Top pic credit: KadeArt

I felt my heart skip a beat at his words, as his arm around my shoulders tightened slightly.

I'm starting to get nauseous from this conversation.

"H-Hah? I-I mean, who says I've gotten my fill of Ari?! I'm just getting started with her. Gimme more time-" I started out hopelessly, trying to change Dabi's mind about trying to kill her so soon.

"Since we're bros, as you say...I'm gonna let you in on a little secret..." Dabi whispered to me menacingly, causing a faint shiver to run up my spine.

I remained quiet, not wanting any more of my own words to be used against me.

"Did you know, Hawks......I was gonna come surprise you this weekend? At the Parker house? Yeah, I was gonna stop by for a bit....maybe fuck around, and burn Ari and her family alive, right in front of you. Just to see what you'd do. To see if you're serious about what you say. Because, you know as well as I do....you can't be serious about wanting to join the league if you're dating one of the heroes. I wanted to see if you were serious about your loyalty to us..." He said menacingly, tightening his grip on my shoulders even more.

I felt my fake smile falter ever so slightly, imagining the pure horror of Dabi's words-

He knew where I was. He could have easily shown up and murdered the Parkers.

....and it would have been all my fault.

Oh my god. I would have never forgiven myself for something so horrible.

Dabi was one step ahead of me this weekend, and the worst part was, I didn't even realize it. Once again, my errors put the people I care about in grave danger.

"Ah! But then I decided against paying a visit to Ari and her family. You know why? Because then it'd be over too quickly. Just like that. She'd be gone in a flash. Forever. And I realize, that's no fun for me." Dabi cooed softly, slowly turning his head in my direction.

I cleared my throat uncomfortably, starting to have a difficult time keeping such a humorous facade with this spiraling conversation.

"Well....I dunno what you think that would accomplish with me. Go ahead. Do whatever you want, Dabi. I don't know where you got this idea that Ari Parker is so important to me. She's my employee. She's just a girl. It's like you're dangling her in front of my face, because you think she's some kind of a weakness for me? Sorry to tell ya, but you're just wasting your time." I stated a little more seriously, finding my words almost laughable with how inaccurate they were.

"Oh yeah? And watching me toss her, and her family's charred bodies off the Tengoku Summit obviously wouldn't have bothered you either, then?" Dabi chuckled lowly, finally releasing me from his grasp.

I straightened my jacket, patting at it slightly to get rid of the ash that was created from Dabi's fire. Backing up, I tried to create a little distance between us.

"Eh. It'd make me a little queasy, if anything. Charred bodies aren't exactly my version of flowers and sunshine. Hey, while we're on the subject, how did you know exactly where I was? You know....this trust thing goes both ways here, Mr. Crusty. It's almost like....you were tracing my calls." I gasped in mock surprise, widening my eyes in over dramatic shock.

"Never said I traced your calls to find your location. Never said I had to." Dabi smirked, instantly grabbing my attention.

Hm? What? He didn't trace my calls? Was he lying? How the hell did he find out where I was then-

"But, let's not get off track. You say you don't care about Ari. You wanted to know why I always ask about her. Well, here's my answer." Dabi stated clearly, forcing me to mentally brace myself for whatever he was about to say.

"You're a stone cold wall, Hawks. Nothing seems to phase you. Nothing except Ari Parker. You can try to pretend. You act like you don't care. But, I notice the little things. I notice the way you tense up when I say her name. The way you always try to change the subject away from her. The way your eyes light up with fear, for just a split second, when I tell you she's going to die by my hand. Whether you want to believe it or not, Ari Parker is something I have over you. You can't hide it from me. Which is why my interest in destroying her has only increased, since I've met you." He smirked, raising a challenging brow.

I felt my jaw clench tightly, as I only became more annoyed and stressed the longer this conversation went on. I just wanted it to stop. Please, just stop. Just leave her alone, Dabi.

"Dabi, I'm starting to get a little tired of this constant obsession you seem to have with Ari. Look man, kill her or don't kill her. I really don't care, either way. I mean, holy shit, what's it gonna take for you to believe me? Tell me what to do, so we can stop wasting our time with this and move on to more important matters." I stated firmly, my carefree persona nowhere to be found in my presence now.

Immediately after I said the words, I regretted them. I don't even wanna know what Dabi has in store for me to prove to him I don't care about Ari. Whatever it is, I'm sure it isn't pretty. But, this is the only thing I can do in this situation. I'll think about next steps, once he asks something of me.

Dabi's blue eyed gaze burned into me, for what felt like forever. Clearly, he was trying to whip up something horrible for me to do. I could see the malice written all over his stitched face.

The sound of his eerie voice finally broke the silence, as I continued staring blankly at the ground.

"You said it yourself....you've been around the block right? You've slept with quite a few broads?" Dabi stated lowly, almost as if asking for confirmation.

"Hm? Oh yeah. Duh. You name it, and I've probably done it...or rather, done her. Take a lesson from me, my friend. Anywhere, anytime." I laughed, shooting Dabi some finger guns.

Agh, too much, Keigo. Too much. I'm nervous. I just need to cool it.

Dabi pressed his lips together in thought, slowly shaking his head in confirmation.

"I see. So, that's like your thing then? Sleeping around, I mean. That's something you're comfortable with?" He asked smoothly, crossing his arms.

Why the hell is he asking this?

"Yessir!-well, I mean, within reason. Obviously, I'm still careful. Don't want any diseases or kids, right now." I shrugged, just trying to lighten the weird atmosphere in the room.

Having Dabi asking about my sex life, definitely isn't the most pleasant thing in the world. Especially, with the rest of the league listening....

I saw the corners of his mouth turn up into a small smile, before he gave me a quick nod.

"Okay, that's all I needed to know. You can go now, Hawks. I'll be in touch...and don't forget about our new meeting spots. We're alternating between three places to make sure those shitty heroes don't catch us. The building on seventh avenue, the skyscraper in the downtown district, and the warehouse on the coast." He said dismissively, already walking out of the room.

Huh? He's not going to make me prove something to him?

Whatever. I don't want to stick around and give him anymore ideas.

Without a word, I slowly began backing into the shadows, about to be on my way, before Dabi spoke once more.

"Oh! Also, I've been thinking...you owe me a high end Nomu, you know. After you and Enji Todoroki destroyed my beloved Hood." He said mockingly, tilting his head in dark amusement.

Why did he bring that up? What is he really trying to say with that statement?

I turned around to face him, shoving my hands into my pockets as I gave him a glare.

"Do I now? After all, I was just defending myself. Can't really blame me for that, right?" I questioned, realizing my own tone of voice was coming out darker than I meant it to.

The longer I stay here, the more I feel a sense of darkness consume me. I feel as though I'm losing a grip on myself...on my own reality....on my morals.

I don't like it. I need to get out of here.

"Oh, I can. And I will. I do. I'm just letting you know, I need a new body to replace the one you took from me." He stated matter of factly, not saying anymore than that.

Seriously? How many things does this guy have over my head?

I bit my lip in frustration, already too deep within the shadows for Dabi to see my facial expressions.

Without a word, I began continuing my walk, definitely catching the very last thing Dabi said to me, as I turned the corner of the alleyway. The same thing he seems to tell me every time I leave.

"Say hi to Ari Parker for me."