So This Is Love

Chapter 32

[From Sweetheart:
Thursday evening at 7]
[Don't be late]

Dabi glowered uninterestedly at his phone, tossing it to the side.

It should have been easier.

'Why do I even want to keep her happy?' he pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes, 'anyone else would have walked away by now.'

Hiro already knew something wasn't right. Evette knew now, too.

'I could just come up with an excuse,' he glanced at his phone as it lit up again, sinking deeper into the couch, 'say I can't be there cuz I have to go to the doctor or something.'

An irritated sound escaped him, his gaze unfocused. His issue with Yumi went beyond her looking like Abiteth...

Abruptly, Dabi lurched forward in his seat to lean against his knees, wild eyes darting all over the space ahead of him.

If he ignored the obvious - Yumi's fluorescent hair, her more shapely curves, her slightly smaller stature - then she formed a different image in his head. Pin-straight hair when she didn't curl it. Bangs that fell over her forehead. Tired eyes from working too hard. The waterworks when he'd gotten angry at her that one time and came to him with flowers and apologies. For a few days after that, she had been so demure and withdrawn and gone out of her way not to set him off.

'No. No it's just because she looks like Abiteth and nothing else,' he dug his fingers into the back of his hand before grabbing his phone, 'there's no other fucking reason. It was only ever because she looked like Abiteth and that's it.'

[From Pinky:
Hey do u have a favorite dessert?]
Aside from taiyaki!!]

Relief swept through Dabi's body, shoulders lowering and body sagging back into the couch. The tiniest smile touched his lips, his heart light.

[Dunno]
[Those little cookie things were nice the one time I had them]

[From Pinky:
Little cookie things?]

[The colorful ones]
[You like them a lot]

[From Pinky:
OH!!!]
[MACARONS!!!]

Soft chuckles escaped him as she sent him about five different images of the dessert, interspersed with more questions about which ones he liked the most.

[those black ones look cool]

[From Pinky:
Okay!!!]

[Why you askin'?]

[From Pinky:
Research 😉]

[What're you planning]

[From Pinky:
Wouldn't u like to know!]

[Yeah I would]
[Very much so]
[And therefore, you should tell me]

[From Pinky:
Omg]
[Ur so cute, Han'ei 💗]

[Har har]

[From Pinky:
I'll tell u later promise!!!]

[You better, Pinky]

=============================================

Hiro's embrace was too tight when Abiteth found him, but she let him hold her as long as he needed. Evette arrived two minutes later, grabbing Hiro before he could grab her. He wasn't given the chance to release Abiteth, all three locked in a huddle until Abiteth slipped out of it. Evette only hugged Hiro more tightly.

In that short time, Abiteth inspected his charm bracelets: eight now, a new one just started, which meant he had four on each wrist.

Dabi was the last to arrive, hidden in darkness: T-shirt hoodie with a long-sleeved shirt beneath and jeans. His thin brows narrowed over his blazing eyes, and he let Hiro hold him, hesitantly setting one hand on the back of Hiro's head before his grip tightened to press the older man's face to his shoulder.