Archive of Our Own ^beta

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The Winged Hero: Hawks , the fastest hero, too fast for his own good, beloved by the public, the poster child for a hero. He had the charisma, the looks, the skills to match his ranking. Having only debuted a few years ago at 18 he skyrocketed to the top and continues to impress the people. 

Agent 1228, was a ghost, unnoticed, given missions that never saw the light of day. He was skilled in being untraceable, never leaving a mark behind. He was most often sent on assassinations, his quirk easily honed to kill, sharp as a razor.

Keigo Takami was a little boy who, despite being handed a terrible life, kept an optimistic outlook. Even when things were at their worst, he saw the silver lining. Even when he wasn’t let outside, he smiled at the birds that perched on the windowsill.

Dabi , an arsonist, a villain, and to most someone who featured in many nightmares. He is second in command of the League of Villains. Nobody knows how many he has killed, since all that is left are ashes. Nobody knows where he came from, he burnt it all away.

Yusei , a name not chosen but given. A ghost of someone who used to exist. A lingering presence of a boy who burned. Who faded into only the rumors that remained.

Touya Todoroki was a boy who should have had everything. He was the son of a high ranking pro-hero, he should never have been made to want. Yet should doesn’t mean that it was. The name Todoroki felt more like a curse on those that bore it than an honor to hold. 

Chapter Text

There was only one reason that the commission president would summon Hawks. A reason that he thought was gone after his debut, what with him needing to be a hero of the public, he couldn’t be given the same assignments. Not that the public knew anything about those assignments. Even back then, it wasn’t often that the commission president called for Hawks specifically, his talents only needed in the most sensitive of missions. Still each time she summoned him, he secretly hoped it would be the last time. Don’t be mistaken, Hawks was incredibly grateful for everything the commission did for him, had it not been for them, he’d still be struggling, or dead. 

This was nothing like what Hawks expected when he was offered at nine years old to train to become a hero. He had admired heroes on the television long before he knew they were real. As he got older he understood the sacrifices that needed to be made by heroes in order to protect the public. That didn’t make any of his assignments any easier, but he had to be stronger, be better. He knows what happens to the failures, his predecessor is still in Tartarus because she couldn’t handle the work. Hawks has to be better, he can’t afford to fail. 

“You are to infiltrate the League of Villains, find out as much as you can about their inner workings and report back. Do whatever it takes to gain their trust, understood?” She always spoke in a way that left no room to argue.

“Yes ma’am. You can count on me.”

“Of course we can, we made sure of that.” 

Unlike his prior missions that required merely stealth, the act of not being seen, this one required a facade, an act, a mask. It was easy to go unseen, too fast for his own good and too fast for the naked eye, as well as most cameras. 

Unlike his prior missions, there was the world on the line. This wasn’t just some small crime ring, or the yakuza. The League of Villains was continuing to grow as a threat and whispers of a merger with another villain organization put the commission and the heroes on edge. 

The files he was given instructed him to locate and contact the villain, Dabi, including various locations that he is rumored to frequent and recruit from. Not much was known about the arsonist, he was considered an A-Rank villain, his quirk allowed him to leave nothing but ashes, allowing for his true body count to remain completely unknown. Hawks had personally heard very little of Dabi, just in passing as the League gained notoriety, but nothing could have prepared him for the man that he would encounter tonight. 

Hawks immediately knew he had found the right man, his quirk swirled in his hand, but what had caught Hawks attention the most was the staples embedded in his face. Hawks knew that they existed, that they were a part of his appearance, often being the only thing people make note of when they encounter the villain themselves. But what he didn’t know was just how shiny they were. It was like they glowed, it seemed like every part of him was illuminated with the reflection of the moonlight. Despite having no experience in the realm of intimacy, Hawks would not be too opposed to the notion of trying to honeypot the flame-user.

“Now what do you think you’re doing in our neck of the woods, Number 2? ”, forget the staples, his eyes were bright, there was something mesmerizing about them, like his flames manifested in the most beautiful way. Speaking of his flames, Dabi snuffed out the ones in his hand, and yet despite no longer being lit up by his quirk, his eyes remain just as fierce.

Looking at him now, he is much smaller than Hawks had expected, they’re roughly the same height perhaps a few inches difference. The way people spoke of him, they made it seem like he towered over everyone and everything around him.

He was also much scrawnier than Hawks expected, he supposes he should have expected as much, the career of a criminal doesn’t put much on the table, that he was very familiar with.

Something in the back of Hawks’s mind was bothered by the current state of the pyro, part of him wanted to grab the arsonist and make him food, take him home and make sure he was safe. They struck him as odd as those instincts usually only rear their head come spring time not winter. Focus, Hawks, there’s a mission to complete.

“I want to join you guys, you recruit for the League, right?” Hawks pulls his visor off his eyes, trying to embody a sense of nonchalance. 

“Yeah, the League of Villains , hero. ” He spoke the word hero like it burned him, or perhaps as if it was poison.

“I’m sure you could make an exception for me right? I’m just saying I think you guys have a point about how things are.”

“The Number 2 hero wants to destroy hero society? Don’t waste my time.”

“I’m serious , I know how corrupt the system is, I’m in it. I know it needs to change, I see it up close and personal. Wouldn’t it be useful to you guys to have someone with information on the inside?”

Dabi narrows his eyes as if trying to stare into Hawks’s soul, “Maybe, we'll see . Take this, answer when I call, don't bother trying to trace it, you won't be able to, got it?” Dabi hands him a burner phone, nothing really fancy about it.

Hawks nods, “Absolutely.”

“Later, Pigeon.”, Dabi smirks and walks away, Hawks doesn’t dare try to follow knowing that even an attempt would end his mission and quite possibly his life right then and there.

“I'm not a-” Hawks begins to argue, but stops himself. He looks down at the phone in his hand, a burner phone containing nothing but one contact. He takes a breath. The beginning of the end .

Chapter Text

Dabi only had one reason to continue living, it was often the only thing holding him from falling apart. He lost so much, left so much, walked away from all of it. There were days that it haunted him. There were days early in his time on the streets that he felt a pull tugging him back towards that house. Each time he fought it, knowing that there’d be nothing to gain from going home to the place that hasn’t been home for a long time, if it ever was. 

The more time that passed, the less he felt like the boy he was, the more he felt like a ghost. He wasn’t always a villain either, that being quite a recent development. He never actively tried to be anything, but he often landed himself in the right place at the right time. Years of being raised and molded with the ideals of a hero, the instinct to help lingers like a vice.

He never gave them his name, so they began to give him one, Yusei. He doesn’t hate it, but even that life feels like a foreign memory. They never saw his face, he had gotten used to hiding it, the scars making him look terribly unapproachable. Now he has to hide his face for a completely new reason, perhaps not new, people often thought he was a villain before, but now their fears seemed justified. 

Despite the fact that the heroes didn’t know Dabi’s official kill count, they speculated that it was incredibly high given the company he keeps. How wrong they are.

See, Dabi hadn’t killed, well, hadn’t killed any innocents, and even so, he remembered every single one, all 30 of them. Despite the manic persona often associated with the flame villain, Dabi didn’t enjoy killing.

He occasionally got some satisfaction from killing terrible people, rapists and the like, but the enjoyment was more in cleaning up the world than the killing element. He hated using his quirk, the very thing that ruined his life from the moment of its manifestation. The very thing that should act as an innate representation of himself only continued to remind him of how broken he was. 

“Compress, Spinner, Dabi, how’s recruiting going, any potential new party members?” Shigaraki calls from the stairs, looking directly at Dabi as he says it. Does he have a new recruit? Is Hawks worth mentioning? Everyone is still on edge from dealing with Overhaul, and losing Magne, now might not be the best time to suggest recruiting a hero.

“Dabi! Dabi, Dabi!” Toga’s shrill voice breaks him from his thoughts. She had, for some reason, deemed Dabi part of her ‘family’ , treating him like her angsty older brother. Despite what she said, they weren’t close, Dabi refused to get close to the members of the League, there’s no point. They’re a means to an end, they are as valuable as their usefulness.  

“What do you want, brat?”

“I wanna go shopping, will you come with me?”, with Toga, shopping could mean stealing, or it could mean something more akin to hunting. Frankly Dabi didn’t have the energy to deal with either outcome. He’d have to find some way to dump her onto someone else. Twice is usually willing to put up with her antics, willing to do whatever people tell him to. Pathetic.  

Today isn’t agony, so it’s a pretty good day. Dabi decides that it’s a decent enough day to warrant a walk around the city, donning his usual disguise he makes his way out of the hideout, avoiding the very hyperactive teenager that would definitely try to tag along. 

As he makes his way through the city he’s thinking. He thinks of all the moments that have led to this point. Some days he’s reminded of the facility that he woke up in all those years ago. He remembers setting it ablaze and not looking back. Sure, back then his quirk was weaker and not the instant cremation that he’s known for now, but if they- He never knows whether to count those kids in his kill count, not knowing their fate. Still they haunt him just the same. 

One day, years ago, he thought he could leave it behind. He thought he could still be a hero, even with his broken quirk, even without his father’s attention, just him and the desire to save. He learned very quickly that that wasn’t the case. Each time he used his quirk, it burned again, eventually the skin that never quite healed in the first place began to refuse to do so. Held together by staples, spite, and the desire for revenge, Dabi continued to make his way through the city. 

As he’s walking through a notably sketchy part, he sees two thugs threatening someone in an alley. On a second glance, the person being threatened is a girl, no older than 13, no older than Dabi was when he stopped being-

“The hell do you fuckers think you’re doing?” Dabi all but growled, smoke begins to seep from his seams.

“Who the hell do you-”, one of the thugs turns and sees Dabi, one step from incinerating the two. Their eyes widen and they start to back away. “Look we didn’t mean anything, we were just-”

“Just what?”

“Just leaving, sorry, sorry-.”

“I better not see your faces again, understood?”

“Uh-huh” The thugs nod their heads so fast they probably got whiplash from the momentum.

The girl continues to cower, eventually she lowers her arms and looks up. Her eyes widened, tears brimming on the edge, threatening to spill. Fear still present in her eyes, she speaks, “You-”

“Don’t mention it, I hate those types.” Dabi glances towards the deeper part of the alley, where the thugs retreated.

The girl, seeming calmer, her voice quiet, “Thank you.”

From the street someone calls, “Miyuki? Miyuki!”

“I-I’ve got to go, thank you so much.” Dabi nods, and turns the other way, continuing his walk. Miyuki .

Dabi makes his way to a nearby convenience store, this place, like many of the places nearby, doesn’t have the best security and the person manning the counter never cares enough to deal with shoplifters. With the types of people that come through, it’s safer to just let them do their thing. For once, Dabi is grateful for his reputation. He grabs a couple cans of tuna, he hates the smell of the revolting fish but the strays that he visits go absolutely crazy for it. He doesn’t always get to make the trip so when he does, he tries to come with something nice for them.

Once he gets to the alley, he uses a knife from his jacket to pry open each can, placing them on the ground. This allows each cat to get their fill, despite refusing to name them, he can recognize each of their faces. 

He finally calls it a day and makes his way back to the hideout, Toga is sitting in the living room cleaning one of her many knives, hunting it was , “Dabi? Where’d you go, I thought you were staying here?”

“None of your business, psycho.”

“Can I come with you next time?”

“No.”

Dabi retreats to his room, he can feel the tug from his staples, he might have over estimated his ‘not a bad day’, meaning that tomorrow was going to be a terrible day.

Chapter Text

Hawks thought he had been prepared for the mission, the idea of corrupting one’s self for the safety of the whole world, it seemed like a fair trade. But nothing could have prepared him for just how much the arsonist haunted his every waking moment. 

His eyes, they way they exhibited the same ferocity of his quirk, to the point that Hawks felt nearly burned under his gaze. Would his quirk burn just as much?

The way Dabi carried himself, with a confidence and power that comes off as natural instead of cocky, rare for the type of villains Hawks usually runs into. 

And the shiny , god the shiny , every movement highlighted by the natural reflection of each piece of surgical steel. 

Hawks could see the ones on the villain’s face and hands, and could tell that they extended beyond his line of sight. Oh how nice it’d be to see all of them . Strike one.

“Hawks, how is your progress with the League going?”

Oh yeah, he was in a meeting right now, a meeting with the commission president , a meeting about the mission, the mission that was assigned to Hawks, Hawks’s mission .

“Good, it seems that I will have to prove my dedication to the cause before I will be allowed to meet Shigaraki and the others. Dabi is quite the skeptical individual and is certainly suspicious of why a high-ranking pro-hero wants to join a villain organization.” Hawks chuckles, trying to express the absurdity of having him of all people work on this mission. 

It has been a long time since he worked in this manner, focusing more on his job as a beloved rescue hero. Yet no matter how many people he saved, nothing could clean his feathers of the blood he’s spilled. For the greater good . The only thing holding him together.

“Well you better prove yourself quickly , we need to get ahead of them Hawks.”

“Understood ma’am.”

After his meeting with the commission he had some down time before his patrol route started. He was making it his personal mission to stop thinking about Dabi. To distract himself he went and found his friend, Rumi, more commonly known as Miruko: The Rabbit Hero. He had gotten into the habit of finding her company as she always had something new to talk about. 

“Come on Feathers, nothing new with you?” Rumi wiggles her eyebrows, clearly wanting to hear something saucy. 

She tended to like gossip like that, frequently buying paparazzi magazines just to see what chaos they were trying to serve the public. While Hawks was used to being a public person, and did enough publicity stunts to make a five part docu-series, he didn’t have much interest in the rumors that circulated around him. 

It was a very careful balancing act, letting the world know just enough to keep them interested while hiding the most important things. 

Unfortunately for Rumi, Hawks’s social circle included her, his intern, and a newly added wanted criminal . Just a small slip up, and it’s not like he was actively thinking about Dabi , but Rumi was alluding to people and Dabi is a person. A very shiny person.  

See, another reason he often hung around Rumi was that they often bonded over the similarities of their quirks. Despite being affected by opposing instincts, there was some comfort in talking to someone who understood the existence of the animalistic instincts at all. 

The public tends to see Hawks’s wings and think that that is the end of his quirk. He is called the Winged Hero , not the Bird Hero . Is there a bird hero? Anyways, Hawks is more than that, his quirk is a complete avian mutation, meaning that it comes with all sorts of annoying habits and instincts. The same instincts that seem to have become captivated by a certain black haired villain. 

Another bothersome aspect of these instincts is that many raptors, the avian Hawks’s instincts act most similar to, mate for life . This means if Hawks ever decided to settle down, whoever he settled down with would have to be in it for the long run. And the life of a hero doesn’t work with most people’s idea of romance. Would Dabi understand? Shit, strike two .

“Nothing, honest, you?” How would Hawks even go about explaining his recent infatuation with a villain, well how would he explain it without coming off as anything short of insane is what he should be asking.

“Maybe?”

“Ooh? Do tell.” With Rumi, ‘maybe’ could mean a lot of things. It could be someone she met and talked to at a bar. It could mean a one night stand that she wants to find again. It could mean someone she saw on patrol and didn’t even speak to at all. Life was truly a gamble when it came to this woman.

“It might be nothing” Okay.

“It could be something. ”

“Met her at an event, a bunch of heroes were invited to talk to the kids, you should have come, it was a blast.”

“And have a bunch of people who don’t know any better grabbing at my wings for several hours? I’ll pass. So, a teacher?”

“Yep, elementary.” As Rumi begins to ramble on about this latest crush, Hawks is getting lost in his own thoughts. Sometimes he thinks it would be nice to have something like that. To have a crush and not have it seem like they have to be the one . It seems way more fun than battling an arbitrary list of attributes that Hawks can’t assign to anything but his instincts saying yes or no. 

After lunch with Rumi, Hawks decides to check in on his fledglings. His instincts dreaded the inevitable ending of the internships having grown quickly attached to the young avian pair. Despite not understanding a thing that Tsukuyomi is saying half of the time, revelry in the dark?  

The point of the student internships was for the students to learn from pro-heroes, but Hawks found himself learning from Tsukuyomi as well. Hawks was used to being the fastest, proud of the fact even. But being the fastest means that nobody is able to keep up, it’s quite the lonely life. 

Having Tsukuyomi also reminded him of why he worked so hard, all the missions, all the blood that he can never quite scrub out, was to protect people like his fledglings, people who depend on him, people who cannot protect themselves yet.

“Hawks-senpai?”

“Yes?”

“You seem lost in thought, are you too encompassed by the darkness?”

“Huh? No?”

“Hmm, if you say so, something is troubling your mind though?”

“Just hero work, it comes and goes, you’ll learn that soon.”

“I see, well, I find that writing often clears my mind of shadows, perhaps you should give it a try? Here, you can have this, may your time in the darkness be temporary.” Tsukuyomi hands over a leather bound notebook, it is dark red, nearly black, definitely something that belongs to the young goth, or Dabi. Strike three.  

Clearly ignoring the problem isn’t working. Tsukuyomi may be right, he definitely has some thoughts that need to get out of his head. Maybe putting them on paper will cause them to stop lingering so much.

Just as he is lamenting internally about his failure to ignore the lingering crush on the flame villain, his pocket buzzes. It’s not his normal phone, no, it’s the burner he was given by Dabi . It’s not a phone call so he doesn’t have to worry about replying on time but he does read it;

Tomorrow, 6pm, [Address]

Hawks gives a simple reply, It’s a date!

Chapter Text

It had been a few days since his trek around the city. Recovering from bad days often took him out of commission for a while, much to Shigaraki’s annoyance. Today he had finally managed to exist out of bed for longer than 30 minutes, which meant that he was perfectly capable of joining Twice and Spinner on a mission to deal with some wannabe criminals getting too close to their turf, right? At least that was how Shigaraki saw it. Fucking idiot .

“Can’t they handle this on their own?” Dabi exclaimed indignantly.

Shigaraki looked up from his game and raised an eyebrow, “They can but I am asking you to. This is an order not a negotiation .”

Dabi groans but replies, “Fiiiiiinnne.”

“Good, they’re in the van, hurry up.”, Shigaraki returns his focus to his game, it was some pre-quirk game about elves, and fish people ?

Dabi rolls his eyes and begrudgingly makes his way to the van, not at all excited for what is about to be one of the worst rides of his life. It’s always that way when Spinner is the one that drives. Frankly, Dabi has no idea why Spinner is the one trusted to drive given that he has no driving experience, and no Grand Theft Auto does not count as driving experience . 

The drive to the location wasn’t as long as it could be, although it had Dabi wondering why they couldn’t just walk or have Kurogiri portal them to the place. Whatever, it wasn’t important anymore. The wannabes were squatting in a nearby warehouse, and there were about 15 of them in total. 

“Alright, we can do this the easy way in which you get to keep your lives and everything stays attached, or we can do this the hard way and you get to find out what happens when you fuck around. Which will it be boys?” Dabi all but growls, clearly not in the mood to deal with these amateurs.

“15 on 3? I like our odds.” One of them pipes up.

Dabi sighs, tired despite not doing anything yet, “Have it your way, Twice, Spinner, you’re up.”

“Wait, why aren’t you fighting? Okie dokie, Dabi-kun. ” 

“Handjob never said I had to fight , just that I had to handle this, got a problem?”

Sometimes Dabi hated Spinner and Twice, they reminded him far too much of a younger him, someone desperate to be seen that they’re willing to destroy themselves for whoever will give them the attention. Weak. Despite that, they were useful, and Dabi needed them for later. Dabi himself tried to refrain from actual combat, especially if that combat was indoors. His quirk was not suited for enclosed spaces, and it could very easily get out of hand, leading to more casualties than necessary. 

More than that Dabi didn’t want any more bodies on his conscience, there were already so many nameless faces, he didn’t think he could handle many more. Besides it’s hard to justify this to himself, he doesn’t understand the obsession over turf. To him, these people were minding their own business, they weren’t in the League’s way, but their deaths were ordered just the same. 

He looks at the carnage, Spinner’s blades take on a red color. What an awful color. Twice using his doubles of the reptilian to round up the men. Does he feel guilty for the actions of his doubles? Does he consider them a part of himself, or of the person duplicated? As Dabi is thinking to himself and watching his associates fight, one of the men tries to sneak up on him. Out of reflex, Dabi’s quirk flares, incinerating the man where he stood, he didn’t even have time to scream. Dabi freezes, staring at his smoldering hand. 31.

The fight ended pretty quickly after that, the men that weren’t actively down ran, and hopefully they learned their lesson and won’t return. Dabi started making his way around Tokyo, heading towards-. Part of him simply wanted to get away from the blood stained floor and ashes, but another part of him wanted a comfort that he was no longer allowed. 

He stopped walking just close enough to Fujitani Hospital. He could see into the gardens, the patients are allowed to roam for the sake of their mental health. Dabi came here sometimes, just to watch. He knew it was a gamble on whether or not she was going to be allowed outside, her bad days still balanced with the good ones. 

He stands there for a bit, watching a woman, her white hair longer than it had been when he last saw her but just as elegant. Years ago he thought about visiting her. There were so many nights, nights filled with nothing but loneliness and agony, nights where all he wanted was her presence, for her to tell him it was going to be okay. He couldn’t face her then, he can’t face her now.

There was a time that he hated her, hated her for her complacency in all that transpired. As time passed, he grew to understand her. She was that house’s first victim, the first to break from the pressure of its name. Mom-

Eventually the patients are all sent back inside, presumably for lunch. Dabi lingers for a few more minutes but ultimately leaves. He wanders for a bit, but his wandering isn’t as random as it should be. He doesn’t even realize where he is until he hears the sounds of children. It was around the time they were outside for recess, laughter and joyous shouts filled the air. But Dabi’s eyes were not on the children themselves but their teacher. She had grown so much, but still looked the same as he remembered her. 

Dabi hoped his words to her didn’t linger in her mind. He never got a chance to tell her he never meant them. He was so angry, at himself, at the world, at the circumstances in which he was born. He took it out on everyone, and eventually when that anger turned on him, it burned. Despite what he had once thought, he’s glad she found her worth, something to be proud of.

He remembers a time, though the memory of it is vague and blurred, where they were happy. Things were good, the way it was supposed to be. It was just the two of them, and they were enough. Until we weren’t.

As Dabi is making his way back towards base, he stops at a cafe. It’s close enough to the nearby university that most of its customer base are students cramming for midterm exams. He sees that familiar head of snow-white hair and remembers why he always stops at this cafe. 

Part of him wonders if he’d understand, he always did . Dabi felt bad always going to his younger brother with his burdens. He wonders if it ever made his brother hate him, the constant crying must have gotten annoying at some point. Even so, he always listened.

There were so many nights where Dabi would lay awake with his thoughts, he had gotten so used to having someone to listen to them that he didn’t realize how lonely silence could be. 

His brother could never understand what it was like to have the spotlight on him. He could never understand what it was like being told that you were going to be the greatest ever. But he could understand being tossed aside. His brother was never given a chance, once his quirk wasn’t what their father wanted, he was worthless like the rest of the failures.

Sitting in this cafe, so close and yet so far away, his first instinct was still to run to Na-. He needed to leave before he made a mistake. Comfort was a luxury he doesn’t have anymore, a luxury that burned on the mountain side. Good riddance.

His path takes him surprisingly close to UA High School. They had upgraded their security since the League’s attack on the summer camp, but Dabi was used to blending into the shadows. He sees a group of students walking towards the main building. They’re carrying bags and chatting. 

On the outskirts of the group he sees a head of two-toned hair, the boy is silent, watching those around him, speaking only when spoken to. Father’s masterpiece.

Dabi tried his best to hate his youngest brother and there were moments he could achieve it, blending his jealousy with his hatred of their father. But too often he was reminded of the little boy he saw in the dojo the night he returned to the house. Far too small, crying, sick , no older than eight. The same age To-, the same age Dabi was when the prodigy was born, the same age he was when his time was up, the same age he was when he was finally replaced.

He tried to hate , he wanted to hate , but his heart was too emotional, it struggled to hold such sentiments. Looking back, he knows what truly happens in the dojo, yet back then, he craved it, no matter how much training hurt , he craved every second their father’s eyes were on him . Just another reason to want revenge on the man that made him. He was a monster, his father’s failed creation, he was the manifestation of his father’s hubris. Do you see me now?

Chapter Text

Now realizing that he has the resolve of a house built on sand and having given up on the idea of ignoring the problem (crush), Hawks had the great idea to subtly give into the instincts plaguing his mind. It was perfect , Dabi would have no idea that his behavior was meant to be courting, hopefully.  

His first official meeting with Dabi goes much smoother than his introduction. He had made the decision to bring food, and if anyone were to ask , it was simply the polite thing to do. It had nothing to do with how scrawny the villain was and it was definitely not courting , why would the number 2 hero even want to court a wanted criminal. Like mother, like son.  

Of course, since he didn’t know what the arsonist typically ate, he got a bunch of different things, hoping that one of them would be acceptable. That way Dabi would have food to eat later too, or he could share. Though, something swirled in Hawks’s gut at the idea of Dabi sharing the food. Stupid instincts.

 Hawks arrives at the location five minutes early, and yet is still left waiting several minutes after the agreed upon time. If this is meant to be some kind of a show of dominance or control, it is more annoying than anything. Finally Dabi decides to show his face, looking as bored as ever. Still, Hawks’s heart kicks into overdrive.

Suddenly nervous, Hawks begins to think that the food might be a bad idea. He starts to fiddle with his hands, hard to do while wearing his gloves but it would be even more awkward to remove them. 

Dabi’s eyes sweep across the bags of food, “You going to eat all that, Birdie?”

Hawks begins to stumble, “Huh? No. It’s for you.” So much for it going better.

Dabi furrows his brows, glancing at the food and then back at Hawks’s face, for once he seems caught off guard, a rare sight for the flame villain, “For me?”

Hawks, having realized that he might be digging himself a hole that he won’t be able to get out of, tries to justify his actions, “This is around the time people eat dinner, isn’t it? Unless you ate before coming here? That’d make sense, yeah. But if you didn’t then- I wasn’t sure what to get so-”

Dabi watches his fumbling with an amused expression before asking, “Is that soba?”

Hawks stops his sentence and his eyes light up at Dabi’s words, “Yeah, uh, here,” he pulls out several containers and passes them over, careful not to spill anything.

“Are you going to eat as well or just watch me? Because this is a lot of food going to waste.” Dabi raises an eyebrow at the hero.

Hawks opens his mouth to say something but closes it and grabs a container from the haul. It’s yakitori, one of his favorites.

“Is that not cannibalism?”

Hawks squawks before puffing out his cheeks, “I am not a chicken!”

“Could have fooled me.” Dabi laughs.

Despite being embarrassed, Hawks preens at the sound of Dabi’s laugh, it’s surprisingly soft, like it belongs to a different person than the one in front of him. As they eat, Hawks can’t help but steal a few glances at Dabi, each time getting lost in thought before returning his attention to his food. Something about the way the moonlight is dancing across his face, adorning his body in an otherworldly glow. Part of that may be entirely in Hawks’s head. Shiny, shiny belongs in the nest . 

Ugh, part of giving into the instincts was to hopefully quieten them, since ignoring them did nothing to help. It was like every glance had him enraptured by a type of beauty he would fail to describe. Certainly everyone that knew him would think he’d lost his mind, and maybe he has . 

Before Hawks is able to get a handle on his rampant thoughts and focus back on his mission . Dabi interrupts, practically growling, “the fuck are you staring at?”

Hawks turns to look at anything else, but ultimately returns his view to the villain, almost bashful, “Huh? Nothing.”

“If you’re going to stare like I’m some free entertainment freak show, at least try to be subtle about it.” Dabi’s voice doesn’t have any venom in it, if anything he sounds resigned.

“That’s not what I was doing at all!”

“Then, what were you doing?” Dabi’s eyes narrow, clearly skeptical.

“You’re very quiet , I’m not used to sharing a meal with someone like that.” Hawks states, like that explains his excessive staring.

“Why would I have anything to say to you, hero?” the venom returned to Dabi’s voice.

Hawks immediately starts rambling, “I don’t know. Have you done anything interesting lately? I haven’t heard anything through the grapevine or seen anything on the news. Everyone’s laying low?” 

“Why would I tell you?”

“I’m trying to do small talk, is that a crime?” Hawks sighs, getting more exasperated by their conversation after each attempt.

“No, it’s pathetic .”

Hawks scrunches his face, thinking for a second before throwing his hands up and exclaiming, “Fine! What do you think of death then?”

Dabi is silent for several beats before saying, “It’s inevitable and comes in many forms. You don’t always have to die in order to be dead. You?” That’s weirdly philosophical.

Stunned Hawks replies, “It's a terrifying and permanent end to life?”

“Only if you see as such. Don’t you face death every day doing hero work?” Dabi asks, seemingly surprised at the hero’s admission of fear.

“Not really, not personally , I’m too fast for that. Any chance of dying depends on people being able to land a proper hit first.” Hawks chuckles but it’s nervous.

It’s Dabi’s turn to hit him with a question, “Why are you a hero?”

Such a simple question, but still it has Hawks stunned. Why is he a hero? It started because he saved one group of people, but if that went unnoticed? If he hadn’t been found by the commission, would he be a hero at all? Can he even call himself a hero with all the blood on his hands? Heroes are meant to protect , and refrain from doing lasting harm, but for the longest time his training was to attack without mercy, to kill . If he’s not a hero , then what is he? A weapon?

Dabi, noticing that Hawks’s eyes are out of focus and a little glossy, “Yo, birdbrain, it wasn’t meant to be a hard question.”

“Ah, sorry… I guess I’m a hero because I like helping people. I know the system has flaws but I want to live in a world where I can keep helping people.” Hawks ignores the silence, hoping that Dabi doesn’t ask why he got so quiet.

Dabi finishes his food, he places the empty containers and his chopsticks onto the crate next to him, sighing, “Going to need you to get us the patrol routes of the Top 5 pro-heroes.”

Hawks’s eyes widened, “Even mine?”

Dabi smirks, “Is that a problem?”

Hawks tries to reel in his expression, “Not at all, just caught me off guard.”

Dabi stands up and dusts off his pants, “Well then, I’m heading out.”

“Wait, take some with you.”

Dabi stares at the uneaten food, something in his eyes shows that he knows the value of food in a way that few do. Perhaps he’s rejecting it so that he doesn’t feel indebted? That’s insane, it’s a gift! Unfortunately, part of the secret courting is that Dabi isn’t aware that the food is intended to be a gift. Still, Hawks tries to get Dabi to take some of the food, not knowing when Dabi is going to get another meal Hawks wants to make sure Dabi has access to something .

“It’s fine, really. I mean I couldn’t finish all of this before it goes bad so you’d be doing me a favor not letting it go to waste. If you really don’t want it, I’m sure the others might like some.” Hawks feathers ruffle, his foot tapping anxiously.

“...Fine.” Dabi begrudgingly takes some of the containers, checking some of them and putting them in the bag, dropping a few more last minute without checking what they are.

“Well it was nice hanging out with you, I’ll get you those routes as soon as I can. Laters!” Hawks salutes before grabbing what Dabi didn’t claim and flying away. Stupid, stupid instincts.

Chapter Text

It had been two weeks since Hawks had initially contacted Dabi, they had met up and exchanged intel a couple of times. Dabi was still skeptical about informing the League of Hawks’s potential as a recruit. If he was being honest, Dabi hated recruiting and mostly used it as an excuse to seem busy. If he told the others he was going recruiting, they didn’t question where he went or how long he was gone. When he inevitably returned with no new recruits, they saw it as Dabi being selective about those they allowed in. Which after the mess with Twice bringing in Overhaul, they were glad to be more selective. 

Dabi knows that the bird is a spy, despite not having any clear evidence besides a gut feeling, he knows it. What does one do when they have no evidence? Go out and find some of course! It took surprisingly little digging to find out where the hero lived, the hardest thing about getting in was climbing up the insanely tall fire escape. Why does he live so fucking high up? Dabi expected to run into some form of security or alarm given that Hawks is an extremely high ranking pro-hero. Yet, when he opened the balcony door, he was met with nothing. There wasn’t even a lock on it.  

Looking around the main area of the apartment, it is extremely barren, minimal decoration and none of it personal. Now, Dabi may live in a trashy one room apartment that’s more like squatting than renting, but at least he has some stuff that belongs to him. This place looks like it was taken directly out of a catalogue.

Now Dabi didn’t have a lot of time to snoop. Hawks had given Dabi his patrol route as requested, although Dabi had never told him what he was going to use it for. But he didn’t have Hawks’s entire schedule . He knew that the birdbrain did paperwork at his agency after patrol, and Dabi had heard him complain about it enough to gather that it was a long and tedious process. But how long depended on how many cases Hawks dealt with during the day, which could vary from a handful to taking work home with him at the end of the night.

He continues looking through the apartment, wandering, looking for any dirt on the hero, anything that indicated he was anything but honest about his intentions. Dabi makes his way into the kitchen. He peruses through the cabinets, yet they only contain protein bars? Taking a peek into the fridge is even more depressing, and if anything, more confusing . Hawks had brought ample food to every meeting, far more than necessary sometimes. So why on Earth was his kitchen more akin to a struggling college student than a top ranking hero? Does he really only eat take out?

Dabi closes the fridge and starts making his way towards the hallway off the living room. He opens the first door, and inside is what he assumes is supposed to be a guest room. Although the level of dust and stagnant air tells him that this guest room had never actually seen a guest. Birdie isn’t quite the socialite he portrays himself to be, is he?  

The guest room was a bust, nothing but cobwebs and more catalogue furniture. He turns to the next door directly opposite of the guest room. It appears to be the hero’s bedroom, as it actually looks lived in. Even with that, there isn’t much to the room. The only thing that strikes Dabi as odd is the amalgamation of blankets and pillows covering the bed. Is that a nest? That shouldn’t be surprising , but it definitely adds more things to be curious about. 

He continues to dig, finding himself face to face with the bird’s closet. Inside are several copies of his hero costume, and what can only be described as absolute atrocities to the world of fashion. Jackets should not be that patterned and that reflective. Is he trying to blind people? In the back of the closet he finds a box, there’s nothing on the box but it looks worn and old. Inside is a plush doll, not just any plush doll, hero merch, Endeavor’s hero merch.

Dabi freezes momentarily, simply staring at the doll. Part of him wants to incinerate it on sight, part of him wants to leave and never talk to Hawks again. He was aware that Hawks occasionally worked with Endeavor, it came with the territory of being right behind him in the rankings. But to think that Hawks was someone that admired Endeavor? Dabi shakes his head, tossing the doll into the box and placing it back into the closet. 

So far nothing has been evidence that the hero was a traitor, he heads towards to the door in the bedroom that leads to the bathroom. Inside there is nothing terribly important. Dabi does make note of how big the bathtub is, see due to his staples, Dabi prefers to take baths to showers. That being said, most of the bathtubs Dabi comes across in the places he finds to squat or the League finds to claim as a hideout are gross at best and hazardous at worst. So Dabi usually makes due with finding a love hotel, they never ask questions and their clientele is based on anonymity and discretion. 

While he doesn’t linger too long in the bathroom, he does take a look into the medicine cabinet, pocketing a few commission grade painkillers, in case he needs them. He always needs them.

It’s behind the final door that Dabi finds the jackpot, Hawks’s office . Frankly, it is a mess, chaotic and unorganized. There are papers littered on every part of the desk, some stapled together, some in folders, others just strewn about. On the corner of the desk is a jar, inside the jar is what could only be described as a very meticulous junk collection. There’s bottle caps, paperclips, and even some rocks thrown in for good measure. Despite being odd, they aren’t relevant to what Dabi is searching for.

He turns his attention to the papers on the desk, and most of them are just incident reports with the Hawks Agency seal at the top. But when Dabi looks at the garbage can next to the desk, he notices that the papers in the bin have a different seal on the top, the Hero Public Safety Commission’s seal. He grabs a couple of the crumpled papers and begins to straighten them out. Right below the commission seal in bright red, bold letters is the word [CONFIDENTIAL] . 

“Well don’t mind if I do.”

What Dabi sees in these pages is clear evidence that he was right, Hawks is definitely a spy. What does give him pause however are pieces of the reports that he can’t comprehend. They’re hard to read, having been scribbled over before inevitably being thrown into the bin if Dabi were to guess. 

“What the fuck?” Dabi whispers, although there is nobody there to overhear him. At the bottom of one of the unsent reports he manages to make out, ‘ Honeypot?’

Chapter Text

It was the middle of December and winter was in full swing, the temperatures continued to drop and threats of snow plagued the weather channel.

Unfortunately for Hawks and his newly awakened instincts, that meant that all he wanted to do was curl up into something, or someone , warm. 

On one of his last meetings with Dabi he noticed that the arsonist appeared cold, shivering although he tried to hide it. Dabi can get cold?

The idea didn’t compute right in Hawks’s mind, fire users typically do decent in the cold, their body temperatures averaging a little above normal.

When Hawks asked Dabi about it, he was brushed off, Dabi mentioning something about, “It can’t kill me.” Still, it has to be unpleasant to fight the cold in his ratty old jacket. Hell, the garment didn’t even have any inner lining left. 

Dabi had accepted the food every time Hawks brought it, so there was nothing saying that he’d reject a different gift.

A few days before Hawks’s next meeting with the villain he went to the boutique that he gets his flight jackets from. See, flight jackets have to be able to bear the cold of high altitudes and roaring winds so they work pretty well against any weather.

He finds one that looks close to Dabi’s in appearance, the only thing missing is having been patched back together a billion times.

However, despite being in as many layers as he could feasibly wear and still move, Hawks felt like he was freezing. The warehouse they met in did nothing to protect from the weather outside. It managed to keep some of the wind out, but the bit that snuck in was bitingly cold.

Hawks was glad Dabi liked cold soba, because there was no way he’d be able to keep any food warm, having chosen to eat his chicken while waiting for the villain.

The waiting did allow Hawks to start overthinking things, like what he’d do with the jacket if Dabi didn’t accept it, or if Dabi started hating him for it.

While it was hard to define exactly what they were to one another, Hawks liked to think that they were at least friendly , and Hawks didn’t know if his heart and instincts could take Dabi actually wanting nothing to do with him.

His mental spiral was interrupted by the door of the warehouse creaking.

“Oh you’re here, finally . Thought you froze to death, or ditched me.” Hawks starts rambling, “Felt like I was freezing to death waiting for ya.”

“My sincerest apologies.” Dabi remarks, full of sarcasm.

“Well, since you’re here, I have something for you. I found it while shopping for myself. It looks like yours, but this one is uh warmer, like my flight jacket. Great for the weather, Here, try it on, I had to guess your size.” Take it please.

Dabi looked at Hawks, skeptical, he glanced at the jacket. He’s silent for several beats before uttering, “...Fine.” Dabi trades his jacket for the one Hawks brought. 

He accepted it, he accepted the gift. Hawks tries to ignore the tiny voice in his head and the fact that his heart started racing. Hawks knew what this mission entailed, he knew it would end in betrayal. No matter how much he wanted Dabi, he knew it was fruitless to try and keep him for himself.

“Do you like it?” Hawks voices, surprisingly timid.

“It’ll do.”

“Good, well I ate before my food turned into chicken popsicles but your soba should still be fine.” 

Hawks watches Dabi eat, the man had begun to fill out a bit more, looking more lean instead of starving. It was hard to tell with the scars but Hawks always estimated that he and Dabi were similar ages. Looking at him now, that felt more real than ever.

“You really have a staring problem don’t ya?”

“Sorry, I was thinking.”

“....About what?”

“How old you are. Everyone tries to guess but they’re always too high.”

“Do they? I don’t keep up with that nonsense.”

“Most suggest early 30s, but I think you’re closer in age to me than that.”

Dabi stays silent, eating his soba, he looks at Hawks before looking away, “23.”

Hawks points at himself, “22. See I was right.” 

“Gonna go gossip to all your buddies now?”

“My ‘buddies’ are a goth teen, an overzealous rabbit, and you, so…”

They stay like that, Dabi doesn’t offer anymore information about himself but it doesn’t bother Hawks that much. As Dabi goes to leave, turning the collar of the jacket up, Hawks pipes up, “Next time think we can meet at my apartment? It’s got heating so we won’t freeze our asses off. I can send you the location.” 

“Gonna trust me with knowing where you live?”

Hawks shrugs, “If you wanted to kill me you’d have done it already.”

Dabi rolls his eyes, “Fine then, later Birdie.”

Just like Hawks suggested, the following meetings happened at Hawks’s apartment. To his credit, it was much more pleasant to be there, despite the fact that Dabi had to climb the fire escape to get in.

Now, technically Dabi didn’t have to climb the fire escape, Hawks had told him to text when he got there and he’d let him in by the service elevator. It seemed Dabi liked keeping the bird on edge.

Just like with the jacket, Hawks, noticing that Dabi’s current pair was falling apart, takes note of Dabi’s shoe size, and plans to buy a new pair. He decides to get advice from Tsukuyomi on what pair to buy since Dabi and the teen have similar aesthetics. 

Tsukuyomi speaks up while they’re shopping, “While I am happy to help you, may I ask why you are buying such footwear? It’s not very you. ” 

“Uh? It’s for a friend, he needs new ones.”

“Why not ask his opinion on them then?” Tsukuyomi says, Dark Shadow tilting their head behind him.

“They’re a surprise.” Hawks quickly answers, getting nervous.

“He likes surprises or do you not know?”

“He’s accepted all the other ones.” Hawks state very matter of factly.

“Well, I am glad you have such a friend, you seem… less burdened by the darkness.”

“Uhh, thanks!”

They settle on a pair with soles made for hiking but made of black leather, with buckles along the sides. 

Despite getting Tsukuyomi’s approval and agreeing that the boots match the flame villain perfectly, Hawks is still very nervous that Dabi won’t accept them. Shut up instincts, it’s not that important.

It seems like he made a good choice because while Dabi makes a face at the new boots, he does put them on when he leaves. Unlike the jacket, he leaves the old ones in Hawks’s apartment. Good provider.

Chapter Text

Lately Hawks had been confusing to say the least. First he gives Dabi a jacket for some reason. It was cold? He wanted to hate it but damn it, the jacket is comfortable. See despite having the constitution for ice, and a fire quirk, he could still feel cold. So while he radiated heat he couldn’t hold it for himself. Now, he could use his quirk to warm himself momentarily, but it made his staples ache and ultimately made his situation worse. So he was really grateful for the jacket, not that he could tell Hawks that. He didn’t want the hero holding it over him, even though Hawks hadn’t done that before.

Then he invites him over to his apartment , completely unbothered with the idea of a villain knowing where he lives. Dabi knows he’s a traitor, Hawks doesn't know that Dabi knows, but still . He even told Dabi to let him know when he arrives so Hawks can let him use the service elevator instead of climbing all the way up the fire escape. Not that Dabi accepts the offer, he likes to surprise the birdy.

Even with that , Hawks manages to get him, giving him new boots to replace his old ones. Yeah, he had those boots for a while, they were incredibly uncomfortable and practically falling apart with every step. But he managed with them, he didn’t need some charity from the hero…. He still took the boots, they’re really nice boots.

One day, a terrible pain day, Dabi wakes up to chaos in the hideout. Everyone is on edge, preparing to take on Re-Destro’s army soon. Despite being in near agony, Dabi leaves the hideout so as not to add a headache to his bad day. He walks for a bit, each step making his skin feel like it’s tearing. He arrives at the hero’s apartment building and for once, calls;

[Hey, Birdie.]

[ Dabi? Did we have a meeting?]

[No, are you home?]

[Yeah, why?]

[Let me in.]

[Huh?]

[I’m downstairs, let me in.]

[Uh- okay, I’ll be right down.]

Dabi stands there for a few minutes, trying not to sway on his feet but getting dizzier by the second. Finally the elevator opens, Hawks looks confused and then alarmed, moving to help Dabi into the elevator. Dabi wants to protest, but seems to have lost his ability to form sentences. Besides, it feels kind of nice, being held.

Dabi doesn’t remember passing out, but he must have because he ends up waking up in a bath? He blinks a couple times, trying to clear his vision. He looks around and recognizes the bathroom as the one in Hawks’s apartment. Oh yeah, walking here was probably a bad idea. The bathroom door opens and Hawks walks in, he’s on the phone and he sounds worried?  

“I don’t know what to-” he locks eyes with Dabi, “Let me call you back, he’s awake, yeah, yeah, thanks for the help.”

“Selling me out Pretty Bird?”

Hawks blushes, “No. You were unconscious and burning up, what the hell happened?”

“Nothing, just a bad day. Who was on the phone?”

“Endeavor” What? Dabi blinks at Hawks, who starts rambling, “I was asking him what he does when he overheats, the internet was giving me conflicting answers. He suggested a cold bath, sorry getting your clothes wet but I didn’t know if you’d be comfortable with me undressing you and I didn’t want to mess up your staples. I can lend you some of my clothes and put yours in the wash.”

Dabi seems slow to respond, “Okay.”

Hawks looks nervous, he fidgets with his hands, “Why did you come here?”

“They were being annoying.”

“The League?”

“Yeah, they’re all freaked out bout fighting Re-Destro.”

“Oh.”

Dabi snaps, “You didn’t hear that.”

“I didn’t hear it. I’ll go grab you those clothes then, will you need help or-?”

“I can manage.”

Hawks disappears for a bit and returns with clothes and a towel like he said he would. Dabi manages to get the pants on but struggles moving his arms high enough to put on the shirt. He exits to the living room and Hawks’s head pops up, his eyes widened at Dabi’s shirtlessness but says nothing. He almost appeared to be blushing? But that’s insane. Dabi walks over and holds out the shirt,

“Did it not fit?”

“Can’t get it on, shoulders hurt.”

“Oh. I can help.” Hawks maneuvers over to Dabi, helping him get his arms through the shirt, gently, one at a time. Dabi finds it odd, being handled with such care, hands ghosting over his body. “You said just a bad day, this happens a lot?”

“Scar tissue doesn’t really grow with you the same way normal skin does, not to mention my nerves are dancing between fried numb and hypersensitive.”

“Not a good combo,” Hawks chuckles, “I get the hypersensitivity though, my feathers cause me terrible headaches sometimes.”

“They’re that sensitive?”

Hawks rolls his eyes, “Yeah, enough that I can sort of see and hear with them? Like sense vibrations and translate it into words and surroundings. It gets awful at gala events, so many people. ” He bites his lip, “Is there anything I can do to help you? Medicine?”

“My body burns through it too quickly, I just… need to rest, probably shouldn’t have walked all this way but meh.”

“Okay… I’ll go finish my leftover paper work then. I’m a bit behind on this week’s. There’s the TV remote if you want to watch something and I can order food if you’re hungry”

“I’m good, maybe later.”

At that, Hawks disappears into his office. Probably telling the commission about his slip up. Not like he has enough information to do anything about it. Dabi remains on the couch, thinking. Frankly, Dabi doesn’t know what to do with the hero, if this is some honeypot method it makes no sense. 

Part of him can’t get that note out of his mind, can’t get too comfortable because of the irking thought that this is all a ploy, that the hero doesn’t care about Dabi at all. 

But, he so desperately wants it to be real, he likes the gifts, he’s always thrived on attention, he died because he was ignored . He really doesn’t mind the staring as much because there is something other than disgust in the hero’s eyes. He wants that to mean something, but if it’s all a charade, all an act? Then why the jacket, why the boots, why take him in and help him? If it’s all for the mission, why notice?

Dabi nearly jumps out of his skin when the door bell rings, he slumps lower on the couch. Hawks races out of his office to the door, Dabi tries to eavesdrop on the conversation but is too far away to hear anything. Hawks returns to the living room with a box.

“I know you said that you just need rest, but I was looking into it and I think this might be able to help?” Hawks opens the box and pulls out a jar of something?

“Huh?” Dabi raises an eyebrow.

“It’s burn cream, it’s infused with a healing quirk so it works better than most over the counter ones.”

“Oh.” Dabi remembers using something similar as a child. His brother would help him with what he couldn’t reach on his own. Dabi’s eyes start to burn, his tear ducts were damaged so crying is irritating instead of relieving. Hawks begins to rub some onto the scars at the bottom of Dabi’s face.

“Why are you doing this?” Dabi’s voice sounds broken, confused .

Hawks swipes his thumb under Dabi’s left eye, wiping blood from the scar tissue, “We’re friends, right?” Friends, Mom said to make some.

Chapter Text

After ignoring the problem proved fruitless and subtly giving in to it made the urges stronger, Hawks decided to get an outside opinion. Unfortunately for him he only really had one option, and he knew that this conversation was going to be a tricky one. Rumi always talks about her crushes and flings, but Hawks never has anything to contribute. It makes him nervous, worried she’s going to make a big deal and ultimately not be of much help.

Doesn’t matter, he’s going over to her apartment to talk and drink. If things look truly hopeless, Hawks can just drink his problem away. Not that that’s healthy. 

Right now he was listening to Rumi talk about her something with the teacher from before. Hawks decides to bite the bullet, “What do you do if you have a crush?”

Rumi’s ears perk up, “Feathers has a crush? Now this I gotta hear, do we know them? Who are they? What are they like? Cute? Pretty? Handsome? Details, details.”

Handsome? Hawks had so far been describing Dabi as shiny most of the time in his mind. Although he was not blind to the beauty the villain possessed, in his own way.

“He’s shiny.”

“ Shiny? Like he’s got piercings? ”

“Yeah,” More like staples, “They’re so reflective it makes it seem like he’s glowing. And when he’s using his quirk? It’s dangerous but I can’t help but keep staring. He doesn’t really like it when I stare though, always asks what I’m looking at, then I get so tongue-tied I don’t know what to say.” Hawks says with a wistful expression.

“Damn, you’re down bad for him, huh.” Rumi’s voice drops to a deeper teasing tone.

Hawks saddens, “...yeah.”

“Why so down?”

“We can’t be together.”

“He doesn’t like you like that?”

“I don’t know about that , he’s hard to read, but even then, it wouldn’t work.”

“Says who?”

“Our careers don’t exactly align?”

Rumi stares for a few seconds before uttering, “Hawks. ”

“Rumi.”

“A villain?” Hawks shrinks at that.

“Rumi.” Hawks looks like he might cry, “I don’t know what to do.”

“Oh, no no. Don’t look so sad, if you want it to work out, I’m sure you’re clever enough to find a way to make it happen.”

“You think so? Shouldn’t you be telling me to give up and put morals above my desires? He’s a villain I should be taking him down and arresting him not-”

“Do you want me to? I’ve never seen you get like this before. For a minute there I didn’t think you were capable of those types of feelings. Besides, you’re smarter than the media gives you credit for, if you really really want something, you’ll get it.”

Hawks shifts into a small smile, “Thanks Rumi.”

“No problem. Good luck, Chickadee.”

Despite not getting the advice he thought he was going to get from her, talking it out definitely gave him some clarity and relief. He had expected her to tell him to drop it when she found out it was a villain. How would she react knowing it was Dabi? Hawks isn’t sure he wants to find out the answer to that one.

Hawks makes his way back to his apartment, removing his hero gear, grabbing a coffee, and entering his office. If Rumi was right, and he was capable of making everything work out, then he was going to need a real plan. He pulls out the notebook Tsukuyomi gave him, he had been using it to write out his thoughts on Dabi, along with the things he learned about him. 

He sits at his computer and starts looking into the legal technicalities around villainy, since the crime isn’t cut and dry. It’s what cost him so much time outside of fights and rescues. The police force often needed his report on what happened to properly convict individuals of the correct crimes. 

There were many organizations that claimed to ‘rehabilitate’ villains but most ended up closing shortly after opening. There was the possibility of a plea deal, but there was no way it was going to happen if Dabi was still a member of the League. Hawks turns to the page he had previously written out gift ideas for Dabi, and he writes;

Ask him to move in? Maybe.

Tell him how you feel? Scratch that.

Ignore it? Hasn’t worked yet.

Kiss him and pray you don’t get incinerated? Maybe in a dream.

Ask him to date you? Not a chance.

Hawks made a decision, he was going to ask Dabi to move in, or well he was going to offer a place for Dabi to stay. Dabi was at the apartment most days anyways and it wasn’t like Hawks ever had any visitors that might get the wrong idea about a villain being in the number 2 hero’s apartment. 

The first step was cleaning out the guest room, it was filled with dust and Dabi always criticized how boring and sterile his apartment felt. Hawks had been slowly changing that, buying random pieces of art and knick-knacks when he saw them. Dabi never commented on them directly but Hawks often saw him looking at them, picking up the figures on the shelves.

Hawks wanted this to be an offer of safety, of home, he wanted Dabi to feel welcome, and at the moment, the white walls and plain bedding and decor was not going to cut it. Luckily Hawks had an idea of what Dabi liked and so he didn’t have to consult Tsukuyomi about buying things for the guest room. Not even sure how he’d spin that one. He bought tapestries to put on the walls, something to add a bit of color and character. He got new sheets and bedding as well as some warmer blankets for any potential incoming freezes. 

He moved some of the knick-knacks from the living room to the guest room, ones he remembered Dabi looking at, they suited him. Hawks had originally bought them because they reminded him of Dabi so it made sense. Every time he added something new to the room, he felt a pit of anxiety, wondering if it was too much. What if mate doesn’t like it? Mate? Bad Hawks, he thought the ‘shiny’ thoughts were bad, but seeing Dabi as a potential mate? Rumi was right, he really was down bad. 

Even though there was nothing to really lose in the upcoming conversation, sure it could mean that all that effort was a waste of time but that wasn’t really the worst thing, Hawks was terribly nervous. He didn’t want to make Dabi feel like he was trying to trap him, but he knew the villain was skeptical of Hawks’s previous gestures of help. 

“You’ve got this.”

“Talking to yourself? Even I’m not that crazy.”

“Dabi?! You’re here.”

“ Yeah , you invited me?”

“Yeah I did, I made food since you made a face at takeout last time.”

“You can’t live off takeout birdbrain .”

“I don’t live off takeout.”

“Sorry, takeout, coffee, and those protein bars in your cabinets Hell, I’m surprised you can cook.” Hawks wanted to get offended, but the smile of Dabi’s lips made his heart skip.

“I can cook.”

“Let’s see it then.”

They make their way to the kitchen, settling in at the kitchen island. Hawks had finally invested in stools so they didn’t have to keep eating on the couch in the living room. As they’re eating, Hawks can’t help but tap his chopsticks nervously on his bowl, glancing at Dabi. It wasn’t like his usual staring, which must have caught the villain’s attention.

“Nervous? Or did you just drink too much coffee today?”

“Kind of? The nervous thing, not the coffee thing.”

“Nervous about what?”

Hawks takes a deep breath, “I have a question for you, more like an offer, you don’t have to say yes, I just thought that maybe-”

“Spit it out pigeon.”

“There’s a bed in the guest room, you’ve complained about the hideouts and having to wake up to the chaos of the others. I wake up pretty early but I’m also pretty quiet, so if you wanted, you could-”

“Live here?”

“If you wanted, like I said you don’t have to say-”

“Sure.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, we’re friends, right?”

Hawks jumps up from his seat, running over to Dabi and pulling him into a hug. It nearly knocks Dabi off his stool. Hawks pulls him to the guest room, excited to show off the new stuff. Dabi’s eyes widen at it, but he smiles. Did good, mate likes it. No bad Hawks not mate.

Chapter Text

What was he thinking, accepting such an offer? A jacket is one thing… then the boots…… going to his place on a bad day………. the burn cream… but living with him?! Had Dabi lost his mind?! Maybe . Definitely a contender at this point. But all of this was so confusing, Hawks went and showed him to his room, the guest room Dabi had criticized on his break-in of the apartment now decorated in a way that screamed him. But then he left , if Hawks is trying to honeypot him, why did he leave? Maybe it isn’t a honeypot.

“I saw it.” Dabi mutters to himself.

Hawks turns at him, his smile bright and genuine. “Well, I’ll let you get settled in, I might be gone for patrol when you wake up, but I’ll be back in the afternoon. If you need anything send me a list and I can have it delivered.”

“We’ll need groceries, no more living off takeout.” Dabi replies sternly.

Hawks rolls his eyes, sighing, “Fiiiiiine, make a list, I can have it arrive sometime tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

“Goodnight.”

“...Goodnight.”

Hawks leaves and Dabi is left with his thoughts once again. He moves to sit on the bed, caressing the blankets sat atop it. When was the last time he had an actual bed and not just some ratty mattress? Dabi falls back, laying on the bed with his legs dangling off the side. When was the last time he had a place to live, not just crash? He really wants to believe that Hawks cares, he wants to believe the longing glances mean something but…  You weren’t wanted before, why would you be now? Dabi can feel the pressure beneath his eyes, the way his quirk begins to flicker with his disorientated heart. 

Dabi woke up more energized than he had in years and, like Hawks had said, the hero was nowhere to be seen when Dabi woke up at 10. Dabi headed to the kitchen knowing that the bird at least had coffee in his- is it now their apartment? 

What he didn’t expect to see was a note on the microwave that read, One last time, inside the microwave was a takeout bag from a nearby bakery. In the bag was a couple of pastries. Dabi took the confectionaries and turned his attention to the paper on the kitchen island. It had the start of a grocery list, if he asked for the ingredients and they got delivered on time, then he could feasibly make food to be ready when Hawks returns from hero work. It would be the polite thing to do. He is letting you live here. Despite not asking for anything in return outright, Dabi couldn’t ignore the pestering thought that he had to earn his place. 

He finished the list, sent a photo to Hawks, who just replied with a thumbs up emoji, and made a call into the League to check on things. They didn’t need to know about his switch of location, they’d probably kill him if they knew he was in such close contact with a hero, especially one so obviously trying to spy on their operation.

If Dabi was bothered by the staring before, he’d likely try to kill Hawks now. The staring that used to only happen on occasion when conversation drifted away, was now nearly constant. It wouldn’t be so unnerving if Dabi was able to read what was going on in the bird’s mind when he stared but he had no such luck. Even when he asked about it, Hawks deflected or changed the subject. There were times that Dabi thought Hawks might be staring in interest, but that’s absurd. Dabi knows his face is fucked up from the scars and the staples, he’s reminded of it every time he leaves the apartment. Hell, even around the League it gets pointed out, Spinner seems to try and use it as a way to bond, a shared struggle. But Spinner’s scales don’t cause him chronic agony for just existing. Spinner never had a point when he didn’t have his scales, his scales weren’t a constant reminder of his failure .

Another thing Dabi now notices being constantly around Hawks, is how often the hero is writing in some journal. The book doesn’t match him in the slightest and when Dabi asked, Hawks told him he got it from his intern. However when he asked what the bird was writing in the journal, Hawks wouldn’t give him a clear answer, just clearing his mind. Whatever that’s supposed to mean.

One day while alone in the apartment, he was tempted to open the journal. If what Hawks was writing in it worked like a diary, then Dabi would be able to find out what was going on in Hawks’s mind. What all the staring meant, what any of this was supposed to mean. But, as much as he knows the journal holds the answers to the questions he doesn’t dare ask, a part of him can’t open it. Hawks is a surprisingly private person and hasn’t tried to pry into Dabi’s life, it wouldn’t be fair for Dabi to pry into his. They had been living on a very weak form of trust, but trust nonetheless.

A few days passed, it was getting close to evening, Hawks was due to return from patrol soon. It had been a while since Dabi had physically visited the League, now the Paranormal Liberation Front. Stupid name. They had absorbed the Meta-Liberation Army a few weeks ago and now had access to a villa to live in. Dabi thought about leaving the apartment, focusing on his revenge, taking down Endeavor. But each time he thought about it, he imagined Hawks’s broken face in an empty apartment. It created a pit in his stomach. 

He had gotten used to living in the apartment, it was nice. Not having to worry about the cold creeping in while he slept. Not waking up to infuriating chaos and given meaningless tasks. Being able to relax in the bath, not just having to manage to get clean in brief access to water. Having homemade food, when he was younger he hated cooking, having been thrown the responsibility far too young. But now there was something meditative about it. It reminds him of his mother, a jolt of fear surges through him. The irony isn’t lost on him, how his mother married the number 2 hero and now here Dabi was living with the new number 2 hero. He isn’t like that. I’m not like her. Hawks enters from the balcony and Dabi tries to put those thoughts aside.

Dabi is looking in the mirror, he had been using the burn cream Hawks had given him weeks ago. It’s hard to notice when glancing at him but Dabi looks different? His scars are still a sickening purple, but the staples no longer strain to hold him together, the seams coming together instead of splitting apart. His scars look more like scars than open wounds.

He hears a thump coming from the living room and rushes out of his room to check what it is. At first all he sees is a flurry of feathers, but once they settle he notices a distinctly Hawks shaped pile next to the balcony opening. 

“Hit the fucking window birdbrain?”

Hawks’s voice is slurred, “Huh? Oh… Dabs, hey…”

Looking at the hero now, his wings are a mess and there are cuts littering his torso. When he looks up, his eyes are glossy and unfocused. Dabi walks over to him to get a closer look. 

“What the hell happened to you?”

“....Work?”

“Thought you were too fast to let them land a hit?”

“Thought so… too, I’l…l be faster… next time… though.”

“Alright, up. I can’t leave you on the floor.”

“But floor’s nice, aren’t you floor.”

“Now.” Dabi has to practically drag the hero to the bathroom, pulling the medical bag from where Dabi stored it last time he dug through it when his own ran out of gauze. As Dabi is trying to get Hawks’s out of his uniform to treat the lacerations, Hawks seems more inclined to nuzzle into Dabi’s hands.

“Warm.”

“Uh-huh, yep.” Dabi manages to get bandages around the hero’s torso and gets him to take some pain medication. Dabi chooses not to try and wrangle him into a shirt instead opting to deposit him in his ‘nest’. It seems to be the right choice as Hawks immediately snuggles into the blankets. Looking at him now left Dabi conflicted.

Dabi thought he hated all heroes, his fury towards Endeavor created a blinding vitriol against them. It was why he joined the League, why he continued to follow their ideals. But maybe, just maybe, some aren’t so bad. Maybe sometimes heroes are terribly human.

Even though Hawks was out like a light Dabi whispered, “Goodnight Pretty Bird.”

Chapter Text

Hawks was constantly working. If he wasn’t on patrol or doing paperwork for his agency, he was working on his plan to keep Dabi out of Tartarus. It was hard, going off what little information he had on the arsonist.

The official body count kept growing each day and Hawks had no way to know if the body count was accurate to say the least. Not only that, but every time the Paranormal Liberation Front made any moves, every member was implicated, even if they weren’t present for the specific crime. 

His best plan was dependent on Dabi’s cooperation and convincing him to become an informant. It would allow Hawks to get Dabi’s charges dismissed and complete his original mission. Killing two birds with one stone as the saying goes.

But that plan was dependent on a lot of factors that Hawks was unsure could be met. For one, Dabi had made it very clear that he wanted to destroy and kill Endeavor, so while Hawks might be able to convince him not to be involved with the Front, getting him to relinquish his need for revenge would prove significantly harder.

He thinks back to Rumi’s words on the matter, if Hawks really wanted something, he’d find a way to get it. But it was still very likely that even bringing up the topic of conversation would send Dabi in a flee.

Bringing up the topic would bring up his intentions, his mission, his betrayal . Hawks had gotten used to having Dabi around, the idea of losing him feels like a blade through the heart. 

Trying to forget about the problem for a moment, Hawks leaves his office and finds Dabi cooking. Hawks likes watching Dabi, he was so used to meeting him under the cover of darkness, being held at arms length, that seeing him here in the daylight, doing something as simple as cooking has Hawks spellbound.

He’s humming along to the radio, Hawks was surprised at first to find out that Dabi likes to listen to “Put Your Hands Up Radio”.

Hawks was under the impression that Dabi still hated all heroes, but when Dabi said that they aren’t all that bad, Hawks can’t deny his heart leaped. Dabi may not even be talking about him but a man can hope can’t he?

“Good evening.”

“Hmm, done with work for the day?”

“Yep, you?”

“Shigaraki doesn’t need us yet,  Toga was trying to plan a game night but her idea of fun involves far too many stab wounds for my taste.”

“She sounds like she’s quite something. ”

“Yeah, something. ”

“What ya makin’?”

“Mapo tofu, I grew up eating it.”

“Really? Sounds yummy.”

They eat in relative silence, it isn’t like the silence from when they first met, tense and nervous, instead it’s calm, comfortable.  

Hawks had been so used to seeing the man’s face illuminated by the moon, but seeing him in the morning glow of sunrise, might just be the most beautiful thing Hawks had ever seen.

He didn’t take the villain for a morning person, and for the first few days Dabi was never awake before Hawks had to leave for patrol. But the past few mornings Dabi was up with him, drinking coffee and watching the sun wake up the rest of the world.

They liked to talk, and it was like in these moments, before either had to return to their lives, they could just be them. In a way they didn’t feel like Dabi and Hawks , Hawks didn’t know who they were but it was nice.

“If you weren’t a hero, what do you think you’d be?” Dabi asked one morning.

What would Hawks be if he weren’t a hero? Well for starters he wouldn’t be Hawks . Would he still be-? Would he even be alive? The commission saved him from starvation, if he was still there, in that little shack, what would he be? What would he’d have become? Would he’d have ended up like his father? You already are, murderer.

“I don’t know. If you weren’t a villain, what do you think you’d be?” 

Dabi’s eyes grow a bit distant, like he’s recalling a memory. He looks out the window and sighs, “Don’t know. I was a disappointment long before I began villainy.”

“If you stopped being a villain, what would you want to be? Like if you could be anything.”

“I liked doing art for a while, not sure what I’d make of it though” That distant look returns to his eyes, he doesn’t say anything else, the idea lingers in the air. 

Hawks had noticed that Dabi was getting better, the burn cream Hawks had given him was helping the burn scars across his body, and his body began to fill out from consistent eating.

Hawks often had to stifle chirps of delight to save him the embarrassment of explaining why. Still the little voice of his instincts liked to pipe up, did good, mate healthy.  

“You think you can get the arsonist to defect to the heroes’ side?” Madam President was understandably skeptical at Hawks’s suggestion.

“I think that there is a growing distance between Dabi and the rest of the Front, yes. From what I’ve been able to gather, there is much more to him than we realize. I think he can be reasoned with.”

“If you can convince him to give information for the upcoming raid, and if that information proves accurate, we can discuss the possibility of a pardon. Ultimately it will be up to the police force regarding his case, but his assistance in the matter would be taken into consideration with the threat that the Front poses to Japan.”

“Thank you ma’am.”

“You should be, I nearly pulled you off this mission when you weren’t making progress. May I ask why you are so intent on sparing the villain?”

“We’re… friends. He’s not like how his file portrays him.”

“Hmm, don’t make me regret this, Hawks.”

“Understood.”

Hawks let the topic dance in his head for days, he knew putting everything on the table would risk the entire mission and that there was only chance that Dabi would take the offer.

He wasn’t lying about the growing distance between Dabi and the others, Dabi had been going to the villa less and less these days. But even so, admitting about the mission, admitting everything?

He could get branded a traitor by one of the only friends he has. But with how many lives were at stake, he had to try something.

He was a hero to his core and this was his chance, there was no alternative.

Now or never.

Chapter Text

Usually when Dabi was plagued with the occasional nightmare, it was his past that tormented him. Memories of his father, his failure as a son, memories from a dead boy dragged by the ghost from his grave. Dabi knew how to deal with these nightmares, when he inevitably woke up in a cold sweat, he’d go to the kitchen and grab a glass of water, walking towards the balcony and watching the lights of the city. Some nights Hawks found him out there and despite telling the hero to go away, he always stayed rambling on about something he saw while on patrol. 

This nightmare was different, he was at the villa . For a second he was confused, then he heard a scream, Hawks. He shouldn’t be here, how is he here? Dabi searched room after room but each one is empty, identical, fake . Eventually he makes his way towards the basement and there is Hawks . He looks fine, bound by rope but uninjured. 

{You finally made it.} A voice echoes from the shadows, familiar yet distorted.

Dabi moves to grab Hawks but a hand reaches from the darkness. It grips Hawks by the neck and with one final breath, Hawks crumbles into dust. Dabi wakes up.

He’s back at the villa again, the same tension lingers in the air. He breathes a small sigh of relief when he sees Shigaraki sitting at the TV playing some game with Spinner. The relief doesn’t last long as Toga bounces into the room, face stained with blood. She smiles impossibly wide, showing her carmine painted fangs. Something’s wrong. Dabi follows her, she skips along the hallway humming and stops just short of her room. She turns to face Dabi, {He’s so pretty now.} 

Dabi’s heart begins to race, he panics, bursting into the room, inside is Hawks, eyes blank, empty, dead , staring back at him. No…

He starts to have trouble sleeping, only managing an hour or two before the nightmares return. He’s tried everything short of banging his head into unconsciousness to keep them at bay. 

He doesn’t want to hurt Twice. He’s not necessarily close with the doubler but considers him an ally. He can’t see Hawks, but he can hear him. With each double taken out the voice gets further and further away soon being drowned out by the sounds of breaking bones and fading clones. 

Oh god how he hates the color red, no not red, that red . A dark crimson pouring from the slashes that litter Hawks’s body. Above him stands Spinner,

{It’s for the League, it’s better this way.}

He can see him, he can’t hear him. Dabi isn’t sure if that’s torment or mercy at this point. Compress laughs at his cries. He can’t help him. 

Waking up his emotions finally hit him, some part of him cares about the stupid bird, and the idea of Hawks getting hurt because of his involvement with the League puts a sickening pit in his stomach. He doesn’t really know what to do with that, it’s not like he can walk away, could he? His pondering is interrupted by his phone. He opens it and looks at the message;

Meeting tonight, all members required.

Time to find out . Dabi makes his way back to the villa, and despite knowing Hawks is safely sleeping back at the apartment, (He checked) the sight of the building makes his stomach plummet. Walking into the den that the original League members commandeered for themselves, everything seems fine . Shigaraki and Spinner are playing a game on the television, Compress is practicing new tricks to a very enthralled Twice, Toga is painting her nails next to them at the table. Everything is fine . So why is Dabi on edge, these are his allies are they not? He settles on one of the couches to wait for the meeting time.

See Dabi joined the League because they were the quickest and most effective way to get to his goal, killing Endeavor . But much like his motivation towards that had been waning, so had his connection or need for the League. Not to mention, Shigaraki had begun to shift their goals to destroy everything . While Dabi wanted to destroy Endeavor and all that he stood for, to destroy everything ? Dabi still had stuff he cared about. 

There was that soba shop on the corner, they let him in so long as he didn’t make a fuss. The old woman that ran the shop made some of the best soba he’s ever had, he’s been going there since he was first on the streets. She’s so nice.

Then, there were the strays he often visits, bringing them food whenever he could. He never named them, but could recognize each and every one. So innocent.

There was his brother and sister. He kept an eye on them from afar, and Natsuo made it out of that house, away from Enji. Fuyumi made a life for herself. Dabi couldn’t be more proud. They don’t deserve that.

And there was Shouto, poor little Shouto Todoroki . The boy who Dabi was slowly realizing wasn’t his enemy, but a victim of the Todoroki name just like himself. Broken.

And now, there was Hawks. They were friends? Hawks seemed happy to have Dabi around, but it could still be just an act. Of course it is, you’re unwanted.

Part of him could no longer see himself in the League’s ideals, part of him wondered how blind his hatred made him. As much as he wanted to make Endeavor pay for his sins, he was growing to realize that there was no point in dragging innocent people in just to tear down the guilty party.

“Dabi are you even listening?” Shigaraki spoke, tired and annoyed.

“Yeah?” Dabi was already on edge from the nightmare earlier, listening to another stupid plan of theirs felt like a total waste of time.

“Really, what were we discussing?”

“Another plan on attacking the heroes that’s going to fail?”

“Do you have a better suggestion?” Shigaraki’s jaw clenches.

“Uhhh, stop being a puppet for one, I mean honestly why are we following this ‘Sensei’ of yours if all he’s done is fail.”

“Do not speak of him like that.”

“Or what? You're gonna cry , tell him I’m being mean ? Oh no.” 

“ What are you doing here?”

“Hm?”

“If all you are going to do is criticize, then what are you doing here?”

Dabi’s silent for a moment, he looks around the table, “You know what? You’re right, why the fuck am I here? You guys can have fun getting killed while following empty promises, I’m out.” Shit. 

Dabi hadn’t intended to leave the League tonight but there’s only so much acting one person is capable of. He was still confused from before, his emotions simmering beneath his skin. He tries to calm himself but his anxiety burns in his veins. His skin had been faring better these days, between the quirked burn cream Hawks gifted him, and Dabi holding back his quirk more, his skin was beginning to meld together again. The staples that were once holding him together, became more cosmetic.

Dabi made it back to the apartment, crashing on the couch in the living room, not having the energy or desire to even try going back to sleep. What now?

Chapter Text

Hawks wakes up with a start, there’s noise coming from outside his bedroom. It was probably just Dabi awake from a nightmare again. Hawks was getting used to waking up with him. The more it happened the more Hawks got worried, it seemed more often than not Dabi was waking up in the middle of the night. Hawks understood the realm of nightmares fairly well, he often dreamt of being back in that shack, or the possibilities of the ever encroaching war.  

There were so many nights Hawks thought about coming clean, risking it all. Yet, he didn’t want to break those precious moments. Some nights they sit and watch the night sky, some nights Hawks could coax him back inside and they’d watch a movie. It was reminiscent of their early meetings, quiet with something lingering in the air, tense and unyielding.

With that, Hawks yawned and made his way to the living room where the balcony was. He was surprised to see Dabi on the couch instead, he wasn’t asleep but was dressed like he did for League business. Had he just gotten home?

Looking at the clock that reads 1:00 a.m., “Bit late isn’t it?” Hawks chuckled trying to ease the tension.

Dabi doesn’t appear to listen, instead opting to say, “They’re idiots. Whatever, it's not my problem anymore.” Dabi grumbled, crossing his arms over his face. Mate need comfort. Help Mate.

Hawks tentatively takes a seat on the end of the couch, “Not your problem?”

Dabi lowers his arms to his lap and sighs, “Nope.”

“Oh.” Hawks sounds surprised. Isn’t this what we wanted? Mate stay

“That’s all you have to say?”

“No, just processing it. I mean what are you going to do now? Wasn’t your whole thing with the Front?”

“Nah, I can still do my thing, just changing a few steps. It’ll take longer, but it’ll be for the best.”

“Ah, so you still want to kill Endeavor?”

Dabi sighs, “I want him dead , but I also want him to face what he's done. I can only realistically get one of those. Not that I’ll get to really enjoy either from Tartarus.”

“I can keep you out of Tartarus.” Hawks blurts out.

“ Really?” Dabi says, incredulously. 

Hawks nods and walks to his office, retrieving his planning journal and returning to the living room. Dabi is watching him, he looks guarded, not ideal for the next thing that Hawks is going to reveal but he can’t put it off any longer, if the Front is actively planning then the heroes need to make their move now. If Hawks is going to save Dabi from the fallout, he has to do it now.

Hawks sits back on the couch, placing the journal in his lap, “I was told to infiltrate the League of Villains by the Hero Public Safety Commission.”

Dabi narrows his eyes, “I know.” He knows?!

Hawks stutters, “You- wait- what? You- If you knew then- why drag me along? Why-?”

“Why admit it now?” Dabi looks at Hawks, something in his eyes but Hawks is too frazzled to figure out what.

Hawks takes a deep breath, his hands fiddle with the journal in his lap, tapping at the spine, “I can keep you out of Tartarus. The commission president said they'd offer you a pardon if you were to give information against the Front. It’s a fairly common offer.”

“Why?”

“What do you mean why?”

“Tch, I get that they don’t want their infiltration plan to be a total failure.” Dabi’s voice shifts, curious, accusatory, Hawks can’t tell, “But, what about you? What do you get out of all of this? What do you want?”

“What do I want-?.” Hawks stares at his lap, unable to make eye contact. He hasn’t been burned and Dabi hasn’t left yet, that has to be a good sign. What does he want? That’s surprisingly the easiest question he could have been asked. Hawks maneuvers himself closer to Dabi, turning to stare into his eyes. There’s something in his gaze, like he’s begging Dabi to read his mind. He takes a deep breath and-

He presses his lips to Dabi’s, it’s soft, barely there but real all the same. Hawks had never kissed anyone before. He had always heard about sparks and fireworks . Reality wasn’t anything like that, it was brief but he hoped Dabi understood what he was trying to say..

Just as quickly as he kissed him, he pulled away, averting his eyes and turning his head, suddenly very shy, “I want-”

Dabi grabs his chin and turns it towards him, pulling him back in. This kiss is more certain, acting as an answer to an unasked question. Hawks is stunned but kisses back. Unintentionally giving his instincts the go ahead leads to the scene quickly turning into Hawks trying desperately to smother Dabi in kisses. On his mouth, on his cheeks, wherever he can reach. It was like he was trying to make up for weeks, no months of wanting, and he kind of was. 

Dabi laughs at how insane this situation is. If someone asked him a year ago where he’d be, this was nowhere on the list. Hell, if someone asked him 5 minutes ago if this was how things would turn out, he’d call them crazy.

They stay like that for a while, not saying much of anything, just trading kisses with laughs laced between. If someone were to overhear, it would seem like two teenagers were in the room, not two adult men, and certainly not a pro-hero and wanted criminal .

Later, as the moonlight continues to pour into the room, Dabi pulls away, his face turning serious, “Touya.”

Hawks cocks his head, “Who?”

“Me. My name, my name is Touya.”

“Touya. That’s a nice name.” He lets a few beats pass, “Mine’s Keigo.”

“Keigo, fitting. I think Pretty Bird suits you more though.” 

Keigo blushes at that, remembering the first time he heard the man say it, he was delirious out of his mind. Keigo had been waiting for the day he said it with clarity. 

They stay there for a bit, no longer just Dabi and Hawks, the conversation marked a turning point, the admission a sign of trust neither thought they’d have a chance of having in this lifetime. 

Touya and Keigo, two boys thought not to exist anymore, found solace in each other’s embrace.

Chapter Text

Touya, Touya . How nice it was to hear that name again. Haw- Keigo fell asleep a while ago. Touya watched the sun begin to peak out over the skyline, afraid that if he closed his eyes this would turn out to be a dream. Such a cruel dream. There was still so much he wanted to tell Keigo, stories of who he used to be, stories of the boy who died on Sekoto Peak. But that can wait, right now he just wanted to bask in the moment and enjoy the recent turn of events.

Eventually Touya managed to extract himself from beneath his boyfriend? Person he lives with and made out with and told his name to? He should probably ask when Keigo wakes up. He decided to get started on prepping breakfast, it had become a habit at this point. The only way he could guarantee Keigo ate before going into work was to ensure that the food was already made when he woke up. While cutting the ingredients, Touya thought. 

He thought about what was going to happen next, the hero mentioned a possible pardon, but even with his genuineness  the commission could still be lying. There’s also the lingering thought of what happens after that? Are they really going to just leave him alone? After everything he’s done, are they just going to brush it away because he isn’t the biggest threat? 

“If you stopped being a villain, what would you want to be?” Keigo’s words swirled in Touya’s mind. He hadn’t thought much about the future honestly, didn’t think he’d live long enough to see it. He thought that he’d die killing his father, damning the two of them to hell. He had accepted that making plans beyond that was pointless. He never could have predicted that he’d end up here, making breakfast and being hopeful for what the future holds.

Keigo apparently woke up because here he was, wrapping his arms around Touya and looking over his shoulder. That’s new. It wasn’t an unwelcome feeling per say but it was foreign. Touya had gotten used to being avoided, held at arms length. So to be touched so casually made his breath hitch. 

“You can move into my room if you want, we can turn the guest room back into a guest room or something.” Keigo freezes, “Unless that’s too fast, heh too fast. ”

“Planning on having more guests?”

“Or a studio, you said you liked art before, maybe you could get back into it? I’d love to see it.”

“I also said I wouldn’t know what to do with it.”

“You wouldn’t have to do anything. Just enjoy it, if it turns into something great, if it’s just for you that's good too.”

“Maybe.”

Touya sets the food to simmer, leaving it on the stove and returning to the living room, coffees now in hand. Touya sits on the couch, Keigo moves to lay on him like had been previously but Touya gestures for him to sit next to him instead,

“What are we?”

“Uhh-? I don’t know. My instincts have been calling you my mate but that’s-”

“What-?”  

“It’s a heteromorph thing, you don’t need to worry about it.”

Touya, curious yet uncertain, “Do you have any heteromorph things I should be worried about?”

“No..?” Keigo tries to sound casual but has revealed far too much to be good at lying to Touya. Touya appears to think, his eyes widening at a revelation.

“The gifts…?” Touya starts, Keigo refuses to meet his gaze.

“...Yeah… Technically not courting since you weren’t aware of it but enough that my instincts shut up momentarily.”

“Oh, is that something- am I supposed to do something in return, or-?”

“You don’t have to, and you kind of already have been?”

“Huh?”

“The cooking?”

“That counts?”

“Counts enough.”

After Touya asks far too many questions about Keigo’s instincts, much to both of their embarrassments, he returns to the food, grabbing bowls to serve it. They eat while talking about nothing, sharing minor details and things that they hadn’t before. Favorite colors, favorite seasons, favorite shows, etc.

Eventually Touya finishes his food, setting the bowl on the table. He looks at Keigo, his face serious.

“Do you want to know why I want to kill him?”

“Endeavor?”

“Yes.”

“If you’ll tell me.”

“Are you sure? This isn’t something you can unknow.”

“I know, but it’s important to you right?”

“Yes,” Touya takes a deep breath, placing his mug onto the coffee table, “He’s my father. The things he did to our family for his stupid ego, is unforgivable.”

Touya averted his eyes, he didn’t want to see what was going on in Keigo’s mind. He knew the hero admired Endeavor. He saw proof of it before. Keigo’s eyes sadden at the admission, like he’s watching a story unfold, his mind putting together the pieces. He’s silent for a moment before speaking, “I didn’t think heroes were real when I was a kid, I thought they were just characters on the television. I didn’t know, not until they took my father away.”

They talk, sharing stories of their youths. Keigo talks about the shack, the closet, about his mother, about the commission. They trained him far younger than they should have, but they treated him better than he ever had been. Touya talks about his siblings, about his mother, about the training, about how no matter how much it hurt it felt worth it. It was better than being nothing. 

“They think I’m dead. I still check in on them from afar. I don’t even know what I’d-”

“Would you want to? See your family?”

“I don’t know. Things are so different now, we’re different people.”

“Maybe, but if it’s possible, would you?”

“Maybe.” Maybe.

Chapter Text

Keigo began to prepare for the meeting, the final meeting for his mission, the meeting where he could finally protect Touya. The commission president gathered several high ranking heroes to be a part of the next step, the raid. As Keigo walked into the room, he saw him , Endeavor. 

It had become hard to look at the man knowing what he knew now, knowing the actions of Enji Todoroki. Never meet your heroes. That’s how the saying always went, right? Keigo knew he couldn’t cause a scene, if he mentioned what he knew, it would call into question how he learned it and that was Touya’s to decide.

Keigo noticed Rumi sitting at the corner of the table and practically flew to sit next to her. The previous tension melted off his shoulders into almost manic joy. He smiled wider than Rumi had ever seen, truly reaching his eyes.

“Are you really that excited for a meeting?” She asks, head tilting in confusion.

“I did it, just like you said.”

“What?”

“I figured it out, madam president’s gonna give him a pardon for information.”

Rumi gasps, “Oh! Your villain beau, wait, that's what they got us here for?”

“Well, his information is pivotal to the planning, since he knows where the Paranormal Liberation Front is hidden.”

“Wait- was he-?”

Hawks shrinks a bit, “Rumi-”

“ Shiny- oh my god, it’s Dabi.” 

Hawks tries to put his hands over her mouth, “Shh- yes.”

“Are you insane?”

“Maybe?”

“Hawks-”

“-Keigo” Keigo offers a small smile, “We’re friends, you can use my real name.”

“Keigo- he makes you happy?”

“ Yes , he really isn’t what you’d expect. You’ve got to believe me.”

Rumi turns her face a bit, nose twitching, “I don’t know if I can do that, but I trust that you can handle yourself. But if he ever hurts you-”

“I know.” Keigo laughs.

The meeting begins, the commission president starts by introducing Hawks’s mission, leading to quite a few gasps around the table. The president starts going through the files, one by one, reviewing the information gathered about the different members of the original League of Villains, and the estimated numbers from their merge with the Meta Liberation Army. 

Endeavor pipes up, “How are we to know that this informant of yours is to be trusted?” Murmurs start around the table, questioning the accuracy and credibility of the intel.

“He can be trusted, he no longer aligns with the Front.”

“He’s a villain .” 

He’s your son. Hawks wanted to say but bit his tongue. “Are you saying people can’t change , that they can’t atone for their mistakes?”

The table is tense, most confused and shocked at Hawks’s tone. Most knew him to be carefree and playful, but his tone now was down right venomous. Even Rumi who knew Hawks beyond work hours found it odd that he was so hostile with Endeavor considering Hawks always admired him. Endeavor stumbles on his words, eventually opting to stay silent.

Madam President speaks up, “If you do not wish to be a part of this collaboration, you are free to leave but do not just sit here and cause trouble.”

There are still a few grumbles from the flame hero but the rest of the meeting goes smoothly. The heroes plan the raid for a few weeks from now, and at that, Keigo returns home.

Once back at the apartment, he faceplants onto Touya in a huff. Touya gives a small laugh, reaching to comb through Keigo’s ruffled feathers. This is nice. Keigo used to dread coming back to his apartment, it was a constant reminder of his perpetual loneliness. Bare walls, basic furniture, it never felt like home. But then Dabi came into his life the blazing inferno that left his mark singed on Keigo’s heart. Then Touya stayed, giving him a place to land, someone to come home to, someone to make the apartment feel like a real home. Keigo begins absent mindedly tracing Touya’s face, it had become a bit of a habit for him.

“Your scars are looking better.” Keigo says while dragging his finger along the row of staples on his jaw.

“Yeah, soon I might not need these anymore.” Touya gestures to very staples Keigo is so enthralled by.

Keigo sighs.

“What?”

Keigo’s voice turns petulant, his face scrunched, “I like them.”

“The staples?”

“They’re shiny, make you so shiny and pretty.”

“You’re insane.”

“Maybe…I mean they are what my instincts latched on to when we first met. I couldn’t get you out of my head. I had never been so distracted on the job.” Keigo chuckles.

“The staples?”

Keigo’s voice becomes wistful, “Yeah… then we kept hanging out and I got to know you and yeah you were kind of an asshole but hanging out with you was really nice. Fighting the urge to kiss you was annoying but the potential for getting burned made it easy to stay focused.”

“Oh.” The unscarred parts of Touya’s face turn bright red.

The day of the raid arrives, Touya tries to keep Keigo home, not wanting him to put himself in such extreme danger. Keigo is adamant, he trusts Touya’s intel, he trusts the plan they made, he’ll be fine. 

“Promise you’ll come home.”

“I always do.”

Chapter Text

The raid went as well as it could have, the heroes sustained some injuries and the villains lost some numbers. What started as just a way for Touya to receive a pardon became his new ‘job’. Heroes would ask Hawks if he could consult with his informant on lingering cases and Touya, bored out of his mind, would give his input, while insulting whoever is on the case. 

One of these cases is brought in by Shouta Aizawa, known to most as Eraserhead. Now, Eraserhead often gravitated towards cases around kids, despite being adamant that it doesn’t mean anything , the look on his face shows that it means something . Eraserhead was skeptical and wary of trusting and accepting help from Dabi of all people, but his main focus was saving people. If Dabi can help him save more people, then he’ll do what it takes.

There are papers strewn all over the table in Touya’s new studio. Eraserhead was giving a run down of some of them when one of the files catches Touya’s eye,

“When was this one filed?”

“Naegi Sayomi? A few weeks ago, filed by her grandmother, no real leads.”

Touya takes a few moments, looking over the file, Eraserhead tries to read his face but fails. Keigo walks away and returns from the kitchen with a mug of tea, placing a comforting hand on Touya’s back. Touya’s face scrunches, he flips the pages, and what was previously unreadable becomes barely contained rage.

Touya leads the heroes to a warehouse where they begin to plan an extraction. The heroes want to go into this stealthily and carefully, not wanting to alert the kidnappers and run the risk of them hurting the girl. Touya gets fed up with their debating on what to do and kicks the door down.

Chaos erupts for a moment, the kidnappers turn and expect to see heroes. They expect to be able to use the girl as leverage, they expect people that are instructed not to harm or kill. What do they see? Dabi, the arsonist, the man known for killing without an offer of mercy.

“You want to know what’s crazy?” Dabi speaks, voice low and dangerous. “I am almost certain that I told you that I better not see your faces again, right?”

“You-” It was the same thugs he saw harassing a girl a few months back. Miyuki.

“Me. Now you are going to put the gun down, and you are going to be grateful that I’m not here alone because if I were- ” Dabi smiles, flames dancing on his fingers.

The thugs drop their weapons and the heroes swoop in to make the arrest. But Touya doesn’t pay them any mind, turning his attention to Sayomi, tied up, clothes ripped. He grabs his jacket and wraps it around her trying to spare her some amount of modesty. As she’s being untied, she stares at Touya, squinting and tilting her head.

After a few beats, she says, almost uncertain, “Yusei?”

Touya looks at the girl, and gives her a gentle smile. It seems out of place on his face, making him look younger, making him look his age. The girl opens her arms out and grabs him into a hug, she starts crying.

“We thought you were dead. You stopped showing up, Sachiko-sama was worried sick! You-”

“I'm sorry, things, stuff came up.” Touya chuckles, wrapping his arms around her.

“Bad stuff?”

Touya sighs, “Yeah, bad stuff…”

“They're not arresting you though.” 

“We've got a bit of a truce.”

“To find me?”

“And others, I recognized you though and those eugh- .”

The thugs are handcuffed and being placed into the police car, the cops look confused as to why the heroes are so casual about Dabi being there and are allowing him anywhere near the girl. Frankly, they’re confused by the entirety of the scene in front of them. Eraserhead looks at Touya and gestures his head towards the ambulance, signalling that Sayomi has to get checked for injuries and brought to the hospital to be reunited with her family. The girl goes to get checked out by paramedics and give her statement to the police but before she does she turns to Touya.

“Come visit sometime? Dayu and Matsu got married, spring wedding, they adopted a little girl, you should meet her.”

Touya smiles, “I'll try.”

 Eraserhead walks up to Touya, “She called you Yusei, is that-”

“No, well, depends on how you define it.”

“Depends?”

“You were asking if it is my name, right? Well it is and it isn't. It was not the name I was born with, nor was it the name I ever gave myself, but people tend to give names to those they see often. Yusei is what they call me.”

“Why?”

“You'd have to ask Sachiko-sama, she's the one that gave it to me. Warning, she doesn't like new people.”

Later, back at the apartment, Touya is preparing dinner when Keigo returns home from patrol.

“Heard you saved someone today, trying to take my job, firefly?”

“With how much you complain about paperwork? No way. I- I knew her.”

“The girl?”

“Yeah, her grandmother used to let me stay with them and give me money for helping around the house. A lot of the people there did, they were really nice.”

“That’s good.”

“She asked me to visit, I was thinking I could head over there Saturday.”

“Saturday?”

“Yeah, so if you wanted, you could join me.”

“Yeah- yeah, okay that’s great.” Keigo’s eyes light up.

Touya may not be ready to face his family yet, but facing his past one step at a time seems like great progress.

Chapter Text

Weeks had passed and rumors continued to circulate as people tried to figure out the current whereabouts of the villain Dabi . He hadn’t been present at the raid on the Paranormal Liberation Front. Some argued that he may have died during the raid and just not been announced, some think that he was taken out by the Paranormal Liberation Front as their loyalty to members was questionable. This was a mystery, a mystery that needed a theory to solve it.

On the fifth floor of Heights Alliance, in a room illuminated by only a desk lamp, was Shouto Todoroki. He’s surrounded by papers, theory board in absolute chaos in front of him. Something’s missing, what is it?

He thinks back on his encounters with Dabi, something about the villain was odd yet familiar. It was strange, it seemed like the man couldn’t decide between hatred and pity when facing Shouto. He thinks about the times he saw his father encounter Dabi, the villain didn’t have the same struggle in hating Endeavor. Whatever made him hate Endeavor there was no contest, it was personal. Shouto thinks back, trying to piece together a puzzle but it was like he was given half the pieces and doesn’t even have the box to reference. 

Then it hits him. His eyes, his eyes, Endeavor’s eyes. The same eyes that led to Shouto being permanently scarred, the same eyes that appear in his occasional nightmare. Dabi has Endeavor’s eyes.  

Shouto flips the board entirely, not to a blank side, but to another web of clues and string. He stares at it for a moment before grabbing the photo of Dabi off the ground. He places it on the board. They’re the same eyes. On the board are print outs from forum pages, news articles, academic journals on dysfunctional quirks. And dead center now sits two photos, one of Dabi and one of Touya Todoroki. 

Despite the scars, despite the aging, it’s the same face, the same eyes . 

Shouto had been working on this theory for a while, something about Touya’s death never sat well with him. They never found a body, despite the flames not being nearly hot enough to cremate remains. He had found what he thought to be traces of Touya, cases of vigilantism that shared similarities in quirk and description. But he ran into a dead end, the vigilante behind those acts disappeared too.

Shouto had thought it odd that the villain knew his name back at camp but if Dabi is Touya, then of course he would know.

If Dabi is Touya, then where the hell is he?

“I'll find you Touya-nii.”

Shouto calls his brother, asking, nearly begging him to come to UA. Shouto isn’t able to transfer his boards in and out of his room without taking them apart and he doesn’t want to risk losing any of the pieces in the process. Natsuo answers and agrees to come, saying he’ll head over once his classes are done for the day.

When Natsuo arrives, Shouto leads him to his room, he’s silent, unsure of what to say, unsure of what Natsuo will say. Natsuo was closest with Touya, he’s the one that remembers him the most, at least he’s the only one willing to talk about Touya.

Shouto first shows Natsuo the side of the board about Dabi, talking about all the rumors and theories surrounding his disappearance from PLF. Natsuo listens, although he’s confused as to why this was so important to Shouto. Then Shouto flips the board, he doesn’t say anything, letting the board speak for itself.

Natsuo gasps, “Is that-?”

“I think so.”

Natsuo’s voice turns hopeful, “He’s alive?”

Shouto replies, unsure, “I don’t know, ‘Dabi’ hasn’t been spotted anywhere since before the raid. Rumor has it he defected from the Front but he hasn’t shown his face anywhere .”

“Well he’s a dead man if he does, villains aren’t fond of traitors and the heroes want to throw him into Tartarus.”

“ Someone has to know where he is.”

“We could see if the heroes have any leads.”

Shouto raises an eyebrow, “ You want to ask father?”

“Tch, no way….. Yumi’s dating a hero, even if she doesn’t have any information, she might know someone who does.”

Shouto nods, “Good idea, let’s do it.”

Shouto and Natsuo make a trip to visit their sister. They don’t mention why they’re interested in the rumors around Dabi, afraid she’ll try to involve their father. Unfortunately, Miruko doesn’t have any direct leads about Dabi but she directs them to Hawks, who given his position, is more likely to have details of the case.

Shouto and Natsuo confront Hawks at his agency, Shouto gets right to the point.

“Do you know where ‘Dabi’ is?”

“Dabi? Why would I know where Dabi is?” Hawks’s voice is strained, smile tight.

“You do know.”

“No I don’t.”

“Yes you do, you’re doing the same thing Midoriya does when he’s trying to keep a secret. Where is he? He’s alive right?”

Hawks stays silent, wide eyed and pleading, his wings flutter nervously.

“We know who he is, do you?” Natsuo interjects.

Keigo lets his wings fall, “Yes.”

“You know where he is.” Natsuo’s voice begins to waver.

“Yes.”

“Could- could you take us to him? Please. ” Natsuo’s voice breaks.

Keigo tries to stay strong but sighs, “You Todorokis and your puppy eyes, fine. ”

“You will?” Both Todorokis speak, hope evident in their voices.

“Yes.” His brows furrowed, gaze tense, “Don’t make me regret this.”

Chapter Text

The ride to the apartment is terrifying, and not just because they were flying. When they land, Hawks places Natsuo down, and Natsuo stares at the building in front of them. He’s in there. 

Part of him always blamed himself, Touya often confided in Natsuo about how he felt like he was worthless, like he had no purpose. The day of the fire Touya told him that he was going to meet their father, that he’d see him and things could go back to how they were supposed to be, they could be happy.

Enji never showed. He never left his office, not until the fire burned the mountain side, not until- it was too late.

Natsuo had to be restrained from running up Sekoto Peak, and when Enji returned from searching for Touya with a grim expression, Natsuo broke inside, but he steeled his expression in front of their father. He couldn’t share their mother’s fate.

As the years went by he continued to hold onto the anger because anything less meant falling apart. 

“You can call me Keigo by the way, I’m not working right now. I’ve been trying to get into the habit of that.” Keigo laughs nervously.

Natsuo takes in a shaking breath, but he follows Keigo into the building. He’s led to the elevator and he watches the numbers count up the floors. 1, 2, 3, 4. There a nagging thought of what if Touya doesn’t want to see him? What if Touya hates him? What if-? 5, 6, 7, 8. Beside him, Shouto seems unfazed, he never really met Touya but he had come face to face with Dabi numerous times. 9, 10, 11, 12.

“Annnnd, we’re here! Uh, let me go warn him that we’re having guests.” Keigo rushes into the apartment. He’s inside for roughly 10 minutes before sticking his head out into the hallway, “Come in.”

Natsuo wasn’t sure what to expect to feel when he got here, seeing Touya after so many years of thinking he was gone forever. Part of him wanted to be angry, wanted to yell and scream and cry . So that’s what he did, he cried. 

Touya looked really different, he didn’t look quite like the brother Natsuo remembered, or the villain the media spoke of. His face was free of staples, the scars still visible but healing. His hair was white, and his were just as- 

Natsuo tackles him into a hug, “You are the worst brother ever .”

Touya’s hand grips onto Natsuo’s jacket,“I know I know, I- I’m sorry.”

“Why did you-? Why would you-? Why didn’t you come home?” Natsuo’s voice was raw, broken.

“You know why, that house- that wasn’t a home, it was never a home.”

“But we-”

“I know, and I’m sorry. There are so many things I should have- should have done.”

Natsuo’s voice got quiet, “I told you to go away.”

“It was nothing to do with you, it was me, it was dad, it was inevitable.” Touya pulls back from the embrace, “Soooo, what have you been up to?”

“Medical school is kicking my ass, my only saving grace is the fact that Enji feels guilty so he’s paying for it, not that I really want him to. What have you been up to?”

“Since quitting the whole ‘killing dad’ thing? Case consultation and art. I have a studio down the hall.”

As they walk towards the studio, Shouto pipes up, “You kidnapped my friend.”

“Yeah, sorry about that. He did fine though, real tough kid.”

Shouto’s face changes, like he has something to say but is choosing not to speak. He starts standing awkwardly toward the edge of the room, it was strange for him. 

But the reunion  also sparked a new type of anger, seeing how Touya and Natsuo were interacting, seeing what could have been, what they all could have had. Shouto takes out his phone and blocks their father’s number, Fuyumi will probably call later asking why, but she should already know why. He glides his fingers across a canvas.

“You painted these?”

“Yep.”

“They’re…nice.” Shouto’s eyes continue to linger on the painting.

“Do you want one of them? Decorate your dorm or something?”

“I can have it?”

“...Sure.”

As they go to leave, Shouto turns back to Touya and hands him a photograph of himself, Natsuo, Fuyumi, and their mother. Touya stares at it for a while after they leave, for once he sees beyond his own pain. He sees Shouto’s scarred face, he sees the tension in Natsuo’s jaw, he sees how unsteady Fuyumi’s smile is, he sees Rei, his mom, he sees how tired she looks.

Touya hands them each a piece of paper with a number on it, “Feel free to call, text, or visit whenever.”

Natsuo pulls Touya into a hug, tighter than the one before, pulling Shouto in as well. “I love you guys so much.”

Chapter Text

The war, the final battle, the inevitable end to the chaos and destruction so carefully manipulated and crafted by Zen Shigaraki, otherwise known as All For One. His successor, Tomura fell, All For One’s last chance to get the upper hand, crumbled into dust. The small boy, Tenko Shimura, was finally freed from his fate. 

The rest of the Paranormal Liberation Front was destroyed, its members landing either in Tartarus or caskets. The tragedy of those who could not be saved.

Some of the heroes are left forever changed, Endeavor tried his best to fight All For One, managing to damage the villain, but the price he’d pay was extraordinary. He was currently recovering from losing his quirk, it was strange, seeing the man without the flames. For once, he looked like Enji Todoroki again, not Endeavor. For once, he looked like the man Touya once called father. 

Touya is watching the room, he doesn’t dare enter. His mother and sister are both at his father’s side, neither aware that the ghost that haunted the family was just beyond some glass. If he were a different man, if things had fallen differently, where would they be now? Would he still be a memory haunting their ‘happy’ family? Would he have succeeded or failed? 

Touya leaves, now isn’t the time for revelations. 

He heads down a hallway, each room with a different name. They placed all of the student heroes in the same hall, not wanting to deal with them trying to visit their friends across the hospital. He reaches a door, S. Todoroki . 

Inside he finds his brothers, one sleeping in the hospital bed, his breathing monitored next to him, and the other sleeping in the terribly uncomfortable chair they provide for relatives of the ill and injured. 

Looking at them makes Touya think, he doesn’t know if he ever would have gathered the courage to talk to them, to see them again. He could never be sure that they’d even want to see him and his heart could never handle familial rejection.

He thinks of the anger that used to consume him, blinding him of what his life really was. He wanted to hurt their father, would his brothers get caught in the crossfire? 

Was there a point of no return?

Was there a line that couldn’t be forgiven?

Were there wounds that could never heal?

Having more questions than answers was unnerving but the questions Touya had could never get real answers. 

Not in this lifetime.

Not in this timeline.

Not in a world where Touya chose to let go.

The boy in the bed stirs, his eyes opening slowly. He looks at Touya and gives a small smile. How could I hate you? Touya begins to feel the familiar pressure in his face but slowly it fades away.

“Touya-nii, you’re crying.”

“Huh?” Touya presses a few fingers to his face, pulling them away when he feels moisture. He expects to see blood, that is what usually happens when he ‘cries’. But instead he sees clear, tears, real tears . The realization made him cry more. Touya was always too emotional for his own good, and losing his ability to cry never lost him the ability to want to. 

Touya finally gets a handle on his tear ducts and the brothers chat. They had gotten closer since reuniting, finding things they shared in common besides the trauma from their father. They chat for a while but eventually Shouto is told to rest, his injuries looking much better than they did when he was admitted.

Touya heads out, following the hallways to a very specific room. K. Takami. He quietly enters the room, trying not to wake his birdie. He watches him sleep. This is insane. It certainly is, if you had asked Touya if he thought he was going to survive the upcoming war, he’d say he has no intention of doing so. 

But to think, one man’s kindness, one man’s insistence, changed so much. Touya had accepted long ago that he wasn’t wanted. Each day he wakes up wondering if this life is real because it doesn’t feel like it. 

He wanted to hate Hawks, he wanted Hawks to prove him right, that all heroes are selfish irredeemable creatures that the public adores because they don’t know the real them. But Keigo, Keigo proved him wrong, heroes are not gods to the public, they are those who choose to help because they can.

Dabi was a dead man dragging the corpse of Touya Todoroki in his wake. But now Dabi is gone, and Touya is reborn, all thanks to a bird who thought he was worth something. Worth loving.  

Keigo wakes up to Touya holding his hand. Touya pulls Keigo’s hand to touch his cheek, right where the staples used to hold him together, “I love you.”

Keigo smiles, “I love you too.”

Chapter Text

Years later, Class 1-A had graduated, Hawks couldn’t be more proud of the heroes that class grew to be. Touya managed to reconnect with the rest of his family, notifying them of his survival. He doesn’t speak to Enji but occasionally meets with his mother and sister for lunch to catch up. Hawks had kept the placement of number one since the war but some of the latest graduates are clearly gunning for the top spot. 

Hawks is patrolling with Tsukuyomi when they spot a small fire nearby. On the ground next to the fire is spray painted, HAWKS

“What have you done to warrant such acts?”

They land and to check out and handle the fire, next to the trash can is a note. 

[You didn’t kiss me before you left. >:( ]

Hawks laughs and puts out the fire. He makes sure to stop on the way home and get flowers.