There is one thing that Dabi is acutely aware of when he comes to, the overbearing presence of others in his room. He cracks open an eye and is greeted by a large yellow one only a few inches away from his face.

"He's alive!" Dabi groans and pushes Toga's face away, she's way too close for comfort.

"Get away from me." His voice is gruff from sleep and it comes out more of a croak than a demand. Dabi closes his eyes again but can't fall back asleep to the general buzzing of the atmosphere.

"What a nice way to thank me for saving your life." He hears Toga huff as she shuffles towards the foot of the bed before she plops down on it- accidentally sitting on his foot. He kicks at her to move but she doesn't, rather, she sprawls back on the bed- taking up the entire bottom portion of his bed.

"How're you feelin', lover boy?" Spinner snickers, ducking just in time to avoid a pillow being thrown at his face. It's caught in Shigaraki's hand and before Dabi can protest, it crumbles to dust. Suddenly, the atmosphere turns thick and uncomfortable. He has a vague memory of watching a Scooby Doo episode as a child where Scooby was able to cut through the fog with a knife and he finds himself wondering if he could do that right now. His thoughts are cut short when the rest of the League files out, leaving only him and Shigaraki in the room- staring at each other with unease.

"What an interesting turn of events." Shigaraki starts, wiping the ash from his hand against his pants- leaving a faint and smudged grey hand print against the black of his pants. Sitting down on the edge of Dabi's bed, Shigaraki studies him with an unblinking red scrutiny.

"We're going to have to solve this." Dabi props himself up and draws the blanket tightly against himself.

"Solve what?"

"Don't play stupid with me," Shigaraki snorts, "We both know full well what I'm talking about." Dabi's stretching silence only seems to confirm Shigaraki's statement, he nods and continues.

"I'm seeing two options for you. Either you end up dead somewhere because you're an idiot and let it almost kill you already," Shigaraki's gaze turns almost mockingly soft, "Or, you can get this fixed."

"And how-" Shigaraki cuts him off with a wave of his hand.

"I can send you to Ujiko, you know. I've already spoken with him and he seems," There's a short pause, "Very invested in your condition." Dabi sits up further and pinches the bridge of his nose.

"I'd really rather not deal with him."

"As I've thought. I suppose there's another solution." Dabi waits for Shigaraki to continue but there's only the long pregnant pause of silence. He looks up from his hand to see Shigaraki studying him curiously, his head tilted to one side.

"Who is it?" His question comes out as a whisper and there's something in the glint of his eyes that makes Dabi not want to answer.

"Does it matter?"

"You almost died, so, I would say yes. It does."

"It's no one that you know." Shigaraki merely hums, he takes out Father from his hoodie pocket and lets it rest in his lap. Neither man says anything for a long time, only the occasional muffled shout and bark of laughter from the bar fills his quiet room.
"I see that you're going to be stubborn like usual."

"What even can you do to help?"

"Easy," Shigaraki stands- a ghost of a smile appears on his pale lips, "I could kill them." Dabi draws back and raises an eyebrow.

"What happened to letting what we love, live?"

"Please, that was for Toga," Shigaraki lazily waves Dabi off, "She's merely a child. She'll learn soon enough." Dabi rolls his eyes and frowns.

"You're too cruel."

"No," Shigaraki walks over to the window and stares out of it- his hands clasped behind his back, "Heroes are the ones that are cruel- don't you agree, Touya?"

"Pretty sure that I've told you before not to call me that." Dabi grits his teeth and his hands clench the bed sheets so tightly that he can feel his fingernails biting into his palm through the thin sheet. Shigaraki looks over his shoulder and back down at Dabi.

"It's our mission to destroy, to tear them down. We have to purge this world from their filth. It disgusts me, truly. Not even just them, this whole society is fucked beyond saving. So, everything has to be destroyed and rebuilt. All of you were made aware of my mission from the moment you agreed to work for me. There is nothing cruel about that."

"I-"

"Even if you want to protect whoever it is, they're distracting you."

"From what?" Shigaraki smiles, the white of his teeth shining softly against the sunlight.

"From your growth," Shigaraki walks back to the bed and gazes softly down at Dabi, "You are my second in command. Let me help you."
"What if I don't want help?" Shigaraki's smile grows, reminding Dabi of a cruel reenactment of the Cheshire Cat. Shigaraki pulls a small piece of paper that's blank save for neatly printed out numbers staring back up at him.

"I believe that you and I both know the answer to that. Regardless, I'll answer it for you; you'll end up dead in some forgotten alley," Shigaraki walks towards the door only to pause, "I look forward to your decision. You haven't much time left though." At that, he leaves Dabi alone in his room with only his thoughts to keep him company.

"So this is why you've acting so weird." It comes out as a whisper, Dabi doesn't think that he had ever heard the loud and boisterous Twice ever do anything quiet in his life. Yet here they are, in the back alleyway of the hideout with Twice staring at him with something he's never quite seen in Twice's eyes before.

Understanding.

"Huh. Never thought it would happen to you." Dabi has a sneaking suspicion that Twice is talking to himself rather than to Dabi. He stays quiet, puzzled at the sudden change of Twice's psyche. Dabi quietly studies the man next him and watches as the empathy in Twice's eyes fade away and turn to something more melancholic.

Twice opens his mouth to say something but decides against it and closes it again. Instead, he claps Dabi on the back as he studies him sadly.

"So what are you going to do?" Twice leans against a grimy brick wall next to Dabi, crossing his arms and resting a foot at the base of the wall. Dabi only shrugs before taking out a cigarette.

"Shigaraki wants to ship me off to Ujiko." Dabi's free hand brushes against the small piece of paper in his pocket, he pulls a face and lights the cigarette. There's just something about Ujiko's fixation on him that makes Dabi's skin crawl. The thought of being at the doctor's mercy makes a pit in his stomach form and twist uncomfortably. Dabi only chuckles and runs his hand through his hair, he's been awfully uncomfortable these past few weeks.

"I dunno. Maybe it wouldn't be too terrible to just get it done and over with, yeah?"

It feels as if the temperature around them drops about ten degrees and Twice withdraws his hand as if he got burned by Dabi. A side glance tells him everything he needs to know as he watches Twice's face shift into a look of horror.

"Is that really what you want? If it is, you're stupid as fuck." Dabi begins to retaliate but is instantly shut down, nearly hit in the back of the head with a flailing hand.

"Don't ruin something so beautiful. You'll only end up regretting it in the end." There's a pause as Twice's eyes harden as Dabi shakes his head.

"I can't just go and proclaim my love to him like some sort of shitty Romeo and Romeo skit." Dabi really has no other words. Even just thinking about it makes him feel like he's suffocating. How can he ever convey his fears of the harsh reality that they're up against? Heroes and villains are not meant to fall in love, because in the end- only one will end up walking away alive.

They stand on the opposite sides of a coin.

Hawks is like the sun. When he walks into a room- everyone seems to orbit around him, drawn naturally to someone who shines so brightly. Dabi reflects that even a simple smile from Hawks could end anyone's sadness. His self confidence and suave attitude is exactly what people crave for. He's the good guy, his future is already laid out in stone and Dabi has no part in that future no matter how hard he tries to envision it.

Dabi on the other hand, well. He's nothing more than the inky darkness of a cloudy night. He's made up of mothers' fabled lectures that if their child misbehaves, the burnt man will sneak into the house at night and burn them and devour their soul. He's the whispers in an abandoned alley when there's not a soul around. He's the murder of ravens that gather along telephone wires. He's the very fear that thrives within people's hearts.

Where Hawks breathes life all around him, Dabi can instantly snuff it out with a wave of his hand.

Where Hawks is creation, Dabi is destruction.

Hawks' future isn't meant to be dragged down to the murky depths of Dabi's own.

Dabi has known nothing but violence and fear for almost his entire life, he has nothing to offer Hawks. Even if he had, he could never forgive himself for destroying someone like Hawks just because of his own selfish wants and desires.

No.

Dabi shakes his head again and just laughs.

"I think know what I need to do." He's met with only a sigh before Twice hangs his head.

"If you're asking me, I say you should at least think about it."

"Since when did you become so invested in this?" Dabi can't help but to sneer, it's not often that Twice gets on his nerves but the other man is really starting to try his patience. Twice lets out a dry laugh and looks up to the stars above, his breath comes out in puffs of grey before fading out.

"Look man, hrngh," He irritably rubs his forehead and squeezes his eyes shut, "It's hard to think sometimes." Twice mutters to himself, he takes in a deep breath and squares his shoulders back.

"Look, I know that you think you're all hot shit," Twice chuckles to himself and Dabi only rolls his eyes- not like he's ever heard that one before, "But for real. Don't go and fuck yourself up because you're too much of a coward to do anything about it."

"Twice-"

"I'm not finished, asshole!" Dabi holds up his hands in a surrendering gesture and takes a puff from his cigarette- waiting for Twice to finish with whatever monologue he has in store for him.

"Sometimes, you just gotta do what makes you happy. Fuck what Shigaraki thinks, wait, don't tell him I said that. Because, y'know, he's our boss." Dabi snorts and extinguishes his cigarette against the brick wall and watches as it falls to the dirt.

"Yeah, yeah."

"Cool. So anyway, where was I?"

"I gotta do what makes me happy." Dabi reminds him, Twice perks up and fist punches the air.

"Yes! See, now you're getting the hang of it!"

"I was just telling you what you told me, sheesh." He rubs the back of his neck, his fingers warm against the grooves of his scarring.

"That's besides the point!" Twice waves into the air frantically, "This is all part of Twice's five part plan! Step one, accept what you gotta do to make you happy. Step two, do what makes you happy. Step three, be fucking happy!"

"What are the last two steps?" Twice pauses and brings down his hand.

"Hmm?"

"The last two steps, Einstein. What are they?"

"Oh, I dunno," Twice shrugs, "Twice's five part plan sounded better in my head than Twice's three step plan."

"You're a real big help."

"I try." Dabi smiles and looks over at a beaming Twice.

"That was sarcasm."

"Well, I didn't go to college to major in sarcasm."

"Did you even go to college?" Twice pushes himself away from the wall and shakes a finger at Dabi.

"Uh- do you think I'm some sort of neet or somethin'? Of course I went to college!"

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! I was even valedictorian!" This surprises Dabi, he knows that he shouldn't be surprised at anything when it comes to Twice but even so- there's always some sort of surprise that comes in small shapes and forms when it comes to Twice.

"What did you go for?" Dabi can't deny being genuinely curious.

"I got my doctorate in being kickass! Ka-pow! Hi-yah!" Twice kicks at the air and does a few chops.

"Wow, of course you did, Twice." Twice rounds on him and props his hands against his hips.

"That's Doctor Twice to you." Twice continues to beat up the air and once again to Dabi's surprise, he finds himself laughing.

"It's not fair." Toga whines from behind him, the cold metal of the scissors brush against his ear- snagging one of his helix piercings.

"Watch it, you just about chopped my damn ear off."

"I did not!" She barks back, smacking him lightly on the back of the head before going back to cutting his hair.

"How did you get so lucky with having such thick hair and mine is so thin? You don't even do anything with it!" Dabi shifts, trying to fish out his pack of cigarettes before his hand is smacked away.

"Stop moving already before I really chop off your ear. Plus, no smoking in my room. It stinks." Dabi complies with a huff and stills.

They fall into a quiet routine of Toga complaining about his hair and the soft metallic snips of the scissors. Her small fingers thread through his hair to make sure she doesn't miss any strands and he nearly falls asleep. His head falls slightly forward and snaps back up when she clicks the scissors dangerously close to his ear as a warning.

"Cut my ear and I'll burn your hair off."

"Burn my hair off and a bleeding ear won't be the only thing you'll have to worry about." Toga snidely counters. She moves in front of him and hums to herself as she begins to cut his bangs.

"Twice told me about what Shigaraki said." Toga mentions casually, Dabi inwardly groans. Of course. Twice can't keep his mouth shut to save his life.

"Good for you."

"I'm just saying," There's another snip of the scissors, "It's perfectly normal to be in love." She finishes with a smile and her eyes drift off to the corner of her room with a light blush dusting her cheeks.

"What do you know about normal?" She glances down at him and sticks her tongue out at Dabi.

"I'm as normal as you!" Dabi snorts and rolls his eyes.

"Well, that's not saying much." She doesn't acknowledge his quip and instead hands him a bright pink and purple hand mirror.

"Good as new!" She beams from over the mirror and Dabi nods in agreement.

"I suppose it's good enough." He takes off the towel from around his shoulders, "What?"

"And you call me the bitch." Toga takes the towel and mirror from him with narrowed eyes.

"I've never lied about being bitchy. 'Sides, someone had to teach you the ways." She giggles and tosses the towel in the dirty laundry basket before she sits across from Dabi. Reaching over, she grabs a giant bunny plushie and hugs it to herself- it's nearly the same size as her and she struggles to peer around it.

"You've taught me well then, I guess."

"You still have much to learn, young grasshopper." Toga turns her nose up at this and sniffs.

"I'd really rather not be a bug, why can't I be something cute?"

"Okay, then. What do you want to be?" She thoughtfully taps a finger against her chin, lost in thought. Her face brightens and digs around the pile of plushies next to her and holds up a light green frog with looping white swirls on its stomach to him.

"What about a frog!" Dabi arches an eyebrow, taking the frog from her. Its fabric is soft underneath his fingers and he gives it a small squeeze.

"... a frog?" Her smile nearly blinding and she buries her face into the back of her plushie.

"Yeah! Frogs are cute. I have a really good friend that's part froggy and Tsu is very cute!" She continues her muffled one sided conversation into the rabbit about how much she loves her best friends Tsu and Ochako. Dabi occasionally pipes in with soft "I see's" and "ah's", only half listening to everything she's said multiple times before. Eventually, Toga turns her babbling from her friends to how cute boys are when they're drenched in blood. By this point, Dabi completely spaces out and only nods along to whatever she's ranting about. His attention is focused on a petite ceramic cherry blossom branch on her desk with two delicately crafted song birds perched on it- looking at each other. There's a tickle in his throat and he blinks away, forcing himself to look back to Toga.

As hard as he tries to focus on her words, he keeps drifting back to what Twice told him earlier.

"Hey, hey." Spinner greets him with a half wave before returning back to his card game with Mr. Compress.

"You got a haircut." Mr. Compress observes, Dabi nods and pulls up a chair- sitting on it backwards, he rests his arms on top of its back.

"Well, it looks very nice on you." Dabi mutters a soft thanks and Mr. Compress gives him a small and knowing smile before resting a three of clubs over the four of hearts.

"What are you playing?"

"King's Corner. I picked it up during my travels in America," Mr. Compress answers, setting a two of diamonds over his previously placed card, "Your turn, Spinner." Spinner draws a card from the pile in the middle and silently studies the splayed out cards in front of him before slowly putting the king of spades in one corner, looking up to Mr. Compress questionably, who nods in affirmation. With that, he places a few more cards down before motioning to Mr. Compress that it's his turn again.

Dabi pretends not to notice Spinner's constant side glances towards him. Instead, he keeps a firm hold over his cold composure- absolutely refusing to let Spinner get under his skin.

"You're looking a little pale over there, buddy."

"I'm not your buddy, pal." Dabi flatly retorts, examining picking at his fingernails with boredom.

"Aww, c'mon! Don't be like that lover boy." Dabi glances up from his hand with a quirked eyebrow and a sneer.

"Call me that again, and I just might make a pair of boots out of you." Spinner casually leans back in his chair, tilting his head to one side- his smile is wide and dangerously lined with pointed and sharp teeth.

"Is that all you got these days? Puh-lease. When you can think up of something more creative, then feel free to come at me, bro. Until then, don't embarrass yourself." Spinner rests the last card in his hand down on the table and motions to Mr. Compress to hand him the winnings- completely ignoring Dabi now.

He abruptly stands and makes his way over to the bar, motioning their new bartender closer.

"Gimme a lemon sour."

"Thought you hated lemon?" Their genuine curiosity just makes Dabi burrow deeper into his sour mood and he hunches his shoulders forward.

"Yeah, well. I hate my life, so fuck it." He grumbles. Quietly, they turn their back on him and begin to create his pick of poison.

Soon, the room around him starts to spin lethargically and the stool from underneath him seems to distort and swirl along with the room. Occasionally there's a smiling face that floats into his vision, asking him how he's holding up and without fail, he'll wave them off and grumble about how they're just annoying him.

Dabi is starting to feel restless, the bar is too quiet- most of the others have either gone to bed or left the bar for some nightly mischief. He's alone in the bar with the bartender in the small kitchen, washing up. Their hums shift in and out of Dabi's focus as he glares into his empty glass.

He'll show them. He'll show them all just how wrong each and every one of them are. Right. Dabi tells himself that he got this as he struggles to pull out a phone from his pocket, it takes him several trying attempts but he's eventually able to connect his hand to the phone and pull it out.

Dabi blinks blearily down at the warm phone in his hands and he racks his brain for any memory of what the pass code might be to unlock his phone.

"Fuck." Dabi slurs and haphazardly inputs a random string of numbers. 7623 wrong. 1089 wrong. 0420 wrong again. He groans and sets his forehead against the cool marble surface. Dabi almost drifts off to a drunken sleep when he shoots up from the counter, earning him to lose his balance and he tips dangerously backwards in the stool.

"'Course." He fumbles for the phone on the counter. 0111. Bingo.

Now all he has to do is scroll through his contacts, simple task.

Well, usually it is. Instead, he finds himself somehow distracted by a cute video of a hamster stuffing sunflower seeds in its cheeks. Dabi clears his throat and reminds himself that he's on a mission and has no time to be watching dumb hamster videos.

There's a small part of his mind that's screaming at him to stop because after he makes this call, there's no going back.

As per usual, he ignores his common sense and punches in a number. It rings for what seems like forever before there's a slight crackle and a voice from the other end picks up.

"Hello?" Dabi smiles into the phone, he steadies his swaying. It's time to roll.

"You and I need t' have a talk."