𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 (𝐃𝐚𝐛𝐢 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)

25

"A funeral is just a show," Dabi sounded resentful. "People show up and act like they're heartbroken. They pretend to have loved the person. When in reality, they couldn't have cared less about them when they were still alive. You would've hated it." Ridding himself of the distant look, he took another step closer. "Honor her by continuing her mission. She wanted this corrupt system destroyed? You stay alive and burn it to fucking ashes. That means much more than any sappy funeral speech."

You looked up, finding something oddly encouraging in what he'd said. It was selfish of you to think about how you would feel if this didn't pan out. The two of you had an opportunity to get your hands on a lead that could change everything. Ami would kill you herself if she found out that you were holding back for her sake. "For a villain, you can be pretty inspirational sometimes," you said lightly.

He shrugged. "Crime doesn't pay too well, I do motivational speaking on weekends to bring in some extra cash."

A hint of a smile appeared over your lips. Had he just made a joke that didn't include some sort of sexual innuendo? "I was wondering how you'd managed to get money for the groceries."

"Well, there you have it."

With a resigned breath, you stepped around him and sat down on the couch. You probably should've listened whenever Dabi had told you to rest when you'd gotten home. "We're going to the Doctor's around six, right?"

"Yeah, so about four hours," he checked the clock. "The old man said that you should try and sleep beforehand."

Right, like that was gonna happen. You could barely sleep on regular nights, let alone nights before going into a poison-removing surgery. The fact that the doctor had said himself that it would be a painful process didn't help the slight nervousness you'd begun to feel after making the appointment. "How about you heat us up some ramen and we watch a movie instead?" A good cheesy romance could help distract from the difficult emotions that had come to the surface in your previous conversation.

He raised a brow. "You want me to watch a movie with you?"

"Yeah, that's what I just said." Your feelings for him were still confusing, but what was the point in pushing him away when you probably had little time left? It wasn't like you were letting him off the hook completely, just extending a bit of a peace offering. You'd told him to prove himself, so it was only fair that you would try and put in the same effort he was. Also, you really didn't feel like spending another night alone in your room. 

Dabi still seemed confused. "So... you want me to sit in here and just... hang out?"

"Am I speaking in a different language or something?" You asked. "Look, I still mean the things I said earlier, but it isn't like I want to be mad at you. Surprisingly, I like being around you. The whole reason I was upset was because you suddenly turned into a raging asshole after I thought that we'd started getting close to each other." You grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. "So, make us some food and come sit down. As long as you don't turn into a fucking douchebag in the middle of it, we should be cool."

Slowly, he nodded and went into the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets until he found the instant ramen bowls that you'd bought recently. "I'm not used to that," he admitted after putting the water on. 

"Used to what?" You asked, skimming through the different movie options.

"I don't know," he said. "The kindness, maybe? I messed up a lot as a kid, and every time I did, my dad would shun me for days on end. He'd make everyone in the house ignore me until I did something that made him happy enough to forgive me. I would spend so much time trying to fix my mistake until something finally worked." Dabi stared at the ground. "I guess, I thought that was the normal thing. So the fact that you're even talking to me feels pretty weird."