"It means you aren't falling for me, Kiara."

KIARA'S POV:

"Mrs. Arakan, could you move your shoulder for us, please?"

I did what the doctor asked me to do, moving my right shoulder that was stabbed from the incident and was healing while I was in the hospital. I moved my shoulder, still feeling some of the pain from the wound.

"How does it feel? Does it still hurt?" The doctor asked, holding his clipboard while examining my shoulder.

I sighed, lowering down my shoulder. "Doctor, am I going to get any better? I have to go out and do my hero work. I can't just sit around and wait till I get better... I mean, come on, a kid is missing and a hero when I couldn't save them."

The doctor frowned, sighing, and set his clipboard on the table next to my hospital bed.

"Arakan, I know you want to go out there, but you have to wait till you're healed. If not, well... it'll make it worse." He stated, pointing at my shoulder. "Now, could you please tell me how it feels to move your shoulder?"

Nodding in agreement, I spoke. "It hurts a little when I move it now, but I'm getting used to it."

•○○○•

"Well, this is boring... I can't even go out or do nothin', and even Yuna is out doing her hero work, all the fun stuff. This is total bullshit..." I spoke to myself in my head, looking out the window, and noticed it was getting late.

Reaching my left shoulder out, I reached out for the remote on the table, turned on the TV, and looked at the news, which left me in shock.

There were pro heroes, All Might, Endeavour, Best Jeanist, police officers, and others on the screen fighting Nomu's by the abandoned bar that I had once visited, where the League was escaping through portals.

I noticed Yuna was there, backing off some of the Nomu's with the use of her Quirk.

Then, All Might started flying off with the other pros with the Nomu's.

There, the whole thing was placed up in the sky by news reporters in the helicopter, filming everything live. All might had fought a man who had no eyes and nose and in a black suit with the League trying to keep Bakugou from running away.

Yuna was at the side, watching at afar from the fighting, and Grand Torino was next to her, also watching the scene in front of them. I didn't know who this man was.

•○○○•

THIRD-PERSON POV:

"How is your shoulder?" Hajime asked as he cut up some fruit for his daughter.

"It's getting better," Kiara said, accepting the fruit he gave her.

Hajime sighed. "It was supposed to be a simple mission... going to summer camp with some teenagers. How could it turn to a mess so quickly? Even attacking such young kids?"

"I know, dad." She patted his hand. "But it's a good thing us heroes were there, and some students fought hard. Except... we lost one student during it, too."

"What was the kids name? Ah, yes, it was Bakugou Katsuki. Poor kid." Hajime took a bite of his fruit and chewed it.

"I have to make sure my shoulder heals quickly so I can go back to working," I said, after taking a bite of the fruit. "But fortunately, the kid is okay."

"That reminds me..." Hajime began.

"What now?" Kiara eyed her father up and down, worried that he was about to say something embarrassing.

And he did.

"Kiara, when are you gonna marry and have kids?" Hajime sighed, and there was a soft serious expression on his face.

"Dad!" Kiara's lips slightly part. "I'm still young! I..."

Shaking her head, she set down her cut-up fruit and looked over at him. "Dad, I don't even have time for that... I mean, I'm a pro hero for God's sake!"

Hajime patted his daughter hand. "I know, but I just want to see you happy with someone."

"I will, dad... just not now."

•○○○•

Sooner or later, Kiara was allowed out to of the hospital, her shoulder still hurting from the stabbing accident. Though the pills she was given would help the pain, but, it would creep back up.

At home, she was in the kitchen, cooking herself some dinner when the backyard door opened, revealing Dabi.

"You have some nerve showing up here, Dabi." Glaring at him, she used the wooden spoon to point at him.

"Doll-face, show some compassion." Dabi placed a hand over his chest, grasping at his jacket, acting like he was wounded from her words.

"Compassion?" Kiara scoffed. "You attacked teenage kids! You even kidnapped one, a hero a missing, you burned down a forest, and you watched me get stabbed."

Dabi slowly walked to her, but she was backing away, still holding the wooden spoon in her hand.

"Why? Why would you traumatize a kid?"

No... it was all coming back to him.

Dabi paused his movements and stared at her, his head filling up with a horrible sense of thought.

Just like your father.

From Kiara's words, his face filled with anger. "It wasn't my plan. I was following orders... and I'll admit, it was pretty fun."

"You bastard..." Kiara eyed him up and down, and she was almost ready for a... attack.

This shocked Dabi, despite the incident that happened at that summer camp. He would never hurt her... right?

"This whole deal of ours is done." She finally spoke up again. "I'm done with you, and I think it's best that I..." she was reaching out to her phone.

Dabi and Kiara both eyed the phone and then at each other. In quick motion, they were fighting over the phone, trying to see who could get it first to avoid any of the fighting.

Kiara managed to grab her phone. However, Dabi pushed her back against the kitchen island, quickly taking the phone out of her grasp and holding it above her, his hand pinning her wrists down on the counter.

"Don't even think about doing that, sweetheart." His turquoise eyes bore into hers. "Yet, you forget that you helped me. You offered the deal. What would people think when they found out a hero was helping a top villain?"

She knew he was right, and there was no point in saying anything else in this argument.

Instead, she remained silent, staring back into his eyes, her brows slightly furrowed as they held contact, their bodies still pressed up against each other.

"You know I'm right..." He whispered, his teeth gritting a bit.

"I hate that you are..." Kiara replied, her green orbs glancing somewhere else as she turned her head to the side, feeling his hot breath on her cheek.

Dabi grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Look at me. I want to see you admit that you're wrong."

Staring up at him, their eyes met again, and their breaths mixed with each other while their bodies remained close.

So close... Dabi thought, his eyes lingering from her lips to her eyes. Pull yourself together... you shouldn't be thinking like this, especially after all you've done.

What's happening to me? Why is my heart racing so much...? Kiara questioned in her head, seeing every feature of his face so up close. The parts she hadn't seen before.

Clearing her throat, she chuckled lightly, trying to ease the tension. "I should go back to cooking..."

Nodding, Dabi pulled away from her and watched her walk back to the stove, continuing her cooking that they had forgotten before.

The whole time, Dabi remained leaning against the kitchen counter, his arms crossed as he watched Kiara cook, her back facing towards him. Sometimes, his eyes would lower down... he felt guilty, but he just couldn't help himself.

But inside the whole room, it was silent, and the thick tension remained after their "little incident."

"Do you want some?" Kiara interrupted his thoughts and the tension.

"Sure, doll." He placed his hands in his pockets, walking over to her, and he couldn't help but stand behind her back.

Kiara took out some plates from the pantry, not really noticing Dabi being behind her as she placed the food on the dish.

"Here you—" When she turned around, she was taken off guard from how close he was. "Wh-What're you doing?"

"What am I doing?" He shrugged, moving his shoulders as his hands remained in his pockets, still standing close.

Kiara took one of the plates and held it in front of her, offering for him to take.

He did.

At the dinner table, it was silent the whole time. The sound of the metal chopsticks clinking against the glass of the plates and dishes.

Every now and then, Dabi would glance over at Kiara, noticing how her hand trembled when picking things up or the slight squint in her eyes. He knew where this was coming from.

"How's your shoulder?" He suddenly spoke, chewing on his food.

Kiara looked down at it. "It's fine. It hurts a little when I pick or move stuff up."

"You're still pissed off, huh?" He added, chewing on his food loudly.

"Chew with your mouth close."

"I'll take that as a yes." Dabi grinned slightly, taking a sip of his water while shaking his head.

"And I have every right to be." Kiara glared over.

Placing her chopsticks down on her plate, she stood up, heading over to the kitchen to place them in the sink. Dabi relentlessly followed her, walking behind with his hands in his pockets.

"Come on, doll-face..." He said, fake frowning. "Is there any way you can forgive me?"

Turning around, she faced him, her eyes narrow. "Don't kidnap or attack teenage kids ever again."

Kiara walked away, and again, Dabi followed, slightly chuckling to himself.

"I can't promise that," he states.

"Why?" Furrowing her brows, she eyed the scarred man up and down. "They did nothing wrong. They're innocent children wanting to be heroes. There's nothing wrong with that."

He cocked a brow. "Some are over their head."

"Over their head?" Kiara repeats with a scoff. "So, am I over the head when I decided to help people? People who couldn't help themselves? Bullshit."

Dabi stays silent, watching her wipe down the dining table roughly while muttering curses under her breath.

He didn't like fighting with her, not even when they were kids (even if he was the one that mostly started them).

"How can I make it up for you then, doll-face?" He cocked a brow, his expression unamused.

Kiara looked over, giving him the side eye as she thought to herself. "Stay out of trouble."

Dabi couldn't promise that, but he'll try. For her.

"Alright," he said.

DABI'S POV:

I helped her clean the dishes. I didn't like doing them, but it was one of the things I
could've done to help her not be mad at me.

I didn't like it when she was mad at me (even though I was the one that made her mad since we were kids).

Because of her, I'd do anything for her.

But I couldn't let her be a distraction for my plan. My revenge. I keep telling myself to stop coming back to her, but I find myself crawling back to her like some loyal dog.

For her, I'd burn the world for her.

"I need a drink." Kiara's voice interrupted my thoughts.

Wiping her hands with a towel, she takes out an expensive glass of champagne from the pantry.

"Where the hell did you manage to get something like that?" I cocked a brow, and I forgot she was a pro hero.

She looked down at it with slight embarrassment. Cute. "My father gave it to me for Christmas last year. I only drink it when I'm stressed."

I wiped my hands as well, and I watched her pour a glass for herself until she did the same for a second. She handed it to me.

Going over to the living room, she plops on the couch and takes a long sip of her glass with the bottle in her hands before placing both items on the table.

I followed, sitting across from her.

My eyes roamed around her facial features, locking on her eyes, and traveled to the exposed skin, seeing an inch of the stitches from her shoulder.

I spoke without thinking. "How's the shoulder?"

"It's fine. I can move it without any worry, and I'll be going back to work soon, and I'll give you your half when I need you," she shrugs.

"When you need me?" I repeat.

"Yes," she nods.

I inch closer. "What do you need me for?"

"What?" Kiara turned around, noticing that I inched closer, but kept a gap between us.

"You heard me," I say.

I could tell that she was thinking about what to say from her brows furrowing, lips turning into a line, and how she avoided my gaze.

"For missions," she states after a little while. "I'll need you for your help sometimes, and then you can get your share. That was the deal."

I leaned back. "Good."

"Good?" She looked confused.

I held her eyes with mine, taking my glass and clinking it with hers. "It means you aren't falling for me, Kiara."

A/N

I was supposed to post on Friday but i fuckin forgot lmao and i didn't realize until i was setting up my fan and was like "oh shit, I forgot" and went to write the chapter. But here I am in like 1 o'clock in the morning, posting, so here you go. <3

- Tränen