to have an answer, finally.

 

“Nova is a nice name.” He approves. “Do you like cocoa? I used to make that for Star when she was upset.”

 

“It’s good!” You agree with a little head bob to try and make the poor little girl feel more at ease.

 

Zero holds his hand out for her to take, and she studies it, and then you, and then looks at Dabi for confirmation.

 

“ Go . Nov- Nomu .” Tomura spits, and Nova immediately lets go, walking forward even though it looks like she doesn’t really want to.

 

And although she doesn’t willingly take his hand, Zero takes her small hand in his scarred one gently, smiling down at her to try to put her at ease.

 

“Let's go.” Tomura says abruptly, turning on his heel.

 

Nova opens her mouth to say something, but nothing comes out, and your heart sinks a little for her.

 

“I’ll be back to teach her summore JSL. When things have settled a bit.” Dabi sighs. “She knows a few words but she ain’t confident, and she feels the cold real easy.”

 

You frown a little. They must have spent a decent amount of time with her to teach her a few words in JSL, and to know she gets cold easily.

 

“Of course, Dabi.” Zero says, lifting the girl despite her clearly signaling for Dabi to lift her.

 

“Touya.” Tomura warns from the elevator, and Dabi grumbles a little bit, but waves sadly to the little girl before turning too.

 

You stare at her, looking all scared despite being held to Zero’s side.

You felt bad for her, but Zero was safe to be with. Knowing him, he’d probably learn sign language so that he could teach her himself.

 

“Don’t worry, he’s safe.” You tell Nova, and then turn your attention to Zero himself. “Bye, Uncle Zero. Thank you for having me.”

 

“Goodbye, little Star.” He replies, smiling genuinely at you. “I hope I can see you again soon.”

 

You would give him a hug, but it’s not really an option right now so you just give him a little smile back before leaving him with the strange little nomu girl and returning to your parents.

 

But there’s a really heavy atmosphere between them, and you can’t help but automatically blame yourself. Especially when they don’t seem to talk to each other or you, really, despite barely seeing each other in the last week and a half.

After a while of there being nothing except the sound of Clouds angry yowls, you finally ask:

 

“Are you guys mad at me?”

 

They both scoff at the same time, which is reassuring.

 

“The move was stressful, Starlight.” Tomura informs you bluntly.

 

“But we wouldn’t have had to move if I hadn’t-“

 

“What, been born?” Dabi asks, turning to look back at you. “Don’t be stupid, doll. Ain’t mad at you.”

 

His metallic hand places itself on the side of your face, his thumb gently tracing over your cheek.

 

“You guys just seem weird. Did I do something?” You ask, nervous about whether you had done something that Zero had passed onto them.

 

You couldn’t think of anything though. Aside from that day that Vesper came over and Zero came to check on you everything had been fine and you had behaved yourself.

 

“Told ya, ain’t you. Tomura’s been stressed with work, an’-“

 

“And having to do the move alone, too.” Tomura interrupts.

 

Dabi looks a little sheepish, and turns back to sink back into his seat. 

 

So they were fighting .

You can’t remember the last time they had a proper fight, and you’re a little unprepared for it. So you just sit in silence, like they do, the whole drive to your new home.

 

Unsurprisingly it’s just as big as the old house, with the same big front door. 

Dabi carries your bag and Cloud because Tomura just gets out wordlessly and enters the house.

You glance at Dabi, who seems unphased by Tomura’s attitude.

 

“Did you cheat again?” You ask quietly.

 

Dabi snaps his head to you, his white eyebrows pulling together. “What?”

 

“Well, the last time you guys really fought-“

 

“I haven’t ever cheated , Star.” Dabi says, sounding almost upset at the idea of it. 

 

“Okay, sorry.” You immediately backtrack, slamming your mouth shut and keeping it that way as you join Tomura in the new house. 

 

Dabi places Cloud on the ground, releasing him from the cat carrier, and allowing the cat to dart out into the house, Cloud freezing in place when he realises the layout is different to the last house.

 

“Living room’s in here, darlin’.” Dabi tells you, opening the door closest.  

 

You peer inside, a little surprised to see pictures of you all hung up on the walls. There’s the picture of you asleep on Tomura’s stomach when you were a lot younger and the picture of you and Dabi from your first birthday with them. But there’s also a lot you haven’t seen, a picture of you and Tomura playing games together, a cute picture of Tomura and Dabi smiling at each other in a bar and one of the back of them as they sit on a couch, Tomura’s arm around Dabi’s shoulders.

The rest is all the same, the old couch and armchair with the old coffee table and all of Tomura’s games and consoles on shelves next to the TV.

 

“I’ve never seen those pictures before.” You tell Dabi, looking over your shoulder at him as he cradles the cat in his arms. 

 

“Yeah, Tomura printed ‘em off. Said you looked happy when you saw all the pictures at mom’s place.” Dabi says, a fond smile curving his lips upwards.

 

“They’re nice.” You reply thoughtfully, looking back at them before closing the door. 

 

“Dining room and kitchen is that one over there.” Dabi says, nodding his head to the side. 

 

You follow his direction, walking through the curved archway into the well-lit kitchen and dining area, marveling at the floor to ceiling windows. 

 

“I like the windows!” You say, coming back into the hallway. 

 

“Gotta get some good curtains for ‘em.” Dabi sighs, putting Cloud down when he starts getting antsy. “Not great for privacy.”

 

“I like them.” You hum. 

 

“There’s a room under the stairs, but Tomura’s claimed it for himself.” Dabi explains, gesturing to an open door jutting out from the wide staircase.

 

“Can I see?” You ask cautiously.

 

Dabi just shrugs, and begins to go up the stairs.

You frown a little, but peer around the door, seeing Tomura sitting in his office chair, his head hung back as he looks at the ceiling, his long hair brushing over the floor. 

You can see fresh red marks on his neck with his head like that, and your anxiety about the two of them heightens at the sight of it.

 

He hasn’t scratched like that properly for a while, either.

 

“Pa?” You ask cautiously as Tomura usually notices things faster than both you and Dabi, and he didn’t seem to pick up on you standing in the doorway of his new office.

 

His head picks up instantly, his crimson eyes snapping towards you.

 

“Yes, Starlight?”

 

“Are you okay?” You ask, frowning slightly at him. 

 

“I’m okay. Is the house okay?” He asks in return.

 

“I haven’t seen upstairs yet.” You tell him, walking forward to wrap your arms around his neck. “I like the pictures.”

 

“I’m glad.” He replies, his hand going to stroke the back of your head.

 

You continue hugging him until you get him to say your name in a warning tone.

 

“Why are you and Dabi fighting?” You’re unable to stop yourself from asking as you unwrap your arms from around him.

 

“We’re just not seeing eye to eye on something.” He replies dismissively, waving his hand. “The issue is gone now, so we’ll be fine.”

 

“Okay…” You reply uncertainly, looking around at all the books on the shelves in the room.

 

It looked like his old office, just smaller. 

 

“Go upstairs and check your room, Starlight.” Tomura encourages, but there’s a small sigh after. “If you need anything let me know.”

 

“Okay. I love you, dad.” You say, more as a reminder than anything else.

 

“I love you too, Star.” He replies, wiping his face with one hand tiredly. “Actually, I need to talk to you about something later.”

 

“Am I in trouble?” You ask immediately. 

 

“No, Star. It’s just something we need to discuss about your safety.” Tomura replies, scratching his neck faintly. “Go upstairs, please.”

 

You pause, but nod and back out of his room, closing the door a little more than it had been. Usually if Tomura requested you go somewhere else that meant he wanted to be alone, and you didn’t want Dabi or Cloud to disrupt him.

You go up the large staircase to find a door wide open, and head straight for that one.

 

Your new room is… big. Bigger than the old one, and that was already bigger than you were used to. There seems to be a walk-in wardrobe, and your desk with all your art supplies is in the far end of it. 

Dabi seems to be rearranging the plushies you’d gathered over the years on the end of your new, larger bed, and Cloud’s cat tree is in there too, his little tail hanging out of the hole of the house.

There’s even a small two-seat couch in the corner of the room with a small table by the side of it, facing a small TV with your games and books on shelves like downstairs. 

 

“It’s huge.” You say, awe stricken. “There’s more stuff. My bed…”

 

“‘Mura said you’d want your own space, so…” Dabi replies, straightening up and looking around, too. “There’s a wardrobe an’ you got your own bathroom too. You’re in charge of cleanin’ it though, kid.”

 

“But…”

 

“Musta caught him on a soft day.” Dabi dismisses. “S’it good? Happy?”

 

“I like it.” You agree, more than surprised.

 

“Good.” Dabi says, stepping forward to stroke your hair. “We love you. Don’t forget that.”

 

You’re about to complain about the kiss he drops to the top of your head, but he walks out of your room before you can.

 

“Wait! I wanna see yours and dads room!” You call, following behind him.

 

He looks at you, all amusement in his blue eyes. 

 

“Yeah? Wanna make sure we still got all your drawin’s up?” He teases, and you huff at him.

 

He does open the door adjacent to yours though, and you’re even more surprised to see that this room is noticeably smaller than yours.

All the drawings you’d done over the years were up on the wall by their dressers, and the ones that had been framed have been placed on each of their nightstands.

It’s the same as their old room, really, so you don’t spend too much time in there. 

 

“What’s that room? The spare room?” You ask, pointing at the door next to theirs. 

 

“Yeah.” Dabi clears his throat. “Bathrooms at the end with the other spare room.”

 

You hum a little, and Dabi places his hand on the back of your head again.

 

“Go make sure everything’s okay in your room, hon. I’ll get started on food.” 

 

You nod, and go back into your new room, just marveling at it for a while.  

You settle for sending a video of it to Vesper, Keiko and Hana. Hana is immediately asking when she can come over, Keiko is just as surprised as you and Vesper sends a shocked face, and then explains he’s at work and that he’ll speak properly soon.

 

You flop onto the small couch in your room, scrolling through your phone, looking at everyone in your course’s work in progress pieces wistfully, wishing you could go back soon.

Your door opens a little more and Tomura peeks around the door, smirking a little when he sees Cloud's tail poking out of his little treehouse.

 

“Do you like it, Star?” He asks as you sit up.

 

“I do, but I don’t need a room this big if you and Dabi-“

 

“We don’t need much space.” Tomura interrupts with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Do you have work you need to do?”

 

You shake your head.

 

“Okay.” Tomura comes in, closing the door behind himself and sits on the edge of your bed, resting his elbows on his knees. “Zero called me while you were there.”

 

Your stomach sinks a little, and you immediately start picking at your sweater nervously. 

 

“He said that he was sensing concerning things from your room.” Tomura continues. “So I need to ask you if Wani was forcing you into a situation you were uncomfortable with.”

 

You blink, heat rising to your face as you shake your head adamantly.

 

“You can be honest with me, Star.” He reminds you calmly.

 

“He didn’t!” You defend. 

 

“Okay. If it was consensual then, I hope you’re using protection.” Tomura says, but there’s almost a questioning tone to it.

 

“What?” You ask quietly.

 

“ Star .” Tomura says, his voice a mix between a warning tone and disappointment. “ Protection . Condoms. Something that will stop you getting pregnant, or catching something.”

 

Your eyes widen and you immediately feel ten times more embarrassed at the subject matter.

 

“We weren’t- I didn’t- No .”

 

Tomura just stares at you like he can see through you. 

 

“We didn’t!”

 

“Okay.” Tomura agrees easily, but remains quiet, staring at you with cold, crimson eyes.

 

“I was just kissing him! That's all!” You defend, breaking under the pressure. “And then I asked him about something and he explained and it surprised me! He didn’t force me into anything and he left quickly after that, anyway!”

 

Tomura listens, his expression unchanging even though you’re humiliated.

 

“Okay, Star. But if you look at taking things further than that we will have to have the talk about-“

 

“I’m not going to! I don’t want to have kids!”

 

Tomura clearly fights a smirk, but nods curtly and gets up. “Alright. As long as you’re safe and happy. If you have questions, I hope you feel comfortable enough to come to either of us.”

 

“Yeah, I will, dad.” You agree, just to get him out of the room quicker.

 

The second your new door clicks shut, you flop back down across the cushions, whining in embarrassment into the material.

 

And although the two seem a little more at ease for the rest of the day, they're still not right .

And you’re all settled down in bed, trying to learn your new surroundings so that you don’t get confused in the middle of the night, when you make the very quick realistation that this house doesn’t have the same amount of soundproofing the old house did.

 

Because they’re definitely arguing downstairs.

Chapter 23: Nearly

Weirdly, both Tomura and Dabi go to work the next day. 

You, however, have the all-too familiar pain in your stomach and your head hurts along with it, too. 

You had tried everything, but what you really needed was a hug, pain and simple.

Cloud is still terrified of his new surroundings, so you don’t even have him to cuddle up with really.

 

You text Vesper as you hold a hot water bottle to your stomach, trying to get your work done even though all you want to do is cry . 

 

✨: can you come over? 

Ves 💛: I need to go to band practice but I can come over when I’m done. Everything okay?

✨: I need a hug

Ves 💛: ☹️ I’ll be there soon.

 

And he does hold true to that. Maybe a couple of hours later he asks for the new address, which you send him dutifully, and then sit in front of the door after instructing him not to ring the doorbell because that would alert your parents.

When you get the text that he’s outside the door, you swing the door open, and immediately wrap your arms around your giant boyfriend.

 

He chuckles, the sound rumbling through his entire body, but bends slightly so he can hug you back.

 

“This place is huge.” He comments, and you nod against his sweater. “You okay?”

 

You shake your head against him, and he sighs, petting your hair softly. 

 

“Can I come in?” He asks after a while and you nod again, letting go of him and letting him into the house.

 

He looks around as he takes his shoes off initially, his tail swaying slightly across the floor when you grab his hand the second he stands fully so you can lead him upstairs.

His footsteps are a lot louder up the stairs than yours, and this seems to alert Cloud, who finally appears in the hallway, cautiously looking around.

 

“Hey little man.” Vesper greets, probably enjoying the fact that he doesn’t seem to be hissing at him this time. 

 

You pull him along, taking him into your room and sitting him on the couch, only to straddle his lap as you flop on top of him, wrapping your arms around his shoulders.

He freezes for a second, but wraps his arms around you too, resting his chin on your shoulder.

 

“What’s the matter?” He asks, but it’s enough for you to break.

 

He tenses the second you start crying, trying to pull away from you so he can check your face, but you don’t let him.

 

“Star? What's wrong?” He asks, more worriedly this time.

 

“My stomach hurts and I have a headache and my dads are fighting.” You say in quick succession.

 

He sighs, pressing his snout to the side of your neck. “If you’d told me I’d have got you some stuff.”

 

“I have stuff. I wanted you .” You reply a little petulantly, your voice muffled by his sweater.

 

“Yeah, but me and chocolate woulda been even better, right?” He asks lightheartedly.

 

“…Yeah.” You sniffle, and he laughs again quietly, the sound travelling through his body as he gently squeezes you.

 

You sit quietly with him for a few minutes, appreciating that he just settles back against the couch, still holding you to him tightly. 

 

“Was practice okay?” You ask after you’ve calmed down.

 

“It was fine.” He replies.

 

“Have Takagi and Keiko made up yet?”

 

“Not yet.” Vesper informs you, chuckling when you groan at the news. “Yeah, I know. It’s about time he finally learns his lesson, though.”

 

“Why can’t everyone just get on?” You mope against his shoulder.

 

“It’s nothing you need to be upset about.” Vesper says gently, rubbing your back.

 

“But I love Keiko.” You defend. “And Takagi has the same marks that Hakuchō did, and she was sad.”

 

“You know Hakuchō ?” Vesper asks, surprised, and then immediately follows it up with: “Oh. ‘Course you do.”

 

“ You know Hakuchō?” You ask, finally pulling yourself away from him so you can look in his eyes.

 

“Kinda.” He shrugs. “She’s not easy to talk to, really.”

 

“How do you know her? Is she okay?” You immediately question.

 

“She was the year above us.” Vesper says, as though he’s reassuring you about it. “I think she’s okay? I don’t really know.”

 

“That’s good. I’m glad she’s alright.” You relax again, getting off his lap and draping your legs over his instead.

 

“Uh, sec.” He says, cautiously placing his hands on your sides and shifting you so that you’re on your side and he’s pressed up against you on his own side, his tail hanging off the edge of the couch. “That’s better. Sorry.”

 

“Sorry.” You murmur back, having forgotten that his tail could be a source of discomfort if it’s trapped uncomfortably.

 

You look up at him, kissing the beak of his mouth softly before pressing your face against his chest so you don’t have to see the way his eyes dart away from you like they always do when you do that.

 

“I hope I can come back to school soon.” You sigh.

 

“We do, too.” He agrees, his taloned hand gently running through your hair.

 

“You can put the TV on if you like.” You tell him, closing your eyes. “My head hurts though, so can you put it on quiet?” 

 

“You going to sleep?” He asks, not even sounding mad about it.

 

“If that’s okay…” You yawn.

 

“Okay.” He agrees, pressing his snout to your forehead gently before moving carefully to get the remote and turn the volume down.

 

“Sorry.” You apologise, squeezing his side. “Thank you.”

 

He hums an acknowledgement. “You need rest. It’s fine.”

 

You fall asleep pretty quickly, listening to the relatively slow thudding of his heart. He keeps a hand splayed over your back, holding you close to him even though the rough scales that make up his skin aren’t all that warm, and you feel safe, content and comfortable pressed up against him.

 

*•*

 

“Star.” Vesper calls softly, gently shaking your shoulder.

 

“Mm?”

 

“Your parents are back.” He tells you quietly as you lift your head groggily. “Dabi was calling for you.”

 

You groan sleepily, leaning on your elbow and rubbing your eyes.

 

“Star! Hon, you okay?” Dabi calls through the door.

 

“Mhm.” You call back, slowly peeling yourself from Vesper.

 

“Caught you sleepin’, huh?” Dabi asks amusedly. “Can I come in? Got your favourites.”

 

“Sec.” You call tiredly as you get up from the couch and walk to the door, opening it a crack.

 

“Hey, pretty girl.” Dabi says sympathetically, which kind of tells you that maybe you’re not looking so pretty. “Here, you okay?”

 

He passes a bag through to you, full of chocolate and a couple packets of painkillers. You take it with a quiet thanks and move to close the door, only for Dabi to raise a thin white eyebrow.

 

“No hug for your old man?” He asks in feigned hurt.

 

You roll your eyes and groan a complaint, but place the bag on the floor and wrap your arms around him, giving him a quick, tight hug.

 

“You feelin’ okay? Usually you’re way clingier than this.” Dabi asks teasingly.

 

“Vespers here.” You reply reluctantly.

 

“He is?” Dabi asks with a frown, peering around the door to find Vesper stretching out as he stands.

 

“Hey.” Vesper says cautiously.

 

And instead of saying anything mean, glaring at him or just straight up ignoring him, Dabi nods his head in acknowledgement at him. 

 

“Alright, kid?” He grunts at him, and then ruffles your hair. “Alright, doll. Won't embarrass you.”

 

Vesper blinks in surprise at the surprisingly warm welcome he received from Dabi, and even you’re a little taken aback when he walks away from the door without incident, allowing you to shut it behind him.

 

“Is he feeling okay?” Vesper asks, half-joking.

 

“I dunno, they’re both being weird.” You reply, taking a bar of chocolate out of the bag before flopping onto the couch again. “Want some?”

 

“It’s for you.” He says with a shake of his head. “Need to head off soon anyway.”

 

“You aren’t gonna stay for dinner?” You ask, pouting a little.

 

“Sorry.” He smiles apologetically. “I promised mom I’d cook today.”

 

You drop it immediately, knowing that he really liked to look after his mom, and you found it kind of endearing.

 

“Can I come sometime to have dinner, too?” You ask curiously, and then take a chunk off the chocolate bar.

 

“Sure. She’d love to meet you. She talks about it all the time.” He smiles, his tail swaying across the floor. “Our apartment isn’t as fancy as this place, though.”

 

“I don’t care about that.” You huff, but stand up to walk him down the stairs so he doesn’t have to do it alone.

 

The second you leave your room there’s no sound of the TV to mask the sound of Dabi and Tomura bickering at the bottom of the stairs again, although it sounds like there’s a third person involved this time. 

Your stomach sinks as your mind immediately considers the potential that your dad had already found this place too, maybe through getting someone to follow Vesper, and the thought of that makes you feel even worse because Vesper was good. He didn’t ask to be brought into this mess.

 

Your anxiety must show on your face because Vesper gently places a hand on the small of your back, and gently moves you out of the way so he can go down a few steps first.

He pauses a few steps down before looking up at you and reaching for your hand. 

 

You take this as a sign that it’s safe to come down, so you place your hand in his rough, scaled one, and take cautious steps down to meet him.

By the time you meet him you realise it’s Tomura, Dabi and Zero all talking by the door, and you feel a little more relaxed about going downstairs.

You’re surprised to see Nova clinging onto Dabi’s leg, her face buried against the material of his pants. 

 

“Hello Wani.” Tomura greets calmly when he sees Vesper approaching alongside you, even though his ‘neutral’ expression looks even more angry than it usually does.

 

“Hey Shigaraki.” Vesper greets a little more confidently than usual. “Just leaving.”

 

Tomura bobs his head in acknowledgement and then turns his attention back to Zero.

 

“We’re not keeping her here just because she won’t sleep.” Tomura states, as though he’s said it five times before.

 

“I’ve tried everything, Shigaraki. I tried a story, I tried a lullaby, I tried to get her to exercise, I tried to read to her, I tried to get her to colour-“ Zero begins to explain, sounding exhausted, something you’d never heard him sound before. 

 

“She probably didn’t like bein’ in a new place.” Dabi suggests. “Didn’t ya let her sleep with you?”

 

“I don’t trust other nomu.” Zero says simply, and Vesper immediately shoots you a wide eyed look as he kneels to lace his boots up.

 

You give him a look back in return that you hope says: ‘don’t worry about it’.

 

“She’s a kid.” Dabi argues.

 

“I just need you to order her to sleep at the very least, please, Shigaraki.” Zero asks politely, but he looks frustrated for the first time in the years you’d known him. 

 

Nova lets go of Dabi’s leg to cover her ears tightly with her hands, scowling at Zero. 

 

“You little…” Tomura begins to sneer.

 

“I didn’t know you had a cousin.” Vesper murmurs to you, standing to his full height. 

 

“I don’t.” You inform him, not noticing how Nova immediately begins staring at Vesper the second he speaks, her mouth dropping open in awe.

 

She rushes her way into the house, past Dabi and Tomura, reaching up to be picked up by Vesper.

He looks down at her, a mix between fearful and cautious. 

 

“Uh…” He looks around at the others to help, but Zero and Dabi are as surprised as him, and Tomura is just glowering at her.

 

“She wants to be picked up.” You tell him, as though it isn’t obvious. “She can’t talk. Nova, this is Vesper. He’s my boyfriend. Vesper, this is Nova. She’s… new.”

 

Tomura scoffs a little at the use of the name he’d refused to give the little girl and crosses his arms over his chest, but you ignore him.

Vesper looks uncomfortable for a moment, but exhales through his nose and drops to a crouch. 

 

“You want me to pick you up?” He asks, sounding surprised and confused.

 

You know that he was used to people avoiding him, or being nervous around him, but she nods enthusiastically, reaching up and opening and closing her small hands.

 

“Probably wants ta use you for your freakish height.” Dabi quips, crossing his arms.

 

“Dad!” You snap.

 

Vesper gives a mixture of a nervous and surprised laugh in response, but reluctantly gives into Nova's silent demand, bending his neck down a little more so she can wrap her arms around him, and lifts her up, slowly standing to his full height.

You don’t miss how his tail is slowly tucking between his legs, but no one else seems to pay it any mind.

 

She looks around with wide eyes at her surroundings, her white, messy hair tickling one of Vesper's pointed ears which seems to make one of his green eyes twitch a little, but other than that, he’s good about it, like he always is.

 

“Go to sleep, nomu.” Tomura says, staring directly at Nova.

 

And surprisingly, her eyes immediately start to droop even though she shakes her head adamantly.

 

“Thank you, Shigaraki.” Zero says, begjnning to softly smile again.

 

She continues shaking her head even though Vesper does his best to shush her, despite her making no noise, bouncing her gently in his arms like she’s a baby.

The shakes of her head slow down massively as she loses the fight of keeping her eyes open, and within moments she’s fast asleep with her arms wrapped around Vesper's neck, her arms visibly loosening.

 

It’s kind of cute.

 

“I’ll take her back now, Wani. Thank you.” Zero says, reaching for the girl.

 

Vesper gently uses one taloned hand to try and slide her arms off him so he can pass her back.

 

“Careful wi’ that. She’s a biter, like Star.” Dabi smirks, and you glare at him, too embarrassed to question how he knows that.

 

Vesper doesn’t seem to find this funny either, trying to shift her without moving her arms from that point, eventually just crouching slightly so that Zero can pry the young girl off him instead.

 

“Don’t bring her back here unless there’s a real problem.” Tomura says bluntly, and Dabi watches wistfully as Zero backs out the door with Nova slumped against his shoulder.

 

“Of course, Shigaraki. I’m sorry.” Zero says, bowing his head. “Enjoy your evening.”

 

And then he just…leaves. Without saying goodbye to any of you properly.

And even though Dabi watches after them, Tomura turns to face the two of you as though nothing happened.

 

“You aren’t staying for dinner, Wani?” He asks blandly.

 

“Not today, sir. I gotta cook for my mom.” Vesper explains, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. 

 

Tomura hums a little, gently ushering Dabi away from the door.

 

“Our daughter's boyfriend wants to leave, Touya.” He says pointedly, and for some reason the words make your face heat up in embarrassment.

 

“Yeah, sorry, kid.” Dabi replies distractedly, wrapping his arm around Tomuras waist and leading him to the kitchen area while talking to him quietly.

 

“Thanks for coming over.” You smile up at Vesper. “And for being nice to Nova. I think she needs it.”

 

“Anytime.” He shrugs slightly, clearing his throat.

 

He always seemed to get awkward when you left each other, so you giggle a little in response.

 

“Crouch for me, then.” You half-tease, enjoying how his nostrils seem to flex a little.

 

You’d noticed that he did that whenever he was embarrassed, because if he ever blushed, it never showed up on his face.

You’d had to learn his other tells, instead. 

 

“Your parents…” He begins to excuse.

 

“They’ll call me gross.” You roll your eyes. “And they're worse.”

 

Vesper sighs slightly, but the corners of his mouth turn upwards a little, and he bends down enough for you to kiss his beaked mouth quickly, and in return, he presses it to your forehead momentarily before straightening.

 

“See ya. Rest, please.” He says, stepping out of the front door.

 

“Yeah, I will.” You agree, kind of hanging off the front door. “I-“

 

You stop yourself before finishing the sentence, but Vesper turns back to look at you, his black hair flowing across his face because of the wind for a moment before he’s brushing it out of his eyes with a clawed hand.

 

“Yeah?” He asks curiously.

 

“I enjoyed seeing you.” You say instead of what you were going to say. “Thank you.”

 

He smirks at you with an unmistakable fondness in his expression, his tail swishing across the floor. 

 

“You too, Star.”

Chapter 24: Please, Please, Please

“Pawpaw…”

 

“What do you want?” Dabi responds, but it sounds like he’s smiling as you wrap your arms around his neck.

 

“Maybe I don’t want anything.” You reply, pressing your face to the side of his head.

 

Tomura sits silently beside him on the couch, unphased that he’s not getting any attention. He seems to be doing work on his phone, resting his cheek on his fist as his red eyes scan over the characters on the screen.

 

“You’re bein’ all cuddly and calling me ‘pawpaw’.” Dabi replies, amused. “You want something, so spit it out.”

 

You huff at being seen through so easily, but relent and ask anyway.

 

“Can I go see Vespers band tomorrow? They’re playing a halloween gig close by and I miss my friends.” 

 

“No.” Tomura says simply, even though you weren’t asking him.

 

“Why?!” You ask a little more whinily than you really intended to. 

 

“It’s too risky. What if your dad makes you sick again while Wani’s distracted?” Tomura asks, side-eyeing you through a curtain of white hair.

 

“Hana and Keiko looked after me!” You reply defensively. 

 

“This Hana girl is around four foot, and that ‘Keiko’ also only seems to be all hiss and no scratch.” Tomura says dryly, returning his attention back to his phone.

 

“That’s not true, she’s scratched Takagi before!” You defend.

 

“Heh.” Dabi smirks, leaning back now you’re not hugging him anymore. “I like her already.”

 

“Dad?” You ask Dabi directly.

 

“Sorry hon, but he’s right. Ain’t worth the risk.” Dabi says with a small shrug.

 

“But it’s nearly been a month! I’m bored staying inside all the time! I miss my friends!” You exclaim. “Just get Zero to watch me again!”

 

“Zero’s busy looking over the nomu.” Tomura replies, sliding his thumb over his phone screen

 

“We could watch her for a bit.” Dabi suggests. “I wanna teach her summore sign language anyway.”

 

Tomura puts his phone down and turns to look at you both, a small smirk pulling at one side of his cracked mouth.

 

“Why don’t you go with Star, Touya?”

 

You ‘ooh!’ at the same time Dabi deadpans at Tomura, and you swing your head around to look at Dabi with a big smile.

 

“You should come! I think you’ll like the music, it’s shouty!”

 

Dabi opens his mouth, closes it and then sighs. “Since when did you like heavy music anyway, doll? You always used ta complain.”

 

“She doesn’t like the music . She likes Wani.” Tomura teases with a small smirk.

 

“I like it when he sings!” You defend, heat rising to your cheeks. “Please, dad.”

 

Dabi doesn’t look sure even still though, so you resort to begging.

 

“Please, please, please, please, please, pl-“

 

“Alright! Alright.” Dabi snaps, and then catches himself. “Fine. I’ll go with you, princess.”

 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” You chant, hugging him from behind again and kissing his cheek. “I love you!”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Dabi huffs, but you can hear the smile in it.

 

*•*

 

“You aren’t wearing that.” Dabi says simply when you come down the stairs.

 

“What? Why?” You ask, looking down at your clothes.

 

You were just wearing cargo shorts, a basic black shirt that covered your tattoo, and the red sneakers they got you a couple Christmases ago. And of course, in the spirit of halloween you’re wearing the cat ears Himiko gifted you a few years back for the same reason, and you’ve drawn whiskers on your cheeks as well in eyeliner, hoping it distracts people from the fact you haven’t got a makeshift tail. 

 

“You’ll get cold.” Is his basic response.

 

“Isn’t it insensitive to your friend to go as a cat?” Tomura asks, raising a cracked brow as he leans in the doorway of the living room, likely having come out after Dabi turned his nose up at your clothing.

 

“Oh that’s okay, it’s usually warm when you get there!” You explain after going to at least three shows now. “And Keiko won’t mind, I’m sure.”

 

But you’re not sure. And now you’re a little paranoid, but you don’t have anything else halloween appropriate that fit you anymore.

 

“At least take a jacket.” Dabi sighs, leaning on the wall.

 

You roll your eyes. He was definitely going to overheat in his hoodie, long, tight pants and combat boots. He even has a mask pulled down to his neck, despite not needing to hide who he is anymore really.

You suppose your friends hadn’t met Dabi yet, only Tomura. And apparently they had all decided to keep it a secret from Takagi because he would get too excited about it apparently.

 

You grab a jacket from the hooks near the door and stare expectantly at him, and he grumbles to himself but pushes himself off the wall and digs in his hoodie pocket for his car keys.

You say a quick goodbye to Tomura, giving him a brief hug and promising to stay safe when he tells you to.

 

You’re practically buzzing from excitement while Dabi drives you to the venue, grinning as you look out the window, because you’re just so excited to see your friends. 

 

You practically run from the car to the entrance even though Dabi had told you to stay close, and bounce on your feet as the bouncers check your ID. 

When Dabi pushes in front of a couple of people to get behind you, they clearly aren’t pleased about it, but when he turns back to glare at them they quickly apologise.

 

“Don’t be embarrassing.” You demand the second you’re out of earshot.

 

“But I’m your dad.” Dabi replies, pinching your cheek carefully to not smudge your makeup and lifting his mask with his other hand.

 

“Stop!” You whine.

 

He chuckles lowly, but does back off after that, shoving both of his hands in his pockets. 

 

“Star!” You hear someone call from the crowd inside, spotting Hana climbing off Vespers shoulders and scrambling down him moments later.

 

You wave at Vesper who smiles softly before you feel Hana slamming into you, her arms wrapping around your waist.

 

“I’m so glad you could come! I missed you so much!” She exclaims, her voice muffled and hard to hear over all the noise in the bar. “Professor Sato has been missing you too, I think. It’s so lonely at college without you sitting next to me and Itō is being such a smug bitch about it, I wanna punch her in the face, she’s so annoying! And I- oh.”

 

She pulls away, exposing the bat wings on her back and then looking up at Dabi who's towering beside you. “Hello, sir.”

 

“Don’t call me that.” He says simply, and then cocks an eyebrow. “You meant to be a sugar glider or somethin’?”

 

“Uhh…” Hana says, looking at you.

 

“Dad, can you just…” You sigh, giving him a pleading look.

 

“You know the rules.” He says, shrugging.

 

“What’s the point of the mask? I can see all the scarring here.” Hana asks, pointing at her own under eyes. “Do they hurt?”

 

“You must be the one that asked to touch Tomuras hair.” Dabi sneers.

 

“It looked fluffy and soft!” Hana defends. “Yours is all messy. How did you get it to go from black to white so quickly? I saw it on TV but trying to get black dye from Keiko’s hair was so hard!”

 

You groan internally, but try to relax as Vesper and Keiko join you, Keiko trapping you in a hug too, giving you a big smile as she pulls away. 

 

“I can’t believe you’re here! It feels like it’s been so long.” She says, passing you a cup. “Don’t worry, I’ve been keeping my eye on it. And hey, we match!” 

 

She tugs on one of your fake ears with a fond look, and you thank her quietly, trying not to pay attention to Hana’s questioning. 

If Dabi was getting genuinely annoyed with her then he would have made it clear right away like he did with Vesper, but he seems to be entertaining the conversation with her, even if he’s pretending to be scary as he does it.

Vesper catches on quicker than Keiko, who’s trying to talk to you even though her calm voice is so much quieter than Hanas, and nods cautiously at Dabi, who gives him a curt nod back. 

When Keiko finally pays attention to him, she swallows a hiss back and nods at him.

 

He mirrors the action and Keiko tries to quietly tell you something about Takagi, but you don’t hear what she’s really saying over the music, and you’re a little distracted by how revealing her clothes are, the black webbed corset she’s wearing making her chest stand out in a way that you had never really paid attention to before.

 

You shoot Dabi a look that you hope he knows means ‘go away’ and he rolls his eyes at you but backs off a little more.

 

When he seems a little more hidden by the crowd, you reach to hug Vesper, who takes the cup from your hand smoothly before wrapping his other arm around your waist, keeping your drink eye level.

You squeeze him as much as you can before letting go, beaming up at him. 

You didn’t tell him because he always got all shy about it when you did, but you loved coming to see him at shows because aside from when he went to sleep, it was the most you’ve ever really seen of him. 

 

He always wore the same kind of thing for them. Drop sleeve tank tees that showed off the scales on his side and ripped jeans that were tight enough to show the muscle underneath. This time he seems to have some kind of rams horns headband on that weirdly suits him, and he’s wearing smudged eyeshadow under his eyes that make the green of his eyes stand out even more.

 

You always felt so lucky seeing him on stage, it was always the most comfortable he looked in situations where there’s a lot of people, and the lights always made his eyes look so much brighter.

 

His hair is tied up already today, the longer hair at the back in a small ponytail that exposes his pierced and stretched pointed ears.

He looks good , and you kind of wish that your dad wasn’t watching over you so you could stare a little longer without judgment.

 

“Whaddup, ‘Roki. Haven’t seen you in a while.” Takagi greets from behind Keiko as you take your drink off Vesper again.

 

“Hi Takagi.” You greet awkwardly, not really knowing what to say to him after your dad hadn’t pulled him out of the holding cell he’d been in last time you’d seen them all.

 

“Where’d you go?” He asks, cutting to the chase, going to lean on Keiko and immediately having to catch himself as she takes a step away from him.

 

He’s dressed as the devil it seems like, with heavy black eyeshadow, multiple clip-in horns in his hair and a weird see through shirt on with tight leather pants.

 

“Oh, we moved. It was a whole thing.” You dismiss despite his critical eyes on you. 

 

You even take a sip of your drink to avoid responding to anything else, but luckily he turns his attention to Vesper, telling him that they had half an hour before they needed to start. 

 

“Come sit!” Hana demands, grabbing your free hand and dragging you to a table near the floor in front of the stage.

 

You settle down beside her, and Keiko sits the other side of you. The boys seem to be discussing something where everyone had greeted you, but when you glance over, Vesper seems to be keeping half an eye on you all.

 

“Are you okay?” Keiko asks, leaning closer so you can hear her a little better over the music.

 

“Mhm. I’m happy to see you all.” You inform her with a soft smile.

 

“I mean…Vesper said about that thing with your dad. Your real dad. He said Shigaraki thinks he was the one that made you sick at the club?” She elaborates, a concerned frown pulling her eyebrows together and her ear flicking atop her head.

 

You swirl your drink uncomfortably, looking for Dabi. He seems to be leaning on a wall close by, his arms crossed and his eyes scanning the area.

 

“Um. Yeah. That wasn’t too great, I guess.” You laugh nervously. “But my new room is nice. Maybe you guys could stay some time now you know about my dads.” 

 

Keiko doesn’t look thrilled at the idea, but Hana immediately gets involved, nodding enthusiastically and demanding to know when.

 

“I don’t know. My dads are being a bit weird at the moment.” You explain, trying to keep your voice as hushed as possible. “I think they’re fighting.”

 

Hana says ‘oh’ understandingly, and Keiko raises an eyebrow as she lifts her drink to her red-stained lips.

 

“Wouldn’t want to see that.” She comments dryly.

 

Vesper approaches the table again with a beer in one hand and another drink for you despite you still having half of your current drink left.

 

“We’re gonna go smoke.” He explains, dropping down so he can speak close to your ear, but he didn’t really need to worry. His voice is so low it seemed to carry through any other noise. “Is Dabi still watching? You gonna be okay?”

 

You nod. “It’s okay. You go.”

 

And then you kiss the scales of his cheek really quickly, hoping that you did it fast enough that Dabi wouldn’t have seen. 

You almost squeal from surprise when you feel a sudden rough tightness wrap around your ankle and give it a gentle squeeze until you remember it’s just Vesper's tail.

 

And then you’re both flushed for different reasons, although Vesper can walk away from the situation and cool his face down outside with Takagi.

 

“So cute .” Hana comments the second he’s out of earshot. “His ears went a little red at the tippies! Ugh, you guys…”

 

You laugh nervously, downing the drink quickly so you can start on the other one. You kind of feel like you might need it.

Even without looking directly at him, you can feel your dads eyes boring into the back of your head, but you try to ignore it like you tried to ignore Zero when he was watching over you.

 

“How come you and Takagi haven’t made up yet?” You ask Keiko, leaning your face on your fist and giving her your full attention as Hana happily sips her drink beside you.

 

“He embarrassed himself on your birthday.” Keiko says coldly. “And I’m sick of being used as a place to stay.”

 

“What do you mean? He has a massive house, and his parents are never there.” You ask, confused.

 

“He doesn’t like being there on his own, he says it’s too quiet.” Hana says between sips of her drink. 

 

“His parents also do come back from time to time. And then that’s when he’s suddenly interested in me.” Keiko says, swirling the straw in her own drink. 

 

The latter half of her sentence is quieter than the former, but you somehow manage to pick it up. It doesn’t make you any less confused, though.

You’re surprised when Vesper sits down next to you when the music goes down and Takagi comes out on stage alone, blinking up at your boyfriend.

 

“Akito’s got a couple solo songs he wants to play first.” Vesper explains, his eyes scanning your cups. “You should slow down, Star.”

 

“I’m okay!” You reassure, even though every time he told you to slow down in the past you absolutely should have.

 

He gives you a teasing knowing look, his mouth turning up a little more. But you trusted him to just take your drinks off you if he felt like you were being too irresponsible. He’d done it before, after all.

 

You watch curiously as Takagi messes around with a laptop onstage. 

 

“Did you know he wanted to do that?”

 

Vesper shakes his head, but shrugs it off. 

 

“He’s got a good voice. I don’t mind losing some time.” He replies, and then adds quietly: “I’m nervous.”

 

“Why?” You ask, just as Takagi greets the crowd of people in front of the stage.

 

“I can’t really play the setlist we had with Dabi here.” Vesper says with a nervous laugh.

 

“Why?” You ask, but he patiently motions for you to listen with one hand and so you force yourself to be quiet. 

 

After all, it was kind of rude to talk over your friend when he was about to perform. Not that Keiko and Hana pay him the same respect, but you can safely assume that it was a pointed move on Keikos part, and Hana was just happy to go along with it.

But Vesper is right. Takagi does have a nice voice, even if the music he’s playing on his own is completely different to what they play together. 

This is slower, sadder. But somehow more upbeat too.

 

It’s also weird hearing Takagi sing about love . 

You assume it’s about Keiko because she stops talking gradually, only to glare at Takagi as he performs. He doesn’t seem to look her way, too involved in his own music, and it’s probably for the best.

 

You prefer the second song Takagi plays, because it has more of a dancey beat to it, and everyone standing seems to jump in time with it all.

You don’t really manage to pick up too much of that song, because you’re so focused on the beat of it instead, and watching the people around having a good time. 

 

What you do pick up on is:

 

“Well she’s a rich little girl, and she’s oh, so lucky.”

“Don’t take me away from this feeling now.”

“That’s why I need these narcotics.”

And: “I was hoping I’d find myself.”

 

When the music continues and Takagi isn’t singing, Vesper stands, pressing his snout against your head quickly. You smile softly, watching as he gently pats Keiko’s head, right between her feline ears, and her face softens a little, even though you can still see her tail flicking angrily across the floor.

 

“What's narcotics?” You ask her innocently as Hana declares she’s going to get more drinks for you all while the bar’s quiet.

 

“Drugs, Star.” She replies a lot more curtly than she usually would whenever you asked her questions about things you didn’t know about but she always seemed to.

 

“Oh. Okay.” You immediately backtrack, shrinking in a little on yourself. 

 

“Sorry, sorry.” She apologises, rubbing your arm. “Narcotics are a type of drug that kinda make you sleepy, I guess.”

 

That sends you to a place you’d rather not think about, so you cut your questioning there and focus your attention on the boys onstage as they get ready.

Vesper is visibly more nervous than usual, and you wonder if it’s because he didn’t get the chance to have his usual cigarette before the show thanks.

 

“What’s up guys?” Vesper asks with a nervous laugh when someone whistles at them. “Few new songs for you all.”

 

“Gasoline!” Someone screams in the crowd.

 

Vesper laughs nervously as Abe hits the drum a couple times, and Takagi joins in.

 

“Ves doesn’t wanna play Gasoline, guys.” He pouts playfully, and the crowd boos. “Damn, you like it that much?”

 

They all yell affirmatives, even though Vesper looks like he has major regrets about coming on stage at all. Keiko huffs in irritation, and shakes her head when Vesper glances over at your table. 

Hana quickly drops the drinks off at the table and then is long gone, disappearing into the crowd.

 

You glance at your dad, who seems unphased, as Takagi, Abe and Aoki start playing despite Vesper saying he didn’t want to play that song.

 

“You guys really bullying me into it?” Vesper laughs nervously again, and everyone cheers again.

 

He takes a visibly deep breath before shrugging a little. 

 

“Alright.” He relents, taking the mic from its stand and waiting for the rest of the music to loop before starting to sing. “Let’s burn it fucking down!”

 

You look over at Dabi as the song starts, drinking from the cup that Hana brought over.

You smirk a little when you notice that your dad is bobbing his head a little in time to the music, but he stops the second you lock eyes. 

You point at the crowd and give him puppy eyes. He rolls his eyes in return and nods at you, kicking himself from the wall he’d been leaning on.

 

You grab Keiko’s arm the second you have the go ahead from Dabi, and try to encourage her to come with you, because she herself had said that you weren’t allowed to leave anyone alone.

She sighs, but smiles a little bit at your eagerness, and gets up from her seat too and joins you as you push into the crowd.

 

You shoot your dad a dark look when he stays a lot closer to you in the bustling crowd, but watching Vesper and the others perform and seeing how much the people watching seem to enjoy it distracts you well enough. 

Before you know it your third drink is gone and you’re already starting to feel it, a little wobbly on your feet. And then when Hana reappears in the middle of their set to pass you another drink and then go back to the front of the crowd, you finish it quicker than you usually would and don’t need your dad to creep closer to you to warn you about that being enough to already know you’ve had one too many far too quickly, because the rest of the night is a blur.

 

You remember Vesper and the others coming off stage and immediately clinging to Vespers arm and gushing about how great a job he did. 

You vaguely remember the warmth of your dads hand as he gripped your arm and announced that he was taking you home. 

You remember hearing Takagi exclaim that he ‘fucking told them’ you were one of ‘those Todorokis’, only to hear Dabi snarkily tell him that you were better than ‘ those Todorokis ’. You remember not liking that very much and defending your Grandma, Fuyumi and Natsuo. 

 

You also then remember Vesper asking if it was still okay for him to come back with you guys, only for Dabi to get snarky about that, too. So you defended Vesper then. And then when Dabi had asked him where his house was, he’d reluctantly agreed that Vesper could stay.

You kind of remember Takagi following you all out of the bar trying to ask Dabi questions, only for him to be ignored. He disappeared after a low conversation with Vesper outside the car, but the second the car had started you had closed your eyes to try and stop the nausea from feeling like everything was spinning too fast around you.

 

The last thing you really remember before falling asleep in the car is low male voices and the feeling of Vesper's rough but cool scaled hand pressed against the back of your neck.

 

*•*

 

You wake up with a dry mouth, and sit up, squinting in the dark. Cloud raises his head too, and then stretches out a little more on the bed next to you.

No sign of Vesper though, which is disappointing.

The world still feels like it's spinning, but less so than earlier as you gratefully pick up the water that Tomura probably left on your bedside table.

 

You get out of bed to try to find Vesper, giggling a little when you almost fall over the instant you’re out of bed. 

You stumble awkwardly to one of the spare room doors, opening it and looking at the rocking chair, boxes and cans of paint, finding the emptiness of the room in the dark a little eerie.

 

“Creepy…” You comment to yourself slowly, and then giggle a little at yourself and close the door, going to the next one.

 

When you open the next one, you find Vesper laying on his stomach on the bed, his tail hanging off the edge of the mattress.

His head snaps to you when you open the door, but the look of surprise turns into concern, and you’re a little disappointed that all the makeup he was wearing earlier is gone.

 

“Star? Is everything okay?” He asks, moving so he’s on his back, as if he’s going to get out of bed.

 

“Mhm!” You agree as you shut the door, quickly but awkwardly climbing onto his bed, straddling his lap before he can move.

 

He laughs nervously, his hands going to your waist as you wrap your arms around his neck. “What’re you doing?”

 

“Joining you.” You reply casually, kissing the beak of his mouth. “You looked really nice tonight.”

 

“Thanks.” He says, his eyes moving away from yours. “You too.”

 

He gently squeezes your waist, and you hum happily, leaning in to kiss him again, frowning when he turns his face away.

 

“Did I do something wrong?”

 

“You’re drunk.” Vesper explains, his thumbs rubbing each side of your waist soothingly. 

 

You roll your eyes, moving closer. “I wanna kiss you even when I’m not drunk.”

 

Vesper tries pressing his back against the headboard to create more distance between you. “It doesn’t feel right, Star. I’m sorry.”

 

“But I wanna make you feel good.” You complain, pressing your chest to his.

 

“What?” Vesper practically squeaks.

 

“I've been doing research.” You say, looking through your eyelashes at him and pressing down on his lap.

 

His eyes widen even more, the tips of his ears visibly darkening even in the minimal light in the room. 

His hands tighten on your waist and for a second when he moves forward, you think your drunk brazenness is going to pay off, but he tries moving you off of him, but stops the second you sway awkwardly.

 

“Don’t you want me?” You ask, hurt and beginning to feel a little nauseous again.

 

“Of course I do, Star, but you’re drunk and I don’t want to get fried by your dad.” Vesper replies with a sigh. “You need to sleep.”

 

“I don’t need to sleep, I wanna do stuff-“

 

“ No . You’re drunk. It’s not right.” Vesper says, his voice the firmest you’ve ever heard it, and his face stern like it used to be when you first met him. “ Maybe if you feel the same when you’re sober.”

 

You look at him, feeling hurt, insecure and nervous that you’d really upset him. “I won’t be brave enough if I’m sober.”

 

Vesper sighs, looking at you in the dark, his eyes scanning your face scrutinizingly.

 

“You wanna make me feel good?” He asks, and you nod, so he sighs through his nose. “Alright. Lie down.”

 

You obey immediately, excitement and nerves going straight to your stomach as you lay on your back, your breath hitching when he leans over you to turn off the lamp.

 

“Comfy?” He asks, looking down at you in the dark, his black hair framing his face.

 

“Mhm.” You reply, your heart pounding in your chest.

 

“Good.” He says with a small sigh.

 

And before you know it you’re being pulled into the usual tight hug that he traps you in when you share a bed.

His arm tightens around your waist, his snout presses to the back of your neck and his tail wraps around your leg. He’s big and heavy, so you can’t move out of the cuddle he’s tricked you into.

 

“Hey!” You whine.

 

“Go to sleep, Star. If you still want to try that stuff in the morning we can talk about it.” He says, pressing his snout more firmly against the back of your neck, his own version of kissing you.

 

You huff in irritation, your nerves still manifesting as a fluttering feeling in your stomach for some reason. But you don’t argue it further, it would be pointless to.

 

“I love you.” You say instead as you close your eyes.

 

You feel Vesper tense behind you. 

 

“You’re drunk.” He replies simply. “Go to sleep.”

Chapter 25: Beer Fear

You wake up to gentle fingers brushing your hair out of your face, and you scrunch your eyes up, groaning before you open them.

You’re met with the view of your dads face, his red eyes glimmering with amusement as he gazes back at you from where he crouches before you.

 

“What’re you doin’?” You slur sleepily, trying to bury your face back into the pillow so you can get back to sleep.

 

Your head hurt , and now you were awake, you could feel the horrible nausea in your gut.

 

“Making sure you’re okay, Starlight.” Tomura replies evenly, standing up. “You were a mess last night.”

 

You grumble incoherently in complaint and embarrassment, only to be huffed at in return.

 

“We’ll also have to look at getting the soundproofing sorted in the house. Touya wasn’t very impressed.” 

 

“Huh?” You groan.

 

You don’t remember being loud, you remember being put to bed and that’s about it. 

 

“Drink some water. I’ll bring you and Wani up something to eat.”

 

Your head shoots up at the mention of Vesper, and that's when you realise that you weren’t in your room. You were in one of the spare rooms, a glass of water on the bedside table like there would be in your room, but the furniture is all wrong.

Vesper isn’t next to you, but the sheets are unmade on one side of the bed, and your next court of action is looking down at yourself to make sure you’re clothed after the ‘soundproofing’ comment. 

 

You breathe a sigh of relief when you see you’re still in the baggy shirt you slept in and sleep shorts.

You don’t think Vesper would do anything while you were that drunk, but if he had been drunk too, you couldn’t put anything past either of you.

 

Moments later, Vesper comes into the room just as quietly as your dad had left. 

His sweatpants sit low on his waist, and he only has a towel draped over his bare shoulders, so you look away, your eyes wide. Your brain works overtime to figure out what Tomura had meant about the soundproofing and what you could have done to upset Dabi.

 

“Are you okay…?” Vesper asks cautiously.

 

“My head hurts, I feel sick and my dad’s mad at me.” You reply, blindly feeling for your glass of water so that you don’t have to look at Vesper right now, because your face would definitely heat up if you looked too long at him.

 

“Really? He seemed fine when he came in…” Vesper muses.

 

“Something about soundproofing?” You ask, your eyes everywhere else but looking at him as you sip your water.

 

Vesper hums a little, and you don’t look over to gauge his reaction.

 

“You should drink some water.” He says instead, disappearing from your peripheral. “When you’re feeling a bit better we can go somewhere and chat.”

 

“Are you mad at me?” Are the first words that leave your mouth as you spin around to face him. 

 

Except you just get a view of his muscular back as he pulls a shirt over his head, finally exposing the small nubs on his back from the wings that had to be removed when he was younger.

Your eyes widen a little, completely distracted.

 

“No, I’m not mad.” Vesper says, pulling the shirt down and then looking over his shoulder at you, immediately looking away when he realises that you’re still staring at him. “I just want to talk to you about something, that’s all.”

 

“Did I do something wrong?” You ask, worried. 

 

“No.” He replies, running a hand through his damp hair and sitting down on the edge of the bed by your feet. “It’s not about you. It’s something to do with me.”

 

“Are you sick?” You fret.

 

Vesper tilts his head, his mouth perking up a little at the corners. “No, Star. You don’t need to worry.”

 

His hand goes to your hair, his nails gently scraping your scalp and the little bit of physical affection is enough to immediately relax you. The tension in your shoulders eases and you abandon the water on the bedside table, choosing instead to curl up against Vesper's side.

His arm wraps around your waist, and he rests his chin on the top of your head.

 

“I feel bad.” You mope, tucking your face into his side.

 

“I’m not surprised. I tried telling you to slow down.” Vesper replies, pressing his snout against your head briefly. 

 

You grumble a little, knowing that he has a point and that you should absolutely start listening to him when he tries to get you to stop drinking.

 

“Drink some more water.” He leads, moving slowly and leaning to grab your water for you.

 

You reluctantly let go of him to sip more of the water, semi-aware of raised voices downstairs.

You aren’t surprised that they’re fighting again, they had been a lot recently, although you hadn’t picked up quite why they were fighting so much. 

You kind of wished they didn’t do it when Vesper was around, though.

 

So when Vesper suggests that you go for breakfast somewhere else if you’re feeling well enough, you decide to take him up on it with only a little hesitation after Tomura had said that he’d make you both breakfast.

You leave the spare room, leaving Vesper to pack the rest of his things while you go to get changed in your own room, your head still pounding despite the water you had drank. 

 

You startle a little when you see Zero carrying Nova towards the room you had just left. 

The little girl seems to be out for the count, her head lolling in a way that looks uncomfortable over the back of Zero’s arm. Her long hair is unkempt even outside of the hat she’s wearing, and her exhaustion shows on her face.

 

And Zero…He looks exhausted, too. There are dark bags under his eyes that you had never seen before in the many years you had known him.

He doesn’t even seem to be smiling like he always is without fail, his face is just set in a painfully neutral expression.

 

“Uncle Zero?” You ask, confused.

 

Zero's eyes snap to you as though he hadn’t even noticed you standing not even a foot away from him.

His lips pull up slightly into a painfully obvious false smile.

 

“Hello, little Star.”

 

“Vesper is in there right now.” You pre-warn him.

 

Zero hums. “Nova needs to sleep. As long as the bed is free, that’s fine. Last time Shigaraki’s command lasted for six hours. This may last a little longer this time. She’s not slept for a while longer this time around.”

 

You blink at all that information, not really expecting it.

 

“Is she okay?” You ask slowly.

 

“Just stubborn.” Zero replies, continuing to walk and nudging the door open with his foot. “Hello, Wani.”

 

You just stare at the back of Zero’s head, shrugging a bit when Vesper looks at you in confusion.

You change a lot quicker than you originally planned after that, not wanting to leave Vesper alone with Zero for too long. And when you’re out of your room, dressed in the baggiest hoodie you own, and the comfiest sweatpants you have, Vesper is leaning against the wall, scrolling through his phone and waiting for you.

 

“Ready?” He asks, immediately slipping his phone into one of his cargo pants pockets, and weighing all his attention on you even though you can clearly hear Dabi snapping at Tomura downstairs.

 

“Yeah. Sorry about Zero. He said that Nova hasn’t been sleeping.” You apologise.

 

“Kinda gathered that after he put her on the bed and then just…zonked out on the floor.” Vesper says, gently wrapping his hand around yours.

 

“You left him there?” You ask before really thinking about it.

 

Vesper blinks at you, and then looks away. “Sorry Star, but I’m not gonna pick up your uncle who’s a nomu.”

 

When you don’t reply, and don’t move when he tries to pull you with him as he walks away from your door, he does finally look at you again, his expression unreadable as you look at him disappointedly.

 

“I’m gonna go help Zero.” You say, taking your hand from his, and going over to the closed door, not really aware that Vesper follows behind you quietly.

 

Sure enough, Zero had fallen asleep, his legs folded on the floor, and one arm laid over the mattress above Novas head, his head resting on his arm.

Gently, you shake his shoulder.

 

“Zero.” You call softly, not wanting to risk scaring him awake, even though you hadn’t really thought about the consequences of him being a nomu before Vesper had mentioned it. “Uncle Zero.”

 

Zeros mismatched eyes snap open, awake and resting on you. The lower half of his face is hidden by his hair, so you can’t tell if he’s smiling or not.

 

“You can’t sleep here. It’s uncomfortable. You should sleep on the bed.” You try to lead gently.

 

“Of course, Star.” Zero replies mechanically, slowly getting up and walking around the bed before laying on his back next to Nova, his eyes shutting almost instantaneously.

 

You sigh, and then turn to leave again, almost yelping in surprise when you see Vesper towering over you.

 

“Sorry.” He apologises immediately. “I know you hate that. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

 

You huff a little, but appreciate that even though he was too scared to move Zero himself, he was happy to back you up in case you needed it.

Putting your feelings aside, you reach for his scaled hand, not missing the way his tail swishes against the floor when you slide your hand into his again.

 

You lead him downstairs, Tomura and Dabis voices louder now you’re on the same floor.

Unfortunately, this means you can hear what they’re arguing about.

 

“He’s exhausted , man. You can’t expect him to keep lookin’ after her.”

 

“He’s a nomu. He’ll do what he’s told and they will both get used to one another.”

 

“It’s been weeks. He’s struggling!”

 

You glance at Vesper, who desperately seems to be trying not to listen, and let go of his hand again, taking slow steps to the closed office door.

 

“She’s a nomu. Zero knows best how to deal with her, and once we get it so she recognises him as an authority figure, they’ll be fine. It won’t be a problem.”

 

“She’s not a nomu, she’s a scared, lonely little girl who can’t even speak, scream or cry because your asshole of a personal GP tore her voice box out! She’s six!”

 

“He wasn’t my-“

 

You knock on the door, cringing and hoping that it will quieten them down so that Vesper doesn’t have to hear it.

 

“Dads?” 

 

The door opens quicker than you expected, Tomura regards you with a stony-faced expression, and Dabi stands at the back of the room with his arms crossed and his eyes on the wall to his side.

 

“Me and Vesper are going for breakfast.” You say slowly, knowing that they probably won’t let you.

 

Something flashes over Tomuras face, but Dabi doesn’t look at you even though he has been so adamant on you staying safe and in the house before.

 

“Take sunglasses and keep your hood up.” Tomura instructs. “Stay close to home and keep your phone on you in case we have to get you. Make sure you aren’t being followed.”

 

He cranes his neck to gaze at Vesper, long strands of white hair falling over his shoulder. “You too, Wani. I’m trusting you.”

 

Vesper looks a little nervous at that kind of responsibility, his tail slowly sliding between his legs. “Sure, sir. I’ll keep her safe.”

 

“Good.” Tomura says simply, and then looks back at you, something unrecognisable in his eyes as he gently brushes his knuckles over your cheek. “Don’t be reckless.”

 

“I’ll be okay, pa.” You promise, glancing at your dad standing behind him. “Bye, dad.”

 

Dabi glances at you without turning his head, the blue of his eyes feeling so much colder than ever before.

 

“Hug?” You ask, nervously.

 

He stares at you for what feels like a long minute, but is probably realistically only a mere moment before gesturing you over with his metallic arm.

You don’t waste time, practically throwing yourself at him, desperately trying to prove to your own head that he wasn’t mad at you and didn’t want to get rid of you even after all this time.

 

One of his arms wraps around your waist, and his other hand holds your head to his chest tightly as he rests his chin on your head.

He’s holding you tight . Tighter than he has for years. Almost as tight as that time you had been away from him for a while. 

 

“Dad… You’re squishing me.” You laugh uncertainly, the pressure making you feel sick again.

 

“Touya.” Tomura warns.

 

“Stop trynna grow up so quick.” Dabi murmurs against your head before kissing it quickly and letting go of you. “Seeya later, doll. Be safe.”

 

*•*

 

Vesper ends up taking the request very seriously, staying close to you, holding your hands tighter than he ever has before, and his eyes darting around everywhere to ensure there’s no-one following you.

He doesn’t even really seem to relax even when the order is placed and you’re sitting at the back of the café in a relatively private booth.

 

“What did you wanna talk about?” You ask, sipping your apple juice to try to make you seem less nervous.

 

He seems to cringe, turning his mug in his hands. “About last night…”

 

You freeze, your blood running cold. “I don’t really remember…”

 

He nods as though he was expecting that answer anyway, and you automatically speak before really thinking about it.

 

“We didn’t like…?” You ask, unable to bring yourself to say the words.

 

He shakes his head. “No, no. I got you to sleep.”

 

You’re still tense though, because for him to talk about whatever happened, it must still be bothering him.

 

“Did I do something wrong?” You ask cautiously.

 

He’d said no before, but that could have just been because he didn’t feel comfortable saying in the house with your dads around.

 

“No, you didn’t do anything wrong, Star.” Vesper replies, running a hand from the front of his hair to the back of his head. “It’s just…”

 

He glances at you, and then sighs. “It’s hard to talk about.”

 

You frown, beginning to feel worse .

 

“I-“ He begins, only to be interrupted by the waitress bringing your food to the table. 

 

You both thank her, bowing your heads and falling silent.

It seems that both of you have kind of lost your appetite though, both of you sitting slumped against your respective booths and neither of you being brave enough to look at the other.

 

“I wanna do those things with you.” He says, releasing a deep breath. “It’s nothing to do with you. You’re beautiful.”

 

He clears his throat, and when you chance a quick peek at his face he looks all bashful, which is cute .

You choose to listen instead of saying anything, because you know yourself how being interrupted when you’re trying to talk about something hard for you can make you not want to talk about it at all.

 

“It’s just, when I was younger…” Vesper says, speaking quieter than usual and then taking a deep breath. “Fuck, this is hard.”

 

You frown a little, not really knowing how to make it easier for him. His hands are too far for you to reach, and you don’t want to move to his seat and be too affectionate because it’s rude in public.

Awkwardly, you move your leg forward, gently making contact with his leg and rubbing your foot against his leg a couple times.

 

His eyes finally roll up to meet yours, his body visibly relaxing when he sees you smiling patiently at him. 

 

“It’s awkward to talk about but y’know...” He says, trying to stretch himself out in the cramped booth. “I’d hear my parents-“

 

You snort a little. “I’ve walked in on Dabi and ’Mura a few times. It’s gross.”

 

Vesper smiles ever so slightly but it doesn’t seem too genuine and it only lasts for a moment before dropping and he looks more solemn again. 

 

“Not quite like that. My dad…” Vesper sighs. “He’d get real aggressive with her. Like he’d lost control.”

 

He spins his cup around nervously again, and when you look at his hands instead of his face, you realise there’s a slight tremor in them.

You’d never seen them shake before, and without thinking you reach forward, gently running your fingers over his rough knuckles.

He looks at you through his hair, his eyes scanning your face as though he’s trying to read past the worried look on your face.

 

“I don’t wanna lose control around you.” He finally says, but his voice is weak. 

 

“I trust you.” You say automatically, not even thinking twice about it, patting his hand gently and laying your hand out on the table immediately after.

 

His eyes rest on your hand before flickering up to your face.

 

“You wouldn’t hurt me. Ever.” You say confidently. “And we don’t have to do anything if you dont wanna.”

 

Vesper stares at you, but does slowly let go of his cup, lacing his fingers through yours.

 

“You wanted to last night.” He jokes, but his voice sounds uncertain. “Said you did research .”

 

The latter sentence does sound a little more teasing than the former, and heat instantly shoots upwards to your face. 

You stammer, which makes a more genuine look of amusement form on Vesper's face, the corners of his mouth lifting up more, his sharp teeth almost exposed. He squeezes your hand gently.

 

“If it was porn, that’s mostly fake anyway.” He continues to tease.

 

“I didn’t!” You blurt out as Vesper lets go of your hand.

 

He chuckles, his own cheeks and the pierced points of his ears beginning to turn a faint, dusty pink too.

 

“You really are an awful liar, Star.” He says, his eyes moving away. 

 

But he’s still smiling, at least.

Chapter 26: Fence Sitting

You’d done your allocated college work for the week, and were sitting with your head hanging back from your chair. You’re not even thinking about anything in particular as you stare up at the ceiling, just kind of existing , but Cloud seems content enough as he purrs happily on your lap while your hand runs lazily through his fur.

You were getting so bored of working on your own in your room all day every day, even if it was much bigger now. 

 

You missed your friends. 

You missed seeing Vesper every day even when he had work. 

 

“Starlight.”

 

“Mm?” You hum, lazily turning your chair to face Tomura.

 

“You're done with work?” He asks from the doorway, tying his long, fluffy white hair up into a high ponytail.

 

Sometimes you wonder why he didn’t just cut it. He wore it up more often than not these days anyway, it must be getting irritating for him at this point.

 

“Yeah…” You affirm boredly.

 

“Come with me, I need help in the kitchen.” He says simply before turning away.

 

You raise an eyebrow. Usually he didn’t ask for help from you, always going to Dabi first. But you get up anyway, Cloud hopping onto the floor from your lap and then following behind you as you go downstairs.

Tomura seems to be busying himself with getting vegetables out as you hang behind in the kitchen, leaning on one of the kitchen island bars. 

 

“Cut these for me.” He tells you, placing them in front of you and then retrieving a cutting board and knife.

 

“Okay.” You agree cautiously, watching as he sets about cutting up some meat. “Are you okay?”

 

“I’m fine.” Tomura replies. “Are you okay, little Star?” 

 

“I’m okay. Just bored.” You reply, getting to work on chopping up the vegetables like he asked.

 

Tomura hums in acknowledgement. “Me and Touya have been talking.”

 

“Oh, right?” You ask, trying not to sound as fearful as you are.

 

“We think it’s probably safe for you to go back to college now.” Tomura says thoughtfully. “If you feel unsafe at any point I’m sure Toga would be willing to guard you undercover.”

 

“Really?!” You ask, swinging around.

 

“Yes, Starlight.” Tomura replies with a faint tone of amusement, dropping meat into a pan. “You will need to be careful though. Call us if someone feels off.”

 

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” You exclaim, dropping your knife to hug Tomuras back.

 

“Knife.” Tomura warns, but puts his own knife down to pat your head. 

 

“I’m so excited!” You say, squeezing him briefly but quickly letting him go afterwards.

 

After all, Dabi would let you hug him for as long as you wanted, but Tomura? Not so much.

 

“Is dad home?” You ask, practically buzzing as you return back to the task Tomura set you.

 

Tomura hums non-committedly.

 

“He’s not helping you?” You ask, a little surprised. 

 

“He’s sulking upstairs.” Tomura replies matter-of-factly.

 

“Sulking? Why?” You query immediately, staring at the back of Tomura’s head.

 

Tomura’s silent for a moment before huffing a little in amusement and shaking his head slightly. 

Probably because you were asking him a barrage of questions again, a habit you’d never really grown out of.

 

“He wants to take in the nomu.” He says simply.

 

“Oh.” You reply quietly. 

 

You guess it’s not really surprising. 

 

She was kind of like you in a way.

She must not have a family to be staying with Zero for the meantime, she looks all scruffy whenever you see her, which… you probably looked like too after a week on the streets alone. 

She was probably thin under all the layers you’d seen her wearing, too.

 

And she couldn’t speak. She needed him to teach her sign language so she could be understood. 

Dabi almost definitely knew just how frustrating and lonely that must feel.

 

Tomura peers over at you, a cracked brow raised behind the curtain of his white fringe. “That’s all?”

 

“What do you mean?” You ask, a confused frown pulling your eyebrows together. 

 

“I thought you’d be more upset.” He replies, turning around and grabbing the chopping board from you. 

 

You frown a little more.

You don’t like the idea, but you kind of get it from Dabi’s point of view.

And admittedly you felt sorry for Nova, too. She must be lonely and scared and frustrated.

 

“I don’t like it, but… She must be scared and lonely.” You reply as Tomura begins mixing the meat and vegetables together in a sauce.

 

“She has Zero.” He says flatly.

 

“Zero can’t really talk to her, though.” You muse, leaning your cheek on your fist.

 

“So you’re okay with the idea?” Tomura questions, putting a lid on the pot and then turning to face you, looking unimpressed.

 

“Well…” You begin, pause, and then sigh. “Not really, but I understand it.”

 

Tomura rolls his eyes. “I expect nothing less from Touya to get attached to a nomu, and I should have expected you to be as selfless as usual, Starlight.”

 

He goes into the refrigerator, pulling out a beer and cracking it open. He doesn’t hang around with you in the kitchen, walking straight to the door.

Cloud follows behind him, batting his ankles for attention.

 

“Wait, when can I go to college?” You ask, turning on your seat.

 

“Tomorrow.” Is the answer as he walks out of the door.

 

But he doesn’t even turn to look at you when he speaks.

And although ‘selfless’ wasn’t a bad thing for him to call you, you were beginning to feel like your answers had annoyed him.

So you look at the food simmering on the stove for a second before deciding to go and see Dabi.

 

You try to knock quietly, assuming Tomura has either gone to the living room or his office and might hear you.

 

“What is it, darlin’?” You hear Dabi call through the door, although he sounds a little tired, like he just wants to be left alone.

 

“Can I come in?” You ask.

 

There’s a brief silence before you hear his footsteps approaching the door, the sound of the lock clicking before he opens the door, concerned icy eyes on you instantly.

 

“Everythin’ okay?” He asks, giving you a once over.

 

“I wanna sulk with you.” You say simply, brushing past him to sit on their bed.

 

Dabi clicks his tongue in false annoyance, but closes the door. “Ain’t sulking.”

 

You deadpan at him. “You never lock ‘Mura out of your room.”

 

“Sometimes I need a break from him , too.” Dabi argues as he settles back down on the bed, crossing his arms behind his head and staring at the ceiling.

 

You give him a pointed look, but he doesn’t pay you any attention.

 

“He told me you wanna adopt Nova.” You say, completely calmly.

 

“I never fuckin’ said that!” Dabi snaps, and you immediately recoil. “I said that we should just take her in for the time being! She needs to learn sign language so that she ain’t just stuck not bein’ able to communicate, an’ then if Tomura wants to get rid of her still at least she can tell someone if somethin’ is wrong. ”

 

You blink at him, taken aback by his outburst, and the second he looks over at you he realises his mistake. His blue eyes widen for a second before he fluffs his already messy hair with his metallic hand.

 

“Sorry, hon. That wasn’t cool.”

 

You just stare at him, trying to collect your thoughts before reacting like your therapist had taught you to do when you were younger.

You knew he wasn’t angry at you , he was just frustrated at whatever had actually gone on between him and Tomura, and he was obviously worried about Nova’s wellbeing and for her to be able to convey when she was unhappy properly.

 

“I am sorry, darlin’ girl.” Dabi apologises, reaching to stroke your hair, which you want to flinch at, but manage to restrain yourself from doing so. “Not your fault.”

 

“I know.” You reply, but it doesn’t sound as convincing as it should.

 

“He just ain’t listening, and I don’t like that he’s dragged you into it.” Dabi explains, still petting your hair, but his eyes are narrowed and fixed on the wall opposite.

 

“ I asked him why you were sulking.” You defend.

 

“I’m not sulking .” Dabi repeats sourly.

 

You raise an eyebrow, but turn your head away.

 

“Don’t you start.” He sighs, but his words are gentle. “Star, look at me.”

 

Reluctantly, you turn your head to look at him, and his face is guilt-ridden. 

 

“I’m sorry babygirl.” He repeats, brushing warm knuckles over your cheek. 

 

“It’s fine, dad.” You reply, averting your eyes again.

 

He doesn’t apologise again, and his hand flops back down to his side.

You both sit in silence for a while, but it's not entirely uncomfortable.

 

“What’d you think about it, Star?” He asks after a while, sounding pensive.

 

“About Nova?” You ask in return.

 

He grunts an affirmative, picking at one of the staples in his cheek like he always does when he’s nervous or worried.

 

“I understand why you wanna let her live here.” You reply, swatting his hand away from his face. “And I get why Tomura doesn’t want to, too.”

 

He rolls his eyes, but lowers his hand, probably thinking he’s smart by chewing at the staple from inside his cheek instead.

 

“Kinda need you not to be a fence-sitter darlin’.”

 

“Huh?” You frown, confused.

 

“Don’t worry, hon.” He sighs, leaning back against the headboard again. 

 

You remain confused, but decide you can just look that one up a little later when you have your phone on you again.

 

“I’m excited to go to college again.” You tell him, trying to change the subject and lift his spirits again.

 

He always seemed happy whenever you were happy, after all.

 

“Yeah, I bet.” Dabi replies, but still looks distant. “Gonna be weird being in the house alone again.”

 

“You have Cloud!”

 

Dabi rolls his eyes, but the corners of his mouth begin to creep up. “Ain’t the same, Starshine.”

 

“He’s a good boy. He always cuddles when you need it.” You defend. “He cuddles you all the time because you’re warm.”

 

“That’s different, then. He doesn’t do it outta love, he does it ‘cause he’s a heat leech.” Dabi replies teasingly.

 

“He loves you.” You huff. “ Especially because you’re warm.”

 

Dabi just huffs in vague amusement before falling quiet again, which is unusual for him, always happy to keep poking fun and arguing typically.

You nudge his thigh with your foot. 

 

“Sulking.” You tell him pointedly.

 

“ Ruminatin’. ” He corrects, pushing you gently back.

 

You don’t even know what that means so you just roll your eyes.

 

“Dinner.” Tomura calls up the stairs bluntly.

 

Dabi rolls his head back dramatically, his skull thumping against the wall dully and his eyes fixed on the ceiling.

You look at him for a moment or two before patting the mess of white hair on the top of his head.

 

“It’ll be okay, dad.” You tell him.

 

His features soften immediately, his eyes rounding a little more and his lips pulling into a soft but warm smile as he looks at you.

 

“Yeah, I know darlin’.” He reassures you as you withdraw your hand. “Just wish he wasn’t so stubborn sometimes.”

 

“You’re a little stubborn, too.” You remind him as you get off their bed. “You need to try to compromise!”

 

Dabi murmurs something you don’t fully catch under his breath, but it sounded like he was saying the compromise was that Nova didn’t get decommissioned, but you don’t really know what that meant, so you probably misheard it.

 

“Kiss and make up.” You say firmly, like you wish you could tell Takagi and Keiko to.

 

“I’m tryin’.” Dabi sighs, standing up as well and running his hand through his hair again. “He ain’t having it, though.”

 

“Try harder.” You demand even though he smirks down at you, ruffling your hair like he used to when you were a lot smaller.

 

“Thought it was gross.” He teases as he follows behind you.

 

“It is. ” You frown. “But I’d rather that than you fighting all the time. It sucks.”

 

“I know, hon.” Dabi sighs. “I know.”

Chapter 27: A Day In The Life

“Listen dude, all’s I’m saying is that we need something similar to Gasoline to keep the interest up.” Akito tries to assert gently, because he’d tried the more assertive route the day before, and Vesper didn’t respond well to that , either.

 

But Ves still looks uncertain as he spins from side to side in the chair, his sharp eyes averted and thoughtful.

 

“I don’t get why you’re not usin’ this chance to get more information.” Akito continues, his irritation beginning to seep into his voice again. “You could get accurate stories to work from.”

 

“It feels wrong.” Is Vesper's simple response.

 

“Never stopped you before.” Akito retorts sourly.

 

“I know them now. Feels wrong.” Vesper repeats. “Like I’m using their issues for my own gain.”

 

Akito deadpans at his reptilian bandmate, leaning forward to flick the tip of his pointed ear, knowing the sensitivity is heightened there.

Vesper immediately jolts, his expression less thoughtful and more pissed off when he finally glares at Akito, a clawed hand covering the ear he’d just flicked.

 

“We. Need. Another. Trending. Song.” Akito says firmly.

 

“You guys fighting again?” Abe asks tiredly as he takes a seat with them, Aoki following suit and chucking Akito a can of cold coffee, which he manages to catch swiftly.

 

Vesper looks away again, running his hand through the fringe of his hair, the rest of it tied up at the back of his head as he stares at his phone screen, likely willing something good to come out of his mind and onto the screen.

 

“We could do another HRG song…” 

 

“They’re our least popular!” Akito says exasperatedly, letting go of his guitar, holding it between his thighs to throw his arms in the air. “Gasoline has made it onto a Spotify playlist. Spotify . Officially made!”

 

“I like Bite Back.” Abe shrugs, and Akito glares at him. “What?! It's fun!”

 

“How about we write about the blonde one? Can’t remember her name, but she was cute.” Aoki chimes in, waving his hand dismissively at Vesper’s phone.

 

Akito shakes his head. “Ves can’t do highs.”

 

“Doesn’t have to have highs.” Aoki replies.

 

“It would need highs.” Akito says, his tone final.

 

He loved his bandmates. He did.

But their tour with Nightwalker was soon, and they didn’t have any decent new material to take with them, and not one of them seemed to take their chance at a big break seriously.

 

Vesper was spreading himself thin between work and Todoroki, Aoki was too busy partying and fucking anything that moved, and Abe was so laid back that he may as well not show up sometimes.

 

He was stressed.

This was his one chance to prove that he could do something, be someone to his parents, and not one of them wanted to help him get there.

 

“We could go for the same vibe but more generic.” Abe suggests, sipping his own coffee. “I’m pissed off at the world and government kinda thing.”

 

Vesper doesn’t look any more fond of that idea either, so Akito gives up, resting his guitar against the wall and cracking open his own can of coffee, rolling his eyes.

 

“You love research so much, I don’t get why you aren’t just doin’ it.” He tells Vesper. “You got the perfect situation.”

 

“Did you finally get an interview?” Aoki asks, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Not quite.” Ves replies, his voice low enough that it’s practically incoherent.

 

Aoki and Abe glance at Akito, both of them giving him a look he knew all too well.

The look that said: ‘Is he wimping out again?’

And naturally, Akito would be the one expected to fix it.

 

“Give me a number and I’ll do it.” He huffs, reaching into his back pocket for his phone.

 

“Hell no.” Vesper laughs . “Even if I had a number I wouldn’t give it to you.”

 

And the sound of Vesper's laugh, along with his words, cut through Akito like a knife.

Akito’s eyes narrow, but before he can open his mouth to say something just as hurtful, he’s distracted by the door opening.

His mouth pulls up at the corner when it’s no other than Star Todoroki herself walking in, looking all shy until she sees Vesper and her face lights up.

 

“Never mind man, just thought of another way.” Akito bluffs, and Vesper shoots him a glare before grinning at Star and getting up, picking her up in a hug the second she runs up to him. 

 

Akito watches with his jaw set.

This was becoming a problem .

 

He hoped that with Todoroki out of college they could at least get shit done at school, but they were struggling.

 

“Damn, you jealous , Aki?” Abe asks quietly but amusedly, leaning back in his chair and smirking at Akito even when he glares at him instead. “That’s a hell of a bitchy look on your face right now.”

 

“She’s cute.” Aoki shrugs, leaning forward to grab the phone Vesper had ditched on the table. “Wonder if there's nudes in here…”

 

“Don’t be a fucking creep, dude.” Abe immediately chastises, taking the phone from Aoki’s hands and looking at whatever Vesper had written instead.

 

“Nah, she’s a prude.” Akito says, being hateful and petty for no reason, really.

 

“I like that.” Aoki smirks in response, looking over at Star and Vesper. “They’re cuter when they’re all shy.”

 

For some reason, that pisses off Akito even more . 

 

“Will one of you take this seriously, please?” He asks snappily.

 

“Alright princess, I’m reading it.” Abe snaps back. “It’s not bad .”

 

“Really sellin’ it.” Akito sighs, grabbing his guitar again and beginning to strum mindlessly to try and get some of his nervous energy out.

 

“It’s a bit gay.” 

 

“Huh?” Akito asks, his lip pulling up.

 

“Mushy. Lame.” Abe clarifies, sliding Vesper's phone to him.

 

Akito picks it up, his eyes scanning the characters on the screen.

Sure enough, it is lame, and mushy, and definitely about Todoroki.

 

“Well isn’t that great .” He scoffs, practically throwing the thing back onto the table as he stands up.

 

“Don’t throw a hissy fit ‘cause things are working out for him.” Abe says, raising a pierced eyebrow at him and crossing his arms over his chest.

 

And, if Todoroki wasn’t in the room, Akito probably would have lost it then and there.

 

Because sure , maybe he was a little extra pissy because everyone else seemed to have their easy little lives and he had to fight tooth and nail for everything he had. 

But Abe didn’t have to dig at him like that.

And he sure as hell wasn’t going to let him think he was right , either.

 

“I’m having a ‘hissy fit’ because we have a tour around Japan in like a month and not one of you fuckers are doin’ anything to help.” Akito says, trying to keep his voice down.

 

He didn’t want Vesper and Keiko down his neck because Star heard someone yell and had a meltdown after all.

 

“So you can figure it out yourselves. I’m goin’ home.” He finishes, zipping up his guitar case and throwing it over his back.

 

“Catch you later, man.” Aoki calls, unphased, but Abe doesn’t utter a word further.

 

“Woah, where you going?” Vesper asks, grabbing Akito’s elbow gently as he passes.

 

Akito grits his teeth because he really didn’t want to have to interact with Todoroki right now, but now he has to. 

So he puts on his mask.

 

He shrugs casually. “Ain’t getting anything done, so I’m out.” 

 

He turns to look at Star, who seems to be scanning him with those carefully assessing eyes again. 

He hated that she always seemed to look right through him.

 

But he grins lazily at her, anyway. “You’re back, ‘Roki. Bet the girls were happy. Hows puss?”

 

“He’s okay.” Star replies. 

 

Akito raises an eyebrow, forcing his smirk wider before clarifying: “ Keiks .”

 

“Oh! Yeah. She’s fine. Have you-“

 

“Gotta go, chick. Catch ya later.” Akito interrupts, knowing precisely what she’s gonna ask. “Later dude. Think about what I said, yeah?”

 

He punches Vesper's arm playfully, thankful for the padding of his sweater before walking away.

 

Going home alone always sucked, but at least he might actually get something productive done if he did it himself without having to battle three other people's opinions.

 

*•*

 

“Shit.” Akito hisses under his breath when he sees his moms SUV in the driveway.

 

For a second, he considers turning on his heel and heading straight back for the safety of college.

But his stepdad still didn’t seem to be home, and a small part of him hoped that he might be able to sweet talk his mom into forgiving him for the state he left the house in.

Taking a deep breath through his nose, he punches the door code in, pushing the door open and forcing a smile instead of a grimace when he sees his mom standing at the bottom of the stairs, her arms crossed and her cold, yellow eyes are unforgiving.

 

“Mom, you’re back.” He says, moving to give her a one-armed hug, which she immediately steps away from, and gestures to the downstairs bathroom instead.

 

His eyes follow her arm, his eye twitching slightly when he takes in the sight of dried puke on the wall, surrounded by writing that was mocking whoever had puked there, and then his eyes travel down to a used condom laying on the floor. 

 

“You missed a spot.” She says simply. 

 

“My bad.” He shrugs, giving a cheeky grin.

 

She stares at him like she wishes he was dead, but he forces himself to keep the mask on.

Maybe if he was how he used to be, she’d be how she used to be, too.

 

“Honestly, Akito.” She says, her voice rich with disapproval as her eyes scan the bathroom again. “It’s like you want to piss off your father.”

 

“He’s not my dad.” Akito replies angrily, which only gets her cold, hard eyes on him again. “It’s fine, mom. I’ll clean it before he gets home.”

 

“We trusted you with this house, and you repay us with this.” She says, shaking her head in disbelief. “At least you were sensible enough to use a condom.”

 

“That wasn’t me.” He defends, which only makes her eyes narrow further.

 

“That Wani boy.” She says in an accusatory manner, as though he was someone to be hated.

 

Akito looks at her in offense and disgust. “Mom, it’s Ves . You love him.”

 

She juts her thumb towards the bathroom.

 

“Wasn’t him, either.” Akito frowns.

 

She looks at him with a raised eyebrow.

 

“It wasn’t .” Akito asserts, shrugging his guitar case off his shoulders to make a move on cleaning up the mess in the bathroom before her husband comes home. “Where’d that even come from?”

 

“You know what people like him are like.” She says simply, and Akito pauses in his tracks, turning to look at her, his face painfully neutral.

 

“ What ?”

 

She sighs in exasperation. “It wasn’t one of the girls. Keiko’s a good girl, from a good family who would never disrespect my home like that and Hana’s gay, supposedly.”

 

“Nah, nah, nah. What’d you just say about Ves?” Akito asks, tilting his head slightly upwards as though he’s challenging her to repeat it.

 

“Don’t threaten me.” She says, scowling at him. 

 

“When did that happen?” He asks. “The same time you became a racist? ‘Cause my mom’s never judged Vesper or the others for who they are before.”

 

She stares at him coldly. “We all know what that Iguchi did. And then Vesper's father…” 

 

Akito stares at her in shock. “You work for the League now.”

 

“We don’t work for the League-“ She begins.

 

“You work for a fuckin’ branch of the League, yeah, alright, whatever. They’re still pro-heteromorph rights.” Akito begins to argue. “And Vespers never done anything wrong to you. Just ‘cause his dad…”

 

“Don’t interrupt me.” She snaps, the back of her hand connecting with the side of his face.

 

She hits him with such force that his head snaps to the side, and just like that, he can feel the life drain from him.

He doesn’t retaliate or snap back, just turns his head back towards her and stares at her with dead eyes.

She must regret it, like she always does, because there’s a glittery look in her eyes again.

 

“ Christ , Akito. Where did I go so wrong with you? Why can’t you be like your sisters?” She asks, her false hardass facade dropping as her voice wobbles. “Both of them are successful, happy. All you do is destroy our house and doss about all day!”

 

Akito is silent, continuing to just stare at her. 

 

“You bring all these girls here, no care for the fact that me and your father have to work in the mornings. You don’t have a job, you spend all your time and our money on alcohol and drugs. You haven’t achieved anything this year alone!”

 

“Our band-“ He begins to say, because he had actually been excited to tell them about the tour with Nightwalker.

 

She throws her hands up in the air, rolling her eyes. “Your band isn’t going anywhere, Aki! Get real! You need to make the most of your quirklessness and study for a decent job! You know your disability makes it harder for you to get a real job now!”

 

Akito’s eyes twitches. “It ain’t a fuckin’ disability.”

 

“Swear at me again.” She says, her face going stern again.

 

He stares at her, debating whether the consequence would be worth the five seconds of losing his rag.

Realistically he knew it wouldn’t make him feel any better though. She was his mom . He loved her even though the new marriage made her into whoever this was.

 

“That’s what I thought.” She says, taking a deep breath and turning her back to him. “Clean the bathroom before your father comes home and I won’t tell him about whatever you and your ridiculous friends have been up to while we were away.”

 

He watches her go up the stairs, his eyes flickering to the bathroom.

That wasn’t the only room he had forgotten to clean.

 

“ Akito Takagi!” His mom screeches from upstairs, and that is Akito’s cue to run .

 

He grabs his guitar case and bolts for the door, running out of the house and down the street, praying that his stepdad doesn’t make good timing and arrives while he’s running.

When he’s around a block away, he digs into his pocket, calling the first number he usually does out of habit.

 

“Fuck.” He mutters when he realises his mistake, but it’s too late now, the notification would show anyway, so he may as well commit to his mistake if she does answer.

 

And just like always, she does, even though she hadn’t spoken to him really in over a month.

 

“What is it this time, Akito?” Keiko asks the second she answers.

 

“Hey, whiskers.” He greets, putting on the false charm as though it came as naturally to him as breathing. “Fancy doin’ me a favour?”

 

“Not particularly.” Is the dry response back.

 

He ignores it anyway. “Could I crash at yours?”

 

“No.”

 

“Best behaviour, I swear.” He says, a desperate plea behind the words that leave him in such a teasing manner.

 

“I said no.” She repeats, but he knows she doesn’t really mean it. “What’d you do this time?”

 

“They’re back early.” He admits, dropping to a crouch on the street, wincing at the ache in his legs. “Didn’t clean up.”

 

“And why can’t you just clean up and stay there?”

 

“Definitely gonna get my ass beat even if I do that.”

 

She’s silent for long enough that he moves the phone away from his ear to check she was even still on the line.

 

“You should try just not pissing them off.” She eventually replies.

 

“They-“ He begins and then stops himself. “She-“

 

“Find somewhere else to go tonight, Akito.” She says.

 

And before she hangs up, he swears he hears her apologise faintly.

He drops the phone to the ground in frustration, running his hands through his long black hair and then wiping them down his face.

 

Vespers.

He’d go to Vespers, and it’d be fine.

 

But when he picks his phone up, it’s shattered and completely unusable.

He stares at it for a second before plucking one of the little glass shards out of the screen and throwing it into the road.

 

Whatever.

 

*•*

 

“Akito!” Mrs. Wani greets, her mouth pulling up and exposing her sharp teeth.

 

And it’s the first time someone’s looked genuinely happy to see him in a long time.

 

“Hey mom.” Akito greets, allowing the scaly woman to hug him. “Ves in?”

 

“He’s in his room.” She informs him. “Wow! It feels like so long since you last came over! Have you eaten?”

 

“Not yet, but don’t worry.” He says as he slips his shoes off.

 

Mrs. Wani rolls her eyes, raising a spiked brow at him. “You’re not eating properly. I’ll get you some food.”

 

“Thanks mom.” Akito says, genuinely thankful. “Is it cool if I crash here tonight?”

 

“I assumed you were anyway!” She replies cheerfully as she heads into the small apartment. “Vesper never tells me anything anymore.”

 

Akito takes the chance to duck into Vesper's room without knocking, unsurprised to see him scrolling on his laptop with a frown as his eyes scan the screen.

His green eyes widen when Akito shrugs his guitar case off and leaves it leaning against his bed before flopping onto it himself.

 

“Okay, what the fuck?” Vesper asks, turning on his seat.

 

“Crashin’ here tonight. Surprise.” Akito says, lifting a hand up to make devil horns and shaking it mockingly.

 

“What? No . Last time-“

 

“We were both drunk and it didn’t mean anything.” Akito shrugs and then sighs, flopping his arm onto the bed again and then turning his head to look at Vesper.

 

He doesn’t look pissed off, just concerned, which is a blessing.

 

“I’ll sleep on the couch. I can’t go back home.” Akito says, completely sincerely for once.

 

“What happened this time?” Vesper asks, resting one of his strong forearms over the back of his chair as he looks at Akito. 

 

“Didn’t clean up, and they came back early. Mom said some shit I didn’t like so…”

 

Vesper watches him silently, his face inexpressive. “Alright, man. Mom’s got work early so…”

 

“That’s fine. Just wanna live another day.” Akito replies, turning his face to look at the ceiling again. “If I go out, ain’t gonna be by his hand.”

 

“Do you have to be so worrying all the time?” Vesper asks with a sigh, turning back to his laptop. “You seen they’re making an Elden Ring manga?”

 

Akito rolls his eyes. 

But it’s better than being alone or being beaten up, so he plays along with the conversation, even if he’d rather Vesper was trying to figure out songs instead.

 

Kind of reminded him of when they were kids. 

No worries, no pressure, no distractions.

Just two friends hanging out.

 

*•*

 

“I thought I told you about smoking in the house before.” 

 

Akito jolts, flicking the cigarette out of the window and immediately swinging around to look at Mrs. Wani with a sheepish grin.

 

“Sorry, mom.” He apologises.

 

“Struggling to sleep?” She asks, brushing off the fact that he’d broken one of her rules and closing the window behind him. “You’re letting the cold air in, love.”

 

“Sorry.” He apologises again, but he always means it with Vesper's mom.

 

Because she’s a real mom. Gentle, kind and warm. 

 

She walks into the tiny kitchen area, only looking at him expectantly when she begins to pour herself a glass of water.

 

“Got me. Can’t sleep.” He says, putting on the mask again as he gives her a cheeky grin and shrugs playfully.

 

“A girl?” She asks.

 

His face almost falls. 

Things with Keiko aren’t great , he’s essentially been banished from their college hangout spot and she didn’t respond to most of his texts anymore. She’d answered the phone earlier though, so maybe she was warming up a little more to him again.

 

That was the least of his worries right now, anyway. 

 

“Nah, no girls.” He laughs.

 

“I could have sworn Vesper mentioned you and Keiko were giving it a go.” She says thoughtfully as she sips her water.

 

“Nah. Nah. That’s…” He shakes his head. “No.”

 

She gives him a knowing look despite his denial. “School?”

 

“Kinda?” He shrugs, not liking that she’s making him talk, even though he kind of wishes his mom showed an interest. “Just the tour thing’s stressin’ me out.”

 

“It’s a big deal.” Mrs. Wani agrees, nodding her head. “But you’ll do great. You’re all very talented boys.”

 

Akito swallows. 

It wasn’t often he received a compliment from a parental figure.

In all honesty, he couldn’t remember the last time he did . 

 

“Thanks, mom.” He smiles, but it’s a little less cocky and a lot more genuine. 

 

“I have complete faith in all four of you. You’re good, hard working boys, and you’re doing so well.” She continues to praise. “Get to sleep, okay?”

 

“Yes ma’am.” Akito agrees, giving her a salute and moving from the windowsill onto the couch. “…Thanks.”

 

He lays on his back, staring up at the dark ceiling, his hand going into the pocket of the joggers that Ves let him borrow.

He toys with the sharp piece of glass idly between his fingers as he thinks.

 

Maybe not tonight after all.

Chapter 28: Remember Me?

“I’m home!” You call, petting Cloud the second that you walk in the door, the fluffy little cat running up to you the instant you’re home.

 

There’s a thump upstairs, the sound reverberating through the house.

You frown as you slip your shoes off. 

 

“Dad? You okay?” You call. “You aren’t trying to change a lightbulb again are you? Tomura got mad last time!”

 

You begin walking up the stairs to see if it’s something you can help with, Cloud running up the stairs next to you.

By the time you get to the top of the stairs, Dabi appears in the doorway of one of the spare rooms looking sheepish.

You stare at him for a second, realising that he’s covered in lilac paint, little splatters and big dollops of it in his hair, on his face and all over his sweatpants and shirt. 

 

“Please tell me you didn’t spill the paint.” You say, shrugging your backpack off, preparing to help him try and get it cleaned up before Tomura comes home anyway.

 

“No, no, nothin’ like that.” Dabi says, shaking his head and wiping one of the smears of paint on his face with his scarred arm. “Listen, I got some news.”

 

And before he can tell you whatever he wants to tell you, the front door unlocks and opens again.

 

“Home.” Tomura calls up the stairs, but something sounds a little different. Maybe his voice sounds deeper? “Touya, come here, I have something to show you.”

 

Dabi looks scared .

And you’re unsure if it’s because Tomura’s back a lot earlier than usual, apparently with a surprise, or whether Dabi was worried about Tomura telling you whatever the news is instead.

 

“Uh, yeah, coming.” Dabi calls back before shooing you away, mouthing at you to distract Tomura while he darts to the bathroom.

 

You blink, a little confused about whatever’s happening.

You obediently wander down the stairs though, stopping halfway with your hand on the bannister and look down at your other father, who seems to have gone to work with his hair down today for once, the long white strands obscuring his face.

He turns his face up to look at you, probably expecting to be met with Dabi judging from the smug smirk pulling at his cracked lips. It fades quickly though when he realises it’s you.

 

“You’re back early today, Starlight.” He comments.

 

“So are you.” You point out, folding your arms on the bannister. “Are you sick?”

 

Tomura cocks a brow. “No, why?”

 

“Just that you’re home early. And you sound different.” You explain, looking at him thoughtfully. Something definitely seemed different. “Toga?”

 

Tomura blinks at you in surprise before giving one single coarse laugh. “Not Toga. Where’s Touya?”

 

“He went to the bathroom.” You reply, knowing you can’t lie.

 

Tomura hums as he straightens up again, lifting Cloud who had been mewling at his ankles. “Set his stomach off again, then. Can’t imagine what could have been stressful enough here to make him give himself heatstroke.”

 

You opt not to reply, thankful that Dabi appears again at the top of the staircase, changed and mostly cleaned up.

He thanks you quietly as he passes, his hand resting on the top of your head momentarily.

 

“Hard day?” Tomura asks, raising a brow again.

 

“Eh. Busy.” Dabi shrugs, moving to bend his head slightly like he usually does to kiss Tomura before getting closer and realising that actually he needs to tilt his head back slightly to kiss him. “What the- Are you wearing my boots?”

 

“No.” Tomura replies, one of the corners of his mouth twitching faintly as he puts Cloud back on the floor. “Come on, I want to show you something I found.”

 

And Tomura heads for the stairs, Dabi staying still and scanning him with his cold blue eyes as he walks away, his eyes fixed on his feet. 

 

“You have a sudden growth spurt or somethin’?” He asks, deciding to follow Tomura anyway.

 

Tomura repeats what Dabi had done, briefly patting your head as he passes behind you on the stairs. He doesn’t reply to Dabi, simply walking off without a word into their room and turning music on.

You frown. You wanted to know what he found too, but the fact that music had gone on meant it was something you weren’t allowed to know about, and even Dabi looks confused when he hears it start up, pausing on the edge of the stairs. 

 

“Babe…” He begins to say as he opens the door and then closes it behind him.

 

He consequently shuts Cloud out by doing so, the little calico meowing and scratching at the door to be let in. You shrug it off, deciding to go into your bedroom and call Keiko while she gets ready for her date. 

She was nervous about it, and you had to keep it a secret because she was going out with the guy that Takagi had punched at the bar, and she didn’t want to risk causing any trouble with him. You were worried about not being able to lie to Vesper, but you were hoping it wouldn’t come up in conversation.

 

You bend down to pick Cloud up, not wanting him to get in trouble with Tomura for ruining the doors again.

Just as you do so, you hear Dabi’s voice carry over the music.

 

“What the fuck is that ?!”

 

He sounds so surprised that your attention is immediately focused on whatever was going on on the other side of the door, and you pause, Cloud still complaining even with your hands either side of his chunky body.

 

“What does it look like?” You hear Tomura ask in return faintly through the door.

 

“Ain’t no way. How ?” Dabi asks, his voice still raised from shock.

 

“Traded it.”

 

“What did you trade for that ? Change it. Ain’t no way that’s natural.”

 

“A thorn manifesting quirk I never used.” Tomura replies, and then adds with amusement. “I can’t ‘ change it ’, that’s just how it is.”

 

Dabi scoffs in disbelief. “That’s not fair .”

 

You hear Tomura chuckle, and you decide that it’s probably best that you stop eavesdropping now, even if your curiosity really wants you to stay put and find out what new quirk Tomura has.

You resume picking up Cloud, manoeuvring him so he’s cradled like a baby in your arms.

 

“Ah, ah, ah.” You hear Tomura say, sounding like he’s closer to the door this time. “You know what you have to do to get what you want.”

 

You don’t hear Dabi’s response, but you do hear the lock turn, the quiet click sounding so much louder in your head as you back away in panic.

 

“I’m sure I can find another use for it.” Tomura says, the door handle beginning to turn.

 

You turn your back this time, fleeing for your room as quickly and as quietly as you can, hoping to duck into your room without either of them seeing.

But the door doesn’t open, and you don’t really hear anything else before disappearing into your room with Cloud and closing the door. 

 

You set Cloud on the small sofa in your room, flopping next to him and switching on the TV to try to distract yourself from whatever they were talking about. You were trying to learn more about the kind of music Ill Intent made so you put on one of the several music channels and make yourself cosy, essentially spooning Cloud, who flops against your stomach the second you’re settled.

 

“Tomura!” You hear Dabi call after hearing thundering down the stairs.

 

You startle, Cloud immediately catching your wrists in his paws and licking your hand.

You fuss him, shushing him even though he isn’t making any noise.

You hear Dabi’s footsteps follow Tomura’s down the stairs too, and glance at the door, wondering if you should go out and see what’s going on.

 

You don’t really need to, though, on account of the terrible soundproofing.

 

“Oi! At least talk about this!” You hear Dabi call from downstairs.

 

Tomura replies sharply from what you can hear but not loud enough for you to actually hear what he said.

You stare at the door as Cloud continues sinking his claws into your wrist slightly to get your attention back on him. You continue petting him, but your brain is focused on whatever is going on outside.

 

And just like usual your curiosity gets the better of you, so you abandon Cloud on the couch and decide to check out whatever they’re yelling about.

 

“Touya leave me alone to calm down.” You hear Tomura say, his voice clearly straining to stay even.

 

“You’re not listening to me.” Dabi replies, frustrated.

 

“So let me calm down.” 

 

You hear a small thud from downstairs, wincing and backing back into your room automatically, everything in you screaming for you to hide.

 

“Fuck!” You hear Dabi exclaim in pain.

 

“ Idiot . You could see I was closing the door.” Tomura snaps, and then takes an audible deep breath. “Are you okay?”

 

Their voices drop low, but you’re already panicking. You go into your room, grabbing your phone and calling the first person you feel is natural.

You don’t know why you call him, because you know that realistically he’s probably busy with the band. He’d said that Takagi was getting a little pissy with them all for ‘not taking it seriously’, but you couldn’t stay here. Your heart is hammering out of your chest as you panickedly begin packing a bag. 

 

“Hello.” Vesper answers after a few rings. “You okay?”

 

“No.” You reply, your voice wobbling. “They’re fighting again. Can I stay at yours?”

 

“Mine?” Vesper practically squeaks, or the closest that his deep voice can get to a squeak anyway.

 

You hum an affirmative, continuing to pack your stuff.

Even if he couldn’t house you, you could go to Grandma Rei’s house or Uncle Giran’s house. 

 

“Uh…” Vesper sighs and you hear a creak and some rustling on his end of the line. “I mean you can , but Akito’s been staying here too.”

 

“That’s fine. I just need to get out of here.” You reply, going into your bathroom to get your toothbrush.

 

Vesper is quiet on the other line for a moment. “I’ll come and meet you at the station.”

 

“Okay. Thank you.” You breathe in relief, picking up your bag. “I’ll see you in like half an hour?”

 

“See you then.” He says gruffly, something squeaking on his end.

 

You go to open your mouth to say something else, but close it before the words can leave you and whisper a bye to him instead before hanging up.

Cloud is batting your ankles as you walk downstairs, and whatever argument Dabi and Tomura had been having must have finished for now because they’re talking quietly now, sounding like they’re in the kitchen.

Your plan is to leave without them noticing, but Tomura comes out into the hallway as you’re hurriedly putting your shoes on.

 

“Where are you going, Starlight?” Tomura asks, running a hand through his fluffy white hair, looking stressed.

 

“I’m staying at Vespers tonight.” You say simply, not wanting to get too in-depth into conversation with him if they’ve already been fighting.

 

“The hell you are!” Dabi yells from the kitchen. 

 

Tomura takes a deep breath, visibly collecting himself before he softens his expression as he looks at you while you grip your bag handle close to your chest.

 

“Ignore him. Go.” Tomura says in English. “Did we scare you? I’m sorry, Starlight.”

 

“What happened to dad?” You ask in English, glancing at the kitchen door quickly and then meeting Tomura’s crimson gaze again.

 

“He tried stopping me from closing a door and he trapped his hand doing it.” Tomura replies calmly, quirking one of his cracked brows slightly. “I see the problem now. It wasn’t intentional. I wouldn’t hurt your dad on purpose, and I’m fixing it now.”

 

You know realistically he’s telling the truth. He’s not a liar and they’ve had so many fights before that had never ended in violence, but there’s an anxious part of your brain that tells you that this is all too familiar. 

 

That you’ve heard thuds and thumps and yelling in arguments before and it always ended up with you or your mom getting hurt.

And it’s hard to ignore.

 

“Go check on him before leaving, and ignore his whining if you really want to leave after that.” Tomura says, reaching slowly to pat the top of your head. “Do what you need to, but be safe. That won’t happen again, Star. I promise.”

 

And Dabi really wasn't lying about the growth spurt, because Tomura definitely looks at least a few inches bigger than usual when he gets closer to you.

He doesn’t keep the physical contact with you for long, disappearing upstairs again.

You take the chance to go and check on Dabi, who’s sitting on a kitchen countertop with his hand in his lap. There’s blood smeared on his hand, and it looks a little red underneath the blood, too. 

 

“Are you okay?” You ask, reaching to give him a hug even though he’s being pouty.

 

Even though he’s clearly trying to be grumpy with you, you get a one-armed hug back, his metal hand running up and down your back. 

 

“Fine, hon. Just wasn’t expecting him to close the door that hard. Hope I didn’t scare ya.” He replies, pulling out of the hug, his blue eyes scanning your face like he’s trying to see through you. 

 

You must still look panicked anyway because after one look at you his voice goes softer as he says: “Oh, hon. I’m sorry. It wasn’t anythin’ like that .”

 

“I’m gonna go to Vespers.” You tell him, making the mistake of looking down at his injured hand properly. 

 

A couple of the staples on the top side of his hand have buckled and come loose, one of them is now completely out of the skin and the muscle underneath is beginning to peek through.

You try so hard not to gag, but you’ve always been bad with this kind of stuff.

Fortunately Dabi finds it more entertaining than offensive when you gag at the sight of it, bursting into laughter at your reaction, the staples at the corners of his mouth beginning to buckle too because of it.

 

You swat at him in annoyance, grumbling displeasure at his reaction.

 

“Remind me never to ask you for help with this, doll.” He snickers, catching your wrist in his prosthetic hand, making the robotic thumb stroke over your skin softly. “You can stay here with us, hon. It was me being a dumbass.”

 

When you meet his eyes, it kind of looks like he’s begging you to stay.

 

“And I need to tell you about-“ He begins to say.

 

“I don’t think I’ll be able to relax. Sorry, dad.” You interrupt, prying your wrist from his hand.

 

He looks hurt, but doesn’t fight you on it. 

 

“Love you.” You say to try to soften the blow.

 

“Yeah, love you too hon, but listen…”

 

He’s interrupted again by Tomura, who sets some weird gadget beside Dabi’s leg alongside a first aid kit.

 

“Bye dads.” You say, backing out of the room and then leaving quickly, struggling to keep Cloud inside the house because he’s practically demanding to come with you.

 

*•*

 

The second you see Vesper waiting for you at the station, you feel a little more relaxed. It’s only slight, but it’s an improvement from the way you’d felt with all your senses heightened.

All the lights felt too bright, every single noise felt amplified and any small brush against you made you flinch.

But seeing Vesper there, his hood up and hiding his pointed ears, his hands in his pockets and his leg kicked up against the pillar, you can focus on him instead of all the other things you’re hyper aware of. 

 

You exit the train and beeline straight for him, not missing how his tail swishes behind him when he spots you in the group.

He puts his foot back on the ground in time for you to slam yourself into him, giving him a tight hug.

You feel the chuckle that leaves him rumble through his body as he hauls you up.

 

“Hey.” He says, pressing his snout against the side of your head. 

 

“Hi.” You greet, squeezing him a little tighter and refusing to be the one that lets go first. 

 

“We should probably go, Star. I left Akito in the apartment alone and honestly, I don’t really trust him.” Vesper says after a while, his tone light and teasing.

 

“He’ll be okay.” You murmur, reluctant to let go.

 

“ He might be, but the apartment might not be.” Vesper replies, rubbing your back with a clawed hand before slowly dropping you back to the floor, his tail swishing behind him rhythmically. 

 

“You look cool.” You tell him, plucking at one of the seemingly random straps on the cargo pants he’s wearing.

 

He immediately goes all shy, like he always does whenever you compliment him. The scales on his face go a dusty pink colour and his emerald green eyes move away from your face. 

 

“Thanks. You look nice too.” He replies, his voice sounding lower than usual. “You always do.”

 

You smile at him, taking his hand in yours even though someone passing gives you both a dirty look. Vesper doesn’t see it, luckily, and you don’t care enough to make a fuss over it.

Especially when you feel like your heart is slowing back down just by being next to him, all your senses slowly dulling and returning back to a more manageable state.

 

As you walk you explain what had happened between Dabi and Tomura and how it had made you feel.

Vesper listens silently, apparently still abiding by the rule that Tomura had set a while ago about making sure that no-ones following you, and to keep an eye on you, because he keeps looking around and occasionally glancing at you, too.

 

“I’m sorry.” He says after you finish the story. “But it was an accident, right? He probably tried to catch the door before Shigaraki could close it.”

 

“That’s what they said, but it still made me think about some other stuff.” You say, deliberately keeping it vague. 

 

If you said it out loud you’d have to think about all the violence you’d been exposed to growing up, and even the slight acknowledgement makes your stomach turn from stress.

 

Vesper looks down at you again, you can feel his eyes on you even without looking at him back. 

He lets go of your hand, which makes your heart sink a little, but it’s only so he can rest his hand on the back of your head instead, the simple act feeling so protective that you immediately relax, your shoulders dropping.

 

You get to a large, run down apartment block, and when you look up at it, taking in the sight of all the graffiti and random items of clothing and furniture scattered around the outside, Vesper hits a button on the outside and a loud buzz sounds out and he motions for you to come in with him. 

 

But he looks a little worried. Or the best approximation of ‘worried’ you could kind of get from his facial features.

You smile softly at him to try to reassure him and follow inside behind him. 

 

The inside isn’t any nicer. There’s random letters, pieces of paper, boxes and more random furniture laying around. The lights flicker, and the floor is kind of sticky.

 

You’re worried about him though. He avoids your eyes, just wordlessly climbs up the staircase because the lift appears to be taped up and broken. 

You reach out to tug on his shirt, holding your hand out the second he looks at you, silently asking for him to hold it again.

 

You assume that he’s probably embarrassed about where he lives. But you don’t care. You didn’t even have a home at one point. 

He seems to relax ever so slightly, holding your hand as he leads you up the stairs, trying to keep his tail out of the way for you. 

 

“I told you it’s not as nice as your place.” He says, clearly trying to make it sound teasing.

 

You roll your eyes and squeeze his hand. 

You’re a terrible liar so it’s better not to say anything about what you’ve seen so far, but you’re sure that his home is nicer than the block itself.

 

“I’m sure your apartment is nice inside.” You settle on instead.

 

And when he lets go of your hand to pull a key out of his pocket, opening the door to a tiny apartment, the first thing you’re able to acknowledge is the heat .

It’s so hot that it’s like when you used to fall asleep next to Dabi growing up and he’d run a little hotter while he spoke in his sleep, calling out for Fuyumi and Natsuo. 

 

But it’s tidy. There are a few pairs of shoes by the doormat, and although Vesper freezes at the doorway, you’re looking down at the narrow hallway, surprised at how minimal the walls are decorated. 

On TV, family homes had lots of pictures on the wall. And sure, there seem to be a few pictures of Vesper when he was younger, the buzz-cut on his head in the posed school photos suits him a lot less than his longer hair… But there didn’t seem to be any of him and his mom anywhere.

 

You can hear water running from the door at the end of the hallway, and the faint sound of humming and a TV in the first room to your left.

There’s a faint red light coming from one of the bedrooms on your right, the other door shut and blocking the view from you.

 

“Vesper, honey.” A female voice begins to say, before an equally reptilian face pops around the doorway where you can hear the TV from.

 

It’s a face that you recognise enough to tense at too, both you and Vesper standing frozen in place, likely wearing the same expression of surprise.

 

You couldn’t mistake her, and you feel like an idiot for not remembering sooner.

You’d tried to block out all the memories from that time, because it had been a horrible, stressful time for you. But the red scales, the sharp-toothed smile, the black hair that was beginning to grey, even the small black horns protruding from her hair… 

It was Nurse Wani, from when you’d been taken by Hawks and Hakuchō.

 

You remember it all now. 

You remember her, you remember her mentioning her son Vesper with the ‘soft heart’ from all those years ago.

 

“You brought another friend!” She says cheerfully, acting as though nothing better could have happened.

 

“You’re not at work, mom?” Vesper says, sounding like he’s mortified.

 

She blinks, one of her ridged brows raising as a corner of her mouth pulls upwards. “They double booked me and another nurse. I thought we could get takeout and watch a corny movie, but obviously Akito was still here when I came back. And who’s this?”

 

Her eyes move to you and you open your mouth before closing it again.

She didn’t recognise you .

 

Of course she didn’t. 

You've dyed your hair since then. You’re older. You’re healthy now.

 

“Mom, this is my girlfriend, Star.” Vesper introduces, gesturing towards you. “Star this is…”

 

“ Star? ” She asks, interrupting Vesper with her eyes wide with realisation and her whole body moves past the doorway, entering the already cramped hallway with you and Vesper.

 

You open your mouth without speaking a couple of times, feeling the weight of your boyfriend's confused gaze on you even without looking back at him.

 

“Hi, Nurse Wani.” You eventually greet back awkwardly, suddenly a lot more overwhelmed all over again.

Chapter 29: Overwhelmed//Welcoming

“Oh my god!” Nurse Wani exclaims, her hands flying to her face in surprise. “It’s you ! You’re okay! I was so worried all this time…“

 

She goes to hug you and you automatically back away from her slightly, but you do feel a bit guilty about it. 

But it’s been years since you saw her, and even then it wasn’t on your own terms that you had even met. 

You don’t really know her all that well at all really, and even Vesper picks up on your discomfort.

 

“Mom.” He says, gently warning her.

 

“Sorry, sorry.” She apologises, holding her hands up. “I apologise, Star darling. It’s just been so long! How are you? You’re healthy .”

 

Her eyes, so similar to Vespers, run up and down you, her lips pulling up and exposing her sharp teeth. 

Vesper is clearly trying to catch your eye, probably looking for some kind of explanation for how you know his mom, but you continue to avoid meeting his eyes.

 

You’re embarrassed that it took you so long to piece it all together. Especially when you remember the look on Tomura’s face when Dabi had made you tell him Vesper's name.

Expectant. Like he was waiting for one of you to remember the name ‘Wani’.

 

You’re also embarrassed about the state you’d been in the last time Wani had seen you. Never mind the fact that she had been there when the other nurses had tried to restrain you so they could check you for signs of assault.

You didn’t really want Vesper to find out about that time in your life, and it was likely to all come out now.

 

“Yeah, I’m okay. Are you?” You ask, trying to sound a lot less overwhelmed than you are.

 

She gives a single, uncertain laugh. “Alright, aren’t we, Ves? Come in, come in! I'll make some tea and we can catch up properly.” 

 

And then she disappears into the room again, and you finally catch Vesper's eyes.

But instead of judgement, like he already had heard stories about you from when you were younger and finally realised who you were himself, he looks concerned.

 

“You never told me you used to be sick.” He says, and his voice is quiet but he sounds almost sad.

 

At that point, just as you open your mouth, Takagi comes out in just a towel, unbothered as he quickly tucks into the room with the red light, closing the door behind him.

Vesper glares at the closed door for a second, muttering something under his breath about Takagi making himself at home before looking back at you, the concerned look returning.

 

“Are you okay now?” He asks, his hand going to the small of your back and his thumb rubbing over your clothes.

 

Heat begins to creep through your body, which has never happened before whenever you got shy about him touching you in new areas.

You’re about to speak again when Nurse Wani calls for you both and just settle for a nod in response instead.

He doesn’t look convinced, but leads you into the room to your left by the small of your back before moving his hand away.

 

The room is a lot smaller than you’re used to, but it’s cosy and cute. There are potted plants everywhere, a small TV in front of a beaten up leather couch with two small wooden tables either side of it.

There’s what looks like a plastic set of a table and chairs near a large window and Nurse Wani is putting the tea set on the table, her smile fixed on her face.

 

“Please sit down, Star.” She encourages as she pours a cup of tea into one of the cups. 

 

Vesper nudges you towards the couch, sitting down next to you, his tail falling through the back of the couch, the gap there probably so they could both sit on it comfortably on account of their tails.

You thank Nurse Wani quietly when she passes you a cup, taking it and sinking back against the couch. 

She gives Vesper a cup wordlessly, the thing looking hilariously tiny in his hand, but you can’t bring yourself to smile at it, too nervous about making a good new impression on his mom.

 

“You never told me you had a girlfriend , Vesper.” She chastises gently. “Especially such a special one!”

 

And sure, it hurts a bit, because the first people you’d told about Vesper actually asking to be your boyfriend were your parents, even though Dabi hadn’t been very impressed that he’d done it through text.

But you swallow it down, knowing there was probably a reason for it.

 

“How have you been, Star?” She asks, her eyes glittering as she takes a seat at the table. “I take it you’re in better hands now? I didn’t care for that handler Hawks had at all.”

 

“‘Sup, ‘Roki.” Takagi greets at the same time she’s talking as he saunters into the living room to grab some shoes.

 

“Oh, so you did go back to them.” Nurse Wani says with a small hum afterward.

 

Everyone’s eyes but Takagi’s are on you, and you know realistically Nurse Wani hadn’t meant anything by it. You remember telling her, and all the other nurses, how much you loved your family and that you wanted to go back to them. You’d told her all the good things Dabi had done for you.

But you can’t help but feel a little bit judged.

 

“Yeah, well, they’re my dads, so…” You murmur shyly.

 

“Oh! We’re talking about Shigaraki and Dabi?” Takagi asks, his head lifting in intrigue as he ties up his shoes.

 

Nurse Wani gives you a softer smile. “Shigaraki seemed like a nice man when I dealt with him, but I haven’t met your other dad. It sounded like you were very fond of him when I last saw you, though.”

 

You frown a little in confusion at the mention of her dealing with Shigaraki, and you look over at your boyfriend who seems to be looking everywhere but at you.

 

“So everyone’s out here meeting the president and his boyfriend and not tellin’ me then?” Takagi asks, tucking a cigarette behind his ear as he stands to his feet. “Mom, I’m hurt.”

 

Nurse Wani gives him a smirk, rolling her eyes. “It was just a phone call after… well... It was nothing exciting, love.”

 

“Last time I saw Star she was this tall, such a little thing.” She says, switching topics and gesturing with her hand. “I can’t believe you two found each other.”

 

And she’s looking at you with such kindness, and you can tell that she’s really excited and happy to see you, but you’re so massively overwhelmed with all the memories returning to you that it’s kind of hard to focus the way you need to.

Vesper seems to pick up on this, bumping his leg against yours gently as Takagi and Nurse Wani’s voices blur into the background.

 

You look up at him, meeting his concerned gaze. 

You know he’s trying to subtly ask if you’re okay, and honestly seeing how worried he actually is behind those emerald eyes makes you feel a little more seen. 

He tilts his head towards the door slightly and one of his horned, ridged brows raises after.

 

‘ Do you want to leave ?’ He’s asking without actually asking.

 

You glance at his mom, who’s been thoroughly distracted by Takagi, trying to pluck the cigarette from behind his ear while he playfully bats her away and banters with her.

You look back at Vesper and nod slightly. You just needed some time to get your head together so you could be fully present in the conversations.

 

He immediately looks at his mom and Takagi who are smiling and seemingly having a good time playing around about the fact Takagi wants to go and smoke.

 

“We’re gonna take five.” Vesper says, standing up.

 

His mom looks a little disheartened. “But me and Star-“

 

“We can talk a little later.” You placate with a small smile as you stand too. “I just need a second if that’s okay. It’s been a weird day.”

 

Nurse Wani nods, Takagi smirking at Vesper who gives him an unfriendly look in return. 

 

“Of course, love. Are you staying? Me and Akito can get started on dinner.” She says, nudging Takagi in the ribs gently. 

 

His smirk falters at that but it’s soon replaced with a lazy smile instead, his arm wrapping around Nurse Wani’s shoulders.

 

“‘Course, mom. I’ll help you out while those two slack.” He agrees with a pointed grin.

 

“Staying here for free, man. Least you can do.” Vesper replies sharply as he begins walking out of the room, his tail flicking slightly in agitation.

 

“Boys…” Nurse Wani warns, but she kind of looks like she’s loving every second of all the company.

 

Vesper leads you into the room that Takagi had gone into earlier and you realise that it’s his room, and that the red light is from a lampshade that seems to be specifically over his bed. 

He leaves the door open, flopping onto a desk chair and catching you staring at the light.

 

“It’s a heat lamp.”

 

You turn to face him. “Huh?”

 

“A heat lamp.” He repeats. “I’ll struggle waking up if I get cold.”

 

You didn’t realise that was something you needed to worry about before, but you definitely were worrying about it now.

 

“Come here.” He says, opening his arms for you.

 

When you get closer you realise the tips of his ears are all pink again, and you smirk a little bit. 

He was definitely getting a bit more confident with initiating physical contact, but he still found it as nerve wracking as you, apparently. 

 

You sit on his lap though, feeling his strong arms wrap around you within an instant of you being there. His chin rests on your shoulder, and you relax properly again.

Until Takagi appears and throws something at you both. 

 

“Have fun!” He says cheerily, giving you a sickly sweet smile.

 

Vesper growls , plucking the two candy wrappers up and throwing them at Takagi, who snickers and disappears into the hallway again, leaving them on the floor.

 

“They might have been nice.” You tell him, turning your head to look at him, noticing the blush darkening his scales and the way smoke is leaking from his nostrils. “What’s the matter? Did you fight?”

 

He shakes his head. “He thinks he’s being funny.”

 

You furrow your eyebrows, looking at the wrappers on the floor. 

You don’t get the joke, but it wasn’t often you did when Takagi was telling them, anyway.

 

“Sorry. I thought she was on the night shift.” He says quietly in your silence.

 

“It’s okay.” You reply, flopping against him a little more, your back pressed against his chest. “I’m sorry for making a bad first impression.”

 

He scoffs. “She was happy to see you, don’t worry about it.”

 

You both go quiet again, something you’re relatively glad for, closing your eyes and leaning your head back against his shoulder as you try to quieten your mind.

 

“So, you were sick? Hawks took you?” Vesper asks, turning his face a little more towards yours in curiosity.

 

Your lips pull down. “I wasn’t sick. I got a burn, that’s what the scar’s from.” 

 

You deliberately leave out the fact you were being held for other reasons. 

 

“Oh.” He murmurs. “From…”

 

“Yeah. He didn’t mean to. It just got out of hand. Hawks wanted to kill Uncle Jin. I think dad just panicked.” You sigh, opening your eyes to stare at the ceiling. “His fire is hard to control.”

 

“And Hawks?” He asks.

 

“You first. Why did my dad call your mom?” You ask quickly in return, trying to shift the attention away from yourself.

 

He winces , which makes you feel a little guilty, but he doesn’t make an effort to move away, or do anything to distance himself from you. 

 

“My dad worked for yours.”

 

“What?!” You immediately yelp, turning your head to look at him, only narrowly missing his headbutting him as he lifts his head from your shoulder at the same time. 

 

“We didn’t know until…” He stops and then sighs. “It’s a long story. But mom was in hospital for a bit, and Shigaraki called to check in, and he sent her some flowers.”

 

“She was?” You ask, your lips falling. “Is she better now?”

 

“She’s fine now.” He replies, giving you a gentle squeeze.

 

“If your dad worked for mine, how come he’s in prison?” You ask, your curiosity getting the best of you for the thousandth time, as you immediately realise that was not a good question to ask.

 

His eyes roll away, and his jaw sets before he rests his chin back on your shoulder, black strands of his hair tickling your cheek as he does so.

He doesn’t answer for a while, and you’re unsure if it’s because he doesn’t want to, if he’s mad at you, or if he’s trying to bring himself to answer you.

 

“Sorry.” You apologise, assuming you’d upset him.

 

He shakes his head slightly and lifts his head to press his snout against your cheek, the cool metal of his nose ring welcome in the heat of the apartment.

You smile a little, looking at him as he moves away. He looks all bashful and cute again, his eyes on yours but his throat bobbing in a way that tells you he’s nervous.

You kiss the pointed beak of his mouth softly anyway, always treasuring how shy he gets afterwards.

 

The front door opens, and you hear Takagi singing quietly to himself when he comes back in. 

 

“Akito, honey, is that you?” You hear Nurse Wani call.

 

“Yes ma’am. Be there in a sec.” He calls back.

 

“Lock the door behind you, would you?” 

 

You hear Takagi hum an affirmative, the lock audibly clicking.

 

“I’m gonna go help mom.” Vesper tells you, straightening up behind you. “Text me if you need me?”

 

“Mhm.” You agree, getting up so he can stand, and taking his place in the seat the second he’s up.

 

He gives you one more once-over, disappearing for a second before coming back and leaving your duffel bag in the room, picking up the wrappers from the floor that he’d thrown back at Takagi, sliding them into one of his cargo pants pockets and then leaving again.

You spin around in the chair a couple of times, looking around his room.

 

It’s small, but it feels like there’s a lot in it.

You’re sitting in front of a TV, a couple of game consoles next to it, and controllers on the other side of the desk they’re all sitting on.

There’s one small wardrobe covered in stickers, an acoustic guitar leaning against it. One of the walls is plastered in posters, some of the corners peeling away from the wall and his bed is in the center of the room with a small nightstand next to it. 

 

There’s a picture frame on the nightstand, and when you lean a little closer to look at what’s inside properly, you realise it’s the drawing you did of him when he tried to help you fix your game.

 

You smile a little at the sight of it, glad that he liked it. 

For some reason it makes you want to try again, shoving the memory of Hawks and the fear that maybe Nurse Wani wanted to take you away again to the back of your mind.

After all, it’s ridiculous. 

She knew Tomura. She seemed to talk highly of him. 

And you hadn’t seen Hawks or Hakuchō for years.

 

You check your phone quickly before making your next move, having forgotten to text your parents to let them know you’d gotten to where you needed to be safely.

 

✋🏻: Are you okay, Starlight?

✋🏻 : We didn’t mean to scare you earlier. It’s all sorted now, it won’t happen again.

 

✨: I’m okay mura. See you tomorrow, love you.

 

You get up, going to go into what you assume is the kitchen with the full intention of helping, but when you get to the doorway you realise that there's no way that you can fit another person in there with the taller than average Wani’s and Takagi sitting on one of the countertops, swinging his legs and talking to Vespers mom as she stirs something on the stove.

 

Vesper notices you first, his expression softening and his tail almost hitting his moms as it swipes across the floor at the sight of you.

 

“I was gonna come and help but I think you guys have it sorted.” You smile, leaning in the doorway.

 

“It’s a little cosy in here.” Nurse Wani agrees with a chuckle. “Make yourself at home. It shouldn’t take too much longer.”

 

You look at Vesper, who gives you a simple nod in response. 

You back out, going back to Vespers room to shuck off your jacket and sweater. Now that they’re cooking, it’s getting even hotter in the already boiling apartment.

You would have a wander around the apartment, but you kind of feel like there’s not much more to see.

 

You don’t really know what to do, so you just sit on the edge of Vesper's bed, putting your arm under the heat lamp to see how hot it actually is.

 

“What’re you doing?” Takagi asks from the doorway, making you jolt in surprise.

 

He looks amused when you look at him, retracting your arm and moving it towards your body again.

 

“I was just wondering how hot it actually is.” You explain.

 

“That how you got that scar?” He asks, nodding towards your scarred arm.

 

You instinctively go to cover it, but it’s pointless because he’s already seen it. His eyebrow is raised expectantly as he awaits an answer. 

Luckily, your boyfriend appears from the kitchen, towering behind Takagi, looking unimpressed.

 

“Quit bugging her.” Vesper says from behind him. “C’mon, Star, it’s ready.”

 

On account of there only being three seats at the table, Nurse Wani suggests the three of you sit around it and she’ll eat on the couch.

When Vesper argues that he’ll sit on the couch instead, you do feel a little bit disheartened, but you’d put on a good show of not being worried about being sat alone with Takagi and Vesper’s mom without Vesper there to be a buffer.

At this, Takagi picks up the bowl that Nurse Wani had put down for him, taking it over to the couch and flopping down on it, turning on the TV and not making any fuss about it at all.

 

“Thank you, love.” Nurse Wani says anyway, looking at him with the same fondness she looked at her own son with.

 

And conversation over dinner isn’t as awkward as you’d worried yourself it would be. It literally is just catching up. She asks you what you’re doing in college, and you tell her about the course, and that you chose to specialise in illustration. She lights up at the fact that you’re both ‘creatives’ and asks if you have any pictures of your art. 

You’re more than happy to get your phone out and show her some pictures of pieces you were particularly proud of, and she marvels at each and every one, telling Vesper how talented you were.

 

“I know, mom.” He responded with every time.

 

It made you feel even better knowing he thought that about you, too.

 

She’s working in a different hospital now, but she still is a nurse and seems to enjoy her job from how much she smiles as she talks about it.

You both express excitement for the boys at their first tour, Takagi even joining in with you both, draping his arms around Vesper's neck in a loose hug even though Vesper gets moody about it because he’s still trying to eat.

 

“I just can’t believe you two have found each other.” She says, amazement in her voice as she swirls her glass of wine in her hand. “It’s just so perfect .”

 

“Mom, stop.” Vesper murmurs, his beige scales going a dusty pink again along his cheeks, and the tips of his ears darken too.

 

“Aw, soulmates.” Takagi teases, rubbing his cheek against Vesper’s like Himiko used to when she was trying to be affectionate.

 

Vesper pretends to bark like a dog to get the other to back off, but it only succeeds in making Takagi laugh, his dark eyes crinkling at the outer corners. It’s probably the most genuine laugh you’ve heard from Takagi ever , and even Vesper gives one of his toothy grins at the sound of it.

 

It’s a nice dinner. 

It’s nice spending time with Vesper and people that clearly mean a lot to him. 

It’s nice seeing where he lives, and his space.

It’s homely, and eventually, you do feel comfortable.

 

*•*

 

You severely underestimated how hot that lamp would be, though, especially laying next to Vesper. His thick arm is wrapped around your stomach, his snout is pressed against the back of your neck and the end of his tail is wrapped around your ankle. 

You definitely shouldn’t have worn sweatpants and a t-shirt to bed.

 

You manage to shimmy off your sweatpants without waking Ves up too much though, just getting a sleepy murmur of complaint from him. 

It’s still not quite enough to cool you down though, and you end up sweating as you lay there unable to sleep.

 

“Ves?” You whisper.

 

He doesn’t even stir, so you repeat his name, slightly louder and a bit more firmly.

He hums groggily in response, tightening his arm and tail around you slightly.

 

“Can you turn that down at all?”

 

“Mm?” He asks, untucking his face from your nape. “Can’t hear anythin’.”

 

His voice, on account of being so deep, is loud even though he sounds like he’s trying to be quiet.

You grimace a little, hoping it doesn’t wake Takagi or his mom up.

 

“The lamp, babe.” You whisper, the word slipping from your lips before you get the chance to stop it.

 

The silence that follows feels like it goes on forever, but it’s probably only for a second. He chuckles quietly, the sound rumbling through the mattress, and he pushes his face against your neck again.

 

“Vesper?”

 

“Can’t, babe .” He replies, sounding like he’s a lot less tired than he was and it sounds like he may even be smiling . “It’s only on or off. If you’re suffering we can turn it off, but you’ll have to turn it back on to wake me up in the morning. Takes a minute.”

 

He yawns, exposing his sharp teeth in the red light as he sits up to reach to turn it off, but you flip around to catch his arm.

 

“No, don’t. It’s okay.” You reassure, not wanting him to get sick or struggle to get up in the morning for your benefit.

 

You sit up, pulling your sleep shirt off and getting out from under the covers.

You were now in your sports bra and panties, but it was nice not being in a sweat soaked shirt anymore.

Luckily you were smart enough to bring a glass of water with you when you had gone to bed, so you down half a glass before settling back down on the bed.

 

“What are you doing?” Vesper asks, his eyes wide and he turns his head away from you.

 

“I should be better now.” You reply, laying on your side, turning your back to him again. 

 

“Okay.” He agrees, but he doesn’t curl around you like he usually does.

 

You turn to look at him, frowning a little when you see him laying on his back when you know that’s not comfortable, his arms folded and behind his head as he stares at the ceiling.

 

“Cuddle?”

 

He glances at you, an expression you don’t really recognise flits over his face. “Not right now.”

 

“Are you mad at me for waking you up?” You whisper. “I’m sorry…”

 

He shakes his head. “Not that.”

 

“Then what?” You ask, turning over so you’re facing him.

 

He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath, his chest rising slowly. “Just give me a minute.”

 

You go quiet, staring at him in the dim lighting until he opens his eyes again. He shakes his head and snorts when he sees you staring and waiting for him, but the corners of his mouth turn upwards as he shifts and motions with one hand for you to turn over.

You do, the bed creaking slightly as you do so and he follows the action, returning back to how he was, all curled up around you, and you feel safe and secure again.

 

Stripping the shirt was a good idea, you feel the heat is a little more manageable now as you press yourself up against Vesper once more, even though he tenses slightly.

 

“Thank you.” You whisper.

 

He hums, pressing his nose into you like he does when he’s trying to ‘kiss’ you.

You take a deep breath, staring at the wardrobe that’s obscured by the darkness opposite you, and decide to be brave.

 

“Love you.”

 

Your heart is in your throat as you wait for his response, which feels like forever, but he does tighten his arm around you briefly, and it sounds like his tail thuds against the bed.

 

“You too, Star.” He replies as quietly as he can.

 

You smile wide in the darkness, a fluttering feeling in your stomach at the response. 

He didn’t directly say it, but he’s shy about these things,   and you know that’s what he really meant.

 

“Sorry if you feel them.” He murmurs sleepily against your neck after a while. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”

 

“Huh? Feel what?” You ask, confused. 

 

Silence.

 

“Ves?”

Chapter 30: Approach

You wake up with the driest mouth ever considering you hadn’t even drunk anything the night before, and when you reach for the glass you had left nearby, you realise it’s empty.

You huff a little in irritation, hyper-aware of how horrible your mouth feels. You turn your head slightly to look at Vesper, seeing if he’s awake so you can get up and refill your glass without disturbing him.

 

But he’s asleep, his ebony hair fanned over his face and the pillow. Small amounts of smoke are leaking from his nostrils, but he looks peaceful enough. 

Looking over his face, scanning the beige scales and the small horns that run down the length of his ‘nose’ and the ridges of his brows, you smile softly to yourself and can’t help but turn over to face him.

He stirs a bit when you roll onto your other side, his eyes blinking open wearily briefly before they close again, a sleepy groan rumbling through him as his arm tightens around your middle again, bringing you closer to him again.

 

You gently brush his black hair out of his face, trying not to wake him but wanting to soak in all the little details of his face without him hiding behind his hair like he always seemed to.

Like he knows what you’re doing even in his sleep, he turns his face into the pillow, like he’s trying to hide even still.

You smile a little to yourself, pressing yourself against him and tucking your face against his throat.

 

He groans again, shifting his lower half and digging his nails into your side.

Your eyes widen when you realise that he was hard again from the way his hips grind up into you, going still as to not wake him up or rile him up more without him being aware of it.

 

Your face heats up. You had only felt that once before at Zeros apartment, quizzing him on what was in his pocket because it was kind of uncomfortable, only for him to deposit you off his lap and stutter about how he hadn’t meant to, but you were just so pretty and with you on his lap kissing him he couldn’t help how his body reacted and that he was sorry.

You had blinked at him, and you had seen the realisation flit over his face before he had sighed, shifting his position on the bed slightly before explaining what it was and why.

 

Maybe you should have taken Tomura and Dabi’s offer of ‘the talk’ before to have saved you both the embarrassment. 

 

Lacking tact like usual, you had looked at the large bulge straining his cargo pants and then frowned in confusion.

 

“But it’s huge.” You had whispered, honestly half frightened.

 

Because when Himiko had told you the basics of sex all those years ago, you knew that that was meant to go into someone, and there was no way that was going to work, surely?

 

Vesper had gone the reddest you’d ever seen, and looked away before explaining that because of his heteromorphic quirk, he has two penises instead of one.

You had squeaked ‘what?’ out of surprise and immediately regretted it.

Especially when Zero appeared at the door trying to get your attention, and Vesper had taken your surprise completely the wrong way.

 

You don’t want to scare him off again so you stay still, staring at his face with the same owlish expression you wore when you realised what was grinding against you.

And sure, it was kind of flattering, but he wasn’t awake yet and…it was honestly kind of intimidating.

 

Eventually he does stir properly, though, and moves his face away from the pillow again, his green eyes peering at you from the corners.

 

“Mornin’.” He grumbles, his voice even lower from sleep.

 

“Morning. I need a drink.” You say quickly, untangling yourself from him, even though he looks confused at your haste.

 

It takes a second for him to realise before he goes all pink again. 

 

“Sorry.” He apologises, running his scaled hand through his hair. “I-“

 

“I don’t mind.” You tell him with a soft smile, retrieving your glass. “I’m just gonna get some water then I’ll be back. Don’t worry, okay?”

 

He looks worried as you quickly put on one of his too-big shirts and hurry to the bathroom, but not before Takagi spots you, downing orange juice from the carton in the kitchen.

He gives you a once over before grinning, his lip piercings jutting out from his skin.

 

“Legs.” He greets, and you feel your face heat up.

 

“Fuck off, Takagi.” You say, trying to say it with the same fierceness as Keiko would.

 

He looks surprised for a second before laughing heartily as you duck into the bathroom and quickly pour yourself a glass of tap water. 

You return to Vespers room, ignoring Takagi’s smug smile as you pass the kitchen and close the bedroom door behind you and take some deep swigs from your glass.

 

Vesper is sitting on the edge of the bed, his head hanging slightly as he toys nervously with his hands. You tilt your head slightly, nudging his shin with your foot gently.

He peers up at you through his hair.

 

“I told you not to worry.” You remind him, leaning to put your glass on the nightstand.

 

Taking a deep breath to steel yourself, you cautiously straddle his lap, and his eyes stay on you as you do so. His hands hover over your waist before he decides to commit and place them on there properly.

You hover above him slightly, not wanting to make him uncomfortable.

 

“Is this okay?” You ask, watching his throat as he gulps, looking up at you.

 

“Yeah.” He agrees gruffly, his tail swipes over the sheets, affirming his answer. 

 

His eyes drop down to his shirt that you’re wearing, his tongue darting out momentarily in a short hiss. He looks abashed afterwards, but you find it endearing, smiling down at him and assuming it means he’s getting more comfortable with you if he’s showing more of the traits that his quirk comes with.

His thumbs run over your sides softly.

 

“That suits you.” He says, sounding nervous.

 

“Really?” You ask, beaming down at him. “Thank you.”

 

You kiss the length of horns that line his nose carefully in case they’re sharper than they look. 

He squeezes your sides in return, clearly unsure what to do.

The kiss was meant to relax him, but he’s back to avoiding your eyes again, so you frown slightly as you try to think about how to soothe him.

 

You run your arms over his shoulders, looping them around his neck.

 

“You don’t have to be nervous. It’s just me.” You tell him, trying to catch his eyes so you can smile at him.

 

He peeks through his hair at you again, the end of his tail flicking when he sees you smiling at him.

He takes a deep breath before moving one of his hands to your hair, clearly being careful not to get his claws caught in it as he brings your face to his.

You can’t help but smile a little more the closer you get, happy to see him initiate a kiss for once. And you’re more than happy to oblige.

 

You kiss the beak of his mouth softly, pulling back and giving him a warm smile.

You’re about to tell him you love him again when you see his jaw tighten and he pulls you closer again, and you giggle before kissing him again, letting it linger for a little longer before pulling away to kiss between his nostrils again.

 

He’s looking at you intensely, and you can tell something is up but you’re probably going to have to wrestle it out of him.

 

“You okay?” You ask, pressing your body closer to his.

 

“Yeah.” He agrees, removing his hand from your head. “Yeah.”

 

And he seems a little more relaxed now, so you smile again and rub your nose along the horns on his own lightly. 

He takes another deep breath, tilting your chin back with a rough finger. You look at him affectionately, giving him your full attention.

 

“Fuck, can I… Can I try something?” He asks quickly.

 

“Sure.” You say with a loving smile.

 

He’s still for a second, as though he’s waiting for it to be a prank or something, but does pull your lips back to his beaked mouth.

You fight back the urge to chuckle, because you’ve kissed him loads of times before, it’s not like this is anything new.

 

You kiss him again, but his hand goes to the back of your head again, keeping you where you are. You hum a little, kind of just assuming what he wants you to do and continuing to kiss his beaked mouth until something wet traces over your bottom lip and you squeak in surprise, your eyes shooting open.

 

Vesper immediately lets go of you, his eyes averting. 

 

“What was that?” You ask, surprised.

 

Vesper doesn’t reply verbally, just sticks his forked tongue out slightly before flicking it back into his mouth, looking like a big pouty baby.

You giggle, turning his face to you again.

 

“You’re cute.” You tell him, your heart warm at the silly frustrated face he’s pulling. “Try again.”

 

“Wha- Really ?” He asks, his eyes wide.

 

You nod, kneeling over him properly instead of hovering over his lap so your legs stop complaining. You run your hands either side of his face before kissing him again, doing it over and over until you feel him relax again, one hand going to your hip, squeezing the skin there and the other going to the back of your head again.

This time when you feel his tongue lick over your bottom lip, you open your mouth a little more, assuming that’s the right thing to do from what you’ve seen.

 

When you feel his tongue slide against yours successfully, a sound similar to a growl emanates in his chest, his hands tightening on you.

Your heart picks up when the kiss doesn’t stop there, that same warm feeling flooding from your toes up your body, and you tighten your arms around his neck.

 

You do break apart to breathe for a second, but Vesper pulls you back in, smoke beginning to leak through his nose again. It happens a lot more naturally this time, your tongue sliding against his and making a shudder run down his body, a rhythmic thud kind of in the background as his tail thumps against the bed.

 

“Okay?” He asks breathily as you break apart again.

 

You nod, both of you looking at each other with half-lidded eyes. You lower yourself onto his lap again, your eyes widening when Ves takes a deep breath and allows his hands to travel lower, his eyes scanning your face as though gauging your reaction.

You freeze for a moment, a half-memory coming back, and he immediately moves his hands back up to your hips.

 

“Too much?” He asks, and you realise his slit pupils are far wider than usual.

 

“Sorry. Give me a second?” You ask, still a little breathless yourself. “More.”

 

Vesper doesn’t need to be told twice, both of you kissing again as his hands squeeze your sides, sending more of that nice warmth through your body.

 

“Okay.” You breathe against the beak of his mouth the second you feel like you’re relaxed enough.

 

Vesper pants against your neck as his hands travel down again, his now shorter talons scraping over your ass in a way that tingles rather than hurts.

You tug on his hair to get another kiss, wanting to get rid of the slight guard you still have up for no reason, which he’s happy to do, his hands splaying over your butt.

 

You’re still kissing when he lowers you down fully, sitting you on his cocks and rolling his hips up slightly, hitting a sensitive spot that you weren’t really too aware of beforehand. You give a low, surprised moan which makes Vesper groan against your neck, his hands moving to your waist again.

You go to kiss him again, wanting more of whatever that was, but he pulls back slightly and shakes his head, smoke streaming consistently from his nostrils now.

 

“We need to stop.” He says, his voice rougher than usual.

 

“But-“ You begin, but the heated touches do become softer as he moves your hair out of your face, his other hand falling onto your bare thigh.

 

“Akito’s here. I don’t want to lose control, either.” Vesper says, standing up with you in his arms in one smooth movement.

 

Your eyes widen in surprise at the sudden movement as you’re set down onto the bed again, Vesper setting you down on the edge of the bed and crouching in front of you, passing you your water.

 

“You okay?” He asks, a clawed hand gently tucking hair behind your ear.

 

You nod, a little stunned. 

 

He nods, visibly gulping. “Good.”

 

He presses his snout against your forehead before standing up fully, his tail swaying behind him.

 

“I’m going to shower.” He tells you. “I won’t be long.”

 

“Okay.” You agree, scatterbrained.

 

He checks you over once more before grabbing a towel and leaving the room, closing the door softly behind him.

The second he’s out of sight, you’re hit with an overwhelming surge of embarrassment. You had no idea what you were doing, you had gotten all up in his space, he touched your ass, and he’d ground up into you, even though you were both clothed.

You hide your face in your hands as your face heats up as your mind flicks back to the whole scene. 

 

You get up, digging into your duffel bag and pulling your clothes out. 

Vesper, to his credit, doesn’t take long in the shower, coming back with his hair dripping water onto the floor and onto the grey sweatpants he’s wearing, leaving small dark patches behind. 

 

“Did you want a shower?” He asks, even though you’re part way through pulling up your jeans.

 

You shake your head, avoiding his eyes as you continue getting dressed, removing his shirt to pull on one of the ones Aiko had given you. The second your shirt’s on, Vesper stands in front of you, tilting your head back so you’re forced to drag your eyes over his abs and chest until you meet his eyes, his wet hair falling over his face in clumps as he looks down at you.

 

“You okay?” He asks. “I didn’t upset you did I?”

 

You shake your head, but he doesn’t look convinced.

 

“Are you hurt?” He asks.

 

You shake your head again.

 

“Speak, Star.” He says, sounding like he’s trying to be teasing behind the nervousness.

 

You look up at him, seeing the concern in his green eyes. And you don’t want that.

 

“I’m just embarrassed.” You admit.

 

“Embarrassed?” He asks, confused. “Why?”

 

“I didn’t know what I was doing.” You swallow. “It was probably bad compared to other people.”

 

Vesper blinks at you. “What?”

 

“Well, y’know…” You trail off, unsure how to word your insecurity without making it sound like he’d slept around. “Compared to other girls. I was probably the worst, right?”

 

Vesper looks at you, his expression unreadable for a moment before he barks out a sudden laugh that makes you startle slightly.

 

“What other girls?” He asks. “I’m a freak. I told you, I’ve never had a girlfriend or anything before.”

 

“Well Takagi doesn’t have a girlfriend, and-“ 

 

Vesper rolls his eyes, crouching so that you’re both eye-to-eye. 

 

“You weren’t bad.” He says, trying to keep his voice low. “I was scared of pushing it too far, because I was enjoying you too much.”

 

He stares at you as your blood rises to your face. 

 

“I don’t know why you want me.” He says sincerely. “I’ve never done this before, either.”

 

You bop him on the nose with your knuckles gently, forcing yourself to smile. “You’re not a freak.”

 

He smiles back at you, but it looks more genuine and relieved than yours. “You’re blind, then.”

 

“You’re handsome. You could get anyone you wanted.” You tell him, wholeheartedly believing every word.

 

“I did.” He replies like the words are automatic, a blush dusting over his cheeks afterwards.

 

“You really haven’t done this stuff before?” You ask, needing the reassurance.

 

He cringes but it’s momentary, and you suppose it might be a bit embarrassing for him.

 

“Well…” He starts, pauses for a second and then shakes his head. “No. No.” 

 

“Okay.” You say, walking towards him and letting him wrap his arms around you.

 

He presses his snout against your head, snorting a little when his nose ring gets caught in your hair, detangling it quickly. “I’ll make breakfast.”

 

“It’s okay, I’m gonna go home.” You say, pulling away from him. 

 

His brow ridges furrows a little bit, but he stands and doesn’t try to keep you at his. 

 

“You should eat though… Do you want me to walk you to the station?” He asks, and you shake your head, smiling at him.

 

“It’s okay, you and Takagi can do some band stuff.” You try to encourage.

 

He nods, but doesn’t look too pleased about it as he turns to put a shirt on.

As you walk into the hallway, your duffel bag being carried by Vesper, Takagi leans in the doorway, a big smirk on his face.

 

“The lovebirds rise.” He comments.

 

Vesper sighs as you slip your shoes on, giving an annoyed grunt when Takagi punches his arm and then shakes his hand out from the impact. 

 

“My boy popped his cherry.” He croons, jumping as if to try and get Vesper in a headlock. 

 

“Fuck off , man.” Vesper hisses, pushing Takagi hard enough for him to stumble. “I’m not you .”

 

Takagi titters. “You loved it. Probably jerked off.”

 

Vesper hits him over the head with his palm. “I did not .”

 

“I heard the thumpin’, you guys can’t lie to me.” Takagi continues even though Vesper’s clearly getting mad.

 

“It was my tail , idiot.” Vesper hisses. “Because I like being around her, unlike the time I spend with you.”

 

“Ouch.” Takagi grins.

 

You stand, desperate to get away from any more arguments before they start. 

 

“Thank you for letting me stay.” You tell Vesper, tiptoeing to kiss his mouth gently. “I love you.”

 

Takagi’s face lights up as he looks at Vesper.

Vesper pauses for a moment, hesitating even though his tail flicks across the floor. 

 

“Yeah, you too, babe.” Vesper says, going all shy.

 

You’re about to smile before Takagi successfully launches himself at Vesper, getting him in a headlock and pulling him down to his level.

 

“Bye!” You say, picking up your bag before hastily leaving, not wanting to see the outcome of that one when Vesper was barely containing his irritation as it was.

 

Taking a deep breath, you pull up Google Maps to aid you to the station.

You needed to talk to Tomura.

 

*•*

 

When you arrive home, Dabi immediately calls after you, Cloud racing down the stairs to come and meet you at the door. 

 

“Yeah, it’s me.” You call back, kneeling down to pet Cloud.

 

“There you are.” He says as he comes down the stairs, tapping his foot slightly. “I was worried. You didn’t tell me you got there safe.” 

 

“I told ‘Mura.” You reply, untying your shoes.

 

Dabi mutters something under his breath before clearing his throat. “Look, Star, I gotta tell you something-“

 

“Yeah, can it wait?” You ask, taking off your other shoe. “I wanna talk to dad about something.”

 

Dabi blinks. “About what?”

 

“Nothing you can help with.” You lie, and he is silent for a second before nudging you with his slippered foot.

 

“You lyin’ to me, Starshine?” He asks. “What you hidin’?”

 

“Go away.” You grumble, grabbing his foot so he has to hop on the spot to not fall over, Cloud meowing loudly.

 

“Tell me.” He demands, and you shake your head adamantly, heat rising to your face.

 

For some reason this makes him pause. “Ohhh. That kinda stuff. Yeah, I don’t wanna hear about that, Star. Go get him. I can tell you later.”

 

You stand, intending on rushing away until he opens his arms and raises a thin white eyebrow.

 

“Oh, stop.” You say with an eye roll. “It was a night. Where is he?”

 

Dabi shrugs, picking Cloud up. “Come see me after, ‘kay? You are alright, though?”

 

“Yeah dad, I’m okay.” You agree, sighing as you go to the office under the stairs to look for Tomura there. 

 

He’s not there. 

He’s not in the living room either, even though the TV has been left open on a game. Looks like one of the older Dark Souls games.

You hum a little to yourself, checking the kitchen.

 

Surprisingly you find Tomura outside the patio doors, leaning on one of the pillars, smoking and scrolling through his phone.

You pull the door open, popping your head out.

 

“Dad?”

 

“Mm.” Tomura hums absentmindedly, taking a drag on the cigarette. 

 

“…You don’t smoke.”

 

“Mm.” Tomura hums with a little more attitude behind it.

 

“Can I talk to you about something?” You ask shyly.

 

“Of course.” He replies without looking at you.

 

“…Can we have that talk?” You ask, keeping it vague.

 

Tomura pauses, a small smirk pulling at the scarred corner of his mouth. “What talk?”

 

“Dad, please don’t make me say it.” You beg. 

 

“If you can’t say it, you shouldn’t be doing it.” Tomura retorts dryly.

 

You groan, wobbling your leg a little brattily. “The sex talk.”

 

“Of course, Starlight.” Tomura agrees, flicking ash to the patio floor. “Is your dad home?”

 

“Yeah?” You agree, surprised he doesn’t already know.

 

“We’ll go to a diner.” Tomura says, finishing the cigarette and stomping it out. “It’ll stay between us.”

 

“Thanks, pa.” You breathe as he comes inside.

Chapter 31: Overstayed Welcome

“Hell yeah.” Akito grins, his piercings poking out from his bottom lip as they listen to the playback from the recording just taken. “You nailed it, Ves!”

 

“Thanks.” Vesper grunts blandly in response.

 

It had only taken fifteen takes.

But Vesper was willing to do it if it made his life a little bit easier in the band, at the very least. Akito had been so anxious and snappy about not having new material that he’d been happy to stay longer than he’d really wanted in the studio to just shut the smaller man up.

 

“We’ll get Abe to record tomorrow and then Aoki can work his magic.” Akito says, leaning back in his chair with a self-satisfied smile, a cigarette dangling from his fingers despite being told over and over he’s not meant to smoke in the studio. 

 

“Sure.” Vesper agrees, finishing off the rest of his water and then chucking the bottle in the trash can. “I’m off, then.”

 

“Woah, woah, woah.” Akito says, putting his cigarette out and standing as well. “Wait for me, damn.”

 

“You’re not coming.” Vesper replies, a lot more bluntly than he really intended.

 

Akito had been staying for days at this point now. He was becoming costly to house, and Vesper and his mom were already struggling to make ends meet as it was.

Plus, it was stopping him from being able to see Star outside of the college setting if he even managed to take breaks while trying to get his college work done before the tour with Nightwalker.

 

 Akito laughs once dryly as he slowly collects his notes from the table. “Nice one, Ves. You got me there.”

 

Vesper just shakes his head slightly, grabbing his backpack.

He needed to go . He’d been staying late for the last few days, and he didn’t want his mom to have to cook by herself yet again.

 

“You can’t be serious.” Akito says, sounding dumbfounded. “Is this ‘cause of Todoroki? ‘Cause I really don’t mind dude, I can put my earphones in, or go for a walk… Wait . Ves, seriously, I’ll leave her alone. You won’t even know I’m there.”

 

“It’s not because of Star.” Vesper sighs as he takes in the sight of the seemingly genuine panic on Akito’s face. “Me and mom can’t-“

 

“Whiskers won’t let me stay anymore, and Hana’s house is chaos- Vesper, wait. ” Akito says, shoving his things into his bag as Vesper turns around. “C’mon, Abe and Aoki won’t do it.”

 

“Then you’ll have to go home and keep your head down.” Vesper replies shortly even though he does feel a little bit guilty about it.

 

“It’s not… Don’t do this. Please.” Akito says, stepping on Vesper's tail gently enough that it doesn’t hurt, but firmly enough that it makes Vesper pause.

 

He really wishes he could have surgery and cut the damn thing off. 

He turns to glare at Akito, and really regrets doing so afterwards.

 

Akito’s face is clammy as though he’s got a slight sheen of sweat covering it, making his usually clear skin look a little waxy.

 

“You wouldn’t make me go back there, right, Ves?” Akito asks, seemingly genuinely panicked. 

 

“We can’t afford it anymore dude. I’m sorry.” Vesper tries to explain, even though it’s really hard to stick to his guns when his best friend looks at him like that. “If you could help with groceries…”

 

“I can see if I can grab some money.” Akito says quickly, passing Vesper his guitar case. “Take this.”

 

Vesper takes it from him automatically, and Akito’s at the door in an instant. 

 

“Head home without me, I’ll meet you there.” He says determinedly before disappearing off.

 

Vesper blinks at the closed door and then at the guitar case in his hand.

He really must be desperate this time around.

 

*•*

 

“It’s me.” Vesper calls, locking the door behind him.

 

“Welcome home honey!” Mom calls from the kitchen.

 

He rests the guitar against the wall so he can crouch and undo his boots.

 

“You better not be cooking, mom!” He calls, hurriedly trying to get his shoes off.

 

“I’m just getting started!” She reassures, laughing.

 

Vesper grumbles slightly to himself at her response, grabbing the guitar Akito had left with him as he stands, quickly leaving it in his room before joining his mom in the kitchen.

 

“No Akito today?” She asks, sounding like she’s disappointed.

 

“He’s gone to get some money to help with groceries. Out the way, mom.” 

 

“He doesn’t need to do that.” She immediately insists, shaking her head as she leans against a countertop. “Honestly, that boy…”

 

Vesper doesn’t reply as he cuts up the meat his mom had made a start on, because this isn’t the first time that he’s had to feign thoughtfulness for Akito to look less of an asshole. 

 

“I worry about him.” She sighs, and Vesper holds his tongue again, because they all worry about him.

 

That’s why Keiko puts up with him even though he’s repeatedly treated her like a joke. Punching that guy at the bar on Star's birthday had been the final straw for Keiko, and Vesper doesn’t blame her for not wanting to put Aki up at her place anymore after that. 

Honestly, time after time he had gone home with random women in front of Keiko, and kissed other girls in front of her, too. But when she does it to him, it’s an issue.

 

Vesper thinks she was probably more pissed off that Vesper got dragged into the mess with him and dragged to a holding cell simply for being present on the scene. 

Especially with how concerned Star probably was. There was no denying how close the girls had all gotten so quickly, they were protective of Star and Vesper liked that.

 

Hana was a lot more casual about her care of Aki than he or Keiko were, but she still cared about him in her happy-go-lucky way. She probably would let him stay if there weren’t already so many people in her family home.

 

And realistically, mom’s apartment was too small to house three people. It was even tighter than it is with Akito around when his dad lived with them, because even with his mom being taller than non-heteromorphs, his dad had been taller than Vesper himself, and bigger.

He’d only agreed to let Akito stay as long as he has because he cares about him, too. He doesn’t want to end up visiting him in hospital again, or see him walking around with cuts and bruises that were ‘hidden’.

 

“Vesper, text him and tell him not to worry.” His mom urges, patting his arm.

 

“It’s the least he can do, mom. He’s staying with us for free and we’re struggling as it is.” Vesper replies, trying to keep his voice even.

 

“Vesper, don’t be ridiculous. We have the rest of your dads salary that he was owed if things get too dire.” Mom chastises as he drops the meat into a pan.

 

“You said you wanted to save it for a deposit. It’s a shithole here, mom. The basement flat got raided last week. Yesterday I got back and someone was pissing in the hallway on the ground floor.” 

 

He’s rewarded with her palm smacking the back of his head, but it doesn’t hurt, just makes him jolt in surprise.

 

“Language! Vesper Wani, you’re better than that.” She says sternly, rubbing the back of his head afterwards. 

 

He clicks his tongue. “I’m an adult.”

 

“You’re trying too hard to be an adult.” She retorts, checking on the rice in the rice cooker. “I appreciate it, love. I do. But you don’t have to worry about money, or how the house is run. You’re taking on jobs that aren’t yours to worry about.”

 

“Gotta look after you, mom.” Vesper replies, stirring the meat. 

 

Mom sighs, patting his shoulder. “You’re a good boy Vesper, but I want you to focus on your own life. Your band, your job and college, your friends, Star…”

 

“Family first.” Is all Vesper replies with.

 

She’d been through enough. It was his duty to protect her from anything else happening to her.

 

She doesn’t try fighting him any more about it, because she knows he has the stubborn streak from his dad. 

They cook together, and Vesper plates up some of the finished product for Akito too for when he finally arrives.

 

But he never does.

 

*•*

 

“There you are. Where’d you go?” Vesper asks, grabbing Akito’s shoulder when he catches his silhouette walking toward the college.

 

When he turns the smaller man around, he recoils a bit when he sees one eye swollen shut, the skin around it a dark purple and massively discoloured compared to the rest of his darker toned skin. 

 

“What the-“ Vesper starts, and Akito shrugs.

 

“Slipped.”

 

Vesper stares at him, amazed that he would even try to pull that shit on him when he knows the truth.

 

“Shit, I’m so sorry.” Vesper apologises the second he’s collected himself.

 

“Don’t worry about it.” Akito replies, moving his shoulder away from Vesper’s hand harshly. 

 

But that’s not really possible with Vesper's brain.

Especially when it feels like it’s kind of his fault he got attacked this time. And even though he’d always managed to worm his way out of being beaten by his own dad, he’d seen Akito suffer through this for years, ever since his mom married her boss.

 

His worry is not helped when Akito barely speaks to him all day, but puts on a show for everyone else.

 

He’s actually surprised when Akito joins him on break, glad to finally be able to go and see the girls after what feels like forever.

They don’t really talk on the way to the boardroom, even though Vesper tries , even bringing up the previously sore topic of the tour and pretending he has the inspiration to write new songs.

 

When Star sees them walk in, her face lights up at the sight of Vesper, which makes his tail flick happily, whipping into a table leg as he passes and making the sound of metal ringing echo through the room.

Vesper's guard goes up as people turn to stare in the direction of the noise, and Star's smile quickly disappears when she sees Akito walking behind him.

 

“Oh my god, what happened?” She asks the second they’re close enough.

 

“Slipped.” Akito replies with a shrug, pulling a chair out and kicking his feet onto the table.

 

“What did you hit on the way down?” Star asks, too gullible for her own good.

 

“A fist.” Hana quips, raising a thick eyebrow. “Are you good, Aki?”

 

“Fine.” He replies blandly, like he has been all day.

 

Keiko’s the only one that doesn’t acknowledge it, even though she stares at him the entire time they’re all together.

Star does too, but Vesper doesn’t get jealous this time, because he can see the worry and concern in her eyes rather than intrigue this time. 

 

“Let’s go for a smoke.” Keiko finally says, pulling on Akito’s arm.

 

Akito looks surprised for a second, but it’s only momentary before he grins lazily at Keiko and nods.

 

“Sure, pussycat.” 

 

Vesper tries to catch Keiko’s eye, to try to gauge what she’s actually doing, but she avoids looking at anyone other than Aki.

He can feel Star looking at him, so he wraps his tail around her ankle, squeezing it gently while he continues to try and get a glance from Keiko, but he has no luck.

 

“So, Aki’s birthday party!” Hana begins cheerfully the second the door to the boardroom is closed behind Akito and Keiko.

 

“His place is out, obviously.” Vesper sighs, finally relaxing in his seat. “For now.”

 

“His birthday is soon?” Star quizzes.

 

“Mhm! Next week!” Hana replies. “Maybe we could go to a bar instead…”

 

He kind of just wants to spend time alone with Star seeing as he’s been so busy between work, the band and college coursework, but there’s not much time left on break, so he entertains the conversation with Hana, half-making plans for Akito’s birthday.

There were always chances to eventually get to spend more time with Star, anyway.

 

The chance comes sooner than he thought, though, when his girlfriend catches his elbow when it’s time to go back to class and asks him to come to hers after work.

Her dad had agreed to house the little nomu girl, Nova, so he could teach her sign language, and apparently things had been weird there since.

She just wanted to feel normal and relaxed in her own house.

 

And who was Vesper to say no?

 

*•*

 

Vesper has never called in sick to work, and he does feel guilty for taking the loss of a few hours pay when he needs to help his mom, but the look on Star’s face as she walks hand-in-hand with him to her place makes it worthwhile.

He didn’t need to worry too much now anyway with Keiko’s family apparently letting Akito stay at their place for the meantime.

 

He doesn’t know how Star seems so oblivious to the stares they’re getting from simply being in the street together as an obvious couple, chatting away and beaming up at him from time to time.

It makes him feel better about being an oddity compared to other people just by seeing the genuine happiness in her eyes from looking at him, and he can’t help but smile back every time.

 

She enters the passcode into the door as soon as they get to her quiet home on the rich street, stepping in.

 

“Home!” She calls, Cloud meowing as he trots down the stairs to meet her.

 

No-one responds, and Vesper stands in the doorway, his head tilted and eyes scanning the house.

It was odd for no-one to call back to her or come and see who had let themselves in, he knew that from the times he’d been here before. 

Even if Shigaraki wasn’t in, Dabi typically was, and there was also a new addition to their household who should be around, too.

 

A raspy shout of pain from upstairs draws their attention and Vesper’s head snaps towards the sound.

 

“Dad?” Star calls as she freezes in response to the noise, midway through taking her shoes off. 

 

“I’ll go.” Vesper tells her firmly, striding past her with his shoes still on.

 

“Wait!” She calls, still frozen in place. “What if-“

 

He’s already halfway up the stairs, making sure to be as quiet as he can considering the weight of his body.

He’d rather he got hurt than her if it came to that, anyway.

 

It’s clear which room the sound came from because he can hear low voices from the bedroom closest to the staircase.

He stands outside it, listening for any sign of trouble.

Sure enough, a hiss of pain follows through the door in mere moments.

 

“Stop being a baby.” He hears a low voice say, it sounds familiar but something is a little off about it, making it hard to place. “You asked me to do this.”

 

“You could at least be gentle about it!” Dabi snaps back. “ Fuck . Tomura…”

 

Vesper's eyes widen and just as he turns to tell Star not to worry about it, heat rising to his cheeks, he realises she’s stood beside him, looking up at him with worried eyes.

 

“Maybe we shouldn’t-” Vesper is about to suggest, but she looks at the door.

 

“Is everything okay, guys?” She calls worriedly.

 

“Star! Come in here, ‘Mura’s bein’ a brute- Ow! ”

 

Vesper frowns in confusion, but Star pushes the door open without hesitation.

Dabi is sitting on the edge of the bed, Shigaraki sat behind him with a hairbrush in his hand. Dabi immediately looks a little embarrassed by the sight of Vesper standing outside his room, and Shigaraki nods his head at Vesper slightly in acknowledgement.

Vesper can’t place what seems different about Shigaraki, but there’s definitely something new about him.

 

“What are you doing?” Star asks, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Nova put a braid in his hair before he put her down for a nap and he discovered she’d glued it.” Shigaraki replies, snorting in amusement. 

 

“ Glued it?!” Star asks incredulously, walking closer to look at the patch of hair that Shigaraki is fussing over. “ How ?”

 

When she sees the braid in Dabi’s hair, she snorts at him too, which doesn’t help the look of embarrassed irritation on Dabi’s face.

 

“Just get it out.” Dabi demands.

 

“You’re going to have to cut it out.” Star says knowingly. 

 

“I’m not having a fuckin’ bald patch!”

 

“You’re also not letting me brush it out.” Shigaraki replies, raising one of his mottled brows.

 

“ You’re hurting me on purpose.” Dabi bitches. “Let Star try.”

 

“I think she’s just glued the bead…” Star muses.

 

“Can’t you just heat up the glue, Touya?” Shigaraki asks. 

 

“The glue’ll still be in my hair unless I burn it clear off.” Dabi grumbles as Star tugs at the braid in his hair carefully. “Burned hair stinks and it’ll fuck my hair up.”

 

“I didn’t realise you were so precious about your hair, babe.” Shigaraki teases, his cracked lips into a smirk as he tugs on Dabi’s messy white locks playfully.

 

So that was where Star got ‘babe’ from.

 

“Not everyone has model hair like you, rapunzel.” Dabi snaps, swatting at Shigaraki’s hand in irritation.

 

Vesper watches as Dabi is so careless around hands that used to bring fear to the whole of Japan.

It’s a little weird watching them be so domestic after all the violence that had been televised for everyone else to see. 

This also seems… normal, compared to what Star had described earlier, a cold atmosphere between the two wasn’t at all apparent here.

 

“You have a fire quirk, right, Wani?” Shigaraki asks out of the blue.

 

“Uh, yeah, but…”

 

“No fire near my hair!” Dabi insists, elbowing Shigaraki with his metallic arm, who only chuckles in response.

 

“I’m too cold to do anything anyway.” Vesper reassures.

 

“Interesting.” Shigaraki hums, watching as Star tries to drag the bead free with her nails. “It depends on your body temperature?”

 

“Yeah. And how I’m feeling.” Vesper nods.

 

“You match.” Star says to Dabi, a smile on her face as she teases him.

 

Dabi grumbles about her focusing on getting the ‘damn thing’ out of his hair.

 

“Why don’t you give it a try, Wani?” Shigaraki asks, clearly teasingly trying to make Vesper more involved when he’s perfectly happy standing doing nothing.

 

“Absolutely fucking not .” Dabi says quickly. “Look at his hands! He’ll rip the damn thing out!”

 

Vesper winces a little bit, but Star pulls on the braid in retaliation for him and makes Dabi hiss in pain again.

 

“Ow, Starshine!” He snaps.

 

“Oops!” She says cheerfully, giving Vesper a little grin.

 

“You did that on purpose-“ Dabi says sharply, and then swats her hands away too. “Move. I’m burning the damn thing out.”

 

She giggles, but gives him a bit of distance, and sure enough, his hand goes to his hair and there’s a quick flash of blue from his fingertips and smoke coming from his hair before he pats it out, huffing in annoyance.

 

“Can you brush it out now?” He asks Shigaraki gruffly.

 

“What’s the magic word, Touya?” 

 

“ Please .” Dabi sneers, and Star returns to Vesper's side again, grabbing his hand.

 

“C’mon.” She encourages.

 

And Vesper is a little relieved when she’s just really eager to show him some new paints that Dabi had bought her. Some glittery watercolours that she’s particularly excited about. And granted, they are pretty when she shows him the swatches.

 

He’s just happy to see her happy.

 

They spend the time talking, which Vesper is actually kind of thankful for.

He’d taken it too far the last time they’d had time alone together and spooked her. He wanted her to be comfortable, not stressed and upset, as much as he had enjoyed having her like that.

 

He tells her about the band stuff, and she talks about her college work and the uncertainty of what she actually plans on doing afterwards.

Apparently she wanted to tell her grandma what she wanted to do when she next saw her because Rei had asked her last time and she hadn’t had an answer.

She wants to give her grandma something to be proud of, but Vesper tells her that the older woman was probably just proud of her for everything she’s done and been doing anyway.

 

And considering he’s going on a tour around Japan, she doesn’t seem even slightly worried about the fact that he’ll be gone for about a month. 

He’s glad she’s not upset about it, but he does wonder if she realises that he’ll be gone for so long.

 

She quietly tells him that the exchange about the braid in Dabi’s hair was the most normal she’d seen Shigaraki and Dabi interact with one another since Nova started living there. 

She looks thrilled about it, as though her life can go back to normal, and Vesper wants that for her.

 

And when Vesper goes to leave, he finally experiences the weirdness that Star said was becoming a problem in her house.

Nova and Dabi appear to be playing together in silence, Dabi roughhousing with the little girl who seems to be having fun, her face lit up and her mouth open as though she’s laughing without making noise and Shigaraki is sitting on the couch pretending they aren’t even there, frowning at his phone.

Vesper wonders what he’s looking at that's gotten such a reaction out of the usually stoic man.

 

“Vesper’s leaving.” Star calls, and Dabi and Nova look up.

 

Nova squirms out of Dabi’s grip to run up to Vesper, signing something to him and then reaching up with pleading eyes.

He looks from the tiny girl to Dabi for translation.

 

“She said ‘hello’.” Dabi tells him boredly.

 

Vesper nods and tries to repeat the motion back to Nova.

She gives him a big smile in response, opening and closing her hands.

 

“Vesper has to go, Nova. He can’t lift you up today.” Star tells her gently, and the little girl pouts but returns back to the floor with Dabi. 

 

“Goodbye, Wani.” Shigaraki says, not removing his eyes from his phone screen.

 

“Bye, Shigaraki. Bye, Dabi. Seeya Nova.” Vesper replies, waving at the sweet little nomu.

 

She waves back with a soft smile, and he finds it really hard to believe that she’s a weapon of destruction.

Vesper waits until he’s out of the door to pick Star up in a hug, letting her giggle and press her lips to his beaked mouth while she’s in the air.

 

“Maybe next time we can try some more stuff like the other day?” She asks, giving him a hopeful smile as he sets her back on the floor. 

 

Vesper's heart skips a beat at the vague offer, but his hands immediately go a little clammy from nerves.

 

How the hell did this happen? 

How did such a pretty girl delude herself into thinking she wanted anything to do with him? And she was the one initiating all the intimacy, something he never expected to happen in his entire life, really.

 

“Yeah, maybe.” He agrees with a nervous chuckle, his hand going to push his fringe out of his face.

 

“I love you!” She calls cheerfully as she returns back to the door.

 

“The hell did you jus’ say?!” Dabi asks in disbelief from inside.

 

“Bye, Ves!” She says with a nervous giggle, closing the door before Vesper can even say it back to her.

Chapter 32: Party Time!

Notes:

CW: Graphic description of a suicide attempt. Look after yourselves.

Takagi seems a lot happier than when he’d arrived at college with a bruised eye after a couple of days, and the bruising slowly fades and he regains his ability to see out of both eyes.

He’s back to joking and playing around with Keiko as well as the other two and you, and even Vesper tells you that he’s been easier on the band, too. 

You’re glad. There was always something a little curious about him, a gleam of darkness here and there in his eyes that you’d only catch from time to time. 

 

But the day he’d come in hurt was so similar to the first time you’d gone to one of his house parties and he’d tried to jump off the balcony.

You’d been worried about him.

 

Vesper said in passing that he was a little too happy, and at first you thought it was just a dry, tired comment because Takagi is a lot to deal with. But the more you noticed, the more you kind of realised that you never had seen him this happy.

You just assume that it’s because his birthday is coming up, especially with the current conversation around the food court table now.

 

“House party at mine next week guys, you know the date.” Takagi grins, leaning back with his arms crossed behind his head in his chair.

 

“Is that really a smart idea?” Keiko asks as she picks at her chicken salad, raising a bleached eyebrow.

 

“Eh.” He shrugs. “One last blow out and I’ll be outta their hair.”

 

“You got a place?” Vesper asks, his spiked brows furrowing.

 

“Sure.” Takagi replies vaguely. 

 

Vesper doesn’t look convinced. “A job?”

 

“I’ll figure it out.” Takagi shrugs, leaning forward to grab his burger.

 

“Who are you inviting?” Hana asks, her mouth full of cheesy fries.

 

“Whoever wants to come can come.” Takagi replies.

 

“Dress code?” She asks, swinging her feet off the high chair.

 

“I want you guys lookin’ as smart as possible. No dungarees, mousey.” Takagi smirks. “Lookin’ at you, too, Ves.”

 

Hana pouts and Vesper rolls his eyes.

 

“I’ll have to check with Haru that it’s alright to come. I’m assuming you won’t want him there.” Keiko says pointedly, sipping her water through a straw.

 

The atmosphere gets heavy for a moment around the table because Keiko brought up the forbidden topic of her new boyfriend in front of Takagi.

The dark look appears for a fraction of a second before it disappears again, his trademark wonky grin back in full force.

 

He clicks his tongue in false annoyance. “I’ve known you since we were kids and you aren’t even gonna come to my last house party ‘cause of some guy?”

 

“He’s my boyfriend and you punched him in the face.” She retorts dryly.

 

Takagi shrugs, putting his burger down, unfinished. “Your loss babe, these guys know howta party anyway.”

 

“Let’s go clothes shopping.” Hana says excitedly, tugging your sleeve. 

 

You look over at Keiko, who’s looking at Takagi like she’s trying to see through him with her harsh yellow eyes.

 

“Keiko, do you wanna come too?” You ask, gently trying to pull her attention away.

 

“Huh?” She asks, turning her head to you and then quickly answering her own question. “Yeah, yeah. Sure.”

 

“Perfect. You girls go get something cute to wear and me and Ves will day drink.” Takagi agrees, grinning.

 

“In a mall?” Vesper laughs humourlessly. “Yeah, right.”

 

You nudge Vesper with your foot, unaware previously that boyfriends had to give you permission to do things without them, but all you get is a confused glance from him.

 

“What’s up?” He asks, keeping his voice low as Hana takes over the conversation.

 

“Can I go look at clothes with the girls?” You ask.

 

He stares at you for a moment, the confused expression deepening. “Well… yeah, Star? Why are you asking?”

 

“Well, I didn’t realise you were meant to ask if it’s okay to go somewhere without your boyfriend.” You explain quietly, a little embarrassed because you can feel Takagi’s eyes on you as you talk quietly with one another. 

 

Vesper blinks, his hand going to your hair. “That’s different, babe. You don’t need to ask me about that stuff. Go do what you want as long as you’re safe.”

 

He pets your hair affectionately, returning back to the conversation with the others.

 

*•*

 

“Girls.” Keiko calls from behind you, stopping you and Hana in your tracks.

 

You both turn around, seeing Keiko standing in front of a lingerie store. Hana coos excitedly, darting towards Keiko as soon as your feline friend tilts her head towards the store.

You’re a little more hesitant, though. You hadn’t been in one of these stores since you were little, and even then it wasn’t one as… lewd as this. 

 

“Star, c’mon.” Keiko says, motioning you over.

 

“You need to help!” Hana chimes in. “We’re gonna get some stuff to make Keiko sexier.”

 

A little reluctantly, you force your feet to move to join them. 

 

“You would look good in a trash bag.” You tell Keiko, and her full lips pull upwards for the first time today. 

 

“Thanks, Star. But I want it to be special.” She replies, her tail swaying behind her, and her arm looping through yours.

 

The store is overwhelming to say the least, there’s lacy underwear everywhere, all kinds of shapes, colours and sizes, and you seem to be the only one embarrassed about being there because not one other person looks uncomfortable.

There’s even a grandma in there.

 

“This one.” Hana says simply, passing a baby pink set to Keiko.

 

Keiko takes it without question, and Hana disappears off again. 

You’re a little overstimulated and massively uncomfortable, choosing to keep close to Keiko as you stare in amazement at all the underwear around you.

She doesn’t really pay you much mind, flipping through sets thoughtfully. 

 

“Um, Keiko?”

 

“Yeah?” She asks absentmindedly.

 

“Why does it need to be special?”

 

She glances at you for a second. “Because it’s the first time I’m sleeping with someone that isn’t Akito.”

 

“Did you get a special set for him, too?” You ask, genuinely curious.

 

Her lips go thin for a second as she mulls over her answer.

 

“The second time I did, yeah.”

 

“Do you have to?” You ask.

 

Half of these look really uncomfortable and scratchy, and you can’t really imagine they’d be comfortable to stay in for long. But you suppose that’s the point, really.

 

“You don’t have to, but it makes you feel a bit better about yourself if you look good.” She replies matter-of-factly, finally she runs her eyes over you. “So you and Vesper haven’t…?”

 

You shake your head, trying not to get all flustered at the idea of it.

She hums thoughtfully, pinching one of Hana’s mousey ears as she passes.

 

“Find one for Star, too.” She says simply, and Hana immediately looks excited, dragging her eyes over you quickly before scurrying off again.

 

“Wait, I don’t know…” You begin.

 

“You don’t have to wear it with him, sometimes they’re good just for you.” She informs you, returning back to what she had been doing before you asked the question. 

 

Hana is gone for quite some time, and you’re just able to make out her curls through the rails as you follow Keiko around the store. 

You do dip, though, when Keiko strays to the back of the store and you find yourself surrounded by phallic toys. 

That’s far too much for you.

 

Hana finds you though, handing you a set of underwear that isn’t as revealing as the one she picked out for Keiko, and happens to be your favourite colour.

You take it, thoughtfully looking over it.

It is pretty.

 

“How’d you guess my size?” You ask, looking at her with a confused frown.

 

“I’m an expert!” She says confidently, winking at you.

 

And so you walk out of the store with your first fancy underwear set from an adult store, and once you find a dress for Takagi’s party, you hide it in the bag that came with that instead, not wanting Takagi to recognise the name on the bag and mock you.

 

It’s a nice day shopping with the girls, and you’re in a decent mood when you get home. 

Cloud comes and purrs happily as he rubs against your ankles, and Nova is sitting eating some chips with a tablet in front of her showing sign language as Dabi smokes outside. 

You assume Tomura got called into work until you pass his office door.

 

“Star, is that you?”

 

“Yeah. Are you okay?” You call back, knowing not to interrupt him while he’s in there.

 

“Come in here, please.”

 

You freeze. “Am I in trouble?”

 

“No, Starlight.” Tomura replies, faint amusement in his voice like it always is whenever you ask that question. “I just need to have a word with you about something.”

 

That doesn’t ease your worries any more, though, but you approach the door, knowing that you can’t avoid a conversation with Tomura, unlike Dabi.

Tomura’s hair is pulled up into a ponytail and he’s reading something on his computer when you peer into his office, his red eyes meet yours and he motions for you to come in.

 

“Close the door.” He says as you enter the small room.

 

Your lips turn downward, but you turn and shut the door before looking at him again, scratching your face anxiously.

 

“You’re not in trouble, Starlight.” Tomura reiterates. “Did you have a nice day?”

 

You nod slowly, wondering where this is going. 

 

“I noticed there were charges on the card we gave you.”

 

“I needed to get some clothes for Takagi’s birthday party.” You excuse immediately.

 

“That’s fine, Star.” Tomura says, his voice measured. “But there was a charge on there that wasn’t from a clothes store.”

 

His brow raises, and your stomach sinks.

 

“We don’t mind paying for your art supplies, clothes, food and essentials, but if you need money for personal things, Star, it may be worth looking into a job so you can earn your own money and have privacy regarding what you buy.” Tomura explains calmly. “I’m sure Aiko would let you work in one of her stores, or you could help Giran.”

 

“I’m sorry.” You say quickly.

 

“I don’t care, Starlight. I’m glad you’re finally using your card. But just for future reference...” Tomura replies. “It’s a joint account and Touya can see what goes on, and into it, too.”

 

You feel the life drain from your face at his words.

 

“I dealt with the notification on his phone. He didn’t see it. And he doesn’t check.”  Tomura tells you, looking vaguely amused. “So you don’t need to look like that.”

 

You nod, wanting the ground to swallow you whole. “Okay, pa.”

 

He nods back at you, turning back to his work, and you hurry out of the room, certain that you’ve never left a room so quickly in your life. 

 

*•*

 

“Star! Wani’s here!” Dabi calls from downstairs.

 

“Okay, okay! I’m coming!” You call back, pulling the short dress down a little more to stop your dad from telling you that you’re not going out in it.

 

It’s a nice, sparkly bodycon dress in black. For once you actually have your tattoo on show, because the chest is low cut but not enough for you to have too much skin exposed. You’re wearing fishnets and your red sneakers too, and you grab a leather jacket from Aiko’s line of clothing because it’s getting colder now, and Dabi would be right about you getting cold this time.

 

You rush down the stairs, unsurprised to see Vesper carrying Nova, the little girl held to his side and poking his pointed ears curiously.

Despite Takagi’s request, Vesper seems to be wearing his usual attire, combat boots and cargo pants with straps falling on the sides, and a big baggy black hoodie under his canvas jacket.

Dabi stares at you as you approach Vesper, tiptoeing to ruffle Nova's hair before pressing a quick kiss to the corner of Vesper's mouth.

 

“Hey.” Vesper greets, his eyes running down your outfit which feels good.

 

“Hon…” Dabi starts.

 

“Leave her alone, Touya.” Tomura warns boredly from the living room.

 

“Don’t start, dad.” You plead.

 

Nova signs something you don’t recognise to you, and when you turn to look at Dabi for a translation he’s signing something back at her with a frown.

 

“You’re gonna get cold.” Dabi tells you, glossing over the fact they’d had a brief discussion.

 

“I have pants in my bag.” You tell him, going to give him a hug. “What did Nova say?” 

 

“She said ‘pretty’.” Dabi informs you, catching your shoulders and staring at your dress. “I really don’t think-“

 

“ Touya. ” Tomura warns him more firmly, and Dabi’s attention goes to Vesper instead.

 

“You’re okay with her goin’ like this?” He asks, much to your humiliation.

 

“Dad!” You snap.

 

“What’s wrong with it?” Vesper asks in return, not flinching when Nova pokes one of the horns on his brow ridges.

 

Dabi sighs, pulling you into a hug. “Alright. Be safe.”

 

“I will. Love you, dad.” You reply, even though you’re actually kind of pissed off with him for embarrassing you. “Bye ‘Mura!”

 

“Be safe, Starlight.” Tomura calls back. “Remember to call if you need us. Any time.”

 

“I know, dad.” You reassure as Vesper gently sets Nova back on the floor. 

 

Nova seems reluctant to let go of Vesper, but he pries her fingers off his jacket and promises to pick her up again the next time he sees her and this sates the little girl, who seemed particularly fond of Vesper for some reason.

 

“Keep her safe, Wani.” Dabi warns, leaning in the doorway, stopping Nova from following you both.

 

“I will, si- Dabi.” Vesper agrees as you slip your hand into his and intertwine your fingers.

 

Dabi hums judgementally, but ushers Nova inside and disappears inside himself as you begin to walk away.

Vesper releases a breath that he was apparently holding, and you laugh a little at the way he immediately untenses.

 

“What’s that for?” 

 

“Your dad asking me if I was okay with your outfit.” He says, running his free hand through his hair. “I probably should have agreed with him to keep the peace.”

 

“But you subtly stood up for me, instead.” You say, bumping your head against his bicep. “Thank you.”

 

“No worries.” He replies, squeezing your hand. “You look good. Really good.”

 

You smile at your feet as you walk.

 

“You look good, too, Ves.”

 

*•*

 

The party is already messy by the time you get there, and it’s only eleven p.m. 

There are multiple groups of people outside on the front lawn, some smoking, some sitting and laying on the grass, and some just talking or arguing in a circle.

Vesper’s grip tightens on your hand, pulling you into the house and through the jam-packed hallway up the stairs. 

 

He digs into his pants pocket and pulls out his keys as you reach Takagi’s bedroom door, loud moaning coming from one of the other bedrooms that you try to ignore.

You crane your neck to see what’s going on in one of the other rooms which happens to have the door open. It just looks like a group of girls crouching around someone crying.

 

Vesper unlocks the door, motioning for you to go in first. 

 

“Drop your stuff off in here and then we’ll go find Akito.” He tells you. 

 

“Okay, can you put his present in your pocket?” You ask.

 

“You got him a present?” Vesper asks, amazed, as he closes the door and locks it behind him. 

 

“Yeah! I got him a couple of plectrums and had my dads sign them.” You reply easily, digging around in your bag to pull them out.

 

Vesper blinks, and then laughs one of his rare, rumbly laughs. “Damn. He’s really gonna like that, babe.” 

 

You grin at the praise, sliding the presents into Vesper's jeans pocket, lingering around in front of him for a moment before realising he’s not getting the hint and motioning for him to lean down.

He gives you a smirk before crouching so you can kiss him, hoping to get a kiss back from him. You don’t get it though, and instead get a gentle forehead bump from him. 

 

“C’mon, let's find the happy birthday asshole.” He says, standing up and holding a hand out for you.

 

You take it, smiling happily just knowing that you’ve done a good job with the present and that you look good for Vesper. 

It takes a while for you both to find Takagi, discovering him and the girls in one of the rooms upstairs after checking the entirety of downstairs first.

 

“Star! You look so good!” Hana greets first, giving you a big, toothy smile.

 

She looks pretty too, her hair looking a bit more tame than usual and she’s wearing a nice fitted mustard yellow corduroy dress.

 

“Hey guys.” Keiko greets, not wearing her usual clothes at all. Instead she’s wearing an off-shoulder grey sweater and a black plaid skirt. Even her makeup is surprisingly minimal for once.

 

“Nice of you to join us all. Busy were ya?” Takagi asks, wiggling his eyebrows.

 

He’s immediately met with the palm of Vesper's hand as it makes impact with the back of his head, and he laughs like he always does whenever he or Keiko smack him.

You’re a little surprised by his outfit. He’s wearing a black mesh shirt with some kind of darker black dragon print on it, a lot of silver chain necklaces and tight leather pants. He’s wearing eyeliner like he does at his shows with Vesper, too.  He looks good, you suppose, but you hadn’t really seen him in anything like this before.

 

“Happy birthday, Takagi!” You smile, going to give him a hug.

 

He freezes initially, not used to you giving him any physical affection at all really in comparison to the others, but he does wrap his arms around you, too.

 

“Thanks, ‘Roki.” He grins lazily as you pull away.

 

“I got you a present.” You tell him, turning to Vesper and holding your hand out for him to place the small gifts in.

 

He pulls them out and places them in your hand, and you immediately spin around to offer them to Takagi, who looks genuinely bewildered for once.

 

“I told people not to bother with gifts this year.” He says, stunned.

 

“But it’s your birthday.” You reply, confused.

 

Takagi stares at the small wrapped gifts in his hand before the bewildered look is lost and he grins, looking at the others.

 

“‘Roki wins the friend contest. Better luck next year, losers.”

 

“Whatever, man.” Vesper laughs, hooking a finger around the collar of your jacket and pulling you back against him so he can wrap an arm around your torso.

 

“Open it! Open it!” Hana demands, practically bouncing on her feet.

 

Takagi opens your gifts, wearing the casual grin until he finally realises what they are.

 

“Holy shit.” He murmurs, turning them over.

 

“I put varnish on them so they shouldn’t smudge. I hope you can still play with them.” You explain.

 

He stares at the picks in his hand for a second, his face actually blank for the first time you’ve ever seen, as though he’s working something out in his head.

He clears his throat though, and begins to smirk again.

 

“Damn, ‘Roki. Didn’t know you had it in ya.” He says, sliding them into his own pocket. “Thanks, chick.”

 

And then he gently thumps your arm with his fist, an actual genuine smile on his face as he looks at you. “Means a lot.”

 

“I wanted to see.” Hana pouts, and Takagi scruffs her hair even though she’s actually made an effort to neaten it tonight.

 

“Let's go party. I’m sure you’ll see ‘em  some other time, squeaks.” Takagi says cheerfully. “Ves and Star are sober and neither of you fuckers are drunk enough yet.”

 

And he does pour you and Vesper a drink, but after that he just… disappears.

You catch glimpses of him here and there talking to other people but other than that he may as well be non-existent at his own party. 

You can tell Keiko and Vesper are getting a bit antsy about the fact that they can’t find him in the crowds, neither of them looking away from the hordes of people for long, but Hana seems to be having a good time.

 

She joins Keiko for a couple of smokes outside, and then drags you to dance here and there, too.

Eventually they use her to climb up Vesper’s shoulders to try and get a birds eye view over all the heads and she manages to find Takagi a couple of times.

Apparently the first time he was chatting up a girl, and the second she said she saw him ‘doing a bump’ with some guys from their middle school.

 

But the more drinks you all have, the faster the others disappear. 

Hana goes first, disappearing easily in the busy house thanks to her small stature, and Keiko seems to be mingling with other girls that you didn’t realise she knew, laughing and looking around for Takagi occasionally still, you think .

Vesper made you slow down on the drinks a few drinks in, and this time you actually listened to him, sipping on melon soda that he had found in the kitchen instead.

 

Vesper is doing what he usually does and stands out of the way from everyone else, pressed against a wall so his tail doesn’t get stepped on or block anyone’s path, and as much as you like the fact you’re with him, you are getting kind of bored, and you want to go and dance with Keiko or Hana.

You tug on his sweater’s sleeve, getting his emerald eyes on you in an instant, and he bends down so you can talk to him.

 

“Can I go dance with Keiko?” You ask, more to make sure he’s okay on his own than anything else.

 

He gives you a look that says ‘don’t be stupid’ before standing back up and motioning for you to pull your skirt down subtly.

When you look down you realise it has crept up quite a lot without you realising, your face heating up instantly as you pull it lower over your thighs.

 

“Thank you!” You yell over the music, and Vesper nods, stroking the flat of his hand over the back of your head before letting you go off to join Keiko who’s in your view.

 

“Hey!” She greets loudly the second she spots you, pulling you by the hand closer to her. “You look amazing tonight, Star!”

 

“Thanks!” You beam, letting her pull you close so you can dance together without bumping into anyone. “You always look good!”

 

“You seen Aki?” She asks over the music, her hands going to your sides.

 

You shake your head. “Vesper’s been looking!” 

 

Keiko rolls her eyes, but doesn’t question you further, dancing with you happily for a couple of songs.

It’s fun and you enjoy the fact that she seems to be trying to lead you in how to dance properly instead of just goofing around like you do when Hana is around.

 

That is until someone starts pressing up behind you closely, making you freeze, but Keiko is quick to react, swinging you to where she had been standing so she can launch herself at the random guy that had been getting a little too touchy, her claws swiping for his face.

He backs off fluidly, holding his hands in the air as a sign of surrender, ducking into the crowd and likely going to bother someone else instead.

Keiko stands on her tiptoes quickly, probably to look for Vesper, but turns to you, her eyes full of concern. 

 

“You okay?” She asks, moving close to your ear.

 

You’re unsure, and she rubs your arm, pointing towards where Vesper had been.

 

“Go get Ves.” She instructs. “He’ll sort it out quick. He can see better than me.”

 

You shake your head. “It’s okay!”

 

She raises a thin eyebrow at you, and nudges you in that direction anyway. 

You reluctantly go, knowing you should be able to find him easily anyway given how tall he is, but when you get to where he had been, he’s not there.

You panic a little bit, because Keiko was back in the crowd, which was getting bigger and bigger, Vesper had gone, Hana had gone, and you hadn’t seen Takagi for a while .

 

You decide to go and pee, hoping that when you return Vesper will have returned, or that maybe you’ll find him on the way to the bathroom.

The downstairs bathroom is being used, so you go upstairs to the big one. But it's full of girls you don’t know, one of them on the toilet while talking with the group of friends she’d brought with her, so you close the door quickly, your eyes wide as you spin around.

You remember there's an en suite in Takagi’s room, but you remember that Vesper had locked it.

 

Trying your luck anyway, you try the door and are surprised when you can push it open.

 

“Ves?” You call, but the room’s empty. “…Takagi?”

 

You close the door behind you, digging into your bag for your phone to see if you can get a hold of Vesper when you hear a thud from the en suite.

You yelp in surprise, dropping your phone to the floor.

 

“Takagi? You scared the shit out of me.” You breathe, but you don’t get a response. “…Hello?”

 

You pick your phone back up, carrying it with you as you slowly approach the bathroom, a thin strip of light showing that the door is slightly ajar.

 

“Hello?” You ask, incredibly on edge considering it's not quiet at all in the room thanks to the noises travelling up from downstairs.

 

You push the door open softly, but are blocked by something on the other side. You hear a small grunt though, so someone is definitely in there.

 

“Are you okay?” You ask, trying to open the door a little more again.

 

“Go ‘way.” A slurred voice replies.

 

You pause. “Are you sick?”

 

You don’t get a reply.

 

“Takagi?”

 

“I said go ‘way.” He replies, his voice sounding thick and weird. “M’ busy.”

 

But your gut is telling you something is wrong. He’s been without the others too long and he’s drunk, you remember that had been something the others had all warned you about before.

So you squeeze your head through the gap between the door and the wall, prepared to apologise if you saw anything you shouldn’t have.

 

The first thing you pick up on is the smell of metal. 

You don’t really register the amount of blood smeared and coagulated on the floor and over the sink because the smell is so overwhelming.

Then it finally clicks, and you see Takagi’s crumpled body blocking the door, his legs spread out in front of him and causing the door to not open properly.

 

“Fuck.” You say breathlessly, bile quickly rising up your throat. “Takagi, move your legs so I can come in and help you.”

 

“Don’ want help.” He groans, gagging and throwing up on himself, his arms apparently useless from the damage done to them because he doesn’t seem to move them, and it looks like he can’t even lift his head after puking, either. “Jus’ fuck off.”

 

He sounds tired.

But if he sleeps he won’t wake up, so you apologise to him before forcing the door open as much as you can and squeezing yourself through the gap even though it hurts.

You try not to think too much about the blood under your feet as you pause in panic the second you’re in front of him, uncertain of what to do.

 

“Shit, shit, shit, shit.” You panic, grabbing one of his arms to assess the damage and immediately recoiling when your hands are covered in blood.

 

“Leave me alone.” He whines amongst coughs.

 

“Idiot.” You say shakily. “I’m gonna get blood in your hair, I’m sorry.”

 

You tilt his head back, grimacing when you see the vomit on his chin. 

His eyes are glazed over and unfocused, and even though you move his head back to stop him from choking, it lolls forward like he can’t keep it up.

You keep your hand at the top of his head, despite his unclear groans of complaint. You try to fumble with your phone one-handedly, the chunk of metal trembling violently in your shaky hand.

 

“Answer, answer, answer.” You whisper to yourself as Takagi pukes over himself once more.

 

“Star, where are you?” Vesper asks the second he picks up.

 

“Takagi’s room.” You sob. “ Help. ”

 

There's a fraction of a silence before you hear Vesper moving and loud shouts of complaint, and he hangs up.

You take the chance to call the emergency number, letting go of Takagi’s head to move his legs so that Vesper can get into the small space.

 

You hear Vesper before you see him, his loud footsteps thundering towards you as you explain the situation to the dispatcher.

He falters in the doorway, his eyes widening as he takes in the scene in front of him, his eyes running over all the blood, and the razor in the sink.

 

“You fucking prick .” He snaps before moving you away from Takagi gently, his large hands covering Takagi’s arms as he squeezes them firmly. “Wake up.”

 

“They want the address.” You tell him, thumping your head against the back of his shoulder and closing your eyes.

 

Vesper says the address loud enough for the operator to hear, and the next question is harder to answer.

 

“Has he taken any drugs?” You ask Vesper.

 

“Probably.” He grunts. “Aki, wake up. What’d you take this time?”

 

Takagi groans as Vesper shakes him awake while you’re hit with the realisation that this has happened before from Vesper's words.

 

“ Takagi . What did you take?” Vesper repeats.

 

But Takagi doesn’t reply, or look like he’s awake really, even though his eyes are open.

 

“ Fuck . Star, get out.” Vesper orders, grabbing Takagi’s ankles and pulling him away from the wall he’s slumped again. “Tell them last time it was oxys.”

 

You repeat what Vesper told you, hurriedly getting out of his way and sitting near the door, keeping your eyes closed as Vesper drags Takagi down and onto his side.

 

“Can you come quickly please?” You ask, your voice small and frightened as though you’re a child again.

 

“They’re on their way.” The lady on the other end of the line tells you calmly.

 

*•*

 

By the time your dads car appears to pick you up, all four of you are silent, sitting on Takagi’s front lawn.

 

Keiko had screamed at the paramedics for not letting her go in the ambulance with Takagi because she wasn’t family, and was alternating between being angry and crying quietly to herself.

Hana is tearing clumps of grass out of the ground and staring off into space. 

And you and Vesper are sat side by side, your head resting against his arm as you sob quietly. 

 

Tomura actually gets out of the car this time, and you scramble to your feet to slam into him, wrapping your arms around him and bawling against his chest.

The others get up too, silently surrounding him.

 

“Oh, Starlight.” Tomura sympathises, his face pressed against the top of your head.

 

Hana thumps against Tomuras waist, hugging him too with no regard for her own safety, but Tomura allows it without comment.

 

“You’re taller.” Hana says sadly. 

 

Tomura hums an acknowledgement, gently peeling you back to look at you properly, his crimson eyes soft as you take shaky breaths while looking at him.

 

“Let’s get you all back.” He says simply, wiping your tears for you. 

 

Keiko approaches him to your surprise, and you move out of the way so she can hug Tomura, a yowl still in her throat as he wraps his arms around her, making a point of keeping his hands fisted as he does so.

You wander to Vesper, lifting your arms to give him a hug because you feel like he probably wants one, but he only crouches to give you a quick hug before standing up again and telling you to get in the car.

 

Hana is finally crying as she climbs into the car, and Keiko seems to be talking quietly to Tomura as she wipes her eyes, but the conversation is brief as she does follow behind soon after Hana.

You climb in the back too, knowing Vesper needed more space than any of you. Hana clings to you the second you’re inside and you give her a hug back, burying your face in her curls as you try to comfort one another. Even Keiko stretches forward to lean her head against yours.

 

Vesper and Tomura seem to talk for a little while as you all sit in silence in the car, and you watch through the window as Tomura pats his back before opening the car door, Vespers getting in on the passenger side and staring out the window.

 

It’s the quietest car journey you’ve ever had. 

Chapter 33: How It Started

“This is Akito Takagi, class.” Mrs Tanaka introduces. “He’s just moved to town. Why don’t you tell the class about yourself, Takagi?”

 

The scrawny little boy with unruly black hair shifts a little on his feet, his eyes lingering a little too long on all the heteromorphic faces that surround him for Vesper's liking.

 

“I’m Akito, but my old friends used to call me Aki.” Takagi states, his voice barely carrying to the back where Vesper sits. “I can play guitar.”

 

That immediately has Vesper's intrigue piqued, his tail swiping across the floor behind him. Keiko, the feline girl that sits next to him in class, gives him a brief glance before resting her yellow eyes back on the new kid.

It’s unlike her to pay too much attention to anyone else in the class. Despite being the prettiest heteromorph in the class lovingly nicknamed ‘The Dump’, she was pretty reserved, she didn’t really interact with other people even though everyone tried desperately to talk to her and make friends with her.

 

“Why don’t you take a seat next to Kāto, she’s over there.” Mrs Tanaka leads, pointing at Hana Kāto, a mouse heteromorph with large ears and teeth and a mass of curly hair, and gently pushing their new classmate towards her.

 

Hana looks ecstatic to have another new person under her wing, and is practically bouncing in her seat as the new boy reluctantly walks over to her.

And the second he slings his bag under the desk and sits down, Hana is practically chewing his ear off, like she always does, but the teacher allows it for once, only because Hana’s incessant yapping seems to get Takagi to relax in his seat.

 

And after a while, Vesper even catches the new boy smiling at Hana and seemingly giving her more than just one word answers.

 

Vesper wanted to talk to him too. He wanted to know what kind of music the new kid liked to play, and why he was lumped in a class full of heteromorphs that didn’t have useful quirks, or quirks that were considered ‘too destructive’.

He waits for the bell to ring before wandering over to Hana’s desk, only really getting a chance before everyone else to speak to the scruffy boy because he was so much bigger than all the other kids.

 

“Hello.” Vesper greets, his tail wagging across the floor and accidentally hitting Keiko’s ankle. “My name’s Vesper Wani. I play guitar too.”

 

“Hi.” Takagi says, looking a little shy, and his eyes scanning Vesper with an unreadable expression. 

 

“Vesper’s nice!” Hana immediately chimes in, gesturing proudly towards Vesper as he towers over the two. “He helped me when someone was pulling my tail!”

 

Vesper looks away from the intense look in Takagi’s eyes at the mention of Vesper helping her.

He would have done it for any of his classmates if he had seen it. He himself had been poked, prodded and ridiculed all his life for being different to others. 

She had looked and sounded upset when it had happened, and Vesper didn’t like that.

He didn’t like seeing girls being hurt or crying.

 

“You save people from bullies?” Takagi asks, catching Vesper off guard.

 

“Sometimes. If I see it.” Vesper replies, trying to ignore how Takagi appears to be sizing him up.

 

“Let’s be friends.” Takagi agrees with a curt nod of his head.

 

“Hey! I’m your friend!” Hana immediately defends, slamming her hands on the desk next to him.

 

“I’d like to be friends with you, too.” Keiko says quietly from beside Vesper.

 

“How about we’re best friends, and then they can be friends?” Hana asks Keiko, her eyes shining as she looks at the quiet girl beside Vesper.

 

“Why can’t we all be friends?” Takagi asks, confused.

 

Hana leans to him to whisper something in his ear, something he seems thoughtful about, those dark eyes running up and down Keiko before he nods.

 

“She is pretty, you’re right.” He states without a hint of shame.

 

Keiko actually blushes for once, her usually pale skin going pink across the cheeks, and her tail flicking behind her.

Some of the other classmates waiting their turn to speak to Takagi snicker at the interaction, which makes Keiko’s cat-like ears turn downward slightly. 

 

“I think we should all be friends, too.” Vesper says quickly.

 

He already considered Keiko kind of a friend, even if she didn’t really say much and only sat next to him in class, and it wasn’t too hard to make friends with Hana, most of the class liked her.

And that was kind of it. They ended up being the ‘weird’ friend group in their year. Hana and Akito were the extroverted ones, once they got him to talk more than in just basic sentences, and Keiko and Vesper were the introverts that tagged along for the ride.

 

Vesper learned quickly that he was the brawn of the group, even if he didn’t particularly like it, after Akito punched someone in the face after being made fun of for being quirkless and he’d immediately picked the receiver of the punch up in the air easily to stop him from retaliating against Akito.

Keiko was the sensible one, the voice of reason that often talked Akito and Hana down from their mad ideas and schemes. 

Hana was the loving one that would be there at a drop of a hat for them all, the glue that held them all together when the conversation started to die out.

 

And Akito…well. 

He was the wild card, the loose cannon that would keep them all on their toes.

Whether it be running away from home and turning up on their doorsteps, showing them things they had no business seeing at their age, stealing random items from stores or somehow managing to get away with pulling the most ridiculous stunts that Vesper had seen.

 

It wasn’t until Vesper had clocked the bruises around Takagi’s neck one day and queried about them that he realised why Vesper had been so easily accepted as a friend by Takagi.

His smaller friend had looked up at him with a cigarette between his fingers at only fourteen years old, giving him that lazy grin that never reached his eyes.

 

“If I told you I was bein’ bullied at home, you’d save me right, Ves?”

 

*•*

 

“Mom…”

 

Vesper had maybe only had half an hour's worth of sleep when Star woke him up with her mumbling.

 

“Takagi… No.” She mumbles, her breath hitching afterwards in fear.

 

Vesper sighs, pulling her close again even though he’s tired. Her back sits flush against his chest, and he buries his face as well as he can against her hair, splaying his hand over her stomach so that she knows someone is there, keeping her safe.

 

Like he should have last night.

 

He presses his face harder against her at that thought. 

He should have been there for Akito, too. Should have seen the signs for what they were and kept an eye on him more than he did.

 

“Wake up.” Star murmurs. “No…”

 

“Star.” Vesper calls as gently as he can, his voice rumbling through him. 

 

He doesn’t really need to tear her from whatever was haunting her in her dreams though, because the word ‘no’ had sounded dangerously close to a whine.

The instant sobbing is the giveaway that she’s awake, and she turns in his arms, pressing her face as close to his chest as she can.

He can’t even lie to her and tell her it’s okay, because he’s not okay.

 

“Just a nightmare.” He settles with instead, which was completely the wrong thing to say because she shakes her head against his chest, smearing her tears across his scales.

 

“No it’s not, because mom…” She sobs. “ Takagi .”

 

And Vesper doesn’t really know what to say, because whenever he closed his eyes he saw the scene, too.

All the blood smeared from the sink to the floor, the puddles of it pooled around his best friend's slumped body, the way that he’d been covered in his own sick.

He remembered it all with excruciating detail. And he really wishes he didn’t.

Because if Aki didn’t pull through, Vesper didn’t want that to be his last memory of him.

 

He wanted to remember the stupid smug smirks that Akito would throw their way whenever he managed to wind them all up enough to snap back at him. 

He wanted to remember the way Akito would tie his hair up before playing games with Vesper after he’d argued that he’d lost a round because his ‘hair was in the way’. 

He wanted to remember the genuine looks of affection Akito would sometimes give them when he was having a good enough time with them all that he briefly forgot how badly he felt about himself.

 

Vesper shushes Star as her cries grow louder, his hand going to her hair to hold her face to his chest.

 

“It’s all my fault. I was useless. Again .” She sobs.

 

“It’s not your fault.” Vesper says, wholeheartedly believing it.

 

Because it was his fault.

He should have known what was going to happen from the vague hints that Akito had been putting down.

It was his best friend. He should have known.

 

A faint green glow begins appearing around Star, and even though he doesn’t want to get sick, he’d take an hour or so of discomfort if it meant she felt better and he felt like he was getting some kind of karmic revenge for being a terrible friend.

He presses his face to the top of her hair again, stroking her hair.

 

“Your quirk is starting up.” He tells her in case it has a negative affect on her like so many other people seemed to get. 

 

“I’m sad .” She bites back defensively.

 

“Okay. I’m sorry.” Vesper placates instantly.

 

“Why aren’t you crying?” She asks, and Vesper ignores the way it feels accusatory.

 

It’s not his fault he can’t cry.

He wishes he was just like other people, but he isn’t. 

Star’s just upset and forgetting he isn’t built the same as her. 

 

“I can’t.” He says simply. 

 

She grips onto his back, her lips moving against his chest as she speaks.

 

“Dad said holding it in can be dangerous.”

 

“It’s not by choice, Star. I can’t cry.” Vesper reiterates, only for her to tip her face up to look at him with watery eyes, her face all crumpled up.

 

“I wanna feel better.” She says tearfully.

 

“I’m sorry, Star, I don’t know ho-“ Vesper begins, only to be caught off by her lips pressing against his.

 

He allows it, but when she does it again and flicks her tongue against the beak of his mouth he shakes his head and pulls her away as gently as he can.

 

“No.” He says simply, and immediately earns himself the view of Star's face as it crumples up in despair before she shoves her face back against his scales again.

 

It’s not too long that she cries herself to sleep again, but Vesper can’t sleep after that.

He lays there for a while, petting her hair and staring at the wall opposite, thinking about all the things he could have, and should have done to prevent what had happened from happening.

After a while he gives up on the idea of sleep, carefully peeling himself away from Star and trying to creep out of the room as best he can considering his weight and size.

 

He wouldn’t usually walk around Star’s house without her there as a buffer for her parents, but he’s so tired and defeated that he doesn’t really care anymore.

He goes to the kitchen, Cloud following behind seemingly out of nowhere and meowing loudly to be picked up, which Vesper does just to shut the cat up and stop him from waking up everyone else.

He goes to the kitchen, planning on just getting a glass of water until he sees the shape of someone outside the patio doors. 

 

He freezes. 

Whoever it is has their hood up and appears to be smoking while scrolling through their phone. He glances at the clock, and it’s four a.m., there’s no way that it’s anyone from Star’s house.

Carefully he sets Cloud on the floor, approaching the large glass doors with the full intention of telling whoever it is to loiter somewhere else.

 

Star didn’t need the stress of someone hanging out around her house, likely to get information on her parents.

 

The second he gets close though, the hunched up figure turns, exposing long, wavy white hair. 

Vesper pauses, letting out a small exhale.

It’s just Shigaraki.

 

Shigaraki turns a little more, giving Vesper a once-over through the glass separating them before gesturing for him to come outside.

Vesper didn’t really want to, but he’s not about to turn down an order from Tomura Shigaraki himself, either.

Carefully he opens the glass door, trying to shut it as gently as his hands will allow, shuddering the second he gets outside.

 

His ears perk at the smell of weed coming from Shigaraki’s cigarette, though.

 

“You’re up early.” Shigaraki states.

 

“Haven’t slept.” Vesper replies, dropping to a crouch beside Star's dad.

 

Shigaraki hums in response. “Understandable.”

 

They’re both quiet for a while, Vesper trying not to show how much the cold is affecting him while wondering why Star’s more stoic father had called him outside if they were just going to sit in silence.

He tries not to flinch either when Shigaraki’s wrist flips up, offering him the joint he’d been smoking.

 

“Is this a test?” Vesper asks without really thinking.

 

Shigaraki huffs as though the sound is a replacement for a laugh.

 

“No test. It helps with sleep, and I have a feeling you need to relax.” 

 

Shigaraki leans against the glass door behind him, looking at Vesper expectantly.

Still uncertain on whether or not it’s a test, Vesper stares at him for a second, before sighing and plucking the joint from between his fingers carefully.

 

“Thanks.” He grunts, immediately lifting the spliff to his mouth and inhaling deeply.

 

Shigaraki nods, shoving his hands into his hoodie pocket.

At least the smoke helps Vesper feel slightly warmer.

 

“It’s not your fault, you know.”

 

Vesper gives a single, humourless laugh. “It is. I should have been watching over everyone better. I fucked up.”

 

Shigaraki regards him with that same expressionless gaze. “Did you do it?”

 

“No.” Vesper spits before he can catch himself, but Shigaraki seems unbothered.

 

“Then it’s not your fault.” He replies simply.

 

Vesper doesn’t believe it, though.

 

“It has got me thinking, though.” Shigaraki muses, tilting his head back to look at the sky. “Star mentioned that Takagi's parents work for us.”

 

Vesper is quiet, flicking ash onto the section of the floor that isn’t paved.

 

“A boy from a well respected family, with highly earning parents that shouldn’t struggle to provide for their child, doing something like that. Seems strange, don’t you think?”

 

Vesper doubts that he’ll get away with snapping at the man again, so he tries to be diplomatic with his answer.

 

“I don’t see how any of that has anything to do with what he did.”

 

“Well. The only other person I know who’s been in that kind of environment and tried to take themselves out is Touya.” Shigaraki replies bluntly. “I was wondering if there was more to it.”

 

Vesper is silent again.

He knew that Shigaraki was sharp, he’d had to be to fight the whole of hero society and come out on top, but he hadn’t expected him to be so accurate about a situation he knew nothing about.

 

“He loves his mom.” Vesper replies, throwing the end of the joint into the garden.

 

Shigaraki hums as Vesper stands up, the cold now becoming a problem as the tips of his ears get cold. If he gets any colder he’ll start to fall asleep, and he didn’t want Shigaraki to be the one to drag him into warmth.

 

“I was hoping if there was a story to tell, you’d be able to tell it.” Shigaraki says, standing up as well and brushing ash off his thighs. “After all, if your friend doesn’t make it, he can’t talk.”

 

And it’s harsh. It’s so blunt that it hurts a little bit to hear.

He wants to snap at Shigaraki, to tell him that Akito had done this at least five times before, and survived every time.

 

But it’s the push Vesper needed. 

 

“I’ll tell you. But I need to get warm before I crash out.” He relents.

 

Shigaraki gives him a wonky smirk, but not the smug kind that Vesper’s so used to receiving from Akito. It looks like the smaller yet intimidating man is trying to give him a genuine smile but is unsure how to do so. 

 

“I knew you’d make the right decision.”

 

And so they go inside, Shigaraki disappearing momentarily before coming back with a weighted blanket and throwing it over Vesper before sitting on the opposite side of the kitchen island. Even Cloud hops onto his lap and loafs up, purring as Vesper takes a deep breath.

And then Vesper tells him everything he knows, desperate to alleviate some of the guilt he feels for holding onto it for so long. 

 

He tells him about the way his parents referred to him as disabled because of his lack of a quirk, and how Akito hated it. He’d always hated it, ever since school, because he wasn’t disabled. Not having a quirk didn’t stop him from being able to do anything he wanted to do, as much as his parents wanted to play it off otherwise.

He tells him about the way they constantly belittle him in comparison to his siblings, telling him to his face that he’s a failure no matter how hard he had tried to please them in the past.

 

And then he moves on to the bigger issue. The one that they had all tried to protect Akito from whenever they were able to.

The fact his parents would come back from sometimes months long business trips, only leaving him a set amount of money to live off, and the next day he’d be sporting bruises.

It had started where no-one would see, apart from summer, when they were younger and he’d take his shirt off and his entire torso and rib cage would be discoloured from the abuse.

 

But then they’d gotten more brazen, the bruises beginning to travel to his arms, and then his throat, and then the black eye the other day was the most obvious bruise he’d had. 

 

And Shigaraki had listened without comment, not deviating from his usual blank expression. 

The first question he asked?

 

“Why did none of you say anything before?”

 

Vesper runs one of his clawed hands through his hair.

 

“His parents are high up. We didn’t think-“

 

“Your father worked closely with me, and I sorted it out when your mother filed that abuse report against him, didn’t I?” Shigaraki asks, leaning back. 

 

Vesper is silent for a second, his eye twitching slightly.

Slowly, he nods.

 

“There’s zero tolerance for any kind of abuse claims.” Shigaraki continues, watching as someone walks into the room. “I’ll look into it. It will be sorted. Hello, girls.”

 

Hana sniffles, grabbing Cloud from Vesper’s lap and cradling the cat, burying her face against his fur. Vesper feels Keiko’s ears before the rest of her face is pressed against his back.

 

“Is Star okay?” Hana asks, looking up at Vesper with watery eyes, her round cheek pressed against Cloud’s head.

 

Vesper just shakes his head, avoiding Shigaraki’s gaze.

Chapter 34: Keiko

Keiko can’t sleep.

Of course she couldn’t. How could she?

She hadn’t really slept at all since being at Stars beyond the first night, and she’s convinced that was only because she’d actively cried herself to sleep.

 

None of them had heard from Akito yet, and despite desperately trying to get ahold of him, none of them could get through. It just went straight to voicemail.

There was nothing on the news, and no-one in or outside of the party that night had heard from him, or anything about him, either. 

 

Granted, Shigaraki and Dabi were more accommodating than she would have thought. Shigaraki didn’t want any of them to be on their own after what happened, and despite them all having family members at home that knew and loved Akito, they all decided to take him up on the offer of letting them stay in Star’s home for a few days until the initial shock had worn off.

 

Nova, the little girl that was living with them temporarily, was sweet. She could tell that something was up, and although she tended to be more interested in Vesper, she did come to give Keiko some attention whenever she burst into tears spontaneously like she kept doing recently.

The poor little girl couldn’t communicate in anything other than sign language, so Keiko would often look over at Dabi for translation.

He was softer than he had been the first time she’d met him, but still picked his moments to wind them all up and tease them when they had their random moments of normality before it all came back to them.

 

Akito, that idiot.

 

She’d tried to protect him.

They all had.

 

The first night he’d appeared on her doorstep in the rain, told her he loved her and kind of stumbled into taking her virginity, she hadn’t really noticed the bruises on him. She was too caught up in how romantic it had been, how she’d longed for that exact moment with him for years.

The second time he’d turned up in the middle of the night with his pants and shoes covered in mud, she had spotted them, running her fingers along the large bruises on his side with a frown and quizzing him on them. He’d told her not to worry about it and shut her up with a kiss.

 

And then it kept happening, and she noticed a pattern.

His parents would come back, and he would appear at her place, tell her everything she wanted to hear and then leave again and pretend nothing had happened the second his house was free of his parents again.

And she could almost trick herself into thinking it was all real, and that he was just trying to keep it private until he started pulling the same tricks with other girls all for the sake of not having to go home that night.

 

She’d cursed herself for being an idiot. For believing him every single time even though she knew it was all honeyed words and deception.

She had just figured that having him like that was better than not having him at all.

 

And now she was scrolling through her camera roll while Hana slept with her back against Keiko’s, her rough tail wrapped around Keiko’s ankle as though she’s telling her she’s there for her even in her sleep.

Keiko had a whole album in her phone full of pictures of her and Akito throughout the years. Haru didn’t need to know, and if it turned out he liked her as much as he said he did, he would never find out because she’d force herself to delete the ones he could get upset about.

But right now, it was the only thing bringing her comfort.

 

Because the photos show an Akito that was happy.

 

Photos of them together on the closest things to dates that Keiko could say that they went on.

Candid photos of him playing his guitar in different settings. His original guitar, the one his real dad had given him before he died, the one that his asshole stepdad smashed up because he decided that Akito was spending too much time with the band and not enough on his studies.

Pictures of him dripping with sweat at his shows, but genuinely smiling at the crowds that got bigger over the years and looking like he’s having a good time.

 

Pictures that Hana and Ves had taken where Aki was looking at Keiko like he genuinely had wanted to be with her outside of trying to get away from home.

Pictures of him doing stupid things during his parties or when they were clubbing, typically with a spliff or beer in his hand. Sometimes even both.

It’s when she slides across to a picture of him asleep in her bed that the tears that had been threatening to leave her since she laid down finally do. 

 

Because he looks so peaceful .

There’s no fake smile. No stupid smug grin or teasing crows feet at the outer corners of his eyes. There’s no dark look in his eyes like he has whenever he thinks that they’re all hiding something from him, or if he feels like he’s being excluded from something.

 

She gently extracts herself from Hana’s tail, planning on taking herself outside for a smoke and a cry.

Luckily she’s light on her feet, because both Shigaraki and Dabi’s door and Nova’s door are cracked ajar, and she doesn’t want to upset them and cause any problems for herself or Star.

She makes her way to the kitchen, pausing for a second when she spots Shigaraki sitting with a laptop at the kitchen island. The light from it is the only thing illuminating his face and highlighting the rough skin around his eyes and mouth, but she’s already committed at this point and he’s already met her eyes briefly.

 

“Tsume.” He greets. “I have a question.”

 

“Can I have a cigarette first?”

 

He hums thoughtfully, giving her a once over. 

Probably because she isn’t yowling simply by being around him for once, but the longer they spent in their house, and they all saw how Star’s parents were just… normal, Keiko had started to relax.

She takes his hum as a sign that she can go for a smoke first and opens the glass patio doors, hissing in surprise when she sees Dabi outside.

 

“Sorry.” She apologises, trying to get her tail to drop low again behind her.

 

Dabi shrugs, taking a toke of his own cigarette.

It’s odd that he’s awake at this time. Keiko had grown used to seeing and hearing Shigaraki wandering around at night, but not Dabi.

 

“Fuck.” She hisses when she pats herself down for the lighter and realises she’d left that inside, knowing it was in her jacket along with the rest of her cigarettes.

 

Dabi motions for her to come closer and manifests a flame from his finger.

With a yowl forming out of her control at the sight of the flame, she cautiously approaches him, leaning close to his hand and lighting her cigarette on the small blue flame.

 

She thanks him gruffly, leaning away again and taking a deep drag.

 

“S’ gotta be useful somehow these days.” Dabi shrugs. “Can’t sleep?”

 

She shakes her head, a silent tear rolling down her cheek as she takes another drag of her cigarette.

A dirty habit, her parents said. One that she only tried to partake in when she was stressed.

Typically, she only smoked when something was wrong, or happened with Akito.

 

Everything always came back to Akito.

 

And she hates herself for crying in front of Dabi again , but that was precisely why she wanted to leave the house. To cry in peace, without feeling guilty for making the others upset all over again.

 

“C’mere.” Dabi encourages, reaching his metallic arm out for her. 

 

“I’m fine.” She lies, not wanting to rely on Stars parents for comfort yet again.

 

“Your lyin’ could use some work.” He comments, raising a white eyebrow at her.

 

She huffs, a noise that she wanted to leave her angry , but ended up coming out broken.

Dabi rolls his eyes and pulls her to him, his prosthetic hand holding her head against his shoulder.

She drops her cigarette to the floor, wrapping her arms around the warm man, and lets it all out.

 

She never thought she’d continuously seek comfort from the arms of a murderer, but she also never thought she’d have to seriously consider the idea that Akito wouldn’t be around anymore, either.

 

And Dabi’s surprisingly soothing considering how much of a hardass he seemed to be whenever Vesper was present.

He strokes her hair and rests his chin between her pinned ears, acting like he’s her dad even though her real dad’s at home, probably worried sick about her even though she’s sure to text both of her parents every day since it had all happened.

 

“You must really love that kid.” Dabi states dryly after several minutes of holding her.

 

She nods firmly against his chest, and he sighs softly to himself, muttering something under his breath before speaking clearly again.

 

“It’ll be alright, hon.” 

 

She doesn’t believe him though, because if Akito didn’t pull through, then her whole world would fall apart. 

They would all be lost without him.

 

“He’s an idiot.” She says weakly.

 

“Sounds it.” Dabi agrees easily.

 

She finally pulls away from him, wiping her eyes with her wrist shakily.

Dabi’s eyes seem softer than usual on her, scanning her body language silently as she tries to collect herself before going back inside.

 

“Sorry.” She says with a deep sigh. “Thanks.”

 

And then she turns around, planning on leaving before she can embarrass herself any further in front of Dabi.

 

“Oi.” He calls behind her.

 

She turns slowly, half expecting to be told off by the man.

 

“You don’t need to say sorry for being upset.” He huffs. “An’ never waste a smoke like that in front’a me again.”

 

She blinks at him in surprise before laughing for the first time in days , because that’s exactly the kind of thing that Akito would say.

 

“Sure, Dabi. Sorry.” She says, actually giving him a fond smile, even if it doesn’t reach her eyes, before returning inside.

 

Shigaraki looks at her the second they’re both inside again, Dabi closing the door behind them and approaching Shigaraki to kiss his cheek quickly before grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator and disappearing off into the house again. 

It’s strange to see Japan’s previously most wanted be affectionate with each other, but it was slowly getting less weird.

 

“Sit down with me.” Shigaraki says, pulling out the seat beside him.

 

And beyond the hug she’d given him, she hadn’t been in close proximity with Shigaraki further than that, so she starts growling again as she approaches him.

It’s out of her control, it just happens whenever she feels threatened or in imminent danger.

They never seem to mind though. They don’t comment on it or mock her for it like she’d grown so used to over the years.

 

She supposes they had to understand the caution, though.

 

“Takagi’s parents' names.” He says, more of an order than the ‘question’ he’d mentioned he had earlier.

 

“I don’t want to cause any more issues for him.” Keiko replies cautiously, the growl getting louder even though she’s trying to stifle it.

 

This was uncomfortable territory for all of them.

If Shigaraki got in contact with Akito’s parents, the black eye would look tame in comparison to what would happen to him after that.

 

“You don’t need to worry. Wani already told me everything.” Shigaraki says, leaning his face on his fist and putting all his attention on Keiko.

 

She stares at him, trying to gauge if he’s being truthful or not from his annoyingly inexpressive face.

 

“He did?” 

 

“Yes. And I’m going to fix the problem. But to do that, I need names.” Shigaraki explains, gesturing loosely to his laptop.

 

Keiko glances at it, realising that it’s a list of names. 

A lot of names.

 

“Everything?” She asks, unsure whether she’s relieved that someone had finally spoken up or if she’s frightened .

 

“ Everything . But if there’s more, I’d like to hear about it.” Shigaraki replies. 

 

She can’t tell if he’s lying or not from his face alone, but the fact that he knows that he needs to look at Akito’s parents, and the fact that he knows there’s a problem with his parents, tells her that someone had said something.

 

So she takes a deep breath and tells him their names.

Shigaraki turns to his laptop, typing in the characters and Keiko watches the screen as the list narrows down to only a few names that matched.

 

“If I show you pictures, would you be able to tell me if it’s them?” He asks, double clicking on a file.

 

Keiko nods her head, immersifying herself in the chaos that Vesper had unleashed, whether he knew it or not.

 

*•*

 

Haru : whered you go?

Haru : you haven’t forgotten about our date, right?

 

Keiko sighs as she unlocks her front door, only intending on getting more clothes to stay at Star's house for a little longer.

She loved her parents, and she didn’t want to make them worry, but she wanted to be with everyone else right now. 

 

Hana was enjoying the peace away from her huge family to process everything. Vesper was enjoying Star , even if she was miserable at the minute, and likely didn’t want to have to explain what had happened to his mom. And Keiko just couldn’t bear the thought of being alone, alone with her thoughts and the weight of all the ‘what ifs’ that were left behind after what Akito had done.

 

Maybe a date would be good. A distraction.

 

Keiko T : I haven’t forgotten. See you there.

 

And sure, she feels like a scumbag when she packs the baby pink set that Hana had picked out for her, but she tries not to think too much about it. 

It wasn’t like Aki had truly wanted her anyway.

 

*•*

 

“What’s with these?” Were Haru’s first words to her the second she had arrived, one of his slender fingers prodding one of her feline ears.

 

“They haven’t been standing up since the party.” Keiko explains, hating that her more feline traits always gave it away when she wasn’t feeling her best.

 

“You went?” Haru asks, his blonde eyebrows pulling together slightly.

 

“Yeah. He’s my best friend. I was always going to go.” Keiko dismisses, leaning her cheek on her fist and scanning her eyes over the menu in front of her.

 

“A ‘ best friend’ that hit me.” Haru states. “…Because I kissed you.” 

 

“He was drunk.” Keiko says, avoiding her new boyfriend's eyes. “He always does stupid shit when he’s drunk.”

 

Haru is quiet for a moment. “What happened at the party to make your ears all droopy, then?”

 

Keiko contemplates telling him, but ultimately decides against it, changing the topic to what he was going to eat at this restaurant that he’d booked a table for and pretending it would sway what she herself would order.

Haru doesn’t bring it up again either, even though her change of topic was by no means subtle. 

 

And the date is nice, she guesses .

Haru is attractive, he has shaggy blonde hair that frames his face and makes his already sharp jawline look even sharper. His eyes are a pale grey, and it feels like she’s all he’s seeing when he looks at her. He’s more tan than she is, not that that’s hard, and he’s a decent amount taller than her, too. 

 

But he’s kind of bland .

 

It’s nice talking to someone who wasn’t upset like she was, but he doesn’t make her laugh. 

There’s no teasing or silliness like she’s used to.

Whenever she tries to engage him in some light teasing he almost looks offended, and so she gives up, just accepting it for what it is.

 

Boring .

 

When she accepts the invitation to go back to his place, she knows what she’s getting herself into. 

She figures maybe this would be enough to distract her and keep her interested, because his personality is nearly non-existent and it only becomes more and more apparent the longer they spend together.

 

The second she passes through the front door of his apartment he’s immediately on her, kissing her like he doesn’t need anything more, and pressing her against the wall.

She leans into it, because it’s nice to feel wanted after so long of feeling like she was just a means to an end.

 

But when they manage to make it to the couch between kisses, he takes a seat and stops her from sitting on his lap.

She looks down at him, at the sleazy grin on his face that is making her feel unsettled rather than turned on.

She leans down to kiss him again anyway, planning on slinking onto his lap that way, but all she gets is one heated kiss before he’s parting from her and trying to push her head down.

 

She ignores it, because she’d rather just get on his lap and kiss him for a little longer, but he does it once more the second she kisses him again, his hand actually gripping her hair and harshly pushing her down the second time.

 

“What are you doing ?” She hisses, pulling away from him.

 

The hair near her ears was sensitive . Her ears were sensitive, and what he just did was painful.

 

“You owe me, princess.” Haru grins, running his hand over the bulge in his pants. “For going to that party even though I told you not to. Doesn’t seem like you learned your lesson, huh?”

 

She stares at him in disbelief, his previously attractive face almost becoming something monstrous to her.

 

Hadn’t learned her lesson ?

She could have lost her childhood friend.

 

She straightens up, looking down at him coldly.

 

“You’re not my dad.” She states, her tail flicking in agitation behind her.

 

“I could be your daddy, if you wanted.” Haru grins, his eyes dropping to her tail.

 

“Fuck off.” Is all she responds with before grabbing her bag, sliding on her shoes and abandoning the boring Haru in his boring apartment.

 

He doesn’t chase her, he doesn’t text or call to apologise, either.

That’s just fine for her. 

She should have been with the others anyway. It was probably the universe's way of telling her to get her priorities straight, of telling her to just be miserable and feel her feelings instead of trying to distract herself from it all.

 

It never worked when she tried to be interested in anyone other than Akito, anyway.

 

She makes her way to the train station, cursing herself for being an idiot, for ignoring the state that the guy she really liked was in for probably half an hour of being distracted, and that was being generous.

 

She’s sitting at the train station, waiting for a train back to Star’s house when her phone goes off in her pocket.

She ignores it, because she’s busy berating herself for being a terrible person.

 

If she had just let Akito stay that night he called her out of the blue instead of only giving in because Vesper and his mom were struggling to afford it, he would have been fine.

If she hadn’t wasted time being angry at him for punching Haru, who Aki had ultimately been right about, he might have smiled a bit more before deciding to try to end his life again.

 

And honestly, what the hell was she doing trying to use sex to cope when the only person she really wanted to sleep with was the one she was wasting time trying to distract herself from?

 

But then her phone goes off again, and she groans internally, digging in her pocket with the hand that isn’t holding a cigarette.

It’s probably just her mom checking in again.

 

Her brows furrow when she sees the name on the screen, though.

 

GIRLSNBOYS GC:

Aki 🎸🖤: i lived bitches

Aki 🎸🖤: {{image attached}}

Chapter 35: Caught Red-Handed

Akito hated waiting around in the hospital to be discharged. 

This had to be what, his eighth time doing this? 

The nurses probably knew him by name by now. Probably joked about how he couldn’t even kill himself successfully in the staff room.

 

This time they wouldn’t discharge him until his parents came. They probably wanted to try to lure them into agreeing to section him again, but his parents wouldn’t. 

That was somehow more embarrassing for them than having a son that repeatedly tried to escape them the only way he knew how.

 

He was not looking forward to when they finally arrived.

They’d only been gone a couple of days before it had happened, so no doubt they would be irate about the fact that he had interrupted their hundredth business trip this year.

He may as well have succeeded in his attempt, because he was as good as dead anyway. Would’ve been better if it was by his own hand.

 

He did want to see his friends, though.

They were the first people he told he was awake. He’d tried to keep it as light hearted as possible, even getting a nurse to take a photo of him holding up a peace sign with the one arm he could actually move properly.

 

He’d really hoped that when Keiko asked what ward he was on that she would visit, or any of the others, but so far, no show.

He could understand it.

They were never happy with him when he did this. They often got pissy with him, bar Hana, who was always just happy that he was okay. 

 

Vesper would be mad, and would probably get even angrier when he sees Akito. 

Keiko would be angry at first, and then get emotional. 

Hana would climb onto the bed, give him a hug and then ask a million questions.

It was always the same.

 

Apart from Star. He didn’t know how Star would react, and that was making him a little nervous. 

Because if Star was upset, Ves was definitely going to be ten times more angry than usual.

 

Maybe it would be better if Akito could remember how it all played out. He knew he left his note on his bed, his drunk mind had been good in remembering that. But other than that, his mind was completely blank.

He does wonder who actually found him, though. 

As far as he remembered, he did sneak away from everyone else successfully. No-one stopped to talk to him, and as far as he was aware, no-one had seen him go into his room, either.

 

Whoever it was, he was pissed off at them as a rule. 

He wanted to go. He wanted to not be in pain anymore.

He wanted to stop getting in the way of everyone he cared about.

And they’d stopped that from happening.

 

He tries to school his expression into a lazy grin when a nurse appears with Keiko walking behind him, a low growl in her throat as she glares at him.

 

“You have a guest, Takagi!” The nurse says, as though he’s actually happy for Akito. 

 

“Hey, kitty.” Akito says, hoping that his relief at someone finally coming to see him doesn’t come across as too desperate.

 

“You have half an hour.” The nurse tells Keiko, who thanks him.

 

Weird, because they’d never set times on his visits before, but the nurse bows his head and walks away, leaving the two alone.

Keiko crosses the distance the quickest Akito had ever seen her move, her hand striking his face in a movement so quick that he hadn’t even had time to brace himself for it.

He forces his smile to stay even though his cheek stings as he turns to face her again.

 

And there it is. That look of disgust and anger that Akito had grown so used to seeing.

It stung a little more seeing it on her face, though.

 

“Yeah. Probably deserved that.” He shrugs just as she wraps her arms around his neck, trapping him in a tight hug.

 

“You idiot , Aki.” She sobs.

 

He raises his arm to rub her back, trying to ignore the guilt that’s gnawing at his stomach. He didn’t want to see this. Didn’t want to see the disappointment, the anger, the fallout of what he’d done.

 

“Hug me properly, at least.” She snaps.

 

“Can’t.” Akito says with a small shrug.

 

“What do you mean?” She asks, pulling away from him to look down at his bandaged arms, one of them laying limp next to his side.

 

“Nerve damage.” He tells her, as though it’s no big deal. 

 

She stares at him, her eyebrows pulling together in either a mix of anger or horror.

 

“You can’t move it?”

 

“Not really.” He says, trying to wiggle his fingers and failing to get anything but a twitch out of them. “Hadta have surgery.”

 

Keiko bursts into tears again, and this time Akito actually isn’t prepared for it.

He stares at her in shock.

 

“How are you gonna play guitar?” She asks through sobs.

 

He laughs, but it's not funny, really. 

 

“Don’t worry about it, whiskers.” He says, shrugging. “It’ll be alright. Always is.”

 

He thinks for a moment. “Probably ain’t gonna have one soon, anyway.”

 

She sobs harder , which isn’t what Aki wants, not at all.

 

“ Stop . C’mere.” He sighs, reaching his arm for her hand, wrapping his hand around hers and pulling her to him.

 

She looks at him through tears, her mascara running under her eyes. She sniffs as he lets go of her hand to run his thumb under her eyes gently, wiping off the black smudges on his gown.

 

“Keiko Tsume, crying over a loser.” He teases with a lazy grin, clicking his tongue.

 

“Shut up. ” She hisses, wrapping her arms around him again. “I thought you were really gone this time.”

 

His arm raises to rub her back again. “That was the plan.”

 

“I will hit you again.” She warns with a sniffle.

 

“Kinky.” Akito teases, earning a warning nip of his ear with her teeth.

 

“I hate you so much.” She grumbles, and he chuckles as she pulls away to look at him.

 

“That’s why you’re blubbin’ like a baby?” He asks.

 

She deadpans at him, glancing at his lips momentarily, and then Akito realises just how close she really is.

 

“Practically in my lap.” He quips teasingly. “What would dear ol’ Haru think?

 

“Ditched him.” She sighs, flopping into the seat by his bed.

 

He raises his pierced eyebrow. “Damn Keiks, that’s gotta be the quickest one yet.”

 

“He was an asshole.” She huffs, crossing her arms.

 

“I tol-“ Akito begins.

 

“You told me so, yeah, yeah I know.” Keiko groans, her ears slowly straightening out again.

 

Akito doesn’t like seeing her sad, but he also didn’t really like the idea of her being with some random prick she met at a bar, either.

He tries to not dwell too much on it though. 

He wasn’t allowed to have her anyway. He’d probably only stick it out for enough time for them to think he’s better before trying again and then hopefully he’d actually get it right, uninterrupted and stop bothering everyone with his existence.

 

“The guys not botherin’ to come and see me?” He asks, trying to keep his voice jovial.

 

“What? They’re-“ Keiko frowns.

 

But Akito doesn’t hear the rest of her sentence because all he can hear is the sound of angry heels on the floor approaching.

And he knows those footsteps.

His face drops and Keiko’s face turns to see the male nurse with his parents in tow this time.

 

“Out.” Is all his stepdad says, jutting his thumb behind him with a face like thunder.

 

And Akito is already as good as dead as soon as he gets discharged and sets foot in their empty, heartless home, so for once he takes the chance to speak up.

 

“Don’t fuckin’ talk to her like that, you jumped up prick .” 

 

His stepdad’s frown deepens, and if Akito hadn’t been in the hospital and within earshot of other people, he absolutely would have raised his fist without hesitation.

His mom rests her hand on the hulking man’s arm as if to soothe him , and turns to give Keiko one of those sweet little fake smiles. 

 

“I’m sorry, Tsume. We’d just like to have a private word with him.” She tells her, but Keiko’s head is in her phone.

 

“Mhm, yeah.” Keiko replies distractedly, getting up from the seat. “I’ll be back, Aki. Hold this for me?”

 

“Uh, sure?” He replies, taking her phone from her.

 

She gives him a pointed look before leaving, not saying a word to his parents, not that he blames her. 

The second she’s out of sight, their faces turn nasty again. 

 

“What the fuck were you playing at?” His stepdad, Botan, sneers, crossing the room as though he’s going to hit him regardless of where he is.

 

His mom, for once, catches Botan’s arm. 

 

“We had to hire special cleaners to clean up the mess you made.” She snaps at him. “Do you know how expensive that was?”

 

“That must have been real inconvenient, mom.” Akito replies dryly, placing Keiko’s phone by his side.

 

“Not to mention the mess left behind from your little party.” She adds, as though that’s more serious than what Akito had done to himself.

 

“We’ve had enough.” Botan says, waving his hand dismissively. “You’re not our problem anymore.”

 

Akito snorts, looking at his mom as if to say: ‘can you believe this chump?’

Except his mom is looking at him just as sternly as Botan.

 

“You’re not serious.” He laughs without any humor in it at all.

 

“You’ve mocked our kindness time and time again.” Botan says, his voice cold. “Don’t worry, we’ve made it easy for you. All your stuff is already gone.”

 

Akito stares at him, completely speechless for a moment. 

 

“What fucking kindness? ” He scoffs, looking at his mom, who has a slight look of sadness in her eyes at the very least. “Mom-”

 

“She agreed with me.” Botan interrupts.

 

“That’s my stuff! ” Akito snaps.

 

“You wouldn’t have had it anyway if you’d pulled off your little stunt .” Botan sneers back. 

 

“You’re so fucking lucky I’m crippled right now.” Akito scoffs. 

 

“Akito.” 

 

“So he’s allowed to beat the shit out of me, but I can’t threaten him?” Akito quizzes.

 

“ Akito. ”

 

“Fuck you both.” He spits. “ My fucking stuff. Absolute cunts .”

 

Apparently that’s enough for Botan to yank on the curtain to close it and spin around, his fist flying at Akito’s face and making impact with his cheek, knocking his head to the side.

Akito’s mouth instantly fills with blood, and he can feel that the oaf has loosened yet another tooth.

He spits blood onto the floor, forcing himself to grin lazily at the man even though it had hurt.

It kind of hurt more to see his mom comforting his abuser, though.

 

“Case in point.” He challenges. 

 

“He wouldn’t do that if you didn’t wind him up!” His mom snaps, sounding almost like she’s trying to convince herself and not him. “We’ve paid for you all these years, housed and fed you, and you spit it back in our faces every time.”

 

“Every time I try to do shit for myself you ruin it!” Akito yells back, wishing he could throw both arms up in exasperation. “But hey, congrats on doing the bare minimum.”

 

“You ungrateful little…” Botan raises his fist again.

 

“Stop.” His mom says, holding her arm out over Botans chest. “Akito, enough .”

 

“Hey, that’s the first time you’ve stopped him! A little character development finally, plot was getting a little boring.” Akito scoffs.

 

Which, of course, is immediately met with a slap from his mom, right on the same side that Botan had just punched and apparently is just the right strength to knock his already loose tooth free. 

He spits it onto the bed, looking at it like it’s the most offensive thing he’s seen, and then when he raises his eyes his mom is covering her mouth with her hands. 

At least there’s genuine remorse in her eyes this time.

 

The curtain opens again, and his parents spin around, his mom still covering her mouth. Botan looks like he’s about to bark at whoever it is to leave, though. 

 

“He already has company.” A raspy voice comments, but it sounds judgemental. 

 

And Akito’s eyes widen when he sees Shigaraki with his hand on the curtain. His whole hand. 

It’s not too surprising when the curtain turns to dust, but Akito doesn’t really have time to react to that or the fact that the man’s only reaction is a simple ‘oops’ when Hana’s climbing onto the bed, crawling up to his torso until she sees the bloody tooth on the bed. 

 

“Ew!” She comments as she picks it up between her fingers.

 

He plucks it from her as his parents stammer at the mere sight of Shigaraki. 

 

“Don’t touch it, freak.” Akito tries to say quietly but teasingly. “That’s mine.”

 

“Yours?” Hana asks, her eyes getting teary.

 

And she throws her arms around him, her face pressed against his torso.

Akito places a hand on her head, scruffing the hair between her mousey ears as he watches his friends enter the room, passing Shigaraki.

Keiko takes her phone from him, wincing when she sees the darkening mark on his cheek, but Vesper stands pretty much next to Shigaraki, looking so much bigger than he already is when he stands up straight and glowers at Botan.

Star is glowing green and shaking , her hand fisted in Vesper’s shirt. Akito can’t tell if it’s from fear or anger, but there's a definite tremor.

 

“Can someone get that spit bucket for me?” Akito asks, and Keiks gets it, passing it to his mobile arm.

 

He spits blood into it, glad to be rid of the taste of metal.

 

“We appreciate the excitement, but we really want a private word with our son right now.” His mom says evenly.

 

“Have you not said enough?” Shigaraki asks, his eyes landing on the blood on the floor. “Must have been a lively conversation.”

 

“There’s still the matter of-“ Botan begins to say, and Shigaraki’s eyes immediately narrow, the atmosphere growing heavy .

 

“I wasn’t being clear.” Shigaraki says slowly, as though they’re stupid . “Leave now, and we can deal with this properly. Or we can deal with this the messy way.”

 

He tilts his head slightly, the action probably being akin to when a puppy is confused if it was anyone other than Shigaraki doing it.

His mom turns her head to look at Akito, her thin eyebrows pulling together slightly as she opens her mouth.

Akito looks at her, his face completely neutral for once, even if his heart is lifting with hope that she might apologise .

 

“You’ve said. Enough. ” Shigaraki asserts, and his moms shoulders drop, and she reluctantly turns to face her higher-up. “Come with me.”

 

And Akito panics , because there were still things that needed to be cleared up.

 

He reaches for his mom, sitting up against Hana’s face. “Wait!”

 

Shigaraki and his mom turn around, but Botan continues to walk forward without a second glance.

 

“What do I do now?” He asks, annoyed that his voice leaves him frightened .

 

His mom regards him with nothing but sadness in her eyes, and she gives a simple shrug.

 

“The same thing you always do.”

 

And then she turns again, joining her husband. 

Shigaraki glances at everyone else in the room, his red eyes only settling on Akito for a second longer than everyone else before turning away himself and leading his parents elsewhere.

 

What did he always do? 

 

Run away?

He had nowhere to run away from, now.

Survive?

He was barely doing that .

 

“You scared us.” Hana tells him, looking up at him with wet eyes.

 

“Gotta keep you on your toes.” Akito jokes, the mask going up again.

 

“You scared Star. ” Vesper finally says, his voice even lower than usual.

 

Akito glances up at him, quirking an eyebrow. 

 

“Sorry, toots. Had to give myself an appropriate send off.”

 

“She found you, asshole.” Vesper hisses, his tongue actually flicking outside his mouth when he pronounces the ‘s’ sounds.

 

He only does that when he’s really angry, but Akito carries on anyway.

 

“My bad. Wasn’t my finest moment.” He shrugs. “Next time it’ll be cleaner.”

 

They all freeze, Vesper still looking at him angrily while all the girls look at him in horror .

 

“It was a joke !” He defends.

 

Probably .

 

“Too soon.” Hana tells him before shoving her face in his torso again. “How many stitches this time?”

 

“A lot.” He replies, thankful that they were back to their usual routine.

 

He drops the tooth into the spit bucket, spitting once more into it and placing it on the table by his side before resting his hand in Hana’s curly hair again.

 

“The tooth?”

 

“Musta knocked my head when I fell.”

 

“Liar.” She counters knowingly.

 

“Eh.” He shrugs. “The usual.”

 

“What did you mean when you asked what do you do now?” She asks, peering up at him.

 

“A problem for when I’m discharged.”

 

“When will you be discharged?”

 

He shrugs. 

 

“It's never usually this long.” She comments, finally moving away to sit by his feet.

 

“Never fucked my nerves up before, so…” Akito replies, moving his eyes to the wall because instead of the atmosphere coming off Shigaraki, it's coming from Ves instead now. “Probably gonna be in inpatient for a while too, now.”

 

“Idiot.” Keiko hisses, but her bottom lip is trembling slightly again.

 

“What do you mean fucked your nerves up?” Vesper asks, Star still clinging to him like an oversized toddler.

 

She even looks a little sick .

 

“Sliced ‘em. Can’t move.” He says, making a point of trying to move his fingers again.

 

Vesper’s scaled face flickers through several different emotions, shock, concern, and then straight back to anger again.

 

“Are you fucking serious?”

 

“Deadly.” Akito replies. “Good job you’re good on guitar. Lost mine anyway.”

 

Vesper opens his mouth, closes it and then smoke begins to pour from his nostrils.

 

“Don’t be a drama queen.” Akito tries to de-escalate. 

 

“A drama queen? ” Vesper rages, and Akito quickly realises he fucked up. “You could have died! You scared the shit out of everyone ! I’ve never seen that much blood!”

 

“Ves…” Akito starts, raising his hand as if to surrender.

 

“Nah. Don’t fucking call me a drama queen man. Star rang me, panicking because you were in a fucked up state in the bathroom. She was so fucking scared . We all were.” Vesper spits. “ I had to get you breathing again. I had to sit and wait for days to get a ‘I lived bitches’ text like it’s no big deal. I had to comfort the girls because we all thought you were dead!”

 

Akito opens his mouth, but Vesper is nowhere near done, and Akito had almost forgotten about his angry streak since he’d been so calm since Star had arrived.

 

“Quit acting like this is all one big fucking joke to you. It’s not funny, it never was funny, and you’re a selfish asshole for making everyone worry like that.” Vesper seethes.

 

Everyone is silent after that.

Hana pulls a face at Akito that roughly translates to: ‘you’ve done it now, Aki.’

Keiko stares at the ground, like she’s scared of saying something that could make Vesper's anger amplify.

And Star is frozen in place, the green aura around her getting larger.

 

“You done?” Akito asks, trying to lighten the mood like he always does.

 

“Are you ?” Vesper counters angrily.

 

Aki opens his mouth, thinks better of it and then closes it again, unsure how to respond to that.

 

“Stop yelling.” Star says shakily, her knuckles paling as she grips onto Vesper.

 

Vesper does stop yelling, but his anger is still evident on his face and telling from the smoke leaking from his nose, still.

 

“ Selfish. ” He asserts firmly.

 

“Guys, stop.” Keiko says.

 

“I don’t wanna fight.” Hana agrees.

 

And Aki doesn’t either. But something tells him that Vesper’s not going to let up until Akito says something he wants to hear.

 

“I’m sorry, guys.” Akito says, fighting off the urge to shrug like he always does whenever he’s trying to convey genuine feelings. “I didn’t mean to upset you all.”

 

Vesper still looks angry , and Star just isn’t saying anything , but Hana and Keiko at least look a little relieved that he was genuine, even if it was only for a moment.

 

“Of course it was going to fucking upset us.” Vesper snaps, but the smoke leaving him is slowing. “You traumatised Star, man.”

 

Akito really has to fight himself not to roll his eyes.

 

“ Sorry , Star.” He says through gritted teeth, because he was pissed off himself that she had found him and fucked up his chance to finally be at peace.

 

And now life was only going to get harder .

 

Vesper scoffs at him, shaking his head and encouraging Star to turn and walk away with him.

 

And Akito has a front-row seat to the view of his life slowly beginning to fall apart.

Chapter 36: Hope?

“You yelled at him.” You say the second you’re out of your stunned daze.

 

It had lasted a while. You don’t really remember saying much, because hearing Takagi being yelled at and hit had sent you into such a state of distress.

It reminded you of things you didn’t want to be reminded of.

Things you were desperate to forget again.

 

“He’s a selfish asshole.” Vesper says without looking at you, leaning against the railing outside the hospital and smoking a cigarette. “Never thinks of anyone other than himself.”

 

And he’s smoking properly this time, not just pretending to smoke before a show.

You don’t even know where he’d got the cigarette from .

 

“He’s your friend. He needs you right now.” You reply, confused by how he’s acting.

 

“He called me a drama queen.” Vesper spits. “Treated everything like it was a joke. Like he doesn’t matter.”

 

“That’s just Takagi…” You defend nervously. 

 

Vesper turns his head away from you, his horned brows pulling together slightly in irritation, visible even through the slight curtain of his black hair.

 

“I’m gonna go see him.” You say, taking a deep breath to calm yourself before making your way back to the heavily injured Takagi.

 

“Sure. Whatever.” Vesper shrugs, flicking ash angrily onto the grass below. 

 

You don’t like this angry version of Vesper. You’d never seen it before, and you’d definitely never heard him yell.

The whole thing had shaken you up even before visiting your friend in hospital, and it hadn’t helped that Vesper's voice had quite literally rumbled through the floor when he’d yelled at Takagi.

You hadn’t heard anyone yell so close to you in years, and it wasn’t really something you were welcoming back with open arms.

 

“Are you coming?” You ask, already knowing the answer.

 

“No. I need to be angry for a minute.”

 

“Keiko said that he only has half an hour earlier.” You point out.

 

“Star.” He sighs, shaking his head slightly without looking at you. “I need a minute.”

 

You don’t really like the disappointment in his voice, either, but you go without pushing it any further anyway. 

If he was already angry, trying to push him to see Takagi again while he was still riding out his feelings would only make the situation worse, and you didn’t want to be around any more raised voices today.

You hadn’t seen Tomura since he’d walked away with Takagi’s parents, and you haven’t heard from him either, so you were kind of stuck at the hospital until he was done too.

 

You struggle to navigate the hospital to find Takagi’s room again, but you do get there eventually, finding him alone, staring at his hands as a cleaner tidies up the dust that Tomura had left behind from the curtain.

 

“Hi.” You say, trying to catch his attention.

 

He looks up at you, but it’s not the cheeky Takagi you know. There’s not even the knowing look behind his eyes anymore, he just looks kind of dead behind those dark eyes of his.

 

“‘Roki.” He greets lazily. 

 

“Where is everyone?” You ask, cautiously taking a seat beside his bed.

 

“The girls went to get me a drink and some snacks.” He informs you, running a hand through his messy black hair. “I really, really , just want a fuckin’ cigarette, though.”

 

He looks out the window, looking as close to miserable as you had ever seen him.

This was somehow even worse than finding him in the bathroom.

You purse your lips, unsure on what to say to him to make it better, or even what to say in general to him after what he did.

The silence stretches to the point it’s almost uncomfortable, and you blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.

 

“Do you remember it?”

 

He’s quiet for a moment before shaking his head in response.

You swallow, lowering your eyes to his bandaged arms. Arms that had been cut so deeply that you had been able to see the tissue underneath.

You shut your eyes and try to think of something else so you don’t make yourself feel sick from the memory again.

 

“You told me to fuck off.” You say when you collect yourself enough to open your eyes again, laughing nervously, thinking that maybe he’d find that part funny.

 

“Yeah?” He asks with a dry laugh. “Probably ‘cause I wanted you to fuck off.”

 

You wince a little, not expecting the sharpness in his tone.

 

“I was just trying to help. I didn’t want you to die.”

 

“I didn’t want your help, I wanted to die.” He spits back. “Now everything is so much worse because you had to stick your fucking nose in. Fuck you.”

 

You recoil under the weight of hatred in his dark eyes.

 

“I didn’t mean to-“

 

“You don’t know shit , Star. That’s your problem.” He says, looking away again and shaking his head. 

 

You’re hurt by his words, but you feel like it’s only coming from a place of hurt in himself.

You had seen Dabi do it over the years, snapping at other people when he was really just angry at himself. 

You weren’t going to give up on Takagi, just like none of your family gave up on Dabi.

 

“How did I make things worse?” You ask, wanting clarification. 

 

His jaw visibly tightens, but he doesn’t reply.

 

“If you talk to me, I can try to make it better.” You explain patiently, mimicking the way Tomura and Dabi had explained that to you over the years. 

 

“You got a house I can stay at?” He asks, his head snapping to you again, that angry look back in his eyes, and then he laughs humourlessly. “Like Dabi and Shigaraki’d want me around.”

 

He looks away again, his face falling into a look of sadness. “No-one wants me around.”

 

“ We all do.” You argue, and he scoffs at you. “We do!”

 

“Pull the other one.” He mutters. “Keiko hates me for punching her ex, Hana would find someone new to fill my place, Ves thinks I’m a selfish asshole, and I apparently traumatised you.”

 

“Well…” You murmur, itching your face anxiously. “I’m not very good with blood, that’s all. I was kind of useless, honestly. Vesper did all the work.”

 

He gives you a, likely sarcastic, thumbs up in response.

 

“Keiko doesn’t hate you. She likes you a lot. I think you know that.” You defend. “And Hana was really upset. She didn’t talk much before hearing from you. And she really likes to talk.”

 

He doesn’t reply, so you continue. “Vesper doesn’t really think that. He’s just mad ‘cause you called him a drama queen.”

 

He still doesn’t talk to you, and you allow it to be quiet for a moment or two before sighing.

 

“I really want to make this better, Takagi.”

 

“You can’t make it better, Todoroki!” He yells, making you flinch. “Everything’s fucked now! You couldn’tve just left me alone and now I have nothing. Nothing. ”

 

His eyes actually go watery, like he’s about to cry, but he turns his face away so you can’t see. “Just fuck off, man.”

 

“You have us. You have the band.” You try to argue regardless.

 

“ Leave. ” He replies through gritted teeth.

 

You don’t need to be told twice, but you have one last attempt to make him feel better. Something you had lacked until you met Dabi, but something that always made you feel better after you did meet Dabi.

You stand up, and then lean forward, wrapping your arms around Takagi’s neck.

 

He tenses as you do it, but you press your face into his shoulder anyway.

 

“I’m really glad you’re here, Takagi.” You tell him wholeheartedly.

 

Because you couldn’t tell him you were glad he was okay, because he clearly wasn’t. But you were happy that he was alive , at least.

 

You don’t expect what happens next, but you feel him shake against you as a sob rips through his chest, and he clutches your shirt with one arm.

You tense at that, not expecting Takagi to choose you to be the one he cries in front of, but you collect yourself quickly and squeeze him a little tighter. 

It hurts your heart a little bit hearing, and feeling, him sob against you, his cries sounding like something has broken inside of him.

 

“Aki? Is everything okay?” You hear Hana ask behind you, and you witness the quickest turn-around of emotion ever from Takagi.

 

He immediately lifts his face, lets go of you to wipe his eyes and nods curtly.

 

“Never better, squeaks. What’dya get me?”

 

You blink, taken aback by how quickly he went back to being ‘normal’.

 

“We got you some soda, chips and candy.” Hana muses, looking at the bag in her hand. “But we’re worried about your tooth.”

 

“Don’t want it getting infected.” Keiko says, stroking your hair soothingly.

 

Takagi rolls his eyes, motioning for Hana to come closer. “Ain’t my first rodeo. ‘Ll get someone to look at it later.”

 

Hana drops the bag by his feet, climbing onto his bed again and crossing her legs.

Takagi reaches for the bag, and Keiko sits at the edge of the bed, her eyes full of concern as she looks at him.

He cracks open a can of soda one-handed, flopping against the pillow behind him.

 

“What a day.” He laughs humourlessly.

 

And the noise that leaves him sounds like a laugh but his face is back to being miserable.

Keiko rubs his leg, her ears drooping again.

Hana opens a bag of chips for Takagi on account of him only being able to use one arm at the minute. She pushes it towards him and then lays over his feet, looking at him with worried eyes.

 

“Why were you crying?” She asks.

 

Takagi scoffs, immediately picking at the chips, even though he doesn’t particularly look like he’s enjoying them.

 

“I don’t cry. Ever.” He states, but he’s already yelled at you once so you choose not to point out that he’s lying as you settle back into the plastic seat by his bed.

 

“Then why are your eyes all puffy all of a sudden?” Hana counters despite your own hesitation. “ And you’re sniffling.”

 

“Allergies.” He excuses, screwing his nose up a little bit as he struggles through the bag of chips.

 

“They not any good?” Keiko asks, her eyebrows pulling together slightly.

 

“Not that, just…” He sighs. “Not really hungry. Only eating ‘cause I know I gotta.”

 

This doesn’t seem to reassure Keiko though, her ears dropping nearly enough to be at the point they had been before.

Hana begins poking Takagi’s legs, likely to get him to tell the truth, but he doesn’t do anything beyond try to nudge her back with his feet.

 

Soon enough, Vesper and Tomura arrive side by side. Vesper looks a little less annoyed, and Tomura isn’t giving away whatever might have happened with Takagi’s parents through his facial expression.

Akito freezes, looking at Tomura with a mixture of surprise and fear on his face, as though it’s his first time seeing him in person before despite Tomura making a brief appearance earlier. You suppose Hana throwing herself at him had distracted him from that, though.

 

“Takagi.” Tomura greets, bowing his head slightly in a rare show of respect that you had only really seen him give to Dabi’s family before. “Let’s talk.” 

 

Takagi looks panicked, his mouth opening and closing and he even looks over at you as if you knew what Tomura wanted to talk to him about.

You wonder if it was because he really liked both of your parents that he looks so panicked, so you give him a small smile to tell him everything’s okay. 

This doesn’t seem to soothe him, though.

 

“I didn’t do anything.” He manages to sputter out nervously.

 

Tomura raises a brow at your friend. “I’m aware. This is about what we’re doing moving forward.”

 

“I-“ Takagi begins.

 

“Let’s talk.” Tomura repeats, gesturing for everyone to leave.

 

You’re quick to stand to leave, because you know when Tomura tells someone to do something they only have a limited time to actually do it before his requests get a lot more impatient. 

Hana scrambles off the bed, too, and Keiko begins to stand, her tail flicking anxiously behind her. 

 

“Wait.” Takagi says, catching Keiko’s wrist quickly.

 

She looks at him curiously, her ears perking up a little bit.

 

“C’mere?” He asks, glancing at Tomura briefly before giving Keiko a pleading look.

 

She raises an eyebrow at him but leans closer as you and Hana move towards Vesper and Tomura. You tip-toe to hug Vesper, who wraps his arm around your lower back, which is better than anything you would have gotten earlier with him being in such a bad mood. 

He even lets you slide your hand into his briefly while Keiko and Takagi talk quietly.

Whatever he and Keiko are talking about, it’s brief, because they only seem to exchange a few words before he rests a hand on her cheek in a way that seems more romantic than platonic .

 

But when he moves to kiss her, she pulls away, giving him a soft smile.

He looks downtrodden at that, and Keiko doesn’t look too happy either when she turns her back to him, but Hana is immediately clinging to Keiko’s waist and leading her out of Takagi’s room while talking in her usual chirpy tone. You go to follow them too, gently tugging on Vesper's hand, but he’s finally looking at Takagi with a neutral expression.

 

“I just wanna speak to him real quick.” Vesper tells you.

 

Tomura doesn’t say anything, but he does cross his arms which typically means he’s beginning to run out of patience.

Takagi doesn’t look thrilled by the idea, staring at Vesper with an unreadable expression before moving his eyes away.

With a deep breath, he gathers himself, putting on a classically ‘Takagi’ grin and rolling his eyes at Vesper. 

 

“Can’t believe you’re jumpin’ the queue, right in front of the President of Japan.” He teases.

 

Vesper blinks, and then in a mere second, he’s angry again, his horned brows furrowing and his eyes narrowing. 

 

“Don’t even-“ Vesper begins, his tongue flicking from his mouth in irritation. “You don’t ever listen, do you? I was gonna-“

 

“Stop it!” You exclaim, catching yourself by surprise at the volume of your voice.

 

Tomura’s brow immediately lifts, an amused look behind his red eyes as he looks up at your equally stunned boyfriend.

 

“Stop being mean to him! He’s hurt and sad and he needs you to be nice to him right now!” You continue to rant, annoyed that you were trying to deal with the situation better than Vesper seems to be. 

 

“Star I was going to say sorry, but he’s-“

 

“Then say sorry!” You demand, pointing at a vaguely amused Takagi, too. 

 

Vesper’s jaw clenches, but his shoulders drop from where they had been and he glances at Takagi for a split-hair of a second before sighing and forcibly relaxing the rest of his body, too.

 

“Sorry, man. I’ve just been so fucking worried about you.” Vesper admits, although he looks a little humiliated about doing it at your demand and in front of Tomura. “I thought you were dead. It pisses me off when you make dumb jokes like it’s not a big deal that we were all fucking mourning you before you’re even gone again.”

 

Takagi shrugs, but the amused look is gone, and he kind of looks miserable again. 

 

“Yeah, don’t worry about it, Ves. All good. Didn’t say anything that wasn’t true anyway.” 

 

“That’s not-“ Vesper starts, but Tomura doesn’t let him finish his sentence.

 

“That’s enough now. We have things to discuss.” Tomura says, and although his tone is still even, you can tell there’s no more arguing what he wants to do or delaying it any further.

 

“C’mon, Ves.” You try to encourage gently, trying to slide your hand into his again. 

 

He allows it, but he seems reluctant to leave Takagi. He doesn’t really have a choice though, and lets you pull him away from the ward so Tomura can talk to Takagi. You hope that he’ll do as much as he can for him, knowing that Tomura has some strong feelings about people that hurt their kids.

Vesper is quiet as you walk towards Hana and Keiko who seem to be talking closely to one another. When you look up at him he looks kind of sad.

 

“Are you mad at me?” You ask.

 

“Nah. I needed it.” He replies, but he doesn’t look at you properly.

 

He doesn’t really talk normally for a while after that, either. With any of you.

He’s back to acting how he did when you first met him. He’s withdrawn, doesn’t really react how he usually does when Hana climbs all over him and as much as he lets you hold his hand, his hand is looser than usual around yours.

 

Keiko starts paying more attention to it, one of her ears flicking from time to time as though she’s getting irritated by his off-colour behaviour.

Tomura has been talking alone with Takagi for quite some time when she finally addresses the elephant in the room.

 

“What’s wrong with you, Ves?”

 

It’s blunt, to the point, and her yellow eyes are so focused on him that he can’t really escape them.

 

“Nothing.” He blatantly lies.

 

“You’re sulking.” Hana notes.

 

Vesper plucks her from his shoulders and places her in front of him even though she whines in complaint.

 

“I’m not sulking.” He says simply.

 

“Are too.” Hana counters. 

 

“You’re not being yourself.” You agree patiently.

 

Vesper sighs and slumps in his seat.

 

“I was an asshole.” He admits, the corners of his mouth turning downward. “He was just being himself, but this time was serious . Before this attempt it was just a few hours in the emergency room. Not days. And then he was joking about next time…”

 

“There won’t be a next time!” Hana says optimistically. “‘Mura’s gonna sort it out!”

 

“But what if this is just how he is now?” Vesper asks. 

 

“He never used to be ‘til it got really bad at his place.” Keiko defends. 

 

“I guess.” Vesper shrugs, but he doesn’t look convinced. “He really fucked himself up this time. Nerve damage. He’s gonna be real upset if he can’t tour.”

 

You shudder at the mention of nerve damage, your brain immediately taking you to the image of him slumped in the bathroom again.

Tomura reappears finally though, although Takagi isn’t beside him. He seems to have a folder with him, and you all stare at him expectantly, waiting for him to give you an update.

 

“Quick thinking on the recording, Tsume.” Tomura says, passing her phone back to her. “That was enough.”

 

“Thanks.” She says, taking it and sliding it into her pocket, but she seems kind of sullen about the praise.

 

“Did you sort it out?” Hana asks.

 

“Yes.” Tomura replies, looking down at your short friend. “Although he didn’t seem too eager to testify against his mother.”

 

Vesper grimaces slightly, and Keiko looks away.

 

“He’ll have to be here a while longer. The doctors are unhappy about letting him go while he has no use of his left arm.” Tomura explains. “Once he’s able to leave then we’ll house him until he finds an affordable home for himself. He’ll have the payout from what’s left of his parents' salary, but after that everything will fall on him.”

 

You all stare at him, soaking in what he just said. 

 

“ Alone ?” Hana asks. 

 

“That’s up to him.” Tomura says simply. “Let’s go.”

 

“I’ll move in with him!” Hana says cheerfully. 

 

“I bet you will.” Keiko replies, standing from her chair with a faint smile on her face for the first time in days. “I think that’ll be good for him.”

 

“He shouldn’t be alone.” Vesper agrees, but he isn’t smiling like Keiko is.

Chapter 37: History Gone

You were midway through painting with your new glittery watercolour paints at your desk with Hana chatting away to you by your side when someone dressed smartly came in to talk to Professor Sato.

You don’t really pay attention to it, too busy trying to focus on your painting while Hana chews your ear off about the apartments she’s been looking at to try to help Takagi in the only way she really could.

You don’t notice the way he looks over at you with a slight frown. You don’t see him nod and dismiss whoever it was that had interrupted his lesson. You don’t see him as he approaches you, carefully coming to your side to get your attention rather than behind you and making you startle.

 

“Todoroki, your dad is here to pick you up.” He tells you quietly.

 

You freeze. Dabi and Tomura had promised never to come to your college unless it was an emergency, because they didn’t want you to be targeted or treated differently because of who your parents were.

You turn your head to look worriedly at Sato. 

 

“Did he say why?” You ask, ignoring the way that Itō is staring at you from across the desk.

 

Sato shakes his head and pats the back of your chair. “Off you get, Todoroki. You can catch up tomorrow.”

 

You aren’t particularly happy about that, though. You had played catch up for the time you had off recently and you weren’t particularly eager to continue that any further.

Plus, you were concerned about what was so important that they had to come and get you mid-lesson. You really hoped it wasn’t something to do with Grandma Rei.

You gather your things though, packing your paints away and leaving the painting out on the desk to dry, asking Hana to take it with her when she leaves for the day. 

She nods, reaching out to squeeze your hand reassuringly and giving you a smile before letting go of you.

 

You leave class with your head down, already kind of feeling like you’re the odd one out thanks to everyone else forming friendship groups and you and Hana being excluded from nearly all of them. Suddenly having to leave class at the request of your professor isn’t a good look, either.

Itō smirks as you pass her, but you try to ignore it. You hadn’t done anything to deserve her hatred and no matter how many times she gave your work backhanded compliments or outright insulted it, you had always been kind in return.

 

You make your way to the reception, following the signs and only getting lost a couple of times before finding it, freezing when you find the balding man that had forced you to move homes waiting for you on one of the scratchy looking seats in the waiting area.

He looks particularly scruffy today. He has a hole in the bottom of the shirt he’s wearing, and his jeans and shoes are muddied.

You move to back away and return to class, hoping that if he doesn’t spot you in time they might tell him to just leave. But the door clicks shut loudly behind you and he immediately raises his head at the sound, his slightly wrinkled face pulling into a smile.

 

“Y/N!” He calls, wiping his palms on his thighs as he stands up, but you shake your head in response, taking a nervous step back anyway.

 

“That’s not my name.” You say, but your voice is weak as it leaves you.

 

He laughs as the receptionist watches the interaction, smiling at her and jutting a thumb towards you. 

 

“Always been a joker, this one.” He dismisses, and you frown.

 

“No I haven’t. And you wouldn’t know, anyway.” You argue.

 

He sighs, sliding his hands into his jean pockets. “C’mon, let’s go and chat.”

 

“I’m not going anywhere with you. I don’t know you.” You try to say loudly and firmly so that the receptionist might get involved.

 

But she doesn’t, and your ‘real’ dad looks at you pleadingly. 

 

“Look, give your old man a chance.” He begs.

 

“You’re not my dad.” You say firmly.

 

“Is there a problem?” The receptionist asks with a sigh, like she’s annoyed she has to do her job.

 

“Yes, he’s not my dad .” You repeat again.

 

The receptionist looks at him like she’s silently telling him to leave, her arms crossed over her desk and her face stony.

 

“Familial issues need to stay at home.” She says tiredly.

 

Your ‘father’ gives you a pleading look, but you’re unwavering, even though you can feel your hands shaking.

He’d found your college . He knew where you were every day now, even with Tomura and Dabi’s physical threats, and the fact you had moved homes.

You didn’t want to change colleges. This one was well renowned for its art and theatrical art courses. You had friends here. Vesper was here.

 

With a sigh, he tries to pass you a card, but you just stare at him even more fear-stricken the closer he gets.

 

“If you change your mind, please call?” He asks, and he does genuinely sound hopeful.

 

You don’t know if it’s that, the pressure of the pissed off woman at the reception staring at you, or the fear, but you cautiously take the card.

And he gives you the biggest grin you’ve ever seen, like you had made his entire week by accepting his card.

 

“Thank you, Y/N.” He says, immediately backing off.

 

“I’m Star .” You assert as firmly as you can with a shaky voice.

 

“You’re just like your mom.” He says, shaking his head and still smiling. “I really hope I hear from you.”

 

And then he does just walk off without you.

You watch him until he’s out of sight, unsure what to do. You should probably call your parents to tell them, but Dabi will want to take you off the course, and Tomura would probably agree with that decision.

But you don’t want to go home, either, in case he’s still watching you, waiting for you to do that, so you kind of stand there, thinking over your options with your arm still frozen in place from where you had taken his card.

 

You look down at it. 

It just says “D/N L/N, Businessman” on it, along with his number.

You slide it into your pocket with the idea to just bin it later, and decide to see if Vesper or Keiko are in the usual hangout spot to talk to before you make your next move.

When you get there though, the room is entirely empty. You’re not surprised, it’s nearly the end of the day anyway, so everyone was likely meant to be in class.

 

You kind of wish that Takagi was around, because for the first time in your life, you seriously consider having a cigarette. 

You sit down for a second, your mind a whirlwind of worries and emotions, until it goes completely silent and you start to feel kind of like your head is filled with fluff. 

You decide to just go home early, making sure to keep an eye out for anyone that could potentially be following you back. You’re on edge the entire walk from the train station to your home, but no-one seems to be obviously following you.

 

“Dad?” You call the second you walk through the door.

 

Your voice leaves you shaky and…not right.

 

“Sec, hon!” Dabi calls back. “Nova! Where are you?”

 

You sigh at the vague dismissal, petting Cloud as you crouch to take your shoes off, your hands still shaking.

You guess that at least Nova is buying you some time to try to collect your thoughts and try to find a way to tell Dabi what had happened while also telling him you really didn’t want to move courses or colleges.

 

“Nova!” Dabi calls again, walking into the hallway with his white eyebrows pulled together.

 

You stand, taking a deep breath. “Dad, I really need to talk to you.”

 

“Of course, baby girl.” Dabi agrees, his metallic hand on the back of your head briefly as he passes. “Just gotta find Nova. Can’t have a kid on their own, darlin’. You ‘kay?”

 

“Well…” You begin to answer, but he ducks into the kitchen before you can answer the question fully.

 

You’re hurt.

You’re hurt because before Nova showed up, he would have picked up on the fact that you weren’t okay straight away. But he was distracted by Nova, again.

And you didn’t mind the little girl, she was sweet, and you were learning to deal with her in your space and learning how to communicate with her as best as you could. But you needed your dad right now. 

 

So your lips pull downward as you take another deep breath, deciding to drop your things upstairs before trying again.

Cloud follows you up the stairs, and you leave Dabi to call for the new introduction to your home alone downstairs.

When you swing your door open, you startle at the sight of Nova on your bed, her little hands running over your teddy bears curiously.

 

“What are you doing, Nova?” You ask just as the door opens and she jumps, too, the teddy in her hand turning to dust within a mere second.

 

Except it wasn’t just any teddy.

It was the teddy you had your entire life. 

‘Star Jr’ as Dabi called it. A teddy bear that had one missing eye, matted ears from years of being sucked on and rubbed for comfort when you were younger, and the fabric star on the chest that had patches where the slight velvet material had almost disappeared.

 

“What the fuck?” You ask, bewildered, and then anger takes over. “Dad!”

 

You continuously scream for Dabi while Nova panics, looking at her hands, her mouth opening and closing like she’s trying to talk, her purple eyes wider than they’ve ever been.

 

You can hear Dabi and Tomura rushing upstairs, but it’s too late.

It’s already gone.

 

“What’s wrong, what happened?” Dabi asks the second he reaches the room, his eyes scanning over both of you.

 

“She destroyed teddy!” You snap angrily. “It’s gone .”

 

“ What ?” Dabi asks incredulously, looking over at Nova who’s trying to scramble off the bed without touching anything.

 

Tomura is silent, watching from the doorway, his red eyes scanning the bed.

You don’t repeat yourself again because you can’t believe what’s just happened, the one thing you had left of your mom was gone, reduced to nothing more than flakes of grey on the bed. The feeling of your head being cloudy is getting worse by the second and it almost feels like you’re disconnecting from your body.

You just stare at Nova, getting angrier and angrier.

 

“It woulda been an accident, hon.” Dabi immediately tries to de-escalate.

 

“I don’t care! That was the only thing I had left of my mom!” 

 

“Nomu, touch this.” Tomura orders, holding out a pen to Nova. 

 

She automatically reaches out and touches it, the biro quickly disintegrating in between Tomura’s fingers and falling to the floor in the form of ash.

She disappears, and Tomura immediately grabs where her wrist had been, pulling her out of the room even though you can’t see her, just Tomura’s hand wrapped around seemingly nothing.

 

“Why the fuck would you give a six year old your quirk?” Dabi snaps, pulling you towards him.

 

“I didn’t. ” Tomura snarls back. “I’ll sort it out.”

 

And then they disappear into Nova's room, Tomuras muffled voice barely audible over the sound of your blood in your ears.

 

“It’s okay, Starshine, we’ll fix it.” Dabi promises as he hugs you, but the hug isn’t making you feel better like it used to.

 

“You can’t fix it , dad.” You say sourly. “It’s not even in solid pieces anymore.”

 

“I’m sure ‘Mura can figure something out, darlin’.” Dabi reassures, completely ignoring your sharp tone as he strokes your hair like he used to when you were younger.

 

“Just get out.” You say quietly.

 

“Huh?” Is Dabi’s bewildered response back as he pulls away from you to look at you with a concerned frown.

 

“Get out .” You repeat, trying to sound firm, but your voice is wavering as it leaves you. 

 

“Star, c’mon.” Dabi sighs, trying to catch your arm again. “I understand why you’re upset, I get it . But it woulda been an accident, doll. She didn’t do it on purpose. She looked scared.”

 

“Get off me! I want to be alone.” You sob, yanking your arm away from him. “I just wanted to come home and talk to you and feel okay.”

 

“You can always talk to me, princess.” Dabi sighs, but retracts his hand. “What’s up with ya? Y’need something hot for your belly?”

 

The implication as well as the way he’s talking to you like you’re a child again makes you even angrier, and you throw your college bag on the ground, pushing past Dabi to start angrily packing another bag.

 

“Star, c’mon.” Dabi tries to bargain again. “We’ll fix it, I promise.”

 

“I said get out!” You yell, catching yourself by surprise, and Dabi’s eyes widen a little, too.

 

He straightens out his expression quickly, though, his white eyebrows pulling together slightly as you continue to shove random items of clothing into the bag.

 

“I know you’re upset and frustrated darlin’, but we don’t yell in this ho-“

 

“You yell at Tomura all the time at the moment, you hypocrite !” You snap, your hands shaking as you ball them up into fists. “You don’t bother with me or ‘Mura anymore now Nova’s here, and you couldn’t even keep an eye on her and now I’m the one that’s hurt because of it!”

 

He looks heartbroken as you scream at him, his whole body untensing in a way you hadn’t seen since he’d stopped going to therapy as often with Fuyumi, and his scarred face falls too.

 

“Just get out.” You demand again, fighting back tears.

 

Tomura turns back up, hand in hand with a gloved, and now visible Nova, and a frown pulling his own cracked brows together.

 

“What’s going on?” He asks.

 

“I want to be alone.” You demand, not daring to raise your voice at Tomura after remembering the first and only time you had.

 

Tomura hums, ushering a reluctant Dabi out of your room and letting go of Nova’s hand.

 

“Nov- Nomu, what do you want to say to Star?” He asks, looking down at the little girl.

 

Nova signs something that you can only assume means ‘ sorry ’, but you’re far too angry to entertain the idea of forgiving her right now.

 

“Just get out.” You plead, trying to keep your voice calm as you throw the bag over your shoulder.

 

“Star. It was an accident, she was scared and it just activated a dormant quirk.” Tomura tries to justify.

 

“I don’t care , dad!” You exclaim in exasperation. “She just basically killed my mom.”

 

Tomura opens his mouth but closes it again, the scarred side of his mouth twitching slightly. 

You look down at Nova, struggling to keep a straight face when she’s clutching Tomura’s sweatpants with one of her gloved hands and all tearful like she’s the victim here.

 

“I can’t forgive you right now. I’m angry.” You communicate clearly.

 

“Starlight.” Tomura says firmly, but you shake your head and walk past, intending to leave the house.

 

“I’ll talk to you when I’m not angry.” You say simply, not even saying goodbye to Dabi either as you pass their ajar bedroom door.

 

You can just about make out the silhouette of him with his head in his hands in your peripheral vision as you pass the door. 

 

*•*

 

“Star? What’re you doing here?” Vesper asks, automatically hugging you and picking you up when you slam your body against his.

 

And the tears leave you in a flood, wetting his bare shoulder almost immediately as you wrap your arms and legs around him and bury your face against his scales.

 

“What’s up?” He asks worriedly, closing the door behind you and locking it with ease despite you clinging to him.

 

“Nova destroyed teddy!” You lead with, wailing as he carries you into the house from the feel of his movements.

 

“Teddy?” Vesper questions, sounding confused.

 

“The teddy my mom got me when I was a baby! And Dabi didn’t even get mad . Tomura didn’t either.” You explain, refusing to let go of him as he closes another door behind himself. “Even though I was upset!”

 

You can feel him begin to sit down, even though you're still attached to his torso. You can feel the warmth of the heat lamp, which tells you he’s taken you to his room.

 

“They kept telling me it was an accident, and I know that, but I don’t care! That was the last thing I had left of her.” You sob as Vesper rubs your back and leans his cheek on your head. “I don’t care if she’s sorry, I don’t care if it was an accident.”

 

“I’m sorry, Star.” He replies, pressing his nose against the side of your head.

 

“And then that creepy guy came to try to take me out of college and he gave me a card with his number on it, and I don’t want to move schools!” You continue to vent tearfully.

 

“ What ?” Vesper asks, his voice lower than usual.

 

“That creepy guy that keeps saying he’s my dad! He’s not my dad, I don’t know who he is.” You reply between sobs, pressing your face even harder into Vesper's shoulder. 

 

He relaxes against you after your clarification, rubbing your back again. “Your parents will sort it out. I’m sure you won’t have to move.”

 

You shake your head against him, wiping your tears across his scales in the movement. But you neglect to tell him you had yelled at Dabi and somehow upset Tomura, too. You’d never seen Tomura just… not reply to someone before.

Vesper doesn’t say anything further, just holds you close and tries to soothe you as best as he can considering the state you’re in.

 

But slowly it does work and you finally peel yourself away from him, wiping your eyes.

When your vision is clear again, you can see the worry in Vesper’s green eyes as he looks up at you, his hands going to your waist.

 

“You’ll be alright.” He says, completely sincerely.

 

Your bottom lip wobbles and tears threaten to spill again, making Vesper's eyes widen, one of his hands raising to carefully run his thumb under your eye.

 

“Please stop crying, babe.” He tries to request gently. 

 

You lean your face into his hand, sniffling.

Softly he presses the beak of his mouth against your own, probably trying to mimic the way you did that to him whenever he was more quiet than usual or when he seemed a little bit down.

 

You lean into it, kissing him back, sniffling again when he pulls away. 

 

“It’ll be okay.” He repeats.

 

You move to kiss him again, and he allows it, his hand falling back to your waist and moving you closer to him once more.

He tries to hug you once your mouths part but you shake your head, pressing yourself to him and trying to kiss him again.

 

“Star…” He begins, his tongue flicking out of his mouth when he pronounces the ‘s’.

 

“What?” You ask, wiping your eyes in frustration.

 

You were done being sad, now. You wanted to be distracted . 

You wanted to feel good after the bad day you’d had.

 

“You’re upset.” He states, looking at you with concern once more. “It feels wrong.”

 

“Don’t you want me?” You ask tearfully, and Vesper panics again.

 

“Of course I do!” He placates immediately, trying to get you to look at him again. “Star, please don’t cry again.”

 

But it’s too late, you already now feel rejected as well as hurt about Dabi and Tomura having no reaction to how upset you’d been, worried about what will happen now your stalker knows about where you go to college, and absolutely destroyed about the fact that the one thing you had left from your days with mom had been ruined. 

So the tears start falling again, and Vesper sighs through his nose, wiping them away once more.

 

“Okay. Okay.” He agrees. “Just don't wanna feel like I’m pushing you into something.”

 

“You’re not.” You sob.

 

“ Please stop crying, Star.” He begs, looking up at you, his hands splayed either side of your waist. “C’mon, let's at least take this off.”

 

He raises a hand to tug on the strap of the duffel you’d packed and you’d completely forgotten to take off before throwing yourself at him.

You finally let go of him on one side to let the bag drop to the floor with a small thump, immediately wrapping your arm back over his shoulders.

 

“I just wanna feel good after everything.” You tell him tearfully.

 

“Alright, Star. Okay.” He agrees, pulling you into another kiss.

Chapter 38: Faked Confidence

Notes:

Christmas chapter will be delayed, sorry, but here, have some smut!

Vesper is nervous .

He’s hoping that pulling her in for a kiss will be enough to placate her, to distract her like she wants to be distracted, but he also knows Star.

She wants to feel like she’s not being treated like a child, despite being in floods of tears about a childhood toy being destroyed. 

 

But it feels wrong even just kissing her, because she’d been so distraught when she’d arrived at the door and interrupted his work out. 

It had taken him an hour to soothe her, and with how much  she’d been crying he was thankful for his mom being out, because she absolutely would have gotten involved. 

He’s too worried about her to really be too present in the fact she’s in his lap and her tongue is running along his.

 

She keeps pressing closer and closer to him, but nothing is happening for once.

Her chest is pressed firmly against his, her arms wrapped around his neck, and he has his hands on her waist underneath her shirt, scared to move them anywhere else.

He can tell she’s distracted by the way she’s breathing heavily between kisses and looking down at him with heat in her eyes.

 

“Am I doing something wrong?” She asks after the fifth time of breaking away to breathe.

 

“No.” He replies, squeezing her waist gently.

 

“You’re not-“ She begins, but Vesper cuts her off because if she said it out loud that would be even more humiliating.

 

“I’m just worried about you, that’s all.”

 

“I’m fine. ” She asserts with a frown, which is not a look that Vesper wants to see.

 

Instead of agreeing with her, because he knows she’s not really okay, he leans up again to kiss her again. 

She’s eager to return to that, one of her hands running into Vesper's hair and pulling his head back gently to deepen the kiss even more.

He groans a little at the sensation despite his worry, and that seems to set Star off even more, her other hand tangling in his hair as well.

The heel of her hand brushes over his ear when she does so, and that makes a rumble go through his chest and his hands tighten on her instinctively.

 

He does catch himself though, aware of his own strength even though she doesn’t seem bothered by it.

In fact, she grinds down on his lap at the noise and touch, which does elicit a response from his body, his cocks twitching to life at the slight stimulation from her.

He needs to stop before it gets too far. She’s upset and probably not thinking clearly, but it’s so hard when she has one hand in his hair and the other rubbing the point of his ear.

 

“Star.” He gasps, pulling away from the kiss.

 

The usual hiss when he pronounces the ‘s’ is longer, which means he’s losing control slightly, but that’s because his ears are sensitive. Specifically the points, and if she carries on touching it like that he won’t last too long before completely embarrassing himself.

 

“Not my ears, babe.” He manages to say, even though he wouldn’t mind her carrying on if he had more restraint.

 

“Why?” She asks, but does move her hand away from his ear.

 

“Sensitive.” He replies simply, his mouth moving against hers.

 

She apparently doesn’t listen to his warning, though, because she kisses along the scales of his cheek before going to his ear and rubbing her nose along it affectionately and tugging on one of the rings that line it with her teeth gently.

Vespers moves before he even realises he’s moving, a growl ripping through his chest as he flips her over onto her back, his shorter claws digging into her sides as he hovers over her.

 

He has no intention of hurting her. He would never dream of it. 

But the bewildered look on her face is enough for him to loosen his grip and back off a bit, clearing his throat of smoke.

 

“We should stop.” He says, even though everything in his body wants to continue.

 

But she catches his wrist just as he goes to let go of her completely, shaking her head against the mattress.

 

“No.” She persists.

 

“Star, you’re scared and I didn’t mean to do that.” Vesper tries to explain.

 

“I’m not scared! It just took me by surprise.” She insists, tightening her grip on Vesper’s wrist. “Please. I don’t want to stop.”

 

And he should stop. 

He doesn’t want to risk fully losing control and actually harming her even though he doesn’t mean to. 

But she looks good with her back against the mattress, her face all pleading and her hair like a halo around her head against his sheets, the red light from his heat lamp complimenting all the features on her face and her shirt riding up slightly on her torso.

He wants to see more of that.

 

Swallowing, he leans back down to press the beak of his mouth against her lips briefly before pulling away again.

 

“I don’t want to hurt you.” He tells her.

 

“You won’t. ” She insists, trying to pull him back down. “Ves, I want this, I want you.”

 

Her eyebrows pull together slightly, and she looks hurt again. “Why do you keep stopping when this happens?”

 

“I told you. I don’t wanna lose control. And…” Vesper pauses, trying to figure out a way to word it without offending her. “You’re vulnerable right now. I don’t wanna-“

 

“I’m not vulnerable. ” She interrupts sourly, her eyebrow pulling together even more. “I can handle this.”

 

Vesper looks at her, a little desperately.

But she refuses to back down, frowning up at him with a tight grip on his wrist.

 

“Kiss me.” She demands after a while of Vesper struggling to deny her any more.

 

And so he does, keeping their bodies distanced even when she grips his dark hair again and arches her back from the bed to try to get closer to him once more.

 

“Ves.” She pleads against his lips after he slips his forked tongue into her mouth again.

 

He relents, lifting her further up the bed so that he can settle closer to her, shielding her from the heat of the lamp hanging over them, even though she’s already sweating.

 

“You’re getting too hot.” He murmurs, moving his nose to the side of her neck, his tongue flicking out like it always does when he gets worked up like this.

 

“It’s fine.” She replies, running her hands over his back, grazing over the small nubs left behind from the wings he’d been born with.

 

But those are sensitive too, and Vesper groans right by Star’s ear, his fists balling up where he’s resting his elbows. 

 

“Fuck, Star.” He breathes, trying to control himself. “Careful.”

 

“Did I hurt you?” She worries.

 

“No.” He replies, pressing his nose against her neck, letting out a shuddery breath.

 

For some reason this has her letting out a shaky breath, too, and she removes her hands from Vespers back.

 

“Don’t laugh?”

 

His horned brows pull together. “Why would I laugh?”

 

“I’m not wearing nice underwear.” She admits, like she’s ashamed.

 

“Why would I care about that?” Vesper asks, frowning even more.

 

Last time she stayed in his bed, she had been wearing a plain sports bra and some plain panties. He hadn’t even thought anything about it, just about how good she looked.

He had gotten hard when she took her clothes off that evening, and got hard again that morning when he’d woken up to the sight of her.

 

“Keiko said-“ She begins, and Vesper rolls his eyes at her.

 

“You’re not Keiko.” He interrupts with a smirk. 

 

She stares up at him for a moment, her hands on her stomach, and he just looks down at her, wishing he had a hair tie in so he didn’t have his fringe obscuring his vision.

But her hands do go to the hem of her shirt and slowly slide it up her body, Vesper moving back so that she can lift herself to remove the shirt completely.

She throws it to the side, and Vesper doesn’t understand why she was so bothered about what she’s wearing, because she looks incredible anyway, the tattoo of the sun, moon and star in the centre of her chest looking even darker against her skin in the red light.

 

He doesn’t dare touch, so he just looks down at her, hyper aware of the smoke filtering through his nose and the way his tongue flicks out at the sight of her underneath him.

 

“You look great.” He tells her, his voice leaving him more gravelly than usual. 

 

“Thanks. You too.” She replies, lifting her hand, hesitating for a second and then running her fingers over his abs. 

 

He growls again, moving forward to try to kiss her again. His instinct when she grabs his waist to pull the lower half of his body to her is to drag his body against hers, breathing heavily against her mouth at the feel of the friction.

She moans , the sound activating something in Vesper's brain that tells him that’s a good noise, and that he needs to do more to get her to continue making those noises.

 

So he kisses her again, grinding into her again, slowly and purposefully, and earns a mouthful of her hot breath against his mouth as he does so. 

His claws dig into his hands as he battles with his self control, moving his face to her neck as he catches his breath, trying to focus on how her hands are gripping his shoulders, so tiny in comparison to the muscle he has there.

 

“More.” She pants. “Feels good.”

 

Vesper shakes his head. “Too close. Gimme a sec.”

 

She doesn’t ask for more again, even though her hips buck weakly a couple times beneath him.

 

“What do you mean too close?” She asks breathlessly after a moment. 

 

“Don’t make me say it.” He grumbles, pressing his nose against her neck.

 

He runs his tongue along her neck, capturing some of her sweat on his tongue. He’s not fussed about that though, not when she’s letting out another shuddery breath at the feeling.

He glances up at her, and she still seems comfortable and turned on, so he takes a deep breath and takes it a little further, sliding his tongue along her collarbone and towards her chest, pausing when her breath hitches.

 

“What are you doing?” She asks, staring down at him with wide eyes.

 

“Making you feel good.” He replies, but pulls away from her skin slightly. “I can stop if-“

 

She shakes her head, but covers her face. 

 

“Okay.” He laughs once nervously. “But you know you can tell me to stop, and I will?”

 

He’s saying it more for himself, because he wants to believe he won’t lose control like his dad did. He wants to believe that if Star told him to stop he would in a heartbeat.

He knows full heartedly that he would never hurt Star on purpose.

 

“I know.” She confirms. “Don’t stop.”

 

Vesper hums an affirmative, nudging her chin with his snout gently so that she stops covering her face to look at him curiously.

 

“I wanna see your face so I can tell if you’re uncomfortable.” He explains, rubbing his nose against hers gently.

 

She nods a little bit, moving her hands either side of her head. 

He noses at her neck again, smiling a little to himself. When she turns her head slightly he repeats what he had done before, leaning on one elbow so he can run his hand up her side. 

Her breath hitches again as he cautiously inches his hand toward her chest, so he pauses, lifting his head, but her mouth crashes against his, so he swallows and takes his chance, kneading her breast gently with his hand.

 

She wraps her arms around his neck again, pulling him closer as their tongues meet.

He moves his hand down to her side again, slowly inching towards her jeans.

 

“Okay?” He asks as soon as he worms his hand under her pants, her skin so smooth in comparison to his.

 

When she nods in response, he squeezes her hip slightly before going in for another kiss.

Her hips are bucking against him again slightly as they kiss deeply, and even though he has no idea what he’s doing, he can fake it, and so he removes his hand from under her pants to unbutton them.

 

“Is this okay?” He asks breathlessly against her mouth.

 

“Don’t laugh.” She repeats.

 

He rolls his eyes again as he smiles at her, pushing the button free even without looking. The zip he struggles more with, his fingers so thick in comparison to the tiny piece of metal.

When he pulls the fabric away he does steal a glance at her panties to see what the big fuss is about, fighting back an amused huff at the sight of her duck patterned panties.

They’re cute, and very ‘Star’.

 

“Can I touch you?” He asks.

 

She pauses, but nods shyly, kissing the beak of his mouth faintly.

 

“I don’t have to.” He reassures, but she shakes her head. 

 

“No, no, it’s okay.” She replies, tightening her arms around his shoulders.

 

He looks over her with a raised brow but she’s pulling him in for a kiss and so he takes her word for it, kissing her over and over to relax her again before sliding his hand under her panties slowly.

She tenses again, but he stops automatically, pulling out of the kiss.

 

“It’s fine!” She defends before he can even speak. “I’m just nervous, that’s all.”

 

“I’m not gonna hurt you.” He repeats, but the second he tries to back off, to give her some time, she grabs his wrist.

 

“Stop it.” She says firmly.

 

“Alright, then relax.” He replies gently, bumping his nose against hers again.

 

And to be fair, she does relax underneath him, laying down a little more and pulling him down with her.

Trying to take a subtle deep breath through his nose, he slides his hand lower, groaning a little when he dips low enough to feel how wet she is.

He kind of feels around blindly for a while before he drags his hand back up slightly and apparently bumps something sensitive because Star gasps into his mouth.

 

“You okay?” He asks worriedly.

 

“Good.” She confirms, panting. “More.”

 

So Vesper finds the spot again, circling his finger over it which makes her moan against his mouth and arch her back slightly.

So he continues, trapping the leg closest to him between his own legs to stop her squirming, her feet now planted against the mattress and her thighs trembling.

 

“Vesper.” She pants, gripping his wrist again. “Feels weird.”

 

“Bad?” He asks, slowing down and nosing at her neck, smoke leaking through his nostrils. 

 

She shakes her head, her grip on his wrist only tightening when he begins rolling his fingers a little faster on the sensitive spot between her legs, her thigh moving even between his legs and bumping up against his cocks, making him growl by her ear.

He can’t help but grind against it, the friction so good against his neglected hard-ons.

 

Her moans get louder, her thighs tremble more and more and the wetness between her legs only gets more intense as he continues to rub her clit.

Her fingernails are digging into him by the time her body completely tenses underneath him.

 

“Ves!” She gasps, her breaths heavy and her legs shaking violently one final time before she's trying to wrench his hand away. “S-stop.”

 

He stops immediately, looking at her with worried eyes as he removes his hand from her panties.

She looks amazing, as always, her hair kind of messy around her, her cheeks a little darker than they usually are and her mouth slightly open as she takes heaving breaths.

 

“Did I hurt you?” He frets.

 

“No, it’s just too much.” Star explains shyly, pulling him into another kiss. 

 

This one is sweet though, brief, and Vesper releases her leg from between his, his hand sliding up her side again as he looks down at her, coughing up smoke again slightly.

She seems to take a minute to recover before finally glancing at him, her cheeks darkening further when she goes to touch his clothed cocks experimentally.

He hisses slightly, the stimulation more than he ever really expected out of anyone sober and actually wanting him.

 

“You don’t have to do that, Star.” He says, even though he really, really wants her to.

 

“But you made me feel good, I wanna do the same for you.” She argues, rubbing her hand against them again.

 

Vesper growls and bares his teeth without meaning to before closing his eyes and clenching his fisted hand even tighter.

Star doesn’t seem bothered though, her own hand running under the waistband of his sweatpants, pausing when she brushes over the head of one of them, but she moves closer and kisses his throat when she wraps her hand around his shaft and cautiously pumps it.

 

Vesper groans, his throat vibrating under her mouth.

She takes this as a sign to go on, letting out a shaky breath herself as she continues to run her hand up and down his length.

He rests his chin on her hair as she continues to kiss his throat while touching him, keeping his eyes closed out of fear that he’ll open them and this will all just be a figment of his imagination.

 

He can’t help the litany of noises that leave him, groans, growls and deep rumbles as she keeps running her hand over him.

 

“Fuck, Star.” He hisses, his hips rolling up as she curiously swipes a thumb over the head of his cock.

 

“Good?” She asks, sounding hopeful.

 

“Mhm.” He agrees, clearing out even more smoke from his throat. 

 

Star does it again, her thumb applying more pressure this time around, and he doesn’t even have time to warn her before both of his dicks are twitching and he cums all over his pants and her wrist and hand.

She squeaks in surprise, pulling her hand away.

 

“Shit, sorry, I’ll clean up.” He promises as Star stares at the clear liquid on her hand.

 

He has no choice but to pull himself together quicker than he’d really like to, sitting up and reaching over Star to go into his nightstand and grab the wet wipes in there.

Carefully he takes her wrist, gently wiping his cum off her hand, fingers and wrist.

She watches, her eyes soft on him as he works diligently to make her feel comfortable again.

 

When he’s done, throwing the wipe into the bin by his wardrobe, she grabs his wrist, drawing his attention back to her.

 

“I love you.” She tells him, and for the first time ever he completely believes her.

 

“Yeah, love you too, Star.” He replies, pressing his mouth to her quickly. “Really need to shower now.”

 

“Okay.” She agrees, sitting up properly and watching as Vesper stands up, wincing as he feels the stickiness of his clothes touch his scales. “Can I stay here?”

 

Vesper snorts, gently pushing her abandoned bag on the floor with his foot. 

 

“Thought you were anyway, babe.” He replies teasingly before adding: “You didn’t need to do that just ‘cause you wanted to stay.”

 

He’d seen Akito pull that trick with Keiko too many times before.

 

“I did it because I wanted to.” Star huffs as Vesper grabs a pair of boxers. “…Can I sit in the bathroom with you?”

 

He looks at her, but instead of seeing any kind of arousal, she looks tired and kind of sad. So he agrees.

And she sits on the lowered toilet lid, talking to him about what happened again but calmly as he showers, toying with the end of his tail that he keeps hanging over the edge of the bathtub.

And for some reason, that’s even more enjoyable for Vesper than what they’d just done. 

 

Because it’s kind of domestic. 

It feels right, natural. 

 

So when he asks her to pass him his boxers, pulling them on and stepping out of the shower, he crouches in front of her, putting his hands on Star’s thighs and presses as good of a ‘kiss’ as he can to her mouth before telling her he loves her again. 

And she finally smiles again. 

Chapter 39: Forgotten Holiday

You ended up staying at Vesper’s apartment for a few days while you cooled off. 

He didn’t complain about it like he did when Takagi was staying at his home, and his mom really enjoyed having you around. She was really chatty with you, showing you pictures of Vesper as a little baby, which were adorable, and she constantly offered you food and drinks.

 

But you knew you couldn’t keep avoiding college, not wanting your attendance to drop to a point where you’ll get kicked out, but also you weren’t really wanting to go home, either.

So you sit at the train station, the business card you found again in your jeans between your fingers as you toy with the idea of using the payphone to get in contact with him.

 

Just a distraction, you tell yourself. 

A way to get out of going home for a little while.

 

You stand up and walk over to the payphone, your hands shaking as you dial the number in and bring the phone to your ear.

He doesn’t pick up for a few rings, and you do somewhat get your wits about you and decide to hang up, but just as you go to move the phone away from your ear, he picks up.

 

“Hello?”

 

You pause, unsure of what to do.

 

“Hello?” He repeats again. “…Y/N?”

 

“It’s Star.” You correct before you can stop yourself. 

 

“I wasn’t expecting you to call!” He exclaims, sounding delighted.

 

“Well…” You begin, the regret beginning to seep in. “It was a mistake.”

 

“Lotta steps for it to be a mistake.” He counters, sounding like he’s smiling. 

 

“I just want you to stop following me. I don’t want you to come to my college ever again. Leave me and my real dads alone.” You demand, despite your hands still shaking.

 

“Your real dads?” D/N scoffs at the other end of the line. 

 

“Fuck you.” You sneer. “I don’t know you. I want you to leave me alone .”

 

He sighs. “Look, just come and meet me for lunch.”

 

“Why would I?” You snap. “We had to move because of you!”

 

“My treat. We can talk there.” He says, seemingly completely sincerely.

 

And it’s a terrible idea.

You know it deep down.

But you agree anyway, even though your stomach feels like it’s heavy when you hang up the phone.

 

*•*

 

“You came!” He says, immediately rising to his feet and drawing the attention of all the other patrons in the fancy café he told you to come to.

 

You look around at all the faces staring at you, grimacing at the disapproving looks. 

Despite it only being a café, people were still dressed smartly. Even D/N, who was wearing a button-up shirt and corduroy pants with shoes that aren’t muddy and beaten up.

 

“Sit down.” You hiss irritatedly.

 

“I’m just excited! It’s a Christmas Day miracle!” He replies cheerfully as he sits back down, gesturing for you to sit opposite him, but you’re frozen in place.

 

After everything that had happened recently, you had completely forgotten that it was the holidays.

It wasn’t helped by the fact that Vesper and his mom didn’t have decorations up or even really mention the fact that it was Christmas coming up while you were staying with them. 

You take a step back instead of forward, shaking your head. 

 

“I need to be with my family.” You tell him.

 

“You can go back to them later.” He dismisses, his eyes landing on your duffel bag. “Oh? Or are you running away?”

 

“I’m not running away.” You reply, offended.

 

But you kind of did. 

 

You still hadn’t contacted either of them to let them know you were okay. You’d turned your phone off, and no doubt the second you got back they would be furious with you.

He raises a greying eyebrow at you, as though he’s questioning what you’d just said.

 

“I stayed with my boyfriend.” You insist.

 

A brief look of disgust passes over his features. “Ah, yes. The lizard.” 

 

“He’s a person .” You snap.

 

“Alright, alright.” He replies, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “I didn’t mean it how it came across.”

 

You’re not convinced, and he motions for you to sit down again.

 

“Sit!” He encourages.

 

“I need to be with my family.” You repeat.

 

“I am your family.” He replies tiredly. “Sit, sit.”

 

And for some inexplicable reason, you do.

 

“I want you to leave me alone after this.” You assert as you take the seat.

 

“See how you feel, darling girl.” He replies, moving a menu across to you on the table.

 

You scrunch your nose up at the name, because only Dabi and Giran call you names like that.

 

“What do you want?” He asks, gesturing to the menu. “My treat, like I said.”

 

And so you just order miso soup, not wanting anything more because your stomach is turning with guilt for forgetting about Christmas.

He raises a brow, ordering a whole bunch of stuff for himself and a beer.

You frown the entire time, even when he looks at you again with a smile on his face.

 

“So! How old are you now?” He asks. “God, you look just like your mom.”

 

“I’m nineteen. ” You bite back. 

 

“Man. That’s about how old she woulda been!” He laughs, as though it’s a fun memory. “So young but she always wanted to pretend she was older.”

 

You scowl at him. “How old were you ?”

 

His face falls and he clears his throat. “So uh, art, yeah? Cool!”

 

You don’t look any more impressed by his change of subject.

 

“I don’t know where you got it from, neither me or your mom were artistic.” He continues anyway. 

 

“How would you know about mom?” You counter.

 

“Well, her talents didn’t lie in art, darling.” He laughs.

 

You still aren’t laughing or smiling though.

His laugh tapers off into a more nervous one.

 

“You got any pictures? I’d love to see.” He tries instead.

 

“I’m sure you’ve already seen it, considering you’ve been following me.”

 

He sighs, drumming his fingers against the table and looking around. 

 

“Look, you must have questions for me.” He attempts to shift the conversation again.

 

“Yeah, actually. Why do you keep following me? I don’t want anything to do with you.” You reply, sinking in your seat and crossing your arms.

 

“You’re here aren’t you?” He asks, smiling. “ You contacted me .”

 

And you don’t have a response for him, so you remain silent, still frowning at him, even when the waitress drops your food in front of you.

 

“Why did you abandon me and mom?” You ask as he bows his head politely to the waitress.

 

He looks humiliated at that, giving her an apologetic smile before turning his attention to you again, his expression becoming more serious.

 

“I didn’t abandon you.”

 

“Then where were you?”

 

He stares at you silently for a moment before exhaling through his nose and beginning to put items from the different bowls in front of him onto his plate.

 

“I had a wife. And kids. Your mom… it wasn’t…” He begins to say.

 

“I have siblings ?” You ask, that bit of information making you lurch forward.

 

“Yes…well, no. I don’t see them anymore. Not since… Well, not since my ex-wife found out about your mom, and the other women.” He admits. “And the drugs. But I kicked them ! As clean as a whistle.”

 

You stare at him. “ Other women?”

 

He grimaces. “Well Y/N-“

 

“Star.” You interrupt.

 

“ Star. ” He corrects himself, but bares his teeth slightly. “You know… Your mom was a whore.”

 

You stand up quickly, your chair dragging behind you and attracting everyone’s attention again. 

He panics, motioning for you to sit back down.

 

“Do not talk about my mom like that.” You sneer.

 

“Just sit down!” He hisses. “Look, I was just one in a long line of ‘clients’. She was selling herself for drug money. That makes her a whore by definition.”

 

“Then why are you bothered about me?” You ask tearfully. “Just leave me alone!”

 

“Because you’re my daughter . Sit down. Please. ” He begs.

 

You do, but angrily. 

At the very least he was offering free food, even if you weren’t particularly hungry.

 

“How did you even find out about me?” You ask, refusing to untense your body.

 

“You were all over the news, darling.” He sighs. “Your mom, too. When you were taken.”

 

“I wasn’t taken .” You defend, trying to down your miso soup as quickly as you can.

 

“So they were more of your moms men?”

 

“No.” You sneer. “Dabi helped me. When mom died and I was alone.”

 

Your ‘dad’ hums, raising an eyebrow and looking over you carefully. 

 

“They really never touched you?”

 

You flip your soup over him as you fly to your feet, taking him by surprise.

You grab the bag you had left on the floor and take off without another word to him. You hope that made it clear.

 

“Wait, Star, I don’t have-“ You hear him call, but the door shuts behind you before you hear the rest of the sentence.

 

You needed to get home. You needed to be with your family.

 

*•*

 

“Star!” Dabi calls the second you walk in the door, and you’re almost knocked over with the force his body hits yours with.

 

His arms wrap around you tightly, his face buried into your shoulder, and his body even warmer than usual.

 

“Don’t ever worry me like that again.” He says, his voice muffled by your clothes.

 

You don’t really know what to say, so you just let him carry on hugging you, Cloud rubbing over your ankles and Nova watching nervously from over by Tomura.

Your heart drops when you see Grandma Rei, Shoto, Fuyumi, Kenji and Natsuo all in the living room, staring out at you.

 

“I need to get your presents.” You reply, completely changing the subject.

 

“I don’t care about that.” Dabi replies, squeezing you tighter. “M’ just glad you came home.”

 

You finally hold onto him, pressing your face against his shoulder, too.

 

“I’m sorry for being mean.” You murmur, squeezing your eyes shut.

 

He just strokes your hair in response, refusing to let go of you as though you’re going to disappear if he does.

 

“Dad…” You sigh, trying to pull away so you can change into clean clothes and grab their Christmas presents.

 

“Alright, alright.” He sighs, pulling away from you and cupping your face in one scarred and one metal palm, his icy blue eyes scanning over your face worriedly. “Come back down, ‘kay?”

 

“I will.” You agree, averting your eyes.

 

“Love you, doll. M’ sorry for bein’ a lousy parent.” He sighs, pressing his forehead against yours briefly before backing off and returning to the living area with everyone else.

 

You keep your eyes on your feet as you climb the stairs, your stomach still hugely unsettled from the stress of everything you’d been through recently, as well as what you’d done behind their backs and how it might affect you all in the future and the fact you were back home anyway despite not speaking to them for a few days, and randomly reappearing on Christmas afternoon.

And Nova was still here despite what had happened and what you’d said.

 

You open your bedroom door, your eyes landing on a relatively small gift on the bed, wrapped up messily in christmas gift wrap. 

Right next to it is Star Jr, just how you remembered him looking before Nova had destroyed him.

You drop your duffel bag to the floor, slowly walking over to the teddy and picking it up as though it was made of glass.

 

It looked like a perfect replica. All the faded patches and damaged parts were in the right places, the fur was matted where you remembered it being matted before, and it even still had that smell of cigarettes on it that had only gotten fainter and fainter as time went on.

 

“I told you I’d fix it.” Tomura says from behind you, making you jolt.

 

“You fixed it? How?” You ask, turning around to see him leaning in your doorway with his arms crossed. 

 

He doesn’t look like his version of ‘friendly’, though. 

His crimson eyes aren’t soft on you like they so often are. They look hardened, maybe a little distanced. 

 

“A quirk I have called Overhaul.” He replies matter-of-factly. “I can rebuild things or break them down.”

 

“Oh.” You murmur, looking back down at the teddy in your hands. “Thanks, Pa.”

 

You really thought there was no chance of ever getting it back.

And now you had it again.

And after your interaction with your ‘real’ dad earlier, and what he’d told you, you felt indifferent about it, even though you had made such a fuss about it before.

 

“Are you mad at me?” You ask, putting the teddy back on your bed.

 

“Concerned.” Tomura replies. “You’ve never behaved like that before.”

 

Your lips tug downward. 

You had said some hurtful things to Dabi and Nova. And now you couldn’t bring yourself to be excited about Star Jr being back to how he had been previously. 

You had been so upset at the idea of losing the one thing you had left of your mom, so why weren’t you overjoyed that he had been restored?

 

“You’re not even happy that he’s fixed.” Tomura points out. “After everything that’s happened recently, I think it may be time for you to see a therapist again.”

 

“I don’t need a therapist.” You reply, just like you had when they first made you go when you were fourteen.

 

“Starlight.” Tomura says in that tone that he uses which means he wants you to look at him, so you do. “You have never yelled at your dad like that before. You’ve been irritable, distant and avoidant. You look tired and like you haven’t been eating again, and there’s a red patch on your cheek from where you’ve been scratching at yourself when you get worked up.”

 

You go to argue it, even though it’s all true, but Tomura holds his hand up to silence you before you can even speak.

 

“You’re a kind, loving girl. You are understanding to a fault, and despite me understanding how you would have felt when Nova accidentally decayed your teddy, what you said was completely out of character for you.” Tomura continues, his lips tightening for a second. “This isn’t you, Star. I’m worried.”

 

“My mom-“ You start, but Tomura shakes his head.

 

“I understand. I do. But Nova is a child who has nothing and no-one. You know what that feels like.” He interrupts. “When Decay manifested when I was a child, I destroyed my entire home. My family.”

 

Your heart sinks when he admits it, watching the lump in his throat that you’d never really noticed before bob as he collects himself.

You’d said that Nova had basically killed your mom.

In front of Tomura, who was now admitting this to you.

 

“Let’s just be thankful that it was a toy, and not you, or any of us.” He says simply, kicking himself off the doorway. “Were you somewhere safe when you left?”

 

“I went to Vespers.” You reply. “I-“

 

“Therapy, Star. I know you don’t want to. But you need it. After your friend…” He shakes his head slightly again. “I think it’s necessary.”

 

“Okay, but, dad…” You begin as he turns away. 

 

He turns to look at you again, his expression still more stony than usual.

 

“I’m sorry.” You admit. 

 

He stares at you for a fraction of a second before gesturing for you to give him a hug, something you do instantly, surprised with how tight he hugs you back in comparison to his usual hugs.

 

“I’m sorry.” You repeat, pressing your face into his shoulder.

 

Sorry for what you said.

Sorry for what happened to him when he was younger.

Sorry for making him and Dabi worry.

Sorry for almost forgetting about Christmas.

Sorry for betraying him and Dabi and meeting the man that had forced you to move behind their backs.

 

Sorry for being such a horrible person.

 

“Touya and Nova are owed apologies, too.” Tomura replies, pulling away. “The present on your bed is from her. She chose it herself.”

 

He gives you a brief soft look before turning and leaving you in your room alone.

You glance at the present on your bed again, picking it up slowly and pulling the paper off it.

Inside is a little star plushie, with a smiley face embroidered on one side, and little rope legs hanging from the bottom of it.

 

It’s cute .

And it makes that horrible feeling of guilt you had been carrying all the way home so overwhelming that you have to rush to your bathroom to throw up.

 

*•*

 

You go downstairs after showering, trying to use some of the products that Himiko had given you to lessen the swelling of your eyes from crying, and changing into clean clothes.

You throw yourself at Grandma Rei first, hugging her tight and really fighting back tears because you felt so relieved to be held back by someone that radiated such a loving, forgiving and calm energy.

You hug Fuyumi next, amazed by how good and happy she looks even though she’s getting a more prominent bump at her front. 

Kenji demands attention next, and you’re more than happy to haul him in the air and make him giggle.

 

You nod at Shoto, who nods back, and Natsuo and Dabi aren’t in the living room anymore, so you are faced with the little girl you’d probably really hurt with your words, her hands running through Cloud's fur as she avoids looking at you.

Tomura sits right beside her on the floor, his legs outstretched and his thigh touching her knee.

So you try to tell yourself that the unsettled feeling you get from seeing her touching Cloud with no gloves is unwarranted, because Tomura would never let something bad happen to your cat.

 

“Nova.” You say, crouching in front of her.

 

She slowly lifts her head to look at you, her freckled purple eyes full of anxiety as they meet yours.

 

“I’m sorry for getting mad the other day.” You say, trying to maintain eye contact with her. “I was angry and I said some really mean things. I didn’t mean to upset you. You were probably already really scared.”

 

Nova scans your face before glancing at Tomura, who watches from the corners of his eyes.

He doesn’t give her any direction, though, so she just turns her attention back to you, her hands still buried in Cloud's fur with no intention of signing anything in response to you.

 

“Thank you for my gift. I really liked it.” You tell her, that heavy feeling back in your stomach. “You don’t have to forgive me, but I just wanted to let you know that I forgive you. It was an accident.”

 

Nova still doesn’t reply, just stares at you as though she’s still scared of you losing your temper again, so you give up, standing up again and grabbing your presents for Grandma Rei, Kenji and Fuyumi.

 

“Sorry. I didn’t know what to get you.” You murmur when Shoto stares up at you with mismatched eyes at the lack of gift for himself.

 

“I like soba.” He states. “And tea. And reading.”

 

“Okay…” You reply, uncertain what he expected you to do with that information now .

 

Your gifts for people kind of sucked this year anyway, on account of you being totally distracted after Takagi had gone into hospital.

Grandma Rei had a bandana that she could wear like her others to hide how her hair was thinning. It was a pretty blue colour that matched Dabi’s eyes, and a colour that you thought would really stand out from her silver eyes and hair.

You had gotten Fuyumi a pair of fluffy socks, because she had been complaining that her feet were too swollen for her shoes and you wanted her to be comfortable.

Kenji was getting a little model car to add to his collection this year.

 

They all seem happy with their gifts, and when Dabi and Natsuo return with drinks in their hands, Grandma Rei asks Dabi to help her put the bandana in her hair.

You pass Dabi and Tomura their gifts, returning to the lone chair you have taken up away from everyone else and curling up in it.

 

None of this feels right. 

You feel wrong coming back like nothing happened. 

You don’t feel like you belong here anymore.

Christmas feels weird without the others being at your house. You miss Giran, Zero, Aiko, Himiko, Shuichi, Atsuhiro and Jin. 

 

But Dabi seems happy with the earrings you got him that have little dangling attachments he can add to them, making sure that you got a sun, moon and star. He grins when he sees the picture you had drawn of the two of you and was sure to frame, too. He shows it off proudly to Natsuo and Grandma Rei while Fuyumi and Shoto play with Kenji on the floor.

Tomura smiles a bit at the little handheld console you had gotten him that was full of retro games. He ends up getting distracted by it for long enough that Dabi has to point out that he needs to open the other gift you had gotten him, too.

The second gift was pretty much the same as what you had given Dabi. A picture you had drawn of you and Tomura. 

His eyes soften slightly as he looks at it, and Dabi soon tears it from his hands to show off to the others again.

 

You wait until Nova starts looking up a little bit more before giving her the present you had gotten her.

You hand her the rectangular gift, encouraging her to take it when she looks up at you nervously.

She does take it eventually, slowly opening the paper to reveal the simple drawing pad, eyeing it with curiosity.

 

“You can write on it, and when you want to get rid of it, you just push this button.” You instruct, pointing at a small button at the bottom of it. “When you want to use words you can’t sign, you can try to write it, or draw it.”

 

Dabi’s mouth quirks up at one side, and Tomura watches quietly as Nova begins scribbling on the pad with the stylus carefully before pressing the button you had indicated she use.

The scribbles disappear, leaving a black screen again, and her eyes widen.

She drops the plastic stylus to sign something at you with awe-filled eyes.

 

“She said thank you.” Dabi informs you.

 

“That’s okay. Merry Christmas, Nova.” You say, backing off again to give her some space.

 

*•*

 

Aiko, Zero and Giran do end up visiting, staying for an hour or so to give their presents to you all and to receive their own.

Nova stays glued to Zeros' side the entire time he’s there, and you don’t think he cared a bit, his eyes looking more alive than ever when he looked down at her, and his ever-present smile seeming a lot more genuine whenever she hugged him or interacted with him.

 

Giran is thrilled to see you, and you end up showing him all the projects you’ve worked on since the last time you saw him, actually forgetting how uncomfortable and guilty you feel when you can chat away to someone who’s equally as interested in art as you.

He also ends up being a victim to Dabi’s pride, having the framed drawings you had given both him and Tomura shoved in his face.

Unsurprisingly, he gives you some canvases and a reference book for botany.

You gave Giran a fancy lighter with leopard print engraved in the metal in return.

 

Aiko wants to talk about everything the second you allow her some time.

You tell her about Vesper, college, your friends and she listens eagerly, invested in every word, her head bobbing as you talk. She offers you a job in one of her stores if you want it, and you tell her you really appreciate it and will give it some thought, but you have a lot going on right now.

She gives you a whole bunch of new clothes, and you had gotten her a pair of earrings that matched her pink eyes that were so similar to Uncle Giran’s.

 

When they go, Himiko and Uncle Jin arrive.

Himiko throws herself at you, talking your ear off as she passes presents around to you, Dabi and Tomura. 

Even as you’re all opening your gifts she tells you about their morning, with Jin occasionally cutting in with his deep voice and then contradicting himself in his usual voice. She then devolves into talking about some new girl she’s been working with that she thinks is really cute, and even though Dabi pokes fun at her about not caring about her love life, it’s nice to have someone so bubbly around when you feel flat yourself.

 

She gave you more makeup this year, and you had gotten her some new scrunchies for her hair, making sure to get the pinkest, cutest ones you could find.

Naturally, she loves them.

 

Uncle Jin seems a little overwhelmed by the fact that Dabi’s family are in the house, so he stays close to you and Himiko, attempting to talk to Nova, but giving up when she doesn’t really interact back, clearly cautious of him even though Dabi is drunk enough to start being really friendly with him, sitting with his arm over Jin’s shoulders, and even rubbing his metallic knuckles against Jin’s head when Jin’s second voice speaks up.

He gave you a pencil holder that was shaped like a duck's head, which made you smile. It was cute as well as functional.

You gave him a lighter, too. This one was engraved with a little duck, though, seeing as he always called you ‘ducky’ even after all these years.

 

Whenever the doorbell sounded out, though, you always froze, half expecting it to be D/N, coming back to tell them what you did, or to cause more problems for you.

When everyone else leaves, including Grandma Rei and the rest of Dabi’s family, and the doorbell goes again, Dabi actually frowns at your reaction.

 

“Why’re you so jumpy today, Starshine?” He asks, his feet kicked up on the coffee table while Nova colours in on the ground with Cloud.

 

You don’t answer, because Tomura hums from beside him softly.

 

“It’s Wani.” He says simply.

 

You instantly relax, getting up to answer the door with Nova looking wistful from the floor as you move.

When you open the door, Vesper looks down at you with a soft smile, dressed up warm with a thick sweater on and a big leather jacket.

 

“Merry Christma- oof!” 

 

You had thrown yourself at him, catching him by surprise and almost knocking him over. He catches you in time though, even with a gift in his clawed hand. One of his arms goes under your butt, to support you and the other holds your back as you press your face to his shoulder.

 

“Good catch.” Tomura comments from behind you.

 

Vesper gives a single laugh in response, sounding a little uncertain about what to do.

Gently, Vesper begins to set you back down on the floor even though you would have been quite happy to cling to him for a while longer.

 

“Are you coming in?” Tomura asks him, Nova peering around his leg to look at Vesper.

 

“Nah, I’m going to the hospital to see Aki. I just wanted to give Star her present. Thanks, though.” Vesper replies, his sharp-toothed grin disappearing when he finally looks down at you. “You good, Star?”

 

You nod, not able to even try to lie with words. “I need to get your present.”

 

And you abandon him at the door with Tomura and Nova to rush upstairs, grabbing the gift you had bought him a while ago, as well as the gift you’d gotten Takagi and running back downstairs to see Vesper carrying Nova.

The second she sees you she tries clambering down but you quickly tell her it’s okay, because if Vesper is comfortable with her being ungloved and holding onto him, and Tomura is there watching, you’re okay with it too.

 

“Here.” You tell him, swapping the present he’s holding for your own. “And Takagi’s.”

 

“Thanks.” Vesper grins, gently settling Nova back on the ground. “Sorry, gotta go. Mom’s waiting.”

 

“Okay…” You agree, accepting that Takagi probably needed someone to see him in hospital more than you needed Vesper right now. “Love you.”

 

“Love you too.” He replies easily, ducking down to press his mouth to yours quickly. “I’ll call later.”

 

“Okay.” You agree, watching him leave.

 

*•*

 

And you have yet another unsuccessful night's sleep. 

You wake up in a cold sweat, having dreamt of your mom and Takagi yet again, your chest heaving as you take deep breaths. 

And you don’t even feel any less guilty than you did when you were awake. In fact, paired with the visceral image of the pools of blood you had found around Takagi and the foamy vomit that your mother had been covered in when you had found her, too, you feel sick all over again.

 

You empty what little you had in your stomach, getting up weakly to go downstairs, to wash the taste of bile away with some kind of juice. 

You shouldn’t be surprised to see Tomura in the kitchen slaving over his laptop in the dark, but you are.

 

“You don’t look well, Starlight.” He comments, and for some reason this makes you break and you burst into tears, immediately drawing his attention to you.

 

“I think I need therapy.” You admit tearfully.

 

Because you weren’t being yourself. You wouldn’t have met D/N if you were clear headed. You wouldn’t have yelled at Vesper, Dabi and Nova. 

You wouldn’t keep having nightmares again, either.

Chapter 40: Cheers

Christmas was always kind of weird at Vesper's house. Well, ever since his dad got imprisoned anyway.

Mom rarely got the day off, and when she did, she didn’t really want to order in or cook just for the two of them, so Vesper usually ended up in charge of the meals, and they were usually pretty meager. 

They also usually only got each other one gift each. 

This year she’d gotten him some new headphones so that the ones he currently had that irritated his ears didn’t have to be used anymore, and the ones she had gifted him were made specifically for people with pointed ears, so they should be more comfortable for him to use in comparison.

 

He bought her a foot spa for all the long shifts that she worked, because she had been complaining about her ankles and feet every time she came home lately.

She was thankful, chiding him about spending that much money on him, but he brushes it off, because she’s his mom, and he doesn’t want her to be in pain. 

She’s suffered enough already.

 

This year was different, though, because they had to go and visit Akito in hospital.

Otherwise he wouldn’t have a Christmas Day really, which wouldn’t help his mental state, no matter how much he tries to play it off.

And mom was nothing if not a softie, so the idea of Akito being alone was too much for her to bear, and she decided to go over with a KFC bucket for him and sit with him for a while.

 

He’d dropped his gift off for Star on the way to the hospital, but she’d looked really sick. There was a sheen of sweat on her face, her eyes were clearly swollen, she had clung to him as though she hadn’t seen him for weeks instead of hours and she just generally didn’t really seem like herself.

He’d opened his gift from her on the journey to the hospital. 

It was cute. Thoughtful. 

A scarf with heaters in-built so he didn’t have to wear a sweater and jacket outside if he didn’t want to.

 

He’d gotten her a couple of things. Only small, but things he hoped she would like all the same.

He’d had a shipment of Legend Of Zelda stock in at work recently and snagged one of the little triforce lamps they had started to stock for a little cheaper thanks to his colleague discount. 

He also got her some stupid socks that he found that he knew she would love. Socks with duck faces on the toes.

 

He smiles a little to himself when he imagines her wearing them, because he knows she absolutely would, and what would be a lame present to most people would probably be one of her favourite presents.

When his mom calls him out for smiling to himself, he’s honest with her and tells her he’s thinking about Star, which immediately has his mom cooing over how cute they are together and saying that it must have been meant to be, that the universe put the two together.

If he was a little soppier, he probably would have agreed.

 

The hospital is as miserable as expected when they get there, despite all the decorations being up.

Some of the receptionists are wearing Christmas hats and jumpers, but not many of the staff seem very spirited. And obviously, the people in the hospital are even less spirited.

The ward that Akito is on is particularly sour, full of people that had tried to do the same thing as him, failed, and now had to be treated and watched. They all look sad, hurt and lonely.

Even Akito looks uncharacteristically sad as he visibly tries to move his hand, scowling at his arm before realising Vesper and his mom are approaching him.

 

“Ves.” Akito says, his eyes widening. And then when his mom becomes visible to his friend, Aki puts on that lazy smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Mom!”

 

“Hello, Aki, darling.” His mom greets, going to Akito’s side and pressing the beak of her mouth to his cheek. “Happy holidays.”

 

“You too, mom.” He smiles a little more genuinely. “What’re you guys doin’ wasting your time in here with me?” 

 

“It’s Christmas, jackass.” Vesper replies, sitting on the opposite side of Aki’s bed to his mom. “We brought food.”

 

“ Now we’re talking. Mom, you wouldn’t believe what they tried feeding me. Was basically mush . Like I’m a fuckin’ geriatric.” Akito complains as his mom places the KFC bucket on his lap.

 

Vesper's mom laughs instead of telling him off like she would have if Vesper had said that, her eyes soft and caring as she looks at Akito, his working arm immediately dipping into the bucket and pulling out a chicken thigh.

 

“You have gifts, too.” Vesper tells him, placing Stars present on the bed first and then his own.

 

“Oh! Yes. This is from me.” His mom says, leaning on one side to rifle through her bag and place her gift on his bed, too.

 

Akito stares at the presents on his bed for a second as he chews his food.

 

“Wastin’ your money on little old me, too.” He jokes.

 

“Don’t talk like that.” Vesper's mom chastises gently, patting Akito’s leg.

 

“Feel like I actually did die and go to heaven. Got my KFC, Keiks came over and delivered some presents too, earlier. Damn.” He continues to tease, but Vesper knows it’s all an act and he just doesn’t know how to deal with the kindness.

 

“Keiko came?” Vesper asks.

 

“Yeah, only quick though. Made her parents drop off on the way to her grandparents.” Akito shrugs. “Hate to break it to ya, but I’m gonna need you guys to open those for me.”

 

“Shit. Sorry man.” Vesper reaches for his moms present, opening that for Takagi first.

 

Going for practicality, she had gotten him a gift card for a furniture store so he could get a few pieces when he was finally able to leave the hospital and start looking for apartments.

Akito had tutted, but there was a genuine look of guilt in his eyes.

 

“Mom, thanks, but you really didn’t need to.” He says, looking at Vesper's mom through his fringe with a slightly vulnerable expression.

 

“Well, it will help you in the future.” She replies lovingly, giving him a sharp-toothed smile.

 

Akito grins back, biting into another piece of chicken and nodding for Vesper to open another one.

Vesper tears into Star's present a little more carefully, knowing that Star could go for more delicate and sentimental gifts than the others, and not wanting to break it before Akito could see it.

Inside the wrapping was a vape pen, along with a charger and several refills for it. 

 

Akito and Vesper stare at it for a second before laughing.

 

“A vape ?” Vesper asks, tilting his head at Akito, hoping that he would give him some answers.

 

“I don’t even know, man, but I'm always gonna take free stuff.” Akito laughs, shaking his head a little, reaching for it.

 

As if a lightbulb had gone off in his head the second that Vesper passes him the pen, Akito pauses as he looks down at it in his hand.

 

“‘Sup?” Vesper asks, kind of waiting for Akito to just take it. 

 

“It’s ‘cause I said I wanted to smoke when I last saw her.” Akito explains. “I get it now. Can’t smoke in the hospital.”

 

“You aren’t meant to vape , either.” Mom informs him with a raised, spiky brow.

 

“Ah, when do I ever follow rules?” Akito grins, peeling the sticker off the bottom with one hand. “I’ll be nicer to deal with if I have a little nicotine in my system.”

 

“Just make sure you’re not caught.” Vesper's mom sighs, rolling her eyes, but still smiling.

 

“That ‘Roki, man.” Akito scoffs, shaking his head slightly and leaning forward to peer around the curtain. “Always thinkin’ outside the box.”

 

“Star’s a good girl.” Mom agrees fondly.

 

Akito takes a short toke of the vape, groaning dramatically when he exhales.

 

“Fuck yeah. What’d you get me, Ves?” Akito asks, taking little heed for the warning he’d been given from the sheer amount of smoke he’s exhaling.

 

“Careful dude.” Vesper warns, but begins to unwrap his own gift. 

 

It was boring, practical.

A wireless phone charger so he didn’t have to beg his nurses for one anymore, and subsequently have to be watched the entire time because he couldn’t be trusted with wires. Some wireless earphones so that he can listen to music again. And the Elden Ring manga that Vesper had spoken to him about before he’d been hospitalised.

 

“Nice! Legend, Ves. Thanks!” Akito grins, dropping the vape to lean forward and ruffle Vesper's hair with his good arm.

 

Vesper swats him away, but grins back, happy that the gifts aren’t as lame as he thought they might be. “Yeah, sure. Just want you to quit whining in the group chat.”

 

“I’ll find new things to complain about.” Akito shrugs, flicking through the manga. “Been spoiled today.”

 

“You deserve it.” Mom tells him wholeheartedly.

 

There’s a flicker of uncertainty on his face very briefly, but he makes a joke about it and laughs it off like usual, letting Vesper plug in the charger for him.

Akito continues to tell Vesper’s mom the gossip on the ward while eating through the KFC they had brought him over, one of the other patients on his ward apparently having complained that Christmas had been ruined because the nurses had caught him hoarding tablets that he had been pretending to take and confiscated them all.

He also seems to think that one of the doctors has a crush on one of the women that he’s on the same ward as, which mom seems eager to listen about, but Vesper isn’t as interested about that.

 

He also tells them both about how Keiko had dropped in a few items of clothing for him, and then informed him that she had managed to get the guitar that his stepdad had given away back.

Vesper was amazed at that.

Keiko had nothing more to go off other than the fact that Botan had given away Aki’s belongings, and still managed to track down the guitar and buy it back from someone who clearly didn’t have any idea how much the thing was actually worth.

Aki smiles to himself the whole time he’s telling the story, too. Sincerely. Not one of those stupid, sarcastic smiles he does.

 

Vesper notices it, but doesn’t mention it. He’d done this before when he was in a rough spot. Led her on, seeming genuinely interested in her to the point the others had gotten excited that they might just finally make it official, and then dropped her anyway.

 

“She’s a good girl.” Mom sighs, leaning her face on her fist with her elbow on the edge of Akito’s bed. “You’re both very lucky boys to have such lovely ladies keeping an eye out for you both.”

 

Vesper agrees automatically with a curt nod of his head, but Akito falls quiet briefly before changing the subject entirely, talking about how he’d managed to get a little movement in his pinky finger and ring finger, but was still unable to move the others.

Mom is naturally interested in that, and tries to help him with it, but it’s useless, and Akito genuinely looks sad for a fraction of a second at the fact it doesn’t work before playing it all off as a joke again.

 

Vesper gets it. 

He couldn’t do simple things that he never would have thought twice about before. 

He couldn’t play the guitar right now, even if Keiko got it  back for him.

He couldn’t even unwrap his gifts himself.

 

Vesper doesn’t get mad at him for joking about it all again this time though. Star had helped him realise that that was just what Aki did to cope. 

He was capable of being genuine, he’d seen it before. But after what happened with Botan and his mom, he probably felt he couldn’t express himself like he used to anymore.

Vesper also didn’t want to feel bad like he did when he’d first visited Akito in hospital and he’d lost his temper with him. He wanted his friend to get better , not worse .

 

And Akito was alone now.

Vesper, his mom, Hana, Star, Keiko and the band were all he really had now.

They needed to support him.

 

After a while, his mom gets up to get them all drinks from the vending machine, leaving the boys alone in the curtained off area together.

Silence stretches between them briefly as Aki finally drops the mask he only really seems to be wearing for mom.

 

“Just kinda wish I could have one last party.” Akito murmurs eventually, slumping against the headboard of his bed. “Wanna go hard on New Years. I miss having fun.”

 

“No offence but even if you could, I think we’ve all had enough of your parties right now.” Vesper can’t help but respond blandly.

 

Aki laughs in response, although there’s a slight bitterness to the sound. 

 

“Nothing too wild. Scouts honour.” Akito winks, picking up the vape Star had gotten him again and taking a puff.

 

“I didn’t know you could do tame.” Vesper replies with a raised brow, and Aki smirks a little, looking down at his limp arm.

 

“On special occasions.” Akito jokes back, letting the silence stretch out again before sighing slightly and fully dropping the act he puts on to survive, his dark eyes meeting Vespers. “Thanks for comin’ to see me, Ves.”

 

“‘Course, dude.” Vesper shrugs nonchalantly. 

 

“Think this is the first year I haven’t hadta hijack someone else’s Christmas.” Akito half-teases. “Nice to have my own.”

 

“Well, when you’re outta here, you and Hana could have your own.” Vesper tries to lighten the mood.

 

Hana was excited about moving in with Akito, after all. 

Probably mostly because she was able to get out of her crazy, busy family home with all her siblings, but it was still nice to see her so enthusiastic about it all the same.

 

“Ah, she’ll wanna be with her family on holidays.” Akito shrugs with a lazy grin. “I’ll just do what I do best, drink and upset the neighbours.”

 

Vesper deadpans at his injured friend as his mom appears with drinks in her hands, placing hers on the table by Akito’s bed, and cracking open Akito’s can for him before passing it to him.

 

“Cheers, mom.” He says, lifting it before sipping it. “‘Preciate it.” 

 

She grins at him before leaning over his legs to give Vesper his drink, and he thanks her quietly, lifting his drink before taking a drink, too.

She smiles softly at the two of them, repeating the motion back at them both.

 

“To good health.” She toasts, and Akito snorts at her while she drinks, his pierced lips pulled up into a smirk and his eyes full of genuine amusement.

 

“We’re in hospital, mom. Not very mindful of ya.” He points out teasingly.

 

Vesper's mom rolls her eyes with a smirk of her own pulling at her scales. “We can still hope for health, Akito Takagi. You have a tour to go on, after all.”

Chapter 41: Happy New Year!

Notes:

Posting early so I can celebrate and relax tomorrow. Happy New Year, guys! 💚

You bounce on your feet as you wait for your friends to arrive, genuinely happy to spend some time with your friends, especially seeing as Takagi had been allowed to leave the hospital for the night under your parents watch.

Nova still being at your house meant that it had to be a quiet night past a certain time, and Keiko said that was for the best considering how Takagi sometimes got when he had too much to drink.

 

Tomura had been straight on the case after you had a mini-breakdown nearly a week ago, getting you an appointment with a therapist nearly a day after. 

They’d put you on some medication that had made you feel sick and sleepy for the first few days, but Dabi had told you you needed to stick it out because it would make you feel better.

And sure enough, you were feeling a little better every day, but your dreams were weirdly vivid still.

 

You were meant to be helping Tomura with the food, but you were too distracted. 

Now that you knew that Nova had the decay quirk taken away by Tomura, you were goofing around with the little girl, dancing with her while Tomura’s music plays in the kitchen.

 

“Starlight.” Tomura calls, drawing your attention. “Take these. Make sure the cat doesn’t eat it.”

 

He holds out a tray of snacks, and you take it, carrying it to the large dining table and placing it in the middle, shooing Cloud away when he tries to eat the chicken skewers placed on it.

Nova looks up at you and points at a skewer, so you roll your eyes with a playful smile and hand one to her, happy to see her smile up at you as she takes it and scurries off, probably to find Dabi.

 

You wrap your arms around Tomuras chest from behind as he continues to check things in the oven, pressing your face into his back.

 

“Thank you for letting my friends come over.”

 

Tomura huffs amusedly, closing the oven. “You all need it, I think.”

 

You squeeze him momentarily before letting go of him, giving him a big smile when he turns his head to look at you. 

He huffs again, and you tell him that you’re going to go off to change before everyone arrives. Because it’s going to be calm compared to the parties they were all used to at Takagi’s house, you just change into some jeans and an off-shoulder sweater from Aiko’s brand.

When you leave your bedroom you can hear the unmistakable rumble of Vesper’s voice from downstairs, and you’re unsurprised to find Nova sat on his shoulders, reaching for the lampshade above her when you get halfway down the stairs.

 

Takagi is there, too, trying to slip his shoes off with his feet only because his bad arm is in a sling.

It’s nice to see him outside of the hospital, not that you visited him again after the last time. You kind of assumed that he might not want to see you, but you’re glad he came today. 

 

“Hi.” You greet, practically skipping to Vesper. 

 

“Hey.” He greets, giving you a toothy smile. “Hold on tight, Nova.”

 

Nova nods, not that Vesper can see it, and he wraps his arms around you, lifting you up quickly and setting you back down on the floor. When you look back up at Nova she’s giggling without sound, a weird sight, but nice to see considering how stoic she seemed to be usually.

 

“Roki.” Takagi greets lazily. “Didn’t know you had a sister.”

 

“Uh…” You pause, not wanting to correct him and potentially upset Nova. “She’s only been with us for a little while.”

 

“Hey, Nova.” Takagi greets, lifting his fist to her reach.

 

She blinks at it and then looks at you to tell her what’s going on.

 

“He wants a fist bump.” You explain, lifting one of Vespers hands and bumping your knuckles against his for Nova to watch. 

 

Nova cautiously repeats the action to Takagi’s raised fist, giving a surprised smile when he pulls his hand away and wiggles his fingers.

She regards him from on top of Vesper's shoulders, her purple eyes scanning every detail before she points at his slinged arm and tilts her head.

Dabi’s eyes narrow, his arms crossing over his chest. 

 

“This?” Takagi asks, pulling at the material of the sling, and Nova nods.

 

Takagi pauses, his lips pressing together when he glances at Dabi and sees the sharp look he’s on the receiving end of.

 

“Lost a fight.” He shrugs, giving Nova a lazy grin. “I’ll be alright. Always am.”

 

Nova looks even more thoughtful at that before poking Vesper's ear.

 

“Nova.” You warn gently.

 

He looks up at her, earning a frown from the little girl as she pretends to punch the air.

 

“I didn’t fight him.” Vesper snorts.

 

She shakes her head and repeats it and points at Takagi.

 

“She not speak or somethin’?” Takagi asks, raising an eyebrow.

 

“She can’t.” You explain briefly.

 

“What’re you trynna say, Nova?” Dabi asks, and she huffs at him, frustrated. 

 

“You asking why he didn’t stand up for me?” Takagi asks, and she nods.

 

“He didn’t want my help.” Vesper replies gruffly with a pointed look at his smaller friend.

 

Nova slaps Vesper’s head gently, and he smiles at the wordless chastising but lowers himself down so she can get off his shoulders safely. Takagi looks amused by it all, patting Nova's head.

 

“I like her. She’s funny.” He states.

 

Dabi still doesn’t look impressed, and you give him a sharp look yourself.

You know that he didn’t think too highly of Takagi but he was still your friend and he was already feeling bad as it was, the least he could do was be nice to him for tonight.

Dabi rolls his eyes at you but loosens his posture, dropping his arms to his sides and trying to relax his facial expression.

 

“C’mon, darlin’. Let’s leave ‘em to it.” Dabi says, reaching his hand out for Nova.

 

She shakes her head though and grabs Vesper’s cargos.

Takagi snorts at her and shrugs slightly.

 

“She can stay can’t she?”

 

“No.” Dabi replies abruptly, and Nova pouts.

 

“We’ll keep it kid friendly.” Vesper reassures. “Won’t we Aki?”

 

Takagi holds his hands up in mock surrender when Ves gives him a pointed look.

 

“Best behaviour.” Akito vows with a smirk, ruffling Nova’s hair. “I was promised eats.”

 

“In the kitchen.” You direct, gesturing for them to follow you. 

 

Dabi stays in the hallway, but Nova stays attached to Vesper’s pant leg as he walks, and Takagi looks around the house, whistling when he sees the kitchen until he sees Tomura sitting at the kitchen island with his laptop, nodding at the two from where he sits.

 

“Fancy sh- stuff!”  Takagi approves, reaching for a chicken skewer.

 

“Nice save.” Vesper quips dryly.

 

Takagi rolls his eyes as he bites into a piece of chicken. Nova pats Vesper's leg and points at the snacks on the table, making him hum thoughtfully.

 

“What’d you want then, Nova?” He asks.

 

She points at the chicken skewer in Takagi’s hand, and despite wanting to say she can’t have any more because they were for your friends, you let it be. 

Vesper fetches her one and she signs thank you before running back off to join Dabi again.

 

“How is your arm, Takagi?” Tomura asks from where he sits.

 

Takagi startles a little bit, but catches himself quickly, shrugging slightly and smiling at Tomura.

“Got a little movement in most of my fingers now, but still pretty much useless. It ain’t much, but it’s better than nothing, I guess.” He replies, looking like he doesn’t really know what to do for once.

Tomura hums in response before going back to whatever he’s doing on his laptop. It seems a bit odd that he’s not doing his work in his office like usual, but you suppose he’s meant to be keeping an eye on Takagi, seeing as Dabi has decided to go off with Nova.
You sit on the edge of the table, making cautious small talk about Takagi’s hospital stay with him while he picks at the food and complains about the meals he’s been getting in the hospital, explaining that he hasn’t really been eating much over there because they’re so bad.
You did think it was odd seeing him in a hoodie inside, usually he was more than happy to be in t-shirts and vests, but maybe he’d lost a bit of weight, and he was probably feeling the cold a little more, even though you always found your house warmer than most others.

The doorbell goes again, and instead of Tomura or Dabi answering it like usual, you rush to the door, swinging the door open to Keiko and Hana.
Hana ducks under your arm immediately, making herself at home and heading straight into the kitchen, greeting Tomura warmly and asking if he’d made ‘those snacks she wanted’.
Keiko is more reserved, as usual, rolling her eyes at Hanas antics and smiling, giving you a one-armed hug and then passing you a bottle of wine.

“For your dads.” She explains before unzipping her boots.

You hum, assessing her new hair colour while her head is ducked down.

“You’ve put orange in your hair.” You state.

She nods. “Blonde was boring.”

“I like it.” You agree. “The ears are a nice touch, too.”

You gently run a finger over the tip of one of her feline ears, the dye only covering the tip of each ear.
She tilts her head to smile at you, even though her ear flicks at the small touch. When she straightens back up you realise she seems to have really gone to town on her makeup today, even though Hana, Takagi and Vesper are all dressed normally.
She has subtle false eyelashes on, and seems to have smokey black eyeshadow on that fades to a dark orange, which really highlights how yellow her eyes are. She only seems to have put a brown lipstick shade on her top lip, but it works. She looks good.

“You look really pretty.” You tell her, and she scoffs a little, even though the pale skin on her face darkens slightly.

“Thanks, Star.” She smiles, looking a little abashed.

You lead her through to the kitchen too, finding Hana perched on the table with several wooden skewers next to her thigh on the table as she chews on another.
Vesper greets Keiko, giving her a brief hug, and Takagi stares at Keiko as she ignores him to go for the snacks as well, her tail flicking behind her.

“No love for me, puss?” He asks, nudging her calf with his foot carefully.

She regards him coolly with her eyes as she bites into a piece of mochi that you, Dabi and Nova had prepared.

“More like a tolerance.” She corrects, and Takagi rolls his eyes, smirking.

“Yeah, whatever. Why’re you all dolled up?”

“Wanna go into the new year hot.” She replies with a little shrug, turning to get another piece of mochi.

“Doesn’t her hair look good? I helped!” Hana chimes in, her tail swaying happily off the edge of the table.

“Yeah. Always liked ginger cats.” Takagi teases, flicking Keiko’s ear and narrowly avoiding getting scratched in return.

He chuckles though, and Keiko doesn’t really seem to mean it, because her cheeks are all pink again.
He moves on quickly, instead deciding to harass Hana about the fact she was eating all the cheese snacks, telling her that he wanted some for himself, too.
You use the distraction to give Tomura the wine, telling him that Keiko had given it to him and Dabi. He scans it thoughtfully with his eyes before humming a little to himself and asking for you to get him a glass to pour it into.
You get to it immediately, placing the glass next to him and watching as he unscrews and pours the wine bottle with one hand, his eyes on the screen in front of him. Tearing your eyes from him, you ask if anyone else wants a drink.
Vesper asks for a beer, which is simple enough. Hana just says she’ll have whatever Keiko’s having, and Keiko wants a beer as well. Takagi pauses, though, his eyebrows pulling together for a fraction of a second before he simply tells you that he’ll have whatever soda you have in.

“You’re not drinking?” You ask before really thinking about it.

“Can’t.” He replies simply, playing idly with a skewer in his hands, which Hana plucks from him with ease.

“Why?” You query, only for Tomura to raise a brow without even looking at you, telling you that you’re questioning things too much again.

“Meds. Can’t drink on ‘em.” He shrugs.

“Okay.” You agree without pushing it further, grabbing all the drinks and passing them around.

Takagi doesn’t look overly thrilled about the fact he can’t drink, and you catch his eyes weighing heavily on the bottles that Vesper, Hana and Keiko are holding, but you can’t drink either, so you hope that that makes him feel at least a little bit better.
You all hang out in the kitchen for a while before moving into the living room, you leaning against Vesper, who drapes an arm around your shoulders, Hana and Keiko are cosied up to one another, and Takagi has kicked his feet up onto the coffee table, his eyes on the photographs that line the wall now.
Tomura stays in the kitchen, which is nice, because it feels less like you have to be aware of what’s being done and said.

“And so then she said that she liked my dress!” Hana continues to inform you all enthusiastically, holding her arms out to highlight the cute burnt orange dungaree dress she’s wearing. “So I brought more like this, but different colours.”

“You get her name?” Takagi asks, leaning his head to look over at Hana.

Hana pauses, her enthusiasm gone in a split second before she shakes her head, her curls bouncing with the movement.

“Good job, squeaks.”

“She was so tall, it was distracting!” Hana defends, sitting up straight. “I don’t need her name anyway! I’ll find her. She said her mom’s in hospital for a while-”

“Vulture.” Takagi continues to tease. “Feastin’ on someone that’s only worrying about their sick mom.”

“You’re sick too!” Hana counters. “Maybe she’s feasting on me !”

“I’m not sick .” Takagi scoffs. “And you wish she was feasting on you.”

“Guys…” Vesper starts, but Hana cuts him off.

“And what if I do? I’m only human.” She huffs.

“Mouse.”

“Human!”

“ Guys. ” Vesper asserts, causing the two to stop bickering. “Nova’s here.”

And sure enough, Nova’s peering around the doorway, looking like one of the women from those horror movies that Tomura used to watch with Shuichi, except only with long white hair instead.

“‘Sup, Nova?” Takagi greets. “Wanna party?”

And he’s teasing her. Everyone knows that, except Nova. Who just nods, still hiding partly behind the door.

“Come over here, then.” He encourages, moving closer to Keiko even though he doesn’t really need to so that Nova can sit next to him on the couch.

Nova completely ignores him though, climbing over him and the girls to get to Vesper, resting her head against his arm and looking at the TV.

“Ice cold.” Takagi chuckles, but doesn’t seem to be genuinely upset by it, instead he just reaches over Hana to bump Nova’s fist again.

It’s nice having everyone together in one space, all of them calm and just seeming to enjoy each other's company without having a lot of alcohol in their systems, even though Tomura pops his head around the door to check on everyone and ask if anyone else wants a drink.
Dabi eventually drops in too, beer in hand, and flops onto the separate armchair, smirking when Nova does actually go to him, crawling over everyone to get onto his lap.
Takagi does end up looking vaguely bored though, or maybe just a little distant, toying with his glass of soda as he stares blankly at the wall opposite.

You gently nudge Vesper, and when you get his emerald eyes on you, you nod your head in Takagi’s direction, watching as he looks at his friend, his expression neutral.

“How about a game?” Vesper asks, his voice easily carrying over Hana and Keiko’s gossiping.

Takagi comes out of his daze, looking at Vesper, smirking and tilting his head. “Yeah, what’d you have in mind?”

“Smash Bros?”

“No.” Dabi says flatly as he braids Nova’s hair, likely a habit left over from when you were younger.

“Tomura doesn’t have to play.” You reassure.

“He’ll backseat game.”

“He’s in his office!” You huff.

“Smash Bros?” Tomura asks, his voice rich with amusement as he leans in the doorway.

Takagi’s face lights up at the idea of playing with Tomura, his dark eyes actually beginning to shine again, and you’re more than happy to sit back and let the three play together while Keiko, Hana and Dabi go into the kitchen and smoke. You sit with Nova on your lap, both of you watching as the three men push, yell and laugh with another while their characters fight on-screen.
Takagi, of course, is losing badly on account of not being able to use both hands well, but he doesn’t seem to get too angry about that, and instead uses it to try to guilt the other two about not taking it easy on him. But Tomura couldn’t care less, and Vesper seems tired of his dramatics. So he ends up passing his controller to Nova after two tries by himself and tells her to win for him instead. You have to lead her a little bit, but she’s a quick learner and does seem to pick the game up rather fast, although she doesn’t seem to win.
Takagi cheers her on anyway, ruffling her hair when she does particularly well, which always seems to get a bright smile out of the little girl.

When Hana, Keiko and Dabi come back, Dabi’s holding a bottle of vodka and several small glasses, Keiko carefully picking up the bowl of fruit from the center of the coffee table and swiping at Takagi’s kicked up feet to get him to remove them.

“What’re you doing?” Tomura asks, raising a brow at Dabi as he places the bottle and glasses on the table and sits cross legged on the floor.

“Told ‘em I could sink more vodka than them.” Dabi explains. “Loser has’ta drink my bong water.”

“Touya…” Tomura begins to warn disapprovingly.

“You’re going down, Dabi!” Hana says confidently, flopping onto the floor with determination in her eyes.

Tomura looks exasperatedly at your other dad, who shrugs and gives him a smirk in response.

“It’s new years, babe. Loosen up.” Dabi teases, unscrewing the cap from the vodka.

“No cheating then, let me take your quirk.” Tomura replies, smirking back in response.

You all fall silent, everyone’s head turning to Dabi, whose mouth opens and closes in surprise before his white eyebrows pull together in annoyance.

“I don’t cheat.” He huffs in irritation.

“You burn the alcohol off as you go. That’s why you always outdrank Magne even though she was bigger and more tolerant than you.” Tomura states evenly. “No cheating, and I’ll let you do it.”

Something dark flashes in Dabi’s eyes, and he laughs at Tomura. “I’m not givin’ you my quirk, but I won’t cheat, and I’ll still outdrink the kids.”

“But now we know you can cheat!” Hana pouts, and Keiko settles down quietly beside her.

“I swear on my ma’s life, I ain’t gonna cheat.” Dabi vows, pouring vodka into the small glasses.

“Every time someone falls off the platform you gotta drink.” Vesper says, lowering his foot to push Hana gently.

“Deal!” She agrees, moving a glass closer to herself.

Nova doesn’t seem to have a clue what’s going on, and honestly, you’re happy to just watch and see your parents goofing around and having a good time, too.

Somehow that devolves into those three taking over the game and trying to navigate it drunk, which is hilarious to say the least, especially considering Dabi had next to no game experience, as well as Keiko. Hana seemed to be doing pretty well despite being the most drunk out of all of them, and even Tomura looks impressed before tearing Nova away from your friends to put her to bed.

She refuses though, pointing at Vesper until Tomura orders her to go to bed, something she looks betrayed by, but she does anyway.

 

Vesper looks a little guilty and ends up following them upstairs anyway, and you decide to follow too, leaving the others playing rowdily downstairs.

When you get up there, Nova is tucked in bed with Tomura watching dutifully as Vesper kneels beside her bed and promises he’ll carry her around some more tomorrow.

Tomura gently places his hand on the back of your head, and when you turn to look at him, his eyes are soft on you.

 

“Your head and stomach okay?” He asks in English.

 

You nod. You had taken painkillers before everyone arrived.

He nods back at you, letting go of you as Vesper rises back to his full height.

You take Vesper's hand as you go back downstairs, finding Dabi actually laughing with the others and letting Hana push him around and Keiko lean against him, likely subconsciously using him for warmth like Cloud does.

Cloud is purring happily in Takagi’s lap as he smirks and watches the gaming attempts on-screen, his good hand scratching between Cloud’s ears.

 

It’s nice to see him relaxed and happy after what had happened, even if he’s uncharacteristically quiet compared to the others.

 

Vesper flops next to him, picking up his beer again and whispering something to Takagi, which gets a singular laugh out of his friend before he whispers something back.

You wonder what they’re talking about, but you assume Vesper wanted to sit with him for a while, so you settle on the armchair alone, watching with a smile on your face for a while.

Eventually, the girls get bored and get up, announcing that they’re going for a smoke, and are adamant you join them.

 

Dabi gives you a sharp look but you ignore it, going off with the girls to the little paved porch outside the kitchen and sitting beside Keiko as she and Hana share a cigarette. 

 

“He keeps looking at you!” Hana says in a sing-song voice, leaning her head on Keiko’s shoulder.

 

Keiko huffs a little in response, flicking ash onto the floor.

 

“Takagi?” You ask, and Keiko nods.

 

“Mm…” You murmur thoughtfully, looking up at the stars. 

 

“Are we all sharing your bed?” Hana asks, craning her neck to look at you.

 

You shake your head giving her an apologetic smile. “Vesper takes up most of it. You, Keiko and Takagi are in the spare room.”

 

Hana blows a raspberry at you. “I wanted to snuggle.”

 

“We can cuddle, Hana.” Keiko promises, passing her cigarette to the smaller girl.

 

“You’ll end up making out with Aki! It always happens! Always, always, always!” Hana accuses.

 

“I won’t.” Keiko replies, leaning her head against the glass behind her. “Not this time.”

 

Hana rolls her eyes, taking a drag of her cigarette. “What about you, Starry? Are you gonna start the new year with a bang?”

 

Keiko snorts at her, pushing a giggling Hana gently.

 

“Huh?” You ask, confused.

 

“Are you and Ves finally gonna…?” Hana half-asks, wiggling her thick eyebrows at you. 

 

Your face heats up and you shake your head in embarrassment. “No! No. I’m on my period anyway and I’m not sure…”

 

“Does he know that?” Hana quizzes.

 

“Well, no…? Why?” You ask, worried.

 

“Leave her alone, Hana.” Keiko sighs, taking her cigarette back from her and ignoring Hanas complaint.

 

You don't get your answer, Keiko changing subject to wanting something sweet to eat and you naturally offer to get her some of the copious amounts of chocolate that your dads always kept aside from you, and by the time you’re back inside and handing her chocolate, she’s purring as she eats it, her tail swishing behind her as you all go into the living room again, the guys apparently all talking about music.

When Takagi hears Keiko purring though, he tenses before looking over at her, his expression going from confused to amused when he sees her biting into the chocolate bar.

 

“Been a while since I heard that noise from you, whiskers.” He teases.

 

Hana fakes throwing up before sitting by Dabi’s feet, poking one of them curiously and asking if his feet are scarred too, which only gets her pushed off the sofa with his feet.

Keiko takes the armchair so you can sit next to Vesper, leaning your head on his shoulder, and Dabi returns back to talking to the guys about their music again, genuinely sounding curious.

Keiko and Hana end up playing a drinking game while they talk, which you get roped into despite only drinking soda, discovering that the rules were you had to drink whenever any of them said ‘sound’, whenever Takagi sucked up to Dabi, or when Vesper got shy about being talented.

 

Keiko and Hana are hammered by the time it’s actually midnight and fireworks start going off in the neighbourhood.

 

“Happy new year!” Hana yells happily. “You gotta kiss!”

 

And sure enough, Tomura appears soon after, leaning over the back of the couch to kiss Dabi quickly and luckily his hair covers the sight from everyone, but Hana still whistles at them, Keiko giggling at her and your dads both giving amused chuckles too.

You quickly kneel up to kiss the corner of Vesper's mouth before settling back down on the floor, him giving you a small smile from above.

Takagi is staring at Keiko, as though he’s expecting her to give him a kiss too, smirking a little to himself.

 

And for a second, when she moves, you naturally assume that she’s getting up to kiss him from the way his eyes must be burning into her alone .

But you’re wrong.

Because she leans forward, cupping Hana’s round face in her hands before pressing her lips to Hana’s.

 

Hana grins against her lips but kisses back soon after, her hands going to Keiko’s waist, and you all stare in surprise as the two carry on for what feels like forever before parting and high-fiving.

Even Tomura has a brow raised.

 

“Again.” Takagi says teasingly, even though his smile isn’t very convincing.

 

“No thanks, I feel like I should be in prison seeing that much.” Dabi grumbles. 

 

You glare at him, but he ignores you, and Tomura pets Dabi’s hair quickly before disappearing out of the room again. Dabi watches him leave, swirling his beer thoughtfully in his hand.

Takagi doesn’t make any further comments though, and instead manages to stand up, Vesper watching him with a furrowed brow.

 

“Happy new year, assholes.” Takagi grins and then seems to fake a yawn. “I’m beat. Time to hit the hay.”

 

“Sit back down, parties don’t end ‘til three, remember?” Hana demands.

 

“Eh, turns out parties are way less fun when ya can’t move or drink.” Takagi shrugs, giving one of those carefree smirks in response. “Go wild, make me proud.”

 

And then he goes, which Hana huffs at, especially when she goes to pet Cloud but he smoothly avoids her hand and trots after Takagi, but she turns her attention back to Dabi instead, clambering back up the sofa and asking him when he’s getting married to Tomura, if he has to polish his prosthetic, and if he could make one of those drinks that they set fire to in bars.

Vesper shrugs Takagi going to bed early off easily, bringing his beer to his lips and reaching for you, but Keiko is still staring at the doorway as you sit on Vesper's lap. 

 

She does wish you all a happy new year before standing up, giving you all a hug, even Dabi, and disappearing upstairs too.

 

By one a.m., Dabi demands everyone go to bed, which works for you because your stomach was beginning to hurt and you just wanted to go to bed anyway. 

Hana has to be carried upstairs by Vesper because she’s so drunk, but it’s funny, and even Dabi seems amused by it as he watches from outside Nova’s room after checking on her before ducking into his and Tomura’s shared room, wishing you a good night.

 

You change into your pyjamas while Vesper’s in the bathroom, leaving the area closer to the heater free for him, and when he comes back in, quietly closing the door behind him, you watch in the dim lighting as he walks past the foot of the bed to curl up behind you.

You press your back against his chest, relaxing when he doesn’t even query it, wrapping his arm around your torso and curling the end of his tail around your ankle like he usually does.

 

But Hana’s words still echo in your head, anyway.

 

“Um, Ves?”

 

“Yeah, Star?” He replies, his voice extra rumbly from his tiredness.

 

“I’m on my period.” You blurt out.

 

“You need somethin’?” He asks, yawning.

 

“No.” You reply, staring at the darkness in front of you.

 

“…Then why’d you tell me like that?” He asks, confused.

 

“Hana said-“

 

He sighs, bringing you closer and pressing his nose against the back of your neck.

 

“You need to stop listening to the girls.”

 

*•*

 

You startle awake at the feeling of a slight shift of weight on the mattress, gasping in surprise and causing Vesper to sit up behind you in an instant.

 

“It’s me!” Hana squeaks in the dark, her silhouette moving around on your mattress.

 

“For fucks sake.” Vesper grumbles before flopping back down next to you defeatedly.

 

“What are you doing?” You whisper in the dark as Hana gets under the covers in front of you.

 

“Cuddlin’.” She replies matter of factly, as though this was normal.

 

“But…” You begin to say with a frown.

 

“They’re doing stuff like I knew they would!” She huffs in annoyance, pressing up against you. “It’s disgusting . You guys better keep it in your pants, otherwise I’ll bite you both. I don’t even care.”

 

“Gross.” You reply, scrunching your nose up.

 

“Sleep, Hana.” Vesper says gruffly, his voice muffled by the pillow. 

 

“I’m trying !” She defends. “Hug me.”

 

And so you lay back down, Vesper's arm looped around you, and yours wrapped around Hana’s small body. 

Something about it feels so familiar, but it’s a memory from so long ago that you can’t quite reach it while you’re half asleep.

And, to be fair, Hana does seem to fall asleep soon after climbing into your bed, snoring softly and grinding her teeth together in her sleep.

 

The bed is full, what with you, Vesper, Hana and Cloud curled up at the end of the bed, but you’re happy to have started the year with all your favourite people with no dramas, arguments or worries about any of your friends.

Chapter 42: Morning After

Akito is actively having the life squeezed out of him.

He’d been awake most of the night, like he had been ever since his last attempt, because sleeping on his back isn’t exactly comfortable, and having Keiko’s deadweight on him all night certainly didn’t help, either.

She’d purred all night, which usually helped him sleep, but last night it had kept him awake, and gradually made him feel sicker and sicker.

 

Because she always did this.

They’d hook up and then she’d cling to him like he’s something precious instead of something broken and he didn’t deserve that.

She slept in the same position the whole night as she was in now. Curled up close to his side, her arm draped over his bare stomach thanks to his shirt riding up at some point during the night, her head tucked up to his neck so that her furry ears tickled underneath his chin.

 

When she woke up, she hadn’t said anything, but her purring had slowed.

Regret .

And she’d started squeezing him as though she was scared he would slip away.

And he couldn’t even if he wanted to, because one of his arms was completely useless now. He was weaker than usual.

Vulnerable.

 

He hated it.

He especially hated having to wake up sober to those kinds of thoughts.

 

“Ease up, kitty.” He eventually rasps out.

 

And she does, her eyelashes brushing over his skin with every blink, but she doesn’t speak even still.

That’s fine. Akito’s been writing a song mentally for the past few hours while staring at the ceiling, trying to picture the chords that will go with it.

 

“We didn’t…?” She eventually asks, her voice muffled.

 

“Just a handy.” He replies casually.

 

“You’re kidding.”

 

“Nope.” He replies. “Hana left after yelling about how disgusting we are. Don’t you remember?”

 

“Fuck.” She sighs. “She’s gonna kill me.”

 

He’s glad she doesn’t answer his question because the answer was likely to make him feel impossibly worse than he already did anyway.

 

“Eh. She always bounces back.” He shrugs. “Tried telling you that you were gonna wake her up but you weren’t havin’ it. Honestly. You in heat or something?”

 

“Shut up, Aki. You’re not that desirable.” She spits back, but she doesn’t move away.

 

He gives a doubtful hum in response, even though it had poked yet another hole in his ego coming from her.

The silence drags out a little longer between them before she speaks again, moving her head to his shoulder and tracing over the piercing on his hipbone with her fingers gently.

 

“What’re you thinking about?” 

 

He rolls his eyes. She asked this a lot.

 

“Writing a song.”

 

“Can I hear it?” She asks, her ear flicking softly against his jawline.

 

“Nah. It’s personal.” He refuses immediately.

 

“Please? Just the start?” She insists.

 

He thinks about it for a second before shaking his head again, still staring at the ceiling. “Nah.”

 

Her fingers stop touching his barbell, her hand flattening against his stomach again.

The quiet isn’t comfortable like it usually is between them though, so Akito pokes her shoulder with his good hand.

 

“You don’t need to hug me over a handjob.”

 

“I’m hugging you because I want to.” She replies curtly.

 

“You’re actin’ like I’m gonna fade away if you let go.”

 

“You tried to leave us all.”

 

His mouth falls, and he doesn’t reply again after that, because what was he meant to say to that?

 

“Promise me you won’t again.” She demands, flicking the barbell she had been touching so carefully before.

 

“Not makin’ promises I can’t keep, toots.” Akito replies, trying to keep his tone teasing.

 

Except instead of flicking him again, calling him some kind of lousy insult, or anything he was expecting, he feels something wet on his shoulder and tenses when she sniffs. 

 

“Don’t cry, Keiks. It was a joke.” He sighs, trying to tilt her head back.

 

“It wasn’t funny, jackass.” She replies tearfully, wiping her eyes with her wrist.

 

He rolls his eyes, but the gnawing in his stomach worsens. “Cut it out, you know I hate it when you cry.”

 

“Then stop doing this to yourself.” She argues, squeezing him again, and pressing her face into his skin, sobbing into it.

 

He doesn’t get it, but he’s desperate to get the crying to stop, so he wraps his good arm around her, his hand going between her ears to scratch her scalp there and to get her to purr instead.

It takes a while, but it does eventually happen. It always does. After how long he’s known her, he knows all her weak spots.

 

“Can’t believe you’ve cried twice over a loser like me.” He teases once her purring is constant and loud.

 

“More than that.” She admits, still sniffling.

 

He rolls his eyes and smirks because he didn’t believe that for a minute. She was practically unshakeable, and he was nothing.

 

“Still drunk then.” He teases.

 

“I’m not drunk.” She huffs, moving away from him to wipe her face.

 

And even after crying and with half the eyeshadow that had looked so good the night before smeared across her face, she still looks ethereal.

He clicks his tongue, tilting her head back to look at her properly.

 

“Why won’t you just let it happen?” She asks, her face crumpling once more.

 

“Hana was in the room.” He deflects the real question with. “She isn’t anymore though, so nothin’ stopping us now.”

 

He makes sure to drag his eyes over her face and give her a flirty smile, but it doesn’t work like it usually does.

 

“Not until you tell me why.” She says firmly, giving him that look that means she’s not moving on this one.

 

He groans, rolling his head back.

 

“I don’t get it and I want to get it. Is it because you want other girls? Or someone else? Because I can always-“

 

“I don’t want anyone else.” He cuts her off immediately. “Don’t say the rest of that sentence, ‘cause you’re gonna piss me off.”

 

“Then why?” She asks again, and he squeezes his eyes shut because there’s no way he’s going to be able to worm his way out of this conversation this time. “ Aki. ”

 

“Because you’re you and I’m me!” He snaps, even though he really doesn’t mean to. “You have a good family, you’re talented, you’re pretty , why the fuck are you wasting your time on me? I’m nothing.”

 

And the second he closes his mouth he regrets speaking because he said too much, was too honest, and the only reason he doesn’t just try to free himself from her and get up and away from the situation is because despite what he said, her facial expression doesn’t change.

In fact she stares at him like he’s the biggest idiot she’s ever had the displeasure of meeting. 

That’s fine, he can deal with that. That’s familiar.

 

“That was potentially the stupidest thing you’ve ever opened your mouth to say.” She deadpans. “Who told you that one, your mom?”

 

And he hates himself for it, but he flinches, because she hit the nail on the head with that one. He was just reciting what his mom said time and time again to him.

 

Keiko huffs at him knowingly at his lack of response. “Go figure.”

 

“Whatever, Keiko.” He scoffs back at her, turning his eyes to the ceiling again.

 

“It’s not a good enough reason.” She says firmly. “Just tell me why.”

 

“I just did.” He replies through gritted teeth.

 

“No, you gave me an excuse, not a reason.” She argues.

 

“I don’t get nice things.” He says, keeping his own tone final and dismissive.

 

“Why not?” She asks, like he should have known she would.

 

“Just go.” He sighs, wiping his face with his hand.

 

“No.” She replies blandly.

 

And it’s a dick move, because he can’t really move too well anyway and there was no chance in hell he was going to be able to get her off him with how she’s still laying so close to him.

So he just keeps his mouth shut, glaring at the ceiling as though it had done something personal to him.

But he’s only allowed a second of reprieve from the situation before sharp nails are digging into his cheeks and forcing him to look at her.

 

Her eyebrows are furrowed, her yellow eyes are as sharp as ever. Her feline ears are perked forward a little more than where they usually stand, as though she's actively straining to hear anything that falls through his lips.

Her nails are digging almost painfully into his skin, so he scowls back at her.

 

“Spit it out.” She says. “ Why ?”

 

“‘Cause I don’t fuckin’ deserve it.” He spits. “Geddoff, you’re hurting me.”

 

And she’s not, not really in comparison to what he’s experienced before, but he knows her well enough to know she’ll let go the second he says that.

And she does, but she doesn’t look any more impressed with him now she has the answer she so desperately wanted.

 

“You don’t get to decide what you deserve, because you don’t know what you deserve.” She says, staring at him like she can see through him. “So what other excuses do you have?”

 

And her jaw sets, and he mirrors the same stubbornness back at her. 

 

“Well?” She questions.

 

“You’re wasting your fuckin’ time.” He spits, trying to move away.

 

But she forces him to stay laying down, her hands forcing his shoulders against the mattress.

 

“How am I?” She asks, straddling his waist to stop him from moving again.

 

He doesn’t answer her, and he doesn’t look at her either.

He can still feel her eyes on him, though. 

 

And the annoying thing about Keiko is that she always seems to know what he’s not saying, because she turns his face to her again, her bottom lip wobbling.

 

“You’re going to do it again, aren’t you?” 

 

He doesn’t even respond, but he doesn’t really need to, because she already knows the answer and that’s why she’s crying again.

And he’ll do anything to stop that. He hates the way her nose crinkles, the way her usually sharp eyes soften and glisten, he hates the way her whole face almost relaxes when it happens.

To the point he’ll do anything to stop her from doing that.

 

“Hey, hey, hey, I never said that.” He immediately tries to diffuse, cupping her face with one hand. “C’mere, Keiks.”

 

And she does. 

It’s easy to murmur false promises. 

Easy to calm her down. 

Easy to kiss her and then let it devolve from there.

 

*•*

 

“Mornin’.” Akito greets casually as he walks into the well-lit dining room and kitchen area that everyone already seems to be occupying.

 

Keiko is behind him, still purring slightly, until nearly all the eyes around the dining table are on them.

Vesper looks pissed off for some reason, Star looks almost surprised , Hana is scowling at Keiko behind him, Nova is minding her own business, her eyes on her food while sitting on Dabi’s lap. Dabi is giving him the coldest look he’s probably ever received, and he’s had a lot of those in his life, and Shigaraki seems to be reading something on his phone, nothing but a coffee in front of him on the table.

 

“What?” Akito asks with an amused huff.

 

Dabi’s scowl deepens, and he opens his mouth, but Shigaraki cuts him off before anything can actually leave it.

 

“Breakfast. Help yourself.” Shigaraki states bluntly, gesturing loosely at all the food in the centre of the table. 

 

But Vesper is still glaring at him too, and Star is kind of picking at her food when Akito thanks Shigaraki and sits down next to Hana.

The second he flops into the seat, her hand flies out and she pinches his upper arm, hard , right on a fresh cut, and it takes everything in him not to let out a noise of pain and only wince instead.

 

“You’re disgusting .” She hisses under her breath, giving him one more uncharacteristic sharp look from the corners of her eyes before going back to her food.

 

Akito laughs it off like normal, only not biting back with an insult or jab of his own because Dabi’s eyes are burning into him with an intensity that Akito can only imagine would put his flames to shame.

Keiko settles in the seat next to Vesper, keeping her head down, the vague noise of contentment having completely stopped after that welcoming. Cautiously she reaches for some food, only relaxing her body when the painful silence is broken by Hana, who they could always rely on for that.

 

“It’s Vesper's birthday soon!” She announces. “So what are you doing for your birthday, Vesper? What do you want? Are we gonna party? Aki, you have to get better so you can party, too.” 

 

And just like that, the atmosphere goes back to normal, kind of.

Because Dabi’s still glaring at him, and it doesn’t exactly feel good when he’s one of the very few people that Akito has ever looked up to.

Chapter 43: Happy Birthday Vesper!

You were having a good time.

Even though Dabi had been weird about the idea of you going to Keiko’s house for a sleepover and asked if Takagi was going to be there, which was strange because he knew Takagi was in hospital.

But it has been fun. You’ve all had take out, painted each other’s nails, gossiped and laughed and now you’re all curled up under Keikos blanket and watching a horror movie on her laptop.

 

“What did you get Vesper for his birthday?” Hana asks when you squint and turn your head away from the violence on screen again.

 

“I wanted to take him to Super Nintendo World, but ‘Mura said it was too expensive, so there’s a gig on I thought we could go to…” You explain thoughtfully. “And then I booked a hotel room, too.”

 

Hana immediately pauses the movie, hitting the spacebar loud enough for the action to feel even harsher than it was probably meant.

 

“A hotel ?” She asks, her brown eyes wide. 

 

“Well…” You begin, glancing quickly at Keiko, who seems completely unphased, unlike Hana.

 

“Oh my god!” Hana croons, pinching your cheek affectionately. “Star’s gonna pop her cherry!”

 

“I don’t have any cherries…” You reply, confused.

 

“She might not.” Keiko shrugs. “Might wanna get away from her parents.”

 

“Well…” You start again.

 

“She’s definitely gonna! She’s got a hotel !” Hana insists, throwing an arm around you. 

 

“I have questions.” You finally manage to blurt out.

 

“About what?” Hana asks, now completely wrapping you in her arms and rubbing her cheek against your shoulder.

 

“ Sex .” You reply exasperatedly.

 

“Ew. Don’t talk to me about that. That’s Keiko’s major.”  Hana replies, scrunching her nose up and releasing you from her hold.

“Questions about what?” Keiko asks, turning her laptop towards Hana and hitting play so that she doesn’t have to partake in the conversation.

“Well… My dad told me the basics, but nothing too involved. Like, how do you even start sex?” You ask, your face heating up.

Keiko blinks at you, her face going blank for a second.

“You… What?” She asks, almost acting as though you’re joking with her.

“How do you start it? Like, I’ve seen porn and stuff, but Vesper said that that’s fake, so I don’t really wanna do anything I’ve seen on there, and dad didn’t really tell me how you go about doing it, so… Do you have to say it? I don’t think I can say it. I’d die a bit, probably. It feels embarrassing.”

Keikos ear twitches, and Hana hums a little bit, her eyes still on the screen in front of her.

“Ves’ll want you to say it.” She says knowingly.

“Probably.” Keiko admits. “I don’t think he’s really all that convinced that you want him even still. He’s pretty antsy about that stuff after the attack.”

“Attack?” You squeak. “What?”

Keiko grimaces a bit. “Not my story to tell.”

“He was seeing another girl for a bit, but she was doing it as a joke and she tried to get him to go into an alleyway to kiss him, but she brought a bunch of guys and they jumped him.” Hana informs you anyway, despite the annoyed glare from Keiko. “Obviously Vesper’s big, so all he had to do was flick his tail and they went whee!”

“Ever since then he never really bothered with girls, but girls didn’t really bother with him, so I think he’s just happy to have you no matter what, Starry.” Hana muses. “You don’t hafta if you don’t wanna.”

“I do want to, I just don’t know how.” You sigh.

“It usually just happens?” Keiko replies, as though she’s unsure of the answer herself.

“But like, how?” You ask, wanting and feeling as though you need clarification.

“I dunno, you just kiss and then it goes from there.” Keiko shrugs. “That’s how it’s always been with Aki, anyway.”

You frown a little bit, looking down at the mattress.
You suppose that made sense, that’s how everything between you and Vesper had gone anyway.

“I really have to tell him?” You ask quietly.

“Probably. But you won’t know until you’re in that situation.” Keiko replies. “Are you sure about that, though, Star?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? I love him.” You reply absentmindedly, not really thinking through what you’re saying before it leaves your mouth and Hana squeals and throws herself at you again.

“Star loves Ves!” Hana sings happily, her teeth grinding together right next to your ear.

Even Keiko smiles a bit at that, leaning her head on your other shoulder.

“I’m happy for you, Star.” She says, and the warmth in her voice tells you that she really does mean it.

*•*

You hadn’t heard from Vesper all day.
You’d sent him a happy birthday text the second it hit midnight to make sure that you were the first one he heard it from, and he hadn’t replied. He usually always replied, even if it was only an emoji or gif, so you began to worry in the morning when it hit ten a.m. and he still hadn’t replied, worried that maybe the text hadn’t gone through somehow, and tried calling him instead.
It had rang and rang, but the call never went through.

When you had messaged the girls to see if they had heard from him either, they said no.
You didn’t want to show up at his house in case he was with his family and that was why he wasn’t replying, but you knew that it was just him and his mom in the house, and his dad was in prison. He’d never mentioned any grandparents, uncles or cousins and you had never seen any pictures of any siblings, either.

Eventually you manage to get a hold of Takagi at about three p.m, who tells you that Vesper’s in the studio and that he’d only actually managed to get a reply from your boyfriend because he kept calling over and over, and that his text back was blunt, like he was pissed off.
You’re not really expecting Takagi to give you the address of the studio, but he does, and so you grab Vesper's birthday present, your duffel bag for the night and leave the house, calling out to your dads that you’ll see them later.
You didn’t really have time to say goodbye properly, because the gig was at six p.m and you still needed to get to Vesper, give him his present, drop your things off at the hotel and then go to the show.

You manage to find the studio relatively easy, only getting lost once in one of the back alleys, and when you get there, Aoki and Abe immediately look up, but Vesper’s back stays turned to you.
Aoki smirks and nudges Vesper, Abe bowing his head to you in greeting slightly.
Vesper turns his head to peer over his shoulder at you, his horned brows relaxing when he realises it’s you.

“Shit, Star, what’re you doing here?” He asks, running a clawed hand through his messy fringe.

“Happy birthday.” You greet nervously with Aoki and Abe staring at you. “I tried calling…”

Vesper blinks, and then digs in his pocket for his phone, pulling it out and groaning, tilting his head back over the back of his seat.
You approach him slowly, standing behind him and pressing your forehead against his.

“Are you okay?” You ask softly.

“Yeah, just got distracted with this song.” He sighs. “Sorry, babe.”

Aoki snickers, but Abe shoots him a sharp look which has him raising his hands in mock surrender.

“Can we go? I made plans…” You try to tell him gently.

“I just wanna get this song done, Star. It won’t take too much longer.” He sighs, leaning forward to mess around with something on the laptop in front of him.

Your lips press together, and you stand awkwardly behind him as Aoki grins and Abe gives you a sympathetic smile.
A song starts playing on the laptop, and it’s loud, and angrier than their usual stuff. You can’t even make out whatever Vesper is shouting about. There’s no singing like there usually is to break up the shouts. It’s just mad .

“What’d you think, Todoroki?” Abe asks, clearly trying to pull you into a conversation so you don’t just stand there uselessly.

“Um…” You grimace, looking down at Vesper, whose attention is fully on the laptop in front of him. “It’s angrier than your usual stuff.”

Abe nods a little bit, giving Vesper a quick glance before returning his eyes to you. Aoki shrugs though and starts saying that he’s happier to be playing faster things, and that Takagi will like it when he’s out of the hospital and his part can be recorded.

“Nah. We’ll get someone else to help out on this one.” Vesper says with a shake of his head, and both of the other men look at him in surprise.

“Huh? We can’t do that.” Abe immediately denies.

“Aki won’t like that.” Aoki chimes in with a frown. “Who would we even get to do guitar?”

“I can.” Vesper replies calmly. “Or Hitoshi.”

Aoki rolls his eyes and leans back. Abe doesn’t really look happy about it either, and even you feel like you should stand up for Takagi, but don’t want to when the energy coming off Vesper feels scarily similar to when Tomura is really focused on his work.

He keeps replaying one part over and over, to the point you can almost hear what he’s yelling about, and it’s kind of scary. 

 

“Um, Ves?” You try again. 

 

“Sec, Star.” He replies, replaying it again. “There should be a drop here.”

 

“Dude, it’s your birthday. Go with your girl and we can handle the rest.” Abe tries to tell him. 

 

“I just wanna-“

 

“ Go .” Abe asserts.

 

Vesper turns his head finally to look at Abe, who’s pierced eyebrows are raised expectantly.

With a sigh, Vesper gets up, stretching his back out, and turning to finally look down at you. 

 

“Alright. I’m coming.” He tells you, and you smile up at him even though he doesn’t particularly look happy about it.

 

You stand, patiently waiting as he gathers his things and starts putting his sweater and jacket on, occasionally glancing over at Aoki and Abe who are both watching Vesper with expressionless faces.

 

“What’re your plans?” Vesper asks as he throws his backpack over one shoulder.

 

“I text you them…” You explain, not wanting to mention the hotel in front of Aoki and Abe after how Hana reacted.

 

“Run it by me again?” He asks, finally reaching for your hand.

 

You slide your hand in his and wave a goodbye to Aoki and Abe unlike Vesper as he leads you out of the studio.

Vesper doesn’t press you for an answer straight away, but he doesn’t exactly look like he’s with it when you look up at him, his green eyes slightly distant and the corners of his mouth turned downward.

 

“I booked a gig.” You explain when you’re out of the enclosed space. “But we’ll probably miss doors on that, now.”

 

“Eh, I’m not really in the mood for a gig.” He sighs, scruffing his hair.

 

“That’s okay, we can go for dinner instead.” You try to compromise.

 

“Sure.” He agrees, but his lips don’t perk up and his tail doesn’t swipe across the floor like it usually does when he’s happy.

 

“And I got a hotel…” 

 

“I dunno if that’s a good idea. I might just go home.” He says, instantly trying to dismiss it.

 

Your shoulders sink. “I just thought it would be nice…It’s your birthday.”

 

He doesn’t reply, just pauses when you get outside, taking a deep breath and looking down at you.

 

“Where do you want to go for dinner?” He asks.

 

You look at him, your eyes scanning his scaled face intently. Something was wrong, this wasn’t the Vesper you knew and loved.

 

“Have I done something wrong?” You ask, confused. 

 

“No, Star.” Vesper replies tiredly.

 

“I kind of feel like you’re mad at me. I really tried to do something nice for your birthday and now it’s not happening and I don’t understand why if you’re not mad at me.” You explain, not really trusting his answer. “Do you not like celebrating your birthday? Tomura doesn’t either, but all you have to do is say and I wouldn’t have done anything. You haven’t even given me a hug yet…”

 

Vesper looks down at you for a brief second before breathing deeply through his nose and dropping to a crouch so you’re on the same level, opening his arms for you.

You immediately wrap your arms around his back, pressing your face into his shoulder and holding him as tight as you can even though his muscle and thick jacket makes it kind of hard.

 

“I’m not mad at you.” He tells you, his voice low as he presses his face as well as he can against your neck. “I’m sorry for making you feel like what you planned wasn’t nice. It was. I’m just in a bad mood.”

 

“Why?” You ask, frowning against him. 

 

He’s quiet for a moment before peeling himself away from you, pressing the beak of his mouth to your forehead quickly.

 

“Nothing to do with you.” He replies simply. “C’mon. Let's get some food somewhere warm.”

 

*•*

 

At your insistence of getting food that he wanted because it was his birthday, you end up in a curry house. You probably shouldn’t be surprised that he likes spicy food, but seeing what he orders is enough to make your eyes water.

He seems to be making more of an effort to be a bit more lively, but he’s still not his usual self, even when he opens your gift, a little glass frame of the album artwork for their most popular song, he doesn’t really react to it apart from thanking you and his tail slightly thudding against the floor.

 

When it's quiet for too long, you eventually snap while he’s mid-bite of his meal.

 

“Can you just tell me what’s wrong?” You blurt out, unable to really eat your own food with how worried you are about him.

 

He blinks at the volume of your voice, swallowing his food and avoiding your eyes as he begins to push the remainder of his meal around his plate.

 

“It’s nothing.” He tries to lie.

 

“It’s not nothing.” You shake your head. “Something’s wrong. I know you.”

 

He glances up at you through his black hair, and it must be enough seeing the way your eyebrows are pulled together in concern and your mouth is curved downward, because he does relent, leaning back in his seat and abandoning his meal.

 

“My dad wrote me a letter and it pissed me off.” He finally confesses.

 

“…What did he say?” You ask.

 

“Bunch’a shit.” He hisses, his tongue flicking outside his mouth when he pronounces the ‘s’.

 

You murmur a quiet ‘okay’, not wanting to annoy him more by pushing for more information.

He’s quiet for a while before sighing, his body relaxing as he throws his hands up slightly.

 

“Just that he’s proud of me, that I’m making the Wani name, like he didn’t fucking destroy it doing what he did. He shouldn’t even know where we are . Someone’s gotta be telling him on the outside and that pisses me off too.” He rants, his voice getting the attention of all the other patrons in the restaurant. “I told mom we should have moved when she first got the payout but she’s been dragging her feet about it. She’s jumpy about buying a new place and not being able to make payments. Place is a shithole anyway.”

 

You listen, wide-eyed, throwing an apologetic smile at an elderly couple that look particularly displeased at Vesper's outburst. 

 

“That sounds kind of nice, though, Ves.” You try to soothe. “He probably just wanted to let you know he was thinking about you.”

 

“I don't want him to think about me, or mom. He asked how she was doing! How fucked up is that?” He snaps, your attempt at calming him down clearly having not worked.

 

A waitress raises an eyebrow at you, and you give another apologetic smile before gently tapping one of Vesper’s shins with your foot to get his attention.

When his eyes are on you, you try to carefully gesture for him to be quieter, which you wouldn’t usually do, but this looked like a nice restaurant, and you didn’t want either of you to get into trouble.

He looks at you, offended, before looking around and shrinking in on himself a bit.

 

“That’s why you’re in a bad mood?” You ask quietly, and he gives a curt nod in response.

 

You regard him thoughtfully before reaching out for him to put his hand in yours.

He stares at it momentarily before placing his palm in yours.

 

“We’ll figure it out.” You tell him with a warm smile. “Don’t let it ruin your day.”

 

“How’re we gonna figure it out?” He asks, his brows pulling together in confusion.

 

“‘Mura-“

 

“Nah. He’s done enough.” Vesper sighs, letting go of your hand to start eating again. “Don’t worry about it. It’ll be fine.”

 

Your lips pull into a thin line.

You were going to tell Tomura anyway.

He didn’t need to know that, though.

 

“Okay.” You agree, just to keep the peace. “Are you happy with your new song?”

 

He grunts an affirmative at you, and you manage to get him to ease up a bit by talking with him some more about the intricacies of the song and what he wanted to change about it.

Within ten or so minutes, you have your boyfriend back, you can tell, because the end of his tail is wrapped around your ankle, and his emerald eyes are soft on you again.

You ask if he really liked his present, and you get a little squeeze around your ankle and the first smile of the day as he tells you that he did like his present and that he’s sorry if it seemed like he didn’t.

 

Maybe talking about his dads letter had lightened the load on his shoulders, because in no time, he’s laughing with you and ordering drinks, which seems to loosen you both up a little more, enough for you both to have a playful squabble about who’s paying the bill.

You win, of course, because it’s his birthday. He shouldn’t have to pay.

 

“The hotel isn’t too far.” You say with a soft smile as you finish your cocktail.

 

That gets him looking slightly concerned again as his hand goes to the back of his neck, rubbing the rough scales there.

 

“I dunno, Star…”

 

“You need to relax.” You insist. “I made sure it’s a nice one. There’s a tub big enough that you should be able to fit into it without a problem, and the bed is huge so you’re not gonna have to curl up if you don’t want to, because I know your bed is a little uncomfortable for you. There’s a big TV, and everything in the room is complimentary…”

 

“I haven’t bought anything with me.”

 

“You don’t need anything. You can wear the same clothes tomorrow, and sleep in your boxers.”

 

You just really wanted one thing to go nicely for him today.

 

“What about a toothbrush?” He asks, smirking a little bit at your adamant behaviour.

 

“There’s some in the room.” You sigh, leaning your face on your crossed arms. “Please? I just really want you to have a nice night after today.”

 

Vesper sighs, his hand going to your hair to gently scratch your scalp.

 

“Alright, babe.”

 

*•*

 

“I feel like I don’t belong here.” Vesper mutters as you get into the elevator.

 

The hotel had changed so much since you were last here. It was bustling with life now, so many staff and customers wandering around. It was still clinically white, clean and the elevator still had all the mirrors inside it that Dabi used to avoid looking in, but you don’t mind it too much, wrapping your arms around Vesper's middle.

He automatically wraps his arms around you, too, leaning back against the wall.

 

“Why?” You ask.

 

“It’s fancy. I stick out. The receptionist looked like she thought I was gonna bomb the place.” He explains, his hands going to your sides and making your stomach flutter a bit.

 

“It’s not that fancy.” You defend. “We used to live here.”

 

“You did?” Vesper asks, amazed.

 

You nod. “When I was little.”

 

You pull away from him when the elevator dings, grabbing his hand and pulling him to the room at the end of the hallway, putting the key card in the door and opening it.

The room is just like it was pictured, but Vesper seems genuinely impressed by it.

 

“You weren’t kidding about the bed.” He notes, running his fingers along the mattress.

 

“I told you. I wanted you to be comfortable.” You reply as he wanders around the room, looking at the mini fridge and the drinks inside of it, and then rifling through the complimentary snacks.

 

You shift on your feet, nervous for what was to come, but Vesper is in the bathroom, loudly voicing his awe at the size of the bathtub, his tail whacking against the floor inside the room.

 

“I haven’t been able to get in a bath since I was like ten!” He says with a sharp-toothed grin when he reemerges, his hands going to your waist again as he towers over you. “Thanks babe. This really is great. You’re great.”

 

And then he leans down to press the beak of his mouth to your lips, his eyes sparkling with joy. 

 

“Sorry for being a dick earlier.” He apologises. “I got in my head. You’re right. I feel better now. Thank you.”

 

He bumps his forehead against yours from above, and you give him a soft smile in response.

 

“Really?” You ask softly.

 

“Really.” He confirms.

 

That makes you feel much better, worried that you had forced him to stay out when he really just wanted to go home, but for him to give you one of his rare toothy grins and for his tail to thump against the floor as loudly as it did told you just how happy he really was now.

You smile at him a little wider, trying to make yourself feel a little more confident with a deep, hopefully undetectable breath through your nose as you step away.

 

“I’m gonna check out the tub, too.” You tell him and he nods.

 

“I’m gonna see what fancy channels they have on this giant TV.” He says, as though it’s any different from the TV you had downstairs at your home.

 

“Okay, babe.” You agree, backing off into the bathroom and watching as he grabs the remote, sitting on the edge of the bed with his tail flopped across the length of the mattress.

 

You take a deep breath, locking the door and staring at yourself in the LED lit mirror. 

You look okay, you guess. You’re maybe not Keiko pretty, but you had made an effort with your makeup today, and if you replaced the look of nervousness with confidence like Keiko wore, you might feel a little better.

Slowly, you remove your clothing, trying not to look in the mirror as you do so, and having to brace yourself to finally look in the mirror when all your clothes are on the floor.

 

You’re wearing the f/c set that Hana had picked out for you when Keiko had taken you into the adult store, and, all things considered, it does look nice. 

It frames your figure well, and it’s not as uncomfortable and scratchy as you thought it might be.

Your hand goes to your stomach as you stare at yourself, wondering if you were Vesper if you would find the set attractive.

 

Not wanting to fixate on it too much, you reach for the lock, turning it and staring at your hand for a second before finally calling through the door.

 

“Ves? Can I get your opinion on something?” You ask before opening the door.

 

“Sure, what’s up?” Is his deep reply.

 

You pull the door open, forcing yourself to walk out and turn to face him.

He’s got some kind of metal channel on the TV, but his hair is covering his face as he looks down at his phone, leaning his forearms on his thighs as he texts.

 

“What do you think of this?” You ask to try to get his attention.

 

And sure enough, he looks up the instant you ask, his face blank for a second before realisation sinks in and his eyes widen, his fingers immediately locking his phone and dropping it to the floor as soon as you take cautious steps towards him.

 

“ Fuck .” He spits. “Yeah, it looks good, Star. You look…”

 

He pauses as you stand in front of him, his slit pupils dilating as he runs his eyes from your thighs to your eyes, and his tongue flicks outside his mouth for a moment.

 

“Beautiful.” He finally spits out, his Adam's apple moving under his throat as he gulps.

Chapter 44: IAFYDS, TA

Notes:

CW: Loss of virginity, smut
I know some of you aren’t fans of smut, you won’t miss anything if you skip this chapter.

You settle yourself down on his lap, forcing yourself to look him in the eyes as your thighs straddle his. And his attention is wholly on you, too, his hands going to your waist as though it’s a natural movement for him.

 

“You really think it’s nice?” You ask.

 

He nods, his pupils pulsing slightly, and his tongue darting out again. 

 

“Did you get these for me ?” He asks, his thumb ducking under the side of your panties to flick the material slightly.

 

Your face heats but you force yourself to nod.

His expression becomes dumbfounded .

 

“Why?” He asks, his hand settling on your side again, the scales on his palm almost making your skin goosebump as it trails over your skin.

 

“I wanted to look good for you.”

 

“You always look good, Star.” He insists, his eyes dropping down again and a small hiss leaving him as he closes his eyes. “You look so good right now, though.”

 

“I’m glad.” You reply, wanting him to open his eyes so you can get to kissing.

 

His hands tighten and loosen on your sides as he collects himself, his tail swiping over the covers on the bed for a minute or two before he finally looks at you again, not even hesitating when you move to kiss him.

In fact, it’s the most enthusiastic he’s been, immediately licking your bottom lip to allow access for him to lick into your mouth. You allow it, pressing your chest against his as your tongues meet, gasping slightly when his nails dig into your skin enough for you to really feel it.

 

“Sorry.” He apologises immediately, his breath mingling with yours.

 

You shake your head, going in for another kiss and cupping his face in your hands, his rough scales almost indenting into your palms.

He continues to kiss you, obviously making a real effort not to dig his claws into you again, and his hips beginning to jerk underneath you in no time at all.

 

When you feel relaxed enough, you roll yourself down onto his crotch, shuddering when you feel that familiar hardness grinding against you, and he groans against your mouth, his hands going lower, to your hips, and dragging you slowly against his length again.

You moan softly against his mouth, your hands nervously going to the hem of his sweater and shirt and trying to tug it off him.

 

“Not sure I can take my hands off you.” He admits, his voice low, and his eyes intense on you.

 

“Please.” You ask softly, trying again.

 

And he does let go of your hips to let you lift his upper clothing off, but the second you throw his heavy sweater and shirt to the floor, he’s grinding you down onto his clothed erection again, his mouth hungrily meeting yours once more. 

His hips buck up consistently, and before you can even really control yourself you’re moaning, gasping and gripping his shoulders, trying to get more of that friction, that familiar coil tightening in your stomach from last time.

It only takes a few more rolls of his hips and heavy breaths against your mouth for it to snap inside of you, your thighs trembling either side of his own and your nails trying desperately to dig into his hardened scales.

 

“Fuck, did you just…?” Vesper asks breathlessly, his hands tightening on you, too.

 

You can’t reply, too breathless and overwhelmed, and rest your head on his shoulder while you compose yourself. His touches ease up, his hands running up your back soothingly instead, almost reverently as he breathes against your shoulder.

 

“You’re so hot, Star.” He admits, pressing his snout against your neck.

 

You kiss his shoulder in response, trying to will your legs to move. 

They do eventually but you feel a little unsteady on them, but that’s fine because you’re only standing up briefly to sink to your knees between his spread legs, his eyes widening again.

 

“What’re you… No, Star, you don’t have to do that.”

 

“I want to.” You reply bluntly, looking up at him from between his legs.

 

“But-“ He begins to protest but you’re quick to silence him by kissing down his abs, noting his hands clutching either side of the mattress.

 

You take a deep breath before running your nose along the bulge in his pants before glancing up at him in time to see his tongue hissing outside his mouth.

Cautiously you hook your fingers in the side of his cargos and he shakes his head.

 

“You don’t have to.” He repeats, even though you’d already told him that you wanted to.

So you just give him a flat look, and he pauses for a second, likely deciding whether he wants to sway you out of doing what you were trying to do, or if he wants to allow it. He does pull you gently away so that he can stand, though, and you stay on your knees, looking up at him as he pulls his cargos down, a bit more of a struggle than you’d really considered what with his tail.
His lengths are straining against his boxers, the material clinging tightly to his skin and making his thick legs look so much bigger.

He settles back down on the edge of the mattress, looking all bashful and avoiding your gaze as you settle between his thighs again, leaning your cheek on one of the scaled, muscular thighs either side of you.

“What’s that look for?” You ask curiously. “Do you not want me to?”

“No, no, if you want to, I want it too.” He reassures, sighing and tying his hair back behind his head, still avoiding your eyes. “It’s just… you look great, and I’m just… I’ve had these for years.”

You regard him thoughtfully. Even if he’d had those boxers for years, they looked good. The black stood out against his beige scales, and the green waistband is so bright that they basically look new anyway.

“I think you look good.” You reply honestly.

That gets his eyes on you again, the scales across his face darkening. “Thanks, Star.”

You smile up at him, trying to ignore your nerves as you tug on the waistband gently, allowing him room to pull them down, too.
And you’d never seen his dicks fully exposed before, and although you had felt them, and knew they were a lot bigger than you’d really expected, they’re a lot more daunting than you really expected now that you were face-to-face with them.
You must look a little overwhelmed, because Vesper’s hand goes to your hair and gently tugs it to get you to tilt your head back to look at him again, your eyes meeting a sea of green.

“You really don’t have to, Star.” He reasserts, and you huff at him, not wanting to be treated like some kind of idiot that couldn’t do something that clearly so many other people did.

But you do have questions.

“Um… I don’t really think I can fit both…” You say, trying to ask the question indirectly, and Vesper immediately looks horrified.

“One’s fine!” He practically squeaks.

“But…”

“I can take care of the other one.” He tries to dismiss, but that gives you a clear idea of what to do.

So, taking a nervous breath, you lean forward, running your tongue along the scaled length of his lower penis, Vesper’s hand instantaneously tightening in your hair and a low grumble rolling through his chest.
It doesn’t really taste of anything, to your surprise. You at least expected the faint taste of sweat.
Cautiously, you move a little closer, wrapping one hand around his lower and another around his upper.

That has him hissing again, his head rolling back.

 

Trying to utilise what you’d seen in porn, even if it was fake, you repeat the action of licking up his length again and flicking your tongue over the edge of his head, his hand tightening in your hair yet again, almost painfully tugging at the strands he’s fisted. 

The shape of it is weird, and you’re not too convinced that you overly like doing this yet, but Vesper seems to be enjoying himself at least. 

You lift it to your lips and tentatively put it in your mouth, sucking the head slightly and earning another growl at the back of his throat.

 

You can’t take much of him into your mouth, only a few inches, hollowing your cheeks as you suck and peering up at him, his usually green eyes almost entirely black as he looks down at you, panting and squeezing the edge of the mattress with his other hand.

You take a breath through your nose before bobbing your head a little more, trying to take him further, and awkwardly choking when his hips involuntarily buck and accidentally thrust too hard into your throat.

 

He apologises instantly, pulling you away, but you shake your head, running your hand up his neglected cock while you try to catch your breath and that quickly shuts him up again, too.

It’s almost like he thought you would stop after that, because the second you try to run your tongue along his length again he groans loudly and then hisses a curse under his breath.

You take him back into your mouth, his noises of pleasure enough to keep your motivation going.

 

You manage to take him a little deeper but not too much before you can feel yourself gagging and your eyes begin to water, Vesper taking it upon himself to pull your head away gently with his hand.

You’re a little offended, but you allow it, looking up at him with watery eyes and hoping that your makeup isn’t running.

 

“If you carry on I’m not gonna last much longer.” He admits, his scales flushed across his cheeks. 

 

“ What ?” You ask, horrified. You don’t want him to die because of you.

 

His blush darkens, and he starts avoiding your eyes again, his hand removing itself from your hair. 

 

“I don’t wanna cum in your mouth.” He explains. 

 

Your face heats up at that. 

You’re not sure you really like the idea of that, either.

 

“Sit here.” He leads, patting the space next to him. 

 

You do automatically, blinking when he takes up the space between your legs, moving forward more fluidly and confidently than you did to trace his forked tongue down your stomach, the sight so lewd that your eyes widen and the butterflies in your stomach increase tenfold.

It’s not until careful claws hook either side of your f/c underwear that you realise just what he’s doing and panic .

 

“No!” You exclaim, having just enough self control to not try to kick him away.

 

Vesper retracts his hands immediately, staring at you with worried eyes.

 

“But you just-?“ He begins to ask, confused.

 

“No. I don’t want that.” You say, shaking your head. “Last time someone got that close-“

 

“I thought you said you’d never done this before?” Vesper asks, his horned brows pulling together.

 

“I haven’t .” You reply in frustration. “It was at a hospital.”

 

He looks at you, his eyes scanning your face, but he does sigh through his nose slightly and stand back up, his cocks still pressed up against his stomach as he settles back beside you again, his mouth going to your neck and his hand sliding up your thigh as he licks your neck instead.

 

“You just look so good.” He breathes, his voice a low rumble right by your ear as his rougher palms skim your sensitive skin, squeezing your hip.

 

You don’t mind that. It’s easier to relax when he’s on the same level as you again, and he’s touching the areas of your body with hands that you know and understand.

You don’t even really register him easily plucking you from where you were sitting to sit you in his lap again, your back to his chest and his eyes meeting yours in the mirror opposite you both.

His boners are pressed into your back and he uses his thighs to spread your own, his chin resting on your shoulder as your face heats up at the sight of you both.

 

“Can I take this off?” He asks, his hand sliding up your stomach and pulling the edge of your bra slightly.

 

You force yourself to nod, and he grumbles again, the noise so deep and scary that if you didn’t know it was a positive noise you would probably worry about it.

His hand goes to the front of it, unclipping the clasps there with only a little struggle and your breasts fall free, Vespers cocks twitching behind you as he hisses at the sight of them.

He presses his forehead against your back, laughing to himself.

 

Nerves coil in your gut, and you’re about to cover your chest with your arms when he speaks again.

 

“Why are you with me?” He asks, his hands squeezing your sides slightly again.

 

“Because I love you.” You reply easily. 

 

His breath hitches slightly behind you, and he lifts his head again to look at you again in the mirror, his eyes half-lidded.

 

“I love you, too.” He murmurs, licking your neck again, dragging his tongue slowly up the skin there as his hands lower to the top of your thighs, his nails dragging over the sensitive parts of your inner thighs.

 

You lean against him a little more after letting go of his thighs to let your bra drop down fully, another approving growl vibrating against your back at your state of undress. 

He nudges your jawline with his snout, making you turn slightly to look at him, and when you do he traces your bottom lip with his tongue, something you know how to respond to now.

The second your tongues meet his nails drag over your inner thighs again rhythmically, his hips rolling behind you again. And slowly but surely his hands inch closer and closer to your panties, one hand pulling the crotch to the side and the other quickly hiding your view of yourself as he drags a finger carefully over your slit and up to your clit, making you squirm as you gasp.

 

“You’re perfect.” He says lowly, turning your head to look at him so he can brush his nose against yours.

 

You shake your head. “You.” 

 

He scoffs at you, but you see the corners of his mouth turn upward, his fingers rolling over your clit and making you moan against the beak of his mouth.

 

“I’d call you a liar, but you’re so wet.” He teases gently, pressing his mouth to your nose.

 

“Yeah, well you’re-“ You begin to say but then cut yourself off with a surprised squeal when one of his fingers tries to gently ease into your entrance. 

 

And just like usual, he retracts immediately at your noise of discomfort and presses his version of kisses down your neck.

 

“Sorry, I should have asked.” He immediately apologises against your neck. 

 

“You surprised me, that’s all.” You reply, bracing yourself. “It’s okay.”

 

“You sure?” He asks, moving away to look at you properly.

 

You nod, and he can probably feel how tense you are against him which is likely why he returns his attention back to your clit, the added lubrication from your entrance making it feel so much better. 

Your thighs try to close, but every time they do, his own widen, forcing your legs wider, too.

By the time your thighs are trembling again, that’s when he decides to move his hand so his thumb is against your clit and his index finger is trying to ease you open.

 

It’s uncomfortable, but you grit your teeth and try to focus on what feels good instead.

His panting against your mouth is enough to make you relax a little bit, because every noise that falls from your lips only stirs him on more. His other hand slides up your body and cups one of your breasts, him letting out a shaky breath as he does so, licking up your neck.

It feels a lot better when he changes from groping it to rubbing his thumb against your nipple, and you let out a low moan.

 

Your mouths meet again and you feel a second finger carefully prodding against you, and you don’t have time to tense again before it’s breaching your insides and it feels uncomfortable all over again.

You try to relax, but end up pulling his hand away, whispering against his mouth to just carry on touching you where it feels good, and instead of being offended he growls again, his tongue meeting yours again as he rubs tight circles on your clit.

And in no time your back is arching, moans are escaping you and your thighs are trembling. You feel a little bad when you come undone again, your body flopping against his as you catch your breath, because he hadn’t cum yet.

Although with how wet his hard cocks are against your back, you’re unsure if he has or not.

 

“You’re perfect.” He repeats as he drags his forked tongue up your neck again.

 

You shake your head feebly, trying to find some strength to pull yourself away from him so you can turn to face him again.

After a couple of moments you do, standing up to straddle his lap again, sliding off your panties and stepping out of them, despite Vesper's eyes being wide. 

 

“Star, I-“

 

“I want to.” You say firmly, feeling a little uncomfortable standing bare in front of him, but feeling empowered by how awe-struck he looks with you standing there.

 

“I don’t have protection, and you struggled with my fingers, babe…” He tries to rationalise, and you huff, reaching into your duffel bag and pulling out the box of condoms that Keiko helped you buy.

 

“I do, and it’ll be fine.” You reply, watching Vesper blink at the box you’d thrown beside him.

 

For a second there’s just the sound of the music that had been playing the entire time as he stares at the box, but he does eventually turn his head to you, an almost guilty look in his eyes.

 

“You don’t need to do this just ‘cause it’s my birthday, Star.” 

 

“I’m doing it because I want to, and because I trust you.” You reiterate, starting to feel nervous because what if he didn’t want to and he just didn’t want to hurt your feelings by saying so.

“You’re sure?” He asks, almost doubtful.

“I wanna.” You confirm.

Vesper doesn’t look anywhere else other than your face for a moment before nodding a little to himself and reaching for the box beside him, and you notice a slight tremble in his hand.
You swallow, nervous again as he tears into a condom and looks thoughtfully down at himself before beginning to roll the thin plastic down his lower member.
You frown a little.

“Why that one?” You can’t help but ask.

Surely it made more sense for it to be the one above, seeing as it would just get in the way otherwise.
Vesper pauses, looking up at you shyly through his black fringe.

“You like being rubbed against. I thought…” He doesn’t finish his sentence, frowning a bit. “You… The other one?”

Your face burns at how he’d actually put genuine thought into it, and he wasn’t wrong , so you shake your head, telling him that he’s right as quickly as you can, looking down at the floor, trying to ignore how naked you are in front of someone for the first time.
You were kind of just glad that you weren’t expected to fit both in there.

When he reaches for you, being sure to hold your waist, you slowly move towards him again, more cautiously straddling his waist this time with your nerves beginning to get the better of you.
He seems to pick up on it though, giving you a quick press of his mouth against yours before asking if you’re sure again.
You nod. You are sure. You’re just worried.
A growl rumbles through him again, his tail thudding against the bed rhythmically as he reaches around you to line his lower cock up with your entrance.

It feels weird, oddly hard against you, and when he gently starts to lower you down with the hand on your hip, you tense immediately.
It doesn’t go in straight away, it takes a lot of effort and bravery on your part to push yourself down hard enough for it to push in, and when it does, you feel a sharp pain shoot through you and gasp, your hands gripping his shoulders tightly, and he just presses his head against your shoulder, a rumble vibrating through his throat and his tail picking up pace behind him.

You try to ignore the pain and push lower, but it doesn’t feel any less uncomfortable and you hiss in pain, closing your eyes and clenching your jaw, trying to will yourself to go lower.

“You okay?” He asks, his voice tight.

You grunt an affirmative, even though it really isn’t feeling good at all, and try to lower yourself even more, but his hands tighten either side of you and halt you from going any further.

“Go slow. No rush.” He tells you, lifting his head to look at you, his pupils blown wide again.

You don’t know that the pain you’re in must show on your face until something flickers over his face and the next attempt to lower yourself is completely futile because he’s no longer hard .

“Sorry.” He apologises, looking away. “I can’t… Not when you’re hurt.”

And then you’re being lifted up by him, but he holds you close, keeping your head to his shoulder.

“I’m fine!” You try to insist, but Vesper shakes his head.

“You’re a terrible liar, Star.” He sighs, looking down at you with worry when you lift your head to frown at him. “It’s alright, we can try again tomorrow if you want.”

“But…” You begin to argue, but he cuts you off.

“I’m really excited about the bath.” He says and gives you a genuine, toothy grin. “Come in with me?”

And you don’t really want to say yes. You want to keep trying.
Keiko and Tomura had said it would be uncomfortable, but not that it would hurt, and you didn’t want it to hurt, you wanted it to feel good. You wanted Vesper to feel good. It was his birthday, and this had been planned by you for a while now, and even that couldn’t go right.
But the rare smile where he shows his sharp teeth has you agreeing, and he gives you a tight hug before gently standing you up.

When he stands up though, he pauses when he looks down at himself, and then looks pointedly between your legs, which makes you try to close them immediately as you stand out of self consciousness.

“There’s blood, are you-?” He begins to ask, and your face burns.

“No!” You immediately deny, embarrassed. “It just hurt, that’s all.”

He frowns. “That bad?”

You look away, frowning yourself. You didn’t think it was bad enough to bleed , but you must have, because you’d only just come off your period.

“Star…” He sighs, taking off the condom, chucking it in the bin and crouching in front of you.

He moves your hair out of the way of your face and scans your face intently with his eyes.

“I’m sorry.” He apologises the second your eyes meet his, and his rough palms cup your face so that you can’t turn your head away from him again.

And he genuinely does look really concerned and upset about the fact he had hurt you, so you just shake your head and tell him it’s fine.
He doesn’t let up his intense stare for a moment or two, but he does eventually sigh through his nose, and stand after pressing his mouth to yours for a split second. He takes your hand and leads you to the bathroom, his tail still swaying vaguely behind him.
And it’s uncomfortable for you to sit on the edge of the bath while it fills, but having Vesper’s strong arm around your shoulders, keeping you close to his bare chest makes you feel a little bit better. Knowing he cared that it hurt made you feel better.

And the bath isn’t exactly pleasant, the warm water stinging you down there as you settle in it, but it soon fades to an ignorable pain after a while of having Vesper’s arms around you, his deep voice vibrating through your back when he talks to you, and his tail draped over the edge of the bathtub.
You both stay in it until the bath water’s nearly cold, and Vesper lets you come out last so that you can clean yourself without him watching over you.

When you leave the bathroom, he’s already curled up in bed with his back to you, his tail hanging over the edge of the mattress and still swaying side to side. You’ve never seen it wag so much, so you take it as a sign that he really was happy with what you’d done for him today.
You pull a baggy sleep shirt on before going to the other side of the bed, lifting the covers and joining him, noting how warm his eyes are as he looks at you and how the corners of his mouth turn upward at the sight of you.
He automatically wraps an arm around your middle, pulling your back to his chest and presses his face against the back of your neck.

“Thanks for today, Star. I’m really happy.” He murmurs.

“That’s okay.” You reply. “I love you.”

“Love you too.” He replies easily, pressing his mouth against the nape of your neck.

*•*

You wake up cosied up to Vesper, your eyes blinking awake and registering all the unfamiliar sights around you.
It takes you a second to remember where you are and what you did before you’re turning to look at your boyfriend.
He’s still asleep, his green eyes closed and hidden by his black hair, his scaly arm a dead weight around you.

But you can feel his cocks hard and pressed up against you.
And your heart lifts as you realise you have a way to make it right again.

Taking a deep breath, you turn your head away again and back your butt up against him a little more firmly, and he grumbles a little in his sleep, holding you tight to him again.
You wait a second again before taking a deep breath and making an active effort to grind yourself against his erections, causing his fingers to grip your stomach and a harsh pant to leave him from behind you.

“What’re you doin’?” He asks, equal parts groggy and a little bit breathless.

“I wanna try again.” You reply, gulping a little.

“Gimme five minutes to wake up.” He murmurs, pressing his face into the back of your neck again, but you can feel the heat coming off his nose that means that he was at least a little worked up.

And within a few moments, he’s licking the back of your neck, his hand running down from your stomach to underneath your shirt, his hips rolling lazily as his hand runs up to your breast and squeezes it languidly.
Your breath gets a little heavier with that, your body relaxing against his when he begins gently teasing your nipple, his teeth grazing the back of your shoulder ever so slightly.
The more he plays with your nipple and grinds against you, the more needy you feel, rubbing your thighs together to get some kind of friction.
He seems to like that, his mouth curving upward against your skin as he peers at you over your shoulder.

“Want me to touch you?” He asks lowly, his voice still extra gravelly from barely being awake.

You nod, your eyes widening when his hand leaves your chest to wrap around your thigh, lifting it over his own legs and allowing him easy access to your bare intimate area.
He growls when he feels how wet you are, his fingers sliding over your slit, teasing you before he strokes your clit, pressing his forehead against your back again when you let out a quiet moan.
He works at that part until you come, panting and grinding against you the entire time, his tail thudding behind him.
When you’ve come, he tentatively runs his finger lower, testing how sore you are carefully.

And sure, it’s a little tender, but it’s not as painful as the night before, and it feels like there’s less resistance when he does finally push his finger in, a pleased rumble leaving him when you press closer to him rather than trying to get away.
It doesn’t feel as good as it does when he touches your clit, but he does manage to work two of his thick, rough fingers inside of you without any issues before he backs away, pressing his snout to your neck quickly.

“You’re sure?” He asks as he moves behind you and you keep your face forward as you hum an affirmative.

You hear the tear of the packet and he shifts his hips away from you to roll the condom on again, but he soon lifts your thigh over his legs again, his muscular chest pressed against your back and his hot breath near your ear as he pushes the blunt head of his cock against you.
Except this time, you can feel the other one grinding against you, although it’s not close to where it needs to be yet.
This time there’s not really a pain when he finally pushes in, but there is a definite ache, and it still doesn’t feel nice .

Until he gets you to take enough of him that the other finally slides against your clit and you moan, the sound even surprising you.

Vesper pauses, his hand tightening on your hip before he hisses ‘fuck’ under his breath, pushing forward a little bit more, and making you stifle another moan.
It feels like forever until he’s fully seated inside you, and he lets out a shuddered breath, his short claws digging into your flesh slightly, releasing, and then digging in again as though he’s trying to compose himself.

He rocks his hips shallowly, which makes you wince again, but the feeling of his other cock sliding against your clit provides enough pleasure for you to ignore the dull ache. The second that he feels like you’re not tense or hurt by the shallow thrusts, he deepens them a little and speeds up slightly, his tail thumping loudly against the side of the bed as smoke leaks through his nose and he groans against your shoulder.
You let out the occasional moan, your head tilting back when his teeth gently scrape over your neck again, and your thigh slowly beginning to tremble where it’s thrown over his own.

“M’ not gonna last.” He admits, his voice strained as he presses his head against your shoulder again.

“That’s fine, Ves.” You reply, because although the friction feels good against you, the actual penetration wasn’t particularly enjoyable.

“I love you.” He tells you, groaning again immediately after, his thrusts becoming a little more erratic and more painful.

“Love you too.” You reply, wincing and gripping onto the sheets to try not to outwardly show the fact it was getting a lot more uncomfortable now.

“ Star .” He moans, thrusting into you, hard , and his cocks twitching inside and outside of you.

You’re firstly a little distressed by how that feels inside of you before you feel the warm familiarity of his cum splash against your stomach and onto the sheets beside you.
But at least he’d felt good enough to do that.

“You’re so perfect.” He praises the second he has enough breath, licking over where his teeth had grazed you earlier, and pressing the beak of his mouth across your shoulder and down your neck. “I can’t believe you want me.”

You huff in vague amusement in response, glad that he can’t see how kind of empty you’re feeling.
You don’t understand why .
You wanted to do this. You loved Vesper. He loved you.

He even apologises for getting you messy and cleans you up without complaint, making sure to shower you with compliments as he does so.

So why don’t you feel happy like everyone else seemed to? Like he seemed to?

Chapter 45: Something’s Wrong

The door opens to reveal a puzzled looking feline woman, her white ears protruding from her greying hair. Her yellow eyes scan you thoroughly before she’s giving you a soft smile, her white tail flicking behind her lazily.

 

“Can I help you?” She asks, her voice gentle and calm just like her daughters.

 

“Is Keiko home?” You ask, pulling the strap of your duffel bag closer to your chest. 

 

“Oh! You’re one of Keiko’s friends?” The older Tsume asks, immediately opening the door a little wider and beckoning you in. “What’s your name, love?”

 

“Star…”

 

“Oh, you’re Star?” She asks as you step inside, her face softening even more. “It’s lovely to meet you. I have something for you and your fathers as a thank you for taking care of Keiko after that scare with the Takagi boy. Give me a second.”

 

She disappears off into an adjacent room, leaving you standing awkwardly in the hallway, unsure whether you’re actually allowed to go up and see Keiko or not.

She returns with a massive hamper of fruit though, having to use both arms to hold it up. 

 

“Here!” She says, thrusting it towards you. 

 

“Oh, thank you.” You reply, reaching out for it and bowing your head slightly.

 

“It’s the least we could do! She really cares for that boy.” Tsume’s mom sighs softly. “How are you doing with it?”

 

“I’m okay, he seems alright.” You reply, eyeing the stairs when you hear a door open. “Um, I wanted to talk with Keiko…?”

 

Because there was no way you were going to talk to Tomura about it. 

 

“Star. What’re you doing here?” Keiko asks from the top of the stairs, still in her pyjamas.

 

“I need to talk to you about something.” You explain, carefully placing the hamper on the floor so that you can undo your shoes.

 

“Is everything okay?” Keiko asks, coming down the stairs with worry in her eyes.

 

You stand and shake your head, tears brimming in your eyes which makes Keiko’s mom panickedly rub your arm. 

 

“Come up, come up.” Keiko encourages, reaching for your hand. 

 

You take it, letting her lead you to her bedroom as you sniffle, desperately trying to stop before you start, watching her clear her laptop and camera from her bed so she can settle on it, crossing her legs and patting the mattress for you to sit down next to her.

Instead of sitting, because you had quickly figured out that was still sore, you lay down on your front. She hums a little to herself before doing the same, turning her face towards you.

 

“What’s the matter?” She asks softly.

 

“You didn’t tell me it would hurt .” You accuse sadly.

 

Her face softens. “It shouldn’t have. You probably weren’t ready enough. Did you tell him?”

 

You look away, sniffing. “No. He kinda knew the first time and stopped. He said he couldn’t if he knew I was hurt.”

 

“Sounds about right.” Keiko agrees.

 

“But the second time it was still kinda painful.” You murmur.

 

Keiko is quiet for a minute, but her hand goes to your hair to play with it idly.

 

“I’m worried that I’m just broken.” You admit quietly. “Whenever my mom did it too, she never looked happy. What if I’m the same as her?” 

 

Keiko frowns. “How do you know that, Star?”

 

“Saw it.” You murmur, pressing your face into the mattress.

 

Keiko sighs, petting your hair a little more forcefully.

 

“You’re not broken, Star. It just takes a little while.” She explains. “There’s ways to help it.”

 

“But I’m not happy, and I want to be happy. I wanted to do it. He was happy so why am I not?”

 

Keiko snorts. “He didn’t have to get stabbed by a blunt object, Star. If he had to deal with being uncomfortable I’d have him crying on my bed instead of you.”

 

You huff at her in disbelief and she laughs at you in return.

 

“Seriously. Once he got the end of his tail slammed in a door and he nearly cried about it.” She tells you amusedly.

 

You turn your head to face her again, frowning a little at that story.

 

“Once the guys dropped some equipment on his foot and he was a little bitch about that, too.” Keiko continues with a smile.

 

“He’s not a little bitch.” You defend, wiping your eyes.

 

“He kind of is.” She replies, still amused. “Most men are.”

 

You keep your mouth shut, not wanting to fall out with your friend, and she moves a little closer to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulders.

 

“It’s okay, Star. You’ll figure it out.” She says confidently enough for you to believe her a little bit.

 

*•*

 

“Starlight.” Tomura greets when you walk into the kitchen with the hamper, putting it down in front of him.

 

“This is for you and Dabi from Keiko’s mom.” You inform him. “To say thank you for looking after her.”

 

Tomura hums, peering over his laptop at it. “I’m sure you and Nova will enjoy it.”

 

You don’t grace him with a response, already halfway out of the kitchen and dining area and following the sound of Dabi’s voice.

He’s in the living room with Nova, a sign language video playing on the TV as he tries to encourage her to follow the movements being shown on the TV.

His lips perk up when he sees you, but he’s stiff when you throw your arms around him and press your face against his shoulder like you used to when you were much, much smaller.

 

“What’s the matter, hon?” He asks worriedly, one arm wrapping around your waist and the other going to the back of your head.

 

“Nothing.” You lie, pressing your face as tightly as you can to him so that there’s no way that he can try to look at you and figure out it's a lie.

 

“…You sure somethin’ hasn’t happened?” He asks after trying to help Nova with something and not being able to because you cling tighter to him the second he moves away.

 

You shake your head, but all you get is a small sigh.

 

“You can tell me anything, Starshine.” He reminds you patiently.

 

But you can’t, not really.

Because if you did, he would get mad at you, or Vesper, and you couldn’t deal with that right now.

 

“I just want my dad.” You reply, because that’s the only true response you can give him.

 

That has him relaxing though, his arm tightening around you and his stapled cheek resting on your head. 

 

“I’m here, hon.” He reassures you. 

 

And he doesn’t let go after that, even though he was mid-lesson with Nova. And after a while, you feel her cautiously wrap her arms around your middle too, and her face press against your back.

It’s almost enough to make that horrible emptiness in your chest go away.

Almost.

 

*•*

 

You spend a lot of time in your room after that. 

You don’t go to college, even though you probably should, because you’re not sure how you should interact with Vesper after what you did. 

Your dads are worried about you, constantly knocking on your door to call through to you, and ‘accidentally’ forgetting you’re in your room to put things in it or take things out of it.

 

You can’t even will yourself to get out of bed when Tomura brings Takagi to your house, because you’re convinced that he’ll somehow know and make fun of you for it.

You can hear Tomura and Takagi talking outside your room, and hear Takagi opening and closing doors and drawers and talking to Nova even though she can’t reply, but he doesn’t come to your room to bother you. 

 

Until the second day, where he opens your door without knocking and announces that dinner’s ready.

 

“I don’t want it.” You reply, turning over so he can’t see your face.

 

“Too bad, so sad. Your dads are worried about you not eatin’ so muggins here has to get you out of bed.” Takagi replies, unbothered, and tears the sheets off your body. “Up ya get. Chop chop.”

 

“Get out!” You yell, irritated and embarrassed because you’re only wearing a baggy shirt and panties. 

 

“Oh, quit your whining. They asked me to get you.” Takagi replies, rolling his eyes at your scowl. “Don’t give Dabi another reason to hate me and get up.”

 

“He doesn’t hate you, but I will if you don’t get out.” You threaten, but it’s like water off a duck's back as he gives you a flat look.

 

“He straight up told me he thinks I’m disrespectful and annoying, and you couldn’t hate someone if you tried.” He counters, jutting his thumb towards the door. “Out. Food. Now.”

 

“Fuck off. You’re so annoying.” You mutter, but begin to get out of bed.

 

“Wa, wa, heard it all before.” He shrugs. “Fuck’s the matter with you? Where’s the ‘Starshine’ we all know and love?”

 

You huff, passing him to pull on some sweatpants.

 

“You have a fight with Ves or somethin’?” He asks, keeping his eyes on the pile of plushies you’d been surrounded by. 

 

“No.” You reply bluntly, passing him again to leave your room even though you don’t really want to.

 

You’re unsurprised to see Nova hanging around near the door, looking at you with wide, surprised eyes. She instantly clings to your waist, pressing her face to you not too dissimilarly to how you had held Dabi a few nights ago. 

 

“Come on little buddy.” Takagi encourages, ruffling Nova’s hair. “Food time.”

 

Nova moves away from you, signing something to Takagi, who rolls his eyes with a smirk before signing back to her.

You don’t know what they’re saying and that bothers you a bit. You suppose that this might be karma for talking in English in front of Dabi throughout the years, though.

Nova pouts at him but gently takes your hand and leads you downstairs silently.

Takagi stalks behind you, almost blocking you from being able to go back upstairs.

 

When you get to the kitchen Dabi immediately lights up, moving the chair out from next to him.

You pause, grimacing slightly because you hadn’t actually sat down since seeing Vesper, but when you gingerly take a seat it doesn’t hurt or feel uncomfortable anymore.

Tomura watches coolly as Nova climbs onto the seat beside him and Takagi sits at the end of the table, watching you with a raised brow.

 

“What?” You snap, and Takagi immediately raises his hands in mock surrender. 

 

“You’re just in my eyeline, Star.” He shrugs it off with.

 

Tomura is still watching you though, even as Dabi plates up the food for Nova, warning her that it’s hot. You don’t feel brave enough to snap at him , though, so you just avoid his eyes.

They try making conversation with you as they eat and you pick at your food, but you only give them the bare minimum in response, not really expecting the whole atmosphere to change, even though they don’t comment on it or ask what’s wrong like they had been doing so often recently.

When their plates are cleared, and you’ve eaten about half of what you put onto your own, you get up and make your way upstairs again. 

 

You lie back on your bed again, turning the TV on for background noise and try to tune out all the thoughts that you’re broken again, even though it doesn’t really work.

 

*•*

 

You wake up from your afternoon nap one day with the distinct feeling of your mattress dipping on one side. 

You spin around, scared, until you see Vesper looking down at you through his hair as he settles behind you.

 

“What are you…” You begin to ask, a frown knitting your eyebrows together.

 

“You weren’t answering my calls or texts. You’ve not been at college. I was worried.” He replies in as close to a whisper as his voice can get.

 

You look away, embarrassed, before looking back at him again.

 

“Why are you whispering?”

 

“You and Aki have said the soundproofing here sucks.” He explains, settling down fully so that his head’s on the pillow beside you, and wraps an arm around your waist.

 

You hesitate, but lay back down as well. 

This at least felt a little normal. But what if he wanted to do sexual stuff again? You really weren’t feeling up for that in the slightest. But what if he expected it now?

 

“Can you tell me what’s wrong?” He whispers, his thumb rubbing over your stomach over your shirt.

 

“Nothing.” You lie, because you don’t want to upset him. You love him. 

 

He huffs at you, pressing his snout to the back of your head. 

 

“Why’d you bother lying, Star?” He asks quietly, sounding amused. “You went ghost after my birthday. Did I do something wrong?”

 

Your lips turn downward. You suppose that had been pretty obvious on reflection, but you still don’t know if you have it in you to really talk about this with him right now.

 

“You didn’t do anything wrong.” You sigh. “ I’m just wrong.”

 

“What do you mean?” He asks softly.

 

You hesitate, but know he’ll be able to tell if you lie straight away. You feel a little bit like you’ve been backed into a corner. You don’t even know who let him in, but you’re a little irritated at them for doing so all the same.

 

“I wasn’t happy like you were. Like everyone else seems to be when they have sex.” You reply reluctantly. “There’s something wrong with me.”

 

Vesper is quiet for a while after that, his thumb halting on your torso. 

 

“You didn’t want to?” He asks, his voice tight.

 

“I did , that’s why I’m upset.” You reply irritatedly.

 

“Alright, alright.” He instantly placates with a sigh that puffs on your hair. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with you, Star. It… it hurt you the first time.”

 

You scowl at the wall opposite. You really didn’t want to have this conversation while you were still processing it.

 

“If it’s made you this upset, we don’t have to do it again.” He whispers, moving his nose to the back of your neck. 

 

You glance at the top of his raven black hair from the corners of your eyes. 

Did he not want to, either? Why is he so happy to just give up the idea?

 

“You don’t want me?” You ask, hating how pathetically the words leave you.

 

“Of course I do. But I want you to be happy more.” He replies, lifting his head slightly to meet your gaze.

 

You don’t know how you feel about that, and it must show on your face because he sighs again and rests his chin on your shoulder so he can look at you properly as he talks. 

 

“I really don’t care about that. I only want to do it if it makes you happy, too.” He repeats. “I just want you, Star. I don’t care about all the other stuff.”

 

You scan his face with your eyes carefully, but it’s kind of hard to tell if there’s any distruth behind his words when his features are so different from everyone else’s.

 

“If you do end up wanting to try again we can try some stuff to make it easier.” He continues quietly, clearing his throat and looking away. “But only if you want to.”

 

“You mean it?” You ask quietly.

 

“Yeah, I mean it, Star.” He nods slightly. “Once is enough as long as you still want me after.”

 

His eyes meet yours again, and there’s kind of a sad look to them, like he’s pleading with you not to leave, but that was never on the cards anyway.

 

“I still want you. I’m just sad at myself.” You reply, looking away again.

 

“Don’t be. There’s nothing wrong with you.” He replies, pressing the beak of his mouth to your cheek carefully before settling back down on the pillow behind you and rubbing his thumb against your stomach again.

 

You lay in silence together for a while before you ask:

 

“Are you mad at me?”

 

“No.” He whispers. “Mad at myself for hurting you that much.”

 

“You didn’t.” You murmur. “I’m just being a baby.”

 

“ I’m the baby. You’re strong, Star.” He insists, squeezing your waist slightly. “Don’t talk shit about my girlfriend again.”

 

You give a small laugh in reply, your lips tugging up faintly, and he squeezes your waist again, a small thump sounding out against the side of your bed. 

His tail probably wagged, which makes you feel a little better about how he’s really feeling.

 

“Are you going back to sleep?” He asks, and you take a moment to decide. 

 

You probably wouldn’t be able to, because even though everything he had said was positive , you were still finding new ways to worry about it all.

He didn’t need to know that, though.

 

“Maybe.” You reply quietly.

 

“Alright. Are you okay?” He asks, pressing his nose to your head again.

 

You don’t really know how to reply to that, either.

 

“I think I’ll be okay.” You reply, because you had definitely been through worse and been okay in the end anyway.

 

“Okay.” He pauses. “I’m gonna hang around here for a bit. Aki wants to play something with me and Shigaraki. See if his arm is a little better.”

 

“Alright.” You agree quietly. 

 

That worked for you. It gave you some time to try and work through the new worries in your head, and try to make yourself feel normal again without the pressure of Vesper being there. 

 

“Come get me if you wanna talk some more, or if you want me around?” He asks, and you nod. “Do you need food or a drink?”

 

“I’m okay.” You reply. No doubt Tomura had left your daily glass of water on your nightstand.

 

“Come back to college? The girls miss you, too.” Vesper whispers.

 

“I’ll try.” You reply, because honestly, the idea of leaving the house recently had been way too much for you. 

 

“Okay.” He replies, seeming to find that an acceptable enough answer. “I love you, babe.”

 

He accentuates that statement with another gentle squeeze of his hand on your waist.

 

“I love you too, Ves.” You reply, finding it in yourself to smile a little when his tail thumps against the bed frame again. 

 

Chapter 46: In Threes?

You were shopping with Keiko and Hana when you heard someone call out: ‘Y/N!’
You don’t really think too much of it, because it must be someone else. No-one called you that anymore. So you continue rifling through the clothing that you thought your dad might like for his birthday. It was black, and some of it was studded. You’d seen him eyeing up one of Takagi’s leather, studded jackets for longer than he’d probably care to admit, and you wanted to get him something similar, but everything was so expensive.

“Y/N!” You hear again, but brush it off, because it was probably just someone looking for their kid or something. It was a shopping mall, rammed with people because it’s the weekend. There’s no way it could be you.

Hana and Keiko are a little ways away, anyway, and you’re not convinced that they even know the name that you abandoned when you were little. You glance over at them, noting that they’re both talking about a mini skirt that you already know instantly would look incredible on Keiko.

“Y/N.” You hear again, and this time it’s closer, and there’s a tight grip on your wrist to go along with it.

Your eyes widen, your head snapping to the other side to meet the sight of your real ‘father’, beaming at you as though you hadn’t thrown food over him the last time you’d seen him. He looks rough again though, his clothes all tattered and his hand particularly calloused as it tightens around your wrist.
You immediately start to glow green in your distress, willing it to go away so you don’t cause a scene in public and get in the kind of trouble that meant Tomura or Dabi would have to get involved.

“It’s really you.” He says, awestruck. “Come on, let’s go for a coffee.”

“What? No.” You scoff, trying to yank your arm away from him, but he won’t let go of you. “Get off of me.”

“Listen, you must have questions, like I have questions for you.” He tries to insist, his hand almost bruising on your wrist. “Five minutes for a coffee. You’re not doing anything here.”

Which is a lie, because you were looking for a birthday present for Dabi. You weren’t just idly shopping.

“I don’t want to go with you. Go away.” You try to reassert, but he’s not having it.

“You’re my daughter. You’re all I have left. Come on. Please?” He practically begs, there is something clearly desperate in his eyes as he looks at you, too. “I won’t be a dick this time. I promise.”

And you doubt it. But there are questions you do have. Mostly about your mom, and not him. But you’re unsure if you can do this again.

“You know this creep, Star?” You hear Keiko ask coldly from your other side.

“Get off of her! Weirdo!” Hana chimes in, scowling up at your ‘dad’ with bushy eyebrows.

D/N does actually let go of your wrist, though, at their appearances, his expression pulling into a frown before turning into another pleading look in your direction.

“I’m her dad.” He explains, his voice forcefully calm.

“No you’re not.” Keiko scoffs within a heartbeat.

“Yeah, Star’s dads are cool. You’re dirty and gross.” Hana quips, scanning him head-to-toe with judgement clear in her eyes.

A flicker of irritation crosses over D/N’s features, and he gives you a sharp look too before forcibly softening his expression.

“Please?” He asks again.

You hesitate, because clearly Keiko and Hana were fearless in protecting you, but you also have this innate feeling that you need to get rid of the pathetic look on his face, and annoyingly he had also made a really good point about having questions.
With a small huff, you nod, causing Keiko to grab your other wrist.

“Are you sure, Star?” She asks quietly.

“I’ll be over there.” You reply just as quietly, nodding your head towards the cafe just outside the exit. “Stay close?”

“Of course. Are you really sure this is a good idea though?” She asks again, eyeing him with disdain.

“You’re going with this creep?” Hana asks, making her judgement a whole lot more obvious as she looks up at D/N again, furrowing her brows once more when he looks down at her with just as much judgement in his own eyes.

“Five minutes.” You repeat to him before taking a deep breath and walking out and towards the cafe.

You cross your arms as you wait for him to place an order, just getting tea for you both after you didn’t answer him about what coffee you’d like. When the woman tells him the total he makes a show of patting himself down and patting his pockets down. He eventually gives you a sheepish look.

“I, uh… Forgot my wallet.” He explains, at least having the decency to sound embarrassed.

“You’re kidding.” You reply flatly.

He winces a little bit but you sigh and pay with your own card. It wasn’t expensive, anyway.
He thanks you over and over as he takes the tray and places it onto a table in the corner. You make out Keiko and Hana ordering coffees from the corners of your eyes, and relax a little knowing they really were keeping close.
You slide into the seat opposite him, not even smiling when he pours you a cup of tea before himself.

“So, how was your Christmas?” He asks, trying to give you a friendly smile, which you don’t return.

He waits a while for a response that doesn’t come before sighing and the pathetic look on his face returns again.

“Look, I’m trying here. I’m pretty useless, and I’m learning how to be politically correct, but I’m still trying to make an effort to build a relationship with you, Y/-”

“Star.” You interrupt.

“ Star .” He corrects himself, a hint of irritation seeping through the single word.

“Why? You didn’t bother when I was little. So why now?”

“I… I was trying to fix my other family. After what your mom did… I was trying to make that work.” He explains, but you don’t really understand whatever it is he’s trying to hint towards.

“What did mom do?” You ask, frowning.

“Well. She. Uh…” He fumbles. “Well, she had you.”

You stare at him, letting the words soak in for a moment.

“So I ruined your family?” You ask, your tone flat.

“No, no, not at all. Your mom did. Let’s be honest Y… Star. She wasn’t exactly fit to be a parent. She was an addict, a wh- A sex worker . She had no place having a child, and she kept you anyway. I can’t even think about what you must have seen with her in the house.” He sighs, wiping his hand over his bald head. “She knew I was married, that I had kids. She did it out of spite.”

This isn’t making you feel any better though, and the tea definitely isn’t hot enough for him to be sweating as much as he is.

“Spite.” You repeat blandly.

He sighs, his shoulders dropping as he finally looks at you again, his eyes desperately searching yours.

“Sure, I probably should have been there. But, you know. I did love my wife and kids. I was just an idiot. A naive fool. Things were dead in the bedroom…” He trails off, seeming to remember who exactly it is he’s talking to. “Look, you don’t need to know about the details. But, you know, thanks to your mom, I lost my family. You’re all I have left. I want to build a relationship with you.”

“You’re the one that got her pregnant.” You accuse, not touching the cup in front of you.

He looks a little taken aback by that comment before he laughs and shrugs slightly.

“Sure. Maybe. Yeah, I did. Some of the responsibility is on me.” He finally agrees, his tone more jovial than it had really been before.

Maybe he was starting to relax, but you’re not really sure you are, yet.

He looks around, clocking Keiko and Hana who had sat down a few tables from you, but Keiko seemed to be keeping a close eye on what was going on with you both as she sips her coffee, her ear flicking from time to time.

“Protective friends, huh? That’s good.” He comments with a smile.

 

“Yeah, everyone looks out for me.” You reply, almost trying to give him a vague warning, but it seems to go over his head because he just smiles softly and nods at you.

“Good. Good.” He nods, wiping away more sweat from his head.

You regard him with equal parts thoughtfulness and disgust, wondering why on earth he’s sweating so much. It’s still relatively cold outside, and the tea really isn’t boiling.

“You made me sick the first time you saw me.” You tell him almost accusatorily.

He chokes a little bit on his tea, grabbing a napkin and wiping up the mess he makes on himself.

“I didn’t mean to, you bumped into me.” He defends.

“Why were you there?” You ask, frowning slightly.

“Seeing a friend.” He shrugs.

You don’t really believe him, because even today he seemed to be alone, but you don’t push it further.

“What was mom like?” You ask instead.

He blinks for a second. “Huh?”

“Mom. What was she like? Did she draw?” You repeat.

His eye twitches a little bit, and he looks down at his cup of tea before answering. “I dunno, kid. Maybe?”

“Well what did she do, then? Surely you must know something . That’s the whole reason you brought me here, isn’t it?” You ask, quickly losing patience.

“I mean, guys and drugs?” He immediately jokes before realising it was ultimately the wrong thing to say and immediately backtracking. “I dunno, she had music on a lot? She liked clothes, too. And jewellery.”

You look away, disheartened by his shallow answer. You wanted more than that.

“Look, I’m not here to talk about your mom. I wanna learn about you. Do you have any questions about me?” He asks, his leg bouncing under the table.

You glare at him for a second. “Yeah, why are you sweating so much?”

He blinks and then laughs nervously. “Brat.”

You don’t take too kindly to that, either. The only person who’d ever called you that without making you feel bad about it was Tomura, and that was because he always said it in a weirdly affectionate way.
It must show on your face because he sighs, leaning back in his seat and rubbing the back of his neck.

“ Real questions, Star.” He tries to lead gently.

“It said businessman on your card. What business?” You ask, and he blinks at that, too.

Tomura and Dabi could easily answer that question without even thinking twice about it.

“Uh…” He pauses. “You know. Trading.”

“Trading what?” You ask.

“...Goods.”

“Right…” You reply, confused as to why he just won’t outright say it. “So, I don’t really get why you tried so hard to find me nine years after mom died.”

“I told you. I want a family again.” He replies defensively.

“But I have a family already.” You argue.

“A third dad would be pretty cool, though, right?” He asks, forcing a smile again.

You think about it. You’re not even sure you really like this man in the first place, never mind actually wanting him to be your dad . He’d said that Tomura wasn’t really a real man, and he also called Vesper a lizard in a way that suggested he was less than fond of the idea of that, even though Vesper was really nice.

“I dunno. You were rude to Tomura, and you insulted my boyfriend.” You reply honestly.

“I’m just pissed off that they got to have you after everything they did, and that was just a slip of the tongue about your boyfriend.” He dismisses, waving his hand at you. “Didn’t mean anything by it.”

“But Dabi found me and looked after me. You never looked for me.”

“He also killed a bunch of people, and Shigaraki cleared out entire families .” Your dad retorts, raising an eyebrow. “ I never did that. I shouldn’t have been punished like that for what I did.”

You take a deep breath to calm yourself, because ultimately, he wasn’t wrong. But they weren’t bad people, they couldn’t be, because they looked after you. They looked after Himiko, Jin, Shuichi, Giran, Aiko and the rest of your family, too.

“You were a grown up. You made your decision, and decisions have consequences.” You reply, repeating back the words you’d definitely heard Tomura say before. “They’ve cared more than you ever really did. Otherwise you would have stayed.”

You both stare at each other after that, D/N looking suitably pissed off now, and you equally just as annoyed.
With a small exhale from your nose, you get up, leaving the empty cup in front of you on the table in front of the man that kept trying to call himself your dad.

“Please leave me alone. I don’t think I want a relationship with you.” You say clearly and concisely, watching as Keiko and Hana stand up from their seats too.

You head over to them, cherishing the way that Keiko immediately grabs your hand and Hana glares at the man behind you, looking like if she was any more immature she might stick her tongue out at him.

“Are you okay? Who is that guy? He’s not your dad right? Tomura and Dabi are your dads.” Hana asks as you walk back through the mall. “Hey, wait, where are we going? I wanna shop!”

“I want to go home.” You reply, trying to ignore the weight of Keiko’s gaze on you as she looks at you with nothing but concern behind those yellow eyes.

“Aw, but Star, we haven’t had a girly day out in ages!” Hana whines, looking up at you with hurt brown eyes.

“I’m sorry, I just…” You begin to explain, before realising that you can’t really explain the horrible heavy yet hollow ache that was beginning to bloom in your chest. “I just want to go home.”

“But you were home for a whole week last week!” Hana continues to whine.

“Star, are you sure you should go home?” Keiko tries to gently make you reconsider. “We’ve been worried about you. We don’t have to shop, we could go somewhere else. Maybe see a movie? We could go to mine and get takeout.”

“Stay! Stay!” Hana tries to insist, clinging to your waist.

“I want to go!” You snap, without really meaning to, and then are instantly overrun with guilt when you see Keiko raise her eyebrows and Hana look up at you in surprise. “Sorry. I just want to be with my real dads right now.”

“Okay…” Keiko sighs. “Do you want us to come with you? Just to make sure that creep doesn’t follow?”

“I’ll be okay.” You reply, giving Keiko a quick hug and then crouching to hug Hana. “Sorry. Bye.”

You feel their eyes on you as you walk away, towards the train station, but you don’t look at them again.
They were probably going to talk poorly of you now for snapping at them.
You just need to get home and be with your real family right now.

*.*

“Dad?” You call out the second you get back, slipping your shoes off quickly so that you can throw yourself at whoever answers first.

Usually it’s Dabi, but not today.

“Starlight. I’m in here.” Tomura informs you, his voice oddly flat.

You head for the living room, a little bit puzzled by the lack of Cloud rubbing at your ankles.
Tomura is sitting on the edge of the couch, staring at the floor while Nova lays on the couch, her legs swinging happily in the air as Bluey plays in the background.

“...Where’s dad?”

“Out.” Is Tomura’s simple reply.

He takes a breath before looking over at you, though, his crimson eyes a lot more tired than usual, even after his all-nighters.

“Sit down, please.”

You hesitate. “Am I in trouble?”

Did he know? Did Keiko or Hana tell him? Did Dabi see, and that’s why he’s out? Was he going to hurt D/N? You knew he was already mad at him for insulting Tomura. Seeing you with him probably would have toppled him over the edge.

“No. Just sit, please.” He repeats tiredly.

You cautiously take a seat, noting that Cloud is pressed up against the side of his thigh, batting his shirt and catching it in his claws for attention.

“I have some bad news.” He says, his voice strained. “Now, I need you to be calm.”

“What’s happened?” You ask, immediately fearful.

Was Dabi hurt ?
And where was Takagi? Had he done something again, and Dabi had to take him to hospital? Tomura had definitely gone to work today, and he wasn’t typically home this early.

“Your Grandma Rei isn’t doing too great.” He says, clenching his jaw. “She’s in hospital.”

You take that in for a second before standing. “Well, let’s go and see her.”

“You can’t, Star. She’s in intensive care at the minute.” Tomura sighs. “It’s better she’s not hassled right now.”

“But… I want to see her.”

“I understand that. But you can’t. Not right now.” Tomura replies patiently.

“Dabi’s there though, right?” You ask, a little irritated. “I want to be there, too.”

“He’s not there.” Tomura replies blandly, tilting his head a little bit and looking off to the side as if he’s being avoidant.

“Then where is he? Grandma’s sick.” You ask, your irritation bubbling even more, because you feel like he’s lying to you for the first time ever.

“I don’t know, Star. He’s left his phone here and didn’t tell me where he was going.” Tomura replies, trying to keep his tone even with you.

“And you didn’t follow him? He’s upset!” You ask, frustrated, because you know that Dabi would be really upset about his mom being sick, and he definitely would go to the hospital to see her if he could.

“We have a six year old and a twenty year old on suicide watch with us, Star. There’s only so much I can do.” He replies flatly. “I understand you’re upset, but I need you to watch your tone.”

You huff, abandoning him and Nova on the couch to go upstairs.
Why was everything going wrong ? 

Chapter 47: Listening In

Akito wakes up to the sound of a loud thud outside his door, his heart immediately racing the second his eyes snap open and his head shoots upward as if he needs to protect himself as quickly as possible.

It takes a moment for him to fully register the fact he’s not at home anymore. He’s at the Todoroki house. 

He’s…safe. 

Maybe.

 

“Touya? What are you doing ?” He hears Shigaraki hiss angrily from outside the room, footsteps following the sound of his voice.

 

The soundproofing here really did suck if he could hear that . Shigaraki is quietly spoken usually anyway, so the fact he could hear him so clearly is sign enough about how thin the walls must be here.

 

“I need my Starshine.” He hears Dabi respond, slurring heavily.

 

“You need sleep. Leave her alone. She’s upset.” Shigaraki tries to assert as quietly as possible.

 

“Geddoffa me.” He hears Dabi snap. “Ow!”

 

“Don’t be a baby. You’ve had worse.” Shigaraki responds lowly, and Akito lifts his head slightly to turn his head towards the door in his interest in whatever was going on outside his door. “Be quiet.”

 

“Ow! You’re hurting me, bastard!” He hears Dabi continue to bitch outside the room.

 

“Brush your teeth and come to bed. You stink of beer.” He hears Shigaraki reply sharply, clearly ignoring his partner's complaints.

 

“Bed, huh?” He just about manages to make out Dabi murmur through the door.

 

Akito’s lip pulls in disgust at the drunken sleazy tone to Dabi’s voice, rolling his eyes and resting his head back on the pillow, hoping that might block out whatever comes next.

 

“Touya, cut it out. I’m in no mood.” Shigaraki snaps quietly outside his bedroom door.

 

“Never fuckin’ wanna do anythin’ anymore.” Dabi begins complaining again, his voice slurred enough that Akito begins to realise that he must be a lot more drunk than he originally thought.

 

“We have three children in the house.” Shigaraki replies flatly. “Teeth. Now.”

 

“That stupid arrogant little-“ There’s a small thud. “Ow!”

 

“ Soundproofing , Touya.” 

 

“Don’t fuckin’ care. He didn’t care.” Dabi replies, but it sounds like he’s pouting like a child would.

 

“Teeth.” Shigaraki demands quietly again.

 

Akito hears stumbling and a groan of irritation from Shigaraki before the tap starts running and there’s the faint sound of someone brushing their teeth.

 

“Always lookin’ after me.” Dabi says affectionately, and Akito huffs a little bit in mockery.

 

He must be in a state if Shigaraki is having to clean his teeth for him.

 

“Spit.” Shigaraki orders quietly, and sure enough, the sound of Dabi spitting into the sink follows.

 

The brushing sound starts up again, and then there’s an annoyed grunt from Shigaraki.

 

“Honestly, Touya. You’re a mess.” He mutters sourly.

 

“I’m a mess.” Dabi repeats, his voice thick with sadness.

 

“Oh for…” Shigaraki sighs. “Spit.”

 

Another sound of spitting follows through Akito’s door, and then the sound of rustling.

 

“I love you.” He hears Dabi slur.

 

“I know.” Shigaraki replies, and Akito huffs a little to himself. Ice cold.

 

“Wanted mom to see us get married.” Dabi continues to slur, sniffling a little bit.

 

There’s a pause, a small sigh, and then another: “I know.”

 

“Stupid homophobes.” Dabi continues to sniffle, his voice a little more muffled, as though he’s pressed against Shigaraki.

 

“I know, Touya.” Shigaraki repeats. “Come on. You need to sleep.”

 

“Needta drink .”

 

“ No . You’ve had enough. You’re going to wake up the entire house. Go to bed. Now .” Shigaraki says, his voice a lot firmer this time, even though he’s clearly straining to be as quiet as he can.

 

Akito listens intently, fully awake at this point and unable to shake off the uncomfortably familiar feeling of it all. 

Their interactions reminded him of how the others had dealt with him in his messes. Aside from Hana, he guesses. She always met it with unconditional love. And Star didn’t have a firm bone in her body, really. The closest he’d seen to her being firm was when she had told Vesper to stop yelling at him while he’d been in the hospital.

 

It was Keiko .

Who Shigaraki was reminding him of, was Keiko.

 

She’d bitch and whine at him, but she was always there when he needed someone. She was level-headed, able to figure him out before he could do it himself. She knew what he needed and when he needed it. 

Sure, she would huff about it. They both made little digs at each other, but it was never done maliciously.

He… kind of missed her.

 

He reaches for his phone as the sound of stumbling comes through his door, but seems to be growing distant.

The time on the screen tells him it’s four a.m, which is not ideal. But he knows Keiko.

He hits the dial button, and sure enough within a few rings, she answers, like he knows she would.

 

“What do you want, Aki?” She asks tiredly, as though she’s still half asleep. “Please don’t say you fucked up Stars house somehow.”

 

He scoffs, playing off the genuine hurt that he feels from that comment. “Such little faith in me, Keiks.”

 

“ Experience , not lack of faith.” She grumbles on the other line.

 

“Whatever.” He rolls his eyes, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling.

 

“…So why are you calling me? It’s four a.m.”

 

He grimaces a little bit, unable to think of a snappy response to that which would also hide his real feelings.

 

“Horny.” He shrugs, as though she can see it.

 

“Sort it out yourself, idiot.” She snaps immediately, and he knows he has a fraction of a second before she hangs up and puts her phone on silent.

 

“Wait! Wait.” He quickly tries to stop her with, and luckily it works, even if she’s just silent on the other end of the phone. “... I miss you.”

There’s even more silence before she gives a dry huff at his words. “You’re not meant to drink on your medication.”

“I’m sober.” Akito replies, a little insulted at how quickly she brushes it off.

“Sure. Go to sleep, Aki.” Keiko sighs before hanging up on him.

Akito frowns, keeping his phone to his ear even after the noise of her cancelling the call goes off. Slowly he lowers it, staring at the screen, at her name on the screen. Of the photo of the two of them grinning at the camera that he’d set specifically for her number.
He never bothered doing that with any of his other contacts.

He’s about to irritatedly open up one of the dating apps on his phone to ease the loneliness seeping into his bones when he hears a knock on his door.
Annoyed eyes move to the door.

“What?” He asks sharply, hoping it’s not one of Star's parents.

And, luckily, it’s not.
But annoyingly , Star opens the door to his room the second he answers, hesitating when she sees him in his boxers before sighing slightly through her nose and committing to her decision, closing the door behind her.

“Fuck’re you doing?” He asks, frowning at her.

“Dabi said that when he was little and he couldn’t sleep, he’d sit up and talk to Natsuo.” She replies as if it’s the most normal thing in the world for her to sit on the edge of the bed right now.

“That’s his brother. You’re not my sister. I’m tryna sleep. Beat it.” He replies bluntly, nudging her thigh with his feet.

“You’re not trying to sleep, I heard you talking on the phone.” She replies, swatting at his feet.

“You’re still not my sister, go bother Nova or somethin’.” Akito groans, rolling over onto his side again so that his back is to her.

“...Nova gets mad if you wake her up.” Star replies. “And you’re living with us now, so you’re kind of my brother.”

“Fuck off, Starshine .” Akito huffs, closing his eyes as though that’ll be enough to make her go away.

But she doesn’t, because of course she doesn’t.
She just sits there quietly until he opens an eye and peers over her again over his shoulder.
She’s sat completely on his bed now, hugging her knees and leaning her cheek on them as she gazes at him in the dark.
She looks sad all hunched up like that, and that’s irritating as well, because Akito doesn’t overly like that, and that meant that he was now going to make it his own issue.

“What? What do you want?”

“To talk.” She replies quietly.

“About what?” He sighs, rolling onto his back again and glaring at her in the dark.

“Anything? Dabi said he used to tell Natsuo secrets, or talk about their dad. Sometimes they would make up stories.” She whispers.

“You’re not five .” Akito replies irritatedly.

“I can’t sleep. And neither can you.” She counters as though it’s a decent rebuke to the point he’d made.

“For fucks sake.” He mutters, covering his eyes with his arm. “Tell me a secret then.”

“I don’t really have secrets…” She instantly responds with.

“Then tell me why you were being miserable last week.”

She hesitates, which means he’d managed to weed out the fact that there was definitely a secret there, at least.

“...You can’t tell Dabi or Tomura.” She leads with, which immediately has his interest piqued.

“Sure.” He agrees easily. He doubts it’ll be that interesting anyway.

“Me and Vesper did it.” She whispers, and his head shoots up in shock. “But I was sad after.”

“That bad, huh?” Akito laughs without really thinking about it, which instantly gets Star leaning forward to smack his shin with her hand.

“Not bad . It just hurt.” She defends, which only makes Akito snort again.

“I’m not surprised, those things are monsters.” He snickers under his breath.

“How do you know?” She asks, the frown evident in her voice.

His mouth immediately slams closed and his laughter stops. He’d said too much.

“No reason.” He dismisses.

“Your turn to tell a secret.” She counters in record speed. “How do you know that?”

He takes a second to think of how to approach this.
No-one knew what had happened, and for his own sake, he didn’t want anyone to know or find out.

“He got fucked up and accidentally showed too much once, that’s all.” He lies with a shrug, and unsurprisingly she doesn’t even question it.

“Did Hana and Keiko see?” She asks quietly.

“Nah, just us guys.” Akito replies. Kind of telling the truth there, at least.

“Poor Vesper.” She murmurs, leaning her cheek on her knees again.

“Another secret?” He asks, raising a brow.

He can’t help but think there must be some decent secrets in there somewhere. There was no way she was that much of an open book. No-one was.
She shakes her head, but doesn’t verbally reply, which makes Akito wonder if there are , and she just doesn’t want to share them with him.

“Cool, so you can go back to your room now, then.” He says, making a show of stretching his legs and pushing her with his feet again.

“Stop it.” She complains, flopping onto her side so she’s laying by his feet. “Just talk.”

“I don’t think I can make it any clearer that I don’t want to talk to you right now, Star.” He replies, a lot more irritated that she doesn’t seem to be shifting at all .

“Why are you so mean?” She asks, sounding dangerously close to tears.

“I’m not being mean, I’m tired and basically naked. Get off of my bed.” Akito sighs, not wanting to upset her, but not really wanting her in his room, either.

“I’ve seen you in your boxers before.” She defends.

“You think Ves’d like this?” Akito asks, pulling the one card he knows she won’t know about or want getting back to Vesper.

She does seem to take it on board for a second before huffing and sitting up, sniffling and wiping her eyes.

“I just wanted to talk. My grandma’s sick.” She sobs, at least trying to be quiet about it.

And sure, Akito kind of feels like an asshole now. He can’t think of a time that he’s ever really seen Star cry, and he doesn’t particularly like being the cause of it.

“Fine. Sit down, just stop crying.” Akito grumbles, sitting up and resting his back against the headboard. “Dabi’s drunk enough that he’d definitely fry my ass if he thought I’d upset you.”

Star sniffles, settling back onto the end of his bed and nods, rubbing her eyes.
Akito sighs, looking down at his scarred body before looking back up at her silhouette.

“I’m sorry about your grandma.” He says, the words feeling weird leaving him so honestly.

“Dabi’s really upset.” She replies, laying back down on her side. “I don’t like it when he’s upset.”

“You don’t like it when anyone’s upset.” Akito rolls his eyes. “You’re too soft for your own good, Star.”

Star doesn’t reply, just picks at the bedsheets under her hand idly for a few silent moments.

“Takagi?”

“Yeah?”

“How’d you get the scar on your neck?”

“How’d you get the one on your arm?” He asks in return, avoiding the question.

“Dabi’s flames caught me when I was little.” She explains without hesitation. “He gets upset when he sees it, so I try to hide it as much as I can. I can’t feel anything there. It’s weird.”

Akito wasn’t really expecting such an honest answer from her when he’d been shut down every time he’d asked before, but he supposes he’s in their inner circle now. He was allowed to be trusted and told things, even if Dabi made his disdain towards him clear.

“So how’d you get that scar?” She asks again, as though Akito wasn’t riddled with scars. If he had to go toe-to-toe in a competition with Dabi, he would probably come out only a close second.

“How’d you think I got it, Star?” He asks dryly.

“Your neck ?” She asks, as though that’s the most shocking thing he’s ever done despite being the one who had found him after his last attempt.

Akito just rolls his eyes in response, hearing a faint sound outside the door that makes his eyes move towards it and his head tilt slightly as though he’ll be able to hear better for doing that.

“You must have been really hurting to do something like that.” Star murmurs thoughtfully. “Sometimes I feel like that, but then I see my dads or Cloud and I feel better.”

Akito is saved from snapping about how nice that would be, because Nova creaks the door open slowly, her little face peering around the door shyly.

“Bedtime, Nova.” He tries to tell her, not wanting yet another person in the room with him.

But he’s soft for the little girl.
She was funny, cute. More switched on than the others really seemed to see or give her credit for. He liked that.
He also liked that he could talk to her and not have Star or Shigaraki understand what the two were saying to one another, because neither of them had really learned a decent amount of sign language yet.

He liked that the years he’d learned JSL so he could speak to his dad weren’t wasted. In a way, using it to converse with Nova here and there made him remember his dad. His real dad. The good man that had been ripped from him while he was still young, only to be replaced by someone that could barely be considered a human.

Nova ignores his order anyway the second that she sees Star on his bed, closing the door behind her and scrambling up onto his bed, too.
Accepting his fate, he just laughs softly at the little girl, affectionately calling her a brat and ruffling her hair the second she’s close enough.
But instead of laying by him, she flops in front of Star, the older girl wrapping an arm around Nova protectively.

“Great. Love this.” He quips dryly, but in all honesty, he thinks he kind of likes that he’s actively been sought out for company that’s completely platonic.

“Did Dabi wake you up, too, Nova?” Star asks softly as the little girl presses her back against Star’s torso.

In the darkness, with the thin strip of daylight coming through the curtains, they can make out the silent girl nod. He can see Nova signing something to him in the dark, but can’t really tell what it is she’s trying to relay to him.

“It’s late, Nova. If you’re staying here, you gotta sleep, ‘kay?” Akito asks, and Nova nods again.

Except if Nova was staying in his room, that kind of meant that Star also had to stay, because Nova was all settled against her, and he doubted that Star would be able to retract her arm from Nova without actually waking her up.
Accepting his fate, he stands and makes a show of huffing in false irritation as he opens the wardrobe and pulls down the blanket that had been on the bed when he’d first moved in. He’d put it into the wardrobe almost as soon as he’d walked into the room, because the Todoroki home was always impossibly warm, and he barely even slept under the covers as it was.

 

He throws it over the girls, making it look like it only landed on them properly by chance before getting back on the bed himself, laying on his back and staring at the ceiling.

Vesper Wani finally fucked a girl. Akito can barely believe it. He never really showed an interest in it before, never even ran the idea by Akito first. He thought they talked about everything.

Well, within reason.

 

“Thank you, Takagi.” Star whispers after a while of silence.

 

“Quit callin’ me that.” He sighs. “Just call me Aki. Or Akito. Takagi’s freaky, dunno why you’re so formal with me and not the others.”

 

“…So, we’re friends?” She asks, sounding like there’s actually a hint of hope in her voice.

 

Akito rolls his eyes, even though it genuinely does feel nice that someone wants to be his friend, even if it’s only out of pity, most likely.

 

“Sure, Star. We’re friends .” He replies, his words automatically leaving him sarcastically. 

 

“I’m glad.” She replies happily, and he hates the way he can actually envision how she’s smiling in the dark without actually having to see it.

 

“Whatever. Go to sleep. And don’t hog the sheets. Nova needs ‘em.” He dismisses, closing his eyes and trying to cherish the unfamiliar feeling of contentment that’s blooming in his chest.

Chapter 48: Good News

Dabi’s birthday had been tough.

You’d gifted him the jacket you had brought him, which had made him smile for the first time in days, and he’d been really thankful for it.

But then he’d announced that he and Tomura were going to the hospital to see Grandma Rei.

Obviously, you were upset. You wanted to see her too, but Tomura had said that it was best not to overwhelm her in her current state, and that the doctors hadn’t been too happy to allow just him and Dabi to see her.

 

So yeah, maybe you got a bit more upset than you probably should have considering it was Dabi’s birthday.

You probably should have just shut up instead of getting mad and sulking in your room, especially when they’d asked you and Akito to look after Nova while they were out. But you supposed that Akito was probably happy to look after her the whole time, because they seemed to get on pretty well.

They were gone for a few hours, and Dabi had come straight to your room the second he was back, sitting on your bed and stroking your hair even though you refused to turn around to look at him.

He’d done that for a while in silence before telling you in eerie calmness that Grandma Rei would be lucky if she lived for another month. He’d taken a deep breath before telling you, which meant that he had really been bracing himself to tell you that fact.

You couldn’t even bring yourself to reply, the words had cut through your skin and settled right in your heart.

 

You hadn’t gotten to know her as well as you wanted to, yet.

He’d waited a while for a response, but upon not getting one, he’d simply kissed your head, told you that she said she had missed you, and then left you alone in your room for a while.

You had come out pretty soon after though, feeling bad for making him feel bad on his birthday, especially when he must already be feeling bad. 

So you’d gone downstairs, hesitating a little when you had seen him all cuddled up with Nova already, but he had called you over like it wasn’t a big deal that you had been sulking until coming downstairs.

 

Nova had pretty quickly gotten off his lap to pet Cloud, so you had given Dabi a proper hug then. 

And although he’s never been mad at you for being grumpy before, you feel guilty for making his birthday worse and then having an attitude about it. You kind of feel like you don’t deserve his easy forgiveness this time around. Especially when you know he doesn’t always forgive that easily.

 

So the next day, you’d hatched a plan.

You were going to go to the hospital, because you also had access to Tomura and Dabi’s whereabouts, and had effectively stared at the little blinking dots on the marking for the hospital on the map the entire time they’d been away.

You would say that your dads had left something behind and then go and see Grandma Rei.

 

Except the plan doesn’t work.

You’re standing face to face with the lady at reception, trying to insist that they left something important behind, and that you had to pick it up today. She’s not buying it though, explaining calmly time and time again that you can’t go to see Rei because her immune system isn’t good at the minute and that she’s in pain and just needs to rest. 

Admittedly, you become frustrated enough that she relents, asking a passing doctor to check out Rei’s room for you.

You blanched at that, because you weren’t sure if you could get in trouble if they don’t find anything, but luckily the doctor just comes back empty handed and apologises, and maybe in a weird show of reassurance he lets you know that she’s sleeping peacefully right now.

 

All you can do is nod and thank him quietly, standing awkwardly once he walks away.

You hadn’t really planned for failure.

 

“I understand.” The woman behind the counter says, and when you turn around, she’s giving you a soft smile. “It’s hard to be told you can’t see someone you really want to see. Especially when they’re sick.”

 

You nod slowly, but before you can apologise for lying to her and the doctor, she starts talking again.

 

“She talks about you a lot from what I hear. You and um, Kenji? Enji? One of those.” She explains. “Always talking about how one of her grandkids is a really talented artist. She’s proud of you.”

 

Your mouth slams closed and your eyes immediately start to prickle, even though you will them not to.

 

“Thanks.” You manage to croak out before turning and leaving the hospital as quickly as you can.

 

You didn’t want to cry in front of strangers.

 

*•*

 

“Star, what are you-“ Vesper asks in surprise, only for you to slam yourself against him, practically jumping up to wrap your arms around his neck.

 

And just like always, he picks you up with ease, allowing you to wrap your legs around his torso and cling to him like some kind of koala.

 

“What’re you doing here?” He asks, but his voice sounds indulgent rather than annoyed.

 

He closes the door behind you, carrying you with ease to his bedroom as you cling to him and bury your face against his muscular shoulder. You feel the small horns that line his brow and under his eyes tug at your hair a little bit when he rubs his cheek against your head affectionately.

 

“Wanted to see you.” You explain, your voice muffled by his clothing.

 

Vesper chuckles, the sound vibrating through your own body.

 

“Lovin’ the enthusiasm.” He says teasingly, settling down on a seat, his tail thumping against the floor. “Has something happened?”

 

You take a second to compose yourself, listening to his fingers clack away on his keyboard, changing the music to something a little calmer for you.

 

“Grandma Rei doesn’t have much longer.” You explain, your voice thick as you try to compose yourself enough to not start crying again.

 

“Oh, babe.” Vesper immediately sympathises, wrapping his arms around you and pressing his face into your own shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

 

“I wanted to see her, but they wouldn’t let me.” You continue, pressing your face even harder against him.

 

Vesper squeezes you a little tighter in response. “That’s shitty.”

 

You hum an agreement against him, squeezing him just as tight and trying to focus on the music playing while you force yourself to stop crying, because you don’t want to have swollen eyes again .

 

“Is your mom home?” You ask quietly.

 

“Huh? Nah. She’s on shift ‘til like three a.m.” Vesper replies, his hand going to your head, holding you there protectively. 

 

You think about it for a second before turning your head a little and kissing his neck.

 

“I love you.” You remind him.

 

“Love you too, Star.” He replies, stroking down your hair.

 

You’re quiet for a second before kissing his neck again, taking a deep breath as you continue kissing up his neck, towards his ear.

He tenses underneath you, lowering his hands to your hips and squeezing them gently. 

 

“What’re you doing, Star?” He asks as you get to his jawline, kissing him there too before you pull away from him slightly to look at him properly.

 

“Kissing you.” You reply innocently, but he doesn’t seem pleased by your answer, his horned brows pulling together ever so slightly.

 

“Alright, babe.” He agrees anyway, though.

 

So you continue kissing his jawline, all the way to the beak of his mouth, pressing another kiss there before licking the scales on his bottom lip slowly.

 

“No, Star.” He sighs, leaning back in his seat, away from you. 

 

You frown, because he’d squeezed your hips again when he’d said no.

 

“But…”

 

“Last time hurt you, and made you upset.” He explains, avoiding your eyes. “Plus, I gotta work at one. I’d rather you stayed after.”

 

Your mouth drops, and a horrible anxious feeling needles in your gut. 

 

“Was I that bad?” You ask, your voice dangerously close to breaking.

 

His green eyes roll towards you again as he exhales through his nose, gently cupping your face in his large hands.

 

“You were great.” He tells you, his voice completely sincere. “I liked it. But you didn’t, and I don’t want to risk doing anything that’s gonna upset you more.”

 

You stare at him, almost pouting childishly, even though you know he has a point, and really, he’s actually trying to look out for you. 

 

“Don’t look at me like that.” He mutters, frowning a little himself before moving forward to bump the beak of his mouth against your nose softly. “I’m just trying to do what’s best for you, babe.”

 

You know that, but you still want to be distracted and feel good right now. 

 

“Quit being mad at me.” He continues to say as softly as his voice really allows. “I love you.”

 

You huff a little, returning to your place on his shoulder. 

 

“…I love you too.” You mutter, frowning at the floor and changing the subject. “You should see Akito soon. He’s getting sad about not being allowed out of the house.”

 

“Sure.” He shrugs slightly, wrapping his arms around you again. “Let’s just get you sorted out first.”

 

*•*

 

You hadn’t really noticed that you were being followed. Too busy thinking about Grandma Rei and how you might be able to get to see her despite being told you can’t .

You only notice it when a tight grip grabs your elbow, and you yelp, activating your quirk without really meaning to. 

You feel less guilty about it though when you realise it’s D/N, his hand immediately loosening around your arm as he sways.

 

You look around quickly to make sure that nobody is around before shoving him, knowing with your quirk in effect he’ll just fall to the floor, which he does.

 

“Leave me alone, I told you already.” You snap.

 

“M’ just trynna get my daughter back.” He replies, his voice slurred like he’s struggling to speak. “Turn it off.”

 

Your jaw tightens and you frown as you consider his request as you stare down at the man in his beaten up clothes on the floor.

Sure, you could probably get into trouble if he caught someone’s attention and managed to tell them what you had done, but he couldn’t really do that without it getting back to Tomura and Dabi, who would punish him more than you .

 

So you turn on your heel and walk away, leaving him sick and helpless on the floor.

 

“Y/N!” He calls, but you ignore him, taking an alternate route home even though he can’t even walk right now. “Y/N! Come back!”

 

*•*

 

“Darlin’ daughter.”

 

“Darling dad.” You reply, distracted by your coursework on the desk in front of you.

 

It wasn’t often that Dabi just wandered into your room without at least letting you know he was coming in with a brief knock on the door, so you automatically know he wants something from you.

Especially when he wraps his arms around your neck and rests his chin on the top of your head, probably gazing down at your drawing.

 

“Vote’s tomorrow.” He reminds you, even though you don’t need reminding.

 

“I know, dad.” You reply, reaching for your eraser so that you can rub out the out of place line he just made you draw.

 

“Can you tell your friends to vote please, doll?” He asks, leaning his cheek on your head.

 

“You know I will, pawpaw.” You sigh.

 

“Want it to pass this time.” He sighs, squeezing you a little. 

 

“…Me too.” You murmur, because you did . 

 

They’d already been engaged for nearly eight years, with no movement on the legalisation of it, and it would mean even more for gay marriage to be legalised before Grandma Rei died. 

Dabi had always said that he wanted her to come to the wedding after they had been reunited. Tomura would call him a mommys boy behind his back, but you liked that Dabi cared so fiercely about his mom. You thought it was sweet.

 

Dabi doesn’t speak for a while, just carries on hugging you with his cheek resting on your head. It was strange that Nova wasn’t in the room too, but you assume that maybe Akito was playing around with her somewhere seeing as he couldn’t leave the house.

 

“Haven’t seen the Wani kid in a while. Somethin’ happen?” Dabi asks, and you’re so glad that he can’t see your face right now, because even the vague mention of something happening between you both makes your face burn.

 

“Nothing happened. He’s just busy with band stuff and work.” You explain, trying to keep your voice calm.

 

“Not makin’ time for my Starshine…” Dabi says, his voice almost warning.

 

“Cut it out, dad.” You grumble, which makes him chuckle and finally pull away from you.

 

“Just saying.” He shrugs, flopping onto your couch which means he definitely doesn’t have any plans on leaving anytime soon.

 

You finally pause your drawing, looking over at him with a vague frown.

 

“Why aren’t you with Nova?” You ask.

 

“Zero came an’ picked her up. Finally caved and said he misses her. Gone to a dog park or somethin’.” Dabi shrugs. “Thought I could use the time to finally catch up with you, baby girl.”

 

“I’m not a baby anymore.” You reply automatically, just like you always have from the second he started calling you that.

 

He gives you a staple-pulling grin back. “I keep tellin’ you that you’re always gonna be my baby.”

 

You roll your eyes, turning back to your work.

 

“That Takagi kid not winding you up?” He asks, resting his cheek on his metal fist.

 

“No more than usual.” You reply, pausing. “You should be nicer to him. I don’t think he’s happy again.”

 

Dabi clicks his tongue. “Why should I care?”

 

“He might ruin our bathroom.” You reply in the same kind of dry way that Akito himself would reply to a question like that with. 

 

Dabi is stunned silent for a second before giving a surprised laugh. “Damn, Star.”

 

“It was a joke.” You clarify, turning to look at him, giving him a once over.

 

He actually looks impressed by your comment, his sweatpants covered legs kicked up across the cushions and his metallic arm resting across the back cushions so he can rest his cheek on his fist. His blue eyes are glittering with mirth, and his mismatched lips are curved upwards fondly as he looks at you.

 

“You should be nice to him because it’s nice to be nice, dad. He doesn’t have a family anymore, he’s lonely.” You finally reply seriously. “…We know what that’s like. So it’s important to make him feel okay.”

 

Dabi blinks, his smile dropping for a moment. He lifts his shoulders quickly in a curt shrug.

 

“Sure, hon. Whatever makes you happy.”

 

“Seeing Grandma would make me happy.” You tell him.

 

He sighs deeply, any amusement left in his expression completely fading now. “You can’t, hon. I’m sorry.”

 

You saw that one coming, but it was worth a try anyway.

You brush it off, turning back to your work with your lips downturned. 

You can feel Dabi’s eyes on you as you work, though, and as much as you try not to be distracted by it, you are . So you glance at him to try to tell him to stop it with a look alone like Tomura can, but it only makes him laugh.

 

“You’ve been spendin’ too much time with Tomura.” He teases.

 

You huff at him, which only makes him laugh more.

 

“ Definitely spendin’ too much time with him.”

 

“If you can get married, can I come?” You ask, changing the topic once again.

 

He rolls his eyes. “ Obviously you’ll be comin’, doll. You’re our kid.”

 

You feel your heart lift a little with hope, because you’d spoken to Tomura about it and he was definitely trying to get it legalised so they could get married before Rei passed away, and that might mean that you can see her that way, instead.

 

“Honestly, kid, after all these years you still think we don’t want you around.” Dabi continues to tease, getting up off the sofa and approaching you again.

 

This time you prepare yourself for him to wrap his arms around you and press a bunch of kisses all over your face and head.

 

“Dad! Cut it out!” You grumble, but he doesn’t, treating you like some kind of kid.

 

“Love you” He teases in a sing-song voice. “Don’t worry, I’ll leave you to yer masterpiece now.”

 

“Love you, too.” You reply in an irritated mutter, focusing all your attention to your coursework again.

*.*

 

You manage to maybe get a couple of hours being able to focus on your artwork after college and voting before someone else appears in your room, making you startle.

 

“Your dads trying to kill me.” 

 

You turn around with a confused frown to see Takagi standing in nothing but sweatpants, all of his scarring on show. At least he looks a little healthier now, you can barely see his ribs anymore. But he doesn’t look pleased . There’s a frown pulling his dark eyebrows together and his pierced lips are pulled downward, too.

 

“I can’t see him?” You reply, confused. “And you’re not hurt?”

 

Akito clicks his tongue in annoyance. “He’s tryin’ to fool me into thinking he doesn’t hate me, but I’m not an idiot.”

 

“…What?” You ask, your confusion only heightening.

 

“He wants us all to watch a movie and asked me to choose.” Akito explains, flopping onto your couch. “Ain’t no way. It’s come out of the blue.”

 

You deadpan at him. “He’s just being nice.”

 

“I don’t buy it.” Akito insists.

 

“He’s being nice!” You insist straight back.

 

But he doesn’t shift, so you end up going with him downstairs to prove that Dabi was just being nice. And sure enough, the second that you and Akito sit down on the couch, he throws Akito the TV remote.

“Somethin’ kid appropriate. Zero’s headin’ back with Nova soon.” Is his only demand.

And without you even really needing to lead him to make the decision, he chooses a random Studio Ghibli movie, although he looks on edge the entire time that he’s trying to make a decision.
And sure enough, Zero returns with Nova about twenty minutes later, the little girl holding a Bluey plushie that you’ve never seen her with before, so you presume that Zero probably spoiled her while she was with him. That was nice, she probably needed it.
And she’s all smiles when she walks in the door, Zero crouching to undo her shoelaces for her.

“Have a good time, darlin’?” Dabi asks from the living room, and Nova nods her head eagerly in response.

“We saw lots of dogs, didn’t we, Nova?” Zero asks as he helps her out of her shoes, and Nova nods again. “And then we had ice cream, and Nova wanted me to win her the Bluey dog out of a machine.”

Nova holds it over her head as she rushes for Dabi, thrusting it into his face, and he chuckles to himself.

“Very nice, Nova. Didya say thank you?” He asks, pressing his finger against Bluey’s nose playfully.

“She did.” Zero affirms, walking over to the doorway, his expression softening when he sees you. “Hello, little Star.”

“Hi Uncle Zero!” You immediately stand to give him a hug, which he returns easily, squeezing you gently before letting go and peering over your shoulder. “Ah, your friend.”

“Takagi.” Dabi reminds him, and Zero hums a little bit.

“Takagi. Yes, I remember.” Zero nods a little, his smile perking up a little when Takagi nods his head in acknowledgement at him.

Nova settles on Dabi’s lap, petting Cloud and her eyes fixed on the movie playing on screen. Zero moves to leave again, but you catch his arm, because you hadn’t really seen him for a while.

“Stay for the movie?” You ask, giving him a pleading look, and his face goes blank for a split second, his eye twitching ever so slightly.

“I’m sorry, Star. I promised Aiko that I would go for dinner with her and her father.” He explains. “Another time. I would love to see you.”

You’re a little downtrodden, but you accept it without fighting. You missed Giran, too, honestly. You should probably spend more time with them all, but it was hard trying to juggle your time between college, your friends, your immediate family and Dabi’s family.

“See you soon, little Nova. I would have you sleep over any time.” He tells her, and she nods, her bottom lip quivering as she forces herself to stay staring at the screen opposite her.

You lower yourself back onto the couch, watching Zero carefully. They hadn’t even given each other a hug yet. Maybe they were trying not to make a big deal out of it so that they wouldn’t be sad?

Zero had started to learn a lot more emotions than he had previously, and he clearly really liked Nova, so it wouldn’t surprise you if he was feeling sad about leaving her with you all again.
He wishes you all a good evening before sliding his shoes back on and leaving you all to the movie.
You watch the whole movie, and then Dabi insists that Akito pick out another one as he gets up to go and smoke, leaving the three of you to the TV.

Nova points at a Bluey movie insistently, and Akito looks at you a little bit tiredly, but you shrug, happy to let her pick out whatever she wants. So he ruffles her hair and struggles to push the button down in his hand to select it, but puts it on anyway.

When Dabi returns, a beer in his hand and settles back on the sofa, the front door swings open, a lot more fiercely than usual and makes you all jump in surprise as Tomura walks through the door, kicking his shoes off and then he heads straight for you all wordlessly.
Dabi had accidentally spilled his beer on himself at the sudden entrance, and raises his hands in frustration at his partner.

“ Babe .” He complains, but Tomura ignores him, turning off the movie even though Nova looks like she tries to shout without noise and moves to grab his clothing.

“Shut up. Look.” Tomura says simply, turning on a news channel, and gesturing proudly at the screen.

Sure enough, the counts for gay marriage are high. Higher than they’ve ever been before.
Dabi blinks in surprise, and Akito huffs, his lips pulling up into a smirk.

“A few more votes and it’ll pass?” Dabi asks, sounding like he’s confused.

You’re not surprised that Dabi can’t quite believe it, it had taken years to even get to this point.

“It will pass.” Tomura informs him with unshakeable certainty.

“Holy fuck.” Dabi murmurs under his breath, and when you turn to look at him, his cyan eyes are scanning the screen with intensity, as though he’s trying to memorise every little detail being shown. “Holy shit. Tomura…”

“Ready to be married?” You ask, smiling and pushing Dabi’s arm playfully.

“Yeah, ‘course I am.” Dabi replies, seeming to snap himself out of it, but he still looks a little stunned by his standards. “Come here, babe.”

Tomura leans over to give Dabi a kiss, and Takagi pretends to be sick as Nova grabs the TV remote and passes it to you to change it back to the movie. You do, but half expect Tomura to tell you to put the news back on the second he and Dabi aren’t speaking quietly to one another.

But it’s so nice to finally have something good happen for once, and it’s nice to hear Dabi tell Tomura he loves him, only for Tomura to tell him he’d do anything for him.

Chapter 49: Dress Shopping

You stare at the dress in the mirror.
It’s nice, you guess , but you can’t really imagine wearing light green to Tomura and Dabi’s wedding. You don’t really understand why Hana picked this one out for you, either. It’s too tight, too exposing.

“Let us see! Let us see!” Hana calls from outside the dressing room, but you’re kind of uncomfortable and unwilling to exit the small curtained room in this dress.

You look in the mirror, your eyes scanning from the hem just over your knees, tracing the tight material as it runs over your thighs, your mouth pulling down uncertainly as you look at the holes in the sides of your waist, exposing your skin there, and then force your eyes to drag upwards to the v-neck that’s cut low enough to expose the tattoo down your chest fully.
Maybe the dress wasn’t so bad for that, the whole reason you got the tattoo was to honour you and your dads relationship, and you’d had it placed over your heart, but you still didn’t think it was appropriate wedding attire.
Taking a breath, you open the curtain, and Hana flies to her feet.

“It looks so good!” She exclaims at the same time Vesper’s eyes widen and Keiko raises an eyebrow.

“I’m just not sure it’s good for a wedding…” You explain, feeling a whole lot more conscious about what you’re wearing after the other two’s reactions.

“A wedding?!” Hana squeaks, flying around to look at Vesper. “You didn’t tell us!”

“Not our wedding, idiot. Shigaraki’s and Dabi’s.” Vesper stutters out, his scales darkening on his cheeks.

“Definitely not suitable for a wedding.” Keiko agrees. “Cute for a night out, though.”

You pull the hem of the skirt down a little bit more, a little embarrassed by how Vesper’s staring at you with the faintest amount of smoke coming through his nostrils.
Hana groans, flopping back into the seat again.

“Fine!” She huffs. “But you’re buying it anyway. Look at Vesper.”

“Shut up, Hana. She just looks good, that’s all.” He defends, embarrassed himself.

Your cheeks heat up and you murmur a quick thank you before disappearing behind the curtain again and taking the dress off to replace it with one that Keiko had chosen.

This one is more acceptable, the skirt hanging below your knees and a little looser than the one that Hana had picked out. It’s a deep red colour, and it has off the shoulder sleeves with enough coverage on the chest to not expose too much cleavage while still having the top two parts of your tattoo on show.

You prefer that. You don’t mind this dress at all.

 

“I prefer this one.” You say, pulling the curtain back.

 

Hana looks offended for about a split second before she slumps back in her seat and admits it looks cute.

 

“Much more wedding-y.” Keiko agrees with a nod.

 

“You look good, babe.” Vesper agrees, but he’d said that about every dress.

 

You kind of just felt like he wished he hadn’t let Hana bully him into coming with you all. He’d only arrived at your house to spend time with Akito, after all. 

 

“I like it.” You hum, looking down at the dress and running your hands down the skirt.

 

It wasn’t a total lie, you did like it. But you were also just settling on this one because it was the only one that you and the girls agreed on after going into five stores, and you’re hyper aware of the fact that Vesper was probably bored at this point.

 

“Okay, so that one and the green dress!” Hana says, sitting up and bobbing her head enthusiastically. “Now can we get food?”

 

You nod an agreement before going back behind the curtain and changing into your clothes, making sure that the dresses you weren’t buying were hanging nicely on the hangers and didn’t have any makeup smudges on them.

When you exit, you can see Hana and Keiko looking through the discount dresses, Vesper looming behind them. He gives you a small smile when you lock eyes, and for some reason your face burns at the attention, even though you’d been dating for months now. 

You queue up to pay for the dresses hanging over your arm, your back turned to them all.

 

You aren’t really paying attention when Keiko appears behind you in line, jumping in surprise a little bit when she says:

 

“Vesper really liked that dress, huh?”

 

You turn to look at her with wide eyes as she gives you a small, knowing smile and plucks the material of the green dress with her long nails.

 

“Maybe for when you wanna try again?” She asks quietly, tilting her head so her long hair falls over her shoulders.

 

Her yellow eyes are playful, and her tail flicks behind her. You’re not used to her teasing you, so you give a surprised laugh as you get embarrassed.

 

“Stop it.” You murmur, which gets her to laugh in return, bumping her shoulder against yours gently.

 

“He’s so cute. You know he genuinely thought you looked good in everything you tried on today?” Keiko asks, a fond smile pulling her lips upward. “I wish I had someone like that.”

 

This doesn’t soothe your embarrassment as you shift on your feet. “ I always tell you that you look good.”

 

“It’s not the same, Star.” She laughs a little to herself, but her voice is warm and amused when she says it.

 

You both turn instantly when you hear what sounds like barking come from further in the store, watching as someone in tatty clothes hurriedly exits the store while Hana continues to bark at them and Vesper stares as whoever it is leaves, not even attempting to stop Hana or defend her if that’s what the problem was.

You don’t get a chance to call over to them before a store clerk walks over to them and seems to ask them to leave. Hana looks like she’s about to put up a fight, but Vesper nods and pushes her out of the store gently with his large hand against her back.

 

“What happened?” You ask Keiko, confused.

 

“I didn’t see.” She replies with a small frown. “That guy that ran off looked super sketchy though. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tried making off with Hana, it’s happened before because she’s so small. Feels weird that Ves didn’t stand up for her though. Usually if any guys make us uncomfortable he’s straight in there…”

 

You get called over to the checkout before you can really respond, Keiko’s words echoing in your head. You can’t imagine that Vesper wouldn’t have gotten involved if someone was trying to creep on Hana. 

You’re distracted as the woman at the counter rings you up, kind of just going through the motions until you wait for Keiko to join you near the doors before leaving.

She doesn’t take much time after you, grabbing your elbow and pulling you out of the doors with her with a small frown.

 

Hana sits on her own outside the store, her tail dangling behind her and her legs swinging happily as she waits for you both. Without Vesper.

 

“Hana.” Keiko says immediately, and Hana’s head snaps towards you both.

 

She gives you both a toothy grin and hops off her perch, bouncing her way over to you. 

 

“Where’s Ves?” Keiko asks.

 

“He went to see Aki!” Hana says cheerfully. “He gave me money for lunch though!”

 

You frown, you hadn’t thought that Vesper had been that bored to leave without saying goodbye.

 

“What were you barking at?” You ask.

 

Hana’s face drops into a look of disgust, her nose twitching. “That gross guy that said he was your dad! He was being rude to Vesper.”

 

Your blood freezes in your veins and you feel the life drain from your face.

He was still following you .

And now he was harassing Vesper, who had abandoned you all to go back to your house. You had no idea what D/N had said to him, and if he had mentioned that you’d reached out to him first, Vesper would no doubt tell your dads for no reason but the fact he would be worried about you.

 

“I’m gonna go home, too.” You say, turning to leave.

 

“No!” Hana whines, grabbing your wrist. “You never spend time with us anymore!”

 

Keiko is regarding you with concern, despite Hana’s complaint, and you kind of hope that she’ll have your back like she always does.

 

“He’s still bothering you?” Keiko asks calmly.

 

“I haven’t-“ You begin to lie and then think better of it, because everyone always tells you what a bad liar you are. 

 

“Don’t let him ruin our day! He’s a tramp!” Hana interrupts, dragging you with a surprising amount of strength towards the food court.

 

“But I-“

 

“Let the boys spend some time together.” Keiko says, resting her hand on your arm. “Don’t worry, he won’t come near you after Hana made a scene.”

 

And you’re not even scared of that. You’re scared of what he said, and what Vesper was going to tell your dads.

But you try not to make a scene yourself about wanting to go home and accept the fact that you hadn’t really been spending much time with the girls lately, and Vesper had given money to Hana for lunch for you all which was really nice, so you decide to just shut up, accept your fate and spend time with them.

You’re not that hungry though on account of your anxiety so you end up just having some snacks instead while the girls have sushi.

 

“How come that dude’s bothering you so much, Star?” Keiko asks, popping a piece of sushi into her mouth.

 

You shrug. “He said he doesn’t have a family anymore, and that he wants to make a relationship with me.”

 

Hana scoffs. “But he didn’t make an effort with you before! I don’t like that guy. He’s gross.” 

 

She scrunches her nose up, her tail flicking in agitation.

 

“What was he saying to Ves?” You ask, trying to sound casual as you pick at your edamame.

 

“Ugh! He’s the worst !” Hana immediately gripes. “He was all ‘your kind’ this and ‘heteromorphs’ that! Vesper’s a sweetheart! He would never hurt anyone ! Especially you!”

 

Your heart sinks.

That definitely would have hit Vesper hard, because it was a touchy subject anyway after his dad had gone to prison. He was already a bit sensitive about the fact that his quirk changed the way he looked. They all were. 

 

“Vesper would hurt himself before he hurt Star.” Keiko agrees, dipping her sushi in soy sauce. 

 

“He must be really upset…” You murmur thoughtfully.

 

“He was pissed off!” Hana corrects enthusiastically, pointing her chopsticks at you. “But he was trying to hold it together ‘cause we were in public and he didn’t wanna get in trouble again.”

 

You hum a little to yourself, still picking at your food. 

It’s a little relieving to hear that he’d only been rude to Vesper about his genetics rather than ratting you out, even though that was horrible in itself. 

 

“So uh, Star. You good?” Keiko asks, clearing her throat.

 

“I’m alright. I think.” You reply. Not the whole truth, but enough of it to make it sound truthful at least.

 

“Can I ask you something, then?” She asks, going all coy, something you’d never really seen before. 

 

“Sure.” You agree, nodding slightly.

 

“Has Akito mentioned me at all?” She asks, her eyes meeting yours and shining with hope.

 

Hana groans loudly, tipping her head back dramatically for a moment before lifting it again and furrowing her thick eyebrows in Keiko’s direction. 

 

“Stop chasing after him! You’re too hot for this!” She exclaims in exasperation. “Date someone else! A girl, even! Just someone that isn’t him !”

 

Keiko doesn’t reply, but her hopeful expression fades a little bit.

 

“He called me up and said something weird. That’s all.” She says with a shrug.

 

“What did he say?” You frown, concerned that he might hurt himself regardless of living with you all.

 

“He said he missed me. That’s all.” She dismisses, and Hana groans again.

 

“He said that to get in your pants, and it’s gonna work, because it always works!” She exclaims. “You’re so smart but he makes you so dumb!”

 

“I dunno. I just-“ Keiko begins to sigh.

 

“Do not say it.” Hana warns, her face the sternest you’ve ever seen.

 

You don’t really understand whatever they’re fighting about, apparently the fact that Akito wanted to sleep with Keiko again, which you kind of understand after Hana had been kicked out of their bed last time they stayed at your house.

 

“He didn’t say anything about you really…” You admit. “But he probably does miss you. I think he’s hating not being able to leave the house.”

 

If Keiko is upset by it, she doesn’t really show it. She just nods and Hana changes the subject, so it goes back to normal.

You silently wish for them to hurry up eating so that you can go home quicker, but they take their time, and when you can actually go home, you feel a bit guilty for spending the whole time wanting to go home instead of enjoying their company.

 

*•*

 

Your stomach is twisting from anxiety the second you step foot through the door, thankful at least that Cloud is instantly running to you, meowing and purring happily as he rubs against your legs.

 

“Hey darlin’. Get a dress?” Dabi asks, leaning in the doorway and smiling at you softly.

 

He wasn’t immediately addressing anything that Vesper might have told him, so you relax a little bit, nodding and giving him a soft smile back. 

He looks happier today, more relaxed. That makes you happier, too.  

His blue eyes are a little brighter again, his clear patches of skin look less pale, and the darker rings under his eyes are a little lighter too.

 

“I did. Wanna see?” You ask, holding out the bag towards him.

 

He approaches, carefully taking the bag from you and pulls the dress from it, holding it out in front of him.

 

“Real pretty, hon.” He smiles, showing his teeth and the skin pulling at his staples. “…Mom’s gonna love it.”

 

You freeze halfway through standing up, ignoring Cloud’s meows. His words turn over in your head for a moment as you process them.

 

“Really?” You ask, your voice wavering a little bit.

 

“Really.” He nods, smiling slightly to himself.

 

You don’t even give him time to gently lower the dress back into the bag before you’re throwing yourself at him, wrapping your arms as tightly as you can around him.

He chuckles as he’s wrapping his prosthetic arm around you.

 

“That’s why you look so good today!” You exclaim happily.

 

“Well, that and some decent sleep. If we work on ‘Muras sleep schedule, ya might have two functionin’ parents.” He teases.

 

“I function perfectly fine, thank you.” Tomura says from behind Dabi, plucking the dress from his hand and humming in approval. “Very nice, Starlight. What’s the other dress?”

 

“That’s for other stuff.” You say quickly, pulling away from Dabi and grabbing the bag from Tomura, dying a little bit inside when he raises a cracked eyebrow at you.

 

“ Other stuff?” Dabi asks, amusement laced in his voice.

 

Your face heats and you nod. “Nights out and stuff.”

 

Tomura is trying to hide the entertainment in his eyes, but you know him too well and can see through his usual stoic expression just from the way his eyes are, and you huff, holding the bag tightly. 

 

“You guys are so weird.” You try to dismiss as you worm your way past them to go upstairs.

 

You miss the brief look they exchange, but Dabi seems to shrug it off and disappear into the living room without another word.

You’re halfway up the stairs when Tomura addresses you again, making you stop in your footsteps.

 

“Starlight, when you have some time I’d like to talk to you.” 

 

Your stomach sinks, and you slowly turn to look back at him with your hand on the bannister. He doesn’t look angry or concerned, but it was very rare he showed any kind of emotion on his face anyway.

 

“Am I in trouble?” You ask, like you always do.

 

“Should you be?” Tomura challenges, and his tone is playful, and you know he’s not being serious, but it doesn’t do anything to soothe you. 

 

Your worry must show on your face, because he huffs and rolls his ruby eyes at you.

 

“Of course you’re not. I want to talk to you about the wedding.” He tells you, waving you off dismissively and going towards his office door.

 

You frown a little, staring at the ajar door from above for a moment before sighing to yourself and continuing up the stairs. When you reach the top of the second floor, you can hear Vesper chuckling in Akito’s room as Akito talks, and it’s honestly nice to hear that he’s not upset about what your supposed dad did right now, at least. 

You leave your shopping bag on your bed, deciding to get the talk with Tomura out of the way. 

 

You knock on the ajar door before entering, finding him with his feet kicked up on the desk, lazily clicking away on his handheld console.

You raise an eyebrow. It was the first time you were seeing him just… hang out in his office.

He looks over at you, hitting what must be pause on the game before setting the console on the desk and bringing his legs down from the desk.

 

“Nice day?” He asks, and you nod tentatively.

 

He seems to give you a once over silently for a moment and then relaxes his posture.

 

“I just wanted to warn you that your grandma isn’t looking her best right now. I don’t want you to be surprised when you see her.” Tomura says, his voice hushed as though he’s scared that Dabi will hear him. “I want you to be excited, and I don’t want to upset you, but I also need you to be prepared.” 

 

You nod slowly, your mind immediately going to the worst even though it probably wasn’t that bad and Tomura was just trying to make it seem bad so you wouldn’t be too upset about whatever state she’s in when they get married.

Tomura stays quiet, as though he’s waiting for you to say something, but you don’t really know what to say, so you just stand uselessly, staring back at him.

 

“…Is it that bad?” You eventually ask.

 

Tomura sighs through his nose. “Like I said, she’s not looking her best.”

 

His eyes become more intense as he looks at you, and your mind turns a little bit towards the fact that maybe it really is that bad for Tomura to think it’s bad enough to warn you about.

 

“Okay.” You reply quietly.

 

Tomura nods, but is still staring at you and hasn’t made it clear that you can go, so you shift on your feet.

 

“Is there something else?” You ask nervously.

 

He leans his elbow on his desk, his cheek resting on his fist as he gives you a thoughtful once over.

 

“I trust you and Wani are being safe?”

 

Your heart stops for a second, and your mouth goes dry at his knowledge without you even telling him anything, but he doesn’t look angry, or even concerned, so you try to ebb your panic a little bit.

 

“Dad…”

 

Tomura raises a brow, not even needing to use words to get his point across to you.

You complain internally, but force yourself to steel yourself and give him the answer he apparently wants. 

 

“Yeah, we were.” You relent, and he hums a little to himself.

 

“I’m glad. On the topic of Wani…”

 

Your blood goes cold again, but the conversation doesn’t go where you expected it to go. 

 

“Have you spoken to him yet?” Tomura asks.

 

“No.” You reply, your voice carrying a confused lilt in it.

 

“Okay, well…” Tomura pauses. “He mentioned that the man claiming to be your real dad came up to him in a dress store you were in.”

 

It feels like every organ in your body drops as he waits for your response.

Your mouth opens and closes as you try to form words and they fail you.

 

Shit . 

He had definitely told Vesper that you’d met him a couple of times. He’d definitely been following you around the mall. 

 

“You can relax, Wani said he didn’t seem to realise you were with them all.” Tomura says, leaning forward to brush the back of his knuckles over your cheek. “He spent the time being incredibly racist and telling Vesper to stay away from you. Understandably that’s upset your boyfriend, so it might be worth checking in with him before he leaves. I’ve already told him that as far as I’m concerned as long as you’re happy, I’m happy and the same goes for Touya.”

 

“Y-yeah, sure. Yeah, I’ll talk to him.” You agree, stunned by the fact that D/N hadn’t mentioned anything else to Vesper.

 

“I will say that it’s not made me feel great, Star.” Tomura sighs. “If he’d have seen you and we weren’t around, you would have been in quite an uncomfortable position.”

 

You blink, opening your mouth to tell him that Vesper would have protected you if it really came to it, because you know he would have, but Tomura continues talking.

 

“Maybe it would be a good idea to stay here for a while again.” Tomura advises gently. 

 

“No!” You exclaim without thinking and then catch yourself. “ Please , ‘Mura. I was so sad that whole time. I wanna see my friends. I wanna go to college.”

 

Tomura’s expression softens, and he nods.

 

“Okay. Okay. Just be careful, Starlight.” He relents. 

 

“I will.” You promise. 

 

He hums to himself, turning away from you and picking up his console again. That’s your sign that you can leave, so you leave the office, closing his door so it’s only slightly open.

You take a deep breath as you stand outside the office door, thinking about what to do next.

It needed to be sorted out. But you just aren’t sure how to go about it.

Chapter 50: Finally United

The wedding wasn’t at all what you were expecting.

Well, not like the weddings you’d seen on TV and in movies, anyway. It wasn’t like you had many other references to go off.

 

You suppose that’s because it’s in the hospital, for one.

You’re glad that you get to see Grandma Rei, but she looks bad, like Tomura had tried to warn you. She’s thin and frail and oddly grey compared to how her skin used to look. She doesn’t really look like she’s totally awake even though her eyes are open and she’s half smiling while the service goes on. 

Just you, Grandma Rei and your dads.

 

You feel bad, but you just can’t look at her.

She doesn’t look like the grandma you remembered, at all. And you don’t understand how she looks so bad so quickly.

So you just keep your eyes trained on your dads as they hold hands and repeat the words back that the softly spoken officiant says. 

 

Dabi’s eyes are all bright, and he can’t stop smiling, which is nice, and Tomura has a faint smile on his lips and there’s an amused lilt to his voice when he talks.

You all have to speak gently, that was one of the rules for being allowed to get married in the hospital, so Dabi was struggling a little bit with how gravelly his voice is normally, but the lady in charge of the service is patient with him.

You can’t help but wish that you had someone to hold hands with. You had tried to ask if Vesper could come, too, or even Nova, but apparently the hospital would only allow three people at the absolute maximum.

 

You catch Rei’s eyes after a while, and she gives you an even bigger smile, her eyes watering a little bit as though she might cry, so you brace yourself, and abandon Dabi’s side to stand beside Rei’s bed and slide your hand into one of hers, carefully as to not irritate all the tubes in her hand. 

It feels kind of like she’s trying to squeeze your hand, but is too weak for it to really work, so you squeeze hers a little tighter in response.

The two don’t look offended that you abandoned their sides to be with Rei, in fact, Dabi looks touched by it, his expression fond as he finally breaks his gaze away from Tomura’s for a moment.

 

You only get to hold her hand for a few minutes though before the officiant announces that they are now married and can kiss. 

You scrunch your face up out of habit, but Tomura just brushes a thumb over Dabi’s scarred bottom lip gently as he murmurs something quietly to him and then presses a chaste kiss to his mouth.

Whatever Tomura says makes the small areas of unscarred skin on Dabi’s face flush a little bit, and he gives one dry laugh before looking over at you and his mom again, smiling big enough to pull at the staples on his cheeks.

You smile back at him, happy to see him so happy after so long of him being sad, especially when he’s been sad about Grandma Rei. Getting married with her nearby must have made him really, really pleased.
The officiant tells Tomura quietly that they’ll have to fill out the forms in the waiting area and he nods and lets go of Dabi’s hands so that Dabi can come over to you and Rei.

Unsurprisingly he immediately tries to carefully wrap his arms around Rei, and she laughs softly, her voice cracking a little as she lets go of your hand and tries to raise her arms to hug him back, but it looks like it’s a lot of effort for her, and not like she’s holding Dabi as tightly as she probably wants to.
You hear him tell her he loves her, a sentence that makes her smile over his shoulder and repeat the same sentiment back to him.
And then she says something that makes his face drop as he pulls away from her.

You don’t quite understand why, because it was something nice. She only told him that she was proud of him, but Dabi looks almost upset about it.

“You’ve made an honest life for yourself.” She continues, her voice weak and her eyes kind, even if you can see them getting heavy from tiredness.

“Mom…” Dabi begins to say, but is distracted by Tomura gently wrapping his arm around his.

“We need to fill out the paperwork, Touya.” He tells him softly, gently wiping away some of Dabi’s bloody tears that had slipped from between his seams.

“Congratulations, Tomura.” Rei croaks out. “It was so lovely you were able to do this here.”

“Having you here was the most important thing to us.” Tomura informs her, and Dabi makes a choked noise. “Star, why don’t you stay with your grandma while we do the boring part?”

“Okay.” You agree easily.

Tomura is about to gently pull Dabi away from you both when Rei catches his wrist and makes him flinch, his red eyes widening before he trains his expression into a more stoic one, looking down at her as if he’s waiting for an explanation.

“Welcome to the family.” She says with a soft smile.

He blinks, silent for a second before taking a seemingly deep breath and leaning down, pressing his cracked lips to her cheek.

“Thanks… mom.” He replies, and you swear Dabi looks at him like he’d just fallen in love with him all over again from that alone.

Rei hums a little, turning her attention back to you and allowing your parents to go and fill out the legal paperwork with the woman that married them.
She just seems happy to see you, but she doesn’t really say anything, just stares at you, smiling and rubbing her thumb over your knuckles for a while before her eyes slip closed, and you can’t help but panic.

“Grandma?” You say, not wanting to sound like you’re panicking too much just in case she’s actually fine, just tired.

“Sorry love, I’m just a little tired. It’s been an exciting day.” She tells you, giving your hand another one of those gentle squeezes again. “You look very pretty today. And it’s lovely to see Touya and Tomura looking so smart. I’ll remember it all.”

You swallow, squeezing her hand back. “I’m really glad I got to see you today.”

“Me too honey, me too.” She replies, smiling a little even with her eyes closed. “I’m just a little tired, love.”

“Okay, Grandma. You can go to sleep. I’ll be here.” You promise, and you keep that promise, holding onto her hand and trying to be brave, even though you’re really, really nervous about her falling asleep when she’s sick.

Tomura and Dabi don’t take too long, maybe ten or twenty minutes filling out the paperwork before coming back into the room, all smiles and hand holding and Dabi’s expression softens when he sees you holding Rei’s hand, even though she’s asleep.
You don’t understand why he’s not scared like you are, but it must show on your face because he strokes your hair gently before leaning over to kiss Rei’s forehead.

“It’s alright hon, she’s just sleeping.” He tells you, and you like to think that he wouldn’t lie. “Love you, mom.”

Rei’s mouth twitches upward ever so slightly in her sleep, and that’s nice at the very least, a sign of life from her that eases your anxiety a little bit.

“C’mon hon, let’s get home.” Dabi encourages, gently easing Rei’s fingers from yours.

You feel guilty, though. You don’t want to leave, because what if it’s the last time you see her? You promised that you’d stay with her, and you hadn’t gotten to say goodbye to her properly.
Your hesitation seems to spark Tomura to life, his hand going to your hair and gently carding through it, carefully easing out the knots that you didn’t really even acknowledge were in it.

“Starlight.” He says in as gentle a tone as you’ve ever heard. “Let’s let your grandma rest.”

You give Rei one last guilty look, but know there’s no arguing with Tomura, so you nod a little.

“Love you, Grandma Rei. See you soon?” You say, the last statement leaves you as a question because you’re not too sure that you will see her soon, even if you desperately hope that you will.

She doesn’t reply, because she’s asleep, but that’s fine. You can try to convince yourself you’ll be allowed to see her again soon.

 

*•*

“Congratulations!” Is the joint cheer that you hear from several different people the second that you walk in the door, and you’re suddenly having rice and petals thrown at you all.

You flinch, Dabi startles as well, and Tomura just sighs.

“Toga.” He says, almost tiredly, but there’s almost an amused hint in his voice as well.

You finally register what’s happening and who’s actually around, spotting Himiko first, her hair tied up in her usual buns, but she’s wearing a really pretty dress, a pale pink with lots of embroidered white blossoms trailing up from the hem of the dress and fading off towards her calves.
Zero is encouraging Nova to throw handfuls of the rice and petals in the bag he’s holding, wearing a tuxedo for the first time you’ve seen in your life, a pretty grey colour that only really highlights the lovely lilac of the dress that Nova’s in. Aiko stands beside him, grinning in a grey dress herself that has white lace along the neckline. Giran stands behind her, grinning and wearing a darker grey suit jacket with very bright purple pants and in true Giran fashion, he seems to have tucked a garish leopard print handkerchief into his chest pocket.

Uncle Jin is there too, wearing a standard black suit and changing between cheering and booing them, which is kind of funny. Atsuhiro is present, too, wearing as elegant a get up as usual, his top-hat has some gorgeous peacock feathers in it, and it’s nice seeing him without a mask on in front of so many people. Shuichi looks really nice, which makes your cheeks heat up even though you thought you had long since ditched that childhood crush you had on him. His lilac hair is pulled pack into a bun, and he’s wearing a black shirt that seems to accentuate how well built he is underneath it.
Fuyumi, Natsuo, Kenji, Shoto and Fuyumi’s husband, Shimizu, all seem to be wearing more traditional clothing, you can imagine it’s probably good for Fuyumi what with her being quite heavily pregnant, but you don’t really understand why all the others are wearing that kind of clothing. You also weren’t expecting her husband to be here, either. He’d never really made an effort to meet your dads before because he didn’t approve of their behaviour in the past, but knowing Fuyumi, she’d probably told him it was important that he came too.

You wish some of your friends were here, too, but you appreciate that today is for Tomura and Dabi, and it’s nice to see Fuyumi and Natsuo immediately swarm your dads, congratulating them both and welcoming Tomura to the family just like Rei had. Even Shimizu wanders over and introduces himself, giving them both a handshake, and he doesn’t even flinch when he shakes Tomura’s hand which seems to please Tomura because he actually smiles a little bit.

And it’s kind of nice because you get to spend time with Uncle Jin for the first time in a while as he tries to help Nova learn to play with Kenji, and she seems to warm up to him easily with Zero by her side, too. 

Shoto is silent as he sits beside Fuyumi and her husband, ignoring Dabi every time he narrows his eyes in response to Shoto flinching whenever Himiko, Jin, Shuichi and Atushiro move too quickly. Rei’s not there to tell the two to behave though, and so that responsibility falls onto Fuyumi and her husband, Fuyumi gently telling the two to stop making digs at one another, and Shimizu being the more assertive one with only Shoto when Fuyumi clearly gets tired of being the one to break it up. Even Tomura warns Dabi from time to time. 

 

“No, no!” Uncle Jin exclaims as Nova climbs all over him. “ Carry on, I love being hurt! ”

 

“Keep that to yourself, Jin!” Himiko exclaims, slapping his arm and giving him a disgusted look.

 

Jin whines a little at the impact but does start to chuckle when Nova climbs up high enough to wrap her arms around his neck. She buries her face into his neck and he wraps his arms around her in response.

 

“Aw, she’s just like a little you, Star!” He exclaims before his second voice contradicts it. “ No-one could ever be as cute as you darling Star! ”

 

You give him a small smile, turning your head in time to spot Kenji attacking his dad with a hug at the loss of being held by one of the men that he’d been spending time with alongside Nova. 

Everyone else has settled down and are talking with one another as Dabi and Tomura cuddle up on the couch together.

It’s nice, really. It’s the closest you’ve gotten to having your old family all together again for quite some time.

 

It’s nice seeing Tomura and Shuichi talking and smiling to one another like they used to when you all lived together. They were probably talking about games, knowing them. Atsuhiro is trying to build a good rapport with Fuyumi and Shimizu from the look of it, and to be fair, they both seem to be warming up to him. Especially when he makes flowers appear from nowhere and hands them to Fuyumi. That only fuels Kenji to ask for something, too, though. 

Jin and Zero seem to be bonding over Nova and Jin is happy talking away to Zero about his little girl, and appears to be giving Zero tips on how to parent, even though it didn’t really seem like Nova was going to be leaving your house any time soon.

 

Dabi seems to be winding Aiko up by nudging her with his feet as he talks to Giran, grinning and raising his temperature enough to make her startle whenever she tries to grab his ankle in retaliation as she sits beside Zero in front of Dabi’s feet.

Giran doesn’t do anything but roll his eyes and smirk at the two of them, probably used to their antics over the years.

 

You’re enjoying being around them all, but you just need a bit of a breather, so you get up under the guise of getting a drink and slip outside with Natsuo, who seems to be on the phone to his fiancée. 

You sit on the patio, just taking some time in the relative quiet and trying to mind your own business. Eventually Natsuo sits beside you, bumping his shoulder against yours.

 

“You okay, Star?” He asks, his voice a lot more jovial than Dabi’s usually is, and when you look over at him he’s giving you a small smile and his grey eyes look really friendly.

 

“I’m okay. I’m just sad we had to leave Grandma Rei in the hospital.” You reply, leaning your chin on your knees.

 

Natsuo hums a little in understanding, but his smile doesn’t really seem to fade as he looks off thoughtfully at the garden. 

 

“It’s the best place for her right now. She’s comfortable, and she isn’t in any pain. She would have been really happy to see you, even if it wasn’t for very long.” Natsuo tells you, and it sounds like he really means it, so you have no choice but to accept it.

 

The door opens behind you, and you don’t lift your head to look at whoever it is, because you smell the cigarette that’s lit within seconds and know it’s either Dabi, Jin or Giran.

Natsuo rubs your back a couple of times before standing and murmuring something to whoever’s behind you.

Sure enough, your dad replaces where Natsuo had been sitting, throwing a warm arm around your shoulders.

 

“Too loud for you, Starshine?” He asks, squeezing you slightly.

 

“A little.” You admit. 

 

“Surprised Tomura’s still managin’, to be honest.” Dabi sighs. 

 

“Where’s Akito?” You ask, turning your head to look at him.

 

He raises a white eyebrow at you as he takes a drag from his cigarette.

 

“Packing, I guess. Why?” He dismisses.

 

“Packing? Did he do something wrong?” You immediately question.

 

Dabi gives you an amused look before shaking his head. “He’s stayin’ at Wani’s house for the night. Thought ‘Mura told you. Assumed you’d be goin’ too, darlin’.”

 

“Oh.” You murmur, frowning a bit. “…Can I?” 

 

“‘Course you can. Lotta these guys are gonna be too drunk to get home, so it’s probably gonna be a noisy night, Starshine. Want ya to be happy.” He replies, flicking ash onto the floor and retracting his arm from around you.

 

You hum, at least a little bit excited to see Vesper after wanting to see him all day. But you’re still not feeling too great, even though you’re really happy that Tomura and Dabi are finally married and happy. 

 

“What’s the matter, hon?” He asks, brushing cold metallic knuckles over your cheek. 

 

“I feel bad for leaving Grandma in the hospital alone.” You reply quietly, not wanting to ruin Dabi’s day.

 

Dabi doesn’t react in the way you expect him to, though. He just puts out his cigarette and pulls you into his side, resting his chin on your head.

 

“I get’cha, Star. It sucks havin’ to leave her there. But Nats has made sure she’s in a good hospital. She’s bein’ looked after properly, an’ she’s not hurting. That’s all we can ask for.” He says lowly, rubbing your arm. “Don’t feel bad about it. She’d have been tired here, and in pain. She’s got good doctors and pain relief there.”

 

You give a vague noise of acknowledgement, kind of relaxing against the warmth of his body in comparison to the chill of the outside air.

Eventually he gives you a kiss on the top of your head and releases you from his hold.

 

“C’mon, brave face for another hour an’ then you can go, doll. ‘Kay?” Dabi says, giving you a small smile.

 

You nod, obediently getting to your feet and heading back inside with him. 

You try to spend more time with Fuyumi and Shimizu, but tire of the conversation quite quickly and try to talk to Shoto a little bit, but he’s kind of hard to keep a conversation flowing with. 

So you go to Uncle Giran, who, as always, is always happy to see and talk to you. You talk to him about your college work, and he informs you about one of the projects he’s working on at the minute, apparently he’s been working on an oil painting of a landscape for a little while now, but he feels like it’s close to being finished. You say you’d love to see it when it’s done, but other than that, the conversation kind of dies off.

 

You try to avoid Shuichi, because he looks good and you keep getting flustered when you look over at him and you feel a bit guilty for it, because you were dating Vesper now, and you probably shouldn’t be getting flustered over other men. 

Your conversation with Atsuhiro is along the same lines as the one you had with Fuyumi and her husband, just going over what you’re doing at college, your friends and your boyfriend, and apart from learning that Atsuhiro can also finally marry his long term partner, that’s about it for that conversation.

Jin seems perfectly happy in his spot with Aiko and Zero, so you leave him and the others, going to pack and check in on Akito.

 

Packing doesn’t take too long seeing as it’s only for one night, so you’re knocking on Akito’s door in no time.

You hear what sounds like things dropping, so you must have startled him.

 

“It’s just me.” You call through the door. “I’m ready to go now. Are you okay?”

 

“Fine! Shit- Fine! Gimme a second!”

 

“Did you break something? I can help…” You offer through the door, but all you get in return is a warning to not come into his room.

 

You frown a bit, but obediently wait outside for a little while until he appears outside of his room, his own backpack slung over his good shoulder.

 

“Are you okay? Did you fix it?” You ask the second he leaves the room. “I break stuff all the time, you can say it was me if you’re worried. ‘Mura and Dabi won’t mind.”

 

“I didn’t break anything. Let's just go.” He says bluntly, avoiding your eyes and wincing when he takes a step forward. 

 

You frown. “Are you hurt?”

 

“Just stop making a big deal out of it!” He snaps and you instinctively flinch. “I rolled my ankle, that’s all.”

 

“Okay, sorry.” You relent, following behind him. 

 

Maybe he was embarrassed about the fact you’d heard from outside his room, but it hadn’t sounded like he had tripped or anything.

You say goodbye to everyone, giving out kisses on the cheek and hugs as Akito hangs back in the hallway, congratulating Dabi and Tomura when they both follow you out of the living room to say goodbye to you.  

Dabi grunts an acknowledgement, giving you a quick hug while Tomura actually thanks Akito. Cloud mewls loudly and tries to climb up Akito, but Akito doesn’t really seem to want Cloud to try and climb up his legs, shooing him away. 

 

“Have a nice night, Star.” Tomura says, nodding his head towards you and running his fingers through Dabi’s hair. “Look after each other.”

 

“Mhm! Have a nice night, guys.” You agree, waiting for Akito to join you by the door, but Cloud is adamantly trying to get under Akito’s feet for attention.

 

Dabi eventually rolls his eyes after watching Akito try not to stand on Cloud and sweeps the cat up in his arms.

 

“Go.” He says simply, even though you glare at him for being rude. “See ya tomorrow.” 

 

“Love you.” You tell him before opening the door and giving Akito a look that you hope makes it clear that he’s meant to go through first. 

 

Before you leave you make sure to give Cloud a little scratch between his ears as Dabi cradles him. You give Tomura a quick kiss on the cheek too before waving goodbye and disappearing out of the door.

Akito is oddly quiet the whole journey to Vesper’s house, and when you arrive, Maira answers the door, ecstatic to see the both of you, so you make polite conversation with her about the wedding before making an excuse to see Vesper. 

 

He’d only just gotten out of the shower from the looks of things because his hair is wet, he’s shirtless and he looks startled when you open the door to his room.

That doesn’t stop him from lifting you up like he always does when you hug him like you haven’t seen him for months, though.

Chapter 51: Unhelpful

“Maybe she’s cheating on you.”

 

“Why the fuck would you say that?” Vesper immediately snaps, losing his last thread of patience with Akito even though both his mom and Star had told him to be kind to him.

 

They had been sitting in the practice room for a while now, trying to see if Akito to get his hand to form solid chords.

And of course he couldn’t. He could get close, but nowhere near good enough for him to hold it for as long as he would need to to play for them.

Vesper had gently brought up the idea of someone else covering his parts but that had gone down like a lead balloon. He’d only narrowly avoided being yelled at because he’d changed the subject quickly.

 

“Aki.” Abe shakes his head in warning.

 

“He has a point, wasn’t that what Hakuchō was like when Akito was bangin’ her?” Aoki chimes in unhelpfully.

 

Vesper glares at him, but Aoki doesn’t really seem to care, laughing at Akito’s theatrics at that subject being brought up instead.

 

“It was a joke !” Akito defends, rolling his eyes. “Star’s too soft to do that to you. Honestly she’s all ‘ooh, Vesper did this’, ‘ooh, Vesper said that.’”

 

“She’s just a good person.” Vesper hisses through gritted teeth.

 

Akito shrugs. “Never said otherwise.”

 

“Follow her and find out.” Aoki suggests, which only makes Vesper’s eyes narrow more .

 

He motions over himself angrily. “How the hell would I get away with that?”

 

Aoki snorts, which Vesper doesn’t take kindly to, the simple action reminding him too much of how belittled he’d felt in the past thanks to how he looked.

 

“Yeah, how’s Ves gonna sneak around when he’s a giant?” Akito tries to de-escalate playfully.

 

Vesper isn’t an idiot though, he knows it’s not just his height that attracts attention.

 

“Yeah, it’s the fact I’m tall and not the fact I’m a fucking lizard.” Vesper hisses out as he rises to his feet, and he swears he sees Aoki flinch despite the fact he’s never hurt any of them, at least not on purpose.

 

“Ves, c’mon.” Akito and Abe say at the same time, but Vesper shakes his head, gathering his stuff.

 

“Vesper, dude, just give me five more minutes, I can do this.” Akito says a bit more genuinely, trying to catch Vesper's wrist.

 

“No you can’t!” Vesper snaps, his annoyingly thin temper thoroughly worn through. “We’ll get a replacement guitarist ‘til you can play. Get your shit, we’re going.”

 

Akito looks hurt, which sucks, and Vesper hadn’t meant to lose his temper, but he takes after his father too much in all the wrong ways. 

While Akito sulks and throws all his things in his bag, Vesper tries to collect himself, taking deep breaths and avoiding looking at Aoki because if he looks at him right now he’s probably going to get even more pissed off.

 

“Seeya.” Vesper says curtly, raising a taloned hand with his back turned to the other two as soon as Akito is ready to go.

 

“Bye guys.” Abe replies calmly, ever the level-headed one.

 

“Seeya Aki. Bye, Ves.” Aoki says, and Vesper can hear the smirk in his voice, which makes his tail thump behind him in irritation even though he doesn’t really intend to do that. 

 

The two walk in silence to the art blocks, so that Vesper can drop Akito off with Star before going home and changing for work.

Akito seems to not be limping as much, but he still winces whenever anything even brushes his leg. Vesper doesn’t ask about it, and doesn’t want to ask about it. It was probably better not to know, because if he’d done something stupid in Star’s house it was only going to piss him off more. 

 

Akito finally mutters something under his breath after a while, and Vesper automatically asks what he said, only to be met with angry dark eyes that scowl up at him.

 

“I said, why you gotta be such a fuckin’ dick ?” He sneers. “I could do it. But you’re gonna push me out on the heaviest song we’ve done, when I’m the one that told you we need to go heavier in the first place.”

 

Akito isn’t letting it go, and Vesper doesn’t really know why he didn’t expect for that to happen. 

Realistically, Akito should take time out and focus on recovering for the tour anyway, and forcing himself will only hinder the healing he has done so far.

And instead of trying to verbalise that, and getting on top of his temper, what leaves Vesper is:

 

“Should’ve thought about that before fucking your arm up, then.”

 

Akito looks at him coldly for a second before scoffing at him, playing it off with a nonchalant smirk like usual and shrugging as if that’s going to get the words to roll right off of him.

Vesper feels guilty, but knows he should probably cool off before continuing the conversation again.

He spends the rest of the short walk there beating himself up about being so like his father when he doesn’t want to be anything like him. 

He’s about to open his mouth to apologise when a blonde haired girl that had just left the art block with the crowd of other students bounds up to him, a huge smile on her face. 

 

“You’re Vesper Wani!” She exclaims, and Vesper can’t help but frown. 

 

“Uh… Yeah…” He agrees, uncertain of who this girl is. 

 

“I’m Aime Itō.” She grins, looking up at him through her eyelashes. “I love your band.”

 

Vesper looks over at Akito for help on how to navigate the situation, but Aki is busy not-so-subtly looking up and down the girl that Vesper is almost certain he’s never seen at one of their shows.

 

“Thanks.” Vesper replies awkwardly, wincing when his tongue hisses the ‘s’.

 

He’s always more conscious of it with strangers.

 

“I’m Akito.” Aki grins sleazily. “M’ the guitarist.”

 

Itō spares him the briefest of glances, raising an eyebrow at him before returning her attention back to Vesper.

 

“It’d be really cool if I could get your number.” She says, digging in her bag for her phone.

 

“Oh, uh, no…” Vesper sputters, looking desperately to Akito for help.

 

Akito just shrugs. “ I’ll have your number.”

 

Itō glares at him this time before looking up at Vesper with pleading eyes. 

 

“At least your Insta? Please?” She whines. “I have loads of followers, I could give you a shoutout-“

 

“I really don’t think…” Vesper begins to say, but luckily Star appears, looking a little confused to see this girl talking to the two of them.

 

“Hi.” She greets, and Itō’s face becomes a whole lot less friendly when she hears Star’s voice behind her. 

 

Unbothered by Itō’s presence, Star goes to give Vesper her usual hug, and he picks her up like he always does as he hugs her back, trying not to look at Itō.

When he puts Star back on the floor, Itō is walking away without another word, and Star is looking up at him with those pretty eyes that never have to be overdramatic to make him attracted to her.

 

“How did it go? Can you play?” She asks, looking at Vesper and then at Akito, who’s watching Itō walk away, his head tilted slightly.

 

“Nah.” Vesper answers for him.

 

“What did Itō want?” Star asks, and Vesper swallows, because he feels guilty for not being more assertive with his rejection.

 

But being assertive as a giant heteromorph could be risky, it was too easily mistaken as aggression.

 

“Oh, she just wanted to get your boyfriend’s number.” Akito shrugs with a mean grin that Vesper knows Star won’t see for what it is, but he knows.

 

He was trying to get Vesper in trouble because he’d been an asshole to him moments before.

 

“Oh!” Star hums, not even looking slightly bothered by it. “She’s popular. It’d probably be good to be friends with her.”

 

Akito snorts, looping an arm around her shoulders and giving Vesper a sharp look that completely contrasts the easy grin on his lips. 

 

“C’mon Star, let’s go home.” He encourages, leading her away. “Ves has work.”

 

She doesn’t query it, because she’s trusting and nice. Too nice, and too näive.

 

“Okay. See you later Ves, have a good shift, love you.” Star waves and gives him the same loving smile she always does.

 

“Love you too.” Vesper replies, but his voice is a lot lower than he really wants it to be as he watches Akito walk his girlfriend away from him.

 

*•*

 

He’s kind of sick of being blown off when he asks Star to go out with him. He’d tried offering to take her to an aquarium, for dinner, for coffee, he’d even offered to just go for a walk to see the ducks with her. Anything that meant he could just spend time with his girlfriend. 

She was either working on a project, seeing Toga or her uncle Zero, or with the girls lately. 

Or so she was telling him anyway.

 

So he decides to surprise her with some flowers, heading to her house without telling her. 

He doesn’t care if they just stay at her house, or if he takes her for lunch, or if they just sit on a bench somewhere and talk. He just wants to be with her. He needs to tell her about his dad, the stress he’s feeling about the band and how guilty he feels about the whole ordeal with Akito.

 

So when he knocks on the door and Shigaraki answers the door, his cracked brows pulling together faintly for a second before relaxing again, he congratulates him on the marriage and then asks if Star’s home.

Shigaraki hesitates before answering the question, which he’s never done before.

 

“I assumed she was with you.” Shigaraki replies calmly.

 

Vesper kind of just stares at him uselessly for a second, but Shigaraki opens the door wider as a silent invite for him to come in, anyway.

 

“I’ll just see if she told Touya where she went.” Shigaraki says as Vesper stands awkwardly in the hallway.

 

Nova comes running up to him, her eyes widening as she sees the flowers and points at them excitedly.

Not wanting to upset the young girl, he plucks out a peony from the bunch and hands it to her, smiling softly when he sees her face light up and she runs back into the living room no doubt to show Dabi.

He hears Shigaraki and Dabi talking quietly to one another, but can’t quite pick up what’s being said, and soon after, Dabi walks out of the room with a cigarette between his lips and his phone in his hand. 

 

“Alri’?” He asks, bobbing his head towards Vesper as he passes.

 

Vesper can’t even reply in time as he crosses the room, but judging by the way the scarred man’s eyebrows are pulled together, he’s probably in an even less conversational mood than usual. 

Shigaraki pops his head around the doorway, his facial expression as unreadable as ever.

 

“Touya’s calling Star now. Do you want to play the new Tekken with me?” 

 

Vesper nods an agreement, gently laying the flowers he’d gotten Star on the floor so he can unlace his boots. 

When they’re off, he picks the flowers back up, placing them on the coffee table before sitting on the other end of the couch to Shigaraki and taking the controller the man holds out to him.

Nova is marvelling over the flower Vesper had given her still, her almost glittery purple eyes wide as she stares at it, as though she’s trying to commit every single petal to memory.

 

Dabi eventually comes back, and doesn’t address the situation with Vesper even though he does glance quickly at the white haired man.

Instead he ushers Nova into the kitchen with him so he can get her a vase for her flower, leaving Tomura and Vesper to continue playing for a little longer together.

 

Unsurprisingly, Vesper is no match for Shigaraki, despite the game coming out barely even a day ago. 

The second the game’s over, Shigaraki looks over at Dabi, who’s settled down with Nova and is letting her flick through a picture book on his lap.

 

“Said she was with the girls.” Dabi relays almost instantaneously after the look from Shigaraki. “Said she’s got a headache an’ her belly’s hurting, so she’s comin’ back now.”

 

Shigaraki hums a little bit in response, and Vesper feels a little relieved that she was just with the girls, even if Akito’s comment is still sitting at the back of his mind.

 

“Another game?” He asks Vesper, so Vesper takes that as an invitation to stay and wait for Star to arrive.

 

They play a few games and eventually Nova ends up on Vesper's shoulders and braids his hair as they game together by the time that Star comes home.

She doesn’t look well, to be fair. Her skin is kind of clammy and her arm is draped over her lower stomach. Dabi jumps up straight away and kisses her head, telling her to go upstairs and he’ll get her some painkillers and a heat pack.

Vesper feels kind of useless, standing up himself the second that Shigaraki pauses the game and following Star upstairs with her flowers, crouching by her bed even though her back is turned to him and she’s curled up on herself.

 

“I came to see you.” He murmurs, gently running his fingers through her hair.

 

“Sorry.” She replies quietly, audibly gulping.

 

“That’s okay. You can’t help it.” He tells her, falling quiet for a moment. “Do you want a hug?”

 

“No, I don’t think so.” She replies, but it sounds like her voice cracks a little bit when she speaks. 

 

Vesper pauses. That was really unlike Star.

She was cuddly. It was something he loved about her, considering the fact that not many people even really came to him for a hug. Even Hana wasn’t as cuddly with him as she was with the others. He didn’t exactly look huggable.

 

“…Have I done something wrong?” He asks, ready to storm into Akito’s room and lose his rag with him if he’d fed her lies about that weird situation with Itō.

 

“No. I’m just hurting.” She replies.

 

“Can I give you a kiss?” He asks, his horned brows furrowing a little bit. 

 

She turns over slightly, giving him a tearful and bashful look before lifting her hand to his face and letting him lean forward to gently press the beak of his mouth to hers. 

She stops him from pulling back too far after the chaste kiss, leaning up to kiss him again before letting her hand drop again.

 

“I got you some flowers.” He tells her, trying to keep his voice low so it doesn’t hurt her head further.

 

“Thank you. I love you.” She replies, gently toying with his rough fingers until her lips fall slightly. “I’m really sorry. I want to go to sleep.”

 

“Okay.” He agrees, kind of understanding that resting is important when the girls are going through this. “Do you need anything else?”

 

She shakes her head, her eyes still on his hand as he gently squeezes her tiny hand in his. 

 

“Get some rest. I’ll see you soon.” He promises. “Love you, Star.”

 

And then he presses his mouth to her forehead before getting up, trying not to startle when he sees Dabi behind him, holding everything he said he’d get her. He doesn’t really look worried , though. He looks bored, inexpressive like Shigaraki does. 

Vesper wonders if something had happened to Rei that had made the man seem so off-colour, but figures that Star would have been a lot more upset if something had happened. 

 

He passes the smaller man, going to Akito’s room and fighting the urge to grimace when he hears the sound of poorly played guitar coming through the door. Clearly his own comment had really gotten into Akito’s head.

He knocks, and hears whatever Aki had been trying to play go completely wrong in his surprise. Seconds later, Akito opens the door a crack, frowning when he sees Vesper.

 

“What’re you doing here?” He asks.

 

“Visiting Star, but she’s sick.” Vesper replies, and Akito frowns a little bit more, his dark eyes looking over to Stars room as Dabi’s voice faintly comes through the door.

 

Whatever he’s grumpy about, he shrugs off, opening the door more. 

 

“Always happy to be your second choice, Ves.” Akito jokes as Vesper passes.

 

“Where was Star today?” Vesper asks as he sits on Akito’s unmade bed and automatically picks up the abandoned guitar to tune it for him.

 

“She’s sick and she went out?” Akito asks with a raised eyebrow.

 

So Akito didn’t know, then. Probably spent the whole morning and afternoon trying to okay the chords he couldn’t master yesterday.

Aki watches as Vesper almost mindlessly tunes his guitar, silent as he stands.

 

“Y’know I was just joking about Star, right?” He finally asks, approaching Vesper and sitting at the end of his bed. “She wouldn’t do that.”

 

“Sure.” Vesper agrees absentmindedly.

 

“I mean it. She’s, like, obsessed with you.” Aki continues.

 

“Yeah, alright, man.” Ves replies, still avoiding looking at his friend.

 

“I didn’t mean to get in your head about it.” Akito says, sounding almost apologetic by his standards.

 

“‘Course it was going to get in my head.” Vesper scoffs, passing him back the guitar. “Don’t worry about it.”

 

Akito takes the guitar back and runs his dark eyes over Vesper’s face scrutinisingly. 

 

“Sorry about yesterday.” Vesper apologises himself, running his hand through his hair. 

 

Akito shrugs it off like he always does. “Don’t worry. Shouldn’tve poked the bear when you were already pissed off.” 

 

It doesn’t ease the guilt completely, but Vesper does start feeling a bit better when they work together to try and get Aki’s hand to form proper chords and hold them. 

Akito gets frustrated when it still doesn’t work, because of course he does, and Vesper tries his best to get him to work through it but ends up prying the guitar from him and leaning it against the wall. 

It’s not the same as being able to spend time with Star, but Vesper kind of gets the feeling that Aki needed to spend time with someone as they hang out in his room, Akito telling him all about the apartments Hana had found for them and telling him about his big plans for the tour and band, even showing him a song he’d started writing.

 

He stays for longer than he expected, and when he leaves Aki’s room, he sees that Star's door is closed.

Instead of bothering her, even though he wants to, he just bids the couple cuddled up on the couch with Bluey on in the background for Nova goodbye and leaves the house quietly, trying to rid what Akito and Aoki had said about Star from his mind.

Chapter 52: Valentines Day

D/N: lunch? on me for certain this time.

 

You cringe at your phone. He’d said that every time, and yet you had still ended up having to pay every time you agreed to meet him, and you had to get cash out the last time because he didn’t have the money to get home.

 

✨: can’t, I’m grounded.

 

Because you lied. And you got found out.

You probably should have expected Vesper to show up at your house after denying his offers to take you out time and time again and should have lied about seeing the girls in the first place while Dabi had been distracted with Nova enough to not pick up on the lie.

 

It wasn’t like you didn’t want to go on dates with him. You did, a lot . But you were more desperate for the man calling himself your father to leave your family and friends alone, so that took priority.

 

D/N: i’ll come over and explain it

 

Your eyes widen at the screen and you automatically send the word ‘no’ without further context, instantly regretting it and then sending more to try to make it look less desperate.

 

✨: They’re really mad, I don’t want you all to get in another fight

 

They weren’t mad . Disappointed, definitely.

The only true thing in that statement is that you didn’t want all of them to get in another fight. It had scared you the first time, and you weren’t convinced that Tomura would offer the older man the mercy of living again a second time around.

 

D/N: find a way to meet me then. They can’t keep you from your dad.

 

You frown at your phone and then throw it onto your desk in exasperation. 

Your mind goes through all the possibilities. You rule out sneaking out, because Tomura had put up cameras around the outside of the house that would alert him on his phone whenever they sensed motion.

You can’t really ask to go out and get something nearby, because you were grounded and Dabi would probably just get whatever you asked for himself.

 

But, you do have Akito.

You might be able to get him to lie and say he needs something and Dabi won’t want to go to the store for him so you would definitely be able to make an excuse to go to the store with him.

Sighing and picking your phone up again, you slide it into your pocket and get up from your desk, Cloud hopping onto the floor.

 

You wander over to Akito’s room, unsurprised to hear badly played guitar coming from his room. You knock and then walk in anyway, knowing time is of the essence right now.

 

“What?” He asks rattily, probably in a bad mood because he can’t play as well as he used to.

 

“I need your help.” You tell him, hanging by the doorway for a second, frowning a little at the small cuts on his ribcage. 

 

“I’m busy.” 

 

“No you’re not.” You deadpan, sitting beside him on the edge of the bed. “Are they new?”

 

“Fuck off.” He spits, but puts his guitar down to grab a shirt that had been left on the floor, throwing it over his head. “What’dya want?”

 

“I need you to help me leave the house. I need you to lie that you need something. Dabi’s gotta watch Nova, so I’ll have to stay with you.” You explain.

 

Akito pauses, raising a pierced eyebrow at you. “…You’re lying to get out? Why?”

 

“I need to meet someone.” You say, trying to keep your tone dismissive, like it’s not a big deal.

 

“Is this ‘cause it’s Valentine’s Day?” He asks, looking amused. “You and Ves wanna meet up? Okay with me being a third wheel?”

 

You freeze. You’d actually forgotten entirely about Valentine's Day, and you definitely needed to get Vesper something now you thought about it. You could always give it to him in a couple days when you’re in college. 

The feeling of panic must show on your face because his eyebrows pull together.

 

“So not Vesper then.” He says, his voice almost cold compared to his usual amused and teasing tone.  

 

“No. Not Vesper.” You admit sheepishly. “But you can’t tell him, or my dads. You need to promise.”

 

Akito’s face goes back to that horrible stoic expression that he used to give you from time to time when you first met, the one that makes it feel like his dark eyes are piercing through to your soul. It’s almost scary .

 

“My loyalties lie with Ves. ‘F you’re doing somethin’ that’s gonna fuck him over, I’m gonna tell him.” He tells you flatly.

 

You blink. “I’m not… I wouldn’t!”

 

Akito hums judgmentally. “What’re we claiming I need then?”

 

You hadn’t really thought far, looking around his room for anything he might be lacking, and then your eyes rest on the second-hand acoustic guitar that Vesper had managed to find when he got out of hospital. You think that was partly an apology gift and half because his dad had sold all his belongings when he kicked him out and Vesper felt bad for him.

 

“No. We are not destroying it.” He says firmly.

 

“No, no, but…maybe the strings? We could say you need strings?” You suggest, hoping you at least sound like you know what you’re talking about.

 

Akito looks at you, his expression still flat for a moment before he sighs through his nose and points a poorly painted black fingernail at you.

 

“If I’m keepin’ a secret for you, you gotta keep your trap shut about this, ‘kay?” 

 

You agree without really thinking about it, watching as he gets up and rifles in his bedside drawer to get something. Your eyes do widen when he pulls out a small blade, similar to one that would be in your pencil sharpeners.

You open your mouth to say something, only for him to narrow his eyes at you and reassert that your mouth needs to stay shut.

 

That was fine, you knew where he kept it now, you could sneak into his room and steal it when he went for a smoke.

 

Your eyes widen when he, without hesitation, plucks two of the strings with the small blade, causing them to break instantly, pinging upward and downward respectively.

 

“For fucks sake!” He exclaims loud enough to make you flinch.

 

Then he gives you a massive smile, turning to face you properly. “Let’s go then.”

 

*•*

 

“Can’t believe he let us get away with that.” Akito snorts, getting a drink from the vending machine as you wait for the train.

 

You still feel anxious about the fact you’d lied anyway, even though Akito had done most of the talking for you, so you don’t grace him with an answer about how Dabi had been so distracted by Nova’s JSL lesson that he probably hadn’t even been paying real attention to what Akito had been saying.

 

“Open this for me, babe.” Akito says, holding the can out to you.

 

You scrunch your nose up at the pet name. “I’m not your babe.”

 

“Sorry, Starshine .” He mocks. “Open it for your disabled pal, please .”

 

You roll your eyes at him, but open the can for him anyway and hand it back to him.

 

“So who are we off to see?” He asks as he raises the can to his lips.

 

“My dad.” You murmur.

 

Akito chokes a little bit on his drink. “The one that got you on house arrest? What the fuck, Star? Why?”

 

The corners of your mouth drop, and you don’t answer him again, instead ushering him onto the train as it pulls up. 

He follows behind you, but you can feel the judgment rolling off him even with your back turned to him.

He waits all of a second of sitting down and you standing before asking why again.

 

“Because I want him to leave me alone.” You reply bluntly. “Just drop it.”

 

He scoffs at you. “You’re draggin’ me along for the ride, I’m allowed to ask questions. I want my fuckin’ guitar strings by the way.”

 

“We’ll get them after .” You snap.

 

Akito blinks and then grins, mockingly saying ‘ooh’ and drinking again with his eyebrows raised.

Luckily the train journey doesn’t take too long, so you don’t have to endure any more questions he might think of about the situation you’re dragging him into.

You walk quickly to the café your dad had asked to meet at, grimacing a bit when you see him standing outside with his hands in his tattered hoodies pocket. 

Akito quietly walks beside you, thankfully, until he catches on to who your dad is. 

 

“Wait, that’s your dad?” He hisses as you get closer.

 

“Yeah.” You grunt.

 

“ D/N ?” He asks incredulously. 

 

“Wait, you know him?” You whisper, turning to look at him.

 

“Yeah, kinda, he’s-“ Akito begins to explain, but is cut off by your dad calling your name.

 

Akito tenses beside you, and moves a little closer, and you take a deep breath through your nose before forcing yourself to smile at the man who seems to be twitching facially again.

 

“Hi.” You greet simply, refusing to call him your dad to his face.

 

“This isn’t the boy you were with last time.” He states plainly, furrowing his brows slightly as he runs his eyes up and down Akito. “Really are just like your mom. C’mon then.”

 

You don’t take too kindly to that comment after everything he’d said about your mom, but he’s already through the door of the café before you can correct him.

 

“Be careful.” Are Akito’s simple words before you’re following your dad through the doorway.

 

This time, he does actually pay for the drinks, asides from Akito, but Akito says he doesn’t want anything when you ask him anyway, so you end up taking your coffee to a isolated table and sit down opposite your dad with Akito slouching in the seat next to you, still close enough that the top of his bad arm is against yours. 

 

“So. Who’s this one?” D/N asks, gesturing vaguely to Akito. “So you weren’t grounded? Just busy? ”

 

Akito stares coldly at him and you scowl. 

 

“This is Takagi. He’s my friend. He helped me leave the house.” You reply, giving him as minimal detail as possible.

 

“If you’re just friends, he can give you some privacy, huh?” D/N asks, scratching at his face and wincing a bit. “Leave us for a bit, yeah, kid?”

 

“Nah.” Akito says simply, unmoving.

 

D/N opens his mouth, closes it, frowns, and curls his lip a bit, but you interrupt whatever he could say by talking yourself.

 

“How’re you?” You ask, despite not really caring.

 

“Eh…” He replies, instantly distracted and still scratching at himself. “Gotta be honest, darling. Run into a little trouble with the business.”

 

Akito scoffs, which drags his attention back to him, his thick brows furrowing at your friend.

 

“Trouble?” You question, swirling your drink idly.

 

“Yeah.” He huffs. “Lost some product and, uh… need a little help, if you could.”

 

“Help? How can I help ?” You ask, confused. You knew nothing about business. 

 

“Well, with your rich ‘dads’ and all, I was wonderin’ if I could get a loan?” He asks, giving you a sheepish smile. “Need a million yen, give or take.”

 

You blink but Akito stays uncharacteristically quiet, his leg bouncing slightly. “ What? ”

 

“I know it sounds a lot, but it’s pocket change for your ‘family’.” D/N shrugs, looking around anxiously.

 

“They are my family.” You snap back.

 

“Ain’t Stars job to fix your fuck up.” Akito states coldly.

 

D/N stares at him like he wishes Akito would die right where he sits. “She’s my kid. She should wanna help her old man out.”

 

“I don’t really know you. That’s a lot of money. I don’t know how I would even manage to get that by my dads…” You try to rationalise.

 

“Star, kid.” Your dad says, forcing his expression into a pleading look. “This is serious. I could be in real trouble. The guys, they’re nasty. They’ll kill me if I don’t replace the product or give them the money.”

 

You don’t really see how that’s a negative, in all honesty, which makes you feel cruel, because you shouldn’t wish death on anyone, but it would mean that he would actually finally leave you alone forever.

 

“I don’t think I can…” You try to repeat gently.

 

“Don’t you get it?” D/N asks, finally dropping his mask to sneer at you. “I’ll be dead, Star. Your only real family. Gone.”

 

You chew your lip, his words working in making you feel guilty, because he was your blood family, even if you didn’t necessarily want him to be. You’d much rather Dabi and Tomura were your blood family. But they’d chosen you. And he’d chosen to leave you and not bother with you for nineteen years.

 

“She’s not your fuckin’ bank.” Akito states. 

 

“Oh fuck off .” D/N groans. “I wish you’d have brought the fucking giant one. At least he knew when to shut up.”

 

“Don’t talk to him like that, and don’t talk about Vesper like that!” You finally snap.

 

D/N immediately tries to soften his expression and ignore Akito, holding his hands up in surrender and looking around nervously again. 

 

“Alright, alright. Sorry, love. Just a bit antsy with the stress from work.” He tries to dismiss.

 

“Well cut it out. I didn’t come to see you for you to be rude to my friend and about my boyfriend.” You huff, trying to ignore the proud smile that pulls Akito’s pierced lips up.

 

“You’re right. Sorry.” D/N apologises with a fake smile. “So you’re grounded, huh? That’s gotta suck on a day like today.”

 

And he’s not wrong about that and it does make you frown a little bit. You definitely did need to get Vesper a Valentine's Day gift once you got this over with.

You agree, and say you can’t stay long because you still needed to do Akito a favour for helping you get out of the house. D/N seems more than eager to agree to that, still looking around like he’s paranoid about the people he’d been talking about earlier coming in and killing him out here in public. 

Akito is silent for the rest of the discussion, offering nothing more than small huffs of derision and raised eyebrows when D/N talks from time to time. 

 

Luckily you only stay for around half an hour before D/N makes a rushed excuse to leave and practically darts out of the door, leaving you and Akito alone.

You let out a breath you hadn’t known you’d been holding, pushing your chair out and standing. 

 

“Let's go get your guitar strings. Thanks for helping.” You say curtly, your mood even more sour than it had been when you arrived. 

 

“That guy fuckin’ sucks. ” He groans theatrically, pushing his own chair out. “You need to stay away from him, Star. He’s trouble.”

 

You watch him as he stands, straightening himself out and staring at the door as though he’s worried that D/N will come back.

 

“He’s rude, but I don’t think he’s trouble.” You reply, trying to diffuse his concern.

 

“Oh, he’s trouble alright.” Akito says disapprovingly. “Do not give him money. No matter what bullshit he gives you. Got it?”

 

You frown, but nod. “Sure. I wouldn’t have anyway.”

 

Akito gives you a once over, as though he can read the fact you’d given him money before through your body language alone. 

 

“I know you, Star. You’re soft as shit.” He claims, making his way to the door with you following behind him. “I mean it. Don’t give him money, and quit seeing him.”

 

You’re not sure you can agree to not seeing him again, not if you wanted him to stay away from your friends and family, but you easily agree to the first part.

There was no way you’d be able to get one million yen to him under Tomura and Dabi’s watch anyway.

Chapter 53: AWOL

“It’s no use dude.” Aoki tells Akito flatly.

 

Akito does nothing more but scowl at the guitar in his hands as he tries, and fails, to play while the rest of the members of their band watch silently.

 

“Hows about you let me decide when’s enough?” Akito snarks, still trying, and failing, to make a proper chord.

 

“It’s just kinda painful to watch.” Aoki comments, raising an eyebrow and quickly ducking out of the way of Akito’s lame arm that flies out to hit him.

 

“Boys! Cut it out!” Their professor calls from across the room.

 

Akito scowls, and Aoki sniggers to himself, giving Akito a smug look that only fuels Akito’s anger.

He throws the guitar to the side, ignoring the loud sound it makes and moving his head to the side so he doesn’t have to look at Aoki’s reaction. He ignores the other yell from his professor, too, scowling at the wall opposite.

 

“Fuck you all. Fuckin’ laughing at me.”

 

“We’re not laughing at you, Aki.” Abe sighs, picking up the abandoned acoustic guitar and standing it up against a table.

 

“That prick is.” Akito gestures angrily towards where Aoki had been sitting.

 

“Ignore him.” Vesper grumbles, still only half listening in to what they're talking about with the rest of his attention on the lyric book in front of him.

 

“We need the guitar done like, yesterday. He’s not getting any better, so we should just get Hitoshi to cover his part so we at least have something to release before the tour.” Aoki argues, and Akito snaps his head towards Vesper.

 

“ Shinsou ?” Akito asks, venom dripping off the single word.

 

Vesper lifts his eyes to shoot Aoki a sharp look before his slitted pupils meet Aki’s.

 

“He’s the closest in talent to you.” He states.

 

Akito scoffs. “You’re seriously going to replace me with that prick?”

 

“We’re not replacing you. It’s just one song.” Abe tries to rationalise.

 

“Nah. Fuck you. You know he’ll revel in the fact I can’t fucking play!” Akito snaps, glaring at Abe and then resting his eyes on Vesper again. “Seriously? Hitoshi Shinsou?”

 

“There’s no-one else we know that are on your level.” Vesper repeats, his reptilian face annoyingly hard to read when his expressions are less exaggerated.

 

“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me on the heaviest song we’ve done.” Akito says, finally letting the numbness he was so comfortable in return and slowly seep through to his bones. “ I’m the one that said we should go heavier.”

 

“We’re not doing anything to you.” Vesper sighs, returning his eyes to the book in front of him.

 

Akito stares at him, feeling the numbness travel through his whole body before standing quickly to his feet and grabbing the guitar with his good hand. 

 

“Eat shit.” Are his parting words before abandoning the class, even though the professor calls after him.

 

He doesn’t really have a plan. It hasn’t even been first break yet. 

So he goes to the block near the art buildings, figuring he might be able to catch Star between classes and get her to ditch so he can go home. He sits on a staircase opposite the entrances, willing his hand to work enough to make at least an easy chord work. But it’s no good.

It had been months , and sure, his hand had a little more movement than it did , but it still wasn’t good enough. 

 

“You some kind of delinquent?” A voice asks from behind him and he startles slightly, swinging his head around to look at whoever had spoken to him.

 

He meets pretty brown eyes that are making no effort to hide how much disdain they’re hiding behind them. He recognises the girl. Blonde hair, brown eyes surrounded by long, false eyelashes and full lips that are turned downward at the mere sight of him.

“Dunno. Would it impress you if I was?” Akito grins lazily, happy to take this as a distraction if it was presenting itself to him as one.

“Maybe if you were taller.” She deadpans. “Why are you sniffing around the art block?”

“Why aren’t you in the art block?” He counters.

“Printers aren’t working. I had to go to J-block.” She explains boredly.

Aki hums, looking at the print-outs in her hand. “Waitin’ for break so I can talk to Star.”

Itō raises a perfectly plucked brow, silent for a moment before asking: “Is she dating Wani?”

“Duh.” Akito rolls his eyes, unused to Vesper being the one that people are drawn to rather than him and the other two band members. “Do me a favour, babe, ask her to come out for me?”

Itō regards him coolly for a second. “She didn’t come in today.”

Akito frowns. He’s pretty sure that she’d said she was going to Vesper’s for the night to her parents while he’d been playing around with Nova, so she should have come to college with Ves at the very least. Vesper hadn’t mentioned that she was sick or anything. He hadn’t really mentioned her at all.

“Can I get your number, then?” Itō asks, almost as though she’s doing it reluctantly.

Akito fights the urge to scoff at her making no secret of only being interested in him because her first choice is already spoken for. Instead, he gives her a sleazy grin, and waits for her to get her phone out for him to put his number into. She instantly texts the number he gives her, humming a little to herself when his phone sounds out in his pocket.
He can play along with false interest, he’d done it so many times before. It could be a fun little side project while he’s unable to play at the very least.

She curtly dismisses him before heading back to the art buildings, leaving Akito alone again. With no Star to have to drag along home with him, he can do what he wants now. And right now he wants to take a little detour before going to Star’s house.
He knows precisely where she’ll be, because Keiko has routines. She attends her lectures, goes to the dark room located in the back of the art buildings, alone typically, because no-one else really bothers with the dark rooms anymore thanks to digital alternatives, and then she’ll spend the rest of her school day staring at her photographs, photographing the printed photos themselves, or editing new photos on her laptop.

He opens the door to the dark room as quietly as possible, knowing that Keiko’s ears are a lot more sensitive than most others, and will probably pick up on someone coming in, but be too busy to turn around.
Sure enough she’s in there, staring at the photos drying on the line above her. Akito doesn’t waste time, crossing the room as light footed as he can and then wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Hey, kitty.” He murmurs, smirking when he hears a small purr begin already at the back of her throat.

“Go to class.” Are her bored words that don’t match the soft purrs that she tries to hide by clearing her throat.

“Nah, goin’ back to Stars. Can’t play, so pointless being here.” Akito explains, his own eyes tracking the drying photographs. “You’re so predictable.”

“You’re so annoying.” She shoots back, but makes no effort to break from his embrace.

“You love it.” He teases, running his nose along her jawline.

 

“Are you going to confess?” She asks.

Akito blinks, laughs nervously and moves away instinctively.

“Where the hell did that come from, Keiks?” He asks, trying to play it off as a joke.

The look of hurt on her face is so subtle, and not made any more obvious from the dim red light of the safe light in the room, that Akito is convinced no-one else would ever pick up on it.

“Just go.” She mutters, crossing her arms over her chest.

 

“Keiks, come on.” Akito rolls his eyes, trying to pull one of her arms away from her chest. “I-“

 

Yellow eyes bore into his, her eyes expectant and expression as completely neutral as usual.

And sure, he’d love to confess. She was patient. Gorgeous. Loving, caring. Smart. But she was way too good for him. He knew it. His parents knew it. It would be cruel of him to waste her time.

 

Instead of finishing his sentence, he just exhales through his nose and kisses her bang-covered forehead quickly before moving away and giving her a wink.

 

“Good things come to those who wait and all that.” He shrugs, thankful that her expression remains completely neutral as he backs away. “Catch ya later, gorgeous.”

 

“Whatever, Akito.” Keiko sighs, turning her back to him again. 

 

*•*

 

The house is oddly quiet when he arrives and slips his shoes off.

 

“Nova! Your favourite siblin’s back!” He calls as he lifts up Stars overweight therapy cat, expecting Shigaraki to be gone and Dabi to ignore his comment.

 

“She’s not here.” Shigaraki’s cool voice calls back in response.

 

Akito frowns for a split second before shrugging it off. Zero has been spending a fair bit of time with her recently. He decides to go straight upstairs in that case, half-intending to check on Star in her room before disappearing into his to look for apartments before the two men called him down for dinner.

 

Except when he gets to the staircase, the purring cat still in his arms, he can hear Shigarakis calm voice telling Dabi not to cry.

Akito pauses, his interest piqued at the idea of Stars unwelcoming dad that he respected so much crying, because even when he’d recounted the story of his abuse years ago on TV, he’d worn a giant grin on his face. 

 

“They’ve done it on purpose, they knew about my mom, ‘cause the fucking nurses spewed it all out to the press, now fuckin’ Star…”

 

Akito’s even more interested at the mention of Star. Whatever had happened with Dabi’s mom had likely been bad if he was worried about the press and the nurses speaking about it, but something bad must have happened with Star for him to be crying .

 

“You need to at least try to calm down otherwise those cuffs are going to melt regardless.” Shigaraki states evenly.

 

Akito scrunches up his face in disgust and automatically moves to continue his path up the stairs. Sure, they probably hadn’t expected him or Star to come back before midday, but they could have at least stopped when he walked through the door.

 

“My fuckin’ moms dead, and Star’s been taken, and you want me to calm down ?” He hears Dabi sneer from downstairs and stops immediately in his steps.

 

Oh no.

There’s no fucking way. 

 

“If you calm down you’ll be able to help me trace the call.”

 

“It was a fucking payphone, genius!” Dabi snaps. “Idiot wasn’t even smart enough to give us a fucking place to drop the money off to.”

 

Akito can’t help but wince. He would never dream of talking to Shigaraki that way, but finds himself pausing on the stairs anyway.

He should turn around, admit he’d overheard everything, and tell them precisely who he knows is responsible for this.

After all, Star has lived with these guys for years without incident. It’s no coincidence that suddenly D/N is begging her for money and then she goes missing and apparently the demand is for money.

 

But he had made her a promise. He’d promised not to tell Vesper or her dads, and he’d made good on that promise.

He didn’t know if it was out of fear of being grounded again, or something more serious she was worried about.

He’d told her as seriously as he could to stay away from D/N. He was bad news. And she clearly hadn’t respected him enough to listen, because the creep had stolen her away and used her for money.

 

He spins around in the middle of the staircase, thumping his way back down the stairs in a way that would make it completely apparent he’d heard everything.

He’d probably get in trouble for hiding this from them for Star’s sake, but he couldn’t care less when his best friend’s girlfriend is in danger.

 

When he gets to the doorway, he sees Dabi trapped in a half-embrace from Shigaraki, even despite his sharp words.

He wipes the blood coming from the seams on his face the second Akito makes his presence known, dropping Cloud onto the ground carefully, but Shigaraki is still immersed in whatever his eyes are scanning furiously on the laptop on his lap. 

 

“I know who it is.” Akito leads with.

 

Shigaraki’s eyes snap up to his, and Dabi’s eyes narrow despite Cloud hopping up onto the couch with them, making his icy blue eyes seem even more unfriendly. 

 

“Should’ve fuckin’ known you would have something to do with it.” Dabi huffs.

 

Before Shigaraki can open his mouth to either admonish Dabi gently like he had heard so many times before, Akito finds himself challenging the burned man.

 

“Ain’t nothing to do with me actually. I warned her against meeting him.” Akito shrugs, playing off the man’s hatred like it’s no big deal, even though it cut him in a way he’d never really experienced before. “The guy you’re looking for is D/N. Million yen ‘give or take’, right?”

 

Shigaraki scans him with his red eyes thoughtfully at the same time Dabi’s face twists with fury and recognition.

 

“Her dad? ” Dabi asks, his words laced with unbridled anger. “Her fucking dad ?”

 

“Touya. You’re burning me.” Shigaraki warns, but makes no effort to separate himself from his husband. “How do you know all of this, Takagi?”

 

“Star took me to get her outta the house one of the days. Said to lie so she could meet someone. Didn’t realise it wasn’t someone that isn’t Vesper ‘til we got there. She said it was her dad, and I told her to be careful ‘cause he’s trouble, and he was begging her for money. She clearly didn’t listen to me.” Akito shrugs, bracing himself for swung fists and angry words like he was so used to. “He must be real fuckin’ desperate to try to go against you guys.”

 

There’s a painful moment of silence, but Shigaraki’s face remains inexpressive while an array of emotions flit over Dabi’s features. Realisation, annoyance, and then back to fury again.

 

“A desperate idiot.” Shigaraki agrees, returning his attention to the computer in front of him. 

 

“You fucking kept that from us, despite knowing he’s dangerous? We let you live here -“

 

“He’s helping us now. Don’t make me use Temperance on you.” Shigaraki warns.

 

“I really will burn you if you do.” Dabi snarks right back.

 

“Where can we find him?” Shigaraki asks, ignoring Dabi’s threat.

 

Akito shrugs slightly. “Never dealt with him. He’s shady as fuck. Deals bad shit. I could probably get his number from someone else, though.”

 

“Do that.” Shigaraki agrees, and Akito immediately pulls out his phone to contact someone he knows deals with D/N frequently. 

 

Dabi is uncharacteristically quiet, his face back to the casual bored look he always adorns. Shigaraki continues to tap away on his laptop, likely seeing if there’s anything he can find on the national database, but Aki doubts that D/N is even his real name.

Luckily, his contact is quick to reply, sending the number he’s after and asking if he’s setting up another ‘mad’ party so soon after the last one. Something Akito ignores in favour of announcing he has the number to Shigaraki.

 

Shigaraki holds his hand out wordlessly for Akitos phone, something that Akito hesitates to do at first and then plops it into Shigaraki’s hand. 

He stares at Dabi for a second before tilting his head in the suddenly eerily calm man's direction. 

 

“What’s up with him?”

 

“Temperance.” Shigaraki replies dully, transferring the number in Akito’s phone to his laptop. “It’s best for everyone if he’s calm right now.”

 

Akito hums. Clearly Shigaraki has no fear of the man actually burning him like he’d seemingly promised.

 

“What does he deal?” Shigaraki asks.

 

“Narcotics.” Akito admits, cringing on the inside. “Heroin, pills. Occasionally weed if he’s dire for money.”

 

“Lets try to pay him a little visit then, shall we?” Shigaraki asks as he types something into his laptop.

 

And despite his tone being as even and as calm as ever, the sentence is so threatening that even his skin crawls when Shigaraki says it.

Chapter 54: Kept

Notes:

CW: Heroin usage, vomit mention, general all round uncomfortableness

“Turn it off.” You beg with slurred words, trying to grab D/N’s leg as he passes from where you’re slumped on the floor.

 

You have felt sick for hours now. Because whenever you started feeling better, he somehow knew , and would touch his hand to you again to make the effects of his quirk stronger once more while you were still mostly unable to move without being hit by a strong wave of dizziness. 

 

“No. If I do that, you’re gonna run, and I’m not letting you go without my money.” He rambles, continuing to pace the pokey, run down apartment and scratching incessantly at his face and arms.

 

“ Please. ” You try again, but he just grunts angrily at you, kicking your arm away and then his steps quicken in his irritation.

 

At least desperately trying not to throw up or pass out on this dirty kitchen floor was a thorough distraction for how stupid you feel for not taking Akito’s advice sooner. 

 

“Shut up! Shut up !” He snaps, despite you not saying anything, gripping what little is left of his hair which is so much scarier when your vision is swaying and doubled. “You just need to relax .”

 

He pauses as he says that, standing dead still for a moment as if he’d just thought of something, and then he storms past you, further into the apartment.

You let out a sickly groan, slumping a little more against the kitchen cabinets.

 

This wasn’t how this was meant to go. You were on your way to go and see Vesper to try and surprise him now you weren’t grounded anymore. You must have let your guard down, thinking you weren’t being followed anymore, because the second you got off the train, you’d felt a tight squeeze of a hand on your shoulder and that had been it. 

You had been dragged to this apartment, not being given anything except for the feeling of his quirk.

 

You’d been taken completely off guard and you feel like an idiot for it.

 

He didn’t answer why you had been taken when you had tried to be good and keep him happy, he didn’t give you water when you asked for it, and he wasn’t making him or you any food, either. He wouldn’t even let you go to bed to lie down so you could be at least a little more comfortable.

 

You close your eyes tight, willing the horrible bout of nausea that was washing over you to go away. 

You hear footsteps approaching you, but are too unwilling to open your eyes to look or be wary of your surroundings. You were too sick to do anything to protect yourself anyway at the minute.

You could only hope that your dads would discover something was wrong and find you somehow. Before he had taken your phone and broken it they might have been able to get your location seeing as you hadn’t come home and you had college in the morning.

 

You groan in discomfort when you feel something tightening around your arm, and try to will your eyes to open, but you can’t bring yourself to.

They shoot open, though, when you feel something sharp press into your arm, your eyes widening with horror when you realise he’s injecting you with something.

 

“No, no, no.” You groan, wanting to wiggle away but fearful of hurting yourself even more with the syringe actively in your arm. “Please, don’t.”

 

“It’ll just relax you.” He replies, his hands tightening on you hard enough to hurt.

 

“Please.” You beg, your tongue feeling clumsy in your mouth. “ Dad .”

 

And you’re not even sure if you’re using that terminology for him or pleading for your real dads that aren’t even around to hear you anyway. 

It’s no use, regardless, because whatever had been in the syringe has disappeared into your body, and is quickly being replaced by your own blood.

You gag at the sight, and that immediately sets your stomach off and before you can stop yourself, you’re weakly leaning forward and throwing up all over your front with little regard to the fact he was drawing the needle out of your arm as you do so.

 

D/N bitches about it immediately, but as soon as you’re done emptying your stomach, there’s a weird warm feeling slowly travelling all the way from your toes to the rest of your body. 

And you just stop caring about your current predicament.

Because you’re nice and warm all over, and it reminds you of when you were little and Dabi would cling to you at night. It’s like he’s still around, even if he isn’t at the moment.

 

It does also make you sleepy, though, so even though you’re awkwardly being  jostled up and over D/N’s shoulder again in a way that makes you sick again, all over his back, you fall asleep instead of listening to the sharp, angry words that come out of his mouth.

 

*•*

 

When you’re somewhat awake again, after dipping in and out of consciousness for a while, faintly aware of being left in a bathtub that had vomit mixed into the water, and being sat back down on something soft while you nodded in and out of sleep, you realise you’re wrapped in nothing but a towel, but your whole body feels like it’s on fire.

Despite that, you’re shivering as though you’re cold, even though you’re covered in sweat and your bones themselves feel like they’re aflame.

D/N is still pacing like he was when you were last awake, scratching at himself and mumbling to himself like a crazed person, checking his phone on occasion.

 

You gag a little bit as a wave of sickness washes over you and he gets angry instantly, his darkened eyes on you at the noise you make. 

 

“Do not throw up on the floor again. I’ve got someone coming.” He snaps, picking up a random bucket and throwing it towards you.

 

But your body still feels like lead, and you can’t stop trembling, so you struggle to move yourself towards it when you throw up.

 

“Colder.” You manage to choke out when you’re finished throwing up nothing but solid stomach acid from the feel of the burning in your throat.

 

He looks at you like he hates you, clicking his tongue in annoyance at you, and clawing hard enough at his neck to leave angry red marks that remind you of how Tomura used to scratch at himself years ago.

 

“It is cold. You’re just fuckin’…” He mutters angrily, not even finishing his sentence.

 

He crosses the room to grab your arm, and luckily he catches the scarred part of your arm, so you don’t feel his dirty nails digging into you when he pulls you up and off the couch roughly.

The sudden movement makes your stomach lurch again, and your skin isn’t getting any cooler, in fact, there’s a horrible itch crawling underneath your skin that's quickly making itself apparent, and you feel like you want to claw it open to get at it as well as make yourself look how you feel on the inside on the outside.

 

Maybe then he’d let you go.

 

He practically throws you into a messy bedroom with the floor covered in all kinds of trash that hides the actual flooring of the room from sight, and you stumble awkwardly to the floor. You whine as something sharp goes into your hand as you land and the towel comes undone from around you, but you’re too uncomfortable in your own body right now to care about either of those things.

 

“Stay here and be quiet.” D/N demands. “If you shut the hell up and pretend you don’t exist, I’ll help you feel good again.”

 

And god, that sounds nice if it means you won’t feel like you’re out of control of your own body, itchy all over and can slip into that comfortable warmth where you don’t even care that you’ve been taken again.

You whine weakly again when you feel a cramping in your stomach, but D/N couldn’t care less, walking out of the room and closing the door on you and leaving you to be sick entirely on your own.

 

You’re nodding in and out of consciousness for a while, your body alternating between being freezing cold and unbearably hot, sweating and shivering, but you at least manage to get your arms to work enough to pull yourself up to sit up against the bed so you don’t choke a little on your vomit when you throw up anymore.

You vaguely pick up the sound of a crash in the apartment, and panicked shouting, and your anxiety spikes even more, and you look around the room for a hiding spot as though your clumsy brain had automatically taken you back to when you were younger and had to do whatever you could to stay safe.

 

You can hear raised voices in the apartment as you crawl slowly through all the filth, forcing yourself to only let out a sharp hiss of breath instead of a cry when your hands and knees scrape over sharp objects left on the ground.

You try to climb into the wardrobe, but that’s also full of bags and clothes and bottles.

You drag things out anyway to make room for you as you hear someone angrily opening the very few doors in the apartment, but your hands are still jerky and uncoordinated and working less effectively than you want.

So when the door swings open and hits the wall with a thud, you cower immediately, your heart thundering in your chest and your blood running cold despite your blood feeling like lava moments before. 

 

“Star! W-“ Dabi exclaims and then cuts himself off. Your sweat feels too cold on your skin. He hisses something under his breath before asking:  “Where the hell are your clothes?”

 

You slowly turn to speak to him, glad that he’s looking away as he shucks off his jacket. You open your mouth to explain, but all that leaves you is more stomach bile. 

He chucks his jacket at you regardless of the sick you had accidentally gotten down one side of yourself, and you let out a pained whimper as it feels like it crushes you with the sudden weight of it.

 

“Fuckin’ hell. What did he do to you, babygirl?” Dabi asks, finally looking at you. 

 

He looks sad , and if you weren’t so sick, you’d probably be very embarrassed about your undressed state, the fact you’d thrown up when you were trying to talk , and the fact that you had gotten yourself into big, big trouble.

You try to cover yourself with his jacket, but it feels so heavy that you’re struggling to grip and pull it around yourself.

 

“C’mon, I’ll do it.” He says, crossing the room carefully and keeping his eyes on your face, picking the material up as though it’s weightless. “Get your arms through there, Starshine.” 

 

So you lift one, trying to aim it for the sleeve but he soon stops you, grabbing the arm you lifted with his metallic hand, and you whimper, knowing he probably wasn’t meaning to hurt you, but everything against your skin felt so painful.

 

“Sorry, baby, sorry.” He apologises, and his voice is gentle, but he looks angry. His blue eyes are narrowed and his upper lip is curled a little as he looks at a bruise you don’t remember getting in the ditch of your elbow. “He’s dead. He’s so fuckin’ dead.”

 

“No.” You whine tiredly as he lets go of your arm again, feeling hot all over again which isn’t being helped by Dabi’s close proximity to you. 

 

It’s not like you were trying to defend him, you just didn’t want Dabi to do something like that again when he hadn’t since he’d killed his dad, that you knew of anyway.

You didn’t want him to bloody his hands for your sake.

 

“I don’t feel good.” You gripe as he takes it upon himself to start dressing you because you’re doing it too sluggishly for him.

 

“Betcha don’t, hon.” He grumbles. “You’re not dyin’ though. Even if it feels like it.”

 

“Are you sure?” You ask, shuddering uncontrollably even though you’re boiling and the jacket is even warmer thanks to Dabi’s body heat. 

 

“Positive.” He replies, trying to close the jacket up behind you so you’re completely covered.

 

“You came for me.” You say, as though you’ve only just registered the fact that he’s here with you.

 

“‘Course I did, Star.” He sighs as he struggles to button up the back. “Still feelin’ sick? Gonna puke?”

 

“Lil’ bit.” You admit, leaning your face forward so it’s pressed against his shoulder as he leans over you.

 

He relaxes slightly at the contact, finishing up buttoning his jacket at your back and moves away slightly to cup your face in his hands, his glacial eyes scanning your face. His hands are way warmer than normal, and you kind of flinch a little at it.

He shakes his head slightly, turning to look around for something, but you’re not sure what.

He picks up a shirt from the floor, screwing his nose up a bit but looking at you apologetically.

 

“Gonna puke?” He asks again, and you shake your head even though you’re unconvinced. “Okay. Okay.”

 

He takes a deep breath, runs his hand through his messy white hair, mumbles something under his breath, and then begins to gently dab the vomit and saliva from your chin and cheeks with the shirt he picked up, fury boiling behind his eyes.

 

“You’re mad at me.” You sob dryly.

 

“Try again.” He replies dryly.

 

“I’m an idiot.” You choke, trembling again. “Everything hurts, I feel gross. I wanna feel warm again.”

 

Dabi’s jaw tightens, and he doesn’t say anything for a moment as he continues to gently clean your face. 

 

“None’a that.” He replies, his voice tight as he drops the shirt to the floor again. “Gonna pick you up, princess. Get you outta here.”

 

You nod weakly, preparing yourself for the extra discomfort of being picked up again.

 

“Dabi?” You hear Tomura call expectantly, and Dabi grunts as he hauls you up into his arms.

 

“Got her!” Dabi calls back. “Terms haven’t been met, though.”

 

You close your eyes and lean your cheek against his chest, trying to focus on the feeling of the solid weight against you.

You’re heavier than you used to be, and you can feel Dabi struggling to keep you up. The leather of his jacket is sticking to the sweat on your back, and that doesn’t help you feel any less gross.

 

“She was fuckin’ naked, and she has a puncture mark.” Dabi spits out when he finally stops walking. “Fuck didya do to my daughter ?”

 

D/N sputters uncomfortably and Tomura is silent before something happens that you don’t see that makes D/N speak quickly as though he’s panicking.

 

“She’s my daughter and I didn’t even do anything! I gave her something to chill her out, that’s all, I even put her in the bath! She’ll be fine, she’s not even hurt! Just give me the fuckin’ money!”

 

“Are you tapped ?” You hear Dabi ask in a sneer, and your stomach cramps again, making you whimper. He tenses as he holds you and then immediately says: “Sorry, hon. You’re okay.” 

 

“Toilet.” You reply, embarrassed.

 

“You’re so fucking dead.” Dabi snaps at D/N, but carries you away, anyway.

 

D/N lets out a bloodcurdling scream as you’re set down in the bathroom, Dabi pushing your sweat-soaked hair back to kiss your forehead quickly. 

 

“Back in a sec, hon. ‘Kay?” He asks, and his face softens into a look of absolute despair when he sees how upset and embarrassed you are, tears streaming down your face.

 

“Go.” You whimper, and he strokes your cheek softly before clenching his jaw once more and getting up again, leaving you alone.

 

You still hear thumps and cries of pain from inside the apartment as you’re alone, anyway, though.

You’re beyond embarrassed, even more anxious and still uncomfortable by the time Dabi knocks on the door again.

 

“Okay, doll?” He asks on the other side of the door, apparently giving you privacy despite your current state.

 

“I wanna die.” You whine as you sniffle, the words leaving you before you can even really think about it.

 

He’s silent for a second on the other side of the door, and you force yourself to stand again, struggling your way over to the door and pushing it open a bit more and holding your arms up to Dabi like some kind of toddler that wants to be picked up.

You don’t really register the bloody tears running down his face before he picks you up carefully, pressing his face into your hair.

 

“Don’t say that ever again.” He murmurs against your head. “Get some rest. You’ll feel better.”

 

“I just wanna go home.” You shiver, your body transitioning to icy cold again, but at least Dabi’s warmth is something you can lean into now.

 

“I know, darlin’. Just gotta wrap this up then we can go.”

 

“Just leave him alone and take me home. Please , ‘ve been sick since yesterday .” You complain, closing your eyes again. 

 

You didn’t want to see the state D/N was in when you can hear his groaning a little more clearly as Dabi walks.

Dabi is silent as he carries you princess-style through the apartment. You squeeze your eyes shut even tighter when the old man’s groaning sounds close , and you can kind of hear Dabi and Tomura talking in hushed tones between the pained moaning.

 

“Starlight.” Tomura finally addresses you.

 

You half mumble an acknowledgement.

 

“I’m going to do something, and I need you not to panic.”

 

“What are you gonna do?” You ask, instantly panicking anyway.

 

“I’m just going to take your hearing and sight for a second to see if it helps with the sickness you’re feeling.” Tomura explains.

 

“Liar.” D/N spits.

 

The single word is met by a sharp movement from Dabi, the movement moving you harshly in his arms and whatever it is he did there’s a thud and another gasp of pain from the man who had taken you.

 

“Stop.” You beg weakly, your stomach turning again.

 

“Vertigo can sometimes be affected by something in the ear.” Tomura explains, and it sounds like D/N is trying to talk again, but it’s muffled this time. “I want to see if I take your hearing away, if you’ll feel better.”

 

“But what about my sight? Why my sight?” You question worriedly, knowing that D/N himself is a liar, but being so anxiety-ridden that the single word uttered by him has formed a doubt in your mind anyway.

 

“You can keep your eyes closed if you want. That’s fine.” Tomura replies, and suddenly D/N is silent .

 

You pause, thinking it over in your scrambled head. He’d told you he was going to do it before just doing it. He has never lied to you before, and he didn’t argue the sight thing with you.

 

“‘Kay. If I feel better after, home?” You ask, flinching a bit when you feel Tomuras cold hands begin to brush over your clammy face, and then relaxing again.

 

“Of course Starlight. Get you home and cleaned up.” Tomura promises, seeming to take you from Dabi, but you just… stop hearing after that.

 

You can’t hear the movement of the jacket as Dabi passes you over to your other, stronger dad. 

You can’t hear the thuds and thumps of the tenants in the apartment above you anymore.

You can’t hear the tap dripping in the kitchenette anymore, either. 

You can’t even hear the blood in your ears like you had the entire time since being taken. 

 

“Dad? I’m scared.” You try to say, but you can’t hear your own voice, and you’re terrified that you hadn’t actually said anything at all.

 

But the way Tomura adjusts his hold on you so you’re being held even tighter to him as he walks makes you feel like you probably managed to get some of the words out.

You hope from the fact he’s walking that you’re being taken away from here. Home. 

Somewhere you can be clean and comfortable and sick without being embarrassed.

 

You hope they didn’t have to give him money.

 

“I’m sorry, pa.” You cry, still hoping you’re actually talking and pressing your face as tight as you can to his shoulder.

 

You do feel ever so slightly less sick, like he said you might, but you still keep getting hot flushes, your skin is still itchy, and you can feel your heartbeat pounding in your chest.

 

“I love you.” You try to say, even without hearing your own voice. “Please don’t hate me.”

 

You feel Tomura take a deep breath inward, and then he pauses in his steps, his dry lips pressing against the top of your head.

Chapter 55: The Other Side

Touya rolls his shoulders, staring at the graffiti marked high-rise in front of him with the exact same rage he felt the first, and only time Star had been taken from him.

Tomura stands beside him, silently angry compared to the explosive anger that Touya is carrying around with him.

 

“He’s fuckin’ dead.” Touya says, just to fill the empty space.

 

“The deal was he’ll get the money if Star is unharmed.” Tomura replies in forced calmness.

 

“Fuck that.” Touya snaps irritably. “Didn’t even tell us where to drop the money. Dudes an idiot, and from what Takagi said, a disgusting creep . We’re killing him. End of story.”

 

Tomura doesn’t reply, just squeezes the back of Touyas neck in a way Touya knows is a silent demand to just behave for a little longer. And then he stalks towards the buzzers, his dangerous hands in his pockets as though he’s just on an average business trip.

And sure, Touya gets it. Can’t have the President of Japan visibly causing a scene on the off chance someone saw them. 

Doesn’t stop it from pissing him off how nonchalant he seems about the whole thing.

 

Touya follows behind, watching his husband’s eyes scan the numbers of the buzzers and then pausing on one in particular.

 

“That one.” He says simply, pointing lazily at it. “You need to do that part.”

 

“Why?” Touya asks, frowning.

 

Currently, if he has to speak to that vile reprobate he’s liable to spewing out all his anger and vitriol towards everything and not just him.

 

“You have the experience. You know what to say.” Tomura replies without missing a beat.

 

And Touya knows it’s just a fact. His partner pointing out the obvious with the information he knows. It’s still feels like a dig though, something said to make Touya feel ashamed.

He brushes it off, pressing the buzzer as he scowls at it. 

He has bigger things to worry about right now outside of Tomura’s bluntness.

 

He presses the buzzer over and over, like he used to in the past whenever he was desperate for a fix and he wanted something, anything, to make the pain in his body go away.

After the fifth buzz, he gets an irritable voice snap at him through the speaker.

 

“What?!”

 

“Let me in. I’m here for the stuff.” Touya snaps back.

 

Tomura shoots him a sharp look, but it works a treat, because the door unlocks and Touya passes his partner wordlessly to get inside, closer to his daughter.

A tenant inside leaving their apartment quickly darts back inside when they pass to walk to the elevator. 

Even with their forcefully relaxed stances, it must show on their faces that they aren’t here for a good reason.

 

The elevator ride is silent, but before the doors open, Tomura strokes the back of Touya’s head, following behind him as he storms out of the elevator, his blue eyes scanning every number plate outside every door.

He pauses when he reaches the one they’d received through their brief correspondence with Star’s ‘father’, waiting for Tomura to be close enough to decay the lock.

 

And sure enough, in a quick touch, the lock’s gone, and Touya is kicking the door open.

The man inside startles, his eyes wide.

 

“Wh- Wait, wait, wait!” He begins to say as Touya storms towards him, barely keeping his flames contained.

 

“No need to worry.” Tomura replies from behind Touya as he stands close enough to the disgusting old man to be threatening. “We have your money. We just want to ensure Star’s safety first. Get her for us.”

 

“No fuckin’ way. Not without my money. You’ll just take her and go!” D/N exclaims, completely fearless in the face of Touya, which only pisses him off more .

 

“I’ll give you another chance.” Tomura says calmly from closer to Touya. “Get us Star, and you’ll get your money.”

 

“How did you even get here?” The man sneers instead, clawing irritably at his face.

 

Touya’s thin patience snaps, and he grabs the man by the front of his sweater, using it to push him back onto the couch, Tomura standing in front of him to stop the man from getting back up and trying to stop Touya from searching the hoarder's apartment.

He opens up the first door in the tight hallway, flicking the switch and finding nothing but a tiny bathroom with clothes, needles, and just general trash lying around wherever his eyes land on. On the off chance, he pulls back the shower curtain, only to reveal a bathtub full of water and vomit.

Touya screws his nose up, abandoning that room and opening the door next to it, struggling to even get the door open.

 

And for one, horrible second, he genuinely worries that it’s Star’s limp body blocking his entrance.

Fortunately, it’s just more junk. Piles of it. Newspapers, bottles, clothes, photographs, bills, baggies, food… It's just full of garbage.

This man lives like a pig, clearly, and Touya is pissed off that he even brought Star here for an hour, never mind overnight and well into the afternoon.

 

“Star, baby?” Touya calls as gently as he can on the off chance she’s amongst the piles of stuff in the room. 

 

She must be terrified.

But there’s no answer, so he abandons that room, too, vaguely picking up on Tomura’s voice in the ‘living area’, replying calmly back to an irate D/N.

But amongst that, there’s other sounds. The noises of clattering coming from the door behind him.

He turns, places his hand on the door handle and twists it.

 

“Star.” He breathes, relieved when the light hits the familiar shape of his daughter on the floor. And then he realises she’s naked , and snaps his head to the side, his eyes wide. “Wh-“

 

Unbridled fury causes his temperature to rise quickly, the door handle glowing from the sudden heat coming off his palm.

 

“ Bastard. ” He hisses angrily before forcing himself to take a breath.

 

“Where the hell are your clothes?” He asks, his voice strained from trying to keep it neutral.

 

Star doesn’t answer, but she does retch and he hears the sound of vomit hitting the floor.

He doesn’t want to look at her and invade her privacy like that, but every paternal instinct in him right now is screaming at him to take care of her, to take her away from here.

He begins to shrug off his jacket, throwing it in her direction so that she at least has some dignity before he looks at her. He knows Star. He knows this would be mortifying for her. 

 

She whimpers the second the jacket lands, and Touya finally faces her, panicked that she might have been injured and he might have just made it worse.

Honestly, with all the needles and paraphernalia laying around he’s concerned she might have accidentally taken something she shouldn’t have, caught something, or at the very least, scraped up from the sheer amount of broken glass on the floor.

 

When he braves directly looking at her, she’s got spit and sick down her chin and unfortunately down one of her arms, but luckily he threw well and managed to cover the majority of her body with his jacket. 

She looks rough. Her hair is damp and unruly, her skin looks clammy like she’s only just been taken out of a shower, and there are dark rings around her eyes. 

 

“Fuckin’ hell.” Touya breathes. “What did he do to you babygirl?”

 

And he’s not an idiot. Her being stripped bare isn’t a good sign.

But he can’t dwell too much on that. He’s already angry enough to be near-burning, and if anything happened to her…

 

He busies himself. She’s struggling to use her arms, hasn’t spoken a word to him yet, and so he moves towards her, crouching so he’s closer.

 

“C’mon, I’ll do it.” He says as he picks the jacket up from her, lifting it so the sleeves are more available. “Get your arms through there, Starshine.”

 

And she tries. He can see she tries. But it’s slow, sluggish, like she’s fighting through treacle to lift them as they tremble.

Poor girl is terrified. She didn’t even react like that when ReDestro took her.

 

It’s too painful for him to watch, so he stops her, dropping one of the sleeves to grab her arm gently, halting the second he does and she whimpers like he’d hurt her.

And then he sees it. The puncture wound. The angry red bruise around it.

 

He forces the anger down so he doesn’t burn her, even though it’s a struggle.

What the fuck kind of ‘ father ’ does that to their own kid?

 

“Sorry, baby. Sorry.” He apologises, wishing he could just pull her into his arms. Keep her safe like he used to.

 

He stares at the mark again, his ire bubbling to the surface. He knows this. He knows now what it is. How she’s feeling.

What she’ll face after all of this.

 

“He’s dead. He’s so fucking dead.” He mutters to himself, smoke pouring off his tongue.

 

“No.” She whines as he pulls her arms as gently as he can through the sleeves.

 

He ignores her plea. He’s dead. He was set on it before, it’s certain now. 

She’s clearly still not with it for her to not even be relieved that he’s here. That she’s so close to being safe again. It’s like she doesn’t even recognise him.

 

And that hurts .

 

“I don’t feel good.” She complains.

 

“Betcha don’t, hon.” He replies, struggling to keep the anger out of his voice. “You’re not dyin’ though. Even if it feels like it.”

 

He’d spent many a day curled up in an alleyway, abandoned building or Giran’s place if he was lucky, convinced he was dying, after all.

 

“Are you sure?” She asks, shivering even though Touya’s body heat must be rolling off him.

 

“Positive.” Is his short response, leaning forward so he can try to button the jacket up behind her so it won’t slip forward.

 

“You came for me.” She says, sounding surprised. As though she’s only just realised who he is.

 

“‘Course I did, Star.” He sighs, swallowing back all the emotion he can. “Still feelin’ sick? Gonna puke?”

 

“Lil’ bit.” She admits, her voice tired and worn.

 

And then she leans forward herself, pressing her face against his shoulder and allowing him more room to button the jacket lower down. 

He relaxes a bit as she seeks comfort from him. He doesn’t even care that there’s a chance she might throw up on him. He just wants her to feel okay.

 

Backing up a bit, and making sure his hands aren’t too hot, he gently cups her face, scanning it carefully. He definitely wants to clean her face up a bit, and looks around for something he can use as some kind of towel.

He plucks a somewhat clean shirt from the floor, pulling a face at it slightly before looking at his little girl apologetically.

 

“Gonna puke?” He asks again, not wanting to clean her face up if there’s a chance it might happen again.

 

She shakes her head, but he doesn’t wholly believe her. He agrees anyway, and takes a deep breath, running a hand through his hair to try and ground himself momentarily.

 

“ Fuck. ” He mutters, closing his eyes for a second and then turning his attention back to her.

 

Softly, he uses the shirt to try to clean her face up, trying not to grimace at the view of her like this.

He tries to school his expression into a stoic one like Tomura was so good at doing, but he must be doing something wrong because she sobs:

 

“You’re mad at me.”

 

A classic Star statement, but not one he wants to hear right now.

 

“Try again.” He replies dryly, because there was no way he was ever going to allow her to think he’d be mad at her for this.

 

“I’m an idiot.” She chokes, and he stops rubbing her cheek with the shirt for a moment to make sure she’s not going to spew again. “Everything hurts. I feel gross. I wanna feel warm again.”

 

Touya’s teeth clench at that.

And that was the battle they were now going to face for the future thanks to that slimy little bastard. She’d be lucky if she never chased that feeling again. He wouldn’t allow it. She wouldn’t want it.

Not after what happened to her mom.

 

He continues to clean her face. Keeping his hands busy, giving himself a task so he doesn’t ignite then and there.

 

“None’a that.” He dismisses, dropping the shirt to the floor again. “Gonna pick you up, princess. Get you out of here.”

 

She nods, and he positions himself to haul her up at the same time Tomura calls after him. Using his villain name, a pointed move that only the two of them would really understand.

Clearly he’d made a decision himself.

 

“Got her!” Touya calls back, hauling her up into his arms. “Terms haven’t been met, though.”

 

Star closes her eyes and leans her head against his chest as he carries her, and like this, he can see that she definitely isn’t unharmed. Her hands have cuts all over them and there’s a bruise suspiciously shaped like a hand curving around her scarred arm.

He walks her through the apartment as carefully as he can so as to not make her sick again, keeping his expression neutral when he finds Tomura hovering behind the sweating, balding man as he sits on the sofa, shifting nervously.

 

Tomura regards Touya with Star in his arms stoically, his eyes resting on Touya’s.

 

“She was fuckin’ naked, and she has a puncture mark.” Touya explains angrily. “Fuck didya do to my daughter ?”

 

Tomura’s eyes drop down to the spluttering man in front of him, his expression not giving anything away. Ever the picture of silent danger.

Evidently, he’s pissed enough to reach around and grab the man’s throat when he doesn’t explain quickly enough, his index finger lifted for the show.

 

“She’s my daughter!” D/N panics. “And I didn’t even do anything! I gave her something to chill her out, that’s all, I even put her in the bath! She’ll be fine, she’s not even hurt! Just give me my fuckin’ money!”

 

“Are you tapped? ” Touya sneers. 

 

Clearly she was hurt, she’d been drugged with some of the heaviest drugs you could get, and she was likely petrified before that had even happened.

But a pained noise from the girl in his arms stops him before he can go into a further rage. 

 

He looks down at her worriedly, frowning when he sees her eyes squeezed shut and her face scrunched up in pain.

 

“Sorry, hon. You’re okay.” He apologises. 

 

“Toilet.” She replies, embarrassment laced in her voice.

 

That makes Touya’s fury rise once again and he shoots the less-than-human scum on the couch the most sharp look he can muster as he spits out: “You’re so fucking dead.” 

 

He begins to set off at the same time Tomura drops his index finger down on the man's throat, only long enough for decay to form about an inch of a crack across the skin there, blood beading as the skin begins to flake away slowly. 

The man squeals like the pig he is, and Tomura finally cracks a grin. 

 

It had been a long time since Touya had last seen that grin.

 

Touya carries Star away, not wanting to embarrass her further, and places her as carefully as he can onto the toilet, his heart sinking for her.

He pushes her damp hair out of her face to kiss her sweaty forehead quickly.

 

“Back in a sec, hon. ‘Kay?” He asks as he pulls back, and then his heart breaks when he sees tears streaming down her face.

 

“Go.” She begs in a whimper and Touya only strokes her cheek softly before quickly leaving her to it, leaving the door ajar just in case she passes out and he needs to get to her.

 

He beelines for D/N, who’s holding his own throat and babbling nonsensically. Tomura’s watching with faint amusement, his eyes only meeting Touya’s briefly before he takes a step back and begins to pull up his hair into a ponytail.

Touya’s fist meets the babbling man's nose with a satisfying crack, and Tomura doesn’t even try to stop him. 

 

“Giving my kid fuckin’ dope ?” Touya seethes, not even giving D/N a second of reprieve, or a moment to try to raise his hands to defend himself before a flaming fist smashes into his face again. “She’s a kid !”

 

The man wails as his skin reddens and swells instantly, a faint smell of singed skin filling the room. His hands raise to his face, trying to protect that, and so Touya grabs his wrist, tight enough to feel the bones underneath, and he raises his temperature high enough for it to make the skin blister underneath his palm.

He begins to beg for Touya to let him go, but Touya only brings the heat up higher, his teeth bared.

 

“Nah, you’re gonna feel exactly how she’s feelin’ right now.” Touya practically snarls, using his other arm to force the man still against the couch and make sure he has no choice but to feel it.

 

Tomura watches coldly, tilting his head for a moment as if he’s in thought before grabbing the man’s other arm as it claws at Touya’s prosthetic and snapping it as though it’s nothing more than a twig. 

D/N yells in pain, and Touya finally lets go of his wrist, satisfied to see a little bit of bone exposed.

 

“Monsters.” The man hisses through clenched teeth. “ Animals .”

 

Tomura lets out a dry laugh, which probably isn’t the reaction that the man had expected, and Touya just ignores him, turning his attention to the ajar door further down the hall.

When he looks back at Tomura, he has that unfriendly grin on his face and is shoving the injured man to the floor. When they lock eyes, Tomura gives him a little nod, his foot on the man’s back, keeping him pinned to the floor, not that he’s in any position to pull himself up right now.

 

Touya heads back to the filthy bathroom, standing outside the door and knocking gently.

 

“Okay, doll?” He calls through the door, the need for more violence still running through his body. 

 

“I wanna die.” She sniffles from the other side of the door.

 

Touya’s heart stops for a second.

He never wanted to hear her say that. Ever.

And for a second, all the anger turns into despair, because Star felt that bad and he couldn’t protect her from it. He has been doing a bad job of protecting her from a lot of things at the moment. 

He was too distracted, she wasn’t telling him things anymore.

 

Star wanted to die, and his mom actually is dead, and he can’t do anything to help either of them.

 

He swallows, barely feeling the trickle of the blood as it escapes his seams.

The sight of her as she struggles to stand in front of him, though, holding her hands up in the air like she used to when she wanted to be picked up as a ten year old, has him trying to pull himself out of it, though.

 

He lifts her up even though it’s a struggle, burying his face into her hair the second she’s close enough.

 

“Don’t say that ever again.” He murmurs. “Get some rest. You’ll feel better.”

 

Really, he just wants her to stop saying things that are threatening to send him into the same space he was in when he burned himself to an early death at Sekoto Peak. 

He wouldn’t be a failure of a father. He was different. He could fix this. 

 

“I just wanna go home.” She replies, shivering against him.

 

“I know darlin’, just gotta wrap this up then we can go.” Touya says, ignoring the way his chest feels.

 

“Just leave him alone and take me home.” She pleads, closing her eyes and leaning into his warmth. “ Please. I’ve been sick since yesterday .”

 

And he knows she’s not defending him, she just wants to go home. To be sick where she’s loved and safe.

But her unwillingness for D/N to face repercussions needles him a bit, regardless.

 

He’s quiet as he walks her back to the living area, tilting his head back so that Tomura gets the hint to move closer so they can talk quietly.

Tomura leans forward, tilting his head so that his ear is close to Touya’s face.

 

“She wants to go home, but she’s gonna freak out if she hears us doin’ anything. She’s gonna be traumatised enough after this.” Touya tries to whisper.

 

Tomura hums a little. “I can use Deprivation. Take her hearing and sight for a moment.”

 

“She’ll freak even more if you do that.” Touya snaps quietly.

 

“Then we warn her.” Tomura replies with a sharp look. “Starlight.”

 

Star grunts an acknowledgement to her name.

 

“I’m going to do something, and I need you not to panic.” Tomura informs her, which is completely the wrong thing to say, because it’s Star, and she automatically panics at the request not to panic.

 

“What are you gonna do?” She asks nervously.

 

“I’m just going to take your hearing and sight for a second to see if it helps with the sickness you’re feeling.” Tomura tells her.

 

“ Liar .” D/N sneers from the floor.

 

Touya can’t help himself, and instinctively kicks the sprawled man on the floor directly in the ribs for his interruption. He gasps in pain, and Touya feels his stomach churn a little with guilt for doing that with Star present, even if her eyes are squeezed shut.

 

“Stop.” She begs quietly.

 

“Vertigo can sometimes be affected by something in the ear.” Tomura lies fluently, bending down to cover D/N’s mouth with his hand as he tries to speak. “I want to see if I take your hearing away, if you’ll feel better.”

 

Tomura must do something to the man, because although he seems to be attempting to talk, no words are leaving him.

 

“But what about my sight? Why my sight?” Star asks nervously.

 

Tomura shrugs. “You can keep your eyes closed if you want, that’s fine.”

 

Star takes a second to mull it over, Tomura placing his foot onto D/N’s head, pushing it into the floor harshly and grinding his foot down onto his skull.

 

“‘Kay.” Star agrees. “If I feel better after, home?” 

 

Tomura releases D/N from under his foot the second that Star agrees, brushing his knuckles over her cheek softly like he used to when she was a lot smaller. 

 

“Of course, Starlight.” Tomura promises, taking Star fluidly from Touya. “Get you home and cleaned up.”

 

And then he gives Touya a glance.

 

“He should be able to talk again when I leave.” He says simply. “I’ll leave him with you.”

 

“Alright.” Touya grunts. 

 

And then Tomura walks off without another word, holding Star close to him. Touya’s glad. He wants her to feel safe right now.

The second Tomura’s out of sight, he turns back to the doomed man on the floor, giving him an unsettling smile as the man sputters and curses mindlessly. He turns, grabbing a random camping chair from the kitchenette, and then hauls the man up, throwing him onto it.

The man curses him out even more for knocking his arms, throwing him around and generally just existing.

 

“Ya happen to catch the footage of Endeavor all those years back?” Dabi leads with, smiling down at the man.

 

The way that he goes silent and immediately widens his eyes tells Dabi everything he needs to know about how the thinly veiled threat landed.

He grins wider.

 

“No needta look at me like that. I’m just playin’.” He says, watching the man release a breath he’d been holding. “Yeah. This’ll be a lot slower.”

Chapter 56: Insomnia

Tomura pushes open the bedroom door, unsurprised to see Star asleep on Touya’s chest, his partner on his back, staring at the ceiling as he slowly runs his fingers through Star's hair as she sleeps. 

Touya’s in his own head, because he doesn’t even seem to register the door being opened, or look over at Tomura and allow his expression to soften like it always did whenever he sees him.

 

“How is she?” Tomura asks, keeping his voice low enough as to not wake Star, but loud enough to tear Touya from whatever he’s thinking about.

 

Touya looks over at him, but his eyes stay narrowed before he looks back up at the ceiling again.

 

“Rattlin’.”

 

“In Japanese?” Tomura asks, raising a brow.

 

Touya sighs, his lips pulling into a thin line. “When she’s awake she’s embarrassed an’ sayin’ she wants to feel warm and forget again.”

 

Tomura is quiet as he listens to Touya speak. 

 

“So I’ve been warmin’ her up ‘til she falls back to sleep.” He continues. “Lucky she's still sick enough that it isn’t takin’ much, but she’ll be more aware eventually. That’ll be when it gets harder.”

 

Tomura considers that silently, watching as Cloud stretches out against Star, the cats back against her own.

It was late. Tomura knew that much. Touya was usually asleep by now, too. But he’d be stirring. It had been a long day. 

They’d gotten the call about Rei relatively early in the morning, and luckily Zero had been able to pick Nova up before the shock wore off tor Touya and Tomura had to wrestle some quirk suppressant cuffs on him.

He was grateful for the regeneration quirk after that, he wouldn’t have been very useful later on in the day if he had blistered hands.

 

The call about Star had come a few hours after. They hadn’t even realised anything was wrong, assuming that she had ended up staying the night at Wani’s house after being grounded for a week and then presuming she would have gone straight to college from there.

After that call, the quirk suppressant cuffs had barely been able to handle Touya’s heat, and Tomura had been left on his own to try to narrow down where the call had come from after being given no other information other than this person had Star and that they wanted a million yen for her safe return.

 

“I contacted Skeptic. The cameras in the complex were busted anyway.” Tomura decides to reply with. “I’ve made sure the feeds were scrubbed anyway.”

 

Touya doesn’t reply.

 

“The body?” Tomura asks.

 

His preference is in problem solving rather than trying to wrap his head around how Star and Touya might be feeling, after all. His attempts to understand complex emotions often got messy and didn’t do either party any good.

 

“Didn’t wanna burn it. Too chancey. Lotta shit around.” Touya replies bluntly, and Tomura regards him quietly for a second. 

 

Definitely in his own head and probably annoyed that Tomura didn’t respond to Touya’s concerns about Star.

Tomura takes a breath and crosses the room, over to the side of the bed that Touya’s laying on, leaning over his partner so that their noses are touching. He runs his nose along Touya’s softly.

 

“I’ll take care of it.” He tells him.

 

“I know.” Touya replies quietly, his eyes on Tomura’s.

 

“I love you.” Tomura tells him, even though it still feels uncomfortable to say unprompted after all these years.

 

“I know.” Touya replies, but his voice gets a little softer, and his lips perk up faintly on one side.

 

Tomura presses a quick kiss to his husbands mismatched lips before standing straight again.

 

“Try to sleep.” He tells him, grabbing a hoodie from the dresser and throwing it over his head.

 

Touya just grunts, likely far off sleeping, but Tomura doesn’t say anything further, pulling the hood over his head and beginning to walk down the stairs.

He’s tying up his shoes when he hears the patio doors close. Clearly Takagi was still up, as well.

 

“Are you goin’ out?” Takagi asks from the doorway of the kitchen.

 

“Yes.” Tomura replies blandly.

 

“Can I get a ride to Aoyama Cemetery?” 

 

Tomura pauses, looks over at the young man in the doorway. His eyes land on healing cuts on the man's side, but Takagi is sharp, and leans on that side to obscure the sight from Tomura. Their eyes meet, and in the dim lights, it makes Takagi’s eyes nearly look black.

 

“No.” Tomura replies simply before turning his attention away and standing upright.

 

“What? Why?” Takagi asks, clearly offended at his request  being denied.

 

“Because I’m not leaving you alone at a cemetery at nearly two a.m.”

 

“Okay, then I’ll just come with you and we can go after.” Takagi tries to bargain.

 

Tomura grabs the car keys hanging by the door. “Also no.” 

 

“Are you-“ Takagi snaps but catches himself when Tomuras eyes meet his again. “ Why? ”

 

“Because I’m doing something illegal.” Tomura replies honestly. “Go tomorrow.”

 

“I needed to go today , but no-one was around to take me.” Takagi asserts.

 

As much as Touya had his hangups about Takagi being disrespectful based on one comment he had overheard the boy make towards Star in the past, Tomura had never had an issue with him.

In fact, Tomura thought that if Touya could ever find it in himself to stop being so stubborn, he’d probably get on with Takagi quite well.

Star's friend was occasionally on the edge of being rude, but he never pushed it too far. After Touya had banned Keiko from visiting Takagi in particular, he had been respectful of their space, and Tomura had thought he had been being respectful of their rules up until seeing the near-fresh cuts on his side.

 

They wouldn’t have been able to get Star if it hadn’t been for Takagi’s knowledge.

 

So he knew there would be a reason why he was being this way towards Tomura right now.

 

“Why do you need to go to the cemetery today?” Tomura asks patiently, like he would whenever Star had her rare irate moments when she was younger.

 

Takagi takes a deep breath, his lips pulling into a thin line. “To see my dad. S’ his anniversary today.”

 

Tomura is silent for a second. “Hurry, then.”

 

Takagi’s eyes widen in surprise, but he wastes no time darting upstairs to change. Tomura waits downstairs, his hands in his pockets. When Takagi comes back down, he’s in a black hoodie of his own with a leather jacket over the top of it, apparently still leaving his sweatpants on.

Tomura watches as Takagi pulls on black combat boots, the sweatpants pooling over the tops of the shoes. 

 

“Thanks.” Takagi says with a quick bow of his head.

 

Tomura hums, turning to the door and opening it, allowing Takagi to exit first and then he follows behind the shorter man.

The car journey is quiet for all of five minutes before Takagi starts speaking.

 

“Is Star okay?” 

 

“No.”

 

“What happened? He hurt her?”

 

“It’s not my place to tell you. She’s embarrassed right now.” 

 

Takagi huffs, quiet for a moment. “I always knew he was a freak. One of the girls I used to know was usin’ him to get her shit and she told me one day that he offered her free gear for a fuck. She was seventeen at the time. Seventeen. That dude was like… Sixty. At least .”

 

Tomura is silent, his eyes on the road as Takagi talks.

 

“I told Star, stay away from him, he’s trouble. I told her!”

 

“We don’t know the full story yet. She might not have met him out of choice.” Tomura rationalises like he’s so used to doing with Touya.

 

“I’m just pissed off.” Takagi grumbles, and when Tomura looks over at him, he’s resting his cheek on his fist and glaring out of the window. “She doesn’t do anything to deserve getting hurt. She’s just nice . To everyone . Fucks me off.”

 

Tomura is still quiet, letting Takagi talk. You could learn a lot about someone just from listening, sometimes. 

 

“… She doesn’t fuck me off. People that mess with people like her fuck me off.”

 

“Got it.” Tomura replies dryly.

 

There’s a brief silence between the two of them, and Tomura notes that they’re close to their destination internally.

 

“Did you kill him?” Takagi asks, but Tomura doesn't reply. “Holy shit.”

 

Tomura pays it no mind, and doesn’t even look over at Star’s friend to judge the boy's reaction.

 

“Star ain’t gonna like that.” Takagi comments.

 

“She doesn’t have to.” Tomura replies, putting the car in park. “Stay here. I’m taking the keys.”

 

“You’re locking me in here? Like a dog?” Takagi asks incredulously. 

 

Tomura gives him a flat look. “You can’t come with me.”

 

“I’ll be cool!” Takagi promises.

 

Tomura huffs in mild amusement as he unclips his seatbelt.

 

“Seriously! I will!” Takagi continues. “I won’t breathe a word about whatever you’re doing! I swear!”

 

“I know.” Tomura replies. 

 

“So I can come?” Takagi asks, his face lighting up like Tomura had promised him the world. 

 

“No.” Tomura says, opening the car door.

 

“Why?!” Takagi asks, sounding dangerously close to the kind of bratty that makes Tomura bristle.

 

“Because I’m not sure what kind of mess we’ll be walking into. Stay here and don’t draw attention to yourself.” Tomura replies bluntly, shutting the car door and turning to lock the door, but Takagi exits the car quicker than he had even gotten in the car.

 

Tomura stares at him coldly for a moment before resigning himself to allowing Takagi to come with him because it could attract more attention to them if he were to attempt to get him back into the car.

 

“I hope you’re not squeamish then. Hood up and phone off.”

 

Takagi grins. “Don’t have it, anyway.”

 

Tomura just grunts at him, turning and walking to the apartment complex, using decay on the glass panel to allow himself entry to the building.

Takagi, in all fairness, is silent and close as they walk to the elevator, and stays that way during the brief elevator ride. 

He continues to stay in close proximity and quiet as Tomura opens the unlocked apartment door, silently holding a hand up to tell Takagi not to come in just yet.

He can see the slumped body in a folding chair in the centre of the main room, but it’s too dark to make out any details.

 

“Stinks.” Takagi hisses under his breath.

 

Sure does. Smells like death and burning even hours later. But Tomura ignores him, flicking on the switch and entering the room, leaving the door ajar so that Takagi can’t see the body, although from what little Tomura had learned of him so far, he could probably safely assume that he would peer in anyway.

Tomura stands in front of the deceased, raising a scarred brow. 

Touya had really gone to town on this one. There are burns covering every inch of skin that is visible, but it appears that Touya had been mindful that they would be bad enough to seriously hurt, but not bad enough for there to be nerve damage. The poor excuse for a man would have felt everything.

 

That is, until Tomura’s eyes travel up to the face.

The face was burned to the bone. The skin had peeled off, leaving a visceral image of gore, muscle and flesh behind. It’s quite eerie seeing Touya torture rather than kill , but Tomura understands it. He’s surprised that Touya could calm his anger enough to torture in the first place. He must have really needed to let off some steam.

 

Humming in approval, Tomura places a hand over D/N’s burned face, digging his fingers into the exposed eyeball that remained. 

In no time at all, all that’s left is a pile of ash on the floor.

 

Tomura catches Takagi’s eyes through the gap in the door and tilts his head to signal him to come in. 

The second his dark haired company slips into the room he chucks him a pair of gloves. 

 

“Help me find something.” Is his simple order.

 

“What?” Takagi asks, confused. 

 

“Anything regarding Star. Be careful. There’s needles lying around. And if I get the feeling you’re trying to take some of his stock , I will search you.” Tomura says calmly, staring Takagi straight in the eyes.

 

The kid nods, and puts the gloves on, not arguing with Tomura at all.

 

Tomura’s search comes up completely empty. Nothing but trash, empty baggies, bottles and a whole bunch of pornographic material scattered everywhere amongst clothing piles, old, rotting food and seemingly random trinkets like snow globes and kokeshi dolls.

The only thing of slight interest he finds is an obscene amount of phones that he opts to destroy instead of sifting through on the off chance one of them was the one he had contacted to arrange a ‘pick up’.

His lip is curling in annoyance after a while. He wanted something , anything that this man could have to give after upsetting his family.

 

“Found somethin’.” Takagi says from behind him and Tomura turns his head lazily towards his voice. “Couple photos. There was a letter, too. But I don’t think Star’ll want that.”

 

Tomura hums, straightening up and reaching for the items Takagi is outstretching towards him.

 

And like he said, Star wouldn’t want the letter. It’s useless. Just her mom writing to announce that they were better off without D/N while also simultaneously trying to blackmail the man into leaving his wife.

The photos, however, are interesting. 

A disposable film photo of what appears to be Star as a newborn all swaddled up next to her bear that Touya still insisted on calling ‘Star Jr’, and then a photo of a woman with blood-red hair who appears to be around Star's age holding the swaddled baby in the previous photo.

 

That would be enough.

 

“Good job.” Tomura praises simply, still staring at the photos as he lifts his free hand and forms it into a fist.

 

Takagi takes a moment to register what’s happening before bumping his fist against Tomura’s uncertainly.

 

“Let’s go.” Tomura says, slipping the photos into his jacket’s pocket.

 

He ushers Takagi out first, making sure to stomp the ashy remains into the floor so they look like average dirt marks, and moving the chair left behind to its rightful place in what looks to be a kitchen area.

He flicks the light back out, closes the door behind him all the way and leads Takagi to the exit.

 

He waits until they’re in the car and a decent way away from the apartment complex before calling Skeptic and leaving a voicemail to request that he deletes the footage for that hour again.

Takagi is silent for that, and doesn’t make a comment after either.

Tomura thinks for a moment before addressing his company for the evening.

 

“You’re good at following orders.”

 

Takagi scoffs a little. “I’m not gonna argue with you .”

 

“You did earlier.” Tomura points out, smirking slightly.

 

“Yeah, well.” Takagi murmurs. “I usually always see my dad today.”

 

Tomura steals a quick glance. He’s staring out of the window with his cheek on his fist again, but he looks more morose this time, like he’s deep in thought.

 

“If you can follow orders without complaint and keep your mouth shut, I can get you a job.” Tomura informs him. 

 

Takagi frowns, turning his head to look at Tomura. “…Really?”

 

“Yeah.” Tomura hums.

 

“Cool. This was alright.” Takagi replies, turning his head away. 

 

Tomura’s smirk lifts a little more at the blatant attempt to play off excitement, because he can see the kid’s smile in his wing mirror.

The rest of the drive is quiet, save for the odd siren here and there. Tomura prefers that to the incessant questioning he was on the receiving end of earlier. 

He waits until he knows they’re near the Aoyama Cemetery to ask: “Do you have incense?”

 

“Nah.”

 

“There’s some in the glove box.” Tomura informs him.

 

Takagi pauses, but does reach forward and open the glove box.

 

“…Why do you have incense in here?”

 

“I visit people from time to time.” Tomura replies.

 

“Who?” 

 

Tomura fights the urge to roll his eyes. Takagi was reminding him of both Star and Touya now.

 

“Magne. My grandparents, mom and sister.” Strange, he doesn’t think many people know that fact about him.

 

Takagi is quiet after that, waiting until they pull up at the cemetery to pluck a stick of incense from the box and thanking Tomura gruffly.

Tomura waits in the car, staring at the photos again, trying to soak in all the details he can.

 

*•*

 

“Baby.” Tomura whispers, leaning over a sleeping Touya, his long hair brushing over Star’s head.

 

Touya murmurs sleepily, his white eyebrows pulling together in vague annoyance and he turns his head away.

 

“Touya.” Tomura tries again.

 

“What?” Touya grumbles, still not opening his eyes or turning his head back to face Tomura’s voice.

 

“I got you something.”

 

Touya groans a little bit, but turns his head back and opens his eyes.

His eyes shoot open and he gasps slightly when he sees how close Tomura’s face is to his, his body jolting slightly and causing Star to groan in her sleep too.

Startled blue eyes narrow at Tomura as he smirks down at his lover.

 

“Fuck, Shig. Do you need to be that close? Creep.” Touya snaps quietly.

 

Tomura chuckles quietly to himself before leaning back again and holding out the photographs to Touya.

Touya squints a little, but takes the photos and retracts his arm from Star to ignite one of his fingers for more light.

When he realises what he’s looking at, his face softens.

 

“He had these?” He asks softly.

 

“Somewhere in his apartment.” Tomura confirms. “They’re yours now.”

 

Touya continues to gaze at them quietly, his throat bobbing after a while.

 

“Thanks, babe.” He finally manages to say, handing the photos back to Tomura. “Put ‘em in the nightstand?”

 

“Of course.” Tomura agrees, giving Touya a brief kiss before quietly opening the drawer and slipping the images in there.

 

“Don’t want her to see ‘em just yet.” Touya explains, turning his head again and closing his eyes, moving his arm back around Star. “Comin’ to bed now?” 

 

“I think I’ll struggle.” Tomura replies, amused. “She’s not eleven anymore.”

 

Touya huffs, burying his face in the girl's hair. “Always my baby.”

 

Tomura rolls his eyes. “I’ll sleep in Nova’s room eventually. Rest well.”

 

Touya hums a little in response, and Tomura watches the two for a moment.

His family. One he’d managed to keep together instead of tearing apart.

He stands still for a second before relenting, shedding his shirt and pants and climbing into the bed beside Touya, wrapping his arm around the man's waist.

 

Touya huffs a little in his groggy state. “Jus’ like old times.”

 

Tomura doesn’t respond, just keeps his eyes closed and wills himself to sleep. 

But if he doesn’t manage to tonight, at least he knows that he’s there to protect the two that need him most right now.

Chapter 57: Blur

You’re not really aware of what’s going on at any given moment for quite some time.

Well, it could be days, it could have been years that you had shut yourself in your room and you wouldn’t really know any different.

 

The only exception to coming out of your room was to seek out Dabi, cuddling up against his side no matter what he’s doing, and letting him try to recreate the same heat that you’d felt from the drugs that D/N had given you.

It wasn’t the same, it would never be the same, but at least it was close.

 

Tomura didn’t complain about you climbing into their bed except for one time when they had been kissing as you had entered, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care, and Dabi had been quick to practically shove him away and beckon you to his side.

After that, you had been ordered to drink this cough syrup like drink every day. You hated it, but it did make you feel a little more relaxed when you were itchy, agitated and all you could think about was trying to find somewhere you could get that same drug to make you feel warm from head to toe and stop you from caring about everything that had happened to you again.

 

And slowly the annoyance you had been dealing with, snapping at both of your dads, Akito and Nova time and time for coming into your room to try and pull you out of it, or to tell you that Vesper or the girls had come by to visit, it all kind of faded for the most part.

When you started coming downstairs for meals more, everyone had kind of been unsure on how to deal with you, but they had eventually figured out how to involve you in conversations, even if it wasn’t always met with enthusiasm back.

 

You hadn’t left your bed today, though. You had been dozing in and out of sleep with your hand nestled in Cloud's fur. You had briefly been aware of people coming in your room, hands resting on your head and plates being dropped off and taken, but you hadn’t really interacted with anyone.

That is until a weight makes your mattress sink on one side, and you sit bolt upright, your heart racing until you realise it’s just Dabi, his expression soft as he looks at you.

 

“S’ just me, hon.” He reassures. “Haven’t seen you awake all day. Worried about ya.”

 

“I’m fine.” You reply blandly, laying back down and pulling Cloud to your chest.

 

“Wani came over again.” He tells you, leaning his back against your headboard. “Even if you jus’ send him a quick text, doll. He thinks he’s in trouble.”

 

“I told Aki to tell Vesper I’m fine.” You reply, petting Cloud’s belly while he purrs.

 

“How would you feel if you had been ignored by him for a month?” Dabi asks patiently, playing idly with your hair. “Bet I’d be bein’ sent to make toasted newt like in Spirited Away.”

 

“You’re the worst.” You tell him, but he has a point.

 

And a whole month has passed without you even knowing. You’ve been awake, aware, but choosing to just rot inside your own body instead of facing the things that had happened.

A month since Grandma Rei had died, and you had an experience that was going to change your life forever.

 

“Was clearin’ out moms house.” Dabi changes the topic, clearing his throat. “Found all her old sketchbooks.”

 

You don’t reply, because you don’t overly want to discuss this right now. 

 

“Hadta fight ‘Yumi for them, but I brought ‘em here. Figured you’d like to see them.” Dabi pauses. “Together?”

 

You frown a little, but force yourself to sit up next to Dabi, leaning against him for warmth subconsciously. He’s more than happy to oblige, probably happy to have had you cuddling him like you used to all the time as a kid.

He takes a deep breath before opening up the first book of the pile on his lap.

 

It looks like Grandma Rei really liked drawing and painting flowers too, all of the pages being filled with sketches of different kinds of flowers, some of them painted with watercolours and looking like they’re alive on the paper. There are a few portraits too, Dabi scoffing at the ones of Endeavor and getting choked up when he comes across drawings of him and his siblings, tracing his metal fingers over a picture of him and Natsuo kicking a ball to one another.

One sketchbook in particular is full of disturbed drawings compared to all the others. The lines are messy, unfinished and it looks like she’s scribbled a lot of it out.

 

Once the last sketchbook has been gone through, Dabi closes it, sniffing and wiping blood from his face.

You realise faintly that you should be crying too, but everything feels so far away and numb lately.

 

“Yup. That’s enough of that for today.” Dabi says, his voice thick. “Thanks for looking at ‘em with me.”

 

“Yeah, sure dad.” You agree as he gets up from your bed, lifting the sketchbooks with him. “Wait, can I keep those? For tonight?”

 

“‘Course, hon. I got them for you .” Dabi agrees, placing them on your desk alongside all your own abandoned artworks. “Come down for dinner, yeah? And let Wani know you’re alright.”

 

You grumble a half-hearted agreement, your demeanor softening a little when he drops a kiss on the top of your head. 

 

“Love ya.” He tells you before leaving.

 

“You too.” You reply, getting up to go to your desk and pour over the drawings some more, and to see if you can recreate them with your own hand. 

 

*•*

 

“Akito.”

 

Aki jolts at the sudden opening of his door, spinning around to face you. Weird. You don’t remember him having a desk before, but now he does, and there’s a lot of paper on there.

 

“Fucking hell Star, you can’t just barge in here. What if I was doing somethin’-“

 

“You weren’t, so it’s fine.” You interrupt, walking closer. “How much school work are you catching up on?” 

 

“It’s not school work.” He huffs, turning back to the scattered papers. “It’s actual work.”

 

You give him a small ‘huh’ of amused surprise in response, raising an eyebrow. Looks like a whole bunch of serious words and a lot of numbers to you, not exactly something you would imagine Akito enjoying in his spare time.

 

“I’m going out. Come with me.” You demand.

 

“You? Leaving the house?” Akito asks, giving you a scrutinizing look of disbelief. “Who died?”

 

There’s a painful second of silence before the realisation crosses over his face and for the first time ever, he stutters out an excuse and apology.

 

“Come on. I need to be there for two.” You inform him, ignoring his awkward apology.

 

“ Where ?” Akito asks like it’s a monumentous task. “Not to be a dick, but the last time you dragged me somewhere-“

 

“I’m getting a fucking tattoo!” You snap, throwing your hands up in annoyance, and he actually flinches . ” Are you coming or not?”

 

He stares at you in surprise for what feels like a long time, but he does get up from his seat, and pull a pair of shoes from his wardrobe.

 

“Don’t do that again.” He warns you as he passes.

 

You shake off the warning, knowing realistically it wasn’t often you behaved that way towards anyone , and Akito wasn’t in any place to make a fuss about it.

Dabi ventures into the hallway with a cigarette behind his ear as you and Akito pull on your shoes in silence.

 

“You’re going out?” He asks, making no effort to hide the surprise in his voice.

 

“Yeah.” You grunt.

 

“Where?” He asks, looking at Akito for the answer instead of you.

 

“Said she’s gettin’ a tattoo.” Akito shrugs, suddenly a lot more comfortable around Dabi. 

 

“Alri’.” Dabi agrees without a fuss. “Take care of her.”

 

Akito just gives him a two fingered salute in return, and you stand there, confused by the entire interaction.

 

“C’mon. Gotta get there by two, you said?” Akito encourages, opening the door and tilting his head in a silent gesture for you to leave.

 

You frown, but leave, Akito following behind you.

The walk to the studio is quiet, mostly, and it’s pretty much only because Akito is stuck into his phone, tapping away on the screen.

 

“What are you doing?” You ask irritably. 

 

It’s hot. You don’t understand why it’s so hot when it had been so cold the last time you’d been outside. 

 

“Tellin’ Ves you actually went outside.” Akito informs you, and you grab his wrist without even thinking about it.

 

“Don’t.” You plead.

 

“First, get the fuck off’a me, and second, it’s too late.” Akito replies equally as irritably. “What the hell is wrong with you? You’re meant to want to see him.”

 

“Well I don’t.” You snap back, but let go of his wrist.

 

Aki stares at you, his dark eyes so unbelievably cold on you. “I told you if you fuck around with Ves, I’m not gonna have your back. Why’re you ignoring him? He’s freakin’ out about it.”

 

“I don’t want to talk to anyone right now!” You explain, annoyed.

 

“Well they all miss you. All of them are worried. Quit being such a fuckin’ mess. Pull it together.”

 

You give a dry laugh, turn, and continue to walk, even though he stays in the same spot.

He does follow after you though after a while, but you don’t look directly at him.

 

“It’s not funny.” He tells you, and you scoff at him again.

 

“It is coming from you. ” You reply in a way you never would speak to someone usually.

 

Akito laughs in return, too, but it’s as humourless as your own laughter.

Your eyes widen when suddenly there’s a tight pressure around your wrist and you’re being pulled backward. Your quirk half-activates until you realise it’s Akito pulling you backward, and as you stumble into him, you realise he’s trying to pull you into a hug .

 

“What are you doing?” You ask, all the emotions you’d been trying to ignore finally bubbling to the surface.

 

“Hugging you, because you’re a needy little crybaby and I haven’t seen you shed a single tear since gettin’ back.” Akito replies, wrapping his scarred arms around you.

 

And he’s right , and it works, because you begin to sob against his shoulder. He holds you close to him until you stop, even though people are probably staring. 

 

“Better?” He asks, raising a pierced eyebrow at you when you finally let go of him.

 

You nod, wiping your face and looking away in embarrassment.

 

“Good. I don’t like Bitch Star.” 

 

“Don’t call me that.”

 

“Callin’ it how I see it.” He shrugs, and then carries on walking beside you as though nothing happened.

 

*•*

 

“Check this out, Star!”

 

“No. It’s gross.” You reply from the chair you’re sitting in.

 

The curly haired tattoo artist chuckles a little when she peers up to see whatever Akito’s doing opposite you both in the studio.

 

“You were right, it’s pretty gross.” She tells you quietly.

 

“It’s usually gross with him.” You reply under your breath.

 

“Seriously! There’s no blood or anything- look!”

 

“No.” You repeat.

 

“I’ll take a photo.” Akito says, and you groan, rolling your head back. “I look like some kinda rhino.”

 

“You are a rhino.” You retort childishly.

 

“Your boyfriend’s a couple horns away from bein’ a rhino.” Akito challenges in return.

 

“Fuck off.” You mutter, only for him and your tattoo artist to laugh at the exchange.

 

“So you have a boyfriend now?” She asks, turning away to get some more ink out. “Exciting! Tell me about that.”

 

“His name’s Wani. He’s nice.” You settle with.

 

“They’re disgusting.” Akito chimes in with, sounding like the piercer is holding something over his face to muffle his voice. “She was obsessed since day one and he was too stupid to notice.”

 

You exchange a look with Watae, the artist, who gives you a small smirk.

 

“Cute.” She comments before starting up on your arm again.

 

“He’s just jealous ‘cause he’s too much of a chicken to confess to who he loves.” You explain to her with a pointed look at Akito, who you can now see has a metal bar across the bridge of his nose, the piercer tightening it as he smirks at you.

 

“Can tell you haven’t left the house in a while.” He grins.

 

“Wait, really?” You ask, dumbfounded.

 

He doesn’t respond, just hops off the chair and looks in the mirror as quietly instructed by the piercer.

You watch as he praises the work done, agreeing to sit back down so his nose can be cleaned up a little more.

 

“Will your job like that?” You ask, surprised he’s still got all his previous facial piercings if he had a serious job, never mind getting more.

 

“I’m sure your old man won’t mind.” He shrugs, his eyes moving over to you. “As long as the paperwork’s gettin’ done so he can come home early.”

 

You blink.

Tomura had given him a job? So he could come home early? Doing paperwork ?

And Akito had confessed to Keiko? Finally? And you’d been unaware this whole time?

 

“What else has happened?” You ask as Akito pays for the piercing and then plops himself onto the stool beside your chair again.

 

“Not much really. Everyone’s been fussin’ about you.” He shrugs. “I can play for the band again now. Obviously. Tours in a couple weeks, so you should probably get to talkin’ to Ves soon.”

 

You look away from him, down at the sketch of the flower from Grandma Rei’s sketchbook that you were paying to have permanently with you.

The silence must speak volumes, because you see Akito shrug again from the corners of your eyes.

 

“Anyway, reckon I’m due a bonus for gettin’ you outside.”

 

“It was my idea.” You remind him.

 

“Ah, he doesn’t need to know that.” Akito grins. 

 

*•*

 

Now you were out of the studio, no longer running off adrenaline and enjoying the dopamine hit that getting a new tattoo provided, you were getting agitated again. Antsy. 

You’d agreed to get some food and a drink with Akito when you’d been in a good mood, but now you just wanted to get home, go bother Dabi for some warmth, and then go to bed and forget about what had happened and how much you’d missed out on over a month.

 

“Me, Keiks and Hana got a place.” Akito continues to talk, leaning back in the sun like he couldn’t be happier where he is, even though your leg is bouncing. “If you and Ves wanted to join we could get a bigger place.”

 

The offer takes you aback. “I can’t.”

 

He scoffs, but he’s grinning as he lifts his drink up again. “Yeah, Ves said the same. But his mom’s got money piled up that she ain’t usin’, and your parents aren’t gonna die without you around.”

 

Your jaw tightens in response. You didn’t like the implication that you weren’t wanted in the house.

 

“Anyway, tell me again why you’re ignoring Ves?”

 

It’s a poor attempt to try and catch you out, you hadn’t told him why you hadn’t spoken to him, never mind Hana or Keiko. 

 

“I’m not ready to talk to anyone yet.” You reply, rubbing your arms to try and get some kind of comforting warmth.

 

“You’re acting like a tweaker.”

 

You glare at him, but it’s kind of hard to read his expression when he has sunglasses halfway down his nose so he doesn’t irritate his new piercing.

 

“Look, if you tell me, I can give him a gentle version so he stops overthinkin’ the whole thing.” Akito offers.

 

“Nothing about you is gentle.” You snap.

 

“More gentle than you’re bein’ lately.” He shrugs.

 

You swallow. Your parents hadn’t called out your behaviour yet, but Akito was, and he was succeeding in making you feel guilty. 

And if you were who you were before, you would feel bad. You would go back home, apologise profusely and do whatever you could to feel forgiven.

But now the guilt, the feeling of not being good enough, of being a failure just feeds into that need to want to be numb again.

 

The best you could give him is an answer so that he stops bringing it all up.

 

“He deserves better than this.”

 

Akito raises a brow at you. “Well, duh. If you spoke to him like you’ve been speakin’ to me we’d all have somethin’ to say about it. But that’s not you. So try again.”

 

You stare at him, your mouth feeling impossibly dry. 

There was a deeper reason, but you weren’t ready to talk about it yet. Especially with him and not one of your dads.

But your dads would just tell you it was stupid, probably. Tomura was probably the one that was more likely to give you the closest thing to the truth you would get out of the two of them regarding your concerns.

Maybe Akito was a good option instead.

 

“Because I’m like my mom.” You finally spit out.

 

Akito is quiet for a moment, shaking his head a bit and leaning closer as if he’d struggled to hear you.

 

“Huh?”

 

“Because I’m like my mom.” You repeat slowly.

 

And it sucks when you can’t see Akito’s face to gauge what he might be thinking during his moment of silence as he looks at you.

 

“What’d you mean?” He asks, audibly confused.

 

And this was the hard part for you. The embarrassing part.

Explaining what had happened. What you are now.

 

“When he took me, I guess I was being too loud or something, and…” 

 

Akito tenses, but you’re not done speaking yet.

 

“He gave me heroin.” You blurt out awkwardly, rubbing your arms again a little more insistently. “My mom did it, too. For as long as she was around. I saw how no-one ever really loved her, because she had a problem and that made loads of other problems. And now I have a problem, because I’m part of her, and he made it so I would never be the same again and all I want is to just not care like I didn’t when I was high and I’m never gonna feel that way ever again because I can’t . I don’t wanna end up like my mom even though I probably will. Vesper doesn’t deserve that.”

 

Your voice is breaking by the end of your speech, and Akito is uncomfortably quiet, but that smirk he always wears is gone, telling you whatever you were telling him must be bad.

 

“He gave you dope?” He asks, his voice strained.

 

You look away, ashamed. “It’s worse that he’s still out there. He could come back. I could get more. So I stop feeling so horrible all the time .”

 

Akito snorts. “If you think he ain’t dead for what he did, you’re more naive than I thought, babe.”

 

You give him a sharp look for the moniker, and are only met with the weight of his own gaze.

He’s quiet for a while, long enough for you to start bouncing your leg again.

 

“So what?” He asks eventually, and you freeze.

 

“What?” You ask, a little irritated.

 

“So your mom was a junkie, and guys treated her like shit.” He shrugs. “So what? You’re not her. You got drugged once. Willing to bet Shigaraki and Dabi got you on a detox plan without you even knowin’ it. As long as you stay clean you’ll be fine. Ves ain’t gonna care about that, wasn’t your choice.”

 

He scoffs into his drink as he lifts it to his pierced lips. “You haven’t even smoked a cigarette, for fucks sake. Tryna get you to drink was like pullin’ teeth.”

 

“But what if-“

 

“Look, if you keep focusing on what you might be or do, and how you could get more, you’re already settin’ yourself up to fuck up in the future.” Akito tells you bluntly. “The girls wanna help. Ves misses you. They’re not shitty people, and they aren’t gonna start ‘cause you got something goin’ on. They’d be upset if you seriously thought that little of them.”

 

You blink at him, trying to make sense of what he’s telling you. He seems to pick up on the fact that you’re struggling to understand what it is he’s trying to say.

 

“Nothing will change if you don’t change.” He stresses slowly. “Just keep bein’ you rather than worryin’ about how you’re gonna be your mom or whatever.”

 

You guess that makes sense, but you still frown a little to yourself. 

You didn’t feel like you anymore. And you’re not sure that’s something you can just get back.

 

“Just send him a text and stop bein’ a pussy. He won’t care. Wouldn’t care if you turned into a worm, either.” Akito says, leaning back again and kicking his feet up onto the table. “You’re stressing about stupid shit yet again. Never stress about shit that I tell you to be worried about, though.”

 

“Yeah. Maybe.” You agree solemnly, just wanting to go home now.

 

After all of that, you’re not really sure you feel any better.

Chapter 58: Those Who Wait

Vesper bounces his leg in agitation, sitting in the uncomfortable plastic seat across from a glass panel and an empty seat. 

His arms are crossed over his chest, his hair’s tied up, and his eyes are narrowed at the empty space in front of him despite his dad not even being here yet.

It’s not long until he is though, with a prison staff member leading him through.

 

The second his dad sees him, he smiles. 

But it’s not friendly, it’s all sharp teeth and malicious eyes on him.

 

“Junior.” His dad greets.

 

“Don’t call me that.” Vesper snaps immediately, a lot braver behind the glass than he probably should be. 

 

He just flashes another grin at Vesper, probably enjoying getting under his skin with just one word alone. 

 

“Been four years. What do I owe the pleasure?” His dad asks, the complete vision of the word ‘smug’ despite what he’d been incarcerated for. “Grew out your hair, huh? Some kinda fairy now?”

 

Vesper’s eye twitches slightly, but his tail betrays him and thumps against the floor, giving away his anger and only serves to make the man opposite grin even wider.

 

“How’s your mom?” 

 

“ Leave her alone. ” Vesper hisses, his voice getting impossibly deeper with the sheer anger of his mom being brought up,  his eyes narrowing more.

 

“I think about her a lot.” His dad says in a way that Vesper knows is only to rile him up more. “Lotta time to think in here, you know?”

 

“Shut the fuck up.” Vesper demands through gritted teeth. He can see the smoke coming from his nose in front of him. “Quit writing letters. Quit thinking about her. Just fucking disappear.”

 

“Oh, so you’ve been getting the letters.” Vesper Sr says, his lip pulling in anger.

 

Vesper freezes. He hadn’t meant to say that. He’d been riled up so quickly and so efficiently that he’d given away the fact they hadn’t even moved out yet.

 

“Still in my house, huh?” His dad feigns thoughtfulness. “Bet’cha got a new dad in there too.”

 

Vesper's jaw tightens. 

He didn’t need to know about the fact his mom hasn’t dated anyone in the years he’s been arrested. He’d delight too much in it.

 

“You’ve gone all quiet.” He comments. “Say somethin’ you shouldn’t have?”

 

“Leave her alone. Weren’t the broken ribs enough?”

 

Vesper Sr scoffs, glancing at the prison guards. “She fell.”

 

“Yeah, right into your fists.” Vesper snaps back.

 

His dad scoffs, rolls his eyes. “What, you get your first sniff of pussy and think you know shit now?”

 

Vesper glares at him. 

 

“Little white knight Junior.” He continues to taunt. “Protecting his mommy.”

 

“I hope they make something in there that they’ll be able to stab you with.” Vesper sneers.

 

“Charming.” His dad grins. “There’s that Wani temper.”

 

Vesper stands up quickly, just wanting to leave, and then getting even angrier when he realises his tail has been through the hole in the back of the chair, so when he stands the chair comes up with him.

His dad titters, which only fuels his rage further.

 

“Leave us alone.” Vesper warns for the final time as he snakes his tail back through the hole, making the chair clatter loudly on the floor. “You’re dead to us.”

 

“Don’t be so dramatic.” Are Vesper Sr’s final words to his son before Vesper leaves. “Short and sweet. Take me back.”

 

*•*

 

“Wani.” Shigaraki greets, leaning in the doorway again which already means that he’s not going to be allowed in.

 

“Can I see Star?” Vesper asks, cutting to the chase. “It’s been over a month. We’re leaving for tour in a couple of days.”

 

Shigaraki hums, nodding his head a little in response to Vesper's words.

And for one stupid moment, Vesper actually feels his heart lift with hope that he might be able to actually see his girlfriend.

 

“She doesn’t want to see anyone. I’m sorry.” 

 

“Have I done something wrong?” Vesper blurts out. 

 

He kind of has the feeling that if he had , Star's dads wouldn’t be as friendly as they had been whenever he appeared at the door. They were sure to be the first ones to make it very clear that he’d done something to upset Star.

 

“No, Wani. I told you already, she’s struggling and needs to work through it on her own right now.” Shigaraki says, his expression as neutral as ever.

 

“Can you just tell me what it is? I’m worried about her. I know she’s gotta be upset about Rei, but it’s been so long and none of us have heard from her or even seen her…”

 

Shigaraki sighs, the sound so soft that Vesper isn’t sure that he didn’t just imagine it for a second.

 

“I understand you’re worried. We’ve tried telling her to get in touch with you, and the girls, but she’s embarrassed right now and in her current state it’s best we don’t push anything too hard with her right now.” Shigaraki explains. “She’ll tell you when she’s ready. I’m sure she’s missing you too.”

 

Vesper doubts that considering Akito had told him she’d gone to get a tattoo, so it wasn’t like she didn’t want to see anyone . But he’s not going to argue with the president of Japan.

 

“I just really wanted to see her.” Vesper mumbles, because he did. 

 

Whenever she needed him he had always been there. 

He’d answered late night phone calls, listened to her sobbing on the other end of the phone and tried to comfort her as best he could, even though even the slightest of upset on her face or in her voice made him want to eradicate whatever had upset her.

He’d had her arrive at his door a good few times now in floods of tears and he’d made sure he held her until she was okay again.

But now he needed the comfort after messing up and saying too much to his dad when he had meant to warn him off. And Star was suffering alone.

 

“I can’t do anything that will put her at risk right now, Wani. I understand, but it’s for the best.” Shigaraki explains again, but it sounds like he’s trying to be gentle about it.

 

“Can I come in and talk to you then?” Vesper asks, his tail curling around his ankle in a self-soothing manner.

 

Shigaraki blinks, and then his eyes narrow. “Me?”

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“…Come in.” Shigaraki relents, moving out of the way and allowing Vesper to step inside. “A drink?”

 

“Yeah. A beer if that’s alright.” Vesper replies gruffly, kneeling to undo his shoelaces. 

 

He feels Shigaraki’s eyes on him, but if there’s judgement, he doesn’t voice it.

When Vesper looks back up, he’s disappeared, and Vesper kind of assumes that he’s meant to just follow him, so he goes through to the kitchen. 

Dabi turns his head from where he sits at the kitchen island, frowning directly at Vesper.

 

“Hey.” Vesper greets awkwardly, his tail threatening to tuck between his legs despite Dabi having been warmer to him lately. “Where’s Nova?”

 

“With your friend.” He replies, leaning his face on his hand. “What’ve you got to talk to ‘Mura about an’ not me?”

 

“Touya.” Shigaraki warns as he pulls beers from the fridge.

 

“I did something stupid.” Vesper grumbles, nervously walking to the kitchen island and getting onto the seat even though he may as well be standing.

 

“Sounds about right.” Dabi grumbles.

 

Shigaraki gives him a warning look, but Vesper can’t be more upset than he already is as he takes a beer from Shigaraki with a small thanks.

 

“What happened?” Shigaraki asks, leaning on the counter and giving Vesper all of his attention.

 

“Before I tell you, I already know it was a stupid idea.” Vesper leads with, but the other two don’t speak, Dabi still frowning at him and not touching his own beer. “‘Cause I’m leaving mom for a month, I wanted to make sure that dad would just leave her alone. So I went to visit him.”

 

Dabi relaxes for some reason, and one of Shigaraki’s mottled brows raises. 

 

“You went to visit your father?” He asks, confused.

 

“I know it was stupid. Thought if I went to see him he’d stop sending stupid fucking letters ‘cause he’d seen me. They always stress mom out.” Vesper grumbles, annoyed at himself.

 

“What is it with you kids and seeing your shitty fucking dads?” Dabi asks himself, sipping his beer and rolling his eyes.

 

Vesper frowns. “Aki…?”

 

“Only in court.” Shigaraki interrupts. “That’s stupid, yes, but I don’t understand why you want to talk about this to me?”

 

“He probably wanted Star, babe. Just wanted to talk about it.” Dabi replies.

 

And he’s not wrong, but there’s more layers to it than that.

 

“I fucked up. Told him to stop sending letters. He knows we haven’t moved now.” Vesper says, grimacing a bit.

 

There’s a moment of silence, Shigaraki inexpressive and Dabi raising an eyebrow.

 

“Quite the fuck up. Why?” Shigaraki agrees.

 

“Got under my skin.” Vesper leaves out the fact that his dad always told him he inherited his temper.

 

“So you get under his.” Dabi suggests teasingly. “F’ you catch my drift.”

 

“I’m not sure familial advice is your forte, babe.” Shigaraki quips.

 

“Ain’t yours either.” Dabi replies, but there’s a smirk on their faces which suggests it’s not malicious from either of them.

 

“You need to tell your mom.” Shigaraki says, swirling his glass of whiskey idly. “But I can have Zero watch over the apartment. He needs a new task to focus on.”

 

“She’ll be upset with me…” Vesper frowns.

 

“Would you rather she was upset with you, or potentially in danger?” Shigaraki asks.

 

Vesper hates that he has a point. “Yeah. Alright.”

 

*•*

 

“Vesper, honey, is that you?”

 

“Yeah, it’s me, mom.” Vesper calls back, guilt and dread eating away at him as he closes the door behind him.

 

“Good day?” She asks, popping her head out from the tiny kitchen and smiling at him. “What’s that face for?”

 

“I’m sorry, mom. I messed up.” He admits, and her smile fades even more, her brows pulling together.

 

“What did you do?” She asks, sounding scared .

 

He really doesn’t like that her fear is due to him this time.

 

“I went to see dad. I thought if I saw him he’d quit writing letters.” He begins to explain, walking towards her, stopping when she takes a step back. “Mom…”

 

“I’m sure he was glad to see you.” She says, but her voice is strained.

 

“I’m not gonna hurt you, mom.” He reminds her, but his voice breaks a little bit.

 

“I don’t understand why that means you messed up, hon.” She says, swallowing hard.

 

“Yeah. Well…” Vesper looks away. He can’t look at her right now. Not when she’s scared of him. “He pissed me off. Ended up saying something I shouldn’t have.”

 

“What?”

 

“Told him to quit sending letters.” Vesper tells her, bracing himself. “Now he knows we’re still here.”

 

She’s silent for a while. For what feels like forever but is probably mere moments.

 

“I just wanted the letters to stop so you wouldn’t get freaked out while I was away, mom.” He continues, just to fill the heavy silence. “I’m sorry. It was so stupid. I don’t even know why he pissed me off that much. But it’s fine, Shigaraki’s getting Star’s uncle to watch over the house. He’s a nomu, but he’s really level headed, you’ll be safe, and-“

 

His mom traps him in a hug, her hand bringing his face down to her shoulder.

 

“Vesper…” She sighs, rubbing his back. “You’re not stupid.”

 

“Dunno about that, mom.” He laughs dryly.

 

“You were doing what you thought was best for me.” She soothes. “Shigaraki’s sorted it out, honey. Don’t beat yourself up about it. We both know what your dad’s like.”

 

“Should’ve just kept my head on.” Vesper sighs, hugging her back. “I’m so sorry, mom.”

 

“Stop.” She reprimands gently. “Just kicks me into gear with finding a new house.”

 

“I’ll help.” Vesper promises, and she laughs.

 

“I know you will.” She replies, sounding like she’s smiling again at least.

 

*•*

 

“Ves!”

 

Vesper turns away from the lead singer of Nightwalker, watching as Akito walks up to him.

 

“Alright?” Akito nods before grinning at Vesper and slapping his back, right between what was left of his wings. Probably unintentional, but it still makes Vesper wince. “We’re ready.” 

 

“Cool.” Vesper nods. “Just finishing up a few bits.”

 

“Got it.” Akito nods, and then stays for the run-down they’re given by the older band.

 

They would have an hour set, break while the equipment was changed, and then Iwoto wanted Vesper to come out to guest on one of their songs. After that they’re free to hang around in the crowd or help load up the vans. 

Keiko and Hana sneak backstage, getting panickedly shooed off by Vesper, and while the other openers get ready, Vesper joins the guys for a pre-show cigarette.

 

“I’m so hyped.” Aoki grins as he leans back, looking up at the starry sky. “This tour’s gonna be sick.”

 

“Might get a record deal that Ves won’t wuss out from.” Akito teases. 

 

Vesper’s quiet, his leg bouncing and his tail flicking behind him.

 

“Ah, the pre-gig jitters.” Abe comments, ruffling Vesper’s hair like he’s some kind of kid. “It’ll be fine, Ves. Don’t sweat it.”

 

“The venue’s packed.” Vesper murmurs.

 

“Better not forget the lyrics then, huh?” Akito teases.

 

“Better not fuck up the riffs on IED.” Vesper bites back.

 

“I’ll do a better job than Shinsou that’s for fuckin’ sure.” Akito shrugs. “Traitor.”

 

“Slut.” Vesper quite literally hisses back.

 

“Guys, let's not do this before the first show.” Abe sighs, tapping ash into the public ashtray.

 

“Yeah Ves, quit being a dick.” Akito continues to tease, bumping his shoulder against Vespers.

 

Vesper bumps his right back, knocking Akito roughly to the side, but he chuckles in response, going back to his own space.

The others are all excited, chatting away, laughing as they smoke together. 

But Vesper’s not matching their energy. Vesper’s in his own head, worried about his mom, and kind of upset that Star didn’t seem to have come to the first show of the tour like the girls had.

 

Keiko would follow Akito to the end of the earth, so her appearance isn’t too surprising. Especially seeing as she wanted to take photos as well as the photographers that had come with Nightwalker. 

Vesper hoped that she might be able to get some networking done for tonight. She didn’t overly enjoy concert photography, but there was more money in it than in the photographs she preferred taking, and with them all planning on moving in together, they’d need all the money they could get.

 

Hana was their number one supporter, so it was no surprise that she was here and probably excited to climb up shoulders so she could cheer them on from the pits.

But Star… He just really had hoped that she would appear, even if she was still upset about her grandma. It seemed out of character for her to not bother considering she knew this show was a big deal for him.

 

“On in five, guys.” One of the organisers calls from the door.

 

“Alright!” Aoki calls back, taking another breath of his cigarette and then putting it out. “I’m so ready.”

 

“Let’s go.” Abe agrees, hooking an arm around Aoki’s neck and pulling him back towards the venue.

 

Akito and Vesper sit in silence as Vesper actually smokes his cigarette for once, even though Akito is just sitting outside with him with his hands in his pockets.

Akito remains quiet until Vesper is done with his cigarette, standing up with him and watching as he throws it away.

 

“You got this, Ves.” Aki reassures, bumping his fist against Vesper’s arm. “Do a good job. You dunno who’s watching.”

 

And that reminder doesn’t exactly soothe Vesper.

 

*•*

 

The show goes well. Surprisingly well.

There seems to be a lot more people in the crowd that know their music than Vesper had really expected, and amongst the lights, he can see all the jumping and moshing as they play, and the cheers and singing are louder than expected.

The song he’d been asked to do with Nightwalker goes well too, the crowd cheering when he’d walked back on stage.

 

He couldn’t help but smile at that, even though he’d been stressed about having so many eyes on him. 

 

He’s sitting on an amp, his tail wagging lazily as the guys all crowd around him, chatting excitedly about how the first show went as the workers all rush around them so everyone can leave relatively early.

The members of Nightwalker clap them all on the back and praise them for doing so well considering it was their first ever arena show.

The girls join them backstage, Hana climbing immediately up Vesper while Keiko and Aki share a kiss and she musses his sweaty hair. It’s the happiest Vesper’s seen Aki for a while, so he doesn’t try to tease them like Akito always does with him and Star.

 

Still no sign of Star, though. So when Hana uncharacteristically suggests a smoke, Vesper shrugs and agrees, following the tiny heteromorph out of the building.

She rushes in front of him, and gestures towards something, and it takes a moment for Vesper to realise what she’s gesturing so proudly at.

 

“Holy shit. Star ?” He breathes, striding towards the girl on the bench and hauling her up into his arms.

 

Star laughs, and he never thought he’d miss that sound so much.

 

“You did so well!” She praises, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

 

“W- Huh? You watched ? Babe, where have you been ? I’ve been so worried.” Vesper asks, burying his face as much as he can into her neck. “I missed you so much. I tried coming over, texting, calling… I thought you were mad at me. I’m so sorry about Rei. You must’ve been so sad. I wanted to be there, I really did.”

 

Star just laughs nervously as Vesper hugs her even tighter as though he’s trying to merge with her.

 

“Vesper! Take her to a bar! Catch up there! Be a gentleman!” Hana demands, pulling on his jacket.

 

“Yeah, I will.” Vesper rumbles against Star’s neck. “Just give me a minute.”

 

“I can’t drink.” Star tells him quietly.

 

“I don’t care. I won’t either. Just wanna see you.” He replies, pressing his snout pointedly against her neck before moving his head back to look at her properly. “It’s been months.”

 

“I’m sorry.” She apologises, and there’s a genuine sadness behind her eyes.

 

“It’s fine. Let’s just…” He gently puts her down on the ground gently, his cheeks heating when he realises she’s wearing the light green dress that had looked so good on her when she was searching for a dress to wear for her parents wedding. “Let’s just go. Let’s go, Star.”

 

*•*

 

“So what’s been going on?” He asks, trying desperately to keep his eyes on hers and not any lower, the dress extremely distracting considering he has so many questions.

 

She hums uncomfortably, her eyes moving away as though she’s trying to pretend she’s distracted.

 

“You first. A lot has happened, right? Can you tell me something first?” She asks, looking at him again sheepishly.

 

He blinks, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sure. Lifes been pretty boring, honestly. I was just working extra shifts at the store to cover my month off, really. And then writing songs with the guys for the tour. Uh… Ended up needing Shigaraki’s help for something. That’s probably the only interesting thing that happened.”

 

“Tomura’s help? Why? Did you get arrested again?” Star asks, frowning. 

 

“Nah, um…” Vesper waits for the waiter to drop their drinks off at the table and thanks him before continuing. “You know my dads been writing letters? They’ve been freaking mom out, so I wanted to make sure that he wouldn’t send more while I was away. She’s not great on her own. So I went to see him.”

 

Stars eyes widen as she sips her drink through a straw so she doesn’t ruin her lipstick.

 

“He got me mad, and I was dumb and told him to stop writing letters. Doesn’t take an idiot to know that means we’re still living in the same place.” Vesper explains, clearing his throat. “Shigaraki has Zero watching over her  and she’s gonna look for a new place when I’m back, but I hated myself for putting her in danger when I was trying to do the opposite.” 

 

Star shakes her head. “You were trying to do something good. Everyone makes mistakes when they’re angry, ‘Mura told me. That’s why they try not to argue and just talk with clear heads, ‘cause people say and do bad things in the heat of the moment.”

 

Vesper smiles a little at her attempt to make him feel better, even though he was probably going to hate himself forever for it.

 

“So what about you?” He asks, wrapping his tail around her ankle under the table. 

 

“Can you tell me what happened with Keiko and Aki? Keiko didn’t really tell me earlier, she was too excited to see me and then the show started…”

 

Vesper looks at her for a second, wondering if she was aware of how bad of a deflection that was to the question he’d asked, but he plays along anyway.

 

“He took her out to dinner with his first paycheck. Apparently there’s a sushi place that she really loves that her parents take her to from time to time. Pretty expensive. He admitted to being a dick, told her he loved her and that he was just scared that he wasn’t good enough for her this entire time.” Vesper explains. “Said the job with Shigaraki made him feel like he was almost good enough for her when I asked him.”

 

Star hums, thoughtfully swirling the straw in her drink. “I bet she’s really happy. She loves him a lot.”

 

“I love you a lot.” Vesper tells her, the words leaving him before he can really think about it and he’s instantly embarrassed by how awkward the words sound coming from him . 

 

Star smiles softly though, even though she looks equally embarrassed. “I love you a lot, too.”

 

“So can you tell me-“

 

“Aki said we could move in too, if we wanted.” She interrupts, and Vesper stares at her.

 

“Babe. Can we stop skirting around this?” He asks, reaching for her wrist and gently wrapping his hand around it.

 

It’s a lot more frail than he remembered.

 

“You just disappeared for two months, basically.” He tries to keep his voice as gentle as it can get. “I couldn’t get in touch with you. I’ve been worried. I’ve missed you. I really want to know what upset you that much for you to ghost us all.”

 

She’s quiet for a moment, staring at her drink instead of him. “It’s embarrassing.”

 

“I keep getting distracted by your dress in public. That’s embarrassing.” Vesper says to try to lighten her mood and worries.

 

She gets all flustered again, looking through her eyelashes at him for a brief glance and then staring at her drink again.

 

“Can you promise not to hate me?”

 

“I don’t think I could hate you if I tried.” Vesper replies honestly, tightening his tail around her ankle in a way he hopes is reassuring.

 

She's thoughtful for a moment before braving looking at him properly, taking a deep breath. 

 

“I was coming to see you after Dabi said I wasn’t grounded anymore.”

 

Vesper frowns a little bit. “Right?”

 

“I wasn’t really paying attention, and D/N used his quirk on me while I was getting off the train.” Her voice lowers to a murmur. 

 

Vesper immediately feels his temperature rise. He remembers the first time she’d been hit with that guy's quirk, how distressed she’d been.

 

“He wanted money, but I said I couldn’t get it for him. So he took me to try to get the money from Dabi and Tomura.” She explains.

 

“That’s not embarrassing, Star. You shouldn’t have to watch your back all the time.” Because he knew his mom still did that, and he hated seeing her so on-edge in public.

 

“There’s more.” She sighs, and Vesper shuts up so he can listen. “I think I annoyed him by asking him to turn it off, because I hated feeling sick all the time. He told me I needed to relax, so I was trying to, and when he came back he…”

 

She takes a deep breath, and Vesper already knows he’s not going to like whatever she says next.

 

“He gave me heroin.” She finally says.

 

Vesper's temperature spikes so sharply that he has to release his hand and tail from her in fear the heat will somehow burn her, his chest burning with fire that wants to be released.

His nose streams smoke, and when he clears his throat to get rid of the uncomfortable feeling in it, more smoke comes out there.

Star looks worriedly at him, and he knows he has to get his anger in check before the hotel staff notice and kick them out.

 

“Sorry. I just…That’s your dad . What the fuck?” He asks, smoke leaving along with his words. “I’m so sorry. I’m so angry. What the fuck . Who does that to their kid?”

 

“You’re really smoking…” She frets.

 

“Sec.” Vesper grumbles, fishing an ice cube from his drink and swallowing it whole even though it’s uncomfortable.

 

That soothes the heat a bit, even if it goes straight to his head first. 

 

“Carry on?” He asks, even though he’s not really sure he wants to hear more. She must need to talk about it.

 

Star looks uncertain, but forces herself to speak anyway. “Akito knew it was him and told Tomura and Dabi where to find him. Us . So they got me back, but I was sick for a while after. Then when I was kind of okay, Dabi told me Grandma Rei had died on the same day D/N took me, so I got bad again. But I’m doing kind of okay now, I think. But I have to avoid drinking, because…”

 

She swallows, looking away again. “‘Cause I’m like my mom. And I don’t wanna be.”

 

Vesper takes a second to soak that all in, knowing he can’t leave it too long to reply otherwise she’ll worry. She already said it was embarrassing for her.

 

“You’re not like your mom.” Vesper replies. “It wasn’t your fault.”

 

“That’s not what I mean…” Star sighs softly.

 

Vesper thinks on what she could mean for a second.

 

“What, you’re addicted?” He asks, confused.

 

Truth be told, he’s not even worried about that. He knows her parents will help her, and he’ll be there too. He just wants to understand her.

 

“Not that…” She murmurs. “I think?”

 

Vesper watches her nervously sip her drink, avoiding his eyes.

 

“It was only the once, but I think about it a lot. Tomura and Dabi make me drink this stuff that makes it go away a little bit, but…” She spins her glass around slowly. “I don’t know. I’m just sorry.”

 

Vesper frowns, wondering why on earth she feels the need to apologise to him. He understands now what Shigaraki and Dabi had been doing. He understands why Star had been completely off grid. It was a lot .

 

“No offense, Star, but I kinda hope he’s dead.” Vesper tells her.

 

Star grimaces. “I told them not to, but Akito said that I’m naive if I think they didn’t.”

 

“Think he might be right.” Vesper agrees with an apologetic smile.

 

They fall into silence again, and Vesper watches her as she continues to fidget nervously.

He doesn’t want to push her too hard. She’s clearly uncomfortable, and doesn’t want to talk too much about it. So he changes the subject, tries to get her to look happy again like she did when he picked her up.

 

“You look really good, babe.” He tells her, squeezing her ankle. “Surprised no-one brought you a drink.”

 

“Hana had them instead.” Star replies with a vague smile. “…Can I stay with you tonight?”

 

“Duh.” Vesper grins. “Not letting you go that easy.”

 

She smiles a little more genuinely at that, but it does fade slowly, “…You really still love me? Even though I have a problem?”

 

Vesper looks at her curiously. “‘Course I do. Besides, it’s only a problem if you let it be.”

Chapter 59: Missed You

Notes:

CW: Wholesome smut. 😂

“It’s fancy.” You breathe as you walk into the hotel room.

 

It’s a lot nicer than the one you’d taken him to for his birthday. The TV is bigger, the bed is huge, and there even seems to be a mini-kitchen in the room. There’s a massive mirror with an elegant framing and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

Every inch of it looks expensive .

 

“Yeah, I let Abe choose where we’d all be staying.” Vesper sighs. “Think he went wild with it.”

 

“It’s nice! He did good!” You praise, running your fingers along the marble countertop of the kitchen area as you walk into the room.

 

“I’m gonna shower babe, I’m gross.” Vesper tells you, resting his hand on the small of your back and then leaning over so he can press his snout against the top of your head.

 

“Can I come?” You ask hopefully. You’re not sure you want to be away from him after so long apart.

 

“Uh… let me check.” Vesper replies, opening the bathroom door, turning the light on and peering in. “Nah, babe. It’s way too small, and I don’t want you getting cold. I won’t be long, though.”

 

“Okay.” You agree reluctantly, sitting on the bed and reaching for the TV remote so you can watch something while he’s in the shower.

 

You’re curled up, hugging your knees with your eyes on the screen when he comes back out with nothing but a towel around his waist, rubbing his hair with another.

You watch him, taking in his beige scales, the muscles of his arms, back and stomach, the little nubs left over from his wing amputation on his back, how thick his tail is and how handsome he looks even when he’s doing something mundane like pulling sweatpants from his bag.

 

“I’m surprised no-one got you a drink.” You comment from the bed.

 

Vesper snorts. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

 

“You’re handsome.” You defend, and Vesper snorts, turning slightly to look at you with a smirk.

 

“You hit your head when I was in the shower?” He teases.

 

You huff at him in response, reaching for him.

 

He holds up his sweatpants in response “Gotta put these on first, babe.”

 

You roll your eyes. “I’ve seen you naked before.”

 

Vesper gets all flustered, the hand holding his clothing lowering slightly. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea with you in that dress, Star.”

 

“I can take it off.” You suggest.

 

“Even worse idea.” He replies with a grin.

 

“Why?” You ask with a slight whine.

 

“‘Cause you look amazing and I don’t wanna lose control.” He replies, not breaking eye contact with you.

 

“Maybe that’s what I want.” You tell him shyly.

 

One of Vesper’s spiked brows raises. “Last time-”

 

“It was ages ago!” You immediately interrupt. “It might be different this time.”

 

“I don’t wanna hurt you again, Star.” He sighs, standing up.

 

“You might not!” You continue to assert, leaning forward to catch one of his large hands in yours. “Vesper, you won’t.”

 

He looks down at you with those emerald eyes that have slitted pupils, his expression hard to read.

 

“I don’t have any protection.”

 

“I brought some.” You admit, your cheeks heating up.

 

He stares at you for a second before frowning slightly.

 

“You didn’t need to do that, Star. I seriously would have just been happy to hold you.” He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, his tail still swaying behind him.

 

“I know, but I want more than that.” You murmur, squeezing his hand. “Kinda looks like you do, too.”

 

His eyes meet yours and you glance down at his tail with a smile.

He rolls his eyes but smirks.

 

“Stupid thing.” He grumbles playfully, but drops his sweatpants to the plush carpet floor. “If it hurts we’re stopping straight away.”

 

“Okay.” You agree, your breath hitching when he crawls onto the bed with you.

 

“I never know how to do this.” He laughs nervously. “You’re so tiny.”

 

“You’re unnecessarily huge.” You counter as his face lowers to yours, but he only grins at you instead of getting upset.

 

“You seem to like it.” He teases, licking your bottom lip hesitantly.

 

“I do.” You agree, looping your arms around his shoulders and bringing him down that little bit further to kiss him.

 

You had forgotten how to kiss him, embarrassingly, but he’s patient with you, gently leading you into the correct position and deliberately going slowly with the kiss so that you’re not overwhelmed too quickly, the hand he’s not leaning on going to rest under your jaw, tilting your head back gently so he can deepen the kiss.

His tail seems to pick up pace behind him with each kiss, eventually resulting in the towel around him falling down on top of you and exposing him fully to you.

 

His eyes widen and he pulls away, but you giggle a bit.

 

“I knew you didn’t really wanna say no.” You tease at the sight of him, not letting him pull away from you. 

 

“ Obviously I want you, Star, that dress…” He stammers in his flustered state, his eyes dropping to your chest and then closing. “Been holding it together all evening.”

 

“Then look at it.” You say, poking his snout playfully.

 

He groans slightly in reluctance, but does force his eyes open and you let go of him so he can kneel back and look at you laid out on the bed, your dress slightly higher than it should be, revealing a lot more leg than it naturally would.

You can’t help but giggle when smoke starts coming from his nose, and he gives you a playful sharp look, his lips twitching upwards. 

 

“Don’t laugh at me.”

 

“I’m not laughing at you. It’s cute. It makes me feel good.” You tell him, reaching for him.

 

“I can make you feel better.” He promises, his voice low as he settles himself over you again.

 

And for some reason that makes your stomach flutter, your face heating up at his words.

 

“Sorry. That was lame.” He apologises against your neck immediately, sounding embarrassed.

 

“I liked it!” You immediately blurt out, gripping his face to pull him down to your lips again. “I want that.”

 

He grumbles into the kiss this time, his tail no longer swaying, but wrapping around your ankle and forcing one of your legs to move further so he can settle between your legs.

You swallow slightly when he breaks the kiss, his pupils so dilated when he looks down at you and runs one of his large hands down the material of your dress that he looks like his eyes are black instead of the stunning green you knew so well. 

His hand tightens when he reaches the cut-out in the side of your dress that exposes your skin.

 

“You’re so soft.” He murmurs.

 

“I love you.” Is your only response, but it makes him smile when he leans in to kiss you again. 

 

And he doesn’t need to say it back, for some reason you can just tell by the way he’s kissing you, the possessive grip on your side and the way you feel so, so safe underneath him.

His hand lowers and lowers until he gets to the hem of the dresses skirt, his hand sliding under the material and resting at your pantyline as you kiss.

He keeps it there until you get tired of him being tentative about it and you wrap your legs around his waist to get him to grind against you in the way you like.

 

He grumbles, the sound deep in his chest as his cocks slide against your dampening panties.

 

“I want you.” You remind him.

 

“Fuck, Star.” He groans, pressing his face as well as he can against your shoulder, his hips rolling again on their own accord.

 

You pant softly, gripping his shoulders as he begins to slide your dress up properly.

You sit up so that you can actually take it completely off, delighting in how worked up you can see Vesper is. Smoke is streaming from his nostrils, his eyes are hungry on you and his tail is thumping against the bed as he watches you pull the tight material up and off your body.

His eyes widen when he sees the underwear you’re wearing, a bright green lacy set that you’d had Keiko help you buy online. They should match the boxers he’d been wearing when you first did this. You had a feeling he really liked that colour.

 

“Babe.” He says, his voice husky. “You’re…”

 

He doesn’t finish his sentence, because he leans straight back over you to kiss you again, but after a couple of kisses he begins to lick down your neck and towards your chest. You watch, your chest heaving as he traces his forked tongue down the centre of your chest to your navel, his eyes rolling up to meet yours.

 

“Can I?” He asks, swallowing audibly.

 

“I…” You’re unsure.

 

Last time you had panicked, his face being so close to your intimate area reminded you too much of your time in the hospital when you were younger.

His hands slide up to your chest as he presses the beak of his mouth against your stomach while he waits for your response, his hands gently kneading your breasts.

 

“Wait!” You half-exclaim when he relents after a while of no response and begins to move away. “W-We can try.”

 

He lifts a brow. “You don’t have to agree, Star.”

 

“I know. I want to.” You say more decisively.

 

“You’ll have to tell me what feels good.” He tells you as he moves down the bed, his upper body the only thing left on the mattress as he kneels on the floor. “And tell me to stop if it doesn’t.”

 

“I know.” You reply, your eyes widening as he drags you further down the bed.

 

He smiles softly at you, his fingers curling around the waistband of your panties and slowly pulling them down your legs, his breath shuddering as you’re fully revealed to him.

He closes his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves before he presses the beak of his mouth to your inner thigh and then running his tongue along it, all the way down to your slit, glancing up at you to gauge your reaction before running his forked tongue slowly up from your entrance to your clit.

 

It feels strange. Not bad but not particularly good either. Probably because you’re so tense that you’re not really allowing yourself to relax and enjoy it, even though you desperately will yourself to.

His hands move from your waist down your legs so that he can move them to wrap around his shoulders, continuing to steal little glimpses of you.

It’s not until he rolls his tongue a little more forcefully against your clit that your eyes widen and your back arches off the bed. 

 

He growls in approval and continues to do precisely the same thing over and over until your stomach feels like it’s all tight again and your body’s working without you really meaning for it to, your hips rolling to grind against his tongue as you gasp and moan.

His growling is near constant at that point and by the time your body tenses and your legs tighten around his head as you let out a loud keen.

His hands are so tight on you that you can feel his claws digging in slightly as you catch your breath, vaguely aware that actually it’s starting to hurt .

 

He carries on, but it’s a lot lighter and he only stops when you reach to prise his fingers from your thighs, his face retracting from your core and his eyes widening when he sees the indents left behind from his fingers, his hands loosening immediately.

 

“I’m so sorry.” He apologises panickedly.

 

“I liked it.” You reassure him, your cheeks heating just from the fact his cheeks are slightly darkened. “Come up here.”

 

“I think another might make it easier.” He murmurs thoughtfully.

 

“I dunno, it’s sensitive.” You reply even as he licks at your inner thigh again. 

 

“That’s good.” He murmurs, closing his eyes and pressing his snout against your leg.

 

“I might die.” You tease playfully.

 

He huffs through his nose and opens his eyes to roll them towards you in a deadpan expression.

 

“You won’t die.” He rolls his eyes at your dramatics and smirks, making his way back down between your legs again.

 

You gasp even though he’s gentler this time, clearly taking your warning that you’re sensitive on board. 

With the heightened sensitivity, the feeling of his tongue on you just makes you come again quicker than the last time, and the same low grumble rumbles through his chest, his tail thumping against the floor when you cry out his name and arch your back.

He works you through it until you’re trying to push him away with your feet, and he almost looks proud of himself when he pulls away.

 

“You look beautiful.” He tells you, getting back onto the bed, wiping his mouth with his arm before pressing the beak of his mouth to yours.

 

“Thank you.” You murmur against his mouth before kissing him back. “I love you.”

 

He grins that toothy grin at you that you love so much before repeating the words back to you and kissing you again.

 

“They’re in my bag.” You tell him, running your nose along his jawline.

 

“Okay.” He replies, the deep rasp of his voice softer than usual. “You’re sure?”

 

You push his shoulders slightly, just wanting him to move, and he chuckles a little even though he doesn’t budge from your effort.

 

“Got it.” He laughs to himself, removing himself from above you, walking over to your abandoned bag.

 

You stare up at the chandelier, trying to ignore the butterflies in your stomach and the uneven beat of your heart.

You’d done this before. You’re not even sure why you’re nervous. 

Even if it hurt again, he’d stop. He’d told you that and you believed him.

 

You look over at him when you feel his weight on the mattress next to you, smiling when you see how he’s smiling.

 

“Turn around?” He asks, shifting himself down the bed.

 

You shake your head. “I wanna see you.”

 

He considers it for a moment. “I dunno how that’s gonna work, babe.”

 

“Can we just try ?”

 

“Alright.” He agrees easily, kissing you and then maneuvering so he’s resting between your legs.

 

You feel a little over-exposed when he looks down at you, even though with your bra still on, you’re less undressed than he is. He seems to be calculating how to do this, and when his hands go back onto your body, they’re gentle as he drags you down the mattress to bring you closer to him.

Vesper seems entirely focused as he lines the blunt head of his lower cock up with your entrance, watching your face as he slowly slides it in.

 

And surprisingly, there’s no pain. None at all.

It just feels kind of strange.

 

You reach for him to lower himself down to you, wanting to have as much contact with him as possible right now.

He does slowly, hunching over slightly so that your faces are somewhat aligned, his forked tongue running up your neck as he slowly bottoms out inside you, letting out a shuddered breath when your hips are flush with one another.

 

“Hurts?” He asks, his voice strained.

 

You shake your head, gripping his shoulders. “Keep going.”

 

He growls again, the sound so harsh compared to the way he shallowly and slowly thrusts into you. 

It’s only when you begin panting and digging your nails into his shoulders, allowing him easier access to your neck so he can drag his sharp teeth across it and then lick the sting they leave behind that he starts moving faster, even if it’s nowhere near as fast as you’d seen on the videos online.

You wrap your legs around his waist, encouraging the movement and gasping against his mouth as he noses yours, trying to get you to kiss him.

 

“Star.” He groans, his head dipping into the crook of your neck again.

 

You don’t reply, just remove one of your arms from his shoulders so you can find his hand and intertwine your fingers with his.

He squeezes your hand, growling again and moving quicker once more, the movement finally getting low moans from you, your other arm scrambling to grip him as he moves over you, your hand accidentally grabbing one of what remains of his wings, causing him to still completely as a louder growl leaves him.

 

Suddenly, his other hand is pinning the one you had used to grip onto him with to the bed, his eyes completely black now with only a thin strip of green around the blown pupils.

 

“Don’t do that.” He tells you, his voice strained more.

 

“I’m sorry.” You apologise immediately, surprised when his mouth meets yours again.

 

His tongue invades your mouth almost desperately licking against yours, and his thrusts are a lot faster.

But it feels good , and you’re both breathing heavily against each other's mouths, his teeth finding your shoulder and scraping against there, soothed by his tongue moments later.

 

“Vesper.” You gasp as he hits something particularly good inside of you, his other cock sliding against your sensitive clit at just the right time to make your toes curl.

 

He growls in acknowledgement, continuing that exact pace as you gasp, moan, and squeeze at his hands.

Minutes later, you feel yourself tensing again, your throat dry but still managing to cry out a broken version of his name as you come again, making his tail thump against the bed behind him, his lips curving up into a smile against your shoulder. 

He releases your hands so you can wrap your arms around his broad shoulders again, pressing your face against the rough scales of his chest as he moves slower again, the slide of his neglected cock almost painful against your clit now.

 

“M’ close, Star. Can I-“

 

He doesn’t even need to finish his sentence because you’re nodding against him, clinging to him like you’re scared to let go.

He doesn’t take much longer, a moment or two of his hips slamming into yours until a shudder runs down his body and a guttural groan leaves him as his unprotected member splashes your stomach with that warm liquid again, his tail thumping against the bed once more.

 

You kiss his chest softly as he catches his breath, choking a little bit against you and when you peer curiously at him you see he’d coughed out a cloud of smoke again. 

 

“That good?” You ask, hopeful.

 

“So good, Star.” He murmurs, lowering you back down to the mattress. “The best.”

 

He nuzzles into your neck, pressing his snout over and over into it and running his tongue over where his teeth grazed you earlier again.

There’s a low, rhythmic rumbling coming from his chest, and his tail is still lashing against the bed, but you’re just happy that he’s happy like you are this time around. 

 

“You’re so beautiful.” He tells you again. “I love you, Star. I’m so happy you came to see us, babe. I missed you so much.”

 

“I missed you too.” You tell him, squeezing him as tightly as you can. “I love you so much.”

 

He moves his head to gaze down at you with a soft smile, his eyes back to normal and his hand moving to brush hair from your face.

 

“I got you messy again.” He says apologetically. “Clean up and a cuddle?”

 

Nothing sounds better, so you grin back up at him and give him a small nod. 

 

“Clean up and cuddle.” You agree.

Chapter 60: Return

The month without Vesper and Akito goes by relatively quickly. Nothing much happens, you return mostly back to your usual routine of going to college and then coming home and doing more coursework or spending time with Keiko and Hana.

It sucked not seeing Vesper, especially after you had put off seeing him for so long before he had gone. But he was sure to keep in contact with you even if it was just a phone call every night or texting you through the day. You even managed to wrangle him to send you some photos of him, his hotel rooms, the venues and photos and videos of them onstage.

 

Keiko seemed to be doing okay without Akito, but her and Hana were so busy trying to arrange moving into the house they’d found that she was too busy to probably think about it.

Nova didn’t seem happy that Akito was gone, though. She was especially displeased that Zero was also too busy to visit.

Dabi was trying to keep her entertained, and even tried taking her to the playground, but apparently she had sulked the entire time, and whenever he tried to teach her JSL, she used some sign language that Akito had taught her which always seemed to get Dabi riled up, even though he tried to hide it. 

You’d heard him telling Tomura that Akito had to go because of whatever he’d taught the little girl, and unable to hold your tongue, you’d stormed into the room and argued with him about it.

 

Funnily enough, a couple of days later, Tomura finally had the house a bit more soundproofed.

 

You started ignoring Dabi after that, because he was being cruel about and to Akito when he’d already had his time of being uncomfortable in a home, and that wasn’t like Dabi. He’d always made sure you were happy and comfortable, and he did the same with Nova. He was even polite to Hana and Keiko when they came over. But he wouldn’t extend that same kindness to Vesper or Akito, even if he tried to be pleasant to them.

Tomura had forced you to stop after three days of that, though. Dabi was struggling with the loss of his mom, what had happened to you, the fact that Tomura was working late again now Akito was touring and Nova being difficult. So you ignoring him was making it even worse.

 

You didn’t want him to suffer even more if he was struggling. You did love him after all.

 

You were anxiously waiting for the next day to roll around, it was Ill Intent’s last day of their tour and then they’d come back, and you’d be able to see Ves again.

You aren’t expecting Akito to text you as you lay on your bed filling the time with short form content.

 

Aki🎸 :  oi need ya to do me a favour.

⭐️: who’s this ?

Aki 🎸: lol very funny

Aki🎸: we’re not gonna make it back 2moro so can ya move my bits in with the girls

 

Your face falls immediately. You really had been excited for them to come back, and Keiko was going to be really annoyed with Akito for agreeing to a move in date and then not being able to move with them both on that date.

It’s even worse hearing it from Aki and not Vesper.

 

⭐️: that sucks. Keiko is gonna be mad.

Aki🎸: hopin she’ll be less mad with the news comin from you

⭐️: great thanks

Aki🎸: thanks b, love ya

Aki🎸: {{Image attachment}}

 

He sends you a photo of himself holding up a heart formed with his fingers, Vesper sitting on an amp in the background, looking off to the side and grinning a sharp-toothed grin at someone out of shot.

You zoom in on that part of the photo, knowing Akito sent it precisely for that reason, but letting it work on you anyway.

 

⭐️: payment accepted

Aki 🎸: legend thnx

Aki🎸: oh btw don’t look in the box under my bed k love you byeeee

⭐️: what? Why?

⭐️: Aki?

 

*•*

 

Luckily Akito didn’t really have much in the way of belongings, so you’re only carrying a bag full of clothes over your shoulder and a couple of boxes in your arms on the way over to their new home.

They also weren’t too far away from your house now. Around ten minutes on the train and then a couple minutes walk to their home.

It’s a narrow house looking at it from outside, a lot smaller compared to the houses on your block, but it was separate to some other houses on the street that were conjoined. 

 

Keiko is outside, talking to a mover with her arms crossed over her chest, and when she sees you carrying Akitos things, she drops her arms, her yellow eyes widening.

 

“ Star? What are you doing?” She asks as you approach.

 

“Aki can’t make it, so he asked me to move this stuff for him.” You explain as she takes the boxes from you. 

 

“Typical.” She huffs, but her expression softens quickly. “Thank you.”

 

“It’s okay! Are you struggling?” You ask, curious about her body language upon seeing her.

 

“No, no. It’s going well. Hana’s already unpacking her room. I was just stressed about-“ She sighs, carrying the boxes up the narrow staircase in front of you. “Well. It makes sense now.”

 

“I’m sure there’s a reason he can’t come.” You try to reassure from behind her.

 

“It just would have been nice to have unpacked everything with him…” She murmurs, leading you into a room opposite the room where you can hear Hana singing and thumping around. “It’s meant to be our home, you know? The start of his future. Our future.”

 

You place the bag on the floor next to the boxes she’s put down there.

The room is kind of messy. There are boxes piled up and then even bigger boxes and a random mattress on the other side of the room.

 

“It’s nice.” You tell her which is a lie considering its current state, and if it’s obvious, she doesn’t acknowledge it.

 

Instead she just sighs, giving you a small, apologetic smile.

 

“Wanna help me build the bed?”

 

You blink. “Uh, I can try?”

 

It does not go well, though. The instructions aren’t clear, and you end up building the first section upside down somehow.

Keiko looks like she’s about to cry when a huge shadow falls over you both.

You turn, your eyes widening when you see Vesper ducking through the doorway. You shoot up to your feet and leap at him, feeling the laugh vibrate through his body as he catches you.

 

“Surprise.” He grins as you cup his scaled face in your hands.

 

You kiss between his nostrils affectionately and then wrap your arms around his neck, squeezing him tightly.

 

“Ves, where’s Akito?” Keiko asks from the floor, clearly confused.

 

“Alright, whiskers?” Akito greets from behind Vesper.

 

Vesper lets you kiss him a couple of times before putting you down just as Keiko storms over to Aki, calling him a dumbass and then hugging him tight, her feline ears brushing against one of his pierced ears.

 

“I thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow.” You say just as Hana begins climbing up Vesper’s tail to greet him with a hug.

 

“Akito said he wanted to surprise you guys.” Vesper explains, wincing when Hana hugs him tight, her round ear bumping against the point of one of his as she buries her face against him.

 

“You did so good!” Hana praises. “You were so brave!”

 

Vesper's tail swipes against the floor at the praise as he thanks her quietly, and the corners of his mouth turn upwards slightly.

 

“Star! When did you get here?” She asks, scrambling down him again to throw herself at you.

 

“A while ago.” You laugh. “You were singing.”

 

“Come and look at my room!” She encourages, letting go of you and grabbing your hand. “You too, Ves.”

 

“Hana, don’t keep them too long, I need Vesper to help lift the mattress.” Keiko says between purrs while Akito scratches between her ears. “Stop petting me and help me build the bed.”

 

“But you’re lovin’ it.” Akito teases.

 

Hana huffs, pretending to throw up as she continues to lead you to her room across the hall. Poor Vesper has to duck again to enter the room, which is a lot smaller than Keiko and Akito’s room, but she’s beaming when she lets go of your hand to hold her arms in the air.

 

“Ta-da!” She calls happily. “What do you think? Do you like it?”

 

You look around at what she’s done so far. There’s a dresser covered in marker drawings, the markers capped and laying on the floor in front of it, a bed partially assembled, a plastic bookshelf filled with books that look like they’re more educational than fun, and empty and half-filled boxes everywhere. She’s been sure to stick her artwork up on the walls, though. The wall furthest to the door is covered in her art. 

 

“Looks great.” Vesper nods. 

 

“Star?” Hana asks hopefully.

 

“I like your dresser.” You settle with.

 

“It’s my first ever room all to myself!” Hana explains excitedly, happy with your answer. “I can decorate how I want, so I’m gonna draw on all my furniture! Ves, can you help me build my bed?”

 

Vesper rolls his eyes with a grin but he agrees and kneels on the floor, his tail swishing lazily across the floor as he reads the instructions and begins to put the bed together for her.

You settle beside him to help where you can, and Hana practically bounces around her room unpacking things and setting up things on her dresser.

Vesper is apparently better at building furniture than you and Keiko had been, because he manages to get it done before Keiko calls him in to help.

 

In fact, all you’ve heard from their room is thumping and laughter as well as bickering. So you could safely assume that they’re still building their bed. 

Hana takes Vesper’s success as a sign she can keep asking him to do more, so he ends up building her wardrobe too, which seems to take even less time and she’s very thankful afterwards.

By then, Keiko is calling for Vesper, who obediently follows the sound of her voice. 

 

You stay with Hana, helping her unpack and hang up her clothes, listening to her chatter excitedly about how great it is that she's finally out of her family home.

You can’t imagine being that excited to leave your family behind. You can’t imagine not having Dabi at home if you wanted some company.

She also explains she got some bar work, so she won’t be able to hang out as much in the evenings. It’s disheartening, but you understand. They were doing adult things now, and they needed the money to fund that.

 

She takes your silence as upset, and ends up winding her arms around your waist, her face pressing against your torso. 

 

“Don’t worry Star, I still love you!” She promises. 

 

“Stealing Vesper’s girl?” Akito asks from the doorway, whistling as he looks around Hana’s room. “Nice. You’ve been workin’ hard, huh?”

 

That starts Hana off again on her spiel about how excited she is and asking if his room with Keiko is nearly done. He shrugs and explains Keiko has a ‘vision’ for the room, and that he’s gonna go and smoke.

You take the chance to go back to Keiko’s room, laughing softly to yourself when you see the bed has been assembled and made, and Vesper is in the process of building their wardrobe too while Keiko unpacks random items.

 

“Do you want some help?” You ask him as you crouch beside him.

 

“Nah, it’s alright, babe.” He replies, using one of his talons to screw something into place. “I’m sorry about this. I was gonna surprise you and then take you out somewhere.”

 

You give him an affectionate look, even though his attention is entirely on the task at hand. You lean your head against his arm, smiling away to yourself.

 

“That’s okay. It’s nice you’re helping.” You tell him.

 

“Thanks, Ves. Clearly we're useless at building.” Keiko thanks guiltily, as though Vesper's comment had made her feel bad.

 

“No worries. This kind of furniture is hard.” He replies.

 

“You can go if you want, I’m sure me and Aki can put our heads together.” Keiko continues.

 

“It’s fine, Keiks. I’ll do this and then we’ll go.” He replies, standing up the section he's built.

 

You watch him admiringly as he builds, finding it fascinating. You hadn’t realised he was so good at things like this. But you suppose with his dad in prison, he’d probably had to learn to be for his moms sake.

When he’s done building it, Keiko thanks him and gives him a hug, her tail swishing behind her. She hugs you too, thanks you and gives you a small smile before shooing you both out of the room and telling you to have a nice time together.

Hana and Akito are talking in her room, and when you peer around the doorway to tell them you’re leaving, you see that they’re both doodling on her wardrobe now.

 

“We’re off.” Vesper announces, ducking under the door slightly. 

 

“Okay! Bye guys! Thank you Vesper!” Hana calls. 

 

“Later guys, have fun.” Akito nods, winking at you both.

 

You roll your eyes at him, walking back down the stairs and opening the door, watching Vesper duck under it to join you.

 

You end up going to a ramen bar nearby, and you’re admiring him from next to him as he talks about the gig. He’s smiling as he talks about it which is good, and his tail is brushing rhythmically against the floor which means he really must have enjoyed himself.

There’s just something different about him, but you can’t pinpoint it for a while as you scan his face. And then you realise with his hair down, it’s past his shoulders now. Without thinking, you reach for it, stroking down the long black strands and looking at the growing buzz cuts on the sides of his head. 

 

He laughs self consciously, his eyes moving to the side. “What?”

 

“Your hair has grown.” You explain. “It looks good.”

 

“You think?” He asks, raising a hand to his hair and moving it to the side with a small smile. “Thanks, babe.”

 

“You always look good.” You tell him with a reassuring look. “ Always .”

 

His cheeks begin to flush, and he rubs his neck awkwardly, even though his tail is moving a bit more quickly across the floor. 

 

“You too, Star.”

 

“Come back to mine?” You ask softly, tilting your head and leaning your face in your hand.

 

“I’d love to, Star, but mom…” He sighs.

 

“Zero was fine with staying another night to watch over her.” You reply. “Please. I really missed you.” 

 

“I missed you too.” He replies, but he still doesn’t look certain about staying.

 

Not wanting to directly say what you’re asking for, it’s you that gets awkward, your eyes moving around the relatively empty restaurant to make sure no-one will hear you.

 

“I mean, like…” You pause, swallowing. “I thought we could maybe… you know?”

 

Vesper blinks at you in confusion a couple of times before he realises what you’re trying to say and he looks surprised .

 

“You… Again ? Are you sure?” He asks.

 

You nod, your cheeks heating. 

 

“Your house isn’t really all that private.” He says with an apologetic smile.

 

“Tomura had it soundproofed while you were away.” You respond quickly.

 

Vesper is quiet for a moment, his emerald eyes staring down at his beer bottle. “…If you’re sure. Yeah, I’d like that.”

 

“You could sound more enthusiastic.” You try to tease.

 

He gives you a look you’ve never seen before before leaning towards you so his mouth is close to your ear.

 

“I’ve been thinking about when I last saw you constantly . I’m trying to hold it together because we’re in public. If I start smoking we’ll cause a scene.” He murmurs, hissing as he pronounces every ‘s’ in a way that suggests he really is trying to hold it together, and then moves back again.

 

Heat rushes to your cheeks, and you can see that Vesper's cheeks are tinted pink too as he finishes his beer in one gulp. 

You down your drink, too, even though it’s just a soda, and stand up straight after, even though Vesper’s looking at you curiously.

 

“Let’s go, then?” You ask.

 

Vesper laughs awkwardly, but gets up too, grabbing his bag from the floor. “Sure. Let’s go.”

 

You hold hands the entire journey home, completely absorbed in conversation with him, beaming up at him on occasion only to see his eyes focused on the odd few people that seem to be staring at you both. You always made sure to catch their eyes too to glare at them while he was distracted, sticking your middle finger up at one guy in particular who met your glare with a look of disgust.

Vesper murmurs something about not staying late in that part of town again, but you shrug it off. You had faith that Vesper could stand up for himself if it came down to it, and if you got into serious trouble, your dads would handle it if you guys couldn’t.

 

When you get home, the house is dark aside from the thin strip of light coming from Tomura’s office, suggesting that everyone has gone to bed. Even Cloud doesn’t come meowing to the door like usual, which means he must be sleeping with Nova for the night.

You sneak upstairs, even though Vesper can’t help being a little louder as the stairs creak under his feet. It’s quite funny watching him try to sneak, and you have to hold back your laughter when you look back at him all amused only for his tail to start to wag when your eyes meet and thump loudly against the bars of the banister. 

 

You wait for him to put his bag on the floor before pulling him towards your bed by the hand and sitting him on the edge of the mattress.

He automatically goes to tie his hair up but you shake your head as you straddle his lap, gently lowering his wrists as he looks up at you like there’s nothing else he’d rather be gazing at.

 

“Leave it down?” You request.

 

He chuckles at you, showing his sharp teeth and resting his hands on your waist to pull you closer.

 

“You like it that much?” He asks.

 

You nod eagerly, wrapping your arms around his neck.

His grin grows as he tilts his head back so you can kiss him softly.

 

“I’m glad.” He murmurs against your mouth.

 

*•*

 

You’re cuddled up to Vesper's side, his tail wagging against the side of the bed as he rubs your side slowly, his eyes on the ceiling as you rest your face on his scaled chest which seems to be vibrating with a constant rumble similar to how Cloud purrs when you pet him.

You enjoyed what happened before cuddling up like this, but you like being able to cling to him and hug for as long as you want even better.

 

His heart is beating quickly still even as you’re resting, and when you drape your arm over his abs, his heart completely stops for a moment before starting up again.

 

“Are you okay?” You ask, a little concerned.

 

“Yeah, gorgeous. Are you?” He asks in return, his hand moving from your side to your hair, running his fingers through your hair gently.

 

“I’m okay.” You reply, pressing yourself closer to him. “Your heart sounds funny.”

 

“I’m… it’s…” He stammers awkwardly. 

 

“I don’t care, I just want you to be okay.” You tell him, squeezing him slightly with the arm wrapped around his torso. “I missed you.”

 

“I’m fine, Star.” He reassures, returning back to running his claws through your hair. “I missed you too.”

 

You lay there quietly for a while together, and slowly his heartbeat does begin to even out, even as the rumbling through his chest continues.

 

“Aki wants to throw a housewarming party tomorrow.” He finally says, his voice a low grumble. “They weren’t going to tell you in case it was too much but me and Hana said that wasn’t fair.”

 

You pause, soaking that in. 

After the initial hurt, you kind of can understand why they wouldn’t have wanted to push you into going. If Akito wanted a party, they were never tame . If they knew what had happened to you, if Akito or Vesper had accidentally told the girls, they wouldn’t want you to be surrounded by things that might harm you.

 

“You’ll be there, right?” You ask after a deep breath.

 

“If it’s okay with you that I go, yeah.” He replies, turning his face to bump the beak of his mouth against the top of your head.

 

“And it won’t be like last time?” You ask, quieter this time.

 

Vesper pauses. “No. No, I don’t think so. Things’re going alright for him at the moment.”

 

You nod against his chest. “Okay. If it’s not like last time, and you’ll be there, I wanna go.”

 

“Alright, babe.” Vesper replies, pressing his snout against your head. “I’ll look after you.”

 

“I know.” You smile softly.

Chapter 61: Messy

Where’d you come from?” Dabi asks from the kitchen table as soon as Star and Vesper appear in his eyeline.

 

“Dad.” Star sighs at the same time Shigaraki kicks Dabi gently under the table.

 

“Morning.” Vesper greets anyway, obediently picking Nova up the second she abandons her breakfast to rush over to him. “I’m not staying.”

 

“Ignore Touya, there’s enough food for you too.” Shigaraki says with a sharp look at his husband.

 

“Gotta go check in on mom.” Vesper explains as Nova nuzzles her face into his neck. 

 

He doesn’t realise that probably wasn’t the best thing to say until a quick flash of hurt crosses over Dabi’s scarred face. He doesn’t say anything about it, though, so Vesper assumes that he can’t be too angry.

Star pats his arm to quietly ask him to crouch, which he does so she can kiss his cheek quickly.

 

“See you later. Love you.”

 

“Love you too.” He replies, smiling softly. “Nova, I gotta go.”

 

Nova shakes her head against his neck in response, gripping onto him tighter.

Vesper looks to Star for help, but she’s now sitting at the table helping herself to breakfast. Shigaraki catches his eyes though.

 

“Nova, the sooner Wani can go home, the sooner Zero will be free to take you out.” Shigaraki says evenly.

 

Nova immediately scrambles to be let down, practically letting go of Vesper quickly enough that she almost would have fallen to the floor if Vesper hadn’t caught her the fastest he’s ever moved before.

 

“Good catch.” Shigaraki smirks, but Dabi doesn’t look impressed at all. In fact, he’s actively glaring at Vesper.

 

Vesper gives an uncertain laugh as he sets Nova carefully on the floor, feeling his tail beginning to tuck between his legs at the weight of Dabi’s gaze.

 

“I’ll head off. Thanks for having me.” He bows his head politely, only to get a raised brow from Shigaraki and no easing of the glare from Dabi.

 

He turns, but Nova pats his leg to get his attention again, and Vesper crouches so he’s close to her level, his forearms resting on his knees.

She signs something to him, something he vaguely recognises as ‘goodbye’, and then she signs something else, something he doesn’t recognise at all, and he doesn’t even have Akito around to translate for him.

Cautiously he raises his eyes to look at Dabi for help.

 

“She wants you to come over again.” Dabi informs him blandly. “So she can use you as a ladder.”

 

“You know I’ll always pick you up.” Vesper grins at the little girl before realising when she flinches that his sharper than average teeth probably freaked her out. “Sorry.”

 

Nova blinks at him though, before her hands are reaching for his mouth and trying to pry his lips apart like he’s a dog.

 

“Nova, don’t do that!” Star snaps.

 

“Oi, princess, breakfast. ” Dabi sighs, getting up to grab Nova.

 

“It’s fine.” Vesper tries to reassure as Dabi plucks Nova from in front of him to drop her back into the chair she’d been sitting in before Vesper’s arrival.

 

Nova pouts, but signs goodbye to him again, and Vesper clumsily tries to sign it back to her.

 

“Later, Star.” He waves, and gets a wave and a smile back from her. 

 

He turns around again, thankful that he shouldn’t get stopped again, listening to Shigaraki ask Star about what she’s doing today and how Akito’s managing the move. He crouches to put his shoes on, completely unaware of the presence behind him until Dabi speaks.

 

“You better be bein’ responsible.” He sneers, making Vesper startle, his tail thumping against the floor at the same time he spins his body around to look at Dabi with wide eyes. “I ain’t taking care of anything you make.”

 

Vesper stares at him for a second before frowning. “What?”

 

“You know what.” Dabi snaps back. “Don’t piss me off kid, you hear me?”

 

Vesper looks at him, taken aback. “I- What? Have I done something wrong?”

 

Dabi’s eyes narrow in anger and he saunters back off into the kitchen, leaving Vesper confused and alone.

 

*•*

 

“I’m back!”

 

“Vesper!” His mom calls, slamming into him and trapping him in a hug before he can even drop his bag on the floor. 

 

He snorts, wrapping his arms around her. “Missed you too. Was everything okay?”

 

“Fine. I just missed you.” His mom replies, squeezing him a little tighter and then letting go of him so she can grin a sharp-toothed smile up at him. “Tell me all about it! Star was sending Zero videos to show me, you did amazing sweetheart!”

 

“She did?” Vesper asks as he follows his mom into the house, embarrassed but also touched that Star had thought to do that for his mom.

 

“Yeah! She sent videos from when she went to see you, and then she sent Zero um… what was it again, Zero?”

 

“Links.” Zero replies, smiling at Vesper from their couch. “Welcome back, Wani.”

 

“Thanks, man.” Vesper says without really realising how informal that is, tilting his head towards Zero in acknowledgement and dropping his bag by the coffee table. 

 

“Yes! Links to videos other people have taken!” His mom claps, in the best mood he’d seen her in for a while. “Do you want breakfast, honey?”

 

“That’d be nice mom. I’ll help-“

 

“Sit! Sit!” She encourages, and Vesper can’t find it in himself to deny her, so he sits in one of the plastic chairs by the small round table by the window.

 

Mom disappears off into the kitchen, humming one of Ill Intent's softer songs, and Vesper lets himself melt back into his seat.

 

“Thanks for looking after her. I appreciate it.” Vesper tells Zero, who seems perfectly content sitting on the couch smiling away.

 

“That’s alright. I enjoyed the company. Your mother is a lovely woman.” Zero informs him.

 

“She is.” Vesper agrees, the sound of something frying in the kitchen following through to the living room.

 

“She taught me a lot.” Zero muses, his fingers running over a old slash mark along his jawline. “I’m hoping I’ll be able to use some of it for little Nova.”

 

Zero’s lips curve upward a little more at the mention of Nova. Vesper kind of gets the feeling that he might really care for Nova, which feels strange. He didn’t realise he could really care for anyone outside of orders. 

 

“Nova likes spending time with you.” Vesper offers, unsure what to say in response. “Star said she’s been sulking since you’ve been gone.”

 

“I don’t like knowing she’s been sad about it.” Zero replies thoughtfully. “I’ll see her soon.”

 

“I think she’s hoping for that.” Vesper nods.

 

“Here you go! So, anyway, how was the tour?” His mom asks, placing a plate full of scrambled eggs on toast and a glass of water in front of him. “Did Aki manage to play okay?”

 

“Mom, I’m not gonna eat all of that.” Vesper says as she sits on the chair opposite him. 

 

“Less whining, more talking.” She replies, moving to pinch his cheek, but he swats her away.

 

“Yeah, Aki played fine. The guys were excited every night. The crowd knew a decent chunk of songs. I thought I’d be more nervous, but it got easier every night.” Vesper replies, digging into his food. “There’s a gift in my bag for you.”

 

“A gift?!” His mom asks excitedly. “Am I okay to look?”

 

“Nah, there’s a shit tonne of drugs in there.” Vesper deadpans and she slaps his arm.

 

“ Language. ” She warns, but she gets up anyway. “You better not talk like that in front of Star, Vesper Wani.”

 

“Your son is always respectful of Star.” Zero informs her as he stands. “I’ll leave now Wani’s back. Thank you for the food and bed.”

 

“Thank you for the company! You’re always welcome for dinner. You could even bring your little girl, you know.” His mom replies, stopping mid-task to give Zero a hug.

 

Zero is quiet for a moment before thanking her, giving her a quick hug back and then waves goodbye to Vesper. Vesper waves back, playing with the remainder of eggs on his plate.

His mom finds the gift quickly, pulling out the omamori charm and clasping it to her chest. 

 

“Thank you!” She says graciously, her slit-pupiled eyes sparkling.

 

“That’s alright mom, thought it might be good to have.” 

 

“It’s so pretty! You’re so sweet, honey.” 

 

Vesper just gives her a soft smile. “How was it with Zero?”

 

“Good! Interesting. He knows a lot.” She replies, getting up to join him at the table again.

 

“He said you taught him some stuff.”

 

“Oh, just kiddie talk. Nothing exciting for you.” She smiles softly. “He’s taken quite a liking to this Nova girl, and apparently he’s been told he doesn’t have the empathy or understanding of how to look after a child, so I’ve been trying to give him some knowledge so he can have more of a leg to stand on with taking care of her in the future.”

 

“You…” Vesper begins to say, and then stops himself. “He’s a nomu, though.”

 

His mom gives him a disapproving look. “That doesn’t mean he has any less rights than us if he wants to have a family.”

 

Vesper takes a sip of water as her scanning of his face becomes more thoughtful.

 

“So when am I gonna get some grandbabies?” She asks, and water comes out of Vesper's nose as he splutters, making his mom laugh. “Oh, don’t be like that.”

 

“Never.” Vesper says between coughs. “Star wouldn’t be able to.”

 

His mom rolls her eyes, retrieving some tissue from the side to clean up the mess of water on the table.

 

“Why’s that?”

 

“Look at me.” Vesper deadpans. “Star’s tiny. You struggled carrying me.”

 

She tuts. “Never say never.”

 

Vesper groans. “Never.”

 

“Mm.” His mom shrugs, smiling to herself. “…So you enjoyed yourself?”

 

“Yeah. It was alright.” Vesper says, still clearing his throat.

 

“Plan on doing it more?” 

 

“Maybe. When we have a new place, and the restraining order is renewed.” Vesper shrugs. 

 

His mom looks at him thoughtfully. “I’ve found a new apartment.”

 

His back straightens. “You have?”

 

“Yes, but I’ve been thinking.” She replies, leaning her cheek on her scaled fist. “Maybe it’s time for you to follow in Akito and the girl’s footsteps.”

 

He frowns slightly. “What?”

 

“I’m just holding you back, honey. I want you to do what’s best for you.” She explains, sounding like she’s beginning to panic. “Your band is doing well, you’re making a name for yourself. I just feel like you should throw yourself into that instead of putting things off in fear of something happening to me. I’ll be fine on my own. I’m a grown woman.”

 

“You’re kicking me out?” He asks, his eyebrows furrowing even more in confusion. “You think you’re holding me back?”

 

“Sweetheart.” His mom sighs, shifting in her seat. “We both know you hold yourself back because you worry about me.”

 

“That’s not even true.” He replies, offended. 

 

His mom sighs, scratching her arm like she always does when she’s nervous. 

 

“It’s not .” He asserts. “I don’t do shit because I’m scared . I’m a fucking coward. It has nothing to do with you.”

 

“Vesper.” She warns, but there’s a fearful shake in her voice.

 

“I’m scared of failing, I’m scared of embarrassing myself, I’m scared of making the Wani name even fucking worse-“

 

“Let's talk about this later.” His mom says, standing up, her hands shaking. “I just want the best for you, love.”

 

And then she leaves the room, leaving Vesper alone, confused, annoyed and guilty that he’d managed to scare her again.

 

*•*

 

It takes a lot to get Vesper drunk. 

A lot .

Between his build and his quirk, it was nearly impossible to get a decent buzz going.

 

But drinking away from his heat lamp when his mom had gone to work, and not eating through the day had got him to a decent state of drunk, even if he was getting tired from the cold.

He goes to Akito’s new house with only a sweater on, hoping that continuing to drink with his quirk laying dormant might get him to the decent level of drunk where he’ll forget how he upset his mom.

 

“Fuckin’ finally .” Akito greets when he opens the door. “Everyone else arrived an hour ago. What- Aren’t you cold?” 

 

“Nah.” Vesper shrugs. “I’ll be alright.”

 

Akito frowns, but moves out of the way so that Vesper can come in. 

Vesper crouches to undo his boots, ignoring the feeling of Akito’s eyes burning into his back.

 

“You good, dude?” Akito asks, nudging Vesper's side with his knee.

 

“Yup.”

 

Akito crosses his arms. “Convincing.”

 

“Who’s here?” Vesper asks, changing the subject.

 

“Well, the gang. Then Abe, Fujio, Aoki and Itō.” Akito replies. “If something’s wrong…”

 

“Itō came?” Vesper asks, sighing.

 

“They can hear you, dickhead.” Akito scorns, but he’s smiling. “Play nice.”

 

“Don’t play too nice.” Vesper bites back, and Akito’s grin only grows. 

 

The second Star is in his line of vision, his tail starts thumping against the floor, the alcohol he’d consumed earlier stopping him from being able to control it as well as he usually can.

 

“Earthquake.” Abe’s partner, Fujio smirks, his golden eyes filled with mirth.

 

“Not everyone can be as graceful as you.” Abe says, fiddling with the auburn hair between Fujio’s fox-like ears.

 

“Hi.” Star greets, smiling at him like she hadn’t seen him for months despite having seen him this morning.

 

It’s almost enough to take his breath away.

 

Vesper grunts a greeting, lifting her up from her seat and sitting down with her so her back is pressed against his chest, resting his chin on her shoulder. She’s all tense against him for a second before she relaxes again, but he just wants to be close to her right now.

 

“Good job at the shows, Ves. Heard there were minimal freak-outs.” Fujio praises, lifting a glass in a mock toast, his clawed hands somehow even more delicate than Keikos.

 

“I tried.” Vesper acknowledges, his voice a low grumble.

 

“He only shit himself once.” Aoki grins, trying to join in on mocking Vesper to impress his new girlfriend, no doubt.

 

“And you fucked up the solo in Mayhem on the first night.” Akito jumps to Vesper's defense, shrugging as he brings a beer to his pierced lips. “And that actually happened.”

 

Aoki’s expression darkens, but Itō seems unbothered by the banter, swirling the wine in her glass as she stares at Vesper and Star.

 

“Man!” Hana exclaims, thundering into the room, crossing her arms over her dungaree covered chest. “Yume’s still not here?”

 

“Startin’ to think this girl’s a figment of your imagination, squeaks.” Akito teases.

 

“She’s real !” Hana insists. 

 

The two continue to argue back and forth, with Fujio encouraging it slyly and Vesper uses the distraction to press the beak of his mouth against Star’s neck.

 

“You’re so beautiful.” He tells her, because she is.

 

She gets all flustered, which only makes her more beautiful, her eyes averting, looking at everyone else apart from Vesper as she giggles nervously.

 

“Why aren’t you looking at me ?” He asks, his hands tightening around her waist slightly.

 

And he cherishes the fact that her eyes automatically meet his after that question, the embarrassment so easily readable on her face. 

Adorable. She’s adorable .

 

“I love you.” He tells her and loves that she smiles when he says it and her hands go to his hair, gently moving a few stray black strands behind his ears without touching the sensitive tips. 

 

“I love you too.” She replies quietly.

 

“Get a room guys.” Aoki says, rolling his eyes.

 

“Yeah, Hana’s crying about her imaginary girlfriend here.” Akito teases, flicking one of Hana’s ears.

 

“Fuck off! She’s real! ” Hana snaps.

 

“Aki, quit winding her up.” Keiko sighs, getting up to refill her glass, her tail swishing lazily behind her. “Anyone else?”

 

Vesper’s bandmates all agree, and Itō silently raises her glass as well. 

Keiko looks like she hesitates, as though she’s going to try to ignore her, but she does take the glass from the blonde's hand without even looking at her.

Aoki watches Keiko as she walks off, his jaw clenching. His eyes meet Vespers.

 

‘What’s the fucking problem?’ He mouths to Vesper, and Vesper shrugs before trying to mouth ‘she’s rude’ back to him. 

 

Fujio watches the two of them, an amused smirk pulling his lips up on one side, one of his ears flicking in interest. Abe notices and presses his lips to Fujio’s temple, murmuring something to him. Fujio’s gold-flecked eyes drop down at that, but he carries on smiling.

 

“Ves? Drink?” Keiko asks, and when Vesper looks up at her, she’s smiling warmly at him. 

 

“Sure. Thanks.” He agrees, and Keiko grins a little more genuinely at him as she passes.

 

“I thought you weren’t going to drink?” Star asks quietly, and the second he returns his attention to her, he automatically feels guilty, because she looks hurt.

 

“Sorry, gorgeous. I forgot.” He murmurs, pulling her forward for a chaste kiss. 

 

Having her closer, feeling the heat of her body against his, only highlights how cold he actually is, and he finds himself pulling her as close as possible to him, even though she gets all flustered again. 

 

“Ves. Smoke.” Akito says, nudging Vesper with his elbow and tilting his chin towards the door. 

 

“Nah man.” Vesper grumbles, his eyes slipping closed for a second longer than a mere blink.

 

“C’mon. Just stand out there all pretty then.” Akito rolls his eyes, getting up and then he tries to pull Star off his lap, only for Vesper to tighten his arms around her and growl .

 

The room goes quiet, Star tenses and Akito stares at Vesper, surprised. 

 

“What’s going on with you?” Akito asks in a hiss, trying to sound like his usual, teasing self, but he lets go of Star instantly. “Smoke. Now.”

 

“Aki, weren’t you taught about peer pressure in school?” Fujio asks, the only person that matches Akito’s unrelenting urge to tease in the room.

 

“Fine. Fine. I’m coming.” Vesper sighs, letting go of Star, who’s quickly clambered on by Hana as she mopes about some Yumi girl being too scared to come to the party. “Sorry, man.”

 

“Outside.” Akito replies shortly, giving Vesper a once-over before shooing a disgruntled Itō off a blanket that had been underneath her and throwing it over Vesper’s shoulders.

 

Vesper is struggling to keep his eyes open as he follows Akito to the pokey garden out back. Akito waits until his cigarette is lit and he’s taken a breath of it before gesturing vaguely to Vesper with his hand, the cigarette tucked between his fingers.

 

“What’s your problem?”

 

“I don’t have a problem. I don’t know why I did that.” Vesper replies tiredly. 

 

“You’ve never growled at me, dude. Not even when I tried piercing your ear when you were asleep.” Akito points out. “I don’t want your girlfriend. She’s like my sister.”

 

“I know, I know.” Vesper groans, wiping his eyes with his hands, making the blanket fall from his shoulders. 

 

Akito is silent, watching him again, but he picks the blanket up from the grass and throws it over his shoulders again, probably singing the material with his cigarette.

 

“Are you drunk ?” He asks suddenly.

 

“A bit.” Vesper shrugs.

 

“Holy shit.” Akito grins. “Vesper Wani. Drunk.”

 

“Gonna get on your knees again?” Vesper asks spitefully before he can really stop himself, and Akito’s grin falls immediately.

 

“Don’t be a prick. I’m just happy you’re lettin’ loose.” Akito snaps. “Quit bringing the vibe down.”

 

“M’ sorry, man.” Vesper apologises and then yawns. 

 

“You’re cold. Go inside. I’ll get Keiks to turn the heating on.” Akito sighs through his nose, exhaling smoke from his nose in a way that mimics how Vesper looks when he’s particularly riled up.

 

“I’m fine.” Vesper insists. “Sorry. I love you, y’know that.”

 

Akito snorts. “You really are wasted.”

 

“Don’t do anything stupid tonight.” Vesper yawns again.

 

“Wasn’t plannin’ on it. You , however, might.” Akito says, stomping out his cigarette. “Get inside. I can’t carry you in by myself, giant.”

 

Vesper groans, but allows Akito to lead him back inside, standing behind the smaller man uselessly as he tells Aoki and Itō to get off the couch because it’s closer to the heater for Vesper. Aoki doesn’t make a fuss as he stands, but Itō looks like she’s in the process of chewing a wasp as she moves.

 

“Water.” Akito tells Keiko the second she tries to pass Vesper the beer she got him, and Keiko gives Vesper an apologetic smile before obediently following what Akito had told her to give him instead.

 

Star settles down beside him, wrapping the blanket properly around his shoulders and smiling warmly when he looks at her.

 

“You’re so lovely.” He tells her, his tongue betraying him and elongating the pronunciation of the ‘s’.

 

“I’m just worried about you.” She replies, tucking herself up against his side, leaning her head against his arm.

 

“You good Ves?” Abe asks, Fujio’s long legs kicked up over his own now. 

 

“Yeah. Just need to warm up.”

 

“Here.” Keiko tells Star, passing her Vesper’s water. “Make sure he has a bit, ‘cause you probably have five minutes before he’s out.”

 

“Nap time, Ves.” Fujio grins that sly little grin of his. 

 

“Fuck off, red.” Vesper yawns, taking the glass of water from Star.

 

He knows he probably should be embarrassed. He absolutely is going to be out cold in a minute, on Akito’s couch, during their house warming party.

But he’d been successful in getting himself distracted at the very least.

 

Star takes the glass back off him when he’s emptied half of it, and Hana climbs onto his lap, stretching her small legs out over Star’s thighs and leaning dramatically over the armrest of the couch as she loudly complains about her ‘imaginary girlfriend’ again.

It’s loud enough to drown out the sound of everyone else talking to each other, and the warmth of Hana on his lap and Star beside him is better than the cold he’d willingly let lull him into sleep, but it’s still not quite enough. 

 

And just like Keiko had predicted, he’s asleep within five minutes of coming inside from the garden.

Chapter 62: Bittersweet

“And there he goes.” Abe's boyfriend, Fujio, states.

 

You look over at him, unable to really stop yourself because he’s pretty . 

He has long auburn hair similar to the length of Vesper's hair, with elegant, long fox ears protruding from them, adorned with gold rings and chains conjoining them all. He has eyes that look like molten gold, emphasized by the smokey black eyeshadow he’s wearing, and his full lips are always pulled up in a knowing smirk. 

Him and Keiko are probably the prettiest people in the room right now.

 

“There a problem?” Fujio asks in response to your staring.

 

“No. No. You’re just really pretty.” You say in a panic, and Itō snorts but Fujio’s face lights up .

 

“She’s a keeper.” He tells Abe.

 

Abe rolls his dark eyes, pinching Fujio’s ear with a smile. 

You watch the two interact as Aoki and Akito tease each other and Keiko tries to soothe Hana, Itō remaining silent and judgemental as she sips her wine, grimacing ever so faintly whenever Aoki drapes an arm over her shoulders.

Abe is handsome, maybe, but in more of a conventional way. His hair is cut short, kind of like Uncle Jin’s, and it’s dark compared to the rusty colour of Fujio’s hair. He always looks so serious, even though he’s always been nice and friendly to you and when you put the two together, it’s like night and day. 

 

“You’re the artist?” Fujio asks, sipping his own wine.

 

You nod dumbly.

 

“I’m happy to model sometime.” He grins, and you can’t tell if he’s mocking you or not.

 

“She just draws morbid stuff.” Itō finally chirps up, her eyes narrowed.

 

Fujio glances at her, raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow. For one horrible second you worry that he’s going to judge you like she’s outwardly doing. 

 

“Like guro?” He asks instead, his smirk pulling up even more as he returns his attention back to you, his gold eyes glittering with amusement.

 

“What? No!” You defend quickly.

 

Fujio tuts, but continues to grin, his canines sharp like Himiko’s are. “Shame. Would be nice to see if you think my insides are pretty, too.”

 

“Don’t be a freak, darling.” Abe snorts, nosing his partner's cheek affectionately.

 

Itō scoffs softly to herself, returning back to her shell as she leans back against the seat and against Aoki’s arm. Aoki grins, giving her a side glance before moving his mouth to her ear and speaking lowly to her.

Whatever he says, it warrants a quick glance at yours and Vesper's direction from her before she gives a curt nod in response and tips her glass back, draining the rest of her wine.

Aoki grins, getting up.

 

“We’re gonna head off.” He announces. 

 

“You’ve barely been here.” Akito gripes, frowning over his beer.

 

Aoki shrugs, sliding his hands into his pockets as Itō gets up.

 

“Got shit to do.” He dismisses.

 

“Like what?” Akito immediately challenges.

 

“Her.” Aoki grins, pushing Itō forward using his hand against the small of her back.

 

She doesn’t say anything before leaving the room, leaving Aoki to say goodbye to everyone alone.

 

“Have fun with that.” Fujio snickers, lifting his glass at Aoki’s back.

 

“Babe.” Abe chastises quietly, but he’s grinning and laughing to himself as he presses his face against Fujio’s neck, too.

 

“She sucks !” Hana exclaims, not caring that they’re still in the hallway putting on their shoes. 

 

Keiko slaps Hana’s arm gently but is grinning at her as she does so.

You look over at Vesper, who’s still asleep beside you, his hair covering most of his face, and you lean against him again, feeling more comfortable now Itō is leaving.

 

The door opens, there’s some quiet discussion from the front door and then Abe calls: “Someone’s here for you Hana!”

 

Hana flies to her feet, practically running to the door, and Akito cocks an eyebrow, absentmindedly toying with Keiko’s hair.

 

“The famed Yume arrives.” He says quietly.

 

And sure enough, Hana walks in, hand in hand with a tall deer heteromorph who seems to be keeping her head down, her long hair shielding her face. 

Hana looks triumphantly at Akito.

 

“I told you she was real!”

 

Her girlfriend's face immediately goes bright red, which darkens the freckles dotted over her cheeks.

 

“Welcome to the gang.” Akito greets, ignoring Hanas outburst initially. “I’m glad you’re real, at least. Hana’s whining was kinda pathetic.”

 

“Ignore him, he’s a wind up merchant.” Keiko sighs, standing and giving Yume a small, friendly smile. “That’s Aki, and I’m Keiko. Would you like a drink?”

 

Yume nods, but Hana immediately gets offended, and demands that she be the one that makes the drink for her girlfriend, pulling Yume out of the room to the kitchen. Keiko gives you a pointed look. 

 

“C’mon Star. Girls greeting.” Keiko encourages, and you nod, standing from your seat, but not leaving until you make sure that Vesper’s nicely wrapped up in his blanket.

 

“She’s nervous.” Keiko says quietly to you in the hallway.

 

You nod. “She kind of seems the opposite of Hana.”

 

You follow the sound of Hana’s voice as she tells Yume what kind of alcohol they have in the house. 

The kitchen is kind of small, but considering that, you still all manage to fit in there, Yume’s head immediately lowering again when you walk in.

 

“Thanks for coming, Yume.” Keiko says warmly. “It’s nice to meet you.” 

 

“O-oh. You too. Thank you for inviting me.” Yume bows politely, and you really have to stop yourself from reaching out to touch her antlers in curiosity.

 

“You don’t need to be so formal.” Keiko laughs, her yellow eyes the friendliest they get. “We’re all friends.”

 

Yume straightens up, her expression all flustered again. Hana gives Keiko a sharp look for embarrassing her girlfriend, but Keiko is unrelentingly friendly, clearly trying to put Yume at ease.

 

“So, the guys, obviously you met Akito, my boyfriend. Do just ignore him if he’s teasing you, he means well, he’s just an idiot.” Keiko tells Yume as Hana pours her a glass of wine. “Vesper is Star's boyfriend.”

 

Keiko gestures at you, and Yume glances quickly in your direction before dropping her eyes to the floor again. 

 

“He got a little too cold, so he’s sleeping it off right now. But he’s a sweetheart, isn’t he, Star?” 

 

You nod enthusiastically. “He’s really sweet, even if he looks kinda scary. He’s a big friendly giant.”

 

Yume gives a surprised laugh, the sound looking like it caught her off guard as well. “Y-Yeah, he looks big even sitting down. That’s all.”

 

“Abe and Fujio are the couple on the smaller couch.” Keiko continues, and Yume finally looks up through her hair at the two of you. “Abe’s the one with dark hair. He’s nice too. Really laid back. Fujio, the fox,  uh… he’s kind of a bitch. But his heart’s in the right place.”

 

“He likes to gossip!” Hana chimes in, passing the wine glass to Yume. “But he’s nice, you just gotta learn to ignore him sometimes, like Akito.”

 

“Right…” Yume agrees, nervously sipping her drink.

 

“You can sit with me and Vesper if you like.” You offer, purely for the fact that you wished that someone had done that for you straight away when you started college.

 

“Don’t be greedy.” Hana huffs, taking Yume’s long fingers between hers and tugging her back out of the room, leaving you and Keiko to follow them.

 

“Oh! Vesper’s awake!” Hana exclaims happily as soon as you get in the room

 

Poor Vesper looks like he’s only just woken up, blinking wearily and his hair is all messed up from where he’d been resting his head against the back of the couch. 

 

“Vesper, this is my girlfriend Yume!” Hana introduces, proudly gesturing to her much taller girlfriend. 

 

“What’s up? Nice to meet you.” He yawns, accidentally showing his sharp teeth, which makes Yume flinch. He picks up on that instantly though. “Sorry.”

 

“Don’t worry, Yume. He only likes to snack on Star.” Fujio teases, making your face heat and Vesper groan.

 

“Wh- No!” You defend, even though you’re a terrible liar.

 

“Funny, ‘cause when you got up, your top dropped a little. Definitely some nasty teeth marks there.” Fujio grins. 

 

You sputter, moving your shirt a little to see if what Fujio said is true, only to be humiliated to see a bright red scabbed up bite mark on your shoulder. 

You hadn’t even noticed and you’d been wearing the same top since changing this morning. There was no way Tomura or Dabi hadn’t seen it.

 

“Ves isn’t the only teethy one here.” Abe remarks pointedly as Hana ushers Yume onto a beaten-up second hand armchair and sitting on her lap.

 

“I like to remind people you’re mine.” Fujio replies affectionately, tipping his head against Abe’s. “Sue me.”

 

Abe rolls his eyes, and you feel gentle hands tugging you back, nearly causing you to fall back onto Vesper’s lap.

He rests his chin carefully on your shoulder, his arms wrapping around your waist. 

 

“I’m sorry. I’ll try not to do it again.” He murmurs, and you shake your head.

 

“It’s fine.” You reassure.

 

You just had to hope that your parents didn’t spot it and assume Vesper had really hurt you.

 

*•*

 

Yume had gone upstairs with Hana about an hour after arriving, Hana only explaining she’d been overwhelmed when she came down to refill their drinks. You don’t really understand how Yume could be overwhelmed when she didn’t really speak the whole time she was with you all, but you suppose between Akito and Fujio it probably is a little overwhelming for a new person. 

Fujio and Abe leave a couple of hours after that, and Fujio reminds you that he’s always happy to be a model with a wink before going out the door.

 

You and Vesper stayed, though, each of you on a sofa to yourself because to lay together you’d practically have to be on top of him, and his rough scales didn’t necessarily make for a comfortable pillow.

He couldn’t make his way back without a jacket, anyway because he’d get too cold again, and not a single piece of Akito’s clothing was going to fit him.

 

You wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of thumping coming through the ceiling, and you sit bolt upright, your heart racing at the idea of danger after everything that had happened to you.

You get up quickly, shaking Vesper awake.

He groans, lifting his head up groggily, clearly struggling to open his eyes.

 

“What?” He asks, his voice extra raspy.

 

“There’s banging coming from upstairs. Someone’s inside.” You whisper.

 

Vesper rubs his eyes with a clawed hand, lifting his head a little more so he can listen to the noises you’ve highlighted, but he just flops his head back down onto the pillow.

 

“S’just Keiks and Aki.” He yawns. “Ignore it.”

 

“Oh.” You murmur, embarrassed. 

 

That doesn’t really soothe your worries though. Instead it just makes an anxious nausea curl in your gut from the memories of those noises coming from your mom when you were little, and what nearly always happened after. 

You lift Vesper’s blanket, making yourself fit onto the couch with him. He grunts a little, but scoots over a bit so that there’s a little more room for you.

 

“S’the matter?” He grumbles.

 

“It makes me nervous.” You explain, instead of going too into depth about the reasons why.

 

Sleepily, he moves your head so one of your ears is resting on his bicep, and then covers your other ear with his large hand, completely blocking out any noise you might hear.

 

“Thank you.” You murmur, your voice somehow sounding louder in your head with him blocking out your hearing.

 

He just presses the beak of his mouth against the top of your head tiredly in response before falling back to sleep again. 

And even though you can’t hear anything, your stomach still churns a little from anxiety.

You know that Akito wouldn’t hurt Keiko. You know it. You also know that Keiko wouldn’t stand for it if he did hurt her, but you can’t overcome the fear regardless. 

 

So you settle for pressing your face as tightly as you can against Vesper’s arm, repeating the fact you’re safe over and over in your mind until it blocks out the worried thoughts and you drift off to sleep again slowly. 

 

*•*

 

“I’m back!” You call, picking up Cloud and burying your face into his fur.

 

“Alright, hon.” Dabi calls back from the living room. 

 

You put Cloud back on the floor as he meows and curls around your ankles while you take your shoes off. You leave your bag at the door to peer in on Nova and Dabi, who seem to be colouring together.

Nova waves quickly before continuing, and Dabi just stares at you from the other end of the coffee table, his crayon not moving against the paper.

 

“Can I join?” You ask, and Nova nods. 

 

You settle between them, taking a plain piece of paper from the pile and picking out a crayon from the box, idly doodling away.

 

“Good party?” Dabi asks eventually.

 

You nod. “It was okay. Vesper turned up drunk and got cold so he fell asleep. But I met Abe’s boyfriend, and Hana’s new girlfriend. She’s nice, but kinda shy. She has a deer quirk. Hana said that they have to sand her antler down otherwise it gets too sharp.”

 

Dabi raises an eyebrow. “ Antler? Only one?”

 

You shrug, and he hums thoughtfully, returning back to silence for a moment before speaking again.

 

“Wani was drunk? Bet that takes a lot.”

 

“That’s why he made himself cold, so his quirk wouldn’t burn it off.” You inform him absentmindedly.

 

“That’s a neat trick.” Dabi murmurs, almost sounding impressed for a second before he’s scowling at the paper. “He better not have been a dick.”

 

“He’s never a dick, dad.” You sigh, wondering when he stopped caring about people cursing in front of kids.

 

He just grunts a little in response, clearly not convinced by your answer, but not arguing it with you either.

 

“He’s always nice.” You carry on, because you didn’t like that he was still trying to be rude about Vesper. Especially when Vesper’s not around to defend himself.

 

Not that he would anyway.

 

“Alright.” Dabi replies gruffly.

 

“He was even nicer than usual.” You continue anyway, because you still don’t feel like Dabi’s being convinced enough. “He kept calling me gorgeous and telling me I’m beautiful and-“

 

“Enough, Star.” Dabi snaps. “I get it.”

 

You blink, pausing what you’re doing to look up at him with wide eyes. Even Nova looks surprised. He already looks guilty, though, running his prosthetic hand through his messy white locks. 

 

“Sorry, princess.” Dabi apologises. “Tomura got me up at ass o’clock in the morning. That wasn’t cool of me.”

 

“It wasn’t.” You agree. 

 

His mismatched lips pull downwards, and he sighs as he pulls himself up with the coffee table, announcing that he’s going for a smoke and leaving you alone with Nova.

You watch after him for a second and then try to return your attention back to the drawing you’d been half-heartedly doodling. But it’s no use, and you end up leaving Nova with Cloud to follow Dabi to the patio.

The second you open the glass doors, Dabi glances at you and then cringes.

 

“I am sorry, hon.” He repeats, flicking ash to the floor.

 

“Is something the matter?” You ask, ignoring his apology. “Did you and Tomura fight?”

 

“No, darlin’. No. No fighting on birthdays.” He gives you a lopsided, disingenuous grin. “Cloud just puked this mornin’ and ‘Mura didn’t wanna get up to clean it up. Couldn’t get back to sleep. Just a little grouchy, doll. Sorry.”

 

“Why don’t you have a nap, then? I can watch Nova for a bit. She’s easy. If I get stuck I’ll just put Bluey on.” You offer merely for the fact you wanted Dabi to be in a better mood for Tomura’s birthday dinner later.

 

“Nah, it’s not your job to do that Starshine.” Dabi replies, shaking his head with his cigarette just burning between his fingers.

 

“Okay, well I would rather watch Nova for an hour than have you snap at me again, so go nap.” You repeat, jutting your thumb in the direction of the doors behind you.

 

Dabi shoots you a glare but snickers after. “You’re right, doll. You’re right.”

 

He stomps his cigarette out and then presses a kiss to your temple. 

 

“Thanks darlin’. If I'm not up in two hours, come grab me, ‘kay? I gotta get Tomura’s present from us.”

 

You nod. “You’re sure it’s not going to upset Cloud?”

 

“The dang thing is smaller than Cloud. Cloud could eat it.” Dabi reassures. “Quit worryin’. It’ll be fine.”

 

*•*

 

Dabi drops Nova off with Zero on the way to go and get Tomura’s present, and when he finally arrives with the small corgi puppy, Cloud proves Dabi right by eventually bopping the puppy on the head with his paw the second it gets too close to him for his liking.

 

“Cloud.” You warn despite your relief that he’s perfectly happy setting boundaries. 

 

The puppy is unbothered though, just shakes itself and then busies itself sniffing around the room.

You’d helped Dabi make the crate and scatter toys and dog beds around the house, but the little dog was more interested in sniffing the furniture than playing with its toys.

 

“It’s cute.” Dabi shrugs, watching the puppy bound around the room clumsily, pausing at the doorway and then beginning to bark loudly when the front door opens.

 

“What the…” Tomura says in bewilderment, pausing with one foot in the house as the puppy wags its entire body in excitement at the new presence in the house.

 

You and Dabi immediately get up to go and greet Tomura at the door, both of you grinning at the surprised look on Tomura’s face as he stands frozen, staring down at the puppy that’s trying to jump up his leg.

 

“Happy birthday ‘Mura!” You call at the same time Dabi says: “Happy birthday, babe.”

 

Tomura blinks at you both, his scarred brows pulling together and then loosening a couple of times.

 

“There’s a dog in the house.” Tomura states calmly, but his hands are trembling.

 

“She’s yours , babe. She’s your present.” Dabi explains, raising an eyebrow, a vague amused smirk on his face.

 

 Tomura’s mouth opens and closes a couple of times, and his eyes move from you and Dabi to the puppy that’s still desperately trying to get attention from him.

Eventually though, he does slowly sink to his knees and picks the little dog up in his trembling hands, bringing it up to his face.

 

“You like her, babe?” Dabi asks nervously when Tomura doesn’t lift his face from her fur for a while.

 

Taking a deep breath, Tomura lifts his face from the corgi’s fur, and you’re shocked to see tears on his face. Even Dabi stiffens beside you. 

 

“I love her.” Tomura replies quietly.

Chapter 63: Interruption

Vesper loved that Star trusted him with intimacy.

He loved seeing every inch of her, loved getting to see her in ways no-one else had and if he was lucky, no-one else ever will. 

He loved how she was still so gentle and caring and adorable throughout the entire ordeal. Her soft little pants, her muted moans and how her hair always got all tangled up and messy and he got to untangle it gently for her afterwards. He liked knowing his talons were good for something, finally.

 

He loved how her skin looked under the red light in his room, how her chest heaved with every breath, how her thighs trembled and her fingers tightened in the sheets. How she always got shy and turned her face away from him whenever she was close to coming. 

 

But he loved her like this even more.

Still bare skinned under his heat lamp, pressed up against his side and her leg hooked over one of his own, her cheek pressed up against his shoulder and her hand carefully tracing patterns over his abs.

 

“What do you wanna do today, Star?” He asks, still trying to gently comb out the knots from her hair with his fingers, making sure to scrape his talons against her head softly.

 

Star hums a little to herself, moving her face so it’s more on his chest than his shoulder.

 

“Ducks? Maybe an arcade?”

 

Vesper huffs a little to himself. “That’s all you want?”

 

“Mhm.” She agrees, nodding against his scales. “Whatever we do, I just wanna be with you.”

 

Vesper smiles at his ceiling, his tail thumping against the floor. That’s all he wanted, too. 

 

“Maybe a shower first though? I’m kinda sticky after all that.” She murmurs, kissing his scales softly and dragging her hand over his scaled stomach as she pulls away. “I wish I could handle the heat lamp like you do. I think Cloud would like it.”

 

“Sorry.” Vesper apologises automatically. “I just don’t wanna fall asleep on you again.”

 

Star’s eyes are sparkling and she giggles a little before kissing his cheek and getting out of bed.

 

“You look cute when you’re sleeping.” She says wholeheartedly as she picks up Vesper's discarded shirt. “I guess it might be a problem if we turned it off and you ended up literally falling asleep on me, though.” 

 

Vesper lets a low chuckle rumble through his chest as he sits up, unable to stop himself from finding the idea vaguely entertaining.

 

“You would be trapped ‘til I woke up again.” He joins in. “Might be an idea, though. Don’t really want you to go home.”

 

Star tries to give him a flat look, but has pure amusement dancing in her eyes.

 

“My dads would freak out.” She reminds him.

 

“Worth it.” Vesper grins toothily. “…Hey, Star. What if…?”

 

She immediately gives him all of her attention, and it cuts Vesper’s true question off, because he’d never known such undiluted attention before and it felt even heavier knowing it was her attention.

And after all, Vesper has always been a coward.

 

“What if I did this?” He asks.

 

And then he uses his tail to grab her thigh and pull her to the bed again, making quick work of pulling her onto the bed and against him again as she squeals and giggles. He wraps his strong arms around her, pressing the beak of his mouth as close as he can to her shoulder, his long black hair falling over his face as he squeezes his eyes shut. 

It wasn’t right to ask her yet just because he was panicking.

She was happy where she was. And he wanted her to have that.

 

“Let go!” She continues to giggle and writhe in his arms. “I stink!”

 

“I love your stink.” Vesper smirks a little, dragging his forked tongue against her salty shoulder. 

 

“Stop! That’s so gross !” She giggles, but relaxes against him despite her words. “I love you.”

 

“I love you too.” He tells her, giving her a final squeeze and then finally letting her go again so she can have a shower.

 

*•*

 

“Look, if you’re just really slow with it…” Star guides, slowly dropping to a crouch in front of a curious flock of ducks, and slowly outstretching a handful of seeds out to them.

 

And sure enough, Vesper watches from the park bench as one particularly brave duck begins eating the seed directly from her hand.

She turns her head to give him a huge smile, and he can’t help but smile back.

 

“You try!” She encourages.

 

“Animals don’t really like me.” Vesper excuses.

 

“Cloud likes you.” Star defends, reaching to sneakily run the back of her index finger down the ducks head as it eats.

 

“He used to hiss at me all the time, babe.” Vesper reminds her.

 

“He likes you now. ” Star huffs. “And Tifa would like you. Tifa likes everyone.”

 

Vesper raises a horned brow. Of course Shigaraki had named their new corgi after another Final Fantasy character. 

 

“She would!” Star insists. “Come on, just try.”

 

And because he loves her, and because she asked him with those soft, pleading eyes, he obliges, standing with a handful of bird seed and crouching in front of the ducks. 

And, sure enough, they don’t approach him, even though he tries to do as much as he can to make himself look less imposing to the ducks. 

 

Star pouts, scattering the rest of the seeds across the floor. “Racists.”

 

Vesper snorts, throwing his handful of seed to the floor too, unable to stop himself from smiling. “They’re just ducks, Star.”

 

“But you’re nice!” She exclaims, brushing her hands off on her jeans as she stands. “If they just gave you a chance…”

 

Vesper rolls his eyes as he grins, standing up as well and then turning to sit back down on the bench behind them. 

People, he could understand Star being defensive about when he was being stared at or disrespected. But animals couldn’t help but be wary of him. He looked like a giant animal himself.

 

“So when are you going on tour again?” Star asks, draping her legs over Vesper’s thighs.

 

His hand automatically rests on her knee, knowing that she just wants to be close, even if it’s frowned upon to be too overly affectionate in public.

 

“I dunno. It was cool, but I didn’t like being away for so long.” He murmurs. “Plus, mom kinda said she wants me to move out so I can tour more, but that means I gotta work more anyway to afford rent, and all my free time will be taken up with work.”

 

His eyes avoid Stars, because he hates the idea that she might be hurt that he hasn’t mentioned such a massive thing sooner.

But…he’s kind of been avoiding it. As well as avoiding his mom.

 

“She asked you to move out?” Star asks, sounding confused. “That doesn’t sound like something your mom would do…”

 

“She said that I’m holding myself back for her. ‘Cause I’m worried about dad. That she wants me to live my life.” Vesper shrugs. “It hurt, but she probably thinks she’s doing what’s best for me.”

 

Star is quiet for a moment. “Do you wanna move in with us?”

 

Vesper laughs. “Your dad hates me.”

 

“They do not!” She huffs. “‘Mura likes you, and Dabi just likes to pretend he’s scary. I heard him tell Tomura that he respects you for looking after me when it matters. After you…”

 

She pauses for a second. “After D/N came the first time and said horrible things to Tomura and you made sure he wouldn’t get close to me.”

 

“I’ll always look after you, Star.” Vesper sighs. “Didn't really do a good job when it mattered, though, did I?” 

 

Star frowns. “That was my fault. I thought I had it under control.”

 

Vesper doesn’t reply, because he doesn’t really have a smooth way to change the conversation, and he doesn’t want to continue this topic and make her think of horrible things right now.

 

“You can always stay with us if you need to. Maybe Aki will let you stay at their house? You could have the living room maybe?” She suggests.

 

“Nah, that’s their place.” Vesper shakes his head, pulling a hair tie from his wrist to pull his hair into a ponytail, the weather and subject matter causing the back of his neck to get uncomfortably warm. 

 

Star hums thoughtfully, leaning her head on his shoulder as she watches the ducks, likely trying to think of other solutions to his problem. 

Vesper smiles, leaning his scaled cheek to the top of her head, and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

When they’re together like this, it makes it so much easier to ignore the stares and hushed whispers.

 

It’s a comfortable silence as they sit together on the park bench by the river, watching the glistening water and the ducks returning to it. 

 

“You should come and meet Tifa. She’d love you.” Star breaks the silence with.

 

Vesper chuckles. “I’m not offended, babe.”

 

“Well I am.” She huffs. 

 

Vesper rolls his eyes and squeezes the arm around her shoulders playfully. “I’m basically a giant lizard.”

 

“You’re a person!” She argues, leaning against him a little more. 

 

Vesper isn’t expecting his phone to start ringing, making Star retract and take her warmth with her. He thinks about ignoring it, because he doubts it's his mom after actively avoiding her for a while, and anyone else is unimportant, but Star raises an eyebrow at him as he lets it ring out, trying to pull her back to him again.

 

“Aren’t you going to answer that?” She asks.

 

“It won’t be important.” He shrugs. “Wanna spend time with you.”

 

Her expression softens at the same time his ringtone stops, but the second she goes to lean on him again, his phone immediately starts ringing again.

She frowns again, telling him to answer it.

Vesper growls internally about the interruption, and his temper is only stoked further when he sees Akito’s name on the screen. He’d told Akito he was spending today with Star after having gone off for a month on tour.

 

“What?” Vesper snaps as he answers the phone, making Star's eyes widen.

 

“Code red. Need you at the studio, dude. Like, now.” Akito urges in a hushed tone.

 

“I told you I’m busy today.” Vesper scowls, and Star mouths ‘who is it?’ only for Vesper to just shake his head in annoyance.

 

“Bring her too, she might actually be good to have. Bitches love Star.”

 

“What the fuck are you talking about? No. Deal with it together.”

 

“Hakuchō’s here. She brought Shinsou.” Akito informs him through the phone quietly. “…I might die.”

 

“You’re not going to die, and if you do, it’s your own damn fault.” Vesper sneers.

 

Star taps his arm, trying to get his attention and when he looks at her she’s visibly panicked, trying to ask him if it’s Akito and if he’s okay.

 

“He’s fine, he’s just being a drama queen.” Vesper sighs, not caring if Akito hears.

 

“Please?” Akito begs. “It’s you she wants to speak to and Shinsou does actually look like he wants to kill me.”

 

“How the fuck did you let this happen?” Vesper groans, tipping his head back.

 

“Her manager sent the email, not her, I didn’t recognise it. Dude. Don’t make me beg, I’m better than that.”

 

“Are you?” Vesper asks sourly. “Fine. But you owe me.”

 

“Love you, kiss kiss.” Akito says, suddenly perking up on the other end of the phone and then abruptly hanging up.

 

Vesper’s lip curls, and Star immediately starts asking a million questions as he lowers the phone, tucking it into his pocket.

 

“We gotta go to the studio. Sorry, babe.” Vesper sighs as he forces himself to get up.

 

“Ooh! That’s okay.” Star says as enthusiastically as ever, hopping to her feet. “Was it Aki? Is he okay?”

 

“He’s fine. Just dealing with the consequences of his own actions.” Vesper grumbles, taking Star's small hand in one of his large ones and leading her to the train station.

 

*•*

 

“Legend. She’s all yours.” Akito greets, slapping Vesper’s shoulder and moving to walk away.

 

Vesper grabs his upper arm wordlessly and pulls him along, despite his complaints and Star’s fretting.

 

“You’re gonna face this with me, don’t be a coward.” Vesper replies bluntly, pushing the smaller man through the door.

 

“Star! You’re gonna let him treat me like this?!” Akito asks, clearly trying to work Star's sudden close friendship with him to his advantage.

 

“Leave her out of it.” Vesper demands, continuing to push Akito through the corridors as Star clutches onto the back of Vesper’s jacket.

 

He continues to usher Akito into the building, Star quietly pleading for him to stop, but he ignores her after telling her for the third time that Akito needs to man up.

When they get to the small hallway lined with chairs, Vesper runs his eyes over Abe and Aoki, who look completely unphased at the sight of Hakuchō and Hitoshi sitting opposite them. In fact, it seemed like Hitoshi and Abe might have been grinning at each other before Vesper walked in, and Hitoshi’s grin had dropped at the sight of Akito again.

 

“You brought him back.” Hitoshi comments dryly.

 

“He went out for a smoke.” Vesper lies, pushing Akito towards the other two, earning a sharp glare from the guitarist in question.

 

“He said you guys wanted to talk to me?” Vesper asks Hitoshi, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

“Hakuchō?” Star asks quietly behind Vesper just as Hitoshi opens his mouth to reply, peeking around him to look at Hakuchō.

 

In all fairness, Hakuchō looks better than she did the last time Vesper saw her. She’d dyed her hair dark again, and seemed to have put on a little more weight, making her look a lot more healthier. Even her wings looked less disheveled, as though she was taking good care of them finally.

Hakuchō looks warily at Star, and considering Star said they had known each other when they were younger, there doesn’t seem to be a flicker of recognition there.

 

“You look really good.” Star tells Hakuchō wholeheartedly.

 

Hakuchō stares at her and then moves her eyes to Vesper. “You brought a fan?” 

 

“She's my girlfriend. We were on a date when Aki called.” Vesper replies, his horned brows furrowing slightly. “You know each other…”

 

“I look different too, now!” Star explains cheerily. “It’s me, Star! I just have different hair and-“

 

Hakuchō stands up from her seat quickly and bumps Vesper and Star out of the way with her wings, nearly sending Star to the floor. Vesper has to stifle a growl as his arm flies out to catch Star's elbow, making sure she doesn’t topple over. 

 

“She’s such a bitch, dude.” Aoki comments, ignoring how Hitoshi bristles. “You could get anyone you know?”

 

“She’s not a bitch .” Hitoshi grits out.

 

“Did I do something wrong?” Star worries, Vesper brushing a thumb over her skin before letting go of her arm.

 

“No.” Hitoshi replies with a shrug. “But she can’t be around you, remember?”

 

Star blinks. “What do you mean?”

 

Hitoshi raises a pierced eyebrow. “The restraining order?”

 

Star blanches. “ What ?”

 

“The restraining order that they signed after the war…” Hitoshi leads. “You didn’t know.”

 

Vesper's frown turns to Star, who looks horrified at the revelation. 

 

“But I wanted to be friends with her.” She says, her voice small.

 

Hitoshi’s brow raises again, his lips pulling into a smirk. “You never changed, huh?”

 

Star doesn’t respond, and Aoki pretends to eat out of an invisible carton of popcorn before Vesper glares at him and Abe backhands his bicep in warning.

 

“Star, there’ll be a reason.” Vesper tries to soothe, but Star doesn’t seem soothed at all really. 

 

“Thank you for being nice back then.” Star tells Hitoshi, bowing politely and then she looks up with Vesper, her mouth set in a tight line. “I’m going to go home. I’m sorry.”

 

“Star.” Vesper tries to stop her but she shakes her head and attempts to give him a soft smile.

 

“Have fun.” She tells him as she backs away from him, towards the exit. “You can tell Hakuchō she can come back.”

 

Vesper would rather have Star present than Hakuchō, but he can’t force her to stay for the meeting, either. 

So a couple minutes later he has to endure the awkward environment between everyone in the room while they discuss the fact that Hakuchō needed to release a collab with a rising band because her management were trying to push her towards a heavier sound and with their recent tour with Nightwalker, Ill Intent were high on their radar.

 

He was thankful that Hitoshi did most of the talking, but it looked like Hakuchō had been thoroughly shaken up by Star's appearance, because she kept her eyes on the floor and Hitoshi repeatedly had to try to subtly stop her from plucking her feathers.

They managed to get through it with minimal snide comments between Hitoshi, Hakuchō and Akito, though. So Vesper takes that as a win.

 

As soon as he’s out, he declines the offer of beers with the guys, instead texting Star to ask if she’s okay, but she doesn’t reply. 

Vesper can’t tell if she’s mad at him for dragging her to the studio when it was meant to be a date day, or if she’s mad about the restraining order she seemingly knew nothing about, so he tries calling her once to see if he can talk to her that way instead. She doesn’t answer, so Vesper resigns himself to the fact she was probably mad at him, especially considering how he had treated Akito.

 

And with no other plans, he packs a bag, knowing his mom will probably be getting back soon, and heads to Akito’s anyway to camp there for the night.

Chapter 64: Reopened

You storm into the house, paying no mind to Zero who’s standing by the entrance, holding Nova against his side.

Dabi smiles and opens his mouth to greet you, but you cut him off before he can get any words out.

 

“A restraining order ?”

 

He blinks at you, his white eyebrows pulling together in confusion. 

 

“You’ve lost me, kid.”

 

“Don’t lie!” You hiss, not caring that Zero and Nova are present.

 

“I’m not lying! What are you talkin’ about restraining orders for?” Dabi asks in exasperation.

 

“The one you took out on Hakuchō!” You continue to seethe.

 

“What, when you were eleven?” Dabi asks, raising one of his eyebrows and crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m not apologising for keepin’ you safe.”

 

“It’s still in place now !” You snap as both Nova and Zero flick their eyes between you and Dabi, even though Zero is still serenely smiling like he always does. 

 

“Star, let’s just talk about this later.” Dabi sighs, running his prosthetic hand through his messy white hair. “Nova’s leavin’, so-“

 

“Well can you be my dad for like five minutes for the first time since she arrived?” You snap, and almost instantly regret it when Dabi’s eyes wince as though he was flinching from your words alone.

 

“That ain’t…” He starts, his eyebrows pulling together as though he’s frowning at you, but his blue eyes are laced with hurt. “We’ll talk about this later, Star. I don’t know what you’re even talkin’ about. If it’s still active that ain’t got nothin’ to do with me.”

 

He sniffs and then quite literally turns his back to you, stroking Nova’s hair and bidding her a hushed goodbye, even though her wide, purple eyes are on you as though she’s surprised by your outburst herself.

And sure, it’s not her fault that Dabi had blown you off, but you’re angry enough to snap at him again.

 

“Fine. Spend time with her. You always wanted a replacement anyway.” 

 

You see Dabi’s whole body tense as you storm past the three of them to go upstairs, your stomach churning with guilt the second the words leave your mouth and you force yourself to go to your room without saying goodbye or hello to the innocent little girl or Zero.

You pick Cloud up on the way, your cat meowing in protest at being taken from his sunbathing spot, but purring the instant you scratch his head, carrying him like a baby in your arms and kicking your bedroom door shut behind you.

 

Slamming doors was breaking a rule in the house, but Dabi had also set the rule of not keeping secrets and had broken that himself, so you weren’t going to be lectured by him about rules.

You shuck your bag off your shoulder after placing Cloud on your bed, in the direct sunlight so he would stay, and then curl yourself next to him, burying your face in his fur.

 

You’re not even sure why you’re so mad about it.

As much as you’d disliked Hawks, you’d always wanted to be friends with Hakuchō when you were younger. You’d almost looked up to her in a way, and you’d only ever wanted to see her happy.

And now you were both adults, you wanted to see if maybe that could be a reality. 

 

Usually you would go to Vesper for this, but for some reason you find yourself reaching out to someone else when you gather yourself enough to call someone.

 

“What’s up?” Akito asks after the third ring.

 

“Can we do something?”

 

“Eh?” Aki asks, the single word dripping with confusion.

 

“I wanna go out. Can we go somewhere?” You repeat.

 

“Why don’t you ask Ves?” Akito asks, sounding put out.

 

“Because I want to see you.” You tell him.

 

“Star…”

 

“You said you were basically my brother.” You interrupt.

 

Akito snorts. “No I didn’t.”

 

“Liar.” You frown.

 

You’re willing to bet that Akito rolls his eyes before responding. “ Fine . But you’re getting dinner.”

 

“Deal.” You agree, and then tell him where to meet you.

 

You give Cloud a few more minutes of cuddles to make sure Zero and Nova have left and then grab your bag before leaving, making sure not to call out a goodbye to Dabi.

If he was worried about where you were going, he could always check your GPS anyway, because you weren’t allowed to have secrets, unlike him.

 

*•*

 

Akito groans as soon as you throw yourself around him, not caring that you’re in public just because you wanted a hug.

 

“Do we really have to do this right now?” He asks exasperatedly.

 

“Yes.” You reply, squeezing him even tighter as you press your face against his shoulder, muffling your voice.

 

Akito sighs, but wraps his arms around you, holding you the tightest he ever has, only ever hugging you loosely when you’ve bullied him into it before.

 

“What’s the matter, Starshine?” He asks, and this time when he uses Dabi’s pet name for you, it isn’t said sarcastically. “Who’ve I gotta beat up?”

 

“You can’t.” You reply sadly, letting go of him.

 

Akito raises an eyebrow. “I dunno, I’ve even managed to catch Ves off guard before.”

 

You find yourself smirking at imagining that, but you shake your head and motion for him to follow you into the cheap family restaurant you had hastily chosen to meet him at.

You sit down, Akito sliding into a seat opposite you, frowning at you as he regards you thoughtfully.

 

“You gonna tell me what’s the matter, then?” He asks as you pick up the menu on the table.

 

You press your lips together, feeling his eyes burning into you even as you avoid looking directly at him.

 

“Earth to ‘Roki.” He says, pulling your menu out of your hands.

 

“Hey!” You scowl, trying to grab it back only for him to hold it higher than you can reach. “Aki!”

 

“You can have it back when you quit freakin’ me out. Why’d you wanna see me and not Ves?” He asks, laughing to himself when you stand up to snatch the menu back.

 

“He’s got his own stuff going on.” You reply flatly, sitting back down.

 

“I know.” Akito replies, leaning his cheek on his fist. “But he still would wanna know you’re upset about somethin’.”

 

“Do you tell Keiko whenever you’re upset?” You ask pointedly, knowing the answer.

 

Aki glares for a second before rolling his eyes. “She always knows.”

 

“Not ‘cause you tell her, though.”

 

“Ves knew you were upset when you left. He thinks you’re mad at him for taking you to the studio.” Akito counters, leaning back in his seat.

 

You frown. “No, that’s not…”

 

“He text you.” Akito continues. “Willin’ to bet he tried calling too.”

 

You chew the inside of your lip because you knew that, you just hadn’t replied because you were too busy being mad at Dabi.

 

“I’m not mad at him.” You tell him simply.

 

Akito raises an eyebrow but picks up his own menu finally, seeming to fake looking over the dishes for a moment or two. “You’re bummed about the restraining order on Hakuchō? ‘Cause you wanted to be friends?”

 

You offer a curt nod in response.

 

“Honestly they were doin’ you a favour taking it out on her for you. She’s bad news.” Akito tells you.

 

“You slept with her.” You argue.

 

“One time!” He says exasperatedly. “And it was a massive mistake!”

 

“That’s not what-“ You begin.

 

“You think I don’t know how many times I stick Aki Jr in something?” He asks, frowning.

 

You give him a look of disgust, which only gives him a reason to laugh at you, but it’s kind of nice to see a genuine light in his dark eyes which seemed so rare even after his life had gotten better.

 

“She’s got issues. Issues you’re better stayin’ away from.” Akito tells you. “Can you actually listen to me this time, though?”

 

“She’s not that bad…”

 

“Star.” Akito says, putting his menu down and pinning all his attention on you. “I told you about your dad. I’m tellin’ you about Hakuchō. Stay away from her .”

 

You hadn’t heard Akito use such a stern tone with you since he had been in the hospital, so you pause for a moment. He had been right about your dad, but you had seen Hakuchō and Hawks butting heads. She’d let Zero get you out of Hawks care. She’d apologised. She’d been nice occasionally, she was just scared.

 

“Fine.” You agree, even though it’s half-hearted, and return your attention to the menu in front of you.

 

“Great. So, I want…” Aki begins to list off everything he’s chosen from the menu, and even though he complains, you limit his order to one main and a couple of side dishes, one of which he had to share with you.

 

It’s a nice dinner after that. It’s a good distraction. He’s his usual funny self, and you find yourself forgetting your initial upset and anger as the time passes.

And when he tells you that Vesper had gone to his house for the night, you take him up on the offer of going over to see him and give him the answer that Akito demanded he deserved.

And yeah, when Vesper sees you and looks so relieved, and lifts you up the instant your body hits his in a hug, his tail thumping against the floor, you do feel a bit guilty for not choosing to see him instead of Akito, because it just felt so right being around him.

 

“I wasn’t mad at you.” You tell him, pressing your face against the rough scales on his neck. “I was mad at my dad.”

 

“Well I’m glad it wasn’t me.” He huffs a laugh, leaning his chin on the top of your head. “About the restraining order?”

 

You nod, holding him a little tighter even though Akito makes fun of you both in the background.  “I don’t like secrets.”

 

Vesper hums thoughtfully in response, the sound rumbling through his whole body.

 

“It makes me feel like he’s babying me. Like he doesn’t trust me to know things.” You continue, loosening your hold on him to look back at him.

 

Just as you move, you catch sight of Akito trying to lift up Keiko in the same fashion Vesper always does with you, only to fall backwards onto the couch, laughing and dodging the playful slaps that Keiko tries to give him in response, despite laughing herself, her tail lazily swishing behind her.

You can’t help but crack a smile, even when Vesper slowly begins to set you down. Especially when Keiko gently and affectionately bumps the top of her head against Akito’s chin and gets that shine back into his dark eyes again.

So you end up staying for a while, because they were all making you feel better, even though Hana, the usual person to cheer you up, was at work.

 

Vesper insists on taking you to the train station, holding your hand the entire way there and squeezing it occasionally as you talk. 

Probably just letting you know he’s there, listening. Like always. 

 

You flip off an older couple that act scandalised when he picks you up to kiss you before you get on the train, and Vesper gives a surprised snort, smiling big enough for his sharp teeth to show at you through the window and waving goodbye when the train begins to move.

You’re at ease again when you’re on your way home, your anger having dissipated and your mood a lot better than it had been.

 

Until you open the front door to find Tomura sitting on the bottom step, Tifa in his lap and Cloud bumping his head insistently against Tomura’s elbow. Tomura watches you with no expression as Tifa leaps from his arms to bound up to you, barking excitedly at your arrival, even though you’re frozen with fear because it felt an awful lot like Tomura had been waiting for your arrival.

 

“Where’s your dad?” Are the first words out of his mouth.

 

“I… He’s not here?” You ask in return, slowly crouching to pick his excitable puppy up.

 

“No. He left his phone here, too.” Tomura replies, looking at you like he can see through you. “Did something happen?”

 

You hesitate for a moment too long before replying and Tomura lifts a scarred brow, the only indication that you needed to spit it out sooner rather than later.

 

“I bumped into Hakuchō today but she had to run off because of the restraining order.” You explain quickly, and Tomura’s expression flattens again, his eyes narrowing slightly. “I got annoyed that he kept it a secret from me when he told me I’m not allowed to have secrets because they can be dangerous.”

 

Tomura looks at you silently for a moment before standing up, immediately moving to tie his fluffy, long hair up.

 

“Well that’s easy enough. He wasn’t keeping it a secret from you. He didn’t know.” He says blandly before approaching you.

 

“What?” You ask, confused.

 

Tifa squirms in your arms at Tomura’s movement, yipping her demand to be released so she can go to Tomura. You gently place her on the floor while Tomura begins putting on some sneakers.

 

“I’ve been the one renewing the restraining order.” Tomura explains with a small shrug. “She wouldn’t be any good to have in your life.”

 

You blink at him, processing his words as he stands, grabbing the car keys hanging by the door.

 

“I’m going to find your dad. And then you’re both talking it out until it’s sorted. I’m tired and I don’t have time for family issues right now.” Tomura tells you flatly, opening the door and leaving you shocked and alone with a barking Tifa and Cloud trying to get your attention.

 

*•*

 

“I wondered when you might get here to pick him up.” Giran grins at Tomura, leaning in the doorway with a cigarette between his lips.

 

Tomura doesn’t even have the energy to try to make small talk with his old broker and the man that plays at being Touya’s adoptive father, so his face is expressionless as he crosses his arms over his chest.

 

“He’s always been predictable. He has three brooding spots. What state am I expecting him to be in?” Tomura asks. 

 

Giran chuckles at Tomura, his lips pulling up even more. “Well, he’s sober.”

 

“Great.” Tomura says dryly, walking past the homeowner and to Giran’s living room.

 

Sure enough, Touya’s sitting there on the couch, his elbows resting on his thighs and his head hanging. 

Whatever had been said had obviously upset Touya enough for him to go running to Giran like he used to when they first met.

Tomura takes a deep breath, bracing himself for the fact he needed to be calm and somewhat understanding and patient for his husband right now.

 

“Come on, we’re going home and getting this sorted.” Is what leaves his mouth though, sounding just as harsh and impatient as he was trying not to be.

 

Touya just shakes his head slightly, the messy white locks obscuring his face.

Tomura sighs internally, sitting himself down next to Touya and forcing his head to his chest, trapping him in a hug. 

As much as Tomura liked being left alone when he was angry or upset, he knew Touya was very much the opposite.

 

“I told her it was me that took it out. She can be angry at me now, not you.” Tomura tells him. 

 

Touya just shakes his head against his chest again, wrapping his scarred arm around Tomura’s stomach.

Tomura keeps quiet after that, and Giran has the sense to leave the two of them alone, busying himself in the kitchen from the sounds of it. Clearly nothing Tomura was saying was going to help Touya right now.

He has no idea how long he has to keep Touya there, but after a while Touya silently pulls away from him, rubbing his face with his stapled wrist, sniffing and standing up.

 

Tomura’s cracked lips press together when he sees the blood on Touya’s wrist from the action, but doesn’t say anything either when he follows suit.

He lets Touya lead the way, letting his husband take the time he needs before going back home.

 

“Ya off?” Giran asks, appearing in the doorway furthest from his front door.

 

“Yeah. Thanks pops.” Touya sniffs again as he laces up his boots, refusing to look up.

 

“I ain’t that old!” Giran scowls, but Touya isn’t paying attention, even when he stands up he turns his back to the older man.

 

“I’ll drive him back. We’ll pick up the car tomorrow.” Tomura tells Giran calmly, placing a hand on Touya’s shoulder.

 

“Alri’.” Giran shrugs. “Tell Star to pop over sometime. Her Grandpaw misses her.”

 

Tomura just gives him a curt nod as Touya opens the front door and leaves without saying goodbye. 

Tomura raises a hand as he follows Touya through the door, unlocking the car so Touya can hide away like he seems to want.

Tomura gets into the car, pulling across his seatbelt and putting the car in drive. He waits for about five minutes before being concerned about Touya’s absolute silence and speaks again.

 

“What is it that’s upset you?” He asks patiently, keeping his eyes on the road. He already knows that Touya is leaning his cheek on his fist in a way that’s definitely going to irritate his metal sutures.

 

Touya is quiet for a long while before mumbling something in response.

 

“I can’t hear you when you sulk.” Tomura tries to trade in a fashion that Touya would with him.

 

Except it doesn’t land, because Tomura’s never been the best at being comforting.

 

“I said, she said I was tryin’ to find a replacement.” Touya repeats bluntly.

 

“Ah.”

 

“Yeah.” Touya replies, and when Tomura looks over at him, his face is turned completely towards the window.

 

Tomura, in any normal case, would tell Touya ‘I told you so’, but he knows exactly how much that would have hurt Touya to hear.

He’s trying to piece together an acceptable sentence to respond with when Touya adds more.

 

“I’ll talk to her. But I need some time.” Touya says simply.

 

“She wouldn’t have known what she was saying.” Tomura tries to rationalise.

 

Touya doesn’t respond to that, and Tomura doesn’t push it.

Touya would come to the conclusion in time on his own that by sheltering Star from a lot of things that she didn’t really realise how deep those scars ran.

Chapter 65: Silence and Openness

When you come downstairs, prepared to apologise to Dabi the next day, the house appears to be empty. Even Tifa is gone, as though Dabi had finally taken Tomura’s jabs about how he never walked her seriously.

Cloud doesn’t seem bothered by the complete emptiness in the house, purring happily as he insistently rubs against your ankles.

You make a very hasty breakfast, not really used to being so alone in the house and certainly not used to having to make your own breakfast. You sit in the kitchen trying not to be overwhelmed by the feeling of loneliness settling over you for the first time since you were ten and end up putting on Ill Intent’s music just to fill the silence.

 

When you leave, there’s an unsettled feeling burying itself deep into your chest, and as much as you try to ignore it, you can’t.

Hana somehow immediately knows there’s something wrong the instant you sit down, and begins pestering you about it, refusing to let up even though you’re clearly getting more and more agitated with her incessant questioning.

Eventually you snap at her, telling her you’re just trying to focus on your work, only to get a thick eyebrow raised at you and an ‘ooh’ in response. 

You apologise quietly a few minutes after, the silence you’d started the morning with returning between you and Hana and it’s apparently enough for her to immediately get over it and talk away to you, except this time she doesn’t pressure you to talk in return.

 

You’re not really in the mood to be around people, but you follow Hana to the usual place where your friends can be found in the breaks of the day.  

Keiko is nowhere to be seen, but Vesper and Akito are in their usual space, Aki mindlessly strumming on his guitar despite the people trying to study in the same space during their break.

Vesper lets you flop onto his lap without question, his arms automatically wrapping around your waist and his chin resting on your shoulder.

 

“Still mad?” He asks softly as Hana interrupts Akito’s mindless playing by dragging her own fingers over the strings, creating a horrible noise.

 

“No-one was home when I got up.” You murmur, leaning your head against his. “I haven’t been alone like that since I was really little.”

 

Vesper hums a little in response, squeezing you gently. 

You listen to Akito and Hana banter for a little bit, something about Hana’s arms being too stumpy to play guitar properly, and Hana jabbing back that Akito was lucky he could even play at all considering his little ‘stuntman fail’.

That comment gets a low warning from Vesper even though Akito chuckles about what she’d said and tells her she’s no longer invited to the party on the weekend before Vesper is gently squeezing your waist again.

 

“Smoke?” He asks, his voice rumbling through him and his tongue prolonging the ‘s’ sound.

 

“No, thanks.” You grumble. It was best to steer away from anything like that.

 

“C’mon. Come with me.” He insists, slowly trying to stand up.

 

“You don’t smoke.” You frown.

 

“Think what Ves is tryin’ to say is that he wants a private chat.” Akito says, raising a pierced brow at you both. “Secrets, eh?”

 

Vesper shoots him a look. “The opposite, actually.”

 

“Oh. Okay?” You agree, getting out of Vesper’s lap so he can stand.

 

The only thing stopping you spiralling into an anxious mess about whatever he has to say in private is the fact his clawed hand wraps around yours as soon as he’s standing, gently leading you out of the boardroom.

You go to one of the quieter smoking areas, only a small group of people hanging around and talking, Vesper continuing to pull on your hand until you’re in front of a bench a decent distance from the group of people.

You sit down, worry still vaguely gnawing at your gut as Vesper sits down beside you, leaning his forearms on his thighs and looking at the floor for a second, his green eyes escaping yours.

 

“Well…?” You ask, trying to be playful by bumping your shoulder against his. 

 

Vesper’s eyes roll to meet yours finally and he smiles a little bit and then sits up a little straighter, rubbing one of his horned brows carefully.

 

“Well, I was just thinking about what you said yesterday, about not liking secrets.” He leads with, and you already hate what’s going to come next. “Don’t look at me like that, babe.”

 

“Just tell me.” You reply curtly.

 

“Look, I only kept it a secret because he was worried about what people would think, his stepdad would have made his life even worse and we were both fucked up.”

 

You stare at him, feeling your expression sour even more. It was something to do with Akito, then.

The look on your face must not do anything to soothe Vesper any more because he starts talking really, really quickly.

 

“I promise I didn’t keep it a secret because I don’t trust you or ‘cause I thought you couldn’t handle it-“

 

“Just say it, Vesper.” You snap despite yourself.

 

Vesper immediately grows sheepish, looking at the small group of people closer to the doors and then staring at his feet, his hair falling to hide the majority of his face.

 

“That night Aki got spiked, think I got dosed with something too, I don’t remember much, but somehow we ended up hooking up.”

 

You blink at him. “Huh?”

 

“He… I don’t know, he was talking about being confused about shit and then the next thing I know he was…” Vesper sighs, and runs a hand through his hair. “It’s a bit blurry. I don’t think it went further than him sucking me off.”

 

The last part is whispered, and all you can do is stare at him, even though he’s looking everywhere but at you. 

You don’t even care about the fact they did that. 

You do care about the fact that he’d told you that he’d never done anything like that before, though. Then you think about the times he’d hesitated before answering your questions and how almost avoidant the answers had been. You go through the times he somehow seemed to know what to do to make it better, too. All of it makes that worried pit in your stomach turn into anger .

 

Especially when you think about that time Akito had made a joke about Vesper's body and played it off, lying about how he knew. Saying Vesper got too drunk and ended up getting naked in front of his band mates.

They had both lied to you. All this time.

 

“You lied to me.” You say, stunned.

 

Vesper’s head snaps to you, his brows pulling together. “What? No, I never-“

 

“Yes you fucking did .” You yell, flying to your feet, your hands beginning to shake. “You said that you’d never done anything like that with anyone else!”

 

Vesper’s eyes dart to the small group of people that had paused their conversation to look over at the two of you. “Star…”

 

“No. Fuck you.” You sniff, walking away before Vesper can see the angry tears that are beginning to form.

 

You storm into the boardroom again, picking up your bag without even looking at Akito or Hana, even though Hana immediately tries pulling you into a conversation.

 

“Hey! Star, I’m talking to you. Where are you going?” Hana asks, trying to catch the sleeve of your shirt as you turn to leave again.

 

You snatch your wrist away from her. “Home.”

 

“What? Why?” Hana whines. 

 

“You fight?” Akito asks, frowning a little.

 

The worst thing he could have done was address you, even if he was worried, because all you can do is stare at him with as much hatred as you can muster before continuing off on your way.

 

“What did I do?!” He yells after you, but you ignore him. 

 

You just wanted to go home.

 

*•*

 

“Star? What’re you doing ba- oof !” 

 

You don’t even bother taking off your shoes, darting to your dad and slamming your body against his regardless of how angry you had been at him the day before.

He hesitates for a moment before wrapping his arms around you back, his body tenser than usual as he does so.

 

“What’s the matter, doll?” Dabi asks, rubbing your back.

 

“Vesper lied to me.” You sob. “So did Aki.”

 

Dabi doesn’t respond, even though you’d half expected him to go off on a tirade about how he always hated Vesper with how much he tries to pretend he does.

 

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” You continue, squeezing him tightly even though there’s a small part of your brain telling you that he’s not being as cuddly as usual because he might be having a bad pain day. 

 

He doesn’t respond to that either, just continues to rub your back and shoo the barking Tifa away from you both gently with his foot while he holds onto you loosely.

 

“Say something.” You beg as you cling to him like you used to when you were younger.

 

Dabi is quiet for a second even still though, and you can feel him sigh against you before speaking.

 

“Boys are dumb.”

 

“Boys are so dumb!” You agree, pressing your face even closer to his shoulder.

 

“Whatever it is they lied about probably wasn’t worth lyin’ about anyway. Certainly ain’t worth all these tears.” He continues, but there’s something lacklustre about it. 

 

“I just feel so angry.” You sniff, refusing to let go of him even though it feels like he’s trying to pull away. “I wouldn’t have cared but they hid it from me and then lied to me. And I’m an idiot, because I believed it and didn’t think twice about trusting them.”

 

Dabi doesn’t respond, only slowly pets your hair in response.

 

“You’re not an idiot, hon. You’re just good.” Dabi finally replies. “Nothin’ wrong with assuming the best in people.”

 

“Until I’m wrong.” You counter.

 

You hate how uncharacteristically quiet he’s being. How the hug feels different to how it always has with him before. 

 

“Please stop being mad at me.” You say quietly, your lip wobbling slightly. “I really am sorry.”

 

“I’m not mad at you, Star.” Dabi says, but you don’t feel like there’s any honesty in that, either. 

 

“It feels like you are.” You tell him, finally reluctantly letting go of him, but only because you’re not feeling as comforted as you usually would.

 

His eyes are sad as he looks at you, even though his expression seems completely blank.

 

“I’m not mad at you.” He repeats, but you still don’t feel like that’s the case.

 

“You weren’t here this morning. I was alone.” Your eyes well up again.

 

Dabi’s ruined jaw clenches, but his eyes soften as he looks at you. “Was walkin’ Tifa for ‘Mura, Star. He’s been bitching about it.”

 

You chew the inside of your lip, but nod, leaving it at that, because there’s just something… off about him. So you take your shoes off while he goes into the kitchen with Tifa following behind him without another word, pick up your bag from where you’d abandoned it on the floor and go up into your room.

 

*•*

 

Aki 🎸: fuck did i do??

 

Aki🎸 : dont tell keiks

Aki🎸: star it was a mistake

Aki 🎸: star

 

*•*

 

Hana Kāto: Star are you ok?? 🥺

Hana Kāto: did you and Vesper fight??

Hana Kāto: love you ☹️

 

*•*

 

You go to college for the rest of the week upon Dabi’s insistence because all of a sudden he didn’t think that it was healthy for you to avoid situations you were unhappy with, but you point blank refuse to spend time in the usual meeting place, not wanting to be around Vesper or Akito.

So Keiko manages to come to the art block on her break, watching you carefully with those sharp yellow eyes that always felt like they could see right through the body and into the soul. But she doesn’t ask why you don’t want to be around the guys. Probably because she had been told by Hana that you were particularly snappy whenever the subject was broached.

 

“So I take it you won’t be coming to the party?” Keiko tries instead.

 

“What party?” You ask, continuing to sketch what you’re working on.

 

“The one the guys are having to celebrate their record deal!” Hana explains, sounding exasperated. “I told you about this.”

 

You hadn’t really been paying attention, and of course you felt a little bit guilty, because that was huge for the boys, and Vesper had probably been really eager to tell you about it.

 

“I’ll be there.” You say, your voice only faint.

 

Hana is elated by it though, and doesn’t stop talking about it after that, discussing outfits for you all.

Being at home is weird and somewhat uncomfortable, too. Dabi is still uncharacteristically quiet and seems to be going back out to therapy whenever Tomura comes home, but whenever you broach the subject with Tomura, he doesn’t give you any answers.

 

*•*

 

Aki 🎸: be mad at me all u want but can u just answer ves please he’s on the edge of a breakdown

 

Star ✨: Stop texting me i’m mad at you too, liar

 

Aki🎸 : nice, took you two days to come up w that one

Aki🎸: ur still my lil sis even if ur mad at me

Aki🎸: kiss kiss

 

Star✨: fuck off

 

*•*

 

The party is at Hana’s workplace, because despite the boys supposedly getting a decent paycheck from their tour, Hana could get them a decent price cut to book the place out for the evening. And you’re certain that you’re not really in the mood for a party, but you still loved and cared about Vesper and Akito, even if you were mad at them both for lying to you.

The place is nicer than the run-down bars they used to perform in before, and Hana somehow seems to sniff you out and is attached to your side within mere seconds of you walking into the building.

 

“You really did come!” She exclaims happily, squeezing you tightly. “You look so good!”

 

You don’t really see how, you were just wearing a plain black dress with off the shoulder sleeves that Aiko had given you a little while ago, but you smile in response anyway.

 

“Come on, let’s get you a drink.” She encourages.

 

“I can’t drink.” You remind her gently as she pulls on your hand.

 

“Then soda like the good old days!” She calls over all the other voices. 

 

You let her lead you to the bar, hopping her tiny body onto the stool and calling over one of her coworkers.

Whoever he is, he’s attractive, and his eyes seem to linger on you for a little longer than Hana.

 

“Melon soda and a chūhai please, Koichi.” Hana requests for you both, and he nods, smirking a little at you before turning around and getting the drinks for you.

 

Hana turns her attention to the large crowd gathered, seeming to be trying to look for someone, and you startle when hands place themselves on your shoulders.

 

“Guro girl.” A familiar voice practically purrs by your ear, and when you turn your head you meet amused, kohl-lined golden eyes.

 

“Oh. Hi Fujio.” You greet, forcing a smile. 

 

“Don’t sneak up on her, she doesn’t like it.” Hana chides.

 

Fujio rolls his eyes. “I’m surprised you’re here, I heard there was trouble in paradise.”

 

Your lips press together in response instead of giving a biting comment back and Hana presses a glass into your hand. 

 

“You’re such a gossip.” Hana frowns at Fujio, tugging on one of his pierced fox ears.

 

“Not gossiping, just listening when Abe tells me things.” Fujio grins, letting go of you and looking over at Koichi. “And apparently little guro girl is looking good enough to catch a few eyes.”

 

You feel heat rush to your cheeks at the compliment, and the observation that maybe Koichi’s eyes had been lingering in a different way than you had innocently first thought.

 

“Her name is Star.” Hana continues to frown.

 

Fujio shrugs, a playful smile on his full lips. “Come on, Star.”

 

“I- What?” You ask, confused.

 

“Dance with me.” He encourages, sliding his hand into your free hand.

 

“What? No.” You laugh nervously. “I’m not drunk enough for that.”

 

“Down the hatch then.” He says, using his finger to tilt your glass.

 

“It’s just soda.” You tell him, only for him to roll his golden eyes at you again.

 

“Boring.” He states simply, ruffling Hana’s curls before disappearing off into the crowd again.

 

Hana huffs her displeasure, leaving her glass on the bar which you keep a careful eye on while she rearranges her curls again.

A gentle hand on your arm tears your attention away from what Hana’s doing, and you see Keiko smiling softly at you, pulling you into a one-armed hug.

 

“You came.” She says warmly, letting go of you.

 

You nod, kind of uselessly standing there as if awaiting direction.

 

“Aoki and Aime have had a bust up about something or other. Aki just went outside to try and smooth it out.” Keiko tells you. “Vesper’s with Hitoshi.”

 

You blink. 

Hitoshi was here? Did that mean Hakuchō was here too?

 

“So you can look more comfortable .” Keiko says, rubbing your arm as if to attempt to ease the tension in your body away. “Honestly, what did they do to upset you so much?”

 

You’re torn between staying with the girls and going to find Vesper and Hitoshi, to see if Hakuchō was here too, to apologise about the other day and the restraining order. 

After all, Akito had lied to you before, so what was stopping him from lying about whatever he knew about Hakuchō too?

 

“I’m going to find Ves.” You tell them, albeit being reluctant about it.

 

“Alright.” Keiko agrees, smiling at you with a proud gleam in her eyes.

 

“If he pisses you off again, tell me, I’ll bite him!” Hana chimes in, gnashing her elongated front teeth.

 

You give her an unimpressed look, half-noticing the fact that Koichi seems to be hanging around the bar by her, stealing glances at you. 

You don’t give yourself any time to think about it, finding Vesper in the crowd easily thanks to his height and making a beeline for him.

You half-expect to see a flash of purple hair, like Keiko had said, but instead, you stop in your tracks when you see Aime dragging her hand down Vesper's chest, toward his stomach.

 

And instead of continuing forward, you spin around, your head screaming and silent at the same time.

Keiko frowns the second she sees you coming close again, probably not having expected to see you come back so quickly.

You grab her arm as you pass, Hana preoccupied with talking to Koichi, who’s eyes trail you as you walk her towards a quieter area in the corner of the bar.

 

“What’s the matter?” She asks, concern written all over her face.

 

“Aime-“ You don’t even need to finish your sentence for Keiko’s expression to turn from concerned to angry, her tail flicking angrily behind her. “She was touching Vesper.”

 

“ What? ” Keiko asks, her voice mixed between incredulous and angry.

 

“She was touching Vesper like this.” You tell her, showing her on your own body. “I panicked, I think. I just came to get you. I should have gone to see what was happening.”

 

Keiko seems to go eerily calm at this, her face becoming completely unreadable.

 

“I’ll sort it out.” She tells you simply, and if she’s angry, it doesn’t show in her voice. “Go find Hana.”

Chapter 66: Sort. It. Out.

Vesper is leaning on the bar, his head swimming with a million thoughts when he feels claws digging into his clothing and scraping the scales of his bicep.

Startled, he turns his head to see Keiko staring at him with that look in her eyes that he’d once heard Akito refer to as ‘liquid fire’. 

 

“Come with me. Now. ” Keiko tells him flatly.

 

“What? Ow, Keiks!” Vesper tries to pull his arm away from her grasp, only for her to dig her claws deep enough to puncture the tough scales under his clothing, which was a feat in itself.

 

He’d kind of had enough of being touched by people today, and it was particularly worse when Keiko knew she was hurting him and didn’t stop. 

He wasn’t going to push her away though, he knew his strength and he cared too much about Keiko to risk hurting her, even accidentally.

So he winces as she practically drags him out of the bar, her nails digging into his flesh deep enough for him to feel blood beginning to drip down his arm.

 

When the cool air hits him, Keiko stops, spinning around and fixing him with an icy look of rage.

 

“What the fuck were you doing letting Itō touch you like that?” Keiko asks, her voice sharper than he’s used to hearing aimed at himself. “What, you have one bust up and you start cheating on her? I’m so fucking angry at you, Vesper, you have no idea.”

 

Vesper holds his hand over his injured arm, grimacing a little at her fury. “You saw? I swear, it wasn’t what it looked li-“

 

“ Star saw!” Keiko snaps. “She freaked out. So here I am, having to sort shit out for you, again .”

 

“Star saw?” Vesper asks as quietly as his gravelly voice will allow.

 

Keiko just glares at him in response.

 

“I pushed her away, Keiks, I swear.” Vesper promises. “I didn’t even mean to, I know I have to be careful, ‘cause… I just… I didn’t want her on me like that. I don’t even know why she did it. I barely know her.”

 

Keiko assesses him coldly for a moment. “You pushed her?”

 

Vesper cringes a bit. “I think she twisted her ankle, she limped away. I’m surprised the cops haven’t shown up yet.”

 

His feline friend’s tail slowly stops angrily swishing behind her, one of her ears flicking as she seems to soak the information he’d given her in.

 

“You don’t know why she was touching on you?” She asks, raising an eyebrow.

 

“No, I was just making sure she was alright after Aoki flipped at her like he did and then suddenly she was… touching my chest.” Vesper says, looking away, the memory is enough to make his scales crawl a little bit.

 

Keiko crosses her arms over her chest, running her eyes up and down him as though looking for some kind of physical sign he was lying to her.

 

“Seriously, I would never…” Vesper begins, and then sighs, running a hand through his fringe in exasperation. “I love Star, even though she’s mad at me.”

 

“What did you do to upset her so much?” Keiko asks and Vesper just kind of freezes up.

 

Keiko’s eyes narrow at his reaction. “What did you both do ?”

 

“It’s not really my place…” Vesper begins to say, only to yelp in pain when the next second Keiko’s claws are digging into one of the points of his ears. “ Ow! ”

 

“Tell me.” 

 

“You’re hurting me!” Vesper grits out, still being mindful not to do anything that could hurt her .

 

“Tell me and I’ll let go.” Keiko replies, eerily calmly despite the harsh grip on his ear, even bringing him down to her level with the hold she has on him.

 

“It- ow! Fucking hell, Keiko.” Vesper fights back a growl, his instincts beginning to take over. “Something happened between me and Aki when he was spiked, that’s all. Star thinks- ow, ow ow! That we lied to her.”

 

“What happened?” Keiko asks, finally letting go of his ear and letting him stand straight again, his hand immediately going to cover the injured point.

 

Vesper doesn’t want any more claws stuck into him tonight so he throws caution to the wind and spills it out as quickly as he can before Keiko can find anywhere else to hurt him.

She stares at him silently for a second, but there’s no real feeling behind her expression as she does so. 

 

“So she thinks you lied why, exactly?”

 

“She said I lied about my experience.” Vesper admits. “But I didn’t, I just… didn’t tell her everything . I don’t know why she thinks Aki’s lied to her.”

 

“You know that hiding the truth is essentially the same as lying, right, Ves?” Keiko asks, every word laced with disappointment even before she gives him a disapproving shake of her head and turning on her heel.

 

“Wait, Keiks, where are you going?” Vesper asks, gently catching her slender wrist in his hand.

 

“ I’m going to find Akito so we can straighten this all out.” She says, her lips pressed into a thin line. “No pun intended.”

 

Vesper gives her a flat look, as though it had been a poor attempt at humour, except her painted red lips don’t quirk up, and her yellow eyes look completely lifeless.

She snatches her wrist from his hand, her golden bracelets jingling as she does so. 

 

“And you are going to walk up to Star, explain, and apologise. Hell, beg if you have to. Just. Sort. It. Out.” She tells him, her voice slowly becoming more and more similar to a feline hiss the more she talks. “The two of you are idiots.”

 

“I know.” Vesper mutters as she continues back into the bar.

 

At least she didn’t seem mad at him or Akito for what they did. Hopefully she wouldn’t make Aki’s life hell over it.

He follows her back inside, looking for any sign of his girlfriend amidst all the packed bodies. He struggles to find her, but a smaller body practically bouncing between groups of people does catch his eye.

 

“Hana.” He says, getting close enough to the small girl with large round ears and unruly curls for her to hear him over the chatter and music.

 

Hana’s big eyes travel up to look at him, a big grin on her face. “Ves! Oh, you’re bleeding.”

 

She then tries climbing him as though he’s a tree to fuss over his ear.

 

“It’s fine, just… where’s Star?” He asks, gently trying to dissuade her from climbing up him.

 

“I saw her with Fujio last, I think.” Hana replies thoughtfully, avoiding the gentle swats of Vespers hands to poke at his ear. “Did you fight a bramble bush?”

 

“Worse. I pissed off Keiko.”

 

Hana whistles lowly in response, giving Vesper a scrutinising look. “Must have been super stupid for that.”

 

“Yup. Get down so I can find Star.” 

 

Hana waggles her eyebrows. “Good idea. She looks good tonight.”

 

Vesper ignores whatever it is Hana’s trying to do, because Star looks good all of the time, giving up on being gentle with the girl and hooking his hands under her armpits to pry her off him and place her on the floor again like she’s some kind of toddler.

Luckily, Fujio is a lot easier to spot than Star thanks to the large ears that sit on his head that were so heavily pierced that light often reflected off them as though he was some kind of beacon.

Unsurprisingly, he’s sprawled over Abe’s lap, making happy noises akin to a purr as Abe kisses across his exposed shoulder.

 

“Where’s Star?” Vesper interrupts them bluntly, and Fujio opens one eye to glance at him, that annoying smirk that’s always on his face returning. 

 

“I don’t know. She went off to the bar to get another drink.”

 

“You made up?” Abe asks Vesper, resting his chin on his partner’s shoulder and raising a brow at Ves. “You’ve got blood on you.”

 

“Yeah, I was encouraged to talk to Star.” Vesper grumbles, and Fujio titters.

 

“You’ll probably find her with the cute bartender.” Fujio tells him, unhelpfully.

 

Vesper flips him off before turning and returning his attention to the bar, walking over and trying to spot any flash of Star.

When he realises there’s too many people at the bar to spot her, he reluctantly starts looking at the bartenders. They’re all reasonably attractive, but to his chagrin there does seem to be one that’s a lot more noticeably ‘cute’ than the others, and when he cranes his neck to see who he’s grinning and talking to, sure enough, it’s Star, who’s eagerly pulling down the front of her dress, likely to show him the rest of her tattoo, but it’s enough to get Vesper to rush to her and pull the material back up, smoke pouring from his nostrils as he glowers at the short-haired bartender, who doesn’t even look remotely intimidated as he leans across the bar and has to tilt his head back to look at Vesper.

 

“Vesper!” Star scowls, and there’s a definite slur in her voice. “I was just showing Koichi my tattoo.”

 

“He doesn’t need to see it.” Vesper tells her, refusing to break eye contact with the smug, blonde man opposite the bar.

 

“He asked.” Star huffs. “An’ you were letting Aime touch you.”

 

Vesper fights the urge to cringe at the fact she’d announced that in front of whoever this Koichi guy was, instead gently encouraging her out of her seat by wrapping his hand around her bicep.

 

“Stop!” Star slurs, still frowning.

 

“You know him?” Koichi asks, giving Vesper a once over.

 

“I’m her boyfriend .” Vesper’s tongue hisses out further than it should in his anger, and he hates the fact he does it. “Star, c’mon, we need to talk.”

 

“Don’t wanna. You’re a liar.” Star refuses, her eyes watering in a way that betrays the angry words.

 

“C’mon babe.” Vesper gentles his voice, moving his hand from her arm to slide it into hers.

 

She looks unsure about it, but does let him lead her to the outside smoking area while sniffing and wiping her eyes with her hand.

The second they’re outside, Vesper vaguely picks up on the fact that Keiko and Akito are in the corner of the gardens, Akito smoking on the ground as Keiko stands over him, her tail flicking angrily behind her. There’s another small crowd sitting around a table, but other than that, it seems relatively quiet.

He frees his hand from hers, crouching down and pulling her into a hug, his hand protectively going to the back of her head and pressing her face against his shoulder.

 

She doesn’t try to push him off, which is a good sign, and his tail swipes over the floor in response to that.

 

“I’m sorry, okay?” He sighs. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I love you.”

 

“I love you too, but you’re stupid.” Star replies, her voice muffled.

 

“I am.” He agrees without hesitation. “But I didn’t let Itō touch me. I pushed her away from me.”

 

“You did?” Star asks, sounding like she’s questioning it.

 

“Of course I did.” He tells her, exasperated. “It felt gross. I don’t want anyone but you, Star. She’s weird. She just keeps trying to get with all of us.”

 

“She can’t have you.” Star tells him, holding onto him tighter.

 

“Koichi can’t have you .” Vesper counters before he can really stop himself.

 

“Don’t be stupid.” Star grumbles against his shoulder.

 

“You were showing him your chest, babe.”

 

“I was showing him my tattoo , and you showed Akito your junk.” Star says, finally trying to shove Vesper away.

 

But Vesper doesn’t move, because he’s far too big for her to be successful in her attempt. “Star.”

 

“You lied to me.”

 

“I didn’t…” Vesper begins to deny and then remembers what Keiko had said and sighs, sliding his hands into hers. “I’m sorry, Star. I shouldn’t have hidden it from you. I just didn’t want to break my promise to Akito. You’re more important than that though, I get that now. I was so, so stupid.”

 

“Big dumb.” Star agrees, trying to scowl at him with watery eyes.

 

“ Giant dumb.” He can’t help but grin.

 

Star stares at him for a second longer with that poor attempt at anger before she’s pressing against him for a hug again.

He’s more than happy to wrap his arms around her, because it feels the closest he’s been to being forgiven after a week of being completely ignored.

 

“You really pushed Aime away?” She asks.

 

“Yeah, I think I might have accidentally hurt her.”

 

“Good.” Star huffs uncharacteristically. “If she does that again I’m gonna kick her ass.”

 

Vesper can’t help but laugh at that, and Star pulls back to glare at him.

 

“I mean it.” She insists, and Vesper just smiles at her.

 

“Sure, babe. Go for it.” He says, straining not to laugh again.

 

Star huffs again, pressing her face into his shoulder once more and staying silent this time.

Vesper strokes her hair, stealing a glance at Akito and Keiko again, seeing that they’re now making out regardless of being in a public space, Keiko even straddling his lap.

At least that was better than them fighting.

 

“Who gave you something to drink, Star?” Vesper asks, making no effort to break their embrace.

 

“Fujio. He said it would make me feel better.”

 

“Ignore him next time, yeah?” Vesper sighs to himself. “You’re not meant to be drinking.”

 

“I do feel better though.” Star argues. 

 

Vesper bites his tongue, not wanting to get into another argument with Star when he’d finally gotten her back.

If she was sober enough to remember them making up, anyway.

 

“Are you staying with the others tonight?” Vesper asks instead, and Star shakes her head.

 

Vesper doesn’t even care about the fact that means that he’d have to leave the party early to make sure she got home okay. There were too many people here, anyway. 

 

“I’ll take you home. You know when the last train is?”

 

Star shrugs in response.

 

“Gonna call your dad if you missed it?” He asks, raising a brow.

 

“No. They’re being weird.”

 

Vesper frowns, reluctantly breaking the embrace to check the timetables on his phone. Luckily the station isn’t too far away and the last train isn’t for another hour, so he can try to sober her up a little before getting her back home.

 

“Alright, let’s get you some water and keep you away from Red.” Vesper says, standing to his full height and leading her back inside the bar.

 

He sits her next to Hana, refusing to let Koichi try to serve her again, and the entire time he waits for the female bartender to get the water he’d asked for, he makes a point to glare at the unshakeable, cocky blonde that had been talking to his girlfriend earlier.

 

*•*

 

Sobering Star up didn’t really seem to work, but at least she wasn’t nauseous or stumbling as he walks her from the station to her house. 

The only way anyone would know she was drunk is if she spoke, and he was really, really hoping her parents would be asleep or in their room.

 

She clumsily keys in the code for her door, and pushes open the door. 

But Vesper had completely forgotten about the corgi puppy they’d gotten Tomura for his birthday. Tifa, if he remembered her name correctly, immediately comes bounding over to the door, barking excitedly despite the fact most animals tended to hate Vesper for his size and appearance.

 

“Go ‘way, Tifa.” Star grumbles, swatting at the puppy while she tries to unlace her boots.

 

Vesper picks up the puppy that tries to jump up his shins, though, actually enjoying the fact that for once an animal doesn’t seem to find him a threat.

Despite himself, he holds the dog like a baby, grinning down at her as her tongue lolls out the side of her mouth.

 

“Wani.” Shigaraki greets from the doorway of his office. “Starlight. Did you have fun?”

 

“Mhm.” Star hums, walking over to her dad to give him a hug.

 

Shigaraki indulges her, giving Vesper a glance as he bends down to undo his own shoes. Vesper knows from the brief look that Shigaraki somehow knows that she’s not sober, and likely blames Vesper for it.

Vesper tries to mouth ‘sorry’ at him, but the hug is short-lived and his crimson eyes are quickly back onto his daughter.

 

“Best you go to sleep, Star.” Shigaraki tells her, brushing his knuckles over her cheek and lifting up Tifa from the floor to carry her into his office with him.

 

“C’mon, Star.” Vesper encourages, making sure to hold her hand all the way upstairs to make sure she doesn’t fall over.

 

The second she gets into her room she flops onto her bed, refusing to put on her pyjamas out of pure drunken laziness alone.

So Vesper peels the black dress off her himself, trying to be as careful as he can while doing so. He even shucks off his jacket and hoodie so that he can pull the shirt he’s wearing over her body so that she won’t get cold.

 

“I’ll get you some water.” He tells her, confused as to where her faithful cat is. 

 

She grumbles an affirmative at him as he places her blanket over her. 

Water and her cat. That’s what he needed to get.

The second he leaves her room, trying to be as quiet as possible, he’s faced with Dabi staring him down from across the hall, Cloud in his arms.

 

“You upset my kid.” Dabi says instead of greeting him like Shigaraki had. “I specifically remember tellin’ you not to do that.”

 

“I’m sorry.” Vesper apologises quickly.

 

“Touya. Bed.” Shigaraki says as he comes up the stairs with Tifa awkwardly climbing each step behind him.

 

Dabi doesn’t break eye contact though, and doesn’t seem to be willing to part with Cloud, either.

Tomura hands Vesper a glass of water wordlessly and then goes to his husband to take Cloud off him before putting the cat on the floor, who immediately darts for Star’s room, not even stopping to sniff Vesper.

 

“Goodnight, Wani.” Tomura says, gripping his partner's prosthetic arm and pulling him into their bedroom, closing the door behind them.

 

Vesper grimaces. Back to being in their bad books, then.

He turns to go back into the bedroom though, placing Star’s water on her nightstand and taking a moment to soak in the sight of her with her arm around Cloud’s fluffy body, seemingly asleep in moments.

At least she’d remembered to move so he can be closer to the heater.

Carefully he crawls over her body to the other side of the bed, turning the heater up and pressing his front up to her back, curling his arm around her torso.

 

His tail thumps once against the floor as a feeling of rightness settles over him.

 

“I really am sorry, Star.” He whispers to his sleeping love. “I don’t want to lose you.”

 

Star grumbles something sleepily in return, but it doesn’t make sense.

 

“Thank you for coming tonight even though you were angry.” He tells her as softly as he can. “I love you.”

 

Star mumbles something back that sounds like ‘I love you’, and honestly, that’s more than enough for him after a week of being ignored and avoided.

He never wanted to deal with that again.

And so he uses the rest of his time awake to really soak in the feeling of her body against his, memorising the way her breath sounds when she’s sleeping.

 

When things were stable again, when she was happy with him and comfortable with everything in her life like she used to be, he’d do it.

He’d ask her. Even if it scared the life out of him.

 

He’d always been cowardly anyway.

Chapter 67: Honesty

You had been at college all day. It was going well at the minute, your project for this term was slowly coming along, you didn’t hate what you were doing, and everyone seemed to be getting along. 

Keiko had managed to get a steady stream of work doing wedding photography, even if it wasn’t something she particularly enjoyed doing, and the boys were spending a lot of time in the studio or doing their coursework. It turned out having a record deal was more demanding than it had been when they were just having fun with the band, even if they were secretive about what they were working on.

 

You were still hurt about how they had lied to you, but when you had woken up next to Vesper three weeks ago and he had looked so relieved and happy to see you looking at him, your eyes still heavy with sleep, it had kind of killed your urge to drag your anger out any longer. 

Akito had been weirdly nice to you, too, even if he never apologised for lying or explained why he felt the need to.

You figured he had suffered enough without you being angry at something that felt so small in comparison, so you were being cordial with him. You kind of would have liked some form of an apology, though.

 

Dabi was still being weird, too. The only time you had seen him be even remotely close to being his usual self was when Fuyumi finally had her baby and allowed you all to visit. 

He’d been all smiles when he’d held baby Rei, even holding his tongue when Tomura politely declined holding her on account of Fuyumi’s husband being present, even though you knew he probably wanted to say something about that. And when you had held the tiny, white haired baby, Dabi busied himself with fussing over Fuyumi like usual.

His demeanour did entirely change when Shoto turned up with Uncle Natsuo though, going from genuinely happy to icy the second he laid eyes on his two-toned sibling. He didn’t snap or make any kind of rude remarks though, just left the house soon after they arrived after a low conversation that you couldn’t really hear with Natsuo.

 

So when you walk into the house, greeting your pets and walking to the kitchen to get a snack, you pause when you see Dabi sitting at the kitchen island.

His eyes immediately zero in on you, and you have no choice but to continue what you were doing, even though there’s a weird energy coming off him.

 

“Hi dad.” You greet tentatively.

 

“Hey Starshine.” He replies, and even though he uses the nickname for you, it doesn’t feel as loving or friendly as it usually does, and Cloud remains laying on the countertop, Dabi’s hand nestled in his fur which seems to be making Cloud purr very loudly. “Siddown with me.”

 

You pause again, your expression slowly falling. “Am I in trouble?”

 

Dabi gives you an exasperated look. “You ask every time, an’ the answer’s always the same.”

 

“It feels like you’ve been mad at me for a while…” You tell him quietly, but he doesn’t address it, he just motions for you to sit down opposite him at the kitchen island.

 

Reluctantly, you sit yourself down on the stool opposite him, twisting one of the rings on your fingers for something to do.

You aren’t expecting him to take a deep breath, take something out of his pocket and then slide it across the table to you.

A photo of you and your mom when you were only a baby. A photo you’d never seen before.

You instinctively go to pick it up, but before you can even make contact with it, Dabi’s metallic finger pokes down directly onto the image of you.

 

“Everythin’ I do is for this little girl.” He tells you the instant you look up at him with an expression mixed between confusion and offence at the fact he’d stopped you from being able to pick up the photo. “Even if you don’t like it.”

 

“Can I look at it?” You ask calmly, and Dabi raises his finger to allow you to pull the photo towards you.

 

It’s definitely your mom. She looks younger than you remember, though. But that shade of bright red hair is the most striking thing you remember about her.

 

“How did you-“ 

 

“Just listen for me.” Dabi demands, leaning back in his seat. 

 

You mutter an ‘okay’, returning your attention back to the photo you’re handling so carefully.

 

“When I was your moms age, I was havin’ to do whatever I could to make sure I had a roof over my head, food in my belly an’ my skin still attached to my body.” Dabi continues, and you look up at him in horror at the mention of his skin being kept on. His eyebrows immediately pull together.  “Don’t look at me like that.”

 

“I don’t like thinking about you like that.” You tell him, shuddering when you remembered the last time he’d burned badly and lost his arm.

 

Dabi doesn’t look any less offended by that.

 

“I don’t like when you’re hurt.” You clarify, and Dabi’s cold eyes soften finally.

 

“I know, babygirl.” Dabi sighs, leaning back in his seat and running his hand through his fluffy white hair. “I know.”

 

It goes quiet for a second, and you carefully put the photograph back on the countertop.

 

“You were the first choice I made for myself, ‘cause I didn’t wanna see a little kid gettin’ hurt and seein’ the worst of people so young like I did.” Dabi explains, his eyebrows pulling together slightly. “I’ve jus’ always wanted to keep you safe, Star.”

 

“I’m sorry.” You whisper, feeling like it’s the appropriate response, but Dabi shakes his head.

 

“When we got the restrainin’ order when you were eleven, it was ‘cause you’d come back from that prick's house with a feeding tube, you were skinnier than when I’d first picked ya up and his kid was a mess, self harming, bein’ abused an’ not talking.”

 

You bite your tongue, because you can feel the heat coming off Dabi getting even warmer from the memory of that time.

 

“I didn’t want you gettin’ any ideas from her.” Dabi says, folding his arms over his chest. “You’d already told me you’d thought about it once after she appeared.”

 

You frown. You don’t really remember it.

 

“Didn’t know Tomura kept it rollin’, and even if I did, I’dve agreed with him.” Dabi tells you, his voice certain. “Not even sorry about it. She’s bad news.”

 

You press your lips together, not wanting to fight with him about this again.

 

“Anyway, he’s gonna see if he can get it undone seein’ as it upset you so much.” Dabi sighs, and your brows raise. “As for me ‘replacing’ you…”

 

You cringe a little hearing the words come back at you from him. You’d kind of hoped he’d forgotten about what you’d said after so long, even if he’d been acting weirdly with you the entire time.

 

“I’ve never wanted to get a replacement for ya, hon.” Dabi continues, shaking his head slightly. “ I was replaced. Three fuckin’ times. I know how much it hurts.” 

 

Your shoulders sink a little bit. You didn’t know that.

 

“Just, little Nova…” Dabi trails off, clearly thinking about something for a moment. “She reminded me of me.”

 

You don’t really understand, but it doesn’t matter anyway, because clearly Dabi had been holding this in for quite some time and needed to get it all out.

 

“We found her, she’d been asleep in some fuckin’ ice tank. Scarred up, confused, couldn’t talk, bit me the second I tried to help her out.” Dabi’s eyebrows pull together at the memory. “‘Mura wanted to have her decommissioned but I couldn’t let that happen to a kid. She was jus’ scared. Couldn’t even say if she was hurt or not ‘cause they took her fuckin’ voice box.”

 

You don’t think you knew that , either, and just look at him with wide eyes. 

 

“When I first was on the streets, I couldn’t talk much either. Still got a bit of a lisp, and I couldn’t let Tomura take her to a home knowin’ the kids and staff would eat her alive.” He continues. “At least she’s got a good start now, an’ Zero loves her… I think.” 

 

You toy with the necklace they’d gotten you for your birthday, feeling guilty for what you’d said to him after all this information.

 

“Anyway, what I’m trynna say is, there’s no replacin’ you, Star.” Dabi sighs, picking at one of the staples lining his hand. “I wouldn’t want to, and I can’t. There’s no other Starshine.”

 

You give him a small smile, one that he matches, reaching his hand for you, which you take, letting him squeeze your hand briefly. 

 

“F’ I’ve been distracted, it’s ‘cause I wanted to make sure she had the right tools movin’ forward. And I just like kids.” He shrugs. “Think it’s in the blood.”

 

“I didn’t know.” You tell him as he lets go of your hand. 

 

“I know, darlin’. Been tryin’ to keep you safe all this time by not tellin’ you horrible stuff.” Dabi replies guiltily. 

 

“They took her voice box?” You ask, and get a curt nod in response. “That’s horrible.”

 

“It is.” Dabi agrees, finally seeming to relax in his seat, even though the fire in his eyes lights at the thought of whatever had happened to Nova.

 

“Is there anything else that you haven’t told me?” You ask, probably pushing it, but wanting to have the answers while he’s being upfront.

 

His lips pull down a little in the corners, which means there most definitely is.

 

“Killed your dad.” He tells you bluntly, gesturing with his head towards the photograph of you and your mom laying on the countertop. “S’ how I got that. I don’t regret it. Would do it again.”

 

The feelings that come from the admission are conflicted. Hurt, because you didn’t like when Dabi did things like that, and because even though D/N wasn’t really your dad in the ways that mattered, you were now completely parentless. But you were also relieved . Relieved that he wouldn’t find his way back to you and make everything confusing and messy again.

 

“Oh.” Is your only response, your voice smaller than you meant for it to come out.

 

“Got rid of Daiki, too.”

 

You blink. You hadn’t even thought about him for a long time.

 

“You’ve just been killing people over me?” You ask, your voice shaking a bit.

 

“He touched kids , Star.” Dabi defends, his eyebrows pulling together. “Even tried it with Toga when we found him.”

 

The thought makes you feel a little sick, and it must show, because Dabi’s expression softens at the same time Cloud pads over to you, bumping his head under your chin.

 

“Star, I’d ruin anyone that hurt you. I meant it every time I said it.” Dabi says, clearly trying to be gentle with it.

 

“But you shouldn’t kill people.” You point out quietly, burying your face in Cloud’s fur for comfort.

 

“Your dad shouldn’tve kidnapped you, held you for ransom an’ given you H.” Dabi counters. “And Daiki shouldn’tve been feelin’ up children, but here we are.”

 

You close your eyes against Cloud, remaining quiet.

 

“You’re my kid. Parents are meant to protect their kids. So that's what I did.” 

 

“I know.” You murmur.

 

There’s a stretch of silence before you feel Dabi’s foot nudge your shin, making you lift your face.

 

“Anythin’ you need to tell me ?” Dabi asks, raising a white brow.

 

You chew your lip. “Me and Vesper are sleeping together.”

 

Dabi’s jaw ticks, but he doesn’t give any other signs of his anger facially.

 

“Bein’ safe about it?” He asks.

 

You nod.

 

“Good.” Dabi sighs deeply. “I don’t like that you didn’t feel you could tell me somethin’ like that.”

 

“You don’t like Vesper.” You tell him, playing with your necklace and avoiding his eyes. 

 

“Ain’t true. He seems alright. Was gonna jump in after you when your old man showed up the first time. Just can’t have him gettin’ too comfortable.” Dabi says, crossing his arms over his chest. “Thinkin’ he can treat you anythin’ less than treasure will get him in trouble. It’s good to remind him that.”

 

“You’re rude to him a lot.” You point out quietly.

 

Dabi deadpans at you. “Alright. Fine. I’ll play nice with the giant.”

 

“Thank you.” 

 

Dabi rolls his eyes. “Anythin’ else?”

 

You search your brain, trying to find anything you’d neglected to tell him.

 

“I had a drink the other night.” You admit sheepishly.

 

“Sounded like it may’ve been more than one.” Dabi raises a brow. “I heard you strugglin’ to get up the stairs.” 

 

Your cheeks heat and so you quickly blurt something else out to change the subject quickly. “I’ve been stealing your clothes.”

 

“I fuckin’ knew it!” He exclaims, pointing at you.

 

You giggle despite yourself. “You have too many nice jackets that you don’t wear.”

 

“I was gettin’ on Tomura about it.” Dabi groans, leaning back on his seat. “Now I gotta say sorry, do you know how sucky that is?”

 

“ I’m not sorry.” You tell him, scratching between Cloud’s ears.

 

“Give ‘em back, you little brat.” Dabi orders, getting up to let Tifa out after she’d insistently scratched at the patio door. 

 

“I will, I will.” You reassure, watching him let the little corgi out.

 

“Anythin’ else?” Dabi asks, turning back around to face you.

 

You shake your head, and Dabi nods.

 

“Make up hug?” He asks, reaching his arms out.

 

You snort. “I’m not a baby.”

 

“Keep tellin’ you, you'll always be my babygirl.” Dabi grins lopsidedly. “Don’t pretend you’re too grown to hug your old man.”

 

You roll your eyes, but slide off your seat to approach him, walking into his arms and finally getting a proper hug out of him for the first time in weeks.

He squeezes you tightly, almost crushing you against his body.

 

“I hate that you’re growin’ up.” He tells you for the thousandth time.

 

“I know, dad.” You tell him.

 

“I love you.” He tells you, squeezing you again. “Even on your worst days. Even on mine .”

 

Your face crumples, and you cling onto him a little tighter this time.

 

“I love you too, pawpaw.” You reply quietly.

Chapter 68: With The Band

“Please tell me that’s not real.”

 

Akito’s response is a particularly mischievous laugh, which is answer enough.

Vesper stares at the knife tattooed over his friend's lower arm, covering the majority of the scars that had been there before. But that wasn’t the only one. Somehow Akito had managed to cover the entirety of one arm in tattoos within the two days they’d had off from college. 

So yeah. The knife tattoo was real. There were several images tattooed up his arm now, but with how Akito is sitting, Vesper can only make out the knife on his inner forearm and the guitar on the outside of his bicep, both of them seeming to be surrounded by some kind of thin tribal that join everything together.

 

“It’s not funny, Aki.” Vesper tells him.

 

“I think it’s hilarious.” Akito shrugs with a stupid smirk pulling his lips up.

 

“It’s pretty sick.” Aoki agrees, not that any of them would expect anything different from him.

 

“Said the guy that’s halfway up Aki’s ass.” Abe comments, raising an eyebrow, but that only gets another chuckle out of Akito.

 

“At least I’m not literally consistently up someone’s ass.” Aoki quips, but Abe doesn’t bite.

 

“Was that a moment for you?” Abe asks dryly, and then turns his attention to Akito again. “What tribe are you from?”

 

“Ha, ha.” Aki rolls his eyes. “It’s not tribal , it’s cybersigilism. Which is way cooler.”

 

“Did the artist tell you that?” Vesper asks.

 

“Whatever, cry about it bitches.” Akito shrugs, pulling his laptop out of his bag. “ Anyway, I got news.”

 

“Is the news that Tsume’s gonna make you get that lasered off?” Abe continues to tease. 

 

Akito ignores him for the most part, tapping away on the keys. “Better.”

 

“You’re cutting your arm off?” Vesper can’t help but continue to tease for his friend, earning a snort from Abe.

 

“Nah, I’m in a pretty good place, actually.” Akito says distractedly, seemingly not even trying to joke back. “Better.”

 

“Just tell us, they’re bein’ dicks.” Aoki says, leaning his face on his fist.

 

Abe shoots Vesper a pointed look, and when their eyes meet, Abe leans behind Aoki to mime something crude at him.

Vesper smirks a little in response as Abe leans forward again, feigning interest in whatever Akito’s going to say. 

 

“Go on then.” Abe sighs.

 

“I got us a festival gig.” Akito says proudly, spinning the laptop around with a grin.

 

Vesper’s blood runs cold when he’s met with the image of Loud Park’s website.

 

“Fuck off.” Aoki breathes.

 

“How did you manage that?” Abe asks, frowning. “We’re not even big enough…”

 

“Wrong! Try again.” Akito grins.

 

“What?” Abe asks, clearly puzzled.

 

Akito’s face goes completely flat as he scans the faces of every single member of their band.

 

“Do none of you pay any attention to our social media?” He asks, sounding pretty irritated by Akito’s standards. “Like, at all?”

 

The three of them look between each other and then one by one they all shake their heads.

Akito grumbles irritably to himself, running a hand through his fringe to push it out of his face so he can glare properly at them all.

 

“We’ve got thousands of listeners. Last I checked it was like, a hundred thousand?” He asks, getting his phone from his pocket. “Yeah. It’s jumped up since we released the latest. It’s nearly five hundred thousand now. Why’d you think I was so on it with you guys about releasing music after Gasoline went mad?”

 

“Just figured you were the pusher.” Abe shrugs.

 

That doesn’t ease Akito’s frown any more, but he doesn’t stay on that topic luckily. “Anyways, we gotta have professional photos taken, and-“

 

“No.” Vesper immediately refuses without really thinking about it.

 

All of the other men turn to look at him in confusion.

 

“Sorry.” He murmurs, hoping they move on again.

 

“Why no ?” Aoki asks, like it’s the most offensive thing Vesper’s ever done. “This is huge!”

 

Abe doesn’t pitch in, just watches Vesper warily, as does Akito.

 

“I don’t like having my photo taken.” Vesper dismisses. 

 

“You superstitious or somethin’?” Aoki asks, being deadly serious from the sounds of it.

 

Vesper stares at him for a second before adopting Abe’s method of just completely blanking the airhead.

 

“It’ll be fine, Ves.” Abe tries to soothe.

 

“Yeah, it’ll be fine. Let’s be real, Abe’s the ugliest outta all of us.” Akito grins.

 

Abe rolls his eyes as Aoki laughs, but Vesper and Akito share a look, a look that Vesper knows means Akito’s trying to silently plead with him to be brave, suck it up, and do something that could work out really well for them as a band.

 

“Fine.” Vesper agrees reluctantly. “Whatever.”

 

The boys cheer loud enough for the entire class to look over at them for interrupting what they’re all working on individually.

 

“One more thing…” Akito says, leaning forward and taking the laptop back. “No girlfriends or boyfriends allowed.”

 

“What?” Vesper and Aoki ask, Aoki scrunching his nose up.

 

“Trust me on this one.” Akito says in response, not offering any more justification.

 

“Fuji’s got a gig on then anyway.” Abe shrugs. 

 

“I want Aime there.” Aoki says, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

“So you can keep an eye on her?” Abe asks, raising a pierced eyebrow and pulling out a pack of tobacco from his pocket.

 

“No. I just like getting laid.” Aoki shrugs, as if to shrug off the implication of Abe’s question.

 

Vesper rolls his eyes, which earns a frown from his silver-haired companion. 

 

“Don’t do that shit. Bet that’s why you jumped up about it too.” Aoki snaps.

 

“No, I just genuinely like having Star around.” Vesper replies flatly.

 

Aoki snorts, shaking his head at Vesper as though he doesn’t believe Vesper’s excuse.

 

“I suppose if we’re getting bigger we need to consider the effect it has on our family and friends.” Abe shrugs. “Fujio would probably love the attention, though.”

 

“See, Abe gets it. So keep it quiet, guys.” Akito gestures. “We’ll need like five new songs, so let's get to it.”

 

Vesper, however, did not keep it quiet, because he did not want a repeat of what had happened the last time he’d kept a secret from Star. And sure enough, he told Star, who told the girls, and all of a sudden, the girls, Fujio and Aime had all booked tickets to go.

Akito was pissed about it, but softened up when the girls offered to set the tents up for them, because Vesper wouldn’t be able to comfortably fit in, or sleep in a van. 

The guys had to go and do a sound check before everyone arrived tomorrow anyway, so they were more than happy to leave the girls to make a pitch for them.

 

Hauling the equipment to the stage isn’t precisely fun for the others and so Vesper ends up having to carry a large majority of it for them all, but he doesn’t mind that too much, it’s not exactly exertive for him.

The crew seem to be happy to help them set it all up once it’s there, and within a relatively short amount of time, they’re all ready for the sound check.

The others all seem so comfortable and fluid as they go through it, but Vesper feels out of place, under pressure, and scared .

 

“Center mic.” A voice calls boredly.

 

Vesper looks out over the empty space in front of the stage, his tail slowly creeping between his legs from the fear of whether the space will be full tomorrow or completely dead.

 

“ Center mic. ” The sound engineer calls again, sharper this time.

 

Vesper shakes his head slightly, hissing more than usual when he apologises. 

He runs through the usual phrases until he’s called to stop by the engineer.

He turns his head to look at the engineer puzzledly.

 

“Can you do it without putting on that voice?” The woman asks, crossing her arms over her chest in a clear show of irritation.

 

Akito chuckles into his mic by accident, flinching when the sound is amplified, and even Abe is grinning but Vesper isn’t amused by the question.

 

“This is just my voice.” He tells her bluntly.

 

The woman sighs but motions for him to carry on. She doesn’t seem to have any complaints after that, moving on to Aoki’s mic relatively quickly.

Vesper is already over this whole festival thing before the sound check is even finished, wanting to go back home even if his relationship with his mom is still fractured enough that she seems to be on edge around him all the time.

Hopefully the paycheck from this would be enough for him to move out like she wanted, at least.

 

When they head back to the tents, Fujio is lounging on a camp chair beside Aime with a spliff between his fingers while Hana and Keiko struggle to pitch the last tent. Luckily Abe ignores his partners reaching hand to help the girls out, but Vesper frowns when he realises that Star isn’t helping them out which seems completely out of character for her.

 

“Where’s Star?” He asks.

 

Aoki rolls his eyes, plucking the joint from between Fujio’s fingers and dodging the man's swipe of annoyance. 

 

“In your tent.” Hana says from Abe’s shoulders. “She’s been distracted since we got the leaflets.”

 

“Leaflets?” Vesper asks at the same time Fujio giggles.

 

“Go find out.” Fujio tells him, waggling his eyebrows and smirking.

 

Vesper stares at him, already getting riled up from not really wanting to be here, but turns around to the tent he’d brought along and unzips it, finding Star on her back, reading from a small booklet.

She sits up when she sees Vesper duck inside, her face alight with joy.

 

“You didn’t tell me you did a photoshoot!” She says excitedly, and Vesper cringes. “What’s that look for?!”

 

“I didn’t wanna do it.” Vesper replies, sitting next to her and attempting to cross his legs. “And Aki didn’t tell me there would be an interview, so I probably sound dumb.”

 

“You do not .” Star insists, thrusting the booklet in front of his face and forcing him to look at the photos of his band. “You all look really good!”

 

Vesper doesn’t necessarily agree. The whole shoot had been an uncomfortable experience for him, and he feels like it shows on his face. The others look good, sure. They look like they should, like they belong in the band, but Vesper looks awkward and weird towering over them all in the center of every photo. 

 

“I didn’t know you got your name from an old speech made by the CRC.” Star says, leaning her head against his arm. “That’s really clever, especially with your older songs being about heteromorphic rights.” 

 

Vesper huffs, wishing he was the right size and more humanoid so that he could kiss her head properly, instead having to bump the beak of his mouth against her head while she continues to flick through the pages.

 

“Your eyes are so pretty.” She marvels. “They look so green in this one.”

 

Vesper only glances at the photo she mentioned because of the praise, and as much as he doesn’t like looking at himself, it makes him feel a little better knowing that Star at least thinks he looks good.

 

“You’re going to be so popular…” Star muses.

 

Vesper snorts. “The others will. I won’t.”

 

Star tilts her head back to frown directly at him. “You’re handsome.”

 

Vesper fights the urge to roll his eyes. “Star…”

 

“You are!” She insists, abandoning the booklet to hold his face between her hands.

 

Vesper leans his face into one of her palms without really thinking about it, finding some peace in being treated like some kind of precious treasure instead of the huge beast he was.

 

“Say it.” She demands.

 

“Say what?” Vesper asks, unable to tear his eyes from hers.

 

“That you’re handsome.” She replies.

 

Vesper laughs in surprise. “No.”

 

“Do it.” She says, her eyebrows pulling together.

 

“Star…”

 

“Say. You’re. Handsome.”

 

“I’m not allowed to lie.” Vesper reminds her, trying to be teasing about it, the corner of his mouth slowly turning up on one side.

 

Star doesn’t find it funny though, her eyebrows furrowing even more. 

 

“It is not a lie.” She says firmly.

 

“This is stupid.” Vesper grumbles, but there’s no real anger in it as he nuzzles his face as best he can against her hand, his eyes slowly half-lidding.

 

“Say it.” She repeats.

 

Vesper sighs, reluctantly repeating the words she demanded he say.

 

“Like you mean it.” She continues to order, still frowning at him.

 

“I’m handsome.” Vesper repeats with a little more conviction, even though the words make him want to physically recoil.

 

But it makes Star’s face light up, a big smile that threatens to make his heart melt taking over her face.

 

“That’s right! You are. And you’re all mine.” She says cheerfully, pressing a quick kiss to the beak of his mouth and wrapping her arms around him in a tight hug.

 

Vesper finally feels the tension leave his body at the prospect of what will happen tomorrow from the feeling of her arms around him.

 

“Ves, you busy in there?” Abe calls through the thin material. “Need a little help.”

 

“Vesper! Fujio burned the chicken!” Hana wails from outside. 

 

“I’m pretty, I don’t need to learn to cook.” Fujio snaps. “Get Itō to do it. She's been sat robbing my weed all evening instead of helping.”

 

“She’s also too pretty to cook.” Aoki calls, sounding distant.

 

Star peels herself away from Vesper, giving him a soft but solemn smile.

 

“We should probably help them.” She says thoughtfully.

 

Vesper groans as softly as he can before uncrossing his legs and pushing himself up from the floor. 

 

“Coming.” Vesper calls out, helping Star off the ground too. “I love you.”

 

Star beams up at him before pulling him down to her height so she can kiss him again. “I love you, too.”

Chapter 69: There

You wake up roughly, the weight of something dropping onto the air mattress almost causing you to fall off it before a firm hand grabs your wrist to catch you.

 

“Shit. Sorry.” Vesper hisses in the dark.

 

“You’re here.” You murmur, immediately reaching for him blindly. 

 

“Yeah. You went to bed early, babe.” Vesper replies, clearly trying to keep his voice low. “Are you okay?”

 

“Mhm. I was just tired from the journey, and then setting everything up.” You yawn, pressing your face against his side and tracing your hand over his abs sleepily.

 

His clawed hand goes to your hair. “Go back to sleep. I’m probably gonna be up a while.”

 

“Why?” You ask, frowning and beginning to sit up.

 

“Stressed about tomorrow.” He replies quietly.

 

“You’ll do great.” You tell him, believing every word. “Don’t worry.”

 

Vesper grumbles a non-committal noise in response. 

You huff back at him, pressing yourself more firmly against his side.

 

“You will. ”

 

“What if no-one comes?” He asks.

 

You roll your eyes at him. “They will. Aki was telling us about how big you’ve gotten.”

 

Vesper doesn’t reply again, and if there was enough light to know what his face looked like, you could almost guarantee his eyes are probably looking anywhere but in your direction and are all clouded over with worry.

You sigh, patting his legs down in the dark before straddling his waist and putting your hands either side of his face.

 

“You guys are amazing. People love you.” You tell him, ignoring his dry, uncomfortable laugh. “If they come, they’ll love it. If they come and they don’t enjoy it, they’re dumb and you don’t need to worry about them anyway.”

 

“Star…” He rumbles in the dark.

 

“Shh.” You frown. “People will come, but if, and this would never happen, they don’t, it just means we get a private show.”

 

“I’ll give you a private show.” Vesper says, and then giggles .

 

You blink in surprise in the darkness, never hearing Vesper speak to you that way, or make that sound before.

 

“Are you drunk?” You ask, a soft smile creeping on your face. 

 

You hadn’t seen Vesper drunk since he passed out at Keiko’s house, and he’d been around you for all of ten minutes before falling asleep.

If he was this relaxed and playful with you while drunk, you didn’t mind at all.

 

“Nah, I had a smoke.” He says, still giggling.

 

“Give me a show then.” You grin, loving the unusual sound coming from him.

 

“It was just a stupid joke.” Vesper denies, still trying to get a hold of himself.

 

“Well I’d like that.” You tell him, pressing your chest to his.

 

That seems to calm him down almost instantly, his hands going to your waist, but instead of holding you there or moving you further up his lap, he tries to push you away gently.

 

“Star…” He grumbles when you refuse to budge. “I didn’t bring anything- and the guys…”

 

“I did, and we’ll be quiet.” You interrupt. 

 

“I wag , Star.” Vesper giggles.

 

You smile at his giggling, the noise making everything feel so much lighter. You can’t help but press your forehead against the rough scales of his own forehead, smiling at him in the dark.

 

“I like that you wag.” You tell him softly. “If you wake people up we can tell them you just had a good dream.”

 

Vesper snorts, and then bursts out laughing. A deep belly laugh that seems to rumble through his entire body, and like he’d pointed out, his tail thumps against the airbed.

You can’t help but laugh with him, never having seen him so calm and happy before.

 

“A good dream.” He repeats, giggling again. “You’re funny.”

 

You grin at him, pressing your lips to the beak of his mouth despite his giggles.

It takes a few soft kisses for him to pull himself together enough to start returning them in his own way, his hands tightening on your sides slightly.

After a few shared kisses he giggles again, and you can’t help but smile against his mouth.

 

“What now?” You ask quietly.

 

“I can’t believe you’re always prepared.” He laughs, clearly trying to be quiet about it. “You’re so funny.”

 

You chuckle too, leaning over to blindly feel around in the bag you brought with you. Vesper can’t stop giggling to himself, his tail swiping across the floor from the rustling you can hear.

You think you find the condoms you’d hastily packed, bringing them as close to your face as you can to make sure it’s definitely what you think it is.

 

“You’re so pretty.” Vesper says, finally calming down. “Why’d you want me for?”

 

“Because you’re handsome, kind, patient and talented.” You list without hesitation. “You’re passionate, you’re smart and you look after me and remember things about me and my family.”

 

Vesper is either stunned silent that you could list so many things or thinking all your answers over to pick them apart, so you turn your head to kiss him again.

He hums, the sound of a deep rumble that travels through his body before he licks at your bottom lip before you pull away.

You grin at him, slowly pulling at the bottom of his sweater, only for his hands to grab your wrists, halting you instantly.

 

“I’ll get cold, babe.” He rumbles. “I don’t want you to get cold, either.”

 

You laugh softly. “I’m only wearing one of your shirts.”

 

“What?” Vesper practically squeaks.

 

“Your Dir En Grey shirt.” You tell him.

 

“Bu-“ He begins, his hands releasing your wrist so that he can blindly run them over your thighs, making your skin goosebump. “Fuck. I wanna see.”

 

“Phone torch.” You tell him.

 

“They’ll see our shadows through the tent…” He grumbles, his hands running up to your bare hips. “Unless they’ve gone to bed.”

 

“I’ll go check.” You tell him, kissing his cheek and feeling around in the dark for his wrist so you can give him the condoms.

 

You stand from where you had been straddling his lap, trying to quietly pad over to the zipped up tent door and only undoing it enough to poke your head through, seeing no-one directly outside the tent, and only one other tent lit up with what you could only assume was a phone light. If the tall ears were anything to go by, it was Fujio and Abe’s tent.

You duck your head back in and inform him that everyone’s in their tents, and that only Abe and Fujio seem to be awake.

 

“Not for long.” Vesper murmurs. “Hotboxing.”

 

“Huh?” You ask, frowning.

 

“Don’t worry.”

 

“Okay.” You shrug, feeling around in the dark for his legs again. 

 

The second your hand touches him, his tail thumps against the floor again and you can’t help but laugh. 

 

“You’re cute.” You tell him, straddling his lap again.

 

“I wanna see you.” He gripes again. “And I don’t feel right doing this in a shitty tent…”

 

“I told you, use a phone light.” You tell him, kissing him. “What’s wrong with the tent? We have a mattress.”

 

“It’s not nice though.” He huffs. “Wanna treat you right.”

 

You roll your eyes, draping your arms over his shoulders. “You always treat me right.”

 

“That’s ‘cause I love you.” 

 

“I know.” You smile. “I love you too.”

 

You feel him bump the beak of his mouth against yours, and smile even wider before kissing him again, one of his hands going to the back of your neck and curling protectively around it while his other hand skims up your thigh.

He groans when your tongues slide together again, his hand tightening around the back of your neck at the same time he sits up a little more, pressing his chest more closely to your own.

 

You can feel the unmistakable firmness of his cocks beginning to harden underneath you, and you can’t help but grind down on the material of his pants, letting out a shuddery breath as you do so.

 

“Star.” He practically gasps.

 

“Want you.” You tell him, knowing he always needed you to physically say it, even if you made it apparent at all times.

 

“Want you too.” He breathes, loosening his hold on you to feel around between your bodies, unbuttoning his pants. “Shit, the condoms…”

 

You laugh softly at him. “Did you put them down?”

 

“Well I didn’t think…” He begins to say and then trails off while you feel around for them.

 

He starts laughing again at the sound of the rustling and patting of your hand, and you can’t help but laugh too, because it’s so nice to hear him laugh so much. It was a rare thing to hear so relaxed when he rarely ever laughed like this.

 

“Got them!” You announce in a whispered shout, finding them nestled within the blanket.

 

Vesper hums, and when you try passing them to him, you find his hand, but it’s already full.

You frown, feeling around for what he’s holding until you realise and your eyes widen.

 

“What are you…?”

 

“Keepin’ myself hard.” He replies, sounding like he’s confused as to why you’re asking.

 

“I wanna see.” You blurt out without really thinking.

 

Vesper’s quiet for a moment, which probably means he’s going to say no, but after what feels like forever, his voice rumbles through the dark, sounding even lower than usual.

 

“You wanna watch?” 

 

You can’t bring yourself to reply, your cheeks heating up rapidly with how strange that probably sounded to him. 

He seems to pat around nearby until he finds a phone, unlocking the screen so there’s a dim light in the tent.

You want to hide your face, but completely forget to when you see him underneath you, his breaths heavy enough to make his chest heave. His eyes are half lidded, but he still seems to be drinking you in, from your thighs up to your face as he lazily strokes his cocks with one hand, his pants having hastily been pulled down.

Your eyes are wide as you watch, fascinated by the movement and the way he’s looking at you.

 

“Move this up.” Vesper instructs, tugging on the hem of the shirt you’d stolen from him.

 

Without a second thought, you do, just to your navel, not expecting his tongue to hiss out of his mouth and his nose to begin streaming smoke, his hand working over himself a little quicker.

 

“I wish we were at home for this.” He murmurs, his eyes fixed between your legs. “So I could see you properly.”

 

You squirm a little, beginning to feel uncomfortable with the weight of his gaze there, even though he’d been closer before. 

His eyes snap to your face, his head tilting as he slows down the pace of his strokes.

 

“You okay?”

 

You nod. “It just feels weird you looking there.”

 

“You’re looking at me.” Vesper counters with a lazy grin.

 

Your cheeks heat up again, and you look away.

Vesper chuckles lowly, sitting up to press the beak of his mouth to your cheek.

 

“I liked it.” He grumbles close to your ear at the same time he locks his phone again.

 

You relax as soon as you’re in the darkness again, turning your face around when you hear Vesper ripping open one of the packets.

You had liked it too, probably more than you should have, and it’s evidenced by the wetness between your thighs.

 

“We should probably…” Vesper begins to say once you assume the condoms are on, because he tries to shift you from his lap once more.

 

You remain fixed where you are though, shaking your head. “It’ll be fine.”

 

“I dunno…” He begins, only to hiss again when you shift yourself up his lap to grind down on him. “Star.”

 

Your name is breathy when it leaves him, and it only stirs you on, reaching between your bodies to feel for his cocks, making him giggle again when you grab his hip instead.

 

“Stop!” You giggle, too. “I can’t see .”

 

“Should have let me leave the light on then.” Vesper says after a snort, wrapping his hand around your wrist and guiding your hand to his crotch.

 

You let out a breathy laugh against his mouth softly as you line him up with yourself, because he’s still laughing as quietly as he can.

 

“You’re so cute when you laugh.” You tell him as you slowly begin to sink down on him.

 

“F-fuck.” He breathes, his laughter halting immediately at the same time he squeezes your hips. 

 

You hum an agreement, surprised that this time it doesn’t seem to be too much of a struggle to take him, your hands settling on his shoulders while you amend your position so it’s a little more comfortable.

 

“You okay?” He asks softly.

 

“Yeah, just getting comfy.” You reply, pressing a quick kiss to the beak of his mouth. “Are you?”

 

Vesper lets out a contented rumble, the sound vibrating through his chest, and his tail swishes across the floor.

You kiss him again when you start moving, only parting from him to take gasped breaths, the air in the tent beginning to thicken with the smoke coming from Vesper.

His hands tighten and then loosen on your hips with every roll of your hips when you sink all the way down onto his length, his other cock providing friction to your clit when you grind down.

 

“I’m not gonna last.” Vesper whispers against your mouth. “You feel too good.”

 

You can’t help but grin at the praise, running your fingers through his hair, 

Your palms graze the points of his ears, which gets a gasp of surprise from your boyfriend, his hips thrusting up to meet your downward stroke, hitting somewhere that feels good inside you at the same time his upper cock bumps against your clit.

 

“Shit, I’m sorry.” He tries to soothe, only for you to shake your head at him in the dark.

 

“Again.” You tell him, straining to keep your voice quiet.

 

“Agai- Are you sure?” He asks, sounding bewildered.

 

“Mhm.” You reply, pressing your nose against his snout and panting against his mouth.

 

He hesitates for a moment before doing it again, knocking a louder moan from your lungs this time.

 

“There?” He asks, and you manage to babble an agreement before you feel one of his hands wrap around your mouth and he’s then repeatedly thrusting up into that spot, over and over.

 

You’re grateful that he’d placed a hand over your mouth because you can’t help but moan. cry out and curse against the rough scales on his palm. 

Your thighs tense as you come with a gasp against his hand, your entire body seeming to feel tight as pleasure washes over you. He growls, seeming to at least try to make it quiet, but his tail thumps against the air mattress. 

A few more clumsy rolls of your hips and he twitches inside of you, signalling his own release. 

Only then does he stop covering your mouth with his hand, nosing the crook of your neck and catching his breath alongside you. 

 

“You okay?” He asks as soon as he has the breath for it. “I didn’t hurt you?”

 

You shake your head from where you’d been resting it on his shoulder.

 

“Are you sure?” He asks, sounding doubtful.  “I love you.”

 

“I love you too, Ves.” You reply quietly. “Clean up and cuddle.”

 

You feel his mouth curve upwards against your neck. “Always, but are you-“

 

“Vesper.”

 

“Okay, okay.” He giggles. “You sounded like Shigaraki then. Vesper. ”

 

You pull back from him enough to flick where you assume his nose is, and seemingly catch his nostril instead from the feeling of the metal against your finger. 

 

“Ow!” You hiss.

 

“Serves you right.” Vesper chuckles. “Are you hurt?”

 

“No…” You murmur, only for him to find your wrist in the dark and gently bring your knuckles to the beak of his mouth.

 

“Good. Let’s get cleaned up without anyone noticing and then bed.” He replies, a smile in his voice. “I’m fuckin’ tired now.”

 

“Mm.” You raise an eyebrow in the dark. “The sex or the smoke?”

 

“Both, probably.” Vesper laughs nervously. “Are you mad at me?”

 

“No.” You reply easily, trying to cup his face in your hands so you can give him a quick kiss. “I’m just glad you’re relaxed. I like it when you laugh.”

 

“Thanks, babe.” Vesper noses you back. “C’mon, up.”

 

“Big day tomorrow.” You tease when he pats your thigh gently.

 

He groans softly. “Don’t remind me.”

Chapter 70: Something Huge

“Morning!”

 

Everyone else murmurs a morning apart from Hana, who matches your energy. Fujio even groans in response, and for the first time ever, he actually looks less good than he usually does. His hair is all knotted and the eyeshadow he’d been wearing the day before is all smudged down his face. 

Aime just straight up ignores you, but you don’t care too much about that.

 

“Are you okay…?” You ask Fujio at the same time that Abe begins scratching between his large fox ears.

 

“He’s being dramatic because he’s hungover.” Abe informs you, rolling his eyes. “I told him not to go so hard last night.”

 

“I’m so glad I have a loving and understanding boyfriend.” Fujio grumbles, but begins making a purr-like noise when Abe scratches his head a little more insistently in response.

 

Vesper takes over barbecuing from Akito, even though Akito tries really hard to keep the tongs in his hand. You sit yourself down in the seat beside Keiko, who gives you a soft and tired smile.

Hana moves her chair from Fujio’s side to join you both, chattering excitedly about Ill Intents performance later. Akito even joins you all, flopping onto Keiko's lap even though she hisses at him initially. He’s unphased, giving her a lazy grin. She rolls her eyes, but wraps her arms around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder like Vesper usually does with you.

 

“What are you wearing later, Star?” Hana asks.

 

“I hadn’t really thought about it.” You reply, watching Vesper as he dutifully keeps an eye on the food, his tail swishing lazily across the ground.

 

You smile a little at him, glad that he seems to be content and relaxed after how worried he had been last night.

 

“I packed three outfits, but I don’t know which to wear.” Hana complains dramatically. “I have the cute dungaree dress which I was gonna wear with a rainbow undershirt and some docs, or, I have some big tartan cargo pants that I could wear with a brown crop top, or-“

 

Aime and Aoki snicker loudly, interrupting Hana mid-ramble, and whatever it is they’re laughing about has Fujio glaring at them, even though Abe seems to be whispering something to him to make him stop.

 

“What was the last outfit, squeaks?” Akito asks, even though you can imagine he couldn’t care less about Hana’s predicament.

 

“Oh! It’s a brown dress with fishnets. It has, like, a pretty lace hem.” Hana smiles, but she’s a lot quieter than usual when she talks after being interrupted.

 

“Can you try them all on later so we can help you pick?” You ask, trying to get her excited again. You didn’t like that whatever the couple next to you were laughing about had dulled Hana’s light a bit.

 

“Fashion show.” Keiko agrees with a soft smile, even though her tail is flicking agitatedly behind her..

 

Hana seems to regain a little more light in her eyes at the suggestion, and her curls bounce as she nods her head enthusiastically.

 

“What are you wearing, babe?” Akito asks, turning his head to look at Keiko.

 

She shrugs. “Probably just one of your shirts, and some shorts.”

 

“You have to put effort in!” Hana exclaims in horror.

 

“We’re supporting the boys.” Keiko replies calmly. “One of their shirts is putting effort in. Free advertisement.”

 

You hum thoughtfully at this. You didn’t pack the hoodie you had of their band logo, or any of their shirts though. It was a good idea, really.

 

“Star, tell her! Tell her she has to put effort in!” Hana demands.

 

“I think it’s a good idea…” You try to tell her gently.

 

Hana frowns at you, which is almost worse than her having an argument with you, even if you know she doesn’t mean anything by it. She swings around to look at Fujio, completely ignoring Aime.

 

“Fuji! What are you wearing tonight?” She calls.

 

“Inside voice.” He pleads.

 

“Sorry.” She whispers.

 

He waves his hand dismissively at her. “I dunno, something slutty.”

 

Abe chuckles, smiling down at his boyfriend warmly, and even Vesper seems to laugh at the man’s response. 

 

“It’s a gig.” Aime points out, even though no-one asked her.

 

“So? Worried I’ll look better than you?” Fujio asks, glancing at her from the corners of his eyes.

 

She snorts as though the idea is preposterous, and you can’t help but have to sign ‘ bitch ’ to Akito, just to get it out of your system.

Akito snorts in surprise, his dark eyes full of amusement as he nods at you, signing back ‘ slut ’.

 

“Huh? What? I wanna know!” Hana demands, grabbing one of your wrists.

 

“She’s bein’ rude about me. As usual.” Akito lies, feigning dramatic hurt. “Ves, sort your girlfriend out.”

 

“If she’s being rude about you, you deserve it.” Vesper replies, his back still turned to you all as he turns over some fish on the barbecue.

 

Akito feigns even more hurt at the response, winking at you when no-one is looking, his grin growing.

The others all begin chatting between themselves, Hana hopping between you all and Abe and Fujio while Vesper cooks, humming a little when you briefly get up to kiss the top of his head.

 

“Nurse Wani. Fix me, Nurse Wani.” Fujio whines, nudging the small of Vesper’s back with his foot. 

 

“The tail, the tail, the tail !” Abe warns as Vesper’s tail reacts instinctively, lifting and thumping against the floor loudly, Fujio only just managing to move his leg out of the way.

 

Vesper throws him a dirty look over his shoulder, but Fujio just laughs softly at him before groaning and holding his head.

 

“Instant karma.” Akito notes, leaning forward to grab a drink from the cooler next to Keiko’s feet. 

 

“You never learn.” Abe sighs.

 

“How long have you been together?” You can’t help but ask the couple opposite you.

 

“Mm…” Abe hums thoughtfully, scratching between Fujio’s ears again. “Since we were fourteen, right? So like… seven years?”

 

“Wow.” You mumble thoughtfully. No wonder they seemed so secure and happy together. 

 

“What about your other boyfriends, red?” Aoki immediately asks.

 

Abe’s face goes flat in response, and Fujio takes a second to process the question, his golden eyes opening slowly and a mean, feline grin pulling his lips upwards.

 

“Funny, Aoki.” Fujio croons, his expression friendly but the glint in his eyes nothing short of dangerous. “I could ask your girlfriend the exact same question.”

 

Aoki’s grin fades, and Aime just glares at Fujio.

 

“One’s enough for me. ” She states plainly.

 

Fujio hums knowingly in response, raising an eyebrow but falling quiet again and slowly closing his eyes.

There’s an uncomfortable silence for a while until Vesper clears his throat and announces that food is ready.

 

That seems to spring everyone into action again, at least.

 

*•*

 

It was quite nice sitting in Keiko’s tent with Hana, Keiko and Fujio as you all get ready. 

Well.

Keiko and Fujio were getting ready while you tried to help Hana with her clothing predicament, listening intently to her explanations for every outfit as the two sitting beside you exchange makeup tips.

 

“I think this one…” You say finally as Hana twirls in the brown dress she had mentioned earlier. 

 

The skirt fans out with the movement, and Hana beams at you, exposing her elongated front teeth when she stops spinning.

 

“That’s not even the best part!” Hana announces cheerfully, her hands disappearing in the sides of her dress. “It has pockets!”

 

Keiko and Fujio cheer at this, which only seems to fuel Hana’s happiness further, spinning around again with her hands in her pockets.

She flops down next to Fujio, laying her head on his lap while he puts his makeup on. You’re surprised to see her looking so comfortable with him when she and Keiko had previously told you he was a ‘bitch’ like it was a bad thing.

They all seem pretty friendly with one another, Fujio not even complaining once that Hana seems to have made herself perfectly at home looking up at him from his lap and poking his arm for attention. Keiko seems relaxed as well, no irritated flicks of her tail or ear to give away that she’s not enjoying his company.

 

When Fujio is done with his makeup, you can’t help but stare at him. He always looks so good. The black eyeshadow he always seems to wear highlights just how golden his eyes are and makes them so much more noticeable.

Catching your eyes, He grins at you, his sharp canines showing.

 

“Got your sketchbook?” He asks, winking at you.

 

“Sorry.” You apologise immediately, following it up with: “Can you do my makeup, too?”

 

“Sure.” Fujio shrugs, patting the empty space beside him. “Hana, move.”

 

“But we always do her makeup!” Hana complains, sitting up from where she’d been draped over his lap.

 

Fujio rolls his eyes, repeating what she’d said in a high pitched noise in an attempt to mock Hana’s voice. “Sit down, Star.”

 

You move over to his side, blushing a little when he forces you to turn towards him and grabs your face, his long nails digging into your cheeks slightly.

He smirks at you, shaking your face playfully a couple of times, until Keiko calmly tells him to stop ‘playing’ with you and he chuckles.

 

“Yeah, yeah. Alright.” He agrees, even though he’s still grinning, letting go of your face and finally releasing you from his gaze, his attention dropping down to his scattered makeup.

 

You sit still as he begins working on your makeup, Hana and Keiko having a spat about Keiko’s outfit choice again in the background.

The more you watch Fujio, the more you think about Aoki’s words from the morning. Fujio really was pretty, it wouldn’t surprise you if he had multiple boyfriends like your mom had when you were little.

 

“Can I ask you a question?” You ask before you can really stop yourself.

 

“Sure.” Fujio replies as he dabs a makeup brush against your eye.

 

“What did Aoki mean earlier?” You ask, making Fujio pause and you feel Keiko tap your arm in warning.

 

“About having other boyfriends?” Fujio asks calmly, resuming what he had been doing.

 

You hum an agreement, not wanting to nod your head and ruin whatever he’s doing.

 

“It’s fine-“ Keiko begins to deescalate.

 

“I know. She’s just curious.” Fujio shrugs, moving away from your face again and scanning it thoughtfully. “Abe’s away a lot, which I’m not going to stop him from doing…”

 

You have to really stop yourself from frowning, because even if Vesper was away from you a lot you wouldn’t think about getting another boyfriend.

 

“But I go into heat, and I tend to rip up the house if it’s not handled, so I sleep with other people.” Fujio shrugs. “Not a big deal.”

 

Even Hana is really quiet after the explanation, like they’re all waiting with bated breath to see your reaction.

 

“And he’s okay with that?” You ask, unable to stop a little bit of surprise from leaking through your voice.

 

“Neither of us really have a choice in it.” Fujio replies, tapping the brush in his hand.

 

You go quiet, feeling the girls staring a hole into your head.

 

“What does it mean? Going into heat?” You ask, wanting to understand properly.

 

Keiko immediately says your name exasperatedly, but Fujio laughs, his golden eyes glittering as he looks up at you again, one of his large, metal lined ears flicking slightly.

 

“Don’t be greedy, guro girl.”

 

You get the underlying message. No more questions. You were used to that with ‘Mura.

 

“…I don’t draw guro.” You tell him when he starts applying makeup to your other eyelid again.

 

He just makes a knowing noise in response, his full lips pulled into that ever-present smirk again. 

The fact he’s back to smiling tells you that whatever reaction they were worried about from you didn’t happen, so you relax a little bit, especially when they all start talking between themselves again.

 

“You guys naked?” Akito calls through the fabric of the tent after a while.

 

Without missing a heartbeat, Fujio calls back: “We can be, if you have money.”

 

Akito snorts before lifting the tent flap, allowing Abe into the tent as well.

 

“We’re off, whiskers.” Akito tells Keiko, crouching down behind her and pulling her back against his chest.

 

“You look good, darling.” Abe tells Fujio as he walks over before glancing at you and giving you a soft smile. “You too, Star.”

 

“Thank you.” You murmur as Fujio stops what he’s doing to kiss Abe quickly.

 

“Love you.” Abe tells him, rubbing his hand between Fujio’s ears, narrowly missing Fujio’s swat of annoyance, whining about the fact he was messing up his hair and then reluctantly telling him that he loves him back.

 

“Ves is waiting for you outside, Star. Didn’t think he’d fit in here with you all.” Abe explains as he passes.

 

“Oh. Okay!” You say, automatically getting up.

 

And just like Abe said, Vesper is standing outside the tent with his hands in his cargo shorts pockets, his ebony hair half-tied up like you always liked, and smudged black eyeshadow around his eyes. 

You throw yourself at him, always trusting him to pick you up the second you do that. And he does, lifting you up as you hug him, his tail swaying behind him slightly.

When he sets you back down, his eyes widen.

 

“You look beautiful.” He says, sounding a little breathless.

 

“Really?” You ask, beaming.

 

“Yeah, I…”

 

“Ves! Hurry the fuck up!” Akito calls as they begin walking off, only to get growled at by Vesper. 

 

Vesper looks back down at you apologetically, but you’re excited for them, motioning for him to crouch down.

He crouches, smiling a little to himself until you cup his face in your hands.

 

“You’re going to do great.” You promise him before kissing the beak of his mouth. “I love you.”

 

“Yeah. Yeah.” He sighs, standing up as soon as you let go of his face. “I love you too.”

 

You watch as he walks away to join the rest of his band, ignoring Aime sitting alone outside her tent.

 

“Good luck!” You call, smiling when you see his tail sway across the floor at the sound of your voice.

 

*•*

 

“Holy shit.” Fujio grins when you see the size of the crowd that was waiting beyond the stage for Ill Intent.

 

“Vesper’s gonna puke when he sees all these people!” Hana agrees from Fujio’s shoulders.

 

You had faith in them. Absolutely you did. But you were not expecting a crowd this big by any means. Up close to the barriers, where you guys had been able to get to relatively easily before, people seemed to be cramped up against it, the crowd seeming to be packed tightly compared to all Ill Intents shows that you had been to before.

 

“Hurry, hurry! I wanna get close.” Hana complains, tugging on one of Fujio’s ears even though his lip pulls into a snarl at her.

 

Wordlessly, Fujio takes your hand in his, and Keiko grabs onto your other hand, leaving herself to grab onto Aime’s hand before Fujio starts leading you into the heart of the crowd.

You yelp in surprise when everyone begins cheering around you, unable to see whatever they’re cheering about. It’s only when you hear instruments begin to start up and then the sound of Vesper’s voice as they start playing Bite Back that you realise the crowd had been cheering because they had come onstage.

 

Fujio gets you all as close as he can to the barriers without people beginning to get pissed off, Hana instantly climbing off his shoulders and onto other peoples shoulders while Fujio looks around, likely doing a head count, and then lets go of your hand. 

You’re being jostled from side to side, everyone really seems to enjoy the music, like you knew they would, but you do try to keep yourself close to either Fujio or Keiko the entire time. You hadn’t expected them to start up straight off the bat, usually used to them talking while Vesper gathers the nerve to actually perform, and the fact you were suddenly in the centre of a very active crowd with no preparation for it has you a little on edge.

 

You’re almost relieved when the first song is over and everyone yells in support, cheering them on.

 

“Fuck.” You hear Vesper laugh breathlessly. “You guys are all really here for us ?”

 

Another cheer from the crowd, including Fujio, whose eyes are practically shining.

 

“That’s crazy.” Vesper laughs nervously, sounding amazed. “Well… we’re Ill Intent.”

 

The crowd cheers again, and you’re about ninety percent sure you hear Hana scream ‘we love you’ from somewhere in the crowd, which has people laughing.

 

“We love you too.” You hear Akito call back from the stage.

 

You smile, turning your head to look at all the people gathered behind you.

You’re so proud of them.

So, so proud.

You knew Vesper was probably really nervous to do this, but he was still doing it anyway, and the turn out was incredible. You almost want to try to take a picture to keep for Vesper, knowing that sometimes the lights stopped him from being able to see the crowd as well as you could. 

 

You turn back around in time to hear them announce the next song, everyone beginning to jump around in time to the beat. 

You never usually did, always too shy to be as enthusiastic as Hana usually is, but you do this time, telling yourself that every single person they might be able to see having a good time would help them feel more confident.

 

“Star!”

 

You stop jumping, turning to look at Keiko, barely able to hear her over the music.

She holds her camera up and then points forward, and you nod. She must have some kind of clearance from the event themselves to take photos, and you really wanted her to do it, hoping that she might send you some if she managed to get any decent images. 

You watch as she disappears towards the barriers, sticking closer to Fujio and keeping a loose eye on Aime just in case she got into trouble, even if you didn’t really want to help her after everything.

Suddenly the music lulls, and you hear your boyfriend's voice again. 

 

“You never been to a metal show before?” He asks, his voice sounding even deeper than usual through the mic. “Open it.”

 

For a brief second, you catch sight of him on stage, crouching on a small table in the center, his eyes scanning the crowd as he makes a circular motion with his hand as people begin to spread a little further apart.

 

“Open it, open it, open it.” He continues to order, looking like he’s searching for something in the crowd.

 

Your toes get stamped on as people scramble to follow what Vesper’s saying, but you don’t care when you see a brief glimpse of a proper, sharp-toothed smile from Vesper on stage.

 

“There we fucking go.” He says, and although you’re back to not being able to see him, you can hear the grin in his voice. “You ready?”

 

A few people cheer as Vesper stands to his full height, allowing you to just barely see the top of his head over the heads of everyone in front of you.

 

“I want to break your-“ He begins to scream as people start jumping, but your hearing cuts out at the same time there’s a sudden, sharp pain through the side of your head.

 

And then suddenly, the world goes black. 

Chapter 71: Conflicts

Vesper hadn’t really noticed anything was wrong until Akito hit a bum note, the noise screeching through his earpieces and drawing his attention just in time to see Aki grabbing his mic.

 

“None of you ever been to a show before? If someone’s hurt, we pick ‘em up. Pick ‘em up. Pick ‘em up. ”

 

Vesper’s attention goes to the crowd, noticing a circle of people just standing uselessly, if not screaming something he can’t hear particularly well.

 

“Bring ‘em here.” Akito encourages, moving to the front of the stage and gesturing with his hand for the crowd to bring the injured person forward, towards security.

 

They definitely seemed to be down a couple of security personnel though. It wouldn't be the first time a fight broke out at one of the shows, but it feels weird that Akito isn’t jumping into it like he used to, and seems to be encouraging people to look out for each other.

 

Vesper is infinitely less annoyed at Akito for interrupting their performance when the crowd works together to bring the injured person to the barriers, getting them to security.

 

First, the panic hits.

Because that’s Star being held upright and moved forward. Because she seems to be out cold, and he hadn’t been there to stop it, even if he’d been looking for her to make sure that she was okay.

 

Secondly, he realises just how much trouble he’s going to be in when her parents inevitably discover that she got knocked out at one of his shows. 

And then, finally, he gets pissed off .

 

Aoki is at his side, stopping him from jumping down before he gets to the edge of the stage.

 

“Let security handle it.” Aoki insists. 

 

“She’s hurt.” Vesper tells him, faintly aware that there’s smoke coming from his nose.

 

“Ves, get it together.” Aoki hisses. “This is big for us. She’ll be fine.”

 

It takes everything in Vesper not to bare his teeth in response.

But, ultimately, he relents, making sure Star is with security, Keiko following behind, before turning around and pouring water over himself in a lame attempt to try to cool himself down enough to stop smoking.

He’s faintly aware of someone patting his shoulder, catching Akito’s eyes over his shoulder as he tries to quickly gather himself.

 

The crowd seems to have calmed down after Star was carted off, so he takes a deep breath, moving his fringe out of his face with a clawed hand before turning around.

 

“Alright.” He says, clearing his throat of the last remnants of smoke. “I’m gonna tell you guys this one time, and one time only.”

 

He takes the mic back off the stand, trying to adorn the mask of confidence he wore onstage, looking over the rows of people standing and waiting for them to start playing again.

 

“If someone falls, you pick them the fuck up .” Vesper says, crouching by the front of the stage. “If someone’s hurt, you get them help. We fucking look out for each other here. Do you hear me?”

 

The crowd calls back in response, and so Vesper raises himself up again.

 

“Right. I don’t wanna stop again because you guys don’t know what you’re doing when someone gets hurt.” Vesper says, clenching his jaw. “You guys ready to take it from the fucking top?”

 

Another roar from the crowd. 

 

“What are we gonna do if someone falls over?” Vesper asks, holding the mic to the crowd.

 

He gets an enthusiastic repeat of ‘pick them the fuck up’, and so he nods curtly. 

 

“And if someone’s hurt?”

 

“We get them help!”

 

“Good. Let's get this show back on the road, then.” Vesper says gruffly, sighing through his nose.

 

He just wanted to go and check on Star.

And that’s all he can think of as they work their way through the set list.

 

*•*

 

“Star.” 

 

Star looks over at him immediately, even though it seems to take a moment for her to actually realise why he seems familiar.

 

“Hi. Did the show go well?” She asks, as if she hadn’t just been knocked clean out.

 

“I don’t want to talk about the show right now.” Vesper replies bluntly, crouching in front of her. “Are you okay?”

 

“They said I have a concussion.” Star practically pouts. “And that I have to hold this there.”

 

“Yeah, keep it there.” Vesper says, holding his hand over the hand she’s using to keep an ice pack pressed to her temple. “Do you remember what happened?”

 

“Not really.” Star sighs. “I’m sorry I missed it.”

 

“I don’t care about that.” Vesper grumbles, his brows pulling together. 

 

“Are you mad at me?” Star asks softly, her eyes going all sad.

 

Keiko gives him a sharp look as she pauses her scrolling through her camera.

 

“No. I’m pissed off someone hurt you and no-one did a fucking thing to help you.” Vesper tells her, releasing her hand to move his hair out of his face irritably.

 

“It happened really quickly…” She begins to dismiss.

 

“Nah.” Vesper shakes his head. “They should’a known to pick you up. It's basic knowledge for these kind of shows.” 

 

Star goes quiet, and Keiko gives him a warning hiss as Star begins gently nudging his shin with her foot.

 

“But did it go well?” She asks again, her voice all soft and sweet.

 

Vesper can’t even find the energy in himself to give her even a momentary flat look, instead sighing and nodding softly. 

 

“Yeah. Yeah, it went well.”

 

Star’s lips turn up into a smile even though she seems to go a little pallid.

 

“Are you good…?” Vesper asks.

 

The answer is made apparent when she leans to the side and throws up onto the floor, alerting the medical staff again, who begin rushing around a lot faster when Vesper glares at them, having to hold Star’s hair back.

 

“I swear a lot of our relationship has been me puking in front of you.” Star jokes weakly.

 

Vesper doesn’t find it funny, though, and so he stays quiet as the medics begin to actually do their jobs.

Keiko rubs her back with a sympathetic look on her face, her camera abandoned in her lap.

 

“Shit, Star. You get hit that bad?” Aki asks from behind Vesper.

 

Star murmurs an incoherent response, squeezing her eyes shut. Probably trying to stop herself from puking again.

 

“You okay, Star? Looks like you took a hell of a hit there.” Abe asks, sounding like he’s frowning. “Where’s Fuji?”

 

“Dunno.” Star shrugs weakly.

 

“Aime?” Aoki asks, not even feigning interest in whether Star’s okay or not.

 

“Dude.” Akito scowls, apparently picking up on that as well.

 

“She was fucking knocked out, she doesn’t know where your shitty little girlfriend is.” Vesper snaps, regretting the words as soon as they leave him.

 

Star manages to give him a dirty look even as she’s recovering. 

Even though Itō has done nothing but treat Star terribly, she apparently still demanded respect from Vesper.

 

“Just ‘cause you’re being a bitch about the fact your girlfriend got hit in the pit, which is a pretty normal fuckin’ event.” Aoki snaps back.

 

Oblivious to the tension that’s now clouding the room, Hana bounds into the room and wraps her arms around Star, who groans softly at the impact.

Hana starts fretting about her, refusing to let go of her even when Keiko tries peeling her off his girlfriend. 

 

“Let’s not do this right now, guys.” Abe sighs. 

 

“Nah, I’m sick of you guys talking shit about her all the time.” Aoki doubles down, crossing his arms over his chest. 

 

“I’m sorry, I’m just stressed.” Vesper tries to apologise, but Aoki doesn’t look any more relaxed.

 

“Oh, Abe?” Hana interrupts, pausing her fawning over Star to look over her shoulder at Abe. “Fujio got kicked out. He needs you to get him from the security tent.”

 

“ What ?” Abe asks with a frown, immediately leaving.

 

“You know where Aime is?” Aoki asks Hana, apparently distracted from their argument.

 

“Mm, she went back to the camp.” Hana replies, making no effort to hide the disinterest in her voice.

 

Aoki spins on his heel too, leaving Vesper alone with the girls and Akito.

Vesper stays staring at Star while Hana cups her face in her hands, fussing over the ice pack and telling her about everything she missed while she was in the medical tent.

 

“Think I’m gonna head back to camp too.” Akito says, tilting his head as he assesses Star. “You alright, sis? Not gonna die on me, right?”

 

Star shakes her head, and Akito nods in response, clapping Vesper on the shoulder and leaning down to kiss Keiko’s cheek quickly.

 

“Once she stops vomiting, she should be able to go.” Keiko tells Vesper, her yellow eyes seeming to see right through him.

 

“Alright.” Vesper replies, settling himself down cross legged on the floor in front of Star, stroking her calf in a way he hopes is reassuring. “Then I’ll wait.”

 

*•*

 

“Woah. What happened to your face?” Hana asks Aime the second they arrive back at the camp. 

 

Vesper can sense the atmosphere, even if Hana remained oblivious to it.

Abe looked exasperated and Aoki, Aime and Fujio all looked furious . 

Aime was sporting a swollen bottom lip, a small streak of blood that had probably been wiped off still on her chin.

 

“Fujio fucking attacked her.” Aoki informs Hana, shooting Fujio an accusing glare.

 

“That’s not true.” Fujio replies, his mouth twisting into a smug grin. “I punched her. Once .” 

 

“Babe.” Abe warns.

 

“You can’t just hit girls anymore!” Aoki snaps.

 

“Why not?” Fujio asks, cocking an eyebrow. “The way I see it, your girlfriend started a fight she couldn’t finish.”

 

“You were wearing rings !”

 

Fujio huffs a laugh, his golden eyes glittering with amusement, but this does nothing but rile Aoki up more.

Vesper quickly decides that he wants nothing to do with this fight, choosing to set Star down on one of the camping chairs instead, making sure she’s comfortable and not feeling sick. 

 

“I didn’t start anything.” Aime hisses, glaring at Fujio.

 

“Sure you did, saw it clear as day. You hit Star in the head, she went down, so I took it on myself to hit you back for her.” Fujio grins that shit-eating grin of his, knowing he’d just started an even bigger argument.

 

Everyone freezes, including Vesper.

But he doesn’t even give Itō the glory of looking at her. Instead, he looks over at Aoki, almost certain that he was looking the most intimidating he can possibly muster.

He even stands to his full height, even though Star tries to grab his arm.

 

“Oh my god, I didn’t deliberately hit her.” Aime insists.

 

“Yeah right.” Fujio rolls his eyes. 

 

Aoki is sputtering, refusing to turn to look at Vesper. “She wouldn’t have done it on purpose .”

 

“It’s fine, it was just an accident.” Star says softly, clearly trying to stop it from becoming a massive blow-up between them all.

 

“Yeah, like her feeling up your boyfriend was an accident.” Fujio snorts. “Let’s be real, she has it out for you.”

 

Star goes quiet again, seeming to shrink in on herself, and finally Aoki looks over at Vesper, seemingly equally as pissed off as him now.

 

“Fujio, cut it out.” Abe warns a little more sharply this time.

 

“Let’s not fight…” Star insists from beside Vesper, but he’s too busy glaring at his bassist to really pay much attention to her right now.

 

“Alright, well, I dunno about you guys, but I sure as shit don’t have the energy for all’a this, so I’m gonna wander off and have a smoke. Star, you’re coming.”

 

“That’s not a good idea.” Keiko frowns. “She’s concussed.”

 

“Star, you comin’?” Akito asks, ignoring Keiko. 

 

She seems to look up at Vesper for permission before deciding to agree. She looks tense, like she’d rather be anywhere but where she is currently. He just nods at her. He can handle this.

 

Star gets up slowly, and Akito holds his arm out for her to take it to stabilise her steps. And with that, Star wanders off with Akito, leaving Vesper to handle the conflict. 

 

*•*

 

“What a fuckin’ mess.” Akito gripes as he sits down, gently leading you to the grassy ground with him.

 

“I don’t think she meant to do it on purpose.” You defend, even though you kind of feel like you’re lying to yourself when you say it. 

 

Akito gives you a flat, unimpressed look. Clearly he wasn’t buying it, either. 

 

“…I just don’t want everyone to fight.” You sigh, hugging your knees to your chest. “I’m okay, really.”

 

Of course, you had a splitting headache, and you kept randomly having spells of nausea, but you felt okay other than that.

 

“Be real with me, Star.” Akito snorts, pulling the joint from behind his ear. “You spent like half an hour throwin’ up.”

 

Your cheeks heat with embarrassment. “I’m okay now .”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Akito rolls his eyes, cupping his hand in front of his lighter as he lights up.

 

You go quiet, resting your chin on top of your knees and looking over the field beside him as he takes a long drag of his smoke. 

It’s a comfortable silence compared to the bickering you’d been surrounded by earlier, neither of you needing to say anything, just happy sitting in each other's company.

It is kind of unusual for Akito to be as quiet as this though, usually he can find something to run his mouth about, so you turn your head to look over at him.

 

His eyes are distant as he adopts a similar pose to you, his arms half-wrapped around his legs, his joint smoking idly from his fingers.

You watch him for a moment before you feel a little concerned. Usually he was annoyingly alert, at the very least.

 

“Are you okay?” You ask quietly.

 

“Mm? Yeah.” He gives you a lopsided grin that doesn’t really reach his eyes. “Peachy.”

 

You give him an unimpressed look this time. “Tell me.”

 

You even give him a little bump with your shoulder against his shoulder to make it seem like you’re just playing around with him and you’re not as worried about him as you actually are.

 

“You’re so lucky you’re concussed, Starshine , otherwise I’da shoved you for that.” Akito teases, his smile seeming more genuine. “… Was just thinking about my dad. That’s all.”

 

You screw your face up. “Ew, why?” 

 

“Not him.” Akito laughs dryly, humourlessly, once. “My real dad.”

 

“ Oh. ” You murmur, resting your chin on your knees again. 

 

He’d never really spoken too much about his real dad with you before, and although you’d also lost your mom, you weren’t really too sure what to say, and you could imagine that any attempt to try to get him to open up more about whatever he’d been thinking about would only result in him clamping down.

 

“Just wished he could have seen it, you know? All those people…” Akito trails off, his smile fading.

 

“Maybe he was watching.” You suggest, but he just gives you an incredulous look. “Maybe he was! We don’t know what happens or where you go.”

 

“Yeah, thanks, Star.” Akito snorts. 

 

“Well…” You pause, unsure what else to say. “I’m proud of you all.”

 

“Don’t start that shit.” Akito sniffs, lifting his spliff back to his lips.

 

“I am.” You insist. “There were so many people, and you guys looked so good up there, so confident. I bet you’re going to do really well after today. You deserve it. You all put in so much love-”

 

You’re cut off by a shuddered breath from Akito, and when you look over, your eyes widen as you take in the tears streaming down his face.

 

“I’m sorry.” You apologise immediately. “I’m sorry.”

 

You wrap your arms around his shoulders, pressing your forehead against the side of his head. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I really just am so happy for you all.”

 

He gently leans his head against yours. “I know, sis, I know.”

 

You squeeze him gently, apologising again softly.

 

“I just really needed to hear that, I think.” He laughs, as though trying to brush off his real feelings. 

 

“I’ll tell you forever.” You say, completely wholeheartedly.

 

He sobs again, and you cling to him a little tighter.

You hold him until he seems to calm down, refusing to let go of him any sooner.

 

You know he’s better when he mopes about ‘wasting’ his weed, and finally let go of him to scan his face curiously.

His eyes are all swollen and red, but he seems to have wiped his face dry. 

 

“Are you okay?” You ask carefully.

 

“Yeah.” Akito gives you a more genuine smirk. “Could be worse. Could’a been knocked out by some bitch.”

 

“There’s still time.” You tease back.

 

He laughs, bumping your shoulder with his. “C’mon, let's go back to the riot. See if Ves slaughtered ‘em.”

 

“He wouldn’t.” You huff, letting him help you back up. 

 

“Looked like he was thinking about it.” Akito shrugs. 

 

“I just hope they’re done arguing.” You sigh, brushing grass off your clothes.

 

You walk together, his arm slung around your shoulders lazily, him back to his usual self, teasing you relentlessly about having a concussion. 

When you get back to where the tents are set up, you can see everyone bar Aime sitting, smoking and drinking outside the tents.

 

“Where’s blondie?” Akito asks, a lot more happy-go-lucky than he had been minutes ago.

 

Aoki gives him a sharp look before saying: “She left.”

 

“Aw, what a shame.” Akito says, his voice laced with sarcasm. “Pass me a beer, squeaks.”

 

Hana hums, reaching into the cooler and pulling out a beer for him. You walk towards Vesper, who’s holding a beer loosely in his hand, his tail thumping on the floor when he meets your eyes, his mouth pulling into a smile. You sit on his lap, leaning your back against his chest and sighing softly when his free arm wraps securely around your stomach. 

 

“You okay?” He asks, resting his chin on your shoulder.

 

“Yeah. Are you all done arguing now?” You ask as softly as you can.

 

“Yeah. She left, so we’re good.” Vesper replies, his voice rumbling through his chest.

 

“What happened?” You ask, leaning your cheek against his scaled cheek.

 

“Don’t worry about it.” He replies, pressing his snout against your cheek.

 

You frown slightly, but looking around, your friends all seem more relaxed and happy again, laughing and talking between each other like you’re used to. The only person that seems to be remotely hung up on what had happened is Aoki, who is near silent amongst the group.

You relax against Vesper, trying not to think about the argument that may have happened that led to Aime leaving the festival early.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of The Lost Souls series