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Akira's POV
The next day was filled with nothing but anxiety. We couldn't leave for our trip until everyone was at my house. They were installing security cameras as well as handling some other business as well. Dabi wouldn't let me sit in on it, and had me wait outside as he was working with the crew.
I mean, I don't blame him... I guess?
He said the less I know the better... which is probably true. Although, I already know so much. What more even is there?
What am I saying? This is a gang. And another gang. It all goes deeper than I could ever imagine, I'm sure.
It's about five in the afternoon, and I'm really starting to get antsy. I want to leave already, but I know that this is all for my own safety and protection. Dabi told his crew that I was now their number one priority, and that keeping me safe was now they're main focus.
I feel kind of bad, to be honest. I'm sure they have loads of other shit to be working on, and now here they are having to watch over some girl they don't even really know.
Shit. And now it's starting to rain. I have to go inside.
As I slide the glass door open and step inside, I'm nearly immediately stopped.
"What are you doing inside?"
"It's starting to rain. And yeah... I am not sitting in the rain just because you don't want me to hear all of this."
"It's fine, baby. We're just about done, anyway."
"Oh. Yay."
"I saw you on the phone before. Was it Suki?"
"Nah, my brother. He was just wondering what I was up to."
"Did you tell him?"
"Well, I told him we were going away. Not everything else that happened here."
"Okay. Good."
"Dabi."
"Yeah?"
"They just finished installing the last camera. And the security system is done, as well."
"Perfect. Thanks, Hawks. I guess you guys can pack it up and head out."
The majority of the crew leaves, but Keigo, Jin, Himiko, and Shiggy remained.
"It's so funny that you call him Hawks when you're at work."
"Shush."
Suddenly, the door is burst open and in storms my brother.
"Daichi?"
He rushes forward and punches Dabi right in the jaw, knocking him over.
"Oh my god! Daichi, what the hell are you doing?!"
"Get up! I'm gonna fucking kill you!"
"Stop! What's wrong with you?!"
Dabi stands from the ground, wiping the blood from his lip. His crew was all on guard, but he motions for them to stand down.
I grab his arm, "Are you okay?"
"Get away from him, Akira."
"What?"
"Do you wanna tell her? Or should I?" His voice was loud, and hostile as he spoke.
"Tell me what? What's going on?"
I look at Dabi for an answer, but he says nothing. He just stood there, with guilt written all over his face.
Don't tell me this is happening again.
Daichi then pulls out his gun and points it directly at Dabi, "I'm giving you three seconds to tell her or I'm really gonna fucking kill you. I don't give a shit if your whole "crew" is here."
"Daichi, are you insane?! Put the gun down!" He doesn't move, "Now, Daichi."
Daichi decocks the gun, "Tell her, Dabi. Or should I call you Touya?"
My brows furrow, "How did you..."
They both just stood there; their eyes filled with rage locked on to one another.
"Dabi... what's going on?"
When Dabi's eyes meet with mine, his expression entirely changes.
"Can we talk in private? In the other room?"
"No one's going anywhere."
"Someone just tell me what the hell is going on before I lose it."
I look around the room to observe everyone, and they all looked guilty.
"Your boyfriend here, is a fucking liar."
I sigh, "Daichi, I know you don't like him–"
"Do you even know what sort of 'business' he does with dad?"
"Dad? Why are you bringing him up?"
"You once told me that you knew exactly what he does. The kind of person he is. Yet, you stayed with him because you love him." He scoffs, "I really wish you would've listened to me back then. I wish you didn't act so stupid."
"Don't call her stupid."
Daichi let's out a sardonic laugh, "I suggest you don't fucking speak to me again."
"Daichi, this is getting way out of hand. He never lied to me about what he does for work. This is why you pulled a fucking gun on him?"
"That's not what I was talking about. He's been lying to you this whole time. Why do you think he looks so guilty right now? Because he knows exactly what I'm fucking talking about."
"Daichi–"
"You never thought it was strange? How the same day you moved into this house... he moved in right next door? The only other house, and you got stuck next to him. What a coincidence, huh?"
Where is he going with this?
"Except, it wasn't a coincidence at all."
"What are you..."
When I looked at Dabi, his fists were in balls. Squeezing so tightly that his knuckles were white. But he wouldn't look at me. Keigo wouldn't look at me. None of them would. They kept their heads down.
"Dabi knew exactly who you were before you met him. He knew you lived there. And you wanna know how? Our father."
"What? Wait, I know that they knew each other. That's why they were at that dinner– they work together."
"The only reason the two of them were at the dinner that night was to provide dad with updates on you."
"What are you talking about?"
His eyes were filled with animosity, looking back and forth between Dabi and me. He finally speaks again after letting out a breath, "Dad hired him to move in next door to you. But more specifically, he hired Dabi to manipulate you. To make you fall in love with him, so that he could break your heart... and ruin you. Him and Keigo were at the house tonight. He told dad that the deal was off, and that he wanted nothing more to do with it. I overheard everything."
I...
No.
This can't be true. It's not. No.
My heart was beating so rapidly, I thought it was going to burst out of my chest.
I was waiting for Dabi to speak up. To yell and argue with Daichi that this wasn't true. That he was horribly mistaken. But he stayed silent.
"Dabi... tell me this isn't true. Tell me this is some fucked up lie that he's telling me. Please, Touya." His eyes finally met with mine, but his expression spoke for him. "Oh, my god." Tears quickly form in my eyes and roll down my cheeks, "It was never real. Any of it."
"Akira, that's not true. Okay, yes– it's true that your Dad paid me to do this. When we first met it was only about the mission. But that was before everything, before I got to know you– before I fell in love with you. That's why I went over there tonight– to end it."
"How can I believe anything you say to me?" He goes to grab my hand but I quickly pull away, "Don't fucking touch me."
"Baby–"
"And don't fucking call me that, either."
He lets out a breath, "Please, Akira. You have to believe me. I'm in love with you."
I look around the room, "Oh my god. And you all knew, too. You were all a part of this." I look directly at Keigo, "How could you do this to me, Keigo? Was everything we had just some big lie, too? Just another part of the fucking mission?"
"Peach–"
"God, I'm gonna be fucking sick."
"Akira, please–"
"I can't fucking do this."
I grab my coat and run out of the house, into the pouring rain.
"Akira! Akira, wait! Akira!"
I ignore him and keep running, but he's way too fast and catches up to me.
"Please! Just let me explain!"
"Explain what?" I shout back, "You've been lying to me since day fucking one. Everything that happened between us meant nothing to you. I should've fucking known. Daichi was right– I am fucking stupid. It was so stupid of me to ever fucking get involved with you. What the hell was I thinking?"
"Baby–"
"I don't ever want to see you again. I want nothing to do with you."
"It wasn't all a lie! It was in the beginning. But then I got to know you– really know you– and I fell so fucking deep in love with you."
"You've been manipulating me this whole time. Clearly, you're so fucking good at it so why would now be any different?"
"Look, Akira. There are a lot of things that you don't know. You need to realize that I'm not the one you should be fighting with right now! I get what I did was fucked up, but–"
"But nothing! Just leave me the hell alone!"
"Open your fucking eyes and see that the people who are closest to you, are the ones doing all the damage."
I scoff, "You were the one who was the closest to me. And you're the one who did all the damage. I could expect this kind of thing from my father. It doesn't surprise me that he'd do something like this. But not you. Or Keigo. I was just a fucking mission for you guys. A fucking toy. What, did you guys have a bet or something of who got to break my heart first?"
"Akira, who do you think hired Yojiwara to break into your house?"
"And now you're changing the subject."
"Can you just listen to me for two damn seconds?"
"What more could you possibly have to say to me?"
"Your dad hired Yojiwara to break into your house."
I scoff, "Yeah, right. My dad would never–"
"Do something like that? Take a look around. Do you really think your dad wouldn't hurt you like that?"
When Dabi said those words... I froze.
I knew that my relationship with my father wasn't the best. It was nonexistent. And I thought that even though he hated me, he still wouldn't want his own daughter to ever be in danger, or get hurt. That he wouldn't... he wouldn't intentionally hurt me like this, right?
But... I guess I was wrong.
I was so unbelievably wrong.
He knew that getting me involved with someone like Dabi could have serious repercussions. That there was the chance I could get killed because I was involved with him.
And yet... he pretended to care that I was with him when the paparazzi caught us. He pretended to care for my well being. God... does this mean my fucking mother knew, too?
Daichi obviously didn't. He said he overheard them talking to dad... did he confront him after they left? Does dad know that Daichi knows?
There are a million questions running through my brain right now and I don't know the answer to a single fucking one of them. I just want to turn my brain off.
"Akira." His voice pulls me from my thoughts.
"Why... why would he do this to me? He really hates me that much?"
Dabi sighs, "He just wanted you to be back in his control again. He didn't want you to be off on your own. And he thought that having me break you would be the solution."
I swallow the lump in my throat, "Well, congratulations, Dabi. You've fulfilled your mission. I'm officially fucking broken."
"You were never supposed to find out like this."
"So you were just gonna keep this huge fucking secret from me for the rest of our lives?"
"No. I wanted to tell you. I just... I could never find the right time. Keigo begged me to tell you. He almost did it himself. But I wouldn't let him."
"You can't possibly think that you telling me yourself would've went any better."
"Akira, I swear to God that these past few months have all been real. I never once lied when I told you I loved you."
"When?"
"When what?"
"When did it become real for you? When did the lie 'stop' ?"
"You really want to know?"
"Yes, Dabi. I want to know the exact fucking moment."
He lets out a breath, "I realized almost instantly that you were going to be more than just a mission. You were a challenge, and I liked that. I had never been so challenged by a woman before. I took the deal he offered me because it was a lot of fucking money, and I was expecting this to be the easiest mission of my life. To sweet talk you, and love bomb you so much that you'd fall in love with me immediately. But when I realized there was more to you than just being some pretty, rich girl... it became impossible. I realized that I started doing things out of the ordinary with you. Going out of my way to text you, and see you. When I was supposed to be stone cold to you."
I don't even know what to say or think right now.
"But the day I realized that my feelings for you were real as can be, was Thanksgiving last year."
"That... that's the night we had sex for the first time."
"I know. But it wasn't because of that. After I told you what happened with my brother, and you told me everything that happened with you, and I told you my real name... I knew from that moment that you were more than just a mission to me. That's why I tried so hard to push you away. I didn't want to hurt you anymore. I wanted you to hate me, and to end it before you got too attached. That's why I kept trying to break it off. But then it got to a point where I knew you were already in love with me... and it was too late. I couldn't stay away from you. No matter how hard I tried, I just... I couldn't."
"You told me you loved me the night that I forgave you for putting Suki in the hospital. Was it only then that you knew you did?"
"No. I knew before then."
"When?"
"I... I don't know. I don't remember the exact day. But I do remember having certain feelings one day, and then the next day I was in love with you. I knew I loved you back when you said it to me."
"Sounds like bullshit to me."
"It's not. Akira, please. What do I have to do to get you to believe me? Tell me what it is and I'll do it."
"There isn't anything you can say or do that will ever make this okay. I... I don't know how I could ever be with you again."
"Baby, please. I'm begging you... don't leave me. I can't do this any of this without you. I fucking need you."
His voice... the way it cracked as he spoke... it almost sounded like he was going to cry. I've never heard him sound like that before.
"Touya... you've lied to me, and hurt me so many times. And I've forgiven you for it all. Avoiding me after I told you I loved you, kissing your ex girlfriend two weeks after we got together... and almost killing my best friend with drugs that you also lied to me about. I don't think I can handle anything more. I just want to stop hurting. I want to fucking drive my car as far as it can go, and never come back."
He doesn't say anything for a moment, and neither do I. The only sound was the rain loudly hitting against the pavement.
It was almost perfect. Life was almost fucking perfect.
"Do you still love me?"
"Of course I love you. God, I don't think I'll ever be able to not. No matter how much you hurt me."
"But you don't want to be with me."
I scoff, "Touya, I want to be with you more than anything else in this world. I just... I don't think I can. We need to move on. For good."
"Okay. I understand. I'll be gone from that house by tomorrow, and you'll never see me again... if that's what you're choosing."
I don't know what to say.
I don't want to be apart from him. I want to be with him. Forever. I love him so fucking much, it hurts. It feels like being stabbed in the heart over and over again. But I still crave more every time.
"But before you decide to never speak to me again, there's one more thing you need to know."
"What is it?"
"I don't deal with drugs anymore. I stopped once Suki got hurt. I realized then that I didn't want any more innocent people to get hurt because of me."
"Okay."
"But the drug that I used to deal, Niji, I told you that I wasn't the one who made it. That we got from scientists and pharmacists."
"Yeah?"
He hesitates, "Your father... is the one who created the drug."
"What?"
"That's the real reason why we knew each other. I was already doing business with him before he hired me for this mission. Him, along with others, created the formula for the drug, and they made it right there in a lab, in the building you work in."
No.
My dad doesn't make fucking illegal street drugs. He makes medicine... to help people. No... there's no way.
His voice was so calm as he spoke. Like he wasn't trying to get his point across, or win an argument or defend himself.
"How do I know you're not lying to me?"
"What more reason do I have to lie to you, Akira? I've already lost you."
It's true.
Oh my god.
I knew my dad wasn't the best person... but after all of this? God, I wish the absolute worst on him. I'm going to release hellfire on him.
Wait.
If it was made in one of our labs...
"Oh my god." I rush back into the house, Dabi following me.
"You're soaked. Why don't you dry off and get changed and I'll take you to my place for the night."
"You were involved, weren't you?"
His brows furrow, "With dad's evil plan to hurt you? No, are you crazy?"
"With the drugs, Daichi. You know, the one that dad sells to Dabi and the one that almost fucking killed Suki?"
He looks at Dabi, "You told her."
"I only told her that your dad was the one who created it. That's all I knew. I had no idea you were involved, too."
"Akira–"
"You're fucking unbelievable. To storm in here, and say all the shit you did... when you're no better than him."
"Aki, let me explain–"
"How could you do this? How the hell could you support dad on something like this? I mean, really, Daichi. Fucking drugs. Illegal drugs sold in fucking clubs and on the street that get you beyond fucked up. Do you even know how high the death rate is for it? Do you realize how many fucking people my age and younger have died from this? Are you fucking kidding me?"
"I didn't have a choice, Akira. He made me do it–"
"Don't fucking pull that shit. You could've walked away. But you didn't. Too busy being the fucking golden child to ever say no to them. Does mom know, too?"
"No. She doesn't know any of this. Not even about Dabi."
I feel like I'm gonna be fucking sick. I need to leave.
"Akira–"
I let out a sardonic laugh, "Man. Am I the fool of the fucking year, or what? Biggest joke alive."
"Baby–"
I grab my keys and the bag I had packed for vacation, and rush out of the house again.
"Where the hell are you going?"
"I don't know!" I shout back at him.
"Akira, don't drive in this weather. It's not safe, especially not with the headspace you're in right now." Dabi runs over to the car, but I manage to get in and lock it before he reaches it.
"Open the door, Akira." He pulls on the handle and bangs his hand against the window, "Don't fucking leave! I don't want you to get hurt!"
"Goodbye, Touya."
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oooof
man i love a good plot twist
hope y'all enjoyed this lengthy chapter 💗 don't forget to comment, vote, and follow me if you haven't ! thanks for reading 🤍