Chapter Text
This was the third day he had woken up shivering, Dabi didn’t know what was causing it. His quirk usually made him feel too hot. It was both a blessing and a curse, it meant something was happening. At first, he checked his scars for signs of infection, finding nothing on that train of thought, he considered it might just be the flu. But that didn’t feel right either.
He got up slowly from his ragged futon, he could already hear Shigaraki and Spinner playing on their consoles. He wondered how long he slept for if the crusty leader was awake before him. Dabi searched through his bag for something warmer, it wasn’t something he would wear often but he pulled on a turtle-neck sweater over a long-sleeved shirt. He was still cold, but his healthy skin started to sweat.
Dabi steeled himself, pushing away the sinking feeling he had in his stomach, he walked out of his room and down to the main area filled with couches, blankets and their TV. Kurogiri had set up a makeshift bar and kitchen, but he spent most of his time reading in his own chair with some candles. But the misty man wasn’t there at the moment.
“Dab-Dab!” Toga was the first to notice him, she was sitting with Magne who was helping the teen with her hair. He gave her a tight smile, shuffling over to the makeshift kitchen to make some tea. He didn’t notice the concern looks shared between Magne and Toga.
“You ok, Dabs?” Toga asked, waiting for Magne to finish tying her hair before she walked over to the scarred man. Dabi was forcing himself not to shake, as he set the kettle on the portable camping hob. He jumped a little when he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned to look at Toga who continued to look at him with a concerned gaze.
“..wha?” He asked, blinking slowly as he tried to process what she asked him.
“Are you feeling ok, honey?” Magne moved closer, ignoring as the main room went quiet as the others looked over to see what was happening. Dabi went to nod his head, but his vision blurred and the room started to spin, why was the floor getting closer?
“Dabi!!” Both Toga and Magne gasped, the taller woman catching Dabi as he collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut. She lifted him into her arms, careful of his scars but he was trembling violently. Behind them Shigaraki and Spinner rushed over after seeing their pyro faint, did he have another infection?
Magne held Dabi while Togo set the back of her hand against his forehead, he was burning enough that she hissed and quickly removed her hand.
“How bad?” Shigaraki rasped, doing his best not to start scratching at his neck while Spinner went to get Compress and Kurogiri. They had the most medical knowledge other than Dabi himself, and Dabi wasn’t conscious enough to let them know what was happening with him.
“He’s hot, I can feel it myself,” Magne answered, as Toga rubbed the back of her hand. Shigaraki gestured towards one of the couches before he went to their freezer in search of an ice pack. Magne nodded her head carefully carrying the scarred man over to the couch, Toga had moved ahead of them to arrange the pillows a bit. The taller woman sent Toga a grateful look before she laid Dabi’s thin, short frame on the couch.
“Here,” Shigaraki handed Magne a couple of ice packs, which she immediately placed one on Dabi’s forehead and another behind his neck. Toga was anxiously tugging on the sleeves of her sweater.
Dabi groaned softly, continuing to shiver violently but he was sweating like he was sitting in a sauna. They hadn’t seen him this bad before, he has been sick before, many times in fact. His body was fragile in comparison to his powerful quirk. The league understood that his scars were at risk of infection, but they all did their best to keep their hideouts clean.
They all did little things for each other, Toga had a steady supply of blood pops to keep her cravings under control. They all carried a spare mask for Jin, just in case his own ripped. Spinner got first dibs on any new blankets, as he was cold blood due to his mutation quirk. They always looked out for new sewing supplies or material for Compress, the brown-haired man always liked to look his best. They also did their best to help out Kurogiri in the kitchen or supplied him with new tea’s to try. Magne hadn’t really wanted all that much, she was just happy to not be misgendered but they did try and get her gifts when they could. Shigaraki was the easiest, they just had to get him new games or some soothing cream for the dry skin on his neck.
The league is more than just a group of villain’s. They are a family.
Compress rushed into the main room with Spinner on his heels, he had been fixing up his coat when Spinner knocked on his door in a panic. He just mentioned that Dabi had fainted and Compress was out of the door, after gathering his bag of marbles. He didn’t bother pulling on any of his masks, they all knew what he looked like at this point anyway.
“What happened?” He asked while kneeling next to the couch, checking Dabi’s pulse. It was harder to get a read on with his scars but he had looked after Dabi enough when he was sick previously to have an understanding of how the man’s body worked.
“He came down later than usual, he looked off…didn’t he, big sis?” Toga turned to Magne who nodded her head in agreement.
“We went over to him when he didn’t answer after we asked him if he was ok, he looked confused and then just fainted…” Magne finished explaining.
Sako let out a soft hum of acknowledgement, he noted that Dabi’s heartbeat was fast, faster than it should be. He searched his bag of marbles until he found the one he wanted, he opened it and a large trauma kit appeared. He needed to monitor Dabi’s temperature, if he overheated they might have to take him to the Doctor. They really didn’t want to do that.
“Do you need us to do anything?” Spinner asked as he paced behind the group near the TV. He didn’t like not being able to do anything, especially when one of them needed help.
“Hmm, Spinner, can you drive Toga to the nearest store? We need some soups and drinks with electrolytes.” Compress turned to look at his scaled friend. Toga and Spinner instantly moved, rushing out of the warehouse.
Sako turned to Shigaraki, “can you get a couple of blankets?” Their leader gave a sharp nod before he too headed off towards their rooms.
“Magne, can you carry Dabi to his room?” He asked as he stood up himself, picking up the trauma bag. He felt the scarred man would be more comfortable in his own bed than on the couch.
“Of course,” she mumbled, easily lifting the short man following the magician to Dabi’s room. The door was still open but it was neat and tidy like he usually left it. Compress knelt down next to the futon, as Magne gently laid Dabi down and carefully removed his shoes along with his sweater. Sako then pulled out a digital ear thermometer, placing it in Dabi’s ear to take his temperature.
They sat in silence until it beeped, and Sako looked at the thermometer frowning. 41 degrees celsius. That would be a cause for concern if it was someone else, but Dabi usually ran at 38 degrees. But this did classify as a fever for their fire wielder.
Shigaraki then pushed into the room holding a couple of extra blankets, setting them down at the bottom of the futon. The leader looked at Sako’s frown and started to scratch at his neck, “how bad is it?”
“He definitely has a fever but until he wakes up, I don’t know what exactly is wrong.” Compress replied, setting the ice packs on Dabi’s forehead and behind his neck again. If his fever gets any higher they’ll have to take him to the doctor. For now, they’ll just have to monitor the scarred man.
Their leader nodded his head before stalking out the room, they knew he was worried especially with how badly he was scratching his neck. Magne shared a look with Sako before she went after the blue-haired man when Shigaraki was worried he was more likely to decay his controllers.
Sako let out a soft sigh as he settled down to watch over Dabi, he pulled the covers up over the scarred man’s fragile frame, gently tucking him in. Dabi groaned softly after being tucked in, his blue eyes opening a sliver. He looked confused, his eyebrows twitching into a frown.
“Dabi…” Sako spoke softly to the younger man trying to get his attention. Dabi looked up at Compress but it seemed to take him a bit to register who was speaking to him.
“..Sako..?” Dabi rasped, he sounded rough more than usual.
“Hey, it’s me, young one.” Compress gently ran his hand through the young man's dark hair. “How long have you been unwell?” He asked.
Dabi looked thoughtful, “..3 days…just been so cold…” he admitted, “s’not an infection…don’t feel like a cold.”
Compress nodded his head thoughtfully, “Symptoms?”
“..joint’s hurt..all the time…so tired and cold..” Dabi answered, whilst trying to snuggle deeper into his futon much to Sako’s amusement. They all joked that Dabi was an alley cat in a previous life.
“Ok, it partly sounds like the flu…but you're not sneezing or bunged up. Have you developed a cough?”
“...no, my chest hurts though..” Dabi mumbled softly, his eyes drifting closed, he was clearly exhausted with how easily he was giving Sako answers. Usually, it took more time to pry answers from the scarred man as he refused to admit how bad he was actually feeling. Compress frowned once again, not likely the implications of that.
“Get some more sleep Dabi,” Sako spoke quietly, continuing to run his hand through Dabi’s short hair until he felt the man relax into a deep sleep. He then sat up, contemplating the symptoms that Dabi has, it reminded him of Rheumatic Fever, but that was rare. Even then it more commonly affects children, and again before then, they suffered from strep. Yet Dabi wasn’t a child, nor had he had strep. It must be something else, or if it is Rheumatic Fever, but how it got to this stage Sako didn’t know.
They might have to take him to the doctor if the pain in his chest continued, he would wait until tomorrow unless the pain got worse.
Sako tilted his head when he heard a gentle knock on the door, before it opened, Kurogiri peered into the room holding a tray carrying a teapot in his hands. He gave the misty man a small smile. Kurogiri’s mist flicked in acknowledgement, moving into the room quietly and setting the tray down on the low bedside table.
“Thank you, ‘Giri,” Sako whispered, as the other man knelt on the other side of Dabi’s futon. Kurogiri couldn’t visibly smile but his mist flickered in a way that Sako knew was his version of a smile. He took the cup of tea that Kurogiri carefully handed over to him.
“How is Dabi doing?” Kurogiri asked as he poured himself a cup of tea, he left another cup for Dabi when he woke up.
“I just got him back to sleep, but I believe something fishy is going on,” Sako admitted, gracefully taking a sip of tea. “He has similar symptoms to Rheumatic Fever, yet he hasn’t had the leading illness which could turn into it. He has chest pain, if that continues tomorrow we might have to take him to the Doctor…”
Kurogiri’s eyes seemed to narrow thoughtfully, “...could this be due to a quirk?”
Compress’ frown deepened, it was highly possible, Dabi was the one who met with a lot of recruits who usually just were added to their information network or they were deemed bad enough that Dabi got rid of them. None of them seemed to be what they were looking for, and Dabi was used to being attacked in retaliation. But what if he was attacked in a way he couldn’t fight against?
“A quirk that induces sickness maybe? Have you heard of anything like that?” Sako wondered aloud, briefly looking at Kurogiri and then down at Dabi who had turned over onto his side as he slept. He was flushed with fever, the ice packs will need to be changed soon.
“No, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.” Kurogiri’s mist flickered thoughtfully. “I can contact the Doctor to see if he has heard about a quirk like that.”
“Contact the Doctor about what?” Shigaraki appeared with Magne, Twice, Spinner and Toga behind him. Spinner and Toga had returned from their shopping trip if the large canvas bag in Toga’s hands was anything to go by. Twice also seemed to have returned from his scouting mission.
Compress went about explaining what he thinks about what is happening with Dabi and the possibility of him running into someone with a quirk that could make people sick. The other members of the league looked a bit green at that thought.
“...Will…Will Dabi be ok?” Toga looked concerned, almost in tears. They all knew their line of work was dangerous, they could be killed or arrested, but they were still family. They cared about each other in their own way.
“Don’t worry, sweetheart, we’ll make sure he’ll be ok.” Magne soothed the younger woman, while Twice agreed, as Magne wrapped her arm around Toga’s shoulders.
“Ashes will be fine, no one will die in my party,” Shigaraki stated, his red eyes hardening. If someone attacked his party, then they would pay, as the party leader, it was his responsibility to look out for his members. Dabi was his…friend, and he was one of the league’s powerhouses even if his Dexterity and Constitution was low. “Get me in contact with the Doctor, Kurogiri.” He ordered. Before turning to the other members.
“Spinner, check all the recruits that Dabi’s seen in the past week. Twice, Toga, when Spinner gets that info, you two get on them. Magne, Compress, can you both keep watching over Dabi?” Shigaraki continued to give out orders to his party.
“....you’s loud..” Dabi grumbled from under his covers, eyes partly open again as he peeked out towards the league standing around his futon. He still looked incredibly tired but Shigaraki just turned around and pointed at him, “shut! You zombie wannabe!”
That caused Dabi to snort softly, the tense air around them evaporating quickly. There was still tension, especially if someone had attacked one of their own. But knowing Dabi and Shigaraki could still mess with each other loosened that tension enough to cause them to relax.
Toga knelt next to the futon and gave Dabi a tight hug before Twice gave Dabi a wave from the doorway. “Don’t die on us!” “ I don’t care, Die! ” The two then went off with Spinner to search through the recruits, Shigaraki then quickly left with Kurogiri to talk with the Doctor. That left Magne and Compress to sit with Dabi.
Dabi let out a heavy sigh, clearly upset with himself, he hated appearing weak but he also knew the league wouldn’t hold it against him. He wasn’t used to being cared for especially from the league, even the birb who he had yet to introduce to said league seemed to care for him. If the amount of food, drinks and shiny rocks the man presented to him during their meetups.
Even when he was younger, he was the one who looked after his siblings and then slowly he had to take the role of looking after his mother as she started to lose it. He couldn’t show weakness even to his siblings, they needed to know that someone would stand up for them no matter what. Well, that was until he had a breakdown himself on the peak that night.
Dabi looked up when he felt a hand run through his hair again, it was Magne, she smiled at him softly. He relaxed, letting his new big sister look after him. It was his turn to be watched over and he had to admit it felt nice.
“Compress has gone to get more ice packs, how are you feeling?” She asked as she helped him sit up to drink some tea. He took the cup in his hands, wincing as his joints continued to ache. It felt like the start of one of his pain days. He didn’t want to imagine feeling like this and then his chronic pain decided to drop a visit.
“...like shit…” He grumbled honestly, taking a huge gulp of the ginger and lemon tea that he was given. That caused Big Sis Magne to chuckle softly, taking the cup from him when he was finished. She then laid him back down and tucked him in gently, going back to stroking his hair which was already soothing him back to sleep. He shivered as another chill ran through his body, but Big Sis Magne just pulled another blanket over him.
Magne then continued to stroke his head and smiled softly, as she felt him lean into her touch, he really was just like an alley cat. Always on edge, looking around for a threat, tensing up and hissing when someone goes to touch him. Until they gained his trust and he relaxed around them, and he would be loyal until the end unless they broke his trust. But the league were family now, they would protect each other with all they had.
Compress returned not long after Dabi slipped into a deep sleep, the brown-haired man carefully replacing the ice packs. He then settled down with a book, ready to watch over Dabi for as long as he needed them.