Your quirk wasn’t flashy, not strong enough to level buildings or command fear. But what you lacked in power, you made up for in grit. Every rescue, every villain takedown, every sleepless night—you earned with blood and bruises. No one knew how close you’d come to quitting. No one knew how close you’d come to him.

Dabi. The most feared villain in Japan. Known for leaving charred corpses as his calling card.

You didn’t trust him at first. How could you? He was a ghost made of fire and fury, the embodiment of everything you stood against. But somewhere between secret meetings and stolen glances, something changed. His hands, once known only for destruction, began to hold you like you mattered. You began to see the man beneath the ash and scars.

But love doesn’t erase history. And tonight, it all came burning down.

⸻

The apartment complex was in flames. You’d barely made it through the upper floors, your uniform soaked in blood—some yours, most not. Villains swarmed like insects, and above it all, the screaming of a terrified child.

You found the kid in a half-collapsed room, clutching a stuffed bear, cheeks streaked with ash and tears. You reached out, your voice calm despite the chaos.

“It’s okay. I’m here to help—”

SHHK.

Pain, sharp and sudden, bloomed in your leg. You dropped to one knee. Your hand shot down to the wound—a knife, deep and cruel, buried to the hilt. You looked up, heart sinking.

He was standing there. Dabi.

Not as your lover. Not as Touya. As the villain.

The child screamed. You gritted your teeth, trying to shield them.

He looked at you with that same lazy indifference he wore in every news report. But you saw it. Behind his stitched smile—guilt.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” he said, voice low and cracked. “Can’t let you go saving my victims now, can we?”