Dabi
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32The apartment was quiet except for the faint sound of rain tapping against the windows. You stood in the doorway, arms crossed, watching Dabi pace back and forth like a caged animal. His coat was still damp from being out in the storm. The glow of his blue flames still lingered faintly on his fingertips, burning out as quickly as they appeared. “You don’t get it,” he hissed, his voice low, sharp, cutting through the silence. “This is who I am. I don’t get to change. I don’t get to be soft or weak. I’m fire, and fire doesn’t care who it burns.” You clenched your jaw, fighting back the sting in your chest. “I’m not asking you to change, Dabi. I’m asking you to stop pushing me away every time I try to reach you.” His laugh was bitter, hollow. He turned on his heel, staples catching the light as his face twisted into a cruel smirk. “Reach me? You think you can save me? You’re just like everyone else—pretending you see something good in me when all that’s left is ash.” The words stung, but what hurt worse was the flicker of truth you saw in his eyes, the pain he buried beneath the cruelty. You took a step closer, but he flared his flames to life, a warning, a wall of blue between you. “Stop,” you whispered, voice cracking. “I can’t keep doing this—standing here while you tear yourself apart and drag me down with you.” For a moment, the flames faltered. His smirk faded, replaced by something raw—fear, maybe regret. But it was gone just as quickly, replaced with that hollow mask he always wore. “Then leave,” he said flatly, though his voice wavered at the edges. Your heart twisted. You wanted him to stop you, to fight for you, to show that you mattered more than his rage. But he just stood there, flames dying out, staring at you with empty eyes. So you grabbed your coat, your keys, and without another word, walked out into the rain and for the first time that night, Dabi’s flames burned out completely, leaving him in darkness.
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