Cremation, Subjugation, and All the Aches in Between (Dabi x Tenko)

[CRYBABY]

This wasn’t the first and definitely wouldn’t be the last time Dabi would get jumped in an alley. He had been on his way back to the hideout from collecting intel for the Boss when he was approached by a pretty little thing in a torn dress, make up askew, and hair a mess, begging for his help. Of course the villain pushed her to the side and continued moving forward. She was not his problem—he was far from a hero. She was lucky he wasn’t in a fowl mood or he’d set her body aflame for interrupting his walk. A few steps forward, his mind wandering to what the Boss would have him do next, when a gruff voice demanded he stop. He ignored the request, continuing to move forward, when he came toe to toe with a strange pair of white boots. He chuckled, lifting his head to meet the eyes of the intruder, a wide, devilish grin on his lips. A man in a stupid leather jacket and sunglasses stood in front of him with three goons behind him. He felt a few more bodies behind him and two on the stair well nearby. Again, these low-life thugs were lucky Dabi wasn’t in a fowl mood or there would be nothing left of them once he initiated Cremation. “How can I help you gentlemen?” Dabi feigned courtesy. The man who stood directly in front of him demanded his wallet and other valuables, as if Dabi looked like he carried jewels, to which Dabi snickered. “Listen, assholes, unless you want to die you’re going to get the fuck out of my way.” With that, the man to the right of the apparent leader lunged at Dabi with a knife. He dodged easily enough, stepping slightly to the side and tripping the man. He activated his quirk, incinerating the leader and remaining goons in front of him. A swift turn to those behind revealed 5 others with the look of pure terror on their faces. Dabi’s eyes widened with excitement, his lips still curled in that intense, devilish grin. The burning of Cremation was comforting to him at this point as he allowed the flames to dance. “Who’s next?” He taunted, and just as he was about to release destruction he felt a hand wrap around his ankle, he immediately looked down to see the goon he had tripped earlier, he let his palm hover over the others face and activated his quirk. Blue flame engulfed the ground beneath. When he released, there was nothing left of that brunette idiot, not even ashes. He brought his eyes back to the other 5, ready to finish this nuisance and get back to the bar, when he was faced with a suspicious change. In the near seconds it took for him to look down, incinerate one man, and look back up, the other goons had left. Dabi spat, “Pathetic.” He hated cowards.

Dabi continued, calmly walking through the streets with his hands in his pockets, keeping his head down, moving through back alleys as to reduce the likelihood he would be recognized and swarmed by heroes. As he approached the bar he noticed something strange… this part of the city was normally deserted due to the high crime, but Dabi had passed an awful lot of people on his way, and even as he stood in front of the bar door he observed his surroundings and made a note of the surrounding businesses that weren’t there just yesterday. He opened the bar door, yawning lazily with his arms stretching above his head, “Fuck.” He said aloud as the sound of talking, laughter, and upbeat music filled his ears. His eyes shot around at all corners of the bar, landing on the bar tender who was now drying a glass with their eyes glued to Dabi. Dabi was no stranger to this look, he knew what the bartender was thinking about his scarred flesh. He scowled, continuing to search the room… was this a prank? He couldn’t find anyone, Kurogiri, Toga, Twice… shit where was Shigaraki? “What the hell are you people doing here?” He said to himself before slowly retreating back to the street. He had no idea what this was about but he was not about to put himself or the League at risk to try and find out. He slipped into another alley and pulled his phone out of his pocket, intending to call Shigaraki, he went to dial but the cracked screen was black. A few quick observations later and Dabi realized he was in need of a charger. He cursed himself for not having his phone replaced sooner; it always seemed to die rapidly. He growled as he made his way out of the alley, heading inconspicuously down the street to a Tech Store that he passed on the way to the hideout.

An annoying bell tied to the top of the door alerted the staff that there was a customer as Dabi opened the shop door. He kept his head down, ignoring the few staff members helping other patrons, while making his way to the front counter where a black haired person stood with their back to the entrance. “Hey, I need a charger for this.” The villain placed his beaten up, screen cracked, dead phone on the counter. As the employee behind the counter turned around, Dabi sucked in a breath, his mind racing in an attempt at making connections. He knew that face, those red eyes, chapped, pouty lips, and of course the accented mole. Tomura. The face of his Boss flashed through his mind…this man was definitely Shigaraki just with different hair, bigger eyes, and a softer demeanor. He swallowed hard awaiting the other to speak.

[Final]

Tenko Shimura had wanted to be a hero.

His very first time experiencing the world of heroes was in kindergarten when he was three, small and impressionable, and terribly shy. A local hero had come to their class to talk about the job she did, the crimes she stopped and the people she had saved. The whole class had erupted in excited chatter, several children declaring they wanted to be heroes. Tenko had come out of his shell a little, declaring the same with eyes full of hope.

He’d be a hero! He’d help people and save them from danger! Father and Mother would be so proud of him!

How wrong he’d been.

As excited children tended to do, Tenko had told his parents all about it over dinner, the visit, what the hero had said, that he was going to be one too. The whole time he’d been excited, smiling so wide, completely unaware of the darkening atmosphere, the worried looks on Hana and his Mother’s face… And the anger brimming under his Father’s calm demeanor.

That had been Tenko’s first experience with his Father’s One Absolute Rule.

Kotaro Shimura had made sure his son would remember it, banishing him outside for the remainder of the meal, all alone as the sky darkened and the birds stopped singing. No matter how much he cried. No matter how much he apologized, promised he wouldn’t do it again. Mother finally scooped him up into her arms and took him inside once he had no more tears, once his cries and gasping sobs had turned to silence.

That hadn’t been the last time. It had been far from the last time, in fact. Each punishment was worse, he was left outside longer, had toys and privileges taken from him… Each time, his father would tell him it was for his own good. He had to learn.

When the age of four came and passed him by without any sort of quirk manifesting, it felt like a metaphorical slap to the face.

The physical slap to the face came not too long after, and his quirk followed suit like some sort of cruel joke.

Only.

Only it wasn’t something useful and heroic. It wasn’t something he could use to save people. In fact, it had almost killed his whole family, along with his dear childhood pet. If it had manifested a couple of seconds later… The thought of what could have happened haunted him through the rest of his life.

Decay. Destruction… Death at his fingertips. It wasn’t what he’d wanted at all.

It was a curse.

Father had been right. He couldn’t be a Hero.

Tenko… gave up.

He gave up his hopes and dreams, gave up on being a hero, gave up on his quirk.

He went through life gloved, quickly learning to hide his quirk or risk being called a monster and a villain and facing abuse from his classmates. Withdrawing was easier than risking himself, and his shy, quiet nature left him without many friends. Tenko was alone. At school, he was ignored or made fun of for his scars and stutter. At home, he was held at arm’s length, his own family afraid of his quirk.

Upon graduation, Tenko had put all his concentration into getting a job, and moving out. Maybe he could get a fresh start… Maybe he could make and keep friends… He’d found a job at an electronics store working their repair counter, and a small apartment within walking distance. The job wasn’t too hard, and he’d actually come to like it after a while. It… felt like he was helping people, even if he had to deal with the occasional rude patron.

When the shop bell rang to announce a new customer, Tenko was absorbed in working on a laptop that had been brought in by an older woman, Ms. Shuzenji. She seemed to have a lot of trouble with technology; the machine was riddled with viruses and malware every time she brought it in. Tenko had tried to explain to the woman that she shouldn’t trust every ad or link she saw on the internet, but it seemed a moot point. Maybe this time, he’d install an adblocker for her, just to see if that helped…

Then a deep voice behind him made Tenko jump.

“Oh! Yes, s-sorry!”

Even though he worked the repair counter, it wasn’t terribly uncommon for customers to come to him needing help in other areas. Though… usually they didn’t bypass the three other associates in the store first. Maybe they’d been busy..?

He turned quickly, the green polyester shirt of his uniform making a soft swishing sound, the ‘Shimura’ on his nametag the same shade of green.

… Actually, as he took in the appearance of the other, maybe the other store clerks all avoided him. The customer looked, well. Rough. It was hard not to linger on those scars or the staples holding patches of skin together… Those had to be painful, didn’t they..? Were they from an accident or part of this man’s quirk? That along with the man’s demeanor and clothing (and… was that the faint scent of burning?) painted a pretty intimidating figure. That was even before taking in those intense blue eyes, and that deep voice.

Tenko jolted when he realized he’d been staring, red eyes quickly jumping to the phone this stranger held out. Much like its owner, it looked like this phone had seen better days. It was such an old outdated model, too. He was kind of surprised the man only wanted a charger and not a replacement...

“Of c-course s-sir, my apologies. There s-should be a charger that fits that model over here.” He gave the man his best customer service smile, moving out from behind the counter to direct him to a small rotating display. A lot of what they sold was newer tech, but this small display tucked into the back corner of the shop remained, carrying old chargers and accessories that were hardly in use anymore.

Tenko turned the thing a couple of times, checking their labels against the models they were good for, before finally holding out a package to the man between both gloved hands.

“Here you are s-sir. This s-should fit your phone. Um. But, if you are interested, w-we have a s-selection of newer models that might s-suit your needs better?” He smiled, gesturing to a nearby series of phone displays. “W-we even have protection plans, s-so you c-can get a replacement if it’s l-lost, s-stolen or damaged.”

[CRYBABY]

Dabi’s heart stilled, turning from infatuation for the man in front of him to disgust for himself as he watched ‘Shigaraki’s’ eyes linger coupled with his delayed response. Dabi knew exactly what his eyes were trained on, why the other couldn’t look away, and ultimately what he was thinking. The villain was accustomed to receiving this exact look, if not worse—such as a scream of horror—for years, even from those willing to sleep with him. He kept his blue eyes on this Shigaraki wannabe, a small knowing smirk on his lips, appearing unfazed as he continued to hold the phone out to the other.

It became more apparent to Dabi as the other moved about and spoke that aside from looking identical, the ravenette and his precious Boss had nothing in common. This man appeared timid, shy, reserved—he stuttered terribly and even walked as if he were afraid of being struck—Shigaraki on the other hand was malicious, maniacal, and fearsome. Sure, Dabi could say they both displayed a show of anxiety in different ways, but to be fair Dabi hadn’t known his Boss long enough to see any other side of the villain. “Seems I had you star struck.” His voice was calm and even, appearing stoic and unbothered was a talent Dabi excelled at, he had to rub elbows with some of the most disgusting criminals in Japan after all.

He followed behind the other, his eyes trailing down to his back side. His ass looked really nice in slacks, Dabi noted. He waited patiently, arms crossed over his chest, while the timid man looked through the display case before holding out a charger to him. He held it ever so cutely, Dabi thought. Instead of taking the charger, though, Dabi moved in closer, looming over the smaller man with a small grin. “Be a doll and open it for me, will you? I need to charge my phone now to make an important call.”

This man was definitely not the usual type of abrasive asshole that Dabi normally wanted to plow but he felt an intense pull of attraction towards him nonetheless. There was no doubt this guy was the weak, timid, soft, even scared doppelgänger of his sexy, powerful Boss, and Dabi wasn’t about to waste the opportunity to absolutely destroy someone who looked exactly like Shigaraki. Completely corrupting the shy man, ultimately ruining him for anyone else would be all too enjoyable. Knowing the ravenette’s clear disgust of Dabi’s appearance would make it exceptionally satisfying when the other lay pretty beneath him—screaming his name, begging for his dick, tears overflowing those pretty doe eyes. So, the villain did what he did best, masked his insecurities with false confidence and went to work.

Dabi reached a scarred hand out to cup the others cheek, using his thumb to gently glide against his skin affectionately all the while his intense blue eyes bore down on the stuttering man. “I may have to wait on the new phone. I need a reason to come back and see you again, after all.” He ran his fingertips ghostly down the ravenettes neck to the collar of his shirt, where he played with the top button, intense blue staring softly into large, red orbs. “What’s your name, pretty boy?”

[Final]

So his staring had been noticed after all. Tenko couldn’t help feeling sheepish at being found out, but the stranger… He. He honestly looked so cool and confident. Everything from the way he carried himself to his clothing screamed edgy in a way the timid man knew he would never have been able to pull off. Tenko swallowed, avoiding those burning blue eyes.

“Ah, um. S-sorry. I just…” He trailed off, unsure of what else to say. If he told the man he looked cool, there was a good chance he’d think he was being sarcastic, or even that he was harassing him… Plus, what if he didn’t like how he looked? Then the compliment would come off oblivious and rude. “...S-Sorry.”

The accessory display didn’t provide much distraction from how awkward he'd made it, Tenko adding that whole thing to his internal folder of embarrassing social interactions. At the very least he could find the phone charger and try to be helpful- ah, there it was!

Only.

When Tenko offered it out, he found his surroundings darkening. The man was leaning over him, blocking out the fluorescent lights. Tenko instinctively backed away, forgetting the wall mere inches behind him and jumping when his back hit it... Which left him crowded in by the man’s impressive form.

“I ah. S-s...S-sir, I c-can’t open it unless you purchase it first..?”

Garnet irises ping-ponged between the sapphire ones peering into his very soul. It was like those eyes were unraveling him, taking him apart piece by piece and examining each one. Tenko swallowed thickly as nervousness built in his stomach. This reminded him much too much of middle school, of getting caught and cornered by his bullies before they took their anger out on him until a teacher intervened if they did.

It didn’t look like anyone was going to intervene, this time. This display was tucked away so far in the back, he doubted his coworkers could see them, even if they weren’t already busy with other customers.

The man’s hand moved, and Tenko flinched hard, tears building up at the corners of his eyes. Shoulders quickly hunched, Tenko drew his arms in close to his body, dully registering the thud of the charger hitting the ground. He’d thought he’d finally escaped this sort of thing, he’d moved so far away from his bullies and his father, yet here he was again. Maybe it was just his fate? Maybe he’d been horrible in some other life and now he was being punished-

The stinging pain he’d expected didn't come. Instead… there was a soft touch at his cheek, the strangeness of it herding his frazzled thoughts back to the owner of the touch. His shock and confusion were easy to read, watery eyes wide, and chapped lips parted slightly.

“W-what..?”

The shudder that wracked the slender man’s body at that warm touch was wholly involuntary, light pink dusting his cheekbones. Tenko couldn’t remember the last time someone had touched him so gently. Without any sort of direction from his conscious mind, he was leaning into the touch, soaking in the abnormal heat of another’s skin. A stranger’s skin…

Wait.

Was this man… hitting on him??

Another shiver lit up his nerves as the tall dark stranger’s fingertips brushed along his scarred neck. The scar tissue there was oddly numb, which only seemed to make the undamaged skin _more_ sensitive. His scars… No, he couldn’t be actually flirting, not with him. Not with his ugly scars, his weak and timid nature. This was a type of bullying Tenko was familiar with too. Fake love confessions to him had been a favorite way for classmates to prank each other, in middle school.

He frowned softly at the nickname, the inherent lie in it hurtful.

“Um… S...S-Shimura…” He pointed to his nametag as if to prove it, his gloved hands shaking. “S-sir, please s-step back..? You’re to c-close.” He could feel the heat radiating off him… It had to have something to do with his quirk, it was so much warmer than any of his coworkers, though none of them had ever stood this close to him.

[CRYBABY]

Dabi grinned as he seemed to have stumped the other man, knowing that his mind was racing with excuses as to why he was staring but ultimately unable to come up with any, he just continued to apologize. The villain was slightly impressed with the others subtle acceptance of his behavior; people in service were often quick to throw a fake compliment his way after being confronted, in a mock attempt to coverup their hateful thoughts—whatever helped them sleep at night, Dabi supposed.

“Is that so?” He offered sweetly as the other informed him he would have to buy the charger. It’s not like the villain wasn’t planning to purchase it, well, alright maybe he wasn’t, but the cute employee didn’t need to know that. Dabi wasn’t keen on being denied what he wanted, though, but he was pretty confident that he could get this timid man to do what he wanted. The villain was asking for such a small task, all he wanted was to charge his phone, for now. He was aware that he needed to contact the Boss as soon as possible, however, a small detour to the doppelgänger’s bedroom couldn’t hurt.

Dabi noticed all too well the signs of an abused child when he reached his hand to touch the man’s cheek—the way he flinched, hunched, and drew his arms in it was clear that the man was anticipating impact. Dabi paid no mind to the charger hitting the floor, instead his attention was fixated on the big, watery eyes of the other. Oh how he loved the power of inflicting fear; the absolute terror in the smaller mans eyes made his dick twitch in interest. He continued softy massaging the mans cheek, taking note of the shudder and pretty flushed cheeks, Dabi rewarded him a sweet smirk and a bit of praise, his voice low and deep. “Ah, good boy. I think someone likes me.” Although his skin was naturally warm, the villain activated his quirk just enough to heat up his palm offering the man feign comfort.

“I would never hurt such a pretty little thing…” he reveled in the shiver of his prey, fingers delicately tracing the scars on the mans neck. Shimura, huh? Dabi continued questioning the connection between this Shimura and his lovely Shigaraki. It was possible for the Boss to have an alias, Dabi had one after all, and it wasn’t uncommon for others in their line of work to do so. Times like these made Dabi frustrated he hadn’t gotten to know the Boss on a deeper level… yet. Hearing the others timid request for Dabi to move, with that cute stutter, was satisfying in its own way, but watching him squirm, his body shaking involuntarily, cowering as Dabi touched him so sweetly, his beautiful garnet eyes big and afraid… Dabi’s mind raced with how absolutely perfect his little prey was. Slowly, the villain leaned in, gently resting one of his forearms against the wall slightly above Shimura’s head, his charred lips brushing against the ravenettes ear. “Do I make you nervous, Shimura?”

[Final]

When was the last time anyone had touched him..? Tenko’s mind raced, trying to remember any time he’d felt another’s skin against his, without fear of repercussions.

Hugs from his mother?

Hana pulling on his hand?

Memories of such unburdened familial intimacy were from so long ago. Before… Before his quirk had ruined everything, strained his family and his worth. They’d been afraid to let him touch them, after that, or to touch him in turn. Even with the gloves, the reminder of what he’d done to their yard… what he could have done to them... It caused hesitance in how they dealt with him. His mother’s hugs became briefer, his arms always loose at his sides for her protection. Hana stopped grabbing his hand to lead him around. His father…

His quirk and the danger it posed had just made his father's fears and hatred worse.

But.

But this was different from those touches. None of them had leaned close to him like this, blocked out everything else so that they were all he could perceive... Like there was no outer world, just him, the man over him smelling faintly of char, and the concrete wall against his back. Garnet eyes could focus on nothing else, see nothing but this stapled man, his dark hair, his burnt skin, the gleam from each piece of metal holding him together. His eyes though. Tenko could barely glance away from his cobalt eyes, flicking down briefly to the mismatched lips pulled into a smirk. The confident expression only made Tenko feel smaller and uncomfortable.

No, this was all new. Even when he was cornered and bullied for being quirkless, even when other teens propositioned him as a dare or to prank their friends, it hadn’t felt like this. It hadn’t sent a fluttering warmth into his stomach that rivaled the usual anxious, perturbed state of it.

The texture of fingers brushing over his cheek was soothing in a way Tenko couldn’t explain. Warmth radiated from each little peak and divot of the other man’s skin, like he had some sort of fever, but. No, this was probably normal temperature for him, wasn’t it?

The warmth increased to something like a soft sting, summoning up an embarrassing little gasp from between cracked and chapped lips. Way in the back of his mind, he realized he might have been right about the man’s quirk having to do with those burns. Maybe he controlled heat..? Or it could be some sort of a fire quirk, those were fairly common…

While that analytical portion of his mind kept theorizing and wondering, the rest was wholly intent on the man before him, a soft sound of surprise leaving his throat at the pet name. Good boy..? The moniker sent a thrill through him, Tenko trying not to think about that too hard.

“I’m not a dog..?” He tried so hard to inject confidence into his voice… But, as usual, it refused to bend to his will, leaving it soft and wavering. “I… S-Sir, please…” Swallowing thickly, he placed his gloved hands against Dabi’s chest, as if he was going to push him away, though that shove never came. Again, the stranger mocked him, calling him pretty, and again Tenko’s chest constricted. Why was he saying these things? Why did he want to humiliate him like this, make him feel weak and powerless..? What had he done to- the staring, the staring! That had to be what set him off! Maybe if he apologized..?

Tenko whined softly, the touch at his neck momentarily derailing his thoughts. Gloved hands curled into Dabi’s shirt, not sure anymore whether to push him away or pull him closer. His pink tongue darted out for just a moment to try and wet dry, cracked lips.

He had to fix this.

“I’m s-sorry if I offended you, s-sir, I c-can give you a c-complaint form, or if you’d l-like to s-speak to my manager..?” Each word felt like lead on Tenko’s tongue, a nail in his coffin… “I… whatever you need to -A-ah!” Suddenly the man was at his ear, Tenko’s pulse spiking at the brush of lips against an area he hadn’t realized was sensitive. A fluttering warmth had taken that as permission to lodge in his stomach, Tenko’s garnet eyes watering in embarrassed shame. He couldn't help but react... He could only imagine how pathetic he looked.

“I… I don’t… I…” Shivers ran across his arms leaving goosebumps in their wake. What was the right answer..? What did he want to hear?

Tenko swallowed, trying so hard to meet the man’s eyes.

“N-no..?”