The scent of ash and subtle sulfur pried me from my sleep, and I sat up slowly; rubbing at my eyes. There was some kind of argument happening somewhere up the hall, and my curious nature didn't give me a chance. Leaving (B/N) on the mattress, I quickly threw on the jacket I had been curled up to and wandered out.

"-really think I give a fuck what you say, shit stain?!" I froze before I could get close to the door to the main room; recognising Dabi's voice immediately. "You wanted the best...I'm not gonna waste my time talking to petty thieves when I can just cull 'em..!" He was mad, and it frightened me. I hadn't heard him speak in such a vicious tone before, but it especially worried me that he was directing it towards someone who could kill him in a heartbeat.

"What I think Shigaraki Tomura was trying to say...is that by committing such murders, especially in broad daylight, is bringing us unwanted attention..." Kurogiri tried to explain, but I was too caught up in the first part of his sentence to continue listening.

He's...been murdering people..? For no reason..?

The thought made me sick, and it really began to sink in just how dark my situation was. I was in love with a killer, and I had been dragged into nefarious activities as a result. Even bringing them supplies was illegal, let alone actually being a part of their attack on UA. For once, the urge to run outweighed the urge to burst through the door and throw myself into Dabi's arms. He was important to me. I couldn't stop loving him at this point, even if I tried, but I couldn't turn a blind eye any longer.

"-cking joke..! You fucking need me! I ain't taking shit from someone with lips so chapped I can hear them fucking smile..! I'll handle shit my way, and you handle it yours!" I stumbled backwards as the door flew open and slammed closed; Dabi entering the hall with his head down and smoking fists balled. I was frozen solid, and I didn't make a sound until he looked up, but even then I could only manage a strangled squeak. His ocean eyes widened momentarily before narrowing; stalking forward and nudging me along in front of him.

"D..Dabi..! W..wait...I..!" I stammered and stuttered as he pushed me along towards his room. He didn't utter a word, and once he had shoved me through his door, I was beyond terrified. I had been able to feel the heat radiating from his body, and it was stifling. Right now, in this very moment, I was terrified, and I wasn't afraid to admit that.

He's angry...he's violent...he's out of control...I could use my quirk to escape...but then...I might end up dead...Wait...no...Dabi wouldn't actually kill me...would he..?

I really didn't know anymore. I loved him, that much was apparent, but I didn't have anything to go off apart from our interactions. His name was a lost relic I would never find, and the only solid truth was that he was a cold blooded killer...and I was now trapped in a room with him. I felt so stupid; being so trusting. I came by my own will, and now that I had, everything hit me like a bus. Dabi turned to me; his unkempt mop of ebony hair sweeping across his upper face, and began to approach. Instead of welcoming him into open arms, to do whatever he pleased to me, I backed away until I had nowhere else to go.

"Dabi...Don't come any closer..." I said sternly; shakily, with my fists clenched tight. He halted instantly, and his shoulders became tense. Hands falling limp by his sides, he dipped his head even more.
"You finally saw sense...huh..?" He muttered in a dry voice; a forced chuckle sounding like his throat was filled with chalk. "Say it...Out loud...Tell me that I scare you..." He sounded strange. No longer angry, but so very bitter and pained. I didn't know how to respond to that.
"I..." Swallowing my guilt, I pressed my back closer to the cold, concrete wall. "...Yeah...R..right now...you terrify me..."

But...not always...

"Of course..." He whispered to himself; finally lifting his head and pushing his dark hair back away from his face. His eyes were glossy and distressed, and his smile was almost a grimace; tugging his staples to the point of buckling in his skin. "I'm just like my old fucking man, huh?! Making everyone fear me...even the people I care about?!" Whatever was wrong with him was causing him to break down in front of my eyes, and it made my nerves hit their peak.
"Y..you don't scare me all the t..time, Dabi...I-"
"I mean...hah...how was I supposed to turn out?! When you watch your own fucking mother get the living shit beat out of her trying to save your sorry ass?! Of fucking course I'd warp into his fucking image!"

Wait...I get it now...

Dabi was so pent up with emotions that he just couldn't keep them in any longer. He wasn't attacking me. He was trying; in his own damaged way, to vent it all out.
"Y'know...I could see it...That day you flinched away from me...You looked just like that fucking punching bag I called a mother..." He muttered as his hand came up to claw at the side of his face. "So do it..! Pull the fucking trigger, Tenderfoot! That's what you came to do, right?!" It hurt. Seeing him so distraught cut me deeply, but I wasn't sure what I could do. It all made sense now. The state he had been in when we met all those years ago, and the reason he turned out the way he did. Scared or not, I couldn't push away. I was a hero, after all, and he was someone in need. Someone I loved.

"I'm not here for that, Dabi..." I said sternly; trying to break through to his sane self. "I came to-"
"I SAID FUCKING END IT, DAMMIT!" I cowered as he lurched forward; slamming his hand against the wall beside my head and igniting his flames. "YOU'LL PROBABLY GET KILLED NEXT TIME, YET YOU STILL ACT LIKE IT'S ALL HUNKEY-FUCKING-DORY?!" I was left with a lump in my throat and a pain in my heart when I looked into those eyes of his. Rippling with unsheddable tears, and full of such hatred and anguish. He was trying to shut himself down.

"It isn't alright...I know that...b..but...I made the choice to follow you that day...a..and I also made the choice to come back now...What does that tell you..?" I murmured softly; trying to get my shaking under control.
"That you're a fucking idiot..!" Dabi's voice broke, and I couldn't take it anymore. Removing myself from the wall, I wrapped my arms around his torso and pressed my forehead against his chest. The chill of his staples didn't bother me, but the heat of his quirk was making me sweat.
"I fucking love you...I hate what you do...a..and I hate being a part of it...but..." I squeezed him tighter when I felt his chest rattle. "...but I can't walk away from you now...Not after all of this...If risking my chance at becoming a hero means that you won't be alone anymore...the..then that's how it is..."

Yeah...that's just how it is...

I wasn't exactly prepared when Dabi slumped down to his knees, but I followed him; keeping my arms curled around him as he deactivated his quirk and pulled me closer.
"Y..you're literally signing a deathwish, you idiot fucking girl..." He whispered through what I could only assume were dry, wrangled sobs. "Are you fucking stupid..?"
"Probably...but you're pretty stupid yourself if you thought I was gonna leave you behind..." I pulled back and lifted his chin up; letting myself dive into the rippling ocean that was trapped within his eyes. "You are not your father, Dabi...Even though you scare me sometimes...I know you're not..."

Whoever he is...I hope he burns in eternal hellfire...

His hand came up to thread through my loose (H/C) hair, and I could hear him swallow back almost everything he yearned to say.
"Without knowing...you can't say shit like that, Tenderfoot...so just shut up..." I wish I could have taken back the muffled squeak I let loose when I felt his lips against mine, but that moment had already come and gone. The taste of pure sugar was overwhelmingly sweet, but the way he trembled against me was too. He didn't move; he just pressed his mouth against mine for the longest moment before tearing away and hiding himself in the crook of my neck.

Holy...shit...

"Dabi..." His name was a ghostly whisper as I relaxed into his warmth. The thundering of his heart far surpassed the beat of my own, and I found it endearing. The tough, aloof man had gone from terrifying to timid in less than a minute. "...You're stuck with me...'Kay?" I felt him nod slowly against my shoulder, and his fingers were digging into the material of his own jacket, which still draped from my form.

"To you...and just you...it's...Touya..."

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***Y'all got impatient so I barfed out this bullshit and I hate it k thnx bye
🙃✌***