It wasn't supposed to be like this.
When Dabi chose this path, feelings were supposed to be on the backburner. When he decided to drink at that club, a quick fuck was all he was expecting. Maybe a one night stand at best. The pit called commitment was something that was supposed to be behind him. Even being part of the Leauge of villains wasn't as constricting on him.
The Leauge of villains
That would surely scare you away. He could mention he's a villain, maybe burn a curtain or two. You'd send him packing and he'd never have to see you again. He wouldn't have to see you again.
But he didn't want that.
Dabi admitted he would avoid attention when the media would cover their missions. He secretly took steps to avoid himself becoming gossip for the heroes. It kept him up at night thinking one day he'd see you and you'd be afraid of him. You'd scream, swat him away, call the police and run. Every time in his nightmares, you'd hate him.
A part of him told him differently. Ever since you muttered the words he never wanted to hear. That damn phrase that made his heart accelerate and stop all at once. Words he had long forgotten and thrown away with his past. Whenever his mind wandered, he would hear it.
"I love you"
Pitiful
Dabi glared a hole into the countertop, wishing he could burn his problems. "Do you have a problem with the decor?" Kurogiri's attempt to lighten the mood fell flat as Dabi raised his head into a tired stare. "Yeah, but that's not my priority right now" Dabi stood up quickly to leave. The last thing he needed was a damn interrogation. He made it to the door before the last person he wanted to talk to announced his presence.
"Wait, I have something to discuss" Shigaraki sauntered in slowly. He sat down at the counter, folding his hands on the smooth surface. "I need you to conduct a low scale attack" he began. Dabi perked up, a chance to relieve some stress? Just what he needed. "We need to make the public uneasy, to build up to our large-scale plan" Shigaraki continued. He motioned for Kurogiri to hand Dabi a slip of paper. Dabi accepted the paper from the wispy hands of Kurogiri, glancing at the address. "It's to a local ranking station, they cover hero news and the likes" Kurogiri explained.
"I want you to destroy the place, make it a sign that we are ready to play" Shigaraki smiled wickedly. "Sure, sure" Dabi waved off the two. "Take Twice with you" Dabi groaned inwardly. He knew Shigaraki was doing it within reason, but he couldn't stop the feeling it was to dampen his mood. Either way, Dabi would be able to release his pent-up stress, it was the only way for him to now...
Since he couldn't face you.
After your last intimate night with Dabi, you felt uneasy. You vaguely remembered confessing your feelings to him. Your stomach had twisted into painful knots of anxiety when you thought about it. The next morning, Dabit had left while you were still asleep. He hadn't texted you like the last time, in fact, he hadn't texted you at all. You had sent him a standard good morning, a nude felt like too much right now.
You hadn't received a reply and he was a no-show at the club that night. You stopped texting after the fifth check-in text. It felt wrong to continually beg from a sign that he was okay. Not because it seemed clingy, rather, because Dabi was always so free. You felt that trying to get a grasp on him would just push him further away. Your stomach twisted again, had your words done exactly that?
You hadn't much time to ponder it over, you still had work after all. The Ranking office was currently busy with tallying hero work for the yearly ranking. A new number one hero was to be announced so that meant extra work for you. You had pushed your ill-feeling into the small safe in your heart and went about your workday. For once, your boss was on the floor helping with keeping track of the rankings.
