𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 (𝐃𝐚𝐛𝐢 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)

5

You remembered it well, the day your father left.

There had been no explanation, no goodbye. All you and your mother had been left with were legal papers explaining the terms and conditions of your silence. You'd been four years old.

No one knew. Your father had made sure of that. Yet, here you were, standing in a room full of people who had somehow figured out the truth of your lineage.

Dabi turned slowly to face Junichiro, a false smile still splayed across his lips. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Subtly, you moved your hand to your upper thigh, relieved to find the familiar presence of the knife you kept strapped to your skin. The men that had surrounded you wore masks, but the weapons they carried were small, meaning that their quirks were strong enough not to rely on them.

"Oh, Dabi. We've known each other long enough not to lie now, haven't we?" Junichiro said. "You, girl, you can drop the facade. I'd like for us to have a conversation."

Dabis grip tightened around your arm, but you turned to face the club owner with a smile of your own. "Damn, and here I thought that I was a pretty good actress."

It was clear from his stance that Dabi was readying for a fight, but before that happened you needed to know how Junichiro could have known the identity of your father, and how he'd been able to recognize you.

"Oh, you were incredible," Junichiro replied. "In fact, you did so well that I may even consider keeping you as my own once this is over." He looked back to Dabi. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind, right? After all, she's the daughter of a hero. There's no way that you would willingly associate yourself with her."

Dabi didn't sound amused. "Willingly, no. She's for a job, and you know that I take my jobs very seriously."

You looked between the two of them. "You know, I don't appreciate being talked about like I'm not here."

Junichiro ignored you. "A job? In what world does a villain work with a hero's daughter for a job?"

"It doesn't concern you."

You stepped in front of Dabi, making sure Junichiro was looking at you. "Just tell us what your game is, asshole."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Dabi, you're going to let a woman speak as though she is the one in charge? You've lost your edge."

Dabi shrugged. "She's good with knives. I'd prefer not to risk being stabbed because I attempted to control what she's doing. Even if what she's doing is completely idiotic. Answer the question."

Junichiro raised his hands in mock innocence. "I'm not playing any game. I just happened to recognize who she was, and I'm not one to let an opportunity go to waste."

The other people in the room still hadn't moved, likely waiting for orders. They'd blocked off any means of exit, and you doubted that they'd move even if you asked nicely. You needed to do something quickly because by 'opportunity' it wasn't hard to guess what Junichiro meant. There were plenty of people out there who held grudges against your father, and because he was pretty much untouchable, his kid would be the next best person to kill in the name of revenge.

To your side, Dabi went unnaturally still, and his voice lost all sense of friendliness. "You aren't supposed to be dealing in that business anymore."

"Come on, did you really think that that little stunt you pulled would stop me forever?" He watched Dabis' eyes go wide and smiled. "That's right, I'm perfectly aware of the fact that it was you who got my operation shut down. My right-hand man, the boy I took under my wing, I never expected that it would be you who betrayed me in the end."