Don't Judge a Book

that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly

"I'm going to burn it," Dabi clenched his hand into a fist as he stood on the ashes of Overhaul's home. His eyes were devoid of any emotion. His comment held no sorrow, no wrath, not a sentiment of any kind. He stated the words as if they'd already taken place. 

"Burn what?" Tomura stood beside him, on the right, worried out of his mind for Dabi's sanity. 

"Burn Heaven," he replied, shoving his hands into his pockets. His pants barely existed after his fit of rage, but Overhaul fixed them for him. However, he was still without a shirt. "God deserves a wakeup call after this shit she pulled." 

"How do you know it was God?" Overhaul's stomach churned. He knew who did this, but he didn't expect the guy to be on God's side. He assumed it to be a match between demons for power. 

"It smells of angels," Dabi flicked his tongue out to sniff the air, then turned on his heel. "Let's go back to the bar and see what we can find out about God's plan." 

...

Demons, of all sorts, filled this bar. Overhaul could tell by the way they looked at him. It raised the hairs on his neck. He'd walked in first, regretting that decision, and all eyes turned on him. It wasn't until they saw Dabi that they went back to minding their own business. 

Dabi sat down on a barstool and tapped the counter. A black fog rose from the ground and morphed into a suit-wearing mist of a figure. "Kurogiri," Dabi began, "have you been able to pick up anything from angels wandering around?" 

"There is news of a rogue one," Kurogiri explained, grabbing a bottle and pouring Dabi a drink. "Rumor has it that God has handpicked him for a secret mission. It's just a rumor, of course, and there is no certainty in angelic gossip." 

"Any news on Hawks?" Dabi brought the glass to his lips. 

"No, none at all." 

Tomura sat down next to Dabi and leaned on the counter. The atmosphere of the room was starting to get to Overhaul, so he snuck outside for some fresh air. He turned a corner to get into a more secluded place, free from the rush of people on the sidewalk. "There are more of them than I thought," he muttered, fixing the mask on his face. 

"I thought I would find you if I waited here long enough," a light chuckle from the top of another building. A familiar voice from Overhaul's human past. The person, no, the angel, jumped from the roof and landed a foot or two in front of him. Hair in the shape of arrows, wings stained red, he smiled and waved at his former love interest. "I knew you were the type to do as you pleased but I never thought we'd end up on such opposing sides," he sighed, crossing his arms. 

"Chrono..." 

"It's Kurono, actually," he retorted. 

"You killed my son, for what purpose?" Overhaul began his interrogation while he could. 

"Your son?" Chrono scoffed. "You aren't the family type. Don't play up on that bullshit." 

"Just answer the question," Overhaul moved to take off his glove but Chrono was faster. His hair outstretched in multiple locations and pierced Overhaul's wrists and ankles to the wall behind him. He wouldn't be moving any time soon. 

"You aren't in the position to be demanding me anything," he sneered. "I saved you from that dark place only to have you crawl back towards Hell. You owe me your life, and I'm cashing in. I bet you still have that tattoo, don't you?" he placed his hand on Overhaul's lower back and moved it down to his ass. 

"You've changed so much since we first met. It's hard to believe you're actually an angel." It took all of Overhaul's self-control not to grimace. He couldn't show fear, not here, not now, and especially not to him. If only he'd gotten to his gloves fast enough. It wouldn't have even been a fight. 

"Fallen angel, actually," he corrected. "But, one with special permission and a boost in powers. You're going to help me," he whispered into Overhaul's ear. "You're going to spy on them and notify me of where that little reject angel is. Otherwise..." 

"What could you possibly threaten me with?" Overhaul nearly laughed. 

"I'll tell them all about how much of a demon you are," Chrono smirked. "You might be involved with the King of Hell but he hates humans dying pointlessly. How do you think he'd feel if he'd heard about all of the things you've done in the past? Human trafficking. Selling drugs that lead to overdoses. Killing for sport. Killing upon request. Rigging gambling which only leads to gang wars. Selling yourself. And-" 

"You're a real bastard," Overhaul clenched his jaw. 

"Secrets should remain secrets. Isn't that one of your mottos?" Chrono took a step back, smiling widely. "I devoted years of my life to you," his smile turned into a hideous grin. "It's time for you to suffer. See you soon," he waved, released Overhaul from his binds, and flew away. 

Overhaul fell to the ground. He hastily tore off his gloves and destroyed his wrists and ankles to get rid of the wounds. He held his knees, leaning his head up against the wall, and shook with terror. He'd always known that his past would come back to haunt him one of these days. He just never expected it so soon. He didn't want to betray Dabi or Tomura, but what choice did he have? He didn't want them finding out about him either. He wasn't ready for that information to be out in the open yet. 

"Fuck," he clutched his hair and forced back tears. "What do I do?"