Chapter Text
You looked down and checked the time on your phone, seeing the time made you quicken your steps a bit and pull your jacket tighter around you as the chilly fall air nipped at your exposed skin. You hated walking home from work at night, but yet again your boss held you back to finish up on a last minute project and you managed to just miss the last train. Having no other option at this hour, you began walking.
Your short kitten heels clicked against the pavement in hurried steps, gripping your purse tight under your arm and nuzzling your face into the collar of your jacket. Trying to shield your face from the icy air while still trying to keep your eyes out for anyone lurking around was proving to be difficult. It wasn’t that you lived in a bad area, far from it, it just so happened that the route from your job to your house was right on the edge of town and just out of the range for any nightly patrols. Unfortunately, all of the unsavory characters in town knew that and they had a tendency to hang around this stretch of town for that exact reason.
You began passing through a darker area, shops lined both sides of the street but were long closed for the evening and all the lights that normally illuminated the street were off, shrouding the path in shadows. You whimpered slightly as a gust of wind hit your face and you tightened your eyes as the cold air burned them. Right as you opened your eyes again you ran directly into a large, dark figure standing in your way. Without so much as looking up you mumbled an apology
“Sorry, didn’t see you there..”
Stepping around the person to continue on your way when a hand caught your upper arm and halted you.
“Oh, well what do we have here huh? What’s a pretty lil thing like you walkin’ home alone this late for?”
The man that held your arm drawled lazily, his hot, booze scented breath wafted over your face and made you recoil. Fear and adrenaline washed over you from head to toe and your body started to quiver a bit. You didn’t know how you’d get yourself out of this one.
“Just let me go, I said I was sorry okay?”
You tugged on your arm but the man’s grip only got tighter. You could feel the pressure of his fingers digging into the fat and muscle of your arm, it was sure to leave bruises. The constricting hold on your arm made you gasp a bit.
“No, I don’t think I will. And I don’t think I like your attitude. Is that any way to talk to a man who’s just looking out for you?”
He pulled you closer to him and the scent of cigarettes rolled off him, this man reeked. You finally gathered the courage to look up at your captor, his face was scruffy and sallow. He had hair that looked like it was matted down to his scalp and from what you could see of his clothes, he probably hasn’t had a shower in a long time.
“Fucking let me go you sick freak!”
You raised your voice hoping to attract the attention of anyone who might be in the area. This only provoked the greasy man further and he wrapped his other arm around you, pulling you back into his chest and his hand on your arm moved up to cover your mouth. He started dragging you backwards towards an alleyway. Your heels dug into the ground but we’re no match for his persistent dragging and you lost both shoes in the process.
Fuck…you couldn’t let him get you back there or you’d never see this through. You opened your mouth as much as you could and bit the man’s hand, it tasted like dirt and sweat. Bile threatened to rise in your throat at the mixture of the scent and taste of his hand.
“You fuckin’ bitch, you’ done it now. I was gonna to be nice and all but you’ve done pissed me off.”
He yanked you back into the alley and threw you up against the brick wall. Your purse clattered to the ground and you cried out as the back of your head met the rough surface.
“Tch. Quit yer bitchin’ you asked for it when you bit me.”
He drawled again as he pressed his grimy hands against your shoulders to press you against the wall. Leaning in, his head hovering in the crook of your neck as he inhaled deeply, smelling you. He groaned and you gagged at the smell of his exhale. It was now or never. You were not about to be assaulted in some back alley after walking home from WORK, after this shit week at your draining job, this was just the final straw for you.
You inhaled deeply and mustered all the strength you could to knee the creep right in the crotch.
“Get the fuck OFF OF ME!”
You screech as your knee makes contact with his groin. The man keels over to his knees and sputters a few insults. You try shuffling away from him but he grabs your ankle and sends you stumbling forward. You partially catch yourself against the wall as he uses your leg to pull himself back up. The brick wall digs into the soft flesh of your palm and forearm as you struggle to keep yourself upright. You kick and flail as you try to right yourself. Just as you manage to kick the assailant away, he stands up and produces and large hunting knife from his coat pocket.
Time feels like it slows as you watch the moonlight glint off the dirty blade, the man’s hand wrapped around the hilt of the knife. He thrusts it forward into your left side with a sickening squelch sound.
You don’t even know you’re wailing in pain until the blade is ripped from your abdomen and you fall to the ground face first. The grimy assailant pockets his knife and quickly grabs your purse before running off into the night.
You sob and sniffle as you slowly push yourself up, gravel and dirt presses into your palms as you sit up and kick your feet to press your back against the brick wall. Your hands are covered in warm, thick liquid as you look down and see copious amounts of blood oozing from your wound. Blood even trickles down from your nose and split lip, both results from the fall. The taste of copper fills your mouth as you gasp in pain.
You pull your jacket off and try to use it to put pressure on the weeping wound in your side but you are left weak and shaky from hitting your head and you quickly lose your grip on the fabric. Your head lolls to the side and your vision blurs, you blink your eyes rapidly trying to regain clear vision but it’s no use.
The cold air bites at your skin now at the loss of your outer layer. Left in nothing but your white blouse and work slacks.The cold air keeps you from slipping into unconsciousness just long enough for you to hear footsteps approaching.
Gravel crunching under someone’s feet makes you drag your head up. Wanting to see if it was your assailant coming to finish the job, you focused all your strength in your vision to take in the dark form standing at the opening of the alley.
It was a man, tall, dark and imposing. A long black cloak like coat hung down to his knees. He had large black boots on that shuffled along the dirt floor as he got closer to you.
You didn’t even have the strength to say anything, just open your mouth, you willed the words to come out but you faltered as you could feel your pulse weaken. Your body shivered and shook as you tried to press a hand over your leaking abdomen, it was futile as you could feel the blood seep between your fingers and spill out onto the ground below.
The man still has yet to speak but he gets close enough that you can make out some of his features. His entire outfit is littered in what look to be silver staples. His coat and jeans have winding trails of them. Your gaze rakes up his form to his face and notice the same stitches hold together the skin of his cheeks too. A line of silver staples holding pale flesh to dark purple, burnt and scared tissue right above his jaw line. The sight slightly terrifies you but at this point, feeling like you were on the brink of death and your mind a hazy cloud, you accepted your fate.
It would be just your luck that after getting stabbed in a dark alley that some other freak of nature would find you. You could only hope that if he was going to kill you, it would be swift. You prep yourself to be stabbed again, kicked, shot, anything. But nothing happens.
Your breathing is labored, chest heaving in short bursts as you puff out breaths. You suck in a sharp breath as the man comes to kneel in front of you. Eyes widening in fear as he gazes at you, taking in your current state. Your lower lip trembles and it makes blood gush from the split, it dribbles down your chin and onto your already soaked blouse.
“Damn…rough night huh?”
The man finally speaks up. His monotone voice brings your mind back to the present as you focus your vision again.
“Y-yesss”
You stutter and slur out, your jaw hanging slack as you breathe through your mouth in short shallow breaths. Letting a mix of blood and saliva drip from your aching mouth. You’re pretty sure that fall loosened a tooth or two.
“I wouldn’t normally go sticking my nose in other people’s business, but you look like you could use some help. Heard you cryin from two blocks away.”
He hummed thoughtfully like he was casually talking to a friend. He gazed at you down his nose, his eyes were sharp and calculating. His sinfully blue irises sweeping over you, assessing your state, like he was sizing you up as he watched your chest heave and blood seep from your body.
You let your head fall to the side a bit, not knowing what he expected you to say or do. It was obvious that you could use help yet he wasted time kneeling in front of you and asking dumb questions.
“Ah ah, stay with me now, doll. Can’t have you dyin right here on the street.”
A warm hand came up to grasp your jaw and turned it to look back at him. As quickly as he touched you, his hand pulled back. All you could do was grunt in response.
“Names Dabi, if that makes you feel more inclined to accept my help, you know….knowing my name an all.”
The large man shrugged as he spoke. You squint your eyes in response and tense your face up as you feel light headed again. The man, Dabi, offered a scarred hand out to you like he was waiting for you to take it. As if he thought you could really just hoist yourself off the ground and walk off with him.
You look to his hand and then to his face slowly. Trying to judge what this guy’s intentions are. Just as you were about to move your hand to take his, another set of footsteps could be heard rounding the corner of the alley.
“Dabi, the fuck are you doing? You run off to lurk in some back alley? I’ve been looking for you.”
The voice is unmistakably a man’s, it was hoarse sounding, like his throat was dry. Your eyes lazily look beyond Dabi crouched before you and at the newcomer. He’s just as tall if not taller, also sporting a long coat that kicked up in the breeze a bit. His light scraggly hair hung around his face and obscured your vision from seeing his features. Great, now there’s two suspicious looking men. Could this night get any better?
“Shit- what did you do now? Dabi, I swear to all hell-“
He cut himself off from finishing his sentence as he approached the two of you. His eyes zeroed in on you as soon as he got close enough to see your slumped form from over the top of Dabi’s back as he hunched forward a bit, hand still outstretched to you.
“I didn’t do shit. Found her like this, looks like someone got her good in the side.”
He jabbed his thumb in your direction, pointing out the gaping hole in your blouse that weeped crimson.
“Well fuck…I told you we ain’t picking up any strays, Dabi. If her fate was to get gutted in a dark alley then who are we to interfere with that?”
The pale haired man spoke, his voice gruff and low. Dabi rolled his eyes at the man and turned his attention back to you.
“Well, what do you say? Want to join us then? Get you patched up huh?”
Dabi said as he tilted his head down to look at you through his dark lashes. A creepy grin quirked at his lips. What other choice did you have? Oh yeah, bleed out alone in an alley and have some poor unsuspecting person find your cold, pale body in the morning. Yeah, you’re reaching up your hand to slot it into Dabi’s palm.
As soon as it makes contact, Dabi yanks you up sharply. There’s a wet pouring sound as the blood that’s pooled in your lap splashes to the ground, all over your bare feet and Dabi’s black boots. Your eyes lock with his, wide with shock.
“Tch. Fuckin mess you are.”
He shakes his head full of messy black hair as he supports your body against his. He picks you up with a grunt and starts carrying you. When he turns to leave the alley, you finally get a good look at his accomplice. Pale blue hair shifts around his face in the night breeze, piercing red eyes study your slack face. His chapped looking lips curl up in a snarl as he looks down at you in Dabi’s arms.
The sway of your limp body being carried lulls you into a comfortable darkness and you let it pull you under, slipping into unconsciousness and the fear of what’s to come melts away as your brain shuts off.