The canvases hadn't lasted too long at all really. The second you'd gotten back to the bar, you'd gotten to work on painting a little duck for Dabi.
That was the second time you'd gone to see the ducks, so you'd kind of naturally assumed that he just really liked the little feathered creatures.
It had taken a little over a day to complete all together, which you thought was pretty good considering how tiny all the feathers were.
Obviously he loved it, even though you'd pointed out a few flaws in it. He made a show of squinting to try and see what it was you were unhappy with, but to you the mistakes were glaringly obvious.
You'd been a little hurt when he suggested you paint something for yourself next time, your brain immediately going to think the worst and assuming that Dabi didn't want you to keep giving him drawings and paintings, but he'd quickly explained that you didn't seem to draw or paint anything for yourself.
You'd tried reassuring him that you did draw and paint for yourself, you just didn't show anyone those ones.
A weird expression had crossed over his face for a split second, one of almost guilt, before he'd rolled his eyes to the side thoughtfully, and suggested maybe painting your teddy, or something else you loved.
But you weren't really sure what you loved. So you ended up painting some purple flowers on the second canvas for Giran, to make things even between you after he'd given you that painting of the yellow flowers a little while back.
Ever since Dabi realized that you weren't unhappy to be left at the bar, you hadn't really been seeing Giran as you once used to, and you found yourself missing him a lot.
When Dabi told you you'd have to go to Girans, you were practically ecstatic about it, your eyes widening and giving an involuntary hop of joy.
He'd given an amused huff, telling you to pack whatever you wanted to take with you. So you'd packed the canvas and paints, just in case he was able to paint with you again.
The second you'd stepped through Kurogiri's warp gate, you'd practically thrown yourself at the older man, which had made him cackle with joy himself.
He'd put his cigarette out before giving you a hug back instead of simply placing his hand on your head.
"If it ain't my favourite Star." He greets, giving you a squeeze. "How's it?"
"Good!" You reply enthusiastically, refusing to let go of him. "I've been doing all my work, and me and Shigaraki are kind-of friends, and Dabi got me some paints and stuff as a treat!"
Giran nods at you while you pull away, getting the painting you'd done for him out of your bag.
You hold it out to him proudly, relishing in the wide grin that immediately tugs at his mouth as he reaches out for it, revealing that missing tooth again.
"Wow, ain't that somethin'." He croons, looking over the painting closely. "Ya been practicin'?"
You nod. "I painted a duck for Dabi!"
"A duck?" Giran chuckles. "M' sure he loved it, kiddo."
He turns around in his chair, looking over his walls, trying to find a free spot to place your painting for him.
You slump into the seat opposite his desk, looking over the mess there. You definitely wouldn't be painting today, but that was okay. You brought some work with you, and you were hoping to talk to Giran as much as you could when he wasn't on his phone.
He ends up hooking it nearly in the center of the wall, stepping back and nodding to himself.
"Whaddaya think, Star?" He asks, looking over his shoulder at you.
You stick your thumb up enthusiastically, and he grins at you, looking at it once more before sitting back down.
"Ain't gonna lie to ya, kid. I'm gonna be super busy tonight. Ya got things ta keep ya busy? Sketchbook an' stuff?"
You pout a little at him, as if to silently complain at the fact that you hadn't seen him for a little while and he was going to be ignoring you for most the night.
His head tilts, your look of sadness being matched with one of his own.
"Aw, c'mon Star. Don' give me that look." Giran sighs as his phone begins to ring as if on command. "An old man's gotta work hard."
You pout even harder, sticking your lip out as far as it'll go.
Giran sighs, lifting his phone to look at who's calling.
"Alright, I'll see if I can free up some time to talk to ya." He says, shooting you a pointed look as he lifts his phone to his ear. "Jus' cause you're my favourite little Star."
You release your pout, your eyes regaining life as you smile at him.
He rolls his eyes, smirking a little as he begins talking on the phone.
You keep yourself occupied while he works on and off, chatting to him happily whenever he was off his phone.
You share small conversation with him, sharing odd bits and pieces of what you'd been doing since last seeing him.
"An' how's ya paw?" Giran asks, lighting another cigarette. "All alright?"
You nod, continuing your mindless doodling on your worksheet. "He's okay. He got hurt the other day, but Kurogiri sewed him up!"
Giran hums, signalling he's listening to you even as he's jotting things down in front of him.
"I think he might like-like Shigaraki though which is gross." You continue, scrunching your nose up.
This seems to pique Giran's interest, his pink eyes shifting upwards to look at you, a grey eyebrow raising.
"Tha's not very nice, Star." He chides gently.
"But it's gross." You huff, scribbling out one of your doodles. "I don't like it."
"What dontcha like about it?" Giran asks, abandoning his paperwork for once to focus entirely on you.
You fall silent for a moment, thinking about your answer.
"Well, at first, I thought only girls and boys could kiss, so I thought it was gross. But Dabi says boys can kiss boys and girls can kiss girls..."
Giran nods, as if to silently let you know what Dabi said was correct. You already trusted Dabi enough to know that he wouldn't lie to you about something like that.
You screw your face up a little.
"It's still gross."
Giran seems thoughtful about this for a moment, silencing his phone as it begins to ring.
"If they weren't kissin', wouldya mind as much?" He asks, tapping the ash at the end of his cigarette into one of his fancy glass ashtrays.
"I don't like it." You say firmly, trying to shut the conversation down. You didn't want to think about it or talk about it anymore.
Giran is silent for a couple seconds, which is unlike him. You can feel him staring at you, even as you continue scribbling drawings of eyes onto your worksheet.
"Why?" He questions eventually. "We both know you're a good kid, lil' Star. Ya gotta have a reason, an' I'm listenin'."
You pause your doodling momentarily to consider what he'd just said.
If he was referring to you when he said 'we both know', you definitely didn't know you were a good kid. In fact, you'd argue otherwise.
You consider telling Giran the real reason. You felt a little better confessing to Giran than Dabi, because he was an outsider, so it wouldn't affect him either way.
You continue your doodling, except your pen strokes are longer and slower when you reply.
"Because if Shigaraki like-likes Dabi back, Dabi won't wanna keep me around anymore." You state quietly. "I'll get in the way. Just like I did with mom's boyfriends."
The silence between you both after that is almost a little painful, and you're glad you have your pen in hand to offer a distraction.
The memory of your mother, and also the memory of some of the boyfriends she'd had, and how she'd behave towards you when she was with them threatened to ruin the good mood you'd been in the second you'd been told you'd be staying with Giran for a couple of hours.
You hear Giran's chair squeak a little as he leans back, the familiar sound of his lighter telling you he's smoking another cigarette again.
There's an audible sound of him exhaling before he speaks again.
"Y'know little Star..." Giran muses, and you sneak a glance up at him. "Dabi ain't exactly the friendliest o' people. Didja know that?"
"He calls you old a lot." You reply, giving an example of Dabi's unfriendliness that came to mind.
Giran chuckles. "He sure does."
You brave looking up at Giran properly, feeling a little relieved to see his friendly pink eyes gazing at you across the desk, his mouth pulled up into a half-smile as his cigarette hangs between his teeth.
"See, y'know how Dabi's kinda like your paw?" Giran asks, raising an eyebrow.
You nod.
"Well. I'm kinda like Dabi's paw." Giran explains. "Picked him up an' sorted him out more than I can count."
You drop your pencil, fully engrossed in Giran's story before it had even really led anywhere.
"So I know Dabi pretty well. Jus' like Dabi must know you pretty well, yeah?"
You nod again.
You and Dabi didn't keep secrets, because that was a rule now, and he seemed to know you better than yourself sometimes.
"So ya gotta trust me, lil' love, that Dabi ain't the type to jus' ditch someone to get his di- for a boy. Ya hearin' me?" He says, leaning forward to muss your hair. "He loves you like yer his own. Ya shouldn't be worryin' about that. Sounds like your maw didn't have her priorities straight."
You lean your head into his touch, trying to let his words soak in, to soothe you the way you needed to be soothed.
You knew it probably wouldn't work, but it didn't hurt to try.
"If it's buggin' you, ya gotta speak to Dabi about it. Y'can't let it eat away at ya in here." He says, tapping his chest. "But he loves ya with his whole heart. I can tell. Ain't ever seen him make such a fuss over someone before. I promise ya, he ain't lettin' you go anywhere without a fight."
"He doesn't love me." You murmur as you avert your eyes again, a little embarrassed.
Giran shakes his head as he laughs a little to himself. He doesn't try arguing it with you, instead picking up the phone call when his phone starts ringing again.
As if summoned by the subject matter, a breeze through the room alerts you to Kurogiri's portal opening. Your head snaps to face it, Dabi emerging from the blackness.
He plucks the cigarette out of Giran's mouth instantly, stubbing it out and giving him a sharp look before turning his attention to you.
"C'mon Star, home time." He says, tilting his head towards the warp gate.
"Yer back early." Giran points out, hanging up his phone call.
He has a lazy grin on his face despite having been caught smoking around you, which was a no-go in Dabi's books.
Dabi shrugs, his hands sliding into his pockets.
"Half of 'em didn't bother to show, so Shigaraki called it off. You okay with havin' her tomorrow?" Dabi asks, leaning over to look at your worksheet.
"Mhm." Giran agrees, sounding a little miffed. "Hey, Star, how 'bout I clear my diary an' we do some art tomorrow?"
You perk up instantly, physically straightening your back and widening your eyes. "Really?!"
Giran nods, grinning at your enthusiasm.
You exclaim a thanks before beginning to scramble to put your things away in your rucksack, Dabi ruffling your hair as you do so.
"What'dya say to Giran?" Dabi asks when you stand.
"Thank you Uncle Giran!" You chime happily, reaching over the desk to try and hug him.
Giran's hand goes to your head, and he ducks his own head a little to whisper in your ear.
"Keep in mind what I said, lil' love." He whispers to you, scratching your head lightly before moving away again. "Seeya tomorrow, kiddo."
You call out a goodbye just before you step through the warp gate, stepping into the bar, only to freeze in place the second you clock a familiar muscular silhouette standing with his elbows leaning on the bar.
Shigaraki is beside him, his eyes immediately snapping to Dabi, and trying to subtly motion with his hand to go back through the gate.
You take a step back, stepping straight onto Dabi's foot. He hisses a little in pain, drawing attention to you both.
"Well, well, well." Imasuji chuckles, straightening himself out. "'Star', was it?"
You turn around in a panic to flee, and Dabi hauls you up into his arms, carrying you as though you were an awful lot smaller and an awful lot younger than you actually are.
You bury your face into Dabi's shoulder, blocking out your view of the bar.
"Leave her alone." He says simply, beginning to walk while carrying you.
"Surprised you can even carry her, man." Imasuji snickers as Dabi passes him, you can only tell from how his voice gets close and then far away with each step of Dabi's. "Kid's gained some timber."
Dabi pauses in his steps, and you hear him take a hiss of air, his body temperature rising immediately.
Not even a second after, you hear the sound of one of the metal stools scraping against the floor, closely followed by the sound of yelling, thumps and grunting.
Toga begins squealing in delight, and you feel Dabi turn slightly, one of his hands moving to your head to keep your face still where it is as he begins hurrying you upstairs.
He slows down a lot on the stairs, clearly struggling to carry you up them but too proud to put you down.
The sounds of yelling can be heard from downstairs, even if it is a little muffled.
"Dabi? What happened?" You ask quietly as he sets you down at the top of the stairs, your clothes catching on his staples as he does so.
He sighs, crouching down to look at you eye to eye, ignoring the staples that had been ripped out.
"Twice didn't like what he said." Dabi says softly. "Let's leave 'em downstairs for a while, yeah?"
"They're yelling..." You murmur, guilt beginning to nibble at the corners of your brain.
"Don't worry about it." Dabi says firmly, rubbing your cheek gently with his thumb. "Wanna watch a movie in my room?"
You nod eagerly, immediately forgetting the guilt you'd felt for making Jin and Imasuji fight.
"Can we watch Spirited Away?" You ask, your eyes following Dabi as he stands up again.
"Spirited Away, huh?" He chuckles. "Sure thing kid. 'M sure we could figure that out.."
"I like the big spider man! He reminds me of Giran!" You inform Dabi enthusiastically while walking beside him.
"Kamaji?" Dabi chuckles. "I'm sure he'd love to hear that, Star."