"I'm sorry if I bothered your boyfriend yesterday. I just went to your apartment without thinking. He wasn't upset, was he?" Fuyumi poured some tea for both of them, wearing a worried frown.
"No, it's okay. He was probably just napping," Sayuri assured her. Honestly, Dabi acted annoyed by the interruption when she mentioned it, but she could tell that he really could not care less. If anything, he seemed more annoyed by the fact that she had gone out.
Instead of going out for coffee, the two friends had opted to get cake slices from a bakery and have tea at Fuyumi's house. Her friend assured Sayuri that her father would be out late. Of course, Sayuri still felt uneasy. She kept glancing toward the door; terrified that at any minute Fuyumi's father would show up. She jumped a little when Fuyumi put a cake slice in front of her.
"Are you okay? I noticed that cut under your eye." The other woman touched a fingertip to the smooth skin beneath her left eye, pointing at where Sayuri had taken Dabi's injury.
"I'm fine. Really…you don't have to worry about me. Let's talk about work. How is your class doing? We're still trying to fill a position at my school so I'm still covering two classes most of the time."
Fuyumi pushed a lock of red and white hair behind her ear. She told Sayuri about her class and some of her lesson plans for the next week. "So how's the tutoring going? You said before that you're worried about the little girl. Have there been any changes?"
Sayuri's eyes widened a little, a shiver running down her spine as she was reminded of the previous day. She shook her head and took a gulp of her tea before even trying to answer. "Her dad is so…ugh. I don't even know how to explain it. Here. See this?" She held out her hand to show Fuyumi the healing cut on the outer part of her wrist.
"Ouch. What happened?"
"He got sliced pretty deep and he wouldn't tell me what happened, but he wanted me to give his injury to his friend. I ended up splitting the damage, but it was still kind of deep. And that's not even the weirdest part." Sayuri's pulse started to quicken and she felt herself begin to sweat.
The memory alone was enough to make her tremble. She half-closed her eyes and remembered standing in the kitchen with Chisaki talking to her. Washing some dishes and noticing that he was taking off his gloves. He had stepped closer, a hand reaching out. He seemed to notice her wince because his hand stopped just an inch away from her cheek.
When she asked him what he was doing, he murmured an apology and put his gloves on again. It seemed innocent enough, but something about the interaction had put her on edge. She looked across the table at Fuyumi and frowned. "Some of your students have single dads, right?"
"Of course. Why…?" Fuyumi's eyebrows lifted. "Sayuri, you think he might have a crush on you?"
"Well…I don't know if that's it, exactly. Sometimes, the stuff he does or says is just really unprofessional. He keeps bringing up kids and he's asked if I want to have my own. And I told you that he keeps touching me, right? Not really inappropriately, though. He touches my shoulder or one time he touched my hair. And he always wears gloves; I think he's got a phobia of germs or dirt. But yesterday he took his gloves off and…"
"Have you told the school?"
"The tutoring isn't through the school," Sayuri explained. "I know I need to be stern about it, but I'm afraid of him getting mad and stopping the tutoring. I don't want to leave Eri alone. She doesn't get much interaction since she never gets to go outside so I'm kind of like her only lifeline to the outside world. Fuyumi, I just…I sometimes get this urge to run out of there with her, but-"
"That's kidnapping," Fuyumi said at the same time as Sayuri. "Maybe you need to talk to him one on one and just explain that he's making you uncomfortable."
"Maybe. Is that how you deal with it? You probably get hit on by single dads, right? I mean…you're pretty cute." Sayuri had been looking down at her tea and when she lifted the cup, she caught sight of a pink blushing rising to Fuyumi's face. "What is it?"
"Sayuri, that's ridiculous," she argued, looking away. "Who has time for that kind of thing anyway, right? Oh! Did you want some leftovers to take-?"
The door to the dining room slid open and Sayuri immediately lowered her head. Every muscle tensed and she had to fight the urge to sprint out of the room and throw herself out the nearest window.
"Hey, Fuyumi, did you-? Oh. Hi, Sayuri-chan. I didn't know you were here." Natsuo stepped into the room and looked down at the empty cake box with a frown. "Anyway, sorry I didn't call ahead. My plans got cancelled so I'll be here for dinner." There was a sound further down the hallway, followed by footsteps.
Natsuo's frown turned bitter and he closed the door behind him. "He's home. I'll just get dinner out somewhere. Don't worry about me." He turned his attention from his sister to her friend. "Want to walk with me, Sayuri-chan? I'll make sure you don't have to look at him." The pale-haired young man held out his hand for her to take so he could lead her out of the house.
Shift P.O.V
The idea of Sayuri going into the house made him sick to his stomach, but he tolerated it. He had to, unless he wanted to make her upset. As much as he disliked the thought of her going into that place that gave them both such deep trauma.
Dabi followed her at a distance so he would at least be in the neighborhood when she came out. He could always make up an excuse about being in the area by coincidence. Plus, he could find some fuel for his flames along the way.
There was a decent layer of ash in his hair and on his hoodie by the time she emerged from the Todoroki house. When she stepped outside, Dabi's stapled, two-toned lips curved into a half-smile. The warm glow of the sunset cast shadows on her pale, round face in a way that made his breathing hitch. His mind started to consider all of the things he wanted to do that night when he got her home, but then he saw him.
Todoroki Natsuo. Coming out of the house behind her, holding her hand. Frowning at first, pausing to look over his shoulder as the door closed, and then giving her a sheepish sort of smile. The pale-haired young man was talking to her and it was clear she was still friendly with him, even though she never talked about him to Dabi.
Watching them interact as they started walking down the sidewalk, Dabi's eyes narrowed. The muscles in his jaw clenched as he watched Sayuri mess with her hair while she talked. He saw Natsuo shaking his head and frowning like he was trying to look tough. When he put a hand on Sayuri's shoulder, Dabi could feel his body temperature rising with his jealousy and anger.
You two are awfully close, he thought as he saw her smile. When did you get so close? What did I miss? Dabi slipped out of the alley with the hood up on his hoodie, keeping his eyes on the two pale-haired figures. Looking the girl up and down and pausing to watch her hips sway side to side.
His smile was gone; he was past the point of smiling after seeing her interact with Natsuo. Instead, a smirk curled his lips and he followed them. Dabi hung back a little and stared as they reached a street corner. Sayuri said something to him and bowed, being overly formal. Natsuo held up a hand, his free hand rubbing the back of his neck. Shortly afterwards, they parted ways.
Shift P.O.V
That was nice of him, she thought with a smile. It had been a while since she actually spoke to Natsuo. They walked together for a while so they could talk and catch up. As soon as she mentioned a boyfriend, he got a little protective. Not in a possessive kind of way, but in a big brother kind of way.
She checked the time on her phone and her smile fell. Damn it. It's this late already?! Dabi had been out when she left, but she knew he had to be home by now. Okay. I need to call him and just explain-
"Caught you." An arm wrapped around her waist from behind, pulling her back against a warm chest. Dabi leaned down and nipped at her ear, reveling in the whimper it pulled from her. "You and that guy looked pretty friendly," he commented. "Wanna tell me what's going on?"
Sayuri's face flushed a bright, hot pink. Her lilac eyes widened as she felt his hips press forward against her bottom. "Dabi…?"
"You just get off on making me jealous?" he teased.
"It's not like that," she muttered. "Natsuo is just a friend. He's Fuyumi's brother. We've been friends since we were kids." She closed her eyes and quivered as she felt his warm breath skim along the side of her neck. A tingly heat was settling in the pit of her stomach and her legs moved closer together.
Dabi's lips just barely touched her sensitive skin and he felt her back arch in response. "You sure about that?"
"He's not even my type!"
"Oh yeah? So what's your type?" His left hand settled on her hip, pushing his thumb through the belt loop on her pants.
Sayuri turned around to face him and slipped her arms around his neck. Wanting to sound flirty, but knowing she was still far from his level, she leaned up to his right ear. "You know I'm into guys with dark hair and piercings," she whispered.
She pulled away and flashed him a small smirk before she started off down the sidewalk, swaying her hips in an exaggerated way. Playing with a loose strand of her snow-colored hair, she listened to his quick footsteps approaching her from behind. Sayuri expected him to walk next to her or maybe wrap his arms around her again. Instead, she found his hand gripping hers and he pulled her along behind him with a smug sort of smirk on his face.
"You got me excited," he started, his tone husky. "I just hope you can deal with the consequences."
Sayuri blushed red and smiled sheepishly. "Oh? So we're not going to talk about your type?" she tried to tease him.
"I'm not a picky guy." He glanced over his shoulder and was satisfied when he saw her smile falter. "Are you serious? If I had to say my type, it's girls with white hair that blush too much. I said it before, right? I said I was gonna keep you. You think that's a choice I'd make lightly? I wouldn't decide to keep you if I didn't want you."
Lying in bed after they were done, Sayuri cuddled against his side and stared up at his face. Dabi was fading in and out of consciousness, but when he did open his intense turquoise eyes and saw her looking at him, he smirked. She glanced away and felt his left hand run through her hair.
"What're you staring at, babe? You already want to go another round?"
The young woman pouted and closed her eyes. "You're really warm."
"I'm always warm," he argued.
"Yeah, but…it kind of reminds me of someone. Because you're warmer than usual." Sayuri felt him tense and she looked up at him again. "Dabi? What's your family name?"
His fingers tangled in her hair and he pulled her head back. He stared down into her lilac eyes with a burning turquoise gaze; watching her eyes widen and seeing the way she bit her lower lip. "What's the matter? You wanna know so you can decide if you wanna take it or not? Is that some kind of deal-breaker for you?"
"It isn't like that," she protested. "I just want to know what your family name is. You have a flame quirk kind of like-"
Dabi flipped them so she was on her back beneath him. His knee planted between her thighs and he threaded his fingers into her long, snowy hair again. "You know, I don't like sharing you with so many people. Makes me pretty jealous. I almost wish I could just keep you here all to myself. First you go off to tutor that guy's kid and today you ran off to hang out with Fuyumi and her brother. It's like you want me to leave my mark."
Sayuri felt his free hand run along her side, tracing her curves. His warm lips brushed against the sensitive spot between her collar bone and neck, making her back arch. "Dabi…"
"Right here. You really like it, right? I'm just gonna leave a little mark here to show them who you belong to," he murmured. "You've got tutoring tomorrow, right? So that guy can see it and maybe he'll get the message."
She was about to argue, but felt his lips latch onto her pale, sensitive skin. Sayuri's hips lifted and she slipped her arms around his neck. Her fingers tangled in his dark, spiky hair and gently dug her nails into his scalp, making him groan against her skin. His hips pressed down on her hers, pinning her against the bed.
The next morning, she scrambled to search through her dresser for her lavender turtleneck, but it was missing. She knew it would be difficult to hide the mark on her neck; it was pretty dark and Sayuri rarely wore makeup so she lacked the foundation needed to cover it.
"That looks…pretty deep." Dabi wrapped his arms around her from behind and leaned down, pressing his lips against the bruise.
