Flames of Eternal Love (Dabi x Reader)

Chapter Twelve

You, Dabi, and Eri head into the store and grab a cart. Dabi paused and looked down at Eri, "Do you want to be in the cart or can you walk?" Eri smiled and held onto the bottom of his jacket, "I can walk!" Dabi pushed the cart while Eri held your hand. You were busy reading the grocery list as you walked, "Wait, who put down coffee and dino nuggets?" Dabi sighed, "Most likely Shiggy. He's a coffee addict. And he only eats nuggets when he plans new missions. He can also share with baby mouse so there's that too." The three get most of the stuff on the list with you making sure to grab actual healthy food and ingredients for dinner. You split from Dabi and Eri to grab something from another aisle. As you reached up on the shelf for a specific box, someone grabbed it for you, "Here you go." You snapped around, glaring, "What the hell do you want?"

The red winged hero held his hands up in defense, "Hey, hey. No need to get feral. I was just helping you out. You here by yourself?" You narrowed your eyes, "I'm here with my husband and daughter. And my husband wouldn't appreciate how close you are." You watched as Hawks dug around in his pockets for a few seconds. After a while, he pulled out a card, "I know, but here. You never know when you might need it." You took the card and read it, finding that it was a business card with his phone number and office address on it. A cough comes from behind you two, "She's right, you know?" Hawks turned and looked at Dabi, "Yeah, sorry. I was just getting something for her." You put the box in the cart, relaxing as Dabi put an arm around you, "We'll be on our way then." Before Hawks can say anything else, you usher Dabi and Eri out of the aisle. As you all walk, Eri looks up at you, "A girl said she liked daddy's eyes..."

You glanced at Dabi, "And what did daddy say?" Eri innocently tilted her head, "He said her eyes were pretty too and winked." You sent a sharp glare to Dabi before looking back down at Eri, "Looks like daddy will be having a sleepover with uncle Shiggy." Dabi tensed, "Are you serious?" You shrugged him off, "Mhm. Now let's go." The rest of the shopping trip goes by rather quickly. The three of you were checking out the groceries and bagging them. A few yards away, two young men and a woman are at another check-out lane. The boys, one white haired and one dual haired, look at Dabi. The white-haired boy turned to the others, "Does he seem familiar to you?" The dual haired boy looked at him with a blank face, "I'm not sure."

You were trying to get Dabi's attention. You had thought that you had forgotten something and wanted to ask him. 'I can't say his name in public. Well, that nickname is going to come in handy.' You spoke up, "Touya, did you get Eromi's stuffy cleaner?" Dabi nodded, gesturing to one of the bags, "Yeah. I did."

The trio in the next lane watched the small group intently. The white-haired boy muttered, "Touya...?" The girl placed a hand on his shoulder, "It's not him, Natsuo." Fuyumi sighed as she muttered to herself, "It never is..."

Dabi was people watching while you paid. He locked eyes with someone so familiar. His gaze switched to the other two. He nearly froze. The sight of them alone sends a shiver down his spine. The four of them all watch each other, their minds in different places. Shoto looked at Fuyumi, "His eyes...Just like-" Natsuo cut him off, his voice bitter, "Don't compare Touya to that monster!" The corner of Dabi's lips slightly lifted. 'He's still the same.' Fuyumi put a hand on Natsuo's shoulder, pulling him back slightly, "Natsuo, calm down." Natsuo sighed, "Sorry. But Sho's right. Those eyes..."

You noticed Dabi looking at the group. You put a hand on his shoulder, leaning up to whisper in his ear, "Do you know them?" Dabi snapped out of his stupor and whispered back, "I'm fine. Let's go." Dabi speedily puts the grocery bags in the cart and picks up Eri as you push the cart out of the store.

Fuyumi watched the three of you leave, ignoring the conversation from her brothers behind her. Natsuo tried to break the tension, "Come on, you two. I miss him too, but he wouldn't want us to mope over a stranger that looks like him." Shoto looked away from the two, "...Let's just hurry and go home."

...

Since you left the store, you could feel a large amount of bad energy around Dabi. His face is calm, but his eyes are a raging sea. Even Eri noticed the change in his attitude and decided to stay silent. The three get back to base and put the groceries away. After the last bag is put away, Dabi heads to his room. You turned to Eri, "Auntie Toga's waiting for you in the living room. Be a good girl for her, ok?" Eri nodded, "Ok!" She then turned and left the kitchen. You slowly headed to Dabi's room and knocked on the door. He didn't answer. You turn the knob and find that it's unlocked. You open the door. Dabi is sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. You cautiously approach him, "Dabi?" He looked up at you coldly, his eyes a dark icy blue, "What?" You could feel the negative energy rolling off of him in waves now, making you feel a bit nauseous, "Are you alright? You've been off since we left the store. Who were those people?"

Dabi's eyes darkened even more at your words, "I told you, it's nothing." You reached a hand towards him, trying to get him to talk, "It's not nothing if it can change your attitude like-!" Dabi stood, slapping your hand away harshly as he cut you off, "What do you want to know?! What?!" You slightly flinched back. 'Whatever happened to trigger this must've been bad. I've never seen him like this...' You tried to speak but he cut you off again, smoke rising from his body as his quirk indirectly activated, "That I don't have a loving father?! A family?! That I'm a f*cking disappointment?! You don't want to hear that!" You knew that you had pushed him to the limit by asking, but you wanted to know his hurt, even if he didn't believe you, "No, Dabi, I do-" He snapped at you, "No you don't! You don't want to hear that I got my father's flames put out on me when I was a kid! That these scars aren't mother*cking surgery! That the mother*cker burned me! You don't want to hear that sh*t!"

You shook your head, but kept your space just in case he'd explode again, "I want to hear it, Dabi! I'm here to listen as your partner and help you!" His quirk started acting up even more, causing the room to become humid and hot. He growled, "Help me?! What the f*ck?! Do I have a sign on my back that says 'save me'?! Do I look like I need that?!" Dabi turns, grabbing your wrist tightly. Smoke rises from his hand as he uses his quirk. You fight the pain as you try to use the contact to use your quirk. You managed to lower his anger, but only enough to get him to let go of you. You distanced yourself from him as you inspected your wrist. He had given you a second-degree burn. The anger in his eyes dulls for a moment, then, the storm returns. Small streams of blood begin trailing down from Dabi's scarred eye tissue. This seems to snap him out of his episode. He quickly wipes the blood away, "Get out." You looked up from your injured wrist, "Dabi, wha-!" A large flame lit up his hand, making the room swelter from the heat, "Leave!"

You quickly left the room, holding your wrist. You headed into the bar. Surprisingly, Shigaraki was entertaining Eri while Toga played with her hair. Kurogiri takes notice of you and your wrist. He spoke quietly, "Ms. (L/n), do you need someone to tend to your wound?" You sighed and nodded, "Yes, please." Kurogiri quickly tends to your burn without the others noticing. After he finishes, you go over to Eri, "Hey sweetie, we're going to stay somewhere else tonight, ok?" Shigaraki turned to you, his face full of confusion, "What happened? Why are you leaving? We need you for a mission." You bit your lip, "It's nothing. I'd stay if it was just me, but you know..." Toga noticed the bandages on your wrist and frowned, "He's so stupid sometimes." Shigaraki also took notice, "...Take the kid and get out of here for a while. Forget about the mission. I'll call you if any important missions come up." Eri watched the adults talk. She didn't understand exactly what was going on, but she knew that it wasn't good. You picked her up, sitting her on your hip. Eri looked towards the hall, "What about daddy?"

You looked at her, an uneasy smile tugging at your lips, "He's staying here." Eri clutched her stuffed rabbit closer, "We're coming back, right?" You kept your uneasy smile, "Of course, sweetie." You and Eri left with a bag of clothes and essentials. You weren't one to run, but you knew that you couldn't jeopardize Eri's well being.

...

The two of you arrived at a hotel further in the city and got a room. The room itself was just large enough for the two of you. You got out some pajamas for Eri and set them on the bed, "Go get ready for bed, sweetie. It's getting late." Eri took the clothes and went into the bathroom to change. You sat on the bed, contemplating your decisions. 'I need to find somewhere for us to stay. I have to make sure we have enough money for food and other essentials.' After a few more seconds of silence, you remembered the card. You felt for it in your pocket and pulled it out. You hesitated for a moment before grabbing your phone and dialing the number. The phone rings for a few seconds, then, Hawks answers.

"Hello?"