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Shigaraki allows his body to collide into the soft, welcoming embrace of his bed. With his face now buried into his pillow, he sighs triumphantly.
Today was one hell of a day. What was supposed to be a minor skirmish ended up in a full-on brawl, with Shigaraki going hand-to-hand with a pro Hero on patrol- and winning at that. His friends all carried out their missions with near ease. Little problems arose during the whole ordeal, and no doubt the news will be headlining them once again by the morning.
With his arms wrapping tightly around the pillow, Shigaraki flips himself over onto his back, making sure to keep one finger on each hand pointed upwards. The last time he felt this satisfied was the whole ordeal where he managed to rob Overhaul of his pride. If he continues to propel his alliance into the spotlight like this, no doubt changes will occur within the society he inhabits. Things just have to keep going his way, and Shigaraki will continue to fight with every tooth and nail in his body if need be. His whole life has been nothing but a struggle, it’s high time that pieces start falling into their proper places already.
As the actions of today replay in his head on an endless carousel ride, a knocking sound is heard from the door, followed by a voice.
“Tomura, can I come in?”
It’s Dabi.
“Yes.”
The door is slowly opened, and Dabi’s frame comes into view, “Hey.”
“Hey,” Shigaraki rolls onto his side, a sudden feeling of deep somnolence taking a hold of him, causing him to yawn as Dabi takes a seat beside him on the bed.
“You going to turn in early for the night?”
“I was thinking so. Why? Did you need something?”
Dabi flashes Shigaraki a benign smile, “I just wanted to know if you’d care to go for a little walk along the train tracks.”
“Hmm,” Shigaraki ponders briefly, “you can sleep beside me tonight if you want.”
“Last time we did you kicked me off the bed, twice.”
“I said I was sorry. I’m a restless sleeper, and I forgot you were there.”
“Maybe you need a bigger bed.”
“Are you going to get it for me?”
“No.”
“Then it’s not happening.”
“Right.” Dabi stands back up on his feet, his arm wraps up and around to the back of his neck, which he begins to rub at, “It can wait then.”
Shigaraki’s initial, minor curiosity is not only piqued, but evolved, “You sound like you have something to say to me.”
“Can we just go for a walk? We haven’t really talked in a while.” Dabi’s words seem a little pressed, though it’s evident that he’s trying to remain cool, Shigaraki has a feeling that whatever it is, it must hold some weight on Dabi.
“Alright, I’ll go.”
“Cool,” Dabi shoves his hands into his pockets as Shigaraki slowly removes himself from his bed and back onto his tired feet.
As Dabi opens the door and leads him out, Shigaraki is finding himself stuck once again within the confines of his endless thoughts, but this time, they’re centered on his boyfriend. Dabi is definitely up to something, his speech during that whole scene had a certain rushed feeling to them, almost as if he was trying to hold back some jovial emotions. Shigaraki may not be the best on picking up social cues, but if there’s one person he can read, it’s his boyfriend.
As the duo head out the door, they begin their journey down the road, which is slightly damp from a previous rainstorm. The two walk in silence, every now and then, Shigaraki would glance over at Dabi, who would simply glance back with a soft grin. It honestly made Shigaraki’s heart flutter every time. Dabi has such a handsome face, and on nights like these, where the only lights on these back roads are those from the passing, neon lights, and the moon above, it leaves Shigaraki almost feeling a little breathless.
He simply couldn’t help but suddenly lean over and give Dabi a quick peck on the cheek.
“You cheeky little bastard,” Dabi flashes Shigaraki a smirk and lunges at him, wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him into an alleyway. Genuine laughter erupts from Shigaraki as he’s pushed against the wall lightly, Dabi holding him in place by his wrists.
As Shigaraki brings his laughter to a halt, he takes notice of a soft expression that Dabi is giving him. Butterflies begin to tickle him from the inside, a cascade of deep affection threatens to burst from his chest at any given moment.
Dabi lifts up his arm and gently brushes aside Shigaraki’s unruly bangs, he leans down toward his forehead and plants a soft kiss on top of it. Shigaraki is quick to latch onto Dabi like his life depends on it, Dabi reaches around and backs up a little, allowing better access for his arms to get behind and bring his boyfriend even closer into him.
“I love you so much.” Shigaraki proclaims.
The four words sink themselves deep into Dabi’s heart, entrancing him with an enticing feeling as though nothing else matters. As far as Dabi is aware, the world has completely stopped. All forms of pain have ceased to exist. In this very moment, Dabi wants nothing more than to bottle up this very feeling, and get drunk on it every single night of his life.
A lump in Dabi’s throat builds from the overwhelming onslaught of emotions, Shigaraki has noticed how quiet Dabi has gotten, and backs off from the embrace. “Is something wrong?” Shigaraki asks.
“Oh, no, no not at all.” Dabi turns his head and looks back out into the main backroad, “We should get going, I’d like to go to our usual spot tonight and not keep you awake for too long.”
“Yeah.”
As the duo make their way back out onto the backroad, Shigaraki begins to ponder, a slightly dangerous act for the man, due to his habits of overthinking and reading too much into things unwarranted, causing him too much emotional stress. Shigaraki is prone to anxious bouts, whether it’s due to indecisiveness or convincing himself to think in a way that he does not fancy. His thoughts are onto Dabi, the other appears overly emotional with little reason, on top of that, he’s being awfully silent. Though the two oftentimes have silent walks with one another, Dabi seemed particularly urgent for this tonight.
“You’re not trying to make up to me for the other day, are you?”
“Hm?” Dabi takes a moment to think, “The other day? Do you mean when I fucked up and almost got my ass captured by those guys?”
“Yeah, for a few hours you were real silent and you kept your gaze low. I don’t hold anything against you, you know, you’re still not used to being a villain. I know you take this very seriously, and I trust you more than the others. You’re strong, dependable, loving even. You always provide the best advice too when I’m having my moody episodes. You’re very comforting, and you always seem to know what to say and what to do.”
At first, Shigaraki’s words don’t impact Dabi much, as his mind is back to being too jittery and excited, but as the air grows silent they begin to have a bigger, yet softer, impact into Dabi. “I’ll be honest, no one has ever really thought this highly of me before. But, you should know something, Tomura.”
As the road begins to turn into grass, bright, city lights turning into small specs of their former selves, Dabi’s mouth begins to shape words into a long string.
“Shigaraki Tomura, you are honestly one of the bravest and strongest people I have ever met. I didn’t think that highly of you when we first met, but once you started to explain to us, the Vanguard Action Squad, about your plans, I saw just how serious and passionate you were. You put your trust into me, me- who you immediately criticized and showed disinterest into. Some people might say it was naive, but I thought it was really brave, and showed that me that you have keen perspective. You believed in me and knew I was a potentially strong ally. I take this job seriously, I really do, and each and every single day I see you out here, putting your damn best effort into everything- every plan, that you do.
“It’s admirable,” Dabi tilts his head up, “the world is against us. I know you’re stressing out constantly. We’re all worried and scared for the future, but you? You hide that so well. Sometimes, all I have to do is look at you, and I feel safer. I feel safe, knowing that someday, we will be able to change the world. I want to live in a world where you and I and many others can live happily. Free of corruption. Free of pain and suffering. It might sound childish, to an extent it is. When I’m with you, I have an easier time seeing it.
“The rest of us really look up to you as a strong leader. I know you oftentimes seek comfort into me, but what you don’t realize is you comfort me just as much, if not even more, than I do to you. And trust me when I say this, seeing you take on people one-on-one in a fray and causing huge, public disturbances is so badass. I want to be as strong as you someday, and I’ll keep working on that. I’ll always support you and do whatever you need me to do, no hesitations.”
Shigaraki remains silent for a good minute. As he continues to walk alongside the railroad tracks with his boyfriend, he takes in a deep breath, and exhales not too long afterward. He opens his mouth, but finds himself unable to form a proper sentence to describe exactly how he feels. A strong feeling sits in his chest, unmoving, walking feels stiff and hard. After what feels like another several minutes, Shigaraki finally is able to speak.
“Praise is...something I really need. I’m trying so hard, things often don’t go my way, they rarely ever did. I don’t want to question sensei, but sometimes I feel almost misguided. He didn’t leave me with much as much knowledge as I'd like, and oftentimes he pressed it into me that I should figure things out on my own. I’m still doing just that. I really don’t mean to sound ungrateful, he gave me so much. But sometimes I end up questioning things that I shouldn’t, I immediately shove them down though, and they’re mostly in regards to myself.”
Dabi, who had his head turned toward Shigaraki the moment he spoke up, starts to look down at where he’s walking, “I can relate to that.”
“I’ve never really wanted to be wanted by anyone other than sensei, and, um, someone else...from a long time ago.”
Dabi senses a sudden strain in Shigaraki’s voice. A vague idea pops into his head as to what it is that he could be talking about, he removes his hand from his pocket and grabs onto Shigaraki’s arm. Shigaraki takes the hint, removing his own hand from his pocket and placing it within Dabi’s grasp.
“Thank you. It really means a lot. You guys see something in me that I see in you, it’s just really baffling to think that someone like you can see so much in me.”
“It’s not, I’m no one special. I never was.”
“That’s not true, Dabi. I’m not good with words, but, you make me feel so good. You’re amazing, even when you occasionally do stupid things.”
Dabi chuckles a bit, “Yeah, I always did do weird things when I’m bored. Not a whole lot of things keep my interest for long.”
“It was really funny seeing you and Spinner trying to jump fences with large sticks the other day though, and this is why we need to get Kurogiri back.”
The two share a small laugh before delving back into silence. Dabi sighs and stops in place, Shigaraki takes notice right away.
“Is something wrong?” Shigaraki asks.
Dabi looks downward, nerves wrack his entire body, and his grip tightens within his pocket. “There was actually a reason I asked you to come out here tonight.”
Shigaraki blinks as Dabi’s hand loosens from within his grasp. As Dabi walks around and stands before him, Shigaraki raises a brow. “What is it?”
Dabi lifts his shoulders up as he sucks in a bunch of cool, night air. As he breathes out, he begins to kneel down onto the ground. From his pocket, he pulls out a small object, keeping it within his grasp. Shigaraki remains perplexed, but the moment Dabi’s position shifts so that he’s on one knee, he starts to catch on.
“Dabi…?”
“Shigaraki Tomura, will you marry me?” The small object was revealed to be a box, as it’s lifted, a thick ring is exposed.
Shigaraki stares in silence, eyes wide. A rock begins to form deep within Dabi, but then suddenly, the shocked expression plastered onto Shigaraki’s face changes to that of a more joyous one. “I will. Yes, I will.”
Dabi is quick back onto his feet, arms taking his boyfriend into an embrace. Shigaraki’s feet leave the ground momentarily as Dabi lifts him up, the two laugh happily as Dabi attempts to lift Shigaraki up once again, only to instead find that Shigaraki seems to be pulling him downward. The two to fall into the dead, yellow grass below, Dabi’s body atop of Shigaraki’s.
As the laughter slows down to a stop, Dabi reaches at Shigaraki’s bangs and brushes them to the side, he presses his forehead gently into Shigaraki’s, closing his eyes and listening to the soft sounds of his fiancé’s breathing.
“I can’t tell you what lies in our future,” Shigaraki softly speaks. “But whatever it is, promise me you’ll stay at my side.”
Dabi moves his arm and reaches up for Shigaraki’s hand. Their fingers intertwine gently, and Dabi’s gentle breath tickles Shigaraki’s lips. “I promise.”
“Thank you. I love you, Dabi.”
“I love you too, Tomura. Let’s change the world together.”
“Yes, let’s.”