break-a-leg! — ft: touya todoroki
turns out your silent and stoic teammate is actually a bit of an asshole
the very first time you hear dabi laugh is after you fall down the stairs.
of course, you didn't mean to tumble down the staircase like an absolute idiot. you especially would've been more careful about where you were stepping if you knew he was downstairs. but, to be frank, you were in a bit of a rush, and the haze of sleep weighed heavy on your senses. the socks you wore did nothing to help you catch yourself as you slipped down the staircase with the same amount of grace as a baby giraffe, hitting every single step on your way down with a loud thud
when dabi first heard your yelp and the hard thump that followed, his body was sent right into fight-mode as he stood from the league's worn out leather couch in less than half a second, tossing his phone and activating his quirk even quicker—but then, he watched you roll down the last few steps, landing on your back like an absolute fool, and he slowly came to realize just what had happened.
you must be in shock—he can tell you're not seriously hurt by the way you fell, but that doesn't make the pose you fell in any less ridiculous. your legs are sprawled halfway up the last few steps, arms behind your back and propping you up on your elbows—and the look of absolute bewilderment and bafflement on your face is just pure comedy
he really couldn't help himself—he blamed the sound that managed to slip past his lips on the fact that he's only slept five hours in the past two days and how the way you fell was just too stupid not to be amused by, but even that can't seem to justify the sound he didn't even know his voice was capable of making.
it's so undignified—so unlike him and so loud that it genuinely frightens you. you didn't even know dabi had seen you fall—you thought everyone would be asleep by now (it's nearly four am!), but then you hear that sudden and sharp burst of laughter, and dabi can practically see the dread and embarrassment that seeps into your features as you slowly turn your head towards him
"you—you look so fuckin' stupid! who the hell falls like that? what are you? are you some sort of a—some sorta of a—"
and he cuts himself off with another burst of laughter, obnoxiously loud and raspy, and you really don't know how to react. ever since joining the league almost a month ago, you've never seen dabi smile even once—forget laugh, and you're a little scared to move now that you've heard it
he's a sadistic bastard, that's for sure, but that unfortunately doesn't change the fact that his unbridled laughter is kind of...cute. it takes a while for it to subside, but once it does, he's tipped his head backwards on the couch and stares up at the ceiling with a barely there smile.
after going through enough embarrassment to last you a lifetime and then some in the span of five minutes, you try and rise on your feet and go back to bed to savor the last bits of your dignity, but then you wince, and you let out a quiet sound of defeat once you realize your ankle hurts too much to move
dabi watches you through the slits of his eyes, making no move to get up and help you, and your annoyance manages to finally bubble over as you glare at him
"stop looking at me like that! don't you think you've embarrassed me enough?" you huff with a deep frown and pinched brows, and dabi rolls his eyes. he's still smiling, so subtly that his scars almost obscure the sight completely—but you can see it.
"you embarrassed yourself...and stop whining so much. it's annoying." he says, and you manage to prop yourself up against the wall behind you with a grumble at his words
you pull your legs to your chest and hide your face in your knees for two reasons: first, to collect yourself, and second, to save yourself from any further embarrassment.
you sat there for a few minutes before you hear the springs of the couch creak and dull, heavy footsteps following the sound a moment later
your shoulders tense, but you absolutely refuse to look up and acknowledge dabi. instead, you keep your face down and body coiled tightly. but then you feel a hand wrap around your ankle, and dabi tugs on it—hard—and you let out a cry of pain
"d-dabi—that hurts! let go of me!" you protest, wriggling your slipper-clad foot in his grip for emphasis as he ignores you, fingers pushing past the band of your socks and pulling it down just to reveal the curve of your ankle. he observes it with squinted eyes, and despite trying to kick him with your other foot, he doesn't let go of your leg until he's satisfied with what he sees
"it looks like it's just a minor sprain. stop being such a crybaby." he says, and you grit your jaw
"it hurts, okay! just leave me alone. go away." you murmur, and he pulls away wordlessly before his arms come under the back of your knees and spine. he's standing with you in his hold half a second later, and you're so jostled by the sudden movement that the only thing you can do is dig your fingers into his arm and try to steady yourself
"w-what are you doing?!" you squeak, wriggling in his grip and peering up at him with wide eyes as he ignores you, walking back up the stairs. he carries you all the way back to your bedroom, ignoring your questions and the insistent tugging on the edge of his jacket's sleeve as he kicks open your bedroom door with the heel of his boot
"don't you dare bring your dirty boots insi—ack!"
he tosses you onto the bed, and you land on your back—limbs sprawled out like a starfish as you quickly sit up
dabi stands at the foot of your bed, both of his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his pants as he stares at you like he's waiting for something, and his gaze remains relentless and bright as it bores into your own
for a couple of seconds, you both just stare at each other in silence before you finally realize what he wants.
"oh... uhm, thank you." you say, and he blinks a few more times before spinning on his foot, exiting your room and curtly closing the door behind him. you listen to his footsteps fade, and once you can't hear him anymore, the realization of what he'd done sinks in
he carried you back to your room.
yes, dabi was a jerk. yes, he took pleasure in other people's pain and has been nothing but indifferent with you up until tonight—but... you can at least decide he wasn't all that bad.
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