Top pic credit: CrazyClarabr

Violet POV:

"This is so fucking stupid." Dabi muttered dryly, broody half lidded eyes rolling in annoyance for the location he was currently at.

Ehh, rather-the location he was basically dragged to. But, that's beside the point!

"Huh? What was that, Dabi? I couldn't hear that over the sound of you being a little bitch." Akio commented casually, looking ahead to the fair with content as we continued to wait in the entrance line.

Dabi grunted bitterly to Akio's words, keeping his hands shoved in his pockets as he looked to the colorful fairgrounds ahead with disdain.

"That's cause you have too much stupid clogging your disgusting ears." The stitched man followed up, practically hissing at the happy pair of children that unintentionally ran into his side as they passed by us.

I grinned softly at how the situation turned out, admittedly feeling a bit gleeful with such successful results.

While Dabi has proven himself to be an incredibly stubborn man when it comes to everything, he didn't need as much convincing to come to the fair like I thought he would.

After I told him we could do theeee....ehh-dance with no pants if he came with me and behaved, it was pretty smooth sailing from there. Well, smooth enough. Actually, it was kinda rocky with all of Dabi's constant grovels and complaints the entire way here. Buttt, rocky for most people is smooth for Dabi. Let's go with it!

"Ohhh, come on, Dabi. Lighten up," I reassured him sweetly, looping my arm through his own as I pulled us forward in the line. "I promise this is gonna be fun. I'm just happy you decided to come with me. It means a lot!"

Dabi barley melted into my side as I kept our frames close together, looking extra broody and mad with his black hoodie practically pulled over the entirety of his head.

Look out world, he's feeling edgy today...

"Yeah, I gotta admit, Dabs," Akio chimed in, pulling a piece of gum from his pocket as we barely moved an inch in the line.

"If I'd known the promise of sex was all it took to get you to do things, I would have offered my body to you a long time ago." My best friend continued, casually throwing a smile to some passing fans.

"Offer the chance for me to burn you to a fucking crisp and we have a deal." Dabi smirked, causing Akio to turn towards him with knowing question.

"So, you're saying you like it rough?" He teased, causing me to roll my eyes and smooth things over.

"Okay, calm down, you two. Let's save our energy for the fair. I wonder if anything has changed since last year." I commented curiously, pursing my lips in thought as I looked up to the giant entrance gate in question.

Akio hummed in agreement to my words, eyes lighting up in excitement with the memories.

"As long as they still got The Neck Breaker, then I'll be psyched." He grinned, causing me to giggle and nod in agreement.

"Huh? Who's neck do I get to break?" Dabi asked wickedly, clearly having a different version of The Neck Breaker.

I laughed softly at his words, turning to face him as we remained standing in the line to get inside.

"It's the name of a rollercoaster here, Dabi. They added it a few years ago, and it's super fun!" I said, turning to Akio now. "We'll have to hit it up a few times before we go-preferably, before I eat anything. Oof, you remember last year."

Akio chuckled heartily at the memories, whistling softly before scrunching up his nose in disgust.

"Takoyaki never did look good the second time around." He grimaced lightly, causing me to groan at the gross image and nod in agreement.

Dabi scoffed lightly at Akio and I's words, looking bored out of his mind by the excitement going on around us.

"I ain't doing any of that stupid shit, so you can count me out." He commented like a downer, causing me to chuckle softly at his stubbornness.

And while I had no interest in pursuing that particular conversation any longer, it seems Akio had a different idea-grinning at Dabi smugly as he spoke.

"Aww. What's wrong, Dabs? Are you scared of the little rollercoaster? That's just adorable." Akio taunted, biting down on his lip as he felt his composure breaking. "You know, it is for children twelve years and older. Definitely a Big Kids ride-pffff."

Akio lost his shit at the last word, blowing a raspberry from his lips before breaking out into full laughter as he teased Dabi.

I had to bite down on my own lip to keep from laughing at the comment-finding adorable humor in the image of Dabi being afraid of rollercoasters. Even if it's not true-

"Big words coming from a moron who probably doesn't even meet the height requirement." Dabi retorted dismissively, not fully denying Akio's accusation.

So, I had to ask!

"Wait, Dabi. Are you afraid of rollercoasters??" I asked gently, feeling my heart stir with warm fluff at the possible secret from such a murderous man.

The stitched man's eyes barely widened for half a second as I said the words out loud, quickly reverting back to passiveness before I had time to blink.

"Oi, I ain't afraid of shit. You wanna see fear? Look in a fucking mirror then." He said nonchalant, deciding to use my question of concern as a chance to roast me instead.

Typical!

Akio only cackled harder at Dabi's uneventful answer, hunching over in a silent laugh as he thought he had some dirt on the villain.

"Don't worry, Dabi. If you get scared, I'll cuddle you!!" Akio practically wheezed between laughs, causing the stitched man to close his exhausted eyes in full irritation and reflect on the decisions that brought him here today.

I smiled sheepishly at the teases going around, lightly shoving Akio in the stomach to shut him up, before scooting closer to Dabi.

"Well, this day is starting out on a good note, right?-you know, I think we'll all feel better when we get some drinks in our system!" I cheered with pep, trying to be the buffer who keeps all the fighting at bay.

Harder than it looks...

"Whatever. Still don't know why you find this fun. I've wasted an hour of my life in this line," Dabi started off, glaring daggers at the couple with a baby in front of us as he spoke louder. "Doesn't help that the stupid baby's shitty diaper can be smelled from here. Fucking nasty-And morons wonder why I wanna burn everyone to the ground."

Oop! Conflict!

My smile turned to nervous stone as the couple with the smelly baby turned around to glare at Dabi's words...

Only their irritated faces quickly morphed into fear as they caught sight of the stitched man's face-instantly recognizing him as the famous murderer that everyone has come to know.

Whoops!

I mean, legally, Dabi is allowed to be here-per the league of villain's deal with the hero commission. But, that doesn't mean everyone is comfortable with it. Understandably so.

And, Dabi knew his presence had been recognized, chuckling smugly as he barely leaned forward towards the terrified couple.

"Heh. Boo." He drawled out tauntingly, letting his eyes swirl mechanically with a half hearted insanity that had the couple gasping and running out of line in fear, faster than I could even blink.

"Huh? Oh! Wait!" I exclaimed, keeping my arm looped through Dabi's as the couple sprinted away. "He's not dangerous!-actually, he is-but, he's not gonna burn you!-actually, I don't know about that either-sorry! Goodbye!"

Dabi cackled like a hoodrat at the new spot that had opened up in line, stepping into it like a bully as everyone surrounding us immediately looked uneasy.

The old lady in front of us turned around hesitantly as Dabi stepped in behind her, causing the stitched man to catch her gaze and begin his whole facade once more.

"Oh? And what's the matter with you, old bat? Is there something on my face?" Dabi terrorized again with a smirk, causing the old lady's eyes to widen in fear and grab her husband's arm.

My shoulders slumped in annoyance as the old couple stepped out of line and slowly hobbled out of the area, causing Dabi to yank us forward as we had now moved up two spaces in line.

"You know what? I take it back. So far, I'm having a great fucking time." He said smugly, already narrowing his eyes on the new targets in front of us as he prepared to continue moving his way up the line.

I huffed and rolled my eyes in annoyance to Dabi's actions, hearing Akio's condescending clapping from my other side.

"Wow. Terrorizing the public one citizen at a time. Give it up for humanity's finest." Akio cheered sarcastically, wiping away fake, touched tears at Dabi's antics.

My eyes found Akio's in irritation, gesturing to the scared people around us as I spoke.

"Anddd, why didn't you say anything to ease people's fears? You're the well-known hero out of the two of us. People would feel better if you promised to protect them." I disciplined him, causing Akio to adjust his shades over his eyes as he shrugged.

"Eh. I'm off the clock right now, Vi. Besides, we did just move up two spots in line cause of how scary and disgusting he is. That's just nature running its course. Nothing out of the ordinary about it." Akio chuckled a bit sinisterly, causing me to groan at the two troublemakers I'm stuck with.

"You're both horrible." I grumbled, throwing my head up to the sky with losing patience.

Dabi grinned ferally as he zeroed in on the little boy standing one spot ahead of us, making his own fun at the fair now.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere, sunshine. Besides, we're about to move up three spots." He uttered with anticipation, wiggling his arm out of mind as he approached the kid from behind.

"Dabiiii, no! This is not what I meant when I said the fair will be fun!-" I exclaimed, unable to finish my sentence when Dabi began his next problem.

"Hey, you. Kid with the weird stain on his face." The villain man said dryly, barely tapping the kid in the back of the knee with his shoe.

Even so, the little boy barely stumbled forward from Dabi's light shove, turning around in question before he was met with the height of Dabi's knees.

The boy was forced to slowly crane his head all the way up and find the villain towering over him with a wicked smirk, causing Dabi to laugh extra sinisterly as he spoke again.

"Beat it. That's my spot." Dabi said as if he were a school bully, barely nodding his head for the kid to scram away.

I sighed tiredly as I attempted to step in and diffuse the situation-shocked into silence when the little boy spoke up. Loudly.

"Ewwww! Why does your face look like that?? It's so ugly and scary!" The kid whined naively, not seeming particularly afraid of Dabi, but curious instead.

Dabi kept up the act as he continued trying to cut his way through the line, slowly crouching down to the kid's height as he tried a different tactic.

"Oh? You really wanna know how it happened?" Dabi asked condescendingly, causing the kid to nod enthusiastically.

"Oooo! Yeah, tell the story! Tell the story!" The kid cheered excitedly, clearly thinking this story was going to have an exciting ending.

Dabi snickered mockingly as he prepared to scare the kid, pulling down the hood of his jacket to show him the full view of his scars.

"It happened," Dabi started off lowly, boring his eyes into the kid as he finished. "Because I didn't give someone my spot in line when they asked. I said no, and they did this to my face. So, you want me to do that to you? Huh? You wanna look like me?"

The kid looked at Dabi blankly as he studied his face and absorbed his words, mouth gaping wide in silence...

...before he answered-

"Yeah, I do! Can you really do that to my face? Cooooool! Can you do it now??" The kid asked excitedly, clearly too young to understand what he was really asking.

Now, Dabi was the one in shock, gaping blankly at the kid in disbelieving silence as he realized his plan failed.

"Huh?" The stitched man asked dumbly, causing me to hold in a laugh as his menacing act fell apart.

Hah. Good. Serves him right. Now, he can wait in the rest of the line like a normal person!

"What do you mean "huh?' You said you can make me look like you!" The kid said with beaming excitement, already losing his patience as he put his sassy hands on his hips and told Dabi off now.

Wow. He switched up fast!-

"Well?? Are you gonna make my face look like yours or not, mister?! I'm waiting!" The kid demanded, causing Dabi's eye to twitch with impatience as he stared at the kid.

I placed a hand of amusement over my mouth at Dabi's initial silence, knowing he'd been stumped, even if he wouldn't admit it.

He slowly rose back to his feet a few moments later, glaring at the kid as he threw his hood back on his head.

"I will if you don't shut up. Now, turn around and leave me alone. You smell." Dabi retorted crankily at his loss, waving the kid off as he resigned himself to waiting in line.

The space between the three of us went dead silent for a moment, with Akio and I looking at each other with pressed lips, before back at Dabi.

The two of us broke into cackles at Dabi's failure a few seconds later, causing the stitched man to grunt bitterly as we got on his last nerve.

"Well done, Dabi. Someone give him an Oscar." Akio laughed, forced to turn around when a fan recognized him and wanted to chat.

The small time alone gave me the opportunity to poke my own fun at Dabi, not being able to resist pushing his buttons a little more.

"Hah! Yeah, that little boy really told you off. I hope your feelings aren't hurt, Dabi." I teased lightly, sweetly curling back up to his side when he looked at me with annoyance.

His stiff body was quick to relax when I looped my arm back through his; irritation physically leaving his body as I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Someone's getting too sassy for their own good." He murmured to me, with hints of amusement threatening to creep into his voice.

I laughed and lazily turned my head in towards Dabi's neck, speaking softly as my words easily reached his ears.

"Mhm. What are you gonna do about it?" I uttered softly, barely grazing my lips to his ear before retracting.

Picking up on my hints, Dabi smirked smugly at the dirty thoughts that invaded his head...clearly still in a teasing mood as he spoke.

"Fuck you on the Ferris Wheel." He said cockily, stitched lips threatening to grin too widely when I broke out into cackles.

"Sorry to disappoint, but they don't have a Ferris Wheel here." I snickered, glad to see it was finally almost our turn in line.

The stitched man shrugged unbothered at my words, letting me pull him forward in the line as other thoughts occupied his mind.

"Then I'll make a stupid Ferris Wheel and fuck you on it." He decided, causing me to face palm in amusement as my cheeks began to flush.

"Well....at least you're motivated about something in this life." I teased, lightly nudging my side with his own as we finally approached the top of the line.

All horny thoughts immediately fizzled away at the realization that Dabi waited in line for a full hour-even if there were a few hiccups along the way. The point is, he did it!

"Ah-hah! See, Dabi?? How about that? You waited your turn in line like a good citizen!" I exclaimed, beaming at the un-enthusiastic ticket taker brightly, before continuing. "Don't you feel a sense of accomplishment now??"

Dabi looked at me boredly and then to the ticket taker, shrugging his shoulders uneventfully as he spoke.

"No. I could have been plastered at the bar an hour ago and forgotten all of this. Instead, I was forced to talk to that idiot for an hour and contemplate ending it all. Again." He said bluntly, gesturing to Akio with disgust.

Coming back to the conversation now, Akio smirked at Dabi's words, harshly hitting him in the shoulder as he handed his ticket to the assistant.

"And, yet, I still beat you to the finish line." My best friend winked, turning back to the ticket taker now.

"Are you over the Japan legal drinking age of twenty-years-old?" The ticket taker asked Akio dully, clearly feeling completely dead inside about this job.

"Yep. I'm ready to get plastered! Cuff me!" Akio announced, holding out his wrist as the attendant clasped a blue wristband on his wrist.

"Everyone with a blue wristband gets free access to the open bar," The attendant said boredly, looking down at his notes tiredly now. "Enjoy your time at the fair-and have a....fabulous fall. NEXT!"

Next came Dabi, practically tossing his ticket at the attendant, before expectantly holding his wrist out of the alcohol wristband.

The attendant looked up at Dabi, dull eyes going wide with fear as he clearly recognized him.

"A-Are you...over the age of twenty..s-sir?" The attendant asked Dabi nervously, flinching as the stitched man quickly snatched the wristband out of his shaky hands.

"Oh? I dunno. Why don't you google search me and find out." Dabi smirked, shoving the man to the side as he waltzed into the fair.

I smiled apologetically as I approached the ticket taker now, handing him my ticket as he recovered from his near death experience with Dabi.

"Sorry about him! We're still working on his social skills." I informed the attendant, holding my wrist out for the alcoholic wristband.

The attendant grabbed the wristband-seconds away from handing it to me, before he looked up from the ground and to my face.

"Oh. It's fine-huh? Wait a minute..." The attendant said with anticipation, narrowing his eyes in suspicion as he studied my face.

Huh??

Akio and Dabi lurked around the entrance as they waited for me to get inside, basically telling each other to stop breathing as they did so.

I looked at the attendant in confusion, about to ask what the problem was.

Before-

"I'm sorry, miss. But, these wristbands are only for adults over the age of twenty." The attendant said sternly, causing my smile to turn to stone.

The space went dead quiet for a moment, before a pair of cackles-obnoxious cackles from the other side of the entrance filled the air.

It was, of course, Dabi and Akio who were laughing, both men hunched over at the embarrassment that was happening to me.

I expect nothing less!

"Okayyyy," I said to the attendant dryly, trying to ignore my friends' loud laughs as I continued. "Well, good thing I'm almost three years over the drinking limit!"

I grinned happily and held my arm out for a wristband, watching the attendant look at me suspiciously.

And, my friends were no help!

"Is she even tall enough to reach the bar?" Dabi commented smugly, causing Akio to laugh louder as he jumped in.

"Not even. She was only born yesterday!" He called out, earning a glare from me.

I turned back to the attendant with a sheepish smile, only holding my wrist out for the band once more.

"Ahh, don't listen to my friends. They-" I attempted, before the attendant interrupted me.

"Miss, are you aware of the charges that could accompany when you lie to me about your drinking age?" He asked sternly, making Dabi and Akio lose it again.

Why am I always the one getting put in these situations??

"What?? Well, then it's a good thing I'm not lying! Look, i just wanna drink with my pals! You know, get uhhh, crunk??!-" I said with an awkward wave of my fist, before the attendant held his hand out.

"I.D." He said curtly, causing me to groan as I looked to my friends.

"Huh?? But, you didn't make my friends do that!!-"

"I.D. Now. Or, I'll call a hero to come arrest you. Like Ignito." The attendant said, gesturing to a waving Akio as evidence.

The irony.

I pouted in annoyance and grumbled to myself at his words, pulling out my wallet much harsher than I meant to.

"I am a hero..." I grumbled dryly, quickly handing my I.D. To the attendant.

He simply laughed and inspected my I.D., shaking his head in full disbelief to my words as he searched my validity.

"Yeah. And I'm a male model." He patronized, taking one last look at my I.D., before handing it back. "Anyways, turns out you're not lying, so here's your wristband."

I scrunched up my lips in frustration as the attendant clasped the band on my wrist, muttering annoyances under my breath as he did so.

"Welll. Look at you. Saving the day, one wristband at a time." I huffed sarcastically, causing the attendant to nod as if I had been serious.

"Got that right. Enjoy the fair, Victor." He parted casually, causing me to shake my head in defeat as I didn't even bother to correct my name.

Where's the bar again??

****

Upon entering the crowded fairgrounds, the nostalgic memories of the past came crawling back.

But, this time, these memories were good ones. Ones I wish I could relive everyday, because that was when times were good.

Before everything fell apart.

Sure, Akio and I have a tradition of coming here annually, but that's not the only reason why I do it. This fair transports me back in time. It makes me forget the tragedies that happened as I got older.

It makes me feel like I'm fourteen again, laughing and eating my way through the place with Akio.

...and Touya.

Yeah. Those were truly the days, weren't they? Hah, of course, Touya always pretended he didn't care about the fair. I basically had to drag him through the vendors and the games. But, I'd give anything to hear his little, fake complaints in my ear one more time-I'd give anything to glance over when he never expected it and see him smiling ever so slightly.

This place gives me more memories of him. It's a way for me to hold on desperately, any way I can.

Is that pathetic? Shhh!!!

My chest filled with giddy excitement, and my face flashing the brightest smile I had in awhile as Dabi, Akio, and I slowly approached the fun scene ahead of us.

Just as I remembered, endless stands of food vendors lined the grassy park-their delicious smell immediately clouding my nostrils and going right to my stomach.

The fair games and arcade were a little further away, resting along the boardwalk of the beach with many participants already lined up to win their prizes. The famous rollercoaster that Akio and I had been talking about stood high at the back of the fairgrounds, doing three loops in a row that already made me pleasantly sick to my stomach.

And, of course, the same thing I remember every year...people look happy. Whether its a pair of kids sharing some ice cream, a family taking pictures of their baby at his first fair, or two friends laughing over a drink at the bar...people look happy.

It's contagious! I can't help but feel spontaneous and excited at the sight.

But, maybe that's just because Dabi's here with me. On our first, official, not-date!

"Wow, this place hasn't changed a bit, huh?" I said warmly, looping my arm through Dabi's as we slowly walked through the crowds.

The action is something he never seems to have a problem with. In fact, it almost feels like he welcomes the touch, as his body always melts against mine when I do it.

But, of course...still trying to play off the moment, the stitched man grunted dryly in reply-scoffing in broody annoyance at the pair of kids that practically ran into him as they passed by our lazy walking path.

"You can say that again. I don't see what's so fucking great about this place. Still smells like shit and broken dreams." The stitched man grumbled, standing out among the colorful fair grounds like an emo sore thumb.

Akio chuckled slightly at Dabi's words, waving at some of the vendors as we strolled by them.

"Funny. That's what you smell like." My best friend smirked, involuntarily stepping two paces to the side in the event that Dabi would burn him.

But, something about Dabi's words stood out to me quite a bit, making me more curious about his past as I spoke eagerly.

"Wait. What do you mean it still smells like that? Dabi, have you been to the fair before??" I asked with excitement, causing the stitched man's eyes to widen ever so slightly before they returned to half lidded normalcy.

The idea of a young Dabi at the fair made my heart warm. While my mind refuses to let me even imagine what the stitched man could have looked like when he was younger, I let myself believe that maybe he was happy.

However, I couldn't think about a younger Dabi for too long. The more I tried to imagine the possibility, the more I felt my heart starting to race. The more I suddenly felt a cold sweat forming on the back of my neck, and a bitter taste of panic in my mouth-

"No. But, I've been to prison. Same shit." The broody man cut in obnoxiously, thankfully dragging me out of my own thoughts before I had time to dwell on them.

I blinked away the odd tension that had suddenly loomed over my body and mind, not wanting to reflect on the weird moment.

Instead, I grabbed onto Dabi's arm a little tighter for comfort, ensuring he wouldn't randomly disappear before my very eyes. He looked down at me in question for my sudden death grip, causing me to speak quickly and continue the conversation so he wouldn't think something was wrong with me.

Because nothing's wrong with me. I'm fine...

"Really now?" I started off, gesturing towards the colorful vendor coming up on our right. "Well, well. Do they have delicious ice cream in prison? I don't think so."

"Arson's the best dessert, sunshine. I'll prove it to you." He smirked, already scoping out the frilly fairgrounds as if it was about to be his next personal barbecue.

I pursed my lips in thought to his words, humming in delight at a delicious smelling takoyaki stand on my left.

"You think?" I asked with consideration, feeling my next words blurt out of my mouth without a second thought. "Well-why don't we bet on it then?"

Dabi's brows raised slightly at my unpredictable words, meeting my gaze with smug curiosity as he played into my idea for the time being.

"Huh? What are you on about now?" He uttered lazily, trying to hide his interest that had been peaked.

I felt my veins tingling with a little excitement at my uncharacteristic spontaneity, letting my endorphins increase with every passing second.

"You think committing crimes and arson is most fun. I think ice cream and fairs are better. So!! I bet, that by the end of this day, I can at least get you to honestly admit that you-wait for it-had a good time today." I said with a taunting gasp, knowing that such a statement coming from Dabi would be sooo scandalous to his reputation.

The broody murderer 'Dabi' actually enjoying himself at a social function? Impossible!

Hah...well, it actually might be impossible-

"Oh? Are you saying that you're gonna let me burn this place to the shitter after I prove you wrong?" He said with a bit of feral intent, eyeing the cute, fluffy, stuffed teddy bear at one of the stands as his first victim.

I remained silent as I took in his words, cringing as I decided to...revamp them for everyday society a bit!

"Okayyy-well, ummm...so not quite-why don't we make the terms a little more civil." I said, pursing my lips as I tried to think of some prizes for this bet.

To make it interesting for Dabi, I need to give him a prize that would motivate him to participate in this little game.

"Civil and me don't go together, little sapphire." He chuckled lowly, before my best friend popped back up next to us.

"Yeah. Neither does you and deodorant." Akio snickered rudely, once again stepping two paces to the side to avoid being flamed.

"Oh? Trying saying that six feet under." Dabi drawled out mockingly, making his daily-no, hourly threat on Akio's life.

Ah-hah! That's it! The lightbulb moment!

"Oh! I've got it, Dabi! If you win, you can punch Akio in the face!" I beamed brightly, causing my best friend to drop his jaw in offense.

"Huh!??" Akio exclaimed over Dabi's lazy cackles of careless victory.

He's just happy that Akio finally seems caught off guard by something.

"Well, Mr. Number Twelve Hero," I smirked a little bit too deviously for my own character, feeling the lax vibes of the environment fueling my words. "You've been provoking Dabi all morning with your little jokes. It's only fair that a little karma comes back to burn you after awhile."

Dabi let out a small scoff as he entered the conversation now, subtly looking around the colorful premise through half lidded eyes.

"Please, as if I wasn't gonna beat the shit outta him, anyways." He reminded us nonchalant, causing Akio to wave him off dismissively as we walked.

"Trueee, but before, I would have been mad at you for doing it. For today, if you agree to the bet, I will cheer you on!" I grinned widely, holding up a thumbs up that made the corners of Dabi's lips curl into a smirk.

He hummed lowly in delight at the image of me cheering him on as he pummeled my best friend, not even noticing his hand coming out of his pocket for the first time today, before it came to rest on my lower back.

Ahh, but I noticed it...

I felt my lower abdomen flip with heat as Dabi's hand settled dangerously low on the small of my back, holding in a heavy breath as his fingertips dug into the thin material of my dress.

Oof. Once again, it's always the violence that gets him hot and bothered huh?!

"Fine. Whatever." The stitched man concluded boredly, letting his lips curl into a feral, competitive grin. "Let's do this shit. Hope you like that lampshade fucker barbecued."

"Uhhh, hello??" Akio cut in with slight annoyance, waving his hands around to be noticed by Dabi and I. "Is anyone gonna ask me how I feel about this??"

"No." Dabi and I said simultaneously, causing me to break out into laughter at Akio's dropped jaw.

But, even so, I gave my best friend a friendly wink-letting him know he could drop out of the outrageous bet at any time.

I know him too well though...

"Eh, fine. Gimme a hundred yen and I'll do it." Akio agreed casually, shrugging his shoulders in content as he resumed browsing the vendor tents.

"Deal," I laughed, melting deeper into Dabi's hold as I continued the terms, "But, Dabi, if I win and get you to admit that you had fun today..."

"Which you won't." He reminded me smugly, already seeming as if he was starting to lighten up a bit.

"Thennnn, hmmmm..." I started off, biting down on my lip as I thought of something mischievous.

Ooooo...

A small smirk began to creep onto my face as I leaned closer to Dabi, easily finding his ear as I snaked my arm around his shoulders.

"Then, you have to do whatever I say for one night..." I whispered seductively, snaking my fingers up to twirl a few hairs at the nape of his neck.

While I was too close to see his face, I saw the way his stitched cheeks barely stretched back to show he was grinning, before I felt his fingers grip my waist tightly.

"No promises, sunshine. But, I'll humor you for now." He chuckled smugly, slowly turning his head towards mine with suggestion.

I met his knowing eyes with mine for a moment, temporarily forgetting where we were as I shamelessly trailed my gaze to Dabi's lips with want.

But, the delicious smells and loud laughs were quick to cool things down, causing me to back away from Dabi's face with a bit of tease as I grabbed his wrist.

"Good!" I chirped brightly, starting to pull him along the fairgrounds with more purpose, "then, let's get started!"

***

"Okay, Dabi!," I announced happily, turning around to face him as I spoke. "in order to give the bet my best shot, I must show you the full fair experience. And that starts with the food! Ta-daaa!"

We reached the delicious looking street food tent in a second, causing me to excitedly stand next to it and gesture grandly to all the options Dabi could choose.

The broody man looked at me boredly for a moment, before looking to the food options, scrunching up his nose in rebellious disgust as he gave his verdict.

"Looks like diarrhea on a stick." He commented stubbornly, not giving a crap at the offended glare the cashier gave him.

"An uncanny resemblance to yourself, wouldn't you say." Akio chimed in with a laugh, knocking Dabi's shoulder from behind as he went to choose an item for himself.

I quickly scurried back to Dabi when he remained unmoving, gently dragging his arm over to the vendor to order the food.

"Come on! Don't be shy. Dig right in. Let's start with some drinks." I explained, pointing to the delicious looking bottles displayed on the shelves.

"Finally, something worth my time. I've been waiting to get shit faced for hours." Dabi complained mockingly, chuckling victoriously when he sensed I was getting annoyed.

"Noooo, its not time for those, yet!" I huffed in annoyance, scurrying back to the cashier counter with excitement. "These are non-alcoholic drinks. A safe, responsible party in a cup!"

I grinned brightly as I held up a decorative bottle of cherry soda-with a sticker of a kawaii tiger giving a thumbs up!

Dabi looked at the frilly drink through half lidded eyes, seeming very not thrilled about the appearance of it.

"Wow. You're not doing yourself any favors with this bet, so far." He commented nonchalant, shoving his hands back into his broody, little pockets.

I rolled my eyes with hints of challenge to his words, setting the drink back on the cashier counter, before holding up two fingers for another drink.

Slowly, I made my way back to Dabi as the cashier went to get the second drink, watching his eyes locked on my lazy moving frame shamelessly.

"You know, you don't always need to be drunk or high to have a good time, Dabi." I informed him humorously, lightly grabbing onto his arms once I reached his spot.

I gently pulled on his arms to get them out of his pockets, surprised when he actually let me do so.

"Says the prude who's never had more than one sip of wine in her entire life." He teased smugly, allowing me to extend his arms forward and lazily intertwine our hands together.

"So what?" I asked with challenge, laughing softly when I pulled Dabi closer to me by his arms.

"I dunno, Vi. I'm with the corpse on this one." Akio commented from the corner with a mouthful of food, "Can't know how much fun drinking is, if you've never really experienced it."

I groaned in light annoyance to his words, comfortably fiddling around with Dabi's fingers as I spoke.

"I don't need to experience it. I highly doubt I'm missing out on much." I said confidently, causing my best friend's eyes to light up with challenge as he came walking back over.

"You think? Then, prove it." Akio grinned, popping a scoop of ice cream into his mouth with content.

"What!? How??-" I laughed in slight disbelief, only able to imagine what he had in mind for me this time.

But, Akio seemed to know exactly where he was going with this, snapping his fingers in confirmation as he spoke excitedly.

"Better yet-let's make it another bet!" He said smugly, wiggling his brows with cheeky anticipation.

Dabi grunted in disagreement to his words, rolling his eyes at the fun going around the room.

"Jesus. What's with you morons and your stupid, fucking bets-" He complained, before Akio continued.

"I will only agree to let Dabi punch me in the face today-if you down at least two drinks at the bar later." He challenged me in amusement, causing my shoulders to relax in relief at the statement.

That's it? Two drinks? Easy enoug-

"Yeah right. She'll be on the fucking floor after that." Dabi cackled slightly, shaking his head humorously as he seemed to have no faith in me.

Uhhhhh, excuse me??

"What?! No, I wont! Just two? I can handle that, Dabi. Easy!" I defended passionately, feeling my own-previously non-existent, competitive side suddenly kicking in.

"Cool. So, it's a bet then?" Akio asked, grinning in good fun as he taunted his opponent (that's me!),"unless, you don't think you can handle it."

Finding entertainment in my growing annoyance, Dabi surprisingly jumped on the bandwagon with Akio this time, unknowingly letting himself loosen up at the fair, little by little as he spoke.

"A prude like her? Of course she can't handle it." He teased, tilting his head at me mockingly when I glared at him.

"I can handle it just fine! I'll down two drinks later-heck, I'll down four. Five. Six!!-" I challenged, trailing off when I felt Dabi's hand curl back around my waist to calm me down.

I scrunched up my lips stubbornly, unable to keep my competitive streak going as my body warmed in his hold.

He chuckled lowly in amusement to my attitude, leaning down towards my face as he spoke with finality.

"We'll see about that, sunshine." He whispered into my hair, voice simultaneously condescending and soft.

Curse him for making my stomach flip again.

"I guess we will-though, as we already established, the bar comes later." I pointed out, gliding my way out of Dabi's arms before walking back towards the food vendor. "For now, we're still participating in my bet."

"A waste of time, considering you're losing so far-something I'm sure you're used to." Dabi said smugly, taking his bottom lip between his teeth with tease.

If he keeps looking so hot like that...I'm gonna have a real problem!

I cleared my throat and turned my attention towards the food vendor to regain my focus, thanking him for the tray of delicious looking street food, before making my way back to Dabi.

"Dabi, rule number sixteen-" I announced, causing the stitched man to unwillingly show amusement and let out a small scoff.

Little by little, he began to let his broody guard down, uncrossing his arms and relaxing his shoulders as he looked at me with a smirk.

"Oh my god. You've still been keeping track of the rules after all this time? Jesus-" He half heartedly complained, before I resumed my words.

"No one is a loser when they have a good ol' plate of yakisoba." I grinned, setting the tray full of food down on one of the standing tables next to him.

My filled-to-the-brim tray seemed to grab someone else's attention, too-before I found Akio hovering over my shoulder from behind.

"Oooo, you're so right, Vi. Always right. The smartest person in the world-is that taiyaki?" He asked, causing me to laugh and roll my eyes as I waved him on.

"Take it." I said knowingly, causing Akio to waste no time snatching the fish shaped sweet cake off the tray and into his mouth.

Well, that was quick!

"Always such a fucking mooch." Dabi nagged as Akio munched on the food I bought, clearly just trying to be a pain in the ass since he didn't seem interested in the items himself.

Akio let out a loud, over-exaggerated groan of content for his snack, licking the residual custard from his fingers before turning back to us with satisfaction.

"Ah. It's not mooching, Dabi, when you actually have the money to return the favor," Akio gloated, glowing with pride as he pulled out his thickly packed wallet. "Something I know your crusty ass ain't familiar with."

The stitched man shrugged and looked at the wallet humorously, having a knowing glint to his eyes when he spoke his next words mockingly.

"Who gives a fuck about that when you'll always be a dumpster roach?" He asked rhetorically, causing Akio's smile to falter ever so slightly at the dig.

Considering Akio's rough past, that comment was more personal than Dabi realized.

I let out a small sigh at the brief silence that ensued between us, not wanting the day to turn sour as I tried to patch things up.

"Dabi, come on. You can't say things like-" I reprimanded, unable to finish as Akio quickly perked back up.

"Eh, it's fine-listen, Vi, I'm going to the milkshake stand-strawberry shake with chocolate syrup mixed in?" He asked me nonchalant, slowly backtracking away from the two of us to split for a bit.

Understandably, I think he just wants to get away from Dabi for a minute. Can't blame him after that!

"Oh-Yes, please!" I smiled, causing Akio to nod and turn to Dabi now.

"Cool, cool-Dabi, you want anything? Maybe a new face?" He asked, gesturing to his own cheek tauntingly.

"As long as its not as gross as yours." the broody man drawled out boredly, causing Akio to adjust the sunglasses over his face with ease.

"Sticks and stones, Dabs. Sticks and stones." My best friend snickered, turning on his heel and strolling his way to the ice cream line.

I smiled in amusement to Akio's words, feeling the pure curl of my lips morph into something more mischievous as I turned my attention back to Dabi.

He kept his head level, lowering just his eyes down to me with light question as he sensed my excitement.

"Oh? And what the hell's gotten into you? You got that look." He murmured, voice much warmer and more relaxed now that Akio had left.

Before, he still carried hints of his diabolical reputation, clearly still trying to put on his show. But, not anymore.

This is the side of him I like the best. The side that people don't understand, because they don't even believe it exists.

But, I've been lucky enough to see it does exist. While maybe he didn't want to, Dabi unintentionally showed me it was there. He can't take it back now...

I hummed softly in content as I approached him closer, smushing my chest up to his as I looked into his eyes.

Eyes that are so blue. Eyes that bring me so much comfort-too much comfort for someone like him.

"What look?" I uttered lowly, not even recognizing the sultry sound of my voice as I leaned into Dabi deeper.

He held my gaze as I did so, snaking his hands to my waist while a cheeky smirk crept onto his face.

"That look. The one that says you're about to fuck up my life somehow." He drawled out lazily, giving my curves a squeeze before leaning closer towards my lips.

I rolled my eyes lightly and reached for one of the food items on our tray, noticing the way Dabi's hands refused to leave my sides as I did so.

Good. I don't ever want his hands to leave my body again...

The slight space I'd created in grabbing the food was quickly closed by Dabi as he immediately smushed my frame back up against his, causing me to chuckle and look his way once more with a playful brow raised.

"Ohhh, please. If yakisoba and taiyaki are the things to make me....mess-"

"Fuck-"

"-up your life, then I dont know what to say." I finished dismissively, looking back down towards the cup of shaved ice that sat in my hands.

Only I didn't get to focus on the food for very long as I felt Dabi's fingers come under my chin a few moments later, gently craning it back up towards his lips that now held a deeper smirk than before.

His eyes looked hungry, but not for the shaved ice.

"It's not the food that's fucking me up, little sapphire." He whispered lowly, hot breath tickling the tip of my nose with every word.

I know what he's trying to do though. He's trying to get me hot and bothered enough to leave the fair early.

And, you know what? It's working!

But, I won't let him win this game.

"Good," I smiled knowingly, slowly lifting the cup of shaved ice to create more distance between us. "Then, I'm sure you have no problem taking a bite."

That seemed to be the wrong sentence to say as Dabi bit down on his lip mischievously, slowly sliding his hands lower down my side as he looked down to my lips.

"Oh. I'll take a bite." He murmured, trying to lean in and close the remaining distance between us.

And while I had a lot of R-rated images flashing through my mind at how good it would feel to cave in and just kiss him, it seems I also have some stubborn bones in my body that refuse to budge.

I wanna win this bet. I wanna make Dabi admit he had fun today.

"Good," I said at full volume, causing Dabi's half lidded eyes to roll in annoyance as he sensed I wouldn't budge. "Open wide."

Sensing I wasn't planning to give into his wishes anytime soon, the stitched man barely leaned away from me and glared, seeming just as much annoyed as he was sexually frustrated.

Good! All the makings for a fun time, am I right??

I dunked the plastic spoon into the delicious looking shaved ice, getting a pretty good looking bite atop it, before holding it towards Dabi's mouth.

And, while I just expected Dabi to grab the spoon from me and feed himself, he apparently interpreted the action differently.

"Oh, hell no." he deadpanned, looking down at the spoon as if it were the devil-or, in Dabi's case, as if it were an angel.

"What?" I asked honestly, looking down at the shaved ice in confusion as if there was something wrong.

"Don't even try." Dabi followed up blandly, only becoming more vague.

"Try what?-"

"To feed me. What am I? A fucking baby?" He asked rhetorically, causing me to look at him blankly before it registered.

Oh. I mean, that's not what was going through my mind when I held the spoon out to him. Is that what he was thinking?

Maybe he secretly wants me to feed him!

"Well, I wasn't gonna feed you. But, I certainly can. Sooo-open up!" I chirped out happily, slowly starting to push the spoon towards Dabi's mouth with a chuckle.

Dabi rolled his eyes at my new shift in perspective, craning his neck backwards to create more distance between himself and the moving spoon.

"Get that thing away from me. Or I'll kill you." He threatened casually, earning a few terrified, concerned glances from some passerbys.

Ahhh, I don't care though. It's not a normal day if Dabi doesn't threaten to murder me at least once!

In fact, it only made me laugh louder as I brought the spoon closer to Dabi, causing him to scrunch up his nose in disgust and crane his head to the sky.

And, yet, he kept his arms around me...not making much effort to move away from our spot.

I mean, if he really didn't want me to feed him, he could always walk away from me.

Buttt, he's not doing that.

"Here comes the train!" I patronized with a cackle now, finally closing the distance of the spoon to Dabi's mouth.

I blew a raspberry from my mouth as he tightly pressed his lips closed to ensure the spoon wouldn't go past his lips, unintentionally smearing the custardy shaved ice across his mouth.

"Dabi, what are you doing!! Come on! Just eat it!" I laughed loudly, not missing the way his pressed lips wanted to curl into a smug smile.

The more I laughed, the more Dabi remained stubborn and kept his lips pressed together to avoid the shaved ice-causing me to smear more of it across his lips in a fit of cackles.

"If you don't open your mouth, I'm gonna spread this entire cup all over your face!!" I exclaimed with glee, reaching my spoon back down into the cup to grab another scoop.

Once the spoon was away from his face and his guard had been dropped, Dabi quickly gripped my chin and pulled my face forward without a word, surprising the absolute hell out of me as he smashed my lips into his.

My fit of giggles continued, as I know he did the action to intentionally smear the residues of shaved ice from his lips to my own-and he did, un-sexily rubbing his lips back and forth against mine to wipe his face.

It felt good to laugh like this. I can't remember the last time I laughed so good as Dabi dirtied my face with the custard. My sounds escaped my mouth and entered his own, practically breathing his good mood to life as he chuckled quietly.

And a few moments later, I couldn't take it anymore as I brought Dabi in for a real kiss now, snaking my hands to the back of his neck as I captured his mouth on my own.

He was quick to reciprocate, immediately deepening the kiss for something more.

His low groan of content reverberated into my mouth. Remnants of the shaved ice from his lips tickled my tongue, only causing me to hum in delight and get a better taste.

I never used to be one for PDA. Not until Dabi, anyways.

But, still, I want to be respectful to others around us.

I smiled into Dabi's kiss for a little longer, slowly pulling away a few moments later to find his eyes.

"Well..." I breathed out in question, feeling a bit giddy and lightheaded from the moment. "How did it taste?"

He looked down at me with a bit of cocky pride, not bothering to wipe the last bit of custard from the corner of his mouth as he spoke.

"Pretty damn good." He said suggestively, swiping his thumb along my bottom lip to catch the remaining food from my face.

I rolled my eyes as he sucked his finger clean of the dessert, shaking my head softly as I looked at him with anticipation.

"Well, then. Seems I may win this bet, after all." I murmured, giving my brows a small wiggle of suggestion.

Dabi hummed lazily in stubborn disagreement, blue eyes glinting with a bit of real challenge now as he spoke lightly.

"Don't be so sure, sunshine. We still got this whole damn fair to get through."

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Next Chapter Title: A Man Of Leisure.