Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The sky had never looked so beautiful in the morning as Dabi and I made our way through the airport. Of course, we went our separate ways so people wouldn’t think we were working together or that we even knew each other. I boarded flight 965, and he boarded flight 322. My flight heading to Japan while his headed in the opposite direction. The second I sat in the soft, first-class leather seat, I wanted to run out and find his plane. After last night, Dabi wasn’t much of a jerk to me. He knew what bothered me and what he shouldn’t say around me. He understood. Somehow Dabi made me feel safe. People feared him because of the way he looked, not because of the way he acted. If it was how he acted, they would just say he was a selfish jerk.

The animals in the back of the plane were as quiet as dead mice. My eyes shut, but my mind still didn’t allow me to fall asleep. Even when Dabi was humming and trying his best to put me to sleep, I couldn’t.  That voice in the back of my head said he could kill me if I did. I trusted him, though. Only a little.

“Would all passengers please fasten their seatbelts as we are preparing to land in just about 30 minutes. Thank you.” The captain spoke as if his microphone was inside of his throat.

A woman in a blue uniform collected the trash from the other first-class passengers, smiling at each one. When the plane finally stopped moving, I was the first to exit. I hated flying. It made me feel like I was dead. Of course, I wouldn’t hate that. The rest of the day was a blur.

⛶

The birds sat on the balcony outside my window, singing like opera singers. Of course, I woke up on the floor, my face covered in drool from crying. I’d had another nightmare; the voices growing louder. Today was going to be a shitty day, I could tell just by the way my hair fell after brushing it. The sun hurt my eyes as it shot through the bathroom window, reflecting off the mirror. ‘Wonderful.’ The amazing hell buzzer rang, making me want to just throw a grenade down the laundry chute and wait for it to blow up the entire basement. My boots stomped against the floor, bringing me over to the door. I press the button and allow up my guest. Regret. What else could I feel when the man who was practically my father stood at the door, waiting for me to let him in. All Might. Why?

We sat there, silent, for hours across the room from each other. He sat on the comfortable couch while I stood in a dark corner, waiting for him to say something wise that would make my skin crawl. All Might wasn’t the same, buff, loud, smiling superhero I once admired. Now, he was this skinny, dying, soul could barely breathe. His dead eyes looked up, cutting through the atmosphere, piercing into mine.

“Little Fighter, I’m-”

“Don’t call me that. I’m not the same person I used to be.” My voice peered its way into the world, making me want to cringe. He looked hurt, like the day I had nearly killed Endeavor. I grinned, knowing I had finally gotten him back. This is what I had been waiting for. A time where I could make him hurt almost as bad as I did when he let them send me away. Then he smiled. Why the hell are you smiling? His laughter filled the air.

“I’ll be back in a month to check in on you again, don’t be so mean next time or I won’t bring you any mochi.” He dropped a plastic bag onto the table and walked out the door.

Of course, right when I thought that something was going to happen, he left. He’s been visiting since I escaped from Tartarus. All Might is the only hero knows where I am, mainly because I reached out to him the day after The Mission of Montague. That mission was the very first that Dabi and I did together. That day, that terrible day. . .  I killed over 300 people. Whenever I looked at my hands, I saw the blood that covered them. The second time the phone rang, All Might answered, and quickly made his way to the apartmentI now call my own, even though he’s paying for it.

Why must it have been that night that I saw all of that blood? I mean, that night I told Dabi about the woman in the corner that would put her stiff hands on my throat. He slept on the floor that night beside my bed. He’s been at my side during many of my nightmares, so he knows what to do. We had that fight and I told him who I truly am. Everything has changed between us since then. For once, I trust someone.

The darkness of the room made me shiver. Something rattled the window, making me jump. Without warning, Dabi climbed through the small opening and closed the curtains, not noticing me on the floor behind him. When he turned around, I ran into his arms, crying into his chest. At first, he didn’t know what to do, but after several minutes, his arms hugged me tightly as we both fell to the floor. His humming calmed me, allowing me to lean my head on the wall with my eyes closed.

“It’s that bad?” His voice grew from the darkness. I nodded, not knowing if I could talk without crying again. “I’m here for you, Aiko. Even if you don’t want me to. I got your text, the one about how you couldn’t move, and came here as fast as I could.”

Dabi’s hand lifted into the air, his fingertips igniting in the beautiful blue fire he’s known for. My hand gingerly traced the scar beneath his left eye. He twitched slightly, turning his head to me slowly.

“I’m surprised they don’t disgust you.”

“They’re beautiful. Sure, you might not like them, but I think they’re important. They show what you’ve been through. It’s a way you can let people know you’re strong. I love them. I really do. You should too.”

My voice was slightly breaking, while the words poured out of my throat. I leaned my head onto his shoulder, my hand falling onto his. Dabi took my hand, resting his head on top of mine; his breathing calmed me. The night went by quickly, we slept on the floor, but it was the best sleep I had ever had in my entire life.

Once I woke up, Dabi’s gentle snoring allowed me to stretch peacefully, knowing I was safe next to him. He woke up shortly after I did, yawning. I didn’t even realize he had taken his patchy jacket and placed it over me. He took it back as he stood. My legs felt like pins and needles while I rose to my feet. The cereal fell into the white bowl, making me yawn. Dabi took the bowl and threw a spoon into it, beginning to chow down.

“What a great host you are.” He grinned, taking a sip of water. Rolling my eyes, I poured another bowl, this time with less. After we finished eating, I went to my room to change. That’s when it hit me, I didn't have to hide my face anymore. The jumpsuit sagged on my body, making me spin. Great, I lost more weight. Losing weight is great, but I hate it. Nothing fits me anymore. Dabi opened my door, watching me pull my hair up into a messy ponytail. It looked terrible. He threw my brush at me, flipping me off. After brushing it, each hair stood up perfectly and stayed in place. Dabi pulled off his tank top and threw it onto my bed. I turned around, seeing his scar-covered back.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” His voice was deep, rising from the silence.

I pulled out one of Toya’s old t-shirts and threw it at him. My brain got ahead of itself, forcing me to walk over to him and place my hands on the scars on his upper back. His body stiffened. Breathing out, my lips gently pressed onto the highest one, moving onto the next, and then the next, and the last one on his back. My hands rested on his sides, waiting for him to react. He gently touched my hands, pulling them off. When he turned around, I braced myself for the worst.

“Why?” he asked, still holding my hands. I put them onto the scars on his stomach and looked into his ocean-blue eyes.

“You don’t like them. They disgust you, Dabi. You,” I looked around then at him, placing both my hands onto his face, “You are fucking amazing. Dabi, you remind me so much of my old friend. The one that I had a nightmare about? Toya would hide so much from me, like his scars. He wanted to worry about me but wouldn’t let me worry about him. Ever.” My words hit him; I could see it in his eyes.

About to pull my hands away, I felt him put his on mine and saw him close his eyes. I could see it and feel it. He’s hurting. Standing on my tiptoes, I placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. Eventually, he pulled the shirt on and his jacket, still shook by what had just occurred. We climbed out of the window and sat on the roof, watching the sunrise. Shigaraki sent out a group text, telling us to arrive at the bar at 7:30. We didn’t plan on it. Dabi asked me if I was serious about what I said. My head shot to him, punching his arm. No matter what I said, he didn’t believe me. I want to know more about him, but he doesn’t trust me. I trust him a lot.

When we finally moved our asses and arrived at the bar, Shigaraki stood there, angry. I walked by him, breathing out. Dabi sat beside me, closing his eyes tight. Shigaraki droned on about the success of our mission. Crossing my arms, the leather squeaked, making me cringe. My phone rang, making everyone turn to me. I answered and walked into the other room. I am 100% sure my heart stopped beating when I heard his voice.

“Let us help you, dumbass.” Bakugo’s voice shot through the phone, making me freeze. He wanted to know, and I let him know.

⛶

I locked myself in my room and didn’t leave for two entire weeks. Bakugo noticed first, He knocked on my door for fifteen minutes straight, making me go insane. He walked in after kicking open the door, scaring me. He gently closed it and sat beside me on my bed. I told him everything. Even the things I didn’t tell the pros, I just spilled. He held my hand when I started crying. When I first met him, he wouldn’t call me anything but names. Now that I’m closer to him, it’s easier for me to let loose around him. We talked little, I just cried a lot. He flicked my nose and told me to stop thinking bad thoughts.

Katsuki Bakugo. One of the main reasons I am still alive. After the League of Villains captured him, I freaked out. He’s always been the type of person to do things himself, but I always wanted to let him know that people around him can help. He’s been different around me since. Bakugo’s Quirk explains why he has such an explosive personality. He’s a bit of a bully but I’ve grown used to it.

Silence filled the air as he rubbed my back, my head on his chest. His heavy breathing let me know that this scared him-- my head being where it was and what we were doing. I looked up at him, wiping my face. The second I went to say thank you, he told me to shut up and go to sleep. I did just that. When I woke up, he was sitting there, head nodding, trying not to fall asleep. I remember my hand falling over his eyes and telling him to go to sleep. Even though he didn’t want to admit it, he was tired. When he fell asleep, I could hear the change in his breathing and the calmer beating of his heart.

Maybe it’s bad that I ran away like that and didn’t tell him what was really going on, but I also just thought he’d be mad at me. After that, he understood what I truly have in my head and what I think of. A week after our mini-sleepover, Bakugo pulled me aside and asked me if I was okay with doing the exercises the rest of the class had done. It’s not like I could say anything, but he told me he was there for me. I joined that day, but he stood beside me the entire time. When we walked back to the locker rooms, he waited outside the door for me. If anyone asked him what he was doing, he would yell at them and bully them. He’s been there for me in ways no one else has and it’s made me realize he really cares. Even if he denies it, he does.