Thank you to all of the wonderful people who have offered encouragement and uplifting words. AstroLibra, bbymojo, Luau, Terrance Johnny Stanford, and Justtryingnameshere, you have no idea how you have helped me find the will to continue writing and strive to get better and better with each chapter.

I hope everyone enjoys the new chapter. Happy reading!

Melina wiped away the last of her tears barely a second before Bakugo walked in. She smiled at him as he stood there holding a mangled bouquet of white daisies that appeared to have been plucked from the garden in front of class 1-B's dorm. Considering the sweetness of the gesture and him looking awkward as hell, she would not admonish him for taking the flowers.

"I was worried when you weren't in class this morning," Bakugo said, scratching the back of his head and avoiding eye contact.

"Recovery Girl thought it best I stay here for a day or two," Melina explained.

"You're not terribly hurt are you?" he inquired, coming closer to the bed.

"I'm fine. Just sore. I'll be all right after a little rest."

"Here. These are for you." He thrust the handful of half dead flowers at her.

"Thank you," she replied, taking them from him.

It really is the thought that counts. The intention behind them more the flowers themselves cheered her up. She snapped off the overly long stems, some with roots and a little bit of dirt still attached. Now the flowers would fit into her water glass without falling over.

Motioning to the chair beside the bed, she invited him to stay. The way he dilly dallied indicated he had more to say or to talk about.

"Are you okay?" Bakugo asked, sitting down.

"I already told you - "

"I mean," he interrupted then paused, gulping loudly. He leaned closer, lowering his voice. "Is the baby okay?"

Melina could not breathe. It was as if all the air had been sucked out her lungs. Rendered numb from her nose to her toes, she gaped at him, too stunned to speak.

"Please, don't faint," he begged. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"How do you know about that?" she asked, her voice a raspy whisper.

"I-I d-didn't mean to..." he started to explain, stammering helplessly. It wasn't like him to be at a loss for words. "I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I came to apologize and to check on you after everyone else was gone. I heard you and Recovery Girl talking. I'm sorry." He bowed his head, staring at his twiddling thumbs. "I won't tell anyone. I swear."

"I'm sorry too," she apologized, reaching out to place her hand on the crown of his head. "Oh!"

She had expected his wild spiky hair to be stiff and coarse to the touch. His hair looked like a dandelion, and it was super soft like one too. Apparently there was a soft side to his hard personality as well because a worried and apologetic Bakugo sat in front of her. Seeing this side of him did not make her worry any less that he knew her secret.

"Why are you apologizing to me?" he asked, raising his head.

"That information is a burden you shouldn't have to bear," she said, giving him a slow, sad smile.

"But you were willing to bear it alone. What were you planning to do?"

His eyes met hers, but she immediately looked away. She could not stand seeing the pity - or bear her own guilt knowing she planned on skipping out on these kids as soon as possible.

"Were you planning on doing something to not have the baby?"

"No," she replied quickly.

The option he was hinting at never crossed her mind. Although she was not prepared to be a single mother, selfishly, she wanted the baby because the child would allow her to keep a part of Dabi in her life and love him always. She wanted this baby more than anything in the world at the moment.

"Were you going to run away?" Bakugo asked without bothering to mince words.

Melina visibly flinched from the question, giving herself away. She had to tell him the truth.

"I have to go," she answered. "I have no other choice. I have to protect myself and the baby."

"I'll protect you," he insisted then quickly added, "We all can protect you. We can help you through this."

"How long do you think you can protect me? I should run away and hide. That way I - "

"For how long?" he shot back, turning her question around on her. "How long will you run? How long do you think you can hide? How long will you be safe that way? You'll be all alone with no one to help you. How will that kind of life be better for you and the baby? You have to stay here with us."

"I don't think they'll allow me to stay here. I'm a teacher. I'm supposed to be a role model. I'm single and pregnant. I'm a walking example of irresponsible. I was reckless and just plain stupid. I'd be seen as indecent, and not fit to teach impressionable teenagers how to be mature, responsible adults with good decision making skills," she said, angry with herself.

"You don't know your fellow teachers very well," he muttered under his breath.

"Bakugo, can I ask you a question about when you were being held hostage by the villains?" she inquired, dismissing the comment. After he nodded, she asked, "How did you resist becoming one of them?"

"It wasn't that difficult. I didn't want to be one of those assholes," he answered without hesitation. "I'm selfish and overly ambitious but not enough to join the villains."

She appreciated his painfully honest self-assessment. At least the boy had no illusions about himself. Melina debated whether or not to tell him another one of her big secrets. He already knew the biggest one possible so she figured one more could not hurt her.

"What would you say if I said I almost became one of those assholes? Willingly, of my own volition," she added.

"Why would you -"

Melina shrugged. She had no good reasons, no justification for joining the villains. With no direction and no goals in life, she had simply been acting on a whim and on her attraction to Dabi. That fantastic decision started this whole chain of events. She never expected this conclusion from their relationship though.

"What made you change your mind about joining them?" he questioned her when she did not offer the information.

"Shigaraki decided he wanted to take my quirk. He was willing to kill me to get it. Self-preservation kicked in so I ran," she confessed.

"How did running away work out for you? Good, huh?" Bakugo asked not holding back on the scathing sarcasm.

"Okay. I get your point," she sighed, leaning back on her pillows.

"You should rest. I'm going to leave," he announced, standing up from the chair. "Like I told you before, your secret is safe with me, but..."

Melina held her breath when he paused. She couldn't bring herself to consider he was about to blackmail her in exchange for his silence. What did he want?

"You better not run away. If you do, I'll have no choice but to tell everyone you're pregnant so we can find you and save your dumb ass for the sake of your baby."

She chuckled at his bluntness while tears stung her eyes from the unexpected caring behind the deceptively sharp words.

"I won't," she promised, closing her eyes.

"I'll send Icy-Hot to see you later. I'm sure he's worried sick. That idiot doesn't seem to understand how strong you are," he grumbled as he walked out.

"Oh, that boy," Melina sighed, burrowing under her covers as if they would form an impenetrable shield to protect her.

She struggled to think, to form a coherent thought. Instead of planning her future, she could only remember the past. Recalling bits and pieces of moments in time and snippets of conversations, memories of those she loved the most meandered through her fevered brain. Her parents, her grandmother, Dabi, and Shoto - everyone with whom she had shared a large piece of her heart.

Bakugo was right. She did need help. For the time being, she would stay. She would remain here as long as Principal Nezu allowed. Suddenly weary, exhausted by the gravity of her troubles pressing down on her, she gave into the alluring escape of sleep. Hopefully, a solution would present itself in the meantime.

~\..'../~

"You're the one who needs my help?" Endeavor sneered, glaring at her from across the coffee table in Principal Nezu's office. "Forget it."

"But you already agreed!" Melina exclaimed, enraged with the less than charitable hero.

All Might placed his big, heavy hand on her shoulder to keep her behind pressed down into the couch. If Enji Todoroki wasn't already on fire, her fiery glower would have lit him up.

"Detective Tsukauchi and I already explained everything to you. I thought you had no problem with the plan. You agreed to help," All Might reminded him. "That's why you're here, isn't it?"

"You failed to mention I would be helping her," he said, raising his nose into the air to literally look down it at Melina.

"We didn't realize it mattered. Her life is in danger. The villains have attempted to kill her before," All Might reminded him.

"Considering my one brief encounter with her, I would say with full confidence she did something to piss them off and brought this on herself."

Regrettably, he was not wrong in his frankly spoken assumption. Rude as hell but not wrong.

"Endeavor, is your ego really so delicate that you will allow the little incident from the cafeteria to keep you from offering your assistance to this young woman?" Principal Nezu questioned him forthrightly, unfazed by the massive size of the arrogant hero sitting in front of him.

Yes. His ego was that shamefully fragile. Endeavor folded his arms over his chest as if to indicate in silent protest how stubbornly opposed he was to helping her.

"I refuse on the basis that I can't waste my time on such a petty thing."

Was he referring to her or the situation as a petty thing? Or maybe both? Either way, Melina was livid and needed to leave. She could not endure another moment in the same room with him.

"That's fine. We'll devise another plan," she stated as calmly as possible. "Thank you for coming to this meeting today, and I apologize for wasting your valuable time."

Shrugging off All Might's heavy hand, sighing dejectedly, she gradually stood to her feet. Keeping her movements slow and deliberate to add to the dramatic affect, she shook her head sadly, sighing again before she walked toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Endeavor asked, disbelief in his voice.

Apparently he expected her to beg and cry, pleading with the number one hero to help her because she was out of options, and he was her only hope to live another day. To hell with that and to hell with him. She had pride too.

"Since you're incapable of helping me, I will find someone else who can," Melina said, keeping her back to him and still making her way to the door at turtle's pace. "You might be the number one hero, but you're not the only hero in this city. Since you can't be bothered with such petty matters, I'll find someone who can."

She paused for full dramatic affect, allowing her subtle, gently spoken words coated with venom to sink into his hard head and much softer ego before going in for the kill metaphorically speaking.

"Maybe I should just ask your son. He's a pretty formidable hero already. You bred him to be something quite special, didn't you?"

"You wait just a damn second!" Endeavor exclaimed, jumping to his feet, his facial flames exploding outward. "Of course I'm the best one to help you. When are we going to do this?"

"We can begin practicing the day after tomorrow," All Might interjected as if to remind the two locked in a battle of wills and acidic words they weren't the only ones in the room.

"Fine. The day after tomorrow it is," Endeavor agreed.

Success! And she didn't even have to kiss him to bend him to her will. Double success!

~\..'../~

Melina stood on the platform waiting for the train. There were a few other people waiting as well. An older woman with a bag of groceries. A businessman in a suit who kept looking at his watch. A guy in a black hoodie that hid his face. The white cords from ear buds hanging from underneath the hood indicated he was in his own world listening to music or something. All of them seemed harmless enough.

Nevertheless, she anxiously fiddled with the handcuff around her wrist hidden under sleeve that attached the briefcase to her arm. To her, the documents locked inside were that important for her to take such drastic measures.

Without telling anyone, Melina had left school early, foregoing grading papers. She had gone to the bank to the safe deposit box to retrieve some of her father's notebooks for Mei. She had given Mei her suit to study, asking her to develop another suit, a lighter type of body armor that could be worn under her clothing. Her father might have notes in one of his notebooks to enable her to complete it faster, eliminating a lot of trail and error.

So far her trip had been uneventful. As usual, her luck was about to run out when everything seemed okay.

"Don't scream," a male voice warned her. "There's no reason for these innocent people to die."

Glancing around, she saw the old woman and the impatient business man. The guy in the hoodie was gone because he was standing behind her.

Melina jumped when his hand touched the back of her neck. Despite being startled, she did not scream, holding it back with gritted teeth. His fingers manipulated her neck as if attempting to massage away the tension he had put there.

"What do you want?" she asked, her insides quivering like jelly. "I don't have much money, but you can have it."

"I don't want your money. I want you. I've missed you, Melina," he whispered, his breath tickling her neck and raising goosebumps over her entire body.

Dabi? How could she not have sensed him? Upon realizing the man was him, not some random attacker, relief poured over every jangled nerve like warm water flowing over her. Pitter patter went her stupid little heart. She would not allow herself to fall back into his arms - or into his bed - again. Not this time.

She tensed up just as quickly as she had relaxed, anger pushing away the sentimental feelings that tried to creep in. Enough damage had been done the last time she let down her guard around him. Forgiving him that time was having more far reaching implications than she could have anticipated. She started to tremble, more from anger than fear.

What was that bastard doing here? Dabi had ended their relationship. He insisted it was better for them to be apart. Why won't he stay away. When faced with the choice of her or the villains, he had chosen the villains. So why the fuck was he here and harassing her? He was the metaphorical bad penny who perpetually turned up in her life.

"Stay still. I won't hurt you," he assured her, misinterpreting her shivering.

Her body lurched forward when a stinging sensation in her hip sent a jolt of pain down her right leg. Despite the hand holding her neck, his fingers extending around the sides, almost meeting in the front, she looked down to see a terrifyingly long needle stabbed into her body, her blood filling the syringe.

"I just need a little. It will be over soon," he said, squeezing her neck lightly.

Melina grabbed the syringe, attempting to pull it out. She whimpered when he pushed the needle in deeper, increasing his grip on her neck until she could not move.

"Do you not understand the precarious position you're in?"

"Are you seriously threatening to kill me? Aren't you going to take me to Shigaraki now like a good dog should?" she inquired acidly. "You are his retriever after all."

"I'm not going to do either of those things," he replied, his voice freakishly calm. "All I want is your blood."

"Dabi, there's something you need to know," she said, inhaling a cleansing breath when his hand dropped from her neck.

"What would that be, my love?" he queried, standing closer to her.

"You've got to stop," she returned, straining to control her rising anger. "We haven't been lovers for quite a while. I will never be your love again. That was by your choice."

"I have missed you, Melina," he repeated.

The snapping and popping of electricity on the rails signaled the train would soon be coming into the small and almost deserted station.

"There's something you need to know," she repeated, turning to face the person who looked like Dabi. "I know it's you Himiko Toga."

"You're a very smart woman. Smarter than I thought you were. How did you know?" Himiko inquired.

The face that appeared to be Dabi's twisted into Himiko's special brand of resting bitch face. Melina cringed having her suspicion confirmed.

"I don't care how much you look like him, I know the man I loved, and you're not him. I could always feel Dabi's presence. He has this aura, an energy I could always feel straight through to my bones when he was near me. But with you I felt absolutely nothing so I knew you weren't him," she explained.

"Well, damn," Himiko sighed in disappointment. "Loved, you say? As in past tense?"

"Yeah, our relationship is a thing of the past," she confirmed. "Bitch, don't act as if you didn't already know."

The clack of the wheels of the train could be heard. It would be here soon.

Melina grabbed the hood of the sweatshirt, pulling down the face of the girl still wearing the elaborate guise of Dabi, crushing her mouth to hers. Surprisingly, she did not have to force her tongue past the yielding lips. Himiko's arms, the size and strength of Dabi's surrounded her shoulders, drawing her close for a far too intimate embrace. Sharp teeth scraped her sensitive tongue, piercing it and drawing blood, making her writhe in the arms holding her prisoner not allowing her to escape.

None of this was supposed to happen. She was supposed to be in control of this kiss but clearly she lost it to the impostor who currently sucked her honeyed tongue and relished the metallic flavor of her blood as well. Nausea bubbled in her stomach, bile rising in her throat, as the master of disguise moaned into her mouth enjoying the kiss far too much.

No matter how the queasiness surged inside of her, Melina could not free herself nor did she want to because she had initiated this kiss for a reason. Pressing her hand to the cleverly and elaborately disguised girl's throat, she could feel her swallowing the pheromone laced saliva in addition to her blood.

Finally, Melina could not take it anymore. She wrenched herself free from Himiko. Pressing the back of her hand to her mouth, she squeezed her eyes closed, swallowing back the vomit filling her mouth. This only made her sicker, forcing her to rush to the nearest trash can to release it. At the moment, she didn't care what the other people waiting on the platform thought about any of this.

"Awww," Himiko/Dabi whined. "The kiss wasn't that bad. I know it couldn't have made you that sick. Are you pregnant or something?"

Melina refused to react in any way that might give away the answer to the taunting question. The absolute last person on earth she wanted to find out about the baby was Himiko Toga. She pressed her lips together and gritted her teeth, to hold back the second wave of bile. Although she knew it wasn't actually him, seeing Dabi's likeness was tearing her apart. This damn morning sickness that struck at any time of day was wearing out her last nerve.

The train pulled into the station behind her, air brakes puffing and the wheels squealing as it came to a stop. Thank god she could escape at last. The doors opened with a hiss and click then people exiting the train weaved around them to go to their destinations.

Melina didn't have much time. Her mind was blank as to what orders she should issue to Himiko. Allowing her anger to drive her as she often did, she said the first things that came to mind.

"Tell Shigaraki to come and get me if he dares. I want him to come himself, not send one of his lap dogs after me like a fucking coward. I'll be waiting. In the future, you will stay the fuck away from me. Do you understand these orders as they have been given to you?" she asked.

"Yes. I understand," Himiko responded as Dabi in a flat, toneless voice.

Melina coughed and gagged, then turned to hop onto the train seconds before the doors closed. Virtually falling into a seat, she shut her eyes tightly as the train moved forward.

God, what a nightmare come to life! She had seen Dabi but actually kissed Himiko Toga; it was two nightmares rolled into one. She needed to get back to the dorm fast before she puked again. Grimacing from the disgusting sour taste in her mouth, she could still feel Himiko's tongue. Oh, this was going to require a lot of tooth-brushing and several bottles of mouthwash to get over.

~\..'../~

Melina hurried into the dorm, running past students in the living room area without greeting them. While climbing the stairs, she began unlocking the handcuff from her wrist. Upon entering her room, she tossed the briefcase onto her bed but forgot to close the door. Dashing to the bathroom, she slammed and locked that door behind her. She was pretty sure at least one person had followed her.

"Melina? Are you all right?" Shoto asked through the door.

Couldn't he hear that she was most certainly NOT all right? She hugged the toilet until the entire contents of her belly had been emptied. She had not eaten since breakfast and had already thrown up once so it didn't take long.

"Melina!" Shoto bellowed, banging on the door as if he meant to break it down with his fists.

"I'll be out in a minute," she said, her voice tremulous. "I think I ate something bad at lunch. Let me grab a quick shower. Will you grab me a drink? A ginger ale?"

"Sure thing. I'll be waiting for you when you get out," he returned.

Melina took a fast, icy cold shower to cool her body and diminish the queasiness. Shivering uncontrollably, she dried off and wrapped up in her gray bathrobe. After brushing her teeth three times and gargling twice, she exited the bathroom a tremoring ball of nerves.

"Where have you been?" Shoto asked, pushing the canned drink into her hands.

He snatched the fuzzy pink blanket from the back of her desk chair, folding it around her body. Without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to warm her up.

"Where did you go? Why did you leave without telling anyone? Why would you go out alone? What the hell were you thinking? What happened?" he questioned her in rapid succession.

"Are these rhetorical questions or do you want an answer?" she asked, bringing the can to her mouth with trembling hands.

"That depends. Are you going to tell me the truth?" He glared at her, his eyes capturing and holding hers.

"No," she replied with brutal honesty.

"Dammit, you're infuriating," he muttered.

Shoto snatched back the comforter, pushing her down onto the bed. Tossing her pillows into a pile behind her back, he forcefully leaned her against them then covered her up. He watched her as she sipped her ginger ale.

"It's just food poisoning. No big deal. I'll be fine after some rest," she assured him.

"I know something else is going on with you," he said, narrowing his eyes to glare harder at her as if a dirty look would extract the information from her.

"I went to get my father's notebooks for Mei," she admitted, giving him a token of truthful information. "I got sick when I was waiting at the train station."

Melina was being as honest as she could be without saying too much. A lie of omission is still a lie. How those words haunted her. She nodded toward the silver case when he stared at her with a dubious expression.

"Look in there, and you'll see I'm telling the truth. The code is ten thirty one," she said when he noticed the lock.

"Halloween?" he asked, rotating the tiny dials to the correct numbers.

"My birthday."

"Oh, that's nice to know."

Shoto pulled out one of the wire bound, five subject notebooks. He flipped through the pages all in various states of damage. All of the sheets were tattered on the edges, several stained with coffee, some folded and creased until they were falling apart while others were full of black blotches where words had been struck out with black marker.

"What are these?" he inquired upon seeing all of the sketches randomly inserted among pages of unreadable handwritten notes.

"I'm giving those notes to Mei because I believe she can truly appreciate them. She can breathe life into some of the inventions my father never got to make. And never will."

"I didn't know. I'm sorry," Shoto apologized, closing the notebook and returning it to the case. "Actually, I don't know much of anything about you."

Melina shrugged, avoiding eye contact. She continued nursing the drink that was settling her upset stomach.

"None of it mattered until now I guess," she said, finishing off the drink.

"Why now? What's changed?" he questioned her, taking the empty can to set it on the nearby desk.

Oh, how she wanted to tell him exactly what has changed. Eventually, she would have to tell him. There would come a time when her secret would no longer be hidden no matter how hard she tried.

"I realized you invited me into your life, and I know so much about you, but you know nothing about me. It's not fair," she murmured, her voice hitching from the ball of emotion that formed in her throat.

"I know the important things...like what a kind, loving person you are," he said, pushing a damp pitch black lock behind her ear. "I will learn more about you over time. Besides, where you came from and what's happened in the past doesn't matter."

Shoto took her face between his hands, pressing his palms to her cheeks.

"But it does matter. It does!" Melina exclaimed, placing her hands over his. "God, if you knew some of the things I've done, you would - "

"I don't care," he cut her off.

"You would care. Trust me. You might even hate me."

"I could never hate you."

"But - "

He pressed his lips to hers to make her stop talking. The kiss was unassuming, quick but lingering long enough to allow her to comprehend the sensation of his silky lips on hers. He placed his forehead against hers, still cupping her jaws in both of his hands.

"This is wrong," she said, resisting the temptation to kiss his lips again.

"It feels right to me," he rejoined, giving her another peck on the lips as if to confirm his statement.

"You should go," she implored him, pulling away before he stole a third kiss.

"I know. Tell me something about you," he requested.

When she did not immediately speak, Shoto leaned forward to kiss her that third time. This time his lips remained on hers for at least a full ten seconds. Ten seconds did not sound like a long time until one considers it only takes one second for someone to walk into her room and catch them in their present compromising position.

Melina found the adrenaline rush of tasting forbidden fruit astonishingly addictive. The overpowering need to experience something real, someone real, pushed her to kiss him back. She needed to be kissed by someone who genuinely loved her after her traumatic encounter at the train station. Besides, they could only go so far with a kiss without activating her quirk. That was a sobering thought.

"Shoto, we have to stop," she whispered after pulling her mouth away from his. "I can't let any of the pheromones get into your mouth."

"I don't care," he said. "Give me any order. Do what you wish to me."

"Shoto!" she gasped, shocked and embarrassed by his teasing words.

When he tried to kiss her again, Melina placed her hand over his mouth. Tears burned her eyes.

"You have to stop. I do care. I care...a lot," she confessed, her eyes apprehensively tracking back and forth between his.

Shoto's eyes widened when she gazed into them to relay the deeper meaning of her message without words. He reached up, pulling her hand away from his mouth.

"Are you saying what I think you're saying?" he asked.

Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes yet did not fall. Melina nodded, the lump in her throat growing, choking her.

"There's something, something important, I want to tell you but can't. Not yet," she whispered. "No matter what happens, never forget how I feel about you. I may leave one day soon and -"

"No matter where you go, I'll find you. But stay with me. I'll go with you into Hell and bring you through to the other side."

"I'm glad you feel that way because that's probably exactly where we're going to go. Your love is about to be tested. Soon you'll know if you really love me or not."

"Todoroki! Miss Zusa! Where are you?" Bakugo hollered up the stairs.

Upon hearing their names being bellowed, they broke apart, trying to wipe the guilty expressions off their faces. Shoto leapt off the bed to sit in the desk chair while Melina covered herself up to her chin with the comforter and blanket.

"Aizawa is looking for you!" he shouted.

Bless Bakugo's dear heart, using his talent for being loud and obnoxious, he had warned them and saved them all from an extremely uncomfortable situation that would undoubtedly have terrible consequences.

"Bakugo, thank you so much but I do not need a herald!" Aizawa exclaimed, projecting his voice back down the stairs seconds before entering Melina's room through the open door. "What's going on?"

"Miss Zusa is sick so I brought her a drink," Shoto explained, pointing to the soda can on the desk behind him.

"What's wrong with you?" the perpetually grouchy man demanded.

"Food poisoning I think," she replied.

"I'll bring you up some miso soup and a salad. You need the nutrients, but it shouldn't upset your stomach further."

"I can get it," Shoto offered.

"I'll do it," Aizawa insisted. "You get out. This is highly inappropriate. You shouldn't be on this side of the dorm anyway. Males aren't allowed."

"You're in here," he pointed out on his way to the door.

"Out!" Aizawa turned his attention back to Melina. "Did something happen in here I need to know about?"

"Nope. Absolutely nothing you need to know about," she answered honestly.

"I'll get Uraraka to bring up your food," he muttered as he exited her room.

When he was gone, Melina noisily expelled the breath it felt like she had been holding since the man walked into her room. Snuggling into her pillows, she tried to stay awake for the food but fell asleep.

She needed sleep more than food. Tomorrow they would practicing for the big event.

~\..'../~

Dabi lay in his bed, in the dark and all alone. But he was thinking about her. Ever since Himiko had left on her assignment to hunt down Melina, he could not stop thinking about her.

Despite how much time had passed, he could clearly remember the cheerful sound of her laugh, the beauty of her smile, the vanilla lavender scent of her hair, the softness of her skin. The pleasure he received from her body went beyond sex. What he felt with her was sublime, soothing to his soul and fulfilling to his heart. She had given him a precious gift beyond orgasms. She had loved him, and he had loved her. But they were both idiots thinking it would never end.

Dabi sighed rolling over on his side to face the blank wall. The sound of his door opening and closing almost escaped his attention he was thinking so intently about Melina.

"Dabi."

Was that her voice? Was it his imagination or had he finally gone crazy? Worse yet, perhaps Himiko had found her and brought her here.

Dabi lay still, pretending to be asleep. He kept his body relaxed as the person climbed into bed behind him.

The body definitely belonged to a woman. She pressed her breasts flat to his bare back, her arm and leg hooking themselves over his body. The soft kiss on the back of his neck made every muscle in his entire body tense.

"Dabi," she whispered, her breath tickling the back of his neck and making the skin prickle.

"So Himiko found you?" he asked. "Why are you coming to me so willingly?"

"I allowed Himiko to bring me here to you. I wanted to see you. I've missed you," she said.

The Melina he knew would not allow herself to be ensnared so easily. And he seriously doubted she ever wanted to see him again. Besides, Shigaraki would have her locked up somewhere to make damn sure she didn't escape.

The hand stroking his chest felt good. He missed her touch. But this woman wasn't her.

"Himiko, stop and get out," he ordered her, pushing her hand away as it moved downward across his abdomen.

"But it's me, Melina," she insisted when he turned to look at her.

"Enough already," he muttered, unable to avoid looking at her bare breasts which had Melina's scars on them. "I will admit you copied her quite nicely even down to the scars."

"Not good enough apparently," Himiko sighed, scooting off the bed.

Dabi watched as she took his t-shirt and pulled it over her head to cover up her naked body. She had transformed back into herself since he called her bluff. There was no reason to expend unnecessary energy keeping up the disguise.

"Obviously you did see her since you were able to get her blood and transform into her," he stated instead of asking.

"I kissed her too," she told him, sitting back down on the bed beside him.

She apparently enjoyed torturing him by the sadistic giggle of dark glee she let out after seeing the shocked expression on his face.

"Did you tell Shigaraki anything?" he asked her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her.

"Ow!" she squealed as if he had injured her.

Although he doubted it hurt, he let her go anyway. "Did you say anything?"

"Of course I did! That stupid bitch ordered me to give him a message. She was actually dumb enough to antagonize him." She pouted in disappointment. "For some reason, I haven't been able to use her quirk. Honestly, I think she's totally useless. I think it's all an act, and Twice wanted to do those things."

She leaned toward him, gliding her fingers up his abdomen from his belly button. Dabi slapped her hand away.

"I can see why you liked her so much. She was a really great kisser. I bet she was an even better fuck. I'm disappointed I didn't get to find out how good you are," she sighed.

"Get out, Himiko," he snarled at her through his clenched teeth.

"By the way, I have something important to tell you about your ex-girlfriend that might be of interest," she said, standing up from his bed.

"What could you possibly tell me about her that I would actually care to know?" he muttered irritably. Or didn't already know about her.

"I took a little of her blood to the good Doctor Ujiko," she said, picking at her fingernails and stalling.

There was nothing good about that psychopath. Would you just fucking leave already?, Dabi thought to himself, wanting to stew in his misery alone.

"Your girlfriend - "

"Ex-girlfriend," he butted in to correct her. "You just said it yourself, moron."

"Anyway," she huffed, twisting a lock of her blond hair around finger. "Your precious, wonderful Melina is pregnant! Isn't that a hoot?! If it weren't for bad luck, that woman would have no luck at all!"

Dabi couldn't breathe. Pregnant? The how was obvious. The why immaterial. But it didn't stop the questions from battering his baffled brain. His lungs ached reminding him to inhale. Compelling himself to remain calm, reclaiming his unconcerned facade, he leaned back against the wall with his arms casually folded behind his head.

"Why should I care if she's already fucked somebody else and gotten knocked up?"

"What makes you think it's someone else's kid? See, that's the really good part...the punchline to this sick joke. The doctor ran tests. Congratulations, Dabi," she said, opening the door. Before leaving, she had to get in one more good stab to his heart after he humiliated her by rejecting her. "Too bad she hates your damn guts, and you've lost her forever. Good night."

Dabi picked up the empty but heavy lead crystal shot glass from the nightstand and threw it at the closed door, shattering it into a thousand pieces. He ran his hands through his hair, grasping handfuls as if he might rip it out in frustration.

Holding his throbbing head between his hands, he could not stop the machine gun like spray of thoughts bombarding his brain. Rash and speaking before thinking as always, Melina had all but invited Shigaraki to kill her to take her quirk.

Damn Shigaraki. That ten gallons of crazy in a five gallon bucket wouldn't give a damn about her being pregnant and spare her life.

The tests have to be wrong. He couldn't be the father. That can't be true. If she is actually pregnant, the baby has to belong to someone else. Shoto? She had already been friends with him for who knows how long. That would explain why the doctor mistook the DNA for his. He was a kook after all so of course he made an error reading the results.

Denial came easy for Dabi. For too many years he had denied his very own name, his identity entirely. He denied his past and his future, living only in the present. Most of all, he denied he was his father's son.

He and Enji Todoroki both shared the personality trait of excessive pride that barged right into the territory of conceit and egomania. They rejected love and anyone who wanted to give it to them. Admitting he was like his father would be more than he could handle. There was no way he could be a father.

Himiko said she could not use Melina's quirk. Obviously, she would want to be an exact copy of Melina down to her quirk so she could successfully seduce him. That ability would have enabled her to get what she wanted from him despite failing to trick him into having sex with her. He shuddered from the thought. Why couldn't she use the Queen Bee's ability?

"Oh, my god," he gasped, his frenzied brain somehow immediately grasping the reason. "Why didn't I see this before? And Shigaraki is too stupid to figure it out. Not that he'd care. Dammit!"

The answer to her quirk, the source of her power was in her name and no one had realized what had been right in front of them all along. Her quirk was not inherently her own because it came from the bees. They had chosen her, to endow her with the power by making her their Queen. She had even told him that, but he never put much thought into it after that. If the bees were destroyed, she would no longer have her quirk.

"Dumb ass. You stupid fucking bastard," he berated himself.

Dabi opened his palm, creating a flame. As if mesmerized, he gazed into the blue fire meant for destruction. This problem could have been solved a long time ago by burning the hive. Her quirk would have disappeared like magic.

If only he had known then what he knows now. Shigaraki's infatuation could have been quashed before it became a more personal matter involving his fragile ego and evolved into single minded obsession. Besides, the man was like a runaway train that could not be stopped. He would stop at nothing to please All for One, his mentor.

But it was already too late for her anyway. Even if she lost her quirk, Shigaraki would still murder her to avoid further humiliation from her and to save face. There was no hope for her.

He closed his hand into a fist, extinguishing the flame. What did he care? She wasn't his problem anymore. He had already rebuilt that wall around his heart. She had moved on. So had he. He had chosen to reject and leave his family behind so a woman who was a veritable stranger was no big deal. The heroes could do what they do best and try to save that lost cause.

"She's all yours, little brother."