Top pic credit: birf

Violet POV:

While I seriously hoped the events of last night were a dream, waking up in a snotty nosed heap on the floor quickly let me know that they weren't.

Of course not. That would have been too good to be true-waking up next to Dabi the way I always do. Rolling over in his warm bed, hugging him and telling him about the horrible nightmare I had last night. The nightmare where he left me for another woman.

Normally, I'd be able to already guess his response before he's said it. I figured he'd say something reassuring, but not too reassuring. Warm, but not too warm. Such as 'I don't like anyone else enough to fuck around with 'em. Heh, I barely even like you.'

That last sentence would have only been said by him to play off the first one. He doesn't like anyone else enough to mess around with, but God forbid he stop it there and allude that maybe, just maybe he likes me.

Regardless, being wrapped around his finger like I have been the last ten months, I would have desperately found the compliment in there somewhere. I would have smiled and been pathetically reassured, and carried on as normal.

Cause I'd have no reason to believe otherwise. His actions towards me would have been enough to convince me he was telling the truth.

But, things change, I guess.

Or, did they ever change? Did he ever change?

Maybe the only thing that changed was the addition of clarity into my mind. The hard reality that, maybe,I never got to know Dabi as well as I thought I did.

The hard reality that he really was playing a sick, twisted game with me for these last ten months. That it was all a lie, even if I can't really believe it myself.

You saw it with your own eyes last night, Violet. You'd have no reason to believe otherwise.

Yes, that's right. I did see it last night. I saw everything clear. Watched as Dabi was prepared to sleep with another woman-a random woman, right in front of my eyes.

So, regardless of what my delusions try to convince me of, that is the physical evidence. It's time to start convincing myself of it.

I sniffled softly as I let my tear crusted eyes open halfway, seeing the plain ceiling of our hotel room meeting my fuzzy gaze.

A small stretch of my muscles caused me to wince instantly and grab my lower back, making me realize that sleeping on the cold, hard floor in the middle of winter wasn't the kindest thing to put my body through last night.

Even so, a slight warmth lingers on my blanket.

My mind wants to convince me that Dabi came over when I asleep, holding me and heating me up for hours. It even goes so far as to imagine he was gently stroking my hair, not getting a wink of sleep as soft, heavy breaths of sorrow repeatedly left his lips.

But, once again, the physical evidence is that I woke up alone. Dabi's not here. He's not even in his bed. I don't know where he is. Maybe he's gone for good, or maybe he went to keep his prostitute company for the day.

I don't really know the guy. So, how am I supposed to know where he went.

My tired stare at the ceiling slowly morphed into a cranky glare as my mind came to full consciousness. And, while I would have loved to lay and mope around on the floor for the majority of the day, the reality is that I'm legitimately freezing right now. I'd like to see if the power came back on, in the form of a nice, hot shower.

"Alright..." I sighed tiredly, fighting the aching scream of my back as I slowly sat up on the floor.

Thinking I was alone in the place, my heart jumped in surprise as the door to the bathroom abruptly opened, causing me to look over and see the person I actually wasn't expecting.

Dabi walked out of the steamy bathroom lazily, wet hair looking a darker shade of black-as if he'd dyed it.

He towel dried it as he walked, completely dressed and apparently ready to take on the day now as I lay like a crusty hobo on the ground.

...did we suddenly switch places, or something??

His gaze immediately went to my spot on the floor to see if I was still there, scoffing slightly when I was.

"Told you you'd get a snotty nose if you slept there. Fucking moron." He uttered dryly, turning his eyes away from me with disinterest now.

My brows furrowed down in irritation with his words, my chest heating up with residual anger from the night before.

Not wanting to speak with him, I simply sniffled up my....snot......slowly trying to get my stiff body off the floor as if I was ninety years old-

"Pick it up, grandma." Dabi said crankily from the other side of the room. "I ain't waiting for your slow ass all day."

Why wait for me at all?!

I let out a very unattractive grunt while I finally got to my feet, keeping my back to him as I slowly made my way towards the bathroom.

"Ufgh. Don't you have....like....someone to screw today, or whatever? You can go." I waved to him without a glance, practically hobbling to the bathroom like a drunken hobo.

He easily brushed past my slow walking pace, going into the kitchen for a snack.

And he's actually eating breakfast, while I'm emotionally hungover? You can't convince me we somehow didn't switch places last night...

"Nah. Not on Mondays." He snickered like a complete dick, seeming more like himself now as he grabbed a cigarette off the counter instead of the banana.

I stopped walking at his words, surprised he was making jokes about last night so soon.

But, I really shouldn't be surprised. Like I have to keep reminding myself, I never really knew him.

And, honestly? I'm not sure I really want to. Not today, at least.

"Great." I said blandly, thankful the bathroom door was almost in my reach. "Well, I'll be out all day. So....figure something out for yourself."

Dabi leaned back against the counter as he watched my stiff body struggle to walk the last few steps, obviously not offering me any help.

"Nice try. Your stupid beloved plant shop is closed today." He retorted, causing me to mentally punch the air at the realization.

Damn it.

That's where I was gonna go! Nothing helps heartbreak like buying a new azalea!!!

And, hold on-how does he even know I enjoy Plants Emporium when he doesn't care?? Ooo, this guy!!! He's pushing my buttons, I tell ya!

"....well, good thing I wasn't planning on going there-" I tried, unattractively wiping the dripping snot from my nose.

Ughhhh. I don't care how I look right now. Shut up.

It's fine. I'll just go to that coffee shop down the street and get an allergy sensitive scone. Irritable bowel who? Not this girl!-

"That dumb coffee place is out of your shitting scones, so don't think about that either." Dabi came back casually, causing my bloodshot eyes to widen in frustration.

Why does he know me so well when he says he can't stand me?!?! It's really annoying.

"...how many times do I have to tell you they aren't....pooping scones." I said lowly, not realizing how ridiculous and funny my lethal threat probably sounded. "They are allergy sensitive scones for my irritable-"

"Don't say bowel-" Dabi cut off in disgust, closing his eyes in annoyance as I accentuated the last word.

"Bowellllll." I said much too aggressively, flipping my tangled, ratty hair off my shoulder as I reached the bathroom door.

Sure. Some girls get hotter after a breakup. I just channel my inner hobo, I guess.

Dabi scrunched up his nose at my word, breaking a countless house rule as he lit his cigarette inside the room now.

My face flashed with more irritation, causing me to open my mouth to protest before he did first.

"Well, figure out your bowels later. We got shit to do today, so hurry up. Like I said, I ain't waiting for you all day." Dabi dismissed, watching my eyes of fury zero in on his lit cigarette now.

Though my anger dissipated into confusion for his words now, causing my eyes to look up and finally meet his for the first time today.

And, I gotta say...I wasn't expecting to see him look like that.

The guy looks worse than I do if that's possible. Even though he just showered, he looked like he rolled right out of bed. His clothes were clean, yet still crumpled. Dark circles were deeply set under his eyes as if he didn't sleep a single minute last night.

And his face looked sunken and pale. Cheek stitches slightly swollen, with fresh blood threatening to spill from them at any second.

He only met my eyes for a few seconds, lingering slightly before quickly looking away.

Sensing I was looking at his state, he casually turned his back to me...grabbing a random cup from the cabinet as if he was getting some water. Except, he never did.

"What are we supposed to do today?" I asked raspily, curious to see what Dabi would say.

Especially since there hasn't been one day since we've started this mission where he seemed interested in doing something helpful.

He turned back to face me a few moments later, rolling his eyes at my growing irritation for his smoking before putting out his cigarette on the nice quartz.

"Met with that clown guy, the other day." He shrugged, causing my gloomy attention to slowly perk up.

"What?!" I asked in shock, throwing the depression blanket off my shoulders. "When? Without me?"

"It was when your phone didn't have service, so he got desperate and called me. You were in the mountains with that masked mute and that other idiot." He explained lazily, making my heart flinch again.

He knew I was in the mountains. So, that means he did see all the text messages I was sending him. He just didn't respond.

Ugh. Focus on the mission. Now's not the time to keep thinking about my failed relationship-whatever, with Dabi.

After all, this is the whole reason we're here, right? To do this mission.

Trying to put personal feelings aside, I cleared my throat and gained professionalism as I spoke.

"What did he say?"

"I dunno, I was barely fucking listening." Dabi started off carelessly, yet proceeded to explain the situation as if he had listened. "The bedazzled bitch is relying on your crystals to make his shit. Yours and some other thing."

"What other thing?" I asked, causing him to roll his eyes.

"Who knows. The clown guy gave me these shitty things though." Dabi said, impatiently gesturing to the little, black devices on the counter.

When did those even get there?!

Gaining back more of my eagerness, I quickly walked over to the counter, picking up the devices to see they were cameras.

Very small cameras. The kind that can blend in anywhere.

Dabi watched me study the devices, looking to them with disdain as he continued.

"Four Eyes wants us to put those in that Sparkly Shit's office and see what he's up to. That's what we're doing today." Dabi explained in his own language, stretching his arms over his head tiredly.

....well, that was the worst assignment briefing in history!

But, even so, I understood what Dabi was asking. I know this, because I suddenly felt a pit of dread settling in my stomach...not quite prepared for...such an assignment.

"So...The Boss wants us to bug Midas' office with cameras and...spy on him?" I confirmed slowly, not knowing why my voice sounded a little deflated towards the end.

After all-like I said before, our number one priority is the mission.

Dabi seemed to notice the oddness of my voice as well, raising a brow of nagging curiosity to my attitude.

"Got a problem with that?" He asked a little lower, narrowing his eyes as he studied me closely.

His question took me off guard. It took me off guard cause theres not even a reason to assume I'd have a problem with that!

"Huh?-no! No. Of course not." I defended quickly, causing Dabi's shoulders to relax a bit.

Why does he even care?

Hell, why does he even care about this particular assignment at all? He's never cared about the others.

Ugh. Regardless, there's no time to question it-to question anything.

I'm a hero, who's on a mission, and I was just given an assignment by my boss. There's no questions about that. I just do it.

"Give me ten minutes to get ready."

******

The next hour of getting out of our hotel room and to Midas' mansion went by much too quickly for my liking. But, I guess that's typical of the things we dread.

I let out a stressful sigh as Dabi and I stood at the walkway entrance to the familiar, gigantic house...trying not to draw so much attention to myself with nervous pacing.

"Ohhh. I gotta bad feeling about this." I uttered quietly, forcing my anxious feet to stand in place for less suspicion.

Dabi rolled his eyes at my words, leaning against one of the freshly cut hedges with arms crossed.

"That's your own fault. Told you that smoothie you were chugging this morning had dairy." He said bluntly, causing me to groan and turn to him with a glare.

"That's not the bad feeling I'm talking about, you...two-timer!" I hissed, ignoring the minor dairy upset my stomach was actually experiencing.

....they should really label those smoothie bottles better.

"Who still says 'two-timer?' What are you, ninety?" Dabi snickered rudely, apparently more interested in the damn word itself than what he actually did.

Ugh. I can't stand him right now.

"Enough of this." I sighed in exasperation, waving him off as I looked to the endless, paved walkway to the place. "I really don't see how this mission is gonna work without us getting caught."

Dabi hummed with disinterest to my concerns, obnoxiously plucking one of the carefully placed flowers from the bushes before incinerating it in his hand.

"I don't see what your problem is. Not like we haven't already done this shit before." He mumbled impatiently, sprinkling his flower litter on the stone pavement now.

I furrowed my brows down in annoyance as he plucked another flower, reaching out and grabbing his wrist to pull him away from the foliage.

This is no time to murder plants.

"Yeah, Dabi. We did something like this before-and got caught by Euphoria, murdered her, and ended forcibly joining Midas' gang. Does that sound like success to you?" I asked rhetorically, already regretting my words when they brought a smirk to Dabi's face.

"Hell yeah. I've been wanting to murder that bitch for months. Just another check off my to-do list. Heh, and you say I'm not productive." He replied carelessly, causing me to look at him with a deadpan stare before giving up.

I released his wrist quickly when he was far enough away from the plants, rubbing my face with my hands as I tried to get myself together.

I'm so nervous to do this. What's interesting is that I'm more nervous to do it, now that I've actually become acquainted with Midas.

The pit of dread in my stomach is really making its presence known.

Not to mention...

"His army has doubled in size, in case you didn't notice." I explained, nodding for Dabi to look ahead to the countless people crowding the entrance. "If we got caught last time, what makes you think we won't get caught with more people watching us?"

Dabi was quickly losing interest in this particular conversation now, shrugging his shoulders carelessly as he looked to all the new bodies ahead of us.

"Jesus, so what? You already know the answer to that. It's the same one you've known for months. If we get caught, we get to let loose and kill 'em all anyways. It's a win-win. Why are you acting all weird about it now?" He asked, causing my heart to suddenly jump as if I'd been caught.

Caught in what though? I didn't do anything wrong. I shouldn't be feeling so on edge and nervous like that for no reason...

"I..I'm not-" I tried a little less convincing than I meant, closing my eyes when Dabi cut me off quickly.

"You are. So, lemme knock some sense back into that thick skull of yours-" he argued, turning towards me now with stern eyes. "don't forget this guy's the one we're after, you hear me? He can spew his pretentious bullshit about 'making the world better' this, and 'jewels' that, and 'I'm fucking perfect, blah, blah, blah.' But, that doesn't mean he ain't an asshole. Got it?"

His words caused a strange sense of anger to stir in my heart. I attributed it to his actions in the last twenty-four hours, assuming I was still incredibly angry with everything that happened.

Yeah. That's gotta be it. Because there's no other reason I should be upset when Dabi talks bad about Midas.

"Yeah. I always knew it. You don't need to remind me-" I said a little lower, before he continued ruthlessly.

"He'd murder you in a second, if it was beneficial for him-"

"I get it, Dabi-"

"He'd throw you to the side for a fucking penny. You're nothing to him. He's using you, and you're nothing more than a material resource-" he explained, causing the words to hit a little too close to home when they came from him.

"Are we still talking about how Midas sees me?" I interrupted him passive aggressively, not necessarily meaning to say such a thing.

Mostly, because I didn't want to admit to myself that this is actually how Dabi sees me, even if he doesn't realize it.

The words seemed to catch him off guard as well, blue eyes widening slightly with a look I couldn't decipher as he backed off a bit.

"Huh? And what the fuck does that mean?" He said with the intention to threat, yet his voice came out softer than he meant it as he clearly knew the answer.

I sighed with agitation at the conversation I unintentionally opened, not wanting to delve into it at this exact moment.

After all, Dabi and I haven't really spoken about what I walked in on last night. Sure, we yelled and we fought. We insulted each other and and slept in separate beds.

But, no we haven't really spoken of it and had The conversation. We never talked about where we would go from here, or how this would affect our situation.

We never officially ended things-or, fixed them. I never got to hear straight from his mouth that he doesn't give a shit about me, or that he wants me out of his life.

No. As much as things went south last night, the dreaded bottom line is that we did not truly talk about it. All of our anger, pain, and harsh truth are still lying untouched under the surface.

And I don't wanna uncover this truth right now. Because I don't want to hear it and hurt myself even more.

Right now, I'd rather be in passive aggressive limbo with Dabi, than end things cold turkey.

I know that sounds pathetic. I know I should want better for myself. But, I'm pathetic...so, it fits, I guess.

Tense silence consumed Dabi and I, before I was the one to break it...wanting to shove all our problems out of focus for the time being.

"You know exactly what it means, Dabi. Regardless of what you like to make everyone believe, you're smart. Definitely smart enough to know what I'm talking about." I said blankly, keeping my dull eyes on Midas' mansion as I continued. "This isn't the time or place to have that conversation though. Let's just...do what we're supposed to and get out."

To my surprise, Dabi didn't give a sly remark to my words, or even a dismissive grunt to show he didn't care.

He simply didn't say anything as he looked ahead to the mansion with me, eyes distant and hollow as his own thoughts consumed him.

"Whatever." He uttered after countless moments of time, sounding empty and tired. "Let's just get this over with."

I sighed tiredly to the obvious tension lingering between Dabi and I, not wanting to admit things were starting to feel very different in our relationship the last few days.

It's obvious that, at the rate we're going....we're doomed to fail. And that hurts.

"Alright." I muttered, trying to focus back on the task at hand. "Well, we still don't have a way to sneak into Midas' personal quarters. We can't really move until we figure that out."

"We don't need a reason to walk in there. That jeweled bitch thinks we're pathetic, little workers." Dabi reasoned, crossing his arms in annoyance.

My eyes trailed to the new line of security guards standing outside the mansion door, knowing Dabi was underestimating how difficult this would be.

"Yeah, but the security guards will ask us where we're going-and if we say 'to Midas' place,' they'll surely call him downstairs to come get us. This means we won't have any alone time to put the cameras in his office, cause he'll be right there-"

"Now you're just making excuses. If you're too much of pussy to go in there, I'll just go by myself." Dabi mumbled with interruption, causing me to turn to him with a slight glare.

Now, he's doing exactly what he used to do at the beginning of our mission-trying to do everything by himself. Not like a team.

"Having you go in there by yourself is the last thing I'd agree to. You'd make a scene for sure." I dismissed, before the words caused an idea to pop into my head. "Actually, that's very true. You always have to make a scene everywhere you go."

Dabi gave me a lazy side eye at my words, looking back to the mansion impatiently.

"For good fucking reason. Scaring the hell outta these pretentious shits is the only reason I still wake up every morning." He nagged sourly, causing a small smile of hope to grace my face for the first time in ages.

"Yes, exactly. You love to terrorize everyone, and you're good at it." I reinforced, quickly leading in to my idea. "Which is why you should distract the guards down here, so I can sneak upstairs and place the cameras in Midas' office."

Of course, since the plan involved causing chaos and destruction, Dabi was all for it now...letting his typical feral smirk spread across his lips as he looked to each person guarding the door.

"Is that really how you wanna do this? Don't get on me about any of the shit I destroy in there." He snickered, making my anxiety elevate slightly.

"...well-I mean-I don't mean you should cause a distraction that will probably get us killed." I said slowly, looking at Dabi with concern. "I just mean...like.....insult someone's haircut. Ask to speak to the manager. I don't know-ehh-don't kill anyone, if that's what you're referring to." I rambled nervously, causing Dabi to plop his hand atop my head so I'd shut up.

"I won't make any promises." He said rudely, already leaving me in the dust as he began a slow walk up to the mansion entrance.

I remained looking at the spot he'd previously been in, lowering my head in knowing annoyance as I turned towards Dabi and began to follow him.

"Of course you won't..."

Rather than catch up to Dabi's side, I decided to follow a few paces behind him so the guards wouldn't they we were together. My heart began to pick up speed slightly at the unknown, wondering what the heck Dabi had in store for a distraction this time.

After all, the last time he was here, he destroyed the majority of Midas' lobby. I'd rather he not do that again.

He reached the door much quicker than my dread could process, causing me to slow my walking pace to see how this whole thing would play out.

"Name." The guard in the middle said to Dabi lowly, remaining firmly planted in front of the door as he expected the stitched man to stop.

As I figured, Dabi did not stop his walk...already turning to violence immediately at he lit his hand blue.

"You don't need to know that." He chuckled lowly, sending a bright blue flame barreling towards the pair of three.

My eyes widened in panic as Dabi's flame singed the hinges of the expensive doors, blasting the gigantic men guarding them countless feet back inside.

...well, that started out chaotic.

One request. I gave him one request-don't kill anyone. And he couldn't even follow that. Ugh.

Shrieks and screams of fear sounded from inside the mansion as people probably figured the place was under attack. Dabi seemed to feed off this though as it only gave him the motivation to enter the place atop the burning body of the security guard...looking at the terrified guests with a feral smile.

With people still running and screaming in the lobby, I quickly ducked in behind him...shoving him in the shoulder to get his attention.

"Don't kill anyone else. I mean it." I said to him quickly, immediately turning my back to him as I made a brisk walk to the spiral stairs.

"How about you stop taking the fun outta it." Dabi called to me lazily, as I killed the vibe of his villainy.

However, it seems he would take my advice as he turned back to the crowd of screaming people, deciding to go with the age old tactic of stalling time.

"Alright, you fuckers. Shut up." Dabi drawled out slowly, continuing to stand atop the three people he burned. "If there's anyone here who shouldn't be afraid, it's you idiots."

He was quiet for a moment as he tried to think of more things to say, making me nervous as I quickly ran up the stairs.

"Yeah......uh-huh.....you, over there....with the dumbass glasses," Dabi followed up, deciding to improvise and individually roast the crowd one by one. "If there's anyone I wanna kill, it's the person who told you those were a good purchase. They fucking lied to you. And you-old man with the beard. Hah, someone call Mr. Number One over here, cause you stole his look. Since when was looking like a bitch ass piece of shit the new style? Coulda fooled me."

I rolled my eyes slightly as Dabi's voice began to fade from my ears, the higher I ascended the stairs...knowing he was probably starting to have a little too much fun with this now.

Whatever. I'll take it. He can roast people with his words, not his fire. Constructive, really. If only he used his words to express himself all the time!

"And you," he continued, letting out a chuckle as he spoke to his next roast victim. "Don't even get me started on you."

****

I reached the last floor of the mansion quickly, being mindful along the way. The last thing I'd wanna do is run into Tsuyo or Kaito-or, even Midas himself on these stairs.

That, combined with Dabi's scene downstairs, would surely be a recipe for execution. Oof.

But, now I'm here. And, as I'm sure Dabi could spend his entire day in glee, roasting the crowd downstairs for hours...I'd rather get this over with as quickly as possible.

Like I said, I'm incredibly nervous. More so than usual.

My chest began to tighten with anxiety as I briskly walked into the forbidden hallway of the mansion, feeling my eyes darting across the premise much too paranoid.

No one's over here. Relax.

"Okay, okay. Come on." I whispered to myself, hesitantly pulling a handful of the tiny cameras from my pocket.

They were tiny. So tiny, Midas would truly have a hard time finding out they were here.

I looked at the little items in my palm...realizing the symbolism they might be holding for the future.

The symbolism that we might finally be gaining the upper hand on him for the first time since this mission started.

So far, Midas has guessed the hero commission's every step, before they even make it. But, if all goes as planned, this will be the first thing he's unaware of. The first time he would ever be caught off guard by them.

These little devices could be the catalyst of his demise. The ultimate thing that causes him to lose.

And it's all riding on me to complete this part successfully.

....guess I better not mess it up.

Because the hero commission are who I truly work for. Midas is the enemy. I can't forget that.

Feeling my jaw clench from the tension, I wasted no more time getting started...deciding I'd put the cameras in the places I've seen Midas converse in the most.

This hallway is one of them. All the rooms here are others. His office is the most important one, and also the furthest from the standing point-I'll do that room last.

I quickly clicked the 'on' button the first camera, watching a faint green light slowly start blinking atop it now.

Taking one more look behind me to ensure the coast was clear, I walked over to the painting hanging on the wall in the hallway, carefully sticking the camera on one of the little indents of the busy frame.

Ahhh!!! Oh crap, I did it!! Ughhh, no turning back now.

I grimaced softly at the invisible looking camera on the picture frame, not quite knowing why I was having such a hard time with this.

No time to think about it. I need to do this quickly before Dabi and I get caught.

Pulling out another camera from my pocket, I turned it on and walked further down the hallway, seeing the air conditioning switch resting innocently on the wall.

Quickly unscrewing the switch, I planted the sound camera inside, watching the way my hands shook with every grip.

Next came the dim lightbulb overhead. Being the short person I am, I needed a little help from my crystals reaching the ceiling.

Sweat had trickled down my brow as I unscrewed the lightbulb, feeling my paranoid ears perked to the mask as I forcibly turned my back to the hallway and placed the camera inside.

"There-" I breathed out, feeling the shake in my hands get the better of me as the glass lightbulb suddenly slipped from them.

Wow. I had one job.

Welp, rip to me.

Maybe, it won't break!-

My face scrunched up with a cringe as the lightbulb shattered the earth when it hit the floor, with pieces going in every fucking direction of the hallway now.

"Shhhh!!!" I hissed at the broken lightbulb, feeling nauseous dread rising in my stomach at my horrible mess up.

Seriously. I bet they heard that in America. Never in my life have I heard something crash so loud.

But, besides that, the lightbulb is now broken, with me on a crystal ladder in its previously hanging spot.

That scene would look bad from every angle.

"You just had to drop it." I grumbled to myself, looking around the premise a bit overwhelmed.

I fucked up a lot of things just now. Where do I even begin fixing this.

The lightbulb. That's the first, and most important thing to fix.

...of course, I don't have a random lightbulb on me!

But...I do have....

Swallowing nervously, I did the only thing I could do as I began forming a crystal lightbulb from my palm, seriously hoping it would blend in okay.

Cause if it doesn't, then I'm definitely screwed. Midas will know for sure I was here.

Once the lightbulb had been formed from my palm, I carefully screwed it back in place...disintegrating the crystal steps underneath me to land back on the ground.

I looked up to the new lightbulb in place, scrunching my nose at the sight.

It's not noticeable at a first glance. But, if he were to sit here and stare at the damn ceiling like a lunatic....he may figure it out.

...let's just hope he doesn't do that!

Okay! One thing fixed!

Next, came the broken lightbulb that shattered all over the floor.

I ran around the empty hallway like a maniac now, carefully picking up pieces of the broken lightbulb, before tossing them into the jewel encrusted trash can in the corner.

Yep, even the trash can. The toilet is, too, in case you're wondering.

I got a quick system of placing the lightbulb pieces in the trash, using other pieces of trash to cover their presence.

Seeing the last few pieces caused my anxiety to slow a bit, making me realize the third problem I thought I was going to encounter was now void.

The only good thing about this...is that no one heard me-

"I don't know what that crash was, Tsuyo. I'm looking!" I heard angrily from the corner of the hallway, making my face pale at the familiar voice.

It's Kaito. Ughhhh.

Instantly losing a handle on my caution, I reached for the last few pieces of the shattered lightbulb in one hand, immediately forced to drop them back on the ground when a sharp pain sliced through my hand.

"Ow. Fuck." I hissed quietly, looking down and seeing I'd cut my hand on the broken lightbulb pieces now.

I looked to the corner in fear as I heard Kaito's footsteps getting closer to it, watching my hand begin to bleed like a faucet.

Why does luck hate me!!??

I quickly grabbed the remaining lightbulb pieces in my non-injured hand, holding my bleeding hand up to my chest as I scurried away.

The last thing I wanna do is bleed all over the floor and make everything suspicious.

I quickly tossed the last pieces of the shattered lightbulb in the trash, turning the next corner the same moment Kaito came into view.

Phew. That was a close call.

I kept my back against the cold wall as I heard him lazily walking around the hallway I'd just been in, thankful the lights in this part of the mansion are especially dim.

Apparently, Midas gets migraines. Who knew!

Slowly, I peeked my head around the dark corner I was behind, wanting to make sure I didn't leave anything behind.

It looks good. Everything is exactly how it should be, except for the crystal lightbulb...

...oh, and you know, those few drops of blood on the floor.

I silently slammed my head back against the wall at the revelation, seeing the crimson red blood sticking out like a sore thumb in the hallway.

I can only hope Kaito doesn't notice.

Dread consumed me as he walked around the hallway cluelessly, slowly inching closer to the blood spot as he spoke.

"I really don't see anything." He called out, unintentionally stepping on the blood drops with his shoe.

It was enough to smear the contents into nothing, making them virtually invisible to everyone else now.

Phew. That was close. It looks like I keep getting lucky-

"Keep looking." A new voice said from one of the many other hallways, making my eyes widen in legitimate fear now. "I'll take the left side, and you take the right. If someone's in here, we'll corner them."

That was Tsuyo.

I'm sorry, did I say I was lucky? I meant unlucky. Yep. Very unlucky.

"Oh my god." I groaned to myself, hearing two pairs of footsteps walking around the maze-like area now.

It's bad enough I have to place these cameras everywhere. Now, I have to do it with a bloody hand and two people trying to catch me.

Buttt, I'm the one who fucked all this up by dropping the lightbulb. Just gotta reap what I sow and finish the job.

Hearing Kaito getting closer to the next corner, I quietly began inching the opposite way down the next hallway....sliding into it when he turned into view.

Keeping my injured hand to my chest, I swiped another camera from my pocket...turning it on before placing it under the tea table in sight.

Kaito's footsteps became fainter now, making me realize he was thankfully going the wrong way.

However, Tsuyo's footsteps began coming into view ahead of me now, making my frame pause before I turned the next corner.

Instead, I immediately went right down another hallway, placing another camera in one of the decorative vases.

I inched into the shadows as I saw Tsuyo stealthily walk in the area I'd just been in...hearing Kaito's footsteps getting closer once again, now that I'd gone a different way.

I turned left now to avoid crossing paths with him, quickly making another left as I barely saw Tsuyo's boot coming into sight around the next corner.

My eyes squeezed shut at the close call, before I quickly placed another camera on one of the hanging plants.

Alright. I only have one more left to place.

This is the one that's supposed to in Midas' office. The most important one.

Luckily, I'm not that far away from his office. I'd be there in a second, if I wasn't being chased.

Hearing sloppier footsteps nearing my corner, I immediately backtracked to avoid Kaito, forced to turn back down the hallway I'd just avoided.

I held my breath as I saw Tsuyo's back turn out of the area now, becoming a little more risky as I quietly stalked towards their direction.

It's the direction of Midas' office.

Reaching the end of the corner made me become a little more careless with desperation as I stopped listening for footsteps, turning down the direction I knew I needed to go.

Midas' office door came into view at the end of the hallway now, causing me to let out a silent breath of relief-

However, I was suddenly aware of the two pairs of footsteps chasing after me-as they'd now cornered me on both sides.

Well, now I don't even have a choice. The only place I can go at this point is inside Midas' office.

...if I make it in time.

I began to walk as quickly and quietly as possible down the long hallway, hearing the footsteps getting closer to their corners.

Okay, sooo-walking isn't working. It's time run!

I cringed with nerves as my feet picked up and began to make a little bit of noise, hoping it wasn't as loud as it was in my head.

It must have been as the footsteps gradually increased their own pace, causing my heart to pound out of my chest as I reached the door.

I didn't even have time to look back as I quietly opened the door and slid inside, softly closing it behind me as I heard the pair of footsteps finally meet each other.

A small sigh of temporary relief reached me as I stood inside Midas' pitch black office, causing me to press my ear to the door to ensure I was in the clear.

"Well, we would have cornered them, by now. I told you no one was here." I heard Kaito say from the other side of the door, sounding annoyed that he'd been dragged to do this.

"Fair enough." Tsuyo replied faintly, making me rest my sweaty forehead against the door with relief. "Must have come from downstairs."

I waited a few more seconds before I heard the pair of footsteps slowly retreating from the door, realizing I'd actually managed to do all that and not get caught.

Okay, I take it back. Wow, I'm so lucky!

Thank goodness I'm almost finished with this.

Finally letting myself breathe again, I slowly pressed myself off the door and turned around in Midas' office, allowing my feet to move carefully through the dark premise.

I could place it anywhere. It takes one second of my time. It's so tiny, he'd never know.

My eyes became a bit more guilty as I began looking around the place I've come to spend a bit of time in, seeing the empty desk chair of his coming into my view.

He always smiles so happy when he sits there. Always offers me a glass of tea.

My shaky fingers reached for the last camera, hesitating to put it under his desk chair.

...eh. Not a good spot, right? I'm sure I can find one...better.

My jaw began to tense as I walked past the perfectly good spot, feeling uneasy about the time I was wasting as I tried to find a new place.

Who cares? Just place it somewhere. Anywhere. You could have been done by now!!!-

The pair of chairs in the corner. That would be a good spot. This is where Midas spends a lot of his time. This is where he talks about the majority of his plans.

My feet mechanically began making a beeline for the area, pulling the camera from my pocket once more...

This is also the place where he told me I have potential. Where he told me he believed in me, when no one else would.

...I'm sure there's a better place to put this camera.

Feeling confusion and guilt filling my veins, I slowly found myself continuing to walk around the room, knowing I was wasting a dangerous amount of time.

I'm really about to blow the most important part of this mission. Come on. Just do it. On the next thing you see, place the camera.

"Just do it." I breathed to myself, immediately locking eyes on the next item to come into view.

The piano.

My eyes went blank as I remembered Midas there, just a few days ago. Where he played the beautiful song I love so much.

He looked so immersed in the music. And then, when he caught me listening, he offered me a seat and someone to talk to about my problems.

So, I can't place it on the piano either.

...and, to be honest....

I'm having a hard time deciding to place it anywhere in here. This is Midas' favorite place in his mansion. The most trusted place he comes to get away from it all.

And that shouldn't matter to me in the slightest. So, it makes me completely nervous that it does.

Crap. What am I supposed to do?

I'm supposed to place it. I need to place it, before I run out of time.

But, by the slow creaking of the door that pierced my panicked eardrums, it seems I already did run out of time.

I held in a gasp as I immediately dove into a hiding spot behind the piano, hearing the door open fully a few moments later.

Slow footsteps immediately entered the room, flipping on the light switch to expose any lies that lingered.

Oh. My. God. I'm so dead.

Grimacing softly, I barely peeked my head around the piano, seeing it was Tsuyo who had entered the room alone.

Not the best outcome. But, also better than Midas, himself.

....also means Tsuyo did not stop searching for an intruder, like they instructed Kaito to.

Ugh. Why are they so stubborn.

I tried to keep myself together as Tsuyo slowly began walking around the room to find anything amiss, thankfully making their way to the opposite side of the room to begin their search.

Forced to become risky, I quickly moved behind a vase when their back was turned, crouching under it as I waited patiently.

They continued checking the area, under tables and behind curtains as they tried to catch me in the act.

A few agonizing moments later, they moved Midas' chair out of the way, bending down to check the spot under the desk.

I used the moment to get closer to the door, sliding in behind the gigantic jewel sculpture.

Almost there. I just need them to turn one more time.

Tsuyo slowly got closer to my position, reaching the piano now as they checked behind it.

They paused for a moment as they looked to the floor, making my heart pound in panic as to what they could be looking at.

Uh-oh. Did I leave something behind?

Sweat began to build at my brow as they stared at a spot on the ground, yet it must have been nothing as they walked over the spot now...digging their boot into the floor slightly before continuing to walk.

Crap. They're getting too close.

I need them to turn around again.

Looking around my space with desperation, I found a small teacup resting on a shelf, mentally apologizing as I did my next move.

I chucked the poor teacup across the room now, intentionally causing it shatter against the wall.

As expected, Tsuyo turned their back to me at the crash, immediately walking towards the area as they assumed someone was on the opposite side of the room.

Good for me.

I made a silent run for the last few feet, ducking out the open door as quickly as I could.

Oh my god. I did it. I really did it.

A heavy sigh of relief escaped my burning lungs as I quietly walked away from Midas' office, causing me to stop and compose myself once I was out of sight.

My heart is beating so fast.

And my stomach hurts with guilt. Because I essentially failed the most important part of this mission.

I never placed the last camera in Midas' office, even though I had a million opportunities to. And I don't know why.

Still trying to get my breath back, my sweaty head fell back against the wall in self disappointment, making me wonder where I would go from here.

I mean, I still have the camera. I could try to go back at some point.

Not now though. Right now, I need to get out of here and back to Dabi.

I took the last few moments to compose myself, slowly peeling my back off the wall as I turned on my heel towards the exit of this forbidden hallway.

Before coming face to face with Tsuyo.

My soul left my body as that familiar mask stared me in my eyes, causing a small, involuntary yell to come from my mouth before I quickly covered it.

Remembering the last tiny camera that still remained in my hand, I quickly placed my arms behind my back, feeling my shoulder blades smack into the wall behind me now.

I'm dead. I'm dead. I'm so dead.

Tsuyo stared at me in looming silence, cocking their head to the side as it seems they knew they caught me in a lie.

"What are you doing back here?" They asked with reasonable suspicion, causing me to start nervous laughing and only add on to this suspicion.

"Hah!!! Huh?! Who? Me?" I babbled, gripping the camera tighter in my hands. "Just......enjoying the view..."

The space between us went awkwardly silent before it dawned on me that Tsuyo thought I was referring to them as the view.

If my fast beating heart doesn't kill me, my embarrassment surely will.

"Oh-no. Not the view as in youuuu," I tried to backtrack hopelessly, making things worse by the second. "Just as in.....theeeee.....that."

My eyes landed on the first thing I caught sight of, causing Tsuyo to turn around and see what I was looking at.

"....the tissue box?" They asked in annoyance, causing me to press my lips together.

Can't take it back now.

"....yup." I uttered with more embarrassment, horrifically starting to hear the blood from my hand dripping onto the floor.

My heart sank as Tsuyo heard the sound, too, trying to look at my hands that were placed behind my back.

Crap. The camera-

"What's behind your back?" They asked a little more firmly now, causing my heart to race at a lethal speed.

I have nowhere else to put this camera. I need to say something that will get them off my back.

"Uhh..." I stalled, grabbing the first excuse my mind came up with. "a tampon."

Apparently, my words weren't convincing enough as Tsuyo began grabbing my arms now, causing me to do the only thing left to do and drop the little camera from my hands.

Not wanting Tsuyo to see if anything fell, I quickly placed my shoe over the fragile item, hearing a small, devastating crunch a moment later.

Fuck. I broke it.

I scrunched up my lips at my mishap as Tsuyo pried my hands free-watching my own eyes go wide as I temporarily forgot about my very bloody hand.

Well, that looks suspicious.

"Oops, look at that." I chuckled weakly, watching my blood start making a mess on the pristine floor. "How did that get there-What I meant was I need a tampon."

I scrunched up my face in more embarrassment at that awful excuse, causing Tsuyo to release my hand at lightning speed and let out a small sound of annoyance.

"Why are you bleeding?" They asked tiredly, sounding more disappointed at this point than demanding.

"Well...the blood..." I started off, letting a bit of the truth slip under pressure. "I accidentally cut myself."

"On what?"

"A rock. Outside." I followed up immediately, trying not to let my true emotions show on my face.

Can't really say a lightbulb without drawing more attention to myself.

Tsuyo was quiet, seeming as if they didn't buy my excuse while they assessed my injured hand.

"Hm." They said with more suspicion, almost sounding as if they were taunting me at this point. "And what are you doing up here?"

My mind began going into overdrive as I tried to come up with more excuses, only finding one terrible one in the back of my brain.

"I was actually looking for you."

Tsuyo paused for a moment at my words, slowly directing their masked face to my eyes as if I said something wrong.

...whoops.

Silence consumed our space as Tsuyo stared at me behind their mask, gripping my wrist tighter in their grasp as they spoke a low, single word.

"Why?"

Uh-oh! I think I upset them. I said the wrong thing! Godddd, I don't wanna get on their bad side.

"Because...." I tried, feeling my brain lacing my horrible excuses together. "I cut my hand and I was coming to ask you where the first aid kit was."

Is it fantastic? No. Is it passable? Well, also probably no. But, I tried.

Tsuyo continued to glare at me as they assessed my excuse, letting out an agitated sigh as they released my wrist a few moments later.

"You're a horrible liar." They said lowly, giving my shoulder a small shove of irritation. "If I find you up here again unsupervised, I'll cut your arms and legs off. Got it?"

"Absolutely noted." I said immediately, about to excuse myself before they stopped me.

"Hold it. You're not going anywhere." They said firmly, making me shrink back into place.

Damn it. I knew I wouldn't get off scot free...

"Oh. Why?" I asked weakly, prepared for the worst.

And it was pretty close to the worst.

"I was looking for you as well. Midas wants a word with you and the fried, shrieking lunatic who's downstairs." They said, causing my lips to press together.

Dabi's the fried, shrieking lunatic.

"He wants to speak to you about something serious. Something that's been weighing on his mind for awhile I guess." Tsuyo continued, gripping my arm tightly as if I were a prisoner.

My stomach began to churn as we began making our way back to Midas' office, causing me to turn to Tsuyo and ask a genuine question of worry.

"Are Dabi and I in trouble?"

Tsuyo remained quiet at my words, gripping my arm tighter as they seemed uneasy as well.

"Maybe." They admitted honestly. "And I can't help you this time."

They say that every time.

Regardless, I'd rather not find out if they're lying.

Having nothing else to say, I simply nodded and made the trek to Midas' office, letting the lethal possibilities run through my head of what he could want now.

Welp, another mission failed, thanks to Dabi and I.

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Next chapter Title: Tarnish