Dabi x Tomura stories

8. Drunk truth

Inspired by xavierdarlow15 suggestion.

Angst

The dimly lit room of the League of Villains' hideout pulsed with laughter and music, a rare celebration following their latest successful mission. Surrounded by the chaotic backdrop of brightly colored party decorations and the mingling scents of cheap alcohol, the League found themselves unwinding after yet another job well done.

Tomura Shigaraki leaned against the staircase railing, his usually troubled expression softened by the effects of the drinks he had consumed. On the steps beside him sat Dabi, his hair tousled and eyes glimmering with a hazy intoxication that made him seem almost disarmingly approachable. They were both wrapped in the warm embrace of drunkenness, shielded from the weight of the world outside.

Below them, Toga twirled in a dizzying dance with Spinner, her laughter infectious as it echoed through the room. Compress was intensely focused on a game of Uno with Twice, their playful banter rising and falling like a tide of cheerfulness. It was a stark contrast to the gloom usually hovering around them, but tonight, bonds were forged in the flames of revelry.

Dabi let out a low chuckle, breaking the tranquil camaraderie of the moment. "Look at those two idiots," he said, nodding toward Toga and Spinner. "They're gonna end up knocking over half the place."

"Not my problem," Tomura replied, barely managing a smirk. He took a swig from his drink, the warmth spreading through him, flushing his cheeks under the dim light. "It's nice for them, I guess. We don't often get to just... be, do we?"

Dabi shifted slightly, his body language casual yet oddly vulnerable as the silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken thoughts. "You know," he murmured, gaze fixed on the floorboards, "most people think they have it hard. No one really knows what it's like to grow up the way I did."

Tomura's brow furrowed, pulling him fully into the present moment. "What do you mean?"

Dabi's lips twisted into a sardonic smile, exposing the scars of his past. "My old man was... well, let's just say he practiced discipline in ways that didn't involve 'parenting.'" The words came tumbling out, fueled by alcohol and the peculiar safety he felt nestled against the wall of their destructive lives. "He thought making me stronger meant breaking me down first."

Tomura's heart sank as he listened. "That sounds-"

"Yeah, it was. But it wasn't just that." Dabi's voice turned rougher, memories swirling with anger and pain. "When I finally ran away, I was so exvited how big my flames where. My quirk-" he chuckled bitterly, "I nearly burned alive the day I wanted to prove my father wrong. I didn't know what I was doing. Just wanted to stop the pain."

Tomura shifted closer, drawn in by the rawness of Dabi's confession. "But you survived. You became strong. You're still here."

Dabi met his gaze, an intensity flickering in those cobalt eyes. "Strong? Sure. But at what cost?" There was a long pause as they exchanged unspoken truths, cementing a connection born from shared trauma. "You'd think it gets easier, but it doesn't. It never does."

The vulnerability in Dabi's voice cracked through Tomura's detached demeanor. A rush of empathy flooded him, a sympathy born not just from understanding but from recognition. "You've lived through hell, but you're here with us now. We're all trying to figure it out together."

Dabi looked away, a small, almost imperceptible grin surfacing. "Yeah, maybe. But this life-it's not easy. Sometimes I wonder if I'm even worth it."

Tomura felt every thread of their conversation tugging at his own demons, an echo of his struggles with identity and worthiness. "You are," he asserted, his voice steady despite the alcohol coursing through him. "You matter, Dabi. To me. To all of us."

Dabi met his gaze again, the moment extending, stretching into something fragile yet powerful. "You really think so?"

Tomura nodded, feeling an unexpected warmth bloom in his chest-a stark contrast to the coldness he had grown accustomed to. "Yeah. You're one of us."

With a soft snort of disbelief, Dabi broke the tension, the weighty seriousness dissipating into a playful haze. "Well, thanks for the pep talk, Shiggy. But I guess you're not all bad yourself, huh?"

The teasing lightness in his tone brought a smile to Tomura's face, a slight sense of relief washing over him. They shared a drunken laugh, then fell into a comfortable silence once more.

As the party continued around them-Toga now attempting to teach Spinner how to dance while Compress and Twice bickered over card rules-Tomura and Dabi remained lost in their own world, each grappling with the shadows of their pasts but finding solace in the presence of one another.

Hours slipped by, the night gradually losing its vibrancy. Grogginess enveloped them like a heavy blanket, and soon, exhaustion overtook their unsteady bodies. Dabi leaned back against the stairs, his head dipping forward before he lured himself into slumber. Tomura followed suit, his body succumbing to the warmth of companionship, both of them nestling onto the cool floor beneath.

In this chaotic sphere where they had once felt only loneliness and despair, Tomura and Dabi drifted into dreams-two souls intertwined in a sea of ashes and stardust, held together by the fragile threads of understanding and the promise of tomorrow, even amidst the ruins of their pasts. And as the laughter of their comrades faded into the night, only the quiet breaths of those who chose to remain standing continued to weave their stories together, forever changing the fabric of their existence.