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Wandering far, disappearing

Feet stuck in place, not moving

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Akemi had planned on a normal, relaxing day.

All her agenda consisted of was calling the window replacement company--she'd caved and decided on the villain-proof glass--and completing a couple of delivery orders. Overall, it was a low workload type of day, something Akemi desperately needed after the stress yesterday had caused. Unfortunately for her, life wasn't very keen on giving her a break. The world seemed hell-bent on causing Akemi to have a stress-induced heart attack, and the next phase of that plan came in the form of a very shady man slumped against the checkout counter.

Akemi was so lost in her own head that she didn't register the stranger for several seconds. As his back was against the counter and Akemi was approaching from the other side, he couldn't see or register her presence either, which should have given Akemi the upper hand. Unfortunately, Akemi's instinctual reaction to the intruder did not lend itself to stealth. Letting out an undignified yelp of surprise, she stumbled backward, spilling the mug of coffee she was carrying all over her overalls. Thankfully, her coffee had cooled slightly, but it was still hot enough to sting. "Son of a bitch," she hissed, fanning the stain as she eyed the stranger, ready to bolt back upstairs at the first sign of malicious intent.

He'd turned around at the ruckus she made, and Akemi had to fight down another yelp as she took in his appearance. He was heavily scarred, with burned tissue taking up the bottom half of his face, his under eyes, and all of his neck. The tissue seemed to be held together by quite a few staples, and they glinted dully in the early morning light filtering through the shelves of plants. Akemi was fairly sure staples weren't standard medical treatment for burns, but the guy's health wasn't really at the forefront of her concerns.

"Well, that's a bit rude," he said, running a hand through his spiky black hair as he took in Akemi's distress with way too much amusement. "After all, you don't even know my mother." The staples holding the burned skin of his lower jaw to the rest of his face shifted and stretched slightly as he smirked down at Akemi.

The utter lack of concern he displayed at her appearance coupled with his enjoyment of her surprise and worry did little to endear him to Akemi. In fact, it pissed her off quite a bit, and a pissed off Akemi was a rather impulsive and unpleasant person. "I don't think respectable people raise kids who break and enter," she snapped back. Maybe it wasn't advisable to sass the guy that just broke into her shop, but Akemi couldn't really be bothered with reason at the moment.

Thankfully, her comment just seemed to amuse the man further, and Akemi idly wondered if he had any other emotions besides 'smug bastard.' He gestured lazily towards the hole in the front window, which drew her attention to more burn scars covering most of his arms. "Your window was like that when I got here. I didn't break anything," he replied, and it took all the willpower Akemi possessed not to roll her eye. However, what little self-restraint she had snapped at the shit-eating grin that spread across the guy's face.

"Seriously? You just broke into my shop, and you're worried about a technicality?" Akemi asked, incredulous. Mr. Pedantic Crook opened his mouth, smirk still very much present, and Akemi held up a finger to forestall the mocking comment she knew was coming. "And don't you dare say you didn't break anything. That's not going to hold up in court." Her fear was completely gone, replaced with the overwhelming desire to hurl the nearest heavy object at the guy's head.

"Listen, pipsqueak; I'm not here to steal shit. I just wanted to ask for a job application." Akemi gaped at him, at a complete loss of words for several seconds. The audacity, or perhaps stupidity, of this punk rock band-reject completely distracted her, so much so that she almost didn't register the crack at her height. Once her brain recognized the insult, however, Akemi was back to incensed.

"If you apply for every job by committing a crime and then insulting your prospective employer, then it's no wonder you're unemployed," she hissed at him. "A status, by the way, that won't be changed by me." Akemi felt a stab of surprise and doubt when her words didn't discourage or even irritate him. If anything, Mr. Pedantic Crook looked even smugger.

He shoved his hand into a pocket of his tattered and very black duster, rummaging around for a few moments before pulling out a crumpled note. He offered it to Akemi with an expression that rivaled Napoleon's demeanor seconds after catching a mouse. "My reference from Benjiro would suggest otherwise," he said. Unable to suppress her curiosity, Akemi snatched the letter from him, backing up quickly as though he was a wild animal she was worried might bite.

Making sure to keep the man in the corner of her eye, Akemi unfolded and scanned the note. Unfortunately for her, it was from Benjiro, and he was indeed begging her to give this man--he called him Dabi--a job. Apparently, the teen had taken a liking to Dabi, who was known to do odd jobs for the gang he was a part of. Benjiro said something about an injury, though he didn't specify, that meant it would be dangerous for Dabi to take on the jobs he normally did. And so Benjiro had recommended Akemi.

"God damn it, Benji," she mumbled, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she thought through the situation he'd thrust upon her. On the one hand, Akemi was fairly sure this Dabi guy had done much worse crimes than anything Benjiro had been caught up in, and his disposition and appearance weren't exactly suitable for working as her assistant. But on the other hand, Akemi was desperate, and she had made Benjiro a promise. Unconsciously, her expression morphed into a frustrated glare.

"Trying to burn that paper with just your hatred, pipsqueak?" Dabi's sardonic drawl jolted Akemi out of her thoughts, and she glanced up at him. She'd completely forgotten he was there, and in the time she'd been distracted, Dabi had apparently decided he was going to make himself at home and sit on the checkout counter. Akemi took a breath, trying her best to push back the irritation she was feeling. In no way did she want to reward Dabi for his less than legal methods, but Akemi was also desperate. And desperate people tended to do stupid things.

She did her best to school her features into stern confidence, though she had a feeling her irritation still seeped through. "Alright, if you're going to work here, there will be several conditions. For starters, you will not take part in anything illegal while working for me." Dabi opened his mouth to protest, but Akemi silenced him with a fierce glare. "That is non-negotiable. Second, you will do your best to treat my customers with politeness. And third, you will do your best to look presentable when working." Finished with her requirements, Akemi crossed her arms and waited for his response.

Dabi, who was still perched on top of the counter, looked almost annoyed at her conditions, leaving Akemi feeling rather smug. After the whirlwind of emotions he put her through, most of which were variations of anger, it felt good to shake his confidence slightly. It didn't last long, as he quickly reverted back to grating arrogance, but it was nice to know he had other emotions. "You drive a hard bargain, pipsqueak. You're lucky I'm desperate," he replied, running a hand through his inky black hair once more. Akemi wondered if it was a nervous tick of his and filed the gesture away. The more she knew about Dabi, the better she'd be able to anticipate and work with him.

Happy they'd come to some sort of agreement, Akemi stepped behind the counter, rummaging around for the job applicant paperwork she kept on hand. She would probably have to bend several rules for him, some of which might be slightly illegal, but Akemi figured that was a small price to pay. She set down the forms by Dabi, prepared to walk him through what she needed of him, but paused as the sound of a pet door caught her attention. Before she could even open her mouth to warn Dabi, Napoleon hopped up next to the scarred man, tail twitching in interest as he prepared to investigate this new person in his domain.

Unfortunately for Napoleon, Dabi didn't take kindly to being approached by a completely fleshless cat. He jolted off the counter with a shout of surprise, leaving behind a very confused skeleton and an incredibly amused Akemi. Covering her mouth with a hand, Akemi did her best to keep herself from laughing as she took in his shock.

Once she was sure she wasn't in danger of losing it the moment she tried to speak, Akemi tried to soothe Dabi. "He's not dangerous, I promise," she reassured, and Dabi shot an accusatory glare her way before returning his attention to Napoleon.

"Like hell, he isn't," Dabi snapped back. "What kind of demonic shit is this?" Akemi couldn't help the involuntary flinch his words caused, but she was pretty sure he hadn't noticed. His attention was still focused on her pet. Still, her amusement faded quickly at the word 'demonic.'

With a sigh, she scooped Napoleon into her arms, rubbing the top of his skull with her thumb. Napoleon leaned into the pressure, making a soft, whistling rattle that was his best attempt at purring. Dabi, who had raised his hand in a defensive position at the sight of Napoleon, relaxed slightly. He was still eyeing her cat with distrust, and Akemi tried her best to explain. "Napoleon isn't dangerous to anything except small rodents and mugs," she began, noticing Dabi's eyebrows rise at her much softer and more affectionate tone. "He's just a product of my quirk. I can...resurrect things, I guess? It's way more complicated than that, but that's as short as I can make the explanation." Akemi chewed on the inside of her cheek, fighting the instinct to wilt under his scrutiny.

Dabi let out a low whistle, and Akemi was surprised to see he almost looked impressed. "That's some quirk, pipsqueak," he said, and Akemi let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Her response softened something in Dabi's expression, and he regarded her with a grin that was much less mocking. "What, were you worried I'd run screaming or something?" His tone was light, teasing, and Akemi felt a small smile forming.

"You learn to expect anything when you've had a cross thrown at you by a tourist couple," she joked, adjusting her hold on Napoleon as he tried to worm his way onto her shoulders.

Her response seemed to intrigue Dabi. "Did you keep it?"

Not for the first time, Akemi was left staring incredulously at Dabi. "No, I didn't keep it! Why on Earth would I do that?"

He shrugged, moving back to the counter and leaning against it as though standing was too tiring for him. "I dunno. As a fun souvenir?" Akemi let out a soft huff of laughter, though she quickly wiped any amusement from her face. She didn't want to inflate Dabi's much too large ego.

She opted to sass him instead. "You have an awful definition of fun."

His grin widened at her retort. "I aim to disappoint," he replied, winking at her. Akemi didn't bother trying to stop herself from rolling her eye as she gave up on trying to keep Napoleon off her shoulders. The cat perched lightly, front paws digging into the top of Akemi's collarbone as he observed Dabi.

Dabi observed him back, still looking a tad bit wary. Attempting to distract him, Akemi gestured to the forms she'd laid out on the counter. "So, are you ready for me to help you fill these out, or do you need a break after dealing with the very scary skeleton cat?" Dabi chuckled at her gentle ribbing, and Akemi found she rather liked his laugh.

"I am yours to teach, pipsqueak," he replied, and Akemi sighed, still a tad miffed at the nickname.

"I have a feeling you're going to make me regret this," she said dryly, and was rewarded with another soft laugh.

"Oh, you have no idea," Dabi responded, smirking down at her.

Akemi turned her attention to the paperwork. "Well, might as well make you an official employee before that happens." She got to work, walking him through all the information he needed to provide. Dabi, who she was beginning to realize didn't make anything easy, wasn't at all forthcoming, and Akemi couldn't help but worry their partnership would end with one of them covering up the murder of the other.

She supposed only time would tell.

And there we have it, the first meeting between our future lovebirds. I hope I gave them enough chemistry; I have limited experience with romance and even less experience with guys specifically. If you couldn't tell, I really enjoy the enemies to lovers trope (when it's not toxic and abusive), and therefore am utilizing it here. Well, sort of. I guess this is more "I'm exasperated by your existence but I have to tolerate you" to lovers, which I think is just as good.

I hope the reasoning behind both of their actions makes sense. I did my best to come up with logical reasons for why Dabi would try to apply for a normal job, and for why Akemi would accept an incredibly shady employee. Those reasons are going to be expanded upon and more thoroughly explained as the story progresses, but I hope they suffice for now. Feel free to let me know if my logic sucks and I need to come up with a better explanation.

You've got SpunkyasQuiznak to thank for this update! I'm not really used to having people like what I write and ask for more, and it's pretty motivational. So thanks for your support, love. I hope this update meets your expectations.

~ Avie

Extra: My inspiration for Napoleon the bone cat (I'll explain the ears soon, I promise)