Flickering neon lights from the rundown motel sign outside seep through the threadbare curtains, casting an eerie glow that stretches across the stained, peeling wallpaper. The bed creaks under the weight of your combined discontent of the previous events that had taken place.

Dabi sits at the edge of the sagging mattress, his eyes avoiding yours. He runs a hand through his disheveled black hair. There's so much he wants to say, things that he had buried deep in meaningless meet ups like this, and text messages he chose to leave unread. Commitment like this wasn't something Dabi ever wanted to dabble in— a serious relationship, nonetheless. He would rather keep pretending there's nothing serious about this situation.

You hate to admit it, but you could feel the weight of his turmoil, the way he teetered on the edge of a precipice, always one step away from falling. His foot taps quietly, slowly, against the vinyl flooring.

"We should probably… stop this." he finally muttered, his voice a rough whisper that barely rose above the hum of the broken air conditioner you had turned on in an attempt to drown each other out. His gaze finally meets yours, and the raw vulnerability in his blue eyes was almost unbearable. "S’ not really… fair. for you.” He whispers awkwardly. It's unlike him to really show he cares so much about somebody— let alone throw himself under the bus just to keep somebody else safe. He likes being around you, truly.

The silence that followed was oppressive, a reminder of the chasm that lay between you. In this dingy room, laying in the itchy sheets and hard mattress — you realized that love alone wasn't enough to bridge the gap between the two of you.