CHAPTER ONE - ACCIDENTAL ATTRACTION

Shigaraki Tomura tugged anxiously at the high collar of his UA gym uniform, scratching frantically at the skin below, but no matter how hard he clawed at himself, the oppressive material continued to bother him. He was uncomfortable, covered in a thick layer of grime and wanted nothing more than to strip down and wash away the remnants of what turned out to be a disaster period of partnered combat training at UA.

He sighed and shifted his gaze to the clock mounted on the wall in front of him, immediately one of his eyes began to twitch in unison with the steady ticking second hand. Usually the sound would not have irritated him, however, in the eerie silence of the empty infirmary that persistent click was amplified until it was the only thing he could focus on.

Tick. Tick. Tick.

"How annoying." Shigaraki thought, and with indignation folded his arms roughly over his chest. A hiss of pain followed the movement causing him to lower his arms back down. He groaned as he swept the palm of his hand tenderly over his rib cage, trying to locate the source of the distress and growing angrier, and more frustrated in the process.

He shouldn't have been there.

Sitting alone, battered and bruised with a possible broken rib and waiting on someone to come and heal him was not how the morning was supposed to go. Right about now, he was supposed to be basking in the afterglow of a victory! Instead, he had failed his very first exam at UA. And now his head hurt courtesy of the bump he had received from falling hard into the ground, making it difficult for him to concentrate on anything other than being batshit mad.

Where was Recovery Girl?

Just as Shigaraki was about to get up and go in search of some help, because sitting around doing nothing was driving him up the wall, the door to the infirmary swung open hard, with much more force than required. It bounced against the wall, creating a loud bang and worsening the already constant pounding in his temples.

A pair of vibrant blue eyes met Shigaraki's petulant gaze.

Dabi.

"YOU!" Shigaraki growled, gritting his teeth.

That fucking zombie! It was all his fault that Shiagaraki had been injured in the first place, and why they had failed the test. Paired up in what was to be a graded teamwork challenge, Dabi, the egotistical jerk, had deviated from their pre-planned attack, and at the most critical point in the battle, leaving Shigaraki to clean up the mess.

He didn't remember all the events leading up to the combat robot's final demise as he was one-hundred percent certain that he had been knocked unconscious for a second or two when one of the damned monstrosities had knocked him aside using one of its powerful metal legs - like he was nothing more than an empty tin can. What he did remember was the pain. But regardless of the agony he felt when the robot's heavy foot clamped down on him, Shigaraki had managed to secure his hand on the mechanical giant. One hand was all he needed. The metal foot disintegrated first, offering him some relief from the heavy pressure bearing down on his torso, and then the rest of the metal body crumbled away, raining down on Shigaraki's battered body like a dusting of fresh snow.

Dabi remained on the outskirts of this event, standing and unscathed. So much for teamwork.

"GET OUT!" Shigaraki fumed, scratching wildly at his irritated neck.

"So belligerent," Ignoring Shigaraki's fumes, the taller boy offered his partner an impish grin as he casually crossed the room. He idled right up to the cot Shigaraki was sitting on until he was standing in his classmate's personal space, looming, "Just wanted to make sure you were okay."

That conceited asshole! Was Dabi taunting him? Shigaraki scowled but couldn't help his face from lighting up with heat. Dabi's presence was exceptionally commanding, and unavoidable, standing so close with his thighs pressed against Shiagraki's bent legs.

"Bullshit," Shigaraki spat back, livid. He abruptly turned his cheek to his so-called friend.

Dabi laughed, low and deep. "Okay. You got me," He admitted, "I was sent to check up on you." He pressed closer into Shigaraki, pushing his knees apart so he could get a better look at the injuries he had sustained. "Let me see your face, Mop Head."

A sardonic chuckle left Shigaraki's tightly closed lips, "I don't think you understand the sheer amount of willpower it is taking for me to not punch you in the face right now. Go away before the thread holding my sanity together snaps. With just one touch, I will reduce you to a pile of ash!"

"Feisty," Dabi returned, seemingly unphased by the other boy's callous intent. His dominant personality wouldn't allow him to withdraw so easily. Perilous or not, he liked things to go his way. He lifted his arm, and wrapped his fingers over Shigaraki's chin, thumb brushing his jawline as he turned the other boys face slowly back towards him.

He narrowed his eyes.

Shigaraki's bottom lip was busted open and bleeding, looking purple in the very centre were all the blood vessels were damaged. There was a darkening bruise on his cheek, and another along his jawline, and his left eye was starting to swell. He probably had other injuries too, things that Dabi couldn't make out beneath Shigaraki's clothes, even if the UA sports uniform was very fitted to his body. It was also flecked with blood.

"You look like shit." Dabi proclaimed, still holding Shigaraki's face in place, "More than usual."

Shigaraki's face grew warmer as his anger level shot up from 100 to 1000. It was almost if Dabi was baiting him to react. Violently. And to his own chagrin, it was working. Gritting his teeth again, Shigaraki lifted his own hand and reached towards his classmate's neck with the intent to harm.

"Are you going to kill me?"

"Yes."

Quickly, Dabi lowered his head until he felt the hot breath issuing from between Shiagaraki's parted lips, "Not yet." He whispered, and without any ounce of hesitation closed the remaining distance between them to press his mouth firmly down against his rivals. A kiss that had been a long time in the making, a kiss that he had been desiring.

Shigaraki gasped but those warm, soft lips didn't quell his anger. He slowly wrapped his hand around the smooth column of Dabi's neck. One finger, two, three, and then four. His pinky lingered just above the surface of the skin, threatening to touch down at any moment.

A muffled, strangulated groan left Dabi's mouth, like he enjoyed being on the edge of death, one finger away from the end of his existence. He tilted his head, delving deeper into the depths of Shigaraki's mouth, seeking more contact.

Fuck! The power Shigaraki ultimately held over his classmate in that moment was thrilling! He would never admit to it, but the ultimate surrender of life which had Dabi leaving his fate hanging delicately in Shigaraki's hand, turned him on.

But on the other hand, Shigaraki also absolutely hated how his body reacted to Dabi. It seemed so involuntary. The ultimate betrayal of himself. He couldn't control the heat, nor the skipping beat of his heart, or that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. And he didn't understand why. By all accounts, he and Dabi did not get along, they were rivals, and were always butting heads or fighting with each other. Shigaraki would even go as far as saying that he did not really like that arrogant asshole and yet he couldn't deny being attracted to him.

Of course, Dabi was not oblivious. He liked to toy with Shigaraki, and he was always the one to initiate their fragile and often violent encounters. It had been that way since they had both joined the Hero Course. Hate, with brief moments of blind affection.

That relationship did not seem like it was going to end any time soon.

Dabi pulled away from the kiss, but allowed his tongue to gently sweep Shigaraki's lower, busted lip, the bleeding cut a reminder of the earlier incident. "Fucking disgusting," He mumbled, licking over his own lips as the metallic tang of blood overwhelmed his sense of taste. But he went back in for more, stroking his tongue over Shigaraki's lip once again with a slower, more tantalizing caress, clearing away the bloody red evidence.

Shigaraki curled his fingers against Dabi's neck, blunt nails biting into the skin, "Try that again and I will really kill you."

Dabi smirked and pulled his face away a fraction, "I should have stuck to the plan," He admitted. And it sounded sincere too which threw Shigaraki for a loop. It wasn't often that Dabi admitted that he had been the one to screw up.

It wasn't much of an apology, but it was more than Shigaraki could expect.

"You think?" Shigaraki grumbled, agitated, and batted at the hand that still held firmly onto his face. The movement caused another hiss of pain to pass his pursed lips.

Dabi obliged to that small smack, carefully releasing Shigaraki's chin, but remained in close proximity. "Break something?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

The corner of Dabi's mouth kicked up into an audacious grin, "Want me to kiss it better?"

"Fuck off."

Dabi chuckled, "Well, maybe you'll be happy to know that I got chewed out by Mr. Aizawa."

"Why would that make me happy?" Shigaraki returned, hugging his waist carefully.

"You want to hurt me?"

"That would make me happy."

"Mmm," Dabi leaned in a little closer once again, and Shigaraki immediately turned his head away, keeping his mouth out of kissing range. He wasn't going to let himself get trapped by Dabi's devilish lips once again.

"I want to tell you something." Dabi confessed, warm breath tickling Shigaraki's cheek.

Shigaraki tensed, squeezing his eyes shut so he would not be tempted by Dabi's smooth, low toned voice. He could get through whatever the damn zombie boy had to say without another make out session and leave it at that.

"I just wanted you to know how much…"

Shigaraki wouldn't get to find out what Dabi wanted him to know. A nurse had finally arrived, interrupting their exchange and swooping in on Shigaraki with an ice pack in one hand, a cup of water and two aspirin in the other.

He wasn't sure if he was relieved or disappointed by the disruption.