"Noooooo, stay here..." My voice came out as a hoarse, sleepy whine as I curled my arms around Dabi, trying to pull him back down as he began to sit up. "Just five more minutes..."

It was easy for him to escape my grip, but the second he did he crawled on top of me, the only thing separating our naked bodies being the thin, calico sheets.
"You said that an hour ago. As much as I love having my way with you, I have work to do." Stealing a chaste kiss, he continued the rest of the way over me, sitting on the edge of the bed and stretching his arms above his head.

I couldn't help but reach out and trace my fingers along the patchwork skin of his back, the cool sensation of each staple causing me to tingle.
"I know, but you can't blame me for trying." I chuckled, following suit and sitting up, the sheets dropping to bunch around my stomach.

The sun was still out of sight, but we did indeed have work to do. I wasn't sure what Dabi's work was, but I knew that I had a lot more training to do. Not only that, but I had to meet with Trumpet to go over some future combat plans.

I didn't want to fight, but I had made my decision, so my only option was to be as prepared as I possibly could be. Now that I had Hawks' wings under my belt, I was a little stronger, but I wasn't there yet. Not at all.

"Get dressed, Tenderfoot. You're distracting me." I snapped out of my daze as a bundle of clothes hit my face, falling to my lap. Contradicting my pout, I did as I was told.
"Says the man whose strutting around half mast..."

No, don't go riling him up anymore, (Y/N). You're lucky you survived the last three rounds...

Dabi just shrugged me off, lazily dressing himself as I did the same. When I made a move to climb out of bed, something caught my eye. A dark, ashy smudge upon his pillow. Running my finger across the mysterious patch, it resembled soot, marking my fingertip.

"Ignore it." My husband said sternly, shrugging his coat on and adjusting the cuffs of his sleeves.
"Is your hair dye coming out or something? I mean, you never really told me if you dye it, I just assumed, but-"

"Don't worry about it, Tenderfoot." He warned again, this time a touch harsher than before. I obeyed, but I felt a little cut by his refusal to answer such a simple question. We were married now. I knew his real identity. Why would it matter if I knew or not?

No, we're not strangers...Maybe he's just...self conscious or something..?

"O..okay. I won't worry, then!" I offered him a smile, shuffling so my legs hung from the side of the mattress. "Hey, I was thinking, if you're not too busy later, maybe we could-"

Before I could finish my sentence, a deafening, explosive sound rang through the halls of the mansion, the entire building shaking violently until the world grew momentarily silent. What followed sent my blood running cold.

Shouts and screams erupted in the distance, causing one of my worst fears to become reality. We were being attacked, and it wasn't going to be on a small scale.

"T..Touya-"
"Get moving." Lifting me to my feet by the scruff, Dabi knocked me into a run, barely giving me a moment to process what was going on. Out the door and into the hall, people were already running this way and that, panicking.

They found us..?!

Despite being a mess of dread inside, I kept my focus on Dabi as he ran mere steps ahead of me, straight towards where the sound had come from. The noise of battle grew louder, but I did my best to stay composed. I had to.

"Oi, listen to me." Dabi caught my eyes over his shoulder, face seeming completely unphased by the sudden bombshell. "Don't engage unless you're under immediate threat. If you can get out, then get the hell out, understand me?"

But...I promised I'd fight for you...

All I could really do was nod in understanding. Now wasn't the time to argue. Not with our lives and futures in jeopardy. Dabi began to slow down, almost to a stop, and I very nearly raced past him until I heard a piercing gunshot.

Up ahead, I only just caught the moment a body fell limp to the floor, the smoke from a freshly fired pistol wafting in the opposite direction towards the ceiling. There stood Mustard, shoulders shaking with his finger still on the trigger.

"Hisoka..!" Sprinting up to him, I raised my hands when he spun around, knowing that he just needed time to register who I was. As I hoped, he slowly lowered the weapon, his expression completely lost behind his helmet.

"I...he...This guy just...came at me out of nowhere..." Choosing to not take a second, longer look at whoever the boy had shot, I pulled him under my arm, feeling his body rattle with fear.
"Stay close to me, okay? You're okay..."

Glancing back towards Dabi, I saw that he was looking up towards the ceiling, completely calm in every aspect. At least that's what it looked like to me.
"You two do what you need to do. If I'm not back soon, I'll meet you at that place in the woods, got it?"

When he finally met my gaze, my jaw clenched. He was planning something, and I knew it wasn't going to be anything good. Still, I trusted him. He had to know what he was doing. With a single nod, I agreed.
"Alright. Got it. I love you."

Watching him run off in the opposite direction hurt, but I knew we had other things to deal with. First and foremost, figuring out a plan.
"If...we run away, what good will that do..?" Mustard murmured, trying not to flinch at the sounds of violence echoing from afar.

"We don't know what we're dealing with here. They could outnumber us, and without Tomura here, Gigantomachia is out of commission. If that's the case, this place is already lost. Our best course of action is to group up with the others. At least Mister, Twice and Toga..."

At the very least, together we'll be strong enough to fight our way out...

Off we went, trying to keep out of the way of any pro hero that had managed to dig their way deeper through the halls. I didn't want to kill anyone, and it seemed that Mustard hadn't wanted to either.

It was impossible to come up with a solid plan of action. Would outside be safer? Dabi said to keep out of it unless absolutely necessary, but was that really the answer? There were too many what ifs.

I jumped with a start as my phone began to buzz in my pocket, and I scrambled to answer it, not even bothering to check caller ID.
"H..hello?!"

"Thank God, I was worried you wouldn't answer! Where are you?! Who are you with?!" Mr. Compress' voice met my ears, much less composed than usual.
"Western wing, I think?! I..I'm with Mustard, and Dabi broke off from us about ten, fifteen minutes ago!" I answered, pressing my back against the wall so I could catch my breath.

"Do not move towards the main hall! They're everywhere! Move South, and head through the kitchen to the third story landing! We're holding them off, for now! We could really use your assistance!"

Just knowing they were alive was a weight off my chest, but whether or not they would stay that was was another story. I hurried to confirm, pocketing my phone and turning to explain the plan to my panicked companion.

"(Y/N), I can't go back to Tartarus..! I..I can't do that again..!" He panted as we ran, pausing at every turn to make sure the coast was clear.
"You won't! We can get out of this!" Was I sure? Not in any way, shape or form, but I had to pretend I was. Freaking out wouldn't help us at all.

"Hey, I heard something up ahead!"

The two of us stopped dead in our tracks upon hearing the voice, and we shared a startled look.
"I..have an idea. Use Hawks' wings and stick one out around the corner." Mustard whispered, and even though I was confused, I did as he instructed.

Manifesting and unfurling the strikingly similar wing, just the one, I kept my back pressed to the wall, holding my breath.
"It's Hawks! Hey, have you captured any of them? There are hundreds down below, in the underground hall. They seem to be cooperating well enough."

Nodding to me slowly, Mustard pulled out his pistol and cocked it as quietly as he could, moving to stand behind my decoy wing.
"Wait, Hawks, whose-"
"Drop it!"

When Mustard yelled to me, I shut off my quirk, and with each gunshot I flinched further into myself. There was no questioning his accuracy as I heard bodies drop, and I released my breath in a shaken puff.

"L..let's go..." I whispered, grabbing my friend's hand and starting off again. I didn't want to see it. Inevitable as it may have been, I just couldn't cope with the sight. They had really thought I was Hawks. I had lured them to their deaths.

Better them than us...

Up above, a roaring crash echoed, and I stopped dead, yanking Mustard into a stop as well.
"What is it..? (Y/N), we've gotta move..!" The boy pleaded urgently, but I had a feeling. An awful, sickening feeling. One that twisted my already knotted stomach into oblivion.

"Hisoka...I..I have to go after Touya..."

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***Apparently I don't know how to write anymore ;-;

From here on out, I'll be straying into my own version of the storyline. Is the ending near? Perhaps. I haven't quite decided.

I had my first day at work yesterday, and even though I was only shown the ropes and did module quizzes, I had fun. Still super nervous that I won't pass the test employee phase though xD

Next Time: Ashes to Ashes***