Fly High, Burn Bright

Chapter 54

Only when I'd finished eating the entire bowl and drank a good four cups of water did I notice that Dabi's eyes were still locked on me. I raised a playful eyebrow at him - he couldn't be more obvious with the way he was staring, and evidently, he still wasn't back to his usual state. He looked as if he was on a completely different planet, or maybe trapped in his own little world that he made for himself, and I made a mental note of the fact that although he was overly flirty, he'd break down at the smallest action of affection. At least now I had something I could use against him. 

"You know, it's rude to stare," I decided to point out as another minute passed with him watching me silently. Even now, he seemed to be in a complete daze, and probably barely heard my words.

"I was thinking whether or not I should tell you that you have rice on your face," he finally said.

"Huh?" My eyes widened as I immediately swiped at my mouth with the back of my hand. "Where is it?"

Dabi chuckled, watching me struggle with it for a few seconds. "I'll get it. Stay still already, won't you?" 

I rolled my eyes but did as he told me, slightly tilting my chin up so that I'd face him more comfortably. I tried to wait patiently for him to do something, but for some reason, his eyes bore into mine, the bright blue almost burning into me. Then, he leaned forward, and suddenly, his lips were pressed onto mine again, his tongue running over the corner of my lips to get rid of a grain of rice before disappearing. That smooth little bastard. My body moved on its own as I stood on my tippy-toes, mildly aware of how Dabi's hand pulled me closer to him by my waist. I could've sworn I heard him sigh into the kiss as our lips moved in perfect sync almost as if they were meant for each other and we were two pieces of a puzzle that fit together.

Only when I heard footsteps rushing towards the door of the kitchen did my eyes shoot open and I shoved Dabi away, trying to lean against the counter as naturally as possible. Dabi gave me a smirk and a wink that left me flustered, and the door flew open to reveal the two girls that I'd knocked out before. The blonde one looked between me and Dabi, taking in the blush on my cheeks and Dabi's overconfident expression and grinning as she put two and two together. Well, at least I wouldn't have to explain to someone that I hadn't even met officially why I looked like a human tomato.

The girl shook her head slightly, her buns bouncing. "Hate to interrupt this moment for you two lovebirds-"

"We're not lovebirds, and you didn't interrupt anything," I cut her off, earning a raised eyebrow in protest from Dabi, who looked just a little too mad for comfort, but she completely ignored me.

"-but Shiggy wants to talk to you. Kira, right? Or do you prefer Hiroko?" It was oddly comforting, how much she cared about keeping me comfortable. It was a little hard to believe that, if the reports back at the agency were correct, she alone was responsible for dozens of murders, not to mention kidnapping and robberies, but then again, I'd believed I would never be anything but a hero, and here I was.

"Uh, Kira's fine, but thanks for asking," I finally replied.

"Great!" She clapped her hands together, almost as if she were excited to get closer with me. "I'm Toga. I haven't been in the League for too long, but I promise you'll love it!" Well, at least she didn't seem bothered by the fact that I was a pro hero not too long ago. 

Beside her, the taller girl with long brown hair and two white streaks raised her hand to get my attention. "I'm Yuri." I nodded to her and gave them both a smile.

"Well, nice to meet you," I started, "but I think I should get going. I don't think I should keep Shiggy - uh, Shigaraki - waiting for too long. Do you think you could give me the directions to find him?"

Before either girl could respond, Dabi put an arm over my shoulder and angled me to the door. "Don't worry, I'll take you there. See you around," he said, giving the two girls a wave before practically dragging me out of the kitchen, through the mess hall and back into the maze of hallways. There was still that comfortable aura surrounding him, but it felt like he was angry at me, and I had no clue why. I hadn't even done anything wrong, and yet, here he was, practically ripping my arm out of my socket as he sped through the halls, and I had trouble keeping up with him even though usually, I would've been just fine. Maybe the lack of proper food and rest of the past few days was catching up to me, or maybe Dabi was just being extra energetic for some reason. He was walking so fast, I almost had to run to catch up, and as we rounded another corner, I grabbed his arm and forced us both to a stop.

"What's wrong? You're being kind of an ass right now, and I'm not saying that it's unusual for you, but you're really pushing it now, so how about you tell me what's up so I can try to fix it?" Dabi glared at me as if I was supposed to know exactly what it was I'd done, but I remained clueless. 

He finally sighed, his features softening slightly as he held out his hand. "It's nothing. Let's go. You said it yourself, we shouldn't keep Shiggy waiting."

I raised an eyebrow and shook my head in disappointment, arms crossed over my chest. "I'm not moving until you tell me what I did wrong."

Another heavy sigh, and his shoulders curled inward slightly. "It doesn't matter, okay? If you're that worried, then hurry up already. If Shiggy gets mad, we'll both be in trouble with him."

"With all due respect to good ol' Shiggy," I replied, rolling my eyes, "but I've faced scarier people. I'm sure he can wait a bit." Dabi's hand was still waiting for mine, but instead of accepting it, I took a step closer to him and looked up into his eyes. "Come on. I can't fix it if I don't know what's wrong."

For a second, I thought I saw his resolve crumble, but then he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder as if I was nothing. I instinctively tried to wriggle free, slamming my elbow into his shoulder blade and repeatedly kicking at his gut, but I guess the week of minimal food paid its toll. I wasn't used to feeling this weak, and I mentally cursed myself for it. It shouldn't matter if my body was starved - I should always be strong enough to fight someone properly, and yet, here I was, not even able to slip out from Dabi's hold on me. He carried me through the halls before coming to a stop beside yet another unmarked door and setting me down, a frown on his face.

"You know, princess, I expected you to at least kick me a little harder for that. What happened to the whole 'I hate your guts but I'm also in love with you' thing?" He asked, looking me over as if searching for what it was that he needed to fix, but except for the fact that the clothing hung a little looser than it should've and my cheeks were red again, there was nothing wrong with me.

"Hey," I protested, "I was trying  to kick you hard enough to make you let go. It's not my fault that you didn't." Dabi looked down at me, not quite convinced. "And I'm not in love with you," I added, and even though it was barely louder than a whisper, Dabi's grin returned.

"And she's back! Just 'cause you don't know it doesn't mean you aren't, you know? That kiss really said otherwise." I punched him in the stomach, but Dabi barely even flinched, and the concerned look instantly returned. "You know, maybe you shouldn't see Shiggy just yet... Was that the best you could do?" 

"Are you calling me weak?" I punched him again, but the reaction was minimal. 

"Alright, you're not going anywhere. Back to your room you go. No way are you going to meet Shiggy right now," he announced, completely ignoring me as he gently started pushing me back the same way that we'd come from, almost as if he was scared that I'd break. 

I managed to slip away from him, crossing my arms over my chest to glare at him - first he kissed me, then got mad at me over nothing, and was now acting all sweet and caring? What was even up with him? "And why would I do that? I'm perfectly fine right now. Give me one reason as to why I shouldn't go to Shiggy right now."

"Maybe because you're still weak and exhausted an-"

"Well, look who decided to finally show up," Shigaraki's voice interrupted from behind us, and we both turned to face him in surprise - neither Dabi nor I heard him approach us. "Next time, try to be a little faster, won't you?"