Touya wasn't really used to this.
Little Y/N was being so fussy over him, cuddled up to his side by her own choice as they watched TV together.
Whenever he'd been sick, or hurt, before, he'd had to deal with it alone. He'd been treated like a nuisance for having been hurt or being too sick to train with his old man when he was younger.
Now as an adult, he had to learn to put up and shut up.
She felt bad, that much was clear, despite him having asked for her to use her quirk on him.
And damn, was that one hell of a quirk.
He admittedly has an incredibly weak stomach. Came with the fact that his quirk basically boiled him alive from the inside out. He felt sick a lot of the time, had to have food lukewarm or just straight up cold, drank water like he was about to go through a drought, and oftentimes, felt nauseous.
It only took a little motion sickness to set him off, but her quirk was even worse than that.
The second Star had activated it, his balance had immediately been knocked, the room swaying and seeming to distort, his ears began ringing and his knees wanted to buckle to bring him to the ground.
It had honestly been a miracle that he'd managed to stumble into the bathroom.
It had only lasted around an hour, despite it feeling longer when he was curled up on the bathroom floor, trying to keep control of his quirk between throwing up and pressing his head against the cool of the porcelain to cool down.
During the whole ordeal she came to check on him intermittently, a small and shy 'Dabi?' making its way through the door.
She was just too sweet for this awful world.
And now she was babying him.
She was cuddled up to him like he was that damn teddy bear she loved so much, occasionally peeking up at him to make sure he was okay.
She even brought him some more water whenever he drained the cup he left on the bedside table.
Y/N really was just like Fuyumi. It was almost eerie.
He was still. So still. He didn't want to move and scare her off, she was such a cautious little thing when it came to touch.
He wouldn't want it any other way, it was safe to be wary in both of their positions, especially with how young she was. But it made situations like this a little difficult.
Touya hadn't been held for years. Not since he was Stars age, or maybe even younger. He hadn't realized how much it comforted him to have another person's weight against him until she had started falling asleep on him earlier.
It was nice to be that trusted. He could almost trick himself into believing he was loved.
It was lucky that the movie playing was one he could actually get himself invested in, another rerun of Star Wars. If the kid had insisted on watching another animated movie he may have found himself dwelling within his own mind more than he should.
She seemed to be enjoying it too, occasionally getting up a little more reluctantly than usual to refill Touya's drink whenever it ran dry.
After the fifth time of her silently refilling it, Touya can't help but snort.
"You don't gotta do that, kid. Just settle down."
She seemed almost scared of him the second he spoke, flinching a little before looking a little sheepishly at him, glass in hand.
"Stop fussin'. I'm fine." He says coolly. "Siddown."
She sits right back down without question.
Touya gently takes the glass from her hands, setting it back on the side and giving her what he hopes is a soft look.
"Just relax, will ya, Star?" He sighs. "I'm not mad."
She looks uncertain, but nods a little, sinking back into the place she'd decided she would claim as her own, her soft little cheek smushed up against his arm.
Now, Touya really didn't want to comment on how cuddly she'd been being since making him sick, but a little part of him was nagging at him to address it.
He wanted to be selfish, and carry on letting the weight of her body leaning against his continue to ground him, but he wanted to make sure she wasn't just doing that because she thought he was mad, too.
After all, he knew she would never admit to it of her own free will.
"You don't gotta cuddle up to me if you don't want to. You know that, kid?" He asks, his voice soft, as though it was unwilling to leave him as he said it.
"You're warm." She replies, the answer is simple, and one Touya should have really expected.
He chuckles a little to himself. She was acting like one of those stray cats that used to follow him around in the alleys, waiting for him to stop for a cigarette to nuzzle up to him to leech off his body heat.
He always entertained them, crouching down to absentmindedly pet them while smoking and keeping a half-eye out on his surroundings.
Cats were better than humans, anyway.
Thinking of cigarettes, that familiar want itches underneath his skin, begging to be listened to. He groans a little internally. Star was perfectly comfortable here with him together, but now he'd thought about it, his brain wasn't going to let up about wanting a smoke.
Slowly, to not disturb her too much, he moves slightly to look at her face as best he can. She looks tired, her eyelids drooping ever so slightly before shooting open again.
If he wanted to indulge, he had to now, before she fell asleep and he couldn't leave her.
"Oi." He says, trying to keep his voice as low and as soft as possible to not spook her. Touya knew he came across abrasive more often than not, and he didn't want her to feel scared of him. Ever. "Come with me outside for a bit, 'kay?"
She rubs her eyes and face a little, looking at him with an annoyingly cute sleepy expression.
"But I'm comfy..." She half-argues, but it's half hearted as she instantly moves from her leaning position against him, sitting up and yawning.
"Unfortunately for you kid, I ain't about to have you Madeleine McCann-ed for a fu-freakin' smoke." He begins getting up, grabbing his jacket and throwing it at her. "I'll make it quick. Scouts honor."
Even without the fourth rule he'd put in place, she was such a good kid. She rarely complained, and always followed whatever he said, loyally, even if she questioned him a bit beforehand.
He doesn't need to persuade her any more. He's unsure if it's because she somehow understood the reference he made, or if it's because she was just good natured to the core. She put his jacket on, the denim material swamping her small body.
Touya goes to ruffle her hair, knowing the boundaries well enough by now to know she'd be receptive to it.
"Attagirl." He praises.
He's in his own head for the walk to the smoking area, thinking about all manner of things, having about five conversations with himself in his head at once.
He was thinking about how well behaved this little ten year old who was clearly traumatized was, wondering when the breaking point would be and how bad her behavior would be when she eventually snapped into normal child-like behavior. Which led him into thinking about his own childhood, which was a subject matter he liked to keep a tight lid on. To distract himself, he tried thinking about Shigaraki, the ill-tempered leader that had tried killing him earlier that day, seriously hoping for things to work out there. But that doesn't last long either as his thoughts devolve into what would have happened to little Star if Shigaraki had succeeded in killing him.
If Shigaraki decided not to take him on, that was okay, he could hold out with the kid for a little while longer on the streets while he figured something else out. But if Shigaraki decided to kill him, well...
"Dabi?"
Touyas head perks up, the small voice bringing him back to reality. He was pushing open the door to the smoking area and courtyard, little Star looking up at him.
"Mm?" He grunts, holding the door open for her to go through first.
She ducks under his arm, waiting for him to follow.
"Who's Madeleine McCann?" She asks innocently, catching Touya off guard for a second, him blinking a couple times before remembering what he said earlier.
He can't stop himself from laughing a little more than he probably should, looking down at her with a grin that goes from being one of genuine amusement to a more softer smile.
She didn't need to know the details. Far too young, and he'd picked up on her separation anxiety already, he really didn't need to add a pointless fear to it.
"Someone you don't wanna be." He says, playfully flicking her nose with his index finger. "Stay where I can see ya."
He wanders off to the edge of the smoking area, sitting on the steps so he can still see her sitting on a bench by the door clearly, her wrapping his jacket tight around her small body.
The hotel lights up the courtyard well enough for Dabi to not worry too much about the fact she was a little further apart from him than usual at night. He can see everyone that comes and goes, not a single one of them paying too much mind to her.
He tries to smoke quickly. It is late after all, she was already tired, and she didn't have a quirk to keep her warm like he does.
This was his life now, he guesses.
The thought of putting her before himself doesn't bother him as much as he thought it would. It seemed to just come naturally. He supposes it's due to being the eldest and riddled with the responsibilities until he was thirteen, as well as refusing to leave a ten year old to fend for herself on the cold, unforgiving streets of Musutafu. She didn't need to suffer the way he had.
He'd be better than them.
He stands, stubbing out his cigarette and returning to join the girl.
"C'mon. Bedtime." He says simply, ruffling her hair once more.