Smiling silly, you finish the love letter you were writing for the boy you like. Putting it in the envelope, you seal it with a sticker, happy with it. Then, you go to bed, buzzing with excitement to give it to him tomorrow.
But tomorrow never comes.
When you ask your teacher where he is, she just shakes her head and breaks the awful news to you. He's dead. Gone.
The night before, he accidently set himself on fire. All that's left left is a fragment of his jawbone. Immediately, you burst into tears. At thirteen, you had your first crush.
And, at thirteen, you lost him. The envelope falls out of your hand. The drops fall down your cheeks, onto the paper. Shaking, you just stand there, speechless. What all can you say? Nothing. Nothing at all.
It's been seven years. Seven years since he died. Some days, you miss him. But, other days, you don't even think about it. You've moved on.
Currently, you're getting ready for a date with your boyfriend. You're in your best dress, hair done up all prettily. Smiling, you try to reassure yourself. He loves you for you, Y/n. Be confident. He thinks you're beautiful.
Then, there's knock on your door. You run to it then swing it open, grinning. You see your lovely boyfriend, then start walking. On the way, someone steps out from between two buildings, glaring at your fingers which are interlocked with your boyfriend's.
"Hello?" you say. "Are you okay?"
He seems familiar, but you can't place it. He has hair black-er than the night, and mostly pale skin. On patches connected with staples, he has several scars that seem to be from burns. What strikes you, however, are his eyes. That teal color... they're so beautiful. Mesmerizing, even.
"No," the strange man replies. "I'm pissed off."
Your boyfriend breaks in, "Why? What happened, Sir?"
Steadily, the stranger approaches the two of you, then stops once beside your man. Suddenly, he grabs his face, blue flamed spewing out from his hands. Once he's pushed him to the ground, he releases him. When you see the face, you burst into tears. The skin is practically melting off the face. Blood spills onto the concrete sidewalk.
You scream, making the mysterious murderer turn his head at you. Terrified, you back up until you bump into a wall.
Grinning, he steps closer and closer until he's right in front of you. Tears well up in your eyes as you stand there speechless. You're thoroughly terrified.
"You- what did you do?" you finally choke out.
"I killed him. Isn't that obvious?"
"WHY WOULD YOU-"
"Now, now. He's a thief. He stole something from me and it really pisses me off."
"He'd never steal anything!"
"Don't stick up for him." He grabs your face violently. "You're mine, you hear? Mine"
"What are you-"
No more questions." He squeezes your cheeks. "You've gotten even cuter. Well? How do I look?" He releases you and steps back, spreading his arms out and letting you get a good look at him. "I'm a bit different these days, eh? A couple scars and I dyed my hair. Got a bit older. But, hey. It's the same old me, right?"
"I don't know you." You choke on the sobs and try to calm down, though you cant.
"What? Don't remember me?" He gets close again. "I'm hurt. Truly. And to think. You even wrote me a love letter seven years ago."
"Toy?"
"You do remember me. Am I that hard to recognize?"
"You look so different... I thought you died...what happened?"
"I didn't die. I lived. Isn't that a wonderful surprise?" He begins to laugh maniacally.
"You-I can't believe this- why are you showing up now, though?"
"I was planning, okay? I have a special place for you now. We can be together again. Just me and you. Forever."
"I moved on. I don't-"
"Not happening. You can't reject me."
"You-"
"Don't make me knock you out. I will if I have to."
Biting your lip, you scan your thoughts for something to say--or at least ask. "Why did you dye your hair? It was so pretty. I was always fond of it."
"I didn't want anyone to recognize me."
"You should go home. Reconcile. Try to-"
"No. I'Il kill them"
"Don't do that. It won't fix anything."
"I don't care. I want them dead."
"Don't say that. I know your dad hurt you-"
"He means nothing to me!"
"That's a lie. If it were true, you wouldn't care enough to kill him."
"Stop talking."
Hesitantly, you touch his arm. "Denial won't change the truth."
"Shut up! We're leaving!"
"To where?"
Your naïve question makes him smile a bit. Proudly, he leans down and replies, "Our new home."
He puts something against your mouth, and you just black out, falling into his arms.
Darkness. That's all you see when you awake. Sitting up, you climb off the bed, but only to be pushed back down gently.
Since your eyes hadn't adjusted, you didn't see another person. Then, the memories flood back. Before you were drugged you'd been with Toya. How long have you been out? Is this the new home he mentioned?
Don't bother, says the one who put you back down. It's Toya. You already know that. "I think we should talk a bit. Let me get the lights so you can see better." After a few moments, lights flood the room, blinding you.
You see him better than you could before blacking out. He's grown rather handsome, and the scars aren't exactly ugly to you. He's taller, too. But that's to be expected. While he looks so different, his eyes haven't changed. They still out shine the stars. Small and half-lidded--alluring, in a way.
The mattress dips as he sits beside you, tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear. "'Well? Did you miss me?"
"Of course, I did. I went to school and you weren't there."
"I'm sorry. But we're together again. It's okay now-"
"Toya, it's been seven years. We can't just go back to whatever we were."
"You're right. We can't. Instead, let's be in love. Be each other's everything-"
"No. We can't. I think... we should try to slowly catch up soon."
"I refuse to give you up." He clasps your hands in his. "I'm willing to do anything for you. Die. Steal. Kill--I've already done it, and I'd do it over and over again. Anything for you. I have two purposes: to annihilate the Todoroki's, and to take care of you."
"I'm not your priority, and you shouldn't wanna kill all of them. What happened to you? You were so sweet and kind. You'd never hurt any of them."
"I changed. I've had to shun them all. And I don't care whether or not that sounds wrong. I'm angry. I want revenge. And I don't care if I die in the process.
won't fix your childhood. It won't make you happy or erase the scars. You pull your hand from his grasp and touch his lower cheek, on one of the burns. "It won't heal you in any ways. Toya, I care so much about you, but-"
"Don't call me that. I'm not 'Toya' anymore I'm Dabi. This is me. I'm not the little boy you used to know. I've grown up."
He stands. "I've reinvented myself."
"Your eyes are the same you know." You stand as well. "They're bright and full of mischief, with a bit of depression for an undertone. You're still Toya. Your eyes tell me you're the same boy who cried himself to sleep and wanted nothing more than his father's approval."
"Why are you so set on this? Just accept it. He's gone. Toya is no more."
"I don't believe that. Not in the slightest."
"Y/n, I'm not the same." He seems a bit angry, so you sigh.
"Fine. There's no arguing with you." Defeated you resume your seat. "Did you really have to kill him?"
He crouches in front of you. "Of course. He was trying to steal you from me. He even put his filthy hands on you."
"We were in love."
"Listen, I'm choosing to forgive your mistake of cheating on me. But, I wouldn't be able to if that scum were still alive. Now that he's outta the way, we can be together."
"That's not how this works. We... it won't work"
"Yes, it will. You just need to adjust. That's all. Soon enough, you'll realize that we're mutually in love." His eyes are full of love and admiration. "I'll wait for you." He leans up and kisses your forehead."
He's always giving you your favorite foods, cute items that you can't deny loving, and, most of all affection. At night, he refuses to sleep without you. Before leaving the house, he'll peck you on the lips. If he notices you're particularly down, he'll hold you and love on you.
Though he says he's changed, he's still the same Toya you knew.
All alone on a swing, you move back and forth slowly. You recently moved from another region, and haven't made any friends. Then, all of a sudden, a boy with mostly white hair approaches you. ""Why're you so alone?" he asks. He's in another class.
"I haven't made any friends," you reply.
"You haven't? Do you want me to be your friend?"
It was obvious why you liked him. He was your first and only friend. He cared when nobody else would. Overall, he'd been there when you needed him most. Even now, isn't that what he's doing? He still cares. Just in his own, twisted way.
He loves you, and though you said you were over him, you're not. You know you're not. You'd been lying to yourself to feel better. Faking it until you made it.
"Sure."
But you never did, "Dabi," you call one day. You've gotten used to calling him that because he won't reply to "Toya"
"Yes, my little mouse?" That's your pet name from him.
"Can we go out?"
"You're not leaving
"It's just stuffy here. We can go together. Take me on a date. Let me be girly and dress up for a nice meal. Please?"
"You'll have to stay by my side the whole time.
"I know."
"Fine. One dinner. That's it."
The dinner is wonderful, and only confirms your concerns. You still love him. So, as you're running out of the restaurant without paying the bill, you shout at him, "I love you!" You gasp for air from the running, but feel so happy. You had to say it. You just had to.
For a moment, he's too surprised to reply. Then, wanting to embrace it, he yells back, "I love you, too!!"
