"Uncle Giran!" You exclaim, running directly into the older man's arms.
"Darlin' girl!" Uncle Giran says, giving you a rare proper hug. "Ya brought a friend?"
You nod, backing out of the hug and gesturing to Zero, standing with a soft smile behind you.
"His name is Zero! He's a nomu like Kurogiri." You explain casually. "Zero this is Uncle Giran. He's my grandpaw."
"I'm familiar. Hello, Uncle Giran." Zero says, bowing his head, silver hair falling over his face.
"A nomu, huh?" Giran says, faintly amused. "One of them fancy ones too by the looks of it. Is your paw trying to threaten me?"
"No, why?" You ask, blinking in your confusion.
"Ah, don't worry 'bout it Star." Giran chuckles. "Come on in, Zero."
"I was told just to get her here..." Zero explains.
"Come in! Uncle Giran might show you how to paint!" You exclaim, grabbing Zeros stitched up hand carefully and using it to gently tug him into Giran's house.
Zero's face goes blank, but he takes a few uncertain steps into Giran's home. He follows your lead of taking your shoes off, standing awkwardly as you chat away to Uncle Giran about Christmas and Santa.
"Ah, tha' reminds me." Giran says. "I got a lil summin for you, lil' love."
"You do?" You ask eagerly.
"Yup!" He replies, leading you through to his living room by your hand, squeezing it gently. "Well, a coupla lil' summins. Yer paw said not to go mad, but yer my first granddaughter so I gotta spoil you a little."
He motions for you to sit on the couch, and then gestures for Zero to do the same. Zero sits down beside you slowly, still looking a little out of his depths. Giran places a small wrapped up present on your lap, sitting on a seperate armchair and lighting up a cigarette.
Within a blink, Zero has snatched it out of his hand and put it out in a nearby ashtray.
"What gives, Zero?" Uncle Giran asks with a dangerous edge in his voice that you haven't heard before.
"Dabi said to put out any cigarettes that are within three feet of Star." Zero replies matter-of-factly, sitting back down next to you.
"Jesus..." Giran sighs. "S' my house!"
"I cannot disobey orders. I apologise." Zero replies with one of his soft, friendly smiles.
You let the two bicker, opening your present. You strip back the paper and reveal a book called 'The Complete Book of Drawing'.
You 'ooh' at it, opening the pages and seeing that there's detailed instructions on how to draw all kinds of things from flowers to portraits. Zero's eyes even flick over the pages with you.
"S' got all manners of things in there, so when I can't be wi' ya, ya can figure it out yerself from the book." Giran explains. "Ya like it?"
You nod enthusiastically. "I'm going to try and use it today! Thank you Uncle Giran!"
"Of course darlin'. Now..." He pulls out a big present from behind the armchair. "Don't go lookin' like that, ain't nothin' excitin' littlest Star."
"What is it?" You ask, practically bouncing in your seat.
"Open it, little love." Giran encourages. "I'll hold it up for ya."
You don't need any more encouragement, getting onto the floor and beginning to tear open the paper. Within the first piece being ripped you can see it's a painting.
The more wrapping paper you tear away, the more of the painting you expose. A lake surrounded by grass, a bench with people sitting on it with their backs to you. Ducks.
You run your fingers over the dried paint in awe. It's almost like a photograph.
"S' you an' Dabi with yer precious duckies." Giran explains. "See? I even made sure ta put his scars on his hand so ya could tell it was yer paw."
You look at where he's pointing, noticing the tiny purple splodge of paint on the bigger figures' wrist as they hold a cigarette away from themselves.
"An' I made sure it was painted at nighttime so ya could see the stars in tha paintin'... Stars ta match our lil' Star." Giran grins, exposing his missing teeth.
"I love it! Thank you!" You say, standing to give him a huge hug.
He almost drops the canvas from the impact, but Zero catches it with ease, his eyes scanning the painting with interest, seeming to be taking in every single detail.
Giran gives you a big squeeze, relinquishing the duty of holding the painting to Zero while he lets you hug him.
"Zero, can you put it up in my room later?" You ask, turning your face towards the long haired man.
"Of course, Star." Zero replies dutifully. "Uncle Giran, you painted this yourself?"
"Ya can jus' call me Giran." Giran chuckles, petting your hair. "An' yeah. Took me a little while. Worth it for you, though, my lil' love."
"Uncle Giran is really clever with painting." You explain to Zero patiently. "And he does business."
Zero nods attentively at this information. "This painting feels lonely."
"Nuh-uh. It's me, Dabi and ducks! There's lots of company in it." You argue.
"You feel somethin' from it?" Uncle Giran asks Zero, a little surprised. "Wow. What a compliment."
You frown in confusion, so Giran feels the need to explain further.
"The whole point of art is ta get some kinda feelin' out of it darlin'. An' nomu... well. They don't typically have feelin's."
"Why?" You ask, turning to Zero. You suppose it explains why Kurogiri never got mad or sad or laughed, though.
"Because I'm dead." Zero replies, but the smile on his face is a lot less dark than his words.
Uncle Giran immediately begins to flap about getting you off his lap and making you ice cream, but you're busy glaring at Zero, even if he's still smiling at you with that blank look in his mismatched eyes.
"That's not a very funny joke." You tell him.
Zero's mouth opens to reply to you, but Giran cuts him off before he can say anything else.
"Zero, you stay here, Star come wi' me an' tell me what ya want on yer ice cream." Giran orders.
You're just happy to be given ice cream, not thinking too much about Zero sitting alone in the living room while you help Uncle Giran.
You direct him on what you'd like on your ice cream, sitting on one of the chairs with your legs swinging. When he lights a cigarette while making your food, you assume that maybe he asked Zero to stay in the other room so he could smoke without being interrupted.
He passes you the bowl of ice cream, with vanilla, matcha and chocolate scoops and a tonne of fruit on top of it. He sits down opposite you, leaning on the dining table and watching you with a friendly smile.
"Always a breath of fresh air seein' you, darlin'." He says contentedly, leaning back in his chair. "You goin' to the shrine later for New Years?"
You nod. "Himiko's gonna take me to see mom while we're there."
"Ah! Gotta lot ta tell her?" He asks, flicking his ash into an ashtray.
"Mhm, I never had Christmas with mom, so I'm gonna tell her about Christmas, and Zero." You reply, taking another bite of your ice cream.
Giran watches you quietly. "An' how's your paw?"
"He's okay, he let me put makeup on him the other day."
"That's fun. Get any pictures?" Giran asks with a smirk.
"Himiko took one." You reply. "She laughed lots, because I put lipstick on his eyes... I don't know the difference."
Giran chuckles, looking at the ceiling as he smokes. "Ah, I'll make a note ta ask lil' Toga fer that one."
You have another few quiet mouthfuls of food before talking again. "I think he's stressed about work and misses Tomura."
"Wha' makes you say that, darlin' girl?" Giran asks.
"He gets grumpy a lot at the minute." You reply. "Not with me, but I saw him being mean to Zero, Himiko and Spinner a few times..."
"Ah, your paw's prone to attitude." Giran chuckles. "Wouldn't worry 'bout it too much, baby girl."
You aren't a baby, but you let it slide, because it's a new nickname and you don't hate it.
"How about you? You 'kay?" He asks, putting his cigarette out and softening his pink eyes as he looks at you.
"Mm... I've been a little grumpy too." You admit. "My tummy hurts again and I miss 'Mura, but I feel better now I've seen you."
"Ah, tha' ol' chestnut." Giran says, sounding amused. "I remember when my Aiko went through all'a that. It'll pass an' get easier in time. But ya gotta go easy on yer paw though, okay? Even if you're a lil' grumpy, he's doin' his best by ya."
You nod, finishing your ice cream and going to put your bowl in the sink. When you go to pass Giran, he grabs you by the waist and pulls you to him, making you squeal and giggle.
"Aw. You're gettin' so big my lil' Star." He says, a little sadly. "Wantcha to listen to me for a sec, 'kay?"
He tips your chin so you can look up at him and pay full attention to him.
"F' ya ever feelin' grumpy an' fall out with yer paw, or if ya wanna get outta the way of everyone, or even if ya jus' wanna see old man Giran..." He smiles down at you. "You can always come see me here or at my work. Come ta Uncle Giran whenever ya need. 'Kay?"
"Okay." You agree with as much as a nod as you can muster with his finger tilting your chin up.
"You can tell yer Uncle Giran anythin', an' if it's somethin' you don't want yer paw to know about, we can keep it between us." He continues, completely sincerely.
"Me and Dabi don't keep secrets." You tell him. "But I'll tell you things too, grandpaw."
"Good girl. Uncle Giran loves ya, sweetheart." He says with a quick peck on your cheek. "Now, lets go an' teach your new friend howta draw somethin'."
*â¢*
When you get back, Zero carries in your large painting from Giran, immediately going upstairs to put it up for you as you run into Uncle Jin's arms, letting him lift you up and spin you around.
"How is he?" He asks as he places you on the ground.
"He's okay!" You reply. "Is Dabi home yet?"
"Well... about that..." Jin says, looking away. "There's a surprise!"
"Starlight." A voice says from behind you.
You immediately turn around, your eyes wide and mouth agape. Only one person called you that, and he was standing behind you, smirking slightly on the side of his mouth that's scarred. Tomura looks even more muscular now, but that could be because his clothes look really tight compared to how they were before.
"'Mura!" You yell, jolting right for him and slamming your body against his in a hug.
He huffs in amusement, patting your head a couple of times with his previously injured hand. "Hello."
"Are you back for real?" You ask, looking up at him as if you were trying to make sure he himself was real.
"Just for tonight. I heard someone was being a brat about missing me." He replies, his smirk pulling up even more.
"Was not." You huff, pressing your head against his stomach again.
He hums in doubt, continuing to pet your hair as you cling to him like a limpet. Eventually Dabi comes down the stairs with his hands slung in his pockets, a smile tugging at the stapled corners of his mouth.
"Happy?" Dabi asks, pinching your cheek teasingly.
You nod vigorously against Tomura's stomach, still refusing to let him go. Dabi chuckles, stroking the back of Tomura's head once before disappearing off into the kitchen.
"I thought we could have a sleepover, Star. Would you like that?" Tomura asks, looking down at you.
You nod again, just as eagerly as before, squeezing him slightly.
"After you're done at the shrine with Toga we can play shrines on your new Switch." He says, trying to peel you away from him, but you refuse to budge. "Star..."
"Please? I missed you." You reply quietly.
"Five more seconds." He says firmly.
You count to five and let go of him, albeit reluctantly.
"Toga got you a yukata." Tomura says with a faint look of amusement in his crimson eyes. "Go up and change."
"Okay. Love you."
He looks uncomfortable for a brief moment before he takes a deep breath and forces himself to smile. "You too, Star."
You beam at him before darting up the stairs to go and see the yukata Himiko had gotten you. You almost tumble straight into Zero in your enthusiasm, but he stops you with a firm grip to the top of your head.
"Do not run on the stairs, it's dangerous." He warns, although he still has that empty smile on his face. "I have put your painting from Uncle Giran up where you wanted it. Let me know if you want it moved."
"Okay! Can I go now?"
"Slowly." Zero says with a nod, letting you go, and standing in place to watch you walk up the stairs.
The second your foot hits the upper floor you're darting towards Himiko's room again. When you barge in, she's reading a magazine laying on her back on her bed, kicking her feet idly. She peers at you from over her magazine and beams at you with sharp teeth, immediately sitting up and throwing the magazine to the side.
"Star! I got you a special winter yukata!" She exclaims, hopping off of her bed and opening her wardrobe. "You're meant to wear them in summer but that's so boring."
She talks at a mile a minute about it, pulling the item of clothing out and squealing when she sees your eyes widen when you actually like it. It's your favourite colour, and it does look heavy enough to make sure you're warm in the cold evening.
She helps you put it on eagerly, tying it up at the back and making sure you look as good as possible, bouncing on her tiptoes once she's done with you in her excitement.
"You look so cute." She croons, placing her hands either side of your face and squeezing your cheeks affectionately.
She leads you back downstairs with her hand in yours and presents you to the others like you're her finest masterpiece.
Dabi is smiling wide, his staples almost buckling at the corners of his mouth as he takes a photo on his phone of you, Tomura's crimson eyes are a little softer on you and there's a look that could almost pass as a smile on his lips. Zero is smiling as softly as ever as he regards you both, Uncle Jin whistles playfully, Atsuhiro gasps exaggeratedly and Spinner gives you a soft smile and a thumbs up before turning his back to you again.
Even that is enough for your face to heat up slightly.
"So pretty darlin'." Dabi praises.
"Zero, take a picture of Dabi and Star together." Tomura orders, handing the long-haired man Dabi's phone effortlessly.
Dabi looks a little flustered, but Zero's already bowing his head and standing, waiting expectantly for Dabi to stand too.
Awkwardly, Dabi comes up to you, crouching behind you.
"Our first picture together, eh Star?" He asks quietly, wrapping his arms around your torso and leaning his cheek on your shoulder.
You smile at Zero, until Tomura tells him to stop taking photos. Dabi gives your cheek a quick kiss as he stands, taking his phone from Zero again and patting his shoulder as he passes.
Tomura presses a couple of painkillers into your hand and gives you your heatable ducky for the car ride, brushing his knuckles over your cheek softly.
"Zero's gonna drive us!" Himiko says, practically dragging you from the recreational room. "We'll go see your mom real quick like you wanted!"
"But I want Dabi and Tomura to come..." You half-complain.
Himiko doesn't pay it any mind, continuing to drag you along with Zero leading the way, tying his long hair back into a messy bun.
*â¢*
You pick flowers on the way into the graveyard with Zero helping you pick extra pretty ones, Himiko was prancing around in a random teenage girls image, handing you random flowers she picks off other people's graves in an attempt to be helpful too, ignoring Zero whenever he tells her that it's 'bad etiquette' to do that.
She probably didn't know what that meant either.
You end up happy with the makeshift bouquet for your mom anyway, holding them tight even though the thorns on some of them hurt your hand.
"Toga, you can't lean on the graves like that." Zero begins to warn as she leans on the grave next to your moms whose flowers are slowly dying and teddies are getting wet. "It's bad etiquette."
"They wouldn't mind!" She reassures him. "Be quiet, Star wants to talk to her mom."
"I'm sorry." Zero replies, falling quiet and watching as you settle down on the ground in front of your moms grave.
You sit cross legged, looking at your moms gravestone quietly for a moment. Suddenly you're angry again, and you don't understand why. You wanted to go and see your mom, but now you were here, you were a little grouchy again.
You feel a hand squeeze your shoulder, and when you look over your shoulder, Zero is settling down behind you, giving you a gentle smile.
He must be able to tell you're getting upset again.
You lean your back against his shoulder, not wanting him to hug you just yet but wanting the comfort of somebody's presence all the same.
"Hi mom. It's me." You say, feeling a little embarrassed doing it in front of Zero for the first time. "I brought you flowers again. Himiko and Zero helped me pick them."
Himiko giggles and waves at the gravestone, and Zero does the same. This makes you feel a little more at ease, and you release the tension you didn't realise you were holding in your body, slumping a little more comfortably against Zero, who remains stable behind you, not making any attempt to touch you.
"Zero is new. He's nice." You tell your mom, wishing that you could tell her he was a little weird. "He has really really long hair, pretty like Rapunzel."
"He let me French braid it last night!" Himiko exclaims.
"I did." He agrees. "You did space buns the night before, too."
"And I had a really really nice Christmas, mama." You say quietly while Himiko giggles and tells Zero about how she wants to curl his hair tonight. "Santa came!"
"He got me lots of presents, because he accidentally forgot about me for a few years. I got lots of art stuff, and a Nintendo Switch from everyone else!" You end up talking a little louder the more excited you get from the memory of Christmas. "Atsuhiro made a really yummy dinner with the food Santa brought us. Oh, and Rudolph ate my carrot!"
You toy with one of the strands on your yukata awkwardly. "Himiko got me this yukata, it's specially for winter, do you think it's pretty?"
"Everyone agrees you look very pretty." Zero informs you. "Even Shigaraki commented on it."
A little bit of pride lifts your heart, and you tilt your head back to look up at Zero's sewn up face. He looks down at you with a soft smile, his silver hair falling forward and almost acting as a curtain and blocking your sight of Himiko.
"Really?" You ask.
"Really." He replies, nodding, his smile widening and flexing the threads on his face.
You beam at him and move your head to face the gravestone again. "'Mura's back for the night, mom. Especially for me, 'cause I've been sad that he's gone."
"We're gonna have a sleepover and play shrines... so I can't be too long." You say.
You feel a little guilty about it, but you really wanted to spend as much time with Tomura as possible.
"We can see the fireworks from the CRC building!" Himiko exclaims. "You gotta stay up 'till midnight though."
"I can do it!" You reply. "Can you come and watch the fireworks with us all, mom? Even if I can't see you?"
You pause for a moment before continuing. "We never got to watch the fireworks together before..."
Zero tentatively drops his chin to the top of your head, probably sensing your distress once again.
"She'll be there, probably. In the sky! With the fireworks!" Himiko says.
"Oh! Maybe!" You agree. "I hope they're really pretty tonight, then."
"They will be!" Himiko assures.
You smile softly for a moment before taking a deep breath and deciding to bid goodnight to your mom.
"Night night, mom. Happy new year." You say, and Zero immediately removes his chin from your head so you can stand up and brush your yukata off. "I love you, but I wanna see my dads now, so..."
You pause, and then quickly kiss the grave marker before making off quickly in embarrassment at the show of affection for your mom that you'd never done before, Himiko running behind you while Zero tries to catch up while brushing himself off, calling out about not running in the graveyard.