"You really should learn to close your windows, little hero."

The low rumble of the mysterious voice left you frozen. You slowly turned your head to the opposite side of the room. It was then that you realized why it was darker than before: someone had pulled down the horizontal blinds. You felt the color drain from your face and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Your eyes were wide as you attempted to make out who it was lurking in the dark. As they adjusted to the black room, the shadowy outline of a man's figure came into view beside the dresser.

"You could let in a draft."

You recognized that voice. It was time to shoot first and ask questions later. You sped towards him, using your quirk to flip on the desk lamp as you did. You balled up his black coat firmly in your fists and slammed his back into the corner. His scarred face came clearly into view as the light illuminated the room.

"What the hell are you doing here?" You spat venomously. Dabi chuckled. His blue eyes bore into your own as he spoke.

"Now that I'm thinking about it, it is pretty chilly in here. Need me to warm up the bed for you?" He grinned salaciously.

"How'd you know where I was?"

"Or I could warm you up myself if you want." What was with this guy?

"Answer the damn question." You snarled, pressing a knee threateningly against his crotch.

His smile waned slightly as he tensed at the sensation. "Come on, now. I thought we were buddies." Nervousness tinted his cocky voice.

You pressed him further into the wall, returning his gaze with a potent scowl. "I don't know what your deal is with Hawks, but I am not your 'buddy.'"

"Ah, yes, you and Hawks. The childhood friends." He mocked.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't take you down right now." You growled, barely letting Dabi finish his sentence.

"Now why would you want to do that?" He asked coyly. His cordial tone was getting on your nerves.

"You don't think I could?" Your face held a deadly seriousness as you summoned a knife from your belt and pointed it at his face.

"Oh, I don't doubt it. I'm not really all that strong." He averted his eyes and looked around your room curiously. "This is a nice little place you've got here. Real quaint. Didn't have much time to look around before you showed up. I'd love a tour."

Your stare never wavered. "Do I look like an idiot to you?"

"Are you always this welcoming to visitors?" He asked, eyeing the knife that was directed at his head.

"Only the unwelcome ones." You unconsciously eased your grip. He didn't seem like a danger at the moment. "You break in here and have the nerve to call yourself a 'visitor?'"

Dabi smiled slyly at you. "You're the one who left the window open. I took it as an invitation." He began looking around the room again. "Man, they got you in an office? That sucks. Pretty terrible hosts if you ask me."

"Don't change the subject." You snapped.

Dabi sighed, reluctantly giving in to your nagging. "I think if you wanted to bring me in…" He gently took hold of your forearms and moved them away. Without thinking, you released his shirt. "...you would have done it by now, but I am curious. Why aren't you?" He asked calmly.

You gulped. He wasn't attacking you and, despite letting himself into your room, he wasn't even making an effort to seem like the bad guy. Was that why you were hesitating? It could have been that you had no idea what his crime really was. You were sure they'd covered it during the briefing, but you hadn't been focused enough to get the information. The confession came before you could stop it.

"How could I, in good conscience, arrest a man when I have no idea what he's done in the first place." Dabi released your arms as your feet met the floor. A deep, genuine laugh left him.

"Wait, did they seriously not tell you why they want my head on a platter? Man, they're more crooked than I thought. Hey, thanks for not takin' me in just yet." His cackling caught you off guard. This guy was being friendlier than any villain you'd ever met before and your confusion was displayed clearly on your face. Dabi's laughter simmered down after a moment. "Still, it's good of you to wanna get all the facts first. Not a lotta heroes like you nowadays." His gaze was almost lazy as he looked down at you. "Look, I'm not saying I don't deserve to be treated like a criminal, but whether your 'conscience' allowed you to or not, you can't arrest someone without telling them why."

There was no way you were going to admit the truth to this guy. It was your own negligence that made you miss the information, anyway. Instead, you repeated your question from earlier; this time, in a less hostile tone. "Why are you here?"

It seemed he was ready to cooperate. "I was looking for you." He stated.

You furrowed your eyebrows. "For me?" You repeated. "Why? There's no way you could have known that I'd be the one with insufficient info to take you in."

Dabi's shoulders relaxed. "You're right. I guess I was just hoping I could reason with you." He stood slouched as he buried his hands in his pockets. "Just wanted to give you a warning."

You took a step back and spoke seriously. This sounded nothing like the man you met in the alley. "Is this a threat, or are you admitting to a future crime?"

"I'm not admitting to anything." He began. "Just that… well, if something… significant should happen in the upcoming weeks…"

"'Significant' how?" You pressed harshly. If the League was planning some sort of attack, it was imperative you find out. Of course, you didn't expect him to spill all of their plans to you just because you demanded to know.

"Can't say." Dabi said. "Just that if things get dicey, it'd be in your best interest if you didn't stick around."

"That sounds an awful lot like a threat to me."

Dabi shrugged. "Take it how you will, but it's not." He took a couple of steps forward, prompting you to take a few back. Your mind had abandoned your weapon as it remained aimed at the corner even as Dabi moved past it. "I guess it's really more of a request." He came closer to you, bending down so that your faces were only about a foot apart. "Don't try to fight what's coming."

A chill ran down your spine at his intimidating demand. He didn't want you to fight? Of course; he still didn't know your power. Whatever the League was trying to throw at the heroes was likely intricately set up, but, due to your unannounced arrival, they wouldn't have been able to plan around you. This realization filled you with a new sense of pride. You grinned sarcastically at the man in front of you. "You think that just because you asked me to, I won't fight?"

The corners of Dabi's lips curled up ever so slightly. "Hey, I asked nicely, didn't I?"

"There's no way I'm gonna let you hurt innocent people." You affirmed.

Dabi's hint of a smile disappeared entirely at your words. "Suit yourself." He said. He turned towards the desk and placed his hands on the surface before hoisting himself on top. He reached for the cord to the window blinds and gave it a light tug. A cool breeze blew into the room and ruffled his hair slightly. He was leaving?

Why did you feel like you had lost an argument? You didn't want to leave it at that. This wanted villain comfortably made his way into your space and practically threatened you, yet you felt powerless to do anything about it. "I could bring you in for trespassing, you know. Or just tell them you were here. They'd send someone after you who could make the arrest for the other things you've done." It was a last-ditch effort, but it gave you some feeling of control, even if only for a moment.

Dabi glanced back at you as he kneeled on the table. "Oh, I don't suggest it. I really don't want to fight you. I'm sure you won't listen for my sake, but maybe you will for that bird-brained friend of yours."

'Hawks?'

"He's on thin ice with me as is, but I know he's got to keep up appearances for the heroes. Be a shame if he lost their trust because he had to help me out of a sticky situation." You were speechless. Why the hell was Dabi under the impression that Hawks would help him? Keigo was definitely hiding something big from you. Dabi placed his hand on the edge of the window and lowered his head to exit through the short opening. Once outside, he turned to face you one last time. "Just… consider what I said." He paused to gauge your reaction. You didn't respond, unsure if you had the heart to even look him in the eyes at the moment. "I'll see you soon, (H/N)." He leaned over to shut off the desk lamp and slowly shut the window before running off.

You were left standing in the middle of the silent room. You couldn't tell if it was simple disbelief, or complete shock that filled your mind. Your knife clanked softly against the floor as you deactivated your quirk. Despite having just had your sense of security greatly disturbed by a villain, your mind was on Keigo. The two of you were friends. You'd just spent half your day joking and laughing with him; this couldn't be right. Had he been lying to your face this whole time? And so skillfully, at that. The more you thought about it, the more your confusion turned to anger. You had enough secrets to deal with from Stiller, you absolutely refused to let your only friend add to them.

You turned to your bed and used your quirk to swiftly knock the shopping bags to the floor. Your phone's screen now shined brightly in the dimly lit room, easily catching your attention. You quickly snatched it off the sheets. It still displayed the text you were writing to Keigo. You deleted it and began a new one:

What in the hell are you not telling me about Dabi?

No, that sounds way too accusatory. Delete.

Mind telling me why Dabi…

Still a bit too mean. Delete. Maybe give him the chance to come clean.

Hey, so Dabi was just…

'Shit, no. If Stiller could see my photos, maybe he can see my messages, too.' You thought. Your mind felt so messed up. Maybe you could just let this go like you did with so many other things. Better not to meddle in things that didn't concern you. Only now, this did concern you. A wanted criminal had just stalked and gotten to you. Sure, nothing super significant happened this time, but you needed to confront Keigo about this.

I need to talk to you asap. When are you available?

Send. Best to keep it obscure.

You didn't expect to hear back immediately, but your anxiety wouldn't let you put the phone down. You stared at the screen, noting the dying battery symbol in the corner.

'Calm down. You have to relax.' You threw yourself onto the bed, pulling your phone close to your chest. Of course, you knew you should plug it in, but you couldn't bring yourself to roll over. A crushing weight pooled in your chest as the possibility that Keigo was capable of complete and covert betrayal sunk into your mind.

'I have to trust him. I trust Stiller, and he's super sus.' Mentally bashing your caretaker was always a good way to make yourself chuckle. You found it odd that Keigo referred to him as your "overseer" earlier. He said himself that the program didn't exist anymore, so there'd be no use for them. Did he still have an overseer?

Ping

The sound of the text tone startled you. You quickly pulled the screen to your face, heart racing in anticipation.

Hawks - 7:42 PM

I'll find you tomorrow. Everything alright?

His immediate response soothed you. You typed out a quick "yes" and allowed your eyes to flutter shut. If he was willing to talk, maybe he wasn't hiding anything after all.

'Of course not. It's Kei. He wouldn't do that. It's that damn villain who's being shady as hell.' That was right. Dabi was the one to blame for making you paranoid. If his goal was to create a rift among the heroes, you wouldn't allow him to succeed. At least, not with you and Keigo. You thought back to what the guy had said.

"'Warning', my ass." You muttered distrustingly. "I'll fight no matter what you say." Different parts of the conversation bounced around in your mind as sleep gained on you. You felt your tense muscles relax and you breathed in and out deeply. Training today had really taken it out of you. Hopefully, you'd be able to do some real hero work soon. Maybe you'd even get to work with Keigo; that'd be nice. Rebuild the trust you two shared for so long. Just as you could hear the imaginary sounds of your almost-dreaming mind, it hit you. Your eyes shot open at the realization of something Dabi had said at the beginning of your encounter. A piece of information he let slip, but shouldn't have had.

No one ever said you and Keigo were childhood friends.