𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑹𝑽𝑬𝑫 𝑨𝑭𝑭𝑬𝑪𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵 ➣ Dabi

wake up

You're running. Sprinting through the woods. Your ball-grown ripping on the branches that stick out. Each breath makes your chest constrict more as you run, chasing after something you can't have.

Dabi.

You're chasing Dabi. He's so fast. And you can't keep up in bare feet in the woods. And yet, you don't stop. You never stop chasing him. You just run. Run. Run. Run. Run. Ru—

"Agh!" you scream you someone grabs you, causing the two of you to fall over.

You groan but look at up at . . . Dabi. How did he—?

"Little mouse," he says, like he's disappointed. "Stop chasing me."

"I don't want to."

"You don't have a choice."

"Why are running away from me?" you ask sternly.

He shakes his head. "Stop chasing me."

"Answer my question."

"You want to know?" You nod. "I'm not good enough for you, love. I'm a monster. I kill people and I don't feel guilty about it. You deserve someone better. Someone who's not me. But I'm selfish. And I want what I can't fucking have! So in order to keep you safe from me, I have to run. You should be running too, Doll. Running away from me."

You pause. Staring at him. Assessing him. He looks angry. Frustrated and he seems to be holding himself back from something. From you. You sigh before you caress his cheek, his scar, and say, "I don't want anyone else."

He looks at you, eyes wide, before he leans down to kiss you. But just as his lips touch yours, he disappears. Instead of ash like it usually is, it's flower petals. Blue flower petals. They dump on you, warming you and your soul for a moment before they get carried off in the wind. You watch silently as they float away, drifting in the wind, leaving you alone in the dark. Leaving you fearful and alone. So you shut your eyes and count.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

"Wake up."

Six.

"Wake up."

Seven.

"Wake up."

Eight.

"Wake up."

Nine.

"Wake up."

Ten.

"WAKE UP!"

You gasp. Pain hitting every corner of your body. Pain terrorizing every single muscle, every fiber in your being. Slowly, you open your eyes to a dark room. Your room. The string of lights, even if they're dim, hurt your eyes. You groan, and close them again. You feel so exhausted. Broken. Beaten. It hurts. God, it hurts. This dream feels more realistic. More real and painful than the others. But after a moment you realize it's not a dream.

Slowly, you decide to try and move. Starting with your toes. And when that works, you bend your knees slightly. Then move your head. But when you get to your fingers you stop.

Someone is holding your hand.

Dabi. Dabi's here. He's always here.

You open your eyes to see him. He's resting his head on his arms on the bed, one of his hands holding yours. He looks tired. Like he's been awake all night. But he also looks so peaceful. You reach over and run your fingers through his hair. Although Dabi is cold and brooding in the day, at night or when he's asleep, he can finally the relax. You notice how tense he can be sometimes. How he can finally just calm down and let his guard down. You wonder what makes him so tense. What made him come here and vow to kill the heroes? What went wrong? What went wrong with all of the League?