That day would forever stick in his mind. The day they saw him. I don't mean in a literal sense, I mean when they truly saw him. Not the brave front he put up, but him; vulnerable and open and not perfect at all. They didn't care about any of that, they were just glad to see them happy. That's why he would love them forever.
It was a hot day in June, the son was sweltering and sweaty little teens were running rampant through the streets. Most of the league were out doing villain-ish stuff or just enjoying the sun so Dabi took the opportunity to de-stress. It had been a long day and he just wanted to curl up and cry. Instead, he decided to cope in a healthy way, for once. There was no one around to judge so why not.
He lifted a dodgy floorboard and pulled out that sacred little box. It was nothing special, just a small wooden box with the name 'Touya' burnt into the top. It was a gift from a life he so wished he could forget about. When he ran away, this box was the only thing he took with him. At first it only held a few small photographs, one of him and his siblings, one of him and Shouto and one of Fuyumi and Natsuo (who were covered in flour from a baking incident).
The photos still brought a wave of bittersweet nostalgia over Dabi.
However, as the years had passed, the box had grown to hold more than sour sentiment. Now, it held the three small polaroids as well as a pair of fluffy black cat ears on a thin but sturdy headband, a small blue cat collar with a little bell on the front and a blue paci with a black cat, blue and black gems and the word 'kitten' on the handle.
He popped his head out of the door, just to double check he was alone, before closing his door, popping on the fluffy ears and collar then slipping the paci into his mouth. It didn't take much encouragement to help him slip on this particular day. He'd been holding it off for a while.
He got settled on the bed, hugging a small stuffed owl, a present off of Himiko who complained that his room was too dull. He shuffled a random playlist on his phone then had a mini dance party with his owl.
He enjoyed being alone, it meant he could be as loud as he wanted without getting judged or told to quiet down. It was only when the song finished and Dabi heard clapping that he realised he wasn't actually alone.
Maybe, under normal circumstances Dabi would have screamed or cried or kicked the blonde out of the room but his wasn't normal circumstances. This was new territory.
Dabi just stopped and stared at Himiko who was stood in the doorway, watching the boy.
She took a second to register the cat ears and collar, but she did. "Uh... you okay, darling?" Toga may have been younger than Dabi but that never stopped her from using pet names for him constantly.
The boy took a second to stare at Himiko before jumping slightly against the bed and making grabby hands. Himiko had learnt that sometimes it was better to act now, ask later. She closed the door behind her and walked towards the bed.
Careful not to move too suddenly, she sat beside the raven haired boy, who was now sat cross legged with his hands in his lap, clutching his teddy. Toga reached over and ruffled the boys hair who made a noise somewhat resembling a cat purring. Himiko smiled.
'Cute.'
