𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 (𝐃𝐚𝐛𝐢 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)

22

Dabi's POV:

"I need you to meet me on the corner of block thirty-four." Dabi tried to keep his tone leveled as he spoke into the phone. "Bring your car and any first aid supplies that you can find." 

The vehicle that Hawks had provided was perfectly fine, and he hated to move you any more than he already had, but he couldn't risk having his location monitored. Hawks had said this was his personal car, and that the commission shouldn't have access to it, but the hero still couldn't be completely trusted. Even if he was telling the truth, there was a high chance that the commission wasn't.

"Dude," said the voice through the speaker. "I'm not just someone you can call whenever you need something. I have a life of my own, you know."

Tightening his grip on the steering wheel, Dabi spoke through clenched teeth. "Be there in five minutes or I'll send out that photo of you to the press. You think it'll be easy to walk freely in the open once the world knows that your face is the one behind the mask?" Blackmail wasn't always his first resort, but there was no time to ask nicely.

The man gave a dramatic sigh. "A simple 'please' would have sufficed. I'll see you soon."

Dabi hung up the phone without another word. Glancing to his side, he felt another stab of panic pierce his throat, making it difficult to breathe. Your body remained limp in the reclined passenger seat. Each streetlight that he drove underneath illuminated the shards of glass protruding from your skin and despite the makeshift bandages he'd wrapped around your arm, blood had already begun seeping through the material of the seats. He checked for the fifth time in the last few minutes to make sure that you were still breathing, holding a hand below your nose. You were, but the fact brought him little comfort. The breaths were becoming less consistent, and each one was weaker than the last.

He applied more pressure to the gas pedal, pushing the car to a speed that would normally draw a bit of attention, but the police wouldn't be focused on speeding drivers right now. Dabi passed by multiple cars with their sirens blazing, all of which were headed in the direction of the commissioner's office. They would arrive too late. The man's body was nothing more than ash. It would be clear to them that Dabi was the culprit since his was the only quirk with enough firepower to reduce a human body to that state. It would have been better to kill him differently, in a way that could have bought Dabi more time before he would be pushed higher up on the wanted list. But he hadn't had the time for a creative death. Hell, he'd barely had time to think. What he'd seen, it had been...

He pushed the image aside. The questions could come later. Right now, he needed to focus on keeping you alive. Nothing else mattered.

When he finally arrived at the block he'd specified, a block further in the back roads that were often empty, Dabi pushed himself out of the car. He moved with urgency. His contact had followed through, and his vehicle was parked just a few feet away. The man stepped out, holding a small first aid kit. It looked like one of the ones they sold at dollar stores, meaning there would likely be nothing of use. "Alright, what's this about?"

Dabi could barely hear over the blood pounding in his ears. He threw open the passenger door, revealing your broken figure. The man behind him gasped. "Oh, come on! How the hell did you manage to kill her already?!"

"She isn't dead, dumbass. Help me get her into your car and take us to the old man's office."

Maybe it was the seriousness of his tone, but the man seemed to sense the direness of the situation. He did as was asked without hesitation, helping Dabi lift you in a way that would irritate your injuries in the least detrimental ways. Even so, the small whimper of pain that came from your lips was like a punch to the gut. He brought you to the backseat, forcing his hands not to shake.