Not too much later we rinsed off in the shower – a very cold shower - and Hawks went outside as I went to wake up Dabi.
I sat down on the bed and debated whether or not I should just let him sleep a little bit more. But no, I needed him to take me back. I ran my hand through his hair and he didn't wake up.
"Hey, sleepyhead," I nudged him gently. "Time to go."
I heard Dabi mutter something but then he held his arms out to indicate he wanted me on his chest. I climbed onto him and laid flat on top of him, his arms immediately going around me.
"You okay?" he mumbled, his voice still sleepy. "Sorry I couldn't keep up. He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"I'm fine."
"Sure you can't stay with me tonight?" he asked as he pulled me up a little to tuck me under his chin. "And tomorrow night, and the next night, and all future nights..."
"Stop," I said, giving him a gentle pat on the chest. "You know I can't."
He squeezed me a little tighter. "I knew you were going to say that. Still had to ask though."
I snuggled up closer on Dabi's chest. "Are these future nights, or future-anything with me, something you really think about?"
"You know it is."
"And what does that look like for you? Are you imagining us hanging out in clubs and chasing chaos? Late nights with your buddy out there? Or do you think about getting married, having a baby- that kind of future?"
As I spoke, I felt his body get tense under me, but he didn't let me go.
"I will be honest with you, just like I always am. I've never thought about those... things. Settling down. Kids. They've never been on my radar and in fact I've actively avoided them."
"So chaos and clubs it is."
"That is, I never thought about those things... until I met you."
I sat up. Was he kidding? He was surely joking, so I figured I might as well keep it going.
"You already know that we would be the worst parents," I laughed.
"Oh completely," he agreed.
"'Mom and Dad'" I smiled, pretending to be a kid, "'how did the two of you meet?' 'oh, I gave your father a lap dance in a strip club.'" I laughed again. "We'd have to make up something else."
"Or we could go with our second meeting when I chased you through the warehouse."
"Or when you kidnapped me from my tent in the middle of the night?"
"Ah yes. Good times. God, I wanted to fuck you so badly that first night. I think you did too."
"Whatever. I am not that kind of girl."
"You are exactly that kind of girl." He chuckled. "And thank god, because any other kind would be boring."
"You do get bored easily," I agreed. "Come on, we need to go. I need to get back," I said, starting to get off the bed. He sat up too and grabbed my hand before I could get further away. We stayed like that for a second, him sitting on the bed, me standing in front of him, holding his hand.
"What if you just didn't go back?"
"You're kidding," I said, looking down at him and searching his eyes for some sign of humor. I didn't find one.
"I'm not. I'll find some way to get that chip out. We'll go to a new city where no one knows us."
"Sounds like fun until you get bored of me."
"That won't happen."
"Maybe," I said. "Come on. Stop playing around."
"Do you need a ring on your finger for me to show you that I'm serious?"
Dabi stared up at me from the bed where he still held my hand.
Neither of us spoke.
My chest felt tight and my face felt flushed.
"Dabi. I'm 19."
"Which means you're old enough to make your own decisions, as you love to remind me. So decide to be with me."
"Can we just... table.... this conversation for later? There's so much going on right now. I don't think either of us is thinking rationally, or at least I'm not, because if you keep looking at me like that I'm going to say yes."
"I'll look at you like this every day of your life if you let me, y/n."
I honestly had no words.
Dabi suddenly stood up, let go of my hand, and walked away from me toward the door. "But I get it. Let's go."
Without saying much else, we made our way outside where it was already pretty dark. Hawks was waiting on us. I thought of my classmates back at the camp. They'd probably be finished with dinner and hanging out before going to bed. If we hurried, I still had time to join them.
"I think you need to take me back before they realize I'm gone," I said. "I've already missed dinner and I'm starving."
"Same," Hawks said. "I probably still have food in the car if you want it."
"You mean the opened bags of chips I saw earlier? No thanks, bro. Anyway, we need to go. I don't want them to think that I've been kidnapped when, for once, I'm not."
"You sure you don't want to be?" Dabi asked. He pulled me in for a kiss and held me there for a moment before letting me go.
"I'll fly you back. It will be faster, and I can vouch for you in case they ask questions," Hawks offered. "Oh...and thanks, kid," Hawks said sheepishly, his cheeks red.
"Are you better?"
"Yeah. Mostly."
He did look pretty much normal again. No more twitching, no more panting.
"After you drop me off, you know you're going to have to just let Dabi deal with anything from here on out."
"Leave me out of this," Dabi scoffed and started walking away, heading for his car.
"What's gotten into him?" Hawks asked as Dabi left.
"Long story."
"Oh. Okay. You got a good one in him, y/n. It's a shame you two have to keep things a secret around here."
"You're the number one," I said. "Why don't you change that?"
"Sounds like too much work."
"Probably," I admitted. "Seems like you've got your hands full with all my friends and this Overhaul mission anyway."
"Y/n. I should tell you something. Shoto won't be part of the Overhaul mission. I'm cutting him from the team."
"What?" I asked. "Why? I know they've been working hard on everything. And he's so powerful. I don't understand."
"I'm going to tell the hero commission that the kid's been through enough with being kidnapped by the League. Not to mention everything with his father. I'm not going to lie or anything. I'll just put in my recommendation that he needs more time to process all of that."
I knew Shoto would be disappointed and maybe even a little ashamed to be taken off the team, but I couldn't help but breathe a small sigh of relief.
"Did Dabi ask you to do that?"
Hawks shrugged. "Maybe."
"Wow. Well... thanks. You're actually pretty decent when you aren't being a horny asshole."
"I try."
Hawks was a little quieter in what he said next. "And I'll give you one more piece of info since you helped me out. Dabi also asked me to keep an eye on you and the little Todoroki. To see if anything could happen there, if I could help anything happen there...between you and Shoto."
That made me pause. "Meaning what?"
For a moment Hawks looked oddly serious. "I doubt I'm saying anything new to you, but you have to realize that an actual relationship with Dabi isn't going to work. You two are only delaying the inevitable. And I think he knows it too. But he wants you to be happy, even if it's not with him."
As his words sunk in, I felt a lump in the pit of my stomach. I didn't know what to say.
"All right. Enough of all that," Hawks said, stretching out his wings. "Let's get you back to hero camp or whatever. By the way, how's my boy Tokoyami doing? Is My Chemical Crowmance hanging in there?"
"I guess? I don't know him very well."
"Really? And here I thought you were into the bird thing."
"I'll be honest. He seems cool, but I don't get the logistics of the beak."
"Oh, come on, y/n," Hawks said, motioning for me to get on his back. "Where's your adventurous spirit?"