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To be completely fair, you did not expect the snow. Hell, you didn’t even expect the cold, but that’s something you could still put up with on your stakeout mission. (Even though going on stakeout missions as a pro hero sounded incredibly wrong because a hero’s job is to save people, not watch silently as that bastard Dabi lit another person on fire. So. Yeah. Boring and useless.).
Even though you were aware that being on the receiving end of Dabi’s blue flames probably wasn’t a pleasant experience, you still kind of wished he’d set you on fire. That way you wouldn’t be concerned with the snowflakes sticking to your light jacket and sneakers.
When Dabi finally dropped the person (who, according to your files, was a new recruit for the League), you still couldn’t piece together why he would murder a potential ally. But whatever floats the arsonist’s boat.
Not being cleared to arrest Dabi sucked ass. The people upstairs specifically commanded every pro hero to steer clear of even laying a finger on him. They wanted to lure the villain to them, somehow (no details were given to anyone, so you did not really know anything about this master plan). This was utter bullshit, but when all the heroes who thought so too voiced their concerns, they were mildly threatened (“I wouldn’t run my mouth if I were you; it might take your license with it”), which was pretty hot coming from a woman wearing a suit, but it was still bullshit. So, you were stuck on a windy rooftop in the middle of a wonderful Thursday night, watching Dabi murder people. Yay.
Now, saying you were bored would be pretty disrespectful, seeing as you just watched someone die, but you were really starting to lose your patience. This man did nothing but destruct all night, from an abandoned building near the pier to that pile of ash on the floor, formerly a man. Very repetitive.
“Enjoying the show, Hero?” a voice called and it was very alarming that you didn’t even flinch.
“Do you do anything else besides arson? Have you tried going to the library?” you asked, turning towards Dabi. You took note of the fact that this dumb cold weather numbed your mind to the point that you didn’t even notice him climbing up the fire escape from the dark alleyway he previously was in.
“Oh, right. Not like books burn or anything. You know, you are not very smart for a hero,” he replied, lightly snickering as he came towards you.
“To read. Not to commit more arson. Seriously, what is it with you and setting things on fire?” you asked, leaning against the railing on the side of the building.
“Do I set your heart on fire?” he asked, copying your movements. Under normal circumstances, you would have moved away from him (and seriously, what is it with him and invading your personal space?), but you couldn’t deny that the warmth he was radiating helped you fight the biting cold. And if you leaned a tad bit closer to him, then what?
“No, but I wish you’d set me on fire,” and okay, this might not have been the right way to phrase this, so you quickly explained yourself while ignoring the tilt of his head and his raised eyebrow, “It’s really fucking cold, in case you haven’t noticed. I’ve been up here for like two hours now.”
He just stared at you; brows now furrowed in confusion. “Why didn’t you go home, then? Or brought a warmer jacket?”
“Thanks, smarty-pants. Leave you alone, unmonitored now that I know where you are? No way. And I can’t wear bigger coats, because they limit my movements,” you remarked, trying to warm yourself up a bit by rubbing your arms up and down with your hands. It didn’t really help.
“Wait, you’ve been following me for hours? Why didn’t you arrest me?” he asked, feigning surprise. You just rolled your eyes.
“Don’t act like you don’t know we have a policy about you now.”
“Damn, being famous kinda makes life hard. I was looking forward to you handcuffing me, finally,” he snarked back, looking down at you.
“Ha-ha. You’re full of jokes tonight, aren’t you? Why can’t you just go home so I can go home?” you proposed, expecting a firm no as an answer. When no verbal reply came, you looked up at him and had multiple feelings run through your body when he threw his arms around you and pulled you into him. You wished you could blame the blush on your face on the cold. His left hand rested on your back, rubbing circles on your clothed skin and his right was cupping the back of your neck gently.
“Do you want me to warm you up before you leave, Hero?” he cheekily asked, chin resting on the top of your head.
“Whatever,” you mumbled, trying not to physically react to the sudden, but not unwelcome warmth, “Isn’t it a bit late to ask for consent? You’re already- “
“Say less,” he cut you off, pushing you off him gently, putting distance between the two of you. When he saw your shoulders slump and head drop, he let out a loud laugh.
“So, Hero, can I hold you for a few minutes so you don’t freeze to death on your way home? Death by hypothermia is kind of the opposite of my signature move, and if your blood is gonna stain my hands, I’d rather it be on our own terms.” He opened his arms as an invite.
“I hate you,” you mumbled, taking your previous place in his arms. Dabi just hummed and pulled you closer. The hand that was used to hold your neck was now brushing your hair. It felt nice, but you, of course, wouldn’t admit it aloud.
Now, taking comfort in a villain’s arms is probably on the top of the list of things heroes should not do, under any circumstances, but who was around to remind you of this fact further? Dabi has never caused you any hurt besides maybe a broken bone or two (even those in places you could cast; arms, fingers and one time a leg, but he looked suspiciously guilty about that and checked up on you on your first day back patrolling, so you guessed that was an unintentional move on his part). You never harmed him, either, even though you’ve threatened to cut his organs out on multiple occasions (again, not standard hero-procedure, but he called you out on not having any water on you on a hot summer day, and how dare he baby you?), but never acted on it. It was like a silent agreement between the two of you; no hurting each other.
Which was honestly really stupid, because you were a hero and he was a villain, and you two were enemies from the moment you saved someone for the first time ever and he killed a person, but you couldn’t bring yourself to be angry at him. All of his previous victims were all bad people, who deserved to rot in a cell for the rest of their lives. You guessed this man he killed wasn’t too innocent either.
“The man… What did he do?” you asked, slightly tilting your head to look up at him.
He sighed before he spoke. “Abused his wife and their kid, cheated on multiple occasions and called my scars stage makeup, designed to make me more recognizable, because, and I quote ‘your flames are this ugly shade of blue that could be recognized from a mile away, no way you’re not doing this for publicity.’ Asshole.”
You barked out a laugh at the last part. “You’re kind of like a vigilante then, no? Killing bad people. Maybe I should hire you to work at my agency. I need more people anyways.”
“Do you think so too?” he asked, voice barely audible and too vulnerable for your liking.
“Think what, Dabi?” you questioned because you really had no idea what he was talking about. At your question, he dropped his hands and shoved them into his pockets, but didn’t step away from you.
“That my flames are ugly,” and oh, the way his voice became smaller to your ears made your heart clench and you had to remind yourself that Dabi himself hated his quirk sometimes (and you were definitely not going to dwell on the fact that you knew this about a wanted criminal. Nope.).
“Hey, Dabi, look at me, please?” You said, bringing your hand to cradle the side of his face. His eyes met yours. “Your flames are beautiful but deadly, like wolfsbane. They look gorgeous but they also kill and destroy, so in a way, they’re not the prettiest. But it’s up to you how you look at them.”
He snorted, resting his chin on your head again. “Shut up, you soft little Hero. You’re so cheesy. Wolfsbane, really? What even is that?”
You just smiled and slightly shook your head. His arms were around you again. He started slowly swaying you both side to side, hands still caressing your back and hair.
The moment couldn’t last long, and you had a feeling he knew it too, but neither of you expected it to be interrupted so soon. The same went for the footsteps behind you.
“I- What?” Hawks asked, shocked. You just buried your face further into Dabi’s chest, because you did not want to deal with Hawks at that moment. Ever, if he was going to bring this situation up in the future. The heat next to you increased and you were quick to realize that Dabi took his left hand off your head and was holding blue flames dangerously close to your face. Lovely. Just what you needed. Death.
“One more step and she’s dead, Bird,” Dabi sneered, but the fact that your back was still being caressed kind of made you question his statement.
“Okay, okay. No need to get your panties in a twist, Patchwork. Mind explaining what you’re doing with her?” Hawks’ voice was slightly wary, clearly taking Dabi’s threat seriously. He had to be the most oblivious fucking person on this planet.
“We’re just becoming acquainted, aren’t we, little hero?” Dabi replied, voice laced with amusement, but you would have bet that Hawks did not pick up on it. You sighed and turned towards Hawks. You had to deal with this.
“Yes, Hawks, I’m totally fine. Splendid. Patchwork here,” Dabi let his flames’ size increase at the nickname, but you paid it no mind, “was just keeping me warm.”
“You can’t arrest him so the next best thing is to snuggle up to him or what? You’re unbelievable. Step away from him, he’s going to-“ Hawks’ wings expanded.
Wanting to avoid unnecessary fights, you cut him off: “He’s not going to do anything. If anything, he should feel threatened right now, what with two pro heroes caging him.”
“Sweetheart, I think I’m the one that’s doing the caging,” Dabi said, “besides, what are you gonna do? One of you is on the verge of hypothermia and the other’s wings are very flammable. I clearly have the upper hand right now.”
“Yeah? What’re you going to do? Break my arm? Come up with something more original,” you snickered and turned your whole body towards Hawks. Dabi’s hand now rested comfortably on your stomach, still holding you close to him.
“I mean I could also break your bed,” Dabi replied, smiling smugly down at you.
“Ha. I’d like to see you try. I’ve beaten you countless times in hand to hand combat, you’re clearly not strong enough to break a whole ass bed,” you said, making eye contact.
“Oh, darling, you have no idea what I’m capable of.” His whispering this in your ear did not send shivers down your spine. It did not. That was the wind.
“Are you- are you two flirting right now?” Hawks sounded very scandalized, for some reason. Of course you two aren’t flirting.
Well, it turned out Dabi had a different idea because while you replied with a simple ‘no’ he opted for a simple ‘yes’.
It was your turn to be scandalized. “You’re flirting with me?”
Dabi snickered for the nth time that night. “Have been for the past two months, thank you for noticing.”
“What? No, you weren’t. I would have noticed,” you replied. Dabi’s flames went out as he spun you around to face him.
“Little hero, I knew your skull was thick but I expected some more common sense from you; why would I say I was flirting with you if I wasn’t?” he asked, raising his eyebrows. You glanced at Hawks who just watched the interaction, mild amusement clear on his face.
“I don’t know, to distract me? Oh, God, are you about to flame my hair? Please don’t do that-“
“You’re dumb. I thought you knew I was flirting,” Dabi said, patronizingly patting your head.
“No? Why would you think that?”
“Sorry to interrupt this little quarrel, but you were flirting back,” Hawks interjected and you just glared at him. Traitor. How dare he take Dabi’s side.
“Yeah, exactly,” Dabi agreed, though he didn’t seem too pleased by the fact that his opinion was the same as Hawks’.
“No, I was not flirting back, what are you on about?”
“Yes, you did? You literally kissed me like two weeks ago,” Dabi replied, matter-of-factly.
“You kissed him?” Hawks piped and quickly found himself on the receiving end of two deadly glares. “I’ll stay quiet.”
“I- that had no romantic intent behind it, I just wanted to get away,” you defended, but seeing Dabi’s face, it was no use.
“No romantic intent my ass. You practically melted, Hero. Admit it.”
“You are dead wrong, Lighter. Your theories suck,” you childishly replied, feeling like you’ve lost the fight.
Okay, so maybe there was a minuscule chance that you actually kind of find Dabi somewhat attractive. Then what? No one needed to know about that.
“Ten minutes ago, you were literally clinging to me like your life depended on it, little Hero.”
Yes, the fight was definitely lost.
You were about to attempt to salvage what little dignity you might have had left when Hawks cut in.
“I think that’s enough of friendly banter. Dabi, how about you let me take her home, huh?” Hawks asked and you internally let your eyes roll. You loved the man to death but he was so overprotective sometimes.
“You think if she didn’t trust me, she’d let me hold her like this, Bird?” Dabi spat back, tightening his hold on you. Possessively. Not a trail of thought you wanted to go down on, but you could definitely see the potential scenarios where you could turn it against him or use it to your advantage.
“Now, boys. Why don’t you let me decide what I want to do, huh? You know, like the capable adult woman I am,” you said, hands loosening Dabi’s hold.
Hawks sighed, “What do you want to do, (Y/N)?” he asked, and the sweet tone he used made you smile. Dabi’s arms tightened again. You sighed.
“What I want right now is to go home, soak in a hot bath and sleep for about 5 to 7 business days. So, Hawks, you’re gonna forget about this situation unless I bring it up to complain about Lighter here,” you commanded, pointing to Dabi (and you made sure to use your assertive hero voice) “and you, Lighter, will walk me home because no fucking way am I letting go of you, you furnace. Then, you will also go home, go to sleep, or plan how you want to take over the world or whatever it is you do in your free time and stay in your apartment for at least a day. After that, I don’t really care. Maybe you can kiss me goodbye, though,” you finished, clapping your hands. “Chop, chop, boys, we don’t have all night.”
“Hot,” Dabi mumbled under his breath, prompting an elbow to his gut. Albeit, you barely had any strength in the cold, but you were sure Dabi could still feel it sting a bit.
“So, I am to keep my mouth shut about you two’s weird-ass developing relationship, correct?” Hawks asked, clearly tired of everything in general. You could relate to that.
“Correct. But don’t worry, I’ll tell you all about it over FaceTime tomorrow, okay, bestie?”
Hawks rolled his eyes but nodded nonetheless.
“Toodles,” Dabi said, waving at the winged hero and sending him a wide grin. Both you and Hawks rolled your eyes, but he still took off. “Shall we, then? I can’t wait to see your apartment,” Dabi asked, adjusting his arms so he had one around your shoulders and the other in his pockets.
“What makes you think you’ll see it from the inside?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s rude not to invite a guest in,” Dabi remarked, and helped you climb down the fire escape.
“It’s even ruder to invite yourself over to someone’s house, you know,” you replied, walking down the stairs.
Dabi just hummed in reply.
After a few minutes of walking, he spoke up again. “You really weren’t aware I was flirting with you?”
You sighed. “Seriously, I had no idea. If I did, I swear I wouldn’t have led you on by kissing you.”
“Nah, it’s fine. Even if you weren’t aware of it at the time, I was kinda hoping I’d get at least a peck on the cheek or somethin’.”
“A peck on the cheek? How old are you, ten?” you asked, letting out a small laugh.
“Little Hero, you have no idea what I would do to get you to kiss me for real.”
“Kind of ironic that you’d say this to a hero. Aren’t you supposed to hate me?”
“Same goes for you. Yet here you are, letting a wanted villain walk you home.”
“Touché. Can you give me some time to gather my thoughts on… whatever this is?” you asked, stopping in front of your apartment complex.
“Take all the time you need. If you need to let off some steam, you know where to find me-“
“Technically I do not, because your old apartment is not yours anymore. The new owners are huge fans of Hawks, did you know that?”
“You went to my apartment?” he asked in disbelief.
“Wait- did you just offer to be my punching bag?” you asked, brain finally catching up with his words.
“How about we don’t reply to the other’s question?” he proposed, and you were glad. You wouldn’t want to admit that since he insinuated you’d get more kisses, you went to his place so he’d make good on his promise.
“Sounds good to me,” you replied. “But-“ you cut yourself off. How were you to go about explaining that even if you both liked each other, it would lead to nothing but disaster and hurt? That you two could never work out, no matter how much your heart fluttered whenever he showed an ounce of vulnerability or let his true personality shine through the crack is his façade?
“Yes?” he asked, raising his eyebrows, and taking his arm off your shoulder. You tried not to visibly react to the action.
“You better not do anything stupid, Lighter,” you settled on saying at last.
“Same goes for you, my little Hero,” he said and pulled your head closer to him. You were confused for a second and was about to attack him when you felt his lips connect with your forehead. “Good night.”
And with that, he walked off. God, you had to get your act together; he was a villain and you were a hero, you didn’t mix. You were growing a soft spot for him and you had to get rid of it. The only question was: how?
You pondered about your options as you mindlessly took the elevator to your floor, opened your door, and walked into your bathroom.
When you turned the water on, watching it fill your bathtub, you knew you had to ask Hawks for advice. You would get an hour-long TEDTalk on why this whole thing is a mess and full of red flags, but you knew that in the end, he’d support you, no matter what.
You were still pretty preoccupied with your thoughts when you went to bed that night. After you got dressed, you reluctantly went to your window, ready to close the blinds, when you noticed a small note in the shelter of the roof of the balcony. You cautiously opened the door and quickly snatched the note up, alert of all the potential dangers of the situation.
You opened the note, ready to see a threat, but what you find pleasantly surprised you.
Text me. -Lighter
And a number. You chuckled to yourself and pulled out your phone, sending a quick text.
You: proof that you’re not standing around my apartment complex like a stalker?
Lighter: one sec
Lighter started sharing their location with you.
You snorted and pressed the power button on your phone (after you made sure he wasn’t around). You knew getting tangled up with him was a bad idea, but you still couldn’t help yourself. He was such a complex person, with so many layers, and you wanted to be familiar with all of them.
The guilt of possibly neglecting your duties to protect his ass would settle in later.