Not the Good Old Days Anymore (bkdk MHA)

Chapter 3: The Abyss

Warnings for this chapter: Assault, references to drugs, language, and violence.

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"It's almost time, let's go," Dabi called from the front door.

"Just a minute!" I yelled back, pulling on a jacket.

Earlier today Dabi had said he was going to meet his broker. He usually never let me come with him, but today I managed to persuade him to take me. He was meeting his broker at a nightclub, The Abyss, apparently one of the nicest meeting spots so far. I'm still not entirely sure what made him change his mind, he seemed to have a tolerance to my insistent begging, but I guess I finally broke him. I wasn't that concerned with any legal restrictions as this was an underground bar. Dabi had told me not to drink anything, but what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him. I had no intuition to drink any alcohol, so I just would grab something else. The look on his face would be priceless, worth the verbal beatdown I would get afterwards.

Moonlight scintillated between the gaps of the buildings. It was the only beautiful thing so far. The side streets were as pleasant as ever. As we approached the nightclub the reek of alcohol and vomit intensified. Pinching my nose barely helped. Dabi stopped in front of a building, saying that we had arrived. He took me down a couple sets of stairs, knocking on a heavy metal door. An opening in the door slid inwards.

"Password?" A gruff voice came through.

"Wildcard," Dabi replied.

With an audible groan, the door opened. The bouncer sparred me a second glance as I walked in, narrowing his eyes slightly. After deciding against speaking up, he disappeared into the shadows. Following Dabi to the counter, I observed my surroundings. The whole place seemed to pulse with the music playing in the background. The Abyss was a fitting name for the club. Surrounded in darkness, it was hard to see the faces of everyone, but the occasional flashes or reds and greens from the dance floor lit up everyone's features. Several people held my gaze as I swept over them. There was a surprising amount of people clustered here. They all shifted away from Dabi as he passed, likely out of fear. Probably considered one of the high-profile people here. Entering a separate, quieter room, we neared a counter. The current barkeeper straightened up, setting down a bottle. The bartender looked at me skeptically before turning his attention back to Dabi.

"What can I do for you today," his voice was surprisingly shrill despite his rough build.

"I'm looking for Giran, is he here yet," Dabi leaned against the counter, gesturing for a drink.

The bartender quickly grabbed a glass, filling it with an amber liquid. "Anything for the young lady?"

"I'll-"

"No," Dabi interjected. I huffed slightly, crossing my arms.

"Giran?" Dabi repeated.

"Ah, yes, he is waiting for you in the back."

He eyed me again before adding, "just you. He clearly stated that no one else was to be allowed in."

Dabi's eyes narrowed, causing the barkeeper to shuffle away nervously.

Dabi's attention drifted back to me, "stay."

"What, no, that's not fair."

He scoffed softly, "what are you, a six-year-old?"

"I'm not a dog either,"I bristled, anticipating his next remark. Dabi chuckled at this, patting my head.

"Like I said, stay, and don't drink anything either," he looked pointedly at the bartender. The man gulped, nodding slightly.