NeonHorizon: Quick warning! There's a mention of physical abuse near the beginning of the chapter. The rest of the chapter is pretty sweet, but the fifth paragraph from the top is kind of dark. I had some extra romantic bits in this chapter to try to make up for it. Let me know if there's anything you want to see more of in this story.

The first time Neneko intentionally used her quirk was in high school. To explain why she did it, one would have to look a bit further back into the past. She had a rather unusual upbringing and was brought into the world by rather unusual parents.

Her father fell in love with her mother in high school. He fell for her melodic voice and her beauty before even knowing what her personality was like. A few attempts were made at asking her on a date, but each offer was met with a refusal. Unfortunately for Neneko's mother, he was a persistent man.

He bypassed Neneko's mother and spoke directly to Neneko's maternal grandparents about marrying their daughter. A large dowry was promised. Being not so well off, they agreed to have their daughter marry him.

Neneko's father was obsessed with anything traditional. In high school, he had learned kendo and archery. He practiced his calligraphy every day. He despised anything foreign, which was unfortunate since Neneko's mother had always loved foreign films. He imposed his own desires on his wife and his daughter. There were strict rules to follow and he was brutal if these rules were ever broken.

Her mother tended to break the rules more often than Neneko. The day that Neneko intentionally used her quirk, she had broken a rule about hair cutting and Neneko had returned home to find her mother being physically disciplined by her father. The woman was bleeding, crying, pleading for it to end and promising to never break another rule. It was when Neneko saw her mother's bloody face that she unleased a furious shout that ultimately resulted in her father taking his own life.

Neneko was taken by the police and questioned. A young hero with a vocal quirk had to speak on her behalf and explain how emotions could sometimes cause people with vocal quirks to accidentally use their quirk. He had been kind to her and understanding, but he did not realize the truth. Neneko had wanted her father to die that day. She had raised her voice, used her quirk, with the full intent to end him.

Pushing away the wretched memories of her past, she brought herself back to the present. To the warmth of Jin's embrace and the safety of the hotel room. I can never allow him to know the details of my father's death. If he ever knew…what I did to my father…such a horrid way to end one's self...

She shook her head and wrapped her arms around Jin. "You are…a great man," she whispered. "I truly appreciate all that you've done for me."

"Awww! You don't have to thank me! Come on! You can thank me with some cuddles!" The eye parts of his mask indicated he was smiling behind it and he leaned down to rub his cheek against hers. A hand moved up along her back, hesitantly at first, and soon fingers ran through her long dark hair.

Neneko lifted her face a little and found his mask-covered mouth pressing against hers through the fabric. The woman's violet eyes widened in momentary alarm before she began to kiss back. Her arms had been around his neck and tightened now, bringing her closer to him.

He fell onto his back on the bed, taking her with him. The translator was on top of him, her legs to either side of his left leg. His right hand remained threaded into her hair and the left tentatively began to move down her back. He let it rest against her lower back for a moment before very cautiously lowering it.

She tensed for an instant, startled, but then relaxed. Neneko felt blood rushing to her face, heating it until it felt like her cheeks could be glowing. His fingertips were warm against her thigh as they gently skimmed over her pale skin. He was being extremely careful; as if he was afraid that his touch might make her shatter like glass.

The kiss was broken and Neneko buried her face in the area between his neck and shoulder. She wanted to take off his mask for a proper kiss, but she knew that it made him feel more secure when he was wearing it. Her attention was drawn away from the kiss as she felt his fingertips rub small circles on her skin. Her back arched subconsciously, her hips pressing tighter against his and inadvertently pushing her thigh against a particular part of him.

"Neneko, are you trying to seduce me? It's not gonna work! Hey! If we're gonna do this, I wanna be on top!"

She flushed a warm pink shade and leaned back a little from his neck. Her hands gently gripped the edges of his mask, but she hesitated to actually pull it up. "I…I would never…force myself on you in such a way…" she argued, quickly drawing her hands away from his mask.

"What?! No way! Come on! Show a little force! You're so sweet! I'll take the lead if that's how you want it!" His hand left her hair and he dragged his mask up to reveal his face, his teeth gritted. The man's gray-blue eyes met her violet ones and a hint of warmth rose to his face. "N-Neneko…"

"Jin…I…" The young woman leaned down, bringing her lips against his without a barrier this time. Her thigh inadvertently rubbed against him again and her lips muffled his groan.

His hand moved from her outer leg and pressed at her lower back, keeping her body flush against his. He broke the kiss and turned his head to the side, his eyebrows furrowed and teeth gritted. Jin's expression was one of indecision as he glanced toward her.

"I…want to go further," he mumbled. "But only if you want to. I'm not…I'd never push you to do something you don't want to do."

Her pulse quickened and she bit her lower lip, casting her gaze to the side. She loved him more than she had ever loved another person, but she had not thought about going this far. Not that she was exactly opposed to it; she found him attractive and the sight of him in his villain costume had given her a nosebleed a few times.

The problem was her quirk. Neneko had boyfriends in the past, but they never lasted long. Any time she was intimate, she had to keep her voice lowered or try to be silent. Her relationships always ended soon after this. In her experience, the guys always seemed to prefer a girl that would be loud. They seemed to need that verbal validation.

"Jin…I…would like to go further," she admitted. "However…you would be disappointed by my silence. Despite how I might feel, I must keep my voice lowered to prevent my quirk from affecting you."

"Th-that's okay! Neneko, you don't…have to be loud!" Jin was staring up at her now, his face inches from hers. He blinked in surprise when he saw her blushing and leaned into her touch when her soft fingertips gently caressed the side of his face. "Neneko. I…love you. I just want you to be comfortable."

"Perhaps…we should-" Neneko was interrupted by a knock at the hotel room door. She and Jin both turned their heads toward the bedroom doorway and listened as the knocking persisted.

Only Giran and Compress knew where they were staying. Compress only knew due to having helped them move since he was there when the decision was made. His quirk was quite useful when it came to moving their belongings.

Jin moved first, carefully sitting up and holding Neneko against his chest for a moment. He glanced from her to the doorway before reaching a decision of his own. "Stay here. I'm just going to check if it's Giran."

"Wait…" Neneko was left alone on the bed and watched him leave the room, her heart racing. When he was out of sight, she rushed after him. Her arms wrapped around his left arm, hugging it to her chest as she tried to pull him away from the door. "This is unnecessary. If you indulge them-"

"Hey, it's me. Come on. Open up." The voice was male and familiar.

The two exchanged a glance and Neneko hugged his arm tighter. Dabi. Why is he here? We were quick to return to the hotel so how did he track us? I suppose he might have gotten this location from Giran, but for what purpose? If he anticipates some form payment for his useless part in what took place within that alley, he will be disappointed.

Jin opened the door to admit the other villain and was startled to find that Dabi was not alone. He had brought Toga with him. The girl was the first to enter the hotel room, looking around at everything and then grinning when she saw Neneko. Dabi entered behind her, his eyes immediately focusing on the couch in the main room.

"Is there a reason for this intrusion on our privacy?" Neneko spoke, shifting her hold from Jin's entire arm to just simply holding his hand.

Toga saw this and began to blush pink. "That's so cute! Sorrow, you really love him, don't you? You really, really love him!"

"Keep your voice down. You'll draw attention." Dabi sprawled on the couch and made himself comfortable. Only when he seemed satisfied did he finally lift his eyes to the couple and smirked. "So this is where you live? Not bad."

"Isn't this place expensive?" the girl chimed in.

"I am able to afford this due to my work as a translator," Neneko protested. "This hotel…is secure and it provides everything that we may need."

"You think the leader would like this place, Twice?" Dabi turned his head slightly toward Jin, his smirk still intact.

"Tomura would be impressed," Toga agreed.

"You guys…can't be here. Neneko…I mean Sorrow and I were doing something!" Jin's grip on her hand tightened a little, but not so much that it hurt.

Neneko lifted her free hand, chewing at her thumbnail in frustration. My name. You…spoke my name in front of them. She could already see Toga's smile growing sheepish as the girl glanced at Dabi. He is the one that brought her here. I am certain that it was in order to create a distraction. Though I am unable to place why such a distraction would be needed.

"Neneko, huh? That's…a weird name." Dabi got up from the couch and approached the two, ignoring Toga. The girl was behind him, looking out the window at the view of the city below. His turquoise gaze briefly lingered on Neneko before lifting to Jin's face. "Got somewhere we could talk? I need to talk to Twice. Just Twice."

Grimacing, Jin pulled his mask down and gave him a thumbs up. "You bet, Dabi! Ugh! I don't wanna be alone with you! Creepy!" He went ahead of Dabi to the little kitchen and waved his arms. "Are you gonna make me wait?! Take your time! I'm gonna grab a snack!"

They both saw him disappear from the doorway and soon heard him rummaging in a cupboard. A scarred, patchwork hand settled on Neneko's shoulder as the dark-haired villain leaned down to her ear. "Neneko's a weird name. Think I like Mystic better." He flashed her a smug look as he drew away and went to join Jin in the kitchen.

She stared after him and winced when the kitchen door slid closed. What…could he be speaking with Jin about? I wish that I could hear them. I wish that I knew. Her eyes drifted to Toga and she nodded to herself. I'm certain that she will help me, with the right amount of prompting.

Standing beside the girl, she looked down at the city as well and had to half-smile. It was a good view; she could watch shoppers and other unassuming civilians go about their daily, mundane tasks without any sort of worry. She had seen a few rather bizarre fashion choices pass by below just the day before.

"Toga-chan…"

The blonde girl beamed and looked over at her. "You guys are so cute together. I wanna meet someone I can get all lovey-dovey with."

"I'm sure that you will one day. You…have good looks. And you are quite talented with your quirk, from what I have heard." She paused and frowned. "Toga-chan, I do apologize for being so blunt, but are you aware of what Dabi intended to discuss with Twice?"

She frowned back at Neneko and tilted her head. "I don't know. I ran into Dabi in an alley and he asked if I wanted to see where you live. He said he got your address from Giran or something. I don't know why he wanted to come here, but I'm glad he invited me. Now you can tutor me, right?"

"Ah…tutor you?" The woman tilted her head slightly and then remembered their earlier conversation. "Yes…of course. I recall now; you wanted to learn some phrases in foreign languages."

"I want to know how to say "I love you" in as many languages as you know."

"I suppose we could work on that." Thankfully, the kitchen door slid open seconds later. Neneko watched both male villains emerge and started toward them, but saw Jin hold up a hand. "Could you…perhaps enlighten me…?"

"Dabi and I are going out for a while! Stay here with Toga-chan, okay?" He approached her and held her shoulders, his masked face a few inches above hers. "I'm gonna keep you safe no matter what! I'm drawing the line at getting stabbed! Ain't gonna happen if a knife's involved!"

"…I believe further explanation is in order…" she mumbled, frowning.

He held up a finger and shook his head. "No way! Just stay here and I'll be back soon!"

"Are you done? I wanna make this fast; I'm tired." Dabi was already at the apartment door. He saw Toga tilt her head and he nodded toward the woman. "Stay with Sorrow and keep her company until we come back. Shouldn't take us too long."