Yui had to wonder if Endeavor had a hidden Quirk that made him ruin everything he touched, or maybe that was just her prejudice talking. She still wanted to sock him; their day had been going so well! The four of them had been walking around town, enjoying the summer heat as they window shopped, stopping for ice cream. Izuku and Himiko had decided, for whatever reason, to see who could finish their ice cream first, resulting in the other two to break out in laughter at the faces they made. Izuku looked like a pained All Might, his face stuck into one of his impressions. He couldn’t even try to massage his temples with one hand encased in plaster after fracturing two fingers in a fight. It wasn’t his fault the guy had shrunk down to avoid his fist and he’d ended up punching the wall.
Dabi stumbled as a shoulder slammed into him, sending him into the still-laughing pre-teen and almost sent them to the ground if they hadn’t clung to each other like a pair of drunks. Dabi growled, “Hey asshole watch-” His jaw snapped shut at the turquoise eyes glaring down at the group, flames flicking in agitation. Yui sobered immediately as she looked up at Endeavor, Izuku and Himiko hidden behind the older pair as Dabi froze in place.
“Your lack of awareness is a bother to the public around you. Shape up and don't be a burden to those around you” The man snapped before he walked away in a huff. Dabi’s breathing started to come fast and shallow, not even noticing as the Sidekicks rushed up panting. The Professional Hero already disappeared down the street rushing off after the next alert.
"Heh sorry about him, he's curt but there's no one I respect more!" the grinning sidekick stepped up her flaming hair moving ephemerally in the breeze, her earnest grin turning stilted as she noticed the strained atmosphere of the group her eyes being drawn to Dabi as blue flames flicked through his fingers as his arms trembled. Yui bit her lip as she grabbed his upper arm and dragged him down an alley and away from prying eyes.
"Hey is he okay?" the two Sidekicks began to step forward before Izuku stepped in front of the alleyway.
"Uh...yes sorry. If you could give us some space! M-my bro here has these attacks. A-and-" Izuku was cut off as Himiko pulled him back, glaring with such force the two Flaming Sidekickers stepped back.
"We'd like some privacy to tend to our friend! Get back to following that hotheaded jerk!" Leaving the two dumbfounded Sidekicks standing at the entrance of the alley, they rushed over to Yui and Dabi.
Dabi’s pupils were blown wide open as he tensed up, his hands clenched and moving in front of him like he was trying to prepare himself to defend. “Dabi? It’s okay, he’s gone, we’re right here.” Yui tried to keep her voice steady but her words still ended up rushed. What were you supposed to do for panic attacks? She didn’t think that slapping him or shaking him would help like it did on TV. She didn’t think he was even seeing or hearing her, his breathing ragged as his chest heaved.
“I’m sorry I can't think of anything else!” She blurted out as a chip popped out of her palm as she pressed it into his palm, his eyes glazing over as he stilled. “Dabi, take deep breaths please I...Kami...deep breaths, it’s okay. He won’t...I won’t let him hurt you.” She promised, trying to blink back the pinpricks of tears in her eyes. Dabi followed the command, the pulse she could feel under her fingertips starting to slow back into a normal rhythm.
"Um...and be yourself, you'll be back in control in five minutes. Oh Kami...I know you can't hear me right now but I hope this helped." Yui rubbed his shoulder soothingly with a complicated expression.
“Yui-nee?” She glanced toward the entrance of the alley, Izuku and Himiko keeping their distance but their eyes wide with worry, the amber-eyed girl holding onto the younger’s arm for comfort.
“It-it’ll be okay, green bean...let’s just get home.” She looked around, thankfully recognizing the alley from the graffiti of Gang Orca on the side of the building. She started to lead the way home, holding onto Dabi’s hand and looking around every corner. They didn’t need to run into that man again.
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The next days were...somber, after the Endeavor incident. It’d slipped all their minds that Endeavor's patrol passed through the edge of Musutafu. It was a popular area for villain attacks, but they never thought they’d actually run right into the man.
“Guys...I need to talk to you.” Dabi finally broke his silence. Since coming home he’d kept himself in the room he shared with Himiko, barely eating what was brought to him.
The trio perked up they looking to him, as they abandoned their tasks and distractions to give him their full attention. He sighed as he sat down in the chair he’d claimed, running a hand through his hair.
“I...I don’t think I can...deal with that happening again...” His voice cracked as he spoke, his hand shaking ever so slightly as he met their eyes. “I...I can’t believe I just...froze like that...I couldn’t do anything!” He spat out, disgust in his voice that Yui was sure was aimed at himself.
Stolen story; please report.
She took a deep breath, “I understand, Dabi. What do you want to do?” Her voice getting close to dropping into monotone as she watched him clench and unclench his hands.
“I...I want to move.” He whispered the words, “Its cowardly but-”
“It’s not.” She interrupted him, “It’s not cowardly, you’re not weak. Dabi, you just came face to face with the man who abused you and your family. I’d freeze up too, if I saw my parents again.” She admitted, “If you want to move, I can help you. I researched his patrol routes. He maybe shows up in Kyushu once or twice a year. It’s the best option if you still want to stay in Japan.”
The room was silent for a few moments before Himiko blurted out, “You can’t leave us Dabi! W-We're a family!”
“I don’t want to leave but I can’t...I just can’t handle that happening again!” His voice broke as he clenched his hands in his hair.
“You guys...we’re still family if we don’t live together you know.” Izuku’s voice was soft, but still sure as he looked at them. “It’s not like we can’t visit each other. We can video call each other and still stream movies together,”
Himiko pouted, “But I’ll miss you two so much! I can’t prank Dabi by myself!”
“Why do you sound like you’re coming with me, you little gremlin?” Dabi snapped his head up at her, lowering his hands from his hair.
“Someone has to watch out for you! You can’t cook for shit, you’d waste away or survive on ramen!” She put her hands on her hips, glaring defiantly at him. “You’ve been like my big brother for years, you’re not getting rid of this flea so easily!”
“Yeah! And Yui-nee and I can visit every week! It’s not like we go to school.” Izuku grinned, his eyes lit up, “You’re not going to escape Dabi-nii.”
“And don’t worry about the money. Endeavor is so easy to siphon from, I think his accountant is skimming from the top, so it's been easy hacking the accountant and making him take that little bit more that I launder through cryptocurrency. I’ll set you up with an account and move money to you. I’ll start looking up good apartments for you and Himi. At least you both get your own room now.” Yui smiled softly as she met turquoise eyes.
Dabi looked between the three of them before letting out a wet-sounding snort, tears shining in his eyes but not spilling over as he gave them a crooked smile, “You guys are unbelievable.”
“Group hug time!” Himiko bounced forward before pulling Dabi from the chair to the floor, wrapping her arms around him as he grunted. Izuku chuckled as he glomped both of them, sending Himi into giggles. Yui got up to kneel beside them, reaching around to wrap her arms around Dabi’s shoulders.
“Like Izu said, we’re family whether we live together or not. We’ll be there for each other no matter what. We’ll support each other, and that’s what matters.”
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“Yui? Can we talk?”
The preteen blinked, looking up at Dabi from covering Izu and Himiko with a blanket, the two had passed out in the middle of a Disney movie marathon after their talk. “Sure thing, Dabs.”
She followed after him to the bedroom he shared with Himi. The room was split down the middle, with a blanket serving as a makeshift curtain. Himi’s side was all pinks and plushies and cute things, Dabi’s looked like a Hot Topic had exploded. He sat down on his bed, watching as she joined him on the edge.
Yui couldn’t help but feel...nervous. They hadn’t really had a one-on-one talk since, well since she’d used her Quirk on him. Kami, she really didn’t like doing that. She just wasn’t sure how to help him get down from a panic attack and Izu had said that getting controlled wasn’t that bad. He said he couldn’t remember anything except like feeling like he’d just woken up from a nap when she’d let go. But she’d never used her Quirk on Dabi before, what if he hated her for-
“Yui.” She jolted at her name, looking into concerned turquoise eyes, “Hey kiddo, calm down, I just wanted to talk, ‘kay?”
She blinked before she took a deep breath, giving him a nod as she squared her shoulders. “I’m okay, what did you want to talk about?” Her voice dipping into the monotone as her mental defenses came back up. She couldn’t be weak like that.
Dabi frowned softly at the tone, “I just wanted to talk about your Quirk...when you used it on me.”
She blinked, the guilt breaking through the walls as she dug her nails into her palms. “Dabi, I-I'm so sorry, I-I didn’t know what to do, I-”
He placed his hands over her shoulders, squeezing gently, “Kiddo, breathe. I’m okay, really. I had a few days to think this over. It’s just that...your Quirk can be...I don’t want to say addicting, but...well...If I was having a panic attack, I’d go straight to you.”
Yui frowned, “I-Isn’t that good? If I can help you...”
“I get where you're coming from. I know, kiddo. I know you just want to help but...I can’t be dependent on you like that either. It was like...like you know the feeling of being detached after you have a really good cry? Where you just cried everything out and then there’s nothing but this fuzzy, floaty feeling? One moment I couldn’t breathe and then I was home and just...being floaty.” He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, “But I...I need to get through panic attacks, learn how to deal with it, or you'll end up being my crutch! Instead of just taking the easy way out, I want to grow past it. You get what I’m saying?”
She nodded softly, “I’m so sorry I didn’t ask, Dabi...I won’t use my Quirk on you again.”
His lip quirked up in a crooked smile as he ruffled her hair, “How about this, kiddo. If I really need it, I’ll ask. I’d just like to choose to lose control, to have a choice in it, you know?”
She nodded before she hugged him tight, relaxing when his arms wrapped around her. “I...I won’t use it unless you want me to, Dabi.”
“Thanks kiddo. I didn’t want you stressing over this. I trust you, Yui. But, as Izu says, it’s best to be prepared, hmm?” He chuckled softly.
She snorted softly, “Isn’t that the boy scout’s credo?”
“How the hell am I supposed to know? Do I look like a boy scout?” He rolled his eyes as he leaned back.
“Naw, that’d be Izu. You look like the boy scout’s emo teenaged brother that hates the world.” She yelped as he pushed her off the bed. He grinned down at her as she huffed her bangs out of her eyes. But she couldn’t help the smile that curled her lips, the pressure in her chest lightening. She was really going to miss him, it was nice to depend on someone else despite the teasing they threw around. Dabi was an adult, and she felt like she could lean on him when she needed to. Hopefully she and Izu would be okay on their own.