Tomura didn't come to your room again that night.
In fact, he and the others disappeared for what felt like forever, leaving you and Dabi alone in the hotel for the most part.
Dabi spent a lot of nights meeting up and talking to what he said was a bird, which had left you puzzled while you were at Girans office waiting for your pawpaw to come back. It was nice spending time with Giran again, even if he was busy on his phone and with big scary men a lot.
He let you draw in peace, and you spent so much time with him now that you were beginning to fill up the sketchbook that you had previously been so worried about beginning.
But you had not been happy when one night Dabi had come back to Girans to pick you up after work and informed you that everyone had moved to another new building, and that you would have to get in the van with him and Spinner and help them all unpack when you got there.
You were particularly unhappy when Dabi waited until you had arrived at the giant mansion that still seemed to be a little dusty even though you could see Himiko and Atsuhiro working together to clean it to announce that you'd have your own room again.
You'd become so used to having Dabi in your space all the time, or at least the majority of the time, that you couldn't bear the idea of sleeping alone in the cold and facing your nightmares alone again.
"I don't wanna!" You had yelled, gripping one of your matching teddies tightly. You were really fighting with yourself not to launch it in frustration.
"Star. You're growin' up. You need more privacy, an' so do I." Dabi had tried soothing, his hand atop your head.
"But I get scared!" You had tried to convince him in return.
You really did get scared.
You had bad dreams more often than not, and although you'd gotten better at dealing with them thanks to Dabi's suggestions of reimagining them as a silly story, as well as his general presence next to you when you woke, they weren't completely gone.
He had begun picking at one of the staples that lined his wrist that had once been infected in response, his mismatched lips pulled into a thin line as he had looked down at you with a conflicted look on his face.
You were almost able to convince yourself that he might have agreed with you, and allow you to share a room with him a little longer. He had looked unsure, like he wanted to cave in.
But eventually, he had broken the staring contest between you both to sigh and shake his head.
"Sorry kid, it's for the best. For both'a us." He had said, his voice final.
And so you'd thrown your teddy at the wall in frustration, tears immediately spilling down your cheeks at his words and the feeling of rejection that came with them.
Dabi had looked a little shocked, his hands immediately flying up into a defensive position.
"Star." He had tried to say firmly. "We're not about'ta start yellin' and throwin' stuff. Wind it in."
"You hate me! You're meant to love me but you don't anymore!" You had yelled, your fear besting your logic.
"That ain't true and you know it." He had argued.
"You don't want me anymore because of Tomura!" You had accused, flopping onto your new bed in the new room you now had to endure alone. "Go away!"
You had felt his eyes on you even as you had buried your face into the, admittedly, really soft pillow. But he didn't say another word, and surprisingly left you alone, securing the fear of his disinterest in your mind.
And so you'd ignored him for most of the next day, staying in your room, even when Himiko tried dragging you out to play tag with her and Spinner in the garden as a form of quirk training.
He had tried to approach you and apologise, bringing you some onigiri he and Himiko had made together as a peace offering, but you had huffed and ignored him.
He hadn't denied not wanting you anymore because of Tomura, so in your head, he hated you.
You had cried a little when he had given up trying to get you to talk to him, pressing a kiss to your temple anyway before leaving you alone in your room again.
He had respected your need for distance from him, even if you really just wanted him to hug you and repeat all those comforting words of love to you like he used to before Tomura and the others were always so busy.
He would still drop the odd kiss on your head, ruffle your hair and pet your cheek softly occasionally even though you were ignoring him, which had slowly made you feel more as though he was telling the truth, and within three days, you had decided to make up with him.
You knock on the door to his new room politely like he had told you to, too.
He opens the door after a couple of moments of you waiting, half dressed and looking confused until he sees you at the door.
"Starshine. You okay?" He asks, his expression softening immediately.
"I'm sorry." You announce, holding out a canvas towards him.
He blinks, before looking down at the canvas in your hands, smiling as he reaches for it.
You had painted a silly little picture of you and Dabi as cats, his favourite animal, both of them curled up in the shape of a heart.
"You're so clever, my little Star." He says, shaking his head in disbelief. "Thanks. I'll put it up here by the bed."
He crouches, reaching his arms out to ask for a hug, a request you're more than eager to oblige. You launch yourself into his arms, wrapping your arms around his neck.
"I'm sorry!" You repeat, a little more desperately this time, your lip wobbling.
"Shh. S' fine Starshine, but can we talk about it?" He asks, gently peeling away from you to look at you properly, moving your hair out of your face.
"Are you mad?" You ask, gauging whether he was going to tell you off or not.
He shakes his head. "No, but we need t' talk it out. Otherwise we'll both keep feelin' bad in here."
He pokes your chest bone gently, a soft look on his face.
"Okay." You agree reluctantly.
"Attagirl." Dabi ruffles your hair. "C'mon, we can talk in here."
He opens the door wider for you to enter, grabbing a white shirt from the dresser by the door and yanking it over his head swiftly, picking up the canvas once more and placing it on one of the bedside tables.
You blink in awe when you see he has several of your drawings and scribbles taped up to the white, still slightly dusty wall.
"I put this one in the bin." You point at a drawing you hated with a scowl, turning to look at him.
"A waste." He grins. "You're not the only dumpster diver here, kiddo."
You blush at the reference to how he found you, unable to imagine eating food out of a bin now.
He rubs his knuckles against your head playfully as he sits at the edge of the bed that was way bigger than yours.
"Sit." He encourages, patting the space next to him.
You plop next to him, the bed bouncing a little.
He wraps an arm around your shoulders, leaning his head against yours. It was nice to feel the warmth of his embrace once again.
"M' sorry too." He apologises, his voice quieter than usual. "I kinda just sprung it on you. I shoulda given you some time... maybe eased you into it, but..."
He pauses, rubbing his stapled cheek against your head.
"Thing is, my lil' princess, we were runnin' outta money, an' the hotel was crazy expensive. Tomura an' the others found this place and it's a little cheaper for us all to live here. I wasn't there when they found it, so it was news to me, too."
"Where is he? He found it but doesn't stay ever?" You ask, your little brain focusing on that rather than the issue of money.
You had lived without money before. That wasn't an issue to you. You wanted your family back in one piece, that was all.
"He's busy." Dabi replies dryly.
"And the others? They're barely ever here too." You sulk.
"They're try'na help him with his project." Dabi sneers the word as though he didn't approve of the project mentioned.
You groan, and Dabi chuckles slightly.
"Yeah. Same here, cuddle bug." He teases, squeezing you to his side gently.
You sit together quietly for a while, you soaking up the warmth of Dabi's company that you had deprived yourself of for too long.
Eventually Dabi speaks up again, his hand replacing his face against your head.
"Star. I need ya to listen, 'kay?" He leads with.
"Okay." You promise.
"When you're mad at me, an' your emotions get all big like that, I need you to try your hardest not t'let yourself yell at me or throw things around, okay?"
Your face falls in humiliation. There was the telling off.
You know you deserved it, but you had really hoped that you wouldn't get told off.
"I'm sorry..." You murmur.
"I know." He replies, petting your hair. "But when people get'ta yellin', and start throwin' things, it makes my head spin an' I don't wanna lose control of my fire around you. 'Kay?"
"Okay." You agree. You hadn't even thought about the fact that Dabi's dad was a big scary man that yelled a lot and made him scared. "I just thought you didn't want me anymore because-"
"Because of Tomura. I know." Dabi pats your head. "What if I tell you a secret?"
"A secret?" You ask, confused as to how a secret would change him loving you or not.
"A secret no-one knows. Something I haven't told anyone yet." Dabi replies, petting your head again.
You can practically hear his heart thumping even with your head pressed against his shoulder, nowhere near his chest or heart.
"Not even Tomura?" You ask curiously.
"No-one knows." Dabi reiterates.
"What is it?" You ask, looking up at him.
He avoids your eyes, and he looks a little paler than normal, his blue eyes distant.
"My name."
"Your name isn't Dabi?" You squeak in surprise.
This gets a snort out of him, his lips tugging into a smile as he grins down at you.
"What did I tell ya about real names, kid?" He asks playfully.
"But you knew my real name!" You reply defensively. "You lied!"
Dabi shrugs. "It never came up."
You wait for him to continue his secret, leaning your head on his shoulder. After a few moments of silence, his heartbeat sounding like it was travelling through his bloodstream, you look up at him.
"Well?"
"Touya." He replies instantly, sounding as though he was in a rush to spit the name out.
"Touya?" You repeat, testing the name aloud. "I like that name."
He snorts, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah. It's alright."
"And I'm the only one that knows?" You ask, making sure.
He rolls his eyes. "Yes Star, that makes you the most favouritest, special little person in my life, ever."
Your face lights up. "Really?!"
"Really." He chuckles, kissing your forehead. "Don't go tellin' anyone, 'kay?"
"Mhm!" You agree.
"Good." Dabi smiles, nuzzling his cheek against your head. "Now get ready. Gotta take ya to Girans."
"You're meeting birdie again?" You ask, repeating his words you'd heard so many times before.
"Mhm." He agrees, grinning and tapping his foot. "Gonna show him somethin' cool."
"Can I see?" You ask.
"Absolutely not." He chuckles before giving you a final kiss on the cheek and standing.
*â¢*
Dabi ended up being a little later than expected, and you were worried because you'd seen on the news at Giran's office that some kind of monster had been nearby.
You didn't know monsters were real, and you were beginning to worry when the two things were related.
So Uncle Giran had suggested leaving work early to make a cake with you. You had been more than eager to agree, suggesting making a strawberry cake together.
You'd been and retrieved all the ingredients from the store, as well as extra strawberries for you to snack on while making the cake because Uncle Giran didn't trust you not to eat them all before using them for their intended purpose.
You were excited, telling Giran about how you and Dabi had made up and that you wanted to keep a slice of cake for him when you saw him later.
It was still daylight, although the sun was beginning to set, tinting the sky orange as you jog to keep pace with Giran.
"I'm glad you an' your paw made up." Giran nods. "I think you were bein' just as stubborn as him an' makin' your own life harder for it."
He shakes his head with a grin. "Yup. Yer growin' up to be jus'Â like your paw."
"But he didn't deny it!" You exclaim.
"Didja tell him tha's what upset you?" Giran asks as you enter an alleyway together.
You were used to traipsing through alleyways with Dabi when you were homeless, so you don't even think twice about it with Giran, happily holding the bag of groceries that didn't have eggs in with Uncle Girans permission.
"No."Â You reply. "I just wanted to make up."
"It's important tha' ya tell each other these things, little love." Giran sighs.
"It's okay! I know Dabi loves me now." You say with a firm nod. "He took my drawings out of the bin and put them on his wall! Right by his bed!"
"Tha's nice, little miss Star." Giran replies with a small smile.
"Mhm! He has a big bed, bigger than mine, so I think when Tomura's back they're going to share a room."
"He's still not back, huh?" Giran queries.
"No... Dabi says he's busy." You reply, your voice thoughtful. "But he didn't say what with. Just that Tomura has a project, but he doesn't sound happy about it."
"He's probably missin' him!" Giran explains, patting your head. "Wha's it been, three weeks? Tha's a long time apart for young lovebirds."
"They don't love each other!" You argue. "Gross!"
"Pah!" Giran snorts. "Betcha-"
Giran doesn't manage to finish his sentence as a bag is thrown over his head and held tightly over his mouth to deprive him of oxygen. You don't even get a chance to react properly beyond your eyes widening before there's a bag thrown over your head, too.
You squeal and wiggle immediately, but whoever had incapacitated you and Giran had cuffed your hands behind your back.
"Quick thinkin'." A gruff voice praises as you and Giran squeal and struggle. "That kid has some kind of touch quirk."
"Would be embarrassing to be taken out by a kid." The voice closer to you answers with a snort.
"Uncle Giran!" You sob.
"Damn, you brought her for the night, and you're her uncle? Some kinda sick fuck you are." One of the men asks, and then spits from what it sounds like.
"What'dya take me for? Geddoff!" You hear Giran grunt as strong hands throw you over their shoulder.
You kick your legs in frustration, kneeing at the man holding you in a desperate attempt to get free as you begin feeling suffocated by the bag.
"Ow! Fuckin'... brat!" The man holding you snaps. "Quit it!"
"Get off me!" You yell. "Dabi! Dabi!"
"They brainwash 'em good, huh?" The man further from you comments in amusement. "Callin' out for one of the sickos themselves."
"Uncle Giran!" You call again, desperate and scared. "Get them off me!"
"Uncle Giran's gone for a nap." One of the captors informs you with a mocking tone. "If ya don't stop kickin' around, you'll be joining him."
You don't heed the warning, just doubling up your efforts, kicking out your legs with audible thumps into the man's body.
"You're gonna have to knock her out man, I can't hit a kid."
"Don't hit me!" You scream. "Dabi! Help!"
"For fucks..." You begin to hear before there's a sharp pain at the back of your head and you slip into unconsciousness.