Flufftober

Letters

The first letter arrived on an ordinary Tuesday, unassuming in its simplicity, tucked neatly into Dabi's mailbox. A plain white envelope with a neat, looping handwriting on the front. No return address. No other clue. Just his name—Dabi <3.

Dabi had stared at it for a good while, perplexed. He didn't usually get mail. Junk mail and bills, sure. But this? It was something different. Something more... personal.

Curiosity won out, and he tore it open right there on the spot. Inside was a single piece of thick paper, folded in half, with carefully penned words scrawled across it in that same neat handwriting.

---

*To the one who smolders brighter than any flame,

Even darkness finds itself drawn to your name.*

*The world tries to label your light as sin,

But there's beauty in your fire that none can win.*

*In shadows we dance, in ashes we tread,

Even death bows to the path you've led.*

*— Yours, a Lover in the Dark*

---

He read it once. Twice. A faint frown settled over his face as he tried to make sense of it. The words didn't match the usual taunting messages or threats he'd received over the years. This was something else entirely. Something he wasn't used to.

But for some reason, the note felt... real.

He shoved the letter back in the envelope and pocketed it. It was late; he'd think about it later.

But it didn't leave his mind. All night, as he lay on the uncomfortable cot in the abandoned apartment he'd made his temporary hideout, the words echoed in his mind. Who would send him something like this?

Days passed, and though he tried to dismiss the letter, Dabi found himself reaching for it again and again, pulling it from his jacket to read over the words. He didn't know why he cared. The sentiment was almost embarrassing. But there was something about it, something genuine, that caught his attention.

Then, the following Tuesday, a second letter arrived.

---

*To the soul that makes brokenness whole,

The one who turns ruins into diamonds and coal.*

*Your scars are stories that tell of your fight,

Bravery marked by both fire and night.*

*Though others see ashes, I see a throne,

Carved out of struggle, all yours alone.*

*— Yours, a Lover in the Dark*

---

The words affected him more than he'd ever admit. He told himself it was nothing. Just a meaningless gesture from some stranger who didn't know any better. But as the days passed, Dabi's mind kept circling back to the mystery of the letters.

And they kept coming, each one signed by the same "Lover in the Dark."

One evening, Dabi read the latest note by the low light of the streetlamp outside. He could feel his heart beating a little faster than usual. There was a sense of intimacy in the words that made him uneasy, yet oddly comforted.

He was in the middle of reading it for the third time when Hawks dropped in through the window.

"Whoa, didn't mean to sneak up on you, hot stuff," Hawks teased with a crooked grin, his wings fluttering slightly as he balanced on the sill. "Didn't think you'd be so lost in... what is that? A love letter?"