A Lost Creation

Talk it Out

Dabi had been disappearing during the night.
At first, you slept through it. And then one night, he'd accidentally woken you up. You'd grumbled his name sleepily, reaching for him in your dazed state.

"Oops. Sorry, Star." He'd whispered. "Go back ta sleep."

"Where'd you go?" You'd mumbled, clinging to him as he slid onto the bed beside you. "Are y'leaving me?"

"Never." Dabi had replied, giving you the same answer for the millionth time, and yet doubt still gnawed at your mind.

You hadn't stayed awake much longer after that, falling asleep and not thinking too much of it the next day.
And then it happened again the next night, except you were more awake when you asked him where he had gone this time. He'd said he'd gone to the bathroom, and that you were nosy. The next night, it was to go for a cigarette, despite it being really late, and he hadn't smelt like smoke when he had returned.
So you tried to stay up, to try and catch him out. You'd failed every night for a week, but it does eventually happen. You do eventually catch him out.

You pretend to be asleep as usual, listening to Dabi playing around on his phone, when eventually, you'd felt him begin to slide away from you slowly. You remain still, listening, and sure enough, you hear the slight click of the door.
Your eyes shoot open, taking note of the time.
You wait, forcing yourself to stay awake, although he's not gone for too long, about half an hour when the door slowly opens again.
You sit bolt upright the second the light starts coming through the increasing crack in the door.

Clearly, Dabi hadn't expected you to be awake, a surprised gasp leaving him as you move suddenly, a small flame emerging from his hand as it flies to his chest.

"Star. What're ya doin' up?" He asks, clearly straining to keep his cool.

"Where do you keep going?" You ask, crossing your arms over your chest.

Dabi freezes, his mouth turning downwards on one side, only visible thanks to the strip of light from the ajar door. Silently, he pushes the door closed again, plunging you both into darkness again.
He doesn't speak as he silently walks back into the room properly, and lays back on top of the sheets next to you.
You continue waiting, looking down at his darkness-obscured face, awaiting his answer.
But it never comes. He just picks at a staple on his cheek in the dark, the noise of him plucking the metal the only sound in the room.
"Where are you going?" You ask again, more nervously this time.

Dabi scratches his head roughly, but at least it stops him from picking at the staples. "Nowhere, Star. Go to sleep."

"Liar." You say, with a surprising amount of venom behind your words. "You keep breaking rules. You keep losing your temper with me and now you're keeping secrets."

This seems to catch Dabi off guard, his head snapping to look up at you.

"I've been losin' my temper with you?" He asks quietly.

You nod, suddenly feeling a little tearful. "Last week you got mad at me twice."

Dabi seems to take a second to think about what you said before replying calmly. "I was in the bath, Star."

"I was scared." You sniffle.

The sound of your oncoming tears seems to do the trick, Dabi sitting up and pulling you against his side, one of his exposed arms wrapped around your shoulders, his metal-lined cheek pressed against your skull.

"'M sorry." He murmurs, his other hand running long strokes over your hair as you begin sobbing into his side. "Don't cry."

You couldn't exactly stop though, which was frustrating. You didn't really understand where this sudden onslaught had come from. Maybe the empty feeling you'd been struggling with mixed with Dabi's sudden secretiveness was behind the sudden teary episode, you weren't too sure.
Dabi shushes you, sighing a little here and there whenever you would calm down and then immediately start up again.

"I'm sorry for breakin' the rules." He tries again, gently peeling you away so he can rub under your wet eyes with calloused thumbs. "When you're a little calmer, lets try talkin' about it, yeah?"

You nod as much as you can as he holds your face in gentle, warm hands.
Talking about it was good. He said that he'd never punish you, and that if there was ever a problem, you would just talk about it together.
The fact he was at least keeping that half-promise gave you a little hope.

You take shuddering breaths, trying to collect yourself, Dabi shushing you and running his thumbs over your tear streaks when they fall to wipe them away.
Eventually, you calm down enough to try to have a conversation with him.