𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 (𝐃𝐚𝐛𝐢 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)

3

You were acutely aware of his presence for the entirety of your walk back to your apartment.  

He kept to the shadows and stayed mostly out of your sight, but the knowledge that Dabi was following you kept the walk from having any sense of peace. Every few minutes, you would catch a hint of the smoky smell that seemed to follow him, and you'd be reminded once again that you now had a villain as your companion.

You slowed your pace as you drew nearer to the apartment building. Did you want him to know exactly where you lived? It was still difficult to wrap your head around the fact that Ami had chosen him of all people to stick by your side. She'd even said in her note that the League of Villains were one of the bad guys. How did it make sense for her to say that and then give one of them access to your life?

It didn't matter. At this point, you were stuck with him. He'd managed to back you into a corner. If you refused to work with him, he could inform the commission of everything you'd found in Ami's note. You couldn't risk that. Even though you were confused, you trusted Ami, and she didn't trust the heroes with this task. You understood why. Both of you had had your fair share of bad experiences with heroes, and because of your father, you knew better than most how awful they could be. If the weapon that Ami had been hunting fell into their hands it would give them absolute control.

You sighed. All you'd planned to do was drink and spend a few days in bed. Now, you'd been given a task that could potentially determine the fate of society, and forced to work with a murderous villain.

The building you resided in was relatively small compared to the towering structures that surrounded it. After graduating and receiving the job offer you'd needed a place to live somewhere in the city, and this had been all that you and Ami could afford. The building looked like it could have been nice once, but now that the paint had chipped, the carpets had stained, and there was constantly something that needed repair, it had lost its glamour. 

Ami had understood, though, why you'd gladly accepted this apartment instead of using the hush money sent to you by your father. You needed to prove that you didn't need him, or anyone else for that matter. You were perfectly capable of supporting yourself.

You stopped at the edge of the building, avoiding looking back into the alley. Dabi caught up to you after a moment. It was surprising to see how well he'd managed to cover himself. If you didn't know better, you wouldn't have recognized him as the villain who had been given a reoccurring spot on the morning news. 

"Do you plan on standing out here all night?" He asked. 

You studied him, a mix of anger, confusion, and fear in your chest. This man had walked into your life on a day you were supposed to be grieving, and yet he showed no signs of kindness or remorse. He'd backed you into a corner, threatened to blackmail you, and now expected that he'd be welcome with open arms into your home? Even if Ami trusted him, there was no way she'd want a villain making himself comfortable in the apartment the two of you shared. 

Gesturing behind you, you gave him a polite smile. "Your room is right there. Feel free to call if you need anything to make it more comfortable."

He looked at the dark alley then met your gaze once again. "Funny."

"I'm serious. You're welcome to leave if you don't like it."

He scoffed, "you seriously want me to sleep in an alley?"

"Actually," you responded, "I don't want you anywhere near me. But since you haven't given me much of a choice I'll let you have this whole area to yourself."

He took a step closer to you. "I'm not playing games with you, princess. I'm putting a lot at risk by helping here. If the League found out that I was working to destroy the very object that they are hunting for, I could very well end up killed."