Top pic credit: HanCiao

Silence.

Silence.

Silence.

Wow. Can this get any more uncomfortable? The answer is no, in case you're wondering.

It's been about three minutes since Keigo and Twice walked through the door, and no one has said a damn word since their initial greeting.

Everyone's just standing in opposite corners of the room, giving each other wordless death glares while waiting for someone to finally speak first.

Well, actually scratch that.

Dabi and Keigo are giving each other death glares, while I softly hit the back of my head against the wall from this awkward torture, and Twice scratches his nose...still trying to catch up on what the hell is going on in the first place.

This feels like a low budget, gothic edition episode of Friends. Yikes...

Not being able to take the awkward silence anymore, I decided to just bite the bullet and speak up first. Why prolong this torture any longer, right? It's inevitable that someone will speak at some point. Might as well just get it out of the way now-

"Wait a minute, why are we here again?!" Twice suddenly asked, his thoughts finally clicking together as he began looking around the room in confusion.

Thank you, Twice.

"Oh yeah!! It was for Ari Parker-there she is! Ah, well, good to see ya again, kiddo! How've ya been?-HORRIBLE, I HOPE." Twice asked, his sudden outburst at the end making me jump slightly.

I immediately studied his body language for any signs of hostility, considering how aggressive his last words were.

But, I found absolutely nothing harmful as he shot me some enthusiastic finger guns.

Definitely some type of psychological disorder going on here. Someone give this guy some therapy....or some antipsychotic meds, for that matter...

My gaze subtly trailed over to Keigo, watching his darkened face give me a slight nod of encouragement, silently asking me to give Twice an answer.

I took a deep breath, shooting Twice a small smile.

"Y-Yeah....been great, I guess. I mean, I never became a Nomu so....that's always a good thing." I muttered out, rubbing the back of my neck anxiously as I tried to hold this casual conversation with Twice.

"Aw, yeah you didn't huh?! Well, don't worry! There's always next time, right?" Twice exclaimed innocently, causing my eyes to widen in shock at his words.

He sounds as though we've just played a friendly game of baseball, and he's consoling me for missing out on that big home run.

Keigo suddenly sputtered softly in his corner of the room, quickly clearing his throat to compose himself at Twice's bold statement.

I felt Dabi's eyes on me, clearly expecting an answer to Twice's response.

But, what do I even say to that?!

"Well....I sure hope not." I mumbled tiredly, watching the split man give me a clueless thumbs up....before continuing on with this train wreck of a conversation.

You really don't have to, Twice.

"Good stuff. Good stuff. Well, anyways, I'm just glad I got a chance to meet you today!-NOT-yeah, Dabi told me you were coming, but of course, he put me on recruitment duty at the same time you were scheduled to arrive. Pretty convenient, huh-ANNOYING-Ah! But, when I told Red you were coming, he suggested we ditch out on our duties to come and welcome ya to-"

Keigo's teeth clenched stressfully at Twice's words, quickly stepping in to stop him.

"Ah-hm?! Hold on a sec. That ain't it, buddy. I didn't say that. You did, remember? This was all your idea, Twice. Not mine. I just followed along with your plans! You know that, don't you? You know that's true." Keigo smiled, the evil malice in his eyes that Dabi brought out of him, dissipating as he put his attention on Twice.

Keigo's tone was noticeably gentler towards the split man, than it was to Dabi just a few minutes ago. He seemed patient with him, and I could even see a few hints of Keigo shine through 'Hawks' when he conversed with Twice.

His smile wasn't so forced. His face was slightly more relaxed. His wings were still fluttering on high alert, but they weren't subtly rotated in a way like he was going to attack any moment, the way they were with Dabi.

He didn't look as dark. He didn't look as menacing.

I could tell he genuinely liked Twice.

But, even so...

It was still obvious to me that Keigo was lying through Twice, using his mental illness as an opportunity to manipulate him for his benefit.

How very hero commission-like of you, Keigo. You know that's wrong. I know you do.

I pursed my lips in secret disapproval for Keigo's actions. I understand that his options and tactics for completing this mission are limited and very complex.

And I'm sure if I was in the same situation as him, I'd engage in similar methods to get the job done. Keigo and I are foils to the hero commission, after all. It's manipulation tactics such as these that were drilled into our souls at a young age.

If there's anyone in the world who understands why Keigo is doing this to Twice, it's me.

But...

I just wish there was another way he could go about this double agent operation, without using a man's mental handicap as his own personal weapon.

And if I were ever to tell the hero commission this opinion of mine, they would have my head. Literally.

Sighing softly at the thought, my eyes slowly trailed over to Keigo...slightly surprised when I saw he was already looking at me.

His eyes were blank. Unreadable to most.

But, I could see so much emotion behind them.

He was looking at me in somber sadness. Knowing guilt. He was ashamed.

I didn't realize it until now, but he'd been studying my own reactions when he just used his manipulation tactics on Twice.

He wanted to see if I'd managed to pick up on what he did. And now he knows that I did.

And it hurts him.

My mind flashed back to this past weekend. The weekend I found out Keigo was a double agent. The weekend he finally poured his heart out to me, crying and telling me how this situation makes him feel:

"I'm a man who takes action, no matter who or what might stand in my way. I am not a good person. And that will disappoint you. It's disappointing to myself, so I know it will be disappointing to you. As it should be."

"I don't want you to see this, Ari. I don't want you to see me like this, and see the horrible things I have to do. I know I'm destroying myself, alright? And I don't want you watching me destroy myself and corrupt myself."

I understand why Keigo is looking at me, the way he is right now. It's because this is exactly what he was afraid of. Moments like these, right here. Having me watch him do his dirty work. Watching him corrupting himself.

He knows that a lot of what he's doing is wrong, even if it's for the greater good. He doesn't want me to see this side of him. It hurts him.

"Woah, did I really say that, Hawks?! I don't remember it at all. Hah! I must be losing it." Twice chuckled, rubbing the side of his head as he tried to work his brain to remember something that never even happened.

And even if it hurts him, he has no choice but to continue.

Keigo forced his lingering eyes away from me, giving Twice a reassuring shrug of the shoulders.

"Eh. It happens to the best of us, buddy! No need to rack your mind over it. Just take my word!" He smiled, sticking with his lies and shooting Twice a thumbs up.

"Or, that conversation never happened, Twice." Dabi suddenly called out, keeping his turquoise orbs locked on Keigo.

Oh shit.

My breath caught in my throat at Dabi's accurate accusation, almost forgetting he was listening in on this entire conversation.

My eyes trailed back over to Keigo, watching his gaze slowly land on Dabi. He's only been here for a few minutes, but his patience already seemed to be dwindling the moment he walked through the door.

It's not like him. He's usually able to keep his cool for much longer than this.

Keigo's face immediately darkened as him and Dabi matched sinister glances....his thirst for bloodlust returning.

Dabi really brings out the worst in him.

"Heh. Dunno what you're implying, Dabi, but it definitely doesn't sound like somethin' friendly." Keigo chuckled, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"That's because it's not something friendly. Why are you here, Hawks? Why are you here with Ari and I, when I gave you a specific order to be somewhere else today?" Dabi asked plainly, studying Keigo's body language much too closely.

Keigo's wings gave a soft flap at Dabi's words, using the action to mask the minuscule twitch of anxiety that flared up in his feathers.

He knows Dabi's watching his behaviors.

Like the true double agent he is, Keigo stuck to his story. Even if it wasn't the most plausible.

"Like I said, it was Twice's idea to come here. After he told me that my lovely little intern would be here, alone with you, he decided it would be nice to stop by and show Ari some league of villains hospitality. Although it's interesting. I've never been to this place before. Were you hiding it from me?" Keigo teased stiffly, looking around the room in fake curiosity.

I knew it was fake, judging by the way his eyes landed on very specific parts of the room. Windows. The kitchen in the corner, probably to survey what weapons were currently around here. The bedrooms down the hall, trying to see if anyone else was here.

He's never been here before. He's trying to prepare himself as best he can in an unfamiliar place.

Dabi immediately turned his attention to me now, almost as if blaming me for this shit house the league of villains had taken hiding in.

And I guess in a way, it is my fault....considering they were caught so off guard from this morning's raid.

The raid.

Does Keigo know about the raid failure? Does he know the information I gave Dabi was wrong? Does he know that's why I'm here?

Swallowing thickly, I decided to speak up so I could attempt to relay this information to Keigo, in case he didn't already know.

"Well, it's kind of my fault. You see....Dabi asked me to get him some information this weekend, regarding a hero raid that was supposed to take place on the league. I broke into the school by myself to get him this information, and it turned out to be incorrect information. So here I am." I explained casually, watching Keigo's eyes go completely blank at my words to try and hide his obvious shock.

He inhaled sharply, coughing softly to try and mask the sound of his surprise.

His face suddenly paled, as he ran a wild hand through his hair.

Okay. So, clearly....he didn't know.

Dabi nodded in agreement, pulling a cigarette out of his pocket as he listened to my words.

"Got that right. And because the raid took place at an unexpected time, I had to burn the old place down in order to get us out of there. The old place with all of our money inside for the new place. So, now....here we are instead. In this paradise that barely costs us a dime. Isn't that nice?" Dabi muttered bitterly, barely grazing the heat of his blue flame against the cigarette to light it.

I cringed softly at his last words. I didn't know about the money part until now.

It only makes me realize how much I fucked this up for Dabi and the others. I don't think that's something that will be taken very lightly.

The chirpy sound of Hawks' voice broke through the silence, making me relieved when he seemed to recover quickly from the initial shock of this new information.

"Ah, well sounds like a total drag to me. But don't worry, dollface. Being bad takes some practice-hey, you know what? I'd be happy to even show ya the ropes on this stuff, and help you get better. It would give us a chance to spend more time together, too. I do love seeing that pretty face of yours." Hawks winked at me, subtly trying to insert himself as a wedge between me and Dabi's future interactions.

He's hoping that by offering to teach me the ropes of the league of villains, Dabi will agree and leave him to it.

But, neither Keigo or I were prepared for Dabi's response.

"Oh yeah? And how well did that work out for you this weekend, considering the fact that you were the one who helped her break into the school?" He asked accusatorially, causing my brows to furrow in panicked confusion.

I told Dabi over the phone that no one helped me break into the school. What is he trying to gain by throwing out this accusation?-

"Oh? And how could I have helped her break into the school this weekend, when I was supposed to be out of town, doing my own assignment for you?" Keigo asked innocently, throwing his hands up in fake confusion.

What?!

For the life of me, I kept my poker face...trying to wrap my head around Keigo's words.

It was obvious by the tone and utter clarity of Keigo's voice that he was trying to inform me of this new information right now.

He's trying to subtly give me a warning that he wasn't supposed to be helping me break into the school, because Dabi had commanded him to be somewhere else instead. With all the fast moving chaos that happened this weekend, he probably forget to mention it.

And if Dabi knows Keigo disobeyed one of his direct orders, because he chose to go and help me, it could expose him as a spy. Even if helping me was to benefit the league, I'm starting to realize that Dabi has his own agenda that doesn't benefit anybody but himself.

It was starting to become obvious that Dabi's intention was to purposely put Keigo and I in different places this weekend to test that loyalty. Loyalty to him. The loyalty that when Dabi asks Keigo to do something, he'll do it. No matter what.

And Keigo didn't follow through with Dabi's orders, because he chose to help me instead.

So, now it makes sense as to why Dabi kept insisting that someone had helped me, when I talked to him over the phone.

He was already hoping I would say Keigo's name and out him accidentally.

The fact that he's throwing out this same, blatant accusation at Keigo right now, even when I told him that I did this whole thing by myself, can only mean one thing...

One of his goals right now, is to try and set Keigo up. Expose him of something.

Now, the only question is...

Does Dabi really know the truth of where Keigo was this weekend? Or is he just guessing?

Purposely trying to make the bird boy sweat, Dabi remained silent on giving an answer....giving Keigo a knowing look instead.

Keigo simply furrowed his brows in fake, innocent question...not daring to break on his lie just yet.

Becoming impatient with the silence, Dabi finally caved and spoke first.

"Dunno, bird. You tell me. I saw the news about an hour ago, and found the whole situation pretty enlightening. How can one person take out twenty seven security cameras on their own? Seems like a job where shitty feathers could be useful, if you ask me." Dabi stated, shrugging his shoulders lightly in disbelief.

That seems like more of a prying question, rather than a solidified statement.

In other words, Dabi seems to be trying to trick Keigo into admitting he was helping me, rather than having any actual proof that he did.

Keigo scoffed softly, looking at Dabi like he was the biggest moron on the planet.

"What? So you think because Ari was able to take out all of those security cameras by herself, it means I helped her? Look, Crusty, I dunno if you know...but this girl is a smart cookie. She's one of UA's brightest. The next big hero to watch out for. So, of course, she can take out some measly, little security cameras. She's stronger than she looks-"

"Strong, you say? Weren't you the one who said she was weak at that stupid celebration ceremony? First you talk her down, and now when it's convenient for you, you talk her up? Which is it then? She's either weak, or she's strong. You're contradicting yourself, you know." Dabi quickly interrupted, clearly just waiting for the right opportunities to use Keigo's words against him.

I could tell by the way Keigo's eye twitched that he realized he just made a slip up. Luckily, the bird boy was quick on the rebuttal, realizing he needed to bite the bullet and just pick a side.

"Heh, well truth be told...I guess I was a little jealous at the celebration ceremony. Yeah. Little Ari here was stealing all the attention from me, and I guess I felt the need to get some of it back and make myself look good. That's all that was. After all, you know how much I love the spotlight." Hawks chuckled, pretending to fiddle with one of the window curtains that was hanging next to him.

Dabi watched him, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

"So, that's the story you're sticking with then. The strong and powerful Ari Parker completed a high security break-in mission all by herself." Dabi asked lowly, phrasing his questions as condescending statements.

He still didn't seem to buy it, if I'm being honest.

A small bead of sweat rolled down Keigo's temple, as he immediately came back with an answer.

Even if he wasn't showing it, I could tell he also knew that Dabi thought he was full of shit....and that was putting him more on edge.

"That's what I'm sayin', boss man. I wasn't even around when she did it. But, damn, it sure is impressive, huh?-even if the information wasn't correct, you gotta give the girl some credit for trying somethin' that brash and bold. I dunno about you, but to me, it definitely shows that her intentions lie with ours." Keigo smirked sinisterly, doing his best to get Dabi to spare my life for fucking up the raid times.

Now that Keigo knows I'm here because the break-in mission at the school went poorly, he knows my chances of survival at the moment probably aren't looking the best. He knows my family's lives are more at stake than ever, and he's trying to do some damage control for me.

But still....Dabi remained looking unconvinced.

It was some time later before he broke the silence with a small scoff, shaking his head in denial as he was clearly about to question Keigo again.

But, I stepped in before he could say anything else.

Now understanding that Keigo wasn't supposed to be helping me this weekend, I felt more motivation and urgency to stick with this lie. He's trying to protect me, but I also need to do my part and protect him, too.

"I disabled the cameras myself, Dabi. I'm pretty good with technology. It wasn't hard." I quickly blurted out, watching Dabi's eyes land on me again.

Keigo quickly wiped his sweaty forehead with the back of his gloved hand, shooting his gaze over to me as well.

I didn't miss the small, masked traces of worry that were seeping through his eyes.

Not even paying attention, Twice has been whistling a soft tune for the past few minutes...rocking back and forth on his heels as he remained in his sidetracked headspace. He seemed so happy go lucky, without a care in the world.

I wanna be THAT guy...

I felt my heart beat starting to pick up as Dabi's cold eyes remained locked on me, tilting his head at me in a way that silently said: "I know you're full of shit."

But, he can't prove anything. Any proof he had that Keigo was helping me, he would have come out with it by now. That's how he is. His petty ass loves to expose people.

So, for now...no matter how obvious it may be...I just need to deny, deny, deny.

"Is that so?" He practically whispered out, yet the quiet tone of his voice did absolutely nothing to calm my nerves.

If anything, it only made him appear more eerie and sinister. Something I didn't even think was possible.

Keigo remained silent in the corner, desperately and stressfully awaiting my simple answer.

"That is, indeed, so." I uttered back raspily, crossing my arms over my body to hide it from, now roaming, turquoise eyes.

Dabi smirked at my attempts to hide myself, giving his lip a soft bite of amusement as he met my gaze again.

"Well....alrighty then, Princess. Whatever you say." He mocked, shooting me a soft wink almost as if to let me know he's going to keep whatever happened with the UA break-in mission this weekend a secret.

Well, that's not very comforting, you crusty little oaf.

A quiet sigh could be heard from Keigo's corner of the room, as he quickly spoke up after Dabi.

"Well then...good stuff! Now that we've got that all cleared up, guess I should take my intern back to UA. I'll let ya take the day off from the Hawks Agency today, sweetheart. Seems like you've already had quite a long morning-"

"Twice." Dabi interrupted him calmly, his voice smooth and low.

Keigo's jaw tensed at Dabi's intentional interruption, already knowing that was a silent way to say "I'm not done with her, yet."

The split man immediately perked his head up, tilting it to the side like a curious puppy.

Dabi turned to Twice, giving him a soft nod towards the door....waiting for him to pick up on his cue to leave-

"Oh, got a neck cramp, Dabi? Again?! Man, you really need a better pillow to sleep on at night. If ya want, I can always-"

"You can go, Twice. Just go. You've done your job for today." Dabi practically sighed out in exasperation, clearly already used to his antics more than Keigo and I.

But, something else about his words caught my attention.

His last words in particular.

Job. Dabi just said Twice has done his job.

What was Twice's job? Bringing Keigo here? To interrupt my meeting with Dabi?

But, why?

Keigo and I, along with Dabi, silently watched a clueless Twice give a small wave and waltz out of the room.

The sound of the door closing brought a new sense of tension, as it was now just the three of us here.

"Make yourselves comfortable, you two....because we're not finished here yet." Dabi smirked wildly, crossing his arms in confidence as he clearly already had a set agenda for today. An agenda I don't really want to know about.

But, it's not like I can say no. So, here goes nothing.

The three of us. Together again. Me, Dabi, and Keigo.

How fun.