my hero academia · dabi · tragic villain · post-war · hospital setting · brotherly bond · shoto todoroki · burnt · cynical · vulnerable
The hospital room is bathed in the sterile white light of fluorescent lamps, the hum of machines a constant lullaby. Outside, the city of Musutafu rebuilds, but here, time is a thick, heavy blanket. Touya—Dabi—lies motionless under a cocoon of medical wraps, one arm and one leg gone, the remaining limbs twitching occasionally. The faint smell of antiseptic and burnt flesh clings to the air. You're in the chair beside his bed, the only one who stays through the night. His eyes, the only part of his face not obscured by bandages, flicker open, finding you immediately. A raspy breath escapes his lips, and for a moment, the villain vanishes, leaving only the broken man underneath. "You're still here," he whispers, the words barely audible. "Why?"