In case you didn't read the description, this one-shot was made for the lovely SpunkyasQuiznak's birthday. I'll be using OCs and plotlines from her Dabi book, so I recommend checking it out if you're confused about who these people are. Actually, I recommend you check it out in general because it's great and her writing deserves more attention.

I hope you like your gift, love, and I hope your birthday is everything you wanted it to be.

~*~

The energy in the room was infectious.

Jaclyn Perry jumped along with the crowd, voice edging towards a gravelly rasp as a night of screaming lyrics caught up with her. The twinge of pain was worth it, though. The energy, the music, the excited crowd all helped her drown out the thoughts of him. Losing herself to the performance quieted the thick fog of emotions and memories that had swamped her for days.

Her group, a pop-punk cover band called the Soilmayes, had managed to snag a gig at a well-known bar downtown, and they'd jumped at the chance. Well, Avelyn, who managed most of their events and played the keyboard, had been hesitant to accept, worried that Jaclyn wasn't up to pretending to be fine, but Jaclyn had insisted. There was no way she was letting her asshole ex get in the way of her band's success.

Their set rolled to a close, Luna sending them off with an intense drum solo, and soon Jaclyn found herself packing their stuff into the van to make room for the next group. Sweat dripped down the back of her neck and chest, and the adrenaline high was slowly fading. The memories she'd been running from slunk in to fill the space, and Jaclyn slumped against the side of the van.

Avelyn popped her head out from the back, eyebrows knitted together in a worried frown. Jaclyn gave her a tired smile, and Avelyn hopped out of the back, leaning next to her and nudging Jaclyn's shoulder with her's. "Are you sure you don't want me to hunt him down and break his kneecaps," Avelyn murmured, shooting Jaclyn a wry smile.

Her tone had been joking enough, but Jaclyn knew that if she asked, Avelyn wouldn't hesitate to follow through with her threat. Their relationship may have been complicated and hazy, lines blurring between platonic and romantic, but if there was one thing Jaclyn was sure of, it was that Avelyn was loyal to a fault. She'd lie and steal and fight to make sure her loved ones were safe and happy, and she'd gotten into more than enough trouble to do so.

"Nah," Jaclyn replied, keeping her tone light. "He's not worth a jail sentence." Straightening up, Jaclyn grabbed Avelyn's hand, tugging her back inside the bar. "Come on, babes, let's celebrate our incredible performance." Really, she just wanted an excuse to get drunk, and she was sure Avelyn knew that, but the brunette just shrugged and let herself be pulled along. Clover and Luna would take care of the rest of the equipment--bars weren't really their scene--and that knowledge was one worry off Jaclyn's shoulders.

After three drinks with names suspiciously close to So,innuendos--the kind that were considered girly despite containing much more alcohol than the watery beer men drank--Jaclyn was feeling the buzz. Well, perhaps more than just a buzz, she realized as she tripped over a discarded purse, stumbling and giggling as Avelyn grabbed her arm to steady her. Jaclyn slung an arm around Avelyn's shoulders, feeling energized and confident. "Let's dance," she yelled over the thrum of electric guitars and drums.

Avelyn wrinkled her nose. She'd drunk significantly less than Jaclyn and wasn't nearly tipsy enough to consider dancing. She waved Jaclyn on, gesturing to a free stool at the bar that she could watch Jaclyn from. Shrugging, Jaclyn made her way into the throng of writhing bodies, swaying to the music as she let the energy of the crowd take over once more.

Absorbed by the catchy beat, Jaclyn wasn't too focused on her surroundings, a fact she'd come to regret when someone behind her caught her up in a strong grip. A large hand clamped over her mouth, and Jaclyn couldn't do much besides flail and struggle weakly as she was dragged from the crowd. Still unable to identify her attacker, Jaclyn thrashed her head around, managing to wiggle part of her mouth free as they dragged her through a backdoor and into a dingy, empty alley. Jaclyn sank her teeth into the hand still gripping her face, and her attacker drew back with a shout of pain.

Stumbling free of their grip, she whirled on unsteady feet to face them, muttering a curse under her breath as she recognized her would-be kidnapper. Even if his obnoxious flaming facial hair hadn't illuminated him, the Number 2 Pro Hero would have been identifiable by his stature alone. He towered over Jaclyn, scowling down at her as he tried to staunch the blood flowing from his hand.

Jaclyn spat blood out of her mouth, sinking into an unsteady fighting stance as she tried to bring her brain into focus. While alcohol was great for drowning one's sorrows, it did little to help focus quirks. Jaclyn doubted she'd be able to teleport in this state, and her metal manipulation wouldn't be able to handle anything massive. Still, there were more than enough scraps in the alley to use to her advantage. She just needed to buy some time.

"What the fuck do you want with me, Endeavor." She spat his hero name like a curse.

Endeavor sneered at her. "You're under arrest for conspiring with terrorists and suspected vigilante activity." Jaclyn's eyes widened. She'd suspected her ties to LoV had been discovered, but she never thought the heroes would have the guts to actually arrest her.

Fortunately, having her crimes listed for her gave Jaclyn time to focus. Endeavor barely had time to duck the pieces of metal that shot at his head, a jagged edge slicing a line across his cheek. Jaclyn raised her arm, the metal scrap melding into a shield she could attach to her arm, the remaining pieces collecting into several daggers that floated beside her.

The daggers bobbed and dipped a bit as Jaclyn's energy flagged, the alcohol working its way through her system and making her drowsy. She needed to get out of this situation fast. Movement flickered in the corner of her eye, and Jaclyn flung herself to the side, shield raised, as a blast of fire blackened the concrete where she'd been standing. "Guess he's really not playing around," she mumbled to herself, rolling behind a dumpster to avoid being char-broiled.

Her surroundings were spinning and tilting dangerously, and Jaclyn felt a small stab of fear as she realized she wasn't going to be able to beat Endeavor. Not as drunk as she was. Squeezing her eyes shut, Jaclyn prayed that Avelyn had noticed she was missing and was looking for her.

A flash of blue lit up her eyelids, and Jaclyn snapped them open just in time to see a dark shape drop from the roof of the bar, hands wreathed in blue fire. She blinked in shock, her brain refusing to accept the information her eyes were sending it. There was no way Dabi would be here, rescuing her from the man he'd been plotting meticulously to destroy.

And yet here he was, smirking down at her as he created a wall of blisteringly hot fire between his father and them. "Happy to see me, princess?" The pet name shook Jaclyn out of her state of shock, replacing the surprise with a bitter cocktail of longing, hurt, and anger. Dabi reached for her, his shit-eating grin softening into something like concern for a split second as Jaclyn stumbled.

She jerked away from him like he'd burned her, glaring at him even as her vision swam. "Did you really think you could drop out of the sky, crisp up Red Robin over there, and expect me to forgive all the shit you pulled?" Jaclyn asked, her words slurring slightly.

Dabi opened his mouth, irritation flickering in his eyes, but before he could reply, the alleyway door slammed open, and Avelyn darted out, taking in the scene before her with a surprising level of calm. She had just started to rush over to Jaclyn when Endeavor forced his way through Dabi's fire wall, looking extremely pissed off.

Avelyn spun to face the Number 2 Hero, hands outstretched as she began chanting. Runes crawled up Endeavor's legs, engulfing him in a purple glow, and he collapsed to the scorched concrete. Brushing her hands together as though dusting them off, Avelyn shot Dabi a smug look before running over to Jaclyn.

"You downed Red Robin in seconds," Jaclyn commented, a bit incredulous.

Avelyn shrugged, wrapping an arm around her intoxicated friend. "I've been practicing," she replied, turning her attention to the extremely miffed villain before them. "What are you doing here, Dead Man Walking?" She hissed, returning Dabi's glare with one of her own.

"Am I not allowed to rescue Jaclyn? Seems a bit hypocritical, if you ask me," he drawled, looking down his nose at Avelyn the way he knew she hated. Then, turning his attention to Jaclyn, he raised an eyebrow in question. "By the way, princess, why exactly are you calling Endeavor 'Red Robin?'" Avelyn pressed her lips into a thin line, desperately fighting off a grin.

Jaclyn shrugged, glancing over to a still paralyzed Endeavor. "Well, Endeavor is an inferior hero compared to All Might, just like Red Robin is an inferior restaurant," she explained, and Avelyn lost her battle against her smile, snickering softly as she grinned at Jaclyn.

Dabi stared at Jaclyn with a baffled expression before peering into her eyes closely. "Did you hit your head fighting Endeavor or something?" His concern brought Jaclyn's attention back to the tangled knot of emotions his presence evoked. Signing softly, she turned her head away, unable to meet the eyes she still thought were beautiful.

Avelyn noticed her discomfort and hugged Jaclyn closer, shooting Dabi one of her famous death glares. "You should go," she told him, her tone low and threatening. Dabi's lip curled as he took in her and Jaclyn's closeness.

"Not even a thank you, princess? How rude," he sneered, and Jaclyn sank her teeth into her lip to keep herself from rising to his bait. She was drunk and in no position to have this confrontation. She knew if she tried to express her feelings now, she'd end up saying something that would just hurt them both. Jaclyn buried her face into Avelyn's shoulder and let her sort this situation out, feeling a tad cowardly.

Avelyn raised a hand, purple runes gathering threateningly in her palm. "I'll give you one more chance to run, as a thank you for saving Jaclyn, before I paralyze you too and leave you here for the cops," she snapped at Dabi. He raised his hands in surrender, turning on his heel and walking towards the alley entrance.

Jaclyn raised her head to watch him, her emotions too jumbled to name. She observed him as he paused right before the opening to the street, glancing back at the pair and meeting Jaclyn's eyes. His lips quirked up in a bitter smile, and he raised a hand in a lazy wave. "Stay out of trouble, princess," he called back to them before disappearing into the night.

Avelyn let out a breath, beginning to pull Jaclyn in the direction of her car. "Well, that was a shitshow," she muttered, and Jaclyn chuckled bitterly.

"You can say that again," she replied, sagging against the sturdy warmth of her friend. Jaclyn had no clue how to process what had just happened, nor what to think of Dabi's actions.

Despite her best intentions, a few embers of hope flickered to life in her chest. As dangerous as it was, she couldn't help but consider that the man she still very much loved cared about her, at least a little.