Kaere heard movement outside of her bedroom door and tensed. Her eyes lifted to stare at the closed door from over the rim of her glasses, her heart pounding in her chest. Stomach turning sour. She held her breath in anticipation; waiting for Dabi to slam the door open and put her over his shoulder again.

Night had brought her nothing but nightmares. Even though he left her alone in her room when they got home, she was worried that he might do something. She had terrible dreams of being swept off her feet, high up into the air, and then dropped to her death.

Shaking her head when there was no more movement, she went back to her task. Checking through her medical kit; taking inventory. I need more bandages, she thought as she chewed at the skin around one of her nails. Bandages and new supplies for a transfusion. I don't do them often so I usually only have enough supplies for one so…I have to get more now.

She looked up again, hearing something beyond her door. Something muffled. Kaere frowned and licked blood away from her nail. She decided that her best bet was to just move quickly and get the supplies. It was early in the morning so she felt like this was probably the safest time to go; Dabi should still be asleep and his hero accomplice was most likely busy with something else.

The girl grabbed some clean clothes and her bag before she opened her bedroom door as quietly as possible. Kaere's pulse quickened when she saw Dabi. He was asleep on the couch. His head turned to the side, one arm behind his head as extra cushioning, with the blanket settled at his waist.

Kaere could see the lines that separated his damaged flesh from his normal skin. Every staple, every patch of purplish, slightly wrinkled, skin. A medical fascination. She shook her head and hurried into the bathroom to finish getting ready to leave. The longer she waited, the more her heart rate increased and the more likely Dabi would wake up and try to stop her.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, ready to go, she saw that he was still asleep. He had a peaceful look on his face, but Kaere could vividly remember the sadistic grin he had worn the previous night. The way he towered over her, the way he held onto her and, scariest of all, the kiss.

She tore her gaze away from him and slipped outside as quietly as she could. Thankfully, he remained asleep. Kaere was locking her door when she heard a scuffing sound off to her right. She tensed up again; afraid to turn her head. Terrified of looking over and finding the red-winged hero waiting to snatch her up.

"K-Kae..."

The girl turned so quickly that it made her light-headed and Kaere felt her pulse skip. Her friend was standing several feet away, appearing nervous. His mask was off and he was fidgeting with an empty cigarette pack. "T-Twice? Um…you're…a-are you okay? You shouldn't be…I mean…you shouldn't push yourself. After yesterday…everything you did for me…"

"I'm fine, I just…wanted to make sure you're okay," he assured her. He was hesitant to get closer. A guilty frown tugging at his mouth as he tucked the cigarette pack into his pocket. "You…gave me your skin and blood. Your quirk…?"

"Oh. Um…y-yeah; I'm okay. The wound sealed up, mostly, but the blood is still replenishing. It takes me a little while to recover. Blood loss. And that amount makes it difficult. My quirk. Um…if I got hurt today, it might take a while for my quirk to kick in to heal me."

Her gaze lowered to his chest, wondering if the donated skin was still bonded to his. It was a rare occurrence, but one or twice, she came across a patient whose skin violently rejected hers. She usually just trusted that everything was fine, but this was Twice. Someone close to her. Someone that made her feel needed. Someone that made her feel safe.

He seemed to notice and turned his head to the side, running his fingers through his messy blond hair. The muscles in his neck tensed as he gritted his teeth. A very faint, almost unnoticeable, shade of pink spread across his cheeks. Twice started rubbing at the scar that ran down the center of his forehead and his control seemed to slowly crumble.

Kaere was startled when he started toward her, but she stayed where she was. Unlike Dabi, Twice never gave off a threatening aura. He never sent chills down her spine or made her break out in a cold sweat. As he threw his arms around her, Kaere felt a hot blush taking over her face. Fingers threaded into her dark brown hair, fingertips skimming over her scalp at the back of her head, and his other arm pressed at her lower back to keep her tight against his chest.

Her throat seemed to tighten and she wrapped her arms around him, her hands gripping onto the back of his shirt. "Twice. Your wound. Um…I'm…I'm actually more worried about you."

His hold increased. Her cheek was pressed against his chest, letting her feel the rapid beating of his heart. "I don't care about me right now. I just wanna know that you're gonna be okay."

She closed her eyes, remembering how he had acted when she donated her blood to him. When she woke up and found him holding her. How protective he was. How panicked he was. It made her eyes burn with tears and she nodded once. "I'm going to be fine. I…promise that I'll be fine."

"Why are you going out? I didn't see Compress. You weren't gonna go out alone, right?! I'm not gonna let you-!" Twice pulled away sharply and covered his mouth with a hand, his eyes narrowing. Angry at himself for blurting that out. Sweating as he started to feel like he might split.

Kaere stared up at him, blinking away tears. "Twice…it's okay. You, um, you don't have to censor yourself. Please. I just…I just want you to be yourself. And if you need to put on your mask…"

His face was turning red and he turned his head to the side, but his free hand settled on her shoulder. "I don't need my mask! I just need to-!"

She was pulled forward abruptly and her eyes widened as his mouth covered hers. Kaere's tears rolled down her cheeks as there was an explosion of fluttery warmth in her abdomen. Butterflies…in my stomach, she thought as she closed her eyes. This…this feels so good. Her small, cold hands hesitantly lifted and trembled as she gripped the front of his shirt to steady herself. Her knees felt like they might buckle.

Fingers threaded into her hair as his free hand planted on the small of her back to keep her close. She could feel the panicked, excited beating of his heart beneath her fingertips. Kaere felt his lips move against hers, heard the soft mumble of words before he latched on again. His hands went to her hips and he lifted her so her legs were around his waist.

Kaere's arms went around his neck on reflex as her back met the wall beside her apartment door. The heat increased in her face, the lightheaded feeling becoming stronger. When the kiss finally broke, Twice leaned his head against the wall. Warm breath brushed along the side of her neck, accompanied by the gentle drip of tears. "T-Twice? Are…are you okay?"

"I'm sorry. Kae-chan, I kinda lost control. I'm sorry. I'm…not sorry! Ngh! I-!" He lifted both arms, his hands pressing against her back. "I wanted to do that," he confessed, his voice trembling. "I've been wanting to do that! But I…don't wanna hurt you and I don't wanna hurt Compress! I…shouldn't even care about what he thinks! No! He's my friend and I don't wanna upset him!"

Her chilled fingers ran through his hair as his face buried in the crook of her neck. "It's…it's okay," she mumbled, feeling his whole body shake. Feeling tears wet the fabric of her shirt. "It's okay. Twice. You…you wanted to…?"

When he started to talk again, his voice was strained. His hold on her was tight and the stubble on his cheek rubbed against her neck. "Nobody makes me feel the way you do. You don't even get annoyed when I…when I start to come apart. You're always taking care of me and I just wanna do the same for you."

Kaere closed her eyes as her pulse skipped. She was unsure if the lightheadedness was from the previous day's blood loss or from nervous, but the butterflies in her stomach made her lean toward the latter. Out of everyone in the League, he and Compress were the ones that made her feel the happiest. The most useful, the most needed, the most loved and accepted.

Twice slowly drew away and let her stand. "S-sorry," he mumbled, looking away. "You were gonna go somewhere, right?"

"D-do you…um…do you want to go with me?" She saw the almost startled expression he made and her chest started to feel tight. Fidgeting with her glasses, tapping a nail against their plastic frames, she could feel herself starting to blush again. "I need to get supplies for my medical kit and…and I'd feel safer if you were with me."

It took a moment for him to nod and he took her hand without a word. She almost thought he might be upset, but then she noticed the half-smile tugging at his lips. It gave her a small boost of courage so she took a deep breath as they began to walk and let herself talk without holding back.

"Everyone is always disgusted by my quirk. And…I've been called "creepy" before because I don't talk that much and…because I pick at my skin. My parents…when I lost them…I didn't think anyone else would ever love me. I was sure that I'd always be on my own until I died…"

She felt his hand squeeze hers gently, supporting her. "When Giran-san called me to heal Compress, I was…I was so nervous that I thought I'd throw up. When I first walked in, I was sure I'd never see any of you again and that it was a one-time thing, but…you made me feel so appreciated. Twice, you…were the first person to make me feel like I was doing the right thing. And you accepted me before anyone else did. You…made me feel warm and welcome and I just…"

Kaere's glasses slipped forward as arms abruptly wrapped around her from behind. The warmth of his chest against her back, the gentle exhale against the side of her neck. She lifted her hands to rest on his arm and she bit her lower lip.

"You're gonna make me split apart if you keep talking like that," he muttered. "I wanna help you get the supplies, but part of me just wants to pick up where I left off a second ago. I know what the right thing is, but-!" He went quiet when he felt her gentle, cool fingers against his cheek. Leaning into her touch, he sighed as he seemed to calm down. "I…love you. More than I've ever loved anybody."

Heat spread across her face and she was sure it was as vivid red as a cherry. It felt like everything else in the world just fell away and left the two of them standing in the alley. Warm in his embrace as her pulse sped out of control and her breathing went uneven.

"I just wanna keep you safe, but I keep messing up! It keeps happening…every time I wanna save you, someone always beats me to it. And the one time I'm able to protect you…you still end up getting hurt because you healed me! Why'd you do that?! I didn't want anything to happen you! Awww! You really love me, right? Right?!"

She could hear in his voice, feel it in his hold. He was starting to get that feeling again. "Twice. Let…let go. Please."

Mistaking the weakness in her voice for pain, he released her and quickly stepped back. Fingers raked through his hair anxiously as he looked away from her. Anything to stop himself from seeing the potential look of disgust or pain. He soon realized that Kaere was not upset with him.

The girl pushed up her glasses as she turned to face him and she leaned up. Her small, delicate hands were placed against his cheeks and the chill seemed to help him calm down again. "It's…okay. I wanted to help you! You don't know…how upset it makes me when I see you get hurt."

"Wh-what?" He looked down at her curiously and slowly lowered his hand from his hair. "Kae-chan?"

"I…I get worried about you, too." Tears blurred her vision as she remembered him collapsing across her lap after taking an injury to protect her. Remembering how she constantly worried about him when he was with the Shie Hassaikai. "I just…I just want you to be okay. I want you to be s-safe and happy so I just…I don't know how to protect people, though. My quirk is only good for helping after someone's already hurt. I can't protect anyone!"

It hurts! Just thinking about something happening to you or Sako-san or anyone in the League! It hurts to think about losing any of you, but what can I do to help you?! I'm just a medic! We only show up after someone's already shed blood! What am I supposed to besides sit on the sidelines and worry? And you…you love me…and just hearing you say that…made my heart feel like…

Twice pulled her in for another hug, not sure what to say. The best he could do was try to make her feel better, but even then he was unsure of himself. "Kae-chan, I'm gonna take care of you today. I'm not gonna take "no" for answer."

"What? Um…I couldn't…"

He leaned back and held her shoulders, his narrowed gray-blue staring down into her warm hazel ones. "I said I'm gonna take care you today. I'm gonna give you a great day! As long as it doesn't cost a lot!" Rather than acknowledge the mini-outburst, he just pushed onward. "I'll get some food and we can do stuff that you wanna do. And nothing bad is gonna happen today! Okay?!"

Kaere gave him a timid nod. "O-okay."