#dabixgeten

Chapter 24: Icarus Takes Flight

AO3 Link

Previous Chapters: 23, 22, 21, 20, 19, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

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Geten knew she was rusty the minute she raised the lake of ice. In the same way muscles atrophied after unuse, her quirk felt, ironically, as if it were thawing after being frozen for a century. 

Her cryokinesis was sluggish, rigid. The ice body jerked forward and stalled as she attempted a simple levitation towards her. Finally, she returned the ice to the snaking gap in the ground where the water had been. 

She scowled. Despite doing simple manipulation exercises during her hospitalisation, using whatever ice cubes she had, it wasn’t enough — wouldn’t be enough to go up against the might of the entire army. 

As she allowed the bottom of the lake to melt back into water —  something she could still do just as well, to her relief, the thought struck her immobile for a few seconds. That is, after all, what I am seeking, yes? Freedom from this place and its people.

But I am still not strong enough. People as strong as Shingu Takame existed amongst the ranks of the advisors, and perhaps even the common soldiery. If she were to fight multiple of them concurrently, she could be…

Flashes of Mihara Takame’s corpse sent a shiver down her spine. 

“Killed.” She whispered. 

“Who?” Hawks’ voice gave her a reeling shock, creating a barrier of ice out of instinct. Upon registering it as his voice, she lowered it with a scowl. 

“Don’t do that,” She said. 

“My bad,” Hawks replied. “Who died?” 

“It’s nothing of importance.” 

“If you say so.” From his coat, he pulled out a half-eaten packet of chips. He offered one to her, who declined with a wrinkle in her expression and a shake of her head. 

“So, training for the Festival?” He observed. 

“Yes.” She still had to keep up appearances. “Why aren’t you asleep? It’s quite late.”

“Still have some errands to run. Just taking a break to catch up with you, if you don’t mind.”

“It doesn’t matter to me.” She sat on a constructed ice-bench, to which Hawks followed suit.

“Cool. Quick question, why do you always have your hood on?” He munched on more chips. 

“Not always.” She shot back. 

“Ah, you know what I mean.” Even though his tone sounded playful and curious, there was a sharpness in his words that pierced through all pretence.

“I do,” She conceded, “But I don’t want to share that with you. I hope you’re not offended.” 

Hawks waved his hand. “All good, I get it.” And he let the subject die. But the topic only grew like a fungus in her mind, until the question – innocent-sounding as it was, brought her back into her memories.

“Who am I? Apocrypha, a weapon for the Liberation Army.” That was what she said, and a statement she once lived by. 

“A sword has no need for a name any more than a stray dog does.” The words she had spoken with such conviction in front of Shigaraki – perhaps in hindsight, an act of bravado in the face of destruction incarnate…

She made herself shiver. Yet she lived by this doctrine imposed upon her, which she reinforced herself all those years. 

Till now. 

She reached up and pulled down her hood. Besides her, Hawks raised an eyebrow. 

“All right, I get it,” He chuckled. “Not all the time.” 

Geten returned a small smile. He wouldn’t understand. Her focus shifted to the pair of crimson wings on his back. 

“Where did you train?” Geten said aloud the question rising to her mouth. “Did you go to…” What was it called? “A school?”

“Not me. I was...special, you could say.” His tone took on some solemnity. 

“So you trained under a mentor, like myself?”

“You could say that.” Hawks said, after a pause. 

“He must have been good, for you to attain such a high hero ranking, in the public eye.” 

“Ha!” He burst out. “Almost too good...too good for me.”

Geten recognised that look. It was her own expression whenever she stared herself in the mirror as a young child, after she’d finished writing in her journal. Childish habits.

“It was difficult, was it not?” She felt a strange connection between her and him. It was sympathy, to an extent, but not the same way her spiteful past self viewed her inferior soldiers. She sympathised with Hawks, but she also understood his pains of training. Was there some word for it? She couldn’t grasp it.

“You got me. It was. Really was.” 

A silence. Geten was unsure what to say.

Eventually, she said, “I went through something similar, though you must’ve realised that by now, given our last conversation.”

Hawks nodded. After another moment had passed, he said, “I had a friend who went through the same thing with me. He was a fun person. He made things easier.” 

“That’s good,” She said softly.

Hawks must’ve caught the look on her face which she tried to conceal. “Sorry, didn’t mean to make you feel bad.”

Geten waved it off. “He sounds like a nice person. What happened to him?” 

“We’ve went our separate ways. But I think you would’ve liked him.” 

“Perhaps I might meet him someday. Is he a hero?”

Hawks shrugged. That was all he did. 

“At any rate, all that training...Seems like it’s biting me in my ass now, what with the Festival and my assigned task,” He said. 

“Your...Oh.” She recalled it. 

Shigaraki had given the lieutenants and Hawks a more in-depth briefing just this morning, right after Geten left the hospital. There, he assigned groupings and explained his strategies to annex the cities they were to strike, taking out the heroes on guard there and keeping the populace under control. Suspiciously, he gave Dabi a job to be on the backline during the Festival, along with Apocrypha, which meant that Dabi’s other assignment was more secretive than she thought. 

As to what Hawk’s mission was, it was to keep up appearances. Shigaraki ordered Hawks to fight as a hero, against the invading Liberation soldiers. That way, his cover would be maintained, and he could continue infiltrating the Commission. 

“What about it?”

“To fight against people I would consider peers, and with the abilities that the Hero Commission know I have, they’ll expect me to round them up quickly, which means I’d be dooming them to prison. The total opposite to liberation.” Hawks sighed. “I feel horrible.” 

She responded, “They’ll understand. It’s for the greater good.” In other words, they would be so brainwashed they would accept come what may. But she didn’t say that. Judging from Hawks’ creased expression, he seemed troubled by his role in the Festival. 

“For Destro.” She said. 

Hawks looked at her. “For Destro,” He echoed. Standing up, he let his wings spread, pocketing the empty packet. 

“Thanks for keeping me company. I’ve gee to gee. Make sure you get some sleep, you did just recover fully.” He flashed a smile.

“Gee to gee?” 

“Got to go. It’s a shorter way to say it.” 

“But they have the same number of syllables. That’s illogical.” She argued.

Hawks chuckled again, not offering a reply to that, before ascending. 

“See you on Monday! Festival’s going to be great!” Hawks shouted, and then he sped off into the night sky. 

Geten resumed her training, feeling slightly better. At the same time, she tried to push away the thought that one day, when she had abandoned the Liberation Front, it could be Hawks that would be dragging her back into the clutches, and they would have to fight. 

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Hi, I don’t have much of an excuse. I said a few days and it ended up at least a week and then some. I could get into a rant on writer’s block but you’ve seen it all. Really sorry. Am hoping to make it up to you guys with the next chapter which should be an appropriate dose of Dabiten fluff and angst. Our usual orders as a fandom, I suppose. 

Shoutout to kannra21, kerasion, novella12nite and avirabbit (I know there are others but I just remember these few of you, sorry! ><) for still sticking with this story despite everything. 

Chapter 19: Old Chains

AO3 Link

Previous Chapters: 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

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The girl bowed and left the room in a hurry, nearly tripping over her feet as she did so. Geten watched her go, her lips pursed. Her behaviour reminded her of that messenger at her lodgings, but while she had smirked at the boy’s cowardice just a few days ago, she felt uneasiness coil around her stomach. 

Do they all look at me like that? How long has it been since I’ve been in the city? 

She rarely ever walked down a street, not having any need to with her cryokinesis. Transporting herself with her ice was much preferable to reducing herself by commuting alongside the other soldiers in the MLA. The few times she interacted with them...they always had the same look on their faces. 

She put those thoughts aside and returned to an even more unpleasant subject: the book in her hand that she had requested the girl bring to her. It was familiar to her like a mother to her infant. The same indented red cover with its engraving of the symbol of the MLA. The same title emblazoned with gold. 

Meta Liberation War. 

She knew the book back to front. If prompted by anyone, she could recite the pledge, the paragraphs or the sign off by Destro in a heartbeat. She had spent years memorising every key sentence, every declaration made by the founder of the Army she belonged to, and so on.

So why am I holding it in my hand?

Well, for one, she needed something to keep her distracted while she was stuck in the hospital ward, thanks to a certain fire-user and a dumb pact made just an hour or so ago. 

“Ok, five day hospitalisation, doc’s orders.” Dabi turned to leave the room. 

“No, I’m leaving tomorrow,” Geten shot back, crossing her arms. 

“Uh huh, because you’d be fully recovered, right?” 

She paused, searching for a retort. “You can’t make me stay here.”

Even to her, it sounded childish, and Dabi’s choked laughter told her he was thinking the same way. “Tell you what, what’s your favourite food?”

The question caught her off-guard. She blinked twice, wondering if that question came from him. “I don’t have one.”

“Bullshit. Everyone has one.”

“Unlike you, I’m not that much of an adolescent to show preferences for food. I eat whatever’s there.” 

“It’s something cold, isn’t it? Soba?” 

“How – wha –” She spluttered. “No, no it’s not.”

“You chill here until Friday, and I’ll get you soba.”

“Even if I did like it, I could just get it myself.” She was hoping her expression wasn’t betraying how much she liked the noodles. 

“Not in Deika City, obviously. You think this shithole has any good food?” 

“We can’t just leave –” Her exasperation was overpowered by his when he cut her off with, “Do you want the soba or not?”

A spasm of pain coursed through her ribs, causing her to wince. “Fine,” She muttered, and sat down on the bed. 

“See you Friday then. My god, you’re stubborn.” He left and shut the door. 

The memory, fresh in her mind, was oddly warming to think about, while the metal-engraved title of the book felt cold to the touch, pulling her back to the present. 

The second reason was repetition – too much of it, that is. She compared it to her mastery over her meta ability made it a part of her, that she barely gave a thought whenever she levitated ice. Likewise, she could recant any part of the book with no hesitance. But even though I speak the words out loud, how much thought have I given their meaning?

She flipped open the book. Destro’s words filled Geten’s head like a lullaby a parent might sing to their child, not that the young woman knew what that was like. 

“I am not in a prison. I am in solitude, and in this solitude have I found solace…” She read out loud to herself in the ward. It was habitual to do so, but as she kept reading, her voice trailed off as she studied it, and a growing void inside her gnawed at her heart. 

I dream of a society where the use of our meta abilities is uncontrolled, as the great power that granted the human race this blessing intended. It was, and is, and will always be, a gift. Yet it is also a responsibility to bear. We must show the world the truth the governments try to conceal. They pass human laws that goes against the natural law. I, and my army, tried to show them this truth, but it is with great regret and sorrow that I announce an obstacle in our path towards destiny. My incarceration. 

 …

Strength is survival. Strength is our meta abilities, and honing them to perfection, achieving what we called “apotheosis” in the ancient past. To become god-like. 

“And yet, you died, Destro,” Geten murmured. “And still we...we honour and revere you…” The void grew larger. 

The journey unto death is one I will undertake after I finish writing this, but know that death is not the end for us. While I concede death is a frightening concept, I encourage you to believe that it is an inspiration for others. To die in battle is honourable. I only wish I had done so, but what has happened is set in stone. My death is a protest to the laws that chain us, but it is also your empowerment, to do what I could not. 

“Death,” Geten whispered, the word tasting like poison on her tongue. She remembered both times she was one thread away from it: the barrel of Trumpet’s gun pointed at her, and the fists of Takame. In the first, she was not in combat. It would have been an assassination, would it not? And in the second…

Her chest hurt at the thought. She felt no honour, only emptiness and fear, knowing what the Liberation Army had done to her attacker’s family, and knowing her death was imminent. 

Is it possible that Destro had feared death as well? 

The reminder about Takame’s wife brought her to flip the pages to the section on the powerless, or, as Destro put it...

It is not some genetic disorder as the men in white coats would tell you. They are simply the unfortunate ones to not have received this gift. Pity them, for they, the outcasts, deserve your pity. 

“Mihara…” She looked just like her. If she was wandering around Deika City, Geten would have thought she was some ordinary soldier. An ordinary person, even. How was she an outcast? Why did the MLA start hunting down the quirkless? Out of pity? They deserved it?

She slammed the book shut as the image of her dead body appeared in her mind. She drew deep breaths to calm herself – had she been hyperventilating this entire time? Her fists were trembling, blood pounding in her head in anger of it all. 

The agony was a python writhing on her chest while old memories resurfaced from the aching in her brain. She remembered what Re-destro taught her, and how he did it. 

A growl rose in her throat. 

Kicked. Starved. Left alone to fend for herself, in the name of “liberation”. Everything that she did. Everything that was done to me, was in the name of liberation, but it shackled me more and more. 

“Gah!” She flung the book across the room and buried her head in her hands. 

She sat there upright on the hospital bed for some time, the silence screaming all the answers she did not want to hear, but had to, to her. 

“You don’t find anything wrong with that?” Dabi had said on the plane. She remembered his countenance, a mixture of irritation and pity, whenever she spoke about the MLA. She had chalked it up to the arrogance of the victorious, or just a dislike of her, which was mutual then, so it never bothered her to think further. The pieces started to click together. 

“You dropped this.” A dry voice made her look up, and a paleness spread across her face like permafrost. 

Tomura Shigaraki stood at her doorway, dressed in a crimson jacket whose sleeves ran down his arms and black undershirt, whilst wearing jeans. He looked like any other ordinary person, if not for the severed hand on his face. In his hand was the book. 

Instantly, thoughts of a legless Re-destro, or the piles of dust that once were Shigaraki’s opponents flooded her mind. She gripped the bedsheets tightly. 

“Why are you here? And...I don’t need that.” Geten averted her eyes.

Shigaraki tossed it to the side and shut the door behind her. “I’m not here to kill you or anything, don’t shit yourself. I came here to see how you were doing. I gotta say, you look like you got broken up with.”

His words didn’t reassure her in the least, especially not the way he said ‘kill you’, but his posture didn’t indicate any animosity, so Geten took his word for it. Clearing her throat and steadying herself as best as she could, she responded, “I’m fine.”

“What’s with the book throw? Test tomorrow?” 

“No,” She replied with an edge to her voice. 

“You pissed?”

She exhaled. “Yes,” She said, mustering all the civility and politeness she had left. 

“How nice,” He said, the concern in his tone matching that of his expression. “Anyway, you’re free to do what you want now. I got nothing for Violet Regiment. You’re excused from the council meetings till you’re discharged, whenever the hell that is.”

She blinked. “That’s all?”

Shigaraki cocked his head. “What, you were expecting a celebration of your win?”

“No...never mind. Th – thank you, Commander.” She bowed her head. 

She heard the door slam and looked back up. She let loose a shuddering breath of relief from the sole fact that she was alive and not missing a limb, or an entire torso. He had looked more disinterested, as if she was an ant on his finger, but she would gladly accept that over a smiling Shigaraki. 

Did Dabi actually talk to him? She recalled the promise he had made on the motorbike ride.  

Maybe the consequences were waiting for her once her hospitalization was over, which made goosebumps appear on her skin. She held the sheets closer to her. Still, Shigaraki didn’t seem like the type to grant her catharsis before unleashing whatever hell he wanted upon her. If he was going to punish her, he would have done so just now. 

Geten sighed and sunk back underneath the covers. Or maybe I’m just lying to myself...

It was only mid-afternoon, judging from the sky outside, yet fatigue, both physical and mental, weighed her limbs down as if she had been training the whole day. The bed suddenly felt like the softest, most comforting thing in the world. Unable to fight against her body, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, her thoughts too cluttered to sift through. A few names and words stood out, one of which was, Find Dabi. 

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“You’re back late,” Geten drawled, her eyes trailing up and down Dabi’s form, as she lay back on the sofa with a glass of wine in hand. 

He stretched his arms like a lanky cat under the sun. “Had to take care of a leadership issue.” 

“Mmm,” She said, “And why wasn’t I invited?” 

“He said you weren’t fit to lead Violet,” Dabi said, taking off his black jacket to reveal his muscles, which were leaner than she remembered, but she still found it hot. “Someone snitched on him, so I burned that piece of shit. Useless trash thinking they can rule a regiment.” 

She placed the wine glass on the stand. “Aww, so you were defending my honour?” She purred. 

“What if I was?” He walked up to her and she pulled him by the collar of his undershirt. 

She gazed into his blue eyes, and then her grip loosened as she saw it. Or rather, she didn’t see it. 

“Your scar.” She smoothed her thumb over the unscarred part of his right cheek. “Where’d it go?” Her voice shook.

“Hm? I never had one there.” Dabi caressed her hair as he sat down.

“No, no. You did. From that fight...that...night.” She gulped. 

“Are you dreaming, babe?” Dabi laughed, but she heard the uncertainty in his voice. Her voice.

The illusion crashed all around her like an avalanche on the highest mountain peak. She stood up and looked back at him – her. 

“You’re not – No, I mean –” She choked on the brimming tears and the lump in her throat. “Stop. Stop this, Toga.” 

Dabi frowned, but slowly the sludge slid off her, and Himiko Toga was all that remained. Dabi was gone. 

“Geten-chan,” She said with concern. “Are you okay?”

Geten took her parka from the coat rack and put it on. She wiped her tears with her sleeves. “No, I’m sorry, Toga, this was a bad idea.” 

“Sorry,” Toga murmured, “I only had blood from a year or two back. It ruined everything.”

Geten tried for a smile, but it was a painful, futile attempt.  “No, you did – you did fine. I just…” Her mind was blank. What did she feel right now? What did she feel about herself, or him, or everything this twisted world gave and took away?

“I miss him.” She rubbed her eyes. 

“I miss him too, Geten-chan.” Toga said with a melancholic sigh. “Hug?” 

She embraced the younger girl. “Thank you.” She managed to let out

“Don’t mention it, we’re here for you. You’re not alone. I know Re-destro and the rest weren’t kind to you, but you have us now, ok?” Toga gave an encouraging grin, but Geten could see the remnants of hurt in her eyes. It was a mirror. 

Geten nodded, taking a shuddering breath to steady her composure, and opened the door. “Come on, let’s go. It’s not our room.”

Toga grabbed the wine and offered it to her as they left. “You want some?” 

“...Yeah.” She needed it.

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Uhh, again, another trope I’m sure. I didn’t do much in terms of creativity, so...sorry. Just letting out some angst. Won’t put this on AO3. It’s not a good representation of my writing ability (but it is good to represent a lack of it). Also this is the most drabble of a drabble I’ve ever drabbled. What, sub 500 words? That’s lazy writing if I’ve ever seen it. 

I partly just wanted to add onto the geten tag because there’s been nothing new for a long while. Right now it’s filled with some roleplay blog or something. I think it’s a roleplay blog. So I thought, let’s write a roleplay drabble. 

Chapter 17: A Frozen Heart

AO3 Link: Here

Previous Chapters: 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Long chapter ahead btw. 2.8k.

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For fifteen minutes, Dabi watched the broken, unconscious form of Geten breathe, every inhalation causing a shudder to ripple through her body. Every time she made a hacking cough, blood spurted from her mouth, making his fists clench tighter and his teeth grind against one another with building rage. Ten minutes in, he reduced Takame’s corpse to ashes to vent some feelings. 

That was all he could do. He couldn’t move her because of all the broken bones and fractures. The one thing he could was to shift her head an inch, to ensure she didn’t choke on her blood. 

All he could do was wait. The throbbing pain in his arms from blocking that hit was nothing compared to the pain in his chest at seeing her on the verge of death, enduring a merciless pummel that she didn’t deserve. 

He felt like every breath he took injected him with even more fury that he wanted to scream, to let the world know he wanted to burn it all. 

Stupid girl. Why can’t you see that you never belonged to the MLA? Why are you getting yourself killed for them? 

Geten shuddered as she coughed out more blood that stained the rusty containers’ surface. Dabi tore his eyes away. You could have stopped Takame before he went after her. You’re weak.

Wasn’t my fault I got sent on this damn assignment, he argued on instinct.

He paused, feeling his conviction disappear upon seeing Geten’s state. He ignited his arm, feeling the fiery torture wrack his already fractured limb. It didn’t expunge the guilt, but he liked to think that it could, somehow. 

Did Shigaraki know, sending two people whose quirks don’t work well against him? 

He was confronting Shigaraki when they got back, that was for sure. But for now, his attention was drawn to her. 

Is her breathing slowing? Shit. 

He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling helpless, so utterly helpless. C’mon, girl, don’t die on me. Please. 

When he opened them, he saw two figures rushing towards them. He recognised one of them as the soldier who had welcomed them at the airport. 

“Help her first, I’m good.” He said as he extinguished his punishment. The two of them nodded. One of them stepped forward to lay a hand on Geten.

Dabi slapped it away with a glare. “Are you an idiot? She’s in no state to be carried.”

The soldier gave a patient smile. “I’m not moving her. My special ability can teleport people to a nearby location I’m familiar with by being in physical contact. We’re bringing the both of you back to the airport where Compress will take you back to Deika.” 

“Ah,” Dabi said, leaning back, “My bad.”

With one hand each, the soldier touched each of their shoulders, while the other companion laid a hand on him. The teleporter closed his eyes.

In the next few seconds, Dabi felt a light tugging sensation, definitely smoother than the gunky horridness that was the Doctor’s method. The next moment, he found himself back at the airport on solid ground. 

“Keep her spine in line,” Dabi ordered, and the two obeyed, gingerly holding Geten in place. “How long till Compress gets here?”

“ETA ten minutes,” The teleporter announced. Dabi swallowed – If he doesn’t get here on time...

The night was quiet and of a cool temperature, but Dabi was still sweating, and the serenity of this scene was destroyed by the haggard breaths Geten was drawing. He kept looking at the sky, trying to spot a black dot in the darkness. When a seeming eternity had passed feeling more anxious by the minute, he saw it, illuminated by red lights. 

He heard the whirring sounds of the chopper as it closed in and landed. Dabi spotted the familiar orange-brown coat and the black hat of Atsuhiro Sako, and a painful smile of relief tugged at his lip. 

One thing Dabi liked about Compress was that despite his showman persona, he didn’t mince words, or speak when there was no need to. Sako raced out of the aircraft, compressed Geten and pocketed her. 

“You need me to do you, too?” Sako asked him. 

Dabi shook his head. “Let’s go. Thanks, you two.” He acknowledged the soldiers, who bowed in return and left. The two Lieutenants climbed into the helicopter and the pilot lifted off. 

“No headsets? I’m not going deaf here,” Dabi shouted over the whirring. 

“Chill, the pilot has a noise-cancelling quirk. He’ll activate it soon.” As Compress said this, the ruckus disappeared, as if they were back on the jet. Another pang of hurt poked at Dabi, thinking about his nonchalance at the start of the mission.

“You look like hell.” Compress noted Dabi’s arms and the dust and grime on his coat. 

“Yeah. Assignment was harder than we thought.”

“I presumed much. Who was it?”

“One of the advisors in my regiment, and his daughter.”

Dabi heard the surprise in Sako’s tone. “Oh, Skeptic’s gonna go mental. Not that he already isn’t.”

That got a chuckle out of Dabi, but it died as he thought about the damage Takame had done. 

“But you guys finished the mission, right?” Compress asked. 

Looking out the window at the night sky, he muttered, “Yeah.”

“You didn’t throw her under the bus, did you?” 

Dabi’s head flicked back to face Compress. “What the hell, no! Why would I?”

The performer raised his arms to placate his anger. “Sorry, last time you talked about her, you were ready to kill her or whatever’s in your head. You mean to say that you guys are on good terms now?”

Dabi sighed. “I just don’t hate her. And I have no reason to let her die. Shigaraki wouldn’t be happy.” He added as an afterthought. 

He gave a tiny sigh. “Well, I’m sure you have a thrilling story of how you two managed to get to this state.” 

“We definitely do,” Dabi said dryly. 

“Tell us all about it tomorrow. Go get some sleep tonight. The doctor has a cell activation quirk, he’ll fix you up first, then her.” 

“No, get her first. I’ll wait.” 

“Fine,” Compress relented after seeing the adamant expression on Dabi’s face. “You’re really...concerned for her. It’s weird.” 

Dabi replied with a yawn.

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The doctor flipped through his clipboard. “Multiple fractures on her arms, five broken ribs, dislocated jaw and she suffered a skull fracture.”

“But you fixed all of it...right?” There was an undertone of a “You better have.” that the doctor understood, given the reassuring smile he wore at Dabi’s question. He was getting sick of people trying to calm him down with smiles, like that would help.

“I used my ability as best as I could, and it fixed most of it, but I only sped up the recovery of the cell reparations. We’ll be providing iron and calcium supplements to help her along, but she’ll be bedridden for the next few days.” 

“Any permanent damage?” 

“As long as she gets enough rest and doesn’t exert herself, she’ll be fine and back to normal in a few weeks.”

Dabi exhaled. “Alright. Thanks doc.” 

Dr Shimano nodded and left the room. Dabi looked at Geten, whose chest rose and fell at a stable pace as she slept, no longer shaking, a significant improvement from just an hour ago. 

“Sorry Geten,” He said. “I fucked up.” 

As the words left his mouth, he took a second to realise what he had just said. He blinked. When did I start caring so much? 

The air-conditioned room and the leather chair he was seated on let the remaining surges of adrenaline fade out, to be replaced by an ice-cold fist of realisation – The events that had transpired in the last couple of hours punched him in the face. 

He had not left her side once the entire time. 

You’re really...concerned for her.

He got out of his seat, staggering upon registering Mr Compress’ words from earlier with clarity, similar to receiving a fiery touch on his skin. What the hell? 

He glanced back at Geten sleeping, then he left the room with extended paces. I should get back to my room. Yeah, that’s a good idea. He pushed all thoughts of the girl out of his mind, focusing on the inevitable debrief from him the next council meeting, since she couldn’t –

He swore under his breath. Stop thinking about her. These thoughts, feelings, whatever they were. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it was unnatural. Foreign. Probably dangerous. 

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The next morning’s meeting convened, in the absence of Lieutenant Apocrypha, with Dabi’s debrief of the mission. 

“Alright, Dabi, care to explain what happened?” Shigaraki drummed his fingers on the table.

Dabi stood up, wearing his trademark lazy expression, though he was actually fatigued. “So our target turned out to be a Mihara Takame, daughter of Shingu Takame, who was an advisor to Violet Regiment.” 

He noted the widened eyes of the old MLA executives. Hanabata’s gaze flickered between the desk and him. And was that a bead of sweat rolling down Skeptic’s forehead? It might have been his imagination.

“What?” Re-destro gaped, then turned to Shigaraki. “Grand Commander, I apologise deeply for this treachery. I had no idea —“ 

Shigaraki waved his hand. “Never mind about that first. Continue.”

“We got into a fight, which turned out bad for Apocrypha, who took most of the damage, but I managed to finish the assignment.” 

“Yeah, that’s the part I wanna know.” Shigaraki leaned forward, clasping his hands together. “Why did you guys end up taking the beating you did?” 

“Takame’s quirk was a shitty matchup against mine and hers. He just wouldn’t feel any pain. Impossible to incapacitate him.”

“And Apocrypha’s ice did nothing?” 

“No, it didn’t hinder him much.” 

“Then how did you kill both of them?” 

“I took out the woman first.” Dabi mimed twisting a neck. “For her old man, I concentrated my flames onto his head. Carbonized it. He probably died from brain failure or something.”

“Ah, copying Endeavour now, eh?” A small grin made Dabi bristle, though he concealed it. 

He shrugged. “What can I say? He’s got decent moves to copy, and I have the firepower to match his. Speaking of which, you might want to send a team to dispose of the body. I didn’t burn up the girl, only Takame.” 

Shigaraki frowned. “Why don’t you do it?” 

“Excuse me?” The coldness in the room spiked as the two stared at each other with venom. 

“I don’t know why you could cremate the larger-sized adult male but not the small girl. Go fix your mess.” 

“You’re really going to send me all the way back just to burn one more corpse?” 

“Yep.” Shigaraki’s eyes were still fixated on him, as though daring him to act out. What do you want? Something about the way his leader questioned him was off. Hell, he was never so interested in these small problems that cropped up. Dabi had talked to Twice before the meeting. According to him, a small riot broke out in the town centre over Shigaraki’s leadership, and the latter didn’t seem to care. 

Did you send the hit squad on us? Dabi’s eyes swept the room. Hanabata and Skeptic’s faces were whiter than normal, but that was because Takame was on their list that Apocrypha freaked out so much about, right? 

Dabi was about to argue further, but decided against it. He needed answers, and he doubted anyone in the room would offer anything worthwhile. Maybe going back would be helpful. 

He spun around and walked towards the door. “Fine. I’ll get to it now. Prep the jet, Skeptic.”

Without waiting for an answer, or for Shigaraki to stop him, he left the room, slamming the door behind him with a growl. He had to admit, though, that the solitude and this menial task given to him allowed him time to think about everything that had happened last night, and he kept coming back to the one name.

Mesa. 

That was all he got from the thug. A name that he couldn’t even be sure was real. Dabi was somewhat confident it was a legitimate answer: the thug was terrified of dying, especially after Dabi used his partner as a demonstration. 

When one was about to die, truths became more apparent. They stopped lying and told the truth, whether one was on their deathbed or backed up against an alley. 

Sensei had done the same thing. 

Dabi frowned, and quickened his pace. Which reminded him...that factory, it looks similar to the one that night. Guess I’ll look around there too. 

He emerged from the underground tunnel to the airport, a convenient distance from the mansion. And his face blanched. Why the fuck is she here? 

Geten was talking with the pilot, her posture bent, and Dabi didn’t need a doctor to tell him she was still injured. 

He marched up to her and waved off the pilot. “What are you doing here?” 

“I’m going back.” She said, her face tight with pain. Or defiance. One worried him, the other annoyed. 

“No, you’re not. You’re still fucked up, you’re going back to the hospital.” He pointed away from the helicopter beside both of them, which reminded him of a parent sending a kid to their room. 

And just like the kid, she was acting like a brat. “I need to go back. Please. How did you even know I was here?” 

“I didn’t.”

“So you’re going back to Tokugawa?” 

Dabi bit back a retort. “No,” he tried. 

Her eyes narrowed. “If you’re going, I’m going.” 

Dabi envied Sako for the issues he could solve with his quirk with one tap. He stretched his sigh out. “Alright. Fine. One condition.” 

“What?” 

“Go take a shower and change out of this. You look and smell like shit.” 

Geten seemed to be in no mood to shoot a returning insult. She nodded. 

–––––––––

The two took a helicopter ride, which Dabi figured was Skeptic’s way of flipping him off — he was in the mood for another private jet ride, at least up till Geten showed up. 

Along the way, Dabi explained what had happened while she was unconscious or hospitalised. She nodded, rather numbly, to everything. He felt like pressing her on why wanted to come along, but she looked to be in such a somber mood Dabi kept quiet once he was done. 

“Thank you,” Geten said, which caught Dabi off-guard. 

He stared at her. “Huh?” 

But she lapsed back into silence. 

Takame’s words really affected her, huh? He got the gist of it: Takame was pissed off. Dabi was too focused on finishing the job, and the concussion dulled his senses, even as he crept up to the both of them. He didn’t hear everything Takame said, but enough of it. 

He still had no idea what she was doing here. Guess he would find out. 

They touched down a while later, took another motorbike ride, also in silence, to the factory. When they got off, there was a rush in her step, as though in anxiety, to reach the site of their Pyrrhic victory. Although, Dabi managed to keep pace with her. 

Mihara’s body was still there, and the imprint of Shingu was visible on the stone ground. Geten took out some ice from her pocket and used them to shut her wide eyes, then adjust her broken neck. She looked like she was sleeping. 

Next, she fashioned her ice into a platform which carried the young woman. Dabi quietly watched all this unfold, not wanting to interrupt whatever she was doing. 

Then Geten walked towards the nearby forest. Taking out more ice, she formed a wide, curved object, which she used to shovel dirt. 

Oh, so that’s what she’s doing. 

As if in a trance-like state, he picked up some sticks off the ground, lit the tip of them and passed three to Geten, who had laid Mihara’s body in the grave and filled it with dirt. 

She looked at the makeshift joss sticks, then at him, and gave a quivering smile. She knelt down to place them on top of the grave. 

As she tried to stand up, she stumbled a bit with a wince of pain. Dabi grabbed her shoulders to steady her. “Hey. Don’t stress yourself.” 

Her footing is off, he noted that, as well as her constant flinching. Her ribs were probably still hurting. 

He sighed and muttered, “You – You can lean on me. Just don’t tell anyone I said that.” 

“I’m fine,” She said with less believability than a hero’s promise. But she did, after a pause, rest her head on his shoulder, as the two stared at the blue flame that slowly died, its bright azure radiance leaving small spots in their eyes. 

“Why’s it seem like you trust me all of a sudden?” Dabi had to ask. 

After a moment of silence, Geten mumbled, “I think...I think I just do. You’re not the worst.” 

That’s a first. 

“So why’d you bury her?” 

“Because…” She looked at her hands. “They didn’t deserve it. It’s weird, isn’t it? I got beat up so much by them, but I’m still respecting her.”

“No, it’s not weird. It means…” Dabi considered his next few words. “It means your heart isn’t cold.” 

––––––––

Nice chapter to write, though very long. I realised I had a lot to say so this is sorta still part of this arc, but I’m starting to transition to the next. And now writing these two just became a lot harder, given the change in character. 

So if you guys have any feedback on whether I’m too OOC on them, given what’s happened to them, do let me know. I’d appreciate it. I’m especially worried about my portrayal of Dabi this chapter, whether he’s acting too nice (for his character) too abruptly. 

I’ll have to do a long re-read of the whole story after a while to reboot and see whether their character progression is plausible. 

Nevertheless I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. 

Have some University AU. A/N at the end.

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The door of the meeting room swung open, which perked up Dabi’s face from his phone, but he returned to stare at it again upon realising she would be the last one out. She was, which drew his attention, seeing her blue jacket and frost-white hair walk out, holding a set of keys. Beside her was Himiko, whom he nodded in acknowledgement of her excited, blurry wave.

His smile drooped at the sides when he noticed the two girls’ expression. Toga’s usual wide grin had lost some of its lustre, and Geten’s face muscles were constricted, though she still maintained an impassive countenance.

The three walked back to the dorms in silence, with Dabi in the centre.

Toga nudged him with her shoulder. Glancing at her, she gave a subtle tap of her phone and pointed her chin at him.

He took out his phone and read her message, just sent.

Bad day. I’ll split off at the canteen. Help her, ok? He slid his phone back into his pocket and gave a tiny nod which she registered.

A few minutes later, Toga excused herself to go grab a bite, leaving the two alone. Dabi moved to take the bag off her shoulders, and while she usually resisted, her shoulders slumped and the bag fell off her and into his hands. He swallowed a lump in his throat. It was that bad, huh?

“Geten!” That wasn’t him. The two turned around to see a student run up to them. From the corner of his eye, he saw how her face instantly lit up – like a lamp running on a dying battery, and she smiled. Forced herself to smile, that is.

“Yeah, Kaminari?” She said.

“Just wanted to check, the next meeting is this coming Saturday?”

“Yes,” She replied with so much patience Dabi wondered if she had drained all of his, because he sure as hell had none for this kid.

“Ah, 4:30?”

“No, 3:30.” Her answer made him rub his hair bashfully.

“Right, sorry about that. Thanks, Geten!” He waved and ran off, leaving Dabi glaring after him. He knew she was organised; the most organised person he had ever had the luck of meeting. She would have told them, written it down or something during the meeting. And this brat couldn’t write it on a note or remember something that happened five minutes ago.

“You shouldn’t have done that.” He turned back to face Geten, who had lapsed back into her solemn expression.

“It’s fine, Kaminari’s usually a productive member. He’s just forgetful or careless at times.” She gestured to keep walking.

“I could roast him if you want.”

“Please don’t.”

“Come on, he’ll never ask redundant questions again.”

“And add another detention on your record for verbal harassment?” She said in amusement. That shut him up.

“Fine, fine.” He stuck his tongue at her. A ghost of a smile glimpsed her face for a brief second.

At least she’s talking, Dabi thought. If anything good came out of his junior, it was that.

“You’re too nice, you know that, right?” He sighed.

“I’ve kicked at least 3 people from the club so far. Also I’d concede I’ve picked up some of your bad habits.”

Dabi pretended the latter statement was a gust of wind. “Those guys weren’t doing their jobs. They deserved it. But you’re doing too much of your job.”

“Such is the life of the club president,” She said with a mix of pride and bitterness.

“Would this club president care to tell me whether she would want to share her sorrow with me?”

Her face darkened. “Talk at the dorm.”

“Alright.” Ok, good job. At least she responded.

The rest of the walk was spent in silence, with Dabi carrying their bags and Geten’s hands shoved in her jacket pockets, though she was no longer covering her face with her hood. Ever since she was elected president of the Physics Club and became a model student (and started dating Dabi, which he was glad to take credit for), she’d stopped hiding her face on campus and became warmer, which Dabi found weird.

Her usual expression which Dabi had thought was etched onto her face: horizontal lips and eyes that seemed to stare into nothingness, became a small amicable smile. Although, Dabi knew she was still the quiet girl he became hung up on last year.

They reached her room, with him dropping their bags to the floor and shutting the door. Immediately, she plopped herself onto her bed with a sigh.

“Are you hungry?” Geten asked.

“No. You? Ah, I see.” Dabi noted her munching on an onigiri left on her study desk, the only evidence of disorganisation, since her study material on her table was otherwise flawlessly arranged. Compare that to Dabi’s landfill of a study space, albeit because of her annoying influence, it was slowly depleting. One day, Geten might be able to go into his room without laughing or vomiting, or both.

“So...you wanna talk about it?” He invited.

“There’s...nothing much to talk about. It’s just some people weren’t doing enough, or what I told them to. Although I could have given clearer instructions, now that I think about it…”

Geten took the seat at her desk. “Hey, I’m sure you gave clear instructions – ice-clear, probably. It’s their fault.”

“Ah yes, my boyfriend is definitely showing no bias whatsoever,” She snarked as she took another bite.

Dabi grinned. “I’ll have you know I have factual evidence to support my claim that you were not the guilty party here.”

Geten groaned. “Okay, okay, just don’t repeat your praise-Geten speech again. I’ve heard it enough. I swear you’re inflating your own ego rather than trying to inflate mine. It’s just…” Her expression softened. “I don’t know if I’m doing enough.”

He sat down beside her and held her hand. “You are,” He promised, “You did so much for the club, the school, but most importantly, me.”

“Prick.” Geten slapped his thigh as he chuckled, but the smile returned to her face, which sent goosebumps through his skin as though her hand was icy.

“Dinner out?” He suggested.

“In a while, just let me enjoy this peace before I gotta leave this place again.” Geten rested her head on his shoulder with a sigh.

––––––

Prompt 6 and technically 7 since I realised there’s no way I can write another one. I gotta study ._. So sorry I gotta back out on my earlier plan. 

I think Dabi’s a bit OOC here, but until Dabi and <insert character here> hook up in canon I have little reference how Dabi will behave towards his SO. I have plenty of character analysis though which makes me feel bad about writing him so much :( 

(For real tho thanks so much to the people who do. It does help me characterise Dabi better)

Chapter 16: Lurking Demons

AO3 Link: Here

Previous Chapters: 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

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“Apocrypha.” The Grand Commander gripped her shoulders, the pain in his thumb all forgotten. His smile was benign, eyes blazing with pride. “Your meta ability...it has awakened. And to think it was your concern for me that triggered it. I truly am touched.”

“Come, we must announce this to the Army. You are an exemplar for them to follow. Your special ability has made it so.” 

She had only smiled. That was ten years ago, and she still remembered every word that he had said. It was her crowning achievement, to have done what Destro had proclaimed. “The strength of a person lies in their meta ability, to awaken it is to strengthen oneself.”

Her strength was her Cryokinesis and her very reason for existence. And it was gone. What do I do now?

––––––––

“Get out, I’ll deal with him.” Dabi growled to her. She got to her feet and scrambled back, as Dabi stood between her and the muscular form of Shingu Takame, gazing at the two of them the way she did to her inferiors. 

Then Dabi’s voice was whispered over the earpiece, barely audible over the noise of crates crashing to the ground. “I’ll throw down a wall, then run into the maze, where I was. We’ll lose him for a while.” 

“Ok.” She whispered back. 

“THOOM!” An incendiary wall sliced the room into two, cutting their view of Takame, but it worked in favour of them. The two turned and ran into the labyrinth of darkness and storage crates. 

“What happened back there?” Dabi said. “Who attacked first?”

“He ambushed me, leapt down from the second floor, maybe,” Geten gasped, struggling to keep up with Dabi’s agility as he weaved through the narrow corridors. Sparing a split second to look behind her, she saw Takame barging through the flames, seemingly unharmed, about ten paces behind.

“That means you saw something. What did you see?” Dabi demanded, grabbing her hand and dragging her to the left.

“I –” She spluttered. Dabi looked back at her, slowing down his pace. “It was someone else.” 

“Then that’s our target. You find that person. I’ll draw Takame away. Ready?” 

She nodded vigorously. 

“Go.” With that, Dabi sent a careening bolt of fire upwards, like a flare. There was no way Takame would miss that. As the crashing sounds closed in on Dabi, she took a long route back towards where they were. 

That person. It was...a girl? How was she involved in all this?

When she reached there – a small room in the back, it was empty, the door ajar. She looked around and saw the door closest to her, marked by an EXIT sign. She wrenched it open and the large courtyard with orderly rows of containers, and the girl holding a suitcase and sprinting away. 

She took off running after her. A foot chase. She hadn’t done something like that in forever. And it was showing, judging by how the gap between them was widening. 

Damn it, do something! Scanning the ground, she rushed to pick up a pebble. She threw it. The girl gave a yelp and stumbled to the ground as the rock collided with her head. 

Closing the rest of the distance, Geten tackled her, placing her knees on the girl’s legs, while grabbing her arms and holding them behind her back, as the girl struggled. “Let me – go!” 

“Shut up,” Geten said. “So you’re our target? Who are you?”

“None of your business, Apocrypha.” She spat. 

Geten growled. “Tell me, or I’ll break your arms.” 

“Why aren’t you killing me already? Am I that worthless of a target you won’t even use your quirk?” 

“We’re bringing you in,” Geten lied. 

“The rest of you – you bastards tried to kill me. Why would you be any different?” The girl coughed on the scattered dust from the ground.

Geten pushed her knee deeper into the girl’s back, eliciting a hiss of pain. “You answer my questions.” 

But the girl continued, “You didn’t even use your quirk to capture me. Don’t tell me...you’re at your limit? Can’t use your quirk, huh?” 

“Shut up. I don’t need my ice to break your neck, so you’d do well to answer me.” Geten’s nails dug deeper into the girl’s skin. “Who. Are. You?”

She huffed. “You wanna know who I am?” The hit came faster than she had anticipated. Geten felt a dizzying pain, followed by a sharp one in her mouth, as the girl threw her head back to hit Geten in the chin, making her bite her tongue. She hissed, but her grip was off with the sudden attack. 

Then she felt a blunt force in her stomach and she was thrown off the girl. She kicked me. Through the haze of pain, she heard the girl yell something as she got to her feet and kept running into the maze of metal cargo. 

Father? The word she shouted murkily swam to the forefront of her mind.

There was a roar as Shingu Takame burst through the concrete walls of the building and barrelled straight towards Geten. Behind him, she made out the dark jacket that belonged to Dabi. He was shouting something...was he looking at her? 

“Get up! He’s coming for you!” Dabi’s voice shouted in her ear.

Get up, she repeated, but her head spun. Her gut screamed in protest. The kick hurt. I...can’t. 

Then she heard a bone-snapping crack. Her eyes widened as she saw Dabi’s limp body sent flying and slamming against the wall, a well-timed surprise attack. Shingu retracted his fist and turned back to face her, and started walking. 

No.

She struggled, pushing her arm up for leverage. She stumbled to her feet, dragging them back as Takame ambled towards her, his impassive expression returning. At the corner of her eye, she saw his daughter run towards him. 

“Apocrypha!” He bellowed. “I’d appreciate if you would stop moving. You’re not going anywhere while your co-leader is behind me. Unless you truly are as heartless as the stories I’ve heard.” 

She stopped. I need to buy time. The motion elicited a smile from him, but it was mixed with anger as he tended to her daughter’s injury with a caring rub on her head. Geten was startled at their similarity in appearance. Both wore the same hardened expression, with a sharp chin and athletic build, even despite Shingu’s age. 

“You hurt my daughter? You’ll pay for that,” He said. 

“You’ll pay for your treachery to the Front.”

“So says the murderer. Don’t act like you’re loyal to the army. Please, spare me the pretense.” Shingu’s eyes narrowed at her. She didn’t respond. 

“Usually,” He continued, “I would have killed you and him by now. But it’s not everyday you’re allowed a conversation with a lieutenant of the Liberation Front. And it’s certainly a rare moment for you to not be able to use your quirk. I don’t know what the reasons for that are, so once you give me what I want, I’ll finish you and him off.” 

“Then you wouldn’t mind giving me information I want?” Geten said. 

Takame looked back at his daughter. “They’re not watching us, are they?” He said, quieter, but Geten heard it. She shook her head, tapping her briefcase.

So she’s responsible for both the chatter and the signal disruption? That’s why Skeptic couldn’t find them properly. 

Turning back, he shrugged. “I have no qualms giving information to a dead person. First question, who knows about tonight?” 

Before she could respond, he added, “Oh, and don’t try to lie. My daughter’s quirk can discern the truth from any statement.” 

Liar...right? It was a strange combination of meta abilities. What was her mother’s? 

She played along for now. “Only the lieutenants and Shigaraki. My question now.”

“No.” Takame cut through. “Next, where is –”

“What drove you to betray the Front?” Geten raised her voice. She didn’t need to know this. She just needed time. Either for her to get to Dabi, or for her meta ability to reactivate.

“Where is Skeptic’s data stored?” His voice was as cold as ice. Damn, he’s not one to waste time. I need to get him to talk more...She placed a hand in her pocket. The ice still had not melted. A few hours...it’s barely been one. How do I get out of this? 

“You must have a reason.” Geten stared at the man, refusing to waver her gaze. “You wouldn’t put you and your daughter through this hell. Living in factories, running from place to place to evade us...It’s personal.” 

“Where is Skeptic’s data stored?” The question came again in apparent disregard of her statement, but she knew she struck a nerve. 

“Is it about your wife?” Just as she uttered the word, she saw a blur of grey and beige. The punch to her face made her stagger back and spit out blood. 

Okay, I definitely struck a nerve. The bruising pain stung her cheek, but she found herself grinning, as crazy as it was. Takame drew back his fist, a vein on his forehead pulsing. 

“Is she dead?” She taunted at the incensed Takames. “The Liberation Army killed her?”

“Shut up!” The girl shouted. Shingu held her back. “Mihara...calm down. I’ll handle this.”

“Mihara?” Geten’s memory brought forth two names on an old list, many years back. “Oh…” She smirked. “So you were lying about her quirk. Mihara doesn’t even have one, does she? Neither did your wife, Osaki.” She wiped the blood on her sleeve and stood back up. 

“Come on, Dabi. Get up,” She whispered into her earpiece, to no avail. Please. I can’t...I can’t do this alone. 

She saw Shingu take a few calming breaths, the tension creeping upwards with the silence. “You’re not going to give me what I want, I see,” The Takame head observed, his voice dripping acid. “I’ll give you one last chance to tell me everything I need to know.”

She wore her smirk facing him. “You have some revenge plan against the MLA for killing her,” Geten rattled on, hoping she was correct in her guesses.  “You, alone? You think your quirk will do anything against the entire Deika City, or Shigaraki? Your plan was doomed the day you conceived it. I assume, the day your wife died.” 

The punch came as predicted. Geten swerved her head to the side. She let out a giggle. “What, did we kill her? Not me, surely? I would remember a person like you. It must mean your wife was quirkless. It’s no wonder we killed trash like her.”

She jumped out of the way to dodge another smash. “So you joined the MLA to take out Re-destro.” She forced herself to laugh, her voice rising in tempo, as she laid out Takame’s plan without him even telling her. “But, let me guess, the League of Villains ruined your plans, didn’t it? And now you and your daughter can’t do anything but cry using the news. All because we killed your wife.” 

The vein in Takame’s temple was nearly popping – Geten could see it from a few feet away. His breathing was heavy, his shoulders heaving with anger on the verge of erupting. He opened his mouth, perhaps to say something vitriolic. 

“You...you monster.” Geten’s smile slid off her face at the emotion in his tone. It sounded as if his heart tore with every word he spoke. 

“We....we did nothing to you.” Takame said, looking at her with a dying rage, his impassive expression fading, leaving one that spoke of uncountable volumes of pain. “But you...your self-righteous, quirk-abusing, hellspawn of an army seeked out the quirkless. You took Osaki – away.” His voice shook, cracking as he talked about her. 

“I…” Geten’s voice trailed off. Perhaps she was too good at buying time. Moving her hands, they felt empty, lacking the imbued power of her Cryokinesis, that up till an hour ago, had never felt that way. Was it what Osaki felt? But...no, I have a meta ability. I’m not –

A second hit slammed her into the ground, in that split second of hesitance. Her body seized up on its own, even as she screamed at it to move out of the way of the oncoming assault. 

The third punch sunk into her abdomen like a bullet, curling her up into a fetal position out of instinct. She choked out a cry, tears staining the gravel centimetres away from her face. Or was it blood? 

“You’re no human.” Through the dust and the spots in her eyes, the ringing in her head and the pain wracking her body like a thousand hammers, she heard Takame’s voice clearly. She saw him standing over her, fists clenched. He drew his right arm back.

“You don’t deserve a life.” The fifth punch cracked a bone. She heard it. Arm? Rib? Every inch of her body was numb with agony.

“Everything...everything I’ve heard about you is true.” Takame snarled, the Reaper’s shadow looming over her. “You’re a demon, a demon with a frozen heart.”

A whimper escaped her mouth. That was all she could do – whimper, cry, choke on her tears, and nothing more. Her vision faded in and out of darkness – a broken flashlight. She coughed up more blood, shivering like a newborn infant, as Takame stopped the pummels for a second. 

She braced herself for the last barrage. 

But the second lasted another second. And then…another. She kept her eyes closed. Maybe she was already dead? She didn’t dare open her eyes. 

“Stay still. Don’t move.” A voice – a familiar one, murmured. “They’re on the way.”

A warmth was the last thing she felt before unconsciousness overtook her.

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Hello. Here’s 16 as promised. 

Thoughts on this...I planned it to be slightly different but after I started writing I decided this worked better. Threw one draft away after that got too boring. Not to say this isn’t, or to me at least. Again, writer’s issue. Hope you guys like this. 

I hope next chapter can bring to light a lot of the mystery surrounding everything, from what Dabi, Geten and Shigaraki know and don’t know, and close out this “arc”. 

I’m hoping that Geten’s dulled senses were conveyed fine here. Since I’m writing from her perspective, I can’t write about stuff she can’t see or hear. So ideally the writing showed that confusion and blindness of her surroundings. The beat up scene was hard to write because of that, or sentences where Geten got hit. It’s really a blur of motion, so I can’t just write, “Takame punched her” but more of she feels the pain, then registers the motion, or something like that. 

Hi, Chapter 20, 21, 22 are up. I really got too tired of Tumblr’s shit formatting that doesn’t copy over formatted text, so just for now, while I still have brain cells left in me to finally update, I’m just uploading a AO3 URL. I’ll upload individual Tumblr posts tomorrow. 

Again, really sorry for this long ass hiatus. I honestly see this story as a whole ending somewhat soon, after taking the time to plan them out and have a rough summary of them as a skeleton. 

It’s getting a bit more plot heavy. I genuinely hope the plot was interesting for you guys, having deviated from canon slightly. Like, I like my fluff and Dabiten, but I also want to be a decent storyteller, and having their relationship be significant to the plot & themes. 

No idea whether people will like my story from start to end, but the way that it does end fits my vision when I began this story. I hope you still enjoy it when I reach that point. 

Chapter 15: Soldiering On

AO3 Link: Here

Previous Chapters: 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

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Extinguishing his flames, Dabi saw only charred ashes on the ground. Wind will get them. It always does. 

“What did they do to me? Why can’t I use my meta ability?” Geten said, as Dabi rubbed his arms. He turned to look at her.

“I should have figured…” Dabi muttered. “Tokugawa Prefecture was near their territory. These guys must have been one of the last few to acquire them.”

“What’re you talking about?” She pressed on, frenetically rubbing her hands. She made a few gestures, trying to use it, but to no avail. 

“You mean you don’t know?” Dabi stared at her. “You guys kept track on the League so well, so why not – oh.” 

Again with the hierarchy. The pieces put themselves together; Dabi knew why she was in the dark. 

“What? What ‘oh’?” Geten screeched. 

“Hey, calm down, girl. It’s only temporary.” Looking at the store, the door was still open and the lights were on. “Let’s get something to eat. Might help.”

That seemed to relax her for now, although she was still trying to move ice. The two of them entered the store and walked out carrying some snacks. In spite of the abandonment of this town, the snacks’ preservatives lasted for a long time. Dabi made sure to turn off the lights as they left.

“Ok, explain,” Geten said as they sat on the sidewalk. 

“First off, the quirk-erasing bullets are temporary. It was an unfinished product made by the Shie Hassaikai, a yakuza group that got shut down a while back.”

“And I’m guessing here,” Dabi said as he munched on his chips, “But your leaders – those lovely asshats – they knew about the Hassaikai. They probably knew the group had a way to erase your precious meta abilities. Since their whole army was based on the principle of free meta ability usage, your Re-destro didn’t wanna make everyone panic. So he and his group shut up. Makes sense?” 

“So they kept it from me.” Geten growled. “Again.”

What does she mean, again? Dabi took another bite in silence. 

“Well, like I said, it’s temporary, and we can just call for an extraction –” He pulled out his phone when Geten unexpectedly grabbed his arm.

“No! We’re not leaving.”

“But...you’re gonna be useless, aren’t you?” Dabi raised an eyebrow. “I mean, you saw what happened to that guy. We might be up against something...problematic.”

“We can handle it.” 

“Speak for yourself. You’re quirkless for the next couple of hours. And do you even have any ice?”

Geten balled her fist. “I have some ice cubes in my pocket. They’re cold enough to last a few hours. I’ll take care of myself. And I’ll help with this assignment.”

Dabi sighed. You and your ego will be the death of me. “Fine. Whatever, if you’re going to be so difficult about it.” He put his phone back in his pocket, and Geten released her grip. 

Her hands aren’t cold, he realised.

He caught her with a blank stare at the pavement. “What are you thinking about?” He asked, suddenly feeling that her pride was not the only reason she was so insistent on continuing.

No, she’s not that afraid of the rest laughing at her quirklessness, or that she got shot...but what was it?

She put on her hood. “Nothing.” Her face was shrouded once more, and Dabi felt a tinge of disappointment. Can’t see what’s she’s thinking, it’s unsettling, he rationalised. That was probably the reason. 

“Let’s go.” She said, standing up. She had stopped trying to use her quirk by now, giving up. He thought of saying something, but his mind came up blank. So he followed suit in silence, with the both of them getting on the motorcycle and speeding off. 

Are her hands shaking? Dabi thought. 

The silence of the ride was more somber than peaceful, knowing that what lay ahead was a real threat. Skeptic’s talk of this dissenter managing to evade capture from the soldiers sent to stop them sent chills down Dabi’s spine, but also a burning thrill. This better be good. 

“So, what’s the plan now?” Dabi shouted over the wind. 

“You still have your fire, so you can take care of large groups. I think it might be a gang or cult of some sort that hates the Liberation ideology, considering the advisor back there looked like he was beaten to death. I can run distraction or disruption. We should split up and use our communicators.” Geten replied.

Good plan, Dabi admitted. “Ok, and what if things go south?” 

She had no reply for a good three seconds.. “Usually things never go south for me, but seeing the condition I’m in...maybe we should regroup in an area?”

“Fine. Don’t die, okay?” Dabi thought out loud, then added hastily, “Gonna be a hassle to explain your death to everyone.” 

“Worry about yourself,” She retorted. “I’ll be fine.” 

If you say so...He thought, his grip tightening on the handlebars, unable to push out the thought that something bad was going to happen to her. She was quirkless, after all, during the most crucial time of the night. 

“Who do you think those guys were back there?” Dabi asked. 

No response came for a few seconds. “I don’t know,” She finally said, “But I don’t think they were just random thugs. It seemed more like a hit squad. And who’s Mesa?”

“No idea. Never heard it in my life.” Dabi racked his brains, but he never bothered keeping the names of people in his past. Just the few, and the rest were smouldering corpses like those trash back there. “Do you think they were targeting you?”

He felt her bristle at the question, as if that triggered a thought. “Don’t know,” She said throatily. 

Lying? Whatever. She’s not gonna tell me. But it might be linked to this whole assignment…

“Anyway, they might have tried to shoot me too, but I probably burnt the bullets up.”

“Fast reflexes,” She uttered.

“Thanks.” Was that an actual compliment? She sounds bitter about it – that she didn’t react fast in time. The rest of the ride was spent in silence, until Dabi saw their destination. 

“There.” He flicked his head towards the fast approaching factory. 

It was run-down and abandoned, complete with a “NO ENTRY” sign and worn-down wire fences which provided as much protection as fabric against a bullet. Towering metal and concrete chimneys gone dormant studded the compound; five-storey high buildings were placed next to them. Large metal containers occupied the expansive courtyard with dark lampposts situated in an orderly fashion, surrounding the containers like patrol guards.

Strange, have I been here before? No, that was impossible. He’d never visited Tokugawa Prefecture in his life. His mind was being a prick.

The two disembarked. “Guess we’re playing hide and seek. This place is massive,” Dabi said as he retrieved his earpiece from his pocket and wore it. Geten did the same.

“Let’s set here as the meeting point.” Geten pointed at their motorcycle. Dabi assented. 

“Search the buildings first. It’s the most logical place to hide,” She said as she rubbed her left arm up and down. Did she always do that? Or is she just nervous? Just as he finished the thought, she abruptly stopped and tucked her hands in her parka pocket.

They walked through the row of buildings, until Geten tapped his shoulder to draw his attention. She pointed at one of the doors. In particular, a handprint on the dusty iron. Damn, she spotted that? He nodded. 

The door was shackled by a chain, and said chain had been broken and strewn on the floor. Dabi pushed it open. 

He wasn’t surprised that he was greeted by darkness. With the faint strings of moonlight permeating through the dusty windows above, he could make out the silhouettes of stacks of crates, catwalks and broken lamps hanging on the ceiling like death row prisoners. No movement caught his eye when they stepped in. 

Getting her attention, he made a ‘split up’ gesture. She nodded and the two separated down the narrow paths.  

Dabi walked until he saw a sparkly glint of reflected light shining on one of the crates. He automatically read the label engraved on them, and his eyes widened. 

BUSHIDO ENTERPRISES PTE LTD 

So that’s why –

The ground shook. He heard Geten yell over the thundering of crates shifting. 

Shit. He turned and ran back as he saw crates beginning to collapse where Geten had headed. He spotted a blue parka and grabbed it, hauling her into the clear. With his other hand he shot a plume of azure flames into the darkness.

The fire illuminated a tall figure as it passed through like water around a rock. The figure had its hands braced to take the brunt of the damage. It looked like –

Dabi hid his surprise with a grin. “Well, I’ll be damned.” He retracted his hand. The fire lingered on some wooden planks strewn on the ground, casting a blue glow on the man’s face. 

“Beatdown.” Geten breathed, veins of fear pulsing through the word. 

Advisor to Violet Regiment, Shingu Takame, eyed the two of them with a stoic face, void of any expressions of pain. It seemed as if Dabi had sprayed water rather than a torrent of fire. The man had no words; he raised his fists and leapt towards them. 

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Cliffhanger? Plot twist? Eh. 

Uhh right my thoughts on this chapter. I went through about 2 revisions? Major ones. I wrote the first draft in that flurry of creativity (and evasion of my academic responsibilities), then after hearing some of the thoughts on c14 (thanks Kannra in particular btw), it helped clear some of my thoughts and I realised I characterised Geten slightly incorrectly there, so I did a revision, and then once more when the chapter wasn’t “correct”. 

Yeah I always planned for Takame to be an antagonist here (I hoped I made that pretty clear with the last few sentences of this chapter). Also look at me with chapter planning. Much wow, very writer.

Hopefully he’ll be one of the few OCs I’ll ever need to use.