creamation | (no subject)

[ Nemuri had not been involved in the skirmish, and in fact, no one had told her that it was taking place until it was over. She hadn't been allowed to watch TV while she was in the hospital because her doctor didn't want stress to interfere with her healing process, and of course, no one had called her or sent her any messages because... well, they were too busy fighting.

She'd only heard about it when the neighboring rooms filled up with her colleagues, and it was with horror that she realized that she missed a major battle - not that she could've done anything about it if she'd known, anyway.

Yamada took her home about ten days later. Recovery Girl could only heal her sparingly the following days after the fight. Nemuri insisted upon it as well, because other Pro Heroes needed Recovery Girl's Quirk more urgently. As such, Nemuri had to wait longer in the hospital for her grafts to heal before she could leave.

Her close friends were alright, thank goodness, which left her wondering how Dabi was doing - and if he was instrumental in orchestrating this attack. The thought made her stomach ball itself into knots.

She never expected to see him again. Their last conversation seemed final, and the fact that he'd left the sunflower... It felt like he was closing that door.

However, she still found herself occasionally looking into the shadows - maybe wondering if she'd see his blue eyes gleaming at her from the dark. ]

[He has a feeling she won't be gone for long, and if he is waiting for too long then he'll just leave and come back some other time- but eventually he sees her coming back to her building and he moves to lean against the wall by the entrance, wondering what she'll do when she sees him.

He probably shouldn't have come back at all. Their final goodbye did seem pretty final on his end at least, but that's never how this thing has worked out between them.]

[ Nemuri had found herself restless during her recovery. There wasn't much that she could do because being on the mend took up most of her energy, but she sometimes felt the need to go outside, even for just five minutes, to get some fresh air.

That was what she'd been doing - just taking a breather, a break from her enclosed apartment, and the short trip to the outside world had perked her up a little bit.

As she was walking back to her apartment lobby, she realized that there was a silhouette beside the doors. She thought for a moment that her eyes were playing tricks on her, but... no, he was really there. ]

Dabi?

[ Her voice was a whisper, rather hoarse from disuse. ]

[He steps out, just enough that the light above the door might reflect off of some of his staples, but he still isn't sure how she's gonna react, so he stays mostly hidden, hands shoved deep into his pockets.]

Hey.

[He doesnt exactly know what to say after that. He never really does. He knows he's on borrowed time with her, doing one shitty thing after another, but it's not as if he's ever said he'd be anything else. She knows who he is and what he does, even if she thinks there's something else underneath it all.]

[ Nemuri also wasn't sure how to react. Between fight, flight, or freeze, she definitely froze, because her thoughts were torn in different directions.

She stared at him for what seemed like forever before the air left her lungs, sighing in what she found was relief. ]

You're okay. Thank goodness.

[He wouldn't be surprised at any of those reactions... fight, flight or freeze is usually what people do when faced with him.

Relief isn't as usual, but he can hear it in her voice, and his shoulders relax just a little.]

Didja think I was dead?

I didn't know. I didn't want to assume either way. I'm just glad you're fine -

[ There were no news reports of a Dabi or a Touya, so she'd thought that perhaps he was fine, but with no contact, there was no way to be sure. Besides, if the League probably wouldn't let his body stay on the scene if they could help it.

And then she sighed again, her secondary emotion kicking in, making her glare at him. ]

So many people were hurt.

Yeah, I'm fine.

[He steps away from the building toward her, then stops when she glares at him and... yeah. He knew that was coming too. He never expects to get off scott free.

He shrugs.]

That wasn't the plan, believe me. We were hoping for some casualties.

[ What a smartass. Had Nemuri been a more rambunctious person, she would've smacked him upside the head for it. As it was, she settled for a scoff.

She started walking toward the lobby doors, her gaze murky with her emotions: relief that he was safe, and anger with what he and the League had done. ]

Let's get inside.

[ She was starting to tire, and she hadn't even been on her feet for long. ]

[He gives another shrug at her scoff because he knows it's a shitty answer, and it's the truth, but also not. He didn't want her friends to die, but they're just on the wrong side.

He's here again though, and it doesn't seem like she's gonna turn him away, so he follows when she says so, keeping his head down.]

[ It was easier to let him in than Nemuri thought. She really shouldn't. He'd killed Snatch and attempted to kill her twice, and he'd hurt many of her colleagues in the battle.

Maybe she really was crazy. Then again, to be in their line of work, one had to have less survival instincts or more confidence than most - otherwise they wouldn't be putting themselves in danger day in and day out.

She was quiet as they took the elevator to her floor. Opening the door, she was immediately greeted by Sushi, who looked up at her and meowed urgently. He'd been worried since she'd been at the hospital for a while and didn't want her to leave again, even for 5 minutes. ]

[Dabi hangs back, even in the elevator, leaning against the other side of where she's at. He figures she's still processing, and she'll chew him out when she's good and ready.

Of course Sushi greets them, though Dabi isn't sure if the cat remembers him. Either way, he waits for her to deal with him before he slips inside.]

It's okay, Sushi. I'm back.

[ The cat mewled and purred, winding around her legs, seeming to ignore Dabi in the meantime.

However, when Sushi was satisfied that Nemuri really had returned, he peered up at Dabi. He seemed to remember him, and the fat orange cat padded over, circling his legs as well. ]

[The very first thing that happens is that his black pants get covered with fur. He'd be annoyed if he didn't like this damn cat so much.

He leans down to pet him, scratching under his ears. It's a good thing cats don't know what the humans around them are up to. Dabi thinks he might like cats better than humans anyway.]

Hey, Sushi.

[ Nemuri sometimes wished that she could also live a pampered house cat's life. Ah, to have a life where all one had to do was eat, sleep, and get scritches.

Nemuri immediately sat down, exhaling a little huff as she closed her eyes. She was pale, and she'd only been out and about for less than fifteen minutes at most. ]

How do you deal with it?

[ Walking around with constant pain and fatigue as your body simultaneously destroyed and repaired itself. ]

[ that would be a nice life. a hell of a lot better than this one.

when she goes to sit, he follows again, stepping around Sushi as he walks with him as well. he eyes her for a moment, then sits on the couch a casual distance away. at first he's not sure what she's talking about, but he can see the look on her face and how pale she is. ]

I don't know. A lotta drugs and the knowledge that I'll get revenge.

[ Nemuri herself was not a vengeful person. If she were, she would've hunted Garvey down and executed him for killing her friend... and then went for Dr. Garaki's head.

Oh, no doubt she was angry after all that information had come to light. But her focus had been elsewhere - in the hope that maybe Shirakumo could come back to them. ]

Isn't that tiring too?

[He kicks his boots off so he can get more comfortable, cause it seems like maybe he can stick around for a bit. Maybe she'll call some pro-heroes to take him away, but despite everything, he can't imagine her doing that.

So he relaxes back against the couch, with Sushi jumping into his lap for more warmth... or maybe he just likes Dabi. He can't tell.

And then, because he really is so damn tired, he decides to be honest for once.]

Yeah. It is.

I wake up and I drug myself every morning just so I can get outta bed most days, and I wonder if it's even worth all this. What's the point, ya know? Sometimes I wake up and just leave, cause I don't wanna do any'a this shit at all.

[ Sushi settled into a catloaf position on Dabi's thighs, getting both of what he wanted simultaneously - Dabi's warmth and the ability to watch Nemuri, opening his yellow-green eyes to peek at her once in a while, as if worried she'd leave again.

She let out a noise of assent as she listened to him talk. ]

I'm sorry.

[ That was an awful way to live. ]

[ he shrugs, reaching out to pet the cat, giving him some good ear scritches. ]

Used to it, I guess.

[ he hesitates, then looks at her again. ]

Guess it's a good thing ya don't want revenge or I'd be out on my ass.

[ Could Pro Heroes even be vengeful and/or resentful? It'd just get in the way of their work. Look at Endeavor, always chasing after All Might's shadow, trying to prove that he was the better hero. It backfired on him. It would've also ruined Shouto-kun, had Class 1-A not intervened. ]

I guess you could say that I don't have space for that.

[Dabi knows what pro-heroes can be, and it isnt some all good, all helping situation like Nemuri thinks it is. Or wants to believe it is. In the end, he knows his own situation won't open any eyes, and that's why he has to go his route and not hers.

Even though it's so tiring.]

We didn't kill anyone. I didn't bother to try.

[ When it came to her, she'd realized that Dabi had only ever injured her when she pushed him too hard. However, when it came to other heroes, he was less merciful - so saying what he did spoke volumes.

She opened her eyes to give him a look of wordless gratitude. As much as she wanted to, Nemuri couldn't ask him to not hurt her colleagues at all - not yet - but maybe someday the fighting would be over and they'd no longer have to hurt each other. ]

[He knows its probably not enough, but he can't give any more than that right now. It's not as if he goes out of his way to kill pro-heroes anyway. He's only really after one.]

There was supposed to be another attack, but we're layin' low for now. So ya don't gotta worry 'bout that.

[ She nodded, relief visible on her expression. ]

Thank you for telling me.

[ Nemuri had already figured out that Dabi was a straightforward person. He wouldn't lie to her about such things, and the fact that he could tell her that much to reassure her meant a lot to her too. ]

How have you been?

[ She was certain he'd been extra vigilant, considering the heightened security after the attack. ]