LOV and the Slayer

Dabi's Blue Flames And the Blood of Aurora

"Yea, great. I'm tolerable enough to not abandon. Thanks." Aurora turned her head away from him.

"Don't interrupt me, psycho. The boss said I gotta make sure you wanna stay with this group. That's when you first joined. This lately has been you and me."

Hearing him talk that way was gross. And yet, not unpleasant. Aurora could say it was okay, I guess.

"We have the same goals. You're also a loose canon. I also like being with you." Holy shit, that last one was the most difficult sentence I have ever spoken.

The jolting and strain in his voice made that clear.

Aurora folded her arms. "Well. I like being with you." I'm gonna puke.

She sighed loudly, putting her head back and a hand over her eyes.

"This is weird. I need to, like, leave. Somewhere." She got up quickly and slipped on shoes. The hotel door closed behind her before she could even see what Dabi was doing.

What he was doing was also putting boots on to follow her. Knowing she was not paying attention. As was usual for her. Which was why he continued to stay around her. So he told himself.

'Babysitting a psycho' at this point was a cheap cover. It hadn't been an expectation of him since the first week. Toga was confused during the three days Aurora was asleep that Dabi sat around the whole time. But, sure.

Down on the street, Dabi just walked behind Aurora. She was fidgeting and antsy. Chainsmoking, staring too closely at her phone. Maybe she knew he was five feet behind her, also, maybe not.

She did not.

Aurora dropped her lighter and shakily went to grab it. Dabi picked it up and handed it to her. Which promptly scared the shit out of her.

"Where did you come from??"

"I've been behind you the whole time."

She breathed deeply. "What- so you're just following me now?"

Dabi made a face. That frustrated face. The quirky one you're picturing? Yes, that one.

"I've basically been walking next to you."

His deadpan tone made her laugh. She took the lighter and slid it into her pocket while taking a drag. The smoke trailed up into the sky slowly.

"You know, it was exactly one month after they found her body, I noticed my hair turned white."

Flick of the ash off her cigarette.

"No one helped her. They didn't kill her right away. People saw. They saw her. No one did anything. Did anyone notify police? Or a hero? If they did, none of them came either."

Aurora took out another cigarette.

"Her body was dumped just off a main street. Just, right there. In the grass. They estimated her body had been laying there, in that spot, for almost an entire day."

Anger and sadness bloomed and boiled over within her.

"I'm just. So tired. I don't want to do this anymore. But I can't let these people stay here either."

Dabi pulled her close to him suddenly, shushing her.

"Hold on." He put his arm around her and they began walking.

"Uh, okay-"

"Someone's been watching us."

She watched his face as he side eyed the main street. A quiet chuckle.