Through the Years

But What You Need

"Hey princess." Dabi says, albeit cautiously as you open the car door and rejoin him in the car.

You ignore him, putting your seatbelt on and turning away from him like you had before going into the therapists.
It wasn't bad. You mostly just were asked questions about yourself, the lady telling you it was so she could get to know you a little better before moving on to anything you might feel a little uncomfortable with at first.

"Ready to go see the ducks?" He asks, bumping your shoulder with his playfully.

"I want to go home." You reply simply.

His entire demeanor changes, noticeable even from the corners of your eyes.

"Don't be like that." He says defensively.

"You lied to me."

"I hadta. You were gonna fight me on this." He says a little tiredly. "Don't cut your nose off ta spite your face."

You don't know what he's even on about, because you're not cutting anything off. So you ignore him again, staring at the building you had just come out of.
Dabi doesn't start to drive though, and even without looking at him you can feel the burning of his azure eyes as he stares at you.

"Baby girl, c'mon." Dabi sighs after a while. "Let's talk about it."

"I want to go home." You repeat.

He stares at you for a second longer in silence before huffing and sitting back in his seat and turning the key in the ignition.
He sets off, resting his temple on his fist as he drives.
You do feel a little guilty, especially feeling his mood shifting next to you, but it was a rule. You weren't meant to have secrets and yet he kept keeping secrets from you.

The sting of betrayal is too much and now you don't trust that he would actually take you to the ducks this time, either.

The car journey is awkward for at least five minutes, even though it feels like so much longer in the complete silence between you both.
But Dabi does eventually speak back up again.

"I go to therapy too, yaknow?" He says, placing both hands on the wheel again. "Wasn't sure about it at first either, but Fuyumi was naggin'."

"So because you're going, I have to go, too?" You ask with an attitude you never gave either of your dads.

"Doll, you never talk to us about your mom anymore. You need to tell someone about it all. It's still affectin' you." He explains, peering over at you for a split second. "...Probably always will. So it's important you work through it, so that-"

"I don't talk about her because I don't think about her." You lie, keeping your voice firm and final so that he won't continue the conversation.

But he tries anyway.

"That ain't true an' you know it." Dabi sighs. "Tomura said he hears you sayin' 'm-"

You lean forward quickly and hit the power button on the car radio, immediately playing whatever Dabi had been listening to before loud enough to drown him out.
His head snaps to you, but he doesn't say anything, slamming his mouth shut and staring at you for a second. His attention quickly returns to the road though, and you don't talk for the remainder of the journey.

*•*

You go straight to your room when you get back and alternate between lying face down on your bed and struggling through your work online.
You even ignore Cloud's yowls on the other side of the door as he pleads to be let inside.

Dabi calls for you to let Cloud in after a while, but you ignore him.
After a while you hear him snap at Cloud himself and the yowling gets carried away further into the apartment.