Author's note: the cover picture for this chapter was made by levisbench and I can't stop looking at how amazing it is. Please excuse me while I go fangirl for them some more ❤️

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Ari POV:

It was still dark when I left Keigo's room the next day-well, early morning, to be exact. Very early morning.

He was still awake in his room, changing into his hero suit, when I left him. We made good on our promise of never going to sleep. It just finally hit that time where we needed to part from our perfect, little night, and get back to the reality that awaited us.

The hallways were still pitch black, with nothing but the fading moonlight illuminating the area. I sensed the day would start later for most, especially since I noticed quite a few people traveling back and forth from the bar, pretty frequently last night.

That's fine though. It's good for me, considering I'm currently doing a pretty rad walk of not-so-shame, back to my room, in a very deadly place I'm not supposed to be in!

Before I left, Keigo insisted way more than once that I take a feather back to my room with me, so he could sense if I ran into any trouble along the way. But, I didn't wanna risk him getting caught escorting me, somehow, so I declined. He pouted about it, but was surprisingly persuaded in the end.

And it all seemed to turn out fine, anyways, considering the fact that my fast feet have already gotten me halfway back to my room.

Of course, that caused me to let my guard down too quickly as I turned the next corner hurriedly.

My heart jumped in a mix of dread and surprise when I noticed a mysterious figure leaning against the wall of the empty hallway. I quickly skidded on my heels to a stop, freezing in my place as I hoped I'd been quick enough to remain unseen.

But, considering the fact that I stopped only a few feet away from the person, there was absolutely no way they didn't notice me. Even if they chose not to react to my presence in the slightest.

The darkness would have normally blocked their features to my eyes, but the soft glow of a cigarette dully lit up their face for me.

Fuck. I see who it is.

Cringing softly at my mistake, I pressed my lips together....immediately trying to rack my brain for an excuse.

But, Dabi put me out of my misery pretty quickly.

"Have a good night?-or should I say, morning?" He uttered smoothly, voice low with a mocking, knowing tone.

Already feeling my irritation levels rising after the first five seconds of this interaction, I continued my walk in an attempt to get away from him.

"Great. It's you. That's a damn shame. I would have rather run into, literally, anyone else." I muttered just loud enough for him to hear, about to walk past him when...

"Oh, that's right. I forgot you've got a thing for Expired Chicken Skewers. Hey, speaking of, where is that dumb bird, anyways? Did you fuck him that hard out of his mind last night, to where he couldn't even wake up with you? Typical." Dabi chuckled maliciously, speaking his words with a subtle quickness because he knew they'd get me to stay.

And they did.

And, oh shit.

I'd only barely walked past Dabi when his accurate accusation caused me to stop in my tracks, feeling a wave of dreaded anxiety, and slight regret, wash over my body.

Of course, the regret wasn't because I slept with Keigo. I wouldn't take that back, at all. The regret is that, in the back of our minds, we both knew we weren't being very careful about where we started kissing, but we were too lost in the moment to care.

But, now....

I care.

Because, depending on what Dabi does with this information he knows about Keigo and I, he could get us killed.

I took a quiet, deep breath to compose myself, going for a last ditch effort of denial, before I fessed up to him with a bargain.

After all, maybe he's just taking an educated guess about Keigo and I hooking up, and he's hoping I'll fall for it and spill the truth.

Keeping my back to Dabi-since I'm a bad liar, I kept my voice as calm and neutral as possible when I said...

"I don't know what you're talking about-"

"If you wanted to be more subtle, Princess, then shoving your tongue down his throat in the middle of the god damn hallway last night wasn't really the way to go. You really are dense, aren't you." He countered before I could finish, the smirk evident in his voice even though I had my back to him.

Okay, well, yep. He definitely knows.

Cool. Great. Splendid.

"Motherfucking asshole, burnt piece of corndog shit...." I muttered under my breath in pure frustration, feeling my lips tighten up in annoyance as I turned on my heel to face him.

Dabi was already looking at me, and judging by the way his eyes were only now slowly lifting up from a lower position on my body, to meet my gaze....he'd definitely been staring at my ass, just now.

Ohhh. The nerve of this guy!

"Alright. Fine, you burnt bitch. I'll play your game." I started off in a frenzy of growing irritation, quickly walking my way back over to him.

He held back a smile of amusement, biting his lip in victory as he waited for me to make my way over to him.

It's not as if I can just leave him alone, now that he knows what happened last night. I need to find out his motives.

I stopped my distance a few feet away from Dabi, placing my hands on my hips as I gave him my best menacing glare.

"And just what exactly do you plan on doing with this information?" I asked quietly, keeping my voice firm and threatening as I burned my gaze at him.

He gave me a half-lidded stare of boredom as he took a long drag of his cigarette, clearly not at all impressed by my attempt to be scary.

"Depends on what you're willing to do for me." He uttered blankly, giving his brows a small raise of suggestion to emphasize his point.

I gave him a hard roll of my eyes, crossing my arms stubbornly.

"Okay, yeah. You're hilarious, alright. Come on. No more small talk. I'm sick of it. No more jokes. What do you-" I started saying, before Dabi abruptly grabbed ahold of my wrist and harshly yanked me closer.

I held in a gasp of surprise at the action, yet unable to stop my eyes from widening in slightly shocked question.

My voice went silent as Dabi kept a hold on my wrist, pulling me up against his chest, just mere inches away from his face.

I could feel the stitches and burnt skin of his hand enveloping my wrist as he held it tightly. His blue eyes burned into mine intensely, admittedly making me feel a little small.

"And who says I'm joking this time?" He uttered lowly, voice a little more serious now as he tilted his head to the side in question.

Yes, his words were intimidating. His voice was malicious. Normally, that situation, in itself, would have been enough for me to feel incredibly uneasy and scared around Dabi, the same way I have in the past.

But, this time, instead of letting fear cloud my head at the preconceived notions I have about the Dangerous Villain Dabi, I looked past his threats and dark facade-noticing the way those blue orbs were lacking that usual demented wickedness I've become so accustomed to in the past.

No. Right now, his eyes are calm. I won't say soft, because as I've said before, I don't think someone like Dabi is capable of going soft. But, maybe his inner calmness is an equivalent to it, somehow.

I don't know. But, either way, it made me realize....

He's bluffing. He isn't planning to do anything to me, despite what he just implied. He's just trying to get me scared and nervous, so that I'll cower to him, just like I have in the past.

Don't let him break you, Ari. You're stronger.

Not backing down from our close distance, in an attempt to show him I'm not afraid, I let out a soft, mocking chuckle.

"I don't believe you." I stated boldly, smirking knowingly as I forced myself to keep his gaze. His very close gaze.

This is the closest I've ever been to Dabi, and I realize now that the closer I am....the better I'm able to read him.

Like now-I noticed the way his cerulean eyes barely began to glaze over in some unreadable change of emotion, as my soft breaths hit his face with every word I spoke.

That subtle change from him isn't something I would have noticed from far away, making me wonder how many times Dabi has made subtle actions, such as these, to show his true emotions, but no one noticed.

He raised an intrigued brow, barely leaning forward a little more to try and get me to back down first.

"You don't, huh? Maybe you should. Now that I know you're going around, giving happy endings to the bird, I'm starting to feel less bad about wanting something from you for myself. I mean, after all, that's kind of what he's doing right? Using you for his own benefit? Clearly, your standards aren't very high." Dabi said calmly, keeping his voice just a bit quieter at our close distance.

The closer he came, the stronger his smell of hickory and smoke clouded my nostrils, threatening to suffocate me with every breath I took. But, still, I stood my ground.

"My standards are none of your business, so-for the countless time, how about backing off?" I said firmly, feeling my muscles tense slightly as Dabi softened his grip on my wrist.

I'm not sure why I tensed when he loosened his grip, but, regardless, the action made me nervous.

I awaited an immediate, lashing insult from him that never came, watching the way he simply held my gaze instead. It almost looked as if he had originally been planning on saying something, but ended up losing his train of thought.

The confusing change of quiet tension in the air, caused my smirk to falter as Dabi's blue eyes strangely began studying the features of my face up close, acting as if he was trying to take it all in while he could.

I felt my heart beat immediately spike when his eyes began trailing lower and lower down my face-barely having the time to settle on my lips, before I caved under the pressure and finally backed away.

The guy still intimidates me.

Dabi's lost eyes quickly snapped back to reality when I created a healthy amount of distance between us, blinking rapidly a few times to push away whatever unknown thoughts were going on in his mind.

Feeling a bit uncomfortable after that weird exchange, I wordlessly leaned against the wall across from him...furrowing my brows in slight unease, at the unexpected way he was just looking at me a second ago.

I thought I was finally starting to get a read on Dabi and how his mind and personality work. But, every time I think I figure out who he is, the guy always ends up surprising me with something new.

A few awkward moments went by, with neither Dabi or I speaking a word, before he quickly cleared his throat and gained back his usual, harsh demeanor.

"Whatever. I don't even know what you see in that idiot, anyways. I'm just saying, do yourself a favor and find someone with a brain. It's really not that hard." Dabi shrugged bitterly, disinterestedly averting his gaze to the side as he took another long drag of his cigarette.

And while his words were spoken with a tone of finality to end this topic of conversation, I couldn't help but feel my own frustrations rising at this man who's been tormenting me for months on end.

Something snapped inside me to where I just wanted to get to the bottom of it. I just wanted to figure him out for good. I wanted to understand.

"Why do you care so much?" I asked blankly, trying to keep my voice steady and calm so I didn't start off screaming at him. I know yelling won't get me the answers that I want.

But, apparently, neither will anything else, according to Dabi's next response.

"I don't." He responded immediately, not even turning his eyes on me as he spoke.

His face was emotionless, clearly in an attempt to stay completely unreadable and distant from me.

But, I've known Dabi for a little bit of time now, and whether he likes it or not, I'm starting to get a read on his behaviors. That's just what happens when you spend a lot of time with someone. You get to know their quirks-not quirks in terms of superpowers. But their mannerisms. What sets them off. What confuses them. When they tell the truth.

When they lie.

And for some reason, the actions of Dabi are a little easier for me to figure out, compared to most people. Because, occasionally, these actions from him are familiar to me for a reason unknown.

"No. I think you do care-"

"Oh, you're thinking now? That must be new for you. Congratulations." Dabi chuckled maliciously, trying to offset this conversation with one of his usual insults.

But, I ignored it, keeping my eyes on him as he kept his eyes on the wall.

In the time I've known him, he's never been one to avoid my attention like that. One of the main things about Dabi that always stood out to me, was the way he always looked at me. Like he wanted me to know he's watching. Wanting me to shrink under his gaze. Wanting me to look back and see him.

But, now, it's like he doesn't want me to see him.

Which could mean-even if he refuses to admit it, that I've worn him down ever so slightly. Maybe I've unintentionally triggered one of his rare vulnerabilities with my question, and weakened a bit of that Dabi exterior he's built up so well. Maybe there's a small drop of his true self finally seeping through the open cracks.

It's similar to Keigo in a way. Similar to myself, too. I guess that would mean....that Dabi isn't so different from us.

And if Dabi is similar to Keigo and I, then that would mean similar tactics might work on all three of us.

Like, pressing on with a topic of conversation, that is obviously triggering to the other person, yet continuing with it, anyways, in an attempt to make them crack under the pressure.

Psychological warfare, courtesy of the hero commission. Diane's tactics always break down Keigo and I, when we're forced to use them on each other. We both know it, and that's exactly why we do it, when the time calls for it.

Let's see if I get a similar result with Dabi, and make him open up his past self even more.

"Why does my relationship with Hawks interest you so much?" I asked carefully, keeping my eyes glued to Dabi's movements.

Just because I'm wearing him down a little bit, doesn't mean he's incapable of pulling some unpredictable attack on me. I still need to be cautious.

But, it seems that he had no intentions of getting violent, as he kept his position against the wall, shoving one of his hands in his pockets in an attempt to look unbothered.

And he did-Except for the subconscious fidgety movements of his feet, that he was unable to hide. A sign of anxiety.

"You're confusing interest with annoyance for the matter, Princess." He stated blankly, keeping his words harsh and cold.

But, I didn't miss the slight bout of overcompensating denial that coated his voice, noticing how he was losing a handle slightly on the villainous demeanor of Dabi, as he tried to justify his reasonings.

A hand involuntarily went to his midnight black hair, running through it quickly, before a small, agitated sigh escaped his mouth.

"Okay then, why are you annoyed by it? It's not a question of if. I can see it. I can see that, somehow, this affects you. It's written all over your face, so no need to waste time denying it." I manipulated patiently, refusing to let him have a moment to think.

Dabi pursed his lips in fake thought, switching the position of his gaze up to the ceiling now as he rested his head back against the wall.

A smirk quickly plastered onto his lips again, mentally fighting back the game I was trying to play. Yet, I could see the subtle way his jaw tensed up, letting me know that what I was saying was getting to him.

"Remind me the part of this whole thing where I owe you an explanation?" He asked condescendingly, dropping his cigarette to the floor before putting it out with the bottom of his foot.

Realizing he was gonna try to match wits with me now, I didn't answer right away....shrugging my shoulders as I tried to think about how to proceed.

I don't want to agitate him too much and cause a physical fight between us. This is not the place to do such a thing.

"You don't owe me an explanation. I just wanna understand what's going on in that head of yours." I answered honestly, causing his tense shoulders to relax slightly at the way I worded my response.

That's right. I pulled back on the pressure a bit. If he thinks I'm trying to force him to answer my questions, he'll immediately shut himself off from me, completely. By telling him he doesn't have to answer, he might be more likely to let his guard down and be more easily manipulated.

It just makes me realize....

That, also like Keigo and I, Dabi....is actually kind of...emotionally fragile.

"Why do you wanna know?" Dabi quickly responded, answering fast in a way that displayed his growing frustration and uncomfortability.

But, he also asked the question expectantly. Like there was a specific answer he wanted me to give.

Taking a moment of silence to compose myself, I tried to say exactly what I could to make him let his guard down more.

"Because you intrigue me, and apparently, I'm looking for a deep talk today. Blame it on the eery, dark hallway, I guess." I smirked lightly, partially telling the truth while also tricking Dabi into thinking I was the one who was letting my guard down.

I meant it when I said he intrigued me. The other stuff? Not so much.

I carefully peered up to get a glimpse at Dabi's face, watching the gradual changes within him taking place before my very eyes.

He still kept his attention to the ceiling, but now....his face was more relaxed. There wasn't an intentional glare painted on it, anymore.

"Ah, so you're just being nosy like you've always been." He blurted out, letting a small, nostalgic chuckle slip past his stitched lips.

And this laugh of his was different from his others. It wasn't loud. It wasn't necessarily happy or joyful. It didn't last more than a millisecond.

But, for the first time since I met him, it was a genuine, little breath of amusement. Pure amusement, with just a bit of boyish, light sarcasm.

And, immediately, it made me freeze with unease. Even though he's slowly giving me what I want, without even realizing it, the situation abruptly gave me a sick feeling in my gut, for a reason unknown.

I still don't know what he's thinking.

While I was pleased that small bits of this unfamiliar person were slowly seeping out of Dabi, my satisfaction was overshadowed by my frustrations for not understanding what these small bits meant.

It always made me happy when Hawks would slowly start showing me small pieces of Keigo. It made my heart warm, knowing that his true self was still in there. Because, from the very beginning there's always been something about him. Something familiar. Something bright. I can't explain it, but I've always felt drawn to him. I've always trusted him, even when I didn't know him very well.

But, there's something off about Dabi doing the same thing. Something familiar, but also with an eery confusion that I don't quite understand. And that puts me more on edge.

Somehow, Dabi letting out small parts of who he used to be, is actually triggering something in me. And I don't know why.

I didn't even realize that this situation had been triggering me for awhile, as I only now noticed my small, shaky breaths, the longer I looked at his incredibly faint smile. I noticed the way it looked a bit more haunted in the darkness of the hallway. It's genuine, but it makes him look lost. It just makes him look more pained to me.

It looks strange to me. It looks nostalgic. It looks like a memory. A memory that is only further causing me to feel unhinged and lose a grip.

From the moment I met him, Dabi has always made me feel uncomfortable. Of course, for the obvious reasons, like threatening my loved ones and being his villain self.

But, I'm only now realizing that there might have been another reason why Dabi always managed to affect me so strongly. There's an underlying reason that I'm only now realizing has been there, the entire time. A reason still unknown. Which makes it worse.

It's not just because of his actions of villainy. It's him, as a person.

Who are you, Dabi. Who are you. Why can I see you so clearly in the dark shadows of this room?

Ignoring his comment, I decided to try and get back on track with my intentions with this conversation, not wanting to leave until I had my answer.

"Why do you care about what I do, Dabi? Why do you care about my relationship? Or my life, for that matter? You don't know me, okay? So, stop acting as if you do." I uttered quietly, cursing the way my voice came out a bit raspy that time as I couldn't take my attention off the sight of those glowing, blue eyes that lit up the darkness.

Blue eyes. A very certain kind of blue.

Dabi softly shook his head in agreement with my words, turning his changing blue eyes back on me.

And that's when he noticed my mistakes.

The way my hands were growing a slight tremor of stress. Or how my eyes started continuously blinking with anxiety. My breathing was a bit uneven, and sweat was subtly starting to coat my forehead.

Even in the dark, Dabi could see I'd been triggered, somehow. And as someone who's gaslighting skills are on par with Keigo and I, displaying my obvious distress for the situation in front of him, has just won him his ticket to beating me in these mind games.

The tables have suddenly turned. And we both know it.

His eyes remained on me blankly, not quite changing back to Dabi's familiar look, yet. If anything, my distress made them change more-almost like he knew exactly what part of this whole thing was triggering me.

That only scared me more.

Who are you? Who the fuck are you, and why are you triggering me so much-

"Nah, you're right. I don't know you. Hourglass is nothing more than a stranger to me. No different than the rest of them." The blue-eyed boy drawled out to me vaguely, shrugging his shoulders in something similar to disappointment as he spoke the words.

"The rest of who?" I asked emptily, my tone veering off slightly into something a bit unstable in growing stress.

Dabi sensed my shifting mindset, encouraging him to slowly push himself off the wall and make his way towards me.

And suddenly, every other part of him blended in with the darkness of the night, the only part of him visible being those turquoise, blue orbs. They shone bright with a new intention of his own, clearly deciding where he wanted to take this conversation now.

Right now, in this very moment....the man before me isn't Dabi. He's....whoever he used to be-

"Why, those shitty heroes, of course. Save, is what they say, right? Save others with a smile..." He chuckled eerily, smiling mockingly now as he slowly stopped in front of me.

And even so, even with this malicious, dark demeanor from him....

It was still a different type of demeanor from the exterior of Dabi.

No. This is a part of his true self. The parts that he hides from everyone else. It brings an elevated sense of tension and toxicity. An elevated sense of fear and pain.

And, fuck, does it scare me.

It got me thinking that maybe, triggering Dabi's true self to open was a bad idea; a Pandora's Box that should have remained closed. I think he may be darker than I can handle. Or maybe, this old person is already dead and this is just the corpse that's left.

Feeling my heart rate starting to spike slightly at his close distance, I opened my mouth to speak-feeling my throat go dry when both of his hands lifted to rest against the wall, trapping both sides of my body between his arms.

"But, you know, what you heroes never talk about? The ones who you don't save. What happens to them? Hm?" The blue-eyed boy asked me condescendingly, voice just a bit higher in tone, making me only now realize the effort Dabi makes to pitch his voice deeper than its meant to go, everyday.

This is his real voice. Not too different. But different enough.

And it's clearly filled with a begrudging sense of hate and underlying agony that made a shiver run down my spine.

I could feel my heartbeat starting to pound into my eardrums now, feeling his warmth and scent starting to make me lightheaded.

He could tell. I know he could, yet he didn't let up, leaning in only inches away from my face as he tried to get me to look at him. To see the real him.

But, I didn't look, keeping my gaze to the side as my breathing started becoming uneven in triggering stress.

"I.....I-"

"Yeah, I know. I can tell I got you thinking now, right? It's sad to me, Ari. It's sad to me how you ended up getting your head shoved so far up the ass of those government fucks, that you don't even realize the things that are right in front of you, the entire time. Both of you are like that. So fucking brainwashed and so god damn stupid." He seethed out lowly, hot breaths of anger and resentment scalding the tip of my nose with every word.

I closed my eyes as I heard a small sizzling emanating underneath both of his palms that were pressed against the wall, realizing his quirk was starting to activate unintentionally.

He leaned down slightly, distance closing in on me more-so much so, that I could feel our breaths mixing together in a way that made me numb to the bone. I wanted to move, but I couldn't as I felt myself so triggered by this ghost of a man.

"So loyal you are to them, and so un-loyal they are to you. It makes me angry. It makes me angry at you. It makes me angry at him." The lost boy whispered, not quite relishing in the frozen distress I was currently in, but not daring to lose his moment and back away from me either.

Instead, I felt a stitched finger suddenly slide under my chin, gently forcing my face closer to his, causing my breath to choke in my throat as my subconscious was desperately trying to block my mind from knowing what it wanted to know.

I kept my eyes squeezed shut, a small, almost inaudible whimper falling from my mouth when he barely ghosted his fingertips up my jaw.

The action was soft. I know I said Dabi couldn't be soft, and that is still true.

And then he spoke his next words, barely audible to both of us as the curtain was close to unveiling.

"Ari. Little Ari." The blue-eyed boy whispered, breathing the words to my senses in a toxic mix of everything hateful and everything painful. Everything lost and everything forgotten. Everything corrupted and never saved.

However, the glass bubble of this situation was immediately shattered by a newcomer, as the blue-eyed boy was harshly ripped away from me in a matter of seconds.

I jumped in frantic shock, quickly opening my eyes and seeing nothing but a giant, red wing blocking me from the rest of the world.

"Get away from her." Keigo seethed out lowly, quickly grabbing ahold of my wrist and pulling me behind him.

"Oh, would you look at this? What a touching reunion this has become." The blue-eyed boy chuckled wickedly, demeanor becoming subtly more unstable and strayed from Dabi once Keigo came into the mix.

My heart was still rapidly pounding out of my chest, and I'm sure Keigo's feathers could sense it as he gave my wrist a reassuring squeeze.

"Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?" Keigo uttered to me softly, keeping his glaring, heated eyes on the man in front of us.

However, before I could even answer...

"You know, it's real heart-jerking how no one around here seems to trust my intentions. Especially, when it's trash like you who's the real culprit." The blue-eyed boy stated casually, attitude a bit sarcastic and bitter as he spoke to Keigo.

Different from the quiet, almost sad, way he was speaking to me a moment ago.

Keigo's wings fluttered up in agitation at the accusation made against him, tightening his grip on my wrist just a tad.

"Hm? Got your views a little mixed up with that statement, buddy. Have all those flame fumes finally gone to your head, or what?" Keigo snapped back with wit, letting out a small chuckle of cocky challenge as he fed off the tense energy that was building in the room.

Damn it. Keigo's already getting worked up.

I'm sure the sight he just witnessed was already enough to get him angry, not to mention that Dabi has always been able to get under his skin, more than anyone else.

But, as I said before, now is not the time for a fight. It's the worst possible place and the worst possible moment. If a PLF liberator were to walk in on a scene like the one that is currently ensuing, Keigo would be in a lot of danger.

Trying to get myself together for the sake of all three of us, I gently pried my wrist out of Keigo's grip, walking out from behind the shield of his wing.

He quickly took his eyes off the blue-eyed boy to look at me in concerned question, attempting to grab ahold of my wrist again, before-

"It's pretty funny to hear you talking so casually, when you're the shit head with cameras on his back. Or is your bird brain not big enough to remember the important things?" The blue-eyed boy asked condescendingly, crossing his arms as he leaned back against the wall.

And it's odd. A statement like that. Because, while 'Dabi' masked the words as an insult towards Keigo's intelligence....

The fact that he brought up the cameras, at all, makes it sound as if he was almost trying to remind Keigo that he's being watched. Because he doesn't want him to get caught.

And why? Why wouldn't he want him to get caught, when he's the catalyst to this entire situation? Could it be because he doesn't want to get caught, too? What would Dabi be getting caught for? Is this even true? Am I reading too much into it-

"Hah, well that doesn't matter. Cause it just so happens that the camera'd feathers are coincidentally missing from my wings at the moment. But, thanks for the reminder. I'll go back for 'em in just a second." Keigo retorted snarkily, alternating his gaze between 'Dabi' and I to see what I was doing.

I simply walked between the two of them, placing a hand on Keigo's chest to ensure he didn't come any closer and cause an altercation.

"Guys, let's just relax-" I started saying, uselessly, as I was quickly over-spoken.

"Man, how innovative of you to do such a thing. But, then again, that's just like you, huh? Always managing to trick the system, somehow." The blue-eyed boy mocked knowingly, looking right into Keigo's golden eyes as he spoke.

The bird boy's brows furrowed together in growing annoyance, red wings fluttering up in distaste at being called out.

"Careful there. Almost seems like you're jealous of my clever skills. Don't worry. Keep practicing and maybe, one day you'll be as good as me. No promises, though." The bird boy smirked obnoxiously, clearly just trying to be a little shit and get on 'Dabi's' nerves.

And it worked as a bitter, knowing smile graced his stitched face, eyes lighting up with a new type of emotion I hadn't ever seen Dabi make before.

Genuine frustration.

Dabi frequently gets lazily annoyed and impatient at people, but always seemed to carry around the attitude that he could care less about what's going on around him. He rarely actually loses his temper, usually taking the calm, collective, and bored approach.

So, seeing him legitimately affected by Keigo's words and presence is a big deal.

"Jealous? God, that's funny. Just another way to show you think the whole world revolves around you. As usual." The blue-eyed boy countered, letting out a scoff of familiar irritation.

Keigo opened his mouth to retort with a reply, but I beat him to the punch this time.

"Listen up, you two. People are going to start waking up soon. You both need to relax-"

"Oh, please. Don't act as if you aren't part of the problem." 'Dabi' retorted, whipping his sassy, sarcastic blue eyes on me now.

My mouth gaped open blankly for a moment, trying to process how in the world I just got blamed for this.

"Me?!" I asked in disbelief, starting to forget my reasonings for wanting to stop this fight.

"Yeah. You. Don't act so innocent, throwing yourself at this shit head like he's the greatest gift in the fucking universe. It's pathetic. As if the jackass needs his ego stroked, anymore. Or anything else stroked for that matter. After all, he got enough of that last night." He stated boldly, with a challenging smirk growing wider on his face as he looked from me to Keigo's obvious, growing anger.

I felt Keigo's chest sinking deeper against the palm of my hand to signal that he was coming closer to Dabi against my wishes.

Oh boy-

"Y'know, it's interesting you say that. Cause you wouldn't really be able to know somethin' like that, unless you were watching us like the freak you are." Keigo seethed out in threatening disbelief, almost as if daring 'Dabi' to answer.

Blue eyes clashed hotly against gold eyes, with both boys becoming angrier by the second.

"Didn't need to. I saw you two eye fucking each other at the party. I already knew what was gonna happen after that. It's just like the number two hero to get everything handed to him, isn't it? Even his women." The blue-eyed boy grinned ferally, before a small sizzling sound was heard.

My attention immediately went to his burnt hands, noticing how they were starting to smoke slightly.

Oh shit. He's getting angry.

I peered over at Keigo, noticing how he was too fired up to noticed 'Dabi's' growing agitation.

Of course, it didn't help that Keigo's agitation was growing, too.

"See, once again....sounds like jealously to me. Ah, but this time....I think I know what's pissin' you off so much." Keigo drawled out knowingly, voice filled with a pure intention to escalate the situation instead of dial it down.

I groaned in irritation, placing both hands on Keigo's chest now in an attempt to get him to shut up.

"Cool it, Hawks. Not the time to lose your temper." I warned firmly, hearing 'Dabi' chuckle behind me to make it worse.

"Yeah, bird brain. Listen to your loyal pet, over here. She'd be real broken up, if her idol did something to dirty those wings of his." He retorted in bitter sarcasm, causing my lips to tighten up as I felt myself starting to lose a handle on my own emotions.

I quickly turned my head back at the blue-eyed boy, giving him a glare of warning.

"And you knock it off, too. I'm not liking that sass of yours. It's not a good look." I seethed lowly, the specific words of my statement causing 'Dabi's' brows to raise with resentful familiarity.

"Yeah, so I've been told before. But, then again, my looks have never been categorized as good, so no skin off my nose." The blue-eyed boy muttered, before Keigo cut in with a snide comment.

"Hey, don'tcha mean no more skin off your nose? You're already looking pretty fried to me, pal." He smirked darkly, sounding a bit like a bully with a low blow about Dabi's appearance.

Why do I even care? It's Dabi.

But, regardless....

"If you don't shut up soon, I'll make sure you do." I seethed out at Keigo, causing his face to lose it's snarky look and turn to pouting offense instead.

One second ago, he looked like he was about to commit murder. In the next second, he looks like a little kid who just got scolded.

"Me?? I'm trying to defend you! He's calling you my pet!!" Keigo huffed in frustration, the pure passion for defending my honor causing me to find a sliver of amusement amongst this chaos.

I nodded in reassuring understanding, still trying to de-escalate the situation.

"And I understand that. And I appreciate that. But-"

"Oh? A 'but.' This should be good. Let's see what excuse is coming for the bird idiot this time. I'd love to hear how creative you're getting in defending him." 'Dabi' mocked out, tilting his head to the side in malicious amusement as he waited for me to finish.

Since I'm the only voice of reason amongst this trio at the moment, I really should just ignore that comment and not say anything.

And, yet....

"You should just be lucky I was defending you, too. It's not like I owe you anything, so you're fucking welcome, you blue asshole." I spat out in growing anger, hearing Keigo's wings flutter as he picked up on my agitation.

"Man, you two really deserve each other. It's all about owing and what you can get out of things, right? And, oh, he sure gets a lot out of you." The blue-eyed boy retorted bitterly, his orbs flashing with just a subtle, barely visible tinge of pain as he spoke.

My brows furrowed in angry confusion, unable to ponder on his look, as the bird boy interrupted.

"Ooo, careful there, buddy. No one likes passivity. I didn't take you for one to beat around the bush. So, why don'tcha just come out with it, and say what you really meant by that." Keigo stated in a tone unbothered, yet it was very easy to tell how bothered he really was.

"Ah, that's right. I almost forgot you're stupid and require simple explanations. So, let me put it this way. You're using her to make yourself feel better. Cause you know she'll fall at your feet and tell you everything you wanna hear about yourself. Need validation that badly, huh? Can't imagine why, since you always say you're the best at everything. How much reassurance does a guy need?" The blue-eyed boy questioned condescendingly, raising challenging brows at Keigo as if he already knew a statement like that would trigger him.

And it did.

"Ah, well you just think you got all the answers, huh?" Keigo started off, chest pressing up harder against my palm as he attempted to get in Dabi's face.

I held him back slightly, making him stop his walk from coming any closer.

'Dabi' simply kept his arms crossed, glaring at Keigo boredly.

"That's cause I do have all the answers. You've got no fucking idea how many answers I have-"

"No. No, you don't have all the answers. And that's the part that annoys you, right?" Keigo started off, the ending of his sentence making me realize he's about to pull a Diane tactic on Dabi's head.

Damn. These two really bring out the worst in each other.

"You don't have all the answers, because if you did, then you would know how much this girl despises you. You would admit to yourself how you really feel about her, be forced to accept the reality, and come to terms with the fact that Ari will never look twice in your direction. So, no. You don't have all the answers. Maybe next time, though." Keigo shrugged nonchalantly, puffing out his wings slightly as he spoke to make himself look more intimidating.

It did nothing, but make me roll my eyes. Dumb bird.

But, the words of Keigo's statement also caused a new wave of tension to wash over the three of us. And it wasn't the loud tension that had ensued from this annoying, strangely nostalgic argument.

No. This tension was silent. Lethally silent in a way that caused me to immediately become uncomfortable and worried that Keigo might have said too much.

Too much, that could blow his cover.

I could tell he quickly felt it too, as I watched him swallow in subtle discomfort, wings quickly fluttering behind him as he realized he should have said less.

I still had my hands on his chest to keep him from getting closer to 'Dabi', keeping my back to the stitched man-who was much too silent after everything that had been spoken.

Carefully peering up at Keigo, the movement caught his attention as he locked eyes with me for a second.

I gave him a silent look, trying to tell him to backtrack a bit so his infiltration mission won't be in danger.

Quickly ripping his attention off me, Keigo inhaled sharply through his nose, trying to calm himself down.

But, before he could speak, the blue-eyed boy spoke first.

"So damn cocky. You've turned....so damn cocky...." Is all he said, fiery blue orbs subtly taking a glance at Keigo's powerful, majestic wings for no more than a second.

'Dabi's' words were said with a hint of challenge. Challenge to show that while he might have been extremely annoyed by this conversation, he hadn't been pushed too far over the edge of total destruction. Yet.

I could tell Keigo was thinking the same thing as his shoulders subtly relaxed, before he took a few steps away from Dabi and I to finally start diffusing the tension.

Letting out a sigh of relief I didn't even realize I was holding, I felt much better once Keigo was now a good distance away from Dabi, leaning his back and wings against the opposite wall across from him.

He cleared his throat softly, running a casual hand through his hair to downplay what just happened.

"Who? Me? Cocky? Nah, you got it all wrong." He muttered nonchalantly, turning his gold orbs back up at the blue-eyed boy standing a few feet away from him.

"Oh, do I?" 'Dabi' asked knowingly, the tone of his voice telling me that he already had some type of malicious plan brewing in his mind with those words.

"Mhm." Keigo uttered curtly, sensing there was more to this argument coming.

"Alright, then. Humor me this, bird. You say I don't have all the answers. But, what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you have all the answers?"

"Ah, no one has all the answers. Me included. I know that. It's part of life. Figuring it out as you go, and all. That kinda stuff."

"Well, aren't you a fucking guru."

"Guess so." Keigo shrugged distractedly, brows furrowing in unease at the blue-eyed boy's growing unhinged frustration, now turning his gaze on me in concern.

I know why he's looking at me. While he backed away from Dabi, I didn't yet. Not for any reason, I was just too focused on this conversation, that I was still in my spot close to the stitched man. Closer to him, than to Keigo.

Those golden orbs looked at me warmly, with a purposeful warmth to disregard the blue-eyed boy who was here, and silently ask me to come back over to him.

He raised his brows softly in question, wings fluttering a bit in hopes that I would come over to his side.

And I wanted to. I wanted to be closer to him.

So, I started walking. Started to turn my back to the blue-eyed boy and make my way over to the bird boy I've always loved.

Only, I had let my guard down and so did Keigo for this minuscule second, not realizing that the blue-eyed boy had been watching this silent exchange between the two of us. Not realizing how much the simple action of me turning my back on him, and walking away towards Keigo, completely and utterly infuriated him.

I only realized it when I felt a stitched hand catch my arm in a bruising grip, yanking me back over to him, unexpectedly.

Blue eyes locked boldly with gold eyes in a silent dare from both men.

It happened so quickly, Keigo and I didn't have time to process the action of 'Dabi' swiftly turning me around to face him in one motion, snaking a hand into the back of my hair....

Before he pushed my head forward and forced his lips on mine.

My eyes widened out of my head. My pupils so dilated into shock that my vision immediately went blurry. My fight or flight reaction hadn't kicked in yet, as I felt a wave of numbness shoot into each one of my veins instead, coating my nerve endings and muscles in a way that had me completely frozen in my place.

I stopped breathing, feeling one of Dabi's arms wrap around my waist in a gripping, foreign hold, pushing my body up against his. While his hand had originally been rough in my hair upon forcing me forward to kiss him, now his fingers had completely relaxed, still resting in my locks, but not gripping them, anymore.

His lips moved against my unmoving ones. They moved quickly and hurriedly as this entire moment was taking place in the millisecond pause it took Keigo and I to register what the hell was happening.

And even though it was a millisecond, it felt much longer.

I could smell and taste the tobacco remnants that coated his stitched, yet surprisingly full, lips. The way the cold metal of the staples in his skin, tickled briskly against my face. The way his softly scarred bottom lip brushed against my smooth one, or how he barely pressed against my mouth harder to savor it all more.

It's obvious why he's doing this. He's doing this to make Keigo angry. He's doing this because Keigo has angered him. Not Dabi, but the man behind Dabi. The way Dabi has always been able to get under Keigo's skin? Well, this argument today was one of the first times that Keigo was able to get under his skin. His real skin.

Yes, that's the only reason why he's doing this. The only reason why he's kissing me right now.

And if that's true, then tell me.....why are his actions so soft?

He could easily make this kiss much more violating to me, compared to what he's currently doing. He could take his anger out on me, sloppily force his lips to mine and try to cop a feel anywhere he could, before Keigo or I stopped him.

But, instead...

His grip on my waist relaxed carefully. I could feel his light breath hitting against my lips, as he kissed me with the softness of a good man. A man I know he's not. So, why pretend? Why pretend for me? Why pretend, when everyone here knows the moment from him isn't real, just merely an act of defiance?

After this millisecond had passed, Keigo and I's reaction time had kicked in simultaneously.

At the same moment I had choked out a breath and pulled away, I blinked my eyes to see both of Keigo's hands instantly locked around Dabi's throat in the very next moment.

Well, he got over here very quickly.

My mouth fell open, speechlessly, as I turned my attention on the murderous, completely wild glare that dawned Keigo's face.

The expensive, trademark aviators that the hero commission provide him with had fallen from his eyes, onto the dirty ground with his fast movements, allowing his golden orbs to unleash every true bit of rage he was currently feeling.

His wild hair was no longer pushed back into his usual style, falling forward onto his face in a way that made him look completely unhinged. His gloved hands were locked lethally tight around Dabi's throat, fingers digging into his jugular with the full intent to kill. He didn't even use his feathers, yet every single one on his back had involuntarily sharpened to its absolute maximum. Instinct, I'm guessing.

"You disgusting piece of shit. That was a big, big fucking mistake." Keigo growled out darkly, the murderous tone of his voice causing a shiver to run down my spine.

Yet, the blue-eyed boy didn't seem to care in the slightest, finding humor and satisfaction with the anger he was finally able to emit from the bird boy. Especially, since it means the spotlight is no longer on his true self, but now Keigo's instead. Just like he wanted.

"I could say the same thing to you. Gonna finally kill me, bird? After all this time? No, I don't think you will." 'Dabi' smirked through his lack of oxygen, starting to smoke his hand as his quirk subtly began to activate.

"Oh yeah? Try me." Keigo spat out in feral anger, wrapping his hands so tightly around 'Dabi's' throat, that his locked grip began to shake. The action caused small blue flames to start crackling in the air.

"Believe me. I will." The blue eyed boy stated a little dementedly, the blood lust evident in his voice.

Feathers, fire, small spaces, an infiltration mission, and the Paranormal Liberation Front mansion....don't really mix well.

Forcing my panicked mind to pull myself together before this escalated to something no one could control, I quickly walked over to the boys, placing a shaky hand on both of them.

I was about to say something in an attempt to calm them down...

Until I heard voices coming around the corner of the hallway. Three voices. Re-Destro, Skeptic, and Geten.

Oh. Fuck.

Not now. Why now?

I'm gonna shit my pants.

If they turn that corner and see Keigo choking Dabi to death, it's over.

Quickly turning my attention back to the two idiots, I wasted no time in activating my quirk on them, being forced to freeze their bodies in this horrible looking position, so I could calm them down before the enemies turned the corner.

Keigo immediately began spewing angry curses up a storm when I froze him in place, about to ask me why the hell I was doing such a thing, before I quickly spoke.

"Re-Destro's coming. Skeptic's coming. Geten's coming. Get it together." I hissed out, becoming nervous when the murderous haze still didn't leave Keigo's eyes after I spoke.

Dabi's answer didn't do anything to ease my fears, either.

"And why....the hell...would that matter to me? It's not like I owe you anything." He choked out stubbornly, still being choked by Keigo's immobilized hands.

Idiots. They're both idiots.

My heart rate began beating at a bunny's pace as I heard the footsteps and voices no more than a few seconds away from turning the corner.

"Well, after the shit you just pulled, I beg to differ. I think you do owe me, so hopefully you do something about it. And Hawks? I expect you to, at least-pullyourselftogether-" I hissed out in a single, rushed breath, unable to finish my sentence as I heard the footsteps turning the corner.

It forced me to release my quirk hold on both boys, and turn around to face Re-Destro, hoping those two morons could compose themselves in the next-

"Ari?-oh, and Hawks, and Dabi, as well! What are you three doing in the middle of the hallway, so early in the morning?" Re-Destro asked, as he caught sight of our little trio.

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Next Chapter Title: Spread Yourself Too Thin.