Heaving through corrupted Lungs

His head is buzzing. It kind of reminds of that horrible song that Kaminari kept playing over and over and over again in the common rooms. Until Bakugo lost his temper and blew everything up.

He can't remember the name of the song, or the lyrics, or anything really, he just know that the buzzing in his head reminds him of it. He should know it, he really should. But his head is buzzing, and it hurts, and he's cold, and he can't remember why he's cold.

There had been fire, he recalls. So he should be hot, burning maybe, but he isn't. He'd been training, or maybe fighting? His memory is getting fuzzier by the minute, something that should alarm him, but doesn't. It'd be nice to forget everything, he muses. Start over, no memories, no past, everything would be gone.

There's a nagging voice in his head – sounding suspiciously like Bakugo – telling him that it would be stupid, that he'd miss his friends, his family – at least what's left of it. He'd love if the voice could just shut up, and let him drift of in silence and succumb to the cold that's seeping into his bones.

Why is he so cold? And what's with the buzzing?

The more he tries to focus on it, the more he notices that the buzzing is actually the sound of raindrops. That would at least explain why he's cold. He's probably sitting outside somewhere after leaving... leaving where? It's the weekend, so it couldn't have been the dorms, because he went back home. Oh, he'd gone home. His father had wanted something. They'd probably trained, maybe fought about something too.

It had been very hot, and then very cold, and very hot again.

His side aches, something must have happened. His father most likely broke a rib or two, it wouldn't be the first time. He should put ice on it, he supposes, but he can't find the strength to actually do it.

Suddenly the rain stops. He opens his eyes and stares at the umbrella that appeared over his head.

"Damn, squirt... the old man sure did a number on you." A familiar voice says. He traces the umbrella back to its owner. "Can you even hear me?"

"Ryouta..." he mumbles, reaching out, before withdrawing his hand. Ryouta had left him, had become a villain. He'd taken Bakugo, hurt his friends, hurt him. "Wha're you doin'?"

"Nice slurred speech you got going there, little brother." Ryouta says. No, not Ryouta. Dabi, Shouto firmly reminds himself. He's not Ryouta anymore, he's not his big brother anymore, not his family. He's the enemy now. He'd left him. He'd left him behind, knowing what their father would do.

"So, you always pass out in abandoned parks looking like you've been mauled by a lion, or did I just get lucky today?" Dabi prods. He bends forward, trying to get a closer look at Shouto. And Shouto tries to push Dabi's hands away when they reach for him, he really tries, but it's so nice to have his big brother's hand carefully grab a hold of him and brush the hair out of his face. "You're really out of it, huh?"

"'m not..." He should probably call for help, or something. Maybe fight back, subdue Dabi and take him back to... where? Home? No. UA? No. Take him where? His thoughts drift, and he doesn't notice he's being moved until he's in his brothers arms. "'ey.. "

He can stand on his own. He's had worse than this, and Ryouta Dabi isn't his brother anymore and he left, and he shouldn't.

"Shouto, hey... hey!" Dabi gently shakes his shoulders. "Can you hear me?"

He can, and he should answer. But he left him. He left me with dad, a small petulant voice says.

"I did, didn't I?" Dabi replies, and oh, oh.. he's said that one out loud. "You sure have been mumbling a lot..."

It's all Midoriya's fault, he always mumbles, Shouto supposes.

"Pretty sure it's the old bastard's fault." Dabi says. He's pushing and pulling, and Shouto should struggle or something, or maybe go along with it. He doesn't know. It's his brother, and he's a villain. But he's his brother.

His thoughts keep circling back to Dabi being Ryouta, his big brother, who'd loved him so much, who'd taught Shouto not to be scared of fire, but he's also Dabi, who'd taken Bakugo – someone he cared for... who he'd become close to, who he...

"Hey, Shouto... I'm going to take you with me. I'm going to take you somewhere safe." Dabi promises. And it's wrong, wrong, wrong. There is no way that Dabi would take him to a safe place, Dabi's the enemy. "You'll see. It'll be okay."

With more force than he expected, Dabi pulls him away from where he had been sitting – a park bench, maybe? - and drags him along. It's getting cold again. When he looks back, he sees the umbrella abandoned on the ground. Ryouta must have dropped it, when he'd pulled him up. He wants to turn back and grab it, but his brother holds him back.

"Man, you are out of it. It'd be cute, if I didn't know what caused it." Dabi grumbles. He readjusts his grip and pulls and pulls.

Something really hurts. Probably his side. Or his head. Or maybe his throat from when his father had choked him. He'd choked him..? He'd been angry, so angry.

He tries to find the words to tell Dabi what he wants. That he wants to go back to the dorms, to Bakugo and Midoriya. To safety. Not home, never home, please don't take me home.

"I'm never letting you go home again." Dabi promises. "You'll be safe with me."

Something isn't right, but he's with his brother. And his brother always... always...

He blacks out.

He fades in and out. For a moment, he swears he hears Ryouta's voice, feels a hand on his forehead and then he's out again.

Outside Dabi reaches for Shouto's phone to make one last call, before he destroys the phone. He knows he probably shouldn't, but Shouto would hate for his friends to think that he'd abandoned them or something.

He shouldn't care, but he does. Shouto is still his little brother. Confused, maybe. On the wrong side, maybe. But that can be fixed. His brother will understand in time. It's not his fault that the old bastard forced Shouto to follow his path.

And his father will be so very mad. It almost makes him giggle with glee.

"Hello Mr Underground Hero. You should keep better track of your students. Leaving them alone in the dark, in abandoned parks, is rather dangerous, don't you think? Lots of bad people around..."