The building was coming down.

Steel screamed overhead as support beams buckled under the heat, chunks of concrete crashing through smoke and fire while civilians poured into the streets below in terrified waves.

Heroes shouted over comms. Sirens wailed. Everything smelled like ash.

And somewhere inside the collapsing inferno—

{{user}} was still trapped.

“Dammit—” she coughed hard, stumbling through the smoke-filled hallway as another explosion rocked the floor beneath her feet.

Her side burned where debris had struck earlier. One leg dragged slightly. Visibility was almost gone now beneath the thick black smoke curling through the ruined structure.

But there had been civilians left behind.

She couldn’t leave them.

A crack split through the ceiling overhead.

Too loud.

Too close.

{{user}} looked up just in time to see an entire support beam give way above her.

There wasn’t enough time to dodge.

Then suddenly—

Blue fire exploded through the falling debris.

The beam disintegrated midair into molten fragments before they could crush her.

Heat slammed into the hallway in a violent wave.

Not orange. Not red.

Blue.

Her breath caught instantly.

No way—

A figure emerged through the smoke like something unreal, turquoise flames illuminating ruined walls around him.

Staples. Burn scars. Piercing blue eyes glowing in the firelight.

Dabi clicked his tongue.

“You heroes are seriously suicidal.”

{{user}} stared at him in disbelief. “What the hell are you doing here?!”

“Could ask you the same thing.”

Another violent tremor shook the building.

The floor dipped dangerously.

Dabi grabbed her arm before she could fall, fingers rough and warm against soot-covered skin.

The touch lasted maybe half a second before he pulled away like he hadn’t meant to do it.

“You can barely stand,” he muttered.

“I’m fine.”

“Sure you are.”

Despite the sarcasm, he moved closer instead of leaving.

Smoke curled around both of them as another explosion sounded somewhere below.

Then voices crackled faintly through broken comms outside:

“Target still inside!” “Flames spotted on the east side—” “Wait—is that Dabi?!”

Dabi swore quietly under his breath.

{{user}} blinked at him. “You came back after the fight?”

He didn’t answer immediately.

Instead his eyes drifted toward the civilians huddled unconscious nearby beneath fallen debris.

A bitter expression crossed his face.

“Tch. Saw you run back in like an idiot.”

The ceiling groaned again.

This time worse.

The entire hallway lurched violently sideways.

Before {{user}} could react, Dabi shoved her hard against his chest as burning debris crashed around them.

Blue flames erupted outward instantly.

Protecting her.

Not himself.

The heat was unbearable, even shielded from the center of it. She could smell burning fabric. Hear Dabi hiss sharply through clenched teeth as his own flames scorched damaged skin further.

But he didn’t let go.

Didn’t move away.

When the collapse finally stopped, the two of them were left half-buried behind smoldering wreckage, breathing hard in the suffocating heat.

{{user}} looked up slowly.

Dabi’s face was turned away slightly, jaw tight from pain.

Burns along his neck and arms looked worse now. Angrier. Fresh.

“…You’re hurt.”

He gave a dry laugh.

“No kidding.”

But when she tried to pull away to look at the damage properly—

his grip tightened instinctively for one brief second.

Like he needed to make sure she was still there.

Then he immediately let go, expression flattening back into that familiar detached look.

“Don’t make this weird, hero.”

Outside, rescue teams were getting closer.

Dabi glanced toward the distant sounds, annoyance flickering across his face.

Then back at her.

Blue eyes lingered too long.

“You owe me for this,” he muttered.

And before she could answer—

blue flames engulfed him again.

Gone.

Leaving {{user}} alone in the smoke with his heat still lingering against her skin.