Top pic credit: ._Lensly._

Ari POV continued:

"And why the hell would I go anywhere with you?" I spat at Dabi, keeping my arm outstretched firmly as I continued immobilizing him with my quirk.

Not being able to broodily shrug his shoulders because he couldn't move, Dabi let out a small, 'pondering' whistle as he thought about how to convince me.

"I don't know. Aren't you usually one for adventure, or something like that? I'm just trying to be kind and get you out of this ratty dorm room. I'd say that's rather generous on my part." He chuckled, smirking slightly when he noticed my quirk had lost its hold on him for a moment.

I've been using it all day for work. My body is exhausted.

I quickly activated my quirk on Dabi again, causing him to roll his eyes as he had no other choice but to continue laying limp on my bed.

I'll be sure to wash my sheets, afterwards....

"Generous, huh? Is that what we call breaking into strangers' rooms now?" I retorted, leaning back against my desk tiredly as I felt my arms starting to burn and shake from quirk overuse.

Dabi's eyes trailed to the very subtle, fatigued tremble of my hands, purposely drawing this conversation out longer than necessary so I'd finally be forced to cave.

"Strangers? I'd like to think we're at least more than that." He pointed out smoothly, lazily raising his brows in question.

I grit my teeth together, desperately trying to keep Dabi restrained with my quirk as I began looking around my room for something to tie him up with.

Despite having a kinky, sinful chicken as my boyfriend for awhile, I don't actually have any...bondage tools lying around....if you catch my drift. Although, I kinda wish I did now, since I'm seriously scrambling to find something I can handcuff Dabi with.

"Ah, sorry. You're right. Not strangers. More like sworn enemies." I corrected casually, hissing softly in pain when I felt my quirk effects wear off for the night.

Of course, my exhaustion from the day had apparently gotten to me. Because, it was only then that I realized my sloppy mistake of having turned my back to Dabi when I was trying to find something to tie him up with.

Before I could react, I felt myself slammed forward against the wall, wheezing with lack of air as Dabi grabbing my arms and roughly pinned them behind my back.

Realizing my body was too tired from fighting villains with Enji all day, I felt less than pathetic as I tried to wiggle my arms free from Dabi's grasp. With no avail, obviously.

"Yep. Definitely sworn enemies." I growled out quietly, cringing in irritation when I felt Dabi's hot breath tickling my ear uncomfortably.

"Aw. Now...don't be like that." He drawled out quietly-the unfamiliar tone of his voice throwing me through a loop.

I'd expected his usual tone of mocking malice to be filling his voice. But, instead...he was...a bit quieter. Even just a tad....teasing...? I don't know. But, I do know that I've never heard him speak to me that way before.

It actually made me feel more uncomfortable, compared to when he mercilessly threatens my life.

"Can you just let go of me?! God, what do you want now? I swear, you're like my period-just barging into my life every month and making it hell for a week. Are you ever going to leave me alone?" I hissed out in a bitchy tone, feeling any patience I was holding onto, now starting to dwindle.

Dabi's grip on my arms simply tightened, before I felt him come closer to me from behind.

"If I let you go, will you promise not to try and kill me?" He asked genuinely, the feeling of his stapled skin brushing against my cheek causing me to become infuriated.

Keep your cool, Ari. Clearly, he's got the upper hand right now. Not you.

I remained silent for a moment, taking a calm, deep breath before I could lash out and say something I would regret.

Apparently, Dabi took my silence as something positive, because he loosened his grip on my wrists slightly. But, not fully.

"Yeah. Okay. Sure. If you let me go, I won't try to kill you." I lied blandly, having full intentions to charge at him the moment he released me for good.

Dabi laughed softly-and it was only then that I realized how close we were when I could feel the sound vibrate from his chest.

"Wow. You're a horrible liar." He mumbled breathily, yet he took no further action to tighten his grip on me.

"So, I've been told." I uttered blandly, feeling the scent of hickory and hints of cigarette smoke clouding my nostrils.

After a few moments of tense, uncomfortable silence, Dabi wordlessly released my hands from behind my back....taking a step away from me so I'd be able to turn around and face him.

Hm. No smart ass remark from him. No degrading comments. No burning my skin. No threats. Just....nothing?

Finding this behavior from him pretty damn odd, I became curious as to why Dabi was here...retracting on my previous, internal decision to charge at him straight away.

Slowly and warily turning around, my eyes landed on Dabi in suspicious question, watching him gazing at me through half lidded, cerulean orbs.

He looks like he wants to say something. Best not to draw out this conversation more than necessary.

"Well....get to it, then. I know you didn't come here for nothing." I stated rudely, leaning back against the wall with my arms crossed as I impatiently waited for him to speak.

Dabi tilted his head in distaste to my haste, slowly starting to walk around my dimly lit room at a sloth's pace.

"You seem to be tightly wound today." He pointed out casually, starting to fiddle around with random things on my desk.

I scoffed in irritation at such a stupid remark, watching him pick up a pen that had the label of the Hawks Agency on it. Go figure.

"Why wouldn't I be tightly wound when you're in my room? You and I don't exactly have a good history of getting along." I retorted, watching him carelessly drop the Hawks Agency pen into the little trash can next to my desk, before turning around to face me again.

Wow. That's not petty or anything...

"Look, whatever happened between you and I in the past, you can relax, alright? I only did that shit to make the bird mad. I won't hookup with you....until you're ready." Dabi smirked, mischievously taking his bottom lip between his teeth as he waited for my reaction.

And I made sure to give him a very clear one.

Scrunching up my nose in obvious disgust, I let out a hard scoff of pure distaste, looking at Dabi in disbelief.

"Gonna be waiting a long time for that one, pal. And by a long time, I mean forever, because it's never gonna happen. Sorry if I don't find assault and threats on my loved ones' lives attractive." I chuckled condescendingly, making Dabi's smirk grow wider with challenge as he strutted his way back over to me.

"Well, you're a single woman now. Maybe it's time to...try something new. After all, I'm sure I can please you a lot better than some wild pigeon can. Knowing him, I'm sure that horny man child tapped out after thirty seconds." He laughed mockingly, causing me to sigh in annoyance as Dabi indirectly began bringing up my breakup with Keigo.

And it was thirty-five seconds, not thirty. Get it right, Dabi.

"Either get to the point of why you're here, or kill me. I don't care which option you choose, anymore. Just do something to make this god awful conversation end." I groaned, lightly hitting the back of my head against the wall impatiently.

Dabi shrugged his shoulders, slowly stopping his walk directly in front of me.

He wasn't restraining me this time. He wasn't holding a blue flame inches away from my throat, or purposely trying to make himself appear as intimidating.

He was just standing there, relaxed and casual.

And for some reason....those actions alone made me feel more caged and uncomfortable.

"I already told you why I'm here. I wanna take you on a little field trip. It's the weekend and I know you've got a couple days off from work, so saying you don't have time would be a pretty shitty excuse." He pointed out, running his blue eyes along the features of my face a little too interestedly.

"And what if I say no?" I questioned defiantly, remembering what happened the last time I went somewhere with Dabi.

He tried to assault me in front of Keigo, and it cost him his meeting with Shigaraki.

Not even missing a beat, Dabi spoke his usual unfiltered reasoning.

"Hm. Well, if you say no, then I suppose you can kiss Sammy goodbye-well, you can kiss his charred remains goodbye, anyways." He suggested casually, tone blank with hard truth.

His voice was still carefree and just a little lighter than usual, but of course, a statement like that held the darker, underlying tones to Dabi's true character.

He's a murderer. A villain. An evil man with no morals.

It made me shiver on edge. It made me visibly let out a shaky gasp of panic.

Dabi's eyes studied my negative reaction to him, blue orbs dulling ever so slightly as he watched my brows furrow with distress.

"You know, if you just listen to me the first time, then I won't have to keep saying dumb shit like that." He uttered blandly, closing his eyes tiredly so he wouldn't have to see the somber look on my face.

I tensed my jaw in stress, squeezing my own eyes shut dreadfully, as I thought about where Dabi wanted to take me this time. I'm sure it's not anywhere good.

Feeling my initial fear at his threat quickly fade into anger and hard resentment for the stitched man, I snapped my eyes open, shooting a glare at him as I stormed over to my desk chair to begrudgingly put my winter jacket back on.

"Gonna at least tell me where you're taking me this time?" I spat out with a sour attitude, harshly shoving my arms through the heavy sleeves of my coat.

I didn't expect Dabi to answer me seriously. He never does, after all. I expected him to either blow me off, or say some smart ass response that had absolutely nothing to do with my question.

So, his actual reply truly surprised me.

"Heard of the Meta Liberation Army?" He asked casually, the mention of the name causing my heart to immediately jump out of my chest with familiarity.

My mind began racing a mile a minute, as a million thoughts bombarded my head.

The book. The book that Keigo gave Endeavor. His coded message. It said...

"Opponent is the Meta Liberation Army. League hi-jacked. 100,000 members strong. Four months-"

"Don't know what the hold up is on an answer to that. I know you're aware. It's just basic history, after all. I'm sure they already taught you in school all about the Meta Liberation Movement that happened a few decades ago. So, whatever lie is trying to form in that pretty head of yours, you can cut the bullshit." Dabi followed up a few seconds later, clearly becoming impatient with my silence.

That's right. The league's been meshed with the MLA. That means, Dabi probably has access to a lot of confidential information about the army members.

Which also means that he, more than likely, knows a few things about this war that's coming up in four months.

Maybe, I can get him to tell me some things, so I won't have to put so much pressure on Keigo to feed information to Endeavor and I.

Only now realizing that my entire body had froze in its tracks out of shock, I quickly finished putting on my jacket, being much less aggressive about the actions than I had been before.

Come on, Ari. Act natural. Be a good liar for once in your damn life.

Because a lot of people's lives depend on how I respond to this.

"Yeah. I know a little bit about it. People started riots and protests because they wanted to live in an environment where they could use their quirks freely. Right?" I asked casually, turning around to face Dabi once I was ready to go.

He ignored my question for a moment, nodding his head in the direction of my closet instead.

"You'll wanna pack some clothes. I'll have you gone for a few days. Guess it's pretty convenient that I decided to pay you a visit on your long weekend off, huh? Now, hurry up." He commanded firmly, making me resist the urge to roll my eyes as I swiftly walked over to my closet.

Dabi continued speaking as I began to pack.

"And yeah. That's what the liberation shit's about. Now, look, I got not problem telling you what I'm about to tell you, because I know you won't say a word, right? I don't need to repeat the threat I have over your head again, do I? I'd rather not, and I'm sure you feel the same." He warned with boredom, nonchalantly picking up another pen from my desk that was also property of the Hawks Agency.

"I get it, alright? You don't need to keep repeating it. I'm not gonna say anything." I retorted harshly, carelessly shoving clothes into my bag as quickly as possible.

"Fine then. Anyways, long story short, there's been a collaboration with the MLA and the league. It's called the Paranormal Liberation Front. Everyone's trying to find their own recruits, and you are gonna be mine. That's basically it. See? Not too hard to follow, is it?" Dabi casually explained, not realizing the massive amount of impact his small, little statement had on me.

Thank goodness my back was turned to him as I packed my clothes, because I couldn't stop my eyes from bugging out of my head about three times their size.

Oh shit. Oh no.

That's not good, huh.

Dabi's trying to recruit me into the Meta Liberation Army? That means he's basically trying to make me into a full fledged villain, before I've even had a chance to formally enter the pro hero world.

Not to mention that something of this magnitude would cause the plan, that Endeavor and I made, to completely fall apart since we're the only ones who can help Keigo from the outside of this whole situation.

If Dabi somehow manages to get me under 24/7 surveillance with the villains, the same way Keigo is, then Endeavor will be completely on his own, in preparing for this war, and that is not a good thing. Sure, Endeavor's a grown man. He's the number one hero, of course..he can take care of himself.

But, he needs a second opinion, and the brain of the hero commission, without having to go to Diane for everything. I'm the person who's able to give him that. Especially, since the plan was for all of Keigo's coded messages to go through me, so he doesn't have to worry about Endeavor's ability to interpret their complex patterns.

Keigo was supposed to be our inside informant to this whole thing, while Endeavor and I focus on the outside pieces of it all.

Yes, that was the original plan.

But, now....

Now, Dabi has thrown a wrench in the gears, tossing another curveball my way and forcing me to choose an option on the spot.

And let's be honest, there's really only one option for me to choose.

It's not as if I have much of a choice to begin with. If I don't go with Dabi, to wherever the hell he's planning to take me, then he will kill my loved ones. Plain and simple.

So....I need to make the best of my situation, and try to twist this in my favor, somehow.

If I have to go anyways, why not use this to my benefit. Right...?

What I mean by this, is that starting now....I'll be conducting my own infiltration mission into the PLF, using this weekend to gain as much intel and information on the upcoming war as I can. Then, I'll report everything I find to Endeavor, and we'll go from there.

Now, if you're thinking that this plan sounds poorly thought out and risky....

Well, you'd be right.

Had I known Dabi would be coming for me tonight, I would have been able to plan this whole thing out with Endeavor more, and discuss with him certain things I should be looking out for-not to mention, I'd be able to give him a heads up that I'm walking right into enemy territory....

But, as usual, Dabi has popped back up into my life unexpectedly...leaving me with no choice, other than to use my hero commission training to guide me through his mind games.

No. I don't really have a plan for this weekend. I don't know how I'm supposed to find out information, and spy on a villain organization that I know practically nothing about.

Guess I'll have to wing it.

I feel nervous. Admittedly, I feel a little scared for what I'm about to walk into. I feel stressed that I'll get caught sneaking around, trying to snoop through the PLF's confidential information-or, worse, that I'll come back from this weekend, completely empty handed while, simultaneously, being forced deeper into the villain ranks.

Yes, there are a lot of unknowns to how this situation could play out. There's no one I can seek advice from. No one I can tell about this. Dabi's right here, and there's no way he'll let me out of his sight now.

I'm alone. I have no one to help me this time. It's just me and my wits.

Me and my wits...

Oh Lord, help us all.

But....

I'll be damned if I don't at least try.

I'll do my best. I have to. Because the fate of the world, in four months, depends on it.

"Well, what do you say? Are you with me, or not?" Dabi asked nonchalantly, twirling the Hawks Agency pen between his fingers for a few more moments, before brutally engulfing the poor object in blue flames.

Alright, Ari. It's go time. Hopefully, this is the weekend you'll magically become an amazing liar.

Taking a silent, deep breath to calm my growing nerves, I confidently zipped up my duffel bag before turning around to face Dabi.

"Well, it's not like I have a choice, right?" I snarked out, still trying to hold some of my bitchy attitude from earlier, so Dabi wouldn't become suspicious of my new intentions.

He crumbled the remaining ash of the Hawks Agency pen into my little garbage can, before turning his piercing, ocean gaze on me.

Well, at least he used the trash. Right?

"That's the spirit. Let's get going then. Don't wanna be late for the real fun." He mumbled boredly, subtly nodding for me to follow him so we could sneak out of the building.

Swallowing thickly, I forced myself not to hesitate as I followed behind Dabi....wondering what the hell it was that we could possibly be late for.

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

Saying my jaw dropped when I saw the site of a giant ass mansion, in the middle of the damn forest, would be a huge understatement.

On top of that, seeing the masses of people weaved inside and outside of the place-conversing happily as if they were talking about the weather, also had me completely on edge from the moment I arrived here.

I haven't even walked inside yet, and this place already gives me the creeps-

"What's with that look? Never seen a ratty mansion before?" Dabi asked me, causing me to quickly jump out of my thoughts and turn my focus on him.

He was looking straight ahead, almost like he was avoiding my gaze, as we trudged towards the entrance gate. I saw the very corners of his stitched lips turn up in, what looked to be, amusement for my reaction. He probably mistook it to be one of satisfied surprise for the grand appearance of the place-instead of the horrified shock it was actually meant to be.

But, it's not as if I'd let him know that.

"Heh, well...I guess I'm just a little surprised that this swanky place is where you ended up. Last I checked, you were stuck in a house where the toilets didn't work and you burned a hole through the ceiling." I chuckled absentmindedly, feeling my fists subtly balling together in fury as I left out the other details I remembered about that place.

Like the ones where you tried to force yourself on me in front of Keigo, you vile piece of shi-

"Guess you could call it one of the perks that come with forming an alliance with these idiots-money and running water." He retorted in annoyance for his situation, running a hand through his hair as we continued our walk along the path of giant, beautiful trees.

I couldn't help but snort in bitter amusement at Dabi's broody comment, wrapping my scarf tighter around my neck to shield myself from the cold, winter chill.

"Mhm. Money and running water. Guess it's something we take for granted sometimes, huh." I uttered truthfully, more speaking to myself in reminisce as I remembered the early days of living on the streets with my parents and Sammy.

Unfortunately, my thinking out loud moment had been too loud, as Dabi lazily turned his head in my direction upon hearing my words.

"Oh yeah? And how would you know?" He asked, tilting his head to the side in question.

At a first glance of his attitude, one could have easily mistaken Dabi's question as one of rude, condescending accusation.

That's how I'd normally construe it, too, since I just can't stand Dabi, overall. I don't care enough about him to read too much into his behaviors. He's a jackass. Case closed.

But, since I'm currently in the process of spying on the enemy, my senses are more focused. I'm more aware of what's going on around me, and the people I'm talking to.

Especially, their body language. Because, if there's anything I've learned from the hero commission, it's that body language says a lot. More than words.

And Dabi's body language wasn't one of someone who was trying to mock me maliciously, right now. It wasn't one of someone who was just trying to make his own point about how his sob story was more angsty, or anything like that.

His body language was relaxed. Turned towards me, as he kept his hands in his pockets. Even though his voice came out harsh and rude-probably just because he's so used to speaking this way, his eyes were calm, directed at the forest grounds with focus as he quietly waited for my answer.

I won't say his eyes were soft, because I don't think someone like Dabi is capable of such a thing. But they weren't filled with that usual, wild look of a man who lost his way.

They were just filled with genuine curiosity at the question he had.

But, just because I know Dabi was genuine in asking his very first personal question about me, doesn't mean I owe him anything. Especially, not a kind response.

And it doesn't mean I'll tell him shit about me. Ever. Not after everything he's said and done. I hate him. He's still a man who's dead to me. And I doubt that will change anytime soon.

So, instead, I decided to take a different approach and act as if I misunderstood his tone for something rude and accusing. This tactic will help me avoid the question easier.

"Jeez, Dabi. Don't have to ask it so rudely. I was just thinking out loud. Don't worry, I won't bore you with my sob story. So, don't get all snippy, kay?" I uttered quietly in fake offense, pulling my scarf over my mouth in hopes that he'd get the hint I don't wanna talk to him.

I expected Dabi to immediately hurl an insult my way about how I'm an overreacting bitch, or carelessly throw out another threat on my life, for that matter.

But....he didn't.

Instead....

I was met with silence. A strange silence, as the air now had a weird vibe to it. A vibe I wasn't expecting.

Keeping my gaze straight ahead, I could feel Dabi's eyes linger on me for a second longer as he was clearly thinking about something inside his masochistic mind.

Becoming frustrated with how this exchange went, he quickly snapped his attention away from me a few seconds later, letting out a dismissive scoff as he turned his eyes forward.

"Good, don't bore me. Cause I don't give a shit about anything you say." He involuntarily defended in his usual obnoxious, broody tone, putting both of us out of this awkward misery as we finally reached the entrance gate.

My heart jumped up my throat at the man I saw guarding the entrance gate, completely shocked as I wasn't expecting to see something like this so soon-

"Name, please?" The Pro Hero, Slidin' Go, politely asked Dabi as we stood outside the gate.

A traitor!! He's a traitor. The first traitor.

Which means....there's probably more here.

My first piece of information. It's just as Endeavor and I had originally thought. There are, in fact, traitor heroes inside the Paranormal Liberation Front. This means, we'll need to be extra careful about the information we share with others.

"Quit acting as if you don't know who I am, you Buzz Lightyear Fuck. You ain't no hero here. Now, move." Dabi spat out lowly, his immediate mood change practically slapping me in the face.

Now his voice was more malicious and threatening, compared to when it was just the two of us talking, a second ago. Now, he sounds more like the Dabi I know. Like the Dabi I always see when I'm around Keigo.

Slidin' Go's fake smile fell slightly at Dabi's insult, before his brows furrowed in irritation.

"Dabi, I said give me your name." Slidin' Go asked in annoyance, only further embarrassing himself with a comment like that.

Wow. Just how power hungry is this guy-

"And who are you? I've seen you around before. You're a student from UA. Why are you here?" Slidin' Go immediately accused, quickly whipping his eyes at me.

Oh shit. Here we go. Time to pretend I'm completely passionate about a cause I know nothing about!

My first impression starts now.

How am I gonna play this?

Hero commission training, please do your thing.

Trying to quickly scrounge my memory for anything I knew about this cause, from the small talk I had with Dabi back in my dorm room, I forced myself to be confident and answer.

"Why am I here? Well, to become liberated, of course! Dabi's told me all about the PLF, and I think it's great. I'm his new recruit!" I smiled warmly, feeling my heartbeat starting to pick up as I realized Slidin' Go looked totally unconvinced.

Shit. I'm failing already. That's a great start.

Quick, Ari. Reflect on everything you've learned about Slidin' Go in the past three second exchange he had with Dabi. What's the read on him?

Oh, that's right. He likes authority. He likes power.

Which means, he probably likes to be admired and recognized.

Quickly taking a different approach, I took a fake double glance at Slidin' Go, as if I suddenly recognized him, before my jaw abruptly dropped in mock admiration.

"Wait..." I breathed out in 'awe,' quickly grabbing onto Dabi's arm for dramatic emphasis.

Dabi's brows furrowed in confusion, looking down at my hand that was squeezing his arm in irritation.

"And what the hell's wrong with you-" He started saying, before I quickly cut off his brooding.

"Don't tell me-how didn't I notice it before?? Oh my god, is it really you??! You're the amazing Pro Hero, Slidin' Go!!!" I exclaimed like a fucking idiot, jumping up and down like a dumb ditz.

Well, I definitely earned a shit ton of judgmental looks from that response....

But, nevertheless, my plan seemed to be working now as Slidin' Go's brows raised in legitimate shock at my words, as the accusing suspicion began to fade from his demeanor.

"W-Wait, you know who I am?" He asked in curiosity, his new tone of voice causing me to internally grin in victory.

That's right. Keep dropping your guard, asshole.

"You know who he is?" Dabi deadpanned in disbelief, raising a brow at me like I was certifiably insane.

Quickly releasing Dabi's arm, I strategically waltzed up to Slidin' Go in excitement, eagerly grabbing his hands in mine.

"Of course I know who you are, sir! Wow, you're amazing! A legend, even! You really fight crime like nobody's business!" I remarked proudly, holding in my cackles as I spoke the bullshit words about this doofus.

Slidin' Go let out a cocky chuckle at my statement, letting me know that his inflated ego had officially grown three sizes.

"Oh, well it's all in my feet, you see. I always stand on my tip toes, because-"

"Can you shut the fuck up already?!" Dabi nagged out from behind me, crossing his arms impatiently as he waited for us to get through the entrance.

Slidin' Go stopped the braggart remarks about himself, starting to become annoyed with Dabi again.

Dabi, shut up. You're ruining this.

I need to butter him up even more now.

"You know, I had your action figure as a kid!" I lied boldly, just trying to get his mood happy again.

.....wait, does Slidin' Go even have action figures?!-

Fully letting his guard down now, Slidin' Go's eyes lit up as he smiled widely.

"No way! Really?! You know, I had a talk with the Prime Minister last year, about how incredibly rude it is to put my action figures on the clearance rack!" He scoffed, giving his head an appalled shake.

Why would you talk to the Prime Minister about something so insignificant like that-

"If you two are done with your little reunion, then get out of the way." Dabi quickly cut in from behind me.

I jumped when I felt him grab my arm and yank me forward with him, easily maneuvering us around Slidin' Go, so we could go inside.

Wanting to make sure I tied up my loose ends...

"Ah, how time flies, right? I'll catch up with you later, Slidin' Go! I have so many questions to ask a genius, like yourself!" I called out from behind me, giving him an excited, dumbass wave as an excuse to figure out how he felt about me.

Looks like I was easily in the clear, as the traitor waved back at me, quickly posing with both hands on his hips 'heroically.'

"Sure!!-Well, If I have the time, anyways. I'm a busy man-but I'm always out here guarding the entrance if you want to stop by and chat about my hero work!" He exclaimed, quickly placing his thumb on his forehead and making a weird gesture with his fingers.

What is that? A salute of some sort?

I simply smiled fakely, before finally allowing myself to turn around and walk forward with Dabi.

Letting out a slightly exhausted sigh at that energetic exchange with Slidin' Go, I couldn't help but involuntarily slump my shoulders to let go of the stress I'd been unknowingly holding onto-

"Nice one back there, kiss ass." Dabi chuckled lowly, his voice now free of any villainous tones it carried with Slidin' Go just a few moments ago.

I furrowed my brows in confusion, not knowing what he was talking about.

"Huh?" I asked in confusion, subtly starting to trail my eyes around the vicinity as Dabi and I finally entered the mansion for the first time.

Jeez, this place is huge-

"With Slidin' Bitch, back there. Pretending to be a fan of him. Manipulating him with praise, because you know that's what he likes. Yeah. You don't have me fooled. I already know all about that shit." Dabi smirked triumphantly, the last words of his statement causing me to immediately become confused and curious.

"What do you mean you already know all about that shit? How?" I blurted out in genuine curiosity-yet, my voice still came out somewhat accusing, since I'm always so used to being a bitch to Dabi.

And unfortunately, I think I was starting to become too predictable, as Mr. Staples seemed to already know how to counteract my response.

"Don't have to ask it so rudely. I was just thinking out loud. I won't bore you with my sob story, so don't get all snippy, alright?" He stated boldly, reiterating my words to him from earlier.

And if Dabi's able to use those words against me in the same exact situation I did, it must mean that he already saw through my intentions with that statement when I first used it a few minutes ago.

And if he saw through that statement, and I didn't realize it.....it means that Dabi might know my hero commission tactics, better than I originally thought.

AND, while I'm on the subject of overthinking everything....

Since Keigo and I were trained the exact same way....if Dabi can see through me that easily....

Can he also see through Keigo's act, too?

How? How could he know all of that? There's no way.

.....right?

Who is Dabi? Who is he really-

"First, she won't shut up, and now she won't speak. Heh, guess I got ya tongue tied-not in the way I'd like, though." He countered again, almost like he was purposely giving me no time to revel in my inner thoughts.

Quickly trying to get back in the mind game roulette with Dabi, I laughed off his comment dismissively.

How does Keigo go back and forth like this with Dabi all the time? It's like constantly walking on eggshells with this guy, always trying to make sure you don't say the wrong thing, that he can use against you. It's exhausting. It would make anyone go crazy.

"Not tongue tied. I just stopped listening to you, the moment you started speaking." I smiled cockily, watching as Dabi turned the corner down a new hallway, forcing me to follow after him since I had nowhere else to go.

Unfortunately, at the moment, he's the only person I know here. Which makes him my tour guide, right now.

But....there's been one other person on my mind from the moment I found out I'd be coming here, to this specific place.

I wonder if he's here, too. He's gotta be, right?

"Well, if I were you, I'd drop that little attitude right about now, Princess. You wanna make a good first impression, don't you?" Dabi asked mockingly, clearly not giving a damn about what kind of impression I actually made.

But, the question is...

Who am I supposed to make an impression on? Where are we currently going?

As Dabi and I continued our walk down the hallway, we began nearing a set of closed double doors, with two guards standing outside of it.

Wow. They don't look scary or anything.

Please don't tell me we're going in there.

The abundant sound of talking and laughter became more prominent from the other side of the doors, the closer we came to them-and I couldn't help but feel my heartbeat pick up as Dabi's walk, unfortunately, slowed to a full stop once we reached the guards.

Damn it. So we are going in there.

The two giant guards didn't budge an inch as Dabi and I stood in front of them, with one of them glaring at us extra threateningly as he clearly had no intention of letting us in.

Tragic. Oh, well. Better luck next time!

"You're late." The stubborn guard said to Dabi, causing the stitched man to pinch the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"God, I'm so fucking sick of this place...." He huffed under his breath, before boring his blue eyes into the guards-who were, probably, three times his size.

"Yeah, I'm well aware I'm late, alright? Tell that to someone who cares." Dabi scoffed, about to push his way past the guards to walk inside.

However, the same guard who was giving Dabi problems quickly stood stronger in front of the door, clearly having no intention of budging-that is, until the other guard butted in.

"H-Hey, let him through. Did you forget? Dabi's one of the nine PLF army commanders. He can do whatever he wants." The other guard explained, before quickly pulling his stubborn friend out of the way.

Hm?

Say what now?

I'm sorry. My hearing must be off today. Because I know this buffoon didn't just say that Dabi's the commander of anything-

"Will you hurry it up, already? I don't have all damn day here." Dabi nagged at me, quickly grabbing my wrist and dragging me through the open door with him.

Oh, no. Wait. I'm not ready.

Fuck, I'm panicking. Where are we going? Who are we meeting? What's happening?!?

There was one thing in particular that pulled me out of my panicked day dream-and only made me more panicked.

Ah. Now, I wanna hurl.

I heard him, before I saw him. And what I heard, was the sound of a very familiar, certain someone clearly very engaged in conversation as Dabi and I fully entered the dining room now.

"Hah!! Yep! And then I said, are you crazy? Only a bird would do that!" Keigo exclaimed animatedly, causing everyone at the big dinner table to immediately erupt in laughter at whatever he was talking about.

Clearly, he'd been telling a joke right before I walked in-and judging by that shitty punchline, I'm damn glad I missed it....

Too consumed by the big presence of Hawks in the room, no one had noticed Dabi and I walk in, yet....allowing me the moment to prepare myself and look up at the one person my eyes were immediately drawn to.

Against my will, my heart let out an involuntary squeeze at the sight of Keigo Takami, pathetically trying to drink in his appearance in these minuscule seconds before he saw me.

There were about twelve people seated at a giant, rectangular dinner table, and Keigo was the only one standing up from his seat-clearly in a tactful effort to emphasize his god awful joke more efficiently, I'm sure. He does better when he can talk with his hands and his body language.

He donned his usual hero attire, with his aviators resting on the top of his head to keep his crazy, blonde locks swept back.

A glass of scotch was resting in one of his gloved hands-and since Keigo usually isn't one to drink on the job, especially this one, the glass is probably just for show-to give him the appearance of the happy-go-lucky guy who just wants to party and have a good time.

His smile, even though it was obvious to me that it was completely fake, begrudgingly gave me butterflies in my stomach as his bright, white teeth vibrantly lit up the room.

I tried to tear my eyes away from him, especially since these precious few moments of being unnoticed would be better spent preparing for what the hell I'm going to say in here, instead of wasting them on drooling over Keigo.

But...

Damn it, I just couldn't look away.

As if sensing my attention was becoming completely distracted at the sight of Keigo, Dabi let out an annoyed scoff, before quickly gaining the attention of the entirety of laughing strangers at the table.

"Whatever that pigeon idiot said, I'm sure it wasn't that funny." Dabi retorted broodily, his low voice cutting through the sound of laughter in the room.

Everyone began quieting down as they looked back at Dabi and I, to see the culprit who was ruining their fun.

Without looking over just yet, Keigo let out an over-exaggerated groan at the sound of Dabi's voice, giving his eyes a roll.

"Oh c'mon, Dabi. No need to..." Hawks started saying, before his eyes finally glanced over in Dabi's direction...spotting me.

As much as he tried to hide it, Keigo couldn't stop his, previously smug, golden eyes from widening in shocked panic at the sight of me. His jaw dropped slightly, before his wings gave an uncontrollable flutter of stress.

The ice in his drink clattered softly, an action to signal that his grip on the glass probably became tighter a bit too suddenly.

His brows furrowed slightly in concern, before he quickly relaxed them and tried to meet my gaze as unreadable and blank as he could for the company he was in front of.

Unfortunately, Keigo wasn't able to recover on what he'd been saying previously, only drawing more attention to Dabi and I, as everyone wondered who it was that made the chatty number two hero suddenly so speechless.

Being the asshole that he is, Dabi only played into this obvious blunder from Keigo, smirking softly as he attempted to draw more attention to it.

"You just what, number two? Go on. Say it. Don't be shy on my account. It's not like you." Dabi stated maliciously, his voice taking on that familiar threatening tone once again.

Keigo's eyes quickly tore themselves away from me, and over to Dabi, immediately opening his mouth to speak and recover from his obvious slip-up.

"I-I just-"

"Dabi! It's good to see you could finally make it. Although, I must say....you are late." An unfamiliar man at the head of the table called out happily, his nose so pointy, it could probably poke an eye out.

Trying not to attract anymore attention on myself, I tried my best not to move a muscle, standing next to Dabi quietly as I tried to ignore the feeling of Keigo's avian gaze burning into me.

But, of course, any unfamiliar face at this place is going to attract attention, so it was of no surprise to me as the guy with the pointy nose quickly turned his attention to me, flashing a wide, fake smile.

"And who is this?" The guy asked, causing every person at the dinner table to look towards me now.

Wow. That's not good for social anxiety.

Forcing myself not to look over at Keigo, the way I wanted to, I stepped forward slightly....trying to flash the most genuine smile that I could.

"I'm Ari Parker. And who might you be?" I asked confidently with just a hint of spunk, noticing Keigo's wings give another stressful flutter from the corner of my eye as I spoke for the first time.

The big nosed guy's eyes widened three times their size in excitement upon hearing my name, causing him to immediately stand up eagerly.

"You are? Ah, yes!! Dabi said you'd be coming by! Excellent-well, please! Take a seat and help yourself to some food, Ari. We're only just getting started on dinner, and there's so much I'd like to ask you about! My name's Re-Destro." The man said, quickly gesturing me and Dabi over to the table for some dinner.

I swallowed thickly, forcing a smile on my face as I felt myself internally start panicking at this new situation I've been thrust into.

Well, I don't know much at this point, but there's one thing I'm pretty sure of...

Whatever's about to happen here, it's safe to say, I'm probably screwed.

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Next Chapter Title: Rocky Reunion.