𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔣𝔞𝔫𝔱𝔞𝔟𝔲𝔩𝔬𝔲𝔰 𝑒𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑖𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛

Chapter 2

(I'm sorry it took me so long to finish this chapter, I've had a lot going on recently. I promise you more content in chapter three and so on. I'll try to have translations at the bottom of each chapter if I write any Spanish in them.

If you want to listen to the song while you read, start it at the "*'" point for the best experience. 

Thank you so much for all the love and support with this book, especially with 50 views. I can't wait to get to 100 views, we're almost there! Anyways, I have no real warnings so enjoy!)

Chapter 2

Getting a Lead

1 week later...

*'Comida Mala, the Mexican restaurant-club fusion mostly catered to villains in downtown Kamino, bustling with customers at lunch hour. Its owner, Rosaliá Cortéz, was in charge and showing her newest employee, Akemi Clayton, how everything worked. "Ay, Akemi! Be a dear and go tell that guy with the hook on his hand that his chicken enchilada is ready?" Rosaliá requested from behind the bar counter. "What if they insult me about my scars?" Akemi mumbled tentatively. "I'll put them into a coma." The Hispanic brunette reassured her with a cackle. "But seriously. If anyone harasses me or my employees, I make sure they regret it." She softened her voice and cracked her calloused knuckles.

Akemi's cheeks flushed a bright pink. "I know working with villains might seem scary, but trust me. They aren't as bad when you give them good Mexican food." Rosaliá murmured soothingly to her before a scowl abruptly curved onto her lips. "Unless it's him." She grunted. Her light brown eyes glaring daggers at the young man with staples covering his face and neck making his way to the bartop.

"Bacon bits? He's nothing to be scared of-" Akemi Clayton commented softly as her employer tensed up. "Pipsqueak? You work here?" Dabi asked, glancing at the shorter brunette. "Uh, yeah." She replied awkwardly before Rosaliá gently pushed her aside. "What do you want, you burro muerto?" The restaurant owner sneered with a sour look on her face. "Easy, rose. I just wanted to talk and see how you're doing-" The scarred villain answered calmly. "You killed mi Abuela! I'm perfectly fine never talking to you again!" Rosaliá Cortéz yelled, aggressively raising her voice. "Abuela means grandmother, right?" He raised a brow, forgetting how often his old friend used Spanish.

"Yes, Abuela means grandmother." She confirmed with a sigh. "What are you doing here, bacon bits?" Akemi questioned curiously. "I have to ask Rose some questions. Business-oriented." Dabi summarized his request as the restaurant owner tensed up more. "You aren't threatening to get this place shut down, are you?" Rosaliá huffed. "No, no. Not even close. I just need your help with some questions." The villain repeated himself. "I'm still mad at you. You burned down the retirement home my grandmother was staying in, didn't notice, and didn't even bother showing up to the funeral." Rosaliá Cortéz confessed, slowly calming down. "You didn't tell me she lived in that retirement home specifically," Dabi argued casually. "That isn't the point." Akemi's boss remarked.

"Not to interrupt, but Rosaliá, are you going to help him? I think that he wouldn't just come all this way for Mexican food if he needed you as much as he says he does." Akemi pointed out. "Most villains who know where Comida Mala is that" Rosaliá Cortéz rebutted her employee's statement. "I'm sure they do, but Dabi-" He unintentionally interrupted Akemi with a sigh. "My...someone I care about has gone missing. A lot of the people she cares about have gone missing and I need your help. If you can give me some kind of a lead to finding her-"

"Holy shit, you're dating again!" Rosaliá exclaimed in amused shock. "Uh..." Dabi mumbled. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!" She chimed enthusiastically. "Wait, really?" Akemi added skeptically. "It's complicated, rose." He answered hesitantly. "That's what they all say, 'complicated' my ass." Rosaliá retorted pesteringly. Her demeanor changed completely, much to Dabi's relief. "Mi mamá is a sucker for a blossoming romance and I'm helpless to being the same way. You wanted to ask me some questions?" The restaurant owner grinned. "Is the back room open? I don't want anyone to think I've changed." Dabi asked.

Akemi raised a brow. "You can take people to the back room? There is a backroom?" She questioned her employer. "There's three, but usually I discuss things with my employees in the back room they keep their stuff in. Or some familiar faces depending on the circumstance, including situations like this." Rosaliá explained. "Since you're here, you know how everything works now. Take care of the place while I'm gone? It'll be a few minutes before I get back, and Evirriane can help you with anything if you need it." She requested before leading Dabi behind the burgundy curtains next to the shelves of liquor behind the bar counter.

~~~~

"Who is this mysterious girl who stole Dabi's heart?" Rosaliá teased jokingly as his face flushed a bright red. "Oh hush." Dabi grumbled, "I didn't come here to get made fun of for my nonexistent love life." He rolled his turquoise eyes as she continued laughing. "You don't have to lie to me. Thanks to experience with villains, I can sense a liar from a mile away." She remarked in between inconsistent hiccups. "Whatever, have you heard anything about hero abductions recently?" Dabi inquired, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"Do you remember Nine?" She queried first. "He looked like All for One but younger or something?" Dabi guessed. "A few Saturdays ago, he was talking with some rich guys by the DJ booth about this new plan for destroying the hero society while I was serving them margaritas. I don't know what it is but it sounds big." Rosaliá recalled intently. "Nine and rich people? Here?" Dabi repeated skeptically. "Say what you want, but I saw it. He also mentioned a few investors that are competing via auction to invest in the project. There's supposed to be a gala-like thing downtown for the actual auction in a few days. I wish I could remember more but that day was really busy. We were low staffed over here, and we get the most customers on Saturday nights." She continued.

"Are you okay? Dabi?" Rosaliá asked as Dabi stopped spacing out. "Sorry, uh, yeah. Thanks. I just...that girl who went missing, uh, she loves me. I wouldn't forgive myself if I let anything bad happen to her. I can't let her down." Dabi admitted sheepishly. "Awwww! My boy is in love!" Rosaliá squawked excitedly. "Shut up!" He groaned. "If you bring her here, I'll give the happy couple a discount..." She offered playfully.

"For those unreal chips and guacamole, I'll consider it. Thanks again for the help." Dabi thanked her again and smirked slightly. "I'll still be mad at you until you introduce her to the best Mexican food in Kamino." The restaurant owner replied with a grin of her own as she watched him leave.

~~~

"How did it go?" Akemi asked, "Apparently I have to go with him to the police station tomorrow. I can only imagine why." Rosaliá laughed at her new lighthearted scheme. "When we meet his new girlfriend, we'll turn this place into a fiesta bigger than the UA Sports Festival. You can count on it." She insisted passionately. "Sometimes I don't understand you, Rosaliá," Akemi commented and went behind the bar counter to keep bartending.

Her boss only chuckled louder. "Sometimes I surprise myself more than what happens at my job," Rosaliá confessed as she went back to overseeing Comida Mala.

(Translations

*abuela - 'grandmother'

*burro muerto - 'dead donkey'

*Comida Mala - 'bad food'

*Mi - 'my')