? Malevolence ?

Dust and grit rain down dangerously but I'm still running through the building-

still searching for him

-when it finally splits open.

There's a moment where everything is silent and then-

nothing.

No...

...wait...

Everything.

It's loud.

It's so damn loud.

Smashing, crashing, crumbling all around me.

Something tears into my side like a dull knife and-

...was it always this hard to breathe?

It all becomes a buzzing mess of pain, so much pain.

It seems to last forever. Wave after wave, it crashes over me and threatens to pull me under.

I wish it would.

At some point, it settles.

Whether I grow used to it or I finally do get pulled down,
down,
down-

I can't tell but I welcome the break and the relief it brings.

It's much, much later when someone finds me. I can barely tell they're there, more of a presence than a person. They come in the form of a voice but I welcome them all the same.

I recognize the voice. Rough and young, I've heard it once or twice.

But I've never heard it scared.

It shouldn't sound scared.

A question is asked.

I wish I could comprehend it.

I wish I could respond.

I can't.

The sound of rocks shifting grates through the air and suddenly I'm lighter. Then, I'm moved and the pain roars back to life.

Pushing, pulling, clawing to the forefront of my mind, it makes itself known. I feel like I should scream. Like I should cry out and beg for it to stop.

All I can manage is a raspy breath.

The voice is closer now and I distantly note that we're moving. We must be or else the world is shifting far too much.

Where?

The word echoes through my mind before I find myself drifting back towards the voice. It's talking again. I cling to each word, desperate to focus on something but the pain-

Oh, the pain.

It burns.

But the voice-

the voice soothes.

It mends my mind, putting the pieces back together again.

Slowly, the world comes back to me.

I feel more alive that I have since who knows when and it's the voice I have to thank. It even begins to make sense.

"-sorry. I'm so fucking sorry. You shouldn't have been in there- weren't supposed to be in there- but I should've known. You've always been a fucking hero. Always protecting people and saving fucking strangers and- fuck."

It's pinched and scratchy and scared and sad but that's wrong. The voice is supposed to be steady and cynical.

Rough and warm in a way unique to itself.

Rough, warm, young.

Suddenly, I know. I recognize the voice but really this time.

I force the syllables to roll off my tongue.

I speak him into existence.

"Touya."

We stop moving.

There's a quiet breath and it's not mine.

As if speaking brought me back to life, I manage to crack my eyes open and struggle to focus.

A mess of dark hair is the first thing I see. It's fluffy. I imagine it would be soft if I could just reach out to touch it.

My eyes drift down and I see-

Scars.

Dark and uneven, they bear against pale skin. Under the eyes, across a face, and down even further.

I know those scars.

I know Touya.

But in a different way.

A wrong way that shouldn't be but it is and he is and he said-

Dabi.

Touya is Dabi.

The last thing I see are brilliant blue eyes.

The eyes, I always knew.

Touya's eyes.

Dabi's eyes.

They watch me with fear, a hint of panic. Almost as if he expects me to lash out. But there's something else swimming in the sea of blue.

Something I can't put a name to.

Be upset, it screams. Hate me.

It burns brighter than the fear, brighter than the panic, a desperation daring me to disagree. Daring me to say-

'What if I'm bad?'

I was right.

What I had said before.

I was right.

"Good."

There's a pause. Another breath.

Then the voice is back.

His voice is back.

It trembles faintly, unbelieving.

"What?"

My eyes fall closed and I know I'm about to run out of time. I don't know if he'll be here when I wake up-

if I wake up

-but I need him to know-

I was right.

"You're good, Touya."

Then it all fades away.

---
I got the inspiration for this awhile ago and I couldn't sleep until I wrote it down.