Top pic credit: Birf

Violet POV:

10:45pm.

"Well, that took you a million-and-one fucking years." Dabi drawled out once I finally walked through the door to our hotel.

And, yeah, he's not wrong. My visit with Midas took well over an hour. I left at dinner time, and it's long past it now.

I let out a tired sigh at the events of the day, feeling legitimately worn out from the anxiety I'd felt, just having to converse with that terrifying jeweled man.

"Oh....yeah, sorry..." I murmured to him distractedly, trudging over to the counter to drop my keys atop it.

Dabi didn't even look up from his phone at my entrance, whistling to himself softly as he lounged on his bed.

"How was the tampon store?" He asked casually, causing my blood to freeze in remembrance at the lie I told him.

Crap. I came back empty handed!!!

No, no, no. Don't panic. He hasn't even looked up at me since I walked in. I bet he hasn't even noticed I don't have any products.

"Oh..." I started out with a soft clear of my throat, trying to remain calm as I looked down at my feet. "I...well, actually, I-"

But, I never got to finish my sentence as I felt a little box lightly bonk me in the side of the head, causing me to catch it as it fell and looked down.

It was a box of half full tampons. My box!!

"You just..." Dabi started out, lethargically rising up to sitting as he finally looked up at my gaping face of panic. "You just didn't really go to the tampon store, because you already had them, right?"

My mouth fell open like a dead fish as I blankly looked from the tampon box to Dabi, trying to think up an excuse.

Alright, no problem. There are a million different excuses I could make. The only thing I should not do...is panic.

Anticipated silence consumed the space between Dabi and I, neither of us moving a hair out of our places as we both awaited my answer.

I slowly fiddled with the box in my hand, pursing my lips as I looked up at Dabi.

"Oh. Well, I just-" I quickly cut off in a panic, involuntarily chucking the tampon box at Dabi's head to give myself a head start.

The moment the box left my hands, I immediately turned on my heel to make a break for the door.

The plop behind me signaled that the box smacked Dabi in the face, before I heard him knock it to the floor and jump off the bed.

"Bitch." He breathed out in surprise as his heavy footsteps barreled across the room now, causing my heart to pound in adrenaline as I reached the doorknob.

Hah! He's too late!

Not even looking back, I immediately threw the door open, taking a single step out of the room before the firm grip at the ends of my hair halted me.

"Ah!! Hair!-Someone help me! There's a murderer trying to kill me!" I shouted like a dunce, feeling my scalp aching in pain as Dabi used my hair to drag me back into the room.

On instinct, my hand came flying backwards behind me, before I heard and felt my slap connect with his face.

"Heh. Joke's on you. I like that." He snickered smugly, causing me to groan in irritation and pain as he pulled me fully back inside.

Once I was back in, he released the grip on my hair, quickly kicking the door closed with his foot, before opting to pin me against it instead.

The air left my lungs from Dabi's firm force, feeling him press his body weight against mine so I couldn't escape.

"Ugh!! Why do I always end up against the wall during these situations?! Is it so hard for you to converse like a normal person?!" I pointed out in annoyance, looking up and seeing Dabi's half lidded eyes of boredom.

"Says the doofus who threw her tampons at me and made a break for it. Everyone knows the one who runs is guilty of something. So talk." He stated firmly, moving his body off mine a bit to ensure I could breathe.

And, yep! He's got a point. But, I still don't think I should tell him where I went.

I felt Dabi studying my reactions closely, no doubt looking for the micro expression in my eyes that will expose all my lies.

So, I quickly averted my gaze from him with a huff, furrowing my brows in distaste as a new subject change popped into my head.

"Well-why were you looking, huh?! Why were you looking to see if I had tampons? If I wanna go to the store, Dabi, I don't need your permission, you know! Are you spying on me, or something? Don't get weird!" I exclaimed honestly, about to get a few regrets in my head about sleeping with him.

But, before I could do that, he simply rolled his eyes dismissively, bringing one of his hands under my chin to make me look at him once more.

"Hey, guess what?" He whispered condescendingly, causing me to deadpan glare at him since I know he was being sarcastic.

"What." I demanded lowly, before he continued.

"Your nasty, fucking tampons were sitting right next to the pain meds. But, if me caring enough to turn the entire apartment upside down, looking for them, makes your panties wet, then whatever." He whispered with more sarcasm, clearly very annoyed with me at this point.

But, even if he was annoyed, his thumb absentmindedly stroked under my chin, letting me know that he probably wasn't as mad as he thought.

Upon reflecting on his words, I realized they were true. I did keep my tampons next to the pain pills, because you know....cramps!

However, that's not what caught my attention....

"Wait.....you...you were taking pain medication?" I asked a little softer, irritation slowly morphing into concern.

Noticing he'd been caught in his own truth now, Dabi's eyes blanked out in self-irritation for saying too much, trying to play off the words.

"So what if I was?" He dismissed nonchalantly, causing me to look at him with care.

"W-Well...why? Are you in pain? Where?" I murmured, gently lifting my hands to his shoulders before scanning his body for any injuries-well, new injuries.

Dabi groaned in annoyance at the shift in conversation, not shrugging me off as he spoke.

"Don't do that." He said impatiently, causing me to look up at him once more.

"Do what?"

"Try to turn the conversation around in your favor. Shit's not gonna work with me, alright? Don't make it a habit." He clarified rudely, causing my eyes to become half lidded in annoyance once more.

"I'm literally asking if you're okay, let's not pull out the brood, Mr. Edgy." I scoffed, crossing my arms as I leaned back against the wall on my own now.

"Oh, yeah? And what the hell does that mean?" Dabi uttered a little quieter, leaning in towards me closer.

Even though the words of the conversation seem to be escalating, Dabi and I actually appear to be calming down.

"It means that not everyone is out to get you. Me asking if you're okay, is just that. Stop reading into it so negatively." I retorted plainly, averting my gaze away from him begrudgingly.

Dabi was quiet for a moment as he took in my words, only making me wonder what it was he could possibly be thinking about.

It must have been something vulnerable, considering he ignored it altogether and changed the subject.

"Where did you go?" He asked stubbornly, causing me to look back at him with impatience.

"Why do you care?" I asked honestly, raising my brows at him for an answer I already knew was coming.

'I don't care.' I bet that's what he'll say. That's what he always says when I ask him that question. He's always so quick to let me know he doesn't care-

"Because you're not a liar, sunshine. That I know for a fact." He said surprisingly genuine, causing my grudges to slowly melt away at such an answer.

Not only was he honest, but he's also right.

I don't lie. He picked up on that, and came to the conclusion that, if I do, it's obviously for a serious reason.

And, oh boy, is it serious!

My shoulders slumped in defeat as I realized there'd be no way to get out of this one, mentally preparing myself for having to tell Dabi the truth. The real truth about where I was.

"Alright..." I uttered, gently nudging him forward to give me some space-and so I could pace nervously!

Dabi moved out of the way in silence, opting to stay silent so I could have the first word.

"Just...promise you won't freak out." I sighed as I began to pace, watching Dabi snort in amusement and settle himself back against the wall now.

"Good thing I couldn't care less." He reassured blandly-yet, after the drama he created, concerning my whereabouts, his words don't have much credibility.

Regardless, I nodded and stopped my pacing a few moments later, turning to face him with a heavy sigh of dread.

"I.....went to see Midas." I admitted warily, squeezing my eyes shut in stress at the pure memory of what happened an hour ago.

Quite honestly, I wasn't sure how Dabi would react to my words. I couldn't say I expected him to yell-given his reputation for 'not caring.' But, I also didn't necessarily expect him to stand by and say nothing.

So, I watched him carefully for his next move....watching the way his stitched hands slowly closed into fists that made his knuckles turn white. I watched the immediate flash of panic that crossed his blue eyes, before they reverted back to blankness. The slight furrow of shock that infected his brows, before it didn't. And the way his teeth ground down so hard, apparently, that it caused a crease of tension in his jaw.

From a first, involuntary reaction, he seems pissed and panicked.

But, once he had composed himself enough back into character, his words and forced laugh immediately painted over his true feelings.

"Wow. Apparently, you really do have a death wish," he chuckled out carelessly, forcing himself to relax back against the door before continuing. "That, or you're just dumber than I thought you were."

I ran a hand through my hair stressfully as I began to pace the room again, already feeling a headache stabbing at my temples.

"I didn't have a choice. He called me when you were on the phone, ordering dinner-or, Kaito did, anyways. He said I had to go there alone, within the hour. I don't know what would have happened if I didn't." I justified tiredly, face palming slightly at the corner I'd been backed into.

Dabi scoffed in annoyance to my answer, seeming more peeved about the fact that I actually went to Midas' place, instead of the high stakes of the situation.

"Yeah, well I know what would have happened. Nothing-that bedazzled bitch is all talk, and you were dumb enough to actually go." He pointed out dryly, causing my lips to scrunch up in frustration as I looked over at him.

"Funny how you say he's 'all talk,' when the guy has almost killed you on several different occasions." I stated truthfully, making Dabi shrug his shoulders dismissively.

"I'm alive, aren't I?" He questioned smugly, flashing me an insincere grin.

Anger rose in my chest at such careless words from him. My feet moved on their own, storming over to his spot at the door.

"Only thanks to me! You have your own personal doctor. I can't protect myself from him. Who knows what he would have done to me, if I didn't comply." I reasoned, causing Dabi to shake his head in disagreement.

"He wouldn't have done shit, cause I wouldn't have allowed it." He explained unreasonably, watching nonchalantly as I angrily poked him in the chest.

"Well, I'm glad you seem so sure. Nevermind the fact that this guy's starting to pick off the top ten heroes and villains, one by one. Singlehandedly! Barely lifting a finger!" I huffed, throwing up my hands in defeat for Dabi's nonchalant-ness.

"Which is why you were stupid for going alone." He said, clearly more fixated on the less important part of the conversation.

"Didn't you hear what I just said? I didn't have a choice-"

"If he's inviting you to his shitty place, then you have more of a choice than you think. He wants something from you. Probably willing to 'compromise' on some things to get it. Take it from the villain, sunshine. I know how fuckers like him work." Dabi explained slightly more annoyed.

And, he's not wrong about that.

I already know what Midas wants from me. He told me straight up.

Dread and anxiety welled up in my chest as I remembered my conversation with Midas, deciding to bite the bullet and tell Dabi the whole truth. Maybe he can help.

"Well....that's the thing...." I muttered a little quieter, rubbing the back of my neck as I clearly didn't want to get into this.

But, Dabi was interested now, turning his thought lost eyes on me expectantly.

"What?" He practically demanded, causing me to grimace in having to say it.

"Midas....he...he already told me what he wants from me. He made it very clear..." I stalled again, causing Dabi to curse and push himself off the wall now.

"Spit it out-"

"He wants me to join his gang and take Euphoria's place in his triad." I blurted out, quickly slapping both hands over my face to hide from the words.

Dabi went quiet now, probably in surprise, as he tried to process such ludicrous information.

"He knew everything, Dabi. The mission. Harima. The convenience store. The club. Euphoria. All of it. He said that joining him could be my way of paying him back." I followed up with a shake of my head, still amazed that this man was able to stay so ahead of our trail.

The stitched man's brows furrowed at having been caught off guard, causing him to groan and rub his face with his hands.

"Did you tell him the part where you didn't do any of that shit? Did you tell him how you just vomited and babbled everywhere, while I did all the dirty work?" He retorted, trying to mask his growing stress with annoyance.

"Well, I-hey, hold on! I only puked one time, Dabi! A-And, besides, I think it was...food poisoning, anyway..." I trailed off at the end, trying to play off the situation with a shrug of my shoulders.

But, Dabi didn't buy it, forgetting his frustrations for a moment with an obnoxious cackle that caused me to roll my eyes.

"I think it wasn't." He snickered, lazily making mocking gag noises to emphasize his point.

I gave him a deadpan of annoyance, waving off his antics dismissively.

"Yeah, yeah-okay-thank you for the imagery..." I grumbled, ignoring his smug hum of triumph, before I continued. "And...besides...for the situation....I felt it was best if I just take the blame. It seemed easier that way."

Dabi's teases trailed off at my words, his eyes studying my stressed state in focus.

Trudging over to the kitchen, I rested my elbows atop the counter, before opting to lower my entire forehead down to the cool granite.

I'm exhausted.

I was surprised when I heard Dabi's bare feet slowly padding across the room towards my position, barely rotating my head to the side and seeing he stopped a few paces in front of me.

"Hey." He murmured a little softer, causing my eyes to slowly look up and find his eyes.

A soft sigh escaped his mouth when he realized I wouldn't lift my head up, causing him to lower his own head to the counter and meet me face to face.

"That was stupid," he started off barely above a lazy whisper, slowly looking away from my eyes to study the rest of my face. "Don't take the blame for me on shit, alright? If you do, you'll be as fucked up as me."

His words came out blank. Uncaring. But, his face was soft-softer than he wanted, as his eyes slowly melted back into mine.

I felt our little argument gradually melting away now as I pouted my lips softly, keeping my head on the table as I tried to reason.

"But-"

"But nothing. Look, I want people to know it's me. Every time, I want them to know it's me. That's why I do this shit. How else am I supposed to get my revenge, if you're cleaning up my messes all the time?" He asked rhetorically, keeping his voice quieter now that we were so close.

I know he meant his words reassuringly.....but, if anything....they were a reminder for me. A wake up call to the situation I'm getting myself into.

The hard truth, is that I'd become so wrapped up in Dabi over the past twenty-four hours, I almost forgot he's supposed to be a villain. An evil man. A bad person.

It's a truth I've always known. But, now that we've gotten closer. Now that we've shared intimate moments, and he's let me see him barely vulnerable....it's something that legitimately hurts me.

I knew it was dangerous to get with him.

But, looking back at him now...at his softness....all I can do is fall deeper, and watch the train wreck gradually happen.

"What if..." I uttered softly, absentmindedly meeting his eyes as I continued. "What if I want to clean up your messes?"

Dabi'a eyes rolled closed for a moment in his own private thoughts to my words, before he opened them with a soft groan of distaste.

"Then I'd say you're wasting your time. You can't change me, sunshine. Take it or leave it." He said quietly, seeming as if he meant to say the words much more harshly than he did.

However, they came out soft.

And, I hear him. I really do. I know he wants to drown in his own demons.

Or, so he thinks.

I'll take it, Dabi. I'll take you as you are. But, only because I believe that you can change. You're just lost. You just need someone to have patience and appreciate your good. Appreciate you.

I can be that person. Even if you don't know it.

"Okay." I whispered in confirmation, giving Dabi a small, genuine smile.

His brows immediately furrowed in confusion, his head remaining on the counter to face mine.

"To which part?" He asked with eager interest, awaiting my answer.

I chuckled softly at the care he couldn't hide, slowly scooting my head the few extra centimeters to meet his.

My lips captured his lazily, more chastely as our heads remained resting on the granite.

But, even if it was a lazy kiss, Dabi's eyes closed before mine did, with his hand coming to plop atop my head and rest there as he reciprocated gladly.

He was a little more vocal than me, letting out a low hum of content into my mouth as he was quick to deepen the kiss-seeming starved of my touch, even though I've only been gone a few hours.

I was no different, surprised at feeling that spark igniting in my body and my emotions at such an innocent, little kiss.

Well, innocent to a point.

Dabi pulled away from my lips a few moments later, but only to stand up straight from the counter and pull me up with him.

"Come here. I don't want some half assed shit..." he murmured, causing me to giggle as he gently backed me up against the counter and melted his mouth back against mine.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, reveling in the buzz of delight pulsing in my veins at being kissed by Dabi. A feeling like no other, for sure. A good one.

"Mmm....that....damn bastard...." he mumbled between kisses, clearly referring to Midas. "Cockblocking me....before I had...my dinner."

I hummed in acknowledgement to his point, remembering Dabi had been ordering food before I left.

"Oh, yeah." I pointed out, pulling away from his lips slightly to speak. "How was the Korean barbecue?"

He snickered at my words, grazing his teeth along my bottom lip as he spoke.

"That's not the dinner I'm talking about." He smirked, snaking both hands around my waist and giving it a squeeze.

I giggled softly, as my fingers found his hair, playing with the ends slightly when our lips met again.

"Well, I'm starving. For actual food. Did you end up eating mine, like you said you would?" I asked a bit condescendingly, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah." He murmured immediately, making me roll my eyes.

"No, you didn't." I called out knowingly, causing Dabi to shrug.

"I should have."

I shook my head in amusement and lightly pushed him away from me, starting to make my way to the fridge as Dabi spoke.

"So what did you tell that bedazzled bitch, anyways? About joining his gang of morons?" He questioned as he got back on track, causing me to freeze in my tracks.

Suddenly, I'm not hungry anymore! Especially, when I remember how I left things.

"Oh...." I started off, keeping my back to Dabi as I tried to get the courage to speak. "I said....uhhh....well....I kinda said....I had to....think about it."

Silence.

Silence.

More silence.

Until Dabi's obnoxious cackle broke the tension.

"No. You're fucking serious?" He chuckled out in pure amusement, causing me to turn around with a groan and face him.

"Yesss-it's not funny!-"

"You're telling me that you told the guy-who's got an army, bigger than a hooker's cunt, with more power than the clown committee and the league of morons combined....that you'll think about joining his group?" He pointed out, laughter growing once more with a smile big as can be.

I slapped my hands over my face in stress, shaking my head in disbelief that I'm even still alive after giving Midas such a bogus answer.

"Yes!! I...I got nervous, all right?! I didn't know what to say." I huffed out in exasperation, surprised when I felt a pair of arms quickly envelope my body.

Hesitantly, I removed my hands from my face, realizing Dabi had hugged me on his own.

That's when I realized, it was the first time he ever hugged me. The first time he ever initiated the action and did it of his own accord.

And for someone as stand offish as him, I guess I was more surprised at how natural the action felt for both of us. He wasn't stiff. He wasn't awkward and forced with it.

It was fluid and comfortable. A cute, chaste embrace in the middle of the dark kitchen.

I loved it. More than I'll let on.

I don't get hugged very often. And Dabi's hugs are extra warm. I can't believe I went this long in my life without experiencing them.

"Damn. That's fucking classic for you. You stuck it to the man without even trying, huh? Making that bedazzled bitch wait like that?" He asked almost proudly, slowly rocking our intertwined bodies back and forth.

A small smile curled onto my face at his new perspective of the situation, causing me to slowly wrap my arms around his back and nuzzle into his chest.

And he let me, unconsciously rubbing up and down my back.

"Heh....yeah. I...I guess I did stick it to the man, right?" I joined in with growing confidence, causing Dabi to hum in acknowledgement and rest his chin atop my head.

"Hell yeah. That's my girl." He blurted without thinking, seeming too amused with the situation to notice what he'd said.

The smile warmed deeper onto my face at his words. I was glad he didn't see it, cause I'm sure it would make him feel embarrassed.

Instead, I squeezed him tighter, smelling the residual cigarettes and hotel shampoo lingering on him.

I closed my eyes in bliss as Dabi held me, letting him softly sway us as I informed him of the rest.

"Midas asked me to come by the mansion tomorrow, to give him my full decision." I sighed tiredly, feeling the grunt of discontent vibrate in Dabi's chest.

"I'm going with you." He stated, causing my bliss to crack and my eyes to open.

"No you're not. See? This is why I didn't want to tell you." I groaned out, looking up at him with discipline that he ignored.

"Without me there, you'll get eaten alive. Didn't I tell you to let me handle the villainous shit?" He asked rhetorically.

"Yeah, but-"

"I started this crap with him, and I'll be the one to finish it." He countered stubbornly.

"Dabi. You can't just show up like that. He's gonna kill you." I reasoned, as he shook his head.

"I told you, he wants something from you, and he'll cave on the unimportant things to make it happen-like letting me be there. I know how that bedazzled, brainless mind works." He reassured a bit darkly, letting his stitched lips curl into a feral smirk at whatever hood rat antics he had planned.

I looked at him uneasy for his lifted spirits, feeling a pit of dread forming in my stomach.

"And what if he doesn't wanna compromise on that?" I grumbled, causing Dabi to shrug and answer plainly.

"Then I either kill him, or he kills us." He grinned, snickering obnoxiously when I lightly bat his chest.

"Comforting." I sighed, untangling my body from his as I walked out of the kitchen.

"You asked." He justified, trailing me out of the kitchen.

"Oh, how I wish I didn't!" I announced lightly, not even looking behind me as I lifted my sweatshirt over my head to change.

Back into my pajamas, of course! It's bed time.

Dabi flopped on the bed, appearing uninterested on his phone and the HPSC laptop as I scurried around the room, changing into comfy clothes before brushing my teeth in the bathroom.

Upon coming back out, I didn't think much of it as I turned off the remaining lights in the place, allowing the faint glow of the city below to guide me in the dark as I lethargically made my way to my bed-

"The fuck are you doing?" I heard Dabi say in the dark when I passed his bed and continued towards mine.

My footsteps quickly stopped at his words, causing me to turn around and look at him in confusion.

"Going to bed..." I trailed off, before I realized he wasn't in the middle of his own bed, the way he usually was.

He was settled on one side. Leaving a big space on the other side.

I thought he didn't want to put a 'label' on things.

"Oh..." I murmured, only loud enough for myself to hear as I put two and two together.

I never expected him to want me to sleep in his bed, unless we're....you know....doing it.

Crap. Maybe he does wanna do it.

I mean, I enjoy it with Dabi. But....I'm pretty tired. I'm not in the mood.

But, he must be, if he wants me to sleep in his bed with him.

My past habits with Natsuo immediately rotted my brain as I remembered all the times (every time) we had sex, when I didn't want to.

Don't be a burden. Make him happy. Nothing I'm not used to.

I smiled and moved my exhausted body to Dabi's bed, quickly ducking under the covers with him, before taking his mouth in a half heated kiss, trying to get myself turned on.

But, damn I'm sore.

Dabi kissed back, allowing me to climb on top of him and start removing my shirt as he spoke.

"You want to?" He murmured breathily, only asking when he noticed the lethargic movements of my lips.

A question Natsuo asked all the time.

"We can." I consented with a smile, giving the usual answer I always give-

Before Dabi pulled away and stopped me.

"That's not what I asked." He stated a little firmer, gently resting his hands on my hips to keep me still.

I looked at him in the dark, debating on how I wanted to proceed with this.

Do I wanna play it safe and fall back into old habits?

Or risk offending him with the truth?

Dabi's different, Violet.

He is different. Different, in the way where I know it's better to be honest. It's okay to be honest.

"I......I'm actually pretty tired." I uttered barely audible, still worried about saying the words as I was so not used to them.

Dabi relaxed back against his pillow, slowly massaging his fingers into my sides as he spoke.

"No shit. I just wanted you to say it." He whispered, slowly lifting me off his body and to the other side of the bed.

His words intrigued me, making me realize...

He didn't want me to sleep with him in this bed so we could have sex. He just...wanted to go to sleep. Together.

And judging from how comfortable he is in doing it, I don't think he realizes how 'couple' that can be.

"Okay..." I said quietly, quickly snuggling under the covers. "I'm sorry."

An involuntary response. Something I always say.

He hummed unbothered at my words as I got comfortable on my side. I almost wondered if he would give me a 'goodnight kiss,' before I remembered that this is Dabi we're talking about. Heh.

"Don't say stupid shit, sunshine." He murmured warmly as his way of saying 'goodnight,' quickly rolling on his side with his back to me as he decided to try and sleep.

I smiled softly at his actions, giddily snuggling the covers closer to my chest with my lips still curled excitedly at getting to sleep with Dabi-actually sleep with Dabi!

But, after a few minutes had passed, I was still looking up at the ceiling....having been wanting to do a particular action for the past few minutes, but not wanting to bother Dabi with my clingy-ness.

Screw it. A few minutes have passed and his breathing is even. He's probably asleep, anyways.

Inhaling a deep breath, I slowly scooted over to Dabi's side of the bed, huddling my warmth against his-before carefully hooking my leg over his hip.

I wiggled my arm between his, letting my hands come around his chest loosely, before nuzzling my face into his shoulder.

The 'big spoon' process is complete!

I waited for a moment to see if Dabi would shrug me off, knowing he's probably not much of a snuggler during the day.

But, he must have been asleep already as he said and did nothing, melting back against my body so comfortably as his breathing remained even.

I smiled softly at the success, hugging him against me as I placed a small kiss to the nape of his neck.

"Goodnight, Dabi." I whispered into his ear sweetly, pressing my lips against his lobe before finally feeling sleep taking me over.

***

And it wasn't until Touya, wide awake, knew she was fully asleep that he allowed his demons to rest, and completely revel in her embrace. Even if he would never say it out loud. Even if he would never admit it to himself.

"Night, Vi." He whispered with a voice stripped down to his soul, pressing his lips against her limp hand before drifting off himself.

********

"Wow-just wow. First, he begs to come with me-" I started off with a huff, briskly walking around the apartment as I put on my earring.

"I wasn't begging." Dabi refuted casually, putting on his dark blue dress shirt at an agonizingly slow pace.

"Then, he takes forever to get ready, theoretically making us late!" I exclaimed, gesturing to the big wall clock in our room that read 10:15am.

We're-or, I'm supposed to meet Midas at his mansion, eleven am sharp. And Dabi is messing up my schedule!

"Good. I wanna be late." He drawled out obnoxiously, smirking smugly at my irritation for his incredibly slow shirt buttoning.

My eye twitched softly at his slow motion mood, causing me to pop my hip and cross my arms as I remained standing ready-to-leave in front of him.

"And why is that, you burnt man child?" I practically whispered, causing Dabi to hum contently.

"Cause, it shows that bedazzled bitch who's really in charge here. I show up whenever the fuck I want. I don't play by his rules, and he's gonna see that." He reasoned ridiculously, finally dragging himself off the bed to stand in front of me.

I looked at him in disbelief, narrowing my eyes in annoyance.

"....that's the dumbest plan I've ever heard." I commented with sass, causing Dabi to flick my forehead and brush past me.

"Or the smartest." He snickered, shoving his hands in his pockets as he sauntered over towards the door.

"Just get your shoes on." I called back, taking another glance at the wall clock.

"You don't tell me shit." Dabi murmured begrudgingly, yet reached for his shoes as told.

Now that Kaito broke my phone last night, Dabi and I need to head over to Kurogiri's room personally to ask him for a portal to Midas' place. That will tack on an extra fifteen minutes, if we don't count the-

Knock. Knock.

Dabi and I both froze upon hearing the soft knocks at our door, furrowing our brows in confusion to the guest.

"Who the fuck is that?" He asked me, loud enough for the person on the other side of the door to hear.

I opened my mouth to speak, before the guest spoke first.

"Room service." They called out uneventful, causing me to look at Dabi knowingly.

"Did you order more of those little mochi cakes again?" I asked him, slightly impatient because of the time.

Dabi looked at me in half lidded boredom, slowly walking over towards the door.

"No-and don't act like you don't scarf down five of those in one sitting, dipshit. Almost lost a finger last time, reaching over to your plate-" he began, before his eyes widened in shock.

In the next moment, Dabi's entire body seized up as his leg shook rapidly, seeming as if he was being electrocuted, before he collapsed to the floor in a broody heap.

"Dabi!!!" I screamed, about to start running over to him before our door was busted down.

Immediately activating my crystals, I prepared for a fight, waiting to get a look at the intruder so I could detain them-

"You're under arrest, Dabi!! Where is she?!" voice screamed-a very familiar voice that caused me to retract my quirk once I saw who it was.

"What-Boss!?!" I exclaimed in shock at seeing my HPSC bowl cut friend, watching his frightened eyes widen in shock at seeing me.

I realized now he was holding the clicker to Dabi's ankle monitor in his hands, stepping over the broken door as he made his way over to me.

"Ah!! Violet!! Oh my gosh-thank heavens you're okay!!" He called out in relief, quickly embracing me in a sloppy hug I didn't understand.

I hugged him back in a daze, quickly pulling back so I could get the full situation.

"Huh? Oh, of course. I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be?" I questioned curiously, ignoring Dabi's pained groans from the floor.

The boss took a second to let out the last of his panicked wheezes, pushing his glasses higher up his face as he explained.

"Well, I tried calling you last night. But, your phone was offline. Then, when I checked the tracker, I realized it was completely out of service! I thought Dabi may have killed you or something, so I came prepared." He huffed out, giving my shoulder a friendly pat of assurance.

Dabi chuckled lowly on the floor next to us, turning his head up towards me to speak-voice still slurred as he tried to recover from the tase.

"Heh, please....the only thing I murdered last night, was that puss-ow-" he started, forced to shut up when I lightly kicked him in the face.

"Ah. Well, that was nice of you to check up on me, Boss. You thought I was in trouble, so you really brought the squad to back me up!" I chimed in proudly, a little touched that my well being meant so much to the HPSC.

Ehhh. Even if Dabi did get tased. He'll be fine.

"Soooo, wheres the rest of the team, huh? I wanna thank them." I smiled, causing The Boss to grimace slightly as he looked to the broken door.

"Oh-there's....there's no one else, Violet. The HPSC wasn't gonna send a team. I'm here of my own accord-don't take it personally though. I guess they don't send rescue teams for anyone." He explained, giving me an apologetic smile.

But, even so, how could I be mad at that?

"Wait...so, you just...came here on your own? Ready to fight Dabi for me?" I smiled a bit touched, resting my hand on my chest at how generous of The Boss that was.

He's different from the other members of the hero commission. He's only been there for a few years. They haven't tainted him yet.

The Boss smiled kindly, wiping his sweaty face and removing his glasses as he did so.

"Well, you're my....hmmm....what's the word for it? Solider? Yeah. Don't wanna leave my men-o-or women behind." He grinned, quickly breaking off into another wheeze from his adrenaline rush.

I chuckled softly and patted his shoulder, quickly stepping over Dabi's body to grab him some water.

"Well, thank you for that. I'm very grateful." I finalized, before I heard broody groveling from the ground.

"Does no one fucking care that I just got tased? Damn idiots, having a conversation like I'm not even here." Dabi nagged out from the floor, attempting to lift his wobbly muscles up before he collapsed back down to the ground.

The Boss chuckled sheepishly, shooting Dabi an apologetic look as the stitched man writhed on the ground like a dying worm.

"Ah. Sorry about that Dabi. Don't worry! The effects should wear off in a few moments. Didn't shock you hard enough to kill you, or anything." He reassured, causing Dabi to roll his eyes.

"That sucks." The stitched man mumbled begrudgingly, as I came back with a glass of water for the boss.

"Here you are, sir." I smiled, stepping over Dabi once more as I handed him his drink.

He accepted it graciously and downed the whole glass, looking at Dabi and I's dolled up appearances as he did so.

"Thank you- Oh? A rather fine look for you two, I see. Heading out on a mission?-that's also why I came by. On the possibility that Dabi didn't kill you, and you were alive, we haven't spoken since Club Norboru, and I wanted to check in and see how things are." The Boss explained, downing the rest of his water.

"Oh..." I uttered a little quieter, feeling dread curdle in my stomach as I thought about....'how things were.'

Well, let's see. In the last twenty-four hours, we've brutally murdered Midas' right hand man, destroyed his resting quarters like a couple of washed out rockstars, and I've now basically joined his gang. Oh! And, of course, Dabi and I slept together. But, ya know....he doesn't need to know that part.

Ehhhh....does he really need to know any of it....

"Let's start with the obvious. Any leads on Midas, yet?" The Boss asked, walking over to the kitchen and placing the empty glass in the sink.

Oh, I got leads all right. Midas himself!

I grimaced slightly at the giant bomb I'd have to drop on The Boss, looking down at Dabi for help before realizing he wouldn't be any.

"Ah.....do I have any leads on Midas. Now....that's a loaded question..." I stalled nervously, before catching the time on the wall clock.

Fuck it. There's no time to stall.

"I understand the man is hard to track. But, apparently, Shigaraki's friend-sorry, an enemy-of-an-enemy, as he called it-"

"Well, actually-" I tried much too quietly as the boss continued to ramble.

"May have seen a short glimpse of Midas' face-well, not his face, but his hand without the glove on-" The Boss continued, causing me to hold up my hand with something to say.

"I kind of-"

"Of course, now Toga and her team are starting to wonder if Midas isn't even a real person. Maybe it's just a symbol for-"

"Dabi and I are on our way to see Midas right now." I blurted out as casually as possible, puffing out my cheeks nervously as I quickly shut up.

The boss immediately trailed off on his story, letting his face go blank, before his jaw fell to the floor in shock.

The room went silent-besides Dabi's complaints of course, as I tried to gage The Boss' reaction.

But, to make matters worse, a purple portal slowly began forming near the beds, causing me to groan in annoyance as I heard that familiar cackle radiating from inside it.

Ohhhh. Not now-

"Wooo-hooo-hoooooo-heard the bed a'rocking last night, so I didn't come a'knocking-YEOW, call that a hole in one....." Akio started as he walked through Kurogiri's portal, trailing off when he caught sight of the situation in the room.

His shit eating grin slowly melted off his face as he looked from me to The Boss, letting out a small cough to get himself together and become professional.

"Oh-Uhhh-shit-Mr. Boss. Sir. Senpai-" He greeted in surprise, quickly straightening up his posture and giving a small bow of respect.

I closed my eyes in irritation at Akio's entrance, quickly opening them to look at the time on the clock-

"And where were you last night through all of this, Mr. Matsubara?" The Boss sighed, trying to put this situation together for himself.

Kurogiri's portal disappeared and Akio sauntered over to the group, giving his brows a wiggle as he spoke.

"Me? Oh, heh. You want the PG version? Or-"

"Akio!" I reprimanded, causing him to laugh and get serious as he sensed I was on edge.

"Jeez, I'm kidding! It was game night for 'Giri and I last night. What's up?" He defended, putting his hands up in surrender.

"Are you aware of what Violet was doing last night?" The Boss questioned, making my squeeze my eyes shut at his way of phrasing things.

I just know Akio is gonna eat that up-

"Oh. Am I aware of who Violet was doing last night? What a loaded question that is, huh-" he tried smugly, before I disciplined him once more.

"Akio!" I groaned out, giving him 'the look' with my eyes.

The angry look!

"Right. I have no idea what she was doing last night. Please share with the class." He corrected with fake seriousness, looking at The Boss for confirmation.

"She went to see Midas." He explained, causing the smile to wipe off Akio's face.

"Wait-What?!-oh, damn, I'm gonna need a mochi cake for this." He groaned out, already heading over to the fridge.

"Don't touch my fucking mochi cakes unless you wanna die." Dabi retorted from the ground, causing Akio to jump slightly as he didn't notice him before.

"Woah-oh. Nice seeing you there, Dabs. Don't know what happened, but I'm definitely enjoying that view. Always knew you'd get on your knees for me someday." He fake swooned, reveling in Dabi's feral growl as he pulled a mochi cake from the fridge.

"Hope you choke on that." He muttered out, causing Akio to look at him as he took a big bite.

"Mmmmm. So creamy. How does the floor taste, pal?" Akio cackled out with a mouthful of food, causing Dabi to start smoking.

"Shitty, like your life." He spat, making me sigh and finally put an end to this as I slowly kneeled down to the floor.

"Alright, big guy. Come on. Up you go." I murmured to him softly, helping Dabi get to his feet as best I could.

The boss simply let out a sigh of stress at the excitement going around, rubbing his temples as he began pacing the room.

"Okay-please, let's get back on track. Maybe, to start, someone could.....enlighten me on why Violet is about to meet with one of the most dangerous murderers in the entire country?!" The boss exclaimed, causing me to cringe slightly as Dabi regained his balance.

"Oh, that one's on me," I explained, quickly trailing off when I remembered how the situation started. "Actually, it wasn't on me originally. But, it is now, I guess. Yay."

Akio let out a muffled hum of delight as he stuffed the remaining cake in his mouth, ignoring Dabi's death glare as he spoke.

"One minute, she can't even ask the waiter for extra ice in her water. The next minute, she's joining a terrorist organization. They just grow up so fast, don't they?" He fake sniffled, breaking out into laughs when Dabi roughly shoved him in the shoulder.

I sighed softly in stress as I took another look at the clock, groaning slightly at the time.

"Okay, okay. Everyone calm down. Let's just....break it all down, one by one. Violet-" the boss started patiently before I was the one to cut him off.

"There's no time for that. Dabi and I are set to meet Midas for lunch at his mansion in thirty minutes. We've already spent too long here." I explained, before the stitched man cut in smugly.

"Which means, we're right on time." He snickered, lugging a lazy arm around my shoulder with no regards to the boss.

I rolled my eyes and lightly smacked him off-not wanting to explain anything else today.

"Perhaps, we should tase you again for good measure." I grumbled, causing Dabi to let out a low hum of amusement.

"I knew you were kinky." He murmured only loud enough for me to hear, causing me to choke on my spit at the obscenity.

"Moving on!" I announced loudly to end that conversation, turning to the two guests in our room. "Boss, I promise I'll explain everything later. Dabi and I really need to go-but, hey, at least you can report these findings back to the hero commission now. I'm sure they will be thrilled to know we've finally got an insider to Midas."

The Boss pursed his lips slightly at my words, looking more stressed than excited about the new discovery.

I thought he would have been thrilled. This is what we've been working towards for months, after all.

He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, letting out an anxious sigh as he spoke.

"Well, thats the thing. I think....we should keep the discovery of Midas between the people in this room, and no one else. Just until we get a little more intel on his strength." The Boss advised, causing my brows to furrow in confusion.

"Huh? How come?"

The Boss remained quiet in troubled thought for a moment as he tried to figure out how to phrase his reasonings, letting his face morph into guilt at his thoughts.

"Look at it this way. Aizawa and Shigaraki only had an unreliable lead on Midas last week. When I informed the HPSC of their findings, they got so excited and eager, they sent those two on a suicide mission to try and nab more info." He sighed, causing Akio and I's eyes to widen for our comrades.

"Oh my god-are they okay?!?" Akio exclaimed over my panicked little 'what?!'

The Boss immediately nodded in confirmation, putting his hands up towards Akio and I to calm down.

"They're fine, thank goodness. I promise, they are fine. But, the point is, if the HPSC were willing to throw away a strong group on a simple lead, imagine what they will do to you, Dabi and Violet, if they find out you've got Midas himself at your disposal. They will jump the gun and try to stop him prematurely, using you as their in. I can promise, you won't be alive for longer than another week." He admitted a little quieter, rubbing the back of his neck as he avoided my gaze.

I was a bit taken aback by The Boss' words-not just the nature of them, but his motives for wanting to go against orders on something so important.

Sensing this, he continued a few moments later.

"I....I joined the hero commission a few years ago. I joined, because I wanted to help bring the world some justice. But, now that I've been moved up-now, that I'm no longer the 'coffee guy' and seeing stuff up behind the scenes....well.......-I dunno. I just wanna wait until we know a little more about Midas, before we tell them. Maybe by then, we can think of a new, safer plan on how to apprehend him. Is that fair?" He asked warily, finally lifting his gaze from the floor to find his crew.

I felt conflicted at The Boss' words, letting one phrase from them permeate my mind.

'Strong group.' That's what he called Aizawa and Shigaraki. Not Dabi and I. Sure, it wasn't intentional. I don't think he noticed, but part of me wonders if Dabi and I were a 'strong' group, would The Boss think differently?

I can't lie and say the possibility doesn't annoy me, because it does. Normally, it doesn't. After all, I've always been the weak one, it's nothing new, really.

But, after these past few months....I guess I'm getting little sick of always standing for the title of 'weak.'

However, not enough to go against the orders of The Boss and sabotage his safety plans.

"Well," Dabi started off cockily, villainous demeanor in full effect with The Boss and Akio here. "I wasn't gonna tell you fuckers shit, anyways. You can thank vomit girl here, for that one."

I gave him a deadpan glare as he gestured to me as vomit girl, reveling in the way his leg was still involuntarily twitching a bit from being shocked.

Deciding to shut him up, I smiled dryly and quickly stepped backwards, no longer helping Dabi balance on his shaky body as he went crashing back to the ground muttering curses at me the entire way.

Akio crumpled up the wrapper to his food, sauntering over to Dabi as he spoke.

"Perfect timing. I was looking for the trash can." He said casually, dropping his wrapper on Dabi's back. "But, also you can count on me to stay quiet, too. After all, I know many secrets about lots of people and their business. Isn't that right, Vi?"

I closed my eyes in dwindling patience with Dabi and Akio, trying to ignore the time on the clock.

"Okay, you're definitely pushing your limits today." I grumbled to him softly, ignoring the way he ruffled up my hair affectionately as I turned to The Boss.

"But....you can count on me, as well. I won't say anything, until you think the time is right..." I started off in only minor annoyance, trying to move on as I flashed the group a genuine smile.

The Boss sighed in relief with my compliance, nodding softly in reassurance.

"Good. Then it's settled. I guess we've got our own little Midas Takedown Team right here, huh? A good one, if I do say so myself." He grinned in attempted hype, causing Akio to raise his brows unsurely as he immediately looked over to Dabi on the floor.

I couldn't help but mirror his look, groaning softly as the clock chimed with a new hour to signal we were officially late.

Yeah. Me and Dabi, plus Akio and Kurogiri, all led by The Boss....are supposed to be the ones to end Midas' reign forever?

Ohhhh, help us all...

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Thank you guys for reading and for your amazing comments. Please don't forget to vote (helps motivate me a lot).

Next Chapter Title: Not Everyone Else.