An Empty Vessel pt.3 (Dabi x Fem!Reader Dark Angst)
A/N: As promised, I have come with Part 3. I can’t lie, I did not expect to have so many parts to this series (me personally, I thought it would be a oneshot), but guys, seeing all the love y’alls are giving to this series is just AHHH. It fills my heart with joy <3. I urge you all to read the TWs and CWs because this series as a whole is just dark. As always, my Ask Box is open for any requests or just a conversation. Please remember to take care of yourselves, and enjoy. As always, I would love to see your thoughts in the comments :).
TW: Substance abuse (alcohol, smoking), small mention of mass murder and a reunion with abusive lover.
CW: swearing.
Taglist: @marlenemckinnonsleftfoot @sukunasleftkneecap @istoleyourmanho3 @witherfag @porusuniverse @iluvoaldmen @genshinsimpforlif @shadowmoonlight0604 @simpsimpson2023 @crybab7 @kaeyastittysucker @jennieyeager @an-ever-angry-bi @gyarukitti
Masterlist
Word Count: 2207.
Summary: Saira Uchiyama. His past had caught up to him in the form of a family– Touya Todoroki had no family but Dabi could not deny the existence of his. The existence of a family that had driven him to search for a name he had never even heard of. Dabi's fragile world unravelled; every single thread forced him to confront the consequences of his actions. Was it even her? The one he had beat and shut out of his life? Dabi’s mind hurt, because it finally intertwined with the realisation of the irreparable damage he had caused.
——————————————————————————————————
Dabi has had his overcoat for a long time.
It was the first thing that was ever made for him, and only him.
He never had to share it.
The material was light; he could move quickly without the weight dragging him down.
The material was heat-resistant, so he didn’t have to worry about incinerating his clothes during a fight.
His clothes allowed him to let go. Dabi could explore the forbidden fruits of his full potential because the material allowed heat to escape– because of the fabric’s ‘enhanced breathability’ or something. He never paid attention. But it worked, so he always had it on.
Dabi made his way up to the roof, ignoring the small cries of his name from the distance. It wasn’t on purpose though– he couldn’t concentrate on anything else. His mind had to work hard to think about nothing. Because if his conscience took over, his chest would collapse.
There wasn’t anything left inside of him anymore. That’s what he had recited every waking day of his life as Dabi. But God, he needed a cigarette– to fill that hollow feeling inside of him.
A few long puffs always did the trick. Although it felt best when he was on the roof, legs hanging off the ledge.
One of his favourite hobbies was to look at the city under the glistering stars.
Yokohama never slept. The little toy cars had small people that were always going somewhere. Their blinking red lights mirrored the sea of stars on the bumpy road. At such a distance, where cars disappeared from one end to the other, that journey seemed so mindless. Yet still, everything felt like… like it was still in place. As if everything about this world was truly intentional.
Dabi dragged a longer puff, throwing his head back, succumbing to the gentle breeze and his thoughts.
But in the end, you couldn’t make out any face, let alone their identity. Everything became insignificant. All that mattered was the action.
Dabi could distinguish between a walking figure and a jogging figure. Whether they were alone or with others.
But in the end, everything else was insignificant when he was above them all.
So far up, that if he fell– right now– he wouldn’t come back.
Anyone could push him off.
“There you are!”
Dabi grimaced. His soothing bubble had been forcefully broken, and he was dragged back to reality. He had his suspicions on who it was.
“I thought we could use a drink or two.”
His eyes glowered at the approaching figure. He could never be left alone. But when the bottle of scotch was handed to him, the interruption wasn’t too bad after all. Dabi jerked his head towards the empty space beside him.
He could hear careful steps approaching, then cautious shuffling beside him.
Had he stolen a glance in his peripheral vision, he could watch the gentle breeze tease her hair, sweeping it left and right.
He felt a chaste glance on his face.
There was a thin, yet strong wall between them. It was thin enough to talk through– although it left no room for subtlety. It was thin enough for them to warm each other. But if they tried to cross it, they’d have to break it down, and crush the other under the weight of the wall.
There was a lingering sense of emptiness that filled the night sky.
Empty smiles, empty vessels.
She drew in a breath, but no words followed, as though she had forgotten how to speak.
“Today was…” she started, only to falter off into silence, her hands rubbing at her arms.
Dabi had his overcoat for a very long time.
It was the first thing that was ever made for him. And only him.
He never had to share it.
But it felt way too heavy today. And despite the gale tightening its frosty clutch, Dabi could feel his body heating up.
“The plan was successful”, Dabi replied flatly, “that’s all we need to care about”.
He pushed his discarded jacket towards her. She slipped it around her shoulders.
The League’s attack on downtown Esuha was broadcasted globally, and they had finally reached the headlines of every news article.
‘Bloodshed Strikes Downtown Esuha as Villains Unleashed Devastating Attacks’
After years of failed plans, the League of Villains had finally succeeded.
No man, no woman, no child was left. But it was all worth it.
Wasn’t it?
Their plan was the highlight of every media discussion.
Dabi took a larger sip of his drink, bathing under the serene wave which washed over his inhibitions.
And the wall between them felt thinner and weaker.
“D’ya think your mom would ever sacrifice herself for you?”
The vivid images of fresh blood and visceral screams haunted their mind.
“What did that woman say again?” Dabi asked, his voice cracking, “‘take me, but please, leave my baby alone’... That’s what she said right?”
Both of their eyes lowered. The alcohol and the little food he had consumed was kicking against his stomach lining, irritating his abdominal grafts.
“‘She has a long life ahead of her. Please, please, don’t kill her please’”, Dabi heard a sniffle. “That’s what she said before we…”
He felt sick.
“That’s what we do, doll.”
He met the pain in her eyes. They were a mirror.
Dabi clenched his jaw before looking away.
She did too.
Dabi began biting his fingernails, and her hands fidgeted with the glass.
And then they looked at each other again, somehow closer than they were in the beginning.
“I don’t know if my mom would ever do that for me… But, I-hm…”
A dry chuckle followed in a feeble attempt to humour the situation.
But Dabi finished her unspoken sentence.
“But you would, right? For your child,” he asked, furrowing his eyebrows and squinted, trying to make out some of the writing on the tall buildings afar.
“Any mom would do that for her child.”
“Didn’t you just say th-”
“Any good mom would”.
No one spoke. But they shared a knowing look, before averting them back to the vastness of Yokohama.
“But to be honest…” She took another sip of her drink. “If I had a baby, I’d never live in Musutafu.”
Dabi let out a snort, thus earning a playful shove in return.
“Oh yeah? Then where would you live, fucking Minato City?”
It was her turn to snort.
“You think I’d live in a rich neighbourhood to avoid being a target of criminals and villains?” She scoffed, slurring out her words. “I know I’m the newbie but you have to give me some credit, Dabi.”
He rolled his eyes, yet they still urged her to continue.
She thought for a moment, her gaze wandering off into the distance, before she continued again.
“There’s this place, just outside of here. It’s called Yosai. It’s this remote residential area. And, um. It takes around 30 minutes minimum, to find any markets, or- or any offices or clubs, and you know, all that stuff. I think, for most people, it’s like- really boring. And that’s why it’s so isolated. No one even thinks of going there because there’s literally nothing. There’s a park, and a local school– I think, but there’s no one. Nothing. There’s these houses- a lot of them! A bunch of houses with no one to live in them”.
It was weird, to be talking, uninterrupted, for this long.
“I guess”, she shrugged a bit, blinking a few times. “Recently, people have started building roads and stuff for cars now. So they can actually do something. But yeah. Zero reported crimes and it’s been there for a few decades. So yeah, if I had a family, I’d go there”.
She looked intently at Dabi, who didn’t say anything.
But he moved closer, leaning forward, sitting upright. He scanned her jittering hands before searching in his pant pocket. He raised his eyebrows at the cigarette in his hands. She nodded. So he lit it, pressed the ends to his lips and inhaled before giving it to her.
He watched her lips touch the cigarette. Where his lips were.
“There’s actually this property under her maiden name- my mom’s. There’s still some legal stuff I need to sort out before it actually becomes mine. It’s like this, it’s so stupid, because it’s like obviously none of us use that maiden name anymore. But because of that they can’t give it to us. I don’t even know… But I guess it’s nothing too difficult”.
“Ah”. That was all he could say. But when he peered into her expectant eyes, there was a sudden need to elaborate. Anything better than ‘ah’ at least.
Dabi felt dizzy.
“Umm… What's your mom’s maiden name?”
When his delayed voice finally caught up to him, Dabi winced.
“Fuck”, he muttered. It was a stupid question, but he wanted to make sure that she knew he was listening.
“It’s Uchiyama.”
They were closer, breaths intertwining with each other under the watchful eye of the moon.
-
There weren’t any buses that travelled from Musutafu to Yosai. Dabi made his journey by foot.
Thus, during this four day journey, Dabi became well acquainted with people.
And he noticed that a lot of people in Japan had blue eyes. After the emergence of quirks, blue became a common colour for many. The truly rare ones were pink, or purple now.
But Dabi’s eyes… they were different.
His eyes.
They were handpicked from the colours in the cerulean depths of the stormy sea. Whispers of secrets remained untold– that’s why no one could have the eyes that he had.
Never.
They were gleaming– echoing the beauty of the lights in the North. Depending on how you looked at them, they were teal, or sapphire. One thing was indisputable– the arctic chill they’d give when he’d pierce into your soul was breathtaking.
His eyes.
They were simply breath-taking.
So when he towered over a small frame, gaze lowered, he could not explain the way his heart forgot to beat when he stared into a perfect replica of his eyes.
With each beat, lost time unfolded in front of him.
And he noticed the slight difference in the silent expanse that he had gazed into.
There was an innocent reflection of the North Star twinkling in their genuine, rolling waves. Dabi’s eyes were an abandoned lighthouse.
But, what alarmed him the most, was when those flawless replications turned frozen. Dark.
Petrified.
Dabi's heart ached as those eyes formed fog and mist, obstructing him from reaching the truth that was hidden beyond the plane of sight.
His knees surrendered under the accumulating guilt of his past. And so his tears fell, trying to escape the grief and strain his weak body had repressed for so long.
“Honey, are you okay? Who’s at the door?”
Icy tendrils spiked through him, and his breath was captured without a fight. In the wake of realisation, his body signalled all the alarms they could, telling him– no, begging him to run, but, his blood had turned to ice, and he succumbed in the paralysing grip of his inevitable fate.
“Sana, are you okay…”
He heard the voice taper away, followed by a sharp clink of a metal spoon. His laden head fixed itself downwards in shame, guilt, fear…
“Dabi…?” Those words drifted out in a hushed tone. As if they were trying to protect the young girl, who now hid behind her mother.
He braced himself for the hardest task he would ever have to face.
And in that split second, his breath had returned, and he let out a short exhale when he finally saw that face materialise from his past.
Y/N.
It was you. Saira Uchiyama.
After 6 years, 8 months, and 19 days of navigating through the circular journey of denial, anger, bargaining, and depression, Dabi finally had the chance to reach the beacon of acceptance.
His shoulders slumped, as short breaths hiccuped through the dark caverns of his chest.
He had finally found you.
And he had finally found the end to his coveted quench, which yearned for a solace, only to be found in your longing embrace.
Softly, a bewildered whisper escaped his lips, barely denting the silence around them.
“Doll…?”
Dabi watched as the maturer skin scrunched together, deep lines frowned at him. As the tenderness in your heart had to be locked away inside an untouchable crevice in your body.
You pushed your daughter behind you, blocking Dabi’s protesting hands before they touched her.
“Sweetie, I need you to go upstairs okay”, you ordered sternly.
“Mommy, he’s scaring m-”
“Sana. You need to go upstairs. Lock the door and close your windows.”
Sana.
Her name was a painful reminder of the blank pages he had failed to fill as her father. How could he have written anything?
He didn’t even know what the title was.
“Never fucking come near my family again”.
Those blank pages began to rip.
“You disgusting freak”.
The blank pages had burned to ashes, and Dabi was left outside on the suburban patio of a perfect neighbourhood.
Maybe, if he found a place to wash his face, he could blend in with the garbage.
28 notes
·
View notes