[There's definitely still a lot for Enji to learn as a man, a human being, a father--Particularly that last one. Hero work has taken over the majority of his life, so now that he doesn't have that for the next two weeks, he had zero clue what to do with himself. Without the title of hero, he's just a crappy father, a shit husband, and...a bad person. Maybe he and Dabi aren't as different as he lets himself believe.
Not knowing what a DILF is was not one of the most pressing matters, but was a fairly clear indication of how out of touch he is with the average person. Dabi is hardly average, though, he reminds himself. What he said earlier lingers in Enji's mind for a while as he eats, not realizing Dabi has a clear view of him in the reflection of the windows. Maybe he'd have tried to mask his expressions or not look so much like he's mulling things over internally. Picked up more skill on the streets than I did in your house. Was that from his refusal to continue training Touya, or because his methods weren't effective? This is the sort of thing he debates with himself when he's not speaking.]
By the time I got to Shouto, she just begged him to do as I said.
[There's some guilt there, sure, but Dabi is right. She did agree, and she never told anyone about their fights. And although the fighting was rarely ever one-sided, he knows better than to even think that made it fair, or less shameful for people to know.]
That's probably what caused her to snap. She couldn't win against me, but Shouto reminded her enough of me and that was a fight she could win. [Or maybe she lost it in the heat of the moment the way Enji does. Maybe being around him so long had Rei taking on his bad habits? He sighs and shakes his head. He's getting ahead of himself, and he should just let things be. She doesn't have to deal with him anymore, so that's already an improvement.]
I think she just didn't know how to help you. Neither did I. You weren't a burden until you grew up, announced yourself on national television, told the world about our personal issues, and decided to fuck up my life.
[He looks up at that point, seeing Dabi's reflection in the mirror and the pointed stare in his own eyes before it softens again into something else. Regret, probably. Can't blame the truth on him, just the fact that it finally leaked.]
I'm done. [Enji announces to no one in particular since Fuyumi isn't around to accept gratitude for the meal. He gets up without saying anything else to have a look around. The place isn't huge, so there's only so many places that some bed rolls might be hiding. He stumbles across the bathroom first, though. Dabi should have some sympathy for his mother, in the end she was just as much a victim to Enji's insufferable grip on the throat of his family.] Do you want to shower or figure out the sleeping situation?
[dabi remains silent as he listens to endeavor pondering over his son, his wife, his life. he never intended to be sitting here inadvertently helping the man he hated go through some of the mess in his life. there's no wallowing on endeavor's side, no tears or due penance. only a man who's coming to grips with the shit he's done and... what? trying to make amends, trying to figure out where he went wrong or what he could've done better to attempt at replicating those fixes now? he doesn't know, can't fathom what's going through endeavor's mind. it's not what dabi envisioned when he pondered his revenge. he wanted to see more of those broken faces when endeavor couldn't fight against ending, when dabi revealed himself as touya, when the man lay defeated and shattered in the hospital bed.
this? ... no.]
Cept he didn't. I saw him yell at you when you hit her. [after touya came back with his burns, leading endeavor to argue with his wife over him, resulting in the blow, shouto's yells, natsuo and fuyumi cowering in fear elsewhere as touya left the entire lot of them behind.] And he rejected you after you sent his mom away. [a soft chuckle lolls from his mouth.] I never would've rejected you. I would've walked into hell for ya.
[he thinks so little of endeavor's wife, despises his youngest child, all because they removed his father's attention from him. one by never standing up for him, the other by being more desirable. hates them both for those things and the other stains on his life they stand for.]
Dunno. I was dead before she broke. If ya really think she boiled Shouto's face cause she wanted to do it to you but couldn't...
... bfft-! Haha! That's fuckin hilarious! I'd've loved to've seen her throw a teapot at you!
[he didn't get to live with rei and the family while their mother slowly twisted into insanity. hearing endeavor mention it now is a first glimpse, but it's still funny. since he'd never really gotten the chance to talk to shouto about his burn, for obvious villain-related reasons + being dead at the time, he'd been curious about the cause behind it. did some digging to find out why she'd been committed and finally found out, but hearing it more or less confirmed? that's a nice piece of information for him to tuck away for a later date.]
Ya keep sayin ya don't know... ah forget it. We're just goin in circles now. S'no fun.
[he tosses back the last of his bento's top layers, but makes a face at the rice at the bottom. disgusting. dropping the bento onto the counter, he scoots away from it, not about to eat the rest. hates plain rice. not as much as he hates fish, but it's a good second place.]
But don't be too sore about the video. I damned myself in it as well. And at least I outed Hawks alongside ya. So ya didn't have to go to the press all by yourself. I'm sure plenty of other heroes have dirt and crimes they don't want the world knowing either. Should make another one...
[musing to himself, he glances up to catch endeavor looking at him in the reflection. dabi's eyes narrow at the stare and when enji's soften into regret, his only harden into determination. leaving endeavor to go searching, he stays in the chair, lingering in the darkness in thought. no, the place isn't that big, a small complex for the tower's support and some overnight stay. but as enji finds, there is a bathroom with a shower and there's a little bedroom tucked in the back for the worker or guard off shift.
dabi breaks from his thoughts at the question, then stands from the chair.]
There should be an extra area in here... Hang on.
[it takes him a while of searching, using his flames as light. but after a minute, he manages to locate the villains' hidden panel. a quick code entry and a section of the floor loosens before popping up. beneath is another chamber, bathroom, computer room, two beds, and an underground route to vanish from the outpost into the hills. other supplies linger down there, from a few bedding extras to batteries and dried foods. things to help an on-the-move villain lie low for the night, get a quick refresh and restock, then go on their way without being seen.]
We probably don't need to sleep down there. Unless someone shows up tonight.
[and if they have that kind of luck (or misfortune) they should immediately head to a casino to win big.]
[He'd given up on making amends already. His family was either going to forgive him or not, and whether he begged them to or not, ultimately the decision would be up to them. All he could have done was made improvements and do better, which he was still in the process of when Dabi proposed they up and disappear for a while. This wasn't really meant to be a family bonding trip either, but Enji would be lying if he said he had a good idea of what was going on in the villain's head at any given point. Maybe being around him would help him understand.
But the only thing he's gotten from any of this is that Dabi is insane, and reason means fuck all to him. If Touya is in there somewhere he has a hard time seeing it.
Yet, there are moments when he does get that feeling. Or maybe he's projecting his nicest memories of their time together onto his son. How many of them did Dabi actually even remember? But most of the time so far has been like this. Dabi ridiculing him for one thing or another and bringing up his disdain for not only him, but everyone else in the family. Enji sighs.]
Is that supposed to make me feel better? That you also had plans to dragging other people's images through the mud? [He's about to keep fussing about it like the nagging parent he is on the inside when Dabi suggests another round of videos.] No, absolutely not. If you want to make videos, make a damn documentary and stop trying to put people's private lives on display.
[He gets moves closer when Dabi starts to mess with a panel he hadn't noticed before. Apparently it triggers a mechanism that seals off a whole other area of the building, and decides that even if his son is insufferable he does have some redeeming qualities hidden behind all of the crazy.]
But I'm not an idiot, you know. I get it. Heroes are idolized and put on pedestals they don't deserve. We put on masks and dress up so we don't have to deal with our imperfections. It's hypocritical. [He's talking to Dabi as he heads down. The second he sees there's a shower Enji begins to undress, ready to wash away all the bullshit of the day with piping hot water.]
It's not even about the money or the fame for me. [Enji says this part quietly, not sure if Dabi is even listening anymore. Part of him hopes he isn't.] I'm just not good at anything else. [His ego isn't fragile, but he knows himself pretty well. Being a hero is all he has, and if it means living a lie whenever he suits up, he'd have kept doing it because he's good at it and he has nothing else. If he can't fix his own family, at least he can help other people get home safely to theirs.]
I don't mind sleeping down here so you can have your own space.
[He's already shrugged off his coat and his shoes, shirt, and belt are next. Enji throws them all onto one of the small beds that he's unsure he'll fit in comfortably, but he won't complain. Turning on the shower to test the water, it doesn't get as hot as he wants, but that won't be an issue. So used to being home alone, he doesn't think to give any warning before his jeans come down and off. He lingers naked for a moment, waiting to see if the water will heat up further before he gets in. It doesn't, so he'll have to make his own steam.]
[there's a lot of venting he has built up inside. the pain and hatred. there's no way he's going to be able to blow it all out in a few hours. plans, machinations, dreams, ambitions, things that he's been gunning for years towards and only in the past one has he had the ability to capitalize on other people enough to bring it out into fruition. true, he hadn't hit endeavor hard enough to knock him down for good, hadn't broken him to the point of going up to that proverbial mountain and burning on the pyre dabi's built for him in his mind. but that simply means he's going to get more opportunities to do it later. hurt him, humiliate him, torment him, ruin him, until he's finally sated enough to end him.
he honestly doesn't think he's that hard to understand, but perhaps someone who's spent so much time in the light and looking away from the darkness behind him simply can't grasp what it means for someone to hate him so much it consumes their reason for existing. or becomes it. might've had a glimpse into that with ending, but dabi's the one who brought it starkly forward.
does it surprise him endeavor can't really handle that reality? not exactly. but it also has an unintended backlash against the villain. eventually attacking someone who's gone numb turns out to be pointless.
so dabi steps back to let him recharge. his tone's quieter, less accusing, but still carries weight to it.]
You still think they should get away with crimes?
[let endeavor think about the "who" that "they" refers to. mostly heroes, yes, but also government officials, wealthy civilians, the people who use the hero society to behave like villains but remain safe from touch because they're good at hiding their sins. dabi's exposed endeavor and hawks and then there's lady nagant to consider.
endeavor can't be stupid enough to think he's the only one who should answer to the darkness in his past. perhaps dabi's appealing to the man's own sense of revenge, angry that he's had to face the light while others he might know get to hide their shame and mistakes. or maybe he's testing the man's damn heroic resolve to do the "right" thing and see villains brought to justice or prevented from harming more people. except now the question is who really is the "villain" in this society...
he leaves his father to think about that question, couched in the threat of another tell-all video. dabi might have focused on endeavor and hawks for their connection to him, but he's certainly not the only villain with a personal vendetta against people. and once one gets out with success, others follow. wouldn't it be best if the heroes came out about their skeletons before some villain does it for them?
because of that, he lapses into silence as they figure out the outpost and its secrets. dabi feels minutely proud of himself for locating and accessing the panel to get the secret area open. wandering around it at least gives them more an idea of what they've got at their disposal.]
So if ya get all that, why haven't ya tried to stop it? Do ya really want heroes like that?
[it follows stain's ideology of wanting only true heroes to be active. dabi's tone suggests he's being sincere for a rare moment to his father. endeavor's seen the darkness in their society and has been forced to confront it. even though he's currently out of action thanks to this agreement with his insane child, dabi can still question the hero's drive and thoughts for the future. it's probably not smart to give him the information, but... what does endeavor want to do? talk about the best way to cook asparagus?]
It ain't about that now.
[and while he would begrudgingly give endeavor the comment about money, he'd instantly lash at him over the man's heroism not being about his own "fame" and reputation. arrogant and self-centered, wanting to be the number one so much he developed and obsession with it to the point of ruining his entire family, of course he wanted that fame and acknowledgement of his strength. he's been humiliated (humbled) enough to recognize the flaws of that goal and dabi's aware of that, but he still doesn't believe it's as sincere as it is. thinks it's just endeavor trying to crawl out of his disastrous position right now and he'll return to "normal" later to reclaim what he's always longed for. but that's for dabi's thoughts.
which are somewhat distracted as he watches endeavor start to strip. shame? nope. he's standing right and his eyes follow coat, shirt, etc as they get removed. look, after you see spinner take a shower, this is nothing.]
Huh, really. So who put together ya agency? Hire someone to do that?
[he never got around to burning that place down. it's on the list, but it's not a priority at the moment. hopefully it'll be collateral damage in the war. dabi scoffs at the notion of sleeping down there before crossing his arms over his chest and leaning his shoulder to the wall, one ankle crossed over the other.]
I'll think about it.
[it's safer to sleep down here in the bunker in case something happens. sleeping up there is asking for trouble. though they are far away and this place is semi-abandoned, the fact there's a dead woman and a park on blue fire a few miles away is likely going to get a search party fanning out to look for him. there's little doubt someone's going to remember this outpost and at least come for a check.
one, unfortunately the hot water is zilch. dabi won't care but endeavor'll have to contend with it. two, he's abruptly looking at the hero stripped right down in front of him. backside of course, but no one's going to say that's not impressive. hmm... should he say the "dilf" comment again? nah, he's antagonized endeavor enough, to the point it's really not doing shit to him. so he opts to stay where he is and watch like he doesn't care at all.]
[Maybe while they're on this little forced camping trip, he'll find some kind of outlet for Dabi to take all his shit out on. And he's not above that too, it might be therapeutic for the both of them, but Enji will have to do some research first to see what would be safe for them to try, and how, because something tells him that family therapy is not going to materialize in their future without another hostage and Enji's not going to allow that.
In the meanwhile, though, he can reason with him. Honestly. He'll say shit that he'd never repeat to anyone else. It's hard to say if Dabi will even believe him, so it matters less if he lies or not. The truth is just easier.]
No. I don't think anyone should get away with crimes. I don't think anyone is above the law. No matter how much fame or money someone has, they should pay for their crimes like everyone else.
[Which is easy enough to say. There's no one alive that doesn't think that Stain wanting just the pure of heart and karma to be the one's parading around as heroes. That'd be ideal, but this is not fantasy it's real life.]
But the fact of the matter is that at the end of the day, heroes are people, and they make mistakes. Some bigger than others. And they can be motivated by money, greed, popularity...competition.. [Yeah, that last one is all him. The popularity wasn't what he was after ever. Just the number one spot. He wanted to be "the best" and that started with being the number one hero in the country, surpassing All Might. Blah, blah, blah. Those goals feel so far from him now that he's come to terms with what's actually important.]
Something like that is too much for one man to stop. I know a hero isn't supposed to think that way, but you already know I'm a fraud. I'm just an idiot who wanted to become stronger than All-Might.
[Now he was unequivocally a great hero and Enji could never be like that. He isn't wired for it. Bakugo may have similar problems if his focus remains on Midoriya rather than self-improvement, but that's neither here nor there.
I put my agency together out of necessity. If I went anywhere else, I'd be contractually obligated to do ridiculous interviews, give press releases, do fan events--stuff that's a waste of time. [Still naked and waiting on the shower to warm up (it's not warming up), he turns to face Dabi for a moment, shaking his head.] It was a selfish way to put my money into something that would benefit me. You're not all wrong about me, I don't deserve most of what I have, but that's the way the world works.
[If he's aware he's being watched when he turns back around he doesn't show it. The mention of Natsuo seemed like as good a time as any to bring out his flames, so that when he stepped under the cold water steam quickly filled up the bathroom and poured out of the open door that he'd keep talking to Dabi through.]
I think he understands you the most out of everyone, but he feels bad that he couldn't help you too. Not as much as he blames me for all of it happening in the first place, but he hates me enough to think the video you released wasn't such a bad thing to happen to me.
[A lot of that is speculation on his part. The times they've actually had an honest conversation could be counted twice over on a single hand. Once his fire is out the steam lingers only for a moment until it's just cold water again. Enji has a battle within himself about whether or not to swallow his pride and ask Dabi to come over and act as a space heater since he's dry and can maintain fire. On the other hand he can suffer through a cold shower. It would be good for him...yet...the last time he had one had been in his expensive bathroom with perfectly temperature controlled water. Fuck it.]
[if he dares come to him and suggests therapeutic wood carving with chainsaws, he's gonna at least take the chainsaw. and pawn it. fuyumi might be the one wanting to have everyone sit down and talk about forgiveness to be a nice wholesome family again, but she's out of her fucking mind if she thinks that's going to work for a damn moment. dabi's already dismissed her as nuts from how she acted back during touya's childhood. a coward who wants to sweep things under a rug of pleasantries and try to forget the past ever happened. that ain't how the past, or the future, works.
what he's getting out of endeavor right now, however, is strange. because between their calmer voices and dabi's less venomous attacks, the start of a somewhat decent? conversation's happening. even if the topic is still damnable for the heroes it references. dabi'd love to be recording this for later, but due to the lack of phones and shit, there's no way. it's for his ears alone...]
Ya know any heroes who should pay for their shit? Asides from you.
[beat that horse enough for the day. and while he could toss hawks onto the block, that answer's obvious, even though dabi only really has one crime on the winged hero, that being twice's murder. since the flaming chicken tricked him with best jeanist. but if he's in the same position as lady nagant, then he's bound to have done some dirty things. has all might? does endeavor even know or as he not been privy (or cared enough) to look into other heroes' wrongdoings?]
Villains are people too. Same motivation. Same "mistakes".
[but society's picky choosy over the who, the why, and the severity. dabi's not an idiot enough to lack understanding of that fact. there are a lot of villains who have done a lot "worse" than the majority of heroes, though that might depends on whose viewpoint was looking. at least the villains are honest about their crimes... some of them. it's all a fucking mess.]
Dunno. Sometimes strength doesn't matter. One man with enough conviction can change the world.
[no disagreement with endeavor putting himself down as fraud and idiot. dabi lets him get away with it without comment, merely tilting his head in silent agreement. moves onto the agency part because he's honestly curious about that. tapping his fingers on his forearm, dabi watches the steam rise up in the shower, momentarily blocking his father's body from view. not like there's a curtain or anything to drag across. it's merely an open cell because why bother having extra accommodations down here?]
Seriously? Oh, cause you'd just be a lackey for the other agency. Ya wanna be ya own boss.
[call the shots, order people around, make sure everything's going the way he wants. that should've been an obvious reason. dabi didn't know much about hero agencies, save for they were as stuck up as the buildings were tall. another symbol of the materialistic hero.]
The way the world works, huh. Pretty sure ya know that's a real shitty excuse. And a shitty way to run the world. Ya really determined to go back to bein a hero? Why dontcha join us and help kick it all over?
[this might be one of the stupidest things he's ever said. it's as dumb, if not dumber, than trying to convert that explosive anger management kid. but hey, this conversation's not harming anyone and endeavor's free to think outside the box down here. not on record or anything. dabi can ask a stupid question or two as well. endeavor's got a somewhat villainous vibe to him already.]
Betcha he doesn't understand me now.
[dabi pushes off the door and waves a booted foot through the steam pouring out the doorway. he even curls his hand around to bat at some of the misty vapors. playing with it momentarily. natsuo was the one he trusted the most, the one he was closest too, but eventually even that crumbled away. watching endeavori's flaming outline through the shower steam is a strange experience. but not at all unappealing. sometimes he's wondered what it'd be like to blast the guy with a firehose. might be something like this?] Text
Not to you, but I'm pretty sure he's pissed as hell for it dragging the rest of them back in the spotlight. Good. They should all get a chance to talk for once.
[even if dabi had to drag them out one by one and kick them into the light to make them open their damn mouths about what happened. shouto's gonna side with endeavor, then he can get the experience too.
he glances up at the fire flickering out and a grin cracks on the corner of his mouth. bets that water's freezing. keeping the fire going can't be that hard, but it's likely not doing much since the water coming in still remains cold. ain't a tub he can fill up and then boil. he drifts off into the steam that's left and after a while, returns when endeavor calls him.
just in his pants, having shed everything else out in the room.]
[Enji doesn't have a single creative or artistic bone in his body, so therapeutic arts and crafts isn't going to happen for him any time soon. The two of them are not that dissimilar that they wouldn't be able to figure something out. He's not thinking about any particular bonding activities just yet, but considering how complicated things were between them maybe sparring would be a good way to shake out the tension.
Discussing his coworker's dark pasts is not something anywhere on his list.]
First of all, I don't have any friends. I'm not close with anyone, so why would I know if they don't pay their taxes or have children out of wedlock?
[Two very oddly specific examples, but they are more rumor than fact, and to narrow down that search he'd have to have conversations that he doesn't want to have with people he doesn't want to have them with. He truly couldn't care less what fucked up things anyone else got up to in their free time. Maybe they felt the same? There's only one friend that he knows a lot about and he's already been targeted by Dabi. Hawks, short of having the eyes of a homewrecker, was a decent man, and doesn't deserve his son's wrath.
He opens his mouth to say as much but closes it when Dabi just flat out invites him to switch sides. Enji is silent for a while because that's not an easy question to answer, and maybe not just instantly saying no was also not a great look, either. Enji can't picture himself working with any members of the league of villains, and they might laugh at Dabi for suggesting they bring in his old man. Maybe he's just joking about this, too? Enji is thankful for the cold water falling down on him, keeping him awake and rational. In his rationality, he decides not to answer--it needs more thought.]
I don't think anyone truly understands you.
[He doesn't mean it as an insult, but there are very clear undertones of "you're batshit, and no amount of child abuse excuses the amount of insane that you are," and yet the same applies to him. There's no one that understands Enji either. He hardly understands himself most days.]
Natsuo doesn't go out of his way to be understanding. Maybe he'll join your side of the fight more easily than I can.
[And about the ice cube thing? At least Dabi is right on the money and Enji doesn't have to try to explain.]
[there is artistic expression involving throwing paint angrily around a room or breaking paint cans over furniture. modern expressionism they call it? dabi has zero intention of doing anything like that. the closest he might ever get to something along those lines is... fuck... paintballing with live ammo? if only because sparring, despite being on the table, still runs the risk of dabi losing control. not over his flames, but over the internal desire to attack and murder the man he hates.
seeing endeavor's refusal to spill secrets about his coworkers earns an annoyed click from the villain's tongue and a muttered "killjoy" following it.]
Cause ya still work in an office and people are gossips.
[heroes do their damnest to keep their images clean, so obviously someone has to know about the cleanup. he's kind of surprised endeavor doesn't know. the man may be extremely focused on his hero work, but for someone so focused on the top spot, he should have his eyes on the people trying to come up behind him. that or dabi's simply grown to be an almost paranoid-level of cautious about other people.]
Kinda specific examples though... someone came to mind right away, huh.
[he can work with rumors. gotta have some place to start. as for hawks, the man thought he could doublecross dabi and fuck up the league? not exactly the league, but he killed twice. did he have any fucking idea what sort of setback that had been to dabi's plans? hawks betrayed him, lied to him, allied with his father, and tried to ruin their organization, and by proxy the villain's hard work. hawks deserved every second of dabi's flames. and he had a lot of fun turning the winged vermin into a roast chicken. would've had two of them if that damn fool geten hadn't interrupted them...]
Oh? Ya actually thinkin about it? I'm surprised.
[figured endeavor would mock him for even suggesting the man become a villain. but that silence tells him otherwise. while endeavor likely wouldn't commit to the plf's goals and aims, he might assist them if it meant "making amends" with his black sheep son. dabi's not sure that's a very pleasant thought... but he's deluding himself if he thinks the plf would allow him to invite endeavor into their folds after what hawks did and the revelation that endeavor is dabi's father. he'd already been grilled by a few people post-war due to the 'traitor' and whether or not he had anything to do with leaking information to hawks and endeavor due to that relation. pfft, he'd laughed in all their faces. and killed two of them outright for thinking such things.]
Yeah, I've know that for years.
[dabi takes it as an insulting statement of his reality. none of them understood him. his entire family. is it any wonder he skulked off into the darkness and kept himself an enigmatic mess when emerging from them years later? when people understand you, you lose the advantage. far better to remain unknown and unpredictable. unless they start predicting your unpredictability so it ends up moot... already told shouto to his face he was insane and accepted that long ago. you don't burn yourself alive on a mountain and crawl out of the ashes with your brains intact.]
Natsuo's too pathetic to ever be useful. He's a coward who runs when things get too tough for him.
[as he speaks, dabi brazenly steps right into the shower with his father, one corner of his mouth stretching upward at the staples when the cold water splashed over him and didn't seem to bother him at all. a second later, the blue flames licked along his shoulders and down his arms, quickly increasing the heat of the room and the water drooling down his back.]
[Which is all he sees it as. He tunes all of it out to focus most of the time, but Dabi's not wrong. He does know of a few cases of a handful of bad actors, but it isn't his place to shine light on that darkness. Not when he has darkness of his own. Well, maybe not so much now that Dabi dragged it all out into the open.]
So I don't really know for sure, but if you're serious about it, I can give you some leads to follow up on.
[If they're bad enough to warrant investigation, then hopefully it will bring something concrete to light. Enji's concern is less about secrets being spilled, and more on what it would do to the image of heroes. Not personally, he doesn't give a shit about that, but in general. People losing faith in heroes means that society would take another turn where the wicked would outshine the just. He's unsure about this particular path Dabi wants to explore, but he'll at least give him what he knows or more accurately, what he can find out. Dabi would have to figure it out from there.
Enji isn't sure why entertaining the idea of switching sides makes him feel so guilty. He doesn't have allegiance to anyone, and most of his fans only got there via All Might stepping down, or people who don't care who the number one hero is, just that they do their job in keeping the streets safe. Enji has made a name for himself doing that, but also being a main reason for the existence of the villain Dabi. Would anyone even be surprised if he did? Hawks would be disappointed, but everyone who ever thought he wasn't hero material would be validated. ]
I'm not so easily understood, either, it seems. But I want to understand you now, maybe we can figure each other out somehow.
[Enji also won't say anything bad about Natsuo. That's a no-go. Part of him gets a little upset every time Dabi asks about someone else. He understands that he can't just go ask them himself, but does Enji bore him so much that he's only wanting to know his standing with the others. Just as he has that thought, Dabi is trying to step inside the shower with him.
Before he can think to ask him what the hell he's doing, he figures it out.]
I meant you could have warmed the air out there. [He mumbles in forced irritation, but there's clearly gratitude there because he steps a little bit closer to soak up a little bit of the heat from his flames. They just burned much hotter than his own by default. Enji doesn't want to sit down, though, but he keeps his eyes on Dabi as the awkwardness of the situation hits him and his face flushes. At least he can blame that on the sudden change in temperature.
He uses soapy hands to wash himself, turning away when he has to pretend to have some shame for his son's comfort. He's worked hard with training and so his body is in good shape, and he's not ashamed of it. But that doesn't mean that Dabi wants to watch him wash his dick. Enji goes through the washing process pretty fast, he's rushing because Dabi's there with him.
Only once he's done does he finally cave, sitting down under the now warm water to rinse off.]
Your clothes are getting wet. [Well, just his pants. Enji reaches out to undo the front of Dabi's jeans. They'd have to trade off eventually, or maybe not. It isn't like cold water bothers his son. Enji is the only one really enjoying the instant sauna effects of Dabi's flames.]
Harsh. They really letcha be a hero with that attitude?
[it's amusing to see heroes with attitudes like endeavor and that exploding kid. they're so opposite what heroes are expected to be and yet an increasing number of people continue to find them attractive. makes him wonder if at some point, the population might flip over and start regarding the villains as more deserving of attention... since the heroes are corrupt as well.]
Ain't gonna turn that down.
[he sure as hell expects whatever his father gives him to be complete bullshit. but it won't hurt to take it and at least have a look into. who knows, might get lucky or endeavor might make a mistake and slip something useful in there. then again, there's the slight chance the man does want to make things right and rooting out some of the scum in his own ranks could help with that. could be an attempt to regain his own glory and position too... wouldn't put it past him. dabi has all the interest in the image of heroes; any chance of smearing them is one he's at least willing to inspect. dead ends don't bother him as much now. not like he has a time schedule or anything. (well, maybe that damn afo does, but that's not really dabi's problem.) a heroless world would be fun.
as much delight as it'd be to have endeavor switch over to the "bad" side, it'll never happen. the villains are too wary for such a thing and it's more likely that afo would rip out his quirk and shove it into one of those disgusting nomu or another follower. not the kind of end dabi wants for his father. call him selfish, but he cares more about his own desires than what's "best" for all for one and the rest of the world, heroes and villains be damned. but holy shit, what would it be like to watch endeavor clash with shouto? make the two of them fight each other, father and son all over again, but this time the success instead of the failure. can he even make that happen? ... huh.]
I understand all I need to know about ya.
[even if endeavor's the one with the more accurate memories compared to dabi's smokey recollections. it's less understanding his father and more determined to project his thoughts onto him. "dabi" can only function off the man he knows from his past. whatever endeavor's trying to become or however he's trying to change... nu-uh. that's not good. he has to force him back into the state he remembers or corrupt whatever he's attempting into the normal hatred.
hearing him apologize, trying to understand him, wanting to make amends, he can't-- he can't function if that person is the truth. because then it starts to swing endeavor towards a hero again, destroying what dabi's worked so hard to destroy in turn. (but as the man figures, there's only so much dabi can blame on his childhood abuse before he has to be accountable for his own actions. and while he says he's already done that, the video broadcasting to the world the "why" he did what he did clearly shows otherwise.) blame blame blame. so it's safer to talk about other people when endeavor isn't responding like dabi wants.
boring. yeah. like hell does he want this to turn into some mundane soul searching trip with dear old dad. invading the shower seems like another way to throw those logs back on the fire. plus he needs one himself anyways. considering enji's reaction before, coming in here naked probably would've sent him fast walking out the door.]
What's that gonna do if ya dumping freezin water all over ya?
[give him a good place to step out into before he has to get back in. dabi ignores the gruff gratitude in the man's voice and he reaches his arms up to rest his hands on the walls, more or less spreading himself out to catch the water and heat up what splashes over him and goes around him. the steam's quickly pumping through the shower once more as the water spills over dabi's back and shoulders. without endeavor taking a seat, he can't lean over him and just "drool" hot water down onto the man, but that's enji's call. bullshit on blaming the flush on the water.
as endeavor turns away, dabi's presented with his back. he bitterly reminds himself he's more familiar with this side of his father than the front. doesn't stop him from letting his eyes wander. it's a testament there aren't as many, if any, scars on his back as there are on his front. the man never turned his back on his foes. just his family. how's that for being a hero. dabi drops an arm and lazily starts to run a finger over endeavor's back, following the shape of his shoulder blades and down along the contours of his muscles. not even showing the slightest bit of shame for doing so. occasionally heats his finger up, threatening to burn, but backing off before it gets anywhere near dangerous.]
Don't gotta hurry on my account. I ain't rushin ya.
[finally endeavor sits down and dabi takes the opportunity to brace his hands on the way, then leans over him entirely. this lets the water spill off his back, head, and shoulders, running down on the man below him at a far hotter temperature than the shower head's putting out. almost like a filter.]
Ya good at statin the obvious. [though he arches a brow when the hero actively pops the front of his jeans. wasn't expecting that. but he doesn't pull away either, eyes boring into the red-haired head below him.] Take 'em off if ya don't like em...
[Rehashing things with Dabi over and over again is also not what he wants to spend his time doing. Actually, he's not really sure what it is that he wants to focus his time alone with his son on. In an ideal world it would be easier. He'd be a regular father, and his son would not have cracked under the whiplash of having Enji pressure him toward greatness, then tell him he could never achieve it. Apologizing and redeeming himself are also off the table, both of which Dabi has soundly told him to back off of.
So what's he left with?
Getting physically closer, so far, has been the only thing that he'd allow. At first Dabi resisted even that, but it hasn't even been a full 24 hours yet, and it seems like at the very least his son is indifferent towards Enji touching him. That's something. They've also not resorted to literal flame wars, so there's that too.]
Might not have minded the freezing water if it was warmer...[He starts to try to explain his logic there, but there's not much need at this point. Dabi's already in the shower with him and being weird about it now that he's helping would be counterproductive. He decides to just get on with the shower. Enji isn't sure now is the time to say it, but he's thankful for the assist.
While he has his back to his son, he feels the touch and does the very same thing that was done to him earlier--he flinches. It's not that he hates the contact necessarily. It's just unexpected. The only people who touch him at all are villains, and they certainly don't touch him like that. Rei hasn't been within a few feet of him in decades, even when she came to see him in the hospital. So this is different.
Strangely enough, he doesn't mind the heat from Dabi's finger, maybe because he's more familiar with that than the strangeness of something gentle or exploratory.]
Bathing with you was a lot less weird when you were a kid. [He complains, but so far Dabi really hasn't done anything terribly out of line. If anything's troubling Enji, it's having to depend on someone else for something.
Enji isn't thinking about anything in particular when he gets Dabi's pants and underwear down his hips, pulling them off cautiously so he doesn't have fabric catch on the staples. And, he only remembers being curious about what Dabi's body looked like below the waist after he's gotten said pants down off his ankles and tossed them clear of the running water and across the bathroom entirely.]
I don't like any of your clothes. Too many holes.
[This isn't so strange, he thinks. Fathers and sons sharing a public shower isn't a big deal. Why does the air around them feel tense all of a sudden? He could just be projecting, so Enji keeps the conversation as normal as he can even if Dabi's junk is right there in his face.]
Ready to switch? [He's only half rinsed off with soap still visible on half his body because of the haste with which he's looking to not have to be on his knees in front of his first born.]
[ironically it's turning out not to be that much fun for dabi either. he'd had some sick idea in his head about sitting here and regaling endeavor with all his sins and crimes and fuck ups. but when the man arrived, having already accepted his faults for those things and is now looking forward (for the most part) instead of getting dragged backwards and wallowing in his misery, it really took a lot of the wind out of dabi's sails. meaning the villain's left in a similar state as his heroic father: unsure about what to do. he can't bore himself proverbially kicking a corpse for two weeks.
well, guess a distracting shower fiasco is a good enough change of pace to keep them somewhat occupied while the occasional conversation dips around between them. it feels strange to be so close to endeavor without trying to burn him to ash. the last time he was this close without murderous intent was that day back home, when he told his father to come to sekoto to see his new development. the day he died. now?
it's been less than a few hours together and he's standing in the shower with him, letting his father touch him and doing the same in return.]
Ya ain't got that many scars... Lucky you.
[ignoring the comment about the water temperature, he finds interest instead in the man's back and the lack of real blemishes. it says a lot of things. speaks of his power and skill almost immediately, though some people might say it spoke of cowardice and a fear of pain. but it also serves as a glaring reminder that his father's body is built for his quirk, a perfect specimen for the intense power of his flames. sure, he has some limits and a threat of overheating, but it's hardly anything the man has to worry about.
specifically exemplified as he trails his finger along his back. even the heat of his flames, despite him keeping them down from something fatal, isn't going to do anything due to endeavor's resistant to those temperatures. he'd really have to gun the blue flickers on his finger to drag a branding line down his skin. and he's not about to turn into an arc welder right now.
dabi ignores the way endeavor flinches at the initial touch. he'll deal with it. mentally he finds it interesting, though it's bitter due to understanding endeavor's momentary twitch away is due to the man simply not being used to someone touching him like that rather than associating "touch" with "pain" or caution. at least that's his assumption. maybe endeavor does normally associate touch with pain, since most of the people who manage to touch him are villains. the ones that want to hurt him.]
Cause I was a kid.
[though ironically he's probably a much bigger "little shit" now than he was as a child. later years being the exception. dabi sounds amused at endeavor's complaint and makes no effort to stop the touches until the man finally sits beneath him and works on his pants. the metal buckle and leather belt come open easily, buttons on his pants and zipper dragging down to open his fly. a pair of black boxer briefs at least suggest the villain's not running around commando all the time. (occasionally... he's a rebel.) but he notes again how endeavor's careful with his staples.
dabi hikes one leg at the knee to strip the clothing from his ankle and foot, then repeats it with the other to get out of them entirely. it's another view like his arms. the scorched flesh of his legs rakes across the majority of his limbs like ugly stockings of wrinkled purple flesh. staples rimming the middle of his thighs where his skin's demarcation lines wander and another set ringing his ankle just under the bone, though his other leg's been consumed past his heel to the center of his foot. boots can be a pain at times. both ways.
perhaps the one lucky part of his life is that the area between his lower stomach and his upper thighs has remained clear of burns. hips are spared. ergo, he hasn't burned his dick off as endeavor'd griped about earlier. and thankfully that's one area he didn't get the "runt" gene in. his partners never complained. those steely wires of muscle are there as well, defined pelvic V from his life. he might not have a great deal of strength and physical endurance, but at least he's not flabby.]
Sorry. I'll make sure to dumpster dive behind the quality brand stores next time.
[nyeh. have some sarcastic teenager he apparently hasn't outgrown yet. dabi scoffs at the question before dropping his arms and using them to "aim" the streams of water off his fingers and onto endeavor's face and shoulders.]
You still look like someone blasted you with a fucking soap machine.
[but it'll only be a few seconds before dabi lowers his arms to indicate he's done. and be thankful he doesn't just step to the side and let you eat ice, dammit.]
[None of this was what he thought might have happened if he met up with Dabi for a couple weeks. He's sure neither of the two of them could have planned for this part in particular, but here they were. Part of him isn't so surprised, though. Not because any of this is normal for them--obviously not-- it's probably the opposite. The part that's unsurprising is that it would be the one thing where they don't need to communicate that would be a nice respite from being at odds with one another over one thing or another.
So, yeah, it's unusual to be this close to anyone else, doubly so that Dabi is technically his son, but not so weird that he ever considers shutting it down, or walking away.]
Not back there, no, and luck doesn't have anything to do with it.
[And although he has a few at the front, none are as prominent as the one on his face. Can't really complain about that when Dabi's entire body is a literal patchwork of unburnt skin and scar tissue. The same man as a child bares almost no resemblance when Enji tries to place them side by side in his mind. The only thing about Dabi that's exactly the same is the intense aqua of his eyes that mirror his father's. Shouto only got one, but when he looks at Dabi it carries the familiarity of a quick glance into a mirror.
The muscles of his back and shoulders tense and flex in response to the touch of a hot (but not uncomfortably so) fingertip against his skin. He doesn't make any sort of verbal remark about the contact, but drops his head down a little with a soft hum. It's as much of an invitation for Dabi to touch him freely as he's going to give. Probably to anyone, ever, but definitely for the foreseeable future, if not, then just the next couple weeks.]
You're certainly not a child anymore.
[Even if there are moments he has to remind himself of that. Jumping back into the peak of their relationship as father and son wasn't possible for a number of reasons, but he's as careful with Dabi as he would have been with Touya when he was a baby. There are so many habits he needs to break, and it's a little easier to not try to treat him like the insufferable kid he has the clearest memory of when the very representation of his manhood is on display.
If Enji takes a moment to look once Dabi's clothes are out of the way, it's entirely based in curiosity and nothing more. He has to tell himself that when the obvious question of what he's doing looking at his son's dick pops into his head. It's not like the size of him is of any importance to him at all. Obviously it's just a sick curiosity to see if he had Enji's genes there or his mothers. That's all it is, he insists to himself, silently satisfied that at least that part of him filled out well and wasn't lost to his self-destructive fire quirk.]
I'm trying to spare you from having to be in here with me longer than you have to.
[But since Dabi is going to judge him for it the way he's judged his clothing, Enji matches that same sarcastic teenage energy as he gets to his feet, sucks it up and properly washes himself off. He can't leave a job half finished.
Enji feels at least a little more shame than Dabi when his eyes linger over the villain's slim frame from his full height. He's not embarrassed at all to show his own body but, it takes some time until he doesn't feel bad about looking at Dabi. Enji leans back against the tile, trying to move out of the way of the shower so Dabi can wash himself. Unlike his son, he takes up a good amount of space, so he's used to being conscious of it.
Dabi doesn't need Enji to warm his water because of his quirk, but he lingers in the shower with him anyway to watch quietly.]
Make sure you wash properly. [The funny part is, he's not joking.]
[well it is kind of stupid to argue in the middle of a shower while you're helping someone stay warm. and the other ironic part is dabi's tired of yelling at endeavor or beating on him. he's walked a lot today, he's emotionally worn, and he wants to rest. this right now... is a good rest. the shower water feels good, even if it's more the drumming beat of it against his remaining healthy flesh.]
Ya mean ya don't ever get attacked from behind or ya never turn ya back on villains?
[okay so maybe not completely done with picking at him, but the question's not really lancing. endeavor's free to take it that way if he likes, but dabi's mostly curious. he's noticed the lack of any real scars on the hero's body, especially compared to the one on his face. they speak of endeavor's skill and power. though the one ripping half of his visage off dual speaks of his determination to be a hero and, now that it's revealed, the depths of dabi's hatred towards the man.
and no. he has no sympathy for shouto's burn scar or endeavor's. they don't even know the meaning of "scarring" compared to what touya went through. though he's not really one to flaunt his scars for that reason. kind of likes using them to freak, scare, and gross people out. they're sort of an intimidation weapon and they make a great conversation starter. (especially when he blames them on heroes.)
nah, he'll stick to one finger for exploring.]
And yet ya still can't help but occasionally treat me like one.
[no shit, since dabi can act like an immature kid at times. sulking, pouting, having tantrums, getting even, being a pain in the ass for no reason other than he's a walking dickhead. the league puts up with an awful lot from him... endeavor would shake his head. but then there's the current reality, when he's standing over his father with his body bared and his dick in his face. no shame whatsoever.
one, he certainly had gotten endeavor's genes in that department, though he doesn't have that meat-packed buns of steel ass his father sports and the tabloids like to snap pictures of (control your spandex, endeavor). but that might be more lack of nutrition on the streets than lack of genes. two, he's damn glad his dick hasn't burned off. there are multiple reasons he's not even going to think about for why. that said, enji staring right at him and checking him out is one part weird as fuck and one part hilarious. not that dabi was a prude; he never averted his eyes when endeavor stripped down.]
Walked in here on my own, and I'll leave when I feel like it. Ya ain't in control of that.
[though he does "hmph" in annoyance when the man opts to eschew his hands-aimed water flow and instead takes the icy burst in the face to quick wash himself off. tch, see if he ever helps you with that again, arrogant asshole. but he steps to the side and leans against the far wall while endeavor washes.
and this time, he takes the opportunity to take a good look. eyes wandering down his father's neck and chest, that ridiculous breadth of his shoulders and the statue chiselling of muscle that threatened to rival All Might in sheer sculpture alone. it's annoying that the man's a damn specimen of male beauty. aliens should never abduct him for a sample of humanity because they'd be disappointed when they came back for more like him. fuck, you could wash clothes on those abs! he gets a faint memory of playing that pachinko machine, watching the little metal balls bounce down pegs and hills to find paths to the bottom. speaking of... twin cuts grooving his his funnel dabi's eyes lower towards the fantasy of many a villainous female gaze. no, there were one or two instance when he torched some lewd bitch for rambling on about endeavor's dick. the world didn't need trash like that. but... he's getting a full frontal proof of exactly why they talked about him. it's as impressive as the rest of him, and that's probably an understatement.
maybe he's silently grateful he at least got some of his father's genes outside his quirk, and eyes, and skin tone, and hair... well, used to be hair.]
Ya serious? [did he just slip back into "dad" mode at him? dabi gives him a flat look before bluntly walking into the water and letting it splatter all over his face and down his body.] This is washin properly.
[anywhere from breaking into a school to steal showers at their locker rooms, the entire league renting one motel room to shower off, or if those options aren't available, finding fountain, river, lake, something like that to take a dip in. though it's when dabi gets the soap in his hands that he actually pauses and looks a little... not conflicted, but it's rare he gets soap.]
[Of course he gets attacked from behind when he messes up in his assessment of how many opponents he has. Sure, he doesn't make mistakes like that often, especially now that he knows better, but he's human and it happens. He didn't become number two by chance, he had learning experiences (ie: mistakes) that were part of the learning curve.
Besides, he usually had his back to whoever's in need of saving, and it wasn't until recently he's started to wonder if maybe they were also waiting for a chance to stab him in the back.
Steam escapes his nose as he exhales the sigh he was holding on to.]
Then don't act like one.
[Far easier to place all the blame on Dabi that acknowledge that his softness for his son is his very glaring weakness, and treating him like he remembers Touya is so easy it's almost an indulgence worth savoring. How is he meant to treat Dabi like an adult when he never fully got to treat him as a teenager or a young man. He'd missed out on those moments with Touya and perhaps was making up for lost time.
Far too much too late, he thinks. Dabi would probably agree, but he doesn't say the words out loud to confirm it. Instead he dedicates his attention to the body in full view the same way Dabi's eyes examined him for flaws. The difference being Dabi scanning him for scars over otherwise smooth skin is not the same as taking in the patchwork of healthy and damaged skin that's exposed to him in return.
Although, he will admit that Dabi is still nice to look at in spite of that.
Unfortunately he's not the only one to think that. Dabi's slender frame and wickedly charismatic eyes have a power over the women who aren't put off by the track of staples holding the villain together. He has to hear about them when they send him letters belittling him for his past actions while complimenting Dabi in ways he always told his staff he had no inclination to hear about. So they stopped telling him.
He's always just assumed it's that same morbid fascination people have with serial killers, but getting to be up close and looking at him, he understands the appeal. Tall, dark, and handsome to those who weren't towering over him, Dabi would have been far too pretty to be a villain if he hadn't ruined himself with burns. And even the word ruin is debatable here, Enji thinks.]
You won't get clean with water alone. Do you need help?
[Enji is not above bathing his adult son if it ensures that he smells clean while they happen to be cohabitating. It's for his own benefit as well as Dabi's. There's also shampoo and Dabi's hair is probably too long to be fine without it. He squeezes some onto his hands and comes at Dabi without warning, his fingertips gently massaging his scalp as a good amount of lather forms. Even this feels like an indulgence he doesn't deserve to have a second chance at, but he steels his face and his focus, fully prepared to take any protest in stride in the name of hygiene.]
Tilt your head back and close your eyes.
[His voice isn't as stern as before when it's time to rinse. It's almost uncharacteristically gentle. This is how he should have always treated Touya, then maybe they wouldn't be in this position.]
[he does. complete with thinking that steaming snort reminds him of a cartoon bull. and that's one of the few "innocent" childish things the villain's retained. the rest are all matured into some nasty personality traits. to go along well with his new life on the streets. rei would be completely ashamed at seeing what her son's turned into. manners wise. the rest of him's probably evoking both horror and disgust from her, if also a sense of validated relief that her exasperation towards him was well founded.
dabi's used to the blame being placed on him. he wasn't strong enough, he wasn't able enough, he wasn't good enough, all his fault for never being able to stand up to his father's ambitions and reach those lofty heights no matter what he did. he blamed fuyumi for not understanding him, natsuo for not wanting to hear him, enji and his wife for being shitty parents, and shouto simply of existing. but under it all, the notion of "failure" continues to run deep.
seeing some of those scars, not just the one on endeavor's face, is a way of validating his own determined beliefs that his father is not the perfect and lofty goal he wanted to make proud. the man is damaged and vulnerable, can be hurt and ruined. he's not the insurmountable wall he wanted to project himself as. not worth the title of no. 1. not even worth the title of "hero". and watching his eyes rove over himself is therapeutic as well. he's not ashamed of his scars and disheveled body. rather gets a sick enjoyment out of endeavor having to face his own handiwork. in a while, there's a lot of people enji used to know who are going to look like him, courtesy of endeavor's own flames.
oh he's not alien to the idea people find him attractive. perhaps not in the classic "beauty" standards, but the shadowy intrigue and dangerous allure of villainy and stoic callousness ironically draw people. he's used himself to survive and to get what he wanted. some people didn't care what it looked like, so long as it was fuckable. and others he had fun seducing, picking up charm and charisma from hookers and hustlers he watched on the streets. certainly wasn't going to learn those tricks from home sweet home.
some people find his scars freakishly attractive, though there's a lot of miscreants and deviants down here in the underworld. people endeavor wouldn't know shit about. well, minus the one or two dabi deliberately sent his way. ending for one and that ball riding star-what's-his-face. shows their importance to him.
dabi scoffs at the question and lifts his arm to look at it, broken from his thoughts.]
Don't think I forgot how to wash myself, ya know.
[of course, the one gross part of baths and showers is when his skin starts to get soft. particularly around the seams. makes it easier to pull and break, so he has to be careful if he wants to soak. with that in mind, he goes for the soap, stepping out of the spray so he can lather his hands and then start working on his arms. beginning with the demarcation lines and works his way down in quick, practiced motions that suggests he's more military in the shower on average.
only to pause and blink when hands fall on his head. seriously? he's gonna wash his hair? for a second, his eyes blaze up at the man through the dark spikes of his bangs, almost ready to flare up and blast him away from him. but the slight sapphire haze of flames around his shoulders dissipates and he loses the glare, looking away as he silently gives endeavor permission to do what he wants.
the roots are starting to show white again, but that's likely lost in the snowy suds.]
I do it this way.
[maybe he's petulant, maybe he's rebellious, but either way, he tilts his head forward instead and lets the water drag his hair, and the suds, down. those gentle hands in his hair are... irritating. the bring back extremely faint memories of a child he doesn't know anymore, and a parent he can no longer believe even existed.]
[In another effort to dodge the back and forth argument in which there would never be a winner is to drop that one. Dabi is free to think he doesn't act like a child, just like he's free to be completely wrong about his father. Well, maybe not completely. That's besides the point, though.]
Guess I'll take the blame for that too. At least I have a legitimate reason for treating you like one.
[That legitimate reason being that 1) Enji is literally his father 2) It's hard to know how to treat Dabi when Touya was just a child when he lost him. Dabi may not look like a child, and may not even look like the Touya he remembers, but the stuff from back then that he's been missing are things parents didn't tend to do to adult children. Bathing together and hair washing, for example. He doesn't know how to navigate any of this stuff. Maybe he should give up on parenting the way he's given up (at least temporarily) on being a hero.]
I don't think you forgot, I think you just don't do it right habitually.
[Enji is mostly joking, but nagging Dabi is strangely satisfying. Maybe because he knows that it does bother him. He also wondered about how his skin and staples handled extended exposure to water or soap, and he's starting to answer a lot of his own questions purely by observation.
He steps forward when Dabi dips his head for the shampoo run down forward instead of back. Maybe it has to do with the way he styles his hair? Enji doesn't care that much about it, he's solely focused on making sure the shampoo is completely washed out. He wraps an arm around Dabi's waist from behind to make sure he doesn't move away as he takes just a moment to properly wash behind his ears. Enji's open hand covers a large amount of surface area of Dabi's lower abdomen.
If his father's attention is what he wanted this whole time, Enji is sure it won't take much time for Dabi to grow to dislike the attention of his overbearing father as much as his other children do. He's still surprised that Dabi backed down from trying to fight Enji back, and he know he shouldn't ask questions about that or risk those blue flames coming out again. But he's never been able to leave well enough alone.]
As long as we do it your way, you don't care if I help?
[He wants to point out how childish that is to prove his point from before, but he's already risking being shoved away by making that comment at all. So Enji keeps it to himself, just letting out a low chuckle. It must be a dad sense of humor thing because he's also aware that this might not be amusing to anyone else.
At certain moments his skin meets Dabi's and he's able to feel there's a temperature difference between them. Dabi feels cold against him, and so Enji remains wrapped around him from behind. Just being out of direct contact with the cold water has allowed him to heat up again. They both tend to run hot, probably, but maybe Dabi doesn't know he's cold because he's not bothered by it?]
Am I smothering you yet? Or is this what you always wanted?
[Enji's hand slides up Dabi's stomach to one side of his chest, pulling him back and away from the water again. He lets himself have this moment, regardless of what Dabi wants, and rests his face right on top of Dabi's wet hair.]
[he's sometimes wondered if, in his excuse to be a semi-decent parent, endeavor's given fuyumi, natsuo, and shouto unlimited credit cards. it seems likely, considering he can just throw money at his kids to make them go away. well, shouto being the exception. but he's not about to ask, preferring to leave that for stewing on later.
there's a part of him that's amused at endeavor's failure to deal with this new strangeness of showering with him. for dabi's, it's not a problem at all; he's so disassociated from his father the man might as well be a stranger when he needs him to be. years of pretending they weren't related and lying about it whenever the topic came up in his presence has made it second-nature for him to compartmentalize his thoughts and emotions when it comes to his family. unable to forget any of it, though his hatred's transformed all those memories into fuel for his insanity. he's got that going for him.]
How the fuck do you do it "right"? [doesn't stop him from growling at him like a petulant teenager getting told he needs to fix something.] It's washing hair.
[if endeavor's joking, it's still getting a rise out of the eldest from his brood. you put your hand in your hair with soap on it and rub it around back and forth. maybe in circles if you wanna be fancy about that shit. dabi doesn't treat it any differently than shoving his head under a spigot on a hot day.
the soap at least is helping the stapled areas of his skin. he does have to treat them when he has time and supplies to do that; otherwise he'd be walking around with infections all over. it's a price to pay for his chosen method of handling his injuries.
hair styling is part of it? even if that spiky bunch atop his head is mostly natural and only helped with the occasional choppy cut to keep it from getting long. no, he's not gonna say who cuts his hair. the magician. it's when he suddenly gets a meaty arm wrapped around his waist from behind that he tugs his head up, slapping water across enji's face from the sudden pull.]
The fuck-?!
[well he tries to move away? but ends up "oof" against the bar across his stomach and now there's a hand on his head getting behind his ears. dabi makes a face at the wall across from him, feeling very uncomfortably like some damn cat getting groomed or something. if he knew it would actually do something, he'd stomp on his stupid foot. that massive hand over his stomach's good enough to keep him there, abs hardening under his scarred swatch across his belly and the sweep of healthy skin below it.
and now he's starting to remember other reasons why he hated the man. micromanaging perfectionist with an overbearing "my way" attitude on how shit gets done. that question is enough to get another hell's cat glare over his shoulders, this time eyes actually burning and a few whorls of blue flame sparking into existence around his head.]
Ya got your fucking bear paw pinned at my waist and ya gonna talk bout "my" way?
[but it's when the man suddenly pulls back, not hard enough to jerk him, but enough to make him take a step or two backwards. flesh presses up against his back and he tenses, unconsciously rising on his toes as his eyes widen from the sensation. this is definitely not the first male body he's felt against his back and it's not the first time he's been grabbed and held like this either.
but this is endeavor and for all his damn compartmentalization, his brain is racing with a host of warnings and screamings. too close, too controlled, too fast, to angry. slamming that urge into a high gear that's reserved for certain fight or flight situations. enji's hot against his skin, body only good with resisting the cold and now almost sizzling with the heat. (or that's his flames.) smothering him? what he fucking wanted?! he feels his flesh crawl beneath the hero's hand as it wanders up his stomach and cups at his chest, heart slamming beneath his ribs in a manner he can't tell between panic or excitement.
then a face settles right into his hair and something snaps inside him. the tension seems to melt and his expression slides back into the normal stoic expression as his flames vanish with a husk of air. just in time for his fingers to come up and wander across the side of enji's face, almost spider-like as their tips step from the angle of his chin to the span of his cheek and the taut of his temple.]
If ya really wanna smother me, I should be the one against the wall, endeavor.
If you want to collect your missed allowances retroactively, you'll have to talk to the accountant.
[What could have been a joke is said so dismissively that there's hardly any way to think Enji is being anything but genuine. Monetary compensation for the shit Touya had to go through wouldn't have been out of the question if Dabi wasn't one of the most dangerous villains in Japan. So any traceable transfer of funds to Dabi would likely incriminate him.
Enji's not even aware that Dabi isn't being serious, or maybe his response would have been less honest.
He's still conflicted about what the young man is to him.
It's hard to say they're enemies outright. They fall on opposing sides of the morality spectrum (despite Enji's tendency to do terrible things), but Enji has already made up his mind that he won't be fighting Dabi at any point in the future. Not one on one or head to head. He refuses due to the second point. It's hard to say they're family when they haven't been close for decades and even before then when Shouto was being trained they weren't on speaking terms. Well, Touya would speak to Enji and his father would largely ignore him in order to not encourage his training.
So where does not quite enemies, extremely estranged family fall? That's where Dabi is, and Enji supposes he can either try to pinpoint some kind of definition or just allow it to be ambiguous.
The issue with that is there are moments when he knows for a fact that Touya, his Touya, is in there just as he remembers him. He can feel it when his hand is over Dabi's chest and his heartbeat hammers away or when his reaction to Enji being intrusively overbearing is a flare up of his quirk possibly out of reflex. That's undoubtedly his son's temperament. He knows because he's the same way.
But then Dabi also has moments where he locks all of that down and his expression goes blank, his blue eyes cold and distant. In those moments Enji doesn't feel any familiarity, and while it makes touching him easier and less meaningful, he knows the villain isn't really receptive to his input at that point. Nor is he to Dabi's.
The hand that reaches up to slide fingers along Enji's face does cause his hands to freeze for a moment. Not rubbing over the jigsaw puzzle of stapled flesh, but just resting against it instead as he tries to suss out what Dabi's intentions are. Maybe hypocritical when he's pressed right up against him from behind. It's just throwing him for a loop. One moment he's sure Dabi will burn his face off, and the next his face is touched in a way that brings heat rushing to the places those fingers had just been.]
Do you want to be smothered?
[Dabi calls him Endeavor, and something in him crackles like he's just had fresh firewood fed to whatever was burning inside his chest. Dabi doesn't weigh much at all, so shutting off the water to turn them around is just as easy as drawing the younger man up by the backs of his thighs to trap him between himself and the tile. In the moment it's clear as day. Dabi is not his son and Endeavor is not his father.]
What do you really want from me? Why did you bring me here?
[and he's sure the bank would appreciate not being burned down when the cops came to arrest him with a fleet of heroes. sticking his head into any sort of "official" or "legal" shit related to his now-outed todoroki name would be extremely detrimental to his current life decision of hiding out with all for one. this current "current decision" with endeavor aside. it's a fling, an experiment, nothing more. the league and the plf have plenty of funds and supplies. he'll keep those "retroactive" allowances for future use. should something ever come up where the planets align.
the only reason he's not outright abandoning the idea is because endeavor spoke so plainly about it. dabi mistrusts a lot of what the man says, but there are things he'll accept as truth. this being one of them, ironically enough. considering the new leaf endeavor's trying to convince himself he can turn over, dabi's sure his father would give him his inheritance if he asked for it. strings attached, of course.
endeavor may have a hard time deciding what the two of them are to each other, but dabi's mindset is crystal clear on that regard. endeavor is many things to him and he changes the lens as he needs. father, murderer, abuser, false hero, victim, prey, ambition, obsession, enemy. while the flame hero has determined not to fight him, dabi has every intention of forcing the man to raise his fires to him. if that means murdering his youngest child in front of him, then he'll have a fucking blast while doing it. he's agreed to a selfish truce for now, not planning on attacking the man outside of possible training. though even that's somewhat tinted in passive aggressive irony.
touya remains inside him as well, but it's hard to say dabi "switches" to touya instead of donning his name and memory like a mask. unfortunately, he wasn't burned to a complete crisp. patchwork scars cover his healthy flesh and the same goes with his shattered mindset and twisted personality. pieces of touya remain among the blackened parts. he still retains his pride and the todoroki's cool disposition, even his childish excitement (though what excites him now is disturbing) and sarcasm/tantrums make it back. but it's only rarely that touya's emotional side makes its way through dabi's stoic shell, and often that's translated into his violent streak. case in point being the flare of his flames and the brief thought of burning endeavor up to get away.
but nah. he regains control of himself and locks it all back away where it's safe. back to the visage of a villain endeavor never once recognized as his own child until he flat out told him (and even then he refused to believe it for a while). it's easier this way, isn't it? they can both ignore the unknown rawness of what they are to each other and go back to the status quo.
a grin splits the side of his mouth as he feels endeavor freeze under his touch. not a bad reaction, considering he could blast his head. tracing over the connection of his ear and being a shit enough to deliberately curve round to the back of it for a rub or two. ya wash back here yourself, endeavor? up into the spiked up shock of red hair that most of his kids inherited, but only one still retains. hard to miss that crown atop his. hard to miss that body pressed up against his own and he's well aware they're both quite naked and soaking wet. the warmth endeavor exudes is insanely tempting and he leans into it without hesitating. so much definition back there... ridiculous.]
Wouldn't be the first time.
[the water shuts off and in one motion, dabi feels the world spin around him as hands cup around the back of his thighs and hoist up. both eyes widen in surprise, but then quickly narrow as a sneering smile cuts across his face, hooded gaze glowing into the larger man's face as he's trapped between a mountain of muscle and the tile wall.]
Ooo, good start...
[not sure if this is an honest question or some spontaneous role play, he only bothers to tuck his legs back at the knees, hand finding its way entirely into enji's hair.]
Wanted to see if there was a chance we could get close without killin each other for a bit. Kinda surprised, but can't say I don't like it.
[Freedom is relative. Enji might argue that living the way he does isn't freedom, but that might just fall on deaf ears. Same as if he actually tried to talk to his lawyers and accountants about something like that. But Dabi is smart, he knows right away that any contribution like that would come with certain stipulations. Many of them would be incompatible with Dabi's current way of life--entirely by design, of course.
If only he could throw money at this particular problem and have it go away. Enji would give away his entire estate in the blink of an eye if it meant Dabi would turn himself in. There wouldn't really be any freedom in Dabi's future at that point, he's not wrong.
And the notion that Dabi and his son are one in the same isn't a reality he likes to accept. There are too many things he thinks Dabi would deserve, but can't quite make himself believe the same of his son. Perhaps the one who is compartmentalizing his feelings depending on his subconscious desires is himself. After all, how could he refuse to fight his son on one hand, then draw Dabi into such a suggestive position the very next moment.
It would be far easier if Touya really had died on that mountain. He wouldn't have questioned his own morality regarding the way he feels as much as he is currently. It would be wrong of him to be physically involved with Dabi even if they weren't related, but they are, and it is.
But Dabi doesn't stop him. Much like his childhood training, he has moments where he seems like he might quit, or fight back, but then he presses on instead. In this case, he allows Enji to be close to him physically. First in very small ways, then more invasive ones, and at no point has he tried to pry himself away. That doesn't make it right, though. Dabi is very clearly troubled, and Enji really shouldn't engage him.
But he does.]
When did you become such a masochist?
[Enji thinks about the way Dabi smiled when he hoisted him up off of the floor of the shower, and then about the ease with which Dabi talked about how attractive other villains find him. Maybe he shouldn't be surprised that Dabi isn't fighting him. He encourages the younger man to wrap his legs around his waist as his hands run up and down along Dabi's hips and sides, his chest, and eventually his backside where his hands settle on the villain's ass, squeezing gently as he glances down at Dabi's body. This time he takes in the sight of modest but present muscles just beneath his skin, a slim frame, the noticeable jut of hip bones and impression of ribs that would not have been there if he was in a position to eat properly and train the way heroes do.]
You should be pushing me away.
[He also hates how long its been since anyone has allowed him this close. And with Rei he always had the thought that she might not have if he didn't assist with her family's financial situation. Dabi isn't getting paid, but is obviously game. Or, this is some fucked up version of chicken where the first one to stop them down this descent into inappropriate behavior is the loser. And that should be him. He's the sane one. The one who was supposed to be a hero.
Maybe he really doesn't need that title anymore. Is this his way of proving that?]
I shouldn't be surprised you like this more than wholesome quality time. [Like this, he has the freedom to adjust Dabi however he wants, and lines him up perfectly so the next shift of his weight from one foot to another causes his hips to push up between Dabi's legs for friction. There's not much since they're both wet, and that makes it all the more easy to rock against Dabi again.
Enji turns his face toward the hand in his hair so that Dabi's hand settles over the large scar down one side of his face.]
[freedom should be absolute. chaos and anarchy being the result, but hey, who's he to care? telling people they can't use their own natural gifts simply because the weaker people bitch about it is bullshit. life's not fair or equal. either get strong or smart enough to do something about the oppressors or shut the hell up and die for the strong. it's a cruel world out there and dabi's already spent plenty of time getting chewed up in its mouth. pretty fun to do some chewing back.
maybe he'll just cash out and bury his fortune under the corner of their estate like a miser. then go right back to doing what he's doing now. wasn't a lie when he told endeavor he wasn't interested in money. it's not hard to come by when you don't follow the rules set to keep it safe. (oh sure, give him money so he can rot in jail; that's quite the sacrifice on your part, dad.)
no surprise to him that endeavor can manage to compartmentalize the dichotomy between dabi and touya and whether each is responsible for the actions of the other, past and present. to care for his son. to hate the villain. it's not like endeavor himself had easily ignored what he was doing to his family for the sake of ambition. dabi's picked up that trait from his father as well, focusing on the long-term goal with heedless care of whatever he destroys in his path towards it. something else enji can be proud of him for.
however, who knows if he's proud of him for this... can he truly separate himself from the reality that he's pressing his own adult son to the wall, that they're both naked in the shower with some very intense ust quickly catching aflame between them? dabi finds the entire notion a taboo thrill, revulsion and excitement mingling behind his stoic smirk. this'll make him feel fucking filthy, but so damn good at the same time. kind of like drugs and cigarettes and alcohol and all the other messed up shit he's done in his life. what's one more tossed into the cesspool? touya always did want his father's attention.
how much closer to him can he get than this? ... something about that thought snaps another chord inside him and he slaps a hand up against the side of endeavor's face, eyes burning a little wider and brighter with heated arousal and maniacal interest. there's no way he's going to stop now, breath coming hot on his lips he seizes onto that realization. it's sick, disturbing, and reaches into an area he never wants to go back to, but holy fuck is it an exhilarating thought.]
I put up with the pain for you. But now, the only way I get to "feel" is to make sure it really burns.
[masochist. he's more a sadist than a masochist, but that's not saying is isn't one. these staples and piercings aren't just for holding his ruined flesh onto his body. the demarcation lines between healthy skin and charred remains are where nerve ends meet. sinking hooks and spikes through them at least help him have a sensation of something other than the numb and itch. same goes with the rougher treatment. only rare times do those lighter touches do anything for him.
larger hands wander over his legs and as dabi spreads his fingers on the side of endeavor's head, he answers that encouragement, wrapping his lankly limbs around the man's sculpted hips. wiry muscle flexes under scar tissue and smoother flesh, the scrape of metal staples skimming against the man's pelvis and the top of his ass as dabi knots his ankles together at the small of the hero's back. locking him in there with him. maybe he shouldn't have talked about other villains finding endeavor attractive either... but then again, this isn't a bad way to enjoy the time together. not when he's confronted with stacks of muscles that profess healthy dieting and steady workout alongside the damn dosage of proud genes.]
That's ya area of expertise.
[not that dabi's frequently letting people close to him either. he might be a bit more lax about people he knows getting into his space if he's in the mood, but generally he likes his space. he's well aware this is probably an infrequent thing for endeavor and that'd be hilarious if it weren't so pathetic. actually... it's pretty hilarious too.]
We got different definitions of "wholesome quality time", huh-
[the last part terminates in a grunt when endeavor suddenly thrusts forward. wet makes it easy to move and he tightens his legs on him, free hand pressing to the wall with a sudden slap as skin slides across his own. oh yeah... much better. he might not be able to feel much in most places, but his dick and ass work just fine. thank fucking god for that. as endeavor turns his head into his hand, he finds himself with his fingers and palm spreading over the side of his scar. that half of his face he ripped off with his pawns. touch of pride for messing him up like that... shame he didn't get a chance to take his eye.
fingers wander down the side of endeavor's head, tracing across his temple and the seam of his scar before wandering into the messed-up area. touching the textured flesh and scant reappearance of his eyebrow, thumbing just under the lower lid of his eye. down further, playing at the jagged rip as it begins to shrink and decrease into the point of his torn-off visage. a single tap of his index finger notes the scar and dismisses it as he heads for the slight stubble dusting at endeavor's jaw and chin. all the way down until he could play the tip of his middle finger across the rims of his mouth. even his lips are strong. probably from that nigh-permanent scary look on his face.
Whaddya know. We fit together. [eroticism and insanity mingle in his expression as he leans closer to endeavor's face, taking his lower lip between his thumb and forefinger. and deliberately locking his legs together again.] Ya ain't done this with any of them... It's just us...
[When he was young they kept telling him that his drive to succeed was unmatched, and that he could be the number one hero. So many people told him that, and his inferiority complex began the moment he realized there was too much of a gap between himself and All Might. Not in strength or skill, or even in number (Enji still has him beat statistically), but there's something else that the former number one had and he just couldn't figure it out. He did trample all over his personal ties in favor of chasing that one dream.
Ruined his family in the process. Touya ended up with all of Enji's strengths, but weaknesses enough to make up for it. And the traits Enji had that were more suitable for villainy? Dabi wore those on his sleeve naturally--those parts of himself that the hero Endeavor had to hide and relegate to his personal life alone. At least if he was a terrible human being, it would never put a stain on his hero record.
Dabi distracts him from his introspection when the young man stares him down and smacks a hand to his face like he owns it. Granted, he did play the largest part in giving him that scar on his face. Maybe he did own it, and every other part of his father's body. The scary thing is that Enji isn't so bothered by the idea. In a twisted way he knows he can never change Dabi's mind about the past and won't ever be forgiven for what he did. Dabi may never want to be close to him in any other way, but at least like this he doesn't show the same resistance to accept him.
If he's going to burn in hell, he might as well light the match himself.]
I can make it burn.
[In an instant Enji's already warm skin gets hotter. Not enough to burn Dabi's skin that's already used to a good amount of heat, but enough that any normal person would quickly want to draw their hand away. They're both playing with fire, figuratively and literally, but Enji is willing to give Dabi whatever it is that he wants. He's creeping closer to acceptance that he has that same potential for madness that Dabi has. He keeps finding ways to warp things to suit his own desires. Like deciding that the villain has ruined his own body and therefore deserves to enjoy his own healthy one however he pleases. And what sane person would pay for a wife with the intention of making powerful babies, then abuse that wife for standing up to him when he takes training too far.
It feels worse to be a bad man playing the hero than to be like Dabi who is awful but doesn't ever try to hide it. Maybe he should stop pretending. The slight scratch of staples against his skin makes him groan and he rocks his hips forward again. He hasn't done anything like this in decades.]
You're sick.
[It's a half-assed insult when his cock is swelling in response to the friction. Would a normal man even be able to get hard in a situation like this considering who they both used to be? He's clearly the one that's sick, and he's even the one to initiate it even if Dabi had been slowly dropping subtle hints about it--or that could be his own version of insanity making excuses for his misbehavior again. Enji wants to tell him that he'll stop if Dabi doesn't want it, but he can't find the voice to say those words. He doesn't want to stop, either, so maybe if he doesn't present that as an option they can take this further and see where it goes.
He only needs one hand to hold Dabi in place, so the other is free to wander over Dabi's wet body while the other seems focused on his face. Enji tries not to flinch as that scar on his face gets touched--something that has never happened--not like this. He hardly touches it himself. He draws in breath through teeth he hadn't recalled gritting, but he tries to focus on other things. Like moving his hand over Dabi's chest, his fingers passing back and forth over nipples that he's not sure produce much feeling.]
Of course I haven't. What's wrong with you? [It's difficult to speak with Dabi playing with his mouth like he's some kind of toy and not a human man, but he gets his point across. His brows furrowing in annoyance at the question. Why the hell would he ever do anything like this with them. They're his family. Dabi is..very much the exception. What's wrong with him?
Enji wants to say that he's not touched anyone since Shouto was conceived, but it's embarrassing enough to suppress that fact. He's done a lot to play the part of a dedicated hero. Giving up pleasures of the flesh to spend more time training or on the job. The hand holding Dabi up moves away the tighter those legs close around him, giving Enji the freedom to allow it to roam as well. He squeezes Dabi's ass with both hands, drawing him down against him as he slides his cock against the cleft of his ass, rocking his hips slowly back and forth rather than impulsively.]
Of course it's only you. [Who else would it be? There's been a few close calls with Hawks, but the kid wasn't even half his age. He feels more of a familial bond with the young hero than he does toward Dabi. So yeah, it's really only him.] Are you just going to mess with me, or are you going to kiss me? [Are those off limits? Is he allowed to ask for that? Enji's heart hammers so hard in his chest that the pounding might just be audible.]
[in a way, he does own it. endeavor never would've received this scar if it weren't for his son's machinations. this is his mark on endeavor, ripping his father's face with his own hatred as much as enji had turned his son's body into a fucked up patchwork of burn scars with his ambitions. there are so many ways they're similar and dabi elates in throwing them out there for the world to see, despite everyone clearly knowing the villain and the hero run on two different spectrum of morality and importance. yes, endeavor has his crimes, but he's no longer making excuses for them and owning to his responsibility. while dabi continues to taunt the victim card for no other reason than to shove that burning knife even deeper. this scar is the physical mark of "him" on his father, on endeavor.
and he's fucking proud of it. there's almost a cruel reverence and admiration of his own handiwork as he touches it, exploring the design and shape of its ragged outlines and the way his flesh changes texture within that ghoulish rip. deep down inside his twisted psyche, buried and poisoned like the rest, there's still that tiny lingering desire to be with his father again. not in the hellish revenge he usually wants, but childishly demanding his father's attention back on him. like it had been.
though it's long-since grown into an adult demand now. and endeavor certainly has lit that spark.]
Fuck...
[it's all he bothers with as the heat against him ratchets up to a noticeable rank. without the cold water pouring down to keep things somewhat recycled, the enclosed space rapidly starts to steam up from the lingering water on the floor. a normal person would instinctively draw back, not only from the heat but also from the man it exudes from. dabi's not a normal person and the corner of his mouth hooks upward again, enough to stretch the seam of his cheek between skin and scar open. something about possibly seeing that insanity in endeavor again is thrilling. they're so similar after all, something he's quickly finding out once again even after only a few hours with the man. whatever trades endeavor's making n his mind to justify this, or if he's simply throwing care to the wind, he's all for it.
this is what he's been gunning for, seeing the man finally shed all those trappings of heroism and apology and return to the nasty core inside. even if it only comes out during this carnal connection, at least it proves it's still there and he can revel in it. hearing the groan from enji's throat at the drag of those metallic edges on his skin earn repeat of it, hiking a leg at the knee to scrape the inside of his thigh's pierced rim against his father's hips. answering that slow thrust forward again as his back presses to the shower wall.]
Just noticin?
[the same interested tone from before, a faint heat in his voice that's only ever present when this shit's happening and when he gets really fired up in a battle. dabi's breath comes free in a shudder at the first touch of endeavor's dick against his skin, hips curiously notching forward to shamelessly take a grinding feel against his swelling organ. it really should be sick, but he only feels a twisted sense of satisfaction from getting such a response. it's enough to twitch his own into life, lifting between his thighs and hardening right there against enji's lower abdomen. seriously, what's not to want? dabi's the furthest thing from a saint and he'd be lying if he said some of his vices are nothing more than chances to escape the pain and filth of his life by slamming back some hot doses of pleasure.
if that's not telling enough. one hand to keep him there. though he's stubbornly giving credit to his own legs around his waist and the hand on the wall... which probably won't be staying there. as endeavor's hand wanders his own body, dabi's caught in the conflicting sensations of nostalgia and disgust clashing with pleasure that gives zero fucks. his own half-and-half lips part with a soft breath of interest and mild sensation as the man explores his chest and nipples. his scarred flesh is numb to most, but the rest of it remains fairly normal as far as nerves go. earning a few catches in his throat as his stomach sinks inward and hardens from the reaction. fuck... this is really gonna happen.]
A lot.
[simple question. he traces the tip of his finger across enji's lower lip, silently noting the smoothness that's so much different from his own. this is going to be a little difficult. half of him wants to cling to the man like he's the newest fling for a fuck; the other half wants to set him on fire and lounge next to his bones. but hell if he doesn't get some enjoyment out of enji's disturbed reaction to his question.
one shoulder hikes up, the one not yet covered in scars, and he tilts his head towards it, turquoise eyes the same shape and hue as the ones looking at him glowing into enji's own. muscles tighten, ass flexing beneath the hands gripping, and he reaches up with his free hand to grab onto the shower head's stalk. leaving his legs and his father's hands as the only support he has above the shower floor. a thick curse seeps from his lips as the man's cock threads between his cheeks, hole clenching instinctively every time the bare ghost of his crown touches it before thrusting back through again. yeah, he can use this.]
Nice to hear ya say that again.
[the question doesn't get an answer. he merely abandons enji's facial scar, hooks his hand around the back of his broad neck, and hauls himself forward with more strength than those lanky arm muscles would suggest. sitting up in his hands, legs dropping to hook his feet against the inside of his thighs, bringing himself flush to his father's chest and stomach as his cock ruts into the man's chiseled abdominal muscles. it's a rush and almost predatory, pouncing on him before leering into his face.
then leans in and kisses him full on the mouth. hesitation doesn't exist here, only deliberate delay to make a point that he's kissing him. upper lip smooth and flesh, lower lip crenelated and burned with staples and hoop piercings punched through his skin. pressing to him and wrapping around him like a devil from hell indulging in that taboo bliss. what makes it even better is feeling just how hard enji's heart's going against his chest. so fucking excited. or nervous.]
[Part of the reason Enji has such a soft spot for the son he lost so long ago is precisely because he was never afraid of or intimidated by him. Touya used to be all over his father even as a baby, and maybe it was because Enji was absent for so many hours of the day with work that they were inseparable while he was home. And to everyone's surprise at the time, it wasn't one sided. Even before the DNA results that confirmed Touya had a fire quirk like his own, he'd spend lots of time play fighting with his son. Pretending his little karate chops brought him to his knees.
Those little invasive memories have no place here. Not now. Not with what they're doing currently, but Dabi has that same disregard for his father's intimidating presence and strength. He prefers it that way. Having someone willing to talk down to him or belittle him in general isn't his cup of tea, but when people tend to walk on eggshells around him that kind of thing makes him feel like a normal man.
But he isn't a normal man, either. A normal man wouldn't take advantage of his own offspring's deep-seeded need to seek his father's attention. And that's what this was, wasn't it? Dabi wanting his attention, and he wasn't guiltless either. He wants the attention, the contact, the admiration from him. They're both sick, and clearly feed off of each other's weaknesses. At least Dabi can claim that he's not pretending to be something he isn't--Enji has no excuses for himself.
Despite the shame filling him, the sounds Dabi makes with every push of his hips eggs him on. When he glances down between them, he's greeted by Dabi's dick, noticeably harder than when he first grabbed him to pin against the wall of the shower. At least this sickness they're engaging in is mutual. He couldn't do it if it wasn't. His fingers dedicate just as much time to the areas of damaged skin as it does to the healthy sections, but he notices that he gets more of a response from the latter and focuses on that instead.
Dabi grabs at the neck of the showerhead for support, Enji presumes. He doesn't need Dabi to help support him, but he doesn't do anything to impede the younger male's movements. Enji hadn't given much thought to what he might need the leverage for until burned hands grip his shoulders and legs twine around him so that when Dabi moves against him, he can feel exactly what's being pressed up between the muscles of his abs. He swears under his breath, his eyes too fixated on his son's to respond in any meaningful way.
Even if he had something to say, the mouth pushed against his suddenly keeps him from saying it. Enji prefers it that way. Talking has never been his strong suit, anyway. His eyes close into the kiss, and he does notice how different it is. The texture from top to bottom is different, which he expected, but it's not as rough as he thought it might be--the lower half of Dabi's face. It's not at all unpleasant, and he finds himself wondering what the inside of his son's mouth might feel like.
He hates every part of himself, but he can't bring himself to stop either.]
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i'm home, no more mobile tags!
Not knowing what a DILF is was not one of the most pressing matters, but was a fairly clear indication of how out of touch he is with the average person. Dabi is hardly average, though, he reminds himself. What he said earlier lingers in Enji's mind for a while as he eats, not realizing Dabi has a clear view of him in the reflection of the windows. Maybe he'd have tried to mask his expressions or not look so much like he's mulling things over internally. Picked up more skill on the streets than I did in your house. Was that from his refusal to continue training Touya, or because his methods weren't effective? This is the sort of thing he debates with himself when he's not speaking.]
By the time I got to Shouto, she just begged him to do as I said.
[There's some guilt there, sure, but Dabi is right. She did agree, and she never told anyone about their fights. And although the fighting was rarely ever one-sided, he knows better than to even think that made it fair, or less shameful for people to know.]
That's probably what caused her to snap. She couldn't win against me, but Shouto reminded her enough of me and that was a fight she could win. [Or maybe she lost it in the heat of the moment the way Enji does. Maybe being around him so long had Rei taking on his bad habits? He sighs and shakes his head. He's getting ahead of himself, and he should just let things be. She doesn't have to deal with him anymore, so that's already an improvement.]
I think she just didn't know how to help you. Neither did I. You weren't a burden until you grew up, announced yourself on national television, told the world about our personal issues, and decided to fuck up my life.
[He looks up at that point, seeing Dabi's reflection in the mirror and the pointed stare in his own eyes before it softens again into something else. Regret, probably. Can't blame the truth on him, just the fact that it finally leaked.]
I'm done. [Enji announces to no one in particular since Fuyumi isn't around to accept gratitude for the meal. He gets up without saying anything else to have a look around. The place isn't huge, so there's only so many places that some bed rolls might be hiding. He stumbles across the bathroom first, though. Dabi should have some sympathy for his mother, in the end she was just as much a victim to Enji's insufferable grip on the throat of his family.] Do you want to shower or figure out the sleeping situation?
mobile tags are fun as well~
this? ... no.]
Cept he didn't. I saw him yell at you when you hit her. [after touya came back with his burns, leading endeavor to argue with his wife over him, resulting in the blow, shouto's yells, natsuo and fuyumi cowering in fear elsewhere as touya left the entire lot of them behind.] And he rejected you after you sent his mom away. [a soft chuckle lolls from his mouth.] I never would've rejected you. I would've walked into hell for ya.
[he thinks so little of endeavor's wife, despises his youngest child, all because they removed his father's attention from him. one by never standing up for him, the other by being more desirable. hates them both for those things and the other stains on his life they stand for.]
Dunno. I was dead before she broke. If ya really think she boiled Shouto's face cause she wanted to do it to you but couldn't...
... bfft-! Haha! That's fuckin hilarious! I'd've loved to've seen her throw a teapot at you!
[he didn't get to live with rei and the family while their mother slowly twisted into insanity. hearing endeavor mention it now is a first glimpse, but it's still funny. since he'd never really gotten the chance to talk to shouto about his burn, for obvious villain-related reasons + being dead at the time, he'd been curious about the cause behind it. did some digging to find out why she'd been committed and finally found out, but hearing it more or less confirmed? that's a nice piece of information for him to tuck away for a later date.]
Ya keep sayin ya don't know... ah forget it. We're just goin in circles now. S'no fun.
[he tosses back the last of his bento's top layers, but makes a face at the rice at the bottom. disgusting. dropping the bento onto the counter, he scoots away from it, not about to eat the rest. hates plain rice. not as much as he hates fish, but it's a good second place.]
But don't be too sore about the video. I damned myself in it as well. And at least I outed Hawks alongside ya. So ya didn't have to go to the press all by yourself. I'm sure plenty of other heroes have dirt and crimes they don't want the world knowing either. Should make another one...
[musing to himself, he glances up to catch endeavor looking at him in the reflection. dabi's eyes narrow at the stare and when enji's soften into regret, his only harden into determination. leaving endeavor to go searching, he stays in the chair, lingering in the darkness in thought. no, the place isn't that big, a small complex for the tower's support and some overnight stay. but as enji finds, there is a bathroom with a shower and there's a little bedroom tucked in the back for the worker or guard off shift.
dabi breaks from his thoughts at the question, then stands from the chair.]
There should be an extra area in here... Hang on.
[it takes him a while of searching, using his flames as light. but after a minute, he manages to locate the villains' hidden panel. a quick code entry and a section of the floor loosens before popping up. beneath is another chamber, bathroom, computer room, two beds, and an underground route to vanish from the outpost into the hills. other supplies linger down there, from a few bedding extras to batteries and dried foods. things to help an on-the-move villain lie low for the night, get a quick refresh and restock, then go on their way without being seen.]
We probably don't need to sleep down there. Unless someone shows up tonight.
[and if they have that kind of luck (or misfortune) they should immediately head to a casino to win big.]
until autocorrect pops in
But the only thing he's gotten from any of this is that Dabi is insane, and reason means fuck all to him. If Touya is in there somewhere he has a hard time seeing it.
Yet, there are moments when he does get that feeling. Or maybe he's projecting his nicest memories of their time together onto his son. How many of them did Dabi actually even remember? But most of the time so far has been like this. Dabi ridiculing him for one thing or another and bringing up his disdain for not only him, but everyone else in the family. Enji sighs.]
Is that supposed to make me feel better? That you also had plans to dragging other people's images through the mud? [He's about to keep fussing about it like the nagging parent he is on the inside when Dabi suggests another round of videos.] No, absolutely not. If you want to make videos, make a damn documentary and stop trying to put people's private lives on display.
[He gets moves closer when Dabi starts to mess with a panel he hadn't noticed before. Apparently it triggers a mechanism that seals off a whole other area of the building, and decides that even if his son is insufferable he does have some redeeming qualities hidden behind all of the crazy.]
But I'm not an idiot, you know. I get it. Heroes are idolized and put on pedestals they don't deserve. We put on masks and dress up so we don't have to deal with our imperfections. It's hypocritical. [He's talking to Dabi as he heads down. The second he sees there's a shower Enji begins to undress, ready to wash away all the bullshit of the day with piping hot water.]
It's not even about the money or the fame for me. [Enji says this part quietly, not sure if Dabi is even listening anymore. Part of him hopes he isn't.] I'm just not good at anything else. [His ego isn't fragile, but he knows himself pretty well. Being a hero is all he has, and if it means living a lie whenever he suits up, he'd have kept doing it because he's good at it and he has nothing else. If he can't fix his own family, at least he can help other people get home safely to theirs.]
I don't mind sleeping down here so you can have your own space.
[He's already shrugged off his coat and his shoes, shirt, and belt are next. Enji throws them all onto one of the small beds that he's unsure he'll fit in comfortably, but he won't complain. Turning on the shower to test the water, it doesn't get as hot as he wants, but that won't be an issue. So used to being home alone, he doesn't think to give any warning before his jeans come down and off. He lingers naked for a moment, waiting to see if the water will heat up further before he gets in. It doesn't, so he'll have to make his own steam.]
autocorrect is evil
he honestly doesn't think he's that hard to understand, but perhaps someone who's spent so much time in the light and looking away from the darkness behind him simply can't grasp what it means for someone to hate him so much it consumes their reason for existing. or becomes it. might've had a glimpse into that with ending, but dabi's the one who brought it starkly forward.
does it surprise him endeavor can't really handle that reality? not exactly. but it also has an unintended backlash against the villain. eventually attacking someone who's gone numb turns out to be pointless.
so dabi steps back to let him recharge. his tone's quieter, less accusing, but still carries weight to it.]
You still think they should get away with crimes?
[let endeavor think about the "who" that "they" refers to. mostly heroes, yes, but also government officials, wealthy civilians, the people who use the hero society to behave like villains but remain safe from touch because they're good at hiding their sins. dabi's exposed endeavor and hawks and then there's lady nagant to consider.
endeavor can't be stupid enough to think he's the only one who should answer to the darkness in his past. perhaps dabi's appealing to the man's own sense of revenge, angry that he's had to face the light while others he might know get to hide their shame and mistakes. or maybe he's testing the man's damn heroic resolve to do the "right" thing and see villains brought to justice or prevented from harming more people. except now the question is who really is the "villain" in this society...
he leaves his father to think about that question, couched in the threat of another tell-all video. dabi might have focused on endeavor and hawks for their connection to him, but he's certainly not the only villain with a personal vendetta against people. and once one gets out with success, others follow. wouldn't it be best if the heroes came out about their skeletons before some villain does it for them?
because of that, he lapses into silence as they figure out the outpost and its secrets. dabi feels minutely proud of himself for locating and accessing the panel to get the secret area open. wandering around it at least gives them more an idea of what they've got at their disposal.]
So if ya get all that, why haven't ya tried to stop it? Do ya really want heroes like that?
[it follows stain's ideology of wanting only true heroes to be active. dabi's tone suggests he's being sincere for a rare moment to his father. endeavor's seen the darkness in their society and has been forced to confront it. even though he's currently out of action thanks to this agreement with his insane child, dabi can still question the hero's drive and thoughts for the future. it's probably not smart to give him the information, but... what does endeavor want to do? talk about the best way to cook asparagus?]
It ain't about that now.
[and while he would begrudgingly give endeavor the comment about money, he'd instantly lash at him over the man's heroism not being about his own "fame" and reputation. arrogant and self-centered, wanting to be the number one so much he developed and obsession with it to the point of ruining his entire family, of course he wanted that fame and acknowledgement of his strength. he's been humiliated (humbled) enough to recognize the flaws of that goal and dabi's aware of that, but he still doesn't believe it's as sincere as it is. thinks it's just endeavor trying to crawl out of his disastrous position right now and he'll return to "normal" later to reclaim what he's always longed for. but that's for dabi's thoughts.
which are somewhat distracted as he watches endeavor start to strip. shame? nope. he's standing right and his eyes follow coat, shirt, etc as they get removed. look, after you see spinner take a shower, this is nothing.]
Huh, really. So who put together ya agency? Hire someone to do that?
[he never got around to burning that place down. it's on the list, but it's not a priority at the moment. hopefully it'll be collateral damage in the war. dabi scoffs at the notion of sleeping down there before crossing his arms over his chest and leaning his shoulder to the wall, one ankle crossed over the other.]
I'll think about it.
[it's safer to sleep down here in the bunker in case something happens. sleeping up there is asking for trouble. though they are far away and this place is semi-abandoned, the fact there's a dead woman and a park on blue fire a few miles away is likely going to get a search party fanning out to look for him. there's little doubt someone's going to remember this outpost and at least come for a check.
one, unfortunately the hot water is zilch. dabi won't care but endeavor'll have to contend with it. two, he's abruptly looking at the hero stripped right down in front of him. backside of course, but no one's going to say that's not impressive. hmm... should he say the "dilf" comment again? nah, he's antagonized endeavor enough, to the point it's really not doing shit to him. so he opts to stay where he is and watch like he doesn't care at all.]
... what's Natsuo think of me?
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In the meanwhile, though, he can reason with him. Honestly. He'll say shit that he'd never repeat to anyone else. It's hard to say if Dabi will even believe him, so it matters less if he lies or not. The truth is just easier.]
No. I don't think anyone should get away with crimes. I don't think anyone is above the law. No matter how much fame or money someone has, they should pay for their crimes like everyone else.
[Which is easy enough to say. There's no one alive that doesn't think that Stain wanting just the pure of heart and karma to be the one's parading around as heroes. That'd be ideal, but this is not fantasy it's real life.]
But the fact of the matter is that at the end of the day, heroes are people, and they make mistakes. Some bigger than others. And they can be motivated by money, greed, popularity...competition.. [Yeah, that last one is all him. The popularity wasn't what he was after ever. Just the number one spot. He wanted to be "the best" and that started with being the number one hero in the country, surpassing All Might. Blah, blah, blah. Those goals feel so far from him now that he's come to terms with what's actually important.]
Something like that is too much for one man to stop. I know a hero isn't supposed to think that way, but you already know I'm a fraud. I'm just an idiot who wanted to become stronger than All-Might.
[Now he was unequivocally a great hero and Enji could never be like that. He isn't wired for it. Bakugo may have similar problems if his focus remains on Midoriya rather than self-improvement, but that's neither here nor there.
I put my agency together out of necessity. If I went anywhere else, I'd be contractually obligated to do ridiculous interviews, give press releases, do fan events--stuff that's a waste of time. [Still naked and waiting on the shower to warm up (it's not warming up), he turns to face Dabi for a moment, shaking his head.] It was a selfish way to put my money into something that would benefit me. You're not all wrong about me, I don't deserve most of what I have, but that's the way the world works.
[If he's aware he's being watched when he turns back around he doesn't show it. The mention of Natsuo seemed like as good a time as any to bring out his flames, so that when he stepped under the cold water steam quickly filled up the bathroom and poured out of the open door that he'd keep talking to Dabi through.]
I think he understands you the most out of everyone, but he feels bad that he couldn't help you too. Not as much as he blames me for all of it happening in the first place, but he hates me enough to think the video you released wasn't such a bad thing to happen to me.
[A lot of that is speculation on his part. The times they've actually had an honest conversation could be counted twice over on a single hand. Once his fire is out the steam lingers only for a moment until it's just cold water again. Enji has a battle within himself about whether or not to swallow his pride and ask Dabi to come over and act as a space heater since he's dry and can maintain fire. On the other hand he can suffer through a cold shower. It would be good for him...yet...the last time he had one had been in his expensive bathroom with perfectly temperature controlled water. Fuck it.]
Can you come in here a second?
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what he's getting out of endeavor right now, however, is strange. because between their calmer voices and dabi's less venomous attacks, the start of a somewhat decent? conversation's happening. even if the topic is still damnable for the heroes it references. dabi'd love to be recording this for later, but due to the lack of phones and shit, there's no way. it's for his ears alone...]
Ya know any heroes who should pay for their shit? Asides from you.
[beat that horse enough for the day. and while he could toss hawks onto the block, that answer's obvious, even though dabi only really has one crime on the winged hero, that being twice's murder. since the flaming chicken tricked him with best jeanist. but if he's in the same position as lady nagant, then he's bound to have done some dirty things. has all might? does endeavor even know or as he not been privy (or cared enough) to look into other heroes' wrongdoings?]
Villains are people too. Same motivation. Same "mistakes".
[but society's picky choosy over the who, the why, and the severity. dabi's not an idiot enough to lack understanding of that fact. there are a lot of villains who have done a lot "worse" than the majority of heroes, though that might depends on whose viewpoint was looking. at least the villains are honest about their crimes... some of them. it's all a fucking mess.]
Dunno. Sometimes strength doesn't matter. One man with enough conviction can change the world.
[no disagreement with endeavor putting himself down as fraud and idiot. dabi lets him get away with it without comment, merely tilting his head in silent agreement. moves onto the agency part because he's honestly curious about that. tapping his fingers on his forearm, dabi watches the steam rise up in the shower, momentarily blocking his father's body from view. not like there's a curtain or anything to drag across. it's merely an open cell because why bother having extra accommodations down here?]
Seriously? Oh, cause you'd just be a lackey for the other agency. Ya wanna be ya own boss.
[call the shots, order people around, make sure everything's going the way he wants. that should've been an obvious reason. dabi didn't know much about hero agencies, save for they were as stuck up as the buildings were tall. another symbol of the materialistic hero.]
The way the world works, huh. Pretty sure ya know that's a real shitty excuse. And a shitty way to run the world. Ya really determined to go back to bein a hero? Why dontcha join us and help kick it all over?
[this might be one of the stupidest things he's ever said. it's as dumb, if not dumber, than trying to convert that explosive anger management kid. but hey, this conversation's not harming anyone and endeavor's free to think outside the box down here. not on record or anything. dabi can ask a stupid question or two as well. endeavor's got a somewhat villainous vibe to him already.]
Betcha he doesn't understand me now.
[dabi pushes off the door and waves a booted foot through the steam pouring out the doorway. he even curls his hand around to bat at some of the misty vapors. playing with it momentarily. natsuo was the one he trusted the most, the one he was closest too, but eventually even that crumbled away. watching endeavori's flaming outline through the shower steam is a strange experience. but not at all unappealing. sometimes he's wondered what it'd be like to blast the guy with a firehose. might be something like this?] Text
Not to you, but I'm pretty sure he's pissed as hell for it dragging the rest of them back in the spotlight. Good. They should all get a chance to talk for once.
[even if dabi had to drag them out one by one and kick them into the light to make them open their damn mouths about what happened. shouto's gonna side with endeavor, then he can get the experience too.
he glances up at the fire flickering out and a grin cracks on the corner of his mouth. bets that water's freezing. keeping the fire going can't be that hard, but it's likely not doing much since the water coming in still remains cold. ain't a tub he can fill up and then boil. he drifts off into the steam that's left and after a while, returns when endeavor calls him.
just in his pants, having shed everything else out in the room.]
Can't stand bein an ice cube?
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Discussing his coworker's dark pasts is not something anywhere on his list.]
First of all, I don't have any friends. I'm not close with anyone, so why would I know if they don't pay their taxes or have children out of wedlock?
[Two very oddly specific examples, but they are more rumor than fact, and to narrow down that search he'd have to have conversations that he doesn't want to have with people he doesn't want to have them with. He truly couldn't care less what fucked up things anyone else got up to in their free time. Maybe they felt the same? There's only one friend that he knows a lot about and he's already been targeted by Dabi. Hawks, short of having the eyes of a homewrecker, was a decent man, and doesn't deserve his son's wrath.
He opens his mouth to say as much but closes it when Dabi just flat out invites him to switch sides. Enji is silent for a while because that's not an easy question to answer, and maybe not just instantly saying no was also not a great look, either. Enji can't picture himself working with any members of the league of villains, and they might laugh at Dabi for suggesting they bring in his old man. Maybe he's just joking about this, too? Enji is thankful for the cold water falling down on him, keeping him awake and rational. In his rationality, he decides not to answer--it needs more thought.]
I don't think anyone truly understands you.
[He doesn't mean it as an insult, but there are very clear undertones of "you're batshit, and no amount of child abuse excuses the amount of insane that you are," and yet the same applies to him. There's no one that understands Enji either. He hardly understands himself most days.]
Natsuo doesn't go out of his way to be understanding. Maybe he'll join your side of the fight more easily than I can.
[And about the ice cube thing? At least Dabi is right on the money and Enji doesn't have to try to explain.]
Just for a little while. I'll return the favor.
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seeing endeavor's refusal to spill secrets about his coworkers earns an annoyed click from the villain's tongue and a muttered "killjoy" following it.]
Cause ya still work in an office and people are gossips.
[heroes do their damnest to keep their images clean, so obviously someone has to know about the cleanup. he's kind of surprised endeavor doesn't know. the man may be extremely focused on his hero work, but for someone so focused on the top spot, he should have his eyes on the people trying to come up behind him. that or dabi's simply grown to be an almost paranoid-level of cautious about other people.]
Kinda specific examples though... someone came to mind right away, huh.
[he can work with rumors. gotta have some place to start. as for hawks, the man thought he could doublecross dabi and fuck up the league? not exactly the league, but he killed twice. did he have any fucking idea what sort of setback that had been to dabi's plans? hawks betrayed him, lied to him, allied with his father, and tried to ruin their organization, and by proxy the villain's hard work. hawks deserved every second of dabi's flames. and he had a lot of fun turning the winged vermin into a roast chicken. would've had two of them if that damn fool geten hadn't interrupted them...]
Oh? Ya actually thinkin about it? I'm surprised.
[figured endeavor would mock him for even suggesting the man become a villain. but that silence tells him otherwise. while endeavor likely wouldn't commit to the plf's goals and aims, he might assist them if it meant "making amends" with his black sheep son. dabi's not sure that's a very pleasant thought... but he's deluding himself if he thinks the plf would allow him to invite endeavor into their folds after what hawks did and the revelation that endeavor is dabi's father. he'd already been grilled by a few people post-war due to the 'traitor' and whether or not he had anything to do with leaking information to hawks and endeavor due to that relation. pfft, he'd laughed in all their faces. and killed two of them outright for thinking such things.]
Yeah, I've know that for years.
[dabi takes it as an insulting statement of his reality. none of them understood him. his entire family. is it any wonder he skulked off into the darkness and kept himself an enigmatic mess when emerging from them years later? when people understand you, you lose the advantage. far better to remain unknown and unpredictable. unless they start predicting your unpredictability so it ends up moot... already told shouto to his face he was insane and accepted that long ago. you don't burn yourself alive on a mountain and crawl out of the ashes with your brains intact.]
Natsuo's too pathetic to ever be useful. He's a coward who runs when things get too tough for him.
[as he speaks, dabi brazenly steps right into the shower with his father, one corner of his mouth stretching upward at the staples when the cold water splashed over him and didn't seem to bother him at all. a second later, the blue flames licked along his shoulders and down his arms, quickly increasing the heat of the room and the water drooling down his back.]
Sit down.
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[Which is all he sees it as. He tunes all of it out to focus most of the time, but Dabi's not wrong. He does know of a few cases of a handful of bad actors, but it isn't his place to shine light on that darkness. Not when he has darkness of his own. Well, maybe not so much now that Dabi dragged it all out into the open.]
So I don't really know for sure, but if you're serious about it, I can give you some leads to follow up on.
[If they're bad enough to warrant investigation, then hopefully it will bring something concrete to light. Enji's concern is less about secrets being spilled, and more on what it would do to the image of heroes. Not personally, he doesn't give a shit about that, but in general. People losing faith in heroes means that society would take another turn where the wicked would outshine the just. He's unsure about this particular path Dabi wants to explore, but he'll at least give him what he knows or more accurately, what he can find out. Dabi would have to figure it out from there.
Enji isn't sure why entertaining the idea of switching sides makes him feel so guilty. He doesn't have allegiance to anyone, and most of his fans only got there via All Might stepping down, or people who don't care who the number one hero is, just that they do their job in keeping the streets safe. Enji has made a name for himself doing that, but also being a main reason for the existence of the villain Dabi. Would anyone even be surprised if he did? Hawks would be disappointed, but everyone who ever thought he wasn't hero material would be validated. ]
I'm not so easily understood, either, it seems. But I want to understand you now, maybe we can figure each other out somehow.
[Enji also won't say anything bad about Natsuo. That's a no-go. Part of him gets a little upset every time Dabi asks about someone else. He understands that he can't just go ask them himself, but does Enji bore him so much that he's only wanting to know his standing with the others. Just as he has that thought, Dabi is trying to step inside the shower with him.
Before he can think to ask him what the hell he's doing, he figures it out.]
I meant you could have warmed the air out there. [He mumbles in forced irritation, but there's clearly gratitude there because he steps a little bit closer to soak up a little bit of the heat from his flames. They just burned much hotter than his own by default. Enji doesn't want to sit down, though, but he keeps his eyes on Dabi as the awkwardness of the situation hits him and his face flushes. At least he can blame that on the sudden change in temperature.
He uses soapy hands to wash himself, turning away when he has to pretend to have some shame for his son's comfort. He's worked hard with training and so his body is in good shape, and he's not ashamed of it. But that doesn't mean that Dabi wants to watch him wash his dick. Enji goes through the washing process pretty fast, he's rushing because Dabi's there with him.
Only once he's done does he finally cave, sitting down under the now warm water to rinse off.]
Your clothes are getting wet. [Well, just his pants. Enji reaches out to undo the front of Dabi's jeans. They'd have to trade off eventually, or maybe not. It isn't like cold water bothers his son. Enji is the only one really enjoying the instant sauna effects of Dabi's flames.]
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[it's amusing to see heroes with attitudes like endeavor and that exploding kid. they're so opposite what heroes are expected to be and yet an increasing number of people continue to find them attractive. makes him wonder if at some point, the population might flip over and start regarding the villains as more deserving of attention... since the heroes are corrupt as well.]
Ain't gonna turn that down.
[he sure as hell expects whatever his father gives him to be complete bullshit. but it won't hurt to take it and at least have a look into. who knows, might get lucky or endeavor might make a mistake and slip something useful in there. then again, there's the slight chance the man does want to make things right and rooting out some of the scum in his own ranks could help with that. could be an attempt to regain his own glory and position too... wouldn't put it past him. dabi has all the interest in the image of heroes; any chance of smearing them is one he's at least willing to inspect. dead ends don't bother him as much now. not like he has a time schedule or anything. (well, maybe that damn afo does, but that's not really dabi's problem.) a heroless world would be fun.
as much delight as it'd be to have endeavor switch over to the "bad" side, it'll never happen. the villains are too wary for such a thing and it's more likely that afo would rip out his quirk and shove it into one of those disgusting nomu or another follower. not the kind of end dabi wants for his father. call him selfish, but he cares more about his own desires than what's "best" for all for one and the rest of the world, heroes and villains be damned. but holy shit, what would it be like to watch endeavor clash with shouto? make the two of them fight each other, father and son all over again, but this time the success instead of the failure. can he even make that happen? ... huh.]
I understand all I need to know about ya.
[even if endeavor's the one with the more accurate memories compared to dabi's smokey recollections. it's less understanding his father and more determined to project his thoughts onto him. "dabi" can only function off the man he knows from his past. whatever endeavor's trying to become or however he's trying to change... nu-uh. that's not good. he has to force him back into the state he remembers or corrupt whatever he's attempting into the normal hatred.
hearing him apologize, trying to understand him, wanting to make amends, he can't-- he can't function if that person is the truth. because then it starts to swing endeavor towards a hero again, destroying what dabi's worked so hard to destroy in turn. (but as the man figures, there's only so much dabi can blame on his childhood abuse before he has to be accountable for his own actions. and while he says he's already done that, the video broadcasting to the world the "why" he did what he did clearly shows otherwise.) blame blame blame. so it's safer to talk about other people when endeavor isn't responding like dabi wants.
boring. yeah. like hell does he want this to turn into some mundane soul searching trip with dear old dad. invading the shower seems like another way to throw those logs back on the fire. plus he needs one himself anyways. considering enji's reaction before, coming in here naked probably would've sent him fast walking out the door.]
What's that gonna do if ya dumping freezin water all over ya?
[give him a good place to step out into before he has to get back in. dabi ignores the gruff gratitude in the man's voice and he reaches his arms up to rest his hands on the walls, more or less spreading himself out to catch the water and heat up what splashes over him and goes around him. the steam's quickly pumping through the shower once more as the water spills over dabi's back and shoulders. without endeavor taking a seat, he can't lean over him and just "drool" hot water down onto the man, but that's enji's call. bullshit on blaming the flush on the water.
as endeavor turns away, dabi's presented with his back. he bitterly reminds himself he's more familiar with this side of his father than the front. doesn't stop him from letting his eyes wander. it's a testament there aren't as many, if any, scars on his back as there are on his front. the man never turned his back on his foes. just his family. how's that for being a hero. dabi drops an arm and lazily starts to run a finger over endeavor's back, following the shape of his shoulder blades and down along the contours of his muscles. not even showing the slightest bit of shame for doing so. occasionally heats his finger up, threatening to burn, but backing off before it gets anywhere near dangerous.]
Don't gotta hurry on my account. I ain't rushin ya.
[finally endeavor sits down and dabi takes the opportunity to brace his hands on the way, then leans over him entirely. this lets the water spill off his back, head, and shoulders, running down on the man below him at a far hotter temperature than the shower head's putting out. almost like a filter.]
Ya good at statin the obvious. [though he arches a brow when the hero actively pops the front of his jeans. wasn't expecting that. but he doesn't pull away either, eyes boring into the red-haired head below him.] Take 'em off if ya don't like em...
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So what's he left with?
Getting physically closer, so far, has been the only thing that he'd allow. At first Dabi resisted even that, but it hasn't even been a full 24 hours yet, and it seems like at the very least his son is indifferent towards Enji touching him. That's something. They've also not resorted to literal flame wars, so there's that too.]
Might not have minded the freezing water if it was warmer...[He starts to try to explain his logic there, but there's not much need at this point. Dabi's already in the shower with him and being weird about it now that he's helping would be counterproductive. He decides to just get on with the shower. Enji isn't sure now is the time to say it, but he's thankful for the assist.
While he has his back to his son, he feels the touch and does the very same thing that was done to him earlier--he flinches. It's not that he hates the contact necessarily. It's just unexpected. The only people who touch him at all are villains, and they certainly don't touch him like that. Rei hasn't been within a few feet of him in decades, even when she came to see him in the hospital. So this is different.
Strangely enough, he doesn't mind the heat from Dabi's finger, maybe because he's more familiar with that than the strangeness of something gentle or exploratory.]
Bathing with you was a lot less weird when you were a kid. [He complains, but so far Dabi really hasn't done anything terribly out of line. If anything's troubling Enji, it's having to depend on someone else for something.
Enji isn't thinking about anything in particular when he gets Dabi's pants and underwear down his hips, pulling them off cautiously so he doesn't have fabric catch on the staples. And, he only remembers being curious about what Dabi's body looked like below the waist after he's gotten said pants down off his ankles and tossed them clear of the running water and across the bathroom entirely.]
I don't like any of your clothes. Too many holes.
[This isn't so strange, he thinks. Fathers and sons sharing a public shower isn't a big deal. Why does the air around them feel tense all of a sudden? He could just be projecting, so Enji keeps the conversation as normal as he can even if Dabi's junk is right there in his face.]
Ready to switch? [He's only half rinsed off with soap still visible on half his body because of the haste with which he's looking to not have to be on his knees in front of his first born.]
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well, guess a distracting shower fiasco is a good enough change of pace to keep them somewhat occupied while the occasional conversation dips around between them. it feels strange to be so close to endeavor without trying to burn him to ash. the last time he was this close without murderous intent was that day back home, when he told his father to come to sekoto to see his new development. the day he died. now?
it's been less than a few hours together and he's standing in the shower with him, letting his father touch him and doing the same in return.]
Ya ain't got that many scars... Lucky you.
[ignoring the comment about the water temperature, he finds interest instead in the man's back and the lack of real blemishes. it says a lot of things. speaks of his power and skill almost immediately, though some people might say it spoke of cowardice and a fear of pain. but it also serves as a glaring reminder that his father's body is built for his quirk, a perfect specimen for the intense power of his flames. sure, he has some limits and a threat of overheating, but it's hardly anything the man has to worry about.
specifically exemplified as he trails his finger along his back. even the heat of his flames, despite him keeping them down from something fatal, isn't going to do anything due to endeavor's resistant to those temperatures. he'd really have to gun the blue flickers on his finger to drag a branding line down his skin. and he's not about to turn into an arc welder right now.
dabi ignores the way endeavor flinches at the initial touch. he'll deal with it. mentally he finds it interesting, though it's bitter due to understanding endeavor's momentary twitch away is due to the man simply not being used to someone touching him like that rather than associating "touch" with "pain" or caution. at least that's his assumption. maybe endeavor does normally associate touch with pain, since most of the people who manage to touch him are villains. the ones that want to hurt him.]
Cause I was a kid.
[though ironically he's probably a much bigger "little shit" now than he was as a child. later years being the exception. dabi sounds amused at endeavor's complaint and makes no effort to stop the touches until the man finally sits beneath him and works on his pants. the metal buckle and leather belt come open easily, buttons on his pants and zipper dragging down to open his fly. a pair of black boxer briefs at least suggest the villain's not running around commando all the time. (occasionally... he's a rebel.) but he notes again how endeavor's careful with his staples.
dabi hikes one leg at the knee to strip the clothing from his ankle and foot, then repeats it with the other to get out of them entirely. it's another view like his arms. the scorched flesh of his legs rakes across the majority of his limbs like ugly stockings of wrinkled purple flesh. staples rimming the middle of his thighs where his skin's demarcation lines wander and another set ringing his ankle just under the bone, though his other leg's been consumed past his heel to the center of his foot. boots can be a pain at times. both ways.
perhaps the one lucky part of his life is that the area between his lower stomach and his upper thighs has remained clear of burns. hips are spared. ergo, he hasn't burned his dick off as endeavor'd griped about earlier. and thankfully that's one area he didn't get the "runt" gene in. his partners never complained. those steely wires of muscle are there as well, defined pelvic V from his life. he might not have a great deal of strength and physical endurance, but at least he's not flabby.]
Sorry. I'll make sure to dumpster dive behind the quality brand stores next time.
[nyeh. have some sarcastic teenager he apparently hasn't outgrown yet. dabi scoffs at the question before dropping his arms and using them to "aim" the streams of water off his fingers and onto endeavor's face and shoulders.]
You still look like someone blasted you with a fucking soap machine.
[but it'll only be a few seconds before dabi lowers his arms to indicate he's done. and be thankful he doesn't just step to the side and let you eat ice, dammit.]
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So, yeah, it's unusual to be this close to anyone else, doubly so that Dabi is technically his son, but not so weird that he ever considers shutting it down, or walking away.]
Not back there, no, and luck doesn't have anything to do with it.
[And although he has a few at the front, none are as prominent as the one on his face. Can't really complain about that when Dabi's entire body is a literal patchwork of unburnt skin and scar tissue. The same man as a child bares almost no resemblance when Enji tries to place them side by side in his mind. The only thing about Dabi that's exactly the same is the intense aqua of his eyes that mirror his father's. Shouto only got one, but when he looks at Dabi it carries the familiarity of a quick glance into a mirror.
The muscles of his back and shoulders tense and flex in response to the touch of a hot (but not uncomfortably so) fingertip against his skin. He doesn't make any sort of verbal remark about the contact, but drops his head down a little with a soft hum. It's as much of an invitation for Dabi to touch him freely as he's going to give. Probably to anyone, ever, but definitely for the foreseeable future, if not, then just the next couple weeks.]
You're certainly not a child anymore.
[Even if there are moments he has to remind himself of that. Jumping back into the peak of their relationship as father and son wasn't possible for a number of reasons, but he's as careful with Dabi as he would have been with Touya when he was a baby. There are so many habits he needs to break, and it's a little easier to not try to treat him like the insufferable kid he has the clearest memory of when the very representation of his manhood is on display.
If Enji takes a moment to look once Dabi's clothes are out of the way, it's entirely based in curiosity and nothing more. He has to tell himself that when the obvious question of what he's doing looking at his son's dick pops into his head. It's not like the size of him is of any importance to him at all. Obviously it's just a sick curiosity to see if he had Enji's genes there or his mothers. That's all it is, he insists to himself, silently satisfied that at least that part of him filled out well and wasn't lost to his self-destructive fire quirk.]
I'm trying to spare you from having to be in here with me longer than you have to.
[But since Dabi is going to judge him for it the way he's judged his clothing, Enji matches that same sarcastic teenage energy as he gets to his feet, sucks it up and properly washes himself off. He can't leave a job half finished.
Enji feels at least a little more shame than Dabi when his eyes linger over the villain's slim frame from his full height. He's not embarrassed at all to show his own body but, it takes some time until he doesn't feel bad about looking at Dabi. Enji leans back against the tile, trying to move out of the way of the shower so Dabi can wash himself. Unlike his son, he takes up a good amount of space, so he's used to being conscious of it.
Dabi doesn't need Enji to warm his water because of his quirk, but he lingers in the shower with him anyway to watch quietly.]
Make sure you wash properly. [The funny part is, he's not joking.]
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Ya mean ya don't ever get attacked from behind or ya never turn ya back on villains?
[okay so maybe not completely done with picking at him, but the question's not really lancing. endeavor's free to take it that way if he likes, but dabi's mostly curious. he's noticed the lack of any real scars on the hero's body, especially compared to the one on his face. they speak of endeavor's skill and power. though the one ripping half of his visage off dual speaks of his determination to be a hero and, now that it's revealed, the depths of dabi's hatred towards the man.
and no. he has no sympathy for shouto's burn scar or endeavor's. they don't even know the meaning of "scarring" compared to what touya went through. though he's not really one to flaunt his scars for that reason. kind of likes using them to freak, scare, and gross people out. they're sort of an intimidation weapon and they make a great conversation starter. (especially when he blames them on heroes.)
nah, he'll stick to one finger for exploring.]
And yet ya still can't help but occasionally treat me like one.
[no shit, since dabi can act like an immature kid at times. sulking, pouting, having tantrums, getting even, being a pain in the ass for no reason other than he's a walking dickhead. the league puts up with an awful lot from him... endeavor would shake his head. but then there's the current reality, when he's standing over his father with his body bared and his dick in his face. no shame whatsoever.
one, he certainly had gotten endeavor's genes in that department, though he doesn't have that meat-packed buns of steel ass his father sports and the tabloids like to snap pictures of (control your spandex, endeavor). but that might be more lack of nutrition on the streets than lack of genes. two, he's damn glad his dick hasn't burned off. there are multiple reasons he's not even going to think about for why. that said, enji staring right at him and checking him out is one part weird as fuck and one part hilarious. not that dabi was a prude; he never averted his eyes when endeavor stripped down.]
Walked in here on my own, and I'll leave when I feel like it. Ya ain't in control of that.
[though he does "hmph" in annoyance when the man opts to eschew his hands-aimed water flow and instead takes the icy burst in the face to quick wash himself off. tch, see if he ever helps you with that again, arrogant asshole. but he steps to the side and leans against the far wall while endeavor washes.
and this time, he takes the opportunity to take a good look. eyes wandering down his father's neck and chest, that ridiculous breadth of his shoulders and the statue chiselling of muscle that threatened to rival All Might in sheer sculpture alone. it's annoying that the man's a damn specimen of male beauty. aliens should never abduct him for a sample of humanity because they'd be disappointed when they came back for more like him. fuck, you could wash clothes on those abs! he gets a faint memory of playing that pachinko machine, watching the little metal balls bounce down pegs and hills to find paths to the bottom. speaking of... twin cuts grooving his his funnel dabi's eyes lower towards the fantasy of many a villainous female gaze. no, there were one or two instance when he torched some lewd bitch for rambling on about endeavor's dick. the world didn't need trash like that. but... he's getting a full frontal proof of exactly why they talked about him. it's as impressive as the rest of him, and that's probably an understatement.
maybe he's silently grateful he at least got some of his father's genes outside his quirk, and eyes, and skin tone, and hair... well, used to be hair.]
Ya serious? [did he just slip back into "dad" mode at him? dabi gives him a flat look before bluntly walking into the water and letting it splatter all over his face and down his body.] This is washin properly.
[anywhere from breaking into a school to steal showers at their locker rooms, the entire league renting one motel room to shower off, or if those options aren't available, finding fountain, river, lake, something like that to take a dip in. though it's when dabi gets the soap in his hands that he actually pauses and looks a little... not conflicted, but it's rare he gets soap.]
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Besides, he usually had his back to whoever's in need of saving, and it wasn't until recently he's started to wonder if maybe they were also waiting for a chance to stab him in the back.
Steam escapes his nose as he exhales the sigh he was holding on to.]
Then don't act like one.
[Far easier to place all the blame on Dabi that acknowledge that his softness for his son is his very glaring weakness, and treating him like he remembers Touya is so easy it's almost an indulgence worth savoring. How is he meant to treat Dabi like an adult when he never fully got to treat him as a teenager or a young man. He'd missed out on those moments with Touya and perhaps was making up for lost time.
Far too much too late, he thinks. Dabi would probably agree, but he doesn't say the words out loud to confirm it. Instead he dedicates his attention to the body in full view the same way Dabi's eyes examined him for flaws. The difference being Dabi scanning him for scars over otherwise smooth skin is not the same as taking in the patchwork of healthy and damaged skin that's exposed to him in return.
Although, he will admit that Dabi is still nice to look at in spite of that.
Unfortunately he's not the only one to think that. Dabi's slender frame and wickedly charismatic eyes have a power over the women who aren't put off by the track of staples holding the villain together. He has to hear about them when they send him letters belittling him for his past actions while complimenting Dabi in ways he always told his staff he had no inclination to hear about. So they stopped telling him.
He's always just assumed it's that same morbid fascination people have with serial killers, but getting to be up close and looking at him, he understands the appeal. Tall, dark, and handsome to those who weren't towering over him, Dabi would have been far too pretty to be a villain if he hadn't ruined himself with burns. And even the word ruin is debatable here, Enji thinks.]
You won't get clean with water alone. Do you need help?
[Enji is not above bathing his adult son if it ensures that he smells clean while they happen to be cohabitating. It's for his own benefit as well as Dabi's. There's also shampoo and Dabi's hair is probably too long to be fine without it. He squeezes some onto his hands and comes at Dabi without warning, his fingertips gently massaging his scalp as a good amount of lather forms. Even this feels like an indulgence he doesn't deserve to have a second chance at, but he steels his face and his focus, fully prepared to take any protest in stride in the name of hygiene.]
Tilt your head back and close your eyes.
[His voice isn't as stern as before when it's time to rinse. It's almost uncharacteristically gentle. This is how he should have always treated Touya, then maybe they wouldn't be in this position.]
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[he does. complete with thinking that steaming snort reminds him of a cartoon bull. and that's one of the few "innocent" childish things the villain's retained. the rest are all matured into some nasty personality traits. to go along well with his new life on the streets. rei would be completely ashamed at seeing what her son's turned into. manners wise. the rest of him's probably evoking both horror and disgust from her, if also a sense of validated relief that her exasperation towards him was well founded.
dabi's used to the blame being placed on him. he wasn't strong enough, he wasn't able enough, he wasn't good enough, all his fault for never being able to stand up to his father's ambitions and reach those lofty heights no matter what he did. he blamed fuyumi for not understanding him, natsuo for not wanting to hear him, enji and his wife for being shitty parents, and shouto simply of existing. but under it all, the notion of "failure" continues to run deep.
seeing some of those scars, not just the one on endeavor's face, is a way of validating his own determined beliefs that his father is not the perfect and lofty goal he wanted to make proud. the man is damaged and vulnerable, can be hurt and ruined. he's not the insurmountable wall he wanted to project himself as. not worth the title of no. 1. not even worth the title of "hero". and watching his eyes rove over himself is therapeutic as well. he's not ashamed of his scars and disheveled body. rather gets a sick enjoyment out of endeavor having to face his own handiwork. in a while, there's a lot of people enji used to know who are going to look like him, courtesy of endeavor's own flames.
oh he's not alien to the idea people find him attractive. perhaps not in the classic "beauty" standards, but the shadowy intrigue and dangerous allure of villainy and stoic callousness ironically draw people. he's used himself to survive and to get what he wanted. some people didn't care what it looked like, so long as it was fuckable. and others he had fun seducing, picking up charm and charisma from hookers and hustlers he watched on the streets. certainly wasn't going to learn those tricks from home sweet home.
some people find his scars freakishly attractive, though there's a lot of miscreants and deviants down here in the underworld. people endeavor wouldn't know shit about. well, minus the one or two dabi deliberately sent his way. ending for one and that ball riding star-what's-his-face. shows their importance to him.
dabi scoffs at the question and lifts his arm to look at it, broken from his thoughts.]
Don't think I forgot how to wash myself, ya know.
[of course, the one gross part of baths and showers is when his skin starts to get soft. particularly around the seams. makes it easier to pull and break, so he has to be careful if he wants to soak. with that in mind, he goes for the soap, stepping out of the spray so he can lather his hands and then start working on his arms. beginning with the demarcation lines and works his way down in quick, practiced motions that suggests he's more military in the shower on average.
only to pause and blink when hands fall on his head. seriously? he's gonna wash his hair? for a second, his eyes blaze up at the man through the dark spikes of his bangs, almost ready to flare up and blast him away from him. but the slight sapphire haze of flames around his shoulders dissipates and he loses the glare, looking away as he silently gives endeavor permission to do what he wants.
the roots are starting to show white again, but that's likely lost in the snowy suds.]
I do it this way.
[maybe he's petulant, maybe he's rebellious, but either way, he tilts his head forward instead and lets the water drag his hair, and the suds, down. those gentle hands in his hair are... irritating. the bring back extremely faint memories of a child he doesn't know anymore, and a parent he can no longer believe even existed.]
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Guess I'll take the blame for that too. At least I have a legitimate reason for treating you like one.
[That legitimate reason being that 1) Enji is literally his father 2) It's hard to know how to treat Dabi when Touya was just a child when he lost him. Dabi may not look like a child, and may not even look like the Touya he remembers, but the stuff from back then that he's been missing are things parents didn't tend to do to adult children. Bathing together and hair washing, for example. He doesn't know how to navigate any of this stuff. Maybe he should give up on parenting the way he's given up (at least temporarily) on being a hero.]
I don't think you forgot, I think you just don't do it right habitually.
[Enji is mostly joking, but nagging Dabi is strangely satisfying. Maybe because he knows that it does bother him. He also wondered about how his skin and staples handled extended exposure to water or soap, and he's starting to answer a lot of his own questions purely by observation.
He steps forward when Dabi dips his head for the shampoo run down forward instead of back. Maybe it has to do with the way he styles his hair? Enji doesn't care that much about it, he's solely focused on making sure the shampoo is completely washed out. He wraps an arm around Dabi's waist from behind to make sure he doesn't move away as he takes just a moment to properly wash behind his ears. Enji's open hand covers a large amount of surface area of Dabi's lower abdomen.
If his father's attention is what he wanted this whole time, Enji is sure it won't take much time for Dabi to grow to dislike the attention of his overbearing father as much as his other children do. He's still surprised that Dabi backed down from trying to fight Enji back, and he know he shouldn't ask questions about that or risk those blue flames coming out again. But he's never been able to leave well enough alone.]
As long as we do it your way, you don't care if I help?
[He wants to point out how childish that is to prove his point from before, but he's already risking being shoved away by making that comment at all. So Enji keeps it to himself, just letting out a low chuckle. It must be a dad sense of humor thing because he's also aware that this might not be amusing to anyone else.
At certain moments his skin meets Dabi's and he's able to feel there's a temperature difference between them. Dabi feels cold against him, and so Enji remains wrapped around him from behind. Just being out of direct contact with the cold water has allowed him to heat up again. They both tend to run hot, probably, but maybe Dabi doesn't know he's cold because he's not bothered by it?]
Am I smothering you yet? Or is this what you always wanted?
[Enji's hand slides up Dabi's stomach to one side of his chest, pulling him back and away from the water again. He lets himself have this moment, regardless of what Dabi wants, and rests his face right on top of Dabi's wet hair.]
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[he's sometimes wondered if, in his excuse to be a semi-decent parent, endeavor's given fuyumi, natsuo, and shouto unlimited credit cards. it seems likely, considering he can just throw money at his kids to make them go away. well, shouto being the exception. but he's not about to ask, preferring to leave that for stewing on later.
there's a part of him that's amused at endeavor's failure to deal with this new strangeness of showering with him. for dabi's, it's not a problem at all; he's so disassociated from his father the man might as well be a stranger when he needs him to be. years of pretending they weren't related and lying about it whenever the topic came up in his presence has made it second-nature for him to compartmentalize his thoughts and emotions when it comes to his family. unable to forget any of it, though his hatred's transformed all those memories into fuel for his insanity. he's got that going for him.]
How the fuck do you do it "right"? [doesn't stop him from growling at him like a petulant teenager getting told he needs to fix something.] It's washing hair.
[if endeavor's joking, it's still getting a rise out of the eldest from his brood. you put your hand in your hair with soap on it and rub it around back and forth. maybe in circles if you wanna be fancy about that shit. dabi doesn't treat it any differently than shoving his head under a spigot on a hot day.
the soap at least is helping the stapled areas of his skin. he does have to treat them when he has time and supplies to do that; otherwise he'd be walking around with infections all over. it's a price to pay for his chosen method of handling his injuries.
hair styling is part of it? even if that spiky bunch atop his head is mostly natural and only helped with the occasional choppy cut to keep it from getting long. no, he's not gonna say who cuts his hair.
the magician.it's when he suddenly gets a meaty arm wrapped around his waist from behind that he tugs his head up, slapping water across enji's face from the sudden pull.]The fuck-?!
[well he tries to move away? but ends up "oof" against the bar across his stomach and now there's a hand on his head getting behind his ears. dabi makes a face at the wall across from him, feeling very uncomfortably like some damn cat getting groomed or something. if he knew it would actually do something, he'd stomp on his stupid foot. that massive hand over his stomach's good enough to keep him there, abs hardening under his scarred swatch across his belly and the sweep of healthy skin below it.
and now he's starting to remember other reasons why he hated the man. micromanaging perfectionist with an overbearing "my way" attitude on how shit gets done. that question is enough to get another hell's cat glare over his shoulders, this time eyes actually burning and a few whorls of blue flame sparking into existence around his head.]
Ya got your fucking bear paw pinned at my waist and ya gonna talk bout "my" way?
[but it's when the man suddenly pulls back, not hard enough to jerk him, but enough to make him take a step or two backwards. flesh presses up against his back and he tenses, unconsciously rising on his toes as his eyes widen from the sensation. this is definitely not the first male body he's felt against his back and it's not the first time he's been grabbed and held like this either.
but this is endeavor and for all his damn compartmentalization, his brain is racing with a host of warnings and screamings. too close, too controlled, too fast, to angry. slamming that urge into a high gear that's reserved for certain fight or flight situations. enji's hot against his skin, body only good with resisting the cold and now almost sizzling with the heat. (or that's his flames.) smothering him? what he fucking wanted?! he feels his flesh crawl beneath the hero's hand as it wanders up his stomach and cups at his chest, heart slamming beneath his ribs in a manner he can't tell between panic or excitement.
then a face settles right into his hair and something snaps inside him. the tension seems to melt and his expression slides back into the normal stoic expression as his flames vanish with a husk of air. just in time for his fingers to come up and wander across the side of enji's face, almost spider-like as their tips step from the angle of his chin to the span of his cheek and the taut of his temple.]
If ya really wanna smother me, I should be the one against the wall, endeavor.
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[What could have been a joke is said so dismissively that there's hardly any way to think Enji is being anything but genuine. Monetary compensation for the shit Touya had to go through wouldn't have been out of the question if Dabi wasn't one of the most dangerous villains in Japan. So any traceable transfer of funds to Dabi would likely incriminate him.
Enji's not even aware that Dabi isn't being serious, or maybe his response would have been less honest.
He's still conflicted about what the young man is to him.
It's hard to say they're enemies outright. They fall on opposing sides of the morality spectrum (despite Enji's tendency to do terrible things), but Enji has already made up his mind that he won't be fighting Dabi at any point in the future. Not one on one or head to head. He refuses due to the second point. It's hard to say they're family when they haven't been close for decades and even before then when Shouto was being trained they weren't on speaking terms. Well, Touya would speak to Enji and his father would largely ignore him in order to not encourage his training.
So where does not quite enemies, extremely estranged family fall? That's where Dabi is, and Enji supposes he can either try to pinpoint some kind of definition or just allow it to be ambiguous.
The issue with that is there are moments when he knows for a fact that Touya, his Touya, is in there just as he remembers him. He can feel it when his hand is over Dabi's chest and his heartbeat hammers away or when his reaction to Enji being intrusively overbearing is a flare up of his quirk possibly out of reflex. That's undoubtedly his son's temperament. He knows because he's the same way.
But then Dabi also has moments where he locks all of that down and his expression goes blank, his blue eyes cold and distant. In those moments Enji doesn't feel any familiarity, and while it makes touching him easier and less meaningful, he knows the villain isn't really receptive to his input at that point. Nor is he to Dabi's.
The hand that reaches up to slide fingers along Enji's face does cause his hands to freeze for a moment. Not rubbing over the jigsaw puzzle of stapled flesh, but just resting against it instead as he tries to suss out what Dabi's intentions are. Maybe hypocritical when he's pressed right up against him from behind. It's just throwing him for a loop. One moment he's sure Dabi will burn his face off, and the next his face is touched in a way that brings heat rushing to the places those fingers had just been.]
Do you want to be smothered?
[Dabi calls him Endeavor, and something in him crackles like he's just had fresh firewood fed to whatever was burning inside his chest. Dabi doesn't weigh much at all, so shutting off the water to turn them around is just as easy as drawing the younger man up by the backs of his thighs to trap him between himself and the tile. In the moment it's clear as day. Dabi is not his son and Endeavor is not his father.]
What do you really want from me? Why did you bring me here?
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[and he's sure the bank would appreciate not being burned down when the cops came to arrest him with a fleet of heroes. sticking his head into any sort of "official" or "legal" shit related to his now-outed todoroki name would be extremely detrimental to his current life decision of hiding out with all for one. this current "current decision" with endeavor aside. it's a fling, an experiment, nothing more. the league and the plf have plenty of funds and supplies. he'll keep those "retroactive" allowances for future use. should something ever come up where the planets align.
the only reason he's not outright abandoning the idea is because endeavor spoke so plainly about it. dabi mistrusts a lot of what the man says, but there are things he'll accept as truth. this being one of them, ironically enough. considering the new leaf endeavor's trying to convince himself he can turn over, dabi's sure his father would give him his inheritance if he asked for it. strings attached, of course.
endeavor may have a hard time deciding what the two of them are to each other, but dabi's mindset is crystal clear on that regard. endeavor is many things to him and he changes the lens as he needs. father, murderer, abuser, false hero, victim, prey, ambition, obsession, enemy. while the flame hero has determined not to fight him, dabi has every intention of forcing the man to raise his fires to him. if that means murdering his youngest child in front of him, then he'll have a fucking blast while doing it. he's agreed to a selfish truce for now, not planning on attacking the man outside of possible training. though even that's somewhat tinted in passive aggressive irony.
touya remains inside him as well, but it's hard to say dabi "switches" to touya instead of donning his name and memory like a mask. unfortunately, he wasn't burned to a complete crisp. patchwork scars cover his healthy flesh and the same goes with his shattered mindset and twisted personality. pieces of touya remain among the blackened parts. he still retains his pride and the todoroki's cool disposition, even his childish excitement (though what excites him now is disturbing) and sarcasm/tantrums make it back. but it's only rarely that touya's emotional side makes its way through dabi's stoic shell, and often that's translated into his violent streak. case in point being the flare of his flames and the brief thought of burning endeavor up to get away.
but nah. he regains control of himself and locks it all back away where it's safe. back to the visage of a villain endeavor never once recognized as his own child until he flat out told him (and even then he refused to believe it for a while). it's easier this way, isn't it? they can both ignore the unknown rawness of what they are to each other and go back to the status quo.
a grin splits the side of his mouth as he feels endeavor freeze under his touch. not a bad reaction, considering he could blast his head. tracing over the connection of his ear and being a shit enough to deliberately curve round to the back of it for a rub or two. ya wash back here yourself, endeavor? up into the spiked up shock of red hair that most of his kids inherited, but only one still retains. hard to miss that crown atop his. hard to miss that body pressed up against his own and he's well aware they're both quite naked and soaking wet. the warmth endeavor exudes is insanely tempting and he leans into it without hesitating. so much definition back there... ridiculous.]
Wouldn't be the first time.
[the water shuts off and in one motion, dabi feels the world spin around him as hands cup around the back of his thighs and hoist up. both eyes widen in surprise, but then quickly narrow as a sneering smile cuts across his face, hooded gaze glowing into the larger man's face as he's trapped between a mountain of muscle and the tile wall.]
Ooo, good start...
[not sure if this is an honest question or some spontaneous role play, he only bothers to tuck his legs back at the knees, hand finding its way entirely into enji's hair.]
Wanted to see if there was a chance we could get close without killin each other for a bit. Kinda surprised, but can't say I don't like it.
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If only he could throw money at this particular problem and have it go away. Enji would give away his entire estate in the blink of an eye if it meant Dabi would turn himself in. There wouldn't really be any freedom in Dabi's future at that point, he's not wrong.
And the notion that Dabi and his son are one in the same isn't a reality he likes to accept. There are too many things he thinks Dabi would deserve, but can't quite make himself believe the same of his son. Perhaps the one who is compartmentalizing his feelings depending on his subconscious desires is himself. After all, how could he refuse to fight his son on one hand, then draw Dabi into such a suggestive position the very next moment.
It would be far easier if Touya really had died on that mountain. He wouldn't have questioned his own morality regarding the way he feels as much as he is currently. It would be wrong of him to be physically involved with Dabi even if they weren't related, but they are, and it is.
But Dabi doesn't stop him. Much like his childhood training, he has moments where he seems like he might quit, or fight back, but then he presses on instead. In this case, he allows Enji to be close to him physically. First in very small ways, then more invasive ones, and at no point has he tried to pry himself away. That doesn't make it right, though. Dabi is very clearly troubled, and Enji really shouldn't engage him.
But he does.]
When did you become such a masochist?
[Enji thinks about the way Dabi smiled when he hoisted him up off of the floor of the shower, and then about the ease with which Dabi talked about how attractive other villains find him. Maybe he shouldn't be surprised that Dabi isn't fighting him. He encourages the younger man to wrap his legs around his waist as his hands run up and down along Dabi's hips and sides, his chest, and eventually his backside where his hands settle on the villain's ass, squeezing gently as he glances down at Dabi's body. This time he takes in the sight of modest but present muscles just beneath his skin, a slim frame, the noticeable jut of hip bones and impression of ribs that would not have been there if he was in a position to eat properly and train the way heroes do.]
You should be pushing me away.
[He also hates how long its been since anyone has allowed him this close. And with Rei he always had the thought that she might not have if he didn't assist with her family's financial situation. Dabi isn't getting paid, but is obviously game. Or, this is some fucked up version of chicken where the first one to stop them down this descent into inappropriate behavior is the loser. And that should be him. He's the sane one. The one who was supposed to be a hero.
Maybe he really doesn't need that title anymore. Is this his way of proving that?]
I shouldn't be surprised you like this more than wholesome quality time. [Like this, he has the freedom to adjust Dabi however he wants, and lines him up perfectly so the next shift of his weight from one foot to another causes his hips to push up between Dabi's legs for friction. There's not much since they're both wet, and that makes it all the more easy to rock against Dabi again.
Enji turns his face toward the hand in his hair so that Dabi's hand settles over the large scar down one side of his face.]
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maybe he'll just cash out and bury his fortune under the corner of their estate like a miser. then go right back to doing what he's doing now. wasn't a lie when he told endeavor he wasn't interested in money. it's not hard to come by when you don't follow the rules set to keep it safe. (oh sure, give him money so he can rot in jail; that's quite the sacrifice on your part, dad.)
no surprise to him that endeavor can manage to compartmentalize the dichotomy between dabi and touya and whether each is responsible for the actions of the other, past and present. to care for his son. to hate the villain. it's not like endeavor himself had easily ignored what he was doing to his family for the sake of ambition. dabi's picked up that trait from his father as well, focusing on the long-term goal with heedless care of whatever he destroys in his path towards it. something else enji can be proud of him for.
however, who knows if he's proud of him for this... can he truly separate himself from the reality that he's pressing his own adult son to the wall, that they're both naked in the shower with some very intense ust quickly catching aflame between them? dabi finds the entire notion a taboo thrill, revulsion and excitement mingling behind his stoic smirk. this'll make him feel fucking filthy, but so damn good at the same time. kind of like drugs and cigarettes and alcohol and all the other messed up shit he's done in his life. what's one more tossed into the cesspool? touya always did want his father's attention.
how much closer to him can he get than this? ... something about that thought snaps another chord inside him and he slaps a hand up against the side of endeavor's face, eyes burning a little wider and brighter with heated arousal and maniacal interest. there's no way he's going to stop now, breath coming hot on his lips he seizes onto that realization. it's sick, disturbing, and reaches into an area he never wants to go back to, but holy fuck is it an exhilarating thought.]
I put up with the pain for you. But now, the only way I get to "feel" is to make sure it really burns.
[masochist. he's more a sadist than a masochist, but that's not saying is isn't one. these staples and piercings aren't just for holding his ruined flesh onto his body. the demarcation lines between healthy skin and charred remains are where nerve ends meet. sinking hooks and spikes through them at least help him have a sensation of something other than the numb and itch. same goes with the rougher treatment. only rare times do those lighter touches do anything for him.
larger hands wander over his legs and as dabi spreads his fingers on the side of endeavor's head, he answers that encouragement, wrapping his lankly limbs around the man's sculpted hips. wiry muscle flexes under scar tissue and smoother flesh, the scrape of metal staples skimming against the man's pelvis and the top of his ass as dabi knots his ankles together at the small of the hero's back. locking him in there with him. maybe he shouldn't have talked about other villains finding endeavor attractive either... but then again, this isn't a bad way to enjoy the time together. not when he's confronted with stacks of muscles that profess healthy dieting and steady workout alongside the damn dosage of proud genes.]
That's ya area of expertise.
[not that dabi's frequently letting people close to him either. he might be a bit more lax about people he knows getting into his space if he's in the mood, but generally he likes his space. he's well aware this is probably an infrequent thing for endeavor and that'd be hilarious if it weren't so pathetic. actually... it's pretty hilarious too.]
We got different definitions of "wholesome quality time", huh-
[the last part terminates in a grunt when endeavor suddenly thrusts forward. wet makes it easy to move and he tightens his legs on him, free hand pressing to the wall with a sudden slap as skin slides across his own. oh yeah... much better. he might not be able to feel much in most places, but his dick and ass work just fine. thank fucking god for that. as endeavor turns his head into his hand, he finds himself with his fingers and palm spreading over the side of his scar. that half of his face he ripped off with his pawns. touch of pride for messing him up like that... shame he didn't get a chance to take his eye.
fingers wander down the side of endeavor's head, tracing across his temple and the seam of his scar before wandering into the messed-up area. touching the textured flesh and scant reappearance of his eyebrow, thumbing just under the lower lid of his eye. down further, playing at the jagged rip as it begins to shrink and decrease into the point of his torn-off visage. a single tap of his index finger notes the scar and dismisses it as he heads for the slight stubble dusting at endeavor's jaw and chin. all the way down until he could play the tip of his middle finger across the rims of his mouth. even his lips are strong. probably from that nigh-permanent scary look on his face.
Whaddya know. We fit together. [eroticism and insanity mingle in his expression as he leans closer to endeavor's face, taking his lower lip between his thumb and forefinger. and deliberately locking his legs together again.] Ya ain't done this with any of them... It's just us...
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Ruined his family in the process. Touya ended up with all of Enji's strengths, but weaknesses enough to make up for it. And the traits Enji had that were more suitable for villainy? Dabi wore those on his sleeve naturally--those parts of himself that the hero Endeavor had to hide and relegate to his personal life alone. At least if he was a terrible human being, it would never put a stain on his hero record.
Dabi distracts him from his introspection when the young man stares him down and smacks a hand to his face like he owns it. Granted, he did play the largest part in giving him that scar on his face. Maybe he did own it, and every other part of his father's body. The scary thing is that Enji isn't so bothered by the idea. In a twisted way he knows he can never change Dabi's mind about the past and won't ever be forgiven for what he did. Dabi may never want to be close to him in any other way, but at least like this he doesn't show the same resistance to accept him.
If he's going to burn in hell, he might as well light the match himself.]
I can make it burn.
[In an instant Enji's already warm skin gets hotter. Not enough to burn Dabi's skin that's already used to a good amount of heat, but enough that any normal person would quickly want to draw their hand away. They're both playing with fire, figuratively and literally, but Enji is willing to give Dabi whatever it is that he wants. He's creeping closer to acceptance that he has that same potential for madness that Dabi has. He keeps finding ways to warp things to suit his own desires. Like deciding that the villain has ruined his own body and therefore deserves to enjoy his own healthy one however he pleases. And what sane person would pay for a wife with the intention of making powerful babies, then abuse that wife for standing up to him when he takes training too far.
It feels worse to be a bad man playing the hero than to be like Dabi who is awful but doesn't ever try to hide it. Maybe he should stop pretending. The slight scratch of staples against his skin makes him groan and he rocks his hips forward again. He hasn't done anything like this in decades.]
You're sick.
[It's a half-assed insult when his cock is swelling in response to the friction. Would a normal man even be able to get hard in a situation like this considering who they both used to be? He's clearly the one that's sick, and he's even the one to initiate it even if Dabi had been slowly dropping subtle hints about it--or that could be his own version of insanity making excuses for his misbehavior again. Enji wants to tell him that he'll stop if Dabi doesn't want it, but he can't find the voice to say those words. He doesn't want to stop, either, so maybe if he doesn't present that as an option they can take this further and see where it goes.
He only needs one hand to hold Dabi in place, so the other is free to wander over Dabi's wet body while the other seems focused on his face. Enji tries not to flinch as that scar on his face gets touched--something that has never happened--not like this. He hardly touches it himself. He draws in breath through teeth he hadn't recalled gritting, but he tries to focus on other things. Like moving his hand over Dabi's chest, his fingers passing back and forth over nipples that he's not sure produce much feeling.]
Of course I haven't. What's wrong with you? [It's difficult to speak with Dabi playing with his mouth like he's some kind of toy and not a human man, but he gets his point across. His brows furrowing in annoyance at the question. Why the hell would he ever do anything like this with them. They're his family. Dabi is..very much the exception. What's wrong with him?
Enji wants to say that he's not touched anyone since Shouto was conceived, but it's embarrassing enough to suppress that fact. He's done a lot to play the part of a dedicated hero. Giving up pleasures of the flesh to spend more time training or on the job. The hand holding Dabi up moves away the tighter those legs close around him, giving Enji the freedom to allow it to roam as well. He squeezes Dabi's ass with both hands, drawing him down against him as he slides his cock against the cleft of his ass, rocking his hips slowly back and forth rather than impulsively.]
Of course it's only you. [Who else would it be? There's been a few close calls with Hawks, but the kid wasn't even half his age. He feels more of a familial bond with the young hero than he does toward Dabi. So yeah, it's really only him.] Are you just going to mess with me, or are you going to kiss me? [Are those off limits? Is he allowed to ask for that? Enji's heart hammers so hard in his chest that the pounding might just be audible.]
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and he's fucking proud of it. there's almost a cruel reverence and admiration of his own handiwork as he touches it, exploring the design and shape of its ragged outlines and the way his flesh changes texture within that ghoulish rip. deep down inside his twisted psyche, buried and poisoned like the rest, there's still that tiny lingering desire to be with his father again. not in the hellish revenge he usually wants, but childishly demanding his father's attention back on him. like it had been.
though it's long-since grown into an adult demand now. and endeavor certainly has lit that spark.]
Fuck...
[it's all he bothers with as the heat against him ratchets up to a noticeable rank. without the cold water pouring down to keep things somewhat recycled, the enclosed space rapidly starts to steam up from the lingering water on the floor. a normal person would instinctively draw back, not only from the heat but also from the man it exudes from. dabi's not a normal person and the corner of his mouth hooks upward again, enough to stretch the seam of his cheek between skin and scar open. something about possibly seeing that insanity in endeavor again is thrilling. they're so similar after all, something he's quickly finding out once again even after only a few hours with the man. whatever trades endeavor's making n his mind to justify this, or if he's simply throwing care to the wind, he's all for it.
this is what he's been gunning for, seeing the man finally shed all those trappings of heroism and apology and return to the nasty core inside. even if it only comes out during this carnal connection, at least it proves it's still there and he can revel in it. hearing the groan from enji's throat at the drag of those metallic edges on his skin earn repeat of it, hiking a leg at the knee to scrape the inside of his thigh's pierced rim against his father's hips. answering that slow thrust forward again as his back presses to the shower wall.]
Just noticin?
[the same interested tone from before, a faint heat in his voice that's only ever present when this shit's happening and when he gets really fired up in a battle. dabi's breath comes free in a shudder at the first touch of endeavor's dick against his skin, hips curiously notching forward to shamelessly take a grinding feel against his swelling organ. it really should be sick, but he only feels a twisted sense of satisfaction from getting such a response. it's enough to twitch his own into life, lifting between his thighs and hardening right there against enji's lower abdomen. seriously, what's not to want? dabi's the furthest thing from a saint and he'd be lying if he said some of his vices are nothing more than chances to escape the pain and filth of his life by slamming back some hot doses of pleasure.
if that's not telling enough. one hand to keep him there. though he's stubbornly giving credit to his own legs around his waist and the hand on the wall... which probably won't be staying there. as endeavor's hand wanders his own body, dabi's caught in the conflicting sensations of nostalgia and disgust clashing with pleasure that gives zero fucks. his own half-and-half lips part with a soft breath of interest and mild sensation as the man explores his chest and nipples. his scarred flesh is numb to most, but the rest of it remains fairly normal as far as nerves go. earning a few catches in his throat as his stomach sinks inward and hardens from the reaction. fuck... this is really gonna happen.]
A lot.
[simple question. he traces the tip of his finger across enji's lower lip, silently noting the smoothness that's so much different from his own. this is going to be a little difficult. half of him wants to cling to the man like he's the newest fling for a fuck; the other half wants to set him on fire and lounge next to his bones. but hell if he doesn't get some enjoyment out of enji's disturbed reaction to his question.
one shoulder hikes up, the one not yet covered in scars, and he tilts his head towards it, turquoise eyes the same shape and hue as the ones looking at him glowing into enji's own. muscles tighten, ass flexing beneath the hands gripping, and he reaches up with his free hand to grab onto the shower head's stalk. leaving his legs and his father's hands as the only support he has above the shower floor. a thick curse seeps from his lips as the man's cock threads between his cheeks, hole clenching instinctively every time the bare ghost of his crown touches it before thrusting back through again. yeah, he can use this.]
Nice to hear ya say that again.
[the question doesn't get an answer. he merely abandons enji's facial scar, hooks his hand around the back of his broad neck, and hauls himself forward with more strength than those lanky arm muscles would suggest. sitting up in his hands, legs dropping to hook his feet against the inside of his thighs, bringing himself flush to his father's chest and stomach as his cock ruts into the man's chiseled abdominal muscles. it's a rush and almost predatory, pouncing on him before leering into his face.
then leans in and kisses him full on the mouth. hesitation doesn't exist here, only deliberate delay to make a point that he's kissing him. upper lip smooth and flesh, lower lip crenelated and burned with staples and hoop piercings punched through his skin. pressing to him and wrapping around him like a devil from hell indulging in that taboo bliss. what makes it even better is feeling just how hard enji's heart's going against his chest. so fucking excited. or nervous.]
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Those little invasive memories have no place here. Not now. Not with what they're doing currently, but Dabi has that same disregard for his father's intimidating presence and strength. He prefers it that way. Having someone willing to talk down to him or belittle him in general isn't his cup of tea, but when people tend to walk on eggshells around him that kind of thing makes him feel like a normal man.
But he isn't a normal man, either. A normal man wouldn't take advantage of his own offspring's deep-seeded need to seek his father's attention. And that's what this was, wasn't it? Dabi wanting his attention, and he wasn't guiltless either. He wants the attention, the contact, the admiration from him. They're both sick, and clearly feed off of each other's weaknesses. At least Dabi can claim that he's not pretending to be something he isn't--Enji has no excuses for himself.
Despite the shame filling him, the sounds Dabi makes with every push of his hips eggs him on. When he glances down between them, he's greeted by Dabi's dick, noticeably harder than when he first grabbed him to pin against the wall of the shower. At least this sickness they're engaging in is mutual. He couldn't do it if it wasn't. His fingers dedicate just as much time to the areas of damaged skin as it does to the healthy sections, but he notices that he gets more of a response from the latter and focuses on that instead.
Dabi grabs at the neck of the showerhead for support, Enji presumes. He doesn't need Dabi to help support him, but he doesn't do anything to impede the younger male's movements. Enji hadn't given much thought to what he might need the leverage for until burned hands grip his shoulders and legs twine around him so that when Dabi moves against him, he can feel exactly what's being pressed up between the muscles of his abs. He swears under his breath, his eyes too fixated on his son's to respond in any meaningful way.
Even if he had something to say, the mouth pushed against his suddenly keeps him from saying it. Enji prefers it that way. Talking has never been his strong suit, anyway. His eyes close into the kiss, and he does notice how different it is. The texture from top to bottom is different, which he expected, but it's not as rough as he thought it might be--the lower half of Dabi's face. It's not at all unpleasant, and he finds himself wondering what the inside of his son's mouth might feel like.
He hates every part of himself, but he can't bring himself to stop either.]
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