Fire and Flames - OCxDabi BNHA FanFic

Chapter 9 Part 1: Two Steps Ahead

!!!!BEING EDITED AND REWRITTEN!!!!

The days passed quietly, with Yuna and Dabi slipping back into their usual routine, avoiding the mess of emotions they'd both been wrestling with. They pushed it all aside, focusing instead on the bigger plans looming ahead. But even with the tension pushed down, it never really went away.

Every time they locked eyes, every brush of their hands as they worked side by side doing tedious tasks, there was something lingering just beneath the surface. A faint smirk from her would make Dabi's heart beat a little faster, and he hated how obvious it felt to him. He caught himself noticing things more than he should—the way her hair fell, how her voice softened when she spoke to him, or how her presence seemed to fill the silence of a room.

Dabi tried to keep his mind on the mission, on anything else, but it was like every time he looked at her, the fire between them flared up again. He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep pretending that the feelings weren't there, that they didn't make his pulse race and his focus slip.

As The League of Villains gathered in their underground hideout, the air thick with tension. The room, dimly lit by flickering lamps and the cold glow of a lone TV, felt suffocating. The stench of mildew and concrete permeated the space, a reminder of how far they had fallen beneath society's notice. Shigaraki stood by the wall, his red, restless eyes locked on the screen. His fingers twitched occasionally, lingering on his body as he scratched; a sign of his frustration. Dabi sat slouched in a chair, arms crossed, his expression masked by a layer of apathy. But his mind wasn't at rest. His jaw tightened every few minutes as the moments dragged on. Across from him, Toga bounced on her toes, flipping her knife playfully in her hands as if waiting for something exciting to happen. Twice muttered to himself in the corner, his conflicting personalities whispering back and forth. Spinner's eyes roaming around the room, along with Mr. Compress. 

Yuna, standing in the back, was quiet. Her amber eyes were fixed on the floor, lost in thought. The weight of her earlier conversations, with Hawks and Dabi, mixed with her memories of her father, clung to her like a shadow. She had barely registered the room around her, her thoughts far away, battling with her feelings; although she had tried to snuff them out the best she could.

Suddenly, the TV buzzed to life, cutting through the stillness. Static rippled across the screen before clearing, revealing a familiar figure. The voice that followed was calm yet commanding, seeping into every corner of the room. It was All For One. His presence, though confined to the flickering screen, filled the room with an undeniable force.

"Good evening," his voice rolled out, smooth yet chilling, like a distant storm approaching. Even through the distorted audio, there was no mistaking the authority he still wielded over them all. "I trust you've been keeping busy in my absence."

Shigaraki's eyes narrowed, his posture stiffening slightly. He didn't respond, but the silence in the room spoke volumes. All eyes were glued to the screen. Dabi shifted in his seat, his gaze flicking to Shigaraki for a brief second before settling back on the image in front of them. Toga stopped twirling her knife, her smile widening in anticipation, while Twice muttered from a serious tone to a high pitched squeak, "Busy? Or barely moving? Which one's the truth?"

All For One's masked face remained unmoving on the screen, the flicker of the TV the only sign of life in the darkened room. "You've done well so far," he continued, his tone never breaking from its eerie calmness, "but we are only scratching the surface of what's to come. Our true strength lies ahead, in the plans that will unfold in the coming days."

A quiet hum of unease ran through the League as he spoke. His words were deliberate, each one carrying the weight of something inevitable. "The heroes believe I am gone. They think their victory is complete. But soon, they will learn otherwise. When I reveal myself to the world once more, it will not be in secrecy or shadows. It will be in a display of power they will never forget. And when that moment comes, you must be ready."