So This Is Love

Chapter 33

A/N: Aaaaah yes, the Abiteth Japanese name drop chapter.

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"You didn't ask me."

A startled yelp escaped her at the sound of Dabi's voice, eyes shooting open. Abiteth stared at him, blinking rapidly, then reaching forward to hastily pause her music. He was positively seething as he approached. Had he been hiding on the roof...?

"What are you doing here?" she narrowed her eyes at him, 'you don't have a key yet. There's only one way you could get in...'

Maybe she could catch him in a lie.

"You were talking on the phone," he said with a pout, "so I was waiting for you to get off."

Abiteth raised a brow at him, "and I didn't see you because...?"

"Didn't wanna' startle you, doll," his pout deepened, eyes drifting to look at the floor, "I scaled the wall."

"Oh my god," she groaned, leaning forward against her knees, pressing her face into her hands, "you're gonna' get yourself in so much trouble with my neighbor!"

"She gave me the go ahead~" Dabi chuckled when Abiteth jerked her head up, gaping at him, "she seemed to recognize me, I mean. I doubt she'd let any random guy scale your wall."

'Amita!! What the hell,' Abiteth whipped her head around to look at Flower Bed. Amita waved at her from the balcony, wicked grin visible even from this distance, 'you!!'

"Fine!" Abiteth gave her attention back to Dabi, crossing her arms over her chest, "I will accept that answer!"

"Accept it?" Dabi chuckled, eyeing the spot next to her. She nodded her head and he sat down, leaning his full weight into her, "you say that like you think I'm lying."

'Not so much lying as not telling me the whole truth,' Abiteth sighed, raising her arm to run her fingers through his hair, "you're an enigma, Dabi - sometimes I can't tell when you're being truthful."

A frown crossed her features at her admittance; that wasn't something she should tell him. As Dabi's silence persisted, the bad feeling settling in her stomach intensified. A thick layer of acid, bubbling up and burning her throat. She would kick herself for days to come at her foolishness in revealing she struggled to read him.

"Fine," Dabi sighed, shifting his body so that his head fell into her lap. Abiteth's hand followed, continuing to thread through his hair, "I came in your window. You weren't home, so I lurked around. Walked upstairs to hang out on the roof, then you got home," he pointed toward a bunch of potted plants, "I was hanging out over there."

"You were hanging out amidst a bunch of plants?" Abiteth laughed at the absurdity of it, the acidic sensation chased away by his unexpected honesty, "why does that make sense?"

"Cuz they'd be fuel for my flames," he grinned, raising one hand and flexing it. Fire flickered over his skin, licking over his fingertips. Abiteth tugged his hand to her face, nuzzling her cheek into his palm. His teasing expression melted away, replaced by a startled flush.

"You're so cozy," she muttered, keeping his hand pressed against her skin.

"Yeah?" his voice was soft. A grumble escaped her when he moved, eyes fluttering open.

Dabi's intense gaze threatened to dissect her. She didn't know what to make of the thought that she would let him rip her apart, if he wanted to; that she would let him burn her, if he wanted to.