Work Text:
“Dabi is in love with Tomura!”
Hold up. Records scratched. What did she just say? Rewind the clip.
“Dabi is in love with Tomura!”
Yep, Hawks heard that correctly. He would have laughed if he was any less skilled at controlling his emotions. I mean, Dabi being in love? Dabi showing an emotion that’s not anger? It was unheard of.
“What,” Hawks said dumbly.
Before he could’ve responded better to the statement he heard, Toga pulled his collar down towards the crack in the doorway. He saw Dabi and Shigaraki having a conversation, oblivious to the two people staring at them through the League’s living room door.
“See! Look at the way Dabi is looking at him! He totally smells like he’s in love,” Toga said.
Hawks looked at the scene before him once again. He sensed no such thing.
“Uh.. yeah!” A pause.
A few awkward seconds passed before...
“I don’t see it,” Hawks admitted.
Toga frowned at him. “How could you not see it? Look again,” she demanded.
And so he did. Still, nothing clicked.
When he turned to her with a confused look on his face, she said, “Dabi has been more…,” Toga pantomimed smiling and did a little dance, “...recently, and I’m certain it’s because of Tomura!”
Hawks had doubts, but he had no place to judge. Despite his playboy demeanor, he’d never been in love or had contact with such an emotion. Contrary to him, he knew that Toga had experience in this field. Listening to one too many rants about Ochako’s hair and Deku’s eyes was all the indication he needed.
“Huh... didn’t expect Dabi to be the type to have a crush. But… what’s this got to do with me?” Hawks asked.
“I want you to help me get them together!”
What.
That was not the kind of news he needed on a Wednesday afternoon.
“I already have a detailed plan on how to get them together. All you’d need to do is help carry it out.” Toga showed him a paper filled with hastily scribbled lines, which he assumed was her handwriting. He prided himself on his skill to read messy manuscripts, but hers was less than legible.
“Uh… why?” a confused Hawks asked.
A few seconds passed before Toga answered.
“I just… want to see them happy, you know? Especially after Magne’s death. It hit Tomura really hard. They’re my teammates and my family! I know that they’ll be really happy together. Plus, you’re a hero, aren’t you? Heroes are supposed to help people.”
Toga got him there. He was compelled by the need to help people. He was starting to consider helping her. Damn his caring soul.
“That’s a good point…”
Before his internal conflict escalated, the little voice chimed in the back of his head, It’ll be easier to get information out of Dabi and Shigaraki if they’re happier. That sealed the deal.
“Alright… You know what? I’ll help you.”
What I do, I do for the League, right?
Toga squealed and hugged Hawks, pulling him towards her room to discuss their mission.
----------
“Okay, so after Dabi trips, you’re going to cut the string, got it? Are you listening to me? Hellooo?”
A week later, in the League’s empty living room, Mission Make Shigadabi Canon was in motion (title coined by Toga, it was not Hawks’ doing). He spent most of his meeting time with the League discussing Toga’s plan rather than finding out the League’s plans. The world was counting on him, and yet he was shipping villains together instead of saving lives. What a hero he was.
His internal monologue was interrupted by Toga stamping her feet and scolding him.
“Hawksie, pay attention!”
“I’m listening! I’m listening!” he repeated, wings jolting from the sudden noise.
Toga gave him a semi-stern glare before continuing. “So after Dabi walks in at exactly 9 am-”
“Wait, how do you know Dabi will walk in at exactly 9 am?”
Toga’s semi-stern glare returned. But could you really blame him for asking that question? The specificity of the statement was questionable at best and concerning at worst.
“He always does! It’s the League’s common knowledge, of course.”
“Right…” On second thought, it was best not to question why and how the whole League knew that. Or how Dabi maintained that schedule every day down to the minute.
“Anyways,” Toga continued as if nothing happened, spreading an annotated graph on the table. “Right after Dabi trips, you’ll cut the string attached to the wall. Then, he’ll fall into Tomura, who’ll be on the chair from 8:30 to 9:15. I gathered data on Dabi’s walking pattern and adjusted the slope of the string to match the height he lifts his feet. There’s only a .03% chance he’ll miss the string by my calculations, so I can assure you it’ll work perfectly. Oh, it’ll be so cute! I can’t wait! Once I give you the signal, your job is done. Got all that?”
No, he did not get all of that. There were… so many things to unpack in that explanation. He went for the most obvious.
“Why are we making Dabi fall into Shigaraki? I thought you wanted to set them up.”
“We are setting them up. Everyone knows that the main character meets their love interest by falling into them. Ahh, it’ll be so cute! A real life meet-cute!” There might as well have been stars in her eyes from the overly-excited way she was talking.
What’s a meet-cute? Clearly, Hawks hadn’t read many romance books. He’d never read a book where the main character tripped into another character in a romantic way. In fact, it was kind of… unrealistic. If he tripped over another person, he’d be embarrassed, not in love.
Hawks tried to subtly voice his concerns. “I don’t think-”
“Uh-uh-uh!” Toga tuts. “This plan is perfect. I don’t want to hear it.”
Well. There goes that.
Toga continued, “Isn’t it a wonderful idea! It’s love at first sight. I’m counting on you to do your job, Hawk-sie!” She singsonged the last part whilst skipping away, leaving Hawks and his jumbled thoughts.
----------
2 days later, on a Friday night, he found himself in the League’s living room for a group meeting. When the meeting was over, it was already noon. With everything lined up in his favor, he pretended to fall asleep on the couch, whilst using his feathers to detect out-of-place sensations. He wasn’t stupid enough to believe that villains wouldn’t take the chance to kill him, given the opportunity. Thankfully, the League members didn’t attempt to murder him. That would’ve been a tricky situation.
When he figured he “slept” enough, he pretended to awaken, unsure if there were cameras in the base. Rubbing his eyes carefully, he checked the time on his phone: 8:03 am. There weren’t any villain alerts near his area, so urgency was low. He noticed the clear, thin string attached to the wall and extending past the second door into another room. He remembered the sound of footsteps coming in and out of the room, as well as tape. It must’ve been Toga. With nothing else to do, Hawks made his way over to the League’s kitchen.
Hawks sat on a stool next to a rickety table. He was so sleep-deprived that his eyelids started to shut. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. He jolted in his seat, only to look up and see none other than Dabi, sitting on the opposite side of the table.
“Dabi! I didn’t see you there!” He rubbed the back of his neck, laughing nervously.
Dabi rolled his eyes. “Maybe if your head wasn’t stuck up your ass, you would have.”
It was way too early for Dabi’s snarky comments. His mouth opened without his brain’s permission. “You know, acting like a civil human being wouldn’t kill you.”
“And stepping out of your pretentious shell wouldn’t kill you either, hero.” Dabi took a sip of what he presumed to be tea.
“Says the one dressed like an emo.” He needed to control his brain-to-mouth filter around Dabi. He’d only damage his one lead on the League. Still, he couldn’t not respond to Dabi’s comments. It was instinctual.
Dabi’s voice piped up again. “If anyone's the emo, it’s you. Forgot you put on eyeliner today?”
Hawks huffed. “This is natural .”
“Bet your stans must really love that,” Dabi replied sarcastically.
“Of course, I have fan pages dedicated to my eyes,” Hawks countered in a cocksure manner.
“Hope those fans get better soon.”
“Jealousy, jealousy,” Hawks singsonged.
Dabi took another sip of his tea and puffed out a breath. “I’m not jealous. I’ll have you know I’ve been complimented on my eyes multiple times in my life.”
“As if anyone would compliment your boring, blue eyes.” Hawks was lying. He was self-aware enough to recognize that Dabi’s eyes are one of his best assets. He didn’t doubt that he’d been complimented on them lots, as Hawks himself had thought of doing such a thing on many occasions. He wasn’t going to raise Dabi’s ego, though, and he wasn’t going to let his pride down in their mini-argument. Luckily, Dabi had no idea he was staring at his eyes for the period of their first meeting.
“Talking like you weren’t staring at my boring, blue eyes at our first meeting.”
Shit. Dabi had noticed. He felt his pride subside.
“I was making eye contact,” Hawks sputtered, in an attempt to keep his composure.
Dabi raised an eyebrow. “The average period of eye contact is 3.3 seconds. Our meeting was 15 minutes.”
“Well, I wasn’t making eye contact the whole time…” Hawks protested meekly.
“Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night.” Dabi stood up from his stool and took his cup to the sink to wash it.
There was a pause in their conversation, giving Hawks time to think about his infiltration. On one hand, he wasn’t caught as a spy yet, but at the same time, he had gathered little information about the League. The Commission wouldn’t accept that. And then there was the other thing: Toga’s Set-Up-Shigaraki-And-Dabi Plan, or whatever she named it. Toga was unpredictable, and though his role in the first “set-up” was small, he had no doubt that he’d have to do something bigger in the future. As long as he got some information from Dabi or Shigaraki from this plan, he’d consider this attempt successful. Thinking of Dabi, he searched his mind for information for their next one-on-one meeting. When he couldn’t think of anything, he asked the same person in the same room as him.
“When’s the next meeting?”
“Tonight, 9 pm. I told you yesterday. I thought “exceptional memory” was on your résumé,” Dabi answered, voice dropping one or two octaves.
Hawks felt slightly hot from his response, struggling to comprehend the words that came out of Dabi’s mouth. He could feel every little sound vibration through his feathers, and he was granted a perfect sense of pitch from birth. When his cheeks continued to heat up, he chalked it up to an overwhelming sensation through his feathers.
“I was busy. Hero’s work,” Hawks replied, after re-steadying his voice.
He got up and out of his chair, starting to walk out of the room. Before leaving, he turned back to face Dabi.
Hawks gave a small smile. “Guess I’ll see you tonight.” He made a small wave towards Dabi, turning around, opening the door, and shutting it behind him.
Dabi didn’t respond.
----------
Hawks sat in a chair in the room next to the living room, idly watching cat videos on his phone. The digital clock on his phone struck 8:59 am, so he put his phone away, getting ready to slash the string in the other room. One feather of his was in the living room, wriggling under the couch, ready for its mission. All he had to do was wait for Dabi to trip.
Sure enough, after waiting for a minute more, he heard the door open and Dabi’s footsteps enter the living room.
Then, he heard it happen.
He heard a body collide with another, as an oof! sound echoed around the room. Hawks cut the string immediately.
Since he fulfilled his job, he got ready to leave the base. He paused when a voice spoke from the other room.
“Did you just fucking trip me?”
Hawks recognized that as Dabi’s voice. Venom and anger laced his voice.
“Don’t blame me that you’re incapable of moving your feet correctly.”
That was Shigaraki’s voice. His voice was bored and annoyed as if he was exhausted by Dabi’s mere existence.
“Why don’t you apologize like any normal person?” Dabi spat.
"You should apologize for speaking to me like that! You should be grateful I don’t kick you out of the League for this!”
“You little bitch-!”
Punching sounds and furniture crashing were heard throughout the hideout. When Hawks heard glass shattering, he could not, in his good hero conscience, leave them alone.
Opening the door, he saw shards of glass on the floor and fire lit on one of the couches. Amid the chaotic scene, Shigaraki and Dabi stood, hands at each other's throats, literally. Shigaraki was one finger away from disintegrating Dabi’s throat, whilst Dabi’s other hand raged with his signature blue flames, ready to attack Shigaraki.
Hawks used his telekinetic feathers to pull them apart from each other, clean up the glass, and snuff out the fire on the furniture.
He sighed. The plan didn’t go well, and he was sure that Toga would think the same.
----------
“Yay! It went exactly as planned!”
Clearly, his moral standards for Toga were too high.
Hawks mustered the calmest voice he could manage, the same voice he used when explaining basic concepts to little children. “They were at each other’s throats, Toga.”
“I know! That’s what I thought would happen, anyway.”
Hawks felt a headache permeate his brain. He rubbed his forehead. “Why would you set them up this way if you knew it would end badly?”
“It didn’t end badly . It’s just pigtail pulling!”
“They were seconds away from killing each other. That’s not pigtail pulling,” Hawks said in exasperation.
“Pffft... It’s fine. I’ve read at least 10 novels that had the exact same situation. Trust me! They’re just afraid of admitting they like each other.”
Hawks suddenly felt the need to confiscate whatever books she’d been reading to think this was normal. He took a deep breath. Maybe if he looked at this from another point of view, he could understand her. She’d been in the League longer than Hawks, so surely she’d know her teammates better than he would. Perhaps this was a villain’s way of showing love? It seemed messed up, but Hawks wasn’t a villain. He wouldn’t know.
“Okay… sure,” he responded reluctantly, “just make sure nothing like this happens again.”
“Of course!” Toga chirped.
Hawks watched her skip away. Just as she turned the corner of the hallway, he saw her mischievous eyes and devious grin. He decided at that moment that he did not want to find out what her next plan would be.
----------
Apparently, the universe decided that today was not his lucky day. Not only did he have to deal with the morning fiasco, but he also had to deal with 20 (or more, Hawks wasn’t counting) criminal situations. Coincidentally, Madam President called him in 5 minutes before he was supposed to meet with Dabi to talk about League progress. And given the choice, he chose Madam President. He’d rather have his wings seared off than have them plucked out one by one. He was exhausted by the end of his meeting with the Hero Commission President. Still, he had to attend his meeting with Dabi.
As he arrived in the designated alleyway, he heard that distinct raspy voice he’d grown familiar with from the past few months.
“You’re late.”
Hawks turned towards the sound and saw Dabi standing there, dressed in his signature outfit. He held a used cigarette in his hand, and a bored expression inhabited his face.
“Caught up in hero work. You know how it is,” Hawks said, leaning against the alley wall.
Dabi rolled his eyes. “Remind me why you want to be a villain, again?”
Hawks didn’t dignify that with a response.
“Here’s the data you asked for,” Hawks said, moving on and handing Dabi a stack of papers. “Everything the Hero Commission knows about the League.”
“Everything?” Dabi raised one eyebrow and flipped through the pages.
“Everything I could get my hands on, anyway.” Hawks shrugged.
“We hired you to get all information, not some.”
Hawks resisted the urge to roll his eyes. “You try getting past the Hero Commission’s security system. Then we’ll talk.”
“I could, but we hired you for a reason. To be useful.”
Ouch. That hurt. Dabi always knew what to say to make his mood sour. However, he wasn’t going to acknowledge that and give him more ammo to fire.
“Yeah, yeah. Save it for when you read those files,” Hawks said in a nonchalant manner.
“Got anything else? I don’t want to waste more of my time here.” Dabi turned his head away from Hawks.
“Wasting your time? And here I thought you liked my presence,” Hawks said cheekily.
Dabi gave him a deadpan look and pulled out his phone. He started to dial Kurogiri’s number when Hawks intervened.
“Wait! I have the keys to the warehouse Shigaraki asked for.” A rusted key hangs from Hawks’ finger.
“I’m not giving anything to that bitch until he learns to fucking apologize,” Dabi grunted.
Hawks sighed. He didn’t doubt that Dabi would carry that grudge against Shigaraki for the rest of his life. Not that it wasn’t justified, but Dabi was trying to attack him as well. “Still hung up on that, are you?”
"Still hung up on that, are you? ” Dabi mocked. He tossed his cigarette on the ground and crushed it into the cement with his foot.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding. Why’re you so pissed this time?” Considering Toga’s reaction, he assumed that these fights were a natural occurrence.
“You were there. You saw him try to dust me after he tripped me . I hate people with no manners.”
“Ironic.”
Dabi pointed the middle finger at him without making eye contact. He turned around and started to drag his feet away.
“So, are you taking the keys or not?” Hawks called after him.
“Nope. You can grovel at the feet of that safety hazard.” Dabi continued to trudge away until a dark mist swallowed him up. He was gone.
----------
“Wait, no. Run me by that one more time.”
“Hawksie! This is the tenth time I’ve repeated this. Listen closely this time. I said I stole Tomura’s bed.”
Hawks, for the tenth time in a row, stared at her and blinked in confusion. He’d been told he was intelligent by multiple people in his life, and even scored above 150 on an IQ test he took when he was 18. However, he still couldn’t comprehend the words that came out of Toga’s mouth.
“Sorry, I think I misheard. Can you say-”
“Hawksie!”
“Okay, okay!” Hawks held up his hands in a calming position. “Just to make sure… you said you stole Shigaraki’s bed. Right?”
“Yep! You finally got it!”
Many thoughts ran through Hawks’ mind. He didn’t know where to begin. He realized he'd been thinking that a lot lately.
Going for the basic question, Hawks asked, “How?”
“I told Compress about our plan! And he agreed to help us for the sake of ‘young love’. He’s the best. Don’t you agree?” Toga clapped her hands together and bounced on her toes. It was an endearing sight to see.
Hawks hummed in agreement. “That’s very nice of him.” And it was. It was nice to see Toga have a parental figure in her life. And he admired Compress’ will to help Toga with such an absurd task.
Toga rambled on. “I know, right! This is one of the best plans I’ve ever come up with. Once Shigaraki joins Dabi in bed-”
Hawks cut Toga off from her mini-ramble. “Woah, woah, woah. Where did that come from?” Suddenly, the scene went from 1 to 100, and Hawks was not following.
“Haven’t you heard of the “there’s-only-one-bed” trope?” Toga asked disbelievingly, “It’s super popular on TigTog.”
He didn’t have social media, so no, he wouldn’t have heard of it.
Moving forward, Hawks asked, “How would stealing Shigaraki’s bed lead to him sleeping in Dabi’s?” curiosity and skepticism in his voice.
“Since Shigaraki is bedless, he’d go to sleep in Dabi’s bed ‘cause he has a crush on him,” Toga stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
Hawks thought back to Friday’s events. “Shigaraki and Dabi are more likely to end up fighting over the bed than sleeping in it together,” Hawks pointed out.
“That just adds to the tension between them,” Toga explained, starting to go off on another ramble. “Two enemies, destined to fall in-”
Hawks cut her off again. “Toga, you promised that we wouldn’t provoke a dangerous situation again.” Hawks did not want to deal with another fight. He didn’t have enough time or energy on his hands to stop two man-children from catfighting with each other.
“It’ll be fine,” Toga said, dragging out the “i” in “fine”. “They bicker all the time. If anything, it’ll help our cause.”
Hawks knew this was a losing fight. Plus, he’d already agreed to help, and a hero shouldn’t go back on his word.
Toga continued explaining the plan to Hawks, “Anyways, back to the plan…”
----------
Hawks, once again, was in the League’s living room. A group meeting had finished a few minutes ago, and he found himself in a conversation with Mr. Compress. Tuning out of his thoughts, he heard Compress speak.
“...you know, in my younger days, I used to have a cat named-”
Just then, Shigaraki burst through the door. His hair was ragged, and his eyes were bloodshot, seeming ready to challenge someone.
“Who the fuck stole my mattress?!” Shigaraki screeched.
The chatter in the room ceased. It was dead silent.
Then, the silence was shattered by the sound of laughter. Spinner and Compress were hunched over, clutching their stomachs, giggling uncontrollably. Even Kurogiri snorted.
When Spinner caught his breath, he heaved out, “Stole… your mattress?” Directly after speaking, he went into another round of giggles.
Shigaraki huffed. “Yes! I know one of you did it.”
Dabi stood up from his chair. Shigaraki’s eyes snapped towards his figure and widened.
“It was you, wasn’t it? You’re trying to sabotage me!” Shigaraki looked ready to pounce.
Dabi glanced at him. “No, I don’t care about you or your fucking mattress. Leave me alone, I’m going to sleep.”
“No, you’re not.” Shigaraki put his hands on his hips. “Due to your inadequate contributions to the League, your mattress privileges are revoked.” He tipped his nose up to assert dominance. It wasn’t working.
“Whatever.” A slight grin spread across Dabi’s face. “Remind me again, who has all the League’s files?” He left without an answer, a smirk visible as he passed through the doorway.
Shigaraki stood there stunned. Hawks didn’t see any trace of blush, but then again, not everybody blushes when spoken to by a romantic love interest. He supposed his work had finished and bid his farewells to the remaining League members, leaving the district.
----------
Dabi was lying awake on his bed, attempting to go to sleep. This was a common occurrence since his fake death. It was hard to go to sleep on the cold cement sidewalk back in his teen and younger adult days. Even though he had a bed to sleep in now, he still had trouble allowing his mind to relax. Dabi shut his eyes in hopes to get some rest.
The sound of his door creaking open disturbed his sleeping efforts. He popped one eye open and saw Shigaraki standing in his doorway, looking like the grim reaper ready to take his soul.
I’m too tired for this bullshit.
“Get out of my room,” Dabi grumbled.
Shigaraki smiled menacingly. “This is my room until I get my bed back.”
Way too tired for this bullshit.
“Fuck no. Leave.” Dabi glared at him, hoping to scare him off. Unluckily for him, Shigaraki feared no mortal.
Dabi didn’t have time to react when Shigaraki snatched his covers and thumped onto the floor.
“What the fuck?” This brat was never taught manners, clearly. “Give me back my sheets!”
Shigaraki answers with a snore and cuddles into the covers.
I’ve had enough. Dabi started to try to pull the covers away from him. Then, he noticed it.
He’s sleeping without his gloves.
Dabi held back a groan of frustration. He couldn’t pull the covers away from Shigaraki without the risk of getting them or himself dusted. He stared down the cover-stealing thief.
“I’ll get you back for doing this. I promise.”
----------
“...And then, he just takes my sheets off my bed and sleeps on the floor. Unbelievable. I need to find new ones because I’m not using sheets that have touched that gremlin,” Dabi complained.
Hawks sat next to Dabi in their usual alley meeting place. Their backs were against the brick wall, as Hawks listened to Dabi rant. When Dabi called him in for a meeting, he did not sign up to listen to relationship fights.
Hawks yawned. “Sounds like a regular day in the League household.”
“It's a nightmare, that’s what it is,” Dabi muttered.
Hawks smiled at Dabi’s predictable response. “Always one for the dramatics, huh?”
Dabi shot a withering stare at Hawks. “I’m not being fucking dramatic. He could’ve just got his own blankets. They weren’t even missing. His mattress was the only thing stolen.”
Hawks hummed. “Maybe he wanted your blankets.”
A pang shot in his chest when he said that. He wasn’t sure why, but he pointedly ignored it.
“What?” Dabi’s eyes snapped towards him in disbelief.
“Nothing, nothing.” Hawks waved his hands in a pacifying gesture. “Carry on with your rant.”
Dabi stared and analyzed his face before continuing. “Then I tried to wake him up, but guess what this fucker did? He curls into my blankets and starts snoring. I’ll get that brat back.” Dabi’s fists were clenched and his mouth formed a tight line.
“Wow, I’ve never heard that one before,” Hawks replied sarcastically.
“I’m being serious.”
“That’s what you said last time, but you never did anything. You care about him too much to act on your threats,” Hawks teased, albeit forcefully.
Dabi rolled his eyes. “You’re being delusional.”
“Sure. Did you invite me here just to talk about Shigaraki or was there an actual reason?” Bitterness leaked into Hawks’ voice. He hoped Dabi didn’t detect it.
Thankfully, Dabi didn’t, or at least didn’t mention it.
“Of course. I wouldn’t willingly hang out with you.”
Well, that hurt more than Hawks anticipated. He pretended he didn’t hear that last part.
Dabi reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. He dropped it in Hawks’ lap.
“Here’s the League’s Christmas wish list.”
Hawks stared at the crumpled paper in his lap. This is what Dabi called a meeting for? He could be saving people’s lives right now, but instead, he was being ordered to buy toys for villains.
“Wish list?” Hawks asked for confirmation.
“Yep.”
Hawks sighed. “Why am I getting this?”
“Because you’re rich and not a wanted criminal and can buy us these things.”
Hawks directed his stare at him. “...You called a meeting to give me a list of things you want me to buy for you?” Judgment was evident in his voice.
“Thought you wanted to become a member of the League,” Dabi countered.
“You can’t keep pulling that card.”
“Oh really? Watch me.”
Hawks held in another sigh. He took the paper in his hands and straightened it out. His eyes skimmed the list. Most of the requests were what he expected. Spinner and Shigaraki asked for video games, whilst Compress and Toga asked for new clothes. Twice and Kurogiri requested a bunch of random household items. When his eyes met Dabi’s request, he blinked once, and then twice to confirm that he saw correctly.
“Dabi...”
“Mm?” Dabi hummed in response.
“Why is Endeavor’s credit card on this list?”
----------
Hawks woke up with a groan. His back felt stiff and the wall behind him was crushing his wings. The floor beneath him felt rigid and rocky. He cracked open his eyes to see the alleyway that Dabi and he met at. Did he forget to leave?
He started to get up when he felt a weight on his shoulder. His head snapped to the side to see Dabi’s sleeping figure slumped against his side.
Hawks was surprised. He brushed Dabi’s hair out of his face and tilted his head to get a better look at him. His eyes were shut and his body was limp. Strangely, he appeared peaceful in this state. His hair was soft against his cheek and his body was delicately resting on him. A light blush colored his cheeks and his lips were full of life.
Beautiful.
Hawks’ cheeks warmed when he realized what he’d just thought. It wasn’t bad to think a colleague was attractive, right? It wasn’t like he was in love with him, he was just acknowledging his assets, that’s all.
He should probably go home and get ready for work, but something in his chest stopped him. Hawks rested his cheek on top of Dabi’s head of hair. It wouldn’t hurt to spend a few more minutes in the alley.
A few minutes passed and Hawks came to his senses. He started to leave but abruptly stopped. He couldn’t leave Dabi in the alleyway alone . He could get caught, or worse, hurt. It would be unheroic of him to leave someone in possible danger. He reached inside his pocket and dialed Kurogiri’s number.
“Hawks, do you need something? Or do you know where Dabi is? He hasn’t come back since he left for your meeting.”
“Yeah, Dabi’s sleeping in the alleyway we met at. I’ll send you the location.”
“That’s strange. Dabi usually has a difficult time sleeping. I’m glad that he could relax with you, though. I’ll come pick him up as soon as I can.”
Hawks agreed with Kurogiri’s first statement. It was strange that Dabi fell asleep on him. Especially since he reminded Hawks of his distrust towards him every day. However, he wasn’t sure what Kurogiri was implying by his third statement. He didn’t think Dabi slept better because he was part of the equation. It was just a coincidence.
Hawks stayed with Dabi for a minute or so more, until Kurogiri came and teleported him away. Hawks left the alley with thoughts of Dabi plaguing his mind.
----------
“Guess what we’re doing this week!” Toga exclaimed, a huge smile sporting her face.
Oh no. Impending doom was coming. He should’ve expected this when Toga called him in for a meeting without the League. Now, here he was, in the League’s headquarters, stuck.
“Uh… what?” Hawks replied hesitantly.
“You have to guess, silly.” Toga clicked her tongue.
Hawks had been researching crazy set-up ideas to be prepared in advance. Whilst much of the information he found online was… questionable, it was highly likely that Toga would pull that stunt.
He thought of what Toga would do, honing in his ability to see through others’ perspectives.
“Planting a body pillow in one of their rooms, so the other confesses their love to them,” Hawks guessed.
“Nope!”
“Teleporting them to an arctic mountain top, so they have to conserve heat together.”
“Incorrect!”
“Food poisoning Shigaraki so Dabi takes care of him.”
“No.” Toga paused. “But I did consider that!”
Hawks stared at her.
Toga stared back.
“Moving on,” Hawks said, breaking the silence, “what are we doing?”
Toga pulled out a large sheet of paper with what looked like a badly-drawn stick figure comic on it. “Setting them up on a date!” Toga drew her finger across the paper.
Hawks had no idea what the drawings meant.
“I’ll need your help with buying dinner for us,” Toga continued, taking another piece of paper out her pocket, with words instead of pictures. She handed it to Hawks.
Thankfully, Hawks could read the handwriting on it. The top of the paper drew his eyes towards it, at which “Favorite Foods” was labeled. As he scanned the document, he saw that each League member had their favorite food listed. Twice’s favorites were French cuisine, whilst Toga’s was undercooked steak. Skimming further down the page, he read that Shigaraki favored katsudon and Dabi favored fish. He noted that down in his mind.
“Why does this list have everyone’s favorite food on it?” Hawks asked. “I only need to buy dinner for Shigaraki and Dabi.”
Toga tilted her head as if she was confused that Hawks didn’t already know the answer. “It would be too suspicious if only Tomura and Dabi got food, so we’re all getting it.”
Hawks had a sneaking suspicion that she planned this because she wanted free food. It was fine, though. He was rich. He could spare a few thousand yen, especially if it would inevitably benefit the world.
“That’s all I need to do?” Hawks asked for confirmation.
“Yup! Leave the rest to me.” With that, Toga scampered away.
----------
Dabi made his way to one of the League’s back doors. Shigaraki stood next to him, hair mussed from the sudden teleportation. All he wanted is some rest, a shower, and-
“Tomura! Dabi! You’re back!” a shrill voice called out.
Toga appeared in front of him. Her usual smile and demeanor were present, but something felt off. Dabi decided to ignore it… for now.
“Yeah we are, nutjob.” Dabi ruffled Toga’s hair.
“It’s great that you came back in time!” Toga backed away from the door. “Hawksie dropped off food for all of us. Yours are over there.”
“Cool.” Dabi breezed past Toga, away from the direction she was pointing at.
Dabi paused when he felt a hand pull at his sleeve.
Toga stood there with her thumb and index finger pinching his right sleeve. “Wait, where are you going? You aren’t going to eat the food Hawksie bought?” Her smile downturned into a frown.
Dabi shrugged her hand off his sleeve. “Maybe, after I use the restroom.”
Dabi walked the rest of the way to the bathroom. After he was done, he went into the dining room, the room Toga pointed to.
There sat Shigaraki, scarfing down katsudon. After gulping down the food in his mouth, he opened his mouth to say something Dabi never thought he’d hear out of his mouth.
“Dabi, you have permission to tell Hawks about our “alliance” with the Shie Hassaikai.”
Shigaraki continued to eat his food while Dabi stood next to him in shock.
What the fuck is he thinking? Is he willing to give information to the enemy because he bought him one meal? Dabi shook his head to clear his thoughts.
“Are you seriously asking me to leak information to him because he bought you food ?” Dabi stared at him judgmentally.
And then Shigaraki had the audacity to say, “He’s being a valuable team member. More than you are right now.”
Dabi scoffed. “Fuck no. If you want to tell him classified information, the fault’s on you and you alone. Don’t drag me into this.”
Shigaraki narrowed his eyes at him. “You should be careful. I might just give your spot to him.”
“Cool. I don’t care.” Dabi flipped him off for the 11th time this week.
Dabi opened the package labeled for him. He’s just curious, it wasn’t like he wanted to eat food Hawks brought him, anyway. As soon as he opened it, his nose was met with the most horrendous smell he’d ever been in contact with: fish. He immediately closed the package. He shouldn’t have put so much faith in their resident double agent.
As Dabi left the room, Shigaraki called out to him.
“Where are you going? You haven’t touched your food.”
“None of your fucking business.” Dabi slammed the door shut.
----------
“For someone who hates it when I’m late, you sure are late a lot,” Hawks said when he saw Dabi walk into the familiar alley.
Dabi ran his thumb against his bottom lip. “I’m a busy man. You’re not the only one who wants in with the League.”
“But I’m the only one who can get you classified government information.” A smirk spread across Hawks’ face as he tilted his head at Dabi.
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Dabi leaned his body against the wall. He lifted an arm to run his fingers through his hair. Hair strands fell against his head as his hand brushed through them.
Hawks’ breaths came out slightly erratic. His eyes flitted across Dabi’s figure. Hawks gulped, eyeing the way Dabi’s coat hung loosely off his frame.
Fuck. Was Dabi always this attractive?
Hawks was alarmed when he realized what he thought. He dismissed the thought immediately. It would be a problem if he thought too hard about it.
To distract himself, Hawks pulled out a box of yakitori from his jacket. He opened it to eat the dinner he didn’t have earlier.
Dabi looked over at him. “Why’re you eating now? It’s past 12 am.”
“Hero work is time-consuming. I didn’t have time to eat dinner, so I’m doing it now,” Hawks responded.
Dabi narrowed his eyes and pursed his lips. “Your work is time-consuming, but you had time to deliver food to the base for everyone.” His voice was skeptical.
Hawks perked up at that. “Oh yeah! I did do that. How’d you like your food?”
“I didn’t try it. I hate fish.”
And like that, Hawks’ good mood was gone. He didn’t understand why he felt so upset that Dabi didn’t like his food, but he felt it. He didn’t even make the food. He bought it from the local restaurant. Still, his mood soured.
“Oh, Toga told me it was your favorite.” His voice sounded somewhat strained. Luckily, Dabi didn’t take notice of it.
A hum came from Dabi’s mouth. “Did she? I’ll make sure I have a chat with her about that.”
They fell into silence. If Dabi didn’t like fish, what did he like? He wanted to ask, but Dabi would probably judge him for getting personal. He would not let go of his pride to ask a silly question.
However, his mouth had other thoughts. “If you don’t like fish, what is your favorite food?”
Dabi made a face. Hawks looked away. Now he had gone and done it. He shouldn’t have asked something so personal. He should’ve stuck to his job.
Yet when he looked back, Dabi didn’t look judgmental. In fact, he seemed shocked. Shocked that someone would ask him that, or care about something so minuscule. His mouth was partially agape, and his eyebrows raised upward.
Gaining his composure, Dabi answered, “Hot soba.”
Hawks committed his answer to memory. Hot soba. Dabi’s favorite food is hot soba. Suddenly, he was on his feet, running out of the alleyway.
He called back to Dabi, “I’ll be right back,” while his legs carried him away.
He found himself in front of a hot soba shop. When it was his turn to order, he was met with a nice lady who got him the food quickly. Hawks said his thanks, rushing back to the passageway.
Dabi was still there when he got back. Hawks approached him.
With a grand gesture and flourish, Hawks handed him the noodles. “Here it is, your ¥800 hot soba meal.”
Dabi stared quizzically at him before accepting the package. “Why’d you buy it? I never said you had to.” He sounded so lost, as if he was stunned that anyone would do something like this for him without payment.
Hawks is abruptly reminded of the thoughts he had earlier. He panicked for an answer.
“I bought a meal for everyone else, so I bought one for you, too,” Hawks said, attempting to cover up any ulterior motives.
And then words he never expected to fall out of Dabi’s mouth came out.
“...Thank you.”
Hawks was astonished. Even Dabi looked astounded by his own words. They both looked away from each other.
“Um... You're welcome,” Hawks responded awkwardly.
A few seconds passed before Hawks was reminded why he was there in the first place.
“So… what do you have for me this week?”
Dabi pulled a letter from his pocket. “Letter from Shigaraki,” he clarified.
“He couldn’t tell me in person?”
Dabi shrugged. “Said there are too many prying ears.”
“Hmm.” Hawks stared at the letter. He’d have to open it when he got home.
“Anything else?” Hawks asked.
“One more thing.” Dabi stared at him intently. “How’s it going with the Christmas list?”
Shit.
----------
Hawks laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling. He should’ve been doing his laundry, writing his reports, or even getting extra sleep. But no. His eyes were fixed on the ceiling.
He thought about today’s earlier events. It had been a very good day. For one, the most obvious thing, he got information about the League via Shigaraki’s letter. His charity to the organization and Toga’s plan had finally paid off. Reporting about his newfound intel about the League of Villain’s partnership with the Shie Hassaikai would get his handlers off his back for at least a week. On top of the info he got, his day went smoothly. The villains he fought were easy to handle, he got his paycheck, and his favorite drink was back in stock at the coffee shop he frequented.
And yet, his thoughts kept drifting back to Dabi. Dabi, Dabi, Dabi. Ever since their impromptu dinner, the arsonist had been plaguing his mind. His heart skipped a beat when he thought about how he looked, and his heart skipped another beat when he thought about Dabi appreciating the food he bought.
He felt his mind spinning thinking about him. He was conflicted with many thoughts. First off, he was a hero, he couldn’t have these thoughts. He couldn’t afford that. Secondly, Shigaraki and Dabi were a thing , or something along those lines. He couldn’t interfere with that. Third was, well, he wanted to be with Dabi. As crazy as that sounded, he wanted to be with that sarcastic, rude emo villain. But he just couldn’t.
How could he betray hero society by crushing on a villain? How could he face the disappointment from his handlers when they find out? And most importantly, how could he face Dabi once he discovers his feelings?
There were no good outcomes to this situation.
Therefore, Hawks decided to do what he does best: ignore it.
I mean, it would pass over, right?
----------
It did not pass over.
It had been a week and his brain had been teasing him with thoughts of Dabi throughout it.
Everywhere he went reminded him of the villain.
He passed by a candle shop on the way to a villain attack. His first thought: Dabi.
A fan gave him a blue flower as a token of appreciation. His first thought: Dabi.
Endeavor pulls out his credit card to buy something for his son. His first thought: Hey, that’s on Dabi’s Christmas wish list.
It was getting out of hand.
On top of that, he hadn’t visited the League base in over a week. He appreciated the peace of mind it gave him, but it was suspicious. Too suspicious.
He definitely had to check up on them to make sure they weren’t doing something stupid.
Arriving at the base, he knocked on the door. The door swung open and Toga’s face was on the other side.
“Hawksie! I haven’t seen you in such a long time! I missed you.” Toga moved to hug Hawks and drag him inside.
“Yeah…” Hawks responded offhandedly.
As soon as he closed the door behind him, Hawks noticed it was quieter than usual. There was some noise, of course. He heard video game controller buttons clicking and a news channel playing. What he didn’t hear was talking, specifically arguing. He was surprised that Dabi and Shigaraki weren’t feuding over something stupid again. Actually, he didn’t sense Shigaraki or Dabi in any of the League’s rooms.
“Hey, Toga? Where’s Dabi?” Fuck . He wasn’t supposed to say that. He blamed it on the Dabi brain rot he’d been having for the past week. Adjusting for his earlier statement, he added, “And Shigaraki?”
“Oh! That’s what I forgot to tell you! I locked them in a closet together.” Toga grinned at him.
Just when he thought Toga was getting better at setting them up, Toga pulled this stunt. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. I am a hero. I have patience.
When Hawks regained his composure, he asked, “Why… and how?”
“Simple! I learned that close proximity helps people confess to each other. And Kurogiri used products to make the furniture in this house decay-proof and fireproof because Dabi and Tomura kept destroying stuff. And Compress helped me carry them over to put in a closet.”
Hawks would have to talk to Compress later about maturity. Taking another deep breath, Hawks said, “Toga… you shouldn’t lock people in closets.”
Toga frowned. “Why? I’m helping them!”
Helping them, my ass , Hawks thought. He didn’t say that aloud, though. He was much gentler. “Yes, but they probably don’t think that, do they?”
Toga pouted.
Hawks sighed. “Where did you lock them?”
“You’re going to free them, aren’t you?” she accused.
“Yes, I am.”
Toga pouted even more.
Hawks let out yet another breath. “Listen, I promise I’ll help you on your next plan if you let me free them.” He could’ve probably freed them on his own, but he didn’t want to get on Toga’s bad side. He also probably shouldn’t make another promise with Toga. Oh well.
Toga begrudgingly led him to a closet, presumably the one she trapped Dabi and Shigaraki in. Muffled voices spoke inside. He approached the closet and undid the lock. Opening the door, two figures stumbled out.
“Thank fuck . Finally I can get away from your ugly ass.”
“Who the fuck are you calling ugly? Looked in the mirror recently?”
Ah, the arguing was back. So much for peace and quiet.
“I will personally ensure that you never see that green-haired kid or floaty girl in your life ever again,” Dabi threatened.
He then walked out, not giving Hawks a glance or speckle of attention. Hawks pretended that his heart wasn't crumpling in on itself.
“What he said,” Shigaraki said, walking out of the room as well.
Hawks looked at Toga.
Toga stared back.
Toga broke the silence. “Okay, maybe you were right-”
----------
I have a crush on Dabi.
Hawks came to that realization that night. Now he was in a pickle. He listed many reasons why he shouldn’t have a crush on that particular person.
One, Dabi is a villain.
Two, Shigaraki has a crush on Dabi as well.
Three, Dabi is definitely not ready for a relationship, much less with a hero.
Four, I am not sure what to do with his newfound realization.
Five- you get the point.
Even though he had a long list of reasons why he shouldn’t feel this way, he just did. He couldn’t help the way his eyes were drawn to Dabi’s hips when he walked. He couldn’t help the way his heart stuttered when Dabi’s hair blew in the wind. He couldn’t hold down his blush when Dabi’s eyes met his. His heart was embarrassingly at Dabi’s mercy.
The worst part was knowing that his fantasies would never be fulfilled. Dabi liked Shigaraki. Hawks was not Shigaraki. End of the story.
Though perhaps it was better that Dabi didn’t like him. It made the consequences of their potential relationship non-existent. He would be okay if he saw Shigaraki and Dabi hand-holding, cuddling, kissing-
No, he would not be okay. He should do something, but he knew he couldn’t. Heroes and villains were never meant to be together.
That didn’t mean he wanted it to be true.
He’d spent so long doing things for others. He was a hero, for god sake. It was in his blood to help others, to put others above himself. But just for this one time, he wanted something for himself. Someone for himself.
However, it wasn’t his choice. Even if he did defy the Hero Commission, he still wouldn’t be in full control of the situation. Everything rested on the shoulders of another person: Dabi.
Hawks felt like he failed Dabi. Failed him by developing feelings that couldn’t be reciprocated. He also failed Toga. She had so much faith in him to work with her plan, and yet he was actively opposing it. He even failed the Hero Commission for falling in love with a villain in the first place. And worst of all, he failed himself. He failed himself for knowing he would never act on his feelings. He’d never fulfill the empty space in his heart because he wouldn’t try.
It was a shame he couldn’t discuss his feelings with anyone. He couldn’t tell anyone who wasn’t in the League. He would lose everything if someone found out about his affiliations with the League, regardless if they knew it was set up or not. He couldn’t tell anyone in the League, either. That would mean jeopardizing his chance at receiving crucial information since Shigaraki had feelings for Dabi. Although he was head-over-heels for the fiery villain, he was still against their plans for the future. With that, all his options were closed.
Except one.
The internet.
The glorious internet could most definitely provide him with advice on this situation. Everything existed on the internet, after all.
Hawks went on incognito mode on a private device, just to make sure the Hero Commission wasn’t spying. He proceeded to type “what to do if you fall in love with an enemy”. He got millions of suggestions.
Most of them were book recommendations and teenager advice. However, after scrolling through multiple social media platforms for some time, he found a section of the internet that provided exactly what he was looking for.
Hawks didn’t know why there were so many Buzzfeed quizzes on relationships, but he was thankful for them.
He must’ve taken over a hundred quizzes, as his eyelids were drooping and his brain became sluggish. However, the theme was clear: Spend time with your love interest.
After digging through the internet in more reliable places, he discovered that close proximity was a main factor in building relationships. It was something to do with psychology and sociology. Hawks was no psychologist or sociologist, so he trusted the professionals with their research.
Spending time with Dabi? That seems easy enough… if he doesn’t turn me into rotisserie chicken before I get any chances. Huh. Maybe the internet could be helpful after all.
Maybe he did have a chance.
----------
Any chance he could’ve had went out the window when Toga brought him in to cash in her favor.
“You’ll only need to do one more plan, okay? And you can’t refuse since you promised me you’d go along with our next scheme,” Toga said once he came to the base.
“I know, I know. What do I have to do this week?” Hawks asked.
Toga turned to face him. “Your job is really, really simple. Are you listening?”
Hawks nodded.
She leaned in closer. “All you need to do is…”
She paused for dramatic effect.
Then, in Hawks’ ear, she whispered, “...flirt with Tomura.”
Hawks recoiled as if he was electrocuted.
“You.” Hawks pointed to Toga. “Want me.” Hawks pointed to himself. “To flirt with Shigaraki ?!” he screeched.
Toga merely nodded.
“Have you thought this through? Dabi will most definitely burn my wings off if I do that. And I like my wings very much!” Hawks shrieked.
“Hear me out!” Toga said. “Dabi will get so jealous that he’ll totally confess to Shigaraki! And that’s what we want.”
“Not at the cost of my life .”
“Pfft. Don’t be dramatic. Dabi won’t do anything to you since you’re part of the League. Shigaraki won’t allow it. And he’ll listen to Shigaraki.”
Hawks tilted his head in thought. That was true. If Shigaraki didn’t want him to die, Dabi would listen to him. However, he isn’t sure what Shigaraki wants with him.
It wasn’t like he had much of a choice. A promise was a promise and he made a promise to Toga. Now he had to follow through and carry it out.
Hawks sighed in defeat. “Fine, I’ll do it. Just tell me the specifics.”
Toga let out a sound of joy. “Yes, yes, of course!” Toga started to explain the plan in fuller detail.
As Toga spoke, Hawks pondered. Am I going to regret this?
I sure hope I won’t.
----------
When Hawks got the text from Toga to come to the League base, he dreaded the moment he’d reach the destination. Damn his incredibly fast speed. The sky was darkening by the second while he flew to the base. When he finally touched the ground, Toga was there, motioning for him to come inside.
As he stepped into the League’s hideout, Toga started whispering to him, “Tomura and Dabi are in the living room. Here’s our chance!”
Hawks sighed and complied. Let’s just get this over with .
Entering the living room, he saw Dabi conversing with Twice, a bored expression donning his face. Turning towards the makeshift bar, he saw Shigaraki slumped over a stool, arms resting on the counter. Hawks’ entire body willed him to float towards Dabi, but he made the conscious decision to walk towards Shigaraki.
Hawks sat on the barstool next to Shigaraki. Now in a closer view, he saw Shigaraki’s hair was tied up, unusual to his normal style. He propped one arm on the counter, using his palm as a headrest. In the most non-awkward way he could muster, Hawks said, “Hey.”
Shigaraki lifted his head and turned it to the side to face Hawks. Bluntly, he asked, “What do you want?”
He couldn’t say he was surprised that his pitiful introduction didn’t work. He was used to the brutal honesty from Dabi, so he shouldn’t have expected anything less from Shigaraki.
Regardless, Hawks did what he always did to get out of situations: lie.
“Nothing. Just wanted to talk to you, that's all.” Hawks smiled slightly to further convince Shigaraki of his 100% pure motives. He wasn’t on a mission to set him up with his second-in-command. No sir. Not him.
Shigaraki paused, as if unsure on how to go forward. After a few seconds of Hawks debating if he should opt out of the plan and bribe Toga to let him off their deal, Shigaraki spoke up. “So what did you want to talk about then?”
Fuck. I really should’ve thought this true. Hawks glanced around the room quickly to find a topic to converse about. His eyes landed on a Nintendo switch in Shigaraki’s hands below the counter. Bingo .
“Just curious about what you’re playing on your switch.” Hawks’ eyes flicked down to the switch and back up to Shigaraki’s eyes.
Though Shigaraki was unphased by Hawks’ actions, he straightened his back to talk about the game he was playing. “It’s Animal Crossing. You’ve never heard of it?” he questioned.
“I don’t play video games. Hero work takes up too much time,” Hawks explained.
Shigaraki frowned at that. “You’ve never played a video game? That’s sad. Even Sensei let me play video games.”
“Guess that’s the life of a hero.” Hawks shrugged.
“Hmm. Well I think that’s bullshit. Heroes should have enough time to play video games… and do other stuff,” Shigaraki said, a determined look in his eyes.
Hawks was surprised at his seriousness in regards to this topic. He supposed it was due to personal experiences.
“Anyways,” Shigaraki said, snapping out of his daze, “Animal Crossing is a social simulation game in which you survive on an island, befriend animal villagers, and…”
Hawks listened to Shigaraki’s ramble, humming in recognition at certain parts to let him know he was still listening. While his ears were focused on Shigaraki’s voice, he looked out of the corner of his eye to Dabi. Twice seemed to have left Dabi alone to his own devices. At first glance, it looked like Dabi was minding his own business, scrolling on his phone. But after further investigation, Hawks saw Dabi’s eyes slightly shift once in a while to catch a glimpse of Shigaraki and himself.
Hawks was on the right track. All he needed to do was push Dabi over the edge a little bit.
When Shigaraki paused for a breath in his explanation, Hawks interjected, “Hey, did you do something new with your hair today?”
Hawks hoped that Shigaraki would catch on to the new subject. If he had to listen to one more second of video game talk, he might’ve rioted.
Shigaraki perked up. “Yeah, I did. Kurogiri did my hair since he said it was getting ‘boring’ and ‘greasy’. Whatever that means.”
“Oh, well it looks nice today, man.” Ah, perfect. Hawks complimented him enough to make Shigaraki blush a little bit, and was chill enough to convey that he had no romantic feelings for him. Fuck social skills, he was a genius.
Before Hawks could celebrate his intellect any further, the villain asked, “You’re really talkative today, did you fight with Dabi?”
Hawks raised his eyebrows in surprise. Dabi? How did he get into this conversation?
“You’re always talking to Dabi or some shit. Flirting, maybe.” Shigaraki rolled his eyes.
Hawks’ eyes widened comically. “What? No. He’s cool, I guess, but we don’t… flirt .”
“Mm,” Shigaraki said in response.
Fuck. He’s onto me. This is bad. He doesn’t even seem jealous. Speaking of "jealous"…
Hawks’ eyes flickered to Dabi. He was standing in the same spot, very obviously eavesdropping on their conversation.
I just need to make him a little more jealous, then he’ll crack. And then I can be out of this mess once and for all.
“So any new assignments for me?” Hawks asked.
“Nope,” Shigaraki replied instantly. “Why?”
“Just wanted to make sure the leader of our organization didn’t need anything from me,” Hawks replied casually. “You’ve done such a great job of leading your team and coming up with plans, after all.”
“Obviously.” Shigaraki snorted. “That’s why I’m the leader.” His voice sounded arrogant, but his body language seemed to say he didn’t get complimented often.
“Yeah, of course,” Hawks said, continuing his charade. “Being a leader must be tough, so tell me if you need any… favors or otherwise.”
“Noted, your contributions to the League will be appreciated,” Shigaraki said, blissfully unaware of the sexual innuendo Hawks directed towards him.
“Of cour-”
He didn’t have time to finish what he was saying when Dabi yanked his elbow and dragged him to another room, away from Shigaraki.
Finally.
Dabi dropped his hold on Hawks. “What the fuck are you doing?” Anger seeped into his voice.
Hawks put his hands up in surrender. “Nothing.”
Dabi scoffed. “You’re going to look me in my eyes and tell me you weren’t trying to flirt with Shigaraki?”
“I wasn’t flirting with Shigaraki,” Hawks stated.
“You weren’t looking at my eyes.”
“I was just complimenting him, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Hawks protested.
“Like hell you were.” Dabi’s glare pierced through his soul.
“Listen, if you’re so worked up about it, I’ll stop complimenting your boyfriend, okay?” Hawks said.
The anger in Dabi’s tone was replaced with confusion. “Boyfriend? What are you on about?”
“Fine. Not boyfriend. I’ll stop complimenting your little crush.”
“Crush? You think I have a crush on Shigaraki? That shitbag?” Disbelief radiated from Dabi.
“Yes…? You like Shigaraki,” Hawks said dumbly.
“You. The number 2 hero. Fastest hero alive. The hero known for his intelligence. Think I. Like Shigaraki?!” Dabi screeched.
Hawks was taken aback. Was he wrong?
“Are you dumb?” Dabi asked mockingly.
“No.”
“Yes. Yes, you are.”
“That doesn’t make sense! You have to like Shigaraki.” Hawks brought his hands to his head.
Dabi looked at him strangely. “Why?”
“Toga told me you like him,” the hero stated.
“And you believed her?!” Dabi’s face was full of many different emotions.
“Now that you say it out loud, it sounds bad. But hear me out! She had a point. You hang around Shigaraki constantly and willingly.”
“He’s the boss of our organization. Plus, it’s not like I enjoy being in his presence. You’ve heard me argue with him on multiple occasions.”
“It’s pigtail pulling,” Hawks said, restating Toga’s claims from past conversations.
“You don’t even know what pigtail pulling means.”
“Fair, but how can you explain taking me aside right now. You yelled at me for flirting with Shigaraki,” Hawks said triumphantly.
“You know, you just admitted to flirting with that crusty shit,” Dabi pointed out.
“Don’t avoid the topic. Why’d you yell at me for flirting with Shigaraki?”
“Shouldn’t the answer be obvious?”
“No,” Hawks said, “it’s not.”
“Well then I’m not going to fucking tell you.”
“Yes, you are,” Hawks pressed.
“No, I’m not,” Dabi countered.
“You’re going to tell me.”
“I won’t.”
“You owe me that much. You pulled me away from Shigaraki, and expect me to not ask questions? Are you really that insecure about liking him?” Hawks fired out.
“For the last time, I do not like Shigaraki!” Dabi’s brow creased in frustration.
“Why won’t you tell me why if that isn’t the reason?” Hawks’ throat started to hurt from raising his voice at Dabi, but he continued to push.
“It’s because I like you, goddammit!”
It was silent.
Hawks’ mouth hung open as he processed what he just heard.
Dabi fared no better, as his eyes were blown wide, and his hand was covering his mouth. He looked just as, if not more, shocked as Hawks that those words came out of his mouth.
Regaining his composure, Dabi forced the words, “I’m leaving,” out of his mouth. He turned around and bolted for the nearest door.
Before Dabi could leave the room, Hawks grabbed his wrist. “Stay,” he murmured.
Dabi yanked his arm out of his grasp. “Forget what you heard,” he said, turning his head away to look at anywhere but Hawks.
“No,” Hawks said. “No, I won’t. Dabi, I-”
“I don’t need to hear your fucking rejection. Just let me go in peace.” A look of utter regret adorned Dabi’s face.
“No, I won’t let you go! Dabi, I'm not rejecting you!” Desperation from the past few weeks came tumbling down in Hawks’ voice and body language.
“So what are you doing then? Pretend that you like me? That’s even worse.”
“Pretend? I’m not pretending. I like you, Dabi. I really do.”
The villain sneered at him. “Did you expect me to believe that? You can’t pretend you like me, I already know what I look like and how I act. You wouldn’t like me, you’re a hero.” Dabi’s voice cracked at the last sentence.
Hawks gripped his jacket and pulled him down to eye level. “Why wouldn’t I like you? Fuck, Dabs, you’re amazing. I like your style of clothes, your sarcastic sense of humor, your taste in food... I like everything about you. You make me feel the most alive I’ve ever felt in my entire life. You make me feel free. So, please, don’t push me away. I want to spend more time with you, I want to learn more about you, and I want to be able to love you. Please…” Hawks’ grip on his jacket became even tighter.
Dabi looked like he’s in a confused state of panic. “What… Why… How… How do I know you’re being genuine?”
“Let me show you.”
Amber eyes met blue eyes.
Dabi dipped his head and Hawks threaded one of his hands through Dabi’s hair. Simultaneously, they pressed their lips together. Hawks put his free hand on Dabi’s nape, while Dabi’s arm looped around Hawks’ waist. Their lips moved in tandem, synchronized with one another.
Hawks had never felt so euphoric in his life. There was no pain, no past… just Dabi’s lips. His heart was ready to burst with the repressed emotions he’d been feeling towards the villain. With their bodies flush together, there was no pain...
Until there was. With all their focus on each other, they forgot how to breathe. Lungs clawing for air, Hawks stumbled towards Dabi, and the villain’s back hit the wall with a thud. They groaned, both out of pain and emotional overload.
In heavy breaths, their eyes met again. Dilated eyes found dilated eyes. They stared at each other in wonder.
“Fuck,” Dabi breathed out, “you really…”
“Yeah,” Hawks said, equally as out of breath, “we just…”
“Did that,” Dabi finished.
Words were shared between them. Though not spoken, they knew what each other was saying.
Though there was no direct translation for the words they shared, it was fairly obvious what they meant.
After all, their lips met again and again throughout the night.
----------
Toga waited in her room, rereading a romance manga she had collected during junior high.
As expected, the door burst open. There stood Dabi, dressed in his signature outfit and holding a handful of hero magazines.
They stared at each other for a few seconds before Dabi spoke up.
“Okay, fine, you were right…”
“Of course I was right, I always am,” she said, flipping a page of her manga.
Dabi made a face. “That’s an overstatement.”
“So my plan didn’t work? You’re not Hawks’ new boyfriend?” Toga said cheekily.
Dabi grumbled something unintelligibly before saying, “Whatever. Here’s your favor payment.” He walked up to her and dumped the magazines he was holding onto Toga's makeshift desk.
Toga put her manga down to see what Dabi has brought her. Seeing what it was, she let out a noise that sounded like a hybrid between a squeal and a gasp. On her desk was a pile of hero magazines that were sold for a limited amount of time. Of course, she wasn’t able to get them since she lacked the money and speed to buy them. It was disappointing to her, as the magazine contained interviews from people in UA’s class 1-A, including Ochako and Deku.
“How did you get these?” Toga asked in shock.
“I have my ways,” Dabi said, smirking.
“I’ll be off now.” Dabi turned around and waved with the back of his hand, walking out.
“Have fun with your boyfriend!” Toga called after him. She giggled as she heard the frequency of the footsteps in the hallway increase and get quieter.
Oh, where would those two idiots be without her?