#redefined

Jolting out of your sleep, your heart feels like it is bursting from your chest, images of the nightmare you just encountered flashing at the forefront of your mind. Your breath comes in quick rapid succession as you try to get yourself to calm down. A thin layer of sweat covers your palms. The thump of your heartbeat feels like it can be heard in your ears. I can't calm down is the only thought that flashes through your head before you find yourself reaching out to grab your boyfriend's warm hand.

Interlacing your fingers with his, you squeeze his hand tightly, feeling the mismatched textures of his palm along with the cool metal of his staples. It's one thing that seems to ground you the most when your past arrives to haunt your dreams. The softness of the unburned part of his hands, patches of skin burnt so profoundly over the years, and the firm but delicate staples that hold him together. Every aspect of him helps you settle back into this moment. Dabi would never know how much he does for you, even if it's just his presence near you.

Finally, Dabi begins to stir as your fingers grip him even tighter. You're sure your fingerprints are leaving marks behind from how hard you cling to him. Dabi sits up quickly, jerking himself from a deep slumber. The worn black comforter falls from his torso as he moves into an upright position. It takes him a moment to realize what's happening in his sleepy state. But as soon as he feels your delicate fingers clinging to his hand and hears your rapid breathing, he moves quickly as if his mind has cleared after a fog.

Dabi shifts his body and gingerly pulls you into his lap, careful not to break your grip with his. He holds you close to him, with the side of your head placed against his bare chest, hoping the contact will help calm you even more. His free hand moves to cup your hand that's gripping his tightly. "Babe, hold this one instead, okay," he whispers in a raspy voice, still hoarse from sleep; he trades out the intertwined hands; he then places his hand behind your back for more support. Once he can successfully switch them, he begins to rub gently up and down your back, taking care not to catch his staples on your thin nightshirt.

"Alright, alright, shhh, you're okay," he coos as gently as his voice can manage as he continues the gentle movements up and down your back. He can feel you tremble beneath his hand, and his heart wrenches inside of his chest. He wishes he could demolish the memories that bring your nightmares. Save you from this unexpected torment.

You take in a shaky breath, but your heart can't seem to stop racing. "I-"you begin with a trembling voice but can't finish it because of how disoriented you are. Thoughts glued to the images in your nightmare, you feel like you're drowning and can't reach the surface for air.

Dabi had seen you get this deep into your own mind before and went almost into a complete panic himself the first time it happened. It physically pained him to see you in such a state, and he never wanted to be in a place where he couldn't help you like the first time. After that time, he scoured the internet for ways to calm panic attacks and came across some grounding skills. After a few missteps and things that didn't work, he finally found something that helped bring you back from the images your mind plagued you with.

"It's alright, love, you don't have to explain; just tell me the first five things you see." He's so gentle when he says it, pausing for your mind to click away from the panic and into another mindset. Dabi watches your eyes as they begin to shrink from your wide-eyed stare to a more calm expression once he asks the question. He feels relief blossom in his chest, knowing that this means you're thinking about his question instead of placing all your focus in the nightmare.

You begin to look around the room, eyes darting back and forth before starting to speak. Even in the darkness, you can make out a few things in your room, thanks to the light from the street lamp shining through the busted blinds. "I see-" you hesitate with a shaky breath. "Our comforter, the door, the nightstand," your eyes glaze over the large glass bottle with clear liquid perched on Dabi's beat-up nightstand. Scrunching up your nose, you remember the times the sharp smell of alcohol filled the room as Dabi cleaned his wounds. "-your vodka-" you pause, looking for something else. Your eyes fall onto your conjoined hands, "and your hand," you finish.

"Great job, babe, now four things you can touch," he prompts so effortlessly, knowing that keeping himself calm will help you stay relaxed as well.

You begin to list the things you can touch and start to move one of your hands out from under Dabi's so that you can feel the items. Starting with his hand, you glide your fingers over its mismatched textures that you've come to cherish. Then his bare chest, marred with both scarred marks and unblemished skin, warmth radiates underneath your touch; Dabi lets out a deep chuckle when your hand touches his chest. Next, you move to feel his hair, dry and frayed from years of cheap box store dye and years of no maintenance. You finally move to his face, your hands run over the same rough textures that his hands and chest have. Even with all the burns, you can feel the chiseled bone below his cheek, muscular and defined as you trace your fingers across it.

"Okay, honey, while I would love to sit around and have you touch me all day, I want to make sure you are good," he lets out a low chuckle accompanied by a mischievous look. "Maybe after you can show me more of what you like about my body."

You throw a playful glare at Dabi as a smile begins to curl from your lips from his teasing.

Dabi ignores your glare, but he feels a sense of pride in the smile growing on your face. He feels good knowing that he can help you, that he isn't just some menace to society like the rest of the world thinks. You are his safe place, his sanctuary, and he'd destroy the world for you to be happy. "Okay, three things you hear now," He encourages you to move on to the next step.

You begin by naming two things of no significance, the air conditioning pulsing throughout the room and the sounds of someone hollering outside. Struggling to listen for a third thing, you pick up on Dabi's deep that acts like a warm blanket, enveloping your anxiety. "I hear you," it escapes in a small voice as your body begins to soften more. You start to feel your shoulders release from their tense position.

A smile emerges across Dabi's patchwork face. A genuine one this time, not the signature smirk he loves to wear or the deep-set scowl he often uses to mask his inner feelings. "You're so fucking cute, you know that? This was just a reason for you to talk about me, right?" He jokes with a lift of his eyebrows and places a soft peck on your temple.

A slight flutter goes through your belly at the action. You shoo Dabi away with a wave of your hand. Ready to move to the next step of your grounding.

He notices the hand you had once desperately used to grip his is now free.

"I smell-"you hesitate and take a breath as cool air flows in through your nostrils. The first smell that hits your nose is the vodka Dabi used earlier to wash his wounds where staples were pulling away at his burnt skin. It tended to linger in the air after he finished the task. "The vodka that you forgot to put the cap on, again." You let out with a huff while Dabi gives you another deep chuckle that vibrates through you.

"And what else, doll?" He says with amusement in his tone as his thumbs begin to massage little circles in your back.

You find yourself sinking into the feeling of his rough thumbs pressing into your soft skin just barely covered by your nightshirt. "And-"you take in another deep breath before resuming trying to pick up on any other scents in the room. After a moment, a new scent reaches your nose. A smell that you've come to love over time. An aroma that lingers on your sheets and lays heavily on Dabi's pillows. You can't count the times you've held his pillow close, comforted by the lingering smell of him.

Dabi has a masculine scent that can sometimes compel your anxiety to stop in its tracks when it reaches your nose. It's hard to place exactly what it reminds you of. Still, you can pick up on undertones of spice with ocean sea salt mixed in. He tends to cover up his natural smell with alcohol and cigarettes if he can get away with it.

But tonight, even with the open bottle of alcohol sitting right next to you, you smell more of him as you sit snuggled up in his lap. It clings to both of you. You have to stop yourself from pressing your nose into the crook of his neck to get more of the intoxicating scent.

"You-I smell you." You continue a bit mortified to say, knowing Dabi will offer another teasing comment.

But to your surprise, he only lets out a short hum before praising you, "Excellent job, babe, one more to go."

Your heart beams at his praise, and you sink into him even further. The tension is leaving your body; the nightmare is almost forgotten.

"Taste…" you mutter quietly to yourself, trying to pick up the last thing you tasted on your tongue. But your mouth is dry from sleep. Your mind draws a blank; you can't even taste the toothpaste you used before bed anymore. "I can't think of a taste right now. But I feel a lot better anyways." You say absentmindedly as you fiddle with the hand Dabi still placed on your lap.

"No taste, huh?" Dabi's deep voice vibrates against the ear that's pressed to his chest. "Sounds like something I could help you with."

You move off of his lap a bit to look up at his smoldering blue eyes, and that ever-present smirk has returned. He's holding you so gingerly like you might break at any moment and gazes at you as if you are the only thing that exists in this world. Without words or prompting, your faces begin to move closer until your lips meet.

Kissing Dabi has always been a unique experience, to say the least. The softness of his top lip directly counters the harsh burnt skin of his bottom.

Kissing him still leaves you flustered and breathless, and this one was no different.

The kiss starts out slowly but quickly moves into a feverish back and forth. You can feel the heat of your body rising as the kiss deepens. As you part your mouth to let Dabi in, you can taste the lingering vodka on his tongue as it mingles with yours. The two of you drink each other in as if you were parched.

Dabi's burning lips move away from your own and begin to leave a trail of fiery kisses down your jaw. He continues to lavish you with tiny nips and suckles down your throat.

You can feel the heat growing between your thighs as you emit a moan when Dabi gives a particular hard suck.

Without any hesitance, you both shuffle to pull off your nightwear. Dabi grabs his raven-colored boxer briefs, quickly pulls the material down and kicks them off effortlessly.

You remove your night shorts and panties just as rapidly and then promptly rid yourself of your shirt. The chilly air hits your exposed skin, and you feel your nipples start to harden.

Dabi gently pushes you down onto the mattress, you fall with a small squeak. He's hovering over you, trapping you in, while also making you feel like the outside world can't touch you. His mouth returns to you, venturing all over your body. His searing mouth locates your nipples, and he spends time giving them both attention with gentle nips and sucks. He moves on, trailing soft kisses down to your waiting clit.

You can hardly hold yourself together with all the stimulation. The once cold room is now becoming overwhelmingly warm.

Dabi's lips finally discover your dripping cunt, and he doesn't waver before parting your wet folds and latching onto your clit. You can feel the rough texture of his stitches against your sensitive folds and tremble as he continues his work.

His sucking and licking begin gentle but slowly pick up the pace as you squirm beneath him. He puts a hand on your hips and pushes them down into the mattress to keep them from bucking into his face.

Dabi takes his time stretching you out for him, starting slowly by inserting one large finger and then another. With the second finger, you let out a loud moan and grasp the weathered sheets in your fists. The sensation is becoming more overwhelming with each movement he makes. You bring your eyes to meet Dabi's, and that smolder you saw before has shifted into a full blaze.

Laying your head back down on the soft pillow, you get lost in the pleasure of it all. The nightmare is long forgotten at this point, and all you can think about is reaching your end; you're caught in the moment. Your moans become louder with every hard suck he gives. Crying out as your orgasm rushes through your core and the tight band that was building up in you finally snaps. Dabi removes his fingers but still presses soft kisses and gentle licks to your clit as you ride out your orgasm.

"You ready, babe?" He asks with a huff as he moves back to hovering over you, trapping you beneath him. He may act like a complete asshole to the world, but he's always treated you like a queen. You've gotten to see this secretly soft part of him that he refuses to share with the world. You soak all of him in from the brutal, angry exterior he shows the world to the caring and gentle person he is with you.

You give him a nod and place a small peck on the wrist closest to your face. Dabi smiles down at you and returns your kiss with one to your hairline before removing one of his hands to pump his member and smear the pearlescent precum up and down his shaft. He places his arm back down to stabilize himself and situates the head of his dick at your dripping entrance.

Dabi lets out a grunt, and he starts to push his complete length in you. A whine escapes you as you feel him fill every part of you up; your breath catches as he slowly starts to move. He feels so hot inside of you, burning you up from the inside out like a fire that can't be contained. Your hand finds his back, and you grip your nails into his unburnt skin to encourage him to go all the way.

"Fuck-you're so fucking tight, babe," he lets out with a baritone growl. The tip of his head is pushed so deep inside of you it should feel uncomfortable; all you feel is comfortably full.

Dabi is lost in the pleasure of this moment, your warm, satiny walls flutter around his member, and he knows he won't be able to hold on for much longer. He feels your nails dig into his skin even more profoundly, leaving red half-moons in their wake. Letting out a low growl in his throat as he begins to pick up his pace. His cock is hitting your sweet spot with each thrust.

You can't contain the never-ending moans spilling from your lips. A hymn to Dabi's ears. Your lips eventually find him again and press together in a searing kiss.

Dabi can feel your walls tightening around him as he continues to thrust. When you fall over the edge, your walls hold onto him with a vice-like grip, desperate to milk him dry. A moment later, Dabi plunges over his own breaking point and pours his hot cum into you.

Both of you are spent taking panting breaths as the cool air of the room touches the warmth of your bodies, glistening with beads of sweat. Dabi looks at you with those eyes that seem to glow in the dark and gently pulls out of you with a soft hiss.

He maneuvers himself off of you, landing next to you as the bed creaks under his weight. Dabi lays his open hand in the space between your palm facing up, and you place yours into his. "I love you so much, you know that?" He whispers while wrapping his long fingers around your smaller knuckles, engulfing them.