Top pic credit: unknown. Tell me if you know <3

Dabi POV:

"Aghhhh. Harder, Dabi-I said harder!" Roach growled, panting heavily from exertion.

"Fuck! It's so tight!" I hissed out through grit teeth, throwing my head back breathlessly at the sweat we were working up.

"I know. Just don't stop. I'm so close." He huffed, letting a groan slip past his mouth.

"Don't say that like you're in control of the situation." I bit back, attempting to match his vigor and outperform.

My eyes squeezed shut at the growing tightness, my heart pounding as each movement from him only pushed us closer to a release...

But, Four Eyes' rope knots overpowered our quirkless attempts to break free so easily.

With the two of us trying to push away eachother and break the knots for an embarrassing amount of time now, the restraints had cut in well past our midsections. The tightness of the rope fibers became too much around our bodies as our muscles gave out and we were forcibly yanked back into each other.

Yeah, we're still tied up and trying to get free. What the hell were you thinking this opening was? Get your mind outta the gutter. If you want that story, go look at this shitty author's other crap.

Roach and I let out a loud simultaneous groan as our spines slammed back against each other once more, our leg muscles too exhausted to try and sit up from the stools again so soon.

...well, I mean-he's exhausted. I'm not. I'm fine. Fuck off, who asked you.

We breathed heavily from the sheer force of the knots, leaning our thick skulls back into each other with frustration.

"Why do you suck at this? Villains are always tied up and getting out of situations like these. Clearly, you're not very good at your job." Roach blamed throatily, making my tired eyes fly open with a rejuvenated sense to argue.

My burnt wrists had been rubbed raw at this point, yet I felt nothing as I tried to look back at the fucker attached to me.

"Oh? And what about you?" I accused. "Thought a whore such as yourself would have no problem getting outta these knots."

Roach scoffed and tried to look back at me with disbelief, bleeding wrists rubbing against the restraints with his instinctual need to gesture with his hands.

"What do you think BDSM is, Dabi? Your partner's the one who unties you. It's not some secret agent, James Bond situation-Though, that would actually make a pretty interesting porno, now that I think about it-" He trailed off with distraction before I groaned.

"Just shut up and pull."

"I am!"

With a half assed motivation, Roach and I tried to pull away from each other once more to weaken the strength of the ropes, both of us grunting at the intense resistance.

"Gahhh. Stop...making...that sound." The bratty hero groaned, causing me to bite back through my heavy breaths.

"What sound?"

"The sound that makes it sound like I just found your g-spot!" He wheezed in annoyance before the two of us slammed back into our stools once more.

If I could actually sense the exhausted burn quivering in my muscles right now, I'm sure Lampshade ain't in any better condition. Maybe if we hadn't already tried to murder each other thirty minutes before this, we'd be able to get free.

Yeah, I'm making excuses. Like I said, I don't need your input.

Regardless, the two of us had been left with our worst case scenario. Forced to stay strapped to each other, quirkless, alone, and unable to move.

Taking all the worst possibilities and make a damn cocktail outta them.

A tense silence passed between us as we tried to recover from our countless attempt to break free, the two of us being forced to calm down as there wasn't a damn thing we could do to unleash our frustrations.

"Prick." Roach mumbled of Four Eyes a few moments later, looking down at our hands that were pressed palm-to-palm. "Why did he tie our hands together, anyways?"

I scoffed in annoyance for the words, looking boredly to the destroyed hotel room we sat in.

"Asking me questions as if I fucking know." I muttered dryly, trying to wiggle my hand away from his with a useless attempt.

Giving up on his brief next attempt at wriggling free, Roach sighed and settled his sweaty back to mine, making me able to feel the condescending shrug of his shoulders as he spoke.

"Oh right. I forgot you don't know much."

"I know how to repeatedly fuck the woman you love." I smirked, intending to poke the obvious sore spot that existed between us. "That's enough in my book."

The diabolical, victory chuckle already began to settle in my throat at the words, feeling smug about our situation for the first time as I knew Roach would be forced to sit there and take it-

SLAM!

The smirk flew off my face as I felt Matsubara's skull slam backwards full force into mine, eliciting a loud grunt of pain from both of us at the caveman move.

"Ow." I instinctively blurted out from the impact, blinking away the black spots that suddenly wracked my spinning vision. "You little shit."

"Yeah, I hope it hurt." Roach followed up dryly, giving his head a little shake as he clearly felt woozy from his own attack.

"It didn't-" I seethed through grit teeth, feeling the back of my skull throbbing.

"Yes, it did. You said 'ow.'" He accused in annoyance, shivering in disgust when my finger accidentally touched the inside of his palm.

The two of us instantly tried to pull away from the contact, yet the ropes continued to fuck with the situation as separation was impossible.

Jesus. I hate this.

"I sneezed." I countered blandly, refusing to admit defeat in a way that had Roach losing patience.

"I seriously hate you."

And, while we just tried a duel to the death over a woman thirty minutes ago, like ancient fucking times, it seems I hadn't even come close to getting a fraction of my annoyances from the party last night outta my system.

"And you think shoving your tongue down her throat last night makes you my favorite? I wouldn't be surprised if you fucked her." I blabbed like a passive aggressive bitch, using the statement as a way to voice my frustrations...

...but, also to pry.

Grape said it wasn't any of my business, what happened with her and Roach. And, while the right thing to do would be to respect that and stop pressing it, I ain't respectful.

No. I wanna know the full story of what happened between these two.

If only he didn't know my intentions so easily.

"Well, considering you're the one who went home with her, figure that out yourself." He muttered vaguely, purposely not saying anything more about what happened with him and Violet earlier in the night.

It only caused another wave of anger and jealousy to stir in my heart, my mind going wild at the possibilities and jumping to the worst case scenario.

Cause even if she went home with me, my mind can't rest knowing what I clearly saw between them only a few minutes before.

It's torturing. Imagining their lips clashing in whatever dark, intimate space they'd been in. To hear her moans, reserved only for me, being released into his mouth. His hands on her body. His...his...

Fuck. What if he's better in bed. Might as well burn myself to ash right now, cause no fucking way I'll live that down.

Insecurities unleashed in the form of frustration.

"It's hilarious how you've had a whole decade of chances to make your move. Yet, you only do it when you see she doesn't give a damn about you. When she's clearly rebounding and wanting me." I tried to compensate, feeling my hands itching to use my quirk.

Roach slumped his shoulders like he was getting tired of this conversation, giving his head a pretentious shake of denial.

"If you listened to anything I've told you these last ten months, you'd know I never intended to make a move in the first place." He said in an attempt to dumb it down for my brain. "I didn't know she felt anything for me until last night. It took me by surprise and I couldn't help myself for a moment."

I remained begrudgingly silent for a small pass of time, finding it annoying how familiar the words were to my brain.

Not because Matsubara's said them before, but because of how much I can relate.

Getting to be loved by Grape....it does something to you. That shit is so intense, it really does make it feel as if you can't help yourself and wanna give her everything she ever wanted.

But, there's still something different about the way I love her and the way Roach does. While I'm always damn quick to give into all my desires when it comes to Violet, he acts as if it's a bad thing he did so. And, it obviously ain't cause I was in the picture.

From the little pieces I've gotten of their night, it seems Grape was the one to initiate it, and that Roach was the one slowing it down.

Suddenly, I find myself wanting to know...

"Why?" I blurted out in annoyance, looking to a random spot on the floor.

He was quiet for a moment as he took in my single word, instinctively twitching his hands with another gesture.

"Huh?"

"Why are you being so weird about it?" I followed up vaguely, not totally knowing what I was trying to say here.

Clearly, Roach didn't know either as he laughed bitterly, brows raising with surprise as he tried to look back at me.

"Are you saying I should have slept with her?" He chuckled lazily, clearly only asking the question to annoy me further.

But, still, he slipped a bit there...

So, they didn't sleep together.

My shoulders relaxed a bit at starting to piece their night together, feeling puke stirring the back of my throat at his question.

"Fuck no." I said immediately, taking a moment to think about what I actually wanted to get out of this conversation.

It's not everyday I'm forced to sit and have a conversation with someone-him, of all people. That's what my flames are for. I've almost forgotten how to do it with people who aren't Grape.

"But, it's fucking weird and suspicious you haven't, given how clearly obsessed with her you are." I continued. "What's making you stay away?"

Why I wanted to know that, I don't fucking know. Maybe a part of me was actually impressed this guy's been able to suppress his feelings for so long, cause it's something I wasn't able to do.

In the back of my mind, I wanted an easy solution. A quick fix that would give me the answer into suppressing my own feelings and letting her go.

But, when he finally spoke, the answer was anything but easy.

"Love, Dabi. That's what's making me stay away." He said a little softer that time, clearly reminiscing on his own thoughts.

My blood ran cold at the words, my eyes falling closed in a way that had me once again thanking the fact roach and I were back-to-back.

I don't want him seeing my face.

More than that, I don't even want to think about the word itself.

I can't. Not when it holds so much fucking pain.

"That's stupid." I simply muttered, hearing Akio let out a soft chuckle.

It almost sounds like he pities me with that laugh. I hate this guy.

"You're in denial. About everything. That's what landed you here." He said quietly, hints of sadness laced in his voice.

Not for me, obviously. For her.

I don't blame him.

"You're in denial about your love for her-you look her straight in the eyes while naked strippers jack you off. But, when she even looks at another man, you throw a hissy fit and lash out like a child." He said blankly, starting to rattle off my faults without even needing to think about it.

"You can't stand the fact that she cares for me, Dabi, and yet it kills you to pay her a simple compliment. You want her to move on and when she does, you rip her away from that happiness-literally-and use her like some cheap whore for the night. Jesus, I'm just as confused as her, and it's not even my relationship-oh, sorry. I know you hate the committal word. Is 'fuck buddy' the more appropriate term for you?"

I clenched down on my jaw at the condescending last words from him, feeling a mixture of frustration and self-hatred brewing in my system at the knowledge...

...that he's right.

The moment he said 'relationship' my body tensed. Being so close to me, I'm sure he even felt it.

"What do you want, Dabi?" Akio said lower this time, seeming both curious and threatening with the words. "Huh? What do you want from her? You're torturing her like this. You're driving her legitimately insane."

I had nothing to say. I couldn't think of a single word. It's always him who manages to challenge me and make me speechless. Always him who provokes my demons and forces me to face my past.

It's triggering. And I hate it. Even worse that I can't ignore or put a stop to this conversation.

I'm being forced to hear it. My own faults.

Silence consumed the space between us now, with the sound of burning crackles in various parts of the ruined room being the only thing to talk.

That's how I would have liked to continue settling things. Let the fire do the talking for me. Kill him when he hits too close to home, so I don't have to hear it ever again.

But, I can't do that if I can't move.

"Whatever it is, you need to man up and make a fucking decision." Akio ordered firmly, arms straining against the restraints. "You can't keep stringing her along when you know how much she loves you. You're fucking evil for doing that, and it's not love. It's called being a toxic, possessive asshole."

Frustration for his words continued to bubble up hotly inside my body, yet being unable to do anything about it, the feeling simply made its way to my throat, burning my eyes with blood instead of tears, in a way to remind me how trapped I truly was.

Not just in these restraints either...

"Either let her go completely, or tell her the truth-about how you really feel. Regardless of what happened at the ball, my ultimatum still stays the same." He threatened calmly. "I'll still tell her the truth about your feelings by the end of the month if you don't make a decision. Then you can be the one to reap the consequences for once of whatever breakdown inside her that conversation causes."

I get the jab he's implying. I've never had to see Violet completely lose her shit. He has.

Ironically, even if no one else knows, I'm also the cause of her breakdown-and, yet I wasn't ever there to see it.

To hug her. To tell her it's gonna be alright.

I already ruined her once before.

And, if there's one thing I can't dispute about Roach, it's that he was there for her when I wasn't. He picked up the pieces and preserved her sanity.

As much as I hate him, he took care of the only person I love in this world. I wanna forget that. I've tried. But, everytime I do, it always comes back to my mind. It has a home there, no matter how hard I wish it didn't.

"You better hop to it, too. Because, in case you don't realize...the end of the month is only three days away now." He informed emotionlessly. "That's three days left to fully determine your future with Violet. The choice is yours. Though, we both already know what option you'll pick. You do love to run away."

He'd spoken enough at this point to force some words back to my brain, feeling a sigh of annoyance leave my mouth.

"And, what of it then?" I questioned lowly, hating the way my tone sounded so...accepting of his terms.

"Huh?"

Once again, I didn't understand what I was trying to say myself, not having had enough experience with civil conversations in my life to know.

Even as Touya, I never had conversations like this with anyone. It was always yelling, hysterics, and drama anytime I was involved. The only person I could speak to so casually was her. Grape.

My thoughts felt jumbled and my words stuck with such a lack of emotional understanding, causing me to randomly pull one of the ideas from my head and run with it.

"When I'm outta the picture and she comes to you...are you just not gonna be able to 'help yourself' again when she throws herself at you, huh?" I asked like a stupid jackass, closing my eyes slightly at the ridiculous question.

Even after everything he just said to you about Violet's well-being, that's all you heard from him?

You really are a lost cause, Touya.

Roach didn't seem surprised by my response, giving his shoulders a dismissive shrug as he actually answered it with calm advice, instead of accusing judgements.

"If you choose to walk away, that won't be any of your business anymore. You'd be wise to get in that mindset early on, otherwise the idea of it will drive you crazy." He tried, before I felt my blood boiling at the response.

Being the brat I never grew out of, I wanted a specific answer from him, and he didn't give me my way. He never does.

I wanted him to say he'd lay off her, and he didn't. So, how the fuck can I walk away, knowing she may still end up with him?

"Seeing her with you is what drives me crazy-" I stated way too honest, letting my emotions get the better of me and speak first.

"Yeah, that's how I feel about you, too." He followed up a little more annoyed. "But, I let it happen because I knew she was happy for a time being, until she wouldn't be. I love her enough to want her to be happy, even if it's not with me. That's where you and I are different."

Once again, his ears perked my words. They unintentionally answered a question I was looking for, but didn't know how to word.

We both love her. We're both from her childhood. Both had a shitty upbringing from what I saw. We're pretty much the same age, and hell, we even act similar in terms of being a stubborn idiot. We're two sides of the same coin.

So, how the fuck did we end up so differently with our love for her? With me having died from it, and him having had eight extra years of life with her I won't ever get to have?

And, then, he unknowingly answered my own internal question. The one I've had for a damn decade, but never understood. The one I was always jealous of, deep down.

"The difference between you and I...is that your love for her is selfish, Dabi." Akio educated me, once again seeming more interested in making me aware than judging. "It's immature and possessive. You love her as much as a guy like you can. For someone who doesn't know how to love, this is all your stunted emotional state can offer. It comes out toxic and controlling, because you don't have a proper way of expressing yourself. That's not all your fault..."

The last words of his statement took me off guard. I wasn't expecting them, especially not from Akio...

'That's not all your fault.'

I've never heard the words before. For as long as I can remember, blame was apart of my identity. Self-blame for being a failure. Blame from others for being weak-and then, when weakness turned to resentment, blame for being overly emotional.

It struck something within me. Something small in my chest, even if I don't want to admit that.

But, then again. Why the hell would I ever expect something different from Akio, when he's never given me a reason not to.

My hatred for him stems from two things. The first being that he bested me in physical strength when I didn't think he could. The second was that he took up more of Violet's time.

And, even then, that reasoning is selfish. Because I was mad she finally had a friend. I was mad that she no longer only relied on me.

I was mad....

That someone else made her happy, too.

That's exactly what he's talking about.

Selfish.

I've denied the truth of my hatred for Akio Matsubara for a decade. The only reason I can think about it now, is because I'm forcibly unable to distract myself and react any differently. I'm forced to sit here, powerless and alone with him and my mind, and reflect.

While reflection is a weak muscle of mine, never being used often, it's being used now.

Enough to admit that, deep down, I know the guy currently tied to my back is not a bad person.

He's never been a bad person. Hell, I didn't even have a problem with him before he started getting healthy and strong-before I saw him as competition. I didn't mind Violet hung out with him, or even being dragged along to these visits with her.

He made a decent meal for me each time, even going so far as to remember what foods I liked. That said a lot more than 98% of the rest of the world. Sometimes, I even found him funny.

...why the hell do you remember that, idiot...

I don't hate him because of the person he is. I hate what he took from me.

Selfishly. I hate what he took from me.

Now, don't go mistaking this new revelation as a form of stupid character development, alright? I know how your brain works, you fucking clown. It ain't like that...

Even if I'm becoming more aware of it, it doesn't mean I'll stop hating him. I won't treat him any different. He wasn't wrong when he said I'm a selfish dick, and hating him is my selfish right. I don't wish to be any different.

I don't wish to change.

And your inability to change is what will make you lose her. I hope it's worth it.

Shut up, brain. It is worth it, because I won't be alive to reap the consequences.

I die before her. That's how it was always supposed to be. I die, and she's left here to mourn me. Twice.

"She needs more." Akio said, breaking me out of my selfish thoughts. "She deserves more. To finally be rid of you. For someone who's never seen her so broken, I don't expect you to understand. But, the best way you can love her is by letting her go, since it's obvious you won't admit your feelings. Be selfless for once in your life, experience what it truly means to love someone-pure, unadulterated love.....and let her go."

With the new reflections of my thoughts, his words didn't filter through my brain with as much stubborn frustration this time.

Instead, my eyes closed tiredly as the answer to my problems started to become more clear. Even if it wasn't an answer I wanted to hear.

It's not easy or convenient. It requires a lot of work. All things I hate nowadays-unless they benefit me.

This doesn't benefit me though. It benefits her. And I'm still willing to do it.

"I seriously hate you." Was the only thing I could come up with countless moments later, voice no longer caring enough to act menacing.

Roach seemed tired as well, letting out a heavy sigh as he slumped against my frame in exhaustion.

"I hate you, too." He muttered, throwing his head back against my own to look at the ceiling.

For once, I did the same, not giving a damn anymore about trying to avoid touching him.

When you're ass-to-ass with someone for over two hours-yeah, two hours-toxic masculinity about touching really goes out the window.

The fancy hotel room continued to softly burn around us as we sat in silence for a small pass of time, watching expensive silks and furniture being eaten away in heaps of sweltering blue.

And, as much as I hate him, I found myself surprised at the next words that came from Touya's mouth without consent.

"She'd probably be dead without you though." I said blankly, not even expecting him to understand what I meant.

Because, as he said, I'm emotionally stunted-another way to say I'm emotionally fucked up, despite how heavily Touya did feel. It was the thing that killed him after all.

So, how was he to understand that was my way of giving him a compliment. A distorted, fucked up 'thank you' for taking care of her all these years.

He nodded softly to my words, seeming lost in his own thoughts as he spoke.

"She would be." He agreed blankly. "I know it for a fact."

I didn't know what that meant, but it made me snort out a chuckle.

"Man. Even when I throw you a bone, you have to gloat about it, huh." I mused dryly, feeling a genuine half-smile creeping onto my lips.

Akio's laugh vibrated against my back, yet it sounded more on the sadder side.

"It's not a gloat, Dabi. Trust me on that." He said barely above a whisper, lowering his head towards the ground in something I didn't understand.

My brows furrowed slightly at the ominous words from him, with the atmosphere almost having been relaxed enough for me to pry and find out more.

Until-

riNG. RiNg. riNg.

Whatever peace Roach and I had found with eachother was instantly shattered by the sound of my phone screaming loudly, with the ringtone coming out shaky and dead sounding after being melted by me earlier this morning.

Now how the fuck does that shit still work after I burned the majority of it to a crisp? Jesus. That's some damn good advertising.

The two of us jumped in surprise for the distorted sound before breaking out into a simultaneous groan at remembering our situation.

Apparently, we can have a therapy session while the room's on fire, but still can't get out of these rope knots.

"And what now?" I grumbled in annoyance, trying to reach the half melted phone in my pocket.

Kinda hard to do when my hands are tied.

I cursed in annoyance as the phone continued croaking, elbowing Roach in the kidney.

"Ow!-"

"Reach into my pocket and grab that, will ya?" I muttered, hearing him scoff at my inconvenience and try to wiggle his fingers backwards to my pants.

I scrunched my nose and grimaced as I felt his fingers reach my hip and blindly feel around for my pants pocket, with him gasping in disgust at what he touched.

"Agh. Is that your-"

"Wow. You think she'd be fucking me if my dick was the size of a cigarette?" I deadpanned in annoyance, starting to lose the little patience I gained as I tried to guide his fingers with my voice. "Move to the left, you damn moron-no, the other left."

"That's called your 'right,' you illiterate twat." He seethed out through grit teeth, aggressively forcing his fingers around in my pocket.

Heh. Already back to hating each other. Just how I like it.

Akio's middle and index finger caught around my melted phone a few seconds later, before he carefully slid it out from my pocket.

Finally. He does one thing right-

"Shit." Roach suddenly groaned, causing me to look down and see my phone accidentally slip from his weak grasp and to the floor.

I take it all back.

"Jesus!! Are you serious?!" I spat over the dying ringtone of the phone.

"It's not like I can just hand it to you! You were supposed to catch it!!-"

I can't take anymore of this. Fuck it.

"Oh my god, you know what? Enough of this." I hissed out, starting to get a damn migraine from the relentless ring of the phone. "The bottom of the rope is connected to our stools. If we break 'em, everything else will loosen with it and fall off."

Finally seeming to like one of my ideas, Roach slowly nodded in understanding, sitting up a little straighter in his seat.

"Okay, how do we-" He started, breaking out into a yell when the legs of his stool were instantly lifted backwards.

Propelling my sitting body forward gave me the momentum to roll onto the balls of my feet, forced to stand in a hunched over crouch as Akio's frame was lifted backwards into the air with my movements.

I never did like that wrestling shit. Until now.

Heh. I'm gonna enjoy this.

"On three-" I grunted in exertion for holding up his body weight, feeling a feral grin on my face at the sound of his nervous protests.

"Wait-Shit. Shit. Shit. Dabi. I swear-"

"Three." I chuckled like a menace, throwing myself backwards as hard as I could.

With the added weight of Roach on my back, the momentum and force doubled as he was sent crashing into the ground full force, completely breaking my fall as I landed on top of his spine.

The sound of Akio's wheeze was lost under the splintering crunch of the wooden stools. Next thing I knew, the ropes had loosened instantly from our intertwined frames, causing me to chuckle with victory as the restraints fell to the floor.

With a hum of victory, I lethargically rolled off the hero's spine, not giving a damn about the labored breaths of pain that left his mouth as he wasn't able to get up just yet.

He laid face down on the floor, with new minor wounds to his forearm and cheek from the splinters of the wood.

Whatever. He's fine, unfortunately. Call it payback for the unfinished fight from earlier.

Stumbling to my feet sloppily, I pulled up my falling pants and looked at him, giving his head a light kick of victory.

"And that's how it's done, Roach." I wheezed out with a smirk, admittedly feeling my own wooziness from the impact as I stumbled over broken crap to get to my phone.

Akio groaned weakly in reply, trying to stop his eyes from rolling unconscious as he drooled on the floor.

Fishing my destroyed phone out of the rubble, I swiped it and checked the caller I.d., seeing I'd destroyed the top half of the screen too much to see who was calling.

Normally, I don't answer. Hell, normally it doesn't really ring that much anyways. That moody, chapped lipped teenager forced all league of morons members to have one.

But, lately I've found myself answering the calls. Ever since Violet got the number, I've been actually answering them in case it's her.

I don't wanna hear a god damn word outta your mouth about that...

Needing to dig my finger into the ruined screen a few times for the call to take, I held the melted phone to my ear, seeing Roach starting to slowly shift and gather his bearings from the floor.

"What the fuck do you want?" I said lazily, more interested in the damn satisfying sight of my enemy in pain-

"Mm. I didn't expect a greeting any less than that, coming from you." That familiar, pretentious voice mused from the other line, instantly causing the smirk to fall off my face.

My blood ran cold, yet my muscles felt hot with anger.

This is new. He doesn't usually call me.

"What's wrong, Dabi?" Jeweled Bitch Midas followed up condescendingly at my immediate silence. "Nothing to say? That's a first, as I feel you always have plenty of opinions."

Already, I can tell the difference in his stupid voice right now, compared to that two-faced tone he gives Grape.

He's still faking the bullshit, but not as heavily. He doesn't sound as happy this time around, more menacing. More real to the psycho I know he is.

As a fellow psycho, I only ate that shit up, feeling 'Dabi' instinctively returning to me as a defense mechanism of survival.

"Oh, I still have a lotta opinions about you." I drawled out on the line, intentionally stepping on Roach's spine on the way to the balcony door. "I'm more interested to know how you got so desperate, you decided to turn to me. Don't tell me you've failed already."

The jeweled fucker hummed dismissively to my tone, almost seeming as if he was in the middle of doing something else.

"I wouldn't flatter yourself too much. While I do know a call from me is exciting, I came here to ask you something....specific." He followed up irritatingly vague, causing me to growl and roll my eyes with impatience.

Reaching the door to the balcony, I gave one last look at Matsubara to make sure he was still dying on the floor-and he was.

Good. I don't need him eavesdropping on my shit.

Throwing open the door to the balcony, I kept the phone to my ear, waiting for the jeweled bitch to explain.

But, of course, this guy loves to stall as much time as he can.

"Do you wish to know what it is." He said a whole minute later, causing me to scoff as I closed the door to the balcony and lazily paced a few steps.

"No."

"Well, I don't want to be rude, and I believe showing up to someone's home unattended can leave a bad first impression-" He tried to stall again, causing me to sigh with irritation and cut him off.

"Spit it out and quit beating around the bush. It's just you and I. No need to put on one of your fake ass shows." I drawled, letting a small smirk curl on my face at the words.

There's something powerful about getting to call him out on his bullshit. About making sure he knows I don't fall for that stupid act he puts on for everyone else.

My blood only pumped hotter with feral excitement at his silence, giving my head a knowing shake for his bullshit when he spoke with a lower, less artificial tone now.

"As you wish." He said a little wickedly, pausing for a moment before dropping the bomb. "Since Violet has officially decided to live at my mansion, I wanted to know what time I could send someone to your hotel room to pick up the rest of her things?"

Within seconds, the smirk fell off my face. My hot blood turning to icy panic.

Cause what the fuck.

My silence didn't go unnoticed by Jeweled Bitch, hearing his low chuckle come out smoothly on the other side of the line as he waited in taunting silence for an answer he knew wouldn't be coming.

"What's the matter, Dobby? Nothing to say now? You were doing so well before." He mused darkly, causing my jaw to clench at the taunts. "I didn't believe you'd have much reason to care, considering how you left things with her this morning."

He knows?

The only way he'd know about such personal things is if Violet blabbed her mouth and told him...

And she'd only tell him...if she felt she could trust him.

My own thoughts began trying to connect the dots as I lazily walked around the balcony, settling my back against the wall a few moments later as he continued.

"Poor thing, ran to my office this morning, crying and screaming. I can still hear her now. 'Why, Dabi?' 'Why?'" He chuckled a bit, making my head tilt with a bit of realization to his two faced character.

He's mocking her right now, laughing at her pain. To him, it's funny.

He'd never let that slip though. Not to her, anyways.

Egg him on. Make him reveal more of himself.

"Well, aren't you a good actor." I drawled out deviously, not bringing attention to the new side of him I just witnessed.

Nah. I want him to think I'm stupid. The dumber he thinks I am, the more he'll talk.

"Ohhhh, but if only I were just acting, Dabi." He clicked his tongue, letting mock sympathy return to his voice. "She really did show up even worse than how I described. Face a mess of tears, body bleeding-"

"Bleeding?" I blurted out, feeling my heart jump up my throat. "What the fuck did you do?-where is she?"

Within seconds, visions of the worst begin playing in my head on a loop, hands itching with flames that wouldn't come out as I only realize now I never took off the quirk restraining handcuff Four Eyes placed on my wrist.

"Relax. She's fine. More than fine, actually, as her pain wasn't caused by me. No, I'm the one alleviating it. I've allowed her the opportunity to distract herself with my jewels-upon her incessant request." He explained intentionally, seeming as if he was trying to gloat. "It's a downright shame her other necklace ended up destroyed last night. I suppose you didn't have a thing to do with that, right?-"

"Oh, I burned that shit to the ground, and I'll do it again." I chuckled ferally, looking out to the busy city distractedly. "And you saw how easy it was for my quirk to overpower yours? It ain't gonna be just the necklace next time."

"Mhm. Right." Midas said uninterested of my threat. "See, I don't understand how you'd be able to do that though. With you no longer being in Violet's good graces, I have no reason for you to ever return to my mansion and see her."

The mere insinuation that this asshole would try to keep her from me made my blood heat back up and boil hot, clenching the melted phone tighter in my hands as I spoke low and condescending.

"You think I need your permission? You're crazy to think you'd be able to keep her from me."

The sound of Midas' amused laugh grated harshly into my ears, making me wish for nothing more than to have my flaming hands locked around his throat.

"Of course not, but if you come here without consent, you won't get more than a few feet past the entrance. You spent months here, Dabi. Long enough to know you'd be overpowered." He said matter of factly, letting out a bored sigh that did nothing to match the fury rising in my veins.

I hate when people don't take me seriously. It was one of the things I wanted to change when I became Dabi, and here this fucker is, diminishing all my credibility in a mere two minute phone conversation.

It's getting personal. I hate him.

"I don't give a fuck about winning. Just getting what I want." I drawled out.

"Even if getting what you want gets her killed?" He instantly followed up, once again forcing the boiling blood in my system to stutter with freeze. "A lot can happen in a gory mansion fight like that. It would be a shame...if Ms. Sasaki got caught in the middle."

Sounds like a threat. Once again, just goes to show he doesn't give a damn about her like he pretends to.

"Man. You're severely underestimating my bloodlust to kill fuckers like you." I chuckled breathlessly, feeling the irony of my life purpose dripping into every word. "You kill her and I will kill you. Being turned into a fucking stone, or not. You don't stand a chance against me when I'm angry. I'll burn that house of yours to the ground before you could even take your last breath, only to pull your corpse from the rubble and use my hands to rip the leftover soul right outta your pretentious insides. Trust that."

The man on the other line went silent for a moment as he took in the new, unhinged sound of my voice. Since he's met me, it's usually been nothing but snarky attitude and disrespect. I never cared enough to truly show him a sample of all that rage I carry around inside this burnt body.

He never really gave me a reason to. He never displayed himself as a threat to anything I loved. Until now.

Finally, the fucker must have realized there's more to me than just a pile of burnt bones, as he didn't provoke the threat any further. He remained silent for a moment, sizing me up over the phone and figuring out his next move instead.

"Oh, please. We could sit here and point murder fingers all day, but how tasteless is that? I was only talking mere hypothetical, Debby. You don't need to worry about such things yet." He backtracked casually, yet the last word didn't go unnoticed by me.

'Yet.'

Still a threat. No matter how small.

"Then why are you bothering me?" I demanded impatiently, with the air already having been tainted enough to sour my mood.

Deciding to drop the unnecessary words and get to the point, he spoke plainly.

"Because I've come here to give you a choice."

I scoffed at the irony of his words, having just heard them five minutes ago from the glowy fucker still trying to force his battered body off the floor.

"Seems like everyone's into giving me stupid choices lately." I stated more to myself, waiting impatiently for the jeweled bitch to continue.

"You won't want to miss these choices though." He mused. "The first choice-now that your relationship with Ms. Sasaki has been terminated, you can be free to leave my triad completely unscathed. You won't ever need to be involved with me again, and we can go back to strangers on the street trying to kill each other like old times. It would be a very convenient option for you. The least amount of work required possible, since all it takes is a simple agreement from your mouth. You could go back to doing whatever it is your hoodrat self was doing before, and focus on your own goals."

Too good to be true. Ain't no way I'll fall for that.

"Don't play dumb. What's the catch?" I demanded, looking to one of the popped staples on my hand.

He snickered a bit at my stubbornness, almost seeming to find some admiration in the way he couldn't fool me like everyone else.

It's not everyday someone challenges him.

"The 'catch,' so to speak-you won't ever be allowed to see Ms. Sasaki again." He admitted honestly. "She will be anchored deep enough into my triad to never leave the mansion for anything-she's already well on her way there. By the time you do see her again, she will already be a loyal, passionate radical, advocating for my ideals. She won't ever want anything to do with you at that point, except kill you, of course."

Sensing I'd find some way to complain, he didn't waste anytime getting to the second point, sounding as if he was trying to work a business proposal with me.

"The second option-you can continue seeing Ms. Sasaki freely and whenever you'd like." He sugarcoated, before dropping the stipulations. "Though, you will be required to continue offering me your full services without complaint. You will continue to help me work towards my ultimate goal of purification and be a powerful asset in my triad as you have been up to this point. I'm sure you don't need me to tell you the catches of this deal?"

"If you think I haven't been complaining about you every damn chance I've gotten for the last seven months, you have the awareness level of a damn squirrel." I quipped with a roll of my eyes, already knowing my mind had been made up.

I already went through this conversation five minutes ago with Roach and Four Eyes. I don't need anymore persuasion-and I definitely ain't gonna find it from fuck head Midas.

The selfish thing to do would be to leave his goony triad and focus back on my revenge for dear old dad. This is the 'out' I've been looking for since I started this. Always wondering when the opportunity would open up for me to go back to the 'Dabi' life...

But, as much as I hate to admit it, a certain Roach's words seem to have found a place in my dusty heart, hearing them echoing into my brain as we speak.

"Be selfless for once in your life, experience what it truly means to love someone-pure, unadulterated love."

Fuck that guy.

I don't intend to hold onto Violet much longer. I don't plan to drag her down with me and make her burn in my flames.

But, sticking around long enough to ensure she's safe....maybe that can be the only selfless thing I'll do in this lifetime.

I'll be ready to die once it's done.

After all, my entire life has always been meaningless. Being able to give her this moment of protection allows me to have a purpose for once.

"Is that a yes then? You'll continue staying in the triad?" Jeweled Bitch asked me with sickly sweetness, causing me to come back from my thoughts with a huff.

"Fuck you." I retorted as I looked to the dark, sunset clouds, hearing him hum with victory.

"Excellent. I was hoping you'd choose to stay." He smiled, trying pointlessly to persuade me of his persona once more. "You know, as much as I believe you an incapable oaf, I would be a fool if I didn't acknowledge the advantage your strength gives me, Dabi-"

Yeah. Hell no. We aren't about to start this shit. Boundaries.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere." I instantly cut off, ending whatever bonding session he was attempting to wiggle into my resilient head.

Backing off when he sensed he'd get nowhere, Jeweled Bitch simply hummed in understanding, clearing his throat as he got back to the point.

"Of course. Well, in honor of ditching the flattery, I'll get right to the point and say your next mission for me will begin shortly." He explained, making my eyes narrow in question. "I need you for something, Dabi. Something big."

"So, spit it out." I followed up impatiently, causing him to laugh.

"Come to my mansion tomorrow morning around 9:30am. I will explain the mission then."

*****
Violet POV: - later that night -

Cold sweat. Fast beating heart. How I managed to part from Midas so casually after our 'walk' and arrive to my new room is seriously a mystery to me.

Kidnap the Todoroki kids. Bring them to Midas on a silver platter to be purified and tortured.

The mere reminder of it had me throwing open the big, wooden door of my room and slamming it behind me, feeling my lungs constricted and my vision blurry as I instantly stumbled to the first thing my hands caught a grip on.

My own choking gasps for air rang out loudly through the elegant, empty room as I gripped the vanity, unable to get a grip as I slowly looked from the table up to the connected mirror.

Eyes bloodshot and wild. Body shaking. Soul dying. I don't even recognize the woman in front of me.

What is happening. What am I thinking. How could I get myself involved in something so horrible-

Calm down. Relax. There has to be a solution. There has to be.

This cannot happen.

Trying to pull my brain out of it's spiraling hysteria, I forced my heaving body to stand upright, feeling my heavy footed steps pacing the room as I pulled out my phone.

I'm not so ignorant to think I can handle this on my own. I need help. I need to ask for help against Midas and save the Todoroki kids.

Instinctively, my thumb began navigating the screen to The Boss' number, instantly pausing in place when I remembered Akio and I's conversation from last night.

He said the Boss was found to be Tsuyo. That I shouldn't be telling him anything, for fear he'd run and tell Midas.

I cursed softly as I instantly scrapped the idea, navigating the screen to Akio's number instantly.

He's someone who can help me. He did say we should only be telling each other our findings-and this is definitely important.

....though that was before I tried to kiss him-and then ditched him for the man he despises. Really, not my greatest moment.

"Come on...come on..." I breathed out stressfully, dialing Akio's number and praying he'd answer.

Ring....ring....ri-

"The caller is unavailable at this time-"

He ignored my call!

"No. Come on." I cried out in stress, hanging up and mincing through other options.

There's Dabi....

No. He wouldn't help me with this. Especially with how he left things.

He's abandoned me.

Feeling my heart pounding in stress, as my options caved in, I navigated the screen to my last option, dialing Endeavor's number to try and warn him.

I can't stand the guy right now. But, this is work related and very important.

Ring. Ring. Ring. Ri-

"Hello?"

He picked up!!

"Endeavor!!" I exclaimed as if I was truly excited to hear his voice. "Listen, I've got something important-"

"The only thing I wanna hear is how much money you'll be sending me for the damage you did to your room this morning!!!" He boomed out from the other line, causing my smile to fall with remembrance.

Soooo, the front door security cameras had me busted, it seems!

Not the time.

"I...I understand that. But-" I attempted, balling my fists when he cut me off.

"No buts. I've had it with your crap, kid. I don't know what's gotten into you-"

"Endeavor, please. Just listen!! Listen to me!!" I practically yelled.

"No! I don't wanna speak to you right now after everything you've done!" He yelled in anger, before the line cut dead.

"Endea....Mr. Todoroki? Hello?" I croaked out to no one but myself, quickly re-dialing his number.

No. That was my last option. It needs to work.

Ring. Ring. Ring. Ri-

"I'm sorry. But, the number you have reached-"

"Come on!!" I yelled in frustration, quickly ending the call before the voicemail could finish speaking.

My heart began to pound harder and my vision spinning violently as I tried to think of other plans, only able to barely breathe when I came to a certain realization.

The realization that's always been my worst fear.

I am...alone.

I stood in the middle of the grand room by myself, staring at nothing as I felt pools of tears coming back to my eyes.

No. There has to be someone.

...

.....

I can at least try to warn them. The Todorokis.

Feeling a lump in my throat, I lifted my shaky hand to bring attention to my phone, starting to navigate to Natsuo's number-

However, my actions were quickly stopped upon hearing the door to my room open, causing me to close my phone with a gasp and toss it on the king sized bed as if I did something wrong.

Sniffling my tears away, I immediately turned to see who was at the door, feeling a sigh of simultaneous relief and nerves leave my throat at the sight.

"Ahhh!!-hey! You ever heard of knocking!" I blurted out like a grumpy old man. "What if I was changing and you saw something??"

Tsuyo fully entered my room without permission and closed the door, looking my body up and down before brushing it off.

"Yeah. Right." They muttered sarcastically, causing my jaw to drop at, what I can only assume, is an insult.

I quickly looked down at my body to try and spot the irregularities, giving up on it when more important matters consumed me.

"What does that even-where have you been??" I practically demanded, feeling my eyes trail down to the pile of wires in their gloved hands.

"You say that as if I owe you explanations to things." They brushed past me dismissively, causing me to turn around and follow their brisk walking frame.

"Well, technically, I believe you owe me a bit of one." I began, trailing behind them to try and keep up with their quick pace. "Disappearing the moment the ball starts? Not being seen again until now? Sounds like someone trying to hide a secret."

The words fell from my mouth without intent, with Akio's words from last night still weighing heavily on my mind.

Now that Tsuyo has an identity I know, it's becoming harder to keep it off my mind.

I pressed my lips together at my mistake, expecting them to jump around and yell at me in a panic for basically accusing them of hiding secrets-

"Is that so? Guess you have it all figured out then." They muttered uninterestedly, dropping the pile of wires on my bed before turning around. "Can we move on now? I'm really not in the mood for your....you-ness tonight."

My jaw dropped at their laxness, only picking itself back up before dropping again when I registered their insult.

Everyone's always in the mood for my you-ness! I got voted most likely to make an impression in high school!

Regardless, it didn't go unnoticed that Tsuyo seemed grumpy tonight-err-grumpier than usual.

"Oh. Did something happen?" I said a little more relaxed, tilting my head to the side in curiosity.

As I've said before, anything that exposes more pieces of them or their life gives me a great interest.

"Yes." They said plainly, causing my eyes to widen with a spark of hope they'd confide in me. "You won't stop asking questions."

I groaned at their stubborn attitude, watching the way they picked up one of the wires on the bed and tossed it to me.

Not expecting the quick movement, I flinch jumped and sloppily caught it, holding it with my hands in confusion.

"What is this...?"

Tsuyo was quiet for a moment as they watched me study the wire, letting out a tired, deep sigh of-what seemed to be defeat, before speaking.

"Cameras. For when you visit the Todoroki home next." They explained, causing the anxiety in my chest to stir back up. "You will wear this audio camera on your shirt or in your ear, allowing Master to listen in on whatever conversations you have."

"W..Why?" I breathed out with dread.

Tsuyo folded their hands behind their back and lethargically paced the room, not looking to me as they spoke.

"Midas has just finished briefing me in regards to your acceptance of his Todoroki Master Plan. The intention will be for you to pry information out of the kids about Endeavor's life and travel schedule, specifically finding out when he will be out of town next. We will use this time to strike the home and take the siblings." They informed all too casually, causing the spinning of my head to slowly pick back up again.

This is becoming too real.

"No. No. No-" I tried to cut off in dazed panic, before Tsuyo spoke without missing a beat.

"Midas has left me in charge of planning-"

"Stop. Please stop talking-"

"It will be a similar plan of attack to Endeavor's kidnapping." They continued without emotion. "Lots of violence and-"

"I can't do it!!" I exclaimed loudly, feeling tears welling at the back of my throat.

My obvious distress was enough to break Tsuyo out of their emotionless fog and stop speaking, watching me pace the room like a lunatic.

They said nothing to my words. Nothing about how I needed to do it. No threats to persuade me. They simply said nothing, lowering their head slightly, with what looked to be sympathy for my feelings.

It only made me remember Midas' hints from a few minutes ago.

Midas let the possibility slip on our walk that him and Tsuyo weren't on the best of terms right now. Perhaps....this is the thing they didn't agree on.

Midas' right hand person disagreeing with him, and on something so important.

I can only wonder....if my options for help haven't been totally exhausted yet.

Maybe if I can persuade them...

Feeling my lungs starting to burn and my voice only crumbling from the toll of the stress, I turned to Tsuyo with teary eyes, not caring about how pathetic I probably looked right now.

If it were anyone else, I'd be dead from what I'm about to say next.

But, not Tsuyo. I trust them.

Why do I trust them....

"Listen. You have to help me stop this." I said raspily, causing them to immediately understand my implication.

"No. No. No. Shut up." They instantly shut down, briskly turning on their heel to walk towards the door. "You can't say things like that here-"

"Please!!" I quickly followed after them, voice shaky and uneven from the tears that began spilling past my lids. "I'm not asking you to make it obvious. Just to ensure there's some way that this mission fails!"

"If this mission fails, we're dead." They bit back, coming too close to reaching the door now.

Surprising myself, I lunged forward with desperation and caught onto their arm.

And, as much as I know they are a real person, anytime I get to touch a part of Tsuyo, I always find myself shocked to feel the human being underneath their disguise.

Curling my arm around their bicep, I felt the muscles of their arm strain in surprise, causing them to quickly rip it away and turn towards me.

"Tsuyo-" I pleaded again, causing them to groan in annoyance and throw their head to the sky.

"Violet." They bit back, seeming as if they were also pleading in a way but for something different.

It's rare for them to use my name.

They continued avoiding my gaze as more tears fell from my eyes, stopping their intention of leaving temporarily as I tried to make my case.

"I have no one else left to help me." I uttered desperately, shaking my head with anxiety as I tried to reach for them again. "You're the only one I can-"

My words seemed to be a trigger as Tsuyo pushed me away before I could come closer, briskly walking towards me with a disagreeing gesture.

"You can't trust me!! Don't even finish that sentence!!" They growled out, before I broke harder and sobbed pathetically.

I've never been one to cry so much. Not since That Day.

The thing is....my psyche has been riding a thin line for a few weeks now. Every moment of pressure is starting to set me off. It all continues to build, leading to a moment of explosion that will surely be my downfall.

"But, I can!! I do trust you!!" I cried too loudly, feeling my muscles starting to shake as anxiety ate me away. "I trust you because you've saved my life more times than I can recall-"

"You're mistaking coincidence with care-"

"It wasn't a coincidence! It was too much of a risk for you to simply be coincidence!!" I exclaimed hysterically, causing them to flinch when I grabbed onto their arm again.

Hearing my voice of misery, Tsuyo directed their attention back to my features, freezing slightly before looking my crumbling state up and down.

They didn't push me off them this time, assessing my incoming breakdown before the stress radiated onto them.

"For your own safety, please stop believe that." They tried more calmly in an attempt to make me see reason.

But, I only felt myself spiraling more.

"Tsuyo!!" I whimpered out of control, starting to feel my muscles going numb. "I can't do it!! I won't-"

SLAP!

I heard the hard slap across my skin before I felt the stinging pain on my cheek, eyes going wide and body freezing like a stunned bird.

Within milliseconds, the chaos my head had started to enter was literally smacked out of me, my tears coming to an immediate halt as I blinked a few times to process.

Did I just get....

Bitch slapped!?!

My mouth moved without words, my mushy brain trying to process, before I felt a harsh grip on my collar.

"Wha-ahh!-" I yelped before Tsuyo pulled on my collar, sending me stumbling off my feet towards them.

They said nothing for a moment, only speaking when they saw my stunned features coming back to reality from the breakdown I almost had.

"Now is not the time to act so hysterical. Pull yourself together before you lose it, and listen to me!" They demanded in a harsh whisper, pulling on my collar harder for emphasis. "He will kill you if you do not do this. He will murder you in cold blood before you even get a chance to finish saying no-"

"I really don't think he will." I protested in denial, trying to keep my voice down as well. "He-"

"I know you're too naive to believe it, but if you trust me like you say, then believe me." They urged harder, releasing my collar. "He will kill you, Violet. And I really won't be able to save you this time. I really won't-"

"If it means they're safe-"

"You think he won't go through with it if you say no?" They chuckled a bit dryly, rubbing their masked face with their gloved hand in exhaustion. "Oh, he'll do it. He'll do it with one foot on your corpse and never once think of you again. He'll find someone who doesn't care for them like you do, and this person will most likely kill one of them in the process-intentionally, or not. They are the kids of the number one hero, after all. Many wronged villains would love to have five minutes alone with them."

I remained quiet at the words, letting out a heavy sigh and letting my eyes fall closed as the options continued to cave in on me.

Is there really no other option than to go through with the biggest betrayal I could ever give? The thing that would break me the most?

Tsuyo seemed to read my thoughts, giving me the hard truth.

"If you really wanna save your friends, the best thing you can do for them now is to be the one to do this. That is the only thing you can do now, because once Midas sets his mind to something, it cannot be undone. It cannot be stopped." They warned, letting out their own breath of defeat.

They seem to feel a stress of their own.

My stomach stirred with dread, my hysteria merely hiding for the time being as I tried one last attempt at another option.

I feel trapped.

"But, if something happens to them....I-I can't ever forgive myself."

"If you don't do this, something will happen to them."

I squeezed my eyes shut at the answers I didn't want to hear, feeling the isolation in my life consuming me deeper with every second.

I need someone. I always need someone to rely on. I can't do anything by myself. I'm too weak for that.

"If you and I just...team up-" I tried pathetically once more, before Tsuyo sighed.

They cut off my words with their demeanor alone, giving me a small nod before going towards the door once more.

"Goodnight, Violet-"

"No one else has to know!!" I grasped again. "I know you didn't agree with this either-"

Tsuyo's steps faltered at my lethal accusation, attempting to let it slide as they mechanically creaked their feet towards the door again.

"Don't make such deadly assumptions on things you don't understand-" They warned, making me dread the moment they would leave.

I'd be alone again.

"Tsuyo-"

"I said goodnight-"

And, then. In a fit of desperation. The only thing I could think to do. The words that blurted from my mouth without consent...

"I know who you really are!"

My words rang throughout the room as Tsuyo's steps came to a full halt. They said nothing. They gave no reaction, remaining frozen in place with their back to me.

Assuming they were probably surprised by the accusation, I cleared my throat and hoped my words would be enough blackmail to get the job done.

"H-How I found out, I won't tell you this." I said in order to protect Akio, not looking at my feet for more than a second before continuing. "But, I..I know-a-and if you don't help me...."

I trailed off at the next sound that came from them, admittedly finding it to be rather eery for the composed person they've shown to be.

They laughed. But, it wasn't a pleasant laugh.

No. With their back to me and shoulders slight hunched over, they laughed, with the shadows of the dark room only making the moment more disturbing.

The sound started off as a low chuckle, before slowly increasing in sound, only giving me the sudden epiphany that Tsuyo was losing their mind just as much as I was. Only, their breaking point has probably been happening for years, and they hide their demons much better than I.

I watched them giggle blankly, starting to feel minor alarm bells going off in the back of my mind, but not enough to deter me completely.

After a long minute of laughter, they lethargically turned around to face me, uncharacteristically stumbling on their feet as they did so.

"I'm sorry-are you trying to threaten me right now?" They asked me darkly, crossing their arms and looking at me as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

The humor in the situation is obviously sarcasm on their point, yet I stood my ground if it meant I could save my friends.

"I suppose I am." I said firmly, feeling my palms sweating violently now. "I-If you don't help me, I will tell Midas I know."

Tsuyo snorted at that, giving their head a small shake before dragging their aching head back up to me.

"Mhm. And, considering Master knows very well who I really am-and you're not supposed to, how do you think this will go over for you?" They asked condescendingly, stroking their chin with mock thought for the obvious answer.

I grit down on my teeth at their surprising carelessness to the situation, grasping at straws that would make them nervous.

"T-Then I'll tell the rest of the world what a high ranking leader of the hero commission does in his free time-"

"Go ahead." They stated emotionlessly, voice void of any worry or concern.

The words took me completely off guard.

Normally when a person threatens to tell the entire world your secret identity, there's at least a little bit of nerves!

The whole premise of my plan was riding on their stress of me knowing their identity. Now that they have none....I got nothing.

Blinking in speechless stupidity, I couldn't find a simple answer, looking at them in surprise as I simply uttered...

"Huh?"

Tsuyo shrugged their shoulders and began pacing the room slowly once more as they spoke.

"Go ahead and tell them what you know. I'm not gonna stop you." They repeated, waving me off with a careless hand gesture.

Once again, I said nothing. Unable to even hide my defeat anymore as the direction of my future was starting to seem bleak and obvious.

Tsuyo noticed this and continued, attempting to drive the final stake into my failed plan.

"I'm not a person who succumbs so easily to threats. I'm the person who finds their way around them and figures out a plan whenever they're presented." They explained, stopping their pacing before standing strong in front of me. "So, do whatever you want. Just know, I can't guarantee the safety of you...or your friends...or your burnt boyfriend once you open your mouth and do that."

I looked to a random spot on the floor, face feeling heavy with sinking dread as I was unable to think of anything else.

Tsuyo didn't speak for a moment, studying my beaten expression in silence.

What happened next surprised me.

A hand came to my shoulder. A gloved hand. Tsuyo's hand.

Once again, it was a reminder of the human they were. Their touch was warm. Their fingers curling around the top of my shoulder before giving it a squeeze. Their grip was soft. Incredibly soft.

But, most of all...the thing that truly made me remember how human they are...

Was the subtle shake of their hand. It was a tremble, no matter how composed they seemed on the surface. It was the display of fear.

Fear for what? I don't know. I just know it's there.

I said nothing for a moment, looking to their hand on my shoulder before slowly looking to them.

I'd give anything to see their face right now.

"The best choice...." They started off softly, giving my shoulder a gentle shake of reassurance. "...isn't always the easiest one."

And, as much as I disagree with this mission, I can't help but find truth in Tsuyo's words. It doesn't just apply to the current situation, but to everything else in life as well.

Having calmed down in the eyes of defeat, I simply nodded and kept my gaze to the ground, feeling Tsuyo watch and give my shoulder another squeeze.

"My aim of this mission is to retrieve the Todoroki clan....completely unscathed." They continued softly, making me wonder why they felt the need to give me peace. "I will do everything within my power to ensure this happens."

Regardless of their reasonings for doing so, I was grateful for it, having spent the last week trying to find peace in anyone who could give it.

If only I could find it within myself.

"And, after...?" I asked weakly, feeling my anxiety manifest in the question itself.

I want to know the play-by-play of this mission. From start to finish. The more I know, the better equipped I can be to save the Todorokis...

But, it seems that was too good to be true, as Tsuyo didn't seem to know the answer themselves.

"Goodnight." Tsuyo sighed with finality, letting their hand slide off my shoulder a few moments later. "Please try to get some sleep. It's obvious you need it."

I said nothing as they slowly turned on their heel, making their way to the door with a heavy, tired pace.

"At least...." I called out one last time, looking to the floor blankly as I tried to prolong the upcoming isolation I'd feel when they left.

Tsuyo stopped walking to my words, not turning around as they waited for me to finish.

"At least....since I know who you are now....can you take off the mask?" I asked quietly, peering my eyes up at them now.

A familiar face. It's the only thing I want right now.

And, yet...

"Is simply knowing not enough for you?" Tsuyo asked lowly, surprising me with the small hints of hostility that crept into their voice.

My brows raised slightly at such impatience, making me wonder if I've somehow offended them with my question.

"It's just...hard for me to process it, based on the person I've come to know you as." I reasoned warily, lowering my head when I realized I wouldn't be getting what I asked for.

"The person you know isn't real." Tsuyo said blankly as they opened the door. "That person is the mask.

They walked past the threshold of my room to leave, causing me to look up at them one more time with their eery, parting words.

"What you see before you now, Violet....is the only face of me that truly exists."

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Thank you for reading.

Please dont forget to vote so I have an idea of how this book is doing on here <3

Patreon is getting some great stuff this month, including multiple bonus chaps and a NSFW Incubus AU that will include Dabi, Violet, Akio, Ari, and Keigo ALLLLL in the same universe. The incubus universe won in a recent poll and it's been so fun to write. Should be out soon!

Next five ordinary chaps are also up there as usual! <3

See you next week!