creamation | (no subject)

Next time I'll just send you on a food delivery quest.

[Shigaraki may have gotten a plain burger but you know what he's gonna smother his french fries in? Ketchup. And mayo. He watches Dabi with a disgusted look on his face and actually scoots away from the other.]

Keep your moldy burger away from me.

Like hell. I'm not your fucking delivery boy.

[The whole point was to go out, Shigaraki. Christ. It feels like this man has never done anything in his entire life. Dabi doesn't know why he's trying so hard.

At least he's not weird about his fries. But the more Shigaraki scoots away,the more Dabi follows, dragging the bag with him, because he laid everything out on top of it.]

Don't be such a fucking coward. Have I ever led you astray? Every new thing I've showed you, you've liked.

I'm not a coward. [Over not wanting to try a different burger. Christ.] I don't have to try everything new you show me.

[He gives up scooting away because he can already feel his back on the wall. But also if they play this dumb game any longer, he won't have time to eat his burger while it's warm.]

Then stop acting like one.

[He stops scooting when he's close enough to hold the burger up to Shigaraki's face. This is ridiculous, it really is, but it's alleviating the weirdness from earlier- as long as Shigaraki doesn't have a damn tantrum over it. He really doesn't know what the big deal is. They already came back here, away from the outside world like Shigaraki wanted. The least he could do is try the damn burger.]

Yes you do.

[He shakes his head, refusing to even reply to Dabi. Call him childish but he's old enough to know the oldest trick in the book about tricking people into trying food. Nice try, Dabi. But that also means he can't open his mouth to eat his own burger, fuck.]

[ Dabi gives him a cool look, letting out a long sigh as some more of the spinach dip drips down, this time between Shigaraki's legs. What a waste. ]

Come on, open up.

[He says as if he's talking to a small child. He thought maybe the whole licking from his fingers might seem enticing to Shigaraki, but the other man didn't even bat an eye, which is highly disappointing. ]

Take a bite and I'll answer a question.

[it's utterly stupid and he doesn't know why he's doing this over a burger. His burger. He shouldn't even be giving it away at all, and here he is, turning it into another damn game. A dangerous one at that. But it's already out there now, he can't take it back.]

[God it smells awful to Shigaraki. That sentence was hard to type because I fucking love spinach dip. But disregarding that, he shakes his head no. Seems like not even their stupid game would get him to try a burger with spinach dip and onion rings.

When it becomes obviously clear that Dabi isn't giving up on this, he reluctantly takes the world's tiniest bite (a crumble really)- making no move to chew on it or swallow, hoping that will get Dabi to back down.]

[ This is... the least fun and the most disappointing experience of Dabi's life. He was willing to give up something as precious as an answer to one of Shigaraki's many questions and still, he says no.

The tiny bite, Shigaraki's complete reluctance to do anything really- Whether it's spending time outside, or just taking a damn bite out of a burger- it's starting to get boring and it's starting to get to Dabi. ]

Uch. You're pathetic.

[He gets up, grabbing his fries and shoves more of the burger in his mouth as he moves away, heading for the door.]

I don't want to do this thing tomorrow. You're starting to bore me even more than my boredom.

Foods not meant to be entertaining, asshole. Weren't we playing video games later?

[Honestly if Dabi leaves? Shigaraki won't stop him. It just means that he can eat his plain burger that he ordered in peace. Admittedly... he'd miss having the company but god dammit Dabi if he wanted onion rings and spinach dip, he'd have treated you to Applebees instead. Or whatever the Japanese equivalent of an Applebees is.]

I'm bored too but I just want to eat my fucking burger without getting something else shoved into my face.

I'm not just talking about the food, creep. I'm talking about everything you put out there. If you were bored, you would stop sticking yourself in such a small, annoying box. If you were bored, you'd do shit with me.

[One bite isn't having something shoved in his face. Besides, what's the big deal? Can't they just fuck off and hang out? Apparently not. Dabi supposes it's his own damn fault. He had to come in here and suck Shigaraki off right off the bat.]

You wanna play video games, you know where to find me.

[He's mostly annoyed, he thinks, because he wanted to do things, and Shigaraki clearly doesn't want to do anything at all. He's annoyed at himself, because he wanted, and wanting is dangerous. It's disappointing and it's weakness. No use trading one weakness for another.]

Sit down. I'm not going to go chase you like a babysitter for video games.

[He's irritated, but he's actually pretty calm. Which might be more terrifying than when he's pissed. A calm Shigaraki means he's thought through the entirety of his actions and the consequences they might have. Shigaraki holds out his burger, only a fourth of it eaten.]

Put only a tiny bit on the side of my burger. I'll try it. I don't like onions so keep your onions. [A pause.] And I'm not going to ask you a shitty question over a burger. That's not an equal exchange.

[ Dabi wants to leave. This whole night has felt like a bust. He's exhausted from not having slept since yesterday, and overuse of his Quirk. He's frayed at the edges because of their stupid ten minute deal. He's on edge because he's reaching for things to make him stop feeling this way, but Shigaraki has been woefully disappointing in that aspect and he's angry that he even thought to try and rely on someone else for any of it.

He wants all of this to be over. It was easier that way.

And yet, he saunters back over as if he doesn't have a care in the world, sitting back down in front of Shigaraki, crossing his legs under him.]

Since when the fuck do you care about equal? You were trying to get shit out of me any way you could, the other day.

I don't. [It's partly true. He doesn't care about the equality of things.] You'll complain later and demand something later. You negotiate the big things with small things, Dabi, and no one will want what you have to offer anymore.

[But he's not about to let his underlings make stupid mistakes that he has done in the past. Only offer big things if you're going to get something big out of it. Forcing Shigaraki to eat a digusting burger? That's a waste of a big thing, in Shigaraki's eyes.]

I don't demand anything that I don't put forward right away. You know that better than anyone else, so you know you're talking bullshit.

[He shrugs, breaking off a piece of his burger, making sure there aren't any onions on that piece. He holds it out to the other man in one last attempt at whatever the fuck this is. ]

Maybe my idea of big things and small things are different from yours, you ever think about that?

[Shigaraki hesitates, breaking off a similar piece of his own burger before trading it with Dabi. He sort of stares at the mess in his gloved hands with disgust before slowly eating at it with small bites. He hates it. But he gave it an earnest try this time.]

Big and small are always different from person to person, Dabi. Just the very words conjure up different images of how big and how small something is.

Then your words are invalid and I can negotiate with whatever I want. Anyway, it's your loss. Days ago you would have jumped at the chance to take anything from me, especially if it meant you didn't have to give up something big. You would have snatched this chance right out from under me.

[Days ago... it feels longer than that, and yet it also feels like a whirlwind. Maybe they really do just need a break from each other. ]

Well? Isn't it good?

It's too mushy. [Well at least he didn't call it outright disgusting.] It's turned the bun into a wet mess.

[But he swallows and goes back to his burger and fries. No more exploratory foods for Mr. Plain Burger here.]

Sometimes big opportunities aren't always what they're hyped to be. Especially if you've done nothing to earn it.

[For a guy that throws tantrums over the smallest inconveniences, it seems like he doesn't want everything to get handed to him. He works hard at putting together his tasks. If he wanted to, he could very well demand everything be handed to him. But he doesn't.

He swallows the rest of his burger, picking at the last of his fries before he wipes his hands clean on the seat of his pants. Classy. Shigaraki then stands up and goes over to the TV to turn it on.]

Are you staying?

[ He pops the piece of burger Shigaraki gave him into his mouth. It's good, but it could definitely use more of everything. He steals a fry covered in mayo and ketchup while he's at it. Looking at the bun in his hand, it really is a wet mess, but he just shrugs and takes another bite. ]

That's never bothered you before. Especially with your incessant questioning, hoping I'll cave. But lucky for me, because I don't wanna tell you shit anyway.

[Dabi knows there's no logical reason to what Shigaraki is saying. He just really didn't want to try the burger. Or he's annoyed that Dabi really won't reply to his demands, but would give it up for something so simple of his own choosing. Either way, Dabi still comes out on top.]

I don't know.

[Dabi says when Shigaraki asks if he's staying, but he doesn't really make any moves to leave this time. He turns himself to face the TV, pulling the rest of his fries and his slop of a burger with him.]

[He turns the playstation on as well, making sure two controllers were connected before he headed back to where he was sitting. Once controller gets placed in front of Dabi, the other stays firmly in Shigaraki's hands with his pinky out despite the gloves.]

Take your time finishing your food. I want to finish this boss level and then we can play something for two people.

[The expectation is clear now that he expects Dabi to stay and play games with him.

Shigaraki boots up a game andddd it's Dark Souls III.]

[ Dabi starts getting comfortable, wiping his hands on some napkins before he tugs his jacket off and sets it aside, along with his shoes. When he sits back down, he sits closer to Shigaraki and he jams the last of his burger in his mouth, paying more attention to the screen now.

Apparently he's staying, picking up the controller with greasy fingers.]

This is what you play by yourself? How unsurprising.

[In the time it took Dabi to finish eating and get comfortable, Shigaraki's been invaded no less than three times in game. He's won each encounters and he's currently chipping away at the final boss' health. He's pretty calm about being invaded and the hits he takes to the face, only letting a few curses slip by when the situation looks dire.

But somehow he prevails, and makes it to the nearest bonfire to save and heal up.]

I have other games too, Dabi. [God what do you take him for a casual!?] What kind of games do you play?

[ Shigaraki's fast, and good. Dabi's not nearly as good, but it's not as if he's going to admit that. Then again, Shigaraki's going to see it in a few minutes anyway, but it's fine. These are just games. He has nothing to prove with any of them. ]

...I play this one too. But mostly the racing ones.

[Mostly he just doesn't really play at all, but it seems like something normal to do, so he wants to do it. If Shigaraki hasn't caught on, that seems to be the theme of tonight. ]

[Shigaraki really hasn't caught on. Maybe he's just socially stunted having lived his entire life being groomed to take over the League of Villains. It shows too, in the way they had to recruit new people. Normal for Shigaraki isn't... this. Playing video games is normal but with others?]

Hmm? We'll get you a system of your own so we can play together sometime. [He'd like playing with others. It's boring by himself.] There's some racing games in my library.

[He closes out of the game after saving, pulling up the entire digital games library he has. It's... quite extensive. With completion rates up in the eighty percentile.]

Pick whichever one you want.

[ That's exactly why Dabi wants this sometimes. He's pretty damn socially stunted and this isn't normal for him either. But he knows it's supposed to be, at least. It's not like he really does anything with other people either. He hasn't spent this much singular time with a person for... well, probably since he was a child. ]

Sure, if you want.

[He had no idea Shigaraki was such a video game enthusiast. Then again, he's constantly surrounding himself with screens. Dabi looks through the games and points to one that seems like it's a good mix of racing and explosions. Something he doesn't have to think too hard about.]

If I had known you had this many, I would've raided your room a lot sooner.

[When you're a NEET trying to bring down the status quo of the heroing world, you end up with a lot of spare time on your hands surprisingly. His game library is just a reflection of that.

He boots up the racing game Dabi selected and gets to work setting up the multiplayer loadout.]

I had more. This was the only system we could salvage after our last hideout was destroyed. Luckily I don't care much for physical copies of the games. [Smart. Anyways he picks his driver and his car that he wants to be.] Pick your car, you can pick the track too.