Top pic credit: KimbapChan

Violet POV:

"Okay, so! What do you think about these? I feel like they bring out my eyes." I fake swooned at myself in the little jewelry mirror, chuckling freely as I turned around to face Dabi.

"They bring out your stupid." He followed up blandly, trying to conceal the smirk that wanted to show on his face for the obviously bad joke.

My jaw dropped in fake offense, before I blew a raspberry of amusement.

"Woww. And you say I'm the clown." I countered smugly, placing the diamond earrings in my hand back on the jewelry counter to continue searching.

Dabi kept his arms crossed as he subtly followed behind me like a little kid who was being forced to go shopping with their mother, giving his shoulders a small shrug at my words.

"At least you're self aware." He followed up casually, letting an obnoxious grin show on his face now when I turned around to lightly glare at him.

In doing so, another shelf of earrings caught my eyes in the corner, causing me to brush past the moody man and grab two more pairs of jewelry to test out.

"Oh, come on, Dabi! This is serious business. Now then, should I go with...." I started off in anticipation, looking down to the tags on the earrings to read their titles, "the Hot Girl Hoops? Or, the Sexy Studs?"

Dabi was three paces behind my chipper form, slowly making his way across the practically empty jewelry store, like a broody bull in a china shop. It's not that he was too clumsy to maneuver around the little kiosks of jewelry planted throughout the store. It's just that I don't think he's ever looked sooo out of place somewhere in his life, and it's a little funny to watch.

For a rare day, he even opted to ditch his usual all black attire, and go for a more relaxed, casual civilian look. I've gotta admit, he wears the look well. The brown beanie atop his head goes pretty good with that heavy, dark blue jacket he's sporting....

.....and, you know, that blue jacket really just brings out the blue in his eyes, but it's not as if I really noticed that.

....or, the way those grey jeans hug his thighs-he's actually got some nice lean muscles on his legs, but wearing black, baggy clothes all the time, you'd never notice.

He went for brown combat boots today instead of his usual 'let's go destroy the world' black ones. They matched his beanie and that only made his effort and outfit cuter-ah, more put together, is what I meant.

A/N: the above pic was created by JustVrit, and I'd just like to say *Patrick Star voice* 🤤damn🤤. Okay back to the scheduled edgelord program below.

Realizing I'd been gawking, I quickly snapped my eyes away from his body and up to his face, hoping he hadn't seen me checking him out.

But, upon doing so, he'd already been looking at my gaze, raising his brows just a bit knowingly to show he might have already had the idea. My cheeks began to heat up in slight embarrassment, and I was thankful when he finally arrived at my spot and said nothing about it.

Instead, his half lidded eyes slowly lowered to the earrings in my hands, sliding between the pairs as he pretended to contemplate which ones looked better.

And then, after years of waiting, he finally gave his completely logical and sophisticated opinion.

"Well, you know what they say-the bigger the hoop, the better the fuck." He replied nonchalantly-and much too loud for the small shop we were in, causing me to groan and lightly shove his shoulder.

"No one says that." I huffed out, turning my back to him now so I could see the earrings for myself in the little table mirror.

I suddenly felt a closer, more intimate body warmth radiating against my back, before seeing Dabi's face come up behind me in the mirror.

"I'm just speaking from experience, little sapphire." He uttered a bit quieter, settling his torso against my back as he poked his chin over my shoulder to get closer in the mirror.

I resisted the urge to bite my lip at the feeling of his figure against mine. Even though the action looked harmless to others, it practically set my body on fire at the feeling. His clean, growing familiar scent tickled up my nostrils, making me involuntarily wanna lean back into him and hope he'd wrap his arms around my waist.

Would he?

Well, I don't know! And I don't want to find out-I shouldn't wanna find out, because....in case I've forgotten, I have a boyfriend.

So, instead, I simply remained in my place and did my very best to ignore Dabi's body against mine, meeting his eyes in the mirror as I placed the studded earrings back on the rack.

"Bragging about his sexual feats to let everyone know he, indeed, does have sex. Well done, you've really left your mark for the better of humanity." I teased, causing him to tilt his head to the side mockingly.

"Are you sex shaming me?" He questioned lightly, his breath hitting my ear as he spoke.

"Ah, I guess I am. Congratulations, you're the first person I've ever shamed for anything, so feel special." I murmured, finding the act of meeting his gaze too flustering as I focused on holding the hoops up to my ear once more.

Dabi hummed in amusement for my words, focusing on my face while I focused on the earrings.

"Glad to be your first, sunshine." He whispered condescendingly, causing me to roll my eyes and lightly knock my elbow back into his stomach.

"Shut up."

"So, what's my prize for being your first?"

"You mean, what's your prize for getting sex shamed? Condoms, rehab, and Jesus." I chuckled, earning a genuine breathy laugh from Dabi.

"Damn. Then take back the fucking the prize." He murmured comfortably, subtly turning his face toward my hair a bit before slowly pulling away.

The intoxicating warmth of his presence retreated with him, admittedly leaving me a little colder and wanting more. But, I restrained my thoughts of thirst, as I turned around with the pair of hoops in my hands...leaning my back against the jewelry counter as I faced Dabi.

"The Hoochie Hoops it is then. Nice pick. You might actually get lucky tonight." He followed up with a smirk for my jewelry choice, causing me to scrunch up my lips in mock discipline as I pushed myself off the counter and made my way to the cashier's table.

"Obviously, I won't, since my boyfriend won't be joining us." I called out over my shoulder, hearing Dabi snicker as he trailed behind me.

"Oh trust me, fucking him isn't lucky." He cackled obnoxiously, causing me to blurt out a comeback quicker than I could process.

"Jealous?" I teased, surprised that a witty response finally managed to make its way out of my mouth after twenty-two years.

Being a savage is fun!

Dabi's hoodrat attitude finally died down a bit as he gave a genuine scoff, unable to come up with anything other than...

"Never."

I smiled proudly that I finally got him to shut up, letting out a small sigh of content as I placed the hoops down on the cashier's counter.

Dabi came up behind me, lazily leaning against the counter as he saw me pull out my wallet.

"Oh, that's right. Paying. Having done that in a hot minute." He commented much too loudly, causing the cashier to freeze and look up at Dabi uneasy as she slowly grabbed the hoops off the counter to scan.

I turned to him in knowing annoyance for his purposeful attempt to make her uncomfortable, placing my hand over his face before lightly shoving him backwards.

"Don't worry about him," I reassured the cashier as Dabi came slithering back over to my side like a feral dog. "He didn't wanna come shopping with me today, so now he's pouting about it."

She gave me a stiff, unsure smile and nod, trailing her eyes back over to Dabi nervously before trying to proceed with the payment.

"What's up with you, lazy eye? Do I have something on my face?" Dabi asked the cashier mockingly, turning his head to the side and running his finger across his stitched cheek.

Her gaze practically widened out of her head at the confrontation-a confrontation that I knew was harmless, but she did not obviously.

"H-Huh?? Oh-no!! Of course not!! I'm so sorry, sir." She babbled out fearfully, scanning the earrings at lightning speed before shakily trying to find a bag to put them in.

I looked at her apologetically, knowing there'd be nothing I could say to ease her fears about the man next to me.

"I should just get a spray bottle for when you act up." I retorted at Dabi, causing him to lazily turn his attention towards me now in content for terrorizing the civilian.

"I prefer rougher punishments than that, sunshine." He murmured challengingly, causing the cashier's brows to raise for whatever she thought that meant.

Still waiting for her to find a bag, I matched Dabi's challenging gaze with my own, tilting my head to the side mockingly with a knowing smirk.

"If you want something rougher, then I'd be happy to turn on the remote to that device." I pointed out with discipline, patting the bag on my shoulder to remind him of his sorority girl shock collar.

The cashier's bag finding froze as she took in my words, looking from me to Dabi in growing curiosity.

The stitched man remained stubborn, turning up the corners of his lips as it seemed he was enjoying this conversation.

"Nah. I already told you that device isn't strong enough, sunshine." He shrugged.

"Says the man who was writhing around on the floor from it last time." I pointed out in growing annoyance as the cashier's jaw dropped at my words.

"I was also asking for more." Dabi countered, causing the cashier to slap a hand over her mouth in surprise.

"It was on the highest setting." I uttered through grit teeth.

"Not high enough to shut me up, apparently." He smirked, taking his bottom lip between his teeth in a way that caused my stupid stomach to flip heatedly.

Becoming annoyed with myself, I simply groaned at him and dropped the subject so I wouldn't become flustered over anything else this man does, turning my attention back to the cashier to see her face bright red after listening to Dabi and I's conversation.

I furrowed my brows in question to her weird demeanor, hesitantly taking the bag of earrings from her hand.

Wonder what's got her so embarrassed?

"Umm. Thank you." I replied awkwardly after taking my purchased items, giving her a small, questioning smile and nod as Dabi brushed past me to get to the exit.

"Yeah. Thanks for nothing, maybe. Lazy Eye didn't do anything to help. If I cared enough, I'd ask to speak to the manager." He karen'd out with an obnoxious laugh, edgily shoving his hands in his pockets-and making me hope he didn't swipe something off the counter when I wasn't looking.

I rolled my eyes at his rude demeanor, giving one more respectful nod to the cashier before following him out of the shop and back into the main area of the packed mall.

"Phew. Well, alright!" I started off contently once I'd caught up to his side, pulling out my phone to check our progress. "We're making good time today. For now, we can cross the earrings...shoes....-and you being a menace to society off our list."

"And that last one is the only part that matters." Dabi sighed contently, throwing his head back towards the ceiling as we walked through the crowds of people.

"How that part doesn't get exhausting for you, I will never know." I smiled distractedly, looking around the lively mall and spotting a drink stand a few feet away.

"With lots of practice." The stitched man smirked, as I grabbed his wrist and dragged him towards the drink spot with me.

A small 'ooo' of delight escaped my mouth at the thought of a delicious matcha tea. Trying to monitor Dabi's delinquency is exhausting work, after all.

"At this point, why don't you just put a leash on me?" He followed up as I pulled him along, yet made no effort to pull his wrist free from my grip.

"Don't give me any ideas." I chimed out cheerfully, hearing him hum in concealed amusement for my fun as we approached the drink stand.

I gave the barista a smile of greeting before looking up at the menu board of all different types of drinks, involuntarily slinking my arm through Dabi's to keep him in place next to me.

Once again, he made no effort stop me. If anything, I could have almost sworn I felt him leaning into my touch a bit...

"Hmm, I don't know what to get, yet," I uttered with a small pout before looking up at Dabi in curiosity. "What do you want? I'll buy it as a 'thank you' for coming with me today."

The stitched man looked up at the menu board through half lidded, bored eyes, furrowing his brows slightly in disgust at the drink pictures.

"Nothing. This shit looks toxic as fuck. Why is that one purple?-And that one has mold on the bottom." He criticized bluntly in front of the shop owner.

I couldn't help but laugh at his logic, softly nudging my side into his own as I spoke.

"You do horribly unhealthy things to your body every day, and purple food coloring is where you draw the line? Besides, that's not mold at the bottom, genius. That one's a boba drink. The bottom is boba balls that you suck up through your straw and eat." I explained patiently, finding the sight of Dabi's subtle confusion for simple things pretty amusing.

He pursed his lips a bit as he continued looking at the board, trying to process, before a small scoff escaped his lips.

"I'm not sucking any balls." He uttered seriously, causing me to break out into laughter at his unintentional way of putting things.

For once, he wasn't trying to make a crass joke. And this one was actually funny.

"Well then, you're missing out," I sang out tauntingly, turning back to the shop owner-who now looked thoroughly irritated with Dabi, might I add. "Can I just get one milk tea boba?"

He nodded silently to my request, getting the drink ready as I paid for myself only, since Dabi once again insisted that he didn't want anything.

Unhooking my arm from his to grab the finished product, I poked the straw through the sealed lid and took a sip in front of him-purposely over-exaggerating my hum of delight for the flavor as I knew he was watching me.

"Delicious." I pointed out confidently, looking up at him with a smirk.

"Yeah? How does that mold taste?" He questioned lightly, causing a small giggle to escape my lips as I took another sip.

"Amazing." I stated matter of factly, before holding the creamy drink up for him to try. "See for yourself."

Dabi looked at the drink blandly as I gave it a light shake, letting out a small, stubborn scoff as he looked away.

"No."

"Aww, pleaaase? Just a sip."

"Forget it."

"You don't even have to tell me if you like it. Just take a sip." I cackled as I took one more sip for myself, hovering closer to Dabi for him to take the drink.

He directed his gaze back to me in annoyance for my persistence....before the look barely melted away at the sight of my excited smile. His shoulders slumped a bit in defeat as he snatched the frilly drink from my hand, slowly raising it to his lips.

"If I get sick from this, I'm gonna murder you." He mumbled as his lips slowly closed around my straw.

"I doubt that this would be the thing in your life to make you sick.....but, fine, that's fair." I uttered a bit distractedly, more focused on the sight of his mouth as he sucked.

My focus was thankfully interrupted when a boba ball from the straw slid into Dabi's mouth unexpectedly, causing him to flinch a bit and pull the straw away from his lips abruptly.

I immediately broke out into a cackle at the sight of how awkward he was being about this, watching the corners of his lips turn up barely in his own humorous smile as he slowly chewed on the boba ball.

"Well?" I asked in anticipation as he swallowed it, waiting for the verdict.

Dabi was quiet for a moment in contemplation for the drink, before he shrugged uninterestedly.

"It's alright." He murmured stubbornly-lifting the drink back to his lips for more.

I raised a victorious brow at his actions, watching him starting to suck down more of the drink now.

"Oh yeah? Just alright, huh?" I asked knowingly, causing Dabi to roll his blue eyes at my growing cockiness.

"It's actually disgusting, and I hate it." He followed up casually, taking another big sip and not handing the drink back to me.

"Mhm. I can tell from how quickly you're chugging it down." I smirked, giving his shoulder a small pat as he downed the drink while I walked back to the barista counter.

"Can I get one more of those bobas, please?"

•••••

Another few hours of Dabi's Day Out came and went relatively quickly. I'm not normally one to enjoy coming to the mall on a Saturday, because of how crowded it can be, but admittedly....I've been too focused on talking with Dabi to notice.

It's been incredibly amusing seeing him make such simple tasks, like ordering lunch or answering a simple 'hello! How are you today?' question from a store clerk sooo much more difficult and complicated than it needed to be.

"Just say you're fine, Dabi. You don't need to ask them why they care. They don't actually care, they're just being polite." I explained patiently after the fifth store we went into, giving my head a humorous shake as I grabbed his wrist and dragged him with me through the dress section.

He's been out of his element today, the same way I'll be out of my element tonight at the villain club.

But, the thing that's caught my attention all day and intrigued me to no end, is that Dabi's discomfort comes from everyday civilian things. It comes from being, what's considered, 'normal.'

The guy has no problem threatening and murdering a group of twenty convicts by himself, but doesn't know how to respond to simple greetings?

I'm not judging him, or anything like that. It just makes me curious about his old life. When did he become a villain? What did he do before this life, because when he's not in his element of destruction, he's actually pretty socially awkward. I don't think that going shopping and having friends were interests of even a young Dabi.

What was he interested in before this life? What did he spend all of his time and energy doing?

I was brought out of my thoughts upon hearing the tired sigh of the stitchy man next to me, causing me to look over and see him running a hand through his black hair as we walked towards the exit of the mall. Of course, we were all the way on the other side of the building, so it would take us some time to get there.

"All shopped out?" I asked Dabi lazily, holding up the bags in my hands for emphasis.

He hummed a reply of acknowledgment as he kept his half lidded gaze forward, before letting out a small snort of amusement and verbalizing his thoughts.

"If I have to tell one more store clerk guy how I'm doing, I might just kill them." He commented, causing me to chuckle as I veered my walking path towards him.

He followed up a few moments later, voice tired from the day and lacking his villainous Dabi Drawl since it was just the two of us.

"But, this is how people waste all their time and money, huh? On worthless things and purple drinks?" He questioned with light brood, causing me to roll my eyes as I turned my smile on him patiently.

"You didn't seem to mind that purple drink when you sucked the cup dry of it-or, when you got another one for that matter-" I said, causing him to groan in annoyance at being exposed.

"I was just thirsty." He lied, causing me to let out a small 'pfft' of disbelief.

"Mhm, sure. But, to answer your earlier question, yes. This is how people spend their time and money. These 'worthless' things make them happy, and there's nothing wrong with that. There's more to life than just being a villain or a hero, you know." I explained, giving a small smile of greeting to a woman and her baby that we passed by.

Dabi watched me engage in the exchange with an unreadable expression on his face, before he turned his attention forward once more with a shrug.

"Not really." He followed up vaguely, causing me to purse my lips in question.

"And how would you know?" I asked curiously, truly wanting to know his logic behind that statement.

He remained quiet at my ask for a small pass of time, filling the air space with comfortable silence. I didn't pressure him to answer as I lazily directed my attention to the indoor playground a few feet away, smiling softly at a pair of little boys going down one of the slides.

The smooth sound of his voice dragged me back a few moments later.

"Because, despite the dense murder caveman you believe me to be....I've been on the other side of the coin before. That only proved to me that everything else was an unnecessary waste of time. That it was all for nothing in the end. It led me here, so obviously that's the truth." He pointed out blankly, not necessarily sounding angry about his words....more...bitter.

His words intrigued me for a lot of different reasons. But, the thing that caught my attention the most was Dabi's admittance that he didn't always used to be so evil. Sure, he didn't say it exactly like that, and it definitely wasn't meant to be his point in that negative response.

But, it's the part I picked up about it. About him.

He didn't always used to be bad. Something made him bad. Something turned him into the person he is today.

And suddenly I found myself wondering about his life before dark, bitter villainy. What was he like? I'd give a lot to know. I'd give a lot to speak to that younger Dabi self and try to find out what had him so down.

Maybe, I could have gotten through to him.

But, then again, the past is the past. And regardless of if I could have saved Dabi before he became the man he is today, it's not something that happened. And if these past years of my own pain have taught me anything, it's that dwelling on the 'what ifs' and 'maybes' will make you go crazy.

So, instead, I decided to give Dabi my own words of wisdom. I'm not trying to save him, or change him, as I know that's something he doesn't want. He told me that when I tried to save Harima.

It's just that....me, being me....I'm not very good at leaving things unsaid when they sit in my mind. So, even though I know he won't take it to heart, I just want to say it, anyways.

"You know...." I started off softly, half expecting Dabi to already blow me off somehow with my simple opening.

But, he didn't. Simply turning his head towards me in silence as he actually waited for me to continue. So, I did.

"It's okay to be angry. With the world, I mean. It can be a pretty messed up place. It can be unfair and heartless. I know that very well, too, so I understand that part of it..." I smiled sadly, trying not to think too hard about how I have no one left in this world who really loves me.

Dabi stayed quiet at my words-which surprised me once again, as I figured he'd tell me I don't get it at all.

Maybe, he finally decided to cut me a break because he knows it's true.

"But, as hopeless as it can feel.....there's always some good left in it. Sure, it can be hard to find, and it's easy to give up and never look back, but it's there. I promise. No matter how dark it gets, there will always be some type of good waiting for you around the corner. Now-I'm not trying to convince you of this, or change your mind, or anything like that. I'm just telling you how I feel." I finished softly, looking up at Dabi with a genuine smile.

He'd already been looking my way when I met his gaze, only caressing my eyes more intensely with his own.

They weren't half lidded in boredom, anymore. They weren't scowling. They were just....looking. A genuine, more relaxed look from him that I wasn't quite able to read, but it calmed me, anyways.

Because it felt familiar.

It was something I didn't see enough of. But, also something nice that I could get used to.

Because he looks nice when he's softer.

And so, I couldn't bring myself to look away, even when I knew I should, only getting more lost in those eyes that brought about a certain shade of blue I involuntarily seemed drawn to.

I could have sworn that Dabi might have been feeling the same way as he held my gaze for a little while longer, breaking the white noise silence of the mall as he spoke.

"Well, well, little sapphire..." he uttered the softest he ever has, causing my heart to suddenly skip a beat at the foreign tone of his voice.

I held my breath unintentionally as I waited for him to continue, feeling every muscle of my ears perking up to ensure I would be able to hear him as perfectly as I could.

"At least you're consistent." He finished a few seconds later, seeming lost in his own vague words as I could see his own thoughts behind his eyes.

"What do you mean?" I uttered quietly, part of me just wanting him to continue speaking in such a nice voice.

My question seemed to be the thing to pull Dabi out of his mind as his dazed eyes cleared back to the present time.

"A hero philosophy for a hero." He clarified of my point, almost seeming as if he'd just pulled that answer out of thin air since it seemed rather bland.

Regardless, I didn't want to push his thoughts any further since I enjoyed the moment, simply giving him another genuine smile.

Admittedly, it wasn't hard to smile right now.

"Well, at least you know I practice what I preach then." I pointed out gently, causing the corners of his stitched lips to barely curl up into amusement.

"One of the few, I guess..." he murmured quietly, following up his words when he sensed they were too soft for his character, "you're still shitty, though."

"And you are, too." I uttered, causing Dabi's brows to raise a bit in surprise.

"You think I'm shitty?" He questioned lightly, emphasizing the swear word which caused me to laugh.

"I think you're very crappy." I corrected, causing him to hum out a small groan of discontent.

"One day, I'll make you swear, sunshine."

"We'll see about that."

He let out a small hum of acknowledgment for my point, gazing at me for a moment longer before he finally looked away.

I cleared my throat softly and followed his lead, coming back to the presence of the busy mall as we started to pass by the indoor playground.

"I guess we will." He finalized contently-keeping the rare, softer mood for no more than a few extra moments, before two little kids chasing each other from the playground ran right into him from the side.

My jaw dropped a bit in surprise as Dabi was forced to stumble to a stop, only able to glare down at the kids for no more than a second before they ran away to resume their playing.

They have no idea they just ran right into one of the world's most wanted terrorists!

"Ugh. Stupid, little fucks." He grumbled slightly, looking toward the two kids in the corner-who were probably no older than nine, before flipping them the middle finger.

I bit down on my lip to hold in a laugh, quickly bolting to his side and grabbing his hand in mine to make him stop.

"They're nine years old and cute." I reminded him humorously, causing him to roll his eyes in annoyance as his broody was back in full force now.

"I hate kids." He uttered lowly, causing me to snort.

"You don't say." I followed up sarcastically as I kept a grip on his hand, earning a genuine smirk from Dabi.

"Well, I don't know why you like them." He blurted out a little too comfortably, causing my brows to raise in challenge for his assumption.

"Oh? What makes you think I like them?"

"Cause you act like a fucking child. I bet you're the type of crazy who wants a house full of little shits of your own." He explained without missing a beat, keeping his eyes away from mine as he spoke.

I couldn't help but laugh at his words, finding it a bit funny that he seems to think he has me all figured out.

But....

"Eh. I like kids, sure. But, I actually don't want to have any of my own." I said honestly, giving a small, self bitter shrug to my shoulders.

Dabi said nothing for a moment as he tried to take in my response, almost like my answer was one that he hadn't been expecting.

"Oh yeah? Why's that? Could have fooled me." He said after a decent pass of time, seeming as if he didn't want to appear too eager with the question.

I felt my content mood slowly changing at the personal question that forced me to reflect on my past, not even caring about the dull look that probably graced my face now.

"I dunno. What if I'm not around for them? What if I die, and then their father dies, and they have no one? Well, then they'd have to navigate the world all alone. By themselves. I don't ever want to put a child through that. It's cruel. The world's cruel, and I'd rather not force an innocent soul to experience that." I said quietly, letting a bit of my true self come through with that statement.

Don't get me wrong. I love being the positive person of the bunch. I love the happy go lucky, innocent feeling that people get from being around me. It's nice.

It's also the only thing I ever show to anyone.

They don't know what I really think inside this brain of mine. Truth be told, I don't quite know either, because I refuse to think about it.

I guess that means that I don't fully know myself. I don't know what I'm capable of. I don't really know how truly sad and hurt I am about the past.

It's just empty. Behind the smile, I guess I'm empty. And if that means that I don't have to experience any pain, then I'm happy to stay that way.

Maybe Dabi's philosophy of not feeling anything isn't actually too far from my own. And because I don't really know myself, that's only something I realized at this moment.

"Damn," he started off casually, dragging me out of my thoughts.

I turned to him blankly, wondering if he would elaborate on the statement, and he did-with a small smile of amusement on his face.

"And you say I'm emo." He chuckled, glancing at me through half lidded eyes.

Yet, it was obvious to me that something else lied behind those blue eyes. That something looked to be curiosity for my answer. It looked as if he wanted to know more, but didn't want to ask me any more questions.

Feeling drained from the day, I let it go and willingly moved on, giving him a tired smile as I felt too exhausted to stay positive.

"Well, Dabi, then it seems we actually have something in common, after all." I uttered, causing him to grin in amusement.

"Oh? Our hatred for little shits?" He hummed teasingly.

"Exactly." I laughed softly, giving him a small playful nudge with my shoulder as we walked.

We walked together in comfortable silence for a few moments longer, before the giant clock in the center of the mall chimed out with a new hour.

Not being near the clock itself to check the time, I pulled out my phone to find out instead, seeing the time of 4:00pm showing up on my screen.

Along with a text message from Akio.

Text Message From: Mr. Lamp

Hey. Kurogiri and I will meet you at the club tonight around 1:30a to rendezvous. Hope you're ready to party, bestie ;) see ya then.
3:54pm

I smiled softly at the text message from my best friend, quickly typing back a reply while speaking to Dabi.

"Looks like it's time for you to finally meet Akio." I uttered to him distractedly, barely catching his lethally dead moment of silence to my point.

I could have sworn I heard his hands smoking up, yet I looked down and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Not that it mattered. The dry tone of his voice with his next words was enough to show that he wasn't too hyped about the idea, anyways.

"Oh, good. I was wondering when I'd have to meet up with that fucker."

************************************************

A/N: thank you for your comments and votes! <3 there will also be a chapter tomorrow, so look out for it.

Next Chapter Title: It All Started With Cake.

Also my anon friend (and awesome beta reader ❤️) made more lit Ko-Fi banners! Thank you for this one of my OTP✨ looks at Violet and Ari, glaring at me in the corner. Yeah. I SAID WHAT I SAID, YA DENSE SWEETIES.
OKAY IM REALLY LEAVING NOW-