Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Himiko sat on her bed staring at her hands, idly extending and retracting her claws as her mind wandered. It was strange to think there was a whole part of her quirk, part of herself, she hadn’t known about just two weeks ago. 

She was a heteromorph, a cat heteromorph specifically. 

There had been a time, when Himiko was a child, that she suspected it. Her cat-like eyes and fangs were enough to make any kid curious. She had been no different.

One day, before the rest of her quirk manifested, Himiko decided to ask her parents. They denied it immediately, scolding her for even thinking that she was, in her mother’s words, an animal. The memory made something twist in her gut. Her mother sounded so disgusted by the idea that little Himiko nodded along and pushed her questions into the far corner of her mind to be forgotten. 

She didn’t ask again after that. 

Perhaps her mother truly believed that her daughter wasn’t a heteromorph. After all, Himiko had gotten this part of her quirk from her father who had eyes just like her. At least that was her guess. His teeth had always been sensitive, as though he’d had fangs like her but filed them down. Then there were the scars on his fingers and the pain that accompanied them. It wasn’t something she questioned as a kid, but looking back the truth was pretty obvious. 

Her father had himself declawed.

There was no way he hadn’t seen the signs that his daughter was a heteromorph just like him. He knew, but he kept it a secret anyways. 

If it hadn’t been for Keigo, Himiko might have never learned the truth. After leaving the HPSC and joining  the league officially, Tenko had put the man in charge of training everyone. They had to get ready to break Kurogiri out of Tartarus.

In the heat of her first training session, the claws just sort of happened. She didn’t remember much about it. One moment she was in the heat of the chase, the hunt, the next it was over and a set of retractable claws decorated her fingertips. Himiko wanted to be excited. She wanted to love and embrace this new part of herself, but her parents’ shame and disapproval still lurked in the back of her mind.

This sucks, she thought. I almost miss the brain fog. 

As it turned out, many of the foods that are toxic for animals have the same effect on some heteromorphs. It wasn’t something Himiko had known until Spinner brought it up over dinner one night, but it made sense. Then Spinner mentioned that onions made him anemic. 

It didn’t take long for someone to realize that Himiko’s blood lust was a result of anemia due to poor nutrition.  

Ever since they changed her diet, Himiko could think clearly. She could be around people without the sound of their heart beats or smell of their blood becoming completely overwhelming. Before, her thoughts had been more like feelings or instincts; they didn’t have words unless she concentrated or spoke them aloud. Now though, Toga had a whole inner monologue.

It was great. Except all the wordless thoughts and feelings had a voice, and it seemed intent on making up for lost time. 

Most of the time she thought about her parents. 

They were dead now. Himiko was happy about that. She truly was… but she also felt something else, something she couldn’t quite put into words.

It had all started when Dabi brought a mysterious woman going by the name Yuki-onna to the league. He claimed she just needed a place to stay under the radar for a little while. The resemblance between the two was uncanny, so it wasn’t a surprise to find out they were related. It was a surprise when they finally found out that she was none other than Rei Todoroki. 

Himiko didn’t care though. Yuki was kind, and when Himiko told her about her blood cravings Yuki didn’t turn away in disgust. When she told her about her partners, Yuki just wrapped her in a warm hug and apologized that the world had been so cruel to her. She promised that she wouldn’t let Himiko’s parents hurt her ever again. 

It was the next morning that the murder of her parents made the headlines. Her parents had been frozen to death before the house was torched by Dabi with the two of them still inside. The memory of it still made her feel warm and loved. No one had gone out of their way like that for her other than the League of Villains.

Himiko was glad they were gone, but somehow she felt sad about it too.

I wonder if my parents ever felt sorry for what they did to me, even if it was right before they died.

Dabi and Yuki never told her what her parents’ last words had been. At least, she didn’t remember if they did. A lot of Himiko’s memories from before her diet change were a little hazy. 

It didn’t matter though. Even if they did regret it, they were dead now and the dead can’t repent.

It doesn’t matter, Himiko. She tried to tell herself. They’re dead. It doesn’t matter if they were guilty.

But it did. 

Himiko flopped back on her bed with a sigh as different versions of her parents’ final moments passed through her mind.

In some they cursed her name until the bitter end. In others though, they insisted that they’d somehow done everything out of love.

That’s not what real love is like. 

Himiko knew that now, but a part of her still hoped her parents had said something like that before they died. She wasn’t quite sure why.

Thinking like this wasn’t doing her any good.

Slowly, she pulled herself out of bed and brushed herself off. Himiko had to know. Even though it had been months. Even if she’d been told before. Himiko needed someone to tell her again. To tell her what her parents said before they died. To tell her that maybe, at some point, they had cared. 

Dabi slept like shit last night. He’d dragged himself out of bed at Keigo’s insistence to grab some breakfast. His boyfriend might be hanging out downstairs, but Dabi still felt dead to the world, so he was going back to fucking bed and no one could stop him.

He’d almost made it back to their apartment when he felt a hand on his wrist. Ready to tell whoever it was to fuck off, Dabi turned around and saw Toga.

Normally, he had no problem telling the brat to leave him alone, but he could tell something was wrong. She looked serious for once, not a hint of playfulness in her expression. If anything, Toga seemed nervous.

God help me, I did not sleep enough for whatever is about to happen.

After a beat of silence Toga finally spoke. “Did my parents say anything before they died?”

Fuck.

There had been a time when Dabi had expected this question, back in the weeks following the deaths of Toga’s parents. He’d actually put a lot of thought into how he’d respond. Because despite being an unapologetic asshole, he had a soft spot for the blond brat.

It had been months since then, and the answer he’d so carefully crafted was lost to him in his exhaustion. 

God damnit.

Dabi let out a long sigh and leaned against the wall, resigned to at least hear the brat out. “Why do you want to know all of a sudden?” 

And why do you look so scared?

“It doesn’t matter,” Toga pushed, shaking head. “I just need to know. Please.”

Dabi didn’t have the energy to unpack whatever was causing the urgency in her voice. Instead he looked away for a moment, trying to organize his thoughts before leaning down to look  her in the eye.

“Listen, I’m fucking exhausted,” Dabi said. “I can give you the short version if you want, but it’ll probably be shit and upsetting because I’m tired and your parents are assholes. If you wait and until I get some more sleep, I can tell you later and actually do a half decent job of it.”

Toga looked at him for a long time before turning her gaze to the floor. “…Okay, I’ll wait then.” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

That wasn’t the response he’d been expecting. Why bother waiting when she could go downstairs and ask Rei instead. After all, his mom was arguably more involved in the whole killing parent murder thing. Dabi had thought Toga caught him by coincidence on her way to ask Rei, but this implied that Toga had sought him out. That she wanted to hear it from Dabi, not his mom. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. 

Okay well, fuck dealing with that right now. Sleep first, emotions later. 

Dabi pulled himself from his thoughts and began formulating a plan. “Okay, how about we talk tonight then.”

Toga’s face brightened. “You’re the best Dabi, thank you so much!” 

“You’re welcome and all that jazz,” Dabi sighed as a twinge of guilt curled in his gut.

She sure is excited to hear something that will probably break her heart… This is gonna fucking suck.

Dabi shook his head.

Focus. Sleep first, emotions later.

“Alright, how about this” he continued, pulling out his phone. “I’ll text Keigo to let him know you’ve got permission to come into our apartment and wake me up if I’m still asleep by 11pm tonight. That work for you?”

“Yep, sounds great!” Toga agreed with a smile that looked just a bit forced. 

“Alright, I’m gonna get some fucking sleep then,” he said, turning to head back to his apartment.

Toga’s slow steps echoed down the hall as Dabi finally reached his and Keigo’s apartment. He paused. It would be so easy to open the door and go straight to bed. It sounded fucking fantastic in fact, but he turned around instead.

“Hey Toga,” he called.

She stopped, turning on her heel to face him again.

”Don’t just… Fucking sit in your room all day stressing about this shit,” he continued. “I get that you don’t want to tell me what brought this on, but it’s clearly bothering you. So, just talk to someone or something. We’ve all been fucked over and hurt by people, and we’ve all got our own ways of dealing with it. Maybe someone will have some words of wisdom for you or something.”

With that Dabi turned open the door to his apartment to go to bed. 

At least, he was going to do that.

He only got two steps into his apartment before Toga almost knocked him over as she tackled him into a hug.

“Oh, Dabi,” she teased. “You do care.”

Normally he would protest and fight off the little gremlin, but it was nice to hear Toga sound more like herself. Not that Dabi would ever admit that. If anyone ever asked, he’d claim he was just too tired to bother.

Toga released him soon after and left the apartment, closing the door behind her. 

With that Dabi was finally free to get some rest. Though as he crawled into bed, a thought crossed his mind. With a groan, he pulled out his phone, typed out a quick message to Keigo, and tossed it aside.

Then, at long last, Dabi surrendered himself to the sweet oblivion of sleep.

From: Touya 

8:37 AM

twll the trst of the vastards that ill ash em if thryr diks to togga tday 

It took Keigo a moment to decipher his boyfriend's message. He couldn’t help but chuckle. For all of Touya’s posturing, he really did care about the girl. 

Keigo finished the last of his breakfast and glanced at Rei across the table.

“Dabi is asking everyone to be nice to Himiko today,” he said.

Rei’s brow furrowed in concern. “Did he say why?” 

Keigo shook his head. “No, but he mentioned that he and Himiko are going to talk about something when he wakes up. He never said what it was though.”

”Hm…” Rei leaned back in her chair, pausing thoughtfully. “Do you think anyone would mind me taking over cooking dinner tonight? I could try and make one of her favorites, though I’m not sure we have all the ingredients.”

Keigo chuckled, “If anything, Tenko would love to hear he’s been relieved of cooking duty.” 

 “You’re absolutely right,” Rei laughed along with him.

“I bet Twice would be happy to grab some stuff from the store if you end up needing anything. If not him then someone else can,” he said before hastily adding, “Not that you can’t go yourself of course.”

“I know Keigo,” she assured him. “Thank you.”

“Not a problem.”

After clearing away his dishes, Keigo headed off to give a… less censored version of Touya’s message to the rest of the league. 

Chapter Text

Himiko hadn’t known there was a term for that kind of pain she felt until she joined the League of Villains. 

She still remembered how Kurogiri sat her down and took the time to explain what trauma was. Himiko also remembered how sad he looked when she asked if, after everything with her parents and on the streets, she was traumatized too. 

“I can’t say for certain, but I imagine so Himiko,” he had said. Then he leaned down and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Either way, that does not mean you are broken. It means you were strong enough to survive a terrible thing, and that is admirable.”

Himiko practically launched herself across the bar and wrapped him in a tight hug. No one had praised her like that in a long time. 

She smiled at the memory.

Learning about trauma had felt like the last piece of a puzzle finally falling into place. At long last, Himiko had a word to describe the pain her childhood left her with.

It had been around that time that the league started playing Top that Trauma together. It was a simple game. Someone would share a terrible memory of theirs, then they would challenge someone to top it with a story of their own. Everyone else would vote on the winner, then whoever lost had to take a drink. Even if she was banned from having any alcohol, the light hearted competition made talking about things easier. Even if it was  game, hearing everyone’s stories made her feel more normal. 

Talking to the rest of the league almost always made her feel better. Even if Himiko was still sad, she'd at least feel better than she did before. Dabi was right, talking with the rest of the league would be better than sulking in her room all day. The only thing that made her hesitate was the way he'd implied she should talk about what’s been bothering her. 

The idea scared her. Himiko didn’t like talking about this sort of thing outside of their games. It was so much harder to know what was okay to say without that structure. With Top that Trauma, there were ground rules to make sure no one got uncomfortable or upset. Everyone knew the kind of conversations they were signing up for. It was a totally different thing to spring that on someone.

Well, I guess I already did that to Dabi. 

Himiko frowned. She hadn’t put much thought into her conversation with him. It had been more of an impulse than any sort of plan, and she hadn’t even stopped to think about the fact that Dabi was never awake in the mornings if he could help it. 

No wonder he was so tired… I’ll have to apologise to him later.

If Himiko was going to follow Dabi’s advice and talk to everyone about what had been bothering her, she was going to need a plan. They might not be playing Top that Trauma, but if she set some similar ground rules, maybe she could avoid upsetting anyone. 

Himiko needed to come up with a plan.

After rummaging around in her nightstand, she finally found what she was looking for. It was a pale pink notebook with a cute cat on the cover and a glittery pink pen. She flipped to the first blank page and started brainstorming.

Keigo made his way to the bar, following the sounds of bickering and an up beat video game soundtrack.

Well at least I know where Tenko and Spinner are. 

He chuckled imagining how their leader was going to react to Touya’s message. Hopefully the rest of the league would be with them. It would make his job a whole lot easier. 

Peering through the entry way he found three members settled comfortably in the common area. Mr. Compress was perched on one of the bar stools engrossed in a book, seemingly unbothered by the noise. Spinner and Tenko sat on the floor, crowded around the TV despite the couch a few feet behind them. 

Damn. I guess that I’ll still have to track down Twice and Shouto after this.

Both Spinner and Tenko didn’t notice as Keigo strolled into the room, too caught up in playing some game he didn’t recognise. Compress, however, looked up from his book and offered him a friendly wave.

With a sigh Keigo began, “Hey gu-”

“Fuck!”

Keigo’s eyes darted back over to Tenko who had twisted around to glare as a game over screen flashed on the TV behind him. 

“You just ruined my best run on this level, asshole,” the man growled. “I was finally going to beat Shuichi’s high score.”

“Sucks to suck Tenko,” Spinner said between barely contained giggles. 

“Shut up,” Tenko scoffed, then turned back to Keigo. “This better be worth it.”

“Right,” Keigo replied, barely suppressing his own amusement. “Dabi asked me to pass along a message before he went back to bed.”

He paused for a moment considering how best to translate Touya’s half-asleep text.

“Well don’t keep us in suspense my dear boy.” Compress leaned forward, listening intently. 

Tenko on the other hand raised an irritated eyebrow, clearly growing impatient. There had been a time when Keigo might have become nervous at the sight, but not any more. The league had become the family he never had, and he could see Tenko’s expression for what it was: mild annoyance not a thinly veiled threat of violence. 

“Dabi said he’d burn the shit out of anyone who’s a dick to Himiko today,” Keigo said with a wry smile. 

There was a moment of silence.

Tenko’s eyes narrowed. “Is that it?”

“Yup.”

“Did he say why?” Spinner asked.

“Nope.”

“Unfortunate,” Mr. Compress sighed and returned to his book. “But very well, his request has been noted.”

“That bastard can go fuck himself,” Tenko grumbled.

“What?” Spinner gave him a playful nudge. “Were you planning to be mean to Toga today?”

“Of course not! I’m not a fucking monster,” Tenko gasped in mock offense.

Their bickering continued as Keigo left the room with a smile on his face.

Time to track down the rest of them. 

This was much harder than Himiko expected. She’d already filled five whole pages trying to sort out her thoughts, and if anything they felt messier than they were before. It was like her emotions were a big tangled ball of yarn, and Himiko didn’t know how to begin unraveling it. 

She turned the page and kept trying anyway.

weird knots in my feelings yarn 

1. im glad mom and dad are dead… but theres other stuff too and its confusing - how am i supposed to feel? <- ask how other people feel about stuff like that?

• how does dabi think he’ll feel after endeavor (finally) dies? I dont know if i wanna ask yuki or shouto…

• i could ask keigo about getting revenge on the hpsc too i guess

• what about revenge in general… there are a lot of ways to get revenge

• does that mean prison is just revenge but for heros? 

• do people (heros?) feel better when villains die? - is that why killing us is “okay”  >:C

2. being a heteromorph - i dont want to be ashamed like my dad (even if its hard… i wanna try to love myself like big sis magne taught me)

• its not obvious im a heteromorph - i want to try to somehow make people see that somehow… (is there stuff like that? like how theres lgbt pride pins or something??? is it okay that i wanna have that?)

• i wanna make sure it wont bother shuichi and keigo though - i can hide that im a heteromorph but keigo was forced to and shuichi just cant…  is it rude for me to show it off when they never had a choice?

• do some research first THEN ask spinner and keigo how they feel

3. who am I??? 

• i feel so different without my blood cravings… im still not sure who i am without them

4. do my parents last words really matter? would it really feel better if my parents loved me?  

• my parents once told me that everything they did was out of love too. it hurt me. they knew it, but they promised it was because they loved me 

but love shouldn’t hurt… how could they call that love

…but i used to stab the people I love whenever I felt like it (now I ask first)

getting stabbed hurts a lot 

does that mean i was just like them? 

Himiko didn’t process the question until the words stared back at her, an accusation written in the bold glittery pink of her favorite pen. The irony of the question wasn’t lost on her. Day in and day out, Himiko’s parents would remind her that the way she loved was wrong. It hurt people so it was bad. Yet for some reason theirs was okay, even though it hurt her. Himiko didn’t find that thought as comforting as she’d hoped she would. 

There are few things more awkward than opening the door just before someone was about to knock. At best, it resulted in profuse apologies and at worst it ended with an accidental punch in the face. 

Sometimes though, there was an odd middle ground. That was the outcome Jin hated the most. So, obviously that’s what happens when he swung open the door to find Keigo standing there, fist raised to knock and everything.

Neither of them moved. They didn’t say anything either. They just stared at each other.

The moment lasted just a beat longer than was comfortable.

“Shit sorry,” Keigo stepped back, allowing Jin out of the room. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Dont worry about it,” Jin assured him. “I’ll never forgive you."

“Are you busy?” The other man asked unperturbed. “Dabi wanted me to pass along a message.”

Jin shook his head only to have his stomach protest, yearning for breakfast. 

“I won’t keep you long then,” Keigo said with a chuckle. “He didn’t say why but Dabi just wants everyone to be nice to Himiko today… or he’ll burn them.”

“Huh.”

That was concerning. 

Not the threat, Dabi threatened to burn people all the time. He meant it too. The only person he never followed through with was Himiko. She could pester him all she wanted without so much as a spark being sent her way. Even so, Dabi was practically allergic to overt displays of affection like this. 

It must be serious if it made Dabi drop the tough guy act.

“I’ll make sure to check on her after I get some breakfast,” Jin said, turning toward the kitchen. “Fuck that, she can take care of herself.”

“I’m sure she’ll appreciate it,” Keigo called as the man hurried off.

Himiko still didn’t feel quite right but she’d finally calmed down enough to get back to writing. Just as she was about to put pen to paper she heard a knock at the door.

“Himiko are you in there?” Jin called from the hallway. “Stop hiding you coward.”

She leapt off her bed and bounded over to the door. This was perfect. Jin gave the best hugs, except for maybe Yuki’s but it didn’t feel right to compare the two. Yuki gave mom hugs and mom hugs belonged in a category of their own.

Himiko didn’t want a mom hug right now anyway.

She opened the door and tackled Jin. He was saying something, but Himiko could barely hear it over the purr rumbling in her throat as Jin returned the embrace.

“Morning Jin!” She chirped when she finally pulled away.

“Good morning Himiko,” he chucked. “Clingy brat.”

She didn’t give him a chance to say more before she dragged him into her room. Sorting out how to talk about all this messy feelings stuff on her own was hard. It was time to enlist outside help. Hopefully Jin didn’t have any other plans for the morning.  

“Hey Jin,” she started after closing the door behind them. “Could I have your help with something?”

“Of course,” he replied without hesitation. “Absolutely not.”

Himiko grinned and launched into the story of everything that happened this morning. Once she started talking it was hard to stop, all her messy yarn feelings were still chomping at the bit to get out of her system. The whole time Jin sat and listened patiently, quietly waiting until she was finished. Eventually the flow of words finally slowed to a trickle as she explained her fear of being like her parents. 

Next thing she knew, Himiko was enveloped in another warm hug. 

“If you ask me you’re nothing like your parents,” Jin began. “You have their genetics though, can’t escape that shit.”

“What makes you so sure?” Himiko asked. “You’ve never met them.”

"I don’t need to, you’ve told us enough,” he replied. “Actually your parents and I go way back.”

Before Himiko could press further, Jin began to explain. “When Kurogiri explained that you should get consent before stabbing someone, you tried your best to start asking first, right? Unless they’re assholes, you should stab those guys no questions asked.”

“…Yeah I did.” Himiko replied unsure of where Jin was going with this.

“What made you listen to him?” Jin asked. “Kurogiri’s full of shit, why bother?”  

The answer didn't come easily. Himiko pulled herself out of the hug and leaned back on her bed as she considered her answer.

“I think it’s because I didn’t like that it would make you guys mad or scared when I stabbed one of you without warning,” she replied. “But when I got permission first it didn’t seem to make anyone feel bad anymore. Sometimes you guys would smile cause you know I only stab people I love a whole lot.”

“That’s what I thought,” Jin said with a grin. “Wow I had no idea.”

“Why does that matter though?” Himiko asked.

“You’re willing to change your behavior for the people you care about,” he explained. “Your parents had the chance to do the same but they chose not to. You couldn’t be more different from them if you tried. Stop being such a depressing brat.”

Oh… I didn’t think of that.

A whirlwind of emotions welled up within her, but strongest amongst them was a warm glow of affection. 

Himiko’s lips stretched into a lopsided grin. “Thanks Jin.”

“Of course that’s what I’m here for,” he replied. “I’m not here for jack shit.”

As she basked in the moment, Himiko was struck by the feeling that she was forgetting something.

“Oh my gosh,” she nearly shouted as she lunged for her notebook. “I never said what I need your help with.”

Jin nearly fell out of his chair, startled at the sudden outburst. “…No I guess not,” he admitted. “Would it kill you to keep your voice down?”

“I know I have stuff I want to talk about with everyone, but it’s all jumbled together. Whenever I try to make sense of it, everything just gets all tangled up again,” Himiko explained. “I was hoping you could help me sort through it.”

“Alright,” Jin said, slinging his arm over her shoulder. “Let’s do this thing. God this is such a pain.”

There was one last person Keigo needed to track down, Shouto Todoroki. The boy was still getting used to staying with the league so he spent most of his time holed up in his room. While he had come here voluntarily, Shouto made it clear that he had no intentions of joining the League of Villains. Their hideout was just a convenient way to get away from the dumpster fire that was Enji Todoroki. 

 No one doubted Shouto’s hatred for the man. After all, the first thing the boy had done when he arrived at the hide out was shave off all his red hair. However, some of the league’s other members were convinced that it was only a matter of time before Shouto joined them in some capacity. If nothing else, becoming a temporary member so he could assist with the take down of his father.

In fact, Tenko and some of the others had an ongoing bet about how long it would take before Shouto changed his mind. Keigo hadn’t joined in. As much as he was ashamed to admit it, Keigo hadn’t refused the bet out of respect for Shouto’s decisions. He just didn’t want to be on the receiving end of Rei’s ire when found out about the betting pool.

Technically, there was a bit more to it than that. 

Keigo had a hard time getting a read on the boy. At first Keigo thought his time with Touya would give him a leg up on understanding the boy, but he couldn’t be more wrong.

Touya tended to hide his emotions behind a guise of annoyance and apathy, Shouto on the other hand didn’t express much of anything at all. According to Rei, Shouto had never been the most expressive kid, but he still showed emotion in his own way. Things only changed once he started training with Endeavor. 

As if Keigo needed more reasons to hate his former idol. 

Keigo shook the thoughts from his head and gave Shouto’s door a quick knock.

Shouto was quick to answer his door, regarding him with a blank stare.  “Oh, hello Keigo,” the boy greeted, “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Hey there kid,” Keigo said with a smile. “How’s it going?”

“It’s fine.” 

He waited, but the boy didn’t elaborate.

“Well, that's good,” he replied, cutting through the silence before it could turn awkward. Keigo was not about to have a repeat of that weird staring contest with Twice.  “Anyways, I’ve got a message from your brother.”

“Oh,” Shouto said, his brows furrowed ever so slightly. “Does he need something?” 

“I suppose you could say that,” Keigo agreed. “He’s asking everyone to be nice to Himiko today.”

The boy tilted his head, mulling over the request. “I can do that.”

“Just so you know, you don’t have to interact with her. I can do my best to make sure Himiko doesn’t bother you,” Keigo offered. 

Much to his surprise, Shouto shook his head. “No, it’s fine. Himiko and I had a bonding moment.”

When did that happen? Keigo wondered. I guess he's settling in quicker than I thought.

“Alright then,” the man conceded. “Let me know if you change your mind.”

“Is that all?” Shouto asked.

“Yeah, I guess so.” 

“Okay, thanks for letting me know.” Shouto said before shutting his door again.

That went better than I expected.

Keigo let out a sigh as he wandered back down the hallway, his duty finally done.

Much to Himiko’s relief, things went a lot smoother once she had Jin’s help. They’d settled on an outline of who would be best to talk with and about what. Jin even agreed to be on standby with emergency hugs. She was really lucky to have a friend like him. 

After taking care of everything else, Jin had recommended that they come up with some ground rules for her talks with everyone. It was a good idea. The last thing Himiko wanted was to accidentally upset her friends. 

A few scrapped attempts later, Himiko and Jin gazed down at their work.

ground rules so i dont hurt my friends!!!!!!

• they dont have to say anything they dont want to 

• they can stop at any time 

• let me know if I do or say something to upset them

• warn them that this might be a little sad maybe???

“These are just the rules for Top that Trauma,” Himiko observed.

“There isn’t anything about taking shots, so technically it’s not the same,” Jin pointed out. “It’s exactly the same. We should be more creative.”

“I guess you’re right,” Himiko agreed with a laugh. After a pause she turned to him and said, “Thanks for all your help. I’m really glad I have a friend like you.”Once again she found herself wrapped in one of Jin’s hugs. “Any time, Himiko. I’m never doing this again.”