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“You’re late,” it was said so matter of fact, firm and leaving no space for excuses; Dabi lied anyways.
“Got busy goin’ through that whole list of chores ya gave me,” the arsonist shrugged, hands shoved in his pockets, as he kept his gaze pointedly at how Shigaraki was mashing buttons on their handheld controller. They hadn’t even looked up when Dabi had entered the room, they never did, and it stuck a hot pin needle in his heart, another one joining amongst the many.
When it really hurt, it felt like his chest was being slashed open, he would bleed, but he bled too fast and so profusely and uncontrollably. He was spilling over his words and tripping over his emotions in an uncharacteristic stumble and falling to his knees at Shigaraki’s side. If Shigaraki ever noticed the broken look in Dabi’s eyes or the subtle stiffness, they never showed any concern. The arsonist wasn’t sure if it was a blessing, or another needle jabbed into him.
Dabi had long since given up denying his feelings. Doing so hurt and he was in enough pain from the twisted game that the pair both participated in. Shigaraki knew Dabi would never leave, they had no problem being cruel, because they knew he would always come back, with fresh tears in his eyes and even more bleeding wounds over his heart. Dabi was more than smitten, more than enthralled, but he would rather self-emulate than ever call it love. He preferred obsession, it shouldered off more of the burden, he could tell himself it was all irrational and circumstantial, that it wasn’t his fault how deep he had dug himself in, it wasn’t his own doing how he would ease into the slightest touch from Shigaraki’s hands.
Shigaraki’s collar still held faint bruises from the night before, and Dabi missed the taste of that pulse. Pale, thin fingers tapped along the corner of Dabi’s lip, silently tracing over the remnants of his bottom lip, nails scraping lightly over the burns, pain so familiar and addictive that the man almost melted. Almost.
He would let himself melt when Shigaraki did, he would let his facade fall when Shigaraki would let him get his words out; it would never happen.