Feathers and Flame // Dabi x Reader x Hawks

19: Frosty

There was an uncomfortable weight in your chest and it was rather... inconvenient. It had formed from the moment that Dabi walked away from you, and one poor night's sleep later it still remained. No matter what you did, you couldn't shift it.

You'd tried reading to take your mind off that particular exchange, but you couldn't read more than a page before your mind wandered off to the memory of him spitting your words back at you. When you closed your eyes, it was that cruel slant of his mouth that haunted you. Gone was the easy arrogance and mirth that irritated you so fiercely, and in its place was cold, brutal indifference.

It was both the most and least emotion he'd ever shown you. There was no getting past the cruelty of that expression, but he'd never been pissed off at you before — and that told you far more than his lack of open feeling did. To invoke such anger from him, he had to feel something for you. Something more than just surface-level attraction. Something real enough to be hurt that you denied admitting to him what you'd forced him to say that night.

You chewed on your lip, that leaden ball in your chest growing heavier. Maybe Hawks was right, and Dabi did care for you. But what could that mean? He only cared for the character you created, and if he found out who you really were, he'd turn you to ash without the slightest hesitation.

Some absurd, selfish part of you whispered that maybe, maybe that version of you that Dabi might care for wasn't so far from the truth.

Not that it would matter if it was, I'd still end up a crispy corpse if my cover was blown.

You blew out a heavy breath, flopping back down onto your soft, thick sheets. It was already past midday and you hadn't even gained the courage to leave your room, choosing to survive on whatever snacks you'd accumulated for as long as possible.

But alas, the universe had other plans for you today, and a very brief knock on your door had Toga letting herself inside, bouncing towards you to throw herself onto your bed alongside you.

"You've been summoned," she announced, twisting her body to better face you.

"By?"

Toga's feline eyes glided over you, narrowing slightly. "Dabi," she replied. "He was looking for you in the kitchen, but I think he realised you were here and asked me to get you instead. Well, he growled at me more than asked."

You sighed, rubbing your temples. "What does he want exactly?"

Great. Whatever plans you had to ignore the issue for just a little longer went abruptly up in smoke.

Toga shrugged. "A job of some kind. I don't know the details, only you need to bring your knives."

Her eyes glittered as she said the word knives and an involuntary shudder skittered down your spine. Whatever thoughts were going through Toga's mind on a daily basis were most definitely dripping in the colour red.

"Fantastic," you groaned, pulling yourself out of the bed with more effort than necessary.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened?"

You cast her a glance, brow raised. Toga smiled innocently up at you, but with her sharp teeth, it looked more like a threat. You merely shook your head, smirking just a little at her. "No."

"Come on!" she pouted. "I'm bored and there's nothing interesting going on."

"My life is not a soap opera!"

Toga chewed on her lip to smother the vicious little grin threatening to show. "It kind of is though."

You glared at her. "Where is he?"