It was snowing again. Light, delicate snowflakes fell around him as he trudged down the alley. With Sayuri at work, Dabi had free time. Too much free time, he had decided. The first few days of sitting around were fine, but he had started to succumb to boredom.
The rats had been fed, just so he could entertain himself for a little while. Something about the way they ate those pellets was amusing. The fridge had been examined, along with the cabinets. Sayuri desperately needed to go grocery shopping. All of her books had been flipped through, daytime television had been watched until he ran out of things that could hold his interest.
What he really wanted right now was a fight. Pushing his hands into his pockets, he released a sigh that came in the form of a steam cloud. The air was so cold it almost felt like each little breeze was needles against his skin.
Dabi was thinking about what he would do when Sayuri returned from work as he rounded a corner into another alley. His daydreams were interrupted by a sharp demand from up ahead. He lifted his gaze from the snow piling up on the ground and he stared at the five men standing further down the alley. "You say something?"
"Hand over your wallet, punk!"
"If you don't, we'll mess you up worse than whatever did that to your face!"
Tilting his head, his lips drew into a smirk. Dabi's eyes widened a little bit as he regarded the men ahead of him. Five. Two of them taller than him, three around his height or a bit shorter. Some with obvious quirks that altered their appearances. Others rather plain.
"What'd you say to me?" he challenged. His heart started to race, adrenaline rushing through his veins at the thought of coming across strong opponents. He wanted a real fight that would push him, but at the back of his mind he knew better. Disappointment was more likely than satisfaction.
"Your face makes me wanna puke." The speaker was one of the taller two and stepped toward him, grinning widely. "Now hand over your wallet before we beat you to a pulp."
Dabi's smirk remained unchanged. He started walking toward the group without any hesitation. "You're calling me gross? My girlfriend likes my face."
"How the hell does a guy like you get a girlfriend? Is she blind or something? You look like a singed ragdoll!"
"Singed? That's…a funny word to pick." He paused a few feet in front of them and lifted his left hand. A bright, dancing blue flame sparked to life in his palm and his smirk spread into a grin.
As he watched them burn to ashes, Dabi found himself moving to stay clear of the smoke. He hated it, but he was thinking of what Sayuri had said regarding his scent. Running his fingers through his hair, he listened to the last pained cries of his enemies. It was only after the final one died that he thought he should have taken their wallets first.
He turned away and began walking back the way he came. That didn't last long. I'm already bored again. So now what?
Dabi tried to remember what school Sayuri worked at and, after a little wandering, found himself standing across the street from it. He had no intention of waiting around outside for her. He was really just curious about what the school looked like.
She teaches kindergarten, right? Makes sense. She's too much of a pushover to teach older kids. He leaned back against the store front behind him, trying to imagine Sayuri in a chaotic classroom full of children. Of course, he liked that she was easy to persuade; it was part of her innocent charm. He just disliked the idea of someone else taking advantage of that.
After a few hours of just aimless wandering and trying to amuse himself, he went back to the apartment. Dabi grudgingly brushed off any ashes that were still clinging to his clothes and hair before he entered. He lounged on her couch with a book that seemed mildly interesting. Dabi glanced toward her bedroom door, his eyes narrowing.
Just as before, Sayuri told him that her bedroom was off-limits. He had been sleeping on the couch since his return. Any time she slept with him, it was on the couch. Any time they cuddled, it was on the couch. No explanation was offered as to why her room was off-limits.
So far, he had been able to resist the temptation. Mostly because he had convinced himself that he would probably just find a normal room if he went in. As he stared at the door now, he began to feel the urge to open it. The urge was stronger than before and he spent a moment contemplating the consequences he might face if he did open the door.
The worst Sayuri could do was kick him out and he knew she was too sweet to do that to him. More than likely, she would just scold him for snooping around. Even if the consequences were minor, he decided it was not worth it to make her mad at him. Things were going smoothly and he liked it that way.
When he heard the apartment door unlock, he met Sayuri with a half-smile. "Welcome home. I fed the rats."
"They don't eat for another hour! Dabi..." She shook her head and sighed, frustrated. "You can't feed them early. You're going to spoil them."
Dabi watched her cross the room and check to see how much food he gave her pets. Without a sound, he got up and approached her. Both arms wrapped around her waist from behind and he smirked. "What's the matter? You have a rough day or something?"
She tensed, but then lowered her head and put her hands over his. "Kind of," she finally admitted.
"Want me to make it better?"
Shift P.O.V
Sayuri felt a pleasant shiver run through her when he whispered this beside her ear. She pressed back against him a little and half-smiled to herself. "Is this your way of trying to earn your keep?" she joked.
"If that's what you want."
"That sounds so shady!" She laughed and shook her head. Sayuri reluctantly pulled out of his hold, but turned to lean up. She kissed his cheek, bringing a blush to her own face. "I need to get groceries. You want to come?"
"Is this your way of asking me on a date or something?"
"I'm…not brave enough for that," she muttered. She started for her room and paused when she heard him right behind her. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Dabi flash her a grin. "You're not-"
"Come on. Just once."
"No." She tried to sound firm, but she knew how she sounded. It was hard for her to be stern with Dabi. He was more intimidating than the kindergartners she taught so her "teacher" voice probably would not have worked on him anyway.
Sayuri changed into a simple white sweater and jeans while she was in her room. She grabbed her coat and pulled it on as she stepped out into the other room again. What…did he…? Where did he get that?
In the short time she was in her room, he had discarded his coat on the floor and changed it out for a plain black hooded sweatshirt. As far as she knew, Dabi only had the clothes he was wearing when he showed up. He barely acknowledged her look of surprise when she stared at him. "What?"
"That hoodie…"
"If I knew you'd get this worked up over a hoodie, I would've put this on sooner. Try not to stare too hard," he taunted. Dabi pulled up his hood and nodded toward the door. "Let's make it quick. It's freezing out there."
Sayuri had been thinking for a while about how she never cooked. It was true that she disliked cooking since it reminded her of when she was a kid, but she felt guilty about always bringing home cup ramen or takeout. She had the urge to try to impress him.
Walking through the store with Dabi staying close beside her, she tried to think of what she could make for him. Stir fry is easy, right? But curry is good on cold days like this. I could get the boil in the bag kind and that would be pretty easy. Guys like meat, though. Maybe something with meat. What would be easy?
"Naosu-sensei!"
Sayuri immediately smiled upon hearing the greeting and turned in time to catch the little girl that jumped up for a hug. "Hey there! Are you helping your mom shop for dinner, Michiko-chan?"
"We're making curry tonight!" The little girl beamed and looked over Sayuri's shoulder at Dabi. "Naosu-sensei, is that your boyfriend?"
She flushed a bright red and her eyes widened. "Ah. Wh-what? Um…"
"Yeah. What about it, kid?" The answer came from Dabi, who simply stared back at the girl from within his hood. Still grinning.
The child looked back to Sayuri. "Your boyfriend's weird, but he's got a cool smile, Naosu-sensei."
"Michiko! I told you not to wander-! Oh?" The girl's mother appeared around the corner and offered Sayuri a smile. "Hi, Naosu-san."
Quick apologies were made and the student's mother bid Sayuri a farewell before leading her child away to finish shopping. Watching the two walk off, the mother holding the little girl's hand, Sayuri felt a pang of sadness. That woman. She's a good mom, she thought.
Shift P.O.V
Dabi saw her staring at the mother and daughter as they walked away. It was unusual for him to see her look so down. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, frowning to himself. "What's up?"
She shook her head, trying to seem like nothing bothered her. "Don't worry about it," Sayuri assured him. The young woman's soft, lilac gaze lifted and she attempted a smile. It was small, forced.
Soon she pulled out of his hold and started walking away. "What do you want for dinner? I want to try to make something."
It was easy to keep up with her. He came up beside Sayuri, his vibrant turquoise eyes settled on the frown that had curved her lips. It's that family. She said her parents disowned her, right? Something about her not going to UA.
He wanted to know more. Clearly, her parents had expected more from her, but she chose a safer job. He wondered if she had chosen to be a teacher simply because it was less dangerous. Though he could easily see her as a hero, too. She seemed to love helping people so it would have made sense for her to be a hero.
"Does shopping remind you of when you were a kid?" she asked over her shoulder. Sayuri tucked a long strand of snow-pale hair behind her ear. "Did you go with your mom when she went grocery shopping?"
Dabi's eyes narrowed. He ran a hand through his hair, beneath his hood. Why's she getting personal now? Is she trying to distract herself? A look at her face showed that she was still frowning and there was a wet sheen to her lilac eyes. "Hm. I guess?"
"You guess? Didn't you go grocery shopping with your mom when you were little? Wait…" Guilt settled onto her pale face and Sayuri's frown deepened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to assume-"
"What's it matter? That's past stuff. And it's boring." He watched her turn away, staring vacantly at a shelf of cup ramen. Seriously. She's still depressed? A quick look up and down the aisle showed that they were alone. He wrapped an arm around her and leaned down to her ear. "Come on. Let me put a smile on your face."
Shift P.O.V
Sayuri was about to attempt a half-hearted scolding, but she was soon distracted by the gentle scrape of metal staples over the side of her neck. Her face felt like it was burning and she bit her lip to stop herself from making a sound. She was embarrassed that he was doing this in public, but at the same time she was glad he was doing it. It was a good distraction from her melancholy.
"I like you and I don't like a lot of people." Dabi's hold tightened and he released a warm sigh that brushed along her neck. "Are you gonna be good and let me cheer you up?"
Those words were enough to bring a smile to her face. No matter how many times he said it, she always felt her heart skip a beat when he said "I like you". "You're sweet," she mumbled under her breath.
"Is that what you think?"
She turned to face him and half-grinned. "I know you are. Dabi…you try to act so tough, but you're sweet to me."
He looked puzzled for a moment and then amused. Leaning down, he brought his face inches from hers. "Oh yeah? Maybe I should change it up to make things interesting. I don't want to be seen as soft."
Sayuri felt a lump of nervousness form in her throat and lifted a hand. Her fingertips traced over the staples that lined his cheek, gently skimming over the discolored flesh that connected to his pale, peachy skin. A shiver ran down her spine when she touched the staples, but she still smiled up at him. "I like you this way, though."
Dabi gripped her wrist and smirked. "Fine. I'll stay like this. For now."
