You grumble as you sit in one of the building's boardrooms with Dabi, carrying your warm ducky and pressing it against your stomach firmly.
"Four." Dabi warns as you flop onto a chair with a scowl.
"My tummy hurts." You complain.
"I know, doll, but you gotta stay here a little longer. Spinner'll take you back in a bit." Dabi sighs, sitting next to you.
"'Mura could have looked after me." You huff.
Tensions were still a little high between Tomura and Dabi. They weren't arguing anymore, but there was still a bluntness between them both that you couldn't ignore. At least they didn't argue like mom and her boyfriends used to, their voices never raising beyond their usual pitches, they would just be a little grouchy afterwards.
You'd noticed that they stopped trying to kiss each other without you noticing too, recently.
"He has work to do, too, squirt." Dabi replies, flicking your nose playfully. "Math work. Important work."
"Math is gross." You huff with a frown.
"You think everythin's gross." He replies with a roll of his eyes.
You slump into your seat as he begins to pet your hair gently and lovingly.
"I wanna see the ducks." You murmur wistfully.
You missed having time with just him doing things like seeing the ducks. Now he had been promoted he had to work all the time, and was tired whenever he wasn't working.
"Soon." He promises. "Things are busy right now."
He presses a kiss to your head just before Hawks walks in.
You perk up in your seat when you see Hakuchō walking in behind him, although Dabi doesn't seem as pleased as you to see her.
"What did I tell you about the kid?" He growls as Hawks takes a seat opposite.
"Aw, c'mon, better we break the ice sooner rather than later, right?" Hawks shrugs slightly with a grin. "Plus, you brought yours along."
"Hello." You say quietly to Hakuchō.
She waves back with a small smile, her eyes dropping to your duck plushie and then moving quickly to assess Dabi too before sitting down.
"S' a non-talking day today, kid. She's still pretty expressive though anyway if you ask me." Hawks says, giving you a friendly smile that you shy away from.
"Non-talking?" You ask, a little confused. Hakuchō had spoken to you just fine before.
"She don't talk sometimes, kid." Dabi explains, ruffling your hair. "It's called bein' non-verbal."
"No talking at all?" You query.
"Yeah." Hawks nods patiently.
"Why?" Is your immediate follow up.
Hakuchō looks uncomfortable, Hawks begins to stutter, and although Dabi looks like he wants to relish in how uncomfortable they both are, he rubs your back gently, dipping his head down to speak to you in a hushed voice.
"Little ears." He says simply.
You huff for the thousandth time today, flopping back in your seat.
"When I have big ears, will you tell me?" You ask Hakuchō.
"Bold of ya to assume she'll still know you when you got bigger ears." Dabi mutters.
Hakuchō looks a little confused but nods when Hawks stretches out one of his wings behind her, fluffing the feathers with a yawn.
She reaches down her side and pulls an iPad looking object out of her bag. You crane your neck slightly to see what it is and she smiles softly back at you, patting the seat beside her.
You peer at Dabi for permission, and although he doesn't look pleased about it, he sighs and nods, ruffling your hair before you slide out of your current seat.
You carry your ducky over to Hakuchō too, sitting beside her shyly as she jots something down on the iPad thing, leaning a little closer to her when she spins it around to face you.
'What's with the teddy? Are you scared of being here?'
She passes you the pen when you look back up at her, and you gently begin writing your answer on the screen, sticking your tongue out slightly as you try to be as careful as possible with her toy, kind of knowing how expensive they were from adverts you'd seen on TV.
'My tummy hurts because I'm having a period, Dabi got me this ducky when I had my first one.' You write back.
She looks a little surprised when she reads your response, her wings fluffing slightly behind her, which distracts Hawks from his conversation with Dabi momentarily, his golden eyes moving to check you both over quickly.
They were talking about the news or something boring, in all honesty you tended to ignore Dabi and his work friends when you were here.
'Did you learn any new games?' She writes, leaning her face on her other hand while watching you write your answer.
'Himiko and Uncle Jin taught me charades.' You reply.
She smiles softly and then mimes 'movie' at you, and you beam and nod in response to show you understand. Her grin widens slightly before she begins writing again.
'Maybe next time we can play that. Do you know tic tac toe?'
You shake your head,and she nods understandingly, beginning to draw out a diagram on the screen and drawing an 'x' and 'o' on the side, with a star doodled next to the 'x'.
She writes a brief explanation on how to play before handing you the pen and gesturing for you to make the first move.
You draw an 'x' on one of the far corners, looking at her to make sure that you did the right thing. She gives you a patient nod and marks an 'o' next to your 'x'.
You end up taking a long time between each move to think things through properly, but it works because you win two times before Hakuchō finally wins.
She shakes her head in amusement, about to erase the marks again when Spinner pokes his head around the door.
"I'm free to take Star back now." He says. "Oh, hey Hawks."
Hawks greets him back cheerfully, fully leaning back in his seat now as though he'ss the most relaxed you could possibly be while sitting opposite Dabi, who didn't seem to like him very much.
You make a facial expression of annoyance. You wanted to carry on playing with Hakuchō, you were winning as well as having fun.
In a desperate attempt to at least get one more game out of Hakuchō, you slide your duck to Dabi on the table.
"Can you warm it up again before I go?" You ask sweetly.
"Not your personal heater, kid." Dabi replies, but presses the teddy to his own stomach as Spinner wanders over, crouching and leaning on the table between Dabi and Hawks.
Hakuchō holds up a finger, motioning that there's only going to be one more game and you nod. Before she starts the next game she looks over at Spinner and begins writing on the screen again.
'Are you happy leaving with him?' She asks.
You nod, feeling your cheeks heat and your throat struggle to swallow as you assume she's referring to what she had spoken about last time you'd seen her.
Remembering that she asked you if you'd kissed him makes you feel humiliated all over again.
You motion for her to give you the pen, which she does without question.
'We sing songs in the car.' You write simply.
She gives a sad smile when she reads the answer for some reason, taking the pen from you gently and beginning the final game.
You feel like she deliberately loses this game as you make a mistake and accidentally give her the chance to put three of her circles in a row, but she doesn't take it.
The second you win and give a gleeful grin, Dabi slides your duck back to you.
"Be good." He says simply. "I'll see you later."
"See you later pawpaw." You kiss his scarred and stapled cheek softly, which seems to make Hawks stir in his seat slightly. "Bye-bye Hakuchō! Thank you for playing with me!"
She waves at you and gives a small smile, although it doesn't reach her eyes.
Spinner stands up again, smiling in his usual friendly way at you.
"Ready to go, little Star?" He asks, tying up his lilac hair.
You nod as you approach him. "Can we do car karaoke?"
"Always." Spinner agrees, ruffling your hair gently with a taloned hand.
You feel yourself get all flushed again, and dart off without saying goodbye to Hawks so you can hide how embarrassed you are about a simple hair ruffle.
When you get into the van, Spinner passes you the phone to pick what you want to sing to, which is better than being in the car with Dabi because he always gets a little sassy with you whenever you don't want to listen to angry music.
"So, that was Hawks' kid, right?" Spinner asks as you continue to try and pick some music.
"Mhm." You reply absentmindedly.
"The one you made sick, huh? Seems like you were getting on well today. That's good." He says with a small smile.
"We got on anyway." You reply quietly. "Making her sick was a mistake."
"I know, Star. Didn't mean to make you feel bad." Spinner says apologetically. "Y'know, when I was younger and I couldn't control my quirk I used to stick to my mom all the time."
"You did?" You ask, suddenly interested in what he has to say. "I made my mom sick too by accident once. She got mad at me..."
"I'm sorry Star." Spinner says with a small, sad smile. "She shouldn't have."
"It's okay, I would have gotten mad too!" You reply quickly. "How did you stick to your mom? Was it when you were a baby?"
"Uh... sometimes when I'd hug her I'd stick on. That's all." Spinner says sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
You finally settle on a musician listed on his phone and seeming eager to change the subject, Spinner then immediately chases his last sentence up with: "Good choice!"
You knew it was one of his favourites to sing along to, so you cheated a little bit but it made you happy to be praised anyway.
You beam at him and bob your head along to the music, singing along happily with Spinner and holding your ducky to your stomach.
*•*
"Try again."
"My tummy hurts." You complain. "And this is confusing."
"One last time, and then we can play a game." Tomura tries to encourage, tapping the workbook on the bar.
"But I don't understand! Why are there letters?!" You ask, exasperated.
"Read it again if you need to." Tomura replies, not rising to your frustration.
You groan, leaning your face into your hand dramatically and clutching the hot water bottle closer to your stomach. Your eyes scan the page again, but the explanation in the workbook doesn't make any more sense than it did the first time, and Tomura has exhausted all other variations of trying to explain it to you.
"Don't torture her, Shigaraki." Atsuhiro chides softly, his hand placing itself on your head.
"Algebra is a little tough for someone her age..." Spinner agrees carefully.
"She's smart. She'll get it." Tomura says simply.
The confidence he has in you makes you feel like you should get it, but you don't. Even when you read how to work the equation out for the third time.
The sound of heels on wood draws everyone's attention, and you're relieved to see that Himiko and Dabi are back.
"Hi!" Himiko calls happily, continuing to skip right on up to you and hand you a bar of chocolate, kissing your cheek.
You thank her and kiss her cheek back shyly. You were trying to get better at showing affection to the others outside of Dabi, Tomura and Uncle Jin, too.
You couldn't really bring yourself to do it with Spinner still though, but you did try to talk to him a little more like you did earlier in the car, even though it made your face burn every time.
"Thanks." Tomura says, subtly sliding his hand up the back of Dabi's shirt for a second as he places shopping bags on the side. You make a silent 'bleh' sound and look away. "You got everything?"
"Mostly. Crazy here got caught pickpocketing." Dabi huffs, his eyes widening immediately after, as though he wasn't meant to say that.
You gasp. "Himiko! That's bad!"
"He had shinies!" Himiko defends. "I wanted them."
"Get your own!" You frown. "Maybe Santa will get you some if you stop being bad."
"Santa ain't real." Dabi scoffs, and then slams his hands over his mouth, looking panickedly at you.
Tomura shoots him a look, and Jin's hands fly to his head in shock and disappointment.
"What?" You ask, your shoulders sinking.
"He's lying! Santa's real." Himiko reassures you. "He just never got any presents 'cause he's bad."
"I saw him when I was a kid." Uncle Jin chimes in. "Jus' some fat drunk guy in a suit!"
"You should go." Tomura says to Dabi.
Dabi nods, backing out of the room immediately after.
You turn to look at Himiko, who's trying to encourage you to eat your chocolate.
"Santa's real?" You double check.
"Santa's real!" Himiko nods. "I think earlier Dabi got hit with a lying quirk. That was my bad for getting caught earlier. Oopsie!"
She throws a quick look at Tomura, who nods slightly in return.
"He'll be fine." Tomura agrees, closing your workbook. "Let's play for a bit before you need to go to sleep."
You agree, just grateful for the math lesson to be over with. When Tomura asks you what you want to play, Himiko demands to be involved, which then ends up with everyone else wanting to play too.
You end up playing a game called Duck Duck Goose, but Tomura has to sit out because his leg is still healing.
On the final round, you tap Uncle Jin's head, calling 'goose' and immediately run off giggling while everyone cheers you on.
Before you can sit back down Jin grabs you and hauls you into the air, making you squeal as he holds you against his chest.
"Bedtime, goosey!" He says playfully, refusing to let you down. "Honk! Honk!"
"Wait! I want my hot water bottle!" You cry out as he begins walking away with you in his arms.
You hear Tomuras crutches tapping the floor as he retrieves it for you and brings it over to you while Jin continues to hold you in the air easily.
You take it from him carefully and thank him, thankful that it's still warm, and hold it to your belly.
"Sleep tight Starlight." Tomura says, crimson eyes searching your face. "Try to stay in your own bed tonight."
"Okay." You agree.
"Good." He says, brushing the back of his hand over your cheek softly.
You call out a goodnight to Spinner and Atsuhiro, and kick at Himiko when she tries to tickle your feet while Jin carries you to bed.
Jin tucks you into your bed tightly, calling you a snug bug and kisses your forehead, petting your hair a couple times as he crouches by your bed.
He calls a soft goodnight before leaving your door ajar so that there's a little light in your room. You were scared of the complete darkness ever since you were taken by those men, so now everyone left your door a little bit open so that you wouldn't be really really scared when you had a nightmare.
You close your eyes and turn over, holding your teddy and hot water bottle tight to your chest and stomach.
You only manage to sleep for a little while before being woken up by more light invading your room.
You sit up to face the door, rubbing your eyes sleepily. Dabi stands in the doorway, looking a little sheepish.
"Pawpaw?" You ask, confused and sleepy.
"Hey Starshine." He whispers. "Are ya mad at me?"
You shake your head.
"Cuddle?" He asks quietly.
"Okay." You agree, pressing yourself up against the wall so that there's enough room for Dabi to get on the bed as well.
He closes the door so it's ajar again before coming to join you on top of your sheets. Your new bed is smaller than the one you shared before so it was always a little cosy when he decided to give you a cuddle.
You yawn and lay your head on his shoulder, allowing him to wrap an arm around you, his hand rubbing your side affectionately.
"Sorry I didn't get to see you tonight, doll." He apologises. "Your tummy okay?"
"'Mura gave me some tablets before bed." You mumble.
"Okay. Good." He replies, leaning his cheek on yours so you can feel the staples pressed against your skull.
"Do you feel better?" You ask in return.
"I think? I'm not sure." Dabi sighs deeply.
"Is Santa real?" You ask to test whether he's still lying, lifting your head to look at him.
He snorts at you. "Naw."
"You're still lying." You say simply, patting his fluffy hair sympathetically.
"I ain't lying." He says grumpily.
"Himiko says you got hurt by a lying quirk." You argue. "She and everyone else says Santa's real."
"She's lyin' about me lyin'." He insists.
"Okay, then tell me why you had to learn sign language." You say.
"Star." He warns. "I told you why already."
"But you didn't tell me why you couldn't speak." You point out.
"'Cause this jaw ain't mine. Had to have months of physio ta learn how to talk again." He says instantly and then makes a slight choking sound after.
"That's a lie. You can't have a jaw that isn't yours." You giggle. "What a silly quirk."
"Go to sleep, Star." He says firmly. "No more talkin' otherwise I'll leave."
You suspect that's a lie too, but rather than risking it, you close your eyes, still smiling at the fact he can't stop himself from lying, and lay there basking in his warmth.