Burnt Ties

Hi, hi, hii! Mimmy here with Day 10 of the Hallowtober event! I bet you can't guess who it's about- I had this idea for another story and will probably do it at some other point, but it just bled into this one at well, so there you have it.

I will be posting The Flame's Shadow later as well, by the way!

#LeaderReview

Word count

1150

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Things weren't supposed to go half as badly as they were going now. After much pleading, Fuyumi had somehow managed to convince Dabi to show up for Natsuo's birthday party. Of course, no one else in the family was aware of that arrangement as it was meant to be a surprise for only Natsuo, the plan was to have the two brothers meet, hang out to the best of their ability, and, then, Dabi would leave without being noticed by their father or Shoto. It was supposed to be perfect.

The celebration hadn't even started when Fuyumi came up with a twitch to the plan, something that would hopefully bridge the shattered family they were becoming again. After Dabi revealed who he was for everyone to see, the tension in the house had grown unbearably. Natsuo resented Endeavor even more than he'd ever had. Somehow, the idea that Touya had died in that fire was far easier for him to accept than the fact that their own father had pushed him to become that monster. Instead of blaming Dabi for it all, he blamed Endeavor.

Shoto was trying to pretend for Fuyumi's sake, but it was hard when he barely ed who his brother was before becoming Dabi. He had never gotten to meet him. He was quieter than he'd been lately, and it was killing Fuyumi. She had to come up with a plan fast before they fell apart completely beyond repair. She had even planned for Rei to spend the day with them to celebrate.

“You want me to what?” A mix of disbelief, contempt, and shock filled Dabi's voice as he tried to process Fuyumi's request. She didn't respond, only making those feelings grow. “Absolutely not. I won't be some... puppet for your happy family roleplay. That wasn't the deal.”

Fuyumi sighed. “Fine,” she said, “but, please, let us have a nice day.”

Fury flashed in his eyes for a moment. “I'm sorry? I'm the problem here?” He scoffed and shoved his hands in his pockets, turning to walk away. “I'm out.”

“No, wait-!” Fuyumi called.

“Dabi?” Dabi stopped, processing the name before the voice. That wasn't Natsuo, even after everything, he wouldn't call him 'Dabi'. “What are you doing here?”

Dabi stopped and smirked a bit, hearing the gentle and familiar crackle of flames behind him. “Just in the neighborhood,” he said nonchantly, turning. “But, I wonder, what perfection personified could win from talking to me,” he said, meeting Shoto's glare with a cold, taunting look.

“Don't start with that.” Fuyumi looked between the two, the threatening stance from Shoto seemed to pale in comparison to how calm and even amused Dabi looked. “Get over it, we all did. You're the only one clinging to the past so desperately.”

Dabi just smiled, not moving for a few moments, his cold gaze turning one full of ice. “Get over it? Oh, right! You all got over it so quickly, didn't you?”

Fuyumi hesitated. She knew she wouldn't stand a chance if Shoto and Dabi decided to just have a battle to the death in their backyard. She knew that, for safety matters, she should get Endeavor, but she also knew it would probably only make the situation far worse. So she just took a step back, her frost crawling up her arm as she prepared for the worst. But... Dabi wasn't activating his quirk and, for some reason, that was far more unsettling.

“You think it was easy?” Shoto snapped, and Fuyumi physically flinched. “You think it was easy to get over what he did to any of us? You're not the only one he messed up, we just decided not to run away!”

Dabi tilted his head, cracking a grin. “Poor little Shoto,” he said. “It must've been so hard to be the one he actually expects something from.” Slowly, his expression changed, the cold, calculated façade melted into a dark one of raw hatred. It looked like his flames were struggling to flicker to life.

“You have no idea. You don't know what he was like. You left! You never came back! So I had to be perf-”

“Oh, don't you dare,” Dabi suddenly growled, his voice full of venom as the flames still sparked but refused to start. “Go cry to someone who cares, Shoto. I had that! I was the one Dad cared about! And then you had to show up with your perfect quirk combination. You think it's not you fault?” He stepped closer to Shoto. “You ruined my life! You and Dad and your pathetic displays of power and teamwork. You forgave him, good for you... all of you, but I won't forgive either of you for what happened to me. So, don't you dare come crying to me like you burnt for being his greatest failure.”

Fuyumi glanced between the two and noticed Natsuo stepping outside. “Natsu-”

“Touya?”

Dabi froze for a second before his flames finally flickered to life, a bittersweet atmosphere forming in the backyard, where the four siblings stood.

Dabi glanced at Fuyumi and back at Shoto, his anger still simmering beneath the surface, but he could see Endeavor's silhouette approaching the exit and he knew he couldn't be there when he stepped outside.

He shot a flare, not really aiming to harm anyone, and watched as his three siblings created an ice wall to block it. That was his escape route. His siblings were his escape route,

The ice wall shattered against the heat of Dabi's flames, the sound echoing louder than the explosion itself. For a moment, silence filled the backyard. Fuyumi flinched, Shoto’s fists tightened, and Natsuo’s expression fell, watching Dabi with a mixture of disbelief and sorrow.

But Dabi? He stood at the edge of the yard, silhouetted by his flames, like a ghost that didn’t belong to their world anymore.

“Running again?” Natsuo’s voice was cutting. It wasn’t a challenge, but a plea hidden behind the taunt. “Touya, stop.”

Natsuo's voice hit something deep in Dabi, but he buried it under a grin as he turned to look at him. “I’ve always been good at running, haven’t I?” he said, but his voice lacked its usual sharpness. His gaze softened, just for a second, as he looked at Natsuo.

Shoto stepped closer, his anger from earlier slowly cooling. “Touya…” he said quietly, unsure of how to continue, but the word held weight. Maybe it was Shoto's way of saying he wasn’t giving up on him.

Dabi glanced over at Shoto. The bitterness and hatred from before still lingered, but something about the way his little brother stood there, not challenging, not accusing—just waiting—made Dabi hesitate for a moment. He took a brief glance at Fuyumi and spotted their father's silhouette coming closer to the backyard. Without another word, he turned again and walked away.