deercountry | Head Full of Doubt

Entry tags:

Head Full of Doubt

Who: Shouto

swellter and Dabi

burnitblack
What: Staples run.
When: A few days after THIS.
Where: The Lumenarium

Content Warnings: mentions of domestic violence, emotional exploitation, praticide, and possible fratacide (will edit as needed)

In the healing district of Trench, a young Todoroki waits for his older brother near the pale greenhouse of the Lumenarium. Sunset has long dipped beneath the horizon and Shouto gravitates towards a patch of Lumenflowers for light. The soft glow of the petals compete with the red haze that surrounds the district and dampen the taste of blood in the air with their thick, sweet smell. It suffocates the blood stench but it still feels wrong. All that blood in the air.

He draws closer to the flowers while he waits. His omen, as usual, lies behind his ribcage sleeping to the beat of his heart. She's not as trusting as him. Warned him of this meeting, but understands the depth of feeling behind his decision. I only ever knew him by the picture on his vigil. I want...

I know. Kizu had stopped arguing, accepting his feelings for Touya, while distrusting Dabi.

As the minutes tick by, Shouto settles himself among the flowers, breathing in their thick scent to drown out the blood while he waits for his brother.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The marketplace. There's many around town. Sleeper blood is always in high demand. A few millimeters can get you most everyday items.

[ He knows from experience. Though, Dabi may be able to get a better deal since Shouto is terrible at bartering. Doesn't even question the prize. Most of the vendors like him for that reason. Pays a lot for what he gets. ]

[right, it's a barter system, not a coinage. dabi nods and finishes up his leg's prep, then steals the stapler back from shouto. blood is in high demand. the sleeper's. he's not planning on bleeding himself just for trading shit, but at least it incentivizes him more to collect his blood while dealing with his staples...

if... IF... they happen to be out doing this trade together, yeah. dabi will certainly show his little brother the other side of bartering. the kind where he's the one taking advantage of the dealing.]

I'll keep that in mind.

[ He's the third person to make the offer, and honestly, he needs it. He's getting swindled! Someone, please teach this kid how to barter! It's been half a year! He's not gonna magically learn it now that he's set in his ways! Also, he'll be very impressed with Touya's brokerage skills... so long as no one gets burned... >_>

Shouto merely nods and keeps on with his work until he's gone through every piece of metal. When he's done, he gives him back the stapler and takes his time reapplying the salve where the skin is more inflamed. ]

You should take some pills for the inflammation.

[ He tells him, adding a generous amount of ointment to a particularly red spot. ]

I'll leave mine with you.

[ Because of course he carrying some in his little medkit. ]

[ha ha ha... yeah about that burned part. how about touya act like a big brother for once and charbroil the person who's swindling his little brother? should send a message well enough not to fuck over his stupid little puppet sibling. expect to see his sharp eyes take not of the attempted swindling and add "your life" onto the exchange. or a hand. or an eye. things to sweeten the deal for the shady business dealer.

villainous transactions are usually one part goods, two part threats, and three parts outsmarting or out-bullying the other person. even if shouto manages to convince dabi not to burn someone, literally, odds are, someone's gonna be "burned" regardless.

dabi gets to work on his thigh. stapling the undone piece of flesh shut. gonna have to stitch the area around it to make sure it seals again. that's what he got the needle and thread for. at least shouto's moving onto medicine.]

If we got some, I will.

[he's not pretending to know he identified half of what he was swiping from the apothecary.]

Gonna replenish yours quickly?

[don't read into that question. he doesn't care.]

[ ... He'd prefer if he acted like a big brother without the murder and mayhem! Don't threaten the people who sell him things!!! He can do his own bartering!!! It's just a bit of blood!

... I don't think Shouto would cut it as a villain. He'll let Touya take care of villainous transactions and he'll take care of the non-villainous ones! ]

I have some.

[ With that he stands, stepping out from behind him, out of the tub before searching for the inflammation pills. He counts his canisters. One. Two. Three. Ah, there it is. Unclips it and searches through the various pills - they're color coated so he knows which is which. When he finds the red ones, he transfers all six of them into a glass container and sets them on the ice pedestal. ]

I'll restock them tomorrow.

[provided the people they're bartering with are intelligent, there won't be any murder and mayhem. and he's not going to threaten the people who sell shouto things. he's going to threaten the people who cheat him. big difference.

and if people actually want to barter with touya as well... he can be a smooth talker when he wants to be. and any transaction can turn villainous if someone wants to act like one. be that a megalomaniac or some small-minded selfish idiot who thinks they can take advantage of a naive kid.

dabi follows shouto's departure from the tub with his head, watches him procure the pills from his costume canisters. mental note as to which one and the color, even if it won't really mean much since shouto can easily switch the identical canisters around. but arguing with his brother won't do shit, so he lets him do whatever.]

At the same place we went to today?

In that case, he should accompany him on one of his 'trips' to the market. Get a feel for it and watch his little brother fail at bartering, teach him a less or two. It's not all bad. Most of the Sleepers have fair prices and don't try to cheat him!

Yes. I probably stop by after my patrol. I usually pass by there on my way to Prufrock.

[ Which, if he looked at the address he sent to his device, he'll know is where Shouto lives. ]

[he's already getting the mind that he's going to. walking the market with someone who knows it has benefits he won't get from wandering the place alone. and he can always go back by himself later... not making any promises he won't respond negatively to the cheating attempts. he's burned people to death for less back home.]

Prufrock?

[he's guessing that's the name of a location. still has to get used to the maps and places of interest here. necessities and basics first, then exploration.

and no, he did not look at the address because he was too busy being a PRICK]

[ Maybe, they can see how it goes. Get some food that someone else cooked, so it's decent. Shouto will be very interested in what kind of food Touya likes. Will even order it himself to 'try' it 'with' him. He's got very specific wants... ]

That's where I live. I sent you my address.

[ Because he wants him to know where he lives in case he needs something or... just wants to 'hang out' not that he's holding out for that. He knows he's being used for information right now. He's okay with that. ]

I'm not usually there during the day. I patrol different districts between 8 and noon. Have lunch for an hour at one of the restaurants [ yes, he is giving you his schedule ] back on patrol from 2-4 and I usually go out for dinner between 7-9.

[ You know... in case you want to share a meal here and there. ]

Edited 2022-04-25 04:14 (UTC)

[that's another thing he needs to look into. food. probably going to steal for the first week or so before approaching shouto again for a trip to the market to get more familiarity with this place and how things operate here.

you don't want to know what his street-life, gas-station diet is like, shouto...]

Ah.

[normally people say "on my way home" but whatever. dabi's used to not having a "home" to refer to, so it makes sense. he knows why his brother is dropping those bits of information, wanting to make sure dabi knows his location. got it...]

What're ya doin from 4 to 7?

[quickly picking out the undefined block of time there (though damn, a two-hour lunch is kind of long, shouto.) not that dabi's one to talk. schedules mean nothing to him outside of missions.]

[ He doesn't need to steal! He can just come over! He doesn't even have to be there!

Look. He's going to be forced to eat a damn hot pepper because Bakugou is an ass and your brother didn't think his birthday present through enough. He can try what Touya likes, operative word being 'likes'!

Home is his dorm room. The only place he ever really felt was his own. Still, spending his life in a traditional home left its mark, so his living situation sort of reflects that.

It's more of a one hour lunch, and one hour nap, probably less time for lunch and more time for snoozing. He needs his siesta! Else, he'd be sleeping on the job. ]

Practicing at the Gate.

[the beginning if the riddle goes: two people live in the same house, but they never see each other. how is that done?

eh, you're heat resistant. just keep the pepper on the left side of your mouth and stomach and you should be fine. dabi has no support to his little brother in regards to how to handle his weird friends. his menu is... what he can get.

dabi's going to end up shacking in an abandoned house and kind of spy on things from the top floor, till he feels more comfortable in this world. though based on this experience, he's definitely going to be looking for a house with a free-standing tub and easy access to the drain. or just take a sponge bath in it...

shouto's going to find, eventually, he and his older brother are of the same mind on naps. dabi's perpetually tired most of the time anyways. he'll take a snooze when he has the chance. doesn't help he can be lazy too.]

Good to know.

[ The answer: An organized schedule.

Resistant to heat not -- wait a minute! Hot peppers contain an alkaline, oil-based molecule called capsaicin, which sneakily triggers the temperature-sensitive pain receptors in your mouth even though the molecule itself doesn't produce heat or cause any real damage. He's not temperature sensitive!!! OMG!!! You just saved your little brother from so much pain!!! And he's heat-resistant on both sides! He just can't generate flames from his right or ice from his left, but his body is resistant to both as a whole.

Of course, he is! Just use his place to crash during the day! He's only really there in the mornings and evenings when he's getting ready for the day and getting ready for bed!

Now I need them to take a nap in the same room for the adorableness of it all! Even better if someone discovers them! ]

It is? [ Curiosity settles in his demeanor feeling a little hopeful that he might... care where he is. ]

[lots of dodging in the house...

congratulations. dabi doesn't care. shouto can have his pepper capsaicin revelation once he puts the damn thing in his mouth. he's free to try and tell his older brother all about his brand new experience the next time they meet and he'll likely get met with the same blank gaze. doesn't matter what kind of "heat" a pepper produces, no one's got shit on what it really feels like to burn. well, save for the people he burns, though all but one of them is dead. and he's sitting here in the tub, picking staples out of his other thigh while his little brother has a future epiphany in his head.

yeah but that's so very dangerously domestic. not at all something he'd want to risk doing around his little brother. can't have him thinking there's some kind of "truce" between them... or maybe there is. still doesn't "like" you, kid.

but on the off chance it does happen, shouto's likely gonna be the one to come in and find touya sleeping on the couch. feel free to nap nearby. if someone discovers them... they're probably gonna get incinerated for it.]

I kept track of a lotta people back home.

[and he's likely going to try and do that here too.]

[ Dabi, I think, would be good at that, and Shouto's dense, so yeah... that could work. He should totally move in with him and not tell anyone and then one day it's discovered and all his canon friends will be like - WTF SHOUTO?!

He'll bring it up casually next time they talk. Bakugou will be so disappointed that he's pepper proof and afhdjasfaugfk Bad joke!!! /just got through Ch. 351/ And Shouto is so NOT okay with this kind of thinking!!

Just a thought! But yeah, Shouto knows Dabi tolerates him! He's not completely stupid! But he can't help the way he feels!

Yes! that's exactly what I was thinking! ... okay.. maybe no one discovers them... stop incinerating people!!! ]

Like you kept track of me.

[ Oh, no. Back to serious talk! ]

[and then all his canon friends could look really nice in hot blue, because why the fuck are you idiots breaking and entering into someone else's house? never know if the people inside could be trigger happy and not care about burning kids.

in danger? nah. annoyed? yeah.

eh, that guy'll be pissed about whatever happens. dabi doesn't really care. another few staples get checked out, and then he has to go on feel alone for the underside of his thigh. got a loose one back there as well. it drops to the tub floor. (good on you for calling touya out on his bs, shouto. how'd you like getting punched through a building for once?)

this is how dabi thinks a lot of the time. everything burns.

hey, he said he wouldn't hurt anyone who didn't give him a reason to get hurt. sad thing is, dabi's "reasons" are pretty simple and easy to trigger... then again, he's not an idiot. if he's sleeping over at shouto's place, he'll likely stay in a room instead of flaunt himself in the open.]

Why wouldn't I? Kept track of all of you.

[enji, shouto, the others.]

[ Stop painting his classmates in blue flames!!! Never mind! Just... never mind. He'll just be happy to get to hang out with him even if it's 'for x reason'.

Shouto continues observing him, taking note of how he checks the staples for future reference. (totally worth that punch; also totally canon-updating him to this chapter next month, or the end of this fight if they get through it soon! He's gonna go from: "I need to save Touya" TO "A LOSER LIKE ME WILL SAVE THIS DUMBAASS ANIKI!" Nice Shouto is gonna go bye-bye and return with a lot more spine!)

This is true! Dabi is way more pragmatic than his trusting little brother! ]

... You--

[ His brows crease, expression shifting to something less neutral more... upset. ]

... You kept track of my friends?

Edited 2022-04-26 02:53 (UTC)

[tell them not to break into the house. and if he invites them, warn him first. he'll leave out the window or something. not his idea of a good time to be hangin out in a room full of miniature heroes.

with his other leg finished from the staples, dabi begins cleaning the area, checking the places that the staples were removed for loose skin. luckily, he doesn't find any and gets to sign that one off without an issue. then takes the stapler back to replace the ones he took out

(cool! and i'm guessing they're gonna take another 2 - 3 chapters to finish their fight? but we won't see the next chapter till may 15th, so that's three weeks away. i'll consider canon updating dabi after their battle ends as well, though fuck me if I have to go get more of his icons to update him to damn skeleton face. PUT HIM ON ICE, SHOUTO! Talk to him later after he can't kill himself.)

pragmatism has saved his life plenty in the past and he's not about to drop that habit now.]

Ya weren't the only one in your class the League was interested in. Hawks gave us a lot of information on all of you.

[remember that, shouto? the fried chicken that had to betray trust to betray some more trust?]

[ He wouldn't invite them without warning him first. Though, tbh, he wouldn't invite them period if Touya is there wondering he probably wouldn't like want to meet them. It'd be like lighting a powder keg and expecting it not to explode. He's dense NOT DUMB!

(Really?! No!!! I'm on the edge of my seat here! And lol, his new outfit is growing on me, not so much the crazy psycho look he's got going on. But Shouto is determined not to let the idiot kill himself!) ]

... You mean Midoriya and Bakugou.

[ Which begs the question: ] Are you still keeping track of them here?

Edited 2022-04-30 00:41 (UTC)

[that's a good assumption. he isn't here to get chummy, especially not with shouto's friends. it's already weird enough to be having this strange moment between himself and his brother. and the dense versus dumb argument is up for anyone to make about shouto. touya thinks he's pretty dumb about certain things...

(yeeep, it's gonna be a long wait. i still prefer his black ensemble, grunge shit going on instead of the white. pretty sure he opted for white as some kind of symbology thing, but hey, it's half gone now. rip! so much for his reliant cuffs. and his lips. and... everything else.)]

And others.

[the league had interest in knowing what the could of all their opponents, though some more interesting than others.]

Who knows.

[ (It means death in eastern cultures. Laying it on thick there, Dabi. Shouto is not impressed! Stop burning yourself up! I cannot wait to read the end of this fight! Or what kind of volume cover they're gonna use for it!) ]

What others?

[(Yeah I looked into that and it means both death and purity in those cultures. A color used for both weddings and funerals. Wow. Double fun. Still looks like he swiped it from some British intelligence officer. He burns himself up just by living. Not like you gotta ever worry about that, Puppet. Yeah, I'm so looking forward to it!)]

Ya ain't the only three in ya class, Shouto.

[ (There's A LOT OF MEANING and I cannot wait to read essays dissecting it all once we get all their full story! It's not his fault he got the genetic lottery! Same! I hope it features them both! ]

[ That means Uraraka too. ]

You don't need to keep track of them here. They're trying to survive like everyone else. There's no heroes or villains here. We're all survivors.

[(And it's not his fault he got the shit end of the lottery and now's taking it out on the world cause dad was a fucktard. But yeah, he's definitely giving a middle finger in symbolism by wearing that. (Watch Hori reveal it's actually yellow or light pink or something. Hell, it could even be brown, like Ochako's hair.) The cover better have them both on it...)

And yes it does. Toga wanted to know about her girlfriend.]

Right. I'm sure ya don't keep tabs on them either.

[ (This clusterfuck of a family sure would hand out the best damn lottery tickets out there from best to worst! He is! He pays so much attention to detail without making it overtly obvious, he is definitely making a point! (Oh god! I would laugh!) Right! Dabi's cover was feakin' amazing! I cannot wait to see the cover these two will have!!! /vibrates excitedly) ]

[ Them being other villains. It's been a month, so he knows Shigaraki is here but he meant what he said: ]

I don't care about anyone but you.

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