Jin...is not here yet? Neneko looked around the bar, feeling disappointed when she failed to spot his trademark black and pale grey costume among the other villains there. She wanted to turn away and leave. After all, he was her sole reason for being there.
Just as she began to wonder if he might have been injured on his way to the meeting, she felt an arm wrap around her from behind and jolted. All it took was a quick glance down to recognize the scarred, patchy hand of Dabi. Her stomach turned upon realizing how close he was pressed against her back.
It had seemed a safe enough idea when she first joined the League of Villains. If she got close to other villains, no one would ever notice her admiration for Jin. Though she was beginning to regret choosing Dabi to get close to. He was laidback, but clingy. He got jealous easily and pouted. Just his presence was enough to make her feel irritation and disgust because he had already openly bragged to her about his kills.
"Awww! Kheheh! Ya miss me that much, Staple Face?" The fake voice made her throat feel ragged. That lower than normal, growly voice. Even the gruff speech pattern made her feel uncomfortable.
"It's been over a week. What do you even do anyway?" he murmured beside her ear. His arms were both wrapped around her now, holding her close in a way she never wanted him to. The scarred villain seemed to be in a clingier mood than usual. Needier. Attention starved.
If it was Jin, Neneko knew she would not mind this treatment. She knew him much better than Dabi. Not to mention how fond she was of Jin. As she twisted to look up at Dabi, she let her eyes half-close and a gloved hand lifted to caress his cheek. "Kheheh! What's up? Ya wanna ask me out or something?"
Please stop touching me. I despise this greatly. She patted his cheek and tilted her head. "Don't think ya could handle all this full time, Staple Face! Mystic is a strong drug, ya know! Better in small doses!"
He let her pull away and frowned, hands sliding into his pockets. "Seriously?"
"What's the problem?" She put her hands on her hips, head still tilted and her oil-dark eyes staring up at him. Thankfully, her mask hid the lower half of her face so he was unable to see the disgusted frown taking form.
"It's not enough." The villain smirked, taking a step toward her. He backed her up more and more until her back connected with the edge of the bar.
Dabi planted a hand on the surface of the counter and brought a hand up to cup her chin through her mask. His thumb traced over the skeletal smile printed on the black spandex and he skimmed over her upper lip, his skin hot through the fabric. He saw a warm, pink hue rising to her face and he leaned down so his face was just a few inches from hers. "I'm sick of waiting around for the next meet up. Come with me when we're finished here tonight. I want to see-"
"Would you kindly refrain from leaning on the counter?" Kurogiri's voice came from behind them, making Neneko tense up and Dabi lift his gaze.
"Too bad, Staple Face. Kurogiri doesn't want ya getting the counter dirty~" she taunted. Neneko carefully moved around him in time to see that special someone enter the bar.
Jin had his mask and costume on, which immediately made her heart skip a beat. She simply could not help it. Every time she saw him in his costume, saw the way that the black and grey material clung so tightly to his form, she felt herself getting excited. She had to fight the urge to bite at her thumbnail when she saw him this time and quickly forced out a cheerful greeting in her fake voice.
"Panda Man~! Looking fine as ever!" As she waved, she heard Kurogiri sigh. The woman looked over her shoulder and saw him seem to shake his head. "What's the matter?"
"Is it absolutely necessary for you to flirt shamelessly with your fellow villains? If Shigaraki Tomura was not impressed by your knife skills-"
"What's wrong with appreciating a work of art, huh?" She turned to face him, leaning forward against the counter on her elbows and ignoring the way his eyes narrowed on her. "C'mon! What's the deal? Jealous or-?!"
A hand rested on her back as Dabi leaned over. "He's not worth it, babe."
What…is that word that you just used to refer to me? That…pet name…as if we are truly in such a relationship. No. I feel sick to my stomach, just at the thought. A murderer. A serial killer such as yourself. Neneko's blood ran cold as he smirked over at her. "What's that? Think you're special, Staple Face? Told ya it's about power and that eye candy over there, prancing around in his tight costume, really gets me going!"
It was a dangerous thing to say. It might draw attention to her attraction to Jin. Worse, it might draw Jin's attention. She had to keep her identity a secret. Especially now that she was refusing to see him. Luckily, he disliked Mystic.
So far, she could tell that the danger was still present, but it was a quiet danger. A looming at the edge sort of danger, rather than the previous impending terror that came with threats from Kurono. She still had business to attend to there, but cutting off communication with Jin and her assistant had so far yielded good results. Chisaki seemed pleased by her self-induced isolation, at least.
Shift P.O.V
Jin was exceptionally glad for his mask as he stepped into the bar. He had witnessed her transformation, but it was still difficult to accept. Neneko was Mystic. His quiet, sweet soulmate was this crass, flirtatious villain. He had a theory she might be working with the police as an undercover informant. However, if this was the case, she was in great danger. She would need his help now more than ever.
Not that he had a problem with protecting Neneko. He loved her. He was glad for any opportunity to be able to do something for her. This just happened to be a really difficult situation.
Standing against the wall near the door, he heard her talking to Dabi. The two flirted back and forth, which was completely normal for Mystic. He was almost able to forget that it was actually Neneko. Remembering the transformation, he felt his heart start to beat faster.
Neneko, stripping away her bulky sweater and skirt in favor of Mystic's skintight dress and mask. He remembered every part of the translator's pale skin, every curve, every dip. He felt certain urges as he thought about her and when he stared at her from across the bar, he gritted his teeth.
Sweat collected on his scalp, making his hair damp beneath his mask. It stuck his mask against his face tighter. Jin usually felt so stable within his mask, but today he could feel an internal struggle. He wanted to keep his distance to respect her, but at the same time he wanted to scoop her up into his arms and kiss her. Mystic was Neneko. His soulmate was this villain that was currently being flirted with by Dabi.
Across the bar, he saw her turn so she was leaning back against the counter's edge. The oil-dark eyes, made so dark by contact lenses, met his gaze through his mask. He saw her lift a hand and give him a cute little wave.
"Hey, Panda Man! Looking good! Kheheheh! Enough to make a girl thirsty~!" she spoke softly in that gruff, growly fake voice.
It was probably the crudest thing she had ever said. Even when she flirted with Dabi, it was less forward than this. Her words, despite being in that fake voice, sent a jolt of excitement through him. Jin knew who was behind the mask and costume now. This was different from when she had teased him before; now he could only see his darling Neneko in place of Mystic.
She had no time to react. He was across the bar faster than she could move, both arms wrapped around her and lifting her off her feet so her chest pressed against his. "Awww! You really like me that much?! Super unladylike!"
The woman released a small squeak when he lifted her, gloved hands planting on his shoulders to steady herself and staring down at him. Her eyes were wide for an instant before half-closing in bliss. A gloved hand lifted, the back of her fingertips trailing along his cheek. "Mmm~ Yeah! See? Panda Man knows how to make a girl feel special!" she teased, looking over at Dabi.
Jin's heart was pounding in his chest, feeling her soft form pressed against him. Her costume left little to the imagination besides hiding her face. The low neckline afforded him a sight of pale cleavage when she was standing back from him. The fabric hugged her curves perfectly, giving everyone else a good view of her figure.
He kept one arm pressed against her back to keep her in place and lifted his free hand to grip her wrist. Jin rubbed her fingertips along his cheek again, catching the lingering scent of lavender and feeling a rush of pleasure run through him. Warm, tingly. Settling in the pit of his stomach and making him wish he could pull down her mask and see her face fully. Wishing they could both shed their masks and he could kiss her.
"Gross, babe. You know how old he is?" Dabi gave the other two villains a smirk when they looked over.
Age was something that Jin had been trying not to focus on. Yes, he was older than Dabi. Probably. He was unsure of how old Dabi was, actually. He was unsure of how old Neneko was, too. She was at least older than her assistant.
Before he could stop himself, he blurted out. "Hey! Age is just a number! Awww! Why do you have to make me feel old?!"
A muffled laugh escaped the woman he was holding and Jin's pulse quickened. He knew that laugh. He loved that laugh; so light and pure like bubbles. Jin wanted to hug her tighter, but now he was drawing attention to them both. With reluctance, he set her down so she could stand.
The "villain" patted his cheek and seemed to almost grin up at him, but her mask hid it. "Twice is eye candy, Staple Face! Doesn't matter what ya say!" She gave him a wink and turned to ask Kurogiri for a drink.
Hearing her call him by his villain name gave him mixed feelings. He was a little excited by it, but at the same time he realized that by doing so she was putting a barrier between them. She was trying to be professional so, logically, he should too. If he drew too much attention to her, someone might start to suspect that she was working undercover.
He easily pushed away any worries and gave Dabi a thumbs-up before going over to engage in a conversation with Compress. His gaze shifted to her over and over as he talked, his thoughts completely different from what he was saying. She looks so cute in her villain costume! I love her so much! Eh, she looks okay! No way! She's adorable!
Shift P.O.V
Neneko was more than excited to go home. She hated dealing with Dabi even more after the encounter with Jin. The scarred villain was even clingier than usual and seemed to have grown possessive. If he saw her glance toward Jin, he would find some excuse to touch her and try to draw her gaze back to him. He made insinuations that made her stomach turn.
She decided to linger in the bar a while after Dabi left. If she went out too soon, she would run the risk of bumping into him or even being followed home by him. He had started to get persistent about meeting up outside of the bar.
While she flushed pink each time she thought about her encounter with Jin, it also brought forth a melancholy. It had been a week since she saw him, and she loved being held by the villain, but it felt like he had moved on from any feelings he might have had for her. Before the "break up", Jin would always rebuke Mystic's flirting and advances. He would recoil from her touch and had once boasted she could never make him cheat because she was not his type. Now he had seemed eager for her touch. It left Neneko feeling a bit depressed. Lonely.
Jin…my most noble friend. My…heart hurts…to be unable to see your face, but this is how it must be until I've taken care of what must be done. As it stands, his life could still be in danger simply for being seen with me. Simply for speaking to me. I will…I must…face an uncomfortable inconvenience in order to make things safe for you, Jin. I must be brave…for you…
She looked down the bar at where he was still talking to Compress. The teenage girl Toga had joined them and she looked excited. Adorable. When she saw Jin speaking to her, it made Neneko feel a pang of jealousy.
"Why're they being so loud? This isn't a real bar. Everyone should be gone already." The "boss" sat a few seats down from Neneko, making her look over, and proceeded to slouch forward a little, scratching at his neck. He sensed her looking his way and grumbled to himself. "What're you staring at, you quirkless freak?"
"Kheheh~ Just admiring the view, Boss Man!"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
It became apparent that the villain beside her had never been flirted with before in his entire twenty-something years of life. However, Neneko was not familiar with flirting so she was unsure of what to do now. The movies she had studied always had people that were cute and flirted back. This was just two shut-ins clearly coming to a stalemate.
Finally, Neneko slid a few yen notes toward Kurogiri from across the counter. "Alright, alright. I'm out for the night, Boss Man~" She gave a small, taunting bow and set off. She was fully aware of the fact that "Twice" was following "Mystic" out into the world.